GRANDPARENTS` SPECIAL EDITION Features

The Devon Dialogue
GRANDPARENTS’ SPECIAL EDITION
volume vii, GP issue | November 2015
proudly publishing for five decades
Devon Preparatory School
A Magical Run
Matthew Kelly ’16
There is a type of pure bliss one feels
maybe once in a lifetime, twice if lucky.
Devon Prep’s soccer team felt that one cold,
dark night on the football field of William
Tennent High School. It was the pinnacle
of the team’s season; for the eleven seniors
it was the pinnacle of their high school
careers. The Tide had taken Plumstead
Christian, last year’s state semifinalist, to
overtime at 1-1, and, five minutes in, the
team had won on senior Tanner Daggett’s
golden goal. The players had won a spot
in the district final. Never before had any
of them been there, and never before had
they beaten their next opponent, New
Hope-Solebury. In the end, Devon lost to
New Hope. The Tide had taken New Hope
to halftime at 1-1, but a crucial formation
change led to New Hope scoring five
second-half goals. However, this defeat did
not discredit Devon’s fantastic season.
The season was marked by the return
of senior Matt Bevilacqua, and the
introduction of freshman Nick Bello. They,
alongside with Drew Maslanka ’18, Dan
Shannon ’17, Andrew Welsh ’16, Tanner
Daggett, and Jimmy Loftus ’17, made up the
core of the side. Other seniors, like Tony
Gallo, Grant McKnight, Harpreet Cheema,
and Mike Love, put in strong performances
whenever they were on the field. The Tide
won notable victories in the regular season
against Plumstead Christian on Senior
Day (3-1 Devon), and against Church Farm
School in overtime after playing four other
games that week (3-2 Devon). The team
finished the season with a respectable
record of 12-7-1.
The future also looks bright for the Tide
with a core of youngsters and veterans
returning next year. Freshmen Connor
Kelly and Jake Thomas both earned callups to the varsity team at the end of their
junior varsity season, and next year they
will be crucial players for varsity. Key
returners will be Dan Shannon, Jimmy
Loftus, Willson Camp ’17, Drew Maslanka,
Frank Byrd ’18, and Tyler Wright ’18. These
players will make up a solid team, which
will look to build on this year’s excellent
season.
Tanner Daggett ’16 streaks past the New HopeSolebury defender in the district final.
Devon’s varsity soccer team surges to the District 1 Final, finishing with a 12-7-1 record.
See Left.
A November Break
Features
Devon seniors skim along the
waters of the Everglades on their
trip to sunny Naples.
See Page 2
Running to Remember
The cross country team runs in
remembrance of senior teammate
Michael Nicolas.
See Page 4
No Sleep, No Problem
Max Verna ’16
On Friday, October 24, Devon’s
Christ ian
Act ion
Prog ram
(CA P)
began its annual f undraiser, Up for a
Cause, for St. Jude Children’s Research
Hospital. The event lasted from 7
p.m. unt il 7 a.m. t he nex t morning,
going for a total of t welve hours. The
event att racted more t hen 120 upper
school students and raised more
t han $25,000 for childhood cancer
research. The long night, consist ing
of f un, friends, and food, k icked off
w it h a performance from The Nort h
Philadelphia Footstompers, who woke
up t he students w it h t heir drumming
and music. The Footstompers, an
award-w inning drill team of young
people, are sponsored by Project Home
and St. Elizabet h’s Communit y Center
in Philadelphia, an establishment t hat
CA P has helped out numerous t imes in
t he past and has formed a close bond
w it h. A f ter pumping up t he students,
some of t he Footstompers challenged
t he students to a game of basketball,
which star ted t he t radit ional Up for
a Cause spor ts tournament. In t he
tournament, students compete against
each ot her in spor ts such as basketball,
soccer, and football. W hile t hese spor t
tournaments were going on, v ideo game
tournaments, board games, and pingpong were also tak ing place. This night
was made successf ul by CA P moderator
Mrs. Elizabet h Eshleman and by t he
generosit y of bot h parents and students
of t he Devon Prep family.
Matthew Kelly ’16 (left) watches the ongoing activities holding St. Jude’s $25,208 check.
2
Dialogue News
A November Break
Brian Damerau ‘16
For many at Devon, t he second week
of November signif ies a t ime of shif t
from fall to w inter, t he beg inning of
t he second quar ter, or t he daw n of
w inter spor ts. However, for t he seniors,
t his week represents a t ime of warm
weat her, rela xat ion, and reprieve on
t he calm shores of Naples,
Florida.
The senior t rip is a t ime
for bonding on a much
more profound level t han
possible during prev ious
t rips. The seniors’ schedules
were f ull of count less hours
of beach dawdling, dining
adventures,
and
ot her
recreat ional
act iv it ies.
But
somewhere
among
t he volleyball games, t he
Cheesecake Factor y feasts,
and t he mov ies watched
bot h in t he t heat res and
in t he hotel rooms, t he boundaries
bet ween t he days vaporized, and t he
days began to meld toget her. This
t rip was no longer just seven days of
rela xat ion, but instead one amorphous,
sleep-deprived period of bonding and
understanding.
The seniors w ill not say t hat t he t rip
was a life-chang ing ex perience, t hat
t hey came out of it w it h a completely
Shane Norris ’16 spikes the volleyball over the
net on the beaches of Lowdermilk Park in Naples, Florida.
different out look on life. However,
what t hey w ill say is t hat it was a wholly
posit ive ex perience. The Devonites
came out feeling more connected to
t heir classmates, f inally understanding
t he weight of t heir relat ionships w it h
each ot her. These are t he men who
have enjoyed almost
four years of t he Devon
Difference. These are
t he men t hat, t hrough
t heir jok ing and laidback
demeanors, have made
t his school’s academic
rigor bearable. These are
t he men t hat understand
each ot her, and af ter
t his t rip, understand
each ot her even better in
order to appreciate each
ot her f ully. The t rip was,
as usual, a success.
Getting to Know Mrs. Si
Brandon Hoang ‘18 and Jacob Pabia ’18
The Devon Dialogue: Can you tell us
some of your personal background?
Ellen Si: I’m married. My husband is
Chinese. He grew up in the Philippines,
and we have four daughters.
DD: What are your interests outside of
the classroom?
ES: If what I put my time in shows
my interests, one thing that takes a
lot of time outside the classroom is
homeschooling my kids because I have
four kids. Whenever I have extra time,
I like to scrapbook. I also like to spend
time outside.
DD: What are your favorite foods,
places, and role models?
ES: I like chickens wings, Buffalo
chicken wings. I went to college up
around Buffalo right when they were
coming out. I enjoy Yellowstone
National Park. I’ve only been there
once but if there were some place in
the continental United States where I
could go back, I would go back there.
On the east coast, I enjoy the beaches in
North Carolina. We go to Sunset Beach,
North Carolina. When I was quite a bit
younger, I admired almost all of my
math teachers. My eighth grade math
teacher got me interested in pursuing
math and, specifically, teaching. Now
as I’ve gotten older, my friend Gloria has
become one of my role models because
she has a great prayer life. She spends a
lot of time praying, and I admire that.
My friend Sabrina is as well because
of her occupation. She’s a nurse, but
she has the gift of mercy. So, she’s very
intent on looking to reach out to people
who are hurting. Those are two of them.
DD: What is your educational
background?
ES: I went to Houghton College. It’s
a small, private Christian college in
western New York State, and then I did
my master’s work at Oswego. That’s
way up in New York State, up on Lake
Ontario.
DD: When did you decide to teach and
why?
ES: Like I said, I would say that my
eighth grade math teacher probably got
me started initially in being interested
in math, but that was eighth grade. Then,
I’ve had more good teachers throughout
high school for the most part. They
encouraged me to think about education
as well. They all thought I was doing
well in math, but a lot of people, not
necessarily my teachers, were saying,
“You should be an engineer.” However, I
didn’t want to be an engineer. I’m glad I
followed my heart in that case.
DD: What is your teaching style?
ES: Probably more lecture but with
some group work, and I allow for
question and answer.
DD: Do you enjoy teaching children? If
so, why?
ES: I think one of my favorite parts
about teaching math to middle school
and high school students is when you get
to see on their faces that they’re working
hard, trying to think through a problem
that you’re presenting. All of a sudden it
clicks, and they get it. There’s that “aha”
moment. So, I like to see that.
DD: What is the most rewarding part
about being a teacher?
ES: I think it’s always rewarding
to hear of students later on that have
graduated, gone on to college maybe,
and are pursuing math degrees. I think
that’s rewarding for me. I feel like that
when I hear back from my students, and
they’re just doing well in general. I feel
like I had a part in that with the good
solid families that they’ve established.
I’m thinking of this one girl that I saw
this summer, and I saw her with her four
little kids running around. That was
neat to see. She was one of my students,
and she had married one of my students.
Just hearing how they’ve matured is
rewarding.
DD: What is the hardest thing about
being a teacher?
ES: Right now, the hardest thing about
it is the hours every night planning
simply because I’ve been out of it for a
while. But that wouldn’t matter even if
I had been teaching at another school
and then come here. When you start
over again, it’s still hard. Any time you
go to a new school just starting over is
hard with the planning, trying to find
good problems, and good test questions.
DD: What do you plan to contribute to
our school community?
ES: Well, my primary goal is to
communicate math effectively to you
all in the classroom. I went to the school
drama this weekend, and I brought a
couple of my kids. We really enjoyed
that.
DD: Do you want to add anything else?
ES: I really like it here. This is a great
place. I felt welcomed. The faculty is
very welcoming and encouraging, and
the students are welcoming. So, it seems
like you guys are in a good place.
Blue and Gold Show Spirit
3
Joe Orsatti ‘17
Homecoming is a staple in high schools
all around the countr y. Traditionally,
homecoming includes a pep rally,
football game, and a formal dance.
However, Devon Prep is k now n for being
unique. The Devon Prep Homecoming
Semi-Formal was only one part of a
full week of festivities, k nown as Spirit
Week. Led by our student council, the
Devon Prep student body came together
for a week of fun filled events from
October 23 to October 30.
Spirit Week commenced w ith a peprally during 8th period on October 23.
It included various events that were
led by members of the Devon Prep fall
sports teams. The golf team led off w ith
a putting challenge, complicated by a
dizzying t w ist. Each member of the
team had to spin around a baseball bat
before attempting to putt the golf ball.
Senior Vince Finley ’16 was the victor.
The cross countr y team followed w ith
a three-legged race won by Matt Fasullo
’17 and Chick Hallinan ’18. Finally,
members of the soccer team took part in
a shootout, in which Edward McGinley
’16 attempted to block the shots while
wearing a gorilla costume. Follow ing the
pep rally, a game of tag ensued bet ween
the gorilla and a bunch of bananas,
which were seniors in costumes.
Students then proceeded to the park ing
lot where Pat Nattle and several seniors
were grilling hamburgers and hot dogs
for them. After the tailgate, the Senior
Golfer Joe Conroy ’16 is honored with his mother
on Senior Day before the varsity soccer game.
Day festivities were ready to commence.
The seniors on ever y fall sports team
and their parents were brought onto
the field and honored by the student
body. This ceremony was followed by
the triumph of the Varsit y Soccer team
over the Plumstead Christian School.
This victor y was cheered on by a loud
and enthusiastic Pit. The festivities did
not even stop there even though the sun
was setting behind the trees. Later that
night, students gathered in the g ym for
the Christian Action Program’s annual
Up for A Cause, which benefits St. Jude
Children’s Research Hospital. Over
$25,000 were raised by these students
as they stayed awake from 7 p.m. to 7
a.m.
Spirit Week continued on to include
dress dow n days, donuts, food trucks,
music interludes, and the homecoming
dance on October 30. It was a true
representation of Devon Prep Pride
and w ill not be forgotten by the student
body.
Open for All
A Bit about the Pit
Dan O’Connor ’17
Sean McGeehan ’16
At the annual fall Devon Prep Open
House, prospective families came to
receive information about the school.
Students, parents, and alumni described
the “Devon Difference” and their
experiences here to the guests. First,
the families gathered in the gym to hear
Mr. Patrick Kane, Mr. Barry Brazunas,
eighth grader Luka Miraldi, freshman
George Kweder, and student council
president, Eddie McGinley ’16 each speak.
Afterwards, students guided the families
through the school, listening to our
faculty present their respective courses.
Following the tour, representatives from
our numerous extracurricular activities
and clubs were outside Calasanctius
Hall to give a brief explanation of each
and answer questions. As always, there
was plenty of food for all in and around
Calasanctius. With all this, Devon had yet
another successful Open House due to the
cooperative efforts of those involved.
Student council president Eddie McGinley ’16
recounts his experience in coming to Devon at
the Open House.
We Meet Again
Steve Duffy ’17
The Devon Prep A lumni Reunion
offers an opportunit y for Devon
graduates to catch up w it h old friends
and return to see t heir school. The
annual event took place t his November
in Calasanct ius Hall and had a g reat
turnout. This year’s reunion was for all
alumni t hat g raduated in years ending
w it h a f ive or zero. Graduates have a
chance to attend a class reunion ever y
f ive years. Food and drink were prov ided
and t he alumni took t he chance to have
a lot of f un while sharing old stories
about Devon.
The event was organized by Mr. Dav id
Evans ’08 and t he A lumni Associat ion.
The A lumni Associat ion consists of
all g raduates of Devon and plays a
ver y act ive role in t he Devon Prep
communit y. The esteemed members
of t his Associat ion dedicate t heir t ime
and energ y to plan all alumni events,
especially t he reunion. Mr. Evans has
been running t he event for years and
organizes all alumni events.
The Devon Dialogue was afforded
t he opportunit y to ask quest ions to t he
attendees. W hen asked if t hey kept in
touch w it h each ot her af ter g raduat ion,
most were not hesitant to answer,
“No.” Most admitted t hey’ve had litt le
communicat ion w it h t heir classmates
besides social media. They’ve been
preoccupied w it h job and family
commit ments. However, t he alumni
st rongly felt t hat t heir ex perience at
Devon helped t hem w it h college and in
t heir chosen career f ields. The A lumni
Reunion was a g reat success and t he
A lumni Associat ion looks for many
more to come.
Devon Prep’s student section, the Pit,
had some of its largest turnouts in recent
memory this soccer season. Students
came out to most games and supported
the team in their very successful season.
They screamed chants such as “Roll Tide!”
and the famous “I Believe” in hopes to
motivate the team, and affect the game as
best they can. The Pit was so successful
that Head Coach, Tim McNally, called it
the team’s “twelfth man.” The two largest
turnouts for games were Senior Day and
the District Championship game, which
was nearly an hour away at Council Rock
High School in Bucks County. In fact,
at the championship game, the Pit was
comprised of over 70 students, which
is certainly a record. The Pit’s goal is to
impact the game as much as it can so that
the team has the best home field advantage
possible. This soccer season was only the
beginning for the Pit. It hopes to have
even more students attend the basketball
games, to support the team during their
quest for a championship this season.
In addition, the Pit looks forward to a
successful baseball season in the spring.
Pit members cheer on as they watch the varsity
soccer team compete against New Hope-Solebury in the District 1 Final.
Running to Remember
4
Thomas Brower ’18
At first glance, cross countr y may seem to be a solitar y
sport. It may seem that the runners are simply out on the
course by themselves w ithout any interaction. There is no
ball being passed around among team members as in soccer
or football, and it is hard to see team members work ing to
achieve a common goal as one can clearly see in row ing.
However, cross countr y is most assuredly a team sport in
ever y sense of the word.
One may wonder, “How can this be?” In cross countr y,
ever ybody is running the same race, unlike other sports that
host different positions such as offense, defense, or midfield.
There is great unit y in this because ever ybody shares the same
experience of running the same race. All of the athletes k now
exactly what their fellow runners are going through since
they themselves are undergoing the same thing. As such,
there is no aspect of the competition that can be uniquely
experienced by one individual and not by his whole team.
Team success is based on the performance of the overall
team, not that of any one runner. A team’s score is the
cumulative value of the top five runners’ finishes; this means
that the score is generated by adding together the top five
runners’ places. Furthermore, runners act as critical deciding
factors in the instance of a tie. This leaves no room for one
athlete to cover for the mistakes of another as can be done
in other sports w ith different roles. Because of this
cumulative scoring, a team composed of relatively
good runners that all finish w ithin a few places of
each other w ill always beat a team consisting of t wo
or three really good runners and t wo or three poor
runners. For this reason, runners must work together
as a team to perform well overall if they hope to
succeed.
A positive team dynamic is especially important in
cross countr y due to its largely mental nature. It is
often remarked, “Cross countr y is ten percent physical
and ninet y percent mental.” Although this statement
may not seem to be ver y true, it is, in actualit y, quite
accurate. The biggest obstacle to one’s success in
running is not any external factor like bad weather or
a difficult course; the biggest obstacle of any runner
is his ow n mind. Runners are not so much competing
against each other as they are competing against himself.
Training strongly reinforces team unit y by mimick ing
the environment present during a race. W hether it be a
core workout, speed workout, or distance run, ever ybody
is participating in the same workout w ith each other
simultaneously. This, coupled w ith the small size of Devon’s
cross countr y team, creates a ver y strong team dynamic
that is unique to cross countr y. Cross countr y provides
an environment where runners can relax and strike up
conversation w ith other teammates; these conversations
t y pically encompass the entire team due to its relatively small
size. This positive, conversational environment in practices
really helps to draw the team together. W hen this is added
to the shared experience of workouts and races, the team
becomes like a family.
The Devon team truly did come together as a family this
year as the runners ran the workouts and races together.
They all laughed, talked, and competed, constantly helping
and look ing to better themselves and the team. Senior
Michael Nicolas was the heart and soul of the Devon cross
countr y family. In the words of the team he was, “focused,
self less, dedicated, a mentor, and a leader.” Mike brought
his positive attitude to ever y practice and race and always
encouraged ever yone to do better. He was the glue that held
the team together. He was more than just a fellow runner, a
team captain, and a friend, Mike was a brother to ever yone.
The cross country team runs against some stiff
competition in Christopher Dock and New HopeSolebury.
Eighth Grade Edges Out the Rest
Colin Fulmer ’20
Every year the Devon Prep Middle School has two middle school
spirit days, one in the fall and one in the spring. These are great
opportunities for students to receive a break from academics and
become better acquainted with their classmates. Every Middle
School student counts down the days till Spirit Day in anticipation
of winning the trophy.
To commence Middle School Spirit Day, the entire middle
school gathers in the chapel for Mass. Afterwards, the participants
assembled in the gym so that Mr. Barry Brazunas could explain
the schedule. When Mr. Brazunas was finished, the students
donned eye black and wristbands so that the competition could
begin. There were many events in the morning such as Frisbee,
football, basketball, football, and doughnut eating, along with
many others. Next, after the morning activities were completed,
the students marched off to Calasanctius Hall where Mr. and
Mrs. Scavitto had prepared pizza. The satisfied students returned
to the gym after lunch in order to kick off the afternoon events.
These included track and field, kickball, homerun derby, and the
tug-of-war. This year, the race for first place was very close. It all
came down to the last event: the tug-of-war. This would decide the
champions of Middle School Spirit Day. The eighth grade valiantly
triumphed and were declared victors of Middle School Spirit Day.
All of the participants had a rewarding and relaxing day. Many
of the students could not wait for spring to arrive along with the
second Middle School Spirit Day of the school year.
Middle school students enjoy a deserved break from classes on Spirit Day.
Editorial Board
© 2015 Devon Prep
Editor-in-Chief: Grant McKnight ’16
Deputy Editors-in-Chief: Sean Fulmer ’16 & Justin Hennessy ’16
Associate Editor for Entertainment: Christopher Carpenter ’16
Associate Editor for News: Shyamal Patel ’16
Faculty Moderator: Mr. Lawrence Theuer
All photos, unless otherwise noted, taken by newspaper staff
or Ms. Rose Lombardo, for Devon Preparatory School.
Special thanks to Fr. Shea for his tireless assistance and guidance.