Issue 4 2013-2014

Senior Photos, thoughts, and more inside!roundtable.sacredsf.org

TRvolume XIII issue IV

May 2014

Round Table

Farewell Class of 2014

the round table

Tthe round table

a forum for students

the round table | Founded 2005 by Nick Dietz, Corey Linehan, Tom Pardini, Joey Plonsker, Ms. Sarah Slonaker

Staff and Publication Information

John CannellStephen EverestZack HammerWill PaulsenConnor Abbott

Faculty ModeratorLori Saltveit

Faculty AdvisorAmanda Walker

roundtable.sacredsf.org

EditorLucas Chan

Copy EditorsAustin WooStephen Everest

Online content: Please visit the online round table at: http://roundtable.sacredsf.org/

Layout andWebsite EditorBrandon SeltenrichWill Paulsen

member

Corrections the round table goes to great lengths to ensure that all material is accurate, timely, and factual. However, errors sometimes occur. If you notice a factual mistake, please send an e-mail to [email protected] with “Reader Discovers Error!” in the subject line.

stuart hall high school

Staff

Stuart Hall High School | Schools of the Sacred Heart, San Francisco | Volume XIII, Issue IV | May 2014

Table of Contents

Cover Design by Tannor Bragg, Photos by SHHS CommunityBack cover photos by Lori Saltveit, Nathan Praeger, Laurie Pomeranz, Jefferey Nemy, Ray O’Connor, and William Seely

School NewsThe Junior Art Exhibit........................................3Sitting Down With Mr.G...................................13Jotting Down Ideas...........................................17SHHS Celebrates Congé at Bladium...............18

SportsGolf Team Wins NCS!.......................................5Sailing, More Than a Sport..............................6The Birth of Knights’ Lacrosse......................16

Special FeaturesThe College Experience.....................................4Summer Activities.............................................7HUVr Tech.........................................................8Junior Leadership Ceremony..........................14One of Our Own...............................................15The JFCS Holocaust Center and SHHS.........19

Senior PagesSenior Photos......................................................9Senior Thoughts...............................................12Congratulations to the seniors!

editors’ corner

Well this is the end. Farewell. Goodbye. Adios. Auf wiedersehen. I bid thee adieu. The school year is nearly over and summer is just around the corner. It’s been a pleasure writing and editing for the round table for the past four years and I hope the level of quality and interest in our unique student publication continues for years to come. As the 2013-2014 school year comes to a close, the entire Stuart Hall community prepares to bid farewell to the senior class of 2014, who have left an undeniable mark on the school in their involvement in all aspects of student life. As tradition dictates, this last issue of the round table for the school year features the many familiar faces of the class of 2014 as well as the quality stories featured only in our publication. So thank you for the years of following many stories and reporting which we at the round table cater to you and the four school community. It has been a pleasure writing for you.

Keep flying.

Lucas Chan

The Junior Art ExhibitAn art exhibit directed by Ms. Hellstrom and Ms. Sitter

by Austin Woo ‘15

by Lucas Chan ‘14

the round table | page 3

Special Feature

This year Ms. Hellstrom, Stuart Hall’s Art teacher, and Ms. Sitter, head of the English department, worked in unison on the junior English curriculum. What made this year’s curriculum, so different from other years was that it incorporated art. Throughout the year after reading certain novels and learning about certain historical movements and time periods, the juniors translated what they read during the year into artwork. On May 6th, all the hard work, in Ms. Hellstrom’s studio and Ms. Sitter’s classroom, culminated in the Junior Art Exhibit: Song of Myself. The art exhibit was held in the Syufy Theatre Lobby on the Broadway Campus. Artworks included everything from

paintings inspired by Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises to music inspired by The Great Gatsby.

Photo by Patter Hellstrom|| round table

TStaff and Publication Information

Stuart Hall High School | Schools of the Sacred Heart, San Francisco | Volume XIII, Issue IV | May 2014

special features

The College ExperienceCatching up with Jean-Luc Seltenrich

After graduating from Stuart Hall in 2013, my brother, Jean-Luc Seltenrich, headed down to San Marcos, just outside San Diego, to attend Cal State University San Marcos (CSUSM). I took the liberty to ask him about college so I could learn what his experience has been like. First of all, he told me that he chose CSUSM because he liked the size and location of the school. He wanted to be far enough away from home so that he could live on his own, but close enough that he could drive up within a day if there was a family emergency. Having him right down in SoCal has been pretty good. There is no time zone change so we still talk every day and he has come up to San Francisco on a couple of different occasions for a few weeks. Jean-Luc told me that college classes are a bit different from the high school classes

he took here at Stuart Hall. He likes a lot of his

current classes because he is able to learn more in a shorter period of time. In college they use a semester system in which you take ten classes each academic year, five each semester. Jean-Luc is majoring in Criminology, as he hopes to pursue some kind of career in law enforcement. He enjoys the classes very much and for the seniors here at the Hall, it goes to show that you can expand your range of classes very far and can experiment with all kinds of subjects. Here at Stuart Hall, Jean-Luc left his mark on the school through art as he painted one of the murals at the stairs of the Morning Star building. Unfortunately in college he has not been as involved in art but he continues to draw and paint. His hobby has become less public but remained just as important. Something we all know

about college is there is a lot of free time between classes. Jean-Luc said that with all of his free time, he is able to get all his work done, complete daily and weekly errands, as well as relax and sleep a lot. He said he is more than happy with his choice of CSUSM and he plans on staying there for his college career. That’s Jean-Luc’s point of view of his college experience. For the seniors who will be departing our school shortly, this could serve as a little insight into what you could be doing next year.

by Brandon Seltenrich ‘16

Photo by Jean-Luc’s roommate, Huy To || round table



sports

Golf Team Wins NCS!First of many

On Monday, May 5, the Stuart Hall golf team made the long drive up to Humboldt County to play in the NCS Division II Championship at the Beau Pre Golf Club. After a successful season in which they placed second in the league, the Knights were looking to finish strong and capture the Hall’s first ever North Coast Section championship. The young team won the championship by 10 strokes over Branson. This is a huge deal for the golf program and Stuart Hall athletics. Other teams competing were Justin-Siena, Sir Francis Drake, Bishop O’Dowd, and Marin Catholic. Top performers for the Knights on the par 71 course were sophomore Daniel Connolly (-4), juniors Hayden Rodriguez (+5) and Jack Travers (+7), and freshman Hunter Tatham and Robert Eklund, who both shot an 82 (+11). None of the Hall’s golfers are seniors, so the future looks incredibly bright for the program.

Based off this match, the top 9 scoring golfers advance to the individual championship. Advancing for the Hall are

Connolly and Rodriguez, who will look to show well and possibly take home the individual title. Connolly, Rodriguez, and junior TJ Polite also excelled all season, as Connolly was named to the BCL West’s All League First Team while Rodriguez and Polite made Second Team. Connolly also took home the league MVP while breaking both the school and league’s record for scoring average; a fantastic accomplishment for a sophomore. The whole school community, as well as us here at the round table, would like to congratulate the golf team on their amazing performance and continued success. Also, good luck to the members of the golf team advancing to the individual championship!

by Stephen Everest ‘15

Photo By NCS volunteer|| round table


sports

Sailing, More Than a Sport...it’s a nautical lifestyle

by John Cannell ‘16

Photo Courtesy of St. Francis Yacht Club || round table

For the past few years, Convent and Stuart Hall have come together to form an incredible co-ed sailing team. Sailing is offered at both schools as a club sport that is enabled by the St. Francis Yacht Club where we are facilitated and coached. Our team began a few years ago as just a small group of kids, some avid sailors, whose lives have literally revolved around sailing, growing and aspiring to become great sailors. The team was also joined by beginners who were greatly motivated to thrive on the sailing team. I personally joined the Convent and Stuart Hall sailing team two years ago and I have had some of the best experiences of my life, as well as made friends that I hope to keep forever. Sailing is different than other sports because you become close with your teammates, coaches and build a sort of peer bond between the people around you. Sailing at St. Francis is unique because we are lucky enough to sail right on the bay front of the lovely

San Francisco Bay, which is known as the most difficult place to sail in the world. But we do not think about that because the beauty of the bay is what takes over our thoughts. “Sailing’s like Chess on the water. It’s a mental game” says varsity sailor Will Paulsen ’15. We also get to sail with other school teams like: The Bay School, Urban, Lycee Francais, International, University, and Lick Wilmerding. Last year, on the weekend of February 23 and 24 at a Pacific Coast Interscholastic Sailing Association (PCISA) regatta on Treasure Island, our team came in first place in the Silver Fleet, which was the biggest win so far for our team. After accepting the trophy, we were invited by PCISA to move up to the prestigious, more rigorous level of racing: Gold Fleet. Gold Fleet has opened up a whole new world for our team; a world of an incredible level of competitiveness and being head to head with the best high school sailors in California. This year, we have been

fortunate enough to experience numerous regattas against sailors from both Northern and Southern California, as well as Hawaii. Most recently the team competed in Santa Barbara at the “Gaucho Regatta,” hosted by UCSB. I was not able to make it to this regatta but my team embarked on their journey down to Santa Barbara a day early to tour around UCSB. The team placed 9th overall out of 32 teams in the Silver Fleet, and 18th in the Gold Fleet.

Sailing, More Than a Sport...it’s a nautical lifestyle


special features

Summer ActivitiesAdding to your summer bucket list...

The seasons have flown by! It seems as though we just got back from our winter break, and then spring rolled in. However, spring is not going to last too long, either. Before you know it, finals will be oever and then summer will start. However, don’t let your summer go to waste by being a couch potato. Instead, here are a bunch of cool, interesting and productive activites you should make part of your summer “to do” list.

Spending Time Outside Summer is the season with the best outdoor weather and you should definitely take advantage of that. Don’t spend all your time indoors playing video games and watching TV. Get active! Outdoor activities such as biking, hiking, and camping are great ways to spend time outside.

SATs For those of you entering your junior or senior years at The Hall, you should begin thinking about colleges and SATs (or ACTs), because standardized tests like these are a big part of the college application process. While taking

an all day SAT bootcamp may not be necessary for some, you should definitely figure out if you need SAT prep or not by taking a practice test over the summer.

Working Out/Sports Throughout the school year, kids are usually active due to their seasonal sports and PE classes. However, many kids stop exercising during the summer because there are no requirements to do so. The lack of priority makes kids inactive and they can become out of shape. One of the easiest ways to avoid this is by setting goals to motivate yourself to exercise. Hey you, don’t you want that six pack to impress that certain someone?

Traveling With daily school work and rather short breaks during the school year, there is simply no time to travel. During the summer though, you have a load of free time. Plan a trip with your friends and/or family! It’s also important that you immerse yourself in other cultures to widen your own view of the world. I hear that The Bahamas are nice this time of year.

Avoiding the Summer Brain Drain You probably won’t be thinking about academic work during the summer, but you should. While summer vacation is about decompressing from all the stress and work from school, it’s vital to keep your brain “sharp” during the summer. According to The Examiner, about 72% of kids lose reading and math skills during the summer. This is because students don’t bother to read or practice a couple of math problems here and there. Setting a goal of reading a book over the summer certainly couldn’t hurt. If you dont use it, you lose it!

Getting Your Permit/ License You have always wanted to get your license but you procrastinate and tell yourself that you “just don’t have the time.” Well now you have that time. For those of you who want your permit, start studying for the exam online and completing your 16 hour requirement with your driving instructor. Continued on page 8.your parents are not going to keep

by Austin Woo ‘15 by Lucas Chan ‘14

Image created by Austin Woo|| round table


On March 3, 2014 HUVr Tech released two videos, which were named BELIEF and HOW, and showed off the HUVrboard - a trick board featured in the 1980’s movie, Back to the Future - as a real

functioning hover board!These videos tricked many people into thinking that the HUVr board could be real. In the HOW video they explained the technology used in the board, like a magforce charger that they say creates a magnetic field. They also say that it has more technology in it than a satellite we sent into to space in 2010. The other video, BELIEF, has Christopher Lloyd, Tony Hawk, Schoolboy Q, and other people who rode the board to show what the device could do. Also, in the beginning of the video they have a disclaimer that

says that everything in the video is real. Even though this was

intended as a joke, most people believed that the hover boards could be real. The HUVr board commercial fooled many people up to twelve hours after the video was released until Tony Hawk released

a video apologizing. John Cannell ‘16 said, “The video was rad and I was bummed that it wasn’t real.” Unlike most practical jokes where the people getting pranked are told they were pranked immediately afterwards, this practical joke was not like any of those because so many people believed it was true. The group that produced the prank released an official apology with Christopher Lloyd and Tony Hawk. This video would have been better if it was on April Fool’s Day and people wouldn’t have been so upset. The company behind all of this joke was Funny or Die.

special features

HUVr TechHUVr Not

by Will Paulsen ‘15

Photo by Will Paulsen|| round table

Internships/ Job You probably spend more money during the summer and it’s true that your parents are not going to keep giving you money. Getting a job and/or internship will help with your shortage of cash. It’s also beneficial to gain work experience at a younger age, while doubling as something nice to put on your college resume.

Outside Lands Over the years, Outside Lands has become a symbol of the growing music and food scene of San Francisco and exemplifies the best of the Bay Area. Although most often seen as simply another

Bonnaroo-esque music festival crammed into Golden Gate Park, Outside Lands has prided itself on the variety of attractions featured near Land’s End that support dozens of local businesses. From the small handmade goods start-up to the up-and-coming food trucks found in the ‘Food Truck Forest,’ the three day festival is more than an end-of-summer party. However, the expanding lineup each year doesn’t hurt either. From its humble start that featured mostly indie acts with a few major acts, Outside Lands now attracts multiple headlining acts such as Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, and Muse as well as much larger sell-out audiences.

This summer’s Outside Lands is scheduled for August 8-10 and will possibly be the most highly anticipated event of the summer, especially for those who live in California.

Grey Bradshaw

Elio Casinelli

Lucas Chan

Steaven Baldoza

Tannor Bragg

Wesley Chambers

Caleb Chertow

ConnorAbbott


Congratulations Senior Knights


Thomas Egan

Brandon Joa

Duncan O’Neill

JackCousineau Xavier Conrad Sasha Potapov

Ethan Hankins

Brandon Leong

Mars Pasache


Gerald Reader

AndrewSuarez

Nicholas Syufy

Nathan Praeger

Kailen Santos

Dustin Sullivan

Elijah Tolentino

Sasha Potapov


Patrick Wong

Jose Alfredo Vargas

Ron Valencia

As seniors wind down the year and move towards graduation, most of them are spending their last moments together. Over the last last few weeks, I asked three seniors about their time at Stuart Hall: Mars Pasache and Caleb Chertow who hve been at Stuart Hall all four years, and who are going to University of San Francicso and Brandeis University respectively, and Wesley Chambers, who transferred to Stuart Hall this year.

If you had to describe your four years at Stuart Hall in one word, what would it be? Explain.CC: One word? I would say talented. I think that they try to expose every person’s talents and it’s not that the school has its own personality but rather that the students themselves have their own individual personalities.MP: Fun. I’ve had a lot more fun at school in general here at Stuart Hall

than I did in grammar school. WC: It’s pretty hard to describe four years at Stuart Hall when I’ve only been here for one.What is your favorite memory from Stuart Hall?CC: I really am fond of the American River trip. It was a time when it was only our class and it was a time when we got to bond with each other and our teachers.MP: Probably when we won the BCL West championship in basketball. I played basketball all four years and varsity for almost a full three, and during those four years our basketball team had never won a championship. To be able to finally achieve that my senior year was awesome, especially since I was the only senior on the team.WC: Probably the senior trip at the beginning of the year. Being the new guy in the class, it was cool to get to know everyone and I don’t think my

senior year would have been the same without it.Do you think Stuart Hall has properly prepared you for your life moving forward? Explain.CC: I mean I can only speculate, but I feel like if there has ever been a place that can foster such growth in a person I would have to say it is Stuart Hall. So, ya, I feel prepared, and regardless if I end up being truly prepared or not I will still look back on my four years fondly.MP: Sure. Although some skills I don’t feel like I needed, overall I’ve had a good time. Regardless if it’s prepared me for life moving forward, I think it’s important to get a good high school experience.WC: I’ve only been here for a year, so it’s hard to tell right now. However, I feel pretty prepared at the moment.

special features

Senior ThoughtsDon’t You Forget About Me

by Connor Abbott ‘14


school news

Sitting Down With Mr. GThis guy got me into college

by Connor Abbott ‘14

Photo by Austin Woo|| round table

Mr. Guerrero has become a beloved member of the Stuart Hall High School community. Arriving at the school during the 2011 school year, he’s become a counselor and role model for seniors and many other students. Mr. Guerrero, or “Mr. G” as he is known by most seniors, is an alumni of UC Irvine. After graduating, he worked many years in the college admission process, as a college admissions advisor for high school students, a regional representative for universities, as well as working in many universities’s admissions offices. Before Stuart Hall, Mr. Guerrero most recently worked in the admission office at Chapman University. Having not only been his advisee for my time at the school, but also having gone through the college process with him, I’ve gotten to know Mr. Guerrero quite well over the years. Like my classmates, I think Mr. Guerrero does an amazing job helping us navigate the college process; not only does he advise us through the application process, but he often times helps by talking to some of the admissions

offices on our behalf. Also, Mr. Guerrero’s space has been a haven for upperclassmen.

Whether they need a place to relax, work, or just generally free themselves from the confines of school, his room allows us to have a space to do that.Despite his familiarity with the upperclassman, some of the underclassmen don’t know him as well, so I was able to ask him a few questions; so as to help everyone get to know him even better.

What have been some of the highlights of your career working in college admissions? The tough conversations with the seniors are what I remember most. The process of applying to college asks each student to be a smart consumer while navigating the pressures of adolescence and expectation. It’s the hard conversations that keep me challenged and highlight each individual student’s path towards the right college.

What are some tips you have for students entering the college process? Take care of your grades

because it plays a large role on what colleges you can apply to and which colleges you cannot. Build positive relationships with your faculty, coaches and mentors. These are essential people who you will need to have possibly write college recommendation letters on your behalf.What universities best correlate with Stuart Hall? Tough question. During the College Counseling Course, my hope is that every junior develops a better list of schools based on what they believe a college experience should give them. Whether that is based on their academic interests or the social/extra-curricular interests will be determined by each individual.

Which universities like Stuart Hall guys the most? Every college that visits Stuart Hall wants more Stuart Hall men to be a part of their community. Our reputation on the college admissions side is strong and I would expect no less. Stuart Hall is extremely fortunate to have Mr. G be a part of our community. His expertise in his field had been beneficial to many Stuart Hall boys during his years here and this trend looks to continue as classes continue to move on into college.


school news

Junior Leadership CeremonyThe Seniors Hand Down the Torch

As each senior class graduates, they must also hand down the torch: their leadership. During the fourth quarter, once a year during Chapel, the school attends the Junior Leadership Ceremony, where the juniors inherit their forthcoming leadership roles along with their new responsibilities. This year on April 7th, SHHS gathered in St. Xavier Church for the Junior Leadership Ceremony. During the ceremony, the seniors passed out candles to every junior. Afterwards, the juniors walked up to the altar to have their candles lit, symbolizing the passing of the torch. “I felt a responsibility being granted upon my peers and myself” said Gennaro Covelli, a rising senior at SHHS. Three juniors then spoke about their past experience at Stuart Hall High School. Will Hackel, junior class president of 2014, talked about his experience as a freshmen. Beto Wetter, soon to be the senior class president of 2015, talked about his

experience as a sophomore. And finally, Liam Campbell delivered a speech about his

experience reflecting on his junior year at SHHS. Liam’s speech is reprinted here.

I was assigned the job this morning of describing junior year from the class of 2015’s perspective. This mission was daunting at first. But I realized, through our amazing retreat, that I already know everything I need to know. From our team’s football games, to Armani’s dunks, to Charlie and Austin’s wrestling, to David’s piano playing, or spending time with the mighty Shing-Hoi Lau, or having a leader like Will Hackel, or even living with Lambo, we truly have it ALL. And that’s what makes our class so special. JUNIOR YEAR. Not to stress out the sophomores, this is arguably the toughest year of your academic career. Having to balance the SAT, sports, grades, the college process, social endeavors, this year is hard.

Junior year is about unity and endurance. Our class has been able to get through this year together because we have each others’ backs. We never give up on each other. Most of us know who we are as individuals and are able to only contribute positively to the class. I have had the most unbelievable experience at this high school thus far, and I give most of the credit to my class. So thank you guys for that. I truly believe our class is the most diverse, strong, and clear minded class I have ever seen. We make our mistakes, and pay the consequences. Then we rebound and always do something spectacular. We are a special group of gentlemen with the potential to do a lot of special things in and outside of the classroom. Let’s bring that knowledge into next year and lead our school with the utmost integrity and honor.

by Austin Woo ‘15

Photo by Lori Saltveit|| round table


school news

One of Our Own“Yeah baby!” - Julian Moreno

I consider myself extremely lucky to have spent two years at Stuart Hall alongside my classmate and friend, Julian Moreno. Julian is an incredible individual, who is capable of such great things. As soon as you have a conversation with Julian, you can tell immediately that he will go far in life. Julian has participated in many school sports and continues to thrive on the cross country and track and field teams, being one of the fastest runners at Stuart Hall High School. Julian holds many hidden talents as well, and if you’re as lucky as I am, you will be able to witness some in action. Julian also plays an extremely large role in student leadership. He is the current president of the sophomore class, and will go on to be the student body vice president. He has also led SIA this year. Julian is a truly amazing person and I am honored to be blessed by his presence in the Sophomore class. Julian had a JV basketball career in the winter of his freshman year and has participated in cross country and track and field for two consecutive years here at The Hall. Julian is a varsity athlete on both teams and he is a top five scorer on the teams. His best 5k time is

17.34 minutes. He has set freshman and sophomore records in multiple courses and has earned a place in The Knights top scoring list once. In track and field, his mile time is 4.56 minutes and his fastest two mile time is 10.40. He has set the freshman record in the two mile as well. “Track is more challenging for me because it’s more speed oriented” Says Julian, “I feel comfortable in races doing longer distances, like in cross

country, but it’s a challenge that I will try to do my best. Because I know it’s not great, it makes me want to do better in the next race.” Acting is something that must come naturally to Julian considering how good of a job he did in his first gig, A Few Good Men. Julian landed one of the major roles and was nervous at first, but he was up to the task. He was able to thrive through the support of his fellow cast members and Mr. Luna in the acting elective. Right now, Julian and the rest of the cast are working on The Odd Couple which is about two divorced men trying to live together. Julian finds his role much more difficult than his last one because, in A Few Good Men, Julian says that he felt like his character fit his persona a little bit better than the role he is practicing now. Julian plans on continuing his acting career as an adult, but for now he hopes that Mr. Luna will host another opportunity. You may not know this, but Julian is a comic book fanatic. He takes a specific liking to Marvel comics, especially ones that feature his favorite superheroes like Captain America and Spider-Man. Julian enjoys all comics, but he prefers comics from The Silver Age which was from 1958 to 1977. Julian writes comics that are inspired by

the Marvel ones that he reads. He began writing comics as just a minor hobby, but it has grown larger than he ever planned. Julian publishes comics every Sunday and has three comic lines. The characters that he has made so far are the Mysterious Captain Ethics inspired by Mr. Campos, Dynamica The Protector and The Majestic Ladies Corps. The female characters that he has created tackle issues like feminism, equality, socio-economic situations and “good old fashion bad guy vs good guy stuff!” Julian says that his comics would not be possible without the help of Mr. Campos and Mrs. Walker. Julian is the leader of the incredible SIA program here at Stuart Hall. SIA stands for Students In Action and is part of an organization called the Jefferson Service Award. The SIA program is unique at Stuart Hall and has grown from 11 participants to 27. Julian says that this has helped him in becoming the leader that he is today. Based on just a few of the many things that have been written in this article, you can tell that he is an all-around, quality guy that I consider a great friend and inspiration.

by John Cannell ’16

Photo by John Cannell || round table


Fall Highlights

Photo by Lindsay MacGarva || round table


sports

The Birth of Knights’ LacrosseThe LAX team gets going

Since last year, Stuart Hall has had a group of dedicated players and an even more dedicated Athletic Director in Coach Johnson strive to bring back the lacrosse program at our school. This year, we are proud to say that The Hall once again has a lacrosse team and we intend to take the BCL West Central league by storm with our pool of both experienced as well as new players. Coach Johnson went above and beyond to make this happen, recruiting several players for the team, including myself. We also acquired a top-notch coaching staff in Coaches Hunter Williams and Cyrus Albertson. And to add to it, we also got our hands on some fresh new gear, including home/away uniforms, helmets, and gloves. Constantly pushing and conditioning our team in practice, Coaches Hunter and Cyrus emphasize that it is the “little things” that are going to win us games. As a team, we practice passing, shooting, and offensive and defensive strategy to ensure

that we know what we are doing on the field. We’ve seen personal breakthroughs from newbies turned pro, namely Matty “Ice” Jung, and through the leadership of our captains Jimmy Mortenson and Duncan O’Neill, we’ve been able to drastically improve our team effort and play every day. The Knights opened up league play against rival Bay School on March 28 at Kezar stadium. With seven goals scored between Max Phillipps, Duncan O’Neill, and Tyler Ryan, the Knights fell short of a comeback effort and lost 13-7 in an exciting league opener. The Knights wrapped up the season with a 4-4 overall record not too shabby for their first year back at it. Rest assured that your Knights played with all kinds of talent seen from Duncan O’Neill, Max Phillips, rookie Derek “Lobo” Barrientos, as well as every player in the lineup. Hopefully you made it out to a game or two and if not, there’s next year to support the Hall’s lacrosse team!

by Brandon Seltenrich ‘16


Photo by Lindsay MacGarva || round table


school news

Jotting Down IdeasStuart Hall students write their hearts out

Every year, each class sets aside a day to go on a class retreat, a sort of community team-building experience. This year the sophomore class worked with the Youth Speaks organization in a public speaking/writing workshop. We started off the day in the Columbus Room, seated in a circle. A couple of the guys from Youth Speaks got up to introduce themselves and performed a few of their poems, to get us pumped up for writing and performing later in the day. Next we worked on some team-building exercises, my favorite of which was the sculpture exercise. We were split up into small groups, and one person in the group was selected as the “sculptor.” The other people in the group were the “sculptees.” One of the Youth Speaks guys would say a word, such as “love” or “freedom” and then the sculptor had to create a scene, using the

sculptees as they saw fit. After that all the sculptors would go around the circle to

see the different scenes that each person made. It was really cool to see how each person viewed each word differently, and a lot of people had some really creative ideas. After that, once we had our creative juices flowing, we began writing. They gave us different prompts, such as giving us the question “What’s in the box?” and then we had to make a poem in the form of a list from that prompt. We wrote for almost a solid hour, after which those who wanted to perform were able to. A really memorable performances was when Youth Speaks leader, Dennis Kim, called up Zeke and Daniel to each read a “list poem”. Even though they both read the same thing, the way they presented it was

quite different, which made for an interesting exercise. Some of the other poems that my fellow classmates had written were truly amazing. They were so heartfelt and I never knew my friends could write so well. SHHS counselor Ms. Pomeranz had this to say about the day: “It’s always positive and powerful when people share their words and stories with each other. People rose to the challenge of trying something that may have felt pretty new, and something that can make a person feel pretty vulnerable. I appreciated the way people listened to one another, and affirmed one another for what they put out there, and that they created a respectful space together, where things could be safely shared.”

by Zack Hammer ‘16

Photos by Laurie Pomeranz || round table


Fall Highlights


school news

SHHS Celebrates Congé at BladiumA day to celebrate and relax

While SHHS instills the habit of working hard into its students, they also believe in honoring hard work and therefore taking a day off from academics, to relax and have fun. Once a year, the senior class organizes a surprise day, known as Congé, where all students are excused from their classes to celebrate their educational tenacity. Congé, a French tradition that dates back to the 18th century, has been a SHHS tradition since day one. During Morning Chapel on April 7th, the Student Council announced to the school that there was going to be free dress on April 11th, the following Friday. This announcement stirred rumors among the students because it seemed like Congé would land on that Friday, the day with the coincidental casual dress. Some students, like Charlie O’connell, argued that it was a hoax meant to trick the students while others, like Carter Evans, were positive that Congé would land on that Friday. However, what seemed like a hint to Congé, was actually just a ploy to throw off the students on the actual date. On Thursday April 10th, the day before the “supposed” obvious

Congé, Nathan Praeger and Dustin Sullivan, the President and Vice President of the Student Council for 2013-2014, blew the air horn in the courtyard, signalling that that Thursday was actually Congé. After the air horn, students congregated in the Columbus Room. Once all the students were compiled in the Columbus Room, the seniors gave all juniors, sophomores, and freshmen Krispy Kreme

donuts and milk. Around 9 am, four busses showed up in front of SHHS to take everyone to the

mystery location where the school would celebrate Conge. The four buses then headed to Bladium, a sports activity center located in Alameda. Inside was an assortment of sports fields, which included: a soccer field, football field, basketball court, a rock climbing gym, and an outdoor laser tag stadium. Unlike many other schools who segregate and play together by class, the students at Stuart Hall play well by interacting with all grades. “It was really cool to see Freshmen playing with the seniors, sophomores playing with the juniors, and vice versa” says Will Paulsen ’15. “It was a great way to bond with other students and even teachers.” Some of the teachers even joined in and rivaled against the students. Teachers challenged the students to a game of laser tag, aggressively dodging the shots of the students and advancing them by tumbling the inflatable objects as makeshift shields. “I actually had a lot of fun playing laser tag against the teachers,” says Allie Rosen ’15. “I was surprised to see teachers like Ms. MacGarva and Ms. Peterson in a different element.”

At noon, all the students met back at the benches and had a pizza lunch, organized by the teachers. “I was worried that were wasn’t going to be enough pizza for all of us,” said Benji Bapuopeleh’15, “but there was a lot of pizza, and I had my fill.” After all the ravenous students were fed and socialized a bit, the students went back to the fields and stadiums to continue playing. Things heated up on the basketball court, as many students, some of whom who were not on the basketball teams, challenged the JV, Varsity, and Frosh-Soph basketball players. “I didn’t actually play basketball but I was chilling on the side and watching the basketball games,” said Willie Rodriguez ‘16. “It got intense but everyone seemed to be having a good time.” Even on the football field, others students got out of their element. Varsity Wrestling Captain, Charlie O’Connell ‘15, played a game of football and decided that, “I want to try football out next year. It was insanely fun playing with students that I normally don’t interact with.” Around 2:30, all the students rallied to their buses to head back to school. “I wished Congé would have lasted longer,” said Demetri Sakellaropoulus ‘15, “but the bus ride back was still fun. The entire junior class had a rap battle on the way back to school.” At the end of the day, the tired students arrived back at school around 3:15 with another great Congé written in the books.

by Austin Woo ‘15

Photo by Ryan Murray ‘17|| round table


Over the past two years, the Jewish Family and Children’s Services in San Francisco and Stuart Hall have established an incredible relationship. Located on 2245 Post Street about a 10 minute walk from school, the JFCS Holocaust Center is a great resource for Stuart Hall students. Year One Early last year, Mr. Vasquez approached my sophomore theology class with the opportunity to join the Next Chapter program at JFCS, run by Morgan Blum. Many interested students, including current juniors Beto Wetter, Will Paulsen, and myself, and current sophomores Aurelio Jimenez and Dylan Coe, participated in the life-changing program. Throughout the course of the Next Chapter program, the five of us along with about 15 other students from around the Bay Area met twice a month to discuss important issues about the Holocaust and its history. This also centered around the idea that education on this topic, along with raising awareness, could prevent a future genocide. Just as important was the opportunity presented through this program to interview a Holocaust survivor. This experience was something my peers and I will never forget.“Through the program, we learned the struggles of the survivors in the Holocaust, and also learned the value of spreading awareness,” said last year’s Next Chapter participant Will Paulsen. My survivor, Gloria Lyon, is possibly the nicest person that I have ever met. After meeting her, you would never guess that she went through seven concentration camps and saw the horrors of the Holocaust first hand. Over the course of a few months I interviewed her extensively about her life story and built an amazing bond with her. Hearing

about her life not only made me a better educated student, but helped me grow as a person. I learned not to judge others as harshly and to forgive others. After hearing the stories of these survivors, my peers and I wrote essays. These essays helped fulfill our goal of spreading Holocaust awareness. At the end of the program, during graduation, I looked back on my experience and realized that, while it was a lot of work, it was incredible and I wanted to stay involved with the JFCS. Year Two This school year, our school’s bond with the JFCS has grown even more substantially. At the beginning of the year, Morgan Blum came to one of our chapels and presented on the Holocaust. She also handed out fliers for the Next Chapter and another program offered at JFCS, the Manovill Fellowship. After her talk, there was a lot of interest in joining these programs. In the end, four members of the junior class joined the Next Chapter: Ryley Aceret, Benzi Blatman, Connor King-Roberts, and Maxwell Phillipps. “So far, it has been an eye opening experience and one I’ll probably never forget,” said current Next Chapter participant Maxwell Phillipps. I also decided to stay involved with JFCS and joined the Manovill Fellowship, an intensive study of genocide. So far, I have done research projects on refugees who fled to Argentina,

liberators of camps in Poland, and currently I am working on a presentation on the Armenian genocide. I am learning a lot and am finding that this experience is invaluable. Without the support of the faculty at Stuart Hall and JFCS, none of this would be possible.The Future Our school’s students have stepped up and helped forge a strong relationship between Stuart Hall and JFCS, opening doors for even more educational growth. Next year I am sure that even more students will sign up for these programs, especially since juniors Benji and Boscoe Bapuopeleh came to the Day of Learning put on by JFCS. This event hosts hundreds of students from across the Bay Area and gives them the opportunity to hear from Holocaust survivors as well as learn more in-depth about one aspect of the Holocaust. Most people never get to hear from a Holocaust survivor, but on this day hundreds of teenagers, who are the future of America, get to experience something unforgettable. This interest from students around the Bay Area is exciting, and I truly hope that the Hall’s relationship with JFCS lasts a long time.


school news

The JFCS Holocaust Center and SHHSA special connection for students

by Stephen Everest ‘15

Photo by Ray O’Connor|| round table

Issue 4 2013-2014

Documents

Transcript of Issue 4 2013-2014