Around CampusThird Floor Renovation

Will Hackel at 4 School BlessingCross Country Season

New Freshman Take the Hall by Storm - page 4

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Stuart Hall High School | Schools of the Sacred Heart, San Francisco | Volume XIV, Issue I | October 2014

Table of Contents

Cover Photo by Zander Angel-SouzaBack cover photos by Lori Saltveit, Genaro Covelli, William Rodriguez, Zander Angel-Souza

School NewsThe Class of 2018 is Here!..................................4The Camping Trip..............................................7The Morningstar Building..............................8-9From Sophomore to Junior..............................104 School Blessing..............................................12Murals on Campus...........................................13Third Floor Renovation....................................14Senior Trip.......................................................15

SportsCross Country Season.......................................6

Special FeaturesWoman of the Sacred Heart.............................11A Soccer Moment..............................................11

Community SpotlightHistory of Mr. Downs.........................................3Mrs. Pomeranz....................................................5

editors’ corner AlothaschangedatStuartHallsinceourfirstyear:theschoolhasvastlygrowninsize,certainpeoplehavecomeandgone,andwearenowremodelingourthirdfloor,theLearningCommons(comingsoon).However,muchhasremainedthesame.Theincredibleschoolculturehasonlygrownstronger,andourstudentsandteachersremainablasttobeatschoolwith.Theroundtablehasalsoundergonechange,asthisyearweaddedanewfacultymemberinMrs.AmandaWalker.Also,unlikemostyears,thisyeartherearetwoEditorsinChief!That’sright,mynameisStephenEverestandIamonehalfoftheeditorialteamforthisyear!Ilookforwardtohelpingbringyou,thereader,anumberofgreatnewspaperissuesthatwillkeepyouinformedandlaughing. Traditionally,theroundtable’sreportscovertopicsfromschoolsportsallthewaytocurrentglobalevents.Thisyear,however,wefocusedourfirstissueonschoolevents,stressingthisyear’sgoalof“illuminatingheartsandminds.”Wewantouraudiencetofeelthattheyareimmersedinourcommunity-asiftheyareherewithus.Inmylastthreeyearswritingfortheroundtable,ourschoolnewspaperhasconsistedofasmallgroupoftalentedindividualswhobringtheiruniquestylesofwritingto“thetable.”MynameisAustinWooandIamtheotherhalfoftheeditorialteamforthisyear.Ihopethatyouhaveagreatayear,andwe’llbesuretowriteabouteverythinggoingonatschool,everystepoftheway.

byStephenEverest‘15&AustinWoo’15

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Every year, Stuart Hall is lucky to get an infusion of new students and faculty. This year, one of the new additions to the community is Mr. Downs. Mr. Downs teaches World History and World Religions to freshman, and US History to juniors. This isn’t an easy job for one man, but he pulls through. Because I am in one of Mr. Downs’ classes, I can easily say that he is one of the funniest teachers at The Hall. For example, when you get an answer right, he offers an intriguing and interesting sound to go with it. According to Phoenix Aquino-Thomas ‘18, “Mr. Downs takes history to another level. History is not my favorite subject but with his teaching strategies, I am engaged and learning more than I thought about history!” As a community, we all wanted to know more about Mr. Downs. I asked him a few questions about his past jobs and how the SHHS community welcomed him. Mr. Downs used to work at Saint Vincent De Paul High School in Petaluma and worked as the Dean of Students. He held this position for

four years. After that, he came to SHHS and has decided that this school is the best school he has ever taught at: “The Stuart Hall community welcomed me extremely well. All the students are respectful and want to learn.” Mr. Downs brings to Stuart Hall accomplishments and skills that he learned from a previous job. He was a police officer for thirty years in the San Francisco Police Department, an incredible job but also very dangerous. One of Mr. Downs’ accomplishments as an officer was staying alive in sketchy and dangerous terrain while helping his community. These efforts helped him develop some new and useful tactics in daily life, which help him understand crisis management. I asked Mr. Downs why he left the force to become a teacher when his job seemed so interesting and so cool and he responded, “I enjoy being around young people and passing down all the knowledge I learned starting with the early stages with my life.” After hearing his story,

we’re so lucky that we have his helpful tips to guide us and his life experiences to shape us here at The Hall.

TStaff and Publication Information

Stuart Hall High School | Schools of the Sacred Heart, San Francisco | Volume XIV, Issue I | October 2014

PhotoByZanderAngel-Souza‘18||roundtable

community spotlight

History of Mr. DownsOur newest teacher

byNickShkolnikov‘18

school news

The Class of 2018 is Here!New freshman take the Hall by storm

Every year, a new class of freshman arrive at the Hall ready to make a large impact on the school. Each class, with varying personalities, talents, and interests, is unique and will spend the next four years maturing into young adults at Stuart Hall. This year’s crop of 54 freshman, the largest in school history, is full of scholars, athletes, musicians, and actors. According to our admissions director, Mr. Khan, an impressive aspect about this incoming class is their balance: they are very strong academically, athletically, and all are young men of courage and integrity. They also come from a large number of schools, with 54 kids coming from 28 different schools! The greatest numbers of freshmen came from Stuart Hall for Boys, Live Oak, and St. Cecilia. This diversity has led to an increased variety of interests from the freshman class, something that is very healthy for the school.

Their enthusiasm has also been noted by the school’s faculty. Mr. Farrell, the head of school, says he has been very impressed with the freshman thus far: “This year’s class has struck me with their sense of poise. From the first day of Freshman Success they have displayed a readiness to engage with school, not just in terms of academics, but also in terms of contributing to the community.” Freshman teachers have also been impressed with this class. Ms. Dzida, who teaches their English classes, says that this group stands out especially “when it comes to academics. This class as a whole is very diligent about getting work done on time [and] I am very impressed by this.” She also is complimentary of the group’s character outside of the classroom: “Socially, they really all seem to get along well, and they are very respectful to me as their teacher.” What I have noticed about this class is their enthusiasm for

everything Stuart Hall related. Many school sports have experienced the addition of a large number of freshmen, and even our

newspaper was bolstered by the addition of five talented newcomers! The freshmen have also shown great interest in service, music, and drama, including helping to reestablish the Acapella elective after the loss of many seniors from last year. Freshman Nicholas Camminante says his favorite part of the school year so far is Mr. Luna’s acting lab, further highlighting the varying interests of this class. On the school camping trip, the freshmen handled their newfound freedom responsibly and in the manner expected of Stuart Hall students. It was refreshing to see them have no qualms about participating in a school-wide event or integrating themselves among the upperclassmen. They also seemed to have a great bonding experience, as the class grew closer with each other and the general community. “My favorite part of the trip was the fact that I got to hang out with my class and the upperclassmen,” recounted freshman Zander Angel-Souza. This willingness to be a part of the community and try new things is very encouraging, and I am sure it will continue for the next four years. It will be exciting to see what this group will be able to accomplish during their time here!

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byStephenEverest‘15

PhotoByZanderAngel-Souza||roundtable

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community spotlight

Mrs. PomeranzA priceless resource

Mrs. Pomeranz grew up in Palo Alto, CA, with her younger brother and two parents. She attended Gunn High School and would eventually attend Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio. Kenyon is where Mrs. Pomeranz earned her BA in Psychology. After college, she returned to the “City by the Bay” and earned her Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology at USF. Mrs. Pomeranz put this degree to use at the HIV/AIDS Clinic at UCSF throughout the ‘90s, where she counselled people with HIV/AIDS, ran support groups, and coordinated the Women and Children’s HIV/AIDS clinic. She recalled this time as a very powerful and also painful period in her career, as the people she cared for were in dire states of health. At this time, there were many people dying of AIDS, and the diagnosis carried a very grim prognosis. In 2000, she would leave the clinic and take a job as a high school counselor at Immaculate Conception

Academy, an all girls’ Catholic high school in San Francisco.When asked about why she enjoys

counseling teens, Mrs. Pomeranz responded, “I love and appreciate teens for their energy, enthusiasm, honesty, intensity, curiosity, creativity, and humor! I also really honor the quest for personal identity that is happening at this time of life.” Counseling students could be very draining and demoralizing, but when asked if her job takes a toll on her, Mrs. Pomeranz noted, “Of course, I am affected when students are going through hard times, because I care about them. But, I have really learned to trust in teens’ resilience, and I love helping my students figure out what they feel, and what they want to do about it.” Mrs. Pomeranz moved to Stuart Hall High School in 2011. Here at The Hall, Mrs. Pomeranz works 32 hours a week and is on-campus five days a week, meeting with students. When you walk into her office you immediately feel a warmth. It is a small office with low ceilings. Students can get a cup of hot chocolate and sit on the couch, or they can rake sand in the Japanese

rock garden, and just talk. The San Francisco Giants are an apparent fixture in her room, as posters and bobbleheads decorate the walls and tables. Mrs. Pomeranz’s room is a safe haven for students who need somewhere to talk. When she is not at school, she is at home with her twelve year old son, or watching the Giants. She also continues to grow her counseling role, offering evening workshops for SHHS and CSH parents about parenting and adolescence. Mrs. Pomeranz’s mission is a selfless one. She is driven by a desire to help others in any way possible. Mrs. Pomeranz is a priceless resource that we are very lucky to have here at The Hall, and we hope to see her walking the halls here for many years to come.

byOwenFahy‘18

PhotoByZanderAngel-Souza||round table

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sports

Cross Country SeasonThe sport at its finest

byPhoenixAquino-Thomas‘18

PhotoCourtesyofGenaroCovelli||roundtable

The cross country team this year consists of about 55 students. Shocking. That’s a lot of runners, considering that the team is bigger than the entire freshmen class. The team also has many returning runners from the previous years. Who cares, really? While people may tell me that cross country isn’t a “sport,” I, as a cross country runner, disagree. Everyone says the reason why people join cross country is to condition for a winter sport, which may be true for some, but this is a sport in its own right. In cross country, all athletes are welcome no matter what skill level. Cross country is for anybody, whether it’s actually for conditioning, or if you enjoy running. It’s not just long distances that the athletes have to endure, but a mental challenge. Because the practices are fit to each person’s athletic level, no athlete is overwhelmed. If you join cross country only to condition for

another sport, be prepared, because there is a lot of hard work ahead of you. Don’t worry too much though, because the coaches won’t overwork you. We at Stuart Hall and Convent have a long history of success at cross country. For example, according to Coach Michael Buckley, it’s normal for us to win or achieve a top position during a meet. Being a cross country runner myself, I know that comes from all the hard work and training the coaches put you through. When you become a part of cross country, you don’t just become a part of a group, but you become a part of a team that shares hard work, courage, and determination. You will form friendships with the athletes and the coaches (even though they won’t admit it), and these friendships will last through high school and beyond. This school year, the Stuart Hall and Convent cross country team first ran at the College

Prep Invitational. We picked up 12 medals overall, including an impressive haul of six in the boys’ JV race. On September 23rd, the team participated in the season’s BCL West Invitational in the Presidio. It was a tough meet, with a lot of hills to overcome. The varsity team also raced at the Stanford Invitational, with each of the members of the Knights scoring personal bests. Most recently, the whole team raced in the season’s second BCL West Invitational, and the results show that the team is improving together, but we still have a long way to go.

Cross Country SeasonThe sport at its finest

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school news

The Camping TripFrisbee, football and campfires

byBrandonSeltenrich‘16

. On Thursday, September 4, we cut the school day short and boarded school buses by class, and set sail for our second annual full-school camping trip at Sugarloaf. The junior bus was full of excitement as we all anticipated our return to what was a successful camping trip the first time around, and after a ride that took a little over an hour, we finally arrived at the beautiful landscape where we would spend the night together as a community. For the most part, nearly the entire day consisted of lots of downtime, giving us more than enough time to set up our tents, and fill the rest of the day with whatever we wished to do. I spent the entire day up until dinner playing frisbee. I also spotted a huge game of football amongst the sophomores and freshman going on down the way. However people chose to spend their free time between arrival and dinner, it was a nice break from the academic school routine to be able to relax. When Mr. Vasquez rang the dinner bell, we all gathered around the dinner area to eat the food that a local church very generously cooked for us. When everyone was done eating, we all

gathered at the meeting area to acknowledge another successful trip, as well as watch a nominee from each class participate in a heated push up competition.

Despite the mass scale of “Gavin Loo” chants coming from the junior class in hopes that he would represent our class in the competition, Elliot Hayne ended up snatching that honor. Alex McDonald of the sophomore class ended up winning with a whopping amount of 62 push ups. Following the fun, a movie viewing of TheBlairWitchProjectwas offered, as was the opportunity to go back to our camp sites, start a fire, and start to wind down for the night. The next morning, we enjoyed a breakfast of champions that included cereal and oatmeal. And when it was time for us to return to school, we loaded the buses and buckled up for the journey back. It’s really impressive that we are a tight enough community for the faculty and students to instill trust in each other and

be able to enjoy a fun trip like this. A trip like this takes an amazing amount of planning and logistics, so looking forward, there will be the opportunity for more members of our community, students included, to get involved with this process. Hopefully, if things work out right, we’ll be able to enjoy a similar trip like this again.

PhotosbyMrs.Saltveit||roundtable

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school news

The Morningstar BuildingCulture at The Hall

San Francisco is a diverse city with an abundance of culture and variety. The city is made up of ethnic enclaves. Here at Stuart Hall, we are placed in the heart of Japanese culture with Japantown just two blocks away. In addition to our proximity to Japantown, our school is immersed deeply in Japanese culture. From the chapel that we use every Friday, to the artwork in our own school, Japanese culture is all around us. We also eat, drink, and learn in the historic Japanese Morningstar building -- a structure that sat empty during the internment of Japanese-Americans in World War II. The building was completed in 1929 with donations from generous Japanese and Catholic businessmen, as Japanese parents wanted a grade school that would immerse their children in Japanese culture and language. The building features a concrete base and structure, covered with smooth stucco. The building continues three stories up to a “gable-on-clad roof” with glazed clay tiles. The roof has heavy Japanese elements with carved beams and brackets. It also features a bow shaped curve with a gable at the end. The door is surrounded by a portico, and covered by a canopy that is supported by two stuccoed columns. The canopy has a gable of its own, an exposed purlin and a carved pendant. Continuing up the building to the second and third stories, you will find twelve wood sash windows surrounded by molded trim. Mother Modwina, foundress of the Daughters of Mary and Joseph, oversaw the Morning Star Institute from the outset.

byOwenFahy’18

Photoofgable-on-cladroofbyZanderAngel-Souza||roundtable

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school news

The school housed faculty in the building at 1911 Pine Street, the same building in which our four schools’ Advancement and Development Departments now operate. The Institute’s future was made uncertain on February 19, 1945, by President Roosevelt’s executive order that sent Japanese-Americans into internment camps. On April 1 of that same year, many of the faculty and students at the Morningstar Institute were given a six-day notice to evacuate their homes. After the war ended, the students and faculty returned to the school. Still, the Morningstar Institute’s days were numbered, as it eventually closed in 1985 due to lack of enrollment. The Morningstar Building may have lost its original school, but it lives on in the epicenter of Japanese Culture in San Francisco, reminding residents in the area of its history.

After the Morningstar Institute’s closure, the building was taken over by the Binet Montessori School, named for the founding father, Fr. Binet. In the year 2001,Stuart Hall High School broke ground on renovations to the building. These renovations took until 2002 to be completed. According to Mr. O’Connor, students originally entered through a stairwell that connected to the second floor where Mrs. Pomeranz’s office is now. The Columbus Room doubled as a cafeteria and faculty lounge. The faculty lounge was on the stage and the students could eat lunch on the floor of the Columbus Room. The storage room on the Octavia Street side of the room served as the front office. All of the moldings in the Columbus Room are original, but the SHHS crest as well as the curtain on the stage have been added since. The third floor would not

be completed until the second year in the building and would serve as the library. A building so deeply connected to our school and with so much history may deserve a second look.

PhotobyZanderAngel-SouzaofthefrontoftheMorningstarbuildingshowsacablebeingusedforcurrentrenovations||roundtable

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school news

From Sophomore to JuniorLife as an Upperclassman

byZackHammer‘16

The transition from sophomore year to junior year has been a big one. We have more options for classes, more freedom, and most of all, more responsibility. Unlike sophomore year, we have a larger variety of classes, and its our first year that we get to take APs. I chose a heavy academic workload by taking three APs and three honors classes, as well as theology. The three APs that I am taking are AP Environmental Science, AP US History, and AP Computer Science. Because of this, my homework load is almost double that of last year, and has taken a while to get used to. Thankfully, my earlier years at Stuart Hall have granted me effective study habits, making the tougher workload manageable. I often use my study periods to check in with my teachers about grades and work, which has really helped me stay on top of my game. Junior year is also tough because of my personal sports requirements. I fence at an international level, and so my

practice durations have increased to five or six days a week, meaning that even though I have more work, I have less time to do it in. The time requirements that fencing demands have really taught me to do work whenever possible, whether it be before or during practice, in the car, or during lunch and before school. I have learned to manage my time better. With the addition of Haiku this year, I’ve been able to see all of my homework assignments in one place. Finally, the last problem that fencing presents is the travel requirements. Since the season has just started, I haven’t needed to miss school so far. However, I will soon miss days of school for national and international travel. Missing class time, while challenging, can be manageable as long as I communicate with my teachers. While the workload this year has been tough, it is not insurmountable. As long as I keep in good communication with my

teachers and stay on top of my homework, my junior year will be successful. Giving schoolwork a higher priority than my free time may be tough for me now, but it will definitely pay off in the future. I know that SHHS will support me every step of the way, and will make this year one of the best.

PhotoByZanderAngel-Souza‘18||roundtable

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A Soccer Moment Brotherhood

bySethEislund‘18

Born from the fireWhose warmth filled her soulWith courage, love and passionShe began towards her goal

An honest womanWise beyond her yearsShe could always bring out a smile,from those on the verge of tears

While changing the worldMay not have been on her mind,Her knowledge and wisdomHas been a boon to mankind

Her morals and valuesShe did so impartBy taking her vows to createThe Society of the Sacred Heart

The woman of this storyIs one we all love and trustMadeleine Sophie BaratPray for us

I sprint down the field, my heart pumping. The sun is casting it’s searing rays on my skin. I’m breathing heavily, but I don’t care. There’s no time to care when somebody has the ball at your end of the field. As a defender, these are the moments I wait for, the ones I relish. It’s my duty to both my teammates and my coach to run

that player down. So far, he has no idea I’m behind him. It’s the perfect

moment.I’m going faster now, closing in on my target. He hears the pitter-patter of my feet behind him, and he accelerates. I catch up to him, and drop my shoulder in front of him, fighting for the ball. All of a sudden, he makes a move, pulling back and making a pass to another player. I am out of breath, outmanned, and I don’t know what to do. My teammates

run after the ball, get it, and kick it back up the field. I know my teammates have my back.This is the reason why I play soccer at Stuart Hall. Everybody on the team is held together by a special bond, that can only be experienced in the world of sports. Our team is a brotherhood, with each and every player looking out for and supporting one another. We train

together, play together, and win together. It’s never about just one person. It’s about the brotherhood and the camaraderie. So, with every step I take onto the playing area, whether it be soccer or basketball, baseball or lacrosse, I know one thing. My teammates are right behind me.

Woman of the Sacred HeartMorals and values

byZackHammer‘16

IconbySr.AnneDavidsonofSt.MadeleineSophieBaratandSt.PhilippineDuchesne,photographedbySergioVasquezinGrenoble,France||roundtable

special features

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school news

Four School BlessingWill Hackel’s reflection

byAustinWoo‘15

PhotobyStefaniBlair||roundtable

On September 3rd, Stuart HallHighSchool,ConventoftheSacredHeart,StuartHallforBoys,andConventElementarygathered at the Herbert Gym on theBroadwaycampusforthefourschoolblessing.Students,faculty,andstafffromallpartsofourschools participated in this annual tradition.Thefourschoolblessingmarksanewschoolyearandisawaytohonortheyear.Duringthisyear’sblessing,thefourstudentbody presidents spoke about this year’stheme:illuminatingheartsandminds.OurveryownWillHackel’15,presidentoftheSHHSstudent body, delivered an amazing speechtalkingabouthisownpersonal experience at the Hall and howwe,asstudentsandhumansoftheearth,cangrowandleaveourownmark.

Good morning Dr. Krejcarek, administrators, faculty, staff, and all students assembled here today. My name is Will Hackel and I am the student body president at Stuart Hall High School. I am honored to represent my school

and our four school theme: “Illuminating Minds and Hearts.” This year we celebrate the centenary of Janet Erskine Stuart’s death on October 21, 1914. She wrote on many subjects; however, one of her sayings especially caught my attention: “The color of our thoughts dyes our soul; the color of our soul dyes our world.” A quote that is worth repeating, “The color of our thoughts dyes our soul; the color of our soul dyes our world.”Around this time three years ago, I sat in the back corner of this gym listening to the student leaders share their thoughts on the theme of gratitude not really knowing how a Sacred Heart education would color my thoughts to dye my soul.I was a freshmen at the time; small and eager with high aspirations that only a freshmen could have. I was rather selfish to be honest. I wanted to be the smartest student, I wanted to be a star on sports teams, and I wanted to be a leader with great responsibility and voice in my community. And now as I look back assessing my accomplishments and feats, I never achieved any of these individual goals and let me tell you why.

When you go to school in a small community like Stuart Hall High School, you learn how to be apart of something bigger than an individual. You learn how to be a student, a friend, a young man; you learn how to be moral, to be a child of the Sacred Heart, to be a member of the human race. And although there are over seven billion people in the world, and only one of you, never doubt your unique potential and existence. Remember what Janet Stuart once said, “The color of our thoughts dyes our soul; the color of our soul dyes our world.” As I contemplate the reasons why I fought so hard for academic and athletic achievements, and the opportunity to help lead my school, I didn’t do it for my own selfish reasons like that freshmen me would have done. I did it because I intended to make a difference in the greater community around me. I did it because my ambition drove me to influence and encourage others to stretch their boundaries and reach their better selves. I did it because Stuart Hall and the Sacred Heart tradition taught me to. As we enter this new school year, I encourage you to develop your skills and talents as they are the dyes for which you will color the world. Know that you are not only a member of the Sacred Heart tradition, but of the greater community and world around you. Learn to inspire minds and hearts, in the hope that one day you will leave your mark on generations to come. I wish the best of luck to all of you this year and I would like to pre-acknowledge your time and effort in making our community a better place. I look forward to illuminating with bright colors the minds and hearts in the world around us. Thank You!

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school news

Murals on CampusStudents and Ms. Hellstrom work together

byOwenFahy‘18

Stuart Hall is a school filled with diversity. As students at Stuart Hall, we have a mixture of different backgrounds, talents, and personalities. Variety does not stop at the students, as every part of our daily life, from our learning to our playing environment, is a collection of cultures and backgrounds. The diversity of our learning environment is represented through the many murals that line our stairwell, courtyard, Columbus Room, biology room, and gymnasium. Murals that can be seen around the school “tell our story,” according to Ms. Patter Hellstrom. Ms. Hellstrom has led the charge to color our campus since 2006. Ms. Hellstrom is an internationally exhibited, abstract artist. She creates her acrylic ink paintings on polypropylene, a slick surface mounted on plexi and back framed to appear to float on the wall. Her website and many social media pages are well followed by the art community. In 2006, Ms. Hellstrom decided to take her talents to The Hall. Since then, most of the murals we see everyday have been produced under her direction. “We are putting our mission on the walls,” says Ms. Hellstrom when asked about the murals’ connection to the school. A mural that does not directly relate to a school mission is located on the wall of Mr. Helms’s classroom, closest

to Pine Street. This mural was created by the 2013-2014 Honors Biology II class, after reading John Steinbeck’s TheLogfromTheSeaofCortez, and visiting the Monterey Bay Aquarium. The mural is biologically themed, with an aquatic color palette. To the eye, this mural may seem like a decoration, but it is much more than a mere decoration. The mural features a white band every ten feet. These bands indicate ten feet of ocean and then within these bands, you can find the

marine life that would live at each depth. The gymnasium also features murals. There is a panoramic mural on the front of the south balcony. This mural welcomes opposing teams to “The Dungeon.”

It was produced in 2010 by seven students, under the direction of Ms. Hellstrom. The student

leader of the project was Anthony Torrano, ‘10. Torrano is working on an art degree at The University of California Santa Cruz, but has agreed to come back to help work on Ms. Hellstrom’s next project. Her new project is to “create a creative bridge between athletics and academics in the weight room.” She hopes to create a mural that promotes the qualities that are needed in the classroom and on the field. Art at Stuart Hall is used to express our values, triumphs, and sorrows. One of our sorrowful murals can be seen in the hallway that runs outside the north side of the Columbus Room. This mural is an homage to James Kessler, ‘09. This mural of Saint Madeleine Sophie was created in the style of the Barack Obama “Hope” poster created by Shepard Fairey, Kessler’s favorite street artist. The mural was painted by Lucas Long, Jono Otero-Caldwell, and Ivan Balarin in 2012. It features Kessler’s baseball number, written in Roman numerals, in the bottom left hand corner. Murals at Stuart Hall may seem like a way to cover the white walls that are ever abundant around campus. The murals that students see everyday go far beyond the naked eye. They portray the schools deepest values through the talents of the student body and faculty. The murals are an ongoing unified effort to portray our culture and personality through our talents and ideas.

Photos by William Rodriguez||roundtable

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school news

Third Floor RenovationA new, innovative, and creative space for SHHS

Over the summer and into this year, the third floor of the Morningstar Building has been undergoing some major and exciting changes. As you may have guessed, this project is part of a series of projects that have been in the works over the past couple of years throughout the four schools. The schools have hired architects to create brand new learning spaces. These architects consulted with students, faculty, and parents on ideas for the new area. Talking with Mr. Howard Levin, the Director of Educational Innovation at the Schools of the Sacred Heart SF, I learned that the schools have been “looking at all kinds of spaces around campuses, all of the campuses, trying to figure out how to get better utilization out of

our spaces, as well as to be able to encourage certain kinds of teaching and learning activities that are difficult to do in what I would call traditional learning spaces.” The third floor of the Flood Mansion, The Student Center, was finished

in the summer of 2013, and the Unkefer Lab and Hoffman Library have been under construction recently. Though nothing is final, the room is most likely going to be set up in a way that allows for different sections to work toward different purposes. The new layout has a very open concept and has a very bright feel to it, akin to the third floor of the Flood Building. There are not any set spaces for computers, and there are no separate rooms apart from a conference room and bathroom. Where the old computer lab sat, a screening area is set up with revolving wall panels that allow for easy access in and out of the room. The new furniture is meant to have multiple purposes and is similar to the furnishings of The Student

Center. According to our librarian, Mrs. Walker, “the new space

will allow for a both/and approach to media and information literacy - both resource- and user-centered, with want and room for both individual and interactive work. ”

The original projection for use of our new space was mid October, though to assure that it’s a really stupendous learning area, we are now aiming for early November. The most recent addition to current construction included the placement of a large beam for hanging the revolving wall panels, which was brought into the space by crane. Pouring and curing of the concrete floor also highlights new progress. There is no official name for the new space yet, though it is referred to as “The Learning Commons.” I am excited for the upcoming opening.

byNicholasHom‘18

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the round table | page 15

school news

Senior TripWhite water rafting!

From September 5-7, the seniors made their way to the American River for a class bonding trip and white water rafting. Upon arrival, we were greeted with a pleasant campsite that featured multiple fire pits, tables for card games, and plenty of open space for playing catch. The next two days were then filled with tons of outdoor fun! Here are some of my favorite aspects from the trip.

1. Lake Bonding Time The trip started with a journey to Folsom Lake, where our class swam, took boats out, played catch, and had a blast. We also ate Chipotle! The hours we spent there were just the beginning to our class bonding, and soon we packed up and took our talents to the American River for whitewater rafting!

2. Campsite Our campsite was organized so all the seniors could be in close proximity to each other. This allowed for people in our class to interact

in ways not possible during school.

Three-man tents were also provided, along with mattress pads, allowing for a much more pleasant sleeping experience! Having all the seniors in the same campsite helped our class bond and experience a different side of each other we may not have previously seen.

3. Food The most surprising aspect of the trip was the outstanding food. Our first night, our guides at American Whitewater prepared us fish, steak, and chicken! These delicious entrees came with many sides, including salad, rice, corn on the cob, chips and salsa, and many more! We were then served brownies and ice cream for dessert. At this point, I did not think the meals could be any more amazing. I was wrong. The next day for breakfast we were served bacon, eggs, hash browns, and potatoes. The food was so good it was even one of Ryley Aceret’s favorite parts of the trip: “the food was extraordinary and a real game changer for the trip!”

4. White Water Rafting The white water rafting experience was something I will

never forget! First, we were split into different boats and paired with a guide. We then proceeded to raft for the next seven hours, only stopping for a delicious and filling lunch. My favorite parts of the voyage occurred in lulls in the rapids. At these points, we would be allowed to jump out of our rafts and “attack” other boats, or try to throw other sailors overboard. This led to a lot of fun and chaos, with people switching boats constantly.

5. Bonding Time We spent the remainder of our trip playing catch, playing poker, and sitting around the campfire. These moments were particularly meaningful because they involved activities that we would never be able to experience during a typical school day. Our games of catch were always relaxed and fun, and watching Eugenio Guardia play catch was most definitely a highlight of the trip. “The senior trip was an unforgettable experience. It helped me better understand my classmates and the place from which they come... And I guess the white water rafting was fun too,” said Connor King-Roberts.

6. Great America Our class experience at Great America was a perfect way to end the trip. I rode all the rides I wanted to, scampering from rollercoaster to rollercoaster as fast as I could. I ended up going on Medusa, Kong, and Superman, among others. At this point in the trip, I was a little tired, but we were able to head home at around 3 pm and finish the night watching football. ‘Twas dope.

byStephenEverest‘15

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