The Royal Exchange - Oct 2016

Rosary High School | October 6, 2016

The Royal Exchange

The class of 2020 celebrates Freshfest 2016 and marks the official start of our new school year.

Welcome to 2016-2017 By: Skylar Betsinger We begin this new school year at Rosary and face many new changes. If you are a freshman, everything is new this year and it will take some time to adjust completely. However, the rest of us have a few things to adjust to as well.

One new addition to the school that Rosary has never before had a school president, so this year we are introducing Dr. Choice as the first person to fill that role. In addition to Dr. Choice, we also have other new faces in our faculty including new teachers, campus minister and counselor.

We also have the opportunity to embrace a new lunch program this year.

It was brought to us in hopes of increasing the variety of healthy options

offered to us. With all of these new concepts being incorporated into our school this year, it also presents many different opportunities to become involved.

We have some pretty great additions to our school’s activities this year. Mrs. Guddendorf has come with a new club this year, The Animal Rescue Club.

Our Newspaper Club is new this year, and a great opportunity to be involved in what is on going at Rosary. What used to be Las Hermanitas is now Diversity Club.

The activities available at Rosary are as follow: Art Club, Bible Club, Chess Club, Debate Club, Dominican Preachers (applications go out for Juniors in the fall), Drama Club, FBLA (Business Club), Film Club, French Club, Interact Club, Kairos (a retreat

offered to upperclassmen), Latin Club, Lifesavers (Pro-life) Club, Life’s Little Lessons, Math Team, Mission Club, Mu Alpha Theta (a math club), National Honor Society (applications go out for Juniors in the fall), Pep Club (Rosary/Marmion), S.A.D.D. (Students Against Destructive Decisions) Club, Senior Retreat Team (applications go out for Juniors), Social Justice League, Spanish Club, Student Council, W.Y.S.E Team (an academically competitive team), and Yearbook Club.

Any of these are great ways to get involved and explore your interests. (It is encouraged to look into them if interested and try them out because you never know where you might discover your new favorite activity or a great friend who enjoys the same things as you.)

Page 1

Rosary High School | October 6, 2016

Teacher Spotlight: Mr. Prokos By: Kaitlyn Schatteman Mr. Prokos, Aurora native and new Junior American Literature teacher, says his favorite thing about Rosary is the welcoming people. He describes his experience so far, “Every day someone asks me how my transition is going.

The best moment I had with this was when two students volunteered their help if ever I had a question. I asked them which of my classes they were in, and they told me that they didn’t have me.” As for his future at Rosary, he is

Walkathon By: Kourtney Lipps Rosary High School has several events and traditions throughout the year. The first of these to occur is the annual Walka-Thon. This is the time when everyone collects money from family, friends, and neighbors that helps towards the cost of our education. With these pledges motivating us, everyone– students, faculty, and staff– goes to Blackberry Farm, where, for the next few hours, we walk 3k together as a community.

The Walk-a-Thon assembly got everyone excited and ready for the event. We entered the auditorium as We're Off to See the Wizard was blasting over the speakers. This tune alone told us what the theme of Walk-a-Thon would be. This year, it was Wizard of Oz; seniors were

Page 2

most excited about teaching the American Romantics. Outside of school, Mr. Prokos spends his free time blasting music on his headphones as he sings along and plays air guitar. His favorite type of music is alternative rock and his favorite band is Green Day. His favorite book is Paradise Lost and he cheers for his favorite sports team, the Chicago Cubs. The voyager in him would like to one day take a tour of the Mediterranean. As for advice for Rosary students, he says “Set big goals for the future, but focus on being the best that you can in the present, and remember that Christ is everything.” A fun fact about Mr. Prokos is that he did not know his legal name until he was 22.

to represent Dorothy, juniors the Scarecrow, sophomores the Tin Man, and freshmen the Cowardly Lion. The Student Council put together an awesome and creative skit that explained the rules of Walk-a-Thon by acting as characters from Wizard of Oz. As a senior, this was my last Walk-a-Thon.

Looking back, I only remember thinking how long the walk was and how drained I felt afterwards. The more I thought about it, however, I realized that I got to spend time with my friends, teachers, and peers while enjoying Mother Nature at the same time. All in all, Walk-a-Thon was a great experience that I'll never forget.

Blue Kilts By: Sara Bocian After three months of long nights, pools parties and summer fun, it is time to go back to school and start yet another school year. While many things are the same, there is also a prominent change for this year’s juniors. Previous year sophomores now wear blue skirts.

They have been looking forward to this Rosary milestone. The blue skirt represents many new responsibilities and opportunities, such as prom, being a big sister, bigger lockers, and being a part of the upperclassman once and for all. The new uniforms also present new clubs and activities that we are able to participate in. I know that I can speak for all my fellow classmates when I say that we are we excited to see what this year of new uniforms brings us.

Gabi Pruneda and Gabrielle Ghaderi pose with “Toto” before Walkathon begins (Top). Juniors stop and pose during their journey down the yellow brick road (Bottom).

Rosary High School | October 6, 2016

Halloween By: Kourtney Lipps On the hunt for a costume to wear this Halloween? Whether you are still up for door-to-door trick-or-treating, you're going to a party, or you just want to be in the Halloween spirit while passing out candy to your neighbors, here are some ideas to help you get started.

Halloween City is an obvious first place to look. There is a reason why this store has it's name. It has just about every costume you can think of, so if you are looking for wide selection, this is the place to go. Another good store to try Halloween shopping is Goodwill. It is your friend when it comes to lowbudget costumes. This is also a good place for those who want to make their costume their own. From the classic witch to raining cats and dogs, it's easy to get carried away with this idea.

There are two types of people when it comes to costume parties; those who want to go all out and those who do not.

For those who want to stand out, you are going to have to get a little creative; think about what people are not dressing up as this year. What I mean by this is that the key to winning a costume contest at any party is how much effort is put into it and originality. For example, if the theme is superhero, try going as one that not many people know about. If you don't want to go over the top, try finding t-shirts with designs similar to hero costumes, such as Wonder Woman or Batman.

Advice to Freshmen By: Marissa Sepulveda Freshman year is the year of change. For a Rosary student, it is even more change than anyone could imagine. Not only are freshmen meeting new people, but they are also experiencing new and more challenging classes.

On the bright side, finding your way around the school is a breeze considering it is nothing more than a giant square.

In reality, though, Rosary is definitely not a place of worries. Yes, the classes can be stressful, but it is all beneficial in the long run.

As someone who has survived freshman year, I can honestly say that I wish I would have worried less. Grades are important, but they do not define you. Being a social butterfly is nice, but it is not the priority of high school. I encourage you to may do poorly on an assignment or a test, but it

try your best in classes and have fun in moderation.

Classes are tough, especially at Rosary. You may do poorly on an assignment or a test, but it is not the end of the world.

Instead of crying or wishing you could go back in time to study more, think of more reasonable solutions. Go to your teacher and ask to go over the questions that you got wrong. Study more for the next test. Go to the Student Success Center for help with homework or studying. Whatever you do, never put yourself down. As my mother always tells me, "You go to school to learn, not because you already know everything." Remember to take that into consideration whenever grades come to mind.

No matter what you pick to be this year, make sure to have an awesome time celebrating Halloween!

The new incoming freshmen are enjoying pizza and each other's company.

Page 3

Rosary High School | October 6, 2016 10 Minutes Left By: Angela Kvitek

Mission Club meets at Rosary early in the morning to depart for their 2016 summer trip to Hamilton, Ohio. Mr. Beltz, club moderator, sits in the front row on the far left. Many students are eager to tag along on the trip as they have a fun time while helping others and gaining service hours.

Page 4

Mission Club By: Skylar Betsinger One of the many opportunities provided to Rosary students is the ability to join Mission Club and go on a mission trip during the summer.

I talked to Patricia Wenzel, a member of the club to gain more information of what that experience is like.

SB: How long have you been a part of mission club?

PW: This will be my third summer going on the trips and being a part of the club. They didn't have it my freshman year, so I've gone every year they've offered it.

SB: Where have you gone for the trips?

PW: Our first year we went to Racine, Wisconsin. Last summer we went to Hamilton, Ohio. Because of planning difficulties, we will be returning to Racine, Wisconsin again this summer.

SB: What are some of the things you did while there?

PW: We stay at a school. When we are at the school, we have group worship, free time, and small group activities. During the day, we are driven to out designated work sites (a home in the town), and we do work to help improve the house. Each house has different jobs that need to be done, but you don't need to be trained in many of these things.

SB: Would you recommend that others join?

PW: Definitely! You meets tons of new people and make many new friends both at the sites and at the school.