Editorials
Page 5
An enthusiatic spirit week brings out the best, and craziest side of JC.
Features The hungry of Harford County find support and food from local food bank. Page 14
Patriot he
November 2002
Volume 38, Issue 2
Sports
Entertainment WALES RETURNS! Chris O’Reilly describes Wales, “the greatest nation on earth.”
Watch out! Bocce fever becomes contagious among students and teachers.
Witnesses to terror
Page 20
News
John Carroll School Tradition Pride Excellence
Page 12
Students present different views about animal rights and racial profiling. Page 3
On October 31, ten survivors of the Holocaust visited JC. As the Holocaust becomes more a part of the past, they shared their experiences with seniors in an effort to keep their memories alive.
photo by MaryBeth Derbyshire
Patriot Staff
“That number has been with me since 1943,” he said and added that it serves as a daily reminder of his horrific The Angel of Death often experiences. refers to Dr. Mengele, a notorious Mr. Baker described what scientist mentioned when discussing or Auschwitz and Birkenau were like to the reading about the Holocaust. For most group of about 20 seniors. He said, seniors, he is a character in Night or a “There were many concentration camps person briefly mentioned in their history in Europe, but it all comes down to book. But for Morris Baker, Bluma Auschwitz and Birkenau. Only a few of Shapiro, Rachel Bodner, and Rena Block, us could survive the harsh conditions. he is a childhood memory. We were always hungry and thinking of Morris Baker, a Holocaust food.” survivor, was one of the ten holocaust In regard to Dr. Mengele, the speakers that told seniors Angel of Death, who their stories on October conducted the selections, 31st. Mr. Baker, a Polish Mr. Baker said, “ At 10 Jew and survivor of both o’clock a.m., we would the Auschwitz and undress. They wrote down Birkenau concentration numbers of people and then camps, began his story those numbers were told to by telling the students “I report to a certain place. want you to know I was Everyone knew they were young.” He was fifteen going to the gas chambers years old when the and the crematory.” Gestapo came to the Living in the camps, ghetto in an attempt to survival was the ultimate liquidate as many Jews as challenge and concern. photo by M. Derbyshire possible. They came to “You live from day to day. his house and took his Mr.Morris Baker is a You don’t make plans. How father outside. “That was survivor of Auschwitz anyone survived is the last time I saw my and Birkenau. unbelievable,” he said, father,” he said. “People do not want to die. In January 1943, they rode in They want to stay alive.” crammed cattle cars for three days. “We As time in the camps got did not have the slightest idea where we longer, Mr. Baker said, “You get camp were going,” Mr. Baker said. When they smart and your chance of survival arrived at Auschwitz he said, “The increases.” Mr. Baker also said, if people selection began and the screaming asked where their families were some started. It was the last time I saw the rest guards would point to the smoke from of my family.” the crematories and say, “See that black This was also the time that Mr. smoke. That’s where your families are.” Baker received a number tattooed on his In May 1945, Mr. Baker was arm. All the men that arrived that night liberated from Kaufering #11. Knowing with him were numbered in the 87000’s. that the rest of his family was dead, he
moved to Italy. He spent time in Italy and then moved to Canada to live with family. He then married an American and moved to the United States. He is one of the twenty-five survivors from his town of four thousand. Bluma Shapiro, Auschwitz survivor Bluma Shapiro, a Holland Jew, spent two years in Auschwitz. She was one of five children and the only one to survive. In Germany, she worked for a
very nice German official outside of the ghetto who protected her and didn’t make her wear a yellow star. When returning to the ghetto, the guard slipped bread into her suitcase. In August 1934, she left her family to go live in a bunker with a doctor. It was the last time she saw her family. The Gestapo found them and shot them in one of the fields.
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Women’s volleyball wins IAAM championship Colleen O’Brien Editor- in- Chief Serve, pass, spike, and kill: motivating words that reflect the immense skills of the women’s volleyball team. With an incredible season, the team set a school record by finishing undefeated with a 17-0 record. Team unity and spirit led the team to a perfect season. Senior Kristen Spieker said, “We pulled together as a team and had a variety of good players for each position.” The team continued their astonishing season, winning the IAAM “B” Conference championships on November 2nd at Villa Julie College. JC defeated Pallotti with a 3-0 victory. Junior captains Brie Williams and Kayani Turner led the team and both had strong presences on the court. Turner had seven kills, and Williams amounted eight service points, three aces, and five kills. Senior Margaret Luppino had nine service points, while senior Lacie Barlow with 14 service
points, served with one hundred percent accuracy. In addition, junior Colleen Egan racked up five kills. The team was not focused on a few star players, but instead worked together to become an unbeatable force and take the IAAM “B” Conference by storm in their first year in the league. Coach Greg Cullison, who is in his 16th year of coaching volleyball at JC, said, “Unity was a major strength this season. Collectively we were better than as individuals.” The standout of the team was Turner, who amassed over 230 kills by midseason. This put her as top in the state in kills at that point in the season, although she was surpassed later in the season. Throughout the year the team worked on improving their serves, passes, and defense. Cullison said, “We improved on these areas due to lots of hard work and the realization that we can be as good as we want. We fought the tendency to be mediocre.”
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