back to school issue 2012

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Volume LXXXV, Issue 1 Wednesday, September 5, 2012 As we begin a new semester, we reflect on this year’s theme: "Nothing is beyond our reach, if we reach out together." By: Victoria Szafara and Amanda Leithead I can remember my first days at Nazareth like it was yesterday. With butterflies in my stomach, a ridiculously full backpack, and horrible hair, I walked through the doors without a clue of what to expect. What I found before me was more than I could have dreamed possible. I found a fam- ily. They say that there is some- thing truly special about Nazareth, and this year’s theme genuinely sums up what exactly that is. No matter what we do, we do it to- gether. Whether it takes place in the classroom, on the field, or in the world around us, we achieve the greatest results, make the greatest impact, and become our best selves when we strive togeth- er. With each part that we play in each other’s lives, we change the world. No woman is an island, and Nazareth continues to teach us this in every aspect of our activities. Stu- dents work with students, faculty works with faculty, students work with faculty, and Nazareth makes a bigger difference every day. At the time Nazareth was founded in 1928, the idea that women could receive a serious education and change the world seemed beyond our reach. Nazareth challenged this notion, and dedicated its mission to com- ing together as a community to con- sistently reach out for higher goals again and again. Today, more than eighty years later, we continue to grow to- gether. Athletes running the timed mile doubt their ability until a Naza- reth sister steps in to hold their hand and run with them to the finish. Stu- dents lose confidence in themselves if they receive a bad grade, until a fellow student steps in to tutor. Choir members may struggle indi- vidually to hit that high note, but when they all come together to per- form, the result is nothing short of magical. And I think we all do the double take in the bathroom mirror wondering just why we think it was okay to come to school looking the way we do, only to instantly realize that no one else really cares. It was never about the amount of makeup we put on in the morning, but the face under that makeup that we put forth that day. We live in a commu- nity that picks each other up when we fall down, and accepts each other as we are. We’ve learned that what really matters in the end is what we bring to the table, and we all have something unique and important to offer. So, freshmen: you may still have those butterflies in your stom- ach, but don’t let them stop you from taking chances and really opening up. I didn’t just find a good edu- cation and good friends here these past couple of years; I really feel as though I’m finding myself - and I can’t wait for you to all experience this feeling too. But as far as the ri- diculously full backpack goes, I’m just letting you know, it’s not getting lighter any time soon. Sophomores: You know the workings of Nazareth now, because you’ve been through it all before. So I encourage you to tackle all your challenges with con- fidence and heart. Your teachers are going to expect more from you this year, and I hope you are expecting even more from yourselves. Even if you don’t realize it yet, I know you all have what it takes. Time to shine, ladies! Juniors: you’ve passed the halfway mark and finally become upperclasswomen, which means you are officially kind of a big deal (no offense Freshmen/ Sophomores). With things like Ring Day and prom coming up, it seems that you have quite some partying ahead of you – which is absolutely true. Get ready to break out your best “stanky leg,” but be prepared to have some serious responsibil- ity handed to you too. At times, you will feel overwhelmed, but know you have about a hundred other girls in the same boat. Oh! And I hear that time management is key. Seniors: Now’s the time to pull out all the stops - there is no “next year” to fall back on. In the short time I’ve gotten to know you girls, I’ve come to truly love all of you, and I know that you deserve better than to regret what you could have done during your final semesters at Naz. So please, take the risk. You’ll be glad you did. So welcome back, NA. We all begin this year with different tasks, different expectations, and different hopes and dreams, but we all walk through the halls as part of something bigger. We are Naza- reth Academy High School, and we have to know that our strongest as- set is each other. No one can quite predict what obstacles we will have to face this upcoming year, but we must remember that “Nothing is beyond our reach, if we reach out together.” WELCOME BACK NAZ!

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Volume LXXXV, Issue 1 Wednesday, September 5, 2012

As we begin a new semester, we reflect on this year’s theme: "Nothing is beyond our reach, if we reach out together."

By: Victoria Szafara and Amanda Leithead

I can remember my first days at Nazareth like it was yesterday. With butterflies in my stomach, a ridiculously full backpack, and horrible hair, I walked through the doors without a clue of what to expect. What I found before me was more than I could have dreamed possible. I found a fam-ily. They say that there is some-thing truly special about Nazareth, and this year’s theme genuinely sums up what exactly that is. No matter what we do, we do it to-gether. Whether it takes place in the classroom, on the field, or in the world around us, we achieve the greatest results, make the greatest impact, and become our best selves when we strive togeth-er. With each part that we play in each other’s lives, we change the world. No woman is an island, and Nazareth continues to teach us this in every aspect of our activities. Stu-dents work with students, faculty works with faculty, students work with faculty, and Nazareth makes a bigger difference every day. At the time Nazareth was founded in 1928, the idea that women could receive a serious education and change the world seemed beyond our reach. Nazareth challenged this notion, and dedicated its mission to com-ing together as a community to con-sistently reach out for higher goals again and again. Today, more than eighty years later, we continue to grow to-gether. Athletes running the timed mile doubt their ability until a Naza-reth sister steps in to hold their hand

and run with them to the finish. Stu-dents lose confidence in themselves if they receive a bad grade, until a fellow student steps in to tutor. Choir members may struggle indi-vidually to hit that high note, but when they all come together to per-form, the result is nothing short of magical. And I think we all do the double take in the bathroom mirror wondering just why we think it was okay to come to school looking the way we do, only to instantly realize that no one else really cares. It was never about the amount of makeup we put on in the morning, but the face under that makeup that we put forth that day. We live in a commu-nity that picks each other up when we fall down, and accepts each other as we are. We’ve learned that what really matters in the end is what we

bring to the table, and we all have something unique and important to offer. So, freshmen: you may still have those butterflies in your stom-ach, but don’t let them stop you from taking chances and really opening up. I didn’t just find a good edu-cation and good friends here these past couple of years; I really feel as though I’m finding myself - and I can’t wait for you to all experience this feeling too. But as far as the ri-diculously full backpack goes, I’m just letting you know, it’s not getting lighter any time soon. Sophomores: You know the workings of Nazareth now, because you’ve been through it all before. So I encourage you to tackle all your challenges with con-fidence and heart. Your teachers are going to expect more from you this

year, and I hope you are expecting even more from yourselves. Even if you don’t realize it yet, I know you all have what it takes. Time to shine, ladies! Juniors: you’ve passed the halfway mark and finally become upperclasswomen, which means you are officially kind of a big deal (no offense Freshmen/Sophomores). With things like Ring Day and prom coming up, it seems that you have quite some partying ahead of you – which is absolutely true. Get ready to break out your best “stanky leg,” but be prepared to have some serious responsibil-ity handed to you too. At times, you will feel overwhelmed, but know you have about a hundred other girls in the same boat. Oh! And I hear that time management is key. Seniors: Now’s the time to pull out all the stops - there is no “next year” to fall back on. In the short time I’ve gotten to know you girls, I’ve come to truly love all of you, and I know that you deserve better than to regret what you could have done during your final semesters at Naz. So please, take the risk. You’ll be glad you did. So welcome back, NA. We all begin this year with different tasks, different expectations, and different hopes and dreams, but we all walk through the halls as part of something bigger. We are Naza-reth Academy High School, and we have to know that our strongest as-set is each other. No one can quite predict what obstacles we will have to face this upcoming year, but we must remember that “Nothing is beyond our reach, if we reach out together.”

WELCOME BACK NAZ!

Page 2

Meet the Editors

Amanda Leithead by: Victoria SzafaraThis summer, as Amanda Leithead plopped onto her living room couch to watch the Summer Olympics in London, she found herself suddenly contemplating her future career. As she watched Gabby Douglas leap through the air on the floor exercis-es, Amanda envisioned herself atop the podium, gold medal champion. Or maybe she’d try her hand at fig-ure skating – like a gymnast, only on ice! But upon looking down at the super jumbo bowl of goldfish in her lap, she considered the dietary sacrifice she would have to make. She then realized: she’d have to settle for her original plan to study advanced psychology and mental/physical therapy. And we thought Gabby was impressive…As a proud person of Native Ameri-can descent, Amanda’s favorite Disney movie is “Pocahontas.” However,if Amanda were any mov-ie character, I’d personally cast her in the role of the next Horse Whis-perer. Legitimately, this girl is an equine expert. A member of the 4-H Club for horses, Editor Leithead has been riding for eight years, both for recreation and competi-tion. She even spent the greater part of her summer working at horse camp, Cambria Stables, teaching little kids how to ride. For the most part though, she described her job as, “getting kicked, bitten, spit up on, pooped on, peed on, stepped on, and sometimes pinned against a wall by horses.” She was never discouraged though; for Amanda, it’s all a labor of love. Her reward

came in the form of a family trip to Chincoteague, where she was able to see the wild horses. As she’s been obsessed with the “Misty of Chincoteague” books since was ten, Amanda truly felt as if a childhood dream had come true. Over the summer, she was also sure to consume inordinate amounts of buffalo wings and waffles, two of her favorite foods, then burned off all the calories by challenging her friends to ABBA Dance showdowns. To celebrate her numerous victories, you could find her taking a joyride in her big silver Ford Explorer, which is affec-tionately named “The Silver Fox.” She finished her summer nights by watching TLC’s “Dance Moms” ev-ery Tuesday with her friend, Lind-say Driscoll, and “Grey’s Anato-my” every other night of the week (she’s madly in love with Jackson Avery). But Jackson is only second in Amanda’s heart; the distinction of being number one belongs to her golden retriever and best friend, Buddy.In addition to being the incredible editor of The Nazareth, Amanda is a key member of CSC, Mathletes, and Chem Club, a field hockey phe-nomena, student councilor extraor-dinaire, NHS Vice President, avid international club attendee, Kairos Leader, and un miembro del Club de Español. To many of us, it may seem like this girl has her hands full. But have no fear! She is se-cretly an expert at picking things up with her feet and other stupid hu-man tricks, like crossing both of her legs over each other and walking on her knees! She is sure to bring these, among many of her other talents to the newspaper this year. Her cre-ativity is hard to match and she pos-sesses that increasingly rare quality of level-headedness that makes for a pretty incredible mix. I can’t wait to get to know her even more as we

Victoria Szafara by: Amanda Leithead

It’s entirely impossible for me to express who Victoria Szafara is in a few simple adjectives. Not one word would do her justice because she is so incredibly unique (the good kind). Instead, I’m going to help you get to know her by explaining her through little bits about her and the things that she does on a daily basis. Victoria Szafara is the girl who will show up to school wear-ing bright red lipstick. She’s the one who is the first to get into school in the morning and the last to leave. (I would know, we were parking lot buddies and I desperately tried not to hit her car every morning.) Her love of cats is so strong that she express-es it through her car art and proudly says that she will one day become a cat lady. In fact, she says that she’ll “...marry Johnny Depp, and settle down in a nice little apartment in the city where we’ll live happily with our two children and three cats, which will be named after ancient Greek playwrights (the cats, not the children).” Victoria manages to rock Forensics, Mock Trial, International Club, Mathletes, Film Club, Student Council, and her job at an ice cream shop (that is actually shaped like an ice cream cone) while also remain-ing one of the top of the class. Yet with this full plate, she’s also the girl that will drop it all and listen to you as if you were the only person in the

world. She’s always willing to try new zany things, whether it’s a two week juice cleanse or a trip through Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific. Each and every day, you’re bound to hear a crazy story from her. Her interests range far and wide from historical art and reading to people watching and the latest seasons of Gossip Girl. Victoria’s idea of a perfect date is “... a day at the Renaissance Faire, complete with costume and British accents- which could very well explain the fact that I’ve been single for quite some time.” Her future dreams in-clude studying medicine, as well as publishing a novel. As for her plans as the new editor of The Nazareth, Victoria is ready to rock it. “I know how cheesy this sounds, but I really do love my school a million and I’m eager for my new role in having our story told through The Nazareth. I’m ex-cited to see what this year’s team of reporters brings to the table, while I try my best to make our newspa-per better than ever before. I’m the kind of person who welcomes stress with open arms, but I also lucked out with a really awesome co-editor to keep me centered. I’m ready for another great school year and I hope I make you ladies proud!” There is truly no other person that I’d rather be having fun and stressing out with this year than Victoria. Although these little facts about her sum up who she is, you can never truly un-derstand Victoria Szafara until you talk to her. So stop on by in the little Lit Office and snack and chat with her; you’ll be glad you did.

work to edit each issue together this year. This right out of the horse’s mouth: “My plans for the newspa-per are to have fun with my won-derful co-editor Victoria, and to make the newspaper something ev-eryone in the school can be a part of! My other goal is to stay late, and then when everyone leaves, I’ll pad the staircase walls, grab a mattress, and slide down the three floors of steps!”

Editors Victoria Szafara and Amanda Leithead take some time this summer to make themselves at home in their new space, the Literary Office.

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Page 3

Who’s That Lady?By: Victoria Szafara

Miss KaneI’ll ad-mit, I was a l i t t l e (and by a little, I mean VERY) nervous a b o u t t a k i n g AP Cal-c u l u s

this year. So when I got my roster in the mail, and saw that I had a brand new teacher to face, I made it a mission to find out just who this “Ms. Kane” was. Immediately, my mind created a picture of an angry old woman with piercing eyes and a crooked smile, clutching a red pen in one hand and a ruler in the other - ready to swat at the struggling cal-culus student. While I realize this was a bit dramatic, it gets the point across: I was beginning to enter into panic-mode. But as I made my way up to Room 23 to interview her, my anxiety was slowly dispelled. Upon opening the door, I was met with a big smile and a nice country music mix emanating from her computer. “People don’t appreciate the coun-try music genre nearly as much as they should,” she explained. One of her favorite summer songs this year: “Knee-Deep” by the Zac Brown Band featuring Jimmy Buffett. Before long, we were chatting about her love of soccer and soft-ball – any sort of pick-up sport, really. She even admitted that she herself was a little nervous for this upcoming year, but was actually more excited than nervous. “I’m excited for the girls,” she added, “I

was always good at math, and I was always tutoring my friends. Teach-ing is always something I wanted to do.” Over the summer, Ms. Kane not only spent some time preparing for the new school year, she also took a trip to Disney World. “You’ll find that I’m an under-cover Disney nut!” she giggled. And as soon as I heard these words, I knew that Ms. Kane had certainly found a good home here at Nazareth. -I suppose we’ll have to forgive her for attend-ing Villa Joseph Marie for High School. As our conversation came to a close, I couldn’t help but ask, “Are you a tough teacher?” Her answer: “I consider myself a fair teacher – not tough – but tough when I need to be.” And that was an answer I could handle. I’m sure Calc is still a scary thought for most seniors, but we’re all really excited to have Ms. Kane run the class.

Sr. Mary AnthonyTruly, I am still in awe of my first meeting with this new Nazareth sister. Cliché, I know, but my first observation: she’s the kind of lady

you can sit down with and feel like y o u ’ v e b e e n f r i e n d s with for long time. We talked about ev-

erything, from her attendance at the Patriot’s opening day of training camp (she’s a big fan) to her obses-sion with popcorn. She insists that the only way to eat it is with mounds of salt and doused in butter. Clearly,

she already has the eating habits of a Nazareth Panda! Not only does she have our extreme eating habits, but this woman has some pretty extreme hobbies: she’s been bungee jump-ing, zip lining, parasailing, and has even gone paragliding in the French Riviera. She also impressed me with her stories of jumping out of a hot air-balloon in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. “I like crazy, insane fun!” she attests. Sister has also traveled extensively, to such places as Costa Rica, Italy, Guatemala, Haiti, and France. She’s originally from Mas-sachusetts, but she’s no stranger to Philly, as this will be her sev-enth year residing in the city. This whirlwind has taught everything from pre-school to college campus ministry, and is coming to us from the sixth grade at St. Katherine of Sienna just down the street. She was eager to tell me her thoughts on the upcoming year. “I’m really looking forward to meeting all the people here at Nazareth. Everyone is really friendly. As a Sister of the Holy Family of Nazareth, it’s really nice to know the feeling of family here – the Nazareth care-ism.” Sis-ter will be taking over CSC here in addition to her theology classes, so she asked me to remind you all to keep up on your service work, and she’ll be taking over the CSC office on the second floor if you have any questions or if you just want to stop in to say hi.

Mrs. Vogt-HennessyNow, Mrs. Vogt-Hennessy is no stranger to Nazareth Academy. She actually taught in the English de-partment here for five years, then left for five years, had a baby, earned a degree, published some poems,

essays, and interviews, edited crime fiction novels, taught courses at Rutgers University, and worked at a local glass studio. And now she’s back as a member of the art depart-ment. In addition to her role as the

freshman art teacher, she’ll also be moderating The Nazareth! As you can see, Mrs. V.H. is certainly no slacker. In fact, when asked if she had any hobbies, she answered, “I have too many hobbies.” For fun, she enjoys reading, writing, and working with stained-glass, a hobby that began when she was a child. Her family had a business at-tached to her house, and she’s been hooked ever since. This artsy lady also takes sweater knitting classes and makes some mean home-made artisan bread. Even with all these things on her plate, she says she’s ready to return to her position as moderator of the school newspa-per. Of her time here before, she remembers, “The girls were terrific. I especially enjoyed seeing the old-er reporters help the younger girls develop their pieces.” I only hope that she’ll be just as pleased with the girls in this year’s group. I can’t wait to see what she has to bring to our school newspaper (some of that artisan bread, perhaps?).

Mrs. Carrie Konnovitch will be re-turning to Nazareth this year as a full time faculty member. You might remember her from last year, when she spent some time as a long-term substitute teacher. Now she’s here for the entire semester handling both Physical Science and Trig/Pre-Calc classes. When asked what she’s most looking forward to, her answer was instantaneous. “The Pig Race! I can’t wait for my homeroom and I to be a part of the Pig Race! It isn’t just that though. I can’t wait to spend an entire year here and take part in all the fun events we cel-

ebrate togeth-er.” So there you have it, 5D: Make sure you get your magazine orders in to get that pig! Sr. Nan-cy will also be return-ing to us this y e a r . Before s h e t o o k over her post in

our main office, Sister was a principal and adminis-trator for 31 years. In addition, she has taught everything from sixth

g r a d e through h i g h s c h o o l . Actually, b e l i e v e it or not, S i s t e r o n c e t a u g h t Eng l i sh here at

Naz! Her favorite course however, was Old Testament Religion, which she taught to sixth graders. No mat-ter where she goes, she makes sure to keep a special place in her heart for each one of her students. She explained, “I always like when I get to see one of the girls I taught at Our Lady of Calvary Grade School here at Nazareth now.” And she has certainly made a special place in that heart of hers for us. “I find it a privilege and a pleasure to work here. The surrounding is great. Be-ing here with all the girls, I just love coming in to work every day.”

And Look Who’s Back!

I’ve always found that there’s something special about beginning a new school year –the frantic scramble to finish all those last-minute summer as-signments, the digging out of the ol’ potato sack, and the annual Wal-Mart back-to-school sale with Mom. We find ourselves preparing for another set of nine months, beginning with a clean slate, ready to make new memories with our Nazareth family. And as we return this September, we find that there’ve been a few additions to this family of ours: Ms. Kane of the Mathematics Department, Sr. Mary Anthony of the Theology Department, and Mrs. Vogt-Hennessy in the Art Department. Over the summer, I had a chance to meet them all, and hear their thoughts on what is sure to be a particularly special year for them here at Naz.

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Page 4

The Fab FourNAHS Leadership Team 2012

The heads of this year’s Student Council were offered some ice-breaking questions. Here is what they had to say:

Molly Scullion- President:

Do you have a secret talent or weird fact about yourself, and if so, what is it?You all know about my abnormally large feet, but it turns out my toes comprise ap-proximately 30% of that length. I can pick up a lot of things with them. I could prob-ably even pick up the petite and lovely ju-nior Emily McFadden (and her large book-bag).

Who is your idol?My idols are Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and Melissa McCarthy because they are fan-tastic and hilarious and I love them a lot. Another one of my idols is Maura Lavelle because she laughs at everything I say.

What is your life motto(s)?“I’m ready to face any challenges that might be foolish enough to face me.” -Dwight Shrute“Take the high road, because there is less traffic.” -Maureen Scullion (aka my Giver of Life)

Maggie Featherstone- Vice Presi-dent:

What was the best thing that happened to you this summer?The best thing that happened to me this summer was probably when I got all my campers to say “UMMMMMM”...it was a huge hit! Also when my little dog chased the bear that was attacking our trash all the way down the street, I never thought I would see my dog again...

What is your life motto(s)?My motto? YOLO OF COURSE! And I couldn’t leave out my favorite, “You rock! Don’t ever change!”

What song describes your life?

“Trading My Sorrows” is definitely one of my favorite songs that describes my life. And also “The Climb” by Miley Cyrus be-cause life’s a climb, but the view’s great.

Maura Lavelle- Secretary:

What was the best thing that happened to you this summer?The highlight of my summer was nearly dying of a parasite in Ecuador after drink-ing the water, going to Rascal Flatts, and becoming BFFs with Fran Geonotti.

Do you have a secret talent or weird fact about yourself, and if so, what is it?Obviously I have talents... I’m Maura Lavelle. I can solve a Rubix cube, sing like a chipmunk, survive bus attacks, and taste with my ear.

Who is your idol?My idols are Hilary Duff (why not?) be-cause she showed me what dreams are made of, Molly Scullion because she’s the funniest person I know, and Brittney Pos-piech because she’s good at Bio.

Jackie Braithwaite- Treasurer:

Do you have a secret talent or weird fact about yourself, and if so, what is it?I have a lot of weird facts about myself that range from having a dog that is a ginger to hating Nutella. I also have some pretty interesting talents that include a sick Perry the Platypus noise and a Wicked Witch of the West laugh.

If you were an animal, what would you be and why?If I could be any animal I would be a gi-raffe because then I would be tall, polk-a-dotted, and bronze.

What is something you’ve always secret-ly wanted to do at Nazareth?I have always wanted to take a shower at Nazareth, play hide and go seek on the fourth floor, and have a massive food fight! Somehow I will find a way to do all of them before I graduate!

There's nothing quite like coming back to Nazareth Academy and finding a few new surprises awaiting you. While we relaxed on the beach and got our tan on all summer long, there were some spe-cial people working super hard to renovate, making the school a bet-ter place for us to be. Last year we experienced a big change when the convent side of the school was con-verted into offices and the dining room became our new lunch spot. This year the changes aren't quite as drastic, but you're sure to like them. I noticed the first change

when I drove into the school park-ing lot just a few weeks ago. For reasons that I couldn't quite explain, something felt different when I first pulled in. Surprisingly, it wasn't until I stopped and looked in my rearview mirror that I noticed the driveway opening was an entirely different color than before. Thanks to the newly repaved driveway, we won't be jolted awake each morning by the bumps. On second thought though, maybe that was a good thing. The next change I noticed was the new and improved doors to the lobby. They're just like your av-

erage doors, but are definitely a bit easier to push and pull open. You'll likely appreciate them more when you're running into school at 7:43 in the rain carrying your poster board in one hand and sports equipment in the other. One of the most anticipated changes that took place at Nazareth this summer was the gym floor reno-vation. We are now proud owners of a beautiful gym with blue and gold panda pride written all over it. Our sports teams are incredibly excited to use it, as well as the new score board located on the field. For those of you who are

taking chemistry this year or repre-sent homeroom 3A, there is a beau-tiful new chemistry lab complete with new equipment. There's no doubt that chemistry is one of the hardest courses offered at Nazareth, but it should be much more enjoy-able with new materials. So Pandas, enjoy the new digs and use the new improvements to your best advantage! Thanks again to everyone who made these improvements to our second home possible, especially to Mr. Bill Lafty, Mr. Walt Lafty, Mr. Tim Clark, and Mr. Fred Myers who were instru-mental in the renovations.

The Academy Gets A MakeoverBy: Amanda Leithead

Some recent additions you’re sure to appreciate: a freshly paved driveway, shiny new basketball court, and whiteboards for the Chem Lab!

By: Amanda Leithead

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Page 5

Get to Know Your New NHS Leadership Team!

In their junior year, all eligible students are invited to apply for admittance into Naza-reth’s Lumen Christie Chapter of NHS, which takes into account not only academ-ic achievement, but also service, leader-ship, and character. A select few are chosen to fill special posts as members of the NHS Leadership Team. Throughout their senior year, this group is responsible for organiz-ing charity collections and service events, maintaining the tutoring program here at Nazareth, and assisting NHS moderator, Mrs. Diane Budd, in related tasks around the school. The elite eight this year have big plans and high hopes for the student body. Here are some things you should know about this lovely group:

President: Victoria PlymouthFavorite Subject: I like such a wide variety of subjects offered here at Naz, I can’t de-cide. I love them all!Favorite School Lunch: Chicken Quesa-dilla, and medium chocolate chip cookieHopes for NHS: My hopes and plans are to work closely as a team with my fellow leaders in guiding and nurturing our un-derclassmen as they strive to achieve their own personal endeavors.What she’s most looking forward to senior year: I’m looking forward to my senior

year as I step carefully into new challenges and my final opportunity to grow, laugh, and make some lasting memories here at Nazareth before entering into life’s un-charted waters.

Vice President: Amanda LeitheadFavorite Subject: PsychologyFavorite Lunch: Buffalo Chicken WrapHopes for NHS: I’m just going to keep it simple and say help the student body and perform a whole lot of service!What she’s most looking forward to senior year: Kairos for sure!

Secretary: Jenna PellegrinoFavorite Subject: MathFavorite School Lunch: Chicken Wrap with lettuce and honey mustardHopes for NHS: That everything runs smoothly and we perform our duties to the best of our abilities.What she’s most looking forward to senior year: I just look forward to ending my Nazareth experience on a high note.

Treasurer: Kaitlyn DoughertyFavorite Subject: EnglishFavorite Lunch: Buffalo Chicken WrapHopes for NHS: My plan for the school

year is for the NHS leadership team to make the year the best it can possibly be. I also hope to have many fun service proj-ects for everyone to participate in.What she’s most looking forward to senior year: Freshman Week

Corresponding Secretary: Erin McGrodyFavorite Subject: PsychologyFavorite School Lunch: Chicken Fingers with FriesHopes for NHS: I want to finish out my time at Naz the best way possible by reach-ing my full potential by serving the needs of my school community.What she’s most looking forward to senior year: Making it to June 2 in one piece, finding a big fat college acceptance letter in my mailbox, and all those sentimental moments like realizing this is my last year wearing the potato sack and combat boots.

Historian: Kylie McAvoyFavorite Subject: PsychologyFavorite School Lunch: Mac & CheeseHopes for NHS: That we do a lot of service this year!What she’s most looking forward to senior year: Prom!

Tutor Advisor: Tracey MillerFavorite Subject: MathFavorite School Lunch: Chicken Caesar WrapHopes for NHS: I’m excited to keep the tu-toring system organized.What she’s most looking forward to senior year: Kairos

Tutor Advisor: Kylie NewmanFavorite Subject: I like Math and Busi-nessFavorite School Lunch: You can never go wrong with a gooeylicious cookie!Hopes for NHS: This year, I think that Mrs. Budd put together an awesome leadership team! I know that we have big shoes to fill, but I’m confident that 8 of us will be just as successful, if not more. I hope that we are able to accomplish our goals and to just have a successful year.What she’s most looking forward to senior year: I’m really excited to be given the op-portunity to be on the NHS leadership and to be a Kairos leader. I’m really excited to be leading Kairos in November with four of the greatest girls in my grade. I’m also very eager to start planning for college, but the thing I’m looking forward to the most is having an awesome final school year with the best class out there!

After three months of Netflix mara-thons, mall-runs, and mid-afternoon naps, I feel suddenly overwhelmed by the stress brought on by the new school year. It seems I’ve traded Saturday Night Live for a case of Algebra-induced hives. It all just seems like so much so quickly. How can I maintain my “summer cool” in the heat of school?

Yours truly, Dreamin’ of the Dog Days

Dear Dreamin’ of the Dog Days,

It just takes some timeLittle girl you're in the middle of the rideEverything, everything will be just fineEverything, everything will be al-right, alright.-Jimmy Eat World

Dear Nancy Ann...I know it can seem like the new school year hits you like a brick (or biology textbook), but that’s no reason to let your fifty-pound back pack weigh you down. No matter what you do, your course load won’t magically disappear, but there are ways to make it all seem easier:1. Don’t procrastinate. Really take advantage of that little planner you are given on the first day of school to keep a record of your due dates and important plans. Staying on top of everything is crucial for your peace of mind. If you are able to, it might be even be good to set some per-sonal planning goals for yourself. I recommend having all assignments complete and ready the day before they are actually due, or maybe set-ting apart one hour every Saturday for SAT prep. If you’re able to get on top of the game, you’ll feel even better, especially if met with an un-expectedly large amount of home-work one night.

2. Take Regular Breaks – but make them count. Sometimes, staying fo-cused on the same thing for too long is a recipe for frustration, anxiety, or sleepiness - all of which are ene-mies of the success-seeking student. To prevent against these potential pitfalls, try to treat yourself to some of these simple brain-boosts:• Give yourself a quick pedi-cure. Although you traded your flip-flops for your combat boots about a week ago, shifting your concentra-tion to such a task as painting your toes will leave you feeling accom-plished (as simple as the task may be) and happy for making yourself just a little bit prettier.• Compile yourself a personal playlist of inspirational ballads and feel-good summer beats. You’d be surprised how much a two or three minute jam session can give you a chance to de-stress and reset, leav-ing you able to tackle your tasks more easily.• Color in a picture. I don’t know why most people stop after like third grade. Coloring is simple,

fun, and when tapping into your ar-tistic abilities, you never know what your creative side might bring out – perhaps new insights into your his-tory essay.3. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Things aren’t going to come easily, but they’ll come. In the meantime, find an inspirational quote or man-tra to latch onto. Cheesy, I know, but it can only help. The real secret is knowing that you are probably your own worst enemy and tough-est critic right now. So try your best to close your eyes and take a deep breath. Have faith in yourself, my fellow panda, because I certainly have faith in you!

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Page 6

Nazareth Travels Down UnderBy: Natalia Kucharska ‘13Our trip to Australia and New Zealand be-gan on June 25, 2012. After meeting up with the rest of the Naz family at the air-port, we started our long trip to Auckland, New Zealand. Although we were tired after about 30 hours of traveling, the worst was behind us, and we were ready to explore! During our time in New Zealand, we got to experience many interesting things such as the Agrodome in Rotorua where Grace Naccarato and I decided to let loose and swoop from 45 meters in the air. After the initial freak-out that brought us close to tears, the experience made such an impres-sion on us that we wanted to do it again (if the line wasn’t so long!). We also got to learn about the native people of New Zea-

land, the Maori. During one of our dinners at the hotel, the Maori people put on a show for us that showed their festive clothes and talent at making scary faces to “intimi-date the enemy”. On one of our last days in New Zealand, we went to a real Maori village where we sat on thermal rocks that radiated heat. Since we Naz girls are used to our Philadelphia summers, some of us weren’t prepared for the Australian winter ahead of us, so those rocks warming our tushies nearly saved our lives! My favorite site in New Zealand was prob-ably the glowworm cave above the Waito-mo River. Along with the rest of our group, we hopped on a little boat and made our way down the river with the glowworms

as our only source of light. Looking up at the ceiling of the cave was like look-ing at the sky on the starriest summer night (not in Philadelphia, of course). Next, we made our way down under to Sydney, Australia. There, we took a boat ride around Darling Harbor and, of course, visited the famous Sydney Op-era House. We took advantage of our “free” day by visiting one of the wild-life aquariums where we were able to “awww” at the fluffy little koalas and watch the kangaroos hop around in front of us. Later, we were able to walk on the sands of Bondi Beach and watch the surfers work their magic in the crystal blue waters. We spent the last few days

of our trip in Cairns, Australia. That is where we had a full day excursion to the Great Barrier Reef and where some of us had the opportunity to scuba dive. Since it was extremely windy on this day, the three hour boat ride was not a fun one and getting in the water with my 50 pound scuba gear was proba-bly the biggest fear I’ve ever been able to overcome. In the end, it was all worth it because we got to see all the colorful fish of the sea (including Nemo!) and even a huge sea turtle. This trip was a once in a lifetime opportunity and the eight flights we took in total were well worth it. Great thanks to Mrs. Kasperski for making this trip happen and being the best flight bud-

Pandas Take No Vacation From Service!

By: Victoria SzafaraI’m going to generalize here, and say that for every high school student in America, it’s very tempting to spend the entirety of summer catching up on their T.V., making trips down the shore, and staying up su-per late, only to sleep in until 2 p.m. – in short, to take a real break from the school year. But even as we folded our uniforms up and pushed the textbooks away, most of us couldn’t seem to extricate ourselves from one big part of the academic year: community service. Here is just a sample of what our seniors were up to these past three months. Hopefully their stories will get us all pumped to collect our own ser-vice hours this year!KIERSTAN THOMAS: “Science is where? Everywhere!” That was the theme of this past summer’s Discovery Camp at The Franklin Institute, a camp where explo-sions, messes, and chemical disasters tend to be the norm. Volunteering at the insti-tute’s camp this summer really changed my life - for the better. For five days a week, I played with campers, learned about sci-ence, and blew things up (but mainly blew things up.) Each daily session had its own theme such as “Catch a Wave,” “Space is the Place,” and “Deconstruct It.” During each, we would explore the science of that particular topic, in the place for science – Philadelphia’s own institute. It was an awesome experience that I am not likely to forget anytime soon. My job as a CIT (camp counselor in training) was to work with other counselors, entertain the kids, and assist with demonstrations. But my most difficult tasks were met on a day-to-day basis: A) Making sure the kids didn’t kill each other, and B) Ensuring they did not burn the institute down. I also had the opportunity of working with special needs

children at the camp. In fact, there were many kids with Asperger’s Syndrome, Au-tism, and PDD-NOS (another disorder on the Autism Spectrum.) It truly saddens me when people think of doing service hours as a burden. It’s so easy to find something you like, and then find a volunteer program to do it with. If I hadn’t worked at Discov-ery Camp, I would’ve missed out on meet-ing so many interesting people and kids, but also the experience of the camp itself. There was never a day that was too much like the one before - especially when we had a week of camp at Valley Forge Nation-al Historical Park! Discov-ery Camp was a place where it was okay to be weird and you quickly learned that everyone has a bit of “mad scientist” in them. Sure, it got boring sometimes tak-ing kids to see an exhibit you already saw about 5,000 times. And yes, the incessant crying and whining did get rather irritat-ing, but I’m still pumped about next sum-mer. Could I have done other things with my time? Well, yes. But knowing I made a difference in someone’s life is an incred-ible, indescribable feeling! Waking up early, preparing activities, and maintaining schedules did take a lot of time and effort, but seeing a smile light up a child’s face was priceless.ELENA SILLA: Over this past summer, my little sister Caroline and I volunteered

at our local Girl Scouts camp (Yes, we are proud to admit that we are still members of the troop.) At the camp, we were engaged in planning all of the activities for the girls as well as serving as counselors. My abso-lute favorite part of the camp was becom-ing a role model for these young girls. In this kind of situation, they really do start to look up to you and view you as their friend and mentor. My experience only support-ed my long-time view of volunteering. I truly believe that service is not just “doing good for others,” but helping others learn to live their lives in a more service-filled

way. The time I spent with the younger girls at camp enabled me to me do just that. In ad-dition to my scout involve-ment, earlier this summer, my good pal Amanda Lei-thead and I

worked at the ReStore for Habitat for Human-ity stocking shelves. I

saw that the people that had to shop there were extremely poor and looking for a way to get by on what little they did have. My eyes were opened to another walk of life that I had never experienced before, and I realized that there is so much more that I can do to help others. I look forward to do-ing so now, in my senior year at Nazareth, as I enter college, and throughout the rest of my life!MAURA LAVELE: As many of the girls in my class know, I took a sevice trip to Ec-

uador this summer. My group focused on two locales in the country. The first place we went to was Tena, where we were set to work at a hospital for children with disabil-ities. Some of us worked outside, building swing sets, sifting sand to put into this real-ly cool sandbox, and varnishing the walls. A select few got to help out the doctors with the kids. It was really sad to see, but the kids were so brave and so determined to work through their physical therapy to gain more control over their bodies. The jobs themselves were very rewarding; we were only there for a week and got so much done! The second service project we did was in a small village called Yunguilla. We were staying with the families we were working with which made it extra special. Throughout the week, we were assigned to clearing trails, cooking, making marma-lade and cheese, planting trees, building crafts, and general construction. Due to the fact that I am a track star, I was assigned to the construction, which actually wasn’t construction at all. My job consisted of car-rying bricks, bamboo, and bags of sand and rocks a half mile up a huge hill. The first day was dreadful because adjusting to the altitude was tough. I was working with my host dad and kids and even though all we wanted to do was roll down the hill, we had so much fun. Spending a month in Ecua-dor was a great experience and if anyone else is brave enough to give it a try, I have one piece of advice: DON’T DRINK THE WATER! You don’t need to travel to South America to make a difference though! Be sure to pay attention to the daily announce-ments and posts on the board outside the CSC office on the second floor for infor-mation about how to get involved in your community!

Seniors Natalia Kucharska and Grace Naccarato took in the beautiful views in and around Sydney Harbor before flying through the air in New Zealand.

Senior Maura Lavelle is pictured with her host family.

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Get Involved!

MUSICChamber Ensemble

ChorusChorale

Dance ClubJazz BandJazz Choir

School Play

ARTArts and Crafts ClubPhotography Club

Many of our favorite Nazareth memories come from involvement in afterschool activities. With so many clubs and sports offered, it’s easy to get involved. So here’s a list to get you started:

SERVICE/ACTIVIST

Autism Awareness ClubCancer Awareness Club

Military Service and SupportGreen Team (Environmental

Club)Life Club

Community Service Corps.Student Council

CORA Peer Counselors

FALLCross-Country

Field Hockey

Golf

Soccer

Tennis

Volleyball

Sports and Athletics:

Clubs:GLOBAL

IMMERSIONInternational Club

French Club

Italian Club

Spanish Club

Junior Classical League

WINTERCheerleading

Basketball

Indoor Track

Swimming

SPRINGLacrosse

Softball

Track and Field

YEAR ROUND

Athletic Association

ACADEMICBookworms (Book Club)

Chem ClubFilm Club

Forensics (competitive Speech and Debate)

Highlights (Literary Magazine)

MathletesThe Marygold (yearbook)

Mock TrialNASDAQ (business club)The Nazareth (newspaper)

Wednesday, September 5, 2012Page 7

Page 8

From late August to October, it's common to find Nazareth girls spilling out of the school after the bell rings at two o'clock with their soccer balls, field hockey sticks, golf clubs, running sneakers, and tennis racquets in tow. In addition, this year you'll find girls in our freshly-floored gym playing volleyball. After years of stu-dents asking for volleyball to become an official sport at the school, Nazareth's first team has finally been started this year. Many girls came to try out for the team during the third week of Au-gust. The large majority were not familiar with the game, aside from watching the women's American team kick butt on this summer's Olympics. In addition to Coach Erica Richards (who formerly coached for Pennsbury) a few girls who knew more about the sport from CYO leagues taught

If you play a fall sport here, then you’re probably lucky enough to already have met Ms. Tiffany Whalen. I myself am more athletically challenged, but I was glad for the chance to talk to her for this article. She has such a sweet demeanor and positive attitude that she is sure to bring to her new job as athletic trainer. She moved to Philly in August from Toms River, New Jersey, where she worked as a graduate assistant in Pen Argyl. Now, she’s ready to take on the sporty side of Nazareth. Some things you might not know about Ms. Whalen is that she participated in both basketball and cheerleading in high school. She is also a big fan of the Olympic Games. This past summer, she was blown away by the gymnastics. “I love the floor routines – the athletes are always so flashy and showy!” I’m sure she’ll also be impressed with our teams as we show our spirit on the field.

Volleyball, Anyone?

the others about it. According to team member Jess Sucharski, "Most of the girls who were trying out for the team had never played volleyball before, so we were all on the same page. It was difficult at first to learn all the rules, but after just a few days we all started picking it up quickly.” Although the volleyball girls are still getting the hang of the sport, they're incredibly optimistic and excited about the upcoming season. Team member Laney Coull voiced this spirit in saying, "Volley-ball has been a lot of fun, and I can't wait for the season to start. I'm excited to see the program grow, and am happy to be a part of it for the first year!" If you have extra time this fall, please come out and show your support for Nazareth's new volleyball team!

By: Amanda Leithead

Meet Ms. WhalenBy: Victoria Szafara

Our new athletic trainer has big hopes for our panda athletes.

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday2 3 4 Tennis @ 3:45

vs. Merion Mer-cy

5 6 Soccer @ 3:45 vs. Villa Maria

7 Field Hockey @ 3:45 vs. Villa Maria

8

9 10 Tennis @ 3:45 vs. Villa; Golf TBA - Open Date (District Quals)

11 Soccer @ 3:45 vs. Merion Mer-cy; Golf @ 3:45 vs. Gwynedd

12 Tennis @ 3:45 vs. Basil’s

13 Golf @ 3:45 vs. Sacred Heart

14 Tennis @ 3:45 vs. Sacred Heart

15 Soccer @ 11 vs. Lansdale Catholic; Tennis TBA - Open Date (AACA Singles Tourney)

16 17 Field Hockey @ 3:45 vs. Arch-bishop Ryan; Golf @ 3:45 vs. Gwynedd

18 Soccer @ 3:45 vs. Basil’s; Ten-nis @ 3:45 vs. Villa Maria

19 Field Hockey @ 3:45 vs. Villa

20 Tennis @ 3:45 vs. Gwynedd

21 Field Hockey @ 3:45 vs. Sacred Heart

22

23 24 Field Hockey @ 3:45 vs. Bris-tol HS; Golf @ 3:45 vs. Villa

25 Field Hockey @ 3:45 vs. Me-rion Mercy

26 27 Tennis @ 3:45 vs. Mount

28 29 Soccer @ 11 vs. Hubert’s

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday1 Field Hockey @ 3:45 vs. Gw-ynedd;Tennis @ 3:45 vs. Neshaminy

2 Cross Country @ 3:45 (location: Mount)

3 Field Hock-ey @ 3:45 vs. Mount; Golf TBS - Open Date (AACA Champi-onships: Honey-brook CC)

4 5 Field Hockey @ 3:45 vs. Basil’s

6 Soccer @ 11 vs. Pottsgrove; Tennis TBA - Open Date (AACA Doubles Tourney); Cross Country @ 3:45 (location: Soud-erton)

7 8 9 Cross Country @ 3:45 (location: Villa Maria)

10 11 Soccer @ 3:45 vs. Mount

12 *Volleyball Senior Game @ 4 vs. Mount

13

14 15 16 Soccer @ 3:45 vs. Gwynedd; Cross Country @ 3 (Champion-ship at Tyler State Park)

17 18 Soccer @ 3:45 vs. New Hope - Solebury

19 20

21 22 23 24 25 26 Cross Coun-try PIAA Dist. 1 Championships (Lehigh U, Time TBA)

27

All-Star Athletic Trainer

SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER

Come Support Your

Panda Athletes For

the Fall Season Home

Games!

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Make sure to check Nazareth’s page at schedulestar.com for the latest informa-tion on any changes in time or location of our games. Also, be sure to come out and support our Volleyball Team for their first ever Senior Game on October 12!

Page 9 Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Freshmen Freshmen, Are You Ready!

Though they haven’t yet gone through their formal initiation of Fresh-men Week, the class of 2016 has already begun to make themselves at home here at the Academy. Over the summer, many of the girls took part in the Pre-Ninth Grade Summer Enrichment Program, where they were able to “get their feet wet,” explor-ing their new school and engaging in their first classes here. I remember my own pre-ninth experience where I went from Current Events to Reading to Grammar to Math class. This past summer, the girls also took creative writing courses, com-puter technology, art and music electives, and even a “Welcome Nazareth” class, where they learned about the new changes around the school this summer, ensuring that they would be expert Naz navigators when September came around. About mid-way through the four week program all of the classes embarked on a field trip to the notorious Eastern State Penitentiary. Both teachers and students alike had a great time making their way through the eerie halls of the prison, which was the world’s first true penitentiary, “a prison designed to inspire true penitence, or regret, in the hearts of convicts.” As captivating as this was, stu-dents were more than happy to return to the sunny halls of Nazareth for their final two weeks of the program. They finished off their time with a scavenger hunt de-signed by Mr. Clark to quiz them on their knowledge of the school’s layout, as well as a picnic to relax with some of their new friends. Freshman Regan Mulholland re-calls her time spent, “Well I thought that it was really awesome because coming into the first day of school, I just knew so many girls -a girl or two in each class, really. I was definitely less scared coming.” Nazareth also ran other one week programs such as a Science Camp, Glee Camp, and Pre-Eighth Grade Enrichment (similar to the Pre-Ninth Grade Enrich-ment program). During our Art Camp, Ms. Cervino, our own Art Department Chair, was eager to help some up-and-coming NA artists express their creativity with ex-citing projects ranging from Van-Gogh in-spired to summery cast plaster fish. A spe-cial thanks goes out to Mrs. Makowski and Mrs. Curtis, and all others who made this summer fun possible. The girls had a blast and will treasure this time as their first of many Nazareth memories.

By: Victoria SzafaraNew friends search the third floor hallways for the Yearbook Room, one item on the checklist for Mr. Clark’s School Scavenger Hunt.

Below, left: Students don’t break concentration as they ace their final test.

Below, right: On their first day of school, the girls are ready for an awesome Freshman year!

Next Up:Freshman Week 2012Get Excited, Ladies! Bianca Tillery, Little Miss Freshman, 2009.

Will you be the next Little Miss Fresh-man?

Page 10 Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Editors-in-Chief..................................................................................................................... Amanda Leithed ’13, Victoria Szafara ’13

Reporters........................................................................................ Amanda Leithead ’13, Victoria Szafara ’13, Natalia Kucharska ‘13 Moderator............................................................................................................................................................... Mrs. Vogt -Hennessy

The NazarethA Publication of Nazareth Academy High School

4001 Grant Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19114 - 2999

New (School) Year’s Resolutions

“This year I will find the pool.” –Carley Schwab

“I will be sure I have enough candy to ac-commodate the cravings of all the girls at N.A.” – Mrs. Martin

“I hope not to fail or get expelled.” – Anna Voyle

“I will not cram up studying the night be-fore a test.” – Alexandra Vo“Smile a lot.” – Avory Serrano

“Make friends and pass Mr. Clark’s class.” – Victoria Zamites

“Get good grades in all of my classes.”- Holly Bowes

“I’ll try to be exempt from all of my fi-nals.” – Molly Driscoll

“I’ll find the hidden swimming pool in the attic and go swimming with the nuns.” –Elena Silla

“I resolve not get trampled on the stair-ways!”- Jenna Silla

“Be happy.” – Kristen Willie

“This year I want to try my best to survive chem.” – Laney Coull

“Work hard and pass chem.” – Rachel Carl

“I want to do Powderpuff Football.”- Vic-toria Szafara

“I want to find a way to juggle the play and sports.” – Gina Pallanta

As we took our seats in homeroom for the first time last week, many of us saw nine months of school stretch before us. The state of Pennsylvania describes this period as a mandated 180 day educational cycle. And then, there’s the cast of the Broadway hit musical “RENT,” who describe their years in “daylights and sunsets, in midnight, and cups of coffee.” While all of these descriptions may be suitable, I’ve found that one of the most popular ways to record the passing of time is though the big annual events that we look forward to to keep us going. Here at Nazareth, we have our very own special set of dates that bring us together as a school community. As we begin the 2012-2013 school year, I’ve compiled a list to get ready for what lies ahead. Mark your calendars, girls!

DAYS UNTIL:

Nazareth Day – 16 Sophomore Retreat – 29

PSAT Testing – 42Yearbook Pictures Taken – 43

Clash Day – 56Opening Night of the

Nazareth Play – 57Ring Day – 65Pig Race – 75

Music Department Fashion Show – 88NYC Bus Trip – 93

First Day of Christmas Break – 107Mid-terms Begin– 131

Bread Basketball Begins – 173Blood Drive – 196Junior Prom - 213

Spirit Day/Talent Show– 219Senior Prom - 233

Final Exams Start – 257Class Day – 267

Senior Graduation – 270Hershey Park Trip – 271

Final Day of School – 274

These are just some of the bigger events on the calendar, but I’m also a firm believer that it’s often those little mo-ments in between that can make the biggest difference. However we like to look at things, I’m sure we can all agree that our time together is short, and I encourage everyone to make the most of it!

Countdown To Fun

Congratulations!

Congratulations to English teacher Mr. John Turner and Athletic Director Ms. Danielle Wilson on their engagement! They were engaged on August 12th, 2012 and are cur-rently planning their wedding, which they expect to take place on a date this upcoming summer.

Congratulations to helpful staff member Walt Lafty and his family on the birth of his beautiful son, River Malachy Lafty, who was born on August 24, 2012.