Pipe & Drums
march in the
Rockaways
Dancers and
dragons and
plenty of food
Page 3
Page 4
The Stanner
Vol. 56, No. 7
Archbishop Molloy High School
MARCH 2013
New contests highlight Spirit Week
Junior Carluto Toussaint sings his
heart out at Molloy Idol. (Photo
by Jordi Sevilla ‘14)
By Kirsten E. Paulson '13
Spirit Week 2013 offered a host
of new contests, such as Trivia of
the Day, plus the return of classic
events such as Stanner Feud,
dodgeball, and Molloy Idol, but
not the traditional inter-grade spirit
competition.
For the past two years, each
grade did its best to rack up participation points in each activity in
order to win an additional dressdown day for that grade alone after Spirit Week.
Seniors won the first contest in
2011 and sophomores won last
year.
Director of Student Activities Mr.
Jim Sheldon, who ran Spirit Week
for the first time, said the lack of a
competition didn't seem to affect
participation.
“Participation was fine," he said.
"I think we should just have Spirit
Week for spirit, just to have fun, not
necessarily to compete against
each other on a grand basis. Just
do it because we want to do it; we’re
not trying to ‘win’ the most spirit.
If we have a good time, we’re all
winners.
“Most people probably did three
to five things, whether it was just
trivia, playing dodge ball, going to
the basketball game, playing in
Stanner Feud. I’m going to say
most people probably did three to
five of the various things we had,”
Mr. Sheldon said.
Customary dress-down days,
such as Heritage Day and Molloy
Day also returned. The third and
final dress-down day involved each
grade dressing according to the
decade it was assigned.
Frosh were assigned the 1960s,
sophomores were assigned the
1970s, juniors got the 1980s, and
seniors were given the 1990s.
Missing from this year's events
were the crazy socks and shoes
day and the crazy hat day.
“Even though we didn't have
crazy sock day and crazy hat day,
I think the Decades Day made up
for it," said senior Veronica Singh.
"It was great seeing everyone in
their Decades Day clothing because especially for the seniors we
felt like we were going to school
in the 90s. I think many people
loved the decades day and participated because it was different."
Events such as Molloy Idol and
dodgeball ranked among the
most popular, both drawing a
large crowd.
However, for many students, the
best event was the one which
capped off Spirit Week, the annual
Senior-Faculty Basketball Game
and Sock Hop on March 15.
“Seeing my fellow seniors beating the faculty in basketball for the
Continued on page 5
Holy Week Liturgy concludes Lenten season
By Stephanie Jaipaul '13
Campus Ministry will sponsor its
Holy Week Liturgy in the Jack
Curran Gym at 10:30 a.m. on
March 27 to cap off its Easter season activities.
Senior Toni Ann Petovello, a
Campus Ministry leader and Liturgy Committee member, said
theme for this Lenten season is
"Restoration" and the liturgy will
involve a skit.
Campus Ministry Director Mr.
Mike Germano wouldn't give
many clues about what the liturgy
will be like but, as he usually advises, said, “just come and see.”
Mr. Germano said conducting
holiday liturgies at 10:30 a.m. after classes have concluded rather
than at 8 a.m before classes begin
as in the past has worked out well .
Mr. Germano likes the change
because his committee has more
time to set up for mass than it did
at 8 a.m. when things "tended to
be a little crazier."
Because the later start has
worked out so well, it will stay this Mr. Germano said all these events
way next year with the exception give students opportunities to be
of the Ash Wednesday service, prayerful during Lent.
which is always held at 8 a.m.
Petovello, who helped organize
Campus Ministry sponsored sev- the Fast-a-Thon, Reconciliation Day,
eral Lenten events such as a prayer
services every Tuesday in the
Chapel and a Day of Reconciliation
and the annual Fast-a-thon,which
was a fundraising event for the
Marist Missions.
Students who signed up in advance to participate gave up eating during the lunch period to attend a prayer service in the Chapel
and broke their fast after school at
another prayer service.
Mr. Germano hoped that the students who fasted got a better understanding of what millions of
poor people go through every day
and felt good knowing that by giving up one meal they have helped
a good cause.
Campus Ministry will sponsor an
Adoration Day on March 26 and a
trip to the Stations of the Cross in
Times Square on Good Friday.
and the prayer services, said it’s
important for students to get involved in Lenten activities because
they’re opportunities to strengthen
their relationships with God.
Rest In Peace Coach Jack Curran
Keep prom hopes in perspective
The Senior Prom, which is
promoted as “The Best Night of
Your Life,” seems like the perfect
way to bid your high school years
farewell.
But behind the pristine fantasy
of prom night hides an intricate
web of strings attached.
Seniors must make many
decisions about buying a dress or
renting a tux. renting a limo,
planning for after prom, and most
importantly, deciding how much
money to spend.
The goal of all seniors is to make
this the best night of their lives,
but is all the time, effort, money,
and stress of prom preparations
worth it?
Girls typically stress much more
than boys over prom night
because they have a much more
important decision to make:
choosing a dress.
While boys simply rent a tux,
most girls buy a dress specifically
worn only to a prom.
The price of a prom dress is also
a prominent concern, with most
girls having to spend between
$200 to $500 for a dress with
some girls spending even more
than that.
Boys, meanwhile, spend about
$100 to rent a tux.
Picking a dress is a major
decision because it may be the
only time girls will have an
opportunity to wear a gown.
“It’s my night to look like a
princess,” as senior Daniela
Gordillo said.
Adding to the stress for many
girls is the daunting question:
What if someone wears the same
dress?
So many girls go to great
lengths to make sure that doesn’t
happen, adding to their stress.
Another major issue facing both
boys and girls when planning for
prom is renting a limo.
Most seniors aim to spend a
maximum of $100 per person on
Most seniors hope to spend no
more than $150, but sometimes
the cost after-prom plans quickly
can spiral out of control.
Perhaps the best way to insure
a pleasant experience is to realize
that the Senior Prom might not
be the best night of your life but
just a very memorable one.
Unrealistic expectations can
cause seniors to focus too much
on making even the smallest
detail perfect, making them
unable to enjoy themselves.
As long as seniors spend the
right amount of money, make the
right decisions for after prom, and
go with the right people, the
Senior Prom is destined to be a
great time.
Senior Chelsea Corinaldi said, “I
expect to have the best night of
my life and I know I won’t be
disappointed as long as I’m
surrounded by good friends.”
— Lillian Mangialino ’15
Editorial
“All you really
need in life is
good food and
good wi-fi.”
Molloy’s fading theater
scene in need of rivival
Cartoon Corner
Letter to the Editor: Gun control
To The Editors:
There may well be good
arguments to be made in
opposition to gun control, but
those presented in the article
“Stanners join gun control
debate” [Feb. 2013] lacked logic
and reason.
One suggestion held that gun
legislation is useless because
“there will always be people who
circumvent the rules.” By that
standard, why pass any crime
legislation?
Another implied that scissors
and kitchen knives could
potentially be as lethal as guns
and yet their harmful effects are
never debated. This argument is
absurd. The purpose of scissors
is to cut things – snowflake
patterns out of construction paper
to use as classroom decorations,
ribbons to wrap presents, hair
and fingernails that have grown
too long. The purpose of a kitchen
the rental but conflicts often arise
when it comes time to determine
with whom to share the limo.
Many seniors become torn
between whom to travel with to
the prom, knowing some friends
will be offended when the final
decision is made.
Senior Marisa Masi said the
best policy is to go with your
closest friends becasue they are
the “people you know you’ll have
a good time with no matter what.”
Of course, someone you
consider a close friend might not
feel the same way about you.
The “After-Prom” is also one of
the most important aspects of
prom for seniors.
Because the prom itself only
lasts a few hours, most students
choose to extend the prom
experience into the night and for
the days afterward.
The cost of after-prom events
tends to be one of the biggest
issues.
knife is to cut meat and
vegetables into bite-size pieces.
But the purpose of a gun is to kill
— either people or animals. A gun
has no other function.
A third argument states that by
passing gun legislation, “The
government is making a decision
for the general public. The
regulation would put too much
power in the government’s
hands.” Do people making that
argument feel the same way
about
other
regulatory
legislation, involving, for
example, taxes or health care or
women’s reproductive rights?
The gun issue is a controversial
one and meaningful debate may
be possible, but it’s an issue that
requires more careful deliberation
than was reflected by many of the
comments in the article.
Mr. Dennis Vellucci
Assistant Principal
Three years ago, when the Class
of 2013 arrived at Molloy, it was
home to a strong and vibrant
theatre community.
The Theater Arts & Improv
Club and The Stanner Players
satisfied the needs of thespians
and audiences alike.
For serious actors looking to
perform before an audience, The
Stanner Players put on two
productions a year, a musical and
a play, in the Theater.
For aspiring thespians, Theater
Arts & Improv Club was the
perfect outlet to learn and
practice their acting skills and
gain confidence.
The club’s annual Shakespeare
Festival, traditionally held on the
Ides of March in honor of
Shakespeare’s play “Julius
Caesar,” was a much smaller
production than those staged by
The Stanner Players but was
very popular with students.
Three years later, however,
there has been a noticable decline
Molloy’s theater arts scene.
The Stanner Players will only
put on one production this year
instead of the usual two.
The Theater Arts & Improv
Club has held so few meetings that
a return of the Shakespeare
Festival seems unlikely.
These developments should be
disheartening to not just students
dedicated to the arts but to
Molloy itself.
The arts, especially theater,
allow Stanners to connect with
their fellow students in ways that
no other activity can.
It is vital that Molloy find
moderators whose schedules will
allow them to put in the effort
needed to return the theater arts
scene to what it once was just a
few years ago.
It would also be a good idea for
a Walk-a-thon to be dedicated to
renovating Molloy’s Theater by
enlarging the stage.
If these steps are taken,
Molloy’s theater program will
soon regain its strength for future
Stanner generations.
The Stanner
Volume 56, Number 7
Editor-in-Chief:
Assistant Editors:
Production Staff:
Stanner Moderator:
Publisher:
Monish Pahilajani
Joans Capistrano; Daniela
Salazar; Rashanna Seymour
John Fenner; AnnMarie
Gaglio, Jillian Spataro
Mr. Charley McKenna
Bro. Thomas Schady
Pipes & Drums march in Rockaway
By Anna Poulakas '14
Molloy's Pipes and Drums band
experienced first hand how some
New York neighborhoods are still
struggling to recover from the devastation of Hurricane Sandy when
it marched in the annual St.
Patrick's Parade in the Rockaways
on March 2.
“It was as if we were marching
through a tale of two cities,” said
Moderator Mr. Ed Cameron in reference to the fact that the band
marched through areas that have
recovered from Sandy and others
where the damage was still evident.
Senior Jacob Borkowski said,
"The parade route didn't go
through the worst areas. I only saw
one burnt out house while we were
marching."
Despite the devastation in areas
such as Belle Harbor and Breezy
Point, the turnout for the parade
was as large as in previous years,
which was wonderful to see, Mr.
Cameron said.
The biggest difference at this
year's parade from years past, Mr.
Cameron said, was that this year
“was a lot more political.”
He saw many people holding
signs directed at Mayor Mike
Bloomberg, who attended the parade, asking to receive funds to repair the damage due to Sandy.
The mood of the crowd also was
different from past years, Mr.
Cameron said, because the parade
represented the first time in a long
time that the people of Rockaway
and neighboring towns had something to celebrate and it seemed as
if they wanted to make it a good
day.
Mr. Ed Cameron, Ryan Karsten, and Bro. James Norton play the St.
Patrick’s Day Rockaway Parade. (Photo by Mr. Richard Karsten)
Borkowski said the crowd was a
lot less rowdy than in previous
years and he liked the more subdued environment.
Mr. Cameron said the parade
took people’s minds off their daily
struggles and he saw hope in
people's eyes. The parade lifted
their spirits and it was great to be
apart of such an event, he said.
Junior Alexia O’Donohue said
that while marching amid all the
destruction, she saw a store window sign that said, “Relocated Temporarily,” which she took as a sign
that there was hope in restoring the
community to its former self.
The Rockaway Parade was not
Breezy Point Project
The St. Marcellin Champagnat Society spent five days in Breezy
Point during February vacation cleaning up the devastation left
by Hurricane Sandy. Stanners shoveled sand, swept sidewalks,
removed seaweed from fences, pulled down old and put up new
insulation and sheet rock in damaged homes, and cleaned crawl
spaces. Five faculty members, three alumni, and 25 students
helped in the effort. The students were: seniors Dante Cella, Annie
Conlon, John Anthony DiMaria, Samaria Filosa, Ray Fu, Eddie
Krishe, Marco LoBosco, Anna Pastina, Jackie Rubino, Tiffany Scotto,
Lauren Velez, Derrick Yuen, juniors Francisco Cid, Emily David,
Natalie Dyer, Jordan Foster, Briana Hajdarovic, John Mancini,
Michael Mosco, Jordi Sevilla, Sarah Stiglianese, Aerin Toskas,
sophomores Joseph Gilfeather, Freddie Jean-Joseph, and Maria
Kasper. (Photos by Jordi Sevilla ‘14)
the Pipes & Drums Band's only
event as March is its busiest month
of the year.
The band marched in a small parade in Mineola on March 3 and in
Ronkonkoma on March 10 and
performed at many church dances
and functions at Joan of Arc, Our
Lady of Mercy, and Resurrection
Ascencion.
The band's senior leaders this year
are Jacob Borkowski, Ryan
Karsten, and Eddie Krische.
Other band members are seniors
Matthew D’Urso, Lauren
Maldonado, Chistopher Martinez,
Thalia Toro, juniors Alexia
O’Donohue, Allison Terranova,
sophomore Lillian Mangialino,
frosh Chrisopher Autera, Carolyn
Crocker, Vincent Dionisi, Joseph
Fernandez, Donagh Gallagher,
Nicholas Gangone and Matthew
Lynch.
Three faculty, Bro. James Norton,
Mr. Jim Sheldon and Mr. Cameron,
and two alumni, Byrne O’Sullivan
and John Maldonado, are also band
members.
The biggest event of the year for
hte band is the annual St. Patrick’s
Day Parade up Fifth Ave. in Manhattan which was held March 16
because St. Patrick's Day fell on a
Sunday this year.
Mr. Cameron expected bigger
crowds than usual marching on a
Saturday rather than a weekday
but the cold kept the crowd down.
Molloy, which has been marching in the St Patrick’s Day Parade
since 1995, didn’t step off until after 3 p.m, four hours after the parade began.
Mr. Cameron said the best part
of the parade is when the band
makes that initial turn onto 5th Ave.
from W. 47th St. to begin marching because hearing the crowd
cheer gets the adrenaline flowing.
O’Donohue’s favorite part is waiting on 47th St. and watching all
the other bands go by.
“We always have the police dept.
right behind us so we don’t really
talk much while waiting on the side
streets," she said with a laugh.
Borkowski, who always watches
the weather report for days before
the parade, said, "I don't care if it's
cold. As long as it doesn't rain, I'll
be happy."
He got snow instead.
International Day draws crowd
By Sophia Savvides '15 and
Phillip Barsamian '15
Molloy's 33rd annual International Day on March 10 gave over
1,000 students, parents, friends,
and faculty the opportunity to enjoy food and dances from many
different cultures.
“The turnout was great!” said
Ms. Sabina Kobinski, the organizer
of International Day, which was
held a month earlier than in the
past.
Ms. Kobinski said the nice
weather helped boost attendance
from last year when it rained.
The only negative about holding
the event in March was that the
Pipes & Drums Band was unable
to perform because it were marching in a St. Patrick's Day Parade.
The rest of Molloy's ethnic clubs
and dance groups did participate
and performed well despite having
less time to practice.
Ms. Kobinski said one parent
who watched the performances
was impressed by how diverse the
Molloy student body is.
The following groups performed:
Asian Club, Dance Club and
Team, Ebony Club, Greek and
Eastern European Club, Indian
and West Indian Club, Irish Club,
Spanish Club, Italian Club, and the
Boys and Girls Step Teams.
“I was very impressed by all of
them,” Ms. Kobinski said.
Junior Jennifer Guerrero said the
performers were amazing and she
particularly liked the Spanish and
Asian Clubs because of their costumes and various dance styles.
"They were put together and did
a lot,” she said.
Junior Louiza Molohides, who
performed dances from each section of Greece with the Greek
Club,said she was pleased with the
club's performance but she expects
to practice even harder to be even
better next year.
While the performances were in
the Jack Curran Gym, ethnic food
was available in the Marsloe Gym
and deserts in the Cafeteria thanks
to the contributions of over 30 parents and students.
“The students and their families
really out did themselves this year”
said Ms. Kobinski. “All I heard were
great things about the various
foods that people were able to try.
Every table at International Day
has its draw, so it is difficult to
gauge who was the most popular.
I did see different types of
empanadas, pierogi, and lots of
Irish soda bread!”
Junior Grace Anh said that she
tried many varieties of foods but
liked the Asian food the best.
Guerrero said her favorite was the
Italian food but she also enjoyed
eating a variety of desserts.
Ms. Kobinski said International
Day wouldn't have been the success it was if not for all the student
volunteers.
“Mr. [Luis] Santos and I asked a
number of students to help out with
International Day and, along with
faculty and parents, we had a great
amount of help and we are very
grateful.”
Ms. Kobinski also thanked the
school's maintenance crew.
"They were here before everyone
and stayed long after everyone left
to clean up," she said. "I would like
to thank all that helped out. I am
very pleased with how the day
turned out.”
Juniors Chinyere Okogeri and Dominique Leone, above, lead the
Ebony Club’s dance performance in the Jack Curran Gym during
International Day 2013 on March 10. (Photos by Jordi Sevilla ’14
and Petal Persuad ’13)
Marjorie Coello and Christian Ortega, above, perform with the Spanish Club while Ashwini Chawla,
Danissa Williams, Jayeda Newaz, Sitara Patel, and Amelia Singh,below, represent the Indian Club.
New contests highlight Spirit Week
Continued from Page 1
first time since I've been going to
the games was the best," said Thalia
Toro.
Vivian Rivera said, “Knowing
that we seniors wiped out the faculty after a consecutive four years
of losing just put the cherry on top
of Spirit Week.”
However, a few things did
change about Spirit Week. One
very popular event that didn’t
make a comeback was the Teacher
Tape-Up.
Mr. Sheldon said, “I wasn’t a big
fan of it. I felt that it bordered on
hazing. No one’s really made a big
deal about bringing it back, anyway.”
Some students, however, did
miss it.
“In 2011 and 2012 we had the
Teacher Tape-Up and I was looking forward to that this year,” said
senior Shanijah Steele.
Mr. Sheldon credits Ms. Liz
Murdocca, Principal Bro. Tom
Schady, Mrs. Terri Burke, Mr.
Glenn DaGrossa, Mr. Brian Kelly
and the Intramural Committee,
Ms. Lauren Kemmerer and the National Honor Society, and the Student Activities Committee for helping with the various aspects of
Spirit Week.
Mr. Sheldon is considering
changing the entire concept of
Spirit Week next year by having
Week, such as a Molloy vs. St.
Francis Prep basketball game.
Here are the winners of Spirit
Week 2013 events:
Molloy Daily Trivia Question:
sophomore Ray Maurer; senior
Giovanna Castillo; junior Emily
David; Anamilena Sanguino; senior Annmarie Gaglio.
Molloy Trivia Contest: senior
Chrysalis Terrado
Stanner Feud: Frosh “Chocolate
Bear”
Molloy Idol: senior Marjorie
Coello
Dodge Ball: Seniors: "USPA"
(Jason Natland, Emil Borzdyski,
Darryl Carpen, Isacha Tucker,
Terrence Grogan); Juniors: "Five
D’s" (Anthony Maroutis, Andrew
Georghiou, Francesco Navarro,
Kevin Neville, Max Hsu); Sophomores: "Capp and Sons" (Matt
Capp, John Whelan, Joseph
Savastano, John McCoy, Pedro
Paula); Frosh: "Ball Is Life" (Alana
Ball, Alyssa D'Angelo, Brandon
Larkin, Dominick Priolo, Brian
Jenkins).
Homeroom Door Decorating:
Winner: 3D (Room 317); Honorable Mentions: 3L (Room 222) and
Molloy’s hallways were filled with colorful costumes on the final 3F (Room 325).
day of Spirit Week 2013 on March 15. (Photos by Jordi Sevilla ‘14)
Ping-Pong: Singles: senior Sho
Miyazaki; Doubles: seniors Todd
Roskosky and Marco Rima.
various Spirit Days throughout the long event.
Faculty's Kids Photo contest:
year, such as the third Friday of He’d also like to be able to involve
every month, instead of a week- inter-scholastic athletics in Spirit frosh Vincent Dionisi.
Outfits and doors relfect the Spirit Week theme of past decades
Sweater, fleece added to uniform
By Ewa Gerlak '15
Two new additions, a blue
sweater and blue fleece, have been
added to the Molloy school uniform and Stanners can purchase
them online from Land's End.
The idea for these new additions
to the school uniform were first
brought up to Assistant Principal
for Students Mr. Ken Auer by some
of Molloy's female teachers, and he
discovered Land's End offered a
new type of sweater and fleece for
schools.
Molloy girls now can choose from
four sweater styles and two types
of fleeces while boys have two
sweaters and two fleeces.
Mr. Auer said that the new
sweater and fleece styles are "classy
looking" and give students more
choices in designing their school
uniforms because everybody has
different tastes.
Sophomore Jonella Wong likes
the greater variety of outerwear to
choose from but she would also like
to see more variety in terms of
skorts because the current ones are
"uncomfortable and bland."
Sophomore Eddy Victor also
likes having more choices but
wishes students weren't limited to
just Land’s End products.
"Students should be allowed to
wear sweatshirts from school clubs,
activities, or teams to class without
getting detention for doing it," he
said.
But these latest additions to the
school uniform will be the last ones
for a while because Mr. Auer said
there are no plans for any more additions or changes to the school uniform.
Video Game
Tournament
has 4 winners
Four students emerged as winners at Molloy's annual Video
Game Tournament on Feb. 15.
Senior George Mavrikis won
the "Call of Duty" competition,
junior Anthony Valenzuela won
"Marvel vs. Capcom," senior
Patrick Cen won "Super Smash
Brothers Brawl," and sophomore
Nicholas Sena won "Mario Kart."
Over 70 students participated.
Agbaje wins lit mag’s poetry slam
Rebecca Rivera were really good
and worthy of first place. I loved
the way they performed and their
passion,” said Agbaje, who placed
third in the first poetry slam two
years ago and received honorable
mention last year.
Agbaje performed “Heartbreak,”
based on her own personal
experience, and “Sticks & Bones,”
based on her experience with
bullying when she was younger.
“I also had watched a video
about bullying called ‘Pork Chop’
and I loved the way it had inspired
me, so I wanted to be able to do
that for others with a poem,”
Agbaje said. “I was also inspired
to call attention to the tremendous
amount of suicides that are caused
by bullying.”
The Poetry Slam attracted about
30 students performers with each
contributing their own style of
poetry or other forms of writing.
“The intelligence and the depth
of passion each poem contributed
really moved me,” said “Out of
the Box” Magazine Moderator Mr.
Matt Kilkelly.
First prize was a gift card to
Barnes & Noble bookstores, second
prize was a Subway gift card and
Senior Sore Agbaje won first third prizes were Dunkin’ Donuts
gift cards.
prize at the Poetry Slam.
By Harmanveer Singh ’16
Senior Sore Agbaje was selected
by a panel of judges as the winner
of the Poetry Slam sponsored by
Molloy’s literary magazine “Out of
the Box” on Feb. 27 in the Theater.
Senior Hanna Ventura was
awarded second place while senior
Rebecca Rivera was judged to be
third.
Agbaje, as a editor of the literary
magazine, also helped organize the
Poetry Slam in addition to
performing two of her poems in the
competition.
“I was very surprised to win,” she
said. “I was so focused on running
the slam and making sure
everything was flowing right that
I didn’t think too much about my
own performance.
“I thought Hanna Ventura and
Seniors Hanna Ventura and Rebecca Rivera finished second and
third in the Poetry Slam. (Photos by Jordi Sevilla ‘14)
This year’s judges included Max
Rief, Kate Pangilinan, Freddy
Francois, and Carlos Ortiz, all
Molloy graduates and past slam
participants.
“Each Poetry Slam promotes
creativity, thinking, and acts as an
avenue for students to express
themselves,” said Mr. Kilkelly.
Junior Michael Mosco, who
performed his poem “Sadness
Came on a Beautiful Day,” said
the slam gives him a chance to
express himself and his concerns
about every day life.
His inspiration for his poem were
women on Twitter who constantly
complain about their relationships.
New to the slam this year was a
juggling performance during the
Poetry Slam’s intermission by frosh
David Di Maggio.
The 2013 edition of “Out of the
Box,” edited by seniors Breanna
Watson and Agbaje, will be
published in April and contain
plenty of poetry in addition to short
stories.
The second and final Poetry Slam
of the year will be held in May.
AM Campus Ministry
names 10 new leaders
By AnnMarie Gaglio '13 and
Rashanna Seymour '13
Ten juniors were selected this
month as the new Campus Ministry Leaders for the 2013-14 school
year by Campus Ministry Director Mr. Mike Germano.
The leaders for 2013-2014 are
Theresa Arcdiacono, Zachary
Christian, Daniela Fazio, Sebastian
Geraci, Samantha Grech, Shannon
Harris, John Mancini, Anthony
Maroutsis, Chris McGee, and
Chinyere Okogeri.
Campus Ministry Leader is a coveted position at Molloy as 77 juniors applied for the ten spots.
Mr. Germano chose students who
had demonstrated in the past "very
strong leadership qualities.”
Mancini said he wanted to become a leader “to show kids that
religion is not boring and can be
fun when done right.”
Okogeri said her experience with
the senior leaders at the Junior Retreat at Esopus inspired her to become one.
“I want to help others like they
helped me,” she said.
The new leaders will meet periodically throughout the remainder
of this school year and at the start
of next year with Mr. Germano to
receive their training.
The ten juniors expect to look the
current leaders for inspiration.
Both Mancini and Okogeri
praised the seniors, saying that
they were “really good.”
Okogeri learned that “everyone
has a story” from them.
Mancini was impressed by the
familial bond this year’s leaders
have.
“They were all very different,”
said Mancini, “but from them I
learned that family doesn’t have to
be relatives to be a family.”
Mr. Germano shares the same
sentiment, saying that the seniors
impressed him with “their great
bond with each other” and their
successes in Esopus during the Senior and Junior Retreats.
Mr. Germano said Campus Ministry will put into practice some new
ideas for next year and expects his
new appointees to lead the way.
Mancini wants to organize more
charity walks, while Okogeri wants
to create a soup kitchen program
similar to the Briarwood Shelter.
Okogeri hopes that she can use
her leadership role to put into practice the reason why she loves being part of the Campus Ministry
program: “We can help people.”
Senior Dylan Penza dressed up as the Riddler during the Junior
Retreat from March 1-3. Penza and eight other senior Campus
Ministry leaders, Kathryn Brucas, John Anthony DiMaria, Jhanell
Directo, Amber Emmino, Zelenia Felipe, Dana Galizia, Toni Ann
Petovello, and Colman Vaughan are passing the torch to the new
leaders selected this month.(Photo by Jordi Sevilla ‘14)
Destiny’s Child wins IM tourney
By Austin Pizzella ’16 and Perry
Chresomales ’16
Destiny’s Child won the froshsophomore championship and
Papa Peaches won the junior-senior
title in Molloy’s annual Intramural
Volleyball Tournament on March
6 in the Jack Curran Gym.
Destiny’s Child, captain by
sophomore Ryan Hoffman,
defeated sophomore Deidre
Lydon’s team, the Society of the
Righteous and Harmonious Fists,
21-9 in the frosh-sophomore final.
Papa Peaches, led by senior
Eddie Steele, defeated senior Matt
Linares’s team, Mike Ferro, 21-19.
Hoffman said his team of
sophomores Danny Corridan,
Mary Dugan, Sean Modafferi,
frosh Alex Goldberg and John
O’Connor thought it would do well
in the tournament.
“Johnny, Alex and I play together
a lot on the beach because we’re
from Rockaway,” Hoffman said.
Despite his confidence, Hoffman
said, “There was also a lot of
pressure from my family. My sister
is a big volleyball player so I knew
I’d hear about it if we didn’t do well.
So I was happy when we won.”
A total of 28 teams, each
comprised of four to six players,
competed in the tournament, 16
frosh-sophomore teams and 12
junior-senior squads.
Intramural Director Mr. Brian
Kelly said, “You always want more
people to participate but it was
definitely a good amount.”
Team could have as many as two
junior varsity or varsity volleyball
players on their rosters.
Mr. Kelly, who is in his third year
as intramural director, watched
both championship games and
said that there was a high level of
energy as well as sportsmanship in
both matches.
“Just what everyone wants out of
a sporting event,” he said. “There
was no one special stand-out
moment, but I’ll definitely
remember it as an event where the
Molloy community came together
to have fun.” he said.
The Intramural Basketball
Tournament will be held in the
spring.
The action was intense at the net during the Intramural Volleyball
Tournament which was won by Destiny’s Child and Papa Peaches.
(Photo by Jordi Sevilla ‘14)
Seniors finally defeat faculty 72-68 in hoops
By Samantha Morgan '15 and
Melanie Santos '15
The seniors defeated the faculty
72-68 in their annual basketball
game capping off Spirit Week on
Friday night March 15 in the Jack
Curran Gym.
“Everyone played to the best of
their abilities," said senior Brendan
Kalaf. "And when they weren’t
playing, they were very involved
on the bench.”
After the seniors celebrated
beating the faculty in basketball,
Stanners took to the floor in the
Jack Curran Gym to dance the
rest of the night away. (Photos by
Jordi Sevilla ‘14)
Senior Patrick Goldberg said,
“We won primarily because we
went to our go-to players, Marco
LoBosco and Shaun Coribello.”
Sho Miyazaki said, “We played
like we were the Varsity C Team.”
Mr. Chris Dougherty credited
the seniors' superior team speed for
their victory: “We tried hard, but
we had a lot of injuries. Mr. [Brian]
Kelly injured his knee and Mr.
[Steve] Borhi experienced concussion-like symptoms.”
Kalef said, “When the game first
began, it was just for fun but after
half time it became very competitive.”
Goldberg added, “The idea of the
game is to interact with the faculty,
but when bragging rights are on
the line, the will to win takes over.”
Yet despite the game's intensity,
Miyazaki said, “There was no trash
talk; it was a clean, fair game."
The crowd of over 800 people was
definitely rooting for the seniors.
“It was fun playing in front of the
crowd," said Miyazaki. "It brought
back the good memories of CYO
games. I just wish that that many
people could come to the Intramural games.”
Kalef said, “It was a complete
adrenaline rush playing out on the
court. The crowd was great to play
in front of and never let us down.”
Goldberg said, “The crowd
pumped us up, gave us energy, and
distracted the faculty when they
were on the free throw line.”
The victory gave the seniors their
first triumph of the year over the
faculty after having lost the football and softball games.
Miyazaki gave credit to seniors
Terrance Grogan and Darryl
Carpen who coached the team.
Kalef said, “It was a great night
and a great way to remember
[Coach] Jack Curran.”
Over 700 tickets were sold and,
after paying the game referees and
the DJ and chaperones for the postgame dance, about $350 was left
to donate to the Hurricane Sandy
relief fund, Mr. Dougherty said.
While many students left after
the game, "the students that stayed
were very excited to have the
dance. They danced until the very
last song at 11 p.m," said Mr.
Dougherty.
Steppers to audition for TV show
of one of the team’s choreographed
routines to one of the show’s
producers.
The producer then contacted
Step Team Moderator Mrs. Anne
Lonergan with some exciting news.
The producer was intrigued by
the audition video said she would
like the team to audition in front of
the panel of celebrity judges
sometime between April 8-10.
“If we do well and move on in
the competition, then we’ll find out
further details [about qualifying to
appear on the show],” Mrs.
Lonergan said.
Junior Nikko Tonolete, team cocaptain, said, “Performing for the
celebrity judges will be nerve
wrecking at first. But once we get
started, the nerves will go away
and we’ll be good from there.”
Junior Karle Oliva said, “No
matter how far we get on
‘America’s Got Talent,’ it will
definitely be a great learning
experience.”
The Boys Step Team auditioned
once before for “America’s Got
Talent” about five years ago but did
not make it as far as being able to
audition for the celebrity judges.
If the team makes it through both
rounds of auditions in front of the
judges, it will earn a spot on the
actual show.
Mrs. Lonergan is realistic about
Junior David Weekes steps at her team’s chances, emphazing
how difficult it will be to qualify for
International Day.
By Mikayla Roberts ’16, Maria
Aliberti ’16, Alexa Campo ’16
If you tune in to the show
“America’s Got Talent” next
season, you may just see the
Archbishop Molloy Boys Step
Team performing on television
right before your eyes.
The team has been invited to
begin the audition process for the
show next month with the
possibility that it might be chosen
to appear on TV later this year.
It all began when the team asked
Mr. Brian Klimas send in a video
JV takes boys hoops title;
Varsity girls ranked 4th
Led by sophomore Sebastian
Cadet’s 25 points, Molloy’s Junior
Varsity basketball team defeated
Christ the King 62-58 on March 2
to win the city championship.
Sophomores D’Ante Warren
scored 18 points and Jason Camus
added nine while Matthew Capp
grabbed 14 rebounds.
Molloy and Christ the King had
split their two regular season games
but the Stanners triumphed when
it counted most to finish the season
with a six-game winning streak
and a 19-7 record.
* * *
The Girls Varsity basketball team
finished the season as the fourth
ranked team in New York City in
the MSG Varsity high school poll
and fourth in the city in the New
York Post’s CHSAA poll.
The Stanners finished the season
with a 21-8 record after losing to
eventual champion Bishop Ford
62-48 in the semifinals of the
CHSAA State AA tournament on
March 8.
Molloy had beaten St. Anthony’s
60-55 in the state quarterfinals on
March 6 to advance to the semis.
The Stanners won their first
regular season Brooklyn-Queens
Division I title in school history this
year but lost in the BrooklynQueens playoff finals 51-45 to Ford
on March 2 despite 24 points from
senior Amani Tatum.
* * *
Junior Jonathan Asanjarani was
Molloy’s top individual performer
at the CHSAA Boys Intersectional
Swimming
and
Diving
Championships at Eisenhower
Park on Feb. 9-10.
Asanjarani finished 15th in the
500-yard freestyle in a time of 5
minutes, 18.79 seconds.
Frosh Harry Ortof, who finished
17th in the 500 freestyle, senior
Brian Sheehan, who was 17th in
one-meter diving, and frosh
Brendan Woods, who was 20th in
the 200 indidivdual medley, were
the only other Molloy individuals
to finish in the top 20.
Molloy, with 140 points, finished
10th in the 15-team competition
which was won by Fordham Prep
with 924.5 points.
Junior co-captain Allen Sanchez, center, leads the Boys Step Team
during its performance at International Day. The step team has
won five of six competitions this year. (Photos by Jordi Sevilla ‘14)
the TV show, but she adds, “I think
they have a chance; you never
know!”
Besides earning an audition with
“America’s Got Talent,” the Boys
Step Team has won five of its first
six competitions this year and
finished second in the only one it
did not win.
The team is preparing to compete
in the New York Regional of Youth
Step USA competition and to
defend its title at the New York
Regional of the “Break the Stage”
competition.
“We all work very hard and
practice for two hours every day,”
said frosh Brian Agula. “Discipline
and practice are the keys to our
success.”
Mrs. Lonergan is proud of her
team this year.
“This is one of the best teams
Molloy has ever had because they
are all very hard workers and very
talented,” she said.
The team’s goals are now to
constantly improve and to try to
get to the next round of auditions
on “America’s Got Talent!”
Taibe takes two
city meet titles
Seniors Victoria Taibe and
Darren James were Molloy’s
individual champions at the 2013
CHSAA Varsity Indoor Track and
Field City Championships on Feb.
17 at St. Anthony High School.
Taibe won the girls shot put with
a toss of 36 feet, 7.25 inches and
the girls 20-pound weight throw
with a toss of 40-5.75.
James won the boys long jump
with a leap of 22-0.5.
The Molloy girls finished third in
the team competition while the
boys finished 11th.
Here are Molloy’s results:
Boys Varsity
300 meters: Darren James, 36.48.
600 meters: 5. Jacob Lascano, 1:26.18.
4x800 meter relay: 5. Molloy (Pat
Cashin, Jacob Lascano, Branden
Warders, Dan Saczyk), 8:18.34.
High jump: 5. Dan Murphy, 5-6.
Long jump: 1. Darren James, 22-0.5.
Team scores: 1. Chaminade, 29; 2. St.
Anthony, 28; 3. Fordham Prep, 22.5; 4.
Kellenberg, 21; 5. Farrell, 19; 6. Iona
Prep, 18.5; 7. Mount St. Michael, 17; 8.
Xavier, 16; 9. St. John the Baptist, 14;
10. St. Francis Prep, 12; 11. Molloy, 11.5;
12. Hayes, 9; 13. Ford, 6; 14. Spellman,
St. Dominic, and St. Joseph Collegiate;
4; 17. St. Joseph by the Sea, 3; 18.
Stepinac, 1; 19. Holy Trinity, 0.5.
Girls Varsity
4x400 meter relay: 4. Molloy, 4:26.55.
High jump: 5. Sarah Kowpak, 4-8.
Pole vault: 3. Laura Williams, 8-0.
Long jump: 2. Ololade Afolayan, 175.25.
Triple jump: 3. Ololade Afolayan, 3411.
Shot put: 1. Victoria Taibe, 36-7.25.
Weight throw: 1. Victoria Taibe, 405.75.
Team scores: 1. St. Anthony, 57; 2.
Kellenberg, 55; 3. Molloy, 25; 4. Sacred
Heart and St. John the Baptist, 23; 6.
Mary Louis, 17; 7. Holy Trinity, 13; 8.
St. John Villa, 12; 9. Spellman and St.
Edmund, 8; 11. St. Joseph by the Sea, 6;
12. Mercy, 3; 13. St. Joseph on the Hill, 1.