Page design by Copy Editors Haleigh Nelson and Donna Steinbacher

Cardinal Gibbons High School - 1401 Edwards Mill Rd Raleigh, N.C. 27607 Volume 11, Issue 7 May 27, 2012

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Thanks for the memories, graduates!

Here are some snapshots of some of the most memorable moments from senior year. From painting the spirit rock to their final time together at Gibbons at the annual Senior Luncheon, this year’s graduates will take their Gibbons experience with them as they go to colleges all over the country. The Class of 2012 is the only class that celebrated both the 100-year anniversary of Cardinal Gibbons High School in 2009 and also the groundbreaking for the new arts/athletics and academic wings that are scheduled to be finished by fall of 2013. Baccalaureate Mass was Friday, May 25, and graduation was Sunday, May 27. See page 2 for photo captions. Turn to page 7 to see the Class of 2012 Senior Section.

Seniors make last memories before graduationMembers of the Class of 2012 reflect on their final year at Gibbons

(l-r) Seniors Gabby Austin, Amelie Duchaine, Ava Avedikian, Sarah Thomas, Kayleigh Cook, and Hunter Davis enjoy their last on-campus event together on Friday, May 18 at the annual Senior Luncheon. The Class of 2012 shared one final meal together in the gym after a presentation in the theater. The senior gift was also unveiled.

Photo by Jennifer Rilley/Gibbons Media

Haleigh NelsonCopy Editor

Class of 2012

On a day filled with emotion, the Class of 2012 enjoyed their last time to-gether on campus as Gibbons students at the annual Senior Luncheon on Fri-day, May 18.

Seniors shared their high school memories and experiences with each other, and looked back on their four years at Gibbons with bittersweet feel-ings before they graduate today, Sun-day, May 27.

“The senior luncheon was fun be-cause we got to spend time together as a class before we all graduate and go off to college,” said senior Carolyn Al-bright.

“I’m so glad we got to be together to watch the slideshow and remember all the wonderful times we’ve had to-gether as a class at Gibbons. I’ll never forget my classmates and all the ex-citing things we did, and I’ll definitely miss it,” said senior Lauren Willough-by.

Seniors reflected on their final year at Gibbons and what made it special for each of them.

“What made my senior year special was just spending it with people who

make me laugh and cry,” said senior Maggie Tardif.

“I think what made this year spe-cial was the people. Great teachers, great friends, and a great year,” said senior John Capetanos.

“The most exciting thing this year was winning the nine state champion-ships, especially the four in just four hours,” said senior KJ Bruno.

“This last year with my classmates has been really special. I’m lucky to have had so many great times at Gib-bons, and will carry the memories with me for the rest of my life,” said senior Madison Bugg.

“My senior year was special be-cause it was my last time walking the halls as a student, but maybe sometime in the future I will walk them again as a teacher,” said senior Kevin Steele.

The class met in the theater for a presentation from Col. Craig Drescher, a video describing the senior gift and the viewing of the traditional slideshow of photos from the past four years be-fore moving to the gym for the lunch and the presentation of the senior gift.

Parents of the soon-to-be gradu-ates helped organize and set up the gym for the event, and prepared the food that was served.

Senior Issue

The Crusader 2 May 27, 2012News

Building the Vision becomes realityCaleb MaloneyNews Editor

Lipscomb leaving Gibbons

English teacher Robert Lipscomb will be leaving Gibbons at the end of this school year. Lipscomb taught freshman Honors English, British Literature Honors, and AP Language and Composition. He was also assistant coach of cross country and moderator of the Chessnuts chess club.

Q: Where are you going?A: “My wife accepted a job as an

Assistant Professor of Early American Literature at the University of West Florida in Pensacola, Florida. That’s where we’ll be moving.”

Q: How many years have you been teaching here?

A: “This is the end of my 5th year. I was here a year before the seniors graduating now were freshmen.”

Q: What was your favorite part of being a teacher at Gibbons?

A: “I really enjoyed interacting with the students in class and at cross country. The students and faculty are unusually entertaining, positive and supportive.”

Q: What are you going to miss most?

A: “I will miss the friendly and good-natured students that I’ve been privileged to teach.”

Teacher and coach Robert Lipscomb will be leaving Gibbons at the end of the 2011-2012 school year.Ellyson WilliamsEditor-in-Chief

From left to right, seniors Tyler Zimmerman, Stas’ Noga, Jenny Betz, Hunter Smith, Ryan Milroy, and Megan Kunkel celebrate the groundbreaking ceremony with the rest of the Gibbons community on February 2.

On February 2, Bishop Burbidge celebrated the Building the Vision groundbreaking ceremony with students, staff, donors, and alumni. Prior to gathering outside, Bishop Burbidge also celebrated a Mass with the Gibbons community.

Photo by Dani Chiavegatto/The Crusader

Photo by Dani Chiavegatto/The Crusader

Since the official groundbreaking ceremony for the Building the Vision construction project on February 2, the Gibbons campus has undergone massive changes.

From the athletic parking lot almost being completely dismantled to a whole half of the school in the process of being built, Gibbons looks completely different than it did just four months ago. Slowly but surely, the construction process is changing from a vision to a reality.

On February 2, Gibbons students, faculty, staff, alumni, donors, and Bishop Michael F. Burbidge all celebrated a Mass together in the gym before the official groundbreaking ceremony took place. Once the Mass concluded, everyone went to the back of the school where the current courtyard will eventually be enclosed by a new wing.

The ceremony’s purpose was to formally bless and begin the construction of the two new wings of the school. One of the wings will be the classrooms and learning commons on the backside of the current building while the other will be a black box theater, athletics facilities, fine arts rooms, and a new lobby on the front side.

The first changes as a result of Building the Vision were put into place on March 1. A new driveway and a parking lot were laid down. The gravel parking lot was put where the field in front of the main entrance used to be. The lot’s main use is for parking and the new driveway was necessary to

make room for the construction work on the new wing.

Over Easter break, the next phase of the building project was started, which was the placement of steel beams for the arts/athletics wing located at the end of the current theater. These steel beams form the current outline of the new theater, fine arts room, and athletics facility. By January 2013, this phase of the project is expected to be completed.

The building project won’t stop over summer break. The construction will continue to make progress and our school will look quite different when students come back in August.

“(In August), the front will look dramatically different. There will be a lot of the steelwork and glasswork done,” said Curtis.

Over the summer, parts of the school will be shut down and a sprinkler system will be installed throughout the current building to bring it up to code. Due to part of the school being closed off, summer camps that normally take place in the gym or theater will instead be off campus.

The very popular Freshman Focus program for incoming freshmen will also be affected due to many of the classrooms being closed off.

“Freshmen Focus will only be a one day program this year. We didn’t want to completely get rid of it since it has been so popular,” said Curtis

Gibbons is changing greatly with the Building the Vision project, but so far everything has turned out well.

“Construction has been going very smoothly and there haven’t been any big surprises,” said Curtis.

Page design by Executive News Editor Caleb Maloney

Class of 2012

Seniors Mary Margaret Adams and Hunter Smith were crowned Homecoming Queen and King at the Homecoming football game on September 23.

Senior Victoria Fernandez cheers at the Fall Pep Rally on September 23.

(l-r) Seniors Connor Prevost, Tim Nalesnik, Nick Geaslen, and Zachary Smith walk onto the field before a football game in the fall.

(l-r) Seniors Chris Shannon, Mark Pietryka, Ryan Milroy, John Vollmer, Jenny Betz, Kelsey Christian, Marc Celestini, Stas’ Noga, KJ Bruno, and Ryan Secrist dress up as a bowling ball and pins for the annual Halloween costume contest on October 31.

(l-r) Seniors John Burton, Blair Houtz, and CJ Liuzzo enjoy their time together at the annual Senior Luncheon.

(l-r) Seniors Joey Wendt, Chase Brews-ter, Megan Summers, and Renee Ducatte paint the Gibbons Spirit Rock.

The men’s varsity soccer team celebrates after winning the 2011 state championship.

(l-r) Senior Joseph Lucido, junior Jennifer Nash, seniors Kaitlyn Emery, Lauren Brooker, and Jay Luebke at prom.

Senior Matt Skowron looks on as sophomore Gannon Morrison and Ben Huger embrace after a goal.

Seniors Joey Wendt, Hunter Davis, and Abby Baric at one of the 2012 Kairos senior retreats.

Class of 2012 bids farewell to senior year

The Crusader 3May 27, 2012 News

Page design by Executive News Editor Caleb Maloney and Staff Writer Ryan Trickett

Students lend helping handDonna SteinbacherCopy Editor

March April

NHS selects new officersStudents ready for responsibilityDonna SteinbacherCopy Editor

Students recognized for service & success

Photo by Caleb Maloney/The Crusader Photo by Caleb Maloney/The Crusader

On March 1, Gibbons officially put into use its temporary parking lot and driveway. The parking lot is used for faculty, staff, construction workers, and activity buses. This view is from the front of the school.

After students returned from Easter Break, the first steel beams were in place for the new wing which will contain the black box theater, fine arts rooms, and athletics facilities including an auxiliary gym. This wing should be completed by January 2013. This view faces towards the current theater and theater entrance. The new main entrance and lobby will replace the current theater entrance.

Building the Vision: Through the months

In May, the roof was installed on the new arts/athletics wing. The first bricks of the exterior walls also are currently being constructed. This view is from the end of the new driveway facing the corner of the new wing.

Photo by Caleb Maloney/The Crusader

May

Outstanding Service AwardsAnime — John Capetanos, Ariana Keeling,

Christina Donovan

BeAT — Sarah Thomas, Mary Margaret Adams

Biology Club — Fei-lin Scruggs, Andrew Panzl

Book Club — Rebecca MacRae, Amanda Taylor

Bowling Club — Kristen DeMaria, Mary Gerald

Le Cercle Francais — Caroline Geradts, Hannah

Holub, Kelsey Schmitz

Club for the Easily Amused — Claudia Rutkowski, Matthew Nelson

Coffee House — Paul Spencer, Claudia Rutkowski,

Christina Spencer

Guitar Club — Isaac Derr

Gibbons Inklings — Lauren Long, Lauren Miller,

Annetta San Diego, Alex Lai

Inline Hockey — Jonathan Wiggins, Michael Grint

er, Jordan Harrill, Christopher Scheu

Lancer Club — Joanna Bertram, Nick Davis,

Fei-Lin Scruggs, Rebecca MacRae

Latin Club — Ryan Beale, Owen Zidar

Mountain Biking — Matt Dixon,

Michael Marchetta, Tate Shanahan

Marketing — Billy Fenton, Andrea Velosa, Rachel

Hebert, Ryan McElroy, Gabby Austin, Hayley Razzeto

National Catholic Forensic League — Megan Izzo, Rachel Mintel

National Honor Society Juniors – Nicholas D’Andrea, Conor Lynch, Jennifer Nash, Allyson

Perez, Annetta San Diego, Blair Torres, John Czuhai, Kathleen

Dougherty, Matthew Harvey, Ben Rosso, Karthik Sundaram

Seniors – Abigail Baric, Mary Olivia Gerald, James Luebke, Vin-

cent Perino, Pamela Rivera, Sarah Thomas, Heather Freddoso,

Jessica Hebert, Caroline Geradts, Marc Celestini, Kathleen Da-

vis, Tyler Zimmerman, Kristen DeMaria, Owen Zidar, Beth Gaud-

ette, Joseph Lucido, Fei-lin Scruggs, Hunter Smith, Hannah

Holub

Scholarship Certificates from NHS National Office –

Hunter Smith, Mary Margaret Adams, Fei-lin Scruggs

Executive Officers Leadership Recognition – Pres. Hunter Smith, 1st VP

Tyler Zimmerman, 2nd VP Karthik Sundaram, Sec. Marc Celes-

tini, Treas. Owen Zidar

Noteworthy — Nicole Thieken, Annetta San Diego

Robotics Club — Ariana Keeling, Lauren Keeling,

Marc Celestini, Sean McDonald, Sean Greene, Brian

Nelson, Aaron Ruff, Kirby Cook, Tim Kowalczyk

Science Club — Kirby Cook, Timothy Kowalczyk,

Rayburn McCulloh

Science Olympiad — Ms. Trish Mullins, Moderator

Danny Reiland, Laura Sheridan, Nicholas Lefevre

Spanish Club — Marc Celestini

Spiritual Life FYI — Officers: Pres. Fei-lin Scruggs, VP Cindy Gomes,

Sec. Abigail Baric, Publicity Andrew LaPointe, Memory

Class Folder Organizer Kathleen Dougherty

Catwalk for Cancer — Hunter Davis, Ryan Milroy,

Lauren Long, Matthew Talbot, Kelsey Christian

Box-A-Thon — Grace Turner, Nathan Godwin, Lind-

sey BaconMiracle League — Victoria Fernandez

NC State Fair Kettlecorn Booth — Allyson Goff

Lenten Soup Sales—Fei-lin Scruggs, Abigail Baric, Cindy

Gomes, Andrew LaPointe, Kathleen Dougherty, Victoria Fernan-

dez, Xander Saleh, Veronica O’Neill, Hannah Richey, Reid Luihn,

Phong Vu, Connor Battershall, Clare Bocklage, MacKenzie Kun-

sman, Alex Ingerson, Rebecca Wiley, Kaylan Joseph, Alex O’Neill,

Soobin Lee

Dress Down Day Canned Food Drive — Fei-lin Scruggs

Senior Citizens Prom — Megan Izzo

Read and Feed Tutor — Fei-lin Scruggs, Cindy Gomes, Kath-leen Dougherty, Megan Izzo, Cassie Austin, Gabby Austin, Em-ily McCrorie, Xander Saleh, Veronica O’Neill, Emma Hoellerich, Robbie Marquart, Jack Strickland, Marie Hils, Brooke Eichen-laub, Christiana Donovan, Moria O’Neill, Nick Rinz, Pat Mosca, Hannah Richey, Tatiana Soto, Caroline Buckley, Belle Smith, Caitlin Lillis, Kevin Pietras, Reid Luihn, Isabella Zawistowska,

Pam Rivera, Caroline Pope, Hayley Razzeto, Alina Ramos, Mary

Gerald, Allyson Perez

DC March for Life —Kathleen Dougherty, Victoria Fernandez

Soup Kitchen Volunteers — Cindy Gomes

Liturgy — Stephen Posek, Rebecca MacRae, Andrew

LaPointe, Michael Grinter, Fei-lin Scruggs

Retreats-Peer Leaders — Hayley Amanna, Megan Cuomo, Hunter Davis, Kathleen Davis, Billy Fenton,Heather Fred-doso, Caroline Geradts, Ryan Lenzmeier, Jay Luebke, Andrew Mayer,Ryan Milroy, Hayley Razzeto, Fei-lin Scruggs, Hunter

Smith, Joey Wendt, KyleWitek

Strategy Club—Carl Hiltbrunner, Griffin Gast, Maeve

Mense, Kyle Greenberg, Justin Miller, Geoffrey Richardson

Student Council — Pres. Jenny Betz, VP Megan Kunkel,

Sec. Stas Noga, Treas. Ryan Milroy

Students for Life — Allyson Goff

Surf Club — Mason Allen, Ryan O’Leary, Michael

Desmond, Claude Ballbe

Video Club — William Reiss

Yearbook — Hunter Davis, Lindsey Bacon, Haley Bacon

Academic AwardsFine Arts DepartmentNorth Carolina Museum of Art Teen Advisory Council — Emmary Williams, David TorresJoy of Giving Something, Inc. Resolution Photography Contest — Mahaleigh KingVisual Art Exchange Young Artists Exhibit — Hayley Amanna, Chloe MintelU.S. Congressional “Artistic Discovery” — Blair Torres

Scholastic Art AwardsRegional Honorable Mention — Jacquelyn Girard, Kevin Hyde, Chloe Mintel (3), Rachel Mintel, Alyssa Terry, Blair Torres (2), David Torres, Emily Wise, Mary Ashley Darrow, Emilie Dick, Renee Ducatte, Jessie Hebert, Makayla Holland, Mahaleigh-Anne King, Samara Knuckley, Emily Liuzzo, Helen Williford (Photo, HM), Sarah Young

Regional Silver Key Award — Catherine Hollister, Lauren Long, Christina Mancini, Chloe Mintel, Rachel Mintel, Jason Swienckowski, David Torres, Emily Wise (3), Mary Ashley Dar-row, Emilie Dick, Mallory Drake, Renee Ducatte(Photo, SK), Ma-haleigh-Anne King(Photo, 2), Emily LaBonte, Emily Liuzzo, Sa-brina Mazza, Andrea McKinley, Steven Phillips, Pamela Rivera, Soniel Schaefer, Carina Soriano, Matthew Talbot, SarahThomas

Regional Gold Key AwardEllie Czejkowski, Kate Goudy, Christina Mancini, Chloe Mintel (3), Timothy Rozansky, Jose San Miguel, Blair Torres, Emmary Williams, Laura Dowling, Chris Palmour, Helen Williford

National Scholastic Art AwardsNational Scholastic Silver Key —

Ellie Czejkowski, Timothy Rozansky

Foreign Language DepartmentNational Latin Exam Cum Laude – Mary Palm, Alex Mis-

kimon, Samantha Geaslen, Caitlin Daugerty, Nicholas Witham,

Giuseppe Guarino, Erin Quinn, Chris Schnupper, Marqi Rocque,

Kaylee Braswell, Audra Bovender, Griffin Gast Magna Cum

Laude–Caroline Czuhai, Thomas Zelesky, John Czuhai, Rachel

Bartolomeo, Laura Sheridan, David Foye, Ryan Beale, Phong Vu

Silver Maxima Cum Laude–Derek Palinski, Karthik Sundaram

Gold Summa Cum Laude–William Harris, Brandon Woolard

N.C. Junior Classical League Annual Convention —

Sam Gay, Maggie Dever, Jessica Henion, Ryan Beale

Mathematics DepartmentAmerican Mathematics Competition — 10th grade – Bailey Schultz 12th grade – Matt Zipple

Science DepartmentNorth Carolina State Science Olympiad Tournament — Varsity Level: Zachary Ang, Jacob Comello, Madeline Cooke,

Brooke Eichenlaub, Chris Johnson, Allyson Perez , Danny

Reiland, Laura Sheridan, Zach Soberano, Ryan Wangen, Robby

Wilson JV Level: Ian Alivio, Katherine Combs, Nicholas Lefevre,

Isabelle Miranda, Tyler Pham, Bailey Schultz,

Scott Thieken State Tournament: Nicholas Lefevre, Isabelle Miranda

STEP—Timothy Kowalczyk, Cameron Theobald, James

Schaefer, Chase Brewster, Jorge Ramos, Arana Keeling, Danny

Reiland, Erin Davidson-Dyer, Maeve Mense

Social Studies DepartmentMoot Court — 3rd Place Team Award: Elizabeth Buckley, John Czuhai, Allyson Perez, Elizabeth Reeves, Robert vonJess, Melissa Walsh, Matthew Zipple

The National Honor Society juniors elected the executive officers who will help lead NHS next year during their meeting on Wednesday, May 16. Karthik Sundaram was elected President, Nicholas D’Andrea was elected Vice President, Ben Rosso was elected Secretary, and Ellie Czejkowski was elected Treasurer.

Members who wanted to exercise their leadership qualities found opportunity in NHS.

“I wanted to run for NHS Secretary because I enjoyed being a part of NHS last year and I thought that I could do a good job, and I wanted to take a leadership role this year. I watched Hunter, Mark, Tyler, and Owen this year and decided that that was where I wanted to be next year. I am looking forward to being a part of the team that leads us through a great year. I am excited to have the opportunity to lead NHS,” said Rosso.

“As an organization dedicated to scholarship, leadership, character, and especially service, NHS provides unique opportunities for juniors and seniors to assist Cardinal Gibbons as well as communities outside of our own, such as the Christmas and Easter Toy Drives. After serving as an NHS executive official 2nd Vice President, I wanted to extend my contribution to NHS by running for this more extensive leadership role by which I can represent NHS on a larger scale and help our incredibly hard-working leader, [Moderator Dale] Foushee, to a greater degree,” said Sundaram.

The elected officers are excited to take their positions as leaders of NHS next year.

“I’m really looking forward to working with everyone on welcoming freshman next year. It will be great to see them and show them around before school starts. Planning the other service activities through the year is going to be a lot of fun as well,” said D’Andrea.

“I’m looking forward to being part of the great leadership that Gibbons is known for,” said Czejkowski.

The Spanish club and Franciscan Youth International have joined forces to help elementary students learn how to read. Read and Feed is a non-profit program that was founded in 2006, and Gibbons has recently gotten involved.

On Tuesday afternoons after school, members of these two clubs go to Jeffreys Grove Elementary School in Raleigh. Once the Gibbons students arrive they eat with the elementary students. After everyone eats, the Jeffreys Grove students are split up into groups based upon their current reading level. The Gibbons Spanish club students are placed with children who don’t speak English as well.

The Spanish club got involved because Spanish teacher Nancy Beale wanted to get the Spanish club involved in outreach.

“The best part about being involved is seeing the children read. They are so excited when they are able to successfully read an entire sentence or even paragraph,” said Beale.

Once split into groups the Gibbons students help guide the Jeffreys Grove students through their assigned readings of stories and other reading material, helping them with words they don’t recognize. When they finish reading, the students have assignments based on the story that they must complete with the help of the Gibbons students.

“It is a good way to help underprivileged kids and have a fun afternoon with your friends,” said Spanish club president Marc Celestini.

“We [FYI] were invited to get involved with Read and Feed earlier this year. Once we did some research and talked with our members and the Spanish Club, who has also been volunteering with us, together we realized what an amazing organization it is,” said senior Fei-Lin Scruggs.

Read and Feed is a rewarding and educational experience for all those that are involved.

“Read and Feed was created to not only give under-privileged children a place for a meal, but also to get them excited about learning. Education is so important in today’s society and knowing how to read is crucial. We are able to tutor the kids and help motivate them to do well in school,” said Scruggs.

The Crusader is the official student newspaper of Cardinal Gibbons High School in Raleigh, North Carolina.

As a school of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Raleigh, The Crusader will not purposefully publish any material that contradicts the teachings of the Catholic Church.

The Crusader will endeavour to publish only the truth, to the best of its ability. The Crusader will not purposefully publish any stories that are libelous or disingenuous nor any images which diverge from the essential truth of the captured image. Only images legally obtained or for which permission has been granted will be published.

The Crusader is the product of class work and as such is subject to prior review by the adviser and administration. Regardless, the commentaries contained herein are the opinions of the newspaper staff only, and do not necessarily reflect those of the faculty/staff or administration.

The Crusader editorial board as a whole will be responsible for determining editorial opinions, which represent the opinions of the majority of the editorial board. No single member of The Crusader will be held responsible for editorial content decisions.

All submissions to The Crusader will be considered for publication either in print or online but may be edited for space and content.

Please contact The Crusader by email at newspaper@cghsnc.org.

Editorial Policy

Continuing a tradition of journalistic excellence

Re-established 200110th anniversary 2001-2011

The Crusader 4

Staff Editorials

May 27, 2012

A historic year

Erin WelshSports Editor

Marisa Casson Exec. Design Editor

Matthew BurnetteOp-Ed Editor

Allison Johanson Inside & Out Editor

Donna SteinbacherCopy Editor

Staff Writers: Sean Feick, Michael Lim, Erin Quinn, Amy Robertson, Ryan Trickett, Cheyenne Wood and Megan Yates.

Dan Jukic Adviser

Ellyson WilliamsEditor-in-Chief

Caleb MaloneyExec. News Editor

Matthew TalbotExec. Inside & Out Editor

Haleigh NelsonCopy Editor

This year at Gibbons has been a historic, transitional year. We had many additions and changes to the Gibbons community and even our school building.

We began the Building the Vision construction project, a project that will lead us into a new era at Gibbons. 67,000 square feet of new educational, athletic and art space will be added in the two phases of building.

This year also marked the last for Gibbons long-time athletic director and inaugural Gibbons Athletics Hall of Fame member Dean Monroe. Gibbons will welcome a new athletic director, Todd Schuler, in July. Math and choral music teacher Joan Troy was honored with the Diocese of Raleigh’s Monsignor Gerald L. Lewis Award for Excellence in Teaching. The Diocese of Raleigh announced the building of the Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral.

This year has also been an eventful year for our athletics department. Gibbons improved our football field with the installation of AstroTurf GameDay Grass.

Varsity, JV and freshmen basketball teams played the last games in the Western Blvd. campus gym, competing in the Father Thomas F. Price Classic.

Gibbons won eight state championships, four of which were won in one day. Our men’s and women’s varsity cross-country, men’s and women’s varsity tennis, cheerleading, men’s varsity swimming, varsity volleyball, men’s varsity soccer and men’s varsity winter track and field all claimed state titles in the 3A division. The NCHSAA also voted on an amendment to remove parochial schools, which was unsuccessful.

The end of the historic 2011-2012 school year brings with it a farewell to our senior class. We are losing many gifted students and athletes.

With graduation comes responsibility for all of us. We, the remaining students, have the responsibility of taking charge of what the seniors left behind. We are responsible for stepping up into leadership positions that will continue to improve our school. We need to strive to make this upcoming school year even better than our last.

Seniors, you have the all the responsibility that comes with graduation and moving out into the world on your own, but we have faith that you’re all adequately prepared. We hope that you take the skills you learned while at Gibbons with you into the world of college. Congratulations and best of luck!

As the new Editor-in-Chief, I’m excited to present you with our Senior Issue of The Crusader for the graduating class of 2012.

I can proudly say this issue was made by one of the most experienced staffs in The Crusader’s ten-year history.

Many hours were put into the creation of this last issue of the 2011-2012 school year, and I hope the seniors and their families will cherish this special issue that honors their class.

To our graduating journalism seniors, I’m going to miss you all! Elisabeth, Dani, Cristina, Caitlin, Rachel, Kristen, Alexandra, and Moira, you all truly helped to make my continuing journalism experience better, and I consider you guys to be some of my best friends.

Thank you for being so dedicated to our paper this year, and I hope you continue to be excited about our publication. Good luck in college, and I hope I continue to see you all this summer and over the coming years. Many of you are attending college in state, so you better come back and visit us!

Even though part of our beloved staff is moving on, I am excited for next year. I expect next year’s publications will be even more successful than this year’s, and I’m looking forward to more time with our remaining staff members.

Heading into next year, I plan to improve certain aspects of The Crusader. This year, thanks to former Editor-in-Chief Elisabeth McFarland’s challenge to the staff, we expanded our online version of publication.

However, we will continue to improve on that in the coming years. I also plan to expand our awareness in the school. We have a newspaper club, which we will better promote to underclassmen. My goal is to have many outside contributors who will submit their own articles or pictures to The Crusader.

Another of my goals is to work more closely with our other media staffs, including video and yearbook, to figure out the best ways to cover the coming years. Our staffs will be the first to come together in the new media room included in the Building the Vision project, so we need to work on setting the standards for media collaboration.

To the returning staff members, my challenge to you is to help me make these goals happen. We need to make this year the best we can, which hopefully will set the stage for even better years in the future.

I can’t wait for next year so I can continue to challenge myself to make the necessary decisions to improve The Crusader. It isn’t going to be easy, but it will be exciting. My goal is to get the rest of Gibbons excited with me.

Finally, goodbye Class of 2012! Good luck to all of you, and I hope this Senior Issue makes you proud. Thank you for making this year the best so far.

Looking forward to next year

Ellyson WilliamsEditor-in-Chief

Thanks to our senior staff

This year was a big year for us, the staff of The Crusader. We celebrated The Crusader’s ten-year anniversary. We succeeded in publishing more online. And we also had one of our most gifted and creative staffs thus far.

Graduation is always bittersweet, but it was especially difficult saying goodbye to our senior staff members. We had eight seniors on staff this year, which left us, the remaining sophomores and juniors, with the challenge of filling the gaps they left behind. Our 15 remaining journalists have succeeded in creating the best senior issue yet, one that we hope will make the seniors leaving us today proud.

To our seniors, it’s been a great two years working with you and we aim to continue your legacy in the future.

Elisabeth, thank you for being such a talented Editor-in-Chief and keeping us all focused during our crazy drop-dead days. You were the glue that kept us together; we’ll miss your sense of calm and humor that made deadlines much easier to manage.

Dani, thank you for being our Managing Editor and for keeping us all organized—we didn’t quite realize just how much all the little things added up until you weren’t here to help behind-the-scenes. We’ll miss you and your consistent loyalty to helping us all out.

Kristen and Alexandra, thank you for being our Arts and Entertainment editors. You both helped

to bring a sense of style and humor to our paper that will be hard to replace. Kristen, we will all miss your sweet and caring personality. Alexandra, your outgoing and sociable character always helped brighten the mood in our classroom.

Rachel and Cristina, thank you for being our Op-Ed editors. Rachel, your maturity and sense of reason and logic were very valuable additions to our class, as well as your commitment to your section. That will greatly be missed. Cristina, your outspoken, honest personality and willingness to defend your opinions are valuable qualities; they prove you are devoted to things you are passionate about.

Moira, thank you for being our News editor. Your calmness and objectivity is enviable; even when the rest of us were frustrated, you remained relaxed. We hope you never lose that.

Last but not least, Caitlin, thank you for being our Sports editor. Your funny, positive attitude and your friendly personality will be missed by us all as we continue without you.

Those of us who produced this issue had to adapt to your absence but we worked it out and hope you enjoy the results.

Thanks to your leadership, we are ready to cover our future with accuracy and reliability. and we look forward to writing the next chapter of The Crusader’s online and print history.

Seniors Rachel Pratl, Alexandra Hernandez, Dani Chiavegatto, Moira O’Neill, Elisabeth McFarland, Caitlin Donovan, Kristen DeMaria and Cristina Cabrera (not pictured) were two and three year members of The Crusader staff and will be greatly missed next year. Thanks to you all for your leadership and dedication!

New Editor-in-Chief reflects on 2012 and looks forward to 2013 and goals for The Crusader

Page design by Editor-in-Chief Ellyson Williams

Photo by Landmark Yearbook

The Crusader 5May 27, 2012 op-ed

High school is a time to stand out, not fit inHard to imagine that we are now the ones graduating, Class of ‘12Lauren Brooker ‘12Crusader Staff Alumna

As the school year is coming to a close and everyone starts getting excited about summer vacation, students are stressed about final exams and have to find the focus to finish out the school year on a positive note. Teachers could really help students prepare for exams by updating PowerSchool more often and passing work back faster to their classes.

There are various ways students can study for exams such as cramming the day before or spending time every night to prepare for the test.

But to be able to review in advance and avoid cramming, teachers need to have assignments graded earlier.

Exam time makes you look back at the whole semester. You do not have enough time to study each topic equally so you determine what you need the most help with.

For some classes, such as math, a foreign language, or maybe a science class, the information builds on top of each other from previous lessons. To move forward, you have to be able to use all the information that you learned in the past chapters and apply them with the new topics you are learning about.

This cannot happen efficiently if teachers are

waiting and grading assignments long after they move on in their classes.

If assignments are not being graded before moving forward, students will not know what they did wrong and what to change so they do not make the

Students suffer from PowerSchool problemsErin QuinnStaff Writer

same mistakes in the next unit. Then when it comes time to study for exams, students might not realize a section was the one they need the most work on. Some teachers will put grades up on PowerSchool, but the tests will not be passed back out and gone over so students can see exactly what they did wrong.

Even though tests are eventually given back out by teachers, it becomes almost useless as time passes.

While classes are moving on, it is harder to grasp the new concepts without the proper knowledge of what is now expected to know. This problem affects learning throughout the year.

This could be avoided and students would benefit if some changes were made. Although not all students would take advantage of this,

the option would still be available for those who chose to start preparing early. Both students and teachers are busy at this point in the year, but everyone’s stress levels could be reduced by going over tests earlier which allows more time to review for exams.

How teachers can help alleviate students’ end-of-year stress

Page design by Op-Ed editors Matt Burnette and Erin Quinn

Amendment One raises political awarenessKarthik SundaramContributor

Tens of thousands of Facebook posts and groups, multiple television and YouTube advertisements, numerous college protests and rallies, and now a call for repeal with thousands of electronic signatures as well as a renewed national attention on the definition of marriage have all been effects of the recent passage of Amendment One.

The referendum on Amendment One has spawned perhaps the biggest discourse in recent North Carolina history, yet, in the midst of the mess, a positive point that both sides may agree upon can be articulated: the vast debate has propelled many young people, who do not normally follow politics, to care about, or at least to be aware of, many important political issues.

Amendment One created a unique stepping stone into the world of politics for many. However, the vital next step is for young people to remain attentive to issues—whether local, national, or global—and to act on our views in a responsible manner.

Awareness may seem like too weak a tool to achieve anything in government, but the YouTube video sensation regarding Joseph Kony posted in March by Invisible Children proves otherwise.

Even though the White House and other governments have directed aid to Uganda since 2001, the video

exposé on the Ugandan warlord led to a major Congressional resolution in March as well as the capture of Kony’s top commander in this month.

Political awareness is the key to any action, particularly in our democratic society and many other issues exist for which to be concerned with.

In Syria, revolution and oppression since last year have incurred over 10,000 casualties and rising.

In Afghanistan, Aesha Mohammdzai, who was mutilated by Taliban members and fled to the U.S., embodies the lack of womens’s rights in the Middle East and elsewhere,

In the U.S., the national debt edges closer to $16 trillion; in North Carolina, abolishing literacy tests will appear on the November ballot.

So in the future, increasing political attentiveness is the key to resolving these issues, among others.

The only problem with mass awareness is the degradation of discourse, evidenced by nasty Facebook posts, faulty arguments, and preventable miscommunication earlier this month.

In conveying our views, we must all try hard to avoid derogatory language and ad hominem attacks. We cannot reasonably communicate our contentions unless we persist with a cooperative mindset.

Because if you’re searching for an example of why not to discuss politics with a hot-head, look no further than the current state of our own governmental institutions.

As a child, it always seemed like growing up was so far away. Starting high school, the reality that col-lege was approaching and that I soon would be liv-ing alone and would have to face life’s challenges by myself also seemed so far away. These past four years of high school have gone by faster than I ever could have imagined and now here we are, Class of 2012: Gibbons graduates.

I remember at freshman orientation, a senior spoke about his journey in high school. He talked about how quickly it went by and that it all happened in the blink of an eye. I never believed him. I always thought to myself, “It was just going to be another four years of school”.

I was so wrong though. I never imagined that these four years truly would have developed me into the person I am today.

I was always terrified when I was younger, afraid of whether or not I would be a disappointment or that I would end up doing something wrong along the way. Eventually, I figured out that I never really could have known who I was unless I went through the experiences I went through.

I realized that high school should not be about fitting in. It should be about standing out. If you want to find yourself, you are not going to achieve that by just blending in with everyone else.

These four years of high school are, by far, the most important years of each of our lives so far.

These years teach you how to stand up for yourself and how to choose the right paths to take. You make mistakes along the way but those mistakes help you find the right paths in the future.

Through these four years, you develop friend-ships that last a lifetime, find aspects to yourself that you want to hold on to, and find what you are good at, the qualities that make you who you are and maybe even what you want to make your future into.

My fellow graduates, look back at our past four years. All the success and leadership our class has given has been outstanding. I never imagined being a part of a group of people who cared so much about the community.

Each year we gave back by doing outreach. Freshman year we went to the day care center with underprivileged children. Even being there for those few short hours those children continued to have a smile on their face.

Sophomore year we went to the soup kitchen and met so many people who were so thankful for our help.

Junior year we provided our services to senior citizens and they greatly appreciated our help.

Senior year’s outreach to Habitat for Human-ity was by far the best experience, however. Tearing down a house, as fun as it was, was real, hard work. I even have battle wounds from it.

Each of these outreach experiences made me re-alize that not many schools can say they do so much for the community.

This year’s outreach was special for me for an-other reason, though. I missed the day I was sched-uled to go to outreach and had to go on a different day. I ended up doing service that day with a lot of my classmates who also went to my middle school.

Seeing how much we have grown in these last four years was truly unbelievable.

I look back at myself as an eighth grader. I was short, blonde haired, blue eyed, an athlete, not much different than I am today when you looked at me.

But inside, I was a whole different person. Com-ing into high school, I lacked confidence, passion, hope, responsibility, and I wasn’t proud of myself as a person.

Today, however, I look at myself in the mirror and I could never be more proud. I stayed true to who I am, I never became someone I wasn’t and I truly did my best to stand out.

High school taught me how to be the best that I could be and taught me to take the right paths that were placed in front of me.

Never again will I let the fear of failing keep me from striving to be different.

To the current Gibbons students, I would say this: Live life to the fullest and be different. Stand out.

So that when you graduate from Gibbons, your legacy will be unique. I can honestly say mine is.

And that’s something I couldn’t have imagined four years ago.

It seems to be a part of the inher-ent nature of all human beings to com-pare ourselves to others and judge them – and ourselves – according to how we think we measure up. It seems that many people compete with others in this same manner; it is essentially a kind of survival of the fittest.

This concept is especially magni-fied with regard to teenagers and high school. Do I have the best clothes? Am I the most popular? Am I the best look-ing? And, worst of all for many high school students, do I have the best grades?

While a competitive academic at-mosphere could be employed in or-der to make all students do better in school, it seems that a competitive at-titude when it comes to grades does more harm to students than good.

Competitive learning is no way to approach academics, but, for some rea-son, many students encourage it. Many of my peers seem to view grades in the same way people view sporting events: to them, there seems to be a need to pick an obvious winner and loser and every assignment is a chance to define who is a winner and who is a loser.

There is virtually nothing to gain from this attitude. The only result of this kind of competition is a short-lived satisfaction of “beating” someone with a higher grade and nothing else. It is not worth the time to make others feel horrible about their mishaps when you gain nothing but a couple minutes of attention.

As I have learned from personal experience, and many students also know, the only outcome of this com-petitive attitude is hurt feelings and increased stress and pressure on every-one involved, whether they received the higher or lower grade.

Ever since middle school, I have noticed the focus on grades getting more intense and negative in this way. When grades are posted or assignments passed back in class, it is not uncom-mon to hear comments from people such as “Hah! I beat the genius!” re-ferring to someone who normally does well in class.

These sorts of statements put pres-sure on the students who normally do well to live up to someone else’s com-petitive standard but also can make ev-eryone else feel worse because they got a lower grade.

Put simply, it is a form of bullying to make another feel terrible only to make yourself feel better. This attitude only makes school more stressful than it needs to be.

However, this whole problem can be avoided. If students would simply stop comparing their grades to each other and strive to do their best for their own sake, all students would be able to perform their best and the overall stress over grades would be reduced.

It may be that humans are simply programmed to compete in every aspect of life, but school would be a lot less stressful if people at least attempted to change how they viewed their own ac-complishments and those of the people around them.

Competitive learning does more harm than goodRyan TrickettStaff Writer

Page design by Executive Inside and Out Editor Matthew Talbot and staff writer Megan Yates.

May 27, 2012The Crusader 6

White, blanc, marshmallow, & ivory? Oh my!

Photos by Jennifer Rilley/Gibbons Media.

One last dance: Seniors’s last promMegan YatesStaff Writer

Matthew TalbotInside & Out Editor

In order from left to right: Seamline Cynthia Steffe ‘Anne’ Strapless Eyelet Dress in ultra white, MARC BY MARC JACOBS ‘Aliyah’ Crinkle Cotton Dress in marshmallow, Maggy London Belted Matte Jersey Dress in soft white, Trina Trina Turk ‘B-52’ Retro Eyelet Dress in blanca (available at Nordstrom and Nordstrom.com), and Lilly Pulitzer Kolby Dress in resort white (available at bloomingdales.com)

Class of 2012, today is the day—the day that you graduate from Cardinal Gibbons! Now, we do realize as you’re reading this that you’re already decked out in your fabulous graduation dress.

But for those who will be in your shoes in the future, here are a few dresses to consider for this important weekend, when we will be the ones looking

Held at the Cardinal Club on April 27, the beach-themed prom was a huge hit. With mostly juniors and seniors in attendance, the prom was the upperclassmen event of the year.

After students took pictures in their runway-worthy attire around 8 p.m., the dance started.

The four hour event was filled with desserts, music, and dancing.

This last ‘hoorah‘ for seniors was one that will surely be remembered.

Senior Mason Allen and freshman Natalie Freeman.

Seniors Jackie Girard and Alex Gay.

From left to right: Juniors Kathleen Hickey, Maggie Mueller, Christina Gibbons, and Leigh McGill.

Senior Billy Fenton and junior Emmary Williams.

Seniors Jack Mitchell and Ellery Swain.

Seniors Joe Knight and Elisabeth McFarland.

Seniors Joanna Bertram and Jerry Zinn.Seniors Kyle Witek and John Halk.

Seniors Ben Klavon and Heather Freddoso.

From left to right: Seniors Aleisha Salz, Zachary Hunter, Tate Womble, and Makayla Holland.

Photos courtesy of nordstrom.com and bloomingdales.com

back fondly on our four years.From Nordstrom and Bloomingdales: the

strapless Seamline Cynthia Steffe dress has beautiful detail; the Marc Jacobs is simplistic and chic; the Maggie London is flowy and pairs perfectly with a belt; the Trina Trunk has a beautiful eyelet design, and the Lilly Pulitzer is a wildcard with a zipper with a sailboat overlay.

Like these dresses? Want direct links to purchase them? Scan this QR code and you’ll be the owner of a chic white dress in no time at all.

MAY 27, 2012 THE CRUSADER 7SENIOR SECTION

Page design by Executive Design Editor Marisa Casson

Buckley and Zipple rise to top of senior class

Salutatorian of 2012

Valedictorian Elizabeth Buckley balanced a strong work ethic, a heavy course load of eight Advanced Place-ment (AP) classes, and a love for Irish dance throughout her four years at Cardinal Gibbons.

Buckley’s hardest class was AP Chemistry because of the long hours of work, but was also one of her pas-sions, which she first realized because of Chemistry teacher Joleen Smith.

“I would say that Mrs. Smith made the greatest impact on my life. I had her in tenth grade for Honors Chem-istry, and that’s when I realized that I really loved chemistry and wanted to do something with it when I grew up,” said Buckley in an email interview.

“She helped me a lot by writing a ton of recommendations for me when I applied to NCSSM (NC School of Sci-ence and Math), Governor’s School, and a summer program at Columbia University. She’s incredibly sweet and really wants her students to succeed, which she definitely showed me,” said Buckley.

Buckley will be attending Duke in the fall, but that wasn’t where she thought she would end up.

“I didn’t even think about going to Duke until I got in. I didn’t think I had a chance,” said Buckley.

While looking forward to college, Buckley will never forget the little

things that made Gibbons such a spe-cial place for her.

“I will definitely miss the people the most. Other than that, I’ll miss the little things that make Gibbons what it is – like Funny Friday, going to all school Mass, hearing “Wagon Wheel” playing in the English hallway on Fridays, get-ting out at 2:15 on Wednesdays, stuff like that,” said Buckley.

As for rising seniors, staying ahead of the game is a good thing, according to Buckley

“Always stay on top of your work because you aren’t going to get a break until these last two weeks [of high school],” said Buckley.

Valedictorian Elizabeth Buckley will be attending Duke and salutatorian Mattew Zipple will be attending UNC-Chapel Hill in the fall.

Marisa Casson Design Editor

Salutatorian Matthew Zipple chal-lenged himself throughout his four years at Cardinal Gibbons by taking ten traditional Advanced Placement (AP) classes along with Calculus III/Differ-ential Equations, an independent study of AP European History and an inde-pendent study science research project.

Outside of class, Zipple played Ul-timate, competed in Congressional De-bate, was on Moot Court, and worked on the 2011 STEP project.

Picking one favorite class from so many was not something Zipple could easily do so instead he said he had three tied for first place.

“Like the question ‘what is your favorite song?’ this question is more or less impossible for me to answer. I genuinely enjoyed many of my class-es very much. I don’t know that I can narrow it down any more than a top three, which are tied for first place,” said Zipple in an email interview.

Zipple said the three classes, in no specific order, were Calculus III/Differential Equations with Dr. John Sprague, Guitar III/IV with guitar teacher Dave Spencer, and an inde-pendent study where he did research on pollinators and termites with sci-ence teacher Susan Goethals.

Along with the independent re-search of pollinators and termites, Goethals also taught Zipple AP Biol-ogy freshman year, which had a great impact on his high school career.

“Mrs. Goethals challenged me the most to achieve my full academic potential. Her confidence in me in-spired confidence in myself,” said Zipple.

Zipple will be attending the Uni-versity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the fall.

“I never really planned on go-ing to UNC until April. I applied to a bunch of schools from the beginning and UNC was, in my mind, the least likely candidate,” said Zipple.

But soon, UNC became Zipple’s top choice of colleges.

“When I considered all the ad-vantages and disadvantages of my choices, the decision was really pret-ty easy,” said Zipple.

Valedictorian of 2012

Class of 2012 donates two crosses for new building Ryan TrickettStaff Writer

The Class of 2012 graduates today and is moving on from Gibbons but they will leave a tangible legacy behind through their senior class gift.

This year’s senior class gift is two crosses, a large cross which is going to be the focal point above the new main entrance of the school, and one which will be a smaller replica of that cross, as part of a display which includes por-tions from each of the campuses Cardi-nal Gibbons has occupied in its history.

The smaller cross will be located in the new lobby area of the expanded school building, which is currently un-der construction.

The Senior Gift Committee worked hard on this plan since October.

The large cross was part of the de-sign plan, and the seniors decided to fund it even though they will not be stu-dents at the school when it is finished.

In order to leave a more tangible gift as part of their legacy, the smaller cross display was also created, by Pe-ter Ruocchio ‘92.

According to the seniors on the committee, the two crosses are intended to remind students that Gibbons serves as a model of Catho-lic faith and Catholic education.

The cross dis-play ties together the multiple campuses of Gibbons through-out the years and provides a tangible reminder of the con-nection between Gibbons’ past and present.

The display fea-tures the Gibbons cross placed on top of four pieces from the different cam-puses.

A piece of stone from the original Cathedral campus and a piece of slate from the roof of Holy Name Chapel at Nazareth Orphanage provide the old-

est links to Gibbons. The slate was donated by Frank Prevo ‘57 who lived in the orphanage located on Western Boulevard.

There is also a piece of the green bleachers from the Western Boulevard campus’s gym and part of a red brick from the current Edwards Mill cam-pus.

The gift was presented on May 18 as part of the annual Senior Luncheon.

Senior class moderator and Alum-ni Coordinator Kirsten Monroe helped bring the gift to life along with the leadership of committee members, seniors Hunter Davis, Maddie Bal-langee, Kristen DeMaria, Abby Baric, Kathleen Davis, KJ Bruno, Fei-lin Scruggs, Joe Lucido, Hannah Holub, Caroline Geradts, Heather Freddoso, Kate Donato, Andrew LaPointe, and Dani Chiavegatto.

This gift is very important to the seniors as it is a commemoration of their high school journey and the jour-ney that the school has undergone.

“Many do not know where Gib-bons came from and if it weren’t for these phenom-enal campuses, we would not be able to embark on such an extraor-dinary journey as the Building the Vision campaign and project which we have been so fortunate to begin as a school,” said Davis.

“It is impor-tant that the cur-rent campus’s por-tion of the cross is a brick because this school and our faith is our brick and founda-tion that helps us go into the world

as young men and women of faith, ser-vice, and leadership,” said Scruggs.

The idea originated with the concept of donating the large cross, but the seniors wanted to come up with something that they would see as they

The replica of the cross that will be put in the lobby of the new building.

left the school, since the large cross will not be put up until the building is finished.

Eventually this idea formed into a smaller cross that would be the first thing students, alumni, faculty, and visitors see when they walk in the new lobby.

The cross will be on display for generations to come to remember the seniors’ memories and unique high school career.

This took much discussion of plausible ideas with Peter Ruocchio, the Gibbons alumnus who created the cross, along with principal Jason Curtis and the administration.

“We hope to remind every student each day as they walk in the new build-ing how prominent our faith is, but especially how none of this incredible journey would have been possible with-out the grace of God,” said Davis.

SENIOR SECTION 2012

By the Numbers

2,813Miles from Gibbons, the furthest school from Raleigh a graduate is attending (Stanford University )

Graduates going out of state for college

88Graduates attending

N.C. State, the most attending the same school

36

Graduate who will be attending an Ivy League

school (Princeton)

1

Students that will be attending a college associated with the

military

8

Number of graduates in the Class of 2012

284Graduates attending University

of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the fall

25

Class of 2012

The Crusader 8 MAESTRO May 27, 2012 May 27, 2012

Page design by Executive Design Editor Marisa Casson

SENIOR ADVICE FROM SENIOR LUNCHThe class of 2012 gives advice to future senior classes on how to make the most of their final year in high school

Get organized with college stuff quickly. Get teacher rec’s done as soon as possible. And just have

fun.

- Kristen Camos

My advice would be to enjoy

where you are because the year

goes so fast and you will never

be here with these people again.

- Hunter Davis

From Toddlers to Graduates

First Row: 1. Claire Krawczyk, Dani

Chiavegatto, Elizabeth Reeves, Celia Bettinsoli2. Glenn Driskill

3. Tim Nicolosi, Christine Spellman, Ally Bowler, Ellery

Swain, Jack Mitchell4. Elizabeth Buckley

Second Row: 1. Beth Gaudette, Heather

Freddoso2. Alex Gaither, Alex Gay, Zach Millikan, Matthew Zipple, Ben

Klavon3. Tim Nalesnik, Joe Saleh

4. Lane Deacon

Third Row: 1. Trish Lindgren, Alexandra Hernandez, Sara Zarzour,

Elisabeth McFarland2. Megan Summers, Caroline

Geradts, Joanna Bertram, Lauren Gill

3. Monica Trickett, Maggie Tardif, Kayleigh Cook, Kelsey Christian, Pat Mosca, Alex Rusher, Andrew

Panzl, Lee Nanney

Fourth Row: 1. Megan Kunkel

2. Tom Bousquet, Tyler Zimmerman, Meghan Bouney, Dana Jordan, Victoria Phillips,

Sara Zarzour, Stas’ Noga3. Lindsey Bacon, Haley Bacon

4. Hayden Buckner

The Crusader 9MAESTROMay 27, 2012

SENIOR ADVICE FROM SENIOR LUNCHThe class of 2012 gives advice to future senior classes on how to make the most of their final year in high school

Do everything you can to make it as fun as possible. No

regrets, because if you miss out on the chance to do something you don’t have another year to

make up for it.

- Hannah Holub

No matter how tough life gets,

don’t give up. It will all pay off

in time!

- Lauren Brooker

If I could pass on a piece of

adice to future senior classes

it would be to go on Kairos! It

was an AMAZING TIME! - Maggie Tardif

Have fun with everything! You

might be freaking out but calm

down because things will work out

perfectly! - Alexandra Hernandez

Don’t take the opportunity of

being part of the Gibbons family

for granted and make the most

of your time here.

- Pam Rivera

You get what you put in (you’ll hear that a lot because it’s true) Whether it’s in class, in Mass, in

clubs, or just in the halls, put it all out there and you will find you are more than compensated for your

efforts.

- Ariana Keeling

You can pick your friends, and you can pick your future, but you can’t pick who you are.

Enjoy being yourself, whoever that is.

- David Kirstein

Get involved, because you can make a difference!

- Fei-lin Scruggs

Avoid being clique-y this last

year; people can surprise you

with how great they are if

they’re given a chance.

-Ryan Milroy

MAY 27, 2012THE CRUSADER 10 SENIOR SECTION

Class of 2012

Where are they going?Congratulations Graduates!

Page design by Editor-in-Chief Ellyson Williams

Mary Margaret AdamsCarolyn AlbrightCarolyn AlfieriKevin AllenMason AllenHayley AmannaGabriella AustinAva AvedikianHaley BaconLindsey BaconDaniel BakerClaude BallbeMadison BallengeeAbigail BaricRyan BatesRyan BealeChristian BearStephanie BegleyVictor BerenguerJoanna BertramCelia BettinsoliJennifer BetzDerian BochTaylor BodemannMeghan BouneyThomas BousquetAllison BowlerDavid BrewsterLauren BrookerAnthony BrownKJ BrunoElizabeth BuckleyRichard BucknerMadison BuggJohn BunkerKennon BurnsJohn BurtonCristina CabreraKristen CamosJohn CapetanosAlex CaroChristianna CarterMarc CelestiniDani ChiavegattoKelsey ChristianJudith CocDaniel CollinsOlivia CollinsKayleigh CookKelsey CorkellLisa CromwellMegan CuomoCatherine CurrinMatthew DalyMary DarrowHunter DavisKathleen DavisNicholas DavisLane DeaconAmir DehghanMitchell DeLucaKristen DeMariaEleanor DerouinGerald DesmondEmilie DickAndrew DiLilloSarah DoerrerKathryn DonatoWilliam DonnellyCaitlin DonovanKevin DoughertyLaura Dowling

Colin DowtyGlenn DriskillRenee DucatteAmelie-Rose DuchaineGregory DunkleBrian DunnKaitlyn EmeryLuke EnzweilerWilliam FentonSara FeoleVictoria FernandezThomas FiedlerTaylor FillibenThomas FinchTaylor FioriniCarlos FloresHugo FloresMichael FoxAlyssa FrancoHeather FreddosoAlex GaitherGregory GalushElizabeth GaudetteAlexander GayNicholas GeaslenCaroline GeradtsMary Olivia GeraldLauren GillJacquelyn GirardAllyson GoffCindrella GomesAmy GoodlingThomas GrayKyle GreenbergMorgan GriffithMichael GrinterJohn HalkJordan HarrillSamuel HeathJessica HebertAlexandra HernandezThomas HigginsBrendan HoganMakayla HollandCatherine HollisterHannah HolubBlair HoutzBen HugerCara HughesJohn HumiennyZachary HunterJohn HutsonDana JordanAriana KeelingPatrick KehoeMahaleigh-Anne KingDavid KirsteinBenjamin KlavonJoseph KnightLauren KnightAdam KoenigKate KollerClaire KrawczykMegan KunkelEmily LaBonteMatthew LangAndrew LaPointeEmma LattnerSoobin LeeKristen LefevreRyan LenzmeierPatricia Lindgren

Carman LiuzzoEmily LiuzzoChristina LongAndrew LonkerJacob LoweJoseph LucidoJames LuebkeBrendan LylesMary LynchRebecca MacRaeFallon MaddenEmily MahonMeghan MarchAnthony MartinBrice MathewsAndrew MayerSabrina MazzaLindsey McAnultyRyan McElroyElisabeth McFarlandAnne McGarryKevin McGoldrickAndrea McKinleyErin MeyerChristopher MillerJustin MillerLauren MillerZachary MillikanRyan MilroyChloe MintelJohn MitchellHarrison MitschKenneth MoscaShaela MurphyTimothy NalesnikLee NanneyJeffrey NemesiTimothy NicolosiMichael NogaRyan O’LearyRoss OlingerMoira O’NeillPatrick O’NeillAlison OrlikoffChristopher PalmourCassin PalombaroAndrew PanzlChristian PedersenVincent PerinoDaniel PhillipsSteven PhillipsVictoria PhillipsMark PietrykaSamuel PlaceParis PopeWilliam (Zan) PopeStephen PosekRachel PratlConnor PrevostConnor PurksHayley RazzetoElizabeth ReevesDaniel ReilandPamela RiveraZachary RoepkeJohn RosenblumAlexander RuscherRebecca RussoJoseph SalehAleisha SalzArthur SamiaJohn Schachte

James SchaeferSoniel SchaeferChristopher ScheuThomas SchotzingerMax SchrockMichael SchwabFei-lin ScruggsRyan SecristPeter ShammasAudrey ShannonChris ShannonBrooke SierraRobert SigmonMatthew SkowronCharles SloneBrittany SmithHunter SmithSelena SmithTewasa SonkoCarina SorianoChristine SpellmanKevin SteeleKillian SteerCory StewartMegan SummersClayton SumrellEllery SwainMargaret TardifAlexandra TaylorAmanda TaylorAlyssa TerryNicole ThiekenSarah ThomasBrittany ThorntonJames ToddMonica TrickettMichael TurakGrace TurnerHunter TysonTyler Van HornWilliam VanceEmily VenezieJohn VollmerTaylor VrscakChristina WangenTyler WeikElissa WellsJoseph WendtMary Anne WernerNevin WhiteheadJonathan WigginsMatthew WilliamsMax WilliamsHelen WillifordLauren WilloughbySatchel WiltshireKyle WitekPatrick WolfTate WombleChristopher WrightLewis WrightSarah YoungSara ZarzourOwen ZidarTyler ZimmermanJerome ZinnMatthew ZippleStephanie ZirkerBrielle Zuber

May 27, 2012 The Crusader 11INSIDE & OUT

Page design by Inside & Out Editor Allison Johanson

Executive Student CouncilGibbons’ 2012-1013 executive council shows their colors

President Vice President

TreasurerSecretary

Dom Vellucci James Becherer

Brian DriskillColin McKendry

Q: Do you have any hidden talents? (If so, explain…)

A: I play a mean trombone.

Q: How does it feel to be elected president for your 4th year in a row?

A:I feel great going into my 4th year mostly because I’ve had so much support from the other members of student council and support from my class and the students of Cardinal Gibbons.

Q: How does it feel to be elected Vice President for your 4th year in a row?

A: It doesn’t really cross my mind very much that it’s been four years in a row; I just like doing it, so I keep running.

Q: What are you looking forward to most senior year?

A: Going off campus for lunch, and [being] one year closer to going to college.

Q: Why did you decide to run for executive student council?

A: Thomas Graham [Class of ‘10] told me to, and now because I like helping out around school and I like talking to people.

Q: Who is your favorite rapper?

A: Stoopkid (Jonah Henry) or Lil Wayne.

Q: Do you have any hidden talents? (If so, explain…)

A: I can solve a Rubik’s cube in about two minutes.

Q: What is the most memorable moment you have had at Gibbons so far?

A:Freshman, sophomore, and most of junior year is a blur. I remember my student council speech. That was memorable.

Q: What song describes your life?

A: Probably Kick in the Door by Notorious B. I. G. for obvious reasons.

Q: Who is your favorite rapper?

A: I would have to say Lupe Fiasco (before Lasers, because that album is terrible).

Q: Why did you decide to run for executive student council?

A: I ran because I liked doing it last year and I want to make the incoming freshmen’s year fun.

Q: What is the most memorable moment you have had at Gibbons so far?

A: Being Mr. Lipscomb at the pep rally.

Q: What is the most memorable moment you have had at Gibbons so far?

A: The standing ovation for Mr. Monroe at the last pep rally.

Q: What song describes your life?

A: “Pursuit of Happiness” by Kid Cudi.

Q: Who is your favorite rapper?

A: Tupac.

Q: Who is your role model/ biggest inspiration? Why?

A: As many people know, my role model and biggest inspiration is my mom, Diane Vellucci. Her hard work and dedication to me has shown me what it means to be an adult and a leader. I hold this position in honor of her.

Q: Who is your role model/ biggest inspiration? Why?

A: My sister, she knows what’s good and knows what’s bad and she passes it on to me.

Q: What is your favorite Twitter hashtag?

A. #gointotheO and #ftb (#fortheboys)

Photo courtesy of Greg Mintel

Photo courtesy of Lifetouch

Photo by Grace Turner/ Landmark Yearbook

Photo courtesy of Brian Driskill

Q: What song describes your life?

A: “Big Girls Don’t Cry” by Fergie.

Q: Who is your favorite rapper?

A: My favorite rapper is DjFo for his funky beats and creative lyrics.

Q: Do you have any hidden talents? (If so, explain...)

A: I can beat box. I don’t know if it’s hidden anymore because I’m asked to do it alot.

Q: What are you looking forward to most senior year?

A: I am looking forward to the first pep rally.

Q: What are you looking forward to most senior year?

A: I’m going on the 2013 Italy Trip, so that is going to be some fun times.

For more articles about what’s happening around the school, check out our web page at www.cghsnc.org/crusaderinsideout

The Crusader 12

Senior spotlight: Lauren Long

Michael LimStaff Writer

In the Air by Morgan Page soars to fameMatthew TalbotInside & Out Editor

Are you looking for quality house tracks that have not only have tantalizing beats but also legitimate meaning? Then look no further because Morgan Page has come to the rescue.

Page is a 30 year old American progressive/electro house DJ based out of Las Angeles, California. You might recognize him from his hit track “The Longest Road” featuring Lissie. The chorus reads “If you are so frequently in love, if you prefer it all to me then my love. You go down the longest road to nowhere. You pull it apart and you’re just left there…”

His latest album is titled In The Air, which was released on April 3, 2012. I was first exposed to Morgan Page while listening to Tiësto’s Club Life Podcast. I was blown away when I heard “The Longest Road” for the first time and played it over and over again for weeks.

You may have heard some of Page’s work before and not have even realized it. He has remixed everyone who is anyone from Ashlee Simpson’s “Boyfriend,” to Florence + The Machine’s “Cosmic Love,” to Jason Mraz’s “If I Had You.”

This album is everything you could ever want from a dance/house album. The beats are contagious and will start to consume your body until you can’t take it and are forced to dance. The lyrics to the songs are not only catchy but are also meaningful; you’ll know all the words in no time.

My favorite track on the album is “Body Work featuring Tegan & Sara.” This song gets the party going. It starts off with a delightful beat but when the base drops you won’t be able to stop your feet from dancing. This song describes how two people are dying to see each other while out on the town. They’re wondering if they are willing to take the risk to be together but are afraid of ruining the relationship they already have and want to take the next step but are afraid of the future. “I still wanna see you tonight, will you be around? ... I feel my pulse working overtime, I get shy in these lights, I feel your body doin’ overtime.”

The song that conveys the most emotion is a song titled “Light Years featuring Richard Walters.” It’s

Photo coutesy of Thedropmusicclub.com

Cover art for Morgan Page’s new album In the Air.It was released on April 3, 2012.

Summer playlist: the hottest hits of 2012From left to right: 1. Call Me Maybe - Carly Rae Jepsen, 2. We Own The Night Feat. Lucian (Original Mix) - Tiesto and Wolfgang Gartner, 3. Drunk On You - Luke Bryan, 4. Give Your Heart A Break - Demi Lovato, 5. Everybody Talks - Neon Trees, 6. Drive By - Train, 7. One Thing - One Direction, 8. I Won’t Give Up - Jason Mraz, 9. Talk That Talk - Rihanna Feat. Jay Z, 10. Feel So Close - Calvin Harris, 11. Boyfriend - Justin Bieber, 12. Payphone- Maroon 5 Feat. Wiz Khalifa, 13. Greyhound - Swedish House Mafia, 14. We Are Young - fun. Feat. Janelle Monae, and 15. Good Girl - Carrie Underwood. By Matthew Talbot, Inside & Out Editor and Amy Robertson, Staff Writer

about a relationship that’s slowly drifting apart. The chorus exclaims, “You and me are light years apart, you and me are light years. It’s not up to me, oh it’s down to you. I can change if you can too. ” I love the song because it’s a common occurrence/feeling that a lot of people go through and this song conveys it effortlessly.

Regardless to what people have said, house music isn’t for crazies. Now it may not be for everyone, but if you like your “beats fast and your bass down low,” the club/house genre is definitely for you. This type of music is great for cruising down the highway, perking you up, or getting your dance on.

If you like this album, you should also check out his previous releases, which include Elevate, Believe. Other artists in this same genre to check out are Tiësto, Kaskade, Nadi Ali, and Adrian Lux.

Q: When did you first realize you were a talented artist?

A: When I was in preschool we used to have this bucket of construction paper and I used to make dinosaurs out of them, and my mom always liked them.

Q: Who first recognized your talent?

A: My mom always painted and did stuff like that and she always encouraged that I do it, and then just taking art classes in school and I loved it and I would always stay after school and do extra stuff.

Q: Will you pursue art as a career? A: It’s just a hobby because art is my escape and

I feel like if I was to do it as a job it would kind of get to mundane and it would be more of a chore than something I love. I’m probably going to do something dry so my art isn’t boring.

Q: What would be the ultimate satisfaction for your art?

A: Just a compliment. I hate to sound selfish but I do it for myself. I love to have fun with it and make mugs and things like that because I enjoy doing it. If somebody says, ‘hey that looks pretty!’ that’s all the recognition I need.

Q: What was your favorite aspect of art?A: Taking pottery my junior year was the

hands down greatest decision I ever made because I have never done anything in pottery before and I

absolutely loved that class. It was so much fun.

Q: Have you made anything crazy in pottery?

A: I made some things engineering-wise [that] shouldn’t have worked but by the grace of God they made it through the kiln. I made an avocado bowl because I make world-famous guacamole.

Get up In The Air with Page’s new album

Page design by Executive Inside and Out Editor Matthew Talbot and staff writer Sean Feick.

May 27, 2012

Photo courtesy of Lauren Long

The Crusader 13MAY 27, 2012 Arts & Entertainment

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Lady Antebellum & Darius Rucker

Time Warner Cable Pavilion

311 & Slightly Stoopid

Time Warner Cable Pavilion

May Beach Music

North Hills

Beach Music

North Hills

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Jason Aldean & Luke Bryan

Time Warner Cable Pavilion

Nickelback

Time Warner Cable Pavilion

One Direction

PNC Arena

Colbie Caillat & Gavin Degraw

Raleigh Amphitheater

Coldplay

Time Warner Cable Arena (Charlotte)

Toby Keith & Brantley Gilbert

Time Warner Cable Pavilion

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Drake

Time Warner Cable Pavilion

Page design by Executive Inside and Out Editor Matthew Talbot and Staff Writer Amy Robertson.

June

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Summer 2012 Concert Calendar

Beach Music

North Hills

Beach Music

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Beach Music

North Hills

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The Crusader 14

Women’s lacrosse bows out to East Chapel HillGibbons loses 10-9 in quarterfinalsCheyenne Wood Staff Writer

Page design by Staff Writer Cheyenne Wood

Gibbons women’s lacrosse wrapped up its 2012 season with a tough 10-9 loss against East Chapel Hill in the second round of the state playoffs on May 11. The team defeat-ed Wilmington Ashley 23-13 in a first round home playoff game on May 8.

“We had a great year. It was sad to lose but we came back during the game and worked really hard. East is a good team. We gave it our all,” said junior Lane Huger. Earlier this season, Gib-bons defeated East Chapel Hill by com-ing back with seconds left on the clock to win a nail-biter 14-13. The winning goal was scored by sophomore Shelby Scanlin

“I knew once it was tied and we had the ball with 15 seconds left that we were not about to lose. As soon as the ball went in the goal, my team-mates swallowed me with enthusiasm and joy! The goal was an effect of how hard we worked as a team in the sec-ond half. East is a really competitive team and their goalie is amazing, so we had to work extremely hard to beat them,” said Scanlin via text.

Overall, Gibbons went 15-4 this season, finishing undefeated in con-ference at 7-0 and winning the confer-ence championship.

“Our season was great. We really improved and progressed as a whole. We all reached our goals of having a good season and becoming closer as a team. My favorite memory was beating East Chapel Hill in the regular season with a last-second goal,” said sopho-more Tess Bettinsoli.

Senior Ellery Swain and juniors Kathleen Mills and Claire Nelson re-ceived the Academic All-American

Award. “Playing a varsity sport is a big

commitment. You have to put a little in every day. But personally, having that structure helps me keep on track and keep my grades up,” said Swain.

Gibbons hopes to keep leading the sport of lacrosse in years to come.

“We will continue to step up our game. The game of lacrosse is grow-ing tremendously in the state of North Carolina and we want to lead the way.” said head coach Prudence Scott.

Last Friday, while the rest of the school was enjoying their half day because of the Senior Luncheon, the men’s and women’s track and field teams traveled to the campus of North Carolina A&T in Greensboro to compete in the NCHSAA 3A state championships.

By the end of the day, the women’s team took home a bronze medal for their efforts in a three-way tie for third, while the men’s team, limited in numbers due to injury and sickness, placed 28th overall but with strong showings in the three events for which they qualified.

The team is satisfied with their performance though, and is proud of the great races they ran that day.

“I think it went well. Any time you’re in the mix to win a state championship, it’s a great experience,” said head coach Nick Mangum.

The women’s team was led by sophomores Mary Grace Doggett and Rachel Bartolomeo, who placed first and fourth respectively in the 3200 meter run with times of 11:21.84 and 11:34.76. The women’s 4x800 meter relay team also contributed to the win when they placed third overall with a time of 9:40.90 and included Bartolomeo, senior Megan Cuomo, junior Lauren Velasco, and junior Samiiah Wilson.

The top performers on the men’s team included senior Steven Phillips, who earned fourth place in the 3200 meter run with a 9:51.22 time, and junior Jose San Miguel, who placed seventh in the pole vault with a jump of 3.96 meters. The all-senior men’s

4x800 relay team also placed seventh in their event with a time of 8:24.59 and consisted of Nick Davis, Mark Pietryka, Tommy Schotzinger, and Patrick Wolf.

Other strong performances on the women’s side included Wilson’s sixth place finish in the 1600 meter run with a time of 5:25.8, Velasco’s eighth place finish in the same event with a time of 5:32.66, and junior Katie Magee’s 5:34.37 finish close behind Velasco in the mile.

Sophomore Megan Comstock also finished fifth in the pole vault with a solid jump of 3.20 meters and junior Krista Rosenquest finished ninth in the 3200 meter run with a time of 12:08.72.

The women’s 4x400 team, consisting of sophomore Isabela Zawistowska, junior Samiiah Wilson, senior Kate Donato, and senior Belle Smith, finished the day well with an eleventh place finish at a time of 4:11.50.

Track teams give their all in state championshipsWomen finish third and depleted men finish 28th in final meet of the yearSean FeickStaff Writer

Freshman Sarah Comstock cradles the ball in a previous game this season.

Baseball home playoff win streak ends

Sean FeickStaff Writer

With a heartbreaking 1-0 loss to Eastern Alamance in the third round of the playoffs at home on Friday, May 18, the men’s varsity baseball team ended a historic season that included one of the best winning percentages in school history along with matching its deepest run into the 3A playoffs ever, aided by its first-ever back-to-back home playoff wins.

Led by senior shortstop Max Schrock and junior pitcher Tyler

Pickard, the team worked its way to a 20-8 overall record and won the conference title on the last day of the regular season, setting up the first 3A home playoff game in school history on May 15.

Starting the playoffs as the conference champions and a #1 seed in the state playoffs for the first time, Gibbons advanced past first round opponent Western Harnett by a score of 6-2 at home to begin the playoffs. Driving off the momentum from that win, the team eked out a win versus McMichael on May 15 by a score of 7-6 on a walk-off wild pitch in the bottom of the eighth inning that sealed the extra-inning comeback by the Crusaders.

The atmosphere heading into the playoffs was one of survival to avoid elimination.

“At this time of year it’s all about winning, anyway, anyhow. You have to survive,” said head coach Jim Liebler.

Despite the momentum from the walk-off win in the second round, the Crusaders’ breakthrough season came to an end with their shutout loss to Eastern Alamance. Even with home field advantage due to their conference title and a strong showing by pitcher Tyler Pickard, the Eagles’ pitching was too much for the Crusader offense.

The team was disappointed by the loss, but understands the nature of baseball.

“Baseball’s like that. We knew it was going to be a low scoring game and we just couldn’t get it done,” said Liebler.

While the team’s close loss in the playoffs was a disappointment, the regular season was a breakthrough effort in its own right. Pickard and junior second baseman Robbie Thorburn, along with sophomore third baseman Daniel Pedersen, earned All-Conference selections this year.

Photo by Jennifer Rilley/Gibbons Media

Photos by Gary Meyerl/Gibbons Media

Historic season concludes with third round pitching duel

(Top) Junior Tyler Pickard pitches against McMichael in the second round of the playoffs. (Above) Pickard scores the winning run against McMichael on a passed ball to give Gibbons the walk-off extra-inning win, 7-6.

Schrock earned the Conference Player of the Year award, was named Gibbons Male Athlete of the Year, and earned All-State honors.

The team also had big wins over three of the top ten ranked teams in the state, the last of which was a 10-3 win over Green Hope on April 14 that put them into the top five ranked teams in the News and Observer rankings.

The team clinched the conference championship and a #1 seed in the playoffs with a 8-2 win over Chapel Hill on May 7 in a special one-game playoff, arguably its biggest win of the year until the extra-inning stunner.

Looking forward, the team loses five seniors but returns many core players for next year, including Pedersen, Pickard, and Thorburn, along with eight other returning pitchers in its

lineup. Junior Evan Nations and sophomore John Kelly, along with Pickard, will help form a solid starting rotation for the Crusaders which looks to lead the team next year.

The team will miss its graduating senior

class, but still has hope for more success in the future.

“It’s bittersweet. You see all these seniors leaving, but we have a good core of players heading into next year,” said Liebler.

Photo courtesy of Greg Mintel

Senior Max Schrock bats in a non-conference game against Sanderson. The team lost 15-14 that day but won the Carolina 6 conference title with a win over Chapel Hill on May 7.

Photo courtesy of Greg Mintel

May 27, 2012

Freshman Aubrey Losack jumps a hurdle at a track meet earlier in the season.

May 27, 2012 sports

Gibbons athletes to compete in collegeRecord 38 members of Class of 2012 to become NCAA athletes

Photo by Dan Jukic/Gibbons Media

the crusader 15

The Gibbons athletic community let out a collective sigh of relief on May 3 when the North Carolina High School Athletics Association (NCHSAA) an-nounced at its annual member meeting that a proposed amendment to elimi-nate non-boarding parochial schools from the Association failed to pass.

In order for the amendment to pass, at least 75% of all 390 NCHSAA member schools would have needed to vote in favor of the amendment. Only 285 schools (73%) returned a ballot, guaranteeing it could not pass, but of the returned ballots 234 voted in favor of the amendment and only 51 against it.

Gibbons principal Jason Curtis said it is difficult to draw conclusions based on the percentage of schools who voted to remove non-boarding paro-chial schools from the NCHSAA.

“The hard part about the process was that there was no discussion [of the proposed amendment] so you’re not really sure why people are voting the way that they are voting anyway, because the issue was presented to them without a discussion. Vote count-ing is difficult unless you know why people are voting the way they are,” said Curtis.

The six schools who proposed the amendment – Salisbury, North Rowan, South Rowan, West Rowan, East Row-an, and China Grove Carson – claimed that the three non-boarding parochial schools – Gibbons, Charlotte Catholic,

and Bishop McGuiness – have an un-fair advantage because they have no set geographic boundaries from which they can draw students.

“These schools have no boundar-ies; they can get kids from anywhere. That’s one factor, to me, that’s wrong,” said Salisbury athletic director Joe Pin-yan in an interview with the Salisbury Post in April, before the vote conclud-ed.

Curtis said that one of the main reasons that Gibbons has students come from different distances is the need for students to be able to continue in their Catholic education. Gibbons is the only diocesan Catholic high school in the Triangle.

Curtis added that most Gibbons students come from Catholic middle schools and an even greater majority are part of a Catholic parish.

“The majority of our students who come are from catholic elementary and middle schools, and the majority are Catholic-affiliated with a parish,” said Curtis.

Parochial schools aren’t the only schools in North Carolina who don’t have set boundaries from which they draw their students.

Public magnet schools such as Broughton and Enloe have students that come from all over Wake County, outside of a designated geographical district.

The question of how the financial aid system works at Gibbons also come up during the amendment controversy.

In the NCHSAA constitution, it states that any student who receives

financial aid directly from a school is ineligible for athletic competition.

Curtis said that all financial aid at Gibbons is handled externally by the Diocese of Raleigh.

“It’s an outside process, and so we operate with that same process. Char-lotte Catholic, Bishop McGuiness; all have operated with outside processes. So the fact that the question was raised was a little bit surprising. But we also provided all the information that they asked for,” said Curtis.

Curtis also said that it’s his under-standing that when Gibbons joined the NCHSAA in 2005, both Gibbons and the NCHSAA were on the same page regarding how the financial aid system works at Gibbons.

Curtis was not the principal at Gib-bons when joined the NCHSAA, nor was current commissioner Davis Whit-field the commissioner of the associa-tion.

Curtis went on to say that there are no athletic scholarships at Gibbons, only academic scholarships.

“We do give some scholarships. There are a small number of scholar-ships that are given on campus that are chosen by the school, and those stu-dents are ineligible [for athletics]. The high school association has never said that we’ve ever had an allegation of re-cruiting,” said Curtis.

Since joining the NCHSAA in 2005, Gibbons has won 34 state champion-ships, and Charlotte Catholic, located two counties south of Rowan County, won back-to-back state football cham-pionships in 2004 and 2005

Brennan DohertyStaff Writer

Gibbons’ NCHSAA membership affirmedAmendment to exclude parochial schools fails in vote of membership

Page design by Copy Editors Haleigh Nelson and Donna Steinbacher

(l-r) Seniors Tim Nalesnik, Kevin Dougherty, Hannah Holub, Ben Huger, Tyler Zimmerman, Chris Shannon, Monica Trickett, Megan Kunkel, Alex Taylor, Connor Prevost, Victoria Phillips, Luke Enzweiler, Matt Daly, Caitlin Donovan, Carolyn Albright, Lauren Brooker, Lauren Willoughby, Nick Geaslen, Tyler Van Horn, Madi Bugg, Kelsey Christian, Eleanor Derouin, Matt Williams, and Matt Skowron are some of the Gibbons athletes planning to play NCAA sports next year, as officially reported to Cardinal Gibbons and the NCAA. The class of 2012 includes 38 athletes committed to playing NCAA sports. This is the largest number of graduates in the history of Gibbons to take on the challenges of being an NCAA student athlete.

Photo by Dan Jukic/Gibbons Media

Breaking down the failed Amendment to exclude parochial schools from the NCHSAA

Q: What did the proposed amendment actually say?A: The amendment said that all non-boarding parochial schools in the state of North Carolina who are currently part of the NCHSAA (Gibbons, Charlotte Catholic and Bishop McGuiness) should no longer be allowed to participate in the association.

Q: How did the proposed amendment come about and why? A: Six schools proposed the amendment. They argued that non-boarding parochial schools have no geographical bound-aries to restrict where their students come from.

Q: How close did the amendment come to passing?A: 75% of the 390 NCHSAA member schools needed to vote in favor of the amendment in order for it to pass. Only 285 (73%) returned ballots, not enough to pass it, 234 for and 51 against.

Max SchrockAva AvedikianMegan KunkelSteven PhilipsTommy SchotzingerPatrick WolfTim NalesnikMatt SkowronLuke EnzweilerNick GeaslenBen HugerAdam KoenigConnor PrevostPete ShammasTyler Van HornChristine SpellmanHunter TysonKevin DoughertyC.J. Miller

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Chris ShannonSatchel WiltshireTyler ZimmermanStephanie BegleyJenny BetzKelsey ChristianCaitlin DonovanHannah HolubMonica TrickettWesley SigmonMatt Daly Lauren BrookerCarolyn AlbrightMadi BuggEleanor DerouinVictoria PhillipsAlex TaylorLauren WilloughbyMatt Williams

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The Crusader 16

Tennis captures Gibbons’ ninth state titleMen’s team defeats Marvin Ridge 5-2 in state championship match

Donna SteinbacherCopy Editor

Women’s soccer falls short in East regional final

Michael LimStaff Writer

Erin WelshSports Editor

Page design by Sports Editor Erin Welsh

Photo courtesy of Greg Mintel

The women’s soccer team’s pursuit of returning to the 3A state championship match for a third

consecutive year ended Tuesday, May 22 in Jackonsville, N.C. as the team lost 2-1 to White Oak in the East regional final. The lone Gibbons goal was scored by junior Christina Gibbons off a corner

SPORTS

Senior captain Caitlin Donovan dribbles the ball down the field past a Ravenscroft player on March 13. The Crusaders defeated Ravenscroft 2-0 that day. The women’s season ended in a 2-1 loss to White Oak in the regional final on Tuesday.

Photo courtesy of Greg Mintel

Lacrosse season ends with shot off crossbarLake Norman prevails 9-8 in championship game; last-second shot to tie just misses

Senior Connor Prevost carries the ball past Lake Norman defender Matt Kos in the state championship game on Friday, May 18 at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary. The stands were packed with fans from both schools and the energy was high throughout. Lake Norman was up 9-7 in the waning seconds but junior Jeff Williams scored with 15 seconds left to bring Gibbons within one. Junior Danny Dorsett barely missed a game-tying shot off the crossbar as time expired.

may 27, 2012

The men’s varsity tennis team was triumphant last Saturday, May 19, winning its second consecutive 3A state championship by beating Marvin Ridge 5-2.

The Crusaders won four singles matches and one doubles match to take the title. This is the ninth state title Gibbons has won this year.

Seniors Matt Daly (6-0, 6-2) and Killian Steer (6-2, 6-1) were victorious along with freshman Matt Galush (6-0, 6-1) and junior Pierce Beary (6-1, 5-7, (10-6)). Galush and Beary won court two doubles 10-3 to clinch the match and the championship.

“The best part of winning the state championship was to see the players accomplish the goal that we set out for as a team at the start of the season. It is particularly rewarding to see the seniors finish their careers by winning the championship in their final match,” said head coach Andrew Tuttle.

Galush, who won number three

singles and number two doubles, and went undefeated all season, was named MVP of the championship match.

The team went 24-4 and was lead throughout their season by Daly and Steer.

“The most special thing about this season was seeing the senior players, Matt Daly and Killian Steer, take on leadership roles throughout the course of the season. We had a lot of new players on the team this year and these two seniors were important both with their outstanding play on the court, and their leadership in uniting the team,” said Tuttle.

Now that the season is over the players and coaches are looking forward to next season.

“Next year, I am looking forward to the challenge of replacing our top two players and trying to defend our back-to-back championships. Our returning players will have the chance play higher up in the lineup and I look forward to seeing them develop and improve. I am confident that they will be ready for that opportunity,” said Tuttle.

The men’s team celebrates its state title. From left to right: coach Dice Hodge, juniors Kevin Fitzgerald, Christopher Rouleau, Zack Blondell, senior Killian Steer, junior Michael Lappin, senior Matt Daly, juniors Matt Dixon, Kyle Unruh, sophomore Scott Mansueti, junior Pierce Beary, freshman Matt Galush, and head coach Andrew Tuttle.

Photo courtesy of Andrew Tuttle

After finishing the regular season undefeated and beating rival Athens Drive to get to the championship game, the men’s lacrosse team came up just short of a championship.

The team lost 9-8 in the state championship game to undefeated Lake Norman.

“The team played pretty well, we just came up short,” said senior captain Ben Huger.

Gibbons (20-1) held its ground for the first two periods, but started to lose their footing in the second half as Lake Norman (23-0) came back. After the first period the game was tied 3-3 and Gibbons was in the lead at the end of the first half 5-3.

In the fourth period, Lake Norman went up 8-6. Gibbons tried to come back and managed to get the game at 9-8 in the last period. As time expired, junior Danny Dorsett launched a shot to try and tie up the game but hit the top left pipe.

Going into the game, Gibbons felt very confident and knew that the teams were well matched.

“We played great overall and we all did our parts. The game could have gone either way and the game was very balanced,” said senior Luke Enzweiler.

Enzweiler will be continuing his lacrosse career at Rutgers University in New Jersey.

“We got beat straight up but we played well,” said Huger.

The men’s lacrosse team beat Athens Drive 6-5 on Tuesday, May 15 to get into the state championship game. This was the third time Gibbons has defeated Athens Drive this season. Gibbons scored the first goal but then Athens Drive gained the lead with a score of 3-1 towards the end of the half. Gibbons came back to win the game by a lead of one by the end of the game.

“We play hard all the time but especially in the third period,” said coach Mike Curatolo.

The Gibbons lacrosse team has been working incredibly hard this season to make it to the state championship. Gibbons had practice every day with an outcome of making it all the way to the state championship.

“The keys to our success all season is the effort by the entire team,” said Curatolo.

In the first round of the playoffs Gibbons lacrosse defeated First Flight 17-1 on May 4. They continued on May 8 against East Chapel Hill and won 11-6. After East Chapel Hill, Gibbons went on to defeat Holly Springs 9-8 on May 11.

kick by junior Stephany Michalak.In the regional semi-final on

Saturday, May 19, the women defeated Chapel Hill on penalty kicks 0-0 (5-4) to advance to the final.

The Chapel Hill game ended in a 0-0 tie after overtime, resulting in penalty kicks. Junior Christina Gibbons made the first penalty kick and then freshman Megan Goudy, juniors Leigh McGill, Stephany Michalak and sophomore Morgan Reid all made their kicks to secure the game after a Chapel Hill miss.

The first round of playoffs began on Tuesday, May 8, and the team defeated Northeast Guilford 8-1 to advance to the second round of the playoffs against Union Pines.

The team beat Union Pines 4-0 to continue on to the District Playoffs at Burlington Williams on Wednesday, May 16 where they defeated Williams 3-0.

Throughout the season the women had some impressive shut out wins against Orange (9-0), Northern Vance (9-0), J.F. Webb (9-0), and Southern Vance (8-0).

Beating Charlotte Catholic was a favorite memory of the season for many.

“My favorite part of the year would have to be beating Charlotte Catholic at home. We lost to them last year in

the finals and it was awesome to have a rematch. The game was filled with tons of energy and it was a great feeling to win,” said Donovan.

“My favorite part of the year was when we went to Charlotte as a team. I think we really bonded and when we got back we were stronger and a much improved team,” said sophomore Kaitlyn Peeples.

The team was graced with a very talented team.

“Our team has many strengths but I think the two main ones are that we have many players who are very versatile and every player has a role on this team and can contribute in every game,” said Peeples.

“I would say that our team’s biggest strength would be our depth. We can make numerous subs throughout the game and the play will not drop off at all. All of us come ready to play each game,” said Donovan.

The seniors will be greatly missed. “I will miss many things about

the seniors but mainly their amazing leadership on and off the field because I know without them we wouldn’t be half the team we are. They will be greatly missed by everyone,” said Peeples.

“Throughout the season the team has become really close. I will miss seeing the team every day. They have become some of my closest friends,” said Donovan.

2-1 loss to White Oak denies third straight trip to 3A championship match