BI Word - September 2025

THE BI-WORD Vol. 1 September 2025

Welcome Back, Cardinals!

Mrs. McNutt’s Words of Advice pg. 3-4

Welcome, Father Moschetto! pg. 5

“We Before Me”What’s up with the BI Parking Lot? pg. 11-12

Find the Cardinal, Win A Prize! pg. 2

Meet the Staff It’s a new year for the BI Word, and just as BI has new faces, so do we.

Eden Boyd Junior, Co-Editor

Angela Ciatti Sophomore, Co-Editor-In-Chief

Abigail Crum Senior, Reporter

Peter DiBella Senior, Reporter

Natalie Drey Junior, Co-Editor

Madison Ingram Junior, Reporter

Rory Sheehan Sophomore, Reporter

Benjamin Smith Junior, Reporter

Abby Stump Junior, Co-Editor-In Chief

Welcome Back, Cardinals!

Before you start reading this first edition of the BI Word for the school year, we wanted to share something new: Find the Cardinal, Win A Prize!

The rules are simple: If you find the Cardinal (shown below) within this issue, email Mrs. Royle at beth.royle@bishopireton.org, before 3:05 on 10/10, say where you found it, and our staff will pick the winning name out of a hat for an Ireton surprise!

Good Luck and Thanks for Reading, Cardinals! here T : r e b m e Just Rem in s l a n i d r f Ca o t o l a e r a find o t e r u s e this so b eton r I p o h s i THIS B red u t c i p ( l a Cardin right)!

Mrs. McNutt Wants You cardinals to Be The One! Back to School By: Abby Stump BY: Abby Stump

Welcome back Cardinals! The school year has begun Welcome back Cardinals! The school year has begun and it and it is filled with new sports, new clubs, new classes is afilled with new sports, new Bishop clubs, new classes and of a Fun Fact and renewed sense of hope.

Ireton’s Head renewed of hope. McNutt Bishop Ireton’s Head of School Ms. School sense Ms. Kathleen has a specific message Mrs. McNutt’s Fun Fact: for the freshman class who can feel overwhelmed in Kathleen McNutt has a specific message for the freshmen Mrs. McNutt’s favorite this new “Engage,inengage, Mrs. class whoenvironment. can feel overwhelmed this newengage!” environment. favorite Disney McNutt says “the best thing you can do is hop in disneyis princess “Engage, engage, engage!” Mrs. McNutt says “the best there. Join in. Join a club. Sit at a new table, say hi to Mulan! is princess thing you can is hop in there.

Joinjoin in. Join a club. at a somebody youdo haven’t said hi to, a team, be aSit part new say hiAt to the somebody you haven’t said hi to, join of antable, activity.” beginning of high school, it isa Mulan! so team, important to of throw caution wind and join be a part an activity.”

Atto thethe beginning of high something. the senior class,caution Mrs. McNutt offers school, it is For so important to throw to the wind and this wisdom: “This is your last year of high school. join something. For the senior class, Mrs. McNutt offers this You certainly need to be leaders and take leadership wisdom: is your last year ofto high school.

You roles.

This is“This a great opportunity try something certainly need your to be leaders and take leadershipends roles.and This is new before high school experience experience begins. new “Godbefore wants us to ayour great college opportunity to try something your high engage.”

To allends theand classes the Bishop Ireton school experience your in college experience begins. community, getting involved is the best way to share “God wants us to engage.” To all the classes in the Bishop similar experiences and to feel connected.d.

Ireton getting involvedthis is the best way to share Mrs. McNutt also sharedcommunity, what is in store for everyone year and how we can become part of the spiritual similaraexperiences and to feel connected. community. “I’m really excited about working with Father Moschetto and supporting him as he brings new ideas to the Fun Fact: school. I’m also really excited about how we are going to Fun Fact: Mrs. McNutt’s utilize the chapel. You know, the last year was about building Mrs. McNutt’s the chapel and bringing it to completion, and even up until favorite quote is “Be favorite quote is: “Be the summer, we were working on punch list items, getting who you are and be everything finished up, and dotting our I’s and crossing our who you are and be

By Frances that well.”

T’s. But this year, we can fully utilize it and the opportunity ofthat well.” de Sales growing more as a faith community.” Furthermore, McNutt - St. Francis De Sales expresses her desire about how everyone can be Pilgrims of Hope and spread love. She referred to Mother Teresa’s speech on “Inspiration Day” about how students can “be the one.” “As we are looking to serve one another and to grow intellectually, athletically, and spiritually, the goal is to “‘be the one,’” be the one to assist a friend, be the one to help make the sandwich to feed the homeless, be the one to smile at somebody who’s really having a rough day. That’s hopeful, because it makes the world a better place.”

Mrs. McNutt also shared what is in store for everyone this year and how we can become a part of the spiritual community. “I’m really excited about working with Father Moschetto and supporting him as he brings new ideas to the school. I’m also really excited about how we are going to utilize the chapel. You know, the last year was about building the chapel and bringing it to completion, and even up until the summer, we were working on punch list items, getting everything finished up, and dotting our I’s and crossing our T’s. But this year, we can fully utilize it and the opportunity of growing more as a faith community.” Furthermore, McNutt expresses her desire about how everyone can be Pilgrims of Hope and spread love.

She referred to Mother Teresa’s speech on “Inspiration Day” about how students can “be the one.” “As we are looking to serve one another and to grow intellectually, athletically, and spiritually, the goal is to “‘be the one,’” be the one to assist a friend, be the one to help make the sandwich to feed the homeless, be the one to smile at somebody who’s really having a rough day. That’s hopeful, because it makes the world a better place.”

Bishop Ireton allows students to become involved in that one thing that brings them closer to their friends, their teachers, their community and to God. If we can all strive to be that one person to lift someone up, make a difference in someone’s day, and just be the best we can be, then it is possible to have a positive impact. Mrs. McNutt reminds us that God is ultimately the One who inspires us to be the best version of ourselves. “I hope that every student remembers the importance of Christ being at the center of whatever you do.”

A Cardinal Welcome To Father Joseph Moschetto!

By: Madison Ingram

This year, Bishop Ireton welcomes a new face to our Cardinal family.

Meet Father Joseph Moschetto, our new school chaplain! From day one, Father Moschetto has been excited to get to know the students and dive into life at Ireton. One of Father Moschetto’s favorite things is intercting with the students. “I love getting to know all the students, all of you, and just hearing your stories and what you're interested in,” he shared. “People have such great enthusiasm here and the love for life.

So it’s just fun; it lifts me up.” You might even spot him on the sidelines cheering on the Cardinals. Father Moschetto is impressed by the tightknit community at Ireton. He described it as having a “small-town feel” where people know one another, are polite, and truly care. For him, this kind of environment makes it even more meaningful to serve as chaplain, since it’s clear that the Bishop Ireton community values kindness and connection. Father Moschetto turned to someone else for inspiration. Before beginning his time here, he spoke with Father Noah, Bishop Ireton’s former chaplain. Hearing about the incredible work Father Noah had done for Ireton gave him motivation. “It was very encouraging and inspiring to take on this new role,” says Father Moschetto. He hopes to spend this year guiding spiritual lives and showing everyone how to become closer to Christ. His goal is to help everyone in the Ireton family deepen their relationship with God. Father Moschetto is a priest and our spiritual leader in school, but there are also some fun facts about him to share. Perhaps the most surprising thing is that he can walk 25 feet with his hands! He’s also a huge sports fan and roots for all the Washington teams. Father loves to watch hockey and with football season in full swing, he’s cheering especially loud for the hometown Commanders. When it comes to food, Father Moschetto boasts that nothing beats his mom’s Italian cooking, especially her homemade spaghetti, meatballs, and family recipe sauce.

Perhaps, one of the coolest stories about Father Moschetto includes him, Bishop Ireton junior Noelle Claeys and rubber bouncy balls. Father Moschetto recounted the entire tale: "One summer as seminarian I was assigned to Holy Spirit Parish.

There was a bit of a "prank war" going on in the school (largely surrounding bouncy balls?) and students were urging me to pick a side: the pastor’s team or one of the teacher’s who was the opposing team. Instead of joining either side I decided that I would make my own “team.” Then on the day before I left to go back to seminary, I hid 150 bouncy balls all around the school and challenged them to find them all. If they could, then I would concede the victory. Seven years later…. During student orientation here at Bishop Ireton a student, Noelle Claeys, presented me with a gift box. Perplexed, I opened the box and immediately knew what it was: all of the bouncy balls I had hidden! Then I recognized Noelle and was even more amazed that she had kept these for so long! Although I’m not sure all 150 Noelle Claeys ‘27 with Fr. Moschetto and the bouncy balls. made it back to me (I literally threw some up into the ceiling), enough did that I conceded the victory. I did so happily though because it gave me such a great laugh and I had never expected to see those bouncy balls again!"

It is great to see Father Moschetto have a history with students at Bishop Ireton and an even more exciting future. We look forward to many years ahead!

NEW FACES ON CAMPUS‌ Let’s get to know our new faculty!‌

By: Angela Ciatti and Abigail Crum

We asked, they answered:‌ If you could be one Disney character for a day, who would it be?‌‌ What is one ‌cool fun fact about yourself?‌ As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?‌ What is the coolest place you have visited?‌

If you could be one Disney character for a day, what would it be?

“Winnie the Pooh. Ignorance is bliss, and Pooh has a blissful life. I desire the inner peace he has.”

As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Mr. Kevin Grinstead‌ “I wanted to grow up to become a Pokémon trainer. Sadly never came to fruition, but I also had interest in being a firefighter or detective.”

Social Studies Teacher‌

What is the coolest place you have visited?

“The coolest place I have visited is Assisi, Italy! Gorgeous town on a hill, known as the birthplace of St. Francis. I want to go back some day!!”

Ms. Celia Kennedy‌ Academic Support Teacher‌

As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

“When I was little I wanted to be a Navy Seal like my uncle.”

If you could be one Disney character for the day, who would it be?

“Belle - I love to read like Belle and think it would be fun to wear her fancy dress for a day.”

What is one cool fact about yourself?

“I am three states away from visiting all 50 states (still need North Dakota, Montana, and Alaska!)”

Ms. Mary McAlevy‌

Counselor ‌

If you could be one Disney charecter for the day, who would it be?

“Mowgli from the Jungle Book. I dreamed of running in the woods and speaking to animals.”

Mr. Jesse Mungin‌ College and Career Specalist‌

As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

“A Major League Baseball player.”

What is one cool fact about yourself?

“A fun fact about me is I was on the Varsity Equestrian Team while I was in college.”

If you could be one Disney character for a day, who would it be? ”I would want to be Belle because of the beautiful library!”

Ms. Cordelia Aldridge‌ Math Teacher‌

What is one cool fact about yourself?

“I have 28 first cousins.”

What is the coolest place you have visited?

“The Ring of Kerry in Ireland.”

Ms. Mary White‌ English Teacher‌

What is the coolest place you have visited?

“I went to Ephesus in Turkey to Mother Mary's house and had mass.”

Ms. Janell Cline‌ Math Teacher‌

What is one cool, fun fact about yourself?

“I enlisted in the Army as a Heavy Equipment Operator and I operated road construction equipment, such as front in loaders, bulldozers, graters, and scapers.”

If you could be one Disney character for a day, who would it be? “Are we including Pixar? If so, I think I could have one awesome day as Lightning McQueen.”

Mr. Patrick Riley‌ Computer Science Teacher‌

What is the coolest place you have visited?

“Glacier National Park in Montana. The views and wildlife were absolutely incredible!”

What is one cool fact about yourself?

“One cool, fun fact about me is that I am the undefeated champion of Uno in my family. My secret: All is fair in Uno. That means that the Uno creators are WRONG and you can indeed stack +2 and Wild +4!”

As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

“When I was a kid, I really wanted to be a ballerina. Hilariously, I Ms. Arriana Tilley‌ still have all of my old tutus and every pair of dance shoes I wore English and Technical Theater‌ from the ages of 2 to 17.”

‌Teacher‌

Welcome to the nest! We are so happy you are here!

Saint Carlo Acutis, Pray For Us! By: Ben Smith Pope Leo XIV officially canonized the first millennial saint, Carlo Acutis On Sunday, September 7, 2025 the Catholic Church experienced something extraordinary.

Pope Leo XIV canonized Carlo Acutis. He was very young, but left a major impact on this world. Carlo was born in Italy and died at the age of 15 from an aggressive form of leukemia.

When Carlo was just seven years old, he said that his life plan was “to always be close to Jesus.” He carried that devotion with him for his next eight years influencing generations both young and old.

At a young age Carlo showed interest in the Church by praying the Rosary and receiving the Eucharist. His passion for the Church led him to visit many birthplaces of the saints. Although what Carlo is most known for is how he used his computer skills to create an online database of Eucharistic miracles around the world. His love and use of the internet to spread prayer, is part of the reason he is considered the Patron Saint of the Internet.

St.Pier Giorgio Frassati was also cannonized by Pope Leo XIV on September 7, 2025 as the patron saint of the youth

Saint Carlo’s reach has made its way all the way to the halls of Bishop Ireton. Ms. Gabrielle Baniqued, BI’s computer science teacher and Director of Diversity, explained how she came to know about St. Carlo. She recalls, “I think I learned about Carlo Acutis just through social media. I think a lot of young adults really claim him as a figure in terms of [his] journey of holiness. He spent his life creating websites to evangelize." She and her students use HTML code in their class on the internet to share information; just as Carlo did years ago. It is that shared experience that has brought the younger generation to admire the newest Saint.

Pope Leo’s homily at the Canonization Mass of Carlo and Pier

Carlo Acutis spent his life devoted to Jesus and the Scriptures. He will be remembered greatly and celebrated annually on October 12. Saint Carlo Acutis, Pray For Us!

A poster honoring St. Carlo Acutis that hangs in Ms. Baniqued’s Classroom

Bishop Ireton: The Lower Parking Lot “We Before Me” By: Natalie Drey Traffic. A common occurrence in everyday life that affects everyone, even here at Bishop Ireton in the lower parking lot at dismissal.

The lower BI parking lot is the main area where students and faculty park their cars. Over the years, BI has expanded the parking lot, but it cannot be expanded easily due to drainage issues. BI lower lot drivers must follow two important rules: Adhere to the rules of the road and only turn right onto Cambridge Road before 3:30 pm.

The closing bell rings at 3:05 pm and the lower lot frenzy begins. Students race to be the first to their cars to get to jobs, sports practices, games, or family obligations.

Parents arrive to pick up their students. It gets busy fast, causing high traffic and even higher blood pressure.

“I think our parking lot is a bit too chaotic.”

-Beckett Engelhardt, Senior

“I think there have been about five accidents since the beginning of school, just by people not paying attention.”

-Brady Comey, Senior

“The parking lot traffic situation is frenetic and can be chaotic,” says BI Assistant Principal of Student Life, Mr. Tim Dodds.

Senior Natalie Cordle agrees, saying, “I have to sprint out of my classes and drive with my backpack on to make sure I’m out and on time for work. If you’re not out of the school by 3:05, it’ll take you thirty minutes to get out of the parking lot.” Senior Adam Tampio, adds, “The delay comes from having so many students in such a limited space…there’s a density maximum and we’ve hit that a long time ago.” Other students, like junior Ellie DeNunzio, have decided fighting the traffic is not worth it, instead waiting until 3:30 p.m. or later to drive home.

Not only does fighting the parking lot traffic waste precious time, it affects students’ work-life-school balance, as the traffic often causes students to run late to afterschool activities. Senior Marcela Perez-Bonneau says, “I’m sometimes late to field hockey practice or I’m late to pick up my little sister.” Senior Elisa Stedt recounts that “I’m always late to practice at Witter Field,” the local field BI uses for sports, while Natalie Cordle laments, “I’m always late to work.”

Opinions on the cause of such a glut of traffic abound.

Various student’s suggestions range from kids halting traffic while they walk slowly across the street, to the jam of people all trying to leave at the same time, to the congested left turn lane, to the fact there are too many cars and only one exit. Mr. “It takes me twenty Dodds believes that a combination of little things adds up: “I minutes to go a mile.” think the culprit is not just drivers but people walking as -Elisa Stedt, Senior well.” He suggests that multiple issues such as cars turning left before 3:30 pm, students crossing Cambridge Road one by one instead of waiting in groups, and drivers not following simple traffic laws are to blame.

There are numerous reasons traffic congestion exists in the lower lot. How can the students and staff find workable fixes? “The only solution in my mind is to get more kids to bike and take the bus to school,” advises Adam Tampio. Beckett Engelhardt suggests; “I think we need to build an underground section of it like Gonzaga.” Some students, however, think the parking lot traffic is normal and manageable. Senior Maddy Probst explains “I think the system works as well as it can with the structure of the parking lot.” Mr. Dodds believes that the best way to fix the issues in the parking lot is for the community to work together, students and drivers alike, to fix the traffic issues caused by incoordination and a lack of spatial awareness: “If there is no right of way being recognized we have a standstill in a completely different direction that shouldn’t be there. Because we don’t do those things as a community, there are going to be some of those jams. I believe that if we have the capacity to think of “we before me,” the system, although imperfect for “me,” is better for everyone.”

While it is unclear whether the congestion in the lower parking lot can ever be erased, fixed, or even decreased, it is clear that all drivers at Bishop Ireton when the dismissal bell rings, need to follow the rules of the road and use spatial awareness and common courtesy. If everyone adopts the “We before Me” mentality starting at 3:05 pm, maybe 2025 will be the year that the frenzy of the lower lot can become a thing of the past.

Senior Spread: words from the class of ‘25 By: Eden Boyd

What are you most looking forward to for your senior year?

“I’m excited for the seniors’ last day. I think, like, tie-dying shirts, that’s really fun. “ - Regan Schultz “ Just the feeling of completion. Its very satisfying to know that all the work I’ve put in has sort of paid off, and now I’m here at, like, the pinnacle of the school. I can sort of have an enjoyable, interesting senior year. Getting to look out from the mountain top, it’s a good feeling.” - Newman Stirewalt

What is your favorite memory from your time at Bishop Ireton? “ Probably making all the friends I did. Coming from a middle school where you don’t know a lot of people, it was hard to feel included, you always felt out of the loop, out of the circle. So, finding my people and really getting close with them, I think that’s been my favorite memory from BI. “ - Lauren Whitman “ My favorite memory at BI was advisory day my freshman year, when my advisory won and we got to celebrate the entire day.” - Niamh Moreno “I liked beating St. Steven’s my junior year in our baseball game.” - Trevor Pickard

What are some words of advice you could give to the freshman class? “ I think some words of advice are to make a lot of friends and be kind to everyone. Turn in your work on time, and make sure you’re friends with your teachers, because you need that later.” - Isaac Nienabar “ Turn your work in on time. Just stay on top of your work and join as many clubs as possible. Try out everything, you’ll never know what you’ll end up loving.” - Sophie Ary

Au t u m n At h l e t i c s i n t h e N e s t !

By: Rory Sheehan & Peter DiBella

Autumn athletics are underway! Bishop Ireton held its first school-wide pep rally (pictured) where we celebrated all the fall sports. However, the first “team” honored was from Mr. Thomas Cogliano’s and Mr. Jack Gaumer’s Advisory for winning the Advisory Challenge from 2024. As for the real Bishop Ireton teams, the crosscountry team came up as big winners at the Adidas XC Challenge on September 20 (pictured). Both the boys and girls teams finished first overall. Senior Regan Schultz led the way by winning her race, while sophomore Cate Messing placed fourth, junior Jason Day grabbed third, and junior Justin Huynh came in 11th place.

Coach Bob Artman praised the team’s performance: “This is the best two teams we have had at BI in all my time coaching here. We had some outstanding individual performances that led to a great team result. Regan Schultz's second half of her race was fantastic and demoralized her competition in the final straightaway with her speed. Cate Messing really ran well for someone coming off an injury, while Jason Day's hard work over the summer is paying off. I am really proud of everyone, and I am thankful to the entire administration at BI for giving us this opportunity to really bond as a team.” We know they have more medals in their future!

Field hockey has also been on a roll and our Cardinal football and soccer teams are coming back from some tough match-ups. The BI volleyball team is 2-2 in conference play while the rowing team recently hit the water at the Head of the Anacostia!

It’s mid-season and the athletes are showing a lot of energy and fight. There’s a good chance we’ll see even more big moments as the fall goes on!

New members of the Ireton family Cardinals, let's give a warm welcome to the new boys Varsity Lacrosse Coach and new athletic trainer! Tim Dodds, the current Assistant Principal of Student Life, is the Head Varsity Boys Lacrosse Coach, and Ronajah Holmes, is joining Michael Roberts as an athletic trainer. In addition, James Eaton was recently named as Ireton’s new Head Varsity Golf Coach. Welcome to the nest!

Mr. Tim Dodds

Ms. Ronajah Holmes

Mr. James Eaton

Fall Puzzle!

Check the back page to see if your answers are correct!

By: Angela Ciatti and Natalie Drey 1 2

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Across 5. Favorite fall sport 6. Time to Join A ____ 8. _______ People’s Day - A Day Off for us; October holiday (new)

Down 1. 10th grader 2. Name of play this fall 3. 11th grader 4. Leaves Fall during

12. Travis and Taylor Announcement

7. Swimming Place closed after August

14. BI Mascot

9. 12th grader

15. ____ Open - New York tennis championship

10. 9th grader

17. Scary holiday

11. Well-known BI Teacher

18. Important Visit From the _____

13. Landed at Plymouth

19. Turkey Day

16. Most common birth month

20. First dance of the year

21. _____ Day- A Day Off for us; October

21. Refinished Holy Building at BI

holiday (old)

22. Afterschool Assignments 23. _______ Country (Running Sport)

Fall Puzzle Answer Key! Think you got all the answers? Check the answer key below to be sure!