in this issue - Holy Trinity Diocesan High School

Trinity alumnus wins ticket to Hollywood
by Casey DiBari
On January 15th, Fox TV’s American Idol came to New York to look for
its newest superstar, and, among the
bright eyed hopefuls was Holy Trinity’s
own Sal Valentinetti, class of 2013.
Sal was the first contestant to perform, singing, “New York, New York,”
made famous by Frank Sinatra. After a
quick introduction video, Sal then headed
into the audition room, where Jennifer
Lopez, Harry Connick Jr., and, guest
judge and former American Idol contestant Adam Lambert were waiting.
Sal announced that he was going to
sing another Frank Sinatra song, “Fly Me
to the Moon.” Much to the amusement of
Sal Valentinetti, Trinity class of 2013, won a $100 challenge from American Idol host Harry Connick, Jr. by successfully
identifying the real name of the song he sang on the show—“Fly Me to the Moon”—as “In Other Words.” When Connick
asked him a second, more difficult, double-or-nothing question, Sal quickly replied, “I’ll take the $100.”
the other judges, Connick offered Sal one
hundred dollars if he could give him the
original title of the song, which is, “In
Other Words.” Sal came up with the correct answer and Connick handed over the
hundred dollars.
While Jennifer Lopez and Adam
Lambert were charmed by Sal and his
singing, Harry Connick was skeptical
about whether or not Sal is what they are
looking for on American Idol. However,
since it was two judges for Sal and only
one against, Sal made it through to Hollywood.
After his audition aired, I called Sal
to ask him about his Idol experience.
Although he didn’t appear to be so, Sal
admitted that he was nervous upon walking into his audition. “You can ask the
teachers at Trinity, I cover up my nervousness by talking a lot,” Sal explained.
“But once I walked in, I warmed up a
bit.”
Sal clarified why he chose to audition for American Idol, explaining that
people had been telling him that he
should try out for the show. When I
asked Sal what he was most looking forward to on this American Idol journey,
he joked, “Spending more time with Jennifer Lopez.”
Although Sal was eventually eliminated from the competition, he still has a
whole building full of Titans cheering
him on.
Trinity One Acts showcase student writing, directing, acting
by Stephanie Angus
On Thursday, February 5th, after
the school day ended, Holy Trinity’s theatre department began its annual presentation of HTHS One Acts. The One Acts,
Juniors Fiona Castro and Alison
Delaney perform “Inside the iPhone,”
the second of the five plays. It was
written by senior Kristen Bruck and
directed by junior Alex Komolova.
IN THIS
ISSUE:
a series of small plays—each obviously
featuring a single act—were all written,
directed and performed by students,
Each playwright attended a playwriting workshop directed by Trinity
alumni Todd Hunt and Meghan Curley.
With the help of these alumni, the student
directors were able to guide the performers as they created a one-of-a-kind audience experience.
Every seat in the Music Box Theatre was filled as the faculty coordinator
Mr. Motsinger introduced the plays. The
intimate setting definitely made everything feel more personal.
The One Acts began with “Ohana,”
written by Olamide Asanpaola and directed by Caroline Jannace. Next up was
“Inside the iPhone,” written by Kristen
Bruck and directed by Alex Komolova.
Lauren Timmerman’s “Criminal Conundrum” was the third installment, directed
by Triangle’s own Graham Chorusey.
“Off to Paris, Y’all,” written by Jackie
Harten and directed by Kelly Messmer,
came fourth. The One Acts ended with
“Wrong Girl,” written by Isabella Mazza
and co-directed by Alyssa Lopez and
Katherine Scheid.
Each play was beautifully brought
to life by student actors and actresses
who had practiced for weeks in advance.
The performers demonstrated both talent
and stage presence as they fearlessly performed in front of a crowd of over fifty
people. There were even more spectators
in attendance at the performances in the
evenings of Thursday, February 5th, and
Friday, February 6th.
“The One Acts offered students a
unique opportunity to direct—something
that most people will never experience,”
said Graham Chorusey, reflecting on the
time he spent preparing for the show.
The One Acts only happen once a
year and the experience is truly one to
indulge in. Next year, look forward to a
fresh wave of performers, directors, and
playwrights. Holy Trinity has a whole
generation of theatre students waiting to
present their unique perspectives.
Sophomore Bryce Holloway, freshman Michael Artuso, and junior TJ
O’Leary perform “Criminal Conundrum.” It was written by senior Lauren Timmerman and directed by junior Graham Chorusey.
Review of
Look Up!
page 5
page 6
Having trouble
keeping them?
page 3
2 Trinity Triangle February 2015
Opinions
Provocative Charlie Hebdo cover ignites tension
by Stephanie Angus
The recent terrorist assault on the
French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo
has stirred mixed feelings among the
people of not only France but of everyone around the world. In the streets of
Pakistan, Muslim citizens are rallying to
protest the offensive images produced by
the magazine. The images portrayed Islam’s greatest prophet, the founder of
Islam, Muhammad, passionately kissing
an atheist. According to Islamic practices, it is a sin to re-create Muhammad’s
image in any form of artwork. The question that echoes in the minds of many is,
“Were they wrong to publish those images?” The questions I am considering,
however, are “Do they have the right?”
and “What is the limit of freedom of
speech and expression?”
Art had been used to make a statement throughout history into modern
day. At times, art portrays dark, possibly
depressing images such as in Picasso’s
famed Guernica, which shows the disastrous consequences of the Spanish Inquisition. At other times, it may take a subtle, more thought-provoking approach,
such as the works of Peter Kuczyski,
whose provocative art relates to prominent social issues in society. Whether or
not someone agrees with the statement
made is often not the concern of the artist. The goal is to make their own opinion
known. In the case of Charlie Hebdo, the
journal dismisses its works as acts of
satire, used to make light of issues in the
world, not to offend. It is likely that the
employees of Charlie Hebdo were aware
of the controversy they would create. Not
only did their images pour salt into a
fresh political wound, but it also struck at
a religious policy. The deep infuriation
caused by the images were reflected in
These papers established a
line between freedom of
speech and creating an unnecessary fire. Considering
the United States’ history
with conflict concerning
Islam and recent extremist
attacks, I agree with the
American newspapers’ decision. However, is there a
limit to freedom of speech
and expression?
the murders of eight journalists from
Charlie Hebdo soon after. Nothing justifies murder. That is a given. However,
one may question whether the staff of
Charlie Hebdo actually realized the magnitude of the possible repercussions when
they soon posted another cover portraying the prophet Mohammed, this time
with the caption “Tout Est Pardonné.”
Must the journalists of Charlie
Hebdo admit their “mistake” and apologize to the Muslim community?
Artists and journalists have the freedom to express their opinions; they feel
they do not have to apologize or even
recall the publication. As artists, they
have made a statement and stood their
ground, something that might be considered admirable by a long line of artists
who have used their art to express themselves despite outrage. Charlie Hebdo’s
sometimes offensive publications appear
throughout Europe in Britain, Germany,
and Spain and even appear in Israel. In
the United States, however, well established papers such as The New York
Times refused to print the images and
dismissed them not as satire, but as overwhelmingly insulting. These papers established a line between freedom of
speech and creating an unnecessary fire.
Considering the United States’ history
with conflict concerning Islam and recent
extremist attacks, I agree with the American newspapers’ decision. However, is
there a limit to freedom of speech and
expression? It is the duty of the organization or individual creating the work to
look toward the future and decide whether the risks are worth taking. If something is censored in one nation or group,
does that make it taboo in another?
Throughout history, artists and writers
have been hanged and had their hands
chopped off for portraying ideas that
society rejected during their times. In
recent history, arrests made under tyrannical rule have resulted in the deaths of
those who dared to raise their voices
against powerful forces such as Nazi
Germany and Stalin’s Soviet Union. The
right to free speech and expression is the
right which has a long history of making
waves.
After all is said and done, the staff
of Charlie Hebdo have created something greater than what they had probably
intended. Their works have gained
worldwide attention and once again
called the limits of freedom of speech
and expression into question. They have
used this freedom to create a statement,
regardless of the consequences of their
actions. Their blatant disrespect of Islam
has proven similar to other works of satire, which regularly portrays images from
other religions and society’s issues, and
has sent a message. The limit to freedom
of speech and expression is not concrete.
For some, the limit is their personal morality. For others and myself, the limit
does not exist.
Let’s enjoy some obscure holiday fun!
by Sam Stepkowski
Many feel that the word holiday
means only days like Halloween,
Thanksgiving, and Christmas, but what
about the lesser holidays that nobody
recognizes? Is Valentine’s Day really
February’s only holiday? Wouldn’t it be
cool to have a specific day to eat ice
cream for breakfast or to appreciate the
battery or even be able to sleep in public?
Let’s all try something new by celebrating some little known but fun holidays.
One holiday that I am excited to
celebrate this year is International Eat Ice
Cream for Breakfast Day. This sweet
holiday occurs on the first Saturday in
February which is the 7th of this year.
Trinity Triangle
Holy Trinity D.H.S.
98 Cherry Lane
Hicksville, NY 11801
(516)-433-2900
Editor-in-Chief
Stephanie Angus, ‘16
Layout Editor
Sam Scala, ‘16
Arts and Entertainment Editor
Brendan Butler, ‘15
Art/Photography Editor
Ineze Thompson, ‘16
Faculty Moderators
Mrs. Angela Ammann
Mr. Robert Walsh
History says that this holiday was created
in the 1960’s as a result of the sheer winter boredom of a mother and her children
in Rochester, NY. Florence Rappaport
created this holiday because she wanted
to give her kids something to look forward to other than gray skies and snowfall. The obvious way to celebrate this
holiday is to simply eat your favorite
flavors of ice cream with your favorite
toppings for breakfast. What could be
easier or sweeter than that?
Another holiday that you could celebrate in February is National Battery
Day. This holiday is celebrated on February 18th, the birthday of Alessandro Volta who invented the battery. At first
glance, this holiday might not seem im-
Photographers & Artists
Stephanie Angus, ‘16
Mike Kempf, ‘15
Olivia LoSardo, ‘16
Taylor Martin, ‘16
Ineze Thompson, ‘16
Contributing Writers
Stephanie Angus, ‘16
Casey DiBari, ‘15
Ambar Di Giorgio, ‘18
Michelle Fabrizio, ‘15
Brittany Franco, ‘17
Margaret Hans, ‘16
Madison Mangels, ‘15
Taylor Martin, ‘16
Carol Nguyen, ‘18
TJ O’Leary, ‘16
Gianluca Ritz, ‘16
Sam Scala, ‘16
Sam Stepkowski, ‘18
Dilanie Vega, ‘15
portant or relevant, but batteries are still
used everywhere in all sorts of shapes,
sizes, and power capacities to fit a wide
array of our daily needs. Without the
battery we would have to use a crank to
start our cars, use an electrical cord to
play our handheld games like the DS or
PSP, and, most importantly, use the
phone that used to hang on the wall in the
kitchen!
A final distinctive holiday that I
definitely can’t wait to celebrate is Public
Sleeping Day. This unique day occurs
every year on February 28th. If there is
one good reason or excuse to celebrate
this unique day, it is to regenerate my
body and let my brain rest. Although it
doesn’t have a specific creator, some say
Trinity Triangle is a student-generated
newspaper that reflects the interests of
the Holy Trinity Diocesan High School
student body. The opinions and viewpoints are not necessarily those of the
moderators or the administration of Holy
Trinity Diocesan High School. Letters to
the editors should be left in the Triangle
mailbox in the main office. All letters
must be signed. Writers may request anonymity.
It is the Mission of Holy Trinity High
School to be a living witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ as a community of
faith, hope and love. We seek to educate
the whole person: mind, heart, soul and
body, and to motivate all students in the
pursuit of truth and academic excellence,
preparing them for future educational
opportunities and service to the Church
and to the world.
that the creator must have been sleeping
on the job when he created it. This is the
day that you can sleep in the public eye
and nobody can say anything about what
you’re doing and why. I suggest that you
use this holiday to its fullest and sleep
peacefully on a park bench for once in
your life.
Many interesting things can go unappreciated, even holidays. These unique
February holidays might seem absurd,
but also appear to be fun to celebrate.
Although National Battery Day seems
like a blast, as February comes to an end
and March begins, I can’t help but look
forward to March 10th, which, as you
probably know, is Middle Name Pride
Day.
Do you disagree with
what you’re reading on
these two pages?
Come to the
next meeting of
Trinity Triangle
and write your own
opinion piece.
We meet every
Tuesday in room 201
after school.
Opinions
February 2015 Trinity Triangle 3
An open letter to the Pope:
New Year’s Resolutions:
Turning hate into love
Make them and keep them–now!
Your Holiness,
I will send a copy of this letter in
English to President Barack Obama.
Please send a blessing directly to the
White House and a special blessing for
the city of Ferguson via the local dioceses in pergamena.
My name is Gianluca Ritz and I am
16 years old. I live in the United States
on Long Island in New York. I attend the
Catholic high school Holy Trinity. My
father was born in Rome 78 years ago
and he used to live in Piazza Risorgimento––100 meters from the Leonine Wall of
Vatican City. I periodically read the Italian newspaper Il Messaggero online. On
December 26th, the feast of St. Stephen,
I read a story that mentioned neither the
names of those involved nor the name of
the journalist. The story made me cry
because I could relate to it due to my
family’s special situation which includes
my sister who is in a wheelchair and can
neither walk nor talk. The story made me
realize the magnitude of the difficulties
that some face daily.
The story begins in a department
store in Rome along the Via Appia, the
street that begins in Porta San Giovanni
where the statue of St. Francis is located
in front of the Cathedral Lateranense. It
is a street that, for the first four kilometers, is full of stores. In one of those
stores, a lady in her sixties took an inexpensive blanket, a few cups, and a small
pan for cooking. At the exit she was
stopped by security because she had not
paid for the items. The manager of the
store began screaming and called the
police who soon arrived with sirens blaring. The shaking woman tearfully explained that she and her 80-year-old
mother live in a low-income apartment
where there is no heating system. The
mother needed a blanket but they didn’t
have the money to buy one since the two
women lived on an extremely small pension.
At this point, the three policemen
were moved by the women’s circumstances. They decided to pay for the merchandise themselves and let the woman
leave. At the exit, the woman said to the
policemen, “I would be very proud to
have children like you.”
This episode, so small yet so big,
touched my heart deeply.
I am asking your Holiness if you
can find the three policemen that were so
kind, invite them to the Vatican, and give
them a special blessing and a citation for
this holy gesture. I am asking also for
your permission to send this letter to
President Barack Obama to see if this
story could be made known to police
departments all over the world as an example of what the police could do. Love
and compassion could perhaps help to
diffuse situations that lead to greater
tragedies such as the one in Ferguson.
Holy Father, I am asking if you
could send three blessings in pergamena:
one to my family, one directly to the
family of President Obama, and one for
the city of Ferguson.
With great affection and gratitude,
Gianluca Ritz
by Carol Nguyen
Finally, 2014 has come and gone
and now it’s 2015! It’s time to start
anew, change ourselves for the better, try
new things, and experience new adventures. Each new year brings New Year’s
Resolutions. Common resolutions include losing weight, eating a healthier
diet, spending more time with family,
and being less stressed. More often than
not, most do not stick with these resolutions. The question is, why not?
There are many reasons why we
don’t keep our New Year’s Resolutions.
More important things than our resolutions come up in our lives, and that’s
Of course there is a difference between confidence and cockiness,
but if you always underestimate
yourself you will not be setting any
goals now or in the future.
okay. Also, most people want instantaneous results but changing one’s self
takes time. Improving one’s self is a
lengthy process of trial and error. However, failure is not a reason to give up on
a resolution. Failure is another reason to
try harder.
Another question is, why is it common practice that we only make resolutions at the New Year? Can’t we make
resolutions any day, any year, and, basically, any time in our lives, whenever we
want to? We surely have the ability to
make a change, little or big in our lives,
so why don’t we do it? If we have the
ability to look for and see what we want
to change about ourselves, then we have
the ability to make ourselves better––at
any time, not just on New Year’s Eve.
There’s no reason to wait until next year
to pursue a resolution. Don’t put off
goals! One must live in the now and not
wait for the future to improve oneself.
There is no better time to make a resolution than now. If you want to do something positive, do it and do it now.
Setting realistic goals is also very
important. No one is going to look like
those supermodels on the front covers of
magazines. As a matter of fact, not even
the supermodels themselves look like
that. Don’t pressure yourself to be someone you are not. Instead of trying to follow the detrimental and impossible
beauty standards society has manifested
throughout the years, set an attainable
goal that is personally rewarding.
Develop an optimistic and confident attitude, because that will help you
to achieve new goals and heights. Set
goals and set forth. A cynical and pessimistic attitude has the exact opposite
effect. No goals will be achieved if you
don’t think you can achieve them.
It’s all up to you, if you want to
improve yourself. Don’t undermine
yourself. Of course there is a difference
between confidence and cockiness, but if
you always underestimate yourself you
will not be setting any goals now or in
the future. However, if one is blinded by
narcissism and pride, goals will mean
little to nothing. Be confident but humble. The main objective is to set a goal
and set forth to achieve it. Instead of
thinking about it later, think about it now
and resolve to do it now. Pave your own
way because you are the cornerstone of
your own achievements. The time to
start is now.
Like an island under the sun? What about under water?
by Ambar Di Giorgio
We hear about global warming all
the time. Constant nagging reminders
have generated a large amount of apathy
and little understanding. There’s a lot of
confusing greenhouse gas nonsense involving the threat of our children not
being able to see polar bears except in
pictures. The true danger of global warm-
If Pacific
islands are starting to
drown, how long will
we, the inhabitants of
Long Island, be safe?
ing, however, is a harsh reality and for
many people, like citizens of the Republic of Kiribati, it is forcing them out of
their homes. Whether or not you care
about the plight of Kiribati isn’t my concern, but it begs the question, if Pacific
islands are starting to drown, how long
will we, the inhabitants of Long Island,
be safe?
Kiribati is an island nation in the
central Pacific. It is comprised of a chain
of 32 low-lying coral atolls and one island. It served as the theatre for the ex-
tremely bloody Battle of Tarawa, a major
American offensive in World War II. In
fact, remnants of the war still remain on
the island, blending with the scenery of
decayed trees, crippled homes, and damaged fortifications to create the ideal
beach apocalypse scene. About 100,000
people call Kiribati home, and all of
them are currently classified as internally
displaced peoples: individuals forced to
leave their homes, but who remain inside
their country’s borders— in other words,
trapped refugees. The rising sea levels,
brought on by global warming, coupled
with Kiribati’s low-lying and vulnerable
geography, spell catastrophe for the nation.
In Tebunginako, once a fertile town
with coconut palms, at least two hundred
homes have been abandoned because of
significant land inundation and extreme
salt water erosion. One by one, houses
dropped into the ocean, succumbing to
erosion despite efforts from the locals in
the form of sea walls. The sea walls,
however, were no match for the King
Tides, for most coastal regions, the highest tides of the year. In Kiribati, King
Tides happen frequently, even daily.
Now all that rises above sea level in Tebunginako are the tips of dead palm trees
and a Catholic church, the town’s highest
elevated structure. It is estimated that by
2050, Kiribati will no longer be habitable. Water contamination, sea water inundation, and coastal erosion will spell
the end for this island.
Although Kiribati’s land is vulnerable, do not think of its people as being
weak refugees or victims of environmental catastrophes brought on by global
warming caused by the greed of big industrial nations like the U.S. and China.
These people are much more and deserve
to be respected as such. Rather than apathy or pity we owe them kudos for opening our eyes to the scary future that lies
ahead if we don’t change our wasteful
and harmful ways. Luckily, big governments are working to make their countries greener. Just this past year, the U.S.
and China joined forces to make a majorly historic deal, with America promising
to lower carbon fuel emissions 28% by
2025, and China intending to curb its
emissions by 2030. Both countries agree
to start implementing cleaner, safer forms
of energy by those dates. The two greatest super-powers on earth are coming
together to solve a problem faced by all
humanity. That in itself represents a challenge that will hopefully be quickly overcome.
For Kiribati, it is already too late,
but for Anote Tong, Kiribati’s president,
who holds industrial nations responsible
for global warming, and for others like
myself, this at least represents a big step
toward recognizing responsibility and
seeking to secure the future for all of us
earthlings.
4 Trinity Triangle February 2015
Arts & Entertainment
Harper Lee to publish
second novel
by Madison Hennessey Mangels
By now, most high schoolers have
read Harper Lee’s iconic novel, To Kill a
Mockingbird. The novel, which tells the
story of racism in the South during the
early 1930s, is the only work that Lee
has published. Lee, now 88 years old,
has sent the literary community into a
spin, announcing that, after fifty years
without publishing another book, she
will be releasing a second novel this
summer. The book, which was written
many years before Lee’s debut novel, is
entitled Go Set a Watchman and takes
place twenty years after To Kill A Mockingbird, featuring Scout Finch along
with other characters from the author’s
first book.
As to why the book is being published so long after her first book, Lee
said in an interview, “It features the
character known as Scout as an adult
woman and I thought it a pretty decent
Byrne’s Secret guides
you to positive thoughts
by Michelle Fabrizio
effort. My editor, who was taken by the
flashbacks to Scout’s childhood, persuaded me to write a novel from the
point of view of the young Scout. I was a
first-time writer, so I did as I was told.”
Lee currently resides in an assistedliving facility in Monroeville, Alabama.
She is almost completely blind and deaf.
Two million copies of the book are expected to go on sale in bookstores on
July 14th this summer.
Have you ever thought about
something so much that it came true?
Have you ever visualized something so
clearly that it manifested into your reality?
The Secret, by Rhonda Byrne, is
about how your thoughts become your
reality. Every doubt, every fear, every
negative thing you think about yourself
only attracts more of the same into your
life. Whatever you think and feel, a corresponding frequency is sent out into the
universe that attracts back to you events
and circumstances on that same frequency.
For example, if you think angry
thoughts and feel angry, you will attract
back events and circumstances that
cause you to feel more anger. Conversely, if you think and feel positively, you
will attract back positive events and circumstances. When you focus on what
you don’t have, you attract more of that
into your life.
Your imagination is an extremely
powerful tool. Your life is in your hands.
No matter where you are now, no matter
what has happened in your life, you can
begin to consciously choose your
thoughts, and you can change your life.
There is no such thing as a hopeless situation. Every single circumstance of your
life can change.
Check out Byrne’s film and book
to find out more!
Foo Fighters travel Sonic Highways
by TJ O’Leary
For Dave Grohl, music isn’t just a
way to make a living. In fact, it isn’t
even just a way to express emotion
through song. Music goes even deeper
than that.
As front man of the Foo Fighters,
and one of the most prominent names in
the rock industry, the former drummer of
by Olivia LoSardo
Nirvana strives to do things other artists
either won’t or don’t have the skills for.
After being a major part of the music
industry for so long, it shouldn’t come as
a surprise that the Foo Fighters got bored
of releasing standard records every couple of years. With their two most recent
albums, Wasting Light and, the focus of
this article, Sonic Highways, Grohl and
the rest of his band have found ways to
make their records unique.
Wasting Light was recorded in
Grohl’s garage studio using pre-digital
era recording techniques, but Sonic
Highways takes the notion of “breaking
industry standards” one step further. This
album, perhaps one of the most cultural
and ambitious American records ever
conceived, is comprised of eight songs,
each recorded in one of eight different
famous recording studios spread across
the country from New York to Los Angeles. The Foo Fighters have created an
audible history of American music culture, using influences such as gospel,
blues, and early metal yet still retaining
that classic, familiar sound found on
their previous albums.
The region in which each song was
recorded heavily influences each track
on the album. The strongest songs on the
album are “Something from Nothing,”
“What Did I Do?/God As My Witness,”
“Outside,” and “I Am a River.” The album’s
only
weak
track
is
“Subterranean,” a droning, mellow track
that drags on for too long.
Of course, for Dave Grohl, simply
releasing an awesome, unique album
wouldn’t be enough. There is an accompanying documentary of the same name,
directed and created by Grohl that explores the culture of each city the band
visited and how the culture of each city
influences each song. The documentary,
a series in eight episodes, premiered last
year on HBO and it is definitely worth
checking out for any fan of rock music or
music history in general.
Sonic Highways is one of the most
interesting albums to hit shelves in a
long time, and no one should pass up the
chance to give it a listen.
Arts & Entertainment
February 2015 Trinity Triangle
5
New Annie revives 1977 Broadway musical
by Sam Scala
Although the film Annie is based on
the 1977 Broadway musical of the same
name, it stands quite well on its own and
is a very good movie. Released on December 19th, 2014, Annie is the story of
a ten-year-old orphan girl, Annie Bennett
(played by Quvenzhané Wallis), who is
under the care of the mean, washed up
performer, Colleen Hannigan (played by
Cameron Diaz). Annie tries to find her
parents and meets William Stacks
(played by Jamie Foxx) and temporarily
falls under the care of Stacks and his
assistant, Grace Farrell (played by Rose
Byrne), after Stacks saves Annie from
being hit by a car.
The cast of Annie is what makes
this movie shine. Most of the cast was
amazing. The very young actresses who
played Annie’s friends all did a great job.
Speaking of young actresses, Quvenzhané Wallis was absolutely fantastic. Although I hadn’t seen any of her previous
work, I had heard she was also good in
the movie, Beasts of the Southern Wild,
and I am pleased to find that what I
heard was true. Not only for a girl who is
only eleven years old but for an actress
of any age, had Miss Wallis done a wonderful job of bringing the famous character of Annie to life. I look forward to
seeing more of her work.
The only performance I didn’t enjoy was that of Cameron Diaz. Her acting seemed completely over the top and
kind of ridiculous. Other than Cameron
Diaz’s lackluster performance, I really
enjoyed the rest of the cast.
Although the cast of Annie was
great, the music was even better. Most, if
not all, of the songs are able to stand on
their own and so the soundtrack is actually entertaining all by itself due in no
small part to the singing abilities of
Quvenzhané Wallis and Jamie Foxx. I
particularly enjoyed his and Quvenzhané’s duet “The City is Yours.” This
touching song along with “Who am I?”
and “It’s The Hard-Knock Life,” are
three of my favorites. So many of the
performers in the movie are also talented
singers that I hope to hear more of their
singing in the future.
The combination of the cast, the
Viewers journey down
the path Into the Woods
by Casey DiBari, Margaret Hans, &
Dilanie Vega
Released on Christmas day, Disney released the movie adaptation of the
famous Broadway play, Into the Woods,
which tells the story of several Grimm
fairytale characters. This also happened
to be a Trinity production several years
ago.
In the movie, the plot connects
several stories that eventually intersect
with each other. We first meet the character of Cinderella (Anna Kendrick),
who wishes to go to the Palace Ball, but
is prevented by The Step-Mother
(Christine Baranski) and her StepSisters (Tammy Blanchard and Lucy
Punch). We also meet Jack, (Daniel
Huttlestone) a poor, adventurous boy,
who considers his cow, Milky White, to
be his best friend, much to the disdain of
his mother (Tracey Ullman). Next, we
meet The Baker (James Corden) and
The Baker’s Wife, (Emily Blunt) who
are visited by The Witch (Meryl Streep).
by Olivia LoSardo
music, and the story itself, makes for a
great movie which kept the same great
story while making it more relevant for
today’s audiences. I recommend this film
to all and if you aren’t able to catch this
movie in theaters, never fear, Annie will
be available on DVD and Blu-ray on
March 17th!
by Ineze Thompson
Dungeon Defenders II is a multiplayer PC game that
combines the genres of tower defense and RPG action.
The Witch tells them that she has placed
a curse on their household years ago,
and she is willing to reverse the curse if
they obtain four objects; a red cape, a
white cow, a gold slipper, and a piece of
blonde hair. The search for these objects
leads the audience to more characters
such as Little Red Riding Hood (Lilla
Crawford),
Rapunzel
(MacKenzie
Mauzy), The Princes (Chris Pine and
Bill Magnussen), and The Wolf (Johnny
Depp).
As expected, Meryl Streep gave
the best performance out of the ensemble. She created a humorous adaptation
of the “Evil Witch.” Her singing was
also wonderful, although it’s no surprise
to those who have seen Mamma Mia in
which she also gave a spectacular performance.
This fun movie is full of twists and
surprises that will keep you guessing
throughout the film. While the stories of
the characters greatly resemble the original Grimm’s tales, Disney fans are sure
find the film enjoyable.
by Ineze Thompson
Trinity’s Black History Club will be Marching Into History
in the Music Room within the upcoming weeks.
Details to be announced soon!
News
6 Trinity Triangle February 2015
Trinity’s Dance Company urges us to look up
by Casey DiBari, Dilanie Vega,
Margaret Hans, & Taylor Martin
On January 8th, 9th, and 10th,
Trinity’s Dance Company put on a performance entitled Look Up. This performance described the way in which society has become disconnected from the
outside world due to advancements in
technology. The performance was inspired by a YouTube video, also called
“Look Up,” which was uploaded on May
4th, 2014. The Dance Company performed several stories illustrating how
we are affected by our addiction to cell
phones.
In one dance, entitled “Christian
Mingle,” we watch as a young woman
who is glued to her phone waits for her
online date to meet her at the coffee shop.
Unbeknownst to her, her date is at the
coffee shop, searching for her, as the
song “Uncle Tom’s Diner,” by Suzanne
Vega, plays. The young man is told that
the woman he came there to see is oblivious to him and he leaves. The young
woman is then told that her date left and
the dance ends with a waitress telling the
woman that she should have looked up.
Another noteworthy performance is
called “Playground,” which simply
shows children playing in a park, having
fun without cell phones. The dance reminds us of a simpler time in our lives
when we were not controlled by what’s
on the screens of our phones and managed to have fun anyway.
In another scene, a boy has his
phone as his main focus, while a girl is
trying to gain his attention. Eventually,
she takes the phone out of his hands and
takes a picture of them before they spend
the day together. It is later revealed that
the boy was looking at pictures of the girl
on his phone.
In another dance, called “What?”
we observe two friends, a young man and
a young woman. One shows his friend a
dance he had been working on for college
auditions, however, his friend is busy
texting someone else. When he asks his
friend what she thought of his dance, her
only reply is “What?”
Sam O’Donnell, a sophomore and
member of the Trinity Dance Company,
shares that her favorite dance was the
“Subway” piece, in which a group of
people lose cell service and have the opportunity to spend time together. “We
each had to use multiple props, and it was
an upbeat jazz number, so we all had
fun!”
Sam also shared what it feels like to
be a part of the Trinity Dance Company.
“Being a part of Trinity Dance Company
is amazing. I have never been a part of a
company like this! All of the members
are so talented and respect every chore-
ographer. We all wanted to put on an
amazing show. Trinity Dance Company
taught me how to work in a company or a
team. It doesn’t matter how good you are,
if someone else is struggling, the dance
will not look good. We had to all work
together and help each other to perfect a
piece. If one person was off, it wasn’t
good enough. We worked as a team and
became a family for those months and all
supported each other and every dance,
whether we were in it or not.”
The whole performance tells a
Trinity sophomores invite God
into their lives on retreat
by Stephanie Angus
On January 9, 2015, Trinity’s sophomores
assembled for retreat in the Mercy Meeting
Room. Under the guidance of Campus Minister
Nolan Reynolds and the Campus Ministry’s
LIGHTs, the sophomores formed groups and
engaged in a series of games with the purpose
of learning lessons in morality and religion.
During the retreat, sophomores became
closer to their senior religious leaders through
music, storytelling, and imagery. The
LIGHTSs encouraged the underclassmen to
open up to their classmates and answer questions to help them be honest with themselves
and each other. In return, the LIGHTs honestly
recited their personal stories of finding God. At
one point during the retreat, the sophomores
were shown a few clips, one from Disney’s The
Lion King. The sophomores connected the deceased Mufasa’s appearance to his son Simba
to Jesus’ everlasting presence among them.
One game in particular stood out among
the several. The sophomores were asked to
build structures out of gummies with the assistance of their group members. Encouraged to
communicate to create a solid product, the
sophomores realized how stressful communication can sometimes be. “It was difficult to complete the tasks because of complications in
communication,” says sophomore Bryce Holloway. The sophomores soon recognized the
importance behind creating the structures
which were revealed to be houses.
Bryce continued, “There will always be
distractions that keep you from communicating
with God and the ones you love.”
At the end of their retreat, those involved
discovered a new sense of God and religion in
their lives. “All the sophomores that I spoke to
said they felt closer to God,” recalls LIGHT
Abiola Adedeji. He continued to express a
sense of enthusiasm for the work Campus Ministry does at Trinity and hopes that all Trinity
students will consider the retreat experience.
The Sophomore Retreat ended at 2:30 after
which students were free to contemplate their
day and perhaps reflect on new perspectives.
powerful story of what we are missing
when we are busy staring at our phones.
It also tells us an important message of
how we miss so much in life because of
our addiction to technology. Brianna
Weiss, a junior, says that the performance taught her “not to live life glued to
a screen while life passes by. Look up
and love those who look in your eyes,
rather than a picture.”
The Dance Concert was a beautiful
and entertaining way to remind us to
“Look up!”
Trinity students participate
in March for Life
by Madison Hennessey Mangels
Despite the harsh winds and snowfall, forty-four students, along
with Father John, Mrs. Carbone, Mrs. Coffey, and Mr. Reynolds made
the trip down to Washington, D.C. on January 21st for the March for
Life, a peaceful gathering of abortion protestors that would take place
the next day. Every year
on the anniversary of the
landmark Supreme Court
case, Roe v. Wade, pro-life
activists gather in the nation’s capital to protest the
decision that made procured abortion legal in all
fifty states. This year, approximately half a million
participants converged on
the capital to join the
march.
Trinity senior Julia
Barry said, “I think it’s
really awesome that people
are coming here, especially
young people like us, to
stand up and take responsibility, to march for the
right to life.”
February 2015
News
Trinity Triangle 7
1.
Love is in the air!
Crossword created by Sam Stepkowski
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
13.
12.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
Across
3. The most popular flower given on Valentine’s
Day
7. ‘Be _____.’
9. Valentine’s Day falls in the month of ______.
11. Someone who you like.
13. A card or Valentine you get from anonymous
person. (has space)
15. Something an admirer would write for you
17. A piece of jewelry worn around one’s neck
19. Makeup that leaves a print on a person’s face
20. You would take someone you like on a…
Down
1. ‘I ____ you.’
2. St. Valentine is known as the patron saint of
_____.
4. ‘Will you be my ____?’
5. In ‘XOXOXOX’, an x represents this action.
6. A stuffed animal often given as a Valentine’s Day
gift (has space)
8. My friend gave me a heart-shaped box full of
_____.
10. _____ and girlfriend
12. My _____ skips a beat for you
14. A type of movie couples watch
16. What teenagers watch when they have nothing
to do on Valentine’s Day.
18. He shoots invisible arrows to make people fall
in love
Sports
A new era dawns for the New York Jets
by Brittany Franco
The New York Jets. So... they didn’t make it to the Super Bowl... or the
Playoffs... and barely won any games the
entire season. That’s alright because not
every team plays their best every year.
The only thing is, it hasn’t been the Jets’
“year” in a while. In fact, the only Super
Bowl the team won was Super Bowl III
which ended the 1968 season season. The
Jets had met up with the highly favored
Baltimore Colts in a game that people
were certain the Jets would not win. But
as it goes, the win was lucky as the underdog defeated the predicted champions.
The Jets have been losing long
enough. So what’s the problem? Change
the quarterback, obtain new players…
and… wait! The problem is... the coach!
Even though it’s not kind to be grateful
when people are removed from their job,
many were happy about the removal of
Rex Ryan from his position as Jets’ Head
Coach of five years. Ryan had been an
assistant coach with various teams for 22
years before joining the Jets.
Ryan has been taken in by the Buffalo Bills as Head Coach, even though he
wasn’t their first choice. After years filled
with empty promises of Super Bowl wins
and visits to the White House, who could
be the new coach? So, who will fill the
position?
The answer is Todd Bowles. “Who
is Todd Bowles?” you ask. Bowles
played in the NFL for eight seasons as a
safety playing mostly with the Washington Redskins. Bowles, unlike Ryan,
makes no promises but will do his best to
better the team. Let’s hope this coach is a
good move for the New York Jets and
maybe they will see a Vince Lombardi
trophy in their future. In other words, the
“great Rex” has become extinct in the
eyes of Jets fans, as a new and hopeful
era begins.
Holy Trinity’s
tennis team
finishes the
season in style
by Taylor Martin
The HTHS tennis team, which has
three league championships to its credit, had another excellent year under the
guidance of Coach Frey.
The girls played against teams
from St. Francis, Our Lady of Mercy,
Sacred Heart, and St. Anthony. Having
excelled in their individual matches, the
girls also had many team wins. All together they had 10 individual wins.
Second seed, Captain Kiara Powell, who won six of her matches,
praised her team for showing improvement in both doubles and singles
matches.
Many of the players hope to return
next year for another year of fun, fierce
competition, and personal growth. Be
sure to stop by next fall and cheer for
Trinity’s tennis team on their home
court in Cantiague Park, right here in
Hicksville.
The Australian Open restores order
by Taylor Martin
The final Grand Slam of 2014, the
US Open, shocked the tennis world. Nine
of the top ten women players fell before
the quarterfinals and the two top men
players were upset by two rookie players
in their first Grand Slam semifinals. If
the US Open proved anything, it proved
that anyone, not just the top players on
the men and women tours, can win a major. The 2015 Australian Open, however,
rejected that notion.
In the first week of the open, the
WTA (Women’s Tennis Association)
had some upsets in the first few rounds.
Sabine Lisicki, Ana Ivanovic, and Svetlana Kuznetsova were all eliminated in
the first round of the year’s first Grand
Slam. Number two seed, Maria Sharapova, found herself down three match
points in an epic second round match
against fellow Russian, Alexandra Panova. Sharapova would go on to win that
match and make her way into the final by
defeating seventh seed Eugenie Bouchard in the quarterfinals and tenth seed
Ekaterina Makarova in the semifinals.
Number one seed Serena Williams
had a shaky start to the tournament while
battling a severe throat infection and
cough throughout her matches. Williams
was pushed to two three-set matches
against Elina Svitolina and Garbine Muguruza. Just when it seemed she was
down and out, Williams upped her game
and won these matches. Eventually,
she’d make it to her sixth Australian
If the US Open proved
anything, it proved that
anyone, not just the top
players on the men and
women tours, can win a
major. The 2015 Australian Open, however,
rejected that notion.
Open final against Maria Sharapova.
Due to injuries last year, Victoria
Azarenka, the two-time Aussie Open
champ, was given a wild card into the
tournament and had two tough opening
matches against US Open finalist Caroline Wozniacki in the first round and
American Sloane Stephans in the second
round. Azarenka won both her matches
but lost in the fourth round to Dominika
Cibulkova, last year’s runner-up.
Thirty-four year old Venus Williams found her top form again in the
Open. After making it to the second
round of a Grand Slam for the first time
in four years, Venus Williams showed
why she is a seven-time Grand Slam winner. Against all odds, Venus Williams
made it to the quarterfinals after taking
out fifth seed Agnieszka Radwanska in
the round before. Though she lost in the
quarters, Williams gave us hope that she
can retain that top form in order to make
it deep into the three remaining slams of
the year.
The WTA final was held on Saturday, January 31st. The match between
Serena Williams and Sharapova was
highly anticipated. It was the first time
since 2003 that the number one and two
seeds met in the Aussie Open Final.
Serena was seeking her nineteenth major
and sixth Australian Open title. Sharapova was looking to get her sixth major and
to defeat Williams, whom she hasn’t
beaten in eleven years. Sharapova gave it
her all in the match but unfortunately she
could not withstand Williams’ aggressive
groundstrokes. Serena won her nineteenth major and sixth Australian Open
trophy with the final score 6-3, 7-6.
In the ATP (Association of Tennis
Professionals), there was one major upset. Roger Federer, who is considered to
be the greatest male tennis player in the
history of the sport, was eliminated by
Andreas Seppi in the third round. Federer
had won all ten previous meetings and,
because of this defeat, his streak of advancing to the semifinals of the Australian Open for the past eleven years was
broken. Another mini upset was Rafael
Nadal’s defeat in the quarterfinals to Tomas Berdych. This defeat wasn’t considered to be much of an upset because,
although Nadal was last year’s finalist,
he hadn’t been playing at his best since
he had a wrist injury, a knee injury, and
appendicitis surgery in November. Many
were surprised Nadal had made it that
far, but his defeat to Berdych snapped a
seventeen-match winning streak Nadal
had on the Czech. With Nadal and
Federer out, it became obvious who the
two finalists would be. Novak Djokovic
and Andy Murray had made it to another
Aussie Open final. Both had relatively
easy roads to the championships.
Djokovic sought his fifth trophy while
Murray hoped to improve his poor 0-3
record in Aussie Open finals. The match
started out close with Djokovic winning
the first set and Murray winning the second set, but it was apparent that the
match would be a wash after a controversial medical timeout by Djokovic during
the third set, which he was losing. This
left Murray playing angry but ineffectual
tennis. Djokovic went on to win the
match 7-6, 6-7, 6-3, and 6-0.
The Australian Open restored the
order that was lost during the US Open.
Only time can tell if that order will be
maintained in the second Grand Slam of
the year, the French Open.