Inside This Week's Issue Remodeling Plans, Student of the Week, Sudoku, and Faculty Grid
Edited by Joe Egler '16 and Ryan Naehr '16
Volume 41, Issue XV
The Student Newspaper of St. Joseph's Prep
By Marcello Garber ‘17 Along with sports such as swimming, tennis, and bowling, Prep track can often be overlooked, but the team has been back to work since early winter. The team is still far from season’s end, but is making great strides in all aspects of the sport. Probably the most impressive unit is the four-by400-meter relay, composed of Steve McClellan ‘17, Bobby Dupell ‘18, Miles Green ‘18, and Benny Walls ‘16 (recently committed to Temple University to play football). This relay is ranked no. 10 in
‘17 (high jump) qualified for the Meet of Champions. The team is looking to improve on its fourth place finish in the PCL last year, and is expecting several big performances from the individuals mentioned and others, once they get to championship time. “Track workouts are Joe Pisacano '16, fourth from the left, is one of the like the friend zone. You try indoor track team's numerous talented athletes. 6.57 seconds. the nation, and no. 2 in the so hard, but don’t get anything Meanwhile, Isaiah Ritchie ‘18 in return,” says Christopher state. came in ninth in the state in Hibbs ‘17, who is looking to Furthermore, D’Andre Swift ‘17 recently the long jump, with a mark of hit some personal bests before tied the school record in the 21 feet, 5 inches. And in the the season comes to a close. 55-meter dash, with a time of first meet of the season Green, Contined on page 3
By Pat Ryan ‘16 On Friday, January 22, the second semester started with Mass. However, some students decided that attending Mass was unnecessary. Approximately 140 students arrived during Mass, or minutes before first period. Some students brought parent-signed notes detailing the reasons for their late arrivals, while others headed directly to first period and risked JUG. A few students took shelter underneath the theater stage
but were quickly found. One senior, who asked to stay anonymous to avoid punishment, explained why he skipped Mass. “[I] wanted to sleep in and catch up on studying,” he said. He went on to say that he feels that his belief in God “should be enough,” and that Church “is boring, and it’s tough to pay attention.” He feels as though there is no chance for participation. Joe Loonstyn ‘16 hid underneath the theater stage with a few friends to avoid the
February 5, 2016
Indoor Track Racing for the RecordDupell, Books and JeffAckerman
Dean's Office Responds to Poor Mass Attendance
Prep administration has observed a significant lack of students attending mass in the Gesu.
Mass, but he was found and forced to attend. “[I needed to] get some work done, under the stage,” said Loonstyn, explaining why he skipped Mass. He also said that he thinks that
Mass lasts too long, and that there is not really anything that would make him want to go. Along with a few other students, Loonstyn was discovered soon thereafter. The Dean’s Office Continued on page 3
By Matt Zito ‘17 For those who do not know, in 2017, the Prep will be undergoing an architectural transformation ofVilliger Hall. These changes include the renovation of the entrance of the school; the extension of the entrance further out to the street, intended to create a more welcoming environment; an upgrade of the theater; an update of the first and second floor classrooms; and the transformation of the McShain Library into a learning commons. According to Mr. Christian Rupertus, the goal of
Facelift for the Prep
the upgrade of the library is to create an appealing environment where students want to spend time, and to better incorporate technology. The new changes will add private rooms for study groups, but will still include paper books. Overall, the hope is to better use the space to accommodate the needs of a twenty-first century learner. Everyone involved with the project expressed a desire to help meet student needs and to create a usable space that will be usable now and in the future.
Here, a floor plan of the new library is shown.
Mass (Cont'd)
has created a new rule requiring students to bring a doctor's note in the event of a late arrival on Mass days. This rule is intended to combat the high number of students skipping Mass, with the hope that they will realize the importance and relevance of Mass at a Catholic institution, such as the Prep. Some people may be quick to say that this is strictly a “Prep” problem. In reality, Church attendance is not only a problem at the Prep, but throughout America. Weekly attendance has been steadily declining over the years. In a 2015 survey
conducted by Pew Research Center, only 28 percent of young Millennials—people who were born between 1990 and 1996—said that they attend weekly religious services, even though 80 percent said that they believe in God. These statistics suggest that Mass attendance is not merely a matter of whether it is held in the morning or the afternoon, or whether it is held on a Monday or a Friday. Trends among this generation may require serious dialogue among and considerate response from Church leaders.
Track (Cont'd)
“Don’t worry, though. Greatness is coming.” “I believe that Prep track can have one of our best seasons in recent years. More records should be shattered, more memories should be made, and more fun should be had. I can’t wait to close out the season with a bang,” says Joe Console ‘17, who was the cross country’s first junior captain in years in the fall. “When I practice, I get a lot of attention. Being the only high jumper, Coach always tries his best to help me out, and has really helped me improve a lot,” says Ackerman. “I am very excited to see how I can
Jeff Ackerman '17 is the team's lone high jumper.
perform at PCL’s this year.” The Prep indoor track team has certainly had a great season to this point, but don’t think it is even close to being over. Stay tuned for results from PCL’s and beyond.
Super Bowl 50 Special: Keys to the Game
By Marco Sammartino ‘18 This Sunday, February 7, all eyes will be on Santa Clara, California, for the biggest football game of the year: Super Bowl 50. Both no. 1 seeds will play each other for the third consecutive year, with the AFC Champion Denver Broncos playing the NFC Champion Carolina Panthers. The Broncos, led by future Hall-of-Fame quarterback Peyton Manning, boast one of the best defenses in the league, as well as an array of attacking options that tear up defenses when they play their best. The Panthers, on the other hand, have quarterback Cam Newton—front-runner for the AP NFL MVP Award after
“last rodeo.” At age 39, he is widely regarded as one of the best quarterbacks of all time. However, this season has been plagued with injuries, as well as turnovers, and his age has started to show. But the rest of the team is talented enough to make up for Manning’s decline. The defense has been the best in the league this season, with outside linebackers Von The Broncos will face off against Panthers in what could Miller and DeMarcus Ware, perhaps be Peyton Manning's last game. and cornerback Chris Harris leading his team to a 15-1 raised higher than ever. Jr. all having amazing regular season, the best One of the biggest seasons. record in the NFL stories of the game is that of However, the team has shown Old-school versus Manning—the NFL’s all-time weakness at times, as new-school is always an career leader in passing exemplified when the interesting matchup, and, touchdowns and yards—who Pittsburgh Steelers, led by with the Lombardi Trophy on has reportedly decided that wide receiver Antonio the line, the stakes have been the Super Bowl will be his Brown’s performance,
By Ronan Egan ‘18 The 2015-16 Prep Student Council is looking to make big changes this year. President Andrew Oliver, Vice Presidents Jack McTiernan and Tim Rafter, Secretary Kyle Cissone, and Treasurer Jon Bjornson ‘16 are working tirelessly to change Prep students’ lives for the better. So far this year, the Student Council has made major improvements to some common events at the Prep. They raised mixer attendance by 160 percent, and had more than 120 students donate to the Fall Blood Drive, with nearly the same amount turned away because the American
Student Council Update Red Cross was unable to accommodate the extremely high number of donors. Other than that, Student Council has also sold hundreds of HawkLife t-shirts, and added a new bubble ball tournament to the fall pep rally. One of the main things on which Student Council is working concerns the Grad-at-Grad. Currently, the Prep’s Grad-at-Grad is comprised of five characteristics that each graduate is expected to possess: open to growth, intellectually competent, religious, loving, and committed to doing justice. Adding a sixth—most likely
Super Bowl (Cont'd)
exposed the Broncos, 34-27, in December. Despite any flaws, the team boasts one of the most impressive rosters in the league, and should be hard to break down. On the other side of the spectrum, there is a versatile quarterback having the best season of his life. And he’s accounted for 80 percent of his team’s touchdowns this season. The 26-year-old Cam Newton is expected to be MVP this year, accounting for 45 total touchdowns in the regular season: 35 passing, 10 rushing. This statistic is a testament to how Newton can hurt teams in more ways than one, especially in the red zone. Carolina has scored the most points per game this season,
related to technology—is something currently in the works for Student Council. Other things that it is handling include booking Lincoln Financial Field for
junior prom and trying to get a freshman-sophomore dance at the Adventure Aquarium. “Come to the sophomore and freshman dance in the spring at the Camden Aquarium,” says Oliver. “It’ll be lit.” He also says that Student By Joe Egler Upcoming Games Council is always open to BASKETBALL: new ideas, and welcomes any Away game tonight @ student with suggestions for Conwell Egan @ 7:00 p.m. the school.
Events
BOWLING: 1st Round Playoffs Tuesday 2/9 ICE HOCKEY: Away game Friday 2/19 @ Malvern Prep @ 5:45 p.m. TRACK: TFCAGP Meet No. 8 Saturday 2/6 @ Lehigh University @ 12:30 p.m.
and all that offensive firepower will be tough to stop on the biggest stage in WRESTLING: football. Cougar Duals Saturday 2/6 @ Super Bowl 50 8:00 a.m. should prove to be an instant classic, as offense battles Next Week at the Prep defense, young challenges MONDAY, 2/8: old, and the best play the best. No School Carolina had the best record in the NFL with 15-1; Denver TUESDAY, 2/9: posted a respectable 12-4, SpeakUp! (Merion Mercy) best in the AFC. “C” Day In a poll taken by the Los Angeles Times, Carolina WEDNESDAY, 2/10: is favored to win, with 53 Ash Wednesday Mass percent of the votes, with “D” Bells Denver receiving 47 percent. “D” Day The Super Bowl is already a close match-up, and the poll THURSDAY, 2/11: fails to clear anything up, but “E” Day the Panthers are considered the best team in football and FRIDAY, 2/12: are favored to take home the “F” Day Lombardi Trophy.
Hawkeye Staff
Editors-in-Chief Joe Egler '16 Ryan Naehr '16
Staffwriters
Aidan Donaher ‘16 Augie Lorei ‘16 Ryan Mannion ‘16 Fintan O’Toole ‘16 Joe Pisacano ‘16 Stas Postowski ‘16 Pat Ryan ‘16 Kevin Sampson ‘16 Joe Schade ‘16 Conor Battin ‘17 Joe Console ‘17 Jon Erdy ‘17 Marcello Garber ‘17 Mike Grafenstine ‘17 Michael Haley ‘17 Von Hobe ‘17 Christopher Magiera ‘17 Tristan Mordan ‘17 Aidan O’Connor ‘17 Mike O’Neill ‘17 Mac Riga ‘17 Bobby Simons ‘17 Kyllian Vong ‘17 Jack Yocom ‘17 Matt Zito ‘17 Ronan Egan ‘18 David Haddad ‘18 Matthew Phillips ‘18 Marco Sammartino ‘18 Anthony Tigano ‘18 Joe Scott ‘19