Look What`s INSIDE - Bishop O`Connell High School

The Visor
Bishop O’Connell High School
Volume 53 Issue 2
Junior Upset
at Winter Pep
Rally
By Joe Bender
Staff Writer
The winter sports season has
truly begun with the excitement of the
winter pep rally. This time around, the
previously unfortunate Class of 2012
finally pulled off the upset, defeating the
seniors in the extended competition for a
donut breakfast on Monday, December
6. With some teams reporting for the pep
rally only to depart before or during the
event to participate in their Friday night
games, the frenzy of winter sports began
in earnest.
The junior class’ victory during
the pep rally was surprising to some, as
they had done very little in pep rally
competitions over the past two years.
However, the junior class managed to
stay in the tight race with the seniors as
the freshmen and sophomores slowly
slipped behind.
The tide started to turn in the
juniors’ favor when junior Greg Krug
pulled some late heroics and sunk the
only shot in the blind free-throw competition. After that, the juniors dominated
the spirit checks at the end of the rally,
led by ringleader Jackie Beaver.
Beaver said that he “felt honored to assume such a prestigious posi-
tion that has been granted to only a few
in O’Connell’s long, illustrious history.”
When pressed for further comment,
whether he had ever wavered in his
belief that the juniors would succeed in
winning the donut breakfast, he merely
said “I had no doubt in the Class of
2012.”
He also added that the juniors
have also managed to surpass the expectations he had for them at the beginning
of the year.
However, the pep rally was
a celebration of O’Connell athletics
more than anything else. Members of
the hockey team impressed with their
sharpshooting skills, before they left to
dominate Ireton 5-1 at Kettler Iceplex.
Both the swim team and the track team
engaged in races displaying their tremendous speed. The boys’ basketball
team had a dunk contest while the
girls’ basketball team was represented
by JV players who displayed their skill
in 3-point shooting. Another impressive
display had to be the wrestling team’s
event, where groups of four wrestlers,
organized by class, did synchronized
pushups while in a square formation with
each person’s feet on the next wrestler’s
shoulders. In what became a heated competition, the seniors emerged victorious
with a 30-21 victory.
With all of these great athletes
working hard to fulfill their goals, it is
only logical that the riotous supporters of
O’Connell sports transfer the noise from
the pep rally to the stands for the various
teams’ games and meets. The pep rally
was a great kickoff to the winter athletic
season, complete with incredible feats
of strength and ability accompanied by
a thunderstorm of cheers raining down
in support.
Preparations Begin for Superdance 2011
Emma Delmontagne and
Kelly Kundinger
Editors
The month of December
means Christmas lights go up for the
holiday season, the cold weather comes
in, and one of O’Connell’s greatest
traditions begins – Superdance. The
anticipation has begun spreading
around the school with the elections
of Superdance Committee chairs and
co-chairs. Seniors head each of the
nine committees with both seniors and
juniors co-chairing.
The first committee is the
Alumni committee, headed by Cait
Patterson. Cait says that she’s excited
to “meet the alumni and participate in
this great event.” Madeline Albrittain
chairs the Business and Prizes committee, which will solicit businesses
for donations and awesome prizes for
the students to win during the dance.
Manpower works to keep students
and faculty hydrated and able to keep
dancing.
Junior Ana-Maria Hecton,
says, “hydrating students is my calling
and there was no other committee I even
considered.” Collection and Finance
/Registration is chaired by Carolyn
Fonzi and Alice An who will collect the
donations to send to the Cystic Fibrosis
Foundation. Junior Maria Buitrago, who
Look What’s INSIDE:
O’Connell’s Got Talent
Bored? Try the Christmas
Word Search!
PVI Football Leaving the WCAC?
will be helping them, says that she’s “excited to be on a Superdance committee
for the first time.” Entertainment chair,
Alejandra Buitrago “can’t wait to hold
band auditions” and urges students to
“help decide the Superdance theme by
submitting their ideas.” Imani Hamami is
assisting Food committee chair, Thomas
Warring, and she observes, “hopefully
this year we will top last year’s dance
by actually not having pizza!”
Publicity-In is headed by Eilis
Smith and Publicity-Out is chaired by
Ashley Stumvoll. These two groups will
create flyers and the Facebook page and
work to organize the assembly. Decorations committee will be chaired by
Christina Chiames and the Security
force will be led by Lindsey Pelland.
To wrap things up, Alex Nihill will
work with her team to clean up after
the dance.
Students can sign up to help
the committees, like Manpower and
Security, later this year. With all of
these students and teachers working
hard to make this dance the best it
can be, this year’s Superdance will
definitely be one to remember.
Write your Superdance 2011
Theme Idea here:
p. 11
p. 6 and 7
p. 3
Submit to room 321
Visor December 2010
Editorial
Don’t Change Horses
Congratulations, kids: we’re
almost to the halfway point. It’s usually the
time that all my first quarter ambitions start
to fade, the effort starts to level out and
the ‘new and exciting’ becomes ‘routine
and regular.’ But as students settle in, it
is important to maintain the work ethic.
If a certain study habit or
homework pattern is working for you,
be sure to keep it up and not replace
it with a bad habit. If something is
working successfully, it is a mistake to
change it. Once you’ve gotten used to
teachers and their class expectations,
a student should always strive to meet
those expectations, and not change pace
mid-year, especially seniors. A helpful tip
to remember is that it only takes fourteen
days to make, or break, a bad habit.
But we all make mistakes or don’t
meet expectations sometimes. All students
and teachers are human, by the way. But a
GPA isn’t just one assignment; it’s the sum
of the parts in a class. So if you have one
bad grade,
that won’t
make you a
failure. All
people come
with
their
positive and
negatives,
but it is a
Christian
tradition
to look for the good in everything. Don’t
beat yourself up over one bad grade; there
are always other opportunities to show
strengths.
As challenging as it is with the
Christmas season and the breaks in the
school calender, it is important to stay
focused on what really matters; this is our
job as students.
And to underclassmen, it is
important to keep your studying habits
up to par; because when it’s time for
college you’re going to want to show your
admissions counselor that you worked hard
all the way through. And to seniors, now is
not the time to change good class habits;
always stay with a good routine, especially
at O’Connell: a place where teachers and
other staff are always available for any
kind of help; and where they deeply care
about their students. I’m sure this goes
both ways, as students also care about their
teachers, even when greatly challenged.
So, during the most wonderful
time of the year, keep up the good
work and prepare for midterms.
As Abraham Lincoln said in 1864,
“Don’t change horses in midstream.”
Full Body Scanners: Worth The Trouble?
Many travelers flying to their
destinations have by now encountered fullbody scanners, the new security measure
introduced by the Transportation Safety
Administration (TSA) to prevent terrorist
attacks. Full-body scanners use
radiation to create an image of
a person’s naked body so that
any items concealed under
clothing become visible. TSA
agents view the image in a
locked room about seventyfive feet away from the device. Sixty-eight U.S. airports have
recently installed the scanners. While supporters say that
these scanners make traveling
safer, opponents cite violation
of privacy, health risks, and
ineffectiveness as reasons
against using the machines.
Opponents compare
full-body scanning to a virtual
strip search and are skeptical of its
legality. They fear that the government is
overstepping boundaries, and believe that
such an extensive search should only be
used in rare circumstances. While flyers
can choose to opt-out of the scan, doing
so results in undergoing an intrusive patdown. This has caused tension between
passengers, who feel violated, and TSA
agents, who feel just as uncomfortable
about touching people. In response,
the TSA is attempting to make scanners
show less detail, but it says that doing
so may result in more false positives. Passengers are also apprehensive
that full-body scanners may impact their
health because of the radiation the machines
emit. There are two types of scanners:
millimeter wave scanners, which use radio
waves, and backscatter scanners, which
use low levels of X-rays. According to the
American College of Radiology (ACR),
however, travelers have little to worry about.
“The ACR is not aware of
any evidence that either of the scanning
technologies that the TSA is considering
would present significant biological
effects
for
passengers
screened.”
According to Kelly Classic, a health
physicist at the Mayo Clinic, the amount of
radiation a person receives during a scan is
equal to two minutes of flying in a plane or
forty minutes of simply living. Still, some
doctors fear that if the scanners malfunction,
travelers could be exposed to dangerously
high levels of radiation. As long as the
machines are working properly,
however, people being scanned
should be safe from ill effects.
Another objection to the
scanners is that they are ineffective. The machines cannot detect bombs
or other substances hidden in body
cavities, and at $150,000 per unit,
travelers will have to absorb the
cost. Some experts are in favor of
adopting Israel’s successful airport
security style, which includes racial
and behavioral profiling. Profiling
would be difficult to implement in
the United States, however, because
groups such as the American Civil
Liberties Union worry that TSA
agents would unfairly discriminate
against certain groups of people.
Passengers have reacted in
various ways to the full-body scanners. Some protestors made the day before
Thanksgiving “National Opt-Out Day,”
asking people either to forgo the full-body
scan or not to fly. While the TSA responded
by reducing the number of people it
scanned, few people actually chose to forgo
the full-body scan, and the protest fizzled. One woman wore a bikini and successfully
avoided both the scan and pat-down. Page 2
The Visor
Bishop O’Connell High School
6600 Little Falls Road
Arlington, VA
Published monthly, the student
newspaper of Bishop Denis J. O’Connell
High School is a public forum with
its student editorial board making all
decisions about its content, under the
guidance of its faculty advisor.
Opinions in the paper are not
necessarily those of the staff, nor should
any opinion expressed in this public
forum be construed as the opinion or
the policy of Bishop O’Connell High
School, unless so attributed.
Editors-In-Chief
Cait Patterson
Alejandra Buitrago
Front Page
Sports
Kelly Kundinger
Emma Delmontagne Nick Kent
Maddie Young
Editorials
Ana-Maria Hecton
Health
Cait Patterson
Entertainment
Leela Gupta
Outside News
Imani Hamami
Campus News
Natalie Eichner
Spreads
Diksha Bhatia
Brittany Davey
Style
Megan Brosnan
Maria Buitrago
Copy Editor
Erin Buckley
Staff Writers
Katie Arthur, Joe Bender, Elizabeth
Bloom, Christina Chiames, Dina Hamami,
Jackie Hughes, Patrick Morris, Audra
Nakas, Scott Rapuano, Gabe Salas, Marilyn Savich, Samantha Sison, Sam Snead,
Sydney Speetjens, Natasha Warcholak
Faculty Moderator
Dan Culler
While there is much controversy over the
full-body scan, a Washington Post-ABC
News poll shows that 64% of Americans
support it. Senior Brittany Hoyle shared this
sentiment.
“If the full body-scanners are
going to provide better security, I’m fine
with it. I’d rather be on a plane with people
who have been scanned than on one with
people who haven’t.”
Very Many Thanks from Mr. Crivella
Thanks
for
who you are!
You did it once
again!
You
knocked it out
of the park!
“The least of God’s children
lives have been touched by the
generosity of the O’Connell community.
This past Thanksgiving holiday, the
Sisters of the Missionaries of Charity
were capable of supplying a turkey meal
to over 250 people, due to the amazing
support of O’Connell’s Turkey Blitz.
‘Students, I wish to express
for the Missionaries of Charity, their
gratitude for the food donated for
Thanksgiving. This is the excerpt from
the letter from superior of the Order:
‘Our gratitude is our prayer for you and all
your intentions. In this month dedicated
to praying for the faithful departed,
we will remember all of your departed
loved ones especially in our prayers.
May God grant them the vision of His
face in eternal happiness in heaven.’
‘Thank you for all that you do!
And have a very Merry Christmas!”
Visor December 2010
Campus News
PVI Football Leaves the WCAC
Natasha Warcholak
Staff Writer
The Bishop O’Connell and Paul VI bitter
rivalry has been going on for longer than
any student can remember; however this
“favorite” rivalry is about to change. The
Friday night games at Paul VI in Fairfax
will now be non-conference games, so they
will only apply to the overall record.
There is something about especially
exciting about being on the visiting side
of the stands and seeing the overwhelming
number of PVI fans. However, O’Connell
still manages to make their presence
known. The enthusiasm is contagious. It
is every school’s tradition to attend sports
games, but PVI is often seen as one of the
most important games of the entire year
and this change may or may not alter the
atmosphere of the annual O’Connell vs.
PVI football game.
The PVI football team has decided to
leave the WCAC in favor of the VISAA,
or Virginia Independent Schools Athletic
Association. They will play in Division I,
because of their large student population,
which was a concern for the team in the
WCAC. The decision was made only
recently, but it has apparently been an
issue at the school since the beginning of
the 2010 season.
There were two issues involved in their
decision to switch conferences.
The
reasons were a “competitive imbalance
and potential safety issues in the sport
of football,” said a PVI administrator in
an e-mail distributed to the school. The
“competitive imbalance” refers to schools
with a larger male population in the school.
There are several teams in the conference
with this imbalance. The other teams think
that this gives certain schools an unfair
advantage.
“Potential safety issues” include playing
against teams that are larger in number and
stature. These teams consistently make the
playoffs and compete for the championship
title. PVI was given the option to compete
in a four-team division, where “a team
with a 0-10 record could have ultimately
been the division champion.” Rather than
settling for a division that would put the
school and team in a “very compromising
and unflattering position,” they chose to go
to another league where they thought they
would be more competitive, and compete
in a more competitive manner. They will
compete against schools such as John
Paul the Great, St. Stephens-St. Agnes,
The Potomac School, and most assuredly,
O’Connell.
It’s sad to see such a great conference
game go, as students at both schools
enjoy going to the games and seeing the
teams battle until the end for the win. But
vven though the rivalry loses the WCAC
affiliation, it will have no impact on the
competition between the two schools,
which will continue as before. And the
rivalry continues exactly as before on all
other fronts. Game on!
Page 3
DJO Drama
Presents:
The Lamplighter
Audra Nakas
Staff Writer
Premiering December 10th in the
Bishop O’Connell auditorium was The
Lamplighter, a musical adaptation of
Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. In
the well-known tale, the miserly and
mean-spirited Ebenezer Scrooge (Kevin
Lauerman) receives a visit one night
from the ghost of his deceased business
associate, Jacob Marley (Jack Hall).
Marley warns Scrooge that his behavior
will be punished in the afterlife. Later
that night, the Ghosts of Christmas Past,
Present, and Future take Scrooge on a
journey through his life, making him
finally repent for his wrongdoing.
Mrs. Milam, director of Bishop
O’Connell’s Drama Department, adapted
the script with assistant Nicholas Horner. Milam emphasized Catholic themes within
the story and added an additional character,
the Lamplighter (Billy Ratledge), to narrate
the play. She incorporated traditional
Christmas carols with original songs for
which she also wrote the lyrics. Robert
Casal, a former O’Connell music teacher
who recently completed his master’s
degree in Music Composition at New York
University, composed the score. Having
original music seemed to raise the level of
enthusiasm in the play’s participants.
“It’s really exciting to perform new
music for the first time and to introduce the
story in a new way,” said Mr. Weinberg,
O’Connell music teacher and orchestra
director for the play.
The cast also shared in the excitement. “Of all the shows I’ve done at O’Connell,
the cast in this one is the strongest,
particularly the lead,” quipped senior
Kevin Lauerman.
The Drama Department will put on its
next production in the spring.
Seniors Get the Front Royal Treatment
Gabe Salas
Staff Writer
Of all the things that the males
of the senior class will experience this
year, the senior retreat might be the one
that they remember the most. It was not
only a time to gather as members of the
Christian community, but it was also an
opportunity to have some fun outside of
school and create memories with friends
from O’Connell.
The retreat was held in a new
location in Front Royal, which proved to
be a great site because there was plenty
of space to house all of the students for
one night. The retreat center was based in
the mountains of Western Virginia, which
provided a good climate and a beautiful
view for all of the retreaters. The buses
that left from O’Connell pulled into the
retreat center at around 4:00 and Father
Hudgins wasted no time in getting the
retreat started. Thirty minutes later all of
the guys gathered in the cafeteria where
they got to know their group leaders and
they watched a video that the faculty of
O’Connell had made for them. After this
introduction, everyone gathered in their
respective groups to have discussions that
helped the seniors focus on the future and
how God fits into their plans. The day
continued with confession, dinner, more
discussion and eventually a midnight
mass. The guys also had the chance to
hear a speech from classmate Michael
Katz, who talked about perseverance
through tough times and how, whenever
we fall down, it takes a strong personal
effort as well as encouragement from
others to get back up.
The next day consisted of an
early mass, more group discussions, and
a speech from Matt Katz who, like his
cousin Michael, talked about how the
community of O’Connell helped him get
through a tough time in his life as well. The
boys also spent time re-enacting gospel
parables in their groups which provided a
lot of humor and struck a lighter note for
the retreat.
“I thought the retreat was really
beneficial because I was able to learn more
about my peers and teachers; and I had a
lot of fun,” senior Scott Rapuano said
regarding his retreat experience.
This attitude seemed to be the
norm for all of the males that attended the
November retreat, which was a way of
demonstrating its success.
Marilyn Savich
Staff Writer
The senior girls went to the Senior
Retreat with doubts and curiosity about the
experience but came back with energy and
a deeper sense of community. The girls’
retreat, as the boys’ retreat, took place in
Front Royal, Virginia from November 16th
to November 17th. The retreat focused on
three themes: Who every individual is in
her own eyes, in other people’s eyes, and
in the eyes of God.
The retreat began with girls
sharing their social, spiritual, and personal
The Front Royal 4-H Center where this year’s Senior retreats were
held
lives within their mentor groups. The
point of sharing was to create a sense of
community within each of the smaller
groups. The Bishop O’Connell staff
showed their support for the girls by
sending a personal message to the retreat
members through a video. The girls went
through the challenging experience of
leading each other blindfolded along a
path to demonstrate the challenges of life’s
sometimes mysterious journey.
The exercise conveyed the
message that if we allow God to lead our
lives, everything will be okay. The girls
listened to a homily from Father Hudgins,
as well as speeches from fellow classmates
Kate Nirschl and Eilis Smith. Kate Nirschl
shared her experience of visiting the
horrific ruin of the Nazi concentration
camps in Germany while Eilis recounted
the impact the June 2010 Dominican
Republic Trip had on her life. The second
day was highlighted by the presentation
of skits, where students displayed their
creativity, humor, and acting abilities in
front of everyone present.
The response to the retreat was
mostly positive. Senior Audra Nakas
remarked, “I liked how there was a really
friendly atmosphere and I think the
girls really bonded. I think it was a great
bonding opportunity for the senior class, as
a whole.”
Julia Willis defined the Senior
Retreat as “life-changing.”
The success of the senior retreats
under the guidance of Father Hudgins
has established them as another highly
anticipated O’Connell tradition. The senior
retreat is definitely an opportunity for the
underclassmen to look forward to.
Visor December 2010
Spotlight
Pa g e 4
Spotlight On:
La Luz Brilla En:
RICHARD NARY SEÑORA ZACK
Joe Bender
Staff Writer
The Visor recently had a chat
with Richard Nary, senior extraordinaire. You may have seen Richard
jamming out on his ukulele between
classes or flipping out at pep rallies and
at half time. We
wanted to know
the real story behind the first ever
male O’Connell
cheerleader, so we
asked him a few
questions.
V: Richard, how
would you describe yourself
in 500 words or
less?
RN: Slayer of
dragons and damsels…that’s pretty
much it, besides
a ukulele playing,
cheerleading, boy
scout and altar
boy.
V: So you’re a quadruple threat?
RN: Yes, because of all of that, and I
can’t count past four. But overall, I’m
just a general threat because I can do
everything.
V: Why did you join the cheerleading
squad?
RN: I like doing it; I’m really good at it;
I like to hang out with the girls; I love
the sport, and I love competing. What’s
not to like?
V: Why do you play your ukulele during school?
RN: I play because I like it, and it makes
people happy. I like to please my fans.
Plus it reminds me of my homeland in
Hawaii.
V: Do you think you could play the
ukulele and be a cheerleader simultaneously?
RN: I was watching Nationals one day,
and I saw a guy do a back flip with no
hands because he was holding a megaphone. I figure I could work something
out where I could play a sick song and
do a back flip.
V: If you could have any pet, what would
it be?
RN: I would have a
bear-shark-octopus
animal. That’s because
I’ve always wanted to
be like the gangsters
in the movies, sitting
in a giant chair petting
my foreign animal.
I’d want a bear-sharkoctopus animal more
for the power, so that
no one could mess with
me, and I’d rule the
city…then the world.
I’d be like ‘Look at this
animal, imagine what
other kinds of power
I have.’
V: Do you have any
advice for freshmen?
RN: Do your homework and don’t let your grades get in the
way of your high school education.
V: Do you have any opinions on senior
blocks?
RN: I’m not sure I understand the question. I’ve never heard of such a situation,
especially regarding our class. We’re
way too mannerly for something silly
like that.
V: What was/is your favorite class at
O’Connell?
RN: I’d have to say Mr. Haas’ US History class my junior year. He managed
to teach as a lot about life along with the
history, and he did it in a very interesting
and creative way. This first tune goes out
to Mr. Haas.
We appreciate the time, Richard, but we probably better pass on the
concert today. We’ve got deadlines to
meet, and promises to keep.
O’Connell Christmas
Fundraisers & Drives
PTO Selling Retail Gift Cards
Through the Shop With Scrip Web site, parents and friends of O’Connell can
purchase gift cards from hundreds of different vendors at face value. These gift
cards can be used for personal shopping or for holiday gift giving. Each card
can be used just like cash, and they can be reloaded, too. See website for more
details.
Hockey Team Selling White House Ornaments
Available for $22, talk to anyone on the Hockey Team for details.
Teens Against Cancer Club Sponsoring a Toy Drive
Bring in new toys, books and G-PG rated movies to benefit the kids at
Children’s Hospital.
Medical Missionaries
is hosting an iPad raffle. Tickets are sold afterschool in the
cafeteria from 3:00-3:30 p.m. today and tomorrow!
1 ticket for $5, 3 tickets for $10, and 7 tickets for $20.
Jack Conroy, Mia Gazala,
Brian Hur, Mikaela Kelly
Especial a la Visor
Introduction by Sydney
Speetjens
Staff Writer
¡Hola! from the Spanish section of the Foreign Language Department. You may have noticed something
a little different when you glanced at
your copy of The Visor this morning;
perhaps you wondered why there’s a
complete article published in Spanish? Maybe you thought your mind
was playing tricks on you because you
didn’t get enough sleep last night?
Well; regardless of the amount
of sleep you got last night, there is a reason for a Spotlight en español. Recently,
Sra. Rubio challenged her Spanish 4
Honors students to interview all the
Spanish teachers at DJO, in order to
try to find out some new and interesting
facts that people may not necessarily
know about the teachers.
Not only was the assignment
graded, but there was also an added bonus for creating and conducting the best
interview: a feature in The Visor. Students Jack Conroy, Mia Gazala, Brian
Hur, and Mikaela Kelley interviewed
Spanish 2 & 4 teacher Sra. Zack, and
Sra. Rubio selected their interview,
printed below, for publication. If you
don’t speak Spanish, and you’re interested in reading the article, be sure to
grab a friend who understands Spanish
to help you translate!
Pregunta: ¿Cómo está usted?
Respuesta: Muy bien gracias.
P: ¿Por qué le gustan tanto las mariposas?
R: Me encantan las mariposas porque
cuando era niña mi madre me decía que
las mariposas eran ángeles.
P: ¿De dónde es usted?
R: Yo soy de la capital de Panamá.
P: ¿Cuál es su tipo favorito de mariposa?
R: Me gustan todas. Pero no me gustan
las mariposas negras.
P: ¿Usted tiene un apodo?
R: Cuando estaba en la escuela secundaria
mi abuela me decía “Marigandi.”
P: ¿Bailará conmigo?
R: Sí, seguro. Bailaré si quieres. Me
encanta bailar.
P: ¿A cuántos niños ha mandado a Espafía?*
R: ¿Espafía este año? Muy pocos.
P: ¿Cuál es su programa de televisión
favorito?
R: Me gusta mucho “Bailando con las
Estrellas.” Yo pienso que soy una buena
bailadora.
P: ¿Dónde están sus zapatos para
bailar?
R: Mis zapatos para bailar están siempre
conmigo. Estoy toda lista para bailar.
P: ¿Cuándo es su tiempo favorito para
bailar?
R: Mi tiempo favorito para bailar es en la
noche porque es más romántica.
P: ¿Cuál es su baile favorito?
R: Me gustan todos. Y me gusta Michael
Jackson.
P: ¿Quién es su cantante favorito?
R: Me gusta Pit Bull… porque es loco.
Me encanta la música de Pit Bull. Me
gustan Enrique Iglesias, es muy guapo,
y P Di-di-di-di-da-di. P Diddy, me gusta
su música también.
P: ¿Por qué enseña?
R: Me encanta enseñar porque mis estudiantes aprenden a hablar otro idioma y
tienen oportunidades en otros países y el
día de mañana le abrirá muchas puertas
internacionalmente. Quiero ayudar a
todos.
P: ¿Mira “Looney Tunes?”
R: “¿Looney Tunes?” ¿Qué es “Looney Tunes?” O sí, Mickey Mouse. Me
encantan Mickey Mouse y Dora la Exploradora.
P: ¿Cómo está el Señor Chili Pepper?
R: El Señor Chili Pepper está muy bien y
está siempre en la clase de español.
Gracias. Hasta luego.
*Espafía es la isla adonde la Señora Zack
manda a los estudiantes que les gusta
inventar nuevas palabras que no existen
en español.
Visor December 2010
Health
Page 5
How Vitamins Can Benefit Your Health
Dina Hamami
Staff Writer
The best way to avoid winter
flu’s and viruses is to keep your immune
system as strong as possible. There are
many ways this can be done. And now
that the temperature is falling, the amount
of bugs circulating around the school
seems to be rising. All one needs to do is
walk by a sick person in the hallway, and
they too can catch that annoying cold.
There are many simple things one
can do to avoid catching the cold, such as
eating a balanced diet, taking vitamins and
getting a good eight hours of sleep a night.
Sometimes it is hard to get enough sleep,
or eat healthy meals with such a busy
schedule, but all it takes is little things like
not washing your hands, and then touching
your face, to make you sick. If you change
these habits and adapt healthier ones, it is
very easy to boost your immune system.
Another thing that makes you
more resistant to catch colds, without
taking a lot of time and money, is vitamins.
A lot of people underestimate the benefits
of taking vitamins. But vitamins were
created to fill the gaps in nutrition. Taking
vitamins also benefits your health by
giving you healthier hair, skin, and nails. Of course there are many types of
vitamins, but the most common are vitamin
C, vitamin D, calcium, and vitamin E. All
these vitamins focus on different aspects
of your health, but vitamin C is the most
important to take at this time of year; it
prevents you from getting sick all the time.
Vitamin D is also important to take this time
of year because it comes from sunlight, and
there is not a lot of it during the winter. The winter, being dark and cold,
sometimes also causes some people to
be grumpy and gloomy. Vitamins can
help with that too. Vitamins can have
a huge effect on how healthy you can
be, and during this time of sickness,
the last thing you want is to be sick.
Tips to Avoid That Holiday Weight
Christina Chiames
Staff Writer
With
the
holiday
season
approaching, it is time for pumpkin
pie, candy canes, and other holiday
favorites. However, many of these tasty
Christmas treats are packed with sugar
and calories, and one of the reasons the
average American gains 10 pounds from
Thanksgiving to New Years. For those
of you that do not want to pack on the
pounds and prefer to stay healthier during
Christmas vacation, here are some tips:
On Thanksgiving and Christmas
everyone loves to consume turkey, mashed
potatoes, and casseroles. Here is what is
healthy and what is not at the dinner table:
turkey is high in protein and low in fat,
so enjoy it during the holidays. On the
other hand, mashed potatoes are full of
unhealthy carbohydrates, so opt for roasted
pumpkin or baked sweet potatoes instead.
Pumpkin and sweet potatoes are
full of vitamin A, potassium, and fiber.
Cranberries, another holiday favorite,
are a dinner table keeper since they are
full of vitamin C and antioxidants. Many
people think green bean casserole or
corn casserole must be healthy since
they contain green beans and corn.
However, one serving of casserole can
contain 275 calories and 19 grams of
fat, so remember: small portions only.
How about dessert and candy
canes? Candy canes, although they only have
110 calories, are pure sugar and syrup: so
be careful this season not to enjoy too many
canes. Pumpkin pie, with only 12 grams
of fat, is a healthier alternative to a 400calorie gingerbread cookie or a chocolate
soufflé packed with 32 grams of fat.
Also, beware of some of
Starbucks’ holiday drinks, including the
pumpkin spice latte, eggnog mocha, and
the crème brule latte. Instead, go for a cup
of Tazo tea or a cappuccino, both of which
have less than 120 calories. This holiday
season, instead of guzzling down lots of
Christmas tree cookies, mashed potatoes,
and eggnog, remember that moderation
is key to a healthy Christmas dinner.
Count the Cookies, Not the Calories
Sydney Speetjens
Staff Writer
During the school year, it’s
already difficult enough to stick to
diets and keep track of calories; around
the holidays, it’s almost impossible –
forget dieting. But that’s not a problem
anymore; wholeliving.com has stepped in
to save waistlines this holiday season by
providing “14 Guilt-Free Recipes,” which
can be found at http://www.wholeliving.
com/photogallery/cookie-recipes.
These recipes are for tasty treats
and delectable desserts that will have
people raving with excitement about how
delicious, yet healthy, these creations are.
One of the particularly delightful recipes
that wholeliving.com decided to revamp is
Chocolate-Chunk Cookies with Almonds. By cutting fat, keeping the calorie
count in-check, and incorporating healthy
ingredients, wholeliving.com has made this
once fatty calorie-waster into a healthy and
scrumptious treat that can be enjoyed by all.
To reduce fat, the recipe uses hearthealthy canola oil instead of butter.
To reduce sugar intake, instead
of brown sugar, the recipe uses brown rice
sugar, which the body absorbs more slowly,
aiding in the reduction of blood-sugar spikes.
These substitutions, combined
with a few others, make the recipe much
healthier, while still maintaining the yummy
taste. For once, this “guilty pleasure” is
not so guilty; people can be happy about
what they are eating, and enjoy the taste.
Other mouthwatering dessert
recipes that wholeliving.com decided
to remake include Cinnamon Chocolate
Frozen Yogurt Sandwiches, DoubleChocolate Brownies and Chocolate
Sweethearts. These recipes, the recipe for the
Chocolate-Chunk Cookies with Almonds,
and the additional “Guilt-Free Recipes,”
can be found at http://www.wholeliving.
com/photogallery/cookie-recipes.
Visor December 2010
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Page 7
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL & TO ALL A GOOD KNIGHT!
And...A HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Movies Playing on Christmas Day:
ABC Family:
7:00AM A Flintstone
Christmas
8:00AM Santa Claus Is
Comin’ To Town
9:00AM The Year Without
a Santa Claus
10:00AM Miracle on 34th
Street
12:30PM Santa Buddies
2:30PM The Santa Clause
4:30PM Home Alone 2: Lost
in New York
7:00PM & 9:30PM Dr. Seuss’
How the Grinch Stole
Christmas
Other Movies to look out
for:
Four Christmases
Just friends
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
The Nightmare Before
Christmas
It’s a Wonderful Life
A Charlie Brown Christmas
Some Interesting Christmas Facts!
* Approximate amount generated by photographs with Santa in shopping malls in the USA in dollars:
$2,255,750,000
* How many houses must Santa visit on Christmas: 842,000,000
* How fast must he travel to visit all those homes: 4,796,250 Mph
* How many Barbie dolls are sold every minute around the world: 180
*1 in 3 men wait until Christmas eve to finish their shopping
* The average American takes six months to pay off the holiday credit card bills
* Each year over 3 billion Christmas cards are sent out in the United States
* The song “Jingle Bells” was first written for Thanksgiving but become popular around Christmas
time.
* The most famous Christmas ballet is “The Nutcracker”.
* The movie “It’s a Wonderful Life” appears on TV more often than any other holiday movie.
* In America, the weeks leading up to Christmas are the biggest shopping weeks of the year. Many retailers make up to 70% of their annual revenue in the month preceding Christmas.
* The biggest selling Christmas single of all time is Bing Crosby’s White Christmas
* Kissing under the mistletoe possibly began in old England. One theory is that the Druids started it
all. They believed the mistletoe was sacred and therefore a charm against evil. They used golden sickles to harvest it and, to keep it from touching the ground, caught it in the folds of their priestly garments. Another theory is that the custom was started by the Scandinavians, who considered mistle-
A Christmas Carol
-
A Christmas Story
-
-
-
-
-
-
Mr. Crivella’s Colorful Christmas
You must crack at least one nut in a nutcracker, if it breaks,
you’ve done it right!
Every O’Connell student MUST have a Santa doll that fits
inside another doll that fits inside another, that fits inside
another doll, and etc.
You’re dead to me if you don’t listen to Bing Crosby, Pavarotti, or Elvis Presley’s Christmas albums.
A Christmas tree should supply you with oxygen. If yours
doesn’t, GET A REAL TREE
Fruit cakes? No! Panettone? YES
Thank everyone for the presents you receive. Even if you are a male that receives pink socks with hearts on the. Be polite and just say “Thanks!” Even if
you are lying just a little…
Lastly, practice the 12 F’s of Christmas:
1. Family
7. Fandango
2. Friends
8. Frosty
3. Fun
9. Fruit
4. Food
10. Fad
5. Frills
11. Funk
6. Fables
12. And lastly, have a Fantastic Christmas!
Visor December 2010
Sports
Page 8
O’Connell Swim and Dive Races to Success
Scott Rapuano
Staff Writer
O’Connell Swim and Dive has
had a great start this season. Although
they lost a close match to Good Counsel,
by only five points, they did very well in
the tri-meet against PVI and Ireton. In
the tri-meet on Friday, December third,
both the girls and the boys teams beat
Ireton and PVI by one hundred points.
Then on Saturday at the WMPSSDL
Relay Carnival the boys team placed
second overall and the girls’ team
placed third. It was a great weekend
for OCSD, and the team expects the
same success throughout the season.
Coach Evan Stiles, and captains Ian Decker, for the boys, and girls’
captain Ryann Umberger, have worked
hard to get the team prepared for this
season. Waking up early to get to 5
o’clock practices and working hard to
improve their times, the team expects a
good season this year due to their hard
work. Many of the teams premier swimmers go not only to O’Connell practice,
but also practices for other leagues that
they belong to. This is very time and
energy consuming, but team members
such as Ian Decker and Alex Rudolph
put in the time so that they can help
OCSD as much as possible this season.
Senior Patrick Morris thinks
that senior leadership is crucial for
the team to succeed this year. “We’re
looking forward to a good season
this year led by a strong senior class.
The theme of the year is OCSD unity.
We appreciate anybody that comes
to the meets,” comments Morris.
Senior Alex Rudolph feels very
strongly about the swim team’s commitment to excellence. “As a team we live
by the philosophy: Go big or go home.
This weekend, we did not go home.”
But don’t take Rudolph’s word for it.
If you want to see one of O’Connell’s
finest teams, come check out senior
leadership in action at the OCSD meets
and watch them swim to success.
OC Hockey: New Year, New Expectations
Gabe Salas
Staff Writer
As the winter sports season
kicks off, one team that has been extremely hungry to start playing again
is O’Connell’s hockey team. After
losing a significant number of seniors,
the team struggled last year and had
only threewins after a dream season
the year before that ended with a state
championship victory.
The hockey team had all offseason to reflect on their experiences
from the 2009-2010 season and they
took it upon themselves to come out
this season and prove to everyone that
this year was going to be different.
The team’s ten seniors have taken it
upon themselves to end their final
season of Knights hockey on a high
note including captain Alex Guerere
and co-captains Kyle Lewis and Chris
Clark, who spent the entirety of the fall
making sure that their teammates were
emotially prepared for the 2010-2011
The team came out
strong and showed obvious signs of
improvement from last year with a tie
against Potomac Falls/West Springfield
and a hard fought, 5-3 defeat at the hands
of Gonzaga. Even in their loss the team
showed their potential on offense, scoring three goals in the second period all
within a time frame of about five minutes. The Knights got their first win of
the season after crushing Ireton 5-1.
“I thought the team played hard; it’s
been a strong effort through the first
three games. We still have a lot to work
on but we are steadily improving every
time we get on the ice,” head coach Peter
Hannums commented, regarding to his
team’s performance.
When asked about their expectations
for the season, Lewis and Clark both
said “We want to make the playoffs and
win another state championship before
we graduate.”
The Knights play their home games at
Kettler Ice Plex after school on Tuesdays
and Fridays.
WCAC Tournaments Wrap Up
Elizabeth Bloom
Staff Writer
Three of O’Connell’s varsity
fall sport teams; girls’ volleyball, girls’
soccer, and girls’ cross country; all
performed spectacularly in the WCAC
Tournament. The WCAC Tournament
is the Washington Catholic Athletic
Conference for any Catholic schools that
desire to participate in a championship
tournament.
The girls’ volleyball team, who
had only 4 total losses in their regular
season, went on to play in the WCAC
Tournament. The first match of their
tournament was against Elizabeth Seton.
Defeating them 3-0, the girls moved
forward to the semi-finals, where they
played Holy Cross. After a stunning 3-1
victory, the girls moved on to the championship game against Good Counsel.
Although the girls lost 3-0, they had a
great season and were able to move on
to the Virginia Independent State School
Tournament. Senior Katelyn Catalfamo
stated,
“At the beginning of the season
we set our goal to make the WCAC
Championship game. I couldn’t be more
proud of our team for fighting so hard to
make our goal.”
The girls’ soccer team also
made it far in their WCAC Tournament.
After winning their first game 3-0, they
moved onto the semi-finals, where they
played Bishop Ireton. Winning 3-1, they
were also given an opportunity to play
in the championship game against Good
Counsel. In a close match, the girls were
unable to achieve the win, losing 0-1.
The final team, girls’ cross country, was the only fall sports team that was
able to take a WCAC title.
“This year’s WCAC win was
our fourth in a row. It is always a fun meet
because it is the final meet for most people
so everyone wants to end the season with
a great race. After a season of lots of hard
work it’s great to end the season with a
win,” commented junior Emily Blagg.
As a team, the girls scored 19
points, placing six runners in the top eight
finishers, just missing the perfect score
of 15 points. Senior Sarah McCarthy
not only won the race, but also set a new
course record running 19:52. The WCAC
Tournament was an exciting time for the
athletes this year and hopefully next year
it will be an even more successful tournament for the teams.
Visor December 2010
Outside News
Page 9
Black Friday Madness
Elizabeth Bloom
Staff Writer
The start of the bustling holiday shopping season kicked off on the
Friday after Thanksgiving, commonly
known as Black Friday. Black Friday
has become one of the busiest shopping
days of the year leading into the Christmas season. Whether one is doing some
early Christmas shopping or trying to
stock up on some early winter fashions,
stores on Black Friday are mad houses.
According to The Washington Post, the
retail industry projected that about 138
million people would go shopping over
the long weekend, a higher number than
last year.
From full parking lots to cashier
lines that wrap around the stores, Tysons
Corner Mall was just one of the places
that was hit by the Black Friday crowds.
Although the mall opened its doors at
midnight, the lines began to form even
before that. A department manager of the
Urban Outfitters clothing store explained
that the line from the store stretched
into the nearby mall parking lot two
hours before the “midnight madness”
opening. The store had been at capacity
since midnight and even an hour before
the 50%-off everything sale ended there
was still a line out the door of over four
dozen people.
However, not only were people
out and about shopping, but retailers also
promoted online shopping. Although,
not a common option on Black Friday,
online shoppers were given many of the
same in-store deals and the opportunity
to take advantage of exclusive web deals,
making the number of online shoppers
this year higher. Whether in store or
online, Black Friday has become a day
of craziness for shoppers searching for
the best deals and lowest prices on everything from clothes to electronics.
How To Avoid A College App Crisis
Sydney Speetjens
Staff Writer
Many seniors by now have
already filled out their applications, sent
them off to colleges, and made their
deadlines; which is great! Now all they
have left is to patiently wait and pray for
successful admittance into their colleges
of choice; sometimes, that’s the hardest
part. But for those who have not yet
turned in their applications or are eager
and prepared juniors, here are a few tips
and suggestions to help them get through
the application process: as quickly, easily and painlessly as possible.
When beginning the college
application process, collegeboard.com
recommends first figuring out what
needs to be done, and when it needs to
be done; DJO counselors, Mr. Giska,
Mrs. Brown, Mrs. Black, Mrs. Yates, and
Dr. Stabile all agreed and stressed that
deadlines are a huge part of this process;
and they need to be met. Collegeboard.
com also recommends staying organized
by filing away important information for
each college in separate folders. When
filling out the actual application, check
to see what format the college prefers to
receive: paper or electronic. Many colleges prefer electronic because it’s easier
for them to process, but there are also
some benefits for applicants too! Those
who apply online have the advantage of
more easily correcting mistakes, as well
as the possibility of a college waiving
the application fee.
For those farther along in the
application process, when sending in
your applications, letters of recomrecommendations and other materials,
collegeboard.com advocates only submitting the information that each college
requests, and nothing more - even if the
extra material supports your application. The reason for this is that colleges
put a lot of thought, time and effort
into creating their admission packets,
and they know exactly what they need
from each applicant; they do not have
the time to sort through extra and un-
necessary material. Also, colleges often
look negatively upon applicants who
do not follow directions explicitly,
which just adds unnecessary opposition to your admittance; so please!
Unless you have gotten other advice
from your counselor, just submit what
is requested!
Mr. Giska also advises that
before seniors submit their applications,
they need to “Make sure that their applications are neat, if for some reason
they are handwritten. Every question
needs to be answered; do not forget a
signature.”
Mrs. Brown, who has had past
experience with working in admissions
at a few different colleges, adds, “Applicants do not want misspellings or blank
sections on the application.”
Lastly, for those who have already submitted their applications, and
are just waiting to hear back from colleges as to whether or not they have been
accepted, do not forget to follow up with
the colleges to whom the applications and
other materials were submitted.
Dr. Stabile commented that students need to “Execute the transmission,
and feverishly follow-up; the student is
responsible.”
Also, seniors need to stay on
top of their grades, and avoid falling
victim to senioritis! Collegeboard.com
confirms that colleges do care and do pay
attention to senior-year grades; because
they want to make sure that students are
currently as committed to their studies as
they were in the past. Also, colleges do
receive mid-senior-year transcripts with
applications, as well as final grades at the
end of the year. If colleges see that grades
have dropped during senior year, even
if they have already accepted a student,
they still retain the right to withdraw the
acceptance offer.
College applications may seem
never ending, but there is a light at the end
of the tunnel! Don’t forget: counselors are
here to help, so do not hesitate to stop by
and ask them questions whenever any
problems arise!
Top Ten Gifts for 2010
Sammy Sison
Staff Writer
The holidays are right around
the corner! Time to crack open the
piggy bank, print out the coupons, and
head to the mall. Christmas is coming
and with the hustle and bustle of the
holiday season, and it is often hard to
decide the best gifts to get for loved
ones. If you need some help coming up
with the perfect gift for teens this year
here are some ideas:
1. GIFT CARDS! GIFT CARDS!
GIFT CARDS!
2. Laptops
3. iPods/ iPhones
4. Hooded sweatshirts
5. Graphic t-shirts
6. DVD’s and CD’s
7. Movie Theatre Passes
8. Beanies/Caps/Hats
9. Video games
10. Magazine subscription
Visor December 2010
Page 10
Entertainment
Tangled Up in Disney
Alejandra Buitrago
Editor- in-Chief
Disney released its latest animated
feature film, Tangled, on November 24th.
This movie is loosely based on the classic
Grimm Brothers’ fairy tale, “Rapunzel”.
Disney’s adaptation focuses on Princess
Rapunzel’s journey in discovering the
world outside her isolated tower. Mandy
Moore (A Walk to Remember) and Zachary
Levi (Chuck) lend their singing voices
to the characters of Princess Rapunzel
and the charismatic bandit, Flynn Ryder.
The story begins with Rapunzel’s
birth, narrated by Levi’s character, Flynn.
Eighteen years pass and Rapunzel believes
Mother Gothel, whom she thinks is her
mother, when she tells her that the world
outside the tower is cruel and evil. In fact,
Mother Gothel kidnapped Rapunzel from
her home in the kingdom because she was
born with magical hair that can restore
youth and heal wounds; she hid Rapunzel in
the tower so she alone would benefit from
the magical powers of her 70 foot long hair.
For her eighteenth birthday,
Rapunzel begs Mother Gothel to allow
her to leave the tower to view the lantern
ceremony, which occurs in the adjacent
kingdom every year on her birthday.
Being the selfish woman she is, Mother
Gothel refuses to let her venture into the
unknown, away from her prying eyes, and
instead offers to buy her special paints
as a birthday present. Rapunzel accepts
the proposal and uses the three days
alone to leave her tower and go on an
adventure with the bandit, Flynn Ryder.
Tangled has some of Disney’s
most diverse characters including a
band of thieves and thugs that double
as a singing troupe, a vindictive police
horse, and a spunky chameleon named
Pascal. The movies Disney has released,
besides
their
collaborations
with
Pixar, recently have been just okay,
but Tangled really captures audiences
of all ages with its accessible humor.
With the help of Pixar’s John
Lasseter, the man behind the Toy Story
trilogy and Up, Disney was able to
capture the mannerisms of both Moore
and Levi, which made their voice talents
all the more endearing. What is unique
to this film is that both Levi and Moore
sang their characters’ songs in addition
to lending their speaking voices to the
main characters, a rare occurrence in
Hollywood. Tangled’s soundtrack was
truly reminiscent of old-school Disney
movies because Alan Menken (The
Little Mermaid, Hercules, Pocahontas,
Aladdin) composed the score for Tangled
and co-wrote the lyrics with Glenn Slater.
In only its second weekend,
Tangled grossed over 21. 6 million
dollars, beating the forerunner, Harry
Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part
One. If you enjoyed the Disney movies
of the early nineties, you will certainly
love Tangled and most likely leave the
theatre humming the music. Tangled is
rated PG and is in theatres everywhere.
The Beginning of the End…
Elizabeth Bloom
Staff Writer
On November 19, Warner Brothers
Pictures launched the first part of the final
book in J.K. Rowling’s series, Harry
Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1. As
the Death Eaters, members of Voldemort’s
army, gain control of the Ministry of Magic
and of the “muggle” world, Harry Potter
embarks on his final journey: the search
for the Horcruxes, parts of Voldemort’s
soul. Part 1 of the Potter phenomenon
begins to unfold the war that has been
building up between Lord Voldemort
and Harry Potter throughout the films.
The opening weekend for the new
movie raked in $125, 120, 000 and continues
to rank number one in the box office. Since
2001, when the first movie premiered, the
Harry Potter series has become one of the
most profitable movie franchises along with
Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy,
and Toy Story. Two of the actors in the
series, Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson,
who play Harry and Hermione, are two of
the highest earning stars in Hollywood.
Filled with intense emotion,
remarkably funny scenes, and the
cliffhanger of the decade, Harry Potter and
the Deathly Hallows will leave audiences
at the edge of their seats, begging for more.
The Harry Potter series comes
to an end with the release of Harry Potter
and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 in July
of 2011. For those who have journeyed
with Harry since the beginning, the final
movie is a highly anticipated event.
Gwyneth Paltrow Sings Her Way Onto Glee
Christina Chiames
Staff Writer
The award winning show that was
introduced in the fall of 2009, Glee,
has brought in numerous guest stars,
including Olivia Newton John, Neil
Patrick Harris, and John Stamos. In
November, the casting directors of
Glee brought Academy- Award winner,
Gwyneth Paltrow, onto the set. Paltrow
played the cheerful, yet misunderstood
substitute teacher, Holly Holiday, while
Mr. Schuester (Matthew Morrison) is out
sick. Holiday is portrayed as the “cool”
sub, taking the kids on field trip to Taco
Bell and giving the kids of Glee club more
freedom in regard to choosing songs to
perform.
Paltrow performed three musical
numbers during the episode of Glee.
With Glee-club star Rachel (Lea
Michele), Paltrow performed Chicago’s
“Nowadays.” She also sang a T.V.
censored version of Cee Lo Green’s hit
dubbed “Forget You” and a mash-up
of “Singing in the Rain” and Rihanna’s
“Umbrella” accompanied by Mr.
Schuester and the Glee club. Paltrow
received rave reviews from cast members
and newspapers. Mark Salling, who
plays Puck on the show, told US Weekly
that he was impressed by how well she
performed. Entertainment Weekly reported
that the hit TV shows’ ratings went up
seven percent with Paltrow’s appearance.
The big question is whether or not
Paltrow will be returning to the show for
another episode. Many fans hope Holly
Holiday will be Mr. Schuester’s new love
interest. Glee’s big boss, Ryan Murphy,
wants Paltrow to return to the show, but
it depends on the story line. Even the
most skeptical fans were impressed by
Paltrow’s appearance; so hopefully she
will be returning again or receive an
Emmy- Award nomination for her superior
performance.
Visor December 2010
O’Connell Entertainment
Page 11
ATOWN MILKSHAKES
Creates a Stir
Audra Nakas
Staff Writer
Few restaurants offer milkshakes with
a personal touch, but senior Patrick
Morris’ fledgling company ATOWN
MILKSHAKES does just that. Last
February, friends Collin Condron, Jimmy
Linek, Bryan Kress, and Morris established
the company after deciding one day that
they wanted to create the world’s greatest
milkshake. The dream became a reality
after the four friends sold milkshakes at
a party. Sales and popularity took off;
today, the company has sold around three
thousand milkshakes and boasts almost
nine hundred fans on its Facebook page. “ATOWN” refers to Morris’ home town
and the company’s base, Arlington. Because
it is fully student-run, it operates out of the
owners’ homes. They make the milkshakes
themselves and deliver them personally all
over the Northern Virginia area. Flavors
include Chocolate, Vanilla, Nutty Banana
Blast, Orange Creme, Strawberry, Peanut
Butter Chocolate, Chocolate Caramel, and
Birthday Cake (which includes singing for
birthday orders), as well as limited-time
seasonal flavors such as Candy Corn. While ATOWN MILKSHAKES allows
customers to determine how much
they will pay for a shake, the company
does require a donation in order to
continue operations. Morris says that
customers have paid anywhere from
$0.25 to $20.00 for a single milkshake.
The capitalized company title points
to the almost palpable zeal that Morris
and fellow entrepreneurs have for their
enterprise. Their exuberance has worn off
on customers as well. “ATOWN MILKSHAKES has changed
my entire perspective on shakes and food in
general. After my first taste of an Orange
Creme shake, I knew my life would never
quite be the same,” declared senior Connor
Scully.
Scully is not the only one applauding
ATOWN MILKSHAKES; its Facebook
fan page abounds with posts from
satisfied customers, and the business
has even sold fifty lacrosse-style pinnies
advertising the product. It seems that
least half of the company’s mission, “To
put some smiles on some faces, and to
take over the world,” has been successful. As first time business owners, Morris and
his friends have had ups and downs in their
Seniors Dylan Vorbach and Collin Brideau sport ATOWN MILKSHAKES
lacrosse pinnies at the September Welcome Back Dance.
venture. They have received criticism for
initially advertising the milkshakes as free
while asking for donations and recently
had an unsuccessful night that resulted in
melted shakes and some orders never being
delivered. Nevertheless, the company
issued a formal apology on its Facebook
page and vowed to be more professional in
the future. Though college is around the bend,
Morris said that he and his friends intend to
continue ATOWN MILKSHAKES. He has
high hopes for the future of the company.
“If everything goes according to plan,
we will be as big as McDonald’s and
rule the world,” expressed Morris.
Customers who want to order a milkshake
should “like” the ATOWN MILKSHAKES
page on Facebook and check the page to
see when they are open for business,
which is usually on weekends. To place an
order, clients can write directly on the wall
and send their address directly to Morris or
one of his associates.
Breezy’s Billboard-Bound Duesterhaus Book: How Novel
Jackie Hughes
Staff Writer
Music, no matter what genre, is enjoyed by
many people. Certain songs just seem very
gratifying: the lyrics are catchy, or the beat
just makes people want to spontaneously
break into dance. An appreciation of music
is celebrated almost daily in the O’Connell
community, with the help
of the band, chorus and
O’Connell singers. This
year, however, a new
sensation has appeared in
a professionally produced
recording of a rising star
at O’Connell.
Senior Brad “Breezy”
Hunt has been able to
capture the attention
of O’Connell students
through his new CD,
called “City of Love.”
The track includes three
different versions of his
song, each demonstrating the great range
Breezy has in his voice.
“I recorded the song ‘City of Love’ to
represent an audio/visual for myself and
others all searching for this thing we call
‘love.’ I represent love as a city, and I am
ready to find that city; I am looking for
love,” said Breezy of the concept behind
“City of Love.”
One of his messages in the song is that
people need to keep their hopes up. If they
do not find love where they are, then they
can look for love in another city. The United
States is full of cities and there are millions
of people to choose from his lyrics, unlike
Cait Patterson
Editor-in-Chief
the lyrics of many songs from popular
artists today, do not have curse words or
derogatory comments in them. His songs
are appropriate for all ages, and are very
radio-friendly. Breezy plans to continue
this
upbeat
message through
music. “In the
future, I am going
to keep making
the music the way
I always havethrough a studio
inside my house.
My producer and
I have creatively
come up with
positive messages
that I want to
continue to put
into the rest of my
songs,” said Breezy.
Breezy is no stranger to media attention.
His music video for his song “Show-Off”
was released over the summer; and prior to
that his house was featured on MTV Cribs.
Recently, a Breezy fan page was created
on Facebook, boasting currently about 100
fans.
With the increase on accolades for
his artistry and creativity it is no doubt that
Breezy will soon join the Five Guys and
Kate Ziegler on O’Connell’s list of famous
alumni. Even with a bright and successful
future on the horizon, Breezy always keeps
one guiding thought in mind: “Life is short,
after all; so Be Lifers!”
Tom Duesterhaus doesn’t just
autograph uniform violations anymore. Mr.
Duesterhaus recently published his first
novel, The Loyal Treatment. Duesterhaus
began working on his masterpiece in
2002.
The Loyal Treatment takes place in
Hector’s
Bridge,
Maryland and follows
the journey of Tony
Burrows, the small
town’s cross country
star, who is also a
senior in the local high
school. Besides the
issues that every senior
in high school endures,
such as college choices
and difficult teachers,
Tony has also lost both
of his parents at a very
young age through a
car accident and, as
a result, is raised by
his aunt, Jane Burrows. The story centers
on the idea that some character traits are
inherited along with the last name.
“I realized that kids are usually either
working with what they have gotten from
their parents or rebelling against it.”
Tony sees patterns in certain families
living in his neighborhood, and can’t help
but question that, if his father were still
alive, would people see his father’s traits
in him? Growing up in a town where
everyone knew his father, Tony struggles
to come to terms with what is expected of
him as Tucker Burrow’s son.
Throughout the novel, Tony tries to piece
together the puzzle of why his father left
Hector’s Bridge in the first place. The fact
that both Tony and his father participated
in cross country during high school fuels
this curiosity. Tony fears that since they
both share this trait, he too may just keep
running, out of Hector’s
Bridge, as his father did
many years before.
The book is particularly
appealing
to
high
school students, with its
sympathetic protagonist and
captivating story line.
“I just wanted it to be
relatable to anyone who has
gone, or is going, through the
college application process.
I also wanted it to be a
family story,” commented
Duesterhaus. “Hopefully
it’s a good snow day or
Christmas break read, and
will keep readers interested, cover to cover.
I hope it’s a story about someone figuring
out who he is by discovering where he
came from.”
“Can a high school kid make sense of
a world where his parents are taken away
from him before he’s even three years
old? Can Tucker Burrow’s story come full
circle?
If you’re interested in finding the
answers to these questions, Duesterhaus’
novel is now available on amazon.com.
Visor December 2010
Style
Page 12
Christmas and New
Year ’s
Party Outfit Ideas for Multiple Price
Ranges
!
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AV
Need an eye-catching, figure-flattering
dress for a low, low price? Try this Forever
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S
This ensemble from ModCloth.com
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For $47.99, the “Too Nice of a Night”
cocktail dress can be yours. (Modcloth.com)
SPL
URG
Have a little extra cash to spend on
a holiday dress this year? This white
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you look like a Christmas miracle! ($74,
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Merry Christmas, and Happy
New Year!
E!