Monthly Archives: September 2017

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In a Blink of an Eye: Senior Year

“One day you are a freshman, scared of your first day. Next, you are saying goodbye to your best friends and going to college,” says Caroline Smith. She remembers the first day of freshman year when Sister Kathy said the next few years would fly by. No one would believe it, but it turned out to be their reality. This bittersweet year holds nothing but the best for the seniors. With inaugural, clash of the classes, and most importantly the Disney trip, they have so much to look forward to. Alex Fazzari says, “ I’m very excited for Disney. Im looking forward to the fun experience with friends and a break from the whirlwind of the year!” The Disney trip gives the Seniors the opportunity to spend over 20 hours on a bus together, days at different parks throughout Orlando, and most importantly to make memories that they will hold close to them for years to come. This is just one of the many moments of their last year that will most certainly make it the best.

Another huge part of senior year, which can be stressful, but rewarding at the same time is college applications. They are currently looking for the best fit for them for the next four years, just as St. Rose was for them. Seniors Kailah Cummings and Erin Mcdermott say, “We are looking forward to receiving those college acceptances because it will just show that all these years of hard work paid off. We are excited for the future and can’t wait to make the best out of these next few months with our best friends.” Although the process is time consuming and nerve-racking, each individual is enthusiastic about knowing where they will end up. The amount of memories already created won’t ever be forgotten, but senior year will add a thousand more to the list. It’s their time to make it the best and the rest of the St. Rose community will be able to experience it with them.

By Brittany Lopes ’18

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This Week in Athletics

As the school year progresses, the St. Rose athletics schedule continues to intensify as all of the teams are working daily, either at practice or during games. Every St. Rose sports fan should come out to support the teams as they pursue, and hopefully achieve, athletic excellence.

Girls Volleyball took on Rumson Fair-Haven this Tuesday and although they lost 2-0, their close games reflects great improvement from the start of the season and certainly foreshadows victory to come. Senior setter and captain Alex Bonnano echoed this sentiment post-game, saying “We’re getting better and better everyday at practice, and it’s showing at our games. Everyone really played well today.” Alex credits the hustle of each girl on the court, and particularly the aggression of senior outside hitter Danielle Jordan in both sets in the girls’ ability to play a close game.

St. Rose Girls Field Hockey faced off against Mater Dei Prep in 5-0 victory this Monday, led by Emily DeFalco, who scored 4 goals. They are playing at home against Keyport High School this Friday, September 22, at 4 o’clock, and are hoping for a big win.

Girls Tennis is looking to bounce back with a victory against Henry Hudson this Friday after a hard 4-1 loss to Point Pleasant Beach this past Friday, September 15. The team also fell to Trinity Hall 5-0 on Thursday, September 21, but are hopeful for victory in the near future.

Both Boys and Girls Soccer lost to Jackson Memorial this week, the girls this Monday in a 7-0 defeat, and the boys this Monday, also 7-0.

Coming up in St. Rose athletics this week, Boys’ Soccer takes on Point Pleasant Boro at home on this Saturday, September 23, at 10 AM. Girls Soccer will also play Point Pleasant Boro this Saturday at 10 AM at Point Pleasant Boro High School. Girls Field Hockey hosts Holmdel High School on Saturday at 11:15 AM. Boys and Girls Cross Country will be competing in the Six Flags Safari Run on Saturday, September 30 at 9 AM. Come out and show your support at one of these exciting athletic events!

By Caitlin Wilson ’18

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Altaration

Have you ever been bored and just watched the minutes go by at Mass? Well, Mr. Petrillo has a started a program called Altaration. This program, as Mr. Petrillo says, “ aims to answer the who, what, when, where, how and why of the Catholic Mass.” Most of us who become disinterested at Mass is usually because we truly do not understand what is going on. Altaration, designed by Ascension Press, enlightens students and challenges them to see Mass in a different point of view. Being in God’s presence at Mass ultimately should be out of love and devotion to the Almighty Father.

By watching beautifully crafted videos, listening to spiritual music and listening to testimonials, we, as Catholics, will learn to be an integral part of Mass and look at it differently. The goal of Altaration is to make Mass not an obligation but a time where spirituality and love become one between yourself and God. During the meetings, a different aspect of Mass is discussed and then examined by all the attendees to see how that hour in church on Sunday can be more devotional. The use of masterfully designed videos of church Masses and much conversation on how to become a part of the Mass will make that hour more captivating for the student.

If you are interested in becoming a part of this program see Mr. Petrillo, the campus minister, or contact him through Schoology. You can also check out a meeting. The meetings are held on Mondays, starting on October 16, afterschool. Anyone can be a part Altaration. Come by and find out how to make your time at Mass more engaging and make “Mass an encounter with God, who comes to and gives Himself to us,” stated by Mr. Petrillo. Take on this challenge to be completely involved in Mass.

By Ashley Bock ’18

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NHS Induction

On the evening of Thursday, September 21st, 2017, family members and students involved in the St. Rose High School community gathered in the St. Rose church to celebrate the new members of the National Honors Society, as well as celebrate academic excellence among the student body.

Also, the new principal, Mr. Tonero, installed the recently elected officers of the National Honor Society Executive Board. This includes the president, Alexandria Fazzari, vice president, Lauren Taylor, secretary, Erin McDermott, parliamentarian, Megan Kendall, and treasurer, Colleen Hull.

This year, the National Honors Society welcomed 25 new members into The Sister Ann Massarelli Chapter of the National Honor Society.  Five are from the senior class of 2018 and twenty new members are a part of the class of 2019.

After the new members pledged their allegiance to the National Honors Society, lead by the new NHS president, Mrs. MacIsaac began the awards portion of the night.  

She started by announcing the students who received the highest average and second highest average in each course during the 2016-2017 school year. Sophomores, juniors, and seniors had the opportunity to receive a multitude of awards for their academic successes in various subjects and studies. Awards were presented for the scholastic areas of English, Mathematics, World Language, Science, Social Studies, Humanities, Digital Media, and Physical Education courses.

A select few seniors received scholarship and awards as well as they start their journey in the college search.

Following the ceremony, guests were offered beverages and snacks in the St. Rose High School cafeteria and were welcomed to take pictures to celebrate. The 21st night of September was definitely one to remember due to all the accomplishments the St. Rose students have achieved.

By Emily Brown ‘18

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Preparing for Spirit Week

With the 2017-2018 school year in full swing, students are already beginning to look forward to Spirit Week here at St. Rose. During Spirit Week, students celebrate their school pride by participating in different activities, such as dressing according to the corresponding theme of the day. This year’s Spirit Week beginning Monday, October 2nd, comes with plenty of excitement.

The theme of Spirit Week as a whole this year is Movies. Every day to dress down is given a name of a movie to correlate with what the students should wear, allowing students to showcase their creativity. The week kicks off on Monday with Twin Day, going along with the movie The Parent Trap. Students dress in alliance with another student as “twins,” relating to Lindsay Lohan playing identical twins Annie and Hallie in the Parent Trap. Following twin day is Superhero day, titled as the Avengers. On Wednesday, the faculty and students join together to walk the boardwalk during the Walk-A-Thon to raise money towards the school. This year, St. Rose is hoping to raise enough money to install new water fountains and refillable water bottle stations to encourage less plastic water bottle waste. The last school day of Spirit Week brings Clash of the Classes, a reoccurring event at St. Rose in which the Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, and Senior classes compete against each other in several different activities. The event will take place in the gym, with each separate class wearing their class shirt, distincted by color. The Seniors are represented by The Bee Movie, the Juniors by the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the Sophomores by the Incredibles, and finally the Freshman by the Smurfs. Along with the competitions in the gym on Thursday at the official Clash of the Classes, there will be a new addition this year of competitions during the lunch periods of Spirit Week. The points received during lunch will transfer to Clash of the Classes, adding more ways to win.

Finally, Spirit Week will finish off with a bonfire on the beach celebrating the achievements of the fall sport athletes. The students always have a blast at this event and it gives a chance for the students to interact outside of the school and classroom environment. A fun new addition to this year’s bonfire is a DJ! After this week of fun, the students will enjoy Friday off because of the St. Rose golf team’s win, accumulating to a four-day weekend to celebrate Columbus Day.

All students are encouraged to participate during Spirit Week by dressing down with the appropriate theme. Show your Roses pride!

By Erin McDermott ’18

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Faith in the Hallways

Hello students of St Rose High School, as we all know God is a big part of our lives and everyday we show our faith throughout the school halls together.

In these first couple days of school, the senior classes are settling into Mrs. Martz’s Red Brick classroom. They are beginning by speaking about the Mystery of God. God is a never ending conversation because there is so much we do not know and so much to learn. Religion is attempting to give meaning to your life and as Mrs. Martz said “being ultimately concerned about an ultimate concern.” Everyone has a different perspective on the term religion, what is your own definition of Religion.  

The students in Mrs. Carton’s senior class are learning about the varying meanings to the word religion. The word itself is hard to define because it means so many different things to different people. By definition, the word religion means “to bind,” but the students in the class worked on finding and defining the word in their own way. One student in the class, Megan Peropat, defines it as “a system of beliefs concerning the creations of the universe involving a set of ethics.”

The religion that the seniors are taking is called World Religion. In contrast to the previous religion classes of the underclassmen, where one learns about our own religion of Christianity, in the senior religion class, the students will learn about the various religions around the world, such as Buddhism and Islam. Throughout all four years the religion that you learn builds up into the next year. Each year you get deeper into the meaning and start to have and show better morals and values in your life.

As a community we grow and share our beliefs about God and create a bond that is everlasting and we continue to strengthen our religion and knowledge everyday.

By Elizabeth Marsicano ’18

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Sports Update Week 2

While the school year is just beginning, we are already well into the fall sport season. All the fall sport teams are working hard and determined to succeed this year.

Boys soccer recently won their game against Point Beach on Friday 5 to 3. Although they have suffered their losses, they are working hard on the field and hope to improve. MC Yushak, a defender and a senior on the team said, “We will bounce back playing well against Hudson tomorrow. We have been practicing and are ready to win!” They are projected to play well at their game this Friday.

Girls soccer recently won a game against Keyport. They have a game on Friday which is projected to be a good match. “It’s going to be a tough game but it’s winnable,” said Megan Merkler, a senior on the team. She believes they have the potential to succeed this year.

The field hockey team is adjusting to a new coach this year and have played several games this season. While they are an underclass men dominant team, they are working hard on their strengths and improving. They recently won in their game against Ranney 6-0 on Tuesday. Maeve Cosgrove had a hat trick to lead St. Rose to a 6-0 win over Ranney in Tinton Falls. Emily DeFalco added a goal and three assists for St. Rose, which led 5-0 at halftime. Lauren Denci added a goal in the win.Their next game is against Mater Dei on Monday. Ellie Farrell, a senior and captain on the team stated, “This season is all about strengthening not only our bonds as a team but directing that into how we play together on the field.” She believes it is important for the team to work on their relationship with each other on the field, beginning with off the field.

Be sure to come and show your support for your fellow Roses as they continue to work hard this season.

By Erin McDermott ’18

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Renovations at St. Rose

Have you seen the new classroom renovations in the 500s and the 600s?

Check out the new modern design in the science labs in the 500’s! The change of the environment will make it even more inviting and exciting to learn.

Remember the time your IPad was running low and could not find an outlet. Don’t worry in the 500’s, you can now charge your IPad with the new charging desks.

In the 600’s there are new cabinets for the teachers to store all of their supplies. The rolling cabinets allows for the teachers to move what is needed throughout the classroom without any hassle.

By Ashley Bock ’18

 

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Welcome to St. Rose High School and The Courier!

This school year, St. Rose consists of students from the classes of 2021 to the class of 2018. The first day of school consisted of homeroom, a short but fulfilling prayer service, and then classes. Homeroom included receiving iPads, schedules, locks and lockers. Fortunately, locker combinations are the same each year, so seniors usually only need to practice their codes once to get them right. Freshman, on the other hand, need to repeatedly put in their combinations to memorize them. This is metaphoric to adjusting to St. Rose, because everyone, including freshman, eventually gets the hang of both school and their lockers.

Everyone feels many different emotions during their first week of school. Whether you are a senior or a freshman, all students feel nervous but excited for the upcoming year. The first two weeks of school just ended and students, faculty, and staff are all still adjusting to the new year.

Danny Fazzari is a freshman, class of 2021. When asked how he felt transitioning from St. Dominic’s to St. Rose, he responded: “It caught me off guard; I was nervous but excited to begin my high school journey. It’s weird not being an upperclassmen. The work load seems heavier but I feel well prepared for the classes. It seems like there are a lot more fun things that go on during the year that I’m excited for, like spirit week.”

Then, when asked about the atmosphere of SRHS, Danny replied: “It’s a really friendly atmosphere; the kids are really nice. It’s easy to go up to anyone and ask for help if I don’t know where to go.”

No matter if you are a senior or freshman, schedules and classes are new to everyone. As Danny stated, don’t hesitate to ask any teachers or students for help if you need assistance getting to any classrooms or offices.

By Maddy Looney ’18

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New Summer Reading Program

This summer the English Department assigned the CPA classes two novels, the Honors classes three novels, and the AP Literature class four novels. The novels were fiction and nonfiction pieces. Emily Brown ‘18 said, “My favorite summer reading book was The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls.” Sean Donohue ‘20 said, “My favorite book was Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kidd.” Each freshmen read God on the Starting Line written by Marc Bloom. This novel is special to the St. Rose community because it is written about the cross country team at St. Rose 20 years ago. Marc Bloom was the coach at the time and he led the team to a victory at the 2000 State Championship after being a coach for three years. This is a novel every member of the St. Rose community should read.

The English Department assigned new Summer Reading assignments to go along with the novels. Instead of returning to school with several tests to take, students completed annotations and projects. The annotations were completed in the form of a reading log. The level of the course varied the number of entries needed per chapter. Each entry required a quote from the novel demonstrating the author’s use of a literary technique. The students then needed to provide an explanation of the impact of the technique. The projects required students to use their knowledge of one novel to complete a creative project. The Sophomore Honors class worked a project on East of Eden where they needed to create a family tree for one of the characters in the novel. The Senior Honors class project was on The Awakening by Kate Chopin and they had a choice of a variety of activities each with a different number of points. Each student needed to do enough activities to add up to 10 points. During the first week of school the CPA and Honors classes, completed essay tests on the one remaining assigned novels. Overall, students responded well to this new style of summer reading assignments. Tara Glover ‘19 said, “I liked the new summer reading because it helped me start the year with good English grades and it made the transition from summer to the new school year easier. I was also able to enjoy the novel’s rather than being stressed about three tests.”

By: Sheila Magrini ’18