The StannerVol. 55, No. 9 Archbishop Molloy High School May 2012

By Sophia Savvides ’15 andPhillip Barsamian ’15 When Sister Elizabeth Bickarjoined the Molloy faculty inSeptember 1979, she expected tostay for no more than five yearswhile she worked to get a Masterof Divinity degree at Seton HallUniversity during the summers. “However, I fell in love withMolloy and the rest is history,” shesaid. Thirty-three years later, SisterElizabeth is still here. But Sister Elizabeth, who hasspent more time at Molloy than atany other school in her career, willretire in June as assistant principalfor academics. “I wanted to leave the schoolwhile I still loved it,” she said,adding that it feels like the righttime in her life to end this part ofher career. She will be difficult to replace. Mr. Dennis Vellucci will become

the new assistant principal incharge of student scheduling. Assistant Principal Ms. MaryAnn Safrey and another newassistant principal, Mr. EdCameron, will also take over someof her duties. Sister Elizabeth came to Molloyas a French teacher after workingin a local parish for three yearsbecause she wanted to get back

into teaching. She became chairperson of theLanguage Dept. in 1988 andassistant principal in 1995. When she arrived, Molloy was anall boys school and had many moreMarist Brothers on the faculty. Stanners stood at high tables inthe Cafeteria to eat lunch, whichSister Elizabeth said the boys didn’tmind since they had been sitting in

class all morning. Sister Elizabeth is proud of therole she played in Molloy goingcoed with the arrival of frosh girlsin September of 2000. She had pushed for that becauseshe wanted both genders to receivethe good education she knew theywould receive at Molloy. Sister Elizabeth said all thechanges have been for the better. Yet one thing is the same. “At heart, Stanners haven’treally changed,” she said. “Theystill have a lot of spirit,enthusiasm, and a very goodwork ethic.” She said students still seeattending Molloy as being “not forschool, but for life.” Sister Elizabeth said she will missworking with students and herfellow faculty and staff members. “Molloy is full of very nicepeople,” she said.

Continued on Page 6

Adam engineers his way to success

Sr. Elizabeth retires after 33 years at Molloy

Sophs surpriseas the winnersof Spirit Week

Page 5

By AnnMarie Gaglio ’13 Hard work really paid off forjunior Derrick Adam, a member ofMolloy’s Science ResearchProgram. Adam won the Yale Science andEngineering Award for “The MostOutstanding Eleventh GradeExhibit in Computer Science,Engineering, Physics, orChemistry” and the United StatesAir Force Certificate ofAchievement at the New York CityScience and Engineering Fair onMarch 4. Adam said his initial reactionupon learning of his awards was“surprise. I wasn’t expecting theseawards at all.” Adam said the experience taughthim how to make an effectivepresentation. “I’m very proud of the work I’vedone,” he said. “Most of mycompetitors were from the besthigh schools in New York so to beable to win two awards is just a

great achievement.” Adam began working on hisaward winning project last summerduring an internship with aprofessor at Cooper Union wherehe researched past and currentairport designs to create a newsustainable airport design. “I’ve always been interested inengineering,” Adam said. “And Iinterned with civil engineersalready. That’s where I met theprofessor from Cooper Union. “I learned during my researchthat things don’t usually turn outthe way you plan them becausethere are always so manyimprovements that can be madealong the way,” he said. During his presentation to thejudges, Adams was told to, “throwaway my notes and think of thepresentation as a conversationbetween the judges and me. Ittaught me how poised you need tobe in explaining your research,” hesaid.

Ms. Mary Mallia, moderator ofthe Science Research Program, wasoverjoyed at Adam’s success. She said his two awards arecomparable to any award won bymembers of the Science Researchprogram in the past. Adam, who was the only Stanneramong 1,000 students at the fair, isthe first Molloy student to win theYale and Air Force awards. This summer Adam will return toCooper Union. “I want to work on a different topicand learn something new,” he said. As for his future beyond college,Adam said, “I am not sure what mydream job would be, but I want tobe an engineer.” Ms. Mallia is confident that aftercollege Adam “will definitely makeit in some aspect of engineering.” All Stanners got a chance to seeAdam’s project when the ScienceResearch Program held its secondannual Science Symposium onMay 21 after school in the Theater.

Junior Derrick Adam holds the

awards he won at the New York

City Science and Engineering

Fair. (Photo by Mr. Joe Sommo)

Sister Elizabeth Bickar works at her desk.(Photo by Jordi Sevilla ‘14)

Medals, cookiesat AcademicAwards

Page 4

All the seniors and some juniorsin the program will have posterpresentations of their results fromtheir independent research fromthe program.

The StannerVolume 55, Number 9

Editor-in-Chief: Monish PahilajaniManaging Editor: Adrienne ZhouNews Editor: Natalie LookPhotography/Layout Editor: Pamela DecolongonProduction Staff: Joana Capistrano, John

Fenner, Shalini Joseph,Daniela Salazar, andRashanna Seymour

Stanner Moderator: Mr. Charley McKennaPublisher: Bro. Thomas Schady

Stories about bullying permeatethe media. Documentaries,videos, blogs, TV shows andhighly publicized legal cases havemade it an ubiquitous topic. It has made me want to knowwhat all the commotion wasabout; is there a really anepidemic of bullying? What does the word even meanbecause society applies it to manydifferent types of behavior? Are kids meaner now or merelyoverly sensitive? Am I being abully by asking if the youth of thetoday is merely overly sensitive? To clarify this cornucopia ofquestions, I turned to PeerGroup leaders and counselors. I learned that the schoolyardbully of yesteryear who usedfisticuffs to terrorize his victimsis being replaced by the cyberbully who uses social media suchas Twitter, BlogSpot, YouTube,and Facebook to intimidate. Senior Peer Group leaderAngela Peluso said, “People saythings on the internet theywouldn’t have the guts to say faceto face. So the internet definitelyfosters bullying.” As a result, “bullying is lessphysical these days and moreverbal,” said junior IsachaTucker, who will be a Peer Groupleader next year. The change from the schoolyardto internet has changed thegender of the typical bully. “Most of the cases I see are girlsbullying girls,” said guidancecounselor Mrs. Rachel Galla. Mrs. Galla said it can be difficultto tell when someone’s behaviorcrosses the line that detemines

what is and isn’t bullying. Tucker said its meaning oftendepends who is defining it: thepeople who see themselves asvictims or the people who areseen as bullies. The website stopbullying.govstates: “Bullying is unwanted,aggressive behavior amongschool aged children that involvesa real or perceived powerimbalance. The behavior isrepeated, or has the potential tobe repeated, over time. Bullyingincludes actions such as makingthreats, spreading rumors,attacking someone physically oroverbearingly, and excludingsomeone from a group onpurpose.” Right now you may be asking:isn’t “overbearing” a subjectiveword, doesn’t feeling intimidateddiffer from person to person, andisn’t it normal to exclude someoneyou don’t like from your group? Lady Gaga’s Born This WayFoundation, whose mission is “tofoster a more accepting society,where differences are embracedand individuality is celebrated,”claims excluding is bullying. Gaga’s mother, CynthiaGermanotta, said that one of themost hurtful episodes in herdaughter’s childhood was whenschoolmates organized a partyand deliberately excluded her. Counselor Mr. Chris Doughertysaid the intent behind excludinga particular person is a key factorin determining what’s bullying. If students deliberately isolatean individual to the point wherehe or she “can no longerfunction,” said Mr. Dougherty, “it

can be considered bullying.” Senior Niles Uy said bullying iswhen people’s actions constantlyseem designed to make you feel“bad or inferior.” Junior Raymond Fu said thebully’s mission always is “to putsomeone down.” The website ncpc.org statesthat bullying includes postingembarrassing or intimate photosof someone without his/herconsent. But who defines what’sconsidered “embarrassing” orwhen someone’s gone too far? The media focuses on bullies inschool but does that mean thatafter high school bullying ceases? Senior Victoria Goldbach said,“Bullying will never end.” When children become legaladults, the term “bullying”changes to “harassment.” Molloy’s Student Handbookrefers only to harassment andemphasizes the “gravity ofhuman meanness” whendetermining punishments. Perhaps this is why “bullying issuch a rare occurrence in Molloy,”

said junior Barbara Goger, afuture Peer Group leader. The habitual tendencies ofyouth often carry into adulthood,which is why the Born This WayFoundation says the solution tobullying lies in fostering a “moreaccepting society” on “all levels ofmaturity, including adulthood.” Do grown-up professionalscontinue to employ “overbearing”techniques to “impose their will”on others in order to achievepersonal gain? Political theorist NiccolòMachiavelli, the author of thehighly regarded political treatise“The Prince,” tells us “the endsjustify the means.” Is manipulating people by beingMachiavellian in order to makethem no longer functioneffectively in the adult world anydifferent from doing so in school? Do bullies ever grow out theirdomineering tendencies? Or do they simply learn to hidethem by using behavior thatadult society deems suitable?

-- Lauren Velez ‘13

Is it just kids who are ‘bullies’?

Archbishop Molloy High School— despite all your silly, silly rules,extremely temperamentallockers, and ugly, dangerouslanyards that get caught on otherstudents’ bags and once resultedin me being dragged down the hall— you’ve been my home for thepast four years. I’m going to miss how eerilyquiet and empty the halls get by2:43 p.m., how the Art Roomlooks in the morning light and theway the gym bleachers squeak;won’t you? I’ll always smile at thesememories of my teachers: * Mr. Mark Sweeney singingslightly off-key during the lastand most important four minutesof a test and saying “no” to ourrequests to sharpen our pencilsbecause it was “against hisreligion.” * Mr. Brian Klimas introducingus to the wonderfulness of Nerds

Rope, and making learninggeometry easier with “HumpyCamel, Christmas Stocking.” * Mrs. Adele Solari showing usthe best way to celebrate Pi Day:with pie, cupcakes and games! * Mr. Charley McKenna in TheStanner’s dungeon of an officemaking us keel over many a timefrom hearing his stories andseeing him do the twist. * Mr. Jim Sheldon making hisstudents love biology. Hishilariously dry sense of humorcan’t hide his enthusiasm for thesubject. * Mr. Richard Rodgers telling usin gym class that “aggression isnot a sin!” and “sweating is sexy!” * Madame Madelyn Dupremaking French 4 the yummiestclass ever by teaching us how toappreciate la galette des Rois (theKings’ cake) along with otherFrench dishes, and teaching us life

Continued on page 7

Where is the good in ‘good-bye’?The statue of St. Marcellin

Champagnat is one of many

things senior Adrienne Zhou

will miss about Molloy. (Photo

by Monish Pahilajani ‘13)

By Karla Hernandez ’12 andNoelia Morales ’12 Seniors are experiencing avariety of emotions as they walkdown the hallways during theirfinal days at Molloy; they’re feelingexcited, nervous, bittersweet,sentimental, or anxious. Overall, they say, it feels surreal. Some seniors are ready to leavewhile others have yet to grasp thefact that they will be moving on. For many, a feeling of nostalgiais hitting hard. Sam Spoto said Molloy willalways be a part of who he is. “Of course I am excited toexperience the new atmosphere,friends, and adventures that collegewill bring but no matter where yougo in life, Molloy is the type of placethat comes along with you and isnever far away,” said Spoto, whowill attend Queens College. “Before Molloy, I wasn’t a veryopen person,” said Spoto. “Molloytaught me how to be a part of acommunity through Peer Groupsand by leading underclass retreats.I learned how to open myself upto others, be giving, and be moreunderstanding.” Joel Antolijao’s favorite Molloymemories are all the events thatbring students together such asFreshman Field Day, InternationalDay and the Senior-FacultyBasketball Game.

Antolijao, who with Julian Tobias,is co-captain of the Boys StepTeam, has enjoyed its camaraderieand energy since sophomore year. “It will be hard to leave the team,but I trust them,” he said. “They’veworked hard all year and I’ve seenthem grow. I know they’ll begreat.” Antolijao is excited about goingsouth to Virginia CommonwealthUniversity in Richmond. “But I’m going to miss Molloy,”he said. “Molloy treats everyonelike family, always supporting oneanother. That is something I’mgoing to remember when I

For the third straight year andfourth time in five years, TheStanner won the GeneralExcellence Award as the bestCatholic high school newspaper inBrooklyn-Queens at The Tablet’s2012 High School Press Awards. The Stanner took first place in sixof 10 categories at the ceremony atSt. Francis College on May 9 andwon 10 awards overall, one morethan last year. The Parmentier of St. Joseph’sHigh School in Brooklyn wassecond and The Seraph of St.Francis Prep was third among thenine schools in the competition. “The Stanner has good reportersand editors, but after hearing othermoderators and student editorscomplain about their staffs missingdeadlines, I became even moreimpressed with our staff,” saidModerator Mr. Charley McKenna.“Everyone who works for usdeserves credit for our being the topnewspaper yet again.” Editor-in-Chief MonishPahilajani, a junior, won first prize

for his front page layout design. “We had never won that awardbefore and all the credit goes toMonish,” said Mr. McKenna. “Itwas his idea to revamp the entirelook of the newspaper this year andit certainly paid off.” The Stanner swept the top twoplaces for Best News Story Awardsas frosh Liana Liang and RobertDittus won for “Memes lead todetention” and seniors LaurenMiller and Crystal Wong weresecond for “Walk-a-thon: $80 or be‘punished’.” “Two frosh winning Best NewsStory is a great accomplishment,”Mr. McKenna said. “Robert andLiana did a great job reportingfairly and accurately on acontroversial topic.” Sophomore Jordi Sevilla wonboth first and second prizes for BestPhotograph for “Lord, what foolsthese mortals be!” and “SpanishClub at International Day.” “Jordi’s photos were so muchbetter than those of thecompetition,” Mr. McKenna said.

Sophomore Matthew Spatarowon the Best Feature Story Awardfor his story “Lanyards are newMolloy accessory.” “Matt has done a lot of goodstories for us but this was his best,”Mr. McKenna said. Junior Conor Tuohy won BestCommunity-Related Editorial for“Stanners should see Manhattan.” “The judges liked his message tostudents to take advantage of livingin the world’s greatest city,” Mr.McKenna said.

The Stanner’s theNo. 1 paper again

graduate and in the future, I willalways treat others with love andrespect because that is what I wastaught here.” Maverick Alzate recalls withaffection his classes over the years,particularly Mr. Mark Sweeney’sEnglish 9 Honors class with hispals Erik Petschauer and ThomasAshton, Mr. Jeff Gallagher’s APU.S. History class, and Mr. ChrisDeSarno’s AP World History Class. ”Mr. DeSarno is the Jesus amongteachers,” he said. “He never letshis sheep go astray.” Alzate said his teachers haveshaped who he is.

“Two teachers who have had abig influence on me are Mr.DeSarno and Mr. [Jim] Sheehan,”he said. “DeSarno instilled in melogic and reason, while Sheehantaught me how to sway peopleeffectively and semantically.” Alzate is going to New YorkUniversity in Abu Dhabi in theUnited Arab Emirates in the fall. “I am both excited and nervous,”he said. College guidance counselor Mr.Ted McGuinness, who has workedat Molloy for eight years, is excitedto see the seniors “embark on theadventure of life.” His favorite memories of theClass of 2012 are being able to seeStanners get into the colleges theywanted to attend and seeingstudents get into schools theythought they couldn’t get into. Mr. McGuinness offers thisadvice to all students: “Work hardand enjoy all aspects of college.Challenge yourself and have faithin yourself for the rest of your life.” So enjoy counting down your lastdays at Molloy, seniors. Enjoy the little things becauseone day we’ll be reminiscing aboutthe classes we complained about,school events we attended, friendswe made, Esopus and its cheesybread, and the crazy teachers weknew and loved. Not for school, but for life.

Seniors know they’ll miss Molloy

Other award winners were:juniors Manpreet Sachdev andSameera Kassim who won secondplace in Best School-RelatedEditorial for “Molloy will missChristian’s laugh” and sophomoreDarien Day who was second in BestSports Story for “Girls lacrossecomes to AM in the spring.” “The fact that only two of ouraward winners are seniors gives meconfidence that we’ll win a fourthstraight General Excellence Awardnext year,” Mr. McKenna said.

Staff members Adrienne Zhou, Pamela Decolongon, Natalie Look,

Daniela Salazar, John Fenner, Rashanna Seymour, and Monish

Pahilajani share a laugh last week while re-reading some of The

Stanner’s award-winning articles. (Photo by Mr. Charley McKenna)

Flashback to simpler times for the Class of 2012: Mr. Mark Sweeney

and members of Homeroom 1J strike a pose at Freshman Field

Day 2008. (Photo by Courtesy of the Blue and White Yearbook)

351 get awards for academic successBy Monish Pahilajani ’13 Over 350 Stanners who earned aweighted academic average of 95or higher were invited to attend theannual Academic AwardsCeremony on May 3 in the JackCurran Gym.

Invitations went to 118 frosh, 116sophomores, and 117 juniors. Assistant Principal for AcademicsSister Elizabeth Bickar said thatsuch a high percentage of studentsbeing honored reinforces the ideathat Molloy is full of smart kids.

To earn the prestigious Principal’sList Award medal, a student needsto have at least a 99 overall averagefor three consecutive markingperiods. Junior Sitara Patel said, “I willremember getting my medal evenafter I graduate from Molloy.” Some special academic awardswere presented to these Stanners: * Sophomore Georgios Gulinowon The Elsbeth Kroeber Award inBiology. * Sophomore Kristian Mosquitowon The David Kraus Award inBiology. * Sophomore Samantha Sattlerwon The Otto Burgdorf Award inBiology. * Junior Shibin Mathews won TheBausch & Lomb Award in Science. * Junior Roberto Bertolini wonThe University of Rochester F.Douglass & S.B. Anthony Award. * Junior Cara Salvatore won TheUniversity of Rochester GeorgeEastman Young Leaders Award. * Junior Tatiana Requijo won TheFairfield University Book Award. * Junior Dina Mangialino wonCollege of the Holy Cross BookAward. * Junior Aislinn Messina won TheWellesley College Book Award. * Junior Carolyn Gallagher andjunior Erick Jara were the Scholar-Athletes.

Assistant Principal for StudentsMr. Kenneth Auer was the Masterof Ceremonies and CampusMinistry Director Mr. MichaelGermano read the invocation. Principal Bro. Thomas Schadycongratulated the students andSister Elizabeth presented theawards. Sister Elizabeth was happy aboutthe attendance at the ceremony. “A larger percentage came thisyear [than in years past],” she said.“They were very well dressed. Icongratulate them all.” Junior Shilpa Mathews enjoyedthe ceremony. “It gets better each year,” shesaid. “I feel like I should berewarded after all the time I spentlearning AP Chemistry.” Junior Shibin Mathews said, “Myparents and sister were very proudof me winning four awards thisyear. I would like to thank Mr.[Austin] Power individually formotivating me to not give up onlearning the harsh world ofprecalculus, because if I did, Iwould certainly not be in this highposition.” Patel said, “The key to being agood student in Molloy is to not getinvolved with the wrong crowd andto take risks [by taking courses]like AP Chem. After all, my mottois you only live once.”

Stanners hate Regents tests, teachers less soBy Stephanie Jaipaul ’13 andSameera Kassim ’13 Regents exams are tests fewstudents look forward to taking atthe end of the school year. A majority of studentsinterviewed see the exams aspointless and preparing for themas futile. Junior Mary Edward said thetests don’t motivate many studentsduring the year to learn thematerial presented in class. She said the tests are fair but“take so long to complete and areso strangely worded that theydon’t seem to be of any use.” Junior Jessica Cardiello, whostudies only a little before anyRegents exam, also dislikes theRegents’ two to three hour length. However, Cardiello said Regentsexams “help in motivating me tolearn the material for class.” Cardiello would not like to see theRegents dropped and replaced byteacher-designed finals becausethey would be much more difficult. Junior Jessica Gerardi also doesn’tspend much time outside of classreviewing for the Regents. She says she is more motivatedto learn by a teacher’s chapter teststhan by the Regents. What Gerardi hates is having to

come back to school to take themafter the last day of classes. Stanners may be surprised tolearn that Molloy teachers don’tlove the Regents exams. Ms. Kelly Early, who teachesAlgebra 2/Trig, and Mr. MichaelNadeau, a physics teacher, said alot of what they teach in class isdictated by the Regents exam. Mr. Nadeau said the examrestricts his freedom as an educator. He has only a small amount oftime after he finishes the materialrequired by the Regents curriculumto go into depth on topics thatinterest students due to the breadthof topics he must cover for the test. If a class is really interested inbasic electronics and wants tospend more time on circuit boards,he can’t allow them to explore “coolstuff like capacitors, inductors,diodes, and transistors” because hewouldn’t make it through thecurriculum if he did. He said having to do this detractssomewhat from a student’seducational experience. Ms. Early said a lack of time isthe only reason she sometimes feelslimited by Regents requirementsbecause there are occasions whenshe’d like to spend more time on aparticular topic but isn’t able to

because she must finish therequired curriculum. Ms. Early said that all topics sheteaches in her class could possiblyappear on the Regents exam buther main goal is to provide studentswith a strong foundation in mathso that they can learn the materialthat will be presented in math classthe following year. Ms. Early reviews for the Regentsexam during the final fours weeksof classes, focusing on strategies fortaking the exam rather than justreviewing material already learned. Mr. Nadeau spends the final fewdays of classes doing review workand offers review sessions afterschool at the end of May. Both teachers agree Regentsexams have an educational value. “It’s a cumulative assessmentthat requires students to synthesizetheir physics conceptualknowledge and hone their mathskills,” Mr. Nadeau said. Mr Nadeau dislikes the fact thatthe test can contain intentionallytricky questions due to the wordingof a problem or the answer choices,which really irks him because hesaid it then becomes a readingcomprehension exam more than aphysics exam. Ms. Early said the Regents

exams give schools the opportunityto understand how well studentsare doing and make the necessarychanges in their methods toimprove students’ learning. Mr. Nadeau considers theRegents physics exam to be a fairevaluation of his students’knowledge but wouldn’t mindmaking his own end of year exam. He said his own exam would befar more challenging so his studentswould probably prefer to theRegents exam. Edwards, Cardiello, and Gerardiagree that any teacher-createdfinals would be harder. How much longer Stanners willhave to take Regents examsremains unknown. Molloy’s Assistant Principal forAcademics, Ms. Mary Ann Safrey,said the Regents dropped theforeign language exam and thereis a good probability that theGlobal Studies Regents exams willbe dropped in 2014 in order toplace more emphasis on the mathand science exams. Ms Safrey, however, would notlike to see more exams droppedbecause the goal of having Regentsexams is to make students “be wellrounded in order to compete in acomplex world.”

Juniors Davin Chaltu and Daniela Gordillo are in a happy mood

during the reception in the Cafeteria following the Academic

Awards ceremony on May 3. (Photo by Jordi Sevilla ‘14)

Heritage Day 313

Above Neck Below Knees Day 237

Dress Up Day 271

Molloy Dress Down Day 332

Color Dress Down Day 296

Fundraiser 144

Stanner Feud 50

Faculty Tape Up 50

Homeroom Doors 50

Dodgeball 200

Total Points 1,893

295

269

215

324

326

235

150

150

150

50

2,164

232

232

272

322

313

259

100

200

50

100

2,080

243

243

204

254

237

145

50

150

300

50

1.876

Spirit Week Class Competition Results

Karaoke: 1. Marjorie Coello, 3C; 2.Raez Jafri, 2E; 3. Tom Murawski, 4G. Google Doodle: 1. Ruthba Ahmed,3A; 2. Matthew Tibo, 2K; 3. Liana Liang,1F. Stanner Feud: 1. Da Chasers(Stephanie Arbeidez, 2A, CamillePangaiangon, 2H, Kenny Mesadieu, 2G,Briana Hajdarovic, 2D, Emily David,2C); 2. Big Murphy (Jorge Velez, 3M,John Anthony DiMaria, 3D, ChrysalisTerrado, 3L, Zachary Tuimil , 3M, Chris-topher Martinez, 3G); 3. (tie) M.O.E (Mat-thew Rosal, 4J, Alain Paul, 4H, MessayKassi, 4E, Morrell Gaskins, 4D, FreddyFrancois, 4C) and The Infinity Family(Robert Dittus, 1C, Tina Dantono, 1C,Gina Giraldi, 1D, Alex Chowske, 1B, Li-ana Liang, 1F).

Dodgeball: 1. Taking Life By theDodgeballs (John Whelan, 1L, MatthewCapp, 1B, Joseph Savastano, 1J, JustinLonnavareon, 1B, Matt Savastano, 1J);2. Latino Heat (Christian Ovalle, 3J,Bryan Nunez, 3J, Jo Pleitez, 3J, Chris-tian Ortega, 3J, Elijah Castillo, 3B); 3.Patty’s Pub Crew (Thomas Dreyer, 4C,Billy Burkart, 4A, Jack Moravek, 4F,Ryan Winters, 4K, Brendan Finnerty,4C); 4. Claire (William Kazmierczuk, 2E,Brian Hurley, 2E, Emily Hanna, 2D, NiallFox, 2D). Candy Count: 1. Jasmine Rodriguez,1J. Tape Up Teacher: 1. Juniors; 2. (tie)Seniors and Sophmores; 4. Frosh. Sweatshirt Design: 1. Asian Club Door Decoration: 1. 4G; 2. 2L; 3. 4B.

The Spirit Week Contest WinnersEvent Frosh Sophs Juniors Seniors

Sophs win & seniors last in Spirit Week 2012By Miranda Steinberg ’14 Sophomores were the surprisewinners of Molloy’s annual SpiritWeek from April 23-27 while theseniors, who had won the previoustwo contests to measure class spirit,were surprisingly last. The sophomores, who earned adress down day on Friday, May 25for their victory, scored 2,164 pointsfrom their participation in 10 spiritevent to defeat the second placejuniors by 84 points. Frosh finished in third place with1,893 points and seniors were lastwith 1,876. “I was very surprised to see theseniors finish last, especially giventhat they are such a great class,”Mr. Ed Cameron, Director ofStudent Activities, said. “But [thesophomores] are a spirited classand had a year’s experience under

their belts so they knew what ittakes to win.” There were a great number ofactivities that the students whowished to participate in Spirit Weekcould choose from such as theTeacher Tape Up, Stanner Feud, InIt To Win It, and Molloy Idol. Daniela Franceschetti decoratedHomeroom 2D’s door for the“Under the Sea” themed doorcontest and participated in MolloyIdol and the Teacher Tape Up. “Decorating the door was themost fun for me, but I think theTeacher Tape Up was the mostsuccessful event,” she said. “It wasa full house.” Homeroom 4G won the doorcontest with 2L in second place and4B third place. Among the individual winnerswere junior Marjorie Coello in the

Karaoke Contest, junior RuthbaAhmed in the Google DoodleContest and frosh JasmineRodriguez in the Candy CountContest. Many students who partook inthe Spirit Week enjoyed thoseactivities in which teachers gotinvolved. Frosh Travis Reilly said heenjoyed the teachers’ participationbecause “it shows their fun side.” But as someone involved in SpiritWeek for the first time, Reilly foundit difficult to keep up with the fivedifferent wardrobes requiredduring Spirit Week to meet therequirements to score points onHeritage Day, Above the Neck andBelow the Knee Day, Dress Up Day,Molloy Colors Day and ClassColors Day. He recommended that next year

the frosh be given clearerinformation about each day’scontest. “I kept forgetting what I wassupposed to wear the next day andthe only way I found out wasthrough Facebook,” he said. Overall, Spirit Week 2012 was asuccess, judging from the reactionsof both students and teachers. Spirit Week 2012 was the last tobe run by Mr. Cameron as he willbecome an assistant principal nextyear. Mr. Jim Sheldon, currently aBiology and Forensics teacher, willtake over as Director of StudentActivities. “Mr. Sheldon will do a great jobnext year with Spirit Week,” saidMr. Cameron. “He is in tune withthe students and is a wonderfulorganizer and planner.”

Decorating doors, dressing up, dodging balls and

donning crazy hats were all part of Spirit Week

2012 last month. (Photos by Jordi Sevilla ‘14)

Continued from Page 1 However, she will not missproctoring A.P. exams or having toget up so early in the morning tocome to school. Her fondest memories are hermany years of working at Esopus,the student masses, and having funin the classroom with her students. She said she always felt a senseof accomplishment when everystudent had a correct schedule foreach semester.

The Stanner Moderator Mr.Charley McKenna consideredSister Elizabeth the paper’s last lineof defense when she reviewed itbefore it went to press each month. “Not only has Sister Elizabethbeen very supportive of allowingstudents to have their opinionsreflected in the pages of ournewspaper, she is a terrific copyeditor and has caught many anerror over the years that hadslipped past our copy editors. The

Stanner staff will miss her.” Sister Elizabeth has read thenames of Molloy graduates at everyceremony for over 17 years andwill do so for the last time on June2 for the Class of 2012. She got that job because theadministration felt a languageteacher would be able to pronounceeveryone’s name correctly and eachyear she works hard to do so. “Everyone’s name deserves to besaid correctly,” she said.

Sr. Elizabeth says goodbye AM after 33 years

By Matthew Spataro ’14 Director Mr. Mike Germano haschosen nine new Campus Ministryleaders for next year who will helporganize its activities such asfundraisers for the needy anddisadvantaged. Juniors Kathryn Brucas, JohnAnthony DiMaria, Jhanell Directo,Amber Emmino, Zelenia Felipe,Dana Galizia, Dylan Penza, ToniAnn Petovello, and ColmanVaughan are next year’s leaders. Brucas wanted to be a leaderafter being “inspired by my leaderson Junior retreat. I wanted to affectother lives the way they did mine.” Brucas, who helped CampusMinistry this year, said, “The BookDrive, Operation Christmas Child,Fast-a-thon, these are just a few ofthe things that we at CampusMinistry were proud to pull off.” The three-part selection processwas not a cakewalk. It started with the 77 juniors whovolunteered to be leaders. Mr. Germano then selects 24 tofill out applications. He reads theapplications and selects his leaders. They then begin a trainingprogram that meets once every six-day cycle and continues when theyreturn to school in September. The selection of new leaders

Campus Ministry’s 9new leaders chosen

means Campus Ministry will soonsay goodbye to its current leaders. “They were amazing role modelsfor the students at Molloy,” saidGalizia. Mr. Germano said, “Every yearCMLs offer something new to thetable. I am blessed to besurrounded by extraordinary kidswho excel at all aspects of life.” Senior leaders Olivia Balog,Alyssa Dolan, Mary Gallagher, LissMendez, Samantha Nostramo,Maegan Reed, Jarrett Sledge, NoraSoliman, and Samson Zachariahhave done a great job this year, andMr. Germano expects the newleaders to live up to expectations. “I have high hopes for the 2013CMLs,” he said. “Their potential,as with all my groups, is off thecharts!” Mr. Germano said of his newleaders: “I hope that they have theopportunity to change lives onmany different levels throughservice, drives, collections, retreats,and liturgies. The impact they canmake will resound for many yearsto come!” The new leaders can’t wait to startmaking a difference . “There will be some new things,”said Galizia, “but it’s secret. You’llhave to wait next year.”

In retirement she will live with herfellow Sisters of Charity of Halifaxand do volunteer work such astutoring and working in soupkitchens. She said she is sure to come backto visit Molloy. Sister Elizabeth leaves allStanners with this message: “I loved being with you. I wishyou the best. And alwaysremember that God calls you togreatness.”

Spitting rhymes andgood times at SlamBy Anna Poulakas ’14 Archbishop Molloy’s Poetry Slamattracted 25 performers onThursday May 10 in the Theaterand produced three winners. Senior Melissa Sue Gomez wasjudged the winner with juniorHanna Ventura second andsophomore Emily David third. David, despite being nervousbefore performing at her first slam,enjoyed the experience. “I love the focus and the attentionon the poet,” she said. “It builds upso much feeling and emotion.” Seniors Freddy Francois, AndresCaamal and sophomore Will Rileyearned honorable mention. The judges were senior MaryGallagher and Molloy graduatesMax Rief and Carlos Ortiz. Mr. Matt Kilkelly, moderator ofMolloy’s literary magazine whichsponsored the slam, was impressedby the poets’ ideas and talent. Some of his favorite performersin the past have been sophomoresRiley, Rosemarie Casano, juniorsSore Agbaje, Ventura, BreannaWatson, seniors Francois, MorganWelsh, and Laura Tanzil. Mr. Kilkelly said poetry slamshelp students’ writing andpresentation skills. Riley, who appeared in his third

slam, performed his poem “TheNaked Lightbulb.” Sophomore Mike Mosco said theslams help his communication andpublic speaking skills. Mosco performed a poem hecalled “Untitled.” “People will be able to figure outthe title for themselves,” he said. Sophomore Christian Alarcon,who read his poem “Dancing in theRain,” enjoys watching other poets. “It’s the best,” he said. The event’s sponsor, “Out of theBox,” meanwhile, is publishing twoissues in the same school year forthe first time in over 10 years. Senior editors Anna Oldakowskiand Francois really pushed for it,Mr. Kilkelly said, and theirpersistance paid off as theadministration approved a secondissue which will come out in June. Oldakowski designed the Aprilissue’s cover, which was based onthe inside of a subway car. “It’s so different and original fromcovers from past years,” Mr.Kilkelly said. Mr. Kilkelly was most impressedby the work of seniors Camille DeVera, Ashley Mayer, junior JulianLopez, sophomore DanielaFranceschetti, and frosh BrianneLindee in the first issue.

This year’s Campus Ministry Leaders (from left): Jarrett Sledge,

Olivia Balog, Maegen Reed, Nora Soliman, Liss Mendez, Samantha

Nostramo, Alyssa Dolan, Mary Gallagher, and Samson Zachariah.

Sophomore Emily David recites her poem which earned her third

place at the literary magazine Poetry Slam in the Theater. (Photo

by Jordi Sevilla ’14)

Senior Robert Rossi presents junior Stephanie Bonanno with

her class pin during the Junior Leadership Ceremony in the

Jack Curran Gym on May 3. (Photo by Mr. Joe Sommo)

Juniors dance “Under the Stars”By AnnMarie Gaglio ’13 andJillian Spataro ’13 Molloy’s gym was transformedinto an observatory on May 12 asthe theme of the 2012 Junior Promwas “Under the Stars.” Jennifer Foley, a Junior PromCommittee member, said thetheme was chosen via a democraticprocess by a poll taken of the entirejunior class. The Junior Prom Committeeworked with Student ActivitiesCommittee Moderator Mr. PatFlynn to prepare for prom. Mr. Flynn credited JenniferFoley, Melissa Foley, DanielleValentine, and Alexandra Bertoliniwith playing a major role in prompreparations. He said without their help, ticketsales would not have been as highas they were. “Ticket sales were extremelyhigh this year,” said Mr. Flynn. “Infact, they were higher this yearthan the previous year.” After dancing to the musical

stylings of DJ Electric MayhemInc., Stanners feasted on dishesranging from hors d’œuvres tosalads to an entree of pasta andchicken parmesan. Last but not least, Stannerssatisfied their sweet tooths at the

sundae bar – where they were ableto create their own ice creamconcoctions. Melissa Foley and Bertolini saidgoing to the prom after workingso hard to make it happen was agreat experience.

“Knowing I helped makes theprom that much more special,”said Foley. “If everyone had a goodtime, I’d feel a sense ofaccomplishment because I helpedprepare for prom.” Mr. Lou Barbera was impressedwith the committe’s work. “I thought the decorations weregreat,” he said. Before attending the prom, juniorRashanna Seymour said, “It’sgoing to be a great night and I’llhave fun with my friends.” Not all juniors, however, wereswept up by the hype surroundingthe event. Junior Shilpa Mathews, forexample, didn’t go to prom. “Not many of my friends aregoing,” she said. “Senior Prom ismore important.” But even Mathews thought thatprom would turn out well. “I know people are putting a lotof work into it, so the night will bespecial for the juniors who aregoing,” she said.

Stephanie Bonanno, Rashanna Seymour, Jillian Spataro, Thalia Toro,

and Elizabeth Governale pose under an arc of ballons.

Junior Leadership CeremonyContinued from Page 2lessons and tips for rememberinga myriad of verb conjugations. * Mr. Dennis Vellucci ensuringthat few in his class will forget thatMacbeth “unseam’d” an enemy“from the nave to the chops, andfix’d his head upon … [their]battlements.” * Mr. Chris Dougherty wearinghis orange, made-of-recycled-plastic jacket or sitting at his deskin his densely decorated Cave. * Ms. Liz Murdocca, whoteaches Lit & Psych, the mostfascinating and eye-opening classI’ve ever taken, being such asmart, perceptive, empowering,kick-butt woman and feminist. Why are you making that face?What’s wrong with wantingequality for women!?! I’ll miss hearing Mrs. JoanMcCabe saying, “That’s my

name; don’t wear it out!” aftercalling out to her. I’ll miss Mr. Jim Sheehanasking every time someone gotup in his class to get a tissue, “Isthis an assassination attempt? Isurvived three out of four of thoselast week.” I’ll miss gaping at Mr. TedMcGuinness’s outfits. I’ll miss hearing that Ms.Jeanne Longerano’s Day Careopens once a year for egg babieson the day of the AP Calculus test. I’ll miss seeing Mr. ChrisDeSarno run into the door everytime a student didn’t knowsomething he or she wassupposed to know. I’ll miss being able to talk andjoke with teachers as if they weremy best friends. It’s been said that college is thebest four years of your life but I

can’t imagine anything beingbetter than the four years I’vespend at Molloy.

How am I supposed to saygood-bye?

—Adrienne Zhou ’12

A Stanner: forever & always

Ashwini Chawla, Soumya Misra,, Jessica Cardiello, Cara Salvatore,

Elizabeth Governale, and Graziella Ferrara show off their dresses.

Senior Victoria Goldbach, and juniors Anna Pastina, Anne Heerdt,

William Rabold, Michael Rogers, Manpreet Sachdev, Aliesha

Grandison, Annamarie Casano, and Zelenia Felipe at the prom.

Senior Jason Lumokso plays No. 3 Singles for the Varsity Handball

team. (Photo courtesy of the Blue & White Yearbook)

Molloy handball feels the passionBy Anna Poulakas ’14 Molloy’s handball team has a 8-5 record so far this year and CoachVincent Leonardo is pleased withhis team’s performance because,“they are always full of energy andhave great strength.” The all-senior team is led bysingle players Sergio Rodriguez,Norman Coleman, and JasonLumokso with the top doublesteam being Joe Bush and FrancisMarino. The team’s best victories this yearare a pair of 3-2 victories overMcClancy in the season opener onMarch 30 and again on April 23. Rodriguez, who said his bestgame was against McClancy, saidthe team has played well all yearas none of its losses have beenblow-outs. “The games we lost, wecould have won,” he said. “Buteach time we learn and get better.”

Mr. Leonardo said Brooklyn-Queens playoffs were supposed tostart the week of May 7; howeverdue to the rainy weather, they werepostponed to the week of May 14. Mr. Leonardo said he hopesMolloy can win the Brooklyn-Queens Diocese Championshipbecause it has been a couple ofyears since Molloy has won it. Mr. Leonardo said the Stanners’toughest opponents will be St.Francis Prep and Bishop Loughlin. He hopes his team’s passion forhandball can carry them throughthe playoffs. Coleman and senior CharlieLovejoy agreed that the team’smain goals in the playoffs are tobeat St. Francis Prep and BishopLoughlin, their two main rivals. “Their teams are a challenge andthey will be tough games,”Coleman said.

Varsity Boys B-Q Meet 110-meter hurdles: 1. Dylan Foster,16.4; 4. Christian Ovalle, 19.3. 400-meters: 1. Darren James, 50.5. 400-meter hurdles: 1. Dylan Foster,59.4; 4. Dylan Powers, 1:04.9. 800-meters: 1. Jacob Lascano, 2:01.5;3. Walter Rodriguez, 2:04.3. 1,600-meters: 3. Robert Rossi, 4:48.7. 3,000-meter steeplechase: 2. DillonScibelli, 19:50.0; 4. Thomas Dreyer,11:07.5. 3,200-meters: 4. Patrick Goldberg,10:44.1.   4x100-meter relay: 4. Molloy, 47.0 4x400-meter relay: 3. Molloy, 3:43.1;5. Molloy, 3:53.3 4x800-meter relay: 2. Molloy, 8:44.5. Javelin: 3. Ryan Karsten, 133-2; 4.Ethan Friedland, 116-3. Discus: 2. Patrick McGibbon, 108-2. Shot: 1. Patrick McGibbon, 45-5.75. Triple jump: 1.Chris Hadjigeorgiou,44-3; 4. Christopher Lee, 41-4.25. Long jump: 1. Darren James, 21-6.5;3. Christian Hadjigeorgiou, 19-7.50;

5. Marc Ochs, 18-5. High Jump: 1. Marc Ochs, 5-6. Pole vault: 1. John Varsam, 13-0; 2.Steven Neocleous, 10-6; 3. NikolasKoulouris 9-6; 4. Adam Bauer, 9-0; 5.Ryan Hoffman, 7-6. Team Scores: 1 Molloy 107; 2. St.Francis Prep 55; 3. Ford 52;  4. Xaverian22;  5. St. John’s Prep 19;  6. Loughlin15; 7. McClancy 10; 8 St. Edmund’s 9; 9. Nazareth 7; 10. Christ the King 2.

Varsity Girls B-Q Meet   100-meters: 5. Tiana Salas-Ali, 13.3. 100-meter hurdles: 1. NiamaniMorrison, 16.0; 3. Shannon Pizzella,19.3; 4. Vanja Matkovic, 20.5; 5. NatalieFargo, 20.9. 400-meters: 2. Mary Ellen Woods1:04.2. 400-meter hurdles: 2. ShannonPizzella, 1:16.5 800-meters: 4. Paulina Stefanowski,2:31.6. 1,500-meters: 3. Paulina Stefanowski,5:26.2 2,000-meter steeplechase: 1. KathleenWoods, 7:41.3; 2. Melissa Fesler, 8:10.4. 3,200-meters: 1. Kathleen Woods,11:18.5; 2. Rebecca Verrone, 11:47.5; 5.Michelle Armogan, 13:40.5. 4x100-meter relay: 2. Molloy, 53.8; 3.Molloy 55.5. 4x400-meter relay: 1. Molloy, 4:22.9;3. Molloy 4:49.1 4x800-meter relay: 4. Molloy, 11:46.2;5. Molloy, 12.32.2 Javelin: 1.Tori Taibe, 101-3; 3. AllisonTerranova, 88-5; 5. Barbara Goger, 61-8. Discus: 1. Tori Taibe, 98-2; 5. ElizabethGovernale, 70-9. Shot: 4. Thalia Toro, 27-7. Triple Jump: 2. Niamani Morrison,34-4.75; 3. Laura Williams, 31-10; 4.Tiana Salas-Ali, 31-4; 5. Julia Rosa, 29-9.25. Long jump: 1. Niamani Morrison, 17-0; 3. Nicole Kelly, 16-4.25; 4. OloladeAfolayan, 16-0. High jump: 1. Ashley Mayer, 5-1; 3.Tara Mcguire, 4-6; 4. Stephanie Yost, 4-1. Team Scores: 1. Molloy 117.5; 2. St.Francis Prep 61.5; 3. Mary Louis; 49.5;4. Ford 24; 5. St. Edmund’s 12.5; 6.Loughlin 9; 7. Christ the King 7; 8.Kearney 2; 9. St. John’s Prep 1.

Woods is top athlete at B-Q meet

Kathleen Woods slogs through the water on her way to winning

the 2,000-meter steeplechase. (Photo by Melissa Gabriel ‘12)

Molloy’s Boys Step team won theNortheast Regional Finals of theBreak the Stage compeition onMay 11 at Landmark High Schoolin Manhattan, defeating eightteams from Maryland, New Jersey,Connecticut, Pennsylvania andNew York. Molloy advances to the NationalFinals in June in Florida. Moderator Mrs. Anne Lonergansaid the team’s success is due topracticing eight to 10 hours a weekand a fitness training program. The team will compete for theYouth Step USA NationalChampionships on May 26 inHarrisburg, Pa. “I am very proud of them,” said

Mrs. Lonergan Molloy’s Varsity Golf teamdefeated St. Edmund’s and Christthe King on May 14 to win a 14thstraight CHSAA Brooklyn-Queenstitle for coach Mr. Bill Niklaus. The team began the CHSAAintersectional playoffs on May 21. Jared Lovelace won the triplejump with a leap of 41-feet-5.75 atthe Freshmen IntersectionalChampionships on May 12 onRandall’s Island where Molloyfinished sixth among 18 teams. In the sophomore city meet,Daniel Murphy won the triplejump with a leap of 38-1. Molloy finished sixth among 20sophomore teams.

Step & golf teams keep winning

Senior Kathleen Woods wasnamed the Outstanding Performerat the CHSAA Girls Brooklyn-Queens Sectional Championshipson May 14 at Ichan Stadium onRandall’s Island. Woods won the 2,000-metersteeplechase in 7 minutes, 41.3seconds and the 3,200-meters in11:18.5 to lead Molloy to the title. Other double winners for Molloywere sophomore NiamaniMorrison in the 100-meter hurdlesand long jump and junior ToriTaibe in the shot and discus. Other sectional champions weresenior high jumper Ashley Mayerand the 4x400-meter relay team. Molloy also won the CHSAABoys Brooklyn-Queens title led bydouble winner juniors Dylan Fosterand Darren James. Foster won the 110-meter and400-meter hurdles while James wonthe 400-meters and long jump. Other champions were seniors

Patrick McGibbon (shot), MarcOchs (high jump), John Varsam(pole vault), juniors Jacob Lascano

(1,600-meters), and ChristianHadjigeorgiou (triple jump). Here are Molloy’s results: