Senior Farewell Edition Detroit Catholic Central
SPECTRUM Volume 85, No. 4 May 20, 2022 27225 Wixom Road, Novi, MI
CC Hockey Returns Home Triumphant Vincent Stockton ’22 The Catholic Central hockey program has been a cornerstone of athletic excellence over the past decades. Unfortunately, and maybe unfairly for the Shamrocks, the season can be judged upon one goal: the state championship. After a victory in the 2021 State Championship, the Shamrocks faced even greater pressure, and the expectations were set even higher this year. With 19 banners already raised in the gym, Coach Kaleniecki’s men were determined to give everything they had to earn the number 20. The Shamrocks had somewhat of a rocky regular season compared to previous years. Losing their first in-state game of the season allowed many people beyond the program to cast doubt on what they could achieve as a team. The Shamrocks finished the regular season 21-3. When asked about how the team regained focus ahead of playoffs, Senior Brian Apple said, “Throughout this time, we had many team meetings, which were player-only, and numerous team bondings to get us closer together as a group. I would say that this tough time for us really helped shape our postseason run. We continued
to skate everyday and prepare mentally through film and other resources. We played the game the right way and did all of the little things right.” The Shamrocks steamrolled through the first two rounds of the playoffs with wins of 12-0 and 4-1. Catholic Central continued their dominance with a huge 3-0 victory in the quarterfinals to advance to the semifinal matchup against Midland. With only one game left to reach their goal, nothing was stopping this team and CC pummeled Midland by the score of 6-0. And then there was one. The state championship game pitted CC against Brighton, clearly the best two teams across the state. The Shamrocks and Bulldogs have established a rivalry that is one of the best in the state for hockey. In front of a sold out USA Hockey Arena, the tension early in the game could be cut with a knife. The Bulldogs drew first blood and scored to take the lead at 1-0. Suddenly, CC found itself on the wrong side of the scoreboard and the momentum. But they responded. Senior Parker Jamieson Senior Austin Janz leads his teammates into the gymnasium Photo by Mr. Cornish quickly put one in the back of the net to equal the score. With six players earning MHSAA D1 After a very close and competitive first period, and junior Landon West all following up as well. With five unanswered goals and fantastic All-First Team honors and Apple also makthe Shamrocks took their play into another gear. goaltending from senior Nicholas Galda, the 2022 ing the Dream Team, these Shamrocks proved Apple was the first to join the goal-scoring party, with seniors Jack Swamba and Justin Hubenschmidt Shamrocks carved their name into CC history. the old adage: success is not given, it is earned.
Trio of Teachers Retiring Clocking in a combined total of over a century of teaching here at Catholic Central, teachers Mr. Mark Gagnon, Mr. Greg Normandin, and Mrs. Karen Fanning will be retiring from teaching at the end of this school year.
Mr. Gagnon in his natural habitat
Photo by Jacob McKee Mr. Nordmandin conducting
Photo by Mr. Cornish Mrs. Fanning with the boys
Photo by Jacob McKee
More on page 6!
A Letter From the Editors Besides chronic caffeine addictions and the ability to memorize quizlet terms in under five minutes, one of the most important things that we developed here at Catholic Central was an unwavering community. Though it feels like forever ago, there were many times in our journey where we were unable to participate in in-person schooling due to lockdowns and other restrictions. However, with schools opening back up this year and mask mandates
being lifted, the CC family not only returned to hosting the staple events of our culture, but thrived in a way that past years could only dream of. Our student sections were louder, our DRIVE sales were higher, and our students, who now knew that they could not take anything for granted, were hungrier than ever to participate in the family in any way that they could. More than anything, we believe that this community is exactly what makes CC so special to so many young
men. No other school in the country has been able to not only survive but thrive in the transition back to normal schooling as CC has. We continued to dominate our competition and bring home state championships and we also continued to support and build each other every step of the way. Students sharpen one another in the classroom competing for the best test scores, athletes sharpen one another on the field through constant hard work and repetition, and artists sharpen one anoth-
er by inspiring their brothers to push their creative faculties to the limit. No other school in the country breeds greatness and achievement quite like Detroit Catholic Central. We are grateful to this school for preparing us to excel in the next steps of our journey, but we are even more grateful for being welcomed in with open arms by all of you who have made the last four years of our life an adventure that we will never forget. It’s difficult to say goodbye to your
family, even when it’s 800 brothers who were complete strangers only four years ago. That being said, all good things have to come to an end. Thank you all for making this school unforgettable and good luck heading forward. Your Editors, Cole Nogawa Owen Kummer