The Growl - Sept. 2011

GROWL The Growl

THE

A Student Publication of Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy

1

September 2011 Homecoming

2

Opinions

THE

GROWL Volume 9

Issue 1

Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy 5625 Holy Trinity Drive Melbourne, FL 32940 (321) 723-8323 news@htes.org Dana Slomins Editor-in-Chief Shannon Sapourn Feature Editor Ally Neutze Photo Editor Staff Reporters Matthew Allison Patrick Black Bobby Forman Kenny Liska Megan McCreery Casey Nierenberg Catie Sergis Kyra Weiss Adviser Jim Hale Headmaster Catherine A. Ford

On the Cover One of these six girls (from left) Haley Revills, Shannon Sapourn, Audrey Downs, Kaitlyn Davis, Nikki Kilborne, or Kelly McArthur will be crowned as this year’s homecoming queen.

The Growl is published monthly during the school year by students of Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy. The publication is a public forum, with its student editorial board making all decisions concerning its contents.

Unsigned editorials express the view of the majority of the editorial board.

Letters to the editor are welcomed and will be published as space allows.

Letters must be signed and will be verified.

The paper reserves the right to edit letters for grammar and clarity, and all letters are subject to laws governing obscenity, libel, privacy and disruption of the school process, as are all contents of the paper.

Op i n i o n s i n l e t t e r s ar e not necessarily those of the staff, nor should any opinion expressed in a public forum be construed as the opinion or policy of the administration, unless so attributed.

The Growl

Where Do We Go From Here?

As a school, Holy Trinity has come a long way in such a short time. So where do we go from here? The Growl suggests that attention to the following areas can keep HT moving in the right direction.

The Stadium It goes without saying that Holy Trinity loves athletics, with the majority of students participating in at least one sport. And while the school is blessed with well-maintained facilities that support Tiger athletics, the stadium is in need of improvements.

While the field, track and stands are top-notch, the facility lacks some major necessities, such as bathrooms and a fullfunctioning concession stand.

The stadium holds a fairly large number of people, yet no actual bathrooms have been built at the stadium.

The bathrooms that are near the stadium are located a distance away, which is a major inconvenience. There is also limited lighting along the long route to the bathrooms, which create a safety issue, especially for older fans.

There are portable toilets located near the stadium, however, they are meant to be only temporary and are not suited for events that happen nearly every week. It would benefit both the fans and the athletes if bathrooms are built at the stadium.

The stadium also lacks a fully-functioning concession

stand. At other schools, concession stands are minikitchens, that can prepare and serve a variety of foods. This would provide more variety to students and thus make the concession stand more appealing and profitable

Rain Coverings Living in Florida, everyone knows that it rains rather frequently. However, there doesn’t seem to be sufficient covering around the school on rainy days.

When it rains, it is rather easy to get between classes until you decide to go to the gym. From the 200 and 300 buildings, in order to get to the gym you would have to go all the way to the 400 building and around the courtyard. The school hallways are almost always packed, and doing this can make you late.

Also, there is no dry path to the one building -- the chapel-where we assemble the entire student body.

Lunch is also a problem.

Since the cafeteria can only hold so many people, students choose to sit outside. During rainy lunches, however, the cafeteria becomes packed and uncomfortable.

Car line is another issue.

Most rainy dismissals, the students are all moved to the Tiger Cafe. Because only a few students may leave the Tiger Cafe at any given time, the car line moves much slower than usual.

For all three issues here, students would bnenefit from more coverings for rainy days.

Because of the frequency of rain in Florida, they would not go to waste and the cost would be justified.

Lunchtime Lunch is a big part of student life. Not only is it a time to eat, but it is a time to socialize, catch up on homework, and a time to relax. Many of the clubs and organizations at school meet during lunch.

However, none of these things can be enjoyed because of the short time we have at lunch.

Officially, lunch lasts for 25 minutes, but because of the time it takes to get lunch and get to your seat, you only have about 15 minutes to eat. With this short amount of time, students are not able to properly eat their food.

One USA Today study shows that most high schools across the US only offer 20 to 30 minutes for lunch. Experts say because of the short time, students tend to rush through their lunch and as a result, they do not get enough time to digest their food properly. This causes studetns to come home hungry.

In other countries, such as France, lunch lasts for an hour or two. We are not saying that lunch needs to be that long, but The Growl believes that lunch should at least be extended for an extra 10 to 15 minutes. This would give students ample time to eat without the need to rush.

The Growl

3

Letter from the Editor I remember sitting in Mr. Hale’s room my first day on the newspaper staff my sophomore year. I was the only sophomore in the class and one of only three new staff members that year. As I was learning how to write my stories and design my pages, I had no idea that the next year I would be Feature Editor, helping Mariana Grammenos while she was Editor-in-Chief her senior year.

More importantly, however, I had no idea that the following year I would be sitting here writing this letter.

As Editor-in-Chief, I am extremely excited about the year. I have worked

very hard the past two years on the staff, and I am ready to take on the even higher responsibility that comes with being Editorin-Chief. I look forward to working with the rest of the staff this year. I think we all work really well together, and there definitely is never a dull moment in class.

Shannon Sapourn and Ally Neutze, both second-year staff members, have shown that they are worthy of editor positions. Shannon Sapourn will be the Feature Editor and Ally Neutze will be the Photo Editor, and I know they will both do a great job.

I have high expectations for The Growl this

year. We hope to provide you, the students, with an informative and entertaining paper that you’re excited to read. I encourage you to submit letters to the editor. We want you to realize that this is your newspaper, and we welcome your opinions on anything we have published or on something you would like us to write about. Send your letters to news@htes.org.

I hope you enjoy reading our issues of The Growl, and I can assure you that this year’s staff will not let you down.

Dana Slomins Editor-in-Chief

The Growl staff: (front row, from left) Kenny Liska, Kyra Weiss, Dana Slomins, Ally Neutze, and Megan McCreery. (second row) Catie Sergis, Patrick Black, Shannon Sapourn, Casey Nierenberg, and Matthew Allison. Not pictured: Bobby Forman

The Growl

4

Fall of the Arts

By Matthew Allison Fine arts students will be participating in the Fall of the Arts in downtown Eau Gallie on October 7, from 5:00 to 8:30 p.m.

The Fall of the Arts is a highly anticipated event for Holy Trinity’s drama, chorus, and art programs.

“It gives the students a chance to show Brevard what talent the school has to offer,” said Mrs. Cathy Rodby, fine arts department chair.

All of Brevard gets a chance to look at our fine arts program. Every Holy Trinity art program gets an opportunity to show off their work or perform their acts or vocals.

There will be many tables set up with sculptures and paintings. Since this event is a street festival, people may come and go as they please, and enjoy all venues of our fine arts. This enables students to look

at different student’s work from all over the county. Everyone gets to look at their peer’s artwork and watch fellow students sing their heart out and perform. The senior high drama class also has a chance to perform, and the chorus classes will show off their voices.

Come out on October 7, and support your fellow Tigers.

Joshua Seraballs works on a piece that will be displayed at the Fall of The Arts street festival. The fine arts department has been preparing for the event for several weeks.

The Growl

5

Armed and Ready S

By Dana Slomins

enior Anthony Storm is finally living his dream. As the starting quarterback and a leader on the team this year, he feels that this is his year to shine.

He hasn’t just recently discovered his love for the sport, though. Storm began playing football at the age of five.

“My dad was always a big football fan and so was my mom, so they kind of brought me into the football world,” said Storm.

As a seventh grader, he was a member of the junior high team, and he began playing on the varsity team his freshman year.

Storm has had several positions on the field throughout the years including cornerback, receiver, and quarterback.

Holy Trinity graduate Jake Shuman, who currently plays football for Amherst College, had been the quarterback for the past several years, however, and Storm was the backup. Now that Shuman has moved on to the next level, Storm has taken full responsibility of the position.

“I’ve been preparing since my freshman year,” said Storm.

“I’ve been to camps all over the country, and I’ve had great mentors and coaches to help me along the way.”

Storm put in a lot of work over the summer to prepare for the season. With the help of one of his coaches, Coach Aaron Williams, he has learned to be a more versatile quarterback by focusing on his speed and footwork.

What excites Storm the most, however, is the leadership that comes with his position.

“As a quarterback, you control the team. You’re the leader. You’re the one that everyone looks up to to lead them to a win,” said Storm.

His favorite part about the position is the opportunity to touch the ball every play and to help the team score. Storm’s goals for the season are to play every game as hard as he can and to lead the team through districts, playoffs, and eventually state.

“The team this year is amazing. I’ve known since seventh grade that this group of seniors is going to

win districts and state,” said Storm.

He is looking forward to the team becoming a family this season. Although it may not be as large as it has been in previous years, Storm feels that the boys they have are all they need. He hopes to prove to people in the school and the district that they can win even with such a small team.

Storm feels that Coach Ainsley has done an amazing job so far with the boys.

“Ever since he got here he hasn’t taken a day off, and he will do whatever it takes to win,” said Storm. “I look up to him. He fires up the team and believes in each and every one of us.”

Storm is hoping to continue his football career as he prepares for college. He hopes to play for a Division I or II team. Among his top choices are John Hopkins University, Florida Institute of Technology, and Stony Brook University.

“I may not be the tallest quarterback, but I have a lot of heart and leadership which I think is necessary to win,” said Storm.

Anthony Storm throws the ball to a teammate during a drill at practice. He has been preparing to be the starting quarterback for several years now.

The Growl

6

Monday

Wednesday

Tacky Day

Salad Dressing Day

Tuesday

’90s Day

Friday

Spirit Day Thursday

Super Hero Day

7:00 p.m. Friday

Tigers vs. Lions Friday night (9/30), the Tigers will be playing the Nona High School Lions in the annual homecoming football game. The boys feel they are prepared, even though it might be one of the tougher games of their season.

Nona High School is a 6A public school located in Orlando. It recently opened in 2009, and the two teams have never played before.

“They’re a bigger school, but not a better school,” said junior Ryan Collins. “They may be a tough team, but we only have to be tougher than them one day out of the season.”

This year, the Tigers seem to be closer than ever which may be a reason for their success on the field.

“I feel like so far we have been playing well. The team is one big family with one goal,” said senior Marcus Maye.

The Tigers are also under the direction of a new head coach. Coach Mark Ainsley has been working on preparing the boys for this game.

“Coach Ainsley has done a great job this week of breaking down their team and the things they do. He has worked us hard all year to play big schools like this,” said Maye.

The Tigers will be counting on their team captains to lead the team to another victory.

“Our expectations are to win, and that stays the same for every game,” said junior Nick Hamer.

The boys are confident in their abilities and are ready to take on the Lions Friday night.

“I expect the team to step up to the challenge and come out on top, “ said Maye.

-- Dana Slomins

S

The Growl

Homecoming 2011

Spirit Week Junior linebacker Dylon Collins, along with the rest of the Tiger football team, prepare for the annual homecoming game.

7

Alumni Profile

8

The Growl

Life Behind the Lens

By Bobby Forman Conrad Golovac looks into the viewfinder, hoping to find the perfect shot.

Golovac, a 2009 graduate of Holy Trinity has been exploring his love of film at Boston University.

Golovac discovered his passion for film when he was still in high school.

After submitting a resume and letter of recommendation, he was invited to attend a program at The University of Miami the summer of his junior year.

Golovac decided to continue exploring film at BU. “I chose BU because it has an excellent communication program and because of the cold,” said Golovac.

He is currently working on Bay State, a student-run soap opera. Bay State runs on Boston University’s local television network, BUTV10. Bay State is the country’s longest-running college soap opera and was almost picked up by MTV. Golovac enjoys working for the program, which is available to all students.

“What makes Bay State so enjoyable is the fact that it is 100 percent student-run from start to finish. The script, stories, characters, production -- both pre and post -- are all done by us,” said Golovac.

“So just having the feeling of helping create something that has been on the air for over 20 years now is a pretty big accomplishment.”

BU has two student-run television studios. They are each equipped with their own control room and state of the art technology to send their shows to the greater Boston area.

“BUTV10 is a pretty impressive place.

We actually just upgraded to completely HD so I am really looking forward to working with all of the new equipment.

The station has won multiple prestigious awards.”

He will also be shooting a documentary in Nepal this coming summer. Nepal is a landlocked nation that sits between the arid steppes of India to the south, the harsh jungles of Bhutan to the east, and the overwhelming heights of the Himalayas to

Conrad Golovac, a 2009 Holy Trinity alumn, is continuing to explore his love of film at Boston University. He plans on shooting a documentary this summer in Nepal.

the north.

The country has become a refugee haven with refugees pouring in from surrounding countries, trying to escape persecution.

Nepal also went through a nasty civil war over the past decade that left several thousand dead and tens of thousands homeless.

“What drove me to want to shoot there is just the possibilities that the country poses.

In a way it’s a kind of untapped land of new information and stories that need to be told of the people that are there,” said Golovac.

Neither Golovac nor his friend, who is a photo journalist and will be helping Golovac with the documentary, speak Tibetan or Nepalese. This could present a very interesting challenge when trying to shoot a film, or for that matter trying to live out everyday life.

“I will be getting an interpreter, hopefully. If not, I may have a rather hard time asking for a glass of water,” said Golovac.

There is always the possibility of legal restrictions when shooting in a foreign country, however Golovac doesn’t anticipate any problems.

“Shooting in a foreign country can always be a tough thing because of political issues and cultural issues. I don’t think that there will be much of a problem shooting in Nepal, but I do have to do more research about it,” said Golovac.

The documentary is in the pre-production stage of development. He is hoping to begin filming the documentary, with his friend in late May to early June. The plan as of now is to enter the documentary in as many film festivals as possible, including the Sundance Film Festival Golovac plans on becoming an independent filmmaker sometime after he graduates from college in 2013. However, because independent filmmaking can be very expensive, he hopes to try to work for a production house first in order to get his name out into the industry.

The Growl

Alumni Profile

9

Right Where He Belongs

By Kyra Weiss Miguel Rovira seems to have his heart set on helping the community.

After graduating from Holy Trinity in 2006, Rovira went on to study chemistry at Emory University, and he did not limit himself in any way.

“There’s a lot to see in the world, so why not try everything?” said Rovira.

Rovira took the opportunity to go on two mission trips, one to Nicaragua, and the second to the Amazon River. Rovira went to Nicaragua in the summer of 2007 with Amigos for Christ, a Christian nonprofit organization based in Atlanta. He helped to establish sustainable farming in a community that was destroyed by Hurricane Floyd. Although it was hard labor in the hot sun, Rovira feels it was worth it. He had a chance to talk to some of the most interesting people he had ever met.

On the mission trip to the Amazon River with World Hope Missions Ministry, based out of Orlando, Rovira was focused on providing antibiotics and antiprotozoal medications to very isolated areas in the Amazon. These medications were needed to treat parasites, such as bacteria and protozoa, that come from drinking unclean water. He also provided vitamins to women who were malnourished and pregnant to help decrease the risk of birth defects.

In the summer of 2008, Rovira was interested in lab research and had the amazing opportunity to intern in Regensburg, Germany. He worked alongside a German scientist, Dr. Burkhard König, and assisted him in research on novel organic catalysts in photovoltaic cells.

“This was a very memorable experience.

It immersed me completely in the German culture,” said Rovira.

Near the end of his college experience, Rovira felt the need to affect people in a more direct way. He became an interpreter and a translator for the Good Samaritan Health Center, located in Atlanta. He translated documents into Spanish and Portuguese.

While working in Atlanta, Rovira met a Mexican doctor who was visiting the Center

for Disease Control and was working with and studying infectious diseases. Rovira joined this doctor and spent his last summer of college in Mexico, gathering research and data on diseases including the swine flu, tuberculosis, and diabetes.

After graduating from Emory University, Rovira became interested in learning more about our nation’s legal system and how it affects those living at or below the poverty line. This led to him join AmeriCorps, a federal government program created to give young adults the opportunity to help fight the war on poverty.

AmeriCorps paired Rovira with a public interest law firm located in Worchester, Massachusetts, about an hour west of Boston. There he served low income clients in our country as well as immigrants from

many other countries, including Brazil, Ghana, Haiti, Honduras, and Ecuador.

Rovira’s specific job was to help clients gain asylum status (political protection) as well as help immigrant victims of crime and domestic violence.

“This experience showed me how very real this problem (of getting legal aid) was across the nation,” said Rovira.

Rovira lives his life to the fullest, taking every chance he has to go on a new adventure, to explore the world, and to make it a better place to live.

“What I learned from my teachers was to really follow your passion and your heart.

It’s like a compass. Trust your instinct inside of you, and you will end up where you want to be,” said Rovira.

Miguel Rovira, who has a passion for helping others, explores the Amazon River while on a mission trip to provide antibiotics and antriptozoal medications to isolated areas.

The Growl

10

OPERATION: SMILE

By Shannon Sapourn Actor Charlie Chaplin once said, “A day without smiling is a day wasted.” Operation Smile, a new club at Holy Trinity, has a mission to have the whole world smiling.

Operation Smile is an international nonprofit organization that provides surgeries to kids with cleft palates, a deformity of the mouth, that is so severe that they cannot eat, speak, socialize or smile. These cases usually occur in third-world countries where the parents are unable to pay for these surgeries. Since 1982, Operation Smile has been able to provide over 200,000 free surgeries for children thanks to their 5,000 medical volunteers.

Junior Gabriella Aguilo-Seara decided this past summer to introduce the program to HT. “I thought that this would be something that I would like and something that I would be good at,” said Aguilo-Seara.

Operation Smile had their first meeting on August 23. Aguilo-Seara headed the meeting and talked about upcoming events for the year. There were many fundraiser ideas proposed for the year, such as a melon ball tournament or an outdoor movie to raise awareness.

“Other schools do bake sales, but I want to do something that’s more interesting for people our age to give them the chance to participate in raising awareness for this cause,” said Aguilo-Seara.

Operation Smile Club will meet just four times a year, once per quarter, since much of the communication between members is being done through Facebook and e-mail.

There will be individual committees that will also meet on their own.

Holy Trinity’s Operation Smile Club has to record their progress through the international Operation Smile organization.

There is also a blog where other leaders of Operation Smile clubs at different schools can talk about what they’re doing and share ideas. Being a member of Operation Smile also allows students to be eligible for an International Leadership Conference depending on one’s level of participation.

Operation Smile is a great way to get involved in service. As the club grows, Aguilo-Seara wants to expand service projects to the community and promote the organization to other schools as well.

Join Operation Smile on Facebook under Operation Smile Club at Holy Trinity or the website http://www.operationsmile.org/.

Below: Senior Sofia Peterson researches Operation Smile and the opportunities the organization offers.

The Growl

11

Mark Your Calendars

Tiger Atletic Events You Don’t Want to Miss Girls Golf - vs. Space Coast HS - Home - 9/26 - 4:00 pm Space Coast has a strong team that will match up well against our girls.

Boys Golf - vs. MCC - Home - 9/27 - 4:00 pm MCC is the most competitive team in our district for boys golf, and is also our rival.

Volleyball - vs. Rockledge - Home - 9/27 - 7:15 A tough game against one of the better teams in the county.

Swimming - vs. West Shore and Edgewood - Away - 10/11 - 4:00 pm Two solid teams who match up well against ours.

Cross Country - HT Fall Classic - Home - 10/15 - 8:00 am A chance to watch our successful and well-traveled runners on their home course.

Football - vs. MCC - Home - 11/4 - 7:00 pm Home football game against cross-town rival. Does it get any better?

Cut this out and post inside your locker door, or on your refrigerator at home.

Mrs. Ford No Stranger to Game of Golf

By Megan McCreery Headmaster Catherine Ford has family ties with golf that go back centuries.

Her grandmother, Florence Allen, urged Mrs. Ford into golf when she was a teenager.

She took the game seriously from the start.

When she passed away, Allen was two weeks shy of her 100th birthday and six weeks short of living in three different centuries. Allen was born in 1899 and won the Jacksonville city golf championship in 1933.

As a young adult, Mrs. Ford worked as the Melbourne High School girls golf coach for 10 years. With an average of 20 girls each year, her no-cut team became increasingly successful.

Later, with a husband and kids – Mrs.

Ford’s children, Anne Dervan and Eleanor Luna, went through ninth grade at Holy Trinity – golf seemed to creep to the back burner. On many different occasions, Mrs. Ford tried to pick it up again, but struggled to find the time.

When Holy Trinity’s upper campus opened in 2000, girls golf was having a slow start. Mrs. Ford coached the team the following year. Vicky Hurst, now a pro golfer on the LPGA tour, entered Holy Trinity as an eighth grader in 2003. Mrs. Ford describes Hurst as a great young talent and “fun to watch.” Hurst definitely left a huge legacy for the golf program at Holy

Trinity. Mrs. Ford continues to check on Hurst’s stats and progress daily on her iPad. Even though Mrs. Ford’s golf days have been winding down for many years now, she still remembers playing on her favorite courses of all time: Montego Bay in Jamaica and Pinehurst Country Club in North Carolina.

Be sure to read the article on the Tiger golf team on the back page of this issue of The Growl.

The Growl

12

T

his year’s boys golf team is looking better than ever under the direction of Coach Ron Benfield.

The team has high expectations this year going into districts, regionals, and state.

“Our goals this year are to win districts and make it to state,” said Coach Benfield.

Coach Benfield’s top three players, Matt Allison, Ryan Allison,

and Casey Nierenberg, have both team and personal goals for the season.

“I definitely want to win districts this year,” said Matt Allison.

“This season I want to see our team play well in regionals,” said Nierenberg.

This year the boys team has 10 players, a

Tee Time

By Catie Sergis

good number for a varsity team. According to Coach Benfield, the players to watch this year are Trey Ville and Dennis Koksal-Rivet.

The boys moving on to regionals have some tough teams to beat to get to state.

“Regionals will be tough this year, so we’re going to aim to improve,” said Coach Benfield.

Coach Benfield is not new to the Holy Trinity community. He has coached basketball, football, volleyball, and even track. This is his fourth year coaching the boys golf team.

Last season was a success for the boys golf team. The team came in 2nd place at districts.

“The whole team did really well at districts,” said Casey Nierenberg.

However, regionals were a little tougher. The course was a new environment, and the whole team struggled.

Many players on the team hope to expand their golf careers beyond high school.

“My goal is to play college golf,” said Ryan Allison.

To get ready for these next steps, the boys are training extra hard.

“I practice with Trey almost every day at Suntree,” said Tanner Crouch.

In the last couple years the girls golf team has also made a drastic improvement under the instruction of Coach Lisa Lewis. Last year the team had a fantastic year, while Mary Lewis and Kaley Stirtzinger moved on to regionals. The girls team is focusing on improving their skills this year. The girls have a lot of goals for this season.

“I would like to advance to regionals this year,” said Emily Mcintyre.

“My biggest goal as a coach is for everyone to have lots of fun,” said Coach Lewis.

Both Holy Trinity golf teams are having a great season so far, and are looking forward to upcoming matches.

Junior Micah Morgan puts in some practice time at the driving range.