The Shield November Issue
back To Back CHamps
Seniors Caroline Bien, Tyler Cullor, Ellie Smith, and Adrienne Pascuzzi celebrate their hard-earned STAte championship. Photo courtesy of Hannah Bellau (Medallion yearbook staff).
Volume 33 2020-2021 Staff Members
Volume 33 l November Issue
The Shield Saint Thomas Aquinas High School
Adviser I Matt Hallauer Editor-in-Chief I Moorea Gailloux Social Media Manager I Hailey Krumm Sr. Reporter I Anabelle Goone Sr. Reporter I Maria Palazuelos Sr. Reporter I Erika Moll Sr. Reporter I Noah Faddis Jr. Reporter I Cameron Elias
The Shield Social Media
stashield aquinasgameday Saint Thomas Aquinas Shield stashield
MISSION STATEMENT The Shield is a voice for students of Saint Thomas Aquinas High School.
It is published by students in our Shield class for the whole Aquinas community to serve as a source of information and a spark for productive change. The Shield staff is responsible for the content published, striving to share information accurately, objectively, and completely for all members of the Saint Thomas Aquinas High School community.
ADV ERT ISING The Shield sells advertisements to help with publication costs. All ads will be subject to the same scrutiny as stories. The Shield will not print any obscenities or any ads promoting products illegal to those under the age of 18. For advertising, please call (913) 319-2418, send an email to mhallauer@stasaints.net, or visit www.stasaints.net/shield. S UB SC R IP T IO NS Subscriptions to The Shield are $3 per issue. Subscriptions can be sent to Saint Thomas Aquinas High School c/o Matt Hallauer. Digital subscriptions are free and sent via email monthly. Orders can be sent to mhallauer@stasaints.net. L ETT ER S P O LIC Y Letters may be accepted by The Shield, provided that they are signed and do not contain libelous statements. The Shield reserves the right to edit the letters for grammar, obscenity, or space consideration.
Contents
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Thankful is an Understatement : B lankets, movies, and laying by the fire calls us to come together. The cold weather is setting in and November came faster than expected! Erika Moll covers the approach Saint Thomas Aquinas is taking in the winter: in terms of coats, lockers, etc this year. Since every day’s approach could change, we have been lucky to be in-person this long. The Shield staff discussed an immense amount of ideas for this issue. It is an election year and on top of the immense chaos in 2020, it has been a growing experience for us all. Maria Palazuelos and Noah Faddis discuss our students’ voting this year and the results. While our staff individually has its own diverse opinions, we understand that it will be impossible to cover all stances on a subject and hope our readers understand as well. The Shield serves as a medium for communicating topics, which our reporters care about whole-
Letter from the Editor
heartedly, and wants to communicate the information that suits it the best without bias. Another successful Canned Food Drive occurred this month and Cameron Elias goes into detail on that outcome as well! Many teams just finished their fall seasons with a win at STAte. Anabelle Goone highlights the senior volleyball player Caroline Bien about her back-to-back STAte win. Finally, Maggie Halpin, who traditionally puts out the Gameday sign, is included in this issue as well! We could only hope that we stay healthy to carry out traditions like these. Protect each other and wear your mask!!
Moorea gailloux Editor-In-Chief
The CANDEMIC The Canned Food Drive proved to be more important than ever due to uncertain times!
A CAN DO COOPERATION!
Freshmen StuCo members are working together to gather, sort, and assemble the donations for the Canned Food Drive! New students at Aquinas experienced the Canned Food Drive for the very first time, and, even though it was different from past drives, many students did not hesitate to help. Photo by Charlotte Bullock. The Canned Food Drive at Saint Thomas Aquinas has been a beloved tradition and an exemplification of the great service done here in the school for the local community. Even though we have to practice social distancing, sanitize one too many times, wear masks, and try to navigate through these unprecedented times, it helps to know that the Aquinas community can still manage to make a colossal difference in our community no matter what. How did COVID-19 change the planning of the Canned Food Drive? There is no doubt that the Student Council worked incredibly hard to provide a safe, beneficial food drive for Saint Thomas Aquinas and the local community. It was no easy feat for all of the StuCo representatives.
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Sophomore StuCo officer Elizabeth Morrissey agrees that planning the Canned Food Drive in the middle of a pandemic definitely had its challenges. Morrissey expressed that one of the biggest challenges StuCo faced was looking for new ways to get funds. It was really difficult to ask people for money at the moment because they didn’t know if someone’s parents had been laid off, and “also a lot of stores [didn’t] want to donate because money is tight right now.” Gathering donations in the midst of a pandemic seemed like a stretch for Saint Thomas Aquinas, and the goal for the Canned Food Drive would be harder to meet this year. Junior StuCo President Luke Konnesky said the rest of the “student body worked really
hard by reaching out to the community and asking for donations in the form of either cash or cans.” Before the start of the Canned Food Drive, Konnesky was very confident that the Aquinas community could reach this year’s goal and to raise at least 100,000 cans. Senior StuCo officer Temidire Akinwuntan described how StuCo sought to increase students’ involvement in the drive by sending information through GroupMe, and emailing the parents helped tremendously. Usually, students go out “canning,” a method where a group of people arrive at a person’s house to ask the homeowner if he or she has any cans that they can donate to the Canned Food Drive. Since the coro-
Team work MAKES THE DREAM WORK Senior StuCo officers Megan Whorley, Temi Akinwuntan, Luke Shaw, and Gabby Mazzarese are in the Commons working to sort the donations early in the morning. StuCo worked really hard this year to provide a beneficial food drive for Aquinas and the community. Photo by Charlotte Bullock. navirus has heightened safety measures and canning is not COVID-friendly, the student council needed another way to gather donations for the Canned Food Drive and engage the students. Knowing that there was a chance of possibly exposing people, StuCo preferred that students go “bagging.” According to Morrissey, bagging is “where you drop off a bag at people’s homes... the [homeowners] fill the bag with cans… and [they] leave them at their doorstep.” Bagging was a new method that was encouraged for people to do since it allowed people enough time to fill the bags with as many cans as they wanted without
zy of students to obtain as much food as they can and helps create a positive atmosphere for everyone at Aquinas to enjoy. Our community has been rocked by the coronavirus, and Catholic Charities was in desperate need of donations, especially since Saint Thomas Aquinas provided them with over a quarter of their yearly donations in the past. Catholic Charities helps over 25,000 people per month. The school has contributed 1,182,882 cans over the past 12 years, and the Aquinas community is not stopping now. Any advice to the Freshmen and new students about participating in events? It is hard for anyone to adapt to a “We couldn’t have done this new environment and get to know new people. drive without the help of our It was especially difficult for the Freshmen and new students to feel comfortable in Aquinas community.” because they did not know most of their classmates for weeks due to the coronavirus. Temi Akinwuntan It may be difficult this year for anyone to participate in events like the Canned Food Drive, but many StuCo leaders believe risking contact and exposure between the that your contribution to Aquinas is important students and the donor. and worthwhile. In regard to participating in the Canned Food Drive and other events, KonWhy does the Canned Food Drive matter nesky said the best tip for the Freshmen and every year? Every year, the Saint Thomas Aquinas new students regarding donations is to “always ask because many people are willing to give if community makes it their mission to ambitiously strive for a goal that will go above and you simply put yourself out there and ask for people’s help.” beyond each year. The goal for this year was to reach at least 100,000 cans. Competition for class points in events What was the end result? Seniors finished first with 67, 798 such as the Canned Food Drive ignites a fren-
cans, the Sophomores second with 27, 740 cans, the Juniors third with 24, 836 cans, and the Freshmen finished last in the class competition with 15, 417 cans. Thanks to the hard work and generosity of the Aquinas community, the Canned Food Drive was a huge success! Aquinas made 367 meal kits, and the community crushed our goal and donated 136,057 cans!
CLASS COMPETITION
Seniors - 430, 633 pts Juniors - 132, 050 pts Sophomores - 155,926 pts Freshmen - 68, 129 pts
Cameron Elias Reporter
November Issue
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PURSES
To
Persevere
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Junior, Issy Earp started an organizatin to help homless women get their essential needs.
You see a person walking on the sidewalk. What do you think of them? They might have good style, nice jewelry, and maybe a fancy handbag. Or maybe they don’t have a handbag at all. Maybe they’re holding a plastic shopping bag. Many people on the streets don’t have bags that they can use, so they have to use a shopping bag.
“I was just thinking about how you can easily decipher when you’re looking at a person on the street, between people who are walking on the street; whose homeless and whose not by the kind of bag that they have.
purses for the women. They put in essential items that help the women be their best selves. They take items including: soap, body wash, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, toothpaste, hair brushed, hair ties, lotion, sunscreen and feminine hygiene products. To promote Purses to Persevere, Issy started with an Instagram account and asked her friends to promote her organization. Over time more people started to notice Purses to Persevere. People would direct message her saying that they had purses that they would like to donate. Issy also started having “teachers at Aquinas reach out to her and said they would put it on their Facebook.” At the end of school some days, there would be purses waiting for her at the main office. To get the purses where they needed to go, Issy contacted women’s shelters in the Kansas City area and took a count of all of the women currently staying at the shelters. Issy says that “[she] hope[s] to expand it to more than just the KCMO area.”
They clean all of the purses and other items donated. They have also added masks, gloves, and hand sanitizer to the donation list so the women receiving the purses will also have resources to fight Covid. Because of the upcoming winter weather, they are also adding gloves and other items to help the women keep warm Currently, Purses to Persevere have donated to 2 different women’s shelters. Issy and her team are planning to expand their organization to help men and children by providing backpacks to other shelters. How can you help? Purses to Persevere are always looking for donations and volunteers! They take money and purse donations. If you’re looking to help out, many volunteers help write letters, organize purses and deliver them. Another big help would be to use your social media to promote Purses to Persevere. Contact Issy Earp through email, Snapchat or Instagram, or contact @pursestoperseverekc on Instagram to get involved.
Issy Earp Aquinas student, Issy Earp, noticed that something as small as a bag can make a big difference in one’s appearance, so she decided to do something about it. This June, she started a charity organization called Purses to Persevere. This organization helps women get some essentials they may need to be successful. Purses to Persevere supplies women’s shelters with purses full of essentials for women. These essentials can include toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner and other basic necessities. Issy’s idea for her charity was that if you have a nice bag, you may just have a better shot at getting a job because your bag helps you look presentable. The items within the bag help women look and feel their best so when they go to a job interview, they can feel confident about their opportunity. Issy has been working with the help of her friends, Sarah Gay and Perry Ross, to help supply the purses and necessities. Her team helps collect purses and essential items, as well as write encouraging letters to put in the
Lots of Stuff!
Women’s essentials are packed into purses and delivered to women’s shelters around the Kansas City area.
Because of Covid, Issy and her team have been taking precautions and being extra careful with their donations.
Hailey Krumm Reporter
November Issue
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baby, it's covid outside A winter forecast for school operation under the shifting circumstances of the pandemic.
I
n less than a year, the entire globe has been swept into a roaring blizzard of fear and uncertainty. As students, we are not immune to the constant anticipation of changes, cancellations, and disappointments. These past ten months have left us feeling like snowflakes drifiting in the wind--weightless, powerless, and landing somewhere in the aftermath of the COVID-19 storm. We all have questions. We hear them circulating the classrooms, the hallways, and the commons. Will we have winter sports? Are we going online? What will snow days be like? Although the procedures in these coming months will evolve circumstantially, our administration, faculty, and community are working tirelessly to keep our skills, education, and above all, our health in check.
Snow days
October’s snowstorm undoubtedly left many students hoping for countless days of waking up late to a fresh blanket of snow. However, with the new reality of virtual learning, snow days are a thing of the past. According to Dr. Fallon, “Snow days technically no longer exist. Days when school is closed will become remote learning days.” This is because of the school days missed at the beginning of the year, and the presumption that we’ll end up transitioning into either hybrid or remote learning at some point.
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Dress code Without lockers, the winter moths bring a new struggle into light: coats. As the weather’s become colder, many students have expressed a difficult dilemma: to brave the cold coatless, or lug a bulky winter coat through the halls during passing period. Fortunately, the school dress is always subject to change to keep everyone comfortable and warm. “The dress code can change as we encounter severe cold or we determine that our heating system is not able to keep up.” President Paul Fallon reassures the community. When the weather calls for heavier coats, students can resort to draping them over the backs of their chairs.
Lunch Lunch: the one time each day that students must remove their masks and accept the risk of exposure or transmission of the virus. Our school’s future learning mode--whether in-person, hybrid, or remote--is determined by these twenty-five pivotal minutes of the school day. Understanding this importance, our principals measured our lunch positioning and determined that if three students were seated at each table, then there will be appropriate distancing among them.
“Our administrators have explained that students have options right now to wear warmer items. We can change policy at any given time-to keep everyone comfortable.” Dr. Fallon
If a student at a particular lunch table tests positive for the virus, the decision to quaratine additional students is based on three objectives: 1. Was the student exposed for ten minutes or more? 2. Was there less than three feet between them? 3. Was the person infected or exposed to someone outside of school, or during school? By abiding by these criterea, school administration is not only able to prevent the spread of COVID-19 during lunch, but also able to quarantine any potentially infected individuals.
Winter Sports
Finals
Regarding attendance allowance for “Semester exams are still winter athletics such as basketball, STA administrators are faced with a difficult decision. in the plans,” Dr. Fallon tells us, More than anything, we want to opportunity to explaining that if we’re online or in hybrid mode at the time of finals, our cheer on our hardworking teams, and experiassesements will modified so we will ence the action of every game in-person. be applying our knowledge of the ma However, during the fall sports terial and making cheating impossible. season, students had trouble following social
“STA is full of people who are innovative, clever, and resourceful. We just have to let go, let God be in charge.”
Erika Moll Reporter
distancing regulations in the stands. “This was frustrating for the adminstration,” Dr. Fallon said, “as we want memories to be made and traditions to be kept.” At this point, it’s still unknown whether or not winter sports will actually take place. The operation of athletic practices and games is heavily reliant on whether or not we are learning in-person. “If we go to 100% online,” Dr. Fallon Earlier this year, we were explains, “practices and games will be suspend- blessed to be able to hold Mass and ed until we return to hybrid mode--probably our homecoming assembly outside in within two or three weeks after a spike in the stadium. However, with freezing positivity subsides.” temperatures, this won’t be an option. Mass is one of the most important events here at Aquinas, and it has a monumental impact on our community. Likewise assemblies are a fun tradition, and help to hold up The feeling is common. An annoy- school pride and spirit. ing tickle in the throat that quickly transi Like most things this school tions into a scratchy cough. Within seconds year, Mass and assemblies are going to a burning fever bursts into a series of chills be modified so that they can be held safely indoors. throughout the body. Dr. Fallon says that we Is it the virus of a global pandem- will hold these events and traditions ic, for which there is no cure? Or is it the similarly to how we held adoration last flu? No one is certain how our entrance month. “We can keep that concept,” He continues, “but make it easier by using into flu season will affect the number of the bleachers.” students in daily attendance at STA, but Through careful consideraccording to Dr. Fallon, “Differentiating ation and planning, Mass and assemseasonal flu from COVID will be nearly blies will still be a reality this winter.
mass and Assemblies
Flu Season
impossible to do.” Even if they are only presumed to have the flu, students will still be expected to stay home when feeling sick, or presenting symptoms of COVID-19. If a large amount of students are quarantined, we will transition to remote learning for around two weeks.
These next few months will be difficult, interesting, and, above all unusual. But through careful planning by administration, and our faith in Christ, we can be confident that we will find a way!
November Issue
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all Ame
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his season was not normal by any means. But Caroline Bien and the Saints volleyball team, made no excuses. “The most important thing for me— and for all of us—was just adjusting to our new lives and making this our new normal. By adapting so quickly and using this mindset, it allowed for a great season with a team that felt like family. The Saints volleyball team went on to win their 2nd state championship in a row. That wouldn’t have been possible without the adaptability and motivation all of the girls and the coaches shared.
really stepped up. We were so tight-knit as a group—everyone was friends with each other—which helped down the stretch. We could trust each other, and we weren’t afraid to hold each other accountable. It was a tough season, but the best one yet! Having such a close knit group of girls run under a coaching staff that trained them to play to the best of their abilities is what ultimately set them apart from the other teams and gave them their state title. You might’ve seen Caroline receive her All-American jersey at halftime from the stands or at home watching Halo. But what exactly does this mean for her? When she got her jersey it was apart of the “Under Armour All-American Jersey Selection Tour, where AVCA sends 11 athletes from around the country a jersey for their school to present to them. The 11 athletes are just the preselected team, and they join 13 other athletes for an All-American game in Orlando, Florida on January 1st. This is usually the case, but they just cancelled the game, so the Jersey Selection Tour is all that will take place.” It is quite a bummer that her team won’t be able to see Caroline shine in the All-American game. But everyone on her team is so proud of her for getting preselected in the first place. That is a huge accomplishment and her team can’t wait to see what else she acomplishes in the rest of her career. Although this is her last season at Aquinas, she is ready to take the next step in her career. Next year Caroline is planning to play volleyball in college- and her biggest goal is to just get as much playing time as possible. When asked about what she’ll miss next year she said she’ll miss,
“They pushed us so much because they realized that we had that a target on our back—every team wanted to beat us so badly Our underclassmen really stepped up. We were so tight-knit as a group—everyone was friends with each other—which helped down the stretch. We could trust each other, and we weren’t afraid to hold each other accountable. It was a tough season but the best one yet!” Caroline Bien “Let’s just say it was a very long season! Haha, it actually flew by, but the difficult practices and summer conditioning felt long! Our coaches were a huge part of our success this season, in part because they never let up on us. They pushed us so much because they realized that we had that target on our back—every team wanted to beat us so badly, but we had an even better record than last year! At State, our underclassmen
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“Everything! The good, and even the bad! I’ll miss the tough practices because they just made us better and closer as a team. I’ll miss the team dinners, and I’ll especially miss our pre-game routine in the locker room before every match. I’ll miss the coaches a lot, and I’ll miss the underclassmen. I do believe that Aquinas volleyball is in good hands, though!”
“Everything! The good, even the bad! I’ll miss tough practices because just made us better and as a team. I’ll miss the t dinners, and I’ll especially our pre-game routine in locker room before every match. I’ll miss t coaches a lot, and I’ll mis underclassmen. I do believe that Aquinas volle is in good hands, thoug Caroline Bien
eribien
, and the e they closer team y miss n the e the ss the o eyball gh!�
All american smiles
Caroline smiles in her Under Armor All American Jersey given to her at halftime of the foot-
November Issue
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Social
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Spread Follow us on our social media for more!
@stashield
@stashield
November Issue
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SURVEY Spread Highly-Rated Side Dishes:
Main Traditions:
Mashed Potatoes................44
“My cousins and I pull all-nighters so we can go super early black friday shopping”.........................Addie Dreiling
Stuffing.................................16.4 Grean Bean Casserole.......8.2
“A family football game called Turkey Bowl”.................... ....................................................................................Graham Spiess
“My family makes up a code word to say if the turkey happens to be accidently undercooked again”.............................................................................Ashley Pitzl
Rolls...........................................7.7
“We go to Jamaica!”......................................Madelyn Meyer
Mac and Cheese..................5.3
“We write what we are thankful for on slips of paper then we put them in a box and have to guess who said them”.................................................Reagan Arnold
Sweet Potatoes....................3.9 Other.......................................14.5
“Every year we always build a scarecrow in our garage and set it up on a hay bale by our front door”.. .................................................................................Camryn Benanti
Do you like Thanksgiving food?
73.4% Love It
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24.8% It’s Fine
1.9% I Don’t Like It
n your o s ’ pl T a A te H W
Crab Rangoon
Jello Salad
?
Povatica
Samosas
Tamales
Ba s e d
on p opu
s ent to
Moorea GailLoux
p on lar su rvey r es
ai ea ch s t ud ent’s em
s es
l
Editor-In-Chief
November Issue
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Opinion
Why Vote?
You have the power to make a difference in your country. Let your voice be heard.
V
oting. A word defined as “an act of expressing a formal indication of opinion or preference” by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Voting is fundamental in a democratic system and it is the civic duty of all citizens of the United States. Being able to vote means you have a say in the people who will represent you and lead your nation. It is a right that more people should be exercising. The whole purpose of a democracy is for all people to have a voice in what goes on in their country.
“If not everyone
votes to share their opinion, then the results are not true and do not truly represent our country. It is important to be a part of your community and country and to make the change and difference by voting.” Rebeca Young
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Marking the Ballot
Senior Piper Lindsey's first time voting was in person. She went to vote with her mom and and they were all very excited for her to vote for her first time. Photo courtesy of Piper dad Lindsey.
Everyone has their own opinion. Obviously, not all opinions are the same, but everyone’s opinion exists. Your voice matters and can make a difference! Take the
opportunity you are given to vote and stand for what you believe in. The future is in the hands of voters so all those eligible should take the opportunity to make their voice heard.
Citizens of the United States are blessed to have the right to vote. Countries all over the world don’t give this right to their citizens. Some people have absolutely no voice in electing their officials. They live under corrupt governments who do what is best in their own interest.
“We have been blessed in the U.S. to have this ability. Thousands of others around the world are locked under tyrannical governments and they would do anything to gain the ability to vote.” Jack Stoerman
Thumbs Up!
Seniors Kate Weisner and Grace O'Keefe were both very happy to be able to vote. They gave the camera a thumbs up while sporting their "I Voted!" stickers. Photos courtesy of Kate Weisner and Grace O'Keefe.
Just like us, people in other countries have their own opinions on how they wish their country was run and who they wish would run it. Sadly, they are forced to keep those opinions to themselves. In the United States, however, we do not have to and this year, according USA Today, nearly 240 million people are eligible to vote in the United States.
According to Bloomberg News, as of November 10, 2020, 151 million votes have been counted and there are 10 million left to count.
That means the voter turnout rate will be about 67%, making it the highest rate the U.S. has seen in more than a century! With this “high” of a voter turnout rate, 33% of eligible voters still aren’t voting. People eligible to vote have the future of the country in their hands. As a nation, we need to help everyone realize how big a part of democracy voting is so that we can use the opportunities given to us to make a difference in America.
November Issue
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Casting His Vote
Senior Henry Valdivia was very excited to be a first time voter. His mom and him went to go vote together, where he is pictured sitting at the voting booth! Photos courtesy of Henry Valdivia.
While many people aren’t old enough to vote, there are still things you can do to make your voice heard. One thing is to make sure you are staying informed on political issues. Read both sides with an open mind and figure out where you stand. You can also volunteer to work for a campaign of the candidate you support. Helping a candidate campaign can get them elected so it’s a good way to help if you can’t vote. The last thing is to, respectfully, voice your opinions. You can post things on social media, at your school, or on any other type of public forum. Make your voice and opinion heard, but remember to respect those of others as well.
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Participating in elections is a key freedom of American life. American citizens have been blessed with this right and it’s extremely important to exercise it. No matter where you stand, what you believe, or who you support, if you are eligible to vote, go vote. Make America stronger
by making your voice heard.
I Voted!
Senior James Finlen showed off his "I Voted" sticker after going to vote. Finlen was very excited and it was all smiles from him. Photo courtesy of James Finlen.
WHy DID YOU VOTE? “I know that I have an obligation to vote who I believe is the right candidate for America.”
“Because my vote matters.” Allie Burditt
James Finlen “I want to make sure my country stay a float.” “I want to help make a difference now that I have the right to vote.” Hailey Krumm
Kate Weisner “To support my political party in the White House.”
“I know how important it is to be an active citizen and I want my vote and opinion to be counted.” Rebeca Young “Because the ultimate future of the country depends on our votes.” Jack Stoerman
Grant Willis “I’m voting because I believe it’s important to put policies and elect officials who are in the best interest of the American people, especially minorities, not only economically but socially.” Henry Valdivia
Maria Palazuelos Reporter
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2
all about the Election
020 has been named by New York Times as a pivotal year in politics, with more people voting than ever before, going from nearly 137 million voters in 2016 to possibly 165 million voters in 2020. With so many people voting, the elections this year have been extremely close and tough to call, making many people anxious that it may last for too long. On Saturday, Nov. 7, the Associated Press called the race for Joe Biden, making him the likely president-elect with a 290 to 214 electoral vote lead. What led Biden to victory over Donald Trump? Early in the race, Trump had a lead in several key states such as Arizona, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Georgia. Pennsylvania and Georgia had both seemed to be going to Trump, especially with how many votes were already counted and the lead that Trump had. These, however, went to Biden after mail-in ballots were counted, putting him over the top. What didn’t Biden win? Many news outlets and political think tanks try to calculate which way a state will lean based on its changing demographics, previous presidential voting patterns, and voting patterns in the midterm elections two years before. After surprisingly being named a tossup state, Texas joined Florida and Ohio in being predicted to vote for Joe Biden. Going against these predictions, all three states went red,
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Joe Biden speaks to supporters at a rally in South Carolina during the primaries. He was hopeful to gain support in a state that traditionally leans Republican. Photo by Getty Images.
and will cast their votes for Trump. Why did it take so long? This election has been extremely different from any other election before. This year, with the coronavirus, many voters decided to vote by mail. This was made easier when many states opened up absentee ballots to almost anyone. There are, however, complications with this. Some states, like Alaska, hadn’t started even counting mail-in ballots until November 10th, making their results come nearly a
week after the election itself. Other states, like Pennsylvania, were allowing late mail-in ballots to be counted as long as they were postmarked with the correct date. This process of counting voting booth ballots and then counting absentee ballots a number of days afterwards brought the results of the election to a turtle’s pace crawl. What did it come down to? This election came down to
Many of the coastal states are voting blue while many of the innerstates are voting red. After several days, mail-in ballots turned multiple key states blue. Graphic by Fox News.
only three states. As Pennsylvania and Georgia seemed to go towards Trump, Biden’s only means of victory was through Nevada, which leaned towards him but was too close to call. A few days after the election, the mail-in ballots of Georgia and Pennsylvania began to be counted and the votes for Biden steadily went up. Pennsylvania turned light blue because Biden gained a lead on Trump. In Nevada, the numbers had barely changed but the Democrats seemed to be pulling ahead. With Georgia, it was very close. The margin was only a few thousand votes with Biden ahead and the margin growing. These three states turning blue were the three states that ultimately led Joe Biden to become the next president-elect.
___
In his acceptance speech, Joe Biden touched on many issues
“I sought this office to restore the soul of America, to rebuild the backbone of this nation: the middle class.” Joe Biden Likely President-Elect that were talked about on his campaign trail. He touched on racial unrest, climate change, healthcare, and several others. He touched on likely Vice President elect Kamala Harris’s heritage and her several firsts in our country. She is the first woman Vice President, the first Black woman Vice President, the first Vice President of South Asian descent, and finally the first Vice President with immigrant parents. Joe Biden also said that he wants to “restore the soul of America, to rebuild the backbone of the nation,” citing that the backbone is the middle class. He
also has said that he will announce a group of top scientists to advise him as he fights the coronavirus. This election has been like no other, with absentee ballots, unsure states, and a clear pivotal year for our country. The amount of people who have voted has reached a new record, with Joe Biden on track to being the first candidate to receive 80 million votes.
Noah Faddis Reporter
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the girl Behind gameday Who puts up the sign? Some insight of the school tradition lies in here.
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ll who enter Saint Thomas Aquinas on gameday are drawn to the large sign sitting at the entrance to our school. It signifies a game where the spirit roars and the team scores. Maggie Halpin, the ultimate gameday girl, is in charge of putting out the infamous GAMEDAY sign. She received this honor after her sister Mary Clare Halpin.
“After Mill Valley burned the previous GAMEDAY sign in 2016, my sister Mary Clare, made the one we have now!”
“On Fridays with a Football Game, I put up the sign around 7:15 a.m., so the football players can see when they are driving in to go to Mass!”
“It’s really important to me that as many people see the sign as possible to build school spirit and excitement for the day!”
“It does require a lot of time to maintain the sign as well as flexible mornings and access to a car large enough to carry it,” Halpin explains. She loves the spirit it gives to the school and hopes anyone reeaches out loves it as well. Since it is a favorite tradition for many people at Saint Thomas Aquinas, it will be exciting to witness the GAMEDAY sign tradition carry on through trusted hands for many years to come!
Maggie Halpin
Maggie Halpin
While Maggie Mary Clare is an alum in typically does the sign the Class of 2018 and taught Maggie on her own, her parents how to transport the massive sign are also passionate about from the school to its location in the gamedays and have helped grass. her when she is not able to “I nail it into the ground do so. using a hammer and some stakes, As far as passing on the so it usually stays up all day with no tradition, Maggie Halpin has given problem. I take it down early after some thought to who it could be school, so no other school has an and would love if anyone who opportunity to damage it,” Maggie is interested to reach out to her Halpin explains. through her email The sign stands through mhalpin21@stasaints.net. “rain, snow, wind, or shine” to signify the tradition, spirit, and perseverance our school has. It also builds excitement for the day.
SMILING WITH SPIRIT
Maggie Halpin smiles in her senior portrait, behind her is the beloved GAMEDAY sign. Photo by provided by Maggie Halpin and Moorea Gailloux.
“Someone who is A salute TO all saints passionate about our Mary Clare Halpin signed the back of the sign with a message to Mill Valley and school, gameday, and Maggie plans to do the same. She hopes all those who get passed the GAMEDAY sign do community to carry the same! on the tradition” Moorea gailloux
Maggie Halpin
Editor-in-Chief
November Issue
23
Last look Photo by Hannah Koepp (Medallion yearbook staff)
Photo by Emma Brooks Photo yearbook by Meganstaff) Whorley (Medallion (Medallion yearbook staff)
Photo by Kate Marshall (Medallion yearbook staff)
Photo by Michele Gress
Photo by Sarah Anliker (Medallion yearbook staff)
Photo by Sarah Anliker
Photo by Hannah Bellau (Medallion yearbook staff)