tree lighting why go to rockefeller center? · 20/02/2011  · costa rica. highlights include...

8
The brothers of St. Joe’s…siblings that is By Brendan Gilmartin Managing Editor While passing in the hall, I wave hel- lo to a freshman named William. A few minutes later, I see him again. Except, it couldn’t possibly be him and it isn’t. Rather, it is his identical twin, Peter. The Batista twins are just one example of the brothers that walk the same halls of St. Joe’s by day and those of home by night. Some siblings are well-known; others pre- fer to keep the blood relation that they share a well-guarded secret. No matter who it is though, one thing is for certain: having a brother attend the same school makes life a little different. “He helps me with my work…like a private tutor. There always seems to be a little competition of who would get on honor role or have a higher GPA. It’s always fun to have something to strive for.”- Brian Gahagan, sophomore “He is an excellent source of extra lunch money…” – Greg Spear, senior “I always have to make sure that he makes the bus. A positive thing is that he has made me want to become more involved with school activities, which makes him feel more comfortable when he participates.” Emilio Villareal, junior “The best part is having him drive me to school, although sometimes I think we’re going to crash because he doesn’t want to be late…” – Brian Zelehoski, sophomore “He is a lot more experienced at soc- cer, so he gives me tips about that…” – Bryan Gilmartin, sophomore “The best part is that we are sharing the same experience. It gives us something in common to talk about after school.” – William Chan, sophomore “My brother will be talking in class, but I will get yelled at…”- Chris Egiziano, junior “Well, Brian gets all the attention from girls. People always think Brendan Gilmartin is related to us.” – Sean Gilmartin, senior “The worst part is that if I’m absent, they tell Pat to get all my homework. Plus, if one of us gets bad grades, the other will tell our parents. Having him here has made me want to get better grades… so I can make fun of him.” – Joe Marrazo, sopho- more “I get better grades in math because I show all my work. People think that we look the same and that scares them.” – Charles Biri, senior “No matter what happens with anyone else, I always have somebody in school for me…no matter what.” – Sean Gaha- gan, senior By Michael Varco Photography Editor The St. Joe’s community has been holding its annual Junior Ring Mass for over twenty years. On Friday, December 9, at 7:00 p.m., all juniors were invited to attend this year’s mass and, in addition, rings were distributed to those who ordered them. The gym, where the ceremony was held, was dec- orated with flowers and candles. Preparations for the ceremony were already in place since the gym had been prepared for the Christmas tree lighting ceremony, held on December 10, and for the school liturgy, held on December 8. Students, in addition to facul- ty, staff, and the Brothers of the Sacred Heart, were present at the event, which was celebrated by Fr. Sean Winters. The opening procession was lead by the Broth- ers, who were bearing the rings. During the mass, the rings were blessed and placed on the altar. Mr. Fischer then read the names of the students present while eight faculty members manned four sta- tions at the front of the gym, two at each station. Next, four stu- dents’ names were read at a time, each of whom was called up to one of the four stations to receive his ring. This year’s Junior Ring Mass included a more developed music ensemble, which incorporated stu- dents, faculty, and two other musi- cians. The junior ring mass is a very significant and traditionally rich event. The event marks a rite of passage for juniors - going from underclassmen to upperclassmen. Such an elaborate ceremony is one that the juniors present will remem- ber forever. Mr. Fischer, Dean of Studies, remarked, “The Junior Ring Mass is an opportunity to show the rite of passage of juniors heading towards their last year in high school. The mass is a way of pass- ing on to juniors the traditions of St. Joe’s, as well as epitomizing the community that makes up the Brothers of the Sacred Heart and St. Joe’s.” By Brendan Gilmartin Managing Editor As the seasons change and tem- peratures drop, there is one St. Joe’s tradition that always brings warmth to the holiday season. This year, the St. Joseph High School Christmas Tree Lighting took place on Saturday, December 10, and rivaled the similar event in Rock- efeller Center. Organized by the Office of Alumni Affairs with assistance from Ms. Diane Dwyer, the night began at 5:45 p.m. when the St. Matthew’s Bell Choir greeted guests with pleasant holiday tunes as they made their way to mass in the gymnasium. The mass was cel- ebrated by Fr. John Gloss and short- ly after, the main event commenced. As a quartet from the New Jer- sey Youth Symphony Orchestra played Christmas carols around the seal of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart, the guests proceed- ed from the gymnasium, through the main foyer, to the front of the school where the tree was lit. “What made this year’s light- ing so significant,” commented Ms. Dwyer, “is that the tree was dedicated to Mr. David Bixel, Class of 1966.” She elaborated that a plaque was set at the tree lighting in remembrance and thanks to this honorable alumnus. After the main festivities were complete, a buf- fet dinner, catered by D’Aprile Family Caterers, was served in the cafeteria. The organizers were excited about the large turnout. Over 300 people attended last year’s light- ing and this year was even greater. Invitations went out in the first week of November to any alumnus, parent, or friend who currently resides within 30 miles of the school. Ms. Dwyer remarked, “This event was so special because it was open to anyone and everyone from the St. Joe’s family; it was a wonderful opportunity to get together during the holiday sea- son.” With an event like this, atten- dees were naturally left wonder- ing: why go to Rockefeller Center? Christmas on Campus See page 6 Teachers’ Pets page 7 S S AINT AINT J J OSEPH OSEPH H H IGH IGH S S CHOOL CHOOL Vol. XLVIII Number 3 The Student Newspaper of Saint Joseph High School, Metuchen, N.J. December 2005 TREE LIGHTING Why go to Rockefeller Center? Photos by Dr. M. Gubernat William and Peter Batista Joe and Pat Marrazo Veterans remembered St. Joe’s held a special ceremony on November 11, Veter- ans Day, to commemorate those who served in the armed forces. Members of the St. Joe’s band provided the music while the entire student body as well as faculty gathered around the flagpole. Names of recent alums who recently finished or are currently serving were acknowledged. Major John Chacko, Class of ’91, was present. Photos by Diane Dwyer Juniors honored with Ring Mass Photo by Andrew Sasso Photo by Mike Varco Our tree lighting really brought out that Christmas feeling; the people, the music, the tree, everything! Photo by Mrs. Chiselko Steve Chiselko, James Maquire, Pat Fazano, Mr. Walsh, Mr. Fischer, Br. Matthew, Mike Varco Photo by Andrew Sasso

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Page 1: TREE LIGHTING Why go to Rockefeller Center? · 20/02/2011  · Costa Rica. Highlights include visiting the capital, San José, exploring the rich biologi-cal diversity through the

The brothers of St. Joe’s…siblings that is By Brendan Gilmartin

Managing Editor

While passing in the hall, I wave hel-lo to a freshman named William. A fewminutes later, I see him again. Except, itcouldn’t possibly be him and it isn’t.Rather, it is his identical twin, Peter. TheBatista twins are just one example of thebrothers that walk the same halls of St.Joe’s by day and those of home by night.Some siblings are well-known; others pre-fer to keep the blood relation that theyshare a well-guarded secret. No matterwho it is though, one thing is for certain:having a brother attend the same schoolmakes life a little different.

“He helps me with my work…like aprivate tutor. There always seems to be alittle competition of who would get onhonor role or have a higher GPA. It’s

always fun to have something to strivefor.”- Brian Gahagan, sophomore

“He is an excellent source of extra lunchmoney…” – Greg Spear, senior

“I always have to make sure that hemakes the bus. A positive thing is that hehas made me want to become more involvedwith school activities, which makes him feelmore comfortable when he participates.”– Emilio Villareal, junior

“The best part is having him drive meto school, although sometimes I thinkwe’re going to crash because he doesn’twant to be late…” – Brian Zelehoski,sophomore

“He is a lot more experienced at soc-cer, so he gives me tips about that…” –Bryan Gilmartin, sophomore

“The best part is that we are sharing thesame experience. It gives us somethingin common to talk about after school.” –William Chan, sophomore

“My brother will be talking in class, butI will get yelled at…”- Chris Egiziano,junior

“Well, Brian gets all the attention fromgirls. People always think BrendanGilmartin is related to us.” – Sean Gilmartin,senior

“The worst part is that if I’m absent,they tell Pat to get all my homework. Plus,

if one of us gets bad grades, the other willtell our parents. Having him here has mademe want to get better grades… so I canmake fun of him.” – Joe Marrazo, sopho-more

“I get better grades in math because Ishow all my work. People think that welook the same and that scares them.” –Charles Biri, senior

“No matter what happens with anyoneelse, I always have somebody in schoolfor me…no matter what.” – Sean Gaha-gan, senior

By Michael VarcoPhotography Editor

The St. Joe’s community hasbeen holding its annual Junior RingMass for over twenty years. OnFriday, December 9, at 7:00 p.m.,all juniors were invited to attendthis year’s mass and, in addition,rings were distributed to those whoordered them. The gym, wherethe ceremony was held, was dec-orated with flowers and candles.Preparations for the ceremony werealready in place since the gym hadbeen prepared for the Christmastree lighting ceremony, held onDecember 10, and for the schoolliturgy, held on December 8.

Students, in addition to facul-ty, staff, and the Brothers of theSacred Heart, were present at theevent, which was celebrated byFr. Sean Winters. The openingprocession was lead by the Broth-ers, who were bearing the rings.During the mass, the rings wereblessed and placed on the altar.Mr. Fischer then read the namesof the students present while eight

faculty members manned four sta-tions at the front of the gym, twoat each station. Next, four stu-dents’ names were read at a time,each of whom was called up toone of the four stations to receivehis ring.

This year’s Junior Ring Massincluded a more developed musicensemble, which incorporated stu-dents, faculty, and two other musi-cians. The junior ring mass is avery significant and traditionallyrich event. The event marks a riteof passage for juniors - going fromunderclassmen to upperclassmen.Such an elaborate ceremony is onethat the juniors present will remem-ber forever.

Mr. Fischer, Dean of Studies,remarked, “The Junior Ring Massis an opportunity to show the riteof passage of juniors headingtowards their last year in highschool. The mass is a way of pass-ing on to juniors the traditions ofSt. Joe’s, as well as epitomizingthe community that makes up theBrothers of the Sacred Heart andSt. Joe’s.”

By Brendan GilmartinManaging Editor

As the seasons change and tem-peratures drop, there is one St.Joe’s tradition that always bringswarmth to the holiday season. Thisyear, the St. Joseph High SchoolChristmas Tree Lighting took placeon Saturday, December 10, andrivaled the similar event in Rock-efeller Center.

Organized by the Office ofAlumni Affairs with assistancefrom Ms. Diane Dwyer, the nightbegan at 5:45 p.m. when the St.Matthew’s Bell Choir greetedguests with pleasant holiday tunesas they made their way to mass inthe gymnasium. The mass was cel-ebrated by Fr. John Gloss and short-ly after, the main event commenced.

As a quartet from the New Jer-sey Youth Symphony Orchestraplayed Christmas carols aroundthe seal of the Brothers of the

Sacred Heart, the guests proceed-ed from the gymnasium, throughthe main foyer, to the front of theschool where the tree was lit.

“What made this year’s light-ing so significant,” commentedMs. Dwyer, “is that the tree wasdedicated to Mr. David Bixel, Classof 1966.” She elaborated that a

plaque was set at the tree lightingin remembrance and thanks to thishonorable alumnus. After the mainfestivities were complete, a buf-fet dinner, catered by D’AprileFamily Caterers, was served in thecafeteria.

The organizers were excitedabout the large turnout. Over 300people attended last year’s light-ing and this year was even greater.Invitations went out in the firstweek of November to any alumnus,parent, or friend who currentlyresides within 30 miles of theschool.

Ms. Dwyer remarked, “Thisevent was so special because itwas open to anyone and everyonefrom the St. Joe’s family; it wasa wonderful opportunity to gettogether during the holiday sea-son.”

With an event like this, atten-dees were naturally left wonder-ing: why go to Rockefeller Center?

Christmas on CampusSee page 6

Teachers’ Pets page 7SSAINTAINT JJOSEPHOSEPH HHIGHIGH SSCHOOLCHOOL

Vol. XLVIII Number 3 The Student Newspaper of Saint Joseph High School, Metuchen, N.J. December 2005

TREE LIGHTING

Why go to Rockefeller Center?

Photos by Dr. M. Gubernat

William and Peter Batista

Joe and Pat Marrazo

Veterans rememberedSt. Joe’s held a special ceremony on November 11, Veter-ans Day, to commemorate those who served in the armedforces. Members of the St. Joe’s band provided the musicwhile the entire student body as well as faculty gatheredaround the flagpole. Names of recent alums who recentlyfinished or are currently serving were acknowledged.Major John Chacko, Class of ’91, was present.

Photos by Diane Dwyer

Juniors honored with Ring Mass

Photo by Andrew Sasso Photo by Mike Varco

Our tree lighting really brought out that Christmas feeling; the people, the music, the tree, everything!

Photo by Mrs. Chiselko

Steve Chiselko, James Maquire, Pat Fazano, Mr. Walsh, Mr. Fischer,Br. Matthew, Mike Varco

Photo by Andrew Sasso

Page 2: TREE LIGHTING Why go to Rockefeller Center? · 20/02/2011  · Costa Rica. Highlights include visiting the capital, San José, exploring the rich biologi-cal diversity through the

By Roseller LapitanStaff Writer

Justin Coco is daydreaming onceagain. Unfortunately he’s lookingout the window during his sixthperiod pre-Calculus class, think-ing how radically differenthis winter break “classroom”will be. While some stu-dents may wonder what lifeis like beyond school walls,Justin will be part of a groupof students that won’t haveto wonder anymore. Dur-ing the February break, theywill able to live every stu-dent’s daydream when theytravel to Costa Rica to expe-rience an entirely differenteducational setting.

The International Trav-elers Club is moderated bythe Language departmentchair Ms. Ana Rocci. Inexpressing the primary purpose ofthe club, she said, “It is a won-derful opportunity open for all stu-dents to educate, enrich, and exposethemselves to different cultures.They are able to learn things out-side a textbook, as well as per-sonally experience such uniquelessons.”

Ms. Rocci will accompany eightSt. Joe’s students on their CostaRica expedition from February 18to 26. The price, approximately$1,870, is all-inclusive. The tripwas arranged especially by EFEducational Tours, an international

education tour program whosegoal is to educate participants byhelping them “learn it by livingit.” EF is particularly beneficial toparticipating students because itis the only program to grant cred-its for involvement in the program.Justin Coco, the International Trav-elers Club President, noted how

extremely helpful EF was. “It’ssuch a great and beneficial pro-gram,” Justin noted. “They real-ly helped make planning the tripmore enjoyable and manageablefor us.”

As for the trip itself, the stu-dents will be able to enjoy aonce-in-a-lifetime experi-ence as well as learn manynew facts about the culture ofCosta Rica. Highlights includevisiting the capital, San José,exploring the rich biologi-cal diversity through the eco-logical theme parks such asthe INBioparque, and enjoy-ing breathtaking sights suchas the Arenal Volcano or theLa Fortuna Waterfall.

Ms. Rocci fondly remem-bered her past trips with stu-dents. “Throughout the yearsI have many students whocome back and I always ask

them, ‘What was your most mem-orable experience?’ I am alwayssurprised to hear that their answerwas ‘The International TravelersClub Trip.’ It really shows the last-ing impression that it makes onthese students.”

For the students, their trip toCosta Rica will mark for them amemorable experience as well asan educational one. Indeed, suchpleasant memories will linger intheir minds throughout their lives.In that case, a little daydreamingis understandable.

By Matt RothStaff Writer

The Fathers’ Club has had greatsuccesses with two of their mostpopular fundraisers in the past.This year they continued that tra-dition.

As interest in games of chancegrows, Vegas nights have becomeincreasingly popular events. TheFathers’ Club, recognizing popu-lar interest in such events, orga-nized and ran its own Vegas Night,an annual fundraiser that providessignificant operating revenue for St.Joseph High School. A companyspecializing in casino-theme par-ties ran the various games of chance,while Fathers’ Club volunteersprovided the food and beveragesfor guests. A surprising array ofcasino games was offered, includ-ing slot machines, roulette wheels,and a variety of card games. Prizes,such as dinners at select restau-rants donated by individuals andlocal companies, were won byplayers who bid with their win-

nings. This year’s Vegas Nightnetted a profit of approximately$14,000.

Another major fundraiser wasthe Craft Fair, which was held onNovember 19 and 20. Alwayspopular, it draws holiday shopperseager to find that perfect item. Toassure that the very finest itemsare offered, vendors must presenttheir products to a committee forapproval before they can secure atable at the St. Joe’s Craft Fair.

All products are hand-craftedby the vendors, never mass-pro-duced. Tables set up throughout thegym, cafeteria, and hallways pro-vided easy access for the shop-pers. There were fewer partici-pating crafters this year becauseof increased competition from oth-er scheduled shows, but the selec-tion of quality items was main-tained and the event remained amajor success.

The Fathers’ Club, comprisedof a group of dedicated volunteers,continues their traditional fundrais-ers with great success.

By John MollAssociate Editor

This holiday season not onlymarks the end of a difficult year,but it also symbolizes a time ofthankfulness for God’s blessingsof family and friends. If we rec-ollect during this holiday sea-son, we will be reminded of howpeople have devoted their timeand love to us.

Each member of the St. Joe’scommunity has been privilegedto be included in the high school’scamaraderie and unified envi-ronment. In the midst of thestresses of the school year, it canbe easy to become complacentand forget about those who aredevoted to us.

While sitting around our respec-tive tables with our families thisholiday season, we should demon-

strate our appreciation for thesacrifices that our parents andgrandparents have made for us.They have sacrificed themselvesfor the prosperity of our gener-ation. We can only strive toachieve further prosperity forsubsequent generations.

We should express gratitudeto those people who have dedi-cated their time to us. Whetherthey are teachers, coaches, orloved ones, these people enableus to perform to the best of ourabilities on a daily basis. With-out them, our dreams might notbe made possible and our senseof hope would be obscured.

Respect and admiration shouldbe displayed to all soldiers in thearmed forces who have foughtand died to protect our country.It is crucial to maintain our appre-ciation for the men and women

who continue to fight for the aston-ishingly high cost of freedom.

This past calendar year hasbeen marked by tragedy and dis-may at St. Joe’s. However, ourcommunity has joined togetherand become strengthened throughthe camaraderie of our class-mates. We have grown as menthroughout such adversity. Weshould be thankful to the peoplewho put a smile on our faces oran arm around our shoulders.Even the smallest displays ofaffection have aided us in cop-ing during difficult times.

I believe that thankfulness isthe most important virtue dur-ing times of happiness and relax-ation throughout the holiday sea-son. Not only does thankfulnessbenefit our loved ones, but alsoit keeps us grounded and grate-ful for their sacrifices.

By Jonathan RamtekeStaff Writer

Junior Matthew Bernot wouldlike to become a politician.Therefore, the National YouthLeadership Forum on Law wasthe perfect opportunity for himto meet like-minded studentsand experience what it is liketo work in law.

The Forum, held fromNovember 8 to 13, took placein, appropriately, Washington,D.C. Part of the schedule forthe Forum incorporated meet-ings with law professors and

politicians, including formerpresidential candidate John Ker-ry, with whom Matt had lunch.Students also participated inseveral mock trials and work-shops.

Admission into the Forum ishighly selective and the pro-gram is demanding. Studentsmust have a B+ average in theirclasses and receive a nomina-tion from a teacher.

Bernot called it an excellentexperience. “Washington, D.C.is a great city,” he said. “I willdefinitely try to attend againnext year.”

Ski Club to spend weekend in VermontBy Matthew Velez

Staff Writer

Put on your ski jackets! TheSki Club is driving up to Vermontfor a weekend of skiing and relax-ation. On Friday, January 20, rightafter the end of midterms, a busload of about 50 students and theirchaperones will depart for StoweSki Resort in Vermont. This is achange for the club, which went toMount Snow last year.

From January 20 to 23, the stu-dents will lodge at the CommodoreInn. After paying an all-inclusivefee of approximately $450, stu-dents will stay in rooms in groupsof four, and all food, excludinglunch, will be provided.

Students will have the chanceto participate in a multitude ofactivities, such as skiing, swim-ming in the hotel’s pool, and justhanging out and playing cards.They will even visit Ben and Jer-

ry’s warehouse.The Ski Club’s new moderator,

Br. Michael Migacz, has highhopes for the trip. “I hope thekids will have fun and enjoy greatskiing conditions,” he said. Br.Michael attended last year’s trip

to Mount Snow as a chaperone,and said he had a very good time.

After a final morning of ski-ing, the students will return toSt. Joe’s on Monday night fromwhat is sure to be quite an enjoy-able excursion.

2 THE FALCON December 2005

The Falcon welcomes articles from students, parents and faculty membersfor consideration for publication. All articles are subject to editing. The opin-ions expressed in The Falcon do not necessarily represent the opinions of fac-ulty or administration. Opinions expressed in any column except those of theeditors are not necessarily those of the editors.

Graphics and Printing by Media Trends, Metuchen, NJ (732) 548-7088

Editor-in-Chief: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tom Bacsik

Managing Editor: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Brendan Gilmartin

Associate Editors: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mark Del Monaco, John Moll . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Casey Naiduk, Stephen Polansky

Sports Editor: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kevin Guidette

Photography Editor: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mike Varco

Staff Writers: . . . . . . . . . . . Mike Ferris, Jack Fitzhenry, Robin Lapitan . . . . . . . . . . . . Chris McGovern, Alex Mosko, Greg Myer, John Nolan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Russell Pepe, Jon Ramteke, Matt Roth, Matt Velez . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lucas Zavala, Allan Zhang

Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mr. George Milligan

Faculty Adviser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Martine Gubernat

Principal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mr. Lawrence Walsh

President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Br. Dennis Wermert S.C.

Student hobnobs with politicianswhile learning about law

Published by the students of St. Joseph High School145 Plainfield Ave., Metuchen, NJ 08840732-549-7600 ext 261 • www.stjoes.org

Volume XLVIII, No. 3 December 2005

International Travelers Club trip to Costa Rica

Vegas Night-Craft Fair nets $14k

Photo by Ms. Rocci

Last year, the I.T.C. visited Italy and Argentina.

Photos by Mr. Dave Gandy

Ski Club Trip 2004 at Mt. Snow in Vermont.

EDITORIAL

A time to be thankful

Page 3: TREE LIGHTING Why go to Rockefeller Center? · 20/02/2011  · Costa Rica. Highlights include visiting the capital, San José, exploring the rich biologi-cal diversity through the

By Stephen PolanskyAssociate Editor

St. Joe’s students are known notonly for their athletic ability butalso for their intense academicprowess. St. Joe’s has several academic competition teams, allof whom excel in their respectivearenas.

While the Robotics Team’s sea-son hasn’t officially started yet,the team was busy holding a com-petition for middle schools. OnDecember 3, ten teams competedin the St. Joe’s gym with theirrobots built from Lego Mindstorms.Using the Mindstorms kit as a base,students in grades 5 through 8 builtand programmed small robots toplay on a 4’x8’ playing field in agame called Ocean Odyssey. Addi-tionally, the teams prepared a shortpresentation and presented it tojudges and several St. Joe’s stu-dents. Awards were presented inan event that showcased the amaz-ing talent of younger students.

The College Bowl Team, underthe direction of Mr. Powers, attend-ed their first competition at WhitePlains High School in Westchester,NY. There, they competed withsixteen other teams from the areain a jeopardy-style trivia game.

St. Joe’s did exceptionally wellwith the “A” team placing 1st intheir division and the “B” teamplacing 3rd in their division.

The Debate Club is participat-ing in a Mock Trial for the firsttime this year. The contest con-sists of a fictional murder casewhere a TV producer is found mur-dered in his Jaguar. The team hasto hold a trial for accused suspectRandy Dagger, providing both theprosecution and defense. Sixteenstudents will be split up into groupsproviding two lawyers, three wit-nesses, and six jurors for each side.These students will then presenttheir trial in front of a real judgeat a local competition. Dependingon how well the team does, theyhave the opportunity to advance

to a statewide level and ultimate-ly a national level.

The Chess Team competed intheir first competition on Novem-ber 16, held at Christian BrothersAcademy. They played againstSouthern Regional High Schooland had a resounding victory withall ten varsity and ten junior var-sity players winning their respec-tive games. The team meets reg-ularly on Wednesdays to preparefor the statewide tournament inMarch. Varsity player Roel Mer-cado summed up the event whenhe commented that, “The chessteam is great because you get tomeet so many different people withvarying backgrounds from acrossthe state and compete against themon an even playing field.”

The always-competitive MathLeague is off to a strong start thisyear with excellent attendance andmatching scores. St. Joe’s scored25 out of 30 possible points on thefirst Catholic Conference contestwith top scorers John Glenn Mount,John Pacheco, John Bufe, andCharles Jaeger. On November 10,the team participated in the CatholicConference with top scorers JohnBufe, David Heuwetter, HardeepGrewad, Vincent Transente, andKyle Depew. The JV Math Leaguehad three perfect scores with RoelMercado, Gerald Ngo, and WilliamChan leading the pack. MathLeague meets on Thursdays andis open to all students.

The Computer League, underthe direction of moderator,

Mr. Costanzo, is gearing up foranother year in the American Com-puter Science League competi-tion. The team took their firstcontest on December 2, withimpressive scores. Each contestcontains a five-point short answertest, and a program worth fivepoints that the students have towrite over the weekend. Mr.Costanzo commented, “I’m look-ing forward to an exciting seasonand to see the final results of myteam’s efforts.”

The various academic teams inSt. Joe’s gives students not onlythe opportunity to expand theirhorizons and sharpen their skills,but also to meet new people andexperience amazing competitionsheld throughout New Jersey.

December 2005 THE FALCON 3

BR. MIKE’S MOVIE REVIEWSBy Casey NaidukAssociate Editor

Alright, listen up, guys. Now, Brother’sseen a lot of movies this year, some goodand some, ehh, not so much. But hey, theyare what they are, and here they are.

The Legend of Zorro-Typical Zorro, everyone knowsthe story. Good vs. Evil. Broth-er really liked Antonio Banderasin this one. He’s always good- Ilike that guy. There’s not toomuch to it. It’s a good film, couldhave been better, but good nonethe-less. Brother thought it could have beena little less cutesy, you know, with the hor-sies and the moo-moos, but if you likeaction and want to kick back, I recom-mend either seeing Zorro or building anark; both are good ways to stay out of jail.

Brother gives this film III.

Jarhead- Jarhead was a good warfilm, guys; it captured the feeling of thewar quite well. Brother thought the act-ing was OK- Jake Gyllenhaal impressed mea lot with his role. I mean, eyy, it’s a goodwar film…well-directed. You know, instead

of raking leaves or countingceiling tiles, go see Jarhead…that sorta thing.

Brother gives this filmIII.

North Country- Fel-las, Brother has seen only ahandful of movies better than

this one. It’s one of the best films of theyear by far. It’s excellanto, which wemulti-linguists know is Spanish for excel-lent. This true story is one of the mostpowerful Brother’s ever seen. No, really.Charlize Theron was absolutely phe-nomenal- 3 thumbs up for her. Basically,

in the 80s, the Supreme Court ruled thatwomen could work in mines. The mon-ey was very good in that line of work, butany woman that wanted to go throughthat…let’s just say Brother wouldn’t tryto steal her lunch money,hehehe. So the lady was asingle mother. She wasfacing BIG TIME sexualharassment in the mines.I’m not just talking name-calling, but groping andthe whole bit. She takesthem all to court like theydeserve. Bim Boo Ba andthe Bit. Also, although Iusually find him to be anidiot-boy, Brother likedWoody Harrelson in this one. Fantasticfilm!

Brother gives this filmIIII, maybeeven 4.5 stars

Derailed- Brother liked this one. Itwas a mystery with a pretty nice twist inthere. A married guy picks up a veryattractive woman on a train (derailed-getit?). That was the bum’s first mistake. So,

very sneaky-sneaky, they go to ahotel room. They’re in bed, readyto probably read, and this psychoanimal guy comes in with a gun.Now, if Brother was that guy, hewould need a changing. So thispsychopath beats the living day-light out of this poor guy and pre-tends to beat up train girl too. Lat-er, Brother found out train girl wasin cahoots with the robber. It’s a bigcon-game they like to play. A lit-tle nutso of a career if you ask me,

but not everyone is meant to invent grav-ity. Anyway, I liked it even though a lotof people didn’t.

Brother gives this film III

ACADEMIC TEAMS UPDATE

FOOD DRIVE STATS

2005: A banner year!

0

$5,000

$10,000

$15,000

$20,000

Total

Goal

20052004200320022001

$1

5,0

00

$1

5,0

00

$1

5,0

00

$1

5,0

00

$1

5,0

00$

18

,07

6

$1

6,7

05

$1

7,5

00

$1

6,6

73

$1

8,4

50

Five year statistical data for our Thanksgiving Food Drive. It alladds up – the Food Drive is a great success. Thank you for yourcontinued generous donations. You made it happen!

Photos by Mike Varco

Math League, Chess Team, and College Bowl are in full swing this year.

RoboticsFirst Lego

LeagueEvent2005Photos by Mr. Morgan

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4 THE FALCON December 2005

By Jack FitzhenryStaff Writer

On Friday, November 18, six-ty students gathered together foranother annual St. Joe’s event:Cardboard City. This event wassponsored by Campus Ministry.It is held as a benefit for the localhomeless men and women as wellas to provide an opportunity forstudents to get an idea of what itis like to live on the streets.

The event was run by the Direc-tor of Campus Ministry, Ms.Michele Palmer. This was herfirst year supervising the event,since last year’s Cardboard City metwith weather problems. She calledthe event, “an opportunity to expe-rience homelessness and to findtime to be together as a schoolcommunity.”

In order to ease the suffering ofthose who live and sleep in a boxeveryday, all participants in Card-board City were required to makea minimum three-dollar contri-

bution to this year’s Student Coun-cil Thanksgiving Food Drive.

Students each brought their owncardboard box and set them upby the old tennis courts. Theywere not allowed to bring cellphones, CD players, musicalinstruments or any other con-venience not available to theimpoverished. One of the pur-poses of Cardboard City was tohelp students appreciate whatthey have.

Along with Ms. Palmer, oth-er faculty members supervisedthe event including Ms. Caponeand Ms. Hands. From 8:00 p.m.Friday to 8:00 a.m. Saturday,students participated in numer-ous activities. The evening beganwith a prayer service followed bya discussion on what it is liketo be homeless. At 11:00 p.m.participants in Cardboard Citywere fed at a soup kitchen heldin the Cor Jesu Conference Cen-ter. Cardboard City concludedthe next morning with a brief

prayer service as all present gavethanks for their good fortune andblessings in life.

By Tom BacsikEditor-in-Chief

Throughout their four years atSt. Joe’s, students will take sixdifferent religion courses. Becausethey are academic in nature, thoseclasses do not always provide thebest opportunity for personalreflection. Luckily, this miss-ing piece is filled in by the Seniorand Junior Spirituality Overnightsand the Sophomore SpiritualityDays.

Each of these spirituality retreatsis held at least once, often twice,per year per grade. Each grade’sretreat serves a different purposeand focuses the students’ reflec-tion on different parts of theirlives. Each retreat is led by Ms.Michele Palmer; Director of Cam-pus Ministry; Tom Bacsik, RetreatsCoordinator; and numerous oth-er volunteers.

The Senior SpiritualityOvernight was held November8- 9, with a theme of “LookingBack and Planning Ahead.” Fif-teen students were present for theretreat, held at the Brothers ofthe Sacred Heart retreat centerin Belvidere, NJ. While they par-ticipated in many group discus-sions, those on retreat also hadprivate time to journal, provid-ing time for students to reflect ontheir high school experiences andwhere the road of life is leadingthem.

An icebreaker utilizing the ever-popular Skittles candy was usedto facilitate the first group dis-cussion and similar dynamicswere in place to encourage a morecomfortable atmosphere. Dur-ing the retreat, students wrote let-ters to themselves which will bemailed one year from now (whenthey will be attending college)as a way for them to see howmuch they have grown in a year’stime.

Not all of the time on retreatwas focused solely on life andspirituality. Students had freetime to play a few rounds of bil-liards, or a pickup football game,made possible by the headlightsof several student vehicles.

Unlike the overnight retreats,

the Sophomore Spirituality Daywas held at St. Joe’s in the CorJesu Conference Center. How-ever, the change of scenery didnot change the meaningfulnessof the retreat. The theme for theapproximately 35 students inattendance was “Defining theVision.”

Sophomores had the chance totake a step away from the class-room setting, allowing them toget to know each other and them-selves a little better. Studentswere encouraged throughout the

day to think about their individ-ual goals and to focus on theiridea of what they want the nextthree years of high school to be.

Student facilitators guided thesophomores through their spiri-tual journeys by discussing theirown high school experiences andpersonal goals.

During the day, those on retreatparticipated in various dynam-ics, including a game called Scru-ples, which helped the studentsto get in touch with their morespiritual sides and to generatediscussion and a relaxed atmos-phere. Small and large group dis-cussion created a more commu-nal atmosphere for sophomores toexercise their spirituality.

The Junior SpiritualityOvernight, also held in Belvidere,will take place in January on adate to be announced. Approx-imately 20 students are signedup for the retreat, titled “Fol-lowing Your Path.” Much akinto the senior overnight, severaldynamics will be used to aid ininitial discussions and to helpstudents not only to bond withtheir classmates but also to reflecton themselves as well.

Private journaling and medi-tation will allow those on retreatto think about the path that theyare on in life. Students will beable to reassess their personalgoals and ask, “What do I need todo?” Small/large group discus-sions and free time will solidifylong-lasting friendships and helpto build new connections as well.

Each of these retreats offers adifferent perspective and focusfor students, but the deeper mean-ing is one in the same: to get stu-dents more in touch with theirspirituality and themselves.Although the retreats provideddays of fun, student reflectionsare what matter the most.

Ms. Palmer commented on theretreats by saying, “I’m alwaysimpressed with the emotional andspiritual maturity of the studentsand how for a few hours they canbond together with classmatesthey might not otherwise hangout with. These retreats are alsoan affirmation for me.”

RETREATS

Overnights and Spirituality Day help students reflect

Photos by Mike Varco

Students setting up their housing fortheir night on the “street.”

Photos by Joseph Raviola

Seniors enjoyed various activities on their overnight.

CARDBOARD CITY

Our opportunity, their experience

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Irish ClubBy Allan Zhang, Staff Writer

The Irish Club, led by moderator Ms.McGowan and President Scott Ianuzzo, hasa plethora of ideas just waiting to be put intoaction. In addition to planning to go watcha Gaelic Football game, a game similar torugby and football, the Irish Club was involvedin the Cultural Clubs’ annual Food Fest thattook place on November 17. They have alsochallenged the Polish Club to a Flag Foot-ball game that will take place in the comingweeks. Ms. McGowan invites “more stu-dents to become members, regardless of eth-nic decent.”

Polish ClubAmong its activities planned for this

year, the Polish Club eagerly accepted achallenge to play Flag Football against theIrish Club. President Brian Kilijanski said,“It should be a fun way to interact withanother cultural club of St. Joe’s.” The Pol-ish Club is also planning various trips, suchas a joint paintball trip with the GermanClub and a trip to New York City to eat ata traditional Polish restaurant. The clubwill also have Polish nuns come in to helpperform a mass spoken entirely in Polish.When asked about the purpose of the Pol-ish Club, Brian simply replied, “We arehere to bring together people to learn aboutthe Polish culture.” – A.Z.

Adelante The Adelante Club has many different

activities planned, including watching edu-cational Spanish movies to learn more aboutSpanish culture as well as participating incultural debates. The club also took partin the Cultural Clubs’ Food Fest. The clubwants to plan one trip per semester. Forthe first semester they plan to go to “ElMuseo de Barrio,” a Hispanic museum.They are also attempting to learn many ofthe cultural dances of each area of Hispanicdecent. Like some of the other clubs, theyalso plan to collaborate with other cultur-al clubs in games and activities. When asked

about the purpose ofthe club, Ms. Bonelli,moderator, replied,“The Adelante Club isfor students to exploreSpanish backgroundand heritage. Whilemost of the membersdo speak Spanish, theywish to learn more

about Hispanic-speak-ing countries.” – A.Z.

Native-American ClubThe Native American Club, led by Pres-

ident Casey Naiduk and moderator Ms.Dellatacoma, has been busy developingdifferent ideas to put into action. The clubis planning to go to New York City to vis-it the Museum of the Native-American Indi-an. Another idea that is under developmentis a plan to build a teepee before the endof the school year. When asked about thepurpose of the Native-American Club, Ms.Dellatacoma replied, “We are here to studyNative-American culture, to honor it, andto learn traditions and cultures of varioustribes.” – A.Z.

Umoja ClubThe Umoja Club is led by President Eric

Plummer and moderator Ms. Ippolito. Theclub has been very busy so far this year,participating in a cultural debate with theAsian Cultural Club and in the CulturalClubs’Annual Food Fest. The club is plan-ning to attend NJPAC to see a celebrationof Martin Luther King Jr. They also hopeto go to The Newark Museum to attend anexhibition of African-American clothes.Ms. Ippolito has taken over as moderatorwhile Ms. Cunningham is on maternityleave. She described her transitioning roleas, “fun, entertaining, and a wonderful learn-ing experience.” – A.Z.

French Club By John Nolan, Staff Writer

The 2005-2006 school year marks thethird year of the French Club under the lead-ership of club moderator, Dr. MercedesBrand. The club, which meets along withthe French National Honor Society, has 25members this year. According to Dr. Brand,“There are no real requirements to join theclub other than an interest in the French cul-ture.” The club’s mission is service to oth-ers, mainly through tutoring younger stu-dents at the nearby schools of St. Francis inMetuchen and Woodbrook Elementary Schoolin Edison. At meetings, Dr. Brand and clubmembers plan their service-outreach pro-jects. Last month, the French Club partici-pated in the St. Joe’s annual Cultural Club FoodFest, an event in which members contributed

an assortment of Frenchfoods. The FrenchClub’s Christmas plansinclude a get-togetherwith the German Clubto share their respectiveculture’s Christmas foodsand music. In speakingabout the members ofthis year’s French Club,Dr. Brand said, “Theyare all very active, friend-ly, and get along wellwith one another.”

German Club “Viel Spass!” or in English, “Have Fun!”

is the motto of the German Club. Accord-ing to twelfth-year club moderator, Ms. ElkeRhomberg, “The primary goal of the Ger-man Club is to expose its members to allfacets of the German culture, as well as to nur-ture cultural awareness.” The club, which has44 members, meets weekly on Tuesdaysduring break and on Thursdays after school.German Club members have kept busy by cre-ating their own German comic strip and bywriting to German pen pals. In addition,Ms. Rhomberg entered the club in a contestto win an all expenses paid trip to the 2006FIFAWorld Cup, which will be held in Ger-many. Last month, the club participated inthe annual Cultural Club Food Fest on Novem-ber 17, an event in which club members con-tributed a variety of German foods. Also inNovember, the German Club ventured intoNew York City to view the work of EgonSchiele, an Austrian artist, at the Neue GalerieMuseum for German and Austrian Art. Asidefrom all their activities, the German Clubenjoys discussing the current politics of thenew German government. – J.N.

Asian Cultural Club By Lucas Zavala, Staff Writer

Uniting the abundance of cultures inAsia into one cultural club seems nearlyimpossible, but the Asian Cultural Clubattempts to do so. Mr. Tyrrell, the moder-ator of the Asian Cultural Club, summedup the purpose of the club, “It is a socialorganization for those interested in AsianCulture, where members can maintain asense of ethnic identity while assimilatinginto the mainstream culture.” On Novem-ber 1, the Asian Cultural Club met with theUmoja Club and held a joint discussionconcerning important issues. Students gavetheir opinions on race, culture, assimila-tion, stereotyping, and ethnic identity. TheAsian Club also hosted a Food Fest onNovember 17, in which all the cultural clubsparticipated. The Festival featured a pletho-ra of cultural dishes from all over the world.In addition to the joint discussion and theFood Festival, the Asian Club organized atrip to Brookdale Community College,where members observed beautiful exhibitsof Tibetan Sand Painting. So many activ-ities in one month may have exhausted Mr.Tyrrell, but members of the club had enoughenergy left to take part in Christmas onCampus. The first few months of the schoolyear have been exciting ones for the AsianCultural Club.

Italian ClubBuongiorno, the customary greeting in

Italy, is one with which most students arenot familiar, as St Joe’s is quite far fromRome. However, for members of the ItalianClub, Italy is as close as Plainfield Avenue.According to Ms. Rocci, the club moderator,the purpose of Italian Club is, “to learn aboutthe Italian Culture, as many of the studentsare of Italian descent.” The club goal forthe coming year is to start an after-schoolItalian Class, in which students will be taughtthe basic vocabulary, grammar, and expres-sions of the Italian language. The ItalianClub, in conjunction with the other culturalclubs, participated in last month’s Food Fest.In addition, the club took a trip a few weeksago to New York City, where members hada chance to see the beautiful Christmas treein Rockerfeller Center and enjoy a tradi-tional dinner in a fine Italian restaurant. Ms.Rocci described the club members as, “Enthu-siastic and eager to participate,” and so farthis year, they have certainly lived up to theirreputation. – L.Z.

December 2005 THE FALCON 5

cultural clubs updates

Photos by Dr. M. Gubernat

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By Greg MyerStaff Writer

Christmas on Campus provided a great way to spread the Christ-mas spirit. Although it took place three weeks before Christmas,there was no better way to prelude the holiday season. This isbecause students volunteered their time preparing for the events andthen spent the day bringing joy to underprivileged children.

On December 4, invited children came to the school with theirparents for Christmas on Campus. However, there were numer-ous preparations made before the guests stepped foot inside theschool. St. Joe’s student volunteers signed up for a number of jobs:making decorations for the gym and cafeteria; entertaining kidswith games and activities or dressing up as Santa Claus or elves;buying presents; or wrapping presents.

“The overall goal was to make sure that it was a fun day,” saidMs. Palmer, who organized the event.

Christmas on Campus was funded by donations of not onlymoney, but also of food and time as well. The proceeds from theCampus Casual Day on November 29 went towards the programand were used to buy presents for the children. Campus Ministryalso asked parents to make cookies, cupcakes, and other treats forthe kids.

Board games, arts and crafts, gift giving, and other activitieswere among the fun things planned for the children who visitedChristmas on Campus. The event reflected the St. Joe’s way ofspreading the good will and cheerful feel-ings that represent Christmas.

“Here are some kids that aren’t going toget iPods and boxes from Abercrombie

under their Christmas tree,”said Ms. Palmer. “What are acouple hours of our time to givethem some fun?”

Photos by Mike Varco

6 THE FALCON December 2005

Our wish listBy Russell Pepe

Staff Writer

“Matthew Parkinson’s M3.” -Andrew Pinto, 12

“Twin albino baby buffalos.” -Br.Michael Yerkes

“Mr. Bryner’s big, comfy swivelchair.” -Scott Marino, 10

“Tickets to see Fight Club onice.” -Chris McGovern, 10

“A flamethrower to keep my 7thperiod class warm this winter.” -Mr. Donald Bryner

“Electric Mr. Potato Head, withan extension chord.” -Br. MatthewScanlon

“The 1969 Christmas editionBarbie doll, the only one I don’thave.” -Kenny Widgeon, 12

“Peace in the Middle East. Iwant my boys home.” -Mr. RobertYunker

Students and facultyNew Year’s resolutions

By Jon RamtekeStaff Writer

New Year’s brings new beginnings and new goals. The forthcomingyear of 2006 is no different. Students and faculty are already think-ing of ways, some ridiculous and some serious, to improve them-selves and those around them.

Sr. Madeline Sarli would like to read more books throughout the year.Sophomore Russell Pepe plans to make a replica of the Sistine

Chapel ceiling using finger paint.Br. Matthew Scanlon is resolving to “lose those last

three pounds.”Sophomore Paul Madolid wants to work on his time

management skills.Ms. Donna Saulys would like to distribute one mole of

lunch duties.Senior Billy Woodard is trying to keep his car intact.Br. Michael Yerkes does not want to ice fish in Alaska

anymore.Sophomore Andrew Soares plans to borrow the car that

Nicholas Kowalski is resolving to buy.

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Christmas on Campus 2005

By Lucas ZavalaStaff Writer

Three months ago, during the dwin-dling days of summer, Hurricane Kat-rina hammered the Southern coast ofthe United States. Mississippi andLouisiana suffered the most damagefrom the hurricane. Thousands of peo-ple were killed, and many more wereevacuated. Homes, schools, and build-ings were either damaged or destroyed.

One of the many schools destroyedwas St. Stanislaus College, a Brothersof the Sacred Heart high school locat-ed in Bay Saint Louis, Mississippi. St.Joe’s seniors, inspired by the idea of

helping the less fortunate students ofSt. Stanislaus, approached Mr. Walshand requested permission to hold a col-lection of clothes and money for thevictims of Katrina. Mr. Walsh grantedpermission, and the seniors appealedto St. Joe’s students and parents fordonations.

Numerous contributions were made,and by the end of the collection, 40sweaters and light jackets and hundredsof dollars had been given. Students usedthe donated money to buy basic arti-cles of clothing from different retail-ers. Variety Village in Metuchen pro-vided 144 hats and 144 pairs of gloves,at cost, to benefit the cause. A variety of

sweatshirts were purchased at a dis-count at A.C. Moore. Lastly, the donat-ed money was used to procure fleecejackets and pullovers from Old Navy.

As a result of the collection, morethan a dozen boxes full of donationswere sent to St. Stanislaus. “I’m verygrateful for the generous outpouringfrom parents and students,” said Mr.Walsh. “Their kindness shows a truespirit of solidarity.”

As Advent draws to a close and Christ-mas draws closer, St. Joe’s students canrejoice in the fortune they have, know-ing that they helped bring the spirit ofChristmas to our brother school in Mis-sissippi.

Christmas after Katrina Merry Christmasand

Happy New Year from the

Editors and Staff of

The Falcon

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December 2005 THE FALCON 7

Archie Forte

Bailey Kross

Bo Wash

Bucky Kaloyerakis

Chloe Forte

Dunkel Gubernat

Baci Gubernat

Harry Bodkin

Sunny Boy Kaloyerakis

Roxy CaponeOreo & Pixie Riha

Nikita & Aleska McGonigle

Mya & Buster Hands

Lucky Graham

Kona Sparacio

Keebler Jenkins

Kaycee Kaloyerakis

Katie Kaloyerakis

Kanehoe Brennan

Ilean Kaloyerakis

Homer Kaloyerakis

Muffin Gubernat

Oberon Santiago

Cookie Ciktor

Teachers’ PetsAlthough teachers may have to put up withstudent “brown-nosers” throughout the dayat St. Joe’s, these furry, brown-nosed companions who await administration andfaculty members at home are most certainlybetter company. This page provides aglimpse of the real “teachers’ pets.”

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HOCKEY UPDATE WINTER TRACK UPDATE

By Chris McGovernStaff Writer

The Falcon swimming team isback for another season. With theperennial goal of a state champi-onship, the defending countychamps will look to improve onlast season’s finish, a Non-PublicA finals loss to St. Augustine.

The team, led by Coach SteveWhittington, opened the seasonwith victories versus rival Christ-ian Brothers Academy and NorthBrunswick. The team also won theRaider Sprint Invitational. How-ever, with over 20 scheduled meets,consistent success must be achievedthroughout the entire season.

Important matches on the sched-ule include meets against La Salle(PA), Mountain Lakes, and Green-wich (CT).

Team captains, seniors BobBesner, Jimmy Clarkin, and JohnVirack, will be expected to lead ateam whose members are made upof both youth and veteran experi-ence.

“This year’s swimmers will havethe opportunity to step up and riseto the ability of their potential,”said Coach Whittington.

A potential stumbling block isthe task of replacing BobbySavulich, who as a senior last yearwas a team captain and an All-American swimmer. Eight othersenior swimmers graduated afterlast season. Sophomore standoutScott Marino is confident in theteam’s prospects for this season.

“We can pull together to fill Bob-by’s shoes and the void left by theother seniors from last year,” hesaid. When speaking of the team’s

tough schedule, Marino mused, “Itwill be a challenge, but it’s alwaysfun and a fun team to be on.”

By Kevin GuidetteSports Editor

The hockey season officiallybegan on Wednesday, November15 with try-outs for all potentialplayers. Players have taken prepa-rations for the season into theirown hands by involving them-selves in off-season club leaguesand clinics.

Beginning this year the threelevels of ice hockey will change.Instead of one varsity and two JVlevels, there will now be one JV

and one freshman level in addi-tion to the varsity. This is intend-ed to keep the organization tightand less hectic.

The first scrimmage was againstSt. John Vianney on November 23,while the season opener took placeon December 3 against Ridge HighSchool. The Falcons came outwith a tie. This year’s fierce com-petition will include rival Bridge-water-Raritan, a team that the Fal-cons lost to in a tough game lastyear.

Head Coach Pete Kolodney was

recently entered into the St. JosephHigh School Hall of Fame for hissuccess as the ice hockey coach.Kolodney, entering his twentiethseason as coach, has established anall-time record of 206-188-30.

Top returning players for thisyear include Sean Gahagan, GeorgeHelock, Matthew Parkinson, PhilLindner, Ryan Herits, and Andrewand John Carlson.

With unmatched fan supportand aspirations of divisionalprogress, this year’s ice hockeyseason should be one for the ages.

SPORTSFalcon

SSAINTAINT JJOSEPHOSEPH H.S.H.S.

8 THE FALCON December 2005

BASKETBALL UPDATE BOWLING TEAM UPDATE

By Michael FerrisStaff Writer

After a disappointing 16-10 fin-ish to a highly anticipated 2004-2005 season, the basketball teamstarted this season with a cleanslate, a new coach, and the chanceto prove itself as a dominant pro-gram.

The team is under the new lead-ership of Mr. David Turco, whoaccepted the position as the newcoach of the varsity team. CoachTurco is more than qualified forthis job with his 116-36 win-lossrecord and four Coach of the YearAwards. Every team he has

coached at South Brunswick andCarteret has qualified for the statetournament.

Mr. Jerry Smith, Athletic Direc-tor, seems very confident thatCoach Turco can provide a sim-ilar result for the Falcon squadthis year. “I believe these wordsdescribe Coach Turco’s approachto basketball: enthusiasm andwork ethic. His enthusiasm andwork ethic are simply unparal-leled,” said Mr. Smith.

Much work will be required ofthe players, according to Mr.Smith, who noted, “I know thatwe have an unrivaled schedule inMiddlesex County in terms of dif-

ficulty.” Games such as thoseagainst St. Anthony’s and St.Patrick’s will truly reveal the char-acter of this promising team.

Mr. Smith expects to see threethings in this new basketball pro-gram: team basketball, discipline,and class. He believes that allthree of these pivotal characteristicscan be found in the reforms CoachTurco will bring to this team. Thecoach, the schedule, and the newtraining all culminate to one objec-tive: bringing Falcon basketballto the next level. With resolutefortitude and team pride, the bas-ketball squad heads into this newseason with high expectations.

By Alex MoskoStaff Writer

The bowling team, coached byMr. Wayne Fischer, is anticipat-ing their new season.

Try-outs were held on Novem-ber 15, 17, and 22. The team need-ed only a few new members sinceten of last year’s twelve membersreturned this season.

The first match was held onDecember 6 against a newly-formed New Brunswick team.During the season, the Falconswill compete against traditionalrivals such as Colonia, Wood-bridge, East Brunswick, and any

other top-ranking teams who hopeto challenge St. Joe’s perennial-ly competitive squad.

The team is optimistic andaspires to make it to the GMCfinals. The team’s goal, a victo-ry in the state finals this year,would be a first for the bowlingprogram. Mr. Fischer offered,“Even if we do not get that far,we look forward to good compe-tition and fun.”

Captain John Baginsky offeredthese words of encouragement,“With ten exceptional players fromlast year’s team returning, we havethe potential to do very well thisseason.”

By Kevin GuidetteSports Editor

The soccer team recently con-cluded their season with a 10-10 win/loss regular season record.While playing well in the coun-ty tournament, the team wasknocked out of the race in thesemifinals against a high-seed-ed Monroe. After this loss, theteam also was defeated in thefirst round of the state tourna-ment.

The squad’s key victoriesincluded sweeping county rivalEast Brunswick in both match-es. Though the loss of closegames to North Brunswickseemed to lower the team’smorale, the Falcons fought backconstantly to maintain arespectable record. The teamwill look for much guidance andre-building in the off-season,and hope to fill the shoes ofseniors like Sean Gilmartin nextseason.

By Mark Del MonacoAssociate Editor

The cross country team endureda major loss when sophomorestand-out, Jack Fitzhenry, suf-fered a stress fracture during theGMC Championship race.Despite the significant setback,the team rallied together to fin-ish the dual meet season with a4-3 record and finished sixth atthe County Tournament, ninth

at the Catholic Conference Cham-pionship, and thirteenth in theNon-Public A state race.

Seniors Mike Fanelli and KevinCarpenter capped their crosscountry careers with strong show-ings at the N.J.C.T.C. and staterace. Fanelli finished thirty-sixthand fifty-ninth at the two racesrespectively, with Carpenter fin-ishing forty-eighth and fifty-sixth.

Although this was the last crosscountry season for seniors Mike

Fanelli, Kevin Carpenter, andMark Del Monaco, the team hada strong showing from under-classman, which shows promisefor next year. Captain Mike Fanel-li noted that, “The 2005 cam-paign had its highs and lows.We lost a key runner in JackFitzhenry, but the team cametogether to finish the season ona good note. The team looks for-ward to having four varsity run-ners return for the 2006 season.”

SOCCER WRAP-UPCROSS COUNTRY WRAP UP

By Mark Del MonacoAssociate Editor

This year, the winter trackteam is aiming to become a dom-inant force in the Greater Mid-dlesex Conference and win theGMC team title. Despite theloss of 800 meter specialistEdward Tessalone, sprinter Tim-othy Acevedo, and shot putterMichael Scheller to graduation,a majority of the varsity squadreturns for the 2005-2006 season,led by senior Errol Watson. Cap-tain Mike Fanelli added, “Wehave a lot of talent returning thisyear. Main people to look out forare hurdler Errol Watson andour 4x800 relay team who hopeto defend their GMC Champi-onship.”

Watson, who has been tabbedas the team’s “franchise runner”by Mr. Trojanowski, seeks towin his first GMC individualtitle in the 55 meter hurdles.Other standout performers arejuniors Kevin Lipovsky andMike George who hope to scorewell in the sprinting events.

In the mid-distance race,sophomore Jervis Hudson willcome up to the varsity level andhopes to make an impact in the800 meters. Also, the defend-ing 4x800 GMC championshipteam of Jeffrey Pierik-Page,Kevin Lipovsky, Michael War-denski, and Jervis Hudson hopeto qualify a St. Joe’s relay teamfor the Penn Relays for the firsttime since 1998.

With the temporary loss ofJack Fitzhenry to injury, lookfor the distance trio of seniorsMike Fanelli, Kevin Carpenter,and Mark Del Monaco to fill inthe void. The field events willbe led by senior shot puttersEddie Perez and Dave Huewet-ter, and junior long jumper CarlLuxoj.

The team will get its first tasteof competition when it competesat West Point in the N.J.C.T.CPassarelli Holiday Relays. Thenthey will turn their focus towardsthe GMC Relays, the Group IVrelays & individual champi-onships, and finally the GMCindividual championship. Mr.Trojanowski commented, “Ithink there are enough pieces inplace to make a run at the GMCtitle.”

Photo by St. Joe’s Photo Club

Chris Turkiewicz and his swim-ming teammate did preseasonstrength training in the weightroom.

SWIMMING TEAM UPDATEPhoto by Mike Varco

Track team warms up with acouple of laps around the St.Joe’s track.