The Knight Friday, August 14, 2015
Vol. I, Number 1
St. John’s School, Tamuning, Guam
Summer Studies By ALICE YI Staff Writer
Photo, Alexander Baldyga/The Knight
Welcome Back to School
Senior Jagger Stephens demonstrates his excitment for the upcoming school year.
The Knight Launches By DAVIN YANG Staff Writer St. John’s offers its students an academically rigorous curriculum with multiple extracurricular opportunities that help to enhance life both in and out of the classroom. Sophomore Alexander Baldyga was recently inspired to establish a student-run
printed newspaper at St. John’s. Baldyga created The Knight after observing his brother, Michael Baldyga, work as an editor for his respective high school newspaper. “Every break or holiday, my brother would return home and tell
See Summer, 3
See Launch, 2
Inside The Knight The Knight would like to welcome everybody back to the new school year! Peek into the paper with selected article blurbs on the right.
Many students enjoy summer break as a time to wind down with friends and soak in the sun. Some students, however, choose to take advantage of the extra free time in order to enrich their educational experiences, whether at home or abroad. Junior Maggie Zeng attended a pre-college program at Brown University, an Ivy League institution located in Providence, Rhode Island. There, she took a program called “RobotC, Robot Do.” The course provided Zeng with fundamental knowledge in the world of programming. She was able to apply this knowledge and get hands-on experience in programming using specially designed Lego robots. Pre-collegiate programs do not only introduce and expand on knowledge in a wide variety of subjects, but also provide a glimpse into life at college. Zeng described her Brown experience as “amazing and super fun.” After Zeng began to meet new people and fall into a routine, her entire experience began to blossom. She said, “We studied together… everything was great, [and] my class was super fun!” Sophomore Dylan Franquez took part in the “Allied Health Education Center Summer Academy (AHEC) at Guam Community College in Mangilao, Guam. The camp aimed to ensure students “A-HEC of a summer.” AHEC was created for high school students interested in pursuing a career in the health or medical profession. “I went to the AHEC program at GCC with [sophomore] Alice Yi and [senior] Jia Jia Zhang and took courses to get us set for college,” he said. “We wrote papers, did presentations, and kept our minds busy so we weren’t dormant during the summer.” Franquez was thoroughly satisfied with the summer program, citing the experience as one that would help to benefit his future endeavors. He said, “In the end, it was fun. I learned a lot about what I want to do, and got more confidence
NEWS Drama instructor Karen Flores talks about what changes students can expect in the theatre curriciulum. Read about her preparations on page 3.
LIFE Mr. Norman Babia has come back to the St. John’s community. Did you know he composed the school song? Learn more about Babia on page 5.
OP-ED Sophomore Alexander Baldyga introduces The Knight and talks about his vision for the school newspaper. See the introduction on page 6.
SPORTS Sophomore Kalina Sunga is the featured athlete of the summer. Read about her golfing experiences on page 7.
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THE KNIGHT
Newspaper Launch, cont’d from 1 me about how fun and engaging working at a school newspaper is,” he said. “So I decided to create one for St. John’s.” Several years ago, St. John’s students ran an online newspaper, but this version disappeared with the graduating students who created it. Baldyga, however, wished to create a printer newspaper rather than one on a digital medium. “I believe virtual newspapers are not as compelling for several reasons,” he said. “People tend to enjoy holding something tangible and flipping pages rather than scrolling through a PDF. Virtual papers must compete with a reader’s focus for attention, as the chime of a Facebook message or Snapchat will cause the reader to postpone what he or she is reading in order to read and reply.” He continued, “Naturally, the online paper has a hard time surviving the competition of attention from the Internet itself.” Baldyga believes that the positive implications of a physical newspaper are more conducive to the modern technological landscape. He said, “A physical newspaper draws attention, it gets people engaged and curious, and for the school’s sake, the paper as a physical object tends to be viewed by multiple people and left for others to find.” With his decision to execute his ambitions towards the return of the school newspaper, Baldyga quickly shared his aims to fellow high-school students who showed an interest to pursue alongside him. Within days, he received positive reception from students, and eventually formed a crew that was willing to make his ideas a reality. The students who agreed to work as part of the editorial team include seniors Danielle Stephenson III and Jia Jia Zhang, as well as sophomores Amy Seo, Daniel Su, Anne Wen, Davin Yang, Alice Yi, Sophia Ysrael, and Brandon Yu. Once there was enough student support for the project, the matter was then brought up to the St. John’s administration where it was met with enthusiasm. Head of School Patricia Bennett said, “I think it’s great that students are using a real-life, practical situation to employ their skills and become better writers and communicators.” She continued, praising the paper as an opportunity to be heard and read. “The school newspaper is going to be an excellent opportunity to share our students’ talents and accomplishments with both the school community and the community at large.”
NEWS
Friday, August 14, 2015
In particular, Baldyga chose to approach Mr. Roepke, a member of the faculty and the high school English department. After listening to the goals that Baldyga wished to accomplish, Roepke agreed to act as the advisor of the organization responsible for the publications. As advisor, Roepke is optimistic towards the work that will be produced by the newspaper club. “I think it’s great that students are using real life situations to employ their skills and to practice their skills to become better at writing and communication,” he said. “I also think that having that opportunity and to get what they want to say out to people in a form that people can pick up and pass along really is a great benefit for those involved.” Ropeke also noted the positive impact that the paper will have on the members of its community. He said, “The school newspaper is going to be a great showpiece for St. John’s that will really demonstrate within and outside of St. John’s the good work that is being put out.” For now, the newspaper club faces the task of publishing new issues every other month and is working towards the settlement of the school newspaper as an institution rather than something that will dissolve in several years.
Members of the newspaper club encourage anyone interested to partake in this scholastic opportunity. Senior and managing editor Jia Jia Zhang said, “I really want to encourage people to join. This really is a great club especially if you really enjoy writing. I find it really interesting because it’s not something really normal compared to the English papers you have to write.” Zhang highlighted the difference, commenting on how much more interactive journalistic writing is. “They’re really fun to do and you get to go out and ask people questions to see what they feel. It’s just a different experience so I think people should just go for it,” she said. Lower and Middle School students are welcome to come to meetings to get an idea of the experience and assist high school writers with writing articles. Additionally, anyone wishing to become a photographer is encouraged to join. However, editing positions will be limited only to high-school students. If you have any questions, need more information, or are interested in anything regarding the newspaper club or The Knight, please visit either Mr. Roepke’s classroom or see Alexander Baldyga.
Student Council Goals By AMY SEO Staff Writer
With ideas ranging from competitive video gaming sessions to pep rallies, the St. John’s School Student Council has exciting plans for the upcoming school year. Student Council (StuCo) is a representative structure that is involved with the student body, staff, and other school affairs. The group consists of eleven students, including one representative from the middle school. The objective of the Student Council is to discuss and resolve issues that pertain to both their grade and school. St. John’s is proud to have a group of students taking initiative and serving as leaders of the school. Senior Fujin Shimoda will serve as the Student Council president for the upcoming school year. He hopes to help the school maintain a positive attitude towards all areas of achievement and “to make this year a really fun and memorable one for everybody.” He believes that our school needs to bring back its pride and the big smiles on students’ faces. Shimoda will try his best resurrect school spirit by creating new entertaining events throughout the year. One big event that Shimoda and senior Rocco Flores, the president of the Class of 2016, want to create is a competitive video gaming session. They hope that this not only helps foster school pride, but also allows for students in different grade levels to become closer. St. John’s is known to have the best educa-
tion and care on the island. Shimoda says that “it is directly from our teachers.” He encourages students to be active in class and to respond to teacher’s requests in order to maintain and uphold the highest quality of education. When Fujin was a student council representative his sophomore year, a leadership conference occurred in which local educational officers and student leaders from schools around the island gathered talk about their collective experiences. Shimoda wishes to bring back the meetings to give students a chance to enhance their leadership skills and to interact with students from other schools on island. While there is much to be proud of for being a member of the St. John’s community, Shimoda recognizes that there are some facets of the school culture that need attention. One such area is school spirit. Other schools demonstrate their school spirit with great attendance at athletic competitions, drama productions, and other school sponsored activities. Shimoda believes that such comparatively low morale is detrimental to the school environment. This year, Shimoda hopes to change this by hosting and placing an emphasis on school events that our students can take pride in. Shimoda wishes for everyone to have a blessed and memorable year. He said, “Even if you can’t do everything, give it your all!”
THE KNIGHT
NEWS
Friday, August 14, 2015
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New History Teacher Brings World Perspective By ANNE WEN Staff Writer
Aloha! Ni Hao! Hafa Adai!
Native to the beautiful island of Hawaii, Mr. Harvey Egna taught at an international school in Shanghai, China, and is now teaching World History at our school on Guam. His instructional experiences include teaching the Nature of Knowledge, the SAT, World History, and Research Writing. He specializes in constitutional history and law, as well as military history, and his graduate work focused on Chinese relations with Great Britain in the 1800s, with a more specific look into the Opium War. Interestingly, Egna has both a Master’s degree in History and a Master’s degree in Business Administration. “My teaching career has been the early stage and the later stage in my life, sandwiched by a 25 year career in banking,” he said. Outside of work, Egna enjoys a variety of outdoor activities including bicycling, hiking, and
running. The similarities between the tropical climates of Guam and Hawaii allow Egna to continue pursuing his passion for surfing, paddle boarding, and snorkeling, which serve as little respites from his normal, busy life. Among his affinities for adventurous historical travels and enjoyable historical movies, Saving Private Ryan, an American epic war drama film set during WWII, Schindler’s List, a historical drama about the Holocaust in Europe, and The Flowers of War, a Chinese historical drama war film on the Japanese occupation of Nanjing, are his top three favorites. With St. John’s reputation as one of the most rigorous prep academies on island, Egna plans to meet the standards of intensive IB and AP courses. He said, “I’m here not to be a roadblock but to help them attain that objective. I’m not here to make it hard. I’ll make it challenging, but attainable. I do lecture, but I like students to get
more into independent investigative work.” Egna believes that learning history should be a discovery process, rather than simply memorizing fact sheets. He encourages students to research current events and debate the merits of the country or side they represent. These interactions help students become more confident in voicing their opinions, develop stronger communication skills, and learn how to defend their arguments with facts. Egna offered advice to high school students based on his previous encounters. This generation of students grew up with iPhones, ipods, and Macbooks, whose technological accessibility makes it easier to find solutions. However, many often finding themselves using the electronics for games and social media. Egna cautions students to manage use of electronics wisely before it turns into an addiction, especially with regard to the future.
“You have plenty of time in your life for games, but now should be buckled down to study. You think school is hard? Wait until you’re an adult,” he said. “Your only worry now is working hard to make your parents proud and enter a good university. You don’t have kids, bills, or jobs to worry about.” He continued, encouraging students to work hard to achieve their potential. “Build good communication skills and time management. Don’t be happy with a B-; instead, get into the A’s.” Egna will teach IBH and IBS European and Asian History and AP European History to students of the eleventh grade. Additionally, he will teach Modern World History to the freshmen class. With the departure of our former history teacher, Dr. Ombrello, we welcome Mr. Egna to Room 205 and to St. John’s. If you are indecisive about his course offerings, feel free to approach him to talk about the details, and he will gladly assist you.
Flores Plans Dramatic Year Sum mer By DANIELLE STEPHENSON III Staff Writer
With so many amazing drama productions last year, many of us are excited to hear about drama instructor Ms. Karen Flores’ plans for the upcoming school year. She has high hopes and big plans for the Drama Program. This past year, the IB Theatre curriculum has been changed significantly, so in order to learn more about these changes, Flores attended a summer conference hosted by the International Schools Theatre Association (ISTA), a British association that trains hundreds of educators on the IB Theatre program. Overall, the experience at the symposium was “nothing less than fantastic,” Flores said. “Not only did I learn about the complexity of this new curriculum, but the curator also taught us different approaches to conducting a more fulfilling
learning experience for the students.” The IB Theatre curriculum, however, was not the only part of the drama department that saw changes. Just recently, the original drama room, Room 102, was packed up and moved to the old Pre-Kindergarten space a few yards from the St. John’s high school building. True, the new room is different spatially, but Flores affirmed, “It’s never been about what a space looks like to me, but what kind of creative play occurs.” Flores comments that the movement of the drama classroom is “a little prophetic...if you know the history of Room 102.” Room 102 is “where the theatre department was created - the students who first walked into that room will be graduating this year.” But Flores hopes the new room will give old students new inspi-
Summer, cont’d from 1
ration and will give new students who have never had a drama class before a “dynamite introduction to the world of theatre.” Throughout the summer, Flores has been preparing for her incoming classes, having “read at least fifty to a hundred scripts” to get an idea of the plays she will write or choose. She also said that she constructs what she produces entirely around the types of students she has in class. “I think I’ve always tried to build my productions on the talents of each student.” With so much to look forward to, it was difficult for Flores to pinpoint what she was most excited for. “I think theatre is a place where most students who don’t know themselves can find something they never thought existed.” Flores hopes to be that educator who helps them find their inner strength. “If that’s not exciting, what is?”
in my career choice as a surgeon.” Senior Fujin Shimoda recently attended the Asian Science Camp (ASC) in Bangkok, Thailand. The ASC is a yearly event that takes place for six days and hosts a wide range of guests, including Nobel prize winners, who speak about their experiences. This year, speakers include Nobel Laureate winners across fields such as Chemistry, Physiology, and Medicine. Shimoda said, “I’m taking this time to ask specific questions because I am interested in many of the topics that the professors will cover.” With such great accompolishments this summer, St. John’s is looking forward to what the future has in store for its students.
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THE KNIGHT
ST. JOHN’S LIFE
Friday, August 14, 2015
St. John’s Life
Meet the Principal: Ms. Bennett
School’s Back
By ALEXANDER BALDYGA Staff Writer With every new school year, there is a feeling of excitement about everything from brand new shoes to the bright new faces in and around the classroom. With so much going on, it is often easy to forget about all of the deep thought and organization that goes into planning a year at St. John’s School. Headmaster Patricia Bennett is well acquainted with what it takes to make this year special. She has been closely involved with a number of significant changes seen throughout the entire school, including the recent addition of Modern Language instruction in the Lower School and the welcoming of a group of new, highly qualified teachers to St. John’s. In order to truly appreciate the work that she does, one must first learn of Bennett’s past and job responsibilities. Bennett was born and raised in Indiana. She completed her undergraduate education at the Indiana State University, where she decided to become an educator. Bennett said, “[I am] not sure [that] I ‘always’ wanted to be an educator, but it turns out to have been the perfect choice.” Her journey in education brought her to Hawaii, where she first taught school and later to Guam in 1973, eight years after St. John’s School was founded. After teaching for several years, Bennett became the Head of School as we all know and recognize her as today. What most students do not know is that as the Head of School, Bennett is responsible for performing the actions of both the principal and headmaster. There is a tremendous amount of work involved in carrying out the duties traditionally designated to two different individuals. “I am very fortunate to have a highly qualified support staff in the front office, registrar, and business office,” she said. “Not to mention a wonderful, professional team of teachers--and reliable student leaders.” The members of the St. John’s community are appreciative of the work that Bennett puts into the school. Sophomore Takumi Odell said, “She is excellent at her job.” He continued, placing an emphasis on her ability to bring the school together. “I think [that] coming out and giving speeches often is a good idea. Connecting with the students and teachers and stopping by classes to check up on them is also very professional of her.”
See Bennett, 5
Photos, Alexander Baldyga/The Knight
ST. JOHN’S LIFE
THE KNIGHT
Friday, August 14, 2015
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Faculty Feature: Babia’s Back By JIA JIA ZHANG Staff Writer
New schedules, different lockers, nicely waxed floors, and fresh faces… Yes folks, it is indeed the beginning of another school year. However, among the sea of new students and teachers, there is a familiar face. If you had been at St. John’s six or more years ago, you might remember a 5’ 4’’ tall man with nicely styled hair playing the ukulele or drums during mass. For those who do not know him, his name is Norman Babia. During his previous years at St. John’s, he was a 5th grade homeroom teacher for math and science. However, now he has taken on many new roles at our school, including taking charge of the high school orchestra, middle school choir, tech-crew club, and both middle and upper school band. With the incoming school year, he hopes to bring more stability to the music department and looks forward to the numerous upcoming performances. Although newer students may not recognize Babia, they may recognize a song he had left behind. The school song often sung during chapel was in fact composed and arranged by Babia himself, and was originally created for the purpose of helping students learn the Expected School-wide Learning Results or ESLRs. Babia’s talents, however, are not limited to just composing music, for he can also sing, play the “guitar, bass guitar, ukulele, drums, piano, french horn, banduria, octavina, [and] trumpet”. Babia may seem completely music-oriented, but he is actually a multi-talented, “multi-dimensional” person. When asked what type of food he
The Head of School Bennett, cont’d from 4 Part of Bennett’s job is “coping with the financial realities in providing the highest quality of college preparatory education.” She cites this as the most challenging aspect of her work. Bennett also recognizes that there is always room for improvement. She said, “The greatest opportunity is continuous program review and improvement, coupled with facilities upgrades.” Bennett also envisions a fully implemented IB curriculum from Kindergarten to 12th Grade. The main reason why Bennett smiles in the face of her numerous obligations is her pride in the St. John’s community, stating that the best part of the school is the people. “I would describe our students as bright, kind, and determined,” she said. “I would describe St. John’s as the school with the best instructors, the finest peers for children, and the strongest academic programs.”
Daniel Su/The Knight
would imagine himself to be, he replied, “fruit salad.” Why exactly a fruit salad? Well, it is because he is not only a “normally sweet person,” but also “a mix of everything.” He has a funny side and a serious side, a sporty side and an artsy side. In fact, one of his hidden talents is baking and decorating cakes! For students who like to simply stay at home, sleep, eat, and relax, Babia can also relate to you on a personal level; but when it comes to school work, there is no excuse for laziness. Shusuke Maeda ‘15, a recent graduate of St. John’s, described Babia as being a “super passionate” teacher, and being “good
at enlightening his students toward a more positive... and problem-solving mindset”. Babia revealed that one of his major pet peeves is students who do not try or work hard, “even when they know their parents are putting in extra effort to put them through school.” So a word of advice to my fellow students, study hard or else risk getting on Babia’s bad side. Few have treaded on that dark and unknown path, but all in all, most students who have had his class had only good things to say. Senior and Student Council President Fujin Shimoda fondly recalled his experiences with Babia, who taught him in the 5th grade. He said, “[it was] one of the most fun and exciting years of my life.” Shimoda continued, “Mr. Babia is an understanding and enthusiastic teacher, an amazing musician, and a close friend.” Shimoda believes that Babia helped St. John’s develop new ways to make classes effective and enjoyable, as well as serve as a source of musical inspiration. “My friends and I talk about him every once in a while because he made our 5th grade year the best it could be,” he said. “Now that he’s coming back to SJS, I know that he’s going to bring back that same magic to this school! I’m really excited to know that he is going to be teaching here for my last year of high school!!” If you have never met Babia before, don’t be shy and drop by his room to say hello! And for older students who do remember him, make sure to give him a warm welcome back.
Kelley’s Corner: Standardized Tests By Bob Kelley College Guidance Counselor
In my experience, St. John’s students take too many tests. I’m not talking about English and Chemistry tests, but rather ACT and SAT tests. I tell students frequently, “put the pencil down and walk away,” but they look at me like I am trying to subvert their applications and go ahead and register again. My first point is that most students do not know what the maximum score on an SAT test is. It is not 2400. Each of the three sections of the SAT has a margin of error of 60 points. In plain talk (with apologies to Ms. L-G) that means the score you earned may be off by 60 points, due to statistical sampling and other statistical fancy stuff. So if you got an 800 on Critical Reading, you really could be a 740 and just got lucky on this test, or if you got a 740, you really could be an 800, and just were very unlucky. Extending the math to the entire test you find that for the purposes of the SAT, 2220=2400? The Collegeboard provides this information to anyone
who asks. It is not a secret. It does not matter how many hours you spend in tutoring or however many Saturday mornings you have woken up early. You are just trying to improve a score that cannot be improved. The other thing to keep in mind is that with “holistic review,” the SAT is just one part of the application, while the other portions; essay, transcript, recommendations, etc. count for the other elements. So if you have a good SAT score, try improving on the other parts of your app. Don’t go to tutoring. Instead, write a song, do something you love to do, spend some time inventing something, start a non-profit organization. Just do something that can show the colleges more about you than just a number on some test. All of this relates to TIME. Your grades and your school work are more important than your test scores, so spend more time on school work and sleep and less time preparing for and taking tests.
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OPINIONS
THE KNIGHT
The Knight Editor-in-Chief ALEXANDER BALDYGA
Friday, August 14, 2015
Welcome to
The Knight
Managing Editor
Managing Editor
Alexander Baldyga ‘18
DANIELLE STEPHENSON III
JIA JIA ZHANG
Editor-in-Chief
News Editor DAVIN YANG
Opinions Editor ANNE WEN
St. John’s Life Editor SOPHIA YSRAEL
Sports Editor BRANDON YU
Director of Photography
Head Copy Editor
DANIEL SU
AMY SEO Editorial Associate ALICE YI Faculty Advisor WILLIAM ROEPKE
Welcome back to school! I am pleased to introduce you to The Knight, the first student run newspaper in the history of St. John’s School. It is the start of something that I hope will change our school and the way that we look at it. The paper began as a means for the members of our community to truly connect with one another, although I admit to being a little nervous about the endeavor. It seemed pretty time consuming. I was honored that Mr. Roepke agreed to be the faculty advisor and excited that my friends agreed to jump in as fellow editors and writers. It’s a great team. We were also appreciative of Ms. Bennett for agreeing to allow the paper to be published. We hope that this paper will offer something for everyone to enjoy. The Knight will initially be published bi-monthly but eventually monthly. It will deliver school news in four sections: News, St. John’s Life, Opinions, and Sports. As we grow, we hope to add a section to cover the Middle and Lower School, possibly featuring winners of art or essay contests. We also hope that the English department will embrace and distribute the paper. This partnership could be symbiotic on many levels. The Knight will honor achievements from across our community. We plan to include regular features for a “student of the month” and an “athlete of the month.” It is my hope that such articles will further recognize achievements within our community and through this sense of recognition and shared information, serve to help us all connect. We would love the paper to become a voice of the people. Everyone is encouraged to share ideas and opinions in editorials across a wide range of topics. We ask only that editorials are respectful of the community and constructive. These can be submitted to sjsnewspaper671@ gmail.com. Lastly, we have asked Mr. Kelly to post college advice for St. John’s School students in a regular feature to be known as “Kelley’s Corner.” We envision the paper not only as a voice of the people, but as a bridge that connects the faculty and students. As we celebrate the achievements of all members of our community and begin to inform one another of what is going on around campus, we will inevitably become closer as a community. Welcome to a brave new era for our school. We also welcome you to join our team, dedicated to delivering the news and making a difference. If you would like to join the team of The Knight as an editor, writer or photographer -- or to simply learn more about this new voice of St. John’s School -- please visit our meetings in Mr. Roepke’s classroom on Wednesdays. The meetings will begin at 3:30 and conclude at 5:00 p.m. There is no journalistic writing experience required! There is something for everyone to learn and to do. From myself and our team: Welcome to The Knight!
Interested in writing or becoming a photographer for The Knight? Come to our next meeting: 3:30 to 5:00 pm in Mr. Roepke’s classroom.
THE KNIGHT
SPORTS
Friday, August 14, 2015
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At h le te of t he Sum mer : Ka li na Sunga By SOPHIA YSRAEL Staff Writer
At school, you will see sophomore Kalina Sunga chatting with friends, smiling, and laughing, but once she pulls on her Nike cap and steps onto the green turf, it’s clear she has one thing on her mind: golf. As the daughter of two talented golfers, Kalina grew up on the golf course. However, in the past two years, she has been focusing more than ever on improving her skills and competing at higher levels. Kalina’s source of inspiration is her coach, who just so happens to also be her dad. A renowned golfer, Louie Sunga is ranked number one on Guam, and Kalina strives to match her father’s prestige. “Everywhere we go, especially on the golf courses, people are [always] saying how good he is and how I should be just as good as him,” Sunga explained. “Not only that, my mom is a golfer too so that puts even more pressure on me.” But it is this pressure that keeps Kalina motivated. “She is committed, determined, and aware of herself as well,” sophomore Sarah Wilkinson said. “It’s really inspiring to see how she throws herself into whatever she does.” This summer, Kalina and her parents participated in the Pacific Games in Papua New Guinea. Every four years, Guam’s top athletes travel to play in the Pacific Games. This
year, Kalina was one of eight people selected to represent Guam for golf. “I am so proud of my daughter playing in her first Pacific Games,” Mr. Sunga said. “She handled herself very well and she improved every day.” Mr. Sunga hopes that the Pacific Games, which were most recently held in Papua New Guinea, will drive her into playing at more international events. “My most memorable takeaway is that we all participated as a family,” he said. “The tournament was really fun. I got to compete with a new person everyday and we all got to talk about our countries,” Sunga said. “It was really cool to learn about the different cultures and more about my golf game and their golf game.” On and off the golf course, Kalina carried both her competitive and social faces. “Everyday is basically the same. You meet the people you will be playing with that day and then play golf with them. You are basically playing golf with the new friends that you have made that day.” Unlike most before a big event, Sunga said that she is not so much nervous, but rather “pumped and excited” to play. In regards to the Pacific Games, Sunga received added confidence by training in Japan prior to the tournament. She believes that in order to be prepared for future competitions, she needs to “play on the different
SJS Gears Up For XC Season Plan, cont’d from 8 mate shot at finishing top five all-island.” Peters is especially enthusiastic about cross country, noting the ability for anybody to easily begin training for the sport. He said, “After a day in the classroom, a good run and workout is a tremendous way to get in shape.” Additionally, the same work put into the sport can prove useful in various ways. “The benefits of being in shape tie in with many other sports from a conditioning standpoint,” Peters said. “It relieves stress, it can build camaraderie, and stresses concepts of teamwork and sportsmanship.” “Cross country is one of those sports that is 99% mental and 1% physical power,” senior and seasoned cross country runner Jia Jia Zhang said. “A meet is simply a battle against yourself. You can train for hours on end, but when the gun goes off, it is up to you to pace and will yourself to get to the finish line.” In cross country, the only thing that separates the slow from the fast is how you respond to the “pain shooting up your leg,” Zhang said. “Running is hard, but it’s definitely rewarding in the end.” Even if you lose, participating in a sport gives you a chance to strive harder. Sophomore Alexander Baldyga said, “Defeat is feeling so close, yet so far, from earning a medal. I may have been fast, but not fast enough. However, defeat only motivates me to go faster and push myself harder than before.”
Courtesy, Guam PDN
courses on Guam to get used to fast greens and slow greens,” the different types of grass that determine the speed of the ball. With her hard work and determination, there is no doubt Kalina will take her golfing skills far.
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THE KNIGHT
SPORTS
Friday, August 14, 2015
St. John’s Sports
Alexander Baldyga/The Knight
Slow to Pro: Coach Peters’ Game Plan By BRANDON YU Staff Writer
The beginning of a new year symbolizes the opportunity towards a fresh start. Physical education instructor Fred Peters, who has coached boys’ basketball, girls’ basketball, and cross country, believes that every student should participate in at least one sport. Peters advised and strongly encouraged students to “start slow,” believing that student athletes, especially those new to a sport, should not be deterred by inexperience. Rather, they should embrace the opportunity for improvement. “In the past, I have seen too many students who want to try a new
sport, and then get frustrated very early on because their skill level or conditioning may not be as high as other athletes,” Peters said. “That is fine!” Peters has both the determination and the ingredients necessary to ensure that any student athlete to reach their potential. He said, “Daily improvement is possible with the right attitude, right coaching, right diet, and right workout plan.” It is important, however, to remember not to get overwhelmed when beginning a sport. “There will be a time to push to the limit,” Peters said. “But it is important to establish
a first base.” Peters’ advice extends far beyond those who wish to pick up a new sport. He reminds seasoned athletes that even with a solid foundation “there is always room for improvement.” He was pleased with last year’s season, which provided him with the opportunity to train and instill such fundamentals into the younger members of his teams. There is a wealth of athletic potential amongst the underclassmen. Sophomore Takumi Simon was our school’s top runner last year, sophomore Caitlyn Niu led the girls’
See Plan, 7
basketball team, and four freshmen started on the boys’ basketball team last season. Peters is looking forward to the improvements that each student athlete made over summer break. He is ready to most effectively utilize the time allotted to train his teams. Cross country practice, for example, starts in early August with the championships taking place in October. Throughout the two month period, Peters expects to witness great transformations. “Runners [have] the ability to improve greatly during the season,” he said. “I also think that Takumi Simon has a legiti-