The Summit 2010 Final.pub

The Summit
VOL.XVIII No. 1
St. Joseph Hill Academy
2010
A Year In Review
Serena Candelaria
Greetings Hilltoppers! The end of the school year is rapidly approaching, and I’m willing to bet that
most of you are waiting for the last bell of the school year to ring, and for the freedom of summer to
begin. I’m with you on the summer part, but I don’t think we should be so quick to forget everything
we’ve learned this school year– and I’m not strictly speaking in the academic sense.
At this point, the freshman aren’t as new, frightened, and inexperienced as they were in September; they’ve made friends, joined clubs, and eaten many of the cafeteria’s delectable cookies. The
sophomores have also learned a great deal about themselves and their classmates. To quote the
Real World, they’ve seen what happens “when people stop being polite and start getting real.” Juniors are in the midst of the most stressful part of high school. Can you say SAT, ACT, SAT II’s, and Regents? And seniors, well, we’re beginning to reluctantly part ways with our beloved saddle shoes.
This school year has been meaningful for all of these experiences which seem to bond Hilltoppers, but this past school year has
been memorable in some ways that are truly extraordinary.
The 2009-2010 school year has truly been outstanding for the athletes at St. Joseph Hill. The members of the JV and Varsity
Soccer team, Varsity Volleyball team, JV Basketball team, Varsity Golf teamand Varsity Cheerleading team, and Tennis team
emerged as Island Champs. The members of the Varsity Soccer team also earned the titles of City Champs and State Finalists,
while the cheerleaders also earned the title of State Champs. Our girls have truly shown their ability on the athletic fields and in
the gymnasiums.
There aren’t many schools that can attest to both the athletic prowess and academic talent of their students, but St. Joseph
Hill can do just that. This year, our Mock Trial team earned a coveted place in the Top Four, while the Forensics Team managed
to send eight of its members to the New York State Championship.
The academic and athletic successes of this past school year are noteworthy, but this is only a small portion of St. Joseph Hill
Academy’s story. At its deepest level, St. Joseph Hill Academy is
more than a collection of trophies and top prizes. We are a
family (and an oddly-dressed one at that). From sporting
events to Hill Singer’s concerts, St. Joseph Hill Academy students are willing to support each other and support their fellow
classmates.
When you look back on this year, I ask you to remember the
fun you had. Remember the Harvest Happening, remember the
Color Wars, remember the times you laughed with your friends
at lunch, but most importantly, remember that you are part of
our family at Hill.
Welcome Mr. Griffiths!
Welcome Mrs. Miranda!
Medina Ardolic
Kimberly Onah
St. Joseph Hill Academy High School welcomes Mr. A.
Griffiths, as he joins his father, Mr. W. Griffiths, teaching Hilltoppers. As an undergraduate at Catholic University of America , Mr. Griffiths majored in history,
minored in psychology, and dabbled in a variety of
courses. He received his Masters in liberal studies: History, Literature, Sociology, and Anthropology from
CUNY. Mr. Griffiths began his teaching career in 1998 at
St. Joseph By the Sea high school. After a year, he left
Sea and began teaching at Staten Island Academy. In
2003, he went back to St. Joseph By the Sea and continued his teaching there.
Looking for a change, Mr. Griffiths stopped teaching for
3 years to explore his other interests. He went to Colorado in 2006 and started freelance writing. He delved
into short stories and poetry. After 2 years in Colorado,
Mr. Griffiths returned to the Big Apple and took up
teaching again. In 2009, Mr. Griffiths joined the St. Joseph Hill Academy faculty as a teacher of history. He
loves the school thanks to the dedicated student body,
his great colleagues, and the general atmosphere of the
school.
In 2009, St. Joseph Hill welcomed Mrs. Miranda, a Brooklyn bred
woman who always wanted to teach. She attended Catholic school as
a child and, after graduating from high school, settled down and raised
her family of two wonderful daughters. She later enrolled in Wagner
College where she received a Bachelor of Science. From there, she
went on to Regis University and finally the College of Staten Island to
earn her degree in teaching.
Mrs. Miranda taught for four years before joining our Hill family. She
helps students gain insight on various subjects such as English, Religion, History, Marketing, Sociology, and even Pop Culture. Mrs.
Miranda accepted the position to teach at St. Joseph Hill, knowing
that, “This was the stop I was waiting for,” as she stated in a recent
interview.
Mrs. Miranda describes our Hill community as “a genuine and sincere
family with caring and respectful students.” She enjoys working in a
positive environment, her only complaint is the traffic she must battle
in the morning.
When asked what distinguishes Hill from the other schools she has
taught at, Mrs. Miranda responded by mentioning the combination of
professionalism, faith, and respect that is shared between faculty and
students here. She acknowledged the commitment, devotion, honor,
and unity the school possesses to achieve its goals.
Mrs. Miranda’s dedication to teaching stems from her hope to plant
the values her students will carry for the rest of their lives. As a piece
of advice for all the students of our St. Joseph Hill family, she stated
“Never underestimate you capabilities. Have faith in yourself and God
to always help you achieve your dreams.”
Color Wars
Sarah Kupfer
On April 30th 2010, the St. Joseph Hill Academy campus was
littered with the colors pink, orange, purple, and of course,
blue. This is the one day when Hilltoppers can “battle” against
each other without the lingering fear of getting a detention;
this day was our 2nd annual Color Wars. Three legged races,
water balloon tosses, and various relay races were just a few
of the events that took up the day. Music was able to be
heard all throughout the campus as many girls set up picnics
on the front lawn for lunch. After hours of games, exhausted
Hilltoppers were treated to Ralph’s Ices, as refreshment provided by Student Council. As the beautiful Spring day was
coming to a close, there was one more event which truly held
each Hill girl’s attention-- the Air Band challenge. Each group
from each grade performed songs ranging from the genres of
80s hard rock to boy band pop. The teachers, who seemed
very “American Idol”-esque, judged each group according to
choreography, song choice, and passion put into the performance. Not surprisingly, a group of Hill seniors stole the win by
singing to the very fitting anthem “High School Never Ends”
by Bowling For Soup. During this finale, all the seniors joined
in with the girls to celebrate their bittersweet departure from
Hill. At the very end of the day, the spirit points were accumulated and totaled, and once again, the seniors won. Each Hilltopper, although not all were victorious, surely left the campus with school pride ringing in their ears, and anticipation
for future “wars” in their stomachs.
If There’s Lots of Trash in the Neighborhood,
Who You Gonna Call? TRASHBUSTERS!
effort to make our community an even more beautiful place. It’s also reassurOn September 26, 2009, 91 stuing to know there are
dents from St. Joseph Hill Acadyounger people who are
emy spent their Saturday mornwilling to contribute to
ing cleaning the beach at
preserving our beaches
Wolfe’s Pond Park on Staten
and parks.” Carmen Chan,
Island. This event is sponsored
a Junior Beach Captain,
by the American Littoral Society,
said, “Even one cleanup
which sponsors yearly worldcan make a big difference
wide beach cleanups.
in our environment. The
St. Joseph Hill girls have decided
beach really looked beautito make it a part of their tradiful. I would hope that peotion. It was started at Hill in
1995 by Ms. Kathleen Nolan, continuing These energetic students found a variety ple won’t litter, seeing how great a clean
beach can be.” Brittany Castaldo, a Junior
with Dr. Charles Kitts and Mrs. Tania Eiof items on the beach. Some of the most
coff. Mr. George Cramer also has been a peculiar items we found were tires from Beach Captain, said, “I felt that the beach
cleanup was a huge success! Out of all
tremendous help in getting more Hill girls tractor trailer trucks, old boots, anchor
the beach cleanups that I have attended
involved with the effort.
ropes and construction cones. An abunin my three years at Hill, this one had the
Approximately 75 bags of garbage were dance of plastic and paper bags, cups,
biggest turnout. I really think it has
collected in just three hours’ time. Hillcans, bottle caps and too much Styrogrown throughout our school and will
toppers also categorized the litter we
foam were also found.
found. The data cards were then sent to Our students are very enthusiastic about continue for future Hilltoppers.”
The trashbusters hope to continue our
the American Littoral Society in order for this project. Amanda Spoto, our Senior
beach cleanups and many other beautifithem to determine the major causes of
Beach Captain, said, “It’s such an invigopollution on beaches around the world. rating feeling to know you’re making an cation projects for many years to come.
Ms. Eicoff
Hill and Farrell Raise the Bar for MDA
Raising the bar once again, the St. Joseph
Hill Academy/Monsignor Farrell 2010
Muscular Dystrophy Association Superdance broke last year’s record with a
whopping $220,226! The dance, which is
now beginning its 28th year of fundraising, credits its success to the hard work
and dedication of students from both
high schools. The committee works diligently for the better part of a year raising money through a variety of fundraisers, which include bake sales, a rummage sale, penny wars, bowling and ice
skating.
The theme of this year’s Superdance was
“New York, New York,” and in the true
spirit of the city, our Staten Island community came through with an unprecedented amount of food donations. Also
unparalleled were the 50 raffle baskets
donated by Hill and Farrell Alumni, students’ families and Staten Island business owners. The special guest for the
evening was Luke Christie, the National
Youth Ambassador for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Luke considers the
Superdance one if his all-time favorite
MDA fundraisers and expressed this
along with his gratitude to the 1,000 plus
attendees at the dance.
The Executive Committees of Hill and
Farrell will proudly present this check for
$220,226 at the Jerry Lewis Telethon for
Muscular Dystrophy in Las Vegas on Labor Day so be sure to watch!
Congratulations to the new executives:
Taylor Mulligan, Erika Larsen, Samantha
Cillo, Christina Bufalino, Kimberly Madden, Lindsay Pillarella, Diana Ranieri,
Elisa Raffa, Jillian Ottombrino, Amanda
Sansaricq, Samantha Viscosi, and Emilie
Levine.
Throwing Pebbles in the Pond
Mrs. Paladino, Service Coordina- tality; and Joseph Tornello, Executive
Director of Staten Island Meals on
tor
I was sitting in the back of the retreat
room one morning three years ago, and
could not believe what I heard. Father
Tom asked our Juniors if they had a service program at Hill and they said no.
No? I thought, what a strange perception; what a misleading response. Wanting to rise quickly to the students’ defense, I refrained and decided to take
the message home to Hill. Yes, we once
had an organized service program, and
no, we never stopped doing service to
both school and community. The missing
link, I discovered, was awareness.
Thanks to the encouragement of our
principal Angela Ferrando and our Campus Minister Sister Denise, and to our
Middle States Committee who identified
Service-- along with Academics-- as an
opportunity for enhancement, our high
school once again has an active Service
Program, complete with office, coordinator, Edline page, and, most importantly, willing Hill volunteers making a
difference in the lives of others.
This academic year, we have focused on
service learning, a process that puts
awareness up close and personal for the
whole Hill community. In September, we
had a full high school student assembly
on service, where active leaders of nonprofit organizations spoke to us about
the benefits of volunteering in the
Staten Island community.
We were inspired by Eva Della Croce,
Financial Advisor of the Alzheimer’s
Foundation; Carl Jackman, Volunteer
Intern Coordinator of The Staten Island
Children’s Museum; Jack Ryan, Director
of External Relations for Project Hospi-
volunteered on Hill’s Day of Service, as
well as other approved hours volunteered at various organizations throughout the year, are recorded into the student’s Hill service log and also with the
USA Freedom Corps. Volunteers are
honored in June at Graduation and at a
school awards assembly with Presidential Service Award pins and certificates,
and citations and scholarships from
community organizations.
Like much of life’s experiences, volunteer work requires a willingness to be
flexible, to change your expectations as
required by the people you serve. One
such group, who enthusiastically started
out as a Special Olympics club, quickly
emerged as a year-round service group
hosting events for the adult members of
Lifestyles for the Disabled. Another classic example is our Habitat girls in Tennessee who, expecting to construct a
house from foundation to roof, found
themselves cleaning out and renovating
a town thrift shop. What is learned
through all this service work is that our
willing work truly matters. We are
aware.
Dorothy Day once said, “We can throw
our pebble in the pond and be confident
that its ever-widening circle will reach
around the world.” The challenge of our
own Mother Franziska to “do good” is
being fulfilled every day by our Hilltoppers. They are being called and they are
responding by throwing their pebbles in
the pond, inspiring others, and widening
the circle of love and responsibility
around Hill, around Staten Island,
around the country, and around the
Wheels and father of Marisa Tornello
’11.
We were also energized by Student
Council President Christina Strompf,
who encouraged school service; Caroline
Vazzana of the Junior Lay Associates, on
helping in our faith community; Marisa
Tornello, Youth Board President for the
Alzheimer’s Foundation, on having a
voice at Board meetings; and Kathryn
Droumbakis of Hill Habitat for Humanity,
on the importance of serving the larger
community.
January 22, 2010 became Hill’s first Day
of Service to the community. Although it
was a school day, there were no classes
or midterm exams scheduled so as to
allow supporters of the March for Life
travel to Washington. Volunteer opportunities were available from the Service
Office, and students identifying a need
could choose their own work sites.
Teacher chaperones became active participants, working side-by-side with the
girls.
The day saw Hilltoppers at nursing
homes, senior and child daycare sites,
awareness organizations, centers for the
disabled, schools, faith centers, and cultural institutions that requested our help
for part of the day. Those who were not
able to commit at least four hours of
service were given the opportunity to
volunteer their time the following Friday, a grading day with no classes. Reflections written by the students expressed their willingness to help others,
the ease in which their talents and skills
world.
were used, and the satisfaction that
they were able to make a difference.
Service hours for the amount of time
Kairos Come to Hill
proms, shows, tournaments, etc. Through
my introspection I was able to appreciate
those in my life, as well as rectify relationEvery year at Saint Joseph Hill Academy, I
ships in need of mending. I developed a
joined my class on a one-day retreat at
deeper understanding of myself as well.
Saint Peter’s Church or the Mount ManUpon arriving home, the other girls and I
resa Retreat House. They were relaxing
decided that Kairos was a special part of
days that allowed us to spend time toour lives and we wanted to share our exgether while being in a religious setting
periences with the other Hilltoppers who
and attending mass. When I was first predid not join us on the retreat. We began
sented with the chance to spend a weekplanning a retreat for the juniors and senend with Scranton Prep at their Kairos
iors. We assumed various time consuming
Retreat, I was rather hesitant. I didn't unresponsibilities including finding an approderstand what the next few days would
priate retreat house, writing speeches and
involve. I decided to take a leap and sign
recruiting retreatants and teachers to acup for what I now know was the most eyecompany us. It was, in a word, stressful.
opening four days I have experienced.
Once we arrived at the retreat house,
Kairos is a Greek word that essentially
however, everything fell into place. We
means, “opportune moment.” I joined 11
ran on a tight schedule and as a student
other Hill seniors as we blindly embarked
leader, I was apprehensive as to how my
on a spiritual journey in the presence of
group would respond to the concepts we
God. During my opportune moment I exwere to delve into over the weekend. To
amined myself, something we often don't
overcome the obstacle I feared most, my
think about in between exams, papers,
Patrice D’Orazio
group being too timid to reap the benefits
of the retreat, we concentrated on remaining open and honest in a circle of
trusted and loyal friends.
I'm blessed to have been given this opportunity to delve deeper in to my faith, especially at this volatile time in my life. I am
honored to have had the opportunity to
bring my peers along for the journey. I
hope to see this become a tradition at Hill
so every young woman may have the
chance to explore themselves through
God. Too often I find myself slipping further and further in to the trivial side of
life. Via Kairos, we are given a chance to
momentarily step back and analyze, prioritize, and make any alterations we see fit.
If this continues, more girls will have the
chance to form a unique, deep and spiritual connection with the those that they
spend the most impressionable years of
their lives with. Only good will come if
Kairos is given a chance to prosper at Hill.
SJHA Sports, A Winning Year
Mrs. Philipps, Athletic Director
I have always been proud of all the students at Hill. Over the 24 years I have
worked at SJHA, I have witnessed remarkable young women mature into brilliant
professionals and caring individuals. Hill
has always been renowned for its excellence in education, but this year 20092010 I am proud to relate that our athletic
department has set a new standard.
It started in spring of 2009, when the Varsity Golf Team, Coached by John Noce,
captured the Catholic High School Athletic
Association (CHSAA) crown. This first place
finish that had alluded the team for the
past 3 years was now in their possession.
Fall 2009 saw our Varsity Soccer Team,
coached by Tom Siller, win the Island and
then the Archdiocesan championships.
The team then played in the Catholic State
Final Game and lost in overtime to a highly
ranked Long Island Team. Hill’s JV Soccer
Team, coached by Brooke Winkler, Class
of 2006, also won the Island Regular Season and the Post Season Tournament. The
Varsity Tennis Team, coach by Gregg
Hansson, also took the first place trophy
on the Island.
The volley ball team at Hill is only 6 years
old. The Alumnae Association donated the
volleyball system so the team could host
home games. The donation gave Coach
Virginia Mayrose the tools she needed to
get the team off the ground. The Varsity
Volleyball Team also finished in First Place
this year, defeating their greatest Island
rival.
Cheerleading has always been a fundamental part of athletics at Hill. This year
the Varsity Cheerleaders coached by 6
alumnae, Michele Reddington Lynch, Class
of 1994, Donna Stropoli Tabacco, Class of
2000, Kimberly Litto Rex, Class of 1999,
Clarisse Ruby, Class of 1999, Tara Peters,
Class of 2003, and Danielle Morrelli, Class
of 2006 , not only took the first place trophy at CSI, but also won the Archdiocesan
Crown ad Fordham University Rose Hill. At
Fordham the team scored 296 points out
of a possible 300.
Other sports teams, track, basketball, softball, swimming and bowling also had outstanding seasons with many individual
athletes achieving remarkable success.
The athletes on each team develop a
strong camaraderie and encourage each
other to attain new heights.
The coaching staff at Hill is comprised of
dedicated, unselfish, committed individuals. Through the years many alumnae
have returned to Hill to coach cheerleading, basketball, soccer, softball, swimming
and track. I hope that some of the girls on
these teams, like many past alumnae, return to Hill one day to coach.
Confessions of a Hill Senior
Anonymous
I'm eight months into my senior year at
Hill, and I'm finally beginning to realize
that I am really going to miss it (saddle
shoes, endless list of rules and regulations,
and potato sack skirts included.) I'm going
to miss walking down the halls and recognizing nearly everyone I pass. I'm going to
miss conversations with friends I've been
forming bonds with for the past four
years. I'm going to miss the ease of getting
ready for school in the morning without
really having to think about how I'll look;
everyone else will look the same, my appearance will blend in, and I will only be
remembered for what I say and how I act.
At an earlier point in the year, I might
have mentioned the stress of standardized
testing, college apps, knowing that this is
my last year living at home, or how awful
it is to write an article that is representa-
tive of the senior class when I am just one
person with only one person's experiences
to write about. It's later on in the year, so
most of that stress is a thing of the past,
I've accepted the fact that college and
going away are inevitable, and I know that
I can represent the members of my grade
the best if I write what I know, and write it
well.
I've never received a detention at Hill. I
tried to think of all of little acts of rebellion I might have gotten away with over
the years; wearing black socks instead of
the standard navy blue with the slacks,
googling pictures of chubby cats during
religion, tying my hair with a red hair tie
perhaps. In truth, I'm incredibly boring,
and I have not even broken any of these
rules, not even once.
While I can't confess to breaking the rules
set forth by administration and printed in
the agenda, I can confess that I did not
always love Hill. In fact, for a while, I was
adamantly against it. I wanted to go to
high school in the city, somewhere interesting and different to mark my transition
into my teen years. Instead, I ended up
going to Hill, a school that was closer to
home, nicely located in the borough I
wanted desperately to get away from. I
wanted to go a school where people
showcased their individuality, certainly
not a place where "out of uniform" was a
dirty phrase. I didn't want to go to Hill, but
it's where I ended up, and I've never been
happier not to get my way.
As I prepare to leave Hill in about a
month, I can only smirk at the memory of
the times I wanted to be anti-Hill. Here I
stand, four years older, and forever a Hilltopper, forever changed by my high
school experiences.
How to Survive Junior Year
Nicolette Vasile
SAT, ACT, Regents. SAT, ACT, Regents.
This sequence plays like a broken record in
your mind and assaults your ears from the
beginning to the final days of junior year.
Before real school even commences, advertisements for prep courses and brochures for colleges fill up your mailbox,
leaving little to no room for social e-mails.
A sense of foreboding swells inside your
chest and you feel as if you’ll cave into
yourself from the pressure. After all, isn’t
this the most important year of your life?
Haven’t you been told forever that you
need to get into a good college, so you can
get a good job and live the American
dream of success and happiness?
So you enroll in a prep course or two.
They’re all after school so your exhausted
and starving by the time they end. The
workload you receive from your teachers
doesn’t make anything easier. After the
first few months, girls start breaking
down, feelings of despair brought on by
the intense pressure. Crying in the hall
and upset texts and late-night calls becomes the norm.
Fortunately for many, this does not continue. By mid-year most come to the realization that standardized tests will not
make or break their entire life. Almost like
a right of passage, everyone watches The
Perfect Score and learns to laugh at the
ridiculousness of the pressure we put
upon ourselves. Having heard stories,
whispered by friends and loved ones, of
people who get anywhere from 2400 to
900 on the SAT, we, realistically, begin to
understand that each of us will get into a
college and go on to do something with
our lives. The prep courses, which dominate our lives in the beginning of the year,
lose their importance and, as the final
stretch before the many tests comes to a
close, we often just think, “I can’t wait
until this is over.”
Of course, we all want to do our best and
succeed academically. However, throughout junior year, we also begin to learn that
it is necessary to find happiness socially as
well. The key is always balance. Work does
take up a large portion of your time at Hill.
It shouldn’t be the only thing, however,
that drives your life. If there happens to
be a rare night without studying or a
deadline for a paper looming about, it is
important to not just sit around wondering, “What should I do? What have I left
undone?” Stress relief is immensely important. Without some form of relaxation,
it is easy to succumb to the pressure.
Friendships need to continue to be forged
and fostered for it is your friends who will
help you through your moments of neuroticism and enable you to laugh at yourself.
There is not a student at Hill who does not
agree that junior year is the most academically challenging of the four. Although, it is easy to remain in a perpetual
state of stress, it is important to rise to the
challenge and find balance and meaning in
life. If you are able to find humor and joy
in everyday events and friendships, junior
year can turn out to be the best of the
three years. Junior year marks the beginning of a journey. By this period, friendships are cemented and the grade as a
whole has become sisters. The awkwardness of freshman year, of not “really
knowing anyone” and being at the
“bottom of the social totem pole”, is gone.
In addition, the “stuck in the middle” feeling of being a sophomore has ended. The
initial search for our path in life originates
here in high school. The actions we take in
its third year both socially and academically help to define us and prepare us for
the future.
How the Class of 2012 Became a Family
Allison Carbonaro
My experience as a sophomore at Hill has
been an interesting one. However difficult
being a sophomore may be for the average teen, nothing compares to sophomore
year at Hill. Many of my classmates and I
experienced the wonderful world of AP
courses for the first time and were met
with new and difficult challenges. These
new challenges were accompanied by
many of the old familiar ones such as writing essays, countless hours of homework,
studying for tests and learning how to
manage my time efficiently. Although the
academic stresses were many, my second
year at Hill has shown me that there is a
method behind the madness. The mountains (and I mean MOUNTAINS) are not
merely unreasonable tasks that our teachers expect us to accomplish; instead, they
are tools meant to help us gain knowledge
and prepare us for the world beyond the
gates of Hill. As much as I might not want
to admit it, knowledge is power and although I might not remember all the rules
for finding the oxidation states of elements some of the knowledge I’ve gained
during this past year will hopefully remain
with me for the rest of my life.
Despite all this, we miraculously found
plenty of time for fun too. Hill’s annual
spirit week provided my friends and I with
plenty of laughs. Nail polish day, twin day
and of course our pep rally are the memories that will always make us laugh. We
screamed our laughs at the pep rally and
enjoyed every minute of all activities despite the sophomore class’ notorious lack
of school spirit. One school wide activity
that will never be forgotten, the class of
2012 performance in the 2010 Color Wars.
Although I am extremely honored and
privileged to have exceptionally smart and
talented girls as classmates and I’m confident they will all be successful, in this case
we were an epic failure. Orange was
clearly not our lucky color. Despite our
dismal failure, it was quite possibly the
most fun I’ve had at school. My team
managed to lose the water balloon toss,
the three legged race and every other
contest, but quite frankly we were on such
an unbelievable losing streak it would
have been a shame to see it end. Even
with our fourth place finish Color Wars
2010 was yet another Hill experience I will
take with me the rest of my life.
Something else I learned to love about
Hill, rarely does a Hilltopper go home at
dismissal every day. Almost everyone at
Hill is involved in some sort of school activity whether it is athletics or other clubs
since really is for all of us. For my love of
law and willingness to talk politics with
anyone, I found Hill’s Junior Statesmen of
America. As the chapter president, I represent Hill in many debates against young
people interested in politics and met
amazing people while gaining leadership
experience . The other statesmen I’ve
met and worked with gave me a much
needed reminder that the world is bigger
than I tend to think it is Along with JSA, I
was also given the opportunity to be a
lawyer on the St. Joseph Hill Mock Trial
team, another opportunity to work on my
public speaking skills. This required a lot
of work and many hours of practice, but
gave our team the confidence to strategize and think on our feet. We thoroughly
enjoyed every step of the way to the semi
finals in the New York State Bar Association Mock Trial tournament .
Sophomore year has been filled with
many priceless experiences that have
helped me grow as a person. I did not
realize it at the time but my friends and I
have learned to stick together. We grew
as people and along the way have grown
even closer. With everything that has
happened this year I’ve seen that all the
achievements in the world mean nothing
if you have no one to share them with.
Looking back on sophomore year my
friends and I have become a family and
Hill has become our second home . My
experience at Hill sophomore year had
been a great one and that is in large part
thanks to the amazing friends I’ve made
over the past two years and hope to remain friends with long after graduation.
Spirit week Color Wars and my extracurricular activities showed me something
else about Hill, despite my complaining, I
along with my classmates take a tremendous amount of pride in being a Hilltopper.
Freshman Year, Over So Fast
while, I finally got into a routine and was
used to life as a Hill student. Basically, my
It’s hard to believe that my freshman year days became school, soccer, homework,
is almost over. It’s been a rollercoaster of and doing it all over again every day! As
emotions with high points and of course, the season began to end, all of our hard
low points, too. The transition from elework paid off as our team actually won
mentary school to high school was chalthe championship!
lenging. All of the freshmen had to deal
As freshmen, we experienced so many Hill
with many changes. There were differevents that we’ve never even heard of
ences in school work and teachers, but
before. From twin day to Harvest Happenalso changes in friendships and extracur- ing and the Pep Rally to Color Wars, there
ricular activities. Right at the beginning of were many enjoyable days for us. These
the year, I made the junior varsity soccer were all made possible by Student Counteam and joined Student Council. These
cil. Student Council has to be my favorite
two activities helped me make friends and activity at Hill. I even tried to run for an
get involved with my new school. After a
executive spot, but being a freshman
Maggie Garin
made me a long shot to win. Although I
didn’t win, there’s always next year for
new opportunities! As Easter break came
by, spring sports came, too. For some,
that may be track or softball, but for me,
it’s golf! With the guidance of seniors and
a dedicated coach, we have had a memorable season.
I’m so happy that I made the choice to
attend Hill as my first year is ending. Although it’s a challenge carrying a heavy
backpack, a laptop, and a gym bag with
those stylish saddle shoes on every day,
it’s all worth it in the end. I really do love
my school, and I’m excited for what my
next three years have to bring!
Alumna Reflects on Her Time at Hill
Merdina Ljekperic, ‘09
As high school students, you’ve
probably heard a million times that college will be an experience unlike any
other in your life. Now that I know from
personal experience, I can testify that
that statement couldn’t be anymore
true. It will be completely foreign to
you. You won’t feel like you’re in a different country or planet, but a completely alternate universe – especially in
comparison to St. Joseph Hill Academy.
They warn you. They might even scare
you. They tell you that it won’t be like
Hill. You won’t know every person in
your class and won’t have that same
bond with all your teachers. There
won’t be that safe, protected, comfort
of St. Joseph Hill Academy. Hill is different from college in every way, shape,
and form, but you’ll benefit in college
because of it. My high school experience was about the farthest thing from
my college experience – and I couldn’t
be anymore thankful.
Let’s be honest, many of the seniors are
counting down the seconds until
graduation. I know many of you are just
itching to move on, eager to leave behind Hill. As hard as some of you may
try to move on, however, you will never
completely separate yourself from Hill
because the person Hill made you will
set you apart from anyone you’ll meet.
Because of Hill, I have no doubt in my
mind that you’ll not only survive college,
but also come out of it on top.
Let me break this down for you. Lesson
#1: I know you second semester seniors
don’t want to hear this right now, but,
girls, college is work. Classes will kill
you. Papers, assignments, exams will
keep you in the library well into the
early hours of the morning, but only
once in a while. That’s the thing about
college. What most of you do every
night at Hill, you’ll do sporadically at
college. So, take comfort in the fact that
many of your future classmates will be
assigned an eight page paper and complain because they have never written
anything over four pages long and think
MLA is a professional soccer league. You
are not prepared. You are overprepared and it is going to make college
so much better. You will sleep more in
one week of college than you did all of
junior year – that I can guarantee.
Lesson #2: While academics will take
their toll on you, I cannot emphasize
enough the amount of stress you’ll experience caused by your social life and
relationships with other people -- both
old and new. Not everyone came to the
NHS alumni event, so I’m just going to
reiterate the words of my dear friend
Jessica Orbon. If you don’t learn anything else at college, you will learn one
thing – “Not every girl is a Hill girl.”
When you get to college, you’re going
to try new things, hang out with new
types of people, and just be overeager
to have a great social life. You’re going
to be overwhelmed by the whole experience, but I just want you all to remember that you are the one with the
right perspective.
When I was at Hill, my friends and I
would joke about how “unclassy” we
were because we ate about three
pounds of French fries a day and were
often loud and slightly obnoxious (Read:
very obnoxious). If we had only known
then what we know now. My dear Hilltopper -- this might be hard for some of
you to believe as you eat those fries -you will be the classiest girl you know
and, please, never change that. While
everybody else is making mistakes, you
will be making progress. College is a
huge test of your self-respect and you,
unlike many others, will pass with flying
colors. Respect yourself. People will
recognize that and you will get that
same respect back. More often than
not, your head will be in the right place
and Hill helped put it there.
I might be scaring some of you by pointing out some of the tough parts of college. In true Hill fashion, I’m just trying
to prepare you, but do not get me
wrong – college is amazing. You’ll meet
incredible people from all over the
world, hear their amazing stories, and
have opportunities you’ve never even
dreamed of. You will learn so much not
only about the world around you, but
about yourself as well.
I think, at the end of the day, my best
advice for you is to be yourself. As simple as that sounds, I’m just going to lay
this out there – you are an incredible
young woman. Don’t ever be afraid of
what others think. They haven’t walked
a mile/ran for the bus/transferred to
the train/scrambled into the social hall/
ridden a scooter in gym/been late to a
meeting in room 224 in your saddle
shoes; and they have every reason to be
jealous.
Whether you realize it or not, Hill –
along with the people you met there –
has done a lot to shape you into the
amazing person that you are. It is easy
to lose yourself in the overwhelming
world that is college, but you can never
forget where you come from because
while Hill maybe very different from
college, everything you learned at St.
Joseph Hill, both inside and outside of
the classroom, will benefit you in college – and beyond.
Once a Hilltopper, Always a Hilltopper
work or play, which makes Hill a home
away from home, our second family so
As a recent college graduate and new
to speak.
professional, I rely on many of my exIn my opinion, there was something very
periences from my four years at Hill.
Granted as the Director of Alumnae Rela- special about the friendships I made
here at Hill. After graduation we all went
tions, I spend more time emailing, talking, and facebooking with alumnae every our separate ways, NYU for me and six
others, Harvard for our Valedictorian,
week than most Hill graduates do in a
CSI’s Macaulay Honors program for
lifetime.
many teachers, chemists and nurses.
After a year and a half in this position I
am still amazed at how alike Hilltoppers Wherever we decided to spend our colfrom every decade remain. We share an lege years, we all continued to grow as
Hilltoppers. Now as we explore the
interest in serving others through a
world of professional schools, graduate
plethora of programs, whether it is in
support of the Daughters of Divine Char- programs, and first careers, we find ourity, the SJHA Alumnae Association’s sup- selves coming back to Hill again. Maybe
not physically returning to the hill, but
port of the programs at Hill, or through
groups discovered independent of SJHA. returning to the friendships we made in
There is just something about Hill. Once those 4 years. A Hilltopper can turn to
her classmate from years ago for advice
you are here, you have a new family of
about career opportunities or life
girls, teachers and coaches who are
choices and know that her best interest
there for you no matter the circumis being considered.
stances. I believe it is the Hilltoppers’
I know that for me, as I encounter modesire to give our all, whether it is at
Ms. Elizabeth Cotter, ‘04
ments of great
consequences, it
is Hilltoppers
that I turn to for
support, guidance, and friendship time and time again. It is my sole
desire to see my personal experience,
that although underappreciated while I
was in high school, one that shaped me
into the woman I am today, be as interesting, challenging, and overall comforting to all future Hill grads. That is why I
returned to Hill to take on the Advancement Office right after college. I hope
that each young lady that graduates
from Hill leaves high school prepared for
all that life will offer her.
You can email Ms. Cotter at [email protected] to send her news about
clubs and sports you wish to include in
“The White and The Blue”, the Alumnae
Association Newsletter, or to the alum
website, www.stjhill-alum.org.
College Corner
close friends, easily adjusted to typical
college food, and learned to live with
Hello fellow Hilltoppers! For those of
someone who does not have the same
you who do not know me, my name is
living style as me at all! Most importantly
Gabriella Tucci, Class of 2009. Right now, over the past six months, I have learned a
I am sitting in my cozy dorm at the Colgreat deal not only in my tedious Nursing
lege of New Jersey in Ewing, NJ just
courses, but outside of the classroom as
thrilled to be able to tell you about my
well. I have learned to be more independincredible college experience. At the be- ent, responsible, accepting, and most
ginning of the college process, I remem- importantly, I learned to live outside my
ber being very anxious, asking numerous comfort zone. This college experience has
questions to tour guides and older friends taught me many life lessons that I will use
in college about college life. Now as a
for all my future endeavors whether it is
college student for the past 6 months, I
my future as a nurse, mother, wife,
can tell you that I have truly enjoyed alfriend, etc… Hill has helped me to bemost every moment as a resident.
come the student you need to be in colLuckily, my transition to college life was- lege - diligent and hardworking. You will
n’t too bad for me- I made some very
notice, compared to other people in your
Gabriella Tucci, ‘09
college, that Hill
girls will get their
work done on
time, know how
to manage all
their free time
wisely, and most
of all we are able
to use the important morals and
values that Hill
girls are known
for. I wish the
seniors all the
best of luck in college and I hope that
your college experience is as great as
mine or even better!
The Summit
A Closing Message
Jacqueline Chirico
This is it. This is what we’ve been waiting for. The countdown is over. The moment is here: graduation. We will
separate for the first time in four years to embark on our lives’ journeys. Although our paths may separate us, we will
always have Hill in common. It is our joining thread, the thing that keeps us connected. The experiences we’ve shared at
Hill will continue with us as we grow older.
Thinking back, it is hard not to smile. Our senior skit at the Harvest Happening was a success, and we did a
great job when we belted out Christmas carols in the office—in different languages. The Christmas Coffeehouse always
guarantees a laugh, and our saddle shoes are more than a fashion statement. No matter where we go, we will always
have stories to tell, pictures to show, and people to thank. We all wear the number 2010 because it is who we are. We
are the graduating class of 2010. We’ve accomplished so much over the past four years, and we’ve grown up together.
Looking back, we may have made mistakes. Hill has taught us to learn from them. It has also taught us to look at things
in a different light. At our 100 Days Mass, we realized that in a number of months, we’d be leaving the place we’ve
called home for so long. Time, although it may not seem so, moves very fast. We need to use it while we still can, before
we leave and go our separate ways. Regardless of how far we go and the great things we do, we have one place to
thank: Saint Joseph Hill Academy.
Remember the smiles. Remember the tears. Remember who you are and hold your head high. Remember
where you came from. You are always a Hilltopper, and you know all you need to succeed and accomplish your goals.
Congratulations to the Class of 2010. Good luck next year!