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President Obama’s first year sparks debate

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Tradition trumps size for football senior

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Take a look inside “The Shack” by William P. Young

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The Rounduproundup.brophyprep.orgNovember 2009 Edition 2

Brophy breaks ground on revolutionary new fieldsBy Ian C. Beck ’12The Roundup

Several dozen workers laid down sod Oct. 5 for Brophy’s new sports campus that has been a long time coming.

Crews toiled away with heavy machinery, installing massive rolls of grass and laying down limestone for the track.

When Brophy President Fr. Eddie Reese, SJ, arrived at Brophy 14 years ago, he interviewed

1,000 alumni, current students, faculty and parents about what the school needed. Some of the answers he said he came up with were: technology, fine arts, math and science and better sport facilities.

The sports campus, located just north of Xavier along 7th Avenue, is the last project Fr. Reese is going to tackle from this list.

“We’ve taken care of the mind and the arts and now it’s time for the body,” said Brophy Vice President Ms. Adria Renke.

Soccer, football and lacrosse teams will play their games on a field of artificial turf similar to what many NFL teams use, called Field Turf. There will also be an all-weather track and several natural grass practice fields.

There will be a team room, concession stands and a maintenance building along with a set of 800 person bleachers.

“Those two playing fields will

See CAMPUS, Page 2

E-mail replaces PA announcements, spurs mixed views

By Eric Villanueva ’11The Roundup

Do you hear that? That silence at the start of every fourth hour? The time

that used to be filled with announcements booming over the loudspeakers is now filled with the clatter of keyboards, the whirl of computer fans and students staring at their computers screens with an almost audible intensity underlined by the chatter of quiet conversations. Instead of a student council member reading out loud, the daily announcements are now sent to students’ e-mails, and students have five minutes to read them before their fourth hour class.

The reason for this change was because less than 25 percent of classrooms were able to consistently hear the PA announcements, said Mr. Jeff Glosser, assistant principal for student activites. The talkative and noisy environment of the classrooms during announcements prevented students from hearing important information, he added.

Mr. Glosser said the implementation of the Tablet PC program in all four classes this year was another factor in the administration’s decision.

“This is the first year when all four grade levels have Tablets,” Mr. Glosser said. “(E-mail) seemed more feasible than getting classrooms to listen (to announcements).”

Students’ and teachers’ responses to these changes are varied.

The intercom announcements have been a part of Brophy for at least 25 years, said Mr. Tom Danforth ’78,

By James “Buffalo” Saint Amour ’10

THE ROUNDUP

Rumors of Brophy having to close due to the swine flu were shot down by Principal Mr. Bob Ryan who says that while we might not have seen the worst of the flu “we weathered it pretty well.”

But this is not to say the school is taking the H1N1 swine flu lightly.

Mr. Ryan said that he has even found himself washing his hands and using the school provided hand sanitizer more frequently.

Mr. Ryan also said that because Brophy’s population spans much of the valley, the idea of closing and letting the flu “run its course” in the community is not as feasible as smaller schools with much smaller communities might be doing at this point in time.

According to Mr. Ryan, Brophy currently has approximately 20 confirmed cases of swine flu, but he stressed this is not an exact number because it can be assumed that some students who have flu like symptoms have H1N1 but are not being specifically tested for it.

Campus weathers flu storm—for nowCampus reacts to the H1N1 breakout

By James McElwee ’10THE ROUNDUP

Many students have been affected by the swine flu, or have at least thought that they have been affected by the new H1N1 virus.

The number of absences around Brophy due to illness recently spiked to around 130 to 140 students per day, though

See E-MAIL, Page 2

See H1N1, Page 2See REACTION, Page 2

Inside: Hybrid of old and new announce-ments best for information delivery.

See Opinions, Page 4

Photo by Adam Triplett ’10Crews install a grass field Oct. 5 at Brophy’s new Sports Campus, located near 7th Street and Highland Avenue.

The RoundupBrophy College Preparatory

4701 N. Central Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85012(602) 264-5291 roundup@brophyprep.org

Editors in ChiefAndrew Atallah ’10Dallas Ducar ’10

Associate EditorLiam Martin ’10

Entertainment EditorJames McElwee ’10

StaffRohan Andresen ’12

Ulises Araiza ’11Ian Beck ’12

Samuel Fleury ’10Sean Harris ’11

Benjamin Jackson ’11Michael Mandeville ’11

Erik Masingill ’12Alex Pearl ’10

Beau Peterlin ’10Daniel Robb ’10

James Saint Amour ’10Tyler Scott ’12

Mason Smith ’11Alex Stanley ’12

Chase Stevens ’12Adam Triplett ’10

Eric Villanueva ’11Joshua Zillwood ’10

ContributorsRob March ’11

Jesus Aponte ’10Michael Notestine ’11

Michael Heraty ’10Andrew Ahearne ’11

Peter Scobas ’12Web Assistant

Gabriel Alba-Rivera ’13

Mission StatementThe Brophy College Preparatory Roundup exists to inform and entertain the Brophy community by producing a quality product that contains pertinent information about the Brophy community. This newspaper will educate our Brophy community and by doing so provide an understanding of journalism theories and techniques for our staff. We will be ethical, honest, trustworthy and dedicated in our news coverage. We strive to be fair and balanced, yet not afraid to report the truth even when it is unpopular to do so. Our goal is not only to report information, but also to encourage and foster discussion amongst our community. Overall we attempt to do all things for the greater glory of God.

CorrectionsThe Roundup seeks to correct any printed mistakes in a timely and public manner. Please e-mail corrections to roundup@brophyprep.org

SubmissionsThe Roundup welcomes news, opinions, sports, entertainment and photography submissions and ideas. E-mail roundup@brophyprep.org or see Mr. Mulloy in Eller Room 331.

AdviserMr. Mica Mulloy ’99

The Roundup is a student publication of Brophy College Prepara-tory. Copyright 2009 Brophy College Preparatory’s The Roundup. No material may be used without permission from the editors and adviser.

Some material courtesy of American Society of Newspaper Editors/MCT Campus High School Newspaper Service.

National Scholastic Press Association Member

Page 2 The Roundup

revolutionize the way we do sports here,” Ms. Renke said.

There was $5.2 million set aside for this project, raised through power breakfasts and other fundraisers over the last four years. There are still other sections of the project that have yet to be funded, including an Olympic-sized swimming pool, a weight room and a gym large enough for volleyball, basketball and wrestling.

Even though those additional phases of the sports campus may not be completed for several years. The first phase will be available for teams by December.

“Our biggest problem has just been our time limitation on the Central track,” said head track

coach Mr. Bill Kalkman. Limestone for the track was laid down Oct. 5, the first stage in the construction of a high-quality track.

“Coaches and athletes alike are excited to have their own track,” Mr. Kalkman said.

Junior varsity football wide receiver Jordan Melick ’12 said the “excitement level is pretty high” among the JV football players.

“Father (Reese) and I would never, never, never have been able to do this by ourselves,” Ms. Renke said. Volunteer work on this project “saved us millions of dollars” and made it all possible, she added.

The additional field space will also allow more Brophy teams to practice and compete on campus, something administrators said they hope will be a boon for those programs.

“Lacrosse and track numbers-wise are our second and third largest sports on campus yet not a lot of people know about them because they’re never on campus,” said Assistant Principal for Student Activities Mr. Jeff Glosser.

“The ability to be on campus should get them more recognizable with their peers and their ability to be a student athlete should improve,” Mr. Glosser said.

From CAMPUS, Page 1

a member of the English department since 1986. But, the PA announcements last year were “so long and too long,” he said.

However, the new e-mail announcements are not working either, Mr. Danforth added.

“I sent a kid an e-mail in the afternoon and supposed (he) would get it before lunch when he checked his e-mail (for the daily announcements), but when I asked him a question about the e-mail, he didn’t answer because he hadn’t checked his e-mail,” Mr. Danforth said.

Mr. Danforth estimated that a majority, perhaps 75 percent of his

classes, do not pay attention to the announcements.

Mr. Glosser said the new system still is not perfect. He noted student council members believe that the majority of students still are not regularly getting the information.

“It’s still less than 25 percent of the kids paying attention or going on their computers and looking at the announcements,” Mr. Glosser said. “So communication is difficult for us.”

There are mixed reviews of the new electronic announcements amongst all classes.

A Roundup poll of 40 students with 10 respondents from each year indicated that 55 percent of the students surveyed disliked the e-mail announcements.

“They go right to my junk e-mail,” said Sean Summers ’11.

In the same poll, only 35 percent of students surveyed said they used the five minutes allotted to read the announcements.

But, many of the students surveyed said they read the announcements at least once a week or at some other time during the day.

Some students in the poll also said the e-mail announcements were clearer and easier to understand than the PA announcements, and created the option to check back to the announcements.

Other students said they missed the nostalgia of hearing someone, like former school President Mike Tree ’09, run through the long list

announcements over the intercom. Students also said some teachers teach

right through the five minutes. “(Teachers) think they have an extra

five minutes to use for whatever they want,” Mr. Glosser said. “Some use it for class time.”

Mr. Danforth said he doesn’t know what to do to get students to read the announcements.

“I don’t know of anything else to do other than to walk up and down the aisles as kids check their e-mail,” Mr. Danforth said.

Many students have asked about the permanency of the e-mail announcements.

“If there is a better system to get communication out – then we will

always be open to that,” Mr. Glosser said.

Students have already suggested some new forms of communication.

Some students from The Roundup poll said they did not read the announcements because they are bored by the repetitive information, and one e-mail a week would work.

Gustavo Fernandez ’10 suggested the reinstatement of the weekly video announcements, which used to air each Wednesday morning.

And at least one student has a taste for theatrics.

“Some teachers, like Mr. Garner, act them out,” said Luke Holland ’11. “I thought that was cool.”

From E-MAIL, Page 1

Even with the low number of confirmed cases, Brophy has seen a spike in its absence rate, which at one point in September flew to about 140 students, when it is normally somewhere from 30 to 40 students absent on any given day.

This year there are 1,270 students enrolled in Brophy. This means on one day Brophy was missing 11 percent of its student population.

However not all of these absences are due to H1N1 swine flu.

Mr. Ryan explained Brophy’s currently seeing cases of strep throat,

colds and other common flu season illnesses.

This is not the first time that Brophy has dealt with a disease that has caused a sense of hysteria over its effects, the most recent being the Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bug a few years back.

Brophy’s head Athletic Trainer Mr. Chris White, who stressed he is not a medical professional, commented on the comparison of the two ailments, saying there is always going to be a lot of drama over any widespread illness due to its media coverage.

Mr. White added it is important to separate fact from media hype, and not to be led on by fear and paranoia.

He also said it is important to wash your hands and cover your mouth when you cough, and to stay home when you are sick.

From H1N1, Page 1

that figure has since stabilized. This new threat to the health of Brophy has led

to a couple of changes around campus, such as the new Purell Instant Hand Sanitizer dispensers in each class room, the new warning/symptom posters in the Dean’s office and even the occasional swine flu joke.

However, to the assistants to the Dean Ms. Theresa Angus and Ms. Debbie Corwin the

swine flu is no joke. They are being extra cautious with sick students;

they are also being more diligent about cleaning up the Dean’s office by wiping down the counters and phones.

The new Purell dispensers have become the main line of defense for many Brophy students.

“Whenever I walk out (of class) I use the hand sanitizer,” said Reed Loustalot ’12.

Brophy Senior Roger Bond-Choquette ’10 also uses the hand sanitizer as he moves from class

to class.Purell’s Web site states that “while no hand

sanitizer is indicated to prevent swine flu, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one of the ways you can help protect yourself from swine flu is by practicing good hand hygiene…by washing with soap and water, or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer when soap and water may not be available.”

However, even with the Purell available some students are also taking a few extra precautions.

“Now that everyone’s getting (swine flu) I need to

be more careful about washing hands and touching

things,” said Nicolas Guerithault ’12.

These small habits appearing around campus are

not just happening with the students, but also with

administrators.

“I wash my hands a lot more frequently

particularly when I’m at home; I have a new born

baby at home,” said Principal Mr. Bob Ryan.

From REACTION, Page 1

Those two playing fields will revolutionize the way

we do sports here.—Ms. Adria Renke

The Roundup Page 3

Summit to examine globalization and the economyBy Daniel Robb ’10The Roundup

Throughout its lifetime the annual Summit on Human Dignity has engaged Brophy students in discussion about important issues, a tradition which Brophy will continue this year with the topic of globalization and the economy.

The topic is a broad one, and is intended to be that way. This is because the planners want to cover a variety of subjects over the course of the Summit, according to Assistant Principal for

Ministry Mrs. Kim Baldwin, who is chairing the planning committee.

“This is a very broad topic, so the challenge is going to be how to do justice to it without it being so general that we lose everyone,” said Mr. Tim Broyles.

“Poverty, trade, foreign policy (and) the financial market on a local, national and international scale” are just a few of the important sub-topics which might be included, Mrs. Baldwin said.

Along with the normal, large-scale topics, another aspect that will be stressed is how all of these things relate

to the students. How credit relates to teenagers and how you can make a personal budget are things that might be incorporated into talks or workshops, according to Mrs. Baldwin.

The topic was chosen in large part because of its pertinence to today’s world.

“We talk about teachable moments -- this is really one of them,” Mrs. Baldwin noted regarding the timeliness of the Summit.

The student involvement in the planning is substantial as always. Nearly

30 students on the planning committee, along with a class called Contemplatives in Action, are involved in the process.

“The Student Planning Committee is responsible for coordinating the ‘student input’ aspects of the Summit,” said Danny Wilson ’10. “We have made it a goal to make this year’s Summit one that is renowned for student participation.”

“We would like the entire campus to reflect the Summit topic, through art, student-led discussions and reflection periods,” Wilson continued.

Not only is there student involvement

and influence, there are a large number of faculty members also involved in different aspects of the planning process.

The general message of the Summit will be “how do we progress (and) how do we go about globalization which is just and sustainable,” Mrs. Baldwin said. The full mission statement for the Summit will be available soon.

The Summit will start Monday, Feb. 22 and run through Friday, March 5. The full schedule for the Summit is available on the Brophy calendar.

Students, faculty help save livesBy Ulises Araiza ’11THE ROUNDUP

Eighty-five students and six faculty members donated blood on Oct. 2, saving up to 243 lives.

Students who donated had to sign up online, and were e-mailed the time of their blood donation appointment.

The first students and faculty members began arriving by 8:30 a.m. to the south side of the Harper Great Hall where staff members from the United Blood Services were ready to collect blood, which will be used to help those in need.

“I expected the needle to be smaller—it was a big needle,” said Jared Godber ’11 shortly after he donated blood.

This was the first year that Brophy’s chapter of the National Honor Society took charge of the Blood Drive. Overall, NHS moderator Mr. Fred Garner said he was pleased by the turnout of students and faculty at the event.

Members of the NHS who donated blood were granted one hour of community service.

“We go pretty much all around Arizona, and we try to get all the schools,” said UBIE Donor Relations Specialist Yara Celaya.

The blood donation procedure most commonly done at high schools is whole blood donation.

“It takes about eight to 10 minutes (to donate blood) but the whole process takes

about 45 minutes,” said Clarissa Shaw, UBIE donor care specialist.

Why does the process take so long? Shaw said that the interview takes on

average 15 to 20 minutes, the donation eight to 10 minutes, and the recovery takes about 15 minutes.

Shaw added that before donating, people should have plenty of water, as well as a hearty meal.

“It feels rewarding knowing that my blood is going to a good cause,” said Will Wareing ’11. Wareing wanted to donate last year but

was unable to because of his participation in sports.

Despite an initial fear to the needle, Macario Candia ’11 was able to complete the process.

“It was a good thing to do, and I wanted to get the experience of donating blood,” he said.

This was the first time that Godber, Wareing and Candia donated blood. All three of them said they plan to do so again in the future.

The next Brophy Blood Drive will be in the spring.

Photo by Josh Zillwood ’10Calm and collected, Andrew Forsyth ’10 generously donates blood.

Brophy deals full house on annual Casino Night

By Sean Harris ’11THE ROUNDUP

The hum of slot machines, the clink of poker chips, the buzz of students as they hope for raffle prizes; these are the sounds of Brophy’s Casino Night.

This late-night event took place Thursday Oct. 8, in the Great Hall from 8 to 11 p.m.

Luck rewarded certain students at the raffle with big ticket prizes, including a Snowbird package won by Rob Lennard ’13.

Gregory Emmons ’13 walked home with a flat screen TV after winning the Texas Hold ’Em tournament, which went well into the late hours of the night.

Seeing the transformation the Great Hall had undertaken, one would find it hard to imagine that it served as a cafeteria days earlier. Sodas were handed out in free light-up cups along with popcorn and candy, horse races were shown on the projectors and teachers like Mr. John Damaso ’97 dealt cards at blackjack tables at this now yearly event.

The origins of Casino Night coincide with the interest taken in Texas Hold ’Em tournaments on TV.

“It originally started the night before Thanksgiving break as a Texas Hold ’Em tournament,” said Assistant Principal for Student Activities Mr. Jeff Glosser. “We did that for a couple years…it expanded four years ago during my first Homecoming where I expanded the Homecoming Dance to half-dance half-event.”

Casino Night was then moved to a standalone event that would take place whenever Brophy had a bye week in football.

Students have been very receptive to Casino Night. “I liked the Texas Hold ’Em Tournament,” said Cody Ward

’11. “The competition made it exciting. What really made the night fun was hanging out with friends.”

Photos by Rob March ’11Opa! Greek dancers show off their moves Oct. 15 in the Jesuit Garden.Left: From left to right John Christ ’11, Greg Patten ’12, Niko Panagiotakopoulos ’10, Jake Steffens ’12, Timmy Mourikes ’12 and Nick Weiss ’10 perform a tradi-tional Greek dance. Above: Greg Patten ’12, left, and John Christ ’11, right, dance while faculty members clap along.

This year Brophy introduced a new form of campus-wide daily announcements via

student e-mail that has been met with some skepticism and questions.

This new form replaces the previous announcements, which were broadcast every day over the intercom during the period right before lunch.

The old system may not have been perfect, but the new method of delivery is a step in the wrong direction and needs to be changed.

The new announcements are in the form of a well-organized, yet inevitably text heavy e-mail put together and sent out by Assistant for Student A c t i v i t i e s Ms. Sandra Dennard.

Though full of important information, the e-mail is just too much for students to read.

Students are given five minutes at the start of class before lunch to read them, but many would rather just talk to friends, play a game or finish an assignment.

Before, students did not have a choice

but to listen to the information booming out of the loudspeaker.

Assistant Principal for Student Activities Mr. Jeff Glosser said the administration made the change because of the fact that all students now have e-mail accessibility in class and can read the announcements via e-mail.

He also said that last year with the ongoing conversations of students in some classes, there was not an environment where students could hear the announcements over the PA.

Both of these are very legitimate reasons to change the medium for announcements.

Still, many students would like to revert back to the old form of announcements, and according to Student Council member Flavio Bravo ’12, the topic has come up in recent Student Council meetings.

“If there is a better system to get communication out – then we will

always be open to that,” Mr. Glosser said when asked about the permanency of these new announcements.

My suggestion is a hybrid of old and new. It would be helpful to have

the important and new announcements read to us so that we are able to listen to it and digest the information.If there are important

announcements that have been changed or pertain to a

large amount of students, it’s helpful for everyone to hear it

over the loudspeaker so no one will miss it.In addition, it is nice when Xavier

girls make announcements over the loudspeaker regarding things like

a “blue out,” a volleyball game or a community service event that they want us to be involved with.

Additionally, an e-mail of these announcements would serve as a

great reference in the event that not all the announcements could be heard. Teachers can also help by keeping classrooms and students quiet.

This hybrid would not only deliver information more effectively, but allow students to always double check that important date, time or event.

OpinionsThe Roundup

Letters to the Editor PoliciesThe Roundup provides an open forum for public comments, criticism and debate. Submit letters to the editor to roundup@brophyprep.org or to Mr. Mulloy in room E331. Letters must not exceed 300 words and must include your full name and a phone number or E-mail address. All letters will be verified with the author before printed. The Roundup reserves the right to edit letters for grammar, style, context and inappropriate content. Letters will be printed as space allows.

E-mail announcements spark debate

By Rohan Andresen ’12

The Roundup

Photos and Design by Josh Zillwood ’10

Last year’s Summit on Human Dignity, Renewing our Commitment to Sustainability and Stewardship, was supposed to engage Brophy students in dialogue, possibly encouraging us to adopt new, “green” ways of living.

Many teachers incorporated the ideas presented in the Summit into their classes, offering extra credit if students participated in after school events and made “environmentally friendly” changes in their daily routines.

Eight months have passed since February and for many students the ideas of the last Summit on Human Dignity are now but a faint memory of Eustace Conway, the man who lived out in the forest by himself, and Sustainable Dave, the California

man who saved all of his trash in his basement for a whole year.

Is that really what Brophy intended for us? Just to have faint memories of the

Summit? I think not.I’m not saying we all need

to go to the Amazon rain forest and strap ourselves to trees so that they are not cut down to make paper in a factory somewhere or pave the way for super

developments. Neither should we

completely leave all technology behind and

lead a lifestyle like that of Conway’s.However, we should not forget the

ideas presented to us in the Summit and incorporate them into our lives.

Whether we start riding the bus or light rail, buy local produce at a farmer’s

market or plant a small garden in our backyard, there is something we can all do to foster the ideas of our last Summit.

So how is Brophy living up to the Summit?

Many students and teachers have made positive changes in their lives.

Many people make sure that the lights are turned off when they leave a room, take alternative transportation and unplug unnecessary electronics.

Last year Brophy began selling stainless steel water bottles for $10, and offered students and families the opportunity to buy produce through Crooked Sky farms, a local farm, as an alternative to buying fruits and vegetables that may have come from thousands of miles away.

The drawback: The bottles sold through Brophy are small and have to be filled continuously. In some cases, the rubber that holds in the bottle cap wears

off, causing the cap to fit loosely on the bottle. Many students and teachers have had to buy new, larger bottles elsewhere.

Unlike at the grocery store, one has no say in what they get through Crooked Sky Farms. Basically you get what is in season, and may still have to resort to the grocery store to get what you want.

What can Brophy do better? Brophy did a good job last year with

the post-Summit hype in making environmental changes, encouraging students to use re-usable water bottles and putting recycle bins all around campus.

If the push towards environmental changes continues, the ideas of Summit will be fostered for the benefit of us all.

As a community we can all work together and join in dialogue and action to attain sustainability.

Students, faculty need to stay sustainable

By Ulises Araiza ’11The Roundup

roundup.brophyprep.org

Online this month

Splish Splash at Beach Day ’09

By Chase Stevens ’12

Student participation skyrockets

By Dallas Ducar ’10

The Roundup Page 5Opinions

Question of the Month

By Alex Stanley ’12The Roundup

Do you think Brophy should close school for a week due to widespread illness?

I don’t think we should get a week off, but three days to recuperate and study would be a bonus.

- Manuel Siguenza ’12

Yes, because we would all get a much deserved break.

- Will Perrott ’11

No, I haven’t noticed as large of a spread of sickness in my classes. I haven’t experienced this first-hand, so I don’t think it is necessary to stop school just for this.

- Derek Blayney-Moore ’13

I think it would be really fun. But I also think the administration shouldn’t add a week on at the end of the year to compensate for the missed week.

- Chris Cannon ’12

According to a recent story in The Week, there were two girls in South Australia that found themselves stuck in a storm drain.

However, realizing they had their cell phones, the girls used their quick thinking and good judgment and decided on the best course of action: updating their Facebook statuses.

Obviously, you can’t underestimate the importance of keeping their 300 closest friends in the loop. I mean, knowing that the girls are “Stuckkkk in a storm drainnn!! Lol” must be a shocker, but for the girls getting a reply that seven people like this and their friend Carla hopes “u can still make my partyyy Saturday!!! Love u girlzzz!” must help them cope in their time of dire distress. Or at least that’s what I think; the police had a different opinion. Rescuers said that by not

calling the police, they delayed their rescue by hours. But really, who could blame them?

Those South Australian girls are two of nearly 300 million active users and, according to Facebook Press Room Statistics 65 million people like them access Facebook through their mobile phones.

It’s obvious this worldwide phenomenon captivates people. But why?

Is it the chance to connect with old friends, or to meet someone new? Is it simply knowing that Steve “just ate a Reuben sandwich and is going to buy a new pair of kicks?”

The applications for Facebook

seem limitless, from personal uses to business opportunities. I have renewed friendships with forgotten elementary friends across the United States. Even my dad, who still can’t turn on the computer, discussed how his company has seen more than 200 more memberships sold since they have been advertising on Facebook. However,

is all this actually good? According to Facebook, each day more than 6 billion minutes are spent on the site worldwide.

This sparks a deeper discussion about how we communicate with others. Should we be spending less time talking through a computer screen and more time conversing face to face? This argument has been around for quite some time. Since the creation of the telephone, texting and e-mail, people are afraid that “old-school” discussions will cease to exist going all the way back to the development of the written word. In Plato’s Phaedrus Socrates himself was afraid that society would depend on writing as a replacement for knowledge. Technology has evolved a bit since Socrates’ time, but the essence is still the same.

So what should be done? At the very least show some moderation. According to Facebook over 40 million statuses are updated each day which may seem like a bit much. Perhaps it is wise to show discretion about what you publish, for as President Obama said in a report by the Huffington Post, “Be careful what you post on Facebook. Whatever you do, it will be pulled up later in your life.”

Remember to spend some time smelling the flowers, but just watch out for storm drains.

Usually, when a Brophy student has a question, they don’t go to the class encyclopedia, nor do they ask a teacher who works in that field.

Instead, they simply type their question into the computer in front of them and instantly get the answer.

Are we becoming too dependent, though, on search engines?

Many times, the answers we get are short and suffice. But how do we know that they are accurate and legitimate?

More often than not, we just accept the answer as fact without looking at the

source of the Web site or the credentials of the person answering.

If we become so dependent on just typing a question in to a box, we are bound to lose our skills of research through books and archives.

A good number of classrooms at Brophy and many schools across the country lack dictionaries, and even more lack the lengthy and text-heavy encyclopedias of days past.

The skills that generations before us had of reading and researching in written textbooks has been replaced by newer skills.

Who has been to a public library

recently? I know that I haven’t. Younger generations are able to use the

computers and Internet to successfully find relevant information.

Many think younger generations are being lazy because of the accessibility of the Internet, but as technology changes, the ease of obtaining information increases.

The changes are acceptable, but with the changes also come consequences.

When we have a question we seek answers on a search engine, but usually, instead of memorizing the information

we simply read it and move on to the next question.

We know that if we found the answer once, we don’t need to remember it and next time we have that question we can search for it again.

We become dependent on the Internet and turn to it first for answers.

Although these changes are needed and helpful for the advancement of mankind, they are a double-edged sword. It can also hinder our civilization by making us lazy and overly dependent on web searches and technology.

Students rely on search engines for knowledge

Design by Josh Zillwood ’10Even The Roundup uses Facebook, but not from inside storm drains.

Facebook captivates the world−in a storm drain

By Peter Scobas ’12The Roundup

By Rohan Andresen ’12The Roundup

Yes, that would be awesome! - Jack Smeck ’13

President Barack Obama has faced many problems in his fledgling administration: the economy, two wars and potential nuclear development in North Korea and Iran.

One has to ask what the president is doing running around collecting Nobel Prizes and trying to secure an Olympic bid for Chicago?

It should be apparent that in these troubled times we have bigger problems than tourism and public image.

But the president seems to want to play it cool, taking everything in stride.

Every time he is on TV the way he acts so non-chalant makes me think

he has no handle on what is going on and doesn’t know just how dire our situation is.

We are currently involved in two wars which are costing billions of dollars of taxpayer money, but we somehow seem to have plenty

to burn on new government programs such as a health care system.

Speaking of health care, why is it that the president wants to create a government run insurance company if he is just going to replace it with the free market system that we already have in place in five years?

Wouldn’t it stand that if your long-term plan is the same or similar to that which is already in place that it would be easier to simply alter the existing system?

Why don’t we try regulating our ever increasing health care costs?

But of course who has time to argue the point when the president is too busy to answer the important question with his PR-save-face stunts.

The president has already made 15 trips to the New Orleans area, accompanied with the numerous times that he has met with the EU, NATO, G8 in an attempt to make the U.S. look better to the international community.

I can’t see any reason for him to be doing this when there is plenty for him to do in the Oval Office.

I don’t believe that the president is going to make any great changes in our

country; he’s already failed at trying to close Gitmo because Congress wouldn’t pass the funding of the project.

I believe he is banking on us becoming comfortable with his great social changes, thus no one will try to vote against him when it is time for reelection.

It is almost as if he is operating under the assumption that if he doesn’t screw things up worse than they were when he got here, he can call it a success.

But this isn’t how we should measure a president.

The Roundup Page 6 OpinionsObamaphobia epidemic sweeps the nation

A new disease is threatening the nation along with the dreaded swine flu: Obamaphobia, the irrational and intense fear or frantic aversion of President Barack Obama. Sure, a “phobia” is a psychological condition, but Obamaphobia appears to be spreading like a virus since the president’s inauguration in late January.

First, a disclaimer: This is not an approval or disapproval of the president’s policies. Sufferers of Obamaphobia should check their prescriptions and their judgment before they continue reading.

Any reactions to this article pertaining to my opinions on Obama are likely hallucinations relating to your condition.

A strange disease, Obamaphobia surfaced shortly after America’s “triumph over racism” after electing President Obama, and is most commonly related to schools – most instances I have experienced or researched are connected to an educational establishment of some sort.

This, of course, makes an outbreak as a result of Obama’s speech to students last September an unsurprising turn of events. While no students or teachers were cringing, hissing or attempting frantic exoduses from auditoriums during the viewings of the speech (as far as I know), the reactions of many schools were telltale signs of Obamaphobia.

Off the top of my head, I can think of three Valley cases that exhibit this: One school that required students to submit a parent-signed permission slip to attend a viewing, and two others that banned the speech outright.

I have heard the speech to students contained a rather questionable “What do you think of the president?” segment in which students responded gleefully that Obama was helping everyone and that his healthcare and welfare reforms would cause spontaneous rainbows in

even the most arid regions of planet Earth.

Of course, the presence of that sort of content would greatly tarnish the objectivism of the speech as a whole, but after searching through the end of the YouTube video of the speech posted

by CSPAN, I’ve been unable to locate it.

Although I admittedly don’t know why two of the three schools restricted the viewing of Obama’s speech – no reason was given other than an allusion to fear of propaganda - Saint Thomas, the third school, was said to have banned the speech because of Obama’s view on abortion. Fr. John D.

Ehrich, the residing pastor, stated during a recent Mass that the president’s pro-choice policies were a high-tension subject at the school and the adjoining church.

A second incident occurred at an Arizona high school, where an art teacher assigned a picture of Obama sitting at his desk to his freshman students for their final for the year.

One student, whether to complain, create conversation or otherwise, divulged this project to his mother, which resulted in an exemplary case of Obamaphobia: The mother dialed a conservative radio station and began to rant about how her child’s art teacher was a raving liberal attempting to manipulate the impressionable minds of his students to favor the new president.

In a similar vein, a recent article in the Sept. 27 edition of the Arizona Republic elaborated on the story of an uproarious reaction against a video of kindergarten and second-grade children singing songs about Obama for school.

The residing teacher stated that he simply wanted to engage the children in the activities of influential African American citizens, as opposed to the objective stated by several alarmed viewers, which was supposedly “indoctrination.”

And, of course, another decent example of early Obamaphobia unrelated to schools entirely was the series of accusations concerning Obama’s foreign residency and faked birth certificate after he had taken office.

Although children should be allowed to develop their own political views based on their morals and intelligence, Obamaphobia seems to magnify these convictions to unreasonable levels.

So, what is it? Are Republicans more sensitive about

the influence of the president on their children (so much so that a speech encouraging students to work hard and apply themselves is regarded as morally dangerous) than Democrats, who simply

parody Republican presidents? Regardless of the cause, the result is

appalling. Children shouldn’t be told what to

think as far as politics are concerned, but refusing to allow exposure to one of the most influential men in the world – be it through painting a picture, watching a speech or singing a song – is overstepping the boundaries of reason.

For example, if a teacher or school administrator is concerned about a propaganda-filled segment in which kids praise the president, why not show the version of the speech without the controversial questionnaire at the end?

Again, the question comes up: Would the same treatment be given to a

motivational speech given by Bush? If it’s not a condition with a silly name,

then it could be something worse – the ludicrous sensitivity towards material shown in media, televised or otherwise, could have finally spread to include anything regarding the president.

The entity of hypersensitive people that pasteurized television into political correctness and lobbied to have violent video games outlawed entirely has now turned its lidless eyes towards the presidency.

If that’s the case, then God help us all. If it isn’t, then we can just wait for

a vaccination and hope that we don’t start raging against the next State of the Union address.

Photo courtesy of MCT campusPresident Obama adresses the nation, which apparently causes fear among some citizens.

Obama’s first year filled with plenty of show, little substance

By Alex Pearl ’10 THE ROUNDUP

By James “Buffalo” Saint Amour ’10

THE ROUNDUP

What’s your opinion? Let us know.E-mail your comments to roundup@brophyprep.org

or post them online at roundup.brophyprep.org

The RoundupStaff member of

the Month

October: Adam Triplett ’10November: Sean Harris ’11

SportsThe Roundup

By Beau W. Peterlin ’10THE ROUNDUP

Walking through campus on Friday, the white numbers on Brophy football jerseys pop out amongst the sea of red t-shirts.

The jersey number and size are sometimes a clear insight into what position each player holds. However, this is not always the case and sometimes can be much different than any fan might expect.

The most evident example of this might possibly be senior Peter Kelly ’10. The wide receiver and running back stands 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighs 160 pounds, something uncommon for high school players in today’s game.

However, size is not what Kelly is known for. He holds two and a half years of experience playing on the varsity team since being called up during his sophomore year.

His first glimpse of the pig-skin game came

while watching Notre Dame play as youngster. He said this motivated him to play football as he always wanted to play for the Fighting Irish.

His motivation now simply comes at the end of the week on Friday nights when he stands with his teammates.

The role he plays “is to be a teammate to everybody and sacrifice everything for my brothers,” Kelly said. Kelly is one of the team’s captains, but he said “everybody is a leader on the team—it isn’t just one person.”

Kelly attests his idea of his role on the team comes from the tradition of the brotherhood that is Brophy.

Another tradition for Kelly is wearing No. 9 across his chest and back. This is the former number of wide receiver Matt Smith ’07.

Smith was the hero of the 2005 state championship game, catching the winning touchdown against Hamilton to give Brophy the title.

Kelly said he believes that Smith inspired him to play football at Brophy. When Smith graduated, his mom asked Kelly to carry on the tradition of wearing No. 9, something he said he is honored to do.

He also said that he doesn’t have just one influential person in his life, but a group of people that he interacts with during football from coaches to alumni to speakers.

Kelly said these people help him realize football is the best game.

“Everybody knows that we are a team of brotherhood rather than huge talent like Hamilton and that is why we are successful. We trust each other and always have their back,” Kelly said.

Senior football standout proves determination trumps size

Photo by Ben Jackson ’11Peter Kelly ’10 is a captain on the varsity football team, but says everyone on the team is a leader.

By Erik Masingill ’12THE ROUNDUP

Brophy triumphed over the Mesa Jackrabbits Oct. 16 thanks in part to a late goal line interception by Joe Maggi ’11.

Maggi’s fourth quarter pick off stopped a Mesa drive and helped nail down the 26-18 victory for Brophy.

This matchup got off to a quick start as Mesa scored the first touchdown of the game with a five-yard run. The Jackrabbits got good position to start out the drive on the 47 yard line from an Alex Garoutte ’10 punt.

However, the extra point was blocked by Jose Molina ’11. The scoreboard showed 6-0 Mesa with 7:21 left in the first quarter as the offense looked to start another drive.

On the third play of the Broncos’ second drive, Chase Knox ’12 threw an interception and Mesa was in business again with the ball at Brophy’s 30 yard line.

Just three quick plays for negative two yards set up a 50-yard field goal attempt for Mesa, but the special teams came through again with Josh Dennard ’11 blocking the kick and taking it to the 45 yard line.

The Bronco offense saw an opportunity to take the ball in for their first score of the game. It all started with a 44-yard run by Max Leonesio ’10.

Garoutte nailed a 21-yard field goal to make the score 6-3 with 4:22 in the first quarter.

After a futile offensive drive for the Broncos, Mesa got the ball quick.

However, on the first play, Tom Woodward ’10 intercepted the pass and ran to the 33 yard line, giving Brophy another chance to take the lead.

Knox gunned a 32-yard pass to Dennard to get the Broncos into the red zone and one yard away from a TD. Leonesio finished the job with a one-yard run. With 8:05 left in the first half, Brophy led Mesa 10-6.

Brophy still had the momentum in the next drive as Knox delivered a 17-yard touchdown pass to Scott Robson ’10, but the extra point was no good. Brophy led Mesa 16-6 with 5:14 left in the first half.

Before halftime, Mesa attempted to put more points up to match with the Broncos, but ended up turning the ball over on downs.

At the 45 yard line with 35 seconds left, Brophy knew they still could do more damage.

In the next Bronco drive a 25-yard pass from Knox to Robson set up a 37-yard field goal for Garoutte. Brophy went into halftime leading 19-6.

The next Bronco drive was an easy three and out, but during the punt, Mesa’s returner muffed the catch. Dennard saw the free ball and hustled to get it back to his offense.

Big plays make up for mistakes against Mesa

Photo by Andrew Ahearne ’11AJ Steimel ’10 knocks down a Mesa defender Oct. 16 during a Brophy 26-18 victory.

See MESA, Page 9

Brophy 26Mesa 18

By Ian Beck ’12THE ROUNDUP

Brophy’s swim team beat Hamilton by nearly 100 points Oct. 8, winning by a count of 138 to 42, according to VarsityExtra.com.

Brophy won each of the relay races and John Wojciechowski ’10 won his race, the 100-meter backstroke, by almost four seconds.

Tony Mead-Smith ’11 won two races, the 100 and 200-meter freestyle. Gus Quinif ’12 led the dive team with 199.55 points.

The team has gone undefeated in nine meets thus far in the season. The team has won 21 consecutive state

titles, dating back to 1988. With just two meets left before the playoffs, the Brophy team looks to finish undefeated.

“I believe that our team has the potential to be the best high school swimming program in the nation this year,” said Diego Valenzuela ’12.

The Bronco’s last meets were slated against Desert Vista at Brophy East on Oct. 15 followed by Casa Grande on Oct. 22.

Brophy swimming dominates the pool

Photo by Kenny Umstead ’10Adam O’Connor ’12 practices the breast-stroke in October.

Page 8 The Roundup

Team takes 1st place in last regular meetBy Andrew Atallah ’10

THE ROUNDUP

As their season wraps up, the Brophy Cross Country team looked to finish strong at regionals Oct. 28, and state in early November.

The end of the season comes as a culmination to the success of the seven varsity runners: Matt Xuereb ’10, Gabe Campbell ’10, Patrick Wolf ’11, Jack Welty ’12, Brock Ghelfi ’12, Tommy Williams ’11 and Will Firth ’11.

The whole cross country team ran all summer and currently practices six days a week during the hottest part of the year in order to do their best.

These runners can often be seen leaving Brophy after school, working hard when most students head home to relax.

Their hard work has paid off all season as they are always improving, staying near the top of pack in all their meets.

In the recent Desert Twilight Cross

Country Festival in Queen Creek Brophy finished third beating Desert Vista, the defending state champions,

said coach Mr. Andy Schmidbauer ’88.

Cross Country is scored differently

than most sports. Rather than trying to accumulate points, teams win by having the least amount of points in a competition.

The higher each runner places in a competition the less points he earns, so the team that wins the meet has the least amount of points.

On Saturday Oct. 17, the Cross Country team won their last meet of the regular season, the O’Connor/Denison invitational, and Firth placed 2nd in the competition.

Going into the end of the regular season Mr. Schmidbauer said he feels very good about the team this year and that they are looking much better than they did last year.

With only two seniors on varsity, cross country will also have a very strong team next year and can hope for two strong back to back seasons.

Although cross country teams are not officially ranked until the end of the season Mr. Schmidbauer said he places Brophy’s team in third place just behind Alhambra High School and Mountain View High School.

Cross Country runs the extra mile in season wrap-up

Photo by Brian Frederick ’11From left Tommy Williams ’11, Jack Welty ’12, Matthew Xuereb ’10 and Will Firth ’11 compete in the O’Conner/Denison Invitational.

Shores: Things are starting to turn around

By Mason Smith ’11THE ROUNDUP

Two matches and one tournament is all the varsity golf team has left to prove that they are still among the top competitors in high school golf.

The team showed they still have it with a match win against Pinnacle and North Canyon Oct. 6.

“I think that things are starting to turn around for us,” said coach Mr. Jon Shores. “The team is starting to do a little bit better. We got off to a slow start, guys weren’t playing all that great, and for whatever reason five guys weren’t playing well. But the last couple of weeks the guys have really started to play a lot better.”

As the season winds down, the team can look back on a somewhat successful season, finishing in the top 10 in the Thunder Invitational (third) and the Aguila Invitational (ninth).

Expectations remain the same for the rest of the season.

“The expectations are just to continue to get better, this is the time of season to focus on super-regions and state, and try and figure out who the five are going to be,” Mr. Shores said.

The team competed Oct. 13 against Hamilton, Oct. 16-17 in the Mountain Ridge Invitational and Oct. 22 against Chandler.

With super-regions and the state tournaments coming up, it is crunch time for the team.

“We definitely have the talent to make state, we should hopefully be, if we play well and play to out potential, should be one of the top four schools in the state tournament,” Mr. Shores said.

The super-region tournament is set to take place Nov. 2-7 and the state tournament is set to take place on Nov. 9-14.

“We should put up a good showing,” Mr. Shores said.

Golf team looks to end season strong

Brophy tops Chandler in overtime thriller at HomecomingBrophy 27

Chandler 26

By Tyler Scott ’12The Roundup

A blocked kick and a successful Brophy extra point attempt were the deciding factors in the Bronco’s nail-biter win Sept. 26.

Brophy beat the Chandler Wolves 27-26 in overtime during the Bronco’s Homecoming game at Phoenix College Stadium.

A pivotal fourth quarter is what sent this game down to the wire. At the beginning of the fourth quarter the score was 14-13 Chandler.

Brophy drove all the way down the field to the Chandler 23, but running back Max Leonesio ’10 fumbled the ball inside the 10 yard line for the second time in the game and senior defensive lineman Ammon Samia of Chandler recovered it, giving the ball back to the Wolves.

Chandler quarterback Brett Hundley finished the drive with a 24-yard touchdown run to put the Wolves up 20-13.

However, a botched extra point kept Brophy’s hopes alive. With 5:05 remaining in the fourth, Brophy awaited the kickoff.

Starting their drive at their own 10 yard line because of a holding call, the Broncos drove to the 41 yard line with a big boost from a 30-yard Chase Knox ’12 pass to senior wide receiver Scott Robson ’10. But a turnover on downs killed the drive.

However, Hundley fumbled with 2:05 left in the fourth, giving the Broncos another chance to score.

On a crucial third and four, Knox connected with senior wide receiver

Peter Kelly ’10 for an 11 yard gain. Three plays later it was senior receiver Max Eller ’10 that came up big.

On fourth and seven Knox threw a desperation pass to Eller, who made an over the shoulder catch in the corner of the end zone for a 26-yard touchdown with 51 seconds left.

An Alex Garoutte ’10 extra point tied the game at 20 and sent it into overtime after the Wolves ran down the clock.

In high school overtime, each team starts at the 10 yard line and has four downs to score. The other team then has another four downs to score.

Brophy won the toss and elected to give the ball to Chandler first.

Chandler scored in two plays with an eight-yard rush by Hundley, but Brophy’s defense blocked the extra point attempt.

The Broncos scored with a three-yard touchdown run by Leonesio on third down. Garoutte’s extra point sealed the Bronco homecoming win 27-26.

“Fortunately we practice that overtime sequence every week, and you never know when you’re going to need it,” said coach Mr. Scooter Molander.

Defensive Coordinator Mr. Gary Galante said the defense made an adjustment at half time to counter Chandler’s scoring success.

“We thought they would want to put the ball in the quarterback’s hands to

win the game and they did,” he said.Leonesio finished with 125 yards

rushing and the game winning touchdown. Knox went 13-24 with 189 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Robson caught five passes for 89 yards and a touchdown and Eller caught three passes for 58 yards and the game-tying touchdown pass to send the game into overtime.

Photos by Ben Jackson ’11Left: Homecoming King and Queen Sal Guardiola ’10 and Gabriela Rodiles ’10 relish in their crowning.Above: Joe Maggi ’11 runs the ball past Chandler defenders Sept. 25 during Brophy’s Homecoming game. Brophy defeated the Wolves 27-26 in overtime.

More sports stories and photos online.

roundup.brophyprep.org

OnlineThe Roundup

The Roundup Page 9

Go Diego, go! Sophomore credits success to off-season workBy Tyler J. Scott ’12THE ROUNDUP

When most people jump into a pool it’s to cool off or relax.

Not Brophy swimmers. As soon as they hit the water it’s hard work from August to November.

Diego Valenzuela ’12 has been swimming ever since he was nine years old. His mother pushed him towards the sport because she too was a swimmer.

He has a lot of swimming experience but that

doesn’t stop him from working hard each and every day of practice.

“I have to give 110 percent each and every practice. This is the only way in which I will be able to get better and it is key that I do not miss any practices as this can gradually bring down my swimming ability,” Valenzuela said.

Valenzuela said he works hard each practice to achieve a position on the state team in years to come.

As a freshman swimmer, Valenzuela was injured

for the majority of the season. He snapped a tendon in his right hip while running sprints at practice and therefore could not work to improve in the pool. He said that his improvements came during his club season and have carried on ever since.

“I have become a better swimmer as my times have decreased steadily and it seems that I will be able to make the state team as a junior and senior,” Valenzuela said.

Valenzuela’s favorite race to swim at meets is the 100 Breaststroke. He said he believes that he has

“the best chance of qualifying for state and in the preliminaries or finals meets in this event.”

When asked about how it feels to be part of the state champion Brophy swimming team, Valenzuela said, “It is a very humbling and amazing experience that has shown me the power of hard work, brotherhood and teamwork. It also shows how lucky I am for being able to go to Brophy and being part of one of the best high school teams in the country.”

Leonesio leads Broncos to big region victoryBrophy 46

Red Mountain 17By Sean Harris ’11THE ROUNDUP

Max Leonesio ’10 scored five touchdowns and rushed for more than 250 yards to lead the Brophy Broncos past the Red Mountain Lions Oct. 2 in Mesa.

“It was a great team effort,” Leonesio said. “The offense worked well.”

Kicker Alex Garoutte ’10 made three field goals, all of them over 45 yards, his longest kick being 53 yards.

The Broncos ended the game 46-17.“Our offensive line did a great job,”

said Brophy coach Mr. Scooter Molander. “Every week we intend to play well.”

The Lions scored early in the first quarter, kicking a field goal to lead 3-0.

The Broncos tied it up when Garoutte kicked a 46-yard field goal.

Later in the first quarter, the Broncos recovered a fumble. Three plays later Leonesio ran a 76-yard touchdown to

bring the game 10-3. In the second quarter Andrew

Lundahl ’10 blocked a punt and the Broncos recovered at their own five yard line. Leonesio ran the ball into the end zone making it 17-3.

Leonesio ran for another 45-yard touchdown, which was followed by a Lions 63-yard scoring run, bringing the score 24-10.

Garoutte kicked his second field goal of the night, this one a 46-yard attempt, to make the score 27-10 at halftime.

The Lions scored for the last time early in the third quarter, and the Broncos rebounded with a 23-yard touchdown run from Leonesio, 34-17.

Leonesio scored one more time in the third quarter 41-17. In the fourth quarter, Garoutte kicked a 53-yard field goal. The Broncos also forced a safety to finish the game 46-17.

The win put the Broncos at five wins and one loss, and undefeated in the region. Hamilton is the only other team to do this.

With the loss, the Lions were booted from their No. 2 two position in state.

Photo By Jesus Aponte ’10Max Leonesio ’10 runs past a defender Oct. 2nd against Red Mountain.

Luna garners ‘monumental’ international karate award for abilityBy Erik T. Masingill ’12

THE ROUNDUP

Brophy sophomore Nico Luna ’12 competed in a Japanese international karate tournament, and in the end, he walked out with the Top Male Competitor Award and a huge smile on his face.

“For me this achievement is monumental,” Luna said. “I can’t explain in words how much of an honor it is that I was chosen by the headmasters to achieve this award.

“Only one person out of thousands of people get this award and there were so many great competitors that even

though the tournament is dominated by the Japanese, this shows just how tough and strong we are.”

“It showed that we went to win and even though we came up short we earned their respect,” he said.

There were a total of 1,300 overall competitors in this big event with the age acceptance being 10 years old to any age as an adult. Ninety-five percent of these people were Japanese.

In order to be able to fight in Japan, Luna had to work hard.

“I trained every day long and hard in order to prepare for that tournament,” Luna said. “I wasn’t going to show up to that tournament unprepared and expect

to do as well as I did.” “Without the months of training I

did prior to the tournament I certainly would have done extremely poorly. I was at karate almost every day and it was the most important thing in my life at the time,” he said.

Luna said he has been learning and practicing karate for nine years now, and he has worked his way up continuously every day during every week. He still does his routine of exercising daily to keep in shape, and going to his dojo, the location of his regular practices of karate, to learn more about martial arts from his sensei, his teacher.

He said he believes his teachers get

huge credit for his accomplishment of his international award.

“I believe this award shows how good the training at my dojo is. We have great instructors and they have turned me into the competitor I am today,” Luna said.

This tournament was a great opportunity for Luna to partake in, and he had to sacrifice the first two weeks of school at Brophy. After having a fun time, he traveled back home where the first thing on his mind was homework, a prospect he said was exhausting.

He continued to play the game of catch up at school for about three to four weeks, but in the end, he said it was all worth it.

Luna returned to Arizona with his sharp katana sword, artistic poster and most of all, his Top Male Competitor Award.

Luna was also invited back to Japan again for another tournament that will begin in two years.

“I’m not sure that I will compete in the Japanese tournaments when I go on to college,” he said.

He may not have decided yet to return to Japan, but one thing is at least certain: Luna will work harder and harder at what he enjoys doing until that decision comes.

Garoutte was given yet his fourth field goal attempt from now 55 yards, but missed it by a few yards short.

At the end of the third quarter, the score remained the same.

Brophy was looking to score their third touchdown of the game after a 32-yard catch by AJ Steimel ’10 and a 28-yard catch by Robson. However, Knox was picked off by a Mesa defender who ran the ball back to Brophy’s 48 yard line.

The Jackrabbits scored a touchdown in two big

passing plays to lessen the Bronco’s lead. Mesa missed the extra point and Brophy still led 19-12 with 10:29 left in the game.

The offense came back to strike, scoring a touchdown in 10 plays. For his second time, Leonesio crossed the pylon marker with the ball on a one-yard run. With 6:52 left, Brophy was leading 26-12.

Mesa kept on gaining more yards, but on one play that could have tied the game, a Mesa receiver dropped a pass in the end zone.

Two plays later, Maggi intercepted a pass near

the goal line with 1:15 left and secured the Brophy win with a score of 26-18.

Leonesio finished with 170 yards rushing along with his two touchdowns on 23 attempts.

Knox had two interceptions and two touchdowns, and was 16 for 26 with 212 yards passing.

Dennard had big plays on both sides of the ball with a blocked kick, fumble recovery, and long catch that set up a touchdown.

“It is good to go out there and do everything that I can for my team. For every game, I try my best to win, and that means I try to do everything to the

best of my ability,” Dennard said.Head coach Mr. Scooter Molander said he

thought both Brophy’s offense and defense were inconsistent and made too many poor decisions throughout the night.

“A good offense needs to make the right decisions,” Mr. Molander said. “In order to be a good defense, we need to tackle and stop big plays from hurting us. Mesa is a 5-2 team for a reason. In the end, we made the big plays we needed to make, which brought us the victory.”

From MESA, Page 7

EntertainmentThe Roundup

Take a look inside“The Shack”‘The Shack’

definitely not ‘Pilgrim’s Progress’

Liam Martin ’10The Roundup

In William P. Young’s “The Shack,” a man, Mack, struggling with his faith in the aftermath of a tragic

personal loss meets God in a deserted mountain shack.

The book is billed as potentially having the same effect on our generation John Bunyan’s “Pilgrim’s Progress” had on his, and is a New York Times best seller, with over 2 million copies in print.

The Brophy Religious Studies Department chose to use the book in Senior Synthesis classes because “it raises themes and questions about suffering and forgiveness, and relationships with God and between human beings,” said department Chairman Mr. Jimmy Tricco ’99. “The number one reason we picked ‘The Shack’ was to provide an opportunity to reflect on experiences of God.”

It is part novel, part apology and part spiritual encounter. It is an incredibly ambitious work, and seeks to explain the relationship between humanity and God, the nature of divine judgment and the proverbial problem of pain. Unfortunately like much that is ambitious, in striving to touch a star it stumbles, and falls short on almost every count.

That is not to say the book is altogether horrible. The beginning is gracefully written, engaging and almost beautifully tragic.

I read the first few chapters and loved them. I enjoyed the style and the voice of the author, the way the main character was portrayed. The struggles he went through appealed to me on an emotional level as well as an intellectual one.

But when I reached chapter six I started to grow increasingly disgusted with the book. Midway through the chapter I put it down and didn’t pick it up again until I had to in order to write this review.

Young sets out to answer a question, but does not do so in any manner that can be remotely useful to the modern reader struggling with either grief, faith or both. Instead of supporting his statements and arguing his points, he simply includes God as one of the characters his book.

Since anything God says is undoubtedly true, Young doesn’t have to do the work of explaining and defending his assertions.

From behind the mask of divine

authority, Young takes cracks at organized religion, the theory of evolution and the very foundations of human society. But he doesn’t bother effectively explaining and defending his outrageous allegations; God said them, and God is infallible.

And his philosophy is as untenable as it is undefended. Through the guise of “Sophia,” an aspect of God’s wisdom, Young makes the point that a person’s actions are entirely the result of genetics and environment, and that they therefore should not be judged, but should be forgiven. Mr. Young, it seems, would have us forgive others not because repentance is possible and forgiveness is good, but because sins are not sins and repentance is not necessary.

Young, in a dialogue between the main character and Jesus, says that economics, politics and religion are “the man-made trinity of terrors that ravages the earth and deceives those (God cares) about.” He claims that these three things are together the origin of all mental turmoil and anxiety, and that all that matters is our love for Jesus.

But if the only point of earthly existence is to love God, and if, as Young states earlier in the novel, no one is going to hell, then what exactly is the point of life on Earth?

It seems like wasted effort to go through the bother of creating an entire universe when there is no practical purpose for it.

To top it all, in “The Shack” God’s great answer to the question of why he lets humanity suffer is: “(Actively interfering in your circumstances) was not an option for purposes that you cannot possibly understand now.”

To someone like me who read the claim on the back cover of the book that “‘The Shack’ wrestles with the timeless question, ‘Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain?’” this answer is, I think, understandably frustrating.

While Young does technically provide a geographical location, he evades the deeper implied question, which is something closer to “How can, or why does, a God both good and omnipotent allow suffering to exist?”

Young, though he dances around the issue for the length of the book, ultimately doesn’t even take a legitimate stab at it—despite the assurance on the back cover that “the answers Mack gets will astound you and perhaps transform you as much as they did him.”

This is probably the most significant problem with the book: it makes this promise then fails to fulfill it. Young takes us on a quixotic quest through his 240-plus page volume only to leave us, in the end, with nothing more than a handful of empty platitudes and the knowledge (a knowledge most Christians already possess) that God is hard to understand.

The entire book is an enormous cop-out, from start to finish. Young doesn’t really bother to support his points, then his answer to all the pain and suffering in the world is, effectively, “God works in mysterious ways.”

If you want a defense of Christianity, read “The Everlasting Man” by G.K. Chesterton. If you want an answer to human suffering, read “The Problem of Pain” by C.S. Lewis.

If you want a good novel, read anything (in my humble opinion) by Orson Scott Card.

Reading any of these books would prove much more useful to anyone in search of either a good read or spiritual insights than would “The Shack.”

Of course, “The Shack” can still be useful for a Synthesis course, and I look forward to the interesting and meaningful discussion it will no doubt generate in my Senior Synthesis class next semester.

There its task is simply to raise questions, and that is one thing the book manages to do well.

‘The Shack’ inspires deep

thought with unique approach

By Alex Theisen ’10Special to The

Roundup

I’m not going to pretend I was greatly enthused at the prospect of reading “The Shack.”

I’d heard of it before it was assigned as summer reading for all seniors as a precursor to their Senior Synthesis class, and it seemed like the sort of hokey self-help book I despise.

Before I started reading, I found myself scoffing at the seemingly contrived plot and the rather blunt religious message.

It came as a keen surprise, then, when I found my harsh expectations unexpectedly stymied when I actually began to read William Paul Young’s book.

The novel (if one wishes to call it that) centers upon a loving, kindly father named Mack, who finds his faith in God deeply shaken following the brutal kidnapping and murder of his six-year-old daughter, Missy.

At his lowest point, Mack finds an enigmatic note, addressed from “Papa,” asking him to travel to the titular shack where his daughter was apparently murdered. What follows thereafter is an engaging meditation upon life, emotion, death, God and, most importantly, the problem of evil.

There are, of course, the things which our modern, rather cynical society will scoff at: the often overwrought and perhaps slightly clichéd dialogue of Mack with members of the Holy Trinity; the sometimes heavy-handed metaphors; and the apparent oversimplification of deep theological questions.

But behind all of those surface problems, there is a real sense of honesty

and purpose behind Young’s writing: He is clearly attempting to find answers to questions that cannot ever be fully answered.

And the answers he provides, even if you do not agree with them, are anything if not thought-provoking, and often quite refreshing to those tired of dry theological facts that do not seem to offer any real comfort.

Certainly there is something fascinating and refreshing about a God the Father who is anything but our oft-imagined white, patriarchal judge (instead, The Father appears as a dark-skinned woman by the name of Papa). For that matter, so is the idea of an obviously Middle Eastern Jesus, or an Asian personification of the Holy Spirit by the intriguing name of Sarayu (read the book if you want to know the meaning behind the name).

In keeping with this theme of a more personal relationship with God, Young takes an interesting approach to “The Shack’s” main question: Why do horrible, seemingly unforgivable acts happen to good, innocent people?

This question is by no means new; it has haunted theologians and philosophers for years, and can sometimes seem hard to reconcile with the all-loving God revealed by Jesus.

But even if Young has confronted an exceptionally old question, his approach and discussion of it certainly is unique. Young uses Mack to voice every angry comment or resentment people have ever felt towards God, and it is through the give-and-take that results in some of “The Shack’s” most profound ideas emerge.

Mack truly, in this sense, is an everyman, a way for all of us to ask the questions we all have.

Jesus himself taught chiefly through parables: stories that provide us with an emotional connection to deep divine truths. This seems to be the best way to describe “The Shack.”

Too often, when we try to offer concrete, definitive answers to some of these deep questions, the answers can seem like evasion or deliberate vagueness.

Sometimes, perhaps, the best way to actually engage someone in contemplating these important ideas is through a simple story that all can identify with.

This is the level “The Shack” works on. Even if I may not agree with all of its

spiritual teachings, it made me think more than any other book has in years.

Photo by Wade Hoyt ’12

The Roundup Page 11

roundup.brophyprep.org

Online this month

Mac’s Meals: Cyprus Grill offers nearby Greek cuisineBy James McElwee ’10

THE ROUNDUP

Cyprus Grill of Phoenix, located in the Town and Country center on 20th street, offers all sorts of traditional Cyprian and Greek food.

The restaurant features a variety of Mediterranean cuisine, including sandwiches, gyros and organic salads. Many appetizers cost less than $4, and entrees average around $10.

Cyprus Grill has a walk up counter, so order and then grab a seat either inside or outside.

I visited the restaurant with my family and we sampled a variety of dishes throughout the meal.

Cyprus Grill offers a really stunning tzatziki, a cucumber, yogurt and garlic dipping sauce, served with

pita bread or on their pita sandwiches. The pita bread tasted fairly good with the tzatziki sauce.

They also have really good falafel that is crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside. It goes really well with their aforementioned tzatziki sauce.

The pita sandwiches were also pretty good and their gyro was excellent. I would order tzatziki sauce on the side, or add a little feta cheese, to make it even better.

Of the other pita sandwiches, the lamb and chicken souvlaki were good. The chicken and lamb may have been a bit dry for my liking, but still made a decent lunch fair.

The hummus was okay, but I would add a little lemon juice to add some much needed acidity.

Cyrus Grill also offers more traditional Greek dishes with their own touches.

Spanakopita is delicious phyllo dough filled with spinach, feta cheese and fresh herbs. When I have had this before the dough was crisp and crunchy, but in this case it was softer, and the spinach seemed sour.

Dolmades are a combination of rice and either lamb or beef wrapped in a grape leaf. I thought Cyprus Grill’s version could have had more flavor, and I would have preferred larger pieces of meat in the mixture.

All in all, Cyprus Grill has a few reasonably priced gems and is an affordable, more casual take on authentic Greek dining. I recommend their appetizers, pita sandwiches and of course tzatziki if you visit.

It receives a 2.5 out of 5.Contact Mac’s Meals at roundup@brophyprep.org or post

your comments online at roundup.brophyprep.org

Rediscover Mogollon, Rim Country with trip northGet Lost

By Adam Triplett ’10THE ROUNDUP

It may be starting to finally cool down in the Valley, but just a short three hour drive away and you can find temperatures 20 degrees or more lower than the city.

The cool air and beautiful scenery of the Mogollon Rim, just east of Payson, is a great getaway from the Valley.

The Rim Road, Forest Road 300, is a designated US Forest Service camping area and is part of the Tonto National Forest. There are camping spots that are developed, which usually means there will be a bathroom within walking distance and is accessible by any vehicle because the road is paved.

However, the fun really begins where the pavement ends. A few miles after you begin driving on the Rim Road there is a fork in the road, one leading to Woods Canyon Lake and the developed campgrounds, and the other going down a well-graded dirt road that runs for approximately 60 miles.

The longer 60-mile stretch of the rim road will take about two hours to fully drive, unless you stop to look at the beautiful lookout points, in which case

the drive can take anywhere from two to six hours.

The main road, 300, can be driven by standard passenger cars with average ground clearance, but do not go exploring on the side trails without a high-clearance, off-road type vehicle.

While driving down a small path on the way to Horseshoe Lookout there was a 2-foot rock shelf that required four-wheel-drive to properly clear.

Camping along the Rim Road is considered “primitive” in Forest Service terms, but that simply means a dirt road leads to a big dirt patch where you can setup your tent, chairs, tables, etc. There are several turnoffs along the dirt portion of the road, all of which are clearly marked by USFS markers with numbers such as 197.

Be sure to bring warm clothes and a warm sleeping bag, as even this early in the year the temperatures at night can fall into the 20s.

Along with good camping spots, there are several trail heads leading from the side roads where camping is designated.

If you are the hiking type be sure to bring plenty of water and chose the trail carefully. Some trails are an easy mile hike in the lowland areas and others can be up to 12 miles climbing over the hills and through the valleys on top of the Mogollon Rim.

If you would rather kick back and

relax, there are multiple lakes in the area, the biggest of which being Woods Canyon Lake, complete with its own bait shop and parking.

The other lakes can be found by taking the turnoffs along the dirt portion of the road. These smaller lakes are clearly marked and are generally a right turn off the road. Each one of the lakes also has camping areas either right near the lake or on the road leading to it.

Getting there is the easy part, deciding to leave is always the hard part. The easiest, and fastest way to get to the Mogollon Rim is to take Loop 101 to Shea Boulevard and head east until Shea

runs into Highway 87 out of Fountain Hills, about 11 miles.

Once on the 87, travel 62 miles north into Payson and turn onto Forest Road 260, heading east.

The turn is a right off the 87 past McDonalds, and yes, in Payson a McDonalds is indeed a landmark. Once on FR 260 travel for 29 miles to the Woods Canyon Lake turnoff, this is Forest Road 300, the Rim Road.

Help the Forest Service, and do your part. Whatever you pack in, make sure to pack it back out and leave the area just as beautiful as when you got there for the next set of campers.

Photo By Adam Triplett ’10 Scenic views are plentiful from this camping site north of Phoenix.

Clowns, Twinkies and brains take the screen in ‘Zombieland’By Sean Harris ’11

THE ROUNDUP

Welcome to Zombieland, a world where the living dead rule the planet and a handful of survivors are in search of a sanctuary--as well as some Twinkies.

Joining the ranks of horror comedies featuring most notably “Shawn of the Dead,” “Zombieland” does nothing revolutionary, yet still manages to produce brilliant moments that make the movie well worth your time.

The story is rather simplistic: Zombies have taken over the Earth and a motley crew of survivors band together to avoid becoming the undead’s next meal. These survivors have all made it through the apocalypse for different reasons.

The nerdy shut-in Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) has survived because of a series of rules he has created. The

nearly psychotic Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) made it because he was born to kill zombies. The sisters Wichita (former Xavierite Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin) have survived due to their ability to con their way through life.

Harrelson steals nearly every scene he appears in by creating a larger than life personality that you can’t help but root for.

The rest of the cast does a good job as well; Eisenberg proves that he is

not just a poor man’s Michael Cera (of “Superbad” fame).

Stone performs admirably in a role that was obviously just meant to be eye candy, hinting that there is some potential to her career.

Breslin, having already proved her worth in “Little Miss Sunshine,” also keeps up well with the rest of the cast.

The real stars of the movie, however, are the zombies.

Running at top speed (which seems to be the new standard for zombies), devouring everything in sight, they provide a real sense of danger for our heroes, especially in the third act.

Regrettably the film does have some glaring issues. The story is so predictable that you could probably guess what will happen just by reading the synopsis. It doesn’t help that every time they try hinting at something deeper, the movie

will direct our attention elsewhere.Another issue is the action sequence

in the third act. While it accomplishes its goal as a flashy action scene it makes little to no sense.

Despite those flaws, “Zombieland” can still provide some great scenes that will lead the audience to taking the film’s advice and just “enjoying the little things.”

I give “Zombieland” 3 out of 5 horseshoes.

Editor’s Note: “A Man and His Movies” will be a regular feature in The Roundup. You can reach reporter Sean Harris at roundup@brophyprep.org or post your comments online at roundup.brophyprep.org.

Is ‘Madden ’10’ worth the hype?

By Alex Stanley ’12THE ROUNDUP

Is “Madden ’10” worth the $60 price tag or should you keep playing Madden ’09? The quick answer is a definitive yes.

The best never heardBy Beau W. Peterlin ’10

THE ROUNDUP

During lunch or after school, any Brophy student can hop online and download the newest music album or single and listen immediately.

However, this can mislead many avid fans of music. The large amounts of new artists emerging at any given time is a blessing and a curse for discerning ears. Fear not, there is hope because amongst the rough there is a diamond, and he goes by Drake.

Indie super group delivers monstrous debut

By Michael Mandeville ’11THE ROUNDUP

Musical collaborations usually turn out one of two ways. Amazing, like anything featuring Kanye West, or dreadful, like anything featuring Akon.

For indie folk super group “Monsters of Folk,” the collaboration turned out wonderfully.

‘ODST’ packs in even more ‘Halo’-style destruction,

aliens, gunfireBy Alex Pearl ’10THE ROUNDUP

Many people try to call video games art.

With newer and more advanced graphics, storylines, voice acting and actual conceptual beauty as a result of a hard day’s work, this claim is reaching credibility with each technological leap.

‘The Invention of Lying’ is too good to be true

By Eric Villanueva ’11THE ROUNDUP

Was lying the summation of years of scientific observations and experiments, or the brainchild of an intellectual prodigy?

Neither. Average Mark Bellison stumbles upon the quintessential truth, or untruth, of honesty in this season’s first comedy “The Invention of Lying,” in theaters

since Oct. 2.

Page 12 The Roundup

The Artist’s Corner

Top pastel drawing by Alex Iverson ’11Bottom left drawing by Andrew McKee ’10Bottom right photo by Graham Smith ’10

Have you heard any wise words lately? Send them to Entertainment Editor James McElwee ’10 at roundup@brophyprep.org.

“Spread love through violence. That’s what Coach G says!”

—Coach Gary Galante

“Monkeys are integral to this course.”

—Dr. Samuel Ewing

“Yes I died. I was a woman then, and I was reincarnated as a bald, middle-aged man.”

—Mr. Chad Unrein

“Man, I regret what I say.” —Mr. Bosco Ho, S.J. referring to his

previous Words from the Wise

“He looks ‘renaissancey’—look it up, man! That’s a scrabble word. ‘Renaissancey.’”

—Dr. Samuel Ewing

“Stay away from gypsy music, that’s my point.”

— Mr. Bosco Ho, S.J.

“We were like roach herders.” —Mr. Chad Unrein talking about when

the apartment building he lived in was fogged as a child.

“Just imagine if you put Beyoncé on that graph, it would be distracting—you couldn’t look at the graph at all.”

—Mr. Tim Sanford

“I’m not supposed to tell you this, but I’m one of the new teaching Android units…if you ever see the back side of my head fall off and little blinking diodes appear, just look the other way.”

—Dr. Samuel Ewing

Words from the Wise ...XavierGator

www.mylifeisaverage.comMany people have average stories, like the time that they saw

a person drop their coke bottle and have it bounce right back up into their hand, or when their caller ID showed “Raspberry Jam.”

Mylifeisaverage.com is a collection of these average, and sometimes not so average, stories.

“MyLifeIsAverage is a place to share your everyday mediocrity. It is a place to post the mundane things in your life, and read about what makes life normal for other people,” reads their introduction in the About Us section on the Web site.

Usually a story on the site contains “a daily dose of short anecdotes, based on a simple recipe: in a few sentences, users can tell everyone a normal thing that happened in their day.”

People submit their everyday, average stories to the Web site. The stories are usually a couple of sentences.

While the stories are average, they still have to be funny. However, the moderators do not choose the stories. People

who visit the site can vote on submissions, with a “yes” if they approve, “no” if the story is dumb, or “skip” if they don’t feel like voting on that submission.

This way, more stories can be put on the site in a shorter time.

With more than 750 pages of stories, there is no lack of material to read.

One example is, “Today, 25 minutes into our English class, a boy suddenly popped out of a cabinet in the back of the room and exclaimed with evident surprise and dismay, ‘This isn’t Narnia!’ New best friend? I think so.”

Here is another: “Today I woke up early, remembered it was Sunday, and gratefully went back to sleep. Then the alarm went off. It’s Wednesday.”

Even though the stories on the Web site may be average, Mylifeisaverage.com brings out the extraordinary in life.

—By Chase Stevens ’12/The Roundup

Have you seen something interesting, funny or unusual online? Let us know. E-mail

roundup@brophyprep.org

By Michael Mandeville ’11THE ROUNDUP

Could I get your full name and year?As in birth year? No, what grade are you in?I am a junior, graduating class of 2011.And your name?We’ll go with the non-Catholic version,

Katherine Anastasia Beals.Is there a longer version? You might as

well tell us.Technically Sicilia, my Catholic name, is added

in there.I understand you have hobbies, could you

elaborate on that?Well of course, why not? My hobbies include

singing, writing, reading, thinking, talking to fine people like you and-- dancing.

You dance?Why yes, yes I do.What is it you like to dance to though?

Music maybe?I just dance. I don’t need the music. It’s pure joy.

You mentioned something about fine people, what fits your definition of a “fine” person?

People who have brains and employ them.So then, what is your perception of

Brophy guys?It’s a bit of a love-hate relationship. Collectively,

you guys are all right. Individually, I have met some amazing people, and also some who are not so fine.

What is your least favorite rule at Xavier?Probably would have to be the long skirt rule.Why is that?Well some rules are meant to be broken (Winks).What’s your favorite thing about Xavier?Getting to spend my days in a sea of beautiful

women in uniform. Also when we have Brophy guest speakers on the announcements in the morning. There’s a couple that are on rather frequently. I found out the other day that the more entertaining one of the two goes by “Fridge” and laughed for 10 minutes. I think I’ll name my future children after him. All of them.

Biggest regret in high school?Doing this interview.