the blackfriar chronicle - september 2015

16
SEPTEMBER 2015 VOLUME 16, NUMBER 1 Chronicle The www.mpfriarslantern.COM BLACKFRIAR An in-depth look at Malvern’s new “MyBackpack” system: Schoology. Nick Li ’17 CONTRIBUTOR T o kick off the 2015-2016 school year, Malvern Prep replaced MyBackpack with Schoology. Schoology is a learning management system (LMS). A LMS is a website that both students and teachers can use to assist with learning/ teaching and to keep track of grades and attendance. Science Department Chair Mr. Kevin Quinn said Schoology is one of the most popular LMS’s today, used in the U.S. and internationally. Before this year, Malvern used the MyBackpack website provided by Senior Systems. MyBackpack was the site where students could access their schedules, grades, attendance, etc. “MyBackpack was archaic. It did nothing more than state home- work and grades,” Director of Technology Mr. Terrence Norko said. “It no longer serviced our needs.” Head of Upper School Mr. Ronald Algeo said Malvern was “looking for a platform... that had a social media feel and a more student-centered approach to things.” “In order to [prepare students for college], Malvern’s technology must be up to the stand- ards of colleges,” Norko said. Schoology is not mentioned in the list of LMS platforms monitored for higher education growth monitored by edutechnica.com, however the company’s website does claim success stories at some colleges. As a result, Malvern signed a contract agreeing–– to purchase the right to use Schoology in 2013, Quinn said. Another contributing factor to the movement away from Backpack was the school’s transition from the database platform Senior Systems to Blackbaud. Blackbaud is a student informa- tion system, according to Norko. It stores every student’s academic and contact information. As with Senior Systems, most students will not see Blackbaud in action, because it primarily works behind the scenes. e new contract with Blackbaud meant that Malvern would have to transition to the Schoology LMS. According to Quinn, if Malvern had wanted to continue the use of MyBackpack, software developers would have had to dedicate time and effort in order to create new code for the communication and functionality of the two separate sites. “Think of pieces of software as really unique legos that you want to piece together,” Quinn said. “Schoology and Blackbaud are two sepa- rate entities that communicate and work together very well, and Backpack and Senior Systems are the same thing. Blackbaud would have to write software to communicate with Backpack and there was no real incentive to do so.” Before Schoology could be used by the entire Malvern community, it had to be piloted. Some faculty including Quinn, Algeo, science teacher Dr. James Fry, and science teacher Mrs. Vernice Mulcahy used the program in their respective classes. Mr. Quinn described Schoology as a “one stop shop for everything.” “It’s so much easier on students to have one program with everything instead of multiple accounts,” he said. Middle School adds new Learning Commons with modular classroom The Middle Schoolers now have their own Learning Commons to reduce traffic in Sullivan Hall. Joe Lister ’21, Tyler Pizzico ’17 MIDDLE SCHOOL REPORTER CHIEF INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER “I n the Learning Commons we’re com- peting for time,” Middle School Head Mr. Pat Sillup said. “So what if we had a space where we could be there all day?” e middle school’s new modular classroom is in the parking lot between the Duffy Center and Dougherty Hall. e building’s layout is still in the working stages, however, there are plans to optimize its learning capabilities, middle school science teacher Christopher DeVido said. While reducing the traffic in the Sullivan Hall Learning Commons was a main reason for the mod being built, the building also serves to foster the style of student-centered learning the Middle School has adopted. “Grades easily get put on the back burner when the flow is focused on honing students’ strategies of growth through strong habits of work. is leads to enhancing their skills of communication, collaboration, literacy, and critical thinking,” DeVido said. “e goal is to be able to apply the content they synthesized in an authentic way. at is when real learning occurs and makes testing become just another tool for growth, and not the main focus of education.” e reason the module will be effective in nurturing this method of learning is much like the Learning Commons in Sullivan. “e mod is a safe, open-minded, and crea- tive area that doesn't lock students into a cookie cutter way of ‘doing school,’” said DeVido. “It allows them to practice good habits of work either individually or within a team to enhance their skills that will put them in the best posi- tion to succeed. It literally puts the student at the center of his learning.” “Technology-wise we are going to have large TVs in the back for POL’s or Presentations of Learning,” DeVido said. “Our guys can chrome- cast to them and learn technological skills along with the subject field they are presenting.” “ere is a ton of space in here for research,” DeVido said. On top of the TVs and chromebooks, the entire modular classroom is wired with speakers in a unique way. “We can alter where we want the sound to be coming from; in essence we can zone it,” DeVido said. “If we have one group studying or work- ing in the corner and one group is presenting or needs to watch a video with sound, the one group can hear while the other is uninterrupted.” Perhaps one of the best features is the absence of clutter, said DeVido. “One of the of the most important things is moveable space,” DeVido said. “It’s important for the students to learn how to construct an envi- ronment for success rather than having it laid MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS MEET IN MOD SPACE / T. PIZZICO “MyBackpack was archaic. It did nothing more than state homework and grades.” -Mr. Terrence Norko J. F A U N C E > PAGE 13 > PAGE 11 FRESHMAN SURVEY 2015 We surveyed the freshman class on everything from which candidate they would elect president to why they came to Malvern. See the results. P. 8-9 New season, New faces But not all of them will see Inter-Ac play this year. P. 13 Why are these freshmen posing? Orientation tries a fresh approach this year, with help from the Adelphia Society. P. 3 Introducing Ted’s Talks Monthly musings from the Student Council Veep. P.3

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September edition of The Blackfriar Chronicle at Malvern Preparatory School

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Page 1: The Blackfriar Chronicle - September 2015

SEPTEMBER 2015 VOLUME 16, NUMBER 1

ChronicleThe

www.mpfriarslantern.COMBLACKFRIAR

An in-depth look at Malvern’s new “MyBackpack” system: Schoology.

Nick Li ’17CONTRIBUTOR

To kick off the 2015-2016 school year, Malvern Prep replaced MyBackpack with Schoology.

Schoology is a learning management system (LMS). A LMS is a website that both students and teachers can use to assist with learning/teaching and to keep track of grades and attendance.

Science Department Chair Mr. Kevin Quinn said Schoology is one of the most popular LMS’s today, used in the U.S. and internationally.

Before this year, Malvern used the MyBackpack website provided by Senior Systems. MyBackpack was the site where students could access their schedules, grades, attendance, etc.

“MyBackpack was archaic. It did nothing more than state home-work and grades,” Director of Technology Mr. Terrence Norko said. “It no longer serviced our needs.”

Head of Upper School Mr. Ronald Algeo said Malvern was “looking for a platform...that had a social media feel and a more

student-centered approach to things.”“In order to [prepare students for college],

Malvern’s technology must be up to the stand-ards of colleges,” Norko said.

Schoology is not mentioned in the list of LMS platforms monitored for higher education growth monitored by edutechnica.com, however the company’s website does claim success stories

at some colleges. As a result, Malvern signed a

contract agreeing–– to purchase the right to use Schoology in 2013, Quinn said.

Another contributing factor to the movement away from Backpack was the school’s transition from the database platform Senior Systems to Blackbaud.

Blackbaud is a student informa-tion system, according to Norko. It stores every student’s academic and contact information. As with Senior

Systems, most students will not see Blackbaud in action, because it primarily works behind the scenes.

The new contract with Blackbaud meant that Malvern would have to transition to the Schoology LMS.

Accord ing to Quinn, if Malvern had wanted to continue the use of MyBackpack, software developers would have had to dedicate time and effort in order to create new code for the communication and functionality of the two separate sites.

“Think of pieces of software as really unique legos that you want to piece together,” Quinn said. “Schoology and Blackbaud are two sepa-rate entities that communicate and work together very well, and Backpack and Senior Systems are the same thing. Blackbaud would have to write software to communicate with Backpack and there was no real incentive to do so.”

Before Schoology could be used by the entire Malvern community, it had to be piloted. Some faculty including Quinn, Algeo, science teacher Dr. James Fry, and science teacher Mrs. Vernice

Mulcahy u s e d t h e

program in their respective classes.

Mr. Quinn described Schoology as a “one stop shop for everything.”

“It’s so much easier on students to have one program with everything instead of multiple accounts,” he said.

Middle School adds new Learning Commons with modular classroomThe Middle Schoolers now have their own Learning Commons to reduce traffic in Sullivan Hall.

Joe Lister ’21, Tyler Pizzico ’17 MIDDLE SCHOOL REPORTERCHIEF INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER

“In the Learning Commons we’re com-peting for time,” Middle School Head Mr. Pat Sillup said. “So what if we had

a space where we could be there all day?”The middle school’s new modular classroom

is in the parking lot between the Duffy Center and Dougherty Hall. The building’s layout is still in the working stages, however, there are plans to optimize its learning capabilities, middle school science teacher Christopher DeVido said.

While reducing the traffic in the Sullivan Hall Learning Commons was a main reason for the mod being built, the building also serves to foster the style of student-centered learning the Middle School has adopted.

“Grades easily get put on the back burner when the flow is focused on honing students’ strategies of growth through strong habits of work. This leads to enhancing their skills of communication, collaboration, literacy, and critical thinking,” DeVido said. “The goal is to be able to apply the content they synthesized in an

authentic way. That is when real learning occurs and makes testing become just another tool for growth, and not the main focus of education.”

The reason the module will be effective in nurturing this method of learning is much like the Learning Commons in Sullivan.

“The mod is a safe, open-minded, and crea-tive area that doesn't lock students into a cookie cutter way of ‘doing school,’” said DeVido. “It allows them to practice good habits of work either individually or within a team to enhance their skills that will put them in the best posi-tion to succeed. It literally puts the student at the center of his learning.”

“Technology-wise we are going to have large TVs in the back for POL’s or Presentations of Learning,” DeVido said. “Our guys can chrome-cast to them and learn technological skills along with the subject field they are presenting.”

“There is a ton of space in here for research,” DeVido said.

On top of the TVs and chromebooks, the entire modular classroom is wired with speakers in a unique way.

“We can alter where we want the sound to be

coming from; in essence we can zone it,” DeVido said. “If we have one group studying or work-ing in the corner and one group is presenting or needs to watch a video with sound, the one group can hear while the other is uninterrupted.”

Perhaps one of the best features is the absence

of clutter, said DeVido. “One of the of the most important things is

moveable space,” DeVido said. “It’s important for the students to learn how to construct an envi-ronment for success rather than having it laid

MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS MEET IN MOD SPACE / T. PIZZICO

“MyBackpack was archaic.

It did nothing more

than state homework

and grades.”

-Mr. Terrence Norko

J. FAUNCE

> PAGE 13

> PAGE 11

FRESHMAN SURVEY 2015We surveyed the freshman class on everything from which candidate they would elect president to why they came to Malvern. See the results.

P. 8-9

New season, New faces

But not all of them will see Inter-Ac play this year.

P. 13

Why are these freshmen posing?

Orientation tries a fresh approach this year, with help from the Adelphia Society.

P. 3

Introducing Ted’s Talks

Monthly musings from the Student Council Veep.

P.3

Page 2: The Blackfriar Chronicle - September 2015

THE BLACKFRIAR CHRONICLE2 September 2015

EDITORIALRemembering 9/11Heroes deserve to be remembered and recognized.

Editorial Board

On September 11th 2001, 2,996 people died from an indescribable horror that shook America.

On September 11th 2015, the Malvern Prep campus went the entire day without formally recognizing that it was 9/11.

There was no moment of silence. There was no prayer over the loudspeaker. There was no mass. There was no ceremony. It was like any other day. The American flag flew high at the top of the pole.

Dr. Joseph Oechsle, a firefighter for the Norriton Fire Company, and teacher at Malvern from 1979-2014, organized a memorial service each year since 2001. A feature part of that service, was a drum beat symbolizing the loss of each indi-vidual. However, Oechsle said that when he reached out to do the ceremony this year, the administration informed him it was not necessary.

Head of School Mr. Christian Talbot confirmed Oechsle’s interest, but added, “There were others who expressed interest in doing other things.”

“There was also a feeling from some teachers and administrators that this many years later, students don’t really have a personal connection to it the way they used to,” Talbot said. “So maybe it wasn’t as valuable as it was the first ten or so years.”

We may not all have a personal connection to the day 9/11, but we all have a personal con-nection to the effects of it - the fear, the War on Terror, the Patriot Act, the rewrite of American history. Our world changed that Tuesday morning. We do value the stories of the servicemen and victims who didn’t see the sunrise Wednesday morning.

The servicemen “were ordinary men doing their ordinary jobs extraordinarily well under

extraordinary circumstances, and someday, we may be called to do the same when life's circum-stances warrant it,” said Oechsle.

The victims were casualties of a war they did not know existed. Courageous firefighters ran into the burning towers. Innocent people were trapped and left to

see the unattainable safety of the most populous city in America 1,000 feet below them. People who could have been our next door neighbors stood up against terror-ists, crashing a plane before it reached the White House. Families were torn apart, and hundreds of children -- now young adults -- never saw their parents return.

These heroes deserve to be recognized and remembered by all, Malvern included.

Malvern must have formal services to honor our fellow citizens who gave their lives on September, 11th.

There is value in this. We can all learn the lessons of dedication, love, and sacrifice in a way that we

cannot in the classroom. As an Augustinian Catholic institution, these lessons are at the core of our principles. Without reflecting on this day, we lose a vital part of our education.

The deep, resounding, hits of the drum at the ceremony brought those lessons and the tale of 9/11 to life despite the years between 2001 and each ceremony. The service was overwhelming to students, but nothing compared to the chaotic events of September 11th, 2001.

As time drags 9/11 further into the past, many new students will not have a direct personal connection.

The power of this ceremony creates that personal connection.v

In order for news to do its job–in order for us to

trust the news–the news must be completely

factual. Otherwise, it

fails and can be hypocritical.

Lessons from Local CoverageWe always strive to give you the most accurate and dependable news.

Justice Bennett ’16EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

As a journalist I usually find myself defending the media with my peers. They say the news media is often exaggerated, biased, inaccurate, or pushing an agenda. However, after seeing the errors of local papers in covering the recent arrest of a Malvern faculty

member, I am not sure I can stand behind local newspapers anymore. Have I become too trusting of the media? With nearly every article I read, I

saw factual mistakes or dramatized journalism. Here are some of the glaring mistakes I noticed, by actually knowing the facts

shared with the school community. Malvern Prep put Director of College Counseling Mrs. Emily Feeney on leave

in May, when an investigation was first opened. She has not been an employee of the school since. However, The Delaware County Daily Times reported that Feeney was the Director of College Counseling and Assistant Swim Coach up until the time of the arrest.

Investigators told NBC10 that there was no sexual contact between Mrs. Feeney and the student, yet Philadelphia Magazine titled its story “Malvern Prep Sex Scandal: Here Are the Emails a Counselor Allegedly Sent Her Student.” Without any sexual contact, by definition, this was not a sex scandal, and Philly Mag was baiting readers with a misleading title.

At least four publications - The Daily Local, 6ABC, The Daily Caller, DailyMail UK - are still reporting that bail was set at $7,500. Court records show that bail is $75,000.

NBC10 titled its article “Main Line Prep School Guidance Counselor Seduces Boy With Promise of Harvard Admission: Prosecutors.” According to Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan’s statement to the press, Feeney “betrayed… trust by trying to seduce a student.” It is a small word change, but has huge implications in meaning and what a reader would expect to find in a news story.

Inquistr’s lead on their story is “The community of Malvern, Pennsylvania is wondering what prompted the school guidance counselor Emily Feeney to use her connections at Harvard attempt

to have sex with a student,” without any attribution. If a reporter brought this to me as an editor, I would insist he name his source. Who did he talk to in the community of Malvern, Pennsylvania to know that is what they wonder? From whom did he get the rest of his facts in the story?

I reached my limit when I read coverage from the West Chester-based Daily Local News.Our community knows that Malvern Prep’s Head of Upper School is Mr.

Ronald Algeo, and that Malvern’s Head of School is Mr. Christian Talbot. Sloppily, they reported that “Malvern Head of School Donald Algeo, did not return a call seeking comment,” then proceeded to spell Feeney as Fennel. If they get details like names and titles wrong, what larger errors could they possibly be making on this and other stories?

These blatant errors incited me to reach out to the reporter/editor of the article and notify him of the mistakes. At the date of publication for this column, the mistakes have still not been fixed.

I now face an internal battle about whether I can continue to defend the media as an accurate and balanced source for information. How can the media truly serve as the watchdog and the fourth “check and balance” to our government system when they make errors like these?

In order for news to do its job–in order for us to trust the news–the news must be completely factual. Otherwise, it fails and can be hypocritical.

As Editor-in-Chief, I cannot help but feel that our newspaper holds itself to a higher standard than many of these publications.

Prior to publication, most stories are reviewed by the reporter, section editor(s), editors-in-chief, and adviser. Each step of the way we weed out opinion from straight news and fact check the information with reporters.

As a result, we may not always be the first to report, or get the most reads on a story, but our readership can depend on us to try our best to bring them accurate information. We are students – unpaid, volunteers, squeezing time in between school, sports, and whatever else – but our staff already understands how vital it is to report factual information. v

Our world changed that

Tuesday morning. We do value the

stories of the servicemen and

women who didn’t see the sunrise

Wednesday morning.

Page 3: The Blackfriar Chronicle - September 2015

THE BLACKFRIAR CHRONICLE September 2015 3

FRIAR LIFEOpinionStudents organize 9/11 remembrance

After there was no recognition on 9/11, students make it themselves.

Mike Droogan ’16SPORTS EDITOR

On Monday, September 14, during Community Time, Editor-in-Chief Justice

Bennett and Student Counci l President Alex Freud led a student-run memorial for 9/11 in the Duffy Center. There was no official memo-rial planned for the upper school.

This year’s student-organized ceremony began with a speech by Bennett and a prayer by Freud. Former Malvern teacher and East Norriton f iref ighter Dr. Joseph Oechsle and Haverford Township Director of Paramedics Jim McCans ’82 spoke with the students. Both speeches emphasized the importance of 9/11.

The optional student memorial

followed the regular Monday morn-ing chapel service, where Fr. Harry Erdlen offered a homily reflection on 9/11 and Fr. Flynn spoke about the upcoming Papal visit.

McCans called the volunteer sacrifices of 9/11 the best example of Christianity he has ever seen. He asked students to consider what would happen if the message of Christ lasted only 14 years.

Oechsle concluded the memo-rial with a prayer that Pope Benedict offered when he visited Ground Zero in 2008.

For the previous 12 years Malvern hosted an official ceremony honoring the anniversary. During this cer-emony, current volunteer emergency personnel were invited to share their stories. v

is a monthly student-run publication at Malvern Preparatory School. Its online affiliate is the Friar’s Lantern (www.mpfriarslantern.com). Mission StatementThe Blackfriar Chronicle and The Friar’s Lantern are the student-run publications of Malvern Prep. The principal goals of the publica-tions are to provide accurate and relevant information to the Malvern community and to offer a forum for intelligent dialogue on all things Malvern. The reporting for these student publications is conducted thoroughly and edited by student leaders to ensure this accuracy to the best of our ability. In order to fairly provide all points of view, contributions from all members of the Malvern community are welcomed and encouraged through letters of opinion, student reporting, and respectful commentary.

[email protected] / Twitter @friarslantern1 / facebook.com/TheFriarsLanternEDITORS IN CHIEF

Justice Bennett ’16Ben Yankelitis ’16

MANAGING EDITORSPrint: James Faunce ’16 Online: Chris Bunn ’16

INVESTIGATIVE REPORTERTyler Pizzico ’17

SECTION EDITORSFriar Life

Tommy Pero ’17Sports

Michael Droogan ’16Patrick Ferraiolo ’17

ArtsTBD

Media & TechnologyJack Magargee ’18Local/World NewsJack McClatchy ’17

PodcastDesmond Papariello ’18

EDITORIAL BOARDAll editors

Mike Flanagan ’16Three additional members TBD

Social Media EditorTBD

Graphic DesignerMatt Pichola ’16

ChronicleTheBLACKFRIAR

Freshman Orientation tries new approachOne year since the freshmen’s first Malvern experience was having a sleepover with the entire class, orientation is dras-tically different.

Danny Malloy ’18CONTRIBUTOR

Orientation has been altered for this year’s freshmen class, with an emphasis on

team building, brotherhood, and diversity. It took place September 1-2 and included diversity workshops and a trip to the Philadelphia Rock Gym. Instead of last year’s sleepover, the orientation took place over the course of two days.

“Freshman orientation is their f irst glimpse of life at Malvern,” Adelphia Society moderator Mrs. Harriet Lappas said. “We want the year to start on a positive note.”

Day one of orientation focused on getting prepared for high school. The day was filled with information sessions, locker assignments, and Schoology set up. The freshmen also met their mentors from the Adelphia Society.

T he Ade lph ia Society is a group of juniors selected by Lappas and other faculty. Their job is to mentor and extend a helping hand to freshmen in their first two years to get them acclimated to high school, according to Lappas.

Lappas said that Adelphia Society had an increased role in orientation this year. They helped the freshmen with locker setup and the information sessions. The juniors also went on a picture scavenger hunt with the freshmen, and enjoyed lunch with the class of 2019.

“I liked having a mentor because he showed me around and was also really nice,” Jake Haus ’19 said. “He also explained the schedule to me so I was not confused.”

The class of 2019 is the most diverse class in the past 30 years, Lappas said. Assistant Director

of Admissions and Diversity Mr. Pat Williams ’03 led exercises that explored what makes them unique. Mrs. Lappas said that these activities will continue for the freshman class

on the three service Fridays in the upcom-ing months.

Another change was the removal of the sleepover in the O'Neill Center Gym. Lappas said many freshmen enjoyed the sleepover last year, but complaints arose that prompted a change.

“We heard feed-back from about ten kids that it was really tough not knowing

anyone and having to spend the night here,” Lappas said. “That defeated the purpose of orientation which is all about inclusiveness.”

To replace the sleep over, the freshman went to Philadelphia Rock Gym. It was an all-day session on day two to encourage team building and camaraderie.

While one group was rock-climbing, professional team builders trained the second group, Lappas said. “There was no downtime at all,

SCOTTY LARKIN, BRENNAN ROBINSON, & STEVEN O’MEARA ON FRESHMAN PHOTO SCAVENGER HUNT / T. PERO

Causerie - noun - an infor-mal article or talk, typically one on a literary subject.

Ted Holleran ’16COLUMNIST

Through centuries, the civi-lized man has relied on the written word more so than

anything else that can be printed on a piece of paper.

Primitive man scrambled to tell a tale without the use of his lips. Excited gestures evolved to draw-ings on a cave. Drawings of entire scenes began breaking down, hav-ing a picture for each element of

the story: the sun, a fish, some sort of owl-like creature. These broke down even more, eventually to just a symbol representing a noise that, when combined with other noises, represent an idea. Thus was written language. But, to what avail?, you may ask. You see the trend, but what is it leading to? What could possibly be this wholly perfect form at the end of this progression, you lamarckian evolutionists out there may ask. And now you’ve found your answer.

Welcome to a newspaper col-umn. The newspaper column. The end-all be-all of written communi-cation. That’s right ladies and gents, six million years in the making all for a third-page column. You’d bet-ter cherish my “talks” while they’re fresh. You’re going to become pretty bored when you’re spending long nights reciting these to yourself after some sort of Fahrenheit 451 scenario has forced you to remember all of

> PAGE 11

Ladies and gents, six million years in the making all for

a third-page column. You’d better cherish my “talks”

A CROSS ON STAGE AT THE STUDENT MEMORIAL MADE FROM METAL FROM THE TWIN TOWERS WAS DONATED BY DR. OECHSLE / J. BENNETT

AN ICE CREAM TRUCK VISITED CAMPUS FOR ‘BEACH DAY’ ON FRIDAY, SEPT. 18. / N. LI

Follow us @friarslantern1 for updates from The Blackfriar Chronicle Editorial Team.

We follow back if your account is public. Tag us for RTs.

MR. KEVIN MOORE INTRODUCES FRESHMEN TO STUDENT COUNCIL / D. MALLOY

> PAGE 7

“Freshman orientation is their first

glimpse of life at Malvern. We want the year to start on a

positive note.”

Mrs. Harriet Lappas

Page 4: The Blackfriar Chronicle - September 2015

THE BLACKFRIAR CHRONICLE4 September 2015

FRIAR LIFE

SCIENCE: Dr. Agnese AbateAll the way from Italy, Dr. Agnese Abate is here to teach chemistry.

Eric McLaughlin ’18REPORTER

Teaching chemistry can be very challenging. Imagine teaching it in a different

language than your native one over 4,000 miles from your original home.

Malvern’s newest chemis-try teacher is Dr. Agnese Abate. Abate is starting her first year as an Honors and AP Chemistry teacher at Malvern.

She is originally from Milan, Italy and is very excited to begin at Malvern.

Abate took the position as chemistry teacher because she wanted to teach students the scientific base to understand chemistry. "I taught at a university level for three years," Abate said. "I realized that I wanted to start to shape students’ minds from a younger age. Many students lacked the basic materials needed to succeed in a college level class."

Dr. Abate has taught at the University of Pennsylvania and at Temple University. When she lived in Italy, she worked for a pharmaceutical company.

She is very excited to work at Malvern and she especially likes the strong sense of community. “Malvern connects people together, it is like a big family,” Abate said. "I feel it among the teachers and also among the students. I really appreciate the brotherhood I see every day at Malvern Prep."

Abate likes hiking, swimming, and reading books either in Italian or in English. She is also the school coordinator for an Italian school for children in Philadelphia.

Abate loves teaching, but what she likes most is to see is results in what she teaches. "I like to see my students understand and appreciate chemistry,” she said. “That is the best feeling you can get while teaching." v

COUNSELING: Mrs. Kelley BittnerMrs. Kelley Bittner has joined Malvern’s Counseling Team and is loving every moment.

Tommy White ’17REPORTER

Mrs. Bittner knew from her f irst interview that she would love to work at

Malvern. She was comfortable here right from the start.

“I love the feeling of family and community,” said Bittner “I love the attention you can give to your stu-dents and the ability to get to know them.”

Bittner had a very welcoming and relaxed feeling when she first met some of the faculty and counse-lors. She wanted to feel like she was working in a place with friends, and Malvern seemed like the perfect fit.

Kelley Bittner grew up near Pine Barrens, New Jersey where she loved athletics and the outdoors. She played both field hockey and lacrosse com-petitively, most notably as a part of a New Jersey State Lacrosse Team that won seven State Championships in a row.

Mrs. Bittner always liked helping others, so she started coaching when she was in high school. She had aspi-rations to continue her lacrosse career in college. Unfortunately, she sus-tained a knee injury and her lacrosse prospects changed. She chose to play field hockey at Villanova University and enjoyed it very much.

Eventually, her knee injury pre-vented her from playing field hockey. She transferred Rutgers University in New Jersey to focus her studies on helping high school students choose a college and figure out what they want to do with their lives. She went to graduate school to further her studies in counseling.

Bittner is passionate about help-ing the environment and she is also very fond of animals. She enjoys hik-ing and hopes to get involved in the Outdoors Club.

Bittner is really looking forward to helping Malvernians achieve their goals. v

Meet Malvern’s New Teachers

DR. ABATE / T. PERO

MRS. BITTNER TALKS WITH MATT DALLER ’17 / T. PERO

SCIENCE: Mr. Steve Borish ’10A recent alumnus returns to Malvern to teach chemistry and biology.

Jack Magargee ’18MEDIA AND TECH EDITOR

Mr. Stephen Borish ’10 is back to teach on campus five years after graduating

from Malvern.Bor ish, who is or ig ina l ly

from Havertown, PA, is teaching Chemistry and Biology.

At Malvern he was involved in many activities, including track and Malvern Theatre Society (MTS) He also founded the Spanish Club with peers.

“I got involved with a lot of stuff,” Borish said. “It gave me so many opportunities to discover who I was and what interests me.”

Borish studied abroad in Spain and Panama and chose to go to Peru for his service trip.

Borish was voted “Most likely to be a teacher at Malvern” in his senior yearbook.

After Malvern, Borish attended Temple University. He gradu-ated with degrees in Biology and Spanish. His speciality was biotech-nology, but he also did research in nanotechnology.

Out of college, Borish stayed at Temple and got a job in the admis-sions department. He helped interna-tional students with the visa process necessary to study in America.

Borish was drawn back to Malvern because of the feel of a smaller, more personal space. “I love Temple and there are so many people different than you and that’s one thing I want to bring back to Malvern,” Borish said.

“[Malvern] is not just a place for me to work, it’s a place for me to go with any questions in my life and someone’s always there to help

me and it made going to school here really special,” Borish said.

Borish returned with a goal in mind: to better the science program. He plans to do this by integrating more research oriented activities into his classrooms.

An important quality at Malvern is the personal bond that forms between teacher and student. “Being able to walk on campus and say ‘hi’ to people and realize who they are and they know who you are is really cool and it’s hard to find,” Borish said.

“While I was here I felt like part of the family and it really drew me back to be part of that community,” Borish said. v

MR. BORISH / J. MAGARGEE

ACCURATE PREDICTION FROM 2010 MALVERNIAN

SUBSTITUTE: Mr. Will HausMalvern welcomes the man students are already calling “New JoePa.”

Tommy Pero ’17FRIAR LIFE EDITOR

Mr. Will Haus has joined Malvern as a full time substitute teacher as well

as a lacrosse and freshmen football coach.

Haus is originally from Palmyra, a town close to Hershey in central Pennsylvania. There, he attended Palmyra High School. He graduated from Duke University this spring.

Haus decided to come to Malvern so he could get his career started in education and coaching. “The oppor-tunity arose, and the people seem great. It felt look a good fit for me,” he said.

Haus already feels welcomed into the Malvern community. “Everyone just seems like a really good person - whether it’s teachers, faculty, or even the students,” he said. “It makes

being new here that much easier.”Haus enjoys playing and watch-

ing sports and has played lacrosse all his life, most recently at Duke. There, he played defensive midfield and was an All-American and team captain in 2015, according to Duke’s athletic website. He also helped Duke win two NCAA National Championships in 2013 and 2014.

A l t h o u g h h e i s f r o m Pennsylvania, he roots for the Carolina Panthers.

After less than two weeks of classes, Haus already knows the basics of 21st Century education.“[21st Century Education] is really getting the students involved, having them working in groups, collaborating with each other, and trying to get the most out of everyone,” he said. “It’s not so much, ‘Here’s a text book. Read it.’ It’s ‘Here’s something. Figure it out.’”

Students are already calling Mr. Haus, “New JoePa,” as he replaces the recently retired Joe Redican, who performed this job before.

However, he says it doesn’t bother him right now. He added with a smile, “Hopefully in the future, I’ll get my own name.” v

MR. HAUS / T. PERO

COUNSELING: Mr. Ian HarknessAfter ten years in the Gettysburg University admissions department, Ian Harkness is ready to lead the Malvern College Counseling Department.

Mike Droogan ’16 SPORTS EDITOR

“I just got tired of all the trave-ling and want to spend more time helping students and

their families through the college process,” Harkness said.

Ian Harkness grew up on a farm in Northern Pennsylvania “in the middle of nowhere.” He credits his mom for pushing him to work hard in school and in the college process.

Harkness went to Gettysburg College where he had his first expo-sure to Malvern. “My best friend there went to Malvern so that made me know how great Malvern is,” Harkness said.

After graduating, he went back to Gettysburg to work with admis-sions. “I recruited from boarding schools in Connecticut and upstate New York, and all the travel became very tiresome, so when I heard about

MR. HARKNESS / M. DROOGAN

> PAGE 5

Page 5: The Blackfriar Chronicle - September 2015

THE BLACKFRIAR CHRONICLE September 2015 5

FRIAR LIFE

SCIENCE: Mr. Lou OsinskiNew Malvern science teacher Lou Osinski is welcomed to the community.

Ryan Marine ’19CONTRIBUTOR

Mr. Lou Osinski will be teaching a new course ca l led Physica l and

Chemical Systems. Physical and Chemical systems is the replacement class for Academic Chemistry which integrates chemistry and physics.

Osinski chose to teach at Malvern because he wanted to come back to “an all male Augustinian School.”

Osinski had previously taught at Monsignor Bonner for 18 years and at Cardinal O’Hara.

Osinski attended Penn State for undergraduate, where he majored in electrical engineering and later received a graduate degree in educa-tion from Drexel University.

Osinski said he is most looking forward to the Augustinian traditions at Malvern.

Osinski’s favorite part of teach-ing is that he is “always constantly learning.”

“I think I am curious by nature, so I always like to learn new things,” Osinski said.

Osinski said that everyone at Malvern is very helpful. “If you have

a question, you can turn and ask somebody, and if they don’t know the answer they will direct you to someone who does,” he said.

He does not have much free time, but when he does he enjoys astron-omy as well as tinkering around with computers and electronics.

He is a fan of the Eagles, and he also is the manager of his daughter’s soccer team.

Mr. Osinski is married with two daughters, and a son. v

MR. OSINSKI / T. PERO

MATH: Mr. Tom Pannulla How a karate school in West Chester helped bring Malvern its newest Calculus teacher.

Ben Yankelitis ’16EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Malvern welcomes math-ematician, runner, local Phi l ly guy, and new

teacher Tom Pannulla. Pannulla grew up in Coatesville,

PA where he attended Coatesville High School. For college, he went to La Salle University where he got a dual undergraduate degree in sec-ondary education and mathematics in 2011.

Later, in 2013, Pannulla earned a Master’s Degree from La Salle in education. He returned to teach at Coatesville High School for one year in 2014.

“I heard through the grapevine that a job was [open at Malvern],” Pannulla said. “The opportunity to teach BC Calc and Honors Pre-Calc is a math teacher’s dream job, so it stood out to me.”

The “grapevine” originated at a Karate school that his brother owns in West Chester. The mother of a stu-dent that Pannulla’s brother teaches is “very good friend’s with someone who works around [Malvern],” Pannulla said. After hearing this, Pannulla applied, interviewed, and got the job.

Pannulla is ready to embrace all that Malvern offers him. A cross

country and track and field athlete at both the high school and collegiate level, he has already ran with the Malvern cross country team.

According to his LinkedIn page, after completing his f ive years of eligibility at La Salle, he served as a graduate assistant coach for both men’s and women’s cross country and track and field. “I’m going to try and help out with [Malvern’s team] as much as possibly can,” Pannulla said.

Panulla also wants to get involved with the Malvern Christian Service trips.

“I am excited to be here. The experience so far has only been two full weeks, but it’s been awesome,” Pannulla said. “Just being here has been great.” v

MR. PANNULLA / B. YANKELITIS

the opening at Malvern I knew it was perfect.” “My strength is helping people find their strengths,” he said. “I came here because I want to

help students as best I can.” His one piece of advice for students preparing for the college process would be to “start early.” His rural roots have made him very interested in nature and he hopes to lead the Outdoors Club. In his spare time he is a drummer in a nine piece jazz band. Additionally he is an avid fan of

the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Orioles. “I grew up in THE Bills era with Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, and of course Steve Levy, the greatest head coach of all time.”

Harkness is excited to go to the Bills-Eagles game this December in Philadelphia, but “probably won’t wear a Bills jersey to ensure [his] safety.” v

ENGLISH: Mr. Jason Sammartino ’04Malvern alum rejoins community as a new member of the English Department.

Nick Li ’17CONTRIBUTOR

“It was a goal to eventually teach here, it wasn’t some-thing I envisioned hap-

pening as early as it has,” Mr. Jason Sammartino said. Sammartino was a lifer at Malvern and graduated in 2004.

Since Sammartino’s time, “this school has gone through incredible changes.”

“I’ve really enjoyed the rise of the arts here. It has become its own institution,” Sammartino said. “There used to be this fear that I couldn’t be on the football team and do the play. I think [the change] is incredible.”

After his Malvern career, Sammartino studied at Temple University where he majored in

Business and English. After college, he worked in multiple fields, but even-tually decided to pursue his Master’s Degree in education at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia.

While at St. Joe’s, Sammartino spent a lot of time visiting and observ-ing teachers at Malvern. He learned the different teaching styles and mod-eled his own style after those of the other teachers. With the departures of Ms. Day and Mr. Pison, Sammartino was able to apply for the position and secure it.

Outside of teaching, Sammartino is an artist. He loves playing the gui-tar and plays with a couple wedding bands and with bands on his own.

Sammartino is also extremely passionate about cooking and food. As a resident of South Philly, he

believes that he has access to some of the best foods in the world.

Mr. Sammartino is very excited about his first teaching position at Malvern. He has had a lot of fun with the students thus far, and is ready for a great year. v

MR. SAMMARTINO / N. LI

LATIN: Ms. Molly WaldronMalvern welcomes new Latin teacher Ms. Molly Waldron.

Colin Price ’18REPORTER

It’s 7:40 A.M. on a rainy Thursday morning and Ms. Waldron is in her classroom watching Latin

videos.Ms. Waldron is looking forward

to teaching Latin literature, includ-ing readings from Julius Caesar and other classic poetry. She loves Latin and is excited to teach all levels of Latin here.

Waldron explained that she decided to teach at Malvern because of “the sense of brotherhood amongst the students, wonderful faculty, and

it’s a community I want to be a part of.”

Waldron grew up in Wayne and went to high school at Episcopal Academy. For college, she attended Davidson College in North Carolina. Continuing her education, she came back home to Villanova to get her master’s degree.

Waldron is the only Latin teacher at Malvern and will be teaching eve-rything from Latin I to AP Latin.

Running tops Waldron’s list of things she enjoys outside of school. She has run multiple marathons including the Boston Marathon.

What are Waldron’s favorite snacks while watching Latin videos? “I’m a big fan of cheese and crackers, but the occasional ice cream sundae is pretty nice too,” Waldron said. v

MS. WALDRON / C. PRICE

ENGLISH: Mrs. Kathryn Wolstenholme Mrs. Wolstenholme is in the same boat as her freshman English students this year, adjusting to life at Malvern.

Tommy Pero ’17, Brendan Mullen ’16FRIAR LIFE EDITOR, REPORTER

One of the newest English teachers at Malvern is Mrs. Kathryn Wolstenholme.

In addition to the fact that Wolstenholme truly loves teaching English, she is also interested in the socially responsible side of the Malvern experience. “I really felt that Malvern was the perfect marriage of getting to teach English at a high level and also get to work in Christian Service. Community is important and unity and those are things I really try to incor-porate even when I worked in public schools,” she said.

Wolstenholme is originally from Palm Beach, Florida. “These whole snowy winters are new to me,” she said.

In high school, she was a state champion swimmer. Wolstenholme con-tinued her success at the University of Alabama where she was a team captain and All-American.

Wolstenholme started coaching swimming in the Philadelphia area, met her husband, and decided to stay in the area. She stills coaches at the Upper Main Line YMCA.

Wolstenholme has already noticed Malvern’s academic intensity. “I feel like the level is elevated here. People are really taking it seriously in class and working during the class periods,” she said.

Wolstenholme also enjoys the positive and supportive working environment. “It seems like everybody loves work-ing here and being here, and that's something that's refreshing and a little bit different,” she said. “People really love coming to work here and that's wonderful.” v

MS. WOLSTENHOLME / B. MULLEN

> HARKNESS, 4

Page 6: The Blackfriar Chronicle - September 2015

THE BLACKFRIAR CHRONICLE6 September 2015

WORLD NEWS

Extramarital affair website hacked, info leakedAn extramarital affairs website was hacked this summer. Teachers and alum offer some perspective.

Ethan Rowley ’18CONTRIBUTOR

Around 37 million people have had personal informa-tion leaked from the website

Ashley Madison, a dating site which offers married people the opportunity to cheat on their spouses, according to The Guardian.

On August 18, a group of hack-ers identifying themselves only as the “Impact Team” released 9.7 gigabytes of personal data, including online profile data, email addresses, and some credit card transation data. They threat-ened to leak the information if the owner of the site, Avid Life Media, did not shut down Ash leyMadison.com, according to Vanity Fair.

T he hacker s released a docu-ment stating that if the site was not shut down, “[We] will release all customer records, including profiles with all the customers’ secret sexual fantasies and matching credit card transactions, real names and addresses, and employee documents and emails.”

Ashley Madison had a profile dele-tion option where customers cou ld pay $19 to have their profiles erased from the Ashley Madison database. The Impact Team claimed that pro-files that had been “deleted ” hadn’t been erased at all. They had just been taken off of the active site so other users could no longer see them.

After the hackers followed up on their threat and leaked the data, they released a state-ment. “Too bad for those men, they’re cheating dirtbags and deserve no such discretion,” stated t he do c u ment . “Too bad for Avid Life Media, you promised secrecy but didn’t deliver.”

C o m p u t e r Science and Science Department Leader Mr. Kevin Quinn noted that websites like Facebook, Twitter, and Ashley Madison make money by dealing with data.

“They collect data, and that data is valuable to them,” Quinn said. “They don’t really have much incen-tive to ever delete anything... [T]hey

might say ‘Well we won’t put it live on the site anymore, but we might hang onto it in the background because it may still be useful to us.’”

“Anything that you ever put online, don’t think that there’s any way to delete it,” Quinn said. “You might go on Facebook and say ‘I deleted that picture, I took it down.’ If it ever went onto a computer sys-tem, the chances are it still exists somewhere.”

Soc ia l Just ice and Mora l Theology Teacher Mr. Alexander Haynie said, “Even though it’s a good

thing that Ashley Madison won’t be able to exist after all the data was leaked, it’s not our right to publicize the trans-gressions of other people.”

“It ’s a shame that they’re being exposed. We’ve already seen some cases of suicide,” said Haynie.

One case of a suicide over the

hacking of Ashley Madison was John Gibson, a Baptist pastor and semi-nary professor in New Orleans. In his suicide note he explicitly mentioned

Ashley Madison, as well as depression, his wife Christi Gibson told the Washington Post.

“It’s disgrace-fu l that Ashley Madison exists and that they’re trying to make a prof it off of ruining and brea k ing dow n families,” Haynie said. “It’s a terrible company and it ’s utterly reprehensi-

ble that they are actively promoting adultery and cheating on spouses, it’s a good thing that they won’t be able to exist.”

However, not everyone agrees.

“While I per-sona l ly disagree with every thing Ashley Madison stands for, I think that it should be able to exist legally,” MECO L eader Mike McCarthy ‘15 said. “It is not the government's place to regulate the morals of its people,

and while the existence and finan-cial prosperity of Ashley Madison is unfortunate, and reflects very poorly on the moral state of our nation, it is and ought to be legal.” v

Even though it’s a good thing that Ashley Madison won’t be able to exist after all the data was leaked, it’s not our right to publicize the transgressions of

other people.

-Mr. Alex Haynie

While the existence and financial prosperity of

Ashley Madison is unfortunate, and

reflects very poorly on the moral state of our nation, it is and ought to be legal.

-Michael McCarthy ’15

Sports PerspectiveMalvern kicks off season with 37-0 blowout over St. RitaReflecting on the the Malvern football team’s trip to Chicago and a performance to remember in the season opener against Chicago’s St. Rita’s.

Jack Magargee ’18Media and Tech Editor

Imagine the opportunity to play at an NFL stadium as a high school student. For 64 members of the varsity football team, this was a reality.The varsity football team traveled to Chicago from

August 26 to August 30 to play St. Rita of Cascia High School at Soldier Field.

The trip began on Wednesday, August 26, following our team’s morning practice. After a seven hour bus ride, the buses pulled into Canton, Ohio, the birthplace of foot-ball, where the Hall of Fame resides. In Canton, we went to to dinner and watched film before going to the hotel.

Early on Thursday morning, we went to the Professional Football Hall of Fame in Canton for a walk-through on the field. Later, we returned to the Hall of Fame for a demonstration on the evolution of helmets and a tour of the Hall. I was amazed at iconic casts of the members heads.

We left for Chicago from the Hall of Fame and we were there by night. Shortly after getting to the hotel, we gathered in one of the ballrooms for a last pre-game walk-through. Coach Brady and Fr. Flynn spoke to us about preparation for the game.

Two men representing Siege Sports, a Kansas City-based jersey company, surprised us with new jerseys. We ended up wearing those jerseys for our game.

On Friday morning, the day of the game, we went to St. Rita of Cascia High School to celebrate the feast day of St. Augustine. Mr. Talbot, Mr. Algeo, Fr. Flynn, andy my brother, Rory Magargee ‘10, who volunteered at St. Rita’s last year, greeted us before Mass. We celebrated Mass in St. Rita’s chapel with the student body. Mass was a little more rowdier than a typical one at Malvern. Their chapel was enormous compared to that of Malvern.

After Mass, we had lunch at St. Rita’s and one last meeting in their auditorium before heading to Soldier Field

Once we were all set up in one of the locker rooms, we walked on the field in the stadium and posed for a picture in our new uniforms. Back in the the locker room, coaches and Fr. Flynn spoke with us. We went outside the stadium for our pregame warm up.

Once back in the stadium, we lined up for the National Anthem and a tribute to soldiers in WWII who were alumni of Malvern and St. Rita.

Kickoff was around 4 pm central time. The game ended by 7. The score: 37-0, Malvern.

Walking back out that tunnel and looking up to see 61,500 seats, we felt larger than life.

Most players’ families traveled to Chicago for the game. We had dinner with our families at Soldier Field after the game.

After the pressures of the game went away and eve-ryone relaxed, some of the funniest moments of this trip took place.

On our final day in Chicago, we were released to our parents for a couple hours. Many families went to Navy Pier, the Nike Store, and Willis Tower. After regrouping, we left for South Bend.

Personally, I went to Navy Pier and took a boat tour around the city on Lake Michigan. The views were as incredible as Philly from the Art Museum.

We toured the University of Notre Dame’s football facilities on Saturday, highlighted by trips to their book store, locker rooms, walking on the field, and a Mass by Fr. Flynn. Alumni who currently attend Notre Dame joined us for Mass.

Notre Dame was the last stop on the trip and after a ten hour bus ride, we arrived home at Malvern at 11:15 PM.

Sure, the ride was far, but the ends justified the means. They say few things are sweeter than an opening win, but how about a 37-0 win in an NFL stadium?

The most memorable thing I took away from the trip was shaking hands with our Augustinian brothers after the game at Soldier Field. You could feel the truth, unity, and love in the air. Proving that all of us are really one body.

This trip was an awesome experience. Like so many things we take for granted, it is unique to Malvern. To be able to travel half-way across a country to win your opening game at an NFL stadium isn’t something any high school student will forget. I’m very grateful for the opportunity to go on this trip and I am very excited to get on with this season with my brothers, united by this unique experience. v

PLAYERS EXPLORE THE FIELD AT NOTRE DAME J. MAGARGEE

FRIAR FOOTBALL ON THE FIELD AT NOTRE DAME J. MAGARGEE

Anything that you ever put online, don’t think that

there’s any way to delete it...

If it ever went on onto a computer

system, the chances are it still exists

somewhere.

-Mr. Kevin Quinn

Page 7: The Blackfriar Chronicle - September 2015

THE BLACKFRIAR CHRONICLE September 2015 7

FRIAR LIFE

Malvern responds to Papal visitMalvern administrators and students react and prepare for the upcoming visit of the Holy Father this month.

Tommy White ’17REPORTER

On September 26, Pope Francis will arrive at the City of Philadelphia, and

help the city conclude the World Meeting of Families. Malvern will be participating in this World Meeting of Families and will be doing many things to help students participate.

“Curricularly speaking, each theology class will have some sort of project or unit that centers around the family, said President Fr. James Flynn, OSA. “This project will hope-fully be interactive between the stu-dent, his parents, and siblings.”

Malvern has scheduled Reverse C schedules each day of World Meeting of Families, during the week leading up to the Pope’s visit. Each day, one class wil l report at 8:00 AM for a Mass. The mid-dle school Mass is Monday, Sept. 21. The freshman class Mass is Tuesday, sophomore s on Wednesday, juniors on Thursday, and seniors on Friday.

According to an email sent to families by Malvern Communications, the class Masses are mandatory for the students, but parents, siblings and grandparents are invited to attend.

The email also stated that families are invited to visit Philadelphia dur-ing the World Meeting of Families, and that student absences to attend the Meeting would be marked as excused.

The World Meeting of Families will bring a great amount of Catholics to Philadelphia, in numbers unseen since Pope St. John Paul II visited Philadelphia in 1979.

“People are coming from all over the world for this, right? Just to be able to meet them and to get their perspective of life and the meetings will be on family life… it’s a once in a lifetime experience,” said Flynn.

Flynn said he hoped that the school could send about 50 students each day down to the city to take part in World Meeting of Families activi-ties and meet attendees. However, he said this was not possible, as Meeting’s programming is designed for families.

Another idea Flynn proposed

was that Malvern students could act as guides to the thousands of visi-tors who are not familiar with the city. The idea was scrapped as event organizers wanted guides to be over 18 years of age, said Flynn.

Malvern purchased SEPTA passes to help students and parents

who would l ike to see the Pope. Members of the Malvern commu-nity can purchase these passes by contact ing Mrs. Melinda Dresden, Assistant to the President and Head of School.

Several students are also looking for-ward to the Pope’s visit.

“I think that the Pope is a very

influential person in today’s society,” said Rohan Jhunjhunwala ‘18. “And [he] can serve as a role model for all of us.”

“I think it’s going to bring a lot of popularity to Philadelphia,” Sam Rose ’17 said. “There is going to be a lot of people for sure.”

Head of School Mr. Christian Talbot said he was not very involved in the planning process, and that Father Flynn was in charge of the plan for Malvern.

Even if students or families are not attending, Talbot said the Malvern community can learn from the Pope’s message.

“We should continue to empha-size his central themes,” he said, “which are care for the environment, concern for the less fortunate, diver-sity and inclusion, and then finally, mercy.”

“The Pope is a person whose best friend is Jesus Christ, and that’s [how] all of us at Malvern ought to be,” said Flynn. v

POPE FRANCIS POSED FOR A SELFIE WITH TEENS IN ROME IN 2013

TWITTER @FABIOMR AGONA,

People are coming from all over the

world for this, right? Just to be able to

meet them and to get their perspective

of life and the meetings will be on

family life… it’s a once in a lifetime

experience.

-Fr. James Flynn

COMINGSOON.NET

they were constantly doing different team building activities.”

“I had fun bonding with my new classmates,” Owen Preston ’19 said. “My favorite part was the rock climbing.”

The Black Friar Chronicle set up a survey for the freshmen to take during those two days of orientation and at the end of day two shared the results with them. To check out the survey results, go to page 8.

Freshman orientation was not done after rock climbing. After those two days, orientation continues for the first three weeks of school. A team of 9th grade teachers, other faculty members, and Head of the

Upper School Mr. Algeo came up with the idea to focus on the school values of Truth, Unity, and Love.

“We always loved the brother-hood ceremony but we thought it was a little too soon,” Algeo said. “We thought if we could give you an experience the first 3 weeks of school, break up each week with a theme for that value, you would get a broader sense of our mission and the three values.”

For those first three weeks, the freshmen stay behind after Monday chapel services to learn what the theme will be for the week, Algeo said. “In each department, they carry that theme throughout [the

week],” Algeo said. “They did some activities and had students reflect on where that theme connects to the course.”

At the end of each week, the freshman class meets again and reflects on the theme and what they learned, Algeo said.

The brotherhood ceremony will take place at the end of the three weeks on September 28.

“I just want to hear what the freshmen think,” Algeo said. “Once this is over, they are going to help us decide what worked and what didn’t work, and we can go back and revamp it.”v

MR. ALGEO SPEAKS WITH FRESHMEN IN CHAPEL / D. MALLOY DR. FRY SPEAKS WITH STUDENTS / D. MALLOY

ADELPHIA SOCIETY MEMBER PAT FERRAIOLO TAKES PHOTOS ON SCAVENGER HUNT / D. MALLOYFRESHMEN TAKE BFC SURVEY / STAFF

> ORIENTATION, 3

Summer Movie Review: Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation It’s impossible to miss Mission: Impossible

Will Schaffer ’16CONTRIBUTOR

It’s impossible to miss Mission: ImpossibleMaybe the biggest blockbuster of the summer, this

Tom Cruise franchise stepped up its game once again for Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation.

The Mission: Impossible series revolves around spe-cial agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) who is part of the Impossible Missions Force (IMF), a spy agency operating under the United States government, and his insane mis-sions he is posed with.

In Rogue Nation Hunt’s agency is compromised and it is up to Ethan and a select few of his friends to con-duct their most important mission yet, one that their lives depend on.

Rogue Nation also takes its stunts up a level from past stunt renowned Mission: Impossible films. The previ-ous installment of the series, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, had Ethan Hunt scaling the Dubai tower. In Rogue Nation, Ethan Hunt actually hangs onto a plane mid flight for an intense airplane infiltration scene.

If you are looking for a movie with action packed fight scenes and stunts, then Rogue Nation is for you. Plot: A (An anti-spy agency attempts to take over the world)Acting: A+ (You can’t beat a cast with Tom Cruise at the head)

Amusement: B + (Drags on at some points but always enticing)Cinematics: A (Sometimes cheesy but always over the top fantastic stunts)Music: A (The classic Mission: Impossible soundtrack)

Overall: A v

REVIEW

Page 8: The Blackfriar Chronicle - September 2015

THE BLACKFRIAR CHRONICLE8 September 2015

FRIAR LIFE

FRESHMAN SURVEY 2015For the first time, The Blackfriar Chronicle has surveyed the freshman class during Orientation.

We would like to thank 89% of the freshmen who completed an online survey delivered during the morning book sales. Results have not been adjusted for selection bias – however,

we are pleased with such a high rate of participation. We shared some of the results with the freshmen at an Orientation program. Now we are

pleased to present 24 out of the 39 questions on the survey. We hope to share some of the other responses throughout the school year.

No question or survey can truly capture who the Malvern Prep Class of 2019 is, but hopefully we can gain a little more knowledge about the new students walking through the Carney hallways with these results.

Justice: I am surprised that there are not more students from Philadelphia county. However, the dominance of Chester and Delaware Counties does not surprise me at all. The longtime feud between Delco and Chesco looks like it won’t end with this freshman class.

Ben: The majority of Chester County students was interesting. An official survey was never taken of our class but, from experience, I would guess that Chester County students are a minor-ity of my class. I have never been a big believer in the Chester County Feud, but I’m glad to see that there are more freshman in my own home county.

Justice: Although this class is not very diverse relative to the local and national standards, I am happy that it is an increase from past years. It is clear Malvern needs to increase its Hispanic diversity. I can’t wait to see how this diverse class progresses and to see if Malvern is ready for the increase in diversity.

Ben: These numbers are exciting. As Malvern’s diversity initiative begins to take effect we see the highest diversity percentages Malvern has ever had. We want to see these numbers increase but this start is promising.

Justice: I would be very interested in a follow up study of how the kids perform at Malvern based on the middle school they went to. Does Malvern prepare its students better than public schools pre-pare their students?

Ben: As a student who came to Malvern from a public school, I find it interest-ing only 20% of students who are com-ing from a public school. Even though Malvern is a welcoming environment students will certainly have to adjust to the new private school environment.

Justice: Frankly, I am surprised that there was such a small percentage of kids that came for athletics. I expected Academics to be in the minority, but I thought that athletics would be the primary reason for more like 35% of the class. I wish more of the students would have been granted the freedom to choose what school they go to without the influence of older siblings or their parents.

Ben: Considering how Malvern sig-nificantly advertises that they are an all boys school, it was funny to see that zero freshmen chose a single sex education as their reason to attend Malvern. It makes me think of two questions. First - how many parents would choose the single sex education, and second - if this is not a reason students come. should we start thinking of a transition to co-ed?

Justice: If students would not go to another Inter-Ac school, I don’t see that as a very good thing. It tells me that the students we are attracting either a) were not accepted to other Inter-Ac schools or b) they could not afford them. We really need to work on our outlook to be more academically focused.

Ben: With a minority of students in Delco, it was funny to see that the school with the most votes was St. Joe’s. Even with a majority of fresh-man in Chester County, a school in Philadelphia is the second option for most of our freshman.

Justice: Shoutout to the one student who rides a bike to school. That is real dedication.

Ben: Carpooling and public transpor-tation represents 66% of the freshman class. Glad to see the freshman are doing their part for the environment. Now let’s hope they throw the water bottles they get with their pretzels after assemblies in the recycling bin.

Justice: The students are probably pretty accurate in their guess of 1-2 hours of homework each night for their fresh-man year. For those students who expect none, I am not sure how they reached that conclusion.

Ben: Hopefully our students work consistently hard and that 1-2 hours is constant for the whole year. Also, is community time taken into considera-tion here? It should be utilized to the max.

Justice: I suspect that there were quite a few students who did not answer these honestly. Either Malvern has some of the most honest kids in the world, or a lot of kids who lied about cheating.

Ben: It will be important for the fresh-men to learn the definition of cheating early in high school. I believe that some of them may have cheated innocently before, thinking that their re-wording of a an article is their own work.

Page 9: The Blackfriar Chronicle - September 2015

THE BLACKFRIAR CHRONICLE September 2015 9

FRIAR LIFE

Justice & Ben: To those students who do not like English - come join the Blackfriar Chronicle and see your writing in action and in a real life application!

Justice: Most students would vote for Trump, but I am curious how much they really know the platforms of the candi-dates. I feel like this proves that Trump, Bush, and Carson are getting a lot more media coverage than other candidates. However, most students probably know Hillary Clinton is running, but only 5% voted for her, so it makes me think that their parent’s political stance also affected their decision

Ben: Trump is clearly making a name for himself. Early in the election pro-cess, he has been getting the most cov-erage and I believe that is why he was the “winner.” When asked about why they voted for Trump, one student at the freshman survey presentation said that he is “OG.” As the election contin-ues hopefully the freshman play closer attention the race and can have better reasoning for their preferred candidate, even if they cannot vote

Justice: The number of books read for pleasure was only 150 less than books read for school, which seems off. I feel like the number of books read for pleasure was heavily dominated by a few voracious readers. I hope those who did not read many are able to find a genre of books that they enjoy to read.

Ben: I was shocked to see the high number of books read for leisure. It makes me very proud of the freshman class that they are putting time in to read. Malvern will encourage this type of behavior and I hope the Class of 2019 continues to be carnivorous readers.

Justice: Although rap is the clear favorite music choice for the class, there is a lot of diversity in favorite music choice. There is also a pretty significant per-centage of students who also like alter-native, EDM, and country.

Ben: My favorite response here was a write-in that simply stated, “twenty one pilots.” There is one young gentleman in the freshman class who has exceptional taste in music.

Justice: A high number of lacrosse and football players are expected every year, but to have 34 kids planning to play bas-ketball is quite incredible. It will defi-nitely lead to some disappointment later this year. We recommend Malvern’s intramural program – it’s great!

Ben: 12 students already planning on playing squash? I did not even know what squash was before I came to Malvern.

Justice: There is a really small percentage of students with no religion compared to grade. I feel like as more students grow as Malvern men and think for them-selves some might convert. However, this class has a relatively low percent-age of Catholics.

Ben: Theology classes at Malvern opened up my eyes as a young student. Hopefully, our freshman, no matter what religion, will be able to take life lessons out of their religion classes over their next four years.

Justice: It seems like the usage for Twitter (49%) definitely correlates to the percentage of students who primarily get their news from social media (48%). Apple just released the news app with iOS 9, so in the upcoming months it’ll be interesting to see how many students shift to using that.

Ben: If students are getting their news on social media I hope they are follow-ing veritable and trusted news sources. There is an abundance of great sources on social media, but there is also a lot of garbage. Plus, social media feeds often filter out viewpoints that differ from your own, so social media does not help us to learn from balanced perspectives. As we enter an election year students should be informing themselves on cur-rent events from reputable sources.

Justice: This proves how fast social media trends really change. In my grade and the grade above I’m guessing 90% of students have a Facebook account, but you can see by this chart that within three years Facebook really died. Even Twitter usage is not as popular as it is with the upperclassmen. Social media for the freshman is obviously heavily dominated by the picture-based social medias of Instagram and Snapchat.

Ben: After Periscoping graduation, I got to experience and see some of its unique features. I believe that Periscope will eventually grow as many news out-lets are starting to embrace the app. As Periscope grows in the next few years, I believe that Facebook use for this demo-graphic will continue to decline. Users of their age are so scarce, they will rarely ever feel peer pressure to get a Facebook account.

DESIGNS: M. PICHOLA, J. FAUNCE

Page 10: The Blackfriar Chronicle - September 2015

THE BLACKFRIAR CHRONICLE10 September 2015

FRIAR LIFE

Justice: As Diversity Awareness Club President I am pretty happy to see that 77% of freshman believe gay marriage should be legal. I think this clearly shows that the younger generation is more in support of gay marriage than adults.

Ben: I believe the outlook of the Catholic church has changed after Pope Francis pose the question, “Who am I to judge?”. This graph shows progress in the right direction.

Justice: I hope that these results are factual. Many of these harmful things have become too common, but this class shows promise that they could be the ones to change that.

Ben: These stats are certainly promis-ing. With lessons of the dangers of sub-stances being taught in counseling class, these numbers can continue to be low.

Justice: How the heck has over 80% of the freshman class been out of the country?

Ben: I never left the country before my senior service trip and already 80% of this class has. These freshmen should realize how lucky they are to have had those opportunities.

Justice: The freshman class is a whop-ping 1/5 of an inch shorter than the national average. That’s smaller than the thickness of a typical pencil.

Ben: Well, this does not bode well for the outlook of the freshmen basketball team’s rebounding and blocks stats.

Justice: Compared to the national aver-age there is an absurdly high percentage of parents with college degrees, espe-cially masters and postgraduate degrees. A generational study to see what level of education the freshman obtain would be interesting.

Ben: Hopefully our freshmen have the same goals as their parents and want to work hard to get a great education.

Justice: I doubt 71% of the freshman would go skydiving once they are 30,000 feet up in the air staring down at the ground about to jump out of a plane.

Ben: You do you, freshmen. You do you. v

Justice: It is really significant that four kids do not have a smartphone. Most teachers and students run under the assumption that every student does have one, so this proves that they can-not do that anymore.

Ben: I wish we could have done this survey when we were freshman to see how technology has grown. I know way more than four people did not have smartphones in my class three years ago.

Justice: This question gets at percep-tion. Most students believe they are in the upper-middle class, but my guess is that most of those students are really in the upper class. They might not per-ceive it that way because they know that one kid with a private jet, but they still could be in the upper class.

Ben: Similar to the “out of the coun-try” question, freshmen should real-ize how lucky they are after answering this question. Through different ser-vice opportunities throughout their Malvern career they will hopefully realize this.

Page 11: The Blackfriar Chronicle - September 2015

THE BLACKFRIAR CHRONICLE September 2015 11

Eagles drop 2015-16 opener in heart-breaking fashionWith high expectations entering the new NFL season, the Eagles disappointed against the Falcons, leaving Monday night with a 0-1 record.

Sean Ward ’17REPORTER

After an exciting preseason, everything seemed set for the Eagles to make a run at

the Lombardi Trophy. New quarter-back Sam Bradford was making great throws, the defense looked like the best in the league, and the running game of Demarco Murray appeared unstoppable.

But, then again, the preseason doesn’t count.

The Eagles had their season opener September 15 on Monday Night Football, and they looked anything but the team that fans watched rout the Green Bay Packers on August 29.

Coming out flat in the first half, the Eagles were held to only 3 points and found themselves in a 20-3 deficit heading into halftime.

Many fans were shocked by the early ineffectiveness of Chip Kelly’s offense, including sophomore Drew Brady. “My expectations before the game was for the Eagles to come out scoring a lot of points because of all the hype about their offense,” Brady said.

Most Eagles fans, like Brady, were disappointed by the slow start of the offense. However, several people had their doubts about the defense.

“Honestly I expected a lot of what happened,” junior Amir Webb ‘17 said. “Julio Jones is one of the top receivers in the league, and I knew he would probably be too good to cover.”

One of the many new Eagles acquisitions, cornerback Byron Maxwell had the tough assignment of covering the 6’ 3”, 220 pound Jones and other Falcons receivers such as Roddy White.

But he did a poor job allowing 10 of the 11 passes targeted his way to go for 179 yards, according to sports writer Andrew Siciliano.

“I thought Sam Bradford came out and did what he needed to do,” said Brady. “But I was really disap-pointed in Byron Maxwell.”

Maxwell, who was signed away from the reigning NFC champions,

the Seattle Seahawks, is in the first year of a six year, 63 million dol-lar deal to be the Eagles shutdown corner.

“He came out and couldn’t cover anyone,” said Brady.

Despite all the woes of the Eagles on both sides of the ball in the first half, they managed a comeback in the second half.

“The defense did start to make some key plays, turnovers, and stops, and the offense put up points,” said Webb, “but ultimately missed too many opportunities to win the game.”

Defensive back Malcolm Jenkins dropped two passes that would have been interceptions that would have given the Eagles good field position for the offense to score points.

Another key missed major oppor-tunity was Cody Parkey’s missed 44 yard field goal attempt late in the fourth quarter. It was on fourth and 1 with the Eagles only down by two. The relatively short field goal would have given the Eagles a late lead.

“I think Parkey is on a downhill slope,” said Brady. “I think it's time for the Eagles to find a new kicker.”

But the play that sealed the loss for the Eagles was a potential first down throw by Sam Bradford to wide receiver Jordan Matthews. With about a minute to play in the game and the Eagles trailing 26-24, the pass bounced off the hands of Matthews and was intercepted by the Falcons.

After that, Falcons Quarterback Matt Ryan was able to take a knee

The Eagles had their season opener

September 15 on Monday Night

Football, and they looked anything but the team that fans watched rout the

Green Bay Packers on August 29.

humanity’s literary best.But for now, it’s here and hot

off the presses. And yes, it has it all: headlines, commas, subtle fart jokes that will blow you away, and as much investigative journalism as is available on an outdated version of Internet Explorer at 3 AM the night before a deadline.

This column will be the go-to place for you to find all the things that you care about most (that matter to me). These articles will be 100% pure subjective truths that I can assert with the absolute confidence. These are indeed my own thoughts, and I’m not lying about that. Thusly, everything here will be as true as true can be. This column will cover a variety of topics, surely much more entertaining and more thought-out than self-referential introductory pieces that use circular logic to reason themselves for existing.

The columnist is your friend, always there to offer his opinion and what does he ask for in return? Not too much, just a moment of your time and your unhesitant willing-ness to support whatever you read. Maybe some cash that accidentally slipped into a “letter to the editor”. Just remember, reliability is rare nowadays and friendship is price-less, especially the special friendship between a columnist and his reader. You, dear reader, can sit back and relax and I’ll supply the conversation. I won’t ask you to chime in or burden you to put in the effort to create an opinion, I’m good at sharing, you can have mine. Just relax, take it all in, and don’t worry about “motives” or “ journalistic ethics” while reading my column. These are facts, not words.

Look for future “Ted’s Talks” exc lusively in the Black fr ia r Chronicle. v

out for them already.” In place of their study halls, students from 6th, 7th and 8th grade will have

classes that prepare them for competitions in which they explain real-world problems and solutions, DeVido said.

Eighth Grade math teacher Mr. Gary Duda said that that the modular spaces are a good idea. He said he plans to use the space like he did the Learning Commons, as a “help desk.”

Although Duda doesn’t think that the new space will change the way he teaches because “math is what it is,” he thinks the space may change other teachers’ methods.

Along with use during class time, the space will also be used for the middle school community time and breaks.

“On certain days, 6th grade will use it, on certain days 7th grade will use it, and then 8th grade will use it whenever 6th and 7th aren’t using it,” said one of the moderators of the module, former history teacher Mr. Carlo Chinici.

According to Sillup, Chinici was chosen to moderate the mod space because he loves to connect with students. Although Malvern transitioned Chinici to a role in the Development Office in July, Sillup wanted to put him somewhere where “students could pull up a chair and talk with [him]”

“His office was sort of off the beaten path,” said Sillup. “And those interac-tions just didn’t seem to take place as much.”

Late in his teaching career, Chinici is enthusiastic about the changes to the middle school. “After teaching history for forty-five years… it’s an exciting way to wind down,” Chinici said. v

> MIDDLE SCHOOL, 1

WHEN THE WIFI IS OUT Aaron Salinas ’16

MORE SCENES FROM THE NEW MODULAR CLASSROOMS / T. PIZZICO

> TED’S TALKS, 3

Got a column idea?Pitch us.

Reporters’ MeetingsMondays + Fridays

7:45 AMDuffy 118

SPORTS REPORTERS NEEDED.

Contact Pat Ferraiolo or Mike Droogan.

Page 12: The Blackfriar Chronicle - September 2015

THE BLACKFRIAR CHRONICLE12 September 2015

Sports Perspective

WORLD NEWS

Student-athletes turned employeesThe recent unionization attempt by Northwestern football players was bold, but more importantly, asked questions about implications on college athletics.

TYLER PIZZICO ’17 CHIEF INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER

Division 1 college football is a business in itself. Colleges and universities collect tens of millions of dollars just from ticket sales, advertisements,

and merchandise. Head coaches usually make upwards of a million dollars for their troubles, but what do the players get?

The answer is nothing. College football players are explicitly banned from earning or attempting to earn money for their sport while associated with their college. Is that just?

Johnny Manziel was suspended in 2013 for violating NCAA Bylaw 12.5.2.1, which forbids a player from permitting "the use of his or her name or picture to advertise, recommend or promote directly the sale or use of a commercial product or service of any kind," according to Peter Berkes, an analyst from sbnation.com.

Johnny Manziel was as close as it gets to a celebrity. His autograph and merchandise sold for lots of money. Whether or not the extravagant price of his memorabilia was the cause of his antics off the field or his captivating performances on it, is not the question. The question is simply: Do collegiate athletes have the right to make money?

The answer is yes.

The athlete is asked to show passionate dedication to the success of the team. He or she must be punctual, respect their coach, and perform at the highest level. Often, they are forced to push their academics off to the side.

This no longer sounds like an athlete on a sports team, it sounds like an employee working for a tyrannical company. The worst part, however, is unlike the employee, the athlete is getting no paycheck.

Without college athletes, the NCAA does not exist and colleges do not make the millions of dollars they expect to make each year. It is only right to give the athletes who make it all happen a cut of the action.

Some college athletes do not make it to the pros. Some athletes that do play for a minimal amount of money. During their time at college, those athletes were required to spend an enormous duration of time per-fecting their technique and abilities in their

sport just as an engineering student must study furiously to get his degree.

Consequently, they might not be well-equipped to take on a job other than one involving their sport. A certain restitu-tion is required for this wrongdoing. That payment should be the financial security ensured by a wage from the college. The college could also allow the former athlete to return to school for a discounted price to acquire a degree that will help them succeed

in the work force. The NCAA denied the Northwestern unionization efforts

preserving “one of the NCAA’s core principles: that college ath-letes are primarily students,” said Ben Strauss, a reporter on the Northwestern unionization.

The irony is, colleges strip the right to an education from these students. They are not students at all, but rather full time employees not recognized for their dedicated work. v

Refugee crisis in EU growsAs politicians across the EU try to address problems raised by immigration, thousands of refugees flood into their borders

Jack McClatchy ’17NEWS EDITOR

As civil war in Syria continues, Europe has been slammed with thousands of refugees fleeing war in the past few months.

Although this problem has been devel-oping for a while, it has recently became front-page international news as hundreds trekked across Hungary to get to Austria and Germany. Those countries welcomed them with open arms.

Social Justice and History of the Church Teacher Fr. James Cassidy, OSA believes that the European nations have taken on the responsibility of welcoming the refugees. “[They have] given numbers of how many they will take, so they have that taken care of. People getting there is a whole other question,” said Cassidy.

Europe was compelled to take in more Syrian refugees fol-lowing the publication of a photo of Aylan Kurdi, a 3-year-old Syrian boy who washed ashore dead in Turkey on Sept. 2, according to Turkish news outlet Dogan News Agency.

The United Kingdom, France and the United States have also pledged to take in ref-ugees, with President Obama calling for the United States to take in up to 10,000 Syrians every year, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said in a briefing on Sept. 10.

Spokesma n of t he U.N. H igh Commissioner for Refugees Wil l iam Spindler told a Geneva news briefing that the step taken by the White House was a good start, but that it could do more, according to Reuters.

AP Spanish Teacher and Moderator of the World Affairs Club Mrs. Kim Wright believes it matters that the White House stated a hard number of refugees. “He might be saying that so that Americans don’t have a bad reaction and think we’re letting in a flood,” Wright said.

“Could we do more? Yes,” Wright said. “Should we do more? Probably, but not every American feels that way, and in a democ-racy we need to listen to their opinions.”

Economics Teacher Mr. John Ostick described three aspects to consider when someone unknown enters a home country.

“The first is the humanitarian aspect,” Ostick said. “The next is security, thinking about what’s going to happen to your town, or to your family. The next is purely economic.”

“The lesson here is allocation of resources. Wealthier nations do have a better opportu-nity to care for the humanitarian aspect of a refugee. However, there needs to be a talk for the allocation of resources,” said Ostick.

In an interview on the program 20/20 in early September, Pope Francis opened that conversation in the Roman Catholic Church by saying that parishes should open their doors to refugees.

“The Pope is a son of refugees himself,” Fr. Cassidy said. “So, he has had that in his own personal experi-ence, besides the fact that we are mandated by Scripture to welcome the stranger.”

At the time of this article, The European Union were in talks in Brussels to discuss the next stage for the European response to this crisis.

During the weekend before those talks, however, Germany led a group of Europeans imposing border controls to stem the sheer number of Syrian refugees. At that point over 800,000 refugees had flooded into Germany, according to the BBC.

“Whenever we talk about these topics, be it immigration or refugees, we cannot forget the children,” said Wright. “Regardless of the

adults working or paying taxes, the children are in dire straits, and forgetting them is a crime against humanity.” v

“The lesson here is allocation of resources.

Wealthier nations do have a better

opportunity to care for the humanitarian aspect of a refugee.”

-Mr. John Ostick

Without college athletes, the NCAA does not exist

and colleges do not make the millions of dollars they expect to make each year.

It is only right to give the athletes who make it

all happen a cut of the action.

“The Pope is a son of refugees himself. So, he has had that in his own

personal experience, besides the fact that we are mandated by Scripture to welcome

the stranger.”

-Fr. James Cassidy

REFUGEES AT THE GREEK/MACEDONIAN BORDER, AUG. 24 CREATIVE COMMONS / KARL GRUBER

SYRIAN REFUGEES AT BUDAPEST TRAIN STATION, SEPT. 4 CREATIVE COMMONS

Page 13: The Blackfriar Chronicle - September 2015

THE BLACKFRIAR CHRONICLE September 2015 13

ArtsMedia and technology

Gatti ’17, Franck ’18 to sing in Papal ChoirTwo Malvern students are part of the 50-member Papal Choir that will sing for Pope Francis when he visits Philadelphia in September.

Jack McClatchy ’17WORLD NEWS EDITOR

Over 80 tried out, but even-tually only 50 people were chosen to be part of the

choir of high school and college stu-dents to sing for the Pope on Sunday Sept. 27.

“We were contacted by Mr. Liga in mid-July,” said sophomore Christian Franck. “And we had about five days to prepare before audition-ing. It was actually pretty sudden.”

Music teacher Mr. Ed Liga said that the notice was short because there isn’t just one choir performing at the Papal visit.

“There’s the Basilica choir, the larger Archdiocesan choir, a Latino choir and even a Vietnamese choir,” he said. “We were cleared so late, that I sent the email out as soon as I got word.”

Mr. Liga contacted all current and future members of the Men’s Chorus. Franck, Gatti and 2015 alum Phil Daubney all responded. They each were accepted into the chorus.

“I wish we had more people going out,” said Liga. “But who’s going to check their Malvern email in the dead of July?”

“When we went to audition, they took us into a room by voice part where one person would play the piano, and two others would grade us,” said Nick Gatti, ‘17. “We had to show our vocal range and sing ‘Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee’ in front of everyone.”

“It was kind of nerve-racking,” Gatti said.

Gatti did not think he would make the choir. “There were a lot of kids who tried out, and I was actually the last one put on the roster,” he said. “A lot of things just fell into place.”

Both Gatti and Franck are basses in the 50-person choir, which includes 32 girls and 18 boys from high schools in the area. They will perform during the Parkway Mass on Sept. 27.

“There are lot of works that can span 20, 30 minutes, and then there’s some that are short and sweet,” Franck said. “A lot of stuff was actu-ally commissioned specifically for the Mass, so there’s a lot of original music. It’s a big binder.”

The practice schedule is busy for the two of them, including practice every night the week before Pope Francis visits in Philadelphia.

“We actually don’t know how we’re getting there,” said Gatti. “They say Secret Service is going to bus us down, but we don’t know where, when or how.”

Gatti said he also does not know if they are going to meet with the Pope, or just sing for him. v

BFC Music Review#ThrowbackSeptember

Des Papariello ’18, Colin Price ’18PODCAST EDITOR, REPORTER

We take a trip back to the nineties and share some of our favorite jams.

Throwback Album Californication (1999)Red Hot Chili Peppers

This is arguably the best album by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The return of their guitarist John Frusciante sparked an incredible cre-ative curve that propelled the Chili Peppers to the top of the charts. This album was a step up from their pre-vious album One Hot Minute (1994). One Hot Minute disappointed fans and the Chili peppers lost a lot of their fanbase. After Californication came out, it brought their old fans back and also sparked a whole new wave of fans. This album combines beautiful guitar melodies from John

Frusciante and very funky bass riffs from bassist Flea. This album displays how the band had progressed since their first album in 1984. The Chili Peppers keep their punk rock roots but also add a melodical side of the band that nobody had heard before from them. Californication topped at number 3 on the U.S. Billboard 200, and reached 5x platinum in sales.

Throwback Song “Everybody” (1997)Backstreet boys

You may know it from This Is The End and its 2.1 million sales in the United States. Most people would consider this one of the most rec-ognizable songs from the American band. A song that everybody knows and everybody loves. This song uti-lizes bubble pop synthesisers from the late 1990’s. It has lyrics that we can relate to. v

CHRISTIAN FRANCK / J. MCCLATCHY

N. GATTI / J. MCCLATCHY

Algeo used Schoology in a class that he taught over the summer. He taught fellow teachers from Malvern and Villa Maria using exclusively Schoology, and he felt that Schoology greatly enhanced the learning experience.

Math teacher and scheduler Mr. Michael Koenig used the new sys-tems a little differently. As the scheduler, Koenig’s job is to create the schedules for each student for the upcoming year. Koenig said he worked “exclusively with Blackbaud.”

“Blackbaud was a better overall program for our entire network,” said Koenig. “Every aspect of the school can be tied together on one database.” He said that Blackbaud allows for cutting down on errors with scheduling courses, but there were still some minor issues with prioritizing classes.

Despite the minor issues, the pilots were deemed a huge success, and Schoology was deemed ready to be introduced to the whole school in the 2015-2016 school year.

The initial reactions of the new program have been mixed. Some teachers and students say that the feel of Schoology is very

smooth and convenient. “I love that there’s an app and that it’s very acces-sible,” Billy Wolfe ’17 said. “The calendar [feature] makes planning so much easier and it is so much more convenient than MyBackpack was.”

Algeo believes that students and teachers can be “more organized and environmentally friendly” with Schoology. “Teachers can make more material available online and organize it easier,” he said.

“Malvern is moving forward to being more technology based,” said Algeo. “As schoology becomes more integrated into our culture, there will be less and less paper used.”

Others are still not certain about the new LMS. “I wished there was a day that was dedicated to teaching us the ins

and outs of the program,” Will Burgess ‘17 said. “I’m still trying to figure everything out and it’s just frustrating.”

Collin Gordinier ‘16 said “[Schoology] is very confusing, and it’s not easy to actually access assignments.”

“Anytime you transition there’s going to be bumps in the road,” Assistant Director of Technology Mr. John Street said. “You have to plan for it and adjust. So far it’s a nice start but we’ll keep moving forward - moving forward is key.”

Despite some concerns with the new system, the Technology Department is dedicated to utilizing it.

“We’re going to make Schoology work,” said Norko. “If issues come up, then we will have to readjust. But Schoology, as far as we’re concerned, is here to stay.” v

What to take away from the D23 ExpoMovies, shows, and games...oh my!

Jack Magargee ’18MEDIA AND TECH EDITOR

Disney made many announce-ments on August 14-16 regarding upcoming movies

and video games at their D23 Expo.Been on Twitter in the past

month? Then you probably know about the new Pixar movies.

These movies are just one small piece in a huge puzzle that was D23 this year.

D23 is the expo Disney hosts to promote their new projects. This year was their biggest yet.

The expo is a bi-annual event run by the official Disney Fan Club. The event was especially notable this time around because of Marvel’s decision to not present at San Diego Comic

Con for the first time in many years.Disney is a parent company to

many assets. These include but are not limited to: Pixar, Marvel, ESPN, and Star Wars.

Marvel had two major events: a reveal of the first footage of Captain America Civil War, and the first look at concept art for Doctor Strange star-ring Benedict Cumberbatch.

Another Disney subsidiary, ABC, has loads of Disney Content on air. Perhaps one of the most antici-pated shows this Fall The Muppets had a strong representation at D23. The Muppets’ rights were only recently bought by Disney.

The releasing of the Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer was a landmark in the past year. As of the time this article was written, it had nearly 62 million views on Youtube. This is why the release of many new images from the movie had a lot of buzz surround-ing them in recent days.

Towards the end of the expo, Disney released a timeline image of all the movies of the companies owned by them up until summer 2017. 18 in all, Disney is throwing some fairly big names out there. Some notable ones not mentioned yet are Roald Dahl ’s BFG, Pirates of the Caribbean V, and a live-action Beauty and the Beast.

The highlight of the show was probably the announcement of new

Pixar movies. The movies were mostly sequels. Movies such as Toy Story 4, Finding Dory, and the long awaited Incredibles 2. Another highlight: the recent release of the trailer of a live action Jungle Book with an A-list cast including Scarlett Johansson, Bill Murray, Idris Elba, and Christopher Walken.

Last summer Disney announced plans to continue the Marvel Cinematic Universe until at least 2020. In total, they have announced 24 movies to come out in the next five years. v

> SCHOOLOGY, 1

IGN.COM IGN.COM

Page 14: The Blackfriar Chronicle - September 2015

THE BLACKFRIAR CHRONICLE14 September 2015

SPORTSFall sports teams expect another great yearPatrick Ferraiolo ‘17SPORTS EDITOR

Last fall, numerous Malvern fall sports teams took home championships in the Inter-Ac, including Golf, Water Polo, Cross Country, and Football. This year, what can we expect?

Water PoloLast year, the Water Polo team won its second consecutive Inter-Ac championship. This year, the team started off 4-1.

“This year, we have a very young team, but with some very good senior leadership in our captains Tait McGlinn and Harrison Grant, ” Head Coach Mr. Jay Schiller said. “Also, Aaron Salinas is one of our best defenders, and maybe one of the best defenders in the his-tory of the school.”

Feeding off the leadership, the underclassmen have contributed to the team’s success. Two sophomores, Isaac Salinas and Steven Salle, are currently the top two goal scorers on the team.

Other major contributors to the team are Sean Oates, Zach Maher, and Nick Calvaresi. Schiller has high expectations for this year. “I very much expect Malvern Prep to be in

the mix for the Inter-Ac championship. I certainly think that we will be able to compete with our competition.”

Coming up on September 25-26, the team has the “Beast of the East” tournament, which will be a good test against the top PIAA schools in the state of Pennsylvania.

“This will be a good match before we have our first league match on September 29th, and we would love to have some student body support for that,” Schiller said. v

Cross CountryThis year, the Malvern Cross Country team has to deal with some major setbacks.

After winning the Inter-Ac last year, the team has lost many of its top runners, setting its expectations back from last year.

“We graduated a lot of talent,” said Coach Mike Koenig. “We still have fairly high aspirations. But compared to last year, we had national level aspirations, and this year we had to scale it back a little bit.”

The team still hopes to win the league and place in the top three at the State Championship meet.

“We still have a ton of talent on the team,” said Koenig. “[Senior] Colin Wills is our clear number one runner, and he’s probably favored to win the entire league and the state meet.”

The team has a solid supporting cast, including senior Anthony Ciro and sophomores Peter Borger, Danny Malloy and John Powers.

“There’s always a big jump between Freshman and Sophomore year for runners,” said Koenig. “Right now, we have a lot of good younger runners that are coming up.” v

FootballThe Malvern football team started the year with a bang, winning their opener 37-0 over St. Rita’s at Soldier Field in Chicago.

They followed this win with another impressive victory against Holy Spirit.

“I think this year has been going great,” Head Coach Aaron Brady said. “We have had great senior leadership. Throughout the offseason and over the summer, the guys were prepared, and we have had great success from that preparation.”

One of the team’s top performers is sophomore O’Shaan Allison. Following the game last week, Philly.com named him Player of the Week.

“He had an incredible night,” Brady said. “We always talk about how it takes 64 guys to make the team succeed. Even though there are 11 people on the field, all 64 guys helped with the preparation in practice by increasing their skills and getting the tech-niques down. Whenever we see a player get his name in the paper, that represents our whole program.”

With such a great start to the year, winning the

Inter-Ac is becoming more of a reality instead of just a goal.

“I would say that we have high expectations,” said Brady. “Our biggest goal is to win the Inter-Ac. That should be our goal every year. Hopefully we will able to do that this year.”

“The biggest thing is to keep the success going, and that just comes from hard work, and consistent humility,” said Brady. “We always tell our guys to ‘stay humble, and stay hungry.” v

SoccerThe Malvern soccer team is off to a great start this year.

“Our goal was to go at least 4-1 in our first five games,” said Head Coach Andrew Kummerer. We thought we’d have a chal-lenge with highly-rated WC Henderson, but we felt comfortable in our other four match ups.”

The team ended up winning against WC Henderson before tying with Friends Central. But, they bounced back to win the next couple of games to hold a 4-0-1 record.

“Our expectations for the year are to

win 75% of our games through hard work, discipline, organization, and great team chemistry,” Kummerer said.

Leading the offensive charge are sen-ior captains Mike Narzikul and David Bettenhausen while the defensive stand outs include sophomore goaltender Jake Hodlofski and seniors Andrew Panzo and Chris Savino.

“We feel all games are key to growth and development,” Kummerer said. v

GolfThe Malvern Golf team started its season with a 3-0 record, beating St. Joseph’s Prep, Holy Ghost Prep, and Monsignor Bonner.

The team has many standouts from the Freshman class to the Senior class. “It’s a nice mix of kids,” said Head Coach Gary Duda. “We have some really outstanding young players, and we have a great mix of young and veteran players.”

The senior leaders of the team include Marty McGuckin, Jim Murray and Evan Tate, along with good under-classmen support from sophomore Matt Davis, junior Nick Miller, and freshmen John Updike and Andrew Curran.

“We are expecting some big things,” said Duda. “This could be, on paper, one of the best teams we have ever had, in terms of talent from top to bottom.”

The golf team starts its pursuit of winning an Inter-Ac champion-ship with its first league match against Penn Charter on Thursday, Sept. 24. v

TEAM WEARS NEW JERSEYS FOR THE FIRST TIME IN CHICAGO J. MAGARGEE

PRACTICE AT THE POOL / STAFF

Page 15: The Blackfriar Chronicle - September 2015

THE BLACKFRIAR CHRONICLE September 2015 15

SPORTS

Athlete of the Issue: Rory Allen ’16We sat down with the sensational swimming, shot stopping, speedo sporting Senior. From pool to pew, this water polo goalkeeper and MECO leader gives his all in everything.

Mike Flanagan ’16CONTRIBUTOR

Senior Rory Allen keeps a healthy balance between aca-demics and athletics close to

heart, and epitomizes the definition of being a student-athlete.

R o r y A l l e n , a M e d i a , Pennsylvania native, was born at Lankenau Hospital in Wynnewood. A St. Mary Magdalene alum, Allen came to Malvern during his freshman year, following the footsteps of his brothers, Patrick ‘11 and Tommy ‘14.

During his first couple of years at Malvern, Rory did not know what activities to join, until his older brother Pat encouraged him to join the Water Polo team as a sophomore. -

“Water polo is an aquatic sport involving two goals and one ball,” said Allen. “Players must tread water at all times, and may only use one hand at a time when handling the ball. The game is played much like hockey or soccer.”

Over the past 3 years, Allen has developed from a player to a leader. As a goalie, Allen’s job is much dif-ferent from the average player.

“I’m responsible for organizing the structure of our defense. I tell

players where they need to be, what hand they should be leading with, where the opponents are, making knock down shooter calls; basically yelling at our defense to make sure they’re in the right position,” Allen said.

Goalkeeping is an important leadership position in the team, but Rory is no stranger to leadership. A member of the Adelphia society, NHS, and a MECO leader, his efforts to put out his best work are evident in everything he does.

This effort will be especially important for this season. “An out-right win in the Inter-Ac is our ulti-mate goal,” said Allen. v

RORY ALLEN / M. FLANAGAN

New season brings new faces to Friar footballIncoming transfers will play key positions for the football team this season.

Mike Droogan ’16SPORTS EDITOR

Quarterbacks Nick Maras ’17 and Kevin Doyle ’18 have to fill the void left by former

quarterback Alex Hornibrook ’15 in their first season at Malvern.

Along with Maras and Doyle, junior OL-DL Jake Glavin and jun-ior TE-DE Seth Janney are also new faces who will have prominent roles on the team.

Nick Maras grew up in Wilson, Pennsylvania and enrol led at Episcopal Academy in 7th grade when he moved to the area. “I decided freshman year that I wanted to trans-fer to Malvern,” said Maras. “But I didn’t get accepted until this year.”

“He has come in and accepted his role as leader, said Head Coach Aaron Brady on Maras. “Being the new guy is tough, especially coming from Inter-Ac school EA.”

Although Maras is looking for-ward to playing EA, he will have to wait until next year. According to Article VIII Section 2 of the Inter Academic Athletic League (IAAL) Constitution, if someone is trans-ferring from one IAAL school to another and competed in at least one Varsity game they are ineligible to play in Varsity IAAL games the fol-lowing year.

Maras said he was a backup for EA and only got a little playing time there.

Kevin Doyle, a possible replace-ment for the Inter-Ac games, also transferred from a local school. He went to Bishop Shanahan in

Downingtown his freshman year but felt like it wasn’t the best fit.

“I knew kids on the football and they approached me and said ‘if you’re not happy look at Malvern,” Doyle said. “I then met Coach Brady through USA football and that's when I first looked at Malvern.”

Doyle also plans on playing for the basketball team in the winter.

Seth Janney knew Coach Brady well before he came to Malvern. Brady and Janney’s dad were child-hood friends and Brady graduated from the same high school that Janney transferred from, Southwestern High School in Hanover, PA.

“Aaron [Brady] was a family friend of ours and when I wanted to switch schools Malvern seemed like a good fit” Janney said.

Brady said Janney’s transfer was a touchy subject. “I didn’t want my hometown to think I poached him, because obviously they miss him now. But I’m glad he’s here,” he said.

Although Janney will be playing on the football team first, wrestling also played a big factor in his decision to come here. The stronger academics and the community feel also brought him to Malvern, he said.

Jake Glavin transferred from Loyalsock Township High School in Williamsport. His dad influenced Glavin to come to Malvern. Glavin’s dad, Michael Glavin ’78, played foot-ball at Malvern. “When my family moved to the area for my dad’s work, Malvern was the first place I looked

at,” Glavin said. “ Jake a lso looked at The

Haverford School but his dad play-ing football here was the big tie-in,” Brady said. Jake said that he is also considering doing shot put for the Track and Field team in the spring.

All four guys singled out the good team chemistry as a big factor in mak-ing their transition to Malvern easier. Brady attributes this chemistry to the time spent practicing together over the summer and the trip Chicago.

“The Chicago trip really brought the team together,” Janney said. “One difference from last year’s team is that we play together as a unit.”

They all have a common goal of winning the Inter-Ac this year. “We also want to beat Lasalle and [St. Joe’s] Prep.” said Maras.

Malvern started off the year 2-0 with two convincing victories against St. Rita’s and then Holy Spirit. Maras was a big part of the win against St. Rita’s, throwing for 335 yards and three touchdowns, setting the single-game team passing yards record.

However, Maras attributes his performance to his teammates. “I was really nervous going into the game but I knew I have a really good offensive line and your defense is ridiculous.” Maras said.

Brady shares in his players’ high aspirations. “We have high expecta-tions for the season. We want to win the Inter-Ac,” he said. v

TRANSFER FRIAR FOOTBALL PLAYERS DOYLE, JANNEY, GLAVIN, MARAS / M. DROOGAN

Upcoming Sporting EventsFootball 9/25 @ Lasalle @ Upper Dublin High School @ 7:00 PM10/2 @ St. Joe’s Prep @ Plymouth Whitemarsh HS @ 7:00 PM10/8 vs Roman Catholic @ 7:00 PM10/16 @ Episcopal Academy @ 7:00 PM (Inter Ac Opener)10/24 vs Haverford @ 2:00 PM (Homecoming) 10/31 @ Germantown @ 1:30 PM

Soccer9/23 @ Cardinal O’Hara @ 4:00 PM10/1 vs Archbishop Carroll @ 4:00 PM10/8 vs Episcopal Academy @ 4:00 PM (Inter Ac Opener)10/16 vs Germantown Academy @ 4:00 PM10/17 @ Kiski School @ 12:00 PM 10/20 @ Penn Charter @ 4:00 PM10/24 vs The Haverford School @ 2:00 PM (Homecoming)10/27 @ Springside Chestnut Hill Academy @ 4:00 PM10/30 @ Episcopal Academy @ 4:00 PM

Golf9/22 vs St. Joseph’s Prep @ White Manor Country Club @ 4:00 PM9/23 vs La Salle @ Waynesborough Golf Course @ 4:00 PM9/24 @ Penn Charter @ Huntington Valley Country Club @ 4:00 PM9/28 vs Cardinal O’Hara @ Applebrook Country Club @ 4:00 PM10/1 @ The Hill School @ Brookside Country Club @ 3:45 PM10/6 @ Springside Chestnut Hill Academy @ Sunnybrook Golf Course @ 3:30 PM10/7 vs The Hill School @ White Manor Country Club @ 4:00 PM10/8 @ The Haverford School @ Gulph Mills Country Club @ 4:00 PM10/12 @ Kiski Prep @ Stonewall North Golf Course @ TBD10/13 @ Episcopal Academy @ Merion West Country Club @ 3:30 PM10/19 @ Germantown Academy @ Plymouth Country Club @ 3:00 PM10/20 vs. Radnor @ Waynesborough Golf Course @ 3:45 PM10/24 PAISSA Championships @ Chambersburg Country Club @ TBD

Cross Country9/29 @ Germantown Academy @ 3:45 PM10/2 Paul Short Run @ Lehigh University @ TBD10/6 vs Penn Charter @ 4:00 PM10/13 vs The Haverford School @ 4:00 PM10/20 vs Springside Chestnut Hill Academy @ 4:00 PM10/26 Inter-Ac Championship (Time and Place TBD)

Water Polo9/23 @ The Hill School @ 4:00 PM9/25-9/26 Beast of the East @ Reading High School @ TBD9/29 vs The Haverford School @ 4:00 PM10/3 Big Bear Tournament @ The Landon School @ TBD10/6 vs Penn Charter @ 4:00 PM10/8 vs Episcopal Academy @ 4:00 PM10/16 vs Germantown Academy @ 4:00 PM10/17 @ Pennington High School @ 1:15 PM10/20 @ Penn Charter @ 3:45 PM10/24 vs Pennington High School @ 2:30 PM10/28 vs Friends’ Central @ 4:00 PM v

Page 16: The Blackfriar Chronicle - September 2015

THE BLACKFRIAR CHRONICLE16 September 2015

This is PanamaReflecting on a unique Christian Service trip.

Jimmy Faunce ’16MANAGING EDITOR

Seniors Harrison Grant, Mike Daubney and I dove into the mucky water, worked hard to reconnect pipes, then swam back to shore, with the realization that we just helped restore clean drinking water to 7,000 people in the small town of Torti.

This past year Malvern offered a service trip to Panama for the first time with the help of Villanova University. This service trip was unique. We had to begin preparing for the trip in the months leading up to our departure in June.

During those preceding months, we met with Villanova Professor David Dinehart, Professor Jim O’Brien and some Villanova Civil Engineering students to discuss the water systems in Panama and what we could expect in our trip. In the first meeting with Professor Dinehart, he informed us how we would need to prepare a presentation on the country of Panama, including information on its history and the specific area in which we will be staying, and present it to some Villanova faculty and students. The presentation took much preparation and research. However, this presentation left us all with a strong knowledge of what was to come in June.

Even with all the preparation, nothing could have truly prepared us for what we were get-ting into. We were aware of the poisonous snakes and all of the other aspects of Panama that we would not be accustomed to. But it still came as a shock on the first night when O’Brien told us not to keep anything on the floor at night, because the scorpions would crawl inside.

The following days would be some of the most enjoyable and challenging days of my summer. Not only did we help construct the foundation of a chapel, but we also were able to socialize with the native people, improve our Spanish skills and help fix the water system that provides water to 7000 people.

Helping to fix the water system was probably my favorite part of the trip. We were able to help so many people – and I realized the locals felt comfortable enough around us to tease us. They screamed “ANACONDA!” while we were in that mucky water. I was scared half to death.

Sadly, as all things do, the week came to an end and we had to leave our new friends.Next we headed to Panama City where there were fans and – we hoped – air conditioning.

(There wasn't.) During our time in the city, we learned much about the city’s long lasting history and went to see the Panama Canal.

On our second-to-last day I called some of my Panamanian family and friends, whom I met through the Malvern Foreign Exchange program. We met up with them and shared our recent experiences in Torti. My Panamanian family gave us a personal tour around the city and took us to some of the most beautiful places along the Panamanian coast of the Pacific Ocean.

We have all heard someone say at one point that our lives in the United States are exceedingly better than those in other countries. We all know this to be true, but I never really understood the amount of basic things that we use on a daily basis that others to which others do not have access.

Preparation helped us to understand the reasons why we would serve in Panama. Global connections made the experience even more fulfilling. v

MEMBERS OF THE PANAMANIAN SERVICE GROUP / J. FAUNCE

Mr. Poce’s Greatest TeachersFinding hope and love during challenging times

Ben Yankelitis ’16EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

“For me, the biggest thing is always looking at a crucifix. It symbolizes that suffering is transformed into

love,” Poce said. Mr. Richard Poce, Malvern assistant Dean

of Students and theology teacher, has learned many lessons from teaching and studying phi-losophy. According to the 2015 West Chester University Philosophy newsletter, Poce has two master’s degrees in Philosophy and Religious Studies, and hopes to begin his dissertation con-centrating on the relationship between empathy and service.

All of that formal education is nothing com-pared to the lessons his wife and daughter have taught him.

Mr. Poce and his wife, Mary Ann, have been married for 13 years. “I think I knew I was going to marry her from the time I met her,” Mr. Poce said.

The couple shares the same values. They share the same faith.

In 2011, Mrs. Poce was diagnosed with metastatic brain cancer. Over the past four years she has had six surgeries and undergone chemotherapy treatment.

Their love has helped them through the struggles and suffering of fighting cancer. “It certainly has been hard,” Mr. Poce said. “But it’s still been happy.”

Much of that happiness has stemmed from their 11 year old daughter, Sarah. Sarah has been Mr. and Mrs. Poce’s greatest teacher.

"She's got quite the personality,” Mr. Poce said. “She's a funny kid, a little zany."

Poce says that Sarah’s smile is infectious. When Mr. Poce talks about Sarah he lights up. He chuckles. He grins. He looks off in the other direction and you can tell he’s thinking about Sarah.

“I watch her dance in front of a Pixar Movie that she could watch three times,” Mr. Poce said. “I wish I could watch a movie three time in a row with the same enthusiasm and the same

zest for life.”At the age of 2, Sarah, was diagnosed with

Autism then at the age of 4 diagnosed with Rett syndrome. Rett syndrome impacts Sarah’s cog-nitive and physical functioning.

According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, “Rett syn-drome is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is characterized by a slowing of development, distinctive hand movements, and problems with walking.”

The disease is caused by a genetic mutation to the x chromosome. It affects girls almost exclusively. Girls have a second x chromo-some that can compensate for the mutation, but affected boys have no protection from the harmful effects of the disorder. Boys affected with Rett syndrome often die soon after birth.

As Sarah grew up, Poce was able to draw on his philosophical and theological studies to help him cope and understand the blessing that is Sarah. “Jesus asked the Apostles, ‘What does the child have to teach us?’” Mr. Poce said. “Sarah has taught us what life is about.”

Mr. Poce taught a class at Immaculata

University about Jean Vanier, a Catholic phi-losopher who spent his life working with and helping the disabled community. “Vanier looks at the disabled and asked what do they have to teach us?” Mr. Poce said. “Vanier is a modern St. Francis.”

Vanier established “L’Arsche” communities to provide better lives for those with develop-mental and physical disabilities. He found that these people flourished when given a supportive and loving environment, both physically and mentally.

“Their grit, their simplicity, their joy. There’s no pride. There’s no ego,” said Poce. Despite all the hardships [those with special needs] have had, every day is a beautiful day.”

Mr. Poce believes that raising Sarah and seeing her grow and enjoy life, despite her chal-lenges, prepared the family for his wife’s cancer diagnosis and continuing treatment.

Whether it’s helping Sarah face her fears as she goes down the stairs every morning, or helping her eat dinner, Mr. and Mrs. Poce have turned suffering into love. They find God’s grace shining through Sarah. Her disabilities may keep her from performing basic functions, but they do not keep her from showing her basic emotions. Happiness. Care. Love.

Sarah understands her mother’s current medical struggles in her own way. She misses her mother during her hospital stays. When Sarah visits Mrs. Poce in the hospital, she simply hugs her. She even tried to drag Mrs. Poce out of the hospital by her wheelchair this past summer. Through this pain and separation Sarah still wakes up with a smile on her face everyday.

“If we can tap into her joy a little bit, we get to see what heaven is like,” Mr. Poce said. “Children and people with disabilities have a lot to teach the world.”

We should all draw inspiration from the “zest for life.” We should recognize the beauty and blessing of everyday, despite whatever our challenges may be.

“Sometimes in the past I thought maybe

it was a burden. Now I don’t think of it so much as a burden,” Mr. Poce said. "I took it as a grace."

Mrs. Poce continues to be strong and resil-ient. She gets up in the middle of the night to sit and help Sarah deal with her insomnia. She prays for others who are suffering. She wishes Mr. Poce a “great day” when he leaves the house in the morning.

“I have to laugh and smile,” said Poce. “Nothing is perfect, but we can share our life together.”

When Mrs. Poce last came home from the hospital, she had only one thing on her mind. All she wanted to do was wake up and make Sarah’s lunch for school.

“Inspiration abounds all around us, some-times we just have to look,” said Mr. Poce. v

3 Quotes from Jean Vanier

The teachings of Jean Vanier have been instrumental in Mr. Poce’s life. Here are some insights into how we can improve as a society, from Vanier’s 1979 book Community and Growth and his 1998 book Becoming Human.

“I am struck by how sharing our weak-ness and difficulties is more nourishing to others than sharing our qualities and successes.” - Community and Growth

“Many people are good at talking about what they are doing, but in fact do little. Others do a lot but don’t talk about it; they are the ones who make a community live.” - Community and Growth

“Every child, every person needs to know that they are a source of joy; every child, every person, needs to be celebrated. Only when all of our weaknesses are accepted as part of our humanity can our negative, broken self-images be transformed.” - Becoming Human

MRS. MARY ANN POCE & SARAH / R. POCE