Volume 48, Issue 3

Frisbee Remembers Oliver Ricciardelli '22

By Luke Gallagher '23

PHILADELPHIA

? On Sat urday, October 29th, the St Joe?s Prep Ultimate Frisbee team hosted the first ever Oliver Ricciardelli Mixed Hat Tournament in memory of Oliver Ricciardelli ?22, who tragically passed away last spring The tournament was organized in conjunction with thePhiladelphiaAreaDisc Al liance(PADA) to bring players from across the city and state together to enjoy the game of ultimate frisbee and to cele bratethelifeof Oliver

?We recently had a donation made to the team in Oliver?s name and decided we wanted to find away to useit to honor Oliver,? said Head Coach An thony Rubbo ?97 ?I didn?t want to tell the team what to do with it but I wanted it to be something that the kids who shared their academic and ath letic lives with Oliver were on

board with After meeting with the captains, they jumped at the idea of a hat tournament Since Oliver loved the sport and embraced the togetherness

The Prep Hosts Gun Buyback

By Ian Gomez '23

PHILADELPHIA ? One of the biggest topics and most prevalent issues in Philadelphia today is one that, on Saturday, October 29th, was quite literally on our doorstep here at 17th and Girard: combating gun violence With 70% of Philadelphians polled in a Pew Research study reporting that public safety is oneof themost pressing issues in the city today, crime and gun violence are major items on the minds of many So to that end: what is a gun buyback? And why was the Prep involved in one on October 29th?

Many voiceshereat thePrep were involved in the planning of the event The buyback was organized by people such as Mr Marinacci of the Office of the President, Mr Gambone of the Religious Studies Department, and Father Surovick, SJ of the Mission and Ministry Office The three of them worked closely with the Philadelphia Police, who brought vehicles and

equipment to set up for the event They also provided staffing at the tables set up in the senior lot on Saturday, lights flashing to alert the neighborhood that thebuyback washappening

The concept of the buyback itself originatesfrom astartling fact: according to the Department of Justice (DOJ), out of 287,400 inmates accused of violent crimes involving firearmsor other gun weaponry, 25% had obtained their weapon from a familiar source Oftentimes, guns left lying irresponsibly in a home can be used irresponsibly by people who are not licensed to carry a gun, leading to harm and danger for those nearby

The buyback offered an alternative to the potential threat posed by unattended weaponry anyone looking to safely dispose of a gun could return it to the police working at the Prep for some financial compensation either a $100

ShopRite gift card or a $200 VISA credit card depending on theguntype

aspect of it, it just seemed like theperfect way togo?

The tournament brought to gether over one hundred play

By Isaiah Littlejohn '24

PHILADELPHIA

? On

The Prep Ultimate Frisbee team with Mr Marcell Ricciardelli P?22 and Mrs Betsy Johnson P?22

Friday, November 4th, St Joe's Prep hosted its first monthly AMDG Friday in the Church of the Gesu, dedicated to Pope Francis?request for prayer for children who are suffering

from poverty, war, and exploitation The event served as an opportunity for students to reflect and pray by inviting various religion classes throughout the day to come andparticipate

The Church of the Gesu during the AMDG Friday activities

began with a student speaker, Luke Gallagher ?23, who shared hisexperiencesfromhis servicetrip to Brownsville, TX this past June Gallagher discussed various experiences from the trip in connection to

ers from all across Pennsylva niaand was?atributeto Oliver and how he envisioned the game,? said Assistant Coach Paul McCabe ?80 As part of

?hat? aspect of the tourna ment, players were randomly assigned to oneof six teamsby drawingnamesfromahat

Friday, November 4th marked the first AMDG Friday at the Prep and provided an opportunity for prayer and reflection centered around Pope Francis' request for prayer for children who are suffering

The Prep Hosts Gun Buyback

fromBUYBACK pg 1

According to the Prep?s website, GesuSchool President Bryan Carter is quoted saying, ?Cura Apostolica'', in regards to their cooperation in the gun buyback Thisreferstotheidea that it istheduty of theschools ascentersof education to work at improving thecommunity in which they find themselves Thisideawascertainly in mind for Father Surovick, aswell

?We are uniquely located to be of service to this neighborhood Our city is in great need when trying to prevent gun violence and I think that was behind the inspiration to participate,? said Surovick

When asked who the buyback benefited, Father Surovick answered, ?It benefits those households where those guns are being held, and at somelevel, weknow that those

guns being bought back have not been usedfor crimes"

Looking at the issue through a preventative lens, Surovick also said that "it preventsthose guns from being found by someoneelsein thehouse and being used by someone who wasnot intended?

Painted prominently across the Prep are the words cura urbi, translating to ?care for the city?, and that perfectly encapsulates the spirit of the buyback

?It?s that sense of ?we?re doing what we can? so there is a tangential value to doing events like these,? Surovick said

The Prep and the Gesu School were not alone in the buyback effort In a press conference on October 18th, Fr Surovick announced the event alongside F Christopher

Faith That Lives Justice at The Prep

fromAMDG pg. 1

topic: prayer for children who aresuffering

?When migrants first arrive at US Immigration Detention Centers they are stripped of their shoelaces and belts as a way of preventing self harm or harm toward others This action sumsup alot of what is happening at the border: treating normal, good people like they are somehow different,?saidGallagher

?One of the things our entire group agreed upon while still in Brownsville was that we would not let theeffectsof this trip die when we got back to Philadelphia,? said Gallagher ?Between today?s AMDG Friday and future plans of organizing a shoelace drive here at the Prep, we hope to allow the Prep community to become directly involved with this real and serious issue that theborder crisispresents?

After initial speakers, the period shifted to more of a choose your own adventure experience where students were able to choose between activities such as Eucharistic adoration, Reconciliation, the Rosary, mindfulness breathing, small group discussions, and quiet journaling time Some students even just used the quiet time to relax in the pews before their next class The reflective experience ended with a prayer and students weredismissed

Mr Gambone, Religious

Studies teacher and part time advisor to Mission and Ministry, was one of the organizers of the event, along with Mr Callaghan (who is also a part time advisor), Mr Dougherty Ms Longto Fr Surovick, Ms San Chirico, Ms Becker, Mr Pinto and more

?Wehad conversationsabout a similar program at Jesuit Tampa with one of their campus ministers, conversations with student leaders about identifying the needs of the student body, conversations with students about how they're feeling, conversations with adult colleagues about listening and responding to students, and many, many more," said Gambone

AMDG Fridays quickly began to take shape ?Sometimes there's a student disconnect with all school liturgies,?said Gambone ?Part of a Jesuit pastoral response to a spiritual disconnect is to provide a positive experience that's deeply personal Even in that seemingly short period of time, alot canhappen?

Reflecting on his experience with the first AMDG Friday, Diego Budejen Jerez '24 said, "I didn't know if many would takeit seriously or try totalk to their friends instead, but I found that a lot of people took it seriously and I really enjoyedthat "

Budejen Jerez participated in the small group discussion

during his time at AMDG Friday

?Everyonein thesmall group chose to be there for the purpose of putting themselves out there and trying to understand their classmates around them We shared with one another about our stress? it wasnice?

When asked what he had walked away with from the AMDG Friday, Budejen Jerez said, ?I walked away with a sense of gratitude towards the school The school trying to implement AMDG Fridaysisa stepintheright direction They are acknowledging the stresses that they are imposing upon students and giving us a time to not only become closer to God but to de stress and to get toknow thosearoundus?

Thenext AMDG Friday will be on December 2nd and will be centered around Pope Francis's December prayer intention for volunteer non profit organizations seeking out new paths to international cooperation Until then, opportunities for prayer and reflection will continue to be offered every morning in the White Chapel In the future, monthly AMDG Fridays will continue to serve as a great way to provide students with a moment of peacein their daysand asense of clarity in their minds

What's The New ID Policy?

By Ryan Sullivan '26

PHILADELPHIA The ID policy is here and it is in full effect Since September 24th, all Prep studentshavebeen re quired to wear their school issued IDs The policy, which was lost over the pandemic, was reinstated by the school?s president, Mr JohnMarinacci

The 2022 23 Student Hand book states that ?students are required to have ID badges properly displayed and visible at all times while inside of the building?

The rule seems quite straightforward and there's a goodreasonfor itscreation

"The reason behind that has to do with security" said Mr Greene, Dean of Students "We have a number of different people that work at the front security desk entrance It?s impossible for every teacher and staff member to know every student Unfor tunately, welivein aworld to day where danger to our stu dents in the form of school shootings or mass shootings occur far too frequently Therefore, it?s imperative that we are able to identify every onein thebuilding and besure they should be in the building?

states that ?failure to have a badge properly displayed is a violation under the Student Code of Conduct Any student who does not have their ID properly displayed may receive JUG Repeat offenders may receive additional conse quencesat thediscretion of the Deanof Students?

The reimplementation of the policy comes primarily out of safety concerns, but Dean Greene also said that the ID policy prepares students for ?thereal world?

?Students are required to have ID badges properly displayed and visible at all times while inside of the building ?

2022 23 Student Handbook

?When you leave the con fines of these walls, go off to college, get into theworkplace, there are IDs required! You?re not getting in your student dorm unless you have your ID It?s just the way of the world?

Although some students are still reluctant to abide by the school's policy and wear their IDs, the Prep hopes that this policy will help create a safer community moving foward

The student handbook also

Goins, President of Girard College, State Representative Malcolm Kenyatta, and Bilal

Qayum of the Father?s Day Rally Through this effort and others, The Prep remains

dedicated to helping their city and their neighbors

Left to right: Bryan Carter (President of The Gesu School), Bilal Qayum (Founder of Father's Day Rally), Mr Marinacci (President of St Joe's Prep), and F Christopher Goins (President of Girard College) ( P h o t o :

s j p r e p p a x c h r i s t i )

In the World: Flooding in Pakistan

By Ian Gomez '23

PAKISTAN ?Global Warm ing? is a term that is already familiar in the marketplace of ideas, yet many fail to realize its adverse effects around the globe In what has been al ready described as ?over whelming? by the Prime Min ister of Pakistan, Shahbaz Sharif, the floods that have devastated the teeming Indus River Valley of Pakistan have affected over 33 million Pak istanis They have destroyed over two million homes and thousands of medical facilities and schools, while inundating entire communities that have relied on the river for genera tions

Located at the confluence and crossroads of cultures on thenorthern edgeof theIndian subcontinent, Pakistan is the fifth most populous nation in

theentireworld, aswell asone of the most ancient Some of the earliest examples of ad vanced civilization can be found on thevery banks of the river that now devastates the landscape Built over 4,500 years ago, the ancient metrop olis of Mohenjo Daro is one of the earliest examples of ad vanced water irrigation sys tems built by the Harappan civilization Now, the site is threatened by the rushing wa ters of the Indus River, as it courses its way from north to south through the fertile heart of Pakistan to reach the Ara bianSea

The destruction of the fertile farmlands also presents an es pecially grave situation that Pakistan will be forced to ad dress in the coming months: famine It is estimated by both the Associated Press and United Nations relief organi

zations (UNICEF Pakistan) that over 15% of this year?s rice harvest has been lost, as well as40%of itscottoncrops This jeopardizes not only the economic livelihoods of mil lionsof Pakistanis, but also the very food that is the staple in thePakistani diet

The sheer ferocity of this event has also stunned climate scientists As of the govern ment's declaration of a state of emergency in August, parts of Pakistan havereceived over 15 inchesof rain, over threetimes thenormal amount This num ber varied across the country, though In some areas, the rainfall has been over five times what is typically seen Scientists estimate that it may take up to six months for the flood waters to recede, para lyzingtherebuildingprocess

A woman in the Sindh

province detailed her experi ence with the floods during an interview with Al Jazeera, saying, ?Just a few days ago, we had everything and our six children; [now], ahome, furni ture, food? everything?s de stroyedby theflood?

Standing on the muddy, ru ined riverbank, another woman balancing a baby on her knee said, ?We have young children with us, and there?s nothing here we can cook or eat There?s no tent, firewood, no clothes?

According to UNICEF Pak istan, one in nine children un der the age of five who were admitted to hospitals, espe cially in the southern coastal regionsof Sindh and Balochis tan, suffered from forms of acute malnutrition Over 27,000 schools have also been destroyed, preventing over two

million children from being able to receive and benefit from an education Water scarcity hasalso played ahuge factor in the unfolding cata strophes of the Indus River, in which the spread of water borne illnesses, namely cholera, has now impacted the water supply

Pakistan is in great need of voices willing to bring atten tion to the issues of water and food security in the country The scale of the disaster in Pakistan is summarized in the words of Shahbaz Sharif, who said, ?Pakistan has never seen a starker and more devastating example of the impact of global warming ? nature has unleashed her fury on Pakistan without looking at our carbon footprint, which is next to nothing?

Frisbee Hosts Memorial Tournament

fromFRISBEE

pg 1

?Something like a hat tourna ment isgreat becauseit?sabout theloveof thegame,?said Ul timate Frisbee Moderator Mr Bill Avington ?90 ?There?s no Prep Ultimate, just ultimate,? hesaid

The hat tournament was not just aperfect fit for theamount of players who signed up, but it was also indicativeof Oliver and thespirit hebrought to the game

?It?s an opportunity to meet new people, reach out, and try new things,? said Harrison McDonald ?22, oneof Oliver?s teammates on the ulti mate frisbee team ?That?s something he liked to do Every game, Oliver would talk to new people and he would always have new friendsafter?

During his time at the Prep, Oliver was a captain of the ultimate frisbee team and played an in tegral role in getting the team

recognized as an official var sity sport He also started the intramural league last year, which helped to bring new playersintothesport

When asked to describe Oliver in just one word, his friends, coaches, and team mates gave strikingly similar answers Dedicated Energetic Committed Loving

?Oliver is such a big part of our program and when we had the opportunity to remember him, we thought [today?s tour nament] would be such a great thing to do,?said Mr Avington ?90

parents, Mr Marcell Riccia rdelli andMrs Betsy Johnson

?I think [thetournament] re flects a spirit of the Prep as a whole,?said Mr Ricciardelli P ?22 ?There is such a strong senseof community and taking care of each other?everybody does their best and steps up, while also enjoying them selves?

?If there?s one thing I want people to take away from to day it?s to throw yourself in play with your whole heart, and really enjoy yourself,?said Mrs Johnson P ?22 ?I think that?s what Ultimate is all about and what Oliver really loved about the sport and about being at the Prep?it was some thing he could do with his whole heart and with a group of people who he really loved?

Mr Bill Avington '90, Ultimate Frisbee Moderator

Many members of the Prep community were present at the tournament, including Oliver?s

After the success of their first tournament in honor of Oliver, the ultimate frisbee team envisions the

Satellite images show the true scale of flooding in the Indus River Valley

Oliver Ricciardelli Memorial Hat Tournament as an annual event and hopes to continue

competing for Oliver in years to come

Prep Ultimate Frisbee players waiting to be randomly assigned to their team

A flooded street in one of the areas affected by the floodwaters

" Oliver is such a big part of our program and when we had the opportunity to remember him, we thought [today's tournament] would be such a great thing to do "

Features

Mr. Cavacos Brings Phillies Pride to the Prep!

By Conor Flaherty '24

The Phillies? loss to the Houston Astros in the World Series was a devastating blow for die hard Philadelphia sports fans especially among the Prep community Despite that, this World Series run was one of the best times to be a sports fan in the city of Philadelphiaandat thePrep

AsthePhilsadvancedfurther through the postseason, Mr Cavacos gifted students with a multitude of free dress down days?7 to beexact During one week, there were more dress down days than there were regular dress code days But did such an occasion call for the unprecedented number of dressdown days the Prep received? Mr Cavacos seems tothink so

?We were pulling for our team in extraordinary times,? he said ?The Prep has been around for 172 years, and just eight of those years have coincided with NL championships for the Phils

Gottacapitalize!?

With such a momentous occasion for our city, Mr Cavacos felt it necessary that we support and celebrate Several other students within thePrepcommunity agreed ?I?m thrilled I thought it was great what Mr Cavacos did It heightened the spirits, it heightened everyone?s mood here, it was great,? said Nick Villari ?24

Another student, Diego Budejen Jerez?24, said, ?Yeah, it?s good Gave us some good school spirit, lightened up the mood I enjoyedit ?

Though eventually the Phillies? season ended in heartbreak, the celebration throughout their run was one of the most memorable Philly sports moments in recent years; and this was made all the more special by bringing the celebration to the Prep ? all thanks to Mr Cavacos

Welcoming Rev. Richard McCouch, S.J. to the Prep

By Aidan Lynch '24

Rev Richard McCouch, SJ joined the Religious Studies department at the Prep just a few months ago and has already left an impact on many of his students He has had a great experience teaching in the classroom, but his impact has gone far beyond as many of his students will often talk to him in the halls between classes

Hecameto thePrep, already having served in 2012 as a priest in the Church of the Gesu Before coming to the Prep, Rev McCouch was the Director of the Appalachian Institute, a Jesuit institution at WheelingUniversity

He knew he wanted to be a priest when hemet Father Jack O?Conner, a priest at La Salle University, who inspired him greatly When asked what he would be interested in doing with his priesthood, he said, ?I want to go wherever I am needed?

He currently teaches Christian Ethics and Sacred Scripture to sophomores and

?The energy of the students here is far greater than any other school I?vetaught at,?he

said

Mr. Hensler On Student Debt Crisis

By Miller McCloskey '26

Mr Hensler, one of the Prep?s Religious Studies teachers, is one of many personally affected by the student debt crisis Student debt has been increasing well over the rate of inflation for years and is likely affecting many of our younger teachers at St Joe?sPrep Mr Hensler is not only a religion teacher at the Prep, but also a doctoral candidate at Temple University He has taught all grades at the Prep, as well as college level theology Currently, heteaches9th grade World Religions and 10th gradeSacredScripture

When asked who Mr Hensler?s favorite philosopher is, hesaid that ?CS Lewisand JRR Tolkien are big influences on me and they have pretty well defined world views? He is hoping to one day teach an elective course at thePrep on ?Theology through TolkienandLewis?

Mr Hensler also hashisown worldviews that have driven him to write and submit an article to the Philadelphia Inquirer concerning the issues

of student debt and how it could possibly be resolved He feels passionate that everyone in America should be able to seek higher learning without fear of living in long term debt

?Strings Attached: The Only Long Term Solution to the College Affordability Crisis?, is an article written by Mr Hensler which he recently submitted to The Philadelphia Inquirer

definitely leave with an excessive amount of student debt Mr Hensler explained in his article that the reason collegecostshaverisen tosuch unprecedented amounts is ?because of the choice our government made in 1965 to fund higher education with loans but to make little or no effort tocontrol costs?

He pointed out the fact that most people who attend the Prep will plan to go to a4 year college Anupcoming financial issue for many of our seniors of the Prep may be student debt Mr Hensler explained that the cost of college is so out of control that, unless someone?s parents are able to foot thebill, studentswill most

The article further explains that ?had the U S government required schools to hold down tuition increases to the long term rate of inflation, or only slightly above, with the penalty of forfeiting eligibility for the federal student loan program, none of this would have happened? Basically, young people who are taking out these loans don?t understand how to manage their money yet, and may not completely understand what they are agreeing to? years of debt Colleges keep raising their tuition, and they do not havetoanswer toanyone

Mr Hensler feels that mass student debt is a drain on our society as a whole, pointing out how student debt can get in the way of people's lives after college The college

affordability crisis is a major issue Mr Hensler stated that ?People are putting off buying homes Millennials and young Gen Zers have been putting off having kids until much later than previous generations ? because people don?t havemoney If you don?t havemoney you don?t feel like you are in the position to have kids? Mr Hensler pointed out that these generations are not able to build equity for buying homes and have no savings, which in turn creates more debt than assets He feels college is way too expensive and we?ve made it a normalcy in our society to remain in debt

Mr Hensler wasmotivated to write this article because he believes this is an issue that is very significant in thiscountry He recognizes that the Biden Administrationistryingtohelp by forgiving some federal student loan debts, but hefeels this is just a band aid and not an answer to our nation?s problem

?What we need to do is normalize college, asking for less and making it more affordable," saidHensler

His article addresses his thoughts on a plan that would allow ?the federal loan program to attach strings on colleges and universities to remain eligible It could require schools to bring down tuition by some manageable percentage per year, perhaps with incentivesto lower tuition evenmorequickly?

As of recently, Mr Hensler has not heard back from The Philadelphia Inquirer, but The Hawkeye will be sure to keep thePrepcommunity posted

Mr Hensler in his classroom

juniors at the Prep and loves the energy that his students bringtotheclassroom

The classroom atmosphere combined with his favorite drink (?Bing?) help him get through his 35th year of service

Faculty Portrait of Rev Richard McCouch, SJ

Frontal view of the Philadelphia Inquirer Headquarters

SJP Abroad: German Exchange Trip 2022

By Ian Gomez '23

New continent, new friends, new ways of getting lost! For many on the Prep?s German Exchangetrip thissummer, the crossing of the Atlantic could be summarized in those three phrases Though eating strudel and learning Deutsch were quintessential components of the exchange, the trip also stood as part of a greater Prep mission to be citizens of a worldwidecommunity

The Prep?s storied past with our brothers in Germany is best told by one of the chief organizers of the exchange? someone with incomparable experience abroad: Prep History teacher and historian Mr Bill Conners?80

Having been to Germany every time the exchange has been offered since 2012, Mr Conners ?80 quickly became the lead Prep liaison between the American side and the partners in Germany, the Collegium Josephinum Bonn (CoJoBo) inBonn, Germany

?Hopefully, every time we go, thereisat least onestudent who it leaves an impact on,? said Conners This recalls a time when the Prep offered a study abroad program in Rome for Latin students, an

opportunity Mr Conners ?80 took advantage of during his owntimeasastudent

?It was the most significant academic experience of my life? so for me, I feel like offering this trip also stands as a big part of any young person?slife?

With that goal in mind, this year?s trip departed from Philadelphia on a nine hour flight to Frankfurt on June6th and during thethreeweeksthat followed, Prep studentshad the opportunity to stay with German host families in the city of Bonn

With fellow Prep History teacher Mr Leo Vaccaro ?05, as well as Spanish teacher Ms Ligia Baland, the exchange also had a historical flair to it Thegroup visited sites likethe medieval city of Aachen to learn about the crowning of many German kings

A typical day consisted of shadowing the host brother?s classes at CoJoBo in the morning and going on various day trips and adventures around the Rhine River Valley in the afternoon Some highlights of the trip included the city of Bonn itself, the nearby city of Colognewith its world famouscathedral (oneof

the tallest in the world!), the little villages and hamlets surrounding the cities, and even aCold War bunker dating from the time of the West German government Balancing cultural immersion and global education with the freedom that comes with summer, the trip offered students the opportunity to experiment with anew culture, anew language, and certainly a new timezone!

But how exactly do the various exchange programs offered by the Prep foster a wider discussion about the school?sroleintheworld?

?It adds so much,? said Conners ?It opens the eyes of our studentsinthePhiladelphia region to the wider world outside of the Delaware Valley! When we have exchange students here at the Prep, they add so much to the Prep experience, and they bring a different perspective to theclass??

Mr Conners ?80 went on to mention the long standing impacts of the exchange programs, like cross cultural relationships that will last a lifetime

?I?m really hopeful that this program will be in existence

long after I retire, because I think there is a real hunger for it ?

The future is bright for the Prep?sconnection to theglobal community Thenext cohort of the exchange is planned to be

offered in the summer of 2024 for studentsinany gradelevel

?Wewant to beintellectually competent and grow personally, and I think this is very much a part of that,? said Mr Conners ?80

Catching Up With Motivational Speaker Scotty P

By Jackson Maguire'24

Scott Prendergast, otherwise known as Scotty P, is a public speaker who travels to various schools and businesses around the country to talk about his experience with mental health ThePrep wasfortunateenough to have him speak at a school wide assembly on Monday October 3rd and give his insights on battling mental health and overcoming depressionandanxiety

Formerly a student at CB South High School, Prendergast speaks to schools across the country and shares his experiences with battling depression and anxiety as a teenager While at the Prep, he described how multiple adversities throughout high school and collegeresulted ina complete lack of motivation and hope for happiness Prendergast realized that he needed to talk to someone about his struggles in order to get better After becoming more comfortable with talking about his mental health, Prendergast started to writefor a website called The Odyssey

Online about his experiences dealing with depression and anxiety After his articles started receiving attention, he began to speak publicly about his experiences with mental health

Now, talking to anew school or business almost every day, Prendergast is very happy with his career and seems to have foundhiscalling

?I?m loving it,? he said, ?I am so thankful to have this career and so thankful to be able to speak every day and

have an impact on people?s lives, but morethan that, to do something that I feel is really important ?

Prendergast shared how many of his experiences with students or people he talked to have had profound impacts on him

?I?ve had a lot of different experiences with students and even outsideof aschool setting wherepeopletell me?I felt like my voice didn?t matter; I felt what I was going through was irrelevant, but after hearing

you talk about what you went through it really gave me a voice too and really gave me some hope in my life,?? he said ?I?ve had a lot of interactions like that over the years that have meant a lot to me?

Prendergast also gave advice on how the Prep community can foster a more mental health friendly environment by dedicating time for students to talk to counselors, teachers, or other students

?By creating a space to talk about [mental health], I think that is a great way to acknowledge, to identify, and to learn to work through those challenges, whatever they might be?

When asked what advice he would give to struggling students, he said, ?I would tell struggling students that the struggles that they feel are temporary I know in the moment it seems permanent but that feeling is temporary and you have to understand that thingsaregoing to change They are not going to be like that forever But in the

meantime, in those tough times, let?s find something to hold on to, to pull us through, and give us hope again so we can get through the struggling times and fully be present and enjoy thegoodtimes?

It seemsPrendergast?sgoal is to encourage students to be open about their mental health He acknowledges how uncomfortable and frightening it can be, however it truly is the best step towards being happy It is important for students to realize that their pain will not exist forever and that there is a bright future ahead of them It is equally important for administrators to understand the pain that many studentsexperienceand to give them opportunities to speak about it openly In the academically rigorous environment of the Prep, mental health always seems to be at the back of everyone?s mind However, Prendergast demonstrates that no one is ever alone in their mental health struggles There are resources and people to talk to ? all you have to do is reach out

Scott Prendergast speaking to Prep students in the Church of the Gesu

Prep students pictured in Germany

Entertainment

By Carter Blake'23

The Six God, Champagne Papi, Aubrey ?Drake? Graham is back with another album, this one a collaborative effort with Atlantarapper 21 Savage Titled Her Loss, the album comes at the heels of a successful string of singles from theduo, including but not limited to ?Jimmy Cooks,? ?Knife Talk ? and as far back as 2016?s ?Sneakin? Despite the varying styles of each of the tracks, they were all well received by fans and critics alike There was an obvious chemistry between the two, with both Drake and 21 proving they were more than able to adapt to the other?s style Following the announcement of the long rumored collaborative tape, fansexpected moreof the same, and for the most part, they werenot disappointed

There is no shortage of collaborative albums in music history, especially in the rap genre There are plenty of notable examples of two musical powerhouses joining forces, including Drake and 21?sown respectiveefforts On both of those albums, as well as other successful collaborative albums, it feels like the artists are in cohesion, and truly working together to, in the words of Morgan Freeman ?truly become one? Of course, the elephant in the room surrounding Her Loss is that thissimply isnot thecase

Her Loss is a Drake album, scattered with verses from 21 Savage A similar sentiment was echoed by self proclaimed ?big Drake and 21 fan? Ben Bischoff '23 He felt that 21 ?needed moreopportunities?to shine, andthat theheavy Drake presence prevented it from being ?a true collab album? If you don?t want to take Bischoff's word for it, look at the numbers Two thirds of all words on the album were uttered by Drake, with only 21 accounting for the remaining 26% Although these numbers sound crazy, it makes sense considering Drake was given four solo songs, compared to only onefor 21 Also, on songs that feature both artists, Drake usually takes the majority of the verses and all but one hook While there is still chemistry between the artists, there once again isn?t much opportunity for it to reveal

itself Songs like ?On BS? show what is possible when the two are actually able to work together, with therappers trading flows in a way reminiscent of Kanye and Jay Z on ?Otis? or Biggie Smalls and Jay Z on ?Brooklyn?s Finest ? However, this is followed by the Drake solo effort ?BackOutsideBoyz,? which isn?t necessarily abad song,

Guess It?s **** Me,? another solo Drake song that serves as a disappointing finale Despite misses like these and the obvious problem that it isn?t a true collaborative album, this is a really good album With highlights like the aforementioned ?On BS? and ?Broke Boys,? the rappers are able to put their chemistry on display and replicate the success they had with their

song in a whole new direction The lullaby style intro on ?Major Distribution?turnsinto something Atlanta trap esque and ?***** & Millions? goes from a rather mellow track to something entirely different with the introduction of an entire horn section in the latter half of the song The track, which became one of the most popular off of the album, containsthetape?ssolefeature, none other than Astroworld musicianTravisScott

?***** & Millions? offers insight into someof thethemes of the album Despite the title Her Loss, thereisrelatively no mention of any actual relationships throughout the album Just likeon ?***** and Millions,? the album focuses almost entirely on the material of life Almost like a table of contents, in the opening lines of ?Rich Flex,?Drakeattempts to prepare his listeners for what they areabout tohear:

( P h o t o : ip t c h f o r k c o m )

Drop some bars for my ***** ex tome

And 21 (21), can you do sum' for me?(Yeah)

Can you talk to theoppsnecks for me?(Okay)

21, do your thing, 21, do your thing(21)

Do your thing, 21, do your thing?

As one should expect, the pair spends the rest of the album doing exactly that There is no shortage of bars talking about how much money they have (a lot), how much they dislike their former partners, and who they currently have beef with (the label, Adidas, Serena Williams? husband, etc)

Although it definitely sounds great and makes for an entertaining album, it?s not crazy to say that people expected more out of the duo Only afew songson thealbum come close to matching the energy and excitement of their previous singles On top of that, considering thesolo work of both artists, the album felt likeashell of acombination of their respective discographies They confuse chemistry with imitation, with 21 doing his best Drake impression on ?3AM on Glenwood,? including the title itself Drake is not without blame too, with him doing a 21 impression on pretty muchevery song

Once again, they both do a pretty good job, but not as good as many had thought possible 21 Savage is at the peak of hiscareer, and Drakeis one of the greatest musicians of all time For thetwo of them to combine and make another Atlanta trap record is disappointing to say the least not becauseit isbad, but because the people expected more

but just one that doesn?t necessarily needtoexist

Throughout the album there are plenty of songs like this The Drake dominated track ?Hours in Silence? ruins the flow of the album, and ?I

past singles On ?Broke Boys? and several other tracks on the album including ?Rich Flex? and ?Middle of the Ocean,? there are very prominent beat switches, sometimes up to three of them, that take the

?21, can you do sum' for me? (21)

Can you hit a lil' rich flex for me?(21)

And 21, can you do somethin' for me?(21, 21)

Smino Drops Luv4 Rent

By Brendan Dougherty '23

Three albums into his young career, Christopher Smith Jr has evolved into a rapper with a distinct and powerful sound Smith, better known by his stage name, Smino, was pri marily known for his prowess in feature appearances, having anumber of impressiveperfor mances ranging from Dreamville to DojaCat to Isa iah Rashad The 31 year old Motown singer has had less of afollowing with his solo cata log than hisguest appearances, at least upuntil now

With hitssuch as?Wild Irish Roses?, ?Z4L?, and ?Amphet amine? on Smino?s previous albums, the rapper has shown his capabilities as an artist but wasunabletoput it all together until his most recent album, Luv 4 Rent Luv 4 Rent show cases an album that has hits from front to back, aclear style with amix of guitarsaswell as heavy 808s and rhythmic hi hats Smino useshisvoice(and the voices of others) to create an atmosphere that cannot be replicated, and one that can losethelistener in themusic in agoodway

After thespaciousintro ?4rm DaSource? which doesn?t feel like much of a song but more of an interludeto begin, Smino starts off hot with a number of up tempo and catchy melodies ?No L?s?, thefirst real song on the album, has a fun sample right away, coming from Missy Elliott?s ?Knock Knock? from 2003, similar to Tyler, The Creator and A$APRocky?s hit collab ?Potato Salad? from 2018 Smino raps about how

he uses going out and having fun asa coping mechanism for his relationship struggles, which more or less becomes a theme across the album The next song, ?90 Proof?, was the lead single for the album and gave fans plenty of hype be fore the album's release The song features a catchy hook from Smino over aheavy drum kit, as well as another top notch feature from J Cole, where his vocal range is on display ?90 Proof? can be added to theseemingly endless number of quality J Cole fea tures

Luv4 Rent displayseffective changing of pace from front to back, whereSmino will havea number of quicker paced songs and follow that with a more laid back track The up tempo

?Pro Freak? features some great verses from Smino as well asagreat featurefrom the under the radar female rapper Doechii, who recently signed with Top Dawg Entertainment in the spring, the label for merly home to Kendrick Lamar and now big nameslike SZA andScHoolboy Q A cou ple of songs later, the atmos pheric ?Louphoria? features Smino discussing his miscues in relationships not being able to maintain them and always wantingtostart over ?Blu Billy? talks about Smino?s hustle mentality, and how it is a product of his sur roundings growing up in St Louis The upbeat tune ?Mati nee? immediately follows which is a fantastic display of flow and vocals from Smino

?Modennaminute?beginsarun of a number of very laid back songs from Smino While the vocal range is flexed very nicely, it feels like there may be too much space in between many of thelyricsduring these songs

Smino brings the listener right back in for thefinal three tracks, however, as ?Pudgy,? featuringLil Uzi Vert, isoneof thehardest hitting songson the album Thebeat mixesaguitar riff nicely with a collection of 808s and hi hats, while both Smino and Uzi flow over the track effortlessly The penulti mate track might be the most important, and it isthesoft, yet powerful, ?Curtains? Smino comesto therealization that he must learn to lovehimself and, ?get my fruit from thesource,?

before he is able to love out wardly, a message that almost anyonecanrelateto

The final track, ?Lee & Lovie?, isabeautiful soul song to close out the album Smino sings about finally being able to loveoutwardly, and thesong pays homage to his grandpar ents Luv 4 Rent is Smino?s best collectivework, aswell as someof thebest musictocome out of 2022 His message of learning the concept of love, not just to others but to him self, is very relatable and he does a great job of enforcing this from each track Musi cally, his mixing of sounds is top notch between the drum patterns, the number of strings mixed together, and the voices of Smino and otherslayered on top of each other, there seems to beacohesivenessamidst the chaos of sounds Each track transitions into the next as if they are progressions of just one song, and the entire album has a theatrical feel While Smino may be a bit of a niche artist, his sound becomes in fectious at a certain point and he certainly deserves your lis ten with Luv 4 Rent

Smino dropped his highly acclaimed album Luv4 Rent earlier this month

The Inside Scoop of Don't WorryDarling

By Carter Blake '23

Olivia Wilde aka the Martin Scorcese for the mentally insane, is back with her highly anticipated sophomore directorial effort, Don? t Worry, Darling Despite the name both the production and promotional stages of the film have been filled with nothing but controversy and complications from day one, and have persisted even after the release of the film This is the story of the film that has captured America?s attention, remarkably before it could evencomeout

As with any story, it is essential to first introduce the main characters In this particular case, our protagonist is none other than the aforementioned and critically acclaimed film director Olivia Wilde On the other side, we have the movie?s actual main character, actress Florence Pugh, who has also received her fair share of praise for her work While so far this seems to be a recipe for an overall successful film, if not aclassic, things quickly get more complicated when more and morecharactersareintroduced One of the most notable of these is the international popstar turned indie actor Harry Styles Other people involved in the production of the film who will be discussed later include names like Chris Pine, Shia Labeouf, and Jason Sudeikis

The tragedy of Don? t Worry Darling can be told in two acts: production and promotion The former, arguably the less controversial, was off to a rocky start before the casting process could even be completed This early period is best marked by two main events: Harry Styles replacing Shia Labeouf as the male lead and Olivia Wilde breaking off an engagement with longtimefianceand father to her children, Jason Sudeikis Obviously, to the general public, this was not a coincidence, but rather a maliciousact carried out by the Wilde Styles duo against Sudeikis, whose show Ted Lasso has made him quite literally known for being a good guy Therumorsbegan to dissolve as casting made way into shooting, but once again, only a mere few months could pass before the whole world wasflippedupside down

On January 2nd, 2021, Harry Styles and Olivia Wilde were seen holding hands at the wedding of Styles?agent This led to two questions: 1 How long had this been going on for?And 2 Did Harry only get the part because of his relationship with Wilde? Opinions and ?reports? came and went but nothing could officially beconfirmed About a month after the

news broke, it was announced that shooting had wrapped for the film After that, we went a long time without any news besides for what appeared to be a rather serious relationship developing between Wilde and Styles This is when we enter the second stage of this saga: promotion

On April 27th, 2022, Olivia Wilde took the stage at the self explanatory event CinemaCon to begin the promotional process However, things took a turn when Wilde was handed a manila envelope in the middle of her presentation While the contents of the folder were unknown at the time it was later revealed that they werein fact custody papers sent by Sudeikis, although he denies the timing was intentional Regardless of anyone?s intentions, theevent essentially set off what would becomeone of the most controversial, yet at the same time, most notable promotional processes in recent filmhistory

Following Wilde?s appearance at the convention, rumors once again began to swirl, this time regarding her relationship with Florence Pugh, which had reportedly deteriorated over the course of filming Then, on August 26th, Variety released a bombshell interview with the director, who was also featured on the entertainment magazine?s cover with a Harry Styles? quote superimposed over The interview, which touched on both her professional and personal life, led to even more controversy that would continue to unfold over the next few weeks Thefirst topic she discussed was the now infamous CinemaCon incident and Sudeikis?role in what Wilde referred to as an ?attack ? She said that she was not surprised by what happened and that therewas?a reason [she] left that relationship? This contradicts

previous claims that the separation between the two wasamicableand leadsto even more questions regarding the relationship, such as how long ago it began to dissolve and if Stylesplayedany roleinit Styles?rolein theactual film began to be questioned as Wilde continued with her interview and revealed that she fired Shia Labeouf from the film?s production, whose role eventually went to Styles At the time, the claim was made that scheduling conflicts were thereason for the replacement, but in the interview, Wilde claimsthat shefired himdueto his ?combative energy? on set Considering Labeouf's history in and out of the workplace, this seems like a pretty reasonablemove, maybenot as good as not casting him in the first place, but all's well that endswell

As one could expect at this point, things did not end well at all Just hours later, in reaction to Wilde?s interview, Labeouf stated that he in fact quit the movie, contradicting Wilde?s claims To back up his statement, Labeouf provided emails as well as a video of Wilde attempting to persuade the actor to change his mind In the video, Wilde states that Labeouf returning to the film could be a ?wake up call for Miss Flo,? and that she hopes the two can ?make peace? In an apparent confirmation of rumors from earlier that month, Wilde addresses what seems to be an on set feud between Florence Pugh and Labeouf Even though neither one explicitly said any harsh words about the other, the divide became apparent soon enough when it became time for the film to officially premiere at the Venice Film Festival In theweek following Wilde?s interview, it was rumored that Pugh would skip a majority of the film?s promotional appearances, including the Venice and NYC

premieres This ultimately cameinto fruition when Pugh?s representatives revealed that although she would attend the festival, she would not be at the film?s press conference, and later announced that she would not attend the NYC premiere either Once again, scheduling conflicts were cited as the reason for Pugh?s absence, with her other project, Dune 2, currently in production However, with both movies being distributed by Warner Bros, one would assume that they could carve out at least afew hoursof time for Pugh to attend the conference and other promotional events

With all of this drama in the air, the cast and crew of America?s new favorite film made their way to Venice for the prestigious event where Styles uttered the infamous line: ?You know, my favorite thing about the movie is, like, it feels like a movie It feels like a real, like, you know, go to the theater filmmovie?

Pugh finally arrived at the festival just hours before the cast was set to appear on the red carpet While her outfits, both pre carpet and when she joined therest of thecast, drew lots of attention, the main headlinewasthe actions of the person behind the outfits: her stylist As this was all going on, the stylist took to Instagram to post a picture of Pugh in her red carpet attire, captioning the photo ?Miss Flo,? a callback to the leaked video of Wilde Up until then, and even after the festival, this was the only time anyone in Pugh?s camp even acknowledged there was anything going on behind the scenes

However, literally before anyone had the chance to sit down and watch the film, our attention was taken away from the screen and into the audience, where Harry Styles

would create the biggest controversy of his young career As he was taking his seat next to co star Pine, Styles appeared to spit on Pine?s leg, accentuated by an amused Pine looking down at his leg then looking back up in laughter The news and the debates that followed consumed the minds of peopleeverywhere

Debates continued for days afterwards In the meantime, those in attendance in Venice had a film to watch! Once it was over they decided that they loved it so much that they were willing to stand up and clap for it for 4 straight minutes (a measure of how good a film is) A live feed during the ovation showed the cast?s reaction to the whole situation, and whilemany were caught up with Styles kissing fellow cast member Nick Kroll, those in the know were focused on Olivia Wilde Despite her best attempts to acknowledge and be acknowledged by Pugh, she couldn?t even get a glance from the star of her own movie

Since the festival concluded and the drama began to die down, it seems those involved have begun to move on Styles is back on tour, Pugh has returned to the set of Dune 2, Sudeikis won another Emmy Wilde is back giving interviews and posting on Instagram, and who knows what Pine, Labeouf, and the rest are up to At the center of this all, the film that united all of these people in the first place is currently sitting at a cool 38% Rotten Tomatoes, with it releasing on September 23rd Gather your friends, family, and anyone you have ever met and go see it in theaters as Harry Styles would havewantedyouto

Released on September 23 2022 Don? t WorryDarlingstars Florence Pugh Harry Styles Wilde Gemma Chan Kiki Layne Nick Kroll and Chris Pine

( P h o t o : F i l m a u t h o r i ty c o m )

Smashing Pumpkins Concert Review

By Colin Birkmire '23

Last May Smashing Pumpkins and Jane?s Addiction announced the co headlining Spirits On Fire Tour Unfortunately, when fans walked into the Wells Fargo Center for the Philly show of thetour, they weremet with an unfortunate announcement: Jane?s Addiction would not be able to perform due to an injury This was not the first injury that the band had faced this year, as guitarist Dave Navarro dropped out of touring due to prolonged symptoms of COVID 19 and was replaced by Queens of the Stone Age guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen Many fans at the famed Philadelphia arena were left disappointed and even angry at the cancellation, wondering what had happened But soon the question became, ?Will the Smashing Pumpkins play an extended set to make up for it??And thankfully, theanswer was?Yes?

The Pumpkins played a full two hours and fifteen minutes of grungy glory with a setlist that spanned decades The band opened with ?Quiet,? off of their 1992 album Siamese Dream The entire tour, the band had been opening with a new track, ?Empires,? so the choice to play ?Quiet? was a welcomed surprise This was followed by two back to back staples of alt rock radio, with ?Bullet With Butterfly Wings'' and ?Today? Frontman Billy Corgan?s nasally screech was brought back to the year 1995 during the chorus of ?Bullet With Butterfly Wings,? and he didn?t even need to sing ?Today,?astheaudiencehad it covered word for word Up next was the newly revived ?We Only Come Out At

Night,? which hadn?t been performed since 2013 prior to the Spirits On Fire Tour After this, the band performed a slowed down, drony version of Talking Heads? classic ?Once In A Lifetime,? which was completely unrecognizable It was interesting to see the Pumpkins? take on the paranoid new wave classic Post Melon Collie and the Infinite Sadness era Smashing Pumpkins? music tends to be divisivefor many fans, but two of their biggest songsfrom that period, ?Eye? and ?Ava Adore,'' were performed after the Talking Heads cover with Billy Corgan taking a quick snack break inbetweensongs

For the first time that night, guitarist Jeff Schroeder, touring bassist Jack Bates, and drummer Jimmy Chamberlain took awell deserved break and the audience was left with Billy Corgan and guitarist James Iha equipped with

acoustic guitars The pair played astripped down version of ?Tonight, Tonight,? a highlight of the night It was a beautiful moment, with Corgan?s sincere singing and optimistic lyrics reverberating throughout thearena

This quiet moment in the set was followed up with the sprawling ?Starla,? which the Pumpkins jammed out to for around ten minutes It was yet another welcomed surprise, as it is a less commonly performed song and had not been on many previous setlists throughout the tour Billy Corgan?s guitar playing during the song was exceptional and had echoes of their earlier performances in the early 90s The fuzzy space age soundscape was succeeded by ?Stand Inside Your Love? and ?I Of TheMourning,?apair of songs from their 2000 album Machina/The Machines Of God

This was followed by three of their most famous songs: ?Cherub Rock,? ?Zero,? and ?1979,? and was juxtaposed with three of their least known songs: the recently released ?Beguiled,?and the soon to be released ?Neophyte? and ?Harmageddon? It was interesting to see how the audience knew every single word in the former trio of songs and no one knew any words to the latter trio But, it wasagreat way for theband to show off their new material and to keep fans interested in their upcoming releases This new material was followed by a performance of the gut punching ?Silverf*ck ? The Siamese Dream song is infamously known for Billy Corgan going on long rants in the middle, with past performances lasting for 30 40 minutes However, there was no rant at the Philly show and thesong lasted for only around

Rooster Debut Review

By Aidan Williams '23

The EP Rooster Debut was released by producer Carl Mikael Göran Berlander under the name ROOSTER For merly known as Yung Gud, or Gud, he has produced songs for Yung Lean, Thaiboy Digi tal, Ecco2k, Bladee, Rx Papi, Halsey, among others Aside from this most recent EP, he may be best known for his production of the EP Foreign Exchange with Rx Papi, off which the viral TikTok song ?12Stout Street '' comesfrom

Rooster Debut is different from Berlander?s previous works, as it features him singing and rapping on the songs himself Having pro duced music for other artists for years, it is completely dif ferent from the rest of his discography Fans of the Sad Boys music collective old and new should be excited to hear Berlander?svoice, asthey have listened to songs produced by

him for so long This album marks a big step in his career, moving from only producing tosingingandrappingaswell

The EP consists of five songs, and is 11 minutes and 42 secondslong Thefirst song ?Diamondzr4ever? is a simple intro to the EP with two short choruses separated by a bridge in which the vocals glitch out with an ambient effect The whole song is over an angelic sounding beat, asif aheavenly chorus itself is being sampled for it

The second song ?Sob Story 20?hasmorecontent toit than the first track, consisting of two verses and two longer choruses The content of the song hints at a failed relation ship Thispairs nicely with the contrast between theemotional synthsin the back and Berlan der?s emotionless delivery as he raps lines like, "Whatever you're looking for, you won't findit here"

Moving on to track three, ?Phone? provides another downtrodden song that contin ues with borderline depressing lyrics with the nihilistic tone seenthroughout theentireEP

ten to 15 minutes, but still contained the head splitting screams and eardrum splitting guitars that fansloveabout the song

As the show was nearing its end, the band became quiet again as Corgan retrieved an acoustic guitar from thesideof the stage for a performance of ?Disarm? The song proved to beone of the best of thenight, with Corgan?s singing showcasing that painful longing that made the song a classic Closing out the night, the Pumpkins played the sluggish ?X YU,? a gloomy note to end on, but typical of the Chicago grunge rockers Overall, despite Jane?s Addiction being sorely missed, theSmashing Pumpkinsput on a great performance, showing that even after over 30 years they?ve still got it

consists of a much more sim plistic beat at first, but back ground synths build in the background over the course of thelatter half of thesong, until fading out in thefinal seconds The effect is a very climactic end with a lot of tension pent up due to lyrics being spaced out moreasthesynthsgrow

The final song on the EP, ?Rented Starship?, endstheal bum with amorepositivenote singing about a girl that Berlander is in love with De spitethelyricssuggesting their relationship isonly on aphysi cal level he wants to pursue more with this person, with a background sample repeating ?I want to marry you?

Overall the album is an amazing debut of Berlander?s voice Hopefully the name change to ROOSTER is a sign of new vocal workstocome

Yung Gud formerly released his new mixtape under the name ROOSTER

Track four, ?GutsTheme?, is morelikethefirst song in how it is structured, being more repetitive than the second and third tracks and not having much for verses The track

throughout thesong

The Smashing Pumpkins are an American alternative rock band from Chicago

Black Adam Review

By Joe Clark '25

2022 has been a year of mixed success for DC comics

Early on, Matt Reeves? The Batman was a smashing hit However, the studio struggled when one of its franchise actors, Ezra Miller, became involved in several controversies for his behavior As all that was going on, they released Black Adam, a refreshing anti hero movie starring Dwayne ?The Rock?

Johnson While heavily flawed and far from perfect, themovie still hadalot goingfor it

Dwayne Johnson starred as Black Adam, portraying the character in a refreshing way for superhero movies He manages to remain intimidating through the film and can still have a lighthearted moment every oncein awhile Unfortunately, Johnson?s performance is hindered by underwhelming side characters and a one dimensional villain Black Adam faces off against and later fights alongside of the ?JusticeSociety of America?, a group made up of the comic characters Hawkman, Cyclone, the Atom Smasher, and Dr Fate

These heroes are also accompanied by a mother and sonnamedIsisand Amon, who help explain the modern world to Black Adam after being awoken for the first time in thousands of years The biggest flaw of the movie is

how forgettable these side characters are None of them have been featured in any movie prior to Black Adam, so the development of them is rushed and it is hard to get behind the characters as a result

The exception to this is a stellar performance by Pierce Brosnan as Dr Fate He fills therole of the wise sage to his younger crew offering guidance throughout the movie Brosnan?s acting, combined with superb special effects, really brings the character to life in a movie dyingfor it

The movie could, however, have benefited from a stronger villain Sabbach, the villain, is another forgettable character that fails to raise the stakes of the movie, ultimately leading to its downfall Many might consider the mid credits scene to be the highlight of this movie, as it briefly features Henry Cavill as Superman where he hints at a potential battle against Black Adam in thenear future

Overall, Black Adam is nothing to write home about, but it does have many shades of promise, potentially pointing the DC Extended Universe in the right direction to build a truly successful franchise

Dwayne Johnson makes his DCdebut as Black Adam

By Antoine Robinson '24

Ms Cook

Mr Braithwaite '89 Mr Sandora Rev. McCouch

Taylor Swift's MidnightsReview

By Isaiah Littlejohn '24

?Meet meat midnight?are the first words of Taylor Swift?s record breaking tenth studio album, Midnights, which was spontaneously announced at the2022 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) Swift declared the release of her new album during her acceptance speech of the coveted VMA Music Video of the Year Award for her re recorded directorial debut of ?All Too Well?, arevived fanfavoriteonher 2021Pop album Red (Taylor?s Version)

Midnights details thirteen sleepless nights during Swift's life Throughout the album, Swift, alongside her co writer Jack Antonoff, discusses the euphoric feeling and ambiguity of falling in love, and grapples with both self acclaimed and exterior insecuritiesthat comewith being a powerful woman in the industry Additionally, Swift sashays into self assurance with pop bangers, and endsthealbum by conceding to accusations of her machiavellian ways that keepfansontheir toes

Fans' ears are first graced with the fresh beat of ?Lavender Haze,? track one on the album, which talks about preserving the cheerful and lively feeling of love and ignoring the obscenities of public scrutiny that accompanies having a love life as a celebrity Swift sings, ?All they keep asking me is if I?m gonna be your bride Cause the only kinda girl they see is a one night or a wife? Listeners then move into the tangibly nostalgic and excruciating detailed ?Maroon,? in which Swift takesasynesthetic approach to equating one of the thirteen midnights to a color Fans then arrive at Swift?s seminal pop single, ?Anti Hero,?in which Swift dives into her insecurities head first In her ?Behind the Song? video on Instagram, Swift said, ?I struggle a lot with the idea that my life has become unmanageably sized? This song is a guided tour through all the things that I tend to hate about myself? It's [about] all of the aspects of the things we dislike and like about ourselves that we have to come to terms with if we're going to be this person?

Through this song, Swift has given fans the license and confidence to introspectively address their flaws and find comfort in them

Moving forward, Swift collaborates with her idol, Lana Del Rey, in the whimsically contemplative track, ?Snow on theBeach,? which talks about the phenomenon of falling for someone and finding out they feel the same way Listeners then shift to track five, ?You?re on Your Own Kid,?which explores the sobering feeling of being neglected by a significant other, and the triumph that can befound in solitude and friendship; which is followed by track six, ?Midnight Rain,? which puts listeners into the celestial headspace of a deeply ruminative sleepless night, in which one thinks about a past love Tracks seven and eight,

?Question? ?? and ?Vigilante Sh*t,? distinguish themselves from the rest of the album by their seductivemelodiesand the tactile environment they createfor listeners Intrack nine, ?Bejeweled,? like much of the album, Swift and Antonoff continue to showcase their masterful lyricism in gems such as, ?Baby love, I think I?ve been alittletoo kind Didn?t notice you walking all over my piece of mind, in the

brilliant individual to shine, despite what the world throwsat them

" Midnightswas truly successful in its ability to bring fans back to their own midnights, where they contemplated past mistakes, regrets, tribulations, and triumphs that were brought to a close with the rise of the sun "

shoes I gave you as a present ?

?Bejeweled? has so far been the only song, aside from ?Anti Hero,? that has been accompanied by a music video, which was well received by fans ?Anti Hero? speaks of the inevitable nature of a

Listeners then revert to the apprehension along with falling in love, with track ten, ?Labyrinth? Then, this reflection is pleasantly interrupted by track eleven, ?Karma,? which touches on Swift's amiable relationship with karma, because of the grace she carries, as haters continueto attack her name Then track twelve plays, and fans are brought into a world of love without anxieties, but one where love is simple and one can arrive as themself ?Sweet Nothings,? is undeniably a first dance song for newlyweds, and over time will earn a position as a deep cut for true Swift fans, because of its lighthearted melody and simple yet impactful lyrics

The album concludes with ?Mastermind,? with an

abstractly confident yet fanciful melody, that wades in the background while listeners hear Swift talk about the idea of one playing puppeteer in their quest for love, slowly carrying out a plan so they end up with the person they desire Although they believe that they are doing this undercover, the recipient attached to the strings is aware of what is happening and goes along for theride

Midnights was truly successful in its ability to bring fansback to their own midnights, where they contemplated past mistakes, regrets, tribulations, and triumphs that were brought to a close with the rise of the sun Midnights will continueto meet individuals at dawn, as they listen to a tracklist that reflects the most personally unique experience in the world: a sleepless night

Taylor Swift released her new album Midnightson October 21, 2022

A Look at the Prep's Social Media Presence Opinion/Debate

By Carmen Iacuzio '24

St Joseph?s Prep can be found on almost all social me dia platforms: Twitter, Insta gram, Facebook, you name it! Whether it?s sharing recent news with the Prep commu nity, advertising school sponsored events, or congratu lating our sports teams on stunning victories, the Prep's social media presence is alive and well In addition to the school?s primary St Joe?s Prep accounts, there are many other active school affiliated ac counts, ranging from sports teams like football or lacrosse to news publications like The Hawkeye or WSJP There are even accounts for activities like the Music Appreciation Club or Fishing Club, as well as school services like SAGE Dining or the Ignatian Service account Every day, there are countlesspostsonPrep?ssocial mediapagesabout what weare up to, but somequestionsneed to be answered: With such a large social media presence, how do students keep up with Prep?s media? Is the Prep do ing too much on itssocial me dia platforms? How can the Prep improve its social media presence? Should they expand their social media presence to other platforms?

?SometimesI check thePrep [social media] once a week, but I already know what hap pens in theschool I don?t fol low many of their social media accounts though,? said Owen

McHugh?26

?ThePrep posts alot of fac ulty eventsand there?snot alot of interesting material They should post less and not about everything that happens in the school, as well as post more about student life and activity rather than faculty and alumni events?

?The Prep somewhat posts relevant stuff about student life,? says Max Menna ?25 ?They post good enough stuff for me to keep following These posts do accurately rep resent the school and its stu dent body They should stick to just Instagram and Twitter, however?

Director of Communicatioins Mr Bill Avington ?90 saysthat the school tries to incorporate

the clubs and highlight all of the Prep?s community mem bers ?It?sour front facing door for people to see us My mis sion is to help the Prep look diverse in our activities and student body I don?t moderate all the Prep related accounts, I only moderate the main ac counts However, I still try to make sure these clubs and other Prep accounts reflect our mission and goals for the Prep and accurately represent the clubs/activities these accounts aremadefor"

As for the amount these ac countspost, Mr Avington said, ?The Prep has so much stuff going on during the year, and all of these events are equally important to us My theory is that people will engage in our accountsand get apositiveand

accurate representation of all our activitiesand not favor one club over the other We try to create new ways to share our school life, such as spotlight ing student life and spotlight ing what we do for our com munity?

For expandingthesocial me diapresence, Mr Avington has experimented with social me diaappssuchasTikTok, but he did not believe he could find a way to use the platform to ac curately portray the Prep When it comes to alternative accounts, Avington says that these accounts serve as touch points for people who want to connect with their interests more and try to expand other things the Prep does besides academics

?With around 25,000 fol lowers combined on all of our accounts, we tend to post on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to reachout toall audi ences, from old alumni to younger alumni and students We want to find new families on these social media plat forms to persuade potential new students and to show eventsthat could interest fami lies who aren?t familiar with the Prep We want the right people to look at our pages so that wecan get an accurateun derstanding of how to market our school I?d rather chooseto cover and highlight thestudent work and activity over not posting it because of too many posts I would want all of our students to feel included be causeof thelargeand wonder ful student diversity we have as far as activities,? said Mr Avington?90

As the Prep expands its so cial media and develops new ways to reach out to the com munity, students and faculty areplanning new eventsfor the school every day With all of these accomplishments, the Prep social media accounts need to share these achieve ments on their pages to show us what the Prep is currently up to in the eyes of outside families Without these posts new familiesand potential stu dents will not know what the Prep does for its students, fac ulty, and for its community

Passio's Picks: Thanksgiving Edition

By Dante Passio '23

With Thanksgiving being right around the corner, we all know I had to make another pick list Thanksgiving isfilled with so many amazing foods that will never be taken away from the tradition, so let?s hop right into my top 5 Thanksgiv ingfoods

Coming in at number five, I went with gravy Although this take may be controversial due to gravy not being an actual food item, it makes the meals Whether the gravy is on the turkey or on the mashed pota toes, it makesthemeal beyond better It?s the ketchup for the barbecue The Chick Fil A sauce of the turkey It?s the perfect compliment to the en tiremeal

Barely beating gravy out on my list I havemashedpotatoes Mashed potatoes, being the

second best side, had to make an appearance on the list There?s nothing like a nice plate of hot, whipped, and creamy mashed potatoes to go with your turkey Pour a little bit of gravy on thetop of these mashed potatoes and you?ve

got yourself an outstanding sidedish

Taking thenumber threespot on my list, I have the pick everyone has been waiting for Pumpkin pie is the delicious meal everyoneshowsup for If

it weren?t for pumpkin pie, I don?t think I would have the patience to sit through the rest of the family event We all show up for the pumpkin pie, and if you disagree you?re lying

I apologize for being so ac cusatory and aggressive in my last pick I just have a serious lovefor pumpkin pie That be ing said, I have to put sweet potatoes at number two Sweet potatoes are the ultimate side The mixture of the potato and the little marshmallows on top isaperfect recipefor an unde feated side dish They are the staple of your Thanksgiving meal They come in and fill your stomach up with a great taste, all without attracting too much attention and leaving the spotlight for my number 1 pick

Weall saw it coming Weall knew what the number 1 was

going to be It?s a layup It?s theMJ It?stheBabeRuth It?s the Gretzky What more can I say?It?stheGOAT It?sturkey Turkey is why you show up The turkey is not only the tastiest part of themeal, it?sthe staple! When you think of Thanksgiving, you think of turkey It?sjust how it goesand everyonecanagree

All in all, I believe that my thanksgiving food picks were picked to perfection Thank you guysfor enjoying and tune in to thenext issuefor my next picks

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Delicious Thanksgiving Dinner

Thoughts on Midterm Elections

By Lawson Miller '24

The midterm elections just finished up thispast month and though the senate and guber natorial races in PA were within the margin of error, both Democratic candidates, Josh Shapiro and John Fetter man wereableto secureawin In fact, PA was indicative of a trend occurring all across the country this past November Democrats were bracing for a ?red wave? that simply never came Throughout thesummer, gas prices and inflation sky rocketed, and naturally, many people blamed President Biden According to an analy sis of multiple polls by 538, 572% of Americans disap proved of the President in late July However, on June 24, 2022, the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade which has protected abortion rights across the country for almost 50 years According to Politico, this prompted hun dreds of thousands of voters, most of whom were Democ rats, to officially register to vote

Even with the Democratic party?s numbers bolstered by the issue of abortion rights, there were still a lot of prob lemswith PA Republican cam paigns from the start The Re publican candidate for Senate was Mehmet Oz, a celebrity

doctor, and host of his own daytime television talk show, Dr Oz According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Oz tal lied his assets between $104 million and $422 million when he had to submit the manda tory financial disclosure form required for all Senate candi dates Oz?s campaign was not mainly damaged by the sheer amount of money he had but more so because his rise to fame called to mind a certain former President who also rose to fame through a television show with the famous line ?You?refired?

Oz?s similarity to Trump and his residency was the first two major problems with his cam paign As Fetterman?s ads loved to reiterate to voters, Dr Oz hasbeen aNew Jersey res ident for more than three decades

Oz?s third problem was his advertisements Almost every single one slandered John Fet terman relentlessly and the only thing they did wasbolster Oz?s Republican voting base, but they did nothing to gain him any swing voters Accord ing to CBS news, 87% of Re publicans supported Oz in September but that number jumpedto94% inOctober The average swing voter is diligent about elections and at this point, knows that politics is all

a machine Politics has to do with candidates? policies but what is vastly more important is how those policies are por trayed Oz?snegativeadsmade Fetterman?s policies look like theend of theworld for Penn sylvania Consequently, it po larized his Republican voting basewho believed theads, and polarized the Democrat voting base who hated the ads but these ads made swing voters see Oz as a desperate, out of touch bully This idea com bined with his similarity to President Trump who actually did endorse Oz in April, and Oz?s residency caused him to losetheelection

To Oz?s credit, however, he did do much better than Doug Mastriano, the Republican candidate for governor Doug Mastriano?smajor mistakewas tying himself so closely to Trump as well as taking a hardlinestanceon abortion and especially making it a major issue during the Republican primary elections Once the country got closer to the midterm elections though, Mastriano stopped making abortion a major issue and in stead deflected any questions about it According to aGallup poll, 55% of Americans iden tify as pro choice, and when more than half the country is against abortion, the #1 ruleof politics is to not openly dis

agreewiththat 55%

Beyond individual issues in each candidate?s campaigns, the main thing that crippled Republicans this past Novem ber was Donald Trump Don ald Trump tried repeatedly to overturn the legitimate 2020 election results after he lost and then incitedariot on Janu ary 6th when Congress was supposed to formally count the electoral votes Since then, in vestigationsinto January 6th as well as further news about documents that Donald Trump took from the White House havepeppered primetimeslots According to anumber of polls 538 reported on, asof Novem ber 8th, 543% of Americans saw Trump in an unfavorable light The Republican Party is still stained and tainted with the numerous investigations, 2020 election deniers, and

Trump fanatics among their ranks, driving voters away Trump backed both Oz and Mastriano aswell asKari Lake and Blake Masters who were running for office in Arizona Trump?s candidate for gover nor in Michigan, Tudor Dixon, aswell as thecandidates men tioned in theprevious sentence all lost According to the Washington Post, in elections where the margin of victory wasless than 15 points(so es sentially all the close elec tions), Trump backed candi dates underperformed by five whole points while candidates without Trump?s endorsement overperformed by 22 points If Republicans want to gain any ground in 2024, they need to at least distancethemselvesif not completely expel Donald Trump from their party

A Look at The Prep Pep Band

By Brendan Dougherty '23

The St Joe?s Prep music program was a thriving ex tracurricular just a couple of years ago Under the reign of Matt Schwartz ?02, the band room at 17th & Girard was filled with a number of tal ented young musicians for every rehearsal Attendance remained solid after Mr Schwartz decided to leave the Prep as Mr Aaron Bigeleisen took over at the start of the 2019 school year The band had a terrific sound as always, and the pep band made con stant attendance at football games and other rallies Then, theinevitableoccurred, and the niche at the Prep known as ?Band? was depleted as a re sult of COVID 19

In the 2020 school year, while there were available timestomeet asaband, there strictions of the pandemic meant we could only play to gether outside, andadditionally we would need coverings for our brass and woodwind in struments, limiting our breath ing and muffling our tone To bypass this, the band would meet on Zoom late at night, and one can imagine how smooth that process was Be cause of the virus and thereg ulations that followed, each

timetheband met wasan inef ficient time This struggle to play music essentially ruined attendance Students did not want to be a part of something that just was not as fun as it used to be Students were on scholarship for their musical ability, and during this time they had nothingtoshow for it

The concert and jazz bands have started to revitalize over the past year and change The kids that have a joy for music and want to continue making

music have made an outstand ing effort to make the bands work, and the concerts from the 2021 22 school year show for it Mr Gavin McCauley, thenewest band director, while just getting his feet wet with the program and the school, prioritized students being able to play music and showcase that musicfor others

While the concert and jazz bands are on the upswing, the pep band strugglesbehind The St. Joe?s Prep Pep Band has

not played at a football game since 2019 That is a fact While the Hawks? football team tendsto embarrassmany of their opponents on the field, the school, again and again, gets shown up on the sideline by the opposing team having afull band with agreat sound I believe there is a di rect correlation between hav ing a good band for a game and having good attendance from all of the fans Having a band at the football games should be the standard, and it

would transform thegameday atmosphere

Not one person can be blamed for the lack of a showing from the pep band COVID 19 created a standard that caused people to bail from the band, and the band would not be able to go to games unless there were 10+ musicians present, and the songs were rehearsed and ready to sound loud and ef fective The structuring of Community Period does not help the attendance crisis

Only having three community periods each week means that each band would need itsown day, and the students in the bands at the Prep aren?t only in the band, meaning that other clubs conflict Having rehearsal before school could be a solution, but long com mutes suggest a flawed sys temif wetriedthat

?Thestandard startswith the underclassmen?, says Mr McCauley ?Most of the stu dents missing frequently are upperclassmen I am just as new as the sophomores in the building, so if we can bring the band back to what it was with the younger guys atten dancewon?t bean issuein the future?

Current senate map

St Joe's Prep Band at the Howley Learning Commons Open House Presidential

DEBATE: Is Turkey Overrated?

YES- TurkeyIsa ScourgeUpon Thanksgiving!

By Jack Gallagher '23

No doubt astapleof Thanks giving, turkey has over crowded the dinner table in November for far too long Sincethepresidency of George H W Bush, thepresident of the United States has ceremonially pardoned one turkey a year from becoming the centerpiece of your uncle?s Thanksgiving buffet In my opinion, the turkey doesnot deserveit Now, could the show go on without turkey? No But is it really the dish that everyone looksforwardto?Alsono

Thereareso many other great playmakers in the Thanksgiv ing dinner category that make it difficult to call turkey any thing other than a role player You?ve got sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, stuffing (if you?re that guy), and whatever fruity dessert your grandma made that will always be deli cious no matter how bad it tastes (this does not apply to me because everything my grandmother makes IS DELI

CIOUS? shoutout Mom mom) Thepoint is: theroleof the turkey on Thanksgiving is to be the turkey and nothing more It?s supposed to cause one minor breakdown per year and sit in the middle of the tablelookingpretty

Also can we talk for a minute about the meat ther mometer that is used LITER ALLY once a year for a bird nobody even likes? Someone ask Aunt Kelli why it hasto be 180°F in the thigh, 170°F in the breast, and 165°F in stuff ing Who comes up with this stuff? Somewhere in between it getting stuck to the roof of your mouth and your cousin asking what exactly it was that your momshoved insideit four hours prior, you start to won der if this weird looking bird can even fly Theanswer isyes for short distances, and they look very awkwarddoingit

If you don?t believe my as sessment of the turkey?s over valued presence at Thanksgiv ing, take it from a more rep utable source: Dr Rupertus

Though hedoesnot haveade greein holiday meats he?sun deniably avery bright guy

?Anything you need to put something else on to make it edibleisno good in my book,?

said Dr Rupertus The only reason turkey has remained even slightly successful during the Thanksgiving meal is be cause gravy prevents you from chokingsinceit?sdrier than the Saharadesert

NO - TurkeyIsGod'sGift ToMortals!

By Dan Law '23

Thanksgiving isupon us, and with the cranberries and stuff ing comes a steaming hot pile of debate around the holiday From the inevitable politics at the dinner table, to the discus sion on the admittedly dubious origins of the holiday in his tory, Thanksgiving seems to raise just as many hot takes as it doesthanks

But one Thanksgiving opin ion I just can?t be thankful for is the completely irrational slander of the very object that makes Thanksgiving: the turkey To my readers, you may ask why it?s necessary to defend turkey Doesn?t every oneloveturkey?! But thereare theseThanksgiving fraudshid ing among us, spreading their bad takes like the cool autumn wind They may prefer the stuffing, or the cranberries, or the? casserole and, in a defi ant act of holiday heresy, claim turkey is ?overrated? Absurd, I say! It seemsthepeoplehave forgotten to appreciate turkey for what it is, and my duty to thepeopleisto stir their mem ory by defending turkey and its rightful place as the corner stoneof Thanksgiving

First and foremost, turkey?s roleat thecenter of our holiday is because of its role at the center of our dinner tables As it has been and always should be, the bird finds itself as the centerpiece of the Thanksgiv

ing dinner order, and its place has stood the test of time for a good reason Turkey is really undoubtedly just about the finest poultry you could treat your stomach with It?swafting aromaand thefact it stuffsyou to the point of damn near in stant exhaustion is a true sign of great quality

everything truly Thanksgiving

You may think George or Kramer is funnier or a more relatable character, but you can?t have Seinfeld without Seinfeld The same is true here; you could prefer the ham (that?s okay, you could enjoy being wrong), but you just can?t have Thanksgiving with

once a year, and we don?t let them down We look forward to making it, prepping it, bathing it, brining it, cooking it, nurturing it, and, most of all, eating it You have to cook it for hours, but it'sworthit when it leaves the house full with that scent which just lures in the entire family to enjoy one

Turkey is widely overrated and has been for years but people are too scared to admit it This Thanksgiving, support a local business and pick up a chicken from Costco

It only helps that turkey is made even better by the other objects of the dinner table

While some critics claim that the diverse cornucopia of the Thanksgiving table overshad ows the turkey itself, I think they fail to realizehow much it is that the ensemble cast is built around the protagonist You could have stuffing any old day of the week, but the turkey feast is what makes

out turkey And I promise, no more Seinfeld references for therest of thearticle

In order to get a better sense as to what the true experts of our era think of Thanksgiving turkey, I interviewed thesingle greatest authority on Thanks giving I know: my mom ?Turkey isacompletely unify ing meal,? my mom says And whatever my mom says goes ?Everyone looks forward to it

beautiful meal together?

In addition to its merits as a meal, turkey really isjust ato tally rad animal to have as a mascot for a holiday It is clearly oneof God?sfinest cre ations, even beyond the delec table meat it leaves behind I mean, just look at it! The anatomy of the funky wings, stout body, and its swaggy snoods and caruncles on its head (yes, that iswhat they are

called) just make turkey a supremely groovy animal

Lastly, with Thanksgiving as such acrucial holiday and cul tural landmark, turkey is the best bird for the job to be the symbol of Thanksgiving It is the best hallmark of Thanks giving, tying together our modern culture and the tradi tions we borrow from our Na tive American brethren I asked Mr Pinto, a teacher of NativeAmerican Spirituality at the Prep, about how Native Americans feel on the topic of turkey "Native Americans have strong opinions about turkey being served at Thanks giving,?hesaid ?It needstobe well prepared, moist, and there must beenoughtogoaround"

As such, turkey is the uni versal hallmark of the holiday and the wholesome calories it stands for But that?s the joy, isn?t it? Mowing down corn and potatoes wouldn?t be the same holiday if it weren?t for the turkey to bring us all to gether Beyond the taste and those funky little caruncles, turkey means something more to millions upon millions of Americans every year I don?t know about these holiday kooks saying otherwise, like a certain fellow writer besides me, but I am morethan thank ful for turkey Hope you had a likewise groovy Thanksgiving, everyone

Turkey showing disdain towards lack of appreciation

Perfectly prepared Thanksgiving Day Turkey

Should The Prep Go HSPT-Optional?

By Luca Paone'25

The High School Place ment Test, or HSPT, is a stan dardized test that a multitude of schools across the country use to judge applicants The HSPT consists of five parts, three language sections and two mathematical sections The student has a total of two hours and twenty three min utesto completethe298 ques tion exam Saint Joseph?s Preparatory School requires all applicants to take the HSPT test and uses the data from the standardized test, along with academic history, to judge whether heisagood fit for the Prep

The Prep uses the HSPT for more than just viewing a test score The results inform a holistic view of theadmissions process According to Director of Admissions Mr Howie Brown ?99, ?The Prep is a highschool that receives stu dents from over 180 zip codes and 200 gradeschools?Dueto this large pool of students, the test can also be an informant about the rising freshmen and not just an indication of what the score shows Since admis sion into the Prep requires more than just a report card, indicators from the test can also show weakness or strengths in certain areas By comparing a student's report cards and standardized test re sults the admissions office can judge one's leaning towards a certain subject, whereastudent may strive, and where they might needassistance

But with all of the details that come with a student?s re

sume, acceptance also depends on the comparison between applicants as the entry process can truly be a competition against peersin order to beac cepted and even offered a scholarship

?A big part of theapplication looks at the scores of the test but we try to have a holistic view towards students based on tests, school grades, and recommendations,? says Mr Brown?99

With the multiple facets of judging admission at the Prep many wonder whether the SJP will turn towards making the HSPT optional

Jalen Williams ?25 says, ?SJP could make an option where a student can apply without having to take the

exam, whether it be with an essay or by other means It'sup to the school to make that available for incoming students?

This decision is a prevalent concern as many colleges and universities make the SAT and ACT optional, but is it benefi cial for SJPto follow suit?The decision to maketheexam op tional may not be beneficial, but it may be a catalyst for more creativity in the applica tionprocess

?I don?t think thetest will be optional because it plays such a big part in placement,? says Mr Brown ?99 The test is such an important factor of ap plication whether it is evalu ated individually or with sup plemental information, for ex ample, with either report cards

or extracurricular activities

For studentsworried about test taking, the Prep?s admissions office also accepts additional application materials such as business portfolios and music auditions

There are plenty of students at SJPthat have re ceived scholar ships because of their musical skill, which supports the idea that entry into the Prep is not solely based on academic ini tiative, but includes a holistic approach

finding where students are on their academic journey By allowing data from the test to assign students to the proper classes, the placement of in coming freshmen creates a concrete plan of action and a stable vision for the future The test is not a negative ne cessity but rather a unique means of viewing a student?s ability

Saint Joe?s Prep is not going to be test optional and does not plan to unless there is a drastic change of pattern acrossCatholic schools Some administrators are in favor of the HSPT and see it as a vital part of the acceptance process

?I don?t think the test will be optional because it plays such a big part in placement "

Mr. HowieBrown '99, Director of Admissions

Mr Brown ?99 says, ?Yes, I am in favor of the exam? As he claims the results of the exam, along with therest of a student's academic achieve mentsarevital to thedeciding process The usage of the exam and review of the re sults allow for a clear ap proach to a stu dent?s develop ment during high school, estab

lishing a foundation for growth For this reason, the Prep should not go HSPT op tional in order for a balanced undertaking of admissions

The Prep should continue to require students to take the HSPT asthetest isameaning ful and conventional way of

TheHawkeye Staff of 2022 2023

Mr LeoVaccaro'05 Ms Sheri SanChirico

If you areinterested in contributing materials to TheHawkeye, contact an editor or our email (below) to submit an article, photograph, or to write a letter to theeditor Letters should not exceed 600 words

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All materials printed by TheHawkeye are intended to both entertain and inform thePrep community as well as cultivatean environment that generates meaningful and productivediscussion The opinionsand beliefs expressed in theadvertisements and articles in this publication do not necessarily reflect the values or mission of TheHawkeye Student Newspaper or St Joe's Prep

The

Sports

The March Begins: College Ball Preview

By CJ Weipz '23

The days are getting shorter, the weather is getting colder, and Jon Rothstein is breaking out of his? wait, thisfeelsfa miliar Anyways, college bas ketball is finally back! As is the story with every new sea son, thereareplenty of familiar faces as well as an abundance of new guyson theblock, leg ends stepping away from the game while young, hungry freshmen enter the fray How ever, the excitement this year not only comes in the form of big names and Blue Bloods, but also from thedepths of the college basketball landscape andtheriseof themid major

Starting with some of the more familiar faces, the most notableistheNaismith Award winning big man from Ken tucky, Oscar Tshiebwe, who headlines a Wildcats team that looks to make some big noise thisyear after their humiliating lossto theSt Peter?sPeacocks in the first round of the tour ney Alongside the nation?s leader in rebounds per game theWildcatsalso return seniors Shavir Wheeler and Jacob Toppin who averaged 101 and 62 points per game respec tively As coach John Calipari looks to capture the elusive SEC championship, theVolun teers down in Knoxville look to ruin their hopes Also re turning some big names, Ten nessee brings back Zakai Ze gler and Saniago Vescovi, who accounted for 30% of the Vols' scoring last year Although they just recently lost to Col orado, Tennessee looks to im prove upon one of their most impressive seasons in years Over intheWCC, Gonzagare tains hold of Drew Timme for his senior season The two time Consensus All American looks to continue the domi nance of the Zags along with

6?7? guard Julian Strawther who also returns to Spokane after thinking about leaving for the NBA Heading down to southern California, the Bruins of UCLA hold onto two of the key members of their miracu lous 2020 March Madness run in Jaime Jaquez Jr and Tyger Campbell, a one two punch that allows them to compete with anyone in thenation right now Any conversation about returning players would not be completewithout talking about thebiggest surprisein themost recent rendition of March Madness(and no I?m not talk ing about St Peter?s), the North Carolina Tar Heels Hu bert Davis comes off of his first year as thehead coach for the Tar Heels, following in the legendary footsteps of Roy Williams, to take an 8 seeded UNC team all the way to New Orleans and the National Title game, only to fall to the Kansas Jayhawks In the off season, four out of the five starters for the Tar Heels re turned, including tournament standouts, forward Armando Bacot and guard Caleb Love All of these teams were lucky enough to keep the guys they wanted, but what about the

squadsthat werenot solucky?

The Peacocks of St Peter?s were hit hard in the offseason While most of the cast of their Sweet Sixteen run went off to some smaller names (Doug Edert to Bryant and Hassan and Fousseyni Drame to LaSalle), the biggest depar tures ended up less than 12 miles away from Jersey City, jumping ship to the Pirates of Seton Hall Head Coach Sha heen Holloway, aformer assis tant coach under Kevin Willard and former player for the Pi rates, returns to South Orange after 4 years as the head coach of the Peacocks alongside MAC Defensive Player of the Year KC Ndefo Sticking with the Big East, Villanova (the most recent victims of Aaron Mckie?srun for AAC Coach of the Year) are without Hall of Famecoach Jay Wright for the first time in 21 years, making way for former Fordham coach and assistant of Wright's at Villanova, Kyle Neptune to take his place The Wildcats are also without Colin Gille spie, the former All American guard Sticking with the theme of retirement, down in Durham, Coach K has finally

called it a career after a close loss to rival UNC in the Final Four However, it?s not all rain and clouds for the Blue Devils asthey bring in oneof thebest freshmen classes in the nation thisyear, headlined by big man Dereck Lively II and swing man Dariq Whitehead, thefirst and second ranked recruits in the class of 2022 Over in the Big 10, Illinois looks to re bound after a great season while losing former All American Kofi Cockburn However, the transfer portal gods smiled upon the Fighting Illini as they brought in a bountiful harvest of Baylor big Matthew Mayer and Texas Tech star Terrance Shannon Jr These two, along with 5 star point guard Skyy Clark look to create one of the most deadly triosinthecountry

As was alluded to before, this year is not all about the starting power, but rather the underdogs, therebels, themid majors Anyonenot in aPower 6 conference is out for blood, and nobody understands this more than the Louisville Car dinals, who dropped their first two games this season in buy games They were first victim

to Bellarmine, whose real pro ducers came from the bench, with the subs going 8 9 from thefield and aperfect 4 4 from beyond the arc The Cardinals couldn?t catch a break how ever, as they were once again made fools by the Raiders of Wright State, dropping a73 72 heartbreaker However, they were not the only ones Rhode Island opened their season up with a loss to hockey school Quinnipiac 67 62, which al lowed the Bobcats to catapult to a3 0 start Staying on open ing night, Florida Gulf Coast defeated theTrojansof USC in a74 61 trouncing In themidst of all of these upsets, the team that seems to be on a roll the most right now is Stetson Starting off with a tough win over FloridaState83 74 before heading down to South Florida and giving the Bulls all they could handle in a 68 67 win Their next big challengecomes in the form of Florida, who, as of writing this, recently lost to Florida Atlantic in yet another buy game, so who knows what thismatchup will bring What ever thecasemay be, thepoint is proven: mid majors are not coming to take their money and leave, they?re coming for blood

These, along with so many other great story lines, make collegebasketball oneof if not the greatest sport in the coun try The energy, entertainment, shock, excitement, craziness, and, dare I say, madness of it all entices people from coast to coast, bringing out some of the most incredible perfor mancesto ever gracethehard wood This year?s campaign is shaping up to beareal treat for everyone? except for Louisville fans Pray for them Anyways basketball fans, en joy theride

New Sports Safety Tech: Q-Collar

By Zach Reagan '23

In a world where sports safety isclimbing up thelist of priorities Q30 is a company that has raised the bar Their invention, theQ Collar, isrev olutionizing concussion safety in sports It?s been used by many professional athletes, like 5 time All Pro NFL line backer, Luke Kuechly, and various college athletes in nearly every contact sport The Q Collar itself is a cushioned band (think smaller, tight neck pillow) that goes around one?s neck It applies just a bit of pressure to the jugular vein which slightly increases the pressure in the skull Since the

brain pseudo floats around in theskull, theQ Collar makesit sothat thereisenough blood in the head to provide an airbag esque effect, making sure your brain isn?t moving around more than it should There are over 25 clinical studies back ing up their science even though it sounds weird to see out loud Just last year in Feb ruary 2021, according to the Q30website, ?theQ Collar be came the first and only FDA cleared device to reduce trau maticbraininjury?

People may ask why technol ogy like this is important Granted, theQ Collar isn?t go ing to prevent any traumatic

Q30

betheendall beall though It?s oneextralayer of safety, and it could make a world of differ ence In Luke Kuechly?s case, he told David Newton of ESPN that the Q Collar ex tended his career After suffer ing his 3rd concussion in a game against the New Orleans Saintsin 2016, heopted to use the Q Collar afterward, and claims it was a crucial part of how hewasableto keep play ing for thenext threeyears To any athlete reading this con siders using the Q Collar to play assafeasyou can, so you don?t have to worry about playing the game you love

brain injuries if you undergo a severe accident, but

un

derstands that this is the case

TheQ Collar isn?t supposed to

Armando Bacot (Left), Terrence Shannon Jr (center), and Shaheen Holloway (right) all look to take their respective programs to the promised land: The Final Four in Houston, Texas

Q Collar technology looks to make sports safer for all athletes

NBA Recap: Surprises, Letdowns, and Breakouts

By Luca Pascucci '23

Over the past three weeks, the NBA season has taken many unexpected turns that nobody would have guessed There have been many sur priseswith alot of playersand teams, but also numerous teams that have been underperforming

The teams that are climbing to the top are the ones that no one expected to To start, the Utah Jazz came out with a 9 3 start and claimed 1st place in the West After the Jazz blew up the team by giving their best two players, Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, away, many people counted them out and thought that they would tank this year With big contributions from Lauri Markkanen, who?s averaging 219 points per game, and Jor dan Clarkson, increasing his points per game from 160 last season to over 18 points per game this season, and becom ing abigger scorer for theJazz Another surprise coming from the West is the Portland Trail Blazers Finishing at 13th place last season and with Damian Lillard being hurt the entireseason, they had to make changes With the addition of Jerami Grant and bench pieces, Lillard being healthy, and An

ferneeSimonsproducingmore

the Trail Blazers are now tied for 2nd in the West with a 7 3 record The chemistry within the team and the good rela tionship with head coach, Chauncey Billups, is a large

In theEast, ateam with abig jump from the 9th seed last season to the 2nd seed now is the exciting 8 2 Cleveland Cavaliers After losing in the 1st round of the NBA playoffs to the Miami Heat last season, the Cavaliers knew that they needed a plan to succeed more this season, and they did just that They acquired All Star guard Donovan Mitchell who was the perfect piece for this team Heiscurrently averaging 312 points per game and is an MVP candidate so far in the season In the other back court position, All Star Darius Gar land is also a big part of this team His floor control and culture building in Cleveland allowed the Cavs to make the playoffslast season

As there were pleasant sur prises, there were also some letdowns coming into the new season To start, the defending champs Golden State Warriors who started 4 7 and fell to12th placein theWest After getting

rid of key bench pieces like OttoPorter Jr and Gary Payton II after their championship run, the Warriors bench points are lower than usual, with 368 points per game and shooting 331% from deep last season to 343 points per game and 306% from 3 this season

Also, Klay Thompson?s pro duction has gone down from 204 points per game last sea son to only 147 points this season Another letdown in the West is the Los Angeles Lak ers Even though they missed theplayoffslast season, an ad dition of a new coach and a few morepiecesgavetheLak ersand their fanshope coming into this season People ex pected them to come out stronger than ever, however, not a lot has changed The Lakers fell to 2 8 with the main factor being little to no shooting production from any oneon theteam Russell West brook found his rhythm now moving to the bench, but the Lakersstill do not haveenough piecestowinbiggames

Moving to theEast, thereare also some projected good teamswith bad starts First, the Miami Heat, who made an Eastern Conference Finals ap pearance last year, fell to 4 7 and 12th place in the East Even with the high production

of thestarting lineup their lack of depth and bench points is what is causing them to lose games, being 23rd in the league in bench scoring An other letdown in theEast so far is the Brooklyn Nets With the addition of Royce O?Neale, Ben Simmons, Joe Harris coming back from injury, and other bench players, many thought the Nets would move up from last season and be a real contender in the East But 11 gamesinto theseason, head coach Steve Nash is fired, Kyrie Irving gets suspended for anti semitic remarks, and theNetsfall to 4 7 and 11th in the East With the new head coachhiring of JacqueVaughn, and Kevin Durant leading the team, the Nets hope to turn thingsaround for therest of the season

Teams have been surprising but some players have been even more impressive So far, the MVP ladder stands at Gi annis Antetokounmpo in first place, Luka Doncic in second place, and Donovan Mitchell in third place In first, Ante tokounmpo is averaging 318 points, 122 rebounds, and 53 assists in 9 games this season, and has led his team without their second best player, Khris Middleton, to a 9 1 start and first place in the Eastern Con

ference In second 23 year old Luka Doncic is averaging 348 points, 83 rebounds, and 82 assistsin 10 gamesthisseason

In his5th year in theleague, he isfighting to lead histeam to a title after losing to the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals last season

In third place is must watch guard Donovan Mitchell Mitchell is averaging 312 points, 60 rebounds, and 41 assistsin 9 gamesfor theCav aliers this season After a breakup with the Utah Jazz, Donovan Mitchell is ready to compete for an NBA champi onship with hisnew and young team

The biggest team to watch is theGolden StateWarriors Af ter coming off a championship to apoor start, it will beexcit ing to see how they will adapt as they move forward in the season So far the NBA season has taken many unexpected twists, and there will probably be more to come

College Football Has A Problem

A Look at Anthony Salvato '23's Top Four Teams Going Into College Football Playoffs

By Anthony Salvato '23

With the first few College Football Playoff (CFP) rank ings now officially out, Geor giaand Ohio Statehaveestab lished themselves as the clear #1 and #2 teams in the counry whilethethird and fourth spots are still up for grabs But is it really that simple? Has anyone in the top four proven them selvesaslocksfor theCFP?

The Top Four Teams:

1 Georgia Bulldogs (10 0)

The current end of the year CFPpredictions list Georgia at #1, Ohio State at #2, and Michigan and Tennesseeunde cided at #3 and #4 But the main question to all of this is, ?Why are Georgia and Ohio State unanimously chosen as the#1and#2teams?? Georgia hasonly 2 APTop 25 wins, the first came out of conference against Oregon were ranked #11 at the time and the second against Tennesseewho were#2 at the time of the game Sure both of these are statement wins, but that?sall Georgiahas to show for this season Geor giaisranked over 4 SEC teams in the AP Top 25 and have only played 1 of them despite having8conferencegamesthis season Could they beat LSU,

Alabama, and Ole Miss? We?ll never know Could they beat unranked Missouri? Just barely Oregon is a much dif ferent team than they were in week one and a rematch be tween the two would likely be much closer But is Georgia a different team? Or do they get the benefit of the doubt since they won the national champi onship Yes, they have stepped up when challenges have been thrown at them, but they?ve also slacked off in less mean ingful games If these last two games from Georgia are any thing short of a blowout it should raise concern for Bull dog fans Kentucky isnow un ranked but once found them selvesin thetop 15 If Georgia truly wants to cement them selves as potential back to back national champions, they need to win out their last two games by at least a combined 60 point margin

2 Ohio StateBuckeyes (10 0)

The biggest critique to the Ohio State Buckeyes this sea son is that they haven?t played any meaningful games Yet they haveshown signsof being amatureteam with their ability to dismantle lesser teams If you?d like to consider the sea sonopener against NotreDame

to be a meaningful game, then yes, Ohio Statehastwo impres sive wins between that game and the Penn State game Re gardless, they don?t quite have any other impressive wins within their conferenceto make them clear cut favorites Yes, the Buckeyes have a Heisman Finalist QB, and yes, they have the best receiving corps in the country, but how can they per form under pressure in hostile environments against much stronger opponents?

3 Michigan Wolverines (10 0)

Michigan hasnot proven them selves to be contenders and are just purely running off of last year's success Their only Top 25 win is against Penn State and their conferencepoint mar gins are much lower than Ohio State?s On paper it shouldn?t even be close when the two teams face off on November 26th However, if Michigan can pull off a convincing upset, they should stay in the top four andmaketheCFP

4 TCU Horned Frogs (10 0)

The TCU Horned Frogs have arguably thebest resume out of the four teams in the current CFPrankingsand no onewants to acknowledge it Max Dug gan, who started theyear asthe

backup QB, has won back the job and led thisteam to an un defeated season versus strong Big 12 opponents such as Kansas, Kansas State, Okla homa State, and most recently, Texas Although most of these teams have since fallen out of the Top 25, these were all Top 25 wins at the time of the game The Horned Frogs are suffering heavily from brand bias and could potentially still misstheCFPasaresult

Honorable Mentions:

Tennessee Volunteers (9 1)

Tennessee?sseason did not just magically end after the loss to Georgia, but many would still believethat anyway Their me dia coverage dropped signifi cantly after Georgia did what they were supposed to do in that game The Heisman buzz for Hendon Hooker seemed to die down a little bit as well Unfortunately for the Vols, they won?t have much of an opportunity to showcase what they?re capable of in their last two games when they take on South Carolina and Vanderbilt But what elsedo they haveleft to prove anyway? They had two huge wins over LSU and Kentucky and won close games against Alabama,

Florida, and Pitt They were down big against Georgia, but did manage to put some points on theboard later on to makeit close Aslongasthey takecare of business in their final two games, their previouswinsand status as an SEC team could push them into the playoffs where they could get a second shot at Georgia

North Carolina Tar Heels (9 1)

UNC opened their year with a thrilling win over Appalachian State in the first week of the season and haven?t looked back since Quarterback Drake Maye has been playing at a Heisman level all season and even managed to throw for over 300 yards and 5 touch downs in their only loss this season to Notre Dame They may not make it into the play offs, but an ACC Champi onship win over Clemson should at least put them near thetop6

Will the selection committee opt to go with two SEC teams and two Big 10 teams or can theHorned Frogs or a PAC 12 dark horse sneak their way in?

reason why they are winning biggames

Looking Ahead To The Phillies Off-Season

By Brendan Dougherty '23

After a terrific postseason run that swept the city of Philadelphia off of its feet, the Phillies fell just short of the franchise?s third World Series title ThePhilliesdid, however, win their 8th National League Pennant Title, the first of which since 2009, and un doubtedly exceeded expecta tionsfrom thebeginning of the season despitehaving aregular seasonrecordof 87 75

So, after having such a suc cessful season, where do the Philliesgo from hereto try and ultimately win a World Series title?

ThePhillies?President of Baseball Operation, Dave Dombrowski, will have plenty of options moving forward in the off season After going over the luxury tax to improve the roster last off season, the Phillieswill haveall of thein centives in the world to con tinue spending, as the minor penalties do not concern the aggressive front office The city should expect at least one more marquee name added to theroster after KyleSchwarber and Nick Castellanos came in just prior to theregular season, resulting in a significant in creaseinlineupproduction

The Fightins?clear top need isamiddleinfielder, and lucky for the Phillies, there are some big ticket players and a lot of money to spend on one of them There are four realistic options for filling this void: Trea Turner, Carlos Correa, Xander Bogaerts, and Jean Se gura, preferably in that order The clear favorite is Trea Turner, the former World Se riesChampion and 2x All Star Jean Segura, despite being a fan favorite, is nothing more than a last resort The player who eventually lands in Philadelphia would become Bryson Stott?spair in themid dle infield, the budding star whoshowcasedelitedefensein thepostseason

The Phillies will have to an swer a lot of questions in the off season, regarding who they

want to bring back in free agency if they might want to possibly trade a bat for an im pact arm, and what players they will trust to take on a larger role in the 2023 season The offense looks intact as a whole outside of the need in the middle infield It will be interesting to see if the front office sees value in a bench bat, but that may not be the case, with guys like Nick Ma ton, Matt Vierling, Darick

pected to debut at some point in 2023 Bailey Falter had somelevel of impact down the stretch, so he could compete for that 5thspot NoahSynder gaard and Kyle Gibson are off the books, so a move for a starter isexpected

In the bullpen, a number of spots will be open, as Zach Eflin, Brad Hand, Corey Knebel, and David Robertson are all hitting free agency Im

office may entertain a Rhys Hoskins trade for such a player, which would conse quently shift Alec Bohm to first base, but those rumors could be made by frustrated Phillies writers with a lack of substance Whatever the Phillies end up doing, it will likely be a product of how the rest of the league plays their freeagency A number of play ers will likely wait until the signing of Aaron Judge so that

lockout plagued off season The Phillies will certainly be spending as much money as they deem necessary becauseit is time to go for it

John Middleton has a vision for the World Series trophy to be back with him, and he al most got it In 2019, he brought in Bryce Harper and JT Realmuto to try and put it all together They havebrought home an MVP trophy, three All Star selections, threeSilver

Hall, and Edmundo Sosa all showing plenty of sparks as well as having long term con trollability

In regards to the pitching staff, a3/4 typeof starter looks to betheteam'ssecond priority to address The 1 2 punch of Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola isn?t going anywhere, while Ranger Suarez looks to be a stickler in the rotation for a while The progression of prospects Andrew Painter and Mick Abel should be paid at tention to, asthey areboth ex

pact arms like Seranthony Dominguez, Jose Alvarado, and Connor Brogdon remain, but there will still be some level of urgency to restock this bullpen The hope is that at least one of these relievers re turns, and there is still a num ber of pitchers on the 40 man roster now that couldgrow into impact arms, like Sam Coon rod and Christopher Sanchez Theinflux of batsand theneed at in the ?pen raises the ques tion of possibly trading ahitter for an impact arm Rumors have circulated that the front

they can see where their mar ket stands The transactions of the off season should unfold rather quickly after the ex pected mega deal for the MVP favorite Around the league, the other players for shortstop should include the Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, and Minnesota Twins The San Francisco Gi ants also should be penciled in there if they fail to land Aaron Judge The market should be offering large contracts all around, as spending is typi cally at a high following a

Slugger Awards, and a gold glove A year later, he brought in Zack Wheeler, who hasbeen a bona fide ace with a Cy Young runner up This past season, he brings in Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castel lanos, which brought aboon in offensive production, and a Silver Slugger Award from the former Now, the front office looks to bring in another dif ference maker to bring the World Series back to Philadel phia

Tortorella and The Flyers: Tort's Torture

By Anthony Salvato '23

Are the Flyers? winning? This was supposed to be the year the Flyers tanked for Connor Bedard, the 18 year old hockey prodigy that many analysts see as the clear num ber one overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft After trading the longtime captain Claude Giroux at the end of last sea son, this team lacked an iden tity Instead of making asplash free agency move, general manager Chuck Fletcher looked to longtime head coach John Tortorella to help this teamfindanidentity

And they certainly did Just

not maybe what fans had ex pected Tortorella has vamped this team and given them life

The Flyers are playing tough, gritty, old fashioned hockey In a preseason interview, Tor torella said he wants the team ?to match the personality of the city?, and he?s done just that Forwards Nick Deslauri ers and Zack MacEwen, as well as defenseman Egor Za mula, have brought emphatic size and physicality to a team that desperately neededit

The Flyers have become fun to watch again and fans have noticed But is this style of hockey the best route for the

team in the long term? How long can they sustain thisearly success?PlayinginTorortella?s signature ?rough? style can be draining over an 82 game sea

son and theworst thing a team can bein theNHL ismediocre It?s a league of extremes If you?regoing to compete in the NHL then there?s very little

room for error If you?re going to tank there?s very little room for success

Are the Flyers deep enough for aStanley Cup run thissea son? No Absolutely not But are they bad enough to earn a lottery pick? Not currently Theaddition of John Tortorella hasmadethisteam too good to tank, yet they still don?t have enough talent to win Enjoy the success while it lasts, but things don?t look as promising for March

Tortorella in his 34th year of coaching

Offseason for the Philadelphia Phillies is looking promising

Ring The Bell: An Unforgettable Hit

By: Christian Corr ?25

After an improbable run, the Phillies season has ended Throughout the season, this team had defined the odds and this did not stop until the World Serieswherethey lost to the Houston Astros, possibly the most dominant team in re cent memory In the end, the offensive power combined with one of the greatest all around pitching staffs proved to be too much for the Fight ens With the season ending let?s look back on how the Phillies got to this point and provedeveryonewrong

Entering the season the ex pectation for most fans was a wild card appearance This team was filled with offensive power with new additions like Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos and returning players Rhys Hoskins, Bryce Harper, and JT Realmuto Thisfelt liketheyear that they would put it all together and finally makethat jumpto being aplayoff team Throughout the first few months of the season, it looked likethat wasn?t going to happen as they started out 22 29 But then the flipped switch, they fired Joe Giradi and hired bench coach Rob Thomson otherwise known as? Philly Rob? Thomson would immediately lead the Phils on an eight game win streak and the tides had turned in Philadelphia Thisteam looked like it was finally gonna push through, but then the reigning MVP, Bryce Harper was hit in the thumb by a 97 mile per hour fastball which sidelined him from June 25th, through August 26th Harper wasin the

With Harper out, someone had to step up, and afew play ers took this role Kyle Schwarber went on ahomerun tear and became the spark for the offense JT Realmuto started off a little slow but be gan to heat up in July when he batted 358 in Juneand contin ued his dominance behind the plateand in thebatter'sbox for the rest of the year With the dog days of August approach ing the Phillies were going to need some more help They traded for center fielder Bran don Marsh who helped on both offense and defense Along with Marsh, they acquired pitcher Noah Syndergaard who

Bryson Stott was huge down the stretch in August as he hit 287 and played solid defense for the Phillies The underrated hero of the summer wasAlec Bohm Ever sincethe ?I hate this place? incident, something clicked for him He began to play much better de fense and was great at the plate He had one of his best months in July posting a 434 batting average with 14 RBIs ThiscontinuedintoAugust had helped lead the team to a wild card birth With the season winding down thechancesof a playoff birth camedown to the last series against the Houston Astros All the Phillies needed

to be described in one word it would be power Both the San Diego Padres and Phillies had loadsof it and it wasall put on display in game four The Phillies had a 2 1 series lead entering game four and it did not look good in the first in ning as the Padres jumped out to a quick 4 0 But with Rhys Hoskins reigniting the stadium with a two run home run the Fightins were back in it The Phillies tacked on one more in the bottom of the first and an other in the fourth to tie the game However, the Padres wasted no time striking back with a Juan Soto two run homerun to put hissquad up 6 4 in the top of the fifth Rhys Hoskins ak a the streakiest baseball player in the history of the game came up in the bottom half of the inning and hit another two run blast to tie it The Phillies would add four morerunsthroughout thegame tosecurethewinand it set up a pennant clinching game in Philadelphia ThePhillieswere down 3 2 in the bottom of the eighth in game 5 No one out, one man on with the reigning MVP coming up to the plate with a chanceto send his team that he signed a 13 year con tract with, to the World Series It seemed like it was out of a movie and Bryce Harper made it feel like one as he hit an opposite field home run to send histeam to theWorld Se ries

early letting up three runs in the first and this would be all the Astros needed as they won the game 5 2 In game three the Phillies hit five home runs asthey won 7 0, unfortunately, this would be the last time the offense would show up in the series as they would go on to get no hit in game four In gamefivedefensewasthedif ference, as the Astros made great defensive plays in the clutch and they won the game 3 2 With the Astros up 3 2 in theseriesand only needing one more game to win the Phillies would need to find their of fense fast but they didn?t The Phillies led 1 0 entering the bottom of thesix and with first and third, one out Rob Thom son took out aceZack Wheeler whostill had alow pitchcount Jose Alvarado came in and let up athree run homerun to Yo dan Alvarez and this put the Astros up 3 1 and eventually won the game 4 1 with rookie sensation Jose Pena winning WorldSeriesMVP

early MVPconversation before being injured and wason atear beforegetting hurt No onehad any idea how this offense would respond to the vocal point of the offense being out for the majority of the year They had onegoal with Harper being out, stay in thewild card picture, and they certainly did that

helped out the back end of the rotation and performed ex tremely well for this ball club with 5 wins and only two losses in 10 games pitched The bullpen was also given a boost when the Phillies traded for relief pitcher David Robertson With the pitching getting a boost the offense needed to continue to hit

to do was win one of the next three games, and with Aaron Nola, they wasted no time on the mound Nola pitched ex cellent and thePhillieswon the game3 0

The Phillies made it through thewild card round against the Cardinals and then stormed through division rival the At lanta Braves If the NLCS was

Game 1 of the World Series was an entertaining game, to say the least The Astros scored 5 quick runs and then the Phillies struck back with five of their own The game went to extrainnings thanks to a game saving diving catch by Nick Castellanosand in thetop of thetenth JT Realmuto won thegamewithasolohomerun In game two, ace Zack Wheeler got knocked around

Although it wasan unfortunate end to theseason it wasagreat one The front office is going to have to make some deci sionson who they aregoing to keep and who they aregoing to let go With astar studded free agent shortstop class, the Phillies will be in the hunt for players like Trea Turner and Carlos Correa who would cer tainly be great additions to the team and could help them win a World Series This is a new era of baseball in Philadelphia, where it is enjoyable to watch this team win and hopefully win a World Series

Rookie

The crowd watches in awe as Harper hits a pennant clinching home run

The Philadelphia Phillies after winning the 2022 NLCSChampionship