2014 april

STUDENTS GIVE BLOOD FOR THE AMERICAN RED CROSS PAGE 4

HEART Volume 31

CONTENTS

SAINTS MAKE POST SEASON PLAY PAGE 12

News......................................2 Features..................................4 Profiles...................................8 Arts & Entertainment.............9 Opinion................................10 Sports...................................11

BEAT

Sacred Heart High School, Kingston MA

April 2, 2014

Number 6

Follow the Great Wall of China

BY MOLLY PRESUTTI Staff Writer

Over this year’s February vacation, sixteen of Sacred Heart students traveled halfway around the world to experience a different culture in China. They embarked on this journey with six faculty members, including history teachers Mr. George Rose and Mr. Walter Lucier, who spearheaded the idea for the whole trip. They were also accompanied by two Sacred Heart alumni and seven family members of students.

Unlike some of the other traveling students from Sacred Heart have done, the trip to China was not a mission trip but rather a journey for the students to be immersed in a culture that differs from their own.

Since Sacred Heart hosts a number of international students from China, it seemed like the perfect place to go.

Although the planning for this event began months ago and took a lot of hard Mr. Rose climbs the steps of the Great Wall of China.

Photo courtesy of Cameron Keough

View of Shanghai at night

work, most students and teachers thought it was well worth all the planning and struggles it took to organize the trip.

Rose explained, “Every trip is different, there’s a different focus, different group of people, but I’ve never been on a school trip where it ended up anything other than a great experience. This was not a service trip, so the focus was a bit different but it was every bit as educational and culturally enriching for all that went.”

Lucier explained that the chaperones wanted to keep the trip affordable and also maximize the amount of activities and sight seeing spots available to the participants.

Ultimately, they were able to visit four major cities across the country of China; Beijing, Xi’An, Shanghai, and Hong Kong.

Being able to see four very different cities allowed the students to see and experience a variety of Chinese cultural attractions.

The group traveled through Boston’s EF Educational Tours, and was offered a good price and an exciting trip. Although

there were a few setbacks during flight preparations, with several chaperones having to take a different plane, the fun filled trip was ready to begin.

The first stop made was the capital city, Beijing, which is also the political capital of the country. In only a few short days the students were able to explore numerous attractions the city had to offer. They visited the Forbidden City, the emperor’s palace, and the Temple of Heaven.

They also traveled to the Great Wall and Tiananmen Square.

Based on the recommendation of two of Sacred Heart’s international students, Winnie Wang and Jinrong Li, another portion of time in Beijing was spent in Hutong. Here they rode on rickshaws through what is left of the old part of Beijing and saw local quaint houses, several of which they were invited to stay at for dinner.

The next city visited was Xi’An, a city further inland filled with historical wonders. Since the trip was in February, many tourists expected cold weather so the sites they visited weren’t very crowded.

The Sacred Heart crew was lucky, however, and the weather was warm and Spring-like for their visit to this city. They were able to see the Terra Cotta warriors and ride bicycles along the Xi’An wall.

While many of the chaperones appreciated the historical aspect of Xi’An, a student favorite was the third city visited, Shanghai, which is filled with modern architectural marvels. The group was able to visit the tallest building in Asia, which will soon be surpassed by a new building currently in construction. Several students also went on a river cruise, while others saw a Chinese acrobat show. There was also an option in Shanghai to have a traditional Tang Dynasty dinner.

Sophomore Ben Novak reflected on the

trip and city of Shanghai, “If I could go back for a long time I would definitely go back to Shanghai and make weekend trips to Hong Kong. All the other cities were very interesting but Shanghai was very metropolitan and worth exploring further in the future.”

The final city the group visited was perhaps the most familiar looking, Hong Kong, which is considered more westernized than the other cities. Although they spent less time in Hong Kong, the group was able to visit a beach, the mountains (including the tallest peaks in Hong Kong) and saw the great Buddha.

They also had some more free time in this city to explore.

Before long, the week was over and the group had to fly back to the United States. The trip was a culturally enriching

Photo courtesy of Cameron Keough

experience for all who went.

Sophomore Adrian Wong said, “This trip is probably one of the best trips I will ever go on.”

When asked about his reflections on the trip, Mr. Walter Lucier responded happily, “Climbing the steps of the Great Wall, looking into the eyes of a life-sized Terracotta Warrior, walking along the royal pathways of the Forbidden City and Summer Palace, witnessing the process of how silk is made, or having dinner with a Chinese family in the historic Hutong district of Beijing are experiences that bring history to life for our students and can’t be understood or felt just by reading a textbook.”

It’s clear that the Sacred Heart February 2014 trip to China is one that will be remembered for years to come.

Photo courtesy of Cameron Keough

Sophomores Matthew Johnson, Adrian Wong, Ben Novak, William Gregson, David Jennings, and Charles Mara visit the Forbidden City in Beijing.

News

2 April 2, 2014

HEART BEAT

Where in the world is flight 370?

The world watches as the search continues for missing Malaysian flight

Photo courtesy of defencetalk.com

The U.S. has sent two patrol aircraft, the P-3 Orion and P-8 Poseidon, to aid in the search for flight 370.

Photo courtesy of wikimedia.org

The missing flight, a Boeing 777-200ER, departing from France in 2011.

Photo courtesy of wikimedia.org

USS Kidd initially assisted in the operation but has since ceased activity in the region.

BY AUSTIN HAUGHTON Staff Writer Millions of commercial flights cross the skies around the globe every year. Out of all of those, only a handful experience any seriously dangerous difficulties mid-flight, and only a few of those are ever deemed “newsworthy”.

Once in awhile, one rare mid-air situation comes along that captivates people across the world. It’s even rarer, however, for the world to find itself captivated by a flight that vanished without a trace, as something so grave and mysterious simply shouldn’t happen.

Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 is one such flight.

On March 8, 12:41 a.m. local time, Flight 370 took off from Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia en route to Beijing Capital International Airport in China.

Between the passengers and flight crew, 239 people were onboard from 15 different countries. To many of them, it was just another mundane flight, and for the 152 Chinese passengers, it was merely a flight back home. Then, about 40 minutes after take-off, contact was lost with the aircraft, a Boeing 777-200ER. The last voice communication from the aircraft was uttered by one of the flight’s pilots as they approached Vietnamese airspace: “All right, good night”.

This unassuming message would become the prelude for what has quickly become one of the largest search and rescue efforts in history. Shortly after this last communication with air traffic control was made, the flight’s transponder - a radio device that identifies an aircraft’s flight status - was shut off, possibly due to power failure, or possibly because it was deliberately shut off by a pilot or a hijacker. The circumstances of how and why this happened remain a mystery.

With the transponder gone and voice communication ceased, all that remained that confirmed the 777 was even still aloft was radar contact by the Malaysian military and the plane’s automated “pings” to a satellite regarding its engine status. But less than an hour after the final voice contact was made, radar contact was lost over the Strait of Malacca and only the pings were left to confirm the flight’s continued existence. These pings would continue to go out automatically so long as the aircraft functioned properly and stayed intact.

Unfortunately, these pings, too, would cease about 6

hours after Malaysia lost radar contact with the flight. On March 8, 8:30 a.m. local time, Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 was officially declared “missing”.

Thus began an international search and rescue operation of unprecedented scale. That same day, Malaysia mobilized all of its armed forces in the search for the lost flight and requested further assistance from neighboring countries.

Personnel, aircraft, and ships from Malaysia, China, Vietnam and other countries began scanning regions of the South China Sea, where they initially believed flight 370 may have gone down. On 11 March, in yet another historic move, Chinese authorities activated the International Charter on Space and Major Disasters; an international organization whose purpose is to “provide a unified system of space data acquisition and delivery to those affected by natural or man-made disasters.”This was the first time the combined powers of the world’s space-faring nations were utilized in a single coordinated effort to find an airliner.

A few days later, on March 17, 11 more nations joined the effort, bringing the tally to 26 countries all combing through the South China Sea, Indian Ocean, and other nearby regions to uncover the fate of flight 370. The U.S. alone has sent two navy ships - the USS Kidd and USS Pinckney, each equipped with an array of helicopters and advanced detection systems - along with two surveillance aircraft and a National Transportation Security Board (NTSB) team.

Perhaps most remarkable of all is that this search not only transcended cultural and territorial borders, but also the borders of our own homes. A crowdsourcing website called tomnod.com provides satellite imagery of various natural or man-made disasters, enabling any civilian from anywhere in the world to help aid in this search. With thousands of miles of ocean to search for debris only a few feet wide, the official forces involved in the search could use every helping hand they can get. All it takes is a little time and the will to help. It’s one of the first times in history that nearly all of humanity has truly had the power and potential to directly make a difference, solve a mystery, and lend a helping hand at the source of the problem.

Despite all these monumental efforts to discover the whereabouts of Flight 370, logic can only assume the worst. A plane only has limited fuel reserves, and if the 777 altered its flight path in the way it’s widely suspected to have, then there’s almost no hope it made any kind of safe landing. An official conclusion has yet to be made but the intermittent findings of “possible” debris do not bode well for the precise nature of the flight’s final destination.

After almost 3 weeks of searching with no real results to show for it, it’s natural to assume the worst.

On the morning of March 24, the families of the passengers onboard Flight 370 received a grim message from Malaysia Airlines, which was later reiterated by Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak: “It is therefore with deep sadness and regret that I must inform you that, according to this new data, flight MH370 ended in the southern Indian Ocean.”

While we know what happened, and who it happened to, and we can surmise where and when it happened, it’s still a total mystery as to how and why it happened. All sorts of speculation and conspiracy theories have arose regarding the flight’s untimely demise. Ranging from the ludicrously outrageous to the morbidly believable, some possibilities include: -the flight experienced an electronics failure of some serious degree and, left unable to identify itself over foreign territory, was shot down by an unidentified nation.

-it was hijacked and rerouted to North Koreaforsomereason.

-two Iranian passengers onboard traveling with stolen passports hijacked and crashed the plane.

The third possibility was largely ruled out by American intelligence, and it’s safe to assume the first two are relatively unlikely.

Still, the claim remains that Flight 370 has been assumed lost with no survivors. It›s only an assumption as technically this has yet to be confirmed. It still remains a mystery as to exactly why and how the flight went down. Nevertheless, surface, airborne, and orbital assets from around the globe are still being used in the as-of-yet inconclusive search. 239 people perished somewhere in the Indian Ocean and the world wants to know why.

Destination: Unknown

MH370 was on its way to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur when it went missing. Even after analyzing satellite data and other clues to the flight’s whereabouts, officials have barely been able to surmise some possible crash locations. Various instances of debris found in the Southern Indian Ocean have since narrowed down the search to that region, but the international search continues to uncover unrelated objects and deliver false alarms.

Photo courtesy of tvnewswatch.blogspot.com

News

3 April 2, 2014

HEART BEAT

Superpowers face off in Ukraine Tensions on the Crimean peninsula escalate as Russia invades

BY REILLY ROBBINS Staff Writer Over the past month, Ukraine’s financial problems have been the source of international issues. Ukraine was trying to work out a deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Russia, however, offered them a $15 billion bailout.

Because Ukraine does not have its own independent source of oil and actually depends on Russia to provide it, Ukraine was anxious to accept Russia’s offer which includes oil subsidies. The majority of Ukraine’s citizens wanted to work with the European Union, but Russia’s influence on Ukraine, as well as their threats to cut off all access to oil, made the Ukrainian government side with Russia.

Unfortunately, the people of Ukraine were extremely upset over their government’s decision. Eventually, peaceful protests against the government turned violent.

In an effort to halt the protestors, the government signed into effect a series of anti-protest laws. Simply protesting in front of a building, thus making it harder for people to enter, could be a crime punishable by 6 years in prison. Furthermore, gathering with a group and talking negatively about certain members of the government could be punishable with up to 2 years in prison.

Contrary to the hopes of the Ukrainian government, the laws had the opposite effect on their citizens and made the protestors even more violent. Within a matter of days,

Photo courtesy of brookings.edu

Russian tanks enter the Crimean peninsula.

the laws were repealed and eventually the protesters successfully ousted the prime minister, who has since fled to Moscow.

As a result, the government started negotiating with the protestors and financial independence from Russia seemed inevitable.

Unfortunately, Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, did not approve of this decision because it meant that Ukraine would switch their allegiance from Russia to the European Union and the IMF. Consequently, Russia invaded Crimea Ukraine, claiming its actions were completely legitimate because Crimea had belonged to Russia until 1954. The region also has a majority ethnic Russian population and other long historic ties to Russia and therefore, Putin found partial support for his takeover of the area.

The support received from some Ukrainian citizens led to Russia and Putin annexing Crimea from Ukraine after a referendum which most of Ukraine considered illegal.

Many believe that Putin wants to create a post-Communist, Eurasian union which Kazakhstan and Belarus have already agreed to join. Protestors argue that this union is simply a disguise for combining all the post-Communist countries into one huge organization, thus resembling the former USSR. Although Putin has gained support for this union in other old Communist countries, the protests in Ukraine might remove some of his power and influence. This steady loss of power could potentially stop other old Communist countries from joining the union. As a result, Putin implemented extreme military pressure to ensure that the protests do not spread to other potential allies in Eastern European nations. In order to “protect his people” and ensure his power over those who oppose him, Putin has kept Russian troops stationed in Ukraine.

Ukraine is requesting NATO support, which consists of 28 sovereign countries that have agreed to support each other militarily in case they are invaded. The United States is one of these 28 countries. Many of those countries have other alliances which would increase the number of nations involved in any potential military intervention.

Photo courtesy of businessinsider.com

Ukrainian troops prepare for Russian invasion.

Therefore, NATO has been slow in replying to the Ukraine’s request in hopes of avoiding WWIII. With that said, both the United States and many other nations have warned Russia that their actions “have consequences” and will not be overlooked.

The latest attempt to force Russia out of Crimea happened just last week when President Barack Obama and other world leaders decided to end Russia’s role in the group of leading industrialized nations, the G8. The administration officials intend on implementing tougher sanctions if Putin escalates his Ukrainian aggression. The G8, now the G7, claims they will not go back on their decision until Russia removes itself from Crimea.

Speaker of the House steps down Speaker Therese Murray declines re-election after twenty two years

BY GABRIELLE FANTASIA Contributing Writer After nearly twenty- two years representing the Barnstable and Plymouth county districts, current Senate President Therese Murray has recently announced that she will not be running for re-election. Due to term limitations if she decided to run for re-election, Murray would not be able to continue her role as Senate President past early 2015. Murray’s decision to make the announcement of her declination to run now instead of April allows potential upcoming successors to prepare for their campaigns.

In retrospect, Murray has nothing but positive things to say about her time as Senate President and representative for her districts.

In a statement, Murray said: “It has been the greatest honor to serve the Commonwealth and I am forever thankful to the people of the Plymouth and Barnstable District for electing me to this seat time and time again. We have accomplished so much since I first took my seat in 1993 because of the collaboration and dedication of my colleagues in the Senate and House, and the strong partnerships with the people and local officials in my communities.”

Since first elected in 1992, Murray has had a noticeable effect on the Senate with her Democratic policies and approach to the budget. When Murray was elected Senate president in 2007, she immediately began working on improving welfare conditions and preexisting reforms. Overall, she has been push for awareness and action directly involved with both child welfare issues and health care reforms. One prime example is her involvement in 2008 legislation entitled “Children’s Mental Health and Health

Care Reform Act”. Also, in 2008, Murray was a strong proponent for a health care cost control bill put forward to include electronic medical records, and a steady billing system. She later collaborated on legislation to restructure state public transportation and in 2009 she oversaw countless improvements for issues like the state pension system as well as restrictions on lobbying and financing for campaigns. A year later in 2010, Murray approved a bill for economic development and supported laws that would reduce operational costs for small businesses.

Murray represents the Plymouth and Barnstable Senate districts, which encompasses all of the Bourne, Kingston, Falmouth, Pembroke, Plymouth, and Sandwich regions.

She has not yet announced whether or not she will run for Governor this fall, but has divulged in an interview with a local news service that, “many people have encouraged her“ to consider entering the soon to be open Democratic field for governor since present Governor Deval Patrick decided not to run for reelection next year. Patrick is considering a run for the Presidency. Murray, a thirty-six year resident of Plymouth, still plans to remain active in immeasurable organizations including The Plymouth Area Chamber of Commerce, The Massachusetts Public Health Association, and the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs‘ Coastal Hazards Commission among others.

Murray leaves office with more than 20 acknowledgements for her work in various sectors affecting the Commonwealth.

Sandwich Selectman Linell Grundman describes Therese Murray as “the kind of leader, Senator and person

a municipal official like myself is so fortunate to have in my town‘s corner. Always responsive, she and her professional staff keep communication flowing to help answer questions and solve promises. A tireless worker, she is an enormous credit to her district and to the state“.

The individuals fighting to take over her position next term may include Plymouth Republican Rep. Viriato Manuel deMacedo, former Falmouth Democrat Rep. Matthew Patrick, Kingston Democrat Rep. Thomas Calter, and Amherst State Senator Stanley Rosenberg.

Photo courtesy of theresemurray.com

Speaker of the House Therese Murray

Features

4 April 2, 2014

HEART BEAT

It’s in our blood to save others

Forty members of the Sacred Heart community donate blood on March 20

BY DANIEL GOLDMAN Contributing Writer

Photo courtesy of the Red Cross Association

On Thursday, March 20, Sacred Heart held its annual American Red Cross blood drive. The blood drive was started fifteen years ago by Mary Blasi who had been the school nurse at the time. Run by the Student Council, the moderators and students have continued to bring the blood drive to the school and have kept the tradition alive.

At this year’s blood drive over forty students and teachers signed up to donate blood. However, not all of them were able to give. The American Red Cross examines all potential donors before they give blood to ensure they are eligible and will be donating blood safely to give to patients in need. Some students were not eligible this year

because they live with someone who has a blood disease or due to an elevated heart rate.

Other students were cleared and attempted to give blood, but were unable to do so because of “bad” veins.

After these few eliminations a total of thirty-eight donors participated in giving blood.

Included in the list of donors were Austin Haughton and Patrick Ohrenberger, who opted for the Double Red. These two students underwent a process where they were able to donate two pints of blood instead of the one donated by everyone else.

With these extra pints of blood collected, Sacred Heart donated forty pints of blood in total.

Because blood has four different components that can be used for patients’ benefits, each pint can save up to three lives. Every pint that is collected usually produces two or three of these components. Sacred Heart was able to help 120 people in need of blood, as each pint of blood is able to save up to three people’s lives.

After giving blood the donors were brought to a table to sit and have snacks for at least twenty minutes. This is one of the safety precautions at the blood drive to help prevent the donors from fainting or getting sick. These side effects may occur after giving blood because the average adult body has ten pints of blood and one was just removed.

With less blood in their bodies, the donors may become dizzy or feel sick. Sitting and having a snack can prevent any accidents from happening and can keep everyone safe after donating blood.

Donors are also instructed to refrain from engaging in any strenuous activity for approximately twenty-four hours. During this time the body is producing blood to replace what was given in the donation. This is one of the

many safety precautions taken after the blood has already been donated.

After being collected, labeled, and packaged at the donation site, the donated blood was shipped on ice to a site in Dedham, Massachusetts. At this location all blood collected is tested to guarantee that only safe blood will be used to treat patients. After the blood quality is ensured it is shipped to the many hospitals and facilities that perform blood transfusions.

Most of the blood donated at Sacred Heart will stay in the Northeast region, but it could travel anywhere in the country and even the world that is in need of blood.

Staff photo by Alessandra Psquale

Junior Henry Eshbaugh gives blood

Moody’s Mega Math Challenge Two teams of students competed in a day-long math challenge March 8/9

BY HANNAH WISNIEWSKI Staff Writer On March 8th and 9th, ten Sacred Heart students competed in Moody’s Mega Math Challenge, a national high school applied mathematics competition, sponsored by the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM).

At 7 A.M. on the day of the challenge, “Moody” presents teams of high school juniors and seniors around the nation with a real world problem. Each team has 14 hours to develop a solution to the problem and present it in the form of a paper, to be submitted no later than 9 P.M. This year, each of the teams had to come up with a solution to “The Lunch Crunch.” As stated in the problem, “First Lady Michelle Obama spearheaded an initiative on good nutrition that led to passage of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. Since the implementation of the act, schools have seen the cost of lunch go up (since

the idea!” several triumphs, failures, and cups of cof“I’m interested in having a future fee,Between each of the two Sacred Heart teams wrote a paper in mathematics and I thought that (maximum of twenty pages each) to be handed in by 9 Moody’s Mega Math Challenge was a P.M the day of their challenge. The papers then go to panels of mathematicians that serve as judges. They read great way to explore that field” and score each solution paper according to the competition guidelines. The judges do not know the identities of those who wrote the papers, making the judging a blind and fair process. The winning teams receive a share of up to $125,000 in scholarship money. healthier foods are often more expensive), while particiUnfortunately, the Saturday team missed the submispation goes down (students are less satisfied with school sion deadline by one minute, and therefore their paper was lunch, either because it doesn’t taste as good or it isn’t not counted. filling enough), causing a fiscal crisis for some school dis“The team that competed on Sunday did a much better tricts.” job this year than last year,” said Foresta. “Hopefully they The students were then asked to develop a mathemati- will make it past the first round!” cal model that takes as input a student’s individual attriRecentyl, the Sunday team was notified that their solubutes and outputs the number of calories that a student tion paper has made it past the first round. They are awaitwith those attributes should eat at lunch, create a model ing the results from the second round. If the team’s paper to determine the distribution of U.S. high school students makes it past the second round, then they will be amoung among each of these categories, and leverage math model- the top six teams. ing to develop a lunch plan that stays within a $6 per week budget, meets the country’s nutritional standards and appeals to students.

“I’m interested in having a future in mathematics and I thought that Moody’s Mega Math Challenge was a great way to explore that field,” said participating senior, Lily Bessette.

Lingua Franca would like to invite you Muyang Jin, Xue Li, Menjun Duan, Yajing Zheng, and to participate in this year’s literary magWeijie Cui participated in the challenge on Saturday the azine.To contribute to the magazine, 8th. Lily Bessette, Allie Pasquale, Molly Presutti, Reilly Robbins, and Hannah Wisniewski participated on Sunday please submit your artwork, the 9th. Both teams were coached by Mr. William Foresphotography, and writing compositions ta, math department chairman and teacher at Sacred Heart

by April 28th, 2014.

High School.

Submissions can be sent to “The former nurse, Mrs. Tilden, told me about czigouras@sacredheartkingston.com.

Moody’s,” Foresta said. “She heard about it on the Internet and I told the kids in my class about it. They loved

-Lily Bessette

Lingua Franca

Photo courtesy of http://m3challenge.siam.org/

5

Features

April 2, 2014

Bingo is O32, V74, E19, R56 Sacred Heart Bingo comes to an end after more than fifty years

BY LILY BESSETTE Staff Writer On December 27, 2013, Sacred Heart Bingo came to an end. Throughout Sacred Heart’s history, many Friday nights were reserved for the famous bingo games. After so many years of Friday-night-bingo, Sacred Heart has decided to end this longstanding tradition.

Sacred Heart Bingo started with a handful of students’ fathers who were members of the Sacred Heart Boosters Club. Initially, Sacred Heart Bingo was actually called Sacred Heart Beano. It began in the 1960s after Sacred Heart opened. It was first held off campus at the Plymouth Garibaldi Club. At the time there was no state control over bingo/beano, but in the 1970s bingo became legalized in Massachusetts and was controlled by rules of the Massachusetts State Lottery Commission.

Bingo later moved to the Sacred Heart cafeteria and supported around sixty to seventy participating players. As bingo grew to hundreds of players, the playing area did too. Around 1974, bingo started to occupy Sacred Heart High School’s lower gym on Friday nights as well. At that time the Boosters Club also changed and the Sa-

cred Heart fundraising group took control of bingo.

The Sisters of Divine Providence have also been an integral part of bingo, whether it was giving out donuts and coffee or having Sister Ida Mary selling charity game tickets on the bingo floor. Sister Noel was the business manager of Sacred Heart when bingo began. She helped from the start, buying tables and chairs for the games.

Bingo helped pay off sports department bills and eventually helped double the number of sports teams. When the school began, Sacred Heart High School sports teams consisted of field hockey, cross country, basketball, cheerleading, baseball, and softball, all at only one level. Now, Sacred Heart sports include: cross country, girls and boys soccer, golf, volleyball, football, boys and girls basketball, cheerleading, ice hockey, gymnastics, swim team, baseball, boys and girls lacrosse, softball, track, and boys and girls tennis. With financial support from Sacred Heart Bingo, Sacred Heart has been able to increase its number of athletic teams to what they are today.

The school took charge of deciding on what to use funds earned from bingo. The Student Activity Center (SAC), school

Photos courtesy of Jason Potrykus

vans, sports coaches, and the speech/drama coach have all been helped by Sacred Heart Bingo.

The number of participating players grew from sixty to several hundred a game.

The greatest number of players at one bingo night was six hundred and fifty seven players. With the increase in numbers of players, there was an increase in income with bingo earning over $100,000 yearly.

What bingo money was able to fund did not have to come from tuition. Overall, Sacred Heart Bingo has contributed over $5 million in its approximately fifty years of existence.

Bingo has been essentially a fundraiser for Sacred Heart, but over the years it has become something much greater to many of the players, and volunteers. It has provided many with a close knit community and a wonderful way to spend Friday nights.

Mr. Jason Potrykus, a leader of Sacred Heart Bingo for thirty nine years, said, “We had a great community. I think this is what I miss the most. We had principals, sisters, teachers, parents, students, and alumni all working for one wonderful thing, the success of Sacred Heart. The hardest part was saying goodbye to people who gave loyal

support for years.”

Sister Alice Marie, another leading member of the Sacred Heart Bingo community, said, “For us, it wasn’t just a bingo game; it was a service to the people.”

Many bingo players came early on Friday nights. They would “come in, open food, play cards, play scrabble, and socialize,” said Sister Alice Marie. Sacred Heart has provided a place for all of that to happen for so many years. Unfortunately, bingo needed a few more volunteers to keep it running. More help was needed to run a good game, sell tickets, call back numbers, and service the patrons.

Sister Alice Marie said, “It was a good bingo game. After forty some years, I have to find something else to do on Friday nights.”

Bingo volunteers prepare for the big game as players pile in.

How is the Heart Beat printed?

BY CAROLINE THOMAS Staff Writer Along with Heart Beat staff advisor, Mr. Vincent Boccalini, and Lingua Franca advisor Miss Carey Zigouras, the Heart Beat staff traveled to Hanover to watch their February issue be printed on February 6th. After stopping at Panera Bread for an early lunch, they arrived at Graphic Developments Inc. in Hanover around noon. The staff at Graphic Developments gave them an educational tour of their printing factory and showed them exactly how each issue’s paper is printed.

Graphic Developments Inc. has been in the printing

Staff photo by Mengjun Duan

The Heart beat newspaper staff gathers for a lesson on how the paper is printed.

business for over 35 years. They specialize in web offset printing of newspapers, trade publications, books, and circulars with complete capabilities for mailing, bindery, and delivery. President of Graphic Developments, George Davis, is a strong believer in the philosophy that “the customer is always right.” This has served his company well over the years, and David states, “We have enjoyed this good fortune because of our proud history and philosophy of an uncompromising commitment to the highest possible levels of quality and customer service.”

The Graphic Developments staff members led the Heart Beat around their printing facility, explaining what happens at each stage of the process. First they were shown the Prepress Department, which contains two violet laserbased direct-to-plate machines. The staff uses color enhancement to improve the color of the plates which are created in a matter of minutes from the plate setter. Technicians also line the plates up and check for accuracy in a process known as quality control.

Next, the plates travel to the pressroom, where the plate bender puts a bend on two edges of the plate so it may be secured to the press. During the press processes, the press is arranged and laid out based on the sequence of each job’s requirement, such as stock width or publication format. The folder is set up according to the job’s requirements and will produce the finished paper as well as get it ready for bindery. Once the product is ready to be stitched and trimmed, mailed or inserted, it makes its way to the Mailing and Fulfillment Department as the final step of the

Staff photo by Mengjun Duan

The templates for the paper are compared to the final product.

printing process.

Watching their paper be printed was a fulfilling experience for the Heart Beat staff. They were able to watch all of their hard work pay off as the issue made its way through the printing facility and was packaged in preparation for its trip back to Sacred Heart. Once they returned to school that day, staff members were able to distribute their finished product to students, faculty, and administration.

Co-Editor in Chief Jennifer Habeeb enjoyed the trip, and said, “It was really interesting to see our paper actually being printed and to see how much work goes into our small publication.”

7

xplore the city with my able to expand my knowl. My favorite speaker was ulous and has great style.

Habeeb

“Columbia was an unforgettable experience and was so much fun. I learned a lot from each seminar on ways to improve our school’s newspaper and am excited to try some of the new techniques. I also loved getting to visit New York City with my classmates.”

Shauna Sweeney

The Columbia trip was totally rad! I loved visitng the university, walking around Times Square, and messing around with the staff.

The best part was the people. I love the staff!

Mark Khalil

eart Bites Apple!

es from the Sacred Heart High School from 39 states, the District of Columbia, olumbia University Scholastic Press Ase staff attended journalism seminars to They also explored NYC.

Scan this QR Code for a closer look into our adventure!

Video by Alessandra Pasquale I really enjoyed my experience at Columbia! Not only did I learn a lot at the various seminars, but I also got to spend time with my closest friends. It is definitely a highlight of my senior year!

Moira Gattoni

New York was tons of fun! I learned a lot about artistcic design and how it can change your publication. I also enjoyed walking around Columbia and spending time with my fellow staff members.

Allie Pasquale

I loved the singing and entertainment at Ellen’s Stardust Diner! All of the members of the wait staff were so talented. I know that we’ll see them on Broadway someday soon!

Molly Presutti

Photo couresy of Alessandra Pasquale The wait staff sings in Ellen’s Stardust Diner

6 Overall it was a great experience. Along with being educational, it was very fun spending time with friends in New York. I especially liked the food!

I loved getting to ex friends. I was also a edge at the seminars.

Steve Kent. He’s fabu

Dan Goldman

Jen

Columbia was a great experience because not only did I learn a lot at the seminars but I also got to bond with my fellow staff members while having a blast in New York City!

Photo couresy of Alessandra Pasquale Seniors Caroline Thomas, Kelly Allen, and Moira Gattoni pose for the camera in Times Square

Caroline Thomas

I had so much fun in New York. I loved learning new things at the seminars and going to Times Square! I especially had fun riding the ferris wheel in Toys R Us! Hannah Wisniewski

I had an unforgettable time at Columbia! Besides the seminars and excellent food in Times Square, Jen, Molly, and I had an intersting time ghost hunting in our hotel room. Unfortunately, we were left with no proof that a ghost was, in fact, the culprit for our door randomly opening or the mysterious writing on our window.

Kelly Allen

The trip to Columbia University was by far one of the highlights of my senior year. I especially enjoyed winning big at the Toys R Us arcade! I recommend all underclassmen to look into the trip for their future high school experience because it really gives insight into what college life will be like.

Lily Bessette

Photo couresy of Alessandra Pasquale Seniors Reilly Robbins, Hannah Wisniewsk, and Molly Presutti ride the ferris wheel in Toys R Us

Sacred He the Big

Fourteen students and three chaperone Heart Beat staff joined 300 other schools f China, and Mexico for the 90th Annual Co sociation Conference. For three days, the help improve their paper. Th

Profiles

8 April 2, 2014

HEART BEAT

Flashback to Nam with Reilly Robbins

BY SHAUNA SWEENEY Staff Writer For two weeks over February vacation senior Reilly Robbins traveled to Vietnam to visit her older brother Danny Robbins. Danny has been living in Vietnam for the past two years. Robbins owns his own tourist shop, Hay Hay, where he sells paintings and fabrics designed by his girlfriend. These paintings and fabrics are most often seen on purses and kitchen ware.

Reilly arrived in Vietnam on February 8th and stayed through the 21st. The weather was warm, ranging between seventy and eighty five degrees. The first week was cloudy and overcast, the second week was sunny every day.

Robbins began her visit by touring Vietnam’s capital

Photo courtesy of Reilly Robbins Reilly and her siblings bike through rice patties

city, Saigon. There are 7.4 million people living in Saigon. It was impossible to walk into the streets because of all of the different motor bikes and the hustle and bustle of the people. Saigon is full of shopping of all kinds. The major tourist spot is called Saigon Square, a massive market full of fresh food products.

Robbins said, “It was much like New York City’s Time Square, making the culture shock a bit easier.”

Robbins also got the chance to visit other parts of the country of Vietnam and travel to cities such as Da Nang, Hoi An, and Hanoi. Robbins spent the most time in Hoi Ann. Hoi Ann was much more quiet than Saigon and a rural atmosphere. There are only a few food markets and the land is made up of rivers and rice patties. For Robbins, Hoi Ann was a lot like what she had pictured Vietnam to be like.

The typical form of transportation in Vietnam is biking. Few cars are driven. The food consisted primarily of rice and noodles and spring rolls. A variety of sauces are popular and all of the meals are extremely cheap in comparison to a typical American meal.

Robbins also got to see where her brother lives. He lives on rice patties. Rice patties are much like a typical farm in America. Crops are lined up and taken care of day in and day out by workers fertilizing and spreading soil. Robbins said that her brother’s only complaint about living on rice patties is that it is such a popular tourist attraction, and it can be pretty hectic.

When asked what her favorite part of the trip was Robbins said, “I loved going to the rice patties and exploring a country that is different than my own and has not been Westernized. It was amazing to take in the beauty of the country.”

Someday Robbins hopes to return to Vietnam. After getting there she never wanted to leave. Next time Robbins visits she hopes to stay in one specific place in Vietnam so that she can truly embrace the culture.

Photo courtesy of Reilly Robbins Reilly and her sister on Hawk Bridge in Hanoi

Welcome, Ms. Mary Beth Boyd Sacred Heart says goodbye to Mrs. Keough and hello to Ms. Boyd

BY MOIRA GATTONI Staff Writer With each school year, we are forced to say goodbye to people we have come to love and respect. On Friday February 8th, the Sacred Heart community said farewell to Mrs. Keough, math teacher of pre-algebra and basic algebra for seventh and eighth grade students. Keough had been part of the Sacred Heart community since the fall of 2011.

Although Keough enjoyed her tenure at Sacred Heart, she recently accepted a position as the Director of Finance and Operations at Cape Cod Academy in Osterville, MA. Keough will miss the people she met here, the relationships she formed, and the sense of family at Sacred Heart School. She will especially miss how dedicated the staff is to the students and how amazing the students are, as well.

As she said, “It really is a treat to come to work.”

As we say our goodbyes to Mrs. Keough, we welcome a new addition to the Sacred Heart teaching staff. Ms. Mary Beth Boyd joined the Sacred Heart community just a few weeks ago as the new seventh and eighth grade math teacher.

Boyd is from Fall River and she lived in California for

Staff photo by Alessandra Pasquale Ms. Boyd helps a student in the classroom

“Because the students come to class with respect and a good attitude toward learning, I am able to hold high expectations for their outcomes.”

-Ms. Boyd

many years before returning to Massachusetts. She attended Emmanuel College in Boston for two years but finished her math studies in California at California State University.

Despite her education in mathematics, Ms. Boyd chose a different career. In Oakland California, she started and ran her own automobile and upholstery shop for 20 years.

After ten years of running the shop, she got tired of working with people who cared more about their cars than she did. She wanted to do more significant work.

Boyd realized that it was time for her to focus on teaching. At the age of 50 she began teaching at a high school

for Oakland dropouts. She only stayed at the school for one year and for the next 11 years, taught middle school math on the north coast of California in a small rural community at Point Arena. She taught students of different ethnicities including Native Americans, Hispanics, and whites. She left Point Arena in June of 2013 to come back to Massachusetts but never imagined that she would be teaching again. During her many years of work, she has taught sixth through twelfth grade. Through volunteering and tutoring once a week at an all-girls, public school in New Bedford, she realized that she had to be back in the classroom and that is why she is at Sacred Heart today.

Thus far, Ms. Boyd has really enjoyed her experience at Sacred Heart. She said that at her other schools, especially Point Arena, it took three years for her to gain trust with students and families. When she came here, she did not have to fight behaviors that were typical in her old school.

Point Arena students were from low income, single parent families. Some were raised by a grandparent. Her experience at Point Arena differs from Sacred Heart because she sees students coming to school who look well nourished, aren’t falling asleep, and actually do their homework. She said, “Right out of the gate I get to teach. I don’t have to earn a badge.”

Ms. Boyd loves that all students have an iPad because everyone is on the same page.

She likes the uniforms and finds the students very respectful.

She said, “Because the students come to class with respect and a good attitude toward learning, I am able to hold high expectations for their outcomes.”

Sacred Heart’s staff and administration have given her a great welcome. Boyd feels she is being treated as a real teacher and not just a substitute.

Ms. Boyd looks forward to coming to work every day because she sees the Sacred Heart community as her second family and as a new place in the world for her.

Arts

9 April 2, 2014

HEART BEAT

Ellen hosts the Oscars

The 86th Annual Academy Awards show makes Social Media History.

BY KELLY ALLEN Staff Writer

The infamous red carpet was rolled out on Sunday March 2nd to hold the 86th Annual Academy Awards hosted by Comedian, Ellen DeGeneres. After a rainy week in L.A, the sun came out just in time for the Oscars.

The actors and actresses were able to, once again, dazzle the media with their radiant attire.

Of the many fantastic films that came out this year, the nine films nominated for Best Picture were: “American Hustle,” “Captain Phillips,” “Dallas Buyers Club,” “Gravity,” “Her,” “Nebraska,” “Philomena,” “12 Years a Slave,” and “The Wolf of Wall Street.”

At the end of the night, “12 Years a Slave” came out on top with the Oscar for Best Picture.

Although it didn’t win Best Picture, “Gravity” took home many awards including Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, and Best Directing.

The film’s lead actress, Sandra Bullock, was nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role, although the Oscar for that category ended up going to Cate Blanchett for her role in “Blue Jasmine.”

The Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role, which was awarded to first time Oscar nominee Matthew McConaughey for his roll in “Dallas Buyers Club,” was spot on and well deserved.

The award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, was given to Lupita Nyong’o for her role in “12 Years a Slave,” was the right choice. In an unofficial survey, Nyong’o’s acceptance speech was considered the evening’s best.

Overwhelmed with emotion, Nyong’o concluded her acceptance speech by saying, “When I look down at this

gold statue, may it remind me that no matter where you’re from, your dreams are valid.

Another fantastic film this year was Disney’s “Frozen,” which won Oscars for both Best Animated Feature Film

Photo courtesy of twitter.com/theEllenShow Ellen Degeneres posted this “selfie” to Twitter during the Oscars and broke the record for Most Retweeted Tweet.

and Best Original Song (“Let it Go” sung by Idina Menzel).

This year’s Oscars wouldn’t have been nearly as enjoyable were it not for its phenomenal host, Ellen DeGeneres. DeGeneres kept the audience- both at home and at the L.A show- entertained the whole night by cracking jokes, dressing up in silly costumes, and tweeting live pictures from the event. One of Ellen’s photos was a “selfie” featuring Hollywood superstars Meryl Streep, Channing Tatum, Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, and Jared Leto.

The selfie made history as the most retweeted tweet with over 3 million retweets. Ellen even bought the crowd a few boxes of pizza, and interviewed the confused Pizza Delivery Boy on her “Ellen Show” the next day to award him with a $1,000 tip.

Ellen made the 86th Annual Academy Awards the best show that I have seen to date. In previous years, hosts seemed to make inappropriate sarcastic jabs at the actors and added unnecessary tension to the event. Ellen’s jokes, on the other hand, were light hearted and had the whole crowd in stitches. By using Twitter, Ellen connected everyone at home to the event as we could all take part in “retweeting” or “favoriting” her pictures from the show.

The movies were great, the host was fantastic, and the music was beautiful. I’d like to give the 86th Annual Academy Awards a 10/10, and the Oscar for the most enjoyable Academy Awards Show yet.

Drama department does Moby Tick

BY CAROLINE IMPARATO Staff Writer On March 1st Sacred Heart’s very own Image Players competed in There were several play requirements that became part of the their first ever drama competition. The competition was called Festival scoring process. For instance, the play could not exceed forty and was hosted by Brookline High School. Festival is run by minutes and the crew had to set up the stage in five minthe Massachusetts High School Drama Guild. utes or less and then take the set down in five Mr. Dan Sapir directed the play and travminutes or less. eled with the group to competition.

Unfortunately, the Sacred Having gone to examine Heart Image Players the stage three days did not adprior to Festival the vance from group was able to the prelimiget a feel for where nary round. they would be comThis did not peting. depress any The Image Players player. competed against six other schools from the “We collabo south coast of Massachurated well togethsetts. These schools were: er,” said player NiBrookline High, Montrose cole Henderson.

School, Weymouth High, The three schools Boston College High School, that did not advance Pope John XXIII High School were Pope John Paul and Newburyport High School.

XXIII, Brookline High, “It was a great experience to and Boston College High be able to perform with all these School. other schools that you never see and Though they didn’t win are bigger than us,” said drama club one of the advancing posimember Tim Kuketz. tions, Sacred Heart did come Staff Photos courtesy of Sacred Heart performed Moby Tick, home with two all-star awards Alessandra Pasquale a play delving into the allegory and symgiven to Cory Turner and Kira bolism of the characters in Herman MelPyne for their acting abilities.

(Left) Left to right- Freshman Cory Turner and sophomore Ben Novak perform a dramatic scene in the ville’s novel Moby Dick. The play uses the A great experience was had by middle of the play. format of the modern day game show, To Tell the all. As one Image player said, it was a day full (Right) Left to right- Junior Nicole Henderson, junior Truth, as the setting to deliver the play’s message. of great people and great plays. The Sacred Heart Timothy Kuketz, sophomore Ben Novak and junior Cast member Griffin Wagner and his cast mates Image Players were invited to perform Moby Tick Henry Esbaugh perform one of the closing scenes of agreed that, “It was our best performance of the again on April 4th at Weymouth High. the play. show.”

Opinion

10 April 2, 2014

HEART BEAT

More than just a game EDITORIAL

I

was born to love baseball. My brother who is two years my senior, began playing at age 5, exposing me to the game at age three. As kids my father plopped the two of us in a variety of sports, with the hope that at least one would click. Baseball just happened to be that sport for the both of us. By the time I reached 5 years old, I knew how to oil my own glove and put it under my mattress with a baseball inside to break it in. Much like my brother, I became obsessed with the game, and most of all, the Boston Red Sox. I played baseball with the boys in my town until I was in third grade, and then reluctantly made the switch to softball even though I wanted to stick with baseball. I continued to play softball until I was sixteen and loved it. When I reached my junior

year of high school, I quit softball.

For some reason I felt as if the game was no longer fun; it had become an obligation. I couldn’t get myself to connect with softball in the same way I had with baseball. The only reason I was upset about quitting the team was my father. Baseball had been our common ground, and now I was in uncharted waters. He couldn’t understand why I was giving up something I had once loved so much.

When I quit softball, a rift developed between my father and me. He whole heartedly supported my decision, but he had trouble understanding what I was going through at the time. Since my brother was living at college in 2013, I began to watch the Red Sox with my father as they made their way to the World Series. As the two of us watched game six of the

Red Sox celebrate their third World Series win in ten years

series, I began to realize something.

This game, even though it was “just a game,” was bringing us back together. As the two of us watched, I felt the tension that used to sit between us begin to dissipate.

I cannot say that the Red Sox completely repaired my relationship with my father and I cannot say that there aren’t days when we argue. What I can say is that baseball is something that I will always hold very dear to my heart. I do not regret my decision to quit softball, but there are days when I still miss him taking me to the park to hit baseballs. Nothing in life is certain, and there are times I wonder what would have happened if I hadn’t quit, but at the end of the day, I know that “every little thing is gonna be alright.”

Photo courtesy of http://onlineathens.com/

“Tom foolery a must!”

April Fools Day isn’t for the faint of heart

BY SAMUEL BOYLES Staff Writer Did you know that April Fools’ Day is a religious holiday in Sweden? I hope not, because that’s a lie. April Fools.

While April Fools’ Day may not be a national holiday in any country, it still holds a certain cachet during the spring-time frivolity commonly experienced during the late days of March into early April. In fact, April Fools’ is one of the oldest holidays in the world, dating back to 536 BC. Ancient Persians would pull pranks on one another on the great festival of Sizdah Bedar, celebrated on April 1. While it is impossible to be sure, one can assume that children of the Seleucid Empire put salt in their parents’ sand shakers in order to prank them during their morning coffee and would cloak themselves in tan blankets, sitting upon their camels, leading their parents to believe the camel had grown another hump! Yes, springtime frivolity indeed.

However, the ancient Persians weren’t the only ones having fun on April 1. During the French Middle Ages and even today, people would stick paper fish on one anothers’ back, yelling, “Poisson d’avril!” This tradition of yelling, “April fish,” is also celebrated in Belgium and Italy. My word, the Europeans are an odd bunch, aren’t they?

Are you wondering if Chaucer knew about April Fools’ Day? He did! Chaucer makes mention of this fine celebration in his famous Canterbury Tale “The Nun’s Priest’s Tale.” However, the exact date Chaucer was referring to is still in question. Some believe he cited the

THE HEART BEAT Editors-in-Chief: Lily Bessette Jennifer Habeeb Managing Editor: Shauna Sweeney Front Page Editor: Moira Gattoni News Editor: Austin Haughton Features Editor: Reilly Robbins Double Truck Editors: Molly Presutti Hannah Wisniewski A&E Editor: Kelly Allen Opinion Editor: Jennifer Habeeb Profiles Editor: Jennifer Habeeb Sports Editor: Mark Kahlil Photographers: Alessandra Pasquale Mengjun Duan Staff Writers: Samuel Boyles Caroline Thomas Kieran Kelleher Contributing Writers: Caroline Imparato Daniel Goldman Gabrielle Fantasia

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 opportunity to minister to the Sacred Heart community.

Photo courtesy of http://scriptorsenex.blogspot.com/ Children play a practical joke

date as March 32, or April 1. Others hold that this was a misprint and that he actually meant May 2. The point is, even Chaucer, the father of English literature, celebrated April Fools’. Perhaps his ‘misprint’ was actually a brilliantly devised prank itself! I highly doubt it, but it’s fun to think about, isn’t it?

April 1 is fast approaching folks and we all know what that means: Shenanigans abound, laughter spewed forth, Tom foolery a must!

-Vincent Boccalini Moderator The Heart Beat

Press Affiliations Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA) New England Scholastic Press Association (NESPA) American Scholastic Press Association (ASPA) Suffolk University (SU)

Sports

11

HEART BEAT

April 2, 2014

Winter Olympics heat up in Sochi Team USA takes home second place overall in the 2014 Winter Olympics

BY JENNIFER HABEEB Staff Writer Far, far away in a not-so-wintery-tundra called Sochi Russia, the best athletes around the globe gathered to strut their prowess in the snow and ice in the 2014 Winter Olympic Games.

Before the games even began, however, Russia was shrouded in controversy. Russia’s newly implemented anti-gay laws caused a buzz among many athletes and fans of the Games. Many wanted to boycott the Olympics altogether to protest the policies.

Russia also faced possible terrorist attacks and threats before the Games.

Suicide bombers had already struck areas outside of Sochi and the Russian government feared the Games would be in danger. Family members of athletes and Olympic fans were urged to either stay home or be extremely cautious if they chose to attend. Russia upped the security around all of the Olympic venues and fortunately there were no attacks.

As if terrorist threats weren’t enough, Sochi also seemed to struggle with the weather. Some claimed it was the warmest Winter Olympics they had ever seen. High temperatures heated up Sochi making outdoor events that much more difficult for athletes. Sochi stored pre made snow in case temps got too high for competition. In fact, during a few days during the Games, it was warmer in Sochi than in northeastern United States.

Despite these obstacles, once the opening ceremony took place on February seventh, the Games seemed to run smoothly.

Both men’s and women’s hockey were major highlights of the Games. In women’s hockey, Team USA made it to the finals where they faced Canada. Unfortunately, the USA would have to settle for silver when they lost 3-2 to the Canadians in the 68th minute.

Perhaps the most anticipated match in men’s hockey was USA vs. Russia. In a controversial match the USA

9

beat Russia in a 3-2 shootout. Right winger T.J Ochie stole the show taking six shots in the shoot out and scoring twice. After the USA Russia match, USA went on to lose 1-0 to Canada in the semifinals and 5-0 to Finland in the bronze medal game, putting them in fourth place overall.

There was more controversy to come in women’s figure skating. Korea’s Yuna Kim won first place in the short program, but lost the gold in the free skate to Russia’s Adelina Sotnikova. Following the results, the bias of the judges was called into question. Some believed Kim

Photo courtesy of http://mkalty.org/ Forward T.J. Oschie helped USA defeat Russia

earned and deserved her medal over Sotnikova who became the first Russian woman to ever win an individual gold medal.

Despite tension in woman’s figure skating, the USA still made the podium. Gracie Gold, Ashley Wagner, and Marissa Castelli all won bronze in women’s single skating. In men’s single figure skating, Jeremy Abbott, alternate Jason Brown, and Simon Shnapir also took home bronze. Meryl Davis and Charlie White brought in gold for the US in individual ice dancing and a bronze in team ice dancing.

7

In short track speed skating, USA’s team won silver in the 5000 meter finals, but failed to medal in all other short track events.

In Alpine skiing, USA’s Ted Ligety won gold in giant shalom and in woman’s alpine skiing, Mikaela Shiffrin won gold in the same event. Andrew Weibrecht won silver in super-G alpine skiing and Bode Miller tied for third in the event. In woman’s super combined, Julia Mancuso topped off alpine skiing with a bronze.

Even though no one won gold, bobsleigh was another successful event for team USA. The USA still came out with bronze in woman’s, four man, and two main events. They also won silver in women’s.

In freestyle skiing, Maddie Bowman and David Wise won gold in men and woman’s halfpipe and Joss Christensen won gold in ski slopestyle. Gus Kenworthy and Devin Logan won silver for team USA in men and woman’s skistyle.

Lastly, Hannah Kearney won bronze in woman’s moguls.

In the luge Erin Hamlin won bronze and in skeleton Noelle PikusPace won silver while Matthew Antoine won bronze.

Finally, team USA won five medals in snowboarding. Gold medalitsts were Kaitlyn Farrington for the women’s halfpipe, Jamie Anderson for women’s slopestyle, and Sage Kotsenburg for men’s slopestyle. Bronze medalists included Alex Deibold for men’s snowboard cross and Kelly Clark for women’s halfpipe. Sean White failed to medal for the first time in his Olympic career.

Overall, the United States won a total of twenty eight medals, nine less than the last Winter Olympics. The US won, seven silvers, and twelve bronze. The United States failed to medal in curling, biathlon, cross-country skiing, ski jumping, and Nordic combined.

The 2014 Winter Olympic Games were largely a success.

The Games were able to overcome possible political and climactic disasters for a solid Olympic Games.

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Sports

12

HEART BEAT

April 2, 2014

Boys hockey makes history

BY KIERAN KELLEHER Staff Writer The boys’ varsity hockey team made history this year by qualifying for the MIAA tournament as a two seed behind rival Diman, with a regular season record of 14-5-1.

Last year, their record was 9-11, and they missed the tournament by one game. The team has seen an influx of new, talented players from areas all over the south shore including Dorchester and Weymouth.

For the past two seasons the Saints have been under the leadership of coach Tom MacDonald. MacDonald was the coach of Curry College and is currently also the head coach of the Bay State Breakers, a local Massachusetts hockey club. Coach MacDonald changed the program from one of mediocrity to a program built on the foundation of winning, success, and pride. The three senior captains Mark Simonetti, Luke Tompkins, and Adam Pagliuca, all personified what boys’ hockey is all about-dedication and commitment to being not just a team, but a brotherhood.

Saints hockey take the puck up the ice

Staff photo by Alessandra Pasquale

The Saints brought energy to every game this season and captivated fans at their home rink, the Bog in Kingston. Young talent mixed with experience made for a hockey team overflowing with confidence and expectations. Those expectations were to make the tournament and play deep into it.

The boys easily made it into the tournament and were set to face the winner of Bishop Stang and Somerset-Berkeley. Stang cruised past Somerset-Berkeley and faced the Saints at the Bog. The anticipation of the boys’ first ever hockey tournament game ever was almost as intense as the game itself. As the boys took the ice, fans piled into the rink to cheer on both teams. As the puck dropped, the rink was rocking and the boys were amped to skate.

The first period was all Bishop Stang. Stang’s speed took the Saints by surprise as they kept the puck in the Saints’ end for most of the period. The sustained pressure finally paid off as Max Suave, who was a goal scoring machine throughout the season, slid past the defense and slotted home the first goal of the game past the Saints goaltender, Ian Filion.

The Saints were unfazed by this early goal, and in the second period they began to show why they were the two seed in the tournament. Defenseman Mark Simonetti moved the puck up the ice and urged his teammates to pick up the intensity. The game became very physical, with bodies flying all over the ice. Luke Tompkins, another defenseman, showed Stang that Sacred Heart was ready for a battle as he took and gave massive hits.

Finally, in the third period, Simonetti took the puck and tore up the ice with teammate Ben LeBlanc. LeBlanc was calling for the puck but seeing an opportunity, Simonetti fired the puck from the blue line, zipping one right past the outstretched Stang goalkeeper.

This sent the Bog into and uproar and hope for more goals for the Saints filled the rink.

Chants were flying between Sacred Heart fans and Stang fans, and as the third period was coming to an end, the momentum had shifted to the fighting Saints. Attack after attack left everyone breathless as the Saints continued to press the Stang zone. The horn sounded, and the game was headed to overtime.

In overtime, the Saints continued right where they left off. John Quinn pressured the Stang defense and Simonetti continued to make plays. As overtime continued, Stang began to meet the Saints’ challenge. The speed of their forwards continued to be a problem for the Saints. Then, Chase Correria of Stang stole the puck from the Saints’ defense and scored on a breakaway, sending Bishop Stang on to the second round of the division three tournament. This was a brutal way to end such an epic, entertaining game, and the heartbreak of the loss filled the Saints’ side of the rink. After a hard fought game, both teams shook hands and the Sacred Heart Saints’ historical season came to a dramatic end.

The saints finished the year with a 14-6-1 record and had two All-Stars, Seniors Mark Simonetti and Adam Pagliuca.

“It was a great experience playing with this group of boys and as the year went on we became a family and a brotherhood. I couldn’t have asked for a better way to end my high school career,” Simonetti said about the hockey season.

Saints sports close out the season Swimming and girls basketball sucessfully cap off the winter sports season

BY MARK KHALIL Staff Writer The Girls’ Varsity Basketball Team has done it again.

With a record of 11-9 they have once again made the MIAA tournament. Head coach, Mr. Jon Olson, predicted a tournament entrance and so it was.

In its first round tournament game Sacred Heart lost to Nantucket in overtime 40-33. Lauren Melchionda led the way scoring 14 points in the loss. Down 10 with 3 minutes to go, Melchionda scored the tying basket with 18 seconds left. On the ensuing inbounds pass, Kelley O’Donnell forced a turnover. Sacred Heart had the ball with 11 seconds on the clock and a chance to complete the improbable comeback. Alexa Nasr’s shot went in, out, in, then rolled out to end regulation.

Second year swimming phenomenon, Tom Alger, is the future of Sacred Heart swimming. In his short time at Sacred Heart, he has broken four swimming records and qualified to compete in the sectionals and state meet in the 200 yard freestyle. Swimming is his life and he aims to make it his career.

Alger first got into competitive swimming in the second grade. Since then, he has been competing, progressing, and training to swim faster and get better times.

Before this year, Alger had never swum for a high school team. All his friends were doing high school swimming, so this year he gave it a try. Before competing for Sacred Heart High School, he swam for numerous swim clubs. He and his friends swim at USA meets that are connected to the USA Olympic team. However, the meets are really fast and competitive and you can’t have a one-on-one race. The USA meets are once every month

Caroline Sheen grabs a rebound and looks for a pass

Staff photo by Alessandra Pasquale

with the exception of March and August. If you do well in the USA meets you can qualify for the USA Olympic team, which is something Alger wants and intends to do it in the future.

This is Alger’s second year at Sacred Heart but his first year competing with the Sacred Heart swim team.

He doesn’t specialize in any particular race. He does everything. His best time, however, is in the 200 yard freestyle which he has swum in 1:55:83. This is only 17 seconds behind Michael Phelps. A 200 yard race is pool laps. His plan for the 200 is to keep up with

everyone for the first fifty, then build off his first fifty, and the last hundred yards is a full out swimming sprint.

Alger hopes to do well during the rest of his high school career and to swim in college. At this point in his career a couple of colleges have expressed their interest in him.

Alger’s dream is to swim for Harvard or Princeton and then to swim for the Olympic team.

“If you have passion for your sport, strive to get better, and it will show when you win your next heat or event,” said Alger.