state champions!!! - Trinity High School

the
pioneer
Volume 1 Issue 8
NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
PERMIT No. 45
MANCHESTER, NH 03104
The newspaper of Trinity High School 581 Bridge Street * Manchester, NH 03104
STATE CHAMPIONS!!!
Laguerre leads Pioneers over Memorial, 50-25
By Nick D’Intino
Pioneer Editor
Coach Mike Fitzpatrick.
Many throughout Trinity
know Mike Fitzpatrick, as
he was an assistant coach for
the Pioneers only a year ago.
Furthermore, Coach Fitzpatrick is the father of Trinity sharp-shooter Cormac
Fitzpatrick.
This game had plenty of
storylines; however, none of
them mattered when 3 p.m.
rolled around on March 21.
In front of a sold-out Lundholm Gym at UNH, Memorial won the tip-off, and the
championship had begun.
Led by three-pointers
from Laguerre, Fitzpatrick
and junior point guard Phil
Hayden, the Pioneers led 134 after the first quarter of
The last time Trinity High
School was able to raise a
boys’ basketball championship banner was 1985.
The last time the Trinity boys’
basketball team was able to
cut down the nets was 1985.
The last time our boys were
able to embrace at center
court with tears of joy was
1985. That is, until this year.
Anticipation throughout
Manchester couldn’t have
been any higher as the city
got set for the first intra city
match-up for the Class L
Boys’ Basketball Championship since 1973. The Trinity
Pioneers, led by Coach David
Keefe, faced off against the
Memorial Crusaders, led by See CHAMPIONSHIP, Page 9
Defining what
THS is all about
By Joe Walsh
Pioneer Staff
I
t’s been said many
times before that
Trinity offers a sense
of community and
family that cannot
be found anywhere else. It
affects just about everything
Trinity does.
In every class, at every
sports practice and game, at
every club and organization,
qualities are exhibited by
everyone involved that are
Inside this issue:
Congratulations, seniors
The school year is over
now, and 100% of the
seniors were accepted to
college. Find out where
they will be headed in the
fall.
See page 20
not seen anywhere else.
It’s hard to find someone
who exhibits these qualities
more than the man that the
Class of 2009 has dedicated
their yearbook to, Mr. Bill
Sheehan.
He graduated from Trinity in 1979, going on to
graduate from Saint Anselm
College before entering the
insurance industry, where he
worked for many years.
“But I just became disenchanted with it all,” he says
See SHEEHAN, Page 20
George Heck
Many know him as the
friendly guy who drives our
sports teams to their games,
but there is a lot more to
George than many think.
See page 7
New Campus Minister
Mr. Malinowski may be
2008-09: Year in Review Speaking
with Power
By Kellen Fitzgerald
Pioneer Staff
Mark Natale / Pioneer Staff
Trinity basketball players celebrate with the Class L championship
trophy after defeating Memorial, 50-25 at UNH’s Lundholm Gym.
When asked what some of
his greatest accomplishments
were, Mr. Dick Powers, replied, “I don’t think I’ve had a
great accomplishment.”
If you relied on what Mr.
Powers said about himself,
you would be incorrectly led
to believe that he was just a
typical man.
Not only has Mr. Powers
become like one of the faces
on Trinity’s figurative Mount
Rushmore, he has affected
hundreds, maybe even thousands of people’s lives just
as he has affected the lives of
those at Trinity.
Joe Sullivan of The
See POWERS, Page 9
Trinity students speak for voiceless
By Mark Natale and
Alexa Serrecchia
Pioneer Staff
On Jan. 21, 113 students
and 14 chaperones left Trinity
High School for the annual
March for Life in Washington,
D.C.
After the 10 hour bus ride,
the buses stopped at Elizabeth
Seton High School for the girls
to sleep for the night. The boys
on the trip stayed at DeMatha
Catholic High School.
Following breakfast and a
quick bus ride to Washington,
D.C., the buses dropped off
the students and chaperones
at the Verizon Center for the
2009 Youth Rally and Mass
for Life.
new this year, but he has
done a great job adjusting and has accomplished
quite a bit this year.
See page 2
900 Degrees
Kaitlin Fitzgerald reviews
900 Degrees, a sit-down
pizza place, which is
Mark Natale / Pioneer Staff
Trinity students stop to make funny faces with Bishop McCormack in Washington, D.C. while waiting for the March to start.
Only a small number of the
Trinity marchers gained entry
into the arena because there
were only a few seats left.
Fifty-eight others were left to
either attend another Mass or
to sightsee in D.C. until the
March began.
While waiting for the
See MARCH, Page 9
located on Dow Street in
Downtown Manchester.
See page 19
sports
Athletes of the Year
Dylan Clark, senior, and
Karima Gabriel, junior,
were chosen out of the
many excellent Trinity
athletes for their outstanding athletic performances
this year.
See page 18
Nonstop texters
According to Sarah
Ruggiero, our generation
relies too heavily upon our
fingers to do the talking.
See page 4
Page 2
The Pioneer
Opinion/Editorial
A newspaper? Isn’t that old-fashioned?
W
hy a newspaper? In today’s world
The Pioneer will look to be as student
of electronics and broadcast media, involved as possible. Feel free to send letters
why would Trinity take what some to the editors, articles you’ve written or even
consider a step back, switching from an onartwork that you are proud of. If you disagree
line newspaper to a print newspawith an article, feel free to use the
per?
First Amendment to your advanEditorial
Well, there is a certain aspect
tage – remember, the paper is for
of printed newspapers that is iryou, not us.
replaceable by technology. The
Growth is something that is goprestige of newspapers such as The New York
ing to be essential to the newspaper.
Times or The Wall Street Journal is what keeps
After returning just four people from last
newshounds coming back day after day.
year’s journalism class, the program could
People don’t read newspapers because
have started a downward spiral.
they are the most convenient or because they
However, the students have responded
provide up to the minute news. Newspapers
and currently there are 20 students in intro
provide detail, quality, and a sense of profesto journalism, the first step before advanced
sionalism.
journalism.
After working all last year on an online
Now that we have people to write the
newspaper, we decided that it just wasn’t
news and a way to provide it to you, all we
right.
have to do is give you a reason to read it.
Out of the more than 400 students enAnd that should be the easy part.
rolled at our school, few knew of the newsEach issue will include a sports section
paper and even fewer actually read it.
with standings, game and team coverage, as
At the end of last year, we were faced
well as athletes of the months and in depth
with a decision – the online paper wasn’t
analysis of upcoming games.
working, and the journalism program wanted
The Arts & Entertainment spread will be
something to attract more readers.
a place for readers to check out reviews of
Together, we came to the conclusion that
upcoming albums, movies and even hints
the best way to get students and faculty to
on places to take your boyfriend/girlfriend
read the news was to actually put it in their
without emptying your wallet.
hands.
The Pioneer will be a newspaper that alRoughly once a month for the rest of the
ways has you, the reader, in mind and is sure
school year, The Pioneer staff will provide
to have a little something for everyone.
you with news from all different aspects of the
school. We will be covering everything from
Adviser’s Note: This editorial was originally
sports and clubs to social events and assempublished in the first issue of The Pioneer in
blies. But we are going to need your help.
September 2008.
The Pioneer
Editor-in-Chief
Chad Graff
Editors
Nick D’Intino
Sam Goodnow
Alexa Serrecchia
Ryan Mitchell
2008-2009 Staff
Loren Bostic
Ashley Carter
Mari-Briege Dunn
Kaitlin Fitzgerald
Kellen Fitzgerald
James Horn
Tiffany Keenan
Pat McLaughlin
Sam Monohon
Mark Natale
Alison Patev
Amanda Patev
Kiersten Photiades
Benjamin Seifert
Jeff St. Jean
Chelsea Turner
Pedro Serratos Vela
Sean Van Anglen
Kristen VanUden
Joe Walsh
Advisory
Mrs. Terri Greene Henning, adviser
Mr. Denis Mailloux, principal
Mr. Steven Gadecki, assistant principal
Mr. Patrick Smith, dean of students
[email protected]
Opinions expressed in signed and unsigned letters to the editor, opinion pieces, and columns are not
necessarily those of The Pioneer, its staff, or Trinity High School. If you do not see your side of the
argument, we invite you to submit a letter to the editor via e-mail to [email protected]
Want to support The Pioneer newspaper and keep up with the news at
Trinity? Read us online at www.trinity-hs.org. Or, have The Pioneer
delivered to your home for a yearly rate (7-8 issues) of $20.
E-mail us at [email protected] for more information.
2008/2009
Campus Minister
thriving at Trinity
A
Again, a success.
fter Mr. Nelson
And, as if he needed to add
announced that he
to his list of achievements this
would be leaving,
year, he orchestrated perhaps
the biggest concern was the
the most difficult assignment
question of who was going to
of all – the
replace him.
March for Life.
Now, six
Editorial
Of all of the
months into
things that Mr.
his job here at
Mal has done
Trinity, our new
in his first year as Campus
Campus Minister has more
Minister, his best work thus far
than exceeded expectations.
has been
Mr. Malinowski’s job
continustarted with a bang in August
when he met with administra- ing the
tradition
tors and senior leaders before
of atthe school had even started to
tendance
plan the freshman orientation.
Needless to say, Mr. Mal came at the
annual
up with twists that proved to
March for
everyone that he was more
Life in
than ready to fill Mr. Nelson’s
Mr. Mal
Washington,
shoes.
D.C.
Then, before the pep rally,
His door is always open
Mr. Mal designed the ‘I can,
and seems to have more people
you can, we can’ canned food
hanging out than places to sit.
drive.
Students have grown to
The food drive inspired
have a great relationship with
students to take matters into
him and many view him more
their own hands and fill the
as a mentor than a teacher.
shelves of the food bank that
The Trinity community is
had become bare.
blessed to have him and he is
By the end of the drive,
each student had brought in an sure to bring a great close to
the year.
average of more than 10 cans.
Small school shows off
its big pride and spirit
T
to be when the brackets were
rinity is known across
released.
the state for being the
And then it was the boys
little school that could.
turn. They trailed in both the
Our school of fewer than
quarterfinals and the semis
500 kids gives more than
before completely disman2000 cans for the canned
tling city rival
food drive. Our
Editorial
Memorial, 50-25
volunteer hours
in one of the most
double those of
dominating chamstudents in schools
four times our size. We travel pionships in recent memory.
But it didn’t stop there.
500 miles to march three
The little school that
miles for something that we
could had as many fans - if
believe in.
not more - in every one of
But this winter, Trinity
those aforementioned games
did something else better
than the schools Trinity
than any other school – play
played. Each time, the fans
sports.
brought with them the pride,
Of the three major winter
spirit and tradition that is so
sports (boys’ hockey, boys’
often emphasized at Trinity.
basketball and girls’ basketAt each game, fans from
ball), Trinity won a playoff
across the state packed the
game in each.
arena, some to take in a game
The hockey team upset
and others to root their team
fifth-seeded Exeter before
to victory. But it was Trinfalling to eventual champion
ity and its fans that stood tall
Pinkerton when the Astros
netted the game-winning goal above the rest, win or lose.
The fans at these games
with 3.5 seconds reaming.
helped motivate these players
Then the girls’ basketball
and showed the whole state
team advanced to the chamthat it doesn’t matter how big
pionship, where they hung in
there with one of the best New or small a school is. Well over
half of the school was at most
Hampshire girls’ basketball
of these games.
teams ever assembled, the
It’s moments like these
Winnacunnet Warriors.
The girls avenged a regular that set Trinity apart from
every other school and show
season loss to second-seed
why Trinity students are rePinkerton in the semis – a
ally something special.
place they weren’t expected
2008/2009
The Pioneer
Page 3
Opinion/Editorial
Trinity: Commitment to school, community
S
ummer is almost here, and the
observation that I often hear is,
“You must really be happy to be
rid of those kids!” I don’t know what
the experience is at other schools since
I have always been safely ensconced
in the Trinity Community, but we
actually like having the “kids” around.
Sure, we are all a bit tired right now.
We can use a break from work and are
ready for a change in routine, but (and
I know some of you will think I am
lying or crazy) we really love teaching
these kids.
It’s not because the families are
rich or that the students are all geniuses. It is, in part, because we
choose each other. Teachers choose
to be here when they can earn more
and work less in other school systems.
Parents choose to pay tuition above
and beyond their taxes, and some of
them really do struggle to do so.
Students choose Trinity when
they know they will be asked to work
harder than ever for their grades.
Like any good relationship, we
choose to be together and we choose
to beat the odds whether that involves
our outstanding sports teams, our
First Robotics Team, the many other
activities and accolades our students
are responsible for, their 100% college
D
ear Alumni and
Friends, I would like
to take this opportunity to introduce myself, my
name is Michael Connell. I
am a graduate of Trinity High
School, Class of 1990. Currently, I serve as the development/alumni director at
Trinity.
In this dual role, I am
constantly trying to find ways
to connect with our alumni.
This newspaper is just the
first step in that process.
Along with mailings we will
be updating our Website. We
are hoping that this Website
will not only be inviting for
all users but also functional
for all alumni. The Website
will enable the user to find
other alumni and update information that will help us to
keep you informed of upcoming events.
I hope that these improvements will make it easier for
all of us to not only attend the
events but also inspire some
to get involved with planning
and creating the events.
From the phone calls and
encounters I have had with
many alumni, I know that
many of us would like to be
involved. I welcome any and
all suggestions and help. We
all have had a unique experience, and I would like to think
that most of us had a positive
Denis Mailloux
From the Principal
acceptance rate or incredible college scholarship awards. We choose
to work harder, strive for more and,
together, set the tone for an experience
that will follow these “kids” for the
rest of their lives.
I am writing this piece not in
anticipation of what our alums would
like to read or to get them to “connect” with the school and make
generous donations. I really want
you to know what any teacher here
will echo.
There is magic here. I claim no
responsibility for it, but I am lucky
enough to witness it. Teachers come
into school early, leave late, readily
give our students extra help, lead activities, participate in service activities
with the students, etc., etc., etc. They
Mike Connell
Office of Development
experience while they spent
their four years here.
That being said, there is
no better way to show your
appreciation and pride for
your school than giving back.
There are, of course, many
ways to give back, but I think
the most important is to simply get involved, whether it is
coming back for homecoming, coming to watch the team
you once played for carry on
the tradition, or spending the
evening connecting with fellow classmates at the Thanksgiving social. We all share a
bond that is hard to put into
words.
I look forward to many
years of serving Trinity as
well as you my fellow Alumni.
Please do not hesitate to
contact me with any questions
or concerns that you might
have at [email protected].
pride
spirit
t r a d i t i o n.
T r i n ity H igh S chool
never stop. The students respond to
their teachers’ commitment with a
level of achievement and participation
that is the equal of any school. They
reciprocate naturally, giving back to
the community that has nurtured them.
The central point of all this is that
Trinity High School stands for a level
of commitment to our school, our
students and our community that is
without equal. One of the tragedies of
our society today is that children grow
up without tangible evidence that they
are of value to anyone. It’s hard to
feel valued if no one gives you their
time.
All of us at Trinity are proud of all
that our schools stands for and for all
its students achievements, but what
we are most proud of is the fact that
every Trinity student knows what it
means to be in a community where
people take time to work together, to
help each other and to commit to each
other through the time they spend supporting each other.
Academic preparations alone are
cold and empty. It’s the heart that
guides us. It tells what is worth
pursuing and doesn’t let us lose sight
of the people who bring meaning to
our lives. Trinity students learn that
lesson.
Save the Date:
THS turns 40
1970….the Beatles release their
final album, the floppy disk is
invented, Monday Night Football
makes its debut and Trinity High
School opens its doors.
In honor of our 40th anniversary, Trinity High School will have
a year-long celebration during the
2010-2011 academic year. Stay
tuned for details about the festivities!
If you would like additional
information or if you want to help
play a role in the celebration,
please e-mail us at [email protected].
As our Class of 2009 leaves us and
goes out into the world, they bring
with them an understanding of what
it means to value others and to care
about them. They will lead with their
hearts, minds and spirits.
The world can’t help but be a better
place for that.
Denis Mailloux,
Principal, Class of ’72
Page 4
The Pioneer
Opinion/Editorial
You’re in high school and
you’re definitely not in love
V
alentine’s Day is approaching, and it’s
just one more day
that the countless couples at
Trinity stare into each other’s
eyes and say “I love you”,
all the while blocking lockers and doors and emergency
exits. To all of you, I say, get
a grip. You’re a fire hazard,
and you’re most certainly not
in love.
You’re in high school,
and you haven’t found your
“soul mate”. You aren’t going
to spend the rest of eternity
together. That’s a Hallmark
fantasy. I mean, come on,
let’s face it: your relationship has issues, as every high
school relationship does, and
you’ll probably be broken up
in a few weeks, a month tops
Minded, there are a few relationships where the people
involved are able to maintain
space, and therefore they are
generally fairly successful.
However, for most, it
seems you can’t even maintain balance without holding
the other person’s hand. What
is this, preschool? But then
again, it couldn’t be preschool,
because when you’re tired
from taking up the space of
two people walking down
the halls, you stop and take
a break to make out, conve-
Joe Walsh
Opinion
niently blocking the maximum
amount of lockers possible. It
never stops, and most don’t
even come up for air! It seems
like it would be in the best
interest of all parties involved
to get snorkels surgically implanted into the sides of their
faces.
And while all this is happening, people have to wait to
get to their books. Of course
the couples never look up to
see if people are waiting, but
they are. But let’s be totally
honest: what could you possibly say to break something
like that up? Maybe “excuse
me, I need to get my books,
and I’d prefer them sans-saliva.”
Even though you think
you’re in love, you’re not.
Maybe you’re infatuated,
maybe you have issues with
being alone, or maybe you are
trying to make someone really
angry by blocking their locker
and/or access to emergency
exits during a fire drill! I
personally don’t know, maybe
you should go to therapy. All
I can say is that you are not in
love.
You’ve probably only been
dating for a few months, and
although the thrill of it all
may not have worn off by
now, it will. Give it time, and
while you’re waiting, please
refrain from making out in
front of lockers, and cut back
on the hand holding. Instead,
try a friendly conversation.
You may even discover that
you have absolutely nothing
in common with this person
you barely know, and therefore you’ll save yourself a
whole bunch of time and
energy.
You could still keep on doing exactly what you’ve been
doing if that’s what you both
want; you just wouldn’t be
under the false pretense that
you are in love.
If you feel the urge to stop
me in the hall and tell me
that I am completely clueless
because I’m not in a relationship, please refrain. I’m in high school. I’m not in
love. And neither are you.
Time for nonstop texters to
rethink their social habits
I
had never attended a
birthday party as frustrating as this one. It was my
best friend’s Sweet Sixteen,
yet only two out of the seven
party-goers (including myself)
seemed to be paying attention
to the birthday girl.
This was not to be blamed
on the obnoxious attention
seeker or the self-pitying
wallflower who always finds
a way to kill the mood of the
party; the object competing
against my friend for attention
was the omnipresent cellular
telephone.
The theme was casino
night, and all the girls were
assembled around the dining
room table, chatting and laughing as my friend’s step-dad
patiently taught the group how
to play Texas Hold ‘Em.
However, as I glanced
around the table, it looked
like the other girls were more
interested in their enV’s and
Voyagers than participating in
the card game.
Every bout of laughter was
interrupted by the raucous
buzz of an incoming message,
and much of the conversation
was about the insignificant
drama being passed around
from phone to phone.
Sarah Ruggiero
Opinion
Not even a rousing game
of Rock Band could pry the
cell phones from these girls’
hands. Instead, several of
the girls sat in cliques on the
other side of the basement,
refusing to contribute to the
social atmosphere.
I thought this behavior was
incredibly rude. Did they have
somewhere else they would
rather be? Were the 160
characters displayed across a
touch-screen really that more
intriguing than a boisterous
party fueled by “That’sWhat-She-Said’s” and double
chocolate cake?
I knew the obsession with
texting was a problem for
teenagers, but the level of
absorption on that particular occasion made my brain
sizzle.
Texting can be a helpful and convenient means of
communication, but when
teenagers start texting more
than talking, they become
socially inept and communicatively lazy.
Making a phone call
doesn’t require an incredible
amount of energy and effort,
and it’s much more meaningful than sending a text
message, which is by default,
void of inflection and emotion.
If you can only manage
to discuss serious matters via
text message, you’ve got a
problem. You’re not always
going to be able to deal with
the heavier stuff by taking the
easy way out.
There are certain things
that need to be said or discussed in person, like major
arguments, breakups, important revelations, apologies, or
even making the first move
with a crush.
Here’s a revolutionary idea:
put your cell phone away and
actually pay attention to the
people around you! Face to
face communication will never
go out of style, and it doesn’t
cost $59.99 per month on a
two-year contract.
2008/2009
A time to look back
to the good old days
A
Pat McLaughlin
t this
now seemed
time
like an hour.
Opinion
there
When the
is a disorder
only thing that
rapidly infesting
mattered was havthe seniors of Trining fun. When five
ity High School
dollars seemed like a
and no, it is not
million. When Toys
“senioritis.”
R’ Us overruled the
In fact it is the
mall.
exact opposite, for
This was a time
the sake of this
before the internet or
article let it be called the
AIM, before X-Box 360 or
“College Warrior Complex.” PS3, remember...four square,
Ask anyone in the (snazhoola-hoops, Happy Meals,
zy) class of ‘09 and they will running through sprinklers,
tell you that they have never getting the front seat was a
been more busy or stressed.
huge deal, cartoons like-Hey
Between planning for
Arnold or Doug or what
next year and college apabout Legends of the Hidden
plications in addition to
Temple, Gloabal Guts, Doueverything else that needs
ble Dare, and Are You Afraid
to be done, lives have been
of the Dark, who could
completely consumed.
forget Snick, or teenage
Even though this anxiety mutant ninja turtles, scooby
seems completely underdoo, and the Power Rangers,
standable, would it be totally climbing trees, the ice cream
absurd
truck,
to step
building
aside,
forts,
and take
spinning
a look at
around
the big
till you
picture?
get so
It is
dizzy
senior
you fall,
year,
laughand it
ing so
would be
hard you
a shame
almost
if come
pee your
spring,
pants,
you reallaughized you didn’t enjoy what
ing so hard you did pee your
you actually had.
pants, indoor recess playing
Every year on the senior
“7-UP,” field trips every
retreat, it seems as though
other week, all decisions
the majority of seniors walk
were made by “eeny-meenyout these doors at the end of miney-moe,” mistakes were
the day in tears.
fixed by a simple “do over,”
Could this be because
Pogs, abilities were discovthey have finally absorbed
ered because of “doublethe reality of the situation,
dog-dares,” Pokemon cards,
that they will never walk
and our only perception of
through these halls again,
high school was through
never be with these people
Zach Morris, A.C. Slater,
as one group, and that the
Kellie Kapowski, Lisa
past four years are now just
Turtle, Jesse, and Schreech.
a recent memory?
Remember?
“Warriors,” maybe it
It was simple, it was fun,
wouldn’t be a bad idea to
and it made sense, and it cerstop the foot that is in midtainly can’t hurt to look back
stride and just appreciate
and keep things in perspecwhere your standing, prepare tive. So as everyone goes
for the future but don’t forback to the last minute SATs,
get to enjoy the present.
the agonizing essays, and
So what is the proposed
the rest of your future, don’t
remedy to this “College
forget to enjoy the moment
Warrior Complex?”
because what you do today
Put yourself in a time
will soon be just another one
when two minutes from
of tomorrow’s memories.
...don’t forget to
enjoy the moment
because what you
do today will soon
be just another
one of tomorrow’s
memories.
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2008/2009
The Pioneer
In Memoriam
THS mourns great loss
Staff Reports
Trinity High School lost
a beloved guidance director,
friend, and mother on Dec.
4. Mrs. Cynthia Raczka was
55 when she passed away
after a sudden illness.
Mrs. Raczka was born to
James and Margaret Christensen on August 10, 1953
in Minneapolis, MN. She
attended St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Dover
and earned her B.S. and
M.S. from the University of
New Hampshire. She then
received her M.Ed. from the
University of North Carolina.
Mrs. Raczka worked at
Trinity for the past 34 years,
starting as a teacher in the
science department. She
then became guidance director and continued serving
that position up until her
death.
Mrs. Raczka was a loving wife and mother who
remained a devout Catholic
throughout her life. She was
known to others as someone
who had a passion for education and loved interacting
with Trinity students.
Mrs. Raczka’s family
includes her husband of 22
years, Ronald E. Raczka; two
daughters Meredith Ann Raczka, Trinity Class of 2006;
Michelle Marie Raczka, a
current junior at Trinity. She
also leaves behind her mother, Margaret Christensen; one
sister, Ann Christensen; one
brother, Jeffrey Christensen;
nephews, nieces, and cousins.
The wake was held on
Monday, Dec. 8, from 4 to
8 p.m. at Lambert Funeral
Home & Crematory. The
Mass of Christian burial was
celebrated on Tuesday, Dec.
9 at 10 a.m. at St. Catherine
Church. Burial followed at
St. Joseph’s Cemetery.
Friends and family gathered at Trinity High School
following the burial.
Memorial contributions
may be made to the Guardian
Angel Fund, care of Trinity
High School, 581 Bridge St.,
Manchester NH 03104.
Page 5
Mrs. Cynthia Raczka
1953-2008
Cindy had three favorite things in life; they were her family, Trinity, and her faith. If you knew her you knew these were
equally held close to her heart. Cindy spent much of her time
at school and with her family. I have spent countless hours
with her over the past several years, and I have been fortunate
to work alongside her and to see the many sides of Cindy:
compassionate friend, loyal coworker, and proud mother. It
was not uncommon on any given day for Cindy to share how
proud she was of her daughters. While we talked about many
things, these were the conversations I will remember most
because she would light up when talking about them, and you
could see the pride and love in her eyes... She will be missed
every day here, and I am certain in our own ways that we will
all work toward keeping her memory alive and continue the
work she so valued.
God’s Peace to all who knew her,
Ms. Theressa Risdal, guidance counselor
Not easily forgotten
The Trinity community
and family lost one of its
beloved members when Mrs.
Cynthia Raczka passed away
on Dec. 5 due to a sudden
illness.
At Trinity, her title was
Director of Guidance. But
to the Trinity family, she
was so much more than
that.
Mrs. Raczka went far
above the call of duty for
any teacher or faculty
member. She served over
half of the school as a friend
first, guidance counselor
second.
She thought of others first
and came in to Trinity during
most Christmas vacations to
mail away applications and
make sure that each student
had the best shot he/she could
to succeed in life.
You see, this was not a
job that Mrs. Raczka dreaded
going to. In fact, this was
not a job to her. This was her
sanctuary.
Mrs. Raczka is someone
who is irreplaceable. Not just
at Trinity, but as a person.
She grew close to so many
Trinity family members and
helped even more become the
Editorial
students and community, because nothing is guaranteed.
It’s moments like these
that people appreciate the
people that surround them
and the lives they are so
lucky to have.
And it’s moments like
these that Trinity does
what it always does, something that separates it apart
from any other school. It
comes together as one family to mourn the loss of one
of its dearest members.
This is what separates
Trinity from any other school
and this is what Mrs. Raczka
fell in love with for 34 years.
She loved the opportunity
to mold thousands of students
into adults and to prepare
them for college and their
lives after high school.
She handled each student
differently, treating each like
her own son or daughter.
To her, her family didn’t
end with her two children; it
expanded to the entire school.
Trinity High School was her
family. It was her community,
and it was the place that she
loved for 34 years. And that
is what she will be remembered for most.
She handled each
student differently,
treating each like her
own son or daughter.
people they are today.
Her loss came as a shock
to the entire Trinity community and is a loss that will
never be forgotten. Anyone
who has ever worked with
her can remember her jolly
laugh or the way she would
always smile and say “hi”
when you walked by her in
the hallway.
And while her death came
as a shock, it also came as a
reminder. A reminder that life
is a fragile thing, something
that can be taken away at
anytime.
And while her loss is devastating, it helps to remind
us to cherish the time that
we have with our teachers,
For more than 30 years you have been my colleague, my
travelling companion, my friend and family. I can never forget
the trip we took to London. Even then, you had to call Trinity
with plan A and plan B for hiring a new science teacher that
summer. Together, we rode the rails on a tour of the scenic
railroads of New Hamsphire.
I remember you telling me that Ronnie asked you what
you were doing that day. You told him you were going with
Betty to ride the Conway Railroad. He thought that was fine
since you were going with me. As Ecclesiastes says, “For
everything there is a season and a time for every matter
under the heavens. A time to be born, and a time to die... a
time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a
time to dance... a time to seek... a time to love... and a time
for peace.”
I will miss you, my friend and adopted sister.
Love Betty (Kudrick), Trinity math teacher
Page 6
The Pioneer
2008/2009
News
New staff members join Trinity ranks
Staff Reports
Mr. Leonard
If an athlete who excels
in more than one phase of the
game is considered a “dualthreat,” then what would
Trinity’s new faculty member,
Mr. Leonard, who teaches
three classes and manages to
find the time to be an assistant
coach and
Trinity’s
athletic director, be
called?
How
about
busy?
Mr.
Mr. Leonard
Leonard
started at
Trinity long before any of us
(students, at least) were even
alive, back in 1981. And he
probably would have stayed
here for more than the four
years he did, if it were not for
football.
But Mr. Leonard wanted
something more that he
couldn’t have at Trinity for a
long time – a head coaching
position.
“I left for a public school
so that I could become the
head football coach over
there [Manchester West High
School]. I knew that Coach
Gati (Trinity’s head football
coach from 1979 - 1988)
had this program secure for
a while, and I couldn’t turn
down that opportunity,” he
said.
More than 20 years later,
and after teaching stints at
West High School, Manchester Central High School and
McKelvie Middle School, Mr.
Leonard has a similar job to
the one he was looking for
at Trinity. He is an assistant
coach on the football team
and has been for three years.
Not only that, but Mr. Leonard is embarking on his first
year as an athletic director,
taking over for Mr. Patrick
Smith, who served as the AD
for the last decade.
“It is a challenge to be
half-teacher and half-athletic
director. Every day, I encounter something that I wouldn’t
have expected,” he said.
That seems pretty fitting
considering he has four jobs
at Trinity, plus the job of being a full time father of two
children, Ashley and Mike,
both Trinity students.
Mr. Perry
Mr. Perry is teaching his
first full time year at Trinity
and could not be more excited.
Even though it may be
his first full year in the classroom, Mr. Perry is certainly
no stranger to teaching. Being
the outdoor enthusiast he is,
Mr. Perry
taught
rock
climbing
back in
Colorado,
while
washing
windows
(or as he
Mr. Perry
likes to
call it,
“glass scrubbing”) on the side.
The outdoors were originally something that drew him
to New Hampshire, where he
attended Dartmouth College.
He loves to rock climb, ski,
and paddleboard.
You can see Mr. Perry this
year teaching geography and
history, while also coaching alpine skiing and outdoor track.
Ms. Levine
After 23 years of working
in Manchester public schools,
Ms. Ivy Levine decided to
retire, but only from the
public education. Ms. Levine
now joins Trinity as a Spanish
teacher teaching six Spanish
classes of varying levels.
After attending Central
High School, Ms. Levine went
to University of New Hamp-
shire in Durham, where she
received her B.A. and then
proceeded to earn her master’s
degree at Lesley College in
Cambridge,
Massachusetts.
Even
though she
completed
her student
teaching at
her alma
Ms. Levine
mater, Ms.
Levine
took on a full-time teaching position at Manchester
West High School, where she
taught until last year.
“I decided to retire from
the Manchester public schools
due to the change in the
school I was in and the city
not supporting education
well enough,” said Levine. “I
wasn’t burnt out. I still loved
teaching. But I just wasn’t as
happy as I should be and felt
that it was time for a change.”
That change was coming
to Trinity. Spontaneously,
Ms. Levine called Mr. Patrick
Smith, dean of students and
Ms. Levine’s former student
at West. A week later, Ms.
Levine heard back from the
school that she would be considered for hiring.
Ms. Levine was an active
faculty member at West.
“I brought back the
language club and was class
adviser for my first graduating
class of ’89,” said Levine.
Ms. Levine said she feels
very welcome by the faculty
and the students, who are very
friendly.
“It’s a change, but I think
it’s a change for the better,
and at this point in time, I
am happy with the decision I
have made,” said Ms. Levine.
Like many of the long-time
Trinity staff members, Ms.
Levine has gotten involved
with the school extracurricular activities as well as with
students in class. Ms. Levine
is here at Trinity not only
teaching, but as a member of
the Trinity community.
Mr. O’Leary
Mr. Dan O’Leary, Trinity
High School’s new part-time
Latin instructor, is a Boston
College graduate, Vietnam
veteran and longtime teacher.
Mr. O’Leary was born in
1948 right outside of Boston,
in Somerville, Massachusetts. After growing up in the
Somerville area, Mr. O’Leary
attended Boston College,
where he majored in philosophy and German.
Following his graduation from BC in 1968, Mr.
O’Leary was drafted into the
military and spent a year serving in Vietnam.
After returning from Vietnam, Mr. O’Leary went on to
receive his master’s degree
in English from Boston State
College, now a part of the
University of Massachusetts.
Currently, Mr. O’Leary
resides in North Sutton, N.H.,
where he previously taught
at Kearsarge Regional High
School. After teaching English
and Latin
at the high
school full
time for 32
years, Mr.
O’Leary
retired in
Mr. O’Leary
June 2007.
However,
when Mr. O’Leary was contacted by Trinity about teaching Latin on a part-time basis,
he was tempted to return to
what he loves.
“I missed teaching,” said
Mr. O’Leary. “I missed the
day-to-day contact with students and colleagues.”
Mr. O’Leary is also an
adjunct instructor at SNHU,
where he teaches English.
Due to the fact that he only
works part-time here at Trinity, Mr. O’Leary hasn’t really
gotten involved with much
outside of the classroom.
“When I taught at Kearsarge I was involved in a lot,
though: student council, senior
leadership…things like that.”
Because Mr. O’Leary
teaches at Trinity part-time he
is usually only at school during
the fixed mods: D, E and F,
during which time he teaches
Latin 1, Latin 2 and Latin 3.
Mrs. Lennan-Morf
Mrs. Gail Lennan-Morf
is the new Spanish level one
teacher at Trinity and teaches
part time for mods D, E, and F.
“That’s a fun course to
teach,”
said Mrs.
LennanMorf.
A
graduate
of Keene
High
School,
Mrs. Lennan-Morf Mrs. Lennanwent to
Morf
Suffolk
University in Boston, M.A.
and earned her B.A .and M.
Ed. She then went to Morelia Mexico and earned her
master’s in Spanish.
Mrs. Lennan-Morf just
retired from public school
teaching after 31 years. She
taught the last 21 at Merrimack High School.
At Trinity she is now active with Campus Ministry.
The owner of a 23-year-old
cat said she loves to volunteer
for school dances and activities too.
She stays busy as a eucharistic minister at St. Elizabeth
Seton in Bedford.
“The absolute truth is I
always wanted to teach at
Trinity when I retired, and
something was available,”
said Mrs. Lennan-Morf. “And
I absolutely love it.”
Welcoming new guidance to the Trinity community
By Sam Goodnow
Pioneer Editor
Few professionals adhere
to students’ needs as closely
as guidance counselors do,
and few careers are as stressful but also rewarding.
According to Trinity’s new
guidance counselor, Mr. Ronald Losier, the time is worth
the effort.
“I’ve been doing guidance
a long time,” said Mr. Losier,
“and I love it.”
Mr. Losier has been a guidance counselor in Whitefield,
at Groveton High School, and
at Berlin High School.
Mr. Losier graduated from
Berlin High School before
going to St. Michael’s Col-
lege in Vermont, completing a
bachelor’s degree in English.
He taught for four years in
South Windsor, Connecticut
and then returned to his alma
mater, Berlin High School, to
teach.
He completed a master’s
program and earned dual
certification in administration
and guidance and counseling
at Plymouth State University.
From there, Mr. Losier’s
future lay in Milan Elementary
School where he became an elementary principal, and he has
now found himself in Trinity’s
own guidance department.
A veteran in guidance
counseling, Mr. Losier took
on his fourth guidance counseling job here at Trinity.
Pioneer Staff Photo
Trinity’s newest addition to guidance, Mr. Losier, sits in his office
ready to meet with students.
Since Mrs. Cynthia
Raczka’s death in December,
Ms. Theressa Risdal has filled
Mrs. Raczka’s position as
guidance director. Mr. Losier
was hired for the position of
guidance counselor.
“We are very lucky to have
[Mr. Losier] join us,” said Ms.
Risdal.
While Ms. Risdal continues with the M-Z section of
Trinity students, Mr. Losier
has taken A-L.
“That way, we stay with
students for four years. It
gives us an opportunity to
really get to know them,” said
Mr. Losier.
Mr Losier can usually be
found in his office in the guidance department.
”I certainly want the
student body to know how
pleased I am to be here,” said
Mr. Losier. “I have an opendoor policy, so I’m always
happy to help.”
Trinity faculty and students
have put in an effort to get to
know Mr. Losier.
“It’s been a very easy transition, very largely due to the
help of the staff. They have
given me a great deal of their
time. I have been welcomed.
Also the cooperation of the
student body has made it
easy,” said Mr. Losier.
Meetings can be scheduled
with Mr. Losier at any time.
Already, Mr. Losier has met
with most juniors to discuss
college plans.
It seems the class of 2010
will not be the last class that
Mr. Losier sends off to college.
“So far I’ve really enjoyed
Trinity—it’s a wonderful
group,” said Mr. Losier.
2008/2009
The Pioneer
Page 7
News
The Pioneers’ trainer goes above and beyond
By Kaitlin Fitzgerald
Pioneer Staff
The younger of two children, Mrs.
Hollingworth grew up with her older
sister in northern New Hampshire. A
natural born athlete, she played field
hockey, basketball and softball during
her high school years.
She was also able to flex her artistic and musical muscles during her
years spent playing clarinet in her high
school band.
Coming from a very small high
school, Mrs. Hollingworth approached
college life at Ithaca College in New
York.
“I went to Ithaca without knowing
a soul,” Hollingworth said.
Yet, she showed willingness to become involved and took on the various
opportunities presented to her.
While attending college, Mrs. Hollingworth not only involved herself
with rowing for a collegiate level
crew team, but she also found the time
to head up a major organization on
campus, all the while still volunteering
with various other organizations.
“I met lots of people and tried out
some new things, like crew. It opened
my eyes to a lot of new opportunities
that I would not have sought out if I
didn’t have to branch out on my own.”
Mrs. Hollingworth’s thirst for
new experiences and opportunities
extended far beyond the boundaries
of Ithaca, NY. Mrs. Hollingworth is a
seasoned world traveler, having been
to South Africa, Greece, England, Ireland, Hong Kong, Beijing, and Alaska.
She has also been on the obligatory
backpacking trip through Europe for
six weeks and has made a month-long
road trip across the United States with
a friend.
“My backpacking trip to Europe
Courtesy of Amy Hollingworth
Mrs. Hollingworth and her husband atop Mt. Kilimajaro, the highest peak in Africa.
also taught me a lot about life. It
was an amazing experience where I
learned a ton about how other cultures
live, she said.”
Mrs. Hollingworth recalls that
her experiences of travel and cultural
immersion have undoubtedly shaped
her life and cultivated within her a
new sense of appreciation for culture,
nature, lifestyle, and adventure.
“It was constant action and decision making at every turn. Sometimes
I can be hesitant when it comes to
decision-making, but I couldn’t be
this way on my trip if I wanted to get
anywhere and see anything,” said Hollingworth.
Mrs. Hollingworth has a passion
for not only seeing the world around
her but, more importantly, for being a
part of it.
She assures that if you ever bump
into her in some exotic country, she
will not be the tourist looking aimlessly at the sky with a Polaroid camera
draped around her neck and a fanny
pack cinched around her waist.
“I walked on the Great Wall and
ran a race in a Typhoon,” she said, “I
went bungee jumping, sailing, flew
over Cape Point and have taken a boat
ride to where the two oceans meet…
My husband and I climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro – the highest peak in Africa.”
Although a self-proclaimed lover
of pizza “and ice-cream too,” Mrs.
Hollingworth has spent much of her
adult life doing a different kind of
traveling, running 26.2 miles at a time.
Despite the fact that she does not
consider herself a “true runner,” Mrs.
Hollingworth has completed six full
marathons since the fall of 2006.
“I decided to train for a marathon
because I thought it would be a good
challenge, and I needed the extra
focus to help with my training discipline,” she said.
Her first marathon was the Cape
Cod Marathon in the fall of 2006.
“I decided to run the Cape Cod
Marathon because one of my other
friends was running it, and I thought it
would be nice to have others there to
cheer me on – since they were going to
be there to cheer her on.”
Despite her amateur status and nonchalant attitude, Mrs. Hollingworth
completed the race with an impressive
time of 3 hours 55 minutes.
Her finish at the Cape Cod Marathon earned her a spot on the starting
line of the hypercompetitive Boston
Marathon later that year, where she
ran a time of 3 hours and 40 minutes,
requalifying herself for the race the
next year.
Since, Mrs. Hollingworth has
continued to run an impressive two
marathons per year, finishing with
competitive times that have continually qualified her for Boston.
Whether it be bungee jumping in
South Africa, wrapping someone’s
ankle, or watching A ‘good ole’ Disney Pixar movie” with her husband,
it is clear that Mrs. Hollingworth’s
openness to experience has not waned
since her college years.
“At times it is challenging, but it is
always interesting. Everyday is a new
experience. I never know what the
new day will bring,” she said.
Mrs. Hollingworth is a woman
who is cool in temperament, kind in
demeanor, and so painstakingly modest by nature that many of her tremendous stories and achievements remain
untold.
Although she prefers the sunlight
to the limelight, Mrs. Hollingworth
is a woman who has achieved much,
traveled far, yet told little.
However, don’t let her fool you;
there is much of her story that is yet to
come.
“The plans are still in the works,
but we are working on an around-theworld trip…shhhh!”
George Heck: the man behind the wheel
By Alison Patev
Pioneer Staff
F
.
or 13 years, bus driver
George Heck has become a familiar smiling face to Trinity athletes.
When a team is traveling to a
different school, you can bet
that Heck will be driving the
bus.
Raised on a farm in southeast Pennsylvania, Heck was a
three-sport athlete, participating in football, basketball, and
baseball, the only three sports
his high school offered. His
school was even smaller than
Trinity, with only 87 students
in his graduating class.
After graduation, Heck,
whose childhood ambition
was to become a farmer,
wasn’t keen on the idea of
higher education. He spent
four years in the Air Force as
a bomb site technician before
finally deciding to pursue
electrical engineering at TriState University in Indiana.
Until 1990, Heck worked
for the Minuteman Missile
System as an engineer manager at GTE in Massachusetts.
An employee for 25 years,
Heck took early retirement
in 1990. A year later, he applied for a job as a bus driver.
It was an appealing job to
Heck.
“I like kids and I like
driving,” he said.
He started out driving for
the Bedford School District,
and, in 1995, took a job driving buses for Trinity teams.
Over the past 13 years,
Heck has grown to be one of
Trinity’s biggest fans.
“I developed a real
rapport with the people at
Trinity,” says Heck. “I get
the feeling that what I do is
appreciated.”
His allegiance to the
school was shown several
years ago when he was almost forced to give up driving for Trinity. Heck’s new
boss told him that if he still
wanted to drive for Trinity,
he had to take new bus routes
in Goffstown. Heck, although
he was against the idea of
driving routes in Goffstown,
loved driving for Trinity so
much that he took the Goffstown routes just so he could
continue to drive Trinity
teams.
Heck has
a collection
of caps and
shirts that he
wears, depending on
the team he
is driving for.
For hockey,
he says, he
has a Trinity
hockey cap
and shirt he
wears to show
support. Heck
is often seen
Alison Patev / Pioneer staff
sporting his
George
Heck
takes
in
a
Jan.
6 girls’ basketball
Trinity Piogame at Winnacunnet. The girls’ lost, 85-50.
neers jacket,
which he
laughing.
found on sale and had specialIn addition to this dily embroidered with the name ploma, Heck has garnered all
of his favorite school.
kinds of signed balls and let“He is an honorary
ters from teams thanking him
Pioneer,” says Mr. Patrick
for his continued support. He
Smith, Dean of Students and
estimates that he has been to
the girls’ varsity basketball
almost 1,200 Trinity games
coach.
to date.
This was shown four years
When asked how he feels
ago when Heck received an
to be so well-loved and rehonorary diploma at a 2004
spected, Heck said: “It feels
Sports Awards Night.
good. I feel all the time that
“They put a cap and gown kids respect what I’m doing
on me!” remembers Heck,
and coaches, too.”
Heck, who confidently
admits it is not hard to learn
to drive a bus, claims that
only one thing will keep him
from driving for Trinity, “and
that’s if I stop breathing.”
This steak-and-potato-loving bus driver also admits
that basketball is his favorite
sport to watch because it is
all action.
“But I like almost all of
them,” Heck apologizes,
referring to all of the other
Trinity sports.
When he’s not driving,
Heck spends time with his
“hobby at the moment,”
woodworking. He’s always
had an interest in carpentry
and says that if he weren’t
a bus driver or an engineer,
he would definitely be a
carpenter.
As well as creating
objects out of wood, Heck
is also very involved with
his grandsons. Both play
basketball, so Heck goes to
as many of their games as
he can.
Hopefully, he says, the
two boys will attend Trinity,
so he can drive them to all
of their away games.
Page 8
The Pioneer
2008/2009
News
Dow: Trinity alum shines in Beijing
By Sam Goodnow
Pioneer Editor
peting well enough
to racewalk in the
Olympics, but she
acewalking is no easy
had been just shy of
feat. It is different,
qualification.
yet just as challeng“I’d competed at
ing as running because while
that level, just not
racewalking, the walker must
at the Olympics. In
have one foot on the ground
anything, you are just
at all times while the other
that competitive as an
knee must be straight when
athlete. It’s always a
the heel comes down.
dream,” said Dow.
United States Olympic
Just like all of
racewalker Joanne Dow has
the other Olympic
been practicing this specific
athletes, Dow had
form for fourteen years now,
to adjust herself to
and her efforts finally took her
competing in another
to the 2008 also coached at St.
country. She had to
Joseph’s Junior High and St.
focus on her race
Benedict Academy in Manand not think of the
chester.
negatives such as the
Dow’s interest in race
different food and
walking is a progression from
change in sleeping
the fitness class that she was
time.
instructing fourteen years ago
The weather
Since the commencement of
for August 21 was
her racewalking career, Dow’s
anticipated to be hot,
talent has been displayed in
but Dow woke up to
many races of varying distance
pouring rain on race
and competition.
day.
Dow racewalks different dis“I set pretty realtances depending on the race,
istic goals for myself,
but the Olympic qualifying
and I made those
race and the Olympic race on
goals. I certainly did
Jeff Salvage / www.racewalk.com not expect to PR with
August 21 were both 20-kiloTrinity High School alumna (’82) and Manchester native JoAnne Dow all of the variables,”
meter distances.
racewalks during this summer’s Olympic Games in Bejing, China.
Twenty kilometers is
said Dow.
roughly 12.4 miles, just under
One way Dow
My coach and I had seen it a few days prepared and centered herself before
the distance of a half-marathon.
before. And then, when I looked at my the race was through prayer.
In 2004, Dow set her 20k personal
time, it was like, oh!” said Dow.
record of 1:32:55, and she was satisDow prays often in her training as
Dow had already competed in
fied with her Olympic trials time of
well as before, during, and after races.
1:35:11, which was a minute ahead of elite races and knew a few of the U.S. Dow’s training can rack up a total of
Olympic track athletes from previous
the second place finisher. When she
more than 60 miles a week and she deevents.
crossed the finish line at 1:34:15 at
votes a lot of time into working out.
She went to China almost two
National Stadium in China, Dow had
“I do more than just walking. Well,
weeks before her family arrived to
racewalked her third fastest career
it’s my job, too, so the majority of my
support her for the race, so she hung
time.
day until I coach is spent on it,” she
“That’s not bad at my age and to do around with some of the athletes she
said.
after 14 years. It was good to leave on knew, as well as new teammates too.
During races, Dow’s mind basiDow had wanted to compete in the cally remains on one of two courses:
a high note,” said Dow. “I was very,
Olympics before this year and had
very happy with my time.” in prayer or in mathematical mayhem.
racewalked in more than one qualifyFinishing in 31st place overall, Dow
She uses the same prayer for training
ing trial.
had also set the U.S. women’s interas she does for her races, and it was
She had thought in 2000 and in
national racewalking record. “I didn’t
a central thought during her Olympic
2004 that she was capable of comeven know what it was until the race.
performance.
R
“Elite race
walking
competitors
like JoAnne
Dow make
the sport look
effortless...”
“I just had this goal in my mind,
and so any negative thoughts I would
just pray them away,” said Dow. “I’ve
got this great prayer I learned at a parish mission. ‘Come Holy Spirit, come
now, come as you wish.’ ”
Dow repeated this prayer in her
Olympic race as well as in the qualifying race and a lot in her training.
“I know I’m not in control here,”
said Dow, referring to the prayer.
While one half of her mind allows
her to let God take control, the other
half is calculating paces and strategizing to pass the competition.
Dow said she usually breaks 20k
races down into more manageable
5k segments, but she did not use this
strategy in the Olympics.
“I think a lot about my pace and
my coach—what he says. Mostly I
am just focusing on what my pace
should be and what I want to do.
There is math going on in my head,”
she said.
As an Olympic event that only the
elite could ever hope to compete in,
racewalking has proved to be more
than just regulated form.
“I love it. I do. I really enjoy challenging myself and achieving something,” said Dow.
Elite race walking competitors
like JoAnne Dow make the sport look
effortless, but only those elite athletes
know how challenging and rewarding
it can be.
“Invisible Children” bring hope to THS
By Alexa Serrecchia
Pioneer Editor
There is a new club to get
involved in this year as the Invisible Children Club makes
its Trinity High School debut.
If you were here last
year, you may remember the
overnight lock-in that about
70 students participated in. It
was put on to raise awareness
about Invisible Children in
Northern Uganda and what
they are going through.
“I felt that it was very
important to make IC more
than just a one-night event
and transform it into something much greater that has an
epic impact on the children of
Northern Uganda,” said Kaitlin Fitzgerald, senior, and also
the main student in charge of
Invisible Children Club.
Fitzgerald hopes that the
club will not only help to
rebuild schools in Northern
Uganda, but also to raise
awareness in the community
about human rights issues.
If you are not familiar with
Invisible Children, it is a nonprofit organization that tries to
give the children in Northern
Uganda a better education by
trying to create a stronger and
better learning environment
for the students.
Also, Invisible Children
tries to introduce new economic ideas to improve the
community.
The children of Northern
Uganda see horrific sights
of people being killed every
day from the war between the
Lord’s Resistance Army in the
Sudan and the Government of
Uganda.
There are children without
parents, who struggle all day
to find food and shelter for the
evening—many do not have
time to worry about an education. However, many of the
children have great aspirations
of becoming doctors or lawyers among other professions.
“The Invisible Children
Club is a club is a Trinity High School Club that is
dedicated to raising awareness
and pioneering creative and
effective fundraisers in order
to contribute to the Invisible Children organization’s
efforts to rebuild schools in
Northern Uganda that have
been devastated by war,” said
Fitzgerald.
There are a few different
ways for you to get involved
with this club: you can attend
the announced meetings, stop
by and see Mr. Malinowski,
cmapus minister. for more
information, or find Kaitlin
Fitzgerald and talk to her. You
can even contact Kaitlin on the
Trinity High School Invisible
Children Facebook group,
which was set up by students
(it is not an official Campus
Read The Pioneer throughout the year at www.trinity-hs.org
Ministry/school group).
Mark your calendars,
because, “The central event
will be held on October 1,
when our Invisible Children
“roadie” will be coming to
Trinity HS to host a screening and speak to us about the
organization and the cause,”
said Fitzgerald.
The idea behind the new
club is to help these children.
“We want to go beyond
awareness into action,” said
Mr. Malinowsk.
“They need schools to
adopt schools in Northern
Uganda. We want it to be a
grass roots sort of effort, not
just Campus Ministry,” said
Mr. Mal.
2008/2009
The Pioneer
From Page One
CHAMPIONSHIP
Continued from page 1
play. From then on, it was all
about defense as the Pioneers
held the Crusaders to only 11
points in the first half. Trinity led, 22-11, heading into
halftime.
The Pioneers came out in
the third with no plans of letting Memorial comeback.
Senior captain Dylan Clark,
Zach Ibanez and the Madol
brothers took turns shutting
down Memorial stars Jason
Chevrefils and Jeff Sowa. the
Pioneers maintained control of
the low post game.
Meanwhile, Laguerre
scored 16 second-half points
as the Pioneers came away
with the championship, 50-25.
As for Laguerre, he finished with 26 points, outscoring Memorial by himself.
As the final seconds wound
off of the clock, the familiar
MARCH
Continued from page 1
March to begin among
200,000 other marchers, the
Trinity students and chaperones were met with surprise
visits from Mr. Andrew Nelson, former Trinity Campus
Minister and current seminarian, and Bishop McCormack of the Roman Catholic
Diocese of Manchester.
Mr. Malinowski, Trinity
Campus Minister, had been
looking forward to attending
the March since he learned
POWERS
Continued from page 1
Manchester Union Leader
wrote in his column “As I See
‘Em,” “Every community has
a roster full of people who
will forever be called coach,
not because someone can’t
remember their name, but
because someone can remember a lot of good times.” This
statement embodies what Mr.
Powers is all about.
Mr. Powers, whose official title is Assistant to the
Athletic Director, was born
in Manchester, and attended
Bishop Bradley High School
(now Trinity) as a member of
the class of 1963. Mr. Powers, although humble about
his accomplishments, was a
three-sport varsity athlete and
a member of Bishop Bradley’s
football, basketball, and baseball teams.
During his time at Bishop
Bradley, Mr. Powers was a
member of the 1961 Class L
state champion baseball team,
the 1961 Division I state
champion football team, and
the 1963 Class L state champion basketball team.
“I thoroughly enjoyed my
high school experience,” Mr.
Powers said. “I think I was
fortunate to be a part of athletics for several different teams.
I enjoyed that immensely.”
He continued on to at-
Page 9
shouts of “I believe that we
have won” by the Pioneer
faithful could be heard ringing
off the walls of Lundholm
Gym. The Past
It’s been 24 years since the
last time the Pioneers could
call themselves basketball’s
state champions.
However, in no way is this
due to lack of talent.
Within those 24 years,
Trinity has had some of the
best players that New Hampshire has ever seen.
By only going back five
years, you have your perfect
example: the ‘Dream Team.’
You all know the story; the
2003 Pioneer basketball team
started five players, four of
whom went on to play Division I basketball in college and
the fifth, Division II.
However, they couldn’t win
a championship.
This year, there were never
any egos when Trinity took
the floor, and that’s what made
the 2008-2009 Pioneers so
special. Each and every player
assumed a role and conquered
it, making this group a team
in every sense of the word.
The Early Rounds
The Pioneers’ road to
the Championship all began
back on March 11. At 7 p.m.,
the Pioneers made it clear
that they were a force to be
reckoned with as they beat
sixteenth seeded Keene by 30
points, 73-43.
Trinity’s next test was Saturday, March 14, at McHugh
Gym against eighth-seeded
city rival Manchester West.
Led by Besfort Styla,
who played the entire game
battling a wrist injury, West
shocked the home crowd,
coming out on an impressive
11-0 lead. However, Fitzpatrick was more impressive.
Netting seven three-point-
ers on the night, Fitzpatrick
sparked the Pioneer’s offense.
When the game was over,
West’s early lead had all but
been forgotten and the story
of the night was that Laguerre
had scored his 1,000th point
and the Pioneers walked away
with another win, 55-41. Semifinals
For three quarters, the
Broncos played the best game
the Pioneers had seen all year.
Down low, Alvirne’s Ryan
Sweeny and Brennan Donnelly, who finished with a
combined 28 points and 15
rebounds, were in complete
control of the game.
As the third quarter got
underway, things didn’t look
any better for the Pioneers.
With three minutes left until the fourth quarter, Alvirne
maintained their ten point
lead, 42-32.
As the third quarter ended
and the fourth quarter started,
the Pioneers began their
comeback.
Led down the stretch by
an impressive 10 points from
Laguerre and seven from
Richard Madol, the Pioneers
came roaring back to tie the
game on a Fitzpatrick trey
that sent the Trinity student
section into an absolute
frenzy. The score was now
58-58 with 2:30 left to play.
Soon to follow Fitzpatrick
was Laguerre, who hit his
own three to give the Pioneers
the lead with 2:10 left on the
clock. The Pioneers never
looked back, finishing off the
game with a score of 64-59.
Laguerre led all scorers with
24. Richard Madol added 14
and both Clark and Valentine
contributed seven.
After the game, Clark’s
response was simple and to
the point.
“Let’s finish it this time,”
he said.
that it is a Trinity tradition.
“It was a way to let the
new administration here in
Washington know that issues
pertaining to life are ones that
we still care about and that
millions of people across our
country take seriously,” said
Mr. Malinowski.
Students and chaperones
were excited about the opportunity to express their views
and stand up for what they
believe in.
“I love going on the march
because although we endure
aching feet, bitter cold, and
little sleep, the memories
you take away from it last a
lifetime. When you stand up
for a noble cause you form a
strong bond with the people
around you,” said Sarah Tarr,
a sophomore.
Mr. Paul Pearsall, father of
2008 Trinity graduate Lauren
Pearsall and junior Dan Pearsall, was proud to support the
movement and be a chaperone
for the fourth time.
“To see the number of
young kids take a stand that
I believe in makes me very
proud,” said Mr. Pearsall.
Many chaperones believe it
is important for students to get
involved. Ms. Amber Byron,
history teacher, and first-time
attendee, agrees.
“It’s always important for
people to be passionate about
an issue because that’s part of
what our government is,” said
Ms. Byron.
Another first-time attendee,
Mrs. Pamela Moriarty, parent
of freshman C.J. Moriarty,
reflected on her favorite moment of the March.
“My favorite moment was
cresting the hill near the end
of the March route and looking back to see the thousands
of participants still marching
behind us. It really showed
me what we were a part of,”
said Mrs. Moriarty.
After the March for Life,
students and chaperones went
to sightsee in Washington, D.C.
before meeting at Union Station
and getting on the buses to head
home around 7 p.m.
“As I got closer to leaving,
I realized that it’s more about
giving voices to the ones
without,” said Emma Scarito,
a freshman.
tend Boston College Business
School as a member of the
class of 1967 on full scholarship. At BC, he was a member
of the varsity football team.
“I wasn’t a great athlete by
any means,” said Mr. Powers.
“But, I was fortunate to be on
some excellent teams.”
Although Mr. Powers
claims that athletics was not
his forte, he says that his forte
was the love of the game.
“I just wanted to be a part
of it,” said Mr. Powers. “It
didn’t matter what sport or
position it was. I just wanted
to play and be a part of it. I
think that’s the only thing I
give myself credit for.”
After college, Mr. Powers
began teaching social studies
and coaching in 1968, first
at Bishop Bradley (which
turned into Trinity in 1970),
then at Manchester West High
School, followed by Salem
High School.
Mr. Powers served as Bishop Bradley’s assistant football
coach from ’68 to ’69 and
served as Bradley’s head football coach from ’70 to ’71.
Mr. Powers also served as
Bradley’s baseball coach from
’68 to ’72 and guided his team
to the state tournament during
all the five years he coached,
including a Class L state
title in ’69. Subsequently, he
coached JV basketball and
served as Bishop Bradley’s
(Trinity’s) Athletic Director.
“Although that’s not the
same thing I focused on as
a youngster, it [teaching]
was something I thoroughly
enjoyed. I used to get very
involved,” said Mr. Powers.
Leaving his teaching profession in 1979, Mr. Powers
went into the insurance business.
“I think my biggest regret is
getting out [of teaching] when I
did,” he said.
Still remaining involved, Mr.
Powers served as a high school
football official from 1979 to
1987.
With a Boston College business degree, varsity athlete and
coaching titles, and insurance
employment under his belt, it
may seem that Mr. Powers had
it all, but even considering his
many accomplishments, Mr.
Powers had his setbacks.
“Like everyone, I have
regrets. I made poor decisions,
poor choices,” said Mr. Powers.
“But you gotta pick up, move
on.”
Mr. Powers’s accomplishments are scattered across
the board, but Mr. Powers
reminds us that not everything
is what it seems.
“I would say that nothing’s
ever quite as good as you
think, and by the same token,
nothing’s ever as bad as you
might think,” said Powers. “I
see people destroy themselves
Right: Mr. Powers is shown in a
1962 Bishop Bradley yearbook
picture. The caption reads, “Leading scorer, Dick Powers, adds two
more to his total.”
Below: Mr. Powers poses for a
recent THS photo.
Pioneer staff photos
over something silly, like
losing a game. But there are
bigger things. There are more
important things.”
Although Mr. Powers has
had the opportunity to know
countless athletes, students,
and coworkers in New Hampshire, there are still qualities
about him that have yet to be
discovered.
“I’m not sure I know everything about me. I would say
that I have more concern and
feeling than I might let on. I
can see their perception being
otherwise,” said Mr. Powers.
Throughout his life, Mr.
Powers has learned many lessons. However, one lesson in
particular he believes is worth
sharing.
“Never get so high that you
think no one can be without
you,” said Mr. Powers. “But
never get so low that you can’t
see the light at the end of the
tunnel.”
Despite his humility, Mr.
Powers has led an accomplished life and as a result,
has much to share. His contributions not only to Trinity, but
to New Hampshire as well,
have not gone unnoticed.
“Mr. Powers was basically
here when the building was
built and he’ll probably be
here when the building falls
down,” said Trinity Dean of
Students Mr. Smith.
“His years and years and
years of educational experience make him priceless to
our community. He has a
genuine concern for kids and
how they do in school and
athletics.”
Page 10 The Pioneer
News
2008/2009
The blond kid with a killer three
I
By Sam Goodnow
Pioneer Editor
f you were to search the
name “Zach Stevens” on
Facebook, more than 294
possible persons would appear in the results.
If you are a part of the
Trinity High School Network, however, the first Zach
Stevens on the list would be a
fairly tall, blond, and slightly
goofy sophomore who has
an apparently “killer 3-point
shot” and is, according to
many of his classmates, “the
man!”
Students asked to describe
Stevens in one word give answers varied from “funny” to
“nice” to “wicked awesome”
(even though that is obviously
not one word). Stevens would
call himself charismatic.
“Last year, someone
called me charismatic. I heard
Pioneer yearbook staff
Obama was charismatic, and
Stevens shoots a free throw at a November SportsZone league game.
I heard I was. What does that
mean?” said Stevens.
league game. Even though the
In addition to playing basWhile Stevens may not
men’s league game against
ketball, Stevens also enjoys
know all of his vocabulary,
the undefeated Ball Hawgs
being a fan of the game.
he does know that he has
was a loss for the Gamecocks,
“I am the biggest Celtics
strong beliefs. He can argue
70-43, Stevens still played
fan. Well, not the biggest, but
his points quite well, too, all
a tough game, scoring 19
I am a big fan,” said Stevens.
while eating a spontaneous
points.
In fact, Stevens claims
meal of Burger King. Actu“I’ve never seen anyone
that he would choose to be
ally, he had not yet eaten his
as dedicated as [Zach],” said
Paul Pierce if he could be
two Junior Whoppers because Trinity basketball player Kaanyone in the world. If he
he was taught not to eat in
had to choose to be
front of others. And
a non-basketball
even when I insisted he
“I’ve never seen anyone as player, Stevens would
should eat, he was too
choose to be Bill
concerned for the welldedicated . . . He’ll be [at the Gates.
being of my car to dare
“Of course I’d be
eat inside of it.
Bill
Gates! He’s got
SportsZone] one the weekends
He was incredibly
all that money,” said
courteous throughout
Stevens.
for, like, nine hours.”
the meal. He even ofIf he could be any
fered his tomatoes to
woman,
Stevens did
--Kaleigh O’Neil, senior
me. He finds tomatoes
not hesitate to choose
absolutely disgusting.
who he would be.
If anyone ever needed to
leigh O’Neil, a senior. “He’ll
To Stevens, it makes sense to
find Stevens after school,
be [at the SportsZone] on the
be Jessica Simpson because
there is a 99.99 percent
weekends for like nine hours.
“she’s beautiful.”
chance that he can be found at It’s ridiculous.”
Stevens may appear to be
SportsZone in Derry.
Stevens still finds time
just a regular Trinity sophoUpon entering the
to get all of his school work
more, who happens to be a
SportsZone, Stevens first
done as well. He has to keep
varsity shooting guard and
greets every person in sight,
those grades up for when he
loves dogs, Jessica Simpson,
which is not weird because
“goes somewhere out there,
and Junior Whoppers without
every person there knows who like Duke. That would be
tomatoes, but he is more than
Stevens is.
cool.”
that as everyone who knows
And they should, because
If Stevens could choose
him has seen.
he spends the majority of his
his future, he would major in
He has an unprecedented
free time there working on his sports management and even- passion for basketball and
basketball skills.
tually own the SportsZone.
works hard no matter what.
On Mondays, Stevens
For now, he just spends
And even while being so
not only practices for hours
his time practicing his daily
competitive in athletics,
in Derry but also plays in a
routine, which includes
Stevens always makes sure he
men’s league with a group of
shooting a series of shots and
is a nice person, even to his
Trinity students.
hitting three in a row before
competitors.
And even though he shoots moving to the next position.
Everyone knows who he
for hours before the game,
If he misses, he starts all over is, and he certainly knows
he isn’t too tired to play the
again.
everyone. Stevens greets
game.
“I started when I was like
everyone that he knows and
“My confidence in the
two years old. My dad got
always receives a salutation
game comes from my prepame a Fisher-Price hoop, and
back.
ration,” said Stevens.
I couldn’t leave it. It’s like,
“I just try to be who I am,
In fact, Stevens was the
I was in my walker shooting
and people seem to like me,”
leading scorer in the men’s
threes,” said Stevens.
said Stevens.
For all the latest and greatest Trinity news, visit
www.trinity-hs.org
Kristen VanUden / Pioneer staff
This unidentified student uses class time to catch up on his z’s
rather than his homework.
Running on Empty
Why Trinity students keep hitting snooze
By Mari-Briege Dunn
Pioneer Staff
Look into a classroom
at Trinity High School
and you’re likely to spot a
student dozing off in class.
What is it that is robbing
students of their precious
sleep? Students are kept
from going to sleep at an
early hour for many reasons.
“Homework, but usually
myself because I just don’t
go to bed,” said Audrey
Gladu, a junior, one of many
students not getting nearly
enough sleep.
According to the National Sleep Foundation, teens
need between eight and
a half and nine and a half
hours of sleep each night,
but 85 percent of teens get
less than eight and a half
hours of sleep per night.
“I don’t get enough
sleep, I just can’t fall asleep
at night,” said Callan Leonard, a sophomore.
Josh Hughes, a freshman,
chooses to wake up at 4:30
each morning.
“I don’t like sleeping. I
think it’s a waste of time,”
said Hughes.
Gerid Paquette, a sophomore, blames his lack of
sleep on his schedule.
“I’m very tired during
the day. I have football and
driver’s ed right after.”
Many students go to bed
late because of homework.
“I always have a lot of
homework to do and I don’t
get enough sleep,” said Taylor Levesque, a sophomore.
Homework isn’t the only
reason students are up late.
“Facebook,” said Laura
Hagan, a senior, citing a reason why she is up so late.
Tyler McDonough, a
junior, goes to bed between
midnight and 1 a.m. and
wakes up at 6 a.m.
“I sometimes fall asleep
in my classes, but I just
can’t go to bed early,” said
McDonough.
Many students experience the negative effects of
sleep deprivation. According to the NSF, it can impair
the ability to pay attention,
think, and make decisions. It
can also affect one’s moods
and motivation.
“I get too tired at night
so I wake up early to do my
homework,” said Chelsey
Serrano, sophomore.
Some students, like Serrano, are waking up before
the sun. Serrano goes to bed
at 9:30 p.m. and wakes up
at 4:30 a.m.
“I am very tired during the school day because
sometimes I have to wake
up early for choir,” said
Billy Smarse, freshman.
The NSF found that coffee and soda during the day
affect sleep, as well as long
naps, big bedtime snacks,
room temperature, noise,
and electronics.
“I take a lot of naps
during the day so I’m really
tired. It’s hard to wake up
and get through the day,”
said Jake Castricone, a
junior.
The NSF suggests napping smart. Keep your nap
between 20 and 30 minutes
in a restful, quiet place.
The NSF stresses planning out your sleep schedule.
It is important to schedule
a nap at the right time. Too
early and your body might
not be ready for more sleep.
Too late and it might affect
your nighttime sleep pattern.
“Go to bed. Do your
homework and go to bed.
Sleep deprivation causes
Trinity students to not
only be grouchy, but to
do poorly on tests,” said
Ms. O’Gorski, psychology
teacher at Trinity.
So how do you get more
sleep? The NSF suggests
prioritizing your schedule
around sleeping. Keep your
room cool, quiet and dark.
Keep your daily schedule
constant. Don’t exercise,
eat, or drink before bed, and
avoid soda, coffee, chocolate, and tea late in the day.
So next time you think
about eating that late night
snack, grabbing a coffee
after school, or taking a nap
when you get home, keep
your sleep in mind.
Would you rather be
wired now or at 3 in the
morning? Think about it.
2008/2009
The Pioneer
News
Parenteau, Trinity alumna, works on
groundbreaking research in medical field
By Brian Dunn ’08
Special to The Pioneer
“I’ve always wanted to do
something inventive – like
Dr. House,” said Dr. Nancy L.
Parenteau, Ph.D.
Dr. Parenteau, Trinity High
School alum from the class
of 1971, was referring to the
work of Dr. Gregory House
from the hit TV series, “House
M.D.” Before Dr. Parenteau’s
renowned work within the
medical field, she attended
Immaculata High School for
her first three years of high
school. It then merged with
Bishop Bradley High School
and became Trinity, where
Dr. Parenteau spent her senior
year.
Dr. Parenteau gained interest in science while in high
school. She claimed that she
had always been interested in
science, but was never sure
about going into the medical field. After a summer job
at the local Elliot Hospital,
she decided that it wasn’t the
work for her. She wanted to be
inventive.
She was involved in high
school from yearbook to Latin
Club, to the Thespians (the
drama team) where she was a
proud “living prop.” Her most
memorable moments from
her high school years were
having teachers believe in her
and running between classes
during winter with the school
uniform on.
Students took classes at the
two Catholic high schools in
Manchester – Immaculata and
Bishop Bradley. Immaculata,
present-day McDonough El-
ementary School, and Bishop
Bradley, present-day Trinity
High School, were within
walking distance, but proved
difficult for girls in the winter with their plaid skirts and
blazers.
Dr. Parenteau enjoyed Immaculata because she could
speak up in class, but the
merge between the all-girls
school and Bishop Bradley, the
counterpart all-boys school, in
1970 taught her how to deal
with people in the real world.
How much has Trinity
changed since the time that Dr.
Parenteau walked the halls of
Trinity? Quite a bit.
Immaculata and its counterpart, Bishop Bradley were the
center of the parochial system of Manchester. She was
always reminded that it was
a religious school because of
faculty that consisted of nuns
and brothers.
Dr. Parenteau was surprised
when she heard that none of
the teachers or faculty at Trinity now are nuns or brothers.
She questioned the religious
identity of the school.
She was amazed that Trinity celebrated masses regularly, both on holy days and on
Wednesday mornings in the
chapel; she was very pleased
to hear that Trinity had withheld its Catholic identity over
the years.
After high school, Dr. Parenteau attended the University
of Vermont for undergraduate
school, and then Georgetown
University where she earned
her Ph.D. in Anatomy, Cell,
and Developmental Biology.
She went on to fulfill her goal
THS elects McCain
in mock election
By Alexa Serrecchia
Pioneer Editor
Courtesy Photo
Parenteau as she appears in her
Trinity yearbook, 1971.
of being inventive with science
and helping others apply it.
Dr. Parenteau has recently
developed a skin product for
Organogenesis Inc. that is used
for treating burn victims and
can help diabetics with ulcers,
people with poor circulation,
or people with leg wounds.
She has also provided a breakthrough with stem cells and
organ regeneration. Her mission to be inventive has been
fulfilled through her dedication
to the field of medicine.
Dr. Parenteau now writes
textbooks and works to help
others apply science through
her podcast, “The Applied Biologist,” available on iTunes.
Referring to writing textbooks, Dr. Parenteau said, “It’s
fun. It’s about using information to figure out what it [science] means. To learn it on the
job is pretty risky.”
Even with her recent
groundbreaking work in the
medical field, years ago Trinity
offered Dr. Nancy Parenteau
a solid steppingstone in her
educational career.
Page 11
On Monday, Nov. 3,
Trinity held a mock election outside the cafeteria for
students, faculty and staff.
With 220 students and 37
teachers and staff participating, all but one Republican
candidate won.
Sen. John McCain beat
Sen. Barack Obama 149116, Sen. John Sununu
beat former Gov. Jeanne
Shaheen 178-80, incumbent Jeb Bradley beat Rep.
Carol Shea-Porter 160-87,
Mrs. Jennifer Horn beat
Rep. Paul Hodes 172-48,
and Gov. John Lynch was
the only democratic victor,
beating Sen. Joseph Kenney 161-78. Ralph Nader
received 13 votes, Liberty
Sue Newell received four
votes, and there were 34
other write-in votes between
all of the races.
Ms. Byron, history
teacher, suggested the idea
of holding a mock election
to the administration, and to
her students.
“I think it is important for
kids to get used to what the
voting process is all about,”
said Ms. Byron.
Trinity students and staff
agree that the mock election
was a way to raise awareness
about the issues.
“You’ve got to know
what is going on in the
world, even if it’s just a
school election,” said Wesley Baird, a senior.
Students and staff also
agree that it gave students a
feel for what voting is like.
“It helps them think about
the issues. It makes you
engaged in politics and prepares you for when you can
vote,” said Eileen Parodi, a
senior.
To Ms. Byron’s pleasure,
many students spent the day
Monday asking her if she
had counted the ballots. She
said it was good that they
were concerned.
“I think it brings it into
the life of future voters, and
they feel like they have a
voice,” said Troy Butler, a
sophomore.
With about half of the
student body participating,
many enjoyed the experience.
“It felt cool because you
can’t do it in real life,” said
John Strampfer, a junior.
According to students
and teachers, there are many
reasons why it is important
to vote.
“It is easy to lose sight of
the fact that, as Americans,
we have a right to vote, unlike in some places where
they don’t. It’s something to
cherish,” said Ms. Trachim,
math teacher.
Many felt that even
though most students cannot vote in the real election,
it certainly still affects their
future.
“It is our future, not
yours. We have to choose
our fate,” said Laura Dickey,
a sophomore.
December ice storm leaves many powerless for a week
By Mari-Briege Dunn
Pioneer Staff
Trinity High School students woke up Friday, Dec.
12 to find that school was
canceled due to an ice storm
that hit New Hampshire the
previous night, resulting in a
statewide emergency. At the
its peak, over 400,000 homes
and businesses were left without power.
Many students were without power as ealy as Thursday
night, experiencing cold and
boredom.
“It was the worst experience of my life. I couldn’t
do anything,” said Richard
Corning, a junior from Londonderry.
Josh Polombo, junior from
Nashua was without power
for five days.
“I spent too much time
with my family,” said Polombo.
Many students admitted that without power, their
families really got under their
skin.
“I was with my sister for
way too long,” said
Karin Parodi, freshman
from Auburn.
Even Hunter Viscarello, a freshman
from Manchester who
lost power for only 18
hours, still felt bored.
“Losing power is
one of the most boring
situations possible,”
said Viscarello.
“We were without
power for six days. It
was the longest six days
of my life,” said BroEmma Pratte / Pioneer staff
gan Goss, a sophomore
Above, a downed power line blocks a
from Merrimack.
roadway in Goffstown after the DecemMany students and
ber ice storm.
their families relied on
generators to provide
erator, however.
power for their houses.
“We have a generator, but
“The temperature of our
it’s older than my dad and it
house was so unbearable
spews gas and sparks so we
that we made my dad buy a
decided not to use it,” said
generator from a guy who was Sarah Borque, senior from
selling them for double what
Raymond.
they’re worth. We totally got
Many families who lost
ripped off, but it was worth
power decided to head someit,” said Alyssa Cassidy, a
where warm.
junior from Bedford.
“We lost power for an
Not everyone used a genentire week and had to stay in
‘08 storm vs. ‘98 storm
By Chelsea Turner
Pioneer Staff
The ice storm of 2008
started on Dec. 11, and at
its peak, left 322,000 people
without power.
The storm of 2008 left
over five times as many people without power compared
to the Great Ice Storm of
1998, which left only 55,000
PSNH customers in the dark.
“Storm damage was three
times as bad as anything
PSNH has ever faced in 82
years of service,” said a special report issued by PSNH
on Dec. 19, 2008.
Most Trinity students
failed to remember much
about the Great Ice Storm
of 1998, but Trinity faculty
recalled the storm all to well.
“What I remember most
of the storm of 1998 was
how pretty everything looked
covered with a sheet of ice.
I don’t remember it taking this long for the power
company to get things up and
running,” said Ms. Kudrick,
math teacher.
Mr. Larsen, art teacher,
said that the Great Ice Storm
of 1998 hit Northern New
Hampshire much worse than
Manchester.
“It seems to me, then, that
the amount of damage and
that the number of people
affected in 2008 makes this
current storm a far greater
natural disaster than was
the storm of 1998,” said Mr.
Nelson, english teacher.
four different places,” said Nicole Connolly, a junior from
Deerfield.
Most students found the
power outage to be an incon-
venience, but sophomore Rita
Pratte was an exception.
“The blackout reminded
me of how simple life could
be,” said Pratte.
Page 12
The Pioneer
News
2008/2009
It’s much more than just her passion for fashion
By Sam Goodnow
Pioneer Editor
T
he average runway
model is 5 feet
and nine inches
tall, weighing a
negligible 110
pounds. The average 5 foot
seven inches female should
weigh 120 pounds. In seventh
grade, Ashley Joncas weighed
170.
“It was just awkward,”
said Joncas, the Trinity junior
known for her tasteful and
extravagant attire.
Joncas easily pulls off any
clothing type, her look varying from day to day.
“It’s hard to sum up,” said
Joncas. “It changes with my
mood. Some days it’s bright,
sometimes edgy.”
Joncas is a fairly quiet,
studious girl who can often
be seen sitting in the halls just
scribbling away on a drawing
pad. So why does such a keptto-herself girl dress so boldly?
“[My fashion] almost talks
for me because I’m not naturally loud. It speaks for me.”
But the reason behind Joncas’s dress code is more than
a way of being bold, and it is
so far from just being an attention-seeking method.
From a very young age,
Joncas aspired to fit into the
fashion world.
“I started with Barbies,”
said Joncas.
“I had a hard time fitting in
because I was a little chubby.
I went to school with 26 athletic students.”
St. Thomas Aquinas in
Derry is a small school with
a graduating class each year
of about 25 students. Joncas’s
class was 27, 26 of whom
were athletically inclined
and much more in shape than
Joncas.
“I was just the chubby
creative girl who stuck out,”
said Joncas.
Joncas explained that the
other kids could easily find
clothes that fit them.
“I never wanted to go to
the mall because I would just
end up crying. Now I’m
from the basics to
more extravagant in my
wild and extravagant
looks because I’m makitems.
ing up for lost time,” said
“A lot of my time
Joncas.
goes to my job,” said
By the end of eighth
Joncas, “but it’s fun.
grade, Joncas had had
I thought, ‘Okay so I
enough of it.
like clothes, but could
“It took two years,
I be in a store for six
but I was able to lose 50
hours surrounded by
pounds,” said Joncas.
them, helping cus“It surprised a lot of
tomers?’ And I think
people.”
it helped me realJoncas’s fashion sense
ize it’s what I really
has increased from the
want.”
days when she played with
Joncas takes her job
Barbies, and now that she
seriously. It isn’t
is able to wear practically
just an after school
anything she wants, Joncas
job; it’s her way of
has taken advantage of it.
furthering herself into
“I spent three-fourths
the world of fashion.
of my life in the same
“Working with
look because that’s all that Ashley Joncas has hundreds of drawings like
all the people I work
would fit.”
with is fun. They are
this one, pictured above. Joncas aspires to be a
While her background fashion designer.
all really enthusiastic
may be little known to the
about clothes—mayin pen and pencil.
students at Trinity, what
be not to my level
“I actually carry them
is more public is Joncas’s inthough!”
credible talent for art. She has around in my purse, just in
Apparently, organizing
hundreds of drawings that she case.”
and arranging clothing for her
Her colored pens rehas done, many of which are
job has transferred into her
ally
were in her black leather
landscape or fashion design.
bedroom. She has an amount
purse, which matched her
Joncas can sketch a new
of clothing that may seem uncurrent outfit of course. Every necessary to any other person,
outfit in just a couple hours,
day, Joncas’ outfits are careand the drawing looks ready
but Joncas makes use of each
fully put together, from the
to be sewn and sold. Her depiece from the ordinary to the
shoe to the shirt, from the
signs are runway ready-looks
outrageous.
skirt or dress, to the bag.
that could easily be trans“I had to put rolling racks
“I kind of think of outfits
ferred to what many fashionin my room because clothes
as an art piece. With the right
able girls would wear.
were like, exploding out of
elements to an outfit, you can
“If I had to sum up what I
my closet,” said Joncas. Her
think up, it has to be Victorian make it perfect—like a perfect bedroom is neatly arranged,
painting.”
meets The Matrix,” said Joperhaps even more so that the
If Joncas had her life the
nas. “I try to mix old inspired
constantly frazzled Forever 21.
way she wanted, she would be
with modern ideas to make
“So, my room is my closet
something that someone today successful enough to start her now. You walk in and there’s
own label, which she would
would wear.”
clothes everywhere, but it’s
name Ashley Nicole. The line organized,” said Joncas.
The drawings that Joncas
would carry not only incredcreates are neatly stored in
More numerous than any other
ibly tasteful women’s clothing type of clothing in Joncas’
a portfolio, awaiting future
but children’s and plus-size
publicity.
continuing closets are dresses.
Joncas has entered fashion clothing as well.
“They are great! It’s just
“I know from personal
design contests and is awaitone piece…you look good and
experience that it’s really difing the response of a parit’s just easy.”
ficult to find something that
ticular contest in H&M. The
What would a department
fits and still looks fashionwinner gets a trip to Sweden
store’s worth of clothing be
able,” said Joncas.
and is able to visit the H&M
without shoes for every outfit?
Joncas has already gotten
headquarters.
Joncas has bragging rights,
her high-heeled foot into the
The pieces in Ashley’s
with over 200 pairs of shoes.
door of the fashion marketing In addition to the clothing
portfolio are organized by
similarity, a method not unlike world. She works at Forever
racks, she has a wall for just
21, a chic clothing and acces- her shoes. It’s a shopaholic’s
modern designer collections.
Joncas’s portfolio is drawn sory store that sells clothing
heaven. But Joncas is no
shopaholic.
“I see them as sort of a
collector’s item. Some people
collect stamps, I collect them
and happen to wear them on a
daily basis.”
This fashionista lifestyle
may seem an expensive way
to waste the hard-earned
money that Joncas earns at
Forever 21, but Joncas claims
to be a bargain hunter.
Her most expensive item is
a $600 leather trench coat; of
course she didn’t buy it at that
costly retail price!
“My main thing when I’m
shopping is I’ll go to the sales
rack and then look around.
If there’s something I really
like, then I’ll spend because I
know I’ll use it,” said Joncas.
Joncas has one sister who
is a Trinity graduate of 2008.
Her parents neither commend
nor denigrate their daughter
Ashley for her passion for
fashion.
“Once in a while they’ll
think its funny, but it’s my
passion. I mean other kids’
passions are like sports and
their parents support them,”
said Joncas. “I think you
should find what you’re passionate about and just go for
it full force—whether it’s
fashion or basketball.”
Joncas has emerged a
strong young lady from her
struggles and confidently
speaks her accomplishments.
For her junior year honors
American Literature class, she
wrote a “This I Believe” essay
on the topic of thriving from a
not-so-advantageous childhood where she was able to
overcome her disadvantages
as an overweight child.
“All the people who pass
in the hall just see the girl in
the outfit, they don’t know the
back story,” said Joncas.
Now next time you see a
fiercely fashionable junior
sketching in a drawing pad,
you know that there is more
than wanting attention for
owning such a look. Joncas
owns her story, her fashion,
and talent, and it makes her
unique without any effort.
First knocked out by champs in national tournament
By Mark Natale
Pioneer Staff
On May 14, the Trinity
Robotics team, Checkmate 40,
packed its trailer and started
the long drive down to Atlanta
to compete in the 2009 FIRST
World Championship in the
Georgia Dome along with 348
other teams from across the
world.
This year was the fifth year
in a row that Checkmate 40
made it to the World Championship and was their most
successful, advancing to the
semifinals in its division.
The team included driver
Joe Usenia, shooter Megan
Uberti, and human player
Alex Gadecki, as well as the
team mentor, Trinity physics
teacher Joe Pouliot.
During the qualifying
matches, Trinity quickly
realized that it was among
an elite class of robots when
their autonomous mode (a
15-second portion of the
match in which the robots are
controlled by a computer program and not the driver) was
one of just a few in the world
that could score points.
“Our autonomous was
dead on. We scored seven
balls in the first fifteen seconds [every time],” said Mr.
Pouliot.
After finishing the
qualifying rounds in the
tournament with an impressive record of six wins and
one loss, Checkmate 40 was
ranked sixth in its division,
allowing the team to be an
alliance captain (teams select
an alliance of two other partners that they stay with for
the rest of the tournament)
and select what teammates it
wanted to compete with.
“We picked 1332 (Collbran, Colo.) for offense and
1902 (Winter Park, Fla.)
for defense,” said Uberti, a
senior.
Checkmate 40 won its
quarterfinal matches easily,
106-92 and 91-70. However,
when the team ran out of
firepower when it reached
the semifinal matches for the
Galileo Division.
“The final matches are
definitely more intense than
the qualifying matches, but
our mentors remind us to
treat them the same and take
it all one match at a time,”
said Uberti.
The team met the eventual
World Champions, consisting of teams 67 (Milford,
Mich.), 111 (Schaumburg,
Ill.) and 971 (Mountain View,
Calif.). Checkmate 40 and its
alliance lost in its semifinal
matches, 126-97 and 117-78.
“We had our highest seed
ever (6 out of 87 teams in the
division). We chose excellent
partners; we were just over-
whelmed by the [eventual]
World Champions,” said Mr.
Pouliot.
This was the second year
in a row that the Trinity
Robotics team faced the alliance that would eventually
become World Champions
and also the second year that
the champions have come out
of the Galileo Division.
The semifinal finish was
the best finish that Checkmate 40 has ever had at the
World Championship and
one of the smoother competitions that Trinity experienced this year.
“For once, our robot had
virtually no difficulties,”
said Uberti.
2008/2009
The Pioneer
Page 13
News
Memory of Loughlin lives on at THS
By Nick D’Intino
Pioneer Editor
“Everyday promptly at
noon, they [the Germans]
would shell a crossroad about
a quarter of a mile from our
company position.
Our guns were well in
place near a grove of trees,
and our foxholes were as
usual entrenched tot the rear
of the guns. Interdictory
(harassing fire) was about all
the action we had at the time.
The German battery was to
our left front, and during their
first barrage, we all hit our
holes.
The shells screamed over
our position and were high
enough to clear it with ease.
No doubt before withdrawing, they had zeroed in on this
particular Alsace-Lorraine
landscape. This continued on
a regular basis. It lasted three
to five minutes but always at
noon. Perhaps they thought
hot chow was brought up.
After a week or so of this,
nobody bothered to run for
cover. Then it happened. The
same scenario. Noon. Barrage started. This time some
gunner was off on his deflection range. I heard not the soft
fluttering of shells passing
over, but the heart-stopping
screaming whine of an incoming shell. It passed through
the trees.
I vainly tried to hit the
Courtesy Photof
Loughiln as he appears on the
back cover of his book, Memoirs
of World War II.
ground. It landed no further
than twenty feet from me. A
dud.”
Excerpted from
Memoirs of World War II by
Martin F. Loughlin, published
in 2001 by Vantage Press.
This is the story of the
Honorable Martin F. Loughlin.
Mr. Loughlin was born in
Manchester, on March 11,
1923. After growing up in the
Manchester area, he went on
to attend St. Joseph’s Regional High School for Boys.
During his time there, he
maintained very good grades
while still finding time to play
basketball, as well as his life
long passion – tennis. Thanks
to two double promotions in
grammar school, Mr. Loughlin graduated high school in
1940—at the age of sixteen.
After spending a year at
St. Anslem’s College, Mr.
Loughlin decided to enlist
in the military. He served
for three years (from 1942
to1945) in the 318th Cannon
Division during World War II,
receiving the Bronze Star for
bravery. This was an experience that his wife said was
one of his great prides. He
later went on to write a book
about his exciting and lifechanging time spent in the
military entitled, Memoirs of
World War II.
Upon returning home, Mr.
Loughlin went back to St. A’s
and received his bachelor’s
degree. He then went on to
attend Suffolk Law School
in Boston, where he met his
future wife, Margaret.
After marrying in 1950,
Mr. Loughlin passed the New
Hampshire bar exam (1951),
only to then be recalled into
the army during the Korean
War. He was stationed at Fort
Benning in Georgia where he
served for another year as a
Judge Advocate defending his
fellow U.S. soldiers.
Mr. Loughlin returned
home from the service to find
that his wife had given birth
to the first of what would be
seven children. Now with a
family to support and a law
degree, Mr. Loughlin began
to search for a job, but he had
trouble finding a law-related
position. Therefore, he initially went to work at a sheet
metal factory before being
hired by the city prosecutor.
As his knowledge of the
law grew, Mr. Loughlin went
on to join his friend Jim
Broderick at Jim’s father’s
law firm. He worked with
them until 1963, when he
was appointed to the superior court by Governor John
King.
After serving on the
Superior Court for sixteen
years, Mr. Loughlin was then
appointed to the U.S. District
Court by President Jimmy
Carter, where he served for
another sixteen years until he
received another promotion
to the Federal Court. After
a long career, Mr. Loughlin
finally retired in 1995, but still
practiced law as a consultant
at the Nixon Law Institute.
In the year 2000, Mr.
Loughlin suffered a stroke
that paralyzed his right side.
However, he didn’t let this
stop him from living life.
With the help of rehab, Mr.
Loughlin was still able to go
into work a couple of days
each week.
On March 7, 2007 Mr.
Loughlin passed away, only
three days shy of his 84th
birthday.
Mr. Loughlin received
two honorary awards. He
was the first recipient of the
St. Thomas More Award,
which was given to him by
the Catholic Lawyers Guild of
New Hampshire, and he also
received the Justice award
from St. Anslem’s College.
While Mr. Loughlin was
alive, he was an avid tennis player, entering into and
winning many state tournaments. His wife also said that
he loved to read and was a
very charitable man. He was
often very busy, but he always
found time for the two things
that were most important to
him in life, she said – his family and God.
When Mrs. Loughlin was
asked what she thought her
husband’s greatest achievement was, she hesitated then
answered, “His greatest
achievement was so many
things.”
This statement couldn’t
be truer; the Honorable Mr.
Loughlin was a student, a
soldier, an athlete, a husband,
a father, a lawyer, a judge, a
devout Catholic, and so much
more.
He saw each and every
experience in life as a journey, a chance to learn, and by
approaching time this way, he
was able to achieve so much
more than any of us can ever
hope.
Economy affects students at
home, school, in community
By Mark Natale
Pioneer Staff
As the nation experiences
a bear-market economy, some
Trinity students and their
families are starting to feel
the effects of the economy by
way of holiday shopping and
travel decisions.
The Dow Jones Industrial
Average (DJIA) hit its lowest
point since March of 2003,
on Nov. 21, 2008, following a
temporary surge in the market
after the election of Presidentelect Obama.
This collapse in the stock
market has sparked a $700
billion bank bailout plan
funded by the government
and consequently, citizens’ tax
dollars.
The failing economy has
also sparked a steep fall in
crude oil prices. The price per
barrel of crude oil has fallen
to well under $60 per barrel.
The drop in oil prices has
directly related to the shrinking cost of gas at the fuel
pump.
Some Trinity students are
experiencing more freedoms
because of the
lower fuel prices.
“Now that I have my
“As the prices
have come down,
license, I am a lot more
I simply don’t
have to worry
aware of the cost of gas.”
about how expensive the gas
--Nick Nalette, junior
is. Gas prices
are no longer a
big deal for me,
travels and shopping of some
and I hardly ever think about
Trinity students.
them,” said Brendan Lynch, a
“We usually fly about two
senior.
to three times a year, but the
Other students are still
past couple years, it has only
careful about keeping an eye
been once or twice a year,”
on local gas prices.
said Joey Moran, a freshman.
“Now that I have my
“When I go to the mall...
license, I am a lot more aware it’s only if I know that there
of the cost of gas, and the
is a really good sale because
decisions I make with my
clothes are so expensive now,
driving have an immediate
and I don’t want to spend $50
impact on my wallet,” said
on a pair of jeans,” said Erin
Nick Nalette, a junior.
Duffy, junior.
Even as gas prices fall,
Other students remain
some local Manchester
hopeful that the market and
residents are careful about
economy will turn around.
where they are driving. The
“I think the economy is
Manchester Transit Authority
near its lowest point and that
(MTA) experienced a 20 peras the new administration
cent increase in monthly riders takes over in January that
from Jan. 2008 to Sept. 2008.
it will reverse and start to
The falling economy has
become better,” said Brendan
also affected the holiday
Newcott, a junior.
Chelsea Turner / Pioneer staff
Senior Jon Gaffen enjoys a turn at Guitar Hero during Campus
Ministry Mayhem at Trinity on Sept. 19.
Page 14
The Pioneer
2008/2009
Sports
Pioneers end successful season with semifinal loss
By Nick D’Intino
Pioneer Editor
The second seeded Trinity Pioneers took the field
Saturday, Nov. 15, against
the fourth seeded St. Thomas
Aquinas Saints of Dover in
the Division V semi-final
game.
After having beat St.
Thomas just two weeks earlier
in a 27-26 overtime thriller,
the Pioneers hoped to certify
their rebirth as a football program by reaching the Championship game on Nov. 22.
As the two teams took the
field at 1 p.m. at Gill Stadium,
the weather looked as though
it would make for a sloppy
game. With heavy rain and
wind, both teams struggled to
get their offense going in the
first half.
The Pioneers (7-1) won
the coin toss and were first
to receive the ball. However,
Trinity had trouble moving
the ball in the bad conditions
and soon punted away to St.
Thomas (6-2).
A good portion of the first
half proved to be much of the
same as both offenses struggled. However, the St. Thomas Saints struck first, when
quarterback Jack MacNevin
completed a 31-yard pass to
Paul Brown that brought the
team within Trinity’s 5-yard
line and set St. Thomas up
for its first touchdown of the
game.
As the second quarter winded down, three consecutive
turnovers in three successive
plays, two by Trinity and one
by St. Thomas, proved to by a
Sam Goodnow / Pioneer staff
Brothers Sean (3) and Connor (5) Lyons hug, while Ricky Fosher (34) looks on, and the St. Thomas Aquinas football team celebrates their 21-15 victory at Gill Stadium on Nov. 15.
perfect example of how both
offenses were playing sloppy
and seemed to by struggling.
Heading into halftime, St.
Thomas Aquinas led, 7-0.
As the third quarter got under way, the weather seemed
to be improving and with that
came a revival of both teams’
offenses.
With seven minutes left
in the third quarter, Trinity returned a punt to the St.
Thomas 35 yard-line and from
there Trinity drove
into the red zone. Skinner
finished off the drive with a 2yard touchdown run and sophomore Connor Lyons added
the two-point conversion.
Trinity led 8-7.
However, the Saints fought
back. Starting at its own 10yard line, the Saints used most
of the third quarter moving
the ball the length of the field,
ultimately scoring on a 1-yard
touchdown run. The Saints converted the two-point conversion
attempt to make the score 15-8.
On Trinity’s ensuing drive,
the Saints defense put up an
impressive stand, forcing the
first Pioneer punt of the half.
With good field position,
St. Thomas took a two-score
advantage, marching deep into
Trinity territory, and scoring
with five minutes remaining.
St. Thomas had the lead 21-
8 and Trinity’s offense had to
hurry to get something going.
That was when Lyons
started to take over the game.
The Pioneers, led by two
completions from quarterback
Jake Castricone to Lyons,
went on an impressive fastpaced race down the field.
The drive was capped off by
yet another completion from
Castricone to Lyons, this one
an 8-yard touchdown pass.
After a failed onside kick
attempt by the Pioneers,the
Saints regained possession and
ran down the clock. With only
one time out remaining, there
wasn’t much Trinity could do.
The Pioneers’ hopes for a
Championship disappeared.
However, in no way was
this season a disappointment
for Pioneer football. Only two
short years ago, Trinity’s football program seemed to be in
shambles. After failing to win
a single game in their 2006 Division I season, Trinity decided
it was time for a change.
The first step towards this
change was the hiring of Head
Coach John Trisciani.
Coach Trisciani immediately
began in-school recruiting and
revived the attitude surrounding Trinity football. Spending
last year playing an independent schedule, Coach Trisciani
and the entire Trinity football
team, worked to rebuild the
Pioneer name. Coach Trisciani
instituted an attitude of hard
work, determination and
toughness. Rather than running complicated offenses, the
Pioneers were going to run the
ball straight through the opposing team’s defensive line.
Despite the semifinal loss,
it is clear that the Trinity
football program has been
reborn.
Eight Pioneers made the
Division V all state team, including Tyrell Skinner (RB),
Connor Lyons (RB), Mike
Roy (OL), Rick Fosher (TE),
Jake Castricone (S), James
Horn (CB), Jared Butler (LB),
and Josh Hughes (LB).
Five of the eight all-state
members will be elligible
to return next season. With
the returning players having
played under Coach Trisciani
for three years, the Pioneers
hope they can make a run at
the title next season.
Despite loss, Trinity boys’ soccer ‘ends season on a high note’
By Nick D’Intino
Pioneer Editor
“No one will want to play
us in the playoffs,” said boys’
soccer Captain Craig Jameson in an interview back in
September, Central found out
exactly why.
Finishing with a record of
5-11, the Trinity boys’ soccer
team headed into the playoffs
with the 13th seed and were
set to face off against Central
on Oct. 28 at 6:30 p.m. at Gill
Stadium in the first round of
the playoffs.
After having 7 out of their
11 losses in the regular season
be by only one goal the Pioneers felt they could compete
with 3rd seeded Central.
As soon as the game got
under way, the Pioneers began
to control the tempo. Fighting
hard and showing a desire to
take an early lead Trinity kept
the ball on Central’s side of
the field for the first 5 minutes
of play. Five minutes was
all Captain Craig Jameson
needed to score.
After fellow Captain Ben
Lessard crossed a ball into
Central’s box, Jameson was
able to tap the ball past the
goalie to give the Pioneers an
early 1-0 lead.
One goal proved to be
plenty for the Pioneers. After
the goal, Trinity fell back and
played conservative soccer for
the rest of the game.
Concentrating on their
defense, which was lead by
solid play from Captain Mike
Lonie, the Pioneers were able
to keep Central from scoring
the entire game.
With only seconds left in
the game, Central had a free
kick at the top of Trinity’s
box. However, the Pioneers’
goalie, freshman Hunter
Viscerelio, was able to keep
the ball out of the net and
preserve the shut out.
As the whistle blew for the
end of the game, the Pioneers—their players, coaches
and fans—stormed the field,
celebrating the biggest upset
of the tournament.
After having played one of
the best game’s in recent Trinity soccer history, the Pioneers
had to immediately switch
their focus to Merrimack another top team in Class L.
As the game got started on
Oct. 31 at Merrimack High
School, things began very
similar to the Central game.
Trinity immediately began
to control the ball; no sooner
had the game started then
Lessard blasted a shot past
Merrimack’s goalie to give
the Pioneers another early 1-0
lead.
However, this time, the opposition fought back.
Merrimack, last year’s
Class L champions, battled
back, scoring two goals and
taking the lead, 2-1.
Once again, though, Trinity proved that they were better than their 5-11 record.
Late in the first half, senior
German Linares was able to
overcome a frantic scramble
for the ball in Merrimack’s
Emma Pratte / Pioneer Yearbook Staff
Trinity goalie Hunter Viscarello (right) punts a ball in a recent
game as Trinity defender Mike Lonie (left) runs down the field.
box and tap in the second goal
for the Pioneers.
Heading into halftime,
the score was 2-2, and Trinity looked to have a fighting
chance.
However, as the second
half got under way, the Pio-
neers didn’t have anything left
in the tank. Merrimack went
on to score two goals and won
with a score of 4-2.
Despite the loss, Trinity’s
upset of Central was more
than enough to end the season
on a high note.
2008/2009
The Pioneer
Sports
Page 15
Nothing but negative
as tests remain positive
By Ryan Mitchell
Pioneer Editor
Pioneer staff photo
The senior girls pose with the Class L runner-up trophy after losing to Winnacunnet in the championship, 53-41.
Warriors end
Pioneers’ run
By Alison Patev
Pioneer Staff
At the beginning of the
playoff tournament, Trinity
girls’ basketball head coach
Pat Smith said that to be successful, “We need to come
ready to play.”
The Pioneers came ready
to play.
Trinity upset secondseeded Pinkerton in an
extremely close semifinal
game, sending them to the
state championship game for
the first time since 2005.
The Pioneers, who were
not expected to even make
the semifinal game when the
tournament schedule was
released, advanced to the
championship game, facing
off against top-seeded Winnacunnet, a young team that
had taken the state title for
the past two years.
“I think we went further
than everyone expected us
to and we had to work really
hard and come together as
a team to do it. I’m really
proud of all the girls for all
the work they’ve put in,”
said senior captain Sam
Monohon.
In their first round playoff
game, the sixth-seeded
Pioneers played eleventhseeded Alvirne.
Although the game
started off close, turnovers
by Alvirne and excellent
defensive anticipation from
Trinity resulted in multiple
opportunities to score for the
Pioneers.
In the third quarter, Trinity came out ready to put the
Broncos away for good.
Senior guard Sam Currier
controlled the defense with
many steals that lead to Trinity baskets.
The game ended in a
Trinity victory, 71-47, allowing the Pioneers to move on
to the quarterfinals.
“Trinity… came to play,
and we had trouble matching
their intensity on defense,”
said Ashley Tomaswick,
Alvirne senior.
In the quarterfinals, Trinity showed equal intensity as they had the game
before.
The Pioneers had been
expected to play third-seeded Merrimack, but the 14th
seed, Nashua South, upset
the Tomahawks in their first
round game.
The Panthers couldn’t
touch Trinity from the start.
The tenacious Pioneer
defense caused difficulty for
South, who couldn’t break
the Trinity press. Currier
stepped up again, accelerating the game with several
three-pointers and excellent
defensive play.
The game ended with a
Trinity win, 64-38, advancing
the team to the semifinals.
Parking wasn’t the only
thing that was tight at the
girls’ semifinal game at
Southern New Hampshire
University. Trinity played
Pinkerton, a team they had
lost to earlier in the year,
56-43.
Throughout the entire
game, the score was incredibly close, the Astros matching the Pioneers’ intensity.
Both teams’ defenses were
so tough that the score at the
half was a low 19-13, with
Trinity leading.
The equality of play was
shown at the end of regulation time, which ended in a
tie, 35-35, sending the game
into overtime.
After four additional minutes, the Pioneers finished
with the lead, 45-44, sending
Trinity to the state championship for the first time
since 2005.
Trinity’s incredible playoff run ended in the championship game. The Pioneers
went up against a powerful
Winnacunnet team.
Trinity tried hard to
match the strong play of
Winnacunnet, but could not
get through the Warriors’
tough defense.
At the half, Winnacunnet
had the lead, 25-15.
Second half play saw the
Pioneers scrambling to catch
the Warriors. The game
ended in a Winnacunnet victory, 53-41.
Monohon led the Pioneers, scoring 11 points.
Gabriel was the second-leading scorer with 8 points.
“I’m very proud of the
girls’ efforts,” said Smith.
“Against a team like Winnacunnet, ten to twelve
things have to go right. Only
six to seven did for us.”
stripped from US Olympic
track athletes for steroid use.
Athletes I once idolized,
such as Mark McGwire and
Sammy Sosa, have now been
accused and convicted of
steroid use. Even baseball
superstar Alex Rodriguez
has now admitted to using
steroids…who’s next, Tom
Brady? Well, maybe not, but
how about German Fernandez?
me to ask myself, who’s next?
Ex-Patriot Larry Izzo, who
has recently signed with the
Since the 1980s, steroids
Jets, is set to testify in the
have formed a gap between
Barry Bonds steroid case,
the faithful, loving sports faalleging that he was sold stenatic, and the immoral, greedy
roids by trainer Greg Anderprofessional athletes they so
son and instructed on how to
admire.
use them.
As a fan, I find myself
How about Jamaican
yearning for an athlete or a
sprinter Usain Bolt? Bolt has
team to attach to and to root
only run the 100 five times
for but struggling because of
but has already posted two of
the hurt steroid use
the fastest times ever.
has caused me as a
reportedly didn’t
I feel cheated on, lied to, and it Bolt
fan.
even warm up before
I feel cheated on,
Olympic semi-fistings... I hesitate to be the fan his
lied to, and it stings.
nal 100 meter victory
I always try to be
I once was, I no longer even in which he posted a
careful, I try to play it
9.92, not his fastest
on the safe side. It’s want to hop on the band wagon, time, but quite a feat
ridiculous. I mean
nonetheless.
afraid that the athlete I am
I can’t even watch
Jamaica also has
the Tour de France
about to adhere to is another a notoriously libanymore! I hesitate
eral doping policy,
one of...them, the steroid users. so liberal that at the
to be the fan I once
was, I no longer even
2008 Beijing Olymwant to hop on the
pics Bolt didn’t even
bandwagon, afraid that the
Last spring, Fernandez,
know how to fill out doping
athlete I am about to adhere to a long distance track athlete
forms at last year’s Olympic
is another one of…them, the
finished his high school career Games. One notable effect of
steroid users.
at the California state meet
steroids is that they cause the
First steroids were only
with a 4:00.29 mile/ 8:34.23
teeth to become crooked.
for the two-ton weight-lifttwo mile double, running the
This caused suspicion,
ing buffs and the enormous
fastest times in the country
when multiple, female Jamaibodybuilders. They were
for both of those events, and
can sprinters showed up at
unthinkably large, cattle like
breaking a California state
Beijing with braces. And it’s
figures, with superhuman
record in both of them on the
not like Bolt couldn’t use a set
strength. Then steroids spread same day.
himself.
to the track athletes, cyclists,
Fernandez, now a freshSo who’s next? Lebron
and swimmers.
man at Oklahoma State
James? Randy Moss? David
In 1983, the East German
University, has broken the
Ortiz? Who knows. This is
women’s swim team used an- World Junior record/Collethe suspicion that keeps me
abolic steroids to win 10 out
giate record in the mile twice, from going back for more, that
of 14 Olympic gold medals in the second time in an astonkeeps me from immediately
women’s swimming, while in ishing 3:56.5. Fernandez is
following a rising superstar.
1988 Canadian Ben Johnson
one of many rising American
It’s a fear, a caution, that
tested positive for anabolic
track athletes, preparing to
has become almost instincsteroids after winning the 100 take world and the steroid era tive. I want to believe, but it
meter dash in world record
by storm, but is he one of the
seems that I no longer can. I
time. In the past year alone,
same? Is German Fernandez
am afraid. I am a fan in the
six gold medals have been
a cheater? All of this, leaving steroid era.
Courtesy Photo / Mr. Joe Mitchell
The Trinity swim team poses for a picture after a city swim meet. the team from left to right: sophomore
Kathleen Lamontagne, sophomore Abby Mitchell, senior Kerianne Lamontagne and sophomore Amy St.
Germain.
Page 16
The Pioneer
Sports
Senior skaters set example
By Mark Natale
Pioneer Staff
Following an upset victory over the fifth-seeded
Exeter boys’ ice hockey
team, 6-1, in the first round
of the NHIAA boys’ ice
hockey tournament, the 12seeded Trinity hockey team
lost in the quarterfinals in a
thriller against the Pinkerton
Astros, the eventual Division
1 champions, 5-4.
After dropping five
straight games, including an
8-3 loss to Manchester West,
Trinity beat cross-town rival
Manchester Memorial, 8-2,
to finish the regular season
and secure the last seed in the
NHIAA tournament.
Trinity walked away from
its first round game against
Exeter with a 6-1 victory.
Seniors Barry Kendall and
Tom Gagnon had two goals
apiece and freshmen Tyler
Theoudoulou and Connor
Merrick scored to contribute
to the win.
“[The win was] huge,
absolutely enormous. The
seniors deserve it and they
have earned it,” said Coach
Mike Connell.
After the first period in
the quarterfinal game against
Pinkerton, Trinity was down
2-0 after keeper Cory Kolden
was beat on a shot to the left
Time to get
‘pumped’
Ryan Mitchell
Opinion
Sam Goodnow / Pioneer Editor
Trinity hockey players console each other after a 5-4 loss to Pinkerton Academy in the NHIAA hockey
quarterfinals.
side and on a shorthanded
goal when Kolden was
caught out of the net.
Trinity scored at 1:51 in
the second period on a shot
by junior Josh Polombo,
assisted by junior Jim
O’Connor, and play had to be
halted as a fish landed on the
ice, thrown by a Trinity fan.
“I was glad to see our fans
were into it,” said Polombo.
At 15:45, Pinkerton scored
on a shot fired between the
legs of Kolden and went to
the locker room up 3-1.
In the third period, senior
Jeff St. Jean scored at 1:51 to
bring Trinity within one goal
again until Pinkerton scored
on another shorthanded breakaway at 11:15. Barry Kendall
brought Trinity back into the
game by scoring two goals-- a
shot over the right shoulder
of the Pinkerton keeper at
6:54 and a power play goal at
11:54 to tie the game at 4-4.
“It was chaos on the
bench, and everyone knew
we had the momentum and
knew we could win the
game,” said O’Connor, a
junior.
After a hooking penalty,
Trinity looked to burn off an-
other Pinkerton power play,
but with 3.5 seconds left in
the game, Pinkerton scored
on Kolden to finish the game
and send Trinity home, 5-4.
“It’s the worst feeling in
the world,” said Kolden of
the last goal. “All I thought
about is what I could have
done to not let it happen.”
Coach Connell is optimistic for the team next year.
“I think the seniors set an
example for the seniors next
year. They started a tradition of never quitting. I think
they’re going to be all right,”
said Connell.
The impact of fans in sports
By Chad Graff
Editor-in-Chief
When players walk onto
a court, it’s one of the first
things that they notice. It’s
what gives a team true homecourt advantage.
It’s the fans.
Fans play just as big of a
role in many games as some
players do. They do anything
it takes to distract the other
team or get in there head.
Think about. Everyone can
name a couple of examples.
Look at the Cameron
crazies. They had someone
strip down to a blue speedo
behind the hoop every time
an opposing player would be
shooting a free throw.
Or, in a more local sense,
look at high school sports in
New Hampshire.
When the Trinity boys’
basketball team walked onto
UNH’s Lundholm gym for
the Class L championship,
the first thing that they noticed was the fans.
“The atmosphere was
crazy. It was tuned up even
more (than the previous two
championships). You see the
crowd and you try to ignore
it and you can’t put it all out
of your head. The fans were
2008/2009
Mark Natale / Pioneer Editor
Trinity’s student section chants after a block at the Class L Championship game at UNH’s Lundholm
Gymnasium. Trinity won the game, 50-25 over Memorial. It was the first intra-city Championship agme
in more than 25 years.
going crazy and you just
have to calm yourself down,”
said senior captain Dylan
Clark. “It was unbelievable
out there. It’s a great feeling
to play in front of that many
people.”
But it’s not just the atmosphere or trying to get into
the opponents head.
“Fans make you try
harder. They give you more
adrenaline. In football, the
fans would get me pumped
up, and I’d want to go out
and hit people,” said Connor
Lyons, who made the New
Hampshire all-state teams in
both football and baseball.
But more than anything,
when people look back at a
big game years from now,
what they remember most is
the atmosphere.
They remember looking
up at thousands rooting for
them, and thousands rooting
against them.
“We had been there
before, so we knew what
to expect in terms of fans.
You just have to stick
together and try and block
out the fans. If you can’t do
that then you’re in serious
trouble,” said Clark.
It’s the beginning of December. The temperatures are
dropping into the teens and the
sun is beginning to set at four
p.m. leading many to ask me
why I am becoming more and
more excited every day. The
answer? Because on December 19th our boys’ basketball team opens their season
against city rival Memorial.
Though this is only my
second year at Trinity, right
now, nothing could get me
more pumped than the approaching basketball season.
The time of the year when five
players become celebrities
and the taunting of rivals such
as Manchester Central and
Bishop Guertin becomes mere
silence, the time of year when
the Celtics are your second favorite basketball team and you
know well in advance that you
will be busy on Friday night.
And that’s just the regular season; don’t even get me started
about the playoffs.
The seemingly imminent
domination and the feeling
of being in a crowd alongside
a hundred fellow students,
shouting, cheering jumping up
and down and of course every
so often yelling at the referees
can just never be replaced.
With the absence of Salem
in the regular season schedule
and the strength of players
such as junior standout Jordan
Laguerre and senior forward
Richard Madol, the team
seems to have a very bright
future ahead of them. Behind
Laguerre and Richard Madol
is sharp-shooting junior Cormac Fitzpatrick, senior Dylan
Clark, and sophomores Zach
Stevens and Madol’s younger
brother David.
A set of potential sixth and
seventh men that makes me
excited, to say the least. If
there has ever been a season
when this team can go 18-0, I
think this is it.
One thing that is for certain
is that the Dec. 19’s game
against Memorial is not one to
be missed. It’s the Pioneer’s
opening game as well as the
day Christmas break begins,
so there is no reason not to put
more than a hundred of our
students in the stands.
To me it’s less of a basketball game and more like
an early Christmas present,
something I would never miss
out on.
2008/2009
The Pioneer
Sports
Page 17
The great debate: Is running a sport?
Running is a
to hit it back just as
Chad Graff
recognized sport by
fast.
Opinion
both the NHIAA and
Try running
the Olympic comwhile trying to put
mittee.
a 10-inch ball in an
I don’t care.
18-inch hoop that’s raised
Guess what else is a
10 feet.
recognized sport by the
When you can do all of
Olympic committee. Let’s
these and still believe that
begin with canoeing, pingjust running is tougher,
pong and sailing. There’s
then I’d be happy to run
also badminton, archery,
with you.
equestrian, orienteering (I’m
You see, running is a
not even sure what that is), korfball
training method. It is something that
(I don’t even want to know what that you do to get better at your particuis), chess, bridge, boules, bandy, net- lar sport. But now that we live in a
ball, pelote basque (feel free to laugh society where everyone gets their
at any point), wushu, tug of war,
way and we have to tiptoe around
roller sports and my personal favorite feelings, running is a sport. And so is
lifesaving. I can’t even make this up. walking.
Lifesaving? Seriously? Is everyRunning is something that people
thing that can be made a competition do as a hobby, and as much as it may
a sport? Why not race-crawling? We
not seem like it, I have a great deal of
can line up all of our precious tworespect for runners – just not the ones
year-olds and have them compete
who walk around thinking they’re
in the Olympics. Take that, China
some crazy athlete because they can
– now you can legally use your unrun.
derage children in the Olympics.
Running is not a sport just beBut the point is, if running is a
cause you can make it a competition.
sport, then so is walking, and so is
These days, you can make a competicrawling, and so is eating (if you get
tion out of anything. Imagine what
the chance, check out Joey Chesnut
life is going to be like if everything
– the guy’s insane) and so is sleeping. that is a competition is a sport.
After a while it gets pretty ridiculous,
I can already see it.
wouldn’t you say?
“Next on ESPN, watch the world
Before you give me the talk
series of grass growing, followed by
about how running is so hard and I
the bingo championships, and later,
wouldn’t know because I don’t do it, check out the annual rock-paper-scisstop yourself – save the breath. You
sors shootout.”
think running is hard? Really?
If you’re one of the few who still
Try running with a football in
believe running is a sport, then have
your hand while 11 people are runfun watching bingo on ESPN. But I
ning at you trying to take your head
don’t want to hear about how your
off.
sport is so difficult, because as you’re
Try running after a yellow ball
laughing at me for not thinking runthat was just hit at 100 mph and has
ning is a sport, I’ll be laughing on the
enough spin to bounce over your
inside because my grandma does the
head, and while you’re running, try
same sport as you.
Running not a sport?
Federation Athlete of
Ryan mitchell
Maybe you could tell
the Year awards that
Ben Comen that running
he won in 2001 and
Opinion
isn’t a sport.
2002.
I read about Comen a few
Even better than that,
years ago in a Rick Reilly
you could tell the recently
article.
widowed Alicia Shay that
Comen, at the time, was a
the sport she loves and the
junior at Hanna High School
sport that her late husband,
in Anderson, South Carolina.
marathoner Ryan Shay, died
He was the slowest runner in
competing in wasn’t really
America that year, finishing a 5
a sport and that he died dokilometer race in a lengthy 51
ing something that simply
minutes.
anybody could have done.
Comen suffered from cerebral palsy
Of course, the work ethic he
and could hardly run a quarter mile
showed running more than a hundred
without falling flat on the ground. The and fifty miles a week, pushing his
worst part of this being that every time body to its limits, similar to hundreds
he fell, his disability prevented his
of other runners, is something that
brain from being able to send signals
takes willpower that can be displayed
to his arms fast enough to break his
by almost any individual, right?
fall, so most of the time when he did
Even easier, tell me. I run 6 days
fall, he would hit the ground, falling
a week, at times while most others are
flat on his face.
still sleeping or turning the lights out
Now, do you think that as he
to lay down to bed.
crossed the finish line, knees, hands,
Tell me I’m not an athlete, rip my
head, ankles bleeding profusely, that
sport to shreds, and you know what,
you could tell him that what he just
tell all of my teammates too.
competed in wasn’t really a sport?
I’m at every basketball game I
As you stood there, watching grown can make, but if the day comes that
men cry after the race more than this
I finally reach my biggest goals as a
kid ever did, could you tell him, “Well runner, I don’t need 250 of my peers
Ben, you know, you may have just put
behind me cheering.
yourself through more physical and
Surely, no one will “storm the
mental pain than I ever have in my en- court,” some of my closest friends,
tire sports career combined, but I mean coaches, and family might hug me,
you really didn’t need any congenital
but for the most part I will be out of
ability to do so, so sorry pal, but your
the spotlight, thinking about my hard
not really an athlete.”
work and unaware of the vanity that
Or maybe you could tell Hicham El success in most other sports encomGuerroj a 3:43 miler (a world record),
passes.
after he became the first man to ever
As someone once put it, “The true
win two Olympic Track Gold medvision of a champion is bent over,
als by doubling in the 5k and 1500 at
drenched in sweat, at the point of
Athens in 2004, that he wasn’t really
exhaustion, when nobody else is lookan athlete, and that you’d probably
ing.” You know something about that
have to take back his subsequent
vision seems familiar to me, but I just
International Association of Athletics
can’t quite put my finger on it.
Lyons duo remains dominant on the field
By Mark Natale
Pioneer Staff
“They’re baseball-savvy.
That’s what you can’t teach.
They play [baseball] the way
it’s supposed to be played,”
said Trinity baseball coach
Ed Poisson. He was referring
to the center field-left field,
senior-junior duo, Sean and
Connor Lyons.
Since first picking up the
bat and ball in their T-ball
years to becoming starters just
a few games into their respective freshman seasons, Sean
and Connor have grown to be
integral parts of the Trinity
baseball team. Sean is a second-year captain on the team
this year.
However, baseball isn’t
their only sport. Both entered
Trinity playing soccer their
freshman year but switched to
play for the football team for
their respective sophomore
years.
Sean, a senior, who signed
a 50% scholarship with
Northeastern University to
play baseball earlier this year,
had a scare in this year’s football season when he broke his
leg in a game halfway through
the season.
“[The scholarship] was the
first thing that went through
my head. I was wondering
if I would ever be the same
again,” said Lyons.
Lyons also said he would
have tried out for the boys’
basketball team this year had
it not been for his injury.
Younger brother, Connor,
a junior, is also being heavily
recruited by NCAA Division
1 teams to play baseball for
them.
“I’m looking to stay in
Boston. If I can, I want to go
to [Boston College]. BC is my
priority,” said Lyons of his
scholarship opportunities.
“Both are DI baseball players,” said Poisson of the two.
According to the duo,
sibling rivalry has slacked off
in recent years, but there has
always been a lingering competition between the brothers.
“I think that’s where we
get our talent. [Sibling rivalry]
made us who we are today
and the competitors who we
are,” said Sean.
“I definitely noticed when
Sean made the district team
as an 11-year-old. That’s what
really made me want to go
into sports,” said the younger
Lyons brother, Connor.
Both, too, have high hopes
for the baseball team this year
and their goal for the season is
to win the state championship.
The team made it to the
state championship two years
ago, but lost to Merrimack
and last year made it to the
quarterfinals of the playoffs.
“We have a definite chance
[to win this year],” said Sean.
Brother, Connor, agrees.
“We almost made it freshman year, and last year was
just a disappointment,” said
Connor.
“We graduated
one player last year. Hopefully, we’ll be in the top four
[at the end of the regular
season].”
The boys started the season
with a win over Concord, 1-0,
in which Connor singled to
left field in the bottom of the
seventh to score the walk-off
Mark Natale / Pioneer Staff
Above, Trinity senior Sean Lyons throws warm-up pitches in between
innings to catcher Nick Nalette in a game against Pinkerton on April
22, Trinity won 9-4.
winning run, Sean, from third
base.
“It was a relief to see the
ball go over the third baseman’s head and made it easy
for me to jog in,” said Sean.
Connor was equally excited
about the win.
“It was definitely a good
lunge forward for the team
and for my confidence at the
plate,” Connor said.
Page 18
Boys’ Athlete
of the year
Captain of
the boys’ Class L
championship basketball team and
captain of the very
strong Pioneers
baseball team,
Dylan Clark is our
pick for boys’ athClark
lete of the year.
Clark was a
leader on the court, always
putting up good numbers and
playing team defense.
Clark is also the ace
pitcher for the Pioneers baseball team, along with a pick
for last season’s first team
All-State team.
Clark has certified himself
as one of the top pitchers in
Class L.
The southpaw’s fastball is offset by his wicked
curveball, making him a huge
danger for batters.
With an astonishing .19
ERA, Clark is looking to
bring the Pioneer baseball
team deep into the playoffs.
Clark will be continuing
his baseball career at Elon
University in North Carolina
next year on a 70 percent
scholarship.
The Pioneer would also
like to send out honorable
mentions for the boys’ athlete
of the year to the following:
Junior Connor
Lyons, who led
the football team
in both rushing
yards per carry as
well as receptions,
with eight.
Lyons is also
a standout on the
baseball team,
making first team
All-State last season, to go
with a .350 batting average
this season.
Jordan Laguerre, a junior, was named Mr. Basketball and Player of the year
for Class L.
Laguerre led the team
in scoring in the championship game with 27 points ,
outscoring Memorial singlehandedly. Laguerre also
netted his thousandth point
during the regular season.
Finally, junior Jake Castricone, the quarterback for
the football team and a solid
shortstop for the baseball
team, is our third honorable
mention.
Castricone is the quarterback in Trinity’s double-wing
offense. Castricone made
first team All-State this past
football season at the safty
position and recorded the
second- most tackles on the
team.
Girls’ Athlete
of the year
With impressive
play throughout the
regular season and
playoffs, Karima
Gabriel was able to
help lead her team
to the girls’ basketball championship
game.
Gabriel
The 6’2 center
dominated down
low and was always a threat to
score when on the court.
Gabriel also collected many
of the team’s rebounds.
Gabriel was a first team
all-state selection her sophomore year, along with this past
season.
Her career at trinity was
marked by scoring her thousandth point during the last
home game of the regular
season.
Just a junior, Gabriel was
able to set the standard for
girls’ class L basketball.
Already receiving letters from Division I colleges,
Gabriel is only expected to improve throughout the offseason
and through next season with
the Pioneers.
Gabriel not only dominates
on the basketball court, but
also on the volleyball court, helping
her team reach the
playoffs, only to be
defeated by thirdseeded Salem.
The Pioneer
would also like to
send out honorable
mentions for girls’
athletes of the year
to the following:
Gillian Gravel who is a
standout in both soccer and
softball.
She recently helped the
team to a dominating win over
Keene, 11-1.
Sam Currier, who was
a captain on the soccer team
and was a leader on the girls’
basketball team.
Currier played point guard
for the basketball team and
recorded a two-goal game on
the pitch.
Sam Monohon, who led
the girls’ basketball team in
scoring during the championship game with 11 points.
Monohon was an all-state
honorable mention selection
and a Pioneer selection for
girls’ athlete of the month in
March.
The Pioneer
Sports
2008/2009
Spring sports updates
Baseball team enters NHIAA tournament as #1
After a red-hot ending
to their season, the Trinity
boys’ baseball team ended
its dream season abruptly
with a 12-3 loss to Alvirne in
the NHIAA semifinals. The
loss put a wrap on a 19-3
season—the best finish for
Trinity in years.
“Tonight, Dylan [Clark]
wasn’t sharp, Garrett [Cole]
wasn’t sharp, and our hitting
wasn’t on. Put those three
together, and you get a 12-3
loss,” said Trinity coach Ed
Poisson.
The Pioneers, an annual
powerhouse, got off to one
of the best starts in school
history and suffered losses
in the regular season only to
Keene and Goffstown.
The boys flew through
the first two rounds of the
playoffs, winning games
against Pinkerton, 8-1, and
Timberlane, 3-1. Senior
Dylan Clark, who will attend
Elon University on a baseball
scholarship next year, had a
no-hitter going through six
innings of the first round
game against Pinkerton until
it was broken up by a single
in the seventh.
Clark and fellow senior
Garret Cole, who will be
attending UMass Lowell, led
the team in pitching throughout the year. Fellow senior
Sean Lyons, coming off a serious leg injury from the fall
football season, was a solid
reliever behind the two.
The team was led by the
offense of junior Connor
Lyons and brother, Sean, and
senior Ricky Fosher.
Also contributing to
the team were senior Dave
Danielson and junior Nick
Nalette.
Team chemistry was a
focal point for the team this
year.
“There was very good
team chemistry and out morale for the season was high
and we knew we had a good
shot at the title and everyone
wanted to win,” said Fosher.
Even after the loss, the
team was able to keep spirits
up, as former Trinity athletic
director Patrick Smith and
current director Gary Leonard made their way through
the dugout, shaking the
hands of each player individually.
“We may have lost, but
we lost as a team. There
weren’t any arguments in the
dugout, and, even in the end,
I feel that our team was able
to crack a few jokes and stay
positive towards each other,”
said Danielson.
Trinity boys’ tennis loses in first round of tourney
The Trinity boys’ tennis
team wrapped up their spring
season with an upset loss to
the #6 seed in the NHIAA
tournament, Concord, 3-6.
Trinity, the #2 seed in the
tournament, won the first
few games of the match with
junior Adonios Papanikalou
scoring the first win and
seniors Ben Arguin and Matt
Anctil following directly
after.
The boys, who were led
by Arguin and fellow senior
Tony Collins all year, had
made the NHIAA tournament of eight teams as the
#2 seed after finishing off
the regular season with a 131 record.
“[It was] the best season
Trinity’s had in a while,” said
Papanikalou.
The boys had surprised
many in the state by their
success, after entering the
tournament as the #8 seed
last year. Their only loss
came at the hands of the #3
seed in a hotly contested
match in which Trinity lost
5-4.
“It was a disappointing
way to end the season after
how consisten we played all
year,” said Anctil.
After losing their former
coach last year, Mr. Andrew
Nelson, coach Brian Hashem
stepped up and filled the
vacant hole and improved
upon what the team had accomplished last year.
The boys began their season with an explosive start
and even after their loss only
loss to Salem, they picked up
right where they left off and
won the remainder of their
matches.
“Our loss to Salem served
as a wake-up call for us, and
I thought the way we responded showed how much
character we had as a team,”
said Anctil.
Even after the disappointing loss, the team was still
satisfied with how the season
had gone overall.
“Although we didn’t do as
well as I would have expected in the playoffs, I really
think we showed that Trinity
was a powerhouse this year,”
said Arguin.
Arguin was also impressive in the state singles’
finals, finishing his tournament with a loss to the state’s
#1 seed.
Softball finishes season with loss to Alvirne
After a disappointing start
to the season, the girls’ softball team finished the regular
season on a hot streak, going
3-2 in their last five games
before falling to #2 seed in
the NHIAA Concord in the
first round, 9-1.
The girls, who were
coached by Assistant Principal Steve Gadecki and language teacher Laura Chenette, finished their season
with a 6-13 record, the best
finish for the team in years.
“In my first three years on
varsity softball, we won five
games total and never made
the playoffs, but this year
we all had the same goal in
mind… and made the playoffs for the first time in four
years,” said Alie Thomas, a
senior.
The Pioneers were led by
seniors Thomas and Ellen
Connell, as well as junior
catcher, Gillian Gravel.
The girls became city
champions with wins over
intra-city rivals, Manchester
West, Manchester Memorial, and Manchester Central,
the final win coming against
Central in an extra-inning
game that the Pioneers won,
2-1.
“I think that we exceeded
everyone’s expectations,
especially by becoming the
city champs. It was amazing
how we really came together
as a team,” said Gravel.
After the regular season,
the Pioneers were 15th in the
standings and were paired
with Concord for the first
game in the playoffs.
Although the girls lost,
they were still happy with
the way the season had
ended.
“I think the season was
very successful. We went
out as a team to unite and
become one team and we
did that. We wanted to win
games and make it into the
playoffs. We did that too,”
said Nicole Connolly, a
junior.
The returning members of
the team are looking forward to next year, and have
high hopes for a successful
season.
“We are really going to
miss out seniors, but we have
a great group of girls coming
back. I hope to once again be
the city champs and make the
playoffs again,” said Gravel.
2008/2009
The Pioneer
Arts & Entertainment
Page 19
Another hit from the drama club 900 Degrees heats up
By Kaitlin Fitzgerald
Pioneer Staff
By Alexa Serrecchia
Pioneer Editor
In the McHugh Gymnasium on Thursday, May 14,
Fri. May 15, and Sat. May
16, Trinity High School’s
drama club put on a production of All I Really Need to
Know I Learned in Kindergarten.
Mark Natale, junior, directed the show.
The cast included sophomores Corrine Dolan, Daniel
Hunt, Alexis Kittle, Rita
Pratte and Natalie Kfoury as
well as juniors Ben Gibbons,
Tricia Gaudet, Cairreann
Leighton, Brady Manning,
Allison Parent, Jessica Parent
and Sarah Ruggiero.
Mo Gibbons and Danielle
Jaskiewicz were the only
freshmen.
The play consisted of 26
skits separated by blackouts.
“The show was very different from what we usually
perform. It strayed from our
usual preference of comedy
but it allowed us to explore a
new genre and acting style,”
said Allison Parent.
The show started off with
a skit called “Yes! Of Course
I Can!” in which the cast portrayed enthusiastic kindergarten students expressing their
abilities to draw, read, dance,
sing, and perform many other
simple and fun tasks.
The play continued on
with different skits of these
kindergarten students as
adults learning lessons as
grown-ups that they had already been taught in kindergarten.
All of the cast members
had roles in multiple skits.
Some members also had certain roles that they favored
over others.
“My favorite role was
Howard because I liked that
scene better than the others,”
said Ben Gibbons.
The skit “Howard”
consisted of Gibbons and
Natale. As a boy, Gibbons
had always said the part of
Pioneer Yearbook Staff Photo
Members of the drama club sit on stage during the first skit, “Yes!
Of Course I Can!”on opening night of the three-night performance.
the Our Father “hallowed be
thy name” as “Howard be
thy name,” and, therefore,
he had always believed that
God was named Howard.
The moral of this skit was to
never let anyone tell you that
you are wrong.
“My favorite was my role
in ‘Problems and Inconveniences,’ because it had
such a great message,” said
Manning.
The “Problems and
Inconveniences” skit also
included Ben Gibbons and
Natale. Manning’s character
was upset over being fed the
same meal of wieners and
sauerkraut at work every day.
Natale performed Manning’s
actions as Manning narrated
them.
Little did Manning know
that Gibbons was a Holocaust
survivor who saw wieners and
sauerkraut as a feast.
Gibbons told Manning
that there is a difference between an inconvenience and
a problem, and that life is full
of inconveniences that we
just have to deal with.
The lessons of the skits
varied, some of which included, standing up for what
you believe in, never letting
anyone tell you that you can’t
do something, using your
imagination, learning to let
go, thinking for yourself, tak-
ing part in life and not worrying, because no one is perfect.
Natale not only directed
but also performed in 16 of
the 26 skits.
Natale was able to direct
the show and cast himself in
multiple skits, an unsual task
that not many directors take
on.
“I thought the shows went
well. I’m really proud of the
cast for pulling it all together
in the end, even though we
had serious problems over
the course of rehearsals and
such. Overall, it went better
than I had expected it to,”
said Natale.
The Gibbons and Parent
siblings graced the Trinity
stage with their talents in
almost as many skits each as
Natale.
Sophomores Kittle,
Kfoury, and Pratte showed
off their acting skills on the
stage for the first time.
“This was my first show
with the Trinity drama club
and it was quite the experience,” said Pratte.
Ryan Kehoe, junior, accompanied on the piano.
For the first two nights of
the show, despite a few lapses with lines and the distracting open-curtain set changes
during the blackouts, the
Trinity drama club impressed
on stage once again.
Pizza is often lumped to
gether with Chinese food and
chicken tenders in our minds
as being cheap takeout; however, one of Manchester’s
most unique dining spots,
900 Degrees, is far from
being your average “pizza
joint.”
Crisp, thin crust, wood
oven-baked pizzas are the
main draw here, though the
limited options of salads and
Italian appetizers earn high
marks as well.
The restaurant is a long
rectangular room with a
beautiful open kitchen and
sprawling wine bar. The
stainless steel accents and the
granite countertops that appear throughout the otherwise
rustic feeling dining room
provide for a more uptown
feel to this millyard eatery.
The noise level is high, as
the dining room is open air
and the windows remain
undressed.
The service was lacking in
some areas, namely attentiveness, but my overall service
experience was pleasant. The
hostess quickly sat us down,
as the dining room was virtually empty around 5 o’clock
in the evening. It took our
server quite a while to initially
come over to our table and
greet us, so much so that when
she did eventually arrive, we
were ready to place our order.
Despite the initial wait, after
placing our orders, I was
surprised to see the pizzas
delivered a short time later.
I ordered the red pepper
pesto pizza ($13.95) which
joins the menu along with
entrees such as a margherita
pizza, a fire roasted BBQ
chicken pizza, and a florentine pesto panini, along with
a create your own pizza option. The crust was very thin,
but the dough was both soft
enough, yet cooked enough
for the crust to crackle when
folded. The pizza was topped
with red pepper pesto, grilled
chicken, goat cheese, and
arugula. The flavors of the
arugula and the pesto in particular really complemented
the wood-fired flavor infused
into the pizza.
The pizza is neapolitan
style, meaning it is very thin
crusted. One pizza, although
large, is comparable to two
or three thicker crusted pizza
slices. However, if you are
looking for something lighter
one pizza would be sufficient
for two to share. In terms
of aesthetics, the pizza is
brought to you by the server
and placed on a stand beside
your table. I felt that this
somewhat detracted from the
upscale feeling of the dining
experience and would have
much rather had the pizza on
the table rather than being
constantly bumped into by
passers by making their way
to the restroom.
Situated in the millyard
parking lot, directly behind
the building that was formerly home to Tiny Totland, 900
Degrees is certainly in an
obscure location. Even being
very familiar with downtown
Manchester, I found myself
circling the vicinity of the
parking lot several times before I was able to find the actual entrance. However, there
is ample parking, even on a
busy weekend date-night or
event night at the Verizon.
The combination of the
uptown, metropolitan atmosphere, reasonable prices and
bold Tuscan flavors make
900 Degrees a perfect spot
for a date night on the town,
or simply a casual dinner out
with the family. 900 Degrees
proves to Manchester that
there is much more to pizza
than the infamous Alley Cat
or Cesarios. I would easily make a repeat visit and
certainly recommend that
this new uptown eatery make
its way into your downtown
dining circuit.
50 Dow St
Manchester, NH 03101
www.900degrees.com
Commercial Street Fishery: Worth the adventure
By Kaitlin Fitzgerald
Pioneer Staff
Finding Commercial
Street Fishery can be difficult,
especially for an unfamiliar
downtown Manchester diner.
CSF is tucked away in the old
mill buildings directly across
from the WMUR studio. To
enter the restaurant, you must
enter the mill building itself
and follow a long hallway to
the actual entrance. The inside
creates the sense that you are
in an upscale eatery in a posh
seaside city. The dining room
gives a beachy, lofty, yet
upscale feel. Tall ceilings and
oversized windows allow for
a large open-air feel.
I was greeted by a very
friendly hostess and was
seated promptly. We sat in an
oversized leather booth next
to sheer draped windows.
After only a few minutes,
our server came over to greet
us. She stamped the white
butcher paper, covering the
table with a CSF logo and
then wrote her name as if we
were in one of those kidfriendly restaurants.
The staff was welcoming,
professional, and knowledgeable, and the service was
prompt but never intrusive.
CSF does what few other
restaurants are able to do,
like take everyday seafood
dishes and turn them into well
thought out, creative, and bold
dishes.
I began with the clam
chowder ($7), which I was
hesitant about as I am not a
huge chowder fan. However,
I was delighted to find that
it was wonderfully thick and
creamy with a bold smoky
flavor, with large chunks of
potatoes and plenty of clams.
I then had the yellow fin
tuna ($28) with toasted barley,
shiitake mushrooms, grilled
radicchio, and a red wine
reduction sauce. This dish was
phenomenally presented and
masterfully executed.
The tuna was perfectly
complemented by the bold
and rich seasonal flavors of
the radicchio and the shiitake.
The toasted barley added
a palatable texture to the
smooth dish. I ended with
the “graham central station”
ice cream ($4), from local
creamery Blake’s. The desert
was simple yet decadent and
tastefully presented.
My dining experience was
not only a welcomed escape
from the monotony of the local chain restaurant circuit but
also an incredibly refreshing
dining experience. The cool,
calm atmosphere, welcoming and skilled service, and
the fusion of the bold, exotic,
and familiar flavors served to
create an unparalleled experience.
The entrees are slightly
pricey, so CSF is not a target
destination for a diner with a
thin wallet.
However, it is certainly
worth making the trip to this
downtown eatery and spending the extra dollars for a
special occasion or simply a
relaxing and delicious culinary escape.
Page 20
The Pioneer
The Back Page
2008/2009
And they’re off! But to where, exactly?
Matt Anctil: University of Michigan
Ben Arguin: University of MassachusettsLowell
Wesley Baird: Keene State College
Sean Becker: University of New HampshireManchester
Marissa Belair: High Point University
Michael Boire: University of Maine
Ashley Boivin: Bentley University
Deeanna Bouchard: High Point University
Sarah Bourque: University of New Hampshire
Katie Briefs: Xavier University
Caitlin Buckley: University of New Hampshire
Thomas Caito: University of New Hampshire
Sarah Castelot: Colby-Sawyer College
Alyssa Chambers: Mesa State College
Hillary Cirka: Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Dylan Clark: Elon University
Garrett Cole: University of MassachusettsLowell
Tony Collins: Merrimack College
Ellen Connell: University of Virginia
Matthew Coryea: Clarkson University
Ryan Cowette: Virginia Polytechnic Institute
Samantha Currier: Plymouth State University
Samantha Danico: Saint Anselm College
David Danielson: University of New Hampshire
Laura Des Rochers: Hesser College
Nick D’Intino: Endicott College
Lynne Dionne: Colby-Sawyer College
Evan Doyle: Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Kayla Doyle: Simmons College
Stephen Driscoll: Massachusetts College of
Pharmacy & Health Sciences
Vanessa Duguay: George Washington
University
Andrew Dwyer: Manchester Community
College
Kaitlin Fitzgerald: College of Charleston
Kellen Fitzgerald: Fordham University
Patrick Fitzgerald: Colby College
Emily Fontaine: Northeastern University
Sean Foote: Bryant University
Ryan Foster: University of Maine-Fort Kent
Ricky Fosher: Saint Leo University
Sarah Franklin: University of New HampshireManchester
Katie Fuhrman: Cape Fear Community College
SHEEHAN
Continued from page 1
of his time in the business. “It
wasn’t enough.”
He worked in investments
for several years and with
FEMA for one year.
Then, four years ago, he
made the decision to return to
Trinity as a math teacher.
He found that Trinity was
the best fit for him.
“It’s the only job, as I suppose you do have to call it a
job, which I’m excited to get
out of bed and go to in the
morning,” he says of teaching.
“The closeness of the teachers
and the students, we really do
work as a team.”
Mr. Sheehan gets up every
morning at five o’clock in
order to be at school at six to
open the doors to students.
After which time, he can
usually be found in his office,
grading papers and planning
lessons for the day.
He says he draws his
inspiration from a variety of
different teachers.
He lists them off, new and
old, and mentions their dedication and accomplishments.
“Six of the teachers here
today have been here since I
Komot Gabriel: University of Hartford
Jonathan Gaffen: Worcester Polytechnic
Institute
Thomas Gagnon: Saint Joseph’s College of
Maine
Ann-Marie Gaudet: College of Saint Joseph’sVermont
Claudia Gaulin: University of Ottawa- Canada
Samantha Goodnow: Fairfield University
Danica Goss: Salve Regina University
Casey Goulet: Wentworth Institute of
Technology
Chad Graff: University of New Hampshire
Gregory Gratiano: Curry College
Peyour Guguay: Xavier University of Louisiana
Laura Hagan: Massachusetts Maritime
Academy
Megan Hannemann: Quinnipiac University
Elizabeth Hebert: Saint Michael’s College
Scott Hebert: Manchester Community College
Zachary Ibanez: Suffolk University- Madrid,
Spain
Craig Jameson: Endicott College
Kimberly Johnson: Southern New Hampshire
University
Amanda Jolicoeur: Manchester Community
College
Michael-Ali Kelekci: Wagner College
Barry Kendall: Assumption College
Kerianne Lamontagne: Assumption College
Chelsea Landry: Chestnut Hill College
Ashley Leonard: University of New Hampshire
Alysha Lesieur: Western New England College
Benjamin Lessard: Saint Michael’s College
German Linares: Siena College
Kyle Long: New Hampshire Technical Institute
Michael Lonie: Curry College
Timothy Lussier: Southern New Hampshire
University
Brendan Lynch: Plymouth State University
Sean Lyons: Northeastern University
Richard Madol: University of New Hampshire
Bethany Majkut: Merrimack College
Andrea Masuku: Anna Maria College
Emily Martin: University of New Hampshire
Nathan McCormick: University of Dallas
Jaskiel McDowell: Nashua Community College
Patrick McLaughlin: Bridgton Academy
was a student. Mr. Mailloux
was my homeroom teacher,
Mr. Gorski was my English
teacher. I’m just putting in my
time; we’re all just putting
in our time for you guys,” he
said.
But he doesn’t just stop
when the school day ends. He
attends many Trinity sports
games to cheer on his students.
“There may be a time when
I don’t see a student excel
particularly in the classroom,
but I can still make the effort
to see them excel on the field,”
he said.
He’s also become incredibly involved in the Trinity
community itself.
For the past 12 years, Mr.
Sheehan has been on the
board of trustees for the Kevin
McHugh/Trinity High School
Golf Tournament, held annually in August.
But perhaps his most wellknown position is that of
student council advisor.
He is famous in the Trinity
community for leading assemblies in games and chants, but
what many don’t see are the
huge amounts of time and effort he puts into such events.
During Trinity Week, it is
not unusual for Mr. Sheehan
Sara McSmith: Southern New Hampshire
University
Jake Meehan: Bryant University
Hayden Mitchell: College of the Holy Cross
Samantha Monohon: University of
Massachusetts- Amherst
Matthew Myers: University of New Hampshire
Thomas Newell: Elmira College
Megan O’Brien: Springfield College
Hanna Ogilvy: Bentley University
Kaleigh O’Neil: University of New Hampshire
Eileen Parodi: Wellesley College
Alison Patev: Stonehill College
Amanda Patev: Johnson & Wales University
Tyler Pepin: Middlebury College
Julianne Petty: Salem State College
Mallory Phaneuf: Mount Holyoke College
Robert Pitt: Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Christi Pratte: Rivier College
Max Rahill: Catholic University of America
Colin Robb: Providence College (Deferred for 1
Year for Hockey)
Krista Rochussen: Boston University
Michael Roy: Utica College
Nicole Salvato: Massachusetts College of
Pharmacy & Health Studies
Patrick Seabrook: United States Merchant
Marine Academy
Emily Seitz: Simmons College
Patrick Sheppard: Worcester Polytechnic
Institute
Jolynn Silva: University of New Hampshire
Tyrell Skinner: University of Hartford
Jeffrey St. Jean: Bryant University
Alie Thomas: Merrimack College
Sean Trainor: University of New Hampshire
Chelsea Turner: Northeastern University
Megan Uberti: Massachusetts Institute of
Technology
Joseph Usenia: Wentworth Institute of
Technology
Nathaniel Valentine: University of Hartford
Cathy Vetrone: University of New Hampshire
Natalie Viola: Academy of Art University
Lauren White: Fisher College
Alexsandra Wiciel: Catholic University of
America
Natalie Wilson: Nichols College
to arrive at school at his
usual time to open the doors
and then not leave until
10:30 at night.
“I met Mr. Sheehan
when I first came to Trinity, and I knew he was
something different,” said
sophomore Abby Mitchell.
“It was not until I joined
student council this year
that I found out what he really goes through.”
You might think with the
amount of time and effort
that he puts into these activities, he must grow tired
of the role; however, he sees
it as one of his favorites.
Pioneer staff photos
“I guess I’m still a kid at Above left: Mr. Sheehan prepares for freshman orientation last August.
heart,” he said. “So I love
Top right: Mr. Sheehan, left, dressed as Santa, poses for a picture with a
doing things like student
little girl in the Trinity cafeteria.
council and teaching and
Bottom right: Mr. Sheehan takes a turn grilling hamburgers before a Trintalking to the kids.”
ity football game. He organized a group of “Trinity tailgaters” to tailgate
But one has to realize,
before every home football game.
that to the class of 2009 and
many more, Mr. Sheehan
four years ago.
haven’t taught, I’ve talked to
has become more than just
They started together as
in the halls or at the games, so
your average teacher.
freshman, and, over the years,
I’m pretty close to this class.”
“He is a leader and a menmost members of that class
So to the class of 2009,
tor to me. His high expectahave gotten to know Mr.
and to Trinity as a whole, Mr.
tions set the stage for greatness Sheehan.
Sheehan is more than just a
and I owe him for my own
“For some, I’ve taught
teacher.
success here,” said Student
them as sophomores, some as
“He still deserves the
Council President Katie Briefs. sophomores and seniors,” he
title of Mr. Trinity, even to
Both Mr. Sheehan and the
said. “Some I haven’t even
this day,” said senior Lynne
Class of 2009 entered Trinity
taught at all. But the ones I
Dionne.