athletics - Our Lady of Good Counsel High School

The Talon
Our Lady of Good Counsel High School
December 15, 2009
Raffle tickets
17301 Old Vic Blvd. Olney, MD 20832
Vol. V Issue II
Where are GC grads now?
GC
Raffle
Congratulations
Good
Counsel
on reaching the
goal for the raffle ticket drive. This
event raised just under $150,000,
which will go towards financial aid.
At the beginning of the raffle
each student was given a booklet of 10 tickets to sell for $20 each.
If students sold all their tickets, they
could dress down for two weeks, wearing
a nifty bracelet to signify their achievement. Furthermore, the school would
be closed the Monday and Tuesday in
addition to the regular Thanksgiving
holiday if the school reached its goal.
Since so many tickets were sold,
the goal was more than reached,
and the week of Thanksgiving was
one of celebration and enjoyment.
Remember
to
sell
your
tickets
next
year,
too.
The winners of the $2500 raffle were Mike McCartin, Phil
and Susan Robilotto, Carolyn
Schoeneman and Cathy Feerrar.
The students who sold these winning tickets, Katie McCartin, Philip Robilotto, Will Ovington and
Amanda Feerrar, each received $250.
The $5000 grand prize winner was
Jay Schmid. Stephen Schmid, his son
and seller of the ticket, received $500.
“I am really proud of how many
people participated this year and
sold their tickets. Hopefully we can
do even better next year,” said Mrs.
McNamara, whose lively announcements during community aroused the
students’ sense of school spirit and
persuaded them to sell their tickets.
By Sean Bagnall
Layout Editor
Above: Jelani Jenkins,
WCAC Player of the Year
in 2008, poses with fans
Photo Courtesy of Mr. Joe Cabigas.
Above: Tom Johnson, Chief Operating
Officer of Aéropostale Inc., talks to seniors
during Career Day.
By Ana Nunez
Staff writer
We are still in
the
celebration
of Our Lady of
Good Counsel‘s 50th Anniversery.
These 50 years have brought on students who have used their talents,
along with their knowledge, to move
onto bigger and better things in life.
1. Roger Mason ’99 rocked
Good Counsel’s basketball program
when he transferred for his sophomore year. Mason led Good Counsel
to its best basketball year ever. He was
named 1999 All-Met in The Washington Post. Mason played college ball at
the University of Virginia. He contin-
ued to play into the pros where he was
drafted into the Chicago Bulls in 2002
after his junior year at UVA. Later, he
was traded into the Toronto Raptors
and Washington Wizards. He now is
playing for the San Antonio Spurs.
2. Thomas Johnson ‘ 76 was introduced to the senior class as part of
Senior Career Day. Johnson talked
about his life after Good Counsel, providing a bit of a “pep talk” about what
is waiting ahead in the future. Johnson
has accomplished a lot in his life and
since 2004, has been the Chief Operating Officer of Aéropostale Inc. He then
moved up to Director of Aéropostale
YOU
FOOTBALL
afraid of the
Miley
Cyrus
Concert
Photos courtesy of Google Images,
Free Domain
Inc. His resume includes working as
Regional Manager of Banana Republic and District Manager of Gap Inc.
3. Jelani Jenkins ’09 recently
graduated from Good Counsel and is
showing potential for his future. He is
currently a freshman at Florida University. At Good Counsel he made a
name for himself playing football, but
that is not all he is known for. Besides
being an amazing athlete, he was also
very good with academics. Even though
he has only been gone for a year, he
is expected to make a splash at FU.
Index
Inside this issue . . .
Review:
Are
Left: Roger Mason, now
an NBA basketball player,
helps out the San Antonio
Spurs
swine flu?
CHAMPIONSHI PS
The Talon
Student News.... p 3
Opinion............ p 5
Entertainment.. p 8
Athletics........... p 10
Page 2
December 15, 2009
Editor’s Page
Editor’s Pen
The Talon Staff
Editor-in-Chief
Stephanie Lighter
Managing Editor
Megan Payne
Advertising Manager
Shaun Medina
Layout Editor
Sean Bagnall
News Editor
Danielle Gillespie
Student Life Editor
Rebecca Shipler
Opinion Editor
Tara Johnson
Sports Editor
Editor’s Page
By Stephanie Lighter
Editor-in-Chief
2009 has been a crazy year, filled with unbelievable events that we will never
forget. Before the year is finally over, let’s look back at the memories, good and bad.
Although some won’t admit it, celebrity gossip is America’s guilty pleasure. This year,
there have been a number of celebrity deaths that shocked the world. No one will ever
forget the legendary King of Pop, Michael Jackson, who inspired so many other talented
artists to pursue their dreams. Other deaths include the beautiful Charlie’s Angel,
Farrah Fawcett, the cleaning products pitchman, Billy Mays, and the popular DJ AM.
There were also some break-out stars that have become icons of their own, including Lady
Gaga, the pop singer behind hits such as “Paparazzi” and “Poker Face” and Taylor Lautner, the
actor from the Twilight series. Reality TV stars have also become stars of their own as they stole
the spotlight from other celebrities, such as Jon and Kate Gosselin as well as the cast of The Hills.
While the year is coming to an end and the winter season is underway, we still have
the Christmas holidays to look forward to. Before we can celebrate, we unfortunately
have to worry about those dreaded midterms. These exams can be stressful, especially
if you have just been gliding through your classes without really doing any of your
work. The only thing I can say to that is to not delay it any longer. The longer you
wait to study, the more stressed you will be to get decent grades on your exams.
Once the midterms are over, we can finally take a break. The holiday season can be great
way to spend some much needed time with your friends and family. While getting a present
is a pretty good feeling, giving a present is just as pleasant. With so many unfortunate people
in the world, we should really do our part in helping others. By simply donating money or
participating in a food drive, it can help make the season a little more enjoyable for others as well.
During winter break, we also get to celebrate New Years Eve. While 2009 was a great
year, 2010 can be even better if you make it that way. A popular way to start the year off
right is by making a new year’s resolution. Some of the more common goals include
losing weight, saving money, and improving grades. The great thing about a resolution
is that it is your own personal goal; it doesn’t have to be something that everyone else
is doing. So come up with a goal of your own that you think will help better your life.
So enjoy the holidays (once the midterms are over, of course). Relax and take the time to enjoy
the break with friends and family. 2009 was a great year, but I’m sure 2010 will be even better.
Scott Chen
Entertainment Editor
Gianna Rico
Photography Editor
Cami Garofalo
Copy Editor
Olivia Jackson
Relations Manager
Lexi Runnings
Artwork Editor
Mary Beck
Distribution Manager
Nick Wager
Staff Writers
Leigh Emig
Ana Nunez
Nora Considine
advisor
Ms. Neugebauer
Publication Goals:
•To provide staff members with an experience of teamwork where they learn the need for
commitment, cooperation, communication and respect for the varied talents of others.
•To improve the writing skills of the staff by teaching proper journalistic format.
•To teach staff members computer skills in word processing, desktop publishing and
graphic design.
•To introduce staff members to the world of Mass Communication.
•To act as a primary outlet as a student news source within the Gold Counsel Community.
•To encourage excellence in the production of photography and artwork.
The Talon
News
December 15, 2009
Page 3
NEWS
Olney’s first annual Literary Day
Students Pull
Resources to
Stock Food
Pa n t r i e s ’
Shelves
By Nora Considine,
Staff Writer
Photo courtesy of Google Images free domain
Excellence is not exclusively a Good Counsel tradition. On November 14, 2009, the
inaugural Olney Literary Day welcomed students and the local community to a new annual event. A publishing seminar took
place between 9-10 am, during which the authors had
refreshments and a chance to mingle, followed by a
meet- and- greet book signing between 10 am and 4 pm.
The event was coordinated by Ms. Maggie Morris and
Ms. Georgia Sotiriu of the Good Counsel Mothers’ Club,
along with Ms. Diane Nine, president of Nine Speakers,
an entertainment agency. Ms. Nine came to Ms. Morris
with the idea of holding a literary day at Good Counsel.
Ms. Morris ran the publishing seminar and said it “went
very well.” Others who helped make Literary Day possible were Ms. Jen McGreevey, Ms. Stephanie Wilson, Ms.
Lauren Costello, Ms. Debbie McKinney, Ms. Fran McGlaughlin and various National Honor Society volunteers.
Literary Day’s goal was to bring literature to the Olney
community in order to fundraise for Good Counsel. The
event was a success, bringing locals and students together
for the opportunity to connect with over 15 well-known
By Becca Shipler
Student Life Editor
authors. This event was beneficial to both communities.
“[Literary Day] had a diverse group of authors,” said Ms. Morris. The wide range of authors included journalists, an ambassador, a congressperson, a founder of CNN, and an economist.
Volunteers from the National Honor Society at Good Counsel also benefited from helping with this event. Students spoke
with various authors as they helped out at their individual tables.
Nayan
Shrestha,
a
senior
NHS
member,
chose
to
help
during
the
morning.
“It was a nice way to spend Saturday morning,” Shrestha said.
His favorite part of being at Literary Day was meeting the authors, especially William Beecher, who wrote The Acorn Dossier.
Ms. Rita Bobhm was one of the local participants of Literary Day. Bobhm hopes to be a published author in the near
future and thought the publishing seminar was very helpful.
She also attended the ninth annual National Book Festival
held at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., which featured not only featured authors, but also included talks. Ms.
Bobhm thought this would be a great addition to Literary
Day, and she will return next year, “Especially if you do talks.”
Many of the authors expressed great enthusiasm for being a
part of this new event at Good Counsel and the coordinators hope
future literary days continue to help aspiring authors through
publishing seminars and connecting authors with their readers.
Anticipation grows as Olympics approach
With the 2010 Winter
Olympics fast approaching, people all over the
world
are
preparing
for the February 12 opening ceremony. The Olympic
Games will be held in Vancouver, Canada, 22 years after
they were last held in Calgary, Canada. It is an exciting
time for a lot of countries that are fiercely competitive.
Many people will actually go to the games, and millions more will watch on their televisions in anticipation.
It has been four years since the Winter Olympics were last held
in Torino, Italy. After the large success of the Beijing summer
games, the winter games should be very promising for 2010.
Here is a list of the upcoming events: Snowboarding; Alpine Skiing; Biathlon; Ice hockey; Bobsleigh; Cross-Country; Curling; Figure Skating;
Freestyle Skiing; Luge; Nordic Combined; Short
Track; Skeleton; Ski Jumping; and Speed Skating.
The Olympic Committee has confirmed that there
will be 2,500 athletes participating in 86 events. The
athletes will compete for about a week and a half
for the chance to win the gold for their country.
After the 2006 Winter Olympics the United States team
By Nick Wager,
Distribution Manager
is very excited about
the new games.
They have a strong
team with athletes
such as snowboarding icon, Shaun
White. He should
be a promising contestant because he
won the gold for
the Men’s Halfpipe
back in 2006. Another capable athlete
for the U.S. would
be Apolo Anton
Photo courtesy of Google Images free domain
Ohno, who won two
gold medals at the Winter Olympics for short track speed skating.
It should be a fierce face-off between the two leaders of the last
games, Germany and the US. Germany was the leader in Torino with 29 medals, and the US came in second with 25. The US
team has high hopes that they will come out on top next year.
The Talon
In these
h a r d
economic
t i m e s
many food pantries in Montgomery
Country are drying up. Campus Ministry
held a food drive which benefitted
two different pantries, both in Olney,
from September 8 until September 29.
The canned goods that many students
brought in were sent to “Olney Help”, and
the local St. Peter’s Parish Food Pantry.
“Both pantries called into school and
asked for our help,” said Mr. Tamberino.
“…It [the food drive] keeps us aware
that even people in our area need help.”
When asked how the collected
goods were divided between the two
food banks, Mr. Tamberino said that
the goods were divided in accordance
to what was needed at each bank. Often
times food banks pile up with the
same kinds of goods, so the variation
brought into Good Counsel was very
much appreciated by both pantries.
Mrs. Hanson of Olney Help picked up the
collected canned goods in installments.
The food drive saw a generous
response with over 2000 items being
brought into school, and the pantries
were both exceptionally grateful.
“The food drive started slow,
but in the end it was quite
successful,” said Mr. Tamberino.
Campus Ministry plans on having
various food drives throughout the
school year, and hopes to see even more
involvement in the upcoming drives.
Page 4
December 15, 2009
NEWS
Help the
Homeless
At
Good
By Olivia Jackson, C o u n s e l ,
Copy Editor
students
don’t have
to search far
for a way to make a powerful change
in the community. On Thursday, November 5 and Friday, November 6,
students were able to participate in
two different events allowing them
to serve the homeless and contribute their efforts in a unique way.
The first event was the Help the Homeless Walk-a-Thon, which took place
from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. on the school
track. Sponsored by the Fannie Mae or- the following morning. During this
ganization, the walk featured students timeframe, students were kept busy
who were sponsored to walk laps. All with a wide range of activities that apthe proceeds went to the Silver Spring proached service in unusual ways.
Besides
Interfaith Housing Coalico m p l e ttion, which helps arrange
ing activiaffordable housing for
ties that
those struggling financially.
directly
Junior Clare Nolan combenefitted
mented on her experithe homeence, saying “I feel like I
less, such
contribute by just raising
as makawareness. People kept
ing sandasking what we were dowiches for
ing and we’d tell them…
M a r t h a’s
it really makes you feel
Pa n t r y,
like you’re helping peostudents
ple realize the need[s]
that some people have.” Photo Courtey of Google Images Free Domain a l s o
The second event was
Help the Homeless Overnight, hosted gained insight from guest speakers. These
from 5:00 p.m. on Friday to 8:00 a.m. speakers featured Good Counsel religion
The New Senior Spirit Team
By Rebecca
Shipler,
Student Life
Editor
News
This year Good
Counsel has
a new organization called
the
Senior
Leader Board.
Members of Good Counsel’s senior
class formed the board in order to increase school spirit. On the school
website the board lists its objectives:
1). Establish a successful
“Game of the Week” program 2). Create and foster Senior Ambassador
Program for Freshmen and 3). Increase overall attendance at athletic
events and other school activities.
The board has started to meet
these goals by establishing the newly
improved “Game of the Week” program.
Each week a different sport is given the
designation of Game of the Week where,
depending on the sport, spirit points
are earned for student attendance. An
example of the point system is that
football games are worth 25 points because they are the most widely attended. Field hockey, soccer, and volleyball
are worth more than football, but tennis
and cross country are worth the most,
because they are the hardest to attend.
In the past, Good Counsel has
shown enormous school spirit through
activities like Spirit Week, Game of the
Week and the Spirit Club. The attendance at some school has been a little
bit lower than the school would prefer,
such as Battle of the Classes last year.
This year, the Board wants to
elevate the Game of the Week program to a whole new level. Instead
of just a few extra students at those
games, the Board wants tons of students to make it out to each game.
The board also helps by coming up with new cheers and teaching
them to the student body. Jemel Sessoms said that one of the main events
this year is the Battle of the Classes.
Whichever class wins gets a field day.
This is meant to give the classes motivation to show school spirit by attending different events, such as athletics.
The board meets once a week
and is moderated by Ms. Lauren
Costello, a member of the staff, who
works in Alumni Relations. Costello
also previously coordinated the spirit
club, which had similar goals to the
new Senior Leader Board. This prior
experience with similar organizations
helps her lead the team effectively.
Sessoms said his favorite part of
being on the board is, “The energy that
we bring to help people with the cheers
and the energy behind the cheers.”
So far this year the Senior
Leader Board has been very effective
in fostering school spirit. The board
put together a very entertaining video with John Luke Garofolo that explained some of the cheers and introduced the Senior Leader Board. The
video was a big hit with the students
when it was shown in community.
The Board tries to reach students through a wide range of advertising. Sessoms says that the board
plans to get students involved in school
activities in the future by announcements during assemblies and definitely
through more videos. Seeing how the
video was a big hit with the students
when shown in community before, it
is no doubt that a more videos will be
effective. Assemblies also reach a large
amount of students because the whole
school is there when the announcements take place. The Senior Leader
Board will continue to pursue and attain
its goals throughout this school year.
teacher Mr. Matthew Murphy and Mr.
Kevin Moran from New Visions Homeless Day Shelter in Camden, N.J. Moran
introduced information about further
service opportunities. Students were
even given time to go outside and reflect
with one another after watching a movie
called “Homeless to Harvard.”
Mr. Sean Hanel, one of the teachers who
helped lead the event, described it as “an
opportunity to give back to the community…but in the realm of Good Counsel.”
By staying overnight and sacrificing the
comfort of their own beds, students
had an experience that’s “a little comparative” of what it’s like to be homeless.
Hanel says, “By having a relatable experience…I think it also
gives you a chance to see homeless
people as human beings and someone who could use a helping hand.”
Good Counsel
remembers its roots
Photo Courtesy of GCHoops.com
Xaverian Brothers sponsored schools around the country, including Good Counsel, celebrated Founders Week not too long ago, but
what is it? What does it celebrate? How does it clarify Good Counsel
students’ perspectives on how their school and others came to be?
Mr. Tamberino, Campus Ministry director at Good Counsel, helped
explain. “Founders week highlights our connection with the other
Xaverian Brother schools. They are connected by the common goal
of giving witness to and falling in love with service to God. This
week recognizes how this network of schools lives, promotes, and fosters the Xaverian values of simplicity, trust, zeal, compassion, and humility.”
We also remember and look to Theodore Ryken, the founder of the Xaverian brothers. In the 19th century Ryken founded the Xaverian Brothers to spread
the ideals of Christianity through missionary work. The Xaverian brothers focus
much of their work on service, particularly to the poor and marginalized. With this
in mind, Good Counsel continues to promote service to and spread awareness of
people who are less fortunate.
Back when Good Counsel was founded in 1958 as an all-boys school,
Xaverian Brothers taught the students. Now, even though Xaverian brothers don’t
teach at Good Counsel anymore, the heritage of providing religious formation and
education to students still lives on through the school’s loving faculty and staff, and
the guiding spirit of Mary, who the school is named after. This heritage is something that all Xaverian Brother Sponsored Schools share.
In celebration of Founders Week, Good Counsel held a St. Francis Xavier
Mass on Thursday. It honored the patron of the Xaverian Brothers, and stressed
Good Counsel’s part in the Xaverian Brother school community .
In addition to the Mass, cake was served during lunch to commemorate
this return to our roots. At the end of the week there was a dress down day. It cost
$2 to dress down, and the proceeds from this event went towards Good Counsel’s
sister school in Haiti.
By Sean
Bagnall,
Layout
Editor
The Talon
Opinion
December 15, 2009
Page 5
Opinion
Reality Television: Too much to handle?
By Becca Shipler, Reality TeleviStudent Life Editor sion is a fairly
new concept
to our society. Since the 2000’s this
cultural obsession has in one way or
another found its way into everyone’s
life at some point. Whether you watch
“Project Runway” for the fashion, “The
Bachelor or The Bachelorette” for the
romance, or “The Apprentice” for business or that awesome hair of Donald
Trump’s, most people watch reality TV
at some point. Through commercials,
watching the shows, magazine articles,
or friends, everyone has heard about
reality TV in some form or another.
Many people love reality TV,
but others think it is detrimental to society. I do not believe that reality TV is
necessarily a bad thing, it is just simply
entertainment. But that’s the thing, it
is just entertainment, nothing more.
Quite a few people are so obsessed
with these shows, it seems that they
prefer to live in the reality of others,
rather than face their own world.
People should definitely take
some time to sit down, relax, and
watch some TV every once in a while,
but should not be so obsessed with
all these different reality series that
they let it interfere in their lives. Have
you ever heard about people being up
doing homework until 4 a.m., because
they were watching a marathon of a
reality TV show and they had to see
every episode possible? When it gets
to the point of having to watch these
shows no matter what, even if it means
sacrificing sleep, study, or part of your
social life, is ridiculous. People should
not be so obsessed with someone else’s
life that they stop living their own.
The best way to fix a problem like this
would be to limit reality TV to one or
two shows a night.
Reality TV tends to bring out
obsessive behavior in people when it
involves celebrities. But what is the
big deal of watching what other people
do every day just because they are
famous? Wouldn’t people rather be
out there living their own lives, than
sitting on a couch watching someone
else’s life? Paris Hilton’s show “My
New BFF” is the prime example of why
people watch some of these shows:
because a celebrity the subject matter.
If any average person decided to make
a TV show about picking out who
their next best friend would be, no one
would care.
My question is, “Why do we
care about watching other people’s
Top Ten Winter Activites
By Nora Cosidine
Staff Writer
10.
Work, work, work and
save up money for summer 2010!!!
9.
Help neighbors shovel snow
and lend a hand
8.
4.
7.
3.
6.
2.
5.
1.
Volunteer for a local charity
event
Organize a group ice-skating
day
Get a hobby and discover a
new passion
Make a life size snowmen
family
Bond with your family during
those cold snowy nights
It’s never too late to make
new friends and go to the
movies or to the mall!
Go sledding and spice up the
timeless tradition with ramps
and various types of sleds
Keep warm by a fire with a
nice big cup of hot cocoa
lives everyday, simply because they are
famous, instead of living our own?”
Some people watch these shows because some of them, usually the competition type, involve everyday people
achieving success. This is a great thing
and can be inspirational, but it should
not get to the point where it becomes
an obsession. Even though it is nice to
watch others achieve their dreams, it is
even better to be out there completing
our own dreams.
Role Models?
By Cami Garofalo
Photo Editor
When’s the last time you’ve
thumbed though Glamour, Vogue and
Elle magazines and seen the ads that
take up more than half of the content?
These ads are filled with “beautiful”
people. I can’t help but ask where society gets this idea of beauty from. These
airbrushed, make-upped, and photoshopped images are not the models in
the original photographs.
The ads do not portray true
beauty, and who are we to say who is
and who is not beautiful? Apparently,
the only way to accomplish true beauty
is through digital alterations.
This is what the American
youth today looks toward for a realistic
spectrum of beauty. Who are these
faces we see in the magazines and on
billboards? These faces are products
of many editing techniques and Photoshop. The fashion world has bent
expectations for what beauty is.
Media, targeting teenage girls,
is emphasizing the ideal of thinness as
beauty. In the fashion industry the average model averages out at about 5’10”
and about 110lbs. In reality, the average
American woman is 5’4” and weighs
140 lbs. In a society where young
The Talon
Reality TV is a nice outlet of
entertainment that can be beneficial
when watched in moderation. But
when it gets to the point of addiction
or obsession, or even just interfering with someone’s life, it becomes
detrimental to society. Reality TV
can be very interesting as we watch
other people’s lives, but it’s even more
interesting to be out there living your
own life, trust me.
children and teenagers are looking in
magazines for role models, it is easy to
see why eating disorders in children
are skyrocketing.
When the young children
start to see imperfections in themselves measured up to the perfections
of the “Societies woman”, as portrayed
in the Ads, they begin to take drastic
measures to become the “Perfect
Goddess”.
Anorexia has the highest
mortality rate, up to 20%, of any psychiatric diagnosis. Statistics show girls
develop eating and self-image problems before drug or alcohol problems.
Young girls are more afraid of becoming fat than of violence.
With the fashion industries
“beauty” altering every day, we find
people starving for personal perfection that is becoming dangerous to
their health. While trying to accomplish this goal of “beauty”, many
people do not know when or how to
stop.
What is beauty? Tall, tanned,
and skinny… is that all? When does
tall become too tall, tanned turn to
orange, and skinny become anorexic?
Page 6
December 15, 2009
OPINION
OPINION
Are we SICK of the Twilight Saga yet?
It defines you, decides
Neugebauer was so touched by the girl’s enthusiasm
your friends and en- that she decided to read “Twilight” in order to discuss
emies, and there are en- it with her. Incidentally, both the girl and Neugebauer
tire
facebook
groups went on to devour all four books in the “Twilight” saga.
dedicated to it. That’s right; it’s the all-important
“I think she gained a lot of confidence in her reading
question—“Team Edward” or “Team Jacob”? ability [after finishing “Twilight”],” relates Neugebauer.
The “Twilight” phenomenon has been going on
An appeal of “Twilight” is its enthralling plot. It is a treat
for over a year and seems to be gaining momen- for the reader to escape from his or her everyday life for a
tum. This momentum is largely due to a success- short adventure into Edward and Bella’s thrilling world.
ful movie franchise and increased merchandizing.
While Shakespeare’s dense sonnets and Dante’s
A love story
harsh poetic retribuabout a teenage girl
tion are difficult to
falling in love with
focus on or relate
a vampire, “Twito, the tale of Edlight” has captiward, a vampire
vated teenage girls.
who sparkles in the
With an evsunlight, is much
er-increasing nummore exciting to the
ber of frantic fans,
average teenager
however, many are
The
popularnow asking themity of the Twilight
selves if this “Twibook series led to
light” obsession
the creation of a
is too extreme.
“Twilight” movie
Critics argue
franchise. The secthat the “Twilight”
ond movie in the
phenomenon
is
series came out
stupid and wrong,
in theaters about
saying that it is
a month ago and
not ‘fine literathe third installture’. They accuse
ment will hit thethe movie franaters next year.
chise of releasing
The success of
poor quality movthese movies has
ies, and say that Photo courtesy of Google Images free domain.
led to another layer
“Twilight” is overto the “Twilight”
merchandized and
mania. In addiwastes
American
money. tion to being besotted by the “Twilight” books, fans
While “Twilight” is not exactly Shakespearean- have now been enchanted by the “Twilight” actors.
style literature, it accomplishes what ‘fine literature'
Merchandizing companies have capitalcannot. It makes children and teens want to read. ized on this obsession. Not only are T-shirts
Ms. Laura Neugebauer, an English teacher at and pins now available, but fans can even purGood Counsel, agrees, saying “Anything that gets chase life-sized cardboard cutouts of actors Robkids to read outside of what’s required is good.” ert Pattinson (Edward) and Taylor Lautner (Jacob).
Though Neugebauer is now a fan of the
It is tempting to sneer at this over-the-top mer“Twilight” series, she admits that this was not always chandizing. In reality, though, increased merchanthe case; it was a student who changed her mind. dise allows teens to express themselves. No one
During a self-directed reading project at is being forced to buy these “Twilight”-themed
Penn Cambia High School, where she previously products. Increased merchandise is simply proworked, a junior girl admitted that she had never viding “Twilight” fans with products they want.
read a book from start to finish. This soon changed.
Now, there’s only one question to be ad“She came in one day and was talking about how dressed: Team Edward or Team Jacob?
much she loved “Twilight”, remembers Neugebauer.
By Dani Gillespie,
News Editor
Photo Courtesy of Google Images free domain
Best of 2009
Best Movies
-Twilight
-The Dark Knight
-Yes Man
-Slumdog Millionaire
Best Albums
-The Blueprint 3 by Jay-Z
-Fearless by Taylor Swift
-Rebirth by Little Wayne
-21st Century Breakdown by Green
Day
Best Songs
-Good Girls Go Bad by Cobra Starship
- Paparazzi by Lady Gaga
-You Belong with Me by Taylor Swift
-Down by Jay Sean
Best Shows
-Glee
-The Office
-The Vampire Diaries
-House
Best Breakout Star
-Lady Gaga
-Justin Bieber
-Taylor Lautner
-Chris Pine
Photo Courtesy of Google Images free domain
By: Alexandra
Runnings
Staff Writer
Vampires don’t sparkle! Now
don’t get me wrong I read the
books and anything that gets
teens to read is a good thing,
but the absurd amount of merchandise and publicity
for this series is ridiculous. Not only are there supplies of t-shirts, CD’s, school supplies, buttons, school
supplies, costumes and games, but the list goes on
and on. It started a trend where teen vampires took
over and there are too many movies, books, and
TV series’ that have come of this new trend to list.
Meyers uses elementary school sentences and adds
a lot of big words. When asked what he thought about
the book Stephen King compares J.K. Rowling to
Meyers “Both Rowling and Meyer, they’re speaking
directly to young people... The real difference is that
JK Rowling is a terrific writer and Stephenie Meyer can’t write worth a darn. She’s not very good.”
The relationship between Bella and Edward also is of some criticism. Twilight fans
say its true love but when describing her feelings, Bella only talks about Edward’s appearance.
I have to admit I got curious, so I saw the first movie.
Jacob was gorgeous, but the acting was mediocre. I
know we all like a dangerous prince charming that is
going to make everything better and never leave our
side. However it has crossed a line between vampire fiction and an unrealistic portrayal of vampires.
The only thing that I want to sparkle is a diamond.
The Talon
Opinion
December 15, 2009
Page 7
Opinion
Which Virus is Worse, the Swine Flu or the Media?
Are you worBy Mary Beck
ried about the
Artwork Editor
swine flu? The
swine flu is no
different from the ordinary flu ; the
symptoms are exactly the same. Y et
millions of Americans are waiting in
line for hours at a time to receive a vaccination for this particular strain of flu,
and changing how they do ordinary
tasks in order to avoid the swine flu.
Don’t worry. If you aren’t sure of
how to best avoid the swine flu ,
just type “precautions” into Google
search and the first suggestion will be
“precautions for swine flu”. Enough
people have already searched for
ways to prevent it that Google
knows just what you’re looking for.
What have people been doing? Many
people have begun wearing surgical
masks out in public. A particular parish in Massachusetts has suspended
the distribution of the communal
wine as a means of precaution. Certain school districts have cancelled
Halloween parties and dances for fifth
and sixth graders out of fear of spreading the virus. In Egypt, 300,000 pigs
were slaughtered, even though there
have been no reported cases of the
swine flu in that country These are just
a few of the numerous examples out
there that demonstrate how panicked
the general public is about this illness.
Is there really anything to worry about? The virus of fear that
the media has created is much
worse than the H1N1 virus itself.
Senior Patrick Byer is not scared.
“I think it’s overrated because the
swine flu has killed less than the regular flu [does] every year,” he says.
Even self proclaimed germ-conscious
senior Suzanne Perucci proclaims
“I’m not afraid of the swine flu!”
The media has given the public lots
of updates about how they can prevent
this relatively harmless virus. They are
beating into its viewers the message that
if people don’t get vaccinated, they will
definitely get the swine flu and surely
die. Sure, the media has always covered
ways to prevent the flu as flu season approaches. In regard to the H1N1 strain,
they have been attacking this pandemic
with a certain vigor for months on end
that puts a different kind of urgency into
preventing the virus from spreading. It
seems as if every H1N1 death is reported. Now think, how many times have
you witnessed the media report a death
from the regular flu? Why is it so much
more urgent to report a death allegedly
caused by what is essentially the same
virus? It is strongly speculated that a
reason for the excessive coverage is
money. Millions of
dollars in this crippled economy are
being pumped into
making
vaccines
and receiving them .
It’s hard to understand where all
of this fear comes
from in the first
place. Considering
that malaria kills
3,000 people per
day, malaria seems
like a disease that
people should be
more concerned
about finding cures
for and preventing.
Yet people
around the world
are spending their
time
panicking
about a strain of flu.
Is there no irony in this?
So it’s your choice: You can buy into
the message that the media is sending
you. You can wear surgical masks in
public when you know that you’re a
perfectly healthy individual who could
fight this virus easily. You can pay that
Person receiving H1N1 shot.
Photo
courtesy of Google Images, Free Domain.
fee to get a vaccine that will probably
give the virus that you’re trying to avoid.
Or, you can shake hands with those
people in church and attend crowded
parties without fear. Take your pick;
how do you want to spend your winter?
GC’s Annual Christmas Concert rocks a different venue
The
annual
Good
Counsel
Christmas
concert was an
overwhelming success. Students’ performances on December 9 got everyone into the Christmas spirit.
Previously, the students in the
music program performed in
the Kane Center because Good
Counsel’s auditorium is not yet
finished. Gyms are not designed
with acoustics in mind, thus hindering how the show sounds.
This year, however, Good
Counsel was able to rent out
the Col. Zodak Magruder
High School auditorium to
use for the Christmas concert.
When asked about the venue and its effect on the performance, Mr. Spottswood cheerfully replied, “It was great.
Having a stage, nice lights, comfortable seats, a beautiful grand
piano, and a backstage for students to come on with provides
the foundation for what the
students need to get all the benefits
from the curriculum that we teach.
“Performance is such a large part
of the assessment process. Having
this venue helps us put our program
By Sean Bagnall
Layout Editor
on the par with other high schools
in the community. Combined with
our focus on religion, this exponentially adds to the religious, academic, and social life of our institution.
“Although it was a lot of work pack-
ing up to get to a different location, we
did it because we felt our kids deserved
it. We’ll continue to do it as long as we
have to. It is an act of faith that we are
able to go out to other venues to play,
and it is yet another act of faith that we
will, one day, have our own facility.”
The evening began with the Percussion Ensemble, directed by Dr. Slocum,
playing an eclectic arrangement of familiar Christmas tunes on xylophones.
Then the String
Ensemble, also directed by Slocum,
came on stage to
play beautiful and
heartwarming arrangements
of
traditional Christmas
repertoire.
Mr. Taylor and
his
Symphonic
Band treated the
audience to more
Christmas
music, including the
piece, “Western
Horizons,” which
they played in the
previous week’s
band festival. As
the evening progressed
there
were wonderful and moving songs
from the talented Women’s, Men’s,
and Honors Choruses. One pleasant surprise during the concert was
when Mr. Spottswood recognized Carl
The Talon
Eierle who had just come back from
serving in Iraq; he received a standing ovation from the audience. As the
final performance, the Wind Ensemble, wearing Santa Claus hats, played
the Christmas classic, “Sleigh Ride”.
“It was excellent. I am very pleased
with how well everyone performed,”
said Dr. Slocum of the concert.
Page 8
December 15, 2009
ENTERTAINMENT
ENTERTAINMENT
Miley’s Wonder World
Hannah Montana has certainly
grown up. Miley
Cyrus’s Wonder
World Tour has taken her from kiddy
idol to pop star. Still kid friendly, but
with a more grown-up sound, Miley is
definitely becoming a star in her own
right. On November 3, 2009 Miley
Cyrus’s sold-out tour, Wonder World,
landed at D.C. at the Verizon Center
with her brother’s band Metro Station.
It’s been over a year since she wrapped
up her Best of Both Worlds Tour. Miley
had a lot of new songs and experiences to
share with her audience. She just released
a new EP “The Time of Our Lives” and
has a new clothing line with Max Azria
which is incorporated into the show. Unlike her previous tour, there is no blonde
wig. This show was completely Miley,
with an exception of two Hannah Montana songs performed without the wig.
Miley recruited her brother’s band
Metro Station for her opening act. Metro Station got the crowd excited and
engaged, but their performance of the
songs did not sound as good as the recordings. Overall, Metro Station was a
great opening act which made the audience even more excited for Miley.
Then it was time for Miley herself to take
the stage. As excitement built, images of a
spaceship and a timer counting down to
Miley’s appearance increased the crowds’
excitement. As the song “Breakout” began, Miley burst out of what appeared to
be a large crystal or glacier. With more
“earthy” themes throughout the show
(including dancers dressed like frogs),
Miley rocked out to her hits “7 Things,”
“Party in the U.S.A.,” and “The Climb.”
Although this was her breakout tour,
By Leigh Emig,
Staff Writer
“Lovely” Read Coming to
A Theater Near You
In the openMegan Payne,
Managing Editor ing chapter of
“The
Lovely
Bones”,
Susie
Salmon, the narrator, is raped, has her
throat slit, and body dismembered.
The author, Alice Sebold, wrote
the novel based on her own experience
of being raped during her freshman
year in college. This national bestselling book will become limited release on
December 11, 2009 in the United States
and is out worldwide Christmas Day.
Alice Sebold wrote “Lucky” which is her
story from being raped. When she found
out that her rapist killed his previous
victim, she decided to write “The Lovely
Bones” inspired by the fact she was alive.
On December 6, 1973 in Norristown, P.A., Susie Salmon takes a
shortcut through the cornfield by her
house to go home from school. Being
a 14 year old girl, she had no idea that
her neighbor, George Harvey, meant
her harm when he stops her to talk.
The investigation into her death seems
Miley still satisfied the hunger of the
younger fans for a few Hannah Montana songs. She performed four songs
from “The Hannah Montana Movie”:
“Spotlight” and “The Climb,” which
was performed in her encore. This
was a good way to keep her younger
audience as well as draw in an older crowd from her new songs. Miley also performed a duet with her
brother Trace called “Hovering.” It
was nice that she incorporated her
brother into her main performance
and showed her strong love of family.
Halfway through the show Miley
showed the trailer for her new movie
“The Last Song,” based on the book
by Nicholas Sparks. She explained
that she filmed it this past summer,
saying she matured a lot from this experience. Afterwards she performed
a song from the movie called “When
I Look at You,” really showing off her
voice and creating a more adult sound.
Miley put on an entertaining show
and gave the fans what they came
for. She offered them classics as well
as a taste of what’s to come. Elaborate dance moves and stage settings
contributed to the excitement in
the air. She showed her class by having a tribute to Michael Jackson in
which she danced to “Thriller” after her performance of “Fly on the
Wall.” Miley Cyrus has grown up a
lot and through her Wonder World
Tour showed that to the world.
to lead nowhere even after the police
find her winter hat and part of her dismembered elbow. Susie narrates the
story from her personal idea of heaven
where she watches her family struggle
over her death. She also sees her murderer cover his tracks by leaving town.
Susie says, “In my heaven I can
make a bonfire in the classrooms
or run up and down the halls yelling as loud as I want. But it doesn’t
always look like that. It looks like
anything you’ve ever dreamed.”
The novel is suspenseful and provoking from the beginning. If the movie
is anything like the book it should
be a success and worth watching.
There is a great cast with awarding winning actors. The movie was directed
by Peter Jackson and stars Saoirse
Ronan (Susie Salmon), Mark Wahlberg ( Jack Salmon, Susie’s father), and
Rachel Weisz (Abigail Salmon, Susie’s
mother). Though not a movie full of
Christmas cheers it is still worth seeing.
Photo coutnsey of Google Images, free domain.
2010:
What’s Ahead
010. The start
of a new year
and a new decade. The first
decade of the new millennium
created many hits and classics. Will
this next decade do the same?
The year of 2010 seems
bright in the realm of movies with
continuations of already top box
office grossing series. 2010 brings
us more in both the “Twilight” and
“Harry Potter” series. Super hero
movies are coming such as “Iron
Man 2,” “Jonah Hex” with Megan Fox, “Tron Legacy” and “The
Green Hornet”. Other sure-to-be
hits include new romances like
“Dear John,” “Letters to Juliet,”
and “The Last Song” starring Miley
Cyrus, and romantic comedies such
as “When in Rome” with Kristen
Bell.
By Leigh Emig
Staff Writer
This is It!
“This is it,”
says
Michael
Jackson to a
crowd of adoring fans. “This is really it.”
Last spring, Jackson, a crew of dancers, back-up singers and musicians,
as well as, other affiliates gathered
to perform one last tour for the fans
around England. Due to the death of
Jackson on June 25, 2009 the tour was
prevented from becoming a reality.
In order to pay tribute to
Michael’s legacy as a great
performer, a documentary was made to highlight Jackson’s plans for
the tour. The documentary compiled multiple
interviews from Michael’s
performers and crew, as
well as, vital elements to
the tour including visual
aids sound board design
and wardrobe. “This is It”
demonstrated Michael’s
desire for excellence.
By Tara Johnson
Opinion Editor
The Talon
If “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” is
not enough for Twilight fans then
they can catch Robert Pattinson
in “Remember Me” and Taylor
Lautner in “Valentine’s Day”
with rumored girlfriend Taylor
Swift as well as an all-star cast
including Anne Hathaway and
Julia Roberts.
“Toy Story 3” and “Shrek
Forever After” bring back memories of our childhood. Another
modern-spinoff will be Tim
Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland”
shows the classic in a new way
and is sure to be a favorite. Disney also brings more action in
“Prince of Persia: The Sands of
Time” which like “Pirates of the
Caribbean” will have a PG-13
rating. VanessaHudgens is set to
star in “Beastly,” a modern retelling of “Beauty and the Beast.”
Disney’s 50th animated movie,
“Rapunzel,” will be released next
November with Mandy Moore in
the lead role.
Other likely hits include
“The Wolfman,” “Clash of the
Titans,” “Date Night” with
Steve Carell and Tina Fey, and
a remake of “Footloose” with
“Gossip Girl’s” Chase Crawford.
More horror movie remakes and
continuations are also coming:
“Piranha 3-D,” “A Nightmare
on Elm Street,” “Friday the 13th
Part 2,” “The Roommate,” “Saw
VII” and “Scream 4.”
As 2009
draws to a close, we have many
things to look forward to in 2010.
With so many things on the
horizon, the only question left is:
What to watch first?
“Michael’s a perfectionist,” Alex
Al the bassist for Michael’s tour says.
Popular songs such as “Smooth
Criminal” and “Thriller” were previously filmed and edited to be shown
on a large screen during the tour performances. The wardrobe designers worked closely with scientists,
Swarovski crystal and others to capture Michael’s look for his costumes.
The documentary gave the audience
a visual perspective of how much
Michael cared about giving back to
the world through his performance.
“We have to bring
love back into the
world,” says Michael.
The
tour
was
planned to be an
exciting finale that
would seal Michael’s
musical career. He
will be kept in the
minds and hearts
of many and will
always be remembered for the musical
legend that he was.
ENTERTAINMENT
December 15, 2009
Page 9
ENTERTAINMENT
Another Winning
Production!
By Becca Shipler
Student Life Editor
This year, the
fall production at Good
Counsel was “Charley’s Aunt,” written
by Brandon Thomas during the late
1800s. In this play, two Oxford undergraduates, Charley Wykeham and Jack
Spettigue, want to entertain Amy Spettigue and Kitty Verdun. They do this by
inviting them to lunch to meet Charley’s aunt, Donna Lucia d’Alvadorez,
a rich widow from Brazil. But when
Charley’s aunt is unexpectedly delayed,
Jack and Charlie convince their friend,
Lord Fancourt Babberly, to impersonate her. This results in a witty and hilarious comedy, which has entertained
audiences for over a century. The production was showcased between October 30, 2009-November 8, 2009.
Mr. Hilary Rinke, who directed the
school’s production of “Charley’s Aunt”,
has directed the plays at Good Counsel
for six years. Mr. Rinke is also head of
the Visual Arts program at Good Counsel. When asked why he chose this
particular play for the fall production,
he said that he wanted to do a comedy.
Good Counsel has produced a number
of excellent productions since 1964,
when the theater productions first began. This play was one that both Mr. Rinke and the school had not done before.
The play was produced by Ms.
Rosemary Slocum and Mr. Gordon
Anson, along with associate producer
Ms. Vicki Sussman. Anson is the chief
lighting designer at the National Gallery of Art. He is a professional mentor
in the theater program at Good Counsel, providing invaluable experience
and help to students. Slocum is also in
the professional mentoring program
in the costume design department.
The mentors help students run the show
and learn about the technical aspects of
producing a show. When a student is
assigned a role such as assistant director, costume designer or set designer,
they are given a mentor who has expertise in that particular area of theatre.
The professional mentoring program
at Good Counsel provides students
with an experience that enables them
to create theater at an elevated level.
Even though the school produced an
excellent show, the lack of a Good
Counsel auditorium is still a significant
issue. The “Finishing the Dream” campaign has attempted to raise money
over the past three years so that Good
Counsel can finally build the auditorium that will complete the ideal campus. This auditorium would be used
for drama and musical performances,
as well as for large community for the
school; so far, the campaign has raised
close to $1 million, but $3 million is
needed to complete the auditorium.
Mr. Rinke’s favorite part of the
show was seeing “the final product finished.” It is no wonder this was Mr. Rinke’s favorite part because the final product did indeed have very positive results.
Rinke said, “It was an excellent
show. The kids did a great job and
the audience liked it.” The audience
certainly did like it, seeing as they
laughed throughout the entire show.
Chancellor Agard, senior, has
been a part of the theater program all
throughout his high school experience. “It was a great experience,” he
says. “All of the students working on
the show were a joy to work with. By
the end of the show, we weren’t only a
company, but a community; working
together to produce an awesome show.”
There are many talented individuals in
both the cast and the technical crew. After much practice and hard work, they
produced an extremely successful show.
Rewind that back!
Theater recap!
By Shaun Medina
Our Lady
Advertising Manager
of
Good
Counsel
High School’s fall theater production
of “Charlie’s Aunt,” was a comedy that
shows that instances that made people
laugh in the nineteenth century are still
funny now. It was showcased at the Olney Theater from October 30-November 1 and November 6-November 8.
“Charlie’s Aunt” was a play
written around 1890 by Brandon
Thomas in England. It was written in
the style of farce, which uses fast-paced
talking and a fast-paced plot, as well as
puns, innuendos and physical humor.
Chase scenes and falls also add to this.
The play is about two men,
Charley Wykeham and Jack Chesney,
who are each in love with other women, Amy Spettigue and Kitty Verdun.
They plan a date, but need a chaperone, so Charley volunteers his aunt.
Charlie’s aunt is a millionaire widow who is coming to visit Charlie
from Brazil but they have never seen
each other before. Jack and Charlie
consult their friend Fancourt Babberly to ask if he can entertain Charlie’s aunt while Jack and Charlie are
on their dates. Fancourt agrees to it.
When the two girls arrive,
Charlie’s aunt still hasn’t come, so the
girls leave and promise to return when
the aunt is there. Jack and Charlie discover that Charlie’s aunt won’t be arriving for another few days, so they panic.
Then they convince Fancourt to dress
up as the aunt to chaperone the date.
Eventually, things spiral out of control when Jack’s father and Amy Spettigue’s uncle attempt to woo Charlie’s
aunt for her money. Later, Charlie’s
real aunt, Donna Lucia d’Alvadorez,
arrives and pretends to be someone
else upon discovering the she has
been impersonated. She brings her
accomplice Ela Delahay. Donna Lucia and Jack’s father meet and realize
that they had known each other many
years before. They begin to fall in love.
Amy’s uncle is the guardian to
Kitty and Amy and is very stubborn.
Amy and Kitty ask Fancourt to persuade her uncle to to allow the girls to
get married. Fancourt is able to get the
letter but only by promising Amy’s uncle that he would marry him. All of the
characters then gather together. This is
when Fancourt and Donna Lucia reveal their true identities. When the play
ends, the couples are all happily in love.
If you enjoyed “Charlie’s
Aunt,” or didn’t even see it at all, you
should check out the spring musical.
This school year, the production will
be “Into the Woods.” It is about fairytales, but these are not like the stories
you read as a child. These are fairytales with a cynical twist, but they end
up as “happily ever after” in the end.
Olney Coffehouse Review
Imagine yourself
By Tara Johnson
at a free venue
Opinion Editor
with live music,
and a bunch of
coffee. What could be better? Oakdale
Emory United Methodist Church puts
on a coffeehouse once every month
in “The Refuge,” a newly renovated,
trendy spacious room in the historic
Chapel of the church. This tradition
has been bringing high school aged kids
to Oakdale once a month for roughly
around 4 years. The youth pastor, Allison Sarracino and a team of youth leaders wanted something that could reach
out to high school students. “They have ownership in it because they have their own bands
play and people love to see
free live music,” Sarracino says.
“This event began with a small crowd of
about 12 people, but it now attracts an
average of 150 people or more. Many
of the teens come from schools in the
surrounding areas including Good
Counsel, Sherwood, and Magruder.
This month Oakdale put on a coffeehouse on Friday December 4,
2009. The band line-up included
genres from alternative to death metal
to acoustic and hip-hop. There were
performances from local student
bands, Danny & Caitlyn, HAM, Hydra Kyll, New Agenda, Andy Nekrich,
R.A.K., and the Tyronz. The first act
was a duo performance by Danny &
Caitlyn singing a cover of MGMT’S
hit song, “Kids” and a few others.
Ron Pendleton, the lead drummer for the band, R.A.K. has been
attending Oakdale and been affili-
ated with Coffeehouse from the start.
“The feeling of playing in front of a
crowd is like any other. The rush is incredible,” he says. The tradition
of coffeehouse live on at Oakdale as it
continually reaches out to teens in our
area. Diana Schneider, a lay leader for the
youth at Oakdale has been volunteering at the coffeehouse for over 3 years.
“Sometimes kids show up to hear
their friends play and then leave.
When we have a new band then we
usually get a lot of parents and relatives come to watch. We have a handful of bands that perform on a regular basis that have a following. We
attempt to hold Coffee House on an
evening when the date does not conflict with area high school activities.”
Whether it be to perform, listen
to live music or even for the free
The Talon
coffee, checkout the next coffeehouse, you won’t be disappointed.
Page 10
December 15, 2009
ATHLETICS
ATHLETICS
It’s years in the making...
After losing
to DeMatha
for the past
five years,
all
the
hard work has finally paid off.
Saturday November 21, 2009 at 2 pm.
was the sixth meeting between the Good
Counsel Falcons and the DeMatha
Stags. The atmosphere at Navy-Marine
Corp Memorial Stadium in Annapolis,
Maryland was one of pure anticipation
by the athletes, coaches and fans alike.
Many were expecting the usual outcome
but this year things turned out differently.
The game was earlier than they have been
in the past but that made no difference to all
who were ready to fight for the championship
cup. The Falcons were spirited and
were ready to put up an aggressive fight.
Good Counsel started out really well
during the first quarter in their mission
to stop DeMatha’s star tailback, senior,
Marcus Coker. The Falcons learned their
lesson back in October that Coker was
a force to be reckoned with. He is one
of the tops dogs that had to look out for.
“We went into the championship with a chip
on our shoulders; we remembered how they
beat us early in the season and for the past
six years in the championship. I guess we
came out ready for anything. We were tired
of being beat and we felt like it was time for
a new tradition,” said junior Patrick Walsh.
This game was different in the way
that the Falcons knew they had to step
up both their offense and defense.
During the first half, Good Counsel
Quarterback, Zach Dancel, had completed
By Ana Nunez
Staff Writer
most of his passes and one eventually
came into the hands of a sophomore
tailback, Wes Brown, who had a rushing
touchdown. The score became 7-0.
Later on, during the second quarter,
DeMatha scored a touchdown due to a
Good Counsel fumble, which evened
the score at 7-7 coming into half time.
One of the “are you serious” moments
was when DeMatha kicker, junior
Michael Branthover, walked in front of
the Poms while they were performing.
The Falcons cheering section was filled
with screams of “Get off the field.”
During the third quarter, the defenses were
tight on both ends with barely any yardage
made by both teams. Good Counsel,
senior, Louis Young, took over and tried to
get some ground for a score. With Good
Counsel in possession of the ball, the
fourth quarter would be a make or break.
The fourth quarter is where all the hard
work that these boys had done would
finally pay off. A touchdown pass to
Young, a sack to a quarterback by senior,
Troy Gloster, and missed opportunity by
the Stags, made all the difference in the
last minutes of the fourth quarter that
would change the outcome of the game.
As the Falcons saw the clock countdown,
it still had not set in that we were going
to win. Good Counsel had actually beat
DeMatha and won the WCAC Football
Championship. When the clock ran out,
tears ran down the faces of many who
were proud of this accomplishment.
Senior,
Randy
Delgado
said,
“I expected it to happen, I just
didn’t know when. It was so far
the greatest moment of my life.”
The Good Counsel Falcons are all ready to take on DeMatha
Good Counsel Varsity Football celebrating their win at the Championship against Dematha
All photos courtesy of Joe Cabigas
Is there hope for the Redskins?
By Stephanie Lighter
Editor and Chief
As the regular season of
the National Football League is coming close to an end, all the Washington Redskins fans can do is shake
their heads and wonder what happened. With a record of 3 and 9, it
looks as if the Redskins have become
one of the worst teams in the league.
The downfall of the Washington Redskins started back on October 18 with a loss against the Kansas
Chiefs that shocked fans. After their
embarrassing losses to the Detroit Lions and Carolina Panthers, the Redskins were in desperate need of a win.
When quarterback Jason Campbell
was benched at halftime, Todd Collins, the second-string quarterback,
took charge. The Redskins failed, however, to score a touchdown in the second half of the game and lost 14 to 6.
Many place the blame of the
Redskin’s failures on the head coach,
Jim Zorn. This is Zorn’s second season with the Redskins. In his 2008
campaign, Zorn guided the Redskins
to an average record of 8 and 8 in the
highly competitive NFC East division.
As the Redskins continued to lose this
season, Zorn’s popularity plummeted.
Many also lay the blame on the
owner, Dan Snyder. Back in 1999, Snybetter throwing the ball down the
der purchased the Redskins for $800
field than completing short passes.
million. As of 2007, the team has beHis main weakness is his inability to
come the second-highest grossing team
hold on to the ball; he has fumbled the
in the NFL, behind the Dallas Cowball 30 times since the 2007 season.
boys.
Since
Injuries have
Snyder bought
also played a major
the Redskins,
role in the downfall of
however, the
the Redskins. Clinton
team has had
Portis, a running back
a losing refor the Washington
cord.
Fans
Redskins, suffered a
have criticized
concussion and had
and expressed
to sit out in the crititheir disconcal loss against the
tent throughDallas Cowboys on
out the seaNovember 22. Alson towards
bert Haynesworth, a
Snyder for his
defensive tackle, also
lack of effort
had to miss the game
in
improvwith an ankle injury.
ing the team.
With their nine
Although
losses, the RedPhoto courtesy of Google Images
the team is
skins are stuck at
more than just the quarterthe bottom of the
back, Campbell has been taking a lot
NFC East. The Dallas Cowboys lead
of criticism for his role in the teams’
the division with a record of 8 and 4.
losses. The type of offensive Zorn has
Tony Romo, the starting quarterback,
is not the style that Campbell is used
along with Miles Austin, a wide receivto playing. With a built stature and
er, has pushed past the competition to
strong right arm, Campbell is much
a narrow lead. The Philadelphia Eagles
The Talon
are also at the top of the division with
a 8 and 4 record. DeSean Jackson, a
wide receiver, is one of the main scorers for the team with six touchdowns.
The New York Giants are right behind
the Eagles with a record of 7 and 5.
Eli Manning, their starting quarterback, has led his team with 20 touchdowns and 2,925 yards completed.
In other NFL news, it seems
as if the New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts are untouchable as
they dominate their conferences. Drew
Brees of the Saints and Peyton Manning of the Colts both led their teams
to terrific seasons. The Pittsburgh
Steelers have not managed to capitalize on their Super Bowl win from last
year. They fell behind the Cincinnati
Bengals in the AFC North division.
The Redskins still have four
games left in the season. In order for
the Redskins to have a chance of saving their season from embarrassment, they need to put in extra work
to strengthen their positives and remove their weaknesses. Next year,
the team will hopefully have a better
season that the fans can be proud of.
ATHLETICS
December 15, 2009
Page 11
ATHLETICS
Home opener reveals a promising season
By Scott Chen
Sports Editor
The
Kane
Center was
roaring with
cheers as the
Good Counsel Falcons’ Varsity basketball team dominated the Northwest Jaguars in their first home game
of the season on Friday December 4.
Due to many key plays both on offense
and defense, the Falcons were able to
crush Northwest with a 70-43 victory.
The Falcons started the first quarter
very aggressively, holding Northwest
to only six points. Senior, Ben Hazel,
scored seven of the Falcon’s thirteen
points in the first quarter. However,
the Northwest Jaguars came out strong
in the second quarter outscoring the
Falcons 20-13, despite
the Falcon’s senior,
Devon Wright-Nelson’s eight points during that quarter. At the
end of the first half, the
score was tied 26-26.
As the second half
started, the Falcons played even
more aggressively against the Jaguars. The Falcons continued to put
the pressure on Northwest, causing the Jaguars to commit many
turnovers during the third quarter.
The Falcons were able to capitalize on the mistakes made by Northwest, allowing them to take back
the lead with the score of 49-36
at the end of the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, senior, Sean
Wright, made three 3-pointers
during the fourth quarter; Senior,
Rodney Glasgow made some key
plays both on offense and defense
while junior Randy Echols, had
some big rebounds in the paint.
The Falcons were able to pull
away at the end of the game, holding Northwest to seven points
in the fourth quarter, and ending with a 70-43 victory at home.
The Good Counsel varsity basketball team is off to a great
start this season. Many believe
that the team has the potential to go all the way this year.
“This year we plan to make it to the
championship and win it,” says senior guard Jemel Sessoms. “We’ve worked
too hard to not come
out on top and this
year we can do it.”
With over 20 more
games left in their season, the Falcons are
still a long way from
finished. Sessoms says
that they need to stick to together
when things get tough and battle
through adversity in order to do
well this season; He says that the
team knows what it takes to win
a championship as well as lose it.
The Good Counsel Falcons showed
a tremendous amount of effort on
the court that night. May they play
with the same amount of heart and
intensity for the rest of the season.
All
photos
courtesy
of
Cami
Garofalo
Senior guard Ben Hazel controls the tempo of the game
Cross Country has Successful Run Lady
Dedication
is one of the
traits the Cross
Country team
knows all about. With Mr. Tom Arnold
as head coach it’s a sure thing that they
work hard. It paid off- we did amazing
at the championships.
The varisty boys placed
2nd out of 10 teams and
the varsity girls placed
4th out of 9 teams in the
WCAC Championship
race. About two weeks
later, the team ran in the
DC/MD Private School
Championships and did
extremely well. Senior
Captains Kyle Graces
and Katherine Koenig both placed
second in their races. The team worked
really hard with very little moral support
that other sports get. This season the
team suffered from a lot of injuries.
Even with all the injuries, the Girls
Varsity got fourth out of ninth place
By Lexi Runnings
Relations Manager
in the division and the Boys Varsity
got second out of ninth place.
Cross country isn’t a well know
sport at this school. Going to the
meet there is a new kind of energy
that you don’t get at most other
sporting events. Even after a team
had gone through
there would be
parents, coaches and
runners cheering for
everyone up to the
last runner even if
they weren’t on the
same team. There
were runners waiting
to run and then
there were some
who just finished
walking around with boom boxes
and coaches riding on bikes
keeping track of all their runners.
Compared to other schools our
team is tiny, but the dedication
and perseverance is amazing.
Everyone showed great teamwork.
By Mary Beck
Artwork Editor
Falcons
L a s t
year, the
L a d y
Falcons Varsity basketball team had
a successful season. This may be
an understatement since the team
earned the
W C A C
Championship Title
and
had
two players
who made
the All-Gazette Girls
Basketball
First Team,
Shanel Harrison and
Katie Sheahin, as well
as Honorable Mention Sarian Snyder.
The Lady Falcons have a reputation
The Talon
Take
the
Court
for dominating on the court. Even after
having lost 5 strong seniors last year, there
is still enormous potential on the Lady
Falcons team for the coming season. Will
they make it all the way to the Championships again this year? If you haven’t been
to a game already, try to
make it to a
home game
soon! Catch
the
Lady
Falcons
in
their Holiday
Hoops tournament on
December
28 and 29,
or make it to
their game
against rivals
Holy Cross
on January 8
at 7:30 pm.
Go Falcons!
Page 12
December 15, 2009
ATHLETICS
ATHLETICS
Falcon Fall Athletics Soar to Greatness
Top Left: Junior Jessica Daly
at the WCAC soccer championship.
Top Middle: Sophomore Wes
Brown pushing toward the
end zone.
Top Right: Junior Jeff Byrnes Varsity Soccer.
Bottom Left: Good Counsel Boys
Cross-Country Team 2009.
Middle: Sophomore Taylor Young
kicks the ball.
Bottom Right: Junior Meagan
Donohoe serves the ball.
Photos Courtesy of Cami Garofalo
Swimming and Diving
By Nora Considine
Staff Writer
Courtesy of Tom Hilton
The
Good
By Scott Chen Counsel fall sports
Sports Editor teams have been
nothing short of
excellent this year.
From football to volleyball to field
hockey and even to cross country,
each fall sports team displayed
great efforts during the fall months.
The Falcon’s field hockey team
displayed a tremendous amount of
effort during their regular season. They
ended with a regular season record of
nine wins and four losses, and defeated
St. Mary’s Ryken 4-0 to advance to
the Washington Catholic Athletic
Conference (WCAC) championship
game on Saturday, October 31, 2009.
The Lady Falcons suffered a heart
breaking overtime loss to their WCAC
rivals, the Holy Cross Tartans, 0-1.
The Good Counsel varsity football
team finally emerged victorious as
they defeated the DeMatha Stags in
the WCAC championships. Good
Counsel had a 9 win 1 loss record
in the regular season and advanced
to the WCAC championship with a
35-6 victory over Bishop McNamara
in the semi-finals. A week later, the
Falcons would be triumphant over
the favored DeMatha Stags with a
14-7 victory snapping Dematha’s
run of six straight WCAC titles.
After going fourteen wins, 6 losses and
2 ties last year, the varsity men’s soccer
team aimed to play just as well as they did
the year before. The men’s soccer team
played well in the regular season with
a record of fifteen wins, 4 losses and 2
ties. The Falcons were seeded second in
the WCAC going into the post-season.
However, their road to victory was
stopped short when they lost to seventh
seed, Paul VI, 1-2, in the quarterfinals.
The varsity women’s soccer team
exceeded
expectations
during
their season, winning the WCAC
championship on November 1 against
St. John’s, 1-0 in double overtime.
They ended their regular season with
twelve wins, 2 losses, and 5 ties. The
Lady Falcon’s soccer team defeated
St. Mary’s Ryken in the quarterfinals,
2-1, and beat their WCAC rivals, Holy
Cross, 4-1 in the semifinals, advancing
them to the finals against St. John’s.
Thechampionship game was tied 0-0
in double overtime when junior, Jessica
Daly, scored the go ahead goal to make
the Lady Falcon’s WCAC champions.
“It is an obvious great feeling that
is hard to describe,” said head coach
Jim Bruno. “I think of all of the hard
work our players have gone through to
achieve success. As a team they worked
together and supported each other
even when things were not going so
well. The coaches are extremely proud
of the girls and very happy for them.”
The Good Counsel girls’ tennis team
had a very productive season this year as
well. Sophomore, Olivia Hogan, placed
second in the singles championship and
Senior, Nicole Webster, was the runner
up sixth seed in the singles bracket.
The Good Counsel cross country
team ran a very good season this year.
The Talon
Led by senior captains, Kyle Graves and
Katherine Koenig, the cross country
team placed high in all of their races.
The men’s team finished second in the
WCAC championship with senior,
Kyle Graves, placing fourth overall. The
women placed fourth in the WCAC
championship. However, with the
seniors gone, there has been a lot of
anticipation as to what will happen
next season. “I want my teammates
to step up and push themselves
so they can win the conference
next year,” Kyle Graves comments.
The Lady Falcon’s varsity volleyball
team has shown nothing but true
excellence. Remaining undefeated in
their conference, The Lady Falcon’s
dominated Elizabeth Seton with a
3-0 victory in the quarter-finals; a 3-0
victory against Bishop O’Connell in
the semi-finals; and finally a 3-0 victory
over Paul VI giving the Lady Falcon’s
volleyball team their fourth straight
WCAC title. The Falcons also won
against the undefeated Mount de Sales.
A very exciting start for the Good
Counsel Falcons as they captured three
WCAC titles during the fall season. With
that in mind, there is a lot of anticipation
building for Falcons in the upcoming
winter sports for the falcons such as
basketball, hockey, indoor track and
field, swimming and diving and many
others. May the upcoming sports be just
as successful as the fall season sports.
SWIMMING
AND
DIVING
S e a s o n S c h e d u l e :
Monday 11/23/09- GC vs. Gonzaga and
Sidwell Friends @ Holton Arms 7:30p
Tuesday
PVI @
12/8/09GC
vs.
Holton Arms 7:30p
Tuesday
O’Connell
1/5/10GC
vs.
@ St. Albans 7:30p
Tuesday 1/12/10- GC vs. DeMatha
and Holy Child @ Holton Arms 7:30p
Tuesday 1/26/10- GC vs. Georgetown
Prep and Holy Cross @ Prep 4p
Friday 1/29-31/10- NATIONAL
CATHOLICS @ Villanova University
\
Wednesday 2/3-6/10- WMPSSDLS
(WCAC) Championships @ TBA
Wednesday
2/24-27/10Metros Swimming and Diving
Championships
@
TBA
Come support the reigning
WCAC Swimming and Diving
champions! Our girls’ team has the
possibility to once again win the WCAC
championship meet, and our boys’
team has grown and developed into
an awesome squad with the potential
to go far! So come on students,
support your swimming falcons!