VOL. 30 NO. 3 RED BANK CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL - RED BANK, NEW JERSEY 07701 April 2012

THE

RBC Prepares for Middle States

The Pennsylvania-based Middle States Com-mission on Higher Educa-tion (MSCHE) evaluation team is coming to town April 23 to April 26. It is the year that Red Bank Catholic undergoes its own form of spring cleaning. Middle States cov-ers the “Middle Region” of the United States. The term “Middle Region” applies to the states of Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylva-nia along with Washing-ton DC, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and various locations overseas. The Middle States Commission evaluates private and public schools across the high school and college spec-trum. To prepare for the Middle States evaluation, or validation, RBC sends out the Middle States sur-

vey. The responses to these surveys, issued to students, parents and teachers, serve as the inspiration for the goals that RBC strives to achieve. These goals include raising test scores, improving teaching tech-niques and helping students become the best citizens they can be.

“It’s a very gradual process,” says Assistant Principal Mrs. Bliss. With a laugh, she continued, “We actually started last fall.” The process as a whole takes about fifteen to eigh-teen months. Even then, the classes most likely to feel the effects of the improve-ments would be the classes

By Mary Clare Foleyof 2014 and 2015. An evaluation team then begins deciding on whether to reward accredi-tation to the school based on a list of criteria. This team not only takes into consideration the surveys, but also interviews with students, teachers and par-ents to see if, as Mrs. Bliss states, “School ‘X’ does what it says.” They exam-ine the philosophy, com-munity, programs, facilities and financial stability of the school. If the school mea-sures up to those standards, then they are awarded the accreditation status. This process shows prospective students that this school lacks nothing in its programs, while also showing colleges that RBC is nothing to overlook. This status then enables RBC to achieve new goals and be-gin new projects influenced by the school community.

Winter Sports HonorsBy Michaela Fleming

Girls Indoor Track:

Coach Rob DeFilippis was named Shore Conference Girls Indoor Track Coach of the Year

by the Asbury Park Press.

First Team All-Shore: Meghan McMullin, Lindsey Bellaran, and Liana Marzano

Second Team All-Shore:

Haley Rousell

The team captured their 2nd straight Non-Public A State Championship.

Girls Basketball:

Third Team All Shore: Caroline Corcoran

First Team All B North:Morgan Arnott

Team ranked #5 in the Shore Conference.

Ice Hockey:

First Team All-Shore: Chet Tooker

Team ranked #6 in the Shore Conference.

Girls Swimming:

Coach Matthew Bowen was named Shore Conference Girls

Swim Coach of the Year.

Team ranked #1 in the Shore Conference for 7th straight year.

First Team All-Shore: Julianna Cavano, Shannon

Slate, Karli Rymer, Jackie Van Lew, Shannon Belforti, Alli Vil-

lane, Jill Crosby

Second Team All Shore: Karli Rymer, Shannon Beliforti,

Jill Crosby

At the end of third quarter every school year, right before spring break, Red Bank Catholic gets ready to watch the annual Gym Volleyball Tourna-ment. Each year, third quar-ter gym class is all about volleyball: learning funda-mentals, playing matches, and, most of all, having fun. Eventually, each gym period divides itself up into sepa-rate teams to compete for the honor of representing their class in the volleyball tournament. “It’s really fun because everyone in Phys Ed participates and it shows the outcome of a lot of hard work,” says physical educa-tion teacher Mrs. Porzio. “They play hard all quarter and it’s nice to display all that talent and dedication.” This year, the win-ners for each gym class were: Period 1, Slayers; Period 2, Where’s Wilson; Period 3, .MPEG; Period 4, Rysewitme; Period 5, Danny’s Barn; Period 6,

RBC’s Gym Volleyball Tournament

Ryse; Period 7, Hawks; Pe-riod 8, StoneSquad; and the Phys Ed Club winners were the Spiker Chicks. Students excitedly filed into the gym on Friday, March 30, in anticipation of the coming games. Mrs. Porzio enthusiastically introduced the teams one by one before Father Chris stood up to say a short prayer, as is tradition for every school gathering at Red Bank Catholic. Junior

Victoria Romano sang the national anthem to much ap-plause from the crowd, and the games began. Though many of the first round games were won by large margins, several eventually progressed into nailbiters at the last min-ute. The closest match of the day was the semifinal between the StoneSquad and the Where’s Wilson teams. Though it seemed victory was close at hand

for Where’s Wilson, the StoneSquad came back in the last minute and tied the game in the final ten seconds. After much de-liberation, the match went into sudden death. The StoneSquad came out on top in a climactic end. In the end, the team Slayer won the final match, defeating StoneSquad by a close margin. Team Slayer members include Melissa Morello, Ryan Spahr, Molly McHugh, Brianna O’Toole, and Andrew LaMura. The Spiker Chicks won the award for Best Uniform, and before the students were dismissed, Junior Brianna Vitale sang “God Bless America” to end the day. “It’s a great event because it’s fun to display and it brings the third quar-ter to a satisfying close,” says Mrs. Porzio. “It’s a great thing for the kids to showcase their talent and to help boost school pride.”

RBC’s hard-working Middle States Committee: Mrs. Bliss, Mrs. Falco, Mr. Gissubel and Mrs. Flanagan.

By Caitlin Ouano

Congratulations to winners Ryan Spahr, Andrew LaMura, Molly McHugh, Melissa Morello and Brianna O’Toole.

Page 2 The SignPoST ocTober 2007

Editorials

THE SIGNPOSTVol. 30 No.3

“Opinions stated are not necessarily the voice of the Signpost”

american scholastic press association- 1st place

Red Bank Catholic High School112 Broad Street

Red Bank, NJ 07701Published Quarterly

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Maddie DiCiccoMANAGING EDITOR Caitlin Ouano

COPY EDITOR Marlena LucianoNEWS EDITOR Bernadette HoganFEATURES EDITOR Carlie RiceARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Sophia LalliSPORTS EDITOR Michaela FlemingPHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR Meg Stahl

MODERATOR Ms. Mary King

Page 2

The Search For KonyBy Charlene Grigaitis-Sheckler

Imagine a world where one could not go on the phone every few minutes or call friends throughout the day. Imagine having no car, no access to a favorite television show, no technology and no recent twitter newsfeed to read on an iPhone. There are still people out there, believe it or not, who do not use technology, houses, running water or even a supermarket. Recently there was a discovery made of a group of islands off of India called the Andaman Islands. On these islands are a group of about two hundred and fifty people who still act and behave like cavemen from thousands of years ago. They were recently discovered, but every attempt to gain contact with the people living on the island has ended with the island dwellers killing the trespassers. Although the island is located near India, it is far from civilization when it comes to lifestyle. The island dwellers are called the Sentinelese people. The Sentineli live in a hunter-gatherer society. Hunting, fishing, and collecting wild plants are their main sources of food. The Sentinelese people live in huts and little is known about their language, religion or lifestyle. Still, scientists and fishermen who try to be peaceful and friend-ly to these natives are shown harsh and unusual treatments. Even the Indian government has decided to end all contact with them after many unsuccessful attempts. These islands and the Sentineli are essentially a mystery to all of us. Still, the question remains as to why they would want to stay in an environment where not even food is guaranteed. We can help them become civil, show them our technology and our world. However, they refuse to let strangers help them and are terrified by what lies outside the Andaman Islands. They chose this type of society and seem to be per-fectly happy. They are the most isolated society in the world and choose to remain that way. Now those who have learned about the Sentinelese people are wondering why they are happy with so little. While they are so happy with virtually nothing, we are still unhappy with everything that we have. Could it be possible that with nature, trust, safety and a loving community, they are content without all of the advancements and establishments we have created over hundreds of years? Perhaps, to us, these island dwellers seem barbaric and uncivilized, but it is possible that they are healthier and happier than we are with the simple lives they live. Maybe even we would be happier if we had a lot less then we have today.

By Carlie Rice

APRIl 2012

The Andaman Islands:An Isolated Society

“Kony 2012” has been all over the internet and social media sites. Made by one of the co-founders of Invisible Children Incorporated, it is a thirty minute long video about Joseph Kony, the leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army, or the LRA, and the social evils that he has committed in Africa. Joseph Kony and his cult have taken and brutalized children in and around Uganda since 1986. Since then, Kony and the LRA have moved out of Uganda and into neighboring countries. They mainly operate in Uganda, South Sudan, The Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic. It has been six years since Kony began attacking families and innocent people, and abducting children in Uganda. Invisible Children Inc. was founded in 2004 to bring awareness to the global community about the actions of the LRA. Invisible Children pushed for the United States government to take military action. The organization has received criticism about its message. They have been accused of oversimplifying the situation in central Africa and redirecting funds they receive for their own wealth. Critics have called Invisible Children Inc. misleading and deceitful. Even though the organization has received a lot of bad press, without a doubt they are still responsible for opening the eyes of the public about the real horrors that took place and continue to take place in Central Africa. Child soldiers are a very real. Most of them are kidnapped from their homes and forced to do despica-ble things. Many are forced to murder their own fami-lies. The people who abduct these children use these harsh tactics to control them. Small boys are forced to fight the battles of grown men. Young girls are sold as sex slaves. If the children refuse to cooperate, they are beaten and sometimes killed. Issues like these exist all over the world. It is up to us to make an effort to stop it. Forget about a “misleading” company. The issues are real. The abuse and suffering of the children is real. So RBC students, perhaps we should consider what positive actions we can take to combat these issues.

In the television series The 100 Most Important People of the Millennium, the History Channel selected a simple German goldsmith, named Johannes Gutenberg, as the most important person of the millen-nium. In about 1439, Gutenberg invented movable type printing and the printing press. These inventions enabled information to be disseminated to the general public. The dissemination of information led to the Renais-sance, the Scientific Age and the Reformation. The History Channel cor-rectly recognized that dissemination of information through the printed word as an incredibly important function, and thus, honored Gutenberg accordingly. With the onset of the information age and the immediate dis-semination of information through electronic transmission, traditional print media, such as newspapers and magazines, long considered to be the gold standard of influence, are often thought to be irrelevant and are under siege. Readership is waning and the very survival of this media appears to be in jeopardy. The power of the written word, however, has never been more muscular. Just as Gutenberg’s invention of moveable type ushered in the Modern Age, transmission of information in real time through various sources – blogs, social media, websites, instant messaging and YouTube – has caused and will cause cataclysmic change. For example, informa-tion disseminated through social media caused the “Arab Spring” and the resulting democratization of Tunisia, Libya and Egypt. Traditional journalists can be more relevant than ever because the technology of the Information Age, which is more significant than any technology since moveable type, has enhanced the power of the written word. Once they recognize this reality, traditional journalists will cause their message to be delivered in a non-traditional way, that is, in real time. By combining the dissemination of information in real time with their talent to commu-nicate effectively, traditional journalists will again be at the forefront of relevance and influence.

Journalism livesBy Maddie DiCicco

ocTober 2007 The SignPoST Page 3 Page 3

Arts & Entertainment

Each year at Red Bank Catholic, the stage and props are set up, the actors and actresses prepare their lines and songs and anxious students, friends, families and fans line up to see the spring musical. This year everyone was so excited for the new show, Into the Woods, to part the curtains on opening night. For those who are not fa-miliar with Into The Woods, it is a musical which follows Cinderella, Jack, the Baker and his wife and many other classic fairy tale char-acters as they pursue their biggest wishes and dreams while coming upon many complex problems along the way. The music and lyr-ics are by Stephen Sondheim and the book was originally written by James Laphine. The story itself had a magi-cal and enchanting feel, and the music and adventures of each char-acter made the audience anxious to

see what the outcome would be. It seemed that each goal was struck with a main complication. Cinder-ella needed to get to the festival, Jack wanted his cow back which he had sold for magic beans and the baker and his wife needed to gather unusual objects for a wicked witch so that they would eventually have children. On their missions, each

Into the Woods: a Thriving Musical Success By Carlie Rice

character ends up bumping into the others and hysterics arise as they try to find what they are looking for. In the enchanting and eerie forest they come across beanstalks, giants, maidens in towers, unusual wise men who preach the future and much more. An ensemble cast of several Casey players brought the show to

life, starring Joe Caracappa, Brianna Vitale, Kaitlin Leddy, Kelly Koer-wer, Rebecca Sosa, Conall McNel-lis, Mark Regan, Olivia Mullen, Michaela Farrell, Emily Nevins, Joe Cilento, Morgan McGoughran, Cara Catalane, Sophia Lalli, Sarah Baker, Richard DiFortuna, Joe Pignataro, Deven McCarthy, Matt O’Hare, Henry Raber, Timothy DiDomen-ico, Christopher Mallamaci, Sarah Wilson, Kylie Raber and Sean Pielli. The students in the play had a good time. When all of the actors and actresses took their bows at the end of the show. they were each grinning from ear to ear. The seniors in the show found their last show bittersweet. They are happy to be moving on to the next chapter of their lives, but leaving behind memories and the many people in the Drama Depart-ment they have grown to love is going to be a difficult challenge.

MANHATTAN CulTuRE CluB HEAdS TO NYCBy Abby Boriotti

On March 27 Red Bank Catholic’s Manhattan Culture Club left school for a day in New York City, magically beating the morn-ing traffic and arriving early at the Museum of Natural History. The students looked forward to seeing the Imax, planetarium, exhibits on the solar system, animals from around the world and the dinosaurs. The students had the chance to witness the wonders of the uni-verse, such as plants being born, stars dying and newly discovered galaxies. They spent most of their

time gazing at the constellation sta-tions and viewing the different types of stars in the sky. The club then headed to the Imax center and watched a docu-mentary on two women: one who raised baby elephants and released them back into the wild, and one who did the same with orangutans. The reactions were almost the same. Who would not want to see baby elephants and monkeys rolling in mud and playing on jungle gyms? After the film, they looked at exhibits on animals from all

APRIl 2012

around the world. Several students now want a mouse lemur as a pet. Proceeding to the food court, a long awaited visit for most, was an adventure. At one point, the club ended up at the wrong end of the museum, but eventually found the way. On the way out they saw a space exhibit: what travel will be like in the future, a NASA project close to launch, theories on life on other planets and so on. Finally the students visited the dinosaur exhibit. Bones from

millions of years ago of early birds and humans were on display for all to see. The bus ride home was qui-eter than the one up after the long day and all the walking. But just before they reached school, conver-sation commenced. Phrases thrown around were, “fun,” “exciting” and “amazing.” As one student said, “This trip was amazing. I love New York and being able to go there with a bunch of your friends is even more amazing. I love being in this club.”

Every year Red Bank Catholic’s Dance Company is in-vited to the National Dance Festival to participate in classes and audi-tion for scholarships. This year the festival was held at the University of the Arts in Pennsylvania, and the dancers had a life-changing experi-ence. On day one, auditions took place where the dancers had the opportunity to demonstrate their talent in ballet and modern dance to multiple performing arts schools and universities. The rest of the weekend, the dancers got to attend classes in a variety of dance styles including ballet, kung fu modern, African and Bollywood. Teachers came from all over the country and even the world to share their culture with the girls. The girls’ favorite class was commercial jazz. They had the

dance Company Shines at dance FestivalBy Alexa Palisi

chance to be taught by dancer Ash-ley Seldon, who is featured in music videos with Beyonce, with whom she was recently on tour, Usher, Neyo, Mary J.Blige and many others. Junior Katrina Portagallo exclaimed, “Ashley had such a posi-tive vibe and her energy was felt

Members of the RBC Dance Company at the University of Arts inPennsylvania for a National Dance Festival.

throughout the entire classroom.” Julianne Colaprico further noted, “She is such an inspiration and her story proves to me that dreams can come true.” At the end of an exhausting, yet exciting weekend, RBC’s Dance Company entered the theater one

last time for an awards assembly. The girls who chose to audition held their breath as names were called for scholarships. Junior Julianne Colaprico was awarded a scholarship to Coker College. Katrina Portagallo was given a scholarship to attend the University of the Arts Summer Dance Intensive. Kara Menendez was chosen to attend the Leon Dance Arts this summer and was also given a scholarship. Seniors Jackie Churchill and Elizabeth Stryker received scholarships to Point Park University and Brockus Conservatory of Dance and Musical Theater. The thirteen members of RBC’s Dance Company enjoyed their time at the festival and felt their dancing greatly improved. They eagerly await next year’s festi-val in Virginia.

Congratulations to the cast of the Spring Musical, Into The Woods.

FEATuRES

Page 4

Uganda, one of the poorest countries in the world, fights many obstacles every day in order to survive. Emily Sullivan and Emma Giordano, juniors at Red Bank Catholic, will be donating their time this summer to help the poor throughout Uganda. Emily and Emma have been members of St. Catharine’s Parish in Spring Lake for many years. Their sixth grade religion teacher, Sister Carol MacKenthun,

By Bryanna Schucker

annually holds a mission trip for her dedicated and compassionate students. In July, Emily and Emma will travel to Uganda and reside in a convent for ten days. During this time, they will be distributing supplies to

the poor who are a part of the St. Kizito School. Emily and Emma

will be donating food, clothing, and school supplies to as many

APRIl 2012

Juniors Emma Giordano and Emily Sullivan.

On Friday, March 23, the film adaptation of the bestsell-ing novel The Hunger Games was released in theaters. All over the country, people stayed up late on Thursday, March 22 to attend the midnight premiere. This proved uncannily fortunate for Red Bank Catholic students, who conveniently had no school on March 23. Several stu-dents were lucky enough to attend. Junior Emily Sullivan saw the mid-night premiere at Monmouth Mall. “It was so exciting,” she said. “The theater was packed and the audience was super-enthusiastic. There was plenty of applause when the movie was over.” The film stars Jennifer Lawrence (the second youngest Oscar nominee for Best Actress), Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Donald Sutherland and many more

Hollywood faces. It takes place in future North America, a dystopian society which has been divided into twelve dis-tricts. Each year, a raffle is held to select one boy and one girl from each district as “tribute” to com-pete in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death. Lawrence plays Katniss Everdeen, a poor teenage girl who selflessly volunteers to compete in place of her younger sister. Katniss’s fellow tribute in the Hunger Games, Peeta Mellark, is portrayed by Hutcherson, while Hemsworth plays Katniss’s friend Gale. Intriguing and suspenseful, The Hunger Games proves itself to be a faithful adaptation of the novel, and a fine movie in its own right. It finds the perfect balance between an entertaining, blockbuster action movie for teens, and an emotional, heart-pounding thriller with a strong

Film : The Hunger Games Hits TheatersBy Caitlin Ouano

message about both the future of our society and the future of our humanity. “The filmmakers did an excellent job of reproducing the districts’ disdain for the barbaric Hunger Games,” says Junior Kelly Koerwer. “It made me think about our current world’s future and what will happen if change doesn’t start today.” In the midst of a disturbing future where teenagers are forced to fight to the death, powerful and sincere performances form the heart of the story. Lawrence is flawless as the hardened, courageous heroine. With another actress, the film could have been a boring trek through the forest, but Lawrence tells in a mere expression what others need a book of words to say. Hutcherson also shows great depth as an actor with his portrayal of the endearing and lovable Peeta, who exhibits a strong and protective love for Katniss. The

two perform very naturally together, showing a sweet and genuine screen chemistry rather than some of the shallow Hollywood love often seen today. This is not to say the film was without humor. Emily Sullivan notes her favorite performance was Woody Harrelson’s portrayal of Haymitch, Katniss and Peeta’s men-tor: “[Harrelson] did an excellent job. His one-liners were really great, and he provided a lot of comic relief,” laughed senior Carlie Rice. Overall, the film was defi-nitely not a disappointment, both for fans of the book and avid movie-goers. “It was what I expected and more,” says junior Alexa Palisi, who was also fortunate enough to attend a midnight showing. “I was happy that it didn’t vary from the book.” Carlie Rice heartily agreed and declared, “There are just no words for it.”

Who’s Who Casey? Juniors Emily Sullivan and Emma Giordano Help uganda’s Poor

Prom. This simple, four let-ter word possesses more power than it seems. While most movies por-tray a high school student’s prom as the best night of his or her life, the months of constant planning are usually not even featured. Red Bank Catholic begins funding money for each class’s Junior Prom from the beginning of their freshman year, built up through dress-down days and other fundraisers. Depending on how much money is raised, the price of the prom bid can either decrease or increase. In December, RBC’s Student Council begins to initiate the planning for the Junior Prom, discussing possible themes, colors,

table centerpieces, and other deco-rations. Mrs. Scaramuzzino and Mr. Bowen, the co-moderators of the Ju-nior Prom, assist the Student Coun-cil in finding a location for their event. The breathtaking venue must be able to accommodate the number of students attending, while staying in Red Bank Catholic’s price range. As a Catholic school, RBC’s prom is impacted by the Liturgical Calendar. Last year, the Junior Prom took place during Lent. Because every Friday of Lent is a day of ab-stinence, the prom was scheduled to be on a Thursday night. However, since Easter is earlier this year, the prom takes place on Friday, April 20. For months leading up

to this date, the Student Council punctiliously makes sure that every aspect of the Junior Prom is flaw-less. Held at Branches in West Long Branch, the juniors will experi-ence a beach-themed dance with turquoise and tan decorations. The Student Council will also assist the co-moderators in setting up the invitations and seating charts. Although this is Mrs. Scara-muzzino’s first year planning the Junior Prom, she is looking forward to an unforgettable and spectacular night. Mrs. Scaramuzzino, along with Mr. Bowen, find that the most difficult part of the prom is when the bids have to be collected and organized at the end of March. But they are aware that the hardships

and obstacles along the way will be worth it in the end. Mrs. Scara-muzzino says that the most enjoy-able aspect of prom is “working with the students and seeing them create a great memory for their junior year.” The hard work and deter-mination of the Student Council and their co-moderators is clearly evident through the months of dedi-cated planning for the Junior Prom. Although the word “prom” seems trivial, the hours of effort put into this one night are immeasurable. Do not forget how hard the Student Council has worked in order to create one of the most memorable nights of a teen’s life.

By Bryanna Schucker

Pre-Prom Prep Ignites RBC’s Junior Class

families as they can. The girls will also spend their time building more efficient water tanks. Although traveling overseas to a new country can be terrifying, Emily and Emma are very optimistic. Emily Sullivan proclaims, “I’m really looking forward to what will defi-nitely be a huge life experience and helping people throughout the world!” The determination of these two juniors demonstrates that anyone can make a difference in the lives of others. Without a

doubt, Emily Sullivan and Emma Giordano are phenomenal ex-amples of the true generosity that lies within the student body of Red Bank Catholic High School.