TheCrusaderDec2018

Campus News, Pages 4 - 8

FREE

Arts & Entertainment, Pages 10 - 11

VOLUME LXIX ISSUE ii

Environment, Pages 16-17

ARCHBISHOP RIORDAN HIGH SCHOOL

SERVING RIORDAN SINCE 1949

Sports, Pages 18 - 19

Winter 2018 THE NEWSPAPER OF CRUSADER COUNTRY

Smoke saturates San Francisco skies

By Harrick Wu ’19

On Nov. 8, the Bay Area was stuck between two forest fires: the Woolsey Fire in Los Angeles and Ventura County and Camp Fire in Butte County. These fires directly affected people near the fire and indirectly affected those hundreds of miles away, especially the Bay Area.

The Camp Fire is suspected to be caused by a high voltage power line of the Pacific Gas & Electric company. The fire spread rapidly and encompassed the cities of Paradise and Concow, destroying many homes.

According to the Sheriff of Butte County, it is recorded that 85 people were killed by the fire and many are still missing.

Although this deadly fire affected many with homes nearby, the smoke that it created affected surrounding areas like San Francisco. The Air Quality Index hovered around unhealthy and very unhealthy, reaching its peak at 228 Particles (PM 2.5) on Nov. 23, causing schools to close for various days in the three weeks that the fire burned.

The smoke, bad enough to cause health effects, worried locals,

leading to an increased amount of sales for N95, N100, and P100 respirator masks. These masks that help prevent harmful particles from entering the lungs, were sold out quickly.

The fire especially affected the Archbishop Riordan High School community. Along with the canceled classes on Nov. 16, the fire caused several band events to be canceled. The Vintage Band Review and the Fairfield Tournament of Champions were cancelled, preventing the Riordan band from showcasing

Photos by Antonio Maffei ’20 their hard work over the past few In these split screen photos taken from a drone over Thornton Beach months. This angered many band in Daly City, Mount Davidson and Sutro Tower are clearly visibile on members at Riordan and those the left, but during the smoky days, on the right, visibilty was low. from different schools, leading a band is very important to musician to create a petition on Riordan Bay Scholar Luncheon. me as music is my passion. change.org to have the Fairfield John Paul Jacinto, this year’s Regardless, we strive to improve Tournament of Champions Drum Major, said, “As a senior, every day and make the best moved to Nov. 24. However, it it was very heartbreaking to of what we have left this year.” was without success. In addition, learn that I was not going to be Please see “Air Quality” the smoke prevented the selected able to participate in our last two band reviews at Riordan.

The band members from playing in the on page 6

Open House welcomes prospective students, parents

By Aidan Murtagh ’20

Photo by Karl Vanuska ’19 Social Science Department Chair Chris Fern talks to prospective Riordan students about history at Open House this past October.

Each year, Riordan’s Open House is held to present the school to prospective junior high students.

This year, around 750 people attended, participating in panels, tours, and presentations informing them about various aspects of the school.

In addition, the academic departments and enrichment courses had tables in the gym to display their practices and what the prospective students can expect in the classroom.

In previous years, Open House was held on a Sunday morning, but this conflicted with mass times all around the city, so it was pushed back into the afternoon.

Another change was the transition from teachers leading tours to students leading them.

The Knights of Riordan facilitated

tours and assisted parents and prospective students around campus. Archbishop Riordan leaves a lasting impression on those who attend the Open House.

Freshman Will Haskell remembers, “When [the Open House first started it was great to see that all of these kids seem so excited about high school, and Riordan in particular. I also loved how engaged the kids were on the tours and how great a job the teachers and students did making them feel welcome.”

The welcoming spirit truly resonated with those who attended the Open House.

Admissions department member Sally O’Connell explained, “We are authentic. We don’t put forth any airs; we’re just ourselves. And I think people recognize and appreciate that.”

2 Opinion

The Crusader Archbishop Riordan High School

Winter 2018

Late night talk shows reserved for liberal views

By Michael Gray ’20 Comedy is often something that is taken for granted. Too often, it’s overlooked and dismissed in the world of politics. This is especially troubling as the most accessible medium for many people is humor.

Seemingly without notice, comedy has been turned into a one sided political weapon. To take something so universally understood and to turn it into something utterly partisan is reprehensible. Unfortunately, in the world of late night comedy, this has already transpired.

Out of the 10 late night hosts, roughly seven have shows that have a strong proclivity towards politics. Of those seven, zero are conservative. Of those seven, zero are moderates. Ask any Democrat why this is, and you’ll hear the same two answers: either, “Republicans don’t have a sense of humor,” or, “you need to be smart to have a career in comedy.”

Too often, this veil of humor is used to mask more serious undertones. Comments such as these can lead to deep political divisions. Comedy shouldn’t be used to divide people. By sharing a laugh, people are able to better appreciate one another, which makes for a more united country.

When comedy is monopolized by a single side, however, the

opposite effect occurs: division increases and problems arise.

The current divisive nature of comedy is most evident in late night shows. Take Seth Meyers, the host of “Late Night,” for instance. In a single episode, Seth Meyers made three fairly radical left-wing claims: first, “[Fox News] exists for one purpose: to disseminate [Trump’s] lies and to whip its audience into a racist frenzy,” second, “[the modern GOP] is robbing you and trying to distract you while they’re doing it,” and lastly, “Republicans make stuff up because they can’t defend their actual record.”

None of these comments were meant to get a laugh—their sole purpose was to attack the political party in opposition to the hosts views. Any one of these quotes is troublesome by itself.

Three in just a few short minutes is exponentially more worrisome.

Unfortunately, the comments don’t stop with Seth Meyers. In her show “Full Frontal,” Samantha Bee stated that, “The GOP is the party of frenzied, radical mobs.”

Jimmy Kimmel, the host of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” stated that he is not put off by the fact that Republican viewers stopped watching his show after he became involved in the world of politics

because he, “wouldn’t want to have a conversation with them anyway.”

Statements like these are far from a rarity on these shows.

Perhaps these comments stem from the perceived duty of the hosts. According to Jimmy Kimmel, “It’s more important to be honest with viewers than to be universally funny.”

Honesty, in this case, does not refer to telling the audience hard truths. Instead, he is constantly feeding information with a liberal slant to his viewers. Hosts should not put their political views before their shows’ entertainment factor—it’s literally their job to be entertaining.

A corruption of purpose combined with a consistently leftist ideology has resulted in both the alienation of a large percentage of the country and increasing divisions between political groups. To fix this rapidly growing problem

several things need to occur.

First, attacks on political groups need to lessen in severity.

This way, political tensions will not be quite so aggravated and shows will be less likely to alienate their viewers.

Next, hosts need to commit more to entertainment than to politics. A comedy show is not a place to spew political views, so hosts need to stop acting like it is.

Lastly, a variety of political views is needed in late night shows.

Everyone deserves to laugh.

By giving people this outlet for political aggression, tensions and divisions are less likely to escalate.

Comedy carries more weight than it’s given credit for. Rampant liberal politicization of these shows has caused a great problem in our country. Fixing it will not be easy, but it is necessary for the good of our nation.

Nike believes in Kaepernick

Social Media, Online Editor Eddie Monares ’19 Photo Editor Diego Ochoa ’19 Copy Editor Vince Francisco ’19 1949

175 Phelan Avenue San Francisco, CA 94112 RCrusaderNews.com RCrusaderNews@riordanhs.org Twitter @R_CrusaderNews Instagram @rcrusadernews

Editor-in-Chief Owen Murphy ’19 Opinion Editor Karl Vanuska ’19 News Editor Aidan Murtagh ’20 Zachary Phillips ’20 Features Editor Harrick Wu ’19 Sports Editor Steven Rissotto ’20 Arts & Entertainment Editor Stephen Blecha ’19 Health and Tech Editor Danilo Herger ’20

Meteorologist Antonio Maffei ’20 Staff Reporters Fabian Aguilar ’19 Jonathan Blecha ’21 Dominic Borrego ’20 Jack Calonico ’19 Elijah Calip ’22 Zackary Conci ’21 Michael Conefrey ’21 David Dorantes ’21 Steven Elsner ’20 Logan Estrada ’22 Cheyne Fernandez ’20 Michael Gray ’20 Michael Jaurigui ’19 Jamar Kittling ’20 Roly Lo ’21 Jordan Tyler Maralit ’21 Jack McBride ’19 Michael Ortega-Portillo ’21 Jordan Noeuku ’21 Liam Peace ’19 Gabriel Santos ’21 JJ Trujeque ’21 Brandon Vargas ’20

Adviser Environment, Religion Editor Susan Sutton, CJE Ian Martin ’20

Nike.com

By Stephen Blecha ’19

A

few months ago, Nike invited controversy.

The brand featured former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick in a new campaign with the slogan “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.”

This ad campaign comes a couple of years after Kaep had been out of the NFL, presumably for kneeling for the National Anthem to raise awareness for racial injustices.

Kaepernick became a free agent after the 2016 season, and has yet to receive an offer from any team.

However, he definitely should be on a roster, looking at the quarterbacks in the league at the time. Nathan Peterman, a QB with a career 1:4 touchdown to interception ratio, has started more games than Kaep, which is just absurd. Frankly, Kaep is not that good, but he is definitely better than Peterman.

For comparison, through eight total games eclipsing two seasons, Peterman has 12 interceptions.

Kaep had 11 through three total seasons. Eric Reid, former teammate of Kaep, free agent this past offseason,

was the first player to take a knee with him. He became a one year after Kaep, and was unsigned up until week 5 of this year, signing with the Carolina Panthers. In his first game with the Panthers, Reid continued to kneel, to the praise of Kaep.

As of now, week 13, he has yet to be signed to a team, or even offered a contract, which is astounding considering the small pool of available free agent quarterbacks.

Even Mark Sanchez is currently on an NFL roster with the Washington Redskins. This is a Washington roster that has recently lost two quarterbacks in three weeks and was interested in Kaep. However, they went with the “safe” option of not signing him and “going in a different direction.”

Well, as “safe” as a team with an offensive mascot name can be. Keep in mind that the Redskins also signed Reuben Foster, who was released from the 49ers after his second domestic violence arrest. And yet, they still will not sign a player who kneels as a means of protest against racial injustices.

Winter 2018

Opinion

The Crusader Archbishop Riordan High School

3

Should California keep Daylight Saving Time?

Elsner’s Examination Murphy’s Law Con

Pro

By Steven Elsner ’20

By Owen Murphy ’19

E

very day our world is consumed in darkness. As we approach the winter solstice, the light of our day grows ever shorter.

However, there is a solution to this problem: change the clocks.

Daylight Saving is the silent guardian of our happy lives and we should protect it. Certainly, I understand the arguments made against Daylight Saving time, the unfortunate difficulty of physical adjustment, for instance, but I think that the benefit provided by the system is so great as to far overshadow the negative effects.

The great benefit of Daylight Saving is elegantly simple and absolutely worth maintaining.

I speak only of happiness.

Unquestionably, the mornings of both of the time changes throw off your schedule and affect your sleep, but that is only two days out of the entire year. Daylight Saving is about more than those two days; you just don’t notice the benefit the rest of the time.

Daylight Saving as it exists now is meant to accomplish one important goal: to give you another hour of sunlight. Now, altering your clocks obviously does not change how long the sun stays in the sky, but it does change the amount of time it remains visible in the sky. If we did not push our clocks an hour forward in the spring, we would have another hour of sunlight in the morning rather than in the evening. This choice, however, would be intrinsically worse for nearly everyone.

The everyday American spends his morning waking up, getting dressed, eating breakfast, and commuting to work or school.

CreativeCommons These diagrams show how citizens in states with Daylight Saving Time have to adjust their sleeping patterns.

This part of your day would not be altogether improved by extra sunlight, certainly not to the extent that your evening is improved by the current approach. With Daylight Saving, your extra hour of sunlight is not used to brighten your house while you sleep, or illuminate your boring drive to work, instead it is used to brighten your afterwork beach party, or illuminate your evening jog. Daylight Saving gives you the opportunity to spend more time doing the activities you love, instead of wasting that sunlight on brushing your teeth in the morning.

Daylight Saving is about letting people have more sunlight for the items that need it. We are all made happier when we get to spend more time doing what we enjoy, and Daylight Saving accomplishes this and eliminating it would shorten our fun alongside the day. Instead of suggesting getting rid of this wonderful feature of our lives, perhaps we should make it year round.

D

aylight Saving is the practice of advancing clocks during summer months so that evening daylight lasts longer, while sacrificing normal sunrise times.

It was instituted to save energy, but it is actually is creating more energy usage because the sun out longer means that people have to use air conditioning longer, using more energy.

When the clock goes back to normal, it makes people use heaters more to keep warm and use more energy. I think we should get rid of Daylight Saving time. I find it annoying to have to change clocks for something that was used more than 80 years ago.

According to businessinsider. com, changing the clocks will cause air travel synchronization a lot harder, and can cause travel delays, and cause the airline to lose money. Also, there are

health issues that are associated with Daylight Saving time like jet-lag. It disrupts sleep, mood, stress levels, metabolism, and other bodily functions. Some have even linked it to an increase in suicides and miscarriages.

A study suggests that it can take three weeks to adjust to the time change. The most common reason why people want to get rid of Daylight Saving is because it messes with people’s sleeping schedule and routines.

According to healthline.com, researchers in various studies have concluded that traffic accidents, heart attacks and strokes occur in the days following the clock changing ritual. A 2015 study found that people had 24 percent increase in getting a heart attack when the clock jumps forward and 21 percent reduction when it falls back.

Also, a 2016 study showed an 8 percent jump in strokes in the days following the spring time change, as well as an increase in traffic fatalities. There are two states that only used the spring forward time, and that is Florida and Arizona. Most countries outside of Europe and North America do not take part in Daylight Saving.

Over the long run, proponents say, Daylight Saving time may cause deaths in the immediate period following the time shift, but the quality-of-life improvements from evening daylight over the course of the spring and summer leads to net long-term health benefits.

Pope Francis to journalists on World Communications Day:

“I would like, then, to invite everyone to promote a journalism of peace . . . a journalism that is truthful and opposed to falsehoods, rhetorical slogans, and sensational headlines. A journalism created by people for people, one that is at the service of all, especially those – and they are the majority in our world – who have no voice.”

4 Campus News

The Crusader Archbishop Riordan High School

Winter 2018

Carmen Policy headlines Downtown Luncheon

By Harrick Wu ’19

Another year is another opportunity for alumni to come together to reminisce about their years at Riordan with their peers and other graduates. On Nov. 16, alumni from all over came together at a Hilton Hotel in downtown San Francisco for the annual Downtown Luncheon.

There, they were greeted by a handful of current Riordan students who guided them to the registration. Then, they had the opportunity to mingle amongst each other, purchasing various cocktails while they waited for their brothers to arrive at various times throughout the hour.

As soon as noon hit, the alumni either went to the VIP room or dining room, depending on what they chose when they purchased their ticket. There, they enjoyed lunch. First came the bread and butter and a ceasar salad. Then, the main course of crispy skinned chicken breast was distributed.

While they were enjoying the main course, it was announced by John Ring, Riordan’s

Photo by Harrick Wu ’19 Jack Calonico ’19 and Sean Mullins ’19 with Carmen Policy.

Development Director, and emcee Sal Castaneda, that the Riordan community is only $300,000 shy of completing their goal of $2.7 million for the football field renovation.

The alumni, who wanted to help fulfill the goal and hoped to receive a prize from the raffle, took out their cash, credit cards, and checkbook and put them in envelopes, which were collected

and later entered into the raffle.

In the latter half of the lunch, Castaneda introduced guest speaker Carmen Policy, the president and CEO of the San Francisco 49ers in the 80s and early 90s, who helped the team win five Super Bowl titles. The two had a Question and Answer session, where Castaneda asked about his time as president and CEO. Policy talked about various subjects, ranging from how he convinced Edward J. DeBartolo Jr.’s father for $12 million to sign

the players the 49ers needed to be contenders for the Super Bowl to how players like Bill Ring were important to the success of the team.

This year’s Downtown Luncheon was an enjoyable experience for all: Riordan administrators, student helpers, coaches, and the alumni.

Riordan welcomes gracious guests from Taiwan

By Cheyne Fernandez ’20

On Nov. 5, the Taiwanese High School, HSNU or High School of Taiwan Normal University, sophomore class visited ARHS campus from Second Block to Lunch.

Initially, at the start of third block, ARHS students participating in this event were situated at the back of the lecture hall. While waiting, Mandarin Language teacher YinShan Yang talked to the students about the mannerisms and reminders of the meetings, which were held every week at lunch leading up to the day of the event.

Mandarin students freshened up on their Mandarin, topics of speech, and information about themselves.

Many students were nervous, the hard work and preparation of entertaining guests from a foreign country was fairly intimidating.

Additionally, the small accumulation of journalists and photographers seated at the back of the room didn’t help settle the nerves.

Then it began. A flood of students in white and blue uniforms, each individualized by unique articles of clothing, filled the room with laughter and smiles.

While walking in, Taiwanese students were greeted by ARHS faculty and a long train of food reaching from the entrance of the room to the back. Taiwanese students were

seated and the speeches started.

While the journalists moved to the front, representatives of both schools spoke about their gratitude towards the opportunity. Once the speeches were over, an exchange of gifts was made. Riordan gave each faculty member a gift bag of ARHS merchandise, while HSNU gave a gift bag full of their school own merchandise as well their school merchandise as well as numerous boxes of Taiwanese pastries intended for every faculty in the school.

The kind gesture was relentlessly recorded as countless reporters and photographers rushed to the front to snag a picture and ask questions.

Once this was over, students were assigned a partner to shadow, and during the entirety of third block, Taiwanese students were guests of Riordan students, following them to assigned classes.

Throughout the period, each student was given an activity while class was in session. In the middle of the block, the Taiwanese students surprised their assigned partners with gift bags full of snacks, pictures, postcards, letters, and HSNU merchandise.

Once the gift giving was done, students socialized with one another. Through this, many students found the line of differences between each other to be very minimal.

One student from HSNU

Photo by Cheyne Fernandez ’20 Dr. Andrew Currier presents Dr. Shu-Li Wang, Principal of The Affiliated Senior High School of National Taiwan Normal University, with a commemoration of their visit to ARHS. named Sabina, mentioned, “I feel like before, I thought American students would be blond and blue eyes, but there is a great amount of diversity in your school.”

After socializing with Taiwanese students for an entire period, many were sad to be sent back to the lecture hall for the final moments together with their newly made friends.

Upon re-entrance, students were

welcomed to the pleasant aromas of food. Now sitting in a mingled room, students’ voices filled the air, and chatter amongst the two schools’ students remained very apparent.

Finally, the bell rang, and saddened to depart, students exchanged numbers and social media handles to continue to keep in contact with one another.

Winter 2018

Campus News

The Crusader Archbishop Riordan High School

5

Food drive contributes to spirit of giving

By Jordan Noeuku ’21

For many years, Archbishop Riordan High School has participated in several drives to help members of the community, and this includes the annual Canned Food Drive.

The food drive, which ran from Nov. 6 through Nov. 20, was an opportunity for students, faculty, and staff to help those in need to experience a happy Thanksgiving by donating food to the San Francisco community.

Epifinio Perea, manager of the St. Vincent de Paul Association for about 20 years, received the cans that were donated.

He said, “It has been fantastic, we had a nice group of people today. Eighty-five people came over and [without] Riordan and the other schools involved, we couldn’t be doing this.”

He added, “The major challenge is to try to keep the clientele that we have. We don’t refuse anybody, we set a standard that we have to follow because if we don’t do that, then we could not afford to stay at the St. Vincent de Paul conference.”

“My goal was to see how we would get involved and to see actually how it works because when you first start at anything you don’t really know the process but it did not take too long to know the process how good Saint Vincent de Paul is counteracting with the people,” said Perea.

Joshua Keeney, the co-moderator of the CORE Service Team who helped in the organization of the drive at Riordan High School, said, “It is part of our calling as Christians to provide food for those who do not have sufficient food for themselves. The students have had a delayed response each

year, but once the donations began to come in, the students have been very generous with their food.”

He continued, “The CORE Service Team has committed a lot of time to promoting the drive and improving upon our previous success.”

In addition, “We have faced difficulties with communicating the drives to the school in general because of a lack of regularity with the times of telecast during special schedule days. We have also encountered the challenge of where to store the many resources received from students for the multiple drives we have put together so far.”

Finally, Keeney said, “Yes, we have achieved every goal we have set thus far. The CORE Service Team is an amazing bunch of young men who truly commit themselves to hard work and promotion of the good we carry out here.”

Francis Lota ’19 said, “Some of the challenges we faced was trying to get the drive rolled out, organizing the week before, and having people aware. It was really fun it shows the spirit of Christmas because no one can have everything and if you can appreciate something everyone else should be able to.”

Francis added, “After this I am looking forward to bringing service elsewhere and promote service to help our community.”

Winter dance cancelled

Photo by Jordan Noeuku ’21 Father John Jimenez loads boxes of donated food into a van and prepares them for delivery to those in need.

Julia Balistreri, who advises the Core Team with Keeney, said, “Contributing to the food drive is extremely important for a multitude of reasons: It is a fantastic way for us to demonstrate our Marianist and Catholic spirit by giving to those less fortunate.

We are able to provide for our community during the holidays. It is a chance for us to reflect during a time of thanksgiving, and allows us to recognize how much we have and be grateful for that.”

Balistreri added, “Mr. Keeney and myself have been running the drive since last year. This is our second time putting the drive on and it benefits a

parish in the Potrero Hill.”

In addition, she said, “As for all our drives, there is a bit of a lull right at the beginning of drives, but as our CORE team announces it more and more to the school we see a dramatic increase in donations. The mentor groups days also help dramatically - receiving 660 cans donated that day alone.”

The final tally for cans per House were: Cana with 490 cans, Russi with 168, Bolts with 143, and Pilar with 87.

Finally, she said, “The CORE team did a great job motivating the student body, announcing when and where to donate and keeping the momentum going all the way to the last day of the drive.”

Frida Kahlo Way street signs installed

By Dominic Borrego ’20

The Winter Dance was cancelled due to overlapping schedules.

Vherny Rustrian ’19, School Vice Captain of Program, was very disappointed when he heard the news first because he and others put in a lot of hard work to make the event a success, but members of Student Parliament are already planning the next big event, the winter rally.

The upcoming winter rally and spirit week will be run by student parliament under the School Vice Captain of spirit Cheyne Fernandez ’20, working with the house councils of Bolts and Cana.

One of the main activities that student parliament runs are the spirit weeks and spirit rallies. Lately, there has been more emphasis on connecting

the two throughout the week With lunchtime sports being played all week to have the final at the rally, it really strengthens both events, and yields a hefty amount of house points to the winners of each activity.

Most importantly, it builds a stronger bond between the students, and for them to appreciate the school they go to.

Cheyne said the goal is, “building a community in school, to have more pride and spirit, to shed light on appreciation for our school.”

The lunchtime games for the upcoming spirit week, spirit days, and rally details are currently being decided upon.

Cheyne said, “Since the dance got cancelled, the next spirit week will have to make up for that.”

Photo by Cheyne Fernandez ’20 The Phelan Avenue street signs were changed to Frida Kahlo Way last month, after the Board of Supervisors voted to change the name.

6 Campus News

Winter 2018

The Crusader Archbishop Riordan High School

Alvarado awaits rewarding retirement

By Vicente Francisco ’19

Photo by Vicente Francisco ’19 Virginia Alvarado, Administrative Assistant to the Dean of Students, will retire at the end of December after 28 years at Archbishop Riordan.

Need a tardy slip? Go to Mrs. Alvarado’s office. Feeling sick and need to call home? Head up to Mrs. Alvarado’s. These are only two of the many important duties Virginia Alvarado takes on every day at Riordan High School, Monday to Friday, ever since July 7, 1990.

Before Riordan, Alvarado worked 10 years for International Business Machines (IBM) Corporation in Nicaragua as an administrative assistant. When she arrived in the United States, Alvarado had the opportunity to work for the Archdiocese of San Francisco at the Church of the Visitacion. However, the stipend she received from the Archdiocese was not enough for her family to live on.

Her supervisor, Father Joseph Marini at Visitacion, recommended that she apply for a job opening he saw at Riordan High School.

Though the position was given to another applicant, Alvarado received a phone call asking if she was interested in another position in the Development Department.

This is how she came to work as the

Administrative Assistant to the Dean of Students.

In her 28 years of being the administrative assistant, Alvarado has experienced many memorable moments, which she says she will keep in her heart forever. Attending the rallies and sports games were her favorite activity, especially when her son, Rafael Alvarado ’98, and her nephew competed. She even had the opportunity to be a judge at some rallies.

What Alvarado will miss the most are her students. Those moments where they say hello or greet her mean so much to her because the students embody much of the Crusader family spirit.

Like all families, they like to joke with one another; she jokingly offers to call students to wake them up for school.

Alvarado said, “I really enjoyed my 28 years at Riordan. Retiring has been a difficult decision to make. The administration, faculty and staff have been my family. . . . It is now time to go but my heart will remain always here with my fellow Crusaders.”

Alvarado will leave Riordan High School after 2018 Winter Finals Exams.

Handyman Rea announces departure

By Steven Rissotto ’20

When Scott Rea ’87 joined Riordan’s staff as a facilities and plant director, he was asked to do an unusual task right off the bat. He had to put together an underwater scene backdrop for a fundraiser, which ended up being an Atlantis-like piece of art. It might have been a signal for strange things, but ended up becoming a successful start.

Rea’s job around campus is controlling the heating and lighting on campus as well as making sure everything is sound in the building. One of the big aspects of his job is taking requests from teachers who need something fixed.

Rea stated, “The most difficult part of my job is managing my time and putting the necessary pieces into priority. I have to decide what’s the priority when dealing with requests.

Rea was interested in

working with the stage crew during school plays as a student. One thing turned into another and he fell in love with “working with different size tools, using my hands to build, problem solve, creative thinking and managing time.”

At the end of December, Rea is taking a job with the County Office of a Education at San Mateo, where he will serve as the director of maintenance and transportation.

He calls it the “next level.”

His successor, he suggests, should have fun, but also be even tempered. Short fuses are the trait one simply cannot have while performing this job, according to Rea. “I enjoy working around the kids and having fun,” he said. “I will miss the rallies, fun events, band performances and basketball games.”

Photo by Steven Rissotto ’20 Scott Rea ’87, Facilities and Plant Director, is leaving Riordan this month to take a position at the San Mateo County Office of Education after many years of service as a Crusader.

“Air Quality,” continued from page 1 Furthermore, the first junior retreat at CYO Camp-Occidental was ended early. Scheduled to be a three day retreat from Wednesday to Friday, the smoke proved unbearable for activities to take place, which caused the juniors to be bused back on Thursday evening.

Leonard Magnaye, House of Bolts Provincial and Campus Ministry As Provincial and Campus Ministry Assistant, said, “It is a shame that we had to cancel the last part of the retreat, because it is very difficult

for us to make a decision when we know there is a set up to the retreat. You are at the climax and there’s a resolution happening in the evening and on the last day, which we weren’t able to fulfill.”

According to Alex Datoc, Director of Campus Ministry, the juniors will have two options: attend the next junior retreat or get credit of $110 for their Kairos Retreat next year. Many were pleased with this option.

“39 Steps,” Riordan’s first play of the year featuring students from Riordan, Mercy

SF, and Immaculate Conception Academy, had to cancel two evening plays and one matinee.

The matinee performance, however, had a make-up date on the following Tuesday evening.

Jalen Viray, the lead actor of “39 Steps,” said, “We worked really hard on the practices and rehearsals. It’s sad how our last few performances had to be canceled, because we’re all, the entire cast, excited to show how much hard work we went through. We were excited to show everyone. Because we didn’t get

to do that, it was a bummer.”

Sports were also affected.

Soccer tryouts and workouts were cancelled and had to be rescheduled for after Thanksgiving break. The Cross Country Central Coast Section Champions competition was also postponed twice and moved locations once, with the final decision to be at Toro Park in Salinas on Nov. 18.

The fire was 100 percent contained on Nov. 25 with the rain playing a huge role in washing away the previous days’ negative effects.

Winter 2018

Campus News 7

The Crusader Archbishop Riordan High School

Trio of schools unite to create melodic sounds

By Brandon Vargas ’20 The Marianist Crusader Choir (MCC), under the direction of Christopher Mariano and Laura Flaviani, has collaborated with students from Mercy SF and ICA to form a more improved and diverse musical ensemble.

Mary Ann Datoc, Math Department Chair, is extremely fond of the Crusader Mixed Choir.

Blazoning Mariano’s leadership skills, Datoc stated, “Not only does he teach his students to sing,... he’s able to express and give a little history about the songs…”

Though Riordan’s Chorale only performs at school Masses, the mixed choir formed with Mercy and ICA performs at various events outside of school.

John Paul Jacinto ’19 stated that some of these events include “...the Embarcadero Tree Lighting, our benefit concert, and singing for the Archbishop.”

The choir is made up of young men and women in all four grade levels of high school.

While the males make up the tenors and bases of the choir, the higher-pitched girls make up the sopranos and altos, according to Henry Matthew Bensurto ’20.

Bensurto sees this group as an opportunity for him to grow personally and to help others grow simultaneously.

He said, “It exposes you to more music, more friends, and

Photo by Valerie O’Riordan Members of the Marianist Crusader Choir practiced in the school chapel. then just allows you to have something [worthwhile] to do.”

Moreover, Bensurto mentions that there is a plethora of choreography and planning that goes into every song, which is what makes this choir so special.

Jacinto also feels as if he has grown tremendously by being in this ensemble: “Sharing musical talents has always been a mission of mine, and it’s a great opportunity to connect with our sister schools.”

One of the other benefits of this choir is the opportunities it allows for the group as a whole.

Bensurto stated, “There are more event opportunities versus last year… This year, we are planning to have more than two events.”

Datoc also elucidates her opinion on the purpose of the choir: “The purpose of this club is just to sing; that’s their talent.

They love to sing… they like to spread joy and [their] love

of music to the community.”

Furthermore, Datoc explained one of the primary goals of the choir for the future: “One of their actual goals is to perform, and maybe hopefully compete in the future when the group gets bigger.”

The group also travels to different places to perform, which exposes them more to the community and allows them to offer their gifts for a greater cause.

Busted boilers cause cold snap

By Steven Rissotto ’20

The recent weather in the Bay Area and in the country has been extremely cold, with temperatures dropping lower than many have seen in 2018 thus far. In the midst of this cold snap, Riordan’s boiler and heating system broke down and many students and faculty members are searching for warmth during these tough, winter days.

Riordan is approaching 70 years of service, meaning a number of the facilities are older and more outdated. The heating system isn’t included in that conversation, as it’s relatively new, having been replaced around 10 years ago.

The heat for the whole school was in the mechanical room under the main office until 2008, when the plant was split up into three areas on campus: under the gym, under the dorm rooms, and under the school.

Over Thanksgiving break, the pressure relief valves exploded as weather storms proceeded through the Bay Area. Water flooded through and the emergency pumps didn’t execute, so it flooded.

The plant below the school is the broken one, which means the gym and dorms have heat action.

Plant and facilities manager Scott Rea said, “We are working for a temporary fix by the middle of December, around finals. A permanent fix will be in place in January.”

Until then, students and teachers will try their best to perform under the chilly circumstances. The recommended alternative is to work through the coldness and stay warm, but for some it’s not an easy task.

Darren Chen ’20 said, “It doesn’t affect me, except it makes me more tired than I already am during the course of my classes.”

Photo by Scott Rea ’87

Three of the five boilers that distribute heat throughout the school buildings were submerged in several feet of water, rendering them incapacitated until at least the end of the month.

8 Campus News

Winter 2018

The Crusader Archbishop Riordan High School

Crusaders help Santa collect toys for local children

By Jack McBride ’19

Every year, Riordan participates in the San Francisco Fire Department Toy Drive. This toy drive is a competition to bring in more toys than the previous year.

The drive is a “4 house one roof” competition, meaning, if the school donates more toys than last year, the whole school will receive modified dress.

CORE moderator Joshua Keeney has worked hard with the CORE Service Team to advertise this drive.

He said, “We have placed a blurb in the daily bulletin and have created a commercial for the telecast.”

The Core Service Team has done the best they can to advertise and make sure less fortunate children have a joyful Christmas.

Gabe Wassmer ’19 said, “Every year my family donates two toys, one (for a) female and one (for a) male, because we know that just those two can really make a difference.”

Photo by Steven Rissotto ’20 Bins for each House line the main office, ready to collect toys for children this Christmas.

Every toy will be donated to a family in need to assist the parents and make Christmas time joyful for children.

Each individual donation may seem small, but it can make an impact on the life of

children and their families.

Wassmer said, “As a kid, I was lucky enough to have enough toys to last me my whole childhood.

It is sad to see some children not grow up with any toys and not be able to experience

the fun of playing with toys.”

Riordan students and staff have the ability to change this and put a temporary fix on this issue. These toys give hope to the next generation of children born in poverty.

Students experience cultural enlightenment in Taiwan

By Gabriel Santos ’21

Former and current Riordan juniors, Sebastian Black and Miles Poon, attended the Mandarin Language Program at National Chang Jung University over the summer.

The students spent nearly five weeks in Taiwan where they experienced courses in the Chinese language. The classes they took were Mandarin speaking classes, as well as basic subjects also taught in America.

This trip was an opportunity for the students to encounter their peers not just at Riordan, but from all over the world.

Throughout students free time, they took courses such as brush painting, which is a native painting of China. This was interesting as paintings throughout

China’s history were brush paintings on scrolls.

Students also had the opportunity to taste the many wonders of Taiwanese foods and the many sights that the beautiful city has to offer. For travel, they either walked, drove, or rode the Taiwan Speed Rail, zooming at high speeds of over 200 mph.

The students were able to keep in contact with their parents along with their with an app called “LINE.” The students uploaded photos of their art, foods, as well as all of the unique places and sights they got to see around Taiwan.

Mandarin teacher, YinShan Yang, who organized this trip, said, “I think this is a great opportunity for our students to learn, and I hope many more students in the future can do this.”

Photos provided by Theresa Poon Miles Poon and Sebastian Black attended the Mandarin Language Program at National Chang Jung University.

Winter 2018

The Crusader Archbishop Riordan High School

Science

9

Demoted Pluto may return to planetary status

By Logan Estrada ’22

Do you remember when Pluto was once a planet? Most students do not remember, but it was. And then, it wasn’t.

On August 24, 2006, scientists from the IAU (International Astronomical Union) demoted Pluto from full planetary status to a dwarf planet.

Scientists claimed that Pluto is too small to be a real planet because it can’t clear the area around its orbit; therefore removing its title as a planet.

This decision remains controversial to this day.

Recently, new evidence has been found that supports Pluto’s status as a planet. This “new” evidence is actually quite old, ranging from 1802 to the modern day. It focuses on astronomic literature, instead of the dwarf planet itself.

A few scientists from NASA got together and dug deeper into the history of “planets.”

Apparently, scientists since the 1800s have regarded anything ranging from an asteroid, to a small planet, to even the sun as a planet. Pluto was seen as the “lonely planet” and “hailed as the last of the solar system” by many.

“I’m embarrassed for astronomy,” Alan Stern told Space.com in 2006. “Less than 5 percent of the world’s astronomers voted.” Stern was in charge of NASA’s New Horizon’s mission to Pluto and

is a co-author of the new study.

“It’s a sloppy definition,” Philip Metzger, a planetary physicist at the University of Florida in the US, told The Register.

“They didn’t say what they meant by clearing their orbit.

If you take that literally, then there are no planets, because no planet clears its orbit.”

Science teacher Anthony Dunn ’82 said, “I think Pluto should be a planet. The only criteria that I think helps determine a planet’s status is if an object has enough mass to pull itself into a spheroid.

I personally believe that its unusual to classify objects physically over dynamically.”

He added, “I think the only reason why Pluto was demoted was because it didn’t have a gravity strong enough to clear its orbit, yet when you look at Pluto’s properties, you could say Pluto is a “super planet”. Pluto has five moons, and scientists have even found ice on Pluto, which means that Pluto has Earth-like properties.”

IAU’s three basic rules that support a planet’s status are: 1. A planet must be large enough to have a gravity great enough to give it a round or nearly round shape (such as an asteroid); 2. A planet must orbit a sun, and a sun only. It cannot orbit any other planet,

Pluto, the once and possibly, future planet. such as a dwarf planet, or other celestial bodies); 3.

A planet must clear the neighborhood around its orbit.

This means that a planet must be clear of any considerably large orbiting masses from a distance around its own orbit.

The IAU stated that

space.com

Pluto could not be a planet because it violated the third rule, as its orbit overlapped with Neptune’s.

For now, until the IAU rules otherwise, Pluto will remain demoted. And so, instead of the lonely planet, it will be known as the former planet.

Insects bugged by environmental changes

By Elijah Calip ’22

There is an estimated 1.5 million species of insects throughout the entire world.

However, these insects are facing a troubling dilemma.

That is, many populations of insects are plummeting in numbers. These insects include the “good bugs” such as bees, butterflies, and beetles. The decrease in the populations are extremely worrying because the planet depends on the lives of these insects and the roles that they carry out. Without the existence of insects, the world would not function the same way it would in today’s time.

One study shows “dwindling individual species in specific places, including lightning bugs, moths and bumblebees. [It] estimated a 14 percent decline in ladybugs in the United States and Canada from 1987 to 2006.”

How bad could it be? “You have total ecosystem collapse if you lose your insects. How much worse can it get than that?” University of Delaware entomologist Doug Tallamy told the Associated Press in 2018. If they disappeared, “the world would start to rot.”

First, insects are considered decomposers. This means that they consume dead matter.

If there were no organisms that decompose, then the process for dead organisms to decay would be longer.

Second, insects can serve as pollinators. Bees are one of world’s most trusted pollinators.

They help to keep a diverse amount of plants to keep growing Lastly, insects help to keep

causing such a ruckus for these insects? One cause of the declination is industrialized agriculture.

This cause is more troublesome for pollinators. In industrialized agriculture, the main source to keep insects away from crops would be insecticides.

These chemicals have been designed to kill these insects.

Another cause is habitat loss. These insects have adapted to certain living conditions. If their homes are destroyed, they need to move in to an area that they can be less adapted to, which will surely lead to their demise.

For example, the recent wildfires that have been Staff photo affecting the West Coast, balance in nature. Many insects are parasitic or predatory. especially California, can be one They help to maintain pest of the major causes of the decline populations, such as weeds. of insects. Because of all of this, Science Department Chair insects have been going through a Colleen O’Rourke said, “Because rough time these past few years. insects are the primary level What can the Riordan community consumer, everyone else depends do to help these little creatures? on them. With less bugs in One idea is to improve gardens or the environment, there would even start a new one. To attract be an increase in competition certain insects to a garden, and a loss of biodiversity.” gardeners can add shelters and Now, what seems to be plant a diverse amount of plants.

10 Arts & Entertainment

The Crusader Archbishop Riordan High School

Winter 2018

Talented teacher tantalizes fans with tabletop game

By Jordan Tyler Maralit ’21

Colleen O’Rourke, Riordan Science Department chair, recently designed a new game called “The Crisp Line - A World of Adventure for Fate Core System.”

In an interview, O’Rourke revealed the inspiration for her game, and how she created it.

She worked hard on its design and development, and was thrilled to share her experience in submitting her game idea.

O’Rourke said, “I’ve been playing table-top RPGs for years, but as a writer, I wanted to explore the creation side of games as well.

Last year, a fairly large game company called Evil Hat put out a general call for submissions for new ideas so I just took a chance and applied. They liked my idea so I ran with it!”

The Crisp Line builds a near future world of high level genetic engineering and explores the various technological and social issues that could arise from it. The game is built on the foundation of social justice and the strengths of humanity in the face of sweeping change.

In this game, players can change their features and genes drawn from animals or fantasy creatures to create new races or beings. The player is encouraged to use his imagination and decide whether they will embrace their genetic changes or fight against it.

The game is a PDF, which can be downloaded from a table-top RPG website called DriveThruRPG. com. The company Evil Hat uses a “pay what you want” pricing model, which means students can download and initially try out the game for free.

Jojo McAlpin ’21 said, “It’s an interesting game, something very original and very strategic. I would recommend other students try it.”

To play the game, though, students will need to understand the basic rules and instructions called the Fate Core System, which can be downloaded for free from DriveThruRPG. O’Rourke has already received praise for her game and was given a rating of 5 stars noted as “Another excellent world of adventure for Fate Core!”

Screenshot by Jordan Tyler Maralit ’21 Science Department Chair Colleen O’Rourke created a game, The Crisp Line, a tabletop RPG, available online.

Novicki hits college radio air waves

By Steven Rissotto ’20

Archbishop Riordan High School has a rich history of former students on the radio and Henry Novicki ’18 has joined the short list of Crusaders on the air waves.

Sal Castaneda ’82 is a current traffic and news anchor for KTVU News and also is the co-host of a sports talk podcast called The Sal and Steiny Show on the Apple Podcast Network.

Riordan’s DJ Club visited Wild 99.7 on March 20, 2015 and took over the station from 8:00-9:00 pm.

Considered a creative mind during his time at Riordan, Novicki is now attending Point Park University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Point Park has a radio station called WPPJ, where any student with the interest in broadcasting can be heard at a professional level. Students can sign up at the beginning of the semester for a chance to have their own show. They offer a live show

and a also podcast booth as an alternate. Novicki said, “My show is usually about experimental, weird or forgotten music. Sometimes I break form and just do whatever I want.”

For example, Novicki recently did a show talking about music icon Kanye West. Most radio show hosts go off-topic, while continuing to make it entertaining for the listeners at the same time.

An acting star during his tenure in purple and gold, Novicki is still interested in pursuing that career. He’s majoring in acting, but doesn’t rule out the possibility of making a career in radio.

He said, “I think if I could make a living off of it I would. It’s not my major so I probably won’t, but I’d definitely do it if I got the chance.”

While on the East Coast, Novicki’s hours are different compared to Pacific Time. Check out his show, along with the rest of the brilliant shows at WPPJ.com

Photo by Henry Novicki ’18 Henry Novicki ’18 has his own radio show on WPPJ at Point Park University in Pittsburgh.

Winter 2018

The Crusader Archbishop Riordan High School

Arts & Entertainment

11

Mystery solved: ‘39 Steps’ is a smash hit

By Cheyne Fernandez ’20

Tuesday, Nov. 20, was the last showing of Riordan’s Fall play, “The 39 Steps,” enacted on the stage of Lindland Theater.

It was a packed house after the final production date was pushed back to the last day of school, before Thanksgiving break due to poor air quality.

The play, which starred Jalen Viray ’19 who played Richard Hannah and Lisette Trinidad who played Pamela, was a comedic rendition of the rather ironic movie produced by Alfred Hitchcock.

Prior to the play, Isabela Rivera-Gonzalez, ICA ’21 said, “It is like working with family.” She added, “Working on a Riordan production hmm… I think it’s cool, seeing the family that we built.

We don’t go to the same school but working with them is a lot of fun.”

Backstage, members of the stage crew, who work the magic behind the sets with visual effects and enticing music, were preparing for the play to begin.

Stage manager Amanda Neubarth, Mercy ’19 said, “I have worked with Riordan for about three shows now and it’s been very enjoyable working with Riordan’s cast and crew.”

Many of the girls from other schools have enjoyed being involved with Riordan productions, and have been involved for the past few years. They continue to return because of the positive energy and family orientated aspects.

Once the play began, it was like being sent back into a different era. The entire ambiance changed once the lights shut off and the spot lights turned on. Details from the sound effects, props, lighting, clothing and speech set the tone for this early 20th century play.

In addition to the well thought out production, the antiquated humor of the play was hilarious.

Descriptively unconventional, the actors’ ability to portray these dated characters was phenomenal! The comedic aspects weren’t the only interesting occurrences, as the romantic facets displayed left the crowd in awe.

Many romantic scenes and the frequent escapes of Mr. Hannay left the audience enthralled. The four hour play kept each viewer on the edge of their seats from beginning to end, implementing comedic mannerisms, with a bit of action, romance, and irony.

Overall, the various aspects created a masterpiece of a play.

Photo by Prestige Jonathan Torrea ’21, Alec Douglas ’21, and Jalen Viray ’19 starred in “The 39 Steps.”

Crusader Band rebounds for London tour After several cancelled reviews, musicians prepare for New Year’s Day in England By

Photo by Edwin Serrano Adam Kolokotrones ’20, JP Jacinto ’19, and Zachary Phillips ’20 pose with San Francisco Mayor London Breed after their performance at Lefty O’Doul’s.

Jonathan

Blecha

’21

Propelled by their talent, the Riordan Band is going on a trip to London from Dec. 28, to Jan. 4, 2019 to perform in the New Year’s Day parade.

In preparation for this trip to London, this winter the band was supposed to play in multiple band reviews to not only show their skill, but also to practice for this upcoming trip. Due to the air quality from the Paradise Fire, many of these reviews were canceled.

In the Fiesta Del Mar Band Review, the band came in second place in the parade category.

“I was very disappointed when they cancelled the band reviews because we were excited to share our skill and practice for the London trip,” said Pablo Santos ’21.

On Nov. 28, the band shared a concert with the College of San Mateo Symphonic Band. The band also played at the re-opening of Lefty O’Doul’s Ballpark Buffet and Cafe for the restaurant’s re-opening, and met the mayor of San Francisco, London Breed.

The band was invited to travel to London in August of last year when they were given a scroll with the invitation by the director of the New Year’s day parade. While in London, the band will be participating in the parade, displaying their talents for near 500,000 parade goers.

12 Local News

Winter 2018

The Crusader Archbishop Riordan High School

Violent incidents leave BART scrambling for solutions Michael Conefrey ’21

After multiple violent incidents, BART officials have drawn up a detailed plan to make Bay Area Rapid Transit safer.

BART’s actions will include increasing police presence in BART stations and trains, installing new emergency call systems on platforms, and upgrading surveillance systems.

Installing new security cameras was especially important for BART’s public image, as it was discovered that many cameras in stations and trains were not functional, and were only used to deter possible crime.

BART’s questionable security was first exposed to the greater public after suspect John Lee Cowell, 27, brutally stabbed 18-year-old Nia Wilson and her older sister, Lahtifa, outside of MacArthur station without any clear motive.

The 26-year-old Lahtifa escaped the incident with a stab wound to the neck, but Nia was not as fortunate. Nia Wilson was pronounced dead at the scene with her neck slashed.

Cowell was taken into police custody the day after, and is currently awaiting trial.

According to news reports, Cowell

was previously convicted on charges of second degree robbery, and was paroled in May. If convicted, Cowell could receive either life without possibility of parole or the death penalty.

Other violent occurrences at BART stations include a triple-stabbing at Coliseum station, the stabbing of two more at MacArthur station, and the assault of a college student at Richmond station.

Richard Ramayla ’21, who takes BART to school every day, said, “BART is always unpredictable. You’re never sure what’s going to happen on any given day,” he said. “I hear about people jumping onto the tracks on the news, and I see people getting into fights sometimes,” he said.

In a news conference, BART’s deputy police chief Lance Haight emphasized that overall BART was “very safe.”

“We have over 400,000 riders a day, and the vast majority of those riders make it from their original station to their destination without

BART has pledged to step up security in the wake of several violent incidents in the system. any incident whatsoever,” Haight said at a news conference at West Oakland station.

San Francisco’s homelessness and opioid crisis have also negatively affected BART, as stations have become a prime destination for the homeless to take shelter in. In many cases, people often avoid using BART due to the large amounts of homeless people crowding the stations and

Bart.gov

trains, and the uncleanliness that come with them.

BART officials plan to combat this by placing a ban on panhandling in stations and by accelerating the construction of barriers to help cut down on fare evasion.

“They’re people just like us, but they’re just having a harder time,” said Ramayla. “They never bother me, so I make sure to show them the respect they deserve.”

Electric scooters motor their way into San Francisco

By Fabian Aguilar ’19

Scooters are becoming a more popular choice for city dwellers, and pedestrians drivers are concerned that they are invading their space.

Scooters might be a great tool against traffic emissions and a sedentary lifestyle, but if they are not used with proper precautions and guidelines, people can do whatever they want and this can lead people to leaving them on the middle of streets and riding them wherever they want.

“We certainly saw a lot of people enjoying themselves on the scooters, but we also saw a lot of problems around safety and blocking sidewalks,” according to SFMTA Sustainable Streets Director Tom Maguire in news reports.

Electric scooters were first deployed in San Francisco 10 months ago and then they were banned in June after complaints, and the companies faced tens of thousands of dollars in fines.

Later, companies like Skip and Scoot, were granted licenses, with requirements and guidelines.

They were banned at first because people were careless about the pedestrian safety and because they weren’t provided with guidelines for riders to follow. Also, some scooter companies deployed their own without permission.

Even though these new scooters have grown in popularity they can be a nuisance for others if used incorrectly.

“Hundreds of motorized electric scooters quietly descended upon San Francisco seemingly overnight in March. And then one day in June, they were gone” according to Umair Irfan on vox.com.

“I ride them in the sidewalks during weekends and no one ever told me anything,” said Jordan Noeuku ’21. I think that is because is a very small skateboard and it is very easy to pass through people without disturbing their way.”

The city then granted two licenses to Scoot and Skip, with more strict regulations. Still, these companies struggle to manage the way people use the scooters while driving and parking them.

Some people weren’t satisfied with the granting of licenses to these scooters, taking into consideration that they have to not only manage scooters, but people as well.

Cory Nelson, who teaches Social Science said, “I’m in favor of these scooter companies as long as follow regulations set up by the city. Another thing I found out about these scooters is when you park the scooter you have to take a picture of the scooter so that you can practice safe parking laws. This keeps scooters off the street and on the sidewalks when parked.”

Sanjay Dastoor, founder and CEO of Skip, said his company’s approach is to work with cities from the begnning to craft a program that worked for regulators and residents. Still, many fear that since the rules are not written, this ideal is not close to reality.

Bird and Lime scooter company providers have been named in a class of action lawsuit that alleges their negligence in which both riders and pedestrians were injured, according to www.pbs. org. San Francisco and Denver, the most popular cities in the nation that allow e-scooters, banned their scooter programs, because of these companies’ lack of regulations.

Then in August, they granted license to the two companies when they finally “established regulations.”

According to sfchronicle.com, each company has a permit of 625 scooters and the numbers could double in six months.

Scooter startups have launched safety campaigns in an effort to get people to begin following their rules and wearing helmets while also arguing that focusing on scooter safety misses the broader impact of reducing reliance on automobiles.

Still, the companies are finding ways to regulate them.

The city chose the companies from a crowded field of 12, which submitted a collective

A rented scooter illegaly parked on Geneva Avenue.

800 pages in proposals on their operations, safety, and places to extend the scooter bounty to San Francisco’s neighborhoods, according to Wired.com.

Most complaints centered around the time when the scooters were first deployed, and there are still concerns with companies not giving guidelines to manage their programs. Other e-scooter companies, like Bird and Lime that once operated in San Francisco, were denied licenses due to deployment without a regular permission, according to wired.com.

Scooters are efficient and beneficial for the city and the environment. With the amount of pollution being released into the air, like the California wildfires, these devices are seen as a step toward lessening emissions.

Winter 2018

The Crusader Archbishop Riordan High School

Local History

13

Wright Brothers’ credibility up in the air

By Steven Elsner ’20

The Wright Brothers have long received the credit for being the ones to invent the airplane and be the first in flight. According to a book published in 2012, and seeing a resurgence with the 115th anniversary of the Wright Brothers flight, this is incorrect.

According to authors Craig S. Harwood and Gary Bryce Fogel, the first person to fly a plane took place in 1883 by a Californian scientist named John J. Montgomery, who piloted a plane 20 years before the Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk in 1903.

John Joseph Montgomery was born on Feb. 15, 1858. He was an American inventor, physicist, engineer, and professor at Santa Clara University who is best known for his invention of controlled heavier-than-air flying machines.

Montgomery began creating aircrafts in the 1880s. In the years 1883 to 1885, he created four different plane designs: one was a flapping monoplane, the second was a curved wing glider, the next one featured hinged surfaces at the rear of the wings to maintain lateral balance, and last was for the two wings to be flying at the same time to maintain lateral balance.

According to SouthBayCompass. com, “In Otay Mesa, a monument commemorates the first heavier-than-air flight ever taken on this very hill.

The inscription reads:

“John J. Montgomery made man’s first controlled winged flight from this hilltop in August 1883.

He opened for all mankind the great highway of the sky.”

Montgomery chose the Otay Mesa, near San Diego, for its favorable topographic features as well as its seclusion from onlookers, as he did not want his attempts publicized until he neared perfection.

The flights culminated in 1905 with controlled flights in Northern California using tandem-wings, Montgomery’s gliders were launched from balloons reaching altitudes that at the time were immeasurable. His design and research showed that aerial navigation was not impossible.

Flyingmachines.com backs up the evidence that Montgomery was the first to pilot a flying monoplane.

Also, it notes that in 1884 he constructed the monoplane which is 19 years before the Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk in 1903. He was the pioneer of flight and the engineering program at Santa Clara University was named after him.

The pilot of that flight in Santa Clara was 21-year-old Daniel John Maloney, a firstgeneration Irish-American, who lived in San Francisco’s Glen

John J. Mongomery aloft in The Evergreen.

Santa Clara University Archives

Park neighborhood, according to the Glen Park History Project.

According to the Glen Park History Project website, “Maloney described his 20-minute experience as the first man to fly fixed-wing at such an altitude: ‘… as I looked at the ground so far below me and realized I was sailing on a machine that weighed only 42 pounds … I was able to steer and turn and go up and down and I think I felt just about like a bird feels …’”

On July 18, 1905 tragedy struck, the website reports. “As Maloney sat astride the Santa Clara, Professor Montgomery noticed a balloon handling line had become entangled around one of the glider’s wing struts during liftoff. He called out to Maloney to just ride the balloon back down, but he was beyond earshot. At about 3,000 feet, the suspension

rope was cut and the glider was on its own. It soon became uncontrollable, dipping, swerving, and overturning several times. . . . Maloney worked desperately to maintain control, then clung to the machine as it plunged to the ground in front of 2,000 horrified spectators at Santa Clara College.

Tragically, he was killed on impact.”

Montgomery died on Oct. 31, 1911, eight years after the Wright Brothers’ flight at Kitty Hawk, also in an aircraft crash. The accident happened at Evergreen, a camp in the foothills five miles south of San Jose. Less than 20 feet in the air, the craft stalled, flipped over, and landed upside down.

Montgomery survived for a brief moment, asking, “How is the machine?”

He is buried at Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery in Colma.

Sunnyside District hides dark past

By JJ Trujeque ’21

The Sunnyside District was once known as “the Largest and Most Important City Subdivision,” but little do people know it also housed a notorious jail compound.

In 1854, the 100-acre isolated lot was originally bought by the city and would be the designated site for a House of Refuge, which would first serve as a juvenile center.

Over the years, it became a jail that housed inmates with short sentences and were thought reformable since they had no federal crimes. The compound had different names from: House of Refuge; Industrial School; House of Correction; Branch County Jail No. 2; and finally Ingleside Jail, after 1906.

The complex was split between two separate jails, for men and women. The women had the very old building, which was the original House of Refuge, while the men had the new and bigger building.

Escapes were not uncommon, as the whole compound was enclosed by a 16-foot wooden board fence. Every time there was a reported escape from the jail, alarms would go off

that people could be heard throughout the neighborhood and kids knew to run back home.

In a recent interview with San Francisco historian and neighborhood a c t i v i s t , Amy O’Hair, she said, “I think that they escaped because they could. It was actually not a bad place to serve out your sentence, comparatively speaking.

It was pretty run down by the 1890s, but you could do worse.”

Just right outside of the jail buildings there were farm animals and vegetable gardens, along with a large kitchen and laundry room. The supply of water came from a well and large water tank. In the 1910 census, it shows that there were 350 inmates, 27 administration and staff workers, two wives, and 11 children living on site

SF Sheriff’s Department History The Ingleside Jail once occupied the land where the Balboa soccer field and part of the City College football field are today. of

the compound grounds.

In the 1910s, more houses were being built near the jail and the Sunnyside part Ingleside neighborhood was just beginning its expansion.

There were even plans for a lake, children’s playgrounds and a deer park, which would have surrounded all of what is now City College and part of Balboa Park. However, the only thing in the way of the neighborhood

expansion was Ingleside Jail.

O’Hair said, “You could always get a story at Ingleside Jail. There was always something up, whether it was the guards were drunk or the supervisors were not there.”

After years of petitions from the locals, Ingleside Jail was finally closed down in 1934.

A year later, City College of San Francisco would open and the future of the Sunnyside District began to take shape.

14 National News

The Crusader Archbishop Riordan High School

Winter 2018

North American trade wars escalate with paper tariff

By Nicholas Yee ’20

NAFTA, signed by President George W. Bush, Mexican President Salinas, and Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney in 1992, was meant to reduce or eliminate tariffs on most products imported between the three countries.

Signing this allowed most goods made in Mexico and Canada to be sold to consumers for low prices.

26 years later, that changed.

On August 9, the International Trade Commission (ITC) reversed President Trump’s decision to impose tariffs on uncoated groundwood paper (newsprint) from Canada.

The initial decision to impose the tariff came about after the North Pacific Paper Company, a paper mill in Washington State, complained that the subsidies the Canadian government was providing to its manufacturers harmed American paper companies.

Fricke Parks Press The paper tariff has forced many printing presses to raise prices.

President Trump claims that this tariff, along with other tariffs he is imposing on steel and aluminum, is for the good of the American people.

He insists that this is his way of securing American jobs.

Many people disagree with the President’s point of view.

Amongst those who disagree

with President Trump are the Canadian government, several small newspapers, and the ITC. The unanimous decision to overturn the tariff was made by the five-member body of the ITC. This is generally perceived as a win for small and mediumsize newspapers, which have struggled to absorb the cost of

higher newsprint and have had to lay off several of their employees.

The ITC determined that importing newsprint from Canada was helping rather than harming the newspaper industry.

Trump’s policy of imposing tariffs on many materials imported from other countries is controversial.

Those who support it tend to believe he is protecting American jobs rather than sending them overseas.

Those who oppose the tariffs tend to believe that it harms international relationships with other countries; sometimes leading them to want to impose tariffs on the United States, such as China has threatened to do.

Furthermore, those opposed do not believe that it generally safeguards American jobs.

Many American jobs, such as those in the newspaper industry, depend upon relatively inexpensive

Blessed Adele ascends one step closer to sainthood

By Jamar Kittling ’20 As the founder of the Society of Mary and Chaminade’s trustful partner, Venerable Adele de Batz de Trenquelleon earns her place as one of the pivotal figures in Christendom and has ascended one step closer to sainthood.

Adele was of noble birth, born in the wealthy Trenquelleon family on June 10, 1789.

However, Adele, like Chaminade and many other Catholics born in France during this time, was subject to the pandemonium and terror of the French Revolution.

The Baron, Adele’s father and an official in the King’s royal guard, was exiled while she was only 2.

Shortly after, in 1797, Adele and the rest of her family were exiled to Spain. It would be years before they were united again in France.

In her teenage years, Adele became intrigued by the Carmelites, a religious order that focuses on prayer, community, and contemplation.

Inspired by the Carmelite practices, Adele created her own prayer community at age 15.

Although this “Small Association” had humble beginnings, membership gradually expanded to 200 people. This group focused around spiritual growth and preparing for a good death, for this was a time of uncertainty for many in the Catholic faith.

Eventually, Adele’s activity was discovered by the pragmatist, Chaminade.

Both leaders had hopes of expanding their communities. The resignation

of Napoleon and the death of The Baron in 1814 gave Adele the freedom to pursue this hope, and two years later it finally came to fruition. The Daughters of Mary was founded in 1816 with its main goals being to support others spiritually and continue Mary’s mission of bringing Christ to the world.

Canonization is a multifaceted process that has many steps, requirements, and procedures.

Although the Marianist family has been accustomed to addressing Adele as venerable, this term is in fact outdated as Adele rose to the next rank, blessed.

In order for someone to be given that title they must be beatified, which requires the figure to be solely attributed to a miracle that lacks scientific explanation.

In Adele’s case, this requirement was met with the miraculous healing of Sister Michela Messina of the Daughters of Mary in Novara, Italy. The miracle was investigated in 2013 and beatification was finally approved on May 4, 2017.

As of June 10 of this year, after 32 years of holding the title venerable, Blessed Adele de Batz de Trenquelleon has officially been beatified by the Catholic Church.

Alex Datoc, Campus Ministry Director, commented on Adele’s beatification.

“It’s really good for the Marianist family. If Blessed Adele or Chaminade become saints, it will be the first saints

MarianistPulse.com Blessed Adele, founder of the Daughters of Mary, is one step closer to sainthood.

in the Marianist community.”

Although it would take another miracle, the Marianists

eagerly wait for Adele to be canonized and rise to the highest rank of sainthood.

Winter 2018

National News 15

The Crusader Archbishop Riordan High School

Newsom elected California governor

By Owen Murphy ’19

The political landscape of the United States has shifted.

In November, elections took place across the country for a variety of state and national offices. Some vote counts have been extended, but the overall consensus is that the Democratic Party came out on top.

The Democrats have been rallying people for the midterms since their defeat in the presidential race in 2016. Many believed that a blue wave would take Congress as a result of the constant negative coverage surrounding President Trump and his administration and some on the left hoped that a Democratic majority could be gained in both houses.

The actual congressional elections resulted in the expected Democratic majority in the House of Representatives, however Republicans extended their majority in the Senate. Overall, the Democrats gained significant power in Congress, but their victory

ltg.ca.gov Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom was elected Governor of California.

was far from unprecedented.

Presidents in recent decades have nearly always lost party seats in Congress during their midterms.

The loss in the 2018 election for the Republicans was 41 seats in the House of Representatives, but President Obama lost 63 seats in 2010, President Bush lost 32 seats in 2006, and President Clinton lost 54 seats in 1994.

All three of the last Presidents lost massive numbers in the House during midterms, so the 2018 losses for the Republican Party are not incredibly remarkable. The Democrats have seized the House of Representatives, but the blue wave did not shatter expectations.

On the state level, in California, the Democratic Party dominated, with Gavin Newsom succeeding Jerry Brown as governor and the Democrats taking six of the House of Representatives seats previously held by Republicans.

The Democrats easily retained massive majorities in both the State Senate and State Assembly.

Nation remembers George H.W. Bush

By Michael Gray ’20 and Danilo Herger ’20

From being shot down in the Pacific, to settling problems in Kuwait, George Herbert Walker Bush lived life to the fullest.

Late Friday Nov. 30, news surfaced that the 41st President of the United States had died after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease.

The New York Times reported Bush decided not to go to the hospital on his final day, and wanted to pass peacefully at his residence in Houston, Texas.

His final words to his son, President George Bush, who was the 43rd president of the United States, were, “I love you.”

During the eulogy for his father, he jokingly said his dad was great at everything, except eating veggies. The younger Bush managed to hold back his tears until the very end, when he was visibly shaken.

People wore colorful and funny socks, in honor of the fallen Bush, who enjoyed wearing eccentric socks during his battle with Parkinson’s because he could not use his voice.

The death of George H. W. Bush urges examination of his accomplishments in life. Born George Herbert Walker Bush in Massachusetts on June 12, 1924, he joined the United States Air Force during World War II. After narrowly evading capture by the Japanese, Bush returned home, promptly marrying

Barbara Pierce in 1945 and then graduating from Yale in 1948.

After his graduation, Bush moved to Texas where he was eventually elected to the House of Representatives in 1966.

After serving two terms, Bush served in a myriad of government positions, most notably the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations (1971-1973), and the Director of the CIA (1976-1977).

Such roles eventually earned him a position as the 43rd Vice President of the United States (1981-1989) under Ronald Reagan, a popular and charming politician from California.

Eventually, Bush’s turn to lead the nation came in 1989 with his election as the 41st President of the United States.

With Vice President Dan Quayle, Bush oversaw the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991, unseated Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega from power in 1989, and orchestrated a coalition of nations to stop the spread of Saddam Hussein’s Iraq in 1990.

Even with all these accomplishments, Bush still lost the election of 1992 to Democrat Bill Clinton. Such a career in government begs the question: What did he leave us? For many, Bush’s legacy boils down to bipartisanship. The effort that George H. W. Bush made to cross party lines, such as his work on the 1990 congressional budget, set a precedent for cooperation between major political parties.

Creative Commons President George H.W. Bush, 1924-2018

16 Environment

The Crusader Archbishop Riordan High School

Winter 2018

Ban on plastic straws stirs controversy

By Ian Martin ’20

The use of plastic straws has always been a threat to the environment, but mostly to the oceans. Millions of straws are produced each day globally and end up harming wildlife.

Many companies like Starbucks and Disney have announced that they will be getting rid of single use plastic straws at all of their locations.

As of right now, around eight metric tons of plastic accumulate in the ocean each year. The plastic straws being used now are petroleum based, and do not break down in the environment or ocean, causing trouble for land and marine organisms.

Since the plastic doesn’t break down, it is just floating in the ocean, forming these large masses of trash, the biggest of which being the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch, which spans from the American West Coast all the way to Japan.

With major companies like Starbucks ditching single-use plastic straws, billions of harmful plastic straws will be removed from circulation each year, unable to further harm the environment and wildlife.

Instead of straws, Starbucks has replaced them with special plastic cup covers that do break down in the environment.

Recently, the San Francisco

Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to ban plastic straws altogether, which will take effect in July 2019. Boba tea shops are feeling the pressure because as of right now there are no non-plastic jumbo straws that are compatible with their beverages.

The punishment for breaking this law by selling or distributing plastic straws starts off with a warning, but if the law is broken a second time, there is a fine of up to $1,000 and up to six months of jail time.

Michael O’Brien, AP Environmental Science teacher, said, “Stricter and more harsh punishments tend to be shortterm fixes to long-term problems.”

There has been some outrage over the ban regarding people with disabilities who rely on flexible straws to drink and to deny them of that is inhumane.

“I don’t support the plastic straw ban because I feel like the disabled people who rely on straws will have storaenso.com a hard time dealing with the changes that the ban brings,” Stora Enso is one of the companies who makes biodegradable straws. stated Aidan Horgan ’20.

Stora Enso and Sulapac a bio composite material consisting cities, there is a big market for are two renewable material of wood and natural binders, an environmentally safe straw.

O’Brien said, “I might suggest providers that have been which the straws are based on. The companies showed off the straws an industry where personal metal working on new, eco-friendly at Slush 2018, a global startup straws are sold in small cases. straws that are biodegradable and even break down in marine event on Dec. 4 and 5. With bans They could even make them ecosystems. Sulapac has designed showing up in many different collapsible and dishwasher safe.”

Prius engines produce environmental questions

By Dominic Borrego ’20

Prius engines use both gasoline and electricity to run vehicles.

In today’s world, that is the standard as fossil fuels deplete.

Prius engines are able to use gasoline to move vehicles, but also electricity when it is not using gasoline, making it more efficient for gas mileage, and emitting less harmful emissions into the environment.

However, the manufacturing of Prius engines makes more emissions than average car engines, and Prius engines can not be recycled because their car batteries are made with nickel. This is opposed to how most cars are made with lead, a post transitional metal with a low melting point.

Michael O’Brien, AP Environmental Science teacher, said that Prius engines are one step in the progression of our vehicles that drivers must make.

Autoguide.com Prius vehicles are more environmentally safe, but doubts remain about the engine itself.

O’Brien said, “You have to weigh your options. If you are big family, a Prius is just not practical, but if you are a single person, then a Prius looks a lot better as an option, so you can choose, which is the best after weighing the options you have.”

Fully electric cars now exist, and they let out no emissions; Prius engines may also become the less practical choice for the future.

O’Brien said, “Even if you are using electric cars, you still have to know where the electricity is coming from. Quite often, the electricity for these cars is coming from fossil fuel burning plants that are creating emissions. So, that the cars are not necessarily 100 percent emission free.”

Some environmentalists believe Prius engines are going in the right direction, but in the future when the fossil fuels run out, O’Brien wondered, “What will we do then?”

Winter 2018

The Crusader Archbishop Riordan High School

Environment

17

New technology captures ocean trash

By Liam Peace ’19

Wildlife and the natural oceanic habitat have been under attack due to plastic materials and other types of trash, but citizens are taking a stand to protect the revered Bay. New technology created by intuitive scientists, which is already in effect, might help the ocean’s deteriorating conditions and provide a standard of health in the coming years.

The technology attacks the issue at hand while using conventional methods. A 600-meter long floater, which sits upon the surface of the water, is tapered with a skirt beneath it. The floater provides a defense mechanism disabling trash to flow over it, while the skirt stops foreign materials from escaping underneath it.

The intuitive design allows materials to be captured ranging in millimeters of size, like cigarette butts, but also specifically large debris.

Powered by solar energy, the system relies on natural oceanic elements like currents and wind direction to help concentrate the inflow of plastics towards the skirt, allowing it to be captured.

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a vortex of trash found in the Pacific Ocean. It mostly consists of marine debris and foreign, man made materials, mostly plastics. It was originally discovered in 1950, and has only grown larger since then.

While the net could ultimately secure large amounts of trash in the sea, could this device

TheOceanCleanup.com This graphic explains how The Ocean Cleanup organization captures, accumulates, and extracts garbage from The Great Pacific Garbage Patch. negatively impact oceanic wildlife?

Michael O’Brien, AP Environmental Science teacher, has his doubts regarding the practicality of the net. He said, “You are going to get organisms caught in these nets, especially once the garbage accumulates.”

Furthermore O’Brien added, “Anything caught in these nets is going to die.”

This could prove to be devastating if the device backfires by harmfully damaging wildlife.

The organization also claims that more than 5 trillion pieces of plastic and foreign materials litter the ocean. The statistic at hand questions the character of many as O’Brien stated, “We all have to look at our own

moral compass.” This trash, from plastics to bottles, kills maritime wildlife by entangling them, as well as ingestion. In late November, a sperm whale washed ashore in Indonesia that consumed a large amount of plastic trash, including 115 drinking cups, 25 plastic bags, bottles, two flip flops, and 1,000 pieces of string in a bag. All of this trash combined weighed approximately 13 pounds.

According to The Ocean Cleanup organization, the owners of the trash net, their technology will remove 50 percent of The Great Pacific Garbage Patch in five years. Future plans might include fleets of these systems

Riordan’s winter weather report

By Antonio Maffei ’20

Happy December, Crusaders!

Meteorologist Antonio Maffei here with some exciting updates as well as your upcoming forecast. First, a somber yet exciting announcement: Antonio’s Weather Info is no more, as a deal has been made with The Weather Channel! And after four years in the works, a project which I’ve been the president of is finally coming out! You’ll hear a lot more in the next issue of The Crusader!

But, here’s your weather forecast. We have recently been seeing a whirlwind of weather from horrible air

quality to strong storms. So what’s next? Based on the Cumulus Model, I think we’ll continue to see a strong jet stream heading into California throughout the rest of December, and it looks like at the end of December towards Christmas and New Year’s we will begin to see stronger storms with heavy rain, wind and snow.

Then, after the first of the year, towards Jan. 8, we will see drier and warmer weather as the jet stream moves to the north and the high pressure ridge builds back.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, Crusaders!

Photo by Antonio Maffei ’20 A tiny piece of rainbow peaks out over Riordan after a storm.

projected to remove 90 percent of the oceans plastic by 2040.

John Wilkins, San Francisco resident and maritime conservationist claims, “The Ocean Cleanup organization has not only demonstrated well-fought efforts to repair damage to the ocean, but they have completely redesigned cleanup exercises, practicing efficiency and scientific research to accomplish a healthier and trash free bay.”

Many others feel the same way. Elizabeth Barkley, a woman who works in downtown San Francisco, said, “If there was no interference to protect the bay, the consequences of the amount of trash could be permanent.”

18 Sports

The Crusader Archbishop Riordan High School

Winter 2018

‘Tis the season for takedowns

By Jack Calonico ’19

The days are shorter and the weather is colder, which means wrestling at Archbishop Riordan is back.

The returning WCAL champions are here another year. Although they had a incredible ending to their 2018 campaign, the team is ready and poised to repeat their title.

The team opens up their season at the Falcon Dual Shootout at Freedom High on Dec. 1. Their first league match is against Sacred Heart Cathedral at SHC on Jan. 17.

Head Coach Tony Tran ’02 is returning for another year with the Crusaders and is excited as ever to get this season going.

Returning varsity wrestler, Michael Bigler ’20, is ready for this upcoming year and is looking to earn redemption at CCS and place for State. His amazing work ethic and dedication will help leap him there.

Nikita Moysov ’19 had this to say about Bigler, “He works extremely hard and I believe he will take a major leap this year and do great things for Riordan.”

Cross Country runs to playoffs

Photo provided by Aidan Murtagh ’20 The 2018 Cross Country Team

By Harrick Wu ’19

The Cross Country runners ended their season with success through their hard work and dedication.

After competing in the WCAL Championships, EJ Odocayen ’20, Aidan Murtagh ’20, and Evan Forsman ’19, advanced to CCS Championships to compete for a spot in CIF State Championships.

Although none of the three runners advanced to CIF Championships, the season was a success for the runners. As a senior, it was the first time Forsman qualified for the CCS. Murtagh, a junior, achieved a personal best, and still has one more year. EJ Odocayen, who was unfortunately plagued by the flu, still managed to beat 20 other runners, and has a shot next year.

Odocayen said, “Running sick and still finishing ahead of some competitors was mentally draining, but at the same time it was a confidence booster that I’m at a level where I can do that.”

He added, “Even though I finished a lot further back than I wanted, I feel like this experience will motivate me to do even better and I feel like this race really tested my mental capacity.”

The smoke may have had an influence on the race. CCS was postponed twice, with the final decision to have it on Nov. 18, and the location was moved from Crystal Springs in Belmont to Toro Park in Salinas.

Because of the unhealthy to very unhealthy air quality that the smoke produced, the

Coming straight from football, returning varsity wrestler, Raymond Russell ’20 is also looking to repeat the title and win CCS this year. In regards to the team’s confidence, as well as his own, he said, “The entire team is very excited for this year and we can’t wait to defend our title. As for myself, I’m ready and December 1st couldn’t come soon enough.”

The team has three seniors this year helping lead the squad and mentor the young and upcoming Crusaders.

Senior wrestler Daniel Gerard

Photo provided by Tony Tran Members of the wrestling team and their coaches are ready for another successful year. said, “The season is going to be a challenging one, but with the people we have on varsity we should be able to accomplish our goals we set this year. Our freshmen and sophomores are starting to pick up on moves that aren’t usually what they would learn the first year wrestling which will make the season much less challenging.”

Soccer team sets goals for new season

By Roly Lo ’21

With new coaching staff and record turnout for tryouts, the soccer team has hope for victory in the future.

The soccer team has not had the best of records previously, but with the hiring of a whole new coaching staff, including two head coaches from the Glens Revolution Soccer Club, hopes are high.

With head coach Sami Maamar and assistant coach Jorge Ramirez for varsity soccer, and head coach Mar Leon and assistant coach Michael So for JV soccer, students have a new interest in the soccer team.

More than 60 students tried out.

“I think coach Maamar and his staff, regardless of what our record is going to be this year,

we are dedicated to the commitment of what we’re expecting.

The commitment and buy in is the utmost importance to us,” said Dean of Athletics Brian Kelly.

In addition, coach Ryan Jones ’09 has been involved in the strength and conditioning program.

“I think by building a relationship with our strength and conditioning program, our students are realizing we’re taking soccer seriously,” said Kelly.

He added, “This is as important as any other activity and any other sport here in regards to commitment and we want anyone who wears a Riordan soccer jersey to be 100 percent all-in in making them part of the family.”

runners were unable to perform their regular routine outside.

Murtagh said, “Also, the whole week, we had to find a gym with treadmills and run on those, which was something I don’t think any of us were used to.”

Benny Willers, RSP Aide and a Cross Country Coach, was very proud of the team this year and cannot wait for next year.

“I thought that the three guys did a pretty good job. The most important was that the effort was there. EJ got the flu and

felt very sick the morning of the race and was very proud of him for pushing through it and doing what he did. Aidan and Evan got a personal best as well. Aidan performed over a minute PR better than he did the year before.

Even performed four minutes minutes better,” Willers said.

He added, “Overall, I was pretty pleased and am excited for next year because next we should have a team that should be able to compete for the championship.”

Winter 2018

Sports

The Crusader Archbishop Riordan High School

19

Varsity dribbles back into spotlight

By Eddie Monares ’19

Varsity Basketball has had a strong start to the season so far. The team is currently 4-3, including the Crusader Classic and Gridley Tournament, as well as a non-conference scrimmage against Dublin High School.

The team has been working hard in the weight room, the film room and on the court since the summer and is ready for another CCS run and possibly another shot at state.

Justice Turner ’19 said, “The first week into summer we started preparing for summer league and summer league lasted the whole summer so we really had no off season.”

The first game was against Dublin, who was ranked number three in the Mercury News Bay Area Boys Basketball season preview rankings, just behind Riordan at number two.

The Crusaders got down by 14 early, but the team gave their best effort to get back into the game and wound up

only losing by four points.

Turner said, “The loss humbled the team as a whole and it helped us really see what we needed to improve on.”

The team’s next games were in the 60th annual Crusader Classic Tournament, and their opponent in the first round was the Sacred Heart Prep Gators.

The team soundly beat the Gators 73-54 behind a 16 point performance by Je’Lani Clark ’21, and moved on to the semifinals against San Ramon Valley.

The game against San Ramon Valley was the debut of guard Bryce Monroe ’21, who transferred to Riordan from Sacred Heart Cathedral. One of the reasons Monroe transferred to Riordan was to reunite with his cousin, Je’Lani.

Turner said, “The addition of Bryce, Riiny Giir ’20, and Chan Riiny ’20 have been a huge part to the team’s good start to the season because they bring more depth and talent to our team.”

In his debut, Monroe scored a game high 20 points. Riordan

beat San Ramon Valley 73-56 and advanced to the Championship of the Crusader Classic.

In the championship, the Crusaders played St. Francis (La Canada). In a close, tight battle, St. Francis edged out the Crusaders 60-52.

Up next was a 141 mile drive to Gridley, for the Gridley Invitational T o u r n a m e n t .

Riordan’s first game was against Saint Joseph Notre Dame. A last second game winner by Monroe propelled the Crusaders to a 58-56 win.

The Crusaders lost against Salesian 6657 but went on to beat the Branson Bulls 6151 to take third place in the tournament.

these wins belongs the only basketball state championship in the school’s history as well as four Central Coast Section titles.

After his journey at Riordan, he decided to take his coaching talents to Half Moon Bay High School where he coached for seven years, accumulating a 16348 record, the best record in their school’s history. The team made it to the Norcal playoffs every year under the guidance and coaching skills of Coach Forslund.

Coach Forslund’s success may be based off of the saying he coaches by, which is “No one prepares to fail, you fail to prepare.”

Past and current players say he emphasizes everything down to the smallest detail in order to ensure the team’s success. By not

relying on the team’s strengths and spending a tedious amount of time to work on the team’s weaknesses, his success with such an outstanding record follows.

Basketball is a team sport where working together is more important than any single great player. This all starts with the coach, as he is the main instrument in helping the players effectively work as a team.

The players have to execute the materials the coach gives to them, and it is up to the coach to ensure that the execution ends up successful.

Without great coaching, a team would consist of great players who do not play well together, eventually leading to less wins as team chemistry

Photo by Viggen Rassam ’87 Je’Lani Clark ’20 powers over San Ramon Valley players for a basket.

Forslund franchise forsees fantastic future

By Gabriel Santos ’21

Former varsity basketball coach of the Crusaders, Rich Forslund ’76, is making his return at the Junior Varsity level this year.

Forslund has a number of accolades on his high school coaching resume from various high schools in the area.

Forslund is a Riordan alumnus and Class of 1976 valedictorian.

His son also attended Riordan and followed in his father’s footsteps, as they are the only father-son duo to both be named valedictorian in all of Riordan history.

Forslund has the second highest record of wins amongst coaches in Riordan’s history, sitting at an outstanding record of 194-124 solely from 1997-2007. Among

and teamwork are necessities.

He was welcomed back to the Crusaders with opened arms, with Junior Varsity point guard CJ Cabanero ’21 stating, “I feel that Coach Forslund is a great coach with a lot of basketball knowledge. He is really funny and just a great guy to be around.”

Evan Wallis ’22, a student new to Riordan and its athletics, said, “Just by these couple weeks of him as our coach I’ve learned so much, and he is by far one of the best coaches I’ve ever had! I love his coaching style and our upcoming season will be outstanding for the JV team for sure!”

If the players’ enthusiasm is any indication, this will be a record breaking season for the JV team.

New scoreboard ushers in Mayer Family Field

By Danilo Herger ’20

A new basketball court, a new football field, and now a new scoreboard. Riordan is going all in, after renovations have been put in place to fix the old scoreboard.

Issues such as turning on routinely and having a bright display in harsh weather like fog were major concerns that factored in when it was time to make the decision to replace it.

Many see this as a new chapter, now with a functioning scoreboard and a new field coming soon, Riordan can compete with all WCAL teams, especially with a home field advantage.

Julian Molina Lopez ‘20 thinks the scoreboard will give Riordan a huge advantage. “We

can see the score and find out if we need to make a final push or make sure a run doesn’t score.”

The scoreboard is multifunctional, being able to keep score for both baseball and football. The location of the scoreboard has not changed, and it is still in center field from the baseball field and the far end zone from the football field.

The scoreboard is named after the late Martin Wassmer ’84, who played baseball at Riordan and was a strong supporter of the baseball team after graduation.

Before, the score would need to be done by hand in baseball and football games were not played at home. Now, sports teams can take pride in not only sports, but Riordan as a whole.

Photo by Steven Rissotto ’20 The Mayer Family Field has a new scoreboard, named in honor of Martin Wassmer ’84.

20 Features

The Crusader Archbishop Riordan High School

Winter 2018

Crusader brothers band together to support classmate

By Steven Rissotto ’20 before making a decision. He Americans love sports. It’s fair to say almost everyone loves sports. It’s a mixture of exercise, mental structure, fun, and competition. Some people love to compete. Bill Blanchard ’71 is, and was, no exception.

At Riordan, fall afternoons are filled with the forecast of either complete Antarctica temperatures or the Bay Area’s tarty summer humidity. It could have been either, but that didn’t stop Bill Blanchard from competing in varsity football for the Purple and Gold during the course of his senior year in 1971. The tall and slender safety was nothing but confident during a verbally encouraging practice, where trash talk was a rare occurrence.

Blanchard was a basketball star out of St. Stephen’s Catholic School, where he raised eyebrows during a tournament at Riordan while he was in the eighth grade. He was awarded the most valuable player award.

He was recruited for hoops and started to play football as well.

Fast forward to a short, stocky running back racing towards the slender and tall Blanchard, who had to do some quick strategizing

knew he was going to get hit no matter what. The choice was to get low, which produced massive head-to-head contact. It was a choice Blanchard would look back on several years later and regret.

Blanchard recalled, “As we hit, I felt myself spinning around in the air and then I was staring at a blue-sky watching puffy clouds float by, and I realized I couldn’t move my body. People were gathered around me.”

Head Coach Bob Toledo described it as the “loudest sound” he ever heard in 50 years playing and coaching football.

Toledo considered stepping down from coaching after the incident, but Blanchard convinced him to stay, and he later became a very successful college coach.

The results of the injury were beyond what Blanchard could have imagined. He was paralyzed from neck down, living his life as a quadriplegic since the crazy, loud fall afternoon.

“For the most part, it was frightening. What’s in store for me? What’s my future?”

Blanchard said.

“It was overwhelming at first. I had a tremendous support system with

Dave Mahoney ’71, Dan Hayes ’71, and Dan Ferrigno ’71 support fellow Crusader Bill Blanchard ’71. my family and with my friends.”

Blanchard devoted most of his adult life as an advocate for people with disabilities at UC Berkeley. He enjoys writing short stories, reading, taking classes, and hanging out with friends.

It’s not all that easy for him, however. Every morning consists of two hours of personal care from an assistant and another evening routine very similar.

Blanchard’s recent health problems have left him needing

help from Riordan friends. On Oct. 20, Dan Hayes ’71, Dave Mahoney ’71, and Steve Mayer ’72 organized a benefit dinner in Chaminade Hall to help with medical bills. The group was successful and raised more than $110,000 from 344 people on their GoFundMe page.

“At this point in my life,” he said, “Riordan means friendship and living your life for others and not just for yourself.

Crusaders are ones to not leave a fallen Crusader behind.”

Remembering Giants legend Willie ‘Stretch’ McCovey

By Steven Rissotto ’20

San Francisco Giants legend and Hall of Fame first baseman Willie McCovey died on Oct. 31 after a lingering and long battle with multiple health issues. He was 80 years old.

McCovey was born in Alabama in 1938, the same state that Willie Mays and Hank Aaron were born and raised in. Young Willie loved baseball, and found himself signing a professional contract at age 17 for the New York Giants.

Although McCovey never played a home game in New York, he made his major league debut for the Giants just a year after their inaugural season in San Francisco, a new home for baseball. In his debut, he went four-for-four against future Hallof-Fame pitcher Robin Roberts.

He later won the National League Rookie of the Year.

McCovey teamed up with center fielder Willie Mays, to make one of baseball’s greatest duos in history.

Mays, coming from New York, was the far better player. Willie Mac was homegrown in San Francisco, which solidified his relationship with the fans. In 1962, the Giants made the World Series against the powerhouse New Yankees.

In Game 7, McCovey came up to the plate with the Giants trailing by one run; runners in scoring position nonetheless.

Known for his strong lefthanded power, he hit a laser

Baseball Hall of Fame Willie McCovey was a Giants great and Hall of Famer. beam right at the second baseman Bobby Richardson, who caught the missle head high. This ended up becoming Willie’s signature moment in the orange and black.

McCovey won the National League Most Valuable Player award in 1969 and was also the main event for fans in the right field bleachers at Candlestick Park. The ballpark in the Bayview Heights area of the city was known for its gusty winds and ugly conditions. With that being said, he led almost every offensive category in the ballpark history.

Some say he would have hit more home runs if it wasn’t for the wind.

After a strange, short stint with both the Oakland Athletics and

the San Diego Padres, McCovey returned to San Francisco to finish his career where it started.

He finished with 521 home runs, a NL leading 18 grand slams, and a legacy that will last forever. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown in 1986, his first year of eligibility.

In 2000, the Giants opened AT&T Park (then called Pacific Bell Park) on the shore of San Francisco Bay. The area beyond the right field wall was nicknamed McCovey Cove, which includes a statue on the other side. In 1980, his jersey number 44 was retired by the Giants.

English teacher and lifelong

Giants fan Michael VezzaliPascual ’88 said, “My favorite player of all-time. I wanted to be just like him. He was a man of such grace. When he hit the ball, he had the beautiful left-handed swing.”

Marvis Sutton, mother of English and Journalism teacher Susan Sutton, was an usherette at Candlestick from 1964-1967 and knew McCovey. He even gave her a ride to the park one day.

“I was walking down the street to Candlestick Park one day to go to work as an usherette and all of a sudden, this big black Cadillac pulled up along side me and it was Willie McCovey!” she said.

“He said, ‘Hi, Marvis. Can I give you a ride to the park?’ and of course I said YES and thank you.”

Because she worked in the section over the Giants’ dugout, the players knew her. Sutton knew McCovey to be a “kind and gernerous man. Very friendly.”

McCovey’s health problems were a concern in his playing days and he often played hurt. By the time he retired in 1980, his knees were completely shot. After numerous surgeries, he was unable to walk steadily, keeping him in a wheelchair during his later years.

Beyond all of his accomplishments and statistics, McCovey was a gentle giant. He spent most nights in his box at AT&T Park and always welcomed fans. Willie McCovey will be remembered forever in baseball history.