Avier NEWS
Saint Xavier High School • Louisville, Kentucky
Vol. LXXXV • No. 5 • May 8, 2014
SAC Election Draws Record Turnout
By Gus Young
Ryan
Baker
Sehlinger
Bowling
or the second year in a row, the SAC
elections received a record turnout
from the student body with 73.9 percent
of students voting in this year’s election,
overwhelming last year’s total of 66 percent. The freshman class had the largest
percentage of voters, with 78.5 percent of
their class making it to the voting booths
that were set up in the Sterne Gym. SAC
encourages every student to make his
voice heard and vote in every election.
The current junior class president,
Patrick Ryan, won the close and incredibly competitive race for SAC President.
“I hope to bring a lot of energy to the
executive board at SAC,” Ryan said. “My
main goal as president is for everyone to
be involved; that’s what I want most of
all.”
Lucas Baker was elected Vice-President. “I’m extremely excited to assume
my role as Vice President,” Baker said. “I
can’t wait to put my ideas into action and
make next year the best yet. I’m looking
to make improvements around St. X that
will be remembered for years. With the
student body’s help, we can do just that.”
In an incredible landslide, winning
100 percent of all votes, Michael Sehlinger will take charge as SAC treasurer.
Daniel Bowling claimed next year’s position as secretary.
Sophomore Liam Crooks will fill
the seat of junior class president, replacing Ryan. Winning the support of his fellow classmates and assuming the role of
sophomore class president next year will
be Beau Brooks.
Brooks
F
Crooks
Ryken Statue Dedicated
By Ben Gumbel
A
statue of Brother Theodore James Ryken C.F.X. has been unveiled
on campus. As a part of the 150th Anniversary celebration, the nearly 18-month process was concluded with a dedication ceremony outside
of the Callahan Media Center on Thursday, April 24. Ryken is not only
the founder of the Xaverian Brothers, but he also is the man who brought
the Xaverian Brothers to America, where they would eventually start the
school in 1864.
The initial idea was brought about by St. X President Dr. Perry Sangalli while planning for the 150th anniversary celebration. At first, the school
debated on whether to build a statue of Ryken or a statue of Brother Paul
Van Gerwen C.F.X., founder and first principal of St. Xavier. Ryken was
eventually chosen in order to honor the Xaverian Brothers.
Thanks to an anonymous donation, St. X alumnus Matthew Weir (class
of 1999) was hired to sculpt the statue. This is his second sculpture to be
presented to St. X; he also created the tiger sculpture outside of the football
stadium.
Two antique urns that previously sat in the entrance to the Driscoll
Building were relocated and now stand next to the walkway beside the
statue. These urns once stood at the entrance of the old St. X building on
Broadway. As Dr. Sangalli said at the ceremony, “These items and the antique bench beside the statue recall our past and demonstrate continuity of
mission over all these years.”
You can find the Ryken statue in the courtyard outside of the Callahan
Media Center. It depicts Ryken looking down as he walks the antique brick
path, symbolizing the brothers “moving on in faith.”
“Let this beautiful work of art remind us of our heritage and mission
and cause us to give thanks every time we pass by,” said Dr. Sangalli at the
ceremony. “And let us march on as well, creating harmony among those
with whom we collaborate in our classrooms, on our fields and stages, in
our Board conference rooms, and in all that we do outside of the boundaries of Poplar Level Road. Therein, in harmony, small things will continue
to grow.”
Photo by Clay Hoehler
Eleven
Named
Governor’s
Scholars
E
leven St. X juniors have been
selected for the 2014 Kentucky
Governor’s Scholars program designed for outstanding high school
students who are rising seniors. The
five-week residential summer program is typically hosted by three college campuses in Kentucky.
Front Row (from left): Lucas Baker,
Alexander Young, Thomas Sullivan;
Back Row (from left): Benjamin
Farber, Kevin Reilly, Sehr Faltin,
Michael Sehlinger, Nicholas Yates,
Patrick Ryan, Michael Rueff,
John Raque
2
ON CAMPUS
May 8, 2014
Fond Farewells
Mr. Richard Ayres
By Sam Gray
M
r. Richard Ayres has been a member of the Saint
Xavier community for 30 years. He took the job
at St. X initially as a French and Latin teacher in 1984.
In 1987, he was given the opportunity to teach Chinese
and has been teaching it ever since.
Mr. Ayres has taught all levels of Chinese throughout his years at St. X. He also brought the Chinese National Honor Society to St. X.
However, one of Mr. Ayres’ most famous accomplishments is the Chinese trips in the summers. The trip
started in 1987 and has grown to be one of the most
popular trips St. X offers. The China trip has been offered most years since 1987. “It
helps the kids immerse themselves in the Chinese culture,” Mr. Ayres said.
Due to the influence of Mr. Ayres, many former students have expanded their
studies of Chinese in college. One in particular, Martin Woods, lives in China and is
a major figure in Chinese television.
Another unique trait to Ayres’ class was his incorporation of faith. “You can get
into heaven without knowledge of Chinese, but you can’t get into heaven without a
knowledge of your faith,” he said. “That’s one of our missions as teachers at St. X.”
Ayres will be leaving St. X at the conclusion of this year. He will teach Latin and
Greek at a school in Cincinnati.
“It was my absolute privilege to work with such wonderful colleagues and the
finest young men I’ve ever known,” he said of St. X. “I have nothing but great memories, and I can’t tell you how much I appreciated teaching Chinese to the students. I
will miss everyone at St. X. A part of me will always be here.”
Twinning
I
dentical twins are a rare occurrence,
but St. X has quite a few identical twins
roaming the halls on a daily basis. These
brothers can achieve twice as much as an
average person. Identical twins may look
alike, but each twin has his own set of
characteristics that set him apart, including subtle physical differences. Contrary
to popular belief, most twins are completely different from each other, apart
from physical features. Being a twin involves having a psychological need to
develop self identity. Each twin at St. X
has his own identities apart from his fellow twin.
“I may be a twin, but I’m one of a
kind,” said senior Matt Jones.
Being a twin has its advantages and
disadvantages. Primarily, twins have had
each other to interact with since birth.
Sophomores Andrew and Alex Marsden stressed that as children they always
played together, and they did not see the
value in playing by yourself. They have
M
rs. Mary T. Clements is retiring at the end of this
school year. Coming to St. X in July of 2007,
she served as Administrative Assistant for Campus
Ministry and also assisted the drama department.
Her activities in Campus Ministry include setting up and organizing retreats and keeping track of
service hours. She loves how serious people are in
the work they do. “I enjoy watching students turn in
more service hours then they need and watching students come back from retreat completely changed,”
she said.
Her activities in drama include maintaining the
finances, creating layouts of posters and programs,
and setting up the grade school shows. She loves drama because she likes watching
how the talents of the students and the touches added by Ms. Rebecca Reisert all come
together.
What has been her favorite part of St. X? “So many things!” she said. “I will especially miss the young men I’ve gotten to know, both when they graduate and when
I leave.”
After retiring she plans to relax and do the fun things in life. “Thanks for the
memories, and I wish everyone from our faculty and staff and students the best,” she
said. “St. X has given our students a foundation on which they can build their futures.
Thanks for the opportunity to be part of the St. X community.”
Mr. Bill Glaser
By Braden Tyrer
E
ver since his graduation from St. X in 1961, Mr.
Bill Glaser has had an intermittent relationship
with the Green and Gold. In a colorful career spanning more than five decades, Coach Glaser has held
numerous titles, including head football coach at St.
X, where he had two undefeated seasons, a year of
coaching at Morehead State University, and 20 seasons with the Kentucky Wildcats.
Coach Glaser also served as the president of
Lexington Catholic High School from 2000 to 2004
before returning to Louisville to become the general
manager of Louisville’s now-defunct arena football
team, the Fire.
In 2006, Glaser returned to St. X, continuing his coaching alongside younger
brother Mike, while teaching Algebra I and Geometry. He retired from coaching at
the end of the 2012 season, when the Glaser brothers passed the torch onto the current
coaching staff, headed by Will Wolford.
Coach Glaser recalls his time at St. X. “My favorite memories are of all the people
I’ve met,” he explains. “The students taught me how to coach and teach.”
Everyone at St. X will remember Coach Glaser fondly. He has left an indelible
mark on the Green and Gold, from the field to the classroom. St. X wishes him the best
in the future and thanks him for the years of dedicated service.
never understood it to be fun or intriguing. They have found value in each other’s company.
Despite such company, twins often
get frustrated being mixed up by teachers
and friends. Twins are stereotyped into
the realm of “similar.” Twins are pestered
about being twins, and they are asked
constant ignorant questions. Senior twins
Max and Matt Jones, as well as the Marsden twins, both deal with these questions
frequently.
“If you physically come up to two
people that look alike, don’t ask if they
are twins,” said Matt Jones.
The Marsden twins agree: “Everyone
bothers you. It’s obvious we’re twins.”
Identical appearance is always noticed in twins, yet twins are not identical
in their personalities. Too often are they
classified with similar personalities just
because they are both in the same level of
classes. Twins are unique. Every person
is unique, and each twin is no exception.
Summer Service
Opportunities
Mrs. Mary T. Clements
By Matthew Hess
By Sam Lukens
I
By Michael Portaro
mmediately after finals are over, the
main thing on every student’s mind is
relaxing. Everyone deserves some time
of rest after school ends. However, after
you awaken from hibernation, what will
you do? For many students, summer is a
good time to get a head start on service
hours for the next year. St. X has plenty of
opportunities for you to get involved and
have a fun and learning experience.
The most frequent opportunity over
the summer for service is the St. Joseph
of Arimathea Society. In this group, participating students help provide a funeral
service for those who were homeless or
had no living family members or colleagues. These funerals will occur several
times over the summer; for specific times
contact Campus Ministry or get in touch
with the Ryken Service Club.
Another opportunity for service with
the school is St. X’s service trip to Appalachia. On this trip St. X students will
help in the construction or restoration of
houses in Appalachia for those in need.
The trip is a great way to see how so many
people are affected by poverty, right here
in our own state. The trip will be four
days, June 22–25. The cost will be $250.
Crosswalk is another service opportunity that Campus Ministry is encouraging students to get involved in. It is a
weeklong retreat of service and volunteering in Louisville. There will also be
time to reflect on how service affects you
and what you think with groups of other
students. It is a perfect way to meet new
friends in the city. Students will receive
20 hours of service for the retreat.
One other service opportunity is
Camp Heart to Heart. The camp is for
kids affected by HIV/AIDS. High school
students will work as camp counselors
and help kids participate in games and
crafts. The camp will last one week.
There are many more service opportunities, and Campus Ministry strongly
suggests you stay active in your service
over the summer. It’s a great way to spend
time serving your neighbors and communities in need. For more information on
the service projects listed in this article
or other opportunities, contact Campus
Ministry.
Summer Fun at Junior Prom
O
By Tommy Sullivan
n Saturday, May 10, from 8:00 P.M.
to midnight, the Sterne Gym will
come alive with signs of summer. The
Junior Prom will be a celebration of the
Class of 2015 as well as a welcome to the
anticipated days of summer.
The SAC Junior Prom committee—Jackson Krauser, Griffin Johnson,
Tommy Sullivan, Patrick Ryan, Michael
Lucchese, Jack Faulkner, Matt Foley,
Mr. Bobby Nichols and Mrs. Mary Jefferson—brainstormed ideas that would
make the prom fun and memorable.
“This was a great opportunity to give
students direct influence in what SAC
does,” said Lucchese.
Juniors attending the prom can expect to see decorations such as bright
flowers, seashells, leis and beach balls.
SAC will replace the usual snacks served
at dances with such summer favorites as
freeze pops, Goldfish, Skittles, Starbursts
and Hawaiian Punch. Prom couples can
dance to typical music from the DJ plus
summer songs by the Beach Boys, Jimmy
Buffett and the timeless “Summer Days”
from Grease.
“The committee hopes that these additions will make the dance more fun,”
said Krauser.
Tickets for the junior prom will be
for sale through Friday, May 9 during
all lunch periods in the SAC office. The
cost is $25.00 per couple. Formal attire,
including dress shirt and pants, tie and
jacket, is required.
3
ON CAMPUS
May 8, 2014
Japanese Tigers
By Ethan Mackin
F
rom March 8–28, ten exchange students from St. Ursula High School in
Hochinoche, Japan became St. X Tigers.
St. X partnered with Sacred Heart and
Mercy Academy to host 23 students.
I was one of the ten St. X students
who hosted an exchange student. Getting my foreign exchange student, Yusuke
Tanaka, was one of the best experiences
I’ve had at St. X. When I signed up to host
him, I was extremely eager but didn’t fully realize what I was getting myself into.
The experience taught me quite a bit about
myself and communicating with others,
but most importantly, I made a friend.
Right from the beginning I realized
Yusuke didn’t speak perfect English, but
it was good enough to communicate. His
first dinner here was from Chick-Fil-A,
and Yusuke could demolish a meal! He is
smaller than I am, but he could eat twice
as fast and just as much. It was fun to
explore food with him because I didn’t
realize how many diverse restaurants we
have. They may be Americanized, but we
have Italian, Mexican, American, Indian,
Chinese, Japanese and many other types
of restaurants, whereas other countries
(like Japan) don’t have that. One funny
memory I have is Yusuke being surprised
by how much food we fry in America.
A daunting task with hosting a student was making sure he was having
fun; you didn’t want to wear him out and
tire him, but you didn’t want him sitting
around and doing nothing. The Japanese
students spent a lot of money to travel
here and wanted to experience America.
A host also had to be attentive with
what the exchange student wanted or
needed. Exchange students don’t want
to be rude, and you need to be a good
host and make sure you can put yourself
in their shoes. You have to act comfortable and welcoming in order for them to
be comfortable themselves and feel wel-
W
n March 17 and 18, the junior class
participated in the Poverty Simulation, which St. X has held since 2006.
“It was started to help our juniors
better understand what struggles a family
living below the poverty level faces each
day,” said Mrs. Rosanna Vessels, who
oversees the event.
Juniors are gathered in the Stern
Gym and are designated to sit in a group
of chairs, or in a single chair. A group of
chairs represents a family (whether twoparent, single-parent or children living
with grandparents), and a single chair represents an elderly person living on Social
Security. The juniors are handed a sheet
of paper that explains what their family’s
circumstances are and what they must accomplish each 15-minute period.
Tables are set up representing such
institutions as banks, money lenders,
Social Security, day care facilities, employment offices, and other agencies that
people must deal with in the course of everyday life.
“Through evaluation and debriefing
in classes, many juniors shared that they
have a better understanding of the frustrations that the poor face due to injustices
in the system and difficulty rising above
By Evan Shaheen
ith the newly renovated classrooms, hallways and facilities,
everyone can’t help but wonder, “What
are the best classrooms at St. X?” Xavier
News took the initiative to find the best
(in no particular order) three classrooms
at St. X.
Room 235
Japanese exchange students with their St. X. hosts
come. This is the only thing I would warn
anyone about before hosting: If you absolutely must have hours of free time every
day, you should reconsider hosting. You
must stay active in order to have a great
experience with your student.
Being active doesn’t just mean being a tour guide. While Yusuke enjoyed
the sights in Louisville, like the Big Four
Bridge, the skate park, Slugger Museum,
etc., he really enjoyed everyday things
and meeting my friends. Seeing normal
American life and meeting new people
were really interesting to him. People always had at least a dozen questions for
Yusuke about his home and his experience so far in America.
It’s amazing how two people that
don’t share the same native language can
still communicate through laughter and
music. He was very familiar with mainstream American music. I did introduce
him to something new, however, with
American culture that he found hilarious.
That would be television shows like Ridiculousness, Jackass, and Wildboyz. He
loved the movies with Johnny Knoxville;
he watched all three movies in the series
and even asked to take the movies home
with him, which he did, of course.
Overall, I had an amazing experience. While it was difficult to make sure
he was always having fun and communicating with him effectively, I would do
it again. I hope that our paths will cross
again in the future. You grow close to your
student if you’re lucky. They put trust in
you when they come to America and live
with your family, and you, in a way, take
care of them by making sure they’re always having fun and always comfortable.
They grow close to your family, and the
departure is heartbreaking. You’re with
this person nonstop for two weeks, and
he suddenly leaves. However, the experiences and friendships I had with Yusuke
and the other 22 students from St. Ursula
will never die.
“I was very happy to get along with
you [the family],” Yusuke said. “The days
with you are treasures. I think of you all
like a true family.”
Poverty Simulation
O
Best
Classrooms
By Drew Lloyd
the cycle of poverty,” said Mrs. Vessels.
“They also felt that it was difficult being
a child living in poverty. And they understand better the struggles and desperation
that the poor face on a daily basis.”
Junior Parker Bragg said that the
Poverty Simulation helped him understand the difficulties of poor people’s
lives. “You know they have it rough, but
to have an experience of living like they
do is eye-opening,” Bragg said.
Junior Zach Wheatley also found the
experience to be enlightening. “It was
difficult to pay your bills when you did
not have enough money,” Wheatley said.
“It showed me the real life struggles of the
citizens living in poverty.”
The Poverty Simulation was a success. It taught the juniors the struggles of
the people below the poverty line or the
people barely making it. It showed them
examples of how people live from paycheck to paycheck in order to give their
children the basic necessities of life.
Students visit the “Quik Cash” table to get transportation passes
Located in the Hoeck building, this
classroom makes up for what it lacks in
size by its uniqueness. The room features
a luxurious balcony to go along with a
great view of St. X’s campus. The balcony is capable of hosting outdoor classes
at the teacher’s discretion, adding to its
versatility, and allowing educators to be
more flexible in their teaching strategies.
Room 200
This room features several great
amenities including a tea maker and festive podium. Room 200 is larger than the
typical classroom, and is conveniently located across from students’ lockers, a potential dream come true for anyone with
class here. The final perk of having class
here is the great view of the new statue
of Theodore James Ryken and garden in
front of the IMC. This view is guaranteed
to enhance any student’s educational experience and inspire a new level of creativity.
Room 406
Home to various art classes, this is
one of the most interesting rooms at St.
X. It features great benefits such as a
hot chocolate maker, which can come in
handy during a brutal winter such as the
one we just experienced. This room also
features windows that allow great natural
light, a definite plus for any student.
Selling Old Textbooks
A
By Austin Smith
s the school year winds down, probably the last thing on a student’s mind
is, “What am I going to do with all these
expensive textbooks?” But your parents
might be thinking about that very detail.
Although many classes now use eBooks,
the actual textbooks still in use cost more
than pocket change. Just a few textbooks
can cost hundreds of dollars; you don’t
want them just collecting dust.
Probably the most popular choice is
to sell the books back to the company you
got them from, most likely MBS. At the
end of the school year, MBS will authorize St. X to buy the books back. However, MBS doesn’t pay what you originally
paid for the books.
You could also sell or give your textbooks to an underclassman who might
need them, but make sure he isn’t taking a
class that is switching to an eBook.
Another option is selling the textbooks through another website such as
eBay or Amazon. A website that isn’t as
well known is Bookscouter.com. Senior
Braden Tyrer said, “I use Bookscouter.
com to get the best quotes for my books;
that way I know their true value.”
Although such sites might give you
more for your books than MBS, taking
this route also runs the risk of your books
not getting purchased at all or they won’t
be bought at a price you want.
4
OPINION
May 8, 2014
What You Need to Know When
You’re Done with High School
The Journalism classes recently responded to an essay that listed several things the author felt were important for high school students to know. Each student picked one topic from the essay and commented on it.
Give back. Share. Contribute. Help
out. It doesn’t have to be monetary.
I
n today’s hedonistic society, people
are constantly looking for something
new, different, better. Unfortunately, we
are often focused more on receiving than
giving. This pattern in human behavior
has been heightened in the 21st century
with the introduction of modern technology, especially social networking. Social
networks, such as Facebook and Twitter,
have created a self-centered society. Fortunately, however, change is possible. Led
by the youth, we can change today’s world
for the better. From family relationships
to everyday conversations with strangers,
we should consider what we can give or
offer to others. We need to reassess our
gifts and find our possible contributions to
others. This would not only improve our
personal well-being but those surrounding us as well.—Lucas Baker, ’15
S
ervice is at the core of our school. Why
should you serve? First, it makes you
feel good. Helping others and promoting
events will bring you closer to God and
those who are needy. You will build great
relationships, and you will form some of
your best friendships while donating your
time and effort to great causes. You will
also create memories that you will keep
for the rest of your life. Instead of wasting
your precious time on the Internet, you
can spend it changing your community
for the better.—Tommy Sullivan, ’15
Learn how to learn. In our informationrich, always-on, instant-access world,
the winner isn’t the one who knows the
most, rather it’s the one who can do
the most. So how do you learn? Do you
read a book or watch a video? Do you
find a mentor or expert tutor? Do you
throw your search at Google and click
“I’m Feeling Lucky”?
A
fter high school, people are essentially on their own. Thus, high
school needs to prepare students for the
adult world, in which they will need to
be independent. With this independence,
one needs quality decision-making skills
and an aptitude for learning. As modern
society is saturated with more and more
information and skills, it is ever more important to be able to learn these skills and
XAvier NEWS
Xavier News is the student newspaper
of Saint Xavier High School, 1609
Poplar Level Road, Louisville KY
40217. Web: www.saintx.com
Email: [email protected]
All contents Copyright © 2014 by
Saint Xavier High School. All rights
reserved.
information. Humans do this by developing their brains, which is the main purpose of high school. High school’s main
purpose should not be to focus on minute
facts; it should be to help students learn
how to be flexible and have the ability to
grasp any concept or adapt to any situation.—Austin Smith, ’14
W
hen people leave high school to go
to college, they don’t go to learn.
Sure, all of those math equations and formulas and Shakespeare plays may come
in handy—never. But once you choose
your major, you don’t attend college for
the sake of learning how to do your job.
You go to college to learn how to learn
to do your job. This is why we classify
ourselves and others by whether or not
we are auditory learners, visual learners
or hands-on learners. It’s about how we
learn best, not about what we know or like
to learn.—Matthew Hess, ’14
L
earning how to learn is very important in today’s world of vastly open
information. Learning how to learn separates those who simply have good grades
from those who can apply their knowledge and benefit from it in the real world.
As college expectations go up and information is easier to access, you need to be
smart with how you attain your information. Googling your homework questions
will get you the answers and may even
enable you to remember them for the test,
but that’s not what learning is, and that’s
not going to behoove you in the future
when that knowledge is necessary and
needed.—Ethan Mackin, ’14
S
tudents at St. X are going through the
struggle of staying focused with an
iPad in front of them. Students know they
need to study, but they know they can start
playing games in a click of a button. Class
time, lunch time, homework time has all
become iPad time. Students have to adapt
to this new technology. The iPad can be
a great tool for learning. We can use it to
search anything we need for a project, or
we could find an app that helps us study.
You can know more than anyone, but if
you can’t concentrate and use your time
wisely, you will probably struggle with
some classes. iPads are a new way of life,
but we must get better at spending our
time wisely.—Cole Bollinger, ’16
Editorial Staff
Editor-in-Chief
Sam Lukens
Opinion Editor
Seiler Smith
Managing Editor
Braden Tyrer
Design and
Layout
Matthew Hess
Steven Penava
News Editor
Hunter O’Brien
Features Editor
Austin Smith
Sports Editor
Will Leffert
Photo Editor
Clay Hoehler
Faculty Advisor
Mr. Rick
Mattingly
E
ach person is different, on a personal
and cognitive level. These differences
equate to different attitudes and approaches to learning in a classroom environment. The most important thing to walk
away with from high school is a personal
understanding of how you learn most efficiently. The rest of your life will be spent
learning new information, and applying it
to your life. The years after high school
will be spent in college, where an understanding of how you study and learn most
efficiently will be very important for success. After university life, a career will be
based in your ability to adapt to whatever
situation arises, and knowing how you
personally learn will be incredibly important.—Gus Young, ’15
L
earning how to learn is extremely
important. We have to understand information to be able to use it. Throughout
college and the rest of our lives, it is necessary that we learn information. Knowing the best way to learn is extremely
important. If you can learn information
faster than someone else, that will make
you stick out from others in this competitive world. Learning how to learn is so
important today because of how readily
available information is. If you can learn
things quickly, you can become an expert
in a field before anyone else, thus helping
you in life and your career tremendously.—David Rubenstein, ’14
Know what is valuable. The value
of factual information is either at or
quickly approaching zero. What you
need are skills. Skills that will allow
you to learn and re-learn will be more
important than factual knowledge.
Now, don’t read this to say that factual
knowledge is never valuable or that
it shouldn’t be taught—all things in
moderation will create balance—but if
all you take away from science class is
that you memorized the Periodic Table,
then we may have a disconnect between
what we do in school and what you’ll
do when you’re done in school.
I
n this world, specific facts are important—but it isn’t important that they are
memorized. The instant access afforded to
us through the Internet and various other
sources gives us the ability to easily obtain information and utilize it. In the past,
Letters to the Editor
Xavier News is interested in
your opinion and response to articles.
Please observe these guidelines:
1. The newspaper reserves the
right to edit material.
2. Letters must not be libelous,
obscene or defamatory.
3. Letters should concentrate on
ideas, problems and solutions affecting the entire school.
4. Name and student number
must accompany the letter.
Letters may be sent to
[email protected]
memorization was the key to this learning. Now, it is more important to fully
understand how one learns. Through the
fine-tuning of the processes surrounding
the collection and utilization of information, individuals can more easily complete
tasks, making the world a smoother-operating system. Those who can streamline
their ability to comprehend and process
information will separate themselves
from the rest and rise to the top of their
chosen fields.—Braden Tyrer, ’14
S
ociety should not teach what to think,
but rather how to think. One must be
able to discern what is valuable and what
is not valuable in all aspects of life. To do
this, you must be able to think for yourself, be able to solve problems analytically, communicate with people and adapt.
Being able to ramble off a memorized list
of formulas won’t help you build a business, solve a crime, raise a family, be a
friend, run a nation, or any number of other real-world applications. The ability to
absorb is important, but the ability to create is essential.—Corbett Campbell, ’15
P
ersonal Finance was one of the easiest
classes I took at St. X, but it taught me
the most valuable lessons of any class. It
taught me skills that are necessary for a
stable financial life, such as how to buy
stocks and how to pick between different bank account types. But Personal
Finance is not a required class. Very few
people get the opportunity to take it, so
many St. X graduates leave without ever
learning the basic principles of finance. In
my opinion, St. X should make Personal
Finance a required class, and add more
classes that teach you skills that are actually required in life.—Eric Anderson, ’14
Be a connoisseur of information. Anyone with a computer or cellphone can
do a Google search. But you need the
information literacy to make sense of
the results. The trade-off of having all
this information a click away is that
you’ll need to be able to assess it for
possible reliability and validity issues.
I
t is a necessity to learn new things; this
world is changing faster than ever, and
you need to change and adapt to it, or you
will be left in the dust. Learning can be
one of the easiest or hardest things you do;
all that is needed is motivation. In the Internet age we live in, you can learn nearly
anything from online lectures, blogs or
YouTube videos. The main way I keep up
to date on politics, science, and general
world issues is through my YouTube subscriptions. I think that cultivating a value
of knowledge and general acceptance is
the key to a better world, as many of the
world’s problems stem from ignorance.—
Austin Cundiff, ’14
P
eople always ask me how I know
the things I know. It is really simple.
When I don’t know something I am interested in, I look it up. Teenagers like to
show off their ignorance on simple infor-
5
OPINION
May 8, 2014
mation, like which countries are on which
continents. I spend a lot of time reading
about things, not to sound smart, but because I genuinely like knowing things. It
is easier than ever to learn things; Google
is always expanding, and for the majority
of guys at St. X it is always with them, in
their phones. To me, the secret to knowing everything is really no secret at all.
It is reading. Kids hate hearing this, but
it is a fact of life. Reading is knowledge
and how I have acquired a breadth of facts
that roam my cerebral cortex. The capital
of Madagascar is Antananarivo, and I did
not have to look this up. Read!—Paxton
Duff, ’14
Be conscious of your digital footprint.
It’s never too early to start being aware
of your online presence. You will be
Google-able and you will be Googled. I
suggest that you be certain that you’re
in control of what people find when
they Google you.
F
ive years ago the typical American
walked into a job interview expecting
standard questions about job history, references, and where they saw themselves
in the next five years. Today this process
has radically changed due to social media.
Along with typical interview questions,
interviewers ask about prospective employees’ Twitter and Facebook usage. Our
character is not only based on references
or past job experience; it is also based on
what sorts of things we post online. Our
social media accounts have a deep effect
on our reputation. The lack of awareness
about social media is seen every day as
prospective employees don’t get the job,
and talented high school athletes loose
scholarships because of what they posted
online. America is an ever-open society
where one’s digital footprint is essentially
public knowledge.—William Leffert, ’14
S
o many high school students are unaware of their digital footprint. Social
media is more popular than ever, and people need to start thinking about their future
now. So many people post or Tweet things
without thinking about the consequences.
There are not many positives that go with
social networking, in terms of a person’s
future. However, there are a whole slew
of negatives. Companies look you up on
social media prior to hiring you, and they
can monitor those accounts even after
you are employed. Colleges look at these
while reviewing applications. I read about
a highly touted high school basketball star
who lost a scholarship offer from an elite
college because the head coach was unhappy with what he posted on Twitter. If
we can reach kids early and make them
aware of their digital footprint, they can
avoid disastrous situations like these in
the future.—Benjamin Gumbel, ’14
A
ll too often I log on to Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and other social
networks and see kids tossing around inappropriate statements and showing inappropriate actions. The immaturity of some
people on social media is almost laughable. Yes, presenting yourself on a stage
as having a thug mentality may seem fun
in principle, but it can prove to be a huge
blemish to your career or future endeavors. People must realize that they need to
reduce their digital footprint. Before sending a Tweet, making a status or posting a
picture, think about how this could hurt
you in the future.—Evan Shaheen, ’14
People are more important than technology. Technology is awesome because
it gives us the ability to break down barriers. We can share and collaborate in
ways that, even as recently as five years
ago, seemed like the exclusive domain
of the crew of the Enterprise. So use
the technology to build and strengthen
connections, but always remember that
technology is only one tool in relationship-building.
member to not shut anything down based
on predisposed thoughts. The key to life is
to do what you love, so you should not be
afraid to challenge yourself a little to find
it.—Steven Penava, ’14
T
Find something you’re passionate
about. Life is really going to stink if you
can’t find something you love to do.
his is of the utmost importance because when you finish your education, regardless of the extent to which you
are educated, you enter a different world.
You must get a job that you expect to have
for multiple decades. This is a huge chunk
of your life, and if you are unhappy with
what you are doing for the vast majority
of that chunk of your life, the emotional,
mental and physical tolls are immense.
Many times we hear, “Don’t take a job
just because of the pay.” This is definitely
true, because regardless of the pay, you
will quickly become unhappy and tired
of the work. Having a passion for something is vital to a happy and successful
life because it gives a person something in
which to get financially and emotionally
invested. If you are invested in something
in any way, you will take caution and care
of that something. Essentially, being invested in something gives a person something to care about. Having a passion is
crucial because it directly influences the
effort, importance and sentiments a person places on his or her profession.—
Frederick Hayslip, ’15
W
A
W
hen people say that humans are
more important than technology, is
that actually true? I will not lie; I would
rather have two best friends like C3P0
and R2D2 than anyone else. People say
that we need human touch to sustain our
happiness, yet I would pick Wi-Fi over a
hug any day. Technology builds our cars,
toys, furniture and sustains our lives.
Now the worst problem would be finding a significant other. You cannot get the
same kind of intimate relationship with a
computer as with a person. But one day,
maybe. So sure, humans best technology in one category, but I figure one day
soon it will technology, infinity; humans,
zero.—Seiler Smith, ’14
hat is your passion? Do you always
sing in the shower? Do you spend
hours a night learning new information?
Do you have an unbridled commitment
to a sport? Do you have a deep love for
someone or something? Do you have a
passion? Do you have a life? Passion is
life. It is a driving force that brings joy
to our lives. If you don’t have a passion,
you need to find one or else life will be
wasted. Life is a precious thing, and we
only get so much time. The only way to
live a satisfying life is to have a passion.
There are a variety of ways to find a passion through St. X.—Samuel Lukens, ’14
F
rom my experience at St. X, I have
learned much about myself, and the
most important lesson I’ve learned is to do
something in life that you are passionate
about. After taking the film classes with
Mr. Mitchell during my sophomore and
junior years, I have decided that I want
to work in video production. Many people
work for high-paying jobs when they are
older, but they are not happy. Even if the
job you love is not extremely high paying,
you should still strive for it because it will
make you happy.—Hunter O’Brien, ’14
A
nyone who has taken Mr. Joseph
Kroh’s class would agree with this
statement. One of the first things Mr. Kroh
teaches his class is that passion, combined
with curiosity, can be more powerful than
IQ. If you find something you truly enjoy doing, you can excel farther than you
would with just intelligence at a job you
hate. Everyone knows the saying “Do
what you love; love what you do.” Well,
this statement holds true in just about every case possible—especially in terms of
a future job.—Clay Hoehler, ’14
Y
ou will not succeed or be happy in
life if you do not participate in activities you love. From a young age my
father has taught me this, and from his experience, success will follow if you chase
your passion. Finding something you love
is not always easy. You need to keep an
open mind to trying new things and re-
lmost everyone has to work hard to
achieve their goals. But it is much
more fulfilling to work at something you
love. Many people have jobs to support
themselves or families, but those who are
truly happy have jobs or careers in fields
that excite them. It gets them up for work
every day. People need some excitement
in their jobs or they will not give it their
all, and that is a waste of talent. Also it has
been proven that people who are passionate about their careers earn more income
on average.—Michael Portaro, ’15
Y
ou must have character and stand for
something you are passionate about,
or else you will fall for anything. You
have to be passionate about something, or
else you will go through life searching for
happiness and always missing something
in your life. You can be passionate about
a lot of things. It could be a simple hobby,
a sport you play, or a profession you want
to be involved in when you’re older. You
could also be passionate about something
that you think is wrong, or something that
could change the world. The bottom line
of having a passion is that it keeps you
happy; it gives you something to strive
for and give meaning to life. People who
aren’t passionate about anything usually
have nothing to strive for and go nowhere.
So having pride and passion in something
is a great accomplishment.—John-Logan
Bisig, ’16
A
s we near the close of the school year
and seniors near the end of their St.
X careers, we should all be thinking about
what we want to do with our lives after
high school. The idea that you will go
wherever life takes you bothers me. You
have to have control over where your life
is going. Spend your life doing something
you enjoy with the people you love and in
a healthy environment. I hear adults say
that they wish they would’ve done something different because they hate their
jobs. God only grants us one chance to
live our lives the way we want to. Don’t
spend your life under the control of something or someone you don’t enjoy.—Evan
Heichelbech, ’15
B
eing passionate about something can
be the driving force for what you do
in your life. It doesn’t have to be anything
special; it could be something as simple
as a hobby. As long as you’re passionate
about it, it fits the label. It’s important to
find whatever that something is early on,
so you can build and strengthen your expertise on it. This will only help you as
you continue on to college and beyond.
It’s also beneficial to find something you
feel strongly about because you can pursue a career that involves it. Ultimately,
developing a passion for something is the
first step towards finding a path to success
in life.—Christopher Grismer, ’15
H
igh school is not just about partying
or playing sports. It is about finding that one field or subject you want to
do the rest of your life. I came into high
school with a list of four careers I wanted
to pursue (medicine, computer science,
engineering, or sales), but now I am convinced that I want to do one thing, and one
thing only: computer science. Taking certain classes pushed me away from some
careers, mainly because I did not find it
entertaining. St. X offers you a plethora
of classes, and they allow you to make
the choice of what you want to take. Take
what you want to take, not what others
want you to take. Make choices that benefit and interest you.—Andrew Lloyd, ’15
W
hen I began my final stint as a senior at St. X, I felt the presence of
college bearing down on my shoulders.
Where are you going? Have you taken the
ACT? Have you applied? However, the
one that troubled me that most was: What
are you going to major in? I had no idea
what I wanted to major in; there was nothing I felt truly passionate about that could
lead to a career. Then I set foot in Personal
Finance class with Coach Chitwood, and
there I found something I truly enjoyed
and could pursue as a career. My advice
is to not worry if you do not know what
you’re passionate about; it will come to
you.—Sam Gray, ’14
O
dds are, in five years you’ll probably
have forgotten almost everything
you spent nights cramming for in high
school. Specific details aren’t what’s important; developing your skills and finding out what it is you want to do with your
life are. The purpose of high school is, or
should be, to discover what you could
have a future in through your studies of
different subjects. If you were to leave
St. X discovering nothing about yourself
or what it is you enjoy, you could end up
picking a major that you don’t know anything about, just because you had to.—
Cameron Fry, ’14
T
oday, passion is very important. If
you have a love for what you do, then
the hard work and enthusiasm will follow. I have never seen people who love
what they do say they wish they had more
money. I have only heard someone with
a lot of money say “I wish I loved what
I do.” If you wake up and don’t feel like
you are going to work, that means you
love what you do. I think that’s what high
school should be helping us find: our passion. I’ve heard many people who love
what they do say, “I haven’t worked a day
in my career because I have fun working and doing the everyday tasks of the
job.”—Austin Chambers, ’14
6
SENI
May 8, 2
SENIOR SUP
Most likely to swim in the Olympics:
Jeb Schilling
Least likely to be chosen as Rand Paul’s running mate:
Seiler Smith
Most likely to invent a Pikachu:
Brian Ford
Future host of the Tonight Show:
Lincoln Bisig
Most
Most likely to be Captain America:
Grant Drexler
Most likely to be a TV anchorman:
Cameron Williams
Seniors’ Favorite Memorie
By Came
“When the halls flooded right before midterms a few years ago and
all my notes were ruined, because
that was really awesome.”
—Mark Campisano
“Getting to bond with my freshmen brethren at Tiger Blast.”
—Michael Dohney
“Getting ten snow days last winter.”
—Colin Grantz
“Christian Awakening Retreat; it
was a great opportunity to get to
know my classmates and learn
more about myself.”
—Matthew Griffin
“Winning the state championship
in Rugby.”
—Matthew Hamilton
7
IORS
2014
PERLATIVES
Least likely to ever be endorsed by Obama:
Spencer Fulkerson
Most likely to win the Heisman:
Charles Walker
Most likely to appear on The Bachelor:
Ian Scott
Most loves U of K
Brady Klein
t in love with his car:
Clay Hoehler
Most loves U of L:
Dylan Kitchen
Happiest person at St. X:
Bobby Martin
es of the Past Four Years
eron Fry
“Mr. Ayers’ class and his jokes.”
—Robert Jarrett
“Storming the court at the St. X vs.
Trinity basketball game.”
—Carlos Moreno Pena
“Walking into Coach Kroh’s class
for the first time. There’s really
nothing else quite like it.”
—Matthew Smith
“All the pep rallies.”
—Kurt Spoelker
“Walking in through the glorious
doors of Saint Xavier for the first
time my freshman year.”
—Colin Sullivan
8
SPORTS
May 8, 2014
Tennis Team Eyes
6th-Straight Title
Lacrosse Ranked 1st
By Will Leffert
Photo by Tim Porco
T
T
iger Lacrosse is back and in pursuit
of a State Championship. This year’s
team brings a unique blend of talent from
every grade level. The team is led by
seniors Will Roshkowski, Austin Sweeney, Nick King, Russ Miller and Evan
Caffee. There is also great depth provided by talented juniors and sophomores.
Junior Collin Roppel and senior Raike
Thornewill lead the Tiger attack. The defense is headed by senior Austin Sweeney,
junior Owen Peters and sophomore Caleb
Grimes. With newfound vision, Max Cartor heads the defense from the goal. The
Tigers are talented at every position, especially middy, with stars Alex Cherry,
Coleman Webb and Russ Miller.
The Tigers started off the season with
a drubbing of Paul Dunbar, 16–2. The
Tigers then ran into highly ranked Montgomery Bell, who defeated the Tigers
12–11 in overtime. St. X then went on a
run, winning six straight, defeating premier programs including Indianapolis Cathedral, Libertyville (Chicago) and Cincinnati St. Xavier. This run also included
easy wins against Lexington Catholic,
Christian Academy and Ballard.
The team had won six straight entering the annual Virginia Beach Spring
Break trip, where the team went 1–2, defeating Blue Ridge School 15–7 but losing to St. Anne’s Belfield 6–5 and Norfolk
Academy 10–3.
Although having a losing record in
Virginia, this high level of competition
bettered the Tigers as they went on an
absolute tear after arriving back in Kentucky. The team went on to beat Manual
33–2, setting a national record for goals
in a game for 2014. With numerous goals
from Leland Gray, Thornewill and Roppel, the Tigers crushed the Crimsons. The
team then went on to defeat Male, Zionsville and Trinity in front of a rowdy,
blacked-out Rage Cage. Against Trinity,
Roppel had a phenomenal game, scoring eight goals. Cartor only allowed three
goals as St. X won 16–3. Next, the team
defeated Collegiate handily.
The Tigers are number-one in the
state and ranked 20th nationally. They are
in a prime position to reclaim the state
title in the upcoming weeks.
Pink and White Game:
A Rivalry Renewed
S
By Austin Chambers
acred Heart, Assumption, St. X and Trinity
participated in the 7th annual Pink and White game
on April 25. If you have
never been to the game, it
is an event where all four
schools come together to
raise money for Norton
Cancer Institute Breast
Health Program. Sacred
Heart and Assumption play flag football and St. X and Trinity have a dance competition at halftime.
For all you aspiring dancers, I have a little experience knowing the ins and outs of
the St. X dance team, better known as X-Dance. I danced in the Pink and White game,
and the moves you saw took a lot of time and effort. We practiced for about seven
weeks, and almost every practice was at least 90 minutes long. I’m not trying to scare
anyone away from being on the dance team, because the practices are a lot of fun with
all your friends in there dancing (or making fools of themselves). I know I’m biased,
but I think all the work paid off because we ended up dancing our rear ends off on that
field.
The football game was won by Assumption 12–6. It was a very intense game full
of big hits and fantastic plays by girls who just started playing football.
The Pink and White game really is a spectacle because almost 4,000 people show
up to a girls’ flag football game. The best part is that it is all for a good cause. It shows
that when humanity comes together, no matter the rivalry, we can accomplish great
things like raising over $145,000 in the past seven years.
If you like dancing or getting closer to people you haven’t talked to, then join the
dance team. It has given me opportunities to meet some guys I normally wouldn’t get
to know. Plus, performing in front of a big crowd never gets old. Hearing those fans
scream after you set the field on fire with your moves is an awesome feeling. The Pink
and White game has been successful not just because of the fun, but because it causes
us to come together and help out unfortunate people with extraordinary circumstances.
By Chris Grismer
he St. X Varsity Tennis team is off
to a strong start, as it looks to win a
sixth-straight state title and 21st overall.
Led by Coach Kerry Lancaster, the team
was 17–3 when this issue went to press,
including a shellacking of Trinity by a
score of 16–0 on April 9.
On March 15, the team started off
the season with an 8–1 victory over McCracken County, last year’s state runnerup. St. X then defeated Manual and Lexington Christian before going 3–1 at the
Kentucky Duals on March 22, defeating
McCracken County, South Oldham, and
Henry Clay. Its only loss was against
Richmond Model.
On March 28, the team participated
in the DECO National High School Team
Championship, finishing second, losing in
the finals to Hinsdale Central. St. X was
well-represented, with seniors Coleman
Cox, Devin Kelly, Nick Quinones, and
Andrew Willett, juniors Brandon Lancaster and Nick Waldeck, sophomores Kamron Akrami and Matt Graft, and freshman
Drew Singerman all competing. Lancaster was named to the 2014 Boys A Division All-Tournament Team as a singles
player and also as a doubles player with
Singerman.
After picking up a victory against
McCallie, the Tigers traveled to Chattanooga, Tennessee to compete in the Rotary Tennis Tournament on April 4, where
they claimed the Boys A title for the sec-
Photo by Tim Porco
Brandon Lancaster
ond year in a row. Singles champs were
Lancaster, Singerman, Cox, and Quinones. The team of Lancaster and Singerman were the doubles champs. That same
day, the team finished fourth out of 16
teams at the St. Louis Tournament, falling to Bellville East in the semifinals and
losing to Edwardsville in the 3/4 playoff.
The team returned home to defeat St.
Francis 4–0, following it up with a thrashing of Trinity. From April 11–13, the team
hosted a Jamboree, defeating Cincinnati
Country Day, Montgomery Bell Academy
and Wyoming High.
After two road victories over Manual and KCD, St. X placed second in the
Montgomery Bell Academy Carter Invitational in Nashville on April 25. Lancaster
and Singerman were singles champs.
Regionals began on May 5, and the
state tournament starts May 14.
Bass Fishing Completes 2nd Season
T
he Bass Fishing team started its
second competition season March
15 with a warm-up event on Herrington
Lake, was won by Dillon Spencer, Joe
Siebert and boat captain David Spencer.
Next was the SAF State Championship event at Lake Cumberland on March
23. Spencer Fulkerson, John Bell, and
boat captain David Fulkerson placed
32nd out of 70 excellent teams.
Then came the KHSAA Regional
Tournament at Herrington on April 5.
Heavy rain caused the lake to rise considerably and the water to get very muddy.
David Brewer and Brent Sturgeon and
boat captain Mike Sturgeon made the
most of a tough situation and finished in
7th place out of 66 boats to advance to the
KHSAA State Finals at Kentucky Lake.
The last open event of the season
was a tournament on Taylorsville Lake
on April 19. The team placed three boats
in the top 10 including a third-place finish by Luke Miller, Kevin Riggs and boat
captain Brian Riggs.
The KHSAA State Final at Kentucky
Lake concluded the season on the last
weekend of April. Brewer and Sturgeon
fished well against the best young anglers
in the state.
Play All, Everyone Played
By John-Logan Bisig
It has been another successful year
of intramurals at St. X. We had record
numbers of people playing, giving more
meaning to the theme “play all, all play.”
Intramural basketball came to an end,
with the senior and junior D3 champs being Team Bousamra, the D2 champions
being Team Askin, and the D1 champions
being Team Martin.
“It was something you can’t put into
words,” said senior Bobby Martin. “My
team worked hard, and we leave St. X
knowing we are the true champions.”
Intramural flag football finally took
place after being postponed several times
due to weather. Not many teams showed
up, but it came down to a sophomore vs.
freshman championship game. The freshmen upset the sophomores and became
the flag football champions.
“It was the first and only loss of my
life,” said the sophomore quarterback
Leece Faulkner. “I really took that loss
to heart; even though I was tossing dimes
out there, they still got the best of us.”
There have been a variety of intramural sports played this year, including kickball, soccer and golf. Water polo will take
place this weekend.
“I’ve been training for this water
polo tournament in my backyard pool for
quite a while now, and I will not stop until I lift my team up as champions,” said
sophomore swimmer Matt Steiden.
It has been proven once again that intramurals are a great way for classmates
to get together and have tons of fun. Every year we are breaking records with
more and more guys coming to play. Mr.
Mike Johnson hopes to keep up this success for years to come and crown even
more intramural champions.
9
SPORTS
May 8, 2014
Tiger Baseball: Success Volleyball Takes State
By Eric Anderson
Through Adversity
L
Text and photo by Jacob Hayslip
osing a star player due to injury is
never easy for any team, especially
when it comes just past the midway point
of the season, but that is what Head Coach
Andy Porta and his Baseball Tigers had to
endure. In their 17th game of the season,
St. X lost Austin Clemons against Eastern
due to a torn ACL. Clemons, who signed
with the University of Louisville before
the season began, was a Mr. Baseball candidate before his injury, batting .323 with
3 doubles, 10 walks, 5 RBIs, and 15 runs
scored in 17 games before going down.
Even though their star player is reduced to cheering from the dugout, Coach
Porta and the Tigers have rebounded nicely; when this issue went to press, St. X
had become the fourth team in Kentucky
to reach the 20-win plateau.
Without Clemons, who could play
any infield position and catch, the Tigers
have needed multiple players to step up;
fortunately, several players have taken
their games to the next level. St. X has
compiled a 20–7 record on the strength of
excellent pitching and timely hitting.
A player who has helped pad Clemons’ loss is Miles Lee; as both a pitcher
and outfielder, he has helped the team
both at the mound and in the batter’s box.
When we went to press, Lee was batting
.300 with 2 doubles, 2 triples, 13 RBIs,
and 12 runs scored. Additionally, Miles is
3–2 on the hill in 9.2 innings pitched with
13 strikeouts and a 1.45 ERA.
“Losing Austin was a big loss because
he is our best player and also a leader,”
Lee said. “At first, we had trouble coming
together as a team after he got hurt, but I
think we’ve been able to do that recently,
and it’s helped us win games.”
Andrew McCormick is also swinging
a hot bat. “When Austin went down we all
came together and decided to make every
pitch, every inning and every game count,
and work hard as we can every day,” McCormick said.
Austin Clemons is out for the season
St. X has found a star on the rubber
in junior Cam Revelette; he is 5–1 on the
season in 32.1 innings pitched, with 20
strikeouts and a 2.17 ERA. He and senior
Connor Underwood, a Kentucky Wesleyan signee who is 5–0 with 29 strikeouts,
have anchored the rotation.
The Tiger lineup has received a huge
boost from junior infielder Avery Lane. In
addition to filling in for Clemons at shortstop, Lane leads St. X with a .375 average
and has knocked in 16 runs. Combined
with junior infielder Brandon Blaser, who
is tied with Lane for the team lead with
16 RBIs, the lineup has produced enough
to make up for the absence of Clemons in
the order.
With 10 games left in the regular season, the Tigers are ranked as the second
best team in Kentucky according to the
Kentucky High School Baseball Coaches
Association. Even without its superstar,
Coach Porta has the team in a great position to again challenge for the State
Championship.
Dreams of a Rugby
Three-peat
T
By Ethan Mackin
he St. X Rugby Team is approaching
the end of their season, and there is
already a lot to be proud of. The team has
put up a fight against out-of-state defending national champions and proved how
dominant they are within our own region
by scoring 80+ points against Atherton
while never letting them score.
This is by far the best high school
rugby team the state has ever seen, and a
team that can put up a fight no matter who
their opponent is. The team opened their
season at home by battling Cathedral, an
Indiana team that was nationally ranked
first and second best for two years. The
game had a close first half, but Cathedral emerged as the victor as they pulled
away in the second. After that game, team
morale sky rocketed as they went on to
correct their flaws and beat teams like
Cincinnati St. X and Trinity. Who doesn’t
love whooping Trinity in any competition? The varsity game was not pretty at
all. Not only did St. X crush the Rocks
72–0, but they did so on Trinity’s first
home rugby match on their own turf.
The Tiger Rugby team is led by senior captain Kevin Riggs, and the team’s
top scorer is senior All-American Wes
Parker.
“We knew we had a good team coming into the season, but after all the hard
work and tough matches we it ended up
having a team that was better than expected towards the end of the season,” Parker
said.
Most of the team is filled with experienced seniors and juniors who are hungry
and thriving for St. X’s fourth state championship in the last five seasons. Senior
Cameron Wolz is eager to get his third
state championship ring.
“It’s nice knowing that we’re close to
giving Trinity their second-place trophy
again,” Wolz said, smiling.
The team has two more games this
season: the semifinals this weekend and
the championship the following weekend.
T
he St. X volleyball team capped off
a dominant season by beating Trinity
and winning their seventh State Championship in eight years on their senior night
on April 29. It was St. X’s third state title
of the year.
Since volleyball does not have an
official state tournament, the final game
between St. X and Trinity was considered
the State Championship game, and the Tigers started fast and swept the Rocks 3–0
for the second time this season, led by seniors Casey Ratterman, Zach Bixler and
Anthony Campisano.
“It was an up-and-down match,” said
senior Matt Hollinden. “When Casey got
hit in the head by the ball, I thought maybe it wasn’t our night, but he made up for
it with the match-winning kill.”
The Tigers overcame a furious rally
by Trinity in the final set. However, some
missed serves by Trinity and the heart
showed by the Tigers enabled St. X to pull
through in the end.
“I have to give credit to Drew Hill,”
said senior Matthew Smith. “He was yelling at the Trinity players the whole game
and even forced some huge mental errors
by their star player, Jake Savage.”
Some of the seniors were very emotional about the game after winning their
third state championship in their four
Photo by Tim Porco
Matt Hollinden
years at St. X.
“I will never forget winning a State
Championship on senior night,” said
Zach Olson. “That and my unforgettable
memories on Spring Break with my St. X
brothers are probably the highlights of my
time at St. X. I will probably never stop
talking about either of them, and neither
will anyone else on the team.”
Track and Field Preparing
for Regional and State
By Cole Bollinger
T
he Tiger Track and Field team has had
a great season so far, and they hope to
continue their success into the regionals
and state tournaments. They have had a
consistent effort from the distance team
and the sprinters. The field eventers have
stepped up their game from years past and
are helping the team grow.
The distance team got the season started on March 21 when William
Mulloy finished 1st and Christ Striegel
finished 3rd at the KYTrackXC.com 5K
Showdown. The next day St. X won the
meet with 135 points over North Hardin’s
117 points. Standouts included Striegel
winning the 3200, Jake Glass winning
shot put and the 4x100 and 4x800 teams
both winning.
St. X finished 2nd at the Lenny Lyles
Invitational on April 10 with 107 points to
North Hardin’s 127.50 points. Standouts
included Striegel and Ben Metzger finishing 1st and 2nd in the one mile and Glass
winning the shot put.
Two days later the Tigers were back
in action, this time at the Male Invitational. The Tigers finished 2nd once again
to North Hardin with standouts including
Spencer Hayden winning the one mile,
William Mulloy winning the 800, and
Jake Glass
Photos by Tim Porco
William Mulloy
Glass winning both the discus throw and
shot put.
On Senior Day at the Brother Borgia/
Coach Cooper Invitational on April 19,
St. X won the meet by 11 points over rival
Trinity. Michael Ritter won the 110 meter
hurdles, Colin O’Daniel won the 400, the
4x100 relay team and 4x400 relay teams
both won, Mulloy won the one mile, and
Glass won the shot put again.
At Eastern Relays on April 26 several out-of-state schools competed at U
of L. The Tigers finished 16th out of 58
teams and finished 6th out of Kentucky
3A schools. The 4x800 relay team finished 5th and Mulloy finished 2nd in the
one mile.
On May 2nd, four Tiger distance runners raced in the most prestigious mile
race in Kentucky. Mulloy, Ben Metzger,
Striegel and Max Mudd all participated in
the Dream Mile. Mulloy won with a time
of 4:12. Metzger placed 10th, Striegel
placed 14th, and Mudd placed 16th.
The team will compete at regionals
on Saturday, May 17, and state on Saturday, May 24.
10
STUDENT LIFE
May 8, 2014
Summer Jobs
A Man’s Barbershop
By Lucas Baker
T
wo years ago I was in a situation that
many Louisville men are probably
familiar with. I had endured far too many
sloppy haircuts to remember. I would occasionally receive a decent haircut, but
the dependability was never there. And
what’s worse, everywhere I went there
always seemed to be a group of middleaged women gossiping next to me. The
vibes and auras created were not what I
desired.
I wanted to find a true barbershop. I
imagined a place like my dad would describe when talking about my great-grandfather’s shop in downtown Louisville:
a place where men can escape from the
daily grind of ordinary life; a place where
men talk openly about everything from
sports to new rock music; a place where
men can relax and feel at home among a
group of complete strangers. I found this
place in Derby City Chop Shop.
Opening in 2009 on Bardstown Road
between Longest Ave. and Patterson Ave.,
Derby City was founded by owner Adam
Hedgespeth, who set out on a mission
to fill a void in the Louisville area. The
enthusiasm and character he desired in
a barbershop couldn’t be found in Louisville, so he decided to take the advice
of great men before him: Do it yourself.
From the small business created in 2009
to the busy local favorite it is today, Derby City Chop Shop has remained true to
its roots, consistently delivering quality
haircuts and quality service.
It was better than I imagined. With
the music of alt-rock indie bands blaring
through the speakers every minute and
an elaborate decor, the atmosphere is unbeatable. The shop even has man’s best
friend: a hyper Boston Terrier, running
around wearing her colored hoodies. The
pride and expertise each worker possesses
is reflected in every haircut given in the
shop. Each barber trims every individual
hair until perfection is reached.
“At our core, every person that works
here consistently does the best work they
can on every customer,” said Hedgespeth. “For years now we’ve heard stories
of people getting a good cut somewhere
once, then the next time a disaster. We do
it right every time.”
With incredible dedication to the
often overlooked craft by the staff, men
don’t need to be afraid to go to the barbershop any more.
In addition to haircuts and the aforementioned entertainment, the barbershop
offers shoe shines, beard trims and a vast
selection of male vanity products. They
regularly update the inventory with new
grooming products from the industry’s
top brands. The guys at Derby City understand that men care about their looks, too.
Whether in fear of getting a JUG or
in search of a new hairstyle to surprise
your girlfriend, Derby City Chop Shop
understands.
“You won’t have a hard time explaining what you’re looking for with us. We
probably already know,” said Hedgespeth.
So do yourself a favor and leave Fantastic Sams to your mom.
Call Me Bull
T
By Corbett Campbell
W
orking a summer job is a great way
to hone transferable skills while
also earning extra cash. Having become
somewhat of a rite of passage, a teenager’s
first summer job is a gateway into adult
life. But be wise: It is important to choose
a job that you will enjoy and are properly
prepared to handle. Here are some summer jobs you might find appealing.
Lifeguard
A lifeguarding job will help you develop confidence and leadership skills.
You will be required to look after swimmers and must be prepared to provide
lifesaving medical procedures if need be.
Therefore, in order to become a lifeguard,
you must take lifeguard courses, pass an
in-water procedural test, and be tested
and approved by the Kentucky Board of
Health. Courses for becoming a lifeguard
can be found in your area by visiting the
Red Cross website, www.redcross.org.
Camp Counsellor
A camp counsellor must be someone
who works well with children. This position will help develop leadership qualities
as well as conflict-resolving skills. A job
such as this will sometimes require you
to know lifesaving procedures, depending
on the type of counsellor you are, so be
sure that you are properly certified if need
be. This job will also allow you to spend a
lot of time outdoors. If group-style activities interest you, this is a great job.
Fast Food
A job working at a fast-food restaurant can help you to develop social skills
since you will be interacting with people all day. “I worked at Subway and it
despite my attempts to hide from it. As
“Bull” gained steam, I had little choice
but to completely ignore my Christened
name altogether, which did not come
without consequences.
“I think [adopting the name Bull]
caused some serious backlash,” said Will
Hellman. “I have never envied his situation. Anything he says can be blown up on
social media in seconds.”
While golfers at this point are numb
to the name Bull, other students have
formed their own opinions. Some are
more concerned than others.
Abishek Mahesh: “I used to be nothing but encouraging to [Paxton], but lately I have had to act as his conscience. One
time I was sleeping at his house and heard
him calling himself ‘Bull’ in his sleep and
I was like, ‘I think this guy forgot his real
name.’”
Is it possible for a nickname to go too
far? Probably not, but some ideas are not
as good as others. For example, tattoos of
nicknames are sometimes irrational, as is
legally changing one’s name.
At the end of the day, all that’s left
is the elephant in the room: Who is Bull?
“Bull is Bull,” said Jack Rhea. Truer
words have never been spoken.
Referee
If you are a passionate sports fan, a
referee position may suit you well. This
job requires certification and a passion for
the sport you are refereeing. This job will
also require a certain level of physical fitness. Be forewarned, however: Being a
referee is not easy. You will be required
to deal with angry fans and players who
will often be criticizing you on a consistent basis. On the bright side, learning to
deal with criticism may help prepare you
for a tough job in the future.
Lawn Care
Lawn care is physically demanding.
You must put forth hard work to get the
job done. Oftentimes, lawn care entails
mowing lawns or raking leaves, and if
you are functioning as your own business,
you will need all the necessary tools such
as a lawnmower, rake and trimmer. In
order to run effectively and consistently,
you will need to advertise. Hang flyers
including information about your services
around your neighborhood to spread the
word. Having a lawn care business as
a teenager is a great way to prepare for
running a business in the future. You can
practice money and time management, efficiency and advertising skills.
Freshman Takes to the
Skies as a Balloonist
By Braden Tyrer
By Paxton Duff
his article is for all the people who
have been asking me the same question for three years:
So why do they call you Bull?
They say that answering the same
question over and over for years will
change a person’s memory of the past
event. Once upon a time, I was known
to the world as Paxton, but one can only
fight fate for so long. Sometimes, life
comes out of nowhere and hits you in unpredictable ways.
“The first day of sophomore year,”
recalls Brendon Doyle, “Coach Brockman was trying to read Paxton’s illegible handwriting and thought ‘Duff’ said
‘Bull,’ so the name stuck inside our English class for the rest of the year. I was on
the bandwagon from day one.”
Nicknames are like fish: Very few
catch on. It can take a shameless self-promoter to make a nickname mainstream;
fortunately, I am not one of those people.
“I met Paxton during golf tryouts
my freshman year,” said Billy Basham.
“He was talking to me about some dude
named Bull and I was like, ‘Who are you
talking about? Stop calling yourself Bull.
That’s weird.’”
As one can see, the name caught on
was great,” said junior Neil McKiernan.
“Getting the job was the hardest part, but
after all the paperwork it was a great experience to get to know the people I was
working with.” Plus, working at a fast
food restaurant can sometimes get you
free or discounted food as a perk. If you
enjoy interacting with people or working
on a team, a job in the restaurant business
may be good for you.
S
Max Lambert (right)
t. X men come in all shapes and sizes.
Each year new students enter into the
pool of students that excel in hundreds
of different endeavors. Freshman Max
Lambert is shaking things up by bringing
a new set of skills to the résumé of the
Green and Gold: hot air balloon piloting.
Lambert has been all over the country flying balloons with experienced pilots from North America and Europe. A
tight-knit group of enthusiasts makes up
this sector of aviation, and St. X’s own is
making a name for himself. He has been
flying for several years and loves every
minute of it.
“Every few years I make a trip to Albuquerque, New Mexico for the balloon
festival there,” Lambert says. “It’s something I really enjoy and look forward to.”
At the International Albuquerque
Balloon Fiesta, pilots like Lambert meet
and celebrate all things ballooning. Over
100,000 people come out for the week of
festivities.
Lambert continues work on his license to fly solo and plans to get it soon.
In the next few months, St. X will have its
own hot air balloon pilot. Who knows? If
winds cooperate, perhaps we can expect
to see a fly-over at a football game or two.
11
SUMMERTIME
May 8, 2014
Summer Music
Festivals
By Steven Penava
T
he absolute greatest things about summer are simple: the sleep, the weather
and the music festivals. There are many
ways you could spend your free time in
the summer, and, if you’re a music lover,
then music festivals are exactly what you
need to wind down after a long school
year. Music festivals range from a wide
variety of artists to a narrow category of
certain genres of music, such as EDM,
hip-hop, or bluegrass. However, the top
festivals this summer contain all three.
While there are hundreds of festivals all
across the globe, the two most important
festivals to attend this year for us are definitely Forecastle and Bonnaroo.
Forecastle
The most accessible, beginnerfriendly festival is Forecastle, by far. Each
year Forecastle takes place on the Waterfront right here in Louisville, and it has
been steadily growing since its inception
in 2002. Most shows begin around noon
each day and go on until around midnight
each night, so it’s easy to drive back and
forth from your house every day.
This year’s headliners include Jack
White (from the White Stripes), Beck, the
Replacements, the legendary hip-hop duo
Outkast, and many, many more. Some
other notable artists include Twenty One
Pilots, Lord Huron, Local Natives, Jalin
Roze (a local rapper) and Action Bronson.
Several artists this year are not as wellknown, so this festival is perfect to discover new artists and new types of music.
Forecastle takes place July 18-20 and
3-day tickets are on sale at forecastlefest.
Jack White
com/ticket-options/ now for $184.50.
Ticket prices come in different tiers and
only get more expensive with time. Once
this tier of tickets sells out, tickets will
cost $199. If you would rather only attend one or two of the days, you can buy
Friday, Saturday or Sunday tickets for
$74.50 each. The next tier for individual
day tickets will move up to $84.50 when
the first one sells out.
Bonnaroo
Bonnaroo is one of the biggest summer music festivals in the United States
and takes place in Manchester, Tennessee.
Manchester is about 60 miles southeast of
Nashville, and the festival is located on a
beautiful 700-acre farm.
This festival, being one of the biggest, definitely requires more preparation and planning. Bonnaroo is like one
big camp surrounded by music; you pack
a tent, a couple changes of clothes, some
food, your phone, and your charger. The
rest is up to you: you ultimately have the
ability to see tons of talented artists (there
are 150 at the festival). The headliners
this year include Elton John, Kanye West,
Jack White, the Arctic Monkeys, Vampire Weekend and more. There is music
for literally every genre. If you consider
yourself a hip-hop lover, you have the
opportunity to see Kanye West, Pusha T,
Wiz Khalifa, Danny Brown, Chance the
Rapper and A$AP Ferg. If you love rock,
you can see the Flaming Lips, Cage the
Elephant, Dr. Dog, Phoenix, and plenty of
others. Additionally, if you like the feeling of being close to death you can choose
to see Die Antwoord.
Bonnaroo takes place June 12-15,
and tickets are expensive. Bonnaroo
works like Forecastle in that tickets come
in tiers. Right now, the general admission 4-day passes are on sale for $285,
the last price level. When buying a ticket
you must also take in to account the service fees and ticket delivery fees; the total
price of my ticket was $330. It’s very expensive, but also very worth it if you are a
true lover of music. Once these tickets sell
out, you’re out of luck. Buy them while
you still can!
Have a Productive Summer
By Evan Heichelbech
Summer is a time to get away from
school for two months and just relax. It’s a
time to catch up on all the sleep you didn’t
get during the school year and a time to
hang out with friends you didn’t get to see
much during the school year. But how can
you spend it productively? Not by sitting
on your couch all day, that’s for sure.
Since summer break is so limited,
you have to make the most of your time.
Instead of sleeping until noon, wake up
and go work out or cut some grass to
make some extra cash. Don’t sleep your
summer away.
Juniors, and maybe even sophomores, should start looking at colleges
and making visits. Also, incoming juniors
can get a very useful leg up on their service hours this summer. It is a very wise
idea to get a big portion of your hours
done before school starts. This goes for
current junior NHS members as well.
Plus, doing service is an enriching experience, and it’s a lot better than lazing
around at home.
Take a road trip with your family and
enjoy the rest of the country if you have
that opportunity. Catch some concerts or
St. X baseball games in early June. Some
notable concerts coming to the KFC Yum!
Center this summer are R. Kelly on May
11, Cher on June 2, and the Midwest Music Festival on June 6. And of course, how
could anyone pass up the opportunity to
attend the Miley Cyrus concert Aug. 9.
The point is, there’s not enough time
to sit around and waste your summer. Enjoy it by having fun and getting caught up
on things. There are only so many hours
in the day, so make them useful.
Summer Hotspots
T
By David Rubenstein
his summer, St. X students will have
plenty of free time away from school.
No matter what their budget, all will be
looking to have a great time. Here are
some one-day trips you can take that are
sure to please you and your friends.
Cincinnati
Cincinnati has much to offer for a
summer trip. It is home to Kings Island,
an amusement park owned and operated
by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company.
Cincinnati is also home to the Cincinnati Reds, which will be in season this
summer. The Reds are the closest MLB
team to Louisville and give us the chance
to watch some great baseball close by.
Cincinnati is also home to the Newport
Aquarium, which houses plenty of aquatic life to observe.
Nashville
Nashville is home to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. This isn’t
just a museum; it’s an experience with
something for everyone. The museum is
home to the largest collection of country
music artifacts in the world. There are
also plenty of concerts during the summer that are sure to be a great time. While
there you could check out the Gaylord
Opryland hotel, one of the biggest hotels
in the world.
Indianapolis
You can visit the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which will be hosting the
Brickyard 400 this summer. There is plenty more to see, like the White River State
Park and Indianapolis Zoo.
Kentucky Kingdom
Kentucky Kingdom and Hurricane
Bay is an amusement park that is currently
undergoing renovation here in Louisville.
The park is located on 58 acres of land,
which includes a collection of 50 amusement rides and a water park named Hurricane Bay. The future plans for Kentucky
Kingdom sound like a huge improvement
from the previous amusement park.
Holiday World
This is a family-owned and operated
theme park with something for everyone.
They have a phenomenal water park for
hot summer days and also have some
great rollercoasters. It’s always extremely
clean and provides free sunscreen and
soda. Holiday World is a great one-day
destination, which you can count on for a
safe and fun time.
Top Summer Movies
S
By Hunter O’Brien
ummer is rapidly approaching and with it some of the biggest blockbusters of the year will be coming out. With so many new films and it being so
expensive to go to the movies, you might only want to go see a few of them, so
here are the top five that you should definitely check out.
5. Transformers 4: Age of Extinction
BOOM! Michael Bay is back with
his fourth installment in the Transformers series, Age of Extinction. This time,
Mark Wahlberg is the protagonist when
he and his daughter, played by Nicola
Peltz, make a discovery that could bring
about the end of the world. Based on
Bay’s previous films, this one will have
plenty of nice cars, attractive women and
explosions. If you want quality acting or
a good plot, this movie may not be what
you are looking for. If you are, however,
looking for pure entertainment and action with giant robots fighting on top of
robot dinosaurs, then look no further than
Transformers 4: Age of Extinction, which
comes out on June 27.
4. Maleficent
The biggest Disney film of the summer, Maleficent, returns one of the most
infamous Disney villains of all time from
Sleeping Beauty. This is the first film
Robert Stromberg has directed, but he has
been part of the special effects team for
many films including Life of Pi, which
won an Oscar for best visual effects. The
visual effects of Maleficent look beautiful
based on the trailer. The story is a reimagining of the original, in which Maleficent,
played by Angelina Jolie, actually looks
to save the day. The film comes out May
30 and hopefully will live up to the hype.
3. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
This is the sequel to Rise of the Planet of the Apes and looks to be even better. The humans are weak from the simian
plague, but the survivors start a war to
try and take down Caesar, the king of the
apes, and his forces. Matt Reeves, the di-
rector, is known for darker films like Cloverfield and Let Me In, so this film is most
likely going to have a darker tone than the
last. The cast is well rounded with Gary
Oldman and Andy Serkis in leading roles.
This film is set to come out on July 11.
2. X-Men: Days of Future Past
This is the seventh X-man movie
and follows the events of X-Men: First
Class, The Wolverine, and X-Men: The
Last Stand. The characters from the original X-Men series must travel back in time
and join forces with their past selves to
stop an evil that threatens the future of all
humanity. Based on the trailer, this film
is going to be epic with plenty of action.
Hometown hero Jennifer Lawerence returns as Mystique to help the X-Men in
the fight. Bryan Singer directed X-Men
and X-Men 2, which were very successful.
The movie is set to come out May 23 and
should leave fans very satisfied.
1. Godzilla
The King of the Monsters is back in
Gareth Edwards’s Godzilla. If you are unaware of how big the Godzilla franchise
is, this is the 32nd Godzilla movie, dating back to the 1954 Gojirai. This is the
first blockbuster film that Gareth Edwards
has directed, and he has a great cast to
work with, which includes Breaking Bad
star Bryan Cranston as one of the leads.
The plot is similar to most other Godzilla
movies in which he is pitted against another monster that threatens humanity.
The film comes out on May 16 and should
start out the summer with a bang. If you
only see one movie all summer, I encourage you to go see the most famous movie
monster of all time.
12
ARTS
May 8, 2014
Show Me the Art!
Text and photos by Clay Hoehler
he Sterne Gymnasium was transformed into an art gallery in late April when this year’s art show featured 440 entries representing Introduction
to Art, Ceramics, Digital Graphics Art, Sculpture, Honors/AP Art and Drawing/Painting. Brian Mattingly won Best of Show, given to a student
whose breadth of work is considered outstanding.
T
Clayton Burruss
1st place: Introduction to Art
“Zentangle”
1st place: Drawing and Painting
“Apple, Cup and Banana”
Zac Sells
3rd place, Drawing and Painting
“Giraffe”
Garret Groves
1st place, Digital Arts
“Seyla”
Taylor Lawson
2nd place, Sculpture
“The Scarecrow”
Jonathan Hasty
2nd place, Introduction to Art
“Banana Boat”
Ross Vessels
1st place, Ceramics
“Tree Bowl”
Logan Bartholomew
2nd place, Digital Arts
“Blue Diamond”
Alec Bouchillon
3rd place, Sculpture
“Abused Deer”
Andrew Walker
2nd place, Drawing and Painting
“Hand with Ribbon”
Johnny Huff
3rd place, Introduction to Art
“Purple Hills and Distant Mountains”
Andrew Canary
3rd place
“Pouring Vessel”
Zac Revers
2nd place Ceramics
“Ocean Bowl Set”
Graham Parish
3rd place, Digital Arts
“Exploding Light Bulb”
Logan Bishop
1st place, Honors/AP
“Four Plate Set”
Brian Mattingly
1st place, Sculpture
“Uncle Thad”
David Ryan Brewer
2nd place, Honors/AP
“Saki Contradiction Bottle Set”
Ethan Torstrick
3rd place, Honors/AP
“Flower Pastel”
Honorable mentions: “iPhone 4 Line Design” by Brandon Edwards, “Spring Blooms” by Kody Nalley, “Shredding Gnar” by Matt Foley, “Rathdy” by Sam Raque, “Peony”
by Eric Bush, “Heart” by Logan Bishop, “Metallic Rhino” by Graham Parish and “Looking In On Looking Out” by Will Blankenship.