2012 april by Sacred Heart School

Super Tuesday page 4

INDEX

Grease Page 9

HEART Volume 29

April 13, 2012

News......................................3 Features..................................5 Arts & Entertainment.............9 Profiles.................................10 Opinion................................11 Sports...................................12

BEAT Number 5

Join the Revolution? BY MEAGAN ANTONELLIS Staff Writer Senior Brynne Kight Facebook has been used to further humanitarsaid that she believes ian causes for some time now; people can easily “like” in the movement and the pages of their favorite causes and charities, and status encourages others updates promoting breast cancer awareness have been circulatto jump on the ing for years. However, a group called Invisible Children has taken bandwagon. the humanitarian hype via social media to a whole new level. The orga“I think it’s a nization released a video on March 5 with the goal of raising awaregreat idea, and ness of an African warlord, Joseph Kony, whose crimes include people need to enlisting and abusing child soldiers. The video has since stop being so selfish,” gone viral and has been posted thousands of times by Kight said. “All over Facebook and other social network users. The moveFacebook, I see people ment and its supporters have received mixed resaying that we should fix views. America first, but they need to realize that there are people who need help outside our borders.” Senior Holly Adams disagrees, saying that Kony 2012 is more a mania than a cause. “It’s gone from being a humanitarian effort to a fad,” Adams said. “People shouldn’t care about something because it’s on Facebook. There are children in Africa being forced to be soldiers. They don’t care if you retweeted #stopkony.” History teacher Sean Morgan argued that social networking has been an effective way to kickstart movements in the recent past. “The overthrow of the Egyptian reign started on Twitter,” Morgan said. “Rebel groups used Facebook to organize and tweeted meeting places. It’s just an easier way to spread information.” Senior Emily Dunham said that she supported Invisible Children’s efforts in the beginning, but was disappointed when she looked further into the group. “I’m embarrassed that I put that video on my wall. I took it down after I learned more about it,” Dunham said. “I learned about how the guy was taking a huge amount of money from the cause. I felt betrayed. I had so much faith in this guy, and he turned out to be a crook like so many other people.” On March 15, ten days after the Kony 2012 video was released, Jason Russell, a co-founder of Invisible Children, was detained and hospitalized in a mental

facility after being found masturbating in public and vandalizing cars, possibly under the influence of drugs. Morgan said that this incident will do nothing to help the organization’s humanitarian efforts. “The movement was obviously dealt a blow by the organizer having his meltdown,” Morgan said. Adams said that people are likely to stop caring about the movement altogether. “Fads fade away, and people stop caring. That shouldn’t happen.” Adams said. Morgan agreed, saying that people are more interested in a sob story than having an actual cause. “Talk about Kony has already died down,” Morgan said. “You notice that no one talks about Haiti anymore. People are just waiting for the next thing to come along that will pull their heartstrings.” Kight said that she believes people to be more dedicated than that. “I guess it can be seen that way, but I think that the people who actually participate aren’t thinking like that,” Kight said. Morgan said that more devotion from supporters will be necessary in order for any movements such as this to leave the ground. “People will have to learn to commit themselves to a cause instead of just transitioning to the next big thing,” Morgan said.

Photos Courtesy of Kony 2012 and Explow News

Shakespearean Raps and Griffin Attacks Variety Show returns after one year hiatus BY MERCEDES MCGARRY Staff Writer Sacred Heart’s annual Variety Show proved itself to be a general crowd pleaser for yet another year. Put together by art teacher Evelyn Dunbar with the help of English teacher Michael Duchaney, the event is intended to showcase the hidden talents of the school community, and this year, with standout and surprise performances by students and faculty alike, it seems to have done just that. With Duchaney acting as MC, the show kicked off with the introduction to the “Battle of the Griffins,” a contest taking place between junior Thomas Griffin, sophomore Griffin Owstrowski and freshman Griffin Wagner. The battle was conducted game show style, with each Griffin reciting poetry, singing, and taking on alumnus Willie Dinardo in mock combat in an effort to “win the hand of a fair maiden.” The Battle of the Griffins took place intermittently throughout the Variety Show, and by the end, Griffin Wagner was named the victor.

Duchaney said that lighthearted components such as this were added to the show for the sake of variety. “I liked that the variety of acts ranged from sublime to ridiculous, pieces that were beautiful and elegant to those that were a little silly,” Duchaney said. Junior Sophie Pizzi showcased both her vocal and composition talents, performing a song she wrote herself entitled “Second Chances.” Following Pizzi’s act was the revisited tradition of the drum circle, led by Sr. Emma Jean Middendorf, accompanied by Dinardo, retired science teacher Kevin Burke, freshman Adam Tomasi and juniors Michael Nee and Jeffrey Millman. Dancing along to the beat of the drums were a number of students completely hidden beneath colorful bag costumes. One of the bags, senior Katie Presutti, said that she enjoyed the experience despite some minor difficulties. “It was my first year doing it, and it was really enjoyable,” Presutti said. “The only annoying part was the lack

of vision. I walked into a chair at one point.” Junior Sarah Kieran followed the drum circle, singing “I Will Always Love You” a cappella in tribute to Whitney Houston. The Variety Show was given a taste of Shakespeare when a troupe of actors directed by English teacher Winifred Dick performed their rendition of a scene taken from Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice.” Junior Vanessa Dailey then performed for her second variety show, singing Maroon 5’s “She Will Be Loved.”

VARIETY SHOW Continued on page 2

2 April 13, 2012

Variety Show:

continued from page 1

Staff photo by Hannah MacInnis

Junior Thomas Griffin performs in the “Battle of the Griffins” with the infamous “bags.”

BY MERCEDES MCGARRY Staff Writer

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1: Senior Holly Adams perplexed and surprised the audience by giving a comedic impersonation of Taylor Swift in front of a closed curtain and then calling history teacher George Rose to the stage. As it turned out, Adams’ performance was a ruse created to cover up the real act. Once she had left the stage, the curtains opened to reveal senior Emily Hollstein and some of her fellow Grease cast members singing a parody of the song “Beauty School Drop Out” to the former Teen Angel. One of the largest audience reactions was received by the band Made in China, made up of junior Dafei Lu and sophomores Mengjun Duan and Muyang Jin. Duchaney said that the band was one of the highlights of the show. “Made in China was awesome,” Duchaney said. “They had a lot to offer.” The music continued with Ostrowski’s and senior BriAnna Habeeb’s performance of “Wonderwall” by Oasis, followed by a Beatles’ medley presented by Nee, Millman and Dinardo. Senior Elizabeth Liu took to the piano, playing a composition entitled “One Summer’s Day,” before Habeeb returned with her ukulele, playing and singing the song “You and I” by Ingrid Michaelson.

Staff photo by Hannah MacInnis

Seniors Emily Hollstein and Patricia Zibelli participate in “The Merchant of Venice.”

Staff photo by Hannah MacInnis

History teacher Mr. Shaun Morgan serenades the Senior class.

History teacher Sean Morgan then gave a surprise vocal performance of “Walking in Memphis” by Marc Cohn. Presutti said she was impressed with Morgan’s performance. “That was fantastic,” Presutti said. “All the seniors thought it was awesome.” Of his own performance, Morgan said that he feels a bit embarrassed, not being used to the spotlight, but that it was his gift, as promised, to the senior class. The acts were closed with a performance by several faculty members of the song “We Don’t Need No Education” by Pink Floyd. Formal thanks were given to Dunbar in the form of flowers, as she will be retiring after this year. “I hope it (the Variety Show) continues,” Dunbar said. “I think it’s a very special thing.”

Staff photo by Hannah MacInnis

Freshman Adam Tomasi, junior Mike Nee, Mr. Kevin Burke, Alumnus Willie Dinardo, Junior Jeff Millman, and Sr. Emma Jean play in the drum circle.

News

3 April 13, 2012

HEART BEAT

Senior Superlatives Best All-Around Senior: Sarah Dunn Oliver Cahill

Best Friends: Allison Malone & Shealagh Walsh

Performing for a cause Intermediate School talent show raises money for Breast Cancer Research

Matt Ohrenberger & Joe Belsito

Best Hair: Melanie Odell Pat Davis

Best Eyes: Caragh Fane-Harvey Ryan Arsenault

Most Athletic: Rebecca Stanton DJ Greenwood

Best Smile: Haley Aubert Joe Fonts

Most Likely To Succeed: Christina Galizio Cutest Couple: Tommy Viscariello & Jackie Schrieber Class Flirt: Nick Hardiman Most likely to be the Dictator of a Small Country: Charlie Tilden Most Artistic: Spencer Dick Most School Spirit: Hannah MacInnis Friendliest: Kenzie Sullivan Most Likely to be on a Reality TV Show: Jill King Best Car: Joe Pink Worst Driver: Meagan Antonellis Stuck in an Elevator with _? : Nick Hardiman Class Klutz: Holly Adams Class Clown: Kristyn Marino Quietest: Molly Kuketz Best Nickname: DJ “Orange Pants” Greenwood Most Likely to be President: Ryan Thomas Biggest Gossip: Aria Parker Most likely to be out of Dress Code: Rachel Rotunno Most likely to be a Sacred Heart Teacher: Erin Cardey Most likely to Marry a Millionaire: Stephanie McSherry Most Likely to be Famous: Martin Rabansar

Staff photo by Patricia Zibelli

Bridget LeBlanc and Tatum Heritage perform at SH Got Talent.

BY KATIE BELDEN Staff Writer Sacred Heart High School grades 9-12, hosted a variety show to provide an opportunity for students to broadcast their talents. Not only did the high school put on a talent show, but the 7th grade also hosted a program called “Sacred Heart’s Got Talent.” It was held on Wednesday, February 29th, from 5-7 pm. All of the acts were performed in the school’s cafeteria. A $5.00 admission fee was charged. Pizza and drinks were included for the parents. All of the money that was raised was donated to Breast Cancer Research. The inspiration behind this whole production was 7th grade pre- Algebra teacher, Mrs. Mary Jane Keough. She was the brain behind this operation. Keough planned the show, knowing that all the seventh grade students would be thrilled to be given an opportunity to showcase their talents. “The seventh graders were very excited about the idea. The entire show was run by the students. Most of the class contributed and got involved and appreciated each other’s talents,” Keough said. She also explained how she gave out jobs for the seventh graders, so every student could have the chance to be involved and that this performance would be a class effort. The roles were: producers, business manager, hospitality crew, art directors, photographers, technical manager, set managers, and hosts. “From 5-7pm, the parents came and filled the cafeteria. After counting all of the money collected from the $5.00 admission fee, we raised a total of $852.23. All of the students voted on where they thought the money should be sent. We decided to send the money to Jordan Hospital Breast Center,” Keough explained. Keough talked about how representatives from the hospital came to Sacred Heart to receive their check. When they did so, they talked to the kids about how remarkable their community service really was. In addition to the money raised at the talent show, the 7th grade held a bake sale at which $370 was raised. This money was also given to Jordan Hospital Breast Center. Not only did Mrs. Keough have positive feedback, but seventh grader Abby Koytion did as well. “The show was very fun to put together. It was a great opportunity to participate in and it all went towards a good cause. I also enjoyed how all of the parents came to watch,” Koytion said. Koytion and her classmate lip synched the song “If I Die Young,” sung by The Band Perry. Seventh grader, Steven Fehrn also shared his feeling about the show. “It was exciting to see everyone’s hidden talents. I had a great time and thought it turned out really well. During the show, I played the trumpet,” Fehrn said.

News

April 13 , 2012

How Super was your Tuesday? Mitt Romney wins big in March 6 primaries BY RYAN THOMAS Staff Writer

eading up to the November Presidential elections, there is no bigger event than Super Tuesday; a day traditionally in February or March when multiple primaries are held. The purpose of primaries is to help the parties select the candidate who will represent them in the general election. The nomination process is broken down state by state. Each state is allocated a certain number of delegates. If a candidate is victorious in a state primary, in most cases he receives all the delegates that said state holds (some states operate differently). For a Republican to claim the party’s nomination, he must win 1, 144 of the party’s 2,286 delegates. This is what makes Super Tuesday so important, 419 delegates are up for grabs on the same day. This year 10 states voted and 419 delegates were awarded during the March 6th contests. Mitt Romney won Ohio, Vermont, Idaho, Virginia, and his home state of Massachusetts. Perhaps the most important victory for Romney was a win in Ohio, where he collected 66 delegates. After finishing second in Alaska, candidate Ron Paul didn’t claim any delegates Photo Courtesy of Michael Reynolds, LA Times on Super Tuesday. History Department Chairman Mr. Walter Lucier envisions Paul Mitt Romney emerged victorious in four states on Super Tuesday and is in the lead remaining in the race despite his Super Tuesday shortcomings. “He wants to keep for the Republican nomination with 660 delegates. his ideas out there as long as he can because he might be able to work out a bargain in which some of his ideas would be put on the Republican platform in exchange for delegates,” Lucier said. History Teacher Mr. Gerard Golden appraised the final results. “The rural areas are more conservative so they chose Santorum, and Romney was favored in the cities because he could use funding to get his message out via advertisements,” he said. With Romney’s reputation as a moderate Republican he has had some trouble breaking through in the Conservative South. Golden thinks the problem will disappear once the general election arrives. “People that are dissatisfied with Obama, that think his agenda is one of pro- government intervention, will vote for Romney as a protest of Obama,” he said. Romney’s chief rival, Santorum, took home victories in Oklahoma, Tennessee, and North Dakota. According to Lucier, Santorum probably didn’t perform well enough to catch up to Romney,” Right now Romney has about double the number of delegates so it will be hard for Santorum to catch up.” Golden believes Santorum will drop out soon if he doesn’t win in Pennsylvania,” If he can’t win his home state then his public following isn’t large enough to sustain his candidacy.” Former Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich remains with a Super Tuesday win in his home state of Georgia. Lucier doesn’t foresee Gingrich hanging around much longer. “His funding is starting to dry up which is usually the death knell of a campaign,” Lucier said. “He is not out of it yet but he doesn’t have any momentum going forward.” Golden wasn’t surprised by the Super Tuesday results. “Romney won the states he was expected to win and Santorum still remained his main challenger,” he said. According to the Huffington Post, Romney is currently in the lead with 660 delegates total at press time.

Sacred Heart’s Super Tuesday Results 338 total votes cast REPUBLICAN

Mitt Romney, 166 votes Ron Paul, 44 votes Rick Santorum, 16 votes Newt Gingrich, 11 votes

DEMOCRAT

Barack Obama, 83 votes

GREEN-RAINBOW

Kent Mesplay, 7 votes Jill Stein, 6 votes Harley Mikkelson, 5 votes

Staff Graphic by Patricia Zibelli

The GOP candidates battle to get on top to win the party’s nomination and take on President Barack Obama in November.

Features

5 April 13, 2012

HEART BEAT

MOODY’S MEGA MATH Can you rise to the Challenge? 7

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9 37

BY MELANIE ODELL Staff Writer

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“In the real world this is how problems are solved. You get to work with people from different fields,” Math department head William Foresta said. “You have to want to be challenged. The only thing it will cost you is your time.”

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It’s 7am on a Sunday morning. While most students are still asleep, one Sacred Heart classroom is still being put to use. As pencils move along the paper, and the clicks from the computer keyboard mingle with various voices going back and forth, five students begin what is sure to be a very long day. This is Moody’s Mega Math Challenge.

“It was different from last year in the sense that we knew what to excpect,” said senior team member Gabrielle Franzini. “It took a lot of effort.”

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Moody’s Mega Math Challenge is a competition consisting of 3-5 juniors or seniors striving to solve a difficult math problem presented to them. The team will begin at 7am and present their answer along with a 10 page paper by 9pm the same evening. After submitting their paper it will be reviewed by judges determining whether or not they will move on to be judged again. When the winners are decided, one team goes home with $20,000.

“An International student team was picked to see how they would compare to the other team since they had to cope with the language change,” said Foresta.

8 64

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“This is a great experience, one you can’t get anywhere else,” remarked Franzini. “ It’s priceless.”

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With the top six teams receiving cash prizes ranging from $2,500-$20,000 and over 900 teams to compete with, Sacred heart will accept Moody’s Mega Math Challenge again next year. This year’s junior team will become the senior team and a new junior team is sure to emerge.

44 6

“I’m proud of us,” said Franzini. “It’s quite an accomplishment. Even if we didn’t finish in the top 14% I’d still be proud of us.”

Last year the Team of Franzini, O’Donnell, Tilden, Kirkwood, and Maher placed in the top 120 out of 700 teams. Since submitting their answer on March 3rd the senior team has placed in the top 134 out of over 961 other high school teams. Although the team did not place in the top 6 which would award them a scholarship, they still managed to place in the top 14%.

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This year Sacred Heart has two teams participating in Moody’s Mega Math Challenge. The senior team of Gabrielle Franzini, Sean O’Donnell, Charlie Tilden, Ian Kirkwood, and Patrick Maher returns again after participating last year. This year, however, they are joined by a junior team of Tian Yang, Dafei Lu and Qichao Zha.

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Sacred Heart Students are Honored Nationally Freshman, Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors win awards

On March 7, 2012 the induction ceremony for World Languages was held. It was the 22nd annual ceremony, in which students who excelled in German, French and Spanish were honored by their respective departments. Chairman of the world language department Sr. Emma Jean Middendorf described the ceremony. ” It was attended by the teachers of the language departments and people who were already in the society who recognized the new inductees,” Sr. Emma Jean said. “The whole part of being educated is being part of the world because you can’t really know people unless you talk to them. However, it’s hard to learn a language and speak fluently, that’s why it’s such a great honor.”

BY ALEX BIANCO Staff Writer From state finals at Chelmsford High School, the Sacred Heart Speech and Debate team brought home a combined 8 awards. Senior Patricia Zibelli, who won the title of state champion in Dramatic Performance, also qualified for the National Forensics League grand tournament. Junior LeighAnn D’Andrea and Sophomore Hannah Wisniewski qualified for the National Catholic Forensics Tournament. Freshman Adam Tomasi also qualified in Debate. For the first time in Sacred Heart History, the 6th graders from the elementary school have been given the oppurtunity to join the team. They recently participated in a tournament at Sacred Heart where the team brought home a total of 12 trophies. Say Goodbye to this year’s 5 seniors: Co-Captain Patricia Zibelli, Co-Captain Meagan Antonellis, Melanie Odell, Ian Kirkwood, and Emily Hollstein. Ask them about “Birthday Cow”.

SPEECH

BY RYAN THOMAS Staff Writer

LANGUAGE

April 13, 2012

s ’ r o t i d E An

T R A HE BY IAN KIRKWOOD Staff Writer

At the start of this academic year, the various people who run this paper were shocked to find themselves without proper templates, guidelines, or a functioning photo shop program. There was no one to blame, it was just an oversight—a miscalculation. But even without someone at fault, the problems that the Heart Beat has faced—and overcome—chronicle a year’s worth of challenges. The future of the Heart Beat might just reflect the future of the school as a whole: a hopeful, forward thinking improvement.

ACHE Running an award winning newspaper really is no game.

Good Outcomes are Possible

First day you are assigned an ed

The staffers weren’t the only ones who benefitted from the the Columbia trip. Advisor Vincent Boccalini also attended classes and, two weeks later, supported the editors at Suffolk University, where the paper won an “Excellence in Editorial Writing” award.

k e Ha n n a i M

With the Columbia Scholastic Press Association Conference, the class received the benefit of teaching from journalism proffesionals and other college and high school teachers. From group facemasks to a staff-wide trip to the 9/11 memorial, the emotional journey pulled everyone together as a team.

As of the new edition of our paper, our staff has photoshop. In addition to photoshop, our Adobe indesign program was also gratefully updated. Notice anything different?

“ We’ve overcome being thrown into the fire. That’s how I feel. We’ve worked hard to overcome it. And we’re better people because of it.”

April

Z a i i b el l c i r t a i “ One

April 13, 2012

Instructions:

1. Choose your game piece: Pink is Editor in Chief, Blue is Features Editor, Yellow is Photo Editor.

of the biggest problems that we’ve had to face [as photo editors] is the lack of photoshop on the computers. That’s caused a lot of rift between the photo editors and the other staffers. Also, overall, we’ve been very disorganized as a staff and hopefully with our last run coming up, everyone can put aside their differences and finally work together to create the best paper they possibly can—one the school has been deserving of all year.”

2.Start at Go. 3. Make your way through Senior Year and, in spite of everything, survive on through to the end.

December

November

At the beginning of the year, none of the computers had photoshop. This meant blurry photos, impossible formatting issues, and incompatable software. Often, both photo and page editors were forced to use online options such as picnick.com and photoshop.com

A new newspaper advisor means change. Vincent Boccalini, who teaches religion at Sacred Heart High School, stepped up to the plate and took the advisor’s role. With little previous newspaper experience, Boccalini was learning as he went along, much like the staff.

ditor. Good Luck!

January

October

March

O e i d n el l a l e

“Often, the staff writes more about books and movies and CDs instead of what’s happening inside the walls of Sacred Heart High School. We’ve started working on that a lot, and since Columbia, especially, our topics have become more indepth and important.”

The entire staff was a part of the journalism class last year. That doesn’t mean, however, we totally knew what we were doing this whole time. Going off of our previous skills and ignoring some flagrant staff tension, the Heart Beat staff worked hard to keep the paper running.

February

Features

April 13, 2012

Buffalo Grille

Location 179 Court Street, Plymouth Known For Buffalo wings, pizza, calzones We Recommend Their buffalo chicken pizza is by far the best in town. For more information www.buffalo-grille.com (508) 747-6070 “It’s a great place if you want to get a quick bite to eat. They also deliver if you don’t want to leave the house...the wings are incredible.” Joe Belsito, 12th grade

Hidden Gems of Plymouth

Ph o

sb yK a t e Jam i

Ernie’s

Location 330 Court Street, Plymouth MA Known For comfort food, french fries, burgers, mozzarella sticks We Recommend Pizza on Tuesdays becuase it’s twofor-one. For More Information www.restaurantsplymouth.com (508) 746-3444

Blue Blinds

Location 7 North Street Plymouth, MA Known For Being all organic, pastries, soups, sandwiches We Recommend Whatever their soup-of-the-day is! It’s always great. For more information www.blueblindsbakery.com (508) 747-0462 “The ambiance gives you a warm and fuzzy feeling. There’s a fireplace. You can tell that all the ingredients are high quality.” Caroline Imparato, 10th Grade

“Ernie’s is the place to be on a Tuesday night, especially with friends for two for one pizza. They are good. I’m just telling it like it is.” Matt Ohrenberger, 12th grade

KA TE

M IS O N

/S t

aff

W rit er

Arts

9 April 13, 2012

HEART BEAT

Greased lighting takes Sacred Heart by storm BY CHELSEY TAHAN Staff Writer

Staff photos by Thomas Griffin

“The show must go on!” This common saying is one that must have been running through the minds of the cast members in this year’s production of Grease. In the weeks leading up to the play there was some uncertainty as to whether or not it would go on due to the lack of practice time that was allotted. In the end the show did go on and greased lightning rolled into Sacred Heart with three different showings of the play. “We were definitely set back. We were behind schedule before practice was even cancelled, since a lot of people had to skip practice for whatever reason,” sophomore Hannah Wisniewski said. She went on to add, “Sixteen hours of practices were cancelled but we all really wanted it to go on, so we did our best to pull it together.” Junior Michael Nee starred as Danny Zuko, the bad boy turned good by the charm and innocence of Sandy, played by junior Sarah Kieran. In addition to other student performers, two Sacred Heart High School faculty members joined the cast with cameo performances from history teacher George Rose and Sister Emma Jean Middendorf. As Teen Angel, Rose gave a memorable performance singing Beauty School Dropout to Frenchie and her chorus. Frenchie was played by senior Emily Hollstein while Middendorf played the role of teacher Miss Lynch. Krystyn Hanover served as Director. “There’s a lot of songs we sang in the play that were not in the movie. There are a lot of scenes that were tweaked, or lines completely dropped,” Hollstein said. Hollstein also complemented Rose, “Mr. Rose was great. He did a perfect job in the show and he was so much fun to act with onstage.”

The odds are ever in favor of The Hunger Games movie

Some gruesome scenes remain but the books were more graphic than the movie.Ross incorporated some of the more complicated elements of the novels into the movie seamlessly, for example the many flashbacks that Katniss has and the effects of the “tracker-jackers,” genetically engineered wasps that cause severe pain and intense hallucinations. The elements that the book had and the movie lacked include scenes of drunk and disorderly Haymitch and adorable conversations between Peeta and Katniss, as well as some background information crucial to the next film, Catching Fire (avox, anyone?) Overall, the movie was beautifully filmed and featuressome incredible acting from Lawrence and Hutcherson. The film stays very true to the novel. With impeccable action scenes and just enough humor and romance, you won’t want to miss The Hunger Games, in theaters now.

BY KATE JAMISON Staff Writer “There’s twenty-four of us, Gale, only one comes out,” Katniss said, hands outstretched to her childhood friend. “Yeah, and it’s going to be you,” Gale replies. These are the words that kick off the 2012 Lionsgate film, The Hunger Games, based on Suzanne Collins’ best selling novels. The movie follows Katniss Everdeen, a young huntress with a propensity for rebellion, as she leaves her home to compete in the 74th Annual Hunger Games. The Games include 24 contestants, called tributes, who are selected from their districts to fight to the death on national television. The Games are a reminder of the power that the Capitol holds over the 12 districts and are used to keep the status quo in Panem, a fictional country that exists long after the fall of North America. The movie stars Jennifer Lawrence of X Men fame as Katniss Everdeen. Her performance was summarized best by comedian Joel McHale in his tweet after the movie’s Los Angeles premiere. He said, “breaking entertainment news: Jennifer Lawrence crushed to death by avalanche of scripts offered to her this morning.” Lawrence was phenomenal in the film, capturing both Katniss’s strength and courage. She intensified the action scenes, where she did many of her own stunts. Not to be outdone, Josh Hutcherson shines as Peeta Mellark, Katniss’ fellow tribute from her home district. Despite a few awkward moments, Hutcherson was a very convincing tribute. Peeta has some of the best lines in the film, many of which were adopted from Collins’ books. His interactions with Katniss are sweet and often rather adorable despite their hostile surroundings. As a pair, Hutcherson and Lawrence seem like two adolescents forced to participate in the brutality of the Games. Both are impressive on their own but together they are a force to be reckoned with.

4.5/5 stars Starring: Jennifer Lawrence as

Katniss and Josh Hutcherson as Peeta Photo courtesy of Lionsgate Entertainment

Other standout performances were delivered by Isabelle Fuhrman as Clove, Wes Bentley as Seneca Crane (and his beard), and Stanley Tucci as Cesar Flickerman. The fight scene between Clove and Katniss is among the most memorable. According to Lawrence, director Gary Ross purposely “toned down” much of the violence in order to comply with a PG-13 rating. The books have a much younger audience, as they were intended for young adults, and Ross wanted to ensure that they could experience the film adaptation.

Directed By: Gary Ross Lionsgate Films, 2012

Released: March 23 Length: 2 hours 22 minutes

Profiles

10 April 13, 2012

HEART BEAT

Gallitano’s Guidance

BY ANGELA D’AMELIO Staff Writer

For the past few years, there have been three guidance counselors at Sacred Heart High School. This year, however, there are only two, which leaves every sophomore, junior, and senior in the hands of Guidance Director Mrs. Susan Gallitano. Sr. Janice Carmen is the guidance counselor for the seventh, eighth, and ninth graders. After graduating from Trinity College in Washington, D.C., Gallitano worked in public relations at a TV station in Texas. Later, she got her masters in guidance from Bridgewater State University, and went on to work as an academic and career placement advisor at Bridgewater State University, Wheaton College, and Bentley University. She said she was glad she was able to bring her experiences from those colleges to Sacred Heart. “It’s pretty parallel to what I do here,” Gallitano said. “It’s just a different age group.” Twenty years after being hired as the guidance director at Sacred Heart, Gallitano must provide guidance to all tenth, eleventh, and twelfth graders, in addition to handling all the seniors’ college applications. Even though it was more work than she had before, Gallitano felt it was a successful experience. “It was double the work for college placement, but double the pleasure,” she said. Although it seemed to be a daunting task, Gallitano felt she could handle it if she stayed organized and patient with herself. She seems to have achieved these goals this past year. She said she was able to systematically work with each student and didn’t miss a deadline. Gallitano said she likes the idea of guiding every student for their final 3 years of high school because she can help monitor their academic progress and plan their life goals. “It helps stay realistic when we’re planning for college,” she said.

All of Gallitano’s students responded well to the changes that were made in the guidance department this year. She said that she did her best to be accessible whenever she was needed, and made sure to schedule plenty of appointments with every student. Senior Diane Heidke said that although this was her first year with Gallitano as a guidance counselor, it worked out well. “Mrs. Gallitano was really helpful as I was planning for college,” she said. “You wouldn’t know she was dealing with so many students with how much individual attention she gave everyone.” Staff Photos by Patricia Zibelli

Mrs. Susan Gallitano works in her office to make the guidance department run smoothly.

Filling some big shoes Mr. Sagona joins the Religion Department faculty replacing Dr. Kathy Gallo BY KENDALL FISHER Staff Writer

ew to Sacred Heart High School this year is religion teacher Bob Sagona. Sagona began teaching 7th, 8th, and 9th grade classes in February of 2012. Sagona may be new to the SHHS community, but he is not new to teaching by any means. Before starting at SHHS, Sagona taught 5th and 6th grade at St. Francis in Hyannis. But Sagona had fell in love with teaching long before that. After receiving his master’s in education, it was suggested that hebecome a religion teacher because he spent all of his youth in a Catholic School system. Sagona decided to take a few classes at Boston College to refresh his memory before he began teaching. The transition of age groups was a bit different for Sagona. “They offer unique challenges,” said Sagona about teaching freshman students as opposed to 5th graders.

Staff photo by Nick Murphy Mr. Sagona begins to teach his freshman religion class.

“There’s a huge difference between a ten year old and a fifteen year old,” Sagona laughed. Taking the teaching job at SHHS may have been very sudden but Sagona believes it was the right choice for him. “This was going to be my year off, but I’m very happy that I took the job I was offered here,” said Sagona. “All of my students are very pleasant and polite.” Freshman Nichole Henderson said that Mr. Sagona is “really nice and funny. The tone he uses when he teaches makes the material fun.” Freshman Tim Kuketz agreed. “He’s a really good teacher. We learn a lot about the material,” he said. English teacher Ms. Carey Zigouras added “Mr. Sagona is a welcomed addition to the Sacred Heart Community. It isn’t easy coming to a new school more than halfway through the year, but Mr. Sagona has already made a positive impression in the short amoutn of time he has been here,” she said.

Opinion

11 April 13, 2012

HEART BEAT

He Said, She Said: Who gets the mic?

THE HEART BEAT

She Said

He Said

BY KATE JAMISON AND RYAN THOMAS Staff Writers

Having the Valedictorian and Salutatorian speak at graduation is precisely the best way to honor their achievements. A student at the top of his/her class is expected to be a person of high intellect with the capacity to read, write, and speak articulately. Depriving this person the privilege of addressing their class could negatively impact their desire to work hard to achieve goals in the future.

ond highest GPA. I would like to hear from other students at graduation, and they should be more than welcome to speak. That being said, I am fearful that, if it was put to a class election, the vote would become a popularity contest. If the graduating class had a person who they wanted to speak, perhaps the person could speak after the Valedictorian and Salutatorian in a separate allotted time.

Assuming the student at the top of the class wishes to speak, it should be their right. If they have no desire to speak, I would advocate choosing the individual with the sec-

Sacred Heart’s graduation has traditionally included speeches by the students with the highest weighted grade point averages, formally named the Valedictorian and Salutatorian. Although I respect the immense amount of work that these students put into their academic achievements, I don’t agree that having them speak at graduation is the best way to honor them. They absolutely deserve recognition, but I’d rather hear a speech from a student who wanted to deliver one than a speech from

someone who has to give one by default. The students with the highest GPAs are definitely capable of speaking articulately, but they don’t necessarily want to address their class at graduation. However, if they want to speak, they should have the option. I don’t think that they should be the only student speakers, though. There should be a class-elected

I would agree with the sentiment that interested students should be allowed to speak at graduation, especially if they were passionate about their message. If someone devoted their time and registered hours of hard work they shouldn’t be turned away. Imagine being promised the honor of speaking by tradition and earning that honor through hard work, only for it to be revoked in favor of someone deemed more “interesting” than you. Students who want to speak should be considered for allotted time, but the Valedictorian and Salutatorian should be given top priority. This is their earned right and it should be appropriated accordingly.

speaker as well. We should have a system where any student who is interested in speaking can step forward, and the class can decide who they want to hear from. The process might easily become a popularity contest. However, if the student nominates him or herself to speak at graduation, they should be considered by the class. We should be able to hear from someone that we choose. There are many eloquent students who could give incredible speeches, even though they don’t have the best GPA.

Newspaper Swagger Around mid-March, I was really struck by the fact that my last year of high school is coming to a close. Of course, graduation had been looming in the distance for a while before that, but what really made it hit me was the first discussion of this particular issue of the Heart Beat, and more specifically, the statement that this is going to be one of the last, if not the last issue that the current staff will produce. It’s impossible to spend as much time with the same group of people as I have with my staff this year and not have them make an impression on you, and my, have they made their impression! Let me do my best to paint you an accurate picture of this year’s staff. We’re not anything like any other organization I’ve ever been a part of. We are not, for the most part, very similar people. You can’t identify someone as being a part of the newspaper by any means other than seeing their name in print every month, and unless you count journalism itself, we’re not even bound together by the same

interests. To put it simply, the Heart Beat is a random mixture of the senior class stuffed together into Lab A for extended periods of time, all propelled toward the same goal.

Editorial That being said, there is one glaring quality in each and every one of us that makes us similar. We are all people with very strong personalities. Now, putting two and two together, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that seventeen strong-willed, widely different people involved in the same activity will undoubtedly have their clashes, and I can assure you that we’ve had plenty of those. However, this staff has the uncanny ability to pull it together. It’s true that, sometimes, the best creative ideas are born when two strong opinions butt heads, and we’ve certainly been able to take advantage of that,

but it’s also true that all conflict cannot possibly be productive, and what’s really incredible is that we, as a staff, have been able to recognize that. The Heart Beat staff has proved more adept than any group I’ve ever known at temporarily shoving differences aside for the benefit of the common good, and I could not be more proud of that fact. I’ve developed a fondness for everything to do with the Heart Beat that’s going to make it one of the hardest things about high school to leave behind. I find that I’ve grown attached to my ragtag crew of staffers, and the paper has given me a number of friends that I never would have had otherwise. It’s been a tough year for a number of us. I’m not saying that we’re all going to come out of high school as best friends, I’m simply saying that this year’s Heart Beat staff is a truly remarkable group of people, and I am proud to have been a part of it.

Editors-in-Chief: Meagan Antonellis Kate Jamison Front Page Editors: Alexander Bianco Angela D’Amelio Features Editor: Ian Kirkwood Double Truck Editor: Ian Kirkwood A&E Editors: Kendall Fisher Melanie Odell Opinion Editor: Evan Nolan Profiles Editor: Katie Belden Sports Editors: Gregory Habeeb Michael Hanna Ryan Thomas Photo Editors: Hannah MacInnis Nicholas Murphy Patricia Zibelli Copy Editor: Mercedes McGarry

THE HEART BEAT is the student newspaper of Sacred Heart High School, located at 399 Bishops Highway, Kingston, MA 02364. The views expressed herein are those of the staff. Responsible letters should be addressed to the Editorial Staff c/o Mr. Boccalini or via e-mail at vboccalini@sacredheartkingston.com. THE HEART BEAT welcomes readers’ opinions on all topics. Letters must be signed. The editors reserve the right to reject, edit, or shorten letters. THE HEART BEAT is printed by Graphic Developments, Inc.

Mission Statement The Heart Beat is Sacred Heart High School’s newspaper. As the present custodians of this long-standing and award-winning publication, we pledge ourselves to the following threefold purpose: To inspire and foster a sense of passion and love for journalism, journalistic ethics and the integrity of the written word; To create and develop an atmosphere of responsible leadership, commitment to truth and dedication to the highest standards of journalistic principles; To recognize that in all we do, we are in the service of our Provident God who has blessed us with the oppurtunity to minister to the Sacred Heart community. -Vincent Boccalini Moderator The Heart Beat Press Affiliations Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA) New England Scholastic Press Association (NESPA) American Scholastic Press Association (ASPA)

Sports

12 April 13, 2012

HEART BEAT

Lax attack

Sacred Heart adds new team to spring sports scene.

BY MIKE HANNA Staff Writer

This spring marks the dawn of a new era in Sacred Heart athletics. For the first time in its history, Sacred Heart will have a girls’ lacrosse team. At this point girls’ lacrosse is merely a club team, but the hope is that in the future it will be added to the school’s repertoire of varsity spring sports. As a club team, the Lady Saints practice three days a week (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday) from three to four p.m. and will play 10 games against junior varsity teams from around the South Shore area. Nicole Clement, one of the team’s seven juniors, has high hopes for the upcoming season. “Even though it’s a first year team, the season is going to be great,” Clement said. History teacher Shaun Morgan is steering the ship for the first year program. Morgan is no stranger to lacrosse, as he was the boys’ lacrosse team’s first coach. Morgan made the decision to join the fold because of his love of coaching. “I like coaching, and this is a new sport. I’ve never coached a girls’ team before and the schedule fits well with my personal schedule,” Morgan said.

With so many first-year players on the roster, Morgan has had his teaching skills put to the test. “The biggest challenge is the lack of knowledge of the game when one is learning from scratch,” he said. “Teaching the sport with a new team you need to find the balance of teaching new players fundamentals and coaching existing players to hone their skills,” Morgan added. Senior Emily

“The vast majority are first time players, which is a testament to how much interest there is in the sport and the popularity of it. ”

- Shaun Morgan

Hollstein has been impressed with Morgan’s coaching methods. “We may not be the best as first years, but Coach Morgan is really getting us into shape and better at the game,” she said. Many of the players on the team may be new to the game, but that is not necessarily a bad thing.

Making a statement

Staff photo by Mike Hanna

The girls’ lacrosse team prepares for battle on the field during practice.

“The vast majority are first time players, which is a testament to how much interest there is in the sport and the popularity of it,” Morgan said. There can be no doubt that the amount of interest in lacrosse amongst Sacred Heart’s female population is significant, as a total of 27 players signed up and are part of the roster. Of those 27, only three (Hollstein and fellow seniors Reegan Whipple and Holly Adams) will be graduating at the end of May. Seven players on the team are in eighth grade, and will likely be in the program for years to come. In other words, with 24 underclassmen, the Lady Saints have a strong foundation on which to build their future. With any luck, the 2012 season for the girls’ lacrosse team will be simply a stepping stone towards bigger and better things. But for now, the girls are content with learning the game and becoming closer as teammates. Thus far, Hollstein has seen nothing but positive moments from the team and hopes they will continue. “The season is going really well and the team is really bonding,” Hollstein said.

Professional athletes take a political stance. Where should the line be drawn? BY GREG HABEEB Staff Writer

Thirteen men, heads down, donning grey hoodies. At first glance, the team picture of the NBA’s Miami Heat posted by star forward LeBron James on Twitter in late March seems like nothing more than a spontaneous group photo. When placed into proper context, however, the picture has more meaning. The Miami Heat posed and took the photo in response to the killing of 17-year old Trayvon Martin, a Miami teenager who was gunned down by a member of the neighborhood watch in an Orlando suburb for looking “suspicious.” Martin was armed with a bag of Skittles and iced tea, and the killing has sparked national debate. The Heat team portrait, while being commended publicly by many, has sparked a national debate of its own: How often should athletes be involved in making political or social statements? Where should the line be drawn? Should there be a line at all? The United States is a country where freedom of speech is, in most cases, encouraged. Therefore, athletes should be allowed to express their opinion on whatever and whoever they want, and in any manner they want. That being said,

athletes should also be responsible with their right to free speech. While what the Heat did was a tasteful, well-thought out, and well-executed statement, the reality is that not all athletes with a political/social agenda communicate their thoughts so successfully. For example, in January of this year Boston Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas refused to go to the White House when the President invited the Bruins after their victory in last summer’s Stanley Cup Finals. Thomas declined to join his teammates and later explained his thoughts in a Facebook post. Thomas claimed that his reason for not going was that “The Federal government has grown out of control, threatening the Rights, Liberties, and Property of the People.” The Bruins’ goalie went on to say that his choice to not accept the President’s invitation “was not about politics or party, as in my opinion both parties are responsible for the situation we are in as a country. This was about a choice I had to make as an INDIVIDUAL.” Following these remarks, Thomas and the Bruins went under the media microscope and as a result, their play suffered. The team that was dominating the Eastern Conference and matching the New York Rangers win for win went into a tailspin. Was the losing streak simply due to fa-

Sports Opinion

tigue? That is a plausible scenario. The truth is that Thomas’ remarks definitely had some sort of a negative impact on the team. Now, there is no problem with sticking up for your beliefs. Where Thomas went wrong, however, (and where his case differs from the Heat) is that he stuck up for his beliefs at the expense of his team. What should have been a celebration of his and his teammates’ communal accomplishments instead became a focus on one person’s political ideology. It came across as selfish, and blew up into a major distraction. Individual athletes have made their share of statements, yet those statements

Photo courtesy of LeBron James

were just that: individual. They were not made at the expense of the team. The Heat, on the other hand, chose to make their statement as a team, and instead of dividing them it brought them together in solidarity over their singular cause. Athletes should be held in no different regard from anybody else. They should be able to have the same freedom of speech as the next guy. Nevertheless, because they have a public forum with which to make their opinions known, they have an even greater responsibility to their teammates, their organizations, their fans, and themselves to think about what they say before they say it.