The Hillary Clinton Debate

THE
C
February 2007
St. Agnes Academy
lumns
Volume 57 Issue 4
9000 Bellaire Boulevard Houston, TX 77036
What’s Inside
Love
Through
Apples
Enduring love that started
with an apple in a concentration camp. We guarantee
you’ll say “aww”.
See page 4.
Yes or No
Hillary?
Find out what happenned
when two staffers debated
Hillary Clinton’s presidential abilty
See page 5.
Theatre
Corner
SOAPS was great this year!
Get a recap of the greatness that heppenned on that
stage.
See page 10.
Do you love
Chlorine?
Find our more about our
wonderful swimming team.
Lindsey Adam
Opinions Editor
henever
the
unfamiliar words
of a foreign
language are used in the
morning prayer, or another
culture’s music fills the
hallways between classes,
it can be none other than St.
Agnes’ Diversity Week. This
year’s theme was, “Come
together, heal racism,” and
through various speakers
and events, the women of
the Academy truly benefited
from the experience.
On the first day of
Diversity Week, the students
of St. Agnes came together
to watch the film, “Come
Walk in My Shoes.” The
film documented important
events that took place in
the Civil Rights movement.
Archbishop Fiorenza and
Reverend Lawson had
recommended the film as an
introduction to their keynote
speeches. The two men,
whom we now know as Joe
and Bill, discussed their
personal experiences with
the movement and what
they consider to be “the
right struggle.” Throughout
their speeches, both men
used their respective beliefs,
Catholic and Baptist, to
W
explain the significance
of working through the
struggle to achieve an end
result of equality and peace
for all.
While Tuesday adhered to
the week’s theme, the day
did allow for students to do
and the importance of
each of us standing up and
speaking out to promote
peace and heal the injustices
of racism,” Ms. Doyle
described the experience.
From the colorful cultural
outfits worn by many of
The Bollywood dancing team was a lot of fun to watch and made the girls want to dance along.
some of the teaching. The
peace panel was held during
lunch as an open discussion
for both students and faculty,
featuring students who had
taken Peace or Healing
Racism during the first
semester. “It was a fruitful,
worthwhile dialogue about
healing racism as a process
the students, Wednesday
was undoubtedly Ancestral
Dress Day. The day was
celebrated
through
an
ancestral dress contest at
lunch and the Ancestral
Dress Pageant in which
thirteen girls representing
eleven countries strutted
on the stage. During each
See page 10.
To advertise with The
Columns, contact Business
Manager Aileen O’Leary
through our email address
thecolumns@st-agnes.org
Index
Page 2....................Editorial
Page 3.........................News
Page 4-5................Opinions
Page 6............Stress Spread
Page 7-8.................Features
Page 9...............On Campus
Page 1........................Sports
Page 11.................Tiger Tail
girl’s walk a description
of the costume’s cultural
significance
was
read
aloud.
Thursday was Solidarity
Day. Therefore the focus of
the day was the celebration
of every student’s cultural
The delicious food festival was one of the best St. Agnes has seen so far. Everything was absolutely wonderful.
background and history
through the International
Food
Festival
and
various ethnically themed
performances. The Food
Festival is always a huge
success, and once again,
students enjoyed a variety
of cuisine from China to
Colombia and everywhere
in between. The biggest
surprise came at the end of
the day with a performance
by a group of Bollywood
dancers.
The week finished off on
Friday with the Interfaith
Panel. Leaders from the
Catholic,
Jewish,
and
Islamic faiths discussed and
encouraged understanding
and tolerance towards
all faiths. One of the key
purposes of the panel was
to promote the ideas that
despite all our differences,
we all have diginity, are
worthy in the eyes of God,
and must work to wipe out
the hatred and bigotry that
lives in our world today.
PICTURES ON THIS PAGE COURTESY OF LINDSEY ADAM/THE COLUMNS AND CAROLYN WEBB/GUEST PHOTOGRAPHER
1
Editorial
February 2008
The Best of Both
Worlds
Columns
The
St. Agnes Academy
9000 Bellaire Boulevard
Houston Texas 77036
713.219.5400
thecolumns@st-agnes.org
V
alentine’s Day: the day of love. A day to truly realize how
much you love that special someone; a day to pamper and be
pampered. Or, as I like to call it, Hallmark’s not-so-discreet
way of reiterating the status of singles. This is a day to hope that someone will
approach me, saying how they have always admired me from afar, professing
their undying love; a day where I pray that my true love will throw rocks at my
window in the dark of night, while I am looking gorgeous even though I just
woke up, and will sweep me off my feet as we ride into the sunset.
How many of us have wished for something similar? I would say close to
all. Yet, how many of us have had this happen? I’d say not many. It seems that
the only thing concrete on this day is the frequent reminiscing of the past or the
never ceasing anticipation of a movie-script valentine.
We all remember the days when we would make valentine mail boxes so
our whole class could give us a Scooby-Doo card that said things as witty as “I
ruv roo!” Or when your secret crush would secretly give you a large red heart
with macaroni and glitter glued to it, reading, “Will you be my valentine?” Then
when you got home you would dump your bag on the table and look at all of your
valentines, your self-confidence sky-rocketing light-years per card. Yes, those
were the days.
But now, since entering high school, our perception of Valentine’s Day has
been completely turned around. Since we first walked through the double doors
of St. Agnes Academy as freshmen, we have been continuously bombarded by
feminism. We are taught to stand up for our own gender, to break glass ceilings
and never to submit to any man. Yet as this day of love swiftly approaches, one
starts to wonder: how far is too far when it comes to feminism? Can we as women
still uphold our values while still letting men romance us? In a world where the
man is considered the knight, should we become the damsels in distress?
The answer to this is simple: learn to enjoy the best of both worlds. Hannah
Montana and Tila Tequila are capable, so why can’t we be too?
Advisor.................................................................................Dr. Ranajana Varghese
Editor-in-Chief................................................................................Juliana Serrano
Editor-in-Chief..............................................................................Kate Winderman
Features Editor...............................................................................Lauren Halliday
Opinions Editor................................................................................Lindsey Adam
On-Campus Editor............................................................................Nicki Koetting
News Editor..................................................................................Amy Stuhldreher
Sports Editor..................................................................................Sandi Moynihan
Business Manager...........................................................................Aileen O’Leary
Asst. Business Manager/Blast from the Past Columnist............Hayley Hemstreet
Art Director.............................................................................................Anne Loos
Asst. Art Director/Photographer...................................................Stephanie Turner
Spread Editor/Chief Photographer.........................................................Jamie Oyer
Perspective Columnist..........................................................................Soha Nassef
Entertainment Columnist.................................................................Allison Branca
Food Columnist.....................................................................................Ali Wolters
The Columns is the student newspaper of St. Agnes Academy. Its content,
which is the responsibility of The Columns staff, is not subject to administrative approval. Unsigned editorials represent the opinions of the newspaper,
while opinion columns represent the writer’s perspective. Advertisements
do not represent the newspaper’s viewpoint. The Columns, an open forum,
welcomes signed letters on pertinent issues from the SAA community. The
editors reserve the right to edit and decline to print letters. All writing may
be submitted to Dr. Varghese in room 212 or through
thecolumns@st-agnes.org
Advertising Policy
The Columns accepts advertising that does not promote illegal services or
immoral products to its readers. The moderator reserves the right to accept or deny advertising with her discretion. Contact Aileen O’Leary for
advertising rates and information. Upon approval of the advertisement, The
Columns promises to follow through on all contracts. If advertisments are
not approved, The Columns promises to refund the fee in full.
February 2008
By: Sandi Moynihan
4
3
17
6
5
Mardi
Gras
Father-Daughter
Breakfast
10
Vol 57 Issue 4
the columns
11
18
12
Sophomore
Retreat
1
2
7
8
9
14
15
16
Ash Wednesday
13
Habitat Movie Night
Valentine’s Day
Raffle
Holiday
19
20
21
22
26
27
28
29
23
President’s DayNo School
24
25
Career Day
Leap Day
Spring Musical
2
News
February 2008
Vol 57 Issue 4
the columns
2008 election: an open race?
Aileen O’Leary
Business Manager
COURTESY OF HTTP://BLOGS.CHRON.COM
and HTTP://WWW.ENTERSTAGERIGHT.COM
W
ho will be our next
president? This question is becoming more
and more difficult to answer.
Let’s forget for a moment that
there are two major parties to
choose from, and look at the inner turmoil within each one. Of
the four Republican primaries
that have been held so far, no
single candidate has won more
than two. It is a similar story in
the Democratic camp where two
different candidates have won the
two primaries to date in which all
the major candidates appeared
on the ballot. So who, you ask,
will be the next president of the
United States? Who knows!
So far this year Republican primaries have been held in Iowa,
New Hampshire, Wyoming and
Michigan. Mitt Romney won
Wyoming and Michigan while
Huckabee and McCain only won
one state each, Iowa and New
Hampshire respectively. Though
Romney won two states, he is
not considered a great threat to
front runners Huckabee and McCain who won those early primaries that hold the most weight.
As far as who will win the primaries to be held in the coming months, only time will tell.
Turning now to the Democratic
Party, let us look at the dynamic
between front runners Barack
Obama and Hillary Clinton.
Will one of Iowa’s winners, Barack Obama (above) or Mike Huckabee (right), be our
next president?
Obama won the Democratic primary in Iowa while Clinton won
New Hampshire. It is important to
note that though Clinton received
a majority of the vote in Michigan,
she was the only Democratic candidate named on the ticket. Votes
were cast for “uncommitted” by
those voters who did not want to
vote for Clinton but wanted their
vote to count. Again, with no
clear-cut leader in the primaries,
one wonders who will emerge as
the candidate at the convention.
The only thing left to do is
watch the primaries closely and
hope the chaos does not continue into the summer months.
A month to celebrate
established in 1926 by Carter G.
Woodson. The idea of creating
a month of recognition was to
further commemorate the great
African-Americans of both past
and present.
We remember
the
stories
WWW.ART.COM
of
Harriet
Tu b m a n ,
C r i s p u s
Attucks, Rosa
Parks, Jackie
Robinson, Dr.
Martin Luther
King, Jr., and
Ruby Bridges.
Harriet
Tubman was
a woman who
helped many
slaves
like
herself escape
by means of the
Underground
Railroad.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the face of Black History, presents his famous “I have a dream” speech
Crispus
Allison Branca
Entertainment Columnist
ebruary is the month of
love, spring and Black
History! Since 1976, we
F
have celebrated the important
people and events in AfricanAmerican history. This month
-long celebration is an expansion
of Negro History Week that was
which we remember during Black History Month.
Attucks was a runaway slave
during the time of the American
Revolution. He was the first
casualty of the war and is
considered a martyr for the
Revolution and a flame that
ignited our freedom.
Rosa Parks’ story is always
remembered for her act of civil
disobedience regarding her seat
on a bus.
Jackie Robinson became the
first African-American major
league baseball player in 1947.
He faced many crude remarks
but opened up the opportunity
for many other talented AfricanAmerican baseball players.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
is an inspiration to all and is
remembered for his persistent
civil rights efforts.
Ruby Bridges was one of the
first African-American students
to go to an all white school. She
faced discrimination and was
even put into her own classroom
because the parents of the white
students would not allow their
3
children to be in the same room
with her.
These African-Americans are
only a few of the incredible people
who make up black history.
The broadcasting companies
in America show their audience
the importance of Black History
and its dedicated month by airing
shows related to the topic. The
Disney Channel celebrates Black
History month by broadcasting
educational episodes on different
shows such as The Proud Family
and Sister Sister.
Houston also has many different
ways to celebrate this month
with the community. Many
organizations have scheduled
talks, and there will be a march
and a festival celebrating the
month in the downtown area.
Everyday St. Agnes focuses
on the diversity of all human
beings and their importance.
Our Diversity Day was held on
January 31, 2008, the day before
Black History Month begins. This
year, coincindentally, Diversity
Day focused on healing racism.
Black History Month has been
around for thirty-two years and
has opened the eyes of the public
to how far the world has come.
February is dedicated to AfricanAmerican History because of
the great and significant efforts
made by an important race in the
American community. One month
may not be enough to express the
deserved gratitude, but it allows
there to be a small gesture to say
thanks for being so great.
February 2008
Aileen O’ Leary
Business Manager
Opinions
the columns
Reaction to the Action
WWW.UGA.EDU
The goal of affirmative action is equal opporrtunities for all. Does it achieve this goal?
I
have spent the last few months
thinking about affirmative action. With college acceptance
letters being mailed out, I am be-
ginning to wonder if affirmative
action is really something I want
as part of the college acceptance
process.
In theory
it is a good
system, but
I, personally,
find fault with
it. It is noble
for our government
to
improve opportunities for
this country’s
minorities. I
must admit,
however, that
I am not sure
that affirmative action is
really something in which
I believe.
Hypothetical situation: I
am a minority
applicant with
similar qualifications for
admittance
into a top tier college with my
competitor, a white middle-class
applicant. If I were to be admitted instead of the other student I
would certainly like to know that
the decision was based on merit
and not the need to fill a quota of
students belonging to a minority.
I understand that there is no
way I could possibly speak for all
minorities, nor would I ever presume to have the knowledge, understanding or insight to do so.
However, I have met members
of various minorities, and I know
that they are proud of their ethnicities and cultural histories. I also
know that those I have met do not
like being pitied or thought of as
in need of special privileges to get
through life. No matter at whom it
is directed, affirmative action will
never make up for the discrimination of a particular group, nor
will it compensate them for the
traditional privileges of the white
American male.
It is possible to finish this article and walk away with the impression that I believe minorities
are not deserving of any kind of
aid. My point is, affirmative action combats the symptoms of unequal educational opportunities
throughout the world but does not
tackle the root problem. Affirmative action does not ensure equal
education for all children from
primary school to college.
Faith, Love and Apples
Lauren Halliday
Features Editor
WWW.OPRAH.COM
L
ove can be discovered in
any place at any time. Yet,
the story of Herman and
Roma Rosenblat is beyond doubt
one of true fate. In 1942, when he
was only twelve years old, Herman was removed from his home
in Germany and placed in a concentration camp in Germany. Two
days after he arrived at the camp,
a miracle occurred.
He was wandering around camp
when he spotted a young girl. He
asked her if she had anything to
eat; she gave him an apple. The
girl continued to come back to this
place every day for seven months
to give him an apple. However,
Herman soon found out that he
was about to move to another
concentration camp. When he
told the girl not to return, sadness
filled both of them at the thought
of never seeing each other again.
Fast forward fifteen years: the
war was over and Herman was
living in New York City. One day
a friend decided to set him up on a
blind date. Although he was quite
skeptical, he agreed to go on a
double date with his friend. He
surprisingly liked his date, Roma
Herman professes his love to Roma on national television on The Oprah Show.
Radzika, very much. They immediately shared something in common: neither of them liked blind
dates.
Towards the end of the date, she
brought up the topic of war and
asked Herman where he had been
at that time. He told her of his
experience in the concentration
camps in Germany. She had also
been in Germany and began telling him about the apples that she
gave to a young boy every day.
In pure shock, Herman asked
her to describe the boy. To both
their amazement, he was the boy
to whom she had given apples
every day! He immediately proposed to her as he vowed to never
let her go ever again.
Herman and Roma have now
4
been married for fifty years.
They have two children and
three grandchildren. Their love
story has been an inspiration to
people all over, especially after
they were featured on The Oprah
Show. Their ability to recognize
the pure goodness in each other
has allowed them to have a caring
relationship since taking a chance
on that blind date fifty years ago.
Vol 57 Issue 4
That’s
So-Ha
Ha Ha!
Soha Nassef
Perspective Columnist
Whoa,
Baby!
T
eenager Juno MacGuff
finds out she is pregnant
after having sex with her
semi-boyfriend; then she decides
to have the baby and give it up
for adoption. This sounds like the
makings of a really predictable
and uninteresting movie, but, oh
wait!
Diablo Cody, the amazing
writer of the script, captures the
audience’s attention and holds it
for the entire movie. There is not
a moment where you are bored
or wanting things to speed up;
instead you want things to slow
down so you can get as many
laughs as possible. Every line
is perfect and every delivery is
equally unequalled. Ellen Page
who plays Juno, very tastefully
portrays a pregnant teenager who
ultimately is just trying to figure
things out for herself. Michael
Cera who plays Paulia Bleeker
a.k.a. the baby daddy, brings just
the right amount of “nerdiness” to
the role.
Juno is definitely not what one
would call a “conventional” film.
It was made to be an indie movie,
and because of its success, was
submitted for widespread release.
I, for one, did not think it would
become such a huge success, but I
am fairly sure that most of the St.
Agnes Academy population has
seen it and is in love with it. The
dialogue sets up the movie to be
the perfect “quoting movie” with
hilarious quotes such as these:
“That ain’t no etch-a-sketch.
This is one doodle that can’t be
un-did, homeskillet” and “He is
the cheese to my macaroni”. The
movie is fabulous and I for one
am absolutely in love with it, just
like Paulie Bleeker is in love with
his orange tic tacs.
February 2008
Opinions
Vol 57 Issue 4
the columns
The Hillary Clinton Debate I’m in the
Con: Clinton Cries Mood for
Pro: Hillary is
Wolf
my homegirl
Food!
Jamie Oyer
Anne Loos
Art Director
I
t is fair to say that most of the
criticism in the 2008 election
has been directed towards
Senator Hillary Clinton. As a
woman and a politician who has
been around for many years, she
has many enemies and skeptics
among Republicans and Democrats alike. Her critics portray
her as a cold-hearted “Cruella
De Vil” whose
insane policies will lead
to the end of
America as
we
know
it.
However, I believe that she
will change
America as
we know it,
but she will
change it for
the better.
Senator
Clinton has extensive plans for
health care improvement, better
treatment of veterans, equal pay
for women, alternative energy
sources, and education reform.
No one can honestly say that
these changes would not improve
America.
When people talk about Hillary Clinton, few mention just
how much she has already done
to benefit the country throughout
her long political career. Her success began when she graduated
from Yale Law School in 1973
and she became a strong advocate
of children and families.
When her husband Bill Clinton
was governor of Arkansas, she
improved education and hospitals
there. In 1991, when Bill Clinton
became president, she traveled
the world speaking out against
abuse towards women.
Clinton also took up several
successful causes such as the facilitation of the adoption process,
prevention of teen pregnancy and
improvement in the treatment
of Gulf War veterans. Not since
Eleanor Roosevelt has America
seen such a politically active First
Lady. In 2000, she was elected
Senator of New York
and as senator she
has continued to work
for children, women
and families. Clinton knows what she
is doing; she has the
experience to run a
country.
Her lifelong advocacy of children,
women and families
contradicts the critics’
Cruella De Vil portrayal of her. Another
way that Clinton has
shown that she is not a cold-hearted woman is when she teared up
at the New Hampshire Primary.
The whole thing was blown out
of proportion because she didn’t
even cry; she just choked up a little. The way she managed to keep
her composure was very classy.
Ironically, the people who had
previously criticized her lack of
emotions throughout the campaign were the same people who
now criticize her for crying. So
now Clinton is too emotional to
be president!
Personally, I think it is great that
she teared up because it was real
and human. She showed her deep
love and dedication to America,
and she expressed it in a way that
no other candidate has ever done.
You’re Taking How
Many Honors Courses?
Sandi Moynihan
Sports Editor
H
ere at St. Agnes Academy, everybody stands out
from the crowd. Some
girls enjoy athletics, others star in
the school plays, but the most common way Academy women distinguish themselves from the norm
is through academics. As if St.
Agnes’ curriculum isn’t challenging enough, many students opt to
take one or more Honors courses.
Subsequently, when a student
is placed in the Honors track, she
might find that more than just her
academic life is affected by her
advanced courses. “I run cross
country and I’m on the St. Agnes
swim team,” said junior Sarah
Gilligan who takes AP English
3. “Sometimes my school work
stresses me out and I don't perform as well as I want to in meets
because I’m too stressed out.”
While everybody knows Honors
students have extra reading and
work to do, there is still a misconception about the amount of work
and the type of people who take
Honors courses. As junior Christine Bartram put it, “I think only
AP students really understand
the [Honors] workload, because
it's an awful lot. People should
know also that we're not just
nerds. We just enjoy learning.”
Despite the added stress, there
are some beneficial aspects of being in an Honors class. “The best
part about Honors courses is that
they are pretty fast-paced classes
so you [learn] a lot,” sophomore
New Hampshire Primaries. Now,
is this just a coincidence? Or did
Clinton plan her break down to
hether you’re payappear more passionate to women
ing attention to the
voters?
election news or not,
After receiving a disappointchances are that you’ve heard
ing third place in the Iowa cauabout Hillary Clinton’s emotional
cus, perhaps Clinton decided to
breakdown days before the New
change her ice queen image to
Hampshire primaries.
something a little more, well, femTo be completely honest, I
inine. However, if her tears were
thought this would ruin her chancjust a scheme to receive more
es of ever winning the Demovotes, I find
cratic candidacy.
it extremely
JULIANA SERRANO/THE COLUMNS
In the past,
belittling
emotional
and perhaps
outbursts
a little mihave caused
sogynistic.
more bad
To perceive
reactions
a woman of
than good.
strength and
Take Howpower
as
ard Dean’s
over-emooutrageous
tional is just
“ A A AY ! ”
increasing
scream at
the bravado
the end of
of men who
his
2004
believe that
election
women are
speech to
nothing
his supportmore than
ers in Iowa.
hysteriSuch a move Anne and Jamie’s political discussion turns
cal drama
convinced into a vicious cat fight.
queens.
Democrats
Even if Clinthat Dean
ton really was crying, the idea of
was too immature to take on the
having a such a frantic president
Democratic election seriously,
is terrifying. We’re talking about
resulting in the election of John
the President of the United States,
Kerry for the Democratic candithe person who, with one push
dacy.
of a button, can annihilate planet
However, to the surprise of
Earth. Personally, I don’t want
millions of Americans, Clinton’s
my President tearing up and gotears produced a wide range of
ing insane every time things get a
support, especially among womlittle rough.
en, that helped her succeed in the
Center Spread Editor
W
Morgan Smith said. “Also, you
know that if you have a question
about something, just about any
of your classmates will be able to
answer [it] and be able to help.”
Is there a major difference between the girls who take Honors
courses and the girls who don’t?
Besides the academics, most
Academy women feel that their
Honors classmates are just like
JAMIE OYER/THE COLUMNS
the regular students. “The only
difference I notice is that Honors students hang out with Honors students and regular students
hang out with regular students,”
junior Amber Garcia-Rameau
said. “Not that it’s a problem
because it is not like a cult of
honors kids excluding regulars.”
For students who don’t take
Honors classes, the St. Agnes
curriculum is still challenging.
“I think of our regular courses as
more than just regular because
of the type of
school we attend
and [the fact] that
we are already on
a separate level
than most other
regular
classes from other
schools,” junior
Allison Schwarzbach said. Every
girl, whether she
is a math guru
or a soccer stud,
tries to excel in
everything she
does. It’s just the
Academy way.
Books aren’t the only things Honors students see in the day.
5
Ali Wolters
Food/Dining Columnist
Valentine’s
Day
Sweets
J
anuary and February can be
pretty dreary months some
years. With cold days, gray
skies and a drizzle, it’s hard to
get through the first two months
of the year without missing the
sunshine. It’s a good thing that
Valentine’s Day is strategically
placed right in the middle of
February to make this dry patch
a little brighter and happier, even
if it doesn’t change the weather.
The uncontrolled consumption of
chocolate, candy, and icing makes
a bright patch in the middle of all
the gloomy weather.
Every year, I look forward to the
Sweethearts candies, the heartshaped Crunch bars and the giant
Hershey’s Kisses. Sweethearts
have become such an intrinsic
part of Valentine’s Day that without them, it would simply not feel
like February 14th. Icing is another vital part of every Valentine’s
Day. Pink and red sugary wonderfulness smeared on everything
just makes me smile each year.
The only problem with this high
sugar intake is that by about halfway through the day, the wonderful sugar highs begin to wear
off. I have trouble concentrating
in my last classes and get an awful headache. I just want to take a
nap, or at least an Asprin. I always
somehow have icing smeared on
my face or clothes, and by the end
of the day, I’m just sick of all the
sugar.
This Valentine’s Day, I am going to bring heart shaped balloons, cards and healthy pink and
red snacks. Chocolate-dipped
strawberries can be made at home
with hardening chocolate that can
be bought at the grocery store, or
they can be purchased at any candy shop. Heart-shaped pancakes,
sandwiches and hamburgers
are also great ways to celebrate
without getting a headache. This
Valentine’s Day, avoid all of the
dizziness and sugar highs and
instead, brighten February with
healthy and heart-shaped foods.
Courtly Love
Valentine of Andreas Capellanus writes the art
Rome is martyred of courtly love, a code of conduct
for aristocrats.
Geoffrey Chaucer writes
the first recorded story
associated with Valentine’s Day with romantic
love in Parlement of Fouls
to honor the engagement of King Richard II
of England and Anne of
Bohemia. They were both
around fourteen years old.
The fi
print
Shakes
meo a
pr
Egyptian gods Orisis and Isis
Valentine of Ternia
is killed during the
persecution of Emperor Aurelian.
The Egyptians create the
romantic mythological legend of the Goddess Isis who
searched to find the body of
her dead husband, Osiris.
After finding his body, she
brings him back to life.
How’s that for girl power?
Women gain the right
to propose marriage in
Scotland.
The first Valentine is
written by Margery
Brews of England to
her “Right Worshipful and well beloved
Valentine.”
The Beatles
Jane Austin publishes
Pride and Prejudice,
causing young girls of
every generation to
search for their very
own Mr. Darcy.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning writes her famous poetry book Sonnets from the
Portuguese including the
famous line from sonnet
43, “ How do I love thee?
Let me count the ways.”
The first Valentines are created by Leigh Eric Schmidt.
The famous “kiss”...scandalouss!
Taj Mahal
In Kansas City, JC Hall
sends the first hallmark
cards out of a shoebox.
The Catholi
formally recogn
tine’s D
John Lennon writes
“All You Need is Love”
and performed it with
the Beatles on the
Magical Mystery Tour
EP.
The very first kiss in a
featured film is exchanged
between actors John C.
Rice and Mary Irwin in
The Kiss.
A Valentines Day
card
Miss
first official
ted copy of
speare’s Roand Juliet is
roduced.
A modern adaptation of Romeo
and Juliet
Giacomo Casanova is born...
need I say more?
A portrait of the famous Italian stallion Casanova.
Indian Emperor Shah Jahan
creates the Taj Mahal after his
late wife died after giving birth
to their fourteenth child. It took
over twenty years and twenty
thousand laborers to complete,
and it is considered the eighth
wonder of the world.
Napoleon Bonaparte sends letters
to Josephine de Beauharnais as
he leads the French army in Italy.
“You to whom nature has given
spirit, sweetness, and beauty, you
who alone can move and rule my
heart, you who knows all too well
the absolute empire you exercise
over it!”
l
Josephine de Beauharnais
ic Church
nizes ValenDay.
Titanic comes out and we
are all able to memorize the
words to “My Heart Will Go
On” within a week.
After many long years of waiting,
Miss Piggy finally gets married to
Kermit the Frog in the movie “The
Muppets Take Manhattan.”
s Piggy and Kermit
Our generation’s favorite romantic comedy,
Love Actually, comes to
theaters.
Features
February 2008
Blast from the Past
Anne Loos
Art Director
Hayley Hemstreet
Blast from the Past Columnist
Falling in
love at the
movies
T
oday romantic comedies
constitute
their
own
genre, and an extremely
popular one at that. Every time
you go to the theater, there are
several playing, usually showing
in packed theaters and starring
the most popular and attractive
actors of the moment. Romantic
comedies all follow the same basic
idea, each with a slight, creative
twist: two people are attracted to
each other at first, then set back by
some sort of conflict, and finally
brought together by true love.
The ending not only resolves the
movie but also leaves the viewer
with a warm, fuzzy feeling.
Movies like this have been
around for many years, even when
our grandparents were paying ten
cents to see a movie. It Happened
One Night, starring Clark Gable
and Claudette Colbert in 1934,
might be considered one of the
first romantic comedies and,
therefore, one of the best. In the
movie, two very different people,
a socialite and a reporter, meet
unexpectedly. Then a common
phenomenon from other books
and movies occurs: opposites
attract and eventually fall in love.
Similarly, in The Shop Around the
Corner, starring Jimmy Stewart
and Margaret Sullavan in 1940,
two people who initially despise
each other ultimately find love
together. This movie was the
basis for the 1998 hit You’ve Got
Mail, which had a similar plot but
one major difference. Instead of
the two lovebirds communicating
by letters, they send each other
emails (hence the title).
More movies today, like Music
and Lyrics and Stranger than
Fiction, follow similar plotlines
of opposite people struggling at
first but ultimately uniting. Most
romantic comedies repeat this
same basic plot, because there
really is only one premise for
these movies to follow.
However, current movies
remain fresh, new and hopefully
fun, because of the increasingly
outrageous and innovative ideas
of writers. Some of these creative
ideas have led to popular movies
such as Never Been Kissed, 13
Going on 30, Just Like Heaven,
and the even more recent P.S. I
Love You. I hope more movies
like these will be made, whether
they give us a good cry, a new
crush, or a hopeful feeling about
true love in our future.
Vol 57 Issue 4
the columns
Grammy Guesses
ASSOCIATED PRESS
F
ebruary 10th is the 50th
annual Grammy Awards
Ceremony, a monumental
celebration in music. The
nominations are taken very
seriously; each year the Recording
Academy and record companies
submit artists and songs that
were popular that year. Next
the Recording Academy as well
as other music industry experts
discuss and vote on which music
deserves a Grammy nomination.
Then, another vote takes place to
decide on the award winners to be
finally announced at the Grammy
Awards ceremony.
Like every award ceremony,
the Grammys are a blast!
Who doesn’t love seeing the
musicians, watching the electric
performances, and shouting
who you think should win at the
television? But I decided to shout
out who I think will win some
Grammys a little early. Based
on what music was popular this
year, who I think the Recording
Academy will favor, and my
musical intuition, I have taken
it upon myself to predict which
artists and songs will triumph
at the 50th Grammy Awards
Ceremony.
This year, pop music was
dominated by strong female
musicians. Christina Aguilera
is sure to win Best Female Pop
Vocal for her song “Candyman,”
considering she has won this
category twice in the past. It is a
fair bet that Christina’s powerful
pipes will beat out Feist’s
Christina Aguilera with her Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal at the 2007 Grammys.
sweet songbird voice and Amy
Winehouse’s sultry soulful vocals.
But Ms. Winehouse should not
be discouraged since she has
been nominated for five other
Grammys including Song of the
Year, Best New Artist, Record of
the Year and Album of the Yearbasically all of the biggies.
In the category of rock, Bruce
Springsteen’s album Magic will
most likely win Best Rock Album
simply because he is Bruce
Springsteen. His reputation makes
WWW.DIGIMETROONLINE.COM
him an artist the Grammys will
worship and shower with awards.
However, I would be pleasantly
surprised if the award went to a
less mainstream band such as
Wilco for Sky Blue Sky. In order
for the Grammys to maintain
some amount of street credit, the
award for Best Rock Song will
probably go to a more edgy band
like the Foo Fighters for their
song “The Pretender.” For Best
Alternative Album, Wincing the
Night Away by The Shins is a safe
Oops, she did
it again...
Soha Nassef
Perspective Columnist
O
Receding fame and hairline. Definitely not one of Britney Spear’s brightest moments.
8
pick. The album sparked some
positive buzz from music critics,
and it has a certain sensibility that
the Recording Academy really
digs. Other albums that were
nominated, like Icky Thump by
the White Stripes and Neon Bible
by Arcade Fire, might be too
unconventional for the Recording
Academy’s tastes.
The Grammys have always been
very good to Alicia Keys so it’s
a given that she will win Best
Female R&B Vocal Performance
and Best R&B Song for her song
“No One.” Another artist of whom
the Grammys can’t get enough
is Kanye West. He has been
nominated for eight Grammys
which is more than any other
artist has been nominated for this
year. His song “Good Life” will
surely beat “Crank That (Soulja
Boy)” by Soulja Boy for Best Rap
Song, even though “Crank That
(Souja Boy)” came with a dance.
Kanye West’s album Graduation
has a good chance of beating JayZ’s Kingdom Come for Best Rap
Album, as well as winning Album
of the Year. And to conclude the
R&B category, the chart-topping
hit “Umbrella” by Rihanna has
an excellent chance of winning
Best Rap/Song Collaboration and
maybe even Record of the Year or
Song of the Year.
In the end, whether or
not your favorite artist wins,
watching the Grammys is still a
very fun experience. All of that
talent and glamour in the same
place is thrilling and makes the
Grammy Awards Ceremony one
of the best celebrations of the
year!
ops, she did it again. And
again. And again. The
past year has been an
up- and-down rollercoaster for
Britney Spears. Many believe she
is close to having a breakdown,
and many say she has already
had one. Countless onlookers
have marked the beginning of
her slowly declining sanity when
she married Kevin Federline. She
had, in 2006, driven her car with
her son in her lap which caused
an uproar in celebrity society. She
slowly started losing herself but
gaining tabloid covers through
2006 and into 2007. She shaved
her head on February 17th, 2007,
and since then has been a recluse,
only coming out to eat, smoke and
party. These severe habits gained
publicity by the city government
causing her parental supervision
to be looked at a second time.
She lost full custody of her sons
in October 2007, and since then
has continued in a downward
spiral of drugs, alcohol, and par-
tying. Her fan base has declined
as her personal image has worsened, although her popularity as a
much-watched celebrity has rocketed. She tried to boost her image
by performing her new single at
the 2007 VMAs but instead of
helping her, this performance
just ruined her even more. Most
people continued to criticize her
after that performance. She only
got negative reviews which obviously would not help her selfesteem. A huge shocker came
with the news of a new baby in
the family, but this time it is not
Britney’s. Jamie Lynn Spears,
Britney’s sister, announced her
pregnancy with her small-town
sweetheart. Both Spears girls
have made mistakes concerning
childhood loves. Britney married
Jason Alexander, her childhood
sweetheart, for 55 hours before
getting it annulled. She recently
has begun going out with a photographer who is part of the paparazzi which continually follows
her day and night. He is married
and is more than likely using her
for money, fame, and information.
Features
February 2008
Because I’ve Got It
the columns
A love that endures puberty is a love
worth keeping: my Hanson story
Katherine Noble
Guest Writer
W
Allison Branca
Entertainment Columnist
YOU ROCK!
M
ost teenagers in America have spent a lot
of their time playing
video games. One game that has
been extremely popular is Guitar
Hero, a music video game. It has
been a way for non-musicians to
feel talented. It has become a phenomenon. Whenever my friends
or I hear a famous rock song, we
can relate to it by merely saying,
“I beat this song on Guitar Hero.”
It features a guitar-shaped controller that allows the player to press
different colored buttons which
simulate the playing of rock music. In the game one is allowed
to choose the guitar player, and
with each song the player travels
to a different venue to “rock.” I
do not know how to explain the
feeling of receiving star power,
or when the ending credit says,
“You Rock,” but my comparison
is to the feeling of completing a
six-mile race.
This summer, after my brother’s
brilliant purchase I found myself
wanting to play more than ever.
I knew that in minutes I would
morph into a rock goddess. To
my surprise, I was terrible. I
could not hit one note, and just
about every time I played I scored
no higher than twenty-eight percent on easy. For those who have
played the game you realize that
this is a problem because the easy
level is, in fact, easy. I was devastated. I wanted to go further in
the game to get to the good songs
like “Iron Man” or “Sweet Home
Alabama.” Although I was terrible, the thrill of the stage kept my
adrenaline pumping enough for
me to pass a song with seventy
percent. I am still not a rock goddess, but I hope that soon I will be
able to master the easy level.
Guitar Hero has opened up a
whole new door for the video
gaming industry. The makers
should be content knowing that
they started a revolution for music and gaming lovers alike. The
game’s success inspired the sequels Guitar Hero II, Guitar Hero
Encore: Rocks the 80s and Guitar
Hero III: Legends of Rock. Each
game is filled with different songs
and different experiences. One
thing that is for sure is that Guitar
Hero made me appreciate guitarists and musicians so much more,
and has quenched the thirst for
my constant need of good music.
I hope that Guitar Hero can help
satisfy your music and gaming
needs as it has mine.
Vol 57 Issue 4
hen I was sevenand-a-half
Hanson
came to Houston on
a school night. My mom, avidly
concerned for my second grade
education, would not let me
attend and I cried for weeks. Two
of my classmates went, bought
counterfeit backstage lanyards,
and cunningly convinced me that
they had met Hanson, went to
Wendy’s, and spent a long night
playing laser tag with them. My
life was ruined. That day I made a
vow in my diary (with my favorite
Milky Roll Gel Pen) that I would
one day meet Hanson.
I remember the day on which
my
Hanson
pandemonium
ended, circa early 1999. They
were abruptly replaced on the
covers of Tiger Beat by some
boy band in athletic pants and
Oaklies called *NSYNC. Too
young to understand the virtue
of loyalty, I quickly purchased
the glossy mini-mags dedicated
to *NSYNC biographies with
bonus centerfold posters, threw
away my fading Hanson tee, and
bought a rhinestone JC Chasez
bracelet at Claire’s. However,
a soft spot still lingered for my
home-schooled, Doc Martin-clad,
three-part harmony crooners.
Fast forward nine more years to
October 2007; Zac Hanson finally
let go of those golden locks, Isaac
got his lame braces off, Taylor
chopped off the rat-tail, and all
three of my destined lovers are
married with babies. On top of
all that, Hanson was scheduled
to play in Houston on the twentysixth: euphoria. I was going to be
sitting front
row center,
even if I
had to set
up camp for
days in front
of Verizon
Theater.
Saying that
their show
was flawless
h a r d l y
describes
my
awestruck state
as I watched
t h e m
perform live.
Not only did
they sing all
my favorite
songs from
the
last
decade,
bringing me back to my glory
days of when I defeated Frogger
while listening to Middle of
Nowhere on repeat, but they also
jammed hardcore to their new
tracks from The Walk. I must
have cried at least four times,
especially when they sang “Let
Love Win” by Lenny Kravitz a
capella, and then urged the crowd
to live for something bigger than
themselves. Amen, Hanson.
The encore ended and I knew
that this was my chance. I had to
think logically—how does one go
about stalking a band after their
show so that they can successfully
score a meet ’n greet and some
glamour shots? Tour bus. Clearly.
We ran, only to be greeted by
about seventy other die-hard fans
who thought they had a chance to
9
KATHEIRNE NOBLE/GUEST PHOTOGRAPHER
Fulfilling childhood dreams: Katherine and Hanson: BFFF ! (Best Facebook Friends
forevah!)
impress Hanson with their beauty,
wit, and charm. Yeah, right. I had
something with me to trump them
all—an original story I wrote and
illustrated in the third grade about
how I got to move to Tulsa and
live with Hanson. I saved it for a
solid ten years for this glorious
moment. What could be more
impressive?
Time passed. The air froze as
our watches approached midnight
and the ‘die-hards’ dwindled
down to about twenty, obstinate
about fulfilling childhood dreams.
My friends and I debated leaving
as midnight turned to twelvethirty and curfews were long past
broken. But I just couldn’t do it.
I couldn’t walk away from the
band that had truly been
the soundtrack of my
young life. I wanted to see
them, hear the way they
sounded
face-to-face,
shake their hands and
allow these characters,
whose harmonies had
gotten me through my
most awkward stages, to
become real—bringing
some resolve to my
childhood before I turned
eighteen and stepped into
a new chapter of life. For
more than those selfish
reasons, I wanted to tell
them that they truly are
impressive musicians for
not allowing fame, catchyradio-friendly song offers,
or close-minded critics
distract them from their
first love— empowering
others through music.
The doors opened at
ten minutes to one. Out
came Zac and Taylor.
I was met with cardiac
arrest. I closed my eyes
and gave myself a pep
talk: “Katherine, you
have zero social skills
but you must not blow
this. Sound casual when
handing them your shortstory-relic; it’s obviously
not creepy at all.” They
came closer. I met them
with a smile, an autograph from
Zac, and a sassy picture of the
two of us. I shoved over the story,
mumbled something awkward
about how I wrote it ten years
ago, and then nearly passed out.
Fortunately, I was able to get
over myself by the time Taylor
came up a few minutes later. I
did a charming giggle this time,
told him how much their music
meant to me and how impressed
I was by their work in Africa
(always a good move to chat
about the social issues— show
that you have some compassion).
He smiled, asked me about the
story I had given to Zac, which I
explained with better eloquence
the second time around. He left
grinning. Success?
But alas! He returned! Something
about my striking physique had
whetted his appetite, it seemed!
Well, actually a girl next to me
was begging for a picture and I
was the one assigned to take it.
“Be witty Katherine,” my divaside beckoned me:
CLICK. FLASH. Pause. “Hey
Taylor, remember when you had
a rat-tail?” Did you seriously just
ask that, Katherine?
“Ha, yes, yes I do…” He wants
me dead.
“Too bad it’s gone, I really miss
that time.” Seriously. Seriously?
“You’re what…(pause)…
eighteen?” He just did the math in
his head. He remembered I wrote
the story when I was eight, ten
years ago. Asthma attack.
“Yeah.” Be nonchalant.
Noooonchalant.
“Well, you don’t seem eighteen.”
Shoot! I have ruined everything.
He thinks I am twelve.
“Oh… uhh.” I should have
assumed the rat-tail would be a
tender topic.
“No, I mean, you just seem a lot
older. In a good way.” With that,
he walked away, grinning again.
Sometimes, dreams really
do come true. Some things are
worth the wait—even if it takes
ten years. And as another perk,
Taylor Hanson and I are officially
facebook friends.
OnCampus
February 2008
SAA vs. USA
Amy Stuhldreher
News Editor
Harvard Model Congress
2008
H
LINDSEY ADAM/THE COLUMNS
arvard Model Congress
is an intense mock government program which
St. Agnes offers to the juniors and
seniors of the school. The San
Fransisco conference 2008 consisted of sixteen schools and 300
kids from schools in California,
North Carolina, Florida and the
Philippines. Students were given
the opportunity to learn how the
government functions by actually
living out crisis situations and
making split-second decisions
that would potentially affect the
entire country. This conference
allowed students to participate in
intense and sometimes cut-throat
sessions of certain programs such
as the National Security Council, the Presidential Cabinet, the
Press Corp, the Supreme Court,
the Senate and the House of Representatives. Both the San Fransisco, California, and Boston,
Massachusetts conferences are
offered at St. Agnes. The conferences involve a large amount of
work and dedication, but the trips
are well-worth taking part in!
Close-Up 2008
S
MORGAN BOWLIN/GUEST PHOTOGRAPHER
t. Agnes also offers another
government interaction trip
in the winter, Close-Up.
The Close-Up program allows
students to witness the workings of their government firsthand through a week-long trip to
Washington, D.C. This program
offers students a chance “to become more active in American
government,” said junior Morgan Bowlin. While touring D.C.,
the students participating in this
program are involved in various
interactions with other schools
from other states, which allows
for the students to learn about the
governmental issues facing those
different states and what they can
do to make a difference in their
state and national government.
This trip comes highly recommended for the amazing opportunity it provides students with to
learn about their government and
how they can make a difference
in their government by standing
up for what they believe.
the columns
Vol 57 Issue 4
Chinese New Year: American Style
Ali Wolters
Food/Dining Columnist
umplings, dragons and ities on each day. While visiting folktales and their own stories
Jackie Chan…what else China, Liu was able to experience from when they were growing
could anyone want in a the whole celebration. “There’s a up.” Chinese New Year is based
fifteen-day holiday? The Chinese big festival in the street…Kung on Chinese myths and folktales,
New Year is the most celebrated Fu people just come out and per- which are a vital and unique part
holiday on the Chinese calendar. form. It’s really cool,” Liu said. of Chinese history. “In China we
The Chinese culture is known for In China, there is also a famous light candles and we have a trabeing focused on family and tra- lantern festival, where children ditional dragon that protects our
dition, and this
house,” Liu said. Firecrackers,
LINDSEY ADAM/THE COLUMNS a part of the
holiday helps a
original legend
lot of Chinesethat began
American teenagChinese
ers connect with
N e w
their heritage and
Year, are
culture. Dandan
also a part
Liu, a junior at St.
of the festiviAgnes Academy,
ties both in the United
and a first-generaStates and China.
tion Chinese-AmeriThis year, the year of
can, celebrates the
the
rat,
holiday with her The Chinese dragon has long been an integral part of the Chinese New Year Celebration.
might be
family every year.
bad news
Here in the United States two holding lanterns parade down the for many SAA seniors and juparts of Chinese culture have be- streets.
niors who were born in the year
come very popular, and a part of
On the New Year, Chinese- of the horse (1990). According to
mainstream American culture: American families and friends Chinese legend, horses and rats
Chinese cuisine and Kung Fu come together to celebrate their are not compatible as friends or
movies. Chinese dumplings are heritage. “Chinese New Year companions, and should avoid
prepared each New Year as a tra- has always been a tradition for each other. But, in any case, even
dition. Liu said, “There’s a spe- my family. There’s Chinese spe- if horses and rats can’t get along,
cial technique to make the dough. cial programming on television, they can both have a great time
My dad knows how to do it, and Jackie Chan is on the show. My celebrating with dumplings, Jackhe teaches us. It’s really fun.” Al- parents love it, and they always ie Chan and Kung Fu fighters.
though most Chinese-Americans watch it and record it,” Liu said. Happy Chinese New Year!
do not celebrate all fifteen days, She adds, “We stay up really late
in China, there are different activ- and our parents tell us Chinese
D
A recollection of S.O.A.P.s
Stephanie Turner
Assistant Art Director
R
emember way back when
to the first week back
from Christmas break.
There was something going on
that weekend, was there not? Oh
yeah, the Student Directed One
Act Plays were going on that
weekend. In case you did not get
a chance to see them, now you
can find out what you missed.
The first play was directed by
Erin Fleming. The comedy took
place in an art museum. The actors commented on a piece of
work called Man, Woman, Flower. Their insight into the piece reflected their view of the world and
of the people around them. One
of the more interesting
aspects of the play was
the large empty picture
frame through which the
audience watched the
action.
Michael Padon’s play
Cindy and Julie took
place at a bar. The audience discovered the truth
behind three of the most
famous characters of all
time. Cinderella met Juliet and they conversed
about how their stories
completely transform
their real personalities.
Unfortunately, Romeo
whisks Juliet away and
Cinderella is left with
an ill tempered bartender, Lady Macbeth.
She gives Cinderella a
mean lecture about how
10
she portrays women to be dependent on men. According to her, no
man would ever function without
a woman.
Amanda Yam’s play brought the
audience to a test day in history
class. The class featured the classical nerd, a rich girl, the brain, a
jock, the average girl and a lovescorned substitute to mention a
few. Together the class plots to
bring the substitute’s cheating
husband to a dreary end. The skit
would have been The End of Civilization but the substitute ends the
show with the true lesson behind
a history class.
Aileen O’Leary’s play Hands
Across the Sea was also a comedy, though more subtle and
sophisticated than the previous
shows. It was a parody of British
manners, and in the end, even the
hostess becomes fed up with her
guest’s silly behavior. The story
was filled with interesting side
stories including a creeper and a
gentleman who likes to drink a bit
too much.
Check Please was directed by
Chelsea Taylor. Her funny play
had loads to laugh at. It was a
story of worse case scenarios
in blind dating. From hobos to
old ladies, to youthful spirits to
bi-polar personalities, this play
had everything. It ended sweetly
with the two main characters finally meeting after one too many
strange encounters.
STEPHANIE TURNER/THE COLUMNS
This year’s S.O.A.P.s were both entertaining and thought provoking.
Sports
February 2007
Lindsey Adams
On Campus Editor
“
THE COLUMNS
ChlorinE and Water Time Out!
19th in San Antonio and various
school and state records were
in the 100 Breastroke with a time
of 1:09.99. Altogether the team
anticipation for the January 31
state meet, where they will face
It’s been such
a
beautiful
ANDREA GANNON/GUEST PHOTOGRAPHER
experience
full of chlorine
and water,” said
ninth grader Rose
Sulentic.
The
experience that Rose
was referring to was
her time on the St.
Agnes’ swim team
this year. The team is
made up of a Varsity
and a Junior Varsity
team, along with
the Academy’s first
diving team, with
a total of forty two
girls participating.
From late October
of last year to early
February, the girls
swam an average of
4,500 yards at every
practice. Practices
were Monday to
Friday, from 5:30 to
7:30.
Taking the Plunge: Junior Louisa Allouache perfects her freestyle stroke in practice.
The swim team’s
hard work and dedication became broken. Junior Kristina Kontrimas racked up 214 points, beating out off against their rivals, Dallas
evident in their results from TAPPS broke the state and school record Duchesne’s 120 points, to win Ursuline, in hopes of restarting
South Regional Swimming and with 52.29 seconds in the 100 first in the competition.
their fifteen year long winning
Diving Championships. The meet Freestyle and ninth grader VanFrom there, the St. Agnes’ swim streak.
took place January 18th and the Ahn Hoang set the school record team will continue to practice in
Amy Stuhldreher
News Editor
Vol 57 Issue 4
Sandi Moynihan
Sports Editor
SANDI MOYNIHAN/THE COLUMNS
Name: Marielle Murcurio
Grade: 10
Sport: Soccer
What was the funniest thing that
happended this year in soccer?
“Jackie Mackey’s shorts fell
down during a game […]
reveal[ing] her brightly colored
underwear. What was even
better, she kept playing with her
shorts at her ankles.”
SANDI MOYNIHAN/THE COLUMNS
This is our court!
“
Coach Remi Osho (head
coach), Coach Carter, and I
are very excited to be working with a dedicated and enthusiastic group of players,” said
Coach Maher about the 2008
St. Agnes tennis team. Though
St. Agnes tennis has only had a
week of practices, which are held
Monday through Thursday of the
week, the coaches expect the team
to play extremely well this year.
The tennis team participates in
both singles and doubles play.
With the returning players this
year and promising ninthgrade talent, the St.
Agnes ten-
nis
team
“looks
f o r ward to
a strong
District
finish
in
singles and
doubles” said
Coach
Maher. One player
noted to be doing
extremely
well is senior,
and The Columns’
own, Alison Wolte r s
who is the current District Dou-
bles Champion and has held that
honor for the last two years!
In order to achieve a strong District finish, the twenty-seven players and two managers of the JV
and Varsity tennis teams
will have
to play
hard this
season
and keep
up
the
apparent good
matches regularly on Tuesdays
and Thursdays and tournaments
on Fridays and Saturdays. In
match play, the girls play one
set, the best out of six games.
egy the playrs bring to the game.”
St. Agnes clearly supports
an
amazing
tennis
team, and because of that,
“check out our schedule and
come watch us play,” said Coach
Name: Sarah Granberry
Grade: 12
Sport: Basketball
What is something nobody knows
about your team?
“We do this thing before the
game called giraffe. We run in
a circle, singing a song [and]
clapping our hands, and Rachel
Harmon danc[es] around in the
middle like a mad person and
then jumps on someone at the
end of the song. Alice Carroll
prays afterward.”
SANDI MOYNIHAN/THE COLUMNS
ST. AGNES TENNIS/GUEST PHOTOGRAPHER
In tournament play, the
girls
play the best out
HER
RAP
of
three
G
TO
HO
P
T
sets.
“TenES
GU
RG/
nis games are more
O
.
S
NI
N
E
interesting in perwork.
PHT
Headed
by son than on TV,”
their
senior
cap- said Coach Maher,”
tains Jaimie Pham, Alison you can really see
Wolters, and Chelsea Wood- the movement on
lock, the girls will play in the ball and the strat-
11
Maher. The tennis season is just
beginning and so is the action on
the court!
Name: Sarah DuGonge
Grade: 9
Sport: Swimming
How would you describe your
team?
“Our team is a fun, exciting
team [that] knows how to have
fun, swim hard, and make the
extremely tight SAA swim suits
work!”
February 2007
TigerTail
the columns
Vol 57 Issue 4
That’s so Embarrasing:
Veritas Style!
Cartoons drawn by Amy Struheldrer
Stories compiled by Lindsey Adams
E
ver had one of those “I want to crawl into a hole
and never come out” moments? Hope you’ll feel
better by reading your Veritas sister’s humiliating
tales!
Perhaps your own embarrasment will become a funny
anecdote in a while.
We hope we portrayed all of the situations as they happened! Enjoy these stories, and The Columns wishes you
a very happy Valentine’s Day!
I accidentally asked
the wrong guy to
Christmas Dance. I
passed him the paper
[that] I had practiced
writing down, "Will
you go to Christmas
Dance with me?" that
I had meant to give to
my boyfriend.
At the first pep rally
in the Strake gym my
friend walked up the
bleachers, tripped and
fell on her face in front
of the whole Strake and
St. Agnes student body.
At a dance I thought I knew one of the guys standing around in a circle, so I went up to him, turned
him around and hugged him. It turned out not to be
[him]. I had no clue who it was. All of his friends
were pointing and laughing at me for the rest of the
night.
I had gone to the restroom and when I came
out my skirt was tucked
into my underwear! I
walked like that all the
way to my class, it was
horrible!
In the library, I was
sitting cross-legged in
a chair. I finally got a
paper to print that I had
been waiting on forever, so I jumped out
of the seat to go to the
printer and I didn't realize my foot was stuck
in the chair. I fell on
my face and the chair
fell with me and made
a huge bang!
One time I was in a hurry to go downstairs, so I cut
off a Sophomore because she was taking a long time
and talking to a friend. So while I cut her, she [said]
"stupid freshman...” and the funny thing is that I AM A
SENIOR!!! It was embarrassing for me, but I think [if
she had known] she probably would be more embarrassed.
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