PN 81–7

Volume LXXXI, Issue VII

sluh.org/prepnews

St. Louis University High School | Friday, October 7, 2016

McTigue, ’55, donates scholarship for artificial intelligence

And Then There Were None: Murder mystery brings fear, darkness, film noir to the Schulte Theatre

BY Matthew REPORTER

Quinlan

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photo | Mrs. Kathy Chott

Members of the cast during the performance on Thursday.

BY Galen Bacharier and Rob Garner FEATURES EDITOR, REPORTER

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t. Louis U. High’s first theatrical production of the year is one of mystery, darkness, and intensity, as the Dauphin Players present And Then There Were None, running this weekend.

The show, based on Agatha Christie’s famous mystery novel that eventually made it onto the big screen, takes a different tone from anything SLUH has put on in the past.

The cast features an assortment of characters, from

the germophobic Dr. Armstrong to the eccentric Captain Lombard to mystery man William Blore, all invited to a party on an island by an unknown host. Before long, however, a mellow gathering turns dark as a record comes on, and all the attendees are accused of murder. Fingers are pointed, confusion spreads, and soon enough, people start dying.

“It’s a really scary, creepy whodunit,” said junior Pierce Hastings, who plays William Blore. “Everyone’s suspecting each other, and as the play goes on, more are dying, and

you still don’t know who the killer is. It heightens in intensity as it goes on.”

This isn’t a production that plays it safe by any means; it’s designed to scare and create uneasiness, violence, and a feeling of dread. Even the context in which the original story was written is menacing; it first hit shelves in 1939, just before World War II. “I think some of the intensity and angst of this play can be attributed to that prewar feeling of trouble on the horizon in that time when it was first released,” said English teacher and dramaturge

Chuck Hussung, whose role was to research the culture, background, and feel of the setting of the show.

“There’s some pretty brutal scenes, especially towards the end, whether it be death or psychological torture,” said senior and assistant director Evan Gorman. “Last year’s fall play was pretty dark too, but that was involving the death of an animal, and these are people being killed on an island, unable to escape. It’s an awesome, frightening concept.”

The production has a set and format to match its in-

tense tone; it’s a studio show, a more personal theater experience in which the seats of the Schulte Theater are placed on the stage itself and the audience is close enough to the actors to see every detail. The set itself also matches the desolate, creepy atmosphere the cast and crew set out to create.

“They modeled the set to be as bleak as possible, so it’s sparse, but it’s a very modern design,” said Hastings. “It creates a kind of cold, stark feel.”

The lighting of the show is a far cry from the norm, as the stage is clouded by a haze

continued on page 5

his past week, a plaque commemorating the Irish Heritage Scholarship for Artificial Intelligence went up outside of the library in honor of a scholarship donated by Thomas V. McTigue Jr., Class of 1955.

The scholarship is the third partially-endowed scholarship which McTigue has established here at SLUH, the other two being the Irish Heritage Scholarship and the Irish Heritage STEM Scholarship. The Artificial Intelligence Scholarship was created to aid a student of Irish heritage who is interested in pursuing the concept and growing reality of Artificial Intelligence.

“The individual receiving that scholarship is someone who has financial need who has an interest in STEM, specifically Artificial Intelligence,” said Director of Advancement Melissa Jones.

McTigue cherishes his Irish heritage, having dual citizenship between the United States and Ireland, and views his giving as a way of honoring his heritage, as well as his own parents, whom he remembers with the quote written on the plaque.

“If you look at the bottom of the scholarship plaques,

continued on page 5

Conversation

Students from around STL come Poiriér reflects after 50 years as a Jesuit to reflect, pray at Awake My Soul Editor in Chief Sam Chechik sat down with Fr. Bob Poiriér, S.J., on Wednesday afternoon to discuss his time as a Jesuit.

His 50 year anniversary in the Society of Jesus was celebrated two Sundays ago at the Jesuit Jubilee. They discussed his time at Jesuit schools around the country, his year in Australia, and what being a Jesuit really means.

reasons. Also, if you are interested in Fr. Poiriér’s history, see editor in chief emeritus Leo K. Heinz’s piece on his introduction to St. Louis U. High on the Prep News website at http:// student.sluh.org/prepnews/ index.php/news2/item/411poirier/411-poirier.

Sam Chechik: We celebrated two Sundays ago the Jesuit Jubilee, and you were celebratEditor’s note: this inter- ing 50 years in the Society. view was trimmed down from How did you feel during that its original length for editorial moment when you were cel-

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 ©2016 St. Louis University High School Prep News. No material may be reprinted without the permission of the editors and moderator.

ebrated along with all of those priests beside you on that Sunday?

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ith over 70 students from Catholic high schools across the archdiocese in attendance, St. Louis U. High hosted an hour of Eucharistic adoration called “Awake My Soul” this past Wednesday—an event coordinated by the Senior Pastoral Team.

A similar event created and hosted by Cor Jesu Acadcontinued on page 2 emy last Spring, inspired se-

Bob Poiriér, S.J.: I felt really good; I’m thankful of all the experiences I’ve had. Some of it was just running through my head—the great things that I’ve been allowed to do during 50 years in the Jesuits, and at the same time I felt like this is just another day in my life as a Jesuit in the sense that it’s special, but it’s also ordi-

News

The history of SLUH in postcards English teacher Chuck Hussung presents pieces of the past through more than 1000 post cards. Page 2 News

BY Jack Schweizer CORE STAFF

No Tech Zone Two Prep News editors reflect on time away from cell phones and subsequently broken Snapchat streaks. Page 3

Feature

Teachers bike to school Teachers trade speed for scenery, making use of the Oakland bike lanes. Page 4 Feature

Ryan Neuner Live!

Senior Ryan Neuner travels to Jimmy Kimmel’s California crib for taste of Hollywood. Page 4

nior Joe Laughlin to bring a similar event to SLUH. Laughlin started planning for “Awake My Soul” in July after talking with Campus Minister Meg Beugg, who oversaw the Senior Pastoral Team as they worked on the project.

“He started working on it over the summer to try to put it together, and then proposed it to the senior pastoral team at one of our first meetings of the school year and got

Sports

Cross country finishes in sixth Hetlage’s 19th place finish not enough to carry cross country; team finishes sixth at Parkway West Invitational­­­­­­. Page 6 Sports Vianney offense too much for Jr. Bills

Football loses to Vianney in hard fought game, falling into a three game slump. Page 6

other students involved,” said Beugg.

The Pastoral Team split into different groups, assigning various roles for the music, marketing, and structuring of the event. Their extensive marketing strategy included contacting campus ministers from every Catholic high school in the archdiocese, making flyers, and sending emails to theology teachers.

continued on page 5

INDEX 2 News

Continued from 1

3 Opinion 4 Features 5

Continued from 1

6-7 Sports 8

Around the Hallways

Calendar

2 Conversation with Fr. Bob Poirier, S.J., about his life in the Society NEWS

Prep News

October 7, 2016

Volume 81, Issue 7

(continued from page 1) nary.

SC: You mentioned some of the experiences flashing in your mind. What were some of those great experiences or opportunities that you got to have because you were a Jesuit?

BP: In the beginning years, I had an amazing group of talented and interesting Jesuit peers. There were artists, musicians, intellectuals, and athletes; we became good friends. Probably one of the other highlights in the first eight to ten years was teaching as a Jesuit scholastic at Rockhurst High School. It was like the golden years. I was with Fr. Cummings and Fr. Marco, who were young priests, and I was a young green Jesuit scholastic, but they took us all under their wings and took care of us. We had a lot of fun, we worked hard, we enjoyed life, and we supported each other in tough moments. That high school for many years had one student death a year, and those were times that the support of fellow Jesuits was really helpful. Five years after I left that teaching experience, I went to Chicago to study theology, lived in Hyde Park, and made really good friends.

Again, I was surrounded by Jesuits my own age; we were all in our twenties, and we lived in small communities, and four of us were like the “Four Musketeers” and did everything together for four years. When it got really cold in Chicago, one of the guys would say, “Okay, let’s get into the car,” and we’d drive to the lake shore, and the wind and the snow and the ice would be blowing in our faces and we’d stand there for a minute, and then we’d climb in the car and say, “Where are we going to go for cheesecake?” So those were just great experiences.

I continued in high school work after I was ordained, went back to Rockhurst High School. I’d fallen in love with

Kansas City; I don’t know exactly why, and the Jesuits would keep sending me back there. I used to tell people that the Jesuits sent me back until I got it done right, so I had three different assignments with 14 years total. Those were great years. I decided to study high school administration, so I went to Fordham in New York and got a degree in administration and was principal of Regis High School.

I’m not even sure if I was 40 years old, and I got the chance to be principal of a high school. It was a great experience. Denver was completely different; I really enjoyed it and then went back to Rockhurst High School for a third time and was superior of the community, taught English, and did admissions marketing work. At the end of that, the Jesuits let me know that I could take a year to do something I really dreamed of doing, so I went to Australia for a year and worked at a Jesuit high school, and it was the best thing I’ve ever done in my life.

was 1300 students, 400 were boarders, and they also had a small group of boarders that were ten and eleven years old.

Once in a while I’d do Mass for the boarders at like 8:00 on Wednesday, and the boarding masters would get these kids in their sleep gear, and they’d come to a room and sit on the floor and we’d have Mass, and they’d pray for the cattle on their father’s cattle station and things like that. It was neat.

I got to travel to Tasmania and Port Arthur, the historic prison site. I went to Perth. It was my favorite city; it’s the climate that California thinks it has. Beautiful beaches and great seafood right on the

it just seemed like out of my this grace you have? comfort zone, but I’m so glad I did all that stuff.

BP: It’s a grace that’s given and a grace that one has to struggle SC: Swinging it back to your through, both simultaneously. job now at SLUH, what has So when I said I struggle with been one of the most gratify- it, to make close relationships ing experiences since you’ve with people and even a combeen here? munity or a school or a parish, it’s really hard to leave.

BP: There are experiences in Other than living through the different areas. Being on Kai- loss of somebody dying, it’s ros with about 25 juniors, now probably the hardest experiseniors, was certainly a high- ence of my life, to get really light. Making friends with the close to a group of people in faculty and staff here has been a community and then just a great experience; I really en- move on. At the same time, joy that. I also like working each time, a new treasure— one-on-one with students, but a new wonderful experience so often when you’ve been in a that I would like to contribute Jesuit high school for a while, to God’s grace—cracks open for me as a result of that.

SC: What challenges specifically have you encountered throughout your 50 years?

Have there been any great things that have hit you hard that you just needed God’s grace to help you get through, and what were those?

SC: What was so exceptional about working in Australia?

BP: The families were very supportive of an American Jesuit. A number of families took me under their wing, and we’d do things together.

One of the things I learned was, despite differences, it was the same high school experience and the same Jesuit student. They let me teach a little bit of English, but they wouldn’t let me teach year 11 and 12 students, which would be juniors and seniors. I think they were afraid I’d corrupt the Queen’s English. And sometimes I would be teaching and students would start giggling and I’d say, “What’s funny?” Sometimes they’d tell me, sometimes they wouldn’t, but an American accent is so different for them, and so a lot of times it was just the way I’d say something.

They had boarders, and so it

artwork | Lancer Li

coast. I spent a little time in Canberra, their capital, because one of the students I got to know lived there, so I went down and visited him and saw the government center. They were doing an election for prime minister during one of my visits, and he said, “Do you want to go see where they’re counting the votes?” I said, “What? I don’t think we have any place in the United States where we are tallying all the votes in one place.” I went to the Great Barrier Reef. I spent a week in the Outback at a cattle station; it was like a million square mile cattle station, so it was just extraordinary. I almost didn’t go to Australia.

I almost didn’t go on the trip to that cattle station because

you just keep moving up and eventually, you get to doing things where you don’t have much contact with students, and working in the Learning Center and now as a school counselor, I get to have a lot of one-on-one contact with students, and that’s probably—as far as a day-to-day experience—probably it’s back to the really exciting and really ordinary.

SC: What keeps you going throughout not only your day-to-day experiences but also your movements in the Society from city to city and from community to community? How do you continue to just take on those challenges and those opportunities with

BP: The first one was in my first year of teaching as a young Jesuit in Kansas City, and I had juniors and seniors.

Over Labor Day weekend— so we’re like two weeks into the school year—there’s a car wreck on a Saturday night and two juniors died in the accident. It’s one of the students I’m teaching. And I had never experienced (death), so I’m maybe 24 years old, and this young man is killed, and it really hit me hard. And the Jesuits around me knew that I was having a hard time with it. Someone from that class I was teaching at the time—he told me, just a few years ago— Kevin says to me, “We knew you were having a hard time with his death.” It took him 40 years. It’s the great thing about teaching adolescents, and especially adolescent guys. You gotta be in it for the long run, and you gotta believe that it’s making a difference, and it does. Kevin has told me a number of times what a difference it has made. One of

After 30 years of postcards, Chuck Hussung shows off his collection

Chuck Hussung’s post card collection

BY Liam Connolly and Ben Frailey CORE STAFF, REPORTER

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ver the past 30 years, St. Louis U. High English teacher Chuck Hussung has amassed an incredible collection of postcards, and a part of this collection is currently on display in the art gallery of the J-wing.

Hussung had the idea of having an art show about his postcards about 16 years ago

photo | Brendan Voigt

when his collection reached 10,000 postcards.

“I think they’re fascinating, and I want to give the community a chance to be fascinated along with me,” said Hussung.

From his current collection of over 18,000 cards, Hussung selected roughly 1,100 SLUH related postcards to be displayed, in hopes of giving students and teachers the chance to get a unique view of

SLUH’s history in a way that isn’t commonly available.

“It’s partly a kind of very particularized history of SLUH at work, with little details that are not likely to make it in places like the Prep News,” said Hussung. “No historian is going to find these details, but for a moment, these details are available to current students.”

The cards are arranged on shelves with the idea that each card is related to the cards on either side of it in some way, so that the theme transitions as it goes down the line.

“If you take a look around, and go down the shelf, you’ll see connections between one card and the following one,” said art teacher Sarah Rebholz. “Ms. [Joan] Bugnitz started picking out pairs and started putting them together, and when Mr. Hussung came in and saw that, he had the idea to make them transition down the shelf.”

Hussung began collecting postcards in the summer of 1983, when he began a postcard exchange with a friend. He taped the postcards he received to his wall in his office at Washington University, until he acquired enough that he had to store them in a shoe box due to lack of space.

Hussung planned on sending his friend all of the postcards when he left Wash U., but once he began packing up the postcards he realized that he’d rather start a collection of his own.

The collection is currently on display in the art gallery and will be up until the start of Thanksgiving break. The show’s reception is taking place tonight.

“There’s a lot going on that night, and we’re hoping that people will be able to come up and check it out,” said Rebholz.

Because of the introduction of instant message technology such as email and text

message, postcards have drastically decreased in use in recent years.

“The tech age has not been good to postcards, now people will just post something to social media,” said Hussung. “People take their own pictures and post them with a sort of short, quick, snappy message with that impulse that postcards met for a hundred years.”

Hussung and the art department hope that the show will be able to reintroduce students to the lost art of sending postcards by allowing them to see a history of messages sent on postcards, as well as provide an opportunity to send their own.

“We’re going to have blank postcards for the students and faculty to write on and send out,” said Rebholz.

“People can write a message and address them to whomever, and we’ll have post stamps so they can send them.”

the things, one of my regrets is I have not kept in touch or contact with many of these people that were so good to me, and part of it for me was it was a trade-off between trying to have time for the people I’m serving in the new place and keeping in contact.

That would be right up there as a challenge for me, and I think part of the challenge of religious life and priesthood and celibacy is that you’re not going to have that permanent relationship like a husband or a father of a family, and yet, at the same time, on the positive side, for a priest and a Jesuit often times, we have the opportunity to become close to people in a school or a parish where we’re working.

SC: Have there been any challenges that you’ve had to meet here at SLUH that have been particularly tough?

BP: I think because I’ve had a lot of experiences in other places or schools, I have found it pretty smooth to navigate. I was a member of (the Board of Trustees) probably for at least six years before I started working here, so I’ve got my feet in a lot of different aspects of St. Louis U. High. I’m a Jesuit working in this corporate apostolate, but I’m in a different community than the group of Jesuits here.

I think I’ve found it a challenge to be staff member in a school where many faculty and staff just have decades of history. So it took me a while to realize that it didn’t matter, but it was just sort of, “Will I be able to contribute anything because I’m too old to be here for 30 years?” That was a bit of a challenge. I also think as I come in as an older man, I’m not out to prove anything.

I’m not on some career ladder, like maybe somebody who was 35 or 40 years old.

I’ve done the things I wanted to do, so now I can just try to make a contribution without having to prove anything.

Seniors attend WWT Convention

BY Jake Hennes and Ben Klevorn REPORTERS

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ast Thursday, ten seniors from St. Louis U. High attended a convention at World Wide Technologies (WWT), where they entered a contest to build something that best helps the school community.

“The presentations on WWT and the activities that they have been doing were very interesting. Also, they gave us a tour on their server room which was a lot of fun,” said senior Robbie Schaefer.

President David Laughlin filled out an application to apply to be a group for the WWT project, and SLUH turned out to be one of about 20 area high schools participating in the event.

The group of 10 students

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OPINION

October 7, 2016

Prep News Volume 81, Issue 7

Perspective Editorial: Critics of clothing article miss Spirtual distinction between news and opinion wo weeks ago, the Prep that not all of the student the Prep News itself ”, as well seen as impartial, the decirelief from T News ran a news story on body or SLUH community as a perspective, which “con- sion-making process that we group of students that wore will completely agree with. veys a personal experience go through is as centered as Awake My ablack clothing on SLUHSA This isn’t always a bad thing; rather than providing a view- possible. day during Spirit Week to sometimes, these stories fos- point on an issue.” This story, That same editorial polSoul raise awareness of the police ter intelligent conversation however, was neither; it was a icy encourages letters from

BY Samuel J. Chechik EDITOR IN CHIEF

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his past Tuesday evening, I didn’t know what I was going to do, and I was stuck in a bit of a pickle. There was an event called Awake My Soul, an hour of Eucharistic Adoration that would be beneficial to my spiritual presence that day. There was the hyped-up varsity soccer game. And obviously there was the pile of homework to do. I called my mother for advice, and in an attempt to discern what was right, decided to go to Awake My Soul in order to—as I told many people that day—“get a big dose of God to cleanse my sins.”

Awake My Soul was insanely powerful, as were the reflections, the reading, the prayer, and the aura that each person in SLUH’s Chapel radiated that evening. I estimate about 50 people from many different Catholic high schools across the St. Louis area being there, and many were not from SLUH. Eucharistic Adoration presented before me an image of God that filled me with confidence and power. He was right in front of me (which he was, at least in the Eucharist).

There were moments when I became so aware of—one could even say I awoke to— my sinful nature combined with God’s love for me despite my faults.

I feel that this is a necessity for many SLUH students, specifically for those of the Christian faith. We have to realize that we will fail and fall down, and that is okay because God will still love us if we want to be forgiven, yet we must learn from our sins and move forward. Those sins come in many different shapes and sizes: not spending enough time with family, going to bed too late because of all that homework, ignoring a friend because he pissed you off earlier, cursing or taking God’s name in vain.

We find these sins all around our lives each and every day, especially when we make use of the Examen and morning prayer. Awake My Soul, for me, was an opportunity to let myself go in the face of God and truly be present to my own self for just an hour. In the midst of our tornado-like schedules, we let go of many things that shouldn’t be thrown into the wind—God is one of those things. Take five minutes, or take an hour. Just make time to be present to God in prayer, and also be present to others, as God’s presence isn’t just in that holy, Eucharistic form. It is also within you and your classmates, the faculty and staff, and your family. In just one evening, I found something that I didn’t go looking for, but I was incredibly grateful afterward. I recommend you try it too.

shootings of African-Americans over the past week. We received no shortage of backlash for the article, including complaints that the story was “celebrating the disrespect of the United States” and “encouraging this kind of behavior.” It seems that many students and readers have forgotten our role in the St. Louis U. High community.

As the newspaper of the school, it’s our job to report on the latest happenings around SLUH, whether that be positive or negative, or about an event, club, service group, teacher, or alumnus.

Sometimes, this means writing a story about something

and involve the community in societal issues that may otherwise go unnoticed and undiscussed, even if that wasn’t the original purpose.

Our goal is to inform, first and foremost.

This story in particular, regarding the movement of black students wearing black clothing, was run as a news piece. The Prep News 81 editorial policy, which we include whenever we have space in our paper and is always available online, includes the definition of our different types of opinion pieces: a commentary, which represents “an opinion of one member of the Prep News staff, not of

news story, which goes back to the paper’s primary adjective—to inform of activity around SLUH. We also choose editorially what goes into the paper, where it goes, and why it is run. As editors of this newspaper, we make decisions about news articles that may not sit well with some readers, especially concerning the placement of certain pieces, whether that be on the front page or page eight.

The news and opinion sections of the newspaper are completely different entities, though editorial placement plays into both. Though our editorial decision may not be

the community, which we never pass up the opportunity to stress. “Every member of the SLUH community is welcomed and encouraged to submit a letter to the editors.

Every letter received by the editors will be read and given consideration.” We encourage everyone who is passionate about the subject matter or nature of our articles to write us letters; hearing different perspectives from the diverse community at St. Louis U. High can only be a good thing.

A Prep News editorial is the opinion of all seven editors on a particular topic.

Reflections: After a return to the olden days, editors react to time without phones

BY Matthew Book FEATURES EDITOR

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made it. After cleansing myself of distracting electronics for two weeks as part of an extra-credit exercise for my English class, I am back to report that, despite being a bit inconvenient and uncomfortable at times, the challenge is doable. I spent the first week getting over the subconscious connection to my phone­you know, reaching instinctively to my left front pocket to check the time or see if I had any messages because I had nothing better to do. I found that there are many little transition periods during the day, like walking down to or up from the parking lot or waiting for my carpool to come out from practice, that I could no longer fill by looking at a screen.

Instead I would have to do something else: stare off into space, twiddle my thumbs, or maybe even review some flash cards for class (if I was feeling particularly motivated). Not having a phone around also unsurprisingly boosted my productivity. The 30 minutes I would have wasted catching up on social media or playing games I now used to do homework.

It was not all rosy, though. If I had questions about what the homework assignment was, I couldn’t just whip out the ol’ phone and text a friend. I also did not always have access to a camera, a disability that proved inconvenient concerning Prep News matters twice in one week. I also could not record an interview for the past two weeks because I had no recording device. The biggest challenge I faced was one that has been very simple my whole driving career thanks to the GPS in my phone. I had to navigate my way from my South County home (Crestwood) to the St. Louis Club in Clayton for the presentation Mr. Tom Danis gave there last Wednes-

day. The first half of my journey was along highway 44, a route I usually take to school everyday anyway, but after the Laclede Station exit I was in unfamiliar territory. Traveling up North Laclede Station Road is as perilous as it gets.

There are an odd number of converging road intersections.

The road turns a corner but retains the same name, and

BY Andrew Modder SPORTS EDITOR

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s part of an English extra credit assignment, I entered into a lifestyle disconnected from screens for an entire week. Parents and older relatives say that we can’t go without touching our phones for even 30 minutes, but through this exercise I wanted to prove that screens are

artwork | Will Kramer

lanes suddenly become turnonly lanes. All these things can easily disorient a driver trying to follow print-out MapQuest directions. Once I finally arrived, I felt a sense of relief and satisfaction that I had not felt since beating a Webassign deadline by a mere two minutes last year. And I actually remembered the route I had taken to get there so I could just drive home without using any kind of guidance. That is not often the case when using a GPS. While not relying on a phone to always be there to back me up certainly proved interesting, I am glad to have gotten it back this week. I think I will try to keep away from some of the more detrimental things I have found to come from my phone. Hopefully I can, in the words of Henry David Thoreau, “find myself wealthy in the number of things which I can afford to let alone.”

not necessary and that these images and stereotypes are wrong. Technology plays a vital role in our modern American culture; people can communicate easily and efficiently through texting, video chat, or social media. Growing up in this kind of society has made me more aware of the uses of technology and their relative level of importance for certain people. In the current generation of teenagers, there are everyday images of attachment to screens: a group of people with their heads down sitting together in silence with earbuds in, the infamous group selfie, or the twiddling thumbs of people texting instead of talking.

As the week progressed, I experienced various feelings about my lack of a phone and the decision I made to undertake this challenge: regret, liberation, doubt, nervousness, joy, and disgust. There were certainly moments when I wanted to quit the whole thing

altogether. My parents questioned me about why I would even consider this activity.

There were times of struggle; I had to resist several temptations to honor my pledge to be screen-free, like the presence of several TVs with college and pro football games on at a restaurant, various web pages that are non school-related just beckoning me to click on them, or even Pandora or Spotify. However, despite these minor restrictions, I definitely felt moments of pride and liberation that made me grateful for the opportunity to let go of my connection to my phone. I found myself to be especially productive in finishing work for school, which allowed me to devote extra time towards college applications and essays. I was also more driven to go outside and enjoy the fresh air because I didn’t have inside distractions to rob me of free time I could have been spending productively. I used much of my free time over the weekend to enjoy some golf in the cool fall air, detaching myself from any responsibility or academic activity for a few hours to enjoy nature through a sport I love to play.

However, the highlight for the week that occurred on Friday night with some of my friends made this exercise feel like an overwhelming success. While we were looking for something to do, one of my friends suggested watching Netflix. I told her that I couldn’t, and asked if we could do something else. Eventually, we settled on playing a board game, which never (and I mean never) happens when we hang out. Usually, some of us play sports while the others sit in silence on their phones.

However, in this instance, my lack of a phone drove us to have an actual conversation about things we cared about and our futures. I won’t delve into much more detail, but you get the jist of it. It was

3

Headline errors: an explanation and our deepest apologies

BY Liam Connolly CHIEF DAMAGE CONTROL OFFICER

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hen worst comes to worst, the men up top send me, your dutiful Chief Damage Control Officer, to clean up the mess they’ve made. This past week’s catastrophe was a splendid one to say the least: the misspelling of the word “schools” as “scoools.”

To make matters worse, this blunder was featured on the front page of the Prep News in bold and as part of a headline concerning the Clavius Project. Unfortunately, being on the front page exposes us to even greater embarrassment. On the bright side, last week’s paper probably fell into the hands of more people than it would have otherwise because we couldn’t catch a front page headline error.

You might ask yourself, “Doesn’t a group of seven editors and seven staff members know how to spell ‘school’?”

Of course we do, we have no excuse, but we promise that we do work hard. From now on, we’ll work even harder at proofreading headlines.

The Prep News sincerely regrets this error, and we thank everyone that pointed it out. Undoubtedly, you’ll be hearing from me again later in the year. so incredible to me how the simple absence of one person’s phone completely changed the group’s dynamic and attitude for the night. At first, I had felt like my needs had been a burden to the group, but I have now realized how important they were in creating a new environment. Even if this environment only lasted for that one night, it still tells me that this exercise was worth it, and it made a real difference in my interactions with people and drew me closer to them in that process.

From this experience, I want to remember that I don’t always need my phone.

It’s okay to take a break from it and put it aside for a while.

My hope is for the community of people around me, especially at SLUH, to recognize the importance of face-to-face interactions with friends and to value actual conversation over a superficial text message or comment on social media.

Follow us on Twitter! @SLUHPrepNews

4

Prep News

FEATURES

Volume 81, Issue 7

Nontraditional transportation: a look at teachers who choose two wheels over four

A glorious mid-bike ride shot by art teacher Joan Bugnitz.

BY Luke Wilmes and Nathan Wild REPORTERS

S

ome teachers in the SLUH community prefer to take the scenic route to school on their bicycles instead of driving their industrial machines.

Biking provides teachers a multitude of benefits such as a workout, a shorter commute, an invigorating start to their mornings, and many more that make it a preferred choice over driving.

A very popular reason for the shift to biking is the physical benefits it has generated. Many teachers agreed that the reason they started to ride was to get into better shape.

“My commute is about five miles, and it feels so good to be able to get that exercise in the morning and after school. It’s a good way for me to clear my mind and breathe.

I feel better when I’m at work and at home on days that I

have biked,” said math teacher Dan Schuler.

Math teacher George Mills, however, had a unique incentive to switch. After the Iraq War began in March of 2003, Mills wanted to use less oil, so he began to walk or ride his bike to school.

Most teachers that bike live within a few miles of campus, so driving would not be that much faster. Also, different traffic laws are in place for bikers that can hasten their commute.

“Most car drivers don’t know this, but there’s a law that when a biker comes to a red stop light, after making sure no one is coming, they can keep going. And at stop signs, bikers are to slow down to about five miles per hour and if no cars are coming, they can go right through,” said Mills.

Another incentive to ride is a mutual friend to many of the SLUH bikers. Brother

photo | courtesy of Ms. Joan Bugnitz

Louis, a man who stands out of a church on the corner of Tower Grove, greets and highfives the teachers on their way past. Some teachers have formed a deep friendship with Louis, who looks out for them as much as they look out for him.

“I slap hands with Brother Louis just about every day.

We’re on a first name basis, and we’ve become good friends,” said Mills.

“One time he was out there in the winter all cold, and so I bought him a pair of gloves, and the next day when I gave him five, I gave him a pair of gloves,” said math teacher Frank Corley.

Riding their bikes opens up teachers to a whole new world outside of enclosed vehicles. It imposes a new social atmosphere that allows for easier communication to other people they meet on their commute. Sometimes, people who aren’t even biking have

great influences on our SLUH faculty bikers. Brother Louis, dog walkers, and even drivers are friendly with bikers.

“If I’m totally honest about the situation between drivers and bikers, I feel like I have been saved by drivers more often that teased and messed with,” said Mills.

Riding also allows for a greater experience and appreciation of the surroundings.

“I feel like I have much better sense of the world around me when I’m on my bicycle. When you’re in a car you have no idea that the stretch of road from Magnolia to Arsenal goes uphill,” said Corley.

Although the teachers have had a relatively safe ride, some have run into a few incidents. Mills was forced to swerve into oncoming traffic to dodge a car who inched forward slowly into his direction. Schuler slipped on an oil slick and broke his wrist.

Some teachers, such as Corley or Mills, bike when it’s snowing. Even in the face of danger, the teachers have shown great dedication to their ecofriendly choice.

The SLUH athletic department also encourages more teachers to ride by generously supporting those who do. Teachers who ride bikes receive a locker in the coaches locker room and are allowed to use the showers after their ride.

“I think that it’s really fun that there are other bikers here. I think it’s really cool that we can connect and talk to each other about what’s going on and what our rides are like. We have a little community of bikers, and it’s really a wonderful thing to be a part of,” said Schuler.

photo | courtesy of Ryan Neuner

Ryan Neuner with Patrick Mullen, ’99, Neuner’s tour guide.

BY Matthew Book FEATURES EDITOR

L

ast week senior Ryan Neuner went on a very memorable college visit.

While the purpose of the trip was to tour Loyola Marymount University, Chapman University, and University of Southern California, he also met with Pat Mullen, ’99, who now works at Dreamworks Animation. He also happened to see his dad’s cousin-in-law, Jimmy Kimmel. Yeah, that Jimmy Kimmel.

Neuner’s interest in film has drawn him to the afore-

mentioned LA schools and his family connection has brought him into contact with one of the biggest names in late night TV, certainly a valuable resource for someone with an interest in that field.

After leaving St. Louis last Wednesday, he and his parents spent three days in California. On Wednesday he visited LMU and visited Paramount Studios to tour sound stages, the sets of TV shows currently under production, costumes and props including Forrest Gump’s shoes, Derek Zoolander’s outfits, and Mis-

Behind the Scenes at SLUH: Gene Wright, grounds superintendent and student favorite Wednesday morning, reporter Riley McEnery met with Gene Wright, the school grounds superintendent, to discuss Wright’s role in the SLUH community and to learn a bit about him.

Riley McEnery: So could you describe your journey to SLUH? What did you do before you got here and what was it like when you first came?

Gene Wright: I’ve always been in the grounds industry, so I have always worked for a school, university, or college.

Before I started here I worked at Chaminade College Prep.

I was their lead groundskeeper/supervisor, and I worked there for many years. When Al Teske retired, they were looking for a grounds superintendent. I came here and I interviewed with Mr. Joe Rankin. I was selected, among many candidates, to be the new grounds superintendent.

I was very impressed with the school. There’s a great student body that we have here, phenomenal teachers -they really have the students’ interest in mind- and we have a great administration. They allow me to do what I need to make a campus beautiful, and they also allow me to do what I need to make sure the fields are safe for our sports.

GW: Quite a bit. We’re involved with the work grant program, so that allows me to work with students and who do a variety of jobs. Plus, in maintaining the sports fields, we get to interact with the coaches and students there, and we like to have their input, you know. We’ll ask the baseball team, “How was the field on Friday. What did you think?” We are really involved with the baseball team. We get them out there with the varsity team, and we help teach them how to maintain their field by repairing the home plate and the mound area. We explain to them about home field advantage, you know, why we do certain things to the field to make the ball playable and certain things like that.

RM: Is there anything you would want the school to know about you?

GW: Basically that I’m passionate, I’m hardworking, and I really like to get involved in the school. You know, it becomes part of you, and we don’t want to become the guys that just work outside. We want people to know we are part of the community here.

We just don’t interact inside of the building a lot. We’re outside, but we are part of the community.

RM: Did you have any specif- RM: Is there anything you do ic reasons for applying here? that interests you outside of SLUH? GW: Absolutely. One, SLU High has a great reputation. GW: I do a lot of volunteerPlus we have a beautiful cam- ing for dog rescues, and I’m pus. I’ve been here several really involved in that. Also, times over the years, and I I’m kind of a family man, so think we have great sports I do the “honeydews” around teams like football, rugby, and the house, which is quite a dinner with Jimmy, his wife basketball. So, I knew quite lengthy list. I go to church and Molly McNearney, and Kelly a bit about the school, and stuff like that, so I’m pretty inMcNearney and her parents. I knew its heritage also, so I volved at church. I also do a “Jimmy was super gra- wanted to be a part of that. lot for Habitat for Humanity. cious and a totally down-toEarth guy, no ego, he was just RM: So what exactly is your RM: What’s your favorite part like talking to a regular guy,” role in the SLUH community about working at SLUH? said Neuner. “He asked me and what exactly does that enabout my college trip and an- tail?

GW: I’d have to say it’s the stuswered fun questions we were dents. They brighten your day asking him about his show. He GW: Well, I’m the grounds just by walking by and saying gave me some advice about superintendent, and basi- something funny to you or colleges, which was crazy to cally what that entails can be they’ll stop and want to tell have him take the time to do broken down into four cat- you a joke. Sometimes they that.” egories: landscaping and curb want to stop and tell us about The next day Neuner appeal of the campus, main- a sport, how it went at Friday’s toured USC and then went taining and taking care of the football game or how the to Dreamworks. Director of sports fields, working with baseball game went. You get Annual Giving John Penilla work grant students, and also to hear about how the sports knew that Neuner had an in- snow removal. game went, whether they won terest in film, and he helped or lost. So I think the student him get in contact with Mul- RM: So about how much stu- interaction is a great part of len. After first making contact dent interaction do you get? being here. a month ago and talking on the phone a few times, Neun- which makes sense because script, then present them to a er mentioned that he was with LA traffic it would take board to be approved for procoming out to check out some forever to go out to get food.” duction. schools, and Mullen offered to Mullen gave the NeunAfter this tour Neuner give him a tour. ers a brief tour of the grounds and his family headed back to “Dreamworks has a and told them about his job in St. Louis with a newfound enbeautiful campus, and you pre-production. His job is to thusiasm for a career in film can definitely see how it is read through the summaries and the memories of a college conducive to creative work,” of scripts and then pick out trip that you would be “hardsaid Neuner. “We got lunch ones he thinks would make a pressed” to beat. there, because there is free good film. He then hires writ lunch and breakfast everyday, ers to come on and write a full

Ryan Neuner Live! Senior visits relative Jimmy Kimmel sion Impossible masks and guns. Thursday he toured Chapman and then went straight to the Jimmy Kimmel Live! show. Before the show, Neuner and his parents went into the green room, a sort of lounge for guests of the show, and were walked into the audience last minute.

“Then the staff came out and explained to us that the show is not actually live,” said Neuner. They tape it beforehand ‘to-air,’ which means that they don’t have to do any editing. All of the commercial breaks are actually that long of a break in the show.”

“The taping is a precaution because some people want to try to get on TV to make a statement, but if you do it won’t work, they can edit it out and you can get arrested for attempting it, and then Jimmy’s warm up guy came on and told some jokes and some staff gave the audience some instructions about how it was important to laugh loudly to give that energy to Jimmy and the show and so that viewers can hear it on TV.” After the show Neuner and his mom and dad went to

October 7, 2016

5 McTigue’s appreciation

NEWS

October 7, 2016

Prep News

Volume 81, Issue 7

Dauphin Players bring Agatha Christie classic to the SLUH stage for AI, Irish heritage, husband Bill, the head of the sparks scholarship drama department at Wash-

Junior Darren Tucker as Dr. Armstrong in the performance on Thursday.

(continued from page 1)

throughout, with some scenes taking place in nearly complete darkness, lit only by a few candles.

“It has sort of a film noir feel to it—there’s a haze on the stage, and I have black, slicked-back hair that fits that theme,” said Hastings. “We’re all smoking e-cigarettes without nicotine, so there’s a really cool vapor effect as well.”

Scott Schoonover, a member of the SLUH theater department since 2012, took over the role of Theater Tech Director this year and

has continued his role in constructing and painting the set. “(Schoonover) did an amazing job with the set … it’s honestly very pretty,” said junior Darren Tucker, who plays Dr. Armstrong.

This step into a horroresque production is a new one not only for the cast and crew, but also for director Kathryn Whitaker. It wasn’t a hard decision, and she had no shortage of interest in trying something new.

“I always try to explore different genres, and I think that’s important in terms of

photo | Brendan Voigt

education of the theater. I thought, it’s October, we’ve never done a murder mystery, and I’ve read a number of things about it… so I decided on Agatha Christie,” said Whitaker.

Actors and crew alike have worked for dozens of hours preparing themselves for their roles. Both on and off the set, they have had to dress and go by the names of the characters they are portraying—a preparation technique commonly referred to as method acting. They’ve even received tips from Whitaker’s

ington University.

Being a murder mystery with the plot revolving completely around the ending, the largest challenge of the play has been not “playing the end of the play,” as the cast already knows the payoff.

“After rehearsing for about five and a half weeks— when we know the ending, and what’s coming,—it can be particularly difficult to keep fresh,” said Whitaker.

But those seemingly endless rehearsals and runthroughs are paying off, as the play opened last night, with every show until Sunday sold out.

“It’s the first mystery that I’ve ever seen done on the SLUH stage, and the twists and turns that take place in the plot, especially towards the end… I don’t want to reveal too much, but it’s pretty jarring, what you don’t see coming,” said Gorman. “It’s an intense show, but it’s also extremely fun and engaging.

The actors do a really great job of establishing their characters, and it’s a story bound to interest just about anybody.”

Awake My Soul: adoration, benediction, and prayer (continued from page 1)

The theme and purpose of the event was to become more aware of God’s presence while bearing the busy workload of an average high school student, hence the name, “Awake My Soul.”

The event started with a small introduction from Laughlin, followed by roughly 15 minutes of silent prayer in front of the Eucharist.

“I really enjoyed the quiet reflecting,” said junior Riley McEnery, a speaker at the event. “That’s something you don’t have every day, especially with the busyness around us.”

With candles lining the altar and the smell of incense wafting through the chapel, Fr. Joseph Hill, S.J., delivered the first talk of the night. He compared the disciples’ lack of awareness of Jesus’s presence on a boat through a storm with a high school student’s

lack of awareness of God when there is a lot of work.

After a few minutes of silent reflection, Cor Jesu Academy senior Maggie Feder spoke next. Feder, who led last year’s adoration, reflected on her own experiences as a busy high school student and emphasized the importance of finding time to talk with God. “I was doing so much, and I didn’t have any time to actually be quiet with God,” said Feder. “And I just reflected on that.”

McEnery spoke after Feder and stressed the Ignatian principle of finding God in all things.

Unlike the retreat at Cor Jesu, SLUH offered Reconciliation throughout the night, which went longer than expected because of the large attendance.

“We had reconciliations go way after, which I thought was really cool,” said Laughlin.

The hour-long adoration concluded with songs from the liturgical choir, led by senior Mitchell Shorey, and a small after party with cookies in Campus Ministry.

“I think in the busyness of my day and my life right now, college applications, all AP classes, and just cross country and the stress of a normal day, it was really great to have an hour that you just

had to sit, to pray, to sing,” said senior Thomas Leeker.

Going forward, Laughlin hopes to have another adoration or prayer-like event involving other Catholic high schools in the spring.

“I think we were surprised to hear so many people say, ‘Is there going to be another one?’ so we’re definitely considering it more,” said Laughlin.

Benediction during Awake my Soul.

(continued from page 1)

you will notice the words, ‘Thanks to my Irish Parents for giving me a Voice but not a Vote,” said McTigue. “I did not want to attend SLUH. I had nothing against SLUH, I simply wanted to go to the diocesan high school where all my friends were going.”

Looking back, he is grateful to his parents for sending him to SLUH. “That was the best gift they ever gave me,” said McTigue. “I want to give that same gift to someone else through these scholarships.”

McTigue left SLUH with an interest in radio electronics which came from being a Federal Communications Commission-approved Ham Radio operator at the age of 14. McTigue then went on to St. Louis University where he studied electrical engineering and received his Bachelor’s and later his Master’s degrees.

After receiving his degrees, McTigue took a job at the McDonnell Aircraft Corporation, which was based here in St. Louis.

photo | Brendan Voigt

“I accepted a job at McDonnell Aircraft with the commitment that I would work in Radio Electronics,” said McTigue.

“However, when I arrived, all the radio jobs were currently filled.”

From there, McTigue began to work with preliminary digital computers that were to be put in F-4 military planes.

“That was my introduction into computers and software,” said McTigue. “A little later I was offered a job in Radio Electronics but I declined it since I had found a new consuming interest in digital computers and software and felt that they were the future.”

McTigue continued to work with computers, expanding his knowledge and applying it in various ways, including artificial intelligence and flight simulation.

McTigue became the Director of the McDonnell-Douglas Artificial Intelligence Center, which is also based in St. Louis. When McDonnell-Douglas merged with Boeing, McTigue followed and worked for Boeing until he retired.

PN Puzzle

photo | Ms. Meg Beugg

comic | Kevin Gerstner and Cameron Spence

This comic does not necessarily reflect the views of St. Louis U. High or the Prep News.

The plaque outside the library.

crossword | Brad Gale and Craig Grzechowiak

Across 1 The ____ of Wrath; 4 A weaponized knife 8 “Schnucks” and “Save-A-Lot” are types of this 10 “The start of something”, in other words 11 The old English form of “no” 12 Double ____ is not acceptable when eating chips 14 Slugger Sammy S___ 16 Gentleman’s title 18 To misguide and deceive someone 19 Famous ones include Bradford, Adams, and Elliott 20 Ancient Greek poem by Homer 23 A section of Disney’s Magical Kingdom in Florida focusing on magic and whimsy 24 30 Rock actor: ____ Baldwin

25 A substance used in construction that is applied wet, and dries hard Down 1 Rapper: Childish ____ 2 Something that is useful to success 3 A bomb does this 5 NBA: The Miami ____ 6 NFL: The Minnesota ____ 7 Craft-selling app 9 A small, pink, rigged fruit 13 To point out something 15 Smelly, hazardous cleaning acid 17 The term for a British soldier in the Revolutionary War 19 Another name for a couch 21 Genre for lesser known music 22 Truth or _____

XC battles illness and fatigue, places sixth at Parkway West Andrew Modder SPORTS EDITOR

T

he St. Louis U. High varsity cross country team raced into the Parkway West Invitational last Saturday, where the team stumbled to a sixth place finish with 156 points. Rock Bridge took home the team title with 43 points, followed by host Parkway West with 49.

The Jr. Bills had very high expectations going into this meet, especially because of the confidence they gained from their strong performance at the Palatine Invitational.

“At Palatine we had a really good week, and if you take the conversions of the 5K, we were looking pretty solid,” said senior William Kelly. “We weren’t really looking for a team place, ideally we would have been top three because we were trying to go after Parkway West and Rock Bridge.”

However, the team as a whole struggled, as they did not compete with Rock Bridge or Parkway West at the level they wanted to. Five Rock Bridge runners and four Parkway West runners finished ahead of SLUH’s first finisher, sophomore Patrick Hetlage.

“We were hoping to beat Parkway West and really be a contender with Rock Bridge during that meet, seeing that they’re very high-ranked to win at State or at least get a trophy at State,” said Hetlage.

Hetlage finished in 19th place overall with a time of 17:24, which was good enough to earn him a medal.

Sophomore Patrick Hetlage in this past weekend’s race at Parkway West. photo | Courtesy of Mr. James Hetlage

However, Hetlage was less than impressed with his race, as he struggled to keep pace with the leaders in the final mile.

“Personally, I just thought too much during my race, and when you race you really just have to let go and not think about anything that happened in the past. You just have to go out there and run,” said Hetlage. “I felt I definitely could have done better, I definitely could have been top ten and definitely should have run under 17 minutes.”

Junior Paul Burka was the other medalist for SLUH, as he placed 24th with a time of 17:28, building off a strong first mile to stay up front with the lead group. Sophomore Reed Milnor finished close behind Burka in 31st position

at 17:33.

Kelly, who is currently on three different inhalers and other medications, battled through his allergies and mental fatigue in the meet, placing a disappointing 40th with a time of 17:44.

“Parkway West is a very thinking man’s course. It was an unfortunate combo of being banged up, my allergies, and not thinking enough,” said Kelly. “I ended up getting 40th place when there were people at Granite City that I beat who ended up being in the top ten, and that’s where I should have been.”

Sickness and fatigue have been a recent issue for the Jr. Bills, especially with freshman Noah Scott, who was diagnosed with bronchitis and was in urgent care the day before

Parkway West. Scott fought as hard as he could to a solid race given the circumstances, as he finished sixth for SLUH in 58th place at 18:05. Senior Thomas Leeker crossed the line just before Scott in 53rd place with a time of 17:59.

“It was not a good day, it was rough,” said Kelly. “Frankly I think we were pretty tired, some guys were pretty banged up going into it.”

Junior Matt Gunn rounded out the varsity group, having trouble finding his rhythm and ending up in 93rd at 18:59.

Overall, the meet was a struggle for the Jr. Bills, as they were very fatigued from tough training, big races, and traveling. They also struggled with mental preparation and staying focused during the race.

“We had a rough go, and we’re bound to have one of those,” said head coach Joe Porter. “Our varsity spent the last three weeks going through the hardest training of the season. They traveled last week, and that takes a lot off your legs, and they ran some tough races.”

There were errors in the execution of the race plan, as the team was very spread out and did not run very well as a group. The original packs that had been assigned before the race were never built, and it turned into a battle for everyone.

However, the team also took positives out of this experience, treating it as a learning experience to build off

continued on page 8

Soccer battles for draw in Cleveland Falls to gritty Rock Bridge team in double OT Jack Waters REPORTER

T

he St. Louis U. High varsity soccer team rocked and rolled their way into Cleveland, Ohio, where they tied St. Ignatius 0-0, before returning home to play Rock Bridge, which resulted in a 2-1 double overtime loss.

The Jr. Bills arrived on Friday morning around 3 a.m. after a long bus ride. Before the team’s 6 p.m. match against St. Ignatius, the SoccerBills spent their afternoon pumping up the jams at the world famous Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in downtown Cleveland.

The team then traveled to St. Ignatius High School for their match. The Wildcats had been ranked the No. 1 team in the country the week before by Top Drawer Soccer.

“They were big, strong, fast. I can see why they were ranked No. 1 in the country,”

said head coach Charlie Martel.

In a game that went back and forth in terms of possession, junior goalkeeper Alec Meissner came up in the clutch to make many saves in the first half. The U. High also had chances offensively, but to no avail, as the St. Ignatius defense kept the Jr. Bills scoreless. The first half ended 0-0.

The second half started with much of the same pace as the first, with many opportunities from both sides. The Jr. Billikens’ opportunities included a breakaway from junior Pietro Nicastro, but the St. Ignatius keeper came out and made a remarkable save to keep the score even.

“Their goalie had to come up big,” said Martel.

“We could’ve scored two or three goals, but it was a great effort by the guys.”

continued on page 7

Junior Cam Verzino in Tuesday night’s game against Rock Bridge. photo | Brendan Voigt

Jr. Bill defense has no answer for strong Vianney offense, falls 42-32 Brian Price and Nick Prainito

REPORTERS

T

he St. Louis U. High football team faced a tough test last Thursday night, squaring off against the Vianney Griffins in their last MCC conference game of the year. Despite an exceptional performance from the Jr. Bills’ offense, the Griffins offense was just too much for the SLUH defense, as Vianney prevailed by a score of 42-32. The loss was the third straight for the Jr. Bills, setting them at 3-4 for the season with two games left to play.

In the first quarter, the Jr. Bills got the ball rolling, with senior running back Andrew Clair rushing for a 22-yard touchdown in just the first few minutes of the game. However, the extra point was missed, so SLUH held a 6-0 lead. It wouldn’t last for long, as the Griffins offense came out of the gate hot as well. They scored two

touchdowns, with an extra point and a two-point conversion, to give them a 15-6 lead with four minutes left in the first quarter.

The Jr. Bills defense fared better in the second quarter, slowing the constant run offense of the Griffins. But despite their efforts, the relentless attack eventually broke.

Midway through the quarter, Vianney scored a touchdown off a four-yard run.

The SLUH defense responded by standing tall and blocking their two-point conversion. Minutes later, Clair had a huge 50-yard run to put up six more for the Jr. Bills. The two-point attempt failed, however, so at the half, the Griffins led the Jr. Bills 21-12.

In the third quarter, Vianney ran for another touchdown, this time making the two-point conversion. SLUH, however, would follow with two successive touchdowns, one on a pass by senior quarterback Mitch Batschelett to

senior BJ Wilson for eight yards, and another one on a 30-yard run by junior Jared Scott. Senior kicker Joe Rogan nailed both extra points, and the Jr. Bills trailed by only three points, 29-26.

This was the closest that the score would ever get. Vianney scored again in the third quarter, and once more with two minutes left in the fourth to go up 42-26 after one blocked extra point.

Clair scored one last time for the Jr. Bills with 40 seconds left, but the Griffins hung on to take the win.

Once again, head coach Gary Kornfeld noticed that the game really came down to a few plays that did not go favorably for the Jr. Bills.

“Winning and losing is a fine line. You take three or four plays and change them, and we win that game. But those three or four plays happened,” said Kornfeld.

Despite the loss, SLUH had several outstanding performers in the game. On of-

fense, Batschelett threw for 192 yards and a touchdown, completing 12 of 19 passes.

Clair ran for 202 yards on 22 carries, averaging nine yards per carry. He also recorded three touchdowns on the ground.

The offense was hurt by a number of turnovers.

Batschelett fumbled the ball on the Vianney one-yard line while trying to push his way into the endzone. Also, on a fourth and long situation, a bad snap left punter Rogan scrambling for the ball. He would eventually be tackled at the SLUH one-yard line, giving Vianney an almost guaranteed score.

“Turnovers were the one stat that we were really behind them on,” said Kornfeld.

“We probably had a 15 point swing (because of them), and we just have to try to limit turnovers from now on.”

Defensively, four players posted more than ten total tackles, led by senior Henry Herzberg’s 14. He has now

led the team in total tackles in four of their seven games.

Kornfeld has given nothing but praise for the linebacker’s game.

“Herz has done a wonderful job in the middle, calling our game,” said Kornfeld.

“He just goes out and plays every snap like it’s his last snap.”

Senior Davion Nash also made great defensive contributions, racking up eleven total tackles, three of them for losses. He also had a sack.

His ability to break quickly into the backfield helped slow down the Vianney run game and earned him the praise of Kornfeld.

“We had a couple of plays where they just didn’t pick Davion up, and he did a nice job with those opportunities. He’s way too athletic for them to leave him untouched,” said Kornfeld.

Unfortunately, the defense was hurt by the relentless run game of Vianney.

The Griffins gained 417 yards

on the ground.

“They were just more disciplined than us. They did what they were supposed to do on every play, and we had trouble with tackling and making plays,” said Herzberg.

Despite the loss, SLUH is still ranked ninth in the STL High School Sports rankings for the top ten large schools.

After losing three straight against Jefferson City, CBC, and Vianney, the Jr. Bills look to turn things around in the final two games of the season.

Tonight the Jr. Bills play Rock Bridge at SLUH. Rock Bridge is 2-7 on the season but won their last game by a score of 46-23. It is the Jr. Bills final home game of the regular season, and the team hopes to celebrate senior night with a big victory at home.

“We have to take every team seriously and just start doing our jobs,” said Herzberg. “If we can do that, we’ll be fine.”

SPORTS

October 7, 2016

Preusser fills as goalkeeper in for injured Meissner

(continued from page 6)

St. Ignatius pressured the Jr. Bills in many situations, but Meissner was the hero again, notching more saves in the second half.

“He’s a key player, obviously he’s kept us in a lot of games,” said senior Donovan Ditto.

Towards the end of the second half, senior Miles Horton had a great chance to put the ball into an empty net after the keeper had come out, but the shot was stopped by a Wildcat defender on the goal line. The final score was a 0-0 draw.

“We were that close to beating Ignatius. It was a great night,” said Martel. “I’m really proud of the guys. They did great.”

After the impressive draw against a nationallyranked opponent, SLUH was scheduled to play Hilliard Davidson High School the next day.

However, the match was cancelled due to dangerous field conditions, as the school’s grass field had been rained on for more than a week prior to the match.

“The middle of the field was a mess, so I didn’t want to risk injury,” said Martel.

After the disappointing cancellation, the team made an early trip back home, arriving back Saturday night.

After the trip to Cleveland, the Jr. Bills played Rock

Bridge on Tuesday. Meissner, the starting goalkeeper, hadn’t missed a match or even a minute all year, but found out he’d fractured his hand during the game against St. Ignatius.

Meissner is having surgery today in hopes to be able to return for the District final.

The injury handed the reigns off to senior Klaus Preusser, who made his varsity debut. With Meissner out, Martel had confidence in Preusser to be able to take up the role.

“He’s big and strong, and he can get up there and make a save,” said Martel.

With the student section dressed in German theme, the Jr. Bills started off flying with early chances from seniors Nic Delgado and Ditto.

After an assortment of skill moves, Ditto put a cross into the Rock Bridge 18-yard box that went off a Bruin defender’s hand giving the Jr. Bills a penalty kick opportunity. Martel chose junior captain Cam Verzino to step up and take the kick. Verzino buried the shot in the bottom right corner, giving SLUH a 1-0 lead with 11:30 left in the first half.

However, Rock Bridge answered with one minute left in the first half, as a Bruin midfielder made an impressive run down the left side, beating several SLUH defenders, then passing the ball right onto the foot of his teammate,

who hit a bullet into the left side of the net, tying the game 1-1 after the first half.

“Coach just told us that we needed to do the simple things better and that we needed to try to get some shots on goal,” said Preusser.

The second half was a battle between both sides, as the two squads each worked to stifle the other’s chances.

Rock Bridge had their best second half chance after a SLUH turnover at midfield.

The opposing player ran down the right side, striking a shot outside the 18-yard box, but it was saved in a diving effort by Preusser. The game remained tied going into sudden-death overtime.

In the first overtime period, which was played mostly in the midfield, neither side broke through. The score remained 1-1.

In the second overtime period, more scoring chances were created on both sides.

For the U. High, Nicastro took a hard shot with his left foot that was destined for the top left corner, but the Rock Bridge keeper made an incredible save, laying out to tip the ball away.

Rock Bridge also had chances, including a shot right at the top of the box, which was barely tipped by Preusser, clanking off the crossbar.

Rock Bridge continued to pressure, until with about

four minutes left a Bruin forward took a shot about 25 yards out, looping it over Preusser and into the back of the net. Rock Bridge won 2-1.

Despite the loss, Martel thought positively of Preusser’s step-in performance.

“He made two or three really good saves,” said Martel. “The two shots were just really good shots that would’ve been tough for any goalie to handle. I thought he did a great job.”

A goal for the squad for the last few games of the regular season is to start finishing on created opportunities, as they have had trouble scoring goals throughout the season.

“It’s been our story all year,” said Martel. “If we were maybe averaging one more goal per game, you can only imagine what our record would be, because it’s pretty good right now. We just have to keep pounding away at the goal.”

“We’re just trying to figure out some formational stuff right now, and once we have that figured out, we’ll start scoring goals. Then hopefully get on a winning streak and get ready for the playoffs,” said Preusser.

SLUH will look to rebound against O’Fallon tonight at 7 p.m. in an effort to start a winning streak going into the last stretch of the season.

Senior Klaus Preusser in Tuesday’s game agasint Rock Bridge.

Underclassman Sports Briefs C Soccer

9/30 SLUH 1 CBC 0 10/3 SLUH 0 De Smet 2 10/6 SLUH 4 Fort Zumwalt South next game: 10/8 vs. Eureka

0

B Soccer

10/4 SLUH 1 Rock Bridge 4 key stat: Alfie Arun scored the lone Jr. Bill goal. next game: 10/7 @ O’Fallon JV Soccer 10/4 De Smet SLUH

2 0

10/5 CBC SLUH

2 0

next game: 10/10 vs. Pattonville

Prep News Volume 81, Issue 7

7

In their final year on varsity, Batschelett and Thompson lead Jr. Bills David Gordon and Blake Lanter REPORTERS

A

s the varsity football team’s season continues to roll on, the Jr. Bills look for inspiration from two of their senior captains, center Izaiah Thompson and quarterback Mitch Batschelett.

Thompson is a beast at 6’4” and 270 pounds, and is one of the two lineman captains this year for the football team. Freshman year, Thompson was the starting defensive tackle for the C-team, and when his freshman season was finished, he was pulled up to the varsity squad. From then on, it was Thompson’s goal to be a football captain his senior year.

Thompson makes football a big part of his life through his admirable work ethic and drive to improve, as he dedicates hours to it throughout the year, especially in the summer. He firmly believes that football games are won in the offseason.

“I put everything into this season because nothing is guaranteed in life,” said Thompson. “I am as hungry as ever, and I step on the field Friday night like I have something to prove.”

When Thompson was voted a captain by his teammates, he changed his playing mindset, which truly displayed his strong leadership qualities.

“I want to be playing more for the team than myself,” said Thompson, stressing the importance of team unity and selflessness.

As the center of the offensive line, Thompson has been no stranger to leadership. As a junior, he played with three seniors, two of whom are now Division I athletes, and now it is his turn to fill that same role.

“He makes you feel like you have an important role on this team no matter what you’re spot is,” said senior teammate Nick Gima. photo | Brendan Voigt Currently, Thompson has an offer from Butler University, a Division I school, but has decided to wait until the end of this season to commit or not.

“I want to lead by example every Friday night,” said Thompson. “I want to make sure that when it’s over I have no regrets.”

Batschelett is currently the starting quarterback for the Jr. Bills. Football has always been a big part of his life, and he hopes to continue to play for four more years in college.

Bathschelett’s motivations for playing football came primarily from his childhood.

“Growing up, especially from an early age, football was kind of big in my house,” said Batschelett. “My dad played it all his life and played in college a couple of years.”

With football being a big part of his family’s life, Batschelett was motivated to start playing himself to continue the tradition.

After an undefeated season as starting quarterback for the C-team, Batschelett has played at the varsity level since his sophomore year, mainly due to his hard work and effort over the past three years. As the starting quarterback, he has taken on one of the biggest leadership roles for the team. He believes a big part of a team’s success is the camaraderie among players.

“As a team we are starting to get a lot closer, but I think there’s room for improvement on that because teams with really good chemistry are the best teams,” said Batschelett.

With the recent injuries the team has sustained, including the loss of senior Tony Adams, Batschelett believes that there are chances for new guys to step up and become leaders on the team.

“Guys [need] to step up and fill that big void,” said Batschelett. “[We need] to take it week to week and build off the momentum each week.”

After this season, Batschelett is looking to play in college, narrowing it down to several Division III schools.

“With DIII it’s a lot less strenuous. It’s mainly about playing for the love of the game,” said Batschelett. “To play football for four more years would be awesome.”

C Football 10/3 SLUH Vianney

0 14

next game: 10/8 @ Rock Bridge

JV Football 10/3 SLUH Vianney

42 34

next game: 10/8 @ Rock Bridge — Xander Rodgers, Jack Perry, Tommy Rogan, Ben Dattilo, Chandler Love, and Will Smit Jr. contributed reporting.

Senior captain Izaiah Thompson in a game earlier in the season. photo | Dominik Skroska

8

Prep News

RIP JIMMY THE JUNE BUG

Volume 81, Issue 7

Friday, October 7

Around the Hallways Band receives new percussion instruments This year, the band acquired a new drum line thanks to a $5,000 donation from Paul and Kathleen Matecki. Paul is a member of the board of trustees and a graduate of SLUH. He and his wife donated to the band program along with many other SLUH programs. The new drum line consists of four bass drums, three snare drums, and two quad-toms. The drums are replacing worn, outdated drums including some from the across the country and world. It was a great turnout and a great weekend! We are grateful for the support and engagement of 1970s. our alumni.” The class of ’66 will have their reunion this weekPicnic table space installed near St. Louis statue end.

As part of an effort to beautify the area around the freshmen exit, the grounds crew, under the direction of Gene Latin students surprise teacher Rich Esswein During activity period on Tuesday, Oct. 4, the Latin Club Wright and Facilities Director Joe Rankin, created a new quiet area. The crew didn’t have to buy any materials. The current and ARK surprised Latin teacher Rich Esswein with snacks and picnic table itself - built by Senior Daniel Sitek as part of his goodies, specifically Go-Gurt and cookies. The surprise was coEagle Scout project - was brought over from its original home ordinated by Latin teacher Jennifer Ice and her students, spefiin between the school building and the field house. However, cally senior Nick Lally and freshman Ben Thomas. senior Dominick Gherardini is working with Rankin to build a large, octagonal picnic table to fill the area as part of his Eagle Staycation heads to Illinois via Metro Red Line Scout project.

Last Friday, the Staycation Club took advantage of the half day and travelled down the Red Line of the Metrolink. They got Robotics to get new bay annex from Painted Treasures room out at several stops to walk around, sightsee, and learn about Over the past two weeks there has been construction our metro area. Starting at the DeBaliviere station, the group off and on in both the Robotics Room and Painted Treasures travelled down the line to Shiloh, Illinois. A major stop on the Room. An additional wall was built between the two rooms trip was Laclede’s Landing, where the group spent a lot of their which resulted in the Robotics Room gaining space and the time exploring the historic neighborhood on the riverfront.The Painted Treasures Room losing space. The purpose of the proj- club’s next trip will be traveling down the Red Line going west, ect is to give the Robotics Team a work space with concrete to Lambert Airport on Thursday, October 20, after school.

counters that can be used to make cuts and do any other work they may need to do.

STARS meets with speakers The STARS club had two guest speakers at last week’s meeting that implored them to set goals and consider their Fishing Club meets to eat, discuss outings Last Friday, following the half day schedule, the fishing dreams. The speakers were Mark Grider, class of 1990, and his club met to eat lunch and discuss club outings. They had origi- friend Corey Durbin, class of 1991. Originally coming to talk nally planned to take a fishing trip that day, but their reserva- to ACES, the speakers spoke at the STARS meeting as a crosstions fell through. Instead, they reviewed their last club outing, over because they could only come on Thursday. The speakers thinking about what worked well and what did not, and also talked about how faith has helped them overcome struggles in planned the next club trip for the exam grading day: October their life and the importance of that faith in their careers.This week, STARS will have their usual meeting, during which they 21. will read more of their current book, Between the World and Fathers and Sons serve in North County Me, by Ta-Nehisi Coates.

On Saturday, October 1, SLUH students and their dads joined with De Smet for a day of service to help clean up the Harry Potter Club holds inaugural meeting, sorts students historic Greenwood Cemetery in North County. The group into houses met at De Smet for Mass before going out to help cut grass and At activity period on Thursday, the SLUH Harry Potter clear weeds in an effort to restore the cemetery.

Club met for their first time. They discussed a brief overview of the year’s coming events, including the House Cup Tournament, movie watch parties, Quidditch, and fundraisers. The Nine alumni classes celebrate reunions The SLUH classes of ’56, ’61, ’71, ’76, ’81, ’86, ’91, and ’96 nearly 50 new wizards also started their journeys into the club had their reunions this weekend. The reunions consisted of by beginning the Sorting Process through pottermore.com. mass, a tour of the school led by current students, and brunch Senior Sam Grasso is the headmaster of SLUHHPC, and four afterwards. “The reunions were a great opportunity to bring other seniors will act as as preliminary leaders of the houses. back Jr. Bills from 1956 to 1996,” said President David Laughlin. Hundreds and hundreds of men came to hear from veteran —Johno Jackson, Craig Grzechowiak, Joe Lux, Luke Velts, Komfaculty, share in Eucharist and reconnect with classmates from lavi Adissem, and John Burke.

XC looks to MCCs after disappointing finish (continued from page 6)

of and move forward from as they head into future meets.

“It did rattle confidence a little bit, but everyone has one bad race,” said Kelly. “It’s just like anything else. You can have one bad race, one bad meet, you’re still a good team.

We performed pretty well at Palatine. We’re just trying to learn and move on from this experience.”

“I think it was a one-time thing. We had previously been mentally ready for races, and we just struggled with that this week,” said Hetlage.

There were also notable

highlights from the JV race, as seniors Roman Lipinski and Matt Northcott led the team to third place overall with fifth and 14th place finishes. Junior John Thomas provided a spark with a 15th place finish and a PR. The B-team took fourth, thanks to great runs by Jack Buerhing (10th) and Charlie Perry (11th). The freshmen team took second, as Mitchell Booher led them with a sixth place finish.

After Parkway West, the team began one of their “bounce weeks,” which is essentially a recovery week

where the workouts are shorter and less intense. It’s a way to refresh and rejuvenate the runners and get them physically and mentally prepared for the MCC Championship tomorrow.

“We’re getting our experiences now to really just set ourselves up for conference, District, Sectionals, and State,” said Porter. “It’s all trying to use different pieces in the puzzle.”

Since the birth of the MCC in 1991, SLUH has won 21 of the 24 cross country championships, including the past 12 races. De Smet is

the main threat to this unreal streak, especially their top runner, Joe Reed.

“Joe Reed was second in the conference last year to Dustan (Davidson), and he’s the favorite. We want to take a run at him,” said Porter. “We had about four guys within ten seconds of him at Granite City, and we want to take a shot at him.”

The MCC Championships will be held at Central Fields in Forest Park tomorrow at 9 a.m., as SLUH looks to regain its confidence and make a statement as they approach the postseason.

Seniors to create project through WWT program (continued from page 2)

was tasked with coming up with a project to try to better the world in some way. They have until the final week of January to submit their project, and progress will get underway shortly. SLUH could be awarded up to $10,000 if they win.

The group had their first meeting on Wednesday, where they went over the guidelines of the project such as due dates, rules, and ideas for the projects.

“We found out a lot of

October 7, 2016

the info,” said math teacher Dan See, “we figured out what we need to do. We haven’t really made a plan yet. It’s due at the end of January, so we have several months to figure it out, develop something, create something, then, of course, show it off.”

“The project is very open-ended. For example, the winning project from last year was an airfield communication card to check attendance at public schools,” said Schaefer.

They are still unsure of

what they want to do, but the project will gain traction once they start to meet. That will be decided in a week or two if everything goes as planned.

“It is very exciting to know that you and some other people are going to come up with a cool idea and from what we have done and brainstormed so far, it looks like it going to be successful and fun,” Schaefer said.

As long as the project fits the criteria, then they are allowed to attempt that specific project.

“It has to involve technology, do good for the school or the school community. So as long as it does that, it’s good.

It’s pretty wide open, I mean it’s pretty general,” said See. Each group also has one mentor from World Wide Technologies who will meet with them on a regular basis and help guide them.

“I think it will be very challenging. It will involve a lot of learning, a lot of teamwork, a lot of time. So I don’t think it will be easy, but it will be rewarding,” said See.

AP

Lunch

4:00pm 5:00pm 5:00pm 7:00pm 7:00pm

Schedule R

St. Louis University Freshman Class Mass Babson College Murray State University Class of ’66 Reunion B Soccer @ O’Fallon Township Class of ’66 Reunion Mass in Chapel V Football vs. Rock Bridge @ SLUH V Soccer @ O’Fallon Township

Saturday, October 8 9:00am V/JV/C Cross Country @ Forest Park 10:00am Class of ’66 Reunion 10:00am Swimming @ CoMo Invitational 10:30am C Soccer vs. CBC 1:00pm C Football vs. Rock Bridge 4:00pm JV Football vs. Rock Bridge 7:30pm October Mainstage

Sunday, October 9 Speech team @ Cor Jesu 2:00pm October Mainstage

Monday, October 10

Schedule R

AP Belmont University

Brescia University

Carnegie Mellon University Freshman Advisement Snack—Chicken Bites Lunch Special—Toasted Ravioli

Vegetarian—Spinach Pasta 4:00pm JV Soccer vs. Pattonville @ SLUH 7:00pm Jazz concert

Tuesday, October 11

Schedule R

AP University of Kentucky

Marian University

Sewanee: The University of the South Snack—Turnovers Lunch Special—Brunch for Lunch

Vegetarian—Black bean burger 3:30pm C Soccer @ CBC tournament 4:00pm Swimming vs. St. John Vianney 5:15pm B Soccer vs. Rockwood Summit

Wednesday, October 12

Schedule R

AP Kansas State University

Lafayette College

University of Mississippi

Ohio Wesleyan University

Union College Snack—Mini tacos Lunch Special—Taco Bar

Vegetarian—Grilled cheese 3:45pm JV Soccer vs. Webster 3:45pm B Soccer vs. De Smet 8:50pm V Hockey vs. Chaminade

Thursday, October 13

Schedule R AP Illinois College

The University of Oklahoma

Regis University Confession Snack—Bosco sticks Lunch Special—Domino’s pizza Vegetarian—Tilapia 3:45 B Soccer vs. De Smet @ SLUH 4:00pm Swimming and Diving vs. Parkway South 5:15pm JV Soccer vs. Parkway South 7:00pm Choral Concert

Friday, October 14 AP Ball State University

Georgetown University

Long Island University, Post

Rice University

Sarah Lawrence College Junior Class Mass Snack—Pizza sticks Lunch Special—Country fried steak Vegetarian—Salmon 7:00pm V Football vs. Jackson

Schedule R

calendar | Jack Schweizer

Why to go to Mother Son Mass and Brunch: 1. It will be nice to spend a Sunday morning with just you and mom!

2. It will make your mom happy.

3. You get to go to Mass, and then brunch!

4. It will make your mom happy.

5. You’ll get a picture of you and mom!

6. It will make your mom happy.

7. You can attend Mass with your friends!

8. It will make your mom happy.

9. You will make your mom feel special!

10. It will make your mom happy.

October 30, 9:30 A.M. RSVP by October 20