The WALRUS
The time has come, the Walrus said, to talk of many things:
Of shoes and ships and sealing wax, of cabbages and kings. - Lewis Carroll
St. Sebastian’s School
Vol. LXIX ,No. 1
October 2015
Sebs Gathers for All-School Read Assembly
By Matt Aisenberg ‘16
HEAD WRITER
This past summer the St.
Sebastian’s community had the great
pleasure to read and learn about one
of the greatest American stories in
our history. The Boys in the Boat, by
Daniel James Brown, features main
character Joe Rantz and his incredible life story, along with eight other
Americans and their tremendous
journey ending with gold at the 1936
Berlin Olympics.
Earlier this year we had
the honor of hearing Joe Rantz’s
daughter Judy Willman speak about
the book and her father. Judy went
over the story in detail. She specifically addressed her father’s horrific
childhood. I think this part touched
a lot of us and made us rethink
what we consider “problems” in life
because we are so lucky to have loving families and attend such a good
school. Judy told us how she really
wanted people to see everything her
father overcame. She explained how
she needed people to be able to read
the book and be able to truly picture
what happened. She wanted it to be
an inspiration for people and to even
give people courage.
She selected Daniel James
Brown to be the author because she
thought he would do the best job at
printing her father’s story. And even
though she was not considered the
author, she played a huge role in the
making of the book. She shared with
us how she got the inspiration for the
book when she was looking through
some of her father’s personal items
and found old memorabilia from his
rowing days. She did a lot of research
for the book, including finding Joe’s
rowing teammates and talking to
them, going the extra mile to make
sure she got every detail, and recalling things she experienced with her
father. She knew that the story of Joe
and his teammates needed to be told
to the world. People who hear the tale
have to be inspired and understand
that anything is possible and that, no
matter where you start off in life, you
can still accomplish greatness like
Joe Rantz did.
One of the many intriguing aspects of Judy’s presentation
was the visual depictions. When she
started talking about the rowing and
the men on the team, she showed
pictures of all the men on the team
and provided details on each of their
stories before college. Something that
stuck out when she was talking about
the other men on the team was that
none of them had any prior rowing
experience before college, which
makes what they accomplished even
more exceptional.
Judy even had video from
the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. Seeing
this footage was amazing. We got to
see for our own eyes the whole race
and how intense it was. Judy also
read a passage from the book that
goes on during the race from the perspective of some of the Washington
fans and media. The voices brought
to life the footage and what they were
saying in the book was so accurate
for what was actually happening in
the race. It was also fascinating just
to see how much technology has
evolved since then.
Judy also addressed her
personal experiences with her father
and what he was like around her. You
could tell how much she respected
her father by the way she was speaking about him. She told us stories
about Joe and what he was like as
a father, how interactive he was,
and how he always wanted to spend
quality time with his children. The
bond of family was very important to
Joe. Judy also told one story about a
time during the winter when Joe took
Judy and her siblings sledding. She
described how the roads were covered in snow and how they had a sled
that all of them could fit on at once.
She described her dad’s excitement
to take them to the top of the steep
road and take them down the hill. He
was a fun guy and wanted to have
good times with his kids, which he
did. He loved his family very much
and would do everything he could
for them. When Judy was a little girl
she had a horse and Joe made her a
cart that attached to the horse and she
could sit on it to help train the horse.
She talked about how Joe didn’t want
his kid’s lives to be anything like his
was and they weren’t because of how
good of a father he was.
We learned a lot more
about Joe from Judy speaking to us.
Her comments were heartfelt and
delivered fully and clearly. She gave
us a more complete image of Joe and
what an image it was. It was great
after reading the story to hear more
about it and learn things that were not
in the book.
Owen “Barack” Finnegan, with his massive ears, addresses the most important issues
facing St. Sebastian’s School today as a bastion of moral education and leadership.
Meet Supreme Leader Owen Finnegan
By Peter Murphy ‘18
I was honored to speak with
the most important student in our
school President Owen Finnegan,
with Trevor Yandow in a close second, and had the rare chance to interview him. He was able to eloquently
answer some of the burning questions
his subjects have for him in the interview. Obviously we all need to remember what would happen without
him, which is just a less enthusiastic
senior chapel speech ceremony. However, we wouldn’t get to have dances
and get to see girls, which is pretty
cool, so we all should treat him with
the utmost respect.
To start off the interview
our leader stated his goals to improve Sebs: “I think I want to make
the school a better place, I want to be
the best president ever (well, I can already check that one off) and I want
to be someone the kids look up to and
just be a good guy.”
The President can check all
these items off his list because he has
already done all of this. Although with
a modest guy like him, I wouldn’t expect any other answer.
I then asked him who he
would vote for in the next American
Presidential Election: “I’d write myself in as a write in, and I tried to get
into the republican debate the other
day and they wouldn’t let me in for
some reason. I don’t know why. I also
encourage you all to vote for me.”
My question is, who doesn’t
want some pretty good inside jokes
most Sebs students understand at a
Republican debate? It is a given that
we should support our Presidents unofficial campaign for president. He
obviously would improve our international connections with other countries with his witty comedy, so why
not vote for him.
Next, I asked him what he
would change about Sebs: “The immediate promotion of Trevor Yandow
to co-headmaster of the school along
with Mr. Burke, like a dual headmaster program. Every Monday instead
of me doing a speech, Trevor would
just stand behind Mr. Burke while Mr.
Burke said something really cool and
then we would have Trevor just stand
at the podium for two or three minutes
and we all sit in quiet contemplation
while we just sat and watched Trevor
arms spread out in front of everybody
and step off the podium. Bring back
Mr. Craven. Also, the installation
of moving sidewalks from class to
class.”
Our Vice President David
Korzeniowski (is that how you spell
it?) then chimed in on the subject:
“We should replace Unity day with
Mr. Redpath just singing Ed Sheeran
songs in a concert for the whole day.”
All great ideas for the improvement of our school that will undoubtedly soon become a part of our
already great daily lives at Sebs. Also
I firmly agree with the dual headmas-
ter program. We really need an icon,
like Trevor Yandow, to look up to in
wonder and fascination.
Next, Brian Craven asked
him what his thoughts on Smart Cars
were: “I think anybody who owns a
smart car is making a terrible financial
choice and safety choice.”
This really shows us what
comes first to him, the people’s financial stability and the people’s safety.
As my precious time with
him was coming to a close I asked
him my last question which was what
he would miss about Sebs: “I’ll miss
making bad jokes and people being
obligated to laugh at them and I’ll
miss Nicos.”
As he said that, Nicos Tapulos was summoned by the intercom as
if the President were some sort of oracle. There couldn’t have been a more
St. Sebastian’s way to end an intriguing interview with our leader.
As another great year starts
at Sebs, I have confidence that President Owen will lead us in the best
year of our life so far. He always has
some crazy ideas up his sleeve, so I
am confident that we will have the opportunity to be a part of some exciting
events throughout the year. Hopefully
someone will be bold enough to try to
fill the shoes President Finnegan will
eventually have to step out of at the
end of the year. Until then we should
all appreciate the time we have with
him as our President.
Judy Rantz and her husband with Mr. Burke following the
all-school read assembly. They are achieving swing.
Improbable Players’
Moving Performance
By Jack Kerwin ‘17
In late September, the St.
Sebastian’s community was privileged to welcome the Improbable
Players to our school for a powerful
performance. The Improbable Players are an acting group, comprised of
actors who are currently in long-term
recovery from various addictions.
The mission of these actors is to set
the stage for prevention by educating
the public about the dangers of addiction and to help others recognize situations in their own lives and seek the
necessary help.
The performance began by
diving into the personal lives of the
various actors. As each of the four actors introduced themselves, they told
their emotional stories about their
battles with addiction. From cocaine
addiction, to constant drinking, the
Improbable Players had seemed to
have been in situations that would be
tough for most students to imagine.
The heartfelt reflections of their lives
led the audience to connect to each of
the actors on a deeper level and validate each actor’s claims and opinions
on the dangers of drugs and alcohol.
The Improbable Players played a big
emphasis on what we typically perceive an alcoholic or drug addict to be
like. Dressing up in trench coats, ski
masks, fingerless gloves, and heavy
boots, the actors stomped around the
stage speaking in distorted voices
and even causing laughter within
the crowd. Following this, they removed their costumes, and revealed
to the crowd what a drug addict and
alcoholic really look like. This tactic
dramatically revealed the harsh truth
about how common it is for people
to have these battles with addiction.
It was made clear that many people
that we wouldn’t expect or assume to
battle this disease are fighting every
day.
This thought was also
brought up within the last skit. The
last skit told the story of a girl who
had an alcoholic mother. From a
young age, her mother’s addiction
was prominent and her actions reflected that. In this family, the daughter was the most affected by her
The Improbable Players answering questions from the crowd
following their poignant performance in Ward Hall
SPORTS
NEWS
Seniors earn their paddle
Page 4
mother’s disease. It had seemed to
her that this addiction had taken over
her mother and ultimately taken her
mother from her. The girl often times
tried to express her feelings about
how she believed that her mother had
a drinking issue, but whenever she
attempted to speak of it, she would
instantly be shunned by her father
and brother, as well as be told to stop
giving her mother such a hard time.
It got to a point where she decided
to speak to her guidance counselor
at school about this issue. The counselor shortly told her that her mother
was an alcoholic and when she went
home to explain this to her father, she
was further reprimanded for speaking about this issue to other people.
The purpose of this skit was to show
how it is easy for somebody to be
delusional about a family member or
loved ones addiction. The Improbable Player’s showed us that battling
with addiction is an extremely common thing and that it is important to
recognize situations similar to these.
The Improbable Player’s
touched upon many circumstances
that although may seem distant, are
very pertinent to our lives. The actors talked and theatrically displayed
the dangers of even going near these
substances. Oftentimes people will
use excuses such as “I only drink
on weekends” or “I only drink when
I’m with my friends.” Using exaggerations and irony, the stupidity of
these excuses was made obvious. It
became clear that it is much easier
to completely stay away from these
substances than to try them, like
them, and then have to resist such extreme temptations.
Through personal accounts
of their lives as well as their performances, we were able to see the possible tragedies that can arise as a result of abusing these substances. The
Improbable Players’ performance
also encouraged students to recognize these situations in their own
lives and not shy away from looking
for help. This moving performance
further informed us about the danger
of substance abuse and become closer with one another about issues that
are very relevant to our lives.
Does Not Appear in Photo:
Quiet 7th Graders
Homecoming 2015
Page 8
October 2015
THE WALRUS
Page 2
QUOTES of
the MONTH
New Faculty Faces at Sebs, 2015-2016
Mr. Salomone
“I live on the dark side.”
-Mr. Lynch
“Petro, I’d like to remind you that
Stephen King tweeted me.”
-Mr. Tremblay
“Up rolls the white van, and here
comes Latin 5!”
-Mr. Ferguson
“These editors will be my death.”
-Mr. Drummond
“I’m like 70/40 on that one.”
-Paul McAuliffe ‘16
“WE CAN’T HAVE THAT!”
-Mike Calabro ‘16 to Henry’s Corner following the end zone
rush after Seidl’s touchdown
Mr. Diggs
By Thomas Hovsepian ‘17
Question: How are you today?
Mr. Diggs: I’m great, how are you?
Q: Good, thanks. How do you feel
your first month of school at Sebs as
teacher has been?
MD: As, a teacher it’s been great. I
have a great group of kids. They
make it easy for me in terms of getting
adjusted. Everyone has been welcoming. Kids are all in, focused and ready
to go.
Q: What classes do you teach?
MD: I teach seventh grade religion.
One section of seventh grade religion
and it’s pretty cool.
Q: How hard do you think you are on
your seventh graders?
MD: I don’t think I’m hard enough. I
might have to turn it up a notch.
Q: What went better first month as
teacher or first month as a student?
MD: I’ll have to say my first month as
a teacher. Just because I knew what
to expect. You know, just knowing
the school itself, I felt a step ahead
in the game. Whereas when I came
as a student, it was more of a foreign
atmosphere for me. It was cool as a
teacher because I could do what I want
as a teacher.
Q: Is it weird being back as a teacher?
MD: It’s not as weird as I thought it
was going to be. You know, the faculty
and my former teachers have been
great about helping me transition into
becoming a teacher. They’ve been
really supportive about it. I couldn’t
have asked for a better start to the year
with assistance from the other teachers
and faculty.
Q: What made you want to become a
teacher in general and back at Sebs?
MD: In general, I just like the idea
of helping kids. I like to provide any
mentoring when I can. And as far as
being back at Sebs, Sebs was a great
place for me as a student. So, it would
be a great place for me as a teacher
too. Providing some assistance for the
guys from the city, too. It’s a transition for them and it was a transition
for me as guy from Dorchester. Just
giving any assistance that I can in that
aspect.
Q: What activities did you do at Sebs?
MD: I played football, basketball, and
I was in MPA as well as the art club.
Q: Which of those is your favorite
activity that you took part in?
MD: That’s hard, I’m gonna have
to put sports aside for this one. I’m
gonna say the art club. Ah Well MPA
was great too. I’m gonna say MPA.
It’s a toss up they were both great! Im
saying MPA because I felt I played
a really big role in it. I was able to
provide and help a lot of younger guys
a lot. Which is part of what I like to
do today. I like to give as much help
as I can to the younger guys. I was
president also so that was nice.
Q: Activities you’re participating in as
a teacher/faculty member?
MD: Football, basketball, MPA,
admission tours. I’m primarily admissions so that’s a big part. Also coaching lacrosse.
Q: What was your favorite lunch
when you were here and is that still
your favorite lunch?
MD: The chicken sandwich, and it
is still my favorite. I always say I’m
gonna eat a salad and be a good person
when it comes to eating healthy. But
when the chicken sandwich comes it
just ruins my day. Its great!
Q: Favorite memory here at Sebs?
MD: My favorite memory was receiving an A on my mouse trap car. That
was great because it was a toss up, fingers crossed type of thing. I just went
for it and got an A on my first hit.
Q: Favorite class?
MD: Mr. Lynch’s senior writing class.
It allowed me to be creative. I feel
like a lot of faculty members are going
to come after me with this. But yea
that class was cool because of how
creative it let me be.
Q: What’re you most excited for?
MD: Just getting to know everybody.
I don’t just want to know the seventh
graders or just the athletes I just want
to know everybody. And being able
to provide as much assistance as I can
with the student body.
Q: When did you know you wanted to
become a teacher?
MD: I was in a teaching program. So
fall of my sophomore year. I always
had the idea of teaching in my mind. I
went full force with it, getting that experience, it provided me with enough
confidence that is what I wanted to do.
Q: Where did you go to college?
MD: Stonehill, Skyhawks!
Q: What activities did you do there?
MD: I played football for two years. I
was a part of mosaic club, similar to
MPA. I worked in IT, which was cool,
also campus police. I did an internship
in D.C. that was very cool.
Q: Favorite pro teams?
MD: Patriots and Celtics
Q: Favorite players past or present?
MD: Rondo. I was a big Rondo fan
when he was with the Celts. Edelman
because he’s the man.
Q: Thoughts about Deflategate?
MD: Silly. Obnoxious and unnecessary
but it happens when you’re winning.
Q: Superbowl Prediction?
MD: Patriots vs. Packers
Q: Athletic role model?
MD: On the basketball court I would
say I’m Lebron James-esque. But
that’s just me. I’m a big body. But
that’s just me fantasizing.
By Jackson McKeigue ‘17
Every year the big dogs of
the Sebs faculty rustle up some of
the best ladies and gentlemen from
all around to compete for a position on the St. Sebastian’s Varsity
Faculty roster. The Sebs faculty
squad is a very difficult team to
make, and this year the big dogs
have picked an elite few teachers
to join the team. One of the teachers, that could prove to be one of
“the most interesting men in the
community,” Mr. Salomone. Mr.
Salomone teaches in the Theology
department. Teaching five classes,
one freshman class, three sophomore classes, and a senior philosophy class, the man is everywhere.
Whether it be at the prestigious
West Point United States Military
Academy, or in the classroom at
BC High, or in the halls of Sebs,
Mr. Salomone is seeking to make a
difference anywhere he goes.
Prior to his teaching career, Salomone attended the West
Point United States Military Academy, and served in the United
States Military. Mr. Salomone, in
an interview, explained how West
Point and the military was a “big
influence on the ways [he] learned
leadership skills, what it means to
be dedicated, and certain things
that [he] would want to hold onto
for the rest of [his] life.” In the
military, he explains how he was
able to discover a greater sense of
community and, similar to Sebs,
a brotherhood. This community
that he experienced, he illustrates
is a group that is all “about service
and trying to do something bigger
than yourself, [...] this community is much like the one we have
here at St. Sebs.” In his time in the
military, not only did he learn the
feeling of a deeper community, but
he also learned that tough tasks
can’t be accomplished without
support from the community, or as
Mr. Moriarty
By James Orscheln ‘17
Perhaps you’ve seen him
roaming the hallways of the math and
science wing because he does not have
his own classroom. Perhaps you have
seen him making his freshman football
players run sprints on the grid after
practice. Perhaps you’ve seen him in
the hit TV series Sherlock. Yes, we are
talking about Mr. Moriarty, the new
math teacher. This freshman football
coach and former college baseball
player is a really cool guy, so we
decided to stop by and ask him a few
questions about how he is fitting into
Sebs so far.
Q: Can we first have a little
background info about you, where you
grew up, where you went to school,
sports you play, hobbies, etc.?
A: Well, I grew up in nearby
Newton Mass, and attended Roxbury
Latin over in West Roxbury. I then
went to Hamilton College, where I
studied math and played baseball. I
spent the last year teaching in Washington DC, and now I am here at Sebs.
Some of my hobbies include playing
piano, and playing sports. Sports and
music really are the big ones for me.
What influenced you to come to Sebs/
how has your transition been so far?
I had looked at Sebs before, and I even
spent a day here during my senior year
in college. I was very interested in
Sebs, but I ended up teaching in DC
because I found a teaching job down
there, but I didn’t like that as much
and wanted to be back in Boston. I
really liked the sense of community,
the welcoming environment, and how
everyone was working hard at Sebs,
so I interviewed here and ended up
teaching a sample lesson in an Algebra
2 class last year. I recall meeting Evan
Reddick and Thaddeus Kennedy. They
the West Point graduate phrased it,
“you can’t grow alone”.
Having been involved in
the military, it is very interesting
that Mr. Salomone now works in
the Theology department. When
asked how he was influenced to
enter into teaching religion and
philosophy, he replies, “Faith has
always been important to me. It
has always played a huge part
in my life.” He explains how his
largest influences were his two
high school religion teachers. He
viewed his teachers as great role
models. He also enjoyed the idea
of being a mentor which encouraged his desire to teach younger
men how to excel spiritually.
Through many year
of teaching religion at different
schools, including BC High (1
Year) and Bishop Hendricken (5
Years), Mr. Salomone has encountered many different challenges
that have come along with teaching. When asked what the hardest part of teaching for him is he
replied, “trying to present the
material in an interesting way so
that students feel like they have a
stake in their learning, for it to be
something more than the passing
of information. [...] Teaching is an
adventure, you never know what
is going to happen. I should be in
some way shape or form helping
my students get to heaven, and
hopefully they’re helping me get to
heaven too! And that is the meaning of community, all going down
this same road together.”
Furthermore, as is with
starting any new adventure for the
first time, comes the challenge of
adapting and learning how everything works. Mr. Salomone and all
the other new teachers are currently experiencing a period where
they are adapting to the Sebs
community as well as learning
what they themselves like and dislike about the school. I asked Mr.
Salomone how he was adapting to
the St. Sebs lifestyle, to which he
responded, “Besides getting use
to the day-to-day things at a new
school, which is something that
every school does a little differently, but other than little stuff like
that, and getting to know everybody, it’s been great! I am very
happy to be here, great community
that is very tight, that is one of
the reasons I wanted to come! So
far, so good!” I also proceeded to
ask what he loved most about the
school so far, to which he explained was his love for the sense
of community and each student’s
desire to do well themselves, but
also for their friends to do well. He
loved how there are “no strangers”
at Sebs, everyone knows everyone
and there is no getting around
that fact. “There is also a sense
of collegiality, not just amongst
the teachers but the students too.
For example, the breakfasts that
were occurring these past weeks
between the Seventh Grade and Junior Class, as well as between the
Eighth Grade and Senior Class,”
explained Mr. Salomone. However, on the contrary, I also asked
the religion teacher what his least
favorite part of the school is. “My
least favorite part of the school as
of now is that I have such a small
amount of time to meet with my
classes, especially compared to
past schools, I feel that I don’t get
enough time with my students.”
As an esteemed Independent Catholic all boys school, St.
Sebastian’s pursues this sense of
community and “brotherhood”.
This concept of “brotherhood”,
during the admissions season is
probably one of the most used and
heavily emphasized terms. The
school advertises this idea almost
as much as anything else that the
school offers; however, many
applicants ask and are uncertain
to whether or not this “Brotherhood” is legit. As a new member of
the school, I closed the interview
by asking Mr. Salomone how he
thought the advertisement of this
community compares to what
it is actually like to be a part of
the St. Sebastian’s Brotherhood.
“Prior to applying for the job, I
had heard great things about Sebs,
and I was especially impressed
by the school’s motto, ‘Love God,
Work Hard, and Take Good Care
of One Another’. Other schools
don’t have anything like that, they
don’t say stuff like that, and it is
clear in the month that I’ve been
here, these aren’t just words, you
all care so much about each other,
and I find it amazing, so as far as
brotherhood goes I believe that
it does match up pretty well!”
Mr. Salomone clearly is one of
the more interesting men to walk
the halls of Sebs and proves to be
another great addition to the St.
Sebs family.
were studs in that class, and that made
me want to come teach here even
more. My transition to Sebs has been
awesome. All the students are wicked
good, very funny, and really motivated
to do well which makes my job easier.
I’ve been teaching more classes this
year so it’s a lot of work, but it’s really
fulfilling to see all my guys doing
well.
Q:Which teachers have
helped your transition to Sebs go
smoothly?
A: Definitely Mr. Piacenza,
he’s helped out a lot with co-planning
some Algebra 2 stuff. Mr. Rest has
looked out for me a lot, and helped
me get all set up over the summer.
Mr. Drummond has been great with
all the new teacher stuff, and all the
administration like Mr. Burke and
Mr. Sullivan have been awesome. Mr.
Eaton and Mr. Diggs have both been
great because we coach freshman
football together, so I get to spend a lot
of time with them. But really I can go
on and on, everyone has just been so
welcoming. Lots of teachers have just
taken time to check in and see how
my first few weeks have been going
because they understand it can be hard
to transition to a new place.
Q: You mentioned freshman
football, but what other sports/activities are you planning to run/coach?
A: Yeah so right now I’m
coaching freshman football, and I plan
on helping out with freshman baseball
in the spring. I don’t have any intimate
plans, but I’m very open-minded to
getting involved with community
service or theatre, which I did some
of in college. I like the community at
Sebs and how everyone is involved in
everything, so I’m going to join in.
Q: What has your favorite lunch at
Sebs been so far?
A: Hmmmm there’s been
some really good fish dishes, but I usually just make a monster meat wrap
with either tuna or buffalo chicken
salad, then I supplement that with ham
and sometimes salami, so those are
awesome.
Q: Is it true that you are a
Sherlock Holmes villain?
A: Direct descendant.
Q: Who’s your World Series
pick this year for the MLB?
A: Gotta go Astros. Actually,
Durham Bulls. Yeah, say the Durham
Bulls.
Q: What do you see yourself
doing in five years?
A: I want to make sure I’m
using this word right. (Looks up word
biopic) Definitely will be screenwriting the Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
biopic. I’m a huge DTRJ fan, I find
him amusing. He always just plays
a muscled-out tough guy in every
movie, it’s awesome.
There you have it folks. If
you see Mr. Moriarty in the hallways
or on the field, make sure to say hi to
him, and maybe ask how his DTRJ
biopic is going. We hope that his transition into Sebs continues to go well,
and expect to see him here doing great
things for the years to come.
The Walrus
A St. Sebastian’s Publication
Senior Editors: Greg DeMatteo ‘16, Owen Finnegan ‘16, Paul Keady ‘16, David
Korzeniowski ‘16, Jimmy Ryan ‘16
Apprentice Editors: Mr. Digan, Mr. Cavanaugh, Mr. Craven
Head Writers: Matt Aisenberg ‘16, Cole Aldrich ‘16, Miguel Espinosa ‘16, Matt Karpowicz ‘16,
John McManmon ‘16
Editors Emeritus: Jack Adams ‘15, Edgar Escobar ‘15, Ryan Lee ‘15, Angus O’Rourke ‘15, John Ryan ‘15
Faculty Advisor: Mr. Dan Drummond
The Walrus
Walrus is
is the
the official
official student
student newspaper
newspaper of
of St.
St. Sebastian’s
Sebastian’s School.
School. The
The WalWal
The
rus seeks
seeks to
to provide
provide news
news and
and entertainment
entertainment for
for the
the St.
St. Sebastian’s
Sebastian’s community,
community, as
as well
well
rus
as to
to provide
provide an
an open
open forum
forum for
for students
students to
to offer
offer opinions
opinions on
on issues
issues related
related to
to world,
world, nanaas
tional, and
and school
school affairs.
affairs. The
The opinions
opinions expressed
expressed herein
herein do
do not
not necessarily
necessarily reflect
reflect opinopintional,
ions of
of the
the faculty
faculty advisors
advisors or
or senior
senior editors
editors of
of The
The Walrus
Walrus or
or of
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St. Sebastian’s
Sebastian’s School.
School.
ions
Correspondence to
to The
The Walrus
Walrus should
should be
be addressed
addressed to
to The
The Walrus,
Walrus, c/o
c/o St.
St. SebasSebas
Correspondence
tian’s School,
School, 1191
1191 Greendale
Greendale Avenue,
Avenue, Needham,
Needham, MA,
MA, 02492.
02492. Senior
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Editors and
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To submit
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visit
October 2015
Ms. DiMeo
By Jimmy McCabe ‘17
As is the case with every new
school year here at Saint Sebastian’s, a
fresh batch of young ambitious teachers are among us. It’s always important to reach out to these new members
of our community and show them
why this school is so special. I had the
pleasure of interviewing my current
Spanish teacher, Señorita DiMeo, and
I hope you guys can learn something
interesting about the successor to the
great one (Señor Digan).
Q: Where did you grow up?
A: I grew up in Needham, actually,
right around the corner from here.
Q: How big is your family?
A: I have two brothers and one sister,
my two parents, and my grandfather
lived with us growing up. So we had a
very busy household.
Q: Are you the oldest, youngest, or
middle child?
A: I am the oldest.
Q: Where did you attend high school
and college?
A: I went to Needham High School,
and then after that I went to Union
College in Upstate New York.
Q: What was your favorite part of
Union?
A: It’s a beautiful campus, everywhere
you go everything is just very well
made and thoughtfully designed. And
I loved that it’s a small community
and everybody knew everybody, kind
of like here, everybody supported
everybody and wanted you to succeed
and it was a really great environment
to learn in.
Q: What did you do in between college
and coming to Saint Sebastian’s?
A: I moved to Spain for a year. Last
school year I spent in Madrid. I was
teaching English at a bilingual immersion school and I taught preschool and
primary school, so my youngest kids
were three and my oldest kids were
about 12.
Q: What was that experience like?
A: It was crazy, but it was incredible.
It was different in a lot of ways from
what I expected. From an American
standpoint, there’s zero organization
in anything and everything to do with
the Spanish school system. So that
was frustrating sometimes, but it was
a learning experience and I really appreciated it and it was great.
Q: How has the transition been for you
coming to Sebs?
A: There’s definitely a learning curve,
but everybody here is so willing to
help and so willing to answer questions. People will genuinely ask if you
have any questions and want to sit
down and ask and figure things out,
and they mean it, which is really nice!
I’ve definitely been taking advantage
of that.
Q: Who influenced you to come to
Sebs?
A: (laughter) I went to college with
Señor Beaule, who’s also a Spanish
teacher here. He and I did a Spanish major so a lot of our classes were
together and we were classmates and
I saw him several times a week. So
when I came home (from Spain) I shot
him a message and said, “Hey I heard
you’re at Sebs, I grew up in Needham,
that’s so weird! How did you end up
there etc… PS: Do they need a Spanish teacher,” and he said yes! So I was
very lucky.
Q: What teachers have helped with the
transition?
A: Everybody I’ve met has helped. All
of the teachers in the Spanish department have been really helpful to me.
Trying to figure out where all of the
students are, what they’ve learned,
and what I still need to teach them
has been a challenge. But talking with
everybody else has been really helpful.
Mr. Drummond has been really, really
helpful with this, too.
Q: What is your favorite aspect of
school so far?
A: I love that the classes are really
small, and I know that our class (my
class) is thirteen. And that feels big in
that room, but the classes I was teaching last year had around 30 students in
them. The students were about three
years old, which was total insanity. So
I really appreciate that there’s about
half the people in the room. You can
really run a better class that way.
Q: Favorite lunch meal at Sebs?
A: I’m obsessed with the fruit in the
salad bar. It’s always really fresh and
really good (thanks Cisco dining). It’s
really lame, but that’s my thing!
Q: What extra-curricular activities will
you be running or assisting in this year
for Sebs?
A: I know for certain that I’ll be helping coach the swim team. I was a very
competitive swimmer in high school.
I’m really excited to get back into that
because it’s been a long time. I also
have been told to expect to coach a
sport in the spring, but I don’t know
which one yet. So that’ll be a surprise
for all involved!
Q: What do you like to do outside of
work?
A: I love to travel. I love to knit, my
friends make fun of me because I
need to knit things. And I really like
to bake.
Q: Dogs or cats?
A: Dogs.
And that wraps up my interview with Ms. DiMeo. Be sure to say
hi to her in the hallways and make her
feel part of the Sebs community.
Top 10: Things We Missed About Sebs
By Marty White ‘18
and Patrick Ryan ‘18
The cool breezes have
replaced the sticky humidity, and
hot, sunny days are few and far
between. Oh yeah, it’s Fall again,
and as the leaves begin to fall, Seb’s
has started again; it is time for that
school grind. School is well on its
way, but let’s step back and remember
a frightening time only months ago
when we were without our beloved
school for three whole months. We’re
all sure that everyone was devastated
over summer break as you all missed
the great things about Seb’s, because
you never really appreciate things
until they’re gone. So, without further
adieu, here are the top ten things that
we missed about Seb’s over the summer:
1. Henry’s Corner: Henry’s is
one of the most amazing experiences
at Seb’s. There’snothing better than
rambunctiously cheering for our sports
teams at every outing. We truly have a
home field advantage. In all seriousness, the support shown by fellow
Arrows is something greatly missed
over the summer. Sports and other
activities just aren’t as interesting if
none of you classmates are there hooting and hollering for you. Keep up the
good work, Henry’s.
2. The Plays: Not everyone
likes drama here, but most people
can agree, the Seb’s plays are truly a
worthwhile experience, even if you
just watch. Whether it’s a comedy
about a misunderstood baby put on by
the middle-schoolers or a spectacular
musical acted out by the entire club,
you can guarantee that watching it will
be a good time and, since it’s Seb’s,
there’s sure to be some hilarious moments. (Plus, just between us, there’s
GIRLS in the Fall Play!)
3. The Lunches: Every new
student has felt it: the huge change
from the gross food from elementary and middle school to the superb
cuisine that Seb’s offers. No matter
how dreary the day, a student can
always count on the meal to lift their
spirits. Whether it be as intricate as
the amazing General Tso’s chicken or
as simple as some pizza and french
fries, we can never say we haven’t
had a meal we didn’t enjoy. Plus, the
entire experience is great, between the
panini maker almost burning down
the school, the chaotic churro riots
that leave many injured, or just a nice
conversation with your friends, it’s
undeniable that the Seb’s atmosphere
is truly unique.
4. Churros: After the Great
Churro Stampede of 2014, a tragic
moment in which certain members of
the student body ruined dessert for everyone, the churro system has changed
greatly. Churro days are more rare, but
they are just as great, especially with a
Page 3
THE WALRUS
new “every table gets a plate” system
in place. However, over the summer
we’ve noticed that the churro market
just isn’t the same in real life as it is
at Seb’s. Somehow, the mad stampede
to grab as many churros as possible is
just lacking at churro stands during the
summer. Maybe the idea of having to
work for your cinnamony deliciousness is what makes it better?
5. Monday Morning Announcements: Waking up on a Monday
and preparing for a rough week can
be brutal, but Seb’s has some ways
to brighten your day. Whether it is
Mr. Stefan Cressotti trying to avoid
dreaded Schedule Xavier during
his Chess Tournament speeches or
President Finnegan talking about
how turtles are green and Usain Bolt
is black or his sixth period Calculus
test, there is rarely a dull moment. So
if you ever consider dozing off on a
dreary Monday, just remember that
you’ll be missing out on some prime
entertainment.
6. Chipotle/Five Guy’s: Everybody loves carpooling to the nearest fast food restaurant of their choice,
or just ordering pizza to be delivered
to Seb’s. It could be Chipotle, Five
Guys, Qdoba, Domino’s, or anywhere
else that you go to, and that’s okay. It
is not just eating there that makes it
memorable; it’s the funny conversations and experiences that you share
with your fellow bros from Seb’s that
makes the difference. It is just not the
same when going there in the summer, so make sure you partake in these
food-runs.
7. Staying Absurdly Late:
Admit it, at Seb’s you enjoy staying at
school later than you have to. Whether
it’s play practices that end after dark,
debate meetings to attend, or just the
lack of a ride that keeps you at Seb’s
until the late hours of the night, many
students stay late into the night. But
why do Seb’s students like to stay
at school until they’re ready to fall
asleep? Isn’t that the opposite of what
you’re supposed to do? It might have
something to do with the comradery,
since there’s always a game of chess
to be played or a friend to hang around
with or even a new student you’ve
never met before to talk to. All of us
late night guys agree: the Tuesday
night grind is that much more monotonous if you don’t stay at Seb’s until at
least six-thirty.
8. Dan the Security Guard:
Most of you young kids, and maybe
even older ones, have yet to meet
the mysterious Dan the Security
Guard. Dan makes sure events like
Homecoming run smoothly with
parking, student behavior (he keeps
Henry’s from storming the field after
every play), and he locks up every
night. Also, he’s just a normal guy
who, if you have the chance to stay
late and talk to, is a pretty interesting
character with humorous stories and
maybe even some advice. So if you’re
ever bogged down with homework at
six-thirty or later, you might encounter
Dan, who might just make you laugh
or forget about your work for a time.
9. Father Paris’ Whistle: Who
doesn’t love the sound of an elderly
priest tweeting his whistle right next
to your ear? No one can seriously say
they enjoy Fr. P bursting our eardrums
at 7:40 in the morning while he tells us
to “Go to Homeroom” or “Assembly.
Time to Go”, but Fr. P just wants us
to be on time in the morning. Finally,
who else do you know that speaks
fluent Latin? Without Fr. Paris, the
Library just wouldn’t be the same (or
as clean) in the mornings.
10. Mr. Burke: To cap off the
unique things we miss about Seb’s,
we could never go without mentioning
everyone’s favorite bowtie-wearing
Headmaster: the amazing Bill Burke.
While many schools have a boring
Headmaster who has little involvement
with the students, we can say that we
have just the opposite. Many-a-time
we’ve seen Mr. Burke wandering the
halls, greeting every student by name
and asking them how whatever extracurriculars they may be engaged in
are going. Mr. Burke has even been
spotted dancing through the library,
saying, “Hey guys, how many other
ISL Headmasters do you think are doing the moonwalk right now?” And, as
if Mr. Burke isn’t amazing enough, he
wears a bowtie to school that matches
his mustache perfectly. Our Headmaster’s unique style is the perfect example of how Seb’s is a unique place:
Its greatness starts at the top and goes
right down to the seventh graders.
So there you have it- our list
of the things we missed the most about
Seb’s. If you are unfamiliar with any
of them, try to learn more about them,
because they could grow on you. It
may be a bummer that summer is over,
but we can look forward to these awesome things.
Mr. Redpath
By Will Phelan ‘17 and
Thomas Wasynczuk ‘17
Little is known about Mr.
Z. Redpath of the Varsity Soccer team
other than his fiery hair and that he
might teach a class during the day. We
sat down with the coach to interview
him with the hope that we might
reveal the true character behind the
Path. What we learned will make you
laugh, cry, furrow your brow, exhale
through your nose a little more than
usual (because something was kind of
funny, but not that funny), and it will
even spark your interest in conversing
with the Sneaky Scot himself.
​The first thing that he wanted the readers to know was that he could “[Beat
Mr. Wilbur and Mr. Ferguson in a fight
2 vs. 1]”. That is a direct paraphrase.
When asked to elaborate, Redpath said
nothing at all. ​In order to truly understand the kind
of person he is without cornering him
with specific questions, we asked him
a series of open ended ones that he
could take in any direction he might
choose. His soccer coach “thinkingon-feet” lifestyle helped him excel
during this part of the interview. ​
Q: “If you could only have
one?”
​
A: “One billion.”
​
Q: “If your life was a piece
of lined paper, and the blue lines
were all that is constant and stable in
your life, what is the one red line that
runs perpendicular to everything you
believe in?”
​
A: “Rainbow sprinkles in
Vanilla ice cream”
​
Q: “Favorite?”
​
A: “Crest toothpaste”
​
Q: “Worst?”
​
A: “Forgetting Deodorant”
​
Q: “Hero?”
​
A: “Kyle McCarthy”
​
Q: “What’s that big shiny
thing on your key ring [and what is its
metaphorical significance]?”
​
A: “It’s a broken compass
[and it reminds me that I won’t always
know where to go, but I can’t let that
deter me from moving forward]”
​
Q: “Favorite kitchen utensil?”
​
A: “NOT a whisk. An electric whisk”
​
Q: “Where [are the bodies
hidden]?”
​
A: “Mt. Rushmore”
​
Q: “Name of your biography?”
​
A: “Knock on Wood”
​
Each question revealed
something new about the mysterious
Redwood. He likes large quantities,
he has great taste in toothpaste and
heroes and he can’t stand bad hygiene.
He’s as deep as the Romanche Trench
(25,453 ft below sea level), He’s very
particular with his words and should
probably write a biography. He has
earned a Student Seal of Approval and
the respect of millions.
Sebs Summer Changes
By Sam Cullen ‘17
By this point, the summer
with its glorious weather is but a distant memory as we enter the drudgery
of everyday school life. But while
most students were spending their
summers by the pool, beach or golf
course in well-deserved relaxation, a
handful of faculty, staff and students
were working hard to improve the
functionality of our school. Due to the
work of these people, our school has
received a handful of much-needed
improvements. Besides the herds of
roaming seventh-graders blocking our
hallways, summer additions to our
school include a new Student Commons, touchscreen PCs with Windows
10, and a school garden.
As the most noticeable addition, the Student Commons were
donated generously to the school by
the recently-departed Class of 2015,
a fitting monument to their years here
at St. Sebastian’s. The Commons
were originally restricted to use by
seniors but after the inauguration,
full-school access has been gradually
phased in. Having such a privilege,
it is the responsibility of the students
to show utmost care for condition of
these commons. With this in mind, the
Commons leaves little to be desired.
Immediately on passing the Commons, one notices the grandeur of the
glass French doors and wood paneling.
Glass cases will highlight the past,
present and future achievements of our
school community. As for student enjoyment, the lounge is equipped with
a ping-pong table, which is already a
center of student activity after school.
And with all of this, in addition to
sleek furniture and a state-of-the-art
LCD TV, the Class of 2015 Student
Commons provides a fitting place for
students to both learn and socialize in
a modern setting.
An equally important update
to our school, however, takes place
in the library under the guidance of
Mr. Deschenes, Donovan and Rossini.
After years with relatively-old PCs,
the library and computer labs now all
have the most-cutting edge computers, all equipped with Windows 10,
the “final evolution” of the operating
system family, according to creator
Microsoft. In addition to a keyboard,
these computers were revealed to also
have touchscreens, to the surprise of
many students. Of course, at first, the
adjustment to the PCs took some time
as students had to gain familiarity with
the operating system. By now, however, pupils have become comfortable
with the PCs, and the computers have
streamlined the morning “computerrush” each day. With these new computers and tech systems, a noticeable
improvement to the inner-workings
of our school, the responsibilities of
students, faculty and staff have been
made slightly easier and much quicker.
Lastly, coming around the
bend of the science building’s rotunda,
a small garden has sprouted due to the
work of students led by Mrs. Colton,
with the technical help of Mr. Ludwig
and the designs of Mr. Rob Olson.
Throughout the summer, students
watered and tended to the garden twice
a week in their pursuit of hortatory
perfection. The garden consists of
four raised beds and four large planters. Most noticeably, bright sunflowers bloomed just before the start of
school, welcoming new students with
an exuberant reminder of the summer
they had only just lost. Of course,
aesthetics were not the main benefit of
the garden, as the club plans to harvest
their well-deserved produce this week.
The products of the garden, which will
be used in the school’s kitchen and
display, including melons, cucumbers,
basil, thyme, mint, chives and kale.
Overall, the summer changes
to our school enabled our school to
better function as a place of both learning and recreation. Each year St. Sebastian’s improves upon the alreadyexcellent resources at the community’s
disposal, improving the atmosphere of
the community as a whole. And with
such excellent tools within our school,
it is both a privilege and a duty for St.
Sebastian’s students to take advantage
of these opportunities.
THE RARE QUESTIONNAIRE
Your Summer in
One Word
Favorite Teacher
Your Vote for
President
The Pope in One
Word
______ and Chill
Baseball
Love
Netflix
Mr. Foley
Mr. Foley
Mike Tressler
Lonely
Guyo
7th grade
science
Mr. Foley
Lincoln Chaffey
Liam Murphy
Fun
No Clue
Hockey
Mr. Lynch
Trump
Kyle Licameli
Energetic
Holy
Soccer
Mr. S. Cressotti
Mr. Foley
Johnny Piatelli
Interesting
Religious
Netflix
Mr. D. Cleary
Trump
Paul Canavan
Borderline
Foreign
The Great Dialogues of Plato
James Ferguson
James Ferguson
Mr. Nerbonne
Peace
Holy
Teach
Jesus
William L. Burke
III
Aidan Harrington
Casey’s Cinematic Corner
“Black Mass”
By Casey Kelly ‘16
FEATURE WRITER
An extraordinary amount
of swagger, unrivaled paranoia, and
a missing touch of class are the three
qualities that are ideal for the main
character of a crime movie, like
Black Mass. After being banned at
Harvard two years ago, Black Mass
has finally been released, but it seems
to be a different black mass. The
only downside to the movie is that
the trailers were a bit misleading to
the overall tone of the movie. The
movie, brings the viewer into the tale
of Whitey Bulger, an infamous Boston mobster. There was no way the
movie could fail simply because it
was based off of the compelling story
of Whitey Bulger’s rise and decline
among the other gangsters in Boston
at the time.
The downsides of the movie
were not that upsetting and didn’t
affect the movie’s enjoyability, but
are worth mentioning nevertheless.
The trailers of the movie, as men-
tioned a moment ago, were a little bit
misleading. The trailers mainly show
scenes of Johnny Depp’s Whitey
Bulger shooting guns and beating
people up, giving a sense that the
movie will have an action-based tone.
The movie, however, only had a few
violent scenes, and focused more on
the mental state as well as the rise
and decline of Whitey Bulger. This
small downside has very little effect
on the enjoyment of the movie, for
after seeing the film one realizes that
the focus on the story enhances the
movie much more than the action
scenes. The movie was also pretty
long which can be bad, but if time
isn’t an issue this obviously has no
downside. Overall, the downsides
barely play a factor when compared
to the positives.
On the positive end, the
acting was unbelievable. Johnny
Depp did a phenomenal job playing
the role of Whitey, and the way in
which he portrayed Whitey’s insanity
and paranoia was unbelievable. The
focus on not only his crimes, but his
involvement with the FBI and his
family life truly enhanced the life of
the story. The scenes involving his
girlfriend and son were often very
comical due to the life tips Whitey
gives to his son. Whitey’s family life
is also very interesting when focusing
on his brother and his mom, who
meant a lot to Whitey. The involvement with the FBI was very interesting for the movie often focused on
this portion of the story, and explaining how Whitey’s childhood friend,
John Connolly, did whatever he could
to keep Whitey safe throughout the
years. The story itself was the best
part of the movie, and being able to
understand everything that was going
on at the time was very entertaining.
Overall, the movie was
amazing and was definitely worth the
time to watch. The characters were
amazing, and maybe even more interesting since they were real people.
The setting of Boston was very nice
to see, because it’s always good to
see a place you know in movies. I
give the movie an impressive FOUR
Casey faces out of FIVE.
Judgement Upon the Cursed Senior Class
On September 1st, 2015, the
seniors were tested to their limits by
retired Army Staff Sergeant Sam Cila.
Sam wasted no time with introduction
before grilling the 2016s on their work
ethic, teamwork and toughness. As is
tradition here at St. Sebastian’s, Jimmy
Ryan stunned Mr. Cila by answering
Sam’s question, “What is the most
important goal for the team?” without
hesitation Jimmy raised his hand and
answered, “Accomplish the mission.”
Jimmy is the only person Sam has ever
taught to answer that question correctly. Well done, Jimbo.
Sam began his lecture telling
how many of us would “crack” or
puke amidst our strenuous workout,
surprisingly enough nobody did. After
a rigorous ab circuit which left Matt
Barron cursing Taco Bell for his “dad
bod”, the rest of us hoped the tasks
would not get harder. Sam asked for
six able-bodied men to accept the role
of captain and six brave, tough, witty,
and attractive seniors stepped forward:
Jack McCool, Kevin Boland, Sullivan
McLaughlin, Doug Calabro, Karp Karpowicz, and myself. Like monarchs,
we were chosen by God. Sam gave us
a strict task, assigning us to a group
of seven of our peers whom we had to
lead and instruct for the task at hand.
Each boy was assigned a
paddle. If that paddle ever got in the
hands of Sam or his partner, then the
captains would be punished. Though a
pretty simple task, that did not prevent
Mike Rozewski from losing his paddle
early on. Along with the paddles, each
group was given an inflatable boat and
four pumps. Sam left each team with
task of figuring out how to work the
pumps and get air flowing freely into
the boats without it leaking. Sam gave
us 8 minutes on our first trial to fully
inflate the boat. Each group worked
hard to fill their boats. But when time
was called, not all boats were completely filled. Wise and merciful Sam
did not punish us for our early failure
but instead advised us to share tips and
techniques we learned in our first trial.
For the rest of the trials,
if all the boats were not filled to his
standards, the entire class would be
punished with “four-count groiners”,
an exercise so basic that Sam felt it
necessary to make impossible. One
group learned a more effective method
of using the pumps, while another
group became so unified that they
finished nearly a minute before the
other boats and spread themselves out
to help their classmates. When asked
about his experience with the boats,
Owen Finnegan said, “You know
Declan, by the end of the day I don’t
think we were inflating boats. I think
we were inflating the lungs of God
Himself.”
After several trials, we
finally achieved the goal of pumping each boat to its max. Sam had
us recall what we learned from the
experience and for most everybody
the answer was teamwork. During
our first trials, the groups were more
focused on their own success than the
group’s, even though we would all be
punished if a group failed to complete
the task; however, during the last few
trials, each boat started focusing less
on their own boat and more on the
other five boats. When I asked David
Korzeniowski about his experience at
Judgement Day he said, “I learned a
lot about real teamwork. It’s not just
the glamorous stuff you see in movies
where people share successes together.
It’s holding your teammates accountable so that you can be the best you
can be.”
Ping Pong Fever Infects Senior
Class
By Jake Loughborough ‘16 and
Brendan Lutch ‘16
FEATURE WRITERS
The Class of 2015 senior
class gift was a complete remodeling
of the student lounge. When news
spread that the student lounge would
be turned into a more sophisticated
place to hang around during and after
school, many students were worried
that it would be too nice. What made
the student lounge so great was that
there were no rules. It was a jungle.
Various items of clothing could be
found strewn across the room, along
with the pillows of what we can only
assume to have been couches at one
point in time. Single shoes would be
wedged in between vending machines.
Apple cores and orange peels resided
underneath the couches in the cities of
dust, crumbs, and god-knows-what. It
was mayhem and remarkably filthy,
yet I wouldn’t have had it any other
way. The lounge was the autobahn of
Sebs, and students wouldn’t have it
any other way. That being said, the
new lounge has been a nice addition
and the transition has gone smoothly.
The one thing that has remained the
same in the new lounge, from the
one we had last year, is the ping pong
table.
The commons has been particularly appealing to seniors because
they are allowed to use their phones…
during the day. This means that when
Mr. Sullivan walks by and looks
through those windows, he has to fight
every urge in his body to run in and
take as many phones as possible.
At any time during the school day
you can find seniors in the middle
of a heated ping pong match, and
depending on who’s playing, they
are usually accompanied by a crowd
of spectators. One of the most entertaining players to watch is Mike
Mullowney. After every big point
Mike gives a Tiger Woods style fist
pump and yells “Come on!” He is
probably also the most annoying
player to play against because when
he wins a point, he makes sure you
know that he just won the point.
Another interesting player to watch
is the crippled Peter Mullin. Since
breaking his wrist, he has had to
play left handed, but he adapted
surprisingly fast to his injury and
is still among the top players in the
grade. One of the best players
in the grade is Weston Brach. This
year we learned that Weston’s tennis
skills are not restricted to the court.
It’s actually believed that the only
reason he plays tennis is to get better
at table tennis. Let your guard down
for as much as one hit, however,
and Weston will slam the ball back
on your side with enough speed to
make Jack Frisoli look slow. Many
people have challenged the lanky
righty, but none have been able to
reach 21 points by a minimum of a
two-point lead.
The rules of the table are
simple: games to 21. Two players
switch out after every game. To be
next in line you must call it, and it
The Prophet: Senior Chapel
Speech Predictions 2015
By Matt Karpowics ‘16
HEAD WRITER
Seeing Johnny Depp’s expression and the headline of the article below makes me wonder
what article this picture truly accompanies. It’s called planned ambiguity, folks!
By Declan Walsh ‘16
October 2015
THE WALRUS
Page 4
doesn’t matter how recently you have
played. CJ Turnbull always walks
into the lounge and yells out “I got
next game” with no knowledge of the
line, which is usually roughly three
games long, yet often ends up on the
table for the next game.
Believe it or not, some
matches rival playoff varsity hockey
games for most entertaining sports
event at Sebs. When Paul McAuliffe
squares off in a game against a righthanded Peter Mullin, not only is it
near impossible to look away, but the
lounge becomes a 17 and older room,
as words only allowed in R-rated
movies fly from the mouths of the
two competitors nearly every point.
In the career series, I believe Paul
has the slight edge over Pete, but
anything can change. Matt Karpowicz likes to think that he’s a top dog
on the table, and that everyone has a
desire to play against him, but such is
not the case. Is the future Eph a good
ping pong player? Of course; some
would even venture not incorrectly
to say great. However, his nearly
seven-foot wingspan makes him an
undesirable opponent as no shot can
be guaranteed to get by him. The biggest rivalry out there, however, exists
between three players: Lutch, Frankie
and Lemone, though none of them
play in the lounge a lot.
A question brewing in the
mind of the reader right now might
be whether or not younger kids are
allowed to play. It’s not illegal, just
frowned upon. Mitch Heffernan of
the Class of 2015 - oops, my mistake
- 2017, has entered the lounge to
NATHAN AKUKWE: To be determined by the 2016-17 Walrus Staff.
JOHNNY BEHMAN: Guitar, guitar, and maybe some brothers
KEVIN BOLAND: Writes about the
lacrosse showcase he attended last
fall, attempts to justify his decision.
Fails.
WESTON BRACH: Writes about
how his senior slide consists of taking three APs instead of five.
JACK BRUGGER: Discusses how
he peaked during freshman year.
MIKE CALABRO: Wearing his
nicest football jersey, gives 15 page
report in defense of Tom Brady
and his role in Deflategate.
PAUL CANAVAN: Gives play by
play of this year’s town hockey
season.
RYAN COLGAN: Announces
sponsorship deal with Herbal Essences
GREG DEMATTEO: Apologizes to
Mr. Nerbonne.
JAMES DRISCOLL: Calls everyone
out for giving him the nickname
“Booster”, a la Timmy Murphy.
MATT ELDRIDGE: Tries to make
textual connections from the corporate chapel reading.
MIGUEL ESPINOSA: Reveals
to the school that he is from the
Philippines.
BEN FACHETTI: Expresses deep,
deep desire to fake the punt.
CAM FINNEGAN: Writes about
his back-brace related nightmares.
OWEN FINNEGAN: Gives very
deep, intellectual speech about
marine biology that no one understands except Dean.
MAYNEL FUENTES: Talks about
adjusting to life at Sebs without
Moreno.
SEAN HARRINGTON: Talks
about the lessons baseball has
taught him about baseball.
SONNY HUANG: Reminds us that
Sebs was his last choice.
ERIK JONES: Launches into long
argument with Mr. Thomasy about
the multiple choice format of the
test.
JOHN KAPPLES: Too cool to actually speak, stands at podium and
combs hair with his hand.
MATT KARPOWICZ: Talks about
how he never stopped sweating
throughout all of senior year. Also
discusses being careful about what
you write about other people in
the Walrus and the consequences it
might have.
PAUL KEADY: Accepts our
nomination for the President of the
United States of America.
HARRY KELLEHER: Reposts a
chapel speech about hockey with
his two cousins.
CASEY KELLY: Exposes long
covered up conspiracies going on
inside the Sebs administration.
Somersaults off altar.
DAVID KORZENIOWSKI: Talks
about how technology changed his
life. Mr. Connolly and Mr. Richter
notably absent.
ROB LEMONE: Doesn’t tell Alejo
about his speech.
CHRISTIAN LOCURTO: Lists top
3 memories of getting up at 3:30
in the morning and commuting to
school.
JAKE LOUGHBOROUGH: Writes
about how his job in Nantucket
prevented him from getting
recruited to play DI college
football.
BRENDAN LUTCH: Speech
seems to start well until he starts
laughing and can’t stop laughing. Excuses himself.
RYAN MACEDO: Makes fun of
Slayne.
MIKE MACKINTIRE: Gives
school good nutritional tips and
hands out samples of granola.
FRANKIE MAHONEY: Talks directly to Ms. Uhlman the whole
speech.
PAUL MCAULIFFE: Can’t
make it to corporate chapel, has
Draino’s.
JACK MCCOOL: Tries not to
talk about hockey, talks about
hockey.
JACK MCLAUGHLIN: Explains
decision to take a gap year and
live off the land.
JOHN MCMANMON: Lists 10
nicest cars he parked over the
summer.
PATRICK MULDOWNEY: Talks
about the day he got to spend
with Tom Brady.
PETER MULLIN: Organizes
school wide predictions on what
he will write about. Makes $50.
MIKE MULLOWNEY: Talks
about not getting into BC.
JOHN NILLES: Writes about the
difficulties of being both a player
and the putative head coach of
the soccer team.
LIAM NOONAN: Explains why
the past year has been the best
year of his life.
NNAMDI OKWEREKWU: Argues that J Cole is a better rapper
than Drake. Takes out phone at
some point and records speech
for his Snapchat story.
NICK O’NEIL: Talks about his
cape house.
AUSTIN O’SHEA. Grinds. Talks
about love of East Milton. Tells
his kids.
RYAN PARKER: Explains the
difference between freshly
cooked bacon and bags of bacon.
Falls asleep at the podium.
PAT PETERS: Tells everyone
where he’s been for the past four
years.
DEAN PIERSIAK: Writes about
all the rocks he climbed in the
Bahamas.
CHRIS POTVIN: Gives speech
about nuclear physics in Latin.
JACK RAGNONI: Explains
why TJ is the superior Ragnoni
brother.
MIKE ROZEKSKI: Claims that
he is in fact a member of this
community.
JIMMY RYAN: Gives account of
his family’s summer trip to the
Notre Dame State Fair.
WILL SLAYNE: Talks about why
Grandparent’s Day is his favorite
day of the year.
ALEJO SOTO: Writes about how
much he learned from Eldridge
as a leader during soccer season.
NICO TOPULOS: Writes about
how being a Beckett man inspired him to study Karl Marx.
Reads speech off of giant phone
screen to save paper.
CJ TURNBULL: Announces he
will be opening a new Dunkin’
Donuts in the peace garden.
DECLAN WALSH: Writes about
being the only member of the
swim team. Wears bolo tie.
AARON WOLFSBURG: I honestly have no idea.
Two paddles and a ping pong ball: Enough to distract
65 seniors from college applications and homework
challenge somebody three times. He’s
lost all three. Mitch is bringing down
the junior, and all younger grades
for that matter, stock at the table. It’s
like when Middlesex asked Sebs to
play in football this year: yeah we’ll
play against you, but you’re gonna
get Tommy Seidl’s younger brother
in the second quarter because we’re
worried about embarrassing you.
Mitch was not ready to play and it
showed.
As the school year progresses, there have been improvements in
some players as they secretly practice
into the wee hours of the night at
home with their folded-up tables. I
have some predictions for this year’s
ping pong. First, Mr. Wu will enter
the lounge, challenge somebody to
a game, take a 10-0 lead (one point
away from the infamous skunk),
then, as mysteriously as he came, will
leave the Commons, and Sebs, forever. Second, much like his beloved
Peyton Manning, Mike Mullowney’s
age will ruin his season. No Arrow
has ever been able to win consistently
at the age of 45, and I strongly doubt
that Mike will be able to break that
streak. He’s also been complaining
that he can no longer feel the ball
on his fingertips. Finally, using the
paddle that the people from “The
Program” gave to the senior class,
Mr. Sullivan will defeat Mr. Nerbonne in a game to 11 in the muchanticipated matchup of the Deans.
The ping pong table has
created a near-dangerous distraction
to the seniors, as they should be focusing on college applications rather
than searching for a weakness in Cole
Aldrich’s game, only to find out that
there is none.
THE WALRUS
October 2015
Page 5
Advice for New Sebs Students
By Alex Gainey ‘18
Being new. Just by hearing
those two words, one is filled with
anxiety. Who will I be friends with?
Will people like me? What if they
think I’m a loser? Questions like this
arise when anyone thinks of being
new, especially at a school. For most
people in our world, anything new in
their lives always presents a fear of
the unknown and the normal jitters
that come along with it. At Sebs, the
jitters are very evident on the first
day of school when an experienced
student, like myself, sees all the
new kids jumping out of their cars,
usually some type of Range Rover,
Porsche, or Beamer (which is a power
move but hey I respect it.) These kids
jump out and appear cool, calm, and
collected, but have their eyes locked
on the front door, not showing any
emotion, and not knowing what to
do when they get inside the school.
These moments are when the jitters
first set in and continue until each
student feels comfortable. Like Mr.
Burke says, “You won’t feel new for
long.” However, after having my own
personal experiences from being at
Sebs for four years and talking to other fellow sophomores, I’ve collected
three major tips for new students.
At first, if one starts in 7th
grade or even 8th, 9th, or 10th grade,
he clings to the people he met on the
retreat as his life vest to help tackle
the first few days with. They seem to
be friends for the first month or two
and help ease the transition, which
isn’t a bad thing. However, I learnt
that clinging to the same few kids can
prevent you from making friends with
people you never knew before. In my
experience, it’s these people who I
didn’t get to know at first that became
my best friends. Give the kids you
think are schleps or the ones that are
way different than you a chance before
you shut them out. As Katy Perry
would say, “You’re a firework, go and
let your colors burst.”
Next, in the wise words
of James Mooney ‘18, “Don’t say
anything stupid. I hate stupid people.”
As you first read James’ words, they
come across as harsh. As the writer of
this article, I am surprised they didn’t
get edited out. However, what James
means by his statement is: “Yes be
yourself, but don’t go around trying
to put yourself above everyone by
bragging about how many houses you
have.” In the words of Mr. Thomasy,
“I hate people who have more than
one house.” I guess that means half of
Sebs, but either way, don’t be the kid
going around flaunting your wealth
trying to get people to like you. Even
though that might have worked at your
old schools or for the Kardashians,
Sebs kids want to know you for who
you are as a person. We only want a
brother-to-brother relationship of love
and care for each other.
Finally, the last piece of
advice was the only thing everyone
at Sebs agrees on: work hard. Working hard doesn’t mean getting straight
A’s. Instead, it means dedicating your
entire being into the grind. Whether
your grades are good or not, you will
be much happier as a person. Yes, the
word hardo is tossed around frequently
at Sebs, but it is a lot better to be the
hardo than to be the kid struggling
along with C’s and no effort. Plus, you
get the added bonus of keeping your
parents off your back.
Therefore, even though being new might seem daunting, follow
these three tips and the transition will
be much easier.
Kid To Know: Dana Tate
By Matt Wolpe ‘18
“What’s one thing you’d like
people to know about yourself?”
“I get buckets. That’s all you
gotta know.”
Even after hearing these
words emerge straight from the mouth
of one Dana Tate Jr, we’re still not
entirely satisfied. No Dana, this is
certainly not“all we gotta know.”
With a figure as dynamic as
Dana Tate, it is nearly impossible to
comprehend everything about him.
However, with the assistance of David
Korzeniowski and Dana Tate himself,
we can all inch just a little bit closer.
As most members of the
student body know, Dana has a
strong passion for rap music. He can
typically be heard sounding off in
the library, calling 2 Chainz “booty
cheeks” or saying Drake has “bars” on
his new mixtape. However, Dana is
particularly fond of rap artist J. Cole.
If you’re bored to tears with positively
nothing to do, just approach Dana and
tell him J. Cole isn’t a top ten rapper
of all time. This will probably spark a
full blown three hour roast session, if
you’re into that sort of thing.
Initially it may seem difficult
to believe, but Dana is also fairly
opinionated in the world of politics.
When asked what he would do if
Donald Trump was elected president,
Dana responded, “I don’t know...I’d
probably move to Guatemala for four
years, and then come back and vote
for Kanye.” With respect to President
Barack Obama, Dana called him, “my
guy,” and said that if Obama could run
again he would vote for him.
Since his arrival at St.
Sebastian’s, Dana has ingrained many
of his habits throughout the school’s
community. First off, he is infamous
for walking at a very leisurely pace. If
you ever find yourself caught behind
Dana in the hallway, it is like getting
caught behind a school bus in the heart
of its pickup route. He will undoubtedly take his time, occasionally stopping to say hello to his boys or talking
to teachers about the day’s class. Dana
has also become known for taking his
time while walking to Dunkin’ Donuts.
When I asked him approximately how
long it took him to trek to the nearby
Dunkies, he answered, “Ah, probably
an hour. You gotta kick back and
enjoy the beauty of the birds...and just
walk slow.” Dana says this, but legend
has it that he stops every few seconds
to check Instagram and Twitter.
Throughout the school,
Dana has become well known for his
constantly varying hairstyles. When
I asked David Korzeniowski, one of
Dana’s close companions, if there
was any way to predetermine Dana’s
haircut on a given day, he responded,
“What I do is I roll a pair of dice in
the morning and whatever it lands on,
that’s the number of sides of the polygon that his hair will be shaped like
that day. I’m right 93% of the time.”
Even with this freak explanation from
David Korzeniowski, I am still not
convinced that there is a definite way
to determine Dana’s cut.
Even with all of the passions
and interesting habits aforementioned,
there is one that conquers all others:
basketball. Dana is a such a fervent
basketball player that he spends very
little time focusing on other sports.
For example, when asked if he could
name five NHL teams, Dana replied,
“Nah...wait, actually, just five? Bruins, Penguins, Capitals, Dodgers...wait
no, that’s not right.” Contrastingly,
there is no doubt in my mind that Dana
could name all 30 NBA teams without
skipping a beat. Also, it seems as if
he has a personal relationship with
nearly every player in the league.
Interested in his opinion on the matter,
I asked him who has the best sty in the
NBA, to which he answered, “Russell
Westbrook. By far. BY FAR. He’s so
swaggy bro.” Personally, I would say
Scalabrine has the best sty in the NBA.
Although he usually shows up to the
games in the same apparel one would
wear to the ninth and tenth grade
semi-formal dance, I still love what he
stands for. He’s great for the game,
but I digress. And you probably don’t
care.
Finally, it is clear that Dana’s
favorite part of basketball is dunking.
He is not an advocate of just any normal dunk, though; Dana loves nothing
more than throwing down in the face
of an opponent, watching them bend
over in devastation because they know
they’ve just been absolutely mixed.
When I asked David Korzeniowski
who he would want to see Dana dunk
on, he quickly responded, “Joseph
Stalin. Simply because if I saw Dana
dunk on the face of communism and
do an absurd celly, I could die knowing that I lived a full life.” Although
he appreciated David’s thought
process, Dana had something a little
different in mind. “I can dunk on one
person in the history of the world?” he
asked. “Oh, it’s definitely Andy Carr.
He’s always sayin’ basketball is a bad
sport, and he never gives me pounds
in the hallway. Plus he talks SO much
trash, bro.”
As I reread Dana’s answers
to these questions, I can’t help but
shake my head with laughter. Anybody who has been lucky enough to
know Dana understands that he is a
completely unique individual, unlike
anybody else at St. Sebastian’s. Although I am positive nobody will ever
truly understand all of Dana’s mannerisms, I believe it is important that we
all take steps to further understand not
only Dana, but all of those around us.
Now excuse me, I have to schedule
this dunk on Andy. Dana Tate getting buckets
Colts player personifies the Colts 2015 season thus far. Still hurting after that beatdown in the
AFC championship, perhaps, as they try to recover from the shame of the century.
Early NFL Injuries: What’s the Deal?
By Robert Lemone ‘16
FEATURE WRITER
The 2015 NFL season is yet
again off to a solid start. There have
been nail-biting games that have gone
right down to the wire. Thrilling comeback victories and big time plays.
However, some teams are not off to
the best of starts. Injuries are a major
component to this. Seven quarterbacks
have sustained injuries so far in this
short season, four of them starters
who have injuries that will keep them
out for longer than one week. Ben
Roethilisberger has been out since
week three due to a MCL strain which
has him projected out for four to six
weeks. For the Indianapolis Colts, the
quarterback position is nothing short
of a debacle. Andrew Luck is out with
a right shoulder injury which forced
him to miss one game and as of now
he remains questionable for future
weeks. His replacement Matt Hasselbeck filled in for Luck adequately
but now he is questionable for week
five with an illness. This and their
rough start is certainly not what the
Colts were expecting. For the Houston
Texans, quarterback Ryan Mallet, who
is still battling for the starting position,
has missed some time with a chest
injury. Perhaps the most devastating
injury was sustained by Tony Romo
of the Dallas Cowboys, who broke his
collarbone and is on the IR designated
to return list. He is expected to be
out at least ten weeks. Romo would
have been out even longer if he had
elected to have surgery, but instead he
chose to forgo the surgery to try and
plan again this year. The last thing an
organization wants especially only a
few weeks into the season is for their
starting quarterback, the center-piece
of the franchise, to sustain an injury.
Losing the starting quarterbacks for
multiple weeks is certainly a devastating blow that can alter the teams’
seasons. No one wants to watch
backup quarterbacks, especially on
teams like the Steelers, Cowboys,
and the Colts where Roethlisberger,
Romo, and Luck are considerably the
top players on the team. These crucial
injuries are still occurring even after
the NFL emphasized the importance
of quarterback safety by implementing new rules. These major rules have
changed over the years and as of today
they are: “No defensive player may
run into a passer of a legal forward
pass after the ball has left his hand (15
yards). The referee must determine
whether the opponent had a reasonable
chance to stop his momenetum during
an attempt to block the pass or tackle
the passer while he still had the ball.
No defensive player who has an unrestricted path to the quarterback may
hit him flagrantly in the area of the
knee(s) or below when approaching in
any direction. Officials are to blow the
play dead as soon as the quarterback is
clearly in the grasp and control of any
tackler, and his safety is in jeopardy”
(NFL.com).
The NFL clearly is favoring the quarterback position, and this
is evident in games from the last few
years where harsh penalties have
been enforced on defensive players. Ndamukong Suh has received
$420,699 in fines from quarterback
hits, hits on defenseless players, and
unsportsmanlike conduct which have
also resulted in suspension. Even with
these intense rules that protect the
quarterback, players are still getting
hurt.
It’s not just the quarterback
position that has multiple injuries so
far. 137 NFL players have already
been placed on IR this season. A
truly astounding number considering the 2015 season is only in its fifth
week. To go along with these absurd
numbers are the nineteen players that
are on the PUP list (physically unable
to perform), which means they are out
until at least week eight when they are
eligible to return. What is upsetting
to the common NFL fan is that some
of these players are stars, players that
everyone looks forward to watching
and some of them are already out for
the year. Players like Terrell Suggs,
Tony Romo, and Jordy Nelson are
the three biggest stars, but there are
multiple starters that are also out for a
decent amount of time, some of them
the year.
Injuries to players, particularly star players, can ruin a seasons
even in week five. To put this in
perspective in 2008, the first game
of the year when Tom Brady tore his
ACL, the season was essentially a
lost cause because of how important
he was to the team. Of course no one
really gave up on the Pats team, but no
one truly had big expectations for Matt
Cassel, rightfully so because he was
unexpectedly thrust into the offense in
total chaos. The many injuries of Rob
Gronkowski also casted doubt on the
Patriots’ season because of how key he
was to the team. Early season injuries
to star players are potential seasonruiners.
The injuries over the years
have continued to rise, even with these
rules meant to protect the quarterback
and defenseless players. Not to mention the mission to lower concussion
rates. Unfortunately, early into this
season, injuries have already hampered
many teams. But that’s just a part
of the violent game that is football.
Injuries happen, and the teams that
best adapt to their injured rosters and
stay the healthiest are often the teams
that go deep into the playoffs. Injuries
give other players a chance to step up
and often these players turn into bigtime players. So sometimes injuries
aren’t the end to a team’s season. They
just might be the opposite depending
on if another player can exceed their
expectations. The most important thing
is to keep hope, because anything can
happen in the NFL.
ATTENTION FRESHMEN: Note how John Travolta and Uma Thurman are leaving room
for Jesus when they dance. The Walrus Editors (all of us) encourage you to do the same.
Fall Welcome Dance: A Night for the Ages
By Stevie Karol ‘17 and
Sam Gordon ‘17
As you walk into Ward Hall
and avoid stepping on a girl crawling
on the ground with a leash around her
neck, you realize that it is that time
of year again: the St. Sebastian’s Fall
Dance. Despite sounding like a scene
out of 50 Shades of Grey, the Fall
Dance was chock-full of questionable attire, eyebrow raising dancing,
and fun times all round. With one of
the highest turn-outs in recent dance
history, everyone was in for a treat on
the evening of September 25th.
This year, the girls of
Newton Country Day did not disappoint with their outrageous and
controversial costumes. Lining the
wall as you entered into Ward Hall
were members of the secret service,
dressed head to toe in all black suits
and sunglasses. With thick gold
chains and cornrows, another group
of NCDS students unveiled their
tougher sides as gangsters during
the dance. Despite other competition
from a mariachi band and a group
of grandmothers, the NCDS Varsity
Soccer Team took home the top prize
with their 101 Dalmatians themed
costume that consisted of the seniors
dressed as Cruella DeVilles leashing
around their “Dalmatians” (the fresh-
men, sophomores, and juniors on the
team) across the floor of Ward Hall.
Although receiving some flak for the
leashes, the seniors’ fur coats and
teased hair were spot-on costumes
for Cruella DeVille, and were sure to
cause some of the freshmen dancegoers to quiver.
As 8:30 approached and all
the pre-dance anxiety drifted away,
Ward Hall began overflowing with
mingling couples, ecstatic dancers,
and fun-loving students from far and
wide. Maybe it was the almost full
moon that night; perhaps someone
pumped a powerful opiate into the
air vents. However it happened,
this dance was the liveliest and most
crowded in recent Sebs history. Even
the ninth graders, making their first
appearances at Sebs dances, joined
the upperclassmen as a large circle
formed, with the bravest venturing
into the middle to show off their
moves.
While he was no Cam
Rivera (“DJ Ranger”), the DJ for
this dance had a top-notch playlist,
with Silento’s “Watch Me (Whip/
Nae Nae)” and Taylor Swift’s “Bad
Blood” headlining. Other musical
highlights included the traditional
“I Love It” by Icona Pop, and DJ
Snake’s new hit “Lean On.” The music was, of course, a key component
of the popularity of this dance, and
the frenzy of dancing that ensued was
nothing short of a miracle. Even Richard Gallo, in perfect St. Sebastian’s
dress code, danced the night away
with hundreds of teenagers chomping
at the bit to dance near him.
As the dance was winding
down, and Mr. Tull was about to kick
Junior Laura out for being unable to
not touch anyone for more than fifteen
seconds, the infamous “You already
know who it is” of “Watch Me”
blasted from the speakers, sparking
the remaining dancers to circle up and
whip the remaining energy out of their
bodies. Many kids were there right up
to the last song, when the floor was
wet with sweat and abandoned water
bottles; and colorful light was replaced
by its uglier florescent step-sister.
This dance was no doubt a
smashing success, and no attendee
was disappointed. There are numerous
people to thank, from Owen Finnegan
and the rest of student council to Mrs.
Atwood and the other teachers who
had the uncanny patience necessary to
stay at a high school dance late into a
Friday night. In addition, the proceeds
from the many water bottles sold went
to a great cause, The Memory Project.
Thanks to everyone, the dancing students included, who made this dance
so special.
October 2015
THE WALRUS
Page 6
POINT / COUNTERPOINT
KanJam
Spikeball
By Neil Melley ‘18
“Look at da flick of dat wrist.” -Chedda
Da Connect. KanJam came into this earth in the
1980s, created by two men named Charles Sciendra and Paul Swisher, in Buffalo, New York. It
all started when Charles and Paul were throwing
a disc towards a trashcan and decided to make it
into a game. In the beginning, KanJam was mainly played in the Buffalo area, but now has spread
worldwide and is being played in all 50 states,
all across Canada, the Caribbean, Australia, New
Zealand, across Europe and many other places
around the world. Now, enough with the history
lesson, let’s get into the logistics of the game. The
rules to this sport, and yes I do say sport, are quite
simple. You have a yellow Frisbee and two topless
cylinders that have a 14x4 inch slot two-thirds of
the way up the “kan.” Set up the kans approximately 50 feet apart. There are two teams of two
and you and your partner stand at opposite kans.
The positions in this sport are the “hurler” and the
“deflector.” Teams take turns whirling the Frisbee
towards the can, each aiming for either the slit or
where they think their partner can successfully
tap the Frisbee into the kan or have it hit the kan.
The point system is as follows: if the deflector deflects the Frisbee and it hits the kan, it is worth
one point. If the Frisbee hits the kan without being
touched, it is worth two points. If the deflector deflects the Frisbee into the kan or into the slit, it is
worth three points. If the Frisbee goes into the slit
without being touched, also commonly referred to
as a “chog,” the team automatically wins. Teams
compete until someone scores exactly 21 points,
no more, no less. If a team exceeds 21 points, the
points they scored over 21 are subtracted from
their previous score.
Now that you understand the rules, let’s
talk about why KanJam is such an unsurpassable
sport. I remember the first time I saw people playing this sport, and thought to myself: “There’s a
sport with the potential of becoming world famous.” KanJam mixes the sports of Ultimate Frisbee and basketball all in one. What greater thrill is
there than getting a “chog” or slamming that Frisbee into the kan and receiving those beloved three
points? Not only is this a backyard sport where either teens or adults can play at a barbecue or a tailgate, but KanJam even has its own professional
league. According to the official KanJam League
(AKA the KJL), there were more than 100 teams
who competed in the KanJam World Championship for the coveted title of “KanJam World Champions.” Also, the team that was the KanJam World
Champions two years in a row was named the Stallion Survivors. Where can you find a sport with a
team name like that? Only in the KJL. This sport
is not child’s play. And not to mention, there are
such things as “mini KanJam,” “tabletop KanJam,”
and even “KanJam Splash.” These are made by the
same company as the original KanJam company, so
obviously they are going to be top notch. Imagine
this: you are sitting in the library after school at one
of the long tables in the lower library with three of
your friends. Out of your bag you extract mini KanJam. The mood changes from complete boredom
to complete bliss. You and your buddies are having so much fun playing that you totally disregard
the buzzing of your phones, which are your mothers
telling you that they are here to pick you up. You
notice that it has become dark outside and might actually be time to go home now, and so you slip the
portable and accessible mini KanJam back into your
bag to be removed at a later date. “The one. The
only. KanJam.”
The main rival of the KanJam company
is the up and coming game of SpikeBall. But what
SpikeBall enthusiasts don’t understand is how feeble, fragile, and frail their sport really is. SpikeBall
is played with a soft rubber ball and a miniature
trampoline. KanJam, on the other hand, is played
with a hard Frisbee and a tough plastic kan. The soft
rubber ball used in SpikeBall might as well have
been taken out of my baby cousin’s toy box. The
miniature trampoline seems like something my
grandmother could have knitted in under five minutes. SpikeBall is an effortless game. You merely
tap a squishy ball towards a soft mesh as the ball
slowly bounces back up again, then wait for your
opponent to do the same. Where is the fun in that?
It doesn’t seem like there really is any fun. In KanJam, you flick a hard Frisbee towards your partner,
who does everything he possible can to redirect this
Frisbee towards the kan. Sounds a little manlier to
me than the ladylike sport that is SpikeBall, doesn’t
it? KanJam tests all the necessary characteristics a
true athlete must have, quickness, hand-eye coordination, toughness, while SpikeBall can be played in
a daycare facility.
Election Hype Hits Sebs
By Cole Aldrich ‘16
HEAD WRITER
We are still 13 months
from Election Day, but it is already
evident that the presidential primary
races are going to be two of the most
entertaining contests in recent history.
On the Republican side, there are so
many contestants that it is difficult to
remember them all, and that’s with
two candidates having already dropped
out. On the Democratic side, we have
a front runner, being successfully
challenged by a socialist and the sitting Vice President, who hasn’t even
jumped into the race. At this point,
both races have a long way to go and
are impossible to predict with any
confidence
The Republican race has
been dominated by “outsiders” or peo-
V.
ple with no political experience. Real
estate magnate and entertainer Donald
Trump, neurosurgeon Ben Carson, and
business executive Carly Fiorina are
leading the field of about 15. These
three politicians are benefitting from
the fact that Republicans are generally fed up with the government and
those who have served in office. This
distrust of the establishment is so deep
that it has propelled Donald Trump to
the top of the field, even though polls
show that he would be the least successful in a general election against a
Democrat opponent.
The Democratic race is
equally bizarre. For several years, everyone has assumed that Hillary Clinton would coast to a primary victory.
This assumption has been seriously
questioned as Mrs. Clinton has been
plagued by a controversy surround-
By John McManmon ‘16
HEAD WRITER
Ebola. The Ice Bucket Challenge.
“We’re on to Cincinnati.” Bobby Shmurda.
These are just some of the iconic memories of
2014. In between running through their checks
till they passed out and putting the ice in their
bucket five seconds before they dumped it on
themselves, people were playing a hot new
beach game called Kan Jam. After a few good
summer months of play, the honeymoon phase
between Kan Jam and America was over as
quickly as Bobby Shmurda’s rapping career.
But it wasn’t weapon charges that brought
along Kan Jam’s demise: it was Spikeball.
Kan Jam is a lazy man’s game, plain
and simple. There’s no fire, no spirit in the
game. I guarantee you have never heard someone say “I had the most insane game of Kan
Jam,” and it’s probably due to the fact that Kan
Jam is just not hard. If you fail to get any points
on a turn, it’s honestly embarrassing. All you
need to do it throw the Frisbee in the same zip
code as your teammate and he can knock it into
the Kan with a really unathletic slap. That’s
the other problem with Kan Jam: anyone can
play it. You don’t have to sweat, and you definitely won’t roll an ankle or tear an ACL. It’s
the kind of game that you play with girls and let
them win. Old men can play. When you’re in
your prime, you can’t be wasting your youth on
lazy, “lifetime” games. Spikeball requires athleticism, hand-eye coordination, and creativity.
It’s no-holds-barred, absolute madness. There
are no friendly Spikeball games. Also, if your
teammate is unathletic, you lose ten times out
of ten. You can survive in Kan Jam with a bad
teammate, as one player can put the team on
their back.
I have never heard anyone say “I enjoyed watching that Kan Jam game”. There is
zero excitement as a spectator. Sure, hitting a
slot might be kind of interesting, but that happens once every few games, assuming the players are actually good. Spikeball, however, is
awesome to watch. Seniors packed the rotunda
during exams and early this year to watch and
play Spikeball. Editor David Korzeniowski
says that Spikeball accounts for “four of the
top ten moments of [his] life.” He went on to
say that “Kan Jam immediately took a backseat
when Spikeball came into the limelight. The
ing her use of a private email server.
Her initial denials and questionable
assertions about her emails as well
as the fact that classified information
may have been accessible to hackers
may be enough to end her political
career. This sounds unbelievable but
she is trailing Bernie Sanders in New
Hampshire and losing her lead to him
nationally. Additionally, Vice President Joe Biden is said to be close to
entering the race, as many prominent
Democrat leaders and fundraisers are
encouraging him to run.
Both of these races have
already been incredibly entertaining, but most of the news coverage
has followed the Republican contest.
This race has already had the two
most watched primary debates in
history, largely because of Donald
Trump. Since he jumped into the race,
Trump has dominated the airwaves
with his larger than life personality.
The Celebrity Apprentice star has
days of casually tossing a Frisbee were over.
Every point in Spikeball is crucial and potentially an unbelievable rally.” As technology improves, we need games that keep up with that
pace, and Spikeball is that next step.
Also, Kan Jam is probably one of
the most unwieldy, obnoxious things to move
around. If you flatten it out, it’s absurdly long
and keeps curling back up. When you’ve got
a billion chairs, three full size coolers, and
way too many people in your car, guess what
you’re not bringing? Kan Jam, that’s what. No
chance you’re going to waste space on those
annoying plastic Kans. And having to actually
put the Kans together? Who has time for that?
You only have so much daylight, and it can’t
be wasted assembling your game. Spikeball
is stored in a convenient box, and is ready to
play as soon as you pull it out. Then you have
to figure out how far you want to place the Kans
apart, a source of great and unnecessary debate.
This distance has to factor in wind speed, as
well as how bad the players are.
Another point that should be brought up is the
fact that Kan Jam is a completely unoriginal
idea for a game. When you think about it, it’s
basically Frisbee Cornhole. Imagine playing
Cornhole, except you can throw the beanbag
to your teammate and he can slap it onto the
board. That’s basically Kan Jam. Meanwhile,
Spikeball is just on another planet. It’s by far
one of the most creative ideas for a game out
there. The founder walked into Shark Tank and
got half a million for 20% from the FUBU guy.
You think Kan Jam could’ve pulled that off?
Mark Cuban would have emasculated Kan Jam
if he walked into that Tank. The founder would
walk out with empty pockets and possibly missing a limb or two. They would’ve gotten a pity
deal from the old lady, at best.
Kan Jam had a good run, but times
have changed. Fetty Wap has moved into the
hole in the universe left by Bobby Shmurda,
and turned the Summer of Fetty into the Year
of Fetty. Ebola is history. The Patriots aren’t
“bad” anymore. The people who still play are
just scared of change, or they tried Spikeball
once and realized they’re terrible and went back
to the comfort of the Kans. It’s Spikeball’s time
in the spotlight, and there is no end in sight.
Trump on one side, Clinton on the other in a seesaw battle
told everyone over and over again
how rich, smart, and lovable he is.
Clearly, he is a very accomplished
entertainer and real estate investor,
but his volatile temperament and
questionable policy suggestions limit
his appeal among Independents and
Democrats. Ben Carson is extremely
intelligent and thoughtful, but has had
trouble with various questions from
the media. Carly Fiorina has been the
best debater and has an impressive
record in the business world. Trailing
Celebrity Look-Alike
Mr. Richter
Senator Rand Paul
these three candidates in the polls are
many prominent and accomplished
politicians, including: Marco Rubio,
Jeb Bush, John Kasich, Chris Christie,
Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, Mike Huckabee,
and several others.
The Democratic race has
largely been about Mrs. Clinton and
her email server, but also the surprising strength of Bernie Sanders and
the potential entry of Vice President
Biden. If Mr. Biden enters the race,
then the contest will become much
more interesting, as the battle between
the two would almost certainly be a
long and difficult fight. If Mr. Biden
doesn’t enter, then Mrs. Clinton should
be able to fend off Mr. Sanders and
gain the nomination.
As I mentioned earlier, both
of these races are almost impossible
to predict. For the Republicans, I
think that Trump will fade despite his
leadership in the polls. Some combination of Carson, Fiorina, Rubio, Bush
and Kasich seems most likely to me at
the moment. Some say the Democrats
fear most a Rubio-Kasich combination. Both men came from extremely
humble beginnings and are appealing
to independents. For the Democrats,
it all comes down to whether Vice
President Biden enters the race which
many are saying is a toss up at this
point. If he doesn’t enter, then Mrs.
Clinton should outlast Mr. Sanders. If
Vice President Biden enters, then the
Democratic primary should be a close
race. No matter what happens, this set
of primary runs will go down as one of
the most memorable in history.
October 2015
THE WALRUS
Beyond 1191 Greendale Ave.
Page 7
Impressive Pope Francis Visits US
Breaking Down the Chaos in
Syria and the Middle East
By Pat DuFour ‘18
By Jack Ragnoni ‘16
FEATURE WRITER
On September 22nd, Pope
Francis made his first official trip to
the United States since being elected
Pope in 2013. It is the first United
States visit from a Pope since Pope
Benedict XVI visited in 2008. Since
being elected, Pope Francis has
made many groundbreaking religious
decisions that have caused not only
Catholics, but also outsiders to respect
the Church’s highest leader. However,
the Pope lives a very toned down religious life compared to past popes. He
does not wish to receive all the flashy
accessories that come with being the
Pontiff. When the Vatican announced
his visit to the United States, American
citizens were very excited to help welcome the Pope to the United States.
The Pope started his trip in
Washington, DC. He met President
Obama and the First Lady for the
second time in the Oval Office. They
had previously met at the Vatican. Afterwards, the Pope paraded around DC
in a Popemobile-like Jeep, greeting
the millions of on looking Catholics.
He ended his parade by giving mass
outside of the Basilica of the National
Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.
He gave this mass in Spanish, and
throughout his trip he mainly spoke in
Spanish, but he also spoke in English.
The next day the Pope made history
by speaking in front of a joint meeting of Congress, which was the first
time a pope had ever spoken in front
of Congress. He stressed the need for
the United States to help take in more
immigrants, for we are all immigrants
of somewhere. He also spoke about his
concern of climate change, and how
we need to take care of our planet.
Later that day the Pope left for New
York City.
In New York, the Pope spoke
to the United Nations Assembly, which
has been common for Pope visits to
the United States. The Pope also gave
a very emotional service at the 9/11
memorial. He prayed for the victims
of the very tragic event, and for the
love ones they left behind. The service
Pope Francis gives thought-provoking speech to the
US Congress as John Boehner thinks about how he’s
going to resign from office the next day
was multi-religious, and therefore
was not exclusive for Catholics. The
Pope’s decision of making the service
multi-religious was met with some
criticism, but only supports the Pope’s
openness to others. The Pope then paraded through a very crowded Central
Park. Later that night he gave mass
in Madison Square Garden to a very
packed arena. There was not an open
seat in the sports arena, and the crowd
was very excited to hear the Pope give
mass. Throughout his trip in New York
there were incredible crowds for the
Pope.
The Pope then arrived in
Philadelphia for the last stop of his
three stop trip. He first gave mass at
the Cathedral Basilica of St. Peter,
and St. Paul. The Pope then made an
appearance at Independence mall,
and was greeted by many enthusiastic
Catholics. Later that night, the Pope
met with the World Meeting of Families, and the event was full of many
devout families, who traveled very far
just to get a glimpse of the Pope. The
next day Pope made the very powerful decision to visit a local prison. He
hugged, kissed, and talked to many
prisoners who needed his guidance.
The Pope inspired the inmates to not
lose hope, and he gave them hope by
visiting them. The Pope also gave
another mass for the World Meeting
of Families, and once again there were
incredible crowds. Sadly, his trip eventually came to an end, and late that
night he boarded a plane for his flight
home to Rome.
Throughout his trip to the
United States, the Pope inspired many
different varieties of Americans. He
met with the President, senators,
prisoners, and everyday Catholics.
The Pope truly demonstrated what
has made him so popular. His trip
also gave Catholics more faith in the
direction the church is headed under
Pope Francis’ discretion. His trip to
a prison was not necessary, but the
Pope went beyond what was expected
of him. He was able to make so many
Americans happy just by visiting. He
also impressed many non-Catholics by
his ability to love others outside of the
faith. Overall, the Pope’s visit to the
United States was an incredible success, and we look forward to his next
trip to the States.
Thousands of miles away
from St. Sebastian’s, conflicts rage all
over the world. Currently, no conflict
is more heated right now than Syria in
the Middle East, as they are more than
four and a half years into a brutal civil
war. While many people are aware of
the major terms in this conflict, such as
ISIS, Assad, or Hammas, it’s important
to understand the background of Syria
due to the recent events that have been
coming out of the country.
Syria has always been in
the thick of things in the Middle East,
being constantly involved in controversies over the years that have lead
to instability in the region. Syria,
from a statistical standpoint, has about
the same population as Australia (23
million) and is surrounded by Turkey,
Iraq, Jordan, Israel, and Lebanon.
The government of Syria has been
long been ruled by the Assad family:
first by Hafez al-Assad, and now by
his son, Bashar al-Assad. When he
came to power in 1971 Hafez al-Assad
created the Baath government, calling
for the unification of the Arab World
(the Middle East and some of North
Africa) into a single state. While
Syria’s government is not connected to
an extremist branch of Islam, they are
still ruthless against political opposition and have repressed their people
over the years. They are also noted for
being against any sort of peace with
Israel, funding militias such as Hammas and Hezbollah.
In knowing the recent history
of Syria, we can understand more
about the causes of this civil war.
While the exact start of their current
civil war is vague due to multiple conflicts, many point to the Arab Spring
protests that erupted around Syria in
places like Tunisia, Libya and Egypt.
In 2011 and 2012, major protests
against the regime of Assad began in
Syria. Assad put down the revolts with
tanks and military force, crushing the
protesters yet alienating the general
public. As a result of this war on the
current government, multiple groups
have risen to the scene.
The major opposition party,
the Syrian National Coalition, is a
legitimate party recognized by the
United States. While being an accredited party, their progress has been
pushed down by Assad as he remains
in control. In addition to the National
Coalistion, the group that has made the
most noise in the media has been ISIS
(Islamic State of Israel and Syria).
ISIS is obviously not considered an actual party by the U.S., due to
their acts of terrorism as well as acts
born from radical Islamic ideals. ISIS
has also been one of the first groups to
use social media and the internet to try
to spread a sense of fear to those who
opposed them, specifically the United
States. The growth of this group has
been rapid.
As a result of all these
groups, the war has continued to
escalate on all fronts resulting in more
than 100,000 deaths. More than two
million Syrians have recently fled the
country for safety, possibly causing
major imigration issues for the countries that take the refeguees in.
Currently, countries are
scrambling to take advantage of the
civil war. Russia recently decided
to show off its power right in front
of NATO (Northern Atlantic Treaty
Organization) by launching missle
strikes at ISIS targets in Syria. Russia
supports Assad’s government and as
a result of assisting Sryia, has taken
action against the parties against Assad
and Syria. However, these missiles,
launched by Russia, passed through
Turkish Airspace, violating the agremment Russia and Turkey had. Since
Turkey is a member of NATO, Russia
took action against Turkey as well as
the other countries in NATO (most of
Europe and the United States). With
this recent development, you wonder
how President Obama and Congress
will respond, as a tricky situation is
about to only get trickier.
Targeting in College Football MLB Playoff Predictions: Blue Jays Win?
By Jack McLaughlin ‘16
FEATURE WRITER
As we approach the midpoint
in the college football season, there are
several controversies that are swirling.
One that has emerged from the rest is
the issue of targeting and ejections in
college football. In 2013, the rule was
changed in college football so that if a
player was penalized for targeting, that
player would not only be ejected but
suspended for one game. The controversy is that if the player is penalized
for targeting and the play is reviewed
and overturned, then the player is still
ejected from the game however does
not have to serve the one game suspension. The rule was modified in 2014 by
wiping out the 15 yard penalty if the
penalty was overturned however the
ejection rule was still in place. Many
key players in close games have been
ejected for essentially being innocent
which is why this rule is so controversial.
Targeting in college football
is defined as a “player who targets and
hits a defenseless player above the
shoulders.” This is a 15 yard penalty for the team and as stated before
results in an indefinite ejection and
possible suspension if the call is not
overturned.
Personally, I am split on
this rule. There is no doubt that head
injuries in football are a huge issue.
As we have seen in instances such as
the death of Junior Seau, brain damage
can lead to serious depression problems. Football as a whole has been
put in the spotlight as of late because
of the problem of concussions. While
there is no proven way to prevent a
concussion, there must be adequate
measures taken to account for them.
Prior to the scientific knowledge about
concussions, there were many players
telling personal horror stories about
their own head injuries. For instance,
legendary Steeler’s safety Troy
Polamalu, who now appears in several
Head & Shoulders shampoo commercials because of his trademark hair,
told sources that he would on some
occasions suffer multiple concussions
in a single practice yet continued to
play because he wanted to keep his
job. Many players are desperate to
distinguish themselves at a high level,
yet measures must be taken considering players health which is why this
rule was created.
That being said, if a player is
proven innocent by conclusive video
evidence, there is no reason for them
to be ejected. Occasionally, because of
the nature of a hard hit, referees might
be too quick to throw a flag and call it
targeting. I do not want to take away
from the fact that if a player is guilty
of the penalty there is no doubt that an
ejection and one game suspension is
adequate. However it seems ludicrous
to penalize a player who is innocent.
The rule which was created in 2013
has caused turmoil and has affected
teams because of the loss of a key
player who is proven innocent.
For instance, thus far in the
college football season in 163 games
played, 19 players have been ejected
for targeting. Although few have
been overturned, many worry that the
referees side with player’s safety as
opposed to simply making the right
call. For example, several weeks ago,
Wisconsin lost two key players in their
28-3 win over Troy. While Wisconsin
linebacker Joe Schobert understood
the sides of the referees saying that
it is their judgment call, Wisconsin
coach, Paul Chryst had a different
opinion.
Chryst was quoted saying,
“There’s always the gray, and yet it’s
been clear, the officials are always
going to err on the side of player
safety” (espn.com). While there is a
lot of judgment left up to the officials,
they obviously have been put in the
spotlight for protecting players from
head injuries which is why they make
the call so often. Some older students
may remember an assembly given
by Dr. Zafonte about the danger of
head injuries. Not only are there many
painful short term effects, but there
are even more long term issues. This
explains the referees logic so it can
be concluded that the referees are not
to blame. The BCS has been said to
be unorganized and is infamous for
making some ludicrous decisions. This
is shown here as they have a rule that
clearly needs amending so the blame
falls on them.
While there is no doubt that
head injuries should penalized and
that player safety is paramount, this
rule has had a negative effect on too
many innocent players and teams. So,
in my opinion, the correct course of
action would be to keep the targeting
rule the way it is for guilty players yet
repeal the ejection rule if a player is
proven innocent by conclusive video
evidence.
By Will Fox ‘18
The MLB Playoffs are as
wide open as ever this year. The
boys of summer plunge into October
led by a cast of familiar heroes, up
and coming youngsters, dominating aces, and some of the highest
powered offenses in the history of
baseball. With a field so loaded with
talent, it is almost impossible to
single out one clear favorite. With
the highest seeded teams losing in
the first round and the two wild card
teams squaring off in the World
Series last year, anything can happen.
One thing is for sure: every team will
be tested to the very limit, and only
one will come out on top.
In the new bracket format,
the two Wild Card teams will meet
in a one game playoff series for the
right to play the top rated team in
each league. In the American League,
the New York Yankees, a team very
accustomed to the postseason, will
line up against the Houston Astros,
who haven’t made the playoffs since
2005. The Bronx Bombers, affected
by injuries to their core lineup, will
have to rely on an injured Masahiro
Tanaka to start on the mound. The
Astros, however, will wheel out Cy
Young Finalist Dallas Keuchel, who
has been practically unhittable this
season, boasting a 20-8 record. Look
for the Astro’s young stars, led by
Carlos Correa, to overcome the aura
of Yankee Stadium and squeeze out a
victory over the seasoned veterans of
New York. In the National League,
the Chicago Cubs will challenge
the Pittsburg Pirates. Although
the Pirates have a reputation for a
rambunctious atmosphere at home,
expect Cub’s ace Jake Arrieta, who
has been untouchable since June
(0.86 ERA), to out-pitch Pirates ace
Gerrit Cole and help the Cubs ride
their eight game winning streak into
St. Louis.
The American League
divisional matchups feature the top
ranked Royals versus the Astros, and
the Texas Rangers versus the Toronto
Blue Jays. The Royals feature a
squad with past World Series experience, as well as one of the best bullpens in the majors. Their dynamic
position players, including Eric Hosmer and Lorenzo Cain, will ultimately push the Royals past the youth
of Houston. Home field advantage
and the bitter taste of a second place
finish last year will help as well. The
Rangers against the Blue Jays feature
two great rotations: one headed by
Cole Hamels, and the other headed
by David Price. Both pitchers are
newcomers to their respective teams.
The deciding factor in this series will
be Toronto’s quadruple threat of Troy
Tulowitzski, Josh Donaldson, Jose
Bautista, and Edwin Encarnacion,
who have all put up historic numbers
this year. The Blue Jays will bash
their way past the Rangers and surge
into the American League Championship with bats ablaze.
The National League Division
Series includes the St. Louis Cardinals against the Chicago Cubs, and
the New York Mets against the Los
Angeles Dodgers. The Cardinals
possess that killer instinct developed
by postseason veterans, which often
times proves to be the difference in
an otherwise evenly matched series.
However, they are also weighed
down by injuries, particularly their
ace Adam Wainwright, and will have
trouble silencing the Cubs, who
might be the hottest team in baseball
right now. Look for the Cubs to
sneak out an upset, probably in five
games, as they continue to chase the
possibility of a World Series win
for the first time since 1908. On the
other side, the Mets’ deep rotation,
topped by Matt Harvey, faces two
of the best pitchers in the MLB:
Clayton Kershaw and Zach Greinke.
Although this dynamic duo has not
been as particularly effective in the
postseason, expect them to turn it
around this year and dominate as they
have done in the regular season. The
two will help the Dodgers jump out to
an early series lead and then eventually finish off the Mets, who’s lineup
features Yoenis Cespedes as their only
real offensive threat.
It is now down to the final
four. The Toronto Blue Jays will take
on the Kansas City Royals and the
Los Angeles Dodgers will square off
against the Chicago Cubs. Again, the
Blue Jays will come out swinging,
looking to overwhelm a weak starting
rotation in Kansas City. The Royals’
unparalleled bullpen will not be able
to stop the power in Toronto’s lineup:
David Price and Marcus Stroman will
silence the Royals’ bats. The Blue
Jays will escape the top seeded team
in the AL with greater ease than expected and enjoy rest before the World
Series. The Dodgers will again feature
Kershaw and Greinke. The two have
the potential to be unstoppable as long
as they can handle the young power
of Kris Bryant and others in the top of
the Cubs’ order. Although Jake Arrieta
and Jon Lester will put up a fight, they
will not be able to hold off the likes
of Yasiel Puig and Adrian Gonzales,
and the Dodgers will head toward the
World Series.
Now it is time for the final
dual, where it all counts. Both teams
include dominant starters and powerful lineups as well as high payrolls
and huge aspirations. While Kershaw
and Greinke might out-pitch Price
and Stroman, the Blue Jays will jump
off to an early lead using their bats,
a tool that they have used repeatedly
in the regular season. Look for Josh
Donaldson to have a breakout series,
as well as Troy Tulowitzski and Jose
Bautista. David Price will be steady
as usual, and with Stroman’s recent
improvement, the Blue Jays should
be able to overwhelm the Dodgers.
The Blue Jays will win in six games,
hoisting the trophy across the border
and celebrating their first World Series
Title since back-to-back victories in
1992 and 1993.
Mets, Cubs, Jays, Royals, Astros. All are small-market teams who have made the playoffs. Will
one take home the trophy, or will traditional powers like the Cards and Dodgers take it?
ARROWS Sports
St. Sebastian’s School
Vol LXIX, No. 1
Fall Sports Show Their Mettle
By Peter Julien ‘18 and
Chris Sebastian ‘18
Although we are only in the
first few weeks of the seasons, the
teams are off to the races. From Coach
Redpath and the soccer team, to Coach
Souza and the football team, all the way
to coach Ryan and the cross country
team, each team looks to extend their
victorious seasons. With lots of young
new talent, the teams have overcome
adversity and won some key victories.
First off, let’s talk football.
According to prodigies Billy Daniel
and Nate “Matt Slater” McCarthy:
“Our team is not chips, we’re going
9-0. However, our motto going into
Homecoming weekend is: ‘We can’t
go 9-0 without going 3-0.’” In their
first game of the season, the Arrows
looked to improve to 1-0 against Berkshire. They led Berkshire 31-7 at half.
The first half surge continued into the
second as the Arrows went on to win
31-21. Next, they headed into Middlesex knowing they needed to focus in to
guarantee their victory. After scoring
30 unanswered points, Middlesex added 6 of their own, but were not able to
take down the Arrows. Now standing at
2-0, the Arrows football team prepares
for Homecoming where they will try
and dominate Belmont Hill from key
distributions from players Blake Gal-
lagher, Austin O’Shea, and Tommy
Seidl.
Next up is soccer. After a
strong showing against St. Georges,
putting up four goals, the team’s confidence rose considering they started
last year 0-11. Next, they faced one
of the best teams in New England,
Worcester Academy, but suffered a
harsh 2-0 loss. After that game, the
team dialed in for Tabor, but lost another tough one. Next was the exciting night game, the first of its kind in
Sebs history. With the lights turned
on and the student section filled, the
team looked to bounce back after their
two losses. After falling behind by
one goal, Soree Kaba notched in the
game-tying goal, electrifying the fans.
However, soccer powerhouse Nobles
knocked in two goals, resulting in the
third lost of the season. Next on their
schedule was Rivers. A 0-0 game at
halftime, the game increased in excitement as goals came piling in during the second half. With a late goal,
the Arrows left the game with a 3-3
tie. Next was BB&N, which was another tough game for the arrows. After
scoring early, BB&N bounced back
with one of their own. As the game
carried on, a late foul caused BB&N
to get a penalty kick. However, Matt
“Tim Howard” Eldridge miraculously
saved the rocket of a shot, causing the
game to end in a draw. As sophomore
Tim Kiley says, “The potential of
this team is great. We have numerous
amounts of young talent just waiting
to get the nod.” The nod he is referring to is getting called up or to enter the game. After another interview,
Soree Kaba explains, “We got a nice
looking squad. The freshmen play
very key parts in our system.” Finally,
junior defenseman Peter Rowe said,
“Our bench is very deep, meaning
anyone could go in at anytime and get
the job done.” The Arrows look to pull
the upset against powerhouse Milton
Academy this Saturday.
Last but not least, cross
country. Science teacher by day, running prodigy at night, Coach Ryan has
successfully led the team to its first
victory against Lexington Christian
Academy. As senior Co-Captain Jimmy Ryan expressed, “This is the best
team we’ve had in a while, including
a middle school dream team.” The Arrows look to get another victory under their belts this upcoming Friday
at Homecoming, where they will face
Rivers, St. Mark’s, and St Paul’s.
All and all, the Arrows fall
sports teams look to do some damage
in the upcoming games, and love the
support from the fans. Keep up the
good work!
Henry’s Corner has already proven as enthusiastic and supportive as ever. Above, the
Arrows rush the field to celebrate the football team’s Homecoming victory over Belmont Hill.
Grand Homecoming 2015
By Andrew Elcock ‘17
and Jake O’Neil ‘17
Despite mixed outcomes on
the sports fields, Homecoming was
an unmitigated success on the sidelines. From the paths of Caryl Park
to the football field, from the opening
ceremony before the football game to
the storming of the field afterwards,
everything was well-executed by the
St. Sebastian’s faculty and volunteering parents.
Homecoming began on Friday, October 11th, at the end of the school
day. The school handed out pink
wristbands with the letters EVF emblazoned on them, mourning the loss
of Erin Van Flandern, sister of St. Sebastian’s student Michael Van Flandern ’20 and a student at NCDS who
died tragically and suddenly at age 17.
They also gave out red foam strips
with the Seb’s logo and the words
“Go Arrows, Homecoming 2015” on
them. Both were well-received by the
student body.
The first event took place under a light
drizzle at Caryl Park with the cross
country race. The St. Sebastian’s
Cross Country team came out valiantly, losing by a narrow 4 points to
Belmont Hill--to put that in perspective, if one of our runners in the top
five had finished one place higher, we
would have come out on top. Kevin
Moore ‘17 and Paul Keady ‘16 finished in the top five. Henry’s Corner
turned out in full force to the race, as
well.
The festivities continued
the next day, Saturday the 11th, with
the football and soccer games. Even
before the sporting events began, the
fields were bustling with fans and
players alike. Parents generously donated their time to treat fans with concessions and art. Around 10:30, with
the crowd growing, the events began.
Mr. Burke gave an opening speech to
the assembled fans, mourning Erin,
saying that she “Didn’t have a lot of
years in her life, but she had a lot of
life in her years.” The address was
both moving and delivered eloquently.
After the speech ended, the
Arrowheads, the St. Sebastian’s a capella group (that is, singing unaccompanied by music), sang the national
anthem for the crowd. The group,
composed of Will Evans ‘17, AJ Santosuosso ‘18, Will McGovern ‘20 and
Niko Derrien ‘21, directed by Mr.
Grohmann, performed beautifully, all
the more notable due to the relative
youth of the group.
The fields were filled with all
kinds of fans, from recent graduates,
to little siblings, to parents, to former
St. Sebastian’s Spanish teacher Andrew Digan. When the Arrowheads
finished their performance, the crowd
broke into applause, ready to support
the Arrows.
Then began the meat of the
day: the sporting events. JV soccer
played the Milton Academy JV team.
It was a tough matchup against an
outstanding team, and the Sebs goalie
was injured. It began poorly and did
not pick up much, ending up 7-0 in
favor of Milton Academy. Michael
Finucane ‘17 had the sole shot on goal
on a free kick, which was just barely
deflected. Mr. Thomasy declined to
watch most of the game.
Varsity Soccer also competed against the Milton soccer program. They had just come off a win
against Governors at 4-0, with Adama
Kaba scoring all 4 goals, and were
feeling confident. Some juniors got
haircuts to hype themselves up for the
game: Peter Rowe, for example, got
a mohawk and dyed it, and Michael
Ragnoni shaved the sides of his head.
Overall, the soccer team came into the
match ready to play, and it showed.
However, Milton is currently considered one of the best in the nation, and
were a tough team to beat all around.
The Sebs soccer team played their
hearts out, but lost 4 to 0 at the end
of the day. Despite the Sebs loss,
though, it was a fun match to watch
and an inspiring display of sportsmanship in the face of defeat.
Football came into their
game against rival Belmont Hill red
hot, starting the season 2-0. They had
beaten Berkshire 31-21 at home, and
traveled to Concord to defeat Middlesex 31-6. Belmont Hill, on the other
hand, came into the game winless, de-
Varsity
Results
Soccer:
Football:
v. Berkshire W 31-21
@ Middlesex W 30-6
v. Belmont Hill W 31-7
October 2015
Alumni News: Matt Duffy ‘07 in MLB
Duffy rocks the Astros orange
and blue, although we’ll always
remember him in black and red.
By Miguel Espinosa ‘16
HEAD WRITER
Sebs has seen its fair share of
Arrows turned professional athletes.
Notable examples include Mike Grier,
who had spent more than 10 years in
the NHL; Brian Boyle, who has appeared in the last two Stanley Cups;
and most recently, Noah Hanifin, who
has just been taken 5th overall in the
NHL Draft. As the school year commenced, another Arrow stepped up to
the big show, poised to leave his mark.
On September 14, the Houston Astros
would call up Matt Duffy ‘07 from
their Triple-A Affiliate, the Fresno
Grizzlies. Duffy would make his debut
two days later against division rival,
the Texas Rangers.
Before playing under the big
lights, Duffy’s path was rooted in the
athletic fields of 1191 Greendale Ave.
His tenure at Sebs dominated the Independent School League. In 2007, he
led Varsity Baseball to an impressive
13-2 record, hitting at a tremendous
.542 batting average. His seven home
runs and 21 RBIs awarded him ISL
MVP and Offensive Player of the Year.
Duffy’s most memorable moment donning the black and red was a shutout
pitching performance in 2007 against
Roxbury Latin. The win clinched St.
Sebastian’s the ISL Championship, and
it brought home a banner.
After high school, Duffy attended the University of Vermont and
was named his conference’s Player
of the year. However, his time at Vermont would be cut short; the school
decided to eliminate their baseball program. He then transferred to play ball
feated by New Hampton and BB&N.
Confident after their two recent wins,
St. Seb’s kicked off to start the game.
Belmont Hill drove into Arrows territory, threatening to score the opening touchdown. However, Belmont
Hill fumbled late in the drive, and
Arrows’ Declan Walsh ‘16 recovered
to give St. Sebastian’s the ball. The
Arrows took advantage, and quarterback Tommy Seidl ‘17 broke out for a
phenomenal run to give the Arrows an
early 7-0 lead on their first offensive
play. Later in the first quarter, running
back Mike Colabro ‘16 scored to give
Seb’s a 14-0 lead.
Until late in the second quarter,
both teams played well on defense,
not allowing any more scores. Then,
with 6 and a half minutes remaining
in the first half, Arrows’ kicker Ben
Fachetti drilled a field goal to give St.
Sebastian’s a 17-0 lead. In 5 minutes,
Belmont Hill was able to respond with
a touchdown of their own, making the
score 17-7 going into halftime.
After halftime ended, the Arrows
returned to the field, ready to continue
their impressive showing. Tommy Seidl was especially ready, as he ran for
yet another touchdown to give Seb’s
a 24-7 lead. Keeping up the excellent
play, freshman Bryce Gallagher intercepted Belmont Hill to give the Arrow
the ball. Not satisfied with the interception, Bryce impressed the crowd
by running the ball hard for a goal line
touchdown early in the 4th quarter,
putting the Arrows up 31-7. Hoping to
v. Rivers
T 3-3
@ BB&N
T 1-1
@ Governor’s W 4-0
v. MiltonL 0-4
at the University of Tennessee, where
he started at 3rd Base. Duffy posted
solid numbers, hitting .304 his Junior
season. Playing 55 out of Tennessee’s
56 games, he recorded a team leading
17 doubles, and managed to collect 40
RBIs. Duffy was then selected by the
Houston Astros in the 20th round of the
2011 First Player Draft.
At 26 years old, Matt’s arrival to the big leagues didn’t occur at
an instant. For the next five years, he
would play in the minors, drifting between Single-A and Triple-A. At the
lower levels, he found success, winning All-Star Honors for Texas, California, South Atlantic, and New York
Penn Leagues. Just prior to his Major
League call up, Duffy was named the
Pacific Coast League MVP for 2015.
This year for the Fresno Grizzlies, the
former Arrow batted a .295 average.
His 102 RBIs and 90 runs led all PCL
hitters, and the two statistics were respectively the fourth and ninth most in
all of minor league baseball. Furthermore, Duffy’s success helped lead the
Fresno Grizzlies to their first playoff
appearance since 1998.
Duffy’s September call up
has already made contributions to
Houston’s playoff push. On September
19th, deep into the pennant race, the
Astros found themselves trailing the
Oakland Athletics 6-4. At the bottom
of the 6th inning, with a man on first,
manager A.J Hinch decided to pinch hit
Duffy in hopes of sparking the offense.
The rookie responded just as he hoped:
a high, leftfield shot would bounce off
the wall, bringing home Luis Valbuena to cut the deficit to one run. Duffy
reached second to the cheering of an
ecstatic Astros faithful. Houston would
go on to win the game, 10-6.
The next challenge for Duffy
and the Astros: a divisional series
against last year’s defending AL champion, the Kansas City Royals. The Astros, who had just beaten the Yankees
in a one game playoff, invited the Class
of ‘07 alum to join their postseason
roster. As Houston battles deeper into
the MLB Postseason, we are proud to
have a member of our community represent our school in this competitive
spectacle. Through years of hard work,
Matt Duffy has undoubtedly earned
participation in the exciting situation
he finds himself now.
score at least one more time, Belmont
Hill drove up the field, only for Mike
Calabro to make a great read and intercept the ball. St. Sebastian’s held on to
defeat Belmont Hill 31-7, making that
their second consecutive Homecoming
win. After the final horn sounded, the
students were ready to storm the field.
Waiting for the teams to finish shaking
hands, the crowd was slowly inching
closer to the middle of the field. Just as
the final handshake ended, the students
began to rush towards the center of the
field, surrounding the players in a frenzy of excitement. The celebration went
on for a while, then the crowd broke up
to give coach Souza time to speak to
his players, congratulating them and
making sure they were ready for their
upcoming matchups. The spectacular
performance from the Arrows football
team promises a successful season,
with talent at every position.
In all, despite losses in cross
country and soccer, this year’s Homecoming was one for the books. Returning alumni, parents and, students
from Sebs and other schools, packed
the sports events and banded together
to cheer on the boys and remember
those who we have lost. We’d like to
take the opportunity to congratulate the
players on the sports team and thank all
those who made it possible, especially
Coaches Ryan, Souza, Redpath and
Cressotti, and everyone who took time
to come out and cheer on Sebs.
Cross Country:
@ St. Paul’s L 15-47
St. Mark’s L 15-49
Rivers W 25-30
@ Governor’s L 25-30
GrotonL 19-36
NoblesL 15-50
v. Belmont Hill L 26-30