May Aquilian

The Aquilian May 2018 Volume 80, Number 6

Gonzaga College High School Men For Others Since 1821

19 Eye St, NW Washington, DC 20001

Photo By: Juan Fernandez ‘19

Standing Up and Walking Out By: Matt Gannon ‘18 Editor-in-Chief

February 14, 2018. In just 6 minutes, 17 lives were lost.

In just 6 minutes, windows became shards, filing cabinets became shields, corners became sanctuaries, school became hell, the unthinkable became reality.

Just kids, they endured blood on tiled floors, lockers peppered with bullet holes, friends torn away from them.

Just kids, they shuffled

out, eyes wide and hands above their heads.

Just kids, they woke in the middle of the night, reliving moments their classmates no longer could.

Over and over again, we heard their stories: the wrestling coach who shielded students, the 17 year old who held the door open for a classmate, the 14 year old in the hallway. Over and over again, we swore to ourselves that this can never, could never, would never happen to us. Not here.

Not us.

Reason was muddled by our fear, but this fact remains: they were us. We were the kids locked in the classrooms and the teachers herding ninth

graders into closets and the security guard outside. We’re not so different; we’re really not different at all.

That’s why Gonzaga stood up.

On March 14, nearly 400 Gonzaga students and faculty set our alarms, stood up from desks with quizzes on them, and walked out. We gathered on Buchanan Field, pouring out onto the bleachers. We walked in silence past counter protesters shouting slurs and intimidating words. We knelt in front of the Capitol. And we prayed.

It was beautiful.

Questions remain in the wake of the walkout. How was it planned? What actually hap-

pened at the walk out? What was the school’s response was it right? Why did students walk out? What did the school community think?

The planning was painstaking. It started with a meeting designed to bring students and faculty of different opinions together, led by the student government.

In total about 20 students and faculty attended to hash out a cohesive response to the gun violence in Parkland. Several ideas were floated, the most prevalent being the Walkout and the March for Our Lives: how would the student body handle these events? Because it was student governmentled, this movement needed to

Rugby Tour p. 4

Ignatian Heritage Day p. 5

Eye Street Jesuits p.

Prom p. 8

“I believe that even amid today’s mortar bursts and whining bullets, there is still hope for a brighter tomorrow.” - Martin Luther King

be as non-partisan as possible.

Inherently, social justice action takes a stance, and there were critics of the approach. However, it was largely agreed upon that Gonzaga stood for the indisputable facts of the issue: Gonzaga is prolife, anti-violence, pro-taking a stand.

As for the involvement of the administration, it has been assumed and insinuated that students asked the administration for “their blessing.” Students at the various meetings to plan the events asked only if Gonzaga would like to get on board with the movement. It was collectively decided that Continued on p. 2

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Students Speak Out Against Gun Violence Contiued from p. 1 the Walkout would have greater impact if it truly was civil disobedience, unapproved by the school. However, informing the school of plans to walk out allowed for security and planning to be better executed.

Students ended up walking out in far greater numbers than anticipated. Said Jonathan Hurley ‘18, “seeing so many young people gathered in one place protesting peacefully, I thought, ‘This is why I go to Gonzaga.’”

Protesters gathered on Buchanan Field, filling the entire left side of the stadium bleachers. After a moment of silence and opening prayer, the crowd filed out of the Eye Street gate in silence. Stretching an entire block and carrying signs inscribed with the names of those lost in Parkland, the crowd marched to the Capitol terrace. There, the nearly 400 students knelt and prayed a “Glory Be” for each of the 17 names read in a litany for Parkland.

Bystanders joined the kneeling Gonzaga students.

Ms. Murphy, who joined in the day’s action, remarked, “The dignity of the witness resulted in the police not breaking up the action, even though no more than 25 people can congregate in front of the Capitol at that spot. I watched two police approach us and then stop, failing to enforce the law.”

After a minute’s silence, the crowd headed back to Gonzaga and congregated in St. Al’s. There, Mr. Kilroy informed students that the punishment for the day would be an afternoon spent in JUG, the typical punishment for truancy. In the administration’s eyes, those who walked out broke two rules: leaving class and leaving campus. In what was described as an effort to demonstrate to students that any civil disobedience is met with uncertain consequences, students who walked out were asked to report to the theater after school.

This announcement was on bulletin boards, and, while gun control. The separation of met, admittedly, with grum- all of these had no “approved” the two events was important blings. Why would the lead- stamp from Student Services, to the organizers so that the ership of a school devoted to only Walkout posters were re- walkout could be as inclusive the ideal of “Men for Others” moved that day. The commu- as possible to students with punish the actions of those nity’s reaction was also widely different opinions, allowing a standing up for the protection varied, with parents comment- large group to stand up for the of students? What about the ing on Facebook praising the indisputable, pro-life nature inclusive, inherently prayer- response, deriding the walk- of the issue without dragging ful nature of the walkout was out as political action “foisted partisan issues into the mix. adverse to Gonzaga’s standing upon students,” or criticizing Said Hurley, “I went back as a Jesuit school? the response as antithetical to to the rally to protest what I Fr. Planning, in his letter Gonzaga’s mission. Others view as an injustice, someto the school community, not- held the opinion that the after thing which I believe wasn’t ed that this allowed the walk- school detention was a weak fully accomplished in our out to be a true act of student substitute for punishment. walkout purely by design.” protest: “I believed that our Still others criticized the fact Brown added, “I was at students would learn nothing that the school was not vocal- the rally afterwards because I about standing up for think gun control is their beliefs if they so important… [we “The walk-out decried received permiscouldn’t] just offer the gun violence of sion to do an act of some thoughts and scholastic “civil disour nation and ached prayers.” obedience” with no As for the reacfor a world where consequences….A tions of the school God’s children are walkout with the percommunity, said Ms. mission and blessing Murphy, “To me, safe in school.” of the school is not a the walk out was a - Ms. Murphy walkout.” form of prophetic If there would be witness anchored in no permission, as the Jesus’ vision of the student organizers and admin- ly in support of of the walkout Kingdom of God. The walkistration favored, then truancy movement. It is safe to say out decried the gun violence would have to be punished per that Gonzaga’s reaction was of our nation and ached for a usual. However, somewhat unlike the reactions of most world where God’s children nervously sitting in the the- other schools. are safe in school. The march ater and wondering what this In the opinion of the stu- was prayerful, symbolic and large-scale JUG was all about, dent organizers, it was also the solemn.” students quickly realized that best response that could have In his letter, Fr. Planning this was not the average room been implemented. It allowed remarked, “ In the end, hun210 guilt trip. Rather, it be- large participation and still dreds of our boys walked out. came an opportunity for stu- showed that protest carries a So much did their protest mean dents to publicly express the cost. to them that many continued reasons they felt compelled Students walked out of walking past the administrato walk out, to reflect on the their classrooms on that sun- tion who had warned them meaning of their civil disobe- ny, cold morning for many not to leave campus or “there dience, and to accept that the reasons. But beneath that va- would be consequences,” and action had to have a repercus- riety, there was the universal they kept going all the way sion. idea that students were walk- to the Capitol. It was truly a This is not to say that the ing out for those in Parkland walkout, and larger than any administration’s response who could not.

Gonzaga-sanctioned protest I was met with universal acSaid Kyle Brown ‘18, “ I have seen in my years as presclaim. The road getting to knew why I was walking out ident.” This sentiment was the afternoon detention was and I knew why my brothers echoed by Mr. Every, who in a bumpy one. 200 Walkout to my left and my right were an email to The Aquilian, ofposters were torn down, even walking out… it was some- fered the following statement, from teachers’ personal black- thing we just had to do.” reported here in full: boards, by Student Services, Brown was one of the “This year, Gonzaga stuthough they were pinned up about 20 students, including dents have truly proven themagain often within minutes. all of the student organizers, selves to be Men for Others The posters were often hang- who returned to the Capitol who are committed to justice. ing immediately next to pro- after the walkout to participate Most notably, many students life and pro-dreamer handouts in a separate rally in favor of stood for what they believed

The Aquilian Founded In 1940 Gonzaga College HIgh School 19 Eye Street NW Washington, DC 20001 Men For Others in the Jesuit Tradition Since 1821

Editors-in-Chief Matt Gannon ‘18 Jamie Keeler ‘18 Trevor Louis ‘18 Phototography Editors Jack Chesen ‘18 Rylan Madison ‘18

during the National School Walkout to End Gun Violence. As we know, they did this without the permission of the school and were most gracious in accepting the consequences of their actions. In doing so, they accepted that the work of justice often comes at a cost. We are so very proud of our students that have been active in lobbying on Capitol Hill, educating other students about the plight of refugees and other critical justice issues, participating in rallies and marches and in the many other ways they have worked for peace in our world. It lifts one’s heart to know that the world will be a better place because Gonzaga men are working to make it happen.”

The activism movement at Gonzaga did not end there, however. It continued with March 24’s March for Our Lives, with a Brady Campaign to End Gun Violence summit, with a town hall organized by Stone Ridge students, and with conversation. Gun violence was discussed in classes, in hallways, and at lunch tables.

And while no answers may have been reached in full, the activism March saw sparked a real, tangible conversation.

In the wake of these actions and movements, we must ask, “where to go from here?”

The answer can only be onward. Michael Kerns ‘18 had the following to say, “I would encourage other students to reaffirm what they feel is right in actions other than the walkout-- such as political canvassing for politicians for sensible gun control, writing Congress, and attending rallies and protests.”

In the words of MLK, “I believe that wounded justice, lying prostrate on the bloodflowing streets of our nations, can be lifted from this dust of shame to reign supreme among the children of men.”

The Walkout aimed to help in that effort.

Editors Joe Boland ‘19 Kyle Brown ‘18 Alec Dubois ‘18 Jack Martino ‘20 Daniel Podratsky ‘19 Matt Walter ‘18 Moderator: Dr. Harry Rissetto

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JUG: A Closer Look By: Rylan Madison ‘18 Editor After writing this, I came to realize that being a journalist for a high school newspaper can be a little more dangerous than I expected.

As a senior at Gonzaga, I had never been given JUG, which presented an interesting opportunity for an Aquilian article. However, here’s the problem. How could I write an article about JUG if it was something that I had not experienced? Remember, here at The Aquilian, we have standards.

So to write an article about JUG, it was high time for me to get JUG, but... how could I get JUG in a way that would be both humorous and harmless?

So with this question in mind I carefully scoured through the regulations at the front of the student handbook and selected what I thought

was greeted with wondrously odd looks from students and shocked expressions on the faces of teachers; you would be surprised h o w m a n y people are actually looking at your shoes, or in this case the lack thereof.

Now I’m inclined to think most of the campus is relatively clean so walking barefoot isn’t so bad but … the cafeteria, not so much. It’s one heck of a hazard-zone for your bare-feet, I mean have you considered the ramifications of stubbing your toe on a backpack, stepping in a mushy french fry, or someone kick“Freshman’s First Jug” By: Patrick Rooks ‘21 ing your exposed foot under the table. for the article’s timeline. mobility. You feel like a wild OUCH! Another major hazard And there are not many cob- gazelle ready to sprint a mile zone was the bathroom floor, blers in the DC Metro Area at a second’s notice. with wooden clogs on hand.

As I walked the halls, I a place (by no fault of its might be the most commonly overlooked rule in the book, shoes.

At first I decided to go the wooden clogs route.

Easy JUG. Anyone clapping their way down a hallway in Cantwell, sounding like a giant horse loose from the Wells Fargo wagon, would surely land in JUG before the day even started.

But do you know how difficult it is to buy a pair of wooden shoes? Ordering them online wouldn’t work

So it was time for Plan B. First period had just ended, so I did what any schmuck who is tryna break the rules would do. I ceremonially removed my shoes and socks.

For the rest of the day I was barefoot, truly in-tune with nature. I mean regardless of the fact that your feet get really dirty and that you can get in trouble, wearing shoes just makes practical sense cause you can stub your toe on a lot of stuff, but man is it liberating to free your toes for full

own) that is not meant to be stepped in barefoot. Luckily these locations were avoided for the duration of the day.

Aside from a comment followed by a stern glare from a passing teacher, most people didn’t really seem to mind at all. Mission failure.

Or so I thought...

Remember, while the wheels of justice sometimes turn slowly - they indeed turn. The next morning, I had a cordial visit from Student Services and yes, mission accomplished. JUG is now an experience with which I am intimately familiar. In fact, I might have ended up with a little more than I bargained for.

In hindsight, my effort to research this article made quite a few people uneasy and for that I am deeply apologetic. So, shoes on lads!

Keep ‘em laced! Attach the velcro! A hard sole makes for a good soul! Leather makes your toes feel better! And stay out of JUG, not fun.

Lacrosse Brings Home WCAC Championship By: Reid Norton ‘21 Contributor What a season it has been for the Gonzaga Eagles lacrosse team!

The first half of the season yielded a 7-3 record that included losses to Prep, PVI, and Culver. It likely was not the start that the team had hoped for. During that span, the Eagles averaged nine goals per game, which is pretty darn good for most varsity lacrosse programs.

However the Eagles are not like most programs.

At the midpoint of the season, Coach O’Neil was able to make adjustments, and the momentum quickly shifted. Their offensive output increased from an averaged of nine goals a game, to thirteen goals a game.

On the other side of the field, Coach King’s defense has been consistent in holding the opposing teams’ offense to 6 goals a game all season. The Eagles have not

player. The team completely bought in to what the coaches were teaching and how hard we could truly play. Sometimes it takes mistakes and failure to truly grow and be the person and team you want to be.” Following their 13-4 win against Bishop Ireton on Tuesday May 1, the Gonzaga Varsity lacrosse team had a crucial win against St. John’s in the WCAC semi-finals on Thursday night. Gonzaga started the game with six goals in the first quarter.

A sweet 12-9 revenge against the defending WCAC champions, St. Johns, put the Eagles in the championship against PVI. The Eagles walked into the WCAC championship on Monday night ranked number one in the WCAC for the first time all season. Gonzaga’s 10-7 victory in the Photo By: Gonzaga Advancement Office championship game closed lost a game since that mid- is not dying down one bit. to our momentum was real- out a tremendous season for point of the season, and it According to coach izing everything we needed the Eagles. seems that their momentum O’Neill, he said, “The key was right there within each

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Rugby Tour Takes World by Storm

By: Patrick Begala ‘19 Contributor

self out, and the plane lands in whichever foreign country The Gonzaga rugby tour we are traveling to, usually is an experience like no oth- with the entire team aboard.

This year, the wheels er. From eleven-hour plane

competition would not begin until the third full day. After waking up early and attending a quick mass, followed by a tour of the Colegio del

touched down in Buenos Aires, Argentina. This tour was exceptionally meaningful, since a plethora of the players are of some sort of Argentinian descent. This turned out to be extremely useful, as Bau Molinari (‘20), Patricio Fraga-Errecart (‘19), and Nick Egan (‘18) took on the important job of being our team translators.

In order to kickstart everyone after the long plane ride, we traveled to the Olivos Rugby Club for practice.

The first couple days were spent just generally getting a feel for the beautiful city of Buenos Aires, as the real

Salvador, we departed for the San Luis RC. Luckily, the A side match was a bit better than the B side. In between bone-jarring tackles, booming hits, and a few fists flying in the air, Gonzaga battled back to a slightly more manageable loss.

Following the rough losses, we had our first day off to take a guided tour of Buenos Aires. We spent the morning going through a museum followed by a beautiful Cathedral, finishing with the historic Casa Rosada, or Pink House. The Pink House is the office of the President of Argentina.

rides, exhilarating competition, and amazing new cultures, going on tour is truly everything you could hope for.

Each and every tour begins with the most stressful part, traveling. Arriving at the airport four hours before the flight seems like a little much, but of course some find it necessary to make the traveling a little more exciting by either showing up to the wrong airport, or simply forgetting some of the most needed equipment in the back of a certain student’s truck. Oops.

Yet everything works it-

We traveled through the huge complex, visiting the cabinet room, the press briefing room, and the most beautiful flowery courtyard inside the building.

The eventful day was finished at an acclaimed restaurant called Siga La Vaca, where John O’toole (‘19) and Owen Sheehy (‘18) engaged in one of the most disgusting and heroic food competitions ever to have taken place.

They each ate equally large plates filled with immense amounts of meat, with both of them agreeing to call a truce after the 5th plate.

The next morning, we departed for Mar Del Plata.

For eight long hours, our bus slogged through the Easter break traffic down to the beautiful beach city. As soon as we got to the hotel, we turned right around and drove another thirty minutes for our B side to play a match against the Mar Del Plata RC. No surprise, we got demolished, but had a great time in doing so!

The following day consisted of a light practice with most of the players heading to the beautiful beach afterwards. Although the weather was only around 65 degrees, the beach itself was one of the most fun experiences of the trip.

A large market was set up on the edge of the beach, selling everything from Churros to leather sandals. In fact, the local Argentinian shops were De’shean Hatton’s (‘19) favorite thing about tour!

On the final rugby filled day of tour, we departed the hotel around noon to play our final matches against Sporting FC, played at the exceptionally nice rugby club where we had been practicing the previous days.

Both A and B side games were played far better than the previous ones, yet both also resulted in losses.

On Easter Sunday in Mar Del Plata, we headed out to a local church for the traditional mass in Spanish. The priest

was quite obviously filled with passion about it being Easter Sunday and presumably having sixty foreigners attend his mass, which was great, except for his passion led for him preaching a bit too fast for most of us to understand, even for those who place hubristic pride in their Spanish skills.

After the mass, we all went about the town for one last time, then got ready for the end of tour banquet. The banquet is a unique and amazingly fun part of tour. It is essentially a three hour dinner during which nearly every teammate makes a complete fool of himself through singing or dancing. Some of the highlights included a skit based off the various interactions of the star athlete Chaz, and a punishing solo piece from Ian Kilcullen (‘18) due to his remarkability to make friends of all ages!

As the night drew to an end, so did the tour. The next morning we boarded the

buses again for another eight hour journey followed by a ten hour flight, with another successful tour complete.

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Walk a Mile in My Shoes - Ignatian Heritage Day By: Joe Boland ‘19 Editor & The Aquilian Staff As Gonzaga students and, subsequently, men for others, we are taught to recognize the struggles, conflicts, and injustices around us, and fight on behalf of those afflicted.

This year’s Ignatian Heritage Day opened our eyes to one such injustice: the world refugee and migrant crisis. Focused around the Jesuit Refugee Service’s simulation depicting facets of everyday life in a refugee camp, Gonzaga students had the opportunity to come face-to-face with one of the world’s most pressing issues.

Students began the day with a mass in St. Aloysius.

Fr. Planning spoke about the importance of Jesus' message and invited us as a community to open our hearts and minds to see what we could do to help some of the neediest people on the planet.

Fr. Planning reminded us that through no fault of their own refugees around the world are forced from their homes due to natural and man-made catastrophes.

How the greater human community cares for this vulnerable population was the centerpiece of Gonzaga's 2018 Ignatian Heritage Day (IHD).

Gonzaga hosted a number of groups on IHD that helped the community to explore this important issue. ShelterBox works to deliver high quality survival gear to areas hit by natural disasters and other tragedies. The group, led

by Mrs. Sarah Robinson (daughter of legendary Gonzaga Religion teacher and former Washington Jesuit

Academy principal John Hoffman) offered a powerful presentation about how ShelterBox helps families, individuals, and children when circumstances create situations of great peril.

UNICEF was also represented through the presentation of Ms. Abir Ibrahim.

She discussed UNICEF initiatives around the world and how Gonzaga students could help.

Mrs. Giulia McPhereson from Jesuit Refugee Services was also a part of the lineup.

She offered a presentation that spoke to the work of Fr. Pedro Arrupe, SJ and how it has continued through the efforts of JRS around the world.

Brad Jenkins from Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. informed those who attended his session about the work of immigration lawyers and

on migration, and students from Kino, Apopka, and the Camino trip talked about their encounters with migrants, refugees, and what it meant to carry everything you own with you on a journey.

and their displaced peers in Kenya, Greece, Lebanon, and Bangladesh. It offered powerful testimony about the similarities and differences between students born half a world apart.

Without the Jesuits’ help, she and her son most likely would not have been given the attention and help they so urgently needed. Without our help, too, thousands more like Eureka will be

what hurdles refugees face when trying to become citizens on third party host countries.

Gonzaga's own Mr. Ausema discussed the impact of climate change

In the Sheehy Theater Gonzaga students had an opportunity to watch "Global Conversations." The video, produced by Colin Carmody '18, featured conversations between Gonzaga seniors

What struck me most about the experience was the real-life identity I was given.

Eureka fled the Democratic Republic of the Congo with her son after her husband, a journalist, was assassinated for political reasons. Her journey, though, was just as horrendous. With no money and no means of transportation, Eureka relied on the kindness of strangers for passage, but her faith in humanity was not reciprocated. During the trip, she was repeatedly sexually abused and, during one encounter, was burned by steaming-hot coffee all over her face. Even after this, determined, she found a way to Malawi, and is currently learning to become an auto mechanic, thanks, in part, to a job training program funded by the Jesuit Refugee Service.

stuck in the vicious cycle of refugee camps, with no hope of escape or a better life. It’s up to us, men for others, to be the men these refugees desperately need.

The Walk a Mile in My Shoes event gave students an opportunity to experience just a small amount of what life is like for a refugee.

From a tough intake procedure filled with difficult questions, to a shelter station that challenged notions of personal space - students could see that being in that situation presented numerous difficulties. The availability of fresh water, healthy foods, medicine, and educational opportunities were also part of the Walk a Mile in My Shoes exercise. While it only took an hour, it was an eyeopening experience for all who led and participated.

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Meet the Eye Street Jesuits: Fr. Bill Muller, SJ

By: Matt Gannon ‘18 Editor-in-Chief Aquilian: Could you tell us a bit about the way you were introduced to the Jesuits?

Fr. Bill Muller, SJ: Born in San Francisco and raised there and in San Jose. My dad went to USF (University of San Francisco, a Jesuit university) and after WW2 worked in the alumni office there so he was friends with lots of Jesuits. Growing up I met many of my dad’s Jesuit friends. I went to Bellarmine College Prep (the Jesuit school in San Jose - very much life Gonzaga) and was taught by a number of talented and friendly Jesuits.

When you were in high school, what did you want to be when you would grow up?

My dad owned a big printing business, so I thought I would go to college and then work for and with my dad in his business, but I started to think I could be a teacher because of the influence my teachers had on me. And then I started to think I could be a Jesuit.

When did you decide that you wanted to be a Jesuit?

In my senior year at Bellarmine I talked with a few of the Jesuits there and decided I wanted to join the Jesuits.

Since I had known Jesuits growing up it wasn’t such a sudden decision, though it felt that way at first.

In your time as a Jesuit, what is the most interesting event you have been a part of or witnessed?

I’ve had lots of interesting events! The most recent big deal was the meeting last October in in Brazil of the 90 education delegates representing Jesuit schools from around the world. Some were Jesuits and some were not, we spoke different languages and came from a variety of cultures, but from the first day of the week to the last we were all “on the same page” about what Jesuit education is doing and could be doing for the students who attend Jesuit schools. It was an example of how really global Jesuit education is and how the Spirit of God is working in our schools. A great week.

on the west coast. I’ve been a teacher, drama coach, assistant principal, principal, president of two schools.

I’ve also been the formation director for the young Jesuits in the former California Province and the education delegate for the Province.

What would you say is the most rewarding aspect of your work as a Jesuit?

It’s all about relationships!

Meeting people, getting to know folks in different cities and at different schools.

I love being a Jesuit and a priest - being able to be with people celebrating weddings and baptisms, and being with them in times of crisis. It is a great grace to watch students grow up from freshman year to graduation.

meet every year), providing it means to be global citizens, Ignatian leadership training like providing opportunities for faculty and staff from the for faculty and staff from schools, and connecting our Jesuit Schools Network with other Catholic and non-Catholic educational institutions and networks (NCEA, other religious congregation education networks, etc.)

How did you come to be involved in the Jesuit Schools Network?

My Jesuit Provincial in California asked me to be available for this position and then the President of the Jesuit Conference asked me to take the job. And the board of directors voted me in.

So I arrived in DC almost three years ago for my first time living in this part of the world. I love the job and like living in DC (though I miss Could you tell us a bit about mountains.) your job as Executive Director of the Jesuit Schools What about your job as ExNetwork? ecutive Director is the most The Network is really a Net- challenging? What is the work of Networks - schools, most exciting? regions, Provinces, and the The challenge is there is so Jesuit Conference (Canada much the Network wants to and the US). The Conference do, like getting our schools to Where have you been asked office in DC does things like be more aware of the global to go as a Jesuit? hosting Conference-wide impact of Jesuit education so Mostly Jesuit high schools meetings (eg, the principals our students will know what

our schools to experience the Spiritual Exercises - we are making some progress in very many areas, but there is always more we’d like to do!

The exciting part is working with so many very dedicated and even holy people who run our schools - our Network is truly blest to have the women and men we have in our schools as administrators, faculty, and staff. I miss working at a specific school, but the chance to meet and work with so many from our 83 schools is a gift I treasure.

The Eye Street Jesuits: Deacon Michael Wegenka, SJ By: Matt Gannon ‘18 Editor-in-Chief I grew up in a pretty Catholic family and am the youngest of four kids. My siblings and I went to both Catholic and public schools growing up, but I only encountered the Jesuits when I went to a Jesuit high school in Houston, Texas.

I had a Jesuit priest as my freshman speech teacher, and he taught me about public speaking mostly through modelling it by the way he gave homilies, which were always amazing and centered around really good stories.

Jesuits are often great storytellers, and I think that aspect of the Jesuit charism was a strong attraction for me even from a pretty young age.

I only decided to become a Jesuit in the second semester of my senior year of high school, after making two or three discernment retreats over the course of my junior and senior years.

That first encounter with the Jesuits early in high school sort of planted a seed

that I ignored for as long as I could. But when I started looking at colleges, I realized that none of them were directly preparing me for my deepest desire.

Relationships with human beings and being with them in the ups and downs of their lives, that was what most captured my imagination and filled me with hope and joy. I could see how much darkness there is in the world, and I wanted to live my life directly confronting the spiritual root of that as a Jesuit.

I led a group of college students to World Youth Day in Poland a couple years ago, and it was a tremendous experience of the world-wide Church and the vigor of the faith of young Catholics from every nation on earth.

We were pilgrims on a journey through rain and mud as well as sunshine and flowering meadows and city streets, camping out in the middle of enormous fields, hearing talks on faith and all adoring the Eucharist together

with 1.5 million of our closest friends. I think we can often feel like faith is a private matter, that it is something that is important to me but that I can’t really expect other people to live out.

I have worked in soup kitchens in New Orleans and Tijuana, studied Philosophy and English Literature in New York and Oxford, taught English and Theology in Denver, and studied theology in Boston and here in Washington.

Along the way I have also led hiking expeditions in the Rockies and the Wind River Range in Wyoming, hiked the country roads of Wisconsin, canoed the Boundary Waters in northern Minnesota, rowed the Thames in Oxford, lead countless retreats and bible-studies, prepared 25 people to be baptized and receive their first communion, baptized my nephew, buried the dead, and preached a bunch of homilies that were not awful (and at least one that crashed and burned).

The most rewarding

thing about my life is getting to be present at the most intimate moments of a soul’s encounter with God. This is something that anyone can experience as a Eucharistic minister, but it is something I get to see all the time in my conversations and other ministry. Jesus Christ is alive and comes to meet us, and part of the reason I know this to be true is because I see it happen every day. That is a tremendous privilege, and I can’t imagine myself being happy doing anything else.

I am going to be an associate pastor at a parish in a little town in south Louisiana: Grand Coteau. It is a bit of a Jesuit hub (not unlike Wernersville, PA used to be), and I will be living with more than fifty other Jesuits, some just starting out in formation and others pray-

ing for the Church and the Society of Jesus during the twilight years of their Jesuit life. I will say Mass and hear confessions and visit the sick and bury the dead. In short, I get to learn how to be a priest and how to love these people who are often poor and just need a priest to offer them the consolation of the Sacraments of the Church. I could not be more excited that I get to be that for them.

Ready for Player One? By: Ryan Vigilante ‘19 Contributor The book Ready Player One is known for being a pop-culture extravaganza. It is filled to the brim with references to movies, music, and video games that shape our society. So when I heard they were making a Ready Player One movie, I was skeptical.

Pop-culture references have a history of working much better on television (Stranger Things, Rick and Morty) than on the big screen (The Emoji Movie, Ghostbusters Reboot).

There are, of course, movies that incorporate pop-culture to near perfection such as Guardians of the Galaxy and Baby Driver, but this is because the references aren’t what drive these movies forward.

So, I was understandably wary about Ready Player One. Not to mention all the CGI the film would have to rely on. Walking into the theater, I expected nothing more Favorite Word My favorite word is “lackadaisical” because it sounds the kind of word Dr. Seuss would make up to complete a rhyme.

- Peter Rizzo ‘19

The Aquilian 7

than a messy, computer-generated nostalgia trip.

I really should have had more faith in Steven Spielberg. The movie was beautifully constructed. It actually had even more pop-culture than I was expecting.

There were many familiar environments and characters from films like The Iron Giant, The Shining, and King Kong, but the role that they played in this movie was a seamless, enjoyable way to progress the story.

The action scenes were magnificent as well. In many of these CGI-driven movies, it is difficult to follow the action, but Spielberg’s legendary directing ensured that these scenes could be clear while still maintaining its fast pace and giant scale.

I did have some storyrelated grievances with the film. It just felt very formulaic and familiar. The characters have to solve vaguely worded clues in order to make progress. At seemingly

random times a character will solve a clue and the story will move forward. It was a lazy way to advance the story, and one that I’ve seen before in movies like Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire or National Treasure.

Of course, the movie is based on existing source material, so I can really only blame Ernest Cline, the book’s author, for this problem.

I also had an issue with some of the movie’s references. Although most of them were seamless, some seemed to have been thrown in for the hell of it.

These gratuitous references worked most of the time, but they were occasionally jarring. There was one scene in particular that took place in a garage where the writers were obviously just listing as many references

as they could in the allotted time.

All in all, I enjoyed Ready Player One; The directing and visual effects were magnificent, the score was beautiful, and the popculture references were generally well incorporated into the story.

This one gets a B+ .

Favorite Word My favorite word is “apathetic” because I like the way it sounds to me.

- Kyle Brown ‘18

Favorite Word My favorite word is “iguana.” No explanation necessary.

- Tommy Fisher ‘20

Favorite Word My favorite word is “bibleot” because it really rolls of the tongue.

- Matt Gannon ‘18

Favorite Word My favorite word is “sesquipedalian” because who doesn’t like using long words for little to no reason.

- Patrick Begala ‘19

“Come One, Come Act!” By: Peter Rizzo ‘19 Contributor For those who are unfamiliar, the One Act Festival is an annual tradition at Gonzaga where Gonzaga students can write or direct their own short plays. This year the festival will be held on Thursday, May 17th and Friday, May 18th, so if you want to come one night or both, admission is free! But there’s a suggested donation of one can of food for the McKenna Center. This year, six upperclassmen took the helms of five unique shows: Internship Opportunities: Written by Owen Johnson and co-directed by Owen Johnson and Joseph Miller, this 1960s-set play explores the moon landing, mainly how NASA interns managed to fake it with the help of famed director Stanley Kubrick.

One Act: Directed by PJ McMahon, the only junior director this year, this show adapts the first two episodes of Phineas and Ferb, “Rollercoaster” and “Lawn Gnome Beach Party of Terror.” See Phineas and Ferb create the seemingly impossible while their older sister, Candace, attempts to catch them in the act.

Mediocre Massacre: Written and directed by Brendan Griffith, this play follows two detectives as they try to solve a murder at the popular talent show, Show Me What You Got. Watch them (attempt to) find a killer among stand-up comedians, karate masters, stoic judges, and a man who just can’t get people to pronounce his name right.

Jordan’s Restaurant: A musical one act written, directed, and composed by Colin Carmody, this one act welcomes the audience to a restaurant where four couples Phineas and Ferb - the get to know each other, and

find out that that’s not always “Do you like Meme Fera good thing. nandez? Then you’ll love this show!” - Joseph Miller The Icing on the Cake: (co-director, Internship OpDirected by Michael Kerns, portunities) this one act presents a parody “ of the average teen drama Do you like Platypuses that affectionately mocks in hats? Do you like protagothe tropes featured in vari- nists who have heads shaped ous teen movies of the early like a Dorito? Would you 2000s, like High School Mu- want to see our prestigious sical or Mean Girls. president (Matt Gannon) in a lab coat fighting a semiSo come, support your aquatic egg laying mammal? friends, between the five Then come see Phineas and casts, hardworking stage Ferb - the One Act! All the crew, and six directors, odds classic cartoons brought to are you know at least one per- life on stage under the direcson involved in the festival. tion of PJ McMahon, truly a Take the edge off at the once in a lifetime opportuniend of AP Exams with just ty.” - PJ McMahon (director, the right mixture of comedy, Phineas and Ferb - the One mystery, music, and drama Act) with the 2018 One Act festival, but don’t take my word “The one acts are whimfor it; sical, creative, and all out hi“If you don’t see this larious. These student-directshow, then you hate Ameri- ed shows bring to life new ca.” - Owen Johnson (writer/ characters and plots from the co-director, Internship Op- minds of Gonzaga. In past portunities) years, there has been a cannibal who just wants to find

love, a group of space pirates who just want to save their fiend, and a lovable Canadian who needs to learn how to surf. Come and find out what the one acts have to offer this year.” - Brendan Griffith (writer/director, Mediocre Massacre) “Students should see the one acts because lots of students have put in time, effort and creativity to write these shows. The One Acts are student directed and represent current ideas here at Gonzaga. Also, because they are student written, they can often be funny and have jokes aimed at Gonzaga students rather than our parents.” Colin Carmody (writer/composer/director, Jordan’s Restaurant) “It’s a wild show. So like, see it.” - Michael Kerns (writer/director, the Icing on the Cake)

Prom at the Building Museum

Photos Courtesy of Madame Gino-Saliba