Inside This Week's Issue Hockey, Football, Student of the Week,
Edited by Joe Egler '16 and Ryan Naehr '16
The Student Newspaper of St. Joseph's Prep
November 20, 2015
Admissions, and 3D Printer
Volume 41, Issue X
Rich Gannon '83 Comes Home
By Fintan O'Toole '16 Interview By Joe Egler '16 and Ryan Naehr '16 The Prep beamed with joy as one of its most renowned alumnis, former NFL quarterback Rich Gannon, returned to his home at 1733 W. Girard Ave. Greeted by a crowd of teachers and a collection of Fr. John Swope '72, Rich Gannon '83, and Mr. awe-struck students, Gannon Gabe Infante pose with the golden football. presented The Prep with a mater of any player who not only for his on-field Golden Ball, a played in a Super Bowl. accomplishments, but also for commemorative gift which Gannon is a famous his easy smile and affability honors the high school alma Prep alumnus remembered expressed to anyone he
acknowledged in the halls. Many longtime Prep faculty members, including Mrs. McPoyle and Mrs. Kruszewski, have only fond memories of Rich during his time at Prep, recalling a kind Philadelphia native who always had a hello waiting for anyone who needed it. He is a lifelong St. Joe’s supporter, and he spoke about his early love for the school, a love that began long before he even entered his freshman
By Fintan O'Toole '16 The Prep is again in the city’s spotlight as Jim Kenney ‘76 has been elected Philadelphia’s next mayor. Kenney takes over the office for current Mayor Michael Nutter ‘75. Kenney did not accomplish this tremendous feat alone, and he credits much admiration and thanks to his numerous campaign supporters. The Prep is home to one such supporter, Patrick Urbine ‘16, who served on the Kenney staff as a campaign promoter and provoterregistration advocate.
groups of people, regardless of the social stigmas placed upon them. “Through Jim’s actions, I really see a reflection of the motto ‘Men For and With Others’ that the Prep instills,” says Urbine. “He is a protector of rights and someone who knows that each human deserves the same dignity and respect as the next.” Urbine volunteered in the early fall of 2015 to aid in the Kenney campaign by getting out the vote to citizens
Continued on page 2.
Prep Connection Strong in Mayoral Election
Patrick Urbine '16 recruits college students as potential voters in the recent mayoral election. Urbine discovered involved in local campaign. Urbine took a keen his passion for politics in Government class, with Mr. interest in the campaign of William Conners ‘80, where Kenney, the Democratic Urbine he learned of past Prep men, primary winner. to Kenney’s like himself, who took related initiative and fostered their Philadelphia background and political ideologies by getting his willingness to fight for all
Continued on page 3.
year.
Gannon (Cont'd)
religious and loving in his easygoing persona and care for others. Finally, he is committed to doing justice as a leader for numerous NFL teams but also as a role model to many young men-including current Prep students-who look to mimic the character he portrays. THANK YOU RICH GANNON!
“I had an older brother [John] who played at The Prep, so even as a young boy I felt I would love to go the Prep some day,” reminisces Gannon. “I look back at The Prep with such fond memories, not so much just from a football standpoint, but also as a Gannon at the student athlete. [I met] many Philadelphia Sports wonderful friends at The Hall ofFame Induction Prep, which, as you know, is Ceremony. a really special place.” Though Gannon played in one Super Bowl, four Pro Bowls, and was a two-time NFL First Team AllPro, he remains humble in his success and grounded in his work ethic, two values taught vigorously in the classrooms here at St. Joe’s. “I’m proud of that fact that I lasted [in the NFL] as long as I did; I played 17 years,” says Gannon. “I wasn’t the most talented guy and I didn’t come into the Gannon ranks no. 49 among NFL career passing league with a silver spoon in yards leaders (28,743), and no. 53 among NFL my mouth as a 4th Round career passing touchdowns leaders (180). draft pick out of Delaware. I had to work for every opportunity and I knew that.” Rich Gannon truly embodies what it means to be a Prep graduate, and he manifests the Grad et Grad in his life every day. He is open to the growth of learning new things and improving himself and his character. His intellectual capability is Gannon presented Fr. clearly represented in how he John Swope '72 with a conducts himself in golden football. The trio ofQB Rich Gannon, WR Jerry Rice, and interviews and how he carries WR Tim Brown were nicknamed the "Triple himself off the field. He is Threat."
Prep Hockey Ties La Salle in Gritty Matchup pipes from Shawn Joniec ’16 ‘17 on the play. Both teams
By Mike Haley ‘17
In front of an with 33 saves, the Prep tied fought hard with big hits and
electric crowd, Prep hockey took the ice against archrival La Salle for the first time this season last Friday night at the Skatium. Led by a strong performance between the
La Salle, 2-2. scrappy fights for the puck on With the team down the boards, as neither could 0-2, Ronan Egan ‘18 brought mount a successful offense. the crowd to life with a score Center Dan Stahl ‘17 late in the first period, Continued on page 4. assisted by Dimitri Stefanou
Prep Football Seeks Third Straight PCL Title
By Joe Console ‘17 This past Friday night, Prep football routed Roman Catholic High School in the Philadelphia Catholic League AAAA Semifinal matchup. Scoring all of their 49 points in the first half, the Prep saw few internal problems during the game. Influential and momentous plays crucial to the Hawks’ win came from Benny Walls ‘16, D’Andre Swift ‘17, Khari Jones ‘17, and Terrence Greene ‘17. The Prep prepares for La Salle this upcoming Saturday afternoon, and several key factors will make this a thrilling football game.
The Prep leads its all-time series against La Salle in football, 47-35-5 (.540). First, it is the PCL AAAA a chip on their shoulder, title game, which is always a motivating them to try to great competitive matchup, come out on top as champions no matter the teams involved. over the Hawks. Also, as the Prep has won the Additionally, the Prep rather last two PCL Championships, handily defeated La Salle in it will need to be careful of the regular season clash, 49this La Salle team, which has 24, so the Prep will need to be
Jim Kenney '76 credits much ofhis success to his devoted support team. have not yet found their political voices, so he focused his voter registration on of the Philadelphia area. college campuses. He was Urbine knows that many responsible for twenty voter young adults, like himself,
Election (Cont'd)
sign-ups every week, so colleges became the ideal locations for prospective balloters. “I think young adults have fairly receptive minds to getting involved in their local politics, so I went to Temple University every other day to encourage voter registration,” he says. A strong knowledge of politics is important in serving one’s civic duty. Local elections are decided by residents of the
mindful of La Salle’s vengeful mindset to beat the Prep. Finally, a strong defensive performance from Nick Rinella LS ‘16 against Father Judge last saturday foreshadows what will prove to be a good matchup against Prep’s fast-paced offense. If the Prep wins, it will be their third consecutive Philadelphia Catholic League title, and they will be placed in the District XII title game. Come support the Hawks as they take on the Explorers of La Salle on Saturday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. at Plymouth-Whitemarsh High School.
Philadelphia area, and a strong voter turnout is indicative of citizens who care about their city. Urbine has embraced his role in helping others realize the importance of voting and is using his youthful enthusiasm to promote civic duty to his peers. Through his efforts, he has ensured that the city remains in the strong and able hands of yet another Prep graduate.
Hockey (Cont'd)
high slot. However, we took some bad penalties, myself included. If we are able to clean up these bad penalties, we should be more prepared to beat La Salle the next time we play.” Late in the second period, forward Dimitri Stefanou ‘17 scored a clutch goal to tie the game at two apiece, assisted by Mark Centrella ‘17 and Ronan Egan ‘18, stirring the packed student section into a frenzy. In the final seconds, goalie Shawn Joniec ’16 withstood a barrage of shots from the
Explorers to save the game for his team. Assistant captain Mark Centrella ’17 comments on the game, as well as the outlook for the rest of the season: “‘Dukes’ [Joniec] played great for us. Letting up two goals in a game like that was huge and he was probably the biggest reason that we played well. As a young team, Thursday night was a big step for us because it was the first time that a lot of our guys had played in front of that many fans, and it was the first time they had played against a
By Aidan Donaher ‘16 This week’s student of the week is Kevin Kennedy ‘16. After a lot of buzz regarding a possible move to Roman Catholic, Kennedy declared to stay at the Prep for his senior year. Kennedy carries a 3.7 GPA and plans to continue his studies in college, and is very
interested in becoming a pulmonologist (a lung doctor). He is looking at schools such as Alabama, Penn State, James Madison, and Temple. Kennedy is an active member of the rugby team, and teammate Jack Niekelski ‘16 calls him a very smart player. Kennedy says
that the key to this upcoming rugby season is focusing on fundamentals and taking every game seriously, especially the one against Roman Catholic. Kennedy is also a nice guy. Congratulations, Kevin.
Omotayo Aiyegbusi Andrew Balmer Christopher Beck Samuel Belding Nicholas Belecanech Stephen Bernhardt Grant Bianchi David Bowdler William Boyle Aaron Brown Patrick Burgoyne Alexander Butler Christopher Callahan Gregory Campisciano Brendan Cavanaugh Michael Ciccotta Kyle Cissone
Johnathan Coppola Paul Cox Conor Coyne Riley Curtin Connor Daly Aidan Donaher Patrick D'Orsogna Brendan Eck Joseph Egler Christopher Fecca Joseph Finelli Peter Ford Richard Fusco Peter Gayhardt Kyzer Gerez Brendan Heenan Matthew Ix
describes the gritty play, as he was tagged with a tripping penalty for his aggressive play. “The game really started to get physical after a La Salle defenseman delivered a cheap shot to Kyle Cissone [‘16] in the head. As a team we started to take the body [check] more because we were mad that Kyle got hurt. We tried to focus on the simple things like taking advantage of our power plays and covering the
team of that skill level. Moving forward, I think this game gives our team a lot of confidence and helps us understand what it takes to win.” A rematch against La Salle awaits, on January 29, away at the Hatfield Ice Arena in Colmar, PA. With this performance in mind, “Prockey” is confident that, next time, the final result will be different.
Student of the Week
The following 86 seniors were recognized at Tuesday's Honors Convocation: Bidley Jean-Baptiste Frank Kakos Kevin Kalb Michael King Thomas Koenig Connor Kramer John Kueny August Lorei Charles Lunney Sean Lyons Stephen Mahoney Francis Maniscalco Ryan Mannion James McFadden Owen McGovern Matthew McGurk Rory McIntyre
Patrick McKernan Mark McLaughlin John McTiernan William Meis Zachary Mitchell Christopher Montie Zakir Murji Ryan Naehr Liam Nester John Niekelski Joseph O'Connell Andrew Oliver Aidan O'Shaughnessy Fintan O'Toole Christopher Phillips Joseph Pisacano Continued on page 8.
Prep's Admissions Process in Full Swing By Aidan O’Connor ‘17 Over the course of the coming months, students from grade schools across the Delaware Valley will start receiving big, fat, white envelopes from the Prep, officially offering them places at the prestigious institution. This is the culmination of hours of effort from both the students themselves and the admissions team at the Prep. The admissions process typically starts with the annual open house, held in October. This year, over 700 families registered. Then, until early November, students could submit their applications and take the entrance exam. The number of applicants is typically around 600. So far, this year’s numbers appear to be consistent with this. To ensure that the
number stays high, the admissions team at the Prep works ceaselessly, attending information sessions at 72 grade schools and sponsoring many Prep events to encourage interest in the school. “At these events we gave out lots of great Prep information and ‘swag,’ including our 2015-16 brochure, the ‘Top 10 Myths About SJP’ guide, lanyards, magnets, pencils, and wristbands which housed a flash drive that contains a copy of our new admission video that highlights all aspects of the Prep from our Jesuit identity, our location, our academics, and our after-
school programs,” says Mr. Howie Brown ‘99, director of admissions. A large part of the admissions process is the Hawklife Shadow Visit. These visits start in September and run through December. This visitation day gives eighth graders a chance to see what life at the Prep is really like. So far, 430 visits are already scheduled. Interviews conducted with the shadows at these visits—along with transcripts, entrance exams, and recommendations—go into choosing which students will receive acceptance letters. There is a tremendous amount of work that goes into
admissions. “What might not be apparent to the average person is the tireless work that our Admissions/Marketing team of eight people does to get to know each and every student and family as best as possible during the admissions process. And not only are we doing that for current eighth graders, but because of school visits and Open House we also start relationships with hundreds of seventh, sixth, and even some fifth grade families. Every fall it’s like we get close to 1,000 new friends.” Not only does interest in the Prep remain high, but, with the work of the admissions team, it is ensured that the incoming freshman class will be filled with students who will be ready to succeed at the Prep.
NCAA Commits Honored
By Ronan Egan ‘18 This past week at the Prep, the athletic achievements of six among the school’s greatest studentathletes were celebrated. After school on November 12, these six men stood in front of a crowd composed of both students and parents and did what any high school athlete wishes to do eventually—put on the hat and sign the National Letter From left to right, Mr. Hart '95, Mr. Falcone '91, Keith Flaherty '16, Mr. DeLaney, Alex of Intent. These six athletes Scalamandre '16, Mr. Avington '90, Kevin Stump included Pete Gayhardt ‘16, '16, Kyle Scheurle '16, Griffin Fleming '16, and Pete Gayhardt '16.
Griffin Flemming ‘16, Kevin Flaherty ‘16, Alex Scalamandre ‘16, Kyle Scheuerle ‘16, and Kevin Stump ‘16. Gayhardt will be attending Notre Dame for lacrosse. Flemming will be going to Marquette to play lacrosse. Flaherty will be playing baseball at West Chester. Scalamandre will be attending Navy to play lacrosse. Scheuerle will be going to play lacrosse at Franklin and Marshall. And Stump will be playing Continued on page 7.
Thanksgiving Food Drive Already a Success By Stas Postowski ‘16 As many of you know, this year’s Hurtado Food Pantry Thanksgiving Drive was a huge success, with over $33,000 worth of food donated and more than 480 donors, ranging from Pennsylvania to California. The average donation was $68.72 with some ranging over $1,000. “The drive is arguably the biggest drive in the country done by a high school,” says Leo Vaccaro ‘05. And it doesn’t stop there. Still going on is the Campo’s Food Challenge, where students who participate can win a free meal from Campo’s, and receive a 20%-off coupon by just submitting a response. Vaccaro is ecstatic that the food drive has turned out so successfully, but wants Prep students to know that the goal is to decrease the size. “It’s great that we
have such a big, wonderful food drive, but the ideal is that we would not have to do a food drive,” says Vaccaro. “Since the need is so great, that is what contributes to size.” Today, a food rally will be held immediately after school where students will help put together the baskets. Vaccaro asks for about 100 students and adults to join him in the Prep’s multipurpose room, in order to assemble approximately 300 food baskets. The food is
already organized and ready to be put in the baskets. Additionally, the rally will host some speakers from the community. The whole event is anticipated to last at least from 2:20 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., including the speeches. Various media outlets are anticipated to be present as well, but hopefully, the students themselves will hear about the issues that face their community. And what better way to help out? The students of the Prep are called to be Men
department, spoke to the Junior class, and Ms. Donna Ambrogi spoke to the seniors. During these presentations, discussions centered on coping mechanisms for depression and other mental health issues. The students learned ways to properly cope with their own forms of depression, and how to deal with other people who are suffering from this
mental illness. Some of these positive coping mechanisms included everyday activities, such as exercising, eating well, socializing, and challenging the negative thoughts that arise in their minds. Students thought the presentations were “inspirational,” and “a lifechanging realization.” “I thought it was very open and took a lot of courage for Mr. Bergman to
for and with Others, and this is their opportunity. Vaccaro is very optimistic going forward, and is so proud of what the student body has done. “This food drive shows the community that the Prep is not willing to give up on North Philadelphia, not to mention we have back-toback Mayors,” Vaccaro says. He calls on us, the men of the Prep, to start looking for permanent solutions in solving hunger in the area, and in the big picture: the world. This feat was not accomplished alone. An enthusiastic proponent of the food drive was Pat Gillespie ‘16. Gillespie was a huge part of the success, especially in the social media department. Relaying this information so quickly led to a wider array of donors, and, ultimately, success.
Prep Spotlights Mental Illness in Recent Assembly of the mathematics unfortunate, yet realistic speak out about the issues
By David Haddad ‘18 Last Thursday, November 12, the school engaged in a schoolwide assembly on mental health and depression. Ms. Kristen Nordeman spoke to the freshman class, and the sophomores were addressed by Mr. Drew Bergman, who focused on his journey through the Prep while dealing with depression and family issues. Meanwhile, Mr. Paul Morrissey, chairman
that plagued his family,” says Liam Broderick ‘18. After these presentations, each student had a counseling session during his English class to discuss symptoms of depression and to address ways to deal with depression. Here, students were able to openly discuss their thoughts on how to help other students and friends suffering from depression. Continued on page 8.
3D Printer Ready and Operational
By Augie Lorei ‘16 The Prep recently bought a 3D printer, and it has since been sitting in the library, unused for the most part, although available for student use. Using heated spools of plastic thread, the 3D printer can print anything that has been modeled digitally and uploaded to it. It does not work as quickly as a regular printer, but it prints in another dimension. Mr. Joe Binck ‘11, the moderator of the printer, estimated that printing an iPhone case would take about one to two hours. In order to model an object for printing, a modeling program is required. Two free programs are Google Sketchup and AutoCAD, and Binck uses a program called Rhinoceros 3D, but this costs money. Unfortunately, Chromebooks cannot use any of these programs, but there are talks of getting Sketchup on the
NCAA (Cont'd)
lacrosse at Williams College. As for the ceremony itself, new head lacrosse coach Mr. Sean DeLaney had a major role in deciding when and how this ceremony was going to take place. DeLaney did not just help set up the event, but guided the kids through the process of signing a Letter of Intent and what steps younger players need to take in order to make
computers in the PC Lab. After the model is done, it can be saved as an .stl file and saved to be used on the computer next to the printer. An .stl file works with Cura, another free program. In this program, there are choices for three levels of smoothness. The smoother it is, the longer the print, and the size can be scaled up or down as wanted. The printer itself is called an Automaker 2, and can print objects with dimensions of as many as eight inches by eight inches by eight inches, but since printing this would take so long, students will most likely be limited to fist-sized objects. The library currently has six different colors of plastic, but almost any color, including clear or metallic, can be purchased. There are two printed robots sitting on top of the printer that show the lowest print quality level, and the front of the Church of the Gesu, on the smoothest setting. There is also a this happen in the future. “Lacrosse coach DeLaney was a major contributor in setting up the whole event,” says Mr. Dennis Hart ‘95, the new athletic director. All of these students went through the procedure required by the NCAA. “The students work closely with the coaches to make sure the process runs smoothly and there are no issues,” says Hart. He goes on to talk
setting between those two. The plastic is of moderate durability. There are printers that use lighter plastic, and others that use heavy-duty stuff. Binck says that if a printed phone case were dropped, it would not crack.
There is a sheet of sign-up times that will allow students to print for four hours per time slot. There is also a longer overnight time slot. Using the printer is free for all students.
The Prep's 3D printer stationed in the McShain Library. about how these kids just the Prep’s finest students want to play the sport, and were honored—by the school, how they will do whatever their classmates, teachers, committing to one of these parents, and the NCAA—by schools requires off the field. signing the highest honor that About the process itself, the any high school athlete could NCAA allows these students receive. The National Letters to start talking to coaches of Intent were signed in front during their sophomore year, of a crowd of over 100 and the offers begin to come people, and they were given a during their junior year. By standing ovation for their April, every student-athlete work both on and off the will have signed his or her field. Letter of Intent for the following year. Last Thursday, six of
Convocation (Cont'd) Stas Postowski John Raynor IV Nicholas Ricci Charles Sailer Kevin Sampson Ellis Sargeant Michael Schwenger Nicholas Shields
Luke Skobieranda Daniel Spellacy Kevin Stump Aaron Sykes Alexander Talbot Patrick Urbine William Visco Darius Volertas Evan Wall Andrew Whitaker Steven Yezzi
Assembly (Cont'd)
causes of death in adolescents from age 15 to age 19 is suicide, following vehicle Knowing that accidents. mental health issues exist and are constant factors in many people’s lives is important. A staggering 20 percent of teenagers experience depression prior to adulthood. Among the top three leading
Hawkeye Staff Editors-in-Chief
Tickets for the Cape & Swords Drama Society’s production of Kennedy’s Crisis: 13 Days in October, are on sale for this weekend. Tickets are available for the following showings:
Joe Egler ‘16 Ryan Naehr ‘16
November 20 @ 8 p.m. November 21 @ 8 p.m. November 22 @ 3 p.m. Don’t miss one of the last opportunities to see a play which has drawn significant praise from all.
Scoreboard & Events
By Joe Egler '16
Game Recaps FOOTBALL: 49-13 Win over Roman Catholic Upcoming Games FOOTBALL: PCL Championship vs. La Salle at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School tomorrow @ 1:00 p.m.
Next Week at the Prep MONDAY, 11/23: “F” Day TUESDAY, 11/24: Reverse “D” Bells Thanksgiving Food Delivery Thanksgiving Mass “A” Day WEDNESDAY, 11/25: No School
THURSDAY, 11/26: Thanksgiving No School; Offices Closed FRIDAY, 11/27: No School; Offices Closed
StaffWriters Aidan Donaher ‘16 Augie Lorei ‘16 Ryan Mannion ‘16 Fintan O’Toole ‘16 Joe Pisacano ‘16 Stas Postowski ‘16 Kevin Sampson ‘16 Joe Schade ‘16 Joe Console ‘17 Mike Grafenstine ‘17 Mike Haley ‘17 Von Hobe ‘17 Christopher Magiera ‘17 Tristan Mordan ‘17 Aidan O’Connor ‘17 Mike O’Neill ‘17 Mac Riga ‘17 Kyllian Vong ‘17 David Haddad ‘18 Ronan Egan ‘18 Matthew Phillips ‘18 Anthony Tigano ‘18 Joe Scott ‘19 Moderator Mr. Leo Vaccaro ‘05 Special Thanks To Ms. Ree O’Neill Mr. Frank Raffa