THE WINDOW A LOOK BEYOND THE HOUSES
Volume IX Issue I
Seventh grader Eva Wirtz sprints for the finish line at a cross country meet. Both the boys’ and girls’ teams fin-
ished first in the state. Photo by Grace Delmonte
The Decisions of Foundations
What do you really know about House Council? The details can only be found here!
By Anika Malhotra
Staff Reporter
Have you ever wondered who decides on the theme for the socials? Or who confirms
the videos that will be played at open house? Well, some students don’t know that in fact the
House Council makes all of these decisions and more. They meet and discuss events like so-
cial themes, open house, and other subjects, essentially making all the decisions for the Foun-
dations House program. Seventh grader Christina Battaglia says, “Foundations House Council
has been really fun so far, and I like being a leader.” Battaglia decided to run because she had
participated in Student Council in her previous school, and thought it would be exciting to try
it again. Seventh grader Lindsay Weinzierl stated her idea that Marist has Foundations House
Council to help our peers and their ideas on certain topics. Overall, Foundations House Coun-
cil has helped out greatly in the Marist School.
Damascus Seventh graders have a positive experience at Damascus
By Hailey Tangum
Staff Reporter
On two Saturdays during September and October, numerous seventh graders poured
onto the field before the Damascus retreat. Many of the seventh graders had a very positive
experience. The seventh graders enjoyed the meditation in which the leaders and their group
were asked to focus on their relationship with God. Maura Tangum, a senior who lead the
retreat, mentioned that her group was interested in each other’s lives and got to know each
other. All in all, the Damascus retreat was a positive experience which helped the seventh
graders to connect to others and God.
The WINDOW is a news magazine published by Marist School Foundations students several times per year. Please ad-
dress all comments to [email protected]. The staff meets weekly during activity period in room I204.
Editorial Policy: The thoughts expressed in opinion articles are those of the author and do not represent the position of
the Window staff, the moderator, the Marist School administration, or the Society of Mary.
Issue I Contributors
Editors: Natalie Selover and Olivia Roberts
Reporters: Grace Delmonte, Alexis Derickson, Sarah Todd Hammer, Anika Malhotra, Sarah Monarchik,
and Hailey Tangum
Photographers: Grace Delmonte, Alexis Derickson, Sarah Todd Hammer, Anika Malhotra
Faculty Moderator: Mrs. Perrin Rains
Book Review: The Other Side of Me
By Sarah Todd Hammer Staff Reporter
All teachers have hobbies they like to do outside of school.
It may not seem like it, but they’re just the same as students when
they’re not in a classroom. One example is Mrs. Likes, the ITT
teacher. She loves to write, and she has written many outstanding
young adult books.
One of her books that is absolutely amazing is TOSOM The
Other Side of Me FRESHMAN. Mrs. Likes is planning on making
this book the first one in a series that continues throughout the main
character, Amarea’s, high school experience. In fact, The book is
about Amarea falling in love with a boy named Joey. The couple
can communicate through their thoughts, making things more com-
plicated. On top of that, Amarea has to deal with cancer.
Mrs. Likes included a brief description of the plot, sum-
marized in the following quote: “List of things that suck in my
life: cancer-check, moving to a new school-check, having people think I’m contagious-check, being in love
with someone who’s in love with someone else-check, being able to communicate telepathically with him-
well, that doesn’t suck all the time. A story about what it means to be a friend, what it means to fall in love,
and what it means to be there when you really don’t want to be.”
Her novel is a very excellent book, and it is definitely worth reading. Mrs. Likes truly has a talent and
love for writing, and she expresses it perfectly. Mrs. Likes is proud of her work, saying, “We [she and her
daughter Taisha] started talking about characters, and I fell in love with Joey and Amarea. I wrote the ending
to the fourth book in the series several years ago, and now I’m trying to fill in the middle. I love the second
book! It makes me laugh a lot. Most of the characters are students or people I know. I’m honoring them, for
who they are, in the books.”
The TOSOM The Other Side of Me book cover.
Did the Maze Runner movie live up to the fans’ expectations? The Maze Runner movie just came out, and the fans have high expectations. Did the popular movie meet them?
By Anika Malhotra Staff Reporter It started with a bang. Unlike most movies, The Maze Runner did not start with a title screen or cred-
its. In fact, it began with an intense scene that most peo-ple would think should belong in the middle of a
movie. But, it captured the view-er’s attention. The rest of the movie definitely kept everyone on the edge of
their seat. The movie had many jump scares in it, but just enough to keep you wanting to know more and
more about the plot, which was the best part of the movie. The Maze Runner had an excellent story which,
surprisingly, was very unlike any other movie plotline. The movie is based off of the first book in James
Dashner’s best-selling trilogy. The movie foreshadows at the end that there will, in fact, be another movie
coming after this one. After speaking to several dedicated fans of the series, I can confirm that the movie
lived up to the fandom’s standards. It was an exciting movie that had a large amount of action, and kept you
on the edge of your seat.
The Battle Within Student uses her own struggles to help others
By Sarah Monarchik and Abby Anderson Window Staff Reporter and Blue and Gold Reporter On April 19, 2010, Sarah Todd Hammer’s life changed
forever. Sarah Todd, currently a seventh grader at Marist,
would no longer be an ordinary second grader, but a warrior
battling transverse myelitis. Transverse myelitis is a neuro-
logical condition that involves the inflammation of one’s spi-
nal cord. When Sarah Todd was diagnosed, she was only
eight years old and a student at Ocee Elementary School.
When she was diagnosed, she spent two months in the hospi-
tal and could not move her arms and legs at all. During this
time, Father Rowland visited her every day and gave her a
stuffed dog to be her prayer buddy.
Although her arms are partially paralyzed, Sarah still
pursues an education, which is a miracle in itself. Sarah Todd
inspires people daily. On October 18, 2014, she walked a 5K
in Baltimore, Maryland to raise money for the Kennedy
Krieger Institute (KKI) where patients, especially those with
spinal cord injuries, can go for doctor’s appointments and
therapy. When asked why she chose to support the KKI, Sa-
rah Todd answered, “I feel connected to it because I was
treated there.” Sarah Todd and Jennifer Starzec co-authored a
book called 5k, Ballet and a Spinal Cord Injury about the two
ladies’ struggles with transverse myelitis. Sarah Todd’s bright
smile and friendly personality continue to inspire the Marist community every day.
Sarah Todd Hammer recently raised money for the
Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, MD. Photo
by Mrs. Lisa Hammer
Above: Sarah Todd co-authored 5k, Ballet and a Spinal Cord Injury
about her own battle with transverse myelitis. She sold copies at this
year’s Holiday Traditions. Right: The cover of Sarah Todd’s book.
Photo by Mrs. Lisa Hammer
Our Newest Addition Wondering what it would be like to be in old Kurht right now? Thanks to the new Ivy Street Center, the memories of Kurht live on in this modern addition. By: Alexis Derickson Staff Reporter
We seventh graders are lucky; we never had to experience
the pained life of going to class in Kurht. We lucky seventh graders
don’t have to experience the confusion of classroom numbers
changing. We lucky seventh graders get to experience the brand new
Ivy Street Center, along with the rest of the joyous Marist School
community. A big change, right? A beautiful, modern, pleasant
learning environment that we are proud to have on our campus.
That’s Ivy Street! Ivy Street, the first new academic building on the
campus in more than 20 years, includes 17 state-of-the-art
classrooms that the Math and English departments get to experience
on a day to day basis, faculty offices, collaborative meeting spaces,
and extended sports facilities. But that’s not all! Classrooms can open
up into eight Breakout Spaces, great learning spaces with
comfortable seating and floor to ceiling whiteboards. The teachers
are enjoying their new short-throw projectors, and there’s a Lecture
Hall on the main level that has a Lenovo outlet at every seat. Along
with that, Ivy Street is eco-friendly! It has exterior sunshades and
interior light shelves on the windows which allow pure natural light to
shine through the whole classroom. There are also high-efficiency
LED light bulbs to save energy, and high efficiency hand-dryers in the
restrooms. Lastly, the classrooms include high occupancy light
sensors that automatically turn off lights when there is no one in the
classroom, and a rain-garden that absorbs water runoff, and a cistern
collects extra rainwater for later use.
E v e r
wonder what Marist students had to go through before this mi-
raculous building was brought into existence? Probably not.
Well, in my chat with Ms. Gina Parnaby, a 12th grade English
teacher, I was able to find out what she thought of the new ad-
dition. She has taught here for twelve years, and knows first-
hand what a wonderful addition Ivy is. Ms. Parnaby agrees with
Ivy being the most significant change to the campus, saying,
“Yes, while I have been here.” Her favorite part? “The light! The
windows are so beautiful!” She also believes that Ivy Street has
influenced the way her students learn, because “they like the
flexibility of the classroom space.” She also states that the
Breakout Rooms “certainly facilitate group work, and just walk-
ing through the hallways when I’m not teaching, I’ve seen stu-
dents using them very frequently, even when they’re not in
class, so that’s a good thing.” Her overall impression of Ivy
Street and its impact on Marist is “that it has given us some
space to be creative. It’s certainly given us added ability to
work together.” When asked if there was anything else she
would like to add, she said with a smile, “It certainly smells bet-
ter than old Kurht! It has been a great investment for the
school.” With the new Ivy Street Center, Marist School is look-
ing better than ever!
(Above) The front of the recently constructed Ivy Street
building
One of Ivy Street’s many Breakout Rooms, which help to
encourage healthy study habits.
(Top Left) The brand-new Ivy Street full-length lockers
(Top Right) An Ivy Street classroom
Photos courtesy of
Anika Malhotra ‘20
Cheering for Victory
The Eighth Grade Marist Cheerleaders
By Sarah Todd Hammer
Staff Reporter
Since the high school cheerleaders are
the ones that cheer at the big games, the eighth
grade cheerleaders often get overshadowed by
the older girls. That doesn’t mean they aren’t
important, as they still encourage the middle
school football team to work hard.
Ms. Pelt, the eighth grade cheerleading
coach, loves watching the eighth grade cheer-
leaders encourage the middle school football
players. “In moments when there is not a lot
of cheering from the crowd, the cheerleaders
help get the crowd excited,” Ms. Pelt explains.
“That way the football players almost always
hear enthusiasm from the direction of the crowd.”
There is definitely more to cheerleading than dressing up in a cute uniform with a big bow. Ms. Pelt
tells that cheerleading allows young girls to come together and work on many different things, such as team-
work. Teamwork is a huge part of
cheering, since all the girls work togeth-
er to show off fabulous stunts and tricks.
In order to be a great cheerleader, it helps to have a loud voice, and be very
enthusiastic. “It is always uplifting to hear words of encouragement from the cheerleaders.” Ms. Pelt says.
Eighth grade cheerleader Sara Moyers
loves cheering on the team, explaining, “The most important thing about cheer-leading to me is staying positive. Even if
our team is losing, it is our job as cheer-leaders to keep cheering the players on, and to help the fans cheer on the players
too.”
The next time the football players aren’t feeling they will win, the cheerleaders for sure will boost their confidence up
and help them stay positive. The cheer-leaders definitely know how to work to-gether and help the War Eagles win!
The girls practicing their cheer. Photo by Sarah Todd Hammer
The eighth grade cheerleaders posing for a picture. From left to right: Hal-
lie Jo Schroeder, Lizzie Bonatz, Paige Slusser, Summer Hall, Sara Moyers,
Elizabeth Erdman, Juliana Fraundorf (on bottom), Carley Chastain, Jenny
Jordan (above Juliana), Natalie Magill (ontop), Annie Oates, Emily Davis,
Lucy Luckovich, and Ansley Bittick. Photo by Sarah Todd Hammer
7th and 8th Grade Volleyball Beats Lovett By: Alexis Derickson ‘20
The Marist’s Girls’ Volleyball
Team has had a pleasing season this year,
and that comes with hard work and
determination. Seventh grader Bella
Gregory describes her favorite moment in
their season as being their win against
Lovett. “We won against Lovett, which was
a huge win, because the first time we
played them, we lost in the third set, and
this time we won in the third set. It was
really big because it was a really close
game!” With their record being 14-13, the
team definitely had an amazing season!
Mimi Taylor, an eighth grader, had a
personal favorite. “My favorite moment
was when I went up, hit the ball, somebody
blocked it, Emily Pickell (8th), playing back
row, dug it, the ball was set to me again,
and I went up, hit the ball again, and that
time we won the point.”
However, a few good moments didn’t mean the team
couldn’t improve as well. Coach Julie-Hart Stander said they
could improve on “staying focused at practice. As the season is
progressing, they tend to lose focus at practice. But other than
that, they’ve really made huge strides and have made some
great improvements from the beginning of the year on their
technical abilities, serving, passing, and setting.” It seems that
the volleyball team’s hard work at practice and on the court has
really paid off! Speaking of practice, what is practice like?
Well, Coach Stander said that the girls “tried out in the first
week of August, and until school started, we practiced three
hours a day, five days a week. The first two hours were spent
in the gym. The next hour, they trained physically and did
workouts. We worked with Coach Kirillova a little bit since
she’s new this year, and she was helping us do some of our
training.” Once school started? “Now, since school started, we
have more matches, so we might practice two or three times a
week and we’ll work on what the girls were not doing so well
on in the games. “
As is the custom at Marist, there is a reli-
gious factor of the team as well. Gregory, Taylor, and Coach
Stander said that before each game, Kathleen Maley ‘19, their
chaplain, gave the team a pep talk and had the team say a pray-
er as well. As on any sports team, players share one common
thing: a love for the game and a drive to get better. As Mimi
Taylor put it, “I think that volleyball is a great sport. It is easy
to learn, and hard to perfect.” The team ended their season with
a final record of 14-13. Go War Eagles!
Grace Gunning ‘20, at
left, gets in position for
her hit.
Bella Gregory ‘20, at
right, prepares for her
serve.
The team photo. Top row, left to right: Coach Julie-Hart Stander, Kennedy Walls (7th), Kathleen Ma-
ley (8th), Mimi Taylor (8th), Emma McGuire (7th), Rachel Johnson (7th), Grace Gunning (7th). Bot-
tom row, left to right: Emily Pickell (8th), Lauren Corbett (7th), Caitlin Gallagher (7th), Bella Gregory
(7th), Natalie Selover (8th), and Claire Huffstetler (7th). Not pictured: Kara Gandy (8th).
Photos courtesy of Alexis
Derickson
Inside their season and exclusive one-on-one interviews with members of the team.
Some people may not realize it, but
cross country is more of a team sport than
an individual sport. While a runner’s
personal best is an important goal for each
individual, the top seven runners in the
race also earn points for the team’s total
score.
The Marist runners have been
training hard for meets with fast individual
times and winning team scores. The team
started running two weeks before school
started, giving the students a great
opportunity to condition and meet some
new friends (and the visits to Starbucks
after practice were a fun way to bond)!
The coaches this season were Coach Von-Hagen, Coach Burns, Coach McGregor, and Coach Tur-
biville. All of the athletes’ hard work paid off as both the boys’ and girls’ teams won their first meet, the
Crow’s Lake Challenge, in Jefferson, Georgia. Next, the team ran against Wesleyan, where Marist placed first
in girls, but the boys came in second to Westminster. The special meet of the season was the Catholic Invita-
tional at Marist, where the girls dominated with a perfect score. This was an extremely important meet because
Holy Redeemer REALLY wanted to beat Marist. The second to last meet was at Pace Academy. Marist won
the meet in both the boys and girls categories. The last meet of the regular season was back at their home
course and the team once again was victorious for both girls and boys. Before the state championship, Coach
Von-Hagen said, “We’ve had a great season. The girls went undefeated,
and the boys almost did. We looked really competitive this year. As a
coach, I look forward to the State Championship, and I know the other
coaches do as well.”
The team’s top seven girls are Eva Wirtz, Annie Magee,
Annika Callaham, Emma McEvoy, Olivia Baljet, Emily Hartigan,
and Olivia Shutley. Eva Wirtz did not attend the State Championship
meet, but Annie Magee stepped into her place, and Elizabeth Brum-
mer took the seventh spot. The top seven boys are Leif Andersen, Dan
Devlin, Hayden Fukushima, Edward Bonhomme, Michael
McDevitt, Michael Wagner, and Michael Cully. The State Championship
was held on October 18, 2014. Marist swept the stage in both the boys
and girls team events and then took home the combined trophy. The win
was an awesome way to end the season. Each individual runner im-
proved, which helped the team dominate every meet. It has been a great
season, and hopefully the team’s winning streak will continue next year.
GO WAR EAGLES!
Shown from left to right, Emily Hartigan, Eva Wirtz, Emma McEvoy, and Annie Magee,
on their first lap around the field at The Catholic Invitational. Photo by Grace Delmonte
The team proudly posing with trophies at the
State Championship. Shown from left to right
on the top, Dan Devlin, Edward Bonhomme,
Hayden Fukushima, Michel Cully, Leif
Anderson, and Michael McDevitt. Shown from
left to right on the bottom, Olivia Baljet, Eliza-
beth Brummer, Emma McEvoy, Emily
Hartigan, Anika Callaham, Annie Magee, and
Olivia Shutley. (Not pictured: Michael
Wagner)
Middle School Cross Country An Individual and A Team
Grace Delmonte Staff Reporter
Foundations Fall Games 2014 Collage
A Day for Houses to Connect
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