By Clay SwangerStaff Writer

Blues Triggering Fan Revival In case you haven’t been pay-ing any attention to the world of hockey recently, the St. Louis Blues are com-peting for fi rst in the Western Confer-ence. Th is wave of success has really stimulated the city’s fan base. As senior Carter Gage puts it, “I’d say about 2/3 of the school could care less about the NHL. Until the Blues started winning, I could count the true fans on a couple fi ngers. Now they’re all the rage.” With the youthful talent that continues to appear aft er some incredible draft ing over the last couple seasons, this success does not appear to be vanishing soon. Th e average age of the Blues is in the bottom half of the league and many of the most important players on the team are below that average, including David Perron, Matt D’Agostini, and T.J. Oshie. Th ere is no doubt that new coach Ken Hitchcock has played a huge role in this record-setting season. Before Hitchcock took over early in the season, the Blues had a los-ing record and appeared to be heading towards another mediocre season, but aft er Hitchcock came to St. Louis, the Blues have gone 26-7-6 as of Th ursday night, and have subsequently soared to the top of the Western Conference and the NHL. Hitchcock came in and loosened up the style of play, allowing the young talent to succeed. Th e biggest adjustment he made though was the

defensive attitude. With both Jaroslav Halak and All-Star Brian Elliot play-ing extraordinarily in net, and the team defense doing outstanding, the Blues have cut their goals against average in half and are undefeated when scoring 3 goals in a game. But with sudden success comes

haters, and there are certainly many of those around as many people around hockey still are not believers in the Blues’ success. Th is doubt has even come about within our school. Junior Th omas Burton recently posted this as his Facebook status: “To all you so-called “Blues fans”: First of all, hockey sucks. Sec-ondly, this exact same thing happened

last year. Th ey got hot and won a few games early in the year, but, in the end, they lost because they were are not a very good team. Th at is all.” Th is sort of thing did not hap-pen last year. Th is is the latest that the Blues have ever been at the top of their conference. And this success has not been a few games, but well over 30 at

this point. All of us honest Blues fans can be thankful that we have good hockey fans like Carter Gage and Alex Haueisen to sup-port us against such negative statements. Gage stated in a re-sponse to Burton, “Some players (Oshie as an example) are fi nally playing up to their capabilities. Davis Payne was not right for this team, and the Blues are a genuine threat in the NHL under Hitch-cock.” Haueisen added, “Finally, just look at the players, it hon-estly reads like an all-star team: Backes, D’Agostini, Oshie, Stew-art... Th is team isn’t hot. Th ey’re just good, and they will continue to be.” It is clear now that the Blues

are legitimate, and will continue to be legitimate. Th ose people that deny their abilities deny the stats themselves and have absolutely no ground to argue on. Without a doubt this team will be com-peting for a division title (in a loaded Central Division with 4 teams in the top 6 of the West), a number one seed, and a championship, in this year and in the years to come.

CHiNa ProGraMMr. Gleich summarizes the Chinese Exchange students’ experiences Page 2

NEwt GiNGriCHPriory students weigh in on the presidential candidate hopeful. Page 3.

Vol. Xlii, issuE 12 2/9/12 tHE oFFiCial studENt NEwsPaPEr oF saiNt louis PriorY

THE RECORD

2tHE rECord staFF

t H E P r i o rY r E C o r d@G M a i l.C o M

Editor iN CHiEFluKE d slaBauGH

laYout EditortrEVor JiN

CoNtENt EditorCartEr GaGE

NEws

The Record is the offi-cial student publication of Saint Louis Priory School in St. Louis, Missouri. It is pro-duced by student editors/staff members. Its purpose isthreefold: to inform stu-dents of events in the com-munity; to encourage dis-cussion of local, national, and international issues; and to serve as a trainingground for budding jour-nalists, photographers, and graphic designers. The Re-cord accepts contributions from all members of the Pr iory community, includ-ing students, faculty, and alumni. The Record will notpublish content consideredlegally unprotected speech,including but not limited to: libel, copyright in-fringement, or unwarrant-ed invasion of privacy, or material disruption of theeducational process. Stu-dent edi tors apply profes-sional standards to the production of the newspa-per and are solely respon-sible for all content, both explicit and implicit. Letters to the Editorsare always appreciated. Feedback not intended for publication is also welcome.

China Winter ProgramBy Mr. Gleich

Contributor

Saint Louis Priory, Villa Duchesne and Barat Academy joined hands this year to host 47 students from Taiwan and China for their winter holiday. Th e students from Taiwan came from top schools in and around Tai-pei, while those from China came from excellent schools in Beijing and Changchun. Th e two-week educational and cultural experience, running from January 21 through Feb-ruary 5, included home stays for the 24 boys and 23 girls. Our sophomore and junior exchange students were paired with students from each of the three schools, and additional “day hosts” were assigned to

enrich the student experience. Activities highlight-ing the two week stay were: a day long trip to the Univer-sity of Missouri-Columbia, a New Year’s Eve reception, a service trip to the Food Bank, an excursion to the Science Center, a talent show by the exchange students, several sporting events, calligraphy workshops, numerous class-room visitations, fi eld trips into the city to experience the life and culture of our com-munity, and a Farewell Din-ner highlighting the two week

experience. Administrators and teachers from each of the three schools were thrilled to host such a large and diverse contingency this year. Th ey were especially grateful for the hospitality their families and students who have made such a personal visit possible. Th is program truly advances the concept of a global society, bringing to-gether young men and wom-en from diverse cultures and backgrounds in a warm and caring environment. Photos and more de-tails are forthcoming, as we will capture and cherish the time spent with our friends from overseas.

College Signing DayBy Luke D Slabaugh

Editor In Chief Four members of the senior class will pursue the opportunity to play sports at a competitive level in college. It turns out, interestingly enough, that all three co-cap-tains from the state champion Varsity soc-cer team are commit-ted to play in college. Andrew Rhodes and Kyle Martin, a striker and back, respectively, elected to play for D1 Colleges. Andrew will attend Holy Cross and Kyle will be a Xavier Musketeer. Co-captain and midfi elder Jacob Mohrmann will play for Washington Uni-versity in St. Louis. Football cap-

tain and wide receiver Seve

Esparrago will take his talents to Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), a college featuring D3 athletics (the

same division as the aforementioned Wash U). Channel 5 news stopped by Priory on Monday to cover the signings of Martin and Rhodes.Both Mohrmann and Rhodes were featured as Athletes of the Week in Th e Record. All four men were honored in some way or another by the state for their outstanding performances in high school play, specifi cal-ly in the 2011 season.

3Editorial

Patrick Lindmark: Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich is a Republican candidate for President of the United States. Gingrich has Conservative views on almost all is-sues. In terms of economics, he claims he can balance the budget in five years. The former Speaker also plans to lower taxes, limit unemployment benefits, and employ a system close to Reaganomics. Gingrich has aggressive foreign and defense policies. He wants to increase “eavesdropping” abili-ties for counter-terrorism forces. Gingrich has criticized Obama and Bush on their ac-tions towards Iran and North Korea, claim-ing that they are “a form of appeasement.” Gingrich is opposed to torturing suspected terrorists and criminals, except in “extraor-dinary cases.” Gingrich’s social platform is much like that of other Republican candidates. Gingrich wants to cut funding for abortion services, ban gay marriage, and put more spending towards immigration reform. However, Gingrich has a strange view that no other candidates have. He wants NASA to further space technology and try to achieve more ambitious space missions. One goal that Gingrich has set is a perma-nent manned base on the moon by 2020. Newt Gingrich is a candidate with a great deal of political experience and conserva-tive views.

Alex Noddings: Personally, I favor Newt Gingrich over the other candidates in this year’s Republican Primary because of his ex-perience. As Speaker of the House under the Clinton administration, he received first-hand experience with the legislative process, negotiating across the aisle on a number of issues. He and President Clinton were able to compromise in order to bring about a number of important reforms, such as welfare reform and the balancing of the federal budget. As president, he would be able to promote this kind of bipartisanism, something which has been a serious issue for at least the past six years. Neither San-torum nor Romney can boast this level of involvement in the passing of legislature. Also, because of this experience, he is a master of debate; I was amazed at how he was able to simultaneously receive and re-

turn fire with Perry, Paul, Bachmann, and Romney all at once. I am confident that if he were the Republican presidential candi-date, he would trump the President in this category. He speaks his views, stands by them, and rarely changes them even when they are controversial. However, it is because of this edge that he may not be the best choice for Re-publican presidential nominee. His appear-ance and manner are not what many con-sider to be “presidential”; Romney trumps him in this category. Also, due to the facts that he cheated on his wife and was fined $300,000 because of an ethics violation, leading to his resignation, many people see him as exactly the type of politician whom we are trying to get rid of. All in all, some of his less mainstream views and less politi-cally correct statements could hurt his im-age with the valuable independent voting bloc in the presidential election. Although he may have my proverbial vote, if he wants to be taken seriously as a potential candi-date, he will have to re-make his image into a more dignified, stately personage, and do it fast.

Luke Slabaugh:The Record does not in any way, shape, or form endorse any of the standing Repub-lican nominees for the presidential nomi-nation. However, as a United States citizen who will be eligible to vote in the 2012 elec-tion –and not having written an opinion for this newspaper since August – I will give my two cents worth. People tend to be caught up in Gingrich’s fidelity issues, having been mar-ried twice and accused of cheating on both. That’s a tender topic if you ask anyone, and it’s one best left forgotten by the media and pundits. I feel like most citizens want to elect a man who is of high, upstanding moral character and does everything right. Everyone envisions the smiling, confident, well-spoken Christian gentleman sitting in the Oval office every day with a framed photo of his two beautiful children and wife holding a puppy. However, this image is hardly ever real. We’ve seen past the flaws and several mistakes our politicians have made in their checkered pasts, for example, John F Kennedy’s affair with Marilyn Mon-roe or incumbent president Barack Obama’s

drug use in college. In my opinion, no one should discriminate against Newt’s judg-ment, and should give him a clean slate. I admire how Newt has focused his campaign on taking down Obama. Sure, he’s thrown some blows at fellow candidate Mitt Romney several times during the de-bates, but the way Newt carries himself (especially after destroying Romney in the South Carolina primary) suggests that he is determined to bring change to the White House now. He paints himself as an authen-tic conservative candidate, one whose con-trast on both political and social issues will draw more votes and make the Republicans victorious. During the Florida debate, Newt said, “Every time we nominate a moderate, we lose.”Of course, he was referring to the 1996 and 2008 presidential elections, which were massive failures for Bob Dole and John McCain, respectively. Rather, Newt has highlighted his campaign by promot-ing how he worked with the pride of all Re-publican presidents, the late Ronald Reagan (whose son endorsed him already). With this mindset and support, Newt’s sights are set on Obama. All he needs now are the votes and delegates. Desperately. His comments about expanding space technology and running several space shuttle missions a day disturbed me. The idea is unrealistic. When I heard him say how he wanted to have the best space pro-gram in the world and – get this – establish a colony on the Moon (that’s right, the place where there’s, like, no air), I said to myself, “Who even cares about the Moon?”After all, we as a nation do not have the money to fund all those missions, nor do we have enough energy to expend on something as otherworldly as outer space. In response to Newt’s proposed space program-funding, Ron Paul said,“I don’t think we should go to the Moon. I think maybe we should send some politi-cians up there sometimes”to a chorus of laughter. Which is funny, because when we fail to waste trillions of dollars on coloniz-ing the moon, we can always tell Newt that he’s the president up there. Although Re-publican candidate Rick Santorum may al-ready have that position. But that’s just my opinion.

Newt Gingrich Analysis

4 Editorials

Cryptogram

- Newt Gingrich

By Tommy YoonStaff Writer

Valentine’s Day Dating Tips

Valentine’s Day occurs on Tuesday, February 14. To to im-press your lovely ladies, or ladies that will soon be yours, here are some great ideas to do for your special evening. First, since it’s Valentine’s Day, so a gift is mandatory. Flow-ers are the best gifts that girls can receive, besides diamonds and weddings. Take initiative and purchase a set of red or pink rose at either Dierberg’s or Trader Joe’s for, in my history, I have found them to be the best place for beautiful flowers your sweetheart will enjoy. Another great gift to add is chocolate. Many girls like the cli-ché heart shaped box, but as long as you get the kind of candy she loves, she won’t complain. Just make sure you don’t give her too much chocolate, as such a gesture might display a bad message you neither intend or wish her to re-

ceive A final gift idea is a stuffed animal. Bunnies, kittens, and horses are great ideas, but bears are the best stuffed animal. A teddy bear is not only cute, but usually displays a heart-felt, lov-ing message that she will cherish forever. Dinner is the most impor-tant part of the Valentine’s eve-ning. You want to take her to a restaurant that’s romantic and out of the ordinary. Charlie Git-to’s, (an expensive, Italian option at the intersection of Olive Blvd and Chesterfield Pkwy), Cheese-cake Factory, Sugo’s, Kobe Steak House, PF Chang’s, or The Melt-ing Pot (another pricey restau-rant) are all great dining options. You always want to step a little out of your price range on holidays to impress the lady. However, there are alternatives to restaurants, such as a private dinner. “I would

take her to my mother’s house for a romantic home-cooked meal,” said Taj. Have an activity planned for after dinner. A movie is never a bad idea. You have 2 film choic-es this year. Either take your woman to the theater and watch The Vow. Or take her home and watch the classic 2004 film The Notebook. Every girl dreams of watching either of these films with their sweetheart on this day. So take the hit, guys. Just watch one of the movies. Even senior Zach Behnen says of The Note-book, “It is a sad but good movie. As long as you watch it with a girl.” There are some tips for your special day. Have a happy Valentine’s Day. If you take any-thing away from this article, just make sure to remember flowers. Every girl wants flowers.

PuzzlEs 5Crossword Puzzle

SudokuDifficulty - Not Fun

Cryptogram

- Newt Gingrich

ACROSS1. ____odil5. He had the golden touch10. Louver14. Margarine15. Critical16. Long prison sentence17. Backside18. Go-between20. Half woman and half fish22. Social deport-ment23. The genus of

macaws24. Concur25. A possible significance32. Pasture33. 1000 kilo-grams34. Fall behind37. Whip38. Rub39. Small brook40. Nevertheless41. Bullwinkle for example42. A series of connected rooms

43. Theorization45. Killed49. Sheep sound50. Extremely wicked53. Add together57. Mortician59. Cards with just one symbol60. Stair61. Spy62. Formal dress63. Party thrower64. Warms65. Initial wager

DOWN1. Student residence2. Out of the wind3. Dread4. According to an established custom5. Lunatic6. Chilled7. Excavated8. “Smallest par-ticle”9. Stiff hair10. Informal lan-guage11. Metric unit of capacity12. Previously13. Brusque

19. Silly 21. Dry25. In doubt26. Approximately 1.6 km27. Partially car-bonized vegetable matter28. A Musketeer29. Breakfast bread30. Surmise31. A single thing34. 53 in Roman numerals35. Countertenor36. Secluded valley38. Adult male swan39. Turnip cabbage

41. Country estate42. Defraud44. Terminates45. Quieten46. Slowly, in music47. Anagram of “Aside”48. Klutzy51. Great Salt Lake state52. Wise one53. Copper54. Religious figure55. Semiaquatic salamander56. Feudal worker58. New Zealand parrot

6 NEws

By Peter CoganStaff Writer

Hockey Caps Off Its Season

It’s safe to say that Priory hock-ey had one of its more disappointing seasons. After coming off of a 6-14-1 regular season and a 13-0 loss to West-minster, the Rebels entered the Wick-enheiser Cup tournament as the 14th seed out of 16 teams. They faced off against a strong Francis Howell Central team who won the Challenge Cup only a year ago. The Rebels had an especially young team this year with only three seniors: Colin Kopsky, Brendan Thom-as, and Alec Atkinson. Kopsky and Atkinson led the team in scoring, and Thomas wasn’t far behind. Combined, the seniors scored 31 of the team’s 72 points, and over half of the team’s goals. Priory was shut out in the first

game of the playoffs 6-0. Needing to win the second game in the series to stay alive, the Rebels improved and only lost 6-1, but still the effort was not enough. Howell Central scored early in the game and was up 4-0 by the end of the second period. However, sopho-more Brayton Briggs scored Priory’s only goal in the playoffs with a slap shot early in the third period to avoid being shut out by Howell Central for a second time. Hopefully Brayton’s goal is a sign for good things to come for his class of hockey at Priory. The class of 2014 has seven players, many of whom were contributors this season. T.J. Nie-mann saw significant goalkeeping time as a freshman and as a sophomore and

will improve in these next two years. Carlo Herbosa also saw lots of time on the ice this year. The underclassmen will have to contribute much more next season for the Rebels to be competitive, since the only senior next year will be Jack Rourke. The Rebels were outscored this year 62-120.The Hockey games are great for the school, and the fan support is extraordinary, but will be even better when Priory competes neck-in-neck with their opponents once more. The close 5-4 loss to rival MICDS was per-haps the most enjoyable game to watch this season, and hopefully there will be more of the same exciting hockey play-ing next year.

Photo of the 2011-2012 Priory Hocky Squad Elaine Collins | Record Weekly