Knightlife October 2015

Bishop Montgomery High School

Knightlife October 7, 2015 • XLIX • ISSUE 1

Aloha week: a big kahuna hoot Above:: Detriana Bodden ‘18 enjoys the Welcome Frosh dance by hula-hooping to the music.

Written by Stephanie Trelease.

Photographed by Simon Tran and Yearbook.

The new school year began with a splash with Aloha Week. Taking place from September 14 to September 18, this fun-filled week was a perfect opportunity for freshmen to become acquainted with Bishop and participate in new clubs and school events. As the first spirit week of the year, Bishop teemed with life and excitement. Before the week even began, the Big Kahuna Hula on September 11 provided great socializing opportunities throughout the evening.

When not dancing the night away, students enjoyed shaved ice, photo booths, and improv shows.

Aloha Week began with everyone’s favorite kind of day: a minimum day. Students were welcomed back on Tuesday with the first mass of the year, the Welcome Mass. Fr. Ken presided, and many students were thrilled and delighted with the upbeat,

Above: Senior Taylor Tillet enjoys lunch with Madison Hall ‘19 and Samantha Tobias ‘16 and Olivia Meehan ‘19.

recognizable songs. Junior Maya Currie enjoyed the music a well as the unity within the gym: “The first mass of the year was awesome. It showed how the power of Christ dwells within our student body.”

Wednesday brought a different kind of energy to the Bishop campus through Lunchapalooza, which showcased the many different clubs and extracurriculars at our school. The Lower Field was decked out in club posters, with every club president encouraging their peers to join their club. Students mingled, flittering from club to club, collecting fliers and candy as they went. Margarita Herrera ’17 reflected, “it’s great to see how diverse interests are celebrated at Bishop through our extracurricular committees.”

On Thursday, it was the freshmen girls who were decked out in posters for the Big Sis, Lil Sis lunch. Freshmen girls enjoyed the longstanding tradition, walking around with balloons, signs, and gifts from their senior sisters. Junior Margarita Herrera commented, “All the little sisters had signs. All the big sisters put so much effort into their gifts! It looked like it was everyone’s birthday.” Continuing the fun event, the freshman girls enjoyed lunch on the Upper Field provided by their big sisters, allowing each girl to get to know the other better as music played in the background. Freshman Angelina Herrera expressed her approval of the event: “I thought it was really fun. I really liked it!”

Right: Juniors Evan Lim and Natsuki Hishinuma promote Key Club on Club Awareness Day by posing inside of a handmade Instagram frame.

Left: Senior James Serrano, as well as his friends Jerome Velasco ‘16, Jonas Bretana ‘16, Hayden Biernat ‘16, and John Nonato ‘16 pump up the crowd and control the music ath the Welcome Frosh dance.

The week concluded on Friday with the Welcome Freshmen Barbeque for freshman families, allowing them to become more situated in the Bishop community and meet other freshman families. Following the barbeque, the football team played an exciting game against El Segundo. Coming off the vibes of summer, the events of Aloha Week brought the Bishop community together, and they were a great way to get the year off to an energetic and exciting start!

Freshmen! Freshmen! Read All About It! Written by Emily Blair and Caroline Cusolito.

Hey Class of 2019, the Knightlife staff hopes that your first month at Bishop Montgomery has been a blast! Starting high school can be both exciting and a little chaotic, so we made it our mission to ask our very own seniors to give you some tips as you begin your journey through high school!

“Seniors, if you could give any

advice to the freshman class, what would it be?”

“Enjoy it and relax! Make friends and have a fun year. Try not to stress a lot, because each year it only gets harder.”

-Tylere Guzman-Touchberry

“Go to high school dances and games.

Before you know it, you’re going to be a senior and realize you only have one homecoming left or one football game.

Time flies! Be kind to everyone. You never know who’s life you’re changing and who you’ll be friends with next.”

-Kelly Huben “Don’t be afraid of change during high school. Lots of things will change so don’t be afraid when it occurs because not all of it is bad, some of it is really good.”

-Marcos Huerta “My advice for freshmen would be to maintain a high GPA, join clubs and sports, and to not procrastinate!”

-Bianca Martin

5430 TORRANCE BOULEVARD, TORRANCE, CA 90503 • WWW.BMHS-LA.ORG

“Don’t be afraid to open up and try new things, but always be smart and safe and do what’s best for you. Remember that everything happens for a reason, so if something doesn’t go your way don’t stress too much and do your best to move forward. Make time for yourself, and do things for you and not for everybody else because you are important. Discovering yourself is a journey, but that’s what high school is for, so just make the most of every moment because these four years fly by and before you know it you will be wondering where the time went but then you can look back and think of all the great memories you have and in the end it will all be worth it.”

-Krystine Bernas

Campus Life

a Cruise on the Leadership

Written by Theresa Sitter and Lourdes Lidzbarski. Photographed by Stephanie Trelease and Theresa Sitter.

Above: (Left to right) Mrs. McDermott. James Serrano ‘16, Lourdes Lidzbarski ‘16, Nora Ward ‘17, Natsuki Hishinuma ‘17, Carlos Bernal ‘17, Stephanie Trelease ‘17, Angelo Pasco ‘17, Simon Tran ‘17, Tommy Rocca ‘16, and Alex Rodriguez ‘15 smile after attending the HOBY seminar.

Above: Junior Carlos Bernal (top right) poses with two friends and Hugh O’Brian (bottom left), the founder of HOBY, at the World Leadership Congress.

Above: Senior Anna Leoncio (first row, third from the left) stands with her city at Girl’s State.

Every summer, Knights of all grade levels have the opportunity to attend leadership conferences as part of their summer vacations. This year, Bishop students participated in several prestigious programs, including the Hugh O’Brien Youth Leadership Conference, Christian Leadership Institute, and American Legion’s Boy’s State Conference and Girl’s State Conference.

After an application and interview process, a group of eight juniors attended HOBY, a three-day and two-night program that focuses on empowering students to become service leaders in their communities. Juniors Angelo Pasco, Carlos Bernal, Natsuki Hishinuma, Nora Ward, Simon Tran, and Stephanie Trelease were split up into groups with other students from throughout Los Angeles. Many HOBY alumni describe it as a life-changing experience, and seniors Thomas Rocca, Lourdes Lidzbarski, and James Serrano, who returned to HOBY as junior staff members, agree. Our very own Dean of Activities, Mrs. McDermott, was also able to particpate in the program as a facilitator! Together, they participated in Leadership for Service activities, listened to guest speakers and panels, and grew closer through group bonding activities.

Junior Nora Ward says,” More than anything, I took away a true sense of friendship with all of the Bishop HOBY people and a sense to make the community a better place.” The seminar culminated in our very own Carlos Bernal receiving a scholarship to attend the prestigious World Leadership Conference, which took place

in Chicago in July for about a week.

Eight other Bishop students were selected to attend a different leadership conference called CLI, or Christian Leadership Institute, including Krystine Bernas ‘16, Drew Duhovic ‘16, Eunice Gonzalez ‘16, Giovanni Meza ‘16, Lauren Mitchell ‘16, Danny Robinson ‘16, Nick Simone ‘17, and Theresa Sitter ‘17. They stayed at St. Mary’s Seminary for less than a week and were split into groups with other student leaders from different schools and parishes. Each day was packed full of helpful and engaging workshops that taught and practiced new leadership skills for running a meeting, planning events, and organizing groups of people. Senior Eunice Gonzalez says, “My favorite part of CLI was the week long transition the leaders made, which allowed us to have the experience of actually leading a group and not just taking notes the entire time. I also enjoyed the overall environment which was very positive and nurturing.”

Every year, Bishop Montgomery has the privilege of sending three incoming-senior boys and one incoming-senior girl to Boy’s and Girl’s State, respectively.

This year, students Conor Starkey ‘16, Danny Robinson ‘16, Jeremy Pfahler ‘16 and Anna Leoncio ‘16 attended the conferences, which focus on political leadership by prompting the delegates to create their own governments. Pfahler says, “We had so many chances at leadership positions! I represented my county as our senator and was also the coordinator of sports teams in our ‘city!’ Shout out to

Carson City, Haley County!” Leoncio also expresses appreciation for her opportunity, as she states, “Girls State was an incredibly eye-opening and educational experience for me! I learned so much about our state government, the election process, and issues relevant to our world. The best part, however, was definitely meeting so many young women - from a variety of different backgrounds - who are so passionate about the world around them.

I grew really close to the girls in my city ‘Crocker’, and I miss them all so much.”

We are all extremely proud of what our student-leaders have accomplished this summer, and hope to continue this tradition with our next generation of Knights!

Friday night lights: a Q&A with the varsity football team Touchdown!! The varsity football team kicked off their season in high style, currently standing at 4 wins and 1 loss for the season. We took a moment to ask captains Brendan Marafino ‘16 and Anthony Vicelja ‘16 about their feelings towards the season, being captains, and their goals for the season.

Q: How is the football season going so far?

A: It’s been great. We got off to a strong start and I’m looking forward to finishing out the season strong -Brendan Marafino ‘16 A: I think we have had a strong start to the season. We have really come together as a team and shown our resilience. We are looking forward to starting league and making a deep run into playoffs -Anthony Vicelja ‘16 Q: What’s it like being captains of the team? What are your responsibilities? What do you do to encourage your teammates?

Above: (left to right) Krystine Bernas ‘16, Danny Robinson ‘16, Drew Duhovic ‘16, Eunice Gonzalez ‘16, Nick Simone ‘17, Lauren Mitchell ‘16, and Theresa Sitter’17 pose with a friend at CLI.

Summer knights

A: It’s a big responsibility because everyone looks up to you and you always have to try and keep everyone together. I try to always stay positive and push them a little further.

-Brendan Marafino ‘16 A: I consider it a privilege to lead this group of young men. I always try to keep everyone in line and stay together as a team. Unity is the key to our success this year.

-Anthony Vicelja ‘16

Written by Caroline Cusolito. Photographed by Simon Tran.

Above: Aaron Glover ‘17 receives a kiss on the cheek from a dolphin in Cancun, Mexico.

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Although summer vacation has drawn to a close and a new school year has begun, many students still hold onto memorable parts of their summer break. Knights spent their summer vacations in different ways, with some attending summer school and others spending their time traveling with family and friends. Other students spent their time taking college tours and preparing for college applications in the fall. Many students attended overnight camps, retreats, and conferences, both in and out of the state!

Junior Bronte Brewer said, “My favorite part of summer was volunteering at a language school and helping preschoolers. It was a lot of fun and the people were very nice!”

Many teenagers find that volunteering helps fulfill their free time during the summer and that it is very

rewarding in return. While some students stayed local this summer, many students took the summer time to travel and visit different places. Junior Jade Murray packed her bags and headed to Santa Clara University.

She says, “Over the summer, I went to a summer engineering seminar at Santa Clara University. There, I got to participate in hands-on learning about the different types of engineering.” Another Junior, Aaron Glover, says his most memorable part about summer was traveling outside of California: “This summer was amazing!

My favorite part of my summer was traveling to Cancun, Mexico because I got to swim in the clear water and I had a great time with my family!”

As many students traveled near and far, they found their vacations to be memorable, as junior, Celina Villanueva concludes, “One of the things

I did this summer was going on vacation to the Philippines. My family and I went zip-lining, visited beaches and waterfalls, swam with whale sharks, fished, and reunited with relatives and friends. My favorite part was sleeping later than usual!

Overall, my summer 2015 was unforgettable!” We hope yours was too!

Entertainment/Sports

Friday night lights: Q&A continued Q: Does the team have any pre-game rituals to get pumped up? Anything you guys do for good luck?

A: We always listen to our pump up music before games courtesy of Fr. Pat. Check out his SoundCloud!

-Anthony Vicelja ‘16 Q: What are your goals for this season?

A: I want to win a playoff game because we haven’t done that since 1983.

-Brendan Marafino ‘16 A: Our ultimate goal is to win a playoff game and enrich the Bishop Montgomery Football Tradition.

-Anthony Vicelja ‘16 Q: What do your practices consist of?

How do you guys train?

A: Most of it is just getting the plays down and getting those mental reps.

-Brendan Marafino ‘16 We hope the boys continue to have a successful run as the season progresses. Be sure to come out and support the boys at their next home games against Bosco Tech on October 9th, which is the Homecoming game, and against Saint Anthony on October 16th! Go Knights!

STRAIGHT OUTTA JURASSIC WORLD: SUMMER MOVIES SET NEW RECORDS Written by Carolyn Egekeze. Photos by Simon Tran.

This year’s summer movies ing the third-highest grossing film of “Where Are You Now?” featuring Juscrossed the whole spectrum of con- all time. But not all new movies expe- tin Bieber, Fifth Harmony’s “Worth tent that included everything from rienced record-breaking success. We It,” and Maroon 5’s “Sugar.” Many of genetically engineered dinosaurs, su- are Your Friends, starring Zac Efron, these songs were performed live at perheroes, singing, and a gritty biopic. only earned less than $2 million at the festivals such as the iHeartRadio MuThe Avengers: Age of Ultron kick- box office opening weekend, mak- sic Festival in Las Vegas. Despite the started the summer movie season, ing it fourth worst debut for a film. fact that summer has given way to grossing a total of over $190 million In addition to summer films, fall, colder weather, and of course, the its opening weekend. The film fol- this summer was filled with many fun familiar grind of school, we look back lows the heroes from the previous and catchy songs that served as the on these movies and songs to remifilm as well as some new additions soundtrack for the lazy days and ex- nisce about the good days and excitto the team to take on Ultron and citing nights away from school. Some edly wait for what’s coming up next. save humanity. Pitch Perfect 2 fol- of the biggest hits included OMI’s lowed a couple weeks later, opening “Cheerleader,” The Weeknd’s “Can’t to the tune of $60 million as viewers Feel My Face,” Skrillex and Diplo’s watched and laughed at the Bellas struggle to regain their sound among intense foreign competition and personal issues. Both Pixar’s Inside Out and Universal’s Minions provided kid-friendly and humorous entertainment. The N.W.A. biopic, Straight Outta Compton, which chronicled the Compton, California group’s rise and fall, became the highest grossing music biopic worldwide of all time. The biggest movie of the summer proved to be Jurassic World, the actionpacked next installment of the Jurassic Park series that followed Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) and Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) as they try to prevent the deadly Indominus Rex from running rampant across the park and endangering attendees, including Claire’s nephews. The film Rian Delarosa ‘19 and Max Hampel ‘19 reanact their favorite scenes from broke several records, experiencing Pitch Perfect 2 and Jurassic World. the biggest opening weekend in North America and worldwide and becom-

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ENTERTAINMENT

How ‘bout a hand?:

A review of Arsenic & Old Lace

Written by Anna Leoncio. Interviews by Lourdes Lidzbarski.

Photos by Simon Tran.

From Alex: Above: Ellia Thornburg ‘17, James Serrano ‘16, and Kathryn Graz ‘17 discuss the digging of the Panama Canal.

Drama Lab has done it again!

On September 30, the seats of TMH were once again filled as the audience waited in anticipation for the show to begin. The cast and crew buzzed with anticipation when the lights dimmed and the directors took the stage. Unbeknownst to many, Arsenic & Old Lace was the pioneer project for the directing duo of Ms. Evans and Mrs. Moreau (lovingly referred to as 7s and Mashby within Drama Lab,) but, boy, did they do an outstanding job!

A dark comedy by Joseph Kes-

selring, every production of Arsenic & Old Lace has been known to leave its audience in stitches, and the BMHS Drama Lab production was no exception. In the show, Mortimer Brewster (TJ Balaschak ‘16) brings his fiancee Elaine Harper (Stephanie Trelease ‘17) to his childhood home to announce their engagement. Mortimer’s family is rather peculiar, however, as it includes his brother Teddy (James Serrano ‘16) who believes he’s actually Teddy Roosevelt, his aunts Abby (Kathryn Graz ‘17) and Martha (Ellia Thornburg ‘17)

New Bishop Faculty

Written by Emily Blair & Stephanie Trelease. Interviews by Stephanie Trelease & Theresa Sitter. Photos by Simon Tran.

Above left: Miss Rooney works diligently on her laptop .

Going back to school, students return to the same windows, same whiteboards, and same desks. Nothing is more exciting than seeing new faces and posters, hearing new footsteps, and getting new assignments. This year, Bishop not only received new students, but we’ve also been blessed with new teachers. The Knight community is more than happy to accept our new faculty and get to know them.

Ms. Kim is new to the Math Department and teaches Geometry and Algebra 1. Like many of our international students, she was born in Korea, but moved to California in 1980, and to Torrance specifically in 1988. From a young age, she knew that she always wanted to be a teacher.“I used to teach my little brother and sister whatever I had learned in school,” said Ms. Kim. Before coming to Bishop, she taught at West High for 15 years, deciding to come join the Bishop community after taking a break. Her ultimate goal as a new teacher here is to simply become rooted at Bishop as a staff member.

Mr. McGoldrick, our new Honors World History and U.S. History teacher, is no new face in the Bishop

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Above: Mr. McGoldrick points out details on his Smart Board.

halls. Having subbed last year, he also has a long family history at Bishop: his father graduated in 1970, and he and his five siblings also attended. He wasn’t entirely sure what he wanted to do, but teaching came naturally to him. It is a true passion for him, saying, “My wife thinks I teach too much.” This year, he wants his history students to understand and recognize primary sources and biases. When he’s not teaching, Mr. McGoldrick likes to surf, play board games, walk his pitbull, Westy, and collect dice and coins.

Ms. Hoppes is also a recognizable face at Bishop, having been a substitute for the last two years. However, this school year she is a religion teacher for freshmen and sophomores. She joined the Bishop staff when a position opened up, and she loves working with her fellow religion teachers, describing them as “very kind and generous with a wealth of knowledge and years of teaching experience.” She has always wanted to be a teacher, and this dream led to her to live and teach in Egypt for a year.

This year, she looks forward to learning more about Catholicism and its teachings, particularly using the textbook and

who have a rather curious talent with poison, and his other brother Jonathan (Jeremy Pfahler ‘16) who has recently arrived home after escaping from an Indiana prison. Needless to say, the characters themselves set up for a rather suspenseful, yet hilarious show that left its audience keeled over in laughter.

When asked about the show, Stephanie Trelease ‘17, a seasoned Drama Lab veteran, remarked, “Being in the play was so much fun, it’s almost hard to describe. I’m so glad to have been a part of it. It’s so gratifying to do a comedy because you get to hear the audience enjoying the show while you’re on stage.

It just makes for a great show. I love being able to interact with the audience and feed off their energy. The cast and crew of this show were so phenomenal and I’m honored to have been a part of it. Mrs. Moreau and Ms. Evans also did a fantastic job, and I think the audience really felt the hard work that went into it. I think Arsenic & Old Lace will go down as one of the best Bishop plays in history.” TJ Balaschak ‘16, co-captain of the BMHS Improv Team (meetings after school Tuesdays and Thursdays in Room 307), expressed his agreement, “The cast and crew worked really hard to bring this play together, and I’m honored to have been a part of such an amazing show. It

was a different experience from other plays that I’ve done because I broke more things than I usually do.” Given that the set was created to be the home of two elderly ladies, there’s no surprise that there was an abundance of glassware to work with, a fact that the crew quickly realized and adapted towards. New to crew, Rachel Maggio ‘16 heartily expressed her love for her position: “There is nothing better than crew! I have honestly never done anything more rewarding.”

That’s Drama Lab. It’s an open and welcoming environment for learning about theater, about others, and about ourselves. As Valeria Linan ‘18 so eloquently stated, “My favorite part of doing the play was meeting new people and laughing so much. By doing the play, I learned that even if you are shy you can always make new friends and have great experiences. If you’re interested in joining Drama Lab, just know that it may be different at first, but different is good, and it’ll only get better if you keep looking forward. It’s a fun way to meet people, and it’ll help you be more outgoing and ambitious.”

Hats off to Arsenic & Old Lace, and hats off to Drama Lab. The Bishop community can’t wait for the next show!

Catechism as guidebooks for the Catholic faith in our lives. She loves reading books, cooking, camping and traveling; she even proclaims that she would rather be outdoors than indoors!

Ms. Rooney is new to Bishop’s English Department, but definitely not new to the love and joys of reading and English. She discovered Bishop when she started looking for something new and heard of Bishop’s family-like community. Before coming to Bishop, she studied abroad in Russia and England, ultimately living in the latter for two and a half years. Ms. Rooney comes from a long line of teachers and has a deep passion for teaching English, but is still getting used to teaching at a private school through her Honors English II and English 10 classes. Not only does she love reading as a pastime, but she also enjoys listening to all kinds of music, except country, and going to concerts and music festivals, especially Coachella.

Ms. Evans, the newest alumnaturned-teacher at Bishop, teaches English and Drama, as well as co-directs Drama Lab. She recalls her own senior awards ceremony, where she told Ms. Libbon and Ms. Vigon-Morffi her goal of returning as a Drama and English

teacher; now, she is settling into her dream job at Bishop, which she simply describes as “special.” She grew up in the South Bay, but as a child she aspired to work for the CIA and Disneyland before she considered teaching.

We are also excited to welcome a new guidance counselor, Ms. Sabol, to our family! Ms. Sabol is no stranger to the area. She grew up in Torrance and attended CSUDH. For two years, Ms. Sabol lived in rural Caliente, Nevada and worked as a guidance counselor. She hopes to “bring all the students closer and to have the International students participate in the fun activities.” On her free time, Ms. Sabol likes to go hiking with her dog and enjoys camping.

Receiving new teachers at Bishop is always exciting for Bishop students and the community. We’re proud and glad to assimilate all new teachers and students to our school and look forward to their great successes in the future!

The Knightlife newspaper is published by the Knightlife Club of Bishop Montgomery High School, 5430 Torrance Blvd., Torrance, CA 90503.

Opinions expressed in this paper are not a reflection of those of Bishop Montgomery High School.

Knightlife 2015 - 2016 Board Editors-in-Chief: Lourdes Lidzbarski & Anna Leoncio This issue: Graphic Designers: Lourdes Lidzbarski & Anna Leoncio Peer Editors: Carolyn Egekeze & David Macaraeg Staff Writers: Caroline Cusolito, Theresa Sitter, Stephanie Trelease, Emily Blair, Carolyn Egekeze Interviewers: Emily Blair, Kassandra Madrigal, Caroline Cusolito, Theresa Sitter, Carolyn Egekeze Staff Photographers: Simon Tran Advisor: Mr. Hong Proofreaders: Mr. Marafino, Ms. Vigon-Morffi Publisher: Ms. Libbon