John Carroll School ! Tradition ! Pride ! Excellence
THE
PATRIOT Variety Show
Volume 30, Issue 3 ! December 2004
Elizabeth Hersey Features co Editor
At the Senior Variety Show this year, the excitement level in the auditorium was so high one could feel it in the air. Maybe it was because of the crowd, mostly students and recent alumni, all hyped up to see their friends on stage. Or perhaps it was caused by the students involved who had worked hard to pull the show together. A traditional senior class fundraiser, the Variety Show usually earns about $6,000 for prom. Since the show has few other expenses, and those are only small things such as ticket printing, nearly all of the money is saved for April. It has paid for as much as 50% of prom’s cost in the past, although Þgures for this year have not been determined yet. The acts themselves were weeks in the making. This year’s show had 31 skits on Tuesday and 32 on Wednesday. A large part of the experience depended on which of the two shows one saw. For example, the skit “Teacher Hiring Session” was performed both nights, but on
uniÞes ‘05
Wednesday Mr. Heubeck himself joined “Mr. Del Puppo” and “Mr. Akers” (Mike Tagliaferri and Charles Sergent) at the end, with much screaming from his female fans. Also, Carolyn Hedlund and Lindsay Nicolucci performed “In the Walls” by Stellastarr* only on Wednesday. Similarly, some of the jokes only make sense if one attended last year. Will Gibbons tried to repeat Jason Lipinski’s (‘04) infamous green joke numerous times, only to be tackled by Greg Boyle. Amusing as this was, many audience members were confused. One of the main reasons for Variety Show is to make fun of the previous class (the other being to make fun of the faculty). A handful of senior boys performed “’04 Dance Reunion,” a reproduction of last year’s senior girls’ dance. This year’s senior girls dance was a much-anticipated event, and all the effort put into organizing it showed. The dance was choreographed by senior Shannon Lhotsky and used professionally mixed music. The “Dance Reunion” was considerably less serious—it’s difÞcult to take boys in Catholic schoolgirl uniforms seriously. A few of the “What If’s” were also aimed directly at the class of 2004, such as, “What if last year’s seniors hadn’t won powderpuff…would they have accomplished anything at all?” The question “What if Harford Community College didn’t exist” was cut off on Wednesday by yelling from these ex-seniors, who came in droves. (Fortunately, Mr. Piercy was standing by to quell any possible riots.) Seniors and audience alike enjoyed skits which made fun of JC’s teachers and administration. “JC Idol” featured students dressed up as their teachers, performing musical acts that related to their character and competing for a prize. It ended in a tie between the team of “Mr. Akers” and “Mr. Del Puppo” with the song “U + Me = Us (Calculus)” by 2gether, and “Ms. Beadle”
Several senior athletes commit to colleges.
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“Dear Virginia” letter teaches valuable holiday lesson.
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(Molly Housman) with “These Boots Are Made for Walking” by Nancy Sinatra. Some of the most successful acts were not original, but adaptations of television skits. Will Gibbons and McKenzie Walsh played Stuart and Stuart’s mother respectively, based on the popular MADtv characters. Mrs. Swan, also from MADtv and portrayed by Laura Leeb, was left to deal with a JC senior scavenger hunt in Mr. Barker’s absence. There were also scenes from Saturday Night Live and Monty Python’s Flying Circus. Of course, showcases of musical talent were dispersed throughout the night. From a capella singing to rock jams, the audience got to hear the remarkable abilities of JC’s seniors. PJ Ireton played the National Anthem on his guitar with amazing skill. Kelly Navin and McKenzie Walsh sang a duet called “For Good” from the play Wicked, which is a prequel to the Wizard of Oz. Both girls had major roles in JC’s production of The Wizard of Oz last year. The excited crowd seemed to have difÞculty staying quiet for all the remarkable music acts, but they applauded well at the end, and no one was truly disrespectful and seemed to enjoy the show. “The Variety Show was really good,” said senior Alex Wozniak. “People actually like it, because it’s actually funny.” By the time the entire Variety Show experience had ended, the senior class realized what a fun and unique event it is and how impor-
tant it is as a part of the JC experience. Senior Laura Leeb said, “It brought the class together. Underclassmen should deÞnitely do their Variety Show, it’s a bonding experience.” “We became friends with people we never knew well before,” said Shannon Lhotsky. Despite early turbulence, it seems that this year’s Variety Show turned out very successfully. “Variety Show started off a little rough, but in the end everything came together and we were said to have one of the best Variety Show ever,” said senior Matt Maskell. “The amount of talent people were willing to share was incredible,” said Mrs. Kangas, senior class moderator along with Mrs. Russell. “It will be up to each class hereafter to live up to the gold standard set by 2005.”
Editors review new holiday movies.
! Page 12 Brave editors dare to taste “unique” flavors of Jones Soda Co. Holiday Pack. Page 8
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