Gael winds december 2014

The Christmas season has a magical

effect on society. Excitement and joy is conta-

gious as it fills the atmosphere. This feeling

spreads throughout the world where the special

holiday is celebrated uniquely according to

each country. Here in America we combine

many of these traditions based on our nationali-

ties as well as start some of our own. The fol-

lowing are some unique traditions and celebra-

tions that occur around the world to celebrate

the season.

Ireland: On Christmas morning many can be

seen taking swims in the Irish Sea, mostly at

the Forty Foot Rock (just south of Dublin.) The

temperature in Ireland on Christmas is usually

around 50F/10C, which makes this a hard-

hitting experience, but many still participate

because participants often receive sponsorship

for charities.“The Dead”, a short story from

James Joyce’s collection “Dubliners”, is the

Irish equivalent of “The Christmas Carol” and

is read throughout Ireland in December.The

Feast of the Epiphany (January 6th) is tradition-

ally when the Irish finish celebrating Christmas.

It is know as “Nollaig na mBean” (or Women’s

Christmas.) On this day women get the day off

and the men take down the Christmas decora-

tions and clean.

Italy: The Feast of the Seven Fishes is eaten on

Christmas Eve in Italy. Families prepare seven

(or sometimes more) different types of fish in

representation of the seven holy sacraments and

the seven days of creation.The Feast of the

Epiphany on January 6th is when most Italian

children receive gifts. They believe that an old lady

named Befana brings presents for them. On Christmas

day “Babbo Natale” (Santa Claus) might bring small gifts

but the main present giving is on the Epiphany.

England:The English eat their dinner in the early after-

noon while listening to the Queen’s speech on Christmas

Day. The Queen’s speech is broadcasted on television

every Christmas and is watched by millions. On Decem-

ber 26th the English celebrate Boxing Day by giving gifts

to tradesmen, servants and friends. The holiday originated

during medieval times when each priest emptied the alms

boxes of his church and distributed gifts the poor.

Spain:Most people in Spain go to Midnight Mass or “La

Misa Del Gallo” (The Mass of the Rooster.) The mass is

given that title because a rooster is said to have crowed

the night that Jesus was born. Children write to the Three

Kings on Boxing Day asking for toys and receive them on

the Feast Day of the Epiphany.December 28th is like April

Fools Day in the sense that people go around joking with

others. If you trick someone, you call him or her

“inocente, inocente” which means “innocent, innocent.”

This day is when the Spanish remember all of the inno-

cent babies killed by King Herod.

France: On Christmas Eve the French leave out food and

drinks in case Mary and the baby Jesus come past during

the night. French children leave out shoes with hopes that

“Pere Noel” will fill them with gifts overnight. However,

children also believe in “Pere Fouettard” who gives out

spankings to bad children.In 1962, a law was written de-

creeing that all children who wrote letters written to Santa

would receive a postcard, so many students write to Santa

during the Christmas

season.

T H E M O S T W O N D E R F U L T I M E O F T H E Y E A R

D E C E M B E R I S S U E

E D I T O R S

Lauren Costello

Maura Fallon

Jen Galvao

Ryan Wilson

Rebecca O’Callaghan

Gael Winds

K E N N E D Y C AT H O L I C H I G H S C H O O L

Gael Winds 2014

December Issue

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E

Global… 2

National…. 4

Holidays… 6

KCHS… 8

Continued on Page 3

A British- led asso-

ciation has outlined its plans

to land a robotic probe on

the Moon in ten years. The

group’s goal is to raise 500

million pounds in donations

from the public in order to

make the project possible. In

return, the donors will be

able to have photos, messag-

es and even their DNA in-

cluded in a time capsule that

will be buried under the lu-

nar surface. In a way, they

will be able to pay for an

immortality of sorts by

sending up a strand of hair,

which could survive for one

billion years on the moon. A

short message will cost a

few pounds, a photo will be

a few tens of pounds, a short

video will be about 200

pounds and a strand of hair

will cost 50 pounds.

The time capsule

idea is a clever and exciting

plan that is effectively making the public

more interested in space missions. David

Iron, leader of the project, said he set up

the initiative because governments are find-

ing it increasingly difficult to fund space

operations. However, this expedition is not

only for just a time capsule. Lunar Mission

One aims to survey the Moon’s south pole

to see if a human base can be set up in the

future. The team also is planning this mis-

sion to educate and inspire a new genera-

tion to become engaged in science the same

way that the Apollo Moon landings did in

the 1960s and 70s. This mission sounds

like a great way to get each participant per-

sonally involved in the mission while also

increasing the world’s knowledge of the

moon.

U K P L A N S M O O N L A N D I N G

Page 2 G A E L W I N D S 2 0 1 4

By Rebecca O’Callaghan


next trip will be to Sri Lanka

and the Philippines in Janu-

ary of 2015 to show compas-

sion to the survivors of 2013

earthquake and typhoon. The

pontiff also plans to visit the

U.S. in the fall of 2015, to

meet families and discuss

how they are the building

blocks of society.

P O P E F R A N C I S V I S I T S T U R K E Y By Becky Rendich

from Syria and Iraq were

recently threatened by Islam-

ic groups, causing thousands

of them to flee. A large num-

ber of these Christians fled to

Turkey. In one speech Pope

Francis described how gener-

ous it was for Turkey to al-

low these refugees into the

country. To end his trip, the

pope celebrated Mass at a

cathedral in Turkey, and

signed a declaration with

Istanbul's leader of the East-

ern Orthodox Church, bring-

ing Catholics and Orthodox

to a union. Pope Francis's

On November 28th,

the current pontiff, Pope

Francis, went on a journey to

Turkey. He spent time in An-

kara, the capital of Turkey,

and Istanbul, Turkey's largest

city, giving speeches in both

places. His purpose was to

encourage Christians and

Muslims to converse with

one another as a way to pro-

mote peace in the world; he

suggests that justice forms

when there is unity within

different religions. The pope

gave these speeches at the

right time, because Christians

Brazil: “Papai Noel” (Father

Noel) is the gift-bringer in Bra-

zil. It is said that he wears silk

clothing due to the hot tempera-

tures in Brazil and is supposed to

live in Greenland. The sky in

Brazil is aglow with fireworks

throughout the night before

Christmas.

China: Due to the fact that Chris-

tians only make up one percent

of the people in China, Christ-

mas is often only celebrated in

the major cities. The Chinese

rarely decorate trees but those

who do use plastic trees and

decorate with paper flowers,

lanterns and chains.A new tradi-

tion that is becoming popular is

the giving and receiving of

wrapped apples. This tradition

was started because Chinese

Christmas Eve is called “Ping

An Ye” and the word of apple

“Ping Guo” sounds similar.

Russia: Most Russians celebrate

Christmas on January 7th because

the Russian Orthodox Church

uses the old Julian calendar for

religious celebration days. Some

Russians do not eat anything on

Christmas Eve until the first star

appears in the sky. “Babushka”

is the traditional Russian figure

that distributes presents to chil-

dren. Legend has it that she was

offered to travel with the wise

men to see Jesus but declined

due to the cold weather. She

regretted not going so she set off

with presents trying to catch up

to the three kings. She never

found Jesus so she distributed

the gifts to children.

T H E M O S T W O N D E R F U L T I M E O F T H E Y E A R ( C O N T . ) By Rebecca O’Callaghan

The 2014 NFL Season has been one filled with

surprises and unexpected upsets as well as the return of once-promising play-

ers. The Seattle Seahawks, the defending Super Bowl Champions, are current-

ly 8-4 and are second in their division to the Arizona Cardinals. Running

Back Marshawn Lynch and Quarterback Russell Wilson highlight the Sea-

hawks’ offense, which hasn’t been as good as in previous years. Richard

Sherman, the self proclaimed “best corner in the game”, hasn’t really lived up

to his word this year, taking ‘til week 9 to grab his first interception of the

year. While this season hasn’t treated the Seahawks as nicely as last year, the

Seahawks are still expected to make the playoffs.

Mark Sanchez, former Jets Quarterback, found a new team after a

fluctuating four year tenure as Jets QB. Sanchez signed with the Philadelphia

Eagles to be their backup quarterback, and got a chance to show he's ready for

a comeback after Philly starter Nick Foles broke his collarbone in week 9 ver-

sus the Houston Texans. Sanchez came in to replace the injured Foles and im-

mediately made an impact, throwing a 52 yard pass to receiver Jeremy

Maclin. Five plays later, Sanchez threw his first touchdown in nearly two

years to rookie Jordan Matthews. Philadelphia went on to win the game, and

Sanchez is currently on his way to the playoffs for the first time since his sec-

ond season with the Jets in 2010.

Speaking of the Jets, hasn't it been a miserable season for Jets fans like

me? The team is currently 2-10 and our record doesn't look like it'll improve

much with upcoming games against New England and Miami in the coming

weeks. Geno Smith doesn't seem to be the answer to the Jets’ offensive woes,

currently having a 7:11 touchdown to interception ratio, and completing only

57% of his passes. Meanwhile, rookie Tight End Jace Amaro has been a

bright spot for the Jets on offense, catching 74% of passes targeted to him.

The Jets have had their highs and lows this year, for example, beating the

Pittsburgh Steelers 20-13, followed by a loss to the Buffalo Bills, 38-3. While

the future of the Head Coach Rex Ryan is anything but certain, GM John

Idzik could be under fire for the way he built the team. After their week 17

game against Miami, we should know for certain whether these men will re-

main in the Jets organization.

N F L S E A S O N R E V I E W


By Tevan Costoso

Continued on Page 5


While the Jets are usually down in the standings, the other New York team usually isn’t. But this

year, the Giants aren't much better than the Jets. Their 3-9 record does not reflect how horrible their season

has been. The Giants come off a loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, who only won their 2nd game this season.

The Giants were up 21-0 at one point in the game, losing 25-24 after a field goal with under a minute to go.

Head Coach Tom Coughlin has taken full responsibility for the team's woes this season and is on the hot

seat.

Everyone knows that the Denver Broncos are led by one of the greatest NFL Quarterbacks in histo-

ry, Peyton Manning. But recently, the Broncos have found a new offensive weapon. CJ Anderson, who

started the season as the Broncos’ 3rd string RB, has taken the primary offensive role away from the future

hall of famer. Anderson broke out in week 10, when Denver went to Oakland. The 2nd year player out of

California State is only 23 years old and could be a future star Running Back.

Now that we are heading into week 14 of the NFL season, we're getting a picture of who will make

the playoffs and who won't. Surprisingly, the 5-7 Atlanta Falcons are leading their division. They can be-

come the first teamwith a sub .500 record to make the playoffs since the 2010 Seattle Seahawks, who went

7-9 to win the NFC West and upset the New Orleans Saints in the first round of the playoffs. While the Pa-

triots, Broncos, and Colts are almost certainly locks to make the playoffs, the Cincinnati Bengals lead in the

AFC North by only half a game above the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers, who do currently

hold the tiebreaker with the Ravens, and are in the Wild Card spot as of right now.

Over in the NFC, Arizona, Green Bay, Philadelphia and Atlanta lead their divisions, with Seattle

and Detroit holding the wild card spot. In the NFC South, where Atlanta holds a lead, the Carolina Panthers,

with a record of 3-8-1, are still in playoff contention, as crazy as that sounds. The Dallas Cowboys, despite

starting the season 6-1, could miss out on the playoffs.

Super Bowl XLIX, the NFL Championship game between the winners of the AFC and the NFC, will

take place on February 1st, at the home of the Arizona Cardinals, University of Phoenix Stadium, in Glen-

dale, Arizona. The Arizona Cardinals currently share the best record in the NFL with Denver and New Eng-

land, but because of their starting QB, Carson Palmer, going down with a knee injury in week 10, they

aren't my pick to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, although backup quarterback Drew Stanton has

done a very good job of filling in for Palmer. I believe that the Green Bay Packers, led by Aaron Rodgers,

will play in this years Super Bowl. In the AFC, as much as it pains me to say it, The New England Patriots

look unstoppable. If the AFC Championship is between Denver and New England, expect a great game, but

any other team and I believe New England will play the Green Bay Packers in Arizona on February 1st. It

should be a very good game, no matter what team makes it, but if my prediction holds true, the Green Bay

Packers will bring home the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

N F L S E A S O N R E V I E W ( C O N T . ) By Tevan Costoso


center provides food, clothing,

and other programs to less fortu-

nate families.

Pajama Drive: Groove Perform-

ing Arts is collecting PJs for the

Pajama Program which collects

unworn pajamas and books for

children waiting to be adopted.

Habitat For Humanity: Habitat

for Humanity's Home for the

Holidays campaign requests

members of the community to

help build ten homes and raise

money to build these homes in

time for the upcoming holidays.

H O L I D A Y F O O D D R I V E S By Emma Berry

Jefferson Valley Mall on week-

ends. As well as toys, volunteers

are also needed.

Northern Westchester Pantry:

The Northern Westchester Com-

munity Center is in need of mon-

etary donations to meet their

goal to feed the approximate

seven hundred families who

come to their pantry. All items

donated are appreciated, and the

community center would request

that frozen turkeys, turkey

breasts, whole chickens, roast

beef, and similar meats be donat-

ed in particular. The community

It's that time of year again, when

we spread holiday cheer, love,

and joy! There are a variety of

drives occurring right here in

Westchester Count where you

can have the opportunity to assist

your local community and to

benefit not only others but also

yourself through the Christmas

spirit of giving.

Below are a list of charitable

drives in Westchester currently:

Toys for Tots: The Toys for

Tots program, run by Putnam

and Northern Westchester Hos-

pitals, is having collections at the

In addition, Habitat for Humanity

will also host a party for all partic-

ipating families at New Rochelle

High School where those present

can contribute to the society's

foreclosure fund.

Get involved in your community

and go volunteer at some of these

local drives this holiday season!

The Keystone Pipeline

is a colossal oil pipeline ship-

ment system that runs through-

out Canada, the United States,

and some other areas of North

America. It serves to transport

crude oil, a highly important

resource, to regions across the

continent. Recently, there has

been a major debate within the

Senate on whether to construct

what is thought to be the final

part to the oil moving system,

the Keystone XL system. The

debate mainly concerns the envi-

ronmental issues that the con-

struction of this final aspect of

the pipeline system could poten-

tially cause.

! The proposed Keystone XL

system would contain of a series

of pipes to transport this crude

oil to regions in need of it within

the entire continent of North

America. If this legislation to

build and the pipeline is passed,

much more oil would be flowing

through the United States and

Canada, resulting in a great in-

crease in profit, sales, and

productivity for all industries

related to the use or consumption

Consisting of over 1,200 miles

of pipes, this addition to the

Keystone Pipeline system would

cover much land, and run

through various states including

Montana, South Dakota, Kansas,

Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas.

On the other hand,

environmentalists have projected

that this new system will only

worsen the problem of pollution

due to oil spills and greenhouse

gases. The output from the oil

sands, which would produce and

transport the crude oil, could

increase the emission of

harmful greenhouse gases up to

17%. Additionally, protests have

begun to arise over the fact that

this new Keystone XL system, if

constructed, would run through

the Ogallala Aquifer, thereby

polluting one of the nation’s

largest and most productive aq-

uifers. This aquifer traps and

produces a great amount of the

nation’s fresh drinking water,

and citizens involved in these

protests believe that this will

play a major role in contaminat-

ing their drinking water. Offi-

cials have not yet approved the

K E Y S T O N E P I P E L I N E By Ryan Wilson

project, as the Senate recently

failed to pass legislation for the

project to begin in recent weeks.

Currently, both Canada and The

United States are at a standstill

regarding if and when the project

will start. The main question

in this controversy remains: will

the Keystone Pipeline bring

more harm than good to the sur-

rounding environment?

Christmas. There’s

really nothing better than

Christmas, right? No

school for two weeks,

sleeping ‘til noon with not

a care in the world. The

music, the food, the deco-

rations, the shopping, the

gifts! There is nothing not

to like. For a time of year

that so many people enjoy

immensely and look for-

ward to so much, it is

shocking to see how thor-

oughly forgotten its origins

are. Be honest, how many

times in the past tenyears

have you taken time on

Christmas, all by yourself,

to thank God for the great-

est gift that has ever been

given? Out of pure love,

God gave us His son Jesus

Christ, the Savior of all cre-

ation. In today’s society the

true meaning of Christmas

has been overwhelmed by

the materialistic aspect of

the holiday. People have

come to care more about all

the shopping lists they have

to complete and the gifts

others will be getting them

than the religion behind it

all. It is truly a celebration

of the birthday of our Lord,

not just the exchange of

gifts.

Christmas is a great

opportunity for us to

become closer with friends,

family, and our faith. There

is no better time to look

back on the year and realize

all that there is to be thank-

ful for. Look past the gifts

and the decorations and

recognize that God has giv-

en us the eternal gift of Je-

sus Christ. As you sit and

look at the presents under

the tree, look at the family

that is around it. Look at all

the loved ones and friends

that care deeply for you,

and ultimately give thanks

to the faith bringing you all

together. Christmas is a

sign of love. If there is love,

Christ will always be kept

in Christmas.

K E E P I N G C H R I S T I N C H R I S T M A S


By Christina Rowland

The fire is crackling,

and the smell of hot chocolate

fills the air. All the signs of

Christmas are appearing, and

everyone is counting down the

days. This is the time of year

when we spend special time with

family and friends. People all

around the world come together

to celebrate the birth of Jesus

Christ, and let's not forget the

New Year's parties and resolu-

tions. December is the time for

celebrations everywhere.

As the Christmas cheer

fills everyone, traditions start to

take over. My family spends the

holidays lighting Advent candles

every night and waiting until the

last minute to get a tree. It is a

great way to count down the

T R A D I T I O N S & T H E H O L I D A Y S By Brittany Henriques

Man.” Most people can agree

that the most fun filled part of

Christmas is opening gifts with

family. Seeing everyone's faces

and laughing at the old memo-

ries, fills everyone with the

Christmas spirit. It gets everyone

ready for the rest of the holiday

season.

New Years! As we

slowly come closer to 2015,

there are many things to do.

Some families, like my own,

clean the house from top to bot-

tom. It is a way to make sure that

the New Year starts off fresh.

Many Americans spend New

Year's Eve watching the ball

drop in Times Square, like fresh-

man Katie Agro. Party clappers

and noise makers fill small living

days until Christmas, while also

remembering what the day is

truly about. However, before

children can stay up waiting for

Santa to come down the chim-

ney, chaos spreads everywhere.

Moms, dads, boys, and girls are

running around trying to find or

make the perfect gift for every-

one. Plus, making Christmas

dinner isn't always a walk in the

park. Freshman Marianna Haag

puts up a nativity scene outside

her house. Though some families

do big projects and have large

homemade dinners, Christmas

can be as simple as ordering

pizza with your close family.

Children in the U.S. are waiting

for Santa; while children in Chi-

na will be waiting for 'Sheng

Dan Lao Ren' or “Old Christmas

rooms as the countdown reaches

zero. Resolutions are made, set-

ting goals for people to achieve.

Mine is the cliché of being a

better person. The midnight cele-

bration is followed by New

Years Day. This day consists of

late breakfast with the family,

and spending the day dreading

the fact that school is coming

again. New Years is a time for a

new beginnings, another chance

for all.

The holidays are one

of the happiest times of the year;

spending time with family and

friends, while having time to

relax by yourself. They bring

people together to celebrate, and

to reminisce over memories past.

Enjoy the holidays, because

that's what they're about. Joy.

The Kennedy Catholic

family joined together in

the auditorium on Wednes-

day, December 10th for a

festive night filled with

music and dance. The

band, chorus, dancers, and

string ensemble performed

Christmas tunes that dis-

played the warmth and

happiness during this most

wonderful time of the year.

The dancers opened

the Christmas concert with

jolly tap and jazz routines.

Following the dancers

were solo pieces including

Vince Guaraldi's arrange-

ment of "The Christmas

Song" performed by Nich-

olas Di Grandi on piano,

and "The Little Drummer

Boy/Piece on Earth" by

Emma Berry and Monica

Gayanelo on guitar and

voice. Mr. Ostrofsky intro-

duced our new string en-

semble into the fine arts

program with their first per-

formance including "Silent

Night," "Pachelbel's Can-

non," and "Outtakes from

Les Misérables". The band

played a variety of famous

Christmas pieces such as

Leroy Anderson's "Sleigh

Ride", a medley of holiday

tunes by Gustav Holst, and

"Pachelbel's Christmas".

Beautifully resonating tones

resembling Irish bagpipes

echoed through the band's

concluding piece, "A Celtic

Christmas". The chorus

sang several Christmas

songs including “Echo Glo-

ria”,featuring flute and vio-

lin, and "Joyful, Joyful",

featuring trumpets. Mem-

bers of the chorus also per-

formed solo pieces from

German operas. The chorus

concluded the evening by

leading the audience and

performers in "Silent

Night", a wonderful way to

remind us of the preparation

and celebration of the rea-

son for this Christmas Sea-

son, the birth of our Lord

Jesus Christ.

Congratulations to the

Kennedy Catholic perform-

ers on another job well

done!

K C H S C H R I S T M A S C O N C E R T


By Nicholas Di Grandi

After only being two

teams away from advancing to

the World Championship at last

year’s East Super Regional, the

Bionic Gaels have stepped up

their game. This year we are St.

Louis bound, and our challenge

we have aimed to accomplish is

the “Cascade Effect”! This re-

quires robots to be able to place

two different sized wiffle balls in

moving goals with heights of 30

cm, 60 cm, and 90 cm (roughly 1

ft, 2 ft, and 3ft). At the end of

the match, robots have a chance

to place balls in a stationary goal

120 cm off the ground or to roll

the other goals up a ramp. So far

our robot, PT-109 (named for the

PT boat last commanded by

Lieutenant, John F. Kennedy)

B A C K A N D B E T T E R T H A N E V E R By Laurel Higham

events including children’s

workshops, robotics events, and

even the 2014 New York State

Fair. Additionally, our program

has expanded, and a second

team, Xeno Gaels, was formed in

October. Our next great project

will be hosting the “Bionic Brou-

haha II: The Second One” Quali-

fying Tournament on January

10th. If you would like to sign up

for community service hours, see

Laurèl Higham or Mrs. Ioannou.

has proved itself to be a formida-

ble opponent. At the Robo-

CATastrophe IV New Jeresy

Qualfier, we ranked 13th at the

end of the day and placed third

for the Inspire Award, the high-

est honor. This achievement

advanced us to the New Jersey

State Championship, which will

occur in March 2015. We will be

competing at John Dewey High

School on December 20th for a

chance to advance to the New

York City-Long Island Regional

Championship.

In other news, we have

aimed to be a well-rounded team

and complete 500 hours of com-

munity outreach. To date, we

have completed 350 hours at

As an incoming fresh-

man, most of my expectations

for high school were based off

the movie High School Musical.

People kept telling me that time

was going to fly; that I wouldn't

believe how quickly the next

four years would pass.

While I might have

been mistaken about high

school being like a movie or a

Taylor Swift song, all those

people who warned me about

how fast these years would go

were right.

I feel like it was the just

the other day I rode the bus to

Kennedy for the first time - an

anxious, awkward girl with a

bad haircut and a fearful con-

viction that I would never ever

figure out how to work my

locker padlock.

I'd like to think I've

progressed a bit since then, that

my hair is no longer quite so

awful and that I've learned and

grown a little along the way. I

think that high school is an op-

portunity for change and growth

of character. The fears and anx-

ieties never quite go away -

there is always some unknown

thing looming before you - but

the four years you spend in high

school teach you how to go

about tackling these obstacles

and how to overcome fears of

failure. Everyone fails a couple

times in high school, let's be

real.

I'm not an advice guru,

nor do I pretend that I've got my

life together by any means.

However, I do think I've learned

a few important things along the

way:

Firstly, don't make

yourself a stereotype. You are a

complex and dynamic person

with varied interests and talents.

Never sacrifice that for the sake

of fitting in.

Find people who like

things with enthusiasm, without

irony, who allow you to get ex-

cited about the things you like.

Those are the kind of people

who make good friends. Then,

find something to be passionate

about, whether it's sports, the

robotics team, or the school

newspaper. I made some of my

best friends through the school

play, including some under-

classmen I might not have met

otherwise.

Also, don't be a jerk.

Not everyone is going to like

you all the time and that's okay,

but be polite and friendly. Treat

your teachers respectfully;

they're just doing their jobs.

Just as not everyone is

going to like you, you're not

obligated to like everyone. It's

ok to terminate relationships

that are more harmful than help-

ful. Don't allow anyone to treat

you badly. Toxic friendships are

not worth the effort of maintain-

ing. Don't be afraid to look out

for yourself.

Honestly, high school is

what you make of it. Put in a

little bit of effort, surround

yourself with positive influ-

ences, find things that make you

happy and pursue them.

Some other helpful hints:

Be aware of your surround-

ings in the halls. There

is nothing worse than

being trapped behind a

group of slow-moving

freshmen when you're

late to class. Be con-

siderate, pick up the

pace.

Come to school functions; be

it sports games or the

school play. Everyone

appreciates a little sup-

port.

Don't be that kid who plays

the same three chords

from "Clocks" over

and over again on the

piano after school. I

get it, I like Coldplay,

too. Please stop.

Hold a conversation with Mr.

Furey or Mr. Zawiski

about literally any-

thing. It is always an

enlightening experi-

ence.

Try things. Join clubs. High

school is for figuring out the rest

of your life, but it's not forever - I

myself can attest to that. Enjoy

every bit of time you get to spend

learning about yourself and about

the world. Make memories, but

keep yourself open. Bigger and

better things are to come.

F R O M F R E S H M A N T O S E N I O R Y E A R


By Jen Galvao

Page 10 G A E L W I N D S 2 0 1 4

jamas. Such donations can truly mean

so much to these kids and their fami-

lies. Blue flyers were posted all

around the school with a multitude of

gift suggestions written on

them. Congratulations to Jennifer

Goldfarb, Christina Rowland, and

Rebecca O’Callaghan on such a suc-

cessful collection of about 700 toys;

this doubly surpassed Father Vaillan-

court’s original goal.

No matter whether you de-

cide to give blood, donate toys, or

both; the smallest deeds can make the

greatest difference to these people in

need. Please highly consider contrib-

uting to causes like these, because it

reminds us of how fortunate we are.

K C H S W I N T E R D R I V E S

“gift of life” to countless patients with dis-

eases where blood transfusions are their only

hope for survival. Blood transfusions are

vital in organ transplants as well as in a mul-

titude of other surgeries. Just by one person

donating a unit of blood, it can save many

lives.

As for the Toy Drive Kennedy is

holding, we asked for clothing items as well

as toys to be donated for the sick patients at

the Maria Fareri Children's Hospital. This

drive was held from the last week of Novem-

ber to December 15th. Especially during the

holiday months, these children are in great

need of new toys and clothes to distract them

from their treatments and give them the joy

and motivation to enjoy this time of the year.

Donation included anything as small as an

arts & crafts project, a doll, or a pair of pa-

As you have most likely

seen, due to the Christmas sea-

son finally arriving there are

many ways in which people are

trying to donate and give back to

their communities. Kennedy

Catholic especially likes to take

part in this spirit of giving. Two

drives Kennedy has held were

the Blood Drive and the Maria

Fareri Children's Hospital Toy

Drive. The Blood Drive was

hosted by The New York Blood

Center along with Kennedy

Catholic’s Student Council. This

drive was held on Tuesday, De-

cember 9th in the Cafeteria

from 2:30pm until 8:30pm. As a

blood donor you can give the

Boy’s Varsity Hockey:

With the start of the 2014-2015 sea-

son, the Varsity Hockey team has a record

of 5-1-0, a huge improvement since the

2013-2014 season according to some of the

players. This season, the players have

proved that they can work better as a team,

and that thus far their hard work has paid

off. Still under the same coaching staff of

Mr. Santini, the team looks for another win

when they play the Varsity Brewster Bears

team on Tuesday December 20th.

Winter Pep Rally:

On Friday December 12th, the Winter Pep-

Rally was held in the gymnasium at the end of the

school day. The last pep-rally was Homeroom Olym-

pics and brought the usual events such as the famous

tug-o-war and relay races. However, some events, dis-

closed in an interview with Athletic Director Frank

Tolan, being held at this year's Winter Pep-Rally in-

cluded a contest in which a Freshman had the oppor-

tunity to win 50% or 25% of the profit raised for the

Class of 2015 gift. In order to win 50% of the profit,

the student must make a half-court shot and if the stu-

dent misses, the student then has an opportunity to

make a 3-point shot to win 25% of the profit. The stu-

dent chose to have Mr. Bruder to take the shots for

him. Although he tried hard, Mr. Bruder was not able

to make a single shot. Also, winter sports teams and

captains were introduced. The Varsity Basketball team

took place in a dunk contest, which even included 5’6”

Junior, John Noce.

W I N T E R S P O R T S By Caitlin McCullough

By Jennifer Goldfarb

As 2014 comes to a

close at the end of this month, I

can’t help but wonder: what

were things like a year ago from

today? What’s changed since

then? It’s amazing how a single

year can feel like it was just

yesterday; but at the same time,

it slowly becomes a fading

memory with the New Year’s

Eve countdown and a flip of a

calendar. Looking back on the

past 365 days not only calls us

to reflect on the countless mem-

ories and experiences that have

shaped our year, but it also al-

lows us to examine how far we

have come as individuals and as

one Kennedy Catholic commu-

nity.

Sports: The 2014

spring season brought success

all around. Both boy’s and girl’s

lacrosse had winning seasons,

as did the varsity baseball team

who placed 3rd in City Champi-

onships after several hard-

fought games. Additionally,

four Kennedy baseball players

have recently signed National

Letters of Intent to play in col-

lege. As for the fall and winter

seasons, varsity field hockey

was the runner up in their end-

of-year tournament, after win-

ning a qualifying game in quad-

ruple overtime. Varsity girl’s

soccer, volleyball, cross coun-

try, and tennis had amazing seasons

as well.

Fine Arts & School Activi-

ties: The Kennedy drama depart-

ment’s Bye Bye Birdie was an enor-

mous hit in the spring, as both cast

and crew were nominated for Metro

Awards. As a further showcase of

artistic talents, twenty-six students

had their written works published in

the 2014 edition of On My Mind, an

anthology of student writings from

around the Tri-State area. In terms of

school activities, which were aided

by the Student Council, both junior

and senior prom, as well as this

year’s homecoming had great turn-

outs and enthusiastic reception from

the student body. The Kennedy Cath-

olic community also demonstrated

their continual dedication to service

this year by greatly contributing to

local charities and volunteer organi-

zations like “United for the Troops.”

Academics: 2014 has also

been an outstanding year academi-

cally. Last year’s graduating class

earned over $18,000,000 in scholar-

ships, and this year’s class of 2015

has two National Merit Scholar semi-

finalists.

A year from now, another

class will have graduated, there will

be scores of new freshman nervously

walking about the halls, six new Stu-

dent Council members will be leading

the school, every sports team will

have a promising clean slate, and

8,760 hours of memories will have

been made. But right now, in this mo-

ment, this upcoming year holds every

possibility, whether that is college,

senior “royalty”, or just another year

of high school. In remembering 2014,

appreciate the time spent with family

and friends, learn from that AP test

you should have studied for, and en-

ter 2015 with an open mind and a full

heart.

2 0 1 4 K C H S Y E A R I N R E V I E W

Page 11 G A E L W I N D S 2 0 1 4

By Layne Smith

C O N T A C T U S

S E N D A L L I N Q U I R I E S T O

[email protected]

Hoops for Hope is being held on December 20th, at 6 p.m., at the Kennedy Catholic

gym. Anyone can make a team; the only requirements are that you need two girls on the court at all

times. The suggested donation for all participants is $8. All proceeds will go to the Sloan Kettering

Memorial Hospital for Maureen's Hoops for Hope foundation.

~Ryan Pods

Page 12 G A E L W I N D S 2 0 1 4

H O O P S F O R H O P E

Faculty Advisor: Mrs. McGown

Junior Editor: Layne Smith

Contributors: Rebecca O’Callaghan, Caitlin McCullough,

Layne Smith, Jennifer Goldfarb, Christina Rowland, Emma

Berry, Becky Rendich, Ryan Wilson, Tevan Costoso, Brittany-

Henriques, Nichols Di Grandi, Laurel Higham, and Jen Galvao

Documents

Gael winds december 2014