The Patriot November 2004, Issue 2, Vol 40

John Carroll School ! Tradition ! Pride ! Excellence

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PATRIOT Volume 40, Issue 2 ! November 2004

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer enchants audiences Sarah Jones Entertainment co Editor

The lights dim and the auditorium gets dark.

A spotlight appears and the curtains open. Sound Þlls the room as students enter singing, “Hey Tom Sawyer.” The faces of the audience light up as JC’s annual fall production gets underway.

On the weekend of November 5, 2004, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer came to life on the stage in the JC auditorium. Production dates were Friday, November 5 at 7 PM, Saturday, November 6 at 7 PM, and Sunday, November 7 at 2 PM. For those who do not know the story, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is based on Mark Twain’s classic story about a fourteen-yearold boy growing up in St. Petersburg, Missouri, a town on the banks of the Mis-

Poker fever takes student body by storm.

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sissippi River in 1840. During the story, Tom deals with his Þrm Aunt Polly, falls in love with the attractive Becky Thatcher and goes on an adventure with Becky and his good friend Huckleberry Finn. Along the way they witness Doc Robinson being murdered, come across the dangerous Injun Joe, discover Murrel’s gold, and even attend their own funeral.

The performances of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer seemed to go as planned. “We rehearsed for eight weeks, but the Þnal product didn’t come forth until the week of the performance,” the director, Mrs. Brueggemann, said, “The show pulled together beautifully. We had a couple of glitches on opening night, but nothing major.

tickets were sold, and for the Sunday afternoon show approximately 300 tickets were sold.

Ticket sales vary every year and at times are due to the title of the show. “For example, last year’s production, The Wizard of Oz, had three sold out houses. The title of the show I choose is critical; however, the fall shows are now, by far, better attended than in the past history of the school. There is now a core group of students representing one fourth of the student body, that perform in the fall and spring productions,” said Mrs. Brueggemann.

As audience members watched over seventy

Saturday night’s performance was awesome!”

Ticket sales for the most part were successful. “I was pleased with the number of tickets sold on Friday and Saturday nights.

Unfortunately, the gorgeous weather on Sunday prevented us from having a larger audience,” said Mrs. Brueggemann. On Friday night approximately 450 tickets were sold, on Saturday night over 500

students perform on the stage, they could feel a part of the show. “Angels Lost” was one scene in particular that stood out among the rest mainly as a result of its staging. Students entered the auditorium from multiple entrances with a candlelight glowing in their hands while singing. Mrs. Brueggemann said, “I believe the most effec-

The election shakes up American politics as conservatives gain even more control.

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tive scene in the show was ‘Angels Lost,’ which took place in a cave. I spent many hours designing this scene because it intrigued me from the Þrst time I read the script.”

Deciding on a script is a daunting task for a director and he or she takes a risk with whatever show they decide to do. No matter the show, however, it is inevitable that there will be problems.

This year was no exception since the casting got off to a rough start.

However Mrs. Brueggeman said, “I don’t regret any decisions I made. At the time I made each decision, it was what I considered the best at that time,” and overall, “I feel the cast did a great job creating the characters.”

Mrs. Brueggemann also said, “I was very pleased with my choice of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and would love to do it again some time.”

Senior Kelly Navin, who played Aunt Polly, said, “I’m really glad that everything came together. Sometimes it seemed like it would never happen, but eventually it did and everyone was amazing.”

Despite falling short at championship, boy’s varsity volleyball has successful season.

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Stealthy thieves frustrate and anger student victims.

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Editorials

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PowerSchool proves problematic Unknown presidental canidates such recorded mistakes and non-representative Staff Editorial grades, it becomes a nuisance that parents also squander taxpayers’ money granted access to these grades.

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PATRIOT 703 Churchville Road, Bel Air, Maryland 21014 Volume 40, Number 2, November 2004

Editor in Chief........................................................................Rachael Kessler Editorials co Editor..................................................................Laura Kirchner Editorials co Editor.......................................................................Mary Etting News co Editor.......................................................................Courtney Kurtz News co Editor...........................................................................Aisha Turner Features co Editor.................................................................Elizabeth Hersey Features co Editor...............................................................Lindsay Nicolucci Entertainment co Editor.........................................................Sandy Wienholt Entertainment co Editor................................................................Sarah Jones Sports co Editor.........................................................................Rose DiPaula Sports co Editor.....................................................................Dave Lomonico Photography co Editor...........................................................Lauren Schnupp Photography co Editor...................................................................Jess Rießer Business Manager..................................................................Patricia Kingery Cartoonist......................................................................................Rich Fleury Moderator.....................................................................................Mr. Ionescu

Staff: Rachel Dawson, Rich Fleury, Ashley Kline, Leah McGann, Delia Pais, Trista Sturdivant

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

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

Volume 40, Number 2

The

Mary Etting Editorials co Editor

in 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, and 2000.

That means he has run in the past seven elections. If he got 5.5 million dollars, more or less, every time he ran for president that is about 38.5 million dollars.

The money funding LaRouche is your money; the money you pay in taxes goes to help LaRouche campaign for

Most people know that John Kerry and George W. Bush were not the only choices in this year’s presidential election.

There were other candidates such as Ralph Nader; but who can name all of the other presidential candidates? Let me rephrase that question: who can name any other presidential candidate besides the three previously stated.

One of the candidates almost no one has heard of is Lyndon H. LaRouche.

His party is, technically, the Democratic Party.

I say technically because LaRouche has been excluded from the Democratic candidate debates.

The Democratic consultant, Mark Mellman, said, “We’re a pretty big tent, but the tent doesn’t include lunatics and criminals.”

By saying criminal, Mellman is referring to the incident in the late 1980’s when LaRouche was convicted and imprisoned on fraud charges. These charges were related to the fundraising activities for his political campaign and organization.

By saying lunatic, Mellman is simply saying that LaRouche is crazy, and I can’t honestly say that I disagree.

LaRouche did try to blame the Oklahoma City bombing on Queen Elizabeth and said that 9/11 was an inside job.

No matter what your take on the war is, or if you even believe Al Qaeda was behind 9/11, you can’t possibly believe that the United States military hijacked American planes and ßew them into the Twin Towers. As for Queen Elizabeth being behind the Oklahoma City bombings, yeah right. I would think England could come up with something a little more creative and destructive than truck bombs.

Why is this guy even allowed to run for president? Wouldn’t you think that certain people, such as criminals, should not be allowed to run for president? I am not trying to say that all people who have been arrested are horrible and should be banished, but he Top: Lyndon H. LaRouche was arrested for fraud.

Fraud implies that he stole Bottom: Ralph Nader money from people like you. This president. Over the past 28 years about money was then used to support his 38.5 million dollars has been spent on a campaign. For president, do we really campaign for a man whose name does not want a person who steals money? Having show up on most of the state ballots. a president like LaRouche would not really I see that whole idea of giving help the country’s deÞcit. government presidential campaign funds Campaign funds are always a big to unknown candidates as wasteful. That deal for candidates. They are forced to is millions of dollars that could be better hold fundraisers to support their campaign. spent working in the schools, or possibly The more money donated, the better the minimizing the country’s deÞcit. advertisements. The government then gives I suggest we do away with having out campaign funds to candidates who are just about anybody run for president. Why eligible. not just have the democratic, republican, To be eligible, candidates have and independent parties. That’s it—three to reach a certain amount of money. parties. The other ones do not even Depending on the amount of money, the come close to winning, and at least the government may match or give a portion of independent party gets about one percent of what was originally donated. The limit on the vote. the government donated campaign funds is We should watch how much money somewhere around 60 million dollars. the government is allotting these candidates.

LaRouche got about 5.5 million Giving 5.5 million dollars to someone dollars in government donated campaign who doesn’t show up on most ballots is funds during this year’s election. Besides ridiculous, but then again so is letting an this past election, he also ran for president “insane lunatic” run for presidency. www.delawareonline.com

In the past, it has always been the responsibility of the student to see that they make up any missed work. Students know what they need to get done, and it is an important life skill to learn to be your own boss. However, with the addition of PowerSchool, the responsibility shifts.

Parents, who may not understand the context of certain assignments, due dates, and make-up times, are able to log on to PowerSchool only to Þnd that their students have a couple of recorded zeros. In turn, they hound their kids about these grades, unaware that the students most likely have their responsibilities under control.

Parents are not the only ones who have become overly concerned with grades. At The Patriot, we have noticed that many JC students have become a little obsessive compulsive at the prospect of PowerSchool.

Students who have always been on top of their studies are now taking their concern to extremes. Many students become needlessly worried and log on to PowerSchool two or three times a day, only to see that their grades at 2:00 pm are the same as they were at 10: 00am. Students oftentimes become fanatical with grades and check constantly to make sure that no mistakes have been made.

It would be helpful if, in an effort to ensure accuracy and to eliminate mistakes, grades could be double-checked before being posted on the internet. At The Patriot, we also feel that perhaps PowerSchool should only offer mid-quarter, quarter, and semester grades.

PowerSchool is a helpful system but could provide a better indication of each student’s actual grade by updating students’ grades only twice a quarter.

www.pcw.org

PowerSchool, a web-based grading database, is a controversial new addition to JC’s grading system. Thanks to this new software, students and parents now have unlimited access to students’ grades at all times. We at The Patriot feel that the concept of this new addition is beneÞcial, but there is still a lot to be desired.

The idea that students should be able to check their grades and stay informed as to their progress in their classes is well founded.

Unless their parents did not go to the PowerSchool meeting, students are now able to check their grades and be sure that they are accurately recorded. The accuracy of these grades, however, is not guaranteed.

PowerSchool even has a disclaimer at the bottom of its web page that reads, “This system is provided as a convenience. Grades and other information provided by this system are not ofÞcial records and may or may not be accurate…for ofÞcial grades and student records contact your school.”

The Patriot has noticed that, in some cases, grades are indeed inaccurate. Some students have reported PowerSchool grades as erroneous as 438%.

Blatant inaccuracies are not the only problems with PowerSchool. For example, a quarter grade is obviously based on work completed all quarter long. If a student checks his or her grade two weeks into a quarter, the grade shown is not an accurate reßection of the grade they will receive at the end of the quarter. This is simply due to the fact that there are not many assignments or grades early in a grading cycle.

Parents, however, may see a low grade posted on PowerSchool and give their students a hard time. In all actuality, however, there is plenty of time to bring these grades up. With

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November 2004

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EDITORIALS

Locker room thefts dismay student

photo by Lauren Schnupp

Everybody has horror stories, most of which are made up or are thought to be made up. Every so often, however, I’ll hear one that has some truth to it. Although I had been hearing about reoccurring thefts in the girl’s locker room, I Þgured it wouldn’t happen to me. Unfortunately it took me three times of getting my things stolen before I Þnally come to terms with the fact that I’m not isolated from these pathetic thefts.

Theft number one: I walked into the locker room ready for practice and when I started getting my practice clothes together, I notice that my best friend’s Johns Hopkins lacrosse sweatshirt, which I normally guard with my life, was missing. I hoped for the best and decided I’d deal with it after practice.

After an extensive search which included my house, my sister’s house, the car, the practice Þeld, and all of my teammates’ houses, I was forced to admit defeat.

The Þrst thing that came to my mind was, honestly, who steals a Johns Hopkins lacrosse sweatshirt with the player’s last name on the back and his number on the sleeve?

People at JC can easily afford almost anything the want; they could buy their own stupid Johns Hopkins sweatshirt. I dreaded breaking the news to my friend Open lockers apthat I had lost his pear as open invisweatshirt. Lucktations for theives. ily he was incredibly forgiving and he entrusted me with a newer, softer sweatshirt. I had enough sense

to leave this one home, but unfortunately I didn’t have enough sense to start locking my things up.

Not long after the sweatshirt incident, I went down to the locker room just to Þnd that my lacrosse bag was wide open. I went through my stuff and make a mental checklist of what I brought to practice that day.

Shorts are here, shirts are here, socks, mouth guard, goggles, turfs, and my ßip-ßops, all were here. I thought to myself, “ok I got away lucky.” I should have known better, but at the time I wasn’t very worried.

It wasn’t until after practice when I went to change into my sandals that I then realized that one them was missing.

In a way this made me more upset than my sweatshirt getting stolen. Who takes just one shoe?

It irked me that someone stole my shoes. The theft was especially stupid seeing as they only took one shoe. I wanted to leave it out with a note saying, “Here’s the other one, might as well Þnish the job!”

What are they going to do with one shoe?

Now you would think that after having undergone the painful task of telling my best friend that I lost his sweatshirt from college, and being so upset that someone stole my sandal, that I would start putting my stuff in a locker in order to avoid a mess like this again. But third time’s a charm.

Yes, it took me one more time to realize that I really needed to start locking up my practice clothes. This time, as I go to get changed for practice, I realize that my Johns Hopkins lacrosse shorts are missing.

Now, I don’t know if the same person who stole my sweatshirt also stole my shorts, but I Þnd it very coincidental that this person has the same obsession with Hopkins lacrosse that I do. Under different circumstances, I might really get along with

this person.

But now I have the daunting task before me of Þguring out what to wear to practice in lieu of my prized Hopkins shorts. Luckily, I had thought ahead and brought pants. But still, I loved those shorts.

By the time it Þnally occurred to me to start locking up my stuff, the season had ended. But on the bright side, I now

have another nine months to stock up on desirable objects that I can leave unlocked.

Maybe people can steal them, too.

The theft situation has gotten way out of control. Administration should do more to Þnd out who is stealing countless items. I learned the hard way that you need to lock up your stuff. Don’t trust people, because apparently you can’t trust your own classmates.

photo by Lauren Schnupp

Trista Sturdivant Staff Writer

Locker room thefts often occur when bags are left out in the open.

Students forget purpose of Catholic Mission Statement

November 2004

against behavior with which they did not agree.

In the Mission Statement, it is stated that JC seeks to educate the whole person: mentally, physically, and morally.

Saying that certain behavior would not be tolerated was not the administration’s way of saying that they are uptight and out of touch with the times; it was them living up to the title of being a Catholic school. Whether we agree with the restrictions or not, we have to accept the fact that we are in a Catholic school. Therefore, we are expected to be good people, as well as good

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students. on the issue. Students who do not agree Everywhere we go in JC apparel we with the Church are not ignored. Rather, represent our school. Last year, when the they are encouraged to share their views. I boys’ lacrosse team was have found that heard to have taunted most teachers an opposing team with are willing to racially and ethnically hear students degrading remarks, evout, as long as eryone was shuttled into the students the auditorium for a talk are able to give on discrimination. If this reasons for their had happened at a differviews. ent school, I highly doubt Those people the administration would that feel reeven think twice about stricted by JC’s reprimanding its stuideals should dents. Being an African try standing up American student, I am for their own thankful for the fact that once in while. the administration here Instead of grumwill do whatever it can to bling silently in create an atmosphere of the back of the tolerance in keeping with Father Sutton celebrates Mass every classroom, share Wednesday mod 6 in the chapel. the Christian tradition. your ideas and Throughout my four Weekly Mass serves as a constant be as open to years at this school, I reminder of JC’s Catholic tradition. having someone have never gotten the imcriticize you as pression of JC as a dictatorship. The teach- you are eager to criticize the school. But ers and administration have always seemed remember, you are in a Catholic school, and open to different ideas, and they know that if you disagree with the policies to the point not everyone agrees with everything they of resentment, maybe this isn’t the place for do. you. The key to surviving life in a Catholic In Medical Ethics, juniors are taught that school is respect. Students must respect the the Catholic Church is strongly opposed to views of the school, just as the school must abortion. Despite JC’s identity as a Catholic respect the views of its students. school, teachers are willing to allow debate photo by Aisha Turner

Although everyone knows that JC is a Catholic school, it seems that we often lose sight of this fact. I am constantly hearing people complain that we should not be required to attend mass and take religion courses. While I understand that Mass can be boring and that an “A” in a religion class does not seem like the kind of thing that will get us into college, these things are what the administration feels is needed for a solid Catholic education.

When I signed up to go here it was because I wanted to go to a strong collegepreparatory high school. It was not the fact that JC is a Catholic school that brought it to my attention. However, by choosing to attend JC I chose everything that goes along with it. I am not Catholic, but whether I like it or not, I am in a Catholic school.

Therefore, I accept the consequences–good and bad.

When the administration was in an “uproar” about the overtly sexual behavior at the Back to School Dance, many people said that it was not JC’s place to say what was appropriate and what was not. Actually, yes it was. Dances are events that are held for John Carroll students on the John Carroll campus and chaperoned by the John Carroll administration. Of course it is their

place to step in and tell us what is to be accepted.

By defending the motivations of the school, I am not saying that I support the way the situation was handled. I think the administration was too harsh, but I understand that they felt they had to take a stand

photo by Jess Riefler

Aisha Turner News co Editor

Patriot

Volume 40, Number 2

Editorials

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Faulty electoral process disappoints student Lindsay Nicolucci Features co Editor Every four years, the Þrst Tuesday in November becomes incredibly important.

It is a day that incites many strong feelings in Americans. Whether they want to maintain the current system or implement a new one, the good citizens of our Þne country head out to the polls, hoping that their voices will be heard.

The election should be about excitement, patriotism, and optimism. As an interested citizen, I should be able to learn of my country’s decision by the next morning.

Unfortunately, the results are almost never in ofÞcially by the next morning. Remember when Gore and Bush had that show down four years ago? Imagine being able to hop on MSN or Yahoo and discovering the result of the election. Wouldn’t that be nice.

Well, it is time to wake up from that delusion. There are always problems on Election Day. The candidacies, voting system, and even candidates themselves cause multiple problems with this essential process of democracy.

The Þrst problem with the American election system is the two party platform. There are Republicans (the god-fearing fascists), and Democrats (the godless commie idealists). Figures such as Ralph Nader, the Green Party martyr, exist merely to humor independent voters.

Nadar has run in previous elections and can be expected to continue with future campaigns, but it is quite unlikely that Nader will ever carry an entire state. If Americans had more realistic options, elections would actually help people to vote for a candidate that they support, and not against another.

Multiple mainstream parties would even help unite Americans, decreasing the ultimate polarization caused by a limited number of political afÞliations.

The next element to Þx is the actual voting system. As the idiocy of our fellow Americans increases, the “difÞculty” in voting methods also experiences on an incline. The ineptness of our Floridian

friends, as demonstrated in the 2000 election, has forever damned the rest of the country. Thanks to the “hanging” and “pregnant” chad controversy in MiamiDade County, many states came up with more inventive ways to cast ballots.

The counting and recounting caused much controversy among those opposed to Bush, claiming that he never ofÞcially won the ofÞce of President. Luckily for us, this year John Kerry conceded before the recount could begin. Some states, such as Maryland, opted for touch-screen voting.

This seemed to be a reasonable solution to the paper-ballot problem. No one wanted a repeat of the previous election where ballots were thrown out due to hanging chads, pregnant chads, and all the other types of chads. Although many people feared that with the touch-screen voting their votes would not be properly counted.

The new issue, however, lies in absentee ballots and questions of identity.

There was certainly a fear that absentee ballots, along with other November 2nd votes, would not be counted. This drove many citizens to vote early in hopes that their votes would actually affect the outcome of the election.

Other Americans took advantage of the early voting, and saw it as an opportunity to vote twice. In the past there have been votes cast by deceased people. Some people have, upon moving to a different state, been registered in two states simultaneously and were therefore enabled to vote twice. There ought to be more strict rules in place for voting registration and identiÞcation.

Finally, there is the issue of the Electoral College. The Electoral College, in essence, determines the presidency.

The amount of votes in a particular state determines which candidate “carries” that state, and 270 electoral votes are needed to win the presidency.

The system is error-ridden because of the great variances in state sizes. A candidate may garner fewer popular votes, but more electoral votes, therefore winning the election. In the election between Rutherford B. Hayes and Samuel Tilden,

Tilden received more of the popular vote but ultimately lost the Presidency.

As the Hayes/Tilden election demonstrated, candidates in our current electoral process need only carry the electoral vote to win. It is not necessary for a candidate to win the popular vote in order to become President. As long as the candidate receives 270 electoral votes, they will become President, regardless of the overall vote of the citizens.

There is not even a need for a candidate to carry a state in the Þrst place.

Since we live under the pretense of being a democratic republic, the people’s vote should be the only contributing factor to the election of the President. There should be no middleman interpreting the votes because the votes should speak for themselves. The population says who it wants to run the country.

Mary Etting Editorials co Editor

celebrities. I have heard all too often that my classmates want to be like Britney Spears or Jessica Simpson. Why do you want to be like them: because they make a grotesque amount of money or because they are pretty? Truth be told, most of these ladies are not as pretty as they appear. You are seeing them with tons of make-up on, which is done by professionals, and their pictures are photo-shopped.

You can try to counter by saying they really are good people - I mean do you know how much money they donate to charities? Which is true, many celebrities do donate their money to various organizations.

Some of them may do it out of the kindness of their hearts, but my guess is most of them are participating to make themselves look good. Besides their charity does not redeem some of the things they have done.

We have all heard of Britney Spears drunken marriage to her childhood friend, which lasted a mere 52 hours. Lord knows everyone has heard of Paris Hilton and her infamous video. How are people who do things this trashy considered role models?

People need to Þnd something else to obsess over, or at least better “role models.” Extremely rich people who have no basic morals are not people to whom we should look up.

Celebrity obsessions find home in Harford County The Simple Life is a fairly wellknown show that stars Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie. As luck would have it, The Simple Life 3 has the girls riding a Greyhound bus around the northeast.

In case you didn’t hear the entire student body talking about it, Hilton and Richie stopped by the Harford Mall on Thursday, November 11. Their visit was set up by the producers of The Simple Life late Wednesday, took place on Thursday, and will be featured on the show. Viewers beware, unless you are expecting to have Harford Country portrayed as another Hicksville USA that the ditzy duo is stuck in.

What worries me more than how Harford County may be portrayed is the excitement that spread through the student body like wildÞre. People were willing to drop everything just to catch a glimpse of the two. Hate to break it to you, ladies and gentlemen, but these two have no talent; unless you consider acting like a complete and utter moron on national television talent. Their show is a reality show, which you don’t need to have talent to be on, and consists of them doing manual labor and random jobs to earn money to get back home to Hollywood.

Too much emphasis is put on

Wolf-Man Comic: by Rich Fleury

Volume 40, Number 2

The

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November 2004

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Features No Limit Texas Hold ‘em

This seems to be the game of choice for both professional poker players and small time house games alike.

But why? Recently there has been a sudden surge of people willing to enter the World Series of Poker, a game with so many chances to lose all of their money.

Since ESPN and Bravo have started showing tournaments of poker, almost all of which are Texas Hold ‘em, otherwise uninterested people have grown to enjoy both watching and playing the game, where nothing matters except your cards and the size of your chip stack.

Texas Hold ‘em is a wide spread form of poker that is easy play, with only the community cards to pay attention to, as opposed to games like Seven Card Stud where each player gets separate seven card hands. To play Texas Hold ‘em there are normally two blinds, a big blind and a small blind, which are paid by the two people to the left of the dealer. The Þrst two cards are then dealt to each player, and in order to enter the hand a player must call the big blind or raise.

Another option is to fold, if they feel that their hand is not strong enough. Then the Þrst three cards are dealt into the middle of the table, called community cards, can help each player to make his best Þve-card hand.

Another round of betting then ensues.

The fourth card, also called the turn is then dealt to the community, and there is more betting. The Þfth and last card, which is also called the river, is dealt to the community, and the last round of betting begins.

After everyone is done calling, raising, or folding, the remaining players turn over their original two cards to see who has the best hand. This may sound like a game of pure luck, but it is no coincidence that the same Þve people make it to the Þnal table at the world series of poker every year.

But what is there to enjoy about sitting around a table and looking at cards? Senior Matt Hirschhorn says, “I could either

November 2004

The cadillac of poker Richard Fleury Master Cartoonist

see a movie and pay ten dollars for three hours of entertainment, or I could play poker for the same amount of time and possibly win money.” The chance to socialize with friends and win money makes poker seem like the most logical activity—and some groups have been known to play for hours and hours on end.

Even without the monetary aspect, playing cards is fun. Many students share this sentiment, as was clear when they tried to start a card club at JC earlier this fall. The club would not only feature Texas Hold ‘em and all forms of poker, but other card games as well, and it was a popular idea—until the administration crushed it. Apparently getting together to play any sort of card game on school property is too close to illegal gambling for JC’s comfort.

At worst, you will be losing the same amount of money as you would at a movie theater. However, this mentality is not completely accurate. Any poker player will tell you, it is hard to remember the big wins of their career, but every player remembers their big losses. For example, a person going all in with top pair and getting beaten on the river or a person going all in twice

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in a row and losing both times, only to re-buy again and lose it. All of these things can and have happened in stories told. So poker may not always be such a safe bet.

Senior Laura Leeb said, “Poker is a man’s instant vacation; he sits down at the poker table and all his troubles go away.” This is

Patriot

probably the main reason that there for the resurgence in poker over the past few years. Once a person sits down at the poker table, he forgets about everything, all the troubles in his life, and all of the problems that he has vanish for a few glorious hours.

Volume 40, Number 2

Features

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Scavenger hunt stirs up mischief Liz Hersey Features coEditor Some elements of senior year are essential—no one would dare question getting rid of prom in any school.

Then there are the less admirable traditions, like senior skip day and senior prank—but in JC’s recent history, one such event has received special attention (and condemnation): the scavenger hunt. Had it not been for Mr. Barker’s announcement at the end of October, it may have been entirely forgotten. The general response of the student population was, “Scavenger hunt? What’s that?”

Initiated in 1980, the senior scavenger hunt was organized by the SAC itself, without the administration’s approval.

Over the years, occasionally other unofÞcial leaders of the senior class would take charge of organizing the event, but generally student-elected leaders did the work. They made up lists of things to Þnd, formed a pot to win (sometimes over one thousand dollars), divided the class into teams, and unleashed 200 teenagers on the streets of Bel Air. “It [the scavenger hunt] was never a school-sanctioned event,” said Mr. Piercy, Dean of Discipline. The administration knew it happened, advised the kids to be careful, and gave a sort of “tacit approval”-in the beginning, anyway.

“It was good clean fun, for the most part,” Mr. Piercy said.

As the scavenger hunt grew, however, it took on a life of its own. Vice Principal Mr. Scholl described it as moving in a cycle, increasing and decreasing. Each class would try to do better (better meaning more outrageous) things than the preceding one, escalating until something unallowable happened. Sometimes students would even have to be dismissed. This resulted with a less racy scavenger, with the memory of the reprimand in the students’ minds…until it eventually faded, and the cycle started up again.

Perhaps if this had continued, the scavenger hunt would still exist, but apparently it took a bad turn. “It began to change…around the mid 90’s or so,” said Mr. Piercy. It had become notorious in the community, and safety was called into question. Consider the circumstances: roughly 200 seventeen- and eighteen-year-olds, racing through Bel Air hoping to gain a speed advantage.

“Almost everything on the list you could get illegally,” said Mr. Scholl. “You could get it legally, but they were trying for points and trying to win, so they did it illegally.”

An event in Florida highlighted the possible dangers of the scavenger hunt. In 1997, three high school students stole a stop sign, resulting in a crash and the death of three other teenagers. The Þrst group was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to a minimum of thirteen years in prison. As the JC scavenger hunt got more extreme, with more incidents of theft and destruction of private property, potentially dangerous things like stop signs seemed probable.

With the class of 2001, the administration decided enough was enough.

In fall of 2001, when this year’s seniors were freshmen, Mr. Barker became principal of JC. He knew plenty about the scavenger hunt from his previous years as a teacher at JC. When he made a motion to stop it once and for all, the faculty agreed, particularly because the last event had been ridiculous. Some of the tasks were amusing (“eat a thousand green M&Ms”), but others were dangerous (the Þnal list is rumored to have included a trafÞc light), some of the things students set out to Þnd were perverse (such as videotapes and pictures of sexual acts involving students). The prize money was well over a thousand dollars.

“It was the right thing to do,” Mr. Scholl said, when asked his opinion of Mr. Barker’s decision. “We would have been fools to allow that to continue in any way, shape, or form.”

The students were disappointed, but they obviously understood. Since the administration never exactly gave them the materials to hold a scavenger hunt, faculty couldn’t take it away, but only offer punishment if it was held. October of 2001 was the Þrst time in 21 years without a senior scavenger hunt.

One of the major issues was how it reßected the school.

As previously explained, it was never “school-sanctioned” but everyone knew it as “the John Carroll scavenger hunt.”

People in town braced themselves for that night. When kids were arrested and their exploits written up in the Aegis, JC took much of the blame. It was not something any school would want to be associated with, much less a small, Catholic one such as JC. This year was the Þrst time it was mentioned again. However, many seniors had heard nothing until Mr. Barker’s

Volume 40, Number 2

announcement. Only a small percentage of the student population had a decent idea of what the scavenger hunt was, and most had no clue why it would be so sternly discouraged. The small group that was informed looked to the class of 2001 as their inspiration. They intended to use their predecessor’s six-page list for the hunt, but unlike 2001, the leaders chose not to include all their peers.

“It was supposed to be exclusive,” said Sarah Hagelin, a senior. “I’m glad it was cancelled [this year]. If everyone can’t be uniÞed as a class, it shouldn’t happen.”

Nothing major happened—and anything that did was not supported by the SAC whatsoever. There were some isolated acts of mischief, but on the whole the students respected the faculty’s decision. (Rumors that the police department received a list of senior’s license plate numbers was a signiÞcant deterrent.)

Students may try to bring it back in coming years. The administration is holding to its decision, however: no one had an optimistic view of some future compromise.

“This is not something we want to see start again,” said Mr. Scholl. “It’s unhealthy and unsafe.”

The students’ opinions are mixed. No one particularly wants to cause problems or disgrace the school, but at the same time, it sounds like fun—and was fun in past years. Junior Allie Tscheulin said, “Kids should be allowed to do whatever they want in their spare time. I think it should be brought back.”

excerpts from

The List 2001 the least offensive items

Consumables

Animals

100 green M&Ms-40 pts

Live Chicken-30 pts

1 rotten banana-8 pts

Cow patty-15 pts per lb

25 pacfkets hot sauce-20 pts

Live cow-60 pts

Bale of hay-20 pts

Jar of spiders-60 pts

Port-a-Potty-60 pts

Ludicrous Airplane barf bag-75 pts

School bus-30 pts

Inflated raft-55 pts

Freshman boy in drag-50 pts

Photo of team member

Xerox of team member’s bare pumping gas (naked)-50 pts butt-10 pts

1 compleletely shaven team

Mr. Appleby’s Mr. Potato member-120 pts Head-50 pts

Dirty diaper-200 pts

Waitress from Denny’s or Friendly’s (in uniform)-20 pts

Mrs. Michael’s Julio Iglesias poster-50 pts

Student shares voting experience Ashley Kline Contributing Writer

I’m eighteen, I’m young and I’m ready to make my voice heard. It’s one thing to register, but to actually go out to the polls and cast your ballot….that’s making a difference.

My voting journey began when I registered to vote last spring. It was actually a very simple and painless process which involved me Þlling out a single sheet of paper. Now that I was afÞliated with a political party, it was time to do some real research.

I spent the rest of the summer and the fall becoming acquainted with my choice candidate through different media sources, paying special attention to the debates. Watching the debates not only educated me on the important issues facing our country; it allowed me to see the candidates on a “one-on-one” level.

Before I knew it, October was Þnally here and I celebrated my long awaited eighteenth birthday. I could legally vote now! It felt weird. You never really think about being able to vote, but once you actually have the power, you want to make a difference. Throughout the candidacies of President George Bush and Senator John Kerry, I kept asking myself, “Who’s the best man for the job?” By November, the answer seemed obvious to me.

The Big Day….November 2, 2004! I decided to cast my ballot right after school that day. I went to my designated voting location in Perry Hall. I was nervous because I had no idea what to expect, but to my surprise it was a comfortable environment. There were lots of volunteers ßoating around, willing to help you at any time.

I Þrst checked into the registration table, where they verify your name, address, and make sure you are actually registered to vote. After my information was approved, I received a voting card that looked like a white credit card and a cute little “I Voted” sticker. Then I proceeded over to the voting machines, which looked like enlarged iPod screens.

At Þrst I thought I was going to be confused by all the new computer technology, but the instructions for voting were clear and simple. The new machines allow you to proceed backwards or forwards on your ballot, and they

The

Patriot

also offer the option of checking your ballot before you cast your vote. I inserted my voting card into the machine, voted and ofÞcially cast my ballot in about less than Þve minutes.

As nerve-wracking as it was, I had Þnally voted. The whole process turned out to be simple and easy.

Despite the electoral college’s direct control on the presidency, individual votes still make a difference. Our country is in a time of war and turmoil. We as Americans need to take action if we want to change things.

Although the election is about who wins, what really matters is if Americans use their power to get involved with the issues facing our country today. And for those of you who were too young this time around: 2008’s election will be just as important and exciting.

November 2004

7

Features

Fall/Winter trends sweep school

www.hollisterco.com

The coming of fall can only symbolize one thing: change and subsequent adjustment. No more lazy days at the beach, no more sunlight after Þve o’clock, and, worst of all, no more comfortable ßip ßops, shorts, or tank tops. We must face the task of accommodating our wardrobes to the latest fall fashions.

Every year with the return to school, stores take advantage of the need for warmer clothing and pick several fashions that they think will be popular and shove them down our throats. This year is no exception. Everywhere students look, the only things in sight are tweed, shawls, broaches, and shrunken blazers.

They’re on every rack at every store and featured in every fashion magazine on the racks at the grocery store.

However, how popular, or practical, for that matter, are these fashions in the real world?

Certainly not as much as those magazines would have you believe. Shawls deÞnitely have not caught on as well as was predicted, and tweed isn’t very popular either.

Shrunken blazers and broaches have caught on a little bit, but even they aren’t widespread.

The fact is that we live in the real world, not some alternate reality carefully crafted by magazine editors. The dominant fashion trends at JC this fall are not those that have been dictated to us, but rather things that we have picked up ourselves.

The most prominent of these trends are Live Strong and Breast Cancer Awareness bracelets. Many students have decided to sport these yellow and pink

www.target.com

Rachael Kessler Editor in Chief

bracelets in dedication to the Þght against cancer.

Proceeds from Live Strong bracelet sales go to the Lance Armstrong Foundation, which aids people living with cancer around the world. Live Strong bracelets are available at www.wearyellow.com. Breast Cancer Awareness bracelets are inscribed with the phrase “Share Beauty Spread Hope” and sales beneÞt The Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

They are available at Target.

With the opening of stores in both White Marsh and Towson, Hollister Co. has also become popular this fall

season. Hollister, owned by the same company as Abercrombie & Fitch, is basically the same type of clothing but with a surfer twist. Hollister prices are also slightly more affordable than Abercrombie & Fitch, with polo shirts running at about twenty-Þve dollars, as opposed to upwards of forty dollars at Abercrombie. For more information, visit www.hollisterco.com.

Another trend that has been seen around JC is iPods, Apple’s contraption for storing up to ten thousand songs in one small Þveounce box that can be taken anywhere.

Original iPods

run anywhere from $300$400, whereas iPod Minis, a smaller version with less storage capacity, are about two hundred and Þfty dollars, and come in Þve different colors. Apple’s newest iPod creation, iPod Photo, can store as many as twenty Þve thousand pictures as well as the music library for Þve to six hundred dollars.

Apple is also featuring a U2 Special Edition iPod to coincide with the release of their new CD for three hundred and Þfty dollars. For more information or to order your iPod, visit www.apple.com/ipod.

On, offstage efforts make play shine als. Plans are drawn up and construction begins. For The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, many parents pitched in to help actual construction. In the past, plays left entirely under the rule of students created unwanted trouble. Many of the students working on

The curtains open. A story spreads— characters, interesting conßict and Þnally suspenseful resolution. Your mind walks the stage, struggling to take in all of the sights, sounds and thoughts entirely. The Þnal time the curtains close, you begin to appreciate the apparent hours spent memorizing lines, rehearsing choreography and even Þne-tuning simple gestures that amplify the play’s overall effectiveness.

Yet, a play is not merely what can be seen from the cushioned seats. What the majority of the audience misses is the amount of time put into the very skeleton of the production: the commonly overlooked art of building sets.

Would the play run smoothly without sets? Without a fence, what would Tom Sawyer Sophomore Christian Zurkowski works on a gravestone prop for Tom whitewash? Would the Sawyer. cave scene be nearly as successful without sets or props? No. A play is just as useless without last fall’s production, The Wizard of Oz, sets as it is without actors. Set crew artists were not willing to work under the sole indedicate just as much time to the production struction of then-senior Brian Averill. They as the actors, the musicians, and the lighting felt that, as a fellow student, he did not have crew. the authority to be their leader.

The actual set building begins early on, This year, senior Tom Stalter was initially paralleling try-outs and beginning rehears- designated to oversee set construction, but

November 2004

The

eventually his position was handed over to junior Dave Schmidt. With the help of the enlisted parents, including Shawn Devoe (father of Ryan Devoe “Huckleberry Finn”), the sets were primarily built within 3 weekends. Although that lessened their workload, many set crew members were upset.

Sophomore Caitlin Toner said, “We weren’t allowed to do much of anything!” But the initiative passed back to the students as painting and actual set changes began, once again empowering the artists behind the masterpiece of the play.

Nevertheless, stage crew is not limited to mere building and painting. The last few weeks of rehearsals entail costumed set changes and always cause friction that must be smoothed out.

The crew must work through all ßaws and difÞculties; positive action is taken to prevent incidents from occurring on the actual nights of the performances.

Practice runs as late as 8 PM, scenes and acts are repeated over and over until perfect. Indeed, all art—the acting, the music, the lights, and the sets—is an example of humanity reaching for perfection. The act of creating a believable scene takes considerable work and dedication. The play itself soon drowns in the effort of numerous students.

On the nights of the actual performances, stage crew artists are cleverly hidden behind the bundled curtains in the wings of the stage.

When the curtains close between acts, several students clothed in

photo by Jess Riefler

Rachel Dawson Staff Writer

Patriot

black will scamper hurriedly across the stage and appropriately arrange the sets before the curtains open again. If done correctly, the audience slips more easily into the play’s story line and is fully entertained and satisÞed. Backstage, there hangs a thick air of determination, pride and even reluctance as the performance booms triumphantly and dies away. Indeed, stage crew is crucial to every aspect of the play.

For the stage crew member, the play is physical strain, perspiration and ultimately satisfaction. Parts of every performance are viewed from the wings of the stage (the best seat in the house). Some members even enjoy singing along with the chorus of their favorite song (softly, of course), others dance and Þnally, all successes on stage are shared equally behind the curtain. A standing ovation reverberates and reaches everyone involved.

The performance does not end until all those who contributed are standing out on stage, blinded by the spotlight and glowing with their sense of achievement.

Volume 40, Number 2

news Special Feature November elections leave lasting impact: 8

JC Election In congruence with the nation’s presidential election, JC held a mock election of its own. During homeroom on Election Day, November 2, ballots were passed out to students and faculty who were instructed to choose a candidate for the presidency.

Mr. Schick came up with the idea

of holding a mock vote. “I wondered how many people knew that there were more than two candidates running and I thought it would be interesting to see how the student body would vote,” said Mr. Schick.

Due to Mr. Schick’s absence on Election Day, Mr. DelPuppo was in charge of organizing the vote. Ages 18-25 have the worst voting demographic, “So I thought

Due to the popularity of California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, some people are pushing for un natural citizens to be eligible to run for president.

Indiana’s SenateObama (D) is a st among political n is rumored to one first black presid 25% of those polled would vote for Hillary Clinton, making her the most likely candidate. Despite Amendment XXII, people still have an interest in Bill Clinton, for he received 3% of the vote. Political up-and-comer Barak Obama also received 3%.

Not far behind Hillary Clinton, 2004 presidential nominee John Kerry received 15% of the votes. “It is so premature to be thinking about something that far down the road.

What I’ve said is I’m not opening any doors, I’m not shutting any doors,” said Kerry. “I can envision a lot of years of Þght ahead of me,” he said.

Recently, there has been discussion of possibly amending the Constitution to remove the requirement that

Electoral votes went to Bush Electoral votes went to Kerry Volume 40, Number 2

voting process. Each student was to Þll out their own ballot which was then supposed to be turned in for Mr. DelPuppo. However, some teachers totaled the votes of their homeroom and turned in a total count. Mr. DelPuppo could not count these votes because the results could have been skewed.

The faculty vote turned out similar to that of the student body. Bush received 61% of the vote, Kerry 38%, and Nader 1%. The voting trends of JC mirror the traditional republican voting trends of Harford County.

Tom Daschle (D), the Senate minority leader from South Dakota, lost his seat to republican John Thune.

It was the first time a majority or minority leader was ousted since 1952.

Predictions for 2008 Due to Amendment XXII, President Bush is unable to run for a third term. For the past three eight-year terms, the Vice President has gone on to run for the top ofÞce. Vice President Dick Cheney, however, has announced that he does not plan on seeking the republican nomination for president in 2008.

In a national poll, voters said that if they had to choose a Republican Party nominee for 2008, former New York City Mayor and Arizona Senator Rudy Giuliani and John McCain were the top choices. Giuliani and McCain each received 10% of the votes. Current secretary of state Colin Powell was also a popular candidate, having the favor of 7% of voters.

The Bush re-election leaves an open door for the democrats, allowing them the freedom to choose a strong new candidate. Some anonymous leaders within the Democratic Party expressed a desire for Bush to be re-elected. They feel that because Bush is one of the most unpopular republican presidents among democrats in history, his re-election will lead to a stronger unity within their own party.

Over the next four years, democrats feel that they will be able to regain power and build a strong foundation for success in 2008. If the democratic nominee had to be chosen today,

I would get people interested in actually voting,” said Mr. Schick.

Of the 640 student votes counted, Bush received 66% of them, while Kerry received 20%. Nader received 10% of the vote, and 4% accounted for other candidates. Two hundred and ten student votes could not be counted due to student and teacher absences and insufÞcient voting guidelines.

Not all of the homeroom teachers were clear on the rules of the

The

only natural-born citizens can be president. If this happens within the next four years, possible candidates for president could include Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm (D) from Canada, former Secretary of State Madeline Albright (D) from Czechoslovakia, Florida Senatorelect Mel Martinez (R) from Cuba, and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) from Austria.

The possibility of repealing Amendment XXII has also come up in political circles. One proposal would allow a president who has served two terms to return to ofÞce after a respite. Bill Clinton is the only former living president to have served two terms, and if attitudes among different parties can remain open to a possible competition

Patriot

between Bush and Clinton, a change to the term limit could occur.

Bush received 61% of the votes in his home state of Texas.

On ers fa found Bush may tifiab

November 2004

news Special Feature 9 Country once again divided by politics Republicans monopolize governmet The United States of America has taken to the republicans and thus the party has come to power in the Senate. The popular opinion is that the republicans have formed the sole

party and the democrats are dying out. Though this is not entirely true as the democrats still hold power in the electorate, the republicans certainly could invoke great inßuence on the nation. However, the political drift towards republicans has not been scrutinized or widely objected by the press.

If the Republican Party were to take control, it would trigger an expansion of political powers and less protection for women, gays, and re-

ligious and racial minorities. Democrats feel that social investments, progressive taxation, separation of church and state, racial justice, and trade unionism may be dismantled under the republican administration.

During Bush’s Þrst term, many of his policies could not be put into effect because he was unable to receive enough votes in the Senate.

This time, however, because the republicans have taken over the Sen-

Ohio has continually been refered to as this election’s Florida because of its election difficulty. Had Kerry not conceded, Ohio’s elctoral votes would have been the deciding factor in the election.

ate, many of Bush’s policies which include tax cuts could be put into effect.

The republican expansion may continue into the Supreme Court.

Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist (D) will retire soon due to his thyroid cancer. Therefore, Bush has the opportunity to nominate a strong conservative to take Rehnquist’s place.

Kerry won his home state of Massachusetts with 62% of the state’s votes.

In congruence with Maryland’s traIn ditionally Democratic past, Kerry won the state with 56% of the vote.

Barbara Mikulski (D) won the seat in the Senate.

Presidential Election

-elect Barak tandout newcomers. He e day be the dent.

ne reason Southern votavored Bush was that they d they could relate to him. h’s down-to-Earth nature have made him more idenble with the common man.

November 2004

President Bush (R) was elected for his second term on November 2nd. Bush received 286 of the Electoral Votes, with only 270 needed to win. The race was close, with Bush receiving 51% of the popular vote, and his opponent Senator Kerry receiving 48%.

Bush’s primary selling points as a candidate was foreign policy. Many people voted for Bush because he was not afraid to stand up for democracy. Although the war in Iraq has been controversial, more people supported Bush’s actions than the media tends to communicate. Voters had conÞdence in Bush’s ability to

lead his country through war.

Bush also won the moral vote. As an openly religious man, Bush is strongly against gay marriage, calling for a Constitutional Amendment to ban same-sex marriage. Kerry, on the other hand, supports civil union and has voted to include sexual orientation in the Equal Rights Amendment.

While Bush’s strongest political platforms were foreign policy and religious issues, Kerry’s were domestic matters such as education and health care. Some political commentators believe that had the country not been at war, Kerry would have won the election.

Ironically, Ironically, Edwards’s home state of North Carolina went to Bush.

Aisha Turner and Courtney Kurtz News co Editors The

Patriot

Volume 40, Number 2

10

News

Clubs lack membership, publicity Leah McGann Staff Writer

and discuss the meanings and social implications of the Þlms. Wagner feels that it is fun to watch the Þlms and interesting to hear different perspectives on them. Similar to Poetry Club president Rachel Dawson, Wagner thinks that One of the strongest aspects of JC is the availability of membership would increase if the club was advertised more numerous extracurricular activities, including clubs, sports frequently. teams, and theater. For the most part, the student body has However, the Poetry and Flim clubs are not the only ungreat school spirit and fully supports those involved in these derrepresented clubs. The Respect Life Club also seems to extracurriculars. The school has pep rallies to celebrate the be in the same situation. various sports teams, and This club was started by both the fall play and the former JC students Dan winter musical are extremeBriggs, Class of ’01, and ly well attended. Little atBridgit Prosser, Class of tention is paid, however, to ’04, and is moderated the large number of clubs,

by Mrs. Drinks. As the moderated by teachers and name implies, the club is run by students. concerned with upholdOne of the most undering the value of human appreciated clubs is the Polife. etry Club. It was formed in Many people have the fall of last year by Mr. seen the spiritually adWojo and Rachel Dawson, opted baby posters in the current president. At the guidance hallway but each meeting, the members have only a vague idea of either read famous poetry what the club’s purpose or their own works or they actually is. Most people participate in poetry writing make no attempt to learn workshops. In these, mem- Poetry club members Greg Hatem and Mr. Piercy listen intently as Mr. Wojo reads from Rhyme’s Reason. more. Club president bers strive to improve their Amy Perry said, “We own writing, or analyze renowned poets’ work to learn what makes good poetry and of any other faculty members expressing an interest in the don’t have as many [members] as we’d like.” Like the other club presidents, Perry feels that if the club got more what does not. Members feel that Mr. Wojo makes an effort club.

Another club that is given little attention is the Film Club, publicity, membership would surely expand. to introduce a wide variety of poetic forms to the group.

Overall, the problem with all of these clubs seems to be Despite club attendance being up since last fall, Dawson moderated by Mr. Schick. President Erin Wagner says that still thinks the club is lacking the publicity it deserves. She the club needs to be advertised more. Said Wagner, “Who a lack of advertising. Club presidents blame lack of attensaid, “I think the problem is that no one is really familiar wouldn’t want to come eat food and watch movies for dance to poor publicity, feeling that if more students were aware of the clubs then membership would be higher. with it. It’s on the announcements sometimes, but no one free?”

Members meet once or twice a month to watch movies listens to them.” photo by Jess Riefler

The club has attracted a small but faithful following, but Dawson still wants to expand the scope of the club. She said, “People really enjoy it.” Dawson Þrmly believes that there are many more students and faculty who would express an interest in the club if better informed.

Mr. Piercy is a prime example. He just became aware of the club this year, and after attending a meeting, found it to be “interesting and worthwhile.” Sadly, he does not know

Locks of Love lures long-haired ladies In the 50s and 60s, long hair was considered devious. Hippies would grow out their hair as a form of protest and rebellion.

Now, however, people are growing out their hair to help others. Current JC students, faculty members, and alumnae are donating their tresses to Locks of Love.

Locks of Love (LOL) is a nonproÞt organization that creates prosthetic wigs for Þnancially disadvantaged children suffering from medical hair loss. Donations of at least 10 inches are sent to LOL, usually requiring six to ten ponytails for LOL to create a single hairpiece.

LOL receives over 2,000 hair

Smiling at someone or cutting your hair, it’s the little things that can end up making a big difference.

- Ms. Urra Volume 40, Number 2

donations each week, and young people alum Lauren Kolson, ‘03, donated her hair who wish to help their peers are the largest in June of 2004. “I felt it was a good way contributors. Senior to help others in a small way,” Abby Green is Religion teacher Ms. Urra is a growing her hair for strong believer in helping others.

LOL and is planning She fulÞlled her desire to serve on cutting it by the community by donating her January. “Growing mane to LOL in October of 2004. up I knew some kids “A lot of what service is can be with cancer. I felt such a simple thing. Smiling at bad for them because someone or cutting your hair, it’s they didn’t have the little things that can end up hair,” said Green. making a big difference,” said Most donors Ms. Urra. choose to participate “I’ve always had long in the program Before her most recent hair. When I was a sophomore because of personal donation to LOL, Ms. in college my best friend and I ties they have with Urra’s hair was down to decided to do LOL,” said Ms. patients who suffer her waist.

U r r a . from permanent “Since hair loss. Ms. Pyzik then it’s donated ten inches of her hair to LOL in been about three January of 2004. years and my hair “I had two friends in college was long enough to that were diagnosed with cancer,” said do it again.”

Ms. Pyzik. “Knowing that they would After her eventually get wigs or chemotherapy, I just Þrst donation to wanted to do it.”

LOL, Ms. Urra After donating her hair Ms. Pyzik was upset to part said, “My head was a lot lighter and it made with her long hair. me feel good about myself knowing that I “[My friend and was able to help someone feel better about I] rode the Metro [his or herself].” back to school and The sense of responsibility to help we were consoling others through community service is a value each other,” said that is instilled in the student body. JC Ms. Urra. photo by Lauren Schnupp

Courtney Kurtz News co Editor

The

Patriot

However, the second time Ms. Urra donated her hair, the experience was not nearly as dramatic. She had peace of mind knowing that her hair would grow back, “but that’s not an option for the kids,” she said.

The hairpieces give sick children who otherwise feel alienated a chance for a normal childhood. “For kids, image is a lot more important than [for] someone my age.

Being able to feel like a normal child with an illness already is tough,” said Ms. Urra.

LOL is essentially an effortless way to make a huge difference in a child’s life. “It’s just a neat idea,” said Ms. Urra.

Ms. Pyzik feels the same way. “I deÞnitely want to do it again and I would deÞnitely recommend it to others,” she said.

November 2004

11

Entertainment Clockwise from top left: Chris Susio and McKenzie Walsh; Andrew O’Hara, Rachel Smoot, Eric Drinks, Caroline Clark, Kelly Navin, and Matthew Donhauser, Ryan DeVoe; Cast Finale; Stephen Douglas.

Photos compliments of Mrs. Brueggemann

“42nd Street” Auditions will be held as follows:

Tap Dance Lessons

Freshman and Sophomores on Tuesday, December 7 Juniors and Seniors on Wednesday, December 8 Please report at 3:00 sharp to the auditorium.

offered to students

For the Þrst time in JC history, tap dance lessons are being offered in preparation for the spring musical, 42nd Street. The free tap dance lessons are offered in the auditorium from 4-5 PM for two weeks, November 15-18 and November 29-December 2.

“The class is open to everyone-all levels of experience.

The purpose is to learn or brush up on the basics of tap,” said Mrs. Brueggemann and the reason for the tap lessons is that “this show can use as many tap dancers as we can get. I felt I should start teaching early, teaching the basics, to assist students with the audition process.”

Usually tap dance requires tap shoes; however, tap shoes are not required for the class. “Mrs. Brueggemann said, “Hard soled shoes are required at this point. Tap shoes can actually be a detriment if the dancer is not exactly accurate. However, some will deÞnitely need tap shoes for 42nd Street.”

Mrs. Brueggemann has a lot of experience with tap.

She said, “I have been tap dancing since the age of 7. I fell in love with it and have choreographed and performed tap in 42nd Street, Singin’ in the Rain, No, No, Nanette, and many other musicals throughout my life.”

On a Þnal note, Mrs. Brueggemann said, “I believe I would only continue the lessons if the upcoming musical requires tap dancing. However…I would love to offer a full tap dance program, beginner and advanced, if there was ever enough interest. Who knows…this may be the start of something new!”

No experience in singing, dancing, or acting, is necessary.

You may prepare a musical piece no longer than 16 bars for your vocal audition.

Please see Mrs. Lang or Mrs. Brueggemann with any questions.

November 2004

The

Patriot

Volume 40, Number 2

entertainment

12

Student starts online jewelry store My second bracelet was also a dangle bracelet and consisted of the blue topaz glass beads and some other beads. Surprisingly, this bracelet came out a lot better than Do you remember when you were little the Þrst. This is probably because I had betand you set up a lemonade stand? Well ter pliers this time and the correct supplies. instead of mixing some powdery stuff in I sold this bracelet to Mrs. Zurkowski. water and selling it for a buck a cup, I have Sarah had given me the web address to established my own jewelry business within an online bead store called Artbeads. This six months. In this time I have come to the website helped me a lot in my search for conclusion that starting a business is ex- materials. At Þrst my orders totaled at most tremely difÞcult, but worth the work. twenty-Þve dollars, but soon the total grew.

I had always liked to make jewelry, but I I’m sure my mom was happy about that never did it for a signiÞcant period of time. since she was paying for the stuff.

I mostly made hemp jewelry so I basically Of course I have to pay my mom back, did series of knots. but I really don’t see that happening soon My friend, Sarah, introduced me to a new because I am over one thousand dollars in kind of jewelry. I was hanging out at her the red. Which is the same as saying that house when she showed me some chande- I am one thousand dollars in debt and that lier earrings she had made. They were real- total just keeps growing. ly preppy, but I liked them anyway. I asked After seeing my total debt reach four huna bunch of questions about it and ended up dred dollars I decided that I needed to sell wanting to make something myself. the jewelry I made and maybe I could make It just so happened that I was going on some money off of it. vacation the following week with my mom, First, I deliberated for a few days on the sister, and brother-in-law. We were going name of my jewelry store and decided on El to stay in San Francisco for two days and Bello Al Amor. That lasted for like a week then drive to San Luis Obispo to visit my and then I realized it was so stupid because grandparents. Before I left Sarah found the no one would know what it meant and it readdress for a bead shop on Valencia Street in ally didn’t make sense (I just liked the look San Francisco called Beadissimo. of the words in the Script font on my Word After much begging, I Þnally convinced Perfect program). my mom to take me there. When we turned One day I was looking through an online onto Valencia Street, clipart gallery we turned into a when I found an ghetto. Everything Egyptian symbol was rundown and called “The Eye falling apart. It was of Horus.” It was strange because one kind of cool lookblock of the street ing so I decided was actually decent to use it as my and luckily the bead company icon. store was on this So I brainstormed block. for a little while I went in and to come up with skimmed over the a name for my thousands of beads company relating in the store picking to Egypt. out pink, purple, and I came up with clear beads. I also Blue Nile Jewelry. bought some really However, when Earrings made from hand-blown glass overpriced sterling I searched the beads. silver chain. Howinternet for Blue ever, the store didn’t have the other stuff I Nile Jewelry, it was already taken. I was a needed. After the shopping we left for San little mad because I had thought of a really Luis Obispo. good name for my company and someone When we got to San Luis Obispo, I went else had already taken the name. to a store to buy pliers and other things I So I thought about it for awhile and deneeded to make the bracelet. I used the cided to change it to White Nile Jewelry, beads to make a dangle bracelet, which and luckily this title wasn’t already taken. turned out okay considering it was the Þrst I was so excited about this accomplishment thing I ever made. that I made business cards.

What I didn’t know was that the beads Now all I had to do was Þnd a way were extremely overpriced and worth no- to sell my jewelry. My mom suggestwhere near what I paid for them. This was ed that I get a space at a craft show. my Þrst mistake in the business: buying I looked for craft shows for days, supplies that were too expensive. Consid- but could not Þnd any. Finally, one ering it cost me twenty dollars to make the day I looked in the Aegis and found bracelet and it didn’t even look professional an ad for a Flea Market and Craft so selling it was out of the question. I still Show in Jarrettsville. I sent in an have the thing. I don’t even wear it, prob- application for a space. For weeks ably because it’s so ugly compared to my I prepared for the show by making later creations. pyramids which I painted blue and Anyway, we Þnally left California which gold to drape the jewelry over. was good since my grandparents were I must’ve spent ten hours total starting to get on my nerves. When I got on the display and I only sold two home Sarah told me about a bead show in pieces of jewelry. The problem: ßea Baltimore coming up and we decided to go markets and craft shows do not mix. together.

Everyone wanted to buy cheap junk.

The show was awesome. I had never So basically the “craft show” was a seen so many beads in one place. Some of failure. That was the second lesson it was deÞnitely overpriced, but I found a I learned: don’t try to sell craft where strand of blue topaz glass beads for a really there are ßeas. good price and decided to buy them. I have I tried to Þnd another craft show, made many pieces with these beads. but there really aren’t any that don’t photo by Sandy Wienholt

Volume 40, Number 2

The

photo by Sandy Wienholt

Sandy Wienholt Entertainment co Editor

A bracelet that was designed and crafted by Sandy. There are pink flowers painted on black cubes and pink bell shaped flower beads. cost quite a bit of money to rent a space. So I came up with the idea of having an internet website.

After looking at several web hosts, I decided to use Yahoo!, which cost me forty dollars per month for the web domain and store manager. However, they failed to mention that I would have to get a Merchant Account in order to take credit cards. I was really upset that it was going to cost me twenty more dollars a month for the website.

My dad helped me decide on what to do by saying, “just try it and see what happens.” I really didn’t want to spend that much money per month because I didn’t really know if I was going to actually sell anything, but I listened to him and applied for the merchant account.

This was a dilemma because I am a minor and so I had to apply in my mom’s name.

However, I also put my name as a partner.

This caused a bunch of problems and I ended up having to reapply, but I just used my dad’s name alone.

Finally, I got the merchant account and I started to work on my website. I picked out the background and put my symbol on the pages. It looked pretty good so I decided to start putting my products on the page.

I must’ve called the Yahoo! help line Þfty times in one week. They probably knew me

Patriot

by name. In the end, I am an expert when it comes to website making. I had made my website and was ready to publish it.

I clicked on the publish button and about Þve minutes later I was typing in my web address. My website was actually on the internet. It was pretty awesome and I was so excited about starting my own business that I emailed everyone on my email list about my new website.

One of those people was Mr. Torres, my cross country coach. He forwarded the email to all of the teachers at JC. Within days he was telling me about teachers wanting to look at my stuff. I was excited and thought that my business was actually going to make money.

I went to the teachers and sold many pieces. However, my business slowed down after that and I was very disappointed.

It should have been very exciting to get my Þrst online order, but my sister was the Þrst to order from me. Therefore, it wasn’t as exciting as it would have been.

All in all, it was very difÞcult to start my own business, but I feel like I have succeeded. Making the jewelry is difÞcult and sometimes painful because of the constant squeezing of rubber handled pliers. My hands are usually raw and that’s extremely annoying, but that’s just what hard work is all about.

November 2004

13

entertainment

Artist’s final album leaves listeners incomplete Lindsay Nicolucci Features co Editor All artists, musicians or otherwise, hope to end their careers with a strong, solid effort: something memorable to wrap of a lifetime of work. Unfortunately, Elliott Smith did not have the chance to see that his Þnal work would positively end his legacy.

After 8 full solo albums and over 10 years of experience in the industry, Elliott Smith’s career ended abruptly in late 2003 with his much-speculated suicide. He never got much acclaim for his Þrst effort in the band Heatmiser, but eventually made a name for himself as a singer/songwriter.

Known for his simple production style and soft, quiet, folk-based music, Smith found his “big break” when he contributed 6 tracks to the Good Will Hunting soundtrack. The only new track, “Miss Misery,” garnered Smith an Oscar nod for Best Song.

The tracks Smith was producing prior to his death were compiled into one Þnal 14-track LP. The album was named From a

Basement on a Hill. Overall, the album is a good listen, but the Þnality is disappointing.

The lack of ßow gets annoying, as the track placing seems incredibly erratic. The quiet calming quality of the songs is derailed by the poorly placed energetic songs. The tone of the album is sad, with no real catharsis.

Even the song titles are ironically depressing, with tracks such as “A Fond Farewell” and “A Passing Feeling.”

Not only is the track order awkward, but the new production style Smith implements for this album seems too orchestrated. His trademark is a raw, natural style, and the overproduction of Basement feels insincere. Perhaps he felt it right to change styles and send his career in a new direction, but we will never know where he intended to take it.

This album becomes a necessity if only for the nostalgia. It is an enjoyable album, so long as it’s not compared to greater previous albums, such as Either/Or and Roman Candle. It is obviously not Smith’s best work, but it is his Þnal work.

Upcoming Releases November 23, 2004

November 30, 2004

Evanescence-Anywhere but Home

Dashboard Confessional-Vindicated

Lydia Lunch-Smoke in the Shadows

The Exies-Head for the Door

Nirvana-With the Lights Out (box set)

Jay-Z and Linkin ParkCollision Course

Gwen Stefani-Love, Angel, Music, Baby

Placebo-Once More with Feeling: Singles 1996-2004

U2-How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb

Dee Dee Ramone-Hop Around

Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie seen locally On Thursday November 11 hotel heiress Paris Hilton and singer Lionel Richie’s daughter Nicole Richie arrived in Harford County. They were later seen at the Harford Mall, where they went to Hot Topic and Regis Salon. The duo were staying with a family in Fallston while filming the third season of their reality show “The Simple Life.” The third season is being filmed on the East Coast.

Wintertime indoor golf lessons available at the Forest Hill Sports Complex with newJohn Carroll golf coach Serge Hogg.

It’s a great Christmas gift for Dads to keep their game sharp.

Call 410-893-7564 November 2004

The

Patriot

Volume 40, Number 2

14

Sports

Boys’ Varsity Volleyball uses leadership, goes to finals overall record of 13 – 3 and placed second in the A-conference. The team featured a couple ßashy players, an exciting offensive attack and a great blocking scheme.

“The major strength of our team is the setting and the middle hitting,” said Coach Simon.

At the beginning of the season, the team had enough talent to overcome mental lapses and early problems with hitting.

Simon feared that the team might struggle a bit this year in certain key aspects of the game. Therefore, the goals were set lower then in years past.

“The goal at the beginning of the season was to have a winning record, but that changed when the hitting got better,” said Simon. After the team’s steady improvement, the site was set on another MIAA title.

“We will accept nothing less than another championship,” said Hetzel who played on last year’s championship squad.

The team had plenty of ßash this year,

photo by Lauren Schnupp

Walk into the gym, and the fast paced beat of Linkin Park’s “In the End” blasts from the speakers. Students bang out the tune on the drums as the Boys’ Varsity volleyball team warms up in preparation for a crucial semi-Þnal matchup against Gilman. Sporting their board shorts and gold uniforms, this year’s team has a different personality and a new appeal.

Led by longtime volleyball guru Herb Simon, the volleyball program has always produced competitive teams and tremendous success. As has been the case in years past, the team put together another solid season highlighted by a big win over Gilman and a birth in the MIAA A-Conference Championship Game.

“The teams are so close in talent. All they have is good teams in the A-conference,” said coach Herb Simon. “We’ve had lots of big games this year and lots of tough games.”

Unfortunately for the talented squad, the team could not Þnd a way to beat their nemesis, the Loyola Dons. In an otherwise outstanding performance, the season ended with another loss to Loyola in the championship game, ending Members of the Varsity boys’ volleyball team get set on defense their chances of during theirplayoff win over Gilman. The Patriots advanced to the finals, but unfortunately lost to Loyola. a three-peat.

“I guess [Loyola] just had but the key may have been the gritty setter our number this year,” said senior captain Hetzel who all season gave his hitters a and setter Larry Hetzel. “We’re deÞnitely chance to make spectacular plays. better than them, but our mistakes against “Our hitters are all very good and that them cost us the games.” is a result of our great setting,” said Simon.

The losses to Loyola put a damper on “Larry has been a great captain and a great a season in which the team Þnished with an setter,” he continued.

With a team full of laid back personali- of opportunities to hit as well. Junior Zack ties, Hetzel led with his mouth and his play Sulewski, freshman Tim Krajewski, junior on the ßoor. He is an emotional leader who Sean Adams, and sophomore John Fritz has played through an ankle injury for most rounded out the squad and added to the of the season. Hetzel’s tough, never-say-die team’s depth.

Maybe the attitude gave most glaring the team reweakness on the siliency and a team was the desire to win. passing.

“I’m disSenior appointed in our captain Anpassing. I don’t drew Cranford know why we’re provided ßare not consistent and the domibecause we work nant presence so hard at it,” said needed as a Simon.

The lack of middle hitter. passing deÞ nitely Despite his showed through laid back perin all 3 losses to sonality and Loyola as the team lack of emobroke down on the tion, Cranford has provided A member of the boys’ Varsity volleyball team receiving end of strong leader- slams the floor in frustration after a mistake in the ball.

Junior Julian ship through a heated playoff match against Gilman.

Maliszewski was example. He used primarily for his passing and he did a has the ability to take over games with his solid job all season.

However, the rest of the hard spikes and his superb blocking ability.

“We have a solid defense overall and team was shaky. There were moments when that is thanks to the blocking of Andrew the entire team did an amazing job getting Cranford and [sophomore] Ryan Horka,” the ball to Hetzel, and those were the games said junior player Sean Adams. Horka re- the team dominated and looked unbeatable. ceived signiÞcant playing time as a sopho- However, this year, too many free points more on varsity and was used mainly for his were given away due to bad passes off of a serve according to Simon and many of the ability to play well at the net and block.

Another weapon the team used on the players.

“If they [the team] come out ßat, they’re offensive end was senior outside hitter Dan not going to do well, but if they pull together Hinder. Hinder complemented Cranford and keep their heads in the game, they’re a nicely with his ability to provide the team great team,” said Simon. with another dependable force. His tall, The team can best be deÞned by their lanky frame was deceiving as he often oversemi-Þ nal victory over Gilman. After fallpowered opposing players with his spikes ing behind and losing the Þrst two games and his blocking at the net. in the match, the team refused to go down Senior hitter Mike Roche and junior without a Þ ght.

Through the different leaderhitter Zack Hagerman have progressed ship styles of Hetzel and Cranford, the team nicely this season with Roche becoming yet gutted out 3 straight emotional victories to another dominant hitter that Hetzel could set for. Juniors Josh Becker, Nick Miller come back and win the match leaving Giland Pat Gauthier received signiÞcant min- man devastated. The game, like the season, utes and were used mainly in rotation for was an intense emotional roller coaster featheir defense. They did get a fair number turing ßash, failure, dominance, and grit. photo by Lauren Schnupp

Dave Lomonico Sports co Editor

Field hockey makes season successful through teamwork Trista Sturdivant Staff Writer

During summer tryouts and practices the Varsity Þeld hockey team set many goals for the season. The two main goals were to win the B conference championship and to just have fun. Since there were twelve seniors on the team they wanted to make their last season memorable.

When the team heard about the 16-yrold Þeld hockey player that suffered a massive heart attack during her team’s practice, they came together and organized a bake sale to raise money for her treatment. The team sold items including cake, cookies, and brownies every day in the cafeteria. In the end, the JV and Varsity teams combined raise over Þve hundred dollars towards her recovery.

Senior captains Michelle Boniface, Anna Scholl, and Anne Hinder along with key players Julia Apicella, Jaimie Barlow, and Jill Neville led the team to several important victories. One of these victories

Volume 40, Number 2

included an early scrimmage defeat over local rival C. Milton Wright.

At the beginning of the season, the team started out with a lot of new, raw talent. They used their speed and athleticism to improve their skills and strategies. This helped them in games and to come together as a team.

A lot of coaches have their teams simply practice and then play games. But this year the season was much more, they will never forget the time and experiences they had with each other.

For example, the team will never forget building a raft and hiding from the coaches.

A lot of other coaches would never consider letting their team do something like that, because that couldn’t possibly help them win games.

There’s more to a season than winning a championship, it’s how the time from cuts to the end of the season was spent, and that wasn’t the only objective.

To players and captains this season was memorable and not to be forgotten. Many outsiders consider a successful or failing

The

season based on their record, but this year’ Þeld hockey team has proven that wrong.

Throughout the season the team was always in shape, and always working hard, they just got caught in a scoring slump and it was difÞcult overcoming that. The team and the coaches both enjoyed the season, they may not have won as much as they wanted, but the season was still a success.

There were a lot of players that play very well, and each player was able to take her own individual talent, and help use it to work as a team.

Captain Michelle Boniface considered this season the best out of her four years here. Even though they did not win as much as in past years, they still played as a team and most importantly, they all had fun.

“We evolved into a very close group of girls, and we all feel like

Patriot

we’re sisters,” said Boniface.

November 2004

15 Girls Varsity Volleyball caps off winning season

SPORTS

On a team that featured only 3 seniors and only went 10 players deep, the girls’ varsity volleyball team put together a nice run to make it to the semiÞnals this season.

Their coach, Mr. Cullison, knew that there would be tribulations with his young team, but his hope was to make steady progress through the year and eventually prepare the team to make a championship run.

“Our goal was to be peeking and playing our best volleyball by the time that we reached the playoffs,” said Cullison.

Maybe the greatest strength of this team was their togetherness and teamwork on the ßoor. The team was led by senior captains Eva Budzynski and Gretchen Vogel, senior Becky Reed, and juniors Nicole Deutsch and Virginia Tilghman. However, there were no star players per se on this squad.

“We don’t have that outstanding player.

We have 6 or 8 strong players each with their deÞned roles,” said Cullison.

Despite losing 7 seniors from last year’s squad, including All-Metro player Kayani Turner, the team’s bench players from last season were able to step up and play well.

Juniors Caitlin Grotke, Natalie Vielkind, Bethany Williams, and Brianna McNamara along with sophomore Catherine Subrizi Þlled out the squad and complemented the other players with their various skills in passing and hitting.

The team credits their coach for getting the youth to come together and preparing them to play their best volleyball possible.

“Our coach pushed us to always achieve at the highest level, helping us build

conÞdence in ourselves,” said Budzynski. McDonough Eagles, where they knew they with not much time left in the match. Junior It was truly an incredible feat to bring so would have to play a mentally sound game GinnyTilghman scored to even the score to many newcomers and veterans together.

14-14. Senior Becky Reed At times this year, the team looked as then had 2 good serves to if they were the best team in the A-Conferbumo the Patriots to a win, ence, beating foes such as St. Mary’s and 16-14.

JC then advanced to the McDonough by playing good, solid volsemi-Þnals to play Mount leyball.

De Sales. The youth and The team relied on the fundamentals, inexperience of the team trying to keep their mistakes to a miniwas exploited by the strong mum.

Mount De Sales squad who When they were at their best, they had Þnished second in the forced the opposition to make mistakes conference in the regular while they simply served well and played season. This loss ended the good defense.

Patriots unexpected run to “We’re not a razzle-dazzle type team,” the Þnals. said Cullison. “We rely on fundamentals “We made it to the and skills, not emotional Þx.” semiÞnals, but lost to Mount As expected, however, this team could De Sales in Þve games,” be great one night and be rather inconsaid senior Eva Budzynsistent the next. After starting the season ski. “It was a heartbreaking with 9 solid victories as opposed to only 3 lost, but we had a great win losses, the team was playing well together against McDonough the day and limited their mental lapses on the ßoor. before.”

Cullison knew that at any time, the inconThis team could either sistency and youth could show through. succeed or fail based on Unfortunately, right before the playtheir ability to play together. offs, the team went into a tailspin where it For most of the season, the lost 4 straight games to the likes of Mount team played extremely well, de Sales, St. Vincent Pallotti, St. Paul’s, and especially considering all IND. of the talent and leadership A crucial win over St. Mary’s in the they lost due to the talented last game of the regular season got the team back on track and prepared for the playoffs. class of seniors from last “They worked hard and we had faith,” said Senior Eva Budzynski hits the ball during the IAAM year’s squad.

Cullison. “We picked it up a notch again at Quaterfinals against McDonogh. The Patriots won the “We’re a family. We match 16-14. the end of the season.” have great camaraderie, lots Riding the win over St. Mary’s, the to win and have a shot at the Championship. of team spirit, and we form a great bond,” team handily defeated St. John’s Prospect In a nail biting contest, the Patriots said Cullison. “We accomplished what we Hall in the Þrst round of the playoffs. This edged out the Eagles to advance to the wanted to this year and played better than set them in the second round against the semiÞnals. The Patriots were down 13-14 most expected us to.” photo by Mr. Carl Deutsch

Dave Lomonico Sports co Editor

Varsity Football shows hope, moments of brilliance Rose DiPaula Sports co Editor

of the half. But the Cavaliers were certainly not going to be left in the dust. They, too, scored twice in the Þrst half. At halftime, the score was JC 14, Spalding 12.

As the night wore on, the Spalding students and crowd seemed to get louder and rowdier. Cheers and jeers toward JC parents, players, cheerleaders, and coaches got louder and obnoxious.

Spalding was the Þrst to score in the second half, making the score 19-14. The

photo by Shannon Lhotsky

In the most recent issue of The Patriot, the Varsity football team was deemed “inconsistent.” After the completion of the season, perhaps a better word would be “unpredictable.” At the time of print, the team was struggling. They possessed 3-4 record, with three possible wins left in the season.

However, the team was able to pull two consecutive wins from Spalding and Friends in the remaining three weeks of the season.

The most exciting moment of this year’s season was not the battle against Pallotti for a share in the MIAA C - Conference crown or the win over Lutheran on Homecoming. What was perhaps the deÞning moment of the season was an electrifying game against the Spalding Cavaliers.

The Patriots went into Spalding with their 3-4 record hoping to A strong Patriots defense stops the Friends’ Quakeven their record with a ers. The Patriots defeated the Quakers to keep their win. playoff dreams alive.

Both teams came prepared for a tough game. This was the Patri- Patriots’ chances at this point looked dim, ots’ chance to redeem themselves and it was and the struggles of the team looked certain Spalding’s Homecoming game. The elec- to continue. tricity in the Spalding crowd seemed to take With two minutes left in the game, the over the entire stadium as they drowned out Patriots were driving down the Þeld, hoping the JC fans attending the game. to get one last touchdown to take the lead.

JC was the Þrst to score with a touch- The clock was ticking away as the team down, making the score 7-0 and the Patriots went into their hurry up offense. Spalding went on to score once more before the end students and fans gathered around the edge

November 2004

The

of the Þeld, ready to storm the Þeld in a victory celebration.

On the last play of the game, JC stunned the Spalding crowd. With 3.3 seconds left, junior quarterback Bryan Wolfe faked to senior running back Dane Frank and ran in a 5-yd touchdown on fourth-andgoal to claim the Patriot’s victory, 20-19 to end a 13-play 69-yd drive.

“It was a bootleg and I faked to Dane Frank. We thought they would be keying on him, and I faked it and came around and saw the end zone. It was one of the greatest thrills of my life,” said Wolfe after the game.

The Cavs were devastated. Their team had lost not only their Homecoming game, but also their last home game of the season and their shot at winning a share of the conference title.

“Somebody told them to schedule us for their Homecoming game when they haven’t beaten us in 10 years. Someone told them wrong,” said senior captain, Anthony Tapp, “They didn’t know… now they do.”

The Patriot fans were ecstatic. They rushed the Þeld, ready to congratulate the triumphant victors. As some said afterwards, it was quite possibly one of the most exciting wins in JC football history.

The team went on to earn an expected win over Friends School, and then had to face the mighty St. Vincent Pallotti Panthers. The Panthers were ranked number 10 in the metro area and were undefeated in the C-Conference. If the Patriots defeated the Panthers, there would be a three-way tie for the conference crown between Pallotti, JC, and Boys Latin. All three would

Patriot

then have one conference loss. The game was hyped up so much that it was named one of the top ten games of the week in The Baltimore Sun. The Panthers were the Þrst to score, making the score 7-0. Although the Patriots never held the lead, they never stopped battling.

Within the last minute of the game, the Patriots scored for the last time, bringing them to within six points, 32-38. However, Pallotti had clinched the title.

As the clock wound down, the Patriots slowly walked off the Þeld as Pallotti celebrated. The Patriots had ended their season 5-5.

“It was really sad because it was the last time we were all playing together,” said Tapp.

Another year of JC football has ended.

A year full of injuries, last-second surprises and youth having stepping up to the plate.

In a word, this season was unpredictable.

NOTE: Spalding defeated Pallotti in the last game of the season. The title is now shared between Boys Latin and Pallotti, who each had one confercne loss in the season.

Volume 40, Number 2

16

SPORTS

Varsity Girls soccer team acheives perfection Perfection: a goal left unachieved and out of reach for so many teams. It is almost impossible to attain. In order to achieve this goal, every member of a team must be ßawless in everything he or she does. The entire team must be solely dedicated to this one goal, and almost nothing else. Every member must give everything he or she can possibly give. Every ounce of energy must be dedicated to the team, nevermind the amount of talent perfection requires.

Last season, the Patriots girls soccer team was just shy of perfection. After a great season, the team heartbreakingly lost in the Þnals.

In the Þnal four seconds of double overtime in the IAAM Championship soccer game, NDP scored a goal to edge the Patriot, 5-4. This year, the Patriots swept the IND Indians in the IAAM Championship game 3-0, completing a perfect 21-0 season.

In contrast to last year’s cries of anguish and heartbreak, the team screamed in celebration at the conclusion of the championship game at Mount Washington Þeld

hopes. The team became the Þrst JC team, in any sport, to go undefeated for an entire season; an especially tough achievement in the extremely competitive IAAM-A Conference.

This achievement for the JC girls soccer program, which has almost always been an incredibly strong contender, is quite possibly one of the sweetest in its history.

“The girls set this goal in August,” remarked head coach Gary Lynch, “and it was our goal each and every game. This time we did it.”

The Patriots came charging into their championship game, and were not about to let it slip away this year. Nineteen minutes into the game, freshman Allyson Carey scored the Þrst goal, giving the Patriots the lead.

Throughout the Þrst half, the Patriots remained organized in Senior captain Ashley Myers takes over a defender. their defensive end, anchored by She was one of the keys to the Patriots’ success. sophomore Jess Hnaituk, senior captain Rachel Layer, and seon November 7. The decisive win over IND fulÞlled the team’s season dreams and nior goalie Ange Gaeta. The team’s strong photo by Lauren Schnupp

Delia Pais Staff Writer

defensive gave the offense a chance to be active and take risks. Senior captain Ashley Myers capitalized on the defense’s strong play to score the team’s second goal as the half drew near.

Jamie Zimmerman, Raven’s Player of the Week and All-Metro MidÞelder, controlled the midÞeld, making the team’s transition game smooth.

“We kept thinking, four seconds. We weren’t going to lose again,” commented Zimmerman The Patriots has to Þght for every win every time they walked onto the Þeld. The IAAM-A Conference is one of the most competitive in the area. Each game, the team had to work hard to win.

“It’s going to be especially hard to win, when every team in the league is coming after you,” said Athletic Director Larry Dukes earlier in the season This season, the Patriots had key wins over rivals NDP and McDonogh, whom they defeated in the semiÞnals.

Completing one the most memorable seasons in JC history, the girls’ soccer team took the MIAA title, and danced their way into school history with the Þrst perfect season record. As Coach Gary Lynch said, “The girls will never forget this.” No one will.

ACC stacked with stellar skill for ‘04 - ‘05 season Dave Lomonico and Rose DiPaula Sports co Editors The ACC has consistently put together the strongest teams in the country with their expert coaching, their talented players, and their recruiting. Despite the addition of two weak basketball schools to the conference, the ACC still has the Þre power to put together exciting, hard fought basketball.

The Wake Forest Demon Deacons may be the best team in the country this season thanks to the talented squad coach Skip Prosser put together this season. They are the strongest team in the ACC, returning all Þve starters from last season. Led by sophomore Chris Paul, Wake features one of the most dynamic and deadly backcourts in the country. Paul, along with junior shooting guard Justin Gray, and senior guard Taron Downey will look to run the ßoor and wear their opponents down on defense. Senior Jamaal Levy and junior Eric Williams will start at forward and center respectively. Williams can be a force inside when he is not in foul trouble and both rebound well and take up room on the block. They also have one of the deepest benches in the country with sophomore forward Kyle Visser and senior forward Vytas Danelius who are good enough to start for most teams. Wake will Þnish Þrst in the ACC and may win the National Championship.

Like Wake, UNC returns every starter from last year’s underachieving squad. With one more year of experience, the talented team should put together a more consistent effort on offense and defense which could lead to another Final Four run for Coach Roy Williams. Junior point guard Raymond Felton is one of the quickest and most unselÞsh players in the country. His only weakness is his shooting where he must improve for the Tar Heels to Þnish near the top of the talented ACC. Senior Melvin Scott is an amazing three point shooter and junior forward Rashad McCants is one the most dynamic players in the country with his ability to play inside and outside. Junior center Sean May is a force inside and senior power forward Jawad Williams has done a serviceable job. UNC will Þnish second in the ACC this season.

Volume 40, Number 2

Last year’s surprising Final Four contender, Georgia Tech, will return as a strong competitor. The Jackets appear to have more depth, better recruits, and more leadership than last year’s team. The most challenging goal for the Jackets this year will be to maintain their success from last year. With the loss of guard Marvin Lewis, the Jackets will need to Þnd someone to lead the team as well as he did. Junior point guard Jarrett Jack, senior shooting guard B.J. Elder, senior forward Anthony McHenry, senior power forward Isma’il Muhammad, senior center Luke Schenscher form a talented and veteran squad that could once again challenge for an ACC or NCAA title.

The Duke Blue Devils, traditionally the best team in the ACC, have taken a slight hit this season with the losses of Luol Deng and Chris Duhon. Duke has many questions going into this season with their depth and leadership lacking. Their frontcourt has shown little consistency with Shavlik Randolph and Shelden Williams.

However, Duke does have the best coach in the country in Mike Krzyzewski and a solid backcourt with J.J Redick, Daniel Ewing, and Sean Dockery. Dockery will handle the point and Ewing is an explosive offensive player. Redick is one of the best shooters in the country. If Duke’s inside players can step up, Duke could once again dominate the ACC. Most likely, however, they will Þnish fourth.

The Maryland Terrapins, led by Coach Gary Williams, have four returning starters from last year’s squad that surprisingly won the ACC tournament. Junior guards John Gilchrist and Cris McCray should only get better this season. McCray did an amazing job on defense last year, but he must improve his three point shooting. Gilchrist showed at the end of last year that he could be a leader and he will be the ßoor general this season at point guard. Junior Nik Caner-Medley, sophomore Ekene Ibekwe, and junior Travis Garrison form the frontcourt.

Garrison and Ibekwe must prove that they can rebound and score inside for this team to be successful. The keys for the Terps this year will be the suffocating defense and their depth. Sophomores D.J. Strawberry, Mike

The

Jones, freshmen James Gist, and sophomore Hassan Fofana should all receive signiÞcant minutes off the bench.

The NC State Wolfpack will return their best player this season: senior guard/ forward Julius Hodge. Hodge will lead a strong backcourt with size and versatility that could cause problems for many teams.

Junior Ilian Evtimov and freshmen Cedric Simmons will play on the post and should dominate teams defensively. Evtimov has the talent and versatility to score a basket in the post as well as step outside and hit a three-pointer. NC State’s backcourt consists of junior point guard Tony Bethel and sophomore shooting guard Engin Atsur. Atsur performed well as a freshmen last season and has improved his game tremendously.

Seniors Levi Watkins and Jordan Collins should contribute off the bench, giving NC State even more presence inside. State has the ability to challenge for a Conference title, but with the stiff competition they face, they will Þnish 6th.

Under Coach Leonard Hamilton, the Florida State Seminoles won 19 games last year. Though they lost Tim Pickett, they return senior forward Michael Joiner and point guard Nate Johnson. Florida State had one of the best recruiting classes in the country last season due to Diego Romero from Argentina. Romero, who was ruled ineligible last season, may be one of the best inside players in the ACC this season. He will play in the post with sophomore Alexander Johnson who must improve his scoring to take the pressure off Romero. Senior Adam Waleskowski, sophomore Al Thorton, and highly touted freshmen Jerome Habel give the Seminoles depth inside. Sophomore Von Wafer was a great player last season and his three point shot looks even better this year.

Senior Anthony Richardson and junior Andrew Wilson will rotate into the lineup and give FSU more presence inside. FSU’s biggest obstacle will be the inexperience, and in the rough ACC the more experienced teams could exploit them. FSU will Þnish 7th this season.

Virginia is another program that will fold under the strength of the upper echelon ACC schools. Coach Pete Gillen has put together a young and talented squad that

Patriot

would ßourish in any other conference besides the ACC where they will be out muscled and outplayed. Three top-tier freshmen will start this year for UVA including point guard Sean Singletary, forward Adrian Joseph, and center Dunge Arroyo. Senior forward Devin Smith is the leader of the team and their best player. UVA lost senior Todd Billet and sophomore Derrick Byars and will struggle to replace them. UVA will Þnish 8th in the ACC this season.

Second year coach Oliver Purnell was brought to Clemson to improve the weak basketball program. However, it will take years of strong recruiting classes to compete in the ACC. This year’s class of freshmen is a step in the right direction. Freshmen Troy Mathis will be expected to contribute at point guard along with sophomore Vernon Hamilton and Shawan Robinson. Freshmen guard Cliff Hammonds and swingman Cheyenne Moore will be expected to step in and produce on the Clemson offensive attack. Senior forward Sharron Ford will be the leader of the team and Akin Akingbala, Steve Allen, and Olu Babalola will be expected to carry the load for the Tigers inside.

Virginia Tech will not compete this season. After coming over from the Big East, Tech does not have the talent or the athleticism to compete in the stronger ACC. Tech does not shoot well, though they do have two big guards in their backcourt in senior Carlos Dixon, junior Markus Sailes, and freshmen Deron Washington. The frontcourt, led by Coleman Collins, is awful and they will struggle to score inside and getting rebounds. Tech will Þnish 10th this year.

Miami, like Virginia Tech, will do nothing in the ACC this season. They have two solid guards in junior Robert Hite and sophomore Guillermo Diaz. Sophomore Anthony Harris will play point and freshmen Raymond Hicks and senior Will Frisby will man the frontcourt. Sophomore Anthony King and junior Gary Hamilton will also contribute inside for Miami. Despite the lack of experience and talent, Coach Frank Haith still believes his team can compete.

Haith is too optimistic and with the lack of talent, Miami will Þnish last in the ACC this season.

November 2004