The Patriot December 2010, Issue 3, Vol 46

Wrestlepalooza!

JC wrestlers dominate the mats at seasonal event

‘Patriot’ hashes out truth on marijuana

Teachers reveal their teenage identities

IN-DEPTH 8

LIFESTYLE 4

thepatriot SPORTS 16

December 2010

The John Carroll School 703 E. Churchville Rd. Bel Air, MD 21014

Check out JCPATRIOT.COM for the latest news and updates Volume 46 Issue 3

Advisories focus on holiday outreach

Photo by Jenny Hottle

New leads heat up cold case Jenny Hottle, Caroline Spath

Online Chief, Multimedia Editor Twenty-seven years after the unsolved murder of a JC student, recent news tips and an ABC 2 News cold case segment have brought attention to the case.

Jennifer Claybrook, class of ’86, was a freshman when she disappeared on March 4, 1983.

According to her mother, Claybrook went for a jog. Forty-eight hours after Jennifer did not return home, police began an official investigation.

Claybrook had run away in the past.

However, in previous instances, she called her mother to let her know that she was safe.

Two days later, her mother reported

Claybrook missing.

On March 10, an off-duty police officer was walking his dog when he found Claybrook strangled. She was propped up against a fence less than a mile from her home, in a field now known as the Trails at Gleneagles development, located behind Maple View Drive in Bel Air. According to investigators, the placement of her body against a fence indicated that her murderer wanted her to be found.

“It’s heartbreaking, and there are no words to describe how horrified we were when the body was found,” Campus Minister Patti Murphy-Dohn, who taught several of Claybrook’s friends, said.

Math Department chair Susan Gradishar, who taught Claybrook’s Algebra I class, said that something as tragic as the

mystery of Claybrook’s death “really hits you forever.”

While no signs of a struggle were reportedly found at the scene of the body, investigators remain unsure as to whether Claybrook was killed onsite or placed there later, according to Brad Helm, the Bel Air Police Department detective who is currently investigating the case.

In addition, an autopsy could not determine when Claybrook died, but only that she died between March 4 and 10.

A woman in the Heritage Woods apartments claimed to have heard screams at 4 a.m. on the night that Claybrook disapeared, and a suspicious van was said to have been driving around the area where she disappeared. However, both rumors have since been discredited.

See NEWS 3

Friends of Rachel Club lacks interest Joey Hoff Editor in Chief On Sept. 10, junior Erica Bodt attended the first meeting of JC’s Friend’s of Rachel Club. This first meeting was also the last.

Following the Sept. 10 school-wide Rachel’s Challenge presentation, presenter Ken Scheible met with members of the SAC, NHS, and Athletic Leadership Team in the Brown Room to welcome them into the Friends of Rachel Club.

According to the Rachel’s Challenge organization, the school-wide multimedia assembly is “designed to inspire the audience to make a few simple changes in the way they look at their world and interact

Index

with it.” The FOR Club training session differed because it focuses on educating school leaders, teaching “them how to take what they heard in the assembly and make it a practical reality in their school.”

Scheible’s FOR Club training session included ideas for activities and promotional campaigns “to continue the chain reaction of kindness and compassion in the school and community” and “to help create a permanent cultural change in the school,” which are the club’s main goals, according to the Rachel’s Challenge organization. “[The FOR Club] presentation was really great. I thought that everyone was involved, and the whole idea of making a group seemed really exciting,”

Photo by Conrad Sullivan

Senior Sam Donald signs the Rachel’s Challenge banner with fellow classmates. Since the signing of the poster and the Friends of Rachel meeting, no action has been taken with the club.

Bodt said.

Since the initial training presentation, the Friends of Rachel club has held no meetings and sponsored no activities or promotional campaigns.

“We thought it was a really good idea in the presentation, but we never really went with

it. No one really talked about it or actually stood up and took leadership and organized anything,” Bodt said.

The Guidance Department planned the Rachel’s Challenge assembly and the FOR training See NEWS 3

Photo by Kristin Marzullo

Senior Sarah Szoka decorates her advisory’s Christmas tree during their Toys for Tots collection. Advisories are working to support families this holiday season.

Grace Kim Managing Editor Advisories have hung their lights and even trimmed their trees. Now groups are focusing on giving back to the community.

Health teacher Tess Gauthier and social studies teacher Jim Fendryk are working towards donating toys to Toys for Tots.

Gauthier proposed the idea because she loves toys and found a personal connection to the program. She also felt that her advisory could have done more during the canned food drive. “A problem is that everyone is busy,” Gauthier said.

The students in Gauthier’s advisory voted to do the Toys for Tots program. “It helps more people that don’t have what we have so that they can enjoy Christmas too.

I was motivated to do something for others [with the Toys for Tots program],” senior Ronald Scott said.

“The idea that you can provide Christmas gifts for underprivileged children is something that really does embody the spirit of Christmas giving. I constantly think back to my childhood and how exhilarating and exciting Christmas morning was. Toys for Tots provides the opportunity for you to become part of that experience for some children who otherwise wouldn’t get it,” Fendryk said.

English teacher Deborah Stathes’s advisory is one of several advisories supporting a family for Christmas. Stathes’s advisory has decided to adopt a family and provide them with a few items from their Christmas list.

According to Stathes, senior Jess Perry’s mother came to the school and helped to organize the program for advisories to adopt families. “I feel it’s an opportunity we have, and it’s good to take advantage of it,” Stathes said.

News...2 Lifestyle...4 A & E...7 In-Depth...8 Opinion...11 Sports...14

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thepatriot

news

Volume 46 Issue 3 December 2010

Korean peninsula military tensions hit home Grace Kim Managing Editor On Nov. 23, tensions on the Korean peninsula peaked when North Korea attacked South Korea with “dozens” of artillery rounds that landed on South Korea’s Yeonpyeong Island.

The shelling killed two civilians and two Korean soldiers, injured several others, and set fire to more than sixty homes, according to “The New York Times” and “The Telegraph.”

Technically, the two nations are at war. The Korean War, which divided the Korean peninsula into a communist North and a democratic South, ended only in a 1953 armistice, an agreement that both nations were bound to follow in order to keep peace. A formal peace treaty was never signed.

According to the British Broadcasting Corp., Pyongyang (the capital of North Korea) felt “provoked” by recent military drills near the island. The United States and South Korea are currently still holding “joint military exercises” on the island.

“The Washington Post” reported that this Korean military drill is annually performed and is called “Safeguarding the Nation.”

“Attacking civilians militarily is an inhumane crime that is strictly forbidden in a time of war. I cannot help expressing anger at the North Korean regime’s brutality,” South

Korean President Lee Myung-bak told the BBC. According to “The Wall Street Journal,” the United States and the European Union have already “condemned the shelling.” Russia and China are calling for restraint on both sides, China being North Korea’s closest ally. China provides much of North Korea’s “food aid, economic assistance and investment.”

The WP said that, “The United States is firmly committed to the defense of our ally, the Republic of Korea, and to the maintenance of regional peace and stability.”

There is a mix of opinions from the Korean exchange students at JC about the tensions on the Korean peninsula.

“North Korea normally does this so we don’t care anymore,” junior Jennifer Bahng said. According to Bahng, this attack will not affect her plans for returning home to Korea over Christmas break.

“Minnie [another Korean exchange student] and I are worried about this because we watched on YouTube something about this situation. My father said that he’s trying to buy some emergency food for that, but I think he’s just kidding,” sophomore Summer Chung said. “Some of the people are really worried though because it’s the first time North Korea really attacked South Korea.”

“North Korea’s very sensitive, so I feel like South Korea did

Kirby Browning, Jenny Hottle Copy Chief, Online Chief

Art Honor Society will host professional artists in February weekend event Photo courtesy of MCT

wrong first. We kind of annoyed North Korea. They are very concerned about this issue. My sister now wants to really come here because America’s much safer. She was calling me during the time North Korea attacked,” senior Dambi Ko said. “Some of us don’t really care, though, because we all know that war is not going to happen.”

Bahng, Chung, and Ko and their respective families all reside in Seoul, the capital of South Korea.

The WSJ reported that, there is also a renewed concern over the increase of nuclear activity in North Korea, especially with the shelling of South Korea.

The government in Pyongyang “revealed to a visiting American scientist the existence of a new

uranium enrichment facility.”

There has always been a conflict between the two nations over North Korea’s possession of nuclear weapons, and according to WSJ, this conflict “intensified” when Pyongyang announced that there are installations of “thousands of centrifuges to make nuclear fuel at its Yongbyon nuclear facility.”

Kim Heung-kyu, a professor at Sungshin’s Women’s University, told WP, “North Korea wants the United States’ recognition and international aid while pursuing nuclear ambition. Tuesday’s attack was an attempt to refresh and put pressure on the U.S. and South Korea to step back. It is not a onetime problem but will repeat in the future.”

On Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 12-13, JC will host a “Paint-In, Paint-Out” event, hosted by The Art Honor Society.

Professional artists will paint scenery around the campus and inside the Fine Arts Wing. JC art students will have the opportunity to learn from the artists.

“Hopefully, this will become an annual event,” Art Honor’s Society moderator Bruno Baron said.

Students and artists will be working outside the school, in the two art rooms, and in the gallery.

“We are dealing with some of the best painters on the East Coast, who will maybe demonstrate,” Baron said. The members of the Art Honor Society are able to work alongside the various artists, who will be painting both in the Art Wing and around campus.

“We’re hoping to have a really talented artist come in and demonstrate to the students of the Arts Society, like Ken Backus or Valerie Crane,” Baron said.

Although this is more of an exhibition workshop rather than a contest, Baron hopes to start an annual art contest with the Alumni Association. The money put into this event will raise money for the Alumni Association.

“There has been no contact with JC from artists yet, but the school will probably not hear from anyone until after the holidays,” Baron said.

Administration addresses planned senior skip day In an email to the class of ’11 parents, Principal Paul Barker acknowledged the administration’s awareness of the proposed Senior Skip Day. According to Barker, a senior “may have posted a Senior Skip Day as an event on Facebook.”

The proposed event was set for Friday, Dec. 17, 2010, the last day before Christmas vacation.

“The school considers this a serious matter and our Student Handbook describes unexcused absence as a two demerit offense,” Barker said in his email.

Barker requested that parents discuss the skip day with their seniors, “affirming the importance of being in school.”

“We do not endorse the concept of students adopting an ‘attendance-optional’ approach to school or believing that their status as seniors somehow entitles them to skip school,” Barker said.

thepatriot

news

Volume 46 Issue 3 December 2010

3

Baker, Hensley plan changes for 2012 Variety Show Collin Hoofnagle News Editor Following frustration with recent Senior Variety Shows, senior class moderators Larry Hensley and Anne Baker are entertaining new ideas and suggestions for the show.

“Baker and I have to juggle the fine balance of pleasing the student body, seniors, parents, faculty, and administration,” Hensley said.

While Baker was “disappointed in their [class of ’11] behavior,” the idea for changes did not come about as a result of this year’s Variety Show. Rather, it was “a culmination of years,” according to Hensley.

Baker and Hensley cited the show as becoming a “forum to make fun of their [graduates’ and students’] darkest, most embar-

rassing moments,” Baker said.

While scripts of the show are reviewed by the administration and teachers mentioned in them, it is hard to weed out personal references, according to Baker.

The Variety Show “can also be impactful on the audience,” Barker said. The show’s negative effect may affect enrollment. She cited an adult leaving the show with middle school-aged children telling her daughter you “have two choices, NDP or IND.” “We want to take the direction into a positive light,” Baker said.

In order to “make it classier,” Hensley wants to change the title to “The JC Talent Show.” Also, structured auditions would take place. “Yes, you can still have skits, but they’ll be more solidified,” Hensley said.

Also, a dinner show component could be added to the show, which

would “bump up ticket prices,” according to Hensley. An art exhibit may also be worked into the show to “raise the bar.” Hensley also discussed having the show follow “an Idol format,” with panel judges awarding acts with trophies.

In order to attract more talent, Hensley and Baker hope to allow all grade levels and faculty to perform in the show. It would still be a main senior fundraiser. Although according to Hensley, Principal Paul Barker “wasn’t keen on that” when the idea was presented to him in a recent meeting about changes to the Variety Show.

“It’s all what you do and how you do it,” Barker said. It’s “time to have a conversation with students about how it can be better,” he said.

“I don’t like that very much. I think that the Variety Show is a tradition that shouldn’t be messed

Photo By Conrad Sullivan

Seniors DJ Owens, Trent Shaw, and Luke Hinder dance by senior Kristen Leppert in a skit adapted from SNL. Future senior Variety Shows will take on a more positive image as a school talent show. with,” junior Colleen Zulty said.

Finally, a rule would be set in place that would make individual attacks on students and graduates off-limits.

However, these changes are

“not set in stone,” according to Hensley. “It’s going to evolve,” he said.

“Change is hard,” Hensley said.

“But I can’t see it continuing this way.”

Rachel’s Challenge fails to inspire New leads revive case from FRONT PAGE

Maychack said. presentation, which paralleled “I felt a little like [organizing themes from the school-wide sum- the club] was our responsibility mer reading novel, “Hate List.” because we attended the meeting “[The club’s organization] was with student leadership, but I think up to SAC, NHS, and the Athletic that so much is just going on right Leadership group. I thought that now,” senior class president Tyler they were going to pull together a Boyd said. couple of activities and really act According to Rachel’s Chaltogether as the three groups. I was lenge Marketing Director for really hoping that Maryland Stacey that would happen, Peacock, the FOR “Each group but I haven’t heard Club training sesanything,” Director does so much... sion is a $400 upof Guidance Carol it’s like where grade to the $2500 do they work Heflin-Shupe said. assembly-only “[The purpose of it into their package. the FOR club] was The organization schedule?” something that we says the training were already doing. -Carol Heflin-Shupe session “is key in We already do a lot sustaining the mesof service around here,” science sage of kindness and compassion, department chair and NHS mod- and affecting true, genuine change erator Rebecca Jansing-Kaestner in your school.” said.

“The club is what really keeps “I think that everybody just the message going. It’s a constant probably got caught up in the reminder. The message comes to beginning of the school year and life in the school,” Peacock said. everything was so busy. There “Some of the activities we have were so many different groups already done or could do within involved that no one took it upon NHS, but we need leadership to themselves [to start the club],” As- take hold of it. That’s the problem. sistant Athletic Director for Wom- This type of activity students need en’s Athletics and head of the Ath- to take hold of it,” Jansing-Kaestletic Leadership Group Stephanie ner said.

Jansing-Kaestner sees the FOR Club as possibly becoming a part of a current organization instead of a separate club.

“One of the problems is that we do so much. Each group does so many things, and to ask them to do one more thing, it’s like where do they work it into their schedule?

That’s hard,” Heflin-Shupe said.

“It’s a very big task to organize something that affects the whole school, and it does involve so many different groups… So I don’t think that it’s an easy thing to do or an easy thing to organize,” Maychack said Boyd believes there is “probably not” going to be a FOR Club in the future.

“I think the [Rachel’s Challenge] poster that everyone signed is as far as it’s going to get,” Boyd said. “The message is definitely still here, and I think that if they put on a guidance presentation or an assembly every year, it would still get the word across.”

“Whether we have a club or don’t have a club, the sustained awareness of how we treat each other would really be the idea, that we’re aware of the way we act and what we say and how that affects other people,” Heflin-Shupe said.

Club for girls offers spiritual support Rachel Dinsmore Multimedia Editor A club designed exclusively for girls has been established, one that hopes to become a forum for girls to share their feelings about faith and other problems in a non-judgmental atmosphere.

The Beloved club’s first meeting was Nov. 23. They continue to meet weekly before school.

Spanish teacher Jennifer Medrano is the moderator of Beloved, but because the group is entirely student-run, she is never present at the meetings.

“I try to avoid being in the room.

I don’t want my presence to compromise the discussion going on or make them feel uncomfortable that I’m there,” Medrano said.

Senior Sara Stifler had the idea for Beloved after her AP Spanish class on Sept. 20. It was the Monday after Joey d’Entremont was suddenly killed, and the class had began to engage in a wide-ranging discussion of faith, death and life.

It was then that Stifler had the idea to continue these kinds of discussions.

Stifler had had the idea to start a small group for girls earlier but did not have the courage or confidence to officially start one until that day in Spanish class. “I looked over at my friend Chelsea [Shock] and said we can do this,” Stifler said.

The discussion that Monday morning brought all eight girls to tears. “We all came together as a class and had a heart to heart. It brought us closer and we learned

some of the things about each other that people never say,” senior Julia Burke said. Stifler saw that this was a healing thing, to share with others. “It really moved me,” Stifler said.

According to Stifler, “There had to be others out there who felt alone in their faith.”

Beloved meetings have covered issues such as doubt, the lack of Christian community around school, and fighting to keep faith.

According to Stifler, the girls of Beloved work to expand their faith and help others do so.

Although all are welcome, only a small number of girls are part of Beloved, as Stifler and Shock do not want the group to lose its intimate setting. The group currently has 22 members.

from FRONT PAGE

was not outgoing in class, Clay“Such tips were fully investi- brook seemed to be a “typical gated back then,” Helm said. “Any freshman girl,” who had many new piece of information is what friends. we follow up on.”

According to Gradishar, hearing Murphy-Dohn believes that the Claybrook’s name “sends a chill ABC 2 News segment on the mur- down my spine.” Gradishar wishes der may have helped bring light that the police could solve the case to the case. Helm agreed, saying to bring comfort to the Claybrook that when the press gets involved, family and friends. “I hope they people see the story, manage to bring clowhich often leads to sure to everyone who info provided by the knew her,” she said. people.

However, The murder is conHelm would not say sidered a cold case, whether recent informeaning that the mation came before crime happened a or after the segment while ago and no arwas aired. rests have been made.

The police can“The case is suspendnot disclose informaed until new information on current leads. tion is found,” Helm However, Det. Sgt. said, adding that the Jennifer Claybrook Edward Smith of the case will “continue to Bel Air Police Criminal Investiga- remain open” until it is solved. tions Unit said that it is likely JenSince the murder, more than nifer knew her killer.

100 people have been interviewed.

“Because of the type of girl she However, they have yet to publicwas and her personality, we think ly announce a suspect. Still, Helm [Jennifer’s killer] was someone and Smith strongly believe that she knew,” Smith said in a 2009 this case can be solved. interview with “The Aegis.” “We “Somebody out there is holdhave no indication that it was a ing the key to bringing this case stranger.” to a conclusion,” Smith told “The Gradishar said that, while she Aegis.”

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thepatriot

lifestyle

Volume 46 Issue 3 December 2010

JC family cares for kids in Kenya Maggie Cassidy, Taylor Schafer

Managing Editor, Lifestyle Editor

Julian Maliszewski Graduated: 2006 From: John Carroll Teaches: Religion

Tiana Redfern

Graduated: 1999 From: Roland Park Teaches: English

Gary Scholl

Graduated: 1967 From: Bel Air Teaches: Speech and Anthropology

Photo courtesy of the Slusher family

Junior Ethan Slusher plays with the African orphans from the Shelter Children’s Home over spring break of 2009. Ethan and the rest of the Slusher family plan to return to Africa this Christmas break. the kids live in Africa, they had timore is giving away cash and/or In addition to helping the ornever been on a safari, so it was services to one local enterprising phanage, the Slushers have pernew for all of us,” Ethan said. non-profit. Interested non-profits sonally helped two individuals at This year, the family organized place their names and information the orphanage. a Christmas party and will install a on the Cole website. The non-prof“We have adopted a 12-yearplayground slide for the children. it organization with the most votes old orphan named Joseph and are A task of this caliber requires will be the winner,” Ethan said. sending him to a Catholic boardmoney, which is why the Slushers The giveaway cash prize ing school so he can be educated. teamed up with the Cole Roofing amount can be up to $30,000. Joseph had never gone to school Company to start a fundraising Anyone can visit GreenRoofGive- before, because school costs mongiveaway. away.com to vote for “Caring for ey in Africa, so the poor and or“Cole Roofing Company in Bal- Kids of Kenya.” phaned typically can’t go,” Ethan

sss

While most JC students will be decking the halls with boughs of holly over Christmas break, junior Ethan Slusher, sophomore Amy Slusher and their parents Barbara Slusher, class of ’82, and Charles Slusher will be spending their holidays in Nairobi, Kenya, volunteering at an orphanage.

The Slushers have been involved with the charity “Caring for Kids of Kenya” for over five years. Slusher family friend Linda Wilson founded the charity after “visiting the orphanage about five years ago and falling in love with the children,” according to Ethan.

The Slushers are financial sponsors of the orphanage Shelter Children’s Home and have visited the orphanage in recent years.

Their most recent trip was in the spring of 2009 when Ethan and Barbara visited the Shelter Children’s Home. This year, the entire Slusher family plans to go.

“Last year [spring of 2009] when my mom and I visited the home, we played ball, took walks and ate with the children. We planned a small party and took eight of them on a safari one day.

[We] saw monkeys, giraffes, rhinos and elephants. Even though

When I was :

17

Imani Love

Sports Editor

Julian Maliszewski Four years ago, Julian Maliszewski was walking down the very same hallways that JC students walk today. It was easy to pick him out of a crowd with his wild jackets and ties. At 17, Maliszewski was the guy who dared to be different.

"I made a tie out of duct tape and had this baby blue tweed jacket. [I got] a lot of looks and laughs, but I wanted to stick out from the crowd," Maliszewski said.

In high school, Maliszewski was involved in volleyball, lacrosse, indoor track, band and SAC for four years, along with orchestra for three years.

"My best experiences were winning championships—especially my freshman year JV lax championship, being in the pit orchestra for “My Fair Lady,” breaking down crying my senior year in Mr. Peters’ English class when I gave my senior capstone project in front of my class, taking philosophy, which later became my major in college, and when I threw a concert to support Katrina victims. I had bands from the school and especially my own [band] play, and we raised $1,000," Mal-

said.

The family decided to sponsor Joseph after Wilson initiated a sponsorship campaign for children of the orphanage in Joseph’s situation. After “several letters, telephone calls, and Skype sessions, we really wanted to meet Joseph, so we planned a trip,” Ethan said.

The Slushers also hope to host 18-year-old Justin, who “is finishing high school and would like to come to the United States to go to college. If he is able to get into an American high school, then we will be his host family. We will know for certain in April 2011,” Ethan said.

“It is inspirational. The woman who runs the orphanage is an incredible example of selfless living,” Ethan said. “Every day she lives out the words of the prophet Micah: ‘Do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with God.’” “Mary does all the fundraising and management of the orphanage while simultaneously playing mom for the 200 orphaned children—most days without a salary.

When you ask her about the work, she says that her ‘motivating fuel is the word of God’ and her constant prayer is ‘God, father of the fatherless, help me care for these young children,’” Ethan said.

“The Patriot” takes a blast to the past and finds out what JC teachers were like when they were seventeen.

iszewski said.

“The choices I made were my own. They shaped me with what I have become. If I had done something else, maybe I would be someone else. Butterfly effect,” he said.

for colleges, you look back and say, ‘I could have gotten an A in that even though I only got a B.’ And it would help your chances of getting into more [colleges], kind of open up your options,” Redfern said.

Tiana Redfern

Gary Scholl

Long before Tiana Redfern began teaching at JC, she was a teenager bobbing to Mariah Carey songs, rocking Janet Jackson “Poetic Justice” braids, and hanging out in Towson with her friends trying to pick up boys.

Redfern was involved in the Black Awareness Club, Red Key Club (a group for admission ambassadors), and the literary magazine. Redfern says that one of her best memories of high school was her senior year.

“I really liked my senior year.

We got to choose our own classes, so I got to pick stuff I was really interested in. I really liked English and history, so I took that. I also took a Black History course and an African American Literature course, as well as a Native American studies course,” Redfern said.

One thing she wished she could’ve changed was her grades.

“I wish I had tried a little bit harder and gotten better grades because when it was time to apply

Being involved in student council, varsity club (for people who had a varsity letter), chorus, the wrestling team, and the tennis team, no one would guess that Gary Scholl spent most of his time fixated on his grades and spending time with his neighbors.

“I just spent time with my friends. We would go to dances, the movies, hanging out at each other's homes, and we did a lot of stuff in our neighborhood. We were always doing some physical outdoor activity," Scholl said.

Scholl admits that his favorite memory of high school was being on the wrestling team.

"We won county championships every year I was there. We had a lot of success and it was good to be a part of that,” he said. “We had an excellent coach, and he taught me a lot about discipline, work ethic, and working hard.”

“I truly enjoyed my high school years, it was a great time,” Scholl said.

thepatriot

lifestyle

Volume 46 Issue 3 December 2010

5

Editor reveals ‘mighty’ experience Julia Earnshaw Layout Editor

Photo courtesy Ian Casale

Casale to cook his way through college Taylor Schafer Lifestyle Editor

Senior Ian Casale stood in the kitchen of the Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia alongside a professional chef, learning one-on-one the basics of his passion: cooking.

Casale also hopes to further this passion while studying culinary arts in college.

Getting his start in cooking at a young age through his Italian family, Casale has “always grown up around food. It is a major part of everyday life for Italians,” he said.

“I have been cooking on my own for about two years now, but have been helping around family events since I was little.”

Casale’s main interest is creating full meals, not just making one element of a meal. He also prefers cooking meals to baking and creating pastry. “My specialties are, of course, a variety of Italian dishes,” Casale said.

Casale also loves to experiment while in the kitchen. “When I cook, I feel like a mad scientist,” he said. “I love trying to come up with new foods and new ingredients to improve the foods I’ve already made.”

Despite the fact that he loves cooking for the sake of cooking, Casale admits that “knowing that I’ve made people happy by bringing them together at the dinner table through my food is the best part. Tasting my final product isn’t bad either,” Casale said.

Though Casale has not decided what school he will attend next year, he has narrowed it down to either Baltimore International College or Johnson and Whales University in Providence, Rhode Island. Both schools have earned high esteem in the culinary world and have produced chefs like Emeril Lagasse, host of shows on Food Network, and Chad Gauss, who was recently named Best New Chef by Baltimore Magazine.

As far as his future plans after college, Casale plans to “start chefing at a country club or a restaurant,” a vision he claims to be “something small to start. My dream is to own a high-class restaurant of my own. One of my inspirations is Aldo's Restaurant in downtown Baltimore's Little Italy,” Casale said.

It’s Wednesday morning and I smell pancakes on the third floor hallway.

I don’t need to be jealous of another advisory receiving a warm breakfast though, because I know my advisory is the only one lucky enough to have their teacher making pancakes on a skillet.

Being a part of Mr. Hollin’s “Mighty Ducks” advisory has been about more than just enjoying a warm breakfast every other week and playing charades against Mr. Powell’s advisory, the “Butterfly Ninjas.” It’s been about building relationships with each other and extending our friendship outside of room 306.

At first I was uncomfortable changing from homeroom to advisory, especially after making friends in my homeroom for the past three years.

But, after the first week of being in Mr. Hollin’s advisory and deciding on our name being the “Mighty Ducks,” I realized I was

mistaken. I quickly became excited for the rest of the year.

During the canned food drive, which the Mighty Ducks won, we raised over 700 cans.

Although we had a friendly competition between the advisories of Mr. Powell and Mr. Scholl, Mr. Hollin encouraged our advisory to reflect on the fact that not everyone is as lucky as us to be warm and well-fed. His encouragement made the canned food drive fun, giving us the motivation we needed to collect more cans than any other advisory.

He also encouraged us to go to the Sharing Table, a food kitchen that takes place every Saturday at the Prince of Peace Church in Edgewood. On Nov. 20, our advisory slowly filtered into the dining hall and began preparing to feed the less fortunate. We served the guests a warm Thanksgiving meal and socialized with them.

The dining hall filled up with elderly people, disabled people, and families with children.

A woman who was sitting at the

I’m extremely proud to be a part of the Mighty Ducks.

Photo by Taylor Schafer

Members of the Mighty Ducks advisory gather around their Christmas tree.

The group has participated in different community service projects around the area this holiday season.

table I was serving really opened my eyes. She noticed my JC sweatshirt and began to tell me how her daughter graduated from JC. She proceeded to pull out a photo of her daughter, who was dressed in a JC uniform. Her daughter graduated from a private high school and is attending college now, yet she is relying on the Sharing Table for a warm meal. This experience with her was truly humbling.

Besides volunteering our time, the Mighty Ducks are keeping with the spirit of Christmas by purchas-

ing a Christmas tree to adorn with ornaments representing ourselves.

More importantly, we’ve decided to adopt a family.

During this holiday season, we’re extending our helping hands to families who are unable to have a Christmas with gifts.

I’m extremely proud to say that I’m a part of the Mighty Ducks.

We are excited to come to advisory every morning because Mr. Hollin has successfully incorporated good morals and fun into something that could otherwise be boring.

2% - Getting pictures with Santa

18% - Going to Christmas parties

Students 18% - Putting up the Tree/ Decorating

9% - Secret Santa/ Gift Exchange

12% - Shopping

1% - Caroling

22% - Watching Christmas movies

9% - Listening to Christmas music

9% - Baking cookies/cooking

Faculty & Staff

10% - Going to Christmas parties

Students and teachers were polled on Dec. 1 to find their favorite activity of the Christmas season. Four hundred and eighteen students1% - Caroling and 74 teachers responded. Results have a three percent margin of error.

20% Putting up the Tree/Decorating

15% - Going to Church

2% - Shopping

18% - Watching Christmas movies

19% - Listening to Christmas music 15% - Baking cookies/ cooking

Research by Taylor Schafer

“Expand your creativity”

“Learn to think-on-your-feet”

“Sharpen your wit”

Teen-only Improvisation Workshop Spring Break: March 14-18, 2011 www.positivelyfunnyinc.com

6

thepatriot

lifestyle

Health : Alert Leah Polakoff

In-Depth Editor Red Bull doesn’t just give you wings.

It gives you up to triple the amount of sugar that is recommended in one day in addition to a caffeine rush so intense that it elevates your heart rate to a point that could prove to be fatal.

Chloe Leach, a 21-year-old from England, died in 2009 from a heart condition caused by drinking too many Red Bulls.

According to a Fox News article, the hull coroner Geoffrey Saul said that he was “confident the cardiac arrhythmia was the cause of her death.”

The label warns children and pregnant women not to consume the product, yet many people rely on this surge of caffeine to get them through their day. They search to find something that will keep them awake.

The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) suggests that people consume no more than 40 grams of sugar per day. One can of Rockstar Punched Guava has 102 grams of sugar while the popular Red Bull contains 54 grams of sugar in one 16.8 oz can.

Music teacher Daniel Briggs admits to depending heavily upon Red Bull with his busy lifestyle. While trying to balance his job and his own schoolwork, Briggs follows a demanding schedule that doesn’t allow much time for sleep. As an alternative, he grabs energy drinks to pump him up. “Coffee isn’t good enough for me,” Briggs said. “I need something I can grab and go.”

But others with the same mentality as

Volume 46 Issue 3 December 2010

Energy drinks boost more than energy Briggs have suffered the consequences.

In 2000, 18-year-old Ross Cooney from Ireland died after drinking four cans of Red Bull and then playing a game of basketball. This death led to the ban of Red Bull in France.

The excessive amount of sugar and caffeine in one can has the potential to raise blood pressure and heart rate to an unhealthy level, making these drinks especially bad for athletes.

Dr. Edward Group said in an article from Global Healing Center that caffeine can make people have anxiety attacks, heart palpitations, and insomnia. “For people to utilize energy drinks during exercise or other strenuous activity compounds the problem of dehydration, and does nothing to provide the body with any necessary nutrients or fluids,” Group said.

School nurse Laura Frank said that because a person’s heart rate is elevated when someone drinks an energy drink and works out, they are exerting themselves too much.

“Energy drinks could end up being as dangerous as cigarettes in the long run,” Frank said.

People can be warned numerous times about the dangers of energy drinks, but, like smoking, Frank believes people will continue to use them regardless.

“My favorite energy drink would have to be Spike,” junior Tom Hancock said.

“They put the maximum amount of caffeine in every can before it is illegal.”

Because all the sugar and caffeine go to work in minutes, the effects don’t last long, causing people to consume mul-

tiple energy drinks in one day.

"I know that energy drinks are bad for my health, but sometimes I need a boost of energy to keep going or to stay up late," senior Brett Prochazka said.

Dr. Katherine Zeratsky said in a Mayo Clinic article that the energy boost given from an energy drink is only temporary.

“The boost is short lived,” Zeratsky said.

People who drink energy drinks are not only tripling their daily intake of sugar, they are putting unnatural ingredients into their bodies. Along with caffeine and sugar, taurine is an ingredient commonly found in energy drinks. Although it has been proven false, an urban legend says that taurine derives from the sperm of a bull.

Although the ban has been lifted, Red Bull was prohibited in Norway and Denmark after a study showed that taurine has major effects on the body. Rats who were fed taurine showed bizarre behavior and self-mutilation.

But Briggs isn’t convinced by the different reports. “To me, science has not been able to make up their minds on what’s good for you,” Briggs said.

So while many people continue to chug a Red Bull before class or a big game, the effects these drinks have on your health are becoming well known.

“I recommend all people avoid drinking energy drinks, they only add more toxins to an already toxin burdened body and decrease our bodies internal water supply and natural detoxification processes,” Group said.

Flight won’t last long with the wings Red Bull gives, but to some, the sensation of soaring is worth the risk of falling.

Seniors collaborate Submit your to ‘govern’ Maryland POETRYPHOTOSSTORIESART Taylor Schafer Lifestyle Editor Seniors Joe Frank and Ryan Eilerman woke up for a week at 4:30 a.m. to clean bathrooms under the command of ex-marines.

They were not in boot camp at juvenile hall, but rather at McDaniel College for the annual Maryland Boys State program.

Throughout the week of June 20-25, 2010, the two seniors learned the ins and outs of government and what it takes to lead a state.

“When I got there, I didn’t know what to expect,” Eilerman said. “We were immediately stripped of our belongings like phones and iPods, and put into groups. It was pretty much hell for the first part of the week.”

But after attending lectures, all the students were then in charge of creating their own cities, electing people as officials and appointing different positions. “My group’s city was ‘Legion City,’ and I was the chaplain. My city won best city in the state,” Eilerman said.

Frank was elected as treasurer in his group’s city, “Goldstein.”

The cities then got together and “elected legislatures and separated into different parties,” Eilerman said, who was elected as Speaker of the House in the collaborative vote.

After the week was over, the governors and lieutenant governors of the state were sent to participate in the Boys Nation program while the rest of the participants went

home.

“It was a really great experience. I got to meet a lot of like-minded young men who give hope to the future of our nation,” Eilerman said.

Frank agreed with Eilerman. “It was great. I got to meet a lot of people who have the same respect [as I do] for how the system works in real life,” Frank said.

During the same week, senior Allison Walczyk along with 150 other girls from around Maryland gathered at Salisbury University to participate in the Maryland Girls State program.

Though she did not endure the same physical experience as Frank and Eilerman, the girls’ program was run relatively similarly.

“We learned about the different levels of government in the state and had the opportunity to run for offices in our state,” Walczyk said. “I was the party leader for the county and part of ‘Pleasant City.’”

Walczyk also enjoyed being a part of the program. “It was a huge opportunity to be involved in something I love about our country: government,” she said.

The three seniors were recognized for their representation of Harford County in these programs on Wednesday, Dec. 8 at the Bel Air American Legion.

Each of the three students, along with others from Harford County, were presented with awards of appreciation for their dedication from Delegate J.B. Jennings and Senator Barry Glassman.

at jcpinnacle.com!

thepatriot

FLICKS:

arts & entertainment

quick

Volume 46 Issue 3 December 2010

Burlesque Aguilera delivers fantastic singing and dancing, but lacks acting talent

Love and Other Drugs

Elizabeth Tauber and Hilary Weidner A&E Editors

“Burlesque” stars Christina Aguilera and offers singing, dancing, and much, much more. The movie is cute, fun, and an exciting musical. The excellent casting added to the captivating plot

This twisted romantic comedy proves perfect remedy for Gyllenhaalism Rachel Dinsmore and Mollyann Pais Multimedia Editor, Copy Editor Gyllenhaalism: the common disease indicated by an addiction to the steamy Jake Gyllenhaal.

This addiction can be satisfied by the new movie “Love and Other Drugs,” a twisted romantic comedy starring Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway. Gyllenhaal plays Jamie Randall, a womanizing pharmaceutical salesman who meets his match in Maggie Murdock (the wonderful Hathaway).

Maggie and Jamie first meet at her doctor’s appointment, where Jamie is posing as the doctor’s assistant. Maggie exposes herself during the appointment and afterwards, in the parking lot, rebukes Jamie for having looked at her.

Jamie asks Maggie if he can make it up to her by taking her out for coffee. Maggie appears to be unaffected by Jamie’s relentless charm, not giving him the time of day.

She agrees to spending time with Jamie, but she continues to keep herself emotionally distant from him for most of the film.

It is hard to understand why Maggie keeps pushing Jamie away, given his breathtaking

7

‘The Patriot’ staff reviews this season’s most anticipated movies

Audiences might have been skeptical because it seems when singers are placed into an actresses role they are quite frankly, horrible.

For example, Miley Cyrus.

The acting was poor, but the plot and music were phenomenal.

Aguilera plays the main character, Ali, who leaves her hometown in Iowa and lands a job as a waitress

looks and allure. However, as the movie progresses, it is revealed that Maggie’s aloof exterior hides a fragile person struggling with early-onset Parkinson’s disease.

Maggie distances herself from everybody, especially Jamie, because she does not want to “burden” another with her disease.

However, Jamie doesn’t let Maggie push him away any longer. He stays by Maggie through the worst days of her illness, and this is where their love blooms.

“Love and Other Drugs,” while sad, romantic, and funny at the same time, is also quite racy. Hathaway’s first scene involves her baring her chest, which proves a good indicator of how the rest of the movie goes.

It contains nudity, sexual content, and drug references and is therefore rated R. However, these elements do not define the movie. The nudity of the main characters adds to the realism of the plotline.

The movie has its downfalls. Though enjoyable, the plot is a bit jumbled. It is as if the director could not decide which of two storylines he wanted to film, so he combined them haphazardly.

On one hand, we have Jamie’s career as a struggling drug salesman. On the other hand, we have the romance of Jamie and Maggie as Maggie struggles with Parkinson’s. Neither of the plotlines are dependent on the other and technically they could produce two different movies. While it does cause some confusion, the messy plot does not interfere with the viewer’s entertainment.

“Love and Other Drugs” is an emotional whirlpool.

It will make you laugh and cry and sometimes do both simultaneously.

One of the funniest scenes is when Jamie has a panic attack because he realizes he is in love with Maggie. This comic relief is a well-placed breath of fresh air in the midst of the couple’s drama.

The real tear-jerker comes at the end of the movie (spoiler alert!) when Jamie returns to Maggie after their break-up and promises to stay with her, love her, and help her cope with her illness.

You will not regret your trip to the cinema to see “Love and Other Drugs.”

at Burlesque, a club in Hollywood.

Ali just wants to be successful and pursue her dream of singing.

From the minute she sets foot in Burlesque, Ali knows she wants to be onstage with the other dancers.

Aguilera did a satisfactory job portraying the ambitious and young Ali, although don’t expect a Meryl Streepe performance. At Burlesque, Ali meets Tess (Cher), the owner of the club, who is as tough as nail, but acts as a mother figure to all of the girls who dance at the club.

Tess is juggling two mortgages and has creditors and real estate agents breathing down her neck, trying to buy out the club. Ali learns all of the dance moves during her job as a waitress. When she auditions in front of Tess, Tess is pleased, although she doesn’t show it. After some coaxing from her cute and funny assistant Sean (Stanley Tucci), Tess promotes Ali to lead dancer.

Sean added comedy to the movie and made us smile every time he appeared on the screen.

There is one rule at Burlesque, though, no live singing. As Tess

Tangled Maggie Cassidy

Managing Editor Disney has done it again.

They have been able to turn another classic childhood story into a wonderfully enchanting movie.

The movie “Tangled,” a spin-off of the childhood fairytale “Rapunzel,” premiered in 3-D. It starts with the birth of the heroine, Princess Rapunzel. She is born with yards and yards of hair. Rapunzel possesses tresses that have magical healing powers.

Cue villainess, Mother Gothel.

Gothel kidnaps Rapunzel so she can use Rapunzel’s hair’s healing power to make herself young forever. Consequently, Gothel raises Rapunzel as her own daughter in a tower in the middle of the woods. Rapunzel is cut off from the world to live a life with her mother and her chameleon sidekick named Pascal. Flash forward 18 years.

Rapunzel is living a dreary life in her ivory tower and longs for adventure.

She dreams of seeing the lanterns that fill the sky on her birthday.

The problem? Rapunzel has been bound to the tower by her “adopted” mother Go-

tells the dancers, people come to the club to see them dance, not sing.

Nikki (Kristen Bell) is another Burlesque dancer and was surprisingly good at playing the “mean girl” role. She becomes Ali’s enemy and turns off the music during one of Ali’s dance routines.

This doesn’t stop Ali, though.

She sings the song herself, allowing the other dancers and her to continue the number. When Ali becomes the club’s biggest attraction, Tess finally sees just how valuable Ali is. Ali falls in love with Burlesque’s engaged bartender, Jack (Cam Gigandet).

Of course love works in mysterious ways, and conveniently, Jack’s fiancée is out of town. Since Ali has no family and no place to stay, Jack humbly agrees to let Ali stay at his place until she can find a place of her own.

We recommend you grab the ten dollars in your wallet and see “Burlesque,” because even though the acting was merely acceptable, the singing and plotline were fantastic.

thel.

Now cue prince charming, I mean thief, Flynn Ryder.

Ryder is the kingdom’s most notorious and extremely handsome thief, who always seems to escape danger by the skin of his teeth. Rapunzel and Ryder have their first encounter when he uses Rapunzel’s tower as a hideout after he is caught robbing the palace.

From there, Rapunzel and Ryder come to the agreement that he will take her on an adventure to see the lanterns that light the sky every year on her birthday in exchange for Flynn’s loot from the palace.

Rapunzel, Ryder, and Pascal then embark on a whimsical adventure to the kingdom, with Mother Gothel on their coattails.

“Tangled” is a wonderful film that will warm the hearts of all audiences. However, “Tangled” is Disney’s 50th animated film and tenth princess film. Therefore, it has large shoes to fill in comparison to Disney classics such as “The Little Mermaid” and “Cinderella.”

Though “Tangled” could never surpass previous Disney films, it is one of the most heartwarming movies of this year. Anyone who sees “Tangled” will be sure to laugh, smile, and tear up at this whimsical fairytale.

8

thepatriot

in-depth

The truth about statistics Meg Kirchner Reporter It’s a normal day and a JC senior is going through his daily routine.

Wake up, eat breakfast, go to class, eat lunch, slum it with friends on off mods, go home, do homework, get on facebook, go to sleep, oh, and smoke some pot.

This anonymous senior said he or she uses marijuana “at home, at parties, and with friends.”

“As you would expect, [marijuana usage] grows as you go through the grade levels,” Princi-

pal Paul Barker said.

Twelve percent of JC sophomores have used marijuana in the last year, but 32 percent of seniors have used marijuana in the last year.

“When compared to the county, state, and national level of marijuana use, JC has a lower percentage,” Barker said.

The anonymous senior uses marijuana because “it opens your mind, makes music incredible, and makes everything funny.” “[Marijuana use has] died down because of a lot of people being

caught by the school, the cops, or their parents,” the anonymous senior said.

“Any student that has used marijuana and come through disciplinary attention has never survived the review board,” Barker said.

However, if a student comes through the John Carroll Assistance Committee, he or she is given a second chance provided they work with the consolers and attempt to stop their use of marijuana.

“I would stop if I got drug tested,” the anonymous senior said.

THEBLUN Volume 46 Issue 3 December 2010

Percentage of 10th Graders Using Marijuana

The graphs above and below reflect a five-year average of marijuana use in the past 12 months in the 10th and 12th grades and compare the percentage of students that use marijuana in the U.S., Maryland, Harford County, and JC. The JC results were collected in the annual drug survey.

Percentage of 12th Graders Using Marijuana

‘The Patriot’ takes an in-depth of marijuana use. Reporters legalization, statistics, and the eff life of a

The truth abo Leah Polakoff In-depth Editor

What’s the truth about surveys?

Jenny Hottle Online Chief When anonymity is guaranteed in a survey, honest responses are generally expected and received.

But that’s not always the case.

Results from the annual drug and alcohol survey showed that “pretty much everyone in the sophomore class is on heroin, OxyContin, you name it,” according to Principal Paul Barker.

“We should get the FBI and the DEA in here,” Principal Paul Barker said in an email addressed

to the class of ’13.

More than 350 responses were received in a survey sent to 186 sophomore students.

Because the survey was anonymous, Barker could not tell what students were “messing with the survey.”

Barker sent out a second survey, asking for sophomores to retake it “honestly and only once.”

“I am happy to report that your colleagues in the freshman, junior and senior classes have responded in more believable numbers,” Barker said in the email.

While strewn about unconscious in the back of a car, marijuana user Patrick scarcely remembers hearing his sister’s voice, asking if he was alive.

His breathing had stopped. Patrick has no recollection of the night his addiction almost ended his life.

In preparation for a family outing, he provided himself with what he thought was his only escape from reality- drugs. His addiction had come to the point where even his own family didn’t know how to act around him.

“I was like the pink elephant in the back of the room that nobody wanted to talk about,” Patrick said. Graduating as the valedictorian of his high school class, he is proof that a book should never be judged by its cover.

“I thought I was innocent,” Patrick said.

He never dreamed that he would one day find himself caught between pleasing his professors and paying off his persistent drug habit.

Patrick lived a double life, maintaining the highest GPA in his class and then using marijuana as his reward.

“I had the work hard, play hard method,” Patrick said.

He remembers the day he smoked his first joint after driver’s education.

One of his friends had taken up marijuana as a way to fitting high school,

and pressured him to get high. His friend showed up one day with others, and the group got high on Patrick’s snowy back porch. Patrick said the kids began acting weird and eating unusual things, like Hershey’s syrup on hot dogs.

Patrick was captivated immediately.

“As soon as I found drugs, I thought I had discovered my very own Holy Grail. I thought they made me that much more social, that much more entertaining, that much more appealing,” he said.

After high school, Patrick attended New York University. He always fantasized parting from his suburban hometown in New Jersey, going to the city and making something of himself.

“I had that naïve dream to become someone, which was insane in itself,” Patrick said.

Patrick became the “go-to person” for drugs at NYU, and would hang out with people who also enjoyed smoking pot.

“I had a sixth sense finding people who enjoyed doing what I did,” he said.

After four years of non-stop school work and extracurricular activities in high school, Patrick felt he deserved a break.

“I put myself under a lot of stress in high school, and marijuana was my way of relieving my brain of the stress that kept me up at night,” Pat-

thepatriot

NTTRUTH

in-depth

Volume 46 Issue 3 December 2010

The truth about legalization Medical marijuana states

Wash.

Mont.

Ore. Nev.

Calif.

A new trade group, the National Cannabis Industry Association, is attempting to bring together sellers, growers and manufacturers to promote pot on Capitol Hill.

PRO

Ariz.

look at the controversial issue investigate the truths behind fects marijuana has on the social a user.

out addiction rick said.

His junior year, three changes happened at once. His roommate moved out, a great relationship came to a slamming halt, and he quit his job.

Depression took toll, and he began to realize what drugs were doing to his life. He lost his closest friends, and was alone. His best friend refused to move back in.

“Nobody wants to live with someone who’s a liability,” Patrick said.

Not having any other options, Patrick moved into an apartment with two “sketchy” characters, as he called them. Living with people who smoked as much marijuana as he did was not helpful in his recovery process.

His parents, who had always known about his drug use, found a rehabilitation center for him to attend.

“I told my parents how hopeless and miserable I had become. I was more concerned about my mental state then I was about my drug use.

I wasn’t suicidal, but if I didn’t get help, I knew I would be,” Patrick said.

Shawn Stella, a Substance Abuse Counselor in Bel Air, said that the counselors design treatment programs to fit the individual. “We talk about relapse, the disease concept, 12 steps, physiology, defense mechanisms, and much more. The best type of treatment involves the whole person (mind, body, spirit),” he said.

The first program Patrick attend-

ed lasted six days, but that wasn’t enough. Patrick relapsed twice, entering different rehabilitation centers. Other people believed in him, but Patrick lacked the ability to have faith in himself.

“I was the rehab superstar. I talked the talk, but didn’t walk the walk. I told everyone I would be the rolemodel and do it right, but I didn’t,” Patrick said.

He managed to graduate college on time, but was incessantly smoking marijuana. It was the only thing that occupied his mind. “I would dream about it. I would wake up in the middle of the night thinking about it,” Patrick said.

It wasn’t until July 2010, Patrick received the help that he needed. After overdosing on a mixture of drugs at a family party, His parents sent him to a halfway house in Bel Air called Maryland Recovery Partners. Patrick was surprised at how quickly he bounced back after abusing his body.

He is delighted to say he is now five months sober.

He has his own apartment, a stable job, and healthy relationships as he starts fresh. At only 23 years old, he has time to accomplish his dreams.

Patrick is also proud of what he has put into his recovery.

“It feels like I’m an active participant in life instead of an unproductive bystander. I’m not where I wanted to be, but I’m happy,” he said.

Mich.

R.I. N.J.

N.M.

Alaska Hawaii

Two Opinions on the Legalization Argument

“Marijuana provides pain relief to thousands of sick and elderly Americans who find traditional medications to be ineffective. The federal government should not infringe upon states’ voter-approved medicamarijuana programs, which enjoy substantial public support and are noncommerical in nature.”

Maine Vt.

Colo.

Source: Marijuana Policy Project, The Philadelphia Inquirer

Photo by Kristin Marzullo

9

NOTE: The state of Maryland allows medical use defense in court

© 2010 MCT

CON

“Marijuana is a harmful, addictive drug with no medical value that is banned by existing federal laws. By sanctioning the drug’s use, states have legalized medical marijuana contribute to the interstate illegal drug trade.”

Quotes from Issues and Controversies: Facts on File Database

legalize?

‘The Patriot’ asked four different students, each from a different grade, their opinion on the legalization of marijuana.

“I don’t think it should be because people would abuse it.”

-Emily Kennedy,‘14

“Marijuana shouldn’t be legalized because it’s dangerous if used the wrong way.”

- Kayla Stoots,‘12

“No, because it is harming people.”

- Ethan Mcmillan,‘13

“No, because it would worsen our society as a whole.”

- Ryan Eilerman,‘11

10 arts & entertainment

thepatriot Volume 46 Issue 3 December 2010

Local cafe delights with cupcakes, crepes Jenny Hottle Online Chief Since cupcakes started becoming the latest trend, I’ve been waiting for a local gourmet cupcake bakery to open.

So when Sweet Devotion Cupcake and Creperie Cafe opened in Havre de Grace and a family friend invited my mom, my sister, and me to check it out, I couldn’t resist.

Located off Route 40, Sweet Devotion specializes in eye-catching cupcakes as well as tantalizing crepes and other sweet treats.

The store is cozy with comfortable couches, chairs and a fireplace—the perfect place for a cold fall day.

As a lover of sweets, I couldn’t wait to try one of the cupcakes.

They looked so tempting from behind the glass display case, but I resisted and decided to try a crepe first.

The menu offers both sweet and savory crepes. As much as I wanted to try a Nutella or tiramisu crepe, I chose a savory one. I randomly picked the Cordon Bleu, which turned out to be an excellent choice.

Because the bakery has only two crepe makers, our meal preparation took about 30 minutes. It was a little awkward because the crepes came two at a time, leaving half of us with our food and half of

Photo by Jenny Hottle

Sweet Devotion Cafe, located in Havre de Grace, offers cupcakes and sweet and savory crepes. Red velvet, salted caramel, banana split, vanilla, and lava lava are among the variety of cupcakes available. us waiting.

However, we hardly noticed because the friendly staff chatted with us while we waited.

Finally, all of our crepes arrived and we dug in.

Filled with chicken, ham, and Swiss cheese and topped with Mornay sauce, the Cordon Bleu is an explosion of delicious flavors.

My chicken was a little dry, but the ham and Mornay are a winning combination, making for an amaz-

ing crepe.

The portabella crepe, filled with mushrooms, roasted red peppers, bleu cheese, and balsamic vinaigrette is also a winner.

Other choices such as the Italian and shrimp salad crepes are nothing extraordinary, but they are still good menu items.

When it came time to choose cupcakes, everything looked wonderful, except for the maple bacon cupcake.

Something about a maple-chocolate-bacon combination didn’t quite appeal to us, even though owner Theresa Riedal-Ray, class of ’89, assured us that after the first week of business, the cupcake became quite popular.

We picked four cupcakes—two kinds that are available daily and two of the rotating flavors—to bring home.

The delicate, picture-perfect cupcakes practically begged to be

eaten. They looked and smelled absolutely divine.

The cupcakes are a bit too sweet for me but still pretty delicious overall.

Our group’s top pick the salted caramel cupcake. With a thick layer of frosting and caramel filling, it’s pretty hard to beat.

My personal favorite, the red velvet, had arguably the best frosting of the cupcakes we tried.

The lava lava is also a sweet surprise with its fudge center, but there is too much chocolate crammed in one cupcake. Who would have thought that there could be such a thing?

For those who prefer a more basic cupcake, the classic vanilla with chocolate frosting is close to perfection.

Sweet Devotion’s cupcakes are certainly worth a try.

At a decent price, they’re slightly cheaper than other Baltimorearea bakeries’ cupcakes—and just as good.

I strongly recommend going to Sweet Devotion for the crepes.

The savory ones make for a fantastic lunch.

If you’re craving something sweet, sample a sweet crepe.

They’re likely to be just as delightful as the savory ones.

If you’re still hungry after that, then go for a cupcake. Just prepare yourself for a sugar overload.

‘Black Ops’ hits target, Patriot improves on predecessor Picks

feels different, but still does an excellent job of simulating the Vietnam War. Reporter The maps in the multiplayer mode have been pretYour bones are chilled. You’ve been outside for ty good overall, with a few exceptionally excellent hours in the cold, but it will be worth it at midnight. maps. Nuketown is tiny and full of action.

You rush into the store, buy the game, speed home, Treyarch did a great job of making city environand play your first game ever of death ments that seem realistic, but they match on “Call of Duty: Black Ops.” lack any large map, making snipers This was the story for hundreds of irrelevant for the most part. thousands around the world who waited The multiplayer interface for the midnight release of the seventh changed slightly. It now allows you installment of the first person shooter series. to vote for the map you want to play.

For this particular game, Activision went back to Additionally, a contract system was added. InTreyarch Publishers, rather than the more popular In- stead of earning perks and weapons by levels, you finity Ward Publishers. Infinity Ward tends to make now pay for the weapons with CoD Points. You earn the more modern games, while Treyarch tends to crethese in many ways, and spend them just like ate games focused on past events. money.

Treyarch tends to produce a cleaner The final mode is zombies. game but fails to include the numerous This was first introduced in “Call of extras Infinity Ward incorporates.

Duty: World at War,” under the develTreyarch appeals to me, but it is opment of Treyarch. honestly a personal preference.

This mode consists of round by Black Ops has three game modes round gameplay, where you try and that will find a way to make you spend protect a certain area from zombies. countless hours in front of the televiYou earn money with every kill, sion. and buy new guns and areas with that The first mode is classic cammoney. paign. The story will Treyarch also added a few new zomhave you begging bie modes, including an arcade mode for more and by the and a mode that includes people such as end your mind will Kennedy, Castro, and Nixon. be blown. It is by far the Overall, there aren’t many best campaign I have ever faults in this game to find. played.

Although there isn’t much You play as Alex Mason and added to the multiplayer, travel to places such as Vietnam, the campaign and zombies Russia, and Cuba, playing out the mode provide a break on events surrounding the Vietnam those long nights of mulWar. tiplayer gaming. Overall, I The second mode is an online would give it a nine out of multiplayer mode that is by far the ten. It is definitely worth the buy for the Design by Ryan Selvy most popular. Multiplayer game play amount of time you’ll spend playing it.

Henry Shepard

: Top 5 Christmas Songs ‘The Patriot’ staff picks the top tunes that will rock you around the Christmas tree this year

1

3 5

“Wizards in Winter”

by Trans-Siberian Orchestra

2

“Baby, It’s Cold Outside”

by Zooey Deschanel

“Sleigh Ride”

by Relient K

4

“Jingle Bell Rock”

by Bobby Helms

“Christmas Wrapping”

by The Waitresses

thepatriot Volume 46 Issue 3 December 2010

The Patriot

The John Carroll School 703 Churchville Road Bel Air, MD 21014 Volume 46, Issue 3, December 2010

Editor in Chief: Joey Hoff Section Chief: Allison Walczyk Print Chief: Allison Siegel Online Chief: Jenny Hottle Copy Chief: Kirby Browning Photo and Design Chief: Kristin Marzullo Managing Editors: Maggie Cassidy Grace Kim Business Manager: Ellen Barker Section Editors: Eva Bialobrzeski Collin Hoofnagle Stephanie Laird Imani Love Leah Polakoff Taylor Schafer Ashley Snyder Elizabeth Tauber Hilary Weidner Copy Editors: Gabbrielle Joseph Mollyann Pais Cara Reilly Photo and Design: Ryan Selvy Taylor Hooper Ashley Moxley Layout Editors: Nico Cvach Julia Earnshaw Sarah Kearby Multimedia Editors: Megan Battaglia Rachel Dinsmore Caroline Spath Reporters: Hayley Boyle Amanda Graziano Meg Kirchner Ryan Lina Lindsay Powell Brian Reid Henry Shepard Cartoonists: Brooke Basta Lauren Friedly Moderators: Mark Ionescu Nick Attanasio The Patriot is a publication of The John Carroll School.

The views and opinions expressed in The Patriot are not necessarily the views of the Board or Administration of The John Carroll School.

The editorial staff invites and greatly appreciates comments from readers on any issue.

Please email us at editor@jcpatriot.com or visit our website: www.jcpatriot.com

PRO Airport Security CON Measures

V

THE PRO -

New airport security is in the best interest of travelers

- by Sarah Kearby

Pat me down.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has traveled in a positive direction by stepping up their security with new pat down procedures.

Yet Americans feel the need to whine about being protected even though approximately a year ago on Christmas Day, there was an attempted terrorist bombing that put all of their lives in danger.

Three months after the attempted bombing in March 2010, TSA implemented advanced imaging technology (AIT) along with the pat down procedures. AIT is a screening that scans travelers for weapons and explosives, which may be concealed under their clothes.

It’s a simple process. Just put your hands above your head, or you could risk the plane you’re flying on getting bombed.

When you put your hands in the air, the AIT will send a slightly blurred image of your body to a security officer behind closed doors.

If there are no suspicious items seen in your image, you will con-

48%

tinue on with security.

It’s no big deal unless you’re concerned with radiation.

If you’re really concerned with radiation, you should also be concerned with the radiation emitted by cell phones. Cell phones emit thousands of times more energy than the millimeter wave technology.

The backscatter, the second scan, has an equivalent amounts of radiation as two minutes of flying on an airplane.

If for some ridiculous reason, you don’t think your body can handle a little radiation you can opt out of the AIT and receive a pat down. A pat down is also issued if you alarm the metal detector or AIT. However, according to TSA, less than 33 percent of passengers end up receiving pat downs.

Do you not remember Sept. 11?

Some people seem to have forgotten and feel the need to gripe about new safety procedures.

“Passengers should continue to expect an unpredictable mix of security layers that include explosives trace detection, advanced imaging technology, canine teams, among others,” according to TSA. Do we need another reminder of Sept. 11 to make us grateful for what we have? Or are we just going to keep complaining about protective security measures until the government welcomes terrorists onto our planes?

THE CON -

New airport security measures are a total invasion of privacy

- by Ashley Snyder

The new TSA policies are ludicrous. No matter how you look at it, personal space is always supposed to be respected.

Airport security used to be a simple process. However, it now requires you to jump through hoops and perform a variety of complicated maneuvers just to get through.

These procedures truly are in the interest of security, even if they are absolutely annoying. However, the TSA has now decided that these procedures are not enough to promote sufficient safety. Currently, they are promoting measures that are somewhat controversial.

As of Nov. 1, 2010, the TSA now has the right to perform full body scans and pat-downs. These pat downs are now referred to as “pat down procedures,” which give the TSA officials the right to touch every outside area of the body in order to search for potential weapons. Full body scans can now literally see every part of your anatomy. Your body is not clothed in these scans.

BY THE NUMBERS

opinion

11

‘The Patriot’ weighs in on recent changes in TSA requirements that have led to more thorough pat-downs and full-body scans for airline travelers In the past, only metal detector-like scanners and wands were used as opposed to full body X-ray scanners and intense pat downs.

It is not necessary for a pat-down to take two minutes, and random strangers were not supposed to know my personal anatomy, all in the name of “security.”

Is it really necessary to get up close and personal with every airline passenger? I may not be the entire traveling USA, but personally, I’m leaning towards a ‘no.’

Just this past month, I experienced an awkward and uncomfortable TSA “full body scan,” and a pat down soon followed. I guess even teenagers traveling with their entire family are now likely to be criminals.

It should be acknowledged that the TSA policies do have good interests at heart. The overall goal is to keep the travelers of America safe. In some cases, these measures may be able to prevent major crises and ultimately, save the lives of passengers.

Despite these possible perceived benefits, the fact still remains that the new TSA policies are overly invasive, and enforcing these unjust policies upon travelers is never acceptable.

Maybe if each traveler boycotts these policies, the TSA will get the message: respect our space and still keep us safe and continue to keep us safe.

Source: LA Times

of people will seek alternatives to flying people who oppose the new rule:

61%

letter to the editor: SENIOR VARIETY SHOW Dear Editor: JC’s class of 2010 is talented.

They have musicians, artists, singers, song-writers, dancers, and comedians who put together an admittedly entertaining Variety Show for my class (2009) to witness. But what made that Variety Show truly special, compared to those of recent years, was the respect between audience and performers.

I will never forget the atmosphere that surrounded my own class’ Wednesday performance.

Sammy von Paris was booed off the stage, cutting a skit short because the class of 2008 would not let him finish a single line. I spent intermission consoling friends who were terrified to step onstage for their Senior Girls’ dance. The audience was not there to support ‘09; the alumni were back to heckle those on stage. They became the

show. Police back-up was called in, and maybe a dozen people were escorted out. Even with certain offenders gone, the damage was done. My class was humiliated.

The administration called for an impromptu Senior meeting the Monday after Thanksgiving to offer an apology for ‘08’s behavior.

We were also given the opportunity to voice our opinions. Senior class president Keith Sneddon commented that we could not change the past, only choose not to repeat it. “We WILL NOT be like them when we come back next year,” he emphasized. That morning played on repeat in my mind as I watched 2010’s show. I held my breath after every skit, praying that each of us was remembering the same thing and hoping that we would set a precedent for future classes to follow.

This year, as I watched my

brother’s class perform onstage, I had flashbacks to my senior year as I witnessed a giant step backwards from the progress made the year before.

As Joe Frank played guitar, I cringed as the audience began whispering. Like wildfire, the noise spread until just about everyone I could see was talking, texting, or getting up. The attempt at thunderous applause following his performance – and others – did not make up for rude behavior during the acts.

For a group with so much potential, 2010 showed a complete lack of class in their big return. Growing facial hair or getting your nose pierced does not equate to maturity. How you behave in public says more than appearance ever will.

The odds of getting half the senior class involved in Variety Show are slim at best. There are

not enough people willing to devote the necessary time. That said, I have some suggestions to improve Variety Show into what it was meant to be: a fundraiser for Prom that highlights the talents of the senior class.

JC can take this show to a new level. I would personally love to see a day where we do not need police presence and faculty members stationed like guards. The fact that this is what a Catholic school whose motto is “Compelling, Considerate, Uncompromising,” has had to resort to is downright embarrassing.

2011, be the example for future classes. There is the temptation to do to 2012 what 2010 did to you, but there is also the goal to do better. Make JC proud. Make yourselves proud.

- Natalie Shaw ‘09

12 opinion STAFF

thepatriot Volume 46 Issue 3 December 2010

E D I T O R I A L At Wit’s End

Friends of Rachel JC’s missing link in the Friends of Rachel chain reaction is the club itself.

Sept. 10 was a multifaceted day.

It was an early dismissal, we didn’t have any classes, and the weather was beautiful. Overall, it was a great day for everyone. Everyone but those in the student leadership groups, that is. We were stuck in the Brown Room.

That morning, the entire school was presented with the Rachel’s Challenge assembly, which was well-received. From looking at the crowd of students signing the posters that read, “I will start a chain reaction,” it seemed as though the students were ready to do exactly that.

Unfortunately, that air quickly turned stale when the members of NHS, Student-Athlete Leadership Group, and Student Affairs Council realized that we’d have to stay after school for an extra two hours to discuss plans for starting our own chain reaction group.

The idea of starting such a group at our school seemed like a necessary and important asset to our school. No one can walk down the JC hallways without hearing plenty of unnecessary drama, and the student response toward the first assembly made it seem as though Rachel’s Challenge could make an impact on that.

And maybe it could have worked, if someone had taken

initiative to lead the group at our school. Maybe the students expected a teacher to step up, and maybe the teachers hoped for a student to lead it. After all, the club consisted of members of various leadership groups.

Unfortunately, the people who were picked for the group were the ones who were already involved in multiple after-school activities.

They weren’t picked for the other leadership groups for just sitting in the back corner of the room. They are the students who are known to step forward and take charge. Other students not in those leadership groups weren’t even given the chance to step up or listen in.

The school’s student leaders are

so heavily involved in the school that it seems unfair to give them the burden of yet another club Friends of Rachel. There’s just not enough time in the day to be a part of every single club. Expecting these students to start up another seems a little unfair.

The ideals and even the support behind the FOR club are there, but it seems that the organization of putting it all together wasn’t.

If a club like this is going to succeed, it’s going to need the wholehearted support and dedication of students who feel passionate about following in Rachel’s footsteps, rather than those are already stretched out thin among many other involved clubs.

studentANSWER

Are the messages of Rachel’s Challenge still present?

“No, because everyone seems to make fun of and talk about each other.”

-Chris Truitt, class of ’14

“No, because it seems “No, because John Carroll didn’t keep like nothing has promoting it to keep it changed.” alive.”

-Chioma Iheoma, class of ’13

-Heather Scampton, class of ’12

Lack of promotion slays spirit Mollyann Pais Copy Editor Surprise, surprise. The senior class officers had to postpone the Sadie Hawkins Black & White Winter Formal due to low ticket sales.

Only “50 or so” tickets were sold, according to senior class moderator Larry Hensley. But is this a shock, considering that students were only given two weeks’ notice of the dance?

Despite what the senior class officers might think, attempting to throw a dance together at the last minute and then postponing it is neither official nor dignified. Sorry, but creating a Facebook event and making a single school-wide announcement is not enough to properly promote an event.

It’s a pity because the way the Sadie Hawkins dance situation was handled (or rather mishandled) is consistent with the student leadership’s action in the past.

Take Homecoming, for example. Did you hear anything about it until two weeks before?

The SAC neglected to adequately advertise this event as well. Homecoming is a schoolwide bonding experience that should be built up at least a month in advance. The SAC should have stirred up excitement starting in early September. Instead, they waited until the week before to do anything more than a post in the daily bulletin.

The Halloween Dance and Variety Show unsurprisingly followed suit. The Halloween Dance was not promoted except by posts in the daily bulletin and a few announcements. No hype whatsoever.

As for the Variety Show, go ahead and tear it apart. Contrast it with last year’s awesome show.

But when you do, please keep in mind that this year’s show was thrown together in the student leadership’s signature two-week time frame. Of course some skits seemed last minute—they were.

Sports games have not been advertised well either. Fewer than five JC students attended the women’s varsity volleyball champion-

ship game. Sure, it was all the way at Roland Park Country School, which is a hike for most students.

But more students probably would have come if they had known about it. The game was only advertised at the bottom of the daily bulletin in the week leading up to it. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the congratulations announcement for the team’s B conference championship win was two weeks late.

It’s heartbreaking to watch a school that has so much to offer waste away because of a lack of promotion. The student leadership and the administration seriously need to pull it together and market the school’s events and achievements.

JC gives students so much to be excited for in this podunk county, yet students have to scour the school website to find out what’s going on.

The student leadership and administration need to do their job and hype up the student body, or simply advertise events more than two weeks in advance. School spirit would skyrocket.

“I think that at first, people took it seriously, and now it has just become a big joke.”

-Matt Ridge, class of ’11

Tell us what you think!

Write a letter to the editor! editor@ jcpatriot. com

Teen driving proves to have theraputic effects Allison Siegel Print Chief With two hands on the wheel— or alternating as I lean one arm on my window sill— I can’t think of something that brings more comfort to me than driving.

Most of the time, I’m doing at least three things at once. Cell phone in hand or back pocket, I’ll work on my homework or play around on the computer, listening to music or watching television at the same time. Behind the wheel of a car is the only place where I am focused on one thing the whole time.

The discipline that it takes to center attention on a single action for an extended period of time has become an art. I keep my eyes on the road and allow myself to leave everything else behind. As opposed to my mind being stretched to cover activities all interrupting each other, my mind is condensed down to one point when I’m behind the wheel.

I think that driving is something that many kids are not exposed to in the correct way. Driving is therapeutic for those who can find respite in allowing everything to fall behind except for the road in front of them.

I have been fortunate enough to grow up in an area that is at least 20 minutes from anything remotely useful. I probably spend at least 45 minutes in the car every day. Instead of trying to talk to my friends while driving, I put everything down. I let my mind work out the things that have been bothering me. I take in the scenery that other people seem to forget.

When students only have to drive short distances, it’s easy to see how simple it could be to send a single text at a stoplight. When I’m spending 25 minutes in my car on the way to school, it would be difficult to keep up text conversations.

When I was taught to drive, I was taught to enjoy it. I think that if teens were taught to see driving as an escape from the hustle and bustle of high school life, they would be more open to the idea of allowing oneself to forget everything else for a few minutes and clear your head.

Driving, when enjoyed, is not nearly as dangerous as driving while trying to keep up with a million other things. Being consumed in the joy of finally being able to drive a vehicle is enough to do. If being in a car wasn’t supposed to be enjoyable, there would be no use in having so many roads to travel.

thepatriot Volume 46 Issue 3 December 2010

Consumerism kills Christmas spirit Rachel Dinsmore Multimedia Editor It’s the most corporate time of the year.

Ah, Christmas. Christmas used to be a celebration of Jesus’ birth and of family and friends. Now Christmas is about presents and materialism. Christmas has become a business opportunity that companies fully exploit. Society tends to forget what this beloved holiday is truly about.

Christmas used to be a winter holiday. Now, Christmas decorations are up in every mall before Halloween passes. December used to have the monopoly on Christmas, but not anymore. Think about how this is beginning to affect us.

Every night when I drive home, I know that the Christmas lights have been on since Thanksgiving.

This absurd rush into Christmas diminishes its value.

Also, for children across the country, Christmas time is also known as “gift time.” Instead of being educated about the true meaning of Christmas, children learn about a red nosed reindeer and a magical snowman. Don’t get me wrong, I love the classic

Holiday shopping kickoff

U.S. consumers are feeling more confident this year and could help accelerate the countryÕs slow recovery if they spend freely.

People who said they would shop on Black Friday weekend

People who actually shopped on Black Friday weekend

200

200

180

180

160

138

140 120 100

195

160 140 120

Õ07

Õ08

Õ09

Õ10

100

Total spent on the weekend in the U.S.

Index of retail company stocks, monthly closes and Nov. 24

$40

500

$41.2

30 20

Nov. 24 498.1

400 300 200

Õ07

Õ07

Source: National Retail Federation (U.S.), Bloomberg Graphic: Los Angeles Times

clay-mation Christmas movies shown on ABC every year. But I believe it is important that children know more about Christmas than just Santa Claus.

Businesses, especially big corporate businesses, encourage frenzied shopping around the holidays. Every year on Black Friday, you see the reports of people being trampled at Wal-Mart, trying to buy their children Barbies and Tonka trucks on sale. People go

Õ08

Õ09

Graph courtesy MCT

crazy over this stuff. © 2010 MCT People become so wrapped up in the gifts of Christmas that it is all they think about. Slow down, everyone. Gifts are important, but it’s not the end of the world if you do not get every single item on your Christmas list.

The main thing people must remember about Christmas is balance. Christmas can be overwhelming and it is easy to be fixated on the wrong things.

Yes, gifts are important. Yes, lights and decorations are festive.

Yes, parties are fun. But, even if you do not have these things, it will still be Christmas. Take a lesson from the Grinch and realize that Christmas is about the people you spend it with.

So, if your family has a tradition of decorating the tree together or having Christmas brunch, go with it! Embrace the special things that make Christmas particular and magical to you. Don’t buy toys just because their “hot,” buy them because your children will love them. Don’t put lights up just to compete with your neighbors, do it because you want to. The best way to enjoy Christmas and spread holiday cheer is to do what makes you and your loved ones happy.

Christmas is unique to each person. It can be celebrated for a variety of different reasons: Jesus’ birth, family and friends, or just plain festivity. Christmas is everyone’s favorite holiday because it becomes near and dear to your heart. So when you celebrate Christmas, do what you think is special, and not corporate America. Happy Holidays!

Announcements fail to reach students Meg Kirchner Reporter It was Dec. 3 and time for Archbishop John Carroll Day to roll around again. However, something was missing. A quick scan of the hallways revealed the missing element.

Very few people were dressed up for the event.

This was not due to a lack of school spirit. Rather, it was due to a lack of knowledge.

Ever since the announcements were deemed obsolete and the daily bulletin was designated as the sole source of student information, events have skated by JC students

hallways, giving students a week’s on a regular basis.

Announcements provided a notice for a formal dance.

The few announcements that do medium that reached all students easily and quickly. All members grace the students’ ears are few.

By the time that they are anof the JC community were able to hear what events were coming up nounced, if they are announced, people have and when they were already made happening. and Nowadays, stu- Perhaps eliminating plans have no interdents don’t seem to the announcements est in attendknow about events until a few days was not the best idea ing.

Perhaps the prior. saddest occurThe Halloween Dance was poorly advertised and, rence was the absence of focus on as a result, had an abysmal turn- Homecoming. Arguably the bigout. The student body just learned gest dance of the year, JC made about Sadie Hawkins last week students go to the calendar on the when posters were hung up in the website and rely on word of mouth

to find the date.

While Homecoming had a wonderful turn out, less traditional events could easily skate by without anyone noticing.

What is wrong with this picture?

What’s wrong is that few people read the daily bulletin every day, yet somehow it has become our sole means of communication with the school.

Perhaps eliminating the announcements was not the best idea.

With such a constant influx of school functions and events, the administration needs to find a better way to communicate with the students.

Helping out proves best Christmas gift Lindsay Powell Reporter With America currently experiencing recession, people may not be spending as much money this Christmas season. However, the money that is spent can be spent in better ways.

The holiday season is the perfect time to think about others.

There are countless organizations which need to be supported during this time, such as those that provide meals and gifts to people in need. However, these organizations need even more help than usual this year, because of the economy.

The Salvation Army stations Santa Claus outside of many retail stores, making charity convenient

Photo by Ashley Moxley

Senior Andy Hamilton sorts the canned goods that his advisory collected. Donations benefited Manna House and St. Francis de Sales.

for everyone. Simply dropping a couple of dollars into a bucket is an easy way to give to the less fortunate. These donations help to provide food, clothing, and toys for families in need. Making small donations is an easy way to give back this holiday season and spread Christmas cheer to struggling families.

Another easily accessible charity is the United States Marine Corps-sponsored “Toys for Tots.”

Simply buy a new toy and take it to any of the local donation centers. “Toys for Tots” gives new Christmas presents to kids who would not receive toys otherwise.

A small amount of money goes a long way when it can improve a child’s Christmas.

If fiscal donations are not an option, volunteering is an easy way to be charitable. As all JC students know, Our Daily Bread (ODB) in Baltimore is always looking for volunteers. Everyone is deserving of a good meal, especially during

the holidays, and ODB is a great organization which can provide this for those in need with the help of volunteers.

A person does not have to go all the way to Baltimore to volunteer.

Many local churches host soup kitchens or food pantries. Volunteering for only a few hours can supply at least a couple of people with a hot meal.

The holiday season is a stressful time of the year for most and especially for those who are not financially stable. Volunteering for any organization can provide less fortunate families with meals they would otherwise be missing. Donations help support children and families in need, also.

Charitable action is needed and appreciated all year long. The bottom line? Just go out and do something! To struggling families, the gifts of time, hot meals, and small donations of any kind means the world, and they are easy to contribute.

opinion

13

The World According to Lina

Rudolph through eyes of Lina Ryan Lina Reporter Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer had a very shiny nose, and if you ever saw his Christmas special, you would know everybody treated him terribly because of it.

I used to love this special as a kid, but as I watch it as a teenager, I have come to realize that this show is seriously messed up.

It starts off with a snowman who talks about Christmas. I wish I could complain about how there is not one mention of Jesus, but I’d rather not waste my breath.

The special begins with the birth of Rudolph. Almost immediately, Rudolph is ridiculed by Donner, his own dad, for having a red nose. I can’t even tell you how messed up that is.

For being the figurehead of Christmas, Santa is a jerk in this movie. He says the cruelest comment, possibly of all time. He looks at Donner and hisses, “Donner you should be ashamed of yourself.” Santa just told his head reindeer that he should be ashamed of his own child. That’s wrong on so many levels.

Rudolph runs away and meets Herbie the Elf, who wishes to become a dentist. The only problem I have with this is that Herbie claims to be a dentist but clearly has no professional training.

The self-proclaimed misfits travel to a place called the Island of Misfit Toys, where they meet some other strange characters like a Charlie in the Box, a water gun that shoots jelly, and a random doll.

The toys constantly complain about how they are all misfits and no one wants to play with them.

This bothered me, even as a little kid. Why doesn’t Charlie just change his name to Jack? Why doesn’t the water gun fill itself with water? And finally, what on earth is wrong with the doll? According to the writers, the doll has “deep emotional issues.” Why is that even in this movie?

Of course, we all know the story. Santa realizes that he needs Rudolph’s red nose in order to save Christmas. So, he asks Rudolph to help, who is more than happy to do so. If I was Rudolph, I would have told him to shove it, but that’s just me.

This movie is considered to be one of the greatest Christmas movies ever, but when it comes down to it, the entire movie makes very little sense.

14 sports

thepatriot Volume 46 Issue 3 December 2010

DRIBBLE, PASS, SHOOT, SCORE Articles by: Lindsay Powell

Men’s

Women’s

9-0. The men’s varsity basketball team is undefeated.

Coach Tony Martin is excited about their success, constantly emailing students with updates and notifications about the team.

It isn’t enough anymore to simply place basketball posters around the school and announce events in the morning to get student’s attention.

As sports teams strive for excellence, the Athletic Department works to show it off.

The amount of school spirit felt by JC students changes each year due to the success of the team and the support of upperclassmen. “If upperclassmen decide they want to be active at events then the other students will follow,” Athletic Director Larry Dukes said.

To encourage attendence at games, the administration has made it more than just a game. “The pep band really adds to the festive environment.

It makes it feel more like a college environment rather than just a high school,” Dukes said.

JC also strives to make events more entertaining by showcasing the best of the best. “We recruit excellence in all areas at JC whether that is athletics or the arts or a student who is strong academically,” Martin said.

The recruiting process displays JC’s effort to maintain this excellence. “I think that JC should continue [to recruit] because being able to do this only makes the program better and makes the school look better,” senior varsity basketball captain Jarred Jones said.

“JC stands out because we’re the only co-ed private school in the area. We try to highlight benefits of the co-ed environment,” Dukes said.

JC especially stands out this year, defeating their opponents on average by 25 points.

“If more and more people see the success of the program then more and more people will come out to show support,” Jones said.

This excellence along with the increased awareness of events at JC drums up great school spirit.

“We can’t force fun, but if we make the games fun then people will come,” Dukes said.

When people hear Christmas, they think of presents, family and charity. The women’s basketball team has made charity an integral part of their season. For the second year in a row, the girls have participated in the “Shooting Santas” program to help provide a better Christmas for families in need.

“We raise money for families in Harford County who are not able to afford Christmas dinners or presents this year and may need a little help,” senior women’s basketball captain Tiffany Clunie said. Each member of the team will shoot 50 foul shots. Those who choose to pledge for the number of shots made, will donate for each shot which a given player makes.

The fundraising effort was very simple. “They asked people to pledge for the number of shots that they made or simply a flat rate pledge,” Athletic Director Larry Dukes said.

“Any amount for a pledge is helpful. This year our team goal is to raise $15,000, which should be a challenge,” Clunie said. The money will go toward buying presents and food for 15 families in Harford County.

“The girls adopt a family who would have a hard time having Christmas without this help,” Dukes said. Aberdeen, Patterson Mill, and Northeast also participate in this program After spending the entire season collecting donations, the team will complete fundraising by Dec. 13. “We will go to either Target or Walmart on Dec. 20 and shop for the families,” Clunie said.

On Dec. 23, the players will then deliver these gifts to the families, allowing them to have a better Christmas.

“A lot of research goes into which families we choose. It’s really an eye-opener to see how some of these families live,” Clunie said.

This personal connection motivates them to do more. “Their faces when we drop off the gifts are memorable,” junior Miranda Ripken said.

Although the team knows the difficulty of reaching their goal, they don’t believe there’s a shortage of people willing to help out with the fundraiser.

“I would really love to see this program continue. It has helped numerous families to get the Christmas they deserve,” Ripken said.

Right: Senior Jarred Jones lays up the ball in the game against Edgewood on Dec. 7. JC defeated Edgewood in the game.

Players to Watch

Photo by: Kristin Marzullo

Kamau Stokes, Freshman

Mike Owona, Sophomore

Ronald Scott, Senior

Malcolm McMillan, Senior Maria Edwards, Junior

Position: Small forward, shooting guard, and point guard Years playing basketball: 12 Favorite basketball moment: “Fourth quarter of the [Dec. 1] game against Mt. Carmel because it was very intense.”

Position: Shooting guard Years playing basketball: 11 Favorite basketball moment: “When I won the national championship with Baltimore Elite.”

Position: Forward Years playing basketball: 4 Favorite basketball moment: “Last year against Spalding, I scored the winning shot.”

Position: Point guard Years playing basketball: 12 Favorite basketball moment: Now, being undefeated.

Amanda Wolfe, Senior

Position: Guard Years playing basketball: 12 Favorite basketball moment: The playoff game against Pallotti, losing in overtime in the second round.

Position: Guard Years playing basketball: Almost 7 Favorite basketball moment: “Pasta parties because our whole team gets to bond and we are more like a bunch of sisters then anything.”

Gina Maiorana, Junior

Position: Center Years playing basketball: 6 Favorite basketball moment: “It [our first Shooting Santa Fundraiser] was a moving experience to see the types of families we were helping.”

Miranda Ripken, Junior

Position: Guard Years playing basketball: 8 Favorite basketball moment: At the student appreciation night. “The pep band came out to play and the enthusiasm of the crowd just made my experience that much better.”

thepatriot

sports

Volume 46 Issue 3 December 2010

Exchange, track championships conflict Allison Siegel Print Chief Championships are meant to showcase a sport’s best players, resulting in the highest level of competition. The indoor track team looked to have a promising line-up for championships at the beginning of the season.

That is, until three of the most promising athletes on the team realized they would be over 3,000 miles away.

Seniors Elizabeth Tauber, Austin Kozel, and Amanda Hudak will all be on the Spanish exchange when the indoor track championships are taking place.

Coach Robert Torres said that when the date was released for championships as Feb. 4, he didn’t even realize that the three seniors would be in Spain. It wasn’t until later that Torres was made aware of the conflict.

Kozel was especially upset when he realized the conflict. “I was really mad because I’ve been on the team for four years. This is the biggest meet I could’ve been in

and I wanted to run,” he said. “[Not going to Spain] would’ve saved me a lot of time. I would’ve missed less school and that would’ve helped with work.

Track was just an added bonus.

It definitely crossed my mind,” Kozel said.

The championships are held at Prince George’s Sports and Learning Center in Prince George’s County. The availability of the center is extremely limited due to the high demand of its use.

The reaction to the date was devastation for those affected.

Torres describes his reaction as, “upset, annoyed, and frustrated.”

Torres knew that Kozel and Tauber would both participate in and be highly competitive in the championships.

Tauber has lead the women’s cross country, indoor track, and outdoor track team since her freshman year and Kozel has been a leader in the men’s indoor track program as well.

Torres was most upset for senior Amanda Hudak though. Hudak has been injured for almost a year,

Photo by Taylor Hooper

Austin Kozel practices despite having to miss championships due to the Spanish exchange. Kozel is a major contributor to the team’s success. and is finally coming back into ships] it doesn’t make me as motithe season strong. Torres feels as vated,” Kozel said. though she will have a huge imKozel also realizes that the impact on the team this year, and is pact he would have had during the confident she would make an ap- regular season will be affected by pearance at championships. his absence. He would have been “We still try to get everyone to responsible for a lot of points for do their best individually. We’ll the team, and in large will detertry to work on everyone as well,” mine whether or not JC goes to Torres said. championships for men’s indoor “If I can’t run [in the champion- track.

George Weber

Deandra Casados

Varsity Men’s Wrestling

Varsity Women’s Swimming

Sophomore George Weber was ranked third in the state of Maryland and sixth on the national level in his weight class, and that was only as a freshman.

He has been wrestling for five years since he was in fifth grade, and he’s still going strong. Weber is starting his second year on the varsity men’s wrestling team at JC. “My dad was the one who got me into it, and I loved it,” Weber said. “I really like that it’s an individual sport and that way there is no one else to blame but yourself, and you don’t have to rely on anyone else.”

Weber has learned a lot about himself since he began wrestling.

“Wrestling teaches you to be independent and it teaches you important things about school and life,” Weber said.

Weber has already had several major accomplishments dur-

ing his JC wrestling career. Last year, within his weight class of 125 pounds or under, Weber was the MIAA Conference Champion and was ranked sixth in his weight class at the National Prep Championships. He also took third place in the Maryland State Wrestling Championships in his weight class after defeating Sam Vaughters of St. Mary’s 6-2.

Despite the individuality of the sport, Weber thinks that it’s also important to support your teammates. “During the dual meets, it is really important to cheer on your teammates during their rounds,” Weber said.

This year, Weber hopes to go even farther in the sport than he did last year. “I want to take first in the state championships and at least make top three in National Prep in [my weight class],” Weber said.

Flying through the water on her last lap, junior Deandra Casados pushes herself to the wall in the 100 meter butterfly.

In 76 seconds, Casados crushed the opposing competition in the first meet of the season.

This event is the first time she has placed this season, finishing third behind other JC swimmers.

Casados has been swimming with JC for three years. At age six, her aunt enrolled her in swimming lessons and after spending all that time in the water, she’s “loved it since then,” Casados said.

Casados swims the 100 meter butterfly in almost every meet with JC. Although it happens to be her favorite stroke, she doesn’t like the long distances.

“A memory that sticks in my head is when [Women’s Varsity Swim Coach, Larry Dukes] Coach Dukes forces me to do fly [butter-

fly],” she said. This “push” from Dukes allows her to improve her times as the season goes on.

“I just like the feeling of swimming,” Casados said. The competition and the thrill of the meets also played a part in Casados’s love of the sport.

“My hopes for myself [this season] are that I improve greatly in my events, especially butterfly, and that I just have fun doing what I love. My hope for the rest of the team is that we not only have a stronger bond with each other, but grow stronger together and learn from each other’s mistakes,” Casados said.

As for Casado’s future, she is interested in swimming in college, but she’s still unsure of the school she wants to attend following her senior year. But she knows one thing is for sure. “I’ll never stop swimming,” Casados said.

15

Sports with Shep

BCS limits college football problems Henry Shepard Reporter Year after year, people argue and debate about the fallacies of the college football’s Bowl Championship Series (BSC). Inserted in 1998, there are essentially two differing opinios about the BCS. There are those who want it gone, and those who believe that is effective. Personally, I belong to the latter minority group.

In the past, the BCS has left some doubt in its decision on the participants in the national title game. The first major issue was at the end of the 2000 season. Florida State had lost to Miami, and both were one loss teams.

FSU ended up in the title game, much to the chagrin of the Hurricane faithful. In 2001, Colorado beat Nebraska and won the Big 12, yet the computers still put Nebraska in the title game.

But, despite these early failures, the BCS has gotten it right since then. In 2005, the legendary final between USC and Texas was set up from the BCS. In 2007, Tim Tebow’s running the ball led the Florida Gators to a victory over the Ohio State Buckeyes. The list for good championships is far longer than the list for the opposite.

Many of the people against the BCS propose a playoff format, whether it is eight or 16 teams.

Although the revenue from the increase in big games would be impressive, that shouldn’t be the true spirit of a national title.

Every game is important, which makes the competition feel stronger. If you lose once, you’re out.

The playoff gives teams leeway, which isn’t the way it should be.

Many of the people making these complaints are fans from dominant teams in non-BCS conferences, or second tier teams in the power conferences.

The fact is, they will never come in first, but they can come in eighth. Once you’ve made it in into the playoffs, anything can happen.

The problem still wouldn’t be solved. They’ll just move on to whatever team is ranked ninth.

The simple fact is that not everyone will be happy, and you just have to find a system that works on minimizing issues, and run with it.

The BCS accomplishes this.

People need to stop focusing on the problems and enjoy the game.

16 sports

thepatriot Volume 46 Issue 3 December 2010

Ring of Fire JC wrestling vs. Gilman

By Julia Earnshaw Photos by Kristin Marzullo and Conrad Sullivan

Wrestlepalooza succeeded in exciting crowds once again.

This year’s event was complete with the infamous crazy gorilla, and one more surprising addition: an Elvis impersonator.

The much-anticipated wrestlers entered ready to take the mat for their first match of the season. The varsity team dominated Gilman, 65-7, leaving them at a clean 1-0 record for the beginning of the season.

Senior Lance Waters who wrestles at 125 pounds, describes the first match of the season, “pleasing,” even though he didn’t perform the way he had initially wanted to. Although it’s just the first match, Waters expects “a couple state champions, multiple state placers, and a few all-Americans,” out of this year’s varsity team.

Sophomore George Weber, who also wrestles at 125 pounds, agreed and said, “As a team, I want us to win MIAA, place top three at states, and have an undefeated dual meet record. I think our team can do it, if we put our hearts to it.”

Like all teams, “the team needs to work if we are going to be the best,” Weber said, but he hopes that “each day everyone will leave the room as a better wrestler.”

Ta kedow n

Breakdown

Top: Senior Mathew Miller takes down his opponent. Far Left: Miller lifts opponent in air before taking him to the floor. Middle: Senior Sam Owens prepares himself at the beginning of his round. Bottom Right: Senior Joey Vitucci is tangled with his Gilman opponent as the referee looks for the takedown.

Scott Strappelli, ‘13

Dan Froehlich, ‘11

Lance Waters, ‘11

Mathew Miller, ‘11

Weight class: 119 lbs Years wrestling: 10 Biggest accomplishment: Winning the state title as a freshman.

Fun fact: Strappelli was introduced to wrestling at age six by his father.

Sports idol: Baltimore Ravens middle linebacker Ray Lewis

Weight Class: 135 lbs Years wrestling: 7 Biggest accomplishment: Placing fifth in the MIAA championships and eigth at state championships last year.

Fun fact: Froehlich plays lead cowbell in a band.

Sports idol: Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning

Weight class: 125-130 lbs Years wrestling: 4 Biggest accomplishment: Placing top eight in the state of Maryland.

Fun fact: Waters is a gymnast and has an “irresistible singing voice.”

Sports idol: NCAA National Champion Darrion Caldwell

Weight class: 171 lbs Years wrestling: 11 Biggest accomplishment: Being ranked 13th in the nation.

Fun fact: Miller still watches cartoons and reads comics.

Sports idol: NCAA National Champion Darrion Caldwell, NCAA National Champion, Jordan Boroughs