SHP Quad to Engage a 21st Century Student Body

Transcription

SHP Christmas Tree Lighting Event
Begins Holiday Tradition
Spirit of Giving in SHP’s
Turkey’s Drive
By Lauren Glasby ’14
Heart Beat Staff Writer
The New SHP Christmas Tree wais to be lit. Photo by Allison Harman ‘14.
By Charlotte Matthews ‘16
As excitement for the holiday season approaches, SHP seniors hope to start a new Christmas tree lighting ceremony on
December 6 at 9:00 pm in Conway
Court. The festivity will be complemented with free hot chocolate, apple cider, and cookies all
provided by the Parents’ Association. Founder of the Christmas
tree lighting ceremony and Senior
Class President Alex Mitchell ’14
says, “It’s the first year of a tradition that we hope will last a long
time in the community.”
The lighting ceremony
will start right after the Christmas Kitsch, which is the “biggest
Kitsch of the year,” claims Alex.
It will also coincide with the Parents’ Association annual Christmas party, which marks the end
of the Holiday Boutique. The Holiday Boutique is an annual fundraiser that sells a variety of SHP
goodies for the holidays.
For two weeks, many seniors at SHP have been busy
trying to assemble the tree in
the Campbell Center. They then
transferred the twenty-foot tree
over to Conway Court to put on
the finishing touches. The tree has
been decked out with ornaments
decorated by the senior class. Alex
comments, “Our class is decorating our own ornaments, and next
year’s seniors can decorate their
own ornaments” to add to the tra-
dition. Annie Fishback ‘14, a key
member to the Tree committee,
agress that the Christmas Tree
lighting is a “fantastic way for
the senior class to come together
and leave our mark on SHP. It has
been a great opportunity to start
this amazing event.” There will
also be musical performances by
the Heart Beat Harmonies, Girls
Al Capella Group, Major Seventh
singing group, and the band. “It’s
intimate, and there’s a possibility of having fake snow,” explains
Alex. Everyone is invited to the
ceremony, including alumni,
parents, students at the Prep and
Lower School, Oakwood, teachers, and even friends outside of
our community.
Alex came up with the idea
of starting this Christmas tradition as he was looking at Conway Court from the second floor
of the Main Building last year.
He noticed that the courtyard
is oriented perfectly for having
a Christmas tree, given that the
labyrinth sits right in the middle. Alex has wanted to carry out
this vision since running for Senior Class President. He not only
wanted to create a special holiday
tradition for seniors, but also use
it as a way to bring our entire
community together and give
back to the school. “This is one of
those events that really brings this
campus together for a night,” explains Alex, a fitting tradition given our focus on Goal IV this year.
It’s not just Alex that put
together this major project. All
of the actual work has been done
by a team of five different departments managed by Nina Romans,
Kathleen Bird, Maddie Morgan,
Diana Marin- Melo, Annie Fishback, and Caitlin Stuewe. They
have been the core of this special
project. Alex has been managing
and overseeing the project, including keeping track of the funding which was provided by the
school. Alex wants to give a special thank you to Dr. Everitt for
“working really hard and giving
us all the support that we need.”
He also wants to thank the Parents’ Association, who is in charge
of supplying the delicious refreshments. “It’s a giant project made
possible by the effort of so many
different people,” states Alex.
Originally, the tree was
in nineteen different boxes and
weighed over 12,000 pounds. It
will light up the skies as a symbol
of what makes our school so special. The Christmas tree lighting
ceremony will not only be a special holiday treat, but will also be
a fun community gathering and
a legacy for years to come. Who
gets to light the tree? “It’s a surprise!” laughs Alex. “Everyone
gets that feeling at Christmas of
love and warmth and you will get
to share that experience with our
community as you watch the tree
get lit up, and listen to the wonderful performers.”
While many things have
changed, a big, filling turkey has
always been a part of the Thanksgiving tradition. Many families
in the Bay Area, however, are
unable to bring food to the table
each night, let alone a big feast
on Thanksgiving. Sacred Heart
created the annual turkey drive
in order to provide turkeys to the
families that cannot afford them.
The school has also added extra
incentive for the students to bring
in turkeys by making the drive a
competition with Presentation
High School in San Jose. The losing school must send their principal to the winning school to serve
its students delicious ice cream.
Unfortunately, Sacred Heart has
lost the turkey drive for the last
few years, and was once again unable to beat Presentation this year.
Last year, Sacred Heart donated about 340 turkeys to the
turkey drive, and the goal for
this year was to beat that number
as well as Presentation. Sacred
Heart was able to bring over 400
turkeys despite losing to Presentation. While the turkey drive
has become a big competition
between the two schools, students
must not forget the real purpose
behind the turkey drive. Mr. Carroll, a religious studies teacher,
says, “There are families out there
for whom a big turkey dinner on
Thanksgiving is not a guarantee.
If Sacred Heart wins, we should
have pride in knowing that we
beat Presentation, as well as in
bringing solidarity to the community.” It would have been a great
accomplishment to win the turkey drive, but providing turkeys
to hundreds of families in the
Bay Area is a great accomplishment in and of itself. For students,
donating a turkey can be very
fulfilling. Phyllis Tameilau ’14
said, “It made me feel lucky and
privileged that I am able to have
a meal on Thanksgiving with my
family. It felt good to be able to
give a turkey away and be able to
influence someone else’s Thanksgiving.” Donating a turkey means
so much to the families receiving
them, and it is far more personal and meaningful than donating
money in place of the turkey.
Many feel that donating
a turkey is far more worthwhile
than donating the $20 it would
cost to buy a frozen turkey. Without a turkey, the families are missing out on an important part of a
holiday that is celebrated nationwide. It unites these families with
other families that may be fortunate enough to afford their meal.
Thanksgiving should be a day for
families to sit down together and
give thanks, not a day to further
realize the financial situation they
are in. These families should not
have to have to miss out on the
traditions because they cannot afford a turkey for Thanksgiving. By
receiving a turkey, these families
not only get to enjoy a delicious,
filling meal, but they also get to be
a part of a larger community.
The Turkey Drive draws an eager crowd. Photo by Juliana Clark ‘16.
SHP Quad to Engage a 21st Century Student Body
By Jack Blaisdell ’14
Heart Beat Editor in Cheif
In order to accommodate
an increasingly technologically
savvy audience, the Heart Beat
is taking to the web with it’s new
site entitled “The Quad.” Acting
as a multimedia platform providing not only written content,
but also linking to student run
Twitter and Instagram accounts,
it will hopefully lead to an increased sense of community and
awareness of what’s happening on
campus.
According to founder Molly
Quinton ’14, who prior to this
had no website building experience, “For the last few years I’ve
been on the Heart Beat staff, I’ve
noticed that a lot of the material
on the website is just reposted
from the print addition. I wanted
to create something that would
provide a unique experience for
students.”
Molly, who believes that
one of the main reasons people
go online is to look at pictures, is
most excited about the photography section, that includes student
submitted pictures from around
the school and school-sponsored
events. Alyssa Holman ‘14, who
updates the section of the site,
hopes “that more people can
get involved with this. If anyone
wants to take pictures for the site
or help out otherwise, feel free to
contact either Molly Quinton or
myself.”
Right now the entire site is
staffed by only six students, but
hopefully more will join, especially after the site undergoes a
revamp over winter break. Be
sure to visit at www.shpquad.
org to check out cool pictures,
stories, and community updates!
Speech & Celebrate
By John Desler ’16
Most Wednesday nights
at seven, a group of dedicated
student debaters gather for the
Sacred Heart Prep Debate Team
practices. Led by coach Hoon Ko,
the Gator Debaters learn not just
how to win arguments, but how
to become better overall public
speakers.
The current program started six years ago under Mr. Ko. The
team is composed of about 14 students, the vast majority of which
are juniors and seniors. Mr Ko’s
philosophy is not about winning,
but instead to teach the kids skills
that will help them throughout
life. In his words, “doing speech
and debate makes you impressive,
lets you take over a room, and be
which meets Monday’s at lunch.
This is less of a commitment than
the after school team. If interested in debate, one could attend a
lunch meeting or two to gauge his
or her interest and then talk to
Misha and Annabel about joining
the Wednesday night group.
The Debate Team competes
in about one local tournament
a month. In these tournaments
they debate against several other
teams. Our team is tiny compared
to these programs, which sometimes have over a hundred kids
and practice everyday. Although
sometimes outgunned, our team
has preformed admirably.
For their last tournament,
six of the team members traveled
to the Midwest with Mr. Ko over
the weekend of November 16. The
tournament was held in Munster
SHP Debate Team poses at SFO before leaving for its tournament.
Photo by Ms. Summers.
a great leader.” The student leader of the team, Kathleen Bird ‘14
stated, “You learn how to think
quickly and see both sides to every argument.”
During their Wednesday
night practices, the debaters
work on quickly analyzing the
information they are given, and
then making a solid statement
supporting their position. An
example of one of these topics is
the cost and coordination of the
National Security Agency. They
would each discuss it for a minute, then Mr. Ko would give them
coaching on their strategies and
parts they could have said better.
Also affiliated with the Debate team is the Debate club held
here at Sacred Heart. Misha Kordestani ‘15 and Annabel Love ‘14
lead the speech and debate club,
Indiana, a town very close to
Chicago. This was not a national
tournament, however, as they just
went there for a normal tournament. Mr. Ko explained, “In lot
of ways it was kind of like going
to Bakersfield for a tournament,
it just happened that we went to
Indiana.” Although the Indiana
tournament was not huge, it was
the first event where the team won
more debates than they had lost.
Team member Cole Thompson
‘15 enjoyed the experience saying,
“It was a fun trip”, and added that
it was “cool to see what debate is
like across the country.” The team
is always looking to grow, and Mr.
Ko encourages anybody to first
check out the lunchtime club at
Sacred Heart to see if debate is
something they love.
Faculty Brunches-YUM
By Ethan Feiber ’16
A tasty new tradition is
being carried on in the teacher’s
lounge. Still known as FFFs, even
though they no longer take place
on Fridays after F period, the faculty brunches are a “great way for
faculty to get together and socialize, or just relax,” according to Mr.
Reyes.
Each department brings
in food on a rotating schedule.
Dr. Letteer now runs the FFFs
as a way of building community
among SHP staff. The food provided is usually a selection of fruit,
quiches, rolls, and other breakfast
items, which as stated by Mrs.
McDonald, “are outstanding, delicious, tasty, and something to
look forward to.”
While these brunches
are “not always as easy to attend,”
according to Mrs. McDonald, because the snacks are usually only
available at specific breaks or Office Hours, many teachers love the
brunches. Mr. Brady puts it simply saying, “I love snacks.”
No Shave? No Problem
By Ikjoo Cho ’15
Ah it’s that time of the year
again: Pumpkin Spice Lattes,
Thanksgiving turkey, Valpo Bowl,
sweater weather. I can just feel
the warmth of the fireplace, sipping apple cider while nibbling on
some yams. Fresh harvest fruits,
hay bales, pilgrims, and that weird
cone shaped basket with a bunch
of nature in it. But in this list of
November goodies, one key item
is missing: facial hair.
“No Shave November” is
an ongoing tradition within the
SHP community, dating back to
1898 when the school was an all
girl’s boarding school until now,
with a handful of male students
sporting a reputable amount of facial hair. It is the time of the year
when men would not shave their
facial hair for the month of November, to proudly represent their
prowess. According to Farbod
Nowzad’ 15, “No Shave November
is a time when men can show off
how masculine they are by growing out their beard and proving to
everyone that ‘Yes. I went through
puberty.” However, Will Reilly ’14
defines No Shave November as
the factor that “separates the men
from the boys.” And Wyatt Welch
’15 would agree, saying, “My facial
hair is a constant reminder of myself of my masculine dominance
over all the boys that were not
interviewed for this”. Either way,
No Shave November is a tradition
that needs to continue here.
It may make no sense as
to why people would part take
in No Shave November, but each
one of the men who participate
in it has their own reasons why.
Facial hair guru Patrick Finnigan
‘14, a forty-year-old man in hiding, participates in it because he
has to “represent the few and the
proud, plus it’s intimidating in
football.” And his facial hair is indeed intimidating. Often times,
I find myself making peace with
God and averting my eyes when I
see a fully bearded Finnigan lumbering down the hallway. Michael
Murphy ’15 participates in No
Shave November because “it raises awareness for men’s cancers and
problems, while October focuses
on women” through Breast Cancer Awareness Mr. Scott McDade,
a part time religion teacher and
a full time facial hair consultant
has gotten the art of not shaving
down to science. “Being married
to a woman who is not a big fan of
scratchy face… I will strategically
wait until like Christmas break,
and I will grow a mustache and/
or a beard. Then she’ll complain,
and I’ll grow it, and she’ll complain and I’ll grow it, and this cycle would continue until, say Valentine’s Day, and shave it off. That
becomes a better present than a
diamond ring or whatever. It’s romantic, and inexpensive.”
On the other end of the facial hair spectrum is Sean Mayle
’14 who still enjoys No Shave No-
vember despite his lack of visible
facial hair. “I personally like No
Shave November because it is the
time of the year in which I can
prove to everyone that I can truly
grow facial hair, and even though
it’s hard to see, there is still hair
present.” Unfortunately, growing
facial hair is not as easy as “onetwo-facial hair!” Farbod Nowzad
would describe growing facial
hair as “an art form. My facial hair
means either A. I didn’t have time
to shave or B. I think the style I’m
trying looks tight.” Often, with the
exception of Finnigan, prepping
for No Shave November would
take months or even lifetimes to
prepare for. However, don’t despair if you can’t grow massive
amounts of facial hair like these
men mentioned above. When
asked for words of consolation for
those who can’t grow facial hair,
Finnigan spoke words of hope
and encouragement. “Your time
will come. And if it doesn’t, just go
to the House of Humor.”
Patrick Finnigan ‘14 and Coach Henry take pride in their manes.
Photos by Aubrey Gavello ‘15 and Kelly Moran ‘14.
The Quiet Revolution Comes to the Prep
By Ted Catlin ’16
Susan Cain, the author of
award winning New York Times
bestseller QUIET: The Power of
Introverts in a World That Can’t
Stop Talking, came to SHP on
November 14 to give a lecture
about how parents of introverts
can help their child succeed, the
differences between introverts
and extroverts, and ways private and public school systems
can assist introverts versus extroverts. Susan Cain works to
redefine the way society values
introverts.
Cain spoke about the importance of having a balance
of the skills that introverts and
extroverts have and about the
lack of integration of these skills
into the curriculums of schools
nationwide. While writing her
book, Cain traveled across the
country to tour different schools
to see how well different schools
incorporated this balance. More
often than not, she was met
with school curriculums based
solely around group work,
which she saw as detrimental
to the introverts attending these
schools. At SHP, most teachers
are always trying to incorporate more group work into their
curriculums, especially in the
humanities, and are not always
considering that only extroverts
benefit from this.
Cain went on to speak
about how being introverted
or extroverted is neither better nor worse, but instead how
both have benefits and downsides. Giving tips for introverts,
she said that it is important to
not only make sure to schedule alone time to “recharge”
and gather your thoughts, but
it is also key to schedule “walkarounds” during which you
should go out of your way to
talk to others. The main tip for
extroverts was: realize that while
you may enjoy coming up with
thoughts and ideas on the spot,
introverts fear this. Cain is now
focusing on helping the world
embrace introversion and calls
her campaign for awareness
the “Quiet Revolution.” So take
a moment out of your day to
take into account her advice for
dealing with introverts and extroverts.
SHPrinting the
Future
needs. For example, last week the
By Justin Foster ‘15
SHP recently purchased a
3-D printer, which arrived at the
beginning of October. The printer has revolutionized the robotics
department, allowing for more diverse and efficient projects.
During the process, the 3-D
printer forces acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) plastic through
a nozzle called an extruder. In
order to create 3-dimensional objects, the printer moves on three
axes. According to John Russell
’14, “The extruder moves on the X
and Y axis, and the bed moves on
the Z axis.” Through this process,
the printer can achieve roughly a
100-micron resolution.
The 3-D printer has drastically changed the SHP Robotics department. John stated, “We
are able to do Rapid Prototyping,
which is the process of designing
a part, testing the print, and modifying it, and reprinting it.” Ultimately, students are able to create
custom parts that fulfill specific
robotics class was assigned a Battle-bots project. Emmett Haley
‘15 comments, “The 3-D printer
is extremely useful, especially for
creating weapons for the project.”
“It makes anything you want” according to Garrett Mack ’15.
The new 3-D printer also
serves as an opportunity for
students to explore the field of
three-dimensional
modeling.
Moreover, the 3-D printer provides students with a unique set
of skills, which “are extremely
important in many types of engineering,” mentioned John Russell.
As of now, the 3-D printer
sees nearly 24-hour usage. The
school day is primarily used for
small prints, while larger projects
are printed overnight. The longest
print so far has taken approximately 15 hours. Garret added
that it “would be nice to have another one.” The 3-D printer has
been an awesome addition to the
SHP Robotics department and all
students interested should stop by
to see the printer in action!
SHPTV Preserves Campus Memories
By Matthew Blaisdell’16
This year, for the first time
ever, we are enjoying the excitement of SHP TV, the Sacred Heart
news station with the purpose of
television covering all the major
events at the school, created and
led by Veronica Louise Mendoza
‘15. So far, it has received a very
positive reaction within the community.
Veronica initiated SHP TV
last May, after taking inspiration
from the SHP radio station. She
then decided that she wanted to
take leadership in something of
her own, and thus created SHP
TV. “The purpose of SHP TV is to
serve and inform the SHP community by providing a visual coverage of school events,” reports
Veronica. “We already do a great
job of informing the community
through the radio and the daily
bulletin, but I feel like we could
video to go along with the daily
bulletin, and to be displayed on
the TVs throughout the campus.
Veronica’s vision for SHP TV extends even beyond her graduation. “I hope to keep the station
going, especially after I leave Sacred Heart,” explains Mendoza.
“If you want to get involved in
any way, just contact me at vmendoza15@shschools.org and we
would love to have you on board.”
The Sacred Heart community is impressed by the new
addition of SHP TV. Fernando
Monteon ’16 believes, “It’s a very
creative way to capture important
SHP TV events.” Lucas Carter ’15
agrees, “It’s a really cool way to
remember big school events after
they happen, and Veronica and
the rest of the crew do a great job
of covering these events.” Popular
topics that the SHP community
wishes to see covered in future
productions include sports, plays,
and of course, Spirit Week.
The Heart Beat Beats at Home
With New Delivery System
By Komal Kumar ’16
John Russell ‘14 designs parts for robotics with the new 3D Printer.
Photo by Kate Ackley ‘14.
use the school’s TVs to gain a better sense of the news.” SHP TV
is not the first reporting position
for Veronica. She already has lots
of on-camera experience gained
from a large number of reporting positions. “In eighth grade
I was a reporter for a magazine
called Times Magazine for Kids,
I reported for Scholastic News for
Kids in my freshman year, and I
am currently a reporter for Sports
Illustrated for Kids,” she shares.
Evan Bigley ’15, Brenten
Brandenburg ’15, and Austin Peay
’16 also play major roles in the
casting of this station, with Evan
working the camera, Brenten as
the technical director, and Austin
as an additional reporter. So far,
the SHP TV crew has created videos for the Senior Fashion Show,
Homecoming, and Valpo Bowl
Goat Predictions, all of which
can be accessed through the SHP
Quad at www.shpheartbeat.org.
She plans to create a daily news
The popularity of the newspaper is always growing. This,
however, only includes students
at school, but other members of
the SHP community don’t have
direct access to the paper. Matthew Blaisdell ‘16, explains that
“for the last two years, [his] mom
had [him] bring the newspaper
home every time a new issue was
published.” He realized that this
task was unnecessary, and began
planning a home subscription
system. He says, “My sister went
to Los Altos High School for
two years, and their school has a
very successful and widely used
home delivery system.” Matthew
presented this idea to the Heart
Beat staff moderator, Mr. Brady,
after planning a home subscription system with the business and
communications offices. The system was immediately approved as
“another step in broadening the
circulation and reach of the newspaper,” says Mr. Brady.
The subscriptions will help
our community in several ways.
Mr. Brady comments, “This year
especially, students and staff have
worked really hard to make the
content of the newspaper more
meaningful and relevant. The
impact of this content they are
working on only increases with
the home delivery system.” The
newspaper will become more
easily available as “parents won’t
have to rely on kids to bring it
home for them, they’ll just get it
in the mail,” explains Matthew.
In addition to garnering more
parent readers, Mr. Brady says
that offering a subscription to
the newspaper is “very useful for
graduates, alumni, grandparents,
and relatives who want to keep
up to date with what is happening
at the school.” This system brings
our community even closer, benefitting students, parents, faculty,
alumni, relatives, and more.
The SHP school newspaper
will be coming soon as a home
subscription available for $20 per
semester. Matthew is “really excited to put this into action and
[hopes] that it will work out well
for everyone.”
Religious Studies Department Changes Legendary Junior Justice Projects
By Michelle Galliani ’15
Justice projects have been a
tradition here at SHP for several
years, but recently, the Religious
Studies Department decided to
make them less strenuous. Ms.
Steplowski shares that the Social
Ethics teachers wanted to “keep
the spirit of the assignment but
have it be less taxing on students.”
As we all know, junior year is a
large step up from sophomore
year in terms of homework,
teacher’s expectations, and extracurricular commitments. Junior
Meg Avery comments, “I am so
relieved the justice projects are
scaled back this year. Junior year
is busy enough as it is!” Meg and
rest of the junior class can take a
sigh of relief because justice projects this year are primarily completed during class.
Just three years ago, justice
projects were completed over a
semester long course. Throughout the semester, students would
work in groups, collaborating on
interviews, research, reflections,
and a five-page essay as well as
3-planel display. Students needed
to raise awareness, fundraise, and
spread information about their
topic through whatever means
possible. Many juniors would
present during lunch, create videos or petitions, or host other varieties of events.
This year, the activism portion of the project is no longer
required. Ms. Steplowski and the
social ethics teachers still “hope
the justice projects inspire students to do more service and social activism through the service
learning department outside of
school.”
Justice projects are also now
shorter. As Ms. Steploski mentions, projects are “Condensed at
end of semester, not spread out
over a semester as a way to make
it less stressful for first semester
juniors. Condensed time makes it
easier for me to give more equitable time with all of my students.”
The social ethics teachers are in
touch with the level of anxiety
first semester juniors face, and
have adapted the workload to foster student success. What used to
be a series of 2-page reflections
followed by a 5-page essay has
turned into one 4-page write up
and power point presentation.
Also, instead of presenting at the
classic “Justice Fair,” junior students will now present their PowerPoint presentations in a classroom setting. From there, two or
three students will be selected by
their teacher and classmates to
present to a larger audience. Also,
the justice project has become a
smaller portion of the semester
grade, from 20 to 15 percent.
The big question still lies
ahead: will the modified justice
projects have the same impact
as projects from years past? Ms.
Steplowski says, “They both have
pros and cons. The pros of this one
is the project is more straight-forward, making it easier for all of
the students to succeed even if
they have got huge sporting or extra-curricular commitments. The
old project was more robust and
it was an amazing launch-pad for
students who were particularly
interested in working with issues
of social change. Some students
make some really wonderful connections with interviewers that
led to part-time jobs and internships.”
Overall, while the projects
have been altered slightly, the
purpose still remains the same:
to inspire young adults to be the
change in our world. Mr. Harden, a junior social ethics teacher,
states that the social ethics course
“establish[es] a strong foundation
in the principles of Catholic Social
Teaching and helps students gain
an awareness of many national
and global issues.” He continues,
“Not only does this have benefit
in itself, but students should be
able to carry on this work in their
own lives for years to come.” To
conclude, the essence of the social justice projects is ever present
here at SHP, where students are
living Goal III and “impelled to
action.” This year, juniors are just
blessed with the opportunity to
take action without the burdens
of a long project. Ms. Steplowski
mentions, “I hope this version is
still as transformative. If not I am
changing it again!”
More Than a Holiday Treat
By Katie Putnam ’14
Heart Beat Columnist
As we steer at full speed into
Christmas and holiday festivities,
my mind can’t help but wander
from my homework, tests, and
college apps. I start to think about
huge green trees, pretty twinkling
lights, and pie. Yes, pie.
Pie is not only an essential
part of my life, but also an essential part of the holidays. My family doesn’t need to rely on me for
anything really—not the presents,
nor the decorations—but they
do have to rely on me for baking the pies. I love baking pies; I
have since I was in middle school.
There’s something so cathartic
about it, plus the smell and taste
ain’t so bad either. Recently I was
planning what pies I was going to
bake for Thanksgiving and eventually Christmas, and it got me
thinking. A crazy thought popped
into my head, so crazy that it
might be true.
High school is like pie.
Now before you turn the
page, just bear with me. Here are
three life lessons I have learned
about pie that just so happen to be
very applicable to high school…
1. It’s neither fun nor easy
to bake a pie alone. Baking a pie
solo is very time consuming. First
you have to make the crust, and
then you have to roll it out. Next,
you have to prepare whatever
is going inside the pie, and then
you have to make a lattice topping. There are a lot of steps to
pie baking, and it can turn into a
multi-hour ordeal if you choose
to do it by yourself. Baking a pie
is so much more fun when you’re
doing it with someone. This past
summer I baked a pie with Veronica Mendoza ’15 and Evan Bigley
’15, and we were able to be much
more efficient and keep each other company. So how does this apply to high school? Trying to do
things on your own or without
asking for help when you need it
never works out well. Don’t try to
do everything on your own because you’ll just get overwhelmed!
In high school, when you have a
lot of tasks on your hand, ask for
help from friends and teachers.
2. When baking a pie, you
have to play it by ear. It’s important to sometimes improvise and
not just follow what the recipe
says to do. I’ll add extra lemon
juice to my apple pies or a pinch
more of nutmeg to my peach pies.
Following the recipe is the easy
thing to do, but getting set in your
ways isn’t always a good thing.
The same can be said for high
school. Sometimes it’s easy for us
to get set in our day-to-day routines, but every once and a while
it’s important to change things up.
Maybe there’s a group of kids you
don’t usually talk to. Make the
effort to say hi to them. There’s a
new club you’re interested in? Join
it! It’s important to not get set in
your ways both with pie and in
high school.
3.And finally, some people prefer apple pie to pumpkin.
Some people loathe cherry pie, yet
they love pecan pie. There usually
is no logic to the likes and dislikes
of pie besides taste. Everyone has
different tastes, and they can’t really help what they like and dislike. The same can be said with
high school. It’s okay if not everyone loves you. There’s usually no
good reason why a person dislikes
you (or cherry pie), and there’s no
sense in getting upset or hurt by
it. It is impossible to be something
you’re not, and if you’re happy
with who you are and what you
stand for as a person, why change
yourself? An apple pie is an apple
pie, and it will never be a berry
pie.
So keep on rocking what
you are, SHP Gators, and hey,
don’t forget to enjoy some tasty
desserts during the holidays. Who
knows…perhaps you’ll see how
ice cream is like middle school….
Slavery is one of the world's
longest-lasting human rights violations. When we think of slavery,
of course we think of the Civil
War and American slavery, which
our history teachers have notified us about. Still, our perception of slavery is distorted. Yes,
even though we know today that
slavery is a horrible, abominable
practice, the history of our country prevents us from knowing
what slavery really was, and how
it destroyed the humanity of both
master and slave.
Most of us have not seen
slavery. We only know what it was
like based on written documents
and the stories passed down
through the generations. The
Narrative of the Life of Frederick
Douglass is beautifully crafted so
that the reader has some idea of
slavery and the happiness that follows freedom. But these are only
ideas. We have never felt the lash,
never been forced to starve, never worked to complete exhaustion, never frozen from cold in
the night. Some emotions cannot
be described, and such were the
emotions of Frederick Douglass
and all of the slaves who suffered
in our own country.
Recently, Twelve Years
a Slave, directed by Steve McQueen, was released in theaters. It
is the true story of a free African
American kidnapped into slavery.
It is based on the book of the same
title, written by the one who was
kidnapped, Solomon Northrup.
This film takes an approach to depicting slavery that has never been
attempted: placing the viewer in
the plantation. You hear every
word of the master, every crack of
the whip, every scream of the victim, and every song they sing. In
addition to auditory distress, the
film uses stunning visuals where
you see the wounds appear on
their backs and the blood leave
the flesh. While they film these,
the makers keep the camera very
still, no turning away from the
victim, no relief from the horrific
truth of American slavery. We are
a visual species, our lives based
almost entirely on our eyes. The
film takes advantage of this and
ends by filling our eyes with tears.
Despite this new perspective on slavery, we still remain
far from understanding a slave's
By Sean Stevens ’16
A herd of hungry housewives and passionate deal bargainers swarmed our nation’s
shopping centers this past Black
Friday. I feel obligated to investigate the way in which Americans’
consumerist thirst parches the intended meaning of Thanksgiving.
The Black Friday “deals”
that occur after Thanksgiving
and extend to Christmas Eve
have dramatically evolved over
the past decades. But before the
mid-60’s, “Black Friday” did not
overpower Thanksgiving; it did
not even exist. The Philadelphia police dubbed the day after
Thanksgiving, “Black Friday” because of the traffic accidents and
shopping thefts that happen in
this mad rush of materialism. An
additional meaning of the term
later arose as “Black Friday” was
used to show that stores were
becoming profitable on that day.
Thanksgiving is a time for family,
graciousness, and thanks. Rather
than letting the tryptophan and
family fuzzies sink in, Thanksgiving’s gratitude for existing blessings and regenerating bonds is cut
short by the black deals found the
next day.
I’m sure all of you enjoyed
time with family, but I’m also sure
many of you went out Friday and
splurged. This is Black Friday’s hypocrisy. In a heel turn of character, you go from having a peaceful
appreciation for what you have, to
antithetically scrounging around
the mall in a moment of weakness
to the marketers. Just as a Raider’s
fan rampages through the stadium, so does a savage Housewivus
Americanii scour the Target floor
for a coupon.
So tell me, how does your
Macy’s premium leather belt feel
around that turkey-stuffed waist?
While there is nothing wrong
with style, you should question
if materialistic values are worth
sacrificing a precious day with
family. We need to stop the destruction of a national holiday.
Next year, leave the materialism
at the turkey and take a walk with
grandma.
Charity Vs. Justice
By Jessica Bird ’14
Seniors get into the Christmas mood
Photo by Allison Harman ‘14.
The Legacy of American Slavery
By Karim Ullah ’16
Holiday Spirit Lost in
Christmas Materialism
emotions. That will forever remain a mystery.
We do, however, in our
world today, have victims of
oppression who, if they could,
would inform us of their experiences as best they could. That is
never enough to understand, and
it boggles the mind that we may
never understand the suffering
that many people go through. We
can only have ideas of suffering.
Conflicts such as this almost always lead to war. Whether
in the U.S., the Middle East, Europe, Africa, India, or China, war
is inevitable when the oppressors
are challenged. We are nearing
the end of these conflicts, but that
does not mean that we still do
not have to work for peace. Now
more than ever, the victims of dictatorships and despotisms need
help. We solved oppression in our
country, to a point, with the blood
of hundreds of thousands in the
Civil War. Avoiding conflicts of
this scale should be our primary
goal. Peace may not come in our
lifetime, but if it does, we will embrace it with the strength of the
millions who have died for our
and other’s freedom.
There is no doubt that the
teach-in raised critical awareness about the privilege of Sacred
Heart students, and I believe that
this acknowledgment was much
needed in our community. However, some students believe that,
“the faculty was just making us
feel guilty for how wealthy we
are.” This was not the purpose of
the week, nor is it the right way
to think about our wealth. We
learned that wealth can be justified through money, success, accomplishments, or as one student
stated simply, “Real wealth is happiness.”
The most common response
I heard after the Justice Teach-In
on wealth and class this year was
“So now what do we do?” Now
that we acknowledge our wealth
and privilege in all manners, lets
take into consideration Goal 3: “A
social awareness which impels to
action.” I believe it is crucial that
each student forms (his or her)
own response to the “What now?”
question after gaining (his or her)
own social awareness. Yes, you can
take the easy route by going on a
mission trip or donating money,
but make sure that this is personal to you; your actions reflect the
extent of your social awareness.
Mission trips and charity are crucial to change, but as the proverb
states, “If you want real change,
you must act for justice,” hence
the name of our ‘Social Justice’
Teach-In. In sophomore year religion class, students are taught the
difference between charity and
justice. Rather than giving those
in need money that will last for a
finite amount of time, empowering youth and teaching them how
to live sustainably is what will
eventually eradicate the scourge
of poverty.
I’m not saying that everyone’s next step after the Justice
Teach-In has to be the construction of a farm. Micro-finance and
education are some of the best
ways to give back to the community. Sacred Heart offers outstanding tutoring programs twice
a week that instill courage and
knowledge in students that may
otherwise lack adequate mentorship. Another first step can be to
simply acknowledge the people
who we encounter on a daily basis, but may not know too well.
The staff of Epicurean who work
at the check out counter everyday,
that one Starbucks barista who
gives you extra whipped cream,
the kid sitting in the back of your
English class. The opportunities
to make this year’s Justice TeachIn come alive are endless, and it is
in the hands of each student and
member of the SHP community
to take their own initiative. Tutor
at Sienna, go on a mission trip, say
hi to a stranger, take in that social
awareness. Whatever you choose
to do, make sure that it’s your own
heart that impels you to action.
Couples Cluck Out
By Charlie Duane ’14
and Danny Cody ’14
Heart Beat Love Columnists
Yep, it’s that time of the year
again. Leaves are falling, turkeys
are being stuffed, and everyone’s
coming home. For those of you
with a college boyfriend or girlfriend, they’ll be coming home
too, and this may seem like a joyous time…. But is it?
The Turkey Drop. Urban
Dictionary defines the Turkey
Drop as “An event that happens
when a dating couple tries the
long-distance relationship thing
when one go off to university or
college in September. Typically,
when Thanksgiving rolls around
and everyone goes home for the
holiday, someone gets dumped.”
With the Turkey Drop one of two
things will happen.
Often, either the college
boyfriend or girlfriend will em-
brace the freedom of college and
soon feel tied down by the relationship. They will slowly become
less interested in the relationship,
and will most likely end it over
Thanksgiving Break.
The other possibility is that
the high school partner has gotten used to the freedom of being
alone at home, living the wild
high school life. They are content
with their new lifestyle and the relationship is falling to the side. In
this case, the high school partner
in the relationship will be most
likely end it over Thanksgiving
Break.
The Turkey Drop is a phenomenon that cannot be fought.
If the relationship was meant to
be, the Turkey Drop would not
be a problem, but for most college-high school relationships,
this will be how it ends. We must
embrace this, and just hope that
everything ends on good terms.
The Legend of Santa
By Savannah Kazemipour ’17
Christmas has always been
my favorite holiday. With the
Starbucks holiday menu, tree decorating, presents, and Santa, who
can say they don’t like Christmas?
I believed in Santa until I was told
he wasn't real by my mom in 5th
grade. I'm not going to lie, I was
pretty upset, but I'm glad that my
mom told me rather than a friend.
Thing is, ever since then, Christmas has not been the same. As I
started to get older, I kind of knew
that the certain big presents were
from my parents, but I wanted to
believe in the magic of Santa, so
I did.
Some, such as my computer science teacher Ms. Ruiz, think
that “it's just better not to ever
tell your kids that Santa is real
because then it saves them from
a lot of pain later on.” While Ms.
Ruiz makes a valid point, I would
rather go through the pain than
miss out on the joy that my belief
in Santa brought me. That’s why I
can agree with Emily Howard ’17
when she says “what? No! Don't
tell them! Telling them crushes
dreams.”
I remember watching the
NORAD Santa Tracker on Christmas Eve and thinking that Santa
had to be real because otherwise how would they track him?
Though I loved Santa, I do think
that it’s OK to tell your child Santa isn’t real once they get to be
in middle school, because you
don't want them to be the only
weirdo who still totally believes
in Santa. I wouldn’t want to have
my future child find out that
Santa wasn't real from a friend,
but rather would want tell them
myself when they’re ready. I'm
not going to be the one to tell my
younger siblings, and I'll still get
them to watch the Santa Tracker
this Christmas so I can preserve
their love of Santa and a magical
Christmas.
Baby, It’s Cold Outside
By Michael Duane ’15
Does the winter really make
for a more comfortable environment? This may be the case, but it’s
possibly just the aura or fact that
Starbucks turns red and snowflaked over night. I would agree.
Winter seems to prevail a sense
of family and warmth amidst the
cold temperatures we face. Hailey
Goldberg '15 explains that "the
cold weather is nice is because it
reminds you of that Christmas
is right around the corner." Ladies and gentlemen, the season
is upon us. We have walked over
leaves and worn sweats for weeks
to get here.
The matter of the fact is that
winter means a lot more than just
tea after school and blankets. It is
the friend and family time, slowing down after a quick fall, and
closing out the year on a good
note. Despite the fact that winter finals are impediments to this
buttery joy, we should just look as
them as small little bumps on the
snowed-in road. You know the
material. Just take a minute or two
to rehash it all. Everything will fall
in place.
A New Year, filled with
fireworks, will be upon us a lot
sooner than you may think. January does what it does and we find
ourselves upon the holiest week of
the school calendar: Spirit Week.
Sorry to be looking ahead so far,
but its really just the elephant in
the room. Stay warm.
Senior’s Saving Grace
By Kelsey Page ’14
Heart Beat Senior Columnist
Seniors have a lot going
on. This is a well-established fact.
Sometimes it is easy to get so consumed in our own woes that we
fail to notice or fully appreciate
the work that others do to try to
help us. Teachers at Sacred Heart
are expected to give more one-onone attention to students than is
typically expected at other, larger
schools—a “Sacred Heartism” that
teachers embrace whole-heartedly. Yet, it seems that senior teachers take on an exceptionally heavy
workload in the fall semester as
a byproduct of the busy seniors.
From writing recommendations
to helping students on college
essays to mentoring independent
study projects, upperclassmen
teachers seem to find themselves
entrenched with work unrelated
to their actual classes.
Especially when applying
for top-choice schools, seniors
want to make sure they have plenty of feedback on their work before they send their little babies
(their applications) off to schools.
Lauren Glasby ’14 wrote an essay
for one of her top choice schools
on the ultra-cool, ultra-eccentric
mantis shrimp. Shrimp? Well,
this is not your ordinary shrimp.
As Lauren explains, “the mantis shrimp can see colors that we
can’t see because they have 16
color receptors and we only have
three. I made up imaginary colors
that the shrimp could see which
were the reflections of other fishes’ emotions.” Before committing to this bold move, Lauren
claims she met with Mr. Moffat
three different times to get it just
right. On top of that, she met
with Mr. Moffat three times to get
her Common Application essay
down. Yet this amount of effort,
from both students and teachers,
is the norm, not the exception.
Ms. Fitz, who edits college essays
on a daily basis, estimates that she
“works with about three quarters
of her students for college related
essays.” As for that other fourth,
Ms. Fitz is unsure of where they
go for help, possibly to college
counselors or other professionals,
but is nonetheless a firm believer
in seeking input and editing notes
on such important essays.
In addition, there are the
college recommendation letters
that junior and senior teachers
from all departments on campus
graciously agree to write for students. Some teachers, like Mr.
Hunter and Ms. Fitz, fill up their
recommendation availability as
early as May of a student’s junior
year. Because Ms. Fitz takes three
to fours hours to write a single
recommendation in order to truly
capture the essence of a student,
she can physically write no more
than 25 or so recommendations.
There is supposedly a stipend of
about $25 for each recommendation after the tenth one, but this
is really just a gesture of sympathy (...pity?) for all the extra work,
rather than a representation of
the true value of these priceless
recommendations.
Let us also not forget about
the college counselors who have
also spent hours writing recommendations, helping with essays,
and drudging through the intricacies of the college process. Sacred Heart seniors have a wealth
of resources available to them
to help guide (and gently push)
them toward the path to the “best
match” college—a privilege that
students readily utilize. Just remember to thank all of those who
supported you along the way.
These teachers carve the time
out of their workday to sit down
with students out of their own
goodwill and genuine desire to
help students succeed, and never
complain about the strain it puts
on their own schedules—a noble
task indeed. Ms. Fitz shares that
her favorite display of gratitude
is “just a student coming in to tell
me that he or she is really excited
about where he or she is going.”
However, she also enjoys some
good concert tickets, restaurant
gift cards, Amazon cards, books,
coffee, and/or wine (*hint hint*).
A few words of reassurance and
wisdom from Ms. Fitz to close:
“With the U.S. thickly
planted with thousands of great
colleges, everybody is going to get
in somewhere. No matter what
school a student goes to, as long
as the student is motivated, he or
she will get a great education if he
or she has that love of learning.”
Mr Moffat works with senior Carter Kremer
Photo by Allison Harman ‘14.
Fresh Fashion for the Frost
By Moi Lee ’15
Heart Beat Freshman Columnist
The winter season is upon
us! Now is the chaotic time when
everyone is heading to friends’
holiday parties, Christmas dinners, and New Year’s Eve bashes. Three hours before these big
events every girl stands before her
mirror and asks herself the common and most difficult question,
“What do I wear?” She searches through her closet and every
dress she has just seems too summery. But, don’t fret! A summer
dress can easily be changed into a
winter appropriate outfit!
A typical summer dress I
have in my closet is one that is floral, loose and sleeveless. Though
when I first look at it, I believe
there is absolutely no way to make
it work for a holiday event, I take
a second look and boom. I know
exactly what to do. The first step is
to add sheer black tights. Adding
black, brown or grey tights makes
it instantly season appropriate. If
your dress is a solid color, it is a
unique option to add patterned
tights. For example, if I had a
flowy, dark purple colored dress,
I might add sheer tights with Polka dots. If you choose not to wear
tights at all, I would wear long
knit socks that stick out of high
brown boots or combat boots. On
a dress attire day I noticed many
girls sporting cute boot socks and
I loved it! As winter grows colder
and colder, it may be best to add
tights to your holiday outfit.
The second step to this
outfit is to add a neutral colored
sweater over it! I would suggest
the following colors: cream, grey,
white, brown, or even black.
Rather than your typical button
up sweater, you could add a pullover sweater on top of your dress.
This look may seem odd and different than what your normally
wear until you pair it with a belt
at your waistline or until you tie
the sweater in a small knot on the
side of your body. It will keep you
warm by covering up your shoulders, while exposing the adorable
floral bottom half of your dress!
Now, take a look at yourself
in the mirror for the second time
and check out that stylin' winter outfit you have on! But wait.
What more can you do to make
this fit for winter? A cozy woven
or knit infinity scarf is the perfect
accessory to add. You are officially
converted! You can wear this to a
GNO, a holiday party, or even to
dress attire! So get ready for the
merry season to begin!
SHP Football Prepares for CCS Final
By Alex Bourdillon ’14
Heart Beat Editor-in-chief
The Gators football team
has played well all season, making
clutch victories at our very own
Homecoming game and Valpo
Bowl. It was not surprising when
the team qualified for the Central
Coast Section Playoffs.
The team has seeming-
ly breezed through the bracket,
defeating teams of large schools
from the coastal counties. In the
quarterfinals, we beat Seaside 3512, advancing to the semifinals,
which we won comfortably 34-7
against Monterey. These victories
have been even sweeter since they
were on home turf.
The team’s hard work and
dedication to practice have been
The Football team practices under lamplight. Photo by Alex Bourdillon ‘14.
instrumental to its success. Under
the leadership of the motivating
curia, the team invests an exorbitant amount of time in running
plays, building stamina, and perfecting the team bond that really excels on the field. Routine
Saturday morning practices and
intense Thanksgiving break training have paid off. For the past few
weeks the team has been renting
powerful mobile lights that illuminate the field when the rest of
campus is pitch-black. This way,
the team has time to train after
the sun sets.
This Saturday’s CCS Final brings back memories of last
year’s final for the returning members of the team. Last year’s epic
victory against Menlo in a torrential downpour was the climax of
a memorable season. The Gators
are likely to relive that glory this
Saturday against Pacific Grove.
Fall Athletes Reflect on Season
By Tara Ritchey ’16
The Girls’ Golf, Tennis,
and Cross-Country seasons have
ended for the school year. As always, our Gators have made us
proud and have come away with
great seasons, along with tons of
fun and great learning experiences! “This golf season was a huge
success,” exclaims Emma Newton ’16, “We did really well as a
team and had some really good
new players that got the opportunity to play a lot in the matches.”
Emma used this season
as a learning experience to further develop her relationships
with her teammates, as well as
to strengthen her overall golf
game. “I learned how to not
hinge my wrist as much in my
swing,” states Emma, “and it really helped to improve my aim.”
As for the cross-country
season, the team worked to continue to improve its running endurance. “Throughout the season,
our team was able to grow closer
to one another,” Mary Tuomala
’16 reminisces, “which greatly
influenced the whole season and
the overall team relationship”. The
Cross-Country team continued to
excel throughout the season, and
was rewarded for its hard work as
it made its way to CCS. “Overall,
the whole team brought a lot of en-
thusiasm and made the whole experience really fun,” Mary reflects.
Lastly, the girls’ tennis season was a positive experience for
all the members. Lauren Trihy ’17
says, “The season was honestly so
much fun. I was constantly laughing and smiling with my teammates.” As the season progressed,
unfortunately, the team did not
move on into CCS. However, all
the members of the team loved
the season as a whole. “The season overall was extraordinary!”
exclaims Taylor McKelvy ’17,
“Never would I have gotten this
close to a group of upperclassmen
without this tennis experience.”
Fantasy Surfer Picks
By August Howell ’15
Heart Beat Surfer Columnist
It has arrived people. It is
that time of year, when the surfing
world’s attention gathers on the
North Shore of Oahu to witness
the greatest surfing performances in the world. One of the most
famous contests, The Billabong
Pipeline Masters, is the last event
on the ASP Mens World Championship Tour, whose waiting period starts December 8th. For surfing fans across the globe, the stage
could not be more set. I know all
you students at Sacred Heart Prep
are fully invested in your Fantasy
Surfer, and are readily reviewing
your options. Have no fear, I have
the best picks planned out for
this last event, and here they are:
1. Mick Fanning. If you
did not expect Mick’s return to
center stage this year after last
year’s performance, then you
probably did not watch a single
event this year. This is a different
Mick Fanning than we have seen
in previous years. Mick’s mentality around competition is much
more relaxed, yet he still focuses with a passion and drive that
few surfers can imagine. With a
World Title race coming down
at Pipeline, this will be Mick in
his most dangerous form yet.
2. John John Florence. This
is John’s home break, and he is one
of the best surfers to surf there in
the last decade. After an injury
in the first event of the season at
the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast
in Australia, John John sat out of
two consecutive events to get fully
healthy. At his first event back in
Indonesia, wearing an ankle brace
mind you, he launched one of the
biggest ally-oop air ever seen in
a contest. He can never be disregarded in any type of condition.
3. Julian Wilson. The
high-flying face of Hurley has
more tricks up his sleeve than that
magician during the 2011 winter
formal. Julian has gotten great results recently; most notably was
his runner-up finish at the Hurley Pro. His airs are right on par
with his younger counterparts,
John John and Gabriel Medina.
4. Keiren Perrow: Who
in the world, you might ask, insKeiren Perrow? He is the man
I dropped Gabriel Medina for.
Yes, you might call this madness,
but every year Keiren stays midway to the bottom part on the
tour rankings, then explodes at
the Billabong Pipeline Master,
and almost always gets solid results. Perrow won the event in
2011. The wave favors his style,
and he is a great underrated pick.
5. Jordy Smith: This year
has been Jordy’s most successful year on tour in a while. With
a win in Brazil earlier this year,
he has been going strong the
entire year, maintaining a position in the top 5 throughout the
year. Jordy is capable of strong
carves and airs, and Pipeline
will not hinder his ability at all.
6. Nat Young: His first year
on tour, Nat has established himself as one of the best backside
surfers there. With two runner up
finishes this year, he has put himself in a very strong position for
Rookie of the Year. As a goofy footer, he has the power to do exceptionally well at Pipeline this year.
Co-Athlete of the
Issue: Kelly Moran
Kelly Moran makes a heroic save for her team in a game against Valley Christian. Photo by Ms. Kerrigan, courtesy of Kelly Willard ‘14.
By Taylor Oliver ’14
As the Sacred Heart Girls
Water Polo team continues to
dominate with their seventh
consecutive CCS Championship, many players contribute
to the team’s success. However, even among her extremely taleneted teammates, Kelly
Moran ’14 stands out. Kelly,
the team captain and star of the
team, has been its backbone
for the past couple of years.
Kelly’s stellar play has paid
off, as next year she will play collegiate water polo for the UCLA
Bruins, a powerhouse top ten
team in the country year in and
year out. When asked why she
elected to play goalie, she replied,
“I decided to be a goalie pretty
early on. It must have been one of
our first tournaments freshman
year when everyone rotated into
the goal every now and then. I really loved the feeling of having so
much responsibility and basically being the ‘gate keeper.’” Just as
Kelly loves to play goalie, she has
also embraced her role as team
captain with a superb attitude. As
she recalls, “Ever since freshman
year I have wanted to be a captain,
and I have loved getting to know
each of the twenty eight members of the water polo program.”
Kelly’s dedication to the
program has paid huge dividends
as Sacred Heart has won the CCS
Championship every year she has
been a part of the team. Her countless accolades have surely been rewarding, as she looks to continue
her legacy at UCLA and beyond.
Boys Soccer Preview
By Will Mishra ’14
As our fall sports come to
a close, winter sport tryouts and
seasons are getting under way.
Hopefully, our Gator soccer and
basketball teams can continue
the trend of championships that
the football team and water polo
teams were able to achieve.
After losing an astounding
10 seniors from the team last year,
many may look at this year’s soccer team as a team rebuilding for
the future. However, no one associated with the team thinks this is
the case. As Coach Armando Del
Rio stresses, success on the soccer
pitch is largely dependent upon
hard work, intensity, and work
rate—something this year’s team
has plenty of. That is not to say
that the team doesn’t have plenty
of talent and experience. Many
of the juniors and seniors have
played on the team since their
freshmen or sophomore year, and
understand what it takes to win
league and CCS championships.
Last year, the Boys soccer team
won its first ever CCS Championship, and its 6th straight
WBAL league title. Also, joining
the team this year are 11 new
players, including four freshman
(Peter Love, Oscar Delgado, Connor Johnston, and Juan Rascon),
along with three upperclassmen
(Brian White, Frankie Hattler,
and Justin Galvin), who have never played SHP soccer before.
This season, the Gators
will play in a very competitive
WBAL. As always, Menlo will
be very talented and dangerous,
especially given the fact they are
looking for revenge after suffering
two defeats to SHP last season.
Along with Menlo, Eastside Prep
and Harker have very competitive teams as well. However, the
Boys Soccer Team may face their
toughest competition during the
regular season before league play
even begins, with matches against
St. Ignatius, Mountain View, and
Woodside.
Co-Athlete of the Issue:
Michael Swart
Girls Soccer Preview
By Kyle Johnson ’15
The Girls Soccer team is
looking to make a comeback in the
2013-2014 season. Injuries were a
huge problem last year, as the Gators lost two of their best players,
Kendall Jager ’13 (concussion)
and Maddie Morgan ’14 (ankle).
The injured Gators managed to
finished second in league behind
Menlo and ninth overall in CCS.
This year, however, represents a fresh new start, as the
Gators are returning many players. One interesting newcomer
to watch out for is Tierna Davidson ’16. After playing for her
club team last year, Davidson de-
cided to play for the Gators this
year, and will make a big impact
on the team. The team is lead by
coaches Ramiro Arredondo, Sal
Cerritos, and Melissa Greenfield.
Alex Bourdillon ‘14 credits
the coaches and says that, “they
each add something special to the
program, and together they provide the support and motivation
that we need!” This uniqueness
in the coaching staff benefits the
team as each coach has his or her
specific effect on the players. This
has created a great environment
for players to be able to progress
and improve. The effects of each
coaching style will definitely be
on display this year as the Gators have shown great potential.
Mr. Rodriguez believes
that “we will be able to compete
with any Division Four team for
a CCS championship.” Goals for
this year’s team include winning
league and bringing home a CCS
championship. The key to their
success lies in the “new contributors to the program,” according
to Alex, “but also the Seniors, because they will play a huge leadership role on the team.” This is
certainly achievable, but newcomers and veterans alike will
both have to step into their roles
in order to succeed. Their success will depend on this. With
so much up in the air, this year
will surely be one of excitement
and unpredictability. Go Gators!
Mikey flashes his prize winning grin. Photo by Lauren Kerrigan ‘14.
By Mason Randall ’16
Michael Swart ’15 is a junior on the CCS Champions Varsity Water Polo team. The team
demolished the fifteenth seeded
Santa Cruz team, took down Soquel in the following round and
defeated Menlo in the finals, with
a final score of 12-9.
When questioned about the
expectations for playoffs, Michael
said, “I think we should do well in
playoffs as long as everyone plays
their roles and follows the game
plan.” Clearly the team executed
their plan very well, as they came
up with the victory. Michael has
had a lot of success this year and
was the Palo Alto Boy’s Athlete
of the Week in the October 4th,
2013 issue.
Having to repeat last year’s
CCS championship team was
slightly more difficult this year
because the team lost six seniors.
Michael says, however, that “the
[two] teams are definitely comparable. [This year’s team] was
smaller, but everyone stepped up
this year to play their roles.”
Michael’s teammate Jack
Hocker ‘16 said, “[Michael] plays
with so much confidence and
is one of the most talented guys
I’ve ever played with. He’s a great
role model.” Another teammate,
Michael Schuur ‘15 added, “He
always has a great attitude and
scores a lot of goals for us. He also
probably has the strongest legs on
the team!”
This year’s Water Polo team
did extremely well, and much of
its success should be attributed to
Michael Swart for his positive attitude and excellent ball handling
skills. Since he is only a junior,
“Mikey” still has another year at
the Prep, and many cannot wait to
see his water polo prowess in the
future.
Girls Basketball Preview
By Jessica Koenig ’15
Last year, the Girls Varsity
Basketball team had a great season, with an overall record of 2210 and a league record of 5-5. The
team made it to CCS finals and
progressed to NorCals for the first
time in years. In the CCS finals,
they played Menlo, to whom they
had lost once and beaten once
during the regular season.
The Norcal tournament
consists of all the best teams from
Northern California, and it is a
major honor to even qualify. Last
year, the team advanced to the
quarter finals against Salesian.
The Gators unfortunately lost to
Salesian, but nonetheless had a
very impressive season.
The Girls Varsity team
lost two starters from last year:
Melissa Holland and Helen Gannon, the team captains. Their talent and leadership will surely be
missed, but this year’s girls team
has a lot of returning talent, and
is determined to win CCS. Fouryear returning varsity player,
Meghan Holland, is especially
excited for this season. She says,
“This season means so much to
me. Playing Varsity Basketball for
SHP has been an amazing experience the last three years, and I
hope to make this last season the
best.” This year’s Girls Basketball team is very determined and
wants to come back strong and
get that CCS win that they all deserve.
At practice, SHP Soccer girls do work but also know how to have fun. Photo by Allison Harman ‘14.
Boys Basketball Preview
By Kohki Kitano ’14
Since June, the Boys Basketball team has been training
everyday, whether lifting in the
weight room, conditioning, or
simply improving individual skill
work. “The Hoopers” are back,
and having already wrapped up
their two-week tryouts, practices
are starting, marking the official
start to the season.
The team lost eight seniors
from last year’s team but “this
year’s edition of Gators basketball stands out because of the
chemistry we have on the team,”
according to forward Stephen
Bannick ‘14. The basketball team,
as a result of losing so many players, is now forced to play a faster
paced game, which will definite-
ly be more entertaining both for
the players to participate in and
the Gator Nation to watch. The
team has modified most of its
plays to force the defense to play
around the perimeter, relying on
quickness to spread out defense in
hopes of scoring.
Athletes all have individual roles they need to fill and it is
up to the players to take it upon
themselves to improve for the
betterment of the team. The team
also needs to focus on staying
healthy, as the team already has
two or three guys out on the sidelines during practice recovering
from injuries. However, this isn’t
discouraging anyone. Ryan Galvin ’14 still wants to “do everything [he] can to make the team
better and reach [the team’s] col-
lective goal of winning league.”
Gator Nation, as always,
plays a huge role in the team’s
playing style. Feeding off their energy and having their chants disrupt the opponent’s offensive or
defensive strategies helps the Gators run smoothly and efficiently.
The players are definitely counting on the student section’s support to help the team throughout
the season. The Gators will play
their first home game on January
11th, 2014 at 7 PM against Mountain View.
There have been many
people, even inside our own Sacred Heart community, who have
doubted the success of the basketball team for this year. They are in
for a big surprise.
Water Polo Champions
By Frank Bell ’16
The Girls and Boys Varsity Water Polo teams had record breaking seasons this year.
Both teams were outstanding all year long, and really
came together in the playoffs.
The boys had an overall record of 26-3, and a league record
of 6-0. “The season went great,”
Finn Banks ’16 said, “It was the
best one in Sacred Heart History.” Finn is a sophomore on the
Varsity Water Polo team, and he
said that he learned a lot from the
upperclassmen. He described the
team’s success as a combination of
“the coaching staff who pushed us
to the edge and a tough team that
was able to work through it all.”
After a remarkable regular
season, the team pushed through
the playoffs as they won the NCS,
the CCS championship against
Menlo, and the WCAL championship against Bellarmine.
The Girls Water Polo
team was able to win their seventh consecutive CCS Division
II Championship this season.
Sophomore on the team, Malaika Koshy, attributed the team’s
success to the bond that the team
shared under the leadership of
the seniors. “My girls are like
my family to me,” says Malai-
ka, “Each one of them would do
anything for me and I don’t know
what I would do without them.”
The girls had an outstanding 5-1 league record, and were
named CCS champs. Although
this record-breaking season was
phenomenal, Malaika is really
looking forward to other league
championships in years to come.
Nonetheless, she says, “I am really sad to see the seniors leave.
I am honored to have spent an
amazing season with them.”
Both water polo teams had
two very successful seasons, and
they should be recognized for their
great efforts. Congrats Gators.
Scott’s Top 5 Albums of 2013
By Scott Fitchen ’16
Oh, Christmas Tree!
By Kimberly Tsiang ’16
2013 has been an absolutely
phenomenal year for music. But
in this plethora of new music,
which artists stand out? Ranked
in order of quality, these five albums are this year’s finest.
5. Settle by Disclosure: How
does a new artist produce a record
that manages to combine multiple
genres while still standing out in
the crowd? Just ask Disclosure.
Their incredibly diverse debut
masterfully combines addictive,
catchy, top-40 hooks; danceable,
complex beats, and rich, sensuous
vocals in just one hour of music,
and they’ve still managed to create quite a name for themselves
with this album.
4. Hummingbird by Local
Natives: Since its inception in
2009, Local Natives have been
a treat to listen to. Its debut album Gorilla Manor was what
so many other indie rock artists
tried and failed to be: catchy,
pleasurable, and fully realized.
With Hummingbird, Local Natives has polished and refined its
signature sound even further into
something truly extraordinary.
It’s thoughtful, yet boisterous, nuanced, yet accessible.
3. Yeezus by Kanye West:
“I am a God,” Kanye announces only three tracks into Yeezus.
This self-righteous statement is
followed by radical social commentary (“Black Skinhead,” “New
Slaves”) and edgy, experimen-
Christmas trees. The emblems of the holiday season, and
the symbols of merriment and
bonding. They’re the sacred mailboxes under which Santa drops
off his midnight gifts and the
places for families to gather and
celebrate the happiest time of the
year. Make sure to find the right
tree for your home by checking
out the types available.
Cut your own tree: If you’re
feeling old-school, check out Santa’s Tree Farm and Village, located
conveniently in Half Moon Bay.
This do-it-yourself farm allows
you to cut down your own tree!
You can avoid the unpleasant
surprise of finding gaping holes
or dead splotches, and you’ll get
to enjoy forming a connection
with your tree by freeing it from
its roots yourself. This activity can
also turn into a fun family bonding experience. For another doit-yourself tree experience, check
out Skyline Ranch Tree Farm.
Artificial Trees: Home Depot offers a wide variety of plastic
Christmas trees to accommodate
those who perhaps have a fatal
effect on plants, or don’t want to
deal with the hassle of keeping a
Reflektor (left) and Hummingbird (right) album covers from Scott’s Top 5.
Photos provided by Google Images
tal beats (“Blood on the Leaves,”
“Bound 2”). Yeezus is edgy, inyour-face, and lives up to the
grandiose statements within it. So
it goes without saying that Kanye
is a god. If his last solo effort My
Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
didn’t convince you of this, Yeezus
should do the trick.
2. Modern Vampires of the
City by Vampire Weekend: If I
had said that Vampire Weekend’s
next album would tackle mature
topics such as religion and death
back when Contra was released
in 2010, I’d be called crazy. But
Modern Vampires of the City does
just that, all while holding an
enigmatic smirk idiosyncratic to
Vampire Weekend. As pitchfork.
com puts it, “Modern Vampires
is the kind of album that’ll have
you googling for Buddhist Temples and Old Testament Allusions
at 3 a.m. while listening to reggae
great Ras Michael (who’s sampled
on opener ‘Obvious Bicycle’).”
Yes, Vampire Weekend is more
clever and gifted than you, but
they aren’t in your face about it.
1. Reflektor by Arcade Fire:
With an artist as legendary as
Arcade Fire, it’s hard not to automatically give them the #1 spot
on year-end lists. Their debut, Funeral, was (and still is) one of the
best albums ever produced. It’s no
surprise that when they casually
announced their new album over
Twitter in July, they made music
headlines (despite not having given any other details). Eventually,
the magnificent Reflektor was released in its double LP, two-part
song, eleven-minute-finale glory
last October. This album, featuring David Bowie, surpassed our
very high expectations with epic
ballads, signature two-part movements, and allusions to other
cultures. This album displays an
unprecedented attention to both
the details and the bigger picture.
The songs fit together like pieces
in a puzzle, painting a gorgeous,
awe-inspiring portrait of the band
itself. Reflektor is an event; it had
the audacity to be grand, and remarkably succeeds.
ugly sweater hype this holiday
and be sure to stock up on other festive clothing like socks and
scarves.
5. Host a Christmas Movie
Marathon. Get a group of friends
or family together to enjoy some
of the best Christmas movies
from the comfort of your own
home. Be sure to get the fireplace
ready, bring out blankets, prepare
some hot cocoa, and pop some
popcorn before your guests arrive. Then, spend the entire night
reminiscing over holiday classics
like Miracle on 34th Street, The
Christmas Carol, or everyone’s favorite comedy, Elf.
6.
Donate any unneeded clothes or belongings to local
homeless shelters or thrift shops.
Donating clothes that are too
small for you or items you no
longer need is the perfect way to
start off the holiday season. This
is a great opportunity to clear out
your closet while knowing that
you are making someone else’s
holiday just a little bit brighter.
Goodwill, St. Vincent de Paul,
and Saver’s are local stores and organizations that accept hand-medown clothes and shoe donations.
7.Create a spending budget and get a head start on Christmas shopping. Start by putting
together a list of all the presents
you need to buy. Then, check to
see which stores those items are
available in and make a shopping
schedule based on the sale days
for each store. Preparation is the
key to finding the perfect gifts at
the best prices during this holiday
season.
8.Find your Christmas
tree. One of the greatest traditions of Christmas is getting the
family together to pick out your
tree. Shopping in local tree lots is
a great way to take home a beautiful Christmas tree while supporting your community. Some
family-friendly tree lots not too
far from SHP’s campus are Nativity School’s Lot in Menlo Park, St.
Pius’s Lot in Redwood City, and
ABC Tree Farms in San Carlos
and Redwood City.
9.Decorate!!! Adorn your
house in festive decorations
and make it glow with beautiful
Christmas lights. Hang a wreath
on your front door, wrap garlands around your staircase, and
decorate your lawns with lighted
reindeer or put together a Nativity
scene. Also, don’t forget to stop by
SHP’s first Christmas Tree Lighting event on December 6th. This
will be an unforgettable experience as SHP student’s join together for the first time to decorate
campus for the holidays, so try
your best to come out and participate.
Nine Best Ways to Prep for Xmas
By Bri Roque ’16
1.Buy a chocolate advent
calendar. Consisting of pieces of
chocolate or candy beneath each
day of December, these calendars
are great ways to keep track of
the days leading up to Christmas
while enjoying sweet treats. What
better way to celebrate a day closer to Christmas than by indulging
in a piece of chocolate!
2. Have a baking day. Grab
a group of friends or family members to spend the entire day cooking up goodies in the oven. Take
the day to make pumpkin pie,
gingerbread cookies, and other
desserts for the holiday season.
3. Make a Christmas playlist. There’s no better way to get
into the Christmas spirit than
by rocking out to your favorite
Christmas tunes. Some suggestions are Michael Bublé’s “Have
Yourself A Merry Little Christmas”, Wham’s “Last Christmas”,
and the classic “Santa Baby” by
Eartha Kitt.
4. Ugly sweater time! Winter is the perfect time to bust out
your holiday sweaters and old
knits that have been sitting in the
back of your closet. Nothing is
cuter than a bright red and green
sweater depicting Rudolph with
a little pom pom nose. Enjoy the
tree alive. While many may criticize these “fake” Christmas trees
as unauthentic, they provide
many benefits. They are reusable,
easy to clean up, require no watering, and are the perfect size and
shape. Plus they are available in
colors and can be pre-decorated.
I know that my favorite part of the
holidays is bringing out my mini
pink Barbie Christmas tree from
when I was little and placing it
next to our real one.
Freshly Cut Trees: Nativity
Trees, located a stones throw away
from Sacred Heart, is the perfect
place for getting a classic fresh
cut evergreen without having to
get your hands dirty. They conveniently offer deliveries if you find
yourself pressed for time. And for
those perfectionists out there, you
can go and examine every single
tree in order to find the perfect
one for your home. As all proceeds benefit the Nativity School,
you will be supporting a charitable cause and as well as furthering
holiday cheer.
Christmas trees are one of
the most important aspects of the
Holiday Season. So whether you
go for do-it-yourself, artificial, or
fresh cut, your tree will definitely
bring the festive spirit of Christmas into your home.
Menlo Park Pizza
Places
Amici’s luscious pizza, virtually
By Andrew Daschbach ’16
Applewood
If you are looking for the
most authentic, savory pizza in
the area, Applewood on El Camino is the place. No matter the type
of pizza you choose from the dozens of options available, you are
sure to receive a pizza with flavors
out of this world. Although Applewood’s toppings, cheeses, and
sauces are all phenomenal, their
thick, doughy crust has been the
centerpiece of its pizzas year after
year. Also, to make it more convenient for those who would rather
eat their pie at home, Applewood
has opened a to-go store just next
door!
Amici’s
The somewhat recently
opened Amici’s Pizza has quickly
become a hit in downtown Menlo Park. Their great environment
and even better wood-fired pizza
draw customers to this new pizzeria. The brick oven that cooks
the pizza, the key variable in
sits in the dining room, making
Amici’s a fun eating environment.
The brick oven cooking process
creates a thin crust that is “crisp,
airy, and slightly chewy,” providing much of the simple pizza’s
complex flavor. Much like Applewood, if you would rather eat
your food at home, Amici’s makes
it easy, giving customers the option of free delivery.
Avanti
Another epic local pizza
parlor is Avanti Pizza on Alameda. Avanti has been serving
first class pizza made with fresh
dough and homemade sauces of
only the finest ingredients. All of
Avanti’s pizza flavors are not only
delicious, but extremely affordable. With every purchase of a
pizza, Avanti gives its customers
a “buy one, get one free” voucher.
Not only does Avanti have great
pizza, awesome deals, and an exceptional staff, it has unbelievably
easy accessibility making pickup
both smooth and speedy.
The Nutcracker is also a popular decoration during the Christmas Season.
Photo by Mackenzie Gibson ’16.
Zenaida Melgoza 35 Years and Counting
Vicente CardenasGreat Person, Great Stache
Nick Oliver ’16 and
Alex Behrens ’16
Yadira Ayala ‘16 and
Nicolas Becker ’16
Heart Beat Staff writers
Mr. Vicente Cardenas is
a crucial member of the Sacred
Heart community. His dedication
and hard work to improve the
school has helped Sacred Heart
become what it is today.
Mr. Cardenas works primarily on maintenance, which includes garden and ground work,
covering a plethora of activities.
He is a true veteran at Sacred
Heart, as he has worked here for
13 years. When asked what has
kept him around for so long, Mr.
Cardenas happily explains, “The
staff treat me great and Sacred
Heart is such a nice place to work.
It easily trumps my old job of putting up hospital signs.” His admiration for Sacred Heart is one of
his best attributes as it translates
into diligent work helping Sacred
Heart be as beautiful as it is. Mr.
Cardenas also explains he has had
“so many great experiences at Sacred Heart. The school is so great,
and everyday is filled with great
experiences, although some days
have more than others.”
Mr. Cardenas came to the
U.S. because he heard it was filled
with opportunities and jobs. He
eventually came to Sacred Heart
because “it is a well known school
and I had heard it was a great
place to work and would be good
for me and my family.” He enjoys
working at Sacred Heart because it
gives him an opportunity to relive
his high school days. He notes “it
brings back memories, especially
seeing kids mess around or not
following the rules, as it reminds
me of myself in high school.”
His family explains that Mr.
Cardenas is an amazing person
who is an open book and doesn’t
have much to hide. Mr. Vicente
is an important member of the
Sacred Heart community and an
enormous asset on the staff, so the
next time you see him, thank him!
Mr. Cardenas was unable to pose for
a picture as he is recovering from
surgery. Wish him a speedy recovery!
Photo from shschools.org.
Alejandro Duenas: He Loves
SHP and SHP Loves Him
Marggi de Lusignan ‘16
and Caroline Rakow ‘14
Heart Beat Staff Writers
The people who are responsible for holding Sacred Heart
campus together, for us and for
any prospective families considering Sacred Heart, are the
hidden part of our SHP community, a mostly underappreciated
part of the staff here on campus.
Many students can name teachers who’ve never taught them, but
few can name the members of Sacred Heart’s Operations staff. One
of these staff members is Alejandro Duenas, a wonderfully kind
member of said staff.
Alejandro Duenas is a truly
special individual, and as a Sacred
Heart employee for thirteen years,
deserves a big thank you from
our Sacred Heart community. He
constantly tells his wife how much
he loves working at SHP. “She still
doesn’t get it!” remarks Mr. Duenas. He really feels that it is the kids
that have kept him working at our
beautiful campus. He comments
about what a special place the
Prep is. The main reason he loves
it so much is because he loves to
help people. His specific role is
maintenance and generally helps
out however he can.
Mr. Duenas is always smiling on the
job, happy to be working at the Prep.
Photo by Hannah Sadat- Tehrani ‘15.
New innovative buildings
at the prep have taught Mr. Duenas a lot. He has learned about
electricity, heating, plumbing,
and the art of locksmithing. He
takes care of all the master keys
and doors and finds the concept
of one key opening hundreds of
doors fascinating. He is really
friendly and would love to chat
with any student that comes up to
him! Mr. Duenas is truly a hidden
gem at the Prep, as his keen ability
to problem solve and the overall
happiness he exudes continually
brighten SHP’s campus, students,
and staff on a daily basis.
People may not know it, but
Zenaida Melgoza is one of Sacred
Heart’s longest standing employees. Ms. Melgoza is coming up on
35 years of service and dedication
to Sacred Heart as of it’s beloved
housekeeper. She came to us all
the way from Aguililla, Michoacán, Mexico with no regrets. In
fact, she has found her niche and
loves working here at the Prep.
Ms. Melgoza is the mother
of four loving children as well as
six grandchildren. The Sacred
Heart community, however, feels
like her second extended family.
She was recommended by
a friend to her position at Sacred
Heart in 1977, and has been here
ever since. Ms. Zelgoda loves Sacred Heart and it’s campus, saying that the campus “feels like a
resort.” We can attribute the resort-quality environment that the
campus provides to Ms. Melgoza
and the rest of the operations staff.
After 35 years at Sacred
Heart, one might think she would
get bored, but she has stuck
around so long because “it feels
like [her] second home.” She has
enjoyed watching Sacred Heart
grow over the years. “SHP used
to be small. One year we only had
24 seniors. The school has grown
so much,” and she has loved every
bit of it. Ms. Melgoza has experienced a Sacred Heart evolution
over the years and has seen history in the making. Ms. Melgoza
wouldn’t change a thing about Sa-
cred Heart and says it is a “wonderful place to work.” She loves
how kind and compassionate the
students are towards not only her
but to each other. It truly makes
her day when students go out of
their way to say a simple hello to
her passing in the halls. So next
time you see Ms. Melgoza in the
halls, give her a wave!
Ms. Melgoza flashes a smile by the Mater painting in the Main Building.
Photo by Natalie Palmer ’15
Get to Know Javier Hernandez
Rhys Lewis ’15 and
Joe Armstrong’15
Every student at Sacred
Heart Prep is dealing with a lot
of homework and stress, but once
in a while we need to take a step
back and acknowledge that we
have the most beautiful campus
in the Peninsula. The reason we
have such an amazing campus
because of the hard work of Javier Hernandez and his coworkers.
You have probably passed Mr.
Hernandez while walking from
Sigall to Main Building, or while
taking a peek at the goats and
bunnies. Mr. Hernandez has been
here for 20 years doing landscape
and maintenance! Sacred Heart is
not just a workplace to Mr. Hernandez; he feels, “It’s my second
home.” Mr. Hernandez’s family is
also part of the SHP community;
he has brother that also works at
SHP and a niece that attends the
lower school.
He has five kids overall, two
girls in their twenties, a 14 year
old boy, an 11 year old girl, and a
9 year old boy. Although his children do not attend Sacred Heart,
they attend a Catholic school elsewhere. One of his most important
goals is teaching his kids is to be
bilingual. His son is doing well in
school although he is losing his
Spanish because “it is a little hard
for him.” Mr. Hernandez came to
California when he was 7 years
old and got his citizenship 10
years ago. He describes the U.S.
as “a nice to be, because here they
open doors for a lot of people, for
whoever wants to work. It’s nice.”
Living in the US for most
of his life, Mr. Hernandez has always worked hard to provide for
his family. When he’s not working
at SHP, Mr. Hernandez has another job at Saint Raymond’s school!
However, he could not be happier
with his job at Sacred Heart. Mr.
Hernandez believes that working
at Sacred Heart is the “perfect job”
for him.
Mr. Hernandez always finds
time to relax and enjoy life! He
loves spending as much time as
possible with his kids and plays
volleyball during his free time.
Mr. Hernandez says that he “used
to play a lot,” but is starting to focus more on his kids since he is
“getting too old!” He has experi-
enced a lot in his life, from moving as a young child to raising five
children, but he still wakes up
every morning with the same motivation to work hard. “I tell my
wife, ‘I’m here to be working, it’s
a good place, good people.’” Mr.
Hernandez always says hello with
the biggest smile on his face to
every student he sees, and always
knows how to make a student’s
day better.
Mr. Hernandez has done
so much for our campus and
the SHP community as a whole.
He is one of the most dedicated,
hard-working, and beloved members of the community, so make
sure to say hi when you see him,
and ask him about some of the
things he’s seen in the last 20 years
at Sacred Heart. He definitely has
some great stories!
Mr. Hernandez drives a tractor by the Main Building.
Photo by McKenzie Lynch’14.
Theater Demolition Brings Sadness and Nostalgia
By Matthew Hao ’15
Where's your favorite place
to go see a movie? Redwood City,
Shoreline, AMC Mercado in Santa
Clara? How about the Park Theater in Menlo Park? No, probably
not because it closed more than
ten years ago in 2002. The Park
Theater first arrived in Menlo
Park about sixty-six years ago in
1947, and, to many adults, brings
back a lot of childhood memories.
For years, the Park Theater hosted
many great movies, including the
Bay Area premiere of Singing in
the Rain in 1952.
The Park Theater officially
closed for business in 2002, but
the building has still been in the
same place for all these years. A
few weekends ago, the theater
held a demo sale inside the old
venue to auction off items from
the popcorn machine to theater
seats, and the most popular item-the marquee letters that were
seen outside the theater. The recent demolition permit issued by
the city caused a sudden rush of
Menlo Park residents to buy old
items from the theater. Many long
time residents were sad to hear
the news because the Park Theater
was their previous favorite movie
destination, much like the theater
in Redwood City today. The own-
er of the theater originally applied
for a permit back in January, but
the process was stalled due to
questions from the city about a
2004 report stating that the building has historical significance.
However, the building no longer
qualifies for national historical
registry due to many changes
made to it. The public seems to
have many strong opinions about
the theater, as there were protests
against replacing it with office
buildings or, renting out the space
as a dance studio.
Not many current students
at SHP have gone to see a movie
at the Park Theater. In fact, many
have not even heard of it. Howev-
The Breakfast Club Backstage
er, students have probably driven by it on El Camino, whether
they realize it or not. Although
the theater may not be of much
significance to students today, it
is to many adults, both alumni
of Sacred Heart, and residents of
Menlo Park. In fact, Señora Mera
and Señora Corpos took some
students to the theater many years
ago, though Señora Mera “does
not remember anything special
about the theater, but it was nice.”
Mr. Del Rio, who has only attended two movies there, liked that “it
had a tight-knit feeling, and that it
gave smaller budget films the opportunity to become bigger.” Although many students at Sacred
Holiday Treats for SHP
Students
By Natasia Pelowski ’16
The Advanced Acting Waffle cast poses in character. Photo by Caroline Sprague’ 16
By Megan Lamb ’14
The Breakfast Club: the
most famous movie about high
schoolers, perhaps even more famous than Mean Girls. This film,
though based in the 1980s', still
addresses most of the major issues that modern students, even
Sacred Heart students, have to
face every day. The pressures of
parents, grades and college, the
threat of depression, unspoken
social rules, cliques, divorce: the
list, unfortunately, goes on and
on. And this semester, our own
Actors Showcase class put on an
amazing rendition of the timeless
movie. Mr. Loschmann, the director of Sacred Heart's version
of The Breakfast Club, as well as
the teacher of Actor's Showcase,
split his class into two casts: the
Pancake and the Waffle casts. The
Pancake Cast featured Katie Putnam ’14 as Claire, Veronica Mendoza ’15 as Alison, Matt Jacobs
’14 as Andy, Pablo Solanas ’15 as
Brian, Nick York ’15 as Bender,
and Austin Peay ’16 as Vernon.
The Waffles Cast featured Taylor
Preminger ’14 as Claire, Samantha Baugh ’15 as Allison, Alec
Bradford ’14 as Andy, Ted Catlin
’16 as Brian, Alex Mitchell ’14 as
Bender, and Austin Peay, again,
as Vernon. Hopefully most of you
went to go see the play, but if not,
I am sure that you know the nature of the language and crudeness that exists in this production.
After the play, when asked about
the production's profanity, Mr.
Loschmann informed the members of the audience that "Actors
Showcase students dedicated a
whole day to a discussion about
language,” and that there was a
“general consensus that keeping
the language that existed in the
original script would most realistically portray the high school
atmosphere.” Katie added that the
“purpose of the words is to strike
a nerve, really hit the viewers, and
without them, the play wouldn't
be as powerful.” Although vulgar
language can often be controversial at a school like our own, there
seemed to be little to no resistance
from the audience, the actors, and
the administration, as it was being
used for artistic purposes.
As a high schooler, playing
the part of a high schooler may
seem like a fairly easy job, but
upon reflection and research, one
would find that it is, in fact, very
difficult. The teens in this play
were struggling with abuse, de-
pression, divorce, and other issues
that kids shouldn't have to face.
So, playing their roles wasn't so
easy, even for these experienced
actors. Brian, the class nerd, was
essentially suicidal as a result of
the pressures of keeping his 4.0
GPA, and Pablo, the actor who
portrayed the character found it
difficult to act that way. He said
that it was the "most challenging
role he has ever played."
Taylor played Claire, the
beautiful, rich, popular girl, the
girl that everyone else wanted to
be, and the girl that was just a tool
used for leverage in her parent's
explosive arguments. Taylor prepared for this role by going about
her everyday life and trying to see
high school through the eyes of a
girl like Claire. She said when she
"took the SAT and was sitting in
that room, she looked at everyone
as if she was Claire." It helped her
"get a grasp on who she is."
Well, their hard work paid
off, and both casts did a phenomenal job of recreating the epic
movie. The actors did an amazing
job, and Otto Library saw quite
a few laughs, and maybe even a
few tears. Congratulations to the
whole cast for an unforgettable
performance!
Heart have never been inside,
Alex Mitchell ’14 noted, "Everyone has probably seen [The Park]
theater at one point or another."
Although Park Theater may
not be a popular hang out location anymore, it still holds significance to many people whether
living in Menlo Park or not, and
most recently, the Class of 2014
filmed part of their sophomore
year spirit week video on the side
of it. If you are ever driving down
El Camino one day, and realize
something is missing, it is probably the Park Theater! It may have
even been the hot spot for your
parents or perhaps grandparents.
The SHP Holiday Treat is
an inviting, artistic way to spread
holiday spirit. This year’s event
will be on December 12. It was
started only four years ago as an
alternative to each of the arts departments—drama, art, strings,
band, and chorus—hosting their
own Christmas concerts or shows
on separate nights during December. It was a fantastic idea
that caught on very quickly. The
first year it was completely packed
with enthusiastic audience members and has continued each year
since! The schedule has multiple
starting time slots throughout the
night with several arts groups performing in different rooms during
each time period. This means that
friends, families, teachers, and
other arts enthusiasts can enjoy
watching multiple performances
throughout one exciting evening.
Since the artists do not perform at
every time slot, even the students
involved also have an opportunity
to watch their friends perform!
Camille Hausken ’16 is excited to be a part of the Holiday
Treat instead of being just an audience member since this is her
first year in chorus. She explains
that chorus is “preparing lots of
songs for the Holiday Treat. Some
of the songs are going to be sung
at Espacios and Masses but most
of them are prepared mainly for
the Holiday Treat.” She adds that
they “are singing lots of Christmas
songs, and it’s always fun to get
into the holiday spirit right before
break. There are some really great
solos, and as a group, it has been
sounding really cool.” Meanwhile, Ted Catlin ’16 is looking
forward to performing in both the
symphonic and jazz bands. He
says “it’s a lot of work preparing,
especially because I don’t have a
dedicated class period during the
regular school day, so all of my rehearsing is taken out of my time.”
Marggi de Lusignan ’16 is
dancing in two different numbers,
which are like two different shows;
one is for Mr. Montenegro and
the second is for Ms. Tyson. Mr.
Montenegro’s advanced, intermediate, and two beginning hip-hop
classes will perform their own integrated piece, which they’ve been
“preparing since the start of the
school year.” She explains that Ms.
Tyson's dance will be different
than in the past because “this year
every dance will have the general
theme of the Nutcracker making
it a mini-production number.”
The advanced dance class will be
doing a lyrical number and the
beginning class might be using
roller skates, which “will really
make for an exciting twist.”
The show should be a super
fun way to celebrate the holidays
as well as the talent at SHP. Ted
shares that his “favorite part is the
performance itself and getting to
go see other people performing.
Even if you are not involved directly, come watch and support
the artists in our community because we put so much effort into
it.” Camille wants to “encourage
people to come see it because it is
a really good show. There are going to be a lot of really different
and cool songs, and with dance
and everything else, the show
should be really amazing. The
performances really showcase all
the talent we have in the chorus,
as well as the whole student body,
and you definitely don't want to
miss it—it’s a super fun way to
celebrate the holidays.” Marggi
sums it up, saying: “I really like
the Holiday Treat because I love
to perform and nothing is better
than performing for friends and
family around the holidays. It’s
super fun, low key, and a really
enjoyable event that brings the
community together. It’s something you won’t want to miss!”
And if all of that does not draw
you in, always remember that the
artists’ parents provide a great
deal of edible holiday treats, too!
Technological Interactions
We All Hate: Part One
By Corbin Koch ‘15
For those of you who frequently use social media, texting
Snapchat, etc, you’ve probably
run into the interactions I’m going to talk about. Also, if you are
a social media fan, there is a pretty high likelihood that you hate
these things just as much as I do.
So without further ado, let’s start
this off by touching on a complete
no-no, a little something I like to
call the SnapSlap. For all of you
who don’t understand what I’m
talking about, it goes a little something like this. You text person A,
and for some reason, person A
doesn’t respond in a timely fashion, no big deal. Then you look
down at your phone and there
is a Snapchat notification from
person A, you think to yourself, “okay, cool. They wanted to
Snapchat instead, I get it, no big
deal.” Then you open said snap,
and what is it? A picture of their
Christmas tree with the caption,
“lazy day, soooo bored” with a
little sad faced emoji. Now, for
those of you who haven’t encountered this situation, I guess you’re
just too important to get stood up
on a text, but for those of you who
know what I’m talking about, I
feel your pain. It’s as if I looked
at the person, told them my deepest darkest secrets and instead of
them being supportive and sympathetic, they just laughed and
walked away. It stings a little, and
naturally, instead of being the bigger person and responding with a
emotionless selfie and forgetting
about the conversation as a whole,
I counter this rude action by initiating phase two of the SnapSlap,
the stiff arm. This phase consists
of opening their snap, which in
turn, sends a read receipt to them
letting them know you have seen
their Christmas tree and depressed emoji but just don’t care
anymore. It is this point at which
they feel undermined to an extreme degree making it likely that
the next time you text them, they
probably won’t respond, bringing the situation right back to the
beginning of the cycle, where it
continues for eternity. Ladies and
gentleman, the SnapSlap: the ultimate killer of friendships around
the globe. Avoid it at all costs.
Stereotypical Holiday Relatives
By Eshan Govil ‘15
Relatives During Holidays
Aaaaaah Christmas. ‘Tis a wonderful time of the year, these
lovely winter months, full of glee
and carols and jingle bells and allaround good vibes. As you scamper down the hallways of the Prep
that final day before break, you
cannot help but smile and leap,
giving each of your friends a high
five as you think about that warm
hearth waiting at home, with a hot
chocolate in hand and Elf playing
through several re-runs on your
television (or abc family’s 25 Days
of Christmas, if you’re about that
life). There is, however, a sense
of foreboding in your mind. A
storm is coming, and you know
it. Whether you like it or not, you
must face this storm head on, for
this storm is known as...the Relatives.
As Christmas Eve approaches, you decorate your house with
mistletoe and ornaments and
those stuffed reindeers, hoping to
impress the intense assortment of
faces about to barge through your
home. Young and old, large and
small, these creatures come in all
sorts of shapes and sizes, and seeing them mix once a year on this
festive holiday is actually quite
comical. Of all the faces, there
are a few you will stereotypically
see and know every time, and boy
does it make Christmas a doozy.
Leading off is the Painfully Cheerful Aunt. Coming in a
solid 5 hours early, she’ll knock
on the door with that way-toobright smile and poofed up hair
and a handful of store bought pies
that she’ll try to pass off as homemade. She’s also the person that
sends you those countless holiday
greetings cards, with the rest of
her family sulking in those itchy
Christmas sweaters while she
smiles brightly. She’ll walk right
in, already expecting that you’re
by her side, ready to take her coat
and scarf and become her personal little servant for the night, while
she engages in furious small-talk.
Next to walk in is your good
ol’ Crazy Uncle. Not only does
he tell the most radical, exciting
stories of his childhood that you
always believe without a hint of
doubt, he actually does half of
those things he talks about with
you. Firecrackers from the balcony? Casual. Take a chainsaw
to the Christmas tree? Typical.
Although your parents absolutely
detest his presence, you cannot
help but love this funny, possibly
clinically insane uncle of yours.
Fashionably late, the next
dynamic duo arrives at your
house: The Grandparents. Your
Grandma is the sweetest, most
delightful little lady to move at
.00001 miles per hour and makes
the best cookies ever made. Ever.
Nobody dare question it. Then
there’s her husband, the rusty
old war veteran who tells you
the exact same heroic war story
every Christmas, with everyone
sitting around criss cross apple
sauce, mouthing the words as he
tells it. Of course it always starts
with, “When I was your age, I
didn’t have what you meddling
kids have now; I was sent to the
military...” and always ends with,
“When I got back from war, me
and your grandma...” as your
parents scramble to think of new
topics.
Don’t forget that last family clambering into the driveway
in their massive 8 seater Ford. In
come the Chesters, a large family
of 17 where somehow the mom
always seems to be blessed with
triplets and that occasional sextuplet. All those little munchkins
are equally chubby and equally
destructive, but it’s almost cute
to the see the path of chaos they
can leave around the house. They
usually tend to forget one or two
munchkins behind every time
they leave, and fail to realize until a few days later, but it’s understandable. And when you’re holidays conclude, drab becomes the
mood, and you wait for the next
year, for the Relatives to come
here.
The Newest Trend: Glasses
By Victoria Garrick ‘15
If you have any sight at all,
you probably have noticed the
plethora of girls that wear glasses
at SHP now. But, do not be fooled,
our school has not been suddenly
plagued with an epidemic of below average eye -sight; they’re not
prescription, just fashion statements. This raises the question: Is
wearing glasses as a fashion accessory acceptable? Now, obviously
I am a fake-glasses-wearing gal,
too, who is a part of the trend, so
my opinion is biased. Firstly, the
girls that wear glasses as an accessory have an argument. Glasses
have many benefits. Such benefits include: the ability to look
cuter when not wearing makeup
(or actually being cute); the fake
perception that you look smarter
than you actually are, and for certain shaped lenses you get a style
that makes you look more “hipster.” However, there are two cons
to wearing glasses. The first being
that everyone who actually needs
glasses will be upset that you treat
them like they are some sort of
revolutionary trend discovery.
People have been wearing glasses
for years. Nothing new there. And
the second being that you may
or may not actually look worse
with glasses on, but nobody has
the heart to tell you. Either way,
it is in the hands of the beholder. I
say go for it and let the haters fuel
your fire.
The 10 Best Holiday
Movies to Watch
By Will Johnston ‘15
1. It’s a Wonderful Life
“Every time a bell rings an angel get it’s wings” “CLARENCE!”
2. White Christmas
“Vermont must be beautiful this time of year with all that snow.”
3. Elf
“We elves try to stick to the four main food groups: Candy, Candy Canes, Candy Corn, and Syrup.”
4. Miracle on 34th Street
“Faith is believing in things common sense tells you not too”
5. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966)
“In Whoville they say that the Grinch’s heart grew three sizes that day.”
6. Polar Express
“Why to the North Pole of course! This is the Polar Express!”
7. Santa Claus is Coming to Town
“Toys are hereby declared illegal, immoral, unlawful, and any
one seen with a toy will be immediately arrested and thrown in the dungeon!”
8. A Year Without a Santa Claus
“I’m Mister White Christmas, I’m Mister Snow, I’m Mister Icicle, I’m Mister Ten Below.”
9. Rudolph
“No, Charlie. That’s why I’m a misfit toy. My name is all wrong. No child wants to play with a Charlie-In-The-Box.”
10. A Christmas Story
“Oooh fuuudge! Only I didn’t say “Fudge.” I said THE word, the big one, the queen-mother of dirty words, the “F-dash-
dash-dash” word!”
That Average Kid
By Connor Moses ‘16
Average: Mediocre or not
very good. At Sacred Heart most
all of us are talented or above
average at least a couple specific
skills. Granted, there are those
who do not appear to be very
good at anything, and there are
also our Andrew Daschbachs,
who are seemingly the best at everything. Although, the majority
strives to seem talented, there always seems to be that kid that is
good at everything but goes out of
his or her way to be the most average person. To help you envision
this classmate, lets walk a through
a timeline of said person’s high
school career.
Freshman
Orientation:
This kid is the best Quack Diddly
O’ So player in the State of California, having won numerous
awards at competitions around
the country. Yet, when it comes
time to play, he or she calculates
which point he should be eliminated from the game so that he
or she doesn’t seem good at the
game, yet at the same time he or
she doesn’t seem bad either.
Before a difficult test or
final: This person will go to the
trouble of hacking into the NetClassroom account of every single person in their class. They will
then take the average test score
for each person and average them
together. Come the day of the test,
this student will know the answer
to every question, not because
they cheated but because said
student is that smart. In order to
maintain an average test grade,
this student will answer the questions needed to get his or her desired score.
Spirit Week: This student,
not only has the skills required to
singlehandedly win Rock ‘n Jock
for his or her class as the starting
Flamingo, but is also a nationally renowned Super Smash Bros
player. This person has remained
relatively unknown among the
student body, and now is the time
to showcase his or her skills in
front of the whole school. Realistically who doesn’t want to impress the school? This kid. Instead
of stepping up to tryout for Flamingo or tryout to be one of the
Super Smash players, said person
shies away from the opportunity.
Graduation: A lot of time
has passed, and this genuinely
amazing person, has gone out of
his or her way to remain average,
despite being the most talented
person that the SHP community has ever had. In defiance
of being the best in the grade in
the classroom and outside of the
classroom, this person is about to
graduate high school with a GPA
that falls exactly in the middle of
the class, as planned. This person
goes on to an “average” college,
lives out an average life, with an
average job, when they could have
been the next big thing at anything.
Meh.
Hot
SHP’s Dance Team
Farbod Nowzad
Fluc Delivery System
The Basement
Not
Being cold
Ricky’s broken hand
Dead Week tests
Meh
Rainy Days
Moustaches
The Editing Staff
David Ferranti
Robert Larson
Farbod Nowzad
Katherine Flessel
Maddie Morgan
Veronica L. Mendoza
Gillian Belton
Karim Ullah
Kimberly Wong
Alex Mitchell
News Editor
Reviews and
Op-Ed Editor
Photo Editor
Photo Editor
MERRY
CHRISTMAS!!!
Much Love,
Your EICs
Sports Editor
Arts and Events and
Spotlight Editor
Layout Editor
Creative Assistant
Back Page Editor
Smack Editor
Jack Blaisdell
Alex Bourdillon
Allison Harman
Selby Sturzenegger
Editors-in-Chief

SHP Quad to Engage a 21st Century Student Body

Transcription

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