Golden Lines - St. Pius X Catholic High School

Transcription

Golden Lines
A student publication of
St. Pius X Catholic High School
Vol 48 Issue 1 St. Pius X Catholic High School
OPINIONS
New flagpole commemorates SPX parents
RYAN FEENEY
Staff Writer
Summer reading: a worthwhile
endeavor or a waste of time?
Alison Denzer-King and Julia
Templeton debate. Page 3
NEWS
Read about the steps our administration and faculty are taking
to ward off Swine ’09 and keep
you out of this mask. Page 5
FEATURES
New chaplain Fr. Jose Luis Hernandez Ayala brings his humor,
wisdom, Puerto Rican roots, and
PEACE to St. Pius X. Page 9
SPORTS
2674 Johnson Road NE Atlanta, Georgia 30345 404.636.3023 www.spx.org September 18, 2009
This summer, St. Pius X senior
Sean Espinosa constructed a
flagpole by the softball field for
his Eagle Scout project. Upon
its completion, he dedicated it
to the memories of two St. Pius
X parents who passed away last
year: Mr. Collier Hackman, father to senior Erin Hackman,
and Mrs. Margaret Gilbert,
swimming coach, mother to
sophomore Katy, and wife to
Mr. Bob Gilbert. Both Sean
and the administration undertook a hefty workload to commemorate these two parents
and their contributions to the
school.
It all began this past
summer when Sean was brainstorming about what to do for
his Eagle Scout project, a necessary component to receive
the rank of Eagle (the highest
in Boy Scouting.)
“I noticed that the
softball field was the only athletic facility on campus without
the American flag,” Espinosa
said. “When they played the
national anthem, everyone
would have to face the stadium.” Noting this, Sean decided
to erect a flagpole.
First he needed clearance from the school. Luckily,
he found a receptive audience.
Pius football: Roaring to the top
PATRICK TIGHE
Sports Editor
“Dominate or Drown!”
Fr. Dan and the St. Pius X Water Polo teams – plural! – begin
the season with new players and
championship dreams. Page 10
CENTERSPREAD
Which of our new teachers loves
The Office? Who teaches jazz
and hip-hop after school? Who
wants to go camping by a waterfall? Find out! Pages 6 and 7
“I loved the idea,” said Prin- “I think it’s a great Thank you for honoring my
cipal Steve Spellman. “Sean way to remember people,” said mother and Mr. Hackman.”
Mr. Spellman beand I then approached Mr. senior Erin Hackman. “Mrs. Stephens, director of Finance Gilbert and my dad would be lieves the flagpole is a monument not only to two very
and Operations here at
special people, but also
SPX about the idea, and
the entire community. “It
he also liked the idea,
is an idea that is special to
and thus it was adopted.”
the school,” he remarked.
The proposal passed Es“It honored two very spepinosa’s troops as well;
cial SPX people in Marthen he needed supplies.
garet Gilbert and Collier
“I asked differHackman, was beautifully
ent people for donations,
landscaped and erected
which I then used to buy
by Sean, and fulfilled his
supplies,” revealed EsEagle Scout project reppinosa. People were more
resenting the highest levthan willing to give their
el and honor in Scouting
money; many volunteers
– a winning combination
also assisted with the enfor everyone!”
deavor. Boys from Sean’s
His project complettroop came to workdays
ed, Espinosa must now
for Sean’s project; among
pass an Eagle Board of
them were senior Chris
Review before he can ofCarscallen and junior
ficially receive the rank of
Dennis Walton, both EaEagle. A committee will
gle Scouts themselves.
review his file, project,
With all his suprecommendation letters,
plies and an ample corps Sean Espinosa recently erected this flagaccomplishments
of volunteers, Espinosa pole by the softball field. It is dedicated to and
erected the flagpole. A the memories of Mr. Collier Hackman and across his Scouting career.
special dedication cere- Mrs. Margaret Gilbert. Staff photo.
“To become an Eamony took place September 2 when the softball team proud to know they made such gle through this project just
played Lovett at home. Boy a difference in people’s lives, makes it even more special,”
Scouts from Troop 15 partici- that people not only wanted said Espinosa, reflecting on his
pated, and the Marching Band to remember them, but honor service. “Not every Scout gets
the chance to go for Eagle, so
played the national anthem. them as well.”
Sophomore
Katy I consider myself lucky, and I
Both the Hackman and Gil- bert families were especially Gilbert agreed, “I think it’s hope that this project lives on
beautiful and very thoughtful. through the years.”
touched and grateful.
The St. Pius X Golden
Lions varsity football team has
jumped through a ring of fire in
this circus of a season. The team
is off to an impressive 2-0 start
and will face off against their
first AAA opponent, the Oconee
County Warriors, on September 11 at George B. Maloof Stadium. This fantastic start can be
attributed to hard work in the
weight room, grueling practices,
a fantastic coaching staff, amazing fan support from the Jungle
and the fearless leadership of
head coach Paul Standard.
On August 28th Pius
battered Marist 28-3 in the
opening game of the season. It
was an electrifying night from
start to finish, as this was the
first win for Pius varsity football
at Marist’s Hughes Spalding Stadium in 35 years. It was an evening of star performances as senior Alden Homrich caught two
touchdown passes and sophomore quarterback Trey White
racked up 115 yards rushing in
his first varsity start.
The Pius offense finished with a staggering 340
yards of total offense while the
defense followed suit by holding the heralded Marist offense
to 154 yards of total offense and
only one first down in the second half while forcing four turnovers.
Outstanding
senior
leadership from players Robert Lucisano, Brian Gee, Adam
Hall, Andrew Butler, Reid Callahan, Justin Harris, Will Shatlock, Jonathan Porter and Michael Pagoaga helped inspire
the team to victory. “We need to
build on this win but if we can
give that much intensity, effort
and enthusiasm we are going to
be tough to beat,” said White.
This proved to be true
on September 4, when the Lions got out their tools and built
on their exhilarating triumph
over Marist by dismantling the
Greater Atlanta Christian Spartans 56-7. Junior back George
Kennedy started off the offensive clinic with a 38-yard dash
on 4th down and 3 yards to
go. After the Kennedy explosion, the Lions added more
touchdowns by White, Harris,
sophomore Cleve Kellogg and
sophomore Jake Delaney. “Our
players know that we are on a
mission and each week is one
step closer,” said Standard.
The team contin-
ued their dominating play by
thumping Oconee County 49-0
on Sept. 11.
It has been an exciting
season so far and there will be
more to come, as Pius will host
the next three games in a row at
home where a new scoreboard
was just installed. “The new
scoreboard has LED lights and
a color video board where we
can display player pictures, previous highlights, sponsor logos
and upcoming game schedules.
I believe this will create a much
better game experience for all of
our fans,” said St. Pius Athletic
Director Mark Kelly.
If we can keep up this
avalanche of touchdowns, classic victories and incredible fan
support we will keep on marching to the ultimate big top: The
Georgia Dome!
opinions
Golden Lines
2
September 18, 2009
Golden Lines
St. Pius X Catholic
High School
2674 Johnson Road, NE
Atlanta, Georgia 30345
404-636-3023 phone
404-633-8387 fax
www.spx.org
Editors-In-Chief
Claire Corkren
Diana Guyton
Staff Writers
Ryan Bell
Molly Berg
Alison Denzer-King
Ryan Feeney
Annemarie Fisher
Lizzie Howell
Connor Kisling
Connie Kokenes
Avery MacArthur
Caddie Martin
Conor McNulty
Allie Priede
Caroline Ross
Julia Templeton
Patrick Tighe
Erena Weathers
Amanda Yestrumsky
Adviser
Ashley Curlette
Principal
Steve Spellman
The Golden Lines is
published approximately
10 times per school year by
the students of St. Pius X
Catholic High School for
the entire student body and
surrounding community.
Views presented by the
Golden Lines publication
are not necessarily those
of school faculty, school
administration, publication
adviser or advertisers.
Topics, facts and opinions
associated with the Roman
Catholic Church will be
in keeping with such
teachings.
Letters to the editors are
encouraged and welcomed
but must be signed by the
writer. They should be
addressed to the editors,
Claire Corkren and Diana
Guyton,
and delivered
to them in the care of the
Golden Lines adviser, Mrs.
Ashley Curlette.
Please
bring all signed letters to
room 304 or email them
to [email protected]. The
Golden Lines reserves the
right to edit any letters.
Letters to the editor
will not be published
anonymously.
What We Think...
As the new school
year commences, we St. Pius
X students have to get back
into the flow of our alma
mater. We have to remember
how to write acceptable essays
between midnight and 1:30
a.m., how to avoid sophomore
hallway when our uniforms
are iffy, how to stand up
straight under the weight of
seven textbooks, and how to
throw defensive driving rules
out the window once we reach
the dreaded four-way stop in
the morning.
Any driving upperclassman will tell you that
being just about anywhere—
including Florida during hurricane season, dyslexic in a
spelling bee, and unprepared
in Ms. Stockard’s class—would
be preferable to approaching
the intersection of Johnson
Road and Plaster Road at
7:45 a.m. Because our newspaper staff is made almost
entirely of driving juniors and
seniors, we at the Golden Lines
take particular issue with the
morning melee. When the
subject for this editorial was
brought up in the newsroom,
there was a collective groan,
quickly followed by a series
A Lot of Woes
of impassioned arguments
against the practices of other
drivers. So, to you underclassmen who are chauffeured by
your parents and to you upperclassmen with questionable
motor habits, we have decided
to voice our complaints. Heed
them well, or, as one of our
number said, you might just
find yourself being flattened
by a large, white Suburban.
First: please, we beg
you, follow the traffic patterns
by taking turns. This applies
especially to parents. We cannot tell you how many times
we have been cut off by overzealous drivers on the way
into the roundabout in front
of the gates. Take turns at the
stop signs. Take turns letting
people out of the exits. Take
turns going into the roundabout. We all have to get
to and from school, and we
would greatly appreciate it if
you refrained from throwing
off the pattern.
Second:parents,
please use one lane to pick up
and drop off your children.
This applies both to the front
of the school and to the back.
Anterior to the gates, parents
have a tendency to take up all
three lanes in an attempt to
unload their groggy progeny.
Not only does this result in
other parents being trapped
in the first lanes, backing up
traffic even further, but for
those of us who park in front
of the Fine Arts wing, it is especially frustrating to battle
through the chaos. Similarly,
do not park where there is not
a parking space. We have no
words strong enough to articulate how aggravated we are
when we sit behind a car for
five minutes only to find that
it has no intention of moving.
As for the back, it is beyond irritating when we have to navigate around underclassmen
prancing across the second
conduit to reach their mothers in vision-impairing minivans at the end of the day.
Third: juniors, we
implore you to go the right
way through your parking
lot. We know that it is infinitely easier for you to avoid
going over the speed bumps,
but the feeling we get when a
car suddenly shoots out from
an unexpected angle is rather
more than unsettling; being
surprised while behind the
wheel is not ideal.
Fourth: for all of
those who park on campus,
the optimal position for your
car is in the center of your
spot. If your tire overlaps
any of the white lines, the response should be to reposition
your vehicle to allow people to
park properly in the adjacent
lanes. If you fail to do so, you
may end up finding that it is
impossible to get into your car
at the end of the day without
damaging the paint job.
Last: we greatly appreciate courtesy waves and
blinkers. We have just gotten
out of the way to make room
for your turn. The least you
can do is pick up a hand to
acknowledge that small sacrifice. As for the blinkers, we
know it sounds silly because of
the established patterns, but
people are both coming and
going, so we’re not sure what
other drivers are planning to
do. Blinkers erase doubt.
When we all observe
these simple measures, it
makes our parking lot a little
less perilous, our morning a
little less stressful, and our vocabulary a little less colorful.
The Time Traveler’s Wife:
An interesting tale about time and love
I’m convinced that
actress Rachel McAdams is a
sucker for
epic love
stories.
MOLLY BERG
Her movie
Opinions Editor
The Notebook is one
of the most popular love tales
of all time. It was a film that
made young girls everywhere
“ooh” and “aww” at the story
of country boy Noah and city
girl Allie. Today, many consider The Notebook one of their favorite romance movies. Now,
McAdams has come out with
another tale of love and loss.
This film is The Time Traveler’s
Wife, based on author Audrey
Niffenegger’s national bestseller of the same name.
Deciding what movie
to see for my review was a
no-brainer. With my options
between The Time Traveler’s
Wife and Alexis Bledel’s PostGrad, I realized that I was already interested in seeing The
Time Traveler’s Wife. The title itself is enough to draw the
viewer in, but the plot is even
more interesting.
The story is this:
Henry DeTamble (Eric Bana)
is a man who falls in love with
the girl of his dreams, Clare
Absher (Rachel McAdams).
They have a nearly perfect
relationship, but of course,
there is a conflict. Henry suffers from a genetic anomaly
called chrono displacement,
a disorder that causes him to
time travel without warning
(and without clothing).
With Henry able to
leave at any time, Clare struggles with not knowing where
he is and when he’ll return.
Eventually Clare and Henry
realize that their time together may be limited as Henry’s
time traveling self journeys
back in time only up to a certain age. Although Henry’s
ability to visit Clare in the past
seems like a gift, the anomaly
can also be a curse. The Time
Traveler’s Wife is the story of
Clare and Henry learning
to appreciate the time they
have together and savor the
moments with the ones they
love.
Overall, I enjoyed
The Time Traveler’s Wife. It’s
a sweet mixture of love and
science fiction that keeps the
audience engaged throughout the duration of the movie.
Also, it was refreshing to see
a film with a compelling plot
and a good cast of actors.
However, there are some
problems with the film.
First, the movie is
confusing. The film begins
with Henry as a young boy,
time traveling for the first
time after a tragic car accident. Suddenly, it jumps to
Henry as an adult, who befriends Clare at a library. This
confusion isn’t short lived
though. In fact, the movie
remains unclear for the first
half hour, until the audience
understands just how the genetic anomaly works.
In addition, the
movie can seem dreary at
times. For the first hour, I
tried to sympathize with Clare
Absher. At first, it was difficult
to understand why she stays
with Henry when his presence is less than stable. However, like the confusion in the
film, that too fades and the
audience sees just how strong
a relationship Clare and Henry have.
I encourage people to
see The Time Traveler’s Wife
when it comes out on DVD.
It is a tender movie about patience and unconditional love
that has sturdy performances
from both Bana and McAdams. Although the film is by
no means Academy Awardwinning material, it remains
a touching movie that shares
insight into the strength of
human relationships.
opinions
Golden Lines
September 18, 2009
3
Opposing viewpoints: Summer reading
Getting
back
to
school, listening to
all the different stories about
ALISON DENZER-KING s u m m e r
vacation,
Staff Writer
I’ve heard
one thing
in common: no one wanted
to annotate. From the honors
scholars to the CP students,
this one opinion was practically unanimous. But there
is a reason behind this most
dreaded of summer chores.
Let’s face it. We all
have friends who may not
be doing all of their summer
reading. It’s not as though
they don’t have time; over
two and a half months, there
is surely time enough to read
a few books. Even with camps
and trips and summer jobs,
it seems unrealistic that students don’t have ten or fifteen
minutes every once in a while
to read a few pages.
Without
annotating, it’s relatively easy to get
by in class on just SparkNotes
and the dust jacket description, but believe it or not, our
teachers do not force this literary labor upon us simply to
make us suffer. It’s a regular
homework assignment and
like all homework, although
it may not be enjoyable, it’s
geared towards helping us
learn.
Annotating
also
helps us remember what goes
on in the books. Anyone who’s
read a good book knows what
it’s like to get caught up in a
story. You might even jump
ahead to see what’s happening in a particularly intense
passage. All the seemingly
insignificant details fade into
the background in the presence of these must-read passages, but when test time
comes around, it’s all you’ll
remember. Annotating makes
it easier to remember what
has happened in the plot or
an important bit of character
development, passages that
you otherwise might forget,
and material that could be on
the test.
It may take more time
while you’re reading, but it
pays off come test time. It can
also help you on standardized
tests, such as the SAT. Many
SAT coaches and tutors, such
as Ronnie Demler and David
Benjamin Gruenbaum, who
has written a book on proper
SAT prep and owns a private
tutoring company, encourage their students to actively
read (that means annotate)
everything from books to
newspaper articles to prepare for the critical reading
Picture
this,
it’s
the end of
July
and
a girl and
her family
are vacationing at
JULIA TEMPLETON the beach.
Staff Writer
The
girl
wakes up,
puts on her bathing suit, and
heads down to the ocean. She
has the option of swimming,
making a sand castle, going
on a long walk, or even just
read is only the beginning.
Not only do we have to read
the book, but we also have to
come up with intelligent and
clever things to say in the margins of the book. Annotating a
six hundred-page book, like I
had to do, is not my idea of a
good time. While I do enjoy
reading, I feel that annotating
takes away from the book and
hinders me from enjoying it.
I realize that annotating is the easiest way for teachers
to know that the students read
the book, instead of giving us a
write in it to be prepared? Sure, I enjoyed one
of my summer reading books;
it was a good story. But that
doesn’t change the fact that I
would still rather have read
it during the school year and
have left my summers free.
Now, I know a lot of
teachers and parents will probably tell me that in this technological age it’s good for us teens
to read every once in a while. I
completely agree. I love reading, and I’m all for it. I think
it would be okay if the school
let us read books that we chose,
section on the SAT.
Annotation can also
help you become a better
writer. Instead of just scanning over the a passage, annotation makes you pay attention to all parts of a story.
Soon, you will start to notice
plot developments, place
descriptions, and
that way at least we would enjoy
figurative
them. Teachers could even put
language
up a list of their favorite books
you might
that we could peruse through
have othand use if we wanted. That way
erwise
could spend our time in the
missed.
summer reading the books we
By paying
enjoy without the stress of ancloser atnotating. I’m aware it’s importention to
tant to read but I feel that the
these key
idea of annotating takes away
aspects
most of the enjoyment for me.
of others
Let’s face it; most of
writings,
us don’t want to read during
you’ll be
our summer. We would rather
more conbe at the pool or on the beach,
science of
sleeping in until noon or watchthose eleing TV, but reading is a part of
ments in
life, whether we like it or not.
your own
I know that no matter what
writing.
I say the school will still conWrittinue to give us summer reading may
ing each summer and they will
seem an Golden Lines staff members Caddie Martin and Ryan Feeney demonstrate
definitely continue to make us
insignifi- their feelings regarding summer reading annotations. Some students think
annotate. But I still wish that
cant skill summer reading is educational and fun, but others find it dull and time
instead of having to annotate a
to have in
long and, in some cases, boring
consuming. Staff photo.
the long
laying out in the gorgeous standardized test to assess our book, we could read whatever
run, but think about it. We
sunny weather, but instead knowledge on the book. But, books we wanted, that way we
write in almost every class,
she has to read and annotate annotating is hard. I always could all have an enjoyable
from English to history to
her summer reading book. feel obligated to say something and semi-educational summer.
religion. All juniors and
Now picture this; it’s
Each summer, stu- profound and deep and if I seniors know how much
dents are required to read the can’t think of anything insight- the end of July and a girl and
writing you do to apply for
books their English teacher ful to say then I won’t annotate her family are at the beach.
college applications. Writgives them. But honestly, that specific page; this could The girl wakes up, puts on
ing is a lifelong skill to have
what’s the point? Most of us go on for pages and pages. her bathing suit and heads to
and if there’s a fairly easy, if
would admit that reading Schools make a big the beach. Now she can swim,
tedious, way to improve it,
isn’t half bad, but reading deal about something unneces- make sand castles, go on long
then why not?
a book for school takes the sary; summer reading seems su- walks, and lay out in the gor
It’s understandable
fun out of reading entirely. perfluous to me. I understand geous weather to her hearts
that during the summer
Now, I understand that it is good to come to school content. Why? Because she has
months off students aren’t
that reading is important. prepared and in the mindset of no summer reading! in a learning mood, but
During the school year, the “learning,” but really, is it necannotation can help with
teachers should require that essary to read a huge book and
so much more than just
students
read
the back-to-school summer
as many books
reading quizzes. Tedious,
as they want.
yet relatively simple, its
But this isn’t the
long-term benefits majorly
school year. This
outweigh any short-term
is summer, the
boredom. So next summer,
time to relax and
between life guarding at
A proud supporter of St. Pius X
take it easy, and
your local pool, sprints at
during that time
and Catholic education
soccer camp or that family
I do not think
vacation to the beach, make
that the school
sure to grab your book and
should require
pen, settle down for a good
www.southpointeventures.com
students to read.
read and get the school year
Requirstarted off right.
ing students to
4
news
Golden Lines
September 18, 2009
St. Pius X Mission Trip ministers near home
ANNEMARIE FISHER
News Editor
For the past several
years, the St. Pius X community has reached out to those
less fortunate through their
mission trips abroad. This
year a group of seventeen
St. Pius students and three
teachers chose to minister to
the people in our own nation.
Instead of traveling far to find
people in need, the First Annual St. Pius Domestic Mission Trip group drove to New
Orleans and Baton Rouge for
a week-long trip in mid-June.
“Alive in You,” a program that also coordinated
250 other students from the
rest of the country, guided
the mission trip. According to
AliveInYou.com, the group’s
mission is “igniting the fire of
Christ in the hearts of today’s
Catholic Youth” with a vision
that the teens will bring the
openness and service from
the week home with them and
share it with their communities.” Junior Zach GrummerStrawn added to the purpose
of the mission saying, “It was
more a sense of trying to find
a mission than going with one. sity in Baton Rouge painting semble bikes for needy chilI went with a sense of trying dorm rooms. Just driving dren who otherwise couldn’t
something new.”
across the worn-out campus afford them.” On the last day,
The week began on was truly humbling for the the team presented the bikes
a Tuesday so that they could entire group.” Both agreed to the children.
get to know the teens from that helping on the campus Everyone
grew
other schools.
spiritually and
Following
emotionally
that day were
on the trip. “I
three days of
learned
that
service. Acwe all have
cording
to
a
purpose,”
junior Teya
said
GrumDeleveaux,
mer-Strawn.
most of the
“Whatever that
projects “inis, it’s unique
volved places
to us. If we’re
that had a rise
willing to open
in unemployup to God and
ment. On the
let Him move
first day, we
our lives, then
helped clean
the experience
a school that
can really be
did not know
life-changing.”
if it was going Seventeen St. Pius students and three teachers are picDeleveaux
to be able to
agreed, addtured above upon their arrival to New Orleans. St. Pius
reopen in the
ing,
“When
fall because so went to New Orleans this summer for their first domestic people are gomany jobs had mission trip. Photo courtesy of Ms. Ohrenberger.
ing through
been lost.”
struggles
in
was an extremely powerful
G r u m m e r - S t r a w n experience. “In addition to their lives, just put God first
picked up where Deleveaux these two projects,” explained and you will end out on top.”
stopped. “After that we spent Ms. Ohrenberger, “the mis- The trip was not only
time at Southern Univer- sion team also helped to as- to minister to others; the Alive
in You program also worked
to enrich the teens’ spirituality. Ms. Ohrenberger explains,
“Alive in You is grounded in
the beliefs and teachings of the
Catholic Church and strives to
provide the perfect balance of
faith, service, education and
fun.” AliveInYou.com cites
a quote by Pope John Paul
II, to “reflect the light of the
Christ through our lives of
prayer and joyful service to
others.” In order to be able to
minister joyfully, the program
provided entertainment for
the mission team. The band,
Leap of Faith, led the people
in worship and fun. Themed
dinners also added to the
overall community of joy.
The program is only
the first of many domestic
missions. A four day mission
in various places around Atlanta has been scheduled and
another mission to Chattanooga, Tennessee is in the works.
To get involved, students can
contact Ms. Ohrenberger in
Campus Ministry for future
opportunities.
Camp Golden Lion: A shining example
CADENCE MARTIN
Staff Writer
If you happened to
drive by St. Pius X’s stadium
on the evening of Saturday,
August 15, you would find no
less than 97 sweaty St. Pius upperclassmen doing their best
to herd freshmen through a
series of activities designed to
help the nebulous class bond
and become accustomed to
their new school.
The Lion Leader
program, started in 2007, is
run by Mrs. Sue Reynolds—
a mother of St. Pius graduates—and a board consisting
of both teachers and parents.
The goal of the program
is to “create a positive high
school experience for incoming students by fostering relationships with selected senior leaders of St. Pius High
School. Lion Leaders model
Catholic virtues which include
honesty, integrity, and a sense
of community,” according to
its mission statement.
And so far, it has
done just that. As Mr. Spellman is fond of pointing out,
“From my perspective, since
the Lion Leader Program began, we have seen the number
of detentions, demerits and while college preparation is the marching band and the
Saturday School days decrease important, the most signifi- cheerleaders, and learned
for the freshman class…From cant part of a St. Pius educa- their first St. Pius cheer. Evia new parent perspective, we tion is a better understanding dently unaware that Golden
are told over
Lions set aside
and over again
their dignity for
how much the
school
spirit,
parents apprecithe overall enate the seniors
thusiasm level
helping
their
was
sub-par,
students
and
even when the
what a big difLion Leaders
ference it has
challenged the
class of 2013
made in them
transitioning
to a cheer-off.
into SPX.”
Thankfully, the
August
freshmen
re15 was the date
deemed themof Camp Goldselves with a saten Lion. Over
isfactory effort
the course of an
at the Marist
afternoon, most
pep rally.
of the incoming
T h e
Freshmen at Camp Golden Lion make a mad dash for Lion Leaders,
freshman class
went to Mass, pizza as their Lion Leaders look on. Staff photo.
led by senior
then separated
Will Shatlock,
of God. “If we don’t give you
from their parents so that that,” he explained, “no mat- then divided their charges
they could play capture the ter how good your test scores into homerooms to compete
flag, have an over/under re- are and no matter what col- in trials of capture the flag
lay, and eat pizza with their lege you get into, we have and over/under relays. Decolleagues.
spite initial chaos, eventually
failed you.”
Father Dan RogacAfter the service, the everyone got involved in the
zewski presided over the parents departed for a meet- games. Thirty minutes, two
Mass and focused his homily ing with Mr. Spellman in the games, and one wipeout later,
on what it means to receive cafeteria, while the students PRIDE 12, Ms. Alison Brucka Catholic education. He filed down to the stadium. ert’s homeroom, emerged
warned the newcomers that, There, they were greeted by victorious in the battle for
relay supremacy. The victory earned them, along with
their Lion Leaders, a mysterious “treat,” which turned
out to be candy the following
Wednesday.
Following a round
of applause for all those who
worked hard to make the day
a success, the attendees were
allowed to relax together over
pizza as the sun began to set
in earnest. With a smile, Mrs.
Reynolds and Mr. Ruggiero
agreed that this was the “best
[Camp Golden Lion] yet.” Mr.
Ruggiero expounded on this
idea, saying, “It was the best
organized, and it went the
smoothest. I was impressed
with this class especially.”
Cubs and their Lion
Leaders alike agree that the
program represents a rewarding experience. One
freshman said, “It was really
nice to have someone I could
ask questions and who I knew
was looking out for me.” Of
the mirror experience, “It felt
great to be able to give back
to St. Pius and help new Lions
find their place here. Plus, it
was kind of funny watching
them and remembering my
freshman year,” laughed one
Lion Leader.
news
Golden Lines
5
September 18, 2009
SPX prepares for swine ’09
AMANDA YESTRUMSKY
Staff Writer
One of the
most popular topics of conversation among Americans
nationwide is the H1N1 flu
virus, or the swine flu, as it
is commonly known. This
recently discovered virus
began affecting Americans
all over the country in April
2009. Symptoms of the virus
are very similar to the regular flu symptoms, including
fever, cough, runny nose,
sore throat, and body aches.
From the 51 states and territories reporting to the Center
for Disease Control, or the
CDC, there have been 7,511
hospitalized cases and 477
deaths. In Georgia alone,
there have been 74 hospitalized cases and 3 deaths from
the virus as of August 5, 2009.
In mid-June of this
past summer, a group of Boy
Scouts from All Saints Catholic Church in Dunwoody attended Camp Daniel Boone
near Asheville, North Carolina. What was expected to be a
week of fun turned out much
differently than planned.
Within days of arrival, fourteen of the thirty-two boys
in the troop developed a
high fever with temperatures
reaching over one hundred
degrees. Of the fourteen
boys, seven tested positive for
the swine flu, including St.
Pius X sophomore Christopher Travers, whose dad was
the Scout Master and present
at the camp during this chaos.
Talking with Travers
about his experience with
swine flu was really eye-opening. In Travers’ explanation of the situation, he said,
“Having the swine flu was not
a fun experience. First of all,
I was sick for a week and that
was not enjoyable at all. Second, one of the only things
I could think about was the
possibility of dying because all only by room service from his Because of all of the publicthey talk about on the news mother, but then he went and ity, things seemed very overis death by swine flu, not the stayed with two of his friends whelming at times. All in all,
people that live through it. who also had the virus. For don’t be afraid of swine flu.”
Although I was obviously three days the boys were Because of incidents
sick and not in a mood to quarantined together and like this, the CDC has asked
talk to a lot of people, I had played video games to keep that schools develop some
many news crews all coming themselves occupied. Travers sort of “action plan” in case of
at different times to interview then went back home for the an outbreak of swine flu. Mr.
me. I’ve lost count, but I final days of his quarantine. Spellman and our school’s
think there were seven. I was Fortunately for Travers, his administration have come
about the
together
twentieth
to assess
case
in
the probGeorgia;
lem
of
I mean,
the swine
aren’t
flu for the
t h e r e
coming
nineteen
fall. Mr.
o t h e r
Spellman
people to
recently
be intersent a letviewed?”
ter that
Travers
provided
went on
parents
to recount
and stuhis sympd e n t s
toms and
with prehow they
cautions
were difthat can
ferent
keep evfrom the
eryone
regular
healthy
flu. “The
on a daily
s y m p basis. In
toms that
the
letI
had
ter
he
were on- Sophomore Christopher Travers happily sports his pig-nosed swine said, “We
g o i n g flu mask. The swine flu is an issue that the St. Pius X administra- are
beh e a d ing very
a c h e s , tion is not taking lightly for the upcoming fall. Staff photo.
proacstomach aches, fever, fa- dad and sister were on va- tive by ensuring that our
tigue, sore throat, runny cation for the majority of cleaning crews are paying
nose, coughing, weakness, his illness, so he wasn’t re- particular attention to our
and chills. A normal flu may ally worried about infect- drinking fountains, handles,
have two or three of these ing his family with the virus. door knobs, etc. by cleaning
In Travers’ final re- them with a water/bleach sobut what makes the swine flu seemingly worse is that flection, he said, “The worst lution; and our night time
you experience all of these. part I would say about the cleaning crew uses cleaning
I had the fever for the first swine flu is the publicity. My fluids that will disinfect comwhole day until the pedia- Facebook wall was flooded monly used areas.” He also
trician prescribed Tamiflu with comments and the mes- reminded the St. Pius comevery 12 hours to treat it.” sages in my inbox were end- munity that, “We are very
Travers was quaran- less. The seven news crews fortunate at St. Pius to have
tined to prevent others from distributed their film to sta- many of our parents workgetting sick. At first, he was tions as far as California, and ing at the CDC and the major
alone in his room during this a month after I was better, hospitals in Atlanta, thus proexperience,
accompanied they aired it on national news. viding us with the best infor-
mation and latest updates.”
Both the CDC and
our school have suggested
ways to lower the risk of infection to students and teachers.
These include staying home
when you are sick, constantly
washing your hands, coughing into your elbow instead of
your hands, and making sure
that schools are clean. Mrs.
Owens, the school nurse,
has also put up signs around
the school about washing
your hands. Large bottles
of hand sanitizer, as well as
countless boxes of tissues,
have been placed in every
classroom. To ensure that
students can apply the guidelines to prevent the swine flu,
the Science Department has
changed their curriculum so
that the biology classes teach
about viruses first semester.
Ms. Rachel Braham,
the Dean of Students and
Activities, also expressed our
school’s concern for preventing the swine flu. She said,
“The H1N1 is a topic of
discussion at every meeting
and is being discussed at all
times.” She went on to say
that Mrs. Owens constantly
comes to update the faculty
with current news. She also
stressed that the CDC does
not want schools to be closed
and it is important that everyone stays in school. “It
would have to be a pretty
significant number for our
school to close,” she said.
There is no specific plan; it
just depends on the situation.
“There are no specifics that
say when ‘x’ happens, you
do this,” said Ms. Braham.
When asked if worried about
an outbreak at St. Pius, Ms.
Braham confidently shook
her head and said, “No.”
In the most recent news, retired Atlanta
couple Linda and Gordon
Potter were the first ones
(continued on page 9)
LIZZIE HOWELL
Staff Writer
and calming sensation. The
chairs and carpet add to this
feeling.
“The peacefulness
helps you focus on the presence of Christ,” comments
Mrs. Amy Williams, a theology teacher and frequent
visitor to the chapel.
Another
addition
that students may not see but
will definitely hear is three
tiers of mass bells by the door.
These bells, usually found in
advantage of the opportunity
to worship in a beautiful new
place. “When surrounded by
beauty, it’s easy to see God,”
says Ms. Gayle Ohrenberger,
the director of Campus Ministry. “I think the renovations
will help people really enter
into prayer.”
The chapel is such
a vital part of our school and
these renovations truly make
it even more extraordinary.
Renovations update chapel
Every August, St.
Pius X students return to
school and find many changes. This school year, they
have been blessed with renovations to the chapel.
The
renovations
took place over the summer
and resulted in new paint,
chairs and carpet. The wall
behind the altar is now painted blue, creating a peaceful
older churches, ring to announce the start of mass.
Father Dan Rogaczewski played a leading role
in the renovations. “Periodically, buildings that get a lot
of use need updating,” Father Dan explains. “We could
have gotten by, but it was just
something that needed to be
done; it was always pleasant,
but it’s more enjoyable to sit
in there now.”
“The chapel is de-
signed to compliment mass,”
says Father Dan. “Hopefully, the renovations will
add to everyone’s worship
experience.” In addition to
the usual 7:20 mass Monday
through Friday mornings in
the chapel, mass is now offered at the beginning of 4th
period on Monday, Tuesday,
and Thursday and at the
beginning of 5th period on
Wednesday.
Students should take
6
centerspread
Golden Lines
September 18, 2009
N e w Te a c h e r
Ms. Maria Kepler
Foreign Language, English
Where did you go to high school and college?
Walton High School, Kennesaw State College,
Emory for graduate school
What was your favorite subject?
Changed from Latin to English to History
What made you want to be a teacher?
I never wanted to do anything else, even
from pre-school—I love knowledge and I love
others
Are you helping with any activities outside
the classroom?
Latin Club and Green Club
What is your favorite movie? Book? TV show?
Movie: The Lives of Others; Book: The Secret
Agent; TV Show: Buffy
What is your favorite thing to do outside of
school?
Play/hike with my dogs
Mr. David O’Shea
Social Studies
Where did you go to high school and
college? I went to both high school and
college in England
Geography
When I was in college, I worked at summer
camps. I really enjoyed working with
young adults and wanted to continue doing
so – so I became a teacher
Are you helping with any activities outside
of the classroom?
I am the Assistant Varsity Boys’ Soccer
Coach
What is your favorite movie? Book? TV
show?
Movie: The Commitments; Book: Kestrel for a
Knave by Barry Hines; TV show: A British
comedy show called The Fast Show
What is your favorite thing to do outside
of school?
I like to spend time with my wife and
friends. We like to try different restaurants
in and around Atlanta. On the weekend,
I help run the Atlanta Celtic Supporters
Club.
Mrs. Katie Stilson
Math
High School: St. Pius! (Class of 2000), College: UGA,
Grad School: USF
Pre-calculus and Drama
I felt called to switch careers from business to working
more to help people. I love math and loved working
with young people, so teaching sounded like a good
fit.
What other activities are you helping with this year
at Pius?
Maybe drama and swim team. I’d like to help
wherever I’m needed.
Movie: Love Actually; Book: too many to pick; TV
Show: How I Met Your Mother
What is your favorite thing to do outside of school?
Read, walk my dogs
Mr. Kyle Snipes
Head Girls’ Basketball
Coach, Development Office,
Substitute
Where did you go to high school
and college?
Orange High School
(Hillsborough, NC); Wake Forest
University
History
Why did you want to become a teacher?
I enjoy seeing young people work hard and the success that results. To see their reaction
when the hard work has paid off for them is really the most rewarding aspect of my job.
Movie: The Godfather; Book: The Best and the Brightest by David Halberstam; TV Show:
MASH
What do you enjoy doing outside of school?
Spend time with my wife, Melissa, and our newborn daughter, Megan
Fr. José Luis Hernández-Ayala
Chaplain
Colegio Nuestra Señora de Lourdes; Pontifica Universidad Católica
de Puerto Rico
Math, literature, Spanish
What other activities are you helping with this year?
I help out in different parishes, with Schoenstatt Movement, and
with at risk reens
Movie: Witt, Star Trek: Next Generation, Lord of the Rings, The Game;
Book: La Sombra Del Viento, Don Quijote, La Llamarada, El Juego Del
Ángel
Meeting up with family and friends; traveling
centerspread
Golden Lines
September 18, 2009
Spotlight
7
Mrs. Lindsay Ouzts
English
High School: Glynn Academy (Brunswick, GA), College: Berry College
English (of course!)
My mother was (and still is) a teacher, so growing up watching her impact the
lives of children and youth was always inspirational to me
What other activities are you helping with this year at Pius?
I am working with Lisa Martin as the Dance Company Assistant. Additionally, I
teach dance (jazz and hip hop) at Simply Dance Studio in Lilburn, GA.
Movie: Sense and Sensibility; Book: It’s a toss-up between The Great Gatsby and
a nonfiction theology book called Caretakers of Our Common House; TV Show:
Mad Men
Mrs. Liberty Hall
Mr. Ryan McClay
Theology
Science
Dacula High School, Berry College
Astrophysics or Olympic Sport
Originally for the coaching, but I discovered how much I love teaching.
Are you helping with any activities outside of the classroom?
Cross Country and Track
What is your favorite book? TV Show?
Book: Either Ender’s Game or one of the Harry Potters; TV Show: The Office
I love running, but probably skiing
High school: Radford High School, VA Undergrad: Georgetown
Grad: Emory University
English and Theology
I love introducing people to ideas they have never encountered
Have you taught anywhere else?
Yeshiva Atlanta High School, Roswell High School, and Kennesaw
State University
I don’t have favorites—it’s too hard to choose
Read novels, go out to dinner with friends, take naps!
Mr. Aaron Pevey
English
High School: Prince Avenue Christian (Athens, GA), Undergrad: UGA, Grad: GSU
Film production, Shakespeare
Are you helping with any activities outside of the classroom?
Model U.N. Club
Movie: The Iron Giant; Book: The Brothers Karamazov; TV Show: Firefly
Record shop/Photography
If you had one day to live, what would you do?
Go deep woods camping by a waterfall!
features
Golden Lines
8
September 18, 2009
Con Dios, todo es posible.
LION
TRACKS
School
Announcements
The Green Club meets
every Wednesday at
3:10pm in room 503,
Mrs. Dalton’s room.
As we are thinking
globally and acting
locally, our projects
for this year focus on
our campus and surrounding community.
Students and faculty
are welcome to join us
in making our environment more clean and
beautiful!
Anime Club every
Thursday in library
viewing room from 3:15-4:15.
See Mrs. Tanis if you have any
questions.
The Girls’ Cross Country
team is participating in MS
Safari Walk at Zoo Atlanta on
Saturday, Sept. 26 at 8:00am.
This fundraiser is sponsored by
the GA Chapter of the National
Multiple Sclerosis Society. See
Ms. Guilbeau for more information, or visit the Girls’ CC team
website.
Upcoming Events
Sept. 19: SAT Prep Class, 9am1pm
Sept. 20: Senior Potluck Dinner,
5pm
Sept. 21-25: Homecoming
Week!
Sept. 23: Lion Leader meetings
during lunch; Interims distributed to students
“With God, everything is possible.”
AVERY MACARTHUR
Staff Writer
This summer, seven students from St. Pius X
went on a mission trip with
the Cathedral of Christ the
King to El Salvador—seniors
Andrew Quigley, Katherine
Wabler, Rosie Kelly, Patrick
Harris, Claire Bresnahan ,
myself, and junior Sarah Esser.
In preparation for the
expedition, we organized
several fundraisers, took
part in endless meetings,
put together 28 bins of humanitarian aid, and endured
vaccinations and packing
ordeals. None of these deterrents came close to outweighing the benefits we all
reaped from the amazing,
rewarding experience that
awaited us in El Salvador.
I found out about
the trip through senior
Claire Bresnahan, a friend
of mine who inspired me
to join the philanthropic
troupe through her excitement about the previous
year’s trip. As junior year
progressed, the mission trip
approached and I lost my
enthusiasm about going and
gained a lot of anxiety and
CONNIE KOKENES
Features Editor
Oct. 6: Blood Drive, 9am-3pm
Lauren vs Heidi,
Batman vs the Joker, Pius vs
Marist: three great rivalries
familiar to any student at
St. Pius. And now another
great rivalry presents itself:
Waffle House vs. IHOP.
How often have
you found yourself being
conflicted between the two?
Do you want soft, buttery
waffles or warm, fluffy pancakes? Do you want cool,
retro scenery or a warmer,
family-oriented scene? In
order to fully make such a
tough decision, you must
weigh the pros and cons of
both.
Let’s start with
Waffle House. Waffle House
is the perfect place to go to
if you like the feel that 50’s
kind of vibe. Having a jukebox, being able to sit at the
counter, and watching your
food being cooked give it its
retro scene.
However, not all are
fond of the scenery at Waffle
House. “Waffle House is just
Oct 10: SAT’s @ St. Pius X, 8am
Oct. 14: PSAT Testing, Noon
Dismissal (No school for seniors)
Oct. 17: Saturday School, 8am12pm
Oct. 18: Sophomore Potluck
Dinner, 5pm
Oct. 21: Lion Leader meetings
during lunch; Parish Youth
Ministry Day
Oct. 21-24: FALL PLAY
Oct. 26: Junior Pilgrimage
Oct. 28: Clubs/Organization pictures (Long assembly); Interims
to students; NHS Inductions,
7pm
even come close to what we
have but they are rich in the
most important ways,” says
senior Andrew Quigley.
Never have I seen
as pure and unadulterated
love as the children in Las
Delicias displayed. Many,
if not all of them lived in
houses with sheets substituting for walls, no electricity
and dirt floors. Some of the
children were abandoned
by one or both parents and
were left to fend for themselves and move around
with neighbors. What little
belongings they had they
were often stolen or lost.
One day five of us
chose to go to the village
of El Mirador in Zaragoza.
We were all stunned that
the poverty could actually
get worse from what we had
already seen; houses were
supported by trees, families
of five slept on one twin bed,
children without shirts and
shoes.
The next day we gathered whatever supplies we
had not already given to
Las Delicias and the malnourished baby clinic, and
had an assembly line for El
Mirador, making sure every
family went home with food,
toiletries, and clothing.
“Being able to give these
people in such great disparity the smallest sign of hope
was the most rewarding
feeling. Everyone in the village kept saying ‘Que Dios
te bendiga’ which means
‘may God bless you. They
were so grateful for the help
we were able to give them,”
said junior Sarah Esser.
“Visiting the poor in
their homes was a profound
experience that served to illustrate how little the people
have and how much more we
can accomplish when love is
put into action,” said youth
leader Carmen Lerma, who
led our mission trip. The joy
of being able to help these
people overpowered any
other feelings.
When the time
came to leave, all of us left
everything we could: tshirts, shorts, tennis shoes,
shampoo and soap-anything
that we had left we could
offer the people. I am confident in saying that when
we arrived home, we all had
more than we left with.
a little too messy for me. If
you’re looking for a nicer
place with a cleaner atmosphere, then IHOP is the
place to go,” says Jieun Rim,
a senior at St. Pius.
But fear not, what
Waffle House may lack
in cleanliness, it certainly
makes up for in food. The
two best things to eat at
Waffle House are the hash
browns and, of course, the
waffles.
The hash browns
can come regular, double,
triple, scattered, smothered,
covered, chunked, diced,
peppered, capped, topped,
and/or scattered all the way
and the warm, buttery, and
syrup covered (if you’re a
syrup kind of person) waffles bring the most epic and
delightful buzz to your taste
buds.
IHOP, however, is
the perfect place to go to if
you want stacks and stacks
of pancakes. These fluffy,
delicious, and heavenly delights can come in a variety
of ways: buttermilk, choco-
late chip,
blueberry, strawberry,
etc. Some
types,
such as
Horton
and Butterscotch
R o c k s
p a n cakes, are
a little too
extravagant and
come off The photo above shows IHOP and Waffle House.
as trying The two have been battling for customers since
too hard. the mid-1950s. Staff photo.
very friendly, and you al“Everything at IHOP seems like ways eat until you can eat no
it’s too much or something more. All in all, IHOP is the
or another; too sweet, too perfect place to go to for a
plain, too much food, too hospitable environment.
There are many
many toppings, etc.” says Peter McGrael, a senior at epic disputes, Waffle House
and IHOP being one of
St. Pius.
However
many them. Both restaurants
toppings there are, IHOP bring something to the table
brings the warmth and (literally). No matter what
friendliness of a rural South- your breakfast cravings are,
ern home; very welcoming, both can satisfy your needs.
Waffle House vs. IHOP
Oct. 5: Sophomore Pilgrimage
Oct. 7: Superlatives/Senior
Picture; PSAT Writing (9th-11th
grade)
stress. I figured that the majority of the trip I would be
hot, tired and uncomfortable. I was nervous about
the flight and the potential dangers in the country
and figured that I would
probably miss out on a lot
of things at home with my
friends. Regardless of how
I felt at the time, the mission
group made a commitment
as a team to go there and
help the El Salvadorians;
there was no turning back.
Our mission group
was greeted by Sister Gloria
and she took us to the compound we would be staying in, Casa Voluntariado
Santa Rafaela Maria in San
Salvador. Each morning we
would leave at 8:00 a.m. and
have the options of working
at a construction site building a library, serving at a
malnourished baby clinic,
or going to the village of Las
Delicias, located in San Juan
Opico.
“Every day when we
would play with the children, we could see their
joy splayed across their face
and how happy they were to
have someone love them. In
terms of material they don’t
features
Golden Lines
9
September 18, 2009
Livin’ on a prayer
RYAN BELL
Staff Writer
“Hello, Bell family.
This is José Luis. I am having
some car trouble…”
Well, actually, the
car was on fire on the shoulder of I-285. It was the second automotive victim to be
totaled by the Puerto Rican
“terror of the road” in the
span of merely one week. St.
Pius students, parents, facutlty and staff, I present to you
the latest addition to our ecclesiastical ensemble, Father
José Luis Hernandez Ayala.
Our new priest hails
from the island of Puerto
Rico, where he attended
Catholic school. By the age
of fifteen, he felt the calling to
become a priest and entered
the seminary.
During this time,
he began missionary work
and was called to preach in
the Caribbean islands and
in South America with other
individuals in the seminary.
Father José
administered
to remote communities of
Peru and other isolated areas
of South America, many of
which had not been visited by
a priest for up to three years.
In 1998, Fr. José
was asked to minister to
the Archdiocese of Atlanta.
He began serving the parish of Saint John Neumann.
“I didn’t know there were
enough Catholics in Atlanta
for there to be a school,”
remarked Fr. José with a
laugh.
It was during this
time the cheerful Priest-to-be
boarded with a parish family:
my family. This new American environment was unfamiliar territory for Fr. José in
more ways than one. Fr. José
remarked about his English
at the time, “I knew almost
none, hardly any!” It was
during this time José was first
exposed to an archdiocesan
school in Atlanta, though he
never guessed that he would
one day minister to one.
Despite
obstacles
posed by the language barrier, Fr. José ’s stay was far
from uneventful. He wrecked
two cars in one week, destroyed church property,
scared Archbishop Donaghue
during Mass with a massive
sneeze, parked his car in a
private lot downtown, and fell
down a flight of stairs while
holding an ice cream bar.
After ordination in
2006, Fr. José ministered
to Prince of Peace parish in
Flowery Branch, GA, and this
summer he was informed of
his placement as Chaplain
of St. Pius X Catholic High
School. As always, the energetic priest looks with enthusiasm to the coming school
year.
Having such an extensive background in missionary work, Fr. José hopes
to instill Catholic teaching in
students not only by study in
the classroom, but also by encouraging students to become
actively involved in charity
work around the Parish community. One way in which
this goal can be accomplished
is by building upon the works
of mercy program.
José ’s jovial outlook
and readiness to jump right
into Spanish and English
classes characterize the chaplain’s zeal and enthusiasm. So
the next time you hear bellowing laughter coming from
down the hall, be ready for a
hug or a high five. Fr. José is
coming.
Swine ’09 (cont. from pg. 5)
to
volunteer
to
get people from 6 months through
the
trial
version
of 24 years of age, and persons
the H1N1 vaccine. “The re- aged 25 through 64 years who
ality is, without a vaccine, I have health conditions associcould catch it,” Linda said. ated with higher risk of medi
This is the mindset cal complications from influthat we, as a school community, enza receive the H1N1 vaccine.
should take. If just one St. Pius Listening to the nastudent gets the swine flu, that tionwide concern of the H1N1
leaves the door wide open for and all of the precautions recanother student to get the virus. ommended by the CDC, docIn the near future, getting a tors, and schools can seem
regular seasonal flu vaccine and overwhelming and somewhat
the H1N1 vaccine should im- scary at times. If the St. Pius
mensely decrease one’s chance community can be proactive
of getting the virus.
The H1N1 vaccines are just trials now,
with some decisions still
unmade. These include
the number of shots, dosages, and if this shot as
well as the seasonal flu
virus should be given
at the same time. “The
CDC hopes to have a vac- The H1N1 virus has captured the
cine ready in just three
nation’s attention. Photo courtesy
months—by the end of
October,” said Dr. Mul- of www.swineflutshirts.com
ligan of Emory University. to these recommendations and
The CDC recom- be aware of our surroundmends
pregnant
women, ings, everyone can calm down
household contacts and caregiv- and take a deep breath. It is
ers, healthcare and emergency just like Travers simply stated,
medical services personnel, all “Don’t be afraid of swine flu.”
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sports
Golden Lines
10
September 18, 2009
JUNGLE Volleyball begins season, working toward title
Sept 18: Varsity Softball
vs. GAC @ GAC,
5:30pm, Varsity Softball
vs. West Laurens @
GAC, 7pm; Varsity Volleyball vs. Bluffton (SC)
@ Lovett, 7:30pm; Varsity Football vs. Carver
@ Home, 7:30pm (Parochial Schools’ Night)
ROARS
Upcoming
Athletic Events
Sept. 19: Boys’ Cross
County, UGA Inv.
@ UGA; Girls’ Cross
Country, Chattanooga
Inv @ Chattanooga, TN; Varsity
Softball, Brookwood Tournament;
Varsity Volleyball, Block Party Inv.
@ Lovett; JV Volleyball, Wesleyan
Playday @ Wesleyan, 9am
Sept. 21: JV Volleyball vs. Walton
@ Walton, 5pm
Sept. 22: Varsity Softball vs. Grady
@ Home, 5:30pm; Freshman Volleyball vs. Landmark Christian and
Woodward @ Home, 5pm; Varsity
Volleyball vs. Woodward and Pope
@ Home, 5pm
Sept. 23: JV Softball vs. Blessed
Trinity @ Home, 5pm
Sept. 24: JV Football vs. Westminster @ Home, 5pm; Freshman Football vs. GAC @ GAC, 5pm; Varsity
Softball vs. North Atlanta @ North
Atlanta, 5:30pm
Sept. 25: Varsity Volleyball, Berkeley Prep. Inv. @ Berkeley Prep
School, Tampa, FL; Varsity Football
vs. Therrell @ Home, 7:30pm
(Homecoming Game)
Sept. 26:Varsity Volleyball, Berkeley Prep. Inv. @ Berkeley Prep
School, Tampa, FL; Boys’ Cross
Country, Volunteer CC Inv. @
Knoxville, TN; Girls’ CC, MS Safari
Walk @ Zoo Atlanta, 8am; Competition Cheerleading @ North Gwinnett, 11am; COKE SALE PICK UP
Sept. 28: JV Softball vs. South
Gwinnett @ South Gwinnett, 4pm;
Varsity Softball vs. South Gwinnett
@ South Gwinnett, 5:45pm
Sept. 29: Varsity Volleyball vs.
North Atlanta and Therrell @
North Atlanta, 5pm; Varsity Softball
vs. Washington @ Home, 5:30pm
Oct. 1: JV Football vs. TBA @ TBA;
Freshman Football vs. Buford @
TBA; JV Volleyball vs. Marist @
Home, 5pm; Freshman Volleyball
vs. Marist @ Marist, 5pm; Varsity
Softball vs. Centennial @ Home,
5pm; Varsity Volleyball vs. Marist @
Marist, 6pm
Oct 3: Boys’ Cross Country, Alexander Asics Inv. @ Whitesburg, GA;
Girls’ Cross Country, Great American Inv. @ North Carolina; Girls’
Cross Country, Alexander Asics Inv.
@ Whitesburg, GA; JV Volleyball,
St. Pius X JV Inv. @ Home, 8am;
Competition Cheerleading @
Duluth High School, 11am; Varsity
Football vs. North Atlanta @ Lakewood Stadium
RYAN FEENEY
Staff Writer
Ah, summer! Most
students sleep in until noon,
relax by the pool, or stay up
well into the morning hours.
Others attend concerts or
spend their days at the park.
But the volleyball team spent
their summer days at school
running, lifting, and doing
drills in preparation for their
2009 season.
“Summer practices
began when school ended,”
laughed senior Emily Schultz,
a four-year team member and
one of this year’s captains. The
team attended open gyms and
weight training twice a week,
and when the weather permitted, played doubles on the
softball field. Team camp at
Emory further strengthened
the team’s skills. “They’ve
been working hard,” athletic
director Mark Kelly noticed.
“The approach is different this year,” said senior
Kristi Oltman. “Instead of focusing all our hopes on winning state and that being our
only goal, our coaches push
for us to have the mentality of
putting in our best effort all the
time.”
The extensive workouts prepared the players
for what is sure to be a tough
season. The team lost three
All-Area team selections in Michele Barnes, Ellen Marsau,
and Hannah Sprague to graduation. All three set records,
both school and state, in many
areas throughout their high
school years.
“Hannah, Ellen, and
Michele were phenomenal
players and leaders for the
team. With nine seniors on
the team this year, leadership
wasn’t as clearly defined,” confessed Oltman.
Adding to their troubles is senior Abby Genrich’s
back injury. Last season, three
vertebrae fell out of alignment. The injury was healing,
but summer conditioning aggravated it to where she now
has to wear a back brace. “We
all love Abby, so it was hard to
hear about her back. She is one
of the best defensive specialists
out there, so she will definitely
be missed,” said Schultz. Genrich still attends all practices
and matches, giving support
and remaining an essential
part of the team.
Despite these problems, a fresh crop of players
and new senior leadership are
filling in the holes. “I absolutely love them!” raves Oltman of
the new team members. “Every one of them brings some-
thing to the
team. They
have a lot
of
talent
and drive
to
work
hard.”
The underclassmen
view their
seniors
equally
highly. “All
of the seThe volleyball team takes time out of practice for a picniors, not
ture. They hope to play for another state championship
only
our
this year. Staff photo.
captains,
have shown a lot of leader- cino. Oltman agreed. “Woodship,” applauded sophomore ward is always a tough oppoKelli Terracino, who played nent. They have a number of
JV last year. “They always strong players, but so do we. I
think we’re well matched.”
make sure to help out.”
Given last year’s im
With the guidance of pressive
team,
both the team
Coach Frederick and a plethora of senior players, the team and the school have high exlooks forward to the future. pectations. As of press time,
“We’re taking it step by step, the team was ranked number
but I think our level of play is two in Class AAA. “Hopefully
high for this early in the sea- they’ll get to play for another
son,” Oltman said. Upcoming state championship,” Coach
matches pit the Golden Lions Kelly said, a sentiment echoed
against Pope, archrival Marist, by many team members.
and Woodward, who defeated “I really do believe we could
the team in a heartbreaking win this year,” Schultz asserted. “We’ve got a great
state final game last year.
“Woodward
will group of talented athletes
probably be our most demand- and if we all give 100% on
ing game all year,” said Terra- the court, we will win.”
their true colors in this riveting game against the Eagles,
with goals from Chris Carscallen and Garrett Dominy, and
amazing saves by goalie Frankie
Driscoll-Miller. This was a
promising game for the Lions;
demolishing the ex-champions was an amazing feeling.
I asked Chris Carscallen if we had a chance of winning the championship title this
year and he responded, “Is the
Pope Catholic?” a perfect reaction to a question that everyone
already knew the answer to.
We have a better chance than
ever before to win the state title, again, because of the natural talent we pulled in this year.
Many of the team’s
participants play other sports
such as Chris Hightower,
who is involved in year round
soccer, yet still attends almost every game and at least
one practice. Captain Chris
Carscallen said “Pool time is
our biggest setback right now.
If we could get more practice
then all of our new guys could
get the experience they need
and we’ll be a powerful force”.
I strongly suggest that
you attend one of the heart
pounding, blood curdling
games that separate the men
from the boys (or in the girls’
case, the little girls from the big
dogs). This sport is filled with
non-stop action. It will entertain you as you cringe on the
bleachers. Please, don’t misread
my interpretation of the water
polo match, this is for all ages.
One of our own faculty members, Mr.Eaglen, brings his kids
to almost every game played at
Collins Hill High School, and
they seem to enjoy it very much.
On August 29, a
day of true valor, the Lions
demonstrated their power in
the pool as they took on five
games at Dynamo Aquatic
center for the PowerBar Cup
Tournament. This day started with a 12-2 Pius victory
over a newly formed team,
North Springs, followed by an
8-4 defeat against rival team
Wheeler. All the players held
their heads high after the loss
by demolishing Harrison 15-5.
In the race for the
semi-final position, Pius Lions
beat Collins Hill, again, 10-6,
and finally the championship
game was nearly lost by the Lions with a score of 11-8. After a
Monsters of the pool
ALLIE PRIEDE
Staff Writer
The St. Pius X water
polo players are at it again!
Not only does the team have a
varsity squad, but also enough
players to make a JV team.
This is a vast improvement
from last year’s numbers. Although we may have an advantage with numbers, both
the JV and Varsity teams are
still relatively new to the game.
While interviewing
Chris Carscallen, Pius’ team
captain, he said “I’m surprised
we got as many people to come
out... we’ve got a bunch of new
seniors, lots of big guys, so
we’ve got a distinct advantage
with the size of our players.”
This fall season may just be getting started, but they’re bigger
and badder than ever before.
The
fall
season
kicked off against archrivals,
the Wheeler Wildcats, at Wesleyan. Although this game was
not a victory for the Pius Lions,
the score was 11-9. The Lions
made a spectacular comeback
two days later with a 13-8 win
over last year’s state champions, the Collins Hill Eagles.
The Pius team was showing off
trying day of physical and mental strength, the Lions came out
with a second place finish overall. The top scorers of these
games were: Chris Hightower,
Sean Magrath, Patrick Walter,
Allie Priede, and Dillon Davis.
But, with great scorers, come
great goalies. Frankie DriscollMiller stepped up the plate and
proved his goal-tending skills
are on the way to being Olympic grade. Garrett Dominy,
normally a field player, volunteered to play goal for the last
two games and did an amazing
job blocking countless shots
from the two of the hardest
teams in the league this year.
Let’s not forget
the budding JV team who
also showed outstanding valor during this tournament.
With blocked shots from
goalie Erik Dunn, and multiple goals by Christopher
Travers. The players held
their own against Collins Hill
and Wheeler’s B squad, with
many staying after their games
to cheer on the varsity team.
So, come on out,
hear those Lions ROAR, and
cheer them on as they walk the
path to victory...underwater.
sports
Golden Lines
11
September 18, 2009
Beyond giraffes and windmills:
How real men play mini-golf
CONOR McNULTY
Staff Writer
It’s
a
beautiful
September evening—Friday
night at last, and Joey Johnson
got a date with the hot new
girl, Katie Adams, who just
transferred from Roanoke,
Virginia. She looks stunning
in her Kansas City Royals Tshirt and Levi jeans. There is
no better attire for a riveting
game of putt-putt—the classic
dating pastime.
Joey arrives at
the mini-golf course and
tries to impress her with his
knowledge of the course as if
he owns it. He points out the
cool waterfall on hole 12, the
pirate ship on hole 14, and of
course hole 17’s treacherous
windmill—the signature item
of any classic putting course.
Katie just shrugs her
shoulders, places her ball and
begins to scope out the first
hole methodically. Joey tries
to give her some tips, but she
just ignores him making him
feel like a moron. She putts
and sinks it. The first hole is
aced. She thinks nothing of
it. Joey sadly shoots a 5. Katie
aces the next 6 holes and in his
frustration Joey finally works
up the courage to ask his date,
CONOR McNULTY
Staff Writer
“How are you so good?” She
chuckles and breaks the news
to him that she is a member
of the Professional Putters
Association. Joey laughs and
unintelligently
responds,
“Yeah and man landed on
the moon.”
What actually exists
in the previous story—Joey
and Katie, Kansas City Royals
fans, or the Professional
Putters
Association?
To
Joey Johnson’s dismay we
did land on the moon and
the
Professional
Putters
Association (PPA) does exist.
Don
Clayton,
a simple salesman from
Fayetteville, North Carolina,
founded the PPA in 1959.
Originally known as the
Professional
Putt-Putt
Golfers Association the name
was changed to its modern
name in 1960. According to
the PPA’s slogan at that time
the organization was formed
to “recognize, develop, and
reward the skills and abilities
of America’s putters.”
From its conception
the PPA was meant to be a
serious sport, not just a game
one plays with a girl on a
date. In an interview with
Sports Illustrated, founder
Don Clayton said, “I did not
want to simply amuse people
with giraffes and windmills.
I wanted something that
pitted man against man, to
challenge the athletic ability
of the competitor.”
Today
the
Professional
Putters
Association remains true to
Don Clayton’s vision claiming
profoundly on their official
website “Putting is a sport!”
The first National
Championship was played in
Atlanta, Georgia with Hall of
Famer Neil Connor taking
home the prize. Today, 50
years later, the PPA has
given away over $8,000,000
in prize money and it boasts
125 professionals as well as
130 amateurs playing on
tour. It has been televised on
ESPN and the tournaments
continue to get bigger and
better.
The 2009 Season
began back on May 2 with the
PPA Western Open, followed
by the Eastern Open in
June, the Southern Open in
July, and (guess what) the
Northern Open in August.
The PPA wraps up the season
with National Championship
Week this week, September
14-19, at Orange Lake
Resort and Country Club in
Orlando, Florida. This year Fans will cheer, money will be
marks the 50th Anniversary of awarded, but the true prize is
the National Championship something greater, something
and the excitement of such all putters desire, something
a landmark tournament will to never be forgotten—
surely be present.
putt-putt immortality. Stay
Following
several connected with all the action
other smaller tournaments at ProPutters.com.
throughout
the
week,
the
main
event,
The PPA National
Championship, begins.
It takes place over
three days, September
17- September 19, and
12 rounds of 18 holes
of mini golf.
Pressure
is
high, the Florida sun
beats down upon the
putters, and at times
216 holes can just
seem insurmountable.
Defending champion
Kevin Lacey is a front
runner and looks to
victory again. Lacey
won the championship
last year and he will try
to become the first to
win the championship
back to back years.
The competition is
fierce and many other
Kevin Lacy takes a putt. He is a
talented putters will
fight just as hard and front runner for the PPA Champut everything they pionship. Picture courtesy of
have into each putt. ProPutters.com
how amazing this boy from
Virginia Tech would be. He
could make big plays, pass
hard and with precision; and,
most of all he could run. His
feet were like gifts from the
gods to an Atlanta team that
not only needed someone
who could give the fans wins,
but also someone who could
give the crowd “wows.”
On December 1,
2002 Michael Vick solidified
his name in Atlanta stardom
when he eluded the entire
Minnesota Viking defense.
Starting at the 50 yard line
and running all the way to
the end zone, Vick juked
out defenders left and right.
His feet were so quick two
Minnesota players collided
into one another in their
pursuit of the uncatchable
Michael Vick. Vick set the
all time single game rushing
record for a quarterback in
this game. It was playing like
he did against the Vikings that
made him an MVP candidate
in only his second season and
won him a trip to the Pro
Bowl.
Things were going
beyond well for the Atlanta
Falcons. They made playoffs,
upset Green Bay at Lambeau
Field to advance to the NFC
Championship, and had a
quarterback who could lead
them to greatness years and
years down the road—or so
they thought.
After being injured
in 2003 and one more quality
season in 2004, the amazing,
electrifying, thrilling Michael
Vick began to lose his spark.
On and off the field he was no
longer the superhero he was
in 2002. Accusations involving
drugs, subpar playing, and
his attitude toward the fans
all lead up to the momentous
news that would do more
than knock Michael Vick off
his throne; it would destroy
his whole castle.
In August 2007
Michael Vick pled guilty
to federal dog fighting
conspiracy charges and later
in December was sentenced to
23 months in one of America’s
most
infamous
prisons,
Leavenworth
Penitentiary.
While Vick would only be in
jail for two years, the scar on
his reputation is what may last
a lifetime. He lied to fans, lied
to his teammates, lied to owner
of the Falcons, Arthur Blank,
and he brutally tortured and
killed dogs. Michael Vick
destroyed his public image,
his career, and the respect of
fans young and old.
Now Michael Vick
is returning to the NFL after
serving his full sentence, and
he will try whether it is by the
strength of his arm, the speed
of his feet, or the change of
his heart to earn the fans’
love back. In an interview
with 60 Minutes’ James
Brown, Michael Vick made
one promise saying, “I am
going to let my actions speak
louder than my words.” In
this statement Vick is trying
to convey that he is not just
full of words, he is making an
actual commitment to helping
the community and restoring
his image. He continued
The Big Dog is back
Heartless, low, pig—
gutsy, changed, remorseful—
these are all words that have
been used to describe Michael
Vick and his return to the
NFL. Whether you are a cynic
or a fan, whether you love
him or hate him, one thing
is for certain—the big dog is
back.
Michael Vick began
his NFL career as the first
overall draft pick by the
Atlanta Falcons in 2001. With
very disappointing seasons in
1999 and 2000 following their
1998 NFC Championship
appearance the Falcons looked
to this young quarterback for
salvation. Unlike most overhyped quarterbacks he did
not let down—at first.
In 2002, Michael
Vick took the field as the full
time starter after a promising
rookie season. There were
high hopes for the young
22 year old, but no one
could have predicted just
explaining that now he is
about more than football
saying, “I, still, regardless of
football will have a voice that
can have an impact on kids.”
While there are
many skeptics and adversaries
of Michael Vick’s return to
football and signing with
the
Philadelphia
Eagles,
many are fully behind Vick.
Senior Matt Morris, when
questioned on Vick’s return
and the controversy behind
it answered, “I don’t really
care about his past. If he’s as
exciting as he was in Atlanta
then I can’t wait to watch him
play.” Many share this belief
that if Michael Vick returns
firing, scoring touchdowns,
and making exciting plays
happen
then
his
past
transgressions will slowly
begin to fade.
The big dog has
returned and the world waits
to see if he is “low” or “gutsy”,
“heartless” or “remorseful”,
a “pig” or “changed.” Only
time will tell.
backside
Golden Lines
12
September 18, 2009
What’s in your trunk?
A self-proclaimed croquet player, Kyle always
has his mallet handy.
Kyle Sweeney, Senior
Kyle likes to keep his physics book in the trunk so he
won’t be tempted to study
while driving .
Inspired by the 2001
hit movie Summer
Catch, Kyle plays baseball every chance he
gets!
Kyle is an avid collector
of golf clubs. He has never actually played, but is
considering taking up the
sport after reading Conor
McNulty’s riveting article
on mini golf.
A broom. After looking at his
trunk, it’s obvious why Kyle
has a broom; He clearly values
cleanliness.
Kyle is always ready to
show his school spirit for
the Golden Lions. Bring it
On is one of his favorite
flicks!
Breeze
way
“People asking you
‘what’s up?’ when
walking past you in
the hallway”
- Kat Crawford ‘10
This tennis racquet case
is empty because he has
given up the sport. John
McEnroe and Serena Williams scare him,
What’s your pet peeve?
“Bad drivers”-Joe Beach ‘13
“People talking in third person”
-Eliana Pimentel ‘12
“Country music”
-Niles O’Keefe ‘11
“People who say ‘Korea’ when they are
referring to South Korea”-Will Sullivan ‘11
“Loud yawners”
-Rissa Rufolo ‘10
“People tapping their pencils
during tests”
-Meekha Shrestha ‘12
“Getting flat tired in the hallway”- Colleen O’Neil ‘10
“Watching people
write with their left
hand”
-Collete Brunner ‘13
Banter

Golden Lines - St. Pius X Catholic High School

Transcription

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