PN 75-29

“If nothing else, value the truth” ST. LOUIS UNIVERSITY HIGH SCHOOL, FRIDAY, MAY 6, 2011

VOL. LXXV, ISSUE 29

sluh.org/prepnews PHOTO BY MR. MATT SCIUTO

Awards assembly honors student achievement

by John Webb and Jack Godar staff, reporter

S

t. Louis U. High recognized leaders and distinguished students of the senior class at the annual all-school awards ceremony last Friday.

Previously the awards ceremony included awards for the entire student body, but in order to give seniors more recognition and to cut down on the time of the awards ceremony, freshmen and sophomores had their awards ceremonies on Wednesday and juniors had theirs on Thursday.

Senior Nick Frank won the F. Joseph Schulte Dramatics Award, awarded to a senior “for his outstanding work in the dramatic arts.”

In addition to acting in plays, Frank also participated on the speech team.

“The first thing I felt was honored. I remember looking at the guys who won previous years (and) I’ve never put myself on the

same level as those guys and I still don’t, but it’s pretty cool to be on the same plaque as them,” said Frank.

“I have seen tremendous growth in his work this year. He’s also an excellent student in the classroom. The best actors are curious, bright, and humane. He is those things,” said fine arts teacher Kathryn Whittaker.

Seniors Drew Dziedzic, Nick Fandos, Bobby Lux, Patrick O’Leary, and Alan Ratermann were all presented with the Principal’s Leadership Award, given to seniors who “have demonstrated the ability to combine academic excellence and exemplary leadership in school and community activities.”

“We want to see guys who, no matter where they’ve gone— from the classroom to their cocurriculars—that they’ve excelled and been leaders. I would say that is absolutely true of all the guys who received this year’s award,” said Principal John Moran.

Senior runner Tim Rackers

Ehlman wins 2011 Faculty Appreciation Award

by Matt Cooley core staff

A

t Friday’s all-school awards ceremony, math teacher and Senior Project Director Nick Ehlman was announced as the winner of this year’s Faculty Appreciation Award.

The award is given annually in gratitude to the teachers at SLUH, for all of their efforts toward the growth of their students, excellence inside as well as outside the classroom. Members of the current senior class vote for the winner.

Ehlman’s selection was a surprise to both him and many seniors. Although seniors considered Ehlman a good candidate for the award, there was no clear consensus on the winner before the official announcement.

“I was very grateful,” said Ehlman. “It felt really nice, and it was definitley shocking. And humbling.”

Ehlman currently teaches Algebra II to freshmen and juniors.

Seniors who had Ehlman in math class remarked that he was an effective and personable teacher.

“He kept the class always interesting and never really nodding

off because he was always throwing in a joke here or there and explaining things in a very understandable way,” said senior Alan Ratermann.

“He was really sarcastic all the time, which was really funny because you’re a scared freshman and stuff like that—it’s kind of an interesting experience,” said senior Will Moritz. “It was definitley one of my favorite classes. It got me interested in algebra.”

As a teacher, Ehlman hopes that his style of explaining both the practical and theoretical aspects of math in an understandable way interests his students in the subject.

“I have a huge love of mathematics,” he said. “I love teaching it, I love studying it, and I hope they get a sense of my love for mathematics in the classroom, and hopefully it conjures up some of their love and appreciation of the subject.”

Elhman is especially visible through his work in the Campus Ministry department. As Senior Project Director, he is the liason between SLUH and the numerous agencies where seniors complete their service projects. He also is involved in other programs, such as continued on page 2

The weekly student newspaper of St. Louis U. High 4970 Oakland Ave. - St. Louis, MO 63110 (314) 531-0330 ext. 2241 online at sluh.org/prepnews prepnews@sluh.org Copyright ©2011 St. Louis University High School Prep News. No material may be reprinted without the permission of the editors and moderator.

The 2010-2011 major award winners. From left; back: Mr. Nick Ehlman, Zak Otten. Top row: Nick Fandos, Luke Hellwig, Phil Nahlik, Mark Rapisardo, Tim Rackers, Tim McCoy, Patrick O’Leary, Drew Dziedzic, Nick Frank, Alan Ratermann. Bottom row: Aaron Heisohn, Bobby Lux, Pat Judge, Conor Gearin.

won the Dunn-Martel Award, given to the senior who “maintains the high level of scholarship as well as the discipline and commitment of athletic participation that earn for him selection as ‘Scholar-Athlete’ of St. Louis U. High.”

“I think Tim is a guy where if

he’s going to do something, he’s going to do it wholeheartedly, whether it’s his running or his academics,” said cross country and track and field coach Joe Porter.

Rackers credited the amount of time he spent practicing and studying for his academic and athletic

success.

“The basis for almost every success is hard work,” Rackers said. “You have to put a lot of time in.”

Senior Zak Otten won the Hinck-Hereford Award, an award continued on page 2

Tuition and financial aid: behind the scenes A balancing act between student financial aid, school’s finances

by Nate Heagney core staff

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LUH president David Laughlin knows. He knows the frustration parents feel when they see tuition is increasing by nine percent. He realizes the fear of the parent of a grade schooler who sees SLUH’s tuition above $13,000.

But Laughlin also understands that there is a process behind that number, and that with the increase in tuition comes an increase in financial aid, as St. Louis U. High marches forward on its quest to make school affordable for all.

Stretching as far back as last July, SLUH has been crunching numbers and submitting budget proposals, eventually culminating in the figures sent in the letter that was sent out in early March.

The increase in tuition this year is higher than it has been in the last couple of years, when the percent increase generally hovered around 7 percent. However, direct financial aid this year also increased by 37 percent, substantially higher than last year’s increase.

That is no coincidence, as the

financial aid number is a direct result of the tuition number. Under president David Laughin’s tenure, the school has made a concerted effort to increase financial aid.

That increase will bear itself out both in the number of students who receive aid as well as the average aid received by each student.

“I would expect that the average award will increase as will the number of awards we give,” Financial Aid Director Craig Hannick said.

This year, tuition covers about 80 percent of the school’s revenue.

Next year, that tuition will provide for about 85 percent of the revenue, and that, coupled with an increase in operating costs, led to the tuition increase. Laughlin said that the hope is tuition would eventually cover 90 percent of the revenue, while costs would stay relatively the same. Theoretically, this could lead to an increase in tuition costs, but it would also spur a continued increase in financial aid.

“We want to have enough direct financial assistance so that we reach anyone who qualifies for admission from the poor to the middle class,” said Laughlin.

Laughlin also noted that the cost of running the school increased this year, from 10 percent of the

overall expenses to 15 percent.

“The running of the physical plant is approximately 15 percent. That’s got to calculate itself into how we set tuition because it’s heating and lights, supplies, groundskeeping, those things,” said Laughlin.

Vice President for Administration Michael Leary explained that the school puts 50 percent of each tuition increase directly toward financial aid.

“The financial aid is a function of the tuition,” said Leary. “It’s a collaborative effort.”

Laughlin has always emphasized that the school looks for a balance between raising tuition, increasing financial aid and continuing to fund the school.

“I think that balance is very much in our minds’ eye as we look not just at one fiscal year but as we look to the near horizon of the school, because that is without a doubt the question,” said Laughlin in the April 1 issue of the Prep News. “Trying to strike that balance between how do we operate the school responsibly and do our best to maintain cost and tuition.”

The process for determining the exact numbers for that budget begins in November, when workcontinued on page 8

News

Looking back

Sports

First Senior Follies writers return Gerald Deppe and Edward Oberreither, Class of 1945, wrote the first ever Senior Follies and came to see Sunday’s show. Page 8

Opinion

Inline bound for the State finals With a thrilling overtime win over Francis Howell, the inline team secured a spot in its first State finals game ever. Page 5

Art shows at SLUH and in Chicago SLUH students’ artwork will be featured in SLUH’s annual show next week and in a show hosted by Loyola Univeristy. Page 2

Ten years after: reflecting on 9/11 We compiled letters to the editor and news stories in the Prep News from the days after 9/11. Nick Fandos reflects on what the terrorist attacks mean to current students. Page 4 Letter from the Belize Mission Brian Campbell, S.J., writes to thank SLUH for its Mission Week donations. Page 3

Baseball rallies to defeat DeSmet Undefeated and running strong, the Jr. Bills showed why they are nationally ranked with a come-from-behind win. Page 5

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Volume 75, Issue 29

Art shows here and in Chicago will display SLUH student artwork

by Sam Chott reporter

T

he annual St. Louis U. High art show will be held next Wednesday, May 11, from 5 to 8 p.m.

The art shown will include work from the Ceramics, Printmaking, Painting, Drawing, and Two-Dimensional Design classes.

Artwork from freshman Fine Arts Survey will also be on display.

“Hopefully (students will) all come up and see their work. The opening of the art show is ... the same time the freshmen are going to sing in the concert, so they’re able to come up and see it with their parents,” explained art teacher John Mueller.

“We had a lot of really nice prints this year, and etchings and block prints,” said art teacher Joan Bugnitz, who teaches Printmaking to upperclassmen.

The art show will be held in the J-wing gallery and hallways, with most art hung from the walls.

“I think (the art show) is a good way to get constructive criticism,” said sophomore Gabe Garcia, a student in Drawing I, “and (it)

gives an opportunity to see other people’s art that did not appear in Gadfly or Sisyphus.”

Pieces from SLUH students are also being sent to an art show in Chicago, hosted

by Loyola University. Eleven Jesuit high schools from around the country sent in 30 pieces each for the show. Each piece must be four inches by five inches, and threedimensional work cannot be thicker than one inch.

“We sent some three-dimensional ceramic work and a lot of designs, and some watercolors and drawings,” said Mueller.

From about 45 student entries, Mueller, Bugnitz, and fellow art teacher Mary Whealon chose 30 pieces to enter in the show.

“We were kind of torn, because the pieces we send up there will not be in our show,” said Whealon of the pieces sent to Chicago, “so we were torn about letting some of our best pieces not be here for our own show.”

The artwork will be judged on May 16, with the exhibit opening on May 17 and running through May.

Latinbills compete at State

by Ryan Dowd reporter

T

he St. Louis U. High Latin “Dream Team” traveled to the University of Missouri, Columbia, to take part in the Missouri Junior Classical League (MOJCL) State Latin Convention the past Saturday— essentially a Quiz-Bowl competition for Latin programs throughout the state. This year, the club battled through the loss of beloved Latin teacher Mark Tychonievich, and while the varsity squad ran into the buzzsaw of University City in the first round, the JV squad ended up winning the 16-team tournament.

“The Dream Team is a group of Latin students who practice Latin throughout the year for this particular competition,” said varsity scholar junior Sam Bufe.

Each school enlisted a team of five scholars to compete at varsity, junior varsity, and freshman levels. Teams squared off against one another in pairs until only one remained. Each round consisted of 15 basic questions worth 10 points each; members from each team could buzz in to answer the questions. The team that answers the basic question correctly gets a chance at two bonus questions worth five points each.

In the first round, the varsity scholars tested their Latin prowess against the experienced University City team. University City's JV team had won the competition the previous year and had a very strong nucleus of scholars.

Junior scholar Matt Neyer believes that if the Jr. Bills would have only answered a couple more questions correctly, they might have won. The Dream Team came closer than any team to beating University City.

“If we would have been on opposite sides of the bracket it probably would have been us against them in the finals,” said moderator James Gioia.

The JV squad stormed through its competition to capture the JV title. The freshman team, like the varsity, was ousted in the first round however under different circumstances.

Gioia said, “The freshman team with all the craziness of this year, the complications with losing Mr. T., we didn't really get a good opportunity to get together and practice and prepare.”

This year, the Latin Club as a whole faced many more obstacles on their way to Columbia. The loss of Tychonievich compounded with the recent semi-retirement of Mary Lee McConaghy, left the main leadership of the Latin Club to Gioia. In his second year at SLUH coming from DeSmet,

Gioia made the conversion from key cog to de facto leader.

Tychonievich's loss was not only felt within the SLUH community. During the convention, a plaque in memory of Tychonievich was presented to the Jr. Bills.

One of the teachers who runs the convention had actually taken her first Latin classes from Tychonievich and wrote a letter to the SLUH students describing the impact he had had on her as a teacher. The plaque and letter prove that still months after his passing, the larger Latin teaching community, along with SLUH, still misses the extraordinary teacher and coach.

Students also found out how they performed on their Missouri State Latin exam on the bus ride back from Columbia. Only the students from the sixteen schools present took this exam. SLUH had students rank in the top five of at least one grade level in each Latin category includeding vocabulary, derivatives, grammar, reading comprehension, history and culture, and mythology.

Sophomores Joe Kreienkamp and Travis Golich scored first in vocabulary and grammar, respectively, in level two. Freshman Jack Godar scored first in History and Culture at the first level, and junior Phillip Yoffie scored first in History and Culture at the third level.

Next year seems to be another year of transition for the Dream Team with the addition of the newest Latin teacher, Jennifer Ice. Ice ran the University City Latin program, which dominated most of the ranks in this year's convention.

Gioia said, “I think just having her at the helm next year will make us better.”

With the top JV team returning, along with the untapped potential of the freshman, the Dream Team will look to reload and not rebuild next year.

Gioia said, “They are very smart kids, and I'm very confident that next year when we actually have the means to prepare them for (the convention). It will go well.”

STUCO accepts the challenge of a bashball game against the Prep News staff to be played next Friday, the 13th, at 9:40 a.m. for the Will Hartzler Cup. In other news, Spring Fling will begin this Saturday at noon with the 3-on-3 basketball tournament. Inflatables, giant slides, and entertainment will be available until 5 p.m. in front of the Field House.

Pizza will be served at 1. And all events are FREE including a new rock, paper, scissors tournament! Please direct any questions to your local STUCO officer.

News

May 6, 2011

End of the Year Mass of Thanksgiving

Awards assembly (from 1) voted on by seniors to honor a classmate who “has excelled in leadership, scholarship, and athletics.” Otten has played basketball and volleyball and has participated in Pax Christi and the science club.

“I was completely shocked,” said Otten.

“Mr. Becvar said it was voted on by the senior class. That was the most important part of it for me, the feeling that your classmates voted for you.”

“He’s a delight in class. ... He’s kind of a jokester, but also a serious student. I think it’s cool that he’s able to balance those two,” said Spanish teacher Kevin Moore.

Senior Aaron Heisohn won the Jesuit Secondary Education Association (JSEA) Award, an award given to a senior who best fulfills the expectations of the Grad-at-Grad: “a well-rounded person who is intellectually competent, open to growth, religious, loving, and committed to doing justice in generous service to the people of God.” Moran and Jesuit Superior Carl Heumann, S.J., select the winner based on input from the faculty.

Heisohn is the senior class Pastoral Representative, plays racquetball, plans prayer services and Masses, and has participated in the Science Club.

“It was nice to get a little pat on the back,” said Heisohn, who added that he felt other classmates were more deserving.

Senior Luke Hellwig received the Mac Boland Award, given to “the otherwise unheralded senior, who through his dedication and determination has most influenced his fellow students toward more united participation in the spirit which is St. Louis University High School.”

Hellwig is an editor of Gadfly and Gadfly TV and has also been involved with Pax Christi, racquetball, and Mission Mexico.

“I’ve never seen Luke do anything here halfway,” said English teacher David Callon.

“He kind of is a living sign to everybody who says, ‘Well, I’m too busy to help. I’m too busy to do service.’ (He shows) that you can take on one of the most ambitious academic

loads here and still find tons of ways to give of yourself creatively, intellectually, and through service.”

“It’s humbling to know that teachers have picked me out of all these very dedicated people who care so much about SLUH,” said Hellwig.

Senior Tim McCoy won the Ed Hawk Memorial Award, an award voted on by seniors to give to a classmate who “through his love and dedication to St. Louis University High School, and through his example of working and giving, was most able to influence his class toward success by cooperation and unity.” McCoy said that part of why receiving the award is such an honor is because it is voted on by his classmates.

“When I think about it, I’m a little bit speechless and don’t know what to think,” said McCoy. “It’s a big honor.”

McCoy also said that many of his classmates love SLUH just as much as him, but his involvement with Student Council (STUCO) makes his love of SLUH more noticeable.

Phil Nahlik was formally presented with the Archbishop May Service Award, which was announced in December (Vol. 75, Issue 13). The award is given to a senior who “is an outstanding example of rendering Christian Service within his community and school.”

In addition to those awards, many clubs gave out medals to senior members for their contributions to the club. Most clubs gave out two medals, though a few of the clubs only gave one medal. The clubs also gave commendations to other senior members for their hard work and participation within the clubs.

Other notable individual award winners were Mike Kaminiski, who won the Veterans of Foreign Wars Voice of Democracy Award for the third time, which is incredibly rare; Conor Gearin, who won the Raterman Award; Patrick Judge, winner of the McConaghy Award; and Mark Rapisardo, who won the Math Department Award.

(from 1) retreats and the trip to the Ignatian Teach-In. “Just seeing him in Campus Ministry, he’s really personable in talking to people, and I think he really does care about all the service that he puts kids in,” said senior Nick Schwetz.

“He’s definitley a man for others and he dedicates a lot of his time and energy to helping other students become closer to God through service or senior project or really anything, all aspects of the student life,” said Ratermann.

“I think he’s a good example of being a good Christian leader, because of the way he takes charge of a lot of the Campus Ministry stuff,” said senior David Laughlin.

“He’s just a good example for people.”

Ehlman, like the senior class that nominated him, is finishing up his fourth year at SLUH.

“I feel like I have a special relationship with them, this being my senior year as a teacher here,” he said. “I think this class

has been incredibly inspiring and it’s been fun. They’ve been great to get to know, and I will definitely miss them, especially next year.”

But while this is the last year of seniors’ SLUH careers, Ehlman looks forward to continuing to try new things at SLUH. He was looking forward to new teaching opportunities—next year, he’s slated to teach seniors for the first time—and involvement with Campus Ministry in social justice programs.

“SLUH is a great place and offers a lot of opportunities to grow as a student and as a teacher,” said Ehlman. “SLUH is a place that is challenging us, teachers and students, to continue to grow, and to continue to look at their lives especially in the realm of our Catholic faith.”

Ehlman’s name will be added to a plaque across from the main office alongside the names of the faculty who have won the award every year since 1985.

Ehlman

May 6, 2011

Opinion

Letters to the editors

Volume 75, Issue 29

Notebook

by

Conor Gearin

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Does our class have class? Shallow humor can turn sinister To the editors: Recently, as you may have noticed, there has been an abundance of formal attire days. Freshman/sophomore and junior award ceremonies, senior award ceremonies, and most recently, the end of school Mass. In light of these dress-up days, freshman theology teacher Chris Keeven has begun class by holding a “best dressed” competition. There are two categories, sports coat and non-sports coat, and the winner of each category is awarded his very own Ski soda. Competitors are knocked out for offenses such as not wearing matching socks and shoes, wearing a tie that doesn’t match with your shirt, or simply wearing overly-wrinkled pants. At the end of each competition, Mr. Keeven informs us that we all are very good looking in our formal attire.

By the time of the second competition, everyone in my theology class was dressing just a little bit nicer, actually spending the extra few seconds to pick out socks that matched their shoes. This reaction got me thinking: just how do the students of SLUH look?

Some students believe that they go to the best Catholic high school in St. Louis.

Look like it. They say you only have one chance to make a first impression, and the very first impression you make is how you look. If an unbiased person were to come to St. Louis and look at students from SLUH and DeSmet, which school would that person

think is better? It’s hard to say. Every day as I walk around school I see the same thing: Untucked shirts, tennis shoes, and students wearing belts that don’t exist. It almost seems like we don’t care about how we look. Is this the image that we want to put out? Is SLUH made up of a bunch of kids who just don’t care?

Mr. Kesterson may tell you this over the intercom on a nearly daily basis, but don’t just do it because he tells you to (even though that’s probably a good reason), do it because you care. Because caring matters.

In the words of Mr. Keeven, “Looking good matters because it shows self-respect and respect for your colleagues. There is an old phrase, ‘Don’t dress for the job you have, dress for the job you want,’ and I believe that’s true. If you want to be respected, you need to present yourself as though you deserve it.”

It is now officially spring time, and with spring comes warm weather dress. I doubt that there’s a student in this school who doesn’t like a more relaxed dress code.

Even I will admit that I have been wearing shorts to school this week. But as this school year comes to a close, and a new one begins next fall, at least make an effort to try and look nice when you come to school. And so I challenge my class, the Class of 2014, along with all the other SLUH students, to be the class with class.

—Sam Beckman, ’14

Thanks for supporting Belize To the editors:

Greetings from warm and sunny Belize!

I wanted to take a minute to write to you to thank you for your recent Mission Week contribution of $3,958 to our work and tell you a little bit about the kinds of things we are doing here.

Belize is a country that few people have on their radar. We’re small (about the size of Massachusetts) with the population of St. Louis City (about 350,000). But what people don’t realize is that Belize is in a dire situation with huge implications for the United States. In the last ten years, our murder rate has jumped 166 percent, 40 percent of which happened in Belize City. To put that in perspective, if a country has 31 murders per 100,000 people, it is considered to be in a state of civil war. Belize had 34 per 100,000 people last year.

What drives the murder rate is the fact that in the last ten years Belize has become a major node in the international drug pipeline.

South American cartels pay Belizean gangs in drugs and guns to transport “product” up to Mexico, thereby stoking the chaos on the streets. Sadly, Belizean youth have far too few prospects to want to say no.

The reality faced by our youth—young men and women your age—is harsh. Ever increasing numbers of families find themselves living in conditions of severe indigence. Children as young as eight or nine years old learn to hustle on the streets to earn money to help feed the family. Young girls are prostituted to tourists and older men for the same reason. The lack of jobs does not offer much hope of a better future, and alarming numbers of youth drop out of school (60 percent of high school aged youth in Belize City are not currently enrolled). If you take a moment to put yourself in their shoes, you’ll begin to understand the appeal that street gangs and drug trafficking have for them.

In the midst of this situation, Christ invites us to respond. This past year, the Jesuits, in collaboration with some of our “partners on the ground,” created a nongovernmental organization to attack the roots of the violence, called The Centre for Community Resource Development (CCRD). Our mission is to end violence in

all its forms, be it domestic, economic, or drug-/gang-related. Your donation is helping us do this.

Since our founding in September 2010, we have been working on the following projects: -Organizing Belize City residents around their skills, talents, and dreams to help them create grassroots community development initiatives.

-Hosting “Family Days” to bring together local families for celebration and “learning conversations” around issues that impact their lives profoundly.

-Creating a “Community Bakery.” We gathered together eleven local women, and invited a master chef from Canada, who volunteered the next two-months to give them a professional training in baking pastries and confections. We are already beginning to contract with local supermarkets and restaurants to sell our baked goods.

-Creating a cotton textile industry that would hire struggling sugar farmers out west to grow high quality, organic cotton, as well as unemployed men and women from Belize City to process the raw cotton into fabric.

Our immediate hope is to stimulate the garment production sector in Belize, which struggles to keep its costs low enough to compete with clothing producers in Mexico and Guatemala. Our ultimate hope, however, is to manufacture lines of apparel for Jesuit schools—100 percent organic and sweatfree—in the United States.

-Creating a training program for at-risk youth in high demand technologies such as web design and marketing, network maintenance and computer repair, and geographic information systems (GIS). Our hope with this program is to give local youth viable alternatives to gang-life and drug-trafficking, but more than that, we believe that when youth find that they have a capacity for something positive and productive, they will rediscover their dreams for a hope-filled future.

CCRD’s goals are big and bold, but as I explained above, the situation is dire, and half-measures will not suffice. Belize is small enough that, with your help, efforts such as ours can have a big impact.

More specifically, we have used your

“Heil Hitler.”

My head snapped to the right towards the direction of the muttered Nazi salute. It had come from the juniors near the front of the Commons. Dr. Koestner turned away from the chorus and bore down on them, wearing the sardonic smile he uses to thwart freshmen and seniors alike. The juniors from that section smiled back sheepishly.

Don’t think it hasn’t occurred to me that when we stretch out our arms in prayer during Mass, the action bears a resemblance to the salute advocated by Hitler and Mussolini. But to actually say so out loud in the middle of prayer moves the shallow water mark even lower for SLUH humor.

It’s a common tactic for SLUH students—exploiting politically incorrect statements for shock effect in jokes. In most cases, the person making the joke doesn’t really believe what he’s saying, but he acts like he does as an easy way to get a laugh.

I have heard people make outrageous statements about Jewish, Mexican, and Chinese people that I know for a fact they don’t really believe. They disparage an ethnic group in a way reminiscent of, indeed, a Fascist dictator, and it’s supposed to be funny because we all know he doesn’t really think those things, and those things aren’t really true.

For better or worse, I’m usually able to just ignore it when upperclassmen say something ridiculous, but what I find more troubling is the related kind of humor I hear in freshman hallway. It’s the same as the formula for the juniors’ and seniors’ brazen jokes, but their tone is different. Some sound uncertain, trying on the nasty words for themselves. Their tone almost asks the question—is this true? Is this really how it is? Some sound more certain, like they’ve heard a brother or upperclassman say something and they’re repeating it with the confidence that comes with imitation. Even if the brother or underclassman wasn’t being serious, younger people struggling to come to terms with difficult issues like race and sexual orientation can latch onto jokes their elders make.

That’s what makes this kind of humor dangerous. You might be joking, but someone else might not know that. They take it

seriously and repeat it to someone else. The joke becomes less and less of a joke. There’s a point at which someone who consistently chooses to joke about ethnic groups or stereotypes instead of other things becomes a bigot by default, even if they plead that they don’t believe the awful things they say over and over again.

I heard an even greater volume of shockvalue statements in the wake of the killing of Osama bin Laden, a time when we should have paid even closer attention to putting shallowness away. Yet there I was, reading a SLUH student’s Facebook status wondering if “we” (the United States, apparently) would be allowed to build a church on the site where Osama bin Laden was killed. The status was referencing the controversy over the Muslim community center in Manhattan near Ground Zero. The person misunderstood a whole swath of issues in making this status. What’s most troublesome is the way this statement straddles the border between a joke and a legitimate opinion. The person who made this status wants us to laugh, but he also wants us to have a righteous feeling of “they got what they deserved.” He wants to divide the world into “us” and “them.”

The slow creep from humor to something more sinister reminds me of the character Roger in Lord of the Flies. Not Jack, the blatantly violent and domineering character, but Roger, who starts off casually throwing rocks at Ralph on the beach—as a sort of joke. Soon, he starts throwing the rocks a little closer to Ralph. And then a little closer, daring himself to see how close he can get. Then Roger disappears for a while, until the end, when he suddenly has a rock big enough to kill.

Jokes that hinge on racism, sexism, or other damaging stereotypes occur to everyone. I know I’m no exception. The human mind is constantly classifying, typifying, and cataloging things and people, and countless cheap jokes can be created from these (often inaccurate, often simplistic) artificial categories of people we create. However, it truly is the cheapest form of humor, and when we make a habit of resorting to it, we’ve already started the down the slide from cheap humor to something more serious.

CARTOON BY TOM FIELDS

donation to:

-Purchase a car for CCRD -Hiring gang-involved youth to paint our facility -Equipment and repairs to bring our bakery facility up to health code A family member asked me recently, “Why is a priest involved in community development?” We are all hungry for the Good News of the Kingdom, and this Good News comes in a variety of forms. In Belize, the Good News of the Reign of God would be a place where children are no longer victims of gun violence, where parents are

Editors: Nick Fandos, Conor Gearin, Patrick O’Leary, Mike Lumetta, Eric Mueth

able to provide food for their children and pay school fees, and where all people can see their own goodness and creativity. This is the vision of the Kingdom that the Centre for Community Resource Development is laboring to make real. Your help has been essential in this regard.

As an alumnus of the U. High, I am incredibly proud of your generosity and profoundly grateful for your willingness to walk with us in Christ’s mission of hope, reconciliation, justice, and peace.

—Brian Christopher, S.J., ‘93

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Volume 75, Issue 29

by Conor Gearin news editor

Ten years Later

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he killing of Osama bin Laden by U.S. Navy Seals has, naturally, recalled to memory the days of terror in the wake of the attack bin Laden orchestrated in 2001. St. Louis U. High is just as much a part of the current national remembrance now as it was a part of the national response to the attack then. Nearly ten years ago, the destruction of the World Trade Center towers sparked a stream of letters to the Prep News—one of the liveliest times ever in the Prep News opinion section. Letters concerning 9/11 dominated the paper for nearly a month.

Then, as now, many students were concerned with the Christian and Catholic response to violence. While today, theology classes and hallway conversations discuss the morality of killing bin Laden, letters to the Prep News debated whether or not to go to war with the people who caused the attack and the countries thought to be harboring them.

IN LETTERS

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rom Co-Editor-in-Chief Andy Neilsen warning against responding to violence with violence: “I fully understand the magnitude of Tuesday’s tragedy, but after we have picked up the pieces of this horrible attack, I fear greater violence, not in the continuation of terrorist actions, but in the violent reactions that many now advocate,” Neilsen wrote. * * * Co-Editor-in-Chief Andrew Ivers’ commentary reflected on the culture-changing nature of the attacks.

“I thought about the way the Great Depression reconfigured the mentality of one or two generations directly … I realized I was living through a moment of before and after. Some of America’s most prominent establishments—from industrial Manhattan to the view Americans have of their security—had been “All changed, changed utterly,” as Yeats said in his poem ‘Easter 1916,’” wrote Ivers. * * *

ACES Public Affairs Officer Eirik Cheverud considered the response of racism that many Americans had to the attacks.

“Our country watched with horror as the World Trade Center buildings crumpled upon themselves, the symbol of our prosperity. And we turned to one another and said, ‘Let’s go bomb those ragheads.’At least that is what one staff member said. … it is eerie to think that so many people have been so quick to label an entire race as an enemy,” wrote Cheverud. He also suggested that people should consider why people in the Middle East celebrated the attack by looking at the United States’ role in creating the current problems in that region.

“Military planes fly overhead, and police hold machine guns as they patrol the streets. This is a glimpse of the terror the Third World lives in. The Bible said it best.

You reap what you sow.” * * * The next week, students began to respond. One letter again took up the cause of a peaceful response.

“The United States needs to reevaluate

IN THE NEWS

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t the same time, stories of SLUH students and faculty affected by 9/11 began to surface. Junior John Schrank realized the morning of the attack that his father had plans to visit the financial district in Manhattan. After an agonizing period of unknowing, he learned from the counseling office that his father was planning to go to New York the next day.

Sophomore John Rhoda had a sister volunteer-teaching in New York a mile away from the World Trade Center that was forced to evacuate with her school. She returned two days later to find her apartment littered with rubble and filled with smoke and dust from the towers.

English teacher Terry Quinn knew many people who lived and worked in New York’s financial district. A friend in Manhattan sent him a series of emails letting him know that his friends were safe.

“Everything I’ve believed has always been in non-violence … (but) in the wake of

its foreign policy and how it affects the rest of the world. People all over the world need our sympathy, compassion, and prayers.

They don’t need our bombs,” wrote Chris Storey, ’02, a junior at the time. * * *

Then-freshman Christopher Seals, ’04, wrote that he was baffled by the petition circulated in Washington, D.C. at that time to protest a violent response to 9/11.

“Who would sign such a petition, I do not know. I do not believe striking back at a time such as this is immoral, or going against Catholic belief. … I would feel no remorse for the destruction of evil men like Osama bin Laden, men who would kill fathers, mothers, husbands, and wives, simply because they live in America,” he wrote.

DRAWING BY CLAYTON PETRAS

the attack a part of me thought that naïve,” Quinn told the Prep News.

Two weeks later, letters were still coming in. Librarian Eleanora McCarthy called for solidarity with the victims of 9/11 and the people trying to help them.

“I ask that all of us wear red, white, and blue ribbons not as a show of fanatical patriotism, but as a show of solidarity to our brothers and sisters in New York and Washington, D.C. … There has never been so strong a show of support and love in my lifetime,” she wrote.

Senior David Neuner, ’01, offered a fairly unequivocal pro-war opinion.

“It is essential that the United States respond with force because then we can show the world that we are not going to sit on the sidelines and let terrorists push us around.

I will pray to God that the United States is successful in this campaign. Many people are volunteering to serve their country when this war on terrorism will start. I am not going to criticize these people for wanting to take

May 6, 2011

GROWING UP IN A POST9/11WORLD

by Nick Fandos editor in chief

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here has been much talk this week of Osama bin Laden’s death. And appropriately much talk of 9/11. Several of my classes Tuesday were postponed or altered so we could talk and share—remember, like good Americans, just what happened almost ten years ago in September. It’s a conversation and a question that seem strange to me.

I was eight when bin Laden’s men hijacked the planes. Most of my schoolmates were even younger. There is, quite truthfully, very little we can remember about the context or reaction to that day outside of our own small worldviews. At least very little relative to our teachers and parents who guided us through that time. Yet, somehow, I know that day changed everything, for me, too.

Teacher after teacher asked us if we remembered 9/11. Most of my classmates responded with small, piecemeal details of their own days, with things they remember their parents saying—basically, with affirmation that, no, we didn’t really remember that day. In fact, we couldn’t. It wasn’t until my third period discussing bin Laden that a friend courageously asserted what we all could not. It bothers me, he said, that adults think we have no connection to the day. The images and violence—the burning buildings we saw—how could they not have affected us?

After all the jokes and superficial celebrations, after all the phony remembrances and fabricated details, isn’t that exactly right. For a generation— for my generation—9/11 was a day when we had to start growing up. For many of us, the images of death and destruction were impossibly new. We were faced with, for the first time, the realization that the world is not always beautiful or just as we thought.

In one morning, we were forced to grow up.

Like most things, this growth happens at different times for different people; and for a lucky few,

out the terrorists,” Neuner wrote. * * *

On Oct. 8, Dr. Waheed-Uz Zaman Rana, medical professor at St. Louis University and a leader at the St. Louis Islamic Center, held a forum with students and faculty during activity period. The forum came in the context of the beginning of the bombing of Afghanistan and declarations from bin Laden that he had thousands ready to die for his cause. Rana explained that bin Laden was using his own interpretation of the Koran to justify his attacks, and that there are true scholars with more authentic interpretations. * * * The effects of the terrorist attacks lingered on in the news. In November, the Moscow school that exchanged with SLUH at that time canceled its trip to St. Louis. Russian teacher Rob Chura gave several possible reasons for the cancellation, including the recent terrorist attack.

“There’s never going to be a global sign that says, ‘It’s okay to travel now,’” Chura told the Prep News.

it never happens at all. But inevitably there comes a time when playing war in the backyard with a couple neighbors from down the street no longer seems as important as that Great War they are telling us about in social studies class. A time when hurt feelings are not just limited to a temper tantrum or good pout.

There comes a time when everything we have always taken for granted suddenly is not so certain. Namely, for those of us brought up in organized religion, a point at which we realize, for better or for worse, that it no longer feels like God is watching out for us in the immediate sense we always knew. Sometimes it is hard to see Him there at all. Maybe, too, people are not all happy.

Our parents and friends of parents have problems; the world is not all as white, pious, male-female relational, tolerant, and orderly as we thought.

To enter this new and fallen world is to grow up. For each, this movement comes at a different time and place and probably not all at once.

I just finished reading Colum McCann’s Let the Great World Spin, a novel that is, in part, an allegory for 9/11. The story is centered on Philip Petit’s 1974 tightrope walk between the twin towers of the World Trade Center and weaves together a dozen or so narratives of New Yorkers connected in tragedy. The question at the center of the novel, it seems to me, is how we go on living hopefully in a world so marred by death and violence. How do we, like Petit, toe that tightrope, balancing darkness and light?

It was the question before New Yorkers a decade ago. How could they honor the past and still let life go on. In a less immediate sense, though, it is the question we all face, especially as children and now adolescents butting up against it for the first time. Our worlds after 9/11 were different. In tangible ways, the larger world was different, too.

Ramped up airport security so bemoaned by weary travelers. War in Afghanistan and then Iraq: thousands of young men and women dying in what often looked like a lost cause.

Economic recession. These were and are, some of the tangible realities of the last ten years. But to eight year-olds these things mattered little.

Instead our worlds changed in a more intangible way, one that is often difficult to see. We were forced to look life in the face and see it exactly for what it was. Isolated moments and events aside, the most significant change for us was inside. What does real fear and insecurity feel like? What is uncertainly, really? What kind of thing could make all those people die? Why? Some people have been suggesting in recent days that bin Laden’s death finally brings closure to 9/11. One New Yorker’s reaction in the Times addresses that idea best, I think: “No closure. That word should be stricken from the English language.”

What happened on 9/11 will never be finished. Particularly for those of us who came of age in this last decade of terror, there is no going back. No way to quietly return to our happy, innocent selves of September 10, 2001. We will spend our lives trying to find that happiness, trying to put all the pieces back together. There is no magic solution; there is no benchmark to be reached called happiness. There is, in other words, no easy or permanent means to find joy.

Instead what we face is what we’ve always faced. How do we learn to walk in world where terrorism will always exist? Where justice means very little? Where thousands of innocent people can die because of the actions a few? A world where relationships are muddled and answers are never as clear as we once thought?

Yet, the world is still spinning. We must toe the tightrope. Walk the walk, so to speak.

There is beauty to be found—hope, too. All of us know it.

Sports

May 6, 2011

Volume 75, Issue 29

Baseball remains undefeated at 18-0 with MCC wins

by Jack staff

Witthaus

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ith wins over DeSmet, Chaminade, Ritenour, and Ladue, the St. Louis U. High baseball team (18-0, 4-0 MCC) capped an unforgettable week that launched them to No.1 in the Post-Dispatch rankings and No. 44 in the nation, according to ESPNRise.

On Tuesday, SLUH faced DeSmet (118, 2-4) on the road. Despite their mediocre record, the Spartans came out hungry to take down the Jr. Bills. After a two-run third, the Spartans had the upper hand, scoring on a misplayed line drive off junior shortstop Mitch Klug’s glove and a wild pitch from senior starter Sasha Kuebel.

Down 2-1, SLUH failed to muster runs through the fifth inning, raising tensions on the bench, where pitching coach Rico Bertucci gripped the top of the dugout in angst.

“When we hit a bump in the road, you just got to go through it,” coach Steve Nicollerat said. “Just like we did (against DeSmet) when you get down a run or two, just keep going. If you do that, you’ll be fine.”

Determined spirits shined through, and SLUH’s offense did more than fine in the top of the sixth. The Jr. Bills scored twice thanks to a solo shot to deep center by Kuebel and an RBI base knock from sophomore Kaleb King. On King’s hit, senior Mark Jaskowiak scored in dramatic fashion from second when his helmet flew off after he made a feet-first slide into home plate.

DeSmet fought back and scored a run in the bottom of the sixth to tie the game at three.

However, SLUH drove through the bump of a tied game and grabbed the lead

again after Kuebel, who went three for four with two RBIs, dropped a bloop single into right. SLUH pinch-ran sophomore Matt Binz at first, while Kuebel took a rest in the dugout. Afterwards, junior first baseman Andrew Pitts slapped a base hit and junior catcher Sam Knesel muscled home Binz.

With SLUH up 4-3, Kuebel worked off nerves, throwing a perfect 1-2-3 inning to end DeSmet’s last turn at the plate. Kuebel upped his record to 5-0 with a flat 1.00 ERA and a whopping 48 Ks.

Aside from the home run, timely base hits and excellent defense and pitching gave SLUH the upper hand in the DeSmet game.

“If you do a lot of the little things right, you’re going to win your fair share of games,” Nicollerat said.

DeSmet, knowing full well the challenge SLUH’s ballclub posed, acknowledged that a few little mistakes on their end tipped the game in SLUH’s favor.

“We knew Sasha was going to be pitching and that was going to be tough,” DeSmet senior pitcher Eric Judd said. “We knew we couldn’t commit any errors. But (DeSmet starter Kyle Bouman) left a few balls up in the zone. The game could have gone either way.”

Reeling from a close W, the Jr. Bills faced Chaminade (8-7, 1-4) at home in their second contest against the Red Devils this year on Wednesday. Similar to their first meeting, SLUH snatched a quick lead. In the bottom of the fourth, junior second baseman L.J. Hernandez drew a walk to force in a run, and junior shortstop Mitch Klug lassoed home two more with a single. Klug finished the game two for four with three RBIs and a double.

Sophomore Brian Howard, who is 6-0 with a 1.30 ERA and 26 Ks, held Chaminade to one run, affording the offense some time to get their bats going again in the sixth.

A string of six singles, a double, and three walks allowed SLUH to bamboozle a starved Chaminade bullpen for eight runs and end the game with a mercy rule.

“In the sixth inning, we definitely executed our offense,” junior center fielder Paul Simon said. “It helped us get out a little early.”

Last Saturday, the Jr. Bills squared up for a double header at Sheridan Stadium versus Ritenour and Ladue. The 9:30 a.m. contest against Ritneour didn’t faze SLUH, who clearly woke up on the right side of the bed that morning. The Jr. Bills pounded out 10 runs on eight hits, including a “Willie Whammie,” a home run that helped to double junior Willie Floros’ RBI total on the season.

Klug went the distance, allowing only two earned runs on nine hits, and struck out

5

ten. Klug improved to 5-0 with a 2.15 ERA and 30 Ks.

Facing Ladue at high noon, the Jr. Bills pounced on the Rams early in the game, scoring all five runs within the first two innings.

However, Ladue inched back, driving in a pair in the third and tallying one in the fifth.

SLUH’s extended reliever, Howard, kept his cool, and held the Rams in check, working the final five frames for the win.

Entering the final three games of the season, SLUH is well on its way. The team has surprised many with its undefeated record that can largely be attributed to the fact that they have allowed only a stingy 2.1 runs a game, a tremendous feat that ranks first in the Metro Catholic Conference (MCC).

CBC (13-4, 3-1) trails SLUH, allowing an average of 4.2 runs a game.

Unfortunately, rain has dampened much of the Jr. Bill schedule this year. Check online for makeup dates. Going into press time, SLUH’s next matchup is Monday against CBC at 4:30 p.m. at Missouri Baptist.

PHOTO BY MR. MATT SCIUTO

Inline State Championship #1 Vianney

3

#8 Howell C.

2

#4 Seckman

7

#5 Pattonville 5 #3 Howell

10

#6 Fox

3

#2 SLUH

4

#7 Summit

0

Vianney 2

Volleyball rebounds after FHC loss, has shot at MCC title

Seckman 4

Howell 0 SLUH SLUH 1

Inline headed to State Matt Geisman Reporter

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Senior Willie Whealen goes for the kill over a CBC defender.

Seckman

f all the spring sports to hope for a State championship at the beginning of the season, where was Inline on your list?

For the first time in history, the St. Louis U. High Inline team will have a shot of obtaining just that, a State championship.

Thanks to a clutch semifinal victory, the Jr. Bills set their spot in Friday night’s contest.

Following a first round playoff win against Rockwood Summit, SLUH went into the semifinals against Francis Howell expecting a high-scoring affair, as both teams have averaged more than six goals a game.

However, early in the first half, both teams found themselves in a defensive battle led by the goaltenders.

“The big hero of the night was definitely Justin Ragland,” said head coach Tim O'Neil. “He held Francis Howell scoreless for 34 minutes of regulation and 1:45 into overtime.”

Early in the game, SLUH found itself on the penalty kill thanks to a minor tripping penalty by sophomore Scott McCartney.

However, the penalty kill unit worked seamlessly and denied Howell the chance to

score, leaving the score tied at zero going into the end of the first half.

Just as the penalty kill ended, senior Tommy Meehan gained the puck by means of a well-placed poke-check, and took off for the net on a breakaway. Meehan missed the crossbar by inches.

With just over a minute left in the first half, Howell was called for a hooking penalty, giving SLUH an opportunity to gain the upper hand. SLUH could not take advantage though, leaving both teams scoreless and frustrated going into the second half.

The second half, although scoreless as well, featured its fair share of scoring opportunities. By the beginning of overtime, both goaltenders had faced over 20 shots.

SLUH’s attempts to score finally paid off in overtime. After getting the puck deep in the defensive zone, senior Lan Sansone rocketed a pass up to senior Jimmy Berger, who put the puck in the net, ending the game just two minutes after overtime started.

“We’d had lots of chances all game,” said Berger. “I was just fortunate to be able to capitalize then.”

The Inline club, in existence since the 1990s, has not reached the State finals until continued on page 6

by John Sachs reporter

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fter suffering a loss to Francis Howell Central High School on Monday, the St. Louis U. High volleyball team (20-3-2, 5-1 MCC) regrouped to gain a crucial Metro Catholic Conference win against CBC at home on Wednesday.

It has become evident that much of the team’s success comes from its ability to work the volleyball into strong offensive positions, notably kills contributed by the tall front line. That passing game, unfortunately, was what broke down in the game against Howell Central on Monday. Though they put up a valiant fight against the Spartans, the Jr. Bills lost both games.

“The passing game was rough,” said senior Elliot Rhodes, adding that the game was, “Just not good overall.”

The match was decided in just two games, though the intensity of the play can be presented through the scores 25-23 and 26-24. The loss represents only the team’s third this season.

SLUH had a chance to regroup from the loss Wednesday in an MCC game against CBC. A win Wednesday and on Thursday against Chaminade would put SLUH in the top slot for the MCC with a record of 6-1, and leave a match against DeSmet to decide the conference. If SLUH would win against DeSmet, the Jr. Bills would be in first place while a loss would mean a tie with DeSmet.

The Jr. Bills started the first game against CBC with a strong kill by senior Alex Hughes, which would be indicative of the rest of the game. SLUH got off to an early

7-3 lead, when CBC called the first timeout of the match.

The Volleybills thanked CBC for delaying the game by going on a five-point streak to make the game 12-3, and then further increased the lead to 16-5. Heavily disorganized, CBC was unable to fend off the SLUH advances, while the passing game was working well.

It was at that point, however, that the SLUH offense stalled. CBC took the opportunity and enjoyed a long, almost uninterrupted point drive to bring the score to 17-13, at which point the Jr. Bills called a timeout. This timeout allowed the Jr. Bills to regroup, and they went on to win the first game 25-17.

The second game started out close, as do most games for the Jr. Bills against strong teams. As in those other games, SLUH couldn’t get out without a scratch. Though the game looked to be close, CBC punctured SLUH’s efforts. CBC pulled away as the SLUH passing game broke down. CBC ultimately won, 25-15.

Recognizing the severity of the situation, SLUH turned the level of play up in the final game. With an early 3-1 lead thanks to kills by Hughes, and then another boost by sophomore Tom Beckmann to bring the game to 7-4, the final game of the match appeared to be once again in SLUH’s hands. However, CBC quickly tied the game at seven, then kept trading points to bring it to 11-11.

Mistakes by SLUH kept the game close, though momentum-shifting kills by Beckmann and Hughes gave the Jr. Bills a lead of 20-16, when CBC called yet another continued on page 7

6

Sports

Volume 75, Issue 29

PHOTO COURTESY OF MR. BOB KUSKY

Lacrosse charges to State

by Donnie reporter

Land

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he St. Louis U. High lacrosse team’s defense brought it to CBC’s offense last Thursday, holding them to just three goals en route to an 11-3 victory for SLUH (15-6).

Realizing that the Cadets run their offense through star players Connor Mullen and Phil McFarland, the Jr. Billiken defense worked together through slides and communication to prevent their opponents from reaching the net. Junior defenseman Sam Cannon weakened the CBC offense by defending McFarland the entire night, and junior defender John Jedlicka and senior defender Will Moritz held tight onto Mullen as well.

Along with the help of junior defender Mark Weber and senior defender Patrick Judge, the U. High defense limited the amount of shots on sophomore goalie John Lawder, who made some great saves.

The Jr. Billiken offense could not be controlled by the Cadet defenders, as senior attackmen Ryan Reding and Jimmy Reichenbach worked together, with Reichenbach feeding assists to Reding the majority of the game. Reding finished with four goals.

Senior midfielder Andrew Schoessel added three goals, each time dodging past the Cadets.

“Our offense has stepped up over the past couple weeks, and we have been able to put in a lot of goals really fast, which allows us to build up momentum and makes the other team shut down,” said Moritz.

SLUH played a strong 48 minutes, and upset CBC with a final score of 11-3.

“We didn’t really let up at all, and just played our game and possessed the ball,

won almost all of the face-offs, and stuck it to them,” said senior midfielder Michael Griffard.

“From the offense, to the defense, and to the midfield, everything just seemed to click,” said Cannon.

Following up on SLUH’s big win over CBC, the Jr. Billikens brought home their third consecutive championship trophy from the Brebeuf Jesuit Classic in Indiana this past weekend, where the SLUH offense continued to thrive, scoring 46 goals in three games.

Throughout the tournament, the varsity defense let in just 12 goals.

Defense played an important role in limiting their opponents’ on shots on goal.

“We have a lot of guys that can get good looks and score,” said senior Aaron Kressig.

“It’s not like other teams where there are one or two players that their whole offense revolves around, whereas we have eight or ten people that can do it.”

The Feederbills scored 18 goals against both Xavier (Cincinnati) and against the Wisconsin state champions, Marquette High School. Schoessel scored four goals against Marquette, while junior attack Thomas Place had six assists.

The Jr. Bills finished off the tournament with a 10-4 victory against Brebeuf Jesuit, earning a championship trophy and an MVP plaque for Judge.

Ceasing to let up on their opponents, the DoubleDigitbills brought home another clean victory against the Lindbergh Flyers, 14-1.

“I was pretty confident going into the Lindbergh game, but I knew that we had to come out, play well, and run the score up, because last year was a pretty close game,” said junior midfielder Michael Leritz.

Track solid at Clayton

by Evan Becton reporter

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he Saint Louis U. High track team rounded out its last meet before the Metro Catholic Conference (MCC) meet with a fifth place finish at the Marion Freeman Clayton Invitational. The Jr. Bills scored a solid 73 points, well behind Hazelwood Central’s 132 points.

The team competed hard with good strong efforts from the relay squads, but they fell short to the more talented Hazelwood Central and Cahokia teams.

As usual, the distance team stood out with first and second place finishes by senior captain Tim Rackers in the 3200-meter run and the 1600, respectively. Rackers ran a personal best for the season with a time of 9:30.39 in the 3200, but in the 1600 he ran about three seconds over his personal best with a time of 4:28.74 and barely lost the race by .73 of a second. On the flip side,

freshman John Esswein had an impressive performance, placing second in the 800 with a time of 1:59.5, a new personal record for the talented freshman.

“We always have a shot at winning the MCC conference meet with the help of our distance squad’s dominance, but it will be a close one this year,” said junior 400-meter runner Luke Gilsinger.

The field events also performed well with senior shot put and discus captain Alex Cross placing first in discus and third in shot put. Cross threw a solid 48-06 in the shot put and an impressive 136-06 in the discus, winning him the event. Also, junior pole vaulter Daniel Appelbaum tied his personal best with a solid 11-00 flat, good for fifth place.

The jump squad continued to struggle despite sophomore DJ DeVivo jumping a personal best 19-03.50, but that would only continued on page 7

Golf Sectionals today

by Ben Hutchison reporter

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hen asked about his St. Louis U. High golf career, senior Dylan Gardner said, “My career had its ups and downs, but my senior year was definitely the most fun because the team was a good group of guys who enjoyed playing golf with each other.”

Last year the team had a record of 3-7, beating Vianney twice and Priory once. The team wanted to follow suit and do the same this year, and finish the season on a high note for Gardner, but unfortunately it couldn’t.

The Jr. Bills lost to Priory on Monday at the prestigious Bellerive Country Club. The course was in pristine condition as always, and the temperature stayed cool all day for great playing conditions.

Sophomore Andy Hitch stated, “We played well today, but we just couldn’t pull together one more win this year.”

Some players tallied good scores— Hitch at 41, sophomore Ben Hutchison at 40, and freshman Scott Schaeffer at 39—but that was not enough to beat the Rebels.

As a result, the team finished the year 2-7. The camaraderie on the team was outstanding and their confidence produced some good individuals despite a disappointing record.

Schaeffer and Hutchison, though, are not finished yet. They both qualified for Sectionals, which are Friday at Poplar Bluff.

When asked how he plans on qualifying for State this year, Schaeffer said, “I plan on using my competitive background to keep focus on one shot at a time and not worry about shooting a specific score.” Even if he doesn’t, he will still have three more chances.

Both players walked the course Thursday. Neither has played it, and both hope to take some notes to qualify for State in Springfield.

May 6, 2011

The lacrosse team poses for a photo at the Brebeuf Jesuit Classic in Indiana.

Continuing with their style of offense with continuous control and hard defense, SLUH extended its winning streak to nine.

“Defensively, we are communicating a lot better, especially with getting in and out of slides, and just really executing the game plan,” said coach Mark Seyer.

Because the Jr. Bill defense cleared the ball well against Lindbergh, the offense continued its possession of the ball with only brief periods of control for Lindbergh.

Lindbergh put up a total of eight shots the entire game, in contrast to SLUH’s 45.

Scoring a total of 71 goals against the last 16 given up, the Jr. Bills are not letting their confidence get to their heads, as they continue to play all four quarters with intensity and aggressiveness in their run for State.

“The biggest thing I’ve noticed is executing, running offense the way it should be run, and playing as a team while doing

the little things right,” said Seyer.

SLUH plays Chaminade this Thursday and expects one of their biggest opponents in the No. 3 ranked team in the state.

“We have to get ready and be able to bring our top game because they are very athletic,” said Schoessel.

The Jr. Bills will also be playing rival team DeSmet this Saturday wearing neon for the Father Marco Cup. The team hopes for support for the cause and in their quest to continue their winning streak in hopes at securing home field advantage for the State playoffs.

Registration for summer weight room hours will end on Monday, May 16th.

Please continue to check your Zimbra accounts for additional information.

Checks can be made payable to SLUH and dropped off to Mr. Buha in the history department.

Rugby thumps Fox

Dell’Orco tallies four tries

by Justin reporter

Sinay

T

he St. Louis U. High rugby team made the short drive over to Forest Park Wednesday hoping to get back on track after two consecutive losses. The Jr. Bills were also looking to gain a little momentum going into their Saturday contest against District C foe University City in a crucial matchup.

Sophomore Pat Mulligan said, “To have any chance to go to State, we have to crush University City, and Priory has to beat CBC.”

In a decision that defined the contest, head coach Joseph Muller moved senior Tom Dell’Orco to the fly half position due to the ankle injury suffered by senior Nick Herrmann, the fourth-leading scorer in the area. Mulligan said, “Herrmann’s injury is really going to be a big blow to the team.

He’s one of our top players, a great leader on the field.”

The fly position is the widely considered the most important position on the rugby field, considering that the fly half calls many of the plays and makes most of the decisions for the back line.

The Bills wasted no time getting on the board and quickly built a 15-0 lead. Junior Jake Kinsella, Dell’Orco, and senior forward Tate Macarthy all scored early tries.

Macarthy said of SLUH’s early run, “We just continued to play hard and didn’t let up.”

Inline (from 5)

this year. The team is not content to make history simply by making it to the finals, but hopes to win the State championship.

SLUH will take on Seckman tonight at 10:55 at All-American in the Tier 2 State Championship.

Dell’Orco had an outstanding game at his new position. He displayed his speed by outrunning a Fox defender to give the Bills a 20-0 lead. Dell’Orco said that it just felt “natural” playing at his new position.

Also filling in for the absent Herrmann was Mulligan, who played kicker. Mulligan contributed seven points by himself when he got a try and successfully converted the conversion kick.

Dell’Orco broke through for his third try before halftime, and though Fox finally got on the board, the Bills had a commanding 34-5 lead at half.

Dell’Orco said, “We felt pretty calm at halftime because we had a pretty commanding lead. But at the same time we knew we could clean up our game a little bit.”

Dell’Orco notched his fourth try of the game right after half, returning the kickoff for the score.

Macarthy said, “We have a lot of injuries and Tom (Dell’Orco) really did a great job.”

Cruising through the rest of the half, a number of underclassmen got playing time and Kinsella and senior Nick Schwetz scored to make it 53-5. Although Fox added one more score, it didn’t matter as the Jr. Bills won 53-10.

Macarthy said, “We were glad we won.

It was good to get other (JV) guys in.”

Congratulations to juniors Luke Buckheit and Kevin Kimes, who were selected to participate in the Congressional Academy for History and Civics in Washington, D.C. over this summer. The program, which runs from June 26-July 8, admits only two students per state. John Sachs ’11 and Anthony Re ’10 previously represented SLUH in the program.

Sports

May 6, 2011

Volume 75, Issue 29

AROUND THE FIELDS

Underclassman Sports Updates JV Baseball (10-2)

Monday, May 2 SLUH 7, St. Mary’s 2 Michael Potter went 2 for 3 at the plate with 2 RBIs. Tuesday, May 3 SLUH 8, Ladue 1 JJ Guenther batted 4 for 4 with 2 doubles and 3 RBIs. Wednesday, May 4 SLUH 4, DeSmet 3 SLUH clinched the win on a walk-off double by Matt Clohisy which scored 2 runs to break a 2-2 tie against DeSmet.

—Matt Whalen

C Baseball (12-4)

Friday, April 29 SLUH 16, Chaminade 4 Starting pitcher Jack Urschler helped the team to a victory as outfielder Luke Robinson contributed to the offensive production with a three-run double.

Tuesday, May3 SLUH 9, DeSmet 1 Pitcher Mark Elbert pitched his first complete game while the Jr. Bills’ offense powered the team sweep of DeSmet for the season.

Wednesday, May 4 SLUH 23, Chaminade 0 The Jr. Bills offense thrived as they put up a combined 21 runs in the second and third innings.

—Adam Cooley

JV Inline (7-7)

Monday, May 2 SLUH 7, Fort Zumwalt South 5 Senior Henry Schneider and junior Brad Moore led the Jr. Bills to victory with two goals and one assist apiece.

Wednesday, May 4 Wentzville 6, SLUH 3 In their final game of the season, sophomore Ben Modde, junior Jack Fogarty, and Moore all scored one goal but could not stop Wentzville’s offensive attack.

—Adam Cooley

C Inline (3-11)

Saturday, April 30 Lafayette 7, SLUH 5 Although their offense scored five goals, the Jr. Bills defense could not stop Jake Lownsdale of Lafayette, who had four goals and two assists.

– Adam Cooley

JV Tennis (9-2)

Monday, May 2 SLUH 6, Westminster 2 SLUH used different formations to throw off their Westminster opponents.

Wednesday, May 4 SLUH 5, Priory 3 The top five SLUH seeds won their matches, but the bottom seeds had a rougher time against a good Priory team.

– Stephen Lumetta

C Lacrosse (17-3-1)

Thursday, April 28 SLUH 12, CBC 2 Freshman Jack Kinzel scored five goals against the inferior Cadets.

CBC Tournament (3-2-1) Friday, April 29 and Sunday, May 1 Freshman Sean McLaughlin scored eight goals in for the team in the tournament.

– Jack Godar

JV Ultimate

Sunday, May 1 Kirkwood 15, SLUH 6

JV Volleyball (16-0)

—Jack Godar

Monday, May 2 SLUH 2, Francis Howell 0 The game started out with SLUH easily dominating the rival team for a first round final score of 25-16. SLUH dominated even more during the second game and finished up 25-9.

Wednesday, May 4 SLUH 2, CBC 0 Wednesday the JV volleyball team played CBC for the second time with the same results. SLUH quickly took the lead, shutting CBC out of the game from the start. This happened for the entire first match, but during the second match the Cadets improved marginally with a final score of 25-19 for the second match as opposed to a final score of 25-13, for the first match.

Thursday, May 5 SLUH 2, Chaminade 0 The JV Volleyball teamed played against Chaminade. Chaminade barely put up a fight during the first match with a final score of 25-14 and performed just as poorly during the second match with an ending score of 25-13, giving the Bills their 15th win of their undefeated season.

– Harold Wayne

SLUH Ladue

Singles No. 1: Greg Marifian def. Westminster, 6-0, 6-0.

No. 2: Westminster def. Cameron Trachsel, 6-2, 6-2.

No. 3: Westminster def. David Mayhall, 6-1, 6-1.

No. 4: Westminster def. Peter Windler, 6-1, 6-1.

Doubles No. 1: Westminster def. Tony Ghazarian and Matei Stefanescu, 6-2, 6-1.

No. 2: Westminster def. Gil Plitt and Michael Essma, 7-5, 7-5.

No. 3: Westminster def. Austin Huelsing and Kevin Madden, 6-1, 6-4.

After a slow 4-4 start, the Jr. Bills (6-1) picked up their zone defense with strong marks and tough downfield play. Offensively, SLUH made careless turnovers against Ladue’s cup defense, allowing the Rams to keep within striking distance. The Ultimatebills picked up their game though, and showed that they were the more talented and experienced team with quality throws and better play in the second half. SLUH now heads into the State tournament as the No. 1 seed in pool C this Saturday.

—Eric Mueth

Playing under a dark and gloomy sky Monday, the impressive Westminister team served SLUH a tough defeat.

Excluding senior Greg Marifian’s win at No. 1 singles, a highlight of the match was a close loss by the No. 2 doubles team of senior Gil Plitt and sophomore Michael Essma.

Saturday, May 7 –– Pool Play Pool A: DeSmet, DeSmet JV, Chaminade Pool B: Francis Howell Central, Clayton, Kirkwood, CBC Pool C: SLUH, Parkway North, Francis Howell North Pool D: Priory, Ladue, SLUH JV, Marquette (Each team plays every other team in its pool once.)

Wednesday, May 4 SLUH 4, Priory 3 Singles No. 1: Greg Marifian def. Priory, 8-2.

No. 2: Priory def. Cameron Trachsel, 8-5.

No. 3: Priory def. David Mayhall, 8-5.

No. 4: Priory def. Matei Stefanescu, 8-7.

Doubles No. 1: Tony Ghazarian and Peter Windler def. Priory, 8-3.

No. 2: Gil Plitt and Michael Essma def.

Priory, 8-4.

No. 3: Tyler Carron and Alex Childs def. Priory, 8-4.

SLUH (10-3) found their game, defeating Priory Wednesday. Even though the match was shortened because of time commitments for members of Priory’s team, SLUH’s doubles played impressively, as all three teams won. At No. 4 singles, junior Matei Stefanescu lost a very competitive match.

WATER POLO

The Volleybills head into next week, the final week of regular season, with a record of 20-3-2, ready to face off Monday at 6:00 at Althoff and Wednesday at 6:00 at home against DeSmet for the SLUH senior night.

Tennis Nightbeat

Under the constant threat of rain, the St. Louis U. High tennis team defeated Kirkwood last night, 4-3, to give the Jr. Bills their 10th match win this season, a team goal. The win was also impressive because it was not certain the Jr. Bills would defeat Kirkwood, a team that regularly places at State. A quick SLUH victory by the No. 3 doubles team of seniors Tyler Carron and Alex Childs was followed by three successive losses by junior Cameron Trachsel, sophomore David Mayhall, and junior Tony Ghazarian. Even with a win from the No. 2 doubles team of senior Gil Plitt and sophomore Michael Essma, the SLUH victory was in doubt as the No. 1 doubles team of juniors Peter Windler and Matei Stefanescu were struggling. But after tightening their game, the doubles team performed an inspiring comeback, winning 6-3, 7-6 (3), to tie the overall match score, 3-3.

The match came down to senior Greg Marifian at No. 1 singles, who was in a competitive match against Kirkwood senior Drew Morris. Each point was hard fought as both sets went into tiebreakers. With the strain of the whole Dwight Davis crowd watching, Marifian did not buckle. With a calm style and consistent play, Marifian clinched the victory, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (5), as the Jr. Bills won.

—Reporting by Drew Dziedzic

ULTIMATE

Monday, May 2 Westminster 6, SLUH 1

––Drew Dziedzic

Volleyball

(from 6) timeout. The timeout didn’t help the Cadets this time, however, and more kills and serving by Beckmann would settle the game in SLUH’s favor 25-19.

“I think that beating CBC proves that if we play well, we can beat anybody,” said assistant coach Jim Gioia.

TENNIS

7

Lindbergh Invitational Thursday, April 28 SLUH (24-1) 9, Ladue 6 Friday, April 29 SLUH 12, Lindbergh 5 Saturday, April 30 SLUH 6, MICDS 4 SLUH 11, Marquette 6 SLUH 9, DeSmet 7

8 7—15 5 3—8

State Tournament

Bracket Play Game 1: B2 versus D3 Game 2: A2 versus C3 Game 3: D2 versus B3 Game 4: C2 versus A3 (Bracket play is single-elimination.)

Sunday, May 8 –– Bracket Play Quarterfinals Game 5: A1 versus Game 1 winner Game 6: D1 versus Game 2 winner Game 7: C1 versus Game 3 winner Game 8: B1 versus Game 4 winner Semifinals Game 9: Game 5 winner versus Game 6 winner Game 10: Game 7 winner versus Game 8 winner Championship Game 11: Game 9 winner versus Game 10 winner ––Mike Lumetta and Eric Mueth Senior USC volleyball player Murphy Troy, ’07, competed in the NCAA Final Four last night at Rec Hall in University Park, Pa. on the campus of Penn State. Troy, a team co-captain, and the team committed many unforced errors and struggled against a University of California-Santa Barbara team that beat them last Saturday in the Mountain Pacific league championship. USC fell again to the Gauchos, 29-27, 24-26, 2515, 25-18. Troy now graduates and will play for the United States National team.

See extended feature next week.

—Justin Jellinek, Ryan Caselton

Track

(from 6) get him seventh place in the event. Triple jump again failed to place in the top 10.

“We have also lost some strong sprinters, but we recently got back Timmy Gallagher and DJ DeVivo, who have been strong,” said Gilsinger.

The Jr. Bills, despite struggles with sprints and jumps, still have a good feeling about the MCC meet.

“I think the team is still a contender for the MCC championship. The team is strong and I think we have the ability to place on three levels at conference. We have deter-

mined runners, so definitely the title isn’t out of our grasp,” said junior mid-distance runner Dalton Anders.

Anders’ words hold true as the Jr. Bills have won the MCC meet five times in a row and are looking for number six. Last year, the Jr. Bills won varsity, JV, and freshman championships and hope to do it again.

“Our goal is to win our conference meet and this (effort) puts us in a good position to win (MCCs),” said head coach Joe Porter.

8

Volume 75, Issue 29

Senior Follies

Con Gearsby

66 years later, original 1945 Follies writers see the show continue

by Patrick O’Leary web editor

T

wo writers of the first Senior Follies, Gerald Deppe, ’45, and Edward Oberreither, ’45, attended the 2011 Senior Follies this past Sunday to see how the tradition they began has evolved.

The idea of coming to see this year’s show first struck the two men when they were out to lunch with other members of the class of 1945 and someone mentioned the show.

Deppe called switchboard operator Kim Gohl to ask if the show was open to the public. When Follies producer Frank Corley got wind of the call, he reserved third row tickets for the alumni and planned an announcement to recognize them at the show. Deppe said that he was not expecting an announcement; he just came to see the show.

Although there are obviously differences between the current version of the show and the 1945 original, such as location and size, it has maintained a fairly similar form over the years. Deppe said that the first one had many more musical numbers and much milder jokes. He described a musical number he put together; a song to the tune of “I’ll Never Smile Again” about a teacher who had a smile-less demeanor. He added that there was also a military theme because many students were heading off to war because of the draft in 1945.

Deppe mentioned that, as in 1945 and today, the Follies experience is often the first theater experience for many of the cast members.

Said Deppe,“It was a first for me and for many of us. A lot of our athletes were in the show. The guy I was with the other night, Oberreither, was one of our star football players and he’d never done anything like this either. It was just a lark to have an opportunity to get up on stage and be a little silly.”

Senior David Dereak parodies essay-bashing English teacher Steve Missey in a remix of pop artist Ke$ha’s song, “TiK ToK”.

ue to the tremendous amount of rain the St. Louis area has recently experienced, the pool hall has been closed for water damage repairs the past three weeks.

Beginning with the week before Easter break, the pool hall closed its doors to students in order to repair several water leaks that had developed in the walls. According to maintenance worker Steve DeBrecht, seven to 10 different spots were repaired, most of which had been problematic for several years and had been progressively worsening.

Rainwater had saturated the ground directly outside the pool hall and had leaked through the middle of the walls.

In order to repair the leaks, the affected areas of the wall were jackhammered out and filled with hydraulic water-stop cement. After the concrete set, a fresh coat of paint was applied.

When asked about potential loss of revenue caused by the closure, pool hall moderator Bob Becker explained, “I would say about a dollar per day was lost due to the closing. However, the capital improvements far outweigh the money lost.”

The repairs were much-needed.“Recently, there've been times when I’ve walked into the pool equipment storage room and nearly slipped on the layer of water covering the floor,” said Becker.

Sophomore Maurice Murray, a frequent pool hall visitor, said that he was “disappointed”about it and had no idea why the pool hall was closed. He said that he spent most of his newly-found free time doing homework.

Math teacher Donald Steingruby, who teaches in M109, which is directly above where most of the construction took place, said,“It further disturbed my classes that were already disturbed.”

The pool hall, however, has not been the only location that has had recent water damage. There was leakage above the library and water damage to the roof of the theater, loge, and Danis Lobby, all over the summer.

“We were afraid we were going to lose the whole roof over (the theater) for a while,” DeBrecht said.

Despite all of the recent rain, the pool hall is expected to be open again on Monday.

Schedule H

Spring Fling B Baseball @ Seckman Tournamnent 11am C Lacrosse @ DeSmet 12pm V Water Polo @ Clayton / Parkway Central Districts 1pm V Lacrosse @ DeSmet

V Rugby @ University City 3pm JV Lacrosse @ DeSmet

Sunday, May 8 No events

Seniors Gino Perrini and Bobby Lux parody STUCO co-moderators Lauren Dickens and Brock Kesterson.

From this year’s show, Deppe said that he liked the musical numbers the best, citing as his favorite “SLU High, SLU High”—a song and dance routine set to the tune of “New York, New York” by Frank Sinatra. Deppe said that it was “almost professional.” He also liked the rap by Tim McCoy and Alan Ratermann in the “Racquetball” number.

“It was a real thrill to be there,” said Deppe.

(from 7)

D

Half Day Schedule C Baseball @ CBC/SLUH Tournament Junior Ring Day 8am AP US History Exam

V Golf @ Poplar Bluff Sectional 12pm AP European History Exam 1:30pm Junior Ring Mass 4:30pm B Baseball vs. Granite City 8pm Junior Ring Dance 10:45pm Inline Hockey @ State

Saturday, May 7

Pool hall rained out; Underclassmen repairs disturb pool JV Baseball sharks, classrooms

by Luke Reichold reporter

Friday, May 6

May 6, 2011

Monday, May 2 SLUH 7, St. Mary’s 2 Michael Potter went 2 for 3 at the plate with 2 RBIs. Tuesday, May 3 SLUH 8, Ladue 1 JJ Guenther batted 4 for 4 with 2 doubles and 3 RBIs. Wednesday, May 4 SLUH 4, DeSmet 3 SLUH clinched the win on a walk-off double by Matt Clohisy which scored 2 runs to break a 2-2 tie against DeSmet.

– Mathew Whalen

Tuition (from 1)

sheets are given to all department heads, who then put together a budget for the year. From there, the budgets go to Principal John Moran, who eventually reviews them and then sends them to Leary.

By January, Leary and Laughlin have looked over the proposed budgets together and make any suggested changes, before meeting with the department heads, moderators, or directors as necessary. By February, the updated budgets will be proposed to the Board of Trustees, and after it is approved, the letters with tuition figures are sent to parents.

Laughlin noted that the process of forming the budget is in alignment with the admissions process, so that by the time enrollment begins, financial aid and tuition numbers are being finalized.

It takes until June for the complete budget for the next fiscal year to be completed.

SLUH’s tuition remains slightly above average for Jesuit schools in the Midwest, but not significantly. But Laughlin emphasized both the magnitude of the direct and indirect financial aid SLUH gives out each year.

“There’s 3.1 million (dollars), 3,100 (dollars) per student, that’s not included in tuition that we get through the generosity of our benefactors. And that’s our parents, that’s our alumni, that’s money through the endowment,” said Laughlin.

Monday, May 9

Schedule R

Tuesday, May 10

Schedule R

Wednesday, May 11

Schedule R

Thursday, May 12

Schedule R

Friday, May 13

Schedule R

Last Day of Classes for Seniors C Baseball @ CBC/SLUH Tournament 8am AP Biology Exam 12pm AP Physics Exam 2pm V Tennis @ Districts 4:30pm V Baseball @ CBC

B Baseball vs. CBC 5pm JV Volleyball @ Althoff 6pm V Volleyball @ Althoff

Senior Exams 7:30am AP US Government Exam AP Rosary

STUCO Junior Officer Speeches 12pm AP Comparative Government Exam 3pm V Tennis @ Districts

Senior Exams 7:30am AP English Language Exam 12pm AP Statistics Exam 4pm C Track @ Vianney Invitational 4:15pm C Baseball @ Parkway West 4:30pm B Baseball @ Vianney 5pm JV Volleyball vs. DeSmet

Art Exhibit Opening 6pm V Volleyball vs. DeSmet 7:30pm Choral Concert 8:45pm V Water Polo @ District Quarterfinals Senior Exams 8am AP Microeconomics Exam 11am Mix-it-up Lunch 12pm AP Macroeconomics Exam 4:30pm JV Lacrosse vs. Kirkwood 6:30pm V Lacrosse vs. Kirkwood 7:30pm Band Concert

Senior Exam Make-up C Baseball @ CBC/SLUH Tournament Final 10:30am Senior Class Meeting 2pm V Tennis @ Districts 7pm V Water Polo @ District Semifinals 8pm Senior Prom

-compiled by Joe Klein

Seniors Receive nrotc Scholarships

PHOTO BY MR. MATT SCIUTO

Seniors Thomas George, Joe Bentz, and Riley Konzen receive Marine NROTC scholarships from Captain Klainsmith (left), who is the head recruiter in St. Louis for the scholarship, and Sargent Mata (right) who is an enlisted recruiter. Bentz will be studying at University of MisouriColumbia next year and Konzen will take the scholarship to Marquette University. George did not accept the scholarship and plans to enter straight into basic training this fall.