The Crusader Junior VOLUME I ISSUE i
Summer 2017
ARCHBISHOP RIORDAN HIGH SCHOOL
Gym renovation rejuvenates school By Manolo K. Guajardo
St. Finn Barr School, Grade 7
The Riordan Gym is under construction for a remodel. Some of the changes include the hardwood floors being replaced, the bleachers will be refurbished, and new basketball hoops, which have already been installed. Jacob Taylor ’17 said, “I think the new gym will be good for the school and it will hopefully bring more students into Riordan. The gym remodel will bring the gym to life.” Roman Peregrino ’18 said, “I think the gym remodel is a necessary remodel and I also think it will help our school.” Some of the other changes include painting game lines and logos, restoration of original wainscot on walls, painting of all surfaces except ceiling, replacement of the skylight and windows. Ryan Jones ’09, a coach and teacher at Riordan, said, “I’m glad that we finally raised the money for the gym, and I think the gym has needed an upgrade.” According to the Riordan website, “The improvements
The gym benches have been removed as part of the remodeling project.
will have both short and longterm benefits. The renovated facilities will benefit the Riordan basketball program and the entire WCAL, as the new floor will allow for a truer bounce in all areas and more competitive play. The community will also benefit from the improvements, as Crusader Forum hosts a variety of leagues and camps for athletes of all ages and backgrounds, including youth basketball camps, Camp Crusader, AAU teams, and games for San Francisco’s Catholic elementary schools.” The project was made
possible by the “Remembering Restani” Honorary Committee, which includes friends of Kevin Restani, a 1970 Riordan graduate who played in the NBA. The committee consists of former coaches, members of the USF basketball community, and friends and teammates from the Olympic Club. In an issue of The Crusader, Athletic Director Mike Gilleran said, “This is the best viewing gym in the WCAL, best athletic atmosphere. We’re going to improve the gym and not tear anything down to keep the atmosphere and allow our fans to not miss a second of action.”
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Staff Page
Summer 2017 The Crusader Junior Archbishop Riordan High School
Staff members of The Crusader Junior consisted of students from sixth to eighth grades.
The Crusader Junior
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Staff Reporters Katie Baldwin Marcus Bast Aeneas Bufiy Caitlin Gardner Manolo Guajardo Preston Kuan Aaron Louie Quincy Loyola Jordan Lui Evan Marigmen Tristan Manders Julian Yuen Adviser Susan Sutton, CJE Co-Adviser Keven Ariel Muñoz ’18
News
Summer 2017
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Camp Crusader kids create colorful kites Science class flies beyond expectations By Katie Baldwin St. Gabriel School, Grade 7
On June 23, the Science Class flew their kites — made from simple materials given to them — outside the building of Archbishop Riordan High School. The Science Class, separated into groups of two, built their kites out of trash bags and sticks. They then flew them out on the track, and some kids flew theirs on the field. The Science Class is part of many courses students can take in the academic part of Riordan’s Camp Crusader, and is open to students from many different grades. “The whole point of the project was learning physics, forces of gravity, lift and drag, and aerodynamics,” said teacher Nathan Villanueva. “It showed them creativity and ingenuity.” Some of the kids liked working with their partners, but some did not. It varied depending on the person. Daniel Kutner, grade 4 at St. Gabriel School, said, “I thought it was fun to work with my partner, but some kids thought it was harder to get the job done.” When working together, all the students’ hard work paid off. “They did well and took turns,” said Villanueva. “My favorite part of science is trial and error because it was fun to learn what worked and what didn’t work,” said Max Briones, grade 7 at St. Gabriel School. They made the kites by putting two sticks in a cross shape. Then, they cut out pieces of trash bags into diamond shapes that fit the size of their sticks. They stuck
Students made kites in science class, and then tried to fly them outside despite the lack of wind.
them together, added the handle of the trash bag as their tail, and finally added string. The end product was well-made kites, but it was all up to how they flew. The weather outside that day was cold and foggy as the San Francisco summers usually are. Gabe Kutner, grade 7 at St. Gabriel School, said, “They flew horribly because there was no wind.”
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Summer 2017 The Crusader Junior Archbishop Riordan High School
3D Printing brings ideas to life By Aeneas Bufiy
Ecole Notre Dame des Victoires, Grade 6
This summer, William Marrafao, the computer programming teacher for Archbishop Riordan during the regular school year, is teaching a 3D Printing class to younger students as part of the Camp Crusader program. Marrafao said that 3D printing is a form of manufacturing, because some companies have solely used 3D printing to create items like toys and medical supplies. He started 3D printing in college with a printer called REPRAP, which is used to teach the basics of 3D printing. Marrafao said, “To do 3D printing, you must use a program called CAD (Computer Aided Design), then you send it to the printer.” His favorite thing to print is a fidget cube. It takes about 20 minutes to print something small with low quality, and something large with high quality could take several hours. Most students are printing fidget spinners and chess pieces. Marrafao also said, “I like 3D printing, because it is a good way to express your ideas.”
Teacher William Marrafao shows a model to a student.
A student looks at her chess piece while designing it on the computer.
News
Summer 2017
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The Crusader Junior Archbishop Riordan High School
Campers power on to various computer programs By Quincy Loyola
Aptos Middle School, Grade 8
This summer, at Archbishop Riordan High School, students can take a class taught by a Riordan graduate that focuses on the basics of how to use certain computer applications. So far, they have learned how to use Photoshop, how to create a presentation, how to use Microsoft Word, and in the last week, they learned how to create an iMovie. The class is taught in the library on the Apple desktop computers there, and consists of a dozen or so students in each of three classes. Jake Rassam ’16, the teacher of the computer class, learned Photoshop and other applications used in the class through college experience and journalism class. “[Teaching] is cool. It’s hard sometimes because I don’t even know what I’m doing […] like, everyone learns differently, so sometimes I don’t know how to teach a certain kid,” Rassam said. Landon Trujeque, from Ecole Notre Dame des Victoires, an 8th grader, said, “I expected
Three students work on their iMovie in computer class.
this class to be really boring, but it’s actually really not.” He added later, “[This] class is fun, especially Photoshop, it’s my favorite thing about it.” They have only reviewed the basics for each of the applications that they have used. In Photoshop, they have used a couple of tools; in Word, learned formatting; in presentations, learned slideshows; and in iMovie, they
made a video from scratch. The students plan on using their new knowledge from the computer class in their future as a student for school projects and reports. A student in the class, Nick Fenton, from West Portal Lutheran, said, “I like this class because the activities are fun and I can really see myself using the things we learn in the future.”
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Summer 2017 The Crusader Junior Archbishop Riordan High School
Art class molds students into artists By Evan Marigmen
St. John School, Grade 6
Irman Arcibal is the art teacher at Archbishop Riordan, and also teaches art at Camp Crusader. He teaches the kids simple art techniques to help them understand how to build creative pieces. Mark Alvarez ’16 is the art aide. He gives the students whatever they need, such as paper, paint, clay etc. He is teaching the kids techniques that will help them in art, such as pinch pots, mugs, and paintings. Alvarez said he wants them to use their creativity when painting.
Teacher’s aide Mark Alvarez ’16 monitors student work.
Sean Reyes, a 5th grader at St. Cecilia, likes making things that he loves. He really enjoys clay structures such as pinch pots, coil buildings, slat buildings and glazing. Once he is done making those creations, he puts them in his treasury. Caitlin Gardner, a 6th grader at Holy Name, likes art because she can make different structures and creations to keep and remember. Students prepare the clay before creating pieces of art to take home.
News
Summer 2017
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Chickens don’t fly, but eggs do Villanueva drops knowledge on students in egg drop test
By Aaron Louie
Alice Fong Yu School, Grade 7
This summer in science class, students attempted the egg drop test. Some people said their test was a success and others said it was not a success. The results could have been better, they said, if the model was better. Many students used sponges for their test, and some made it at the last minute. According to Danny O’Sullivan who goes to St. Cecilia, “I think it was a Nathan Villanueva inspects a student’s work.
success and I don’t need anything to make it better.” He used sponges and taped it all together. Although Danny said it was successful, the egg actually cracked. Emmett Misura, a 7th grader at St. Veronica School, stated, “My test was a success and it was made from straws and tape.” His egg drop partner Andres Mora, said, “We used straws, tape, and sponges.” They both said their test was a success. But, again, their egg cracked like Danny’s. The purpose of this test was to focus on creativity, skills, and teamwork to prevent the egg from getting damaged. Although the eggs broke, it was not a complete failure An egg drop container sails through the air, hoping to survive. because everyone tried their best.
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Summer 2017 The Crusader Junior Archbishop Riordan High School
Riordan alumni return for summer session
Counselors Tarik Shami ’18, Tariq Mukatash ’16, Travis Benham ’18, and Emily Martinez of Mercy SF.
By Tristan Manders Aptos Middle School, Grade 8
At Archbishop Riordan, many students return to work or help out after they graduate. Some current students even work here during the summer. One example is David Lin ’99, who is an academic counselor and also helps with Camp Crusader during the summer. Lin said that his experience at Riordan has helped him grow strong relationships. Graduate and current
students return or continue to work at Riordan over the summer because they want to give back to Riordan. Teacher and coach Ryan Jones ’09 said, “How I want to contribute more to the Riordan program is by making the sports program and Riordan a better place.” The camp counselors at Riordan help teach and play with the younger students. In addition to sports, Coach Jones teaches American Sign Language during the summer.
Mark Alvarez ’16 is a recent Riordan graduate whose family has a long history in Crusader Country, as his uncle, dad, and cousins went to Riordan. He contributes to Riordan by helping during the summer program and he donates every year to Riordan. He thinks he could contribute even more to Riordan by donating more and attending more events. This summer, Alvarez is helping with the art classes. Alvarez said, “I add my own unique personality to the roster of alumni here.”
Tech
Summer 2017
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New Apple products produce mixed reviews By Preston Kuan
Stratford School, Grade 6
There are new Apple products coming soon. One of the new Apple products is called a Home Pod. The Home Pod is a device that consumers can talk to via Siri, Apple’s version of a virtual assistant. Users can ask the Home Pod to turn the lights on and off or to play music via Apple Music. The Home Pod has six microphones to assist Siri in listening to requests. It also has room-sensing technology that can help calculate the best sound based on the device’s surroundings. That means when someone walks in the room where the Home Pod is located, they can ask Siri to perform a task. John Wu, Director of Technology at Riordan, said “The new Apple products are great and look better than most other products.” Another Apple product is the new iPhone 8, which is about the same size as the iPhone 7. The only difference
Coming soon: HomePod and iPhone8.
about the iPhone 8 is that it works faster. That means consumers can open apps faster and send messages faster. This is because it will have a new processor. Viggen Rassam ’87, Riordan Educational Technology Coordinator, said, “All their
products work well and they have a good system.” Evan Marigmen, a 6th grade student at St. John School, said, “Some of the new Apple products are a little over the top.” Riordan student Harvey Samson ’19 said, “I guess Apple is officially out of new ideas.”
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Summer 2017 The Crusader Junior Archbishop Riordan High School
NBA draft adds stars to constellation rookie will win any other awards such as MVP or Defensive player of the Year “because there are a lot of good veterans in the NBA.” Rhod Robles who is going into 6th grade at Our Lady of the Visitacion said, “Markelle Fultz will win [Rookie of the Year] because he is a better overall player than anyone in the NBA draft.”
By Marcus Bast
St. Cecilia School, Grade 6
The NBA draft (when teams pick a rookie for their team) took place on June 22 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The top five draft picks were Markelle Fultz from Washington, Lonzo Ball from UCLA, De’Aaron Fox from Kentucky, Jayson Tatum from Duke, and Josh Jackson from Kansas. The Golden State Warriors paid Chicago $3.5 million for the draft rights to select Jordan Bell from the University of Oregon, who was the Defensive Player of the Year in the NCAA tournament. Anthony Yuen, a 5th grader from Saint Roberts and a student at Riordan summer camp, said, “Lonzo Ball will win Rookie of the Year just because he is popular.” Anthony also thinks Lonzo has a chance at winning another award. He said, “Lonzo Ball might win MVP if he plays really well, but Lonzo will probably not win because his dad is really cocky.” When it comes to good picks turning out to become a bad choice once the NBA season starts, Yuen said, “De’Aaron Fox will not be able to run a team in the NBA as well as the other players in the draft.” Archbishop Riordan art
Clockwise, from top, Jordan Bell, Markelle Fultz, and Lonzo Ball, teacher Irman Arcibal, said, newest members of the NBA.
“Markelle Fultz or Lonzo Ball will win Rookie of the Year because they will both get a lot of playing time as a rookie.” In addition, Arcibal said, “Markelle Fultz will make the biggest impact because he has an NBA ready skill set, and he can do a lot of things that his team needs him to do.” Finally, Arcibal said no
Rhod said that Lonzo Ball will turn out to be a bust because “he is not ready for the NBA.” He added that Jordan Bell (Defensive Player of the NCAA basketball tournament) will make the biggest impact “because he is really good defensively and can guard any position.”
Sports
Summer 2017
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Sports Camp: They came here to play By Jordan Lui
St. Thomas the Apostle School, Grade 6
During the summer, at Sports Camp, students can do lots of fun things. Most people like Sports Camp including, Coach David Lin, Guillermo Macalpin, and Garrison Howe ’18. Outside on the field at sports camp, there are many sports to play like, baseball, football, soccer, basketball, speedball, home run derby, and many more. Most of the teams are taught by the varsity coaches. They have three teams and rotate around to play each other. Garrison Howe likes to play tennis and makes sure that the kids are playing the game fairly and nicely. He monitors tennis, baseball home run derby, At right, a camper dunks a ball. On the bottom, campers race to the top of the climbing structure.
soccer, and speedball. Coach Lin likes all sports and for fun, he watches the kids play. Coach Lin said that the gym renovation has affected the camp positively because it shows the kids disciplined and under control outside. Coach Lin really likes to win, and his competitive nature encourages the students. Aeneas Bufiy plays sports, and his favorite sport is hockey. This year, he has made many friends, including Finn Barr, Preston, Zach, Shane, Danny, and Colm. Overall, the best thing about Sports Camp is that it is open to all groups of experience and everybody is welcome.
Features
Summer 2017
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Fidget spinners spin out of proportion By Caitlin Gardner
Holy
Amazon. Students like them because, as one pupil, Anthony Yuen, a student going into the 5th grade at St. Robert, said, “It is a fun toy to play with and look at. I also believe that it really relieves stress and nervous tension.” Riordan student Victor Anderson ’20, used the device in class and at home for about a month last school
Name School, Grade 6
Walking into a classroom, one can see, or sense, students spinning fidget spinners under their desks. Most kids hide the fidget spinners under their desks because many teachers hate seeing them in class as well as anywhere on school grounds. A fidget spinner is a gadget about the size of a drink coaster, with a bearing in the middle that allows it to spin. They are generally made of metal or plastic and feature two or three prongs that blur, entrancingly, as it twirls. Fidget spinner retail prices range from a few bucks to the hundreds. It is supposed to be used to let nervous energy out before a test or during a quiz, but lately because of the different shapes, colors, and sizes, it has become a fun toy, and also a distraction. Charlene McDonnell, a 7th grade math tutor at St. Gabriel and a 6th grade summer school math teacher at Riordan, said, “I believe that it distracts the kids and the teacher from their normal work. Also, it has
Fidget spinners have intrigued students and irritated teachers.
different colors, shapes, and sizes, which catch the eyes of many students sitting nearby.” Consumers can get them at many shops, thrift stores, street fairs, and of course,
year. He said fidget spinners actually do the opposite. “Fidget spinners don’t help you focus,” he said. “They distract you. It’s all about marketing.”