A r a r e occurrence is presently taking place within the Catholic Church. For the first time in six-hundred years a pope has an-nounced the resignation of his office. On February 11th Pope Benedict XVI reported that he will be stepping down from his position due to his ad-vanced age. The last time a Pope resigned was Pope Gregory XII in 1415.

Pope Benedict XVI was born in Germany,

and his birth name is Jo-seph Ratzinger. He is mul-tilingual, fluent in German, Italian, French, English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Latin. Additionally, he reads and understands An-cient Greek and Biblical Hebrew. For thirty years Benedict was the chief interpreter of the Second Vatican Council. This po-sition was crucial for the overall success of Vatican II. His writings of count-less documents on the sub-ject of Vatican II were ex-tremely beneficial to the

P A P A L R E T I R E M E N T

W I N T E R I S S U E

G A E L W I N D S

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

T E A C H E R

F E A T U R E

2

W H A T A B O U T T H E M I L I T A R Y ?

2

I N T O T H E L A B 3

B O O K R E V I E W 4

L O O K I N G A H E A D :

S O F T B A L L

5

H O C K E Y W R A P -U P

6

S P E C I A L P O I N T S O F I N -T E R E S T :

Poem by Brian

Devey

Too Much Tech

by Emma Berry

Too Much T

By Andrew DeMarco

Church . One of his most

influential writings re-

garded the Church’s stance

on “healthy secularism,”

which means that the civil

state cannot silence the

Church’s voice.

Now the question

on everyone’s mind is who

will be the next Pope and

lead the Catholic Church?

The Conclave, a private

College of Cardinals, will

vote for the new Pope by a

secret ballot soon. Vatican

T H E P A J A M A G A M E

T h e K e n n e d y Catholic Players proudly presents Richard Bissell’s “The Pajama Game” as this year’s spring musical, March 7 – 10. As usual, the performances coincide with the annual Kennedy Catholic Art Show.

Tickets are $18 in advance for adults, or $15 for seniors and students. There is also a Sunday Mass and Brunch available prior to the matinee for an

additional $15, beginning at 12:30 p.m. Show tickets may be purchased using Fair Share Coupons, in-cluding the Sunday mati-nee, but not the $15 Brunch. Show dates are as follows:

-March 7, 8, & 9 @ 7 p.m.

-Sunday, March 10 @ 3 p.m.

To order your tickets, please write to the Ken-

-nedy Catholic Players,

call (914) 232-5061 Ext.

226, or download the ad-

vance ticket order form on

the Kennedty website.

(continued on page 4)

Q. What classes do you teach?

A. I teach Global II Honors and Global II Regents.

Q. What is your favorite mo-ment in history?

A. WWII is my favorite time period. My parents were born in Poland so I feel like I have a connection to WWII. I’m also more of a contemporary histo-rian.

Q. Where did you go to col-lege and what degree did you graduate with?

A. I earned my Bachelors de-gree and my Masters degree at Queens College. I obtained my Bachelor’s degree with a major in history and a minor in sec-ondary education. I obtained my Master’s degree with a ma-jor in social studies and a mi-nor in adolescence.

Q. What moment(s) inspired

you to teach?

A. I went to school in New York City, where my social studies teachers inspired me to teach. Also, while I was grow-ing up in New York City, I saw just how many children needed a quality education.

Q. Did you teach at another school before you came to Kennedy?

(continued on page 4)

T E A C H E R F E A T U R E – M R S . K A L A N T A R O V

W H A T A B O U T T H E M I L I T A R Y ?

day’s job market and econ-

omy, coming out of college

with a large sum of student

loan debt is not an ideal

situation. This is why

many college counselors

highly recommend that stu-

dents choose where they

can afford because big stu-

dent loans can be crippling

for years after finishing

college. Many ROTC pro-

grams are offered at well-

known colleges such as

Cornell, Notre Dame, and

UPenn and these programs

offer full scholarships as

well. Service academies,

which include the U. S. Air

Force Academy, the U.S.

Military Academy (West

Point), the U.S. Coast

Guard Academy, and U.S.

the Naval Academy, are

also all expense paid educa-

tion options. These acad-

emies are rated highly

among colleges and boast

engineering programs bet-

ter than most Ivy League

institutions. Upon entering

an academy or joining an

ROTC unit, an individual

then becomes a member of

the military and receives a

monthly stipend. There is

one string attached to the

education you receive from

the ROTC scholarship or

academy and that is five

years of service to your

country as a return for your

education.

All ROTC prog-

grams and academies

As many juniors and

underclassmen begin their

long journeys along the col-

lege search, one option to

keep in mind is a service

academy or an ROTC pro-

gram. Some parents shud-

der at the thought of their

son or daughter joining the

armed forces; others em-

brace it. To many high

school students, the military

seems distant or an option of

last resort. However, these

military programs provide

opportunities for leadership

development, hands on

training, and most impor-

tantly a college education.

One of the impor-

tant components of selecting

a college is the cost. In to-

Ask not

what your

country can

do for you –

ask what you

can do for

your country.

-John F.

Kennedy

Page 2 G A E L W I N D S 2 0 1 3

By Brendan Liberati

By John Davin

(continued on page 3)

Along with the fi-nancial advantages of an academy or ROTC program, these highly esteemed educa-tion programs provide a stu-dent with real world skills, a chance to travel, and poten-tial career opportunities. The sense of direction, ca-maraderie, and honor one experiences along the way forges lifelong friendships and unforgettable college experiences. 

jokingly affirm that they have a 100% job placement upon graduation. They say it jokingly not because it is incorrect, but because upon graduating all students in the program or at the acad-emy then receive their com-missions as officers in the United States military and have a guaranteed paying job for 5 years. It is com-forting going through col-lege knowing that you have a job when you graduate.

E X P A N D I N G T H E M E I S S N E R E F F E C T

W H A T A B O U T T H E M I L I T A R Y [ C O N T I N U E D ]

Man studied birds

for centuries,

trying to learn how

to make a machine

to fly like them. He

never did do the

trick; his final

success came

when he broke

away entirely and

t r i e d n e w

methods.

- John Wood

Campbell

Page 3 W I N T E R I S S U E

Driving is often regarded as one of the greatest luxuries we will ever have the pleasure of knowing. Have you ever considered the possibility of flying cars? Transporta-tion would be much sim-pler, and the stress of hav-ing to buy gasoline would be a thing of the past, thanks to this phenomenon known as “The Meissner Effect.”

During the 1930’s, German physicists Walther Meissner, and Robert Och-senfeld discovered that

magnets could levitate above superconductors. You may be asking your-self what is a superconduc-tor? A superconductor is a block of solid elements that exhibit no electrical resistance once cooled down to a certain tempera-ture. This is important be-cause scientists will find a method of transportation via levitation that will most certainly go into de-velopment this century. Flying cars and other simi-lar means of

transportation will quickly become a reality once en-gineers complete their re-search. For now it is a real possibility, and so, we will wait eagerly for the find-ings.

By Joe Neithardt

Spokesman Reverend

Federico Lombarbi

stated, “Before Easter,

we will have the new

Pope.” This is very excit-

ing to me and many other

Catholics around the

world. Many great Cardi-

nals from around the

world will be considered

by the members of the

Conclave as they make

their momentous deci-

sion. I have faith that

whomever the Church

elects will uphold the

integrity, and honor the

position that is dedicated

to the defense of God’s

teachings and the prolif-

eration of moral behavior

in our world.

…but I’m still pulling for Dolan.

P A P A L R E T I R E M E N T [ C O N T I N U E D ]

Page 4 G A E L W I N D S 2 0 1 3

T E A C H E R F E A T U R E [ C O N T I N U E D ]

A.  Yes, I taught at Alex-ander Hamilton High School, Forest Hills High School and Middle School 210.

Q. Do you enjoy teach-ing at Kennedy?

A. Yes, I find the stu-dents are very motivated. They appreciate the sub-ject matter beyond what I ever thought was possi-ble.

Q. What’s your favorite

thing about Kennedy?

A. Just the overall atmos-phere of Kennedy. The students are supportive of one another. They have a strong willingness to achieve great things. Even outside the class-room, the students are nice. Kennedy also has great teachers who are all trying to work with and help guide the students

on their way to college.

B O O K R E V I E W By Amy Sniffen

Leo Tolstoy’s novel War and Peace is considered one of the greatest pieces of world l i t e r a t u r e . S p r e a d throughout fifteen books, the story chronicles the lives of five prominent Russian families during the years 1805-1812. Though the book is a work of fiction, it is based on historical events such as the Napo-

-leonic Wars and the French invasion of Russia. As the title suggests, War and Peace is a combination of the battles fought by the Russian army and the lives of the Russian socialites. The war and peace aspects of the novel are blended to-gether so as to mimic the natural course of

life during a war.

Three of the novel’s protagonists, Nicholas Rostov, Prince Andrew Bolkonski, and Pierre Bezukhov enlist in the army to protect Rus-sia from outside forces. The story also transitions to the lives of their fami-lies and friends, through which Tolstoy explains

the repercussions of the war, and the people’s opinion on it.

T h o u g h t h e book is extraordinarily long, it is well worth the time and effort required to read it. The book devi-ates from the standard, classic prose one may be accustomed to (as it is an English translation of a Russian work) and it

It is the su-

preme art of the

t e a c h e r t o

awaken joy in

creative expres-

sion and knowl-

edge.

- Albert Einstein

(continued on page 5)

Last year the Lady Gael’s Softball team had a strong season, finishing one game be-hind Pawling in their league, and making it all the way to the Class B Sectional Finals. Unfor-tunately the team was defeated by a tough and experienced Valhalla team in a close hard fought game. The Gaels are ready for another strong season with new Head Coach Entwistle. Coach Andrew Entwistle has been Assistant Var-sity Coach for the past three seasons and is ready to take over as Head Coach. He also has coached several other travel and tournament level softball and base-ball teams. Coach En-twistle stated, “I am very excited to be taking over the head coaching re-sponsibilities after work-ing with the former coach over the last 3 sea-sons.” Coach Entwistle

further stated, “This is a very talented group of young women who I have had the chance to teach over the last sev-eral years both at prac-tice and in clinics.” As-sisting Coach Entwistle is Coach Chris A’hearn. Guidance Counselor and former Gael softball player Michelle Tyson will be coaching the JV team this year.

I asked Coach Entwistle what his goals for the team were this year and he responded that he would like the team to win another league title and then make it all the way to the Class B State Champion-ship. One of Coach En-twistle’s other goals is to build a more cohesive program between the JV and Varsity softball teams.

When I asked Coach Entwistle about the biggest challenges

the team will face this season he responded that there are several tough teams in our league, as well as tough non-league games against much big-ger schools like Ursuline and Mahopac.

This year the team has nine returning players, including senior captains Nicole Alleva, Rachel Entwistle, Kayla Fields and Patrice Grande, who will all be playing in their fourth Varsity season at Ken-nedy. They will be joined by fellow seniors Gena Martin and Gabby Rosado. Other returning players include junior Jen Jamison and sopho-mores Molly Feeney and Jasmine Velez. The team is also expecting to add some promising new younger players, al-though the roster will not be finalized until after official tryouts have con-cluded.

S O F T B A L L L O O K I N G F O R W A R D T O 2 0 1 3 S E A S O N

Page 5 W I N T E R I S S U E

By Nicole Alleva

gives the reader more than just a fictional story. The story is from the perspective of Russian people and it describes what they think about Napoleon and his French Empire. The uncondi-tional love expressed by the Russian people for their Tsar is something

unfamiliar to most peo-ple and it affects how the characters in the book make decisions. For ex-ample, when Nicholas Rostov decides to join the army, he attributes his decision to his love for the Tsar and his de-sire to protect the Tsar and Russia. In addition to

widening the reader’s cultural understanding, this book also appeals to a wide range of readers.

War and Peace is a book that is not typi-cally read by high school students, as it is com-monly perceived as being challenging and difficult to read, but it is in fact

easier than some of the books high school stu-dents are currently apt to read. Overall, the book is well written and reading it exposes one to a new kind of writing that is unfamiliar in the world of English speaking writ-ers.

B O O K R E V I E W [ C O N T I N U E D ]

It’s all about balance and, I think, being in the mo-ment.

- Jennie Finch

This season the Gaels have achieved a solid season. With an 11-9-1 record the Gaels finished second in their conference. This rank reflects a lightning offensive that has generated 71 goals, led by sophomores Austin Johnson with 20 goals and 9 assists and Gavin Garey with 12 goals and 7 assists, junior Mack Tier-ney (12 goals 9 assists), and sophomore Gerard Martirano (10 goals 6 assists). The Gaels defensive has proven equally as powerful with major contributions from senior Max Henry, sophomore Will Martirano, freshman Drew Homola, and freshman Anthony Percacciolo from Haldane. The corner stone of the team’s success has been junior goaltender Joseph Molfetta who has played 660 minutes, faced 433 shots, and has saved 363 of them. The team would like to thank all the students that came to support throughout the sea-son.

K E N N E D Y C A T H O L I C H O C K E Y By Yaroslav Jakymec

Page 6

G A E L W I N D S 2 0 1 3

Editor: John Davin

Managing Editor: Nicole Alleva

Copy Editor: Stephanie Ferreira, Noelle

Torre, Kate Nowinski, Nicole Alleva

Reporters: Alleva, DeMarco, Frasco, Jaky-

mec, Kinghan, Liberati, Nowinski, O’Cal-

laghan, Sniffen, Berry

CONTACT GAEL WINDS

gaelwinds@kennedycatholic.org

Page 7

What is on my mind you ask?

To answer this question seems a simple task

But alas, all the jumble and the clutter that was just there

Has fled, leaving my mind so bare

The harder I think, the farther they flee

And the bits I catch make no sense even to me

So what is on my mind?

The deeper I look there is less to find

And even now all there is the sound of the clock

Tick tock… tick tock… tick tock…

I hate writers block! Why do they even call it a writers’ block? You can build with blocks; blocks are the founda-

tion of something bigger. Writers’ block just completely shuts off all creative activity in the brain, writer’s block

is the… Sorry, got a little off topic there, right, back to the poem

The sound echoes inside my head

Filling it with memories I long thought dead

But not dead, just dormant in my brain

Ready to bring back the joy and the pain

They just needed a little trigger

To turn them into something bigger

What is on my mind you ask?

To answer this question seems a simple task

And yet there are a billion things to say

And none seem to fit in a perfect way

P O E M By Brian Devey

It’s a typical Tuesday night as I sit down on my bed to begin my homework. After a long day of school and a tiring track practice, my focus is not at its best, but I am determined to go to bed early tonight.

I begin my ge-ometry homework by going through a long se-ries of steps just to prove that polygon ABCD is a parallelogram. Halfway through the proof, I hear my iPod “beep” next to me. I decide to finish the homework and then check the message. A minute later it beeps again and then my then my phone buzzes. I have a mental debate with my-self whether or not to pick them up. Finally I give in, and I’m so happy because one of my best friends has texted me about making it on her school track team, while my other friend is asking for the homework assign-ment. I type away vigor-ously, congratulating one friend and giving the as-signment to the other. I put my iPod and phone back on the bed and struggle to return to my work. Triangle ACD is congruent to triangle DBA by… “beep!” My iPod goes off again and I snatch it up to read the message. This cycle con-tinues all evening and I don’t get to bed until midnight. I have to drag myself out of bed the next morning and try not

to fall asleep in class during the day.

E l e c t r o n i c s these days have a huge impact on student’s lives. It’s easy for stu-dents to become dis-tracted, even obsessed, causing them to neglect their studies and other daily activities. These devices have an impact on a typical teenager’s social life. Apps provide easy ways to access so-cial networks such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Texting and social networks can also create a false reality for many teens and may en-courage them to avoid the real world. Face-to-face communication and interaction can become a struggle for some stu-dents. Say you make a new friend, you get their number and decide to text them. The conversa-tion is going great and multiple “lols” are ex-changed. You decide you really like and know this person, but the next day when you try to talk to them in school, it’s a challenge. Some couples even break up over text message. There’s no need to explain your feelings when a short, “I’m sorry but this isn’t working out, I’d just like to be friends” will do.

According to mashable.com, the aver-age teen sends over 3,000 texts a month.

Texting is a daily activ-ity and distraction. It can even become a serious addiction.

Here’s an easy to follow five-step re-covery program for teens wishing to control their electronic use.

Step 1: Admit you have a problem. If you’re texting constantly during class, putting off homework or studying to text, or texting during the time you’re with family, then you are probably addicted to your electronic device. Don’t be alarmed; many people are.

Step 2: Start by gradually cutting down on the time you spend on your device. The first week put your phone away at 7 pm. The next week, make 6:30 your goal and the following week aim for 6. By do-ing this, you don’t to-tally isolate yourself from technology but you set some hours, which helps you become more productive. However, on weekends feel free to go a little crazy!

Step 3: When-ever possible, meet your friends face-to-face. Having a great time to-gether is better than con-stantly talking to each other behind a screen. And remember that when you’re with your friends don’t text other people; devote your time and attention to them

Step 4: Be physically active! Try joining a sport with your school or town team. You’ll meet new people and work off daily stress. If you’re not ath-letically inclined, get out your bike or go for a walk.

Step 5: Remind yourself that you’re missing out on whole parts of life when you’re attached to your elec-tronic device. So step five is just to shut it off and live a little!

The Gael Winds team is proud to recognize that-this article was pub-lished in the Westchester Family Magazine.

T O O M U C H T E C H - A F I V E - S T E P P R O G R A M T O C O N T R O L L I N G T H E E L E C T R O N I C D E V I C E S I N Y O U R L I F E By Emma Berry

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