The Patriot December 2003, Issue 3, Vol 39

Patriot he

December 2003

Editorials The commercialism of the holidays reigns over the true

Christmas spirit.

Volume 39, Issue 3

News JC’s annual Adopt-AFamily program helps

needy families.

Page 5

Sports Senior athletes commit early to college. Indoor track making headway on winter Page 14 sports scene.

John Carroll School Tradition Pride Excellence

Page 2

Lord of the Rings: Return of the

King.

Page 12

Features Bargain shopping frenzy causes distress for Page 8 shoppers.

Entertainment Joel “the Movie Man” Wienholt returns to review

Variety Show

Laurie Krysiak Features co Editor Dr. Evil. Graduation. The YMCA. Mr. McAdams. All of these terms are familiar to the JC community. They all were represented onstage during this year’s Senior Variety Show.

On the evenings of Wednesday, November 25th and Thursday, November 26th, members of the class of 2004 were featured in this annual performance, which was once again overseen by senior moderators Mr. Ionescu and Mrs. Russell.

The show was comprised of two acts, each made up of ten skits, and it parodied everything from school polices of dancing and graduation, to the excessive use of bows in the junior class, to Mr. McAdams’s inability to recite the Pledge.

The show began with an original dance performed by some of the senior girls as a welcome to the audience. Act I was then kicked off by Jamaican Tax Return,

featuring Katie Chlada as a pregnant women whose husband, played by Brian Averill, is abused with a shotgun at work.

Other skits that highlighted this act were Dr. Evil, featuring Erin O’Brien as Dr. Evil Nun, JC School Dance, and Canadian Magic Show.

The Magic Show, featuring Chlada, Averill, and Dan Tims, received the most response from the audience, particularly on Tuesday, when the audience was comprised of the actors parents. As a one parent behind me stated, “I didn’t know people from Canada had those accents.”

Evan Pitts and Britt Cramer added diversity to the show’s first act with their rendition of the song “Me and My Shadow,” and Ashley Mellott moved the audience with her performance of the Dixie Chicks’ “Traveling Soldier.”

In between acts, students performed Stupid Human Tricks to entertain the audience while sets for the next skits were being set up. However, one of the fillers was not well received by the

...rolls on

audience. Senior Jason Lipinski recited The Green Joke, which was so lengthy that it was split into three parts. The joke talked about a woman obsessed with green. In the last part of the act, Eric Aycock and John Kopp chased Lipinski off the stage to complete the joke.

Act II was slightly better then Act I in that it received more reaction from the audience with its parodies of people and happenings around JC. The first skit, JC Morning Prayer and Announcement, emphasized how Mrs. Dohn requests prayers for everyone under the sun with illness, and how Mr. McAdams seem unable to read the pledge (“I ledge pallegience to the flag.”)

The Absent Teacher and Save the Last Dance II were the most talked about skits of the second act. Absent Teacher consisted of outbursts from Brian Averill and Erin O’Brien over whether or not students should buzz teachers when they are late to class, and Save the Last Dance featured quadriplegic dance teachers inspiring their robotic students. This skit received mixed

emotions from parents, for as one couple stated, “I can’t believe kids in this school would make fun of those poor people.”

Act II also featured two singing performances, with Jimmy Biernatowski and Lauren Volpe singing “Nowadays,” and Ryan Hammill played guitar while Marc Rothe performed a medley of “Sex and Candy” and “Drive.” The show ended with the entire cast doing the YMCA, with Rothe, Derek Lynch, Chris Porter, and Nick Johnson as the Village People.

Overall, this year’s variety show was entertaining for both students and parents, with some minor complaints from some students. After attending her first variety show, freshman Anna Gallen said, “There were some good parts, but I thought it was kind of boring.”

However, most students agree that this year’s performance was high quality and all those involved should be congratulated on a job well done. Senior Jess Liberatore said, “It was great to see the skits they came up with...it was a lot of fun.”

Santa pressured by yearly Christmas crazes Erin O’Brien News co Editor Sitting at home, you flip through sale folders when-- lo and behold-- WalMart is selling a DVD player for a measly thirty-five dollars! As quickly as you can, you jump into your yuppie style SUV and head toward the nearest Super Center.

When you get there, parking is scarce so that you create your own spot where the carts are supposed to go. Running at top speed toward the store, you see your competition all around you disguised as old ladies and soccer moms. With reckless abandon you tear your way through the doors, sprinting toward the electronics department.

You see it! There is only one left, and it will be yours. You are getting close,

ten feet, nine feet...then you see her… the Rascal-driving grandma coming from the other direction. This means war: Only the strong survive. The world turns to slow motion as you try to determine who will arrive to the shelf first. The Rascal is moving at top speed now, but you are almost there. You reach out your arm when, BAM! You are knocked to the ground by the sheer impact of the Rascal ramming into you at super sonic speeds.

After laying unconscious for a minute or two, you get up in confusion just in time to see the old lady being helped into line by some boy scout. It is too late now: You have been defeated.

In the words of John Lennon, “So, this is Christmas.” A season of car-

ing, of love, of good will, and of economic stimulus. Indeed, while your bank account is plummeting, the economy will be booming. Eat those German chocolates from your advent calendar, because Santa will be coming to your house soon.

When I think of Christmas, I think of presents...sue me. There was always that “it” present. That present that I absolutely had to have.

Along with that one golden present, there were always those presents I did not want. Clothes- a child’s worst nightmare. There was nothing I hated more than picking up a box and feeling that dreaded squishy feeling. That meant clothes. Clothes meant fewer good presents.

When I was about four years old I lived in Germany. My brother and I were big into these toys called Playmobile. They

were miniature people with a huge array of play sets. I liked the early century British people, and my brother liked the cavalry and the Indians. Thinking about it now, it is strange that these toys were German. I guess they figured parents would rather have their kids playing with toy Indians than toy Nazis.

Anyway, one Christmas I asked for the Playmobile dollhouse. At the time I was still convinced that Santa would bring me anything I asked for. I guess I did not count on Santa ordering it too late and having it sell out first. However, Santa had ordered my best friend’s identical dollhouse on time.

Caitlin lived in the apartment above us. On Christmas morning, after the disappointment of not receiving my dollhouse, Caitlin invited me over. To my

Continued on pg. 10

Editorials Senior questions tradition, pride, excellence 2

Erin O’Brien News co Editor

it. In retrospect, this "tradition" was obviously an event that brought a lot of negative publicity upon the school.

Besides that, it put students in danger. I think the school may have been worried about the "traditional" burial that may have occurred when a group of drunken students got into a car accident. Does that sound like a "tradition" that JC should have been embracing? I personally do not think so.

Juniors: do you really think that by changing the time of the ring ceremony that tradition is being broken?

I do not - the tradition there is the ring, not the time of the ceremony. I do not think that the administration got together in an evil plot to ruin your ring dance. They were simply trying to make it easier for more parents to attend. My mom was unable to attend my ceremony because she had to work.

So where am I going with this?

I want to talk about another tradition that I think needs to be changed. That is the tradition of the graduates coming back and harassing the seniors during their Variety Show. In past years I have seen the heckling, and never realized exactly how it feels to have spent so much time on something only to have people yell at you while you are trying to share it with them. Granted, we did get their money.

I know that I speak for many seniors when I say that this year was particularly brutal. Maybe it was because it was us being heckled.

Maybe it was because the disruption cartoon courtesy of The Aegis

Tradition, Pride, and Excellence. Individually these words mean no more than their accepted definition, but together they form the ubiquitous yet controversial JC school slogan.

I would like to challenge this slogan, in a somewhat different way than students “traditionally” do. The question that I have is this: What happens when tradition is not excellent, or when tradition does not bring pride?

One of the most common complaints that I hear about the current administration is that they preach the slogan but do not follow it. Students were up in arms when the scavenger hunt was taken away. Juniors are screaming bloody murder because their ring ceremony is being changed to nighttime.

When the mod tones were introduced, students complained that the administration was trying to change things unnecessarily. When candy sales in the bookstore ceased, students complained that Mr. Barker had come and tried to change everything. When "team up" began, students were angry that Mr. Barker was trying to turn everyone into a narc (in an attempt to end the "tradition" of athletes doing drugs and drinking alcohol).

I must admit that for a while I bought into this business about Mr.

Barker and the administration as a whole. However, the more I think about it the more I realize that tradition is relative. Relative to what, you may ask? Relative to its necessity as a tradition. Tradition is something that is handed down through the years. So what if someone decides not to hand it

down? Then it is no longer tradition anymore.

Why would JC want to cease certain traditions? I think the answer is obvious. As much as I had been looking forward to a Senior Scavenger Hunt ever since my sister went on one, I have to admit that I see why the school decided to step in and end

he

Patriot

John Carroll School 703 Churchville Road, Bel Air, Maryland 21014 Volume 39, Number 3, December 2003

Editor in Chief.............................................................................Katie Chlada Managing Editor ....................................................................Rachael Kessler Editorials co Editor..................................................................Laura Kirchner Editorials co Editor.....................................................................Billy Hughes Comics Editor..................................................................................Dan Tims News co Editor.......................................................................Courtney Kurtz News co Editor...........................................................................Erin O’Brien Features co Editor....................................................................Laurie Krysiak Features co Editor........................................................................Britt Cramer Entertainment co Editor..............................................................Katie Burton Entertainment co Editor................................................................Sarah Jones Sports co Editor.........................................................................Rose DiPaula Sports co Editor.........................................................................John Vigliotti Photography Editor.......................................................MaryBeth Derbyshire Business Manager....................................................................Pat Harrington Archives Editor................................................................................Cati Horn Exchange Manager...................................................................Joe Matarazzo

was worse than it has been in the past. Who knows? I also realize that it was not just the graduates who participated in this. It was some of the underclassmen as well. To those underclassmen who did participate: learn to be more mature than to conform to what the "older kids" do.

I was particularly disturbed when Ashley Mellott was singing "Traveling Soldier."

She had a beautiful voice. Katie Burton and I snuck out into the auditorium and sat down near a group of freshmen girls who were yelling and making nasty comments the entire time. Maybe they could have actually listened to the song. It brought goose bumps to the entire cast’s arms every time we heard it.

I am not saying that when someone makes a crack at your class during the show that you cannot react to it. I am saying that the reaction needs to be kept to a minimum. Listen to what is being said, and give people the respect that they deserve and the respect that you would want if you were performing.

I would like the challenge the current seniors, and the rest of the school. Seniors: let us be better than the class of 2003 in more than just Powderpuff. Next year, when we return for the class of 2005’s Variety Show, let us give them the respect they deserve, and think about how it felt when we were disrespected.

To the rest of the school I make the same challenge. Next year when you attend the Variety Show, give some respect to the people who have given up their time to put it together. Realize that it takes long hours of practice and causes a lot of stress. Realize also that it is difficult to get up in front of hundreds of people and perform.

Through changing this "tradition" we are making JC better by ourselves. This is about selfempowerment. This is one tradition that the administration cannot change; it is the students’ tradition.

Staff: Brian Averill, Adam Bell, Chelsea Eldreth, Aisling Finck, Cati Horn, Pat Isennock, David Lomonico, Sam Marll, Joe Matarazzo, Stephanie Rew, Lauren Schnupp, Jennifer Smith.

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

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

Volume 39, Number 3

The

Nick Johnson, Erin O’Brien, Jamie Cathell, and Teresa Ward work diligently on the “Absent Teacher” skit for this year’s Variety Show.

Patriot

December 2003

Editorials

3

Consumerism killing Christmas expensive vacation getaways? I think not.

If something as sacred as Christmas can’t hold its own against “So Charlie Brown, that’s what becoming one of society’s secular tools in Christmas is all about.” In A Charlie commercializing the world, we as a nation Brown Christmas, is Linus trying to are doomed. Christmas has gone from a imply that Christmas is all about Tickle- humbling religious holiday to a corporate Me-Elmos, angry mothers duking it out moneymaking scheme. in overly crowded department stores, and Even the parents of America have jumped on the corporate Christmas bandwagon.

Instead of taking the time to instill in their children the importance of the birth of Christ and the spirit of giving rather than receiving, parents opt to buy their way out. They figure that Christmas is about watching their children open up impersonal department store presents and taking the family on an allexpense-paid vacation to the Adirondacks.

With parents equating money with love, children get the wrong idea. They, too, believe that Christmas is about receiving a set of keys to a new Jag on Christmas morning.

Children figure that after spending the last couple months making Christmas photo by MaryBeth Derbyshire lists and begging for Shoppers get the “information” they need from this the most expensive, and helpful sweater display. therefore best, toy on the Laura Kirchner Editorials co Editor

market, their work has paid off: Christmas this far too early to be seeing Christmas was a success. on TV, but the whole idea of St. Nicholas Parents and children are not the selling soda is sickening. What’s next, only ones who have forgotten, with the telemarketing phone calls from the angel risk of sounding cliché, “the true meaning Gabriel? of Christmas.” The media does not wait Santa selling Coca-Cola doesn’t until Santa’s float has passed in the Macy’s amount to all of the televised coverage Thanksgiving Day Parade to bombard us of Christmas on TV. There are a few with images of Christmas.

Christmas programs left that are not in It seems that no sooner had the bad taste, but most are incredibly tacky. A Halloween decorations been taken down Barbara Streisand Holiday Special? Tacky. that sleigh bells, bows, tinsel, and ribbons What could she possibly have to do with were finding their way strewn across Christmas? the mall. And call me crazy but I think Though A Barbara Streisand Santa has been coming earlier and earlier Holiday Special is distasteful, movies like every year to hear what children want for It’s a Wonderful Life and A Charlie Brown Christmas.

Christmas mention deeper meanings to This Santa in the mall business Christmas than credit cards and light-up starts another Rudolf decorations.

The characters in vicious cycle. these movies learn to Parents bring their hristmas has gone appreciate their lives children to the from a humbling and give thanks for mall so they can all they have. George sit on the lap of religious holiday Bailey and his family “Santa” and beg to a moneymaking do not run around him for more toys. mega-malls trying to When children are scheme.” buy the biggest and done asking for best presents. Rather toys, parents shell they come to realize out money to get a picture taken with Santa, and Santa that all they need is one another and some tells the parents what their child wants faith.

Reruns of these movies on TBS for Christmas. In turn, the parents run frantically around the mall hoping to may help rekindle some of the true holiday spirit. Until then we can only hope that appease their child’s every whim.

Santa in the mall isn’t the only people are not sucked into the corporate sign that Christmas commercialism has world of Christmas and lose sight of the returned for another year. I recall seeing fact that it is, indeed, a religious holiday TV commercials of Santa selling Coca- and deserves to be treated as such.

Cola in early November. Not only is

C

Getting into the spirit o’ receiving Dan Tims Comics Editor

Boy, I love Christmas. Ever since I was a little kid, I would hear the legends of the first Christmas, about how Every year, around this season, Santa first came down some lucky family’s you start to hear some truly emotion-filled chimney and bestowed upon them shiny stories on television, in magazines, and in objects of materialistic joy. Every time I newspapers about a small, middle class heard that story my eyes would light up.

Oh wait, that was just town. It might be the reflection of the a town just like solid gold CD player yours. hristmas is a I was unwrapping. But A town magical part of the still, it’s an awesome filled with fairly holiday, isn’t it? My well-off, decent, year, when people of house is literally filled hardworking folks all colors and creeds with all the things I’ve who get together can get together and gotten over the years, and decide that for and each year there’s one year, they’re give me stuff.” an even bigger horde going to set aside to add to the pile. You the materialism could say I really have of Christmas, to forget the hubbub of decorating and that ol’ “Spirit of Receiving”!

Of course, I can’t help but feel a shopping. For one year, they decide to do without and donate the money they save to little bad for all those families who have poor families who would otherwise have less than I do. But you’d be surprised at nothing. Hearing about these families, how quickly those nagging feelings of does it strike you what all of them have in doubt begin to disappear when you’re blasting away space invaders on your new common.

That’s right, they’re not getting all X-Station Cubed 2 hooked up to your 72 inch plasma high-def television set with a the mad stuff I’m getting this year!

C

December 2003

The

separate picture-in-picture box showing thirty six out of the nine thousand plus channels that came standard with your new remote TiVO-equipped satellite broadcast hookup, while outside the window a slight twinkling of snow falls in a slow lull over your brand-spankin’ new Jag with rims out to next Easter Sunday. Oh, and not to mention that 65 pound turkey slowroasting in the oven - a little much for a family of three, but hey, better overprepared than not at all, am I right? Besides, that’s what garbage disposals are for.

Yes, Christmas certainly is a wonderful time. It’s a magical part of the year, when people of all colors and creeds can get together and give me stuff.

Patriot

photo by MaryBeth Derbyshire

Giant Santa stands guard over holiday shoppers while bringing Christmas cheer.

Volume 39, Number 3

Editorials Exam timing evokes unneccessary stress 4

It’s December and the holiday season is in full swing. Lights have been hung, shopping has been done, and letters to Santa have been signed, sealed, and sent.

Students and teachers alike are struggling to stay focused during school hours while eagerly anticipating the two-week break that is Christmas vacation. When break finally arrives, you will happily join your classmates and experience the fun of the holidays. From December 19th to January 5th, JC will seem but a distant memory as you deck the halls to your heart’s content.

But unfortunately this season of cheer cannot last forever, and as visions of sugarplums dance in your head, another terrible thought is pirouetting in the back of your brain. As the holidays draw to a close, candy canes and silver lanes are all but forgotten... it’s almost time for exams.

Only a week after winter break, JC students are given the midterm exams that constitute 20% of their semester grade. After a two-week vacation from all things school, students are expected to demonstrate their understanding of material covered as early as September up through the week before break. Although most, if not all, students have neglected to open a textbook over the preceding sixteen days, they now are given a test that determines a huge part of their grade.

Teachers are allotted exactly six days of class time to review– and oftentimes reteach– all of the material covered in both the first and second quarters of the year.

Something is wrong with this picture. Personally, I can hardly remember my locker combination when I get back from Christmas break.

If two weeks

of Rudolph and Auld Lang Syne can cause me to forget three little numbers that I use about twelve times a day, then you can be sure that all memory of the law of cosines or the seven pillars of Social Justice has been eliminated from my brain. I can barely recall what my science class did the day before yesterday, let alone what material we covered at

courtesy of www.psparents.net

Britt Cramer Features co Editor

the beginning of the school year… and that’s without a two-week vacation.

Midterm exams should be moved to the week before the Christmas break.

Usually the week prior to Christmas vacation consists of last minute testing, busywork, or watching movies in class.

Although this week is pretty fun for the most part, very little in the way of school actually gets done because both teachers and students understand the futility of teaching anything new before a two- week vacation. This week could be used productively by getting the midterm testing completed before

Christmas vacation. Alright, so maybe there’d be a little additional stress before the holidays and maybe a couple hours of gift-shopping would have to sacrificed to cramming for English, but the advantages of getting exams over with before break far outweigh the disadvantages.

First of all, taking exams right before the holidays would ensure that students would have no homework over break; if teachers are giving the final test of the quarter the day before their students leave for two weeks what could they POSSIBLY make us do over Christmas vacation?

This would eliminate the projects, papers, and busywork that Scrooge-esque teachers are prone to assigning over long weekends and extended holidays to “help us review for exams” and “keep our memory fresh.”

Eliminating these projects and papers would also allow both students and teachers to truly relax and enjoy the holiday season, as they would be secure in knowing that they have no work looming over their heads that has to be completed by January 5th.

Additionally, teachers and students would be able to spend more time reviewing forgotten material from early in the school year because recently taught material would still be fresh in the students’ memories.

The two-week forgetting period that comes along

with Christmas and New Years would be eradicated and everyone would do better on their midterm exams. JC students would be able to enjoy their Christmas holiday without the foreboding and oppressive presence of exams looming on the horizon upon their return to school.

EL FROGGO learns about pollution!

Fish-cat, the petrochemicals in the pond caused me to grow a third leg!

That means you may enter the threelegged race by yourself!

El Froggo wins the race! All of El Froggo’s dreams come true!

C

By Dan

And so we learn that pollution is an asset, while teamwork is merely a deterrent!

Hooray for El Froggo!

o m i c s Volume 39, Number 3

The

Patriot

December 2003

News

5

Adopt-A-Family spreads holiday cheer to Harford’s families Not everyone has the luxury of attending a private school and living the kind of lifestyle that many JC students do. Some children in Harford County will not even be receiving presents from Santa Claus this Christmas. Although it is not talked about often, there are many families that cannot afford a Christmas in the same way that other families can.

Every year during the holiday season, JC participates in an alliance with Neighbors in Need’s Holiday Giving Program, an organization that reaches out to people in Harford County who are less fortunate than others.

Families who are in need of assistance during the holiday season must fill out an application and submit it to Social Services. “Social Services then determines the families that truly do need financial assistance, and they give the list of names to Neighbors in Need,” said Sister Marie Gregory.

Meanwhile, sponsorship request forms are distributed to faculty and staff.

On the sponsorship forms, teachers write how many family members they’d like to support, whether they want to support children or adults, and if they’d prefer to support males or females.

“The staff replies with what they will be able to supply,” said Sister Marie Gregory. Once teachers have filled out the sponsorship form requesting the ideal family they’d like to support, the forms

get sent back to Neighbors in Need, where employees search their database and try to find families that best fit the teachers specifications.

Some teachers choose not to participate, while others opt to take on the project of supporting, or sponsoring, a family by themselves. Also, some departments, like the Guidance Department, are sponsoring a family together.

Many teachers decided to get the students involved by allowing their homerooms to sponsor a family, creating JC’s annual Adopt-A-Family program.

Then, Neighbors in Need assigns a family to each homeroom or individual sponsor. They supply each sponsor with a list stating Tommy and Kiley happily open their presents thanks to the donations of students and teacheach person’s role in the ers through the Adopt-A-Family program. family, their age, clothing the task seriously.” Student involvement is to an Adopt-A-Family fund, and then size, and their own personal imperative for this program to be a success. requests.

Neighbors in Need keeps a homeroom representative will take The Adopt-A-Family program this program strictly anonymous, so all the money they’ve collected and go shows the true meaning of Christmas, and as not to exploit the families’ privacy. to a store to buy gifts for their family.

JC should be proud to sponsor such an event.

However, not all homerooms are From there, the rest is left up “Initially, I can’t tell you how or when to the sponsors themselves. There is no quite as eager to participate in the prothis Adopt-A-Family program started, deadline and there are no guidelines to gram. “We don’t have any plans yet,” said but that’s not the important thing,” follow. Each homeroom creates their Mr. Heubeck in reference to the Adopt-Asaid Sr. Marie Gregory.

“The imown unique way of supplying the gifts. Family program. “We’re still looking for portant thing is that we’re doing it.”

Mr.. Paaby and Mr.. Wojew- a partner; we want to go in with another odzki’s homerooms have paired up and homeroom because adopted a family together. Each stu- I’m afraid that my Below is an actual letter sent to Mrs. Reyerson’s homeroom in 2000 thanking them for adopting their family. dent is going to contribute five dollars homeroom won’t take photo courtesy of Sr. Marie Gregory

Courtney Kurtz News co Editor

Michelle Gallion named Miss Fire Prevention Junior Michelle Gallion was named Harford County’s Miss Fire Prevention in front of over one hundred seventy-five audience members on the evening of November 15, 2003 at the Level Volunteer Fire Company.

Along with the title of Miss Fire Prevention, Gallion also received a $2,000 scholarship that will be given to her at the end of her term.

This is the first time that a scholarship was introduced to the competition.

Gallion said, “It was neat to win this year because it was the 20th anniversary for the contest and the first year for the scholarship to be given.”

A contestant does not need to have a family member involved with their local fire company to run. However, having your family involved gives you great experience.

“I ran for Miss Fire Prevention because my family is really involved in the fire company, and they encouraged me to run,” said Gallion.

This title was not the first that Gallion has won over the years. In 1993 she won the Little Miss Fire Prevention.

“My parents entered me

December 2003

the Level Fire Company.

She competed against six other young women between the ages of 16 to 24.

The contestants are judged on their knowledge of fire safety and public speaking ability because this contest is not a beauty contest.

Amanda Frampton, a Havre de Grace High School Junior Michelle Gallion shows off her crown after being named Miss Fire junior, was Prevention. named Gallion said. Also in 2000, first runner up in the Miss Gallion ran for Junior Miss Fire Prevention contest.

Fire Prevention and won.

By accepting the One thing that has title, Gallion now has many changed from competition events that she will become to competition is the way a part of. Gallion said, “My the winner was selected. responsibilities include atGallion said, “The winner tending parades, banquets, for Little Miss Fire Pre- and of course participating vention was just a random in the community events drawing, but the winner for that spread the word of Junior Miss and Miss Fire fire prePrevention were based on vention.” such things as your public This speaking ability and fire evening prevention knowledge.” also honTo compete for ored those Miss Fire Prevention, individuals Gallion had to have a pri- that won in vate interview with three other Fire judges and had to answer Prevention two questions asked in competifront of the audience at tions. in the contest, which also happened to be the first year for the Little Miss Fire Prevention contest,”

photo courtesy of The Aegis

Sarah Jones Entertainment co Editor

The

Christina Lipscomb was named the 2004 Junior Miss Fire Prevention, Hailey Miller was named Little Miss Fire Prevention, and Brandon Standiford was named Little Fire Chief.

Gallion still has the ability to accept more titles.

She will compete for Maryland State Miss Fire Prevention in Ocean City, Maryland this June.

With her new title, Gallion will be able to educate people about fire prevention, which she enjoys doing.

“It is exciting to educate others in fire prevention so that maybe one day my family won’t have to run out at all hours of the night to put out a fire that someone has carelessly set,” Gallion said.

Patriot

D

ear Friends, The children and I want to express our appreciation to you for the wonderful expression of love you showed to our family at Christmas. With the loss the children’s daddy (and my husband) in OctoberChristmas would have been a sad and lonely time for us. But with all of the gifts to open on Christmas daywe couldn’t feel sad. The best part was knowing that so many people were willing to take the time to buy gifts and wrap them for us. It showed us that there are good people who really cared about us.

Your class went above and beyond anything we could have hoped for! So, we would just like to share these brownies with you to say thank you for caring and giving to us at Christmas. I’ve included pictures of the children opening the gifts on Christmas morning.

It actually took about a week to open them all because the children insisted on playing with each toy as soon as they opened them! At first they weren’t very sure how to tear the wrapping paper off- but by the time we opened them all they were real pros!

Thanks again and we hope the Christmas holiday was as nice as ours and that you enjoy the brownies!

Love, Rosalie

Volume 39, Number 3

6 News Senior Variety Show impacts students’ time, grades Dan Tims Cartoons Editor

day,” said senior Chris Porter. Inarguably, acting in the show took up much of the time of all students involved.

This had a major effect on grades,

work before the practices,” said Lynch.

Other students expressed that they had finished their homework at the practices as well, though some still admitted their time

Patriot file photo

cause the show is totally comprised of seniors, it would be better timed after second quarter grades were already out. These grades are very important to almost every One event every year in college a Variety November is central for JC stuShow star may dents. It allows seniors to show be applying their creative side, showcase their to. This way, broad talents, and raise money for any slipping the Prom. This event is the Senior grades would Variety Show: two nights allownot necessarily ing students to write and act out mar a college skits, sing songs, and celebrate transcript and their school. But the Variety could easily be Show is a double-edged sword. made up before As seniors raise money for their graduation. class, they are at the same time Many students putting their grades in jeopardy. disagreed with The question of grades the idea. “I arises mainly from the problem would prefer to of time, or lack of it. Taking on keep it where it a role in the Variety Show, even is,” said Porter. a small one is a big commitment.

“The school For everyone involved in a skit, has already cut appearance at a tryout is the first many traditions, step. If a student is in multiple like scavenger skits, the tryouts may take up hunt, privileges, several hours of a weekday night. and ring days.

After the tryout stage Why change comes four days of practice, mananother?

We datory for all students appearing should try to in the show. The practices this keep the few year ran from 7:00 pm – 10:00 privileges we pm, resulting in exhausting late In their costumes Katie Chlada, Brian Averill, and Dan Tims pose with the props from their skit “Jamaican Tax still have.” nights for everyone. Holding off Return.” They may be enjoying themselves now, but wait until midquarters come.

Fellow senior schoolwork until the weekend Teresa Ward exespecially with midquarter reports being is- for schoolwork was strained. Senior Virwas also somewhat foiled by the foursued soon after the end of the show. Senior gilia Garland said, “I came from school, to pressed a similar sentiment. “It’s tradition hour practices, starting at 1:00 pm, on the Derek Lynch, who starred in several skits, work, to practice and simultaneously [had to have variety show before Thanksgiving Saturday and Sunday prior to the show. saw no change. “You just have to manage to] write a term paper and college essays.” [so] alums can come to it. Moving [it] would “I was at school from seven to One parent suggested that be- make ticket sales go down,” said Ward. your time; lots of kids did their hometen every night from Monday to Thurs-

New bell schedule facing revisions Decorations merrily adorn hallways Dave Lomonico Staff Writer As the JC community is well aware, the bell schedule is different from last year with the 10minute homerooms, the 4 minutes between classes, and the longer lunch mods.

However, starting with 2nd semester, even more changes could be implemented to the schedule.

Under the current system, the lunch mods (mods 6–11) are longer than mods 1–5 and 11–15.

According to Mr. Appleby, the administration took the ten minutes cut out from homeroom and distributed it among the lunch mods.

This was done on purpose and created for the students’ benefit.

Mr. McAdams, who devised the current bell schedule, said, “On some days, there are over 300 students on a lunch mod, and in the past they just didn’t have enough time to eat. I gave more time to the lunch mods so that they would have enough time.”

Over the summer, several faculty members voiced complaints to the administration that the amount of time that certain classes had was not sufficient. They felt that the classes held at the end

Volume 39, Number 3

www.stanford.edu.

of the day were not getting enough time for class.

The overall idea of these faculty members is to make the schedule so that each mod will be equal in time. “They certainly had legitimate concerns and we addressed them,” said Mr. McAdams.

For example, Mr. Appleby said, “If you had an English test mods 4–5, but another class had the test mods 6–7, they would be getting more time in the current system. Several teachers felt that this was unfair.”

The current system poses a significant problem especially during special bell schedules. During 2-hour late schedules, for example, classes not held during lunch mods are little more than 20 minutes long.

Two or three faculty members presented the JC administration with proposals for a new bell

schedule.

According to Mr. Appleby, they were instructed to get together and devise one master schedule. When the schedule was devised, the teachers were to show it to the administration for approval.

If the schedule is approved, then it will be put into effect 2nd semester. “Some of the teachers are really displeased right now and they want [the schedule] in place as soon as possible,” said Mr. McAdams.

The specifics of the new schedule are unknown except that no matter what, the mods are here to stay. It was understood that under no circumstance would the administration approve a schedule that did not include the mod system.

Basically, the faculty members just want to equalize the class time.

According to Mr. McAdams, the new bell schedule almost definitely will be put into effect. However, right now it is just an experiment.

“It won’t be etched in stone,” said Mr. Appleby.

“If it doesn’t work, we can always switch back to the other schedule.”

The

Pat Isennock Staff Writer Every year around Christmastime, JC becomes a little bit more cheerful and a little bit more red and green.

Decorations are everywhere.

Teachers are decorating their classrooms, there are additional Christmas trees throughout the school, and the lunch line is cluttered with Christmas spirit.

Christmas trees deck just about every hall in the building. There is one in the hallway behind the cafeteria, two in the front hallway, a few lightup trees in the courtyard, a tree in the chapel, and probably some more that have yet to be found.

There are also many other decorations around the school. Walking into the chapel, you can’t help but notice the colossal Christmas tree adorning the front wall and the gorgeous nativity scene spread on the floor in front of the alter.

Walking through the cafeteria line, you will notice that it too is now decorated with cheerful signs and pictures of Santa.

Christmas trees may be overtaking JC, but the students don’t seem to be annoyed at them.

In fact, the collective reaction seems to be one of happiness and amusement.

“I think it’s nice that they have a second tree,” said senior Maria Iannatuono, referring to the additional tree in the front hallway.

“I like the JC decorations,” said freshman David Dukes.

Patriot

However, there are always some scrooges who want to criticize the school’s Christmas spirit. “[The decorations] make me want to vomit,” said senior Brendan Peters.

Most students, however, seem to be thoroughly enjoying the Christmas season, as many of them are helping to decorate their houses for the holidays. Decorations range from moving elves to candles in windows.

Some students take the approach that seems more common in today’s Christmas decorations: “We put up lights on our trees outside,” said Dukes.

Others use a more traditional look: “[We decorate with] candles and wreaths in our windows,” said senior Brendan Watts.

While others seem to be happy just decorating at all: “I use anything I can find,” said Peters.

During this time of happiness and Christmas spirit, there are always those who want to bring the season down, but no one is going to stop JC students from having their Christmas decorations.

December 2003

News

7

In Orange City, Florida a woman was knocked unconscious at her local Wal Mart. She was trampled in a mad rush of shoppers who were all attempting to buy a cheap DVD player. In a recent twist to the story, it has been uncovered that in the past this same woman has sued a total of seven other stores for personal injury, and Wal-Mart nine times.

The day after Thanksgiving, also known as Black Friday, is the busiest shopping day of the year.

Shoppers are enticed with sales and specials that ring in the Christmas season.

As usual, this year Wal-Mart hopped on the price-reduction bandwagon, selling a DVD player at an unheard of price - twenty-nine dollars.

Patricia VanLester, a forty-one year old former Wal-Mart employee, was among the many people who were intrigued by the offer. At six in the morning on the day of the sale, November 28, she was the first Orange City customer to lay her hands on the cheap DVD player.

As the women reached the pile of DVD players, the mob of people came down upon her. She claims she was knocked unconscious as they trampled over her in an attempt to reach the said product. Her

sister, Linda Ellzey, bore witness to the incident. "She got pushed down, and they walked over her like a herd of elephants," she said, "I told them, 'Stop stepping on my sister. She's on the ground.'"

Few shoppers paid notice to the woman even after she fell to the ground.

Ellzey commented that, “All they cared about was a stupid DVD player.”

VanLester was flown to Halifax Medical Center in Daytona Beach, where she stayed over the weekend and was

then released. On Saturday, while her sister was still in the hospital, Ellzey told reporters that upon falling to the ground, VanLester had suffered a seizure. Ellzey also claimed that, “She’s all black and blue. Patty doesn’t remember anything. She can’t believe what happened.”

Wal-Mart responded by calling VanLester and offering to put the DVD player on hold for her.

Store spokeswom-

an Karen Burk expressed concerns about the behavior of the shoppers and losing VanLester as a customer. “We are very disappointed this happened,” she said, “we want her to come back as a customer.”

What originally seemed to be a shopping frenzy gone awry has morphed into a larger issue.

VanLester and her sister Ellzey have a history of personal injury suits against numerous businesses.

Together the women have sued Wal Mart ten times (Ellzey once and VanLester nine times).

In 1987 VanLester slipped and fell in a bowling alley in Volusia County, Florida. She sued and was given an undisclosed amount of money.

In 1994 and 1995 other “slip-and-fall” incidents resulted in VanLester receiving thousands of dollars from Wal-Mart and Publix. In 1991 she claimed that she had slipped on a spot of lotion at a local Walgreens pharmacy and sued saying that it had caused her "permanent injury, disability, disfigurement [and] mental anguish."

VanLester’s representative says that she currently has taken no action against Wal-Mart pertaining to the DVD player incident. However, given her past history and her inclination to file personal injury lawsuits, Wal-Mart will not be relaxing any time soon.

Courtney Kurtz News co Editor All students planning on attending a good college need to have good SAT scores. To a lucky few, this is achieved through natural intellect and ability.

However, some students need an extra push for better scores. The new course that JC is offering its students will theoretically do just that.

The Peterson’s Online Course is designed to raise student’s SAT scores and give them an edge over other students who are taking the test.

The Peterson’s Online Course is currently being offered completely free of charge to the upperclassmen of JC. The course claims to raise the students’ scores by over one hundred points. This is an opportunity that many juniors and seniors are taking advantage of.

Junior Ricky Howe is currently enrolled in the program.

“The course doesn’t cost money and it’s really helpful. It’s a good opportunity to get

higher scores on your SATs,” said Howe.

Mr. Michael Brannock, father of freshman Kelsey Brannock, is an employee at the company that offers the Peterson’s Online Course.

He introduced the course to JC at a discounted rate.

“We wanted to take the opportunity this year to learn as much about the program as possible,” said Principal Barker, “and the school therefore felt it would be best to absorb the cost and learn how to run the program effectively.”

Presently, thirteen seniors and ninety-five juniors are enrolled.

Students have 120 days to complete the course. Thus requiring juniors to log an average of two hours a week, and seniors approximately eight since they have to finish before their final chance at taking the SATs on December 20, 2003. At the end of Peterson’s Online Course, students have the opportunity to take

three different SAT practice tests The course begins with a one-hour introductory session after school, moderated by Mrs..

Seufert.

Unlike group SAT prep courses, Peterson’s Online Course caters to each individual student’s needs.

The course analyzes their strengths and weaknesses and then concentrates on the “skill areas” where they need to improve.

A Customized Learning Path is then created to reinforce their weaker skills.

One of the course’s greatest strengths is that its students are able to take it at home via Internet. This allows students to work through the practice problems at their own pace.

Junior Kelly Navin said, “I think [the

program] is a good idea because it’s a lot more convenient than attending an after school class because you can do it at home on your own free time,” she said.

Ultimately, many students at JC will be taking advantage of this program.

“The program will be offered again during the third quarter for those juniors who are not currently enrolled,” said Mrs.. Seufert.

The success of the program depends upon the devotion of the students.

If the Peterson’s Online Course goes as well as anticipated, it could become yet another JC tradition. photo from www.sat1prep.com/

Erin O’Brien News co Editor

photo from www.thekcrachannel.com

Woman injured in DVD frenzy SAT prep course offered free

Huebeck humorously hints his historical hatred Erin O’Brien and Rachael Kessler News co Editor and Managing Editor

photo from Patriot files

Mr. Huebeck, head of the Social Studies department, is a Trista and Ryan fan, loves Britney Spears, and hates children…or so he says. In a recent interview, Huebeck told all - sarcasti-

December 2

cally. He reasons that he woke up on the wrong side of the bed saying, “I’m feeling particularly sarcastic and surly today.”

Mr.. Huebeck is a teacher, but he hates his job. “I hate kids, I can’t stand it.

They are selfish, spoiled and egotistical.”

Huebeck says that teaching is a big waste of time. He claims to have chosen teaching history because, “I couldn’t

think of doing anything worse than teaching about a bunch of dead white guys.”

He also holds that his favorite dead white guy is Charles de Gaulle, a former French president. His favorite era in US history is the Gilded Age, “specifically the political aspect because it was full of corrupt politicians.”

Huebeck hopes that California will someday fall into the Pacific Ocean, “but not Oregon and . They can stay.” o be a Favorite Color: Pink unfortuFavorite Book: Little Red Hen, to drive “It’s about a little red hen who does all the work. I can relate to the little red hen.”

Formula Favorite Song: “Hit Me Baby One More Time,” by Britney Spears. ar of his there is Best Place to Live: Murmansk, Russia. Where he will enjoy the, “cold vast, currupt” atmosphere and the ream will good borsch. d drive in Favorite Movie: Anything with John Travolta. “Because he’s a terrible actor. ’t like goDream Car: AMC Pacer. “Because There are they’re ugly.”

Left hand e said. He islike of JC nature oval.

In the past, Huebeck had been seen driving around that very oval in his prize Volvo. Unfortunately, those days have passed. It failed to pass Maryland’s Emissions Inspection test five times. He thinks that it’s not fair that big companies can pollute the air without penalty, but private car owners cannot. “It’s hypocritical that big businesses can spew off pollution. [The government] ought to be consistent,” he said.

Huebeck’s political views are not limited to the environment. He thinks Bush is spending too much money on Iraq. However, he does approve of the new Medicare bill, but thinks that it could be improved.

“I think there needs to be free prescription drugs for all elderly and all people below the poverty line,” said Huebeck.

He also thinks that Police Commissioner Edward Norris, who stole police funds totaling $20,000, “should have stolen more.”

Huebeck explains his reasons for staying at JC. “The money’s too good and I get a free laptop.”

Volume 39, Number 3

Features

8

“Black Friday” mall crowds battle for bargains Katie Chlada Editor in Chief Capitalism has turned the American Thanksgiving tradition into Christmas: Part I. No sooner does the American populace eat their turkey and mashed potatoes do they prepare shopping lists for the next day.

Six o’clock in morning rolls around and a day filled with unbelievable bargains, crowded malls, and kamikaze-shoppers begin their quest. It is the Friday after Thanksgiving, “Black Friday.”

I have always been intrigued by the amazing stories of this illustrious day. It seemed plain and simple.

Stores lower prices creating an overwhelming demand for certain products. This is done in order to pull the retailer’s balance sheets out of the red and into the black, hence the name “Black Friday.”

Yet, there was still something pulling me to experience the shopping bonanza of this famous day.

I woke up at 4 o’clock on the morning of November 28, otherwise “Black Friday 2003.” With a wad of cash and a few credit cards, I set off on my bargain-finding adventure.

I decided that my best option would be to go to a mall, where I could find a variety of different items in one concentrated place. This was my first mistake of many on this famous day.

The sun hadn’t even risen and the parking lot of the mall was already crammed with cars. I drove hesitantly as minivans adorned with “soccer mom” stickers sped around corners hoping to grab that last space of concrete near the front of the store.

After driving aimlessly for twenty minutes, I finally saw it in the distance... like a mirage. I pulled in and settled for a space located at least a quarter mile walk away from the mall.

After cursing the cold weather and the long line to get into the mall, 6a.m. finally rolled around and the doors were opened.

It was like opening the floodgates to shopping hell. Women were screaming, children were crying,

and

men were complaining.

Something told me to turn back while I still could and abandon this shopping expedition, but I stubbornly ignored that inner voice and continued into the crowded Harford mall.

This was my second mistake.

I hadn’t even set a foot

ance ing. walk til I

they had been advertisI was determined not to away empty handed…unlooked inside the store.

Coupons were flying and nails where scratching as woman feasted upon the shelves like a school of piranhas feasting upon a freshly killed carcass.

photo by Katie Chlada

Exhausted, this shopper could not handle the fierce competition and bargain-hunting that malls everywhere experienced on “Black Friday.”

into the first store and already I was lost. I didn’t know where to begin. Should I go and get a $30 DVD player or run to obtain one of the remaining Chicken Dance Elmos?

Decisions, decisions.

I ended up in the KB Toys store where I thought I could find a jewelry making kit for my little sister. Luckily, I picked up the last one. My third mistake.

A little girl approached me with pouty eyes as her mother loomed behind her, salivating over the pink box in my hands.

“Are you going to buy that?” the battle-hardened mother snarled. I shook my head and silently handed the little girl the kit as I backed away slowly.

Next, I traveled to the kitchen supply store to buy my mom the new cheese grater/ pudding maker appli-

I told myself that maybe after a midlife crisis and a few children I would be ready to handle kitchenappliance-competition like that.

Then, out of nowhere, someone screamed, “Shoe sale!”

I joined the rushing crowd of people surging to the Payless.

This would be my fourth mistake.

As I joined the stampede, I rationalized my actions, figuring that if I were to be trampled, and possibly permanently brain damaged, those patent leather Mary Janes could make it all worth it… and so would the lawsuit.

I checked my watch.

I had only two more hours left before the sales ended, and all I had purchased so far was a pair of shoes for myself. There’s the Christmas spirit for you.

I sped to the outdoors store with the hope

of finding a present for my father. My fifth mistake.

I walked over to the golf clubs section where I found a man who was acting strangely. He was holding a putter in his hands nervously.

I realized that he was trying to hide his excitement, but his giggle kind of gave it away.

There went the stereotype that only women enjoyed bargain shopping.

Apparently men too were affected by the “Black Friday” craze.

After a half-hour, I came to terms with the impossibility of finding a gift for my father and tried to think of what my mother would like.

This was even more impossible.

So I decided to treat my strained mind and battered body to an ice cream. Then, I saw it. The perfect gift. It was a foot massager/ facial treatment/ cookie jar for only $55.99.

I ran to the shelf and grabbed the 40-pound box. “Where is the cash register? For the love of God, where is the cash register?”

I thought.

I realized that the somewhat orderly congregation of people that wrapped around the store was actually the line for the checkout aisle.

I butted in front of an old lady figuring I had the upper hand if she decided to brawl.

Luckily, she was blind so I was safe.

Forty-five minutes later, I reached the cashier.

“That will be $399.53.

Cash or credit, ma’am?”

I stood in awe. “What about the sale?” I asked, restraining from grabbing the pepper spray from inside my purse.

This was my last mistake.

“Oh, I am sorry.

The sale ended 23 seconds ago, ma’am,” she said perkily glancing at her watch. I just gaped at her.

I grabbed the box, threw it back on the shelf, and walked out of the mall wanting to punch Santa in the face.

“Black Friday” is just one big mistake. I got up early, almost died twice, didn’t get any of my shopping done, and lost my sanity all in a period of five hours.

But wait-- I did get a new pair of shoes out of the experience ... “Black Friday” is wonderful!

Footnote: This article is an exaggerated account of a student’s shopping experience. Any references to any actual, traumatizing shopping experience is unintentional.

photos from: www. pinatas. com, www. clearline. indiatimes. com, www. ymcastlouis. org, www.rumsonchina. com

Volume 39, Number 3

The

Patriot

Decemeber 2003

Features

9

Lights deck the halls of Harford County Laurie Krysiak Features co Editor It’s that time of year again. The time for braving crowded malls, for shopping for gifts, and for writing out cards for relatives who you haven’t seen in a year. The time for baking cookies and for composing wish lists.

Yes, Christmas time has come again. Along with Christmas comes the time- honored tradition… decorating with Christmas lights.

Christmas lights are now as commonly associated with Christmas as the Christmas tree.

Driving along any given street this time of year, houses light up the streets with their multi-colored lights. Bel Air is no exception to this holiday phenomenon. Almost every neighborhood,,business, and building, JC included, has a decorating ritual that is repeated year after year.

According to a recent poll, nearly one in six houses in a neighborhood sport lighted mechanical reindeer, icicle lights, or a blow-up or stand-up animated replica of Santa or a snowman.

These items, sold in craft stores such as Michael’s, are always priced down and thus are difficult to keep on the shelves during the holiday season.

These items are extremely popular because of the promise of appealing aesthetics keeps them so attractive to holiday shoppers. Some people chose to combine multiple light-up reindeer with inflated Santa sleighs to create the “Night Before Christmas look,” while others strategically arrange these creatures throughout their yard. Icicle lights are

most commonly used to line the roofs of houses and can new this year to the JC Christmas décor.

Mr. David Moxey, Director of Facilities, take on a realistic appearance following a snowstorm.

While the residents of the single homes are in is in charge of putting up the decorations around charge of their own decorations, some developments will the school, as well as buying them. He is also decorate the trees along the streets and courts with lights, behind the new Christmas additions. “I added the or adorn the lamp and street posts with ribbons or wreaths. Santa Clause, the snowman, and the spiral tree Coordinating efforts to decorate are common in such in the courtyard,” he said. “Myself, Mr. Tony, Mr. Les, and Mr. Tom [of the mainneighborhoods. These simple additions add to the holiday tenance staff]…we all work spirit of the residents of these communities. to get it up on display.”

JC also begins to take on a The qualholiday appearance around the end ity of a decoration of November. Garland is strung display depends along the halls of the main lobby on the amount of and hallway. Students and faculty time put into it. help to decorate the Christmas Altogether, Mr. tree, which stands in the main Moxey and the foyer, with ornaments adorned staff spent “about with the symbols of the SAC 4-8 hours total” and NHS. Other ornaments recsetting up the trees ognize sports teams, the Boosters and courtyard statclub, and past graduating classes. ues. Some people, Along with this traditional however, spend tree, JC has added an additional one an entire weekto the halls. This Christmas tree is end decorating their dedicated solely to those who have dohouses,making sure the all nated money to the school’s projects, such their lights are lined up peras the new athletic complex, now stands outside the main office hallway. This tree photo from www.elmspuzzles.com fectly while others spend about a half an hour putting wreaths is decorated with large gold bulbs adorned with the family names of those who have contributed. and candles in their windows and call it a day.

However, in the end, the lights that Aside from these traditional decorations, JC has also jumped on the popular decoration bandwagon. appear this time of year add to the ChristThis year, the courtyard contains the commonly seen mas spirit around JC and the rest of Bel Air. plastic statues of Santa and Frosty the Snowman,

Senior gives advice on preparing cars for winter cold Joe Matarazzo Staff Writer Already, snow has fallen, the Christmas season is in full blast, and we are once again be awaiting Christmas break.

But, fear not! With the winter now in full force, you will be able to keep yourself busy. Sure, sleigh riding’s fun, and so is sleeping, but car care beats it all.

Many of us forget about our car’s needs. Believe me, it has feelings too. If it does not get the proper attention it deserves, your car will give you hell.

December 2003

First of all, your vehicle’s antifreeze is very important in the winter because…well, it keeps stuff from freezing.

So, how do you know yours needs to be changed? Well, if you did not change it last winter, it might be a good idea. Antifreeze should be changed every two years or 30,000 miles, depending on your car.

If you have noticed a strong burning smell coming form under the hood, there is a good chance you’ve got a leak. Make sure you always have enough motor oil in your car, especially in the wintertime. Run out of

motor oil and your engine will lock up.

You may even want to get your oil changed. For the winter months, lighter grade oil is available to make it easier for your car to start. This could minimize some of the hazards of winter driving and also make your ride to school a little bit warmer.

Also, check your battery while you’re under the hood of your car. Make sure that all of the cables are secure and not corroded.

Corroded cables or loose cables could result in some mechanical problems while driving, and the last thing you need in winter weather is to be stuck on the side of the road in a snowbank somewhere.

(Disclaimer: If you do somehow manage to electrocute yourself, you never read this article.)

Additionally, you need to make sure you top off all your Student Special: fluids in your veOne month of unlimited tanning in the hicle. This includes HT42 booth for $29.70 brake, transmission, and windshield November 28 - January 1 Special: washer fluid, as well Buy any one tanning package or gift as of course, gasoline. certificate and get a second of equal or Ensuring that lesser value for half price. you have enough gas is problably one of the most basic ways to stay out of car trouble in the winter months.

Windshield washer fluid is also very important in these cold months. All that

The

Patriot

salt from the snowplows can get quite annoying, and accumulate on your car. Everyone can benefit from a clean windshield.

While we’re on that topic, check your wiper blades as well. If they look like a dog’s chew toy and sound like a howler monkey, it might be time for a replacement. Check your local Salvo or Wal-Mart for a fun computer program that tells you what kind of blades you need if you’re not sure what to purchase.

Your car’s traction is important too. Snow and ice make driving in winter much more hazardous than driving in other times of the year. Make sure that you check the tire pressure and inspect for wear and tear. You can usually find the proper specifications for your tires on the inside of the driver’s door. Make sure all your tires are radial, and if they seem bald, it’s probably time to visit Mr. Goodyear.

If you are not one of the lucky ones that get to park their car in the garage, you’re also going to need a strong ice scraper for winter time. Don’t bother getting one of those little plastic ones... you will feel pretty lame when it snaps off in your hand.

Instead, purchase an ice scraper that is durable--one that also has a brush on the other end is very helpful for those days when you get out of school to find that your car is covered in snow.

Planning and preparing your car for the winter season will hopefully decrease the chance of an unexpected emergency situation. However, even following all of these precautions does not mean driving in inclement weather will be all that much easier. Always- but especially in winter- drive carefully. This season take turns a little slower and be aware of others on the road.

Volume 39, Number 3

Features Commercial fads become holiday tradition 10

Continued from front page shock and dismay, sitting on her carpet was my dollhouse. I am told that I flipped out.

Apparently I thought that Santa had simply delivered it to the wrong house. I mean, why would Santa give her my dollhouse?

My parents learned their lesson. I had a Playmobile dollhouse in my room by my birthday.

Is all this commercialism healthy?

In the following years we moved back to “the states.” Back to having more then one television station. Back to commercials that were in english. Now I could be brainwashed months before Christmas. I knew what I wanted, and I faithfully wrote my letters to Santa Clause. For the next few years there was a different baby doll each year that I had to have.

When I was five years old I wanted Baby Crawl and Walk. This was breakthrough technology, the doll walked.

Being an adamant Nick Jr. fan I had seen the commercial for it time and time again.

There were two girls playing with this doll. One of them put her down and the other one called to her saying, “come to mommy,” and it did.

One night my desire to own the doll resulted in my having a dream about that commercial. I actually dreamt that I was the girl who was calling to her. It was the pinkest, happiest dream I had ever had. I woke up, and for a brief moment I thought that I was the proud owner of a Baby Crawl and Walk. Unfortunately I was not. Well at least for a couple more weeks I was not. Looking back on that, the whole dream thing is a little bit strange. However, the incident exemplifies the impact of commercials on children.

After my walking doll, the next few years are a blur. Baby pants. Baby Me, which watch that to when to fe Baby Walk Roll, whi had a walke One year I wanted the Fisher Price tool belt that one of the kids on Hom Improvemen s p o r t e (produc placement That was a feat to obtain. huge lisp at t and nobody understand was asking fo parents thoug saying “turbo,” when I was really saying “tool belt.”

The best present ever was m Creepy Crawler machine, which I alm burnt the house down with. I can still h that commercial for that toy ringing in my ears, “cre-e-e-epy craw-lers,” it enchanted me with the melody.

That thing should definitely have an automatic shut off button. I left it on for four hours one day while my family and I were shopping. We got back and my spiders were all burnt and brown, and the machine was giving off smoke. My mom took it away from me after that.

Since then, toys have evolved

Volume 39, Number 3

into advanced pieces of technology.

Parents seem to be on a mission to get their little tikes the most and the best. From the historical Cabbage Patch Kid, to the Tickle Me Elmo craze, to the trampling of an old lady in a made rush for a cheap DVD player. Christmas has become a time of war. A time when it is every man for himself. A time when to be successful one must be ruthless. A time when it is probably safest to stay home and order presents off the internet.

Yes, the Cabbage Patch Kid. The original doll crafted to look like its owner.

During the Christmas season of 1983 and continuing well past the Christmas season of 1984 the Cabbage Patch Kid doll ruled the market.

Parents stood in lines for hours j u s t trying to get their hands o n one of

officers because riots had been known to break out among them.

The fanaticism that seemed to have developed for these “orphans” was beyond that of what had ever been seen.

One parent actually flew overnight to Europe and back in order to obtain one for his child. There was even a black market for these dolls, where prices reached up to five thousand dollars. Many parents were seen fighting over the remaining dolls. The

The

reason? They did not want their child to be the only one who did not receive a Kid for Christmas.

Although it waned somewhat, the huge popularity of these dolls lasted for the rest of the eighties. Senior Emily Haller admits to her Cabbage Patch Kid obsession, saying that she had “numerous” dolls, “they were one of my favorite gifts actually,” she said.

As I write this article I am reminded of my own Cabbage Patch Kid. He is probably somewhere in my attic right now. He was handed down to me from my sister, who was crazy about the dolls.

My mom stood in the hours long line that very first Christmas they were sold. By the time she got to the front there were not many left to choose from. My sister, who is a white female, ended up unwrapping Willy Babbot on Christmas morning. Willy was a black male Cabbage Patch Kid, but Courtney loved him like her own.

Like Courtney was taught diversity through her love for Willy Babbot, Senior Caroline Lecake’s grandmother ventured to teach Caroline diversity through American Girl Dolls.

“Apparently my grandmother thought it would be a good idea for me to get all sorts of diverse dolls...and [the] wheelchair American Girl Doll was one of them,” she said.

American Girl Dolls have been a popular piece of culture since the early nineties and continuing today. Their hay day was around 1994. These dolls were of very high quality, but they were not cheap. The doll itself cost nearly a hundred dollars. The high price caused it to be a popular Christmas present- Christmas being the only time when most parents were willing to fork up that much cash for a doll. Many girls had numerous dolls, being that there were about half a dozen to choose from. Senior Caroline Munley remembers that, “I was...obsessed with them. I had the inside of my closet set up as their house. I had all of them except Felicity. I did not like her red hair,” she reminisced.

The company struck gold upon ntroducing their Girl of Today.

Munley said, “Then I got the Girl of Today. Since I already looked like amantha I got the an one.”

The whole mise of this doll, like the Cabbage Patch Kid, was that the buyer could pick their oll’s features so that the doll and the buyer esembled one another.

Along with these dolls came the ccessories. The clothing and the play sets were outrageously expensive. The furniture was almost as expensive as the dolls, and sometimes more. The good thing about these dolls was that parents could order them from only the catalog and the internet. Therefore they did not have to wait in lines for them, but there were always many items on back order around the holidays.

Another popular product that was found to be on back order almost

Patriot

everywhere was the Tickle Me Elmo doll.

The Tickle Me Elmo craze in 1996 was very much similar to the Cabbage Patch Craze in 1983. The only difference was the motive of the parents. In 1983 parents were hoping to obtain a Kid so that their child would not be the only child on the block without one. In 1996 parents were hoping to obtain an Elmo so that their child would be the only child on the block with one.

The contrast comes from the readiness of the two separate companies in having their toy become the “it” toy of the season. The Elmo doll was more spontaneously popular than the long anticipated Cabbage Patch Kid doll was.

Therefore the supply for the Elmo doll was incredibly unbalanced to the demand.

The whole thing began when Rosie O’Donnell featured the Elmo doll on her show as one of her favorite Christmas toys. From there everything went crazy.

Stores could not keep the shelves stocked with Elmos. Parents were seen full contact shopping as they scraped their way to the shelf to get their hands on a box containing the god-toy. The dolls were sold on the black market for thousands of dollars.

Retrospectively, it is comical to think that only a few months after that Christmas season the dolls were overstocked and incredibly cheap to buy.

Since the Tickle Me Elmo craze I have been witness to several other crazes, each of which packed less of a punch than Elmo. The electronic pet craze first brought Tamagatchies and later Furbies.

The Tamagatchi was a small egg shaped toy that fit easily on a key ring. It was a virtual reality pet. Every child had to have one of these, and the Christmas season was a popular time to get one.

Then along came the Furbie a couple of Christmas seasons later. This was a pet that was tangible. It talked and learned. It needed to be pet and cared for.

Again, every child wanted one and almost every parents was sure that their child got one.

So what is in store for this Christmas season? I have narrowed down what I guess will be the three most popular presents this year. The best seller for this Christmas will be the Bratz dolls. With the desire of little girls across the nation, and the introduction of a new life-size doll, the toy is on the fast track for success.

Next will be the Fur Real Kitten, the latest addition to the virtual pet family. As for this year’s popular boy toy, Beyblades will continue to dominate as they did last Christmas season. Bayblades are spinning tops that battle with one another, and have a vast market of accessories attached to them.

Walking empty handed with your head slung, you pass freely through the checkout line. With a depressed swagger you say goodbye to the mentally retarded man who gives stickers to the little children. Sighing, you walk out of the second set of doors, ignoring the Salvation Army volunteer who is ringing the bell and asking for donations.

As you near your makeshift parking space and your shinny SUV you see the old lady at her nearby handicapped spot. She is now walking around easily, and looks at you and grins evilly as she opens her trunk. Inside are about twenty more of that very DVD player. She calls you over and says, “I’ll sell you one for fifty dollars, it’s quite a deal.” Trying to save a minutia of your pride, you decline her offer. Oh sweet irony.

Decemeber 2003

Entertainment

11

The Da Vinci Code enlightens readers Billy Hughes Editorials co Editor

December 2003

Katie Burton Entertainment co Editor

A Christmas Story The offensive lamp in the form of a woman‛s leg, the painful image of the tongue stuck to a pole, the dreadful punishment of soap in a child‛s mouth, and the glorious dream of a red rider BB gun. These are memorable moments of Christmas movie grandeur.

This classic plays for 24 hours straight on channel 16 starting on Christmas Eve. This movie somehow draws you into the mind of a young boy who yearns for the unattainable gift of the magnificent BB gun. Weaved into his dreams are the strange antics of his eccentric family. He has a younger brother who refuses to eat, unless his mother encourages him to eat like the “piggies” do. He also has a father with a disturbing fetish for female anatomy. Much to his wife‛s dismay, he proudly displays a leg lamp in the window for all the neighbors to see.

Throughout the story, the young boy Ralphie encounters dangers ranging from red-haired bullies with braces to his mother forcing awful red soap in his mouth after saying a dirty word.

The best part of the movie, though, is when Ralphie‛s friend sticks his tongue to a flagpole. Being that it is the dead of winter, his tongue sticks to the pole, and he is trapped in his own prison in the cold.

Full of slapstick humor, and childhood memories familiar to all, A Christmas Story is a yuletide classic that should not be missed.

The

Patriot

J Ca ohn Sc rrol ho l ol Th eP Staatri ff ot

Two years of AP classes have all but killed my love of reading. I’ve had to read history textbooks while trying to grasp the military tactics of the British in the battle of such and such, the political reforms of Louis the whatever, or the effects of the 88th Amendment. I’ve had to read a book about people who chase a whale for 500 pages, and a book partly told by a drunk, mentally handicapped, 33-year-old.

At the end of the day, the last thing I usually want to do is read a book for fun – it’s much easier to turn on the TV or get on the computer. With that said, last week I was staring at the stack of books on my desk, I took The Da Vinci Code off the top, and as soon as I turned to the first page of the book, I couldn’t stop reading.

Dan Brown’s book starts off as a murder in the halls of the Louvre, the famous Paris art museum, and ends up as a treasure hunt for the “Holy Grail.”

But this Holy Grail is not the carpenter’s cup of Indiana Jones fame. It is not a magic artifact with the power to bring Sean Connery back from the dead. This Holy Grail is a secret with the power to overthrow the Catholic Church and revolutionize world religion.

Symbologist Robert Langdon tells the majority of the story. Even though Robert is a Harvard professor and sometimes goes off on Mr. Demerit-like tangents about the origins of words, the book reads as fast and easy as a Harry Potter novel.

The French police bring in Langdon to investigate the Louvre murder and to decipher a www.barnesandnoble.com cryptic message left by the victim. It turns out that the message implicates Langdon in the murder and leaves a set of puzzling instructions on how to find the grail. As the quest for the artifact intensifies, Langdon teams up with French cryptographer Sofie Neveu. With the police tracking the duo as murder suspects, Robert and Sofie try to solve the dead man’s puzzles and get to the grail before Church-sponsored thugs beat them to it.

Along the path to the grail there are plenty of twists and turns, as well as a few misguided attempts at subplot. Sofie turns out to be Robert’s love interest, and Brown writes some horrible scenes where Robert and Sofie try to flirt with each other. One of the chapters ends with Sofie saying something to the extent of, “Well, I don’t usually go for your type, but you’re kinda cute.” Clearly Brown is out of his element in the romance parts of the book.

But in the end, I have to forgive the awkward romance and the sometimes weak dialogue, because it’s amazing that an author could write a book like the Da Vinci Code. Brown makes you believe in the plot. He makes you believe there is a Church conspiracy. There is so much factual basis behind the novel that when you read it, you keep thinking, “Wow, that makes sense, I never noticed that.”

I had to keep reminding myself that the book is fiction, that there is no holy grail, and that the Church is not trying to brainwash the world. As one of the most engaging, thought-provoking, and creepily realistic novels I have ever come across, The Da Vinci Code is a must read, even if you don’t normally like reading.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas “You‛re a mean one, Mr. Grinch.

You really are a heel. You‛re as cuddly as a cactus, you‛re as charming as an eel, Mr. Grinch, you‛re a bad banana with a greasy black peel.”

These catchy lyrics ring in people‛s ears long after watching the cartoon version of Dr. Seuss‛s masterpiece. Boris Karloff narrates the story in such a heartwarming way that this has become one of the America‛s favorite Christmas tales.

The touching twist in this story is the evolution of the Grinch‛s character. He starts out as a villainous scrooge-like being who hates every aspect of Christmas. Eventually, after believing he has destroyed this holiday, he finally understands the true meaning of Christmas.

In a literally heartwarming scene, the Grinch‛s heart grows three sizes which causes him to join the “Whos” in singing, “Fah who for-aze, Dah who dor-aze.

Welcome Christmas, come this way!”

How the Grinch Stole Christmas touches all those “whose shoes are too tight, whose heads aren‛t screwed on just right, and whose hearts are two sizes too small.”

Volume 39, Number 3

Entertainment

12

Third installment of Tolken’s trilogy triumphs The Battle for Helm’s Deep is over; the battle for Middle Earth has now begun. We have come to it at last and finally the end has come. The culmination of J.R.R Tolkien’s epic trilogy Lord of the Rings concludes as the Return of the King hits the silver screen December 17th.

This film begins with a flashback to when the young Hobbit Deagol is fishing with his daunting brother Smeagol (Andy Serkis). A fish bites on Deagol’s line and pulls him from the boat and into the water, where he finds a gold ring at the river’s bottom.

Smeagol immediately demands the ring and even fights his brother for it, leaving him dead.

Evil consumes Smeagol and his greed for the ring becomes insatiable. Over time the ring transforms him from a hobbit to the creature Gollum.

His need for the ring and his role in the outcome of the trilogy becomes greater and greater.

The story continues with Sarumon (Christopher Lee) captured. As a result of his imprisonment, the evil Sauron has moved his forces to Minas Tirith, the capital city of Gondor, in an effort to destroy the race of men.

An army of 100,000 Orcs and Uruk hai has amassed outside the city. The leader of Minas Tirith, the steward of Gondor, loses all hope and attempts suicide.

Gondor has never been more in

need of its king. Although Aragorn (Viggo Mortenson) has strayed away from his family’s past, he seems to regain the respect and trust of his people. Can Aragorn answer the call of his destiny and become who he was born to be, or will he leave the people of Middle Earth leaderless?

Meanwhile, with Sauron’s forces striking, Gandalf (Ian McKellen) urgently tries to rally Gondor’s broken army into action. King Theoden (Bernard Hill) and the

Cinema has taken one of the biggest risks in filmmaking history, spending over $300 million in production. All three movies were filmed at the same time in a massive fourteen-month shoot in October of 1999.

The first two films have grossed over $650 million in the United States alone, and Return of the King is expected to top $350 million. The second movie of the trilogy, The Two Towers, which was released last Christmas, won two

people of Rohan aid Gondor and engage in what can only be described as an all out fight for survival. Although it seems mankind cannot win the war, they still fight in order to distract Sauron and give the Ring Bearer a chance to complete his task.

The Return of the King is the final installment of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, which first began to air two years ago with The Fellowship of the Ring. New Line

Academy Awards in 2002. For everyone who believes that this movie cannot be out done, let me just tell you that the Return of the King is twice as good. It could go down as one of the best films if not the best film of all time. It states in the December issue of Newsweek that, “The Return of the King is a sure contender for best picture. More than that, it could be the first franchise ever that didn’t at the

end of the day, let audiences down.”

The Return of the King contains spectacular battle scenes. The battle of Plennor Fields even outdoes the Battle of Helm’s Deep (Two Towers) not only because of brilliant special effects, but because the characters have become more developed, filling the audience with emotion. Even the Lady of Rohan Eowyn (Miranda Otto) and the hobbit Merry (Dominic Monahan) fight in this epic battle.

This film contains even more dazzling backdrops than the first two films.

The miraculous city of Minas Tirith will astound audiences, who will also be taken deep into Mordor and the fires of Mount Doom. The enormous cast once again delivers an astonishing performance that will propel the trilogy to be the most successful of all time.

All hope now lies in Frodo’s (Elijah Wood) hands. The further he travels into Mordor, the heavier the burden becomes and the more he must rely on Sam (Sean Astin). Gollum and the ring will test Frodo’s loyalty and eventually his humanity.

Can Frodo reach Mount Doom and cast the one ring into the cracks of this mountain and rid the world of evil forever?

Unlike the third installment of The Matrix, which left moviegoers with a bad taste in their mouth, the Lord of the Rings finale leaves the audience begging for more. www.free.pages.at/bosanceros/br.jpg

Joel Wienholt “The Movie Man”

Grant and Gill give groupies groovy December gift Rose DiPaula Sports co Editor

Childhood dreams do indeed come true. Mine was to see my favorite singer of my youth, Amy Grant, perform live. On December 5, Grant and her husband, country singer Vince Gill, performed a Christmas special at the First Mariner Arena in Baltimore.

Grant, originally from Nashville, burst into the music scene as a contemporary Christian singer/songwriter at the age of seventeen. Her first album, the self-titled Amy Grant, was a hit in the Christian music world. Her second album, Father’s Eyes, was released in 1979, and introduced Grant to her former husband, Gary Chapman.

In 1982, Grant released her signature album, Age to Age, which included her hit songs, “El Shaddai” and “Sing Your Praise to the Lord.”

Grant was awarded a Grammy for “Best Gospel Performance.”

She soon followed this with another great album, Straight Ahead, which led to more sales, more hits, and more awards.

Amy again won a Grammy and was even invited to perform on the national broadcast, a first for Christian music. These feats alone classified her as a major force in the music industry. However, Amy Grant was continuously evolving, which was clear through the growth of her music.

Volume 39, Number 3

Amy officially broke into the mainstream music world in 1989, with the release of her hit, my personal favorite, “Baby, Baby.” “Baby, Baby” was on the album, Heart in Motion, her first multi platinum album. Since this album broke away from her traditional genre of music, some fans may think she was selling out. However, I fully embraced her transformation.

In fact, this transformation was what turned me on to her music in the first place. This album also included a duet with her future husband, singer/songwriter Vince Gill.

Amy has released three Christmas albums since 1983, a rarity among today’s artists. Even more exceptional is their unique style and content, as opposed to presenting cliché renditions that have been heard over and over again. She put her own twist on some of my favorite classics such as “Tennessee Christmas” and the graceful “Breath of Heaven.”

In 1999, Amy started into the television business with a Christmas special and a lead role in the made-for-TV movie, A Song From The Heart. It was thrilling for me to see my beloved idol yet again making another transition, this time to the movie scene. In March of 2000, Grant married Gill and a year later, they gave birth to a daughter, Corrina Grant Gill.

In the past few days, I have learned

The

that Amy Grant is not only my childhood favorite, but that of many others as well.

Many of my good friends can still sing “Baby, Baby” with me, or at least admit to listening to one of her Christmas albums every year.

On Friday December 5th, the day of the concert, my good friend, junior Laura Leeb, invited me to join her and her parents at the concert. I could not contain my excitement. With the inches of snowing piling up, I was nervous that my dream might not come true. The thought of missing out on such an opportunity was so disheartening, that I occupied my time with listening to Grant’s CDs and basking in my love of her music.

We were a bit late for the concert because of the horrible traffic. We impatiently ran to the arena, found our seats, and quietly settled in for a good show. Grant and Gill went back and forth singing Christmas songs, such as “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” to which Laura and I enthusiastically sang along, and “Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow.” We could not help dancing in our seats when they sang this song.

After a few more Christmas classics, Grant and Gill took a “short” intermission, which ended up being almost a half an hour. As the lights came up, we realized that we seemed to be the only Grant and Gill devotees under the age of forty, and we came to the conclusion that many re-

Patriot

tirement homes must have come together.

When Grant and Gill finally returned to the stage after their near endless break, they performed a selection of their hits. They sang each other’s songs, such as, “I Still Believe In You” and to my delight, “Baby, Baby.”

Once again, we were movin’ and groovin’ in our seats. Their daughter, Corrina, joined them on stage to cheer for her talented parents.

After that invigorating set, the couple performed a collection of religious Christmas carols, such as “O Holy Night,” and Grant’s “Breath of Heaven.” They ended the show with a prayer and a reflection of what Christmas really means.

This concert was unlike any I have ever seen. There was a minimal amount of T-shirts and merchandise on sale. Instead of refreshment booths everywhere, there were booths to adopt children in South America and Africa.

Marines were at every entrance collecting toys for “Toys for Tots.” This generosity touched my heart. In a world where it seems like money is all that matters, it was refreshing to see such kindness.

The concert was a dream come true. Amy Grant was once again beautiful, classy, and different, which are all of the things I loved about her when I was younger. Now all we need is a revival of Wilson-Phillips, my second favorite, for the rest of my dreams to come true.

December 2003

Entertainment

13 Jackson coverage: not a matter that is black or white Sam Marll Staff Writer

Lately, there has been a rash of horrific crimes committed against young children. After a series of seemingly random abductions across the nation, i.e.

Elizabeth Smart, parents were terrified to let their children play with random strangers and were brutally forced to take responsibility for the whereabouts of their kids.

Children were getting snatched up off the streets, as the news companies gleefully brought all the information of these tragedies right into the living rooms of American families.

Then there was a lull in the national child molestation. Just when it seemed as if the media was being forced to refocus news coverage back onto such boring, useless issues as “geopolitics” or “social commentary,” another huge child molestation scandal was mercifully thrust upon us, involving the King of Pop, a.k.a. Michael Jackson.

On November 19, a warrant was issued for the arrest of Michael Jackson. The charge: multiple counts of child molestation of a twelve to thirteenyear-old boy. A Jackson spokesman issued the statement, “These scurrilous and totally unfounded allegations will be proven false

in a courtroom.” The alleged victim, a twelve to thirteen-year-old boy, has remained anonymous for the time being.

Lately, the media has been covering the Michael Jackson child molestation trial with a fervor matched only by their coverage of equally important news stories like the Winona Ryder scandal, Paris Hilton video, and Robert de Niro’s prostate cancer. Fortunately, NBC and FOX have gained the air space for all this by dropping such trivial stories like the Middle East Geneva Accord and increasing onslaught of AIDS across Africa.

Most people believe, not surprisingly, “Jackson should’ve been put in jail ten years ago,” to quote junior Andrew Vielkind. The vast majority of the American people has been less than tolerant of Michael Jackson, reputed for having the immense Neverland amusement park/ranch in his backyard, and the rights to several of The Beatles’ songs, along with the Elephant Man’s bones. Indeed, Jackson’s physical appearance alone, reminiscent of a skull with a five o’clock shadow, has many people convinced of his guilt.

My hat is off to the news people who have accepted the call of duty to bring all the information they possibly can on this interesting and noble situation to the public, doing an excellent job of bringing the information about Michael Jackson to the public as unbiased and impartial manner as possible…except for all the constant “guest commentaries” by angry soccer moms who want Michael Jackson to be strapped to an elec-

tric chair and lit up like a Christmas tree. The pictures of Jackson sleeping in a hyperbolic chamber and his freaky mug shot have also helped people come to a calm, rational decision about his involvement in the crime.

However, not everyone believes that Jackson is guilty. Junior Shril Amin argued, “Why are people hating Michael Jackson? He hasn’t been convicted of anything yet.” After all, how can there be anything strange about a man who makes his children wear masks in public and spends his free time swinging his new-born baby over a balcony?

In spite of all this, the entire trial is rather convenient for at least one person. All this molestation business has been a nice little opportunity for Jackson to gain some much-needed publicity after his much-lower-than-expected Invincible record sales. Never one to stay down long, Jackson has managed to jump back into the limelight with this surely unstaged scandal.

Sadly, however, the entire incident has been running out of steam. Already, a Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services memo has been discovered revealing that the alleged victim told investigators he was never actually molested, and that Jackson slept on the floor when he stayed the night at Jackson’s Neverland Ranch.

With this memo revealed to the public, the case will most likely fall apart and be forgotten. And then what will the American people do without their daily fix of information on critical issues that affect all of us today like this one?

Soon we’ll be forced to become knowledgeable about current events that actually matter!

Regardless of how the trial turns out, the entire Michael Jackson scandal has proven one thing: People still find sex scandals to be infinitely more interesting than real news.

Students demonstrate musical talent Double Dagger defies musical convention it was easy to have a good time on stage.”

For those audience members who wanted to take a break from the excitement, the gym was open for students to Where can you find JC student play basketball and volleyball. Free pizza bands rocking out in a cafeteria while and drinks were provided for the audience their audience enjoys free during performances. Sevpizza? At the annual Battle eral raffle prizes were also of the Bands, of course. given away, including gift The fourth JC certificates to Starbucks Battle of the Bands was and Best Buy. Sophomore held on November 21st from Katie Costello won the 8-11 PM in the cafeteria. grand prize: an X-Box. Eleven bands SAC moderator Mr. played including Turquoise Johnson, who helped plan Slaughter, Severin, Guiddus, the battle, said, “I think it The Band, Avarice, Pips, went well. I was pleased Recycled Administration, with it.

We’re always Silent Explosion, Deaf Zarc, looking to make events Billy Sunday Band, and Artbetter, but I can’t think of ists Formerly Known as C-4. anything except for more Each band put on an excelpublicity in advance of lent show and the students the event.” Tickets went displayed exceptional talent. on sale four days before One of the most anthe battle and 224 tickets ticipated bands performing were sold at $5 a piece. was Turquoise Slaughter, The next Battle of the Patriot File Photo consisting of juniors Greg Junior Greg Bands will be held in Hatem, Brian McCloskey, Hatem, one of the guitar- May, and if it is anything and Jessica Riefler as well as ist of Turquoise Slaughter like this one, it’s sure to Hillary Glansfield of C. Mil- plays to the tune. be a hit. In the words ton Wright and Matt Dewlin of junior Rob Warns, “I of Fallston. The band is currently looking think everyone had a cracker-jack time.” forward to an offer they received to perform on Harford County channel three sometime in late January As for the Battle of the Bands, Hatem, one of the band’s two guitarists, said, “I thought [our performance] went well. There was a lot of interest in the battle, and it was really thrilling to be a part of it. It’s good to see JC students getting involved in local music. The crowd was really excited too, so

Brian Averill Staff Writer

Rachael Kessler Managing Editor

December 2003

The

In a world where CDs are strictly sorted into their specific classifications, artists are often forced to remain within inflexible guidelines.

But the revolutionary Charm City band Double Dagger defies this commonality.

This trio is comprised of three talented members. Brian Dubin and Bruce Willen demonstrate their abilities by playing the drums and bass, while Nolen Strals shows off by singing and playing the keyboard.

Because of their talent, Double Dagger has proven to be that new refreshing sound the Maryland music scene has been yearning for. They have received recognition not only in the underground Baltimore music scene, but also in the highly prominent Baltimore City Paper, in which they won the award for best new core.

So what revolutionary, ground breaking steps has Double Dagger made in the contemporary music scene? With the fusion of crust punk, hardcore pop, and a level of angst reminiscent of a graphic designer confined to a cubical, they have fashioned what they refer to as “Graphic Design-Core.” This is defined as a militant rebellion against the plague that is contemporary corporate pop culture and something

Patriot

to which you can dance. In the words of Swedish political punk rockers The (International) Noise Conspiracy, “I don’t want your revolution if I can’t dance.”

With this, their third official release, it is no coincidence that Double Dagger is finally receiving recognition. This album is loaded with infectious rhythms and lyrics that strike your bones with a sensation that causes you to rise from the clutches of your office swivel chair and dance freely from cubicle to cubicle.

Double Dagger’s outlandish and impulsive live performances and their ingenious albums have, not surprisingly, acquired an eclectic following. With two spastic instrumentalists and one outlandish vocalist, who is known for stealing hats, for his unique dancing style, and for simply pushing fans to the floor as they dance, Double Dagger takes you to a place of pure and utter bliss.

Volume 39, Number 3

14 Sports Athletes sign, take their talents to the collegiate level Rose DiPaula and John Vigliotti Sports Editors

Kayani Turner College:

University of Illinois (volleyball)

“The people were amazing.”

Major:

Pre-Med

Goals:

“I want to win a Big Ten Championship and an NCAA Championship.

I think it’d be pretty sweet if I contributed.”

Years on Varsity:

Four -

Including back- to - back MIAA championships and one undefeated season.

“My coach took a chance on me freshman year. I didn’t know anything about volleyball.”

High school athletics can consume a person. They require hard work, extreme dedication, and intense behind-the-scenes hours. All this, and the players still have to manage school, cramming homework and quick study periods between practices and games.

A difficult process can produce quite possibly the greatest accomplishment: knowing that after your four years in high school athletics, you can keep playing. The following players have devoted their athletic ability to JC, providing the school with constant success and a series of championships. They represent excellence both on and off the field.

Perhaps the most difficult and drawn out process for a high school senior is selecting a college. This one decision will determine where you spend the next four years of your life.

While the average student is wasting their time worrying about dorm sizes and confusing cafeteria credits, these athletes were relaying conversations with coaches. Their decision was double weighted. Where they would spend the next four years studying would also be the place they spend four years competing.

It was a pleasant yet often stressful process as each athlete tried to find the right collegiate program for them. Coaches, workout facilities, uniforms, even the school’s mascot became issues. Most high school seniors do not experience such difficult decisions.

Ali Levendusky College:

University of Maryland Baltimore County (lacrosse)

Emily Haller College:

“I knew people and it was the right fit.”

James Madison University (lacrosse) “I felt that James Madison was the best fit academically and athletically.”

Major:

Major:

Biology

Years on Varsity:

Four

Sports Management

Years on Varsity:

Four

Wrestlers begin as champs Rose DiPaula Sports co Editor

The team’s biggest challenge this year will be Annapolis Area Christian School, who the Patriots barely lost to last year, 33-35, but the main event Wrestlepalooza has begun. of this season was “Wrestlepalooza.”

The JC Patriots wrestling team be“You say Wrestlepalooza, I say gan their season as champions. Over Wrestlepaleeza!” said Mr. Hollin. This Thanksgiving break, the team won the year’s Wrestlepalooza took place on DeGrace Brethren Thanksgiving Tour- cember 9. The evening included a DJ, nament to begin their season on top. two Patriot mascots, and free give-a-ways, Captains of this including free T-Shirts. year’s team are seniors “It’s a huge event, Blake “I Eat Steak” Hopeople get excited, it’s edebecke, Joe “The Fish” crazy,” said Mr. Hollin.

Hudson and junior Dean Varsity won “The Machine” Roberts. the match against Coaches are Mr. Keith Perryville 55-28, Watson and JC’s own and the JV team won history teacher, Mr. Jake theirs with an outHollin.

Managers are standing 82-0 victory. seniors Lauren Thompson “Wrestlepalooza was and Kim Stolarz, junior photo by MaryBeth Derbyshire radical,” said junior Becky Reed, and sopho- Junior Mike Nawrocki defeats Greg Boyle, who atmore Elizabeth Ennis. Perryville’s Andrew McGluthlin at tended the event.

“Managing wrestling is Wrestlepalooza.

Later this cool because the coaches season, the Patriand guys are fun to be with. It feels good to ots will face their cross-town rivals, be part of a dominating team,” said Reed. the Bobcats of Bel Air High.

The The team already has high ex- “Battle of Bel Air” will take place on pectations for this year. “We already January 16 at Bel Air High School. won the first tournament, it’s going This year the wrestling team has to be a great year, and we’ve got lots also agreed to share its gym time with of guys returning,” said Mr. Hollin the JV and Varsity cheerleading teams.

“Our goal is to win the ‘B’ Conference,” said “Sure, we’d like our own room, but it’s Roberts. Two years ago, the wrestling team not a problem. Both teams work hard, won the ‘C’ Conference title, but the team so it’s not a distraction,” said Mr. Hollin. has since advanced to the ‘B’ Conference.

Although barely into their season, With the success of their first tournament, the wrestlers already seem determined and their goal seems well within their reach. well on their way to reaching their goals.

“Well, I like to win, so that’s The Patriots have experience, talent, and why I’m wrestling,” said junior wres- drive, all part of an unstoppable comtler Paul Muelenkamp aka Truck. bination. Let Wrestlepalooza continue.

Volume 39, Number 3

The

Matt Scanlon College:

Fairfield University (lacrosse) “I chose Fairfield because of my scholarship and it was a Division 1 school.”

Major:

Business

Years on Varsity:

Patriot

Three

Lauren Bradley College:

James Madison University (lacrosse)

“I liked that it was a medium school. It was really different in how the team was really close.”

Major: Integrated Science and Technology

Years on Varsity:

Four

December 2003

Sports Steroids and sports, the relentless battle

Words from John Vigliotti Steroids. The question? The answer. The route to a lousy manhood.

Lately, it seems they have been all of these things. Anabolic steroids are synthetic versions of the male hormone testosterone.

Athletes use them illegally to bulk up muscle and enhance performance. Steroids can have dangerous side effects, including liver damage, heart disease, anxiety, and rage.

THG, or tetrahydrogestrinone, is a drug derived from another steroid long banned in athletics. It has been sold in the guise of a dietary supplement, but it is in fact a drug that lacks federal permission for sale in the United States. It is unclear who exactly developed THG but it was designed specifically to be undetectable by the standard test given to athletes. In actuality, THG is simply a designer steroid.

Major League Baseball announced that between 5-7% of its players tested positive for steroids. However, 100% of the players knew that they were going to be tested beforehand. Problem?

Maybe it’s just me but it takes a certain amount of stupidity to start taking steroids in the first place, and full blown incompetence to take them before a drug test. But we’ll put that aside for now.

Four members of the Oakland Raiders, Barret Robbins, Bill Romanowski, Dana Stubblefield, and Chris Cooper, have all tested positive for THG. Players who now test positive for the previously undetectable drug, THG, will face immediate discipline, including four game suspensions. This came from the ever-popular and respected commissioner Paul Tagliabue. However, players can appeal a suspension, a process that takes several weeks. These NFL suspensions would mark the first time THG has been linked directly to any sport outside track and field, which has recently had at least five athletes test positive for the steroid.

Let’s examine this situation hypothetically. We’ll take a “clean player” and randomly name him Charlie. Then we’ll take a “juicer” and randomly name him Bill Romanowski. The players may start in equal positions with equal opportunities. But now, the juicer has speeded up the process. His body becomes muscular and his strength exceeds that of the clean player, Charlie. Perhaps Charlie is working twice as hard as Bill but is not reaping the benefits. This is theft. The juicers are using illegal means to better themselves over their occupational competition.

Now let’s examine irony. The Players Association is a union that is supposedly there for the players. Yet, they lobby against drug testing. Shouldn’t the union want to protect their players (the clean ones) and the validity of the game? If I were a clean player, led to believe that my league is substancefree, I would insist on drug testing. But then again, that would be logical and we’re dealing with professional sports.

The use of steroids is dissolving a longtime trust between player and fan.

Who’s to say that the records being broken today are done so by players following the rules? There needs to be some form of interjection. Regular testing and more severe punishment is the only way to “clean up” professional sports. Besides gentlemen, are steroids really what we want?

December 2003

15

Changes in ACC may cause conflict $AVE ,OMONICO 3TAFF 7RITER This is it for the basketball dominated Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).

One more year of rivalry and glory in the esteemed nine-team conference before it will be riddled by two basketball lacking schools next year and a third by 2006.

When the ACC decided to try and improve its football by adding Miami, Virginia Tech, and Boston College (by 2006) it left basketball in the dark. The 2003 – 2004 college basketball season will be the end of a great tradition for this historical conference.

A team that is definitely loaded this year is the Wake Forest Demon Deacons; a team that returns four starters from last year including two of the best frontcourt players in the ACC – junior Vytas Danelius and sophomore Eric Williams. The Deacons will use their inside presence to dominate the smaller and less physical opponents in the ACC and that presence will lead to many victories. The backcourt is good enough with the great shooting of sophomore guard Justin Gray and freshman point guard Chris Paul. The Deacons will depend on these two to create shots for Williams and Danelius as well as to knock down a few threes to open up the rest of the offense.

Wake Forest’s weakness lies within its depth. Teams can beat them if they force the two inside players to get into foul trouble early and force Coach Skip Prosser to go to his bench. However, the Deacons have enough talent and team balance to carry them to the ACC title this year.

The most improved team will be the North Carolina Tar Heels, who should easily return to National Championship form. New coach Roy Williams has come from Kansas University and will be able to take his excellent team and guide them far into the NCAA Tournament. The offense will be without a question one of the best in the country, but it will be their lack of aggressive defense that Williams will have to overcome.

Williams also needs to make sure that he can develop his bench or North Carolina will be sucking oxygen by March. Two of the best guards in the country, Raymond Felton and Rashad McCants, will emotionally drain opponents with their quick strike ability. Also, sophomore forward Sean May and junior forward Jawad Williams are physical enough to provide an inside presence. North Carolina, behind their excellent coaching and their outside play of Felton and McCants will put them in second place in the ACC. The national media of course favors the Duke Blue Devils, who thrive every season behind their coach of 24 years, Mike Krzyzewski. Duke is favored to win the ACC this year behind a team that has not shown that it can consistently rebound and play as a team. Senior point guard Chris Duhon will lead the team, though he does not shoot or handle the ball well enough to dominate a game. The rest of the team is young and inexperienced.

Duke will uncharacteristically rely more on talent than wit this season. Possible ACC Rookie of the Year Luol Deng will be expected to mature fast and step in at the forward position and physically dominate. Sophomore shooting guard J.J. Redick may be one of the top 5 shooters in the country, but if he cannot improve his defense, opponents will have a field day driving by him. Also contributing to Duke will be inconsistent forwards Shav-

The

lik Randolph and Shelden Williams and The best player on the floor is forward Nik guard Daniel Ewing. Overall, Duke has Caner-Medley who must continue to play not shown the physical prowess or the tenacious defense and find ways to score height inside to compete with taller op- on offense. Also contributing for Maryland ponents on defense (such as Wake Forest), will be sophomore forward Travis Garrithough they have enough pure shooters to son, freshmen forward Ekene Ibekwe, and guide them to third in the ACC this year. senior center Jamar Smith. The inexperiA surprise this year will be the ence will be Maryland’s undoing this year play of the Florida State Seminoles who are and their string of ten consecutive NCAA lead by fiery coach Leonard Hamilton. The Tournament appearances will be in jeoparSeminoles have nothing to lose this year, as dy. The Terps will finish sixth in the ACC. The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets most basketball experts will consider them an underdog. The team has experience lost two of their top players this year and that will hurt them as the with senior guards Nate season wanes on. They Johnson and Tim Picklost forward Chris Bosh ett and junior college to the NBA and forward transfer Diego Romero.

Ed Nelson to Connecticut Florida State, for the via transfer. Tech is left first time in a while, has with huge holes in the a top high school recruit inside with the departure in forward Von Wafer. of these two. They will Florida State rely on junior center also has two experiLuke Schenscher to carry enced forwards who can the load inside and that contribute in the starting will never happen. Tech lineup or from the bench will score most of their with forwards Anthony points from the outside Richardson and Michael with guards Jarrett Jack, Joiner. What really puts Marvin Lewis, and B.J. Florida State in contenElder. However, their tion is Pickett, who will lack of an inside game need to score for Florida on defense or offense will State to win. Also, the be their undoing and they inside play of Wafer and www.google.com will finish 7th in the ACC. Romero must give the The Clemson Seminoles points in the Universtiy of Maryland sophopaint and rebounds on more forward Nik Caner-Medley. Tigers will once again be one of the leagues bottom defense. If all goes well the Seminoles will surprise a lot of people feeders. However, they have enough talent this year and finish fourth in the ACC and to win a few games and may grab a few earn a birth in the NCAA Tournament. upsets. What helps Clemson is that they The North Carolina State Wolf- have a solid inside game with forwards pack could easily finish in the top three Chris Hobbs, Olu Babalola, Lamar Rice, in the ACC if they still had forward Josh and Sharrod Ford. These four will rotate Powell who left early for the NBA. Though down in the post and should provide a they still boast possibly the best player in tough defensive matchup. However, they the ACC, junior guard Julius Hodge, he will struggle on offense. Clemson will doesn’t have a player to compliment him rely on junior Chey Christie and two on defense or offense. However, if red- freshmen (Vernon Hamilton and Jimmy shirt freshman Ilian Evtimov can knock Hudson) to carry the backcourt for the down his three-point jumper, the Pack Tigers and their inexperience will result will prove to be a formidable opponent. in defensive lapses and inconsistent play.

Senior Marcus Melvin and junior Levi The Tigers will finish 8th in the ACC. The Virginia Cavaliers will Watkins must wake up from their reduced roles last year and contribute to the inside have a serious drop off this year due to game of the Wolfpack. NC State lives and the many question marks that surround dies with Julius Hodge who needs to carry the team. None of the players are good his team if they want to win, but NC State enough to step up and be a leader. Those won’t be going anywhere if they fail to players that did contribute have either play an up-tempo defense and don’t re- graduated (Travis Watson) or been cut bound. They will finish fifth in the ACC. (Keith Jennifer and Jermaine Harper).

The only thing keeping the Mary- Todd Billett is their best player and he is land Terrapins from falling apart this year inconsistent at best on the offensive end. is coach Gary Williams, who may be one The Cavaliers will have to rely on their of the best teachers and basketball coaches freshmen forward Donte Miller and guard in the country. The Terps have lost 8 start- J.R. Reynolds to step up. The young talers in two years and are currently sitting ent on the Cavaliers will not gel this year with a bunch of unproven, raw players. and this will result in a last place finish.

The ACC unfortunately doesn’t The Terps play extremely tough on defense and run a very fast paced offense. Howev- look as strong this year as other conferer, a good team like Wake Forest or North ences, such as the SEC. Hopefully, the Carolina can easily beat the Terps if they 9-team league will be able to play conforce them to play a half-court offense. sistent, fundamental basketball this year The Terps have no prolific scorer and once again dominate in the NCAA. or player who can find space in a tight defense. They rely on working the ball in and out, trying to find an open jumper. Sophomore point guard John Gilchrist will lead the team on offense and will be expected to fill the shoes of departed Steve Blake. Maryland does have depth, as they will rotate three players at shooting guard including Chris McCray, D.J. Strawberry, and Mike Jones.

Patriot

Volume 39, Number 3

Sports

16

Basketball programs prepare to play Sam Marll Staff Writer

“Focus, intensity, and effort.” In the words of Assistant Coach Anthony Macri, these are things that the basketball teams need to have a successful season. Along with luck and skill, they will do just that.

So far, with a 2-1 record, not much has been seen of the Boys’ Varsity team just yet. Last year, the Boys’ Varsity team lost several experienced seniors to graduation. However, with seven seniors on the team this year, the team still has its share of experience.

Led by senior team captains Matt Murphy, Kyle Devine, and Eric Dezell, the Boys’ Varsity team seems optimistic at this stage. Matt Murphy stated, “I think we’re gonna make it to the playoffs.”

At this point, the team has been looking to improve both offensive execution and defensive intensity. They have also been making serious efforts to limit turnovers while increasing assists.

Sophomore Dishawn Bradshaw and senior Kevin Tehan are two vital players in this area.

After finishing last year with a 14-11 league and 9-7 conference record, the Boys’ team hopes to improve on that score and go over .500 yet again. If it can beat .500, this will be only the second time in school history that the Boys’ Varsity team has gone over .500 four times in a row.

Big games this year include the Severn and St. Paul’s home games on January 9th and February 3rd, respectively.

This year’s team has also been preparing diligently for the Holiday Tourney December 29th-30th. The team hopes

to bounce back after a disappointing third place finish last year, and to defeat Bel Air at the home game on the 29th.

Before their Holiday Tournament the boys will play a tough Joppatowne team.

After the Christmas break, the boys will host Severn, Pallotti, St. Mary’s, and Gilman.

The JV team has done well, having won its opening home game against Beth Tfiloh, after an initial struggle. “The team concept has come together very well,” remarked coach Tom Vierheller.

With sophomore team captains Chaz Linn and Andrew Kriss, the team has won its first two scrimmages against North Harford and Bel Air. In spite of this, the team is still working on pushing its shooting past the 50% mark.

The Fresh/Soph boys’ team season started December 17 against Park.

The Girls’ Varsity team has had a rough start, however, losing the first league game to the top-ranked IND team 7052 on December 3 despite a tough fight. “We got off to a slow start, but had a very good second half,” recalled Coach Kathleen Shannon.

This first game is not reflective of the team’s ability so far. With senior team captains Kayani Turner and Ali Levendusky having averaged fifteen and ten points per game last year, the team hopes to improve on last year’s disappointing 2-20 record by utilizing these two solid leaders.

This team has some young blood, with three freshmen and a sophomore comprising a third of the team. Despite having only two seniors, the players plan to build a team that can consistently run kids in and out while playing an aggressive up-tempo game. The team’s offense has been slightly inconsistent, but at such an early stage, it is hoped that this will be resolved.

The Girls’ Varsity team’s strategy parallels that of the Boys’also, with an emphasis on reducing turnovers, while playing a great defense and taking care of the ball.

Indoor track runs in halls Adam Bell Staff Writer

After an extremely disappointing inaugural season last year, the JC indoor track team is very excited about this upcoming season. JC took its share of bumps and bruises last year in their first season in the MIAA “A” conference. In fact, the boys’ team finished in dead last. They did not register a point the whole season, something that they intend to accomplish this season.

Going into last season the boys’ team did not have high expectations playing against some of the best teams around like Loyola, Calvert Hall, Curley, Gilman, and Archbishop Spalding. Despite their best efforts, the tough and experienced competition left JC scoreless.

In order to score a point, players must finish in the top six individually and teams must finish in the top three in the relay events. JC never came close to finishing third in the relay events.

However, this year they possess some form of confidence. The boys’

Volume 39, Number 3

team is coached by Mr. Torres and Mr. Monaghan and led by captains Mike Monaghan, junior Jason Devoy, and sophomore Julian Maliszewski. Under such leadership, the team believes they can improve on their dead last finish of a year ago.

One reason the boys think they can do better this year is because they have more than twice the amount of players they had last year. Last year’s team featured only 8 players whereas about 20 guys are participating this year. The only downfall is that the three captains are the only returning players, so the team is very inexperienced. This isn’t that crucial though considering the program itself is young.

The girls’ team also has twice as many players this year. They have about 40 participants this year, while they only had about 20 last season.

The boys’ and girls’ teams travel to meets together. All of the meets take place at either the new practice gym at Loyola or at the PG Center in Prince George’s County. Although their inaugural effort was troubled, the incredible optimism remains. “This year we might score a point,” says senior Mike Monaghan.

The

photo by Erin O’Brien

Senior Kevin Tehan drives on fellow senior Kyle Devine in practice. Basketball practices were fast and furious.

The girls will host Bryn Mawr, Seton Keough, Spalding, Mercy, St. Frances, and Roland Park in the month of January.

The team also hopes to compete in the open-format Noel Classic and defeat Old Mill and Midlothian on the 27th-29th.

The JV team, 0-2 at this point, has struggled to get past their height disadvantage, but “our speed makes up for it,” said coach Liz Pyzik. With the home game against Fallston for the county competition, on the 15th, key players like sophomore guard Shelly Smialkowski, freshman forward Catherine Subrizi, and

freshman guard Allie Loiero will be vital.

The JV team expects to have a fun and busy season with games against McDonogh, Bryn Mawr, and hometown rival, Bel Air, later this season.

Both the varsity and JV teams are looking to shake things up this season, whether it is through solid defense or improving offensive execution. As Assistant Coach Macri said, “If we can bring focus, intensity, and effort to every practice and every game, we can be a very good basketball team.”

Lax players take it indoors Adam Bell Staff Writer

Almost a month ago, some of the top JC lacrosse players joined an indoor lacrosse league. JC formed this team in 2000 hoping that the players will improve their skills individually and as a team. It is only December and yet the JC boys’ lacrosse team is already preparing for another run at the MIAA ‘B’ Conference title.

The team, coached by Jim Sargianis and Walt Nawrocki, plays every Sunday at the Freestate Sports Arena. It is a very competitive league with talented teams from both the MIAA ‘A’ and MIAA ‘B’ Conferences. Some of the better teams and players in the Baltimore area are in the league including Loyola, Boys Latin, Gilman, McDonogh, and the defending ‘A’ Conference champion Calvert Hall.

The Patriots are off to a great 5-0 start in the league. They have defeated Loyola, Calvert Hall, Gilman, St. Paul’s and Friends so far. They hope to continue this early season success the rest of the way. Several of the JC players participated in a Thanksgiving tournament. They experienced success but lost in overtime in the quarterfinals to a team from Pittsburgh.

Senior Ryan Sargianis is one of the returning varsity players that is playing in the indoor league. He is happy that JC has joined an indoor league again this year because he has a chance to improve his skills every week against good competition.

Sargianis feels that playing in this league is really going to help them get ready for the real

Patriot

season in the spring. “Playing in this league is going to make us play better as a team,” Sargianis said. By playing in the league the players are also getting a lot of conditioning in and they are gaining some valuable experience against good teams that they do not normally face in the outdoor season.

JC players are eager for the regular season to start. Even though they lost some key players to graduation last year, they still have a lot of returning players including Matt Scanlon, John Vigliotti, Ryan Hamill, and Jeff Pilarski. JC’s largest competition, Archbishop Spalding, moved up to the “A” Conference this year. In fact, JC defeated Spalding in the championship last season.

The varsity squad is not the only team hoping to improve on and repeat last year’s performance. JC also has a JV team in the indoor league coached

by Mr. Tom Vierheller. They also play on Sundays at Freestate. The JV won the MIAA “B” Championship last year and they wish to improve their skills and play at a high level again this year.

With the returning players from last year’s team, JC has a strong foundation that has them favored to win the MIAA “B” Conference again. The team is determined to work hard and will stop at nothing on their goal of repeating as champions.

December 2003