2013 october

SAINT’S SPIRIT IN FULL SWING

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News......................................2 Features.................................4 Profiles..................................8 Arts & Entertainment............9 Opinion................................11 Sports...................................12

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HEART Volume 30

CONTENTS

FINALE RECIEVES HIGH PRAISE

SYRIAN STRUGGLES CONTINUE

BEAT

Sacred Heart High School, Kingston MA

October 7, 2013

Number 2

Senior Trip to be Remembered

BY JENNIFER HABEEB Staff Writer

On September fifth, at one o’clock in the afternoon, the Sacred Heart senior class embarked on their annual white water rafting trip to Millinocket, Maine.

Students boarded the buses at one o’clock in the afternoon at the front of the school, and from there began their eight hour journey. Chaperones for the trip included senior class moderator John Olson, science teacher Kielynne Banker, English teacher Carey Zigouras, health teacher Karen Horan, history teacher Edward Gray, and language teacher Justine Murphy.

About two hours into the drive, the second of the two buses had to stop in a school parking lot due to engine trouble and half the senior class was stranded for three hours. Students on the bus had to make the most of the situation by playing football on the lawn or going for walks.

“It was really annoying at first because we knew the other bus was on its way and we were stuck. It really tested our patience, but, it’s something to look back on now and laugh about,” Senior Kelly Rathje said.

The first bus arrived at Penobscot Adventures at approximately nine o’clock at night and the second bus arrived at eleven. Students spent the night around a fire and braced themselves for the cold night ahead.

Temperatures during the first evening dropped to thirty-nine degrees, the coldest weather students had seen for a while.

“I was hoping that it would get warmer in the morning and wouldn’t be as cold the next day because I was freezing,” Senior Kellie Goodell said.

The next morning, the Sacred Heart senior class hit the ground running. They woke up at eight a.m. and made their way to the main lodge for breakfast. Students then suited up in wet suits, life jackets, and helmets, and got on buses that would take them to their river destination.

Once they got to the river, students got into their raft groups and picked the guide that would help them during their rafting adventure.

Senior Caroline Imparato felt her group

A group of seniors rafts on a class IV rapid.

had a great guide.

“The guides were amazing, but also slightly crazy. I was impressed by how much control they had.”

Students then brought their rafts down to the river and climbed aboard, ready to conquer the rapids. The first rapid students faced was a class five rapid on a scale of seven. River guides instructed students when to paddle and when to hold on in order to ride the rapid safely. “[The first rapid] was an emotional roller coaster. I had my highest highs and my lowest lows,” Senior Patrick Ohrenberger said.

Once the students accomplished the first, and highest level rapid, the river guides let students have “play time,” in which students surfed the rapid and went under a waterfall. Surfing the rapids is when the

Seniors enjoy their time rafting on the Penobscot River.

guides instruct the rowers to approach the rapid and let the nose of the raft get sucked into the waves.

Senior Alexa Nasr fell out of the boat twice while “surfing.”

“I was kind of scared, but I liked the adrenaline,” she said.

After a full morning on the river, the group stopped for a quick lunch and got back on the river. In the afternoon, seniors faced class four, three, and two rapids.

They were also allowed a chance to swim when the water was calm.

When the long day of rafting came to a close, students boarded the buses again which took them back to the campsite.

When they got back, students peeled off their wetsuits and changed into warmer clothes. Some walked down the dock to the lake, some played volleyball by the

Photo courtesy of New England Outdoor Center

campfire, and some just hung out with classmates.

That night students ate dinner in the lodge, and gathered together to watch the footage taken from the trip during the day.

The second night was warmer than the first, and students, tired from their long day on the river, tried to get a good night’s rest before the eight hour bus ride back to Sacred Heart the next morning.

Students arrived at Sacred Heart on Saturday at around four o’clock and went home. Overall, the rafting trip was a huge success and will remain a highlight of the year for many seniors. Senior class moderator John Olson thought the trip was successful.

“It went pretty well. The rafting was fun and for the most part we stayed out of trouble.”

Photos courtesy of New England Outdoor Center

News

2 October 7, 2013

HEART BEAT

Violent Crisis strikes Syria

A glimpse of Syria and the massive destuction

Photo courtesy of www.telegraph.co.uk

BY REILLY ROBBINS Staff Writer The United States is currently embroiled in a turmoil over how it should deal with the Syrian government’s use of chemical weapons against its own people. On August 31, 2013 American President Barack Obama called for the use of military force to punish the Syrian dictator, Bashar Hafez al-Assad, and his regime, for using sarin gas on its civilians. Sarin gas is a colorless, odorless gas that can be deadly even at very low concentrations.

Once a person inhales the gas, their lung muscles are paralyzed and they eventually suffocate. At this point in time it is unclear why the Syrian government used this gas on its own people. Some investigators believe that Assad ordered the attack to intimidate dissenters.

Other individuals, however, speculate that rebel forces planned the chemical attack in order to convince the United States to step up its military support in an effort to overthrow the Assad government. Obama has asked Congress for the authorization to strike Syria with military force to render it unable to use these heinous weapons again. President Obama’s stance is that the United States is morally responsible to punish the Syrian government for the gassing of thousands of innocent men, women, and children.

A little more than a year ago, the United States began to receive intelligence reports that the Syrian government was preparing to use chemical weapons. It was assumed that these weapons were to be used against the rebel forces that were involved in the Syrian Civil War. At the time, more than 100,000 people had already been killed in this war which had been raging for over two years.

Issuing a stern warning, President Obama told the Assad regime that the use of chemical weapons in Syria would not be tolerated. In his statement, Obama warned that a red-line had now been drawn, and if these weapons were put into use, the U.S, would consider the Syrian government to have crossed that line and intervene with military force.

Photo courtesy of aangirfan.blogspot.com

A child sits among the ruins in Syria

Over the next several months, it became clear that the president’s warning had been ignored , and chemical weapons had been used. The Syrian government claimed that rebel fighters had used the chemical weapons against the Syrian army, killing 26 soldiers and civilians. In response to this action, they asked the United Nations Secretary-General to send in investigators to confirm their beliefs. While the U.N. team probed this matter, the Syrian opposition forces began to claim that they, too, were gassed and requested an inquiry.

By April, 2013, Britain and France made it known that they had evidence chemical weapons had been used multiple times around the Syrian cities of Aleppo, Homs, and Damascus. By early June, France and the United States also confirmed that the Syrian government had indeed used sarin gas on civilians. One month later, representatives from the United States, Britain, France, Italy, Canada, Japan, Germany, and Russia, collectively known as, “The Group of Eight“, issued a statement condemning the use of chemical weapons. Although their statement failed to point the blame on either side of the conflict, the message was very clear- no more human rights violations would be tolerated in Syria.

By the end of July, differing opinions began to circulate among the eight countries involved in the alliance. Russian investigators believed that they had enough information to support Assad’s claims that the rebel forces were indeed responsible for launching chemical attacks. Their evidence, however, did not convince the rest of the group to wholeheartedly shift the blame onto the rebels. Shortly after Russia took a stand on the issue, the United States and German intelligence forces separately intercepted several phone calls from high level Syrian officials which suggested that Assad had ordered the sarin gas attacks. In light of this new information, most of the “Group of Eight” believed that Assad was to blame.

As more and more data began to confirm the use of chemical weapons in Syria, the United States received new video evidence of the carnage that had taken place.

Gruesome footage revealed that hundreds of people had indeed been subjected to the harmful effects of nerve gas. Therefore, on August 21st officials in the Obama administration began reaching out to other countries to look for ways to respond to the attacks. Initially, many countries were in support of using military force. However, as time passed, their ideas shifted more towards waiting for a United Nations inspectors’ report to be released. Disappointed by the wavering support for a military strike, President Barack Obama announced that the U.S. had a moral responsibility to punish Assad and he would seek a military response without international backing. Obama, however, faced harsh criticism for attempting to make an executive

decision on going to war through the Elastic Clause, which states, as president, he can stretch the law and make the final decision in times of crisis. Now, the President understands that Americans are weary of war and comments on how “we are not comfortable putting our troops in the middle of someone else’s war.”

By putting the issue in the hands of Congress, which represent the people of the United States, he hopes to gain the approval necessary for a military strike against Syria to rectify his decision.

Although Obama feels strongly about the need for military intervention his plan has led to a vocal outcry from the American public. Most citizens do not want to see the United States get involved in the Syrian conflict.

After years of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the loss of thousands of lives, Americans have made it clear they have had enough. Hundreds of thousands of people have written their Senators and Congressmen to voice their opposition to any military action.

One country who agrees that military action should be avoided is Russia. Their Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, and United States Secretary of State, John Kerry, have worked together to convince Syria to agree to get rid of their chemical weapons within the given two weeks. As long as the Syrian government complies with the agreement and destroys all of their chemical weapons a military strike will be averted.

Naturally, President Obama welcomes this peaceful resolution. He is quick to remind the American people, however, that if Syria fails to follow the mandate, military intervention will take place.

Photo courtesy of www.Forbes.com

Bashar-Al-Assad, President of Syria

News

3

October 7, 2013

Goodall Bites the Big Apple

BY LILY BESSETTE Staff Writer On September 21st, Jane Goodall was a keynote speaker at the Humane Education Conference on “Educating for a Just, Peaceful & Sustainable Future.” The conference took place in Manhattan, New York at the New York University Center for Academic and Spiritual Life. This was the first time the Sacred Heart Roots and Shoots members had a potential opportunity to see Goodall live in the Eastern United States area.

The Institute for Humane Education, Humane Education Advocates Reaching Teachers’ (HEART’s), and the Jane Goodall Institute’s Roots and Shoots program hosted the conference. The conference included workshops and a peace parade with Jane Goodall. It was an excellent opportunity to network and learn about new ways to improve the earth and society.

Unfortunately, the only Sacred Heart School representative that was able to go to the conference was school nurse, Mrs. Karen Noyes and her son, Griffen, were able to experience the great presence of Jane Goodall herself.

Witnessing Goodall’s speech in person was an empowering, unforgettable event for the two of them.

“She was inspiring in how she took the outdoor environment and brought it into the school system to share her love of preserving the environment with others through education. She took her experience and love for the environment and brought it to a place where it could grow for others. It was neat how she found a way to share her passion,” said Noyes.

While the majority of the Sacred Heart student population participated in Homecoming festivities and athletics, Noyes and her son attended Goodall’s conference. Due

to the unfortunate timing of the two coinciding events Mr. Edward Gray, Roots and Shoots supervisor at Sacred Heart, and many other Roots and Shoots members regret missing the chance to see Jane Goodall in the flesh.

The Sacred Heart Roots and Shoots chapter began in 2009. As a small piece of a much larger puzzle, the Sacred Heart chapter has continued to help the environment, people, and animals, which are the three targeted areas for projects that Roots and Shoots aims to support worldwide.

The Roots and Shoots organization first began with Jane Goodall and16 local teenagers. In 1991, they gathered on Jane’s back porch in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. They were inspired and motivated to help solve environmental problems in the community and the world. The group discussed all the issues and problems that made them deeply concerned. They wanted to learn more and help others.

Goodall noticed how they wanted to make a “grassroots style solution to problems.” Jane was involved in the early meetings, but projects were carried out completely by the teenagers. The organization was created when a group of people came together with a common goal: to help make positive change in the world.

Jane Goodall is most famous for her study of chimpanzees. Louis Leakey, her mentor, was very supportive of Jane Goodall’s studies and had great confidence in her.

Goodall (26 years old at the time) and Vanne Goodall, her mother, boarded a plane to Nairobi, Kenya on May 31, 1960. From Nairobi they traveled to Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania. Jane did the impossible and made contact with a wild chimp. She called this chimp, David Greybeard. Goodall saw Greybeard use a grass stem as a tool and discovered that chimps also eat “meat,” not just fruits and vegetables. Greybeard used the grass stem or a twig, stripped of its leaves, as a fishing rod for termites from a mound. The termites would cling onto the grass stem and he would remove them and eat them. Lat-

9/11: Never Forget

BY SHAUNA SWEENEY Staff Writer September 11, 2001 is a day that no one could ever forget. It began as a cool, early fall morning with people getting up, running to work, and having a cup of coffee. At 8:46 a.m. everything changed. The North Tower of New York City’s skyscrapers “Twin Towers” was destroyed by a plane controlled by Al-Quaeda terrorists. Seventeen minutes later the South Tower came crashing down. Nearly 3,000 innocent lives were taken on that fatal day.

This year marks the twelfth anniversary of the tragedy and we remember all those taken from us.

The Massachusetts Commemorative Ceremonies on the anniversary of 9/11/01 has been a tradition in Boston. The day is dedicated to recognizing the people from Massachusetts who lost their lives on 9/11 and to give their close family and friends an opportunity to gather as one and grieve together.

“It was hard to watch all these families grieving but it is an experience I would never trade because it showed me September eleventh’s lasting impact twelve years later and years to come,” reflects Senior Caroline Imparato.

The program began bright and early with a wreath laying ceremony at 7:30 am at the Boston Public Gardens. Mayor Thomas M. Menino was invited and joined in the day’s ceremonies. At 8:30 an honorary flag was lowered; there was a moment of silence, and a reading of every name of those killed in the 9/11 tragedy. This took place on the front steps of the Massachusetts State House. The Star Spangled Banner was sung by Sergeant Daniel Clark USMC/Mass State Police. He was accompanied by the Commonwealth Brass Quintet. Governor Deval Patrick was also in attendance.

The memorial moved inside the State House into the Chamber of the House of Representatives. This time was dedicated to a commemoration observance and the Sweeney Award for Civilian Bravery. The program included the pledge of allegiance, an invocation by Reverend David Bissett, a video tribute and the song “I Will Remember You” sung by Juliette Candela. Bill Richard, the father of Martin Richard who was tragically killed in April’s Boston Marathon bombing, spoke and read “We Sit Beneath the Night Sky.” The Madeline “Amy” Sweeney award for civilian bravery was given to Alexander Brian “Carlos” Arredono for his unwavering courage in saving many lives during the Boston Marathon terrorist attack this past April. The morning wrapped up with a family luncheon at the Ritz Hotel.

Mrs. Susan Giovanetti, Advancement Director at Sacred Heart, had initially been in contact with Beth Chambers, who works for Catholic Charities. In addition she spoke with Board of Directors at the Massachusetts 9/11 fund to see how Sacred Heart students could help participate in the event. Sacred Heart School, as well as St. Mary’s Lifeteen kids of Hanover, and many other individuals helped throughout the day.

er, Greybeard allowed Goodall to “groom” him like the grooming actions among chimps. After a few minutes of grooming he casually pushed her hand away, but this was an amazing breakthrough in her project; an adult chimp had allowed a human being to touch him. She continued her research and observed chimpanzees for over 40 years.

Jane Goodall started out as a young British woman with very little experience in the jungle and is now one of the world’s best known ethologists and has continued to study the behavior of primates. She has founded the Jane Goodall Institute for Wildlife research, Education, and Conservation, which is headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland. Goodall has also founded the Gombe Stream research Center in Gombe Stream National Park, Tanzania. Goodall’s efforts have helped save threatened chimpanzees and protected them from harm. Before Jane Goodall’s research, science did not recognize how similar chimpanzees were to humans. Her discoveries have made a lasting impact in the world and she has worked hard to help future generations learn about their responsibilities to the environment.

Photo courtesy of janegoodall.org

Jane Goodall working with a chimpanzee

Students helped escort people in and out of the trolleys, taking them from one location to another, handed out programs, rang the bell as each memorial name was called, and checked people in and gave them name tags at the reception.

Students also had the privilege of meeting some of the incredible families who attended the ceremonies. Diane Hunt, mother of William Hunt, a Sacred Heart graduate who was killed on 9/11 attended the Boston event and shared her personal stories with the student volunteers.

“I found the whole experience really moving and everyone should have the privilege of participating in a ceremony at some point because it taught me a lot and opened my eyes to the tragedy in a way that you cannot understand through a textbook,” Junior Tim Kuketz said.

The dedication reminded everyone in attendance that no matter how many years have passed since that fatal September morning, we will never forget what happened and how it changed all of our lives forever.

Staff photo by Alessandra Pasquale

Seniors Shauna Sweeney and Kayla Potrykus checking in attendees at the 9/11 luncheon

4

Features HEART BEAT

Spirit week: A Saintsational Success!

Staff photo by Courtney Burt

Seniors celebrate after color blast victory at pep rally

BY HANNAH WISNIEWSKI Staff Writer

September 16th was the beginning of Pride Week at Sacred Heart. Each day of the week had a different theme and students could dress in accordance with this theme in order to promote school spirit throughout the week. It all built up to Friday, September 20th, when the all-school pep rally was held. This year’s rally was significantly different from the ones in the past. With that one last burst of spirit, Sacred Heart was ready to kick off Homecoming the next day.

Spirit week began with Hogwarts Day. Each grade was assigned to a different House. Seniors were Griffyndor, juniors were Slytherin, freshman and sophomores were Ravenclaw, and intermediate schoolers were Hufflepuff. This theme set the tone for the week’s spirit. Students who showed the most Sacred Heart spirit were awarded points for their Hogwarts House.

The winning House at the end of the week got a special surprise, which was revealed at the end of the week.

The rest of the themes for the week included Music Day, Superhero Day, Blackout Day, and Sacred Heart Spirit Day. Throughout the week, students were instructed to collect Easter eggs that were hidden around the school. Little did they know, finding an egg would volunteer one to participate in the games at the pep rally.

Student council, who planned the pep rally, included many new games and events this year. It was the first Sacred Heart pep rally ever to be hosted outside, instead of in the Student Athletic Center.

“I liked that it was outside,” said freshman, Andrew Mason. “It was a little crowded, but overall a fun time.”

Four year student council moderator, Miss Karen Arnold, agreed.

“Personally, I liked a lot of the new things we did at the rally, but it’s not about what I think. I’m concerned about what the students think.”

Several other students liked the changes as well. Not only was it outside, but the rally also featured several new games, like the balloon shave, Quidditch, a water balloon toss, and the fan favorite, the color blast.

October 7, 2013

It was obvious that everything turned out to be a success. Homecoming closed out with the annual high school dance, which is usually a favorite of many.

“Student council has never planned that much for Homecoming Week,” said Arnold. “This is one of the hardest working student councils I’ve had in my time of being moderator. Every member contributed to the events’ success.”

Photo courtesy of Mr. Joseph Masi (left)

“The color blast was sweet. It was something totally new!”

-Griffin Ostrowski

“The color blast was sweet,” said senior, Griffin Ostrowski.

“It was something totally new! I only wish I had more powder to throw.”

What many of the students didn’t realize, however, was how much work and effort the student council put into the ralley itself.

“We extended ourselves pretty far, but overall it was a successful week! I am satisfied with the way it went,” said student council Executive Board President, senior Lily Bessette. “There were a lot of uncertainties as to how it would turn out.”

Staff photos by Courtney Burt

Sacred Heart students enjoying pep-rally games

Sacred Heart celebrates Mass with Father John Denning On September 15, Sacred Heart held its annual outdoor family service

BY CAROLINE IMPARATO Contributing Writer

Photos courtesy of Mr. Joseph Masi

Sacred Heart celebrates their schoolwide family Mass on Saturday

The Sacred Heart community hosted its annual family mass on September 15, 2013. The mass was held at the Sacred Heart Elementary School. The weather was perfect for the event, and many participants arrived prior to the noon service. The mass was presided over by Father John Denning, who is the president of Stonehill College.

Father Denning has celebrated many of Sacred Heart’s masses, and therefore he was a familiar and welcome sight to all who attended.

The mass was dedicated to the Ellis family, whose house recently burned down in a fire.

Altar-server, Joy Moriarty said, “You could really see the emotions on everyone’s faces as they did the dedication. It was so moving.”

Throughout the service you could feel the spiritual atmosphere of the mass. Senior attendee Michael Bentley said, “Sacred Heart is one big family and this mass really exemplified this.”

Father Denning’s homily addressed the dedication by comparing our relationship with God to a human family and saying that not only should we cherish the Ellis family and our own families here on Earth, but we should regard all families as part of the family of God. When asked her reaction to the mass, Sacred Heart High School religion teacher, Mrs. Elin Slavin said, “It was a lovely occasion and Father Denning’s message was very relatable. It really was a family mass, and we all felt like a family there.”

Most of the families who attended the mass were from

the elementary school. High school principal, Doctor Michael Gill said, “I would like to figure out a way to improve attendance from the high school because it was really a great time.”

After mass there was a picnic on the fields at the elementary school. People ate and laughed together like a real family. Most attendees considered the day a great success and plan on attending next year’s family mass.

Photo courtesy of Mr. Joseph Masi

Sacred Heart student processional begins the Mass

5

Features HEART BEAT

Is replying really worth dying?

October 7, 2013

Students participated in the “It Can Wait’ campaign

BY MOLLY PRESUTTI Staff Writer Getting your driver’s license is a huge milestone in your high school career. It means freedom, it means independence, but most importantly it means responsibility. I’ll never forget my drivers ed instructor comparing driving a car to operating a 2,000 lb killing machine. Teens and adults alike know that the responsibility of driving is not one to be taken lightly, so why is it then that texting and driving is so common?

If someone told you to close your eyes for five seconds while you were driving, you’d probably know it was a pretty dangerous and dumb thing to do. However, five seconds is the average amount of time it takes teenagers to read and reply to a message on their phone while driving. In a recent survey conducted by AT&T, almost all teenagers said that they did indeed know texting while driving was dangerous, but 43% admitted to still reading or replying to a text message while behind the wheel. Because of the technology available in today’s

Photo courtesy of AT&T Universal

world, teenagers especially are used to having a constant source of communication with each other. Students at Sacred Heart are no different, but when it comes to getting behind the wheel it’s time to put down the iPhones, iPads, and cellphones and focus on the road.

I know, I know, it’s easier said than done but remember to consider the risks being taken when you check your phone; those few seconds could literally be the difference between life and death.

Because this has become such a serious issue, AT&T has teamed up with celebrity sponsors to spread their “It Can Wait” campaign across the nation. The campaign’s main focus is to encourage teenagers and adults to take a pledge to stop texting and driving.

Sacred Heart High School’s SADD chapter decided to join the pledge on September 19, the designated no texting and driving awareness day. Basically the “It Can Wait” campaign is a movement to get teenagers and adults to realize the dangers of texting and driving, and convince them to stop. Celebrities such as Tim McGraw, Victoria

Justice, and Lucy Hale have all become spokespeople for the pledge.

So what can you do? Start by signing Sacred Heart’s pledge to stop texting and driving. If it proves to be a hard commitment to follow, AT&T has released apps for the droid and iPhone, that shut down messages when the cars reach a certain speed. Once you stop texting and driving, you can be an example for others. The texts will seem important for a minute, but answering them could mean repercussions that will be important for a lifetime. So next time you’re in a car and you think about answering a text message, remember, “It Can Wait.”

Statistics How often do you text and drive?

1. Car crashes are the number one cause of death of teens in the United States.

2. Five seconds is the average amount of time it takes teenagers to read and reply to a text. If you are moving at fifty-five mph, in the five seconds you are distracted on your phone, your vehicle will travel the length of a football field.

3. Text messaging makes drivers twenty-three times more likely to crash.

4. Teens that are texting while driving spend approximately ten precent of their driving time outside of their lane.

5. In 2012 alone, texting and driving caused over three thousand deaths and over three hundred thirty thousand injuries.

6. Ninety-seven percent understand that texting and driving is dangerous, but fourty-three percent of teens still do it.

So many options, only one choice.

Over one hundred schools attended Sacred Heart’s college fair

BY AUSTIN HAUGHTON Staff Writer

Staff photos by Allesandra Pasquale

Students interact with college reps.

It’s that time of the year again; the upperclassmen are off on their respective college endeavors. While most juniors are just starting the long journey towards higher education, some seniors are nearing the end of their quest. Students are searching far and wide for their future schools, but for both classes, the best place to kick start this search, narrow it down, or wrap it up, is right here at Sacred Heart, thanks to the annual college fair.

“This year in particular we have over 100 schools coming,” said Guidance Director Mrs. Susan Gallitano. “It’s an opportunity for new admissions counselors to see the school and see our students.”

Mrs. Gallitano has been in charge of organizing and bringing the college fair to Sacred Heart for many years.

“I belong to a consortium of Catholic school counselors in the area and probably

about 7 or 8 years ago, after one of our meetings, a group of us got together and said we’re all doing college fairs and we’re all trying to target the same college group. Is there some way we can organize it?”

From there, larger schools like Notre Dame spearheaded an effort to organize college fairs at various Catholic schools in the area, including Sacred Heart, one of the first coed schools to participate in the program. Ever since, schools from across the nation and beyond have visited (and continue to visit) Sacred Heart. Gallitano went on to say, “I hope the students have enjoyed it. I’ve often heard very good things.”

Senior Jack Dacey had this to say about the event: “I thought that the college fair went well, and I enjoyed it. It was beneficial for us, as students, to attend because it shows us colleges from all around, and we can learn more about the schools we are interested in.”

Gallitano earlier stated that one possible benefit is that, since most seniors have narrowed down their potential college choices to a handful of schools, the college fair can help introduce students to prospective schools they may have previously glazed over or known nothing about. This was the case with many students this year, including Dacey.

“I’ve been interested in WPI and Clarkson University for some time now, but I started to look at RPI while I was there.”

Not all perspectives have been so positive. Junior Cam Keough was a little more critical of the event.

“I did enjoy the college fair, however, I feel as though it was a little disorganized. It would have been nice to have the eleventh and twelfth grades go at different times to help bring down the noise level as well as help give us some space to spread out. Overall, I didn’t feel as though I learned a ton since it was so rushed and loud.”

It’s true that for some people it could be easy to get lost in the fair’s chaos. It’s also rather difficult to get an in-depth look at all the colleges we want to see in just under an hour. But amid all the noise and hustle and bustle of the fair, as soon as one walks into the lower gym, it really hits juniors and seniors alike that college is looming on the horizon, and the college fair is here to help guide us there.

Shauna Sweeney Early this past summer, senior Shauna Sweeney took time out of her own busy schedule to help improve the lives of others. She and members of her Church, Saint Joseph’s in Kingston, ventured to Haiti for a few weeks in June. They flew from Boston to Port au Prince, and from there traveled to Duverger to volunteer.

Attending this trip was no small task. In order to go, everyone had to raise at least $1,000-$2,000 and had to get numerous injections and medications to protect against malaria and hypotenuse.

“I really wanted to do it this year because my dad has gone for four years and my sister went the past two years.

It’s kind of become a family thing,” Sweeney said.

Once they arrived in Haiti, they were immediately sent to work.

“We helped build the foundation of the medical clinic and helped with the children’s kindergarten graduation,” Sweeney said. “We also went on house visits and brought food to some of the elders.”

When they donated food to some people, they had to climb up a nearby mountain in order to reach their shack-like houses. When they finally arrived at one old woman’s house, they heard her story. She had been constantly mistreated by her neighbors and all her food was taken because they were starving and desperate as well. The living conditions were awful but most of the townspeople were grateful for the volunteers from Saint Joseph’s Parish who went to help.

When recounting the experience Sweeney noted, “It was quite a culture shock. It opened my eyes to what some parts of the world are actually like, and made me extremely grateful for what I have.”

Sweeney hopes that this past summer was not her last visit to Haiti. She wants to go back again in a few years, as her church is planning on helping to build a senior citizens’ home there. The home will be named after Martina, one of the girls who Sweeney met, who died after suffering from cerebral palsy. Sweeney will help carry on the girl’s memory by building the memorial home, while helping to improve the lives of the elderly, as well.

Senior Shauna Sweeney holds Faika (left) and Martina (below) at an orphanage All Photos courtesy of Shauna Sweeney

Snapshots o Sum

This summer, many of our classmates and teach truly made the most of their summers! Here ar intriguing a

Robert Anthony Norris Not many people from Massachusetts can say that they went to Chicago and sailed around Lake Michigan competitively for a summer, but senior Robert Anthony Norris can. This past summer, Norris flew to Lake Michigan to partake in a three hundred and thirty nautical mile race from the Chicago Yacht Club to Mackinaw Island in Michigan’s Lake Huron.

“One of my good friends invited me to sail with him on his boat,” Norris said. “I gladly accepted the invitation.”

Prior to the race, Norris and his sailing partner had to spend a few weeks preparing the boat. “It took a while to get the boat in racing form because of how long the race was, and we had to organize the crew,” he said.

After sailing for three days straight, and three hundred and thirty nautical miles, Norris’ favorite part of the journey was seeing Mackinaw Island in the distance and knowing that they had almost completed their journey. When they finally arrived, Norris felt extremely tired but accomplished for finishing such a long race.

“It was an incredible experience, and was definitely a summer well spent,” Norris said. “I sail a lot, so if given the chance to partake in this race again I would definitely accept it.”

All Photos courtesy of Robert Anthony Norris

Senior Robert Norris enjoys the day on his boat

While many of us were hanging around this summer, Ms. Kielynne Banker remained in the academic spirit. For six weeks Banker held a unique job in Southborough, MA. in a program called Exploration at Saint Mark’s School.

“This program helps kids from fourth to seventh grade figure out what they’re interested in through unique learning opportunities,” Banker said.

The summer program was separated into two, three-week long sessions, and in total about six hundred students attended the summer program.

Banker is the curriculum director for the program, which means that she hires college kids to teach classes. She also oversees the classes making sure that they are fun and interactive enough so that attendees can both learn and enjoy themselves.

Among one of her favorite programs was the “Protect the President” program, where kids learned strategies that the Secret Service uses as defense mechanisms. Other activities involved a vet program where students went to the zoo and learned how to care for animals, and an emergency medicine class that gave kids an interactive experience at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. They wore scrubs and learned firsthand information from doctors, an experience that not many kids are offered at such a young age.

Kielynne Banker

of Sensational mmers

By Kelly Allen Staff Writer

Courtesy of Ms. Kielynne Banker Biology teacher Miss Banker dresses up as a butterly

hers had exciting and unusual adventures. They re a few short stories on a couple of particularly This past summer, senior Luke Tompkins had an extraordinary experience. Luke packed up his belongings and embarked on a journey called Overland, a five hundred adventures. mile long bike trip across Nova Scotia and through Acadia National Park in Maine.

Luke Tompkins

Besides the incredible five hundred mile trek, the even more intriguing aspect about the journey is that Luke went on the trip without family or friends. He independently found out about it simply by googling summer bike trips.

“It was completely spontaneous,” Tompkins said. “I didn’t understand the scope of it until well after when I was doing my last minute preparation.”

Despite how biking five hundred miles would be extremely challenging for anyone, especially a teenager, Tompkins recommends the journey to everyone young and old.

“You don’t have to be a professional biker to love the trip,” Tompkins explained. “I made lifelong friends, got in shape, and saw incredible sites that I never would have had the opportunity to see otherwise.”

Some of his favorite memories of the trip were kayaking in the town of Lunenburg, passing cars and motorcycles while biking down Cadillac Mountain, hiking in Acadia National Park, and coasting through New France where he biked in a local parade. The journey does not stop here, however.

“I loved this year’s trip so much that I plan on participating in the European Challenge, a similar bike trip, next summer,” Tompkins said. If he participates in this adventure, he will be biking through the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, France, and Spain.

Courtesy of Acadia National Park

Entrance to Acadia National Park

Courtesy of Luke Tompkins

Bikes at rest in Nova Scotia

Arts

8 October 4, 2013

HEART BEAT

Sapir Takes Center Stage

BY LILY BESSETTE Staff Writer

Photo Courtesy of Mengjun Duan

Sapir reads the script for The Wizard of Oz aloud to the actors.

The new drama director at Sacred Heart is a familiar face. Daniel Sapir has replaced Ms. Kristin Hanover’s role in the theater. Sapir has taught speech and debate classes and coached the speech team at Sacred Heart for six years. Preparation for his first production, The Wizard of Oz, has already begun.

Daniel Sapir graduated from Emerson College after focusing academically on speech, theater, and English. With his credentials from Emerson College, Sapir has gained much experience teaching and coaching speech and theater. Sapir has taught at Stoughton High School, has coached speech after school at Silver Lake Regional High School, and has directed and acted at community theaters and at the Brandeis theater.

Now, Sapir directs, coaches, and teaches at Sacred Heart High School. He began his career at Sacred Heart when one of his students called him on a Saturday to tell him that the speech and debate teaching position was available.

Sapir applied for the position the following Monday and met with former principal, Mr. John Enos. He was hired and has taught since. As a full time teacher here, Sapir

was a good choice for the job as drama director because he is more accessible to the students than someone else outside of Sacred Heart would be. Sapir hopes to be here for a long time. He says: “They’d have to drag me away.”

Sapir noted that there is a big difference between working with public and private school students. He believes that private school students are more serious and have a greater sense of loyalty and compassion. He has observed the dedication to mission work and the talented faculty that works here. Sacred Heart has been a “wonderful atmosphere” for Sapir.

When asked if he was excited about his new role as drama director, Sapir responded, “Oh God, yeah!”

With Sapir’s enthusiasm, The Wizard of Oz is off to a great start. Auditions were different this year. Instead of performing and auditioning in front of everyone, people trying out were evaluated more privately. Because of the more comfortable setting some of the student’s stage fright was eliminated.After auditions Sapir remarked that, “There was a lot of talent that was obvious during auditions.”

Sacred Heart High School’s chorus teacher, Ms. Agata Orzechowska, has a bigger role in the play’s musical component. She was present at auditions and worked with Sapir to compare student’s singing ranges to their possible roles in the play. The play’s orchestra is composed of a piano, violins, percussion, and guitar. Everyone who wants to participate in The Wizard of Oz will have that opportunity. Those who do not find themselves in a speaking role will be included in the chorus, which is a very important component. The chorus will be very involved in the entire play and a lot of hard work will be required.

Another change in the production of plays is the addition of a student director and a stage manager. Sapir believes using students for these roles “pulls the kids more into the play from an inside view.” For this upcoming play, Caroline Imparato is the student director and Antonia Pimental is the stage manager. Sapir welcomes new ideas and is very willing to take suggestions from students because he believes, “it’s more fun that way.”

Sapir will also be collaborating with Sacred Heart High School teacher, Mr. Edward Gray, and junior, Cam Keough. They are the visual and audio directors who will

control the lights and sound. Sapir enjoys visual directing and the dynamics in formulating pictures on stage through movement and blocking techniques. He will also work with Sacred Heart High School art teacher, Ms. Julie Trahan, to create the scenery for the play.

Sapir says, “I’m looking forward to a really good show.”

Under Sapir’s new directorship, Sacred Heart has joined the Massachusetts Educational Theater Guild. Through the school’s new membership, Sacred Heart will enter a play into their local high school competition. From there the winners can enter the regional competition and from there move to the final competition at John Hancock Hall in Boston to compete for the title of New England All Star.

Sapir has already decided his second production will be Moby Tick. That play will be entered in the Massachusetts Education Theater Guild’s local competition and hopefully progress to higher competitions.

Staff Photo by Mengjun Duan

Griffin Wagner (left), Ben Novak (middle), and Katie O’Niel rehearse their roles

Coming soon to a theater near you!

November 23- November 24

Is this the end of Breaking Bad?

BY KIERAN KELLEHER Staff Writer

Walter White. A name that has captivated the attention of millions over the past years. It isn’t the name of an athlete, or a singer, or even a celebrity. Walter White is the meth drug lord of New Mexico in AMC’s show Breaking Bad. Since 2008, Breaking Bad has lured its viewers in with developed, distinguishable characters, superb acting, and a plot that is second to none. The basic plot of Breaking Bad is that a once brilliant chemist turned Chemistry teacher named Walter White decides that in order to support his family and pay for his cancer treatment, he must start cooking meth. He starts to cook with a former student named Jesse Pinkman and together they cook the purest meth on the market, quickly gaining recognition in the drug world and making lots of money. Breaking Bad follows these two characters as they engage in a world that they aren’t familiar with but will become their lives.

From humble beginnings, Breaking Bad developed a cult following of viewers. The series has received one hundred and fifty one television nominations, winning fifty of them.

Sunday, September 29th marked the end to this electrifying series. Viewers had high expectations of the show’s finale and were treated to a creative, satisfying conclusion.

Tying up all loose ends, Breaking Bad’s creator, Vince Gilligan, was able to take the series full circle. The finale begins with White’s return home to New Mexico after spending time in the harsh northern region of New Hampshire. He visits his old business partners, Elliot and Gretchen Schwartz, convincing them to put $10 million in their trust for his children or he will kill both of them. After Walter’s small victory with the Schwartzs’, he makes a surprise visit to his wife, Skyler. In an emotional scene, he finally shares the truth with Skyler that he did like being a meth cook because “he was good at it.” Walter admits that

Photo Courtesy of investorplace.com

Breaking Bad actors Bryan Cranston (left) and Aaron Paul (right)

cooking meth and being the boss gave him a thrill and made him feel more alive, than he felt as a chemistry teacher.

Walter then decides it is due time to visit his former meth partner, Jessie Pinkman. In the previous episode, Walter decided to put a hit out on Jesse, only to change his mind and spare Jesse’s life. Instead, Walter gave Jesse over to a group of neo-Nazi fanatics to question and torture him. Walter grew to resent these mercenaries for killing his brother –in- law, Hank, deciding to kill them and confront Jesse face to face.

Just as Jessie and Walter have both been in each other’s lives since the beginning of the series, Breaking Bad ends the same way. Walter invades the NeoNazi gang with a machine gun attached to a pickup truck, killing everyone except Jesse. Walter watches as Jesse kills their former meth apprentice, Todd, with a chain. Although he’d planned on killing Jesse, he de-

cides to spare him, and the two share a final look of endearment, realizing that even though they dislike each other, they struggled through the past year together.

Realizing that he’s been shot in the side, Walter walks into the lab where his rise to power began and where he eventually suffers his demise. Walter walks into the meth lab bloody and defeated, yet bears the face of a man content with his life. With sirens in the background, the infamous Walter White dies as police rush into the building. The man who captured the imagination of millions dies alone.

The finale had both inner struggle and a violent revenge. The conclusion to this epic show seems fitting. Walter White could suffer no other fate but death.

The man who once personified confidence and power dies as a weak, lonely man. Justice may have been served, but Walter will remain one of the most legendary characters the television screen has ever seen.

Photo Courtesy of http://dipshare.com/

Breaking Bad premiered on AMC and concluded after six successful seasons.

Profiles

9 October 7, 2013

HEART BEAT

Glynn for the Win

BY CAROLINE THOMAS Staff Writer Sacred Heart High School has welcomed a number of new faculty members this year. One addition is Mr. Andrew Glynn who joined the staff after previously teaching at both Arlington and Marshfield high schools.

He taught U.S. History in Arlington before moving to Marshfield High School where he taught both Physics and Physical Science.

Glynn, no stranger to the area, graduated from Plymouth North High School and studied history at Brandeis University. It was at Brandeis that he earned his Bachelor’s degree in History and his Master’s degree in teaching History. Glynn is also licensed to teach both math and physics.

When asked about his favorite subjects in school, Glynn claimed he was best at math, but enjoyed history the most. Growing up, Glynn was unsure of his life’s work. However, after he went back to his high school and shadowed a former teacher, it became clear that teaching was how he wanted to spend his professional life.

Glynn decided to come to Sacred Heart because he grew up just down the street, and his wife teaches at

Plymouth North High School, so it was convenient for both of them. When asked how he liked Sacred Heart so far, he said, “I’m loving it! The people here are very nice, supportive, and polite.”

Glynn teaches Physics, Physical Science, and Algebra I at Sacred Heart.He claims that Sacred Heart is fairly different from every school where he has previously taught. For example, there are far fewer students at Sacred Heart than in the public schools where he taught.

Glynn views this as a positive characteristic of Sacred Heart, because it isn’t as overcrowded in the hallways, and therefore it is easier for students to make it to their classes quickly. He also claims that there is a lot more freedom for him as a teacher at Sacred Heart, because the curriculum is more focused on teaching and less on preparation for standardized tests.

When asked what he hoped his students would take away from his classes, Glynn replied that he wishes to teach them how to think and how to be able to solve any problem given to them. When it comes to advice for students thinking about taking his class, Glynn said not to take his class lightly; “It’s hard, perhaps the hardest class you’ll take in high school, but also the most useful for learning how to think.”

Hola Senora Curnyn!

With the beginning of a new school year, came some new additions to not only the student body but the faculty and staff in the high school. Señora Curnyn is one of the new teachers here at Sacred Heart and is throughly enjoying teaching Spanish to our hard working students.

It may be a surprise to some but when she was a student in high school, she studied French not Spanish.

Languages have always fascinated her but at that stage in her life, Spanish language and culture played no part.

As she continued on in her education at Bridgewater State College, she majored in education and yet again did not study Spanish. Her love for the language emerged and grew after she received her Master’s Degree in counseling and worked as a guidance counselor in Caracas, Venezuela. For two years, she studied and worked at the Colegio Internacional de Caracas.

In addition to traveling to Venezuela, Señora Curnyn has been to Europe and South America and has specifically traveled to Argentina and Colombia. Out of all the Spanish speaking countries she has traveled to, Venezuela is her favorite because she loved the climate, the vivacious culture, and the people.

Staff photo by Courtney Burt

Senora Curnyn plays guitar for her students

BY MARK KAHLIL Staff Writer Upon retirement of former Sacred Heart High School teacher, Mr. Gerald Golden, the school’s administration hired Mr. Sean Cunningham to replace Golden. Cunningham is 32 years old and although he is young he has teaching experience from St. Paul’s school in Highham.

As a former SHHS student, Cunningham sees a number of differences in the school since his own graduation. He said that the uniform, the logo and how the school was being run felt different, but he felt the differences were positive.

He said, “The school is changing with the times.”

Cunningham said that during his high school years there was no such thing as technology but today’s students expect power point presentations and computers to be part of the learning experience.

At the end of his high school career, Cunningham expressed an interest in becoming a history teacher. He went to the University of Massachusetts/Amherst and studied to be a teacher. He got a job teaching middle school science at St. Paul’s in Hingham. When he found out that Sacred Heart High School was hiring, he applied for the job and got it.

Mr. Cunningham said, “I love teaching at Sacred Heart;

Staff photo by Mengjun Duan

Andrew Glynn makes use of technology in the classroom

BY MOIRA GATTONI Staff Writer Before she came to Sacred Heart, she taught at Brockton High School which she said was different, more diverse, and also much larger. She said that “her faith brought her here.” When she returned from Venezuela, she moved to California and taught bilingual education which she loved and enjoyed very much.

In addition, Señora Curnyn also taught in Boston for thirteen years.

Although she loves teaching, her number one passion has always been music. Students and faculty have probably heard her singing and playing guitar at break.

She has always loved music very much. She studied voice in college as a minor and while in Venezuela, she studied opera.

Señora Curnyn looks forward to this new experience here at Sacred Heart. Her classes have been going very well, she loves the students, classroom and atmosphere, and said that her time thus far has been brilliant.

Cunningham’s Return it’s the right place for me.”

Cunningham credits Sacred Heart with helping to form him as a human being.

“Sacred Heart is a caring environment and teachers challenge you to succeed.”

At first Cunningham thought it was going to be intimidating to teach upper class students but he has found himself at peace. He has come to like his seniors. Cunningham teaches two different senior classes, Psychology and Contemporary American Foreign Policy Honors. As well as World Cultures Honors and college prep for the freshmen. Cunningham said he wants what’s best for the students and is willing to give himself to them by being ready to give extra help before school, tutorial, and after school.

He also expects that the students will put in full effort, to practice being a good student, and to use the class to better themselves.

In his first year of teaching high school, Cunningham will be working over time planning new lessons and building new foundations for his courses.

Although he is new, Mr. Cunningham loves it at Sacred Heart. He loves that it’s a good, Catholic school because faith is important to him. Most of all, he feels comfortable here.

Cunningham says “it’s like a dream” to be working at Sacred Heart.

Staff photo by Mengjun Duan

Mr. Cunningham prepares for class

Profiles

10 October 7, 2013

HEART BEAT

Welcome Home, Mr. Stella Mr. Paul Stella returns to Sacred Heart after three years in South Carolina

BY SHAUNA SWEENEY Staff Writer

2008

Mr. Paul Stella began his teaching career at Sacred Heart High School in 2007. After three years at Sacred Heart, he moved to South Carolina for a warmer climate. In South Carolina, Stella taught part time at a technical college.

Teaching three courses per semester in South Carolina was a change from the six hour high school day, and Stella said he liked teaching both schedules. He noticed a difference between teaching college and high school in that college students are in the class for the profession, but high school students have greater enthusiasm in class. Besides teaching Algebra I and Geometry at Sacred Heart, Stella is teaching a newly offered course: Probability and Statistics.

Stella moved back to Cape Cod this Staff photo by Meugnjun Duan

Mr. Stella’s 2008 year book photo

past summer because he missed the South Shore and heard about a job opening at Sacred Heart. During his absence, there have been lots of changes to the school, especially technological advances. He likes the iPad and has found it to be a useful classroom tool.

“I am very excited to be teaching back at Sacred Heart. When I decided I wanted to teach here again I thought there were no openings and when I found out there was an opening, I was very excited. I know most of the faculty and enjoy working with the faculty and Mr. Foresta and Mr. Olson.

We worked together before so it was neat to pick up where we left of,” Stella said.

“I think Sacred Heart is a great school and if I was going back to teach full time, this is where I would want to teach,” reflected Stella.

2013

Staff photo by Meugnjun Duan

Mr. Stella smiles from his desk

It’s a small world afterall Sacred Heart welcomes eight new students from acoss the globe

Student photos courtesy of staff photographer Mengjun Duan Photo courtesy of http://wugange.com/

Photo courtesy of

Photo courtesy of

http://mappery.com/

http://www.aboutromania.com/

Opinion

11 October 7, 2013

HEART BEAT

#SoCollege Editorial There comes a time in the life of all students when they reach the pinnacle of their high school career, senior year. There once was a time when it seemed so out of reach. I remember going into seventh grade and my mother telling me, “Only six more years!” I would roll my eyes at her, feeling as though six more years was an eternity. Those six short years came faster than I ever could’ve expected. Now, every time I tell someone I am a senior, I face a barrage of questions.

Where are you going to college? What do you want to do? How did you do on the SATs? Did you apply yet? What classes are you taking this year? Facing and answering these questions is not an easy task. Many times I have debated telling people I plan on going to clown college just to gauge their reactions. I may know where I want to go in pursuit of a higher education (definitely not clown college; I’m not nearly as funny as I think I am), and I may know what I want to do, but I still face the uncertainty of my plans not working out. Many of my classmates also face the dilemma of not knowing what they want to do or where they want to go. Years ago, I thought seniors had it made. They had so much more freedom, they seemed so much taller, and they seemed so much smarter. Finally, a senior myself, I’m beginning to realize senior year may not be all it seemed when I was younger. The future is a frightening thing to have to face, and it’s even more frightening to have to face it alone. I think the Backstreet Boys say it best in their song The Answer to our Life when they said, “It’s up to you and me to face our destiny.” Seniors, the best way to get through this is by sticking together. And juniors, enjoy the lack of college questions from your eye doctor you haven’t seen in two years while you can, because trust me, they’re coming.

Debate: Syria

BY REILLY ROBBINS Staff Writer After researching and writing my article on the Syrian crisis, the Heart Beat staff decided that the topic was so important and timely that I should pose a series of relevant questions to two of Sacred Heart High School’s knowledgable teachers.

I posed nine questions to both Mr. George Rose (history) and Mr. Jonathon Olson (mathematics).

Their responses are as follows: -Reilly Robbins 1. Are you for or against military action in Syria?

R: Against

6. Do you think that if the Syrians agree to give their chemical weapons to the UN that this will solve the problem?

O: For

-why or why not?

2. President Obama claims that if we were to attack Syria, it would be a very limited and targeted strike. Do you think this would be true? If so, would it be effective?

R: I’m not completely sure because we do not know what motivates leaders’ decisions. There will always be those in government, like in the Iraq crisis, that will still want to remove the leader and continue the civil war.

R: We’ve heard that before, I don’t think we can make judgments on something that is hypothetical.

O: No, because they will not give all chemical weapons over. They will be hidden or saved somewhere.

O: I think it would start off as a limited strike and eventually expand. I do not believe a limited strike would be very effective.

7. Do you think we should continue to supply arms to the rebels?

3. Do you think the United States has a moral obligation to punish Syria for their use of chemical weapons?

R: Is unilateral action ever fair or justified?

O: Yes there is an obligation but it is for all countries to be involved

R:We don’t really know who the rebels are. It’s a slippery slope in doing this. We just need to look back at history and see Afghanistan and Iraq in the early 80s as examples of supplying weapons. It is evident that those weapons came back to haunt us down the road, could these do the same?

O: No, you’re just complicating the issue.

4. Do you believe Assad or the rebels are responsible for the chemical weapons?

8. Do you think that Syria would be more stable with or without Assad?

R: I haven’t seen enough evidence on either side nor does it have to be either of them. Could there be third party involvement?

R: In recent cases we have seen greater destabilization such as Hussein or even Egypt and Libya.

O: I believe that they both are responsible in their own ways 5. Would you be in favor of American or UN troops going in to stabilize the country?

R: No, because every time that the US unilaterally acts going into a country it diminishs both our ability and credibility to bring about more democratic forces.

O: Yes

O: Depends on who you’re putting in there.

9. If the United States was to take action in Syria, do you think it would cause more sentiment against the United States in the Middle East?

R: History has shown that since 9/11 there has already been greater animosity towards US actions. What the US claims is democratizing forces are really perceived by others as being US imperialism. How can we impose democracy? Is this against the definition of democracy?

O: It depends on if we do this on our own or with the UN’s blessings.

THE HEART BEAT Editors-in-Chief: Lily Bessette Jennifer Habeeb Managing Editor: Shauna Sweeney Front Page Editor: Moira Gattoni News Editor: Austin Haughton Features Editor: Reilly Robbins Double Truck Editors: Molly Presutti Hannah Wisniewski A&E Editor: Kelly Allen Opinion Editor: Sam Boyles Profiles Editor: Jennifer Habeeb Sports Editor: Mark Kahlil Photographers: Courtney Burt Alessandra Pasquale Mengjun Duan Staff Writers: Caroline Thomas Kieran Kelleher Contributing Writers: Caroline Imparato Mr. George Rose Mr. Jonathon Olson

THE HEART BEAT is the student newspaper of Sacred Heart High School, located at 399 Bishops Highway, Kingston, MA 02364. The views expressed herein are those of the staff. Responsible letters should be addressed to the Editorial Staff c/o Mr. Boccalini or via e-mail at vboccalini@sacredheartkingston.com. THE HEART BEAT welcomes readers’ opinions on all topics. Letters must be signed. The editors reserve the right to reject, edit, or shorten letters. THE HEART BEAT is printed by Graphic Developments, Inc.

Mission Statement The Heart Beat is Sacred Heart High School’s newspaper. As the present custodians of this long-standing and award-winning publication, we pledge ourselves to the following threefold purpose: To inspire and foster a sense of passion and love for journalism, journalistic ethics and the integrity of the written word; To create and develop an atmosphere of responsible leadership, commitment to truth and dedication to the highest standards of journalistic principles; To recognize that in all we do, we are in the service of our Provident God who has blessed us with the opportunity to minister to the Sacred Heart community.

-Vincent Boccalini Moderator The Heart Beat

Press Affiliations Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA) New England Scholastic Press Association (NESPA) American Scholastic Press Association (ASPA) Suffolk University (SU)

Sports

12

HEART BEAT

October 7, 2013

Saints Sports Playing Heavenly

BY MARK KHALIL Staff Writer Before homecoming weekend, the Sacred Heart Saints’ fall sports teams were performing in high gear. Every team had a winning record. The golf team was 2-1.

The boys’ soccer team was 3-1. The girls’ soccer team was 4-1. The freshmen football team was 1-0. Boys’ and girls’ cross country were 1-0. The girls’ volleball team was undefeated with a record of 6-0. Prior to Homecoming, the combined record of all SHHS fall sports team was 17-3.

Homecoming weekend proved to be another huge success for the Saints. The day started with the long anticipated first home football game against Old Colony.

The football team did not disappoint, recovering two fumbles and scoring twice within the first 3 minutes. The football team then cruised to a 36-16 victory in front of many Sacred Heart fans. Before the game, the football field was dedicated to Billy Hunt. Hunt, a Sacred Heart alumnus from the class of 1987, was tragically killed in the 9/11 attacks.

The boys’ and girls’ cross country teams had the same success as the football team.

The Saints ran against Pope John Paul during their homecoming meet. Chris Gren, Dan Goldman, and Yanni Pappas led the charge for the boys, while Melinda White, McKenzie Ray, and Emma Healy finished strongly on the girls’ side. The boys and girls outran Pope John Paul and succeeded in getting their second victor of the season. The boys out scored PJP II Photo Courtesy of Mr. Joe Masi 34-21 and the girls won 35-25.

Maguire Duggan easily strides into the endzone for 6 of the Saints 36 points on their Homecoming victory

Although the Saints had overall success, the girls’ soccer team received their second loss of the season on Homecoming day. They played against a very experienced Ursuline team. It was a well fought match but at the end of the day the Saints struggled to put the ball in the net and lost 3-0.

The boys’ soccer team played Diman on Homecoming day. They had played them once before and won 1-0 in the final minutes of the game, proving that this homecoming match up would be a close, competitive game. The Saints came out flying, scoring twice off of free kicks in the first half. Both goals were assisted by team captain Kieran Kelleher and were headed into the goal by Kevin Strohschneider and Eric Struski. The second half was not much different.

Although Diman played physical, the saints kept their composure. Kieran Kelleher and Sam Boyles had a combined 3 goals in the second half. It was an impressive home victory Staff photo by Allessandra Pasquale for the boys’ soccer team The boys soccer team talk in a pre-game huddle as they shut out Diman 5-0.

The volleyball team also had an impressive homecoming day. They outplayed Pope John Paul, three matches to none, improving their record 7-0. The team was led by the outstanding play of seniors, Kelly Rathje and Katie Foley, and sophomore Lauren Melchionda. The entire team had a strong performance with senior Rathje leading in assists (17) and digs (14) and sophomore Melchionda leading the team in kills (11).

Senior Katie Foley led the team with 6 service aces and contributed 8 offensive kills.

As The Heart Beat goes to press, the composite, one-loss record of all Sacred Heart High School’s fall sports teams is 44-11-3!

Brazil National Team--Top Dog? Two of the world’s greatest soccer teams go head to head at Gillette Stadium

BY KIERAN KELLEHER Staff Writer On Tuesday September 10 , 2013, two of the best soccer teams in the world faced off in Foxborough. With their fast paced, attacking play Brazil came into the game as favorites against the Portuguese team that was missing its star striker, Christiano Ronaldo. Due to a groin injury, Ronaldo didn’t make the trip to Gillette Stadium, instead opting to stay home in Spain and train with his club side, Real Madrid.

Brazil has been riding a hot streak in international play, recently winning the Confederation Cup in their home country against the world’s number one team, Spain. History also favored the Brazilian squad. In eighteen meetings head to head with Portugal, Brazil had won eleven games and only lost four. It was up to Portugal to take fate into their own hands and grab a win from the talented Brazilian side.

Before the kickoff, legendary soccer stars, Ecsabio (Portugal), and Pele (Brazil), met with Robert Kraft and shook hands with both teams. Both Ecsabio and Pele were greeted with a roaring round of applause and cheers from both Brazilian and Portuguese supporters all around the stadium.

When the whistle blew for the start of the game, it was clear Portugal had come not to just play with Brazil, but to actually beat them. Even without Renaldo, Portugal managed to create opportunities. In the twelfth minute, midfielder Raul Meireles powered a header off the right post letting Brazil off the hook. In the seventeenth minute, Portugal got the go ahead goal due to a grave mistake from Brazilian defender, Maicon. Unaware of the Portuguese midfielder, Raul Meireles, quickly closing in, Maicon tried to head a ball back to his goal keeper Julio Caesar. Miereles pounced on the pass and touched the ball right past Caesar giving Portugal the early lead, and redeeming himself for his previous header that hit the post.

After Portugal’s goal, Brazil seemed to switch gears, quickly counter attacking and opening up space for their creative wings to do damage. Just seven minutes after Portugal’s goal, Brazil answered off a beautifully placed corner kick from the phenomenal, young Neymar onto the head of defender, Thiago Silva. From then on it th

was all Brazil. It only took them another ten minutes to take the lead. At midfield, Neymar took a pass and beat four Portuguese defenders and gracefully slid the ball past Portuguese goalkeeper, Patricio. Neymar essentially took over the game, easing past defenders with silky moves and speed. He was able to attack space and create multiple opportunities for the Brazilian side.

After an energetic performance from Brazilian pop singer, Michael Telo, the energy inside Gillette was electric.

Brazil seemed to feed off this energy, quickly getting another goal in the 49th minute to take a 3-1 lead. Neymar brilliantly slipped a ball in for Maxwell on the wing, who crossed the ball to Brazillian striker, Jo, for the easy tap in.

After this killer goal, Portugal seemed a defeated squad as possession and opportunities all favored Brazil. A few times tensions arose between both teams as Neymar was continuously taken out by slide tackles from Portuguese defenders, Pepe and Fabio Coentrao. This “friendly” match ended up being a very intense, heated game between two powerhouses in the international soccer world.

When the final whistle blew, Brazil were 3-1 victors.

Clearly deserving the win, Brazillion head coach, Felipo Scolari commented that his team played very well but would have to keep up their good form in time for the World Cup. On the other hand, Portuguese coach, Bento, said, “We lost deservedly. After the third goal the game pretty much ended. We didn’t lose due to Ronaldo’s absence” As the 2014 World Cup in Brazil approaches, both teams must work hard to reach their goal of becoming the best team in the world.

FINAL

Brazil 3 - Portugal 1

Staff Photos by Jennifer Habeeb

(Above) Brazilian defender David Luiz gives superstar Neymar a few pointers (Below) Porutgese defender Pepe tells Neymar he doesn’t like his new haircut