The StannerVol. 57, No. 4 Archbishop Molloy High School December 2013

By Jessica Kraker ’14 andKatie Wenzler ’14 The Junior-Senior Chorus,directed by Mr. Jim Sheehan,performed its annual ChristmasConcert on Dec. 12 in the JackCurran Gym to spread someChristmas spirit at StannerHigh. The concert began with aperformance by the String andGuitar Ensembles followed bythe chorus’s performance of 30holiday tunes such as “O HolyNight” and “Ring on ChristmasBells.” The chorus began practice forthe concert on October 1. “Every year the show comesfaster and faster, and we’reexcited, but it feels like we haveless time to prepare,” said senioralto Rebecca Wagner, who isone of the chorus officers alongwith Daniela Franceschetti,

Chorus spreads the Christmas spirit

By Katlin Stath ’15 With the Advent seasoncoming to a close, Molloy’sCampus Ministry will hold itsannual Advent Liturgy on Dec.20 in the Jack Curran Gym at10:45 a.m. with a mass said byFr. Frank Shannon. The Liturgy Committee hadjust 13 days to select a themeand prepare readings for theliturgy thanks to Thanksgivingcoming so late in November. Campus Ministry Director Mr.Mike Germano said Stannersshould expect a differentexperience at the AdventLiturgy from Thanksgiving. “Since the two are in differentseasons, they each bring adifferent message,” he said. “TheThanksgiving mass is morecommunal than the AdventLiturgy, which prepares us forChristmas.” Mr. Germano would not reveal

the liturgy’s theme. “Just comeand see for yourself,” he said. However, he said the LiturgyCommittee “always tries to adda new twist” to the liturgy. Mr. Germano was pleased withthe Thanksgiving Liturgy,calling it, “simple yet profound.” Senior Campus Ministryleaders Chris McGee and SarahStiglianese were happy so manystudents attended that mass. “I was pleased, althoughhaving pumpkin spiced candleswould’ve been great,” saidMcGee with a smile. Stiglianese said, “I was happywith the way that we honoredthose who served during theintentions. It was also great thatwe had a good turnout.” Senior John Mancini hopesstudents attending the liturgywill “realize the true meaning ofChristmas. Christmas is thelove around you.”

Mr. Germano said, “It’simportant to celebrate theEucharist around friends. Being

Celebrate at the Advent Liturgy

Daniel O’Reilly, and AllisonTerranova. Despite this time crunch,senior baritone BrandonWarders and senior altoRoseAnn Sapia agreed that

practices ran smoothly. The Junior-Senior Chorusgave frosh and sophomores apreview of their performance atassemblies on Dec. 11. Wagner said the chorus

enjoyed performing “Rejoicewith Joyful Song.” “Everyone breaks intoharmonies and it sounds great!”Wagner said. Senior soprano Sarah Yunusagreed that “Rejoice” was “oneof my favorites to sing becauseit shows off everyone’s talents.” The chorus performed welldespite the hectic last few daysof rehearsal. Because after school activitieswere canceled on Dec. 10 due toa dusting of snow, the choruscouldn’t practice their solos withaccompanist Mr. Kenneth J.Farnum, Jr. which resulted inMr. Sheehan’s cancelling theconcert solos to keep stresslevels to a minimum. But his decision disappointedmany of the senior soloists whowere scheduled to perform; thus

Continued on page 4

Mr. Jim Sheehan, far right, directs the Junior-Senior Chorus during the Christ-mas Concert assembly for sophomores in the Jack Curran Gym on Dec. 11.(Photo by Shoma Nath ‘16)

Eucharistic Ministers distribute Holy Communion during the ThanksgivingLiturgy last month. (Photo by Jordi Sevilla ‘14)

around your friends at schoolmakes it different from youreveryday mass.”

Stanners startseason 3-1 inVarsity hoops

Page 4

Stanners wantelectronicsfrom Santa

Page 3

Fooducation: by Alexandra Caruso ‘14

Molloy needs to create a seniorelective course in computer sci-ence. This revelation did not cometo me out of the blue. A month ago, I decided that acareer in engineering might be agood fit for me. So I did researchon what it takes to get into a goodschool and while reading throughthe freshman admission tips onthe Cornell School of Engineeringwebsite, I found something thatcaught me off guard. Along with usual requirementsfor admission, such as standard-ized tests and courses in biology,chemistry, physics, and math,was the following: “Also recom-mended: Computer Science.” I hadn’t seen that coming. So I did more research and dis-covered this is a common recom-mendation. Colleges seem to lovecomputer science. So what exactly is computer sci-ence and why do colleges value itin applicants? Looking at the course descrip-tion for AP Computer Science, Ilearned that the study of com-puter science teaches you aboutcomputer languages, algorithms,

and how to apply them in solvingproblems by producing or devel-oping computer programs. In a global economy and anAmerican society that relies soheavily on software for every-thing from data storage to wordprocessing, the people who engi-neer this software are crucialgatekeepers to progress. Top colleges, especially thosewith heavy focus in STEM fields,value it on applicants’ transcripts. Apple Founder Steve Jobs said,"Everybody in this country shouldlearn how to program a com-puter. . .because it teaches youhow to think.” Computer science requires theability to think logically, to solveproblems rationally, and to workhard in order to learn computerlanguages, theory and how tobuild a program so it satisfies col-lege admissions officers’ desire toadmit applicants who are able tothink critically, solve problems,and work hard. So isn't it time for Molloy, whichcalls itself a college preparatoryschool, to add a Computer Sciencecourse to benefit Stanners in the

years to come? Molloy has a Computer Appli-cations course for frosh to satisfystate graduation requirementsbut the course is not a pure com-puter science course because stu-dents aren’t writing programs. So what type of course shouldMolloy offer to further developStanners’computer skills? AP Computer Science might bea bit of a stretch for most stu-dents, so a more realistic solutionwould be a single-semester, se-nior elective in computer science. Who could teach it? Possible solutions could includehaving a member of Molloy's ITStaff teach an introductory pro-

graming class or hiring a qualifiedcomputer teacher the next timethe school hires a new facultymember. Incoming frosh will be equippedwith iPads next year. Wouldn't itbe good if these students, who willuse computers in the classroomfor four years, were offered acourse in computer science whenthey are seniors in 2017-18? If Molloy does this, it will haveprovided students with an oppor-tunity to be more successful bothin college and in a world that nowis largely defined by computers. Let’s make it happen!

-- George Gulino '14

The StannerVolume 57, Number 4

Editors: Joana Capistrano; PamelaDecolongon; Daniela Salazar; andJohn Fenner

Production Staff: Caroline Bikles; Reynerio Rubio; Phillip Barsamian; Sophia SavvidesModerator: Mr. Charley McKennaPublisher: Bro. Thomas Schady

AM needs computer science class

It's always dusky and warm inManhattan's Old Town Bar andRestaurant at 45 East 18th St.,just north of Union Square. First opened in 1892, therestaurant’s old New York charmcomes from the fact that virtu-ally the entire interior is orginal. During Prohibition, it was aspeakeasy run by Tammany Hallpoliticians whose offices were onthe corner of 17th St. and UnionSquare where the New York FilmAcademy is now located. During the Christmas season,the Old Town boasts a Christmastree and strings of lights and ev-ergreen foliage which brighten itsdark, intricately carved 55-footbar, 18-foot high tin ceilings, andmirrored walls. Alcohol isn't the main attractionat the Old Town for Stanners --it's the hamburgers! The juicy, generously sizedburgers come with a pile of hand-cut fries. Curious eaters, if they cranetheir necks, can see their food ar-rive behind the bar on the an-tique dumbwaiter, which is alsoadorned with lights of the season. Amid the chatter of patrons inwooden booths and the smell ofhome-cooked food, you might geta feeling for what New York waslike in the 1920's as the place haschanged little since then.

After enjoying your hamburger,it is time to get desert just fourblocks south of the Old Town. Ever consider hot chocolate tobe a meal in itself? I do and sodoes Max Brenner at 841 Broad-way, just south of 14th St. I kid you not. Max's 8-oz. cupholds a beverage which tastes likepure melted chocolate; it's not forthe faint-hearted. And as you sip your $4.95 hotchocolate, which is worth the ex-pense, you should browse theirfestive gift shop filled with boxesof -- you guessed it -- chocolateswhich are perfect Christmas gifts. Back at home for the holidays,you can try making your owntreats such as these incrediblydelicious pecan bars. I've gotten marriage proposalsafter offering people these pecanbars, whose recipe comes fromMartha Stewart.Ingredients:For The Crust:* 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour* 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter,chilled and cut into small pieces* 1/4 cup sugar* 1/4 teaspoon salt* 1 large egg, lightly beatenFor the Filling:* 3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar* 1/4 cup light corn syrup* 1/4 cup heavy cream* 1/4 teaspoon salt* 8 ounces (about 2 cups) pecans* 1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted

butter cut into small piecesBaking Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Linea 9-inch square baking pan with foil.In a food processor, pulse flour, sugar,and salt to combine. Add butter; pulseuntil mixture resembles coarse meal.Add egg; pulse until a dough forms. 2. Transfer dough to prepared pan;with floured fingers and an offsetspatula, press firmly into bottom and3/4 inch up sides. Freeze until firm,about 15 minutes. 3. Prick bottom of dough; bake untillightly golden, 22 to 25 minutes. Letcool while preparing filling. 4. Make the filling in a large sauce-pan, bring butter, brown sugar, andcorn syrup to a boil over high heat,

Return to old New York at the Old Town during the holidayswhisking constantly, until smooth;continue boiling, without stirring, un-til slightly darkened, about two min-utes. 5. Remove pan from heat. Whisk incream and salt; mix in pecans. 6. Assemble and bake: Spoon hot fill-ing evenly over crust, using spoon toarrange and press in nuts so they fitsnugly (create as flat a surface as pos-sible). 7. Bake until bubbling and amber-colored, 18 to 22 minutes. Cool com-pletely in pan. 8. Using foil, lift cake from pan; peeloff foil. With a sharp knife, trim edges(if desired). Cut into six even strips;cut each strip crosswise into four evenstrips to make 24 bars.

Try the fabulous hamburgers at the Old Town Bar and Restaurant.

Joy to the world, two weeks off!By Shibangi Saha '16 andLaksumi Sivanandan '16 Stanners this year are feelingthe exuberant joy of having twofull weeks off for Christmas va-cation due to Dec. 25 falling ona Wednesday, exactly themiddle of the week. “It’s great to have a full two-week vacation!” said sophomorePetra Stiglmayer. Frosh Brittney Boldeau wastold by her older sister, Lauren,during Thanksgiving weekendthat she would have a full twoweeks off for Christmas. “I’m soexcited,” Boldeau said. Principal Bro. ThomasSchady said the length ofChristmas vacation is basedsolely on the calendar butagreed Wednesday is the bestday for Christmas in order to getthe maximum days off. Bro. Thomas meets with theother Molloy administrators inMay of each year to devise theschool calendar for the comingyear. While some Catholic and mostpublic schools in New York Citywill re-open on Jan. 2, Bro. Tho-mas felt it would be difficult toask students and faculty to re-turn for just two school days af-ter New Year’s Day. “Of course they would come in[if required]," Bro. Thomas saidwith a laugh. "They would al-ways rise to the occasion;Stanners love to be here.” But Bro. Thomas chose not totest that belief and instead gave

Stanner those two days off. “All of my friends at otherschools generally spend muchmore time in school than we do,"

said Boldeau. "Honestly, it willbe so much fun sleeping in athome while my friends will haveto get up early. I’ll get to watch

Netflix and sleep all day long!” Most of sophomore ShaniaChua said most of her friends atother schools also will have twofull weeks off. “However, my cousin attendsa public school and he has to goback to school earlier,” Chuasaid. “It’ll be fun because I’llhave extra time to relax beforeschool starts. However, it’ll be somuch harder going back toschool after such a long break.” So how will Stanners be spend-ing their two weeks off fromschool? “I’ll be taking a break fromstudying and enjoying the holi-days with my family,"Stiglmayer said. "But I’m sureI’ll get tons of [school] work tokeep me busy.” Chua looks forward to spend-ing the holiday with her familyand friends. Next year Christmas falls ona Thursday but Bro. Thomaswould not commit to givingStanners another two weeks offnext year. Stanners, however, know whatBro. Thomas should do. “Is that even a question?"Stiglmayer said. "Of course, itwould be great to have a full twoweeks off next year as well. Hav-ing to come in just for one day ofthe week seems a bit silly to me.” Chua said, “I definitely thinkwe should [have two weeks off],since Christmas is about beingable to spend time with yourloved ones.”

By Maria Aliberti ’16, MariaGulino’16, Stephanie Ley-den ’16, Mikayla Roberts ’16,Alejandro Montoya ’16, andAlex Yule ’15 It’s finally starting to feel likeChristmas with the light snowfalling and the smell of chimneysmoke in the air. Stanners are looking forwardto the long vacation ahead asthey scan websites and stores forthe coolest gifts. The most popular gifts by faron Stanners’ Christmas lists areelectronics, in particular, Appleproducts such as the iPad, iPod,or Mac computers, with fashionitems coming in second. "Everyone wants the newestmodel so they can do as muchas possible with them," saidsophomore Austin Pizzella. "Iasked for an iPhone because Ican do a lot on it that I can't dowith my old phone." Frosh Gabrielle Hollant wantsa smartphone simply because,“it’s cool.”

Christopher Autera, a sopho-more, said Apple products were"hot" items because "they makedoing simple things, such as lis-tening to music or finishing upschoolwork, so much easier." Sophomore Zyra Madarangwants an iPad because “books

can be put on it for my Englishclasses, I’ll be able to take noteson it, and there are ways to putPowerpoint and virtual flash-cards on it!” Sophomore Andre Der-Artinian would like Final CutPro X for better quality movie

Apple products top Molloy Christmas lists

Stanners will have a full two weeks to gather with friends and family aroundthe tree thanks to Christmas falling on Wednesday this year. (Photo byJordi Sevilla ‘14)

editing. Junior Grace Crockett wouldlike a tablet because it’s easierto travel with than a laptop, butbecause she already has alaptop, "I do not think I will getone because I do not need it.”

Continued on page 6

What would Stanners like to find in their stockings on Christmas morning? (Photo by Jordi Sevilla ‘14)

By Phillip Barsamian '15and Sophia Savvides '15 With the new school yearcame new requirements to makethe Honor Roll and, as a result,the number of students whoqualified dropped by 25 percent. A 93 overall academic averagewas needed to qualify for the firstmarking period's Honor Rollcompared a 90 average last year. So while about 65 percent ofStanners qualified last fall, onlyabout 40 percent did this fall. Bygrade, 31 percent of frosh, 43percent of sophomores, 46 per-cent of juniors, and 40 percentof seniors qualified. Assistant Principal Mr. EdCameron said it was not his in-tention to see so many studentsfail to make the Honor Roll. Instead, he wanted “to alignthe Honor Roll requirementswith the requirements needed toget into Honors classes. I waslooking to make it more stan-dard.” Mr. Cameron would be over-joyed if 65 percent of studentsqualified under the new criteria. He believes the percentage willrise a little above 40 percentduring the next three markingperiods as students get comfort-able with their teachers. “But I do not believe it will be-come 65 percent again," he said."Forty is a solid number.” Now that fewer studentsqualify, Mr. Cameron said, “It isabsolutely more prestigious tomake the Honor Roll.” Mr. Cameron said that whilehe is sure some students arecomplaining about the newstandards, no one has com-plained to him. The 99 average required tomake the Principal's List re-mained unchanged but onlyseven frosh qualified, the lowestnumber of all grades and the low-est number in the List’s history. Mr. Cameron said this num-ber was low because of a change

in the Algebra Curriculum. The school now follows Com-mon Core which is more “inten-sive than Integrated Algebra. “The number will go up in thefuture as freshmen get used tothe transition to high school anda new curriculum,” said Mr.Cameron. Senior Steven Cepeda, whomade the Honor Roll, said thatall students with a 90 averageshould make it. “I’ve gotten lower than a 93before and not getting Honorsdespite getting a 90 would up-set me,” Cepeda said. However, Cepeda and fellowsenior Honor Rollers CarlutoToussaint and John Lagulaagreed it’s more of an honorwhen only 40 percent qualify. Sophomore Carolyn Crocker,who did not make the Honor Rolldespite a 90 average, does notlike the new criteria. “I think it puts people downwho made it last year but notthis year," she said. Junior Jackie Burgos also isnot happy with the change, say-ing, “How is it fair to studentswho worked very hard to get a90 average to be on the HonorRoll for two years all of a sud-den to be told they need a 93?" She said it was also unfair tojuniors that the school is raisingthe National Honor Society re-quirement to 95 next year whenthe Classes of 2012 and 2013only needed a 94. Junior Maria Kasper, whomade Honors with Distinction,said, “By saying that a studentneeds a 93 to make the HonorRoll, the school is saying that a90 average is not worth a lot. Inreality, a 90 is very good andhard to get. It isn’t fair tochange the criteria that stu-dents had been told they neededwhen they entered Molloy.” Burgos and Kasper feel itwould be more fair to apply thenew standard to frosh but not to

students who entered Molloyunder the old requirements. However, junior MichelleArmogan, who made the HonorRoll, likes the new requirement. “Not as many people are on itnow," she said. "It makes it moreunique and challenging.” Junior Kevin Lenczewski, whohad a 90 average, said now“there is more prestige in get-ting in. But I would like to seethe criteria returned because Iusually get on the Honor Roll.” Lenczewski thinks he couldmake the Honor Roll next mark-ing period if he works harder, agoal which would please Mr.Cameron. The following students madethe Principal's List: Frosh: Jillian Hubert; Caroline Jaipaul;Francesca Lapinta; Stephanie Lechki;Freddy Murgida; Andria Padilla; AnneMarie Romain. Sophomores: Maria Aliberti; VincentAntignani; Jackee Bustos; Shania Chua;Tiffany Daniel; Jordan Fierek; Garret

Genco; Samantha Gil; Maria Goetz; MariaGulino; Kelly Huang; Stacy Kanellopoulos;Caroline Kelly; Mabel Lau; Lucia Lin;Siobhan Loftus; Harshani Luknauth; Pe-ter Maisano; Rose Maisano; Jack Mangin;Alessandro Markovic; Jane McNoble;Isabella Mercado; Harris Mohsin; Mat-thew Motylenski; Emily Peckham; AustinPizzella; Kleanthis Plakas; SamanthaRacan; Carissa Rahaman; Mikayla Rob-erts; Sophie Robinson; Audrey Sabatino;Shibangi Saha; Katharine Sapienza;Laksumi Sivanandan; Petra Stiglmayer;Hailey Tom; Brendan Woods; MatthewZwolak Juniors: Jafar Ali; Isabelle Artes;Bianca Basone; Julius Bautista; IzidoraBozic; Gabriella Bruno; GabrielleCasimiro; Katherine Coleman; DanielCorridan; Justin Esposito; GerardFernandez; Matthew Gardner; Ewa Gerlak;Carla Hanna; Raphael Jafri; PatrykJakubowski; Zachary Kurre; Deanna Lucci;James McGuire; Samantha Morgan;Andreea Muntean; Sotiria Pateroulakis;Robert Spitz; Kangyi Zhao. Seniors: Dhanesh Binda; ThomasBrinskelle; Alexandra Caruso; TiffanyDial; Georgios Gulino; Robert Jankowski;Katherine Kilkenny; Gabriel Kilpatrick;John Mancini; Deanna Mayo; KristianMosquito; Daniel O'Reilly; Cristina Otano;Austin Samaroo; Samantha Sattler; Sa-rah Stiglianese; Tiffany Villacis; RebeccaWagner.

Honor Roll drops by 25 percent

Stanners check out who made the Honor Roll. (Photo by Jordi Sevilla ‘14)

Continued from page 1Mr. Farnum re-arranged hisschedule so the soloists couldpractice with him on the day ofthe concert, allowing the solos tobe performed as scheduled. Members of the String andGuitar Ensembles joined theJunior-Senior Chorus inspreading Christmas cheer atthe concert. “It’s exciting to share thespotlight with the guitar group;they’re our newest musicalventure!” said Mr. Sheehan,

who added the chorus looksforward to performing with theEnsemble again in the future. Many seniors had mixedemotions about the concert. “I’mexcited but sad because this isthe last Christmas Concert forseniors,” Yunus admitted. These singers performed solos: Daniela Franceschetti, RoseAnn Sapia:“It’s the Most Wonderful Time of theYear” Cristina Otano: “Lo, How a Rose E’erBlooming” Bea Cruz, Sarah Yunus:”Grown UpChristmas List” Rosemarie Casano: “Winter Wonderland”

Tiffany Mooney, Angelica Rosa “SilentNight” Joshua Cajas, Kristian Mosquito,Branden Warders: “We Three Kings” Diamond Small, Rebecca Wagner:“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” Jennifer Guerrero, Idamarie Pennolino:“O Come All Ye Faithful” Ilyas Rehman, Reaz-Nuriel Jafri:“Mary’s Little Boy Child” Matthew Spataro: “I’ll Be Home forChristmas” Jennifer Desamero, Katherine Garcia:“Silver Bells” Shemaia Cumberbatch, ChinyereOkogeri, Amanda Rodriguez: “Do YouHear What I Hear?” Cassandra Rodriguez, Ashley Vascellaro:“Santa Baby” Allison Terranova: “Mary Did You

Know?” John Mancini: “The First Noel” Katherine Lindskog: “White Christmas” Alexandra Caruso: “God Rest Ye Merry,Gentlemen” Deanna Mayo: “Have Yourself a MerryLittle Christmas” Karla Silva: “Once in Royal David’s City” Daniel O’Reilly: “O, Antiphons” Mariyanthie Linaris: “The ChristmasSong” Theresa Arcidiacono, Samantha Grech:“I Wonder as I Wander”Emily Hernandez-Avila: “Amazing Grace”

Singing the songs of the season

Merry Christmas

Spring production is a comedyBy Liana Liang ‘15 andRobert Dittus '15 For their spring production,The Stanner Players will stagethe comedy “You Can’t Take itWith You,” written by George S.Kaufman and Moss Hart, in theTheater on April 3-6 to kick offSpirit Week. Director Ms. Shannon Wintersannounced the news to the The-ater Arts and Improv Club onDec. 4 and held open auditionson Dec. 16-17. The 19-member cast will beannounced on Dec. 20. “The cast [in this play] workstogether as an ensemble with nopart overshadowing the other,”said Ms. Winters. The play follows the antics ofAlice Sycamore and her eccen-tric family. “I picked ‘You Can’t Take itWith You’ for this year’s show be-cause it had a large cast with agood balance of male and femaleroles,” Ms. Winters said. “I alsowanted a comedy because com-edy is one of The Stanner Play-ers’ favorite genres. “I think because it’s a showthat not many people have seen,it will be a fresh experience forboth the cast and the audience,”

she said. Like her peers, junior JoannaTroyanos was pleasantly sur-prised by the choice. “I didn't recognize the title,but after reading the plot of theshow, I became excited to seehow auditions will turn out,” shesaid. “I think it will make for agreat performance." Junior Stephanie Toma wasalso surprised by the choice. "I went kind of silent, since I'dnever heard of this play before,”she said. “We were given the syn-opsis though, it was all excite-ment." Troyanos has been in two pre-vious Stanner Player produc-tions, playing the role of a fairyin Shakespeare's ‘A MidsummerNight's Dream’ as a frosh and alost boy last year in “Peter Pan.” “With each experience came asense of family among the groupand made the shows that muchmore memorable,” she said. “Ilove being a part of The StannerPlayers!” As she prepared to audition,Troyanos said, "I'm interested inthe role of Essie Carmichael, anaive, aspiring ballerina, eventhough she has no talent for it.She's quite childish, and I think

it fits my personality. “Despite the fact that I've beenthrough the audition processmultiple times, I still get ner-vous. Every production is differ-ent; some [roles] you may fitinto, and others not. But even ifyou don't, it's always worth giv-ing it your all,” she said. Toma, who had previous rolesin “Oklahoma!” and “Peter Pan”expressed an interest playingone of the comedy’s motley as-

sortment of characters. “They're all pretty quirky,which is always fun to play, soI'd be happy with just about anyrole," she said. "I get nervousheading up to the day of audi-tions, but when I walk in I re-mind myself that I've done thisbefore. I'm just getting up onstage to do my best, and so farmy best has succeeded in get-ting a role, and then the jittersusually go away."

Senior Nick Morici, above, carries a sack of toys like his namesake, St.Nicholas, while other Stanners, left, fill their sacks with toys. Ten Cam-pus Ministry members were joined by 24 Varsity Baseball players inthe Theater on Dec. 16 to pack up the 1,166 toys Stanners bought forkids in the 2013 Toy Drive. Campus Ministry Director Mr. Mike Germanosaid the toys would go to four groups: the Briarwood Shelter, CatholicCharities, Hour Children, and Make a Difference Christmas. (Photosby Pamela Decolongon ‘14)

Stanners make Christmas Toy Drive a successSeniors Daniela Franceschetti, Rosanne Sapia, Mariyanthie Linaris, andMatthew Spataro were cast members in “Oklahoma!” two years ago.

Australian brother inspires AMBy Sarah Stiglianese '14 Bro. Tony Leon from Sydney,Australia visited Molloy onNov. 26 to speak in the Theaterabout the Marist Mission andLife Formation in Maristschools and then enjoyedThanksgiving in Esopus. As the Director of Vocationsand Marist Life, Bro. Tony wasdelighted with the turnout of 55students and felt there wasgreat spirit among the studentsparticipating in the events suchas Chinese charades. He was also touched by thenumber of students who hungaround after the presentation tochat with him. Senior Sean Ryan said, “Myfavorite part of the evening wastalking to Bro. Tony afterwards.He stressed how I should traveland see the world for the amaz-ing experiences that are outthere.” Bro. Dan O’Riordan first metBrother Tony at a Marist YouthInternational Meeting in Aus-tralia in 2008 where he was im-pressed by Bro. Tony’s inspira-

tional talks and his dynamicpowerpoints. Both brothers are members ofthe International Commissionfor Marist Brothers Today. They met again in the sum-mer 2013 in Rome and Bro. Daninvited Bro. Tony to speak toMarist schools in the U.S.A.such as Molloy during theMarist Year of Vocations. Bro. Dan invited retreat lead-ers, Campus Ministry andMarist Youth members to meetwith Bro. Tony. Bro. Tony said he was happyto see a similarity among theMarist students around theworld in their search to be “au-thentic, live life fully, and be inservice to others.” Junior Deanna Aliperti at-tended the event because shethought it would be really coolto hear from a Marist brotherwho lived on an entirely differ-ent continent. “I also wanted to hear his ac-cent!” Aliperti said. “It makesme so appreciative to be part ofsomething so much bigger than

just one school,” Senior Daniel O’Reilly learnedthat U.S. schools are differentfrom Australian schools. "In Australia school begins at8:30 and ends at 3:15," O'Reillysaid. "They get a morning teabreak and a 40 minute lunchbreak.” Bro. Tony said he hopes thestudents hearing his lecture stoplistening to voices that limittheir ideas. Bro. Tony teaches that it’s notwhat we have in our lives, it’swho we have in our lives thatmakes us happy. “Happiness is better whenshared,” he said. He also encourages students tothink of goals that benefit otherpeople rather than themselves. Aliperti said, “All of the thingshe has done really motivated meto not only do things for myself,but to do things that benefit oth-ers at the same time.” Bro. Tony explained, “My fa-vorite thing on my Life GoalsList is to enjoy life’s best mo-ments with others and to seek

opportunities where I can sharemy time, skills, and resources.” Bro. Tony said he usuallylearns more when his plansdon’t go the way he wants andit's important to remember thatit’s not always about your plan;it’s about letting God’s plan takeits course. “I was so impressed with hisenthusiasm for living life to itsfullest every day," said O'Reilly."It encourages me to know thatthere are constant opportunitiesto do the extraordinary thingswe’ve always wanted to do.” Senior Chris McGee loved theway Bro. Tony used the themeof making things happen bytalking about the Life Goals hehas fulfilled. “I like that he incorporatedwhat he has done in his life tomotivate us,” McGee said. Aliperti remembers Bro. Tonytalking about a student he in-spired to do work in Africa. “That’s something I reallywant to do at some point in mylife and he showed me it’s pos-sible,” she said.

Continued from page 3 Sophomore Samantha Gilwants a Mac laptop, sophomoreSal DiPaola wants the iPad Air,but sophomore Peter Barrettabucked the Apple trend by ask-ing Santa for a Samsung GalaxyS4 to replace his four-year-oldBlackberry. Video game consoles were alsovery popular, especially the PS4and the Xbox One. “These consoles make up thenew generation of gaming, andmany people want to be a part

of that from the beginning,” saidsophomore Nicholas Molohides. Sophomore Alexa Abrams andjunior Gabby Fata were just twoof many girls who are interestedin the latest fashion trends. “Clothes are great,” Fata said,“but mainly I just want morerunning clothes for track prac-tice. It gets cold when we haveto run out on the Molloy trackin the winter!” Sophomore Jane McNoblesaid, “Giftcards for clothes areeven better. When people re-ceive giftcards, they are giventhe opportunity to buy some-thing that they want instead ofhaving to settle for somethingthey wouldn’t have picked out forthemselves.” Sophomore Laura Geoghegan,asked, “Who needs Uggs when

Michael Kors has come out withhis own furry boots? They arejust beautiful; I’ve already triedthem on in the departmentstore!” Sophomore Connie Raptiswants something else that isfurry: “I know this is going tosound like I’m a little kid, but Ireally want a kitten. They arejust so adorable and I’ve neverhad one.” However, some students haddifferent gifts in mind. Sophomore Luigi Depalma ishoping for a brand new BMXbike. Junior Tina Dantono wantstickets to concerts by her favor-ite artists, Emblem3 and DemiLovato. Sophomore Christian Horanwanted rock band merchandise. Sophomore Isabelle Crombezsaid, "I wish my Geometryteacher, Ms. [Samantha]Gilmour, would allow us to haveretakes for our exams. The bestgift I could get for Christmas isgood grades." Sophomore Shania Chua said,"I hope I get the chance to makesome new friends and create newrelationships." Sophomore Harris Mohsinwants “the love of my family andsociety because capitalist mate-rialism is temporary, but lovelives on forever.”

Stanner Christmas lists

10 perform at1st Open Mic Ten students performed atan Open Mic show on Dec. 16in the Theater. Students who perform atOpen Mic are often selectedto perform at the spring Tal-ent Show. The students who per-formed at the show were:frosh Kristen Allen, sopho-mores Sarah Alexander,Jada Fletcher, SargamMehra, juniors AnaisRodrigues, Janet Narain,Constantina Tsouklidis, andseniors Jennifer Desamero,Edrean-Neil Kabigting, andAllison Terranova.

Christmasunites bandand chorus The Molloy Band andFreshman-Sophomore Cho-rus performed a ChristmasConcert on Dec. 11. The Band and Chorus per-formed "Christmas on Broad-way" together. The band also played "Hal-lelujah Chorus" fromHandel's "Messiah," featuringthe trumpet players, "Christ-mas Sleigh Ride," "Angels WeHave Heard on High," featur-ing the flute section, and"Have Yourself a Merry LittleChristmas," featuring theclarinet section. The chorus sang severalsongs including "Do you HaveRoom," featuring DavidKemp, Nina Pesa, Kiah Moe,Liam Rock, and Jillian Foley,"All I Want for Christmas IsYou," "Carol of the Bells,""Sky Full of Snow," "Santa'sRockin'" and John Lennon's"Happy Christmas."

Senior Joana Capistrano saysall she wants for Christmas is “tobe accepted into Baruch.”

P.E. teachers enforce dress codeBy Frederic Jean-Joseph ‘15 Gym teachers in recent weekshave been cracking down on stu-dents who don't wear the fullLand's End uniform for physi-cal education classes. Students not dressed in thefull gym uniform have receivedthe same detention as those whoforget their uniforms entirely. The crackdown was initiatedwhen the administration noticedthat a large number of studentswere wearing other Molloy t-shirts rather than the Land’sEnd shirt to gym class. Students used to be able towear Molloy athletics, Esopus,Walk-a-thon, and activitiesshirts and shorts at the discre-tion of their respective gymteachers. But during the past two weeks,teachers have strictly enforcedthe Land's End shirt and shortsdress code and all other Molloyapparel has been banned. Physical Education teacherMr. Richard Rodgers said thereason students are not allowedto wear any Molloy shirt for gymis that "the [General] Officedoesn't want it." Assistant Principal for Stu-dents Mr. Ken Auer, who ac-knowledged that theadminstration had asked for therecent crackdown, said, "Thepunishment for being unpre-pared for gym is one session ofdetention, which is the same asa dress code violation." When asked why other Molloy

clothes were banned, Mr Auersaid, "Non-gym uniform cloth-ing should not have been al-lowed to be worn at any time." Students are not happy aboutthe change in policy. Junior Vince Viola doesn’t likethe Land’s End uniform because"the shorts are too [darn] high.They're like halfway up mythigh." Viola received detention fornot having the proper shorts de-spite having a Land’s End t-shirt. "At least twice as many peopleare getting detention as lastyear,” said Viola. “I think therule is really stupid and itshouldn't matter because gym istwo periods out of the entire [six-day] cycle." Many Molloy athletes are up-set about the change. Basketball player Matt Cappsaid, "I think the rule is unnec-essary. The school could be fo-cusing on different things in-stead of such a non-issue. Weshould be allowed to wear JackCurran shirts. There's nothingmore Molloy than Jack Curran." Jamel Hinds said, "I'd ratherwear Jack Curran shirts andMolloy athletics shirts becausethey look better. I hate this newrule because what's so wrongabout wearing Jack Curranshirts? He's an icon in theschool, so we should be able torepresent him." Track team runner NicoleJimenez said the official gym

uniform is "boring and unfash-ionable. I’d rather go back to theold rule because it's easier forpeople on teams to wear whatthey have [in school] rather than

Sophomores Liam Gallagher and Victloria Brown won’t get detention be-cause they are wearing the proper Land’s End uniforms that are the dresscode for gym class. (Photo by Jordi Sevilla ‘14)

By Michael LaBella '17 In the Molloy Student Hand-book, there are 156 do’s anddon’t’s to follow. But allStanners are not always success-ful in following them.

Stanners have totaled 1,384disciplinary and late detentionsfrom the start of the school yearthrough December 11. If Stanners continue on thispace for the rest of the year, over

4,000 detentions will be servedby the time June arrives. More than a third of the deten-tions (446) given out so far wentto the senior class. Frosh have fewer than half thedetentions seniors received. But as the Class of 2017 movesup through the grades, it willprobably get more detentionseach year. “Upperclass students don't re-spect the rules as much becausethey believe they’re older andabove them,” said AssistantPrincipal for Students Mr KenAuer. “Freshmen are still learn-ing and getting used to thebuilding so they get more warn-ings.” The most common offense isnot having a student ID card vis-ible on a lanyard, as it hascaused 193 students to spend anhour in Room 225. The second most common of-fense is being late for class, with186 students, including 68 frosh,

pack extra clothes." Junior Caroline Bikles said, "Iprefer to wear other shirts be-cause I feel like I have a bitmore freedom of movement."

getting detention for that. Frosh Liam Coen doesn't mindall the rules he has had to learnat Molloy. "Our rules keep us out oftrouble for the most part,” hesaid. Frosh Christopher Triana,who has yet to get detention,said, “Without rules there wouldbe no order. That is why rulesare needed." However, frosh AndreaVillamizar, who has receivedonly one detention for lateness,had a different point of view. "Way too many people are get-ting detentions in Molloy," shesaid. "It's fine to have rules, butsome go a little too far.” Frosh Dod Lleshi disliked thatthe ban on public displays of af-fection includes giving "highfives" because they "are a wayof being a good sport and a sup-portive Stanner. They shouldnot be a reason to give someonedetention.”

Seniors get the most detentions

Assistant Principal for Students Mr. Ken Auer catches senior Albert Hasanwithout his ID card lanyard. Not wearing an ID card lanyard is the No. 1reason Stanners get detention. (Photo by Joana Capistrano ‘14)

By Sargam Mehra '16 Ten teams of students partici-pated in the Baking Club's firstCupcake Contest on Dec. 18. Contestants did their bakingat home but decorated theircupcakes in school. To prevent students from see-ing each other's decorations, thecupcake decorating was done inseparate locations around theschool. “Competitors had 30 minutesto decorate their cupcakes," saidBaking Club Moderator Ms.Danielle Choo. "They werejudged by the taste, appear-ance, and originality.” Five teachers served asjudges and the top three teamsreceived a basket filled withbaking goods; the winning teamgot the largest basket. The club planned to distributecupcakes that might be left overfrom the contest to students inthe Cafeteria. “We are hoping this will be asuccess and an annual event!”

said Ms. Choo. Sophomore Juliana Distant,who started baking at age five,said she entered the contest “be-cause I think my recipe for cup-cakes is delicious.” However, winning the contestwas not her goal. “I am not a competitive personso I don’t care if I win," she said."I just want to showcase my tal-ent for baking.” Sophomore Connie Raptissaid she started baking when shewas a little kid. "When my grandmother wouldbake, I would sit with her andwatch her," she said. "I would tryto help her and, of course, Iwould eat whatever she wouldmake.” In the days leading up to thecontest, Raptis wasn’t sure whatshe and her partner would makebut they knew it’d be good. But like Distant, Raptis wasn'tconcerned about winning. "It’s fun whether we win orlose,” she said.

Club starts a Christmas Cupcake Contest

Varsity boys have high hopesBy Melanie Santos ‘15 andOlivia Kielczewski ‘15 Molloy’s Varsity Boys’ Basket-ball team is off to a 3-1 start un-der Mr. Mike McCleary despitehaving only one rerturningstarter from last year’s team. Mr. McCleary, who replacedthe late Mr. Jack Curran, said,“The boys have been tryinghard to do what is asked of them.I hope they continue to do so.” Senior points guard C.J. Davisis the lone returning starterfrom last year’s team whichwent 19-8 and advanced to thequarterfinals of the city playoffs. The four new starters are se-niors Jayson Cethoute, GabrielKilpatrick, Michael Buckley,and Kenny Hoyt. Molloy won its season openerat home against Monroe, 65-27. “We won our first game prettyeasily,” said sophomore AaronWalker, who comes off the benchin his first varsity season. “The chemistry is good amongus,” said Hoyt. "We won our firstgame by almost 40." Molloy doesn't have a lot ofheight with only one playertaller than 6-foot-4, junior cen-ter Matt Capp, who is 6-6. "Last year our tallest guy was6-5," said Mr. McCleary. "Nowhe’s 6-6. Most of our players are6-4, 6-3 and shorter." Despite their lack of size, theplayers have high expectationsfor the coming season. “We have a good shot at being

city champs,” said Buckley. Hoyt said he’d like to “win ev-ery game, have fun, impress ev-erybody, and look good whiledoing it.” Mr. McCleary, however, ismore realistic about the season. “Reaching the team’s full po-tential is my number one goalright now,” he said. “I want themto play as well as they can as agroup. Judging that now is dif-ficult. It will be easier to tell inFebruary.” Mr. McCleary expects Molloy’stoughest opponents to be BishopLoughlin, Cardinal Hayes andChrist the King, whom Molloywill face in January. The team is deep thanks toseveral players who were pro-moted from last year’s JuniorVarsity and Freshmen teams. In addition to Walker, Mr.McCleary mentioned sophomoreIssac Grant and junior D’anteWarren as new players whohave impressed him. The seniors praised the play ofsenior James McCleary and jun-ior Sebastian Cadet. Walker credited the seniors forshowing “lots of leadership, al-ways playing hard, and helpingme a lot,” especially Davis, who“shows leadership by directingpeople, and gives the youngerguys confidence.” In the Gonzaga Classic tourna-ment on Dec. 13-14 in Washing-ton, D.C., Molloy defeatedCalvin Coolidge of D.C. 69-48 in

Senior point guard C.J. Davis, driving in for a layup, is Molloy’s team leaderthis season. (Photo courtesy of Blue & White Yearbook)

Baking Club Moderator Ms.Danielle Choo, center, with sophomoreAlexandra Petot and senior Darien Dey at last year’s Spring Arts Festival.The Baking Club sponsored a Christmas Cupcake Contest this week.

the first round as Cethoutescored 20 points, but lost in thesecond round to Mt. St. Josephof Baltimore 63-60, despite

Kilpatick’s 22 points. Molloybeat Lafayette of Kentucky 84-53 in the consolation finals asCethoute scored 24 points.