Vol. 42, I ssue XI
The Student Newspaper of St. Joseph's Prep
Cape & Swor d Prepares for Spr ing Production of The Music Man
Cour se Selection Released; New Electives By David M cCabe '19 With course selection forms having been released, there are dozens of selections for classes at the fingertips of every Prep student. And, especially for current Sophomores and Juniors, there is the decision of whether or not to take an elective. Next year?s electives are growing in numbers with new additions from the English, Classics, and Computer Science Departments.
By Aidan O?Connor ?17 With Spring comes many great things to the Prep: illicit March Madness gambling, Spring bell schedule, and (perhaps most importantly) Cape & Sword?s Spring show. The Prep?s upcoming production, entitled The Music Man, will open May 12th. The cast is comprised of 37 people, the largest one the Prep has ever had. This is the third time the Prep has put on The Music Man, following performances in 1983 and 2000. Mr. Tony Braithwaite ?89, director, explains the show as such: ?There's a lot of darkness in this story - a problem child with a speech impediment who doesn't communicate after the death of his father, a woman who's been labeled a town pariah due to untrue rumors, and of course the central plot
of a con man who delights in cheating people out of their money!? Rather than a typical musical comedy, Braithwaite wishes for the audience to see it as a play with music. He explains that ?any production should bring truth and high emotional stakes to this very familiar story, so often wrongly shrouded in caricature?. Many productions of The Music Man miss the nuanced emotional aspects of the play, but Cape & Sword will make no such mistake. Professor Harold Hill, the aforementioned con man and the lead role, will be played by Jay Fogarty ?18, who had the role of Slank in the Fall?s production of Peter and the Starcatcher. Prof. Hill comes to town posing as a band organizer
with nefarious plans to raise funds and then skip town. However, following his interactions with Marian Paroo, played by Elena Christen MSJA ?17, and her young brother Winthrop Paroo, he has a life-changing crisis. Elena Christen explains her expectations as such: ?I am extremely excited to take part in a version of The Music Man which has never hit the stage! It is essentially the debut of a new musical. We hope to make this classic musical a success through creative costumes, unique interpretations of characters, and intricate sets?. In regards to casting, Mr. Braithwaite drew an analogy to sports: ?Every show is, essentially, a different sport. And a stellar QB from the Fall might not find himself a starter Continued on Page 2.
Catching up with Steve Vastur ia '13 By M att Brennan '18 With 1:15 left in the second half on Saturday, down by nine points to West Virginia, Notre Dame?s Steve Vasturia (?13 from the Prep) threw an inbounds pass 75 feet down the court straight into the waiting arms of guard Rex Pfleuger who was wide open for a layup. This is just one example of a smart basketball play by Vasturia who wrapped up his Notre Dame career with a
loss in the second round of the NCAA tournament. As usual, it was Vasturia doing the little things that made Notre Dame a big success on the hardwood the last four years. He finished his illustrious career at Notre Dame with 1,400 career points while his team managed to win 97 games during his time in South Bend. For most people at the Prep, this may not have been a surprise as Vasturia finished his
high school career with 1,766 career points, which is the alltime points record. Vasturia also was a two- time Catholic League MVP, a Catholic League Defensive Player of the Year, and the first St. Joe?s Prep player to ever be named the Gatorade Pennsylvania Player of the Year. Once he reached the University of Notre Dame, Vasturia admitted that he was not sure what Continued on Page 3.
M arch 25th, 2017
One selection that has existed at the Prep before in the English department is the Science Fiction literature course, and it is now expected to make a return with Mrs. McKinley. At the end of the last school year, McKinley was approached by a group of current Juniors headed by Colin Sergi ?18, whom she taught in his Freshmen year. Mrs. McKinley teaches the novel ?Frankenstein,? by Mary Shelley, which is often hailed as the first science fiction novel. These students asked Mrs. McKinley if they could study more Sci- Fi in an elective. The course had already existed in the Prep?s Program of Studies, so Mrs. McKinley did not need to bring it before the Academic Council. All that was needed for the class to run was enough student interest, and, judging from the survey that the English department sent out to current Sophomores and Juniors, there is definitely enough interest.
The course itself will consist of ?everything from genetics to aliens to vampires. It?ll be a real geek- fest,? says Mrs. McKinley. The literature studied will most likely range across a wide variety of media platforms: books, films, plays, graphic novels, and short stories to name a few. A list of suggested material was given to Mrs. McKinley by Sergi, and she will be researching them over the summer to design the course. She is still taking suggestions, so if you are interested in the class, feel free to email Mrs. McKinley. Another course that will be available next year from the Classics department will be Athenian Democracy. This course was introduced to the Academic Council a few years ago, and Mr. Pohlig has been in the process of designing the course curriculum. This class will cover the rise of Athens as a democratic city state; the culture, history, and political implications of Athens; and the evolution of newer empires that have been influenced by institutions of democracy, like the United States. Classics electives often do not involve any sort of translating, but there will be studying of ancient texts. From the Program of Studies: ?Students engage in the close reading, analysis, and discussion of ancient literature in English translation.? There are also two other Classics electives that are not Continued on Page 2.