The Quill - Mount Saint Joseph High School

The Quill
The Student Newspaper of Mount Saint Joseph High School - Volume LXXIX - Issue V - May 2010
St. Joe Welcomes Gibbons Transfers
Moses Hubbard
Quill Staff Editor
School Closings Create Sadness, Offer New Opportunities
“It’s gonna be real hard, loosing
a family like that.” Jake Parry, in his red
Gibbons Polo, looks down for a moment,
staring blankly at a spot somewhere behind
me. “I think everyone’s taking it hard, all
of us.” And he looks back up.
Just a few
Fridays ago, Jake, a
sophomore at Cardinal
Gibbons, shadowed at
Mount Saint Joseph,
where he’s considering
moving for his junior
year. After Wednesday
the March 3, when
Archbishop Edwin
O’Brien announced that
Cardinal Gibbons, along
with 12 other Catholic elementary and
middle schools, will not be reopening in
Fall of 2010, Jake will have to find a new
high school.
Jake’s old middle and elementary
school, Saint William of York, is among
the twelve other schools that will be
closing. Father Marty Demek, the priest at
Saint William’s Church, declined to make
a comment.
Jake is just one of thousands
of Catholic School students who will be
affected by the recent school closings. In
a letter prefacing the report,
the Archbishop wrote, “As
a result of under enrollment
and financial difficulties,
I must do what many
organizations, businesses and
families are doing in these
challenging economic times:
make difficult but necessary
decisions about the allocation
of limited resources.”
Therefore, thirteen Catholic
schools will be “consolidating,” leaving a
total of 2,160 Catholic students to find new
schools.
The realities are painful but
undeniable: Out of 32,500 spots, there are
currently 10,000 empty seats available in
Catholic schools. The schools have also
been “hemorrhaging” money – already in
debt $11.7 million, and projected to add
an additional $2.2 million to that this year.
In an interview with the Catholic Review,
Archbishop O’Brien said, “We want to
stem the hemorrhaging. It’s been going on
since the turn of the century and especially
since 2002 and the last couple of years,
with the economic downturn.”
The archbishop has made it clear
that “there will be a place in a Catholic
school for every student who wants to be
in one.” The Mount is an obvious choice
for Gibbons students to turn to – It’s
Catholic, all male, and relatively close by.
So the Mount Saint Joseph community
faced a question: What do we do about the
closings, and how do we do it?
I sat down with Mr. Hoffman,
the Mount’s director of admissions, to
talk about the Mount’s involvement in the
relocation of students. “The admissions
criteria are going to be the exact same as
we would for any transfer student,” he said.
The Blood Drive
Saint Joe Students Generously Perform a Christic Act
Parker Mellendick
Quill Staff Writer
There is something about a needle
that seems to scare everyone at least a
little. However, this didn’t seem to keep
more than 70 people at MSJ from donating
blood on Friday, March 5, 2010.
Nearly everyone is a little nervous
the first time they donate blood. Most
donors will tell you they only feel a slight
pinch when the needle is inserted, so there
is no reason to be scared. Most donors
consider the little pinch to be the reminder
that their donation can help save the life of
up to three other people. The blood drive is
almost always a great success here at MSJ
and the Red Cross always looks to us to
lead the way, especially this time around
since the blizzards this year kept the blood
banks low.
Most students who give blood
enjoy the experience. They know they
are helping to save a life and they get
to miss out on class too. The SADD/
Lifesavers Club helps give out snacks and
refreshments provided by the Red Cross
to the donors to keep them from feeling
faint. These refreshments include cookies,
crackers, and even nachos. Donors also
receive a t-shirt and a sticker indicating
they gave blood.
Before donating, you are interviewed and
tested to make sure that you are healthy
enough to give blood. Generally, a male
has to be over 130 pounds and at least 5’1”.
However, you may not be able to donate if
you have high or low blood pressure or any
diseases transferred through the blood.
Reactions to giving blood rarely
occur and are usually minor. The best way
to avoid problems is to remain calm and
understand the donation process. A donor
must also be sure to eat regularly scheduled
meals before donating and to drink plenty
of fluids. Fluid depletion is one of the most
common causes of reaction to the process.
It is impossible to get AIDS, or
any other disease, from giving blood. The
needle and container are sterile. They are
used only once for your donation and then
discarded. Your activities after donating
aren’t too limited. You are only requested
not to lift anything heavy with your
donation arm for 4 hours and to refrain
from strenuous exercise for at least 12
hours. If you play a sport at school, you
may want to check with your coach to
make sure it is alright for you to donate.
Some donors choose to make
a double red cell donation. This saves
time and makes your donation go further.
This is a donation where blood is drawn
from one arm and channeled through
a sterile, single-use collection set to an
automated machine. The machine separates
and collects two units of red cells and
then safely returns the remaining blood
components, along with some saline, back
to you through the same arm. Since a
smaller needle is used in the process, many
people find double red cell donation more
comfortable than whole blood donation.
Given that all of your platelets and plasma
are returned to your body and you receive
some saline in the process, you don’t lose
the liquid portion of your blood and may
feel more hydrated after your donation.
Source: American Red Cross
“The things we’ll look at are their grades
at their current high school, discipline
records, and the like. Every applicant
will have to go through the interview
process just like all our other applicants,
so there won’t really be any change to our
procedure.”
If a former Gibbons student
wishes to go to the Mount, he’ll have to
go through the same process as any other
student would. Transfers will also be
expected to pay the usual Mount tuition:
“. . . Most of our financial aid for next
year has already been allocated. If any
of that money does come back, it can be
reexamined and reallocated to perspective
families. The diocese, I know, is trying
to get together a fund to offset some of
those costs – to compensate for some
financial aid the boys got at Gibbons, or
even possibly some scholarships they got.
But that would have to come through the
archdiocese,” Mr. Hoffman reported.
A total of 46 Gibbons students
have been accepted: 11 could be entering
as seniors, 12 as juniors, and 23 as
sophomores.
We don’t have control over the
admissions process, but as students, and
as members of the Mount community, the
burden falls equally heavily on us to make
the relocation process as easy as is possible
for former Gibbons students.
I asked Brother James for a
message to the Mount’s student body.
He said, “We say that we are a Christian
community, and we are. We’re a Christian
fraternity, a band of brothers. I think
we need to show that to the Gibbons
community when they come here – that
we’re going to welcome them into our
band of brothers. My hope is that the
Gibbons kids who come will want to be a
part of that. We realize that as hard as it is
for them to leave Gibbons, they’re coming
to a new community, and that community
is willing to welcome them.”
Information for this article was taken in
page 2
Little Shop of Horrors
Thrills and Kills in the Saint Joe Theatre Department
Dominic Salacki
Quill Staff Writer
Seymour Krelborn’s life is not
going so well for him. The nerdy low-life
florist shop employee in the Little Shop of
Horrors gets negatively criticized by his
boss, Mr. Mushnik, on a daily basis. He is
secretly in love with his coworker, Audrey,
who is dating an intimidating dentist,
and he lives in a town called Skid Row,
a rundown dump heap. These events and
more were acted superbly on the Mount
St. Joseph stage April 15-18, 2010 in the
spring musical.
Mt. St. Joe senior Torrance
Winder, who played the male lead of
Seymour, commented about his amazing
adventure saying, “With this being my
first play at the Mount, I didn’t know what
to expect, but it has been an amazing,
fun experience and I’m glad I decided to
audition!”
Seymour will give anything
to escape from his boring life to live
a happy and exciting one. But, when
Seymour comes across a “strange and
interesting plant” that is some sort of fly
trap from outer space, life starts to change
dramatically for him.
The plant becomes a draw to the
viewing public, receives a lot of attention,
and brings in a myriad of money just as the
florist shop, Mushnik’s Skid Row Florists,
is about to shut down from bankruptcy.
After all of Seymour’s success starts piling
up, he gets the feeling that Audrey is taking
a liking to him.
Mt. St. Joe senior Kasey Ashton,
who played the voice of the plant Audrey
II, commented on his experience saying,
“It’s been my life-long dream to play a
carnivorous plant, and I don’t think I could
have chosen a better show or cast for my
last St. Joe show.”
But after Seymour discovers that
the secret ingredient which makes the plant
grow so beautifully, he quickly decides that
he should not care for it anymore and that
it should be destroyed. Will Audrey still
love Seymour without his plant? Will the
plant take over the world or will Seymour
defeat it? This musical showing of Little
Shop of Horrors surely gave the audience
laughs, chills, and smiles. It was said that
one little girl even ran crying from the
room after hearing the monstrous plant.
“It was an amazing turn out and
I loved every minute of it,” one audience
member said at the end of the second
showing of Little Shop of Horrors. As one
of the cast members in the play, I, Dominic
Salacki, have to say thank you to all who
helped out with the production. That
includes the rest of the cast, the crew, Mr.
Hartsfield, Mrs. Esserwein, Mrs. Stender,
our choreographer Emily Jamison, the
parents who volunteered, and to all of the
audience members who supported us by
coming to see our show.
The cast of Little Shop was a very
special and diverse group of young adults
with students from Mt. St. Joe, Mt. de
Sales, Seton Keough, and those who are
home schooled.
Mt. St. Joe sophomore Peter
Kelly, who played the witty business
man Skip Snip, shared a few words,
stating “[the play was] a great way to
keep in touch socially, [to] boost your self
confidence, [and] a fun thing to do after
school.”
Home schooled student Elena
Gage, who played one of the Doo-Wop
girls, Chiffon, told The Quill, “Because
I’m homeschooled, [the play is a] better
experience to be with my friends and
express myself artistically. Being in the
play, I can enjoy myself.”
With all the excitement and
possible outcomes of opening night trapped
in their heads, some of the cast members
couldn’t say enough good things about
Spring Pep Rally
Saint Joe’s Spring Pep Rally Falls Short
Zev Burrows
Quill Staff Writer
On April 16, 2010, Mount St. Joe
held its first ever Spring Pep Rally. Hosted
by senior Patrick Whetle, this was the
first time that spring sports were formally
recognized by the St. Joe community in
the same fashion as our fall sports.
The pep rally, which was
confirmed almost a week early, unlike
the fall pep rally during Spirit Week,
was less than well anticipated, and, in
general, not highly successful. There were
several logistical issues: It was clear that
many of the audience members could
not hear anything from the speakers, nor
did the audience members express much
excitement. Many felt that too much
time was spent calling up the various
sports teams, time that could have been
spent with more interesting activities, like
games and relays. Most of the excitement
came from the viewing of the handball
matches and the relay races (pictured
above).
What was perhaps the comic
highlight of the rally was entirely
unintended: When the wrestling team and
Todd Seay and Kevin Zerhusen race
rugby team went to face off in a tug-ofwar, the rope snapped, sending both teams
tumbling to the floor.
The spring and winter sports
recognized during the pep rally were
basketball, wrestling, rugby, indoor track,
swimming, ice hockey, golf, lacrosse,
baseball, and tennis. Members of most of
these teams participated in the relay races.
With the logistical holdups and
lost time, many students felt that the pep
rally was uninteresting and unsuccessful.
Since this was the
first spring pep rally
ever held at St. Joe,
the student council
was obviously testing
new waters, so the
outcome wasn’t quite
up to par with the
longer-standing fall
pep-rally. However,
should there be
more to come in the
following school
years, hopefully
they will be more
thoroughly thoughtto the finish line! out than this year’s.
Ms. Coyne,
moderator of student
council, believes “the senior class got
MSJ off to a good start with the spring
pep rally. She goes on to say, “When I got
back to Guidance after the rally, I found
about six members of the junior class at
a table writing notes about what to repeat
and what to change. I was impressed.”
what they thought of the whole experience
of being involved in a Mt. St. Joe play.
MSJ freshman Morgan Brown,
who played “the voice not unlike God’s”,
stated, “[the rehearsals have] gone pretty
fast. It’s the first time I got to start a play
in such a dynamic manner and it’s been a
delightful experience.” You may have also
seen Brown playing Friar John in Mt. St.
Joe’s fall drama production of Romeo and
Juliet.
Mt. de Sales sophomore Emily
O’Brocki, who was cast as a Skid Row
wino, commented on the musical saying
“it’s pretty good” and “I get to meet new
people and discover different genres of
music.”
Mt. St. Joe Junior Adam Millott,
who was the Audrey II puppet puppeteer,
commented about his part, saying, “It was
harder than I thought it’d be,” and it was
“Awesome!”
Mt. de Sales junior Molly
McGrain, who played the female lead of
Audrey, told The Quill, “It’s been so fun!
The cast is great and the show is hilarious.”
During rehearsals, The Quill sat
down with Mr. Hartsfield, English teacher
and director of Little Shop:
1) How is Little Shop of Horrors different than any other musical you
have directed concerning with the
story, setting and theme?
Little Shop of Horrors is a modern
musical comedy. It is different in
many ways. The music is much
more modern and the story involves a man-eating plant! The
setting is a run-down flower shop
on “Skid-Row” that gets a second
chance due to the very strange
new resident.
2) How confident are you with the
cast and stage crew?
The cast and crew are extremely
dedicated and talented. With
the help of Mrs. Esserwein, Ms.
Stender and Emily Jamison, I am
very confident that we will have
yet another great production.
3) Why did you decide on Little
Shop of Horrors for this year’s
spring musical?
I, along with Ms. Esserwein, decided to do Little Shop because we
have wanted to do it for a number
of years. It is also a very popular
show which should attract a lot of
people. Plus—it’s just fun!
page 3
20 Years of WMSJ
Mr. Kabara Takes Us Though Time
Mr. Tim Kabara
Quill Contributor
This year, the WMSJ broadcast
club turns twenty, a milestone for any club
or organization at Mount Saint Joseph high
school. As a current co-moderator of the
club and a former “on-air personality,” this
anniversary serves as an opportunity to
reflect on the past, present, and future of
WMSJ.
WMSJ began in 1990 with
the arrival of the Whittle Corporation’s
televisions and their news network,
Channel One, to campus. An agreement
was struck that televisions (the end feed for
an early fiber optic cable network) would
be installed in each homeroom classroom
in the school in exchange for students
watching a news program (beamed in via
satellite) on that network. Someone at
St. Joe proposed that this new network
path be used to broadcast the school’s
announcements as well, and WMSJ,
under the wise tutelage of original club
moderator (and present co-moderator) Mr.
Roach, came to be.
The early years of the club
involved a far more simple operation
than the sophisticated broadcast of today.
A few microphones, two early analog
video cameras, a signal “switcher,” a
rudimentary audio board and a power amp
were the extent of the technology used. Big
early innovations
included a cassette
player wired into
the board for music,
a new board for
title effects, and an
audio “booster”
amp. Today, the
club processes its show through a veritable
maze of boards, amps, filters, and effects,
creating a broadcast which is sleek and
modern.
The primary function of WMSJ
has always been to serve the school by
broadcasting the announcements. This
continues to be the case, but advancements
in technology have lead to changes in the
school’s system of media dissemination.
The announcements used to be handwritten by teachers, administrators,
coaches, and club moderators. After some
were announced over the intercom, the
rest would physically travel from the
main office to the WMSJ homeroom,
and WMSJ was the only source for many
announcements on a broadcast day.
Today, the announcements are
omnipresent, having been complied
digitally and sent out in e-mails by Mrs.
Wiedel, Director of Parent Relations.
All homeroom teachers receive these
announcements vie e-mail, and it is their
responsibility to verbalize them to their
students. In addition, the announcements
are encoded onto flat screen televisions
in the cafeteria (which runs them on a
continual cycle throughout the day) and
are also available via the school’s website.
Due to this new crowded environment of
media saturation, it was clear WMSJ’s role
needed to evolve.
WMSJ’s broadcast today is a
public service which homeroom teachers
can decide to employ to help them as
they take care of the various duties that
homeroom requires of them. WMSJ
is no longer the sole distributor of the
announcements, but the club strives to be
helpful by providing a quick, clean, and
professional reading of the day’s school
news.
Although WMSJ’s role has
changed, the future for the club looks
bright. There are plans being made to offer
original pre-recorded content (something
that the club has engaged in making at
various points in its history) and to begin
to package material from the WMSJ’s
prodigious video archive into segments
to be broadcast online. The most famous
of these works, the “Ninja Jeff” series, is
currently available on Youtube thanks to
the series’ original creators. The club also
plans to continue to update and upgrade
its hardware and technology in order to
provide the highest quality broadcast
possible.
For the past twenty years, WMSJ
has been informing and entertaining the
Mount community. Here’s to twenty more!
Pictures from WMSJ’s past: You may have to turn your
head sideways to see these former WMSJ stars.
page 4
Is the iPad Really Worth It?
2010’s newest device is a unique system but overpriced
Harrison Bachman
Quill Staff Editor
Apple released its newest
electronic to the public earlier in April,
but is it really worth the price? The iPad
is a unique tablet computer that is smaller
than a laptop but larger than a cell phone.
It will run on the same operating system
as the iPhone with the only difference
being a much larger screen. It will have
Wi-Fi capabilities with the option to get
mobile internet with an AT&T plan. A
cool new feature the iPad will have is a
new application that will let the owner buy
books on the iPad and then read them right
on the iPad’s screen, similar to Amazon’s
device The Kindle.
Many people agree that the iPad
is a creative new device, but is it worth
the money to buy it for the starting price
at $499? The turn-off for consumers
is that iPad owners will have to pay an
approximate $30 a month to get mobile
web browsing. With that price it’s a better
idea to buy an Apple notebook laptop,
which would offer more features and a
better operating system. For people who
have an iPhone it will be quite easy to
figure out if it is worth it because the iPad
will be running on the same operating
system. The 9.7 inch screen is an
attractive feature that will give the user a
better experience scrolling through web
pages and typing documents and also
allows users a complete view of websites
instead of the “mobile version” which the
iPhone users get. A useful accessory is a
portable keyboard that will make it easier
and faster to type. Another downside of
the iPad is that it has no camera, which is
disappointing to many people. With more
web chatting and photography taking
place these days, it would only make it
right to have a camera on the device. The
iPad is also without the cell phone feature,
which is a disadvantage from the iPhone.
However, an application that will let users
connect Bluetooth to it will be offerred.
The overall feel is more towards a laptop
with less capabilities but with the same
applications available on the iPhone. The
screen resolution is very bright and crisp,
making it easier to view pictures and
watch movies on the go.
I recommend the iPad for
anyone who travels a lot and wants to
cut down the size of their current laptop.
iPhone users would find the product
a disappointment if compared to the
iPhone because of the lack of camera
and phone. The iPad released over the
Spring Break and will probably be tough
to get for the next several months because
of its popularity. Apple has started a
new generation of products with this new
release. Overall, this device is worth it for
those who want a good device on the go.
Source: http://www.ubergizmo.com/15/
archives/2010/01/ipad-first-impressionsreview.html
New Club for the Music Lovers
The Ardent Audiophiles Club lets students share and discover all different genres
Sung-Min Kim
Quill Staff Writer
As populated as Mount Saint
Joseph High School is, there is a variety
of music preferences demonstrated
between the students. Some prefer
rock, some may boast the uniqueness
of indie music, some may listen to rap,
some may explore country, and some
may not have many boundaries on their
musical preferences. Immersing oneself
in his own choice of music style may
be satisfactory, but there also is a good
amount of popular opinion that shows
listeners valuing openness towards genres
or artists to which he has not yet been
exposed. Where do some students get
their exposure? Several turn their way to
the meetings of MSJ’s Ardent Audiophiles
club, led by two teachers from the English
department, Mr. Matt Perzinski and Mr.
Tim Kabara.
The Ardent Audiophiles club
meets every other Wednesday. In each
meeting, students are to demonstrate a
song of their choice to the faculty member
in charge and their peers. It is a chance
to ring the eardrums of others with one’s
Co-moderator: Mr. Perzinski
own favorite music while learning about
others’ favorites.
Referring to that aspect, one
member quipped “Ardent Audiophiles
club lets us go beyond Hot 99.5 to a place
where music is real and its meaning has
value.”
In this club, it seems that
there is no particular choice of music to
be played since one of the missions is
to open students to hear what the artists
outside of one’s comfort zone can offer as
listening entertainment.
“Ardent Audiophiles is a club
in which you can discover, listen to,
and discuss great music, new and old,
spanning many different genres,” states a
club member well familiar with the club’s
direction. “Even the club moderators, Mr.
Kabara and Mr. Perzinski, always have
something interesting to share or discuss.”
So far many different types
of music have been shared – LCD
Soundsystem, Led Zeppelin, Twin,
Manchester Orchestra, King Crimson,
DJ Doc, Them Crooked Vultures, Pixies,
Radiohead etc. However, some will agree
that there is a need for an expansion of
genre range for a possible addition of fun
and discussion of the club itself. For the
future outlook, many will agree that there
would be a great benefit of welcoming the
members who have preferences of genres
that are not often listened to during club
meetings, such as country, international,
hip-hop, lounge, etc. But with a good
amount of new members coming in after
the departure of members from Class of
2009, the club maintains hope in bringing
in new members in for the future (such
as current Freshmen or Sophomores who
would be eager to share their music) and
carry its mission through the time.
If you are interested in the Ardent
Audiophiles club, please contact Sung-Min
Kim, Mr. Perzinski, or Mr. Kabara.
page 5
Looking Back on Academic and Social Challenges
Senior Sung-Min Kim Remembers Classes, Friendships
Sung-Min Kim
Quill Staff Writer
I may write as an individual, but
I hope that what I am saying will have
a connection to all of the senior class of
2010. Think about it: we are about to
enter into a more independent world of
college and are another step away from
having others look out for us. We are
growing and preparing to dive into the
real world. MSJ has been a place for us
to report to every morning, where we can
engage in intellectual and social endeavors,
and then take our experiences and bring
them into the real world—it goes from
studying in the classroom to hanging out
with the friends we made there. Through
experiences like junior retreat, senior
retreat, and the ongoing interaction of
helping, listening, and enjoying each
other’s company, Saint Joe solidified the
idea of our class as being brothers forever.
I feel like the Mount has become more
than just a school, but a place where we
learn, make brothers for a lifetime, and
are guided through the emotional teenage
years.
Unlike most others, I only spent
three years at the Mount. My freshman
year was spent in Dulaney High School
until I made the decision to transfer away
in the early summer of 2007. At that
time, as I lived near Towson, I hadn’t
heard much about Mount Saint Joseph.
When I did, it was because of my love for
baseball—Mark Teixeira and Gavin Floyd
being alumni of the school intrigued me. I
remember my first visit to Mount Saint Joe:
My brother, Sungwon, and I were there,
and Mr. Hoffman guided us through the
different parts of the campus. I remember
feeling the new atmosphere, the new hope,
the new fear of the uncertainty of what
was going to happen. Three academic
years later, I look back and realize that the
intimidation and uncertainty were nothing.
I was about to begin the three of the most
crucial years of my life.
In my three years at Saint Joe,
I was challenged not only to succeed
academically, but also to new function in
an unfamiliar learning atmosphere and to
establish my presence inside the social
ring. Furthermore, I was still struggling
to learn the English language. It was not
the smoothest road to run, but in the end,
as I progressed through personal effort and
with help from others, things looked up. I
will be going to University of Maryland
College Park for college, and I believe that
my education at Saint Joe will help me to
face the demands college level courses, and
that the interaction I had with people will
help me to be more social.
Speaking of friendships, I feel lucky
to have met and befriended classmates
in MSJ, not only from the Class of 2010,
but from many of the different graduating
classes. Through activities like choir,
after-school clubs, and classes that had
students from different graduating class,
I got to interact with a diverse group of
classmates and was able to build bridges of
friendship with them. I am very thankful.
My hope from now on is that I will keep in
touch with them and remind myself of the
importance of my time in MSJ, so that the
sense of friendship and brotherhood will
not fade away.
I know I am repeating myself,
but I have to say it again: I’m going to
miss Saint Joe. I will be reminded of this
constantly, which is something to be glad
of. Right now, I can’t imagine how it will
feel to be an alumnus, walking through the
halls that I used to wander around daily and
attending events that I used to participate
in, like the spring musical. I know it won’t
be too long until this is the case, but it’s
still hard to wrap my mind around it.
It’s been legit.
All You Gaels: Let’s Go Green!
In His Last Article, Senior Encourages Recycling
Jonathan Sims
Quill Staff Writer
Nowadays there has been a lot of
talk about improving our cities and communities through green initiatives that can
save the environment and money in the
process. Although eighty-three percent of
Americans believe that global warming is
a serious problem, there is still evidence
that people are slow to take the appropriate steps of going green. One good way to
get started is to figure out what is going to
work and what an individual’s priorities,
obligations and motivations are. No matter
how you decide to start off, it needs to happen very soon!
There is information on the web,
commercials and books that can help
families, schools and communities keep
the environment healthy and clean. At
home, people replace their light bulbs with
florescent ones, recycle, and unplug certain objects that are not being used while
away from the house. Using less water by
installing water-saving shower heads and
aerators, turning the tap off when you’re
brushing your teeth, switching to more efficient appliances, or collecting rainwater
for use in the garden are all green friendly.
Some people tend to drive less often and
instead use carpooling with friends, walk-
ing, biking, and city transportation to save
the fuel consumption. If that doesn’t work
for you, then go and get a hybrid vehicle.
More hybrid vehicles are now being manufactured by more motor vehicle companies
including Toyota, Mercedes Benz, Lexus,
Honda, GM, and many others. There are
many other different ways to Go Green and
Save Green.
As a school community, we
need to become more involved with the
going green and keeping our second
home, Mount Saint Joseph, a better
environment. With the Recycling Club
already underway, we have already started
to make some progress. You have probably
noticed the blue bins in each classroom;
these encourage you to recycle paper. You
can do the same with bottles and cans in
the bins in the cafeteria. If you have any
other suggestions or ideas that can make
the Mount go green, you should definitely
speak up and go talk to a faculty member.
Everyone, somehow, needs to become
involved in this idea for going green.
Mike Ukoha, Ben Alston,
Donnuelle Durham, and yours truly are
working on a senior project to
continue the Mount’s commitment
for going green. One idea is to
take a careful inventory of what
you already have that can be used
again and what’s still waiting to be
used for the first time, such as extra
packs of pencils, notebooks, etc.
Another is to get everyone involved
with Earth Day. It is the perfect
opportunity to continue good deeds
for the environment and to try and
learn a few new ones. It is up to
the American people to make this
change and become more involved with
our earth to keep it alive. Even though it
may not sound or seem like a lot, a little
can definitely go a long way!
The Quill Staff
2009-2010
Editors:
Moses Hubbard, Harrison
Bachman
Staff Writers:
Sung-Min Kim, Jonathan
Sims, Dominic Salacki. Ryan
Mannion, Steward Beckham,
Chase Lawson, Dagm Endalkachew, Sean Gilmour, Zev
Burrows, Tommy O’Donnell,
Alex Steiner, Parker Mellendick, Michael Lawrence,
Corey Kennedy
Production Staff:
Harrison Bachman, Steward Beckham, Dagm Endalkachew, Moses Hubbard
Moderators:
Ms. Richmond, Mr. Bieniek
page 6
Is Art Losing its Value?
Maybe It Really is Up to You
Michael Lawrence
Quill Staff Writer
With the modern ease of
accessibility of most forms of art and
entertainment, our generation seems to
have lost its ability to value art, or place to
a “personal price tag” on it. Many people,
myself included, have gone as far as to not
value art in the slightest. When we pirate
music or movies, we treat the art as if it has
no worth. Pirating, which may at first seem
harmless, has become a universal problem.
It is at times like these that Radiohead’s
bizarre price proposal for its album In
Rainbows - “It’s up to you—No, really . . .
it’s up to you. . .” - seems more appropriate
than ever. What value, monetarily and in
terms of what we are willing to give, does
art still have?
For music at least, there may be
a concrete legal answer to this question.
According to the Recording Industry
Association of America (RIAA), a single
track is worth $750. At least, that’s the
amount of money they are willing to fine
an someone who doesn’t respect their
copyright laws. On February 25, 2010,
22 year old Texan Whitney Harper was
fined $27,750 for illegally file sharing
37 songs using Limewire. She claimed
that she had done so unintentionally as a
teenager, but the charge still stands. Artists,
record companies, manufacturers, and
music retailers are thankful for this sudden
enforcement of a previously unnecessary
law, which could be seen as a turning
point for the value our generation places to
music.
You may be wondering why I’m
writing all of this. Is it to scare you into a
life without file sharing? Is it in the hope
that I alone can save the failing record
industry? Neither of those are likely. I do
this in the hope that I can remind others
of the intrinsic value that music and
other forms of art have, and that the most
traditional way that we acknowledge this
value—payment—is still the best way.
Thankfully, the RIAA has taken steps to
ensure music keeps its value. We can only
hope that others will use the RIAA as an
example and continue to support the rights
of artists.
Source: http://www.wired.com/
threatlevel/2010/02/former-teencheerleader-dinged-27750-for-infringing37-songs/
Poetry by Jonathan Sims
“My Apologies”
heart and soul
Clouds start to form
And have told my loved ones my dishonesty
A storm is growing near
I use to be so sincere
But because of my actions....
But they tell me to make things right...
And it will take more than just an apology...
I live in fear
A tear falls from upon my face
“Standing Tall and Strong”
Soon they will race down from my cheeks
So many road blocks have been passed
This battle for two years has reached its
defeat
Crowds of people laugh and point fingers
And no...I will not seek revenge
For I cannot commit another sin
For I have done too many already...
But I hide them with a grin
I’ve lied, cheated, and despised myself
I’ve hurt the ones I care and love the most
Now I mope and live in a session of depression
I cannot live in lies no more I don’t like to
make others cry
But now I can pick my head up and walk
through bold
Remembering what I have been told by the
old ones
These huge tones of shackles can be released from my feet
No more letting unfinished business lay at
rest
I want to overcome my dilemmas
Let me be different or odd
I will become one with God
Because of my actions I’ve poured out my
The Illusion of Love
Exaggerated Actions on Stage Can Make the Audience Understand
Moses Hubbard
Quill Editor
The first thing you’ll notice
about the set of Let There Be Love
probably won’t be the walls. You’re
more likely to look at the wallpaper or
the antique record player that sits stage
right, or maybe the glass cabinets at
the back of the room. The stage is a
remarkably realistic cut out of a room,
and, sitting in your seat, you feel almost
too intimate with the stage, rather like
a window-peeper, watching the goingson of the house from outside, in the
blackness. The walls of the room are all out
of proportion – though it appears square,
the tops of the doors slant upwards and
outwards. Instead of staying parallel
to the floor, the roof also fans out. It’s
as though someone took a cut-out of a
square house and fanned it out, the way
you might with a cupcake liner.
Hundreds, thousands of years
ago, the Greeks did the same thing with
their temples, like the Parthenon. The
Greek temples were meant to be viewed
from the outside, and so they altered the
architecture of their temples to create an
optical illusion. For people standing far
away from the Parthenon, it appeared to
consist of perfectly geometric shapes,
with equal spacing between columns. When viewed more closely, however,
the columns are actually inclined
slightly inward, so as to create the
appearance of symmetry. Therefore, the
disproportionate walls actually make the
room look more realistic for someone
sitting in the audience, and also allow
people in the wings to see the entire
room.
This is what theatre is all about
– illusions, whether they are optical, or
emotional - exaggerations that pull the
audience in and allow them to better
access and understand what is being
acted out on the stage. The motions
and dialogue of actors tend to be
exaggerated, larger than life.
As someone whose been in
several plays, I know how unnecessary
and uncomfortable it can feel to be the
person who waves wildly around, or
jumps up and down or screams at the
top of their lungs. These exaggerations,
though, are “illusions” necessary to
connect with and entertain the audience.
This element of illusion, the
bending and stretching of reality needed
to translate what was meant to be seen
from the stage to the audience, is done
nearly impeccably in the play Let There
Be Love. In the play, a man in his
sixties, originally from Granada, lives
a bitter life in London. He struggles
constantly with his two daughters about
finances, his health, and their respective
obligations. His one wish is to die, but
he feels unable to end his life alone, and
won’t ask his daughters to help him.
One day, though, a polish cleaning lady
comes to his home by his daughters’
request. They develop an uncanny bond,
and each dramatically alters the others’
life.
Let There Be Love is a tale of
isolation, bias, and pain, but ultimately
one of redemption. The actors do an
excellent job of exaggerating their
actions and words to heighten the
intensity and honesty of the production.
Through these optical and emotional
illusions, they achieve the dramatic
ideal – a connection, almost to the point
intimacy, with the audience.
This production of Let There Be Love
was put on at Centerstage. Also coming
to Centerstage are Working it Out and
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.
page 7
The 2010 Art Show
A Showing of Incredible Variety and Quality
Painting by Sung-Won Kim
Drawing
Anthony Grago
Ink and Paint Painting
Tim Moran
Painting
James Magrogan
Clay Sculpture
Giovanni Ramirez-Cruz
Sculpture by Brad Gonce
page 8
The Ravens Surprise Many at NFL Draft
After Trading First-round Pick, Ravens Rebounded with Strong Second Round
Sean Gilmour
Quill Staff Writer
Going into the 2010 NFL Draft,
the Baltimore Ravens were proudly one
of the most firmly established teams in the
league. On offense, they have a franchise
quarterback, Joe Flacco, a diverse and
effective running back corps led by Pro
Bowler Ray Rice, a developing offensive
line, and a suddenly formidable receiving
arsenal upon the acquisition of Anquan
Boldin. On defense, the Ravens are still
elite with a handful of the league’s premier
playmakers, including Terrell Suggs, Haloti
Ngata, Ed Reed, and their leader Ray
Lewis. The biggest questions the team was
expected to answer were in regards to the
cornerback position and youth at crucial
positions. As the Ravens answered those
questions, many surprises abounded.
On defense the cornerbacks were
condemned as the primary reason the
Ravens faltered towards the end of last
season despite having the league’s fifth
best pass defense. Furthermore, there was
expected to be a plethera of talent available
to the Ravens. Aside from locally-born
Florida prospect Joe Haden, the Ravens
potentially had their choice of several
promising players consisting of Boise
State’s Kyle Wilson, Alabama’s Kareem
Jackson, Florida State’s Patrick Robinson,
and Rutgers’ Devin McCourty. But then
again, the Ravens could address several
positions on their aging and depleted
linemen and linebackers. Two starters
from last season, Justin Bannan and
Dwan Edwards, left the Ravens and some
experts believed the Ravens could pick a
lineman, like Penn State’s Jared Odrick and
Alabama’s Terrence Cody, in the first round
to fill the void. Obviously Ray Lewis can’t
play forever, so some thought the Ravens
could pick Missouri’s Sean Weatherspoon
as a pupil and successor to the fan favorite.
Lastly the Ravens could have fueled their
pass-rush abilities in a draft class notable
for its wealth in that field.
Offense had significantly less
possibilities. Drafting a first round
quarterback with Flacco beginning to
blossom would be scandalous and cost the
Ravens a valuable pick and a large sum
of money. The running back position and
offensive line already had their own young
and promising starters too, so a player from
one of those positions was quite unlikely to
be selected as well. Although the Ravens
had made significant improvements to
the wide receiver position already in the
offseason by resigning Derrick Mason,
signing the previously suspended Donte’
Stallworth and acquiring Arizona Cardinals
star Anquan Boldin, the majority of
football experts still expected them to
draft one. The most likely candidate,
according to the NFL Draft’s most iconic
and recognizable figures, Todd McShay
and Mel Kiper, Jr., was Georgia Tech
Yellow Jacket Demaryius Thomas who
was noted for his size and knack for big
plays despite a limited role in an obscure
offensive scheme. However, Oklahoma
State Cowboy Dez Bryant would serve as
a best case scenario. Bryant possesses even
more size and ability than Thomas, but his
presumed immaturity had repelled interest
from many teams. If Bryant could slide to
the 25th overall selection even with enough
talent to be selected in the top 10 picks, he
would undoubtedly be wearing purple and
black. Intrigue also rose about Oklahoma
Sooner Tight End Jermaine Gresham.
Incumbent starter Todd Heap is notoriously
injury prone but so is Gresham.
Come April 22, when the Ravens
went on the clock for their first round pick,
they were stuck in a predicament. Many of
the best-fitting players, like Weatherspoon,
Jackson, Thomas, Gresham, and Bryant,
were already selected. So the most obvious
Swinging Into Shape
Varsity Baseball Braves Wet Weather
Corey Kennedy
Quill Staff Writer
Well, it’s that time of year
again! The baseball season, thought to
be ruined due to weather, is finally here.
The coaches and players are excited and
confident in the 2010 Baseball Season.
Mother Nature sent us weather that left
us wondering if we were ever going
see the MSJ field again. But things
have improved greatly since then, the
sun is now out now and the bright and
exuberant MSJ logo is now visible and
ready to be used.
Varsity Baseball Coach and
Director of Studies Dave Norton, said
with a deep sigh, “Now, we are working
out in the school gym every day, when
possible.” He goes on to say, “It’s very
difficult trying to practice” due to the
unexpected blizzard that made history in
the Baltimore area.
Coach Norton asserted very
confidently that this year’s players are
pretty solid. He adds, “We have a great
offensive and defensive team.”
“Calvert Hall is the best, but
we are one team that can compete,” says
proud Coach Norton.
He encourages his players to
always play to their full potential and to
the best of their ability, but most of all,
at the end of the day, to be the best all
around, solid person, maintaining high
grades along with baseball.
Toward the end of the interview,
Coach Norton was asked, “What are you
most excited about for the upcoming
season?” With laughter before speaking,
he proclaimed excitedly, “Getting on the
field and playing their hearts out.”
He went on to say, “We have
been asked several places and the
team has done a superb job serving the
community, performing such tasks as
the Mount Saint Joseph Phone-a-Thon,
completing baseball clinics at a local
Fan Fest, and doing a Baseball Clinic for
young players.
Lastly, he speaks to all the
baseball team members at MSJ, telling
them to keep up with their grades,
compete to their best ability, and respect
the players, coaches, and umpires!
He ends the interview with this
quote, “Success on our team depends
upon our pitching staff.”
Mr. Norton graduated from
Mount Saint Joseph in 1971 and soon
returned to his alma mater to teach.
Now over thirty years later, he is an
assistant vice principal and the director
of studies.
Mount Saint Joseph’s baseball
squad is a team of talented guys, who
want nothing more but to win a title for
our school.
The season for the team is
looking pretty challenging with games
back to back and tournament after
tournament! There are three scrimmages
before the official season starts, along
with three tournaments that follow.
Three players to look out for this season
are: Michael Draper- senior, short stop;
Patrick Rogers- junior, center field;
and Zachary Spahn- senior, pitcher.
Coach Norton and the entire team
would appreciate support for the varsity
baseball team as it looks forward to an
exciting and enriching season.
As of the beginning of May, the
Gaels’ record is 11-8. For the greatest
game ever played...Let’s play ball!
option was to pick one of the remaining
cornerbacks and fill a clear need area. But
then again Tennessee’s Dan Williams, a
premier defensive tackle, had fallen into
the Ravens’ lap. His selection would be
the best available option and fill a need.
But then again again the Ravens could
select a more defensive option like Odrick
or one of the two upper tier pass-rushers
still available, Texas’ Sergio Kindle and
TCU’s Jerry Hughes. The Ravens went in a
shocking direction: none of the above. The
Ravens chose not to select the 25th pick,
rather trading it to the Denver Broncos.
The Broncos gave up second, third, and
fourth round picks to controversially select
the polarizing quarterback, Tim Tebow.
Ravens fans sulked and
complained for the next day on how they
had wasted an opportunity. But in another
day the fans would think quite differently.
With their first second round pick, the one
acquired from the Broncos, the Ravens
did indeed draft Sergio Kindle after all
and at quite a value. And with their second
pick the Ravens struck gold again picking
Terrence Cody. That’s two first rounders
for the price of one. Then in the third and
fourth rounds the Ravens picked two tight
ends, Oregon’s Ed Dickson and BYU’s
Dennis Pitta. Though they may not be as
athletically gifted as Gresham, they can
be intricate backups or starters themselves
someday.
Ultimately the Ravens’ haul in
the ’10 draft was hailed as arguably the
best in the league due to the value of talent
gained with minimal cost. As capable as
these players are though, they all come
with the “…but” factors that had caused
them to end up in the Ravens’ lap in the
first place. Kindle is an extraordinary
pass rusher, arguably the best player on
college football’s second best team, but
has suffered a critical knee injury. Knee
injuries have proven to pester even the
best of players to their demise. Cody is
an absolutely enormous player, in ability
and in size, and a centerpiece of college
football’s best team, but his size is his
Achilles heel, too. “Mount” Cody had
inflated up to 370 pounds, fifty pounds
over the average weight of an offensive
linemen, the heaviest position on the
gridiron. Perhaps the Ravens’ savviest
pickup was another defensive tackle
Arthur Jones. The Syracuse Orangeman
was perceived as a first round caliber
player, but his own injuries caused him
to plummet to the sixth round. Perhaps
someday the risks the Ravens took to select
this elite group will pay off , but year after
year, the NFL Draft never fails to defy
expectations.