Prep News

Schaefer announces $16 million donation for SITE program at centennial wrapup

BY The Prep News Editors

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ohn Schaefer ’70 made history last Saturday evening by announcing the largest single donation in the history of St. Louis U. High. The $16 million dollar gift, made by Schaefer and his wife, Pamela Zilly, will fund the establishment of the Sciuto Institute for Teaching Excellence (SITE), in honor of Schaefer’s classmate and longtime SLUH theology teacher Matt Sciuto ’70.

All aspects of the Institute will fit roughly into the core themes of Research, Partnerships, Instructional Coaching, Educational Technology, and Professional Development, all to support the high quality of teachers and teaching at SLUH. The announcement of the gift and of SITE was first made to the faculty during an assembly yesterday afternoon.

As the program takes shape, the hope is that it will improve the teaching of content in classes and build on Jesuit principles of education.

“How do you change teaching and evolve teaching? To still do what we do most, which is forming young men,” said Schaefer. “At the end of the day,

John Schaeffer ’70 and Matt Sciuto ’70 pose moments after the Sciuto Institute for Teaching excellence was announced to faculty last Friday.

photo | Will Linhares

that’s what we do. It’s not to teach you calculus. You can learn calculus in a lot of places. You can learn to speak French in a lot of places. But you can’t learn to be men for others and develop a moral compass.”

“If I think about what I really liked, it was much more quantitative things.

It was algebra, physics, biology. I like to frame these classes as what contributed to my career success,” said Schaefer. “I would always tell people that there’s life success and there’s career success, and Once a Jr. Bill, always a Jr. Bill I think I’ve had both. I think everyone From 1966 to 1970, Schaefer walked the underappreciates what you learned hallways of 4970 Oakland Ave., where about life at SLUH until you get much he was most interested in classes that later in life.” would be considered STEM today. continued on page 4

BY Finn Rose and Alex Schneider Staff, reporter

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his week at St. Louis U. High, the student body celebrated the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month with festivities throughout the week, planned by the Hispanos y Latinos Unidos club under the guidance of club moderator and Director of Latino Community Outreach and Communications Javier Moreno.

This week’s activities included a performance from Alma de Mexico, a local Mexican traditional dance group, and food stands featuring Colombian and Chilean food. The celebrations were planned to celebrate the rich Hispanic and Latino culture and contributions to our community.

Returning from last year, Alma de Mexico showcased to SLUH students a style of dance that many may have not seen before. This year, the performance was incorporated into Ad-

©2025 St. Louis University High School Prep News. No material may be reprinted without the permission of the editors and moderator.

Amira advised not to leave US, re-entry from Egypt threatened by federal visa changes

BY Leo Hahn and Daniel Neuner 1952 gave the President broad powEditor in Chief, News Editor ers to restrict the admission of certain classes of immigrants and to rabic teacher Dr. Mohamed suspend the entry of non-citizens Amira was in the stands of a St. into the country if they are deemed Louis U. High football game on the “detrimental to the interests of the evening of Sept. 20 when he received United States.” a message from SLUH’s lawyers ad“(The legal team was) surprised vising him to cancel any plans to by the proclamation being dropped leave the country, because of a White on a Friday evening, and so they’re House proclamation restricting the reeling,” said Director of Human Removements of H1B visa holders. This sources Beth Voegtli. “And we will means Amira will not be able to serve certainly follow up with them as they as a chaperone on this Summer’s learn more, and settle things down on Arabic trip to Morocco, and, in the what that actually means for summer legal gray period to come, Amira is travel right now.” deciding to stay in the United States, One thing that was clear about cancelling his annual visit to Egypt to the proclamation was its language, visit his family. which features the antiquated term The White House Proclamation, “alien” to describe foreign-born perreleased Sept. 19, uses language heav- sons rather than more accepted terms ily restricting the movements of new like “international” or “immigrant.”

H1B Visa holders into the country, “At some level, we can give lan“except for those aliens whose peti- guage too much power. If the people tions are accompanied or supple- who are called these words say it matmented by a payment of $100,000.” ters to them, I think it’s important to Amira has held H1B status since the listen as much as we can to how peoFall of 2023, but reentry could still be ple want to refer to themselves,” said difficult, as it is uncertain whether or Principal Matt Stewart, SJ. “The probnot Amira would then have to file a lem is this language is being coupled new petition and pay the six-figure with attitudes and policies that reflect fee. an un-Christian viewpoint to divide “I didn’t tell my mom yet about the world between ‘us’ and ‘them.’ I what’s happening. She doesn’t really read my Bible cover to cover, and I’ve follow politics like that,” said Amira. not seen anywhere where Jesus says, “I would care a lot about seeing her ‘they belong over there.’” at least. She’s getting old, and I’m her For now, SLUH’s legal advisors eldest (child), and I know that she at Lewis Rice are strongly encourappreciates seeing me at least once aging Amira to stay in the country a year.” alongside his wife and children. If he Generally, the President does not follows this advice, Amira won’t be have executive authority to modify able to visit his extended family for an immigration law, but the Immigra- undetermined length of time. tion and Nationality Act (INA) of continued on page 8

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Unity in the midst of division: SLUH celebrates Hispanic and Latino culture this Hispanic Heritage Month

The weekly student newspaper of St. Louis University High School 4970 Oakland Ave. St. Louis, MO 63110 Follow us on Instagram! @prepnews online at sluh.org/prep-news

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St. Louis University High School | Friday, October 3, 2025

Volume XC, Issue VII

Dancers from Alma de Mexico perform for juniors and seniors.

photo | Dan Shields

visory for the first time. Juniors and seniors saw the performance during Advisory this Tuesday, and Alma de Mexico will return next Tuesday for the freshmen and sophomores.

The group focuses on two types of dance, originating from Jalisco in western Mexico and Veracruz in eastern Mexico. In addition to dancing and singing, the group also talked

continued on page 2 Amira in Tangiers, Morocco.

news Scholarship Golf Tourney Hole in one! SLUH hosts our annual scholarship golf tournament at Bogey Hills Country Club.

Page 3

opinion iPads in Review iPads after four long years have had the peaks and valleys of use from students to administrators to teachers.

Page 3

news Teacher Talk A sit down with Craig Hannick reveals the true meaning of the Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice.

Page 3

sports Football All for Nora: The Jr. Bills battle it out against Lift for Life in one of the closest and most nerve racking games of the year.

Page 5

photo | Rob Hill

sports XC Illinois didn’t see XC coming before it was too late… SLUH XC dominates in the Chicago suburbs and shows impressive depth at Freeburg.

Page 6

entertainment Crossword Puzzle it up with this week’s crossword from Mr. Baud!

Page 8

sports Soccer Jr. Bills score goals left and right throughout the week, dominating both local and out of state competition.

Page 7

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News

3

Opinion

5-7

Sports

8

Entertainment

INDEX

2

NEWS

Prep News

October 3, 2025

Volume 90, Issue 7

AMDG

Rain and green grass: SLUH Scholarship Golf Classic performs well despite postponement

BY Xavier Heithaus and Jack Klein Core Staff, reporter

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or the 14th consecutive year, St. Louis U. High has hosted a tournament on the links to raise scholarship money for students. The SLUH Scholarship Golf Classic has been a yearly event on the fundraising calendar as it once again took place Monday afternoon at the Bogey Golf Club in Ladue.

The golf tournament has been a big event for the community. For the most part, the event, while open to anybody, is attended by alumni, their friends, and current parents. There is also a healthy and wide variety of sponsors ranging from Newbold Toyota and BMW, which were the presenting sponsors and gave out a car, to Mary Pat and Tom Santel ’76, who were blue and white sponsors.

The cost to play is $950 per golfer

with a shamble tournament format, where each player hits a starting drive and the group takes the best drive for their next shot. From there each player plays their own ball for the rest of the hole, and the team score is the best recorded score.

The highlight of the tournament came from the eight par threes. The eight people who hit it closest to the hole on the par threes make it into the shootout round. This round consists of hitting a shot on a par three and whoever hits is closest to the hole wins. Although it is normally eight in the shootout round there was a tie this year on one of the holes making it a nine person shootout round.

The winning prize this year is a two year lease on a brand new 2025 Toyota Camry presented by the sponsors Newbold Toyota and Newbold BMW who sponsor the event for the second year in a row. This year’s winner was Alumni Jim Uzeki ’03. He also

Hispanos y Latinos Unidos host array of Hispanic celebrations for Hispanic Heritage Months (continued from page 1)

to students about the origins of their cultural tradition.

“They’re very good at not only performing but also explaining the origins of these traditional dances and the items that are important for dance,” said Moreno.

While the visual appeal of the performance is entertaining, it also gives a deeper insight into Mexican culture and the historical elements that shaped traditional dance.

“I think it’s important to know that you’re not just seeing two people on the stage wearing these clothes and dancing to the music,” said Moreno.

“You are experiencing the result of hundreds of years of history and how some of the movements, some of the meanings, some of the messages are in fact telling you a lot about the culture.”

In addition to the performance from Alma de Mexico, this week’s celebrations feature two food stands.

Wednesday featured Colombian food in the circle drive, where students waited in long lines to chow down on empanadas from Maize and Wheat, a restaurant located in Brentwood. The menu also included savory arepas, Colombian hot dogs, and tropical juices.

The beautiful fall weather contributed to the deliciousness of students’ food after anxiously waiting in a long line.

As exchange students from Hispanic countries engaged in conversation in Spanish with the Maize and Wheat employees, the celebration of mixing cultures could be seen further. Today during Activity Period and lunch, a food stand from PuffPies will be serving Chilean food in the circle drive.

Coupled with the satisfaction of hunger was a celebration of culture through support of immigrant-owned businesses in St. Louis.

“We are trying to do something different by highlighting these types of food and the efforts that (immigrants) make in the food industry,” said Moreno. “People are more willing to try new things and see what other foods from other parts of the world look like and taste like.”

The Hispanos y Latinos Unidos club started planning the events at their first meeting in the beginning of September. Using plans from previous years, they decided to bring back Alma de Mexico and came up with a morning prayer for each day during the week, read in English and Spanish.

“We had a lot of freedom to choose

what we wanted to say and what message we wanted to get across,” said senior Andrew Hipskind, president of Hispanos y Latinos Unidos. “We all wrote our own prayers to encourage and share our own experiences.”

Everything that the Hispanos y Latinos Unidos club does focuses on their two missions as a club: to educate and to honor. Through the leadership of students, the club is able to accomplish this by adapting their events to what the student body wants, food always being a reliable option.

“There’s no one-size-fits-all way to engage in Hispanic culture,” said Hipskind.

This year, the Hispanos y Latinos Unidos club faces a new cultural challenge and is attempting to overcome rising tensions to show that Hispanic and Latino communities make great contributions to our country’s culture.

“Given the current state of the world and current state of the nation with Hispanics and different people from different countries, I think it’s important to highlight that there’s good in us, that there’s something to celebrate, and that our accomplishments and culture should be shown throughout the school, especially in our community and our Hispanic communities,” said sophomore Santi Guzman, a leader in Hispanos y Latinos Unidos.

While currently celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, Hispanos y Latinos Unidos is also looking forward to upcoming events like Día de los Muertos and Cinco de Mayo further in the year. The club is always happy to accept new members to their meetings in M221 every few weeks.

“It’s not just people of Hispanic heritage or Latino heritage. We accept everyone because we just like expressing our culture, and if everybody can see that then that’s what we want,” said Guzman.

Ultimately, Hispanic Heritage Month at SLUH is a time for students to experience something new and learn more about a culture that may be different from their own.

“There’s all sorts of learning that only happens when you experience things,” said Moreno. “Right now we’re highlighting Hispanic Heritage Month. But in any direction that you want to go, there’s so much room for growth. You could go explore the Asian culture. You can go explore the African culture. There’s so much that the world has to offer.”

happened to be the only one out of the nine in the shootout round to hit it on the green.

The planning of this great event was directed this year by Director of Community Engagement Susan O’Keefe, Senior Director of Community Engagement John Penilla and others. The tournament was originally supposed to take place on the 22nd, but was moved to the 29th due to rain.

“Mrs. O’Keefe really took the reins over the last week making sure that we were prepared for the new date,” said Penilla. “She worked with players and sponsors and made sure things were set up on the course so that when golfers get there they’re getting a first class experience.”

The goal of this tournament is to raise scholarships for students to be able to attend SLUH. It also promotes the SLUH golf team with the five members of the state championship golf team, seniors Harrison Zipfel and

Teacher Talk

Nick Vilela, junior Parker Anderson, and sophomores Lyoto Bellon and Ivan Kennedy, who were all in attendance to talk to the attendees about the SLUH golf program.

“I was there to introduce myself and say this is the team you give money to,” said Vilela. “I’m also a work grant student so it helps them

to match a face with their donations and see that they are truly helping students that need the opportunities SLUH offers.”

Overall the tournament was a success continuing to raise money for scholarships as well as offering the attendees a good time to hang out, play golf, and earn prizes.

Carruthers poses with golfers at the golf classic.

photo | Rita Jana

Hannick on IFTJ and the importance of being a youth advocate for justice

BY Max Marnatti News Editor

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n this week’s teacher talk, News Editor Max Marnatti sits down with math teacher and Director of Financial Aid Craig Hannick to discuss the theme of “Pressing On” that will headline the upcoming Ignatian Family Teach-In for Social Justice and how it applies to students being better advocates in their communities. This year will mark Hannick’s tenth year leading the trip.

The following conversation has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Max Marnatti: Thank you for joining me, Mr. Hannick. To start, what is the Ignatian Family Teach-In for Social Justice?

Craig Hannick: So it’s a national gathering of students from Jesuit high schools and universities, parishes, and ministry groups who come together each fall in Washington, D.C. It’s a weekend that’s built around prayer, learning, and building community.

And at the heart of it, it’s young people who have a faith that does justice, which echoes, of course, our Jesuit identity. And so this year’s theme is “Pressing On.” We go to have this great conference and hear all these talks and build community and that kind of stuff.

The key to that weekend is Monday, the advocacy day, where we meet with our elected representatives to influence them to pass selected bills on immigration and climate change.

MM: What does this year’s theme of Pressing On mean?

CH: So, I think that the Pressing On ties us into where we are right now, both in terms of the church and as a society, we’re living in a time of injustice. Still, there’s always injustice, but it’s just certainly obvious that there’s more division now than then. I think some people are even on the point of despair because of what’s going on in our country, maybe even in our Church. So, it’s very easy for people to get discouraged. The TeachIn really is rooted in the conviction that we don’t walk alone.

MM: What are some of the origins of IFTJ? CH: A big part of that is that the whole point of the Teach-In was to honor the memory of the Jesuit martyrs in El Salvador, whose witnesses continue to inspire us. We’ll actually be having our conference on the 36th anniversary

of that day. So that idea of pressing on is both realistic, but then it also has a hopeful side that acknowledges the difficulty of the work that we’re doing. It also reminds us that faith community and the legacy of those that came before us are our motivators to continue the work.

people who have been living that journey. The speakers that are there are witnesses for the work that they’ve done in the area of social justice, and that we can see that we are part of something bigger than ourselves. For our kids that just are starting out, the Ignatian Family Teach-in is maybe the first real exposure to advocacy to the point where MM: Are there any specific injustices their voices matter. that come to mind in our world, or especially in our more local St. Louis area MM: How can students still contribute and even in our school? to their community and advocate for those in the margins outside of a social CH: In our school, I think that the idea justice trip like IFTJ? is that the injustice incidents are only just out there in the greater world, but CH: First of all, they don’t have to wait it can also be found here at St. Louis U. until they’re older to make an impact.

High. One example is my role at the They can contribute right now. Certainschool is to make sure that every stu- ly, going on the Teach-in is a wonderful dent has access to resources, and we do way to do that. Being part of Youth in our part with the financial aid program, Government is another way they can a very robust financial aid program. But start, but even here in the hallways by even with all of that, there are still kids treating every person they see with that don’t have access to resources that dignity, speaking up when somebody other kids have. And I think poverty is is excluded, and showing kindness to a real issue in our society, but certainly somebody who feels unseen. What I rein St. Louis and in our community here ally wish is that we could find a way that at St. Louis U. High. when we come back from the teach-in, Another example would be be- we can find a better way for students longing and inclusion, that we can to share their issues of justice that can sometimes mirror the divisions of our inspire others to care and to act, startwider culture, both in the Church and ing a sort of ripple effect in the school. in society. So, whether it’s around race or sexual orientation or background of MM: What does lobbying in Washsome sort, even small comments and ington, D.C. do? Why is it worth it to attitudes you hear in the hallway can talk about immigration and climate make some students feel like they’re change with the staff of the Missouri less valued or less welcome. So pressing state senators? on to me means doing the daily work of justice here so that every person is CH: For many years, we advocated treated with dignity and respect, echo- on behalf of criminal justice reform, ing the Catholic Social Teaching of the along with immigration. That was one human dignity of all persons. of our two issues, and we eventually got There’s also a big problem we have all the bills passed. Not that criminal with apathy and disengagement, that justice reform is where it should be, people have given up. Some people, but it’s much, much better than it used who, at one point, were fighting the to be. Climate change became a topic good fight, have just given up. Oth- with Pope Francis’s Laudato Si and the ers just look around and are apathetic Jesuit Apostolic Preferences that came to the situation. I think pressing on out several years ago, one of those being means moving beyond your comfort Care For Our Common Home. I think zone, making time to learn about social that the teach-in has picked those two issues. big issues so they can influence legislation, but more for that transformation MM: Why is it important for the stu- that occurs inside those advocating as dents to get involved with something a result of actually doing the lobbying. like IFTJ? Why should they be involved The students can come back from that in political advocacy within their com- experience, whether it’s the teach-in munities? or even visiting their local representatives here, and are able to fully engage CH: It’s because it gives them a chance in the political process. The students to see that faith and justice actually are want to have that confidence that they inseparable. In the classroom we learn know they can see themselves as citiabout history or government or even zens and a people of faith, and they can Catholic Social Teaching, but at the especially see how those things are tied Teach-in, the students actually meet together.

FEATURE

October 3, 2025

Prep News Volume 90, Issue 7

AMDG

A deep dive into SLUH-issued iPads four years later

BY Brendan Hunt and Patrick Casciola Core Staff, reporter

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hen the current seniors arrived at St. Louis U. High in the fall of 2022, they were the first class to be issued an iPad rather than bringing their own device as part of a new technology policy that ensured that all students had the same device with the same functions. After four years of students using these devices for their various school activities, opinions vary among students, teachers, and administrators.

The technology policy prior to the current policy was the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) program in which students were responsible for acquiring their own device and bringing it with them to school every day.

“While we had the BYOD program, theoretically everyone had to have the same device,” said Director of Information Technology Jonathan Dickmann. “The reality of it was that you’d have some kid who’s coming in with a 12-inch iPad Pro with the keyboard and Apple pencil and another kid coming in with his brother’s iPad that was six years old.”

Because of this, the DEI Committee and the Technology Committee looked to standardize the technology being used by students, so the current policy was put into place: each student is given an iPad, leased from Apple in what is called a four-year buyout lease. In this agreement, SLUH pays Apple using the technology fee added to each student’s tuition and, over the course of the four years, students can get their iPads and Apple pencils repaired free of charge two times per year.

In a student body survey sent out this past Tuesday by the Prep News, data regarding the school-issued iPads was collected from 274 students, with the majority of students responding being sophomores (33 percent) and seniors (32 percent).

The general student perspective, according to the survey, is one of dissatisfaction with certain aspects

of the iPads in terms of their power as tools and the freedom which the devices allow, while also recognizing some upsides as tools.

According to the student survey, certain aspects of the iPads appeal to students. Seventy-five percent of the students reported that they enjoy the split screen on the iPads and 62 percent appreciated the versatility of having the same device to use both during classes and at home.

For some students, the similarity to the iPhone makes it easy for them to navigate and to find assignments within apps.

“With the stylus and the touchscreen, (the iPads) are a lot easier to use,” said junior Ethan Isaac. “It’s a lot easier to take notes on GoodNotes.”

In contrast to this, students also argued that the devices sometimes struggle in comparison to higher level devices. When given the opportunity to comment on the devices within the survey, many seniors pointed out that, after four years of using the device, it has a very short battery life and fails to function as smoothly as it once did.

Additionally, many students feel that their iPads feel crammed and difficult to navigate. Some commented that the Apple versions of apps fail to hold up to the computer versions of apps, and 75 percent of students stated that app updates occur too often.

Another piece of the devices which the students felt hindered them is the processing power, with 58 percent of surveyed students marking a downside as “limited processing power for certain classes.”

Many of the surveyed students commented that they see more potential in issuing higher capability computers such as MacBooks, arguing that they help prepare students for future technology use, have larger screens to do more efficient work, and can handle more applications.

From a faculty standpoint, opinions vary on the use of the devices within the classroom. Some heavily restrict the use of the devices in class

in order to limit distraction while others often make use of the various websites and apps which students can use.

“I still see (students) wasting time on their iPads, doing all sorts of random stuff,” said Theology Department Chair Mike Lally. “I think iPads in and of themselves are too similar to our iPhones, and, because we have negative habitual relationships to our iPhones, these translate very easily over to an iPad when we have them as personal devices.”

Teachers can also give their students freedom to do various tasks like taking notes or using apps on their iPads.

“A lot of my students take notes on their iPads,” said math teacher Craig Hinders. “They can be effective, but that does put a lot of pressure on the teacher to kind of keep an eye on the students to make sure they’re staying on task because it can be an easy distraction as well.”

Applications and programs in classes such as CAD (Computer Aided Design) and programming classes which require a more powerful computer cannot run properly on these smaller devices.

“If students are trying to use their iPad for CAD, it’s really not going to work,” said Hinders, who also teaches the engineering class here at SLUH, and regularly uses CAD in his classroom.

As the administration discusses the devices, the consensus is that, undoubtedly, the school will keep using school-issued devices. The real question which comes into play for the administration is simply looking over which parts of the iPads have been beneficial towards equal education and formation and which parts are detrimental. To this, both IT and the general administration are open to changes, as long as they are thoughtfully considered, make sense in terms of affordability, student equity, and ability to moderate.

One large complaint from the students is the deterioration of the iPad over time, especially in terms of worsened battery life. IT argues that

this problem can be simply solved through more students coming to get their iPads repaired if they have issues.

Though many students would prefer a larger device with more power, the administration sees the financial upside of the iPads in comparison with more powerful Apple devices.

“If we went to something like MacBook Airs, that price is like $500 (a year),” said Duron. “Then that really starts to add up, and what we are trying to do is keep it low cost and equitable.”

This DEI idea, which was the reason for the original integration of the iPads, is still a prevalent administrative reason for the devices today, helping keep the teacher planning process consistent.

“At an institutional level, we benefit from everyone having a common experience and a common touch point so that everybody can have appropriate expectations of everybody else year to year,” said Assistant Principal for Academics Kevin Foy. “Students all having the same device means that teachers can design things this year that they know everybody will be able to do next year and next year.”

Although the iPads have been fully in use for four years, some students have not committed to these rules and have brought their own devices, as emphasized by Assistant Principal for Wellness and Discipline Brock Kesterson. To address this, he sent out an email to the student body earlier this week promising swift action of a triple JUG against any student who has brought in an unapproved device.

Additionally, the counter to the idea that the iPads don’t have proper processing power, according to Duron, is the wide array of powerful devices available to students throughout the SLUH building. In the student survey, 64 percent of the students stated that they have used the Apple Macbooks in carts for their classes before.

One factor which the adminis-

3

tration is very aware of is the distractions which iPads can offer to students throughout the school day, which is similar to the faculty’s view of the issue. Thirty-nine percent of students self-reported that they spend 15-30 minutes on their devices doing work besides schoolwork each day. When asked to give a rating one through five of how other students are using their devices, the students gave an average of 3.38, with one being “often used for entertainment” and five being “often used for school work”.

“The school should build incentives to make students be reflective about how they’re using their devices,” said Foy. “Students should never go to their devices in their downtime rather than be with humans. And should we punish every kid every moment that he is on a device? Probably not.”

As technology continues to seep its way into the foundations of teaching and learning, the administration, along with the student body, must adapt to these changes.

“This is the first year that (the iPad policy) is being reviewed because it’s the first time that we’re all doing it under one roof,” said Duron.

“No policy gets made overnight, and no policy gets changed overnight. So we will look at it. We will review it.

We want to hear student feedback.

We want to hear teacher feedback.”

In terms of the future for the devices themselves, careful consideration and much time is necessary for any sort of change which will occur to any technology policy. The administration should continue to review the iPad policies and keep asking for faculty and student opinions. The number of students around the halls and in some classrooms who waste precious time entertaining themselves on their devices should signal to the administration that more action could be taken to educate students about the social and educational negatives of ill-used iPads. The student body must also make an effort to hold each other accountable.

Harris sets the football record for most consecutive games started in Football history

BY Jake Fitzpatrick Sports Editor

S

enior Mizzou commit Keenan Harris has officially become SLUH Football’s Iron Man, having started in 39 consecutive games and counting. Harris broke a 25-year-old record that was held by Mark Kornfeld ’00, the son of former head football coach Gary Kornfeld.

The arrival of a new legend Before he ever played a game for SLUH, head coach Adam Cruz knew that he was getting something special in the 6-foot-2 Harris.

“His talent was pretty undeniable from the moment he stepped on campus” said head coach Adam Cruz. “One story that I’ll never forget about Keenan’s freshman year was after we played real bad against De Smet and that Tuesday Keenan started a scuffle at practice with a senior because he said that we weren’t practicing hard enough. And he told the senior, “If you don’t want to practice hard enough, you can get in the back of the line.” It’s those type of stories that tell you what type of man and player Keenan Harris is.”

Affectionately known by his classmates as “Keeno,” Harris rapidly developed into a Jr. Bills Swiss Army Knife. Getting a chance to develop with the likes of current Oklahoma

State cornerback, Jacobi Oliphant, University of Texas superstar Ryan Wingo.

“Playing under all those guys taught me what it was like to play football at a college level,” said Harris. “It taught me to compete with the best of the best in practice and made games come easy in a way.

Those guys mean everything to me, man.”

Harris’ mentors helped him blossom. Although there has been unceasing noise about his college choice since the moment Harris stepped on campus, he kept his head down. In 39 games as a starter for SLUH, Harris has played a key role in all three phases for the Jr. Bills.

His freshman year, Harris immediately impacted the defensive side of the ball. Harris logged 95 total tackles, eight of which were tackles for losses, and was the Jr. Bills leading tackler, all before he could legally drive. That November, Harris received his first of 33 offers and what would eventually turn into the only offer that mattered: the Mizzou Tigers. The legend of Keenan Harris was just beginning.

His sophomore year, Harris began to sprout into the multipurpose weapon that he is today. Racking up ten catches for 186 yards, six special teams returns for 144 yards, and two touchdowns along with his astound-

ing 112 total tackles propelled him to national fame and a three star ranking from Rivals.

In his junior season, with the star studded Class of 2024 off to college, Harris was named captain and continued to stay healthy, dominating in every phase of the game. Harris had three receiving touchdowns and 328 yards receiving and once again led the Jr. Bills defensively with 72 solo tackles, 26 of which were tackles for loss, along with three interceptions.

While the rest of the story of the 2025 season has yet to be written, Keenan has been at the forefront of much of the Jr. Bills successful 5-0 start to the season. Harris has become a feared power back in the offense through the play nicknamed Hellcat. Harris has racked up seven touchdowns for SLUH and is the Jr. Bills second leading rusher. Defensively, Harris has tallied 22 tackles and recently became SLUH’s all time leading tackler in a 49-0 domination of Lutheran St. Charles.

All that being said, Harris has been as reliable as death and taxes and has produced in some way, shape, or form whenever he steps on the field.

“In program as storied as ours is, it speaks to the fact that he’s never had an injury and he’s never been sick, knock on wood, said Cruz.

“The fact that he has played every

single game since he’s stepped on offseason I do a ton of lifting that campus is something that is under- keeps my body in shape and up to valued and something truly special.” peak condition and I don’t eat out a ton. During the season I do a lot The Price of Consistency of mobility work to make sure that You can collect stats and say how my body can always move to its great and dominant a player is, but best ability. Something that I do the question is, how? Despite the that might be considered out of the natural talent, how does a player like ordinary would be cryotheraphy. It Harris, a two-sport athlete who stars has done wonders for my body and on both the hardwood and gridiron, helped me recover in a lot of ways. take the pounding that he does and Also a big shout out to Nick (Snycontinue to produce for SLUH? In der) and all the work he’s done for athletics, injuries, both minor and my body.” major are destined to happen.

Even some of the greatest NFL The Legacy of “Keeno” players of all time sustained major When you walk down the concrete injuries in high school that took ramp to enter SLUH’s football stathem out for a large chunk of time. dium, you are met with many sights One of the best running backs of and sounds. If you look to the left, a all time, Adrian Petersen, suffered colossal flag of the United States flies a broken collarbone during high over head. At ground level, stands school. Drew Brees, Nick Bosa, the only statue of a SLUH graduate and Josh Sweat all suffered devas- on the campus of 4970 Oakland … tating ACL injuries during their Steve Schnur. Schnur’s legacy is one high school careers. According to of the greatest in SLUH Football histhe National Athletic Trainers’ As- tory. But perhaps a new statue will sociation, roughly 15 to 20 percent be erected for SLUH’s all time leadof high school football players will ing tackler and Iron Man, Keenan experience a significant injury in Harris. a single season that requires time “At the end of the day, a record away from play. So how has Harris doesn’t mean anything if we don’t not been injured, sick, or missed a win games,” said Harris. “I came to single game (knock on wood)? The SLUH to go out there and help my answer is simple: being smart. squad win, not to go play for myself.

“I don’t necessarily do anything There is so much more work to be super crazy,” said Harris. “In the done. Job’s just getting started.”

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Prep News

NEWS

October 3, 2025

Volume 90, Issue 7

AMDG

$16 million gift announced at weekend reunion event (continued from page 4)

Schaefer is a proud member of the Class of 1970, which started several SLUH traditions.

“Our class did a lot of things for SLUH, and we didn’t even realize it,” said Schaefer. “We were the first ones to come up with Spring Fling, and we went around to girls’ schools and invited them to come; we tore up the locker room to the studs and then refinished it; and we were also the first class to help with CASHBAH. And ever since then, we’ve been incredibly connected.”

After graduating from SLUH, Schaefer attended the University of Notre Dame, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting, and then the Harvard Graduate School of Business, where he earned a master’s degree in business administration.

Following his long journey of schooling, Schaefer began his 30-year career in financial services. He started at E.F. Hutton in 1976 and retired from Morgan Stanley in 2006 as President and COO of the firm’s Global Wealth Management business.

After retirement, Schaefer served on several corporate and nonprofit boards, including the SLUH Board of Trustees from 2017–2023.

Schaefer’s wife, Pamela Zilly, earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and American history from Connecticut College and continued onto the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University, where she earned a master’s of science degree in industrial management.

Zilly had a 32-year career in investment banking and financial restructuring, starting her career at E.F. Hutton in 1977. She later moved to Blackstone in 2009, where she became the firstever female partner. Now, Zilly serves as treasurer of the American Theater wing and is a member of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Schaefer and Zilly met one another at E.F. Hutton, and their relationship unfolded from there.

“If I didn’t go to SLUH, I wouldn’t have gone to Notre Dame, and if I didn’t go to Notre Dame then I wouldn’t have wound up on Wall Street and met my wife,” said Schaefer. “The list goes on, but I think it all started with SLUH—it was a tremendous building block for me.”

Schaefer ended up at SLUH thanks to his mother, who told him that he didn’t have a choice … he was going to SLUH. “I had a very determined and stubborn mother who, without consulting with me, decided I was going to St. Louis U. High and there was no debate. It was over. So I took the test, and I went to St. Louis U. High,” said Schaefer. “And I often say if I had not gone to SLUH, I’m not sure where I would’ve ended up.”

A Friend, A Brother

Fireworks explode over campus.

Schaefer, the only SLUH student in his class from St. Louise de Marillac Parish in North St. Louis, endured a challenging freshman year on Oakland Ave. After suffering the loss of his mother in February, Schaefer found a sense of community at SLUH when he befriended Matt Sciuto, a classmate whose father had passed away in seventh grade.

Since the doors to SLUH were always unlocked at that time, Sciuto and Schaefer would stay late some nights, spending time on campus and bonding regularly over dinner.

“He and I hung out a lot,” said Schaefer. “It was just the comfort level of being around Matt. And over time, of course, our relationship developed more.”

Schaefer describes himself as not the athletic type, but Sciuto, who grew up in St. Ambrose Parish, played three years of both baseball and football.

Sciuto went on to become the Senior Class President for the Class of 1970, and he has served in the role of an ambassador—for both his class and the school—ever since.

“He was the class president, so by definition, when he left, he thought it was his responsibility to stay in contact with people. And to this day, however many years later, he’s still torturing people every month to update the mailing list,” joked Schaefer. “We get stuff from the school through him every month.”

Following his graduation from SLUH, Sciuto attended Rockhurst University, initially majoring in psychology in order to become a counselor. While attending Rockhurst, Sciuto switched to humanistic psychology, a mesh of both theology and psychology, in order to become a theology teacher and coach.

The first college graduate of his family, Sciuto went on to earn his master’s in religious studies from Saint Louis University. Immediately out of college, Sciuto went from being an avid student to a classroom leader when he started teaching at St. Thomas Aquinas high school in 1974. After six years at Aquinas, Sciuto returned home.

In his 39 years at SLUH, Sciuto did just about everything. Whether it be coaching the baseball and football teams or capturing photographs for the school, Sciuto developed a notable reputation. Part of this reputation came because of his fascinating teaching style.

He emphasized the theme of metanoia, which means “change of heart” in Greek, urging students toward radical spiritual transformation through repentance and healing.

“He is very passionate about helping kids,” said theology teacher Diego Navarro. “The tag-word he would keep bringing up with them was metanoia, a special change of heart. He believed school was not just about learning facts, but about change. He taught with such intensity, and he wanted students to ask questions and really think through is-

sues.”

Before announcing the gift and the Institute to the faculty, Schaefer shared the news with Sciuto in a private meeting, alongside president Alan Carruthers, Vice President for Advancement Sean Agniel and Principal Matt Stewart, SJ. After the private meeting, Sciuto entered the Si Commons to find his wife, kids, grandchildren, and classmates. Shocked once again by the support of loved ones, Sciuto humbly began to catch up with old colleagues.

The Sciuto Institute for Teaching Excellence Through jokes about SLUH in the 1970s and acknowledgements of Sciuto’s inevitable embarrassment, Schaefer introduced the program and its meaning to the faculty. His announcement preceded further clarifications from Stewart for the faculty audience. A final toast from Stewart to Sciuto, Schaefer, and Zilly resumed the cocktail party, as teachers began to consider and celebrate the significance of the announcement.

“It’s an incredibly generous gift, and it’s humbling and exciting. I don’t really have words,” said Modern and Classical Languages Department Chair Kate Toussaint.

“I think it’s really exciting to be recognized in this way as a faculty member here. That amount of money is just absurd—it’s staggering,” said Fine Arts Department Chair Simone Anzalone.

“Also that it’s named after his classmate, Matt Sciuto, is really touching. I’m excited!”

Beyond being a recognition of the work of the faculty and the importance of their diligent service to the school, the donation is notable because of its investment in the Jesuit tradition with which SLUH was founded.

“I find myself inspired by my colleagues every day, and I know that by seeking our input for what it is the Institute could do and be will ensure that this very generous gift is used in really inspiring, formative ways that are rooted in our mission,” said theology teacher Lindsay Kelleher.

Stewart announced that a survey would appear in faculty inboxes towards the end of their assembly. As of now, SITE has few concrete goals on the agenda, but it will begin to bear fruits at the start of the ’26-27 school year. The survey that the teachers took will develop the program based on their needs, including questions on the individual, team, departmental, and school-wide levels.

“We attract really high-end students,” said Principal Fr. Matthew Stewart, SJ. “But they’re only here for four years. The faculty are the fabric of our school, and investing in them directly affects the future of St. Louis U. High.”

The administration began conversations with Schaefer about what a major gift might accomplish. Over

the course of discussions, Schaefer decided to make a gift that went to support teaching excellence, something that would help the school be flexible enough to adapt to the needs of teachers even far into a future that can’t be imagined now.

“What I don’t want to do is bake in an answer today that might change in three years,” said Schaefer. “We want to be able to continue to use the resources that come off this new endowed fund to do what is needed at that time, rather than lock in on an idea of what we may need in the future. It’s very much set up to be flexible over its life, which is perpetual.”

There will be five initial focus areas for SITE: research, partnerships, instructional coaching, educational technology, and professional development.

Teachers will be able to expand their knowledge through research funding, join nationwide educational societies, receive coaching through third-party observations, gain further access to programs like EdPuzzle and POGIL, and further their own education through sabbaticals and graduate courses. Some of these systems and supports already exist within the school, but SITE will consolidate them under one program and increase the funding for even greater opportunities.

“Using this donation to create this program sends the message that teaching, learning, and faith formation are the core of everything we do,” said Carruthers. “The gift makes a powerful statement to our current faculty, the future faculty, and the greater community, that St. Louis U. High is doubling down on quality academics.”

The gift is intended to attract, retain, develop, and support teachers through the promotion of teaching fundamentals.

“When I was at SLUH, it was twothirds Jesuit, one-third lay. Obviously that’s different today,” said Schaefer. “In the absence of Jesuit educators, how do we keep people approaching education the same way the Jesuits did? How do we keep the tradition of what you’re doing now, and how do we make sure that happens for the next 25 years? So that’s really the intent of this.”

Centennial Celebration Saturday evening the soccer field was filled, not with soccer players, but with many alumni, faculty members, and parents celebrating under the night sky.

They were eating from local vendors, listening to live music, and commemorating the end of St. Louis U. High’s centennial year.

To kick the night off, there were multiple reunions in the Commons, Drury Plaza, and throughout SLUH’s campus. Members of graduated classes got to reconnect and enjoy each others’ company before the finale. These reunions lasted until the anticipated Backer Memorial Grand Finale had begun.

“It was a really, really cool event.

The reunions were great. The food was good,” said principal Fr. Matthew Stewart, S.J. “The weather was spectacular, and it was a great opportunity to connect with guys from across the years.”

As the clock struck 7:30, attendees slowly made their way down to Drury Plaza to start the Grand Finale of the Backer Memorial. The night’s festivities started with the performance of the band Kelly’s Heroes.

“Kelly’s Heroes was awesome. They did an amazing job,” said Vice President of Advancement Sean Agniel. “Just everything about it was very low key and relaxing and pleasant and celebratory.”

Apart from the live band, the soccer field was home to many more activities, including vintage arcade games, a bar photo | Jack Auer provided by 4 Hands Brewing Com-

pany, ping pong, giant Jenga, the SLUH Spirit Store, and cornhole, allowing for partygoers to connect with each other and reinforce the SLUH community.

Outside of the soccer field along the turn around there were many vendors that provided the food for the celebration.

“It was fun getting a chance to see all these people, whether they’re current parents or past parents or alumni,” said Sr. Director of Community Engagement John Penilla. “Just having them back on campus and being able to hang out and celebrate with them, it was a lot of fun.”

Following the announcement of Schaefer’s gift, the music resumed and the party continued. As the tunes played again the Backer Memorial Grand Finale came to a close with a large fireworks display atop the commons, a spectacle set to take place at the centennial celebration last year, but canceled due to poor weather.

Planning for the celebration began months in advance to ensure its success.

“We loved the idea of just being outside, having the whole community gathered outside, and enjoying a beautiful fall evening together,” said Penilla.

“That’s kind of how it started, and little by little, we put together the plan.”

The planning started late into the spring semester of last academic year with the goal of celebrating the ending of SLUH’s 100th year on Oakland. It wasn’t until later in their planning that Schaefer informed the advancement team of his intent to donate $16 million.

“We thought it’d be nice to have to celebrate the end of our Centennial year in September, and then the gift came in,” Stewart said. “Everything came together for this with really good timing so we could celebrate it all together.”

After the news of the donation, the Grand Finale truly took its shape. Due to the celebration being about Anna Backer’s $400,000 (about $7 million in 2025) contribution to SLUH in 1924, this new donation truly was a full circle moment. The Backer endowment from 100 years ago has advanced SLUH to what it is today, so, as we receive two large single donations, and additional promised donations totaling 40 million dollars this year, SLUH seems to have a bright future ahead.

Reporting contributed by Grant Skornia and Logan LaVear Core Staff, Staff

Schaefer.

photo | SLUH yearbook

Sciuto

photo | SLUH yearbook

SPORTS Kaden Schroeder (left) with Pat Laffey before the game last Friday, representing Nora Bunn on his arm tape. photo | Jack Auer

All For Nora.

Filled with motivation, Football toughs out gritty victory vs. Lift for Life

BY Jack Powers and Henry Fitzpatrick Staff, reporter

C

omposure. The St. Louis U. High football team handled the emotions and got what needed to be done in a 13-12 nail-biter win, bringing them to 5-0 on a special night dedicated to a member of the SLUH community.

As head coach Adam Cruz and the Jr. Bill captains walked to midfield for the coin toss, a normally stoic and focused moment, the leaders of the SLUH football team had the emotional task of remembering Nora Bunn, who was a cornerstone in the program for over two years. They were joined by senior Pat Laffey, as well as Brent and Jani Bunn, Nora’s parents, who were carrying a SLUH jersey with the number 7 on it.

“This game was definitely the biggest of all of her events, for both her memory and her Sparkle of Love Foundation,” said Laffey. “It was perfect that this game fell on her birthday as well as in Spirit Week, almost miraculous.”

In addition to Laffey’s tribute to his little sister during Friday’s pep rally, the whole family was able to honor her life and SLUH’s deep love for her on her 8th birthday by joining the two teams at midfield. Additionally, Nora’s best friend and older sister Reese stood beside the referee for the coin flip itself.

“She was a fighter, she loved being competitive, football was her game, and SLUH was her team,” said Laffey. “This really shows how much of an impact she had on so many lives, and how she is someone that we can all look up to.”

Lift for Life, a top-three ranked small school team according to GSV, won the coin toss and elected to defer, giving SLUH the opening kickoff. Mizzou commit Keenan Harris received the kick at SLUH’s 20, and after breaking two tackles, gave the offense the ball at

the 37.

A run-heavy opening drive was led by senior bell cow Jordan Taylor, who toted the ball 4 times. Another contributor, sophomore Tyler Kozminske, picked up 10 on a screen pass to set up Harris and the overpowering hellcat package from the 23. Rushes of 11, 5, 2, and finally a 5-yard touchdown for Harris gave the Jr. Bills the 6-0 lead after a missed extra point.

The kickoff from sophomore Ryan Stroschein placed Lift for Life’s offense at the 31-yard line, but a 15-yard penalty on the Jr Bills moved it up to the 46.

After a Hawks first down, the Jr. Bills forced a turnover on downs, courtesy of a tackle for loss on second down from senior Sebastian Tate and sophomore standout linebacker Anthony Busby Jr. On third down, Harris, Tate, and junior defensive end prodigy Ty Lige all made it to the quarterback to force an early throw, and fourth down was more of the same, with Lige flushing the Hawks quarterback out of the pocket and causing an errant incomplete pass.

“When I’m out there, I’m going 100 percent, just trying to be natural, use my speed and my strength to my advantage,” said Lige. “The coaches have been telling me to switch for a long time, and I didn’t really know what was going on at first, but now that I’m starting, I want to be a part of a defense that people fear.”

Kyren Eleby and the offense were unable to convert on their next drive, Lift for Life started their second drive on the 10, but was forced to punt after a 3-and-out highlighted by a flying tackle from Lige, who came off the edge unblocked like a speeding bullet. After trotting down the field, the offense was faced with a fourth & 7 on Lift for Life’s 24, and after Eleby stumbled and scrambled out of the pocket, he hit Kozminske across the middle for the first down.

But the offense was unable to score

from inside the 10, and Mason Wilderson’s field goal attempt was unsuccessful, sending the Jr. Bills away emptyhanded, and pinning the Hawks at their own 10-yard line.

The Hawks worked their way down the field, and after a huge 45-yard completion to put them inside the 2, Lift for Life brought out their own semblance of hellcat. Though the Jr Bills stuffed them on their first attempt, Lift for Life scored on a controversial call where junior safety John Ramella punched the ball out as it was crossing the goal line, with the officials ultimately giving Lift for Life the score. A failed two-point conversion kept the game tied at six going into half, as the Jr Bill offense was unable to score with less than 2:00 remaining in the half.

Entering the second half tied 6-6, the Jr. Bills had a squib kickoff to the Lift for Life 34-yard line. Defensive end Lige once again met the Hawks running back behind the line for a loss on the first play of the half that was shortly discarded after a 15-yard pass for a first down by Lift for Life. However, the Hawks met their match in their next set of downs, in the form of Keenan Harris and a fourth down tackle right before the line to gain.

The Jr. Bills once again struggled to move the ball down field and were forced to punt away to the Hawks 18 yard line after a three-and-out.

Only one man seemed to be forcing a Lift for Life punt Friday night, Ty Lige.

“Ty taking a whole new position and having the impact that he did on his birthday was wild. Those three sacks are a testament to how much work he put in, but it’s also been all those guys on the defensive line,” said head coach Adam Cruz.

On third and 6 from their own 20, the Hawks quarterback scrambled to the right and was forced to throw the ball away with Lige chasing him down.

Lige’s three total sacks on the line contributed to SLUH’s talented D-line being able to draw attention in other places.

SLUH regained the ball at midfield and opened up with their dual-threat Harris at quarterback to run hellcat for several straight plays to put them back close to field goal position. A 15-yard run from Taylor up the middle, breaking three tackles, put the Jr. Bills in field goal position before a false start by the O-line on the following play. Another powerful run from Taylor put the Jr. Bills inside the 10 and brought linebacker Harris back on the field to take the snaps. The O-line made up for their previous false start with superior blocking, allowing Harris to go untouched for his second touchdown run of the game.

“The difference between this game and De Smet was that we weren’t finishing plays,” said Cruz.

down the field picking up 40 yards in under two minutes. A 10-yard run to the right by Hawks running back with 5:03 left in the game brought the score to 13-12. This was the last bright spot for the Hawks in a game in which they cost themselves the game. A 15-yard penalty was assessed on the touchdown celebration that was deemed a taunt.

The Hawks, lacking a skilled kicker, were forced to go for 2 and the win from the 18-yard line due to an excessive celebration penalty but were stopped halfway. With only one timeout remaining, all Lift for Life could do was watch the elite SLUH running back duo pound their way down the field and run out the clock keeping the Jr. Bills undefeated season intact.

Looking Ahead SLUH starts a three-week stretch of

Senior Keenan Harris walking in the game winning TD. photo | Jack Auer On the Hawks following drive, Lige once again put an end to the Hawks momentum with another sack, giving SLUH the ball on their 45 up 13-6 to begin the fourth quarter. After a couple hellcat runs for first downs by Harris, the drive stalled out on fourth down with a Hawks sack giving them the ball back down 7 with 8 minutes left.

The Hawks opened the drive flying

MCC opponents tonight with their first test being an away game at Vianney.

They look to extend their road record to 4-0 and take down the rebuilding Vianney football program and continue playing elite level defense.

“If all 11 guys are doing what they’re supposed to be doing, no team can move the ball on us,” said D-line coach Spencer Chipley.

Start or Sit? NFL Week 5 Fantasy Football picks, SLUH’s top scorers of the week

BY Louis Moebes, Ryan Couture, and Dominic Sharamitaro reporters

M

Giants to run the ball, which previously caused Skattebo to receive a season-high 27 touches in last Sunday’s matchup. The Giants chose to utilize Skattebo as the bellcow back, even against the LA Chargers who have a highly-ranked run defense, showcasing their increased trust and dependence in him. While his snap share likely won’t go up, Skattebo will continue to emerge as a strong option for Dart in wake of the Nabers injury, making him a strong breakout candidate for Week 5.

alik Nabers, Jaylen Warren, Lamar Jackson, David Montgomery, AJ Brown, Brian Thomas Jr, and Justin Herbert all left much to be desired for managers headed into Week 5, and with the first slate bye weeks now here, Start/Sit decisions just gained another layer of complexity. In the first set of nine potential bye weeks, the Falcons, Bears, Packers, and Steelers play-makers are all out this week.

Sit: Jordan Mason Mason suits up early Sunday morning Start: Cam Skattebo against the second best run defense Although rookie QB Jaxon Dart in the league, the Cleveland Browns, poses a risk to Skabetto’s snap share who were able to hold Chase Brown given his rushing upside (10 carries, to 2 YPC, Josh Jacobs to 1.9 YPC, and 54 yards, touchdown), Malik Nabers’ Derrick Henry to 2.1 YPC . With both ACL injury will further prompt the teams adapting to new QBs, as well as

the Week 5 matchup having the lowest projected point total of the week at just 36.5, generating offense could prove to be a tall task for both sides.

The Vikings will be compelled to throw the ball against a less frightening Browns passing defense that ranks in the middle of the league for points given to opposing wide receivers, so look to avoid Mason this week in favor of more promising options.

Sit: AJ Brown Two weeks removed from a bounceback performance against the Rams, Brown heads into a grueling Week 5 matchup against the Denver Broncos.

Shadowed by Patrick Surtain II, the former NFL Defensive Player of the Year and PFF’s second ranked cornerback in advanced coverage grade, Brown has his work cut out for him on Sunday. On a team that already ranks

last in passing attempts and 31st in red in addition to where they would rank zone passing, Brown’s going to have a fantasy-wise compared to NFL talent tough time finding ways to contribute this week in a PPR format. in Sunday’s matchup.

TOP SCORER Start: Chris Olave Keenan Harris: (LB)/WR9 The Saints play the Giants in Week 22.1 Fantasy Points 5 in what will be a battle of up-and- 78 rushing yards, 23 yards on kickoff coming QBs. The Giants, who have return, 2 touchdowns allowed 101 points through the first four weeks, have a weak defense that is Tyler Kozminske: WR36 primed to allow productive numbers 9.9 Fantasy Points to the Saints. Olave, who’s not only 3 catches, 27 yards, 6 rushing yards, tied for the second most targets in the 36 yards on kickoff return NFL but also has a favorable matchup against any Giants cornerback, will Jordan Taylor: RB39 likely surpass his projections and 8.9 Fantasy Points finally start equating his high target 89 rushing yards share (13, 10, 14) to fantasy output.

SLUH Defense: D/ST12-Tied with Top SLUH Fantasy Scorers LAR & NYG SLUH’s top three fantasy football per- 7 points formers and defensive performance, 3 sacks, 12 points allowed

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Prep News

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October 3, 2025 AMDG

Volume 90, Issue 7

Cross Country makes statement at Palatine, shows depth of domination at Freeburg

BY Luke Hartwager and Tristan Kujawa Staff

T

he secret is out. This past Saturday, the St. Louis U. High cross country program took JV and Varsity team victories against nationally-ranked competition at the Palatine Meet of Champions, sending a message to the entire Midwest region. Meanwhile, just across the Mississippi River at the Freeburg Invitational, the program showcased its depth, with varsity taking third in its race and a V3 lineup posting a perfect score of 15 points and winning the JV race.

Palatine Since 2010, the program has competed at Palatine in the suburbs of Chicago.

Known for its 100-meter bottleneck start and small starting boxes, it creates a storm of chaos among the best in the Midwest. With the temperature in the upper 80’s last Saturday, it looked to be even crazier than years past.

As the sun beat down on the course, the gun was fired and the varsity was underway. All the Jr. Bills handled the chaotic start smoothly, finding themselves embedded in the front pack of the race. Leading for the Jr. Bills was, to no surprise, junior Jackson Miller, coming through the mile at 4:50 and finding himself in 18th with seniors Nick Ahlheim and Hendrix Fyvie right by him in 20th and 21st.

“I knew I’d have to get off the line quickly,” said Fyvie. “And while it wasn’t easy, I did, and I was able to find my teammates shortly into the race.”

Throughout the next two miles, Miller masterfully moved up in the pack and eventually finished the threemile course in fifth place with a time of 14:56. Miller’s strategic racing was a key factor in SLUH’s win and showcased a veteran approach to racing, running consistent splits.

Closely behind Miller was Fyvie running 15:21 (22nd) and sophomore Warnicke Beatty Jr. who, in his first time at Palatine, showcased grit and discipline, running 15:24 (28th). With all three athletes medaling, they cemented themselves in the history books as they

joined 12 of the program’s best athletes of the recent decade to medal in this meet.

“To get three medals in the race is pretty exciting,” said head coach Joe Porter, “and for one of them to be a sophomore that’s really solid. You know it’s just great to see that success with that very chaotic race.”

A short 10 seconds after Beatty came junior Ben Yoffie, running a season best 15:34 for 35th place. The last scorer for the Jr. Bills shocked the team as it was junior Nathan Khouri running 15:46 (51st). Khouri battled sickness in the days leading up to the race, and it continued during the race; Khouri coughed for much of the last two miles.

But he didn’t let it deter him.

“I prepared myself for a hard race,” said Khouri. “I had a sore throat, muscle aches, and a cough, but I kept reminding myself that I’ve got to finish strong. I knew I was the 5 guy towards the end so I did my best to push through because I knew I needed to fight for the team.”

The valiant varsity efforts won the day for the Jr. Bills, who scored 141 points to finish ahead of nationallyranked Plainfield North by 5 points and top Illinois team Plainfield South by 20 points. This is the program’s second varsity team championship, breaking an 11-year drought with this win that surprised Midwest teams. However, there is still work to be done for championship racing in November.

“Championship teams find ways to win when not everyone’s at their best,” said Porter. “To win a big meet like that is a big deal but we’ve got bigger and better races ahead of us so we’ve got to continue to get better.”

The JV race continued the story of dominance for the Jr. Bills. Seniors Jaden Elgin and Jake Fitzpatrick put pedal to the medal in the first mile, breaking away from the competition running 5:00. Following close behind was junior Joe Talleur (5:06) and senior Tristan Kujawa (5:07).

With all SLUH athletes in the top four, it looked like it was going to be an easy win. But challenging for the team victory was a strong pack of four from Plainfield North who quickly surrounded Talleur, Kujawa, and sophomores

Owen Williams and Jonah Ebenhoh throughout the next mile.

“That Plainfield North pack was probably leading at a mile and a half,” said Porter. “They had five guys with our three but after they caught us we had to reassess and reattack and that was very good.”

Despite the initial setback, SLUH was able to break up the Plainfield pack towards the end of the race to take the team victory. Leading the way was Elgin, running 15:59 for second place and passing out as he crossed the finish line.

“With about 800 to go, I knew I was going to have to go to war to finish,” said Elgin. “When I finished I truly had nothing left.”

Following Elgin was not Fitzpatrick but Williams. With an impressive last mile, he ran 16:07 (4th) and snagged a crisp 21-second personal record. Then came a trio, with Fitzpatrick (16:15, 6th), Kujawa (16:17, 8th) and Ebenhoh (16:18, 9th). These athletes pulled away from the 4 and 5 guys of Plainfield North allowing SLUH to easily take the win with 29 points and marking the first time ever that the program has won both the JV and varsity divisions at Palatine.

“I think we definitely put our name out on the scene,” said Porter. “But the old proverb says when you reach enlightenment you have to chop wood and carry water. So we really can’t settle on our laurels or we won’t have success later.”

Freeburg Last year’s wet conditions made the Freeburg Invitational a slow and grueling mud bath, but this year the dry conditions of the flat three-mile course brought SLUH cross country over 50 personal bests. The ten V3 racers set the tone for the day early in the varsity race, a tight pack of Jr. Bills together under 5:10 at the mile mark, led by juniors JP Wildermuth and Edmund Reske.

“This race came down to focusing on getting out in a good spot from the start,” said Wildermuth. “I knew I needed to finish in the top five in order to put our team in a position to finish up higher in the standings.”

As others began to drop off the

pace, Wildermuth continued to battle, exchanging leads with a pack of talented Illinois runners. Most runners’ third and final mile is their slowest, a desperate attempt to hold on for dear life. Wildermuth showcased he is not like most other runners, closing hard in a 5:12 last mile to finish the three-mile race in 15:39, a new personal best by over 30 seconds, and placing in the top five as he had hoped.

“I honestly didn’t know how fast I was running until after the race,” said Wildermuth. “It might have been the hardest effort I’ve ever given in a race.”

This dominant performance was followed by senior Preston Eash running 16:12 (18th), with senior Brayden Bussman crossing the line in 16:16.1 (20th) after a neck-and-neck battle to the line with Reske, who finished on his shoulder in 16:16.4 (21st). Finally, after a long break, senior Brady Vogt finished in 16:51 (26th) to round out the scoring five.

him were senior Titus Zeigler and junior Jack Powers. Looking to defend his JV title from 2024, Aidan Smith kept up the pace, dropping the rest of the field in the last mile and pushing hard all by himself to win the race for his second consecutive year. Next behind him finished junior Jack Powers (third) with a time of 17:26, beating his own personal best from freshman year by nearly a minute and a half and snagging him a varsity letter.

“People run their best when they just go for it,” said Hatch. “That’s exactly what Aidan and Jack did. The simplicity of running is just running against other people and I think they embodied that.”

To round out the scoring five was another close battle between senior Colton Eikermann (fourth) in 17:35, freshman Leo Wildermuth (fifth) in 17:36.0 and Zeigler (sixth) finishing in 17:36.3.

The talented JV field was no match for the depth of the Jr. Bills, who finished with a perfect score of 15 points

Senior Hendrix Fyvie in narrow Palatine downhill.

“Those guys raced very mature,” said assistant coach Charlie Hatch.

“They were very determined and disciplined and yeah they had control over what they were doing. So it’s very nice to see.”

Although the varsity runners were fast, the real display of dominance was in the JV race. The Jr. Bills took charge of the race immediately, sprinting out hard from the gun, never looking back.

At the mile mark, it was a wave of navy blue with senior Aidan Smith surging out in front in 5:21. A second behind

photo | Dave Ebenhoh

from the scoring five, alongside securing nine of the top ten places.

Looking Ahead For the second week in a row, the program splits: taking the top 10 to pursue further chaos and a team victory under the lights of LaVern Gibson Cross Country Course at the Nike Twilight Invitational. Meanwhile, the V2 looks to take home a varsity team victory at the Parkway West Dale Shepard Invitational with V2 kicking off their day at 9 a.m.

Athlete of the Week: Paddy Byrne

BY Jake Fitzpatrick and Lincoln Shorley Sports Editors

T

his week, the Prep News is highlighting Paddy Byrne, one of the best junior midfielders in the state of Missouri. In the team’s last four games, Byrne has been unstoppable, as he led SLUH this week with 3 goals and 3 assists.

Byrne was also one of four midfielders selected into this week’s St. Louis Best XI first team, a ranking done by the Soccer Dad Podcast.

Lincoln Shorley: Where does your love for soccer come from? When did you first start playing, and why?

Paddy Byrne: Like starting off, my parents just signed me up for Vetta, because my mom played soccer, and I had a coach named Zaza, and it just like took off from there. I just kept on playing, signed up for Gallagher, and I had a really good coach who taught me a lot of things that I know today and he pretty much made me who I am as a player.

Jake Fitzpatrick: Who’s a player, past or present, that you study or look up to when it comes to style

of play or mentality?

PB: I’ve always looked up to Messi.

As a kid, I’ve always wanted to be someone who’s really good like he is, and try to be the best player that I can be. Like Pep Guardiola said, the reason why he’s one of the best players is because he’s such a competitor, and that’s some something I always try to be.

LS: Do you have a pregame ritual or something you have to do before stepping onto the pitch?

PB: The biggest thing I do is listen to “Dark Horse” by Katy Perry every game. I have the same few songs that I play before every game, but playing “Dark Horse” by Katy Perry is the main one.

JF: As a midfielder, would you rather score a goal that seals a state championship, or make a defensive play that saves the game?

Byrne.

photo | Andrew Hammond

PB: I’d probably say scoring in a state championship. Look at the Cole Chambers glaze … that man got everything. I think that would be something like amazing. Like scoring a winning goal is already cool, but scoring a goal that wins it all sounds awesome.

erpool. I’ve always been a big fan LS: What inspires you the most as and whenever Liverpool loses, eva player—your teammates, family, erybody just trolls me because I’m or just the love of the game itself? really mad. I’ve always had a really big love for Liverpool.

PB: Playing soccer here at SLUH is way better than anywhere LS: How do you and your teamelse I’ve played, and I mates keep each other motivated feel like just playing during long seasons when the grind with a student sec- sets in and what’s the goal for the tion, playing for your rest of the year? school with all your friends is a big reason as to what keeps PB: Our goal is to be the best verme going. Soccer has made me so sion of ourselves. We haven’t lost happy throughout my life and I’ve since Springfield Glendale and we enjoyed the game more than I ever don’t want this to be the peak of our have playing for SLUH. season. We want to keep building that 1 percent every day, and that’s JF: If you could play for any college just how we compete. We just want or professional team in the world, to grow each other to become better, and become like Matthew Birch ’24, who was just a competitor. Bob has always tried to elevate the practice, saying be like Birch, be like a Jack Reh ’25, and just try to compete against one another. where would it be and why?

JF: If soccer allowed goal songs, PB: For college, I’d probably say what song would you choose to UNC. I’ve played as them in col- represent yourself? lege football every time I’ve played, and I’ve looked at their soccer fa- PB: I’m probably gonna have to cilities, and it’s insane how much stick to “Dark Horse,” because money they put into their facilities, it’s stuck with me for so long. I’ve and their jerseys are really cool. My played that before every game for pro team would definitely be Liv- like three or four years.

NEWS

October 3, 2025

Prep News Volume 90, Issue 7

AMDG

Underclassmen Athletics Briefs B-Team Soccer 09/29/25

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Soccer dominates in local and regional games, capture four wins

BY Lincoln Shorley, Drew Sharamitaro, and Ryan Simon Sports Editor, reporters

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However, the Jr. Bills’ dominant night would not be cut short. With just three minutes left, McCool launched a deep drop kick that bounced into the attacking third, was settled by senior Andrew Angeli, and sent to senior Nolan Wedbush, who took a few steps and drilled a low strike from the top of the box to seal a dominant 4-1 victory.

“When I scored my first goal, I kind of just felt satisfied,” said Wedbush. “It was great to see the ball in the back and the net and know that all the hard work of practice and all of the boys pushing me to truly be my best was paying off.”

fter advancing out of the group stage of the Champions League with a 3-2 win over Chaminade, the St. Louis U. High soccer team looked ahead to another heavy slate of games, highlighted by their trip to Kentucky to compete in the River Region Rumble hosted by McCracken County High School. The boys in blue stayed hot and maintained their seven-match unbeaten streak, posting four wins in just six days.

Reitz Memorial (Indiana) After a bus ride down filled with team St. Dominic Among Us games and a pregame meal The Jr. Bills took control in a convinc- at Fazoli’s, the Jr. Bills headed to their ing 4-1 victory over St. Dominic, build- first game against the Reitz Memorial ing momentum with chaotic sequences Tigers, who also captured the Indiana of events and endless chances through- state championship last year. While a out the match. highly intense back and forth battle was After a quiet opening stretch, SLUH expected, SLUH came out flying at the broke through with 15 minutes left in kickoff. the first half. Junior Javi Vigil battled But Memorial was able to string through defensive pressure on the side- some passes together, and even forced line, beating a center back to the ball SLUH junior goalkeeper Cole Chamand delivering a low-driven cross into bers into a tough near post save on the box after a perfectly-timed Hazard a great opportunity in the first half.

Step to keep the ball in play and send However, with some great off ball it into the box for a dangerous chance. movement from the entire team and St. Dominic’s goalkeeper dove to collect diagonal runs in behind the defense the cross but pushed it directly into the from senior James Barry, most of the path of junior Gabe Khazen, who slot- first half was played in and around the ted a composed finish into the bottom Memorial penalty box, and the Tigers corner for a 1-0 lead. were forced into just clearing balls out Just 30 seconds later, another of play to avoid SLUH running down chance nearly doubled the advantage their throats. when a long clearance dropped awkThe tenacity from the Bills was wardly to a St. Dominic defender, who making the Memorial players visibly whiffed on the ball and allowed Khazen upset with each other and their perto go one-on-one with the keeper. Un- formance. However, the goal wasn’t fortunately, his shot curled over the bar. coming, as Memorial’s goalie had deWith under a minute remaining in nied Vigil on a breakaway, and tipped the half, SLUH struck again on a rapid a missile from Barry just over the bar. counterattack. After carrying the ball But finally, near the end of the first half, past midfield, senior Connor Niles senior Barrett Urban served in a cross, sent a perfect through ball to Vigil, and following a Memorial mistake, Barwho timed his run past a flat-footed ry got a head on the ball and chipped it back line. With defenders trailing and over the goalie, and it trickled across the the keeper rushing out, Vigil slowed line for the 1-0 SLUH lead. his run and tapped the ball into the SLUH put its foot down on Mebottom corner to double the lead just morial to start the second half, and before halftime. continued to dominate possession, The Jr. Bills continued to control the switching fields with ease and creating

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Senior James Barry settling the ball before crossing it for an assist vs.

Collinsville. photo | Jack Auer feel of the game into the second half, and their efforts paid off in the 60th minute on a well-executed set piece.

Senior Brian Harrigan delivered a pinpoint free kick to the back post, where Khazen headed it into the middle of the box, looking for someone to finish the job. Junior Luke Schuman reacted first, racing onto the loose ball for a onetouch finish into the bottom corner to make it 3-0.

St. Dominic responded just a minute later, forcing a spectacular diving save from senior Brennan McCool and eventually breaking through with 11 minutes remaining on a long throwin that was headed into the net after a scramble in the box.

SLUH nearly added another goal to the comfortable 3-0 cushion when junior Teddy Cotton won a 50-50 challenge and slipped past the rushing keeper, only for his tight-angled shot at an empty net to be miraculously tipped wide to safety by the diving keeper.

some beautiful combinations in both the middle and final thirds. But goals were hard to come by yet again as the Memorial goalie did all he could to keep his team in it. On every SLUH set piece that was put in the box, he went and made an elite play on, and topped it off with a full stretch diving save to stop a Henry Sanders penalty from making the game 2-0.

Eventually though, Paddy Byrne found senior Alex Schoenekase on a curling through ball in behind, and just as everyone thought the ball was headed out of bounds, Schoenekase cleverly found Schuman with a back heel pass. Schuman then turned to find Urban flying into the box, and Urban buried the ball into the right side of the net for the 2-0 lead.

Just a few minutes later, Schuman pounced on a poor Memorial touch in their defensive third, and found Byrne at the top of the box, who shuffled around a defender and slotted the ball

into the bottom right corner for SLUH’s third of the game. The match finished 3-0, and the Bills feasted on some postgame Domino’s pizza following their performance.

“It was easily the best performance we had put in thus far this season. Everything we had been working on in possession and the final third came together, and the intensity and work rate were there for the whole game,” said head coach Bob O’Connell.

McCracken County Following a night out at the state fair where the boys enjoyed some Kentucky barbecue and heard their team song “Sweet Emotion” performed by the Corey Evitts band, they headed to

top left corner to make it 2-1 SLUH. While the intensity for the rest of the half still wasn’t at its highest for the Jr. Bills, it was certainly an improvement from the first half. The off ball movement was more active, and there were several interchanges between Andrew Chalmers at right back and Sanders in the midfield.

Once again, Chambers and the defense stayed strong, and slowly but surely the Bills wore McCracken down.

And like the day before, Byrne culminated his performance with his last touch on the field being a goal, smashing a deflected pass into the back of the net for the 3-1 lead.

As the bench came on to close the game, the Bills successfully defended a

Senior Nick Reh prior to scoring his first goal.

McCracken County High School to face off against the hosts in their second River Region Rumble game.

However, the Jr. Bills did not come out with the same first half fire, and struggled to keep the ball. Additionally, McCracken came out with some interesting tactics, as Barry was manmarked wherever he went on the field for the first 20 minutes of the game.

After a failed SLUH clearance off of a free kick, McCracken got on the end of the bouncing ball and smashed it past Chambers for the 1-0 lead.

Luckily, the deficit woke the Bills up, and they responded quickly. After a beautiful give and go with Urban, Niles slipped a through ball to senior Andrew Wolf, who put in a pinpoint cross to Vigil, who clipped the ball past the keeper to tie the game.

For the rest of the half, though, SLUH fell back into lackadaisical offensive form. While good chances were created, including a Vigil breakaway that was saved by the keeper and two Vigil left footed shots from outside the box that were put just wide, SLUH couldn’t find the second goal or maintain dominant possession. Luckily, the defense stayed strong following the goal given up, winning many balls out of the air.

“Despite more players playing in the back line this year, it still feels just as organized as last year when we had the same four guys playing almost all of the minutes. We play for each other and the work rate is super high as everyone wants to earn their minutes,” said senior defender and captain Carson Hall.

At halftime, the Jr. Bills had to flip the script. There were several first half plays where there was no effort to win the ball back after losing it, and the intensity and communication were both subpar for SLUH’s standards.

“The question will continue to be how can we get one percent better each game. But in that first half, we took several steps back as a team,” said O’Connell.

Luckily for the Jr. Bills, as the halftime talk wrapped up, “Sweet Emotion” came on over the McCracken speakers, and the SLUH spirits took a stark jump in excitement.

“I think it was just what we needed to come out and play a better second half,” said Hall.

And he was right because just three minutes into the second half, Wolf buried a ball from Byrne into the

photo | Jack Auer

free kick, and had a nice build up where the ball found senior Brian Harrigan’s feet. The midfielder looked up and played a perfect through ball through two lines of McCracken defense for Schoenekase to run onto. The striker cut inside and whipped the ball into the top corner for a banger to close out the 4-1 SLUH victory.

Collinsville This Tuesday, the Jr. Bills destroyed the Collinsville Kahoks 8-0 in their first match of the Jr. Billiken Classic, a tournament that has been won by the Jr. Bills the last five years.

The Jr. Bills dominated possession from the start but were unable to get anything going offensively. Despite these struggles, the Jr. Bills continued to pressure leading to a goal by Urban after a rebound off of his own shot, which hit the crossbar, where he gave it one touch to finish it off.

As the half came to a close, Vigil took a pass from sophomore Noah Medina, dribbled across the top of the box, and put it around a Kahoks defender and the goaltender to put the Jr. Bills up 2-0 at the end of the half.

In the second half, the dominance continued as just two minutes in, Khazen scored the Jr. Bills third goal after an excellent cross by Barry.

As the half continued, the Jr. Bills starters continued to dominate the Collinsville defenders as Khazen and Byrne each scored with 30 minutes still remaining in the half with a 5-0 SLUH lead.

As the game dwindled to a close, Schuman found the net alongside seniors Nick Reh and Tommy Guntli who each scored their first goals for the varsity team, as the game ended in a 8-0 mercy rule finish, in a game completely dominated by SLUH. “It felt amazing to finally score my first goal for the team,” said Guntli. “It felt like the accumulation of all our efforts finally came together at the end of the game and I hope to make impacts like that down the stretch by just leaving it all on the field for the team, and just continuing to work hard.”

Looking Ahead Tomorrow, the Jr. Bills take on O’Fallon Township in their final game of the Jr. Billiken Classic as they hope to claim victory once again. Then, the Jr. Bills take on the MICDS rams next Thursday at 6:30 at 4970 Oakland Ave.

8

EGG-STATIC

Prep News

October 3, 2025

Volume 90, Issue 7

AMDG

PN CROSSWORD: Ordered Pairs DOWN 1. Classic poodle name 2. Online chuckles 3. Indigo dye source 4. Spanish appetizers 5. Lubricate 6. Book after Joel 7. Descends using a doubled rope 8. Former Honda sports model 9. “Televison for Women” channel abbr.

10. Green prefix 11. One of the four elements 12. Abe Lincoln’s son 15. Apt anagram of “note” 17. F, G, A, Bb, C, D, and E (abbr.)

21. “ur the 1 4 me” 23. Cartoon skunk Pepe 25. Vicki _____, Batman’s Lois Lane 26. God, in 19-Across 27. _____ to Evers to Chance, famous double play combo 28. Cyclops feature 29. Braking rockets

30. Attacks from all sides 31. Two dots above a vowel 32. Mendeleev of the periodic table 34. Typical paper size (abbr.)

37. With 57-Down, shout after a prank 39. One battery terminal 41. Sheet of glass 42. _____ Lanka 44. Sat down heavily 47. Pig’s home 48. Formerly, formerly 51. Not us 53. Part of justice and mercy 55. Falsetto-voiced Muppet 57. See 37-Down 58. Jason’s ship 59. Pollution portmanteau 60. Incidentally, in textspeak 61. Baseball scoreboard letters 62. Brit. reference work 63. Band job 64. Utilize 66. Speaker cable letters

Last Week’s Answers

Crossword | Paul Baudendistel | criticisms, compliments, and ideas welcome at pbaudendistel@sluh.org

ACROSS 1. *No longer bubbly 5. Boat blade 8. *Nautical line holder 13. College in New Rochelle, NY 14. What Jesus calls his mother in “The Chosen” 15. SLUH Registrar Schuler 16. *Waffle 18. *Second-oldest university 19. Religion of 26-Down 20. Rotate 22. Nickname for a guy or Gal 24. *Stairs alternative

30. Pal 33. *Partner of butter or peanut butter 35. Flared dress style 36. Hermione actress 38. Basketball stat 39. Like a swish, in basketball 40. *Someone walking on ice 42. *Burglar 43. Consume sashimi 44. Paid player 45. Greeting portmanteau 46. Shroud city 47. *Avoid a tag 49. Hi-_____ image

50. *Short dagger 52. Hosp. areas 54. Promote excessively 56. Living room furniture 60. *Irish accent 65. *Declared policy 67. Belief in God 68. Ostrichlike bird 69. “For here” alternative 70. *Golf club 71. Expose online 72. *Drain problem

Mental Health Minute The beauty of starting over

W

hen Harry McGuire stood up in front of the whole student body and shared that he had begun a meditation practice, I was so happy for him, as I am an early practitioner, too, and I have found great benefits from my discipline.

One of the great lessons that any novice meditation student will learn is this: We humans have brains that jump around all the time. While

the goal is certainly to clear one’s mind and focus on a single object (perhaps our breath), perfect focus is never attainable.

stink at this…I must be the worst meditator ever” versus “Oh, I see my mind has wandered…let me get started again.”

Another truly beautiful aspect of meditation is that there should never be any shame when we lose focus. Instead of self-criticism when our mind wanders (as it inevitably will), the trick is simply to “catch it” and then gently return to focus. It’s a vastly different thing to say to oneself “I

The applications of a meditation practice to other aspects of our lives can be a real blessing (maybe that’s why I was so excited for Harry).

How often in life do we beat ourselves up ferociously when we make a mistake? How often do

we pummel ourselves with selfcriticism when we take too long to learn something, or when we drop a pass, or when we flub a line?

X-Word Winner

Wouldn’t it be lovely if we could just say: “Oh, let me start again.”

Be kind to yourself SLUH! You’re perfectly human!

Sincerely, The School Counselors

Congradulations to senior Wesley Balsamo for winning this week’s crossword puzzle!

SLUH lawyers advise against Amira’s annual visit home to Egypt (continued from page 1) “I think all the time about, what if (my mother) passed away when I’m away,” said Amira. “To be honest, I know this could happen any time, it doesn’t have to be in the summer. Or I could pass away first. These are just godly things that we don’t know about.

But it just seems that the stakes are higher now, that if I don’t see her for a longer time, that this might happen, and this is what really saddens me the most.”

In the midst of this uncertainty, SLUH has continued to offer support to Amira in his process towards citizenship. It was SLUH who helped to petition for Amira’s H1B Visa in 2023, and they are assisting in the process towards his green card and eventual citizen-

ship.

“It is really important to me that everybody that’s here knows you belong here and you’re part of our community,” said Stewart.

“The Jesuit language is cura personalis. It’s caring for a person in our building who, through no fault of his own, is put in this very difficult position and has no choice in the matter. Having that control taken from you can be really difficult and challenging, and to say, ‘we don’t like this either’ is helpful.”

Many can interpret this situation as a tangible challenge of SLUH to embody Catholic Social Teaching, which affirms that all people have inherent dignity regardless of nationality and that calls for an approach to immigra-

tion that puts compassion at the center.

“I think it’s exactly where the rubber meets the road. We don’t have these teachings because they’re easy or we never have to use them. When we get to a hard

Instead of conflict and trying to dominate each other, why not understand each other?”

-Mohamed Amira thing, (Catholic Social Teaching) helps us know how to respond,” said Stewart. “The first principle

of Catholic Social Teaching is human dignity. You don’t get dignity because of where you were born, what nationality you are, what language you speak, or what kind of visa you have. You have dignity because you were created in the image and likeness of God.” Amira has had a wide impact as a member of the community. As the moderator of the Arabic Language and Culture club and a leading expert in language learning on faculty, Amira fills a very specific niche at SLUH. As the only muslim teacher at SLUH, Amira also provides a dimension to religious learning, speaking in the past to sections of senior World Religions classes about his faith.

“The people that I see here are considering me a community

member, and I consider myself a community member as SLUH,” said Amira. “So this is one thing, being men for others, and standing up for other members (of the community), regardless of if I have talent or not.”

“Instead of conflict and trying to dominate each other, why not understand each other?” said Amira. “Language and culture is one big factor in this, in global citizenship. Some people think patriotism and loving my country necessarily means that I’m against the rest of the world, but it’s not.

You can love your country. You can stand up for your country, for your city, for your home, and also be friends with the different nations of the world.”