This is SuperDance! - Bishop O`Connell High School
Transcription
This is SuperDance! - Bishop O`Connell High School
The Visor Bishop O’Connell High School Volume 53 Issue This is SuperDance! Funny men Jackie Beaver, Michael Bonini, and Alec Williams Heather Sherlock Staff Writer Each year O’Connell’s Superdance for Cystic Fibrosis makes another significant contribution to the search for a cure. The dance was first held in 1975, organized by both Maura O’Donnell, an O’Connell student suffering from the disease, and Msgr. McMurtrie, O’Connell’s principal. The O’Donell family eventually lost four bothers and sisters to the dreaded disease, but their faith, courage, and optimism inspired the entire O’Connell community to take action. Thus began Superdance. Cystic Fibrosis is a deadly disease that can be passed down from generation to generation. It causes a fatal buildup of mucus in the lungs, digestive tract, and other parts of the body. But because there were so few people that carried the disease, there was no government related funding for a cure, further complicating research efforts. This year’s dance-a-thon theme adopted a Gerard Butler/300 inspired theme: “This is Superdance!” This year’s dance was one of the biggest successes yet in raising funds and awareness. This year’s extravaganza netted over $135,000, including over $4,000 raised by alumni, around 30% more than last year’s 108,000! The varied musical acts once again attracted huge crowds, including a large number of 8th graders and alumni. There were also several competitions, including the 12-Hour Dance Competition and the Couples Contest. All contestants who started the 12-Hour Dance Competition endured the entire dance and so it was decided by a dance-off. After the dance-off the winners were chosen by the amount of applause they received. The winners were seniors Peter Ciampa, Emily Rivers, and Brian Edmonds. The Couples Contest ultimately resulted in a tie between the two couples, Greg Krug & Nicole Carty, and Charlie “Chuckles” Digiulian & Mia Gazala. The two couples received free prom tickets, saving them $140 per couple. Senior Joe Dannenfelser observed, “The Superdance committees did a great job of pulling together this year. It was a grand time!” Making special appearances were the ever-popular boy band, Struan Shields, recent graduate Brad “Breezy” Hunt, and the debut of senior Daniel Grady and junior Connor Welsh’s band, Raw Auras. All three acts electrified the crowd with their distinctive sounds. Congratulations to all the students, teachers, and alumni and bands that made this year’s 37th dance a very successful Superdance. Not ‘The End’ to O’Connell Students’ Talents Erin Buckley Staff Writer This year, on Cinco de Mayo, the Bishop O’Connell art community proved once again how talented its students are. Tents were raised, art work was hung, lights were set, and microphones were placed. Mayan-themed decorations were displayed, and soon The Festival of the Arts began in earnest. Students who take art look forward to this opportunity to display their creations throughout the year. Wooden dividers lined the gym with colorful paintings, photography, drawings and media projects, all done by students from Art 1 to AP Drawing. As the Festival filled with people, artists and teacher’s faces alike showed pride and happiness in their work. T-shirts designed by senior Jack Hurley, which sported a graphic of the festival’s theme ‘The End’ theme quickly sold out. “The Festival of the Arts” in my opinion was by far the best high schoolproduced arts presentation I have ever seen,” said Mr. Owens. “Student driven from start to finish, I look forward to volunteering on the committee next year.” Outside, musical performances by students such as Alex Birrotte and Dan Carnie entertained people in the coffee house; soon it was time for the fashion show. Inside... Spring Sports.........................................4-5 Q&A with John Thomas Beaver III.......10 Prom Page..............................................12 “Everyone who participated in the festival did a near-perfect job. The fashion show and artwork was incredible,” commented senior Adrian Acuna. Although the show displayed students’ work, the festival wouldn’t have been a success without teachers’ commitment. A special thanks to Mr. Crivella, Mrs. Beary, Ms. Koons, Mr. Mastric, Ms. Van Duzer, Mr. Shirey, Mr. Britt, Mrs. Milam, Mr. Andrews and Mr. Owens for their hard work and dedication in making another fantastic Festival of the Arts. A Blessed Birthday to Sister La Reine Sister Maureen Christopher Special to the Visor Sister Marie La Reine came to Bishop O’Connell from Trinity High School in Pa. in 1984. She served as Assistant Principal for Academics until 2002, but remained as a consultant until 2004 when she was appointed to Camilla Hall at Immaculata in PA. Sister is fondly remembered by many alumni, teachers and former students for her service and loving ways. She continues to remember O’Connell in thoughts and prayers as she serves the Lord in other ways. Her retirement from school allows her to actively enjoy other members of the IHM Community as they live in retirement. Sister celebrated her ninetieth birthday this past April 15th and wishes to thank those of our school community who sent birthday greetings and good wishes on this joyous occasion. Visor May 2012 Campus News Page 2 O’Connell Welcomes Dr. Michael E. Mann Deryn Pappano Staff Writer On Friday, March 16, the sophomore, junior, and senior class gathered in the auditorium for a discussion about climate change by guest speaker, Dr. Michael E. Mann Mann, director of Pennsylvania State University’s Earth System Science Center, opened the discussion stating “Scientists have been collecting data on climate trends for more than 100 years. This isn’t anything new.” “What is relatively new in our lifetime is the global interest and engagement on the potential effects of an upward trend in average temperatures around the world.” As an influential scientist, Mann’s career initiative is to give [the student’s] awareness as to how the climate changes would affect everyone in the future. How are we contributing to the rising temperatures? Are there ways that we can try to prevent this? Factors affecting climate change include both natural and human behaviors. One key example includes smog in the air; this occurs all around the world, not just in one place. Therefore it affects all of us. Another example includes rising temperatures. “The work my colleagues and I are doing is not to ‘predict’ global climate trends, but rather to ‘project’ how the trend could continue, given different future scenarios.” Mann said. His achievements dedicated to this work of global awareness have resulted in his being awarded a Nobel Peace Prize in 2007. At the end of the presentation, the students were afforded a “Q & A” session to gain a better understanding of what they had just learned. “This encouraged reflection among the students, resulting in well thought-out questions,” observed Senior Elizabeth Black. Senior Camila Rondon commented, “The presentation was very informative. I learned things about the environment and how we are affecting it. Some of the things [Mann] mentioned I never knew about.” “We were thrilled that our students could participate in this discussion today. Our hope is that these opportunities help them get their arms around the importance of being stewards of God’s creation and begin thinking about their personal role in their generation’s future,” President Katy Prebble remarked, at the conclusion of the assembly. SADD Club Teaches O’Connell About Destructive Decisions Deryn Pappano Staff Writer “Party at Alec’s house!” Senior Olivia Timms shouted, running down the aisle of the auditorium as a part of a skit for this year’s SADD assembly. The members of the club then gathered onstage in a skit to portray a party that lead to multiple fatalities due to drunk driving. Seniors PJ DiBenedetto and Lauren May played a couple involved in the crash, soon after leaving a party that included the abuse of drugs and alcohol. DiBendetto’s character had continued to drink heavily in spite of pleas from his friends. May’s character warned him about the dangers of getting in the car but he insisted, “Don’t worry! I’ll be fine.” After piling into a car with the very intoxicated driver, May and five other students soon died as a result of an off-stage collision which was audible to all in the packed auditorium. Following the skit, May, as well as the other five students “killed,” came onto the stage covered in fake blood with a red spotlight shining on them. President of the SADD club, Senior Michael Helou, and Vice President, Senior Shaudi Malakooti, provided a chilling news broadcast of the crash, as well as enumerating the dangers of drunk driving. The students were also shown a few videos, warning about just how dangerous texting and driving truly is. The assembly then moved on to a speech by Junior Kaitlyn Stoskus’ mother. Stoskus lost her sister, Paige, in 2005 to a reckless driver. Mr. Harrison next took the stage to add his own reflections on the dangers of destructive decisions involving driving. Senior Lauren May concluded the assembly with the important message: “Remember- do not drink and drive.” Model UN Concludes Another Successful Year Theresa Jeffrey Staff Writer The Model U.N. is a high school and college extracurricular club inspired by the operating procedures of the United Nations. Each student member of the Model U.N. assumes the role of a delegate from a specific country, and studies that country’s stances on topics and issues related to their political and economic needs. The students then debate these issues with other countries, resulting in final, offiicial U.N. action. The goal of the Model UN is to help students gain a better understanding of how the world operates. It also seeks to improve the quality of student debate, while it encourages cooperation and research skills as members learn how to play a role on the world geo-political stage. Model U.N. participants attend several conferences throughout the year, sponsored by high schools and colleges around the area. At these conferences, members from the O’Connell student body representing a certain country join groups of other high school students representing that same country. Each member works together with other high schools to resolve chosen issues. These conferences are the ultimate test for the member of the Model U.N. requiring great debate, speech and research skills in order to succeed. The Co-Presidents of the Model UN are Helen Evans and Brandon Bonair. The Vice Presidents are Meg Donovon and Adam Miner. The moderator is Mrs. Sposato. The Model U.N. has attended three conferences this year: The Ivy League Model U.N. Conference, hosted by the University of Pennsylvania, the Centerville High School Model U.N. Conference and the Thomas Jefferson Model U.N. Conference. The club has won awards at both the Centerville and Thomas Jefferson Conferences. Adam Miner received Honorable Mention at Jefferson and Helen Evans also received Honorable Mention at Centerville. The Model U.N. plans to attend more conferences next year. The Visor Bishop O’Connell High School 6600 Little Falls Road Arlington, VA Published monthly, the student newspaper of Bishop Denis J. O’Connell High School is a public forum with its student editorial board making all decisions about its content, under the guidance of its faculty advisor. Opinions in the paper are not necessarily those of the staff, nor should any opinion expressed in this public forum be construed as the opinion or the policy of Bishop O’Connell High School, unless so attributed. Editors-In-Chief Dina Hamami Maria Buitrago Front Page Peter Ciampa Editorials Theresa Jeffrey Health Tori Finucane Entertainment Joe Dannenfelser Style Tori Finucane Sports Kelsey Mix Campus News Erin Buckley Heather Sherlock Spreads Alex Birotte Outside News Deryn Pappano Copy Editors Peter Ciampa, Thesesa Jeffreys Staff Writers Alex Birotte, Erin Buckley, Peter Ciampa, Joe Dannenfelser, Tori Finucane, Theresa Jeffrey, Kelsey Mix, Deryn Pappano, Heather Sherlock Faculty Moderator Dan Culler Visor May 2012 Campus News Page 3 New College Counselor Has Big Plans For Students’ Success Deryn Pappano Staff Writer Next year O’Connell’s counseling department will be operating according to a new system with the addition of a brand new college counseling department. One counselor will be assigned to freshmen, and two counselors to sophomores and juniors. The seniors will be assigned to two counselors, as well as new Director of College Counseling, Jeremiah Shepherd. O’Connell believes that adding this new system will benefit all students. Working closely with Dr. Daniel Stabile and Mrs. Tara Brown, Shepherd will be giving each student greater individual attention, helping all students achieve success in the college application process. “A successful College Counseling Program is designed to assist students and their families in preparing to reach their future goals,” Shepherd said. “Mr. Shepherd’s team of college counselors will begin their efforts in the final semester of the students’ junior year. Each student will meet with team members and begin selecting schools based on necessities such as an intended major, location, and even financial aid. Shepherd, Stabile and Brown will work with them from that point on to the final selection of the college best suited to the needs of each student,” Dean of Faculty and Counseling Erin O’Malley said. “In the end, the process should be designed to help students find the appropriate “fit” in an institution and not choose a school simply based on name recognition and ranking,” Shepherd added. In addition to his help in the selection process, it is also Shepherd’s job to write letters of recommendation, and work closely with individual college representatives. Shepherd was offered the job following a nationwide search for someone with his particular skill set. His resume includes being on the college admissions board of Johns Hopkins University, and his alma mater, Northeastern University, as well as being a high school counselor. He is currently serving as the Associate Director of College Counseling at the Baldwin School in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. He holds a M. Ed. in Higher Education Administration from Northeastern Jeremiah Shepherd Looks Forward to Joining O’Connell as 1st Director of College Counseling University. “Mr. Shepherd has the experi “From the moment I entered, I ence, the energy, and the excitement could feel a certain “buzz” from both the munity I knew I wanted to be a part of.” required for success in this challenge. students and faculty. However, it was the “We are thrilled that JerHe understands student needs, he is very portion of the interview in which I met emiah Shepherd will join us as Bishop personable, and he his leadership qualities with students….that made the decision O’Connell’s first Director of College stood out to us during our extensive evalueasy. They’re happy with their overall Counseling,” Principal Dr. Joseph Voration process,” O’Malley said. experience, and committed to the school.” bach stated. The whole community will “Bishop O’Connell is a school “They asked hard but thoughtful welcome Mr. Shepherd as he begins a new with a deep tradition and legacy,” Shepquestions of me, proving that they held chapter as an O’Connell Knight for the herd said about his final decision on the their school sacred. It’s that kind of com2012-2013 school year! school. Visor May 2012 Sports O’Connell Serves their Best Season Yet! From top left: Coach Borgiasz, Quinn Bergeron, Danny Hughes, Ryan Doherty, Matt Papiernik, 2nd row: Daniel O’Connell, Daniel Grady, Mekonnen Halefom, Abey Yoseph, bottom row Patrick Reyes, Patrick Hughes, Andrew Merz, Kevin Shepherd and Coach Parson Peter Ciampa Staff Writer O’Connell Tennis, known on the streets as OC Tennis, began their season with a win on March 8th in a match against St. John’s College High School. The effort was led by Senior captain Joe Dannenfelser Staff Writer Danny Hughes, who is in his fourth year on the team, and Coach Borgiasz, in his second year coaching. This year’s team has a strong lineup with seniors Hughes, Ryan Doherty, Matt Papiernik, Quinn Bergeron, and Daniel Grady all working together to lead the team. The team is enthusiastic about its prospects for both the WCAC tournament and State tournament, hoping to place in both. Senior Danny Hughes believes that one of the reasons for their new drive is Coach Borgiasz’s attempts to “start a culture of winning,” and believes that the team will be really strong for at least the next few years Page 4 because of the new focus of the team. At press time the team had a 5-3 record, and two of those losses were tough, closely contested losses, 5-4 against PVI. The team works hard each day at practice; each practice usually consists of running, drills, or matches between the players. Senior captain Hughes said of the practices, “They’re very competitive; we’re always challenging each other for a higher spot.” Tennis teams are set up in a ranking method and currently the top player for O’Connell is freshman Patrick Hughes. At practice there are matches to change the rankings of the team. In the final match, the WCAC tournament, the team as a whole had great results. In singles Danny Hughes and Kevin Shepard made it to fianls and in doubles 2nd seat Matt Papiernik and Patrick Hughes did as well. 3rd seat Kevin Shepherd and Andrew Merz also continued to finals. Overall, Men’s varsity tennis had one of its most successful seasons in recent memory. A season filled with regimented structure, an emphasis on drill and conditioning and a good work ethic have propelled the team to its best results in years. O’Connell Seeks Par for the Season! A game of patience, a game of focus, a game of precision. Golf is not simple and many find when playing for the first time that the skill and attention required to play the game is not easy to come by. One needs to be able to drive the ball off the tee, use the iron clubs to move it up to the green, and putt the ball into a hole only 4.25 inches in diameter. All of this must be done in as few strokes as possible, meaning any small mistake will have immediate consequences. Senior Anthony Olivette, a member of O’Connell’s golf team, says that one of the most misunderstood aspects of the game is that it is very “competitive and you need to spend a lot of time playing in order to become competitive.” For O’Connell’s golfers, it’s always a competition among their own teammates to earn a spot in the next tournament. By watching the players during course, I seek Chief Herman’s advice.” Tom is speaking of Mr. Herman, O’Connell science teacher, who works with Coach Reed to teach the players the game of golf. Coach Reed is a 1986 graduate of DJO who was a four year letterman and captain of the golf team his senior year. Reed has been the Head Pro at Chantilly National Golf and Country Club for nine years. He was an assistant pro for the four years prior to taking over the leadership role. Reed also coached the Westfield High School golf team for four years. practice, the coach decides which golfers deserve to compete in tournament play. Varsity Golfer Tom Terwilliger says that, “You have to play like your spot is on the line every single day. Sometimes, when I’m having a bad day on the The team has failed to get a win so far this year but hopes that by working hard and learning from their coaches, they can get better and better each day and achieve success, whether it be a personal or team success. O’Connell Crew Is Rolling on the Potomac River Kelsey Mix Staff Writer O’Connell crew started with a splash. Coaches and rowers alike are pleased with the spring season. Practice on the water began in earnest at Thompson’s Boat Center in Georgetown. The season officially began with its first race, the Cindy Cole Cup Regatta, on March 31st. After capping off a successful winter season that included appearances at Mid-Atlantic Erg Sprints and Crash B’s, the entire team and coaching staff is ecstatic about the improvements and achievements that were reached over the winter training season. Highlights included freshman Julia Gorka and Margret Dail breaking eight minutes for their 2000 meter erg test at Crash B’s, the largest international indoor rowing championship in the world. Tess Heimerman, Kenneth Evans, Charlie Fidler, Brian Edmonds, John Bergin, Blake Martin and Nick Petrihos also did well in their respective races. Both the women’s and men’s team had outstanding performances. Coach Del Sordo commented that “the results were nothing short of incredible. We had 100% im- Men’s Varsity Eight: Coxswain Austin Hall, Brian Edmonds, Nick Petrihos, Kenneth Evans, Blake Martin, Greg Reyes, Charles Fidler, Rieder Grunseth and John Bergin provement from everyone.” Head Varsity women’s coxto have fantastic results.” The next big race for the crew swain Caiti Hall said she is happy with On the mens side, O’Connell team is the Stotesbury Regatta which takes the varsity women’s progress and is dominated the men’s varsity eight place in Philadelphia on the Schuylkill confident that they will meet with even event, beating Ireton by open water. River. This is the largest high school greater results during the championship The O’Connell womens varsity eight sporting event in the country. Both the race, adding an exclamation point to an was competitive and placed second in men’s and women’s teams have high already satisfying season. “I have seen finals. The continued rivalry between expectations for their performance at how hard the girls have worked this Bishop Ireton and O’Connell is someStotes and are ready to finish the season winter season, training in the weight thing to be watched as both teams enter off strong. room and on the ergs and we are going the championship chase. Sports Visor May 2012 Page 5 Girls’ Varsity Softball Dominates Once Again! Amanda Ehlers gets ready for her next at-bat. Tori Finucane Staff Writer With their winning record, the varsity softball team showed once again the result of their hard work and determination: another WCAC championship. With ten returning varsity players, they seemed to be poised to achieve that goal from the outset. Since February 25, the varsity girls have been practicing after school for over three hours a day. Although they work on their fielding skills, the practices focus primarily on the offensive part of the game. With the team producing multiple hits and runs during all of their games, their hard work in the batting cage seemed to be pay off. The Lady Knights kicked off their season with a 12-0 win against St. Mary’s Ryken, followed by a 10-0 triumph against Ireton. This really set the tone for the rest of the season. Head coach Tommy Orndorff shared the following comment about his team’s offense. “If I have a concern it would be that graduation claimed a lot of our offense, having no less than 14 home runs and over 100 RBI’s last year. I feel good about the top of the order, but we need others to step it up if we are going to fulfill our goals: winning the WCAC and Virginia States.” This does not seem to be an issue. The varsity girls have outscored their opponents 271-8, culminating in a 24-1 record. This team never seems to quit. With 8 consecutive WCAC championships, their perseverance never falters. Coach Tommy Orndorff leads this team to success every year, assembling a solid and talented group of athletes. These players are always up for a challenge. They want to play the best to be the best. Their schedule speaks for itself; a rematch against Northern, defending Maryland State champs Urbana, and Ursaline from New York. Against these teams, O’Connell ended up with a 2-1 record. Their conference games are always fun to watch, because you never know who is going to show up and play their best each game. The tradition carried on when the Lady Knights faced Elizabeth Seton at the University of Maryland. On Saturday, May 12, O’Connell claimed its 9th consecutive WCAC Championship in a 5-0 win over the Roadrunners. O’Connell outhit thier opppnent 8-2. The Knights jumped on Seton’s Senior pitcher Mary Ann More early, scoring 2 runs in the first. This gave the team good momentum for the innings that followed. The varsity softball team is thrilled not only from winning, but also from keeping a storied winning tradition alive. Congratulations to the 2012 WCAC Girls Softball Champions! Another Long Green Mile Peter Ciampa Staff Writer On your marks, get set, Track season go! The outdoor track season started with a bang with Coach Cindy Walls as the head coach once more. In the fall of 2010 the O’Connell administration along with O’Connell coaches decided to eliminate the indoor track season so that athletes could focus more on individual training programs dur, and hopefully reduce injuries during the demanding outdoor season. Thus, for the second season in a row, there were three months where the runners were able to train alone. Now many of the runners are raring to go for this challenging track season, “I’m excited to run with my friends after three long months of running cold and lonely,” senior distance runner Michelle Tansey observed. This year’s track team is looking really strong with a large number of seniors taking up leadership roles: Keith Holleran and Nick Gigliotti as captains of the distance runners, Matt Anderson as captain of the throwers, Kevin Keens and Daniel Burns as captains of the sprinters, and Emily Blagg and Alison Dommel as captains of the girls’ distance runners. There is also an abundance of seniors running this year who add strength to strong senior leadership. These senior runners include Kevin Reidy, John Stella, Adrian Acuna, Michelle Tansey, and Sammy Sison. has This season the Track team seen a number of remarkable Keith Holleran, team captain, sprints for the finish in the 800 open. accomplishments. First, Alison Dommel broke the previous 800m record at the Hall of Fame Invitational Track Meet with a time of 2:15. Next, the a boys’ four by 800m relay team won first place at Cassell’s XCD Invitational and broke the previous school record with a time of 8:56. The team’s anchor Keith Holleran, ran a time of 1:58, a new personal record for him. And, finally the Boys team won at the Arlington County Championships and the Girls team placed second. And most recently, the Boys placed third in the State Catholic Meet, and the Girls placed second! O’Connell Women’s Lacrosse Team Meets with Success lacrosse team this year is full of friends, good times and limitless drama, as well as wicked talent. The current record for the team this year is 14 and 6 with the end of the season right around the corner. The Virginia Independent League begins on Tuesday the 15th and if the girls win they advance to a Friday game at Old Dominion University. “The team dynamic is great this year” says Senior Captain Alanna Furey. This excellent team dynamic is due in part to three sisters: Courtney, Ashley and Shannon Cross. The seniors on the team are: Courtney Cross, Jenny Davis, Alanna Furey, Nicole Carty and Catherine Bean. Theresa Jeffrey Staff Writer Do you like long walks on Virginia Beach? Do you like classy, upscale hotel rooms? Do you like random compact disc mixes? Do you like eating a lot of food in one sitting? If so, O’Connell women’s lacrosse is the team for you. The When asked what she will miss most about the team, Senior Jenny Davis commented “The girls, the team dynamic, the bonding, and the fun bus rides.” This year, nine girls were honored by making WCAC teams. Devin Nihil, Courtney Cross, and Taylor Chamness made the first team, Rachael DiGiulian and Ashley Cross made the second team and Jenny Davis, Alanna Furey, Shannon Cross and Nicole Carty made honorable mention. Overall, the girls have had a great season and the seniors are planning on ending this last season on a high note. This is coach Meghan O’Boyle’s last season as the women’s lacrosse coach. Senior Jenny Davis summed up the season by saying “Overall it has been a really great season. We have won more games against private schools and we have been working hard to do well for our coach.” Visor May 2012 Virginia Where We’re Going Longwood University Christopher Newport University Michael Pipan Marie Connole Erin Fitzgerald Jack Hurley Kristina Pontillo Alexandra Sahagun Kelsey Saunders Molly Zinzi Deryn Pappano Emory and Henry College University of Virginia Katherine Ballington Page 6 Alabama Maritime Welding Academy (Vir- University of Alabama Jill Romano ginia Beach) Dale Mulhane Auburn University John Beaver Virginia Tech Brendan Dannaher Nicholas Gigliotti Jessica Eidt Tyler Hahne Visor May 2012 Massachusetts Boston University Where We’re Going University of Rochester Kentucky Polytechnic Institute of NYU South Carolina University of Kentucky Michelle Gbolumah College of Charleston Gabriella Clemente Boston College University of South Carolina Anthony Bucaro Bernadette Jarvis Catholic University of America Jessica Armstrong Daniel Do Allison Gliot Brittany Magee Gabriella Rivera Kate Vidrine Robert Renner American University Georgia Institute of Technology Alexander Kingston George Washington University Emily Rivers Andrew Roa Ohio The Ohio State University Arturo Garcia Woojin Kim West Virginia West Virginia University Franciscan University of Steubenville Rachel Azcarate Alex Birotte Alexander Butler Vanessa Corral Joe Dannenfelser Christopher Smith Erin Walhout Eaton Zveare Penn State-University Park Ashly Ninteman Villanova Courtney Cross Noor Faraby Emma Goetzman Aaron McDaneld University of Pittsburg Thomas Cline St. Joseph’s University Brandon Bonair Indiana University of Pennsylvania Anthony Olivette Lisa Young Joshua Conrad Charles DiGiulian Ana-Maria Hecton Alexis King Rebecca McGovern Camila Rondon Yangsun Kim Pennsylvania University of Mary Washington Corcoran College of Art and Design Denison University Joe Bender Julia Connole Xanthe Papovich Laude Vidovich Alex Batta Erin Buckley Nicole Carty P. 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DiBenedetto Michael Esti Madeline Giuseppe Michael Graf Lindsay Harvey Noelle Lane Matthew Leonard Dominick Manuel Jennifer Medina Shannon Nasca Thomas Terwilliger Mary Kate Watson Lydia Haile Brian Edmonds Marymount University Radford University Georgetown University Cathleen Garcia Dina Hamami Olivia Timms Berry University Thomas Burrill Franklin Fomunyoh Kathryn Gstalder Michael Helou Craig Kochel Zachary Makoutz Tom Morgan Marc Muratore Troy Potts Jessica Richardson Marc Saucer Emily Simon Samantha Sison Michelle Tansey Linh Tran Natasha Warcholak Pedro Del Carpio Daniel Meaux Jasmine Rose District of Columbia Coastal Carolina University Georgia George Mason University Old Dominion University Jonathan Mendez Amelia Gazala Kelly Luciani Quinn Bergeron Mike Brown Jennifer Davis Kevin Dawson Amanda Engebritson Madeline Fitzpatrick Alanna Furey Julia Golojuch Kevin Grady Calvin Heng Mark Hilliard Jennifer Huynh Nina Kajaria Caroline Leary Adam Miner Natalia Muniz Alison O’Brien Kevin O’Malley Chloe Seagrave Morgaine Castillo-Amore Maria Cervantes Marjorie Lillis Joseph Marca Daniel McAteer Temo Perron Calvin Pham Adrian Teran-Tapia University of North Carolina at Wilmington Luci Keefer Charles Fidler Tess Pascua James Madison University Northern Virginia Community College Page 7 California University of California San Diego Leah Sredl Humboldt State University Christian Tito Santa Monica College Jazmir Ramos Oregon Wilson College University of Portland Megan Fangman Ryan Doherty Duquesne University Matthew Anderson Elizabeth Bloom Megan Brosnan Stephanie Gulley Caitlin Hall Caroline Hollis Neil Ohlhausen Joseph Pearring Sydney Speetjens University of Virginia at Wise Colleen Farrell Virginia Commonwelth University Allan Africa Christina Borda Abigail Fundling Emily Griffin Antonio Guajardo Mikaela Kelley Thatianna Le Armando Luyando Shaudi malakooti Rachel McGovern James Mulville Jimmy Nguyen Monique Nguyen Nailah Salvary John Toth Grace Wald Anthony Walls Alexander Williams Michael Helou Joseph Griffin Francis Nguyen Lananh Nguyen Carlo Palma Thanh Pham Kevin Reidy Mary Sears Dannah Simbulan Maggie Stievater Kathryn Tuason Regan Wagner The College of William and Mary John Conroy Alison Dommel Keith Holleran Regan Houston Daniel Hughes Mary Marsilii Patrick McLaren Kelsey Mix Leah Retta Thomas Vaughn Drexel University Florida Assumption College Joe McDonald Joel Saunders Troy Jefferson John Lynch III La Salle University John Haseltine New Jersey Connecticut Rutgers University Indiana William Dukas New Hampshire University of Maryland Jonah Marie Azurin Julian Gooch Kitae Kim University of New Hampshire Fairfield University David Gillick Mount Saint Mary’s University Vermont St. Michael’s College of Vermont Rhode Island Loyola University Patrick Andrews Providence College Lauren Sese Theresa Jeffrey Pauline Cusmano New York Towson University New York University Justin Aguinot Shenandoah University Washington College Stefano Murro Joseph Shirey Bradley Farr Kenneth Evans Cornell University Roanoke College Brianna McAuliffe V.M.I. Robert Nugent Andrew Phan Won Bin Choi Shannon Edmionds Ke Azhye Cymone Irby Matthew Papiernik Dan Byrne Anna Christopher Haylea Wisniewski McDaniel College Mississippi University of Mississippi Catherine Bean Rachel Hudson Gwynedd-Mercy College Michigan State University University of South Florida Maryland Michigan Allison Grasmeder Peter Ciampa Zach Pardes Hofstra University Gemia Price Ithaca College Maria Buitrago North Carolina High Point University Kevin Keens Elon University Marlena Fernandez Emily Rodriguez University of Houston Caitlin Gunning Baylor University Diego Rodriguez Greg Krug University of Notre Dame Kansas University of Kansas Sam Snead Peter St. George Indiana University Joseph Polchek Indiana University-Kelly School of Business Kyung Hoon Lee United States Marine Corps Diego Olivieri Joe Rodriguez Mike Shero Illinois University of Illinois Urbana Champaign Antonio Lee Switzerland University of St. Gallen Nikola Lindstrom Iowa Iowa State University Olga Kilian East Carolina University Rebecca Culhane Madeline Lynch Lauren May Texas Missouri Washington University/St. Louis Emily Blagg England Guildford School of Acting Allison Roaquin Entertainment Page 8 Visor April 2012 Eager Fans “Eat Up” The Hunger Games Opening Weekend Erin Buckley Staff Writer Well- it’s official; The Hunger Games initial reception seems to underscore the movie’s odds for success. The Hunger Games opening weekend revenue was $155 million, putting it near the top of the record book. The huge opening marks the third-best debut ever regarding profits, right behind the $169.2 million opening for the 2011 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 and the $158.4 million opening of The Dark Knight, in 2008. Worldwide, The Hunger Games grossed a total of $214.3 million in just a few days. This is a particularly astounding opening because this is the first movie of the franchise; the other record breakers were movies that already had established a movie fan-base. Although the movie was marketed to teens and young adults, The Hunger Games also made huge profits with older fans, 56% of the crowds being age of 25 and older. Fans proved their love for The Hunger Games by waiting in lines for hours, bringing friends and parents to see the movie, some dressing up as their favorite book character to show support. Suzanne Collins, the author of the Hunger Games trilogy, gave the movie its blessing, praising it by saying; “I feel like the book and the film are individual yet complementary pieces that enhance one another. The film opens up the world beyond Katniss’ point of view, allowing the audience access to the happenings of places like the Hunger Games’ control room and President Snow’s rose garden, thereby adding a new dimension to the story. Director Gary Ross has created an ad- aptation that is faithful in both narrative and theme, but he’s also brought a rich and powerful vision of Panem, its brutality and excesses, to the film as well.” The Hunger Games was released on March 23, and all are encouraged to see it. Marvel’s Avengers Sets Hulk-Sized Records at Box Office Erin Buckley Staff Writer The highly anticipated superhero movie of the year broke all-time records this weekend. Marvel’s The Avengers took $103.2 million to lead for a second straight weekend, raising its domestic total to $373.2 million. With $95 million earned overseas, The Avengers took their $628.9 million to a global profit of just over $1 billion. The Avengers was the first movie to ever make more than $100 million domestically in its second weekend out. The film bested a record set by The Dark Knight, topping $300 million in 9 days, The Dark Knight reaching that in 10. Director Joss Whedon, and co-writer Zak Penn accepted the challenge of bringing together Stan Lee’s and Jack Kirby’s classic superheroes for the big screen. “For me, it’s capturing the essence of the comic and being true to what’s wonderful about it, while remembering that it’s a movie and not a comic. The first Spider-Man did things in the vein of the comic. You see things like the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, where they threw out the comic, or Watchmen, where they did it frame for frame, and neither one worked. You have to take the spirit of the thing and then step away from that.” The talented troupe of actors portrayed their superheroes with a humorously nuanced group dynamic, an interesting departure from the characters of the individual films. The overlapping of each hero’s story was flawless, each character true to his STUDENTS! nature in his comic books. The actors’ fine performances, with a combination of the well-written screenplay and the superior visual effects, produced a film that many critics around the world are praising in the highest terms. Avengers’ star Robert Downey Jr. commented during a press release how he felt after seeing the movie for the first time. “What everybody captured...was the right tone. Without killing it you kind of tip your hat that you don’t take it seriously. It’s a comic book movie, but you buy into the reality of it. Joss did a great job of finding everyone’s frequency. ... I see Joss’ wit. Whether the wit is funny or the wit is actually being able to pull together the whole myriad of ideas and notions that you have to get right for The Avengers not to be bunk.” Many O’Connell fans went to the midnight premiere of The Avengers. Some even attended the Marvel Movie Marathon at Tyson’s Corner, an all-day event at AMC that showed Ironman, Ironman 2, The Hulk, Captain America, and Thor, leading up to the premiere of The Avengers. “We all felt so cool, having our marathon passes to the premiere,” said senior Patrick Andrews. “getting in early while everyone else was waiting in line. The whole experience was crazy good.” When you clean out your lockers, please collect unwanted school supplies and 1. Give Them to Your Homeroom Teacher, 2. Drop Them into One of the Many Collection Boxes throughout the School or... 3. Give Them to Mrs. Wentzel in Room 326! Outside News Visor May 2012 Page 9 Space Shuttle Discovery Retires in D.C. Deryn Pappano Staff Writer “I see it!” Senior CaRynn Lucas shouted in exclamation as the student’s in Mr. Murray’s third period English class watched the 747 flyover the school, carrying the now retired, Space Shuttle Discovery, the longest serving orbiter. The shuttle is now displayed in the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. The Space Shuttle Discovery is the third shuttle of NASA’s fleet. It first arrived at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, FL in November 1983. On August 30, 1984, the Discovery was launched on its first mission, flight 41-D. Other missions include the Hubble Space Telescope mission STS31 in April 1990, and mission STS-41 in October 1990: the Ulysses’s spacecraft launch. Discovery Shuttles Home Picture by Mr. David Nasca Department of Human Health and Services Introduces Employee Mandate Peter Ciampa and Theresa Jeffrey Staff Writers The Department of Human Health and Services issued a mandate on January 20, 2012 that will require employers to grant insurance that covers “preventive services for women including recommended contraceptive services,” (e.g. abortion-inducing drugs, sterilization, and the birth control pill). In the past, Catholic institutions were given exemptions from these mandates because they were religious institutions. However, under this new mandate a religious institution is defined very differently; an institution may only receive an exemption if its primary purpose is religious in nature, (e.g. converting, or holding religious services). This means that many Catholic institutions will be forced to drop coverage rather than offer services that violate the precepts of the Church. The Department gave nonprofit religious institutions that do not currently offer these services an extra year to comply, extending the deadline to August 1, 2013. On Sunday, February 05, 2012, 150 Catholic bishops around the nation had letters read to their parishes that condemned this mandate. Bishop Loverde, in conjunction with the Bishop of Richmond Francis X. DiLorenzo, offered a statement to Catholic Churches in Arlington, calling Catholics in Virginia, and across the nation, to join together against this attack on religious liberty. They called the mandate “an unjust law,” and asked Catholics in their dioceses and around the nation to join together to bring this law down by exercising the right of Americans to petition the government. Nancy Pelosi, when interviewed by the Cybercast News Service, called the decision by the Department “courageous,” and said that she would stand with her “fellow Catholics in supporting the administration on this [decision].” In doing so, she directly opposed the bishops’ stance on this mandate. This mandate is blatantly unconstitutional. The first amendment guarantees the freedom of religion. This recent mandate is a direct attack on the Catholic Church and its right to freedom of religion. While there is an exemption for primarily religious institutions, this exemption does not include Catholic hospitals, schools, charities etc. If the Catholic institutions are forced to provide contraceptive services it would be in direct violation of Church teaching. While this issue as of now only affects the Catholic Church, all religious institutions and individuals should be concerned. Caps Playoff ReCaps Joe Dannenfelser Staff Writer Another season has come to a close for the Washington Capitals. While the team had a bumpy season and came into the playoffs as a “less than impressive” 7th seed, they made an extremely impressive effort in the 1st round of the NHL playoffs to dethrone last year’s Stanley Cup Champions, the Boston Bruins. It was a series that made playoff history as it was the first playoff series to ever have every game won by just one goal. Game 1: Bruins beat Capitals 1-0 in overtime; Game 2: Capitals win 2-1 in the second overtime; Game 3: Bruins beat the Capitals 4-3; Game 4: Caps win 2-1; Game 5: Caps win 4-3; Game 6: Boston wins 4-3 in overtime to push the series to game 7; Game 7: Joel Ward, forward for the Capitals, scores the game winning goal in overtime to move Caps on to the next series. After a strong series such as this one, the Caps hoped that their postseason luck from past years had started to change for the better. In an unfortunate end to their season, the Caps lost game 7 of the series in the second round of the playoffs against the Rangers. Once again the Caps season has ended with postseason disappointment. The Caps did, however, show remarkable determination coming into the playoffs; and although they were not able to close out the last game of the series, they should be commended for their effort. The Capitals have never won the Stanley Cup and have squandered their success in the regular season by not being able to pull out a strong performance in the playoffs. 2008 was the turnaround year for the Capitals, though, who had not made it into the playoffs in 7 years. This was the year Ovechkin became the first Capital to ever win the Hart Trophy as MVP and Bruce Boudreau achieved the Adams Award for Coach of the Year for finally pulling the Capitals into the playoffs. Unfortunately, the Caps went out in the first round to the Philadelphia Flyers in an extremely close series that was decided by a tiebreaker in game 7. The matchup between the Caps and Penguins in 2009 was perhaps the most memorable series in all of the franchise’s history. The Capitals made the playoffs again and were able to topple the Rangers, coming back from a 3-1 deficit in the series to win in game 7, and move on to a matchup against their arch-rival, the Penguins. The series is remembered so well because of the matchup of the two elite scorers, Ovechkin and Crosby, each of whom claimed hat tricks in Game 2 of the Series. It was a hard-fought series that resulted with the Penguins topping the Caps in Game 7 and moving on to win the Stanley Cup, thanks in large part to the dominant performances of Evgeni Malkin and Crosby. Another unfortunate year for the Caps would spell out even more misfortune for the team in the playoffs in the year to come. The Capitals came into the 2010 playoffs as a heavily-favored team to go far in the playoffs and maybe even clench their first Cup. They were the NHL’s best regular season team by a long shot and were expected to easily sweep past the Montreal Canadiens into the second round. Defying all logic, the Caps blew a 3-1 lead in the series, allowing the Canadiens to win 3 games in a row. This made the Caps the first No.1 seed in the playoffs to ever have lost the series when leading 3-1 in the series. Last year, after winning the first round of the playoffs, it seemed the Caps were getting a good lead in to the playoffs, getting to the 2nd round of the playoffs, but then they were swept by the Tampa Bay Lightning which brought another abrupt ending to their season. Caps fans hope that in seasons to come, they can see the Caps team translate regular season success into a good run in the playoffs. And maybe one day Washington fans can watch their players holding the Stanley Cup above their heads. Until then, fans will have to stand by their team, in good times and bad, and remember that it is no easy task they take on every day on the ice. Visor May 2012 Personalities on Parade Spotlights on... John Thomas Beaver III Visor Interview with Jackie Beaver, Winner of Most School Spirit Visor: Hey, Jackie! How are you doing? Could you tell us a little bit about yourself? John Thomas Beaver III: As a matter of fact, yes. My name is John Thomas Beaver III. I am a senior at Bishop O’Connell High School. I’m going to Auburn University in the Fall. I have never sneezed. Visor: I hope you have a great time next year. When did you take up the mantel of most spirited? Jackie: I decided to become most spirited after I was born. My father told me that when I grew up, I had to be best. Visor: What an interesting story. Tell me, Jackie: what is the source of your inspiration? Jackie: I want to be the best, because anything other than first place is for losers. Visor: That is inspiring, I suppose. If you had to choose, what animal closest personifies your spirit? Jackie: My animal spirit is an eagle. They hate evil-doers and love America; and they also provide my college’s mascot: The War Eagle! Visor: Who do you think will Page 10 & follow in your footsteps next year? Jackie: I am a once in a lifetime type of guy. I’m pretty sure next year is going to be a down year in O’Connell history due to the absence of my love and patriotism. Visor: You are a spectacular guy, John Thomas Beaver III. Alright, these next couple questions are ones that the girls around the school might be curious to know. Did you have any freshman crushes? If so, who were they? Jackie: Freshman year was an odd year for John Thomas Beaver III. He was still trying to find his identity. But to be 100% honest my Freshman year crushes were...well...they know who they were...and If either one of you is reading this now, I am so completely over you. Visor: And finally, do you have a special someone right now? JTBIII: Weird you asked me that, Peter; because I’m actually in a very close relationship at the moment. She’s amazing. I can talk to her about anything. Every time my fingers run through her beautiful blond hair, I smile. Every time she looks at me with her striking hazel eyes, my heart skips a beat. My special someone is my golden retriever, Cappy. I love you girl and can’t imagine having to ever leave you. Charlie Fidler Visor Interview with Charlie Fidler, Violinist Extraordinaire Visor: We understand you were awarded multiple scholarsships. Could you tell us who offered? Charles Fidler: I got one scholarship from the Rotery competition. I got second place and was awarded a small sum for that effort. Visor: Where did you apply to college? Charlie: I applied at George Washington, St. Joseph, Drexel, Harvard, University of Pennsylvania, UC Davis, Northeastern, and Boston University. Visor: Where do you want to go? Charlie: I’m most likely going to study psychology or maybe psychiatry. Visor: Are you going to play the violin throughout college? Charlie: I will definitetly play violin but most likely not as part of my degree program. Visor: Now with the situation with your back, what happened? Will you continue to row or will this be your last time rowing? Charlie: I broke 2 vertebrae in my back. I will be going to physical therapy to work on my core to strengthen the area around my vertebrae. I will be continuing to row and my possible scholarships are still open. Charlie: I will be attending Boston University in the fall. Visor: What were some of your other scholarship offers? You were pretty highly recruited. Charlie: The scholarships I’ve gotten are both Presidential or Dean scholarships. Visor: Could you tell us the sum, or is that private? Charlie: I got a scholarship indefinitely to St. Joseph and Drexel: $63,000 and $72,000. The Crew scholarships are still pending. Visor: What are you going to study in college? ‘So, let me get this straight, if I sign up for Journalism next year, I’ll not only be a beat reporter for the Visor, with my own byline, but I’ll also satisfy the Computer and Fine Arts requirements for graduation. I better do a little more digging and get the scoop on this.” Visor May 2012 Farewell Seniors Page 11 Farewell to the Seniors: Top 50 Moments from the Class of 2012 1. Power outage 2. First pep rally when the cheerleader spelt O’Connell wrong 19. Our first Superdance assembly 20. When you stopped having to pay for detention 3. Televised basketball game 27. Spilling something on your white polo 28. Walking into class and seeing its movie day 35. Father Hudgens’ homilies 36. Cutting in the lunch line 37. #yolo 21. Music in the hallways on Fridays 38. Putting an ‘s’ in the web address to try and sneak onto Facebook in the library 4. First homecoming 5. Beating PVI in basketball 6. The breaking of the vending machine glass 39. Not having to wear blazers 40. Wearing blazers just because you don’t have to 7. Having to pay $20 to get your phone back from Student Life 41. Getting accepted to your first college 8. Surviving freshman year 9. The 2 hour fire drill 42. The dance you did when you finished your term paper 10. Playing ninja at lunch 11. Mr. Crivella’s class 43. Not showing anyone your picture in the yearbook 12. Eating in the courtyard for the first time 44. Falling asleep in the balcony freshman year 13. The new gym 45. Walking to 7/11 to get slurpees 14. Coach Snyder’s dogs 15. The bonfire junior year 22. Senior retreats 29. Sister Mo’s bone 46. Ducking from Mr. Sabatino when your shirt is untucked 16. When the seniors went silent at the winter pep rally 23. Tripping up the stairs when there are people around 30. Starbucks at VJCL 47. Dissecting in biology 17. Immaculee visiting 31. Having health class in the old library 48. Being a part of the spirit club 24. Never having to wear a gym uniform again 18. Juhnyars (you know what we’re talking about) 25. Mr. Cool’s bear stories 26. Wearing white polos 32. The Justin Beiber obsession 33. Our last Superdance assembly 34. Snowmageddon 49. Video announcements in homeroom 50. When no one was at school because of Swine Flu Visor May 2012 Prom Page 12 Get Ready for Prom! The Do’s and Don’ts of Dress and Tuxedo Coordination YES! What’s Prom without a little car pooling? COMPLETING THE LOOK For the Girls... Wearing it down is always a favorite! but maybe you want to work the updo! MAYBE NOT... For the Guys...