PN 74-15

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Inside...

News

“If nothing else, value the truth” Volume LXXIV

-Ugandan physics teacher arrives, pg.2

-Basketball in Coaches vs. Cancer classic, pg. 2

Opinion

Sports

-Perspective on the last decade, p. 3

-Basketball wins MICDS tournament, pg. 5

St. Louis University High School, TUESDAY, JANUARY 12, 2010

Issue 15

Junior White House retreat cancelled Third cancelled at White House in two years

Conor Gearin Core Staff or the first time in five years, St. Louis U. High Campus Ministry cancelled the January junior White House retreat due to a lack of student interest.

However, the cancellation follows a recent trend; last year, two of the four scheduled junior White House retreats were cancelled.

This cancellation means that only one junior White House retreat has taken place this year. The other junior retreat program, the student-led Kairos, still has 12 to 15 open spots for its second retreat in April. Student Council (STUCO) and Campus Ministry are reevaluating their approaches to publicizing the retreat programs, especially White

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House.

According to Campus Ministry team member Brian Gilmore, the second White House retreat of the year was cancelled because, after the retreat in November, only one student signed up for the January date.

Despite the recent drop in participation, Gilmore said that the White House retreats have been a long-standing tradition for juniors at SLUH. “(White House) is an awesome retreat.

It’s one of the oldest things we’ve done around here. SLUH guys have been going there for years and years and years,” Gilmore said.

The three-day retreats take place at White House Retreat Center, a Jesuit retreat

Our Lady of the Snow

photo by Ted Wight

house in south St. Louis County along the Mississippi River.

“I thought they were tremendous retreats,” said English teacher James Raterman, who has helped lead many White House retreats in his 37 years at SLUH. He said that he looked forward to participating in the retreats, and believed that “a lot of students benefitted from them.”

“It’s a beautiful facility,” Gilmore said.

“It’s probably the coolest setting any of our retreats are in, so there’s a lot going for (White House). We need to figure out how to get people excited about it.”

“At first we thought it was a money kind of thing,” said Junior Class Pastoral Officer Phil Nahlik. The retreats cost students $100

see WHITE HOUSE, 8

Llanos, Meyer win Model of Justice Award Nathan Rubbelke Reporter t. Louis U. High seniors Andrew Meyer and Luis Llanos were announced as the winners of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Model of Justice Award right before they departed for Christmas break. The award, established by the Archdiocese of St. Louis, recognizes students from the archdiocese for their commitment to social service.

Meyer was nominated by the youth minister of his parish, who felt that Meyer was worthy of the award. At SLUH, Meyer

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The statue of Mary surrounded by 2 to 4 inches of snow after Thursday’s snow. The coldest teperatures in a decade and timely snow forced the cancellation of classes Thursday.

see MODEL OF JUSTICE, 9

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News Ugandan teacher visits ju- Basketball in Coaches vs. nior physics classes Cancer classic January 12, 2010

Volume 74, Issue 15

Eric Mueth heading to the United States. While in his Staff fourth year teaching physics at St. Joseph’s oarding an airplane for the first time, College in Gulu, Uganda, a government Ugandan physics exchange teacher sponsored boarding school of 1200 boys, Oryema interviewed for the Odong Robert Oryema headed opportunity and was one of to the United States and St. six chosen.

Louis U. High—his first time “It was amazing. I could away from Africa. Landing in not believe something like America brought more firsts this could happen,” Oryema for Oryema, such as ice skatsaid. ing and seeing the Broadway On the other side of the musical Memphis while in exchange, SLUH alumnus New York City.

John McGee provided the op Oryema has come to the portunity for SLUH. McGee United States through the orhad spent three summers in ganization Invisible Children, Uganda and, upon hearing which began a teacher exchange program in 2007 by sending Physics techer Robert Oryema about this program, urged SLUH to apply. He notified American teachers to Uganda to team-teach with native teachers. After all SLUH physics teachers; Eric LaBoube three years, Invisible Children decided to was the only to apply, in October. let Ugandan teachers return the favor by see ORYEMA, 9

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photo by Ted Wight

Table Tennis Club serves annual Christmas tourney Drew Dziedzic Reporter able tennis stars from the St. Louis U. High community gathered in the Commons early in the morning on Monday, Dec. 21, to compete in the sixth-annual SLUH Table Tennis Tournament. To participate, students paid a $5 entrance fee. Over 30 students, one of the highest numbers ever in the tournament’s history, entered this year.

“We had a good number of kids,” said senior Andrew LaFaver, organizer of the tournament. “The tournament itself ran pretty smoothly with the bracket being put together easily.”

In the morning, the participants were divided among six tables, where they played each other in a round-robin tournament to receive a ranking for the afternoon’s playoffs. Each table was encouraged to play both singles and doubles in order to have as much play time as possible.

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Following the morning activities, all competitors ate barbequed hot dogs, bratwurst, and pulled pork cooked by Spanish

see TT TOURNEY, 8 photo by mr. matt sciuto

Sophomore Dan Tlapek returns a shot in the Christmas table tennis tournament.

Jack Witthaus Reporter yearly collegiate basketball tradition since 1993, the Coaches vs. Cancer basketball games have raised 50 million for cancer research and for families affected by cancer, according to www.cancer. org. Now, the event is in the high school basketball mainstream and is storming into the Chaifetz Arena along with former Missouri basketball coach and founder of Coaches vs. Cancer Norm Stewart on Saturday from 10 a.m. until 7:30 p.m.

The seven games of the tournament will feature 14 teams from Missouri, Illinois, Alabama, and Tennessee.

At 4:30 p.m., the St. Louis U. High Jr. Bills (10-4) will square up against the Glenbrook North High School Spartans (11-2) in a game that SLUH head coach John Ross described as a “big time deal.” Glenbrook North is the No. 17 team in Illinois, according to Ross.

“It’s pretty exciting,” senior captain Tim Cooney said. “I have heard a lot about their players, but we will try to shut them down.”

The team features small forward Alex Dragicevich, who has committed to the University of Notre Dame.

The highlighted game of the event has Missouri’s third-ranked Hazelwood Central (9-1) taking on Tennessee’s first-ranked Memphis Melrose (16-0). Game time is 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are $7 and can be purchased through Ross or Athletic Director Dick Wehner. Tickets will be sold today after school. All seven games can be viewed with the purchase of one ticket, and all proceeds will benefit cancer research and families of those with cancer.

“It’s a good cause,” said Ross. “It not only raises money for cancer, but it also raises awareness.”

SLUH’s next charity basketball game, the annual Think Pink game, will be Friday against Lafayette. Game time is 7:00 p.m. in the Danis Field House.

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January 12, 2010

Opinion

Reflection

Volume 74, Issue 15

3

A look back and forward from 2010

Nick Fandos Features Editor ere we are: January 2010. We made it. Half of the school year is gone, and, more notably, another decade has passed, taking the uneasiness of a new millennium with it.

But the decade did not slip off the stage without due notice. The end of 2009 saw a flurry of reflections on the last ten years. Every major media outlet offered its two cents about what the decade will be remembered for. Most recalled fears of Y2K that ushered in the new millennium ten years ago, and almost everyone remembered September 11, 2001, when America was attacked on her own soil and terrorism became real. Most attempts to summarize the 2000s made sure to include the ensuing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that continue to reach new benchmarks of brutality. And of course the “Great Recession” topped everyone’s list, with hurricanes and natural disasters closely behind.

Aside from the political benchmarks of the last decade, technology and the great advances of that field were the stories that most evaluations included as “life-altering.” The rise of personal computers, cell phones, iPods, GPS, and social networking websites took the place of newspapers, network television, and good old-fashioned CD players that defined the previous decades. The way we communicate was radically changed in the last ten years, though for most of our generation these changes were simply taken in stride and seem perfectly natural.

I spent a lot of time during Christmas break reading these attempts to remember a decade that’s impact is yet to be determined.

I read as most media types struggled to name the decade, often debating what its impact will really be. But as I read I noticed a pretty clear trend. As much as I read about and remembered these benchmark events from the last decade, or of the developments that were supposed to have altered our lives irreversibly, I realized that these aren’t the things that stand out to me or my generation from the last ten years at all.

I was six years old in 2000. I remember parts of New Year’s Eve that year quite vividly: my parents’ friends George and Sue setting up a Disco ball and karaoke machine in our front hall and showing off their hot new car, the PT Cruiser. But most of the night I can’t remember because I was six when the decade came around, and memories at that age are spotty. I am sixteen as it leaves, and a lot of life has happened between those two very different shining balls that bookend the 2000s—one spinning in my front hall as we welcomed the new decade and a much larger one in Times Square just a few days ago as we ushered it out.

I have heard people who lived through the Great Depression say that life didn’t seem that abnormal to them even when the world’s economy was in the direst of conditions. I never knew what to make of this seemingly contradictory perspective, but now I suppose that’s how I feel about the 2000s. In many respects, what was seen as revolutionary or horrific seemed to take the back seat to the rest of my life.

During the same years that the World Trade Center was attacked, wars raged in the Middle East, technology revolutionized the way

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we live, the economy tanked twice, and we realized our planet’s climate is in peril, my life went on. I learned to ride a bike and then to drive a car. I rose through the class levels at one school, graduated and moved onto another. I made friends and experienced death for the first time. I began to sit with the adults at family dinners and realized Christmas wasn’t all about gifts. I read funny books and cried at powerful films. I learned a lot. I don’t mean to delegitimize the significance of war and death, but for a boy coming of age, my concerns were elsewhere.

This experience is pretty typical for my age group. Adults tend to focus more on what are seen as significant public events, and childhood lends itself to largely personal recognition. Adolescence is the narrow gap where we can straddle both our own personal worlds and the public one we will soon enter. It is the singular place in time where we can recognize and begin to realize the full extent of a conflicted world ahead without entering it, while still emphasizing the significance of our personal one behind.

The view is by no means a pretty one. We were reminded as recently as Christmas Day that the threats to our safety and well being are still very real. Overall, there seems to be a consensus that the last decade was a pretty miserable one. At the decade’s onset, the nation was politically and economically stable, if not prosperous. Things are very different at we enter the 2010s and people are largely unsure when this turmoil will end. But if we are to combat these clear threats and hope for better days to come, we must take full advantage of the lessons we have learned on our own and by watching our parents’ generation. This is not an easy task.

New technology could foster clearer communication in an era marred by misunderstanding, but it could also lead to a breakdown in our will to reach out. Awareness of our world’s climate troubles could allow us to reduce and conserve and bring about a much cleaner planet, though we could ignore the threat of climate change just as easily. Recognition that our economy is in shambles, and that greediness is the main cause could inspire us to recognize that we don’t need it all to lead happy, comfortable lives. But greed is very tempting, and like generations before us, we may fall into the same economic traps of boom and bust.

In short, we have been given an opportunity at a pretty critical time to alter the mounting problems we will surely face in the decades to come. But if we forget what we’ve learned in our own personal as well as public experience, we will be bound to the same mistakes of our forerunners. I guess that’s the beauty of adolescence.

Though we are beginning to realize these things, they are not yet entrenched in our reality, and we still have a huge opportunity to grow. We don’t have to know exactly what the 2000s meant yet, but we will be twenty something when this decade ends—out of school and firmly entrenched in the larger world. Looking back now, in 2010, can only work to guide that growth where we will need it most if we are to be prepared for our shot at better decades ahead.

Come hither masses! Join the ranks of the U. High’s proudest tradition. Enrolling now.

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Sports Bills bring home MICDS championship

January 12, 2010

Volume 74, Issue 15

Nate Heagney Reporter

he St. Louis U. High basketball team (10-4, 0-3 Metro Catholic Conference) experienced a busy Christmas break, including a first-place finish in the MICDS Christmas Tournament. Returning from break, the team lost an emotional game in front of a packed Danis Field House against No. 3 ranked Chaminade.

The Christmas vacation started off on the wrong foot for the Rossbills as they lost to MCC rival Vianney. In the game, SLUH fell behind early and, despite a rally by the players off the bench, SLUH lost 63-50.

Mired in a two-game slump, the Jr. Bills saw the MICDS Tournament as a chance to right the ship and help the team reach its potential. In the opening round against Westminster, No. 3 seed SLUH certainly looked like a team to be reckoned with as they easily dispatched the Wildcats, 66-47, to advance to the second round.

PHOTO BY TED WIGHT

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Michael Mayberger shoots the ball past Giovanni Ferrarra (33) in Monday’s 56-49 loss to Chaminade.

There, they met a tough foe in the Eagles of Brentwood. SLUH jumped out to an early 24-11 lead after huge dunks from junior Mo “The Show” Oginni and senior Andrew Ostapowicz. But the scrappy Brentwood squad battled back by taking advantage of SLUH’s turnovers and hitting shots. Brentwood held a 58-50 advantage heading into the fourth quarter.

Conversation of

the

But the Jr. Bills started forcing turnovers to chip away at the deficit. Scott Milles hit two big threes and the Jr. Bills tied the game at 65. It was a back-and-forth game from there until a layup from senior Jake Fechter put SLUH ahead to stay.

Senior Tim Cooney and senior Mike Mayberger iced the game with some clutch free throws down the stretch. The final score was 77-76 in a thrilling game.

Next, the CruzHeartsMillesbills took on the No. 2 seed Whitfield and their star forward, Julian Johnson. Both teams came out aggressively, with SLUH getting several buckets off of tenacious offensive rebounds.

Meanwhile, Whitfield’s sole means of scoring seemed to be Johnson’s driving to the basket, using his size and quickness to get past SLUH defenders. The Jr. Bills seemed to play with a toughness that had been lacking earlier in the season and managed to take a

Week

see BASKETBALL, 7

Three-season athlete Mitch Klug

Nate Heagney Reporter talked to sophomore Mitch Klug this week about his experiences with sports so far at SLUH and his plans for future athletic endeavors. Klug is a three-sport athlete who plays varsity football and baseball as well as JV basketball. He was recently named a first-team all-MCC receiver in football and is a promising part of SLUH’s athletic future.

Nate Heagney: So Mitch, it must be hard to balance playing three sports and still do well in school.

Mitch Klug: Yeah, at the beginning of freshman year it was a really tough transitioning into it, but I’ve kind of gotten it down now.

I just have to find time to do homework during school.

NH: Do you sometimes wish you played just one or two sports, allowing you to focus more on those sports?

MK: I definitely think that if I put all my time and focus into one sport I could do better. Or maybe if I just played two sports I could do better.

NH: I know it’s a little early, but do you have

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any plans for athletics after SLUH? MK: My goal is to play sports in college, and if I focus hard enough I think I can.

NH: Most people don’t have to worry about this question, but which sport would you play in college? You’ve had such success at all of them.

MK: I really want to play baseball, but I had a lot of fun playing football over the past year and that has gotten me to consider football a lot more. I’d like to play both if I had the chance.

NH: What were your thoughts when you found out you were first team All-MCC. Surprised?

MK: I was kind of surprised. I thought I had a chance at maybe first, second, or honorable mention, but when I found out I was pretty excited.

NH: Was it tough being one of the few underclassmen on those varsity teams? How did the upperclassmen treat you?

MK: Freshman year with baseball, after I met the players, we became friends, and they were really nice. Then, going into football, I knew a lot of the guys on the team and they were really nice and never gave me

any trouble.

NH: Last year, there were four other freshmen who played varsity baseball, and this year several sophomores played varsity football.

Did that make the transition easier?

MK: Yeah, definitely. I think if I had been the only freshman or sophomore on the team, it would’ve been fine, but it definitely helps to have kids your age who you can hang out with.

NH: Have you had to deal with any of the recruiting process yet? Have any schools contacted you?

MK: For baseball I have been invited to a few showcase camps and later in January I’ll be attending a camp with Purdue and Louisville.

NH: What do you think your best sport is?

MK: Baseball, but with the amount of work I’ve put in, football is catching up.

NH: So, you’ve been pretty successful during your athletic career at SLUH. Are you going to head to the soccer field next and show your skills there?

MK: (laughs) No, I think narrowing it down to one or two sports is next and then maybe a little indoor soccer.

Sports Wrestling struggles in holiday Spartan

January 12, 2010

Volume 74, Issue 15

5

Mike Lumetta Core Staff he St. Louis U. High wrestling team competed in the marathon tournament of its season, the Spartan Tournament at DeSmet. The Jr. Bills placed 11th in the 16-team tournament with 226 points, 452 behind champion Lafayette.

The Spartan kicked off Tuesday, Dec. 29 with the pool-play round. The GoCrazybills, who were in one of the two pools at DeSmet, dropped a 29-27 dual to Hazelwood Central and a 71-3 dual to Lafayette before pulling out a 45-24 win over Ladue. Junior Espen Conley (145 lbs.) won a No. 1 seed for the next round, a single-elimination bracket between the two pools at DeSmet.

The single-elimination bracket whittled down the eight wrestlers to four who would advance to the championship bracket with the top four from the other site at Westminster.

Sophomores Connor Edler (119) and Joe Mungenast (160) and senior Alex Myers (285) all dropped first-round matches, knocking them out of the tournament. First-round victories guaranteed the seven other Jr. Bills

a spot in the championship bracket, as they all ended up in a first- or third-seed match in qualifying.

All three SLUH wrestlers who advanced to the first-seed match in the qualifying bracket on Wednesday faced off against Lafayette wrestlers for the second time. At 140, senior Andrew Danter lost his rematch against Kyle Black, who blocked most of Danter’s shots and turned them into takedowns for the 11-4 victory. Conley, who had decisioned Vince Farinella in the first round, gave up more shots and lost for the first time this year by a score of 11-8. Lafayette’s Andy Early worked turns aggressively against senior Peter Everson (171) to record a 17-2 tech-fall. The SLUH wrestlers went into the championship brackets as No. 2 seeds.

Conley attributed the loss to Farinella’s aggressive mentality. “When you don’t take shots, you lose,” he said. “I didn’t press it like I should have.”

With the exception of the three No. 2 seeds, SLUH suffered through a difficult first round of the double-elimination championship bracket. Danter, Conley, and Everson

coasted to easy wins, but four other wrestlers fell, three by pin, and got knocked into the wrestleback bracket.

The wrestlers who lost in the first round rebounded in the first round of wrestlebacks.

Sophomore Nick Danter (125) faced Matt Estrada of Zumwalt South and scored a combination of takedowns and back points for a 12-3 win. Senior David Lopez (152) pinned Westminster’s Drew Wackerle, and senior Joel Geders (189) won 5-2 with a highcrotch single and a turk for nearfall. Junior Brian Gass (215) finished the round off with a pin of Lindbergh’s Jesse Maness.

In the semifinal, Andrew Danter squared off with Lindbergh’s Michael Slyman. The match started with both wrestlers executing good defense, but eventually Slyman snapped Danter down for the takedown and rode him out through the first period. Slyman kept Danter down with his toughness on top and secured the 5-0 victory with another snapdown in the third period.

Conley earned a third and deciding match against Farinella in the final with a

Sam Bufe Reporter he varsity hockey team went 4-1-1 over Christmas break, improving its record to 9-3-2 for the season.

In their first game, SLUH beat Lafayette 3-2 with goals by freshman Remy Hoffmann, senior Greg Place, and junior Ryan Reding, respectively.

In the next game, the SLUH hockey fans packed into Affton Ice Arena as the Jr. Bills faced off with rival CBC. Earlier in the season, SLUH had defeated the heavily-favored Cadets 2-1. But this time, CBC did exactly

that to SLUH. Although the Jr. Bills came away with a loss, they still played well.

With five goals over Christmas break, one of SLUH’s hottest scorers, sophomore Dan Warnecke, voiced the opinions of many of his comrades, saying, “The team only decides to show up for three periods when we play CB(C).”

One of the guys who tends to step up in big games is junior goalie Justin Ragland.

Ragland said, “We all are ready to go against CBC. Everyone’s got to step up like men, not boys.”

But after a good effort against CBC,

the faithful SLUH fans were let down with a disappointing 3-3 tie against Marquette, a team that SLUH should have beaten. Once again, the theme of the Jr. Bills not playing to their fullest potential occurred. As junior defenseman Pat Judge said, “The team didn’t play as good as we could have. It should have been a win.”

But from there, SLUH bounced back in their next three games. First they gave Vianney, who beat the U. High in their last meeting on a devastating last-second goal, a 5-1 lashing that included a hat trick from

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Hockey improves to 9-3-2 over break

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see TWO!, 7

see HOCKEY, 6

JV Sports Updates JV Wrestling Last meet: Vianney Tournament, 6th place Key wrestler: Sophomore Sean Rammaha Next meet: vs. Chaminade 1/21

JV Hockey Record: 9-2 Last game: 2-1 loss vs. Kirkwood Key player: Sophomore Nick Breunig Next game: vs. Webster 1/17

B Basketball Record: 12-1 Last game: 48-45 loss vs. CBC Key player: Sophomore Matt Clark Next game: vs. Lafayette 1/15 -Compiled by Adam Cruz, Zach Everson, and Daniel Schmitt

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Sports Racquetball rules over the Red Devils

January 12, 2010

Volume 74, Issue 15

Brendan Giljum Reporter he Jr. Bill racquetball team continued its season Tuesday against the Chaminade Red Devils after a long winter break that included an extremely entertaining and highly-attended alumni tournament won by alumnus Joe Sharamitaro.

Head coach Joe Koestner placed a handicap on his team in its match against Chaminade, only allowing serves to the forehand of the opposition. Even with this deficit, the match against the Red Army was over from the get-go as the WeWantStatebills completely dismantled their opponents, sweeping them 7-0 with three of their seven points coming from forfeit victories and improving their record to 5-1 on the season.

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HOCKEY

(from 5) Warnecke.

In the next game, SLUH beat Priory 3-1despite not playing their best. Freshman Chase Berger, who was recently featured in a St. Louis Sports magazine and scored the game’s best goal, said that he was “disappointed at how close the game was.”

SLUH’s final game of the break was a big 2-0 win at Kirkwood’s home pond.

The Jr. Bills played well, and the team was generally content with its play.

Berger said of the game, “We battled through missing some key players and came out of it with a win, thanks to scoring phenom, Kurt Eisele.”

Later, junior defenseman Jackson Hoffmann did his best to sum up the team’s play over the break: “We’re a really good team with potential to go far. But we just don’t play like it all the time.”

First up for the Senior“Serve”icebills was senior No. 1 seed Mark Kissel, who may have set a record for fastest match ever, stifling his opponent Chris Matteo and winning 15-0,15-3 in a little over twenty minutes.

Senior No. 3 seed Matt Hencken also kept the fire alive by wrapping up his match with an impressive 15-1,15-5 victory over Jack Schmitt.

Coming in at the No. 4 spot was senior Joe Ebel, who did not have his best stuff but yet still dominated his foe Andy Koeger by the same score as Hencken, 15-1,15-5.

“He played down to his opponent’s level and was still significantly better,” said junior doubles player Nick Schmidt.

Last up for the Jr. Bills was senior No. 2 seed Brendan Giljum, who, like the rest of

his team, controlled almost every aspect of the game and rolled to a 15-2, 15-4 victory over Red Devil Louie Howe.

Junior Joe Murray and senior Pete Harris at the No. 5 and No. 6 seeds had forfeit wins along with Schmidt and senior Michael Meyer at doubles. However, Team Schmeyer played an exhibition match against Tony Loyet and Matteo of Chaminade and won 15-13, 15-9.

The HomeStretchbills’ next game is a crucial one against the DeSmet Spartans on Thursday, Jan. 14 at Vetta Concord at 3:30 p.m. DeSmet and SLUH are currently tied for first place in the league so the winner of this game may determine the winner of the league.

Dinner and Silent Auction

at Gio’s Ristorante & Bar 701 Market St., Ste 100 www.giosdowntown.com

Proceeds to fund the educational needs of Geoff and Charlie Behr, sons of Joe Behr.

February 6, 2010 Open Bar 6:00 p.m.

Dinner 7:00 p.m. $60 per person

For questions, please contact Bob and Ellen Stretch, (314) 845-0269

CARTOON BY ROBERT LUX

C Sports Updates

C Wrestling Record: 3-2 Last meet: win vs. Kirkwood Key wrestler: Jack Flotte Next meet: Fox Tournament 1/16

C (Blue) Basketball Record: 3-3 Last game: 26-23 win vs. DeSmet

Key player: Anthony Heumann Next game: at Riverview Gardens 1/21

C (White) Basketball Record: 9-0 Last game: 35-34 win vs. DeSmet Key player: Matt Clohisy, 9 pts.

Next game: Chaminade Tournament 1/15

C Hockey Record: 3-5-2 Last game: 3-0 loss vs. Eureka Key player: Drew Brunts Next game: vs. St. Charles West 1/17 -Compiled by Adam Cruz, Cole Tarlas, Matt Binz, Michael Simon

January 12, 2010

Sports

Basketball

(from 4) 33-28 lead into half.

The third quarter was marked by physical play on both sides. SLUH executed their offense very well but could not stop Johnson and the game remained tight. The Jr. Bills fell behind, but then six straight Mayberger points gave SLUH back the lead. Whitfield whittled it back down, but Milles hit a halfcourt jumper to put SLUH up 50-45 with one quarter left to play.

For the second straight game, the fourth quarter belonged to SLUH. Sparked by their tough defense, the Jr. Bills created fast-break opportunities that led to easy baskets and stretched their lead to double digits, then held on for the 75-65 victory. Cooney led the team with 18 points and Mayberger added 14 to pace the Jr. Bills, who managed to overcome Johnson’s 39 points.

“Personally, him scoring 39, I don’t really care. He could score 100 points, but if we win I don’t really care,” said Mayberger.

The win set the Jr. Billikens up for a championship matchup with defending tournament champion Jennings. Jennings

TWO!

(from 5) 19-11 major decision over a Zumwalt South opponent in the semifinal. He returned to work on takedowns in preparation for the final, hitting singles, doubles, and snapdowns in the victory.

SLUH did not fare so well in the second round of wrestlebacks, as Nick Danter, Lopez, and Geders all lost. Andrew Danter, however, would advance to the third-place match with a 6-2 win over Parkway North’s Phil Carter. Danter hit a low single and peaked out behind for the go-ahead takedown in the match.

Wrestling for third place, Andrew Danter faced the Hazelwood Central 140, whom he had beaten in the pool-play round. The match stayed fairly even throughout, but Danter’s opponent gained a one-point edge with an escape to start the third period. Danter could not score for the rest of the period and took fourth with the 4-3 loss.

Danter said that he needs to mentally expand his repertoire of moves and prepare to hit more of them in matches. “I think I have to have confidence that I’ve practiced

Volume 74, Issue 15

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quickly jumped out to a 5-0 lead but the Jr. Bills battled back behind the gutsy play of senior Mike Butler. Cooney continued his hot streak as he sliced to the basket on several nice drives for a 30-25 halftime lead.

Both teams played fairly evenly in the third quarter, and a Fechter layup put the Jr. Bills up eight heading into to the final period.

The SLUH D picked it up in the fourth quarter, limiting Jennings to only two points en route to a fairly easy championship, 51-34.

Both Mayberger and Cooney were named to the all-tournament team.

“We handled adversity pretty well, especially in the Brentwood game. This was the perfect tournament to win in a good part of the season. It’s good to go into your conference schedule on a four-game winning streak,” said Mayberger.

The Rossbills rode this hot streak into a key MCC matchup with defending state champion Chaminade and superstar junior Brad Beal.

The game started well for the Bills, who took a 13-9 lead after the first quarter

despite missing several close shots. Turnovers doomed the Jr. Bills in the second quarter as they coughed up possession after possession and allowed Chaminade to take a 26-20 halftime lead. Despite being down, the Jr. Bills had done a decent job on Beal and were creating opportunities for themselves, but suffered from mental errors.

The Red Devils outscored SLUH by five in the third quarter to push their advantage to 40-29 and looked ready to bury the Jr. Bills, but Chaminade tempers flared and SLUH got several points off of technical and intentional fouls. A thunderous dunk by Oginni brought the Bills to within four, but they could get no closer as Chaminade converted at the free-throw line down the stretch.

“I think we played really well (in the Chaminade game). A few bad breaks, Brad Beal getting to the free-throw line, and just not making shots is really what it came down to. But, I think we played really well overall,” said Mayberger.

The Jr. Bills showed some improvement but once again came up short in an MCC game.

the moves enough that I can hit them in matches instead of sticking with just a few that I’m comfortable with,” he said.

Conley and Farinella took the mat together in the 145-pound final for the third time in two days. Conley went out with a renewed emphasis on offense and succeeded in taking Farinella to the mat, but Farinella did not allow him to secure the takedown. Instead, Farinella forced Conley into scrambles, which Farinella won. In the second period, Farinella locked up a cradle and pinned Conley, the pin being only Conley’s second loss of the season and one of very few pins he has surrendered in his three-year career.

Head coach Jon Ott said that Conley has exhibited an even more rigorous work ethic in the practice room following the tournament. “Since the Spartan, he seems to be a little bit more intense,” Ott said.

Conley said that the losses and second place spur him on rather than discourage him. “It definitely motivates you,” he said.

“When you get kind of get in a groove of winning, it takes a little bit out of you.”

Everson also had a rematch in his final,

his third against Early. Although Everson came out looking for takedowns, Early fended them off and returned with a shot of his own. Though Everson managed to sprawl, Early peaked out, scored, and worked turns much as he had in their previous matches.

He pinned Everson on a half in the second period.

Everson said that he wants to work with assistant coach Patrick Byrne, a former state champion at Parkway South, so that he can improve against wrestlers like Early. “As soon as Coach Byrne comes back, I’m going to say, ‘Just go nuts on me. Let me figure out how to beat someone that’s as good as you are,’” Everson said.

Ott said that the team needs to work on developing a plan of attack before they wrestle. “In practice this week, we’ve been working on finding three moves from each position that we’re good at, that we feel comfortable with,” he said.

SLUH wrestled at the Vianney Tournament last Saturday and will compete next in the Rockwood Summit Tournament this Saturday.

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Volume 74, Issue 15

WHITE HOUSE

(from 1) each.

In response to this theory, junior STUCO officers publicized that SLUH had money set aside for students who could not afford to go on retreat. However, student interest did not increase.

“I don’t know if we did a good enough job of publicizing,” said Gilmore of Campus Ministry’s efforts to inform juniors about the retreats. Specifically, he said that students need to know the difference between junior retreats and the mandatory freshman and sophomore retreats.

Nahlik echoed Gilmore, saying that many juniors had some negative feelings about the mandatory sophomore retreat. He explained that the sophomore retreat format was new last year and the current juniors attended during its trial phase, before some issues were resolved

“I think a lot of people thought junior retreat was going to be like that,” Nahlik said.

However, the majority of students that went on the White House retreat in November had positive experiences.

“It was an incredible time,” said junior Kevin Buettner. He said that the retreat gave him a chance to reflect and to learn more about his classmates. He also praised the abundance of food and the amount of student-led activity.

A recent Junior Roundtable discussion chaired by STUCO and junior class moderator Mary Russo discussed current junior class topics, including low retreat attendance. The assembled juniors brought up how White House needs to be publicized better by STUCO and Campus Ministry but also by students who went on the retreat.

They suggested that people who went on

TT TOURNEY

(from 2) teacher Greg Bantle, moderator of the Table Tennis Club.

After the delicious barbeque, the playoffs began. The tournament’s design was to have the No. 1 seed to play the No. 6 seed from another table. A participant advanced onto the next round if he won his match.

But if a player lost his match, he entered a second division, which acted as a consolation

News

January 12, 2010

White House should promote the retreat to others.

Nahlik also said that Kairos has a more visible presence in the school. People that went on Kairos wear Jerusalem crosses as necklaces and often promote the retreat.

The Roundtable suggested that people who attended White House ought to have a similar token of their experience like the Jerusalem cross to make other students curious about the retreat.

Junior Joe Gardner said a large amount of hype about Kairos from students and alumni who attended it may have drawn students away from White House. Gardner said that while Kairos has a corps of promoters close to the age of juniors, the only times he heard about White House were in the announcements.

“Everyone always says Kairos is the greatest … nobody’s talked about White House,” he said.

In order to get more students to go on White House, Gardner suggested that if students wrote reflections about their experiences of the retreat and distributed them, juniors might have a better idea of what to expect in a White House retreat. He said that a peer perspective on the retreat is key.

Russo said that a year ago, SLUH scheduled another Kairos retreat and another White House retreat (see Vol. 73, No. 9).

“(Campus ministry) had juniors who wanted to go on retreat and weren’t able to, especially on Kairos,” Gilmore said then.

“Kairos would fill up like crazy,” Russo said.

She said that it did not bother her which retreat juniors went on, so long as they were participating in some retreat. This year, however, even the popular Kairos retreats have open spots, and Russo said that she and others are trying to figure out why this is so.

As for the cause of the low numbers, Gilmore pointed out that the current junior class is the smallest in recent years, but thinks that other factors also contributed.

Junior Jake Chisholm said that he and many other juniors feel like they don’t have enough time for retreats because of other obligations such as Work Grant and sports programs. He said that juniors are either worried about time, “or they are too lazy to sign up.” Chisholm said the retreats were publicized well enough, through announcements and teachers promoting retreats during class.

The juniors who attended the Roundtable pointed out many benefits of going on retreat, such as developing relationships, taking time to reflect on one’s role in life, and stepping outside of the routine of normal life for a little while. However, the juniors wondered if the spiritual aspect of retreats may deter people.

“People might be intimidated by a spiritual retreat,” said Nahlik. However, he said that White House retreats do not have an intense spiritual focus and include a lot of time for spending time with friends.

Regardless of why juniors are not signing up for either retreat program, though, “we need guys to go on retreat,” said Russo. She referenced the Prep News’ conversation with Archbishop Robert Carlson (see Vol. 74, No..

14) in which Carlson stressed the need for growing individuals to “know who they are, and they have to be clear about what their values are.” Russo endorsed the capability of junior retreats to do such things, pointing out that former SLUH president Tom Cummings, S.J., made his decision to become a priest while on a White House retreat.

“It was a turning point in my life,” said Cummings, explaining that the retreat gave him an opportunity to confront things in his life that he had been avoiding.

bracket.

“The second tournament gave (someone who might) not be an expert a chance to play,” said Bantle.

Sophomore John Jedlicka became the Table Tennis Tournament champion after defeating sophomore Joe Jedlicka, his twin brother.

“I was completely shocked because

going into it, I had no chance,” said John Jedlicka. “I didn’t think I was going to win it at all. It was luck! I’m not going to lie, it was complete luck.”

Overall, the tournament, which lasted from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., received praise from all participants.

“It was great,” said Bantle. “We plan to do it again next year!”

January 12, 2010

ORYEMA

News

(from 2)

The program was set for the first three weeks of January, and when the organization looked at SLUH’s schedule they initially declined because of exams and lack of school days. Later, Invisible Children decided to reconsider and chose the school because of its similarities to Oryema’s school, St. Joseph’s College, and because it would expose Oryema to technologies that are not available to him in Uganda.

“I was so surprised that of all places, the first place I left for was the United States,” Oryema said.

Oryema reached the United States on Dec. 30 after a 27-hour flight, landing in New York where he met LaBoube and the cold. Oryema saw snow for the first time and had to adjust from over 100 degree weather to freezing temperatures. Oryema had four days of orientation, and then headed to St. Louis.

Oryema has gradually adjusted to SLUH. He said that one class he teaches at home

exceeds 100 students who have to cram into a room not much larger than a typical SLUH classroom. He said that it’s difficult to teach practically, and that the only option is to just lecture.

“Technology is not there, we do not have computers,” Oryema said. The only computers are in the headmaster’s office and none are available to teachers or students. He added that because it’s so crowded, there is no space for student group activities or labs.

LaBoube said that his teaching material has not really changed with the addition of Oryema to his classes, although he is helping to choose the activities.

“Sharing the planning forces me to give rationales for why I do what I do,” LaBoube said.

Without senior classes, LaBoube says more time and planning go into each class.

During classes LaBoube and Oryema teach together, switching off presenting the material.

Volume 74, Issue 15

9

“It’s neat to stand back and watch somebody else present the information that ordinarily I would be presenting,” said LaBoube.

Students seemed to enjoy the change and have adapted to his accent and teaching method. Junior physics student Hayden Day said, “He went through all the steps on how to find every solution to the problem. I didn’t have to search for what to take notes on because everything he wrote was noteworthy.”

Oryema will continue to team-teach with LaBoube until Jan. 26, when he will leave for New York, and shortly after head home to Uganda. But for now, Oryema will continue to experience firsts in his life through this incredible program and life-changing opportunity.

MODEL OF JUSTICE (from 1) has made the Mission Mexico trip twice and volunteers with Kids Enjoy Exercise Now (KEEN). Meyer also participated with Project Life, served the poor at St. Vincent de Paul’s soup kitchen, and has participated in various other service projects during his high school time with his youth group.

Llanos, the other award winner from SLUH, has been a four year member with the Association for Cultural Enrichment at SLUH (ACES) and Student Council (STUCO). Llanos said much of his service work has come during his time with ACES. He is also a member of the Big Brother program through CSP.

Meyer and Llanos were informed about winning the award on the last day of school before break, Friday, Dec. 18. Meyer said he was called to Assistant Principal for Student Life Brock Kesterson’s office after the Senior Project commissioning ceremony. Nervous at first, Meyer was relieved to learn the reason he was called to the office.

“It was a shock because I had forgotten I was nominated,” Meyer said. “It’s really cool to be honored like this.”

Llanos echoed Meyer’s surprise at winning the award, and said, “I am excited to have this award. Hopefully, I can continue with my (service) work in the future,” said Llanos.

On Sunday Jan. 17, both award winners will receive the Model of Justice Award from Archbishop Robert Carlson with a Mass and reception at the Cathedral Basilica.

Forecast printed with permission of the National Weather Service.

St. Louis, MO Weather Service Office Phone: 636-441-8467 Compiled by Nick Fandos and Conor Gearin

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Volume 74, Issue 15

by Patrick O’Leary Tuesday, January 12 Schedule H Senior Kairos Retreat (thru 1/15) JV1 RACQ @ Parkway West 3:30pm

(Vetta Sports-Concord) Wednesday, January 13 Schedule X Pallotine Retreat Reunion Planning 6pm Thursday, January 14 Schedule X Kairos Retreat Pallotine Retreat RACQ vs. DeSmet 3:30pm (Vetta Sports Concord) JV1 RACQ vs. Kirkwood 3:30pm (Vetta

Sports-Concord) JV2 RACQ vs. DeSmet 3:30pm (Vetta

Sports-Concord) JV2 RACQ @ Parkway West 3:30pm

(Bally Total Fitness) Friday, January 15 Schedule X Kairos Retreat Pallotine Retreat BBALL @ Lafayette 7pm B BBALL @ Lafayette 5:30pm C-W BBALL vs. Chaminade 4pm

Fr. Hagan Missouri Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony

I

n recognition of his work as St. Louis U. High’s rifle team coach, including five national championships, the late Martin Hagan, S.J., will be enshrined in the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame on Jan. 31. The event starts at noon with a reception at the Hall of Fame Museum, followed by another reception at 5:00 p.m. at the University Plaza Convention Center. The event will end with a banquet for the actual ceremony at 6:00 p.m. Jack LaBarge, SLUH ’60, will give a speech at the banquet about his experiences with Hagan . Anyone interested in attending may purchase tickets through the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame on its website, mosportshalloffame.com.

Life to the Lees Calendar

Saturday, January 16 BBALL vs. Glenbrook North 4:30pm HOC vs. Oakville 9:45pm (Affton) WRES @ Summit Tourney 9am C-W BBALL @ Chaminade Tourney C WRES @ Fox Tourney 9am Sunday, January 17 STUCO Mid-year Retreat Monday, January 18 No School—MLK Day STUCO Mid-year Retreat HOC @ Chaminade 8:15pm (Queeny

Park) C-W BBALL @ Chaminade Tourney Tuesday, January 19 No School—Faculty In-Service BBALL vs. Ladue 6pm B BBALL vs. Ladue 4:30pm Wednesday, January 20 Schedule R Underclassmen Grades Due Junior College Planning Meeting JV2 RACQ @ DeSmet 3:30pm (West

County Health & Fitness) ACES/PAL Sessions 5:30pm AP Snack—Apple Strudel Sticks Lunch: Special—Steak and Cheese

January 12, 2010 Jan. 12 - Jan. 22

Healthy—Baked Pork Chops

Thursday, January 21 Schedule R (No Activity Period) Jazzuit Diversity Presentations 8:55pm Junior College Planning Meeting Mother’s Club Day of Recollection 9am WRES @ Chaminade 6pm V/JV/C WRES vs. Chaminade 6pm RACQ @ Parkway Central 3:30pm (Vetta

Sports-Concord) JV1 RACQ vs. DeSmet 3:30pm (Jewish

Community Center) JV2 RACQ vs. Parkway West 3:30pm

(Vetta Sports-Concord) C-B BBALL @ Riverview Gardens 4:30pm AP Snack—Jumbo Pretzels Lunch: Special—Chicken Wraps

Healthy—Chicken Parmesean Friday, January 22 Schedule R BBALL @ CBC 7pm HOC @ DeSmet 9:30pm WRES @ MICDS Tourney B BBALL @ CBC 5:30pm C-B BBALL @ CBC 4pm AP Snack—Mozzarella Sticks Lunch: Special—Chicken Bites

Healthy—Roasted Turkey

Nicollerat chosen Jazz Diversity Series Continues for induction to he next installment of the Jazz Diver- MHSBCA Hall of T sity Series, class discussions, will begin on Jan. 21 with the freshman class disFame cussion. English teacher Barbara Osburg will lead, focusing on the topic “Where in the World is Jazz?” The discussion will take approximately an hour and a half during second period and activity period.

Sophomores will have their discussion on Jan. 26 with English teacher Frank Kovarik. Juniors will follow the next day, Jan. 27, led by history teacher Anne Marie Lodholz and seniors will come last on Feb. 9, led by Assistant Principal for Mission Jim Linhares. For more information see Vol. 74, No. 12.

A

fter 30 years as head varsity baseball coach at SLUH, Steve Nicollerat has been chosen as an inductee in this year’s Missouri High School Baseball Coaches Association (MHSBCA) Hall of Fame class. In his tenure at SLUH, Nicollerat has experienced great successes both on and off the baseball field.

The induction ceremony will take place at the MHSBCA annual convention in Jefferson City on Saturday Jan. 23. Look for a full article in the next issue of the Prep News.