The Patriot October 2012, Issue 1, Vol 48

the

www.jcpatriot.com Issue 1, Volume 48

October 2012

Photo courtesy of Facilities Department

(Above) An artistic rendering shows new turf fields and other additions to the campus. The first phase of the Master Plan has a pricetag of about $14 million. (Below) The new bathrooms are part of the welcoming atmosphere JC is striving for. They cost the school approximately $352,000 and were partially funded by an anonymous donor.

$47 MILLION PLAN BEGINS WITH BATHROOMS Emily Clarke, Martha Schick

Print Chief, Multimedia Chief As students use the new bathrooms in the foyer, the price of that toilet is the furthest thought from their minds. However, those toilets, sinks, televisions, mirrors, and other improvements cost $350,000. They are part of a plan that is ultimately projected to cost $47 million.

According to President Richard O’Hara, the Master Facilities Plan, designed in 2008, is estimated to cost $47 million and be completed in 12 to 15 years. So far 43 donations have been made, adding up to approximately $1,550,890. Since 2008, no projects were completed until the recently renovated bathrooms.

The time since 2008 has been spent planning, fundraising, designing, obtaining permits, and receiving permission from the Archdiocese. O’Hara refers to this phase of the plan as “the quiet phase.”

The $350,000 bathrooms were the first project of Phase One, which will cost approximately $14 million. Phase One includes renovating the bathrooms, expanding the entry way for a third lane of traffic, renovating the academic wing, installing air conditioning in the auditorium and cafeteria, getting turf and lights on the main field, and renovating the locker rooms.

Photo by Martha Schick

According to O’Hara, the first phase is “hoped to be completed in the next five years.”

The bathrooms were selected as the first project, according to O’Hara, because they were identified in January 2012 as an accessible goal. By January, an anonymous alumni donor offered to help fund the project.

“I like the new bathrooms. I use them a lot more, but I don’t think they were needed. Just put the money into athletics,” senior Austin Markely said.

Next on the agenda, according to O’Hara, is most likely adding air conditioning to the auditorium because it is “something we could handle financially and logistically.”

“It doesn’t take long to complete and we have some potential sources of funding... $500,000 is

N ew s 3

“Respect Life Club raises awareness” covers the Ribbon Day event and informs students about what each ribbon color represents.

not chicken feed, but neither is $6 million,” O’Hara said.

O’Hara says that the “highest priority” of Phase One is the renovation of the academic wing.

“To some degree, we are doing great things here educationally in spite of our facility and not because of it,” O’Hara said.

The academic wing can’t be the next renovation because the approximately six million dollars needed is not raised yet. The schematic design alone will cost $250,000.

“I think for those coming in that are now freshmen and sophomores may well see another project or two during their time here… I think it’s feasible that in the next couple years that you would see the air conditioning and [driveway],” O’Hara said.

“I feel like the bathrooms were

In-D epth 8-9

The Patriot explores school spirit in “Getting in the Spirit“ by taking a look at past and current traditions including Powder Puff.

fine, but it’s not like we hang out in there. I wish they had redone the cafeteria first,” freshman Anna Martin said.

Beyond Phase One, the Master Facilities Plan aims to create a new stadium, new chapel, new cafeteria, new band and chorus rooms, a new academic learning center to house the library, potentially add a new academic wing on top of the fine arts wing, and expand the auditorium.

The plan also discusses the reconfiguration of pieces of the campus overall, such as parking inside the oval, a new walkway to the new stadium, a roundabout with statue of Archbishop John Carroll in the center, an alumni gathering area, and a grotto, which can hold wedding ceremonies, by the ponds.

O’Hara says the past few

Opi ni on 13

In “Advisory leaves room for improvement,” Bryan Doherty suggests changes to enhance advisory.

years have been a lot of “working through our list [of potential donors] and setting up meetings with people,” ideally 10 a week.

Principal Madelyn Ball believes the completion of the bathrooms will make a big difference in donations.

“It’s hard to get money from people if they don’t see that you’re investing in yourself. It’s like saying that we don’t believe enough in ourselves,” Ball said.

As for getting the needed donations from alumni, O’Hara doesn’t think it will be a problem, saying “If you believe in the mission of the school and the fact that you want to see JC be around in the next 5, 10, 15, 50 years this is what needs to happen to support it, otherwise we aren’t going to be able to compete. We have to move forward.”

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

news 2

thepatriot October 2012

Respect Life Club hosts Ribbon Day Rebecca Driver Copy Editor

INSIDER Juniors fundraise at Looney’s Pub Sydney Setree Managing Editor

Photo by Sydney Setree

get behind as a whole.”

“We want to expand and make [the club] a thing that everyone can be a part of,” Greig said. The club currently has 23 members, but is always looking for more.

Greig believes that the ribbon day “went well and was a success.” She was surprised at the number of students approaching the table and asking for informa-

tion about the topics the club presented.

“I watched them make decisions on how they felt about the issue and that was our goal, to get people to actually think about what’s going on, instead of just picking up the ribbons and making bracelets,” Greig said.

Senior Megan Rink was one of the many students who participat-

EATING DISORDER FEBRUARY

SUICIDE MARCH

HUMAN TRAFFICKING NOVEMBER

ABORTION JANUARY

EUTHANASIA UNDECIDED

Starting Oct. 5, the Respect Life Club will honor a different cause each month by raising awareness with different colored ribbons. Junior Jessica Clingerman (right), member of the Respect Life Club, ties ribbons on Social Studies Department Chair teacher Jake Hollin’s (left) wrist.

GENOCIDE APRIL

The Respect Life Club hosted a ribbon day on Oct. 5 to raise awareness for the issues that the club will be tackling this year.

The club spreads its message by focusing on modern issues where human dignity is not respected. This year, it will be concentrating on euthanasia, human trafficking, genocide, abortion, eating disorders, self-injury, and suicide.

The Respect Life Club aims to “let people know why certain things are morally wrong,” according to President junior Megan Greig. Their mission statement says that “everyone is created by God and that we all have a life of dignity from conception to natural death.”

On the ribbon day, the club set up a table in the main hallway and displayed six different ribbon colors, one per issue. Students were able to choose ribbons that signified issues that concerned them and wear them, usually as bracelets, for the rest of the day.

The club’s six-member leadership team was on hand to answer any questions.

Greig hoped that the ribbon day would “popularize the club and get people to understand that we do cover other issues [besides abortion].” She believes that these other issues are “less of a hot topic [than abortion],” and are thus more likely to be causes that “everyone can join together and

ed in the ribbon day.

“I got [the ribbons for] human trafficking and eating disorders . . . I would have also gotten a suicide one, but they ran out,” Rink said. When the table closed, the club had no ribbons left over except those for euthanasia.

Rink was pleased by the Respect Life Club. “It’s more than what you think.”

STEM night engages prospective students Caitlin Wolfarth News Editor Ten middle school students watch in amazement as unknown substances bubble and ooze onto the lab table. This is just one of the various activities middle school students experienced at STEM Night and Beyond hosted at JC on Oct. 9.

The students participated in various experiments within the fields of chemistry, physics, biology and engineering.

One example of an experiment was “Canister rockets.”

Students placed Alka seltzer tablets in a film canister and picked a liquid of their choosing. They shot the liquid into the film canister using a syringe. The carbonation would then cause the canister to shoot across the room. Whoever shot the canister the farthest won.

According to Science Depart-

JC

ment Chair Julie Baker, around 160 fourth to sixth graders attended.

Junior Austin Schap volunteered to help students with the “Bridges de Chef Boyardee” experiment.

“First we explained the process of building a bridge out of pasta and one meter of tape,” Schap said.

Students could Photo by Caitlin Wolfarth work in groups or Elementary school students from local private schools participated in an experiment called individually, and “Elephant Toothpaste” at STEM Night and Beyond. On Oct. 9, JC hosted the event. whoever could place the most said. “It was impressive.”

“It was great exposure for our weights on their bridge without it “I think it went really well. school to prospective students, falling won.

The students were happy and especially because students who “Some kids even surpassed smiling,” Baker said. “Also our attended were from Harford what the STEM kids did,” Schap students did a great job, some County private schools,” math of the presenters complimented teacher Beverly Markel said. [them].”

“They seemed to really like it, Baker chose volunteers whom they had big smiles on all of their she felt had some experience faces,” she said. within the fields of science and Science teacher and STEM coordinator Jorge Piquer was also A Children’s Boutique math.

“The main goal is for [students] impressed with the outcome of to have fun learning about math the events. “I have gotten emails and science, and I think that goal from parents saying that [STEM was accomplished,” Baker said. night] was great,” Piquer said.

Science teacher Susan Kraft JC will be hosting a STEM day also thought it was a great suc- on Nov. 10 for students grades ~ Newborn to Size 12 ~ cess. “It was good to meet the seven to eight. According to Piyounger students and give them a quer, it will be similar to STEM (410) 420.6727 taste of JC,” Kraft said. “This is Night and Beyond except the shoptinytoes@gmail.com the age to start getting them ex- presentations will be longer and www.shoptinytoes.com cited about math and science.” there will be outdoor activities.

Tiny Toes

Clothing, shoes, toys, & more!

The junior class kicked off fundraising for Ring Dance by hosting an event at Looney’s Pub on Oct. 3.

To participate, customers handed event flyers to the waiter when paying. The restaurant donated 10 percent of each individual total bill to the class of 2014.

Junior Madi Day liked the event, but “thinks it has been overdone,” since sports teams have held the same type of event.

She suggested “something that is more interactive with everyone instead of being separated.”

Compared to previous years, the class of 2014 is getting an early start, according to Junior Class Moderator Erik Fabriziani.

“We have a smaller class, so our [dance] is more expensive for individuals,” Junior Class President Kirsten Kyburz said.

Current theme choices for Ring Dance include jungle, starry night, candy land, and casino night. During Spirit Week, a survey monkey will be sent out to juniors concerning the themes.

Senior girls unite for class color day Emily Clarke Print Chief The senior girls will be decked out in matching green shirts for this year’s class color day after Senior Class President Jen Kreis organized for every senior girl to order matching shirts.

Kreis said that senior girls had talked about doing a matching shirt for class color day, but that senior Ashley Crane took the initiative to approach her.

“Senior Becky Hottle pulled up a website on her computer and we chose the fonts, sizes, and design of the shirt, and all five or so girls in the room were in favor of it,” Kreis said.

According to Kreis, 83 out of the 95 senior girls ordered the matching shirts. Kreis said that the shirts were set at a fixed price of $12, but depending on the number of shirts ordered, extra money could go to Prom.

Kreis believes that the unity from buying these shirts is the beginning of an upward trend in school spirit.

“The fact that all of these girls bought these shirts in support of our class on such short notice shows that they want to be united as senior girls on class color day . . . From what I can tell, we are proud of our school and proud to say that we are seniors here.”

3 news

thepatriot October 2012

Dorm construction put on hold Brianna Glase Online Chief A year ago, JC was nearly ready to open St. Joseph Hall to male international students to provide alternate housing besides living with host families. That is, until the Archdiocese determined that the dorms were a liability issue. Now, after Superintendent of Catholic Schools Barbara Edmondson visited the dorms, JC has a lot of work to do to make them livable. “[St. Joseph Hall] needed updating, so we had to get the approval from the Archdiocese.

They became concerned about their own liability with having students live on campus,” Princi-

would love to “haveWeapproval [from the Archdiocese] if we’ve done our homework by the end of the calendar year at the latest.

President Richard O’Hara

”

pal Madelyn Ball said.

Edmondson’s visit gave a better perspective of what the Archdiocese wants to see. “[Edmondson] had never seen where we

wanted to [house the students].

She gave us information about what they would need before they could give the approval,” Ball said. “She was so impressed with how clean [the Hall] was for how old it was and what good shape it’s in.”

Last year, after the Archdiocese stopped the renovation of the convent into dorms for international students, the international student body for the next school year had already been accepted.

This put Ball and the administration in a predicament because “there were quite a few of those students who didn’t want to live with a host family. They had requested a dorm,” Ball said.

According to Ball, the administration and Coordinator of the International Students Program Sandi Seiler, had to “scramble” to find host families for the students who had already committed to living in the dorms. The administration hopes to avoid this last minute hassle next year by having the dorms ready.

According to Ball, there were one or two students who decided not to come to JC because the dorms were not ready.

According to Associate Director of Enrollment Kim Brueggemann, there are 41 international students enrolled, and Ball says that she is “pretty comfortable with that number.”

If the Archdiocese gives approval for the dorms, 14 or 15 students will be housed there.

The administration has decided that the dorm will be for males only. “For some reason, it’s easier to find host families for girls than it is for boys,” Ball said.

The administration now needs to fine-tune the plan for the men who will be living in the dorms.

“Mainly they need a real ‘dorm handbook.’ There would be one for the students and one for the dorm parents so that we can guarantee that the students living in the dorm would have just as rich of an experience as the international students living with host

families,” Ball said.

“We need a couple [people] that would live in the dorm. They would be the dorm parents and could drive one of our buses to get the kids places,” Ball said.

Ball wants to choose people who could familiarize themselves with the students. “I would like the idea of a teacher that could live in the dorms. Someone that really knows the kids,” she said.

“Ideally, we would want it to be a faculty member, someone who knows [the international students], knows what we’re about, and is familiar with our mission statement,” O’Hara said.

Last year, the administration

disciplinary procedures such as stealing, cheating, and lying.”

“Those peers would interview them, do a preliminary investigation, and then come up with a recommendation to [Vierheller] and to [Principal Madelyn Ball] as to what outcome or consequence that child should receive,” Hensley said.

On Sept. 19, Hensley held a meeting for the 30 selected Honor Council members. Of the 30, only five to six randomly selected members will evaluate each individual case.

“The moderator and administration looks at the pool of students and selects the most qualified. We are looking across all domains of student life: academics, discipline record, commitment to JC, and character,” Hensley said.

Freshmen were not invited, since they are still adjusting to a

new environment.

“Students in the future can express an interest in the Honor Council. A formal application process will be created over the next few weeks,” Hensley said.

According to Hensley, the Honor Council is a “spectrum of students.”

“You want to have all types of perspectives and diversity on the Honor Council. Select anyone and everyone,” Hensley said.

“It really evens the playing field for students, because they are being judged by their peers who, for the most part, understand their motives and the temptation to cheat,” Jump said.

“Once [the Honor Council] gains awareness, it could influence the school mechanics, but I have honestly never heard of it before,” junior Daniel Hentschel, who is not a member, said.

Since some situations that will

be brought to the Honor Council might be personal, the students will be trained in confidentiality.

If they break the honor code, they will be removed immediately.

Therefore, intensive training will take place along with mock trials and study cases during an undecided Saturday in November. In addition, training sessions will be held every other month.

Once the Honor Council officially begins, Vierheller cannot be involved since the council will be sending their recommendations to him. Therefore, Hensley will become the sole moderator. “[The Honor Council] raises the elevation of expectations on the other students because their own peers in the school system [would be] almost the supporting team of the rules and regulations which need to be followed,” Hensley said. “My hope is we do all this and we never use it.”

Photo by Brianna Glase

St. Joseph Hall will not only serve as housing for international students, but is also currently the Academy of Performing Arts & Dance. Once the dorms are open, only male international students will be allowed to stay in the hall.

had some teachers in mind, but since the initiation of the dorms was delayed the dorm parent prospects are still up in the air.

According to Ball, the Archdiocese would have to give their approval “by Christmas in order for us to do all that we need to do before kids come in August for the 2013-2014 school year.”

“We would love to have approval if we’ve done our homework by the end of the calendar year at the latest,” O’Hara said.

“The architecture design’s already done, even though it might need to be tweaked. We would start renovations almost immediately.”

Honor Council picks student panel Sydney Setree Managing Editor After six years of development, the Honor Council will be established this school year.

The Honor Council is a board of students who will act as judges in cases where fellow students break the honor code.

“As a member of the Honor Council, my duty is to be fair and analyze any case one of the administrators asks me and other students on the council to look over,” Honor Council member sophomore Billy Jump said.

Dean of Students Thomas Vierheller has been involved with the Honor Council since its advent.

Guidance counselor Larry Hensley volunteered to be the moderator at the beginning of the last school year.

According to Hensley, it is “designed to almost replicate the adult review board for certain

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Honor Council Flashbacks

November 2006

“The progress of the council since last year has mainly been Mr. Scholl ‘seeking feedback from the faculty.’ ” “Honor Council: Students, teachers, and administrators aid in deciding student’s fate,” The Patriot, Vol. 42, Issue 2

October 2010 “Vierheller’s hope is to have students volunteer to be on this council...

Students are apprehensive about the idea of fellow classmates giving input on how violations of school rules should be handled.”

“Honor Council sparks discussion and change,” jcpatriot.com

March 2011 “The original plan to have a few students serving on the current Review Board has been changed so that the new panel consists mainly of students.”

“Briggs revises Honor Council plans,” jcpatriot.com

lifestyles 4

thepatriot October 2012

Senior digs deep into senior project Shannon Olsen Lifestyles Editor Around Halloween, most people see a graveyard, stop for a couple of seconds, and the quickly walk away, but senior Morgan Jones entered the graveyard with her Bible and Holy Water in hand.

Jones originally had other ideas for her senior project, but when she heard that her parish, St. Patrick, was in the process of mapping out graves and cleaning them up, she was “intrigued” to say the least.

Wanting to know more about the project, Jones contacted the committee in charge. “When I heard what they had to say, I felt like this was something that I could do and that I could contribute back to my parish that has already done so much for me,” Jones said.

Jones said that after learning more about what the project involved, she decided that not only could she “help out her parish”, but she could also “take this project and make it personal.” Jones made it clear that she “wanted this project to be more than just cleaning up plastic flowers and

keeping the cemetery clean,” so she took the project to the next level.

“I wanted to pay my respects to the families buried there, so I decided to research the history to make the project more personal,” Jones said.

Jones’ project has multiple stages. In her first stage, she will work to locate all of the marked and unmarked graves.

From there, she will place all of her findings on a map to show which spaces are available or unavailable.

The second step is to match up all of the graves with the church’s records to ensure that all of her findings coincide with the records. She also wanted to make sure that any unmarked graves receive the proper marker if possible.

The third phase of the project is to research the history of the graveyard and all of the families that are associated with the graveyard.

With the research, Jones plans to create a presentation and a plaque for the parish.

The fourth phase is the final cleanup aspect, where Jones will

Photo courtesy Morgan Jones

Senior Morgan Jones stands at the entrance of Mount Erin Cemetary. Jones has dedicated her time to mapping and cleaning up the cemetary for her senior project. repair and replace vandalized tombstones and clean up the trash and dead flowers left in the cemetery.

After finishing the initial cleanup, Jones plans to create an ongoing schedule so parish volunteers can maintain the graveyard after completing her project to ensure that the graveyard stays clean.

What will you be doing this Halloween? ro k Tric ting Trea to g n i G o r ty a pa

to make an impact on my community with the rich history that the graves have to offer, and to be able to give back to my parish who given so much to me,” Jones said.

Jones said that she plans to “stay busy throughout the year with this project,” and her goal is to have the project done in April.

What kind of costume are you wearing?

S to

u gh o b re

H One pumpkin equals ten percent of students

Since the project has so many phases, Jones has a couple of goals that encourage her to continue.

Her main goal is to give back to her community that she feels has done so much for her.

“Because this project has grown into much more than a simple career exploration, I hope

ma e m o

t

de One ghost equals five percent of students

All JC students were polled on Oct 12 through Surveymonkey. 302 students responded to this survey. The survey has a +/- 4% accuracy rate.

Artwork by Emily Hennegan

Teacher Spotlight:

Patti Murphy Dohn, Campus Minister Stats

Subject: Campus Minister, Catholic Church teacher, Christian Morality teacher Years teaching: 32 Interesting fact: She has a 6-anda-half-year-old pug named Daisy.

Pet Peeves: When students don’t speak loud enough

Ashely Beyer Lifestyles Editor Instead of worrying about morning prayers during high school at JC, campus minister Patti Murphy Dohn was worried about deadlines.

“The most stressful times were the weekly deadlines for The Aegis … in those days and everything had to be hand-delivered. I clearly remember many times that I left [JC] at 4:55 p.m. and prayed that I would get to their offices and still find their front doors unlocked …

They held strict 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. office hours, and if you were late, it was not going to be printed that week,” Murphy Dohn said.

Throughout high school and college, Murphy Dohn was heavily involved with journalism.

“I have always loved journalism and was really involved in print journalism all through high school and college. I considered pursuing it as a career until I developed a greater love for theology and teaching,” Murphy Dohn said.

In high school, she wrote “a column for

the ‘High School News’ section of The Aegis which was then published every week. It was an opportunity to highlight what was going on here at JC,” Murphy Dohn said.

Murphy Dohn enjoyed it, but the job came with challenges.“The work involved took a lot of time, constant deadlines, typing up the various news clips for each week,” Murphy Dohn said.

Although she did not pursue a career in journalism, her love for it is fulfilled through her photography and, most recently, her blog on the Catholic Review website, “God is in the Clouds.”

“I entitled my blog ‘God is in the Clouds’ as I attempt to accentuate hope in my pieces on the challenges that we encounter in our daily faith journey,” Murphy Dohn said.

A post of hers speaks to JC’s familiar call and response: “We have always prayed together as a school community the responsorial: ‘God is good:’ ‘All the time!!’ In good times and in bad, we proclaim these words. It gives you a lot to reflect upon when you acknowledge that God’s goodness never changes in spite of the hardships and struggles.”

Photo courtesy Pacificus

Two years after starting teaching at JC, in 1983, Patti Murphy Dohn teaches a religion class.

Murphy Dohn started teaching religion after she realized that theology was her true passion.

The blog acknowledges “that our loving God is there with us along all the paths that our lives may take.”

“Each of us has a unique faith journey,” Murphy Dohn wrote on her blog. “With our eyes focused on the Lord with hope and with trust we can find Him walking the path with us.”

5 lifestyles

thepatriot October 2012

Sophomore ‘Believes in a Breakthrough’ Lauren Fabiszak In-Depth Editor Facing the brisk October morning air dressed in pink and with her team behind her, sophomore Amanda Brannan stands up to cancer.

In 2009, when Brannan was just 12 years old, her mother passed away from breast cancer.

After she passed, Brannan took over her family’s Susan G. Komen team “Believe in a Breakthrough.”

Brannan’s cousin Stacy Lort, class of ‘94, created “Believe in a Breakthrough” in honor of Brannan’s mom, Joan. While she was still alive, Joan participated in walks for breast cancer.

The name was chosen by Lort because “we want to believe that one day there will be a cure for all cancer. We don’t want to have to watch the same thing my mom went through again, and have to worry about friends or future daughters getting this disease,” Brannan said.

Every October, the team participates in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Maryland.

Fellow sophomores Austin Eiseman, Jake Kahoe, and Ryan Shehann are captains for different sections of the team, while Brannan is the captain for the whole team.

“I like to say that October is my busy month. During the month of

October it’s like having a job with the amount of hours I work on organizing the team for the race, but I enjoy doing it and look forward to this month every year,” Brannan said.

“The biggest donation I ever got for the team was from The Arena Club. I hosted an event there called Swim Fest, and raised $4,500 and The Arena Club owners matched the amount of money raised. In four years the “Believe in a Breakthrough” group has raised close to 100,000 dollars.

I am not sure if we have passed the 100,000 dollar marker yet, but I know we are very close to it,” Brannan said.

This year, the race will be held on Oct. 21. With one week left, it’s the busiest week of the month for Brannan.

“My motivation is my love for the event. You have to have a huge passion and love for something to put so much effort into it. Race for the Cure is something I love and I love having a huge team there. I set goals for myself, and my motivation is to reach those goals,” Brannan said.

One of Brannan’s goals is to have a bigger team than last year, using the “Believe in a Breakthrough” Facebook page for the 2015 class, which includes where to sign up and how to donate.

“It might be hard since last year we had over 100 people there, and as of Oct. 14 we have

100 members on the team, but I hope this year to have 120-130 people,” Brannan said.

Brannan also designed rubber bracelets that read “Patriots in Pink,” originally for the sophomore class, that have now gotten about 250 students involved. Students can purchase a bracelet for $2.00 from Brannan, Eiseman, or Kahoe and all of the proceeds

ple “just use it to embarrass themselves ... but it’s all for fun.”

According to creators Evan Speigal and Bobby Murphy’s blog, Snapchat “is about communicating with a full range of human emotion, not just what appears to be pretty or perfect.”

“I think it’s become such a popular trend because people are too illiterate to text so they just take pictures of their face,” senior David Knaide said.

This past summer, Snapchat reached over 100 million pictures sent. Of the JC students who have smartphones 25 percent use Snapchat multiple times a day.

“I think Snapchat got so popular because a lot of people have

iPhones and they just like taking pictures of themselves,” junior Kirsten Kyburz said.

Another app that has recently become popular is Instagram.

This app gives users a new way to share photos and add a special touch to them. Users can choose from 17 different filters to give their photos a different kind of feel, as well as other effects.

“I like the effects of it,” freshman Nadia Green said.

According to a student survey, 48.1 percent of JC students use Instagram multiple times a day since it was released.

“It’s the best [app] ever created,” freshman Lauktona Rambel said.

Photos courtesy of Amanda Brannan

(Above) Sophomore Amanda Brannan gathers around with her team “Believe in a Breakthrough.” The group poses together as they await the beginning of the 2011 Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure.

(Left) Brannan created wrist bands for the JC Believe in a Breakthrough team. She made the bracelets so students could show support.

are going to the cancer centers at Mercy Hospital and The Greater Baltimore Medical Center.

“I am so thankful and blessed to have all the support from my sophomore class. I really want them to know how much I appreciate all their love and support.

It means the world to me when I see everyone talking about and getting excited for the Race for

the Cure,” Brannan said. “I am so proud of the ‘Believe in a Breakthrough’ group and how much it has grown over the years. Words can’t even express how excited I am for this year’s race for the cure. I am also excited that so many of the team members are excited about the event, that makes me happy when I see other people get excited.”

Apps provide unique ways to edit, share photos Caitlin Wolfarth News Editor Junior Makda Amdetsyon sat in her room and laughed as she sent yet another embarrassing picture of herself to her friends through Snapchat. She is not laughing, however, when said Snapchat gets screenshotted and saved on her friends’ phones for an eternity.

Snapchat is an app created for people to send a picture that can only be seen by the receiver for 1 to 10 seconds. If the receiver is quick, they can screenshot the picture that they received and save it.

According to Amdetsyon, peo-

students use 25%Snapchat more than once a day

48%

students use Instagram more than once a day

All JC students were polled on Oct. 12 through Surveymonkey.

302 students responded to this survey. The survey has a +/- 4% accuracy rate.

Sophomore brings anime characters to life Caitlin Wolfarth News Editor Sophomore Rebecca Williams feels a rush of excitement, surrounded by people decked out in every kind of costume possible. Despite the fact that she is suffering from the heat in her self-made costume, she couldn’t be more proud.

Williams attended the Otakon anime convention on July 27 to 29 to sell her mascot costumes. Her passion for mascot-making started at age 14, when she found the website DeviantART.com.

According to Williams, DeviantART is a “social networking site for artists.”

When she discovered some mascot costumes she started designing her first costume.

It takes three weeks to two months

to make a costume, depending on how elaborate it is.

Williams starts out making the costume with a head base made out of upholstery foam. She forms it to her head and then adds the correct pieces she needs.

For the rest of the costume, she sews together clothes with different patterns and faux fur. Making one of these costumes costs around $150 to $200.

“I mostly keep [my costumes]. They are personal characters, so they stay with me,” Williams said.

However, Williams has considered selling her costumes. If she decides to sell the costumes, she will sell them for around $750 - $900 each.

So far she has made Aeon Wolf, Hana Kitty, Thunder Typhlosion, and

Fluttershy. All of these characters she made up, except Fluttershy.

“I made them all for fun, and I took Thunder Typhlosion to an anime convention, Otakon, during the summer,” Williams said.

Otakon is a popular anime convention held in Baltimore. Most people dress up in their costumes and people can shop for different kinds of art displayed.

According to Williams, people who make these mascots are called “furries.” “[Otakon] was amazing. I met so many different people and made some good friends,” Williams said.

“The reason I make these costumes is to make people happy,” Williams said. “[Being in costume] feels like being a completely different person.”

Photo courtesy of Rebecca Williams

Sophomore Rebecca Williams (second row from the bottom, far right) poses with other mascots at Otakon, an anime convention, in Baltimore. Williams has made four of her own mascot costumes.

lifestyles 6

thepatriot October 2012

What part of your fairy tale do you wish to come true this Homecoming?

Freshman Madison Hooper dreams of “dressing up in a formal dress.”

Senior Carol Zubrowski dreams of “getting to spend time with all of my friends.”

Sophomore Scott Walczyk dreams of “dancing with my girlfriend.”

Sophomore Megan Mueller dreams of “having a date to the dance this year.”

Freshman Phillip Kinhart dreams of “dancing the night away with my date.”

Junior Travis Nelson dreams of “having a good time and spending time with my friends.”

Artwork by Brynly Wilson

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Lite, low cal chocolate snacks delight Healthy you

By Ashley Beyer With late after school activities and sports keeping students busy, eating healthy snacks, as opposed to most things that can be found in the vending machines, is hard to do.

But there are options, like Kellogg’s Special K Pastry Crisps: Chocolatey Delight, Fiber One Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownies, and Fiber One 90 calorie Brownies.

These snacks are not only healthy on the go, but are also chocolaty and sweet.

The great part about the pastry crisps is that, while they are chocolaty, they have only 100 calories and 80 milligrams of sugar. There are also only two grams of fat and only 20 of the 100 calories are from fat, so these crisps are a guilt-free treat.

Similarly, the brownies have three grams of fat and 90 calories, 30 of which are from fat. These chocolate snacks also have five grams of dietary fiber, which, according to mayoclinic.com, helps lower the risk of diabetes and heart disease.

The Fiber One Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownies and Fudge Brownies are also 90 calories with 25 of those calories from fat.

There are three grams of fat, eight grams of sugar, and five grams of dietary fiber, which makes this snack a healthy alternative to regular, packaged cookies.

For example, Chips Ahoy! cookies have 160 calories with 70 of those from fat. The serving size is only three cookies, which are smaller than the Fiber One Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownies.

Since the pastry crisps and brownies are chocolatey, one doesn’t crave unhealthier chocolate sweets as much.

Both the Chocolatey Delight Pastry Crisps and Fiber One Brownies come in a variety of flavors other than chocolate.

Plus, these snacks are not expensive. One box of the pastry crisps is about $5, depending on the retailer, which comes out to $1 per pack of crisps, the same amount you would spend at the vending machines.

The brownies are around $2 or $3 for one six count pack of individually wrapped brownies making the price for one brownie about 50 cents.

The pastry crisps and brownies have both been great on-the-go snacks or a little something extra for lunch.

Trying to eat healthier foods and making better choices can be tough but by tasting like chocolate, being a healthy option, and is a cheap buy, the pastry crisps and brownies are an easy choice for me.

Picks : Legends of the Fog fails to impress 7 A&E

thepatriot October 2012

quick

The Patriot staff scopes out the best haunted hayrides, forests, and other spooky attractions

Legends of the Fog 500 Carsins Run Road, Aberdeen, MD www.legendsofthefog.com No phone number available

Rating Legends of the Fog is a disappointing blur of sporadic, blood covered, possessed children.

Emily Cassidy A&E Editor Between the herd of ten year old boys growling at me through Carsin’s Manor, the lack of storyline through the haunted

hayride, and the blinding, blurring, strobe lights of Sinster Circle, Legends of the Fog proved unworthy of the wait and ticket price.

The three different attractions that make up

Creepy Woods creeps out editor

Creepy Woods 11918 Philadelphia Road, Kingsville, Maryland 21087 410-538-6461 www.creepywoods.com

Rating

Creepy woods is a terrifying night worth checking out before Halloween.

Emily Clarke Print Chief If you’re looking for a fright-filled fall night, Creepy Woods Haunted Forest is the place to go.

This attraction features a footpath through a dark and creepy forest, interspersed with haunted stations designed to gnaw away any leftover bravery.

The stations are comprised

of clowns, spiders, executioners, dead bodies, grim reapers, skulls, deserted towns, barns, an old mansion, and more. In groups of about 15 people, the workers send you to wander in the pitch-black of the night until you reach the first station.

The different stations are horrifying, but the real terror is the element of the unknown. The only things leading you through the trail are a set of ropes and your own two feet. Workers dressed in world-class costumes frequently pop out from behind trees, rocks, and closed buildings.

In one such trip, a wolflike demon popped out from behind a tree and stuck his face between mine and my screaming friends’. He then chased us into the next station, a dungeon/prison setting.

Once inside, the workers slammed the doors behind and in front of us so there

was no way out. Out of the darkness, a grim reaper slid across the ceiling, growling down at us.

Finally allowed to escape, we rushed under a bridge, where a worker dropped a bucket, almost hitting our heads. But before we could recover, a zombie attached to bungee cords sprang out of the forest.

All in all, the creatures on the trail did an amazing job of pushing us from one terrifying element to another.

They say the trail is a 30-minute walk. However, as my friends and I were speed walking/running through it to escape the terror, it only took about 20 minutes. The line, unfortunately, took about three times that long. I paid $20 for my ticket, so I suggest paying the extra $10 to get the express pass. It was perfectly horrifying and all for the price of $20.

Legends of the Fog were each disappointments in their own way. There was Sinister’s Circle, a circus full of creepy clowns that pop out from behind every dark corner. The clowns were scary, but the strobe

lights were the worst part.

I spent the entire time running into strangers because there were flashing lights and fog, which made it impossible to see. Sinister’s Circle turned out to be a complete blur.

The haunted hayride lasted for only about 15 minutes and lacked creativity. The hayride had clowns, zombies and creepy creatures coming right up into your face to scare you. Although there were parts that were scary, there was no story that went along with it, so it seemed slightly pointless.

Carsin’s Manor was supposed to be an orphanage of possessed children. It had the potential to be terrifying, but the attraction

was run by children who ran around the entire time growling in my ear. This attraction took about 15 minutes to walk through.

In the past, you could choose the attractions you wanted to visit and only purchase tickets for them, but now you are forced to purchase a $25 ticket for all three attractions.

You must stand in a line for each attraction in the order described above. All three attractions, including wait times, took less than an hour to complete. I would have preferred it to be much longer and more creative.

All in all, I would suggest saving your money and trying another place in lieu of Legends of the Fog.

Plumpton Park Zoo disappoints Plumpton Park Zoo 1416 Telegraph Road , Rising Sun Maryland 410-658-6850 www.plumptonparkzoo.org

Rating

The Plumpton Park Zoo is a mild attraction better suited for children than teens.

Cole Alban Managing Editor If I was about seven years younger than I am now, the haunted attraction at the Plumpton Park Zoo would have been terrifyingly awesome.

Unfortunately, I’m a 15 year old and not an eight year old , so this haunted trip turned out to be quite a

disappointment.

The haunted attraction at the Plumpton Park Zoo started off with about a five minute wait for my haunted tour to start. As people began to gather I noticed something odd. Most of the people milling about were parents with their children.

At that point I began to think that this haunted attraction might not be for me.

The tour began in a house where an old man told a creepy story about the house. He actually did a good job and was fairly convincing.

While we were listening to the story, someone dressed as a zombie bride snuck behind us and jumped out, which got my hopes up. However, my hopes for a good scare were dashed as we went on a haunted tour.

The tour was a bit disappointing alone, but our tour guide was a bright spot in this fairly boring attraction. He was hilarious and

his story about the zombie outbreak in the zoo and mass escape of animals was convincing.

The tour was filled with zombies chasing us until we eventually reached a hayride. Along the way, there was actually good acting, which surprised me.

As we got onto the hay ride, we went through the woods and came upon several scenes of escaped animals attacking people.

Some of the animals even came after us. Once again our tour guide kept things somewhat interesting. Afterwards, we got off the hay ride and took a short walk to the exit.

To put it simply, children younger than 10 years old would enjoy this haunted attraction. Maybe you could even recommend it to younger sibling.

If you don’t fit into that category though, you are best off looking elsewhere for a scare.

9 in-depth

in-depth 8

thepatriot October 2012

Where is JC’s school spirit?

Former Powder Puff players battle to be a Powder Puff champion (above). Students cheer from the stands supporting their team and envoking school spirit during Powder Puff (top and bottom right). Photos are Patriot file photos.

P O W D E R

The Patriot takes an inside look at the Powder Puff tradition that brings students together every year in a friendly rivalry. it to the night, it took on more of an aura of a In-Depth Editor more serious athletic event and guys did not The sky goes black, and the lights flash want to act like jerks. It was a different kind on. The juniors are lining up their defense in of audience when the venue was changed to an attempt to stop the seniors from getting the evening,“ English teacher Dick Paaby a touchdown. As soon as the football is in said. the hands of the quarterback, senior Hannah One aspect of the Power Puff games that Griffith is off to sack her. has changed over the years was that junior As this year’s Powder Puff game draws and senior male cheerleaders would also near, Griffith and other students from the support their classes while the girls played junior and senior classes are ready to play flag football. against each other “The male cheerleadin a rivalry that ers began to be a little has been going on I am stoked to represent offensive to some peofor over 45 years: ple,” chemistry teacher my class in such a fun, Shane Lawler said. juniors versus seniors.

“The guys used to go competitive way. It is pretty Powder Puff is out and dress as cheercool we are still following leaders and go do stupid a Spirit Week acthe Powder Puff tradition stuff that was actually tivity where the female upperclassafter all of these years. demeaning, as I’m conmen have the opcerned,” Paaby said.

Junior Kelly Stifler portunity to play Paaby, who has been flag football. Alteaching for 37 years, though it is a risaid that Powder Puff valry between the junior and senior classes, has been taken more seriously recently. it is also a chance to support them. In the “In the last few years, the idea of the end, the point is to unite both classes in their game has gotten more serious. More and participation in a JC tradition, according to more girls are coming out because they want Athletic Director Larry Dukes. to play football and they feel that they are “Being part of Powder Puff last year was given a better look by the audience as female a blast because it’s been a tradition that has football players. Whereas even 10 years ago, been going on for so long, and I had been Powder Puff was viewed more as a contest looking forward to it since freshman year. I of classes and was viewed as just beating liked how it was taken semi-seriously and the class, not playing good football,” Paaby we had practices, but we were still able to said. have fun. After all, it was supposed to unite According to Paaby, past Powder Puff our classes in a fun way,” Griffith said. games “were more about knocking the other Powder Puff has not always been the way team down and tackling (although prohibitit is this year. Every year until 2011, fall ath- ed). It was more of a physical confrontation: letes weren’t able to play in the game. The who could be bigger and better and triumph administration decided to give the athletes a over the other team. Now, I think, they are chance to be part of Powder Puff last just trying to compete on the level of just year, and that has continued to this year. playing good football, making their plays Last year’s game was also at night work, and show that they are accomplishing under the lights, but this year, it is re- something.” verting back to the old tra“I am stoked to represent my class in such dition this by having the a fun, competitive way. I think it is pretty game during school. cool we are still following the Powder Puff “Last tradition after all of these years,” junior Kelyear it was ly Stifler said. a night According to Paaby, “it’s about the girls game, and playing the best football that they can, getas soon as ting a good workout and showing their footthey took ball smarts.”

“

P UF F

”

Getting in the Spirit

“When the student section at a football game is happy and cheering on their JC patriots, that is school spirit.”

The Patriot explores the evolution of school spirit throughout the years and what it means for the students, faculty, & administration.

Jimmy Knell ’13

Kailey Tracy Copy Chief

Meredith Haggerty

“Last year at Spirit Week when we all had letters on the back of our shirts spelling ‘sophomore’ to show school spirit.

We all wore red and were just crazy.”

Emily Waite ’14

“When we are at the football games, I always see a group of kids in front of the band, screaming for our team, showing school spirit.”

Bethany Toy ’15

“The students that stand in front of the band and cheer at the football games are the best example of school spirit I’ve seen.”

Michael Sanphillipo ’16

thepatriot October 2012

Sporting bell bottom pants from Goodwill, a sport coat flipped inside out, and vintage sunglasses, science teacher Shane Lawler, class of ’00, struggled to clomp his way to the elevator in his homemade platform shoes.

Lawler nailed blocks of wood to his sneakers, creating the amateur 1980s shoes as part of Decades Day during his senior year Spirit Week.

As a student from 1996-2000, the get-up was just one of his “zany costumes” from “back in the day.”

According to Lawler, his perspective on Spirit Week has shifted now that he’s a teacher.

“It seems more hectic now. As a student, it seemed more fun,” Lawler said.

Just as Lawler’s view on the Spirit Week has changed, the week itself has evolved.

According to Spanish teacher Jane Michael, who has witnessed 32 Spirit Weeks, the Homecoming dance previously featured a more formal feel. Homecoming was “like the Prom.” Students arrived in limos and treated themselves to lavish dinners beforehand.

“We would go to dinner before the dance to really nice restaurants.

Not Chile’s or Bertucci’s,” Associate Director of Enrollment Ed Maynard, class of ’93, said.

During the late 1980’s to early 1990’s, students had to buy tickets to the dance in couples, creating the need for a date. During this time, the administration “established the Penalty Box,” Michael said. If students arrived to the dance after a set time, they had to sit in a designated area for a half-hour.

Themes for days during Spirit Week festivities have also diversified over the years. When math and science teacher Susan Kraft, class of ’74, was a student, Spirit Week was a one day event with no themes.

Themes such as Farmer Day, Beach Day, and Nerd Day have been explored.

“Beach Day. That was dangerous, if you can only imagine,” Michael said.

“Clash Day is my favorite be-

cause it seems to have a lot of spirit to me. What I don’t like is Pajama Day, because everybody is walking around in their pajamas and slippers and I just don’t feel comfortable with that,” English teacher Dick Paaby said.

This year, students voted on the themes to make them “more a part of the process and more like they are choosing their week instead of having it chosen for them,” Senior Class President Jen Kreis said. “We are hoping that students are more inclined to participate because they were a part of choosing the days.”

Maryland Day will be Tuesday, Class Color Day Wednesday, Couch Potato Day Thursday, and Black and Gold Day Friday.

Just as students have gone all out for each theme, the pep rallies have been equally energetic.

“In the ‘80s and ‘90s, the pep rallies were really, really spirited,” Michael said.

At the ‘95 pep rally, religion teacher Margaret Mary Deitz kissed a pig brought in by maintenance man Tommy Blevins on the snout in response to one of the classes winning a competition. After demands from the student body, then Interim Principal Gary Scholl kissed the pig too.

Maynard’s clearest memory from his high school Spirit Weeks came during the pep rally his senior year.

The football players were piling on top of each other, and the last player to jump onto the mound broke the wide receiver’s leg.

“We want to bring tradition back to the whole school, but especially to Spirit Week,” SAC President senior Matthew Henderson said.

Some traditions have come and gone, such as floats at halftime during the Homecoming football game. The floats, carrying students from each class, paraded across the field followed by ornamental old cars holding the Homecoming court.

A glaring difference between Lawler’s and Maynard’s times as students is the class rivalry. “It used to be a culmination of everyone coming together for one common theme, one goal: to be part of the JC community,” Maynard said.

“Last year, the attitude [of Spirit Week] seemed different. Ours seems less positive than the pictures,” junior Megan Greig said after looking at pictures from 2000’s Spirit Week.

Upon first witnessing the hoopla of Spirit Week, teachers’ reactions have been unanimous. “I was scared. I was like, ‘what are they doing? This is crazy,’” Michael said.

For math teacher George Appleby, his first experience with Spirit Week in 1971 was a close call.

His first year at JC, Appleby found himself stuck between junior and senior boys. The Vice Principal had to rescue him from what he believes was a potential injury waiting to happen.

Students’ views of Spirit Week is the opposite of the teachers’ views.

“As a teacher, we get mad at students that they can’t focus that week, all the while you were doing the same thing as a student. It’s a double-edged sword,” Maynard said.

“I dread Homecoming week every year. But it’s just a week.

Everyone can survive a week,” Michael said.

“I applaud the whole Spirit Week traditions that include Powder Puff, the dance, and spirit days,” Paaby said.

This week-long spirit fest has undergone modifications. Ideas have been scrapped and new ones have been developed, but the one thing that won’t change, accoring to Maynard, is that “as a student you only have four of them.”

(6) Chemistry teacher Shane Lawler sports his homemade platform shoes on Decades Day during his senior year.

He added bell bottom pants and an inside-out sports coat to complete the effect.

6

1

2

3

4 (1) Julie Baummer (and Michael Boyle, class of ‘94, ride in a car float, one of the old Spirit Week traditions, Oct. 1992. (2) Anna Scholl (left), class of ‘05, and Caitlin Toner (right), class of ‘07, pose together on Clash Day. (3) Brian Wojtysiak, class of ‘97, stands with his face painted for his senior Spirit Week.

(4) Juniors stand on their homecoming float, supporting their class during Spirit Week 1996. (5) Male cheerleaders show their school spirit at Powder Puff. All photos are Patriot file photos.

5

A&E 10

thepatriot October 2012

Holocaust survivor movie filmed, screened at JC Mary Kate Luft A&E Editor The car is crowded and the people in it are cold and hungry.

As the train rattles along, two young men strain to remove the bars that are covering the one small window and keeping them trapped inside.

After eight hours of arduous work the bars come loose. Just as the train reaches the German border, the two young men, Leo Bretholz and his friend Manfred, squeeze through the window and leap from the train, escaping the certain death that is awaiting them at the train’s destination.

It has been 70 years since Bretholz jumped from the train that was taking him to Auschwitz.

Now his story and its impact will live on forever through the movie “See You Soon Again,” which was screened at JC on Oct. 17.

In 2010 this movie filmed at JC, Perry Hall, and Pikesville to commemorate the survivors and continue to tell their stories.

Senior project coordinator Louise Géczy was involved in planning the film screening. “It’s a film about the impact of the survivors telling their stories on the students and the survivors themselves,” Géczy said.

“The film is about Holocaust survivors telling their stories, but it’s not a film about the Holocaust and you’re not getting their stories per say. It’s about the impact of the stories,” Géczy said.

Instead of only filming the survivors telling their stories, the directors Lukas Stepanik and Bernadette Wegenstein followed the survivors for an extended period of time. They filmed the survivors interacting with people during their personal lives.

“It was filmed in the cinéma

vérité format, which is like reality based TV, except not the cheesy reality based TV kind of stuff like ‘Here Comes Honey Boo Boo,’” said Géczy.

Former students, are in the film. Meredith O’Connell, class of ‘10, is featured because she participated in a program with Bretholz and even had him over for dinner.

“See You Soon Photo by Sydney Steree Again” was featured Leo Bretholz and Martha Weiman speak during the panel after the screening of “See at the Maryland Film You Soon Again” that took place at JC on Oct. 17. People who attended the panel Festival in May. Its were able to ask the survivors questions about their own personal experiences. international debut After the film a panel discus- tholz, Bluma Shapiro, and Martha was Sept. 21 in Vienna, Austria. On Oct. 17 there sion for the audience featured Weiman. “See You Soon Again” was a free screening of the film Wegenstein, Andy Klein, JC will not be formally shown again alumni, and three survivors: Bre- until January 2014 on MPT. open to the public at JC.

Finding the perfect Homecoming dress Mary Kate Luft A&E Editor Finding the perfect homecoming dress is a strenuous and time-consuming task. Girls must spend hours scrolling through pages of dresses online or roaming through stores and trying on an endless supply of options. To make life a bit easier, The Patriot has compiled a list of the best places to visit, both online and in Harford County.

All JC students were polled on Oct 22 through Surveymonkey. 378 students responded to this survey. The survey has a +/- 4% accuracy rate.

Infographic by Martha Schick

This online store has unique retro-inspired dresses for reasonable prices. With over 2,150 dresses and new arrivals every day, girls are bound to find something they will love. Dresses range in price from $13 to $698, but most are priced between $50 and $100.

ModCloth provides great services in addition to their great selection. Free shipping on orders over $50 and free returns and ex-

changes within the U.S. are just a few examples.

For questions and comments about clothing, you can call, live chat, tweet, or email a ModCloth employee. ModCloth also offers an exclusive service where you can request personal style tips and outfit suggestions from a “Modstylist.”

Tiger Lily is a cute boutique right in the heart of Bel Air. Although there is a small selection of dresses, the ones they have are chic and of good quality. Brands such as BB Dakota and Free People are featured in the store.

Prices are usually at least $100, but they do vary.

Tiger Lily has a website where you can find the phone number, directions, store hours, and an email form for contacting the store. There is not an online store yet, but it’s in the works. Tiger Lily is a great local option for

Cu p c a ke s w i t h C a s s i d y Emily Cassidy A&E Editor What’s better than Nutella? Nothing.

I had been searching for a Nutella cupcake recipe for ages, but all I could find was one for Nutellaflavored buttercream frosting. That wasn’t nearly enough to fulfill my insatiable desire for the chocolate hazelnut spread.

Eventually, I found the perfect recipe: All-TheWay Nutella Cupcakes. They have a Nutella-flavored cake base, Nutella filling and a Nutella-buttercream frosting.

Cupcake Base • 2 cups brown sugar • 1/2 cup melted butter • 1 cup Nutella • 2 eggs • 1 1/2 cups milk • 1 tsp. vanilla extract • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour • 1 tsp. baking soda • 1 pinch salt

someone looking for a chic and unique dress.

Tiger Lily is located at 19 North Main Street in Bel Air.

Forever 21 has a wide selection of inexpensive dresses. There are over 420 in Forever 21’s online store and all of them are $32.80 or less. With so many other things to pay for, like hairstyling, manicures, and accessories, an inexpensive dress helps to save money.

Many of Forever 21’s dresses are more casual cocktail dresses, but these styles suit homecoming.

A dress from Forever 21 can be worn over and over again to many different events. Although the dresses are cheap in price, they’re not cheap in quality. You get a lot of bang for your buck.

Forever 21 is located at 8200 Perry Hall Boulevard in Baltimore and at 825 Dulaney Valley Road in Towson.

Nutella

Assembly Buttercream Frosting 1. Hollow out top of cupcakes with a knife.

• 1 cup butter 2. Fill with 1 tbsp. Nutella.

• 2/3 cup Nutella spread 3. Pipe on Nutella buttercream frosting.

• 6 cups powdered sugar • 1/2 cup whipping cream (may need one tbsp. more) And then voila, Nutella heaven.

Instructions: Cupcake Base 1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a cupcake pan with paper liners.

2. In a medium bowl, mix brown sugar, shortening, and Nutella until fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla.

3. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Add milk, then stir alternately into batter.

4. Spoon batter into muffin cups 2/3 full.

5. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until done. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then remove to wire rack to cool completely.

Buttercream Frosting 1. In a large bowl, cream butter and Nutella at high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 to 3 minutes.

2. Add powdered sugar and whipping cream and mix on low speed until light and fluffy. If necessary, add more powdered sugar or to reach desired consistency.

Con

11 opinion

thepatriot October 2012 The Patriot

Taking away guns will not solve the problem of school violence.

Institutions should focus on preventative measures.

Bryan Doherty Opinion Editor Pain, terror, and images of a crazed gunman walking through the halls come to mind when one mentions a school shooting. But will most people ever have to deal with this situation face-toface? Not likely.

The US Census Bureau reported that 79 million students are returning to school in the 20122013 school year. In the 20112012 school year only 15 students were killed from incidents of school violence, including suicide. It is a terrible statistic, but the issue still stands that a mere 15 were killed out of the almost 80 million students that attend schools across the country. That’s less than .00002 percent.

It is true that in the past decade the number of school shootings has been on the rise. But is more gun control the answer, especially in an area like Harford County?

Hunting and the use of guns are not only hobbies, but ways of life and family traditions.

However, losing family tradition is the least of our problems.

School safety is obviously the most important aspect of decreasing the epidemic of school shootings. Schools need to start attacking the source of the problem through an increased amount of preventative measures.

These measures range from evacuation plans to increased police presence in larger schools to, most importantly, the introduction of zero-tolerance stances on bullying. This is not to say that every student that says a hurtful joke should be thrown out of school, but when a serious problem comes to an institution’s attention, action should be taken.

Schools should institute zerotolerance policies, similar to the one started at JC this year. Depending on the severity of the case of bullying, disciplinary action is taken in the form of detentions, demerits, or even suspension and expulsion. JC should take the issue farther and pursue legal action if the case is deemed

The John Carroll School 703 Churchville Road Bel Air, MD 21014 Volume 48, Issue 1, October 2012

Print Chief: Emily Clarke Online Chief: Brianna Glase Multimedia Chief: Martha Schick Copy Chief: Kailey Tracy News Editors: Sydney Setree Caitlin Wolfarth Artwork by Brynly Wilson

severe enough.

There also needs to be a focus on getting those being bullied help. Schools should also increase their resources in counseling, so that kids don’t slip through the cracks. This raises a budgeting issue for schools that cannot afford more guidance counselors but schools could institute small group discussion programs like JC’s advisory program.

We should be less concerned with the guns that appear in

school shootings and more concerned with the people engaging in such drastic measures. Yes, guns are relatively easy to acquire, both legally and illegally, but it is ultimately a human being that pulls the trigger.

These people should be our focus. Schools should be a safe and welcoming atmosphere, not a warzone. School shootings have become a serious problem in this country, but gun control will never solve it.

Should gun laws be stricter?

Pro

Public shootings are growing rampant but gun control is being ignored. Gun laws need to be made stricter as the number of shootings grow.

Artwork by Brynly Wilson

Chioma Iheoma Opinion Editor After the Aurora, Colorado movie theater shooting many in the media said it was a bad time to bring up a gun control debate because partisan debates shouldn’t occur after a tragedy.

But after the Sikh Temple shooting, the Texas A&M shooting, the Family Research Council shooting, the Empire State Building shooting, and the Perry Hall High School shooting, one can’t help but wonder when the debate will occur. Gun policies need to be stricter.

Living in a county where it’s not unusual for a teen to get a gun license before a driver’s license brought the Perry Hall shooting even closer to home. Gun-related crimes committed by teens won’t completly stop because teens can’t have gun licenses, but there are steps that should be taken to address the recent incidents.

Teens shouldn’t be able to get their gun license, period. Laws should be created so that police are alerted when individuals purchase a certain amount of weapons in a short time span. The police alerts should result in police monitoring of the individuals and

psych evaluations if the individuals try to buy more weapons.

The “guns don’t kill people, people kill people” mantra is almost as useful as saying “toasters don’t toast bread, bread toasts bread.” Bread can be toasted without a toaster and people can be killed without guns, but gets the job done more efficiently.

Prevention of teen gun violence has to start in the home where teens get the guns.

America is ranked first in the world for the level of privately owned firearms with 88 out of 100 Americans owning guns, according to gunpolicy.org. The average rate of gun homicide in the U.S. per 100,000 people is 2.98.

It’s higher than the rates of Canada, the UK, Germany, and France combined.

I can’t help but think that the U.S. is a paranoid old lady arming herself for the apocalypse.

In Maryland, 5.11 out of 100,000 murders are a result of firearms, according to The Guardian. This comes second only to Louisiana. While Maryland requires handguns to be registered, shotguns and rifles do not have to be. Rules like this are how James Holmes, the Aurora theater shooter, managed to go under the radar

as he stockpiled weapons legally.

High schools are breeding grounds for mental strain and prevention should continue there.

The best preventative measure that the administration has taken this year is battling bullying.

According to the Center for Disease Control, bullying is a behavior that contributes to violence. In a 2011 survey given by the CDC, 26.2 percent of high school students admitted to being bullied.

The zero tolerance bullying policy, which provides no mercy for bullies, shows that the administration is putting its foot down on bullying.

According to Dean of Students Thomas Vierheller, Harford County Public Schools has been working with the administration on increasing school safety.

Most of the safety measures aren’t preventative. The school is surrounded by cameras, which would be helpful after an emergency, but they’re not a good preventative measure for an intrusion or shooting.

Gun control laws need to be changed. Public shootings and, more specifically, school shootings can’t be fixed while being ignored.

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

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

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

thepatriot October 2012

opinion 12

PATRIOT

THE

College tuition Administration fails to see importance of fixing should cause PERSPECTIVE small problems that would have big impact concern When we think about the most the starting point of the inexpen- in hallways, or maybe come to- all corners of the room fighting Doherty’s Democracy

By Bryan Doherty Twelve days until my future’s decided. 12 days until the biggest financial decision in my life will be made for me. 12 days until the 2012 presidential election.

People ask me why I care about politics. It’s true that politics interest me. However, as far as this election is concerned, my focus is not on personal appeal. I care about this election because it decides the fate of our country, the direction of my life. Why aren’t more students interested in politics?

In 12 days, America will make a choice between two very different people. America will choose a leader whose actions will affect each and every student in JC, whether they know it or not.

The real issue of this election isn’t the economy, isn’t abortion, isn’t gay rights. The economy will continue to grow, however slowly, no matter who is in the White House. Abortion will continue to be fought and gay rights will always be a state issue.

College tuition is the issue that affects our future the soonest. My estimated college tuition will be $50,000 a year, no matter where I go and what I study. A four year, quarter-million dollar investment.

I don’t have $250,000 stuffed in my mattress and neither do my parents.

Who cares, right? Aw, poor Bryan Doherty can’t pay for college, boo-hoo. Well, there are tens of thousands of students exactly like me, including many at JC. The best and brightest in the country are being pushed into bankruptcy before they are 30.

That’s if they’re lucky. It is estimated that thousands more don’t attend college at all because of the cost. People with the skills our country needs are being cheated out of the education they need.

Both candidates have made statements about college tuition.

Romney believes that student loans should be handled by private banks and lenders. Obama has chosen to double the amount of funding for Pell Grants, a type of federal student loan.

The best solution, however, doesn’t stop the original problem.

The cost of education is constantly increasing. It is a fact that the majority of students need loans to pay for their education. Whether they come from the government or private lenders, students have problems paying them back.

Even if the presidential candidates and media are not focusing on college tuition and student loans, young voters should. Students should look into their options for student loans, and how they would change under each candidate’s administration. It’s the most pressing issue for most young people and needs to be treated as such.

irritating things in the school, it’s not the AP classes, college applications, or frustrating late night papers that come to mind. It’s the clocks. One moment the clock is two minutes off from the one before it and the next it’s showing military time that still happens to be inaccurate. Little things make big differences.

This year JC spent $352,000 on renovating the bathrooms, and more expensive plans are ahead.

All the plans for the future are exciting, but right now we just want our clocks to read the right time. There are so many little things that can be done to better the school. The clocks are just

sive projects that are waiting all around the school.

For one thing, the current appearance of JC is bland, uninteresting, and depressing. There is little color anywhere except in a few select areas or classrooms. It looks like a prison. Renovating the bathrooms was all about making the school more appealing.

How much better looking would the school look with a new paint job?

Paint is one of the cheapest solutions out there. Some teachers have murals that effectively add life to their classrooms. The school should encourage students to paint murals, hang up artwork

gether and plant a garden outside. There are so many talented artists that would be willing to enhance the school for a few service hours. These projects cannot only brighten the school’s appearance cheaply, but also help create school spirit and bring students together.

Another problem students face is a lack of outlets to plug their chargers into during class. Students should come to class prepared with their laptops charged, but technology is not without its flaws. It is inevitable that sometimes laptops die and the school should be able to support them.

Instead of having students in

over outlets, the school should purchase power strips to place in the classrooms. It would avoid unnecessary classroom interruptions and help save students the exhausting stress of worrying about whether or not their laptop will make it through the day.

Little things like clocks and outlets for students could make the school a much more positive place. Enhancing the school should start with small and inexpensive fixes. Renovations to the school are about making the school look good and increasing attendance, but the smaller changes would have an even bigger impact.

Politics brushed aside in classrooms

Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Presidential candidates Mitt Romney (left) and Barack Obama (right) appear on stage before the the first presidential debate. Discussion of the debates and the election have been overlooked in social studies classes.

Emily Clarke Print Chief It was the night of the first presidential debate and my Twitter was blowing up with angry teenagers complaining that politics didn’t matter. The notion that it was dumb for anyone our age to care about politics because we couldn’t vote yet is ridiculous.

Someone needs to teach teenagers that everyone should care and be involved in politics. And

who better to do it than teachers?

The United States is currently facing an epidemic where people care less and less about politics.

Something drastic needs to be done to change this, especially among younger generations.

Students should learn about politics as young as possible, so they have a basis in political ideology. They need years of schooling to properly form their opinions in an educated manner.

The Patriot’s

While government classes definitely discuss the elections, those should not be the only classes that do. US History should talk about politics because this is history in the making. In fact, the debates this year are predicted to be the most watched since the Reagan/ Carter debates.

Economics is another class that is obviously related to the election because the next president will radically affect the economy.

Economics class could specifically talk about Obama and Romney’s differing economic plans.

Even European History and Western Civilization relate to politics. These classes could compare US government and elections to other nations’ governments and elections.

Human geography discusses important concepts that require new legislation to enact them.

This election could affect that legislation. For example, the different contraception and abortion views held by the two presidential candidates affect population control, an important topic in Human Geography.

As for psychology, there are so many different psychological aspects to campaigning and debating. Ask Dr. Lazor how politics pertains to the nature/nurture debate. The possibility for political discussion in psychology class is endless.

Don’t be afraid to ask your social studies teacher questions. If they say it doesn’t pertain to their class, mention one of the reasons listed above. Politics are a part of social studies and we need to make sure we are getting the full extent of our education.

By Opinion Editor Chioma Iheoma

Report Card Powder Class College TVs in Puff B Unity C Deadlines D Foyer

The Patriot evaluates how the JC community has handled recent developments.

The Powder Puff game has returned to a school time event.

When the great news was revealed to the entire senior class the upper gym erupted in applause. Even though Variety Show has remained banned, the return of Powder Puff to its traditional time is a great gain for the school as a whole.

Freshmen as well as sophomores, who didn’t get to go to Powder Puff game last year, will be able to enjoy the true spirit of Powder Puff as juniors and seniors get into the game.

With the onslaught of Spirit Week, class unity is coming to the forefront. Class unity is not just sporting your class colors with a smile on your face or covering your laptop in white, red, blue, or green tape. It goes beyond screaming louder than the class across the gym.

Class unity includes working hard along side your classmates to achieve the goals that seem out of your reach. This Spirit Week is a chance for the classes to show the administration that we deserve class color day.

Going through the college process is hard enough without having to worry about the single college counselor being overburdened.

Seniors were told to send their applications in a month early.

Transcripts take less than five minutes to fill out but applications and essays are another story. However, seniors were told only two weeks prior to the Oct. 1 deadline .

Hopefully in the future the guidance department will handle this issue with more foresight.

A

When I saw two televisions were placed in the newly renovated foyer, I anticipated them to be showcase another laundry list of administrative events or the Daily Bulletin. The fact that the two televisions are tuned to C-SPAN just shows that the administration is pushing the school forward.

Showing news is a great chance for the administration to educate soon-to-be voters on the issues of this election. With constant news playing in the foyer, the student body is given the opportunity to become more informed.

13 opinion

thepatriot October 2012

Advisory Statistics

lose Advisory lacks active attitude Activities extra earnings

5.7

% Martha’s of students Musings

do multiple By Martha Schick activities in Yearbook puts out a beautiful advisory new volume for students each year. Our musicals bring during an school in hundreds of people. Our newsaverage week paper is nationally ranked by sev-

38.6

of students talk to students of other grades in their advisory everday

Photo by Hope Kelly

Junior Kelly Seo takes her turn throwing bolas during an advisory game of ladder toss. Advisory activities bring students closer together through sportsmanship and entertainment.

Bryan Doherty Opinion Editor The replacement of homeroom with advisory at the end of 2009-2010 was a major change.

Most students were skeptical, but they welcomed the change.

Now in its third year, the program has become an integral part of the school day. But it could be better.

The focus of advisory is to “personalize the experience” for students of all grade levels, according to Advisory Program Coordinator Danica Attanasio.

Advisory allows students of different classes to intermingle and allows teachers and students to form a special bond.

However, this is not always accomplished in the most effective way. Some advisories have better advisee-advisor relationships than others.

This difference comes from the activeness of some advisories. Advisories vary radically and range from the silent 10 students and a teacher advisory sitting in a room to the exciting advisory making a constant ruckus playing games in the hallway. This is a gap that the administration should close.

Some advisories have been seen playing corn hole in the hallway, a game where bean bags are thrown into a hole in a wooden board, having a saltine cracker eating contests, having parties, and hosting a variety of

other activities.

There are obviously necessary things that advisories do each day. Events are announced, important papers and memos are handed out, and teachers check up on students.

But that does not mean that every day advisory needs to be mundane.

More advisories need to take on an active attitude. In fact, that attitude should be mandatory.

A yearlong advisory tournament should be set up. There could be athletic programs and activities like trivia games. Team building and bonding activities could even be worked into the schedule.

Every week, a day should be day set aside for such activities.

If the administration set up this year long competition, it would add advisory and school spirit. Students would get excited about going to advisory.

It would make the less active advisories fun and the active advisories even more fun.

Being active and involved would also help some students and advisors open up to each other. One of the main focuses of advisory is to give students a teacher they can talk to. This is not always successful, even in the most advisories.

Students would be more willing to be open with their advisor or each other if they had more activities.

There’s no denying that

Patriots Answer Madison Hooper Freshman

“My favorite thing is that I have it in the cafeteria and I get to see all my upperclassmen friends.”

Ashley Hunter Sophomore

advisory has been successful in most aspects. Underclassmen and upperclassmen can be seen walking together on a regular basis, an occurrence no doubt helped by the advisory.

In fact in a poll by The Patriot 38.6% of the 317 students polled said they talk to a student in a different grade from their advisory every day and 25.3% students do on a regular basis.

And 70.5% of students believe that advisory is a safe place to talk about sensitive issues.

If advisory was more uniformly active and less mundane, it would help to bring those numbers to 100%.

Advisory has been a great addition to the JC community, but there are still ways that it can be improved.

%

70.5

%

of students feel that advisory is a safe place to talk about sensitive topics

Mr. Hollin

is the advisor of the group voted “best advisory”

Photo By Emma

Freshman Robert Flynn helps prepare pancakes in advisory. Extemded advisory days give time for advisory bonding.

What is your favorite or least favorite thing in advisory?

Kevin Davies Junior

“I like talking to my “My favorite part is friends in advisory. there’s no work to My least favorite part do and it’s kind of a is how long it is.” time to relax.”

Jenna Fiamingo Senior

Susan Greig Coordinator of Campus Services

“No one really talks “Getting more and we’re forced to involved with listen to the bulletin.” students since I’m not in the classroom.”

eral organizations. Besides being exceptional at what they do, what do these extracurricular activities all have in common? Every penny that they earn over their budget is taken from them and given back to the school at the end of each year.

It should be great if yearbook sells enough senior pages that they exceed their budget. Maybe they could save up for a new piece of equipment that they need in order to continue doing a good job. However, that won’t happen. If they exceed their budget, they have to give the excess to the school, which will be redistributed throughout the school the next year.

This system hurts groups that have to raise part of their budgets, as opposed beinggiven a budget entirely from the school. The yearbook, the newspaper, and the theater department are a few examples of groups that have to raise their own money.

According to the administration, all money that these extracurricular activities make over budget is put back into the general fund which gives money to other clubs that don’t have to raise money.

The plays pay for themselves with the major cash they bring in. One sold out show, with about 600 seats at about $15.00 per ticket, makes $9,000 dollars for the school. Every show isn’t sold out but the eight performances make tens of thousands of dollars.

Students and teachers work tirelessly for weeks to put on the shows and sell tickets, but every dollar over their budget goes straight back to the school. Ask someone who’s been at rehearsal for five hours every day for the past two weeks if they want their ticket money to go to Speech and Debate’s transportation, and his or her answer is going to be “no.”

Working on The Patriot, each student on The Patriot is required to ask local companies for advertisements to earn money to keep our budget. There is no reason to keep building relationships between JC and the community after we’ve reached our quota, because we won’t keep the money.

There is no reason for the hardearned money of one club to go to another that gets money entirely from the school. There’s nothing wrong with clubs that only get money from the school, but it’s unfair when other clubs supply it.

Instead of taking money from clubs that earn it, the extra money not used should roll over into the next year. The hours of blood, sweat, and tears put into getting that money makes it excruciating to see it slip through our fingers.

sports 14

thepatriot October 2012

Football team kicks off succesful season Haley Kyger Sports Editor The bleachers filled with black and gold. The bright lights shining the field as the clock ticks down to the final second. The crowd, roars with excitement, as the football team takes home their sixth win of the season on Oct. 5.

The varsity football team has only one loss and seven wins (as of this posting) in the B conference division.

“I think we have a winning season so far because we work hard at practice and it shows in the games,” junior Isaiah SpellerMartin said.

Every day after school, except for game days, the teams practice from 3:30 to 5:30.

Sometimes they practice together de-

pending on what the focus of that practice is. “Practice is hard, but that’s what it takes to win games,” Speller-Martin said.

Varsity coach Rich Stichel has been coaching the team for five years and has been the head coach for three years.

According to Stichel, he has been running the same program and team philosophies ever since he was assigned as head coach.

“Last year we had a good freshmen class come in so now we have a lot of strong returners on varsity,” Stichel said.

Even though the team has been winning, they have just 25 players on each team.

“Each year we have a low turnout, but we have a winning season with only 25 players. The

JV team beat Gonzaga while being outnumbered 100 to 25 players,” Stichel said.

“The difference between us and other teams is that we are always working hard in the off season,” Speller-Martin said.

According to Stichel, with the season off to a good start, hard work and healthy players are going to bring them to a championship.

“There is definitely a possible championship for us as long as we keep working hard, stay focused, and everyone stays healthy,” Stichel said.

“We only have four games left in the regular season and then we have playoffs.

If we keep it up, we can definitely win a championship,” Speller-Martin said.

Photo courtesy of Coach Rich Stichel

Senior Brandon Lewis runs while protecting the ball from a Dulaney player. The varsity football team beat Dulaney 28-7 on Sept. 21.

Football player Q&A: What do you think of the season so far?

“

In our first six games, we have dominated on offense and held off the other team on defense. ” - Sophomore Austin Eiseman

“

I think we are doing pretty good so far but with more practice, we can definitely get better. ”

- Sophomore Allen Bryant

Women’s varsity soccer beats Spalding for first time in six years Haley Kyger Sports Editor The ball hit the cross bar and crossed the goal line. Senior Jordan Clarke’s body went numb.

Tears filled her eyes as she scored the winning goal against Archbishop Spalding for the women’s varsity soccer team.

On Oct. 10, the women’s team beat Spalding for the first time in six years.

The final score was 1-0, with Clarke scoring in the first minute of overtime. “[Freshman] Kristen Isoldi was dribbling up the side of the field and beat her defender to the inside. I got the ball from her right outside the top of the box, took a

couple touches and had about an inch of daylight and shot the ball as hard as I could at the goal. The ball hit the crossbar, came down behind Spalding's goalie, and bounced in the goal,” Clarke said.

Clarke also achieved a personal victory for herself.

“This was my first game winning goal in my entire life,” she said.

According to Clarke, there were many fans in the stands because it was their breast cancer awareness game.

“The fans and JC students deserve to be recognized for coming out and supporting the team, especially the guys who painted themselves pink. They pumped the team up and the energy we felt

was awesome,” Clarke said.

According to Coach Gary Lynch, “The girls had a lot more intensity the second time around.

It was their breast cancer awareness game so it was a great atmosphere with a lot of support from the school.”

Even though the team lost 5-0 to Spalding earlier this season, they came out of this game with a “positive outlook.”

“Our entire team fought relentlessly and tenaciously the entire game. The whole team worked so hard to win and I was happy that I could score for my teammates and coaches,” Clarke said.

“We also raised a lot money for cancer, which made the night even better.”

Photo by Shannon Vinton

Senior Jordan Clarke defends against a player from Archbishop Spalding.

The team played on Oct. 10 and won 1-0.

S

15 sports

thepatriot October 2012

Alumni Spotlight: David Ploskanka Shannon Olsen Lifestyles Editor Twenty eight hours, 31 minutes, and 50 seconds after the start of the ultramarathon, David Ploskonka, class of ’99, crossed the finish in the 135-mile Badwater Marathon across Death Valley.

When preparing for the marathon, Ploskonka made sure that his body was not only able to handle the long distance, but also to withstand the extreme temperatures in the desert.

“Running that consistently for that long in varied conditions

it to “myI feltcrewliketoI owed run faster for them because of all the work they put into supporting me, David Ploskonka, class of ‘99

”

helped not only physically, but also mentally, in that I was prepared for both the extreme heat during the day and the frigid cold at night,” Ploskonka said.

Over the summer, when temperatures in Maryland rose into the high 90’s and low 100’s, Ploskonka was out running. Even though it was hot in Maryland, it would be even hotter running in Death Valley with temperatures getting as high as 115 degrees.

After running Badwater in 2010, Ploskonka found many areas for him to improve upon.

These desired improvements be-

came his motivation to continue running the race multiple times.

His crew team is also a great source of encouragement and keeps him going.

“I felt like I owed it to my crew to run faster for them because of all the work they put into supporting me,” Ploskonka said.

Ploskonka first heard about Badwater in 2007 when a friend mentioned it.

At that time, Ploskonka had just finished running the 26.2mile Boston Marathon for the third consecutive year.

“I thought that it [the Badwater Marathon]was a pretty good idea, and that he was crazy for talking about doing a race like that someday,” Ploskonka said.

Ploskonka ran his first official ultramarathon, the North Face, after the Boston Marathon in 2007. Unlike the standard 26.2mile marathon, an ultramarathon is longer, although the exact distance depends on the race.

After placing ninth in the 50mile North Face ultramarathon, he decided that it was “not such a crazy idea” to run a race that was 135 miles.

He hoped that one day he could run Badwater. In 2010, he got his first chance.

Ploskonka plans on running the Badwater Marathon one more time in 2013.

He wants to run for a charity and improve his time “If I develop a plan that’s more focused for the race, I think I can go even faster, and I’d like to try.”

Hope Kelly Managing Editor

Photo Credit David Ploskonka

David Ploskonka was number 34 when he ran in the Badwater Marathon. After the marathon was over, he placed eighth over all.

Athlete Spotlight:

Alyssa Lazaro Stats

Grade: Junior Featured Sport: Lacrosse Position: midfield/ attack Club Team: Skywalkers 2014 Blue Total years played: 9 years

[Alyssa] is always working so hard and is contsantly encouraging her teammates.

Junior Kristen Kohles, teammate

Accomplishments: Comitted to Jacksonville University, a Division 1 college, on Sept. 27

H

” I think [college

USKINS

Managing Editor

Photo courtesy of Alyssa Lazaro

”

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lacrosse] will be more demanding every day no matter what the situation, and we will be working out more often.

Junior Alyssa Lazaro

After playing a total of six matches, the women’s JV tennis team is done for the year.

Beginning their season the first week of school, the team ended their season Oct. 11. They were only able to play in six matches due to difficulty in having to find other JV teams to play against.

Another aspect of their season ,according to JV coach Ed Miller, was that the team had a “strong turnout at tryouts.” They were able to establish a team of 11 compared to last year’s five.

While they had a lot of players, most players were extremely “limited in experience” according to Miller, as most of them had never played before.

“The thing about tennis, unlike team sports, is it’s a skill sport. It can’t be learned in a short period of time. It takes a lot of time and commitment to become a respectable player,” Miller said.

“Even though they were brand new, they accepted the challenge,” Miller said.

Overall though, Miller feels like they have “accomplished a lot this year with JV, because they were commited.”

“They were fun to work with and they had a very positive attitude,” Miller said.

He is encouraging his players to continue practicing in the off season and begin preparing for next year.

Men’s varsity soccer stays optimistic after Gilman defeat

“

“

JV Tennis gathers big turn out for tryouts

Junior Alyssa Lazaro cradles the lacrosse ball down the field. During the summer, Lazaro plays for the Skywalkers 2014 Blue lacrosse club.

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Tied one to one in overtime with 30 seconds left, the varsity men’s soccer team gave up a goal with 30 seconds left in the first overtime period to Gilman losing 1-2 Oct 4. Currently their record is 3-7-1.

“We aren’t closing out games like we need to, but we’re playing better than we were a month ago,” Assistant Varsity Coach Rodney Johnson said.

Though they lost, varsity member sophomore Nektario Athanosiou says it was his favorite game “because we probably played the hardest we have ever played.”

According to Varsity Coach James Fendryk, “soccer’s always difficult in the “A” conference,” and they are not “unhappy” with how they are playing. They are just not getting the results they “deserve.”

sports 16

SERVING up some changes thepatriot October 2012

Men’s Volleyball

Cole Alban Managing Editor Senior Ryan Isom stepped onto the volleyball court to his position at middle back. His mind was focused entirely on the game ahead of him.

Zoned in, Isom’s “beastly serve” began the set.

This is Isom’s fourth year on the men’s volleyball team. He’s experienced many changes suring these yars. The latest change, the replacement of last year’s coach, Julian Maliszewski, to current coach, Science teacher Shane Lawler, has been the most notable change for Isom.

According to Isom, the dynamic of the two coaches is the biggest difference. “[Maliszewski] did not do as much in practice.

Lawler is a very motivational coach and wants us to win games,” Isom said.

Lawler originally took the spot as a head coach when he saw the need for a new men’s volleyball coach in an email.

“I had coached in the past, so I took the job. I love playing and helping

Women’s Volleyball

the kids learn to play,” Lawler said.

So far this season, the team has not won a game yet (as of this printing).

“All of the players have shown greatness at times, but they are not very consistent,” Lawler said.

The team has also brought in a few new players this year.

One new player, junior Alex Brewer, joined when he discovered Lawler was the new coach. “My favorite part is the overall enthusiasm of the team,” Junior Alex Brewer said.

The team has encountered a few issues such as sharing the volleyball court with the cheerleading team during practice.

“Trying to fit 24 boys on one small court is difficult. It has caused a lot of problems as far as serving goes because there is not enough room to serve,” Lawler said.

Despite these issues, Lawler has not given up.

“We are not winning as many games as we like, but we are striving to improve every week, and JV is exceeding expectations,” Lawler said.

Record: 0-15

Haley Kyger Sports Editor

Photo by Haley Kyger

Senior Elise Adamson spikes the ball against St. Vincent Pallotti. The girls varsity volleball team played Pallotti on

Most Improved:

Elise Adamson, ‘13

Brian Cadden

What are your thoughts about the new coach, Shane Lawler?

Have fun, learn from opposition, and improve every game

“I think it is about the same but Mr. Lawler is more serious and Mr. Maliszewski was not as serious all the time.”

According to coach Shane Lawler as of 10/19/12

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Hunter Kothenbeutel, ‘13

Best Player:

Natalie Lindeman, ‘13

Most Improved: Ashley Hunter

Outlook for year: To prove we belong in the A conference

According to coach Greg Cullison as of 10/19/12

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“The biggest difference is the level of playing with hitting and passing. Also, there are more good plays and less bad plays.”

Rob Stahl, ‘13

Outlook for year:

Record:

Whats the biggest difference between the A conference and the B conference?

Best Player:

Sophomore Ola Ekundayo winds up taking her serve. She knows if she messes up, it could cost the team the game. With the varsity women’s volleyball team’s move to the A conference, the pressure is on.

This year, the team has moved into the A conference after winning the B conference championship three years in a row.

So far the team’s record is five wins and four losses (as of this posting). “It has been a rough introduction and our team has a lot of disadvantages,” varsity coach Greg Cullison said.

“The biggest difference is the level of playing with hitting and passing,” senior Elise Adamson said. According to Cullison, other schools are bigger and their players all belong to club teams during the off season.

To build up the program, Cullison is trying to start a club team that the girls can join so they will “always be playing together all year round.”

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“It’s my first year on varsity and even with the new move to the A conference, it’s still a lot of fun and I look forward to the rest of the season,” Ekundayo said.

According to Cullison, for the rest of the season JC is evenly matched with his opponents.

“We had a few chances against which we could have done better,” Cullison said.

The move to the A conference was a change, and this year the number of players trying out changed, as well.

“This was the first year we ever had to cut people,” Cullison said. Last year, there were about 30 who tried out, but this year 37 girls tried out.

“I think the big turnout is good because it makes it easier to build up our team and program for years to come,” Ekundayo said.

Even with the “rough introduction” the team still works hard and looks on the season with a positive outlook.

“We just have to keep working hard and the wins will come,” Ekundayo said.

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