Unison
ISSUE 4
APRIL 2022
Global Symposium Speaker Profile:
Mina Guli KRISTEN VINCENT ‘22 AND ANNA AUSANIO ‘22 On March 3, The Ursuline School’s Global Symposium was treated to an eyeopening and wonderful presentation by environmental advocate and enthusiastic marathoner Mina Guli. Zooming in all the way from Melbourne, Australia, Ms. Guli, the CEO of non-profit organization Thirst Foundation, spoke to our school community about the importance of raising awareness on the topic of water scarcity. Ms. Guli began her conversation by talking about her youth and how she’d never been particularly good at sports, specifically running. However, when she suffered a
severe back injury and was told she would never run again, her perspective changed drastically. The news motivated Ms. Guli to rethink her view on athletics, thus prompting her journey to become active again, starting with biking, then gradually swimming, and finally running. Alongside her athletic goals, Ms. Guli honed in on studying the widely pertinent issue of global water scarcity. Shocked by how quickly the water crisis was becoming a significant problem, she made the decision to dedicate her life to finding the solution. Aside from joining the World Economic Forum’s community of Young Global Leaders, Ms. Guli not only launched her own non-profit organization, Thirst Foundation, but also co-founded Peony Capital. These organizations reached thousands of people struggling with water scarcity. However, Ms. Guli was challenged to “think outside the box” by the Young Global Leader community to bring further innovation in promoting collective
action. Thus began Ms. Guli’s campaign for running marathons to bring awareness to global water scarcity. By March 2016, she had run 40 marathons and was featured on Fortune’s list of the 50 Greatest Leaders in the World. One year later, her second 40-marathon challenge was completed in 40 days. Her marathons not only reached global news outlets but inspired people to donate to various water scarcity crisis organizations. Mina Guli’s marathoning has inspired many people, including the students of Ursuline, to find new ways to raise awareness about water scarcity, and to work passionately and fervently towards stopping this impending crisis. Most recently, Ms. Guli has completed the 6 River Run, a marathon along the banks of 6 of the greatest rivers in the world, across 6 continents in 6 weeks. She credits the UN’s 6th Sustainable Development Goal, Clean Water & Sanitation, as inspiration. Ms. Guli’s determination will continue to inspire many others to get active to end the water crisis, and she doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon!
Worldwide Water Day JULIETTE THOMAS, ‘25 AND CHRISTINA HUERTA-STYLIANOU, ‘24
Every year on March 22, different communities observe Worldwide Water Day - a day organized by the United Nations highlighting the significance of water sustainability. The day spreads awareness about a severe global crisis: billions of people in the world living in destitute conditions without access to safe and sanitary water. The UN hopes that Worldwide Water Day will help to promote the achievement of their 6th Sustainable Goal for Clean Water and Sanitation. The Ursuline community spent Worldwide Water Day and the days leading up to it raising awareness about the water crisis occurring around the world. This situation is majorly caused by the overuse of water. While
we may enjoy the luxuries that water gives us, the consequences are affecting young girls globally. These girls have to walk miles every day to gather fresh water, usually at the cost of their education. Throughout the month of March, a multitude of activities in our school community promoting Worldwide Water Day and water activism have taken place. The 6th grade created projects on the topic, and high schoolers watched the movie showing of Brave Blue World. Several students across grade levels demonstrated their support for the cause at a virtual 5k walkathon. However, the most exciting events took place on the long-awaited March 22nd. Ursuline students were surprised to learn how much water they consumed using a daily water footprint
calculator. Furthermore, juniors Jenna Cain & Hanah Ciccarelli organized an incredible video presentation on the subject which students were able to view during their lunch period. Mrs. Barton, our Director of Global Education who is extremely passionate about water activism, has stressed the importance of informing students about this global crisis and encouraging them to help push for change. She has high hopes for what the rising generation of water activists will achieve! “Ursuline students have told me they’re already making positive changes in their daily water usage habits, which is awesome,” Barton said. “I’m confident our globally-minded students will also apply their critical thinking, collaborative and innovative skills in the future as they continue to think about new approaches to solving the water scarcity crisis.” If you missed out on March 22nd’s activities, you can look forward to many upcoming events and projects surrounding water sustainability throughout the rest of the year. We, as a community, should continue to strive for a sustainable future and make individual efforts to lessen the impact and help solve the worldwide water crisis!
St. Patrick’s Day History BRIANA ROISENVIT ‘23 AND NIAMH KELLY ‘24 Have you ever wondered why we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day? Why our stores are filled with green once March rolls around? Why our parades fill the news channels every year? Or why a saint’s day is celebrated so extravagantly around the world? It’s actually very common to not know the answer. St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated every year on March 17th to commemorate the first patron saint of Ireland. It was established as a public holiday in 1903 when a member of the U.K. parliament, James O’Mara, passed a bill to make it an official bank holiday in Ireland. However, it had been celebrated since 1631 when the Catholic Church introduced a feast day to honor St. Patrick. Ironically enough, St Patrick wasn’t actually born in Ireland, but instead, in England during the Roman Britain period. He came to Ireland against his will when he
was kidnapped and enslaved. Six years later, St. Patrick returned to his home and was very committed to devoting his life to his faith, and so he joined the clergy. He was a deacon for about 14 years until he was declared a bishop in 432 A.D. He continued to show his dedication to learning about Christianity when he started traveling all around Europe to advance his religious education. Eventually, St. Patrick returned to Ireland to spread Christianity to the citizens of the nation. There are many legends that aim to explain how he brought this religion to the island, including how he used the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity. He converted many people to Christianity and overall made huge contributions to its development in Ireland during the 5th century. The commemoration of his passing is remembered on March 17th, which is
the celebration of this beautiful holiday. Hundreds of years after his death, the Irish began to celebrate the feast, and the holiday continued as a serious remark on religion to this day. This public Irish holiday has spread globally, especially emphasized in the United States, and continues to be an amazing connection with the beauty in Christian history. This day is an amazing opportunity to connect with the Irish Heritage found in many of our Koalas and to worship the importance of the Lord! We hope you had a great St. Patrick’s Day!!
2022 Senior Advice to Rising Seniors KLARA SEVERANCE-SULIMMA ‘26 AND CAMPBELL WEPPLER ‘25 As this school year starts to come to a close, the Ursuline chapter is ending for the 2022 seniors, so what advice would they give to next year’s class? A current senior, Rebecca Pesce, shares amazing advice for the upcoming senior class: “One piece of advice I have for rising seniors is to start your college applications early. This is something you will hear over and over again, but it is so important. The one thing I regret most from my senior year was not starting those applications earlier. I spent so much time procrastinating and stressing out about them when all I had to do was start. It will only make your life easier in the long run and give you more time to focus on the fun things that come with senior year!” Besides this piece of advice, Rebecca also recognizes the hardship of making a college decision in modern times: “Don’t let rankings, brand names, or culture determine your worth. The media has made us believe that we need to get into schools with the lowest
acceptance rates, when really we should be focusing on getting into schools where we will become the best version of ourselves. Besides, it is not about what the college is going to do for you but rather what you are going to do with what you are given. So, don’t let societal norms distract you from the true purpose of an education!” This is amazing advice on how to stay true to yourself when others try to knock down your worth. Finally, an anonymous senior shares advice on the stress that senior year can cause: “Do not stay up too late finishing homework! It’s not worth losing sleep over!” While everyone may think that senior year is the easiest year of high school, there is a consensus among this class that it is one of the most stressful (especially early on with applications due) so the most important thing to do is to take care of oneself both mentally and physically, and of course, take in the last moments of your high school career!
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HHREC Overview LOLA MILAZZO ‘22 On Wednesday March 16, The Ursuline School virtually hosted the annual Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center Conference. This full-day program explored both domestic and international social justice and human rights issues in various formats. The students who participated in the program, led by Mrs. Maria Barton, listened to speakers and also watched videos created by HHREC student leaders. One such video about water scarcity was made by two of Ursuline’s own students, Jenna Cain ’23 and Hanna Ciccarelli ’23. Peter Westbrook was the first keynote speaker on the agenda. As an Olympian fencing champion of Black and Japanese descent, he spoke about his struggles with racism in and out of the sport and how fencing itself gave him great strength to persevere. Westbrook later founded the Peter Westbrook Foundation, a not-for-profit organization that uses fencing to enrich the lives of underserved young people in the New York metropolitan area. They have taught over 4,000 children, 8 of whom have gone on to become Olympian fencers. His speech was incredibly inspiring, and his ultimate advice for his virtual audience was to pursue something in life that you enjoy and will enrich your life. Judith Altmann, a Holocaust survivor, was the second keynote speaker. She spoke about her experience of being imprisoned in Nazi concentration camps. Altmann truly conveyed the horror and sorrow that she felt during her time there, especially when she described how members of her family were separated from her and sent to their deaths. Thankfully, Altmann was freed by the allied forces and immigrated to America soon after. She spoke about her gratefulness about being able to live a free life in America after such a harrowing experience. Ultimately, her speech was incredibly touching and impactful. She holds a lot of hope for the future of America and the world, and it is very inspiring that she has dedicated her life to telling her story and educating others. The conference was certainly an incredible experience for all who were able to attend, and everyone walked away with not only more knowledge of the past, but also more awareness of issues in our world today.
“Eggciting” Easter Traditions SARAH BRANNIGAN ‘24 AND LAUREN GOODWIN ‘23 Don’t you just love the time of year when the aisle full of jelly beans and chocolate eggs slowly appears in your local grocery store? Easter comes around once a year, and we can’t wait for it. The special holiday traditions are what make the season so remarkable. Easter is a religious holiday, so many families have religious traditions. Common ones include attending Stations of the Cross, going to the Easter Vigil Mass with family, or special seasonal songs. On Easter Sunday, it is a beautiful time to attend mass together. The pews of the Church are colorful when young boys and girls get dressed up. You might spot a few Easter bonnets or fancy traditional easter hats! Over the years, Easter has become a commercialized holiday. As a result, many more traditions have arisen. Some favorite traditions shared by our Ursuline family include egg hunts, traveling over break, and waking up to baskets full of treats from the Easter Bunny. Have you ever tried hiding a golden egg? If you have an Easter egg hunt this year, hide a special marked egg with a surprise inside. You can even try hosting an egg dying party with friends. Have some people bring their favorite jelly beans and Cadbury chocolates. In all, with Easter comes many traditions that we look forward to every year. Thanks for sharing your traditions with us, and feel free to bring one of these traditions back to your family this year. We “hop” you have an “eggcelent” Easter and a “bunnyful” break!
Thoughts on Daylight Savings BY ANNA BRODY ‘22 To be honest, when I first heard of the Sunshine Protection Act, I thought, “So what?” This is mainly because daylight savings has never really affected anything, except my mood in the middle of March. I dread losing that extra hour of sleep every year so vehemently that I consider the end of Daylight Savings Time the best day of the year. Yet, when I read the contents of the bill, I was unimpressed. Daylight Savings Time (DST) was introduced to the United States in 1918 during World War I. Although many believe its implementation was largely to give farmers more daylight to grow their crops, DST was said to have been originally enacted to conserve resources such as fuel and make better use of daylight during the war. Since then, every year Americans reluctantly move their clocks one hour forward in March, making days “last longer” and joyously push their clocks back one hour in November. However, this might not be the case for much longer. The Sunshine Protection Act would get rid of changing clocks biannually once and for all, making DST the permanent standard
time. Some states have already been exempted from participating in DST, so instead, their leaders will set the standard time for their respective domains. Having already been passed in the Senate by unanimous consent, an agreement that expedites the approval before the Senate floor, the Sunshine Protection Act will move into the House for debate and vote and then be signed by the President. Yet, for many Americans, even some Senators themselves, the unanimous consent agreement was shocking considering the stark partisan divides in government. In some ways this bill demonstrates a push towards bipartisanship in the Senate. Alternatively, the Sunshine Protection Act demonstrates our government’s lack of ability to address vital issues such as the growing federal deficit or climate change. Will our government finally put aside ideological differences to pass the Sunshine Protection Act? It’s looking plausible, but in today’s political climate, the Sunshine Protection Act could very well end up getting stuck in a House Committee.
Lifted Mask Restrictions: How Do We Feel? MARY WROTNIAK ‘22 AND CAROLINE BRODY ‘22 It has been about four weeks since New York State Governor Kathy Hochul announced that the mask mandate would be lifted in schools. From that day, it has been exciting to see the reemergence of smiles in the hallway at Ursuline after a two year hiatus. Though it certainly marks a great step in the worldwide battle against the COVID-19 pandemic, it is also important to acknowledge that the decision to wear a mask is a completely personal choice by individuals and their families, and some may choose to continue this practice. Though mask wearing is commonly associated with stopping the spread of COVID-19, it is still cold and flu season, and some students have taken preventative measures against these illnesses in addition to avoiding COVID by continuing to wear a mask. Looking back, fewer people caught other illnesses during the height of the pandemic due to mask mandates, so continuing to wear a mask may be a smart decision to help avoid the common cold during this time of the year. We interviewed some students to get their opinions on the lifted mask restrictions. While some students have expressed joy over the lifting of the mask mandate, others have more lukewarm and reluctant feelings. Still, many of the students polled were pleased with these new guidelines such as Sofia Nogalo ’23 who said that, “She feels so free” when not wearing masks. On the other hand, a senior student shared that she believes the new mask guidelines are a good thing, but she will continue to wear her mask for personal reasons. To put it simply, the diversity of the student body here at Ursuline will ultimately result in a diversity of viewpoints. There will never be one straightforward answer to the question of, mask or no mask? It feels that over these past couple of years, mask-wearing has morphed into a political issue, while the real issue seems to lie in matters of public health. To some, masks are an everyday necessity and essential to the health and well-being of the community. To others, masks are simply seen as a nuisance and not seen as a tool to eradicate COVID-19. However, above all and no matter where you stand, we all must continue to treat the entire Ursuline community with respect.
Easter Baking Ideas NOELLE NEVIN ‘23
It is finally time to plan Easter festivities as Holy Week quickly approaches. Livening up Easter Sunday Celebrations, try this delicious recipe for chocolate Easter bark. The chocolate dessert is perfect for Easter: easy to make, quick to assemble, and great to enjoy! The only ingredients needed for this recipe are semi-sweet and white chocolate chips, food coloring, chocolate mini eggs, sprinkles, a large baking sheet, and toppings of your preference.
PREP: Line a large half-sheet baking pan with either parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. The chocolate mini eggs should be crushed and then set aside. The chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate should be melted separately, either on the stove or in the microwave:
ON THE STOVE: Bring 2 inches of water to a low simmer in a saucepan over mediumlow heat. Then, turn the heat to low and place a large heat-proof bowl of chocolate chips on the mouth of the pot. Make sure that there is a gap of a few inches in between the bottom of the bowl and the water. Stir the chocolate constantly as it melts.
IN THE MICROWAVE: The second way to melt chocolate (and an easier way) is in the microwave. Place the chocolate into a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30 second intervals. Remove the bowl at each interval and stir well. Repeat until the chocolate has completely melted.
DYE THE WHITE CHOCOLATE: Divide the white chocolate into 2-3 separate small mixing bowls. Then, add pastel-colored food coloring to each bowl and mix until combined. Spread out semi-sweet chocolate: Spread the melted semi-sweet chocolate in a thin layer onto the prepared baking sheet, about 1/3 inch thick. Dollop the melted, colored white chocolate on top in alternating patterns. Using a toothpick, swirl the semi-sweet and white chocolates together.
ADD TOPPINGS: Immediately arrange the chocolate eggs onto the swirled chocolate, pressing them lightly into the chocolate if necessary. Sprinkle the remaining gaps on the surface with sprinkles, marshmallows or any other topping you prefer.
SET: Transfer the pan to the refrigerator to allow the chocolate to set for about 45 minutes. Then, transfer the chocolate still on the parchment paper to a cutting board, and cut the bark into pieces. Serve immediately or store in a container to enjoy later on!
Spring Sports AOIBHE CHARLES ‘24 AND SAHARA BANGURA ‘24 After a very successful winter season, the Koalas are back at it again this Spring, representing our school in 4 different sports! This season, TUS students will participate in modified, JV, and varsity level golf, lacrosse, softball and track & field. Looking back on the winter season, Daphne Banino ’22 has just been titled as the Lohud Sports 2021-22 Westchester-Putnam Girls Indoor Track Athlete of the Year! Despite having an injury at the end of the season, she ended with medaling at states and finishing top 10 in New York State in 3 events. The TUS traditional cheerleading, Varsity A basketball and indoor track teams have been chosen as NYSPHSAA Scholar Athlete Teams, proving these Ursuline Koalas are not just amazing students but also talented athletes! While the spring season is only getting underway, we are excited to see what’s in store for the marsupials. The varsity softball team lost their season opening game against Mahopac 7-3 on the Kelly Mac field, but we know the best is yet to come. Emily Duhaney, Ava Papaleo and Emilia Mancusi all contributed to the Koala’s great efforts and we hope their next game will secure a win. As the track and field team began their outdoor season, they competed in the incredible Icahn Stadium where 44 students ran at the season opener. Prizila Negrete brought home the gold in discus and javelin, and several other students placed. Only a couple weeks ago, three Ursuline teams were awarded with all-American honors in the Nike Indoor Nationals at the Ocean Breeze complex. The 1600 sprint medley, 4x800 meter, and distance medley relays were all awarded this title. In just over 4 minutes and 9 seconds, Jessica Tejera, Elena Olson, Claire Hickey, and Daphne Banino ran the fastest SMR in New York state this season! We can't wait to see how the TUS track team performs this season, as they run their way through Section 1! The junior varsity and varsity lacrosse and golf teams have been working hard practicing for their first games against Fox Lane and Rye High School. The modified lacrosse and softball teams have also begun tryouts and we’re excited to see what these 7th and 8th grade Koalas can do!
Pope Photography
Pope Photography
Pope Photography
Pope Photography
Prayer for Ukraine KAYLA-ANN JOHNSON ‘22 AND BRIGITTE RAPILLO ‘22
Dear God, Let the country of yellow and blue reach glory and freedom. Have Ukraine reach their ultimate goal of peace. The country of Russia must reason and repent. May each land legislate a resolution to this evilness So the vulnerable victims may seek refuge. Our hearts align into the gate of hopefulness. Have the brutality become broken forever in the world. That President Putin is persuaded to peace. And that everyone may globally unite and love together with you. Courtesy of the Art Department
Amen.
EDITORS Lola Milazzo ‘22 and Madeline Donovan ‘23 MODERATOR: Ms. Tenore
Unison
LAYOUT: Mrs. LaBella PRINTING: Mrs. Alzate THE URSULINE SCHOOL 1354 North Avenue, New Rochelle, NY www.ursulinenewrochelle.org