The Blackfriar Chronicle - March 2015

MARCH 2015 VOLUME 15, NUMBER 6

ChronicleThe

www.mpfriarslantern.COMBLACKFRIAR

Class of 2019 projected to be most diverse in Malvern historyAdmissions notes huge change in percentage, while little change in recruitment.

Justice Bennett ‘16CHIEF INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER

In the fall of 2013, the Board of Trustees unveiled a new plan to increase diversity, including a rarity - a quantitative goal. The school wishes to increase the diversity from 6.6% at the

time it was rolled out to a schoolwide 20% by 2019. In June, as part of the plan, Malvern added its first-ever

Assistant Director of Admissions and Diversity, Mr. Patrick Williams ‘03.

“This 2019 class did not see much of a change [in recruit-ment]. I came in June, and [Director of Admissions] Mr. Kenney was only in his first year, so he was trying to make sure he was

cultivating relationships with the feeder schools we already had in place,” said Williams.

However, even without significant changes to Malvern’s recruitment process, the Diversity Oversight Committee estimates the Class of 2019 will have 13-16% racial diversity. This is largely due to the high number of diverse students in the eighth grade class expected to matriculate into the freshman class. Williams said it is the most diverse class in terms of percentage that Malvern has ever seen.

This past year, Kenney said Malvern began to reach out to programs such as A Better Chance. According to their website, “A Better Chance is the oldest and only national organization

of its kind changing the life trajectory for academically talented youth of color via access to rigorous and prestigious educational opportunities for students in grades 6-12.”

According to Williams, the next step is going to be building relationships with more racially diverse areas within a 10 mile radius, such as the Norristown/Methacton area. This is because busing is available for students within these areas. Williams indi-cated that it has been difficult to get students from more urban areas such as Philadelphia due to transportation challenges.

“Imagine it like a net. There are all these students in Philadelphia and there is a huge net of independent schools along

Learning Commons gets new Chromebooks

Matthew Lanetti ‘15EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Twenty newer model HP Chromebooks were added to the Learning Commons arsenal of student technology on Tuesday, March 10. According to Mrs. Diane Dougherty,

Education Services Administrator, Malvern Prep purchased these laptops through a Pennsylvania Department of Education pro-gram, not directly through Malvern’s Technology Department.

The 20 new computers have replaced the 20 older Chromebooks, which were in poor condition, according to Dougherty.

“They don’t make the old models anymore. [The new models] are basically the same thing,” said Dougherty.

Mr. John Street, Assistant Director of Technology, said that the old Chromebooks are being repurposed around campus.

These devices were purchased through the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Acts 195/90/35. This program “pro-vides for the loan of textbooks, instructional materials and equip-ment to Pennsylvania students enrolled in private/public schools,” according to the PA Department of Education’s website.

According to Dougherty, Malvern did not use all of this year’s Department of Education funds allotted to Malvern on textbooks. “If you don’t use the money, you lose the money,” she said.

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ESPN’s Pablo Torre hosts Sports Reporter Challenge

Sports journalist Pablo Torre visited Malvern this March to show students how to report major sporting news and share wisdom on America’s many pastimes.

Jack Marchesani ‘15EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

As a continuation of Malvern’s Distinguished Speaker Series, Pablo Torre, a nationally-recognized sports reporter most notably known for his work at ESPN

Magazine and Around the Horn, spoke at the Duffy Center on Monday, March 23.

Torre led a debate with three students who completed Malvern’s Sports Reporter Challenge, on whether college ath-letes should be paid. Following this, he gave a presentation on the influence of sports on American culture, stigmas about sports and mental health, and the tie between masculinity and the sporting world.

A past student of Head of School Mr. Christian Talbot, Torre

has become a household name in the world of sports reporting in the last decade. In a session with the Blackfriar Chronicle staff, Mr. Torre explained he was not involved in newspaper or journalism at Regis. Instead, he was a committed member of the debate team, which, he explained, would help him in television reporting. He would later attend Harvard University, where he majored in Sociology, wrote for the Harvard Crimson, and gradu-ated Magna Cum Laude.

He then went to work for big name publications and programs such as Sports Illustrated, ESPN Magazine, Olbermann, Around the Horn, and others. Mr. Torre has specialized in reporting on the seemingly overlooked areas of the sporting world.

In the weeks leading up to Torre’s presentation, students were

AUDIENCE WATCHES PABLO TORRE MODERATE STUDENT SPORTS REPORTER DISCUSSION / J. MARCHESANI

ILLUSTRATION / M. PICHOLA ‘16

Seniors almost slid past the March Editorial Board...

...but they stood back up to present a discussion and column about the senior slide at Malvern.

PAGE 2

What does it take to transform Duffy into a giant jukebox?

Faculty of the Issue Mr. Rob Muntz talks sculpture, set design, and why he chose art over accounting.

PAGE 4

Brotherhood means building an inclusive community.

Senior Mike McCarthy considers whether Malvern has a misogyny problem.

PAGE 12

THE BLACKFRIAR CHRONICLE2 March 2015

EDITORIALThe “right” way to slideThe Editorial Board takes a look at how seniors face their final year, and what can be done to make the most of it.

Editorial Board

It’s 3:10 on the final day of the second quar-ter. Campus is abuzz, filled with students trying to hand in final assignments, finish

up tests, and convince teachers just how deserv-ing they are of that A+.

Amidst the chaos, many seniors are breath-ing a sigh of relief. With college acceptance letters in hand, they know that the much-antic-ipated senior slide is about to begin.

“I would give you a quote about senior slide, but I’m a senior and that seems like way too much work,” said Maeve Mulvanerty of The Academy of Notre Dame de Namur.

The Ed itor ia l Boa rd defines the senior slide as the slow decline in motivation that takes place within the senior class, synonymous with over-all apathy towards schoolwork. We have also found that a rea-lignment of focus onto more social outlets goes hand-in-hand with the “slide.”

Senior slide is not unique to Warren Avenue. A 2003 New York Times Column on the ways to best use the time in second semester recog-nized senior slide as a widespread and commonly accepted occurrence, prevalent at most schools.

The Editorial Board defines the senior slide as seniors' decline in motivation towards schoolwork. Once the slide begins, many seniors realign their focus from academics into social outlets and the traditions of senior year.

First, it seems that the decline in motivation is caused, in part, by a unanimous “tiredness” amongst seniors. After three and a half years of handling schoolwork, athletics, extracurriculars, part-time jobs, standardized tests, and college applications on top of balancing a home and social life, seniors feel an entitlement towards a

“break.” This time of rest could be in preparation for a more challenging college life, or could be out of sheer academic fatigue.

“Everyone relaxes,” said Joe Disipio ‘14, a freshman at The University of Notre Dame.

Anthony Abron '14, a freshman at George Washington University, agrees. "I think that seniors work so hard to prepare for their col-lege apps and make their grades perfect that it is

inevitable that senior slide will occur once they start hearing decisions."

On top of this, we have found that seniors also begin to re-prioritize, giving promi-nence to outside activities and desires that seem to be fleet-ing as college fast approaches.

Finally, and possibly most significantly, senior slide is caused by tradition. Watching seniors slide for three years in a row encourages students to believe that the slide is normal

and acceptable. Do schools teach senior slide? Would the senior slide exist if underclassmen were not taught by example that it existed?

“I’m not really sure if I will [slide].” said Kieran Cullen ‘17. “I feel like it all depends on what schools I’m looking at and whether or not they require a certain GPA.”

Many find the senior slide to be a matter of ethics. The question of if it’s “right” to let your-self slip on an academic front typically arises.

There are two sides in this debate: those who say the senior slide is deserved and those who say seniors owe it to themselves to continue hard work until the end.

The Editorial Board believes that the senior slide is deserved as long as the student has held him or herself to high standards in the three and half years prior, and continues to work with integrity.

Integrity, with respect to the senior slide, is respect for oneself in regards to schoolwork and academic standing, respect for the work of others, and respect for the institution at which the student is enrolled. This idea is closely tied to properly representing their school.

"Of those to whom much has been given, much is expected," said college counselor Mr. Richard Roper. "[Malvern students] are a priv-ileged group that have certain responsibilities they must maintain. Students have to maintain a professional academic integrity throughout the entire year.”

Roper has been at Malvern for 39 years, and has experienced the senior slide both as a teacher and as a counselor.

"I think it’s become worse in the last 10 years," said Roper. "Part of the reason for that is because of the expectations that are placed upon you as students in junior and senior years. That makes it difficult to maintain a certain aca-demic focus."

It is evident that senior slide can be negative. Unfortunately, many seniors get into the habit of not taking school work seriously, and this doesn’t end with Graduation. Students are also expected to not blame their school for any nega-tive effects that come along with senior slide.

Another downside of sliding is the looming threat of a college revoking an acceptance due to poor grades. Although uncommon, students who have “slid too hard” have been known to receive that dreadful letter in the mail, letting them know they are no longer admitted to the college of their dreams.

Yet there is a “right” way to slide. It seems that it has become acceptable for students to take their foot off the gas once college acceptances have rolled around, but how much is too much? Is there a better way to use students’ time?

The Editorial Board believes that through the help of the school, seniors can much better use their time, all the while catering to academic

fatigue and a “deserved” break.Many students find that second semester

can actually be a time of advanced education. In fact, many students replace apathy with pas-sion. Driven by a newfound desire to learn, and facilitated by the alleviation of school pressures, students often commit themselves to learning things that they care about, instead of droning on with material they find tedious.

“Looking back on it, [senior slide] wasn’t a bad thing. Sure my grades dropped and I wasn’t fully engaged in all my classes, but then again that gave me more time to enjoy other classes and pursue other interests,” said Matt Magargee ‘14, a freshman at Syracuse University.

“It is the job of the educators and the par-ents to push them, because if we allow senior slide then we are virtually giving the students four additional months to the three months of summer vacation, and they are going to forget the hard work that it takes to do well in school,” said Anthony Abron ‘14, a freshman at George Washington University.

In an attempt to encourage this behavior, the Editorial Board proposes that Malvern, along with other schools, opens up more oppor-tunities for seniors to learn what they truly care about. We believe that independent stud-ies, student-designed classes, and off-campus internships would make finding passion easier for the students. These student-centered options will allow students to dive deeper into what they truly care about.

Please note, this is not a call for a full-scale revamping of senior year. Instead, this is a request for seniors to be given the choice of learning about the areas that they find will serve them best in the future.

While we recognize that this is a long and difficult program to implement, we believe that this would truly encourage the spirit of Malvern, in becoming men who “learn today and lead tomorrow.” n

Letter to the EditorLit & Film was “the most engaging class I ever took at Malvern.” Why does the NCAA have say over what we can learn?

Dear Editors,

I had the opportunity to read the February edition of The Black Friar Chronicle over spring break. In the article "NCAA Core Requirements limit recognized

classes for students," I learned that Malvern's Literature and Film course had been denied by the NCAA, and would no longer be offered in the future.

According to the article, NCAA denies coursesthat "taught below grade level, at a slower pace, with less rigor or depth" or that are "not academic in nature."

Pissed.I can't even fathom the reasoning behind

this ruling. I've experienced the class, I've read all the books, I've seen all the films and I'm saying this is ridiculous.

Lit & Film was the most engaging class I ever took at Malvern. It was the doorway to an entirely different world for me. Since then I've become sort of a self-(and friend)-claimed literature & film trivia buff. I mean how could I not?

The Maltese Falcon introduced me to the legendary acting tal-ent of Humphrey Bogart. I went on to watch Casablanca in my basement, alone, over the summer. Amazing movie, doesn't get much better than that.

The name Philip Marlowe is etched into my brain's list of detectives next to Bond, Poirot, Sam Spade, Father Brown,

Holmes, Monk, I could go on. Nobody my age has any idea who the heck Philip Marlowe is, but I do and I take pride in that. I show all my friends the detective film that I made at the end of the class, entitled The Big Jeep.

Murder on the Orient Express was one of the only books that I was fully engaged in through-out my entire high school career. It got me so interested in murder/mysteries I went on to read five more Agatha Christie novels, and boy are they juicy. Hercule Poirot, what a guy!

I firmly believe that this course put forth necessary knowledge and topics. The NCAA states that classes like this and Film Study are not academically based. Are you kidding me? Film and TV are THE BASIS OF MODERN SOCIETY. Film and TV is now what written literature was before the 20th and 21st centu-ries. How can studying this huge topic not be academic? I don't understand that. I'm not even

a film major but I'm still passionate about this stuff. Kids are more likely to go see a movie or watch a TV show

than read a book or do homework that's a fact because I've been there and still do it. It's just my generation. I fear that people will begin to blindly view these flashing images on a screen without taking any of the deeper information in. How can you really understand the thought process and practice behind a film with-out the knowledge of the impact of different camera angles or lenses?

One of my good friends at Syracuse is a film major and claims to love films. However, I always try to engage him in conversa-tions about what I learned in Lit & Film or make references to the material. He has no idea what I'm talking about.

I fear that this knowledge is dying just like the class. I deeply worry about that. Lit & Film was one of my favorite classes at Malvern. It was the English class that I learned the most from and got the most out of. (No knocks to Mr. Roper - I just wasn't as engaged in his Honors Brit. Lit. That's probably on me and my interests.)

I guess I'm just trying to say that I enjoyed Lit & Film to an amazing extent and maybe I didn't realize it until after gradu-ation. I'm very disappointed that current students will not be able to experience the class and enjoy learning about that stuff like I did.

Thanks to Mr. Dougherty and Mr. Rogai for the experience. I never realized that the NCAA had so much say over what we could learn - or not learn - at a school like Malvern. Any chance they might change their minds on this foul?

Matt Magargee MP '14Syracuse University School of Architecture '19Fruar Life Editor, BFC, 2013-2014 n

I never realized that

the NCAA had so much say

over what we could learn - or not learn -

at a school like Malvern.

Senior slide is deserved as long

as the student has held him or herself to high standards in the three and half years prior, and continues to work with

integrity.

THE BLACKFRIAR CHRONICLE March 2015 3

FRIAR LIFE

is a monthly student-run publication at Malvern Preparatory School. Its online affiliate is the Friar’s Lantern (www.mpfriarslantern.com). Mission StatementThe Blackfriar Chronicle and The Friar’s Lantern are the student-run publications of Malvern Prep. The principal goals of the publica-tions are to provide accurate and relevant information to the Malvern community and to offer a forum for intelligent dialogue on all things Malvern. The reporting for these student publications is conducted thoroughly and edited by student leaders to ensure this accuracy to the best of our ability. In order to fairly provide all points of view, contributions from all members of the Malvern community are welcomed and encouraged through letters of opinion, student reporting, and respectful commentary.

[email protected] / Twitter @friarslantern1 / facebook.com/TheFriarsLanternEDITORS IN CHIEF

Jack Marchesani ‘15Matthew Lanetti ‘15

MANAGING EDITORSPrint: Michael McHugh ‘15

Online: Chris Bunn ‘16INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER

Justice Bennett ‘16

SECTION EDITORSFriar Life

Tyler Pizzico ‘17Sports

Sean Christman ‘17Patrick Ferraiolo ‘17

ArtsTommy Pero ‘17

Jimmy Canuso ‘17

Media & TechnologyMike McCarthy ‘15Local/World NewsJake Sorensen ‘15

Social Media / PodcastBen Yankelitis ‘16

EDITORIAL BOARDAll editors

Mike Flanagan ‘16David Wright ‘15Jack Walker ‘18

Jack Magargee ‘18

ChronicleTheBLACKFRIAR

Class of 2016 Student Council President: Alex FreudIncumbent student body president discussed his motivations and plans for the upcoming year.

Tyler Pizzico, Ben YankelitisFRIAR LIFE EDITOR, SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR

After a close race between five candidates, Alex Freud ‘16 won the race for Class of 2016 Student Council President.

Utilizing a combination of ideas and humor in his speech in his speech, Freud edged out new Vice President Ted Holleran. We sat down with Freud to get to know our new president a little better.

Why did you decide to run for office?It’s been one of the things I’ve wanted to do since 6th grade and then the deadline to run approached. I decided it was something that I wanted to do and I thought it would be a lot of fun and now …. here I am.

Who are some of your role models, and why?Ryan Doane told everyone how fun it was, and that it was definitely worth it if you took it seri-ously and tried to help the school community as

much as possible. My role mod-els on campus are Father Flynn and Mr. Algeo because they helped me through the entire process. And after I won, they were extremely nice and helpful.

What have you seen as some of the major accom-plishments of Student Council during your time at Malvern?The first year I was here, the president, Adams Daramy ‘13, made the cafeteria more diverse in food selection and that was one of his big things in off ice. Then, this year, Doane did a lot with the D schedules and putting in the games and scheduling

tournaments. Winterfest was also awesome. The school spirit also increased with his time

in office… the blue and gray games were awesome this year.

What is your view of leadership?There definitely are limits because obviously a student can’t run the entire school. But I am going to try and do a lot more with the D sched-ules to increase school spirit even further. We are just going to reach out to everyone and see what they actually want and hopefully make it happen. The advisors, Dr. D’Lugos

and Ms. Lohse, want us to run eve-rything by ourselves, from a student

perspective. We’re definitely going to do all that we can.

Anything specific about what we will be doing with the D schedules?Next year we might see Malvern’s first ever Quidditch game. I think it would also be cool if we did a mini THON

like they do at Penn State, a lot of high schools are doing that now.

What opportunities are you looking forward to, in office?I’m looking forward to reaching out to all the students, getting to know everyone, having fun, and making sure Malvern is ideal for every sin-gle person. Everyone will have the chance to do what they want to do.

You named three things that described yourself in your speech. How do you hope, at the end of your term, students at Malvern will describe you? I hope to be described as someone who reached out to them individually. That’s one of the things I want to do - get to know a lot about the student body and see what they want. I’ll be seen as a reliable and trustworthy person. n

Campus Hero of the Issue: Mr. Mark McLaughlinA man of many talents, Mr. McLaughlin has an interesting story as to how he got here to Malvern along with many hidden talents.

Mike Droogan ‘16CORRESPONDENT

We had the chance to catch up with Mr. Mark McLaughlin, a critical

figure here at Malvern. You might not know it, but it’s because of his hard work that many things at Malvern run so smoothly.

What is exactly is your job here at Malvern?I’m part of the maintenance depart-ment. Also, I work at the Duffy Center. I handle some of the technical things and help out for the shows and events that we have in the evening.

What got you involved in the shows?I have a performance background. I played in a band for years and did sound at different shows, so I have a little bit of knowledge about some theatrical stuff. When they built the new building [Duffy Center], I thought there may be a need for some help. I just offered to help out.

What did you do before coming here to Malvern?I worked in the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard for 20 years. I started out in the machine shop, and then I was quality control. We inspected materi-als the Navy brought in from outside vendors.

How did you end up here?Well they closed the shipyard in 1995. I knew the guy who was head of maintenance here. He offered me a job and I thought I would stay here for a couple months until I found a

new job, but I will have been here for 20 years now this May.

Did you grow up around here?I grew up in Upper Darby, Delaware County. I have two sons, one gradu-ated from Malvern in 2003 and another son went to Bonner. That’s where I went.

What do you like most about work-ing at Malvern?Just that everyone is so friendly. It’s kind of a family atmosphere.

You said you were in a band. What was that like?We started the band in high school and then played on and off for a cou-ple years. In the 80’s we were able to be in a project where we got some local airplay got to play some gigs. It was fun.

What instruments do you play? How did you learn?I play the piano, I took lessons for a few years in grade school and I have a ukulele at home that I’m trying to learn.

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MR. MCLAUGHLIN / J. MARCHESANI

Development Office cultivates fundraising, relationshipsEver wonder how Malvern receives money outside of tuition?

Jack Magargee ‘18ARTS EDITOR

“I have zero idea what that is,” said the reporter when the Development Office was mentioned at a recent student meeting.

Yes, I did just quote myself. So I decided to find out.The Development Office is headed by Mr. Victor

D’Ascenzo ‘81. He is tasked with overseeing all the activities that deal with fundraising, as well as oversee-ing Alumni Relations, Planned Giving, and the Malvern Fund. This involves reaching out to alumni, parents and former parents to make gifts to Malvern.

As the Director of Development, D’Ascenzo is chal-lenged to oversee all of these areas and make sure they fit together in a cohesive and efficient way. Simply put, it comes down to “not asking the same person two or three times for a gift,” according to D’Ascenzo.

Alumni Relations is exactly what it sounds like: culti-vating relationships between the alumni of Malvern and their alma mater. Whether it is getting engaged with sports, Malvern Theatre Society, or a seminar, alumni are often interested in staying involved with the school. And this is not just a one-way street. Malvern supports alumni as well by sharing opportunities in jobs and internships and developing connections.

Mr. Mike Treston ‘02, is the head of Alumni

Relations. Treston reaches out to alumni and will occa-sionally ask for a gift. “Sporting equipment, technology, anything you guys encounter through your day is basically supported by alumni,” said Treston.

“A large part of what I do is turning someone who is interested in helping to someone who is helping,” said Treston.

Long-term donating is where Planned Giving comes in. “Anything that is a non-cash asset, so if someone has their will and names Malvern as a beneficiary, a trust, or a retirement plan,” described Ms. Mary-Helen McCulloch, Director of Planned Giving.

Planned Giving is not limited to monetary gifts. McCulloch said, “I do a lot of outreach to assess their interest in this kind of gift and also stewardship which is thanking the Malvern community for being involved, not just in gifts but in service too.” So this goes beyond the long-term financial security of Malvern. Planned Giving reaches out to members of the community and thanks them for what they have given back.

The Malvern Fund is yet another section of the Development Office. “The Malvern Fund is an annual fundraiser that makes up the difference between what our tuition dollars cover and what it costs per student to

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ALEX FREUD / T. PIZZICO

THE BLACKFRIAR CHRONICLE4 March 2015

FRIAR LIFE

Entrepreneurship opportunities arise at MalvernA new entrepreneurship club gives students real world experience

Jimmy Canuso ‘17ARTS EDITOR

Many high schoolers find themselves troubled with the question of what they want to study in college. It is hard to know if you really want

to be a chemical engineer by taking a chemistry course, or a teacher without having any co-op experience or intern-ships as a teacher like kids can in college. One way to learn if you really have interest in a certain field of study is to get real world experience.

You may know him mostly as the varsity football head coach, but Mr. Aaron Brady, in his role as Director of Experiential Learning, is working to plan out projects and experiments for students interested in entrepreneurship in business, engineering, research, and other fields that would be of interest to students.

By talking to Mr. Brady and telling him what field(s) of interest you have, any student can sign in to this ongo-ing program. About 15 students have become part of this informal entrepreneurship programming so far. Mr. Brady sets up projects and events open for anyone to be part of, but nothing is by any means required.

“Malvern has always tried to start some sort of Entrepreneurship club,” said Nick Elia ‘16. “I joined one a few years back, but it wasn’t what I expected. Now Mr. Brady has revived the entrepreneurial engines and started up a group that is totally novel yet familiar. He gathers a handful of innovative thinkers together about once every couple of weeks and organizes many different types of meetings and sessions for us to attend.”

Currently, a select group of students interested in engineering and architecture are working on a project in which they split up into teams and develop an evacuation plan for rooms in every building on campus.

These students have Director of Technology Mr. Terrence Norko’s assistance with the Lucid Chart soft-ware they use to draw up the architecture of the campus building interiors, and in drawing up the evacuation plans for each room.

“What I want to do is give a problem to a student, don’t give them the answers, and let them go find an answer,” said Brady.

Brady has also been building connections with Villanova’s Center for Innovation, Creativity, and Entrepreneurship (ICE) program. In February, a group of students interested in business entrepreneurship attended a hour long webinar sponsored by ICE in Austin Hall, in which they witnessed a presentation about how to cultivate ideas, pursue entrepreneurship, and deliver an elevator pitch.

“These meetings help really help people who have ideas but just don’t know how to start producing them,”

remarked Elia.The following week, Justice Bennett ‘16 attended an

event at Villanova ICE called Ideabounce. Anyone who wanted to could get up and give an “elevator pitch” or a short sales pitch, on their idea. He presented his business model in front of a group of people he didn’t know.

“It was a cool experience,” said Bennett. “It was a great opportunity to network with people and refine my eleva-tor pitch. I think it would be awesome if there were other students participating in it. I think it would be an great thing for any Malvern students to be a part of.”

Mr. Brady recommends becoming part of this pro-gram, even if you don’t really think you’re interested in any type of entrepreneurship.

“Sometimes... they’re not sure if it’s for them. Then you get out here and figure out, ‘hey I can do some pretty cool things.’ And that’s the hardest part for us is to reach those students who don’t even realize they’re entrepreneurial at heart,” Brady said.

Brady has also gotten involved with some other com-panies, such as Callahan and Ward, a company who will be presenting some of the students here with problems related to real estate. This may end up potentially be a future project in summer and fall.

So what kind of company are you interested in start-ing? Mr. Brady is always looking for new activities in which to get the students involved, but he is also looking for student input on new ideas and new fields of interest to invest time in. He even has students working to create new technological products such as phone apps.

“Being an entrepreneur is not just inventing some-thing. It is taking an idea and making it better,” said Brady. “For any student who wants to be a part of this, let me know what they’re interested in. Come and see me and we’ll find somebody to be a mentor and help them build their idea. n

Middle schoolers work hands-on in new “Experiential Learning” classMiddle Schoolers are no longer “disengaged” in a Study Hall, but are following their passions in Experiential Learning.

Joe Lister ‘21CONTRIBUTOR

Like many Upper School students, Middle Schoolers are in Band and Chorus. But those who are NOT in Band and Chorus in the Middle School don’t go to the Learning

Commons or Study Hall. They go to a classroom and participate in something called Experiential Learning (EL).

According to Mr. Patrick Sillup, Head of the Middle School, Experiential Learning was created to complement Band and Chorus without students being disengaged in a Study Hall ses-sion, which in Sillup’s opinion would just "fill a gap."

“Guys were doing band and chorus were engaging in this awesome experience that led to a performance in band and cho-rus, but there was a good part of our population that was dis-engaged at those times,” said Sillup. “So we needed something more meaningful for them.”

According to Sillup, the idea to have Experiential Learning meet in a mixed-grade format came from discussing the best experience for students with teachers. “As 6th graders, I didn’t want to cut [students] off from interacting with 7th or 8th grad-ers,” said Sillup. “Those interactions are as important as with your own peers. Giving you guys a space and a platform to do

that was important.”Mr. Steven Swope, 6th grade Global Perspectives teacher,

said that students in EL “follow the boys’ passions.” One example is Bobby Becket ‘20, who is following his passion by building his second surfboard of the year. Bobby presented his first surfboard in front of the entire Middle School. Mr. Swope often takes his class to the workshop in the Duffy Arts Center to work on stu-dent projects, where they are assisted by Upper School sculpture teacher Mr. Rob Muntz.

According to Swope, students in his EL group have gone over and above. One is painting a lacrosse helmet, one is building a robot, another is writing a book, and one is an "apprentice" to another student, according to Mr. Swope.

Not only has this offered a new class for those not in Band and Chorus, but it has expanded the abilities of the Music Program. Mr. Jonathan Springer, MS Band teacher, who has been teaching at Malvern for seven years, said this year’s group showed the “best understanding” of their music, demonstrated by their performance at Christmas.

Making Experiential Learning work is hard, according to Sillup. “It’s one thing if I design a math project. It’s totally another thing if I say I’m going to design an experience for a

student to build a skateboard or a surfboard or something like that,” he said.

“It’s difficult, in a room with 18 different individuals that you’re satisfying 18 different needs,” added Sillup. “But at the same time we’ve been able to see some really exciting stuff.”

Sillup said next year’s Experiential Learning Class will prob-ably look different.

“Instead of a one sort of catch-all… next year we’d be able to say, for instance, these are the six options you have for the fall,” said Sillup.

Though it’s quite an effort, many people think that their hard work has paid off. Instead of some students having a performance ensemble experience in music or sitting in study hall, students are challenged monthly to follow their passions and present their designs.

In March, as a design challenge, students attempted to send a potato chip to Rhode Island without breaking it. It remains to be seen whether any students have been successful.

This class is a major step forward into the world of experi-ential learning, especially in the middle school. While many students spend time in study hall or music, others spend time pushing their passions and striving for design success. n

MR. MUNTZ AT THE JUKEBOX / SELFIE

Faculty of the Issue: Mr. Robert MuntzMr. Muntz shares what still keeps him excited about teaching art after 15 years at Malvern.

Michael Shaak ‘18REPORTER

Known by all for his excep-tional Sculpture classes, Mr. Robert Muntz is one of the

most creative and lively members of the Malvern Prep Staff. We man-aged to sit down and get an interview with the one and only.

Do you teach anything besides Sculpture?Well, I used to teach Studio Art last year, like drawing and painting. I went and got my bachelor’s degree in art at Muhlenberg College, and that was my focus, painting and acryl-ics. Just with the draw of sculpture class this past year, I wasn’t able to teach Studio Arts, so now I have all Sculpture sections and Advanced Sculpture, and it’s been a fun transi-tion I would say.

Do you like Sculpture better than Studio Arts?Sometimes I do. I’ve been at Malvern now for 15 years and I always thought I’d be doing that (Studio Arts) for-ever, but sometimes it’s nice to have a new perspective. Thinking 3D con-stantly and not having to go back and forth between the two has been great this year. I do love painting, and painting will always be in my heart, but you can paint in Sculpture and always have that 2D aspect. Like how it will look in a photo or look on a computer screen, that’s always in the back of my head, even though I’m working in the third dimension. Another reason I like Sculpture is because you’ll have that real world experience, like building a set. Even though not everybody builds the same aspect of the set, they get to witness how it’s done. You get to learn how to build a structure, how to use a drill,

how to use screws, how to make sure something is stable enough - what we call “Muntz Proof,” because if it will hold me, it will probably hold one of the kids here. It’s really cool because some people have never seen a woodshop, have never used a real tool. Building the set for “Grease” this year was something everyone gets behind and is proud of.

So real world stuff?Yeah, like maybe it’s not a piece of art you love and put your heart into it, but you’re still learning the process of how to work with basic wood tools.

Have you always loved art since you were young?Actually, I had no idea i was going to do it until I got my undergrad at Muhlenberg College. My mom, I have to give her credit, constantly had me doing crafts as a kid, art pro-jects, and we were always making a theatre up in the attic with my sis-ters or using a video camera. These were VHS video cameras by the way, and were always setting up a play or something like that. I never thought that I would use any of those skills, but as soon as I got

BENNETT PRESENTS AT ICE / MALVERN COMMUNICATIONS

> PAGE 10

THE BLACKFRIAR CHRONICLE March 2015 5

FRIAR LIFE

5 Things We Learned from Pablo TorreMr. Torre generously spent an hour discussing journalism and answering questions with the Blackfriar Chronicle staff about how he got started, reporting, and “making it” in the world of journalism. These were the top 5 tips we pulled from the discussion:

1..Brand yourself.Mr. Torre stressed the importance of social media in a 21st century environment. He told us how important our responsible activity on social media is.

2..READMore specifically, read the best reporters in the business. This will make you a better writer, and familiarize you with topics you’ve never seen before.

3..Be Willing and able to do what yoU are toldMr. Torre told us that while working at Sports Illustrated his willingness to cover stories and demonstration of ability helped him to rise in the ranks.

4..TAKE CHANCESMr. Torre told us about how he took an internship with the online version of Sports Illustrated before the world of journalism and media had moved online. This allowed him to get ahead by getting bylines while the print interns were still doing fact-checking.

5..DO WHAT YOU LOVE When asked what Mr. Torre’s favorite part of his job was, he told us if there was something he didn’t love, he was not doing it anymore. n

issued a challenge by Experiential Learning Director, Mr. Aaron Brady. The winners of the challenge were invited to participate in an Interactive Sports Reporting Show with Torre.

Student contestants were asked about their research skills, presentation skills, and preferred coaching style. Students were also asked to select two potential faculty mentors for the presentation.

Once students responded, six contestants were invited to compete in a preliminary round of reporting in order to further narrow the student group. The six students were asked to compete onstage in the Duffy Center in a talk show-style discussion moderated by Head of School, Mr. Christian Talbot.

The six students included Ben Yankelitis ‘16, Danny Malloy ‘18, Matt Daller ‘17, Michael Droogan ‘16, Cameron Williams ‘16, and Brandon Fronczak ‘15. Each student was assigned one faculty mentor.

In the preliminary round, judged by Coach John Harmatuk, Coach Jeff Carroll, and Director of Admissions Mr. Sean Kenney. Students were charged with researching in-depth sports related questions, such as Should college athletes be paid? and Should users of performance enhancing drugs be allowed in the MLB Hall of Fame? The questions had a focus on diversity in the sports world. Brady recommended that students collaborate with faculty mentors to prepare their presentations.

In two groups, the students were challenged to respond to Talbot’s ques-tions regarding the pre-determined topics. Brady instructed the students to prepare four-minute presentations on each topics. However, the student contestants were thrown a curveball when Talbot presented them with a dis-cussion based seminar.

“We ended up having to answer questions we had to think about and improvise based on our presentations,” said Droogan.

“It was helpful in learning how to present my ideas, and it gave me a new perspective into the world of sports,” said Malloy.

The panel of judges selected Yankelitis, Droogan, and Fronczak to move on to the next round. Brady instructed these students to prepare to further debate and discuss the topic of whether NCAA athletes should be paid.

“Starting with Adam Bryant’s visit two year ago, we designed opportunities for students to engage in deeply student centered learning experiences on the speaker’s expertise,” said Talbot, in an introduction for Torre.

On the night of the event, Torre took the stage along with the student contests to moderate a roundtable mock sports reporting event.

“Being part of the panel with him as the moderator was very exciting. He helped us feel like professionals and stay calm on stage,” said Ben Yankelitis.

Yankelitis argued that student-athletes were employees of the university they attend, and deserve payment, stressing the restrictions in education for

student-athletes.Meanwhile Fronzak and Droogan supported the idea that education itself

was payment enough for their hard work. “It was cool to work with a professional who’s on TV regularly,” said

Fronczak, who plans to swim at Ohio State next year.Following the interactive challenge, Torre spoke about his work and obser-

vations in the sporting world.His first topic was the unifying ability that sports have in American

culture. Torre showed that each cable customer pays over $6 monthly for ESPN (his employer), while other networks cost only cents. Torre pointed out Americans “need” to watch sports.

“If you put a football on a table and pointed a camera at it, it’d get decent ratings,” said Torre.

He also expressed that sports are a “Big Tent” of American culture under which all celebrate and compete, regardless of race, religion, sexuality, and gender, highlighting the diversity the “Big Tent” brings to the sporting world.

Magnus Sims ‘15, who came to see Torre speak said, “I thought his points brought up a lot of questions that were difficult to answer. He answered these questions, but left us with questions for us to think about, surrounding ‘The Big Tent,’ masculinity, and the sporting world.”

Next, Torre spoke about the ties between mental health and sports, citing the major brain and skull injuries that often come from contact sports. He also highlighted the stigma for many male athletes to fear reporting mental illness.

“One of the huge problems in analyzing these issues is self-reporting. You must self-report, and say ‘I have this concussion.’ The big issue with macho-culture is that saying that makes you not as tough,” said Torre.

He also recognized the issues surrounding diversity in sports, and how we view athletes.

He first called to attention Seattle Seahawks star cornerback Richard Sherman, who was called a ‘thug’ after an aggressive interview. Torre noted that audiences overlooked the fact that Sherman attended Stanford University.

While discussing Harvard grad and NBA basketball player Jeremy Lin, Torre, who is of Filipino descent, challenged the audience to name 3 Asian-American actors who could play a ‘romantic lead’ in a movie.

Silence. Torre had proven his point.“[Torre] showed how powerful sports can be in impacting societal issues,”

said Michael Szipszky ‘15, who attended the event.The audience was amazed at Torre’s unique perspective on the world of

sports. Highly applicable to Malvern Athletics, the lessons learned challenged the crowd and required in-depth thinking to draw connections at, as Torre put it, “the crossroads of sports and social issues.”n

> TORRE, 1

route 30 and in Philadelphia,” said Williams. “So, there are all these students getting sucked in by the net and we get a handful of them every year.”

Williams noted that it will cost more money to increase Malvern’s diversity. “You can’t go from 8% to 20% without expecting increasing financial aid,” said Williams. “I think there will be a mix that are full-payers or close to it and then also financial need.”

“It is the same as it is now, I think roughly 60% of our students of color receive financial aid. The goal is to get to a more 50-50 split,” said Williams.

Some students have expressed concerns either to the Diversity Awareness Club members or in Counseling classes that Malvern will be lowering academic standards as part of the Diversity Initiative.

According to Williams, the effect will be quite the opposite. Malvern wants to increase the pool of visually diverse students so that they can be even more selective in who they can accept within that pool.

Williams mentioned a program Mr. Christian Talbot put in place at his previous school and alma mater, Regis High School in New York City. According to Regis High School’s website, “REACH is an educational and leadership program that prepares students to earn scholarships to Regis, as well as other leading Catholic high schools in New York City.” REACH offers summer and Saturday classes to help prepare middle school students for a rigorous high school experience. According to Williams, Malvern has been approached about partnering with a program similar to REACH run by St. Joseph’s Prep called Camp Magis.

Talbot noted that low income was the most important criterion for REACH, and that over 90% of students in the program come from racial or

ethnic minority families. Another possibility, according to Williams, is a Regional Diversity Student

Fair. “[It] would enable us to get in front of a large number of students of color at once while simultaneously providing those students and their families access to a large number of schools that they otherwise may not ever hear about,” said Williams.

The fair would consist of 15 local independent schools, including every Inter-Ac school, according to Williams. It is still in preliminary stages of development, but there are plans for the first student fair to take place this October 2015.

Dr. Sayers, school psychologist and moderator of the Diversity Awareness Club, acknowledges that there are many challenges ahead as Malvern works to meet the goals of the Diversity Initiative.

In an email interview Sayers said, “Some of the challenges we face as the diversity in our community grows include: creating the support systems so all students feel a part of the community while being celebrated for who they are, providing resources for those who may not have access at home or in their community, helping the students of the majority culture (white students) not feel threatened by the diversity, but rather embrace it.”

“I know there is a lot more to do,” said Sayers. Sayers and Talbot also believe that that not only the students, but also

families need to be included in the diversity education. “I think this needs to be done carefully,” said Sayers. “Opportunities need

to be created so families have the opportunity to ‘get close’ and begin to under-stand the diversity - whatever diversity it may be - from another perspective.” n

Rationale for the Diversity Initiative

According to Mr. Talbot, there are two reasons, one mission-based and one context-based.

Mission“From a mission perspective, St. Augustine frequently referred to “The Body of Christ” image from St. Paul. (It’s not a coincidence that Malvern’s liturgi-cal choir sings “We Are One Body,” which was written by an Augustinian priest.) The premise of The Body of Christ concept is that it requires many different members to come together to build unified body. In the Gospels, Jesus spoke to diverse communities in his religiously, ethnically, and politi-cally diverse place and time. I imagine this had some impact on the way St. Augustine understood his call to live out the Gospels.”

Context “The other reason is contextual. Because we live in an age of a fully glo-balized economy and society, students develop a competitive advantage by learning with and from a diverse group of peers (and teachers, moderators, coaches). To formulate that in the reverse, students experience a significant disadvantage by learning in a homogeneous environment. The earlier and more frequently students learn in a diverse atmosphere, the better equipped they will be to succeed in college and beyond.” n

J. Bennett

> CLASS OF 2019, 1

What kind of music do you like play-ing the most?I’ l l play anything, a l l k ind of rock-based.

You work with the Lighting & Sound team for theatre productions at Malvern. What has it been like work-ing with students?I enjoy working with students. It’s great to see them working as a team, problem solving and encourag-ing each other. I’m always learning something from them and hopefully they’re learning a little from me.

In 20 years at Malvern, what have you seen as some of the biggest changes?When I started here the O'Neill Center and the Duffy center had not even been thought about yet. The pool was in Alumni, the cafeteria was in the basement of Sullivan, Stewart Hall was a gym, we had a library, nobody used email and Mr. Duda had a full head of hair.

What has been your favorite show in the Duffy Center, and why?Probably The Laramie Project. It was a story that needed to be told and it was told in a very unique way.

What character from Grease are you most like, and why?Good question, I'm gonna say Danny. Danny isn’t as cool as he thinks he is. Everybody thinks Sandy changed for him but really Sandy changed Danny even more. My wife and I dated in high school so I can relate to their story.n

> MCLAUGHLIN, 3

THE BLACKFRIAR CHRONICLE6 March 2015

SPORTSMath MadnessWe found out who Malvern students have selected for March Madness and what the odds are of getting a great bracket.

Eric McLaughlin ‘18CONTRIBUTOR

For many students at Malvern, their favorite time for watch-ing sports is in March for the NCAA basketball tournament. Students fill out brackets trying to predict who they think will win each game.

This is the favorite sporting event for many students because anything can happen. A small school that few have heard of might upset a powerhouse team, such as when Florida Gulf Coast beat Georgetown and San Diego State two years ago, advanc-ing to the Sweet Sixteen. Only 0.5% of the brackets on ESPN predicted this to happen, consisting mostly of Florida Gulf Coast alumni and fans. Only seven 15-seeds have knocked off the number two seeds in the history of March Madness - meaning 15-seeds have only won 5.8% of the time.

On an informal survey of some Malvern students, 95% of

students surveyed had all four number one seeds advancing to the round of thirty-two. One student who did have a sixteen over a one was David Bolles ‘18. He chose Hampton over Kentucky. “Hampton had a great team this year, I looked for the Pirates to pull off the first round victory over Kentucky,” said Bolles.

Based on statistics, and common sense, this is a terrible pick. In all of the years of the NCAA tournament, no number six-teen seed has ever beaten a one. Based off of Kentucky’s 34-0 record this regular season, it is highly unlikely for them to lose to Hampton.

The most common upset in the past few years has been twelve seeds beating five seeds. Last year alone, three of the four twelves seeds won their first game in the tournament. Of the students surveyed, 75% of them had at least two twelve over five upsets. “Stephen F. Austin will win their first game,” said a very confident John McGlinn ‘18. However, this statement was made before

Utah beat Stephen F. Austin in the first round game Thursday night.

Last year Warren Buffett did a bracket challenge where he would give $1 billion to anyone who predicted a perfect bracket. This year, Buffet did not make this offer, realizing that it was nearly impossible to predict a perfect bracket. Based on statistics any March Madness fan could calculate, there is a 1 in 9.2 quin-tillion chance of predicting a perfect bracket. This weighs in the fact that a sixteen seed might win the whole tournament, which is extremely unlikely, but if you wanted to have a perfect bracket and be safe, you would have to make 9.2 quintillion brackets and 292 billion years of non-stop filling out brackets.

So don’t get upset if your team gets upset, just hop along the cinderella bandwagon and put an ‘x’ through your bracket and try again. n

Athlete of the Issue: Brent Greeley ‘16Greeley, a pitcher on the Malvern Baseball Team, talks about his love for baseball, his time here at Malvern, and the upcoming baseball season.

Patrick Ferraiolo ‘17SPORTS EDITOR

Being a part of the Malvern Baseball pitching staff is an achievement in of itself, but

to excel at is even more of an accom-plishment. Junior pitcher Brent Greeley has done just that during his time at Malvern. We interviewed him about his baseball experiences as well as team expectations.

Where did you go to grade school before you attended Malvern?I went to Pocopson Elementary school in the Unionville Chadds-Ford school district and I came to Malvern in 6th grade.

When did you first fall in love with the game of baseball?I always wanted to play sports at the next level, and I felt like baseball pre-sented me with the best opportunity to achieve that. I’ve been playing all my life and have always loved the game.

What does Malvern mean for you? Malvern is like my second home. The brotherhood and family I have devel-oped with my classmates is a bond that I will share with them for the rest of my life.

So, with the start of a new season, what are the expectations for this year? I think we have a special team this year. I’m looking forward to contributing to helping our team win an Inter-AC title and also the Independent State Championship. I think we have a very talented group with some determined senior leaders that will carry us a long way this year.

What have you and your team done to prepare for this year’s season? We had team workouts throughout the fall and winter, and have been trying to get in shape so when the weather gets better we will be ready to go. Being prepared and doing

offseason work is something we take advantage of every year.

What has been your best moment playing for the friars Being part of the team that won the Independent State Championship last year has been my best moment so far playing for the friars. We beat the Haverford School in the semi-finals in one of the closest games I’ve been apart of and used that momen-tum we had to beat the Perkiomen School later that day. It was an awe-some experience and I hope I have more like that this season.

If I remember correctly, the team went to Myrtle Beach last year, is this going to happen again this year? When? What does this trip do for the team?We are going to Florida this year over the spring break during the first week of April. This trip is something that we look forward to as a team every year. It gives us the opportunity to get into the warm weather and play against teams from other areas that we don’t normally play. It also brings us closer as a team by spending a week together, which always helps us when we come back.

Being a pitcher is widely considered the toughest position in all of base-ball; what goes through your mind throughout a game? (Starter or Relief?)I play both roles as a starter and relief pitcher, and looks forward to fill-ing in wherever is needed this year. Staying calm and focused is a huge part of pitching. When I’m out there, I try to stay calm and not overthink what I’m doing. With all the practice and reps our team puts in, I always feel like I’m prepared when I enter in a game to pitch.

How do you decide what to pitch? Is it mostly the catcher, coaches, or yourself calling the shots?Coach Moyer is our pitching coach

and he calls all of the pitches. He has been the pitching coach at Malvern for a long time and has always called the pitches.

What pitches are in your repertoire?I throw a two and four seam fastball, a curveball, and a changeup. I have been working on a slider as my fourth pitch but it still needs some work.

So, bases loaded, ninth inning, up by one run, full count; what pitch are you throwing? (Which is most comfortable?)I feel comfortable with the defense I have behind me. I would throw a fastball and try and let the players behind me get the out to win us the game.

So before a start/ appearance, what are your antics that are unique to you when you pitch? Any supersti-tions of any kind?I like to go off and stretch on my own and get mentally prepared for the game. I follow a pretty basic protocol

Tennis ready for an Inter-Ac ChampionshipThe Tennis team has many returning members that will make a difference in the team’s Inter-Ac result this year.

John McGlinn ‘18REPORTER

With many returning stars, the tennis team is ready to kick off

their season with coach Anthony DeCecco leading the way.

With spring sports back into the swing of the season, the ten-nis squad nears their first match eager and anxious to attack the court. Many Juniors and Seniors are returning once again to try to bring Malvern their first tennis Inter-Ac title ever.

“Not only do we have powerful singles players this year such as James Harrington ‘16, but doubles as well who have amazing chemistry with each other like Steve Conduit ‘15 and Danny Giannascoli ‘15, said Desmond Papariello ‘18. Papariello had the opportunity to playing Varsity tennis with the upperclassmen last year as well.

Papariello is the only freshmen who is on the varsity team. According to him, as the years go on, more athletes join because they realize how fun the sport really is.

"Tennis is a sport that can be played for life, and you can enjoy it no matter what the age,” said Nick Elia ‘16. "It's different than any other sport in the sense that you are having just as much fun as you are being competitive because you get to play as a team, but only one or two at a time."

The tennis team is expecting big things this year from leading juniors and seniors. The team has high spirits and will begin their Inter-Ac season April 14 against a physical Germantown Academy team.

“Coach DeCecco really pushes us to our limits and coaches us through each and every shot. He really knows how to pair us with the partner to get the best chemistry between the players in doubles, so we can find weaknesses in our opponents,” said Desmond. n

and always make sure I hydrate before I get ready to go out on the mound.

Do you know your stats off the top of your head?I don’t know the my stats off the top of my head, but as a team we finished 27-9.

Describe the teaching strategies your coaches enhance?I think a huge thing that our coaches stress are taking things one step at a time, game by game. We always need to be 100% focused on the task at hand if we plan on succeeding, we can’t be looking ahead to the future. As a team we try and set high goals and expectations. Our goal is to win the Inter-Ac and State Championship and I don’t think there is any reason why we can’t do that if we play as a team and execute one game at a time. n

BRENT GREELEY / P. FERR AIOLO ‘17

We need reporters interested in covering Malvern sports. Come to a reporters meeting Monday or Friday at 7:45 AM,

or contact Pat Ferraiolo - [email protected]

THE BLACKFRIAR CHRONICLE March 2015 7

SPORTS

Top March Madness teams 2015March Madness is in full swing, and here we’re giving a run-down of the top seeded teams this year.

Alex Reber ‘17REPORTER

If you are ready to rip your bracket to shreds, you aren’t alone. Many teams have been quite disappointing in this bracket, just like every year. Here we’re going to

take a look at the top teams that have done well in the tournament, as well as the teams that broke many hearts this season.

*Note: This article was written right before the sweet sixteen round, so some teams may or may not be elimi-nated by the time that this article is released*

1.University of Kentucky WildcatsNot many teams have accomplished what Kentucky has this year. They are the only undefeated team in the regular season this year in Division I Men’s Basketball (34-0), and they have one of the best defensive frontcourts in the nation. Big men Willie Cauley-Stein (Junior) and Karl Anthony-Towns (Freshmen) have been outstanding this year, both averaging around 10 points per game, with Cauley-Stein averaging 1.7 blocks per game, while Anthony-Towns averages 2.4. Kentucky is still the clear favorite to win the championship this year. With the best record in the league, they definitely deserve the praise they have received this season.

2. Villanova University WildcatsAnd just like that, the first top-seeded team is down, losing to 8th seeded NC State 71-68. The Wildcats had a phenomenal regular season, losing just two games to Georgetown and Seton Hall. Guard Ryan Arcidiacono was also named Co-Big East Player of The Year with Providence guard Kris Dunn. Senior guard Darrun Hilliard also had great a season, averaging 14.3 points per game. Before the tournament had begun, ESPN had ranked Villanova the second best team in the nation, and with an early exit in this year’s tournament, Villanova fans and players must be extremely disappointed with their performance.

3. Wisconsin BadgersIt’s hard to find fault in Wisconsin’s game this year. They ended the season with a 31-3 record, and have so far domi-nated the west bracket, winning their games by an average of 10.5 points. It also helps when a team has a freak of nature like Frank Kaminsky, a seven foot-tall forward who not only averages 18 points and 8 rebounds per game, but also shoots 40% from the three point line. Kaminsky also won both the Big Ten Player of The Year as well as the Big Ten Tournament MVP in the 2014-15 season. There is no doubt that Wisconsin is a very solid team all around, and it will be tough for anyone to stop them.

4. Duke Blue DevilsIt is very difficult to be a bad team when you are coached by basketball genius Mike Krzyzewski. The Blue Devils finished their regular season with a 29-4 record. Even though this isn’t as good as a record as most teams up here, they’re still an outstanding basketball team, and they are showing that in the tournament. Freshman Center Jahlil Okafor has been playing out of his mind lately, scoring 21 points in the first round against Robert Morris, and 26 against San Diego State. With Okafor averaging 18 points and just under 9 rebounds a game, Duke looks like they are ready to make a deep run in the tournament this year.

5. Arizona WildcatsIf anyone could knock off Wisconsin in the west bracket, it would be Arizona. It is possible that those two teams will meet in the elite eight round this year, and if they do, it’ll sure be entertaining. Arizona was given a two seed in the west, and rightfully so. They finished the regular

season with a 31-3 record, and they aren’t showing any sign of slowing down. Outstanding Freshman guard Stanley Johnson has averaged 14 points and 6.6 rebounds per game this season, and he is expected to be a top pick in the NBA Draft this year if he decides to leave Arizona. He definitely deserves that praise, leading the Wildcats to a very impressive season. The team as a whole has shot an impressive 48.9 field goal percentage this season, which is 6th in the whole nation. Those numbers usually equate to success, and Arizona is not letting anyone down currently.

6. Virginia CavaliersVirginia, like Villanova, wanted people to do terrible things to their brackets. If you’re like me and had them

in your finals, you obviously aren’t happy with their performance against Michigan

State in the round of 32. They lost in a heartbreaking,

60-54 game where it was close up until the very end. Nonetheless, the Cavaliers had a great regular season, win-

ning 29 out of their 32 games, and having argu-

ably the best defense in the nation. They only allowed 51.5

opponent points per game, which is the best in the entire nation. Those num-

bers are astounding, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough. Some say defense wins championships, and

the university of Virginia is here to tell them otherwise.

7. GonzagaGonzaga looks like the best team in the league on paper. They are first in field goal percentage in the nation (52.4%), and second overall in defensive rebounding (27.6 per game). That being said, they have one of the easiest sched-ules out of all of the teams on the list. The Bulldogs are in the West Coast Conference, which consist of no ranked teams besides Gonzaga. In fact, Gonzaga is the only team in the West Coast Conference that even made the tournament. Even though Gonzaga lost only two games this regular season, they only played two ranked teams and lost to one (Arizona). As good as Gonzaga looks on paper, many people are not sold on them going far in the tournament, and with good reason.

8. Notre Dame Fighting IrishNotre Dame has been very hot lately. They haven’t lost a game since February 24th against Syracuse, and have beaten top teams like Duke and North Carolina in the mean time. They won the ACC tournament, which has proven to be one of the most talented conferences in the nation. While only winning their games in the tour-nament by 3.5 points, The Fighting Irish are still very talented, and at some point they will find a way to win games by a larger margin. With the second best shooting percentage in the league (51%), Notre Dame has had a lot of success this season, and have a good shot at winning even more games in the tournament.

9. Iowa State CyclonesIowa State made many people very frustrated this season. They lost in the first round to UAB by just one point. Many had the Cyclones going very deep in this tourna-ment, some even predicting them to make the finals, but unfortunately that was not the case. Being a three seed in the south bracket, it seemed almost impossible that they would lose to a team like UAB. Iowa State finished their season with a 29-5 record, and played with great ball movement, finishing 11th in the nation in assists per game (16.2). They did however, let teams score an average of 69 points per game, 248th in the nation. Teams simply can’t win with a defense like that, and unfortunately for Iowa State, they lived up to that statement.

Lacrosse starts 0-3 after undefeated seasonMalvern Lacrosse had a rough start to their season, losing three very close games for an 0-3 start.

Patrick Ferraiolo ‘17SPORTS EDITOR

After accompl ish ing an incredible feat last year with an impressive 24-0 record

and an Inter-Ac Title, the team has had a setback to begin this year. With some major injuries, key departures and a young team, the team’s early 0-3 record is not bringing coaches or players down.

Going into this year, the bar was set high for the Friars as they were ranked number one throughout the pre-season. But it is extremely difficult to repeat a champion-ship in any sport, let alone go undefeated for two years. After the 24-0 perfect sea-son, the team had to deal with some major setbacks going into this year.

“We lost nine guys, all of which were really, really important to us,” head coach Mr. John McEvoy said. “We lost three really solid defenders. Although we didn’t really lose in numbers, we lost in terms of importance to the team.”

The loss of important players from the class of 2014 had a major impact to the team. “With that, we are young, and even guys who are older are still a little bit inexperi-enced,” said McEvoy.

The season began on March 12, where the Friars lost a heartbreaker in overtime to Calvert Hall 10-11. Then, they lost their second straight game at St. Mary’s Annapolis on the March 17 in another thriller which left them in a 14-11 loss. Their third straight loss came on the March 21 to Gilman.

Sophomore lacrosse player Sean Christman ‘17 commented on these early losses. “Our three losses were to three very talented MIAA teams. I have no doubt we will turn things around and have a successful season.”

“Truth of the matter, we all feel that we should have won those games,” said McEvoy. “It’s not so

much that we got beat, it was almost more like we lost it. That’s disap-pointing, but you should learn a lot when that [losing close games] hap-pens. These are all good learning experiences, and we are just trying to get better every single day and get guys more and more acclimated ”

Although they have suffered from key injuries to major players, and a tough, ambitious schedule with these early losses, coach McEvoy has great expectations for the end of the year.

“I would antici-pate us to be a whole lot better in a little while,” said McEvoy. “I am sure by the end of the year, we would have figured out who we are.”

McEvoy explained what needs to improve for a suc-

cessful season. “We need to be able to not turn the ball over. That’s the immediate area that needs attention. Our young defense and young offense takes time, and I am sure we will get better in time.”

On the upside, the future looks bright for the young team as many freshman and sophomores are on Varsity and get playing time. “Everything that happens this year will have benefits for way down the road, so I anticipate the future to being really really bright. It’s excit-ing,” said McEvoy.

With high hopes to the future and an anticipated strong rest of the year with due time, the Friars have the ability to be powerhouses in the Inter-Ac and nationally for years to come. Come support the Friars in some of the upcoming home matches, including 3/27 against La Salle, 3/30 against Salesianum, and 4/1 against Loyola Academy. n

.

LACROSSE AFTER SCHOOL PRACTICE / M. LANETTI

“I would anticipate us to be a whole lot better in a little while. I am sure by the end of

the year, we would have figured out

who we are.”

-Coach McEvoy

> PAGE 9

THE BLACKFRIAR CHRONICLE8 March 2015

REVIEW

ARTSGrease technically impressive, but its message is notMalvern Theatre Society shines in a play about conformism.

Kieran Sweeney ‘15REPORTER

After a week burdened by three snow days and a two-hour delay,

the Malvern Theater Society still managed to put on a great, but flawed, sold out per-formance of Grease. The play had several moments worthy of praise, but its overall message seemed just as troublesome now as it may have been to some in the 1970s.

Grease’s plotline follows a young girl named Sandy Dumbrowski, who enrolls at Rydell High after her father is relocated. Upon her arrival, she is reintroduced to her summer love, Danny Zuko. Sandy is immediately discouraged to f ind Danny is not whom he appeared to be back in those summer days.

As the play continues, Sandy realizes that her current personal-ity is one unworthy of love at Rydell High. Like most adolescents of today, she decides to ultimately succumb to peer pressure and change her attitude, look, and demeanor to fit that of a girl Danny would actually like.

Grease sends a conflicting mes-sage, especially for high school stu-dents today. At Malvern, we are taught to accept people for whom they are, yet Grease revealed the all-too-familiar reality that we change our outward personalities to fit in with those around us. In this sense, Grease failed to convey the right message.

Technically, Grease was possibly the best production I have seen at Malvern to date. To say the set was impressive is an understatement, as it had a variety of colors, lights, and props. The stage itself was designed to

resemble a record, and the backdrop was a jukebox, containing the fabu-lous band normally buried in the pit.

In addition to the set, several performances in Grease were won-

derful. Comically, the show’s true star was Vi l la Mar ia A c a d e m y ’s L i z McKenzie as Jan. Her lines consist-ently received a flood of laughter, while others did not see the same overwhelming approval.

I n t e r m s o f music , the solos

were all fantastic, especially those of Malvern Seniors Phil Daubney and Jack Marchesani. Daubney played the lead, Danny Zuko, while Marchesani brought the comical Roger to life.

A few pink ladies stood out musi-cally as well. Notre Dame sophomore Ally Carbonar shined as Betty Rizzo, holding her own on a stage filled with greasy teenaged boys. In addition, the rendition of “Freddy, My Love” by Kelly Mulhern of Villa made quite the impression.

The complete ensemble, though at times disconnected, gave it their all throughout the play. By learning difficult dance moves in a mere three months, MTS again proved they are a force to be reckoned with.

Although it is clear MTS had no intention of promoting conformity, it is difficult to not dwell on those thoughts immediately after the show. Sure, MTS may have felt they needed a lighter play to follow up The Laramie Project; however, Grease’s message still remains troubling. Those who saw the show hopefully under-stood this and enjoyed Grease for its fun dance numbers and comical dialogue, rather than its underlying message.n

Living Stations is a highlight of Lent Malvern’s reenactment of the Stations of the Cross brings Good Friday to life.

Jack McClatchy ‘17REPORTER

It comes every year, and doesn’t change much, but Malvern’s Living Stations of the Cross, led by Mr. Ed Liga and Mr. Larry Legner, makes the last day of

Jesus’ life come alive on the Duffy stage.With actors from Malvern and Villa, along with

the Liturgical Music Choir, the Stations of the Cross is changed from a somber service in church to a rocking kick-off to our Easter Break.

“We’ve been doing it for around ten years now,” said Christian Service Director Mr. Legner. “And I’ve been in charge since the beginning.”

Legner leads the actors on stage. They bring the story to life, while Mr. Liga’s Liturgical Music provides a tried-and-true playlist of fitting music, from Pink Floyd to Styx.

What makes this year different, however, is the way in which the stage is set up. For the Upper School Musical, Mr. Muntz and the Set Construction team built a massive structure turning the stage into a record and jukebox for the show Grease.

The set has now been repurposed to be Calvary Hill, which tradition states is where Jesus was crucified.

“[Making the set] was all of our idea,” said Muntz. “It was going to be used for the Middle School show Shrek, so we figured why not do it for the Stations?”

It took three days for Muntz’s three sculpture classes to turn the Grease set to a mountain, according to Muntz.

The role of Jesus has is played by Sam Gilroy ‘15. However, Gilroy did not audition for the role. All of the roles taken by Malvern students are selected by Mr. Legner because of their stature and their experience, or lack of it, on stage.

“The Roman guards have to be big, and Jesus has to be small.” Legner said. “I also try not to get actors, because I want to get people who are new to the stage.”

“It’s pretty cool being Jesus,” Gilroy said, “Hanging on the cross is really awesome. Especially since I’m above everyone.”

For the women’s roles, however, Mr. Legner is not as strict. “I was given information, and when I went

[to Malvern] Mr. Legner just asked if I wanted to be Mary,” said Madison McEntee ‘15 of Villa, who plays Mary.

The actors and musicians came together for their only dress rehearsal on March 19, where everyone went through the whole show.

“It was really awesome seeing every-thing coming together, with all the act-ing and singing,” said McEntee. “And I’m really excited what people will think about the set.”

“When it all comes together, and the haphazard practices mesh together at the first performance, the looks on the people’s faces are the best part of putting

the show on,” Legner said. “It’s a very emotional show to watch. We do something a little different each year, and it keeps it fresh.” n

Grease sends a conflicting

message, especially for high school

students today.

PILATE (TREVOR MORRIS ‘15) AND JESUS (GILROY ‘15) TAKE A SELFIE WHILE ROMAN GUARD (TIM GILLAN ‘15) LOOKS ON AT STATIONS REHEARSAL / PLOWS

“The Roman guards have

to be big, and Jesus has to be small. I also try

not to get actors, because I want to get people

who are new to the stage.”-Mr. Legner

STATIONS POSTER / M. PICHOLA ‘17DANNY ZUKO (DAUBNEY) TELLS THE BOYS ABOUT SUMMER NIGHTS / R. COLAMECO

THE BLACKFRIAR CHRONICLE March 2015 9

ARTS

Artist of the Issue: Tait McGlinn ‘16Tait McGlinn shows his passion for arts at Malvern.

Jimmy Canuso ‘17ARTS EDITOR

We had the opportunity to sit down and talk with Tait McGlinn, a junior

at Malvern, and proud ceramicist. He told us about his start in the arts and his plans for the future.

How long have you been going to Malvern?I’m a lifer here I’ve been here since 6th grade. I went to grade school at St. Katherine’s.

How are you involved in the arts program here, and why do you do what you do?I started ceramics when I was in fourth grade. I did a workshop at the Wayne Arts Center in the Summer, and I really enjoyed it but I didn’t really get into it that much until Freshman year here. When I saw what my brother did with empty bowls and all that, I started Ceramics I in the second semester, and I’ve loved it ever since. I come [to the ceramics room] during most of my study halls just because I love to do what I do. Also, I started doing the play this year with Grease. From what I heard, last year, West Side Story was a fun play. A lot of my friends do it and it’s been a great experience so far.

What do you think one of your greatest achievements have been here?Probably Empty Bowls in January. We had to put in a lot of work since the beginning of the year making bowls, publicizing the event, and making sure that everyone knows what we’re about and how much work we put into it.

How do you plan to use your talents in the future?Looking forward to next year’s Empty Bowls, hopefully I’ ll be a chair in the event, and I’ll definitely be in next year’s musical.

Can you describe a favorite piece you have made, and why?One of my favorite pieces that I have made is a large bowl 10 inches tall that’s painted green and has a little

scoop out of it. It has red paint drip-ping down kinda like it has a bite taken out of it and it’s bleeding. It’s my favorite because it is one of the first bowls that I had successfully thrown large, which was hard to do at first. But halfway through when it was drying, there was a crack in the rim, so if I wanted to keep it I would need to make the crack part of the bowl and make it visually pleasing. So something I love about art is that you can never plan for everything that goes wrong. There’s never gonna be a perfect bowl that comes out the way you want it too every single time. So my favorite part about this piece is the way I fixed that crack and made it into even a functional slot for a spoon that looks great with the piece.

Tell us about puzzle jugsPuzzle Jugs are a very interesting pieces to make. I made my first one kinda accidentally. You make one by splitting the rim at the top so it sepa-rates into two different parts then you fold it back together to make a hollow area. And then from that you connect a hollow handle that acts as a straw through the rim. I like them because they are more challenging than your everyday bowl or your everyday cup, and you can do so much with them to personalize them the way you want it to be.

Do you have any advice for students just starting out in the arts?Some advice that I would give start-ing out in ceramics, or any topic in art, would be to stick with it. I started off earlier. I had been introduced to ceramics even before I came to Malvern so I got a head start. But

TAIT MCGLINN / J. CANUSO

BOWL BY T. MCGLINN / PLOWS

Students to attend Finding Neverland on BroadwayAfter seeing Les Miserables in the Fall, Malvern is offering a trip for students to see a new musical before its opening night.

Tommy Pero ‘17ARTS EDITOR

On Wednesday, March 25, the Malvern Arts department will travel to New York City to see Finding Neverland in its preview period before

the show has its official Broadway debut on April 15.Tickets for the trip cost $107 and include transporta-

tion, snacks on the bus, show tickets, and lunch at Dallas BBQ. Students in all grades, including middle school, are invited on the trip.

On an ideal trip, students would drive to New Jersey and take the Staten Island Ferry into New York City. Then, students would visit St. Patrick’s Cathedral, have lunch, and see the show.

The plot of the show is a variation of the novel Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens by J. M. Barrie. The musical was also influenced by the 2004 movie of the same title.

Broadway.com describes a show that “explores the power of imagination to open up new worlds, and the pressures put upon those worlds by the inevitability of growing up.” Noted stars in the show include Matthew Morrison of Glee and Kelsey Grammer of the sitcoms Cheers and Frasier.

The preview period for a Broadway musical lasts gener-ally from two weeks to a month. It works as a way to test the show on an audience in case things need to be changed before opening night when critics can come.

“In the last several years, we have been able to see a show that has a good word of mouth going before it offi-cially opens. We were able to see Billy Elliot that way and a revival of West Side Story,” said Malvern English teacher and founder of the trip Mr. Rich Roper.

‘’There’s a chance that what we see will not be what the final product is, but that’s part of the excitement,” said Roper.

Despite this, preview ticket prices for the general pub-lic are not significantly cheaper than shows after the musi-cal has officially opened. However, Roper praised the tour company Go With Us that organizes the trips for getting tickets at a lower price.

“It’s worth it. You won’t find a better deal on the high school level,” said Roper.

Roper and Arts Director Ms. Jackie White decide

which show to go to by listening to suggestions and “word on the street,” according to Roper. They also try to pick a popular show that Malvern has not seen - or has not seen in awhile.

Roper started the Broadway trip when he started teaching at Malvern, about 39 years ago, but he told Ms. White that it didn’t “officially” start until 15 years ago.

Roper described the trip as a great tradition that Malvern has built up over the years.

White says that the educational benefits of the trip include the cultural experience of walking through New York City.

She also says there is a benefit from mixing all grade levels to experience theatre, and “watching the best of the best, live on stage right in front of you.” n

10. Kansas JayhawksFinishing off our list are the Kansas Jayhawks. Kansas, along with Virginia, was a two seed and lost in the round of 32. Their play can be described as dis-mal in their final game of the season, losing 78-65 to seventh seeded Wichita State. The Jayhawks finished their season 27-9, and didn’t necessarily excel in the stat sheet. As good as they were this season, they only scored an average of 71.2 points per game (80th in the nation), and allowed 64.8 points per game (130th in the nation). Kansas unfortunately did not enjoy the kind of success that they did last season, and no one is very surprised that the Jayhawks did not go incredibly far in the tournament. n

there is a point in the learning pro-cess where it really just clicks and you can produce things things the way you want them to come out in your minds. And once that happens, it’s going to be be way more enjoy-able to do what you wanna do because you’re going to be satisfied with your work.n

> MARCH MADNESS, 7

CARTOON Aaron Salinas ‘16

THE BLACKFRIAR CHRONICLE10 March 2015

MEDIA and TechNOLOGY

actually receive an education at this school,” said Ms. Alexandra Litvinas, Director of the Malvern Fund. The Fund fills in the blanks and an all-around helper, according to Litvinas. She noted that the Fund buys equip-ment and supplies, supports staff, and keeps the lights on.

Ms. Litvinas is charged with reaching out to parents and corpo-rations to ask for annual donations. “The goal is to make a million dollars per year,” said Litvinas.

With a broader reach than Alumni Relations, the Malvern Fund reaches out to the whole Malvern Community for gifts - including parents, alumni, and corporations. If a parent wants to leave a legacy at the school, the are likely to do it in the Malvern Fund.

One of the Development Office’s major annual events is quick ly approaching. BASH is yet another means of generating funds outside of tuition. BASH - which stands for Building A Scholastic Heritage - is an annual formal dinner and auction with a theme. This year’s theme is “Create.” Mrs. MQ Dwyer coordinates this major fundraising event, scheduled for April 25.

“BASH certainly brings the community together in a common goal, to raise the funds necessity to maintain and enhance Malvern Prep for the students,” said Dwyer. According to Dwyer, this is BASH’s 41st year, so it is a long-standing tradition and a key part of the Malvern community.

“The Development Office is the conduit between the outside constituency and Malvern,” summarizes D’Ascenzo. “Think of it like a funnel,” he said. “Taking from such a big source and narrowing it to fit the needs of Malvern on the smaller end.” A great task of the Development Office is to connect with alumni. This encompasses bringing them back to Malvern. In fact, there are fifteen Malvern alumni currently working on campus.

The Development Office does a lot of important work, but not in a way that is so visible to students. This is why they are so sparsely recognized. For being so not-well-known, the Development Office carries a huge share of the behind the scenes work that keeps Malvern in operation. n

Samsung releases newest deviceGalaxy S6 and S6 Edge will launch in Spring 2015.

Chris Bunn ‘16MANAGING EDITOR

At a press conference in Barcelona on March 1, Samsung revealed the Galaxy S6, the successor to the Galaxy S5.

Departing from the plastic build Samsung is known for, the Galaxy S6 has a metal rim and a glass back. While this design change raises questions on the durability of the phone, it is a welcome departure from the plastic construc-tion seen on previous devices.

The screen is also another point of improvement as well. Instead of making the screen size bigger, the screen size has stayed the same. However, the screen is much sharper, and contains more pixels than a conventional 1080p TV.

Samsung is also looking to enter the mobile payments market. Right off the heels of Google Wallet and Apple Pay, Samsung has introduced Samsung Pay. While it does share similarities with the two aforementioned alterna-tives, Samsung Pay can be used in any store.

Unlike Apple Pay and Google Wallet, Samsung Pay in the Galaxy S6 can replicate the magnetic charge found on conventional credit cards. Any store with a magnetic card reader can use Samsung Pay, eliminating the need for special card readers for stores.

Despite all of these new changes, not all changes are welcome. Samsung has decided to have a non-removable battery and take out MicroSD card expansion. This means that users cannot add storage or take out the battery at a later time.

The new Galaxy S6 is also not waterproof. This fea-ture, which was present on the Galaxy S5, was quietly dropped. The size of the battery has decreased as well, but Samsung claims that the battery life will be the same, if not better.

While the Galaxy S6 was expected at this event, Samsung also showcased another version of the S6. Called

the S6 Edge, this phone is identical to the S6, but with a curved display.

In true Samsung fashion, the S6 Edge utilizes this unique feature with some software additions. During the night, it can function like an alarm clock by displaying the time on the edge. Favorited contacts can be accessed by swiping in from the edge, and notifications will flash on the edge as well.

Some critics, however, claim that the edge on the device is nothing more than a gimmick. The Galaxy S6 Edge is expected to carry a higher price tag as well.

Both the S6 and the S6 Edge are expected to be released in Spring 2015. With a refreshed design and new features, the new Galaxy phones are sure to have “six appeal.” n

The BFC Music ReviewA monthly review of new artists or bands who are making a splash in the music scene. This month’s feature: Tropical House.

Desmond Papariello ‘18 and Colin Price ‘18REPORTERS

This month’s genre of choice: Tropical House Tropical House is a genre that takes a spin on progressive house

by slowing the song down and adding instruments that are not widely used in standard house songs. This genre was chosen because it adds variety to musical themes, and fits nicely with the seasonal transition into spring.

Artist to watch: KygoKyrre Gørvell-Dahll is a nor-wegian DJ and producer who is commonly known as Kygo. He is most known for his remixes, and for making the genre tropical house popular. He has over eighty million views on Soundcloud and Youtube combined. His most well known song is a remix of the song “I See Fire” by Ed Sheeran. Kygo’s new song “Firestone” is a very chill song that starts out with a drum beat using snaps and bells. It incorporates a vocal by Conrad Sewell which adds a mysterious vibe on the song. Then, when the drop comes, it has Kygo’s own original drop sound that is heard in most of his songs. Kygo is very young and new to the industry. We expect great things from Kygo in the future

Song to Watch: Let Her Go - Passenger (Kygo)Kygo really takes it up a notch with this song and makes it his own. He adds instrumentals and a "chill" beat. Kygo muffles the vocals but also speeds them up for an extra effect to go with the beat. The vocal on this track really adds to the effect that Kygo is trying to portray. Kygo does a good job of keeping the theme of the original song, and putting his spin of tropical house on it. n

KYGO / VERGECAMPUS.COMSAMSUNG.COM

Ms. Lorri Wal lauer of the Business Office explained that the PA Department of Education dis-tributes funds to schools based upon enrollment.

“We are allowed to use the money for items approved by the Department of Education,” said Wallauer.

Both the vendor and item itself need to be approved, and the items can not be single use items, accord-ing to Wallauer. For example, acts 195/90/35 would not fund the pur-chase of exhaustible art supplies but could potentially fund a new printer.

According to the PA Department of Education’s website, non-eligible items include religious or ideological materials of any kind, guns, exhaust-ible chemicals for science classes, decorations, computer software, and more.

The program does, however, qual-ify the purchase of computers, includ-ing those with preloaded software.

“From start to official approval

or denial, the process takes 2 to 3 months,” said Wallauer. “The Department of Education makes the final decision.”

A l t h o u g h t h e s e n e w Chromebooks are almost identical to the previous models, there are some differences.

RJ Napoli ‘17 noted that the chargers are not interchangeable. Students will have to make sure to put them in their respective carts.

Napoli prefers the older models. “I was typing [on a newer model] and the “A” key fell off,” he said.

Other students, such as Ryan Antell ‘15, don’t seem to mind the change much. “I use them just the same. They are very similar to the old ones,” he said.

In regards to future school-sup-plied portable devices on campus, Street said, “At this time we don’t have that information. It is usually determined at end of the school year or the start of summer.”n

to college - I think I went as an Accounting Major - I did a full 180 and became an Art Major. So I guess I have to owe that to my mom. She was very hands-on and creative, and when I didn’t always have that creative stimulus, I would come home and see some-one working on something and just get inspired. I didn’t really have exposure to that [as an Accounting Major], so as soon as I took my first drawing class, I was hooked again. That’s how I knew I would stay with the arts.

What’s your favorite part about teaching here?There’s lots of favorite parts, Malvern is a wonderful place to work. I would say like the family aspect of all the faculty, especially in the Arts Department. It’s just all a

nice, loving family atmosphere. We all want to put our creative side out there, and at the end of the day we all have each other’s backs and it’s just a great place to be. The family aspect of the students is great, as well. I try to create an open atmosphere in the classroom and the students respond to it. If you want to do something, you can come to me and work together. And with that open environment, I really enjoy learning with my stu-dents, right alongside them. That’s what really makes it for me. The come up with the idea on a project, and I’ve never seen it done before, and that’s amazing to me. It hap-pens almost every class, and I’m like “I never would have thought of that.” It’s really cool. It’s that open envi-ronment that still makes it really exciting after 15 years. n

> MUNTZ, 4> DEVELOPMENT, 3 > CHROMEBOOKS, 1

Reporters’ Meetings every Monday & Friday

7:45 AM - Duffy 118New reporters always welcome!

THE BLACKFRIAR CHRONICLE March 2015 11

NEWSSenators send subversive letter to IranIn a maneuver that seems to be the first of kind, 47 republican senators attempted to undermine a nuclear deal behind the President’s back.

Jake Sorensen ‘15WORLD NEWS EDITOR

Senators sent a letter to Iranian officials in early March indicating that any agreements made by President Obama could be revoked “with the stroke of a pen”

by any future president, and that Congress cound adjust the nuclear agreement’s terms.

At the time, the U.S. and Iranian governments were negotiating Iran’s long-standing nuclear limits. The letter was revealed after the Iranian government asked for an explanation of the letter.

Sen. Cotton (R), the youngest sen-ator in office, is the author of the letter. In his USA Today op ed, he summed up the reasons why he and 46 other senators had sent that letter. “Our goal is simple: to stop Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon,” he wrote.

Cotton believed that the cur-rent negotiations would allow Iran to improve its nuclear programs to the point of them being able to manu-facture nuclear weapons. He claims that the Obama administration has “completely bypassed Congress in its negotiations with Iran.”

“Our constituents elected us to the Senate, in part, to protect them from bad agreements like this and to help ensure their safety and security. And that is what we intend to do,” Cotton wrote.

Sen. Cotton’s opinion seems to not be part of the majority. A petition to impeach the senators for treason amassed more than 100,000+ signatures on Whitehouse.gov within days of the story going out.

Although this instance has been seen by many as a unique occurrence, the Logan Act of 1799 (amended 1994), written in response to a similar issue, states the following:

“Any citizen of the United States, wherever he may be, who, without authority of the United States, directly or indirectly commences or carries on any correspondence or intercourse with any foreign government or any officer or agent thereof, with intent to influence the measures or conduct of any foreign government or of any officer or agent thereof, in relation to any disputes or controversies with the United States, or to defeat the measures of the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both.”

The Logan Act was written in response to Dr. George

Logan’s negotiations with France during a small sea war. Those negotiations, which ultimately improved France and America’s relations, were not at all known by the government at the time, which could have brought seri-ous consequences for both countries had the diplomacy not been so successful.

Such a story has been noticed by the Malvern com-munity. Mrs. Harriet Lappas, Government Teacher, believes that “they [the senators] were trying to under-mine the president.” When asked about the intentions

of the senators to send such a letter, she said “I think that they were just trying to make a point. I don’t agree with what they did”.

Mrs. Lappas does not think that Cotton executed the letter on his own. “This was a GOP thing. I’m sure Congressman Boehner knew about it,” said Lappas.

“He [Sen. Cotton] was young, he was trying to make a name for him-self… I think that they [the sena-tors] may have come to him and said ‘would you take a hit for the team and do this for us?” said Lappas.

Mr. Colameco, AP US History teacher, also thought that the Senators were trying to humiliate the president. “It’s become obvious, for a number of years now, that their primary tactic is just embarrass him every chance they get,” said Colameco. “I think they perceive the President as vulnerable… they really want to take the White House in 2016, and so anything they can do to embarrass him or make him look weak, they’re going to do”.

Mr. Colameco is primarily upset with viciousness of congressmen in writing this letter, wishing that they would try to cooperate instead of compete. “What I expect my congressman to do when he goes to Congress is work for the good of the country,” said Colameco. “You don’t have to agree with [the President] but you do have to work cooperatively [with him]... and that’s not what they’re doing here.”

“The problem of course is that we might be setting some precedents for the future,” suggests Colameco. “What happens, 20-30 years from now, if we have a republican president and a democratic congress? Are they going to do the same thing? I mean, why not? And that’s in no one’s best interest.” n

Middle East continues to split dems and repsWe all know Congress is divided, but recent events with the Middle East show just how divided we are.

Jack McClatchy ‘17REPORTER

It’s no secret that Republicans and Democrats haven’t been working together lately. Intense partisan-

ship that has stopped almost any cooperation plagues the parties.

Recent events have not helped this attitude, as a recent address to Congress by r e c ent l y r e -elected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on 3 March, as there was some controversy as to whether or not Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) could actually invite him to speak without presidential approval.

Many Democrats, including the Black Caucus and President Obama, stated their opposition to the address, and did not attend.

“It’s almost unprecedented that Congress would take that step and and invite a foreign dignitary without consulting the President,” said Mr. Colameco, AP US History teacher. “It’s really a slap to the face.”

Israel continued to be in the news during their parliamentary elections on March 17, when Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud Party defeated the center-left Zionist Union Party. However, Netanyahu stated that he was against a two-state solution with Palestine, although he has since rescinded that comment.

“There are many facets to this conflict,” said Mrs. Beverly Gordon, Head of the History Department. “Someone who is completely not open to the creation of a Palestinian state all but stops progress, because it takes out any possibility of compromise.”

President Obama in response has stated that there will be a “reas-sessment” of some aspects of the US-Israeli relationship, putting him more in line with a growing branch of progressives in the Democratic Party which espouse pro-Palestine views.

“I do think there’s a drift towards Palestine,” said Hunter Peck ‘17, President of the World Affairs Club. “Republicans are overwhelmingly pro-Israel, and the Democrats are now opposing that, driving the two parties further apart.”

“I just think there are too many Jewish voters in the United States,” Colameco said, “It really doesn’t have anything to do with Palestine or Israel, just getting votes. And unless that voting pattern changes, and I

don’t think it will, the Party will stay pro-Israel.”

T h i s i s j u s t one aspect in how C on g r e s s i s s o divided. But why is Congress so divided?

Mrs . Gordon said this is not the first time Congress was divided. “There’s been division, but not really on this level. However, I

don’t think this is the worst division. I think the most antithetical parties were the first ones.”

“I can’t really wrap my head around this time though,” she said, “I really think it’s about labels. People take one stance or another. It’s not really about a strong platform, but it seems to be more personal, for lack of a better word.”

“It definitely has to be gerryman-dering,” Mr. Colameco says, “What happens then is that more extrem-ist candidates can win primaries and elections. If you have a district evenly divided, you have candidates who have to appeal to more moder-ate voters. It doesn’t happen in ger-rymandered districts.”

Mr. Colameco stressed that both parties are to blame for the gerryman-dering, and thus the division.

This attitude is not really shared by students at Malvern, Peck said. “A lot of students here place blame on the divisions on issues, and specifi-cally Israel on the Obama administra-tion,” said Peck.

Fixing this intense partisanship is a long ways away, says Colameco. “You could try and redraw the dis-tricts, but that goes through the states, so it can’t just happen all at once.”

“You know, in the 1980’s, Republicans and Democrats would fight tooth and nail during the day, but then go to the same bars at night.” Colameco said, “Now, that doesn’t happen today. It’s a very unhealthy situation for the American people and the nation.” n

“You don’t have to agree with the President, but you do have to work

cooperatively ...and that’s not

what they’re doing here.”-Mr. Colameco

Clinton email controversy still going strongThe use of a private email and server during her tenure as Secretary of State has Republicans drooling

Chris Bunn ‘16REPORTER

On March 2, the New York Times revealed that Hillary Clinton used a personal

email address rather than a govern-ment issued one.

This has raised controversy, mainly due to the fact that this vio-lates regulations imposed by the National Records and Archives Administration.

By federal law, high-ranking offi-cials must conduct all government business from a provided government email address. The only exception to this rule is in emergencies, when gov-ernment email servers are down.

Despite this, Clinton used her personal email address to send and

receive email during her time as the Secretary of State.

One problem this poses is that the server is open to security breaches. The server is kept on Clinton’s own residence. While Clinton claims that there are safeguards on the server and that it was guarded by the Secret Service, it may not match the security on a government-owned server.

However, there may be non-mali-cious reasons as to why Clinton kept her email on her own server.

"It could be for security, conveni-ence, or reliability" Mr. Quinn says.

Another problem is that this also allows for emails to be manipulated. It is possible for emails to be tam-pered or withheld from the server. Ordinarily, this problem wouldn’t

exist on a government email server, as it is controlled by the National Archives. However, Clinton has control over her email server.

Two days after The New York Times reported on this, Clinton promised to make her emails pub-lic. In a tweet sent out on March 4th, Clinton claims to have given the state department over 55,000 emails and asked for their release to the public.

On Clinton’s chances at a 2016 presidential, Mrs. Lappas says “My first reaction is that this is going to kill her. The GOP and the GOP Pacs are going to go crazy. They are going to keep this email thing and Benghazi in the limelight throughout the whole campaign.”

“On the other hand, she was the salvation of the democratic party. I don't’ think they're going to scram-ble to find someone in her place.” she remarks.

Despite all of the media backlash that has resulted from this incident, Clinton attempts to place the news in a positive light. In a Washington Post

interview, Clinton shows the benefits of a large release of emails.

“ [The emails] will have an unprecedented insight into a high government official's daily commu-nications, which I think will be quite interesting.” she remarks. n

“I really think it’s about labels.

People take one stance or

another. It’s not really about a

strong platform, but it seems to be more personal.”-Mrs. Gordon

THE BLACKFRIAR CHRONICLE12 March 2015

PARTING PERSPECTIVES

The sci-fi juggernaut is returning to theaters, and Malvern offers its opinions

Jack McClatchy ‘17REPORTER

To the delight to every sci-fi nerd on campus, as well as Maxwell Talbot, a new Star

Wars is on the horizon, led by Disney. Set to hit theaters in December

2015, the Star Wars hype train is chugging along. Mark Hammill (Luke Skywalker), Carrie Fisher (Leia Organa), and Harrison Ford (Han Solo) are all set to reprise their roles in Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, directed by JJ Abrams. Abrams, who directed the new Star Trek films, has set a reputation for himself as a quality sci-fi director.

The new Star Wars film is set 30 years after the events of Return of the Jedi, and presents as the first of a new trilogy. In addition to the aging original cast members, expect to see Chewbacca, R2-D2, and C-3PO reprise their roles.

The rights to the movies were purchased by Disney in 2012. There have been doubts as to whether or not the family movie studio can live up to the massive hype surrounding the new films.

Although the film is set to hit theat-ers on December 18, there is already a buzz for the movie on campus.

Rob DiCicco, '16What are you looking forward to most in the new movie?Well, I really want to see Darth Vader make a return. Just take over some planets and stuff, just like assert his dominance in a movie from his perspective. Do you think JJ Abrams and Disney can make a good movie?They have an excellent track record. It'd be amazing to see what they could do based on what they have done.Should Jar Jar Binks return to the movies?Oh, absolutely. He brings that X-Factor and brings the movie to new heights.

Alex Strimmel, ‘18What are you looking forward to most in the new movie?I like to see a lot of the old characters come back to the movies. I think a lot of the fans can kind of relate to them with the previous movies.Do you think JJ Abrams and Disney can make a good movie?I’m not sure how good the Disney version is going to be. I know the original ones were really good, and I think it’s going to be hard for Disney to live up to it. We’ll have to see.Should Jar Jar Binks return to the movies?I do. Definitely.

Amir Webb, ‘17What are you looking forward to most in the new movie?Honestly I think it’s seeing everyone come back to their roles, and see how they pull it off.Do you think JJ Abrams and Disney can make a good movie?I hope so, especially since the last three weren’t so hot.Should Jar Jar Binks return? Nothing would make me happier than if Jar Jar Binks was never seen again.

Shane Ianuzzi, ‘17What are you looking forward to most in the new movie?The new animation stuff is probably going to be a lot better.Do you think JJ Abrams and Disney can make a new movie?Yes I do.Should Jar Jar Binks return to the movies?Definitely.n

Misogyny has no place in brotherhoodMisogyny (noun): dislike of, contempt for, or ingrained prejudice against women.

Michael McCarthy ‘15MEDIA & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR

The first step in solving a problem is recognizing there is one.

We must not only recognize this misogyny is a prob-lem at Malvern, but more importantly we must also ask ourselves “why?”

“I would never hire a woman.”“She’s so stuck up she won’t hook up with

me…”“Why is she so pretentious, she obviously

looks down her nose at us guys.”“Dude, girls are actually all so stupid.”These four quotes are just some of the things

I have heard over the course of one day dur-ing school. These, not to mention a particularly disgusting retweet of a “Meninist” tweet by a classmate, are just a small sample size of the overall attitude of some of Malvern’s students.

When one steps foot on the grounds of 418 South Warren Avenue, there is one thing we hope they notice above all else. That is the brotherhood of Malvern Prep. More than the academic rigor, athletic prowess, or artistic talents, we hope that they see the close knit community of Friars that we have come to call the brotherhood.

However, has anyone wondered who exactly is a member of the brotherhood? Is it just the students and the alumni who came before them? What about teachers and faculty? Parents?

There is no clear cut answer to this question, and if you asked a hundred Malvernians you may get a hundred different answers.

We must ask ourselves if our beloved brotherhood is exclusive or inclusive. Do we desire to separate ourselves from those we deem less worthy than ourselves? Or perhaps - I hope - we want to create a society of men and women who ground themselves on the moral principles of St. Augustine and the Catholic Church with a desire to better the world by treating all persons with love and respect.

We do not often get to see girls in situations where we are working as equals in an academic or creative setting. There are exceptions, like Malvern Theatre Society, Robotics, and some service activities. But most of these are extracurricular, and so a Friar might spend four years without participating in programs that support constructive co-ed opportunities.

The four years of high school are the largest educational jump in one’s entire academic career. It is when a stu-dent makes the jump from a middle schooler to that of a legal adult. Boys become men and girls become women.

When that jump is done in the absence of the opposite sex, members of a brotherhood might develop biased and incorrect opinions about the opposite sex due to lack of exposure.

Education is not just about academics. A vital part of education is exposure to different points of view. This is the same argument used for the diversity initiative. When we exclude certain points of view, ignorance abounds.

One possible, and partial, solution would be to get Malvernians interacting with girls in

the classroom. A possible manifestation of this could be to have some classes with students from Villa, either meeting at Malvern or Villa or even at an alternative location (i.e. night classes).

In a student-centered learning environment, where students are leading with their own interests, surely we can find some common academic ground with our sister schools.

But you know what the real solution to this problem is? The real solution is that we have to man up. We need to recognize that the problem is with ourselves, with a willful acceptance of ignorance. It is on us, Malvern, to change.

Nobody can make us do this. No program can force people to change their minds. We have to see that a real man is not one who inflates himself with excessive and often false pride. A real man is one who lives his life for others, who treats all others with respect and dignity as all children of God deserve.

Think about the women in your life: your mom, your sister,

your female teachers. Take an honest look at how you treat them in comparison to other men in your life. Do you treat them with the same levels of respect and dignity?

You interact with these women every day. They provide exam-ples of strength, intelligence, support, and faith. You would not be the man you are without them.

Many of you Friars reading this article are not misogynists. You do not try to step on others to further yourself. You are men of Christ, the consummate Christian Gentlemen.

You true Catholic men, we need you now more than ever. You must take charge of the Brotherhood of Malvern Prep. You must show by your voice, but much more importantly through your actions, that this backwards and knuckle-dragging school of thought is hollow, misguided, and completely without merit.

All children of God deserve to be treated with respect and love. Let’s start acting like it. n

ILLUSTRATION / J. FAUNCE ‘17

You interact with these women

every day. They provide examples

of strength, intelligence,

support, and faith. You would not be the man you are

without them.