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The Dart "All the news that is fitting and to the point."
Volume XI, Issue II Winter 2011/2012
Fourth Hockey
by Peter Mullin & Michael Mackintire
Fourth Hockey this year had a great
season and had a lot of fun. We had a lot of good
guidance from our coaches, Mr. Thomas and Mr.
McArthur. They always told us that when in the
neutral zone, we should get it deep. During one
game all we could hear was Coach Thomas
screaming, “Get it deep, Dean, deep Dean!”
These and many other coaching strategies created
the base for our team.
Our team’s record this year was 13-6-1.
This team was so successful due to our lively
energy and enthusiasm on the ice. One pre-game
ritual was having a team prayer led by Peter
Mullin. After leading all these prayers, he created
the nickname Reverend Mullin. Peter also was the
instigator of our celebrations after our goals. Our
team celebrations included the Tebow, the team
huddle, the salute, the kayak, the Superman, the
board jumping, the Bernie, and best of all, the
shooting arrow. These celebrations were the
cornerstone of our team and energized us every
day.
Since we are at the end of our season, we
would like to give out some awards to different
players. Top Scorer and Most Penalty Minutes go
to Jack McCool. Most Time Spent Unconscious
goes to Brendan Lutch. The Best Defenseman
Award goes to Ryan Parker. Best Practice Player
goes to John Kapples. Best Cele Award goes to
Peter Mullin for Tebowing. Most Time Spent in
the Crease- Ned Murphy. Best Nickname- Dean
Piersiak. The Speech of the Year goes to Mr.
Thomas for the Belmont Hill Speech.
Fourth Basketball
by David Korzeniowski and Alejandro Soto
The Eighth Grade Basketball Team, led by
Coach Rest and Coach Souza, had a winning
record this year. The team included Matt
Karpowicz, Mike Calabro, Jack Ragnoni, Ryan
Colgan, Nnamdi Okwerekwu, Jack Glynn,
Alejandro Soto, Mike Curran, John McManmon,
David Korzeniowski, Ryan Macedo, Cole
Aldrich, Sean Harrington, Chris Potvin, and CJ
Turnbull. After two tough losses at the beginning
of the season to the two talented teams of Rivers
and Fay, the team improved to 2-2 with wins
against Catholic Memorial and BC High. The BC
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High game was the most exciting game of the year
without a doubt. The team was losing by eighteen
points with nine minutes to go. Then, with a
fantastic display of free-throw shooting (70%) the
team came back and won it in overtime. Then, at a
record of 3 and 3, the team performed at the annual
Roxbury Latin tournament. At the tournament we
lost to CM and Belmont Hill but proceeded to beat
Thayer in the last game. Coming back from the
tournament, we lost to BC High, and things were
looking bleak for the team. Yet, we then began a
six-game winning streak, beating CM, Derby,
Nobles, Milton (ninth grade team), Belmont Hill,
and Thayer. Now, with games against RL, Dexter,
and BB&N remaining to be played, we hope to
finish the season with a nine-game win streak and a
record of 13-6.
Editors’ note: the team did indeed finish with nine
straight wins, earning a 13-6 record.
Fifth Hockey
by Jake Milbury and CJ Martin
The Seventh Grade Hockey Team finished a
great season on a disappointing note. The 5-4 loss to
Belmont Hill was devastating. Despite this last
loss, the overall season was a great success. RJ
Murphy and Tim DiFiore led the team with a
countless number of goals and assists. The team
finished with a winning record of 9-4. Although
they lost to Belmont Hill twice, they also managed
to give them an 8-1 crushing. One game stands out
particularly this season when the Arrows took on
the Middlesex Bears. After a seesaw contest, it went
into overtime, which started with RJ Murphy and
Parker Joyce heading up the ice. Skating into the
offensive zone with great speed, RJ slid the puck
over to Parker who one-timed it into the back of the
net for the win. This is just one of the fantastic
games Fifth Hockey played all season, which was
full of leaders including Tim DiFiore, RJ Murphy,
and the one and only Brian Craven.
Seventh Grade Basketball
by James Orscheln and Cam Cain
The Seventh Grade Basketball Team, led by
Coach Albertson and Coach Byrne, was a good
team in 2011-2012. The team started 5-1, with
promising wins over Rivers, Fay, Nobles, Derby
Academy, and a thrilling come from behind win
over Catholic Memorial.
The team was led by point guards Jack
Frisoli and Kyle McCarthy, forwards Will Allen
and Mike Connolly, guards Michael Ragnoni and
Patrick Reed, and centers James Orscheln and Cam
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Cain. Michael Ragnoni had to miss a number of
games at the end of the season because of illness. It
was a tough loss for the team.
After their 5-1 start, the team then went on a
five-game losing streak that included losses to BC
High twice, Catholic Memorial, Belmont Hill, and
Roxbury Latin. However, the team ended on a good
note with a win at home versus Thayer followed by
a thrilling overtime victory at BB&N.
It was fun playing on the team, which hit a
few rough patches but overcame them to finish with
a winning record of 7-6 under Mr. Albertson and
Ms. Byrne.
Middle School Wrestling
by Jimmy Ryan and Casey Kelly
The wrestling team started off strong this
year, but gradually lost numbers. Two recruits
abandoned the crew; two stayed. One veteran broke
his ankle; one veteran remained. The resulting team
consisted of John “Rhino” Petro, Casey “Nacho”
Kelly, and Jimmy “Peterson” Ryan. Despite the
low numbers, the team still had a fun and successful
season.
In order to compensate for the small team,
we brought a couple of freshmen on our many
journeys to foreign lands, such as Fessenden and
Roxbury Latin. A few common travelers were
Peter Olson, Angus O’Rourke, Tyson Reed, James
Sylvia, Scott Westvold, and John Ryan, until he was
injured at Moses Brown.
Each wrestler gathered up a few wins this
year, but unfortunately we were not able to show off
our skills at home, for our only home match was
canceled when Roxbury borrowed the mats for the
ISL tournament. Still, we had much success on the
road. Nacho even had a winning record, a great
accomplishment for any wrestler. Some matches
seemed hopeless for us, others for the opposing
team. Our most glorious match occurred deep in
the belly of Roxbury Latin- the Dungeon, their
practice room. You descend multiple stairs to
arrive at the ominous door that leads into a small,
dank, cell-like room currently used for wrestling
practice, but formerly used, most likely, for a
detention cell. It was especially cramped, for four
teams plus fans were stuffed into a room created for
half a middle school team. Almost all of our
wrestlers won that day, including the ninth graders
tagging along for the trip.
Our hard work and dedication all built up to
the Middle School ISL tournament at Fessenden.
Our small team packed quite a punch, with Angus
and Tyson both taking third in their weight classes.
Unfortunately, Sylvia came down with an illness, so
his matches were forfeited, but Scott, the true
underdog of the team, took second to finish off his
Fessy Tournament career. If you see him or any
others mentioned, congratulate them.
All in all, the season was great, though the
numbers were small. We would like you to
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consider wrestling next year. The minibus
memories are truly great, plus Mr. McCarthy is the
coach, and you all know how awesome he is.
Squash
by Cam Finnegan
Squash started off a great season this year
with the biggest team we have ever had. We split up
into returning players, which were around ten in
number, and a beginners group, which consisted of
around eleven. One of our major team matches was
our most recent one at Brooks School in Andover.
We won eight individual matches and only lost
three. This was one of our biggest wins, and the
team we brought had players from both our
returning player and our beginner groups. Our top
player, John Cheever, a senior, played their number
one player in the final match. After a long,
strenuous contest he was triumphant in the last
game. The returning players practice on Monday
nights from 7:15 to 9:00 at Nobles in Dedham.
Though these practices are late, the fun of the sport
makes up for the inconvenient time. This year, Mr.
Beilin joined Mr. Moore in coaching the squash
team. Sometimes we get a special appearance from
Mr. McArthur, who enjoys playing the sport in his
free time. Throughout this year, we have had some
tough losses but also some big wins. We all enjoy
squash, and while sometimes suffering a loss we
could have won, we also want to get back at it the
next match.
Swimming
by Greg DeMatteo
After the graduation of many key members
last June, the 2011-2012 swim team is in a
rebuilding year. However, this year’s captains,
Matt Vandini ’13 and Cam Kelley’14, have been
doing a great job along with Coach Jenkins and
Coach Callini leading the much smaller team to
victory. Although the team lost many swimmers, we
have also gained some new athletes including MJ
Muldowney ’12, who provides inspiration and
enthusiasm, Matt Rocco ’15, Ryan Lee ‘15, and
Matt Fachetti ‘13. After the first swim team meeting
it appeared that this year’s team would be quite
large, but some people never came to anything else
after that. The backstroke events have been
dominated by Jack Adams ‘15, who is well in
pursuit of his brother’s record in the 100-yard race.
The team’s only seventh grader, Michael Capone,
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has done an outstanding job replacing Sean
Sullivan, the team’s past breaststroke specialist.
Even though this year’s team hasn’t gone
undefeated as in previous years, they have won
almost all of their meets, and the meets they lost
could have gone either way. Some of the schools
they have defeated are Dexter, Bancroft, and
Pingree. The one team that seems to get the better
of them every time is Portsmouth Abbey. They
have lost two meets against them this year, but both
were very close coming down to the last race.
This Saturday the team will travel over to
Wellesley College to compete in an E.I.L.
Tournament. Here they will again face Portsmouth
Abbey along with many other schools and hopefully
get revenge and bring home a trophy.
Rube Goldberg
by Owen Finnegan and Kevin Moore
The Rube Goldberg project this year is one
of the most exciting in recent history. We have
been given the responsibility of opening the new
Science Center in May. Although this is a daunting
task, the team is determined to do it and to do it
well. There are eleven members in the Club. The
team consists of seventh graders Kevin Moore,
Patrick Mulrenan, Vito Palombella, Stewart Smith,
and Sam Gordon. The five eighth graders on the
team are Owen Finnegan, Matt Barron, James
Driscoll, Paul McAuliffe, and Chris Potvin. Shawn
Lynch is the strong freshman on the team.
Rube Goldberg machines, for those who
don’t know, are machines that complete a simple
task in the most complicated way possible. The
machine that the club is designing this year will
open the new Science Building by cutting a ribbon.
There are about thirteen steps in the machine. Each
step is unique and requires countless amounts of
effort from every member of the team. Early in the
brainstorming process, members came up with great
ideas. Later in the process, members built
prototypes of the steps. We are currently at the end
of the prototype phase and hope to begin on the real
model soon.
The building phase seems very
straightforward, but it requires great creativity and
skill. It works your building skill and your mind to
the maximum. The leaders, Mrs. Colton and Mr.
Wilbur, have done a great job directing the Club.
The final machine will astonish you and take your
breath away. We encourage everyone who is
interested to stop by and experience our Rube
Goldberg machine.
Winter Play
by Joe O’Malley
On the nights of February 17 and 18, two
student-directed plays were performed in Ward
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Hall. One of the two works of art was Mixed Nuts, a
Marx Brothers’ play written by Corey Sprague and
directed by Sean Frazzette ‘12. He did a superb job
with casting the characters and building the set. The
play is about a woman who claims that two Italian
immigrants, played by David Korzeniowski and Ian
Kelly, broke into her estate and stole her most
precious possessions. The duo of Italian immigrants
was accompanied by their incomparable lawyer
portrayed brilliantly by Pat McLaughlin. The half
hour or so that the play went on was filled with
laughs as the characters acted out the events that
were going on in the court room. The “large,
haughty” (and I quote from the script) woman
whose house had been broken into was played by
Tom Caravolas. He wore a dress with a suit that
added an extra foot to his waistline, which made
him look hilarious. What is really going on is that
this woman, Mrs. Buckwalter, along with her
lawyer played by Austin Franchi with a ridiculous
southern accent, was actually plotting to receive the
insurance money from the stolen articles. However,
justice finds them in the end, and they are both
arrested for their wrongdoings. Writer’s Block, a
play written and directed by Mark Lane ‘12, is
brilliant. The play starts out with Julian Matra, who
plays a playwright with writer’s block,
brainstorming ideas. He cannot decide what the play
should be about. Marlon Matthews strolls in and
sits across from Matra, and the two brainstorm the
wackiest ideas for the rest of the play. They try to
incorporate blockbuster movies into their play.
They try movies like Inception, Star Wars, Good
Fellas, Titanic, Disney Pixar’s UP, and Slum Dog
Millionaire. They go through the ideas, saying, “I
can see it now,” while actors including Mike Petro
and Kevin Patterson come out and act scenes. I
mention these two because they were in the Star
Wars scene, which was hilarious. Mark Lane even
performed in the play that he wrote and directed -as
many great actor/directors do; e.g., Leonard Nimoy
and Angelina Jolie. He played the short pudgy
explorer boy from Disney Pixar’s UP. Mark Lane
clearly put a lot of thought and effort into this play,
and it showed in the expressions on the viewers’
faces. This was one of the best events of the winter,
and whoever did not see it truly missed something
great. Here follows one testimonial to how funny
the plays were: I sat down briefly the night of the
play with Ryan Albertson, and he told me he “loved
the scene from UP, especially Jack Goldman’s
[character]),” who was the elderly man who dreams
of flying to a remote cliff. Father Arens exclaimed
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about the night, “My jaws are hurting because I was
laughing so much!” If you did not come out to see
this play, I encourage you to do so in the future.
Good luck to Mark Lane and the cast of Writer’s
Block who will be traveling to the Boston Globe
Drama Festival.
Black History Month Assembly
by Timothy Murphy
This year’s Black History Month Assembly was as
beautiful and touching as any assembly had been
since I came to St. Sebastian’s. It began with the
Dana Hall Choir helping us express through song
our gratitude to the brave African – Americans who
risked their lives to make this country free from
racism. They sang a variety of songs between the
readings given by our own students about the
actions of a number of courageous Americans to
end segregation in our country in the 1950s and 60s.
During the assembly Marlon Mathews gave a
beautiful solo that was greeted with a standing
ovation by his fellow students. However, there was
one thing at this year’s assembly that was quite
different. This year’s program was slightly
haunting. It was very strange and sometimes
disturbing to see grown men and women on video
cursing and threatening to hurt one little first grade
girl who was just going to a different school for the
first time. This made a huge impact on me, and I’m
sure the rest of the school. I hope next year’s Black
History Month Assembly will be as memorable as
this one.
Mother-Son Communion Supper
by Owen Finnegan
This winter, the students at St. Sebastian’s
were given the opportunity to attend a Mass with
their mothers. This annual event is a favorite of
many and is always looked forward to. The night
began with the mothers coming to the school and
joining their sons in the church. The pews were
filled with people, as many were eager to attend the
event. After we had all sat down, Father John Arens
began the Mass. The wonderful Mass was supported
by the talents of the students in Schola and by Mr.
Chambers. After the hour long Mass had concluded,
the attendees filed out of the church and entered
Ward Hall for dinner. The dinner, which was great,
was supplied by Joe and the kitchen staff. Students
and parents alike piled chicken, meat, potatoes, and
salad onto their plate and sat down with friends.
Overall, the Mass, dinner, and bonding time
between mother and son made this a great night for
everyone.
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San Miguel Trip
by Jimmy McCabe and Mike Connolly
San Miguel is a small private school in
Providence, Rhode Island. It welcomes boys from
less fortunate families in grades five through eight.
All of their boys who graduate eighth grade go to
high schools, and they go to some of the most
prestigious high schools in Rhode Island.
On February 2, a dozen seventh graders
traveled down to San Miguel to deliver books that
we brought to the school to give to the students
there. The trip down lasted an hour, but we had fun
on the minibus talking and catching up with people.
We arrived to see them starting a student-run
morning meeting. The student leader asked
questions about many things. For example, he asked
questions about their “Word of the Day.” He asked
his schoolmates how to spell it and if they could
give an example of it in a sentence. After the
student assembly we went up to their library to give
them the books that we seventh graders of St.
Sebastian’s had donated. These included books on
astronomy, birding, the Civil War, and geography.
We talked with the San Miguel seventh graders and
shared doughnuts and juice with them as we got to
know them. Though we only talked with them for
thirty minutes, we felt as though we had known
them for a long time. As we learned more about
them and their backgrounds, we realized that we are
very fortunate to have the families and opportunities
that we have, like attending St. Sebastian’s. We
should all be thankful for the families we have, the
food on our tables, the clothes on our backs, and our
education at St. Sebastian’s. Because of these
blessings that we have been given, we should all be
looking for ways to give back. A great place to start
is at San Miguel.
BC Hockey Game
by Jack McCool and Sean Harrington
On Friday, January 27, members of both the
seventh and eighth grades went to a Boston College
hockey game played against the University of New
Hampshire. Although BC ended up winning the
game, it was interesting until the end. Taking into
consideration that the turnout for the Arrows was
not as large as in similar occasions in the past, we
still had a great time. It started off with a good bus
ride for the eighth grade with a couple of us being
reprimanded by Mr. Rest for excessive celebration.
Once we arrived, we all entered together and found
our seats in the upper balcony. When we reached
our seats, we came to the realization that someone
in the area had recently become ill. This was a
mere bump in the road, and it only inspired us to
cheer louder and harder. The game continued to go
well with the lead consistently changing hands until
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the last minute when Boston College broke the final
tie on a goal scored by Johnny Gaudreau. From that
point BC never looked back. This goal caused a
huge celebration, ending in a massive mosh pit.
Thankfully, no one was injured in the mosh pit, and
we all made it to the bus safely. The game was full
of excitement, and overall we had a great time. I
am sure the seventh graders will be looking forward
to this trip next year.
Super Bowl XLVI
by Thomas Hovsepian
With Tom Brady’s Patriots and Eli
Manning’s Giants each playing for a fourth title in
the franchise history of their teams, Super Bowl
XLVI was bound to be a good game. It was held at
Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, home to
the Colts. After winning the coin toss, the Patriots
elected to defer their choice to the second half, so
they kicked the ball off to start the game as they
have been doing all season. On their first offensive
play, Tom Brady was rushed hard and threw an
incomplete pass out of the end zone. An intentional
grounding penalty was called, and it resulted in a
safety. With 3:24 left in the first quarter, the Giants
scored again on a touchdown pass to Victor Cruz,
known as the salsa man because of his well-known
touchdown celebrations. The Giants were doing
their best thing to try to beat the Patriots; they were
keeping Brady off the field. After kicking a field
goal, the Patriots added seven more points with
eight seconds left in the half on a pass to Danny
Woodhead. Going into the half, the Patriots led the
Giants 10-9. After a very good halftime show by
Madonna, the Patriots received the ball to start the
second half. They proceeded to score another
touchdown to open the half. It was a twelve-yard
pitch and catch between Aaron Hernandez and Tom
Brady. On another possession the Patriots had to
punt after a key drop by Wes Welker. In the last
two minutes of the game, Eli started a long drive
with a 38-yard pass to Mario Manningham. The
Giants went on to score with 57 seconds left. On
the last play of the game, the Patriots’ Rob
Gronkowski, who was playing with a sprained
ankle, almost caught Brady’s “Hail Mary” pass.
The Giants were deserving of the victory and won
the Super Bowl after a hard fought game.
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Celtics 2012: The End of an Era
by John McManmon
The Celtics are having their worst year in
the Big Three era, going 15-17 approaching the
midpoint of the season. They are third in the
Atlantic Division, behind the Knicks and the upstart
76ers. Many factors have contributed to the
disappointing season.
One major factor is old age. The Celtics are
the fourth oldest team in the NBA with an average
age of 28.99, behind the Mavericks, Hawks, and
Lakers. Many older players, like Garnett, Pierce,
Allen, and O’Neal have had to play fewer minutes
compared to last season. This has not been an
entirely bad thing, however. Younger players have
stepped up, including Avery Bradley, E’Twaun
Moore, and Greg Stiemsma, all of whom have put
up impressive numbers. Stiemsma has emerged as
a strong shot blocker, a much-needed role for the
Celtics because of the injuries to Jermaine O’Neal
and the age of Kevin Garnett. Both Bradley and
Moore will definitely become leaders of the team in
the future.
Age has also taken its toll on the hustle of
players. The Celtics were known for defensive
domination of other teams, but some statistics have
diminished. The Celtics are last in the league in
rebounds per game. They are also twenty-sixth in
scoring. However, they are third in points allowed
per game, which is the only statistic that has not
seemed to drop.
Another major factor has been injuries.
Garnett and Allen have missed games here and
there, but Rondo and O’Neal have been battling
injuries, with Rondo missing ten games and O’Neal
missing seven. This has also allowed Bradley and
Stiemsma to step up at the point guard and center
positions.
Although the Celtics have fallen from power
in the NBA, there is still hope. Younger players
will step up when the Big Three are either traded or
retire.
Hopefully the team can build around Rajon
Rondo and encourage him to take a strong
leadership role. If the Celtics get some good draft
picks and trades, they can begin rebuilding and
ascend back to the top of the NBA.
2012 NHL All Star Game
by Jake Milbury
The NHL All Star game is always just for
show and is never a good game to watch. This year
it lived up to its expectations. There were no hits
made, no fights, and no penalties, and it was a very
boring high scoring game. This game had no
defense at all. It seemed as if the defense were just
letting their opponents score. I think it’s not a game
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if there is no defense. It’s not the best game to
watch, but it does showcase some of the best
players in the world doing all sorts of moves and
tricks. The game itself has all sorts of cool parts like
the all star draft which picks two captains to make
teams from the fan selected all stars. This year the
game took place in Ottawa which was excited to be
the host. The captains this year were the Boston
Bruins’ Zdeno Chara and hometown representative
Daniel Alfredson from the Ottawa Senators. The
final score of the game was 13 -9 in favor of Team
Chara. The finale of the game is picking an MVP.
Marian Gaborik was the winner this year, and he
was awarded a car. He had three goals and an assist
to make his performance special. Although some of
the game is not very fun to watch, it’s cool to see
some of the best players in the world compete.
NHL Skills Competition
by Peter Mullin
The 2012 NHL Skills Competition was a
competition between the best of the best players in
the NHL. The competition took place during the
All-Star Break, which is the middle of the season.
The two captains that were chosen to lead the teams
were Zdeno Chara of the Boston Bruins and Daniel
Alfredsson of the Ottawa Senators. The players
were split up into two teams chosen by the captains.
The six events that took place in the
competition were Fastest Skater, Breakaway
Challenge, Accuracy Shooting, Challenge Relay,
Hardest Shot, and Elimination Shootout. Teams
were awarded points for winning each section of an
event. At the end of night, the team with the most
points would be crowned winner.
The Fastest Skater Challenge is an event
where players race around the rink and the two with
the fastest times in the heats race in the finals. The
winner was Carl Hagelin from Team Alfredsson.
The Breakaway Challenge is an event where players
try to do the fanciest move while still scoring. The
winner was Patrick Kane from Team Chara. The
Accuracy Shooting challenge is an event where
players try to hit targets placed in a net. The winner
was Jamie Benn from Team Chara.
The Challenge Relay is an event where
players do different objectives to get to the finish.
The winner was Team Alfredsson at 2 minutes and
8 seconds. The Hardest Shot challenge is an event
where players take a slap shot from the top of the
circle. Zdeno Chara won the event with a world
record of 108.8 MPH. The Elimination Shootout is
just a regular shootout where last man standing
wins. Steven Stamkos won the event.
The winner of the 2012 NHL Skills
Competition was Team Alfredsson 21-12.
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NHL Predictions
by Jake Loughborough and Matt Aisenberg
Eastern Conference: New York Rangers
Western Conference: St. Louis Blues
MVP: Claude Giroux (Philadelphia Flyers)
Rookie of the Year: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
(Edmonton Oilers)
Biggest Disappointment: Pittsburgh Penguins
Biggest Surprise: Florida Panthers
Best Style: Kris Letang
The Presidential Race
By Jack McCool and John Kapples
On November 6, 2012, a President will be
elected for the United States of America. The
Presidential races are already well underway, and at
this point in the race it is anyone’s guess who will
win.
First, we will tell you about the Democratic
race. Although the incumbent President does not
receive an automatic nomination for his party,
Obama does not have any real opposition. Only four
times has a President been ousted in the primaries,
and of those four times, only once had he been
elected President. The other three were Vice
Presidents who had stepped into the office after an
assassination. We don’t believe there will be a fifth
name added to that list after this race.
Most of the focus this year, however, is on
the Republican race. There are four candidates this
year, but there are really two frontrunners- Mitt
Romney and Rick Santorum. So far, it appears that
Romney, the former Governor of Massachusetts,
has the upper hand, but anything can happen. There
is no better example of this than the Presidential
election of 1948 that pitted Harry Truman against
Thomas Dewey. Dewey was the clear- cut favorite,
and the Chicago Tribune newspaper released a story
congratulating Dewey on his victory. There is
perhaps no picture more famous than Truman
holding up that newspaper with the headline
“Dewey defeats Truman,” just after Truman was
announced victorious in the election.
Although people may tell you who will win,
no one really knows for sure. We just have to wait
and see what happens.
69°S, The Shackleton Project
A Play Review
by Jack Glynn
In 1914, the polar explorer, Sir Ernest
Shackleton, allegedly put a recruitment
advertisement in the newspaper for the Imperial
Trans-Antarctic Expedition, looking for men
interested in a “hazardous journey, for small wages,
in bitter cold, with safe return doubtful” but with
the possibility of “honor and recognition in case of
success.” In the play 69°S The Shackleton Project
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produced by The Phantom Limb Company and the
Kronos Quartet at the Paramount Theater, the tale
of this ill-fated expedition to Antarctica is told in
the form of a wordless multimedia experience,
involving marionette puppetry, dance, live music,
and film. All of these elements are used to create an
atmosphere of frozen isolation, camaraderie,
courage, and survival.
This story of polar exploration unfolds, from
shipwreck to rescue nine months later, through the
movements of seven marionettes. The inclusion of
music and video clips in nine “tableaux vivants,” or
wordless moving pictures, is a combination of
puppet show and movie. These special puppets are
dressed as the expedition members, including Sir
Ernest Shackleton, and are only about four feet tall.
Through their minimalist movements and use of
stage lighting, they communicate a wide range of
human emotions, such as fear, exhaustion, hope,
despair, and joy. The marionettes are controlled by
dancer/acrobats on stilts, dressed completely in
white with tall hoods to conceal their faces. It is
amazing how the whole story plays out in front of
you without any human actors or spoken words,
while managing to convey the acute sense of
isolation, despair, and the will to survive that the
stranded expedition members must have
experienced.
The set of The Shackleton Project is very simple.
Three white, tent-like sheets and two red ropes
hanging from the ceiling are used to raise and lower
three “ice mountains” that represent the Antarctic
landscape. These white tents are also used as small
“screens” for film clips depicting battle scenes from
World War I. A large screen at the back of the
stage is also used to show video of snow storm
conditions. A strobe light conjures up a three
dimensional swirl of snow on stage. The set of the
play is almost a character itself, and the subtle blend
of music and video clips, coupled with the rising
and falling of the white ice mountains, adds to the
experience immensely.
An integral part of The Shackleton Project is its
sound. Most of the sound effects and music are
performed live by drummers, who stand near the
stage, and guitarists, who stand on balconies
overlooking the stage. The drummers use a variety
of materials to convey the sounds of wind and ice
storms, such as running a violin bow across the
edge of a vinyl record, hammering on sheet metal,
and sliding their mallets over the cymbals lightly.
These sounds enhanced through a microphone
sound “storm-like” and even make the audience feel
colder. The guitarists came in during moments of
great tension, creating eerie tones that added to the
atmosphere. I have never heard music in a play
quite like the music in The Shackleton Project, and
it was definitely one of the most captivating and
memorable aspects of the performance.
The story of the Endurance expedition led by Sir
Ernest Shackleton nearly a century ago was truly a
tale of courage, survival, and tenacity. The
Shackleton Project has captured that epic story in a
completely unique way, combining everything from
marionettes to film in order to create a fascinating
theatre experience. It is not only about the story of
Sir Ernest Shackleton and his crew, but also of the
entire evolution of the Antarctic and how it has
changed since the dawn of man. This was truly a
memorable and worthwhile performance.
14
Book Reviews
Animal Farm
Book Review
by Casey Kelly
Animal Farm by George Orwell is a
fantastic novel that takes place in the twentieth
century on an English farm. Orwell does a great job
of using animals as a
metaphor for
Communist Russia as
it portrays the initial
years of the Russian
Revolution. At first the
pigs on the farm
resemble intelligent
Communist leaders,
but soon they turn into
corrupt beasts living in
ways they swore they
never would take up. Orwell uses a simple story to
describe a very complex situation that occurred in
the real world. The book shows that words can be
used to convey ideas and events better than we may
think. It also has multiple scenes filled with
excitement, exceeding the expectations of every
reader. Some of these include the moments when
the animals rise against the human farmers to take
control of the countryside farm. Another occurs
when one of the pigs is driven off the farm by the
other animals. The book is very good, and I
recommend it to all readers.
Marley & Me
Book Review
by Steve Karol
Marley & Me by John Grogan is a story
about a married couple from Florida who learn
valuable lessons from their labrador retriever,
Marley. John and Jen Grogan are both newspaper
journalists who live in a small house. They decide
to get a dog to see if they are capable of handling
the responsibility of a family. Little do they realize
that the dog will cause physical and emotional
havoc while teaching them important lessons on life
and love and how to be good parents. Marley is a
very happy, energetic, and excitable dog who loves
attention. As Marley grows, he becomes more of a
problem for the Grogans, but that is never his intent.
Throughout the story, he is caught doing
mischievous things like eating anything that can fit
in his mouth or tearing apart the garage during a
thunderstorm. John and Jen are having a tough time
controlling Marley, but they still love him. They
also would like to have a child. When Jen gives
birth to Patrick Grogan, a healthy and cherubic baby
boy, Marley is no longer the center of attention, but
he doesn’t mind. As the story goes on, Marley gets
older, and the Grogan
family continues to
expand. Jen has two
more children, Connor
and Colleen Grogan. At
this point the Grogan
family is complete and
they decide to move from
Florida to Pennsylvania.
As the Grogan children
15
grow, Marley enters his senior years and starts
showing many signs of his age like hearing loss and
blurry vision. The family continues to love and care
for him. Unfortunately, Marley suffers a
catastrophic illness, which ultimately is the cause of
his death at age 13. Marley and Me is one of the
best books I have ever read, and I recommend it to
all. It has taught me many important lessons about
love, life, and loss and the special love and bond of
a family pet.
Unbroken
Book Review
by Greg DeMatteo
A gripping story about sports, war, and
suffering, Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand is the
story of Olympic runner and World War II
bombardier, Louis Zamperini. As a child in
Torrance, California, Louis was very troublesome.
He would break into houses, steal anything he
wanted, and beat up local children; but when he
turned fourteen, Louis began focusing all of his
energy on running. For the next few years Louis
greatly excelled in running and earned himself a
spot in the 5,000 meter race on the 1936 Olympic
team. After enlisting in the Army Air Force in
1941, Louis flew many missions in the Pacific in
the plane, Superman. Then, one day, Louis and his
fellow crew mates were sent on a rescue mission in
an old plane called The Green Hornet, which was
prone to engine problems. During this mission, the
plane failed and crashed into the ocean, killing
everyone except Louis and two other men. After
they survived for thirty-three days on the raft, living
off of sharks, birds, and rain water, one man died,
leaving Louis and pilot Russell Allen "Phil" Phillips
to float for fifteen more days before being captured
by the Japanese Navy. Louis and Phil had been
afloat for forty-seven days. They were split up and
held in many different P.O.W. camps until the end
of the war. One prison guard, named Mutsuhiro
Watanabe, and nicknamed “the Bird,” was known
for his cruelty and for the extreme beatings he
would give prisoners. Unfortunately when Louis
arrived in his camp, Watanabe had a strange
obsession with harming him and beat him more
savagely than anyone else. After Louis was
liberated, Watanabe would continue to torture Louis
in his dreams for many years until Louis finally
found comfort in the preaching of Billy Graham.
Louis returned to Japan after the war, and
while he was there, he found and forgave many of
his old guards except Watanabe, who had been on
the run ever since the end of the war because he had
been charged with war crimes. However, the
charges against the Bird were later dropped, and he
finally came out of hiding. Nevertheless, he still
refused to let Louis come see him. Louis now lives
in Hollywood, California.
Unbroken is one
of the best books I have
read in a long time, and
the incredibly exciting
and compelling story of
Louis’s struggles would
be a great book for all St.
Sebastian’s students to
read.
2
Word Search
by David Korzeniowski
S Y R V O Y F L C H V R P P B L
G C Q H T A N L G F O W Y K Y L
N B H P O F I A R M J M R L X A
N V U O F C T B H Q A X O N I B
M Z E L L H K T G J M Y T G M E
K O H O C A X E Y G S A S R P G
B S O I D H J K Y K H L I E S D
N C M T F O T S P Q A P H B S O
Y I T B C Z K A F W C R K D Z D
P M Z P F O S B M S K E C L I O
E A O V A J U B Y J Q T A O A U
N R R Z G E K R R T M N L G R U
N E S B E S T S T M J I B E R I
C C I E H S Q K L E P W V B O Y
O C B U L C A M A R D A F U W P
M X A B Z R V S Q U A S H R S W
Arrows
Basketball
Black History
Ceramics
Dodgeball
Drama Club
Hockey
Jam Shack
Math Club
Moot Court
MPA
Rube Goldberg
Schola
Squash
St Sebs
Winter Play
3
Lunch Crossword
by Matt Karpowicz
Across: Down:
1. 7th
Graders favorite dessert 2. My favorite drink
3. Milk that never works 3. Comes with oyster crackers
4. The day we have pasta 6. Jack Glynn once ate 14
5. Best served with No Bun 7. Breakfast that takes forever
9. Garlic ______ 8. Friday’s lunch
8
3
1 2
7
6 9
4
5
4
On Spellcheck’s Vacation
by Jimmy Ryan
From the Dart Staff:
Thanks to all the seventh and eighth grade students who worked so hard on their articles. We welcome
new writers, cartoonists, and photographers for future issues of the Dart.
Editors: Owen Finnegan, Casey Kelly, Michael Mackintire, Alejandro Soto
Faculty moderators: Mr. Cornish and Mr. Deschenes
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