The Patriot February 2013, Issue 3, Vol 48

the

www.jcpatriot.com Issue 3, Volume 48

February 2013

The Shadow of Tragedy

In the past year, school shootings have taken national and local stages, causing massive uproar about gun regulation on the federal and state levels. JC reacted with new security and lockdown policies.

In the wake of the lives lost in Newtown, CT, The Patriot takes a look at guns from the perspective of gun owners, hunters, concerned administrators, and those who worry the same could happen at JC. Photo illustration by Bryan Doherty and Martha Schick

Lifestyles 5

Multimedia Chief Martha Schick steps out of her comfort zone by learning how to shoot a gun with senior Nate Barringer.

In-Depth 8-9

Students relive the challenges and struggles of being new drivers, facing the dangers of speeding tickects and car crashes.

Sports 14

Student hunters voice their opinions and concerns about the gun control laws passed in the aftermath of the Connecticut school shooting.

Index News...................................2 Lifestyles...............................4 A&E.....................................7 In-Depth...............................8 Opinion...............................11 Sports................................14 The John Carroll School 703 E Churchville Rd Bel Air, MD 21014

news 2

thepatriot February 2013

Administration changes safety procedures Emily Clarke Print Chief As Principal Madelyn Ball walked down the halls during the lockdown drill on Jan. 10, she felt the eerie silence all around her.

The lockdown drill was one of the drills JC instituted this year as a result of multiple school shootings around the country.

According to Ball, “the drill went really well. It was very eerie walking down these halls during the lockdown. It’s like I didn’t know where everybody went. It was just silent. It was terrific.”

Despite Ball’s optimism about the drill, not all students are confident in the procedure.

“

It was very eerie walking down these halls during the lockdown. It’s like I didn’t know where everybody went. It was just silent. It was terrific.

Principal Madelyn Ball

”

“I don’t really think it will be that effective, because in that kind of situation, I don’t think it would go the way it was planned,” senior Ryan Decker said.

After the Newtown shooting, Ball and other administrators worked in accordance with local law enforcement to update the

school’s lockdown procedure.

“You realize now that these are no longer just drills to have drills.

You never know. These incidents have proven it can happen anytime, anywhere. The key to safety is to have immediate responses we can rely on,” Ball said.

According to Ball, the next steps for complete school safety are to practice a lockdown drill where a shooter is in the vicinity but not inside of the school, an evacuation drill where part of the school is closed off, and combination drills where the drill starts as one type of emergency and then switches into another.

“That’s what seems to happen when there is a true emergency.

We might go into lockdown and then it becomes an evacuation,” Ball said.

The idea to change procedures for school safety drills came after the Perry Hall shooting during the first week of school.

“We knew we had to completely revamp how we did things. We had to call people in to come and help us take a look at the building.

It’s a huge job,” Ball said.

In October, school safety was put to the test again when JC, along with three other Harford County schools, received a bomb threat.

JC evacuated its students, according to Ball, because “we wanted to make sure nothing had been brought in. We felt good.

And when we did the drill, it truly was a drill, because I felt confident that there was nothing here.”

Ball is confident in the ability

Aiming for Gun Safety

Obama’s proposals Obama revealed his proposals to lower gun violence during his gun control press conference on Jan 16.

Background checks Background checks will be conducted for all gun sales.

Todd Jones Obama appointed Todd Jones as the Director of Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosives to regulate the firearms & explosives industries & conduct investigations pertaining to them.

INSIDER

Dress down days support senior class Bryan Doherty Opinion Editor

Photos by Rebecca Driver and Emma Minnis

English teachers Deborah Stathes (left) and Susan Fisher (right) stand on the football field with Stathes’s class during a fire drill (top).

During the lockdown, two police officers stroll down the academic wing to check classroom doors. (left bottom).

Students file out onto the football field to evacuate the building for the bomb threat (right bottom).

of the guidance program to preemptively stop school violence.

“I think what we do best is that our counselors have a really good relationship with the kids, and we do have a program where we refer kids we are worried about,” Ball said.

Director of Guidance Carol Heflin Shupe agrees that the guidance department is preventive in how they watch out for students who seem to become withdrawn.

“I think it’s not a bad idea to

get JCAC [John Carroll Assistance Committee] to make that something we focus on,” Heflin said.

Junior Casey Reil agrees with Heflin and Ball about the significance of the guidance department.

“I’m still skeptical that something like [Newtown] would happen at JC. I think we’re a different community, and if someone had a problem like that, they’d go to a counselor or someone because we’re a close knit community.”

School Shootings Over the Years The Patriot lines up some of the most recent school shootings from elementary school to college April 16, 2007 February 29, 2000

6 year old Dedrick Owens

1 student killed

Buell Elementary School in Flint, Michigan

April 20, 1999

18 year old Eric Harris & 17 year old Dyland Klebold

23 year old Seung-Hui Cho

32 students & faculty killed & 17 others wounded

Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia

October 2, 2006

32 year old Charles Carl Roberts IV

12 students & 1 5 school girls killed teacher killed & 21 & 5 others wounded others wounded West Nickel Mines Amish

Columbine High School in Columbine, Colorado

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August 27, 2012 15 year old Robert Gladden Jr.

1 student wounded

Perry Hall High School in Perry Hall, Maryland

December 14, 2012

20 year old Adam Lanza

20 first graders & 6 school officials killed

Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, Connecticut

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Three dress down days have been scheduled to raise money for the senior class. The first day was Jan. 16 with the two remaining days on Feb. 14 and March 18.

Students originally could purchase a bracelet for $9 to dress down for three days, and for the remaining days students can purchase the bracelet at an undecided discounted price.

This fundraiser replaced last year’s dress down fundraiser where students purchased a bracelet to dress down for midterms.

According to senior class moderator Larry Hensley, the administration “wanted to have students in dress code during midterms.”

Students march to protest abortion Caitlin Wolfarth News Editor The March for Life rally took place on Friday, Jan. 25 in Washington D.C. Last year, there was no limit to the amount of students who could attend. This year, the limit was 80 students.

According to German teacher Ashleigh Stall, 21 students along with her and Music Director Marc Bolden, attended the rally.

Students who attended will receive two service hours, unlike last year’s eight. According to religion teacher Christopher Yeung, “The actual service is the march, which is only two hours.”

Catholic Schools Week affirms Catholic education Cole Alban Managing Editor Catholic Schools Week began on Jan. 27 and ran through Feb. 3. The theme for JC is “Go make a difference.” There were themed days during the week.

Monday, school was closed due to snow. It was also Teacher/ Staff Appreciation Day. Tuesday, Archbishop William Lori visited and held a Mass. On Wednesday, Vocations and Parent Appreciation Day was celebrated.

Thursday was Student Appreciation Day, and Friday school was closed for a professional day.

According to Campus Minister Patti Murphy Dohn, the only change this year was that the Mass was moved to Tuesday.

3 news

thepatriot February 2013

Theatre Dept. to perform in Disney

Haley Kyger Sports Editor

The Theatre Department will go to the Magic Kingdom and Downtown Disney World to perform different musical numbers chosen by the Theatre Department staff and administration on June 8 to 13.

The last time the department went was in the summer of 2010.

According to Director of Admissions and Director of Fall Musicals Kim Brueggemann, the group of students who went in 2010 were able to get a “tour behind the scenes of Disney.” This included a dance workshop opportunity

with professional Disney peformers.

This year, they will be performing mostly in Downtown Disney.

According to Brueggemann, “we will perform in the heart of Downtown Disney.”

The event is non-competitive, and according to Brueggemann, the group will be performing in an open theater to guests in the park.

To get accepted into the event, the department had to send a video of their performance, show their intended costumes, and let Disney know the various dates they were available to come.

After that, they waited to hear back for their acceptance confirmation, the dates they were going, and the stages they were performing on.

At the time of this publication, the department administrators had not chosen a set performance yet.

“We are not positive yet, but our plan is to do four numbers from ‘Singin’ in the Rain’,” Brueggemann said.

During their visit, according to guidance counselor and choreographer Larry Hensley, they will be staying in one of Photo by Shannon Vinton the park’s “all-star resorts,” (From left to right) Sophomore Brady Fritz, senior Thomas Gardner, and junior Karly but their exact resort is not Horn perform the final song of “Singin’ in the Rain.” The Theatre Department will travel to Disney World to perform four numbers from the production. confirmed.

Gower adjusts to new teaching position Sydney Setree Managing Editor Religion teacher Elise Gower replaced former religion teacher Rachel Harkins on Jan. 17 when Harkins left for a position with the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

Gower now teaches both World Religions and Medical Ethics, Harkins’s former classes. Both classes are only offered to juniors.

“I recognize the loss of Ms. Harkins, but I think God opens doors for us. This allows me to pursue my passion of teaching,” Gower said.

Before teaching at JC, Gower was a campus minister at the University of Scranton for three and a half years. Her official title was International Service Program Coordinator. Therefore, she was able to travel abroad with students for service projects.

“My goal in teaching is to accompany students in exploring

new and diverse ideas, celebrate our Catholic identity, and guide them in their own faith journey,” she said. “High school is a great time to explore our faith.”

Her undergraduate degree is in theology, whereas her master’s degree is in education.

“This opportunity at JC combines the two,” Gower said.

Gower found the job opening on aimsmddc.org, a website that allows private schools to advertise available job openings. She was then interviewed by Principal Madelyn Ball, Vice Principal of Academics Gary Scholl, and Religion Department Chair Joseph Gallen.

According to Gallen, Gower was the “best interview we experienced” out of the six candidates that they interviewed over the phone or in person.

“Her credentials were almost exactly what we wanted and her answers were exactly what we

wanted,” Gallen said.

According to Gallen, she was “very professional” and had a “pleasant way about her.”

Many juniors are eager to discern how their classes may change with the replacement of Harkins.

“Ms. Gower seems organized and straightforward. She’s very open to outside ideas, which I appreciate. I think her class will be interesting,” junior Madison Meyer said.

“Ms. Gower seems very nice and knows what she is talking about, but she teaches too fast,” junior Sam Werneke said. “I’m excited, but it will be hard to replace an awesome teacher like Ms. Harkins. I miss her class a lot. I was really sad to see her go.”

Gower described her first day as “much like any other student’s first day of high school.” Faculty members and students alike greeted and welcomed her either

Photo by Sydney Setree

Religion teacher Elise Gower walks around the classroom while (from left to right) juniors Keith Runk, Rasheed Gillis, Alex Gromacki, and Brenden Hutton take notes. Gower has taken over Harkins’s position as a religion teacher for World Religions and Medical Ethics. in the hallways or in her classroom.

“When I walked out of school, I already felt a part of the community,” she said. “From my first class, I sensed the emphasis of community here. Everyone has

been so warm and welcome. I think it really demonstrates that aspect of a community.”

Gower plans on returning for following years as well, saying “I hope to be here for a very long time.”

Hello! How has social media distracted you today?

Mary Kate Luft A&E Editor

The Patriot takes a look at how social media affects students and their academics

It’s 9:30 p.m. and I’ve just started my homework.

I chatted with a friend on Facebook for about an hour while checking Twitter and watching a movie on Netflix. I kept checking Facebook and Twitter while also watching new videos that have been posted by people on YouTube. Now I’m finally going to start my homework, but first I just want to check Facebook and Twitter one more time.

Procrastination on social networking sites and apps plagues high school students. According to a study done by the Pew Research Center, one out of every three people checks Facebook multiple times a day.

In junior Alex Gromacki’s opinion, social networking sites help her and other students to procrastinate. “I

think [students] would procrastinate anyway, so going on social networking sites only helps them to procrastinate longer,” Gromacki said.

However, some studies have shown that social networking can help students.

In Portland, Oregon, grades went up by 50 percent after an engaging social media program for students was introduced at George Middle School. It also led to a decline in chronic absenteeism by 33 percent and increased the number of students who completed extra assignments voluntarily.

According to psychology teacher Dr. Paul Lazor, social networking sites are not the main problem. “Anything that distracts you in class or at home will interfere with academic perfor-

mance. The less time you spend studying, the less well you will do,” Lazor said.

While it’s harder for students to get on Facebook and Twitter during school, students can still become distracted by the Internet by checking emails and shopping online in class.

In a survey that was sent to students on Jan. 18, 46 percent of the students who responded said that they use social networking sites and apps in school. About 65 percent of these students reported that social networking sites and apps have distracted them from homework or caused them to procrastinate on homework.

According to a study by author Paul Kirschner and author Aryn Karpinski, it has been shown that multitasking “leads to poorer

learning results in students and poorer performance of tasks.”

Kirschner and Karpinski go on to say that this is because of “switching [tasks] requires a person to juggle his or her limited cognitive resources to accomplish the different tasks successfully. This juggling leads to greater inefficiency in performing each individual task, namely that more mistakes are made, and it takes significantly longer as compared to sequential work.”

Lazor agrees with Kirschner and Karpinski’s claims, saying “I think it is accurate that there is no such thing as effective multitasking. It’s very hard to buy your prom dress or look at Prom dresses and absorb anything that’s going on in class at the same time.”

lifestyles 4

thepatriot February 2013

Editor discovers firearms, faces fear Martha Schick

Multimedia Chief You can call me a flaming liberal, but I’ve always seen guns as things that cause much more harm than good. I’ve never been around guns very much, and I certainly never thought that I’d be at senior Nate Barringer’s house shooting what he referred to as “the Cadillac of guns.”

In light of the recent tragedies in Colorado and Newtown, Conn., guns have become a major part of social commentary in the United States.

It didn’t seem right to rant on and on about gun owner’s rights when I hadn’t even held a gun before, so Nate and his father, Dave Barringer, offered to let me shoot my first gun.

According to Dave, the Barringer family has about 20 to 25 guns at their house, either in the house or in the garage. The entire time I was there, the necessity of safety was impressed upon me.

Not only are all the guns locked in safes without the keys readily available, but they also practice open breech policy, meaning that if the gun is not being used, it’s not loaded, even if the safety is on.

Photo by Emily Clarke

Multimedia Chief Martha Schick aims senior Nate Barringer’s 20 gauge shotgun at a tree at Barringer’s farm in Dublin. This shotgun was one of over 20 that Barringer’s family owns.

While Nate explained all of the safety rules, I nervously eyed the guns he had gotten out for me to shoot.

I wasn’t entirely sure how risky shooting a gun was, but I started getting more and more anxious as we took a 20 gauge semiautomatic shotgun down to a field where we wouldn’t be shooting around anything important.

Nate showed me how to load a gun and turned the safety off. When he fired the first round, my stomach dropped. I was almost positive that I was going to end my own life in some way, because somebody as accident prone as I should not be using firearms.

As he turned the safety back on and handed me the gun, I tried to keep my

hands from shaking, for obvious reasons.

He helped me aim towards some trees, showed me one more time where the safety was, and told me what to yell before I took my first shot.

I took a deep breath, turned the safety off, yelled “Ready? Fire in the hole,” and pulled the trigger. The loud bang hung in the air and my cold fingers were jarred by the vibrations. A burning smell lingered in my nostrils and I opened my eyes again, realizing I had shut them right after pulling the trigger. I felt a little off balance because of the slight kick, but mostly I felt exhilaration at the fact that I had successfully shot a gun.

I can now say that I’ve shot a semi-automatic weapon, and I can also say that if everyone cared as much about safety as the Barringers do, gun control would not be an issue for the country. They are supremely responsible with locking up their guns and treating them as the dangerous weapons that they are while loaded.

While I haven’t turned into a gun junkie and probably won’t be seeking out guns to shoot, I understand how guns can be used safely and responsibly.

What do YOU think of gun ranges?

“Guns are important ... but [they] should be regulated as to who can own and operate them.”

Senior Thomas Sullivan

“It is within our privilege to have gun ranges.”

Freshman Conrad Gagnon

“I think ranges are okay. I think there should be tighter controls on guns.”

Junior Casey Reil

Editor aims for new experiences at gun range Ashley Beyer

environment.

With President Barack Obama making gun control a priority and the constant meAs I looked through my rear sight of my dia scrutiny of gun related deaths, Obama’s gun, I lined up the front sight of my .22 plans, and guns in general, I wanted to see caliber rifle with the tin can set on the fence how gun ranges operated, because I had in my grandmother’s field. When I pulled never been to one before. the trigger, there was only a small kick as It was somewhat intimidating walkthe bullet glided through the air, hit the tin ing into the gun range over the weekend with a bang, and went through the can. because many of the other target shooters Though I do not hunt living animals, I were more experienced than I was. Even do enjoy target shooting in my yard and so, I kept my hopes high and even surprised family members’ yards. myself by hitting my desired bullseye.

I wanted to go to Horst and McCann The lobby of the gun range boasted difFirearms to see how well I would do in that ferent types of guns and a window to the range.

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the shooters. The rest of the room, where the targets were set, was open.

Because there are several people shooting in a confined space, which makes it loud, I had to wear protective ear phones at all times. I also had to wear glasses in case shell casings hit me.

Loading the gun correctly, making sure the safety was on when I was not using it and off when I was using it, and making sure the gun was pointed in a safe direction at all times were some of the most important things that I had to remember.

Shooting the gun was not as challenging as people may think, because, unlike some guns, a .22 caliber rifle does not kick hard at all.

Aiming correctly, however, was the hardest part. I had to place my elbows on the table and lean down, holding the gun against my shoulder.

The front sight was also challenging to see, because it was the same color as the rest of the gun.

After a few shots, I got into a rhythm and was able to have some fun. I challenged myself by targeting different places on the paper. I would try for the center and the different numbers around the target.

Getting to see the true sport of target shooting was a great experience, even though I wasn’t able to hit my target every

Photo courtesy Kevin Beyer

Lifestyles editor Ashley Beyer pictured with her .22 caliber rifle at Horst & McCann Firearms. Beyer has been target shooting since she was nine, but she doesn’t hunt. time.

Going to the range showed me, once again, that guns can be enjoyable, not just objectified in the media.

5 lifestyles

Best 2012: of

10

9

Both men’s and women’s varsity teams won championships in their divisions. Miranda Ripken and Jarred Jones, both class of ‘12, scored their 1,000 career point marks in the 2011-2012 season.

8

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Spring Break Abroad

Over spring break, students and teachers traveled overseas to England, Scotland, and Italy. The England and Scotland trip was led by guidance counselor Larry Hensley and English teacher Christine Zurkowski and students visited places like Stratford upon Avon and Stonehenge. Spanish teacher Danica Attanasio and English teacher Nicholas Attanasio led the Italy trip. The group visited places like Rome and Pompeii.

Jane Michael: Teacher of the Year

At the annual senior awards assembly on May 30, Spanish teacher Jane Michael was named JC’s teacher of the year. Michael has taught at JC for over 30 years and has been in charge of the annual Spanish Exchange program with the Enfantes School in Toledo, Spain, for over 15 years.

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STEM Program

The Science Technology Engineering Math (STEM) program started in the 2012-2013 school year. This program is currently only offered to freshmen and will be phased in until it is offered to all students.

Singin’ in the Rain

2

The Patriot counts down JC’s top 10 most memorable moments of 2012 Basketball Championships

March for Life

150 students attended the March for Life on Jan. 23.

Students had matching scarves to signify unity.

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thepatriot February 2013

The weekend of Nov. 1-4, the JC Theatre Department made it rain, literally. The production of “Singin’ in the Rain” was like any other JC show until the end of the first act, when rain began to fall onto Don Lockwood, played by senior Thomas Gardner. The rain thrilled audiences and cast and crew members alike, though it was challenging to work behind the scenes. The Theatre Department proved, once again, that it knows how to put on a show.

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Japanese students visit 115 Japanese students from LaSalle High School in Hakodate, Japan came to JC in December. These male students shadowed JC students for a week and amazed students and faculty with their musical talents.

Bomb Threat

In October, JC and three other schools in the area were faced with a bomb threat. Since then, JC has made lockdown and bomb drills a priority.

3

Championship football game

JC’s football team went to the championship this year, although they didn’t win. The last time the football team won the championship was in 2003.

1

Exams before Christmas

For the first time, midterm exams took place before Christmas break. There was less stress over the holiday season and time after break to tie up any loose ends students may have had with grades. Students were able to focus on the holidays instead of cramming for exams that usually loomed overhead. Exams before Christmas break proved to be beneficial to most.

thepatriot February 2013

Teachers, students fuel prank wars Shannon Olsen Lifestyles Editor Physics teacher Lyle Brennan stood behind his podium in the auditorium when a tennis ball came zooming towards him.

Thinking it was students, he began yelling. Little did he know, it was Vice Principal of Academics Gary Scholl, Dean of Students at the time, and former Assistant Dean of Students Boo Smith. As he yelled, a shower of tennis balls came pelting down on him.

Brennan angrily ran up to the catwalk just in time to miss Scholl and Smith shimmying down the fire escape ropes. Scholl and Smith peeked their heads out from behind the curtains, revealing themselves to the students.

Scholl describes this prank during the 1990’s as the “all-time best prank in school history.”

Scholl’s practical jokes didn’t stop there. One morning, Scholl and former swim coach Al Herlinger switched organized teachers’ desk drawers with unorganized drawers. That day, teachers yelled across the hall seeing if anyone had their drawers.

In 2010, Scholl stole social studies teacher Jake Hollin’s advisory Christmas tree and hid it in

Photo by Emily Cassidy

Senior Carol Zubrowski dresses a lamp in German teacher Ashleigh Stall’s room as a Dayton Flyer. Stall and music director Marc Bolden prank each other regularly because of their rival alma maters. the third floor faculty bathroom.

After the Christmas tree was found and placed back in Hollin’s room, Scholl took it two more times, hiding it in the Brown Room closet and the courtyard.

Social studies teachers Rodney Johnson and Anthony Del Puppo decided they would try the prank the next year in 2011.

“Hollin is a try hard, he makes us look bad. We gave him comeuppance,” Johnson said. According to Johnson, it was “everything I thought it would be and more.”

Teacher pranks don’t stop

there, however. Music director Marc Bolden and German teacher Ashleigh Stall discovered their alma maters, University of Dayton and Xavier University, respectively, were basketball rivals.

Bolden began the war in 2011 by covering Stall’s desks with Dayton colors, red and blue, and blowing up balloons that completely covered her floor. Their pranks went back and forth until basketball season ended, though they resumed the next year.

It wasn’t unusual for former music director Dan Briggs to

walk into the Chorus Room to find that his seniors had pranked him. The seniors of 2010 covered the entire room in yarn. Briggs’s response to this was to get scooters so that he could slide under the yarn to his desk.

Each year, math teacher George Appleby finds one Mr. Potato Head missing.

One year, Appleby chased a student who was attempting to steal one of his Mr. Potato Heads.

“There was a student who had been stealing things from faculty members’ rooms,” Appleby said.

The student had on a green onepiece suit and a paper bag with eye-holes covering his head.

“I was teaching class with the door open when he ran in,” Appleby said. The student grabbed a Mr. Potato Head on top of Appleby’s wooden closet and quickly ran toward the locker rooms.

“I took off after him,” Appleby said. “He begged me not to turn him in. I told him if he gave back all of the missing items I wouldn’t. To this day, I have not divulged his name.”

These pranks were all good natured, and Scholl thinks pranks are fun “if everyone is in the right humor.”

Read more at jcpatriot.com

Teacher Spotlight:

Dick Paaby, English Teacher Brianna Glase

Stats

Online Chief

Subject: Honors English 2, English 4 Years teaching: 40 Interesting fact: Paaby is a beekeeper and he used to lead hiking trips for JC students Pet Peeves: When students are unprepared for class and don’t bring ideas or responses to the readings he assigns

Back in the day, English teacher Dick Paaby could give Bear Grylls a run for his money. Biking to school every day, growing his own fruits and vegetables, he was JC’s nature lover.

“It was an invigorating lifestyle, but that’s how I liked it,” Paaby said. He would spend a half-hour biking the six and a half miles to JC each morning and evening.

However, Paaby eventually had to switch modes of transportation. “I [rode my bike] for 20 years until my daughter was going to be a freshman.” It was then that he had to start driving the family pickup truck. Despite this, Paaby still continued to demonstrate his unity with nature by growing all of the plants consumed by his family.

“I raised virtually all of the fruits and vegetables we ate all year. My wife canned them,” Paaby said.

There was only about a quarter of an acre for plants, according to Paaby.

Despite the lack of space, Paaby was able to cultivate a fruitful garden. His harvest over the years came to include grapes, peaches, plums, raspberries, strawberries, apples, four kinds of lettuce, three kinds of tomatoes, two kinds of potatoes, string beans, lima beans, red beets, golden beets, peanuts, celery, and blueberries.

“My kids would get up in the morning and I’d say, ‘Do you want breakfast?’ They’d say, ‘yeah,’ and I’d say, ‘go out and get blueberries,’” Paaby said.

According to Paaby, growing his own fruits and vegetables allowed his family to enjoy fruit while

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English teacher Dick Paaby is pictured in the 1983 yearbook as The Patriot moderator. Paaby currently teaches sophomore and senior English classes. saving money.

“You’re working your rear end off so you can provide food for your family,” he said. “It did save money, but it was more of a lifestyle choice than anything.”

Read more at jcpatriot.com

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lifestyles 6 Seaweed, sushi diet satisfies Healthy you

By Ashley Beyer As I look through my pantry, I am faced with a major dilemma: organic raisins or roasted seaweed.

Though both of these choices are tasty, they are not a part of my normal diet. They are some of the things I can eat on my macrobiotic diet.

I heard about the macrobiotic diet from a friend and, after some research, found out that it is a well-known diet tried by celebrities like Madonna and Gwyneth Paltrow that has many health benefits.

Similar to a vegan diet, meats, sugar, dairy, and eggs should be avoided, while fruits, vegetables, fish, grains, nuts, and seeds are all ok to eat.

I was on the diet for about a week and already started to feel healthier.

While I missed eating things like chicken, yogurt, cheese, and chocolate, I was able to eat other things I like, such as Nature Valley Bars, raspberries, and blackberries.

My diet consisted of fish, whole wheat pasta, sushi, roasted seaweed, fruit, including apples and blackberries, and grains.

Though things like roasted seaweed may sound unappetizing, they are actually delicious. The seaweed had a natural sea salt taste and tasted like it had just been roasted, nothing like what you would have expected from packaged seaweed.

However, it was pretty hard for me to stop eating the fattier foods I sometimes eat.

When I wanted chocolate or other sugary sweets, I would instead eat fruit or some seaweed to curb my cravings.

Although the diet was hard for me, I did feel healthier than I did when putting fattier foods into my body.

The best part of the macrobiotic diet is that it really makes you think about what you are putting in your body, instead of simply eating.

Even though I am not following the diet anymore, I still think more about what I am choosing to eat.

This new awareness pushes me to eat healthier meals and snacks and eat fattening foods in moderation.

The macrobiotic diet does, like most diets, have some drawbacks, though.

Because there are so many things excluded from your diet, it isn’t always the best option for young children or those who are sick.

Though this diet is healthy, it is not for everyone. If you plan to try the macrobiotic diet, talk to your doctor first to make sure it is right for you.

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7 A&E

The Arena Club 2304 Churchville Road Bel Air, MD 21015 410-734-7300 www.thearenaclub.com

Rating The Arena Club wows members with high quality facilities and endless services.

Meredith Haggerty In-Depth Editor When I walked into the Arena Club, I was overwhelmed with the amount of state-of-the-art fitness equipment they had, as well as the vast amount of activities that I could participate in. From preschool to Pilates, they had everything.

I first went to the treadmills and elliptical machines where everyone had a small TV to watch their favorite shows while they ran. I personally loved the fact that there was a TV attached to the equipment because I was con-

stantly running, but I didn’t even realize how hard I was working.

The Arena Club also had stair climbers, cycling bikes, and other cardio machines in addition to the treadmills and elliptical machines. All of the cardio machines were state-of-the-art because they had new technology to tell the person working out how far they had run, climbed, or biked as well as the time it took to reach that point in their workout and how many calories they had burned.

After running, the next station I went to was the weightlifting area. The station included an innumerable amount of weights, bars, and benches. I used the 15 pound dumbbells, but there were heavier weights for those who could lift them.

The abdominal section was where I spent most of my time, and the equipment was top of the line. The mat used for abdominal work was long, allowing at least 15 people to work out at once.

There were also three leg lift stations that members could use to help build their core muscles as well as medicine balls to use during sit ups, lunges, and other abdominal focused workouts.

The Arena Club was spotless.

I never saw a dirty hallway or rusting equipment. The staff was

thepatriot February 2013

The Patriot staff scopes out the greatest gyms to help you keep your New Year’s resolution

Photo by Caitlin Wolfarth

Arena Club members work out on cardio equipment in the main workout room. These high-tech cardio machines provide users with information such as heart rate and calories burned while they are working out. friendly, but there didn’t seem to be enough of them. The only time I saw staff members was at the sign-in section of the gym. They didn’t walk around and help out in the fitness center or any other part of the gym.

The amount of extra features was almost endless. Not only did the Arena Club have a gym, but it also had an indoor turf field, an outdoor field, an outdoor basketball court, four outdoor pools (three of which become indoor

in the winter when a dome is put over them), a salon and tanning center, group classes such as Pilates, cycling, yoga, and aerobics, personal training sessions, physical therapy, a preschool, and more.

Joining the Arena Club would be beneficial for any person who wants to become healthier and happier. According to the Arena Club’s website, it is designed “to enhance your physical and mental well-being.” The Arena Club

Planet Fitness

Bel Air Athletic Club

3318 Emmorton Road Abingdon, MD 21009 410-809-2593 www.planetfitness.com

658 Boulton Street Bel Air, MD 21014 410-838-2670 www.wellbridge.com/belair-athletic-club/bel-air

Rating

Rating

Planet Fitness provides an easily accessible gym with multiple locations for a cheap price.

The Bel Air Athletic Club offers great amenities for a high fee.

Cole Alban

Kailey Tracy

Sports Editor

Copy Chief

Every time the new year rolls around, people flock to the gym with hopes of working out often, getting in shape, and being healthier. However, buying a membership to a gym can be a big investment.

If you do not stick with the resolution, it is easy to waste a lot of money. Luckily, for anyone who has trouble keeping commitments, there is a gym out there that offers a solution.

I decided to join a new gym for the new year, and the gym I chose was Planet Fitness. At a price of only $10 a month, it was definitely a cheap investment and not a big commitment. Not only is the price cheap, but the gym itself is good for what you pay. It is well-equipped with up-to-date machinery and it is always clean.

Also for an extra $10 a month, you can become a black card member. Black card members receive extra benefits such as the ability to go to any Planet Fitness location, half-priced drinks, and unlimited use of tanning booths, fitness training, and mas-

is almost a health and wellness heaven, but the only issue is the cost. The monthly rate is $55, but members have to pay extra for things such as tanning, workout classes, and personal training.

Overall, I enjoy having a membership at the Arena Club. It gives me the resources I need in order to be a healthy, happy, and athletic person. You can find equipment and classes for every type of person, making the Arena Club a great gym.

sage chairs.

There is enough equipment in the gym to do whatever you need. There are free weights, weight machines, treadmills, and elliptical machines, to name a few. Because there are multiples of each machine, you hardly ever have to wait for one to be open. All of the equipment is also fairly new. If you have questions about how to use a piece of equipment, staff members are always happy to help you.

Locker rooms are open to all customers, and there are lockers spread throughout the gym for people who only want to lock up smaller items like purses, wallets, and keys.

Although Planet Fitness does not have the amenities of larger gyms such as pools and sport courts, it has the essentials that you need for working out for a much lower price. Planet Fitness is good if you solely want to get your workout in and nothing else. I recommend it to anyone looking for a cheaper gym to join.

A sky-scraping tree house stands just inside the doors of the Bel Air Athletic Club, which acts as a workout in itself for the school-aged kids galloping through it.

Amenities of the same caliber sustain the older kids and adults as well, making the gym a desirable place, despite the monthly fee.

Encompassing a main gym as well as a women’s gym, the Club offers privacy and options for its members. The main gym holds plenty of treadmills equipped with TVs, elliptical machines, and weight equipment ranging from machines to free weights. A basketball court is also located on this level of the Club.

Not offered at many gyms, the women’s gym on the second floor is a major benefit.

Although this area does have hand-medown equipment from the main gym, it presents a quieter, smaller environment to accomplish a thorough workout.

The indoor track sits beside the women’s gym. The track provides those who

don’t like running on a treadmill with an alternate course of exercise.

Classes such as Zumba, yoga, and cycling are taught at the Club. There is also a dance studio on site. A plethora of engaged, motivating trainers are available as well if taking a class isn’t the right fit for you.

Four pools, a spa, racquetball courts, daycare services, and smiles from just about everyone you pass top the Club off.

Housing all of these amenities, the gym should offer a la carte membership fees.

For people like me who don’t use the pool or the racquetball courts, a fee should be deducted from my monthly bill. Instead, the Club has a lump sum of $100 per month. This is a major drawback of the Club, and this fee doesn’t include some classes, such as Pilates Reformer.

If gym goers are willing to shell out the hefty fee, it will be easy for them to become a gym rat at the Club with all that it has to offer.

in-depth 8

thepatriot February 2013

Steer into Safer Driving Hope Kelly and Meredith Haggerty In-Depth Editors Senior Katelyn Wolf was driving just like any other day when her car was flipped over. Someone had run a light and hit her on the side at the intersection of Routes 1 and 543, causing her car to roll over.

“I had a mild concussion, a severely pulled Achilles [tendon], and then a bunch of scratches and bruises from the glass,” Wolf said.

Wolf was only in the hospital for a couple of hours, but said that the entire experience was “scary” and “upsetting because I had to go without a car and I couldn’t walk for a while.”

“Ever since my car rolled over, I make sure I drive the speed limit and turn on my blinkers,” Wolf said.

Sadly, she doesn’t think the rest of her senior class feels the same way.

“I know the kids in my class and they seem like bad drivers and speeders because they cut people off. They don’t know how to drive,” Wolf said. “I feel like no one really cares about driving. They are just like ‘ok, whatever, I just have to get there.’ I know I take driving a lot more seriously.”

Accidents

program that is “led by teens across the country who want to make a difference” by encouraging safe driving and acts as a tool for young drivers, teen crashes occur four times more often than other crashes. 3,115 teens died in car crashes in 2012, and about 450,000 teens were injured.

Speeding and Tickets Morris has stayed on the good side of the law, in that she has never received a ticket. She did once get pulled over for speeding coming up the hill towards Bel Air after leaving JC, but she only received a warning. Neither Wolf nor Jacques have ever received a ticket. Other seniors haven’t been so lucky.

tired. I just wanted to get there “ Iaswasfastreally as possible and I really wasn’t paying attention to how fast I was going, and I saw the lights behind me.

Senior Brian Tenerowicz

Accidents are not isolated to one person in the class of 2013. Senior Hannah Jacques had a less serious but still scary encounter with another vehicle.

“I was driving up a hill and my car was pretty old. When I got to the top, the hill went down and there was a line of cars on the other side, and I rear ended the person in front of me. I ended up getting out of my car and the lady I hit was really nice and we waited for my parents to come,” Jacques said.

Her driving style hasn’t changed since, but she looks to minimize distractions when she’s driving.

“I’m really observant when I’m driving now. I think I drive now like how I drove when I took my test, which was very cautiously,” Jacques said.

Senior Annie Morris has been in two major accidents, only one of which was her fault.

“The first one was about three weeks after getting my license. I rear-ended someone that stopped suddenly in front of me because a school bus in the next lane was stopping to pick up a student. The second accident was about a year ago when I was making a left hand turn coming out of a stop when another car hit me on the driver’s side,” Morris said.

Since her accidents, Morris has tried to be more careful with her driving habits. By not texting and driving or trying to multitask, she hopes to be a better driver.

According to Morris, the most important part of driving is “paying attention and being aware of your own habits, as well as what other cars are doing around you.”

According to keepthedrive.com, a

”

Senior Brian Tenerowicz received a ticket on a long drive to North Carolina with his mom.

“I had driven all day, so I was really tired. I just wanted to get there as fast as possible and I really wasn’t paying attention to how fast I was going, and I saw the lights behind me and I was like, ‘this isn’t good,’” Tenerowicz said.

In general, Tenerowicz believes the key to driving safely is “driving the speed limit,” but thinks this isn’t the case all the time.

“Sometimes driving the speed limit probably isn’t the best thing to do, like on the highway. If you’re going just 65 [mph], you’re going to get passed by a lot of people, and you could cause a hazard to yourself, because some people will be going faster than you.

It could

9 in-depth

thepatriot February 2013

The Patriot revs the engine and puts the pedal to the metal to investigate how students handle their newfound driving independence.

cause an accident if they are not paying attention. Sometimes it’s better, safer, to go a little bit faster than the speed limit,” he said.

Overall, Tenerowicz thinks he’s a safe driver even if he does speed from time to time, because he always focuses on the road. He never looks at his phone and “always has two hands on the wheel and [is] aware of what’s going on in front of [him].”

Senior Nick Druelinger claims to have the most tickets in the senior classwith four or five, and another one he wasn’t convicted of.

“I have been working on cars all my life, and I like to make them perform.

I like to make them perform at their full potential,” Druelinger said.

Druelinger said he has seriously been working on cars since the age of 15, and now works with cars every day. He likes to try to improve the quality of a part or how the car, as a whole, works by performing maintenance and cleaning it.

His first ticket was when he was caught street racing on Route 40. Not wanting to run from the cops, he pulled over. He received six points on his license and a $400 fine, but in the end, was not able to be convicted because they couldn’t prove he had been racing.

Another ticket Druelinger received was for driving 60 mph in a 30 mph zone and spinning wheels.

“I’m safe when I want to be safe. I drive normal when I’m just driving, trying to get from point A to point B … [But when] I do something new to my car, I want to try it out,” he said.

Looking back, he wants students “not to make the dumb decisions I made.”

“Treat [driving] as a privilege more than a right,” Druelinger said.

Drivers Ed and Driving Tests Druelinger passed both his permit and driving test on the first try. Due to his background with cars, he wasn’t nervous. He also claims Drivers Ed was a “terrible experience.”

20%

of teens say texting is the biggest distraction behind the wheel

Texting takes a person’s eyes off the road for an average of According to keepthedrive.com

5 seconds

“I gained absolutely no knowledge from that,” he said.

Tenerowicz passed his permit and license test on his first tries. For the permit test, he said taking the practice tests online helped him a lot.

For the portion of the test that is on the road, “[the MVA employee] said if I went five [mph] over once I’d get a warning, if I went five over twice I’d fail, so to stay safe I stayed five under the entire time,” he said.

His biggest advice is to practice parking in the car that you’ll drive on the test because the Drivers Ed instructors show you how to parallel park in their car, but not the one you take. Otherwise, he found Drivers Ed was a “waste.”

“I knew 95 percent of what they told me. But if you don’t know much about driving cars, it’s very helpful… I think a lot of people stress about passing, and in reality, it’s not as bad as people think it is,” Tenerowicz said.

Wolf, on the other hand, felt some parts of Drivers Ed were necessary, but did recognize that a lot of parts were “common sense.” She too passed her permit test the first time, but it took her two tries for her license.

“That was really stressful. I didn’t get it the first time. The second time I got it though, and that was exciting, because I passed and I could drive myself anywhere without asking my parents to take me places,” she said.

The freedom still remains her favorite part, but her least favorite part is the other drivers’ inability to drive safely. Wolf wants future and current drivers to “take [driving] seriously, because you have a weapon that could kill someone.”

What is your opinion on texting and driving?

Annalee Gabler “I don’t think it’s ok to text and drive, not even at a stoplight. When the light turns how are you going to know when to go? I don’t think I’ll be tempted to text when I start driving because I know it’s dangerous.”

Gender: Female Grade: Sophmore

Preston Thomson “I think it’s okay to text at a stoplight, depending on how long the light lasts. I have an older brother that drives, but he doesn’t text while driving. I don’t think I’ll be tempted when I start driving.”

Gender: Male Grade: Freshman

59% of students

rate their own driving as a 4 out of 5.

20% of students drove with passengers other than family before they were legally allowed

64%

of students have their parents pay for their gas.

In a online survey of the student body on Jan. 22, The Patriot received 199 responses. The margin of error for this survey is +/- 4%.

A&E 10

thepatriot February 2013

Students reminisce on concert memories Emily Cassidy A&E Editor Energy radiated off the walls, lights flashed and music blared, and senior Joe Novak and junior Kelly Stifler were inches away from their favorite artists. Last summer they had the times of their lives.

Joe attended a Lady Gaga concert where he was able to stand in the front row with his brother, Scott Novak, class of ‘12, less than four feet away from Gaga and her dancers. “Although the wait was five or six hours before the concert started, it was totally worth it to be so close to such an amazing and inspirational performer like Gaga. This was the ultimate concert experience,” Joe said.

A recent poll of the stu-

dents who went to a concert in the last year showed that their favorite kinds of concerts to attend are those that are upbeat and energetic.

The most popular genre of music they liked to see performed was pop. Of the 116 students that responded to the poll, 56 percent had been to at least one concert in the last year.

This past July, Kelly went to a Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean concert with her sister, Sara Stifler, class of ‘11.

The concert was at Merriweather Post Pavilion. “My sister bought me front row tickets for my birthday, and we were right in front of the microphone. Luke Bryan gave me his pick and Jason Photo courtesy Kelly Stifler Aldean ended up spilling his Luke Bryan performs during his My Kinda Party Tour 2012.

Junior Kelly [beverage] all over me ... It Stifler attended the concert last July at Merriweather Post Pavilion. was hilarious,” Kelly said.

Upcoming

Concerts:

Feb. 13 & 14 -

Mumford and Sons will be performing at the Patriot Center in D.C.

Shinedown and Three Days Grace with P.O.D. will be performing at the First Mariner Arena on

Feb. 19.

Feb. 25 -

Matchbox Twenty and Phillip Phillips will be performing at The Lyric.

Winter dances melt away after failed attempts

Photo by Mary Kate Luft and Martha Schick

Mary Kate Luft A&E Editor “The Snowflake Dance has been canceled” rang over the loudspeakers at the end of the day on Jan. 18. The dance, which was to take place on Jan.19, was canceled because of low ticket sales.

This fact was made obvious by

the lack of disappointed groans heard when the announcement was made. Low dance attendance and cancellation of dances has become a trend in the past few years.

In 2010, the planned Sadie Hawkins winter formal was postponed and then canceled after low

ticket sales. In 2011, another Sadie Hawkins winter formal was canceled because not enough tickets were purchased to make it a worthwhile fundraiser.

In February 2012, the Glow Dance took place and was an overall success because it wasn’t canceled. It was a winter dance,

but it had a casual feel. “I think it was pretty good, like the Back to School Dance,” senior Allison Sanphillipo said.

The Snowflake Dance was supposed to be more casual.

However, this fact was unclear at first and it had to be clarified on a Facebook event page that had been created for the dance.

“I didn’t think it was formal, but I think at one point some people thought it was, which deterred them from buying tickets,” Sanphillipo said.

Senior Morgan Jones did not buy tickets to the dance and wasn’t planning on it. “Not enough of my friends were going to make me want to. Plus the [disc jockeys] are always bad,” Jones said.

“I don’t think the dance was planned well enough. There was nothing that made it especially appealing. I think that many of the seniors’ ideas for fundraising

Cu p c a ke s w i t h C a s s i d y Emily Cassidy A&E Editor Bacon cupcakes are delicious. I know it sounds weird, but when combined, bacon, maple syrup, and salt make a to-die-for cupcake that is suitable for any occasion.

Ingredients: 4 1/2 tbsp butter, room temperature 1/2 tbsp bacon drippings (left in the fridge to become solid) 1 egg 5 tbsp brown sugar 4 tbsp maple syrup 1 1/4 cups self-rising flour 1 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp baking powder Tiny pinch kosher salt 1/4 cup milk 1/4 cup of minced bacon, cooked and drained

Directions: First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Then, beat the butter and solidified bacon fat until light and creamy. Next, add the brown sugar and maple syrup and beat well until combined. Then, add the egg and beat until incorporated.

Meanwhile, sift the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder together in a separate bowl.

Then, add about a 1/4 cup of the flour mixture and mix the contents. Next, add about one tablespoon of milk. Continue to alternate the dry and wet ingredients, ending with the dry. Mix until everything is combined. Next, fold in the bacon.

Finally, scoop the batter into cupcake liners and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 18-22 minutes.

Be sure to rotate the pan after the first 15 minutes for even baking.

Maple Syrup Frosting: INGREDIENTS: 4 tbsp of butter 2 tbsp of maple syrup 1 cup of powdered sugar Sprinkle of turbinado sugar and sea salt (optional, but recommended)

were shot down so the Snowflake Dance was a rushed attempt to get some money,” Jones said.

Senior class moderator Larry Hensley was involved in the planning of the Snowflake Dance.

According to Hensley, only 23 tickets were sold. “More than 23 tickets needed to be sold for the dance to go on,” Hensley said.

The money raised from the ticket sales from the dance would have gone towards Prom.

Although the cancellation of the Snowflake Dance was a setback for Prom fundraising, the senior class leaders have not given up, according to Hensley. “The senior class leaders are in session now to discuss and brainstorm other fundraising opportunities,” he said.

In Hensley’s opinion, dances in general have lost their popularity.

“Students have better things to do and dances are not cool anymore.

It’s sad.”

Maple Bacon

Directions: First, combine the syrup and butter until combined.

Then, add the powdered sugar, a bit at a time, and whip at high speeds until it is completely combined with the syrup and butter.

Next, pipe or spread frosting onto the cupcakes.

Finally, sprinkle on the sea salt and turbinado sugar to add the finishing touch.

Pro

11 opinion

thepatriot February 2013 The Patriot

A positive experience, class pranks bring students together and should be allowed when they’re carried out responsibly.

Chioma Iheoma Opinion Editor It’s hard to create great memories in high school when each memory involves a random teacher hanging out in the background. Everything that students do is supervised by the administration. Students should be allowed to do things like pranks that create lasting experiences with their classmates without the help of the administration.

Class pranks, when done correctly, give students another way to create relationships and lasting memories with their class. They should be allowed, within reason.

Teenagers are characterized as reckless young adults who seek to break the rules whenever possible. With this view in mind,

adults see it as impossible to allow any freedom to students. Despite this, pranks that have been completed by advisories have gone well.

Things like stealing Christmas trees or overturning desks are funny and, if not overdone, won’t negatively impact anyone. The comradery that is formed through planning and completing a prank can’t be recreated with constant adult supervision.

Retreats bring students together through personal stories, but class pranks bring students together through entertainment.

There’s something about making a plan and having it come to life that unites a class, and each one should be allowed to experience this.

Allowing class pranks gives

The John Carroll School 703 Churchville Road Bel Air, MD 21014 Volume 48, Issue 3, February 2013

Print Chief: Emily Clarke Online Chief: Brianna Glase Multimedia Chief: Martha Schick Copy Chief: Kailey Tracy Artwork by Christine Kim

students the chance to make memories without each detail in the hands of an administrator.

Teachers, and students, can participate in these pranks in a positive way. The prank done by the 2011-2012 class to English teacher Mark Ionescu in which each student left the room with a valid excuse was a clean cut

prank that united a class and involved members of the administration. No one was harmed, no one was left out, and no school property was vandalized.

Attending high school is about learning and about creating experiences. JC is a learning facility that creates memories, and class pranks should be a part of this.

Con

Should class pranks be allowed in school?

Brianna Glase Online Chief Sure, a class prank of moving all the classroom desks and replacing them with beanbag chairs seems innocent and fun enough.

But pranks can’t be taken lightly because it’s way too easy for them to get out of control.

Class pranks, more often than

Artwork by Brynly Wilson

not, can be detrimental to class time. There’s obviously the rare occasion, maybe at the end of the year after AP testing or during advisory, where a class prank can be playful and fun. Most of the time, in the middle of the school year, they’re just bothersome and shouldn’t be done.

For teachers who have strict

Patriots Answer

Even when a class prank does not get out of control, it is still unnecessary and a complete waste of valuable class time.

curriculums to get through, especially AP teachers, class pranks during the school day can remove valuable time needed to get through the material.

Some teachers may enjoy the occasional prank but many are extremely bothered by useless pranks that shouldn’t have been committed in the first place.

Math teacher George Appleby’s classes have been disrupted when the taking of his Mr. Potato Heads had gone too far when he had important material to teach. Students should calm their troublesome antics in lieu of bothering teachers who have better things to do with their time than lecture students on immature behavior.

Class pranks waste time that could be used more wisely covering material. Pranks and other fun things should be saved for the end of the year when everyone,

including teachers, can relax.

In addition, students don’t often think of the repercussions of pulling a prank much farther than the laugh they get immediately after. When students graffiti lockers or windows with their class colors during spirit week, they don’t think of how hard the cleaning staff will have to scrub their mess to restore the school to an acceptable condition.

Class pranks require much more foresight than they normally receive so as to not negatively affect the jobs of those who have to clean up after students’ messes.

Though class pranks are usually intended to be lighthearted, they normally have greater ramifications than originally planned.

Class pranks waste class time and should be saved for the end of the year and executed sparsely, if at all.

Do you think that class pranks should be allowed in school?

Charlotte Molali Sophomore

Marianne Monaco Junior

Matt Linck Senior

James Fendryk Social Studies

“Yes, they’re “I think if they’re not a good way to hurting anyone then end the year for I think they’re fine.” seniors.”

“Yes, because they’re awesome and it builds character.”

“Yes, it’s funny and would make class more entertaining.”

“Yes, as long as they’re tasteful and in the boundaries of respect.”

Ricky Denu Freshman

News Editors: Sydney Setree Caitlin Wolfarth Lifestyles Editors: Ashley Beyer Shannon Olsen A&E Editors: Emily Cassidy Mary Kate Luft In-Depth Editors: Lauren Fabiszak Meredith Haggerty Hope Kelly Opinion Editors: Bryan Doherty Chioma Iheoma Sports Editors: Cole Alban Haley Kyger Copy Editors: Rebecca Driver Brianna George Multimedia Editors: Brianna George Emma Minnis Shannon Vinton Contributing Staffers: Brynly Wilson Christine Kim Emily Hennegan Katelyn Wolf Moderators: Mark Ionescu Nick Attanasio The Patriot is a publication of The John Carroll School. The views and opinions expressed in The Patriot are not necessarily the views of the Board of Trustees or the Administration of The John Carroll School.

A copy of each print issue is distributed to each of the 691 students and 121 faculty members. Some of the remainder are sent out to exchanging schools with a return address. The remaining copies are shared in the Main Office, Library, Admissions Office, Office of Institutional Advancement, given out when needed, or archived. For more information, please visit jcpatriot.com/about.

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

thepatriot February 2013

opinion 12

PATRIOT

THE

Common Beneficial lockdown procedures must be sense gun PERSPECTIVE constantly enforced to maintain school safety laws shouldn’t Shooting occurs. Safety pro- its students’ safety, but that it is No lockdown drills were per- The problem isn’t that JC cedures change. Schools revert aware that there is room for im- formed after the Perry Hall shoot- doesn’t have an appropriate reing. After the bomb threat, we sponse to tragedies, but it’s to old ways. Repeat. provement. be attacked backEvery time a school shooting Sure, it’s a nuisance to have to didn’t practice a lockdown drill that JC doesn’t keep up with its Doherty’s Democracy

By Bryan Doherty This country is on the verge of a civil war. Or at least that’s what extreme Second Amendment advocates make it seem like.

In response to President Obama’s proposed executive actions and suggestions to Congress in the wake of the Sandy Hook shooting, there has been an unwarranted and drastic uproar from gun advocates.

The President’s proposals are not only necessary, but they are moderate.

No one is proposing that the government strip all citizens of every weapon they own. In fact, no one is proposing to strip any law-abiding citizens of any of their guns.

Obama’s main focuses are improving knowledge and awareness through research and structured emergency plans, improving background checks to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and the mentally ill, improving law enforcement work, and increasing the structure that limits who can have what type of gun. Nowhere in his plan does it say that Obama is going to take over America as an insane dictator, in the fashion of Adolf Hitler.

Yet, this is still the attitude that many in the far right have taken.

Throughout the entire debate, the Internet has been littered with horrible messages from radicals daring the government to try to take their guns.

I believe in the Second Amendment. I believe in the right to own weapons. I believe in the right to defend oneself, one’s family, and one’s property with deadly force if necessary, without fear of being thrown in jail. I believe in the tradition of hunting, gun ownership, and marksmanship getting passed on from generation to generation.

What I don’t believe is that mass murderers should have the ability to kill and injure dozens of men, women, and children within minutes just because some Americans, who think it’s fun to go shoot thousands of rounds from assault weapons on the weekend, are feeling threatened by the government.

The current administration is only trying to do their sworn duty to protect the citizens of the U.S. from harm. The administration can’t do its job if the American people won’t come to a sensible conclusion on this issue.

People need to understand that if these measures are implemented, the government will not raid law-abiding citizens’ houses nor strip citizens of their rights.

Gun advocates need to be less focused on the number of rounds in their magazine and more focused on what is best for the safety of American citizens.

occurs, schools around the country are forced to look at their current safety procedures and ask, “Is it enough?” Most schools replace the safety procedures they have with newer, better methods.

Unfortunately, as time passes, these new safety procedures seem to go by the wayside. If schools want to effectively improve their safety procedures, they cannot relax their rules after a few weeks or even months.

In light of the Newtown shooting, JC decided to update its own safety procedures along with the rest of Harford County. We would like to applaud JC for this change.

Not only does it show that the administration is thinking about

be let back into the room by our fellow classmates every time we need to go the bathroom. If that’s what it takes to save a life, then it’s more than necessary. Teachers now have to wear a badge identifying themselves at all times, and lockdown procedures now match those of the rest of Harford County schools. There’s nothing wrong with that The problem lies within the enforcement.

Principal Madelyn Ball said that there will be periodical lockdown drills throughout the year and no one, teachers or students, will be aware whether or not it’s a drill or an actual lockdown.

That’s great, if it’s actually done.

again until the procedure was changed because of the Newtown shooting. The past two years were filled with fire drills and tornado drills, but not lockdown drills.

The day of the bomb threat, students who came into school late, not by five minutes but by a few hours, were asked to have their bags searched. Since then, students who come in later in the day are not asked to have their bags searched. They are sent to the attendance office, normally without so much as a glance.

Safety requires 24-hour attention.

As a school community, there needs to be a uniform protocol for something as simple as checking out late students.

changes. We want to see these new safety procedures hold up.

There’s nothing more important than that in the wake of a tragedy like Newtown. But in order to do that, the administration needs to enforce the policy changes they have made.

Have administration members periodically go down the halls and check that all classrooms doors are locked. Address the faculty at all faculty meetings about the importance of wearing their badges. Hold random lockdown drills without any notice.

Punish students who don’t cooperate during the drills. Maintain the restrictions so that safety will follow.

How do you feel about gun control?

“I don’t think gun laws are going to help.

If you buy a gun its your responsibility to control it and not kill people.”

Junior Chris Truitt

“I feel like the problem is that guns are finding their ways into the hands of people who shouldn’t have guns.”

Senior Hayden Sharretts

“I think that hunting rifles should be allowed but assault rifles shouldn’t be available to the public.”

Sophomore Morgan Broman

“I think that there should definitely be laws on gun control but it shouldn’t be completely strict.”

Freshman Julia Henninger

Artwork by Emily Hennegan

13 opinion

Students lack study skills, administration should consider ‘How to Study’ seminar Bryan Doherty Opinion Editor When students arrive at JC as freshmen, they are done a disservice. They aren’t prepared for the amount of work and studying that high school requires. When students leave for college, they are plagued by bad study habits.

Freshmen and sophomores need to be officially taught how to study through an extra seminar class, similar in structure to Junior Guidance and Senior Project.

These classes have helped in students’ navigation through the college process and students’ ability to do independent work.

Now the administration needs to take that idea one step further to establish good study habits.

If freshmen and sophomores were taught fundamental studying, writing, and test preparation skills, then within a few years the entire school’s average GPA and SAT scores would likely increase, improving the school’s reputation.

Adding a mandatory “How

Lifestyles Editor My boss walks into my office and says, “Quick. Graph f inverse of x plus g of x.” Except he doesn’t, because few professions will ever use an algebra problem such as this one.

There are realistic uses of math that many teens don’t know, such as paying taxes, balancing checkbooks, and paying bills. Teens don’t normally learn any practical math until they are left struggling with taxes or managing a budget.

If JC really wanted to prepare us for the future, they would offer courses with lessons on math that people use in everyday life.

Although courses like trigonometry and calculus aren’t nec-

By Martha Schick

Photo by Bryan Doherty

As students ascend through high school, they become overwhelmed with school, work, and extracurriculars. A “How to Study” course would help students improve study skills and alleviate stress. to Study” course to the school’s curriculum for freshmen will make JC’s education more wellrounded and complete. Students, though they will complain, will come away from the seminar class with skills that the majority of the current student body lacks.

With the promise of giving students a strong core foundation in test preparation, JC would make the school more appealing to prospective students and parents. Individual test preparation classes are expensive and many would agree that it is a skill one should

learn throughout high school.

Sadly, it currently isn’t. JC prepares students for college more so than any public school, but it could do more by giving students the fundamental study skills they need to succeed, both in high school and higher education.

essarily useful in everyday life, they help to sharpen your brain and think in a more logical way.

Learning growth and decay, which is calculating how much an item’s price will increase or how much the value will decrease over a certain number of years, in Honors Algebra III has been the closest I have come to practical math lessons.

Students would be much better off if JC offered practical math classes as well as the classes we have now.

Although your boss may never make you figure out math problems in your head, having the ability to navigate complicated budget issues is a necessary skill that will serve you in everday life.

Artwork by Brynly Wilson

February Report Card

The Patriot turns the tables by grading the school on today’s issues.

F

Abortion protesters schooled by JC students Martha’s Musings

Money management class would benefit students Ashley Beyer

thepatriot February 2013

Have a Merry Stressmas

Going into exams, I expected to get a solid 40 on all of them. Not because the material wasn’t taught, but because of scheduling.

Teachers and students alike didn’t have time for the exams before Christmas. Teachers taught up until the last minute, and students had one weekend to study.

We get more time off for President’s Day than for studying for 20 percent of our grade.

D

Salad Bar ... or lack thereof

Let us have lettuce. Bring on the dressing. Shower us in carrots, tomatoes, tiny pieces of bacon, and croutons.

The school needs a special area for a real salad bar with tons of options.

The salad area the cafeteria has is okay but nothing special. To entice kids to eat healthy, they need to have options.

Where the vending machine fails, a salad bar would excel.

A

Emily Clarke Print Chief

Give a hand to the Pep Band

All they do is win, win, win no matter what. Pep on their mind, they always show up.

Let’s give a hand to the pep band.

They’re at every single basketball game no matter how many other people show up. They cheer on their fellow Patriots with chants and peppy music without expecting any recognition in return.

They deserve the MVP award more than anyone else.

The difference between marching on Washington, D.C., as a part of the March for Life and standing outside of a school with graphic pictures of aborted fetuses, is character. Students at JC have proven that they have infinitely more character than the fools that protested near campus a couple of weeks ago.

The protesters were absolute cowards. They hid behind signs meant to shock and offend without any real substance. They also filmed every interaction they had with people who drove past and came to talk to them. I suspect that this was to protect themselves from angry encounters, even though people have every right to be angry with them.

Besides lacking courage, the abortion protesters lack respect for all those driving past. Instead of thinking that these people can make rational and informed decisions, they assume that the only thing that will make a difference in their opinion is a picture that might make them crash their car because of shock and disgust.

Another major issue with these pictures is that kids of all ages drive by there every day. It’s bad enough that teenagers coming to their own school have to see it, but think about the elementary and middle school students who are riding past with their parents or siblings. There’s no excuse for subjecting younger children to such graphic violence.

Students going on the March for Life are taking an entirely different approach. This is an approach that allows the possibility of change without offending those with other viewpoints.

They are simply taking part in a peaceful protest.

The fact that students are willing to freeze in protest of a court case that they think is wrong is proof that the American government is still hard at work. When people are allowed to protest their government in such a public way, change can be achieved in a positive way. The protesters at JC were only trying to shock people, not change their minds.

Perhaps the biggest differences between the two types of protesters are their decency and lack thereof. The people who go to the March for Life are aware of their opposition’s opinion and respectfully choose to protest against it.

The protesters outside of JC have no sense of what is appropriate and what isn’t. If someone who is pro-choice drives by, their reaction won’t be one of reflection on their own beliefs, but one of disgust towards the whole pro-life moment.

sports 14

thepatriot February 2013

Students share hunting experiences Kailey Tracy

Copy Chief Freshman Michael Imbierowicz aimed his shotgun at the goose, just yards in front of him.

With the animal in his line of vision, he fired his weapon. The creature toppled to its side. Imbierowicz had his first kill under his belt.

Hunters such as Imbierowicz may become the target of potential laws restricting gun access.

These new laws are due to recent incidents of gun violence, such as the school shooting in Newtown, Conn. For this freshman specifically, who wakes up at six a.m. once a week during hunting season in order to set up for the day’s hunt, these possible laws would diminish something he loves.

“I work all year for hunting season and have fun when we go down to hunt and if they did do that [put the laws into effect], I wouldn’t be able to bond with my dad as much,” he said.

Maryland currently has laws limiting certain gun use. Presently it is illegal “to hunt with an automatic firearm capable of firing a series of shots with one continuous pull of the trigger,” according to the 2012-2013 Maryland Guide to Hunting and Trapping.

Hunters also cannot be within 150 yards of “an occupied building or camp,” according to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

Imbierowicz, senior Katelyn Wolf, and juniors Alex Brewer and Kevin Davies all began hunting around the ages of 11 and 12 because of their dads’ love for the sport. As junior hunters, under the age of 16, they had to take a week-long safety course, have

written permission from a parent or guardian, and pay a fee to obtain their hunting licenses. Hunters older than 16 also have to pay a fee to obtain a license.

Among the four hunters, the most common weapons used are shotguns, muzzleloaders, and rifles other than the illegal ones specified before.

Possible restrictions of these types of guns and access to them will “restrict what a lot of hunters can buy and use for hunting” and raise gun and ammunition prices, according to Davies.

David Spancill, gunsmith and owner of Badgersmith Gunworks in Bel Air, claims his business as the reason why he is against the potential laws, but his reasoning stems beyond just his shop.

“They [the laws] will affect all businesses that have to do with firearms in a negative way,” he said.

“These weapons are not criminals’ weapons of choice. What happened up in Sandy Hook was one in a million and you are restricting people who haven’t hurt a flea. It’s an anomaly,” Spancill said.

According to Spancill, the laws will not only hurt hunting, but also hurt certain shooting sports that rely on “modern sporting rifles” such as the AR-15.

Brewer, however, doesn’t believe that the prospective laws will hurt the sport to these extents.

“I don’t think the laws would affect hunting too much,” he said.

Keeping these potential restrictions in mind, Imbierowicz eyes the slain goose and grips his weapon. The weapon he had with him on this outing may not be with him on the next.

Photo courtesy Katelyn Wolf

Senior Katelyn Wolf shows a deer she shot while hunting. At JC, deer are the most hunted animal by students followed by geese and duck.

What type of animals do you hunt?

Deer 87%

Geese 57% Duck 54% *Information taken from an online survey sent out to entire student body on Jan. 23. There were 192 responders for this survey. There is a margin of error of +/- 4%

Other 30%

14.3 average points

Slam dunk: Junior honored with IAAM athlete of the week award

scored per game

by Moix

82%

Moix’s free throw shooting percentage

42%

Photo by Katelyn Wolf

Junior Marta Moix plays in a game against St. Frances on Jan. 29. Moix has switched from a point guard to a shooting guard.

Moix’s three point shooting percentage

Rebecca Driver Copy editor

The Interscholastic Athlete Association of Maryland (IAAM) has selected junior Marta Moix as Athlete of the Week on Jan. 18.

Moix plays varsity women’s basketball. Her current position is shooting guard, as opposed to point guard, her previous position.

According to the IAAM, she averages 14.3 points per game.

Seniors Samantha Clarke and Mackenzie Reese agree with the IAAM’s selection.

This year, Moix moved to the U.S. from Madrid, Spain. According to Moix, “basketball in Europe is more technical and here in America it’s more physical.”

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“It took [Moix] a while to adjust to the American game,” head coach Mike Blizzard said. Moix agrees that the first months were “difficult,” but she now thinks she’s more adapted.

Moix got a late start to the season due to an injury, thus have only been able to play in about half of this season’s games. In a game against St. Vincent Pallotti High School on Dec. 7, Marta suffered a concussion and was sent to the hospital.

According to Clarke, Moix is an “uplifting and positive” force on the team.

Blizzard believes that Moix has started to show improvement, potential, and leadership on the team.

They say a photo’s worth a thousand words... ...we take a lot of photos Check them out at jcpatriot.smugmug.com!

15 sports

thepatriot January 2013

Way Too skinny too skinny

WINNER

Too fat

Way too fat

Wrestlers struggle to manage weight Hope Kelly, Lauren Fabiszak In-Depth Editors Sophomore Rawlison Zhang’s stomach growls. The only thing he’s eaten in the past two days is water, Pedialyte, and half an energy bar. He sits in the cafeteria as his mouth begins to water while he watches students eat fries, burgers, and pizza.

“Wrestlers have certain weight requirements. This week is the first week I’ve had to actually cut weight, like not eat, so I haven’t eaten for the past two days,” Zhang said.

Wrestlers have to weigh in before every match. Their weight determines which weight class they can enter and who they can and cannot wrestle. In addition, only a certain number of wrestlers can be in each weight class.

According to Zhang, the physical, mental, and emotional affects from not eating have been minimal.

“For me, I’m a little bit tired, and I just have to be running a lot, so my legs are really sore, heavy.

I kind of zone out a little bit, but it’s not that bad,” Zhang said.

Because he hasn’t had very much homework, the biggest bur-

den is that “I constantly have to think about my weight.”

This all came about when his coach wanted him to drop down a weight class.

“He usually asks you if you can do it. He just checks with you if you’re willing to go down a weight,” Zhang said.

Head coach of the wrestling team Keith Watson says that none of his wrestlers are presently involved with starving themselves to make weight.

“That is a misconception, [starving yourself] doesn’t work.

What we consider starving ourselves is probably different from what you would consider it to be,” Watson said.

“It is very important that my players make weight. There are 14 weight classes, and every player has one to make. If they don’t it throws everything into a tailspin,” Watson said. “It’s all about self-control.”

There are many reasons for Zhang wanting to drop a weight class. For one, it’s easier to wrestle against smaller guys.

“If you’re at like the very tip of the weight class, it could be much easier to wrestle. Plus, if you have

less body fat you can move faster, and have more muscle,” he said.

In addition, he explains he needs to cut weight so he can take forfeits for another player on his team who is “really good.”

“A lot of teams usually forfeit to him, so I can take his forfeit and he can bump up and wrestle someone else,” Zhang said.

While Zhang has changed his diet, he is also exercising more.

“I had practice from like 3:05 p.m. till 5:30 p.m. and then after that I had to run for an hour, because I was 179 and I need to be around 174 or 173. [Watson] asked me if I really wanted to go down, so I said ‘yeah, sure,’ so I just ran,” Zhang said.

Zhang is not the only wrestler who stopped eating to lose weight. Senior Jay Etkins has also had to cut weight for matches.

He said that last year he lost ten pounds in 24 hours. This year he said he is much healthier, losing seven pounds spread over seven days.

“During school it’s hard to concentrate because I’m thinking about eating and drinking. It’s terrible when you are hungry or thirsty,” Etkins said.

During the match, Etkins said that “the adrenaline rush overcomes the physical fatigue.”

On the other hand, some wrestlers do not cut weight. Sophomore Chris Almony said he does not cut weight.

According to Zhang, his friends haven’t really noticed. With his large amount of off mods, “they assume that I ate already.”

For him, the hunger is not a constant challenge.

“Usually, if I’m doing something, I don’t really care, but if I’m in the cafeteria watching everybody else eat then, I’m going to get hungry,” he said.

“Wrestling has always been a sport where people deprive themselves and binge afterwards [to make weight],” health teacher Teresa Gauthier said. “However, I do think it has gotten better. It should be a combined effort with the parents and coaches [to keep the players healthy]. Not every wrestler does it. Many maintain a normal weight without it.”

As far as the negative consequences of the starving and binge eating goes, Gauthier said, “they can develop poor eating habits and it can affect their schoolwork

and studying as well.”

Vice Principal of Academics Gary Scholl openly shares his experience as a wrestler struggling to make his weight class in high school.

“In my freshman year, I wrestled at 98 pounds,” Scholl said.

“For my sophomore year, I was 112 pounds and had to cut down to 103 to make varsity. I was so tired that one day I told my biology teacher that I was cutting weight, and so she called my coach and he told me to go home and eat. Then by my senior year, I was tired of cutting weight. I remember walking down the aisles of grocery store thinking about all of the food I would eat,” Scholl said.

When he became a wrestling coach himself, Scholl was determined to keep his players healthy.

“No sweat gear was allowed during practice. If you didn’t make weight, you couldn’t challenge it,” Scholl said.

“In this day and age, the physicians will decide what weight is right for the player. They are trying to keep it healthy, get their weight down and keep it down,” Scholl said.

Athlete Spotlight:

Kiana Wright

Stats

Grade: Senior Featured Sport: Indoor track, outdoor track

“I started running track because my parents ran in high school and wanted me to run.

Events: Long jump, triple jump, 400 meter dash Records: 400-61.5s Accomplishments: Wright will attend Lehigh University and run track there

Senior Kiana Wright

”

“

Kiana is one of the most naturally talented athletes we have.

Track coach Michael Monoghan

”

Photo by Cole Alban

Senior Kiana Wright competes in the 4x400 meter relay at the PG center in Prince George’s county. Wright also competes in the long jump and triple juimp.

sports 16

thepatriot January 2013

wrapping up: Meredith Haggerty In-Depth Editor It was the semi-final match of the Maryland Independent School State Tournament, and senior Scott Strappelli prepared to face his opponent. This match could seal the deal to competing in the state finals. After a long match, Strappelli came out victorious, but he paid for it. He later found out that he was suffering from a torn labrum, cartilage in the joint of his shoulder which allows a wide range of movements.

“Right after that match I could tell something was wrong ... I took about a month and a half off from wrestling after that. I figured everything was alright, and I went to try out for the Maryland National team, and I re-injured my labrum, and then I knew something was wrong. I had surgery in late June, and I was out for about two to three months with rehab,” Strappelli said.

Strappelli is not alone with his injury. “The most common injury [in wrestling] is probably in the shoulder. They can take a beating,” wrestling head coach Keith Watson said. According to him, not many wrestling injuriesrequire doctor visits. However, Strappelli was the unfortunate wrestler who was the exception.

“The biggest safety factor though is the referee. In wrestling, the ref is never more than two to three feet from the wrestlers,” Watson said.

According to men’s basketball head coach Tony Martin, “traumatic season-ending injuries can happen but those are very uncommon [in basketball].”

Men’s and women’s cross country and track coach Robert Torres also thinks that the sports he coaches are safe. “There’s no contact, on purpose, so we don’t get major injuries that require us to change anything drastically.

There’s always a handful that develop at least minor pains, but a lot of the pains they get, they can run through,” Torres said.

Men’s volleyball coach Shane Lawler has similar views on volleyball injuries. “The teams are on opposite sides of the court and nobody is throwing elbows at each other so they don’t get a lot of injuries. At the level that JV plays, they aren’t diving around and hitting the floor so they don’t get injured very often. The varsity guys sometimes dive, and I did have a kid at practice this year that ran into a pole, but he ended up being okay,” Lawler said.

In contact sports, serious injuries are rare. “I’ve been coaching since 2000, and I can only remember a handful of serious injuries,” men’s varsity lacrosse head coach Matthew Blair said. “In a given year, I would say maybe one or two players miss time because of an injury, most of which are short-term absences.”

Another contact sport, men’s soccer, suffers many injuries.

Knowing the risks of sports injuries can make or break an athlete’s career

Where do sports injuries come from?

The Patriot breaks down the most common sports injuries among student athletes

Head

Soccer, women’s basketball, men’s lacrosse, football, field hockey, tennis, cheerleading, equestrian

Neck

Football

Shoulders

Wrestling, baseball

52%

of students with reported injuries had suffered from a broken or fractured bone

Elbow

Baseball, tennis

73%

of students with reported injuries, have recurring problems with their injuries

of students have been injured while playing a sport

Hands

Men’s lacrosse, field hockey

73%

45%

Fingers

Football, women’s lacrosse

35%

Knees

Volleyball

of students who reported injuries had suffered from concussions

of students who reported injuries had suffered from torn or pulled muscles

Ankles

*Information taken from an online survey sent out to the entire student body on Jan. 23. There were 192 responders for this survey. There is a margin of error of +/-4%.

“Because of the intense, non-stop aerobic focus of the sport, injuries are actually quite common. Muscle strains and pulls are the most common types of injuries that happen on a weekly basis. Ankle and knee ligament sprains happen fairly frequently as well. But in general, the laws of the game keep most people under control which keeps the sport pretty safe,” men’s varsity soccer head coach James Fendryk said.

Another physical and injury prone sport is football. Junior Christopher Truitt tore his ACL in a football game against Boy’s Latin this year. “The guy that

Feet & Toes

Equestrian

hit me kind of came from the side, and I never really saw him.

He just hit me and my knee just buckled and I couldn’t really bend or put pressure on it,” Truitt said. He had surgery to repair his ACL on Oct. 22, and he is now in the midst of a six month recovery.

This school year, there have been about 150 injuries by athletes that have been reported by Athletic Trainers Erik Fabriziani and Karen Eder. “We have seen a couple of ACL tears and several severe concussions, but they are very uncommon. The most common injuries we see are lower leg injuries around the knee and

Baseball, soccer, lacrosse, volleyball, tennis, cheerleading

ankle. In addition we also see lots of overuse injuries since so many athletes compete in their sports most of the year. Also, we have seen about 25 concussions of varying severity.”

There are not many sports injuries that result in hospitalization.

According to Fabriziani, “the injury has to be pretty severe for them to go to the ER. Many of the recent injuries we have seen that were serious did not result in hospitalization until after surgery.”

“As with any sport, there always runs a risk of injury, whether it is a result of someone else’s reckless behavior or just some-

thing happening to your body. I think that the laws of the game have been designed to keep players as safe as possible. I think that many preventable injuries occur as a result of the players not taking care of themselves properly,” Fendryk said.

In order to keep athletes safe and without injury, there are a few necessary steps. According to Fabriziani, “[athletes] should be doing preseason conditioning, weightlifting, and flexibility programs. They should always wear the right equipment that is taken care of properly and reconditioned on a yearly basis.”