I still wasn’t too happy to be facing the rain, until the March for Life buses arrived at the Verizon Center. I looked out the window to see floods of teenagers from schools as close as the District of Columbia to as far as Sydney, Australia. Entering the Verizon Center, I was surprised to see it was completely packed.

As the crowds grew bigger, I was becoming a little nervous about my previous offer to usher during Mass, until I traveled backstage.  I was then given simple instruction on the proper procedure for communion.

When the mass started, more priests than I could’ve ever imagined seeing at one time began to process in. A sea of white enveloped the floor. With the introduction of the bishops, cheers began to echo around the arena as each school supported the representative from their district.

Monsignor Charles Pope, from the District of Columbia, presided over the Mass.  His homily allowed the audience to remember that they were “fearfully and wonderfully made” in the image of God.

The monsignor then asked us to reflect on chastity, charity, courage, and constancy. Charity offered a word of encouragement, prompting the audience to get involved and assist crisis pregnant centers because “we can’t just say no to abortions, we have to help people say no.”

His point on courage educated me on prenatal diagnosis, and I now believe that though a child may be facing a serious illness like Down’s syndrome, they should not be denied an opportunity for life. Constancy gave me hope because “61 percent of Americans now think abortion should be illegal most, if not all the time,” Pope said, and that little sliver of progress gave me the urge to keep walking for the March.

I needed that energy when my classmates and I began to head for the streets and put our words into action. We marched on the Mall, where there were speakers empowering others with their love of life and referencing such evils as genocide and euthanasia, as well as abortion.

I was overwhelmed by the amount of people spread out in all directions. The magnitude of the crowd was absolutely unbelievable. Even in the pouring rain, this was what I had come for, to see all these people with a love for life.

Religion teacher Rachel Harkins began to lead JC toward the Supreme Court building chanting “Roe vs. Wade has got to go!” I wish we had the opportunity to pray as a group when we finally passed the Supreme Court building, but nonetheless it was a special moment. I could no longer see the beginning or end of the March, as everyone participating flooded the streets.

The number of people attending the March seemed to embody what the March was about.  Everyone attending demonstrated that abortion, genocide, and other such evils were not okay and that we wanted to see a change. When that moment clicked, I was glad that I had decided to acknowledge my alarm that morning.

To listen to Monsignor Charles Pope’s homily, click here: http://blog.adw.org/2012/01/verizon-center-homily-at-youth-rally-for-life/

Sarah Kearby is a Lifestyles Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.

Started in 2006 by Sam and Denise Polakoff, the parents of Leah Polakoff who graduated in ’11, The Polakoff Foundation is a non-profit corporation helping fight glaucoma. According to the Polakoff Foundation website, this foundation helps to “raise funds, create awareness and make services available to glaucoma patients and those who may be at risk.”

Glaucoma is a set of eye diseases that damage the optic nerve. The optic nerve connects the eye to the brain which transfers the images seen and takes them to the brain to be interpreted. Damage of the optic nerve can result in permanent blindness, and it almost always does not have symptoms.

Diagnosed with glaucoma at age 27, Sam Polakoff, co-creator of The Polakoff Foundation, is determined to help spread the message of the effects of glaucoma.

“Glaucoma is like high blood pressure 20 years ago. People didn’t realize it could kill them. Glaucoma will rob people of their eyesight, and, by the time they go blind, there’s nothing they can do to reverse it,” Sam Polakoff said.

Sam Polakoff not only wants to raise funds and spread the message of glaucoma, but he also wants to provide services to help prevent glaucoma from developing in high-risk groups. That is how The Eyes Have It Program began.

“In 2007, we wrote a letter to the Baltimore mayor, Sheila Dixon, about glaucoma. Because the group hit the hardest with it are African Americans and Baltimore City has a predominantly African American population, we thought it was a good place to start a screening program,” Sam Polakoff said.

Mayor Dixon liked the idea, so The Polakoff Foundation partnered with the Maryland Society of Sight and the Glaucoma Research Foundation in San Francisco to begin EHIP in Maryland in 2008. EHIP offers free screenings to the Baltimore metropolitan area as well as educational material for diagnosed or at-risk patients.

The Polakoff Foundation depends on an all-volunteer staff of doctors, nurses, and other people to support their efforts.

“We are always looking for volunteers. It is fun for students and helps with the credits [service hours] they need. We will sign the forms for students to receive service hours,” Ted Dixon, primary contact for nonmedical volunteers, said.

Students who volunteer would greet patients being tested, help fill out their paperwork, learn how to work the machines, and do screenings. Anyone can learn how to do the screenings, and “it only takes about 30 minutes to teach someone how to volunteer,” Sam Polakoff said.

Leah Polakoff was a volunteer for EHIP and has experienced  the responsibilities first-hand.

“Every screening I worked at, I was responsible for checking the patients in and performing visual field tests. I had to learn how to use the machines to be able to test the patient’s vision. I also had to learn how to read the test results, which would determine which patients go on to see the doctor for further examination,” Leah Polakoff said.

The next volunteer opportunity coming up is Jan. 18 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Krieger Eye Institute at Sinai Hospital in Baltimore. Other free screenings where students can volunteer will be held at Bon Secours Medical Center, Harbor Hospital, and Good Samaritan Hospital.

“I loved volunteering with The Eyes Have It Program because it was a chance for me to bond with my parents and gain service hours for school. Overall I earned about 15 to 20 of my service hours through this program,” Leah Polakoff said.

Students should take advantage of volunteering with EHIP because it is an ongoing service opportunity.

“There is usually a screening each month, and we are looking to add more dates this year but we haven’t secured that yet. The next screening will probably be in February at Good Samaritan Hospital,” Dixon said.

“I always tell young people there are so many wonderful things to see that people take for granted. It’s foolish to risk losing your eyesight when there’s no chance of getting it back,” Sam Polakoff said.

Students who want to find out more information about glaucoma and volunteering can visit www.polakoff-foundation.org and contact Ted Dixon by email at tdixon@tbbgl.com.

Stephanie Meadowcroft is a Lifestyles Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.

Instead of spending her summer at the beach or the pool, junior Morgan Jones wants to participate in an internship provided by the Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program (SEAP). On Tuesday, Dec. 13, Jones attended an informational meeting given by science department chair Rebecca Jansing-Kaestner.

“I’m really passionate about science and I want to be a glaciologist and I hope this internship will help me achieve that goal,” Jones said.

During the meeting, Jansing-Kaestner showed the students the SEAP on-line application.

“We talked about what to put in the application and how to answer the essay questions. I also talked to them about doing a resume so that I can get it to the internship coordinator,” Jansing-Kaestner said.

The SEAP program provides an opportunity for students to participate in research at a Department of Navy (DoN) laboratory over the summer. The goals stated on the official SEAP website are “to encourage participating students to pursue science and engineering careers, to further their education via mentoring by laboratory personnel and their participation in research, and to make them aware of DoN research and technology efforts.”

Students who participate in the program spend eight weeks during the summer doing research, with scientists and engineers who act as their mentors. Senior Jon Galarraga took advantage of this opportunity last summer when he, and other current students, such as seniors Heather Kirwan and Jenny Yang, worked at Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG).

“[My experience] was amazing. It really expanded my horizons. I got to see different engineers to collaborate on a project, and it solidified my career aspirations,” Galarraga said.

Alumni who have been a part of the internships at APG in the past have taken their experience and used it to create more opportunities for themselves. Stanley Strawbridge ‘07 went on to study chemical engineering at West Virginia University, and received more internship opportunities when he was in college. Megan Kazanski, class of ’11, presented her research to an international symposium.

Jansing-Kaestner has acknowledged that those students who work through the SEAP program gain a definite advantage when it comes to college and their careers.

“It shows colleges and businesses that you are serious about your decision to study science. It could be a defining moment for you as a student, solidifying your commitment,” Jansing-Kaestner said.

”I’m looking forward to the experience and being able to gain knowledge,” Jones said.

Miranda Ripken is a Sports Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.org.

32 students have signed up for the event.  Respect Life Club moderator Christopher Yeung has received a lot of feedback from his students.

“There is a lot of buzz from the students.  I started by making just 100 permission slips for the 60 spots on the bus and at the rally, but I have had to keep copying more forms as the interest has been more than I anticipated,” Yeung said.

The trip has expressed so much interest that “we may have to add another bus,” Yeung said.

Respect Life Club assistant moderator Marc Bolden is also thrilled with the students’ involvement in the trip. “A lot of my students are going on the trip,” Bolden said.

This will be Bolden’s first time going, and he is excited to experience the March and rally.

Though senior Nick Henninger, Respect Life Club President, has gone on the March before, he has never been to the rally. “I’m excited about the rally, it’s something new that I haven’t experienced before. I think it will have a positive effect on the community,” Henninger said.

The March itself only lasts about 20 to 30 minutes, while the rally lasts for four hours. The Rally for Life includes a rally, confessions, praying of the rosary, and a mass.

“Instead of attending a Lady Gaga or Taylor Swift concert at the Verizon Center, we are going to Mass and worshipping God Himself,” Respect Life Club assistant moderator Rachel Harkins said.

From the rally, the students will go to the March. Students, along with thousands of other pro-life people, will march to the U.S. Supreme Court Building, carrying signs and chanting.

Junior Thomas Gardner, who attended the March last year with former moderator Daniel Briggs, is excited to be able to go again, with students from the entire school. “The movement is more popular within the school [this year],” Gardner said.

Sophomore Kaley Martin is overjoyed to be going for the first time. “I’m really excited to go out and support a cause that I feel strongly about with other people who believe in the same things I do,” Martin said.

Harkins has been going to the March since she was a toddler, and has loved participating.

“I’ll never forget marching up Capitol Hill with some of my best friends and chanting ‘Roe vs. Wade has got to go.’  Then, we all got back on the bus, drove back to school and went to class the next day barely keeping our eyes open,” Harkins said.

“Human life is our greatest gift from God and to see young people cheering, smiling, and joyfully proclaiming that message is powerful,” Harkins said.

Ashley Beyer is a Lifestyles Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.

White pines, Norway spruces, and evergreens illuminated the Bel Air Armory Nov. 26 and 27 as part of the Chesapeake Cancer Alliance’s (CCA) sixth annual Festival of Trees.   The trees were decorated with themed ornaments that only Santa and his elves could’ve dreamt up, with themes ranging from Christmas at the beach to a tree dedicated to the state of Maryland.

Profits from the tree auctions, admission tickets, and renting fees from 12 vendors that sold Christmas paraphernalia at the event are donated in their entirety to the Cecil and Harford counties Cancer LifeNet programs.  Cancer LifeNet provides aid through the healthcare system for those confronted with a life-threatening illness.  According to CCA co-chair Sandy Guzewich, the organization pledges $75,000-$100,000 per year to Cancer LifeNet.

According to Guzewich, the CCA used their website, Facebook, and the Aegis newspaper, in order to receive donated, ornamented trees.  Preparation and planning for this “keystone event,” as Guzewich calls it, began earlier this year in March.

School Secretary Susan Strawbridge and the Romero Club embellished a tree this year for the event, entitling it “White Christmas” to honor JC’s winter musical.

“This all started last year when I saw that other schools in Harford County presented a tree and John Carroll did not have a tree.  The Romero Club was interested in doing a cancer service project and this seemed to be a good fit,” Strawbridge said.

Seniors Amanda Weerasooriya and Heather Kirwan partook in the event, as well as freshman Annalee Gabler.

“I thought it would be a fun and easy event for a good cause,” Kirwan said.

English teacher Celeste Smith’s advisory donated decorations for the tree.  Health teacher Teresa Gauthier also helped at the event.

“Mrs. Strawbridge asked if I would help, probably because she knows how much I love to decorate for Christmas.  I was happy to be able to help out,” Gauthier said.

In addition to the evergreen wonderland at the festival, hand crafted wreaths and gingerbread houses were sold in silent auctions along with the trees.  The event also featured holiday boutiques selling jewelry, candles, and various Christmas gifts.

Children’s activities such as face painting, story time with Mrs. Claus, gingerbread house sculpting, and holiday bracelet or reindeer headband crafts highlighted the spirit of the season.

Many are involved in the Festival of Trees event and the CCA because of personal motivation.  Guzewich’s two brothers and nephew were afflicted by Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, prompting her to engage in cancer prevention and research organizations on a local level.

“I participated in this for Kyra McPherson. I’ve known her since kindergarten. She had leukemia, but she is finally a cancer survivor.  She beat it this summer. I wanted to show support for her and everyone else battling cancer,” Weerasooriya said.

Recurring donors appeared throughout the congregation of trees like an army of antibodies ready to combat cancer. Previous donor to the Timonium Festival of Trees, Johns Hopkins, decorated five trees alone.  The CCA itself provides evergreens as well.  “Many [trees] are done by members of the CCA.  Almost 80 percent come from within,” Guzewich said.

Kicking off the Christmas season, the Festival of Trees intertwined the holidays with supporting and caring for those with a life threatening illness.  This kindness toward others might be just what the Christmas spirit is all about.

Jefferson originally became involved at Chesapeake Therapeutic Riding because she had to complete her service hour requirement for JC. Jefferson has been on the equestrian team for the four years she has been a student. Before riding on the equestrian team she rides at Split Second farm, owned and run by Amy Scampton.

“A friend had told me about the farm and I went to check it out and have been going ever since,” said Jefferson.

The Chesapeake Therapeutic Riding facility uses horses as therapy. Clients arrive and greet their horses.  “We usually start with a warm up while the horse is walking where we do stretches. Then depending on the rider they will go off lead and we will play a game and steer or weave through cones,” said Jefferson.

Depending on the client’s ability, sometimes he or she are allowed to trot, one gait faster than a walk. There is also a sensory trail in the woods on which they are sometimes allowed to go. A sensory trail is a ride outside the ring that resembles an obstacle course.

Jefferson spends much of her free time at the riding facility.  “I am usually there 2-4 days a week for about 4 to 5 hours a day,” said Jefferson.

A normal day for Jefferson starts out with mucking stalls, cleaning out water buckets, dumping all the feed, and bringing all the horses in. Jefferson then grooms and tacks up the horses that clients will be using for that particular day. She takes them down to the arena and either gives them to their assigned leader or becomes the leader.  “Some days I will be a leader or a side walker, but most days I am an instructor and assist in teaching,” said Jefferson. A side walker is someone who stays at the side of the horse to help the client if he or she needs it.

After the lessons Jefferson has to cool down the horses and un-tack them. Then, if Jefferson taught, she has to write down the notes on the client that she taught for the day.

“This experience has shown me how I can make a difference in someone’s life. It is great to see the progress that I have made in the kids. Not only have I learned a lot from my teacher, but also I have learned a lot from the kids. I feel really good when I am there. I can use my passion to help others,” said Jefferson.

Megan Foard is a Multimedia editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.

Exploring the city’s art museums, sketching their own drawings, and shopping were only a few activities The Art Honor Society members experienced on their annual trip to New York City November 11 and 12.

One of the museums that McCumber was able to explore was the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where students in the NAHS went on a scavenger hunt for famous works of art. “The scavenger hunt was exhausting,” McCumber said. “The Met is such a vast and diverse museum…[with] so many components.”

The National Art Honor Society toured the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art, better known as the MoMA, but also had free time to shop and explore the streets of New York. The students were also able to go to the Whitney Museum, some of the Chelsea Galleries, and sketch their favorite pieces that they had seen throughout the day.

Art teacher Bruno Baran, who orchestrated the trip, was glad that the group had two days, but wished it could have been even longer. “I’d want three days. We could come home on Sunday,” Baran said. “We could spend a full day in the Chelsea Galleries. There are 400 of them.” The Chelsea Galleries feature works from modern artists and are still growing.

“I’d never gone to an Art museum before. I thought it’d be fun. Plus, I’ve only stayed overnight in New York two times before this trip,” McCumber said. The MoMA was one of McCumber’s favorite museums. Her favorite exhibit in that museum was “the rooms full of Picasso” because he was a modern painter.

When junior Morgan Jones heard about the trip, “[She] was really excited because [she] love[s] the Greek art work along with the Asian arts.” Jones also thought it would be a memorable experience, and she wanted to be more involved with the Art Honor Society than just doing projects.

Junior Katlyn Cyphers, who went on the day trip last year, enjoyed the trip much more this year because they got to stay overnight in NYC. “It was better. We got to go shopping, and we went to one more museum which was nice too.  We had a lot more time to tour the museums when we were there,” Cyphers said.

Junior Adriana Baker also enjoyed the trip more than her experience last year because of the extra day NAHS spent in the city. “I think this year the amount of time in the museums we had was a lot better because we had two days, so it didn’t feel as rushed to get through the exhibits.”

The next day, McCumber and other students “had free time again on 5th Avenue and Rockefeller, where [the] group[s] went shopping and sightseeing and then out to dinner.” Students left for home around 8 p.m. and got home at 11:15 p.m.

McCumber was thrilled with the outcome of the trip. “I love New York City and I wanted to go [because] everything about it is beautiful,” McCumber said.

Ashley Beyer is a Lifestyles editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.

On Saturday, Oct. 15, I ran my first half-marathon and had no idea whether I would make it out alive or not. Prior to the race, I followed a half-marathon training schedule that I found on www.shape.com. The schedule had me increasing my mileage and duration of aerobic exercise progressively every week. Trying to faithfully follow the schedule for the past four months was no easy task, and many times I asked myself why I had decided to enter the race.

It was just one of those things where I said “Oh, I want to try that someday,” and it turned out that someday was much sooner than I thought. This was the best time for me to enter a half-marathon because, once college comes around, I won’t have the time or energy to do it.

I’m incredibly happy to say that all of my training paid off big time. Not only was I able to run the race with an average of nine minutes and 40 seconds per mile, finishing in 2:06:10, but I actually thoroughly enjoyed it. I thought I would dread race day, but instead I had butterflies of excitement.

I was one of 25,000 runners running that day in Baltimore. Once the race finally began, I felt as though I was surrounded by tons of runners that were just as crazy as I was, which is a comradeship that you don’t find every day.

The support of bystanders throughout the city was an unexpected friendly and rewarding aspect of the race. Some of my favorite signs that bystanders held while they cheered read “Like you’re having a baby, keep pushin’!” and “Your feet hurt because you’re kicking so much a**!” which kept me laughing as I ran.

While I didn’t get to burst through a ribbon at the finish like an Olympic runner, it still felt amazing to cross the finish line. I told my patient mother waiting at the finish that it wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I even mused that maybe someday I’ll run a full marathon. However, this time I’ll wait a little longer for someday.

Stephanie Meadowcroft is a Lifestyles Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.

When Michelle Boniface, class of ’05, landed a page job with “60 Minutes” last September, she never imagined she would be working on set so quickly. But when executive producer Jeff Fager and executive editor Bill Owens decided to do a segment on champion racehorse Zenyatta, they knew just who to call on for expertise in the horse-racing industry.

Growing up on a horse farm in Harford County, Boniface has been around horses her entire life. So along with producer Tom Anderson and correspondent Bill Simon, Boniface flew to Zenyatta’s stable in Southern California for the assignment.

Zenyatta, a six-year-old American Thoroughbred, has won 19 races out of 20 attempts with the only loss of her career coming on Nov. 6 in her second attempt at the Breeders’ Classic Cup in Louisville, Kentucky.

Boniface got the chance to explain to Simon and Anderson just how special a horse can be, especially one of Zenyatta’s caliber. “I was so lucky that my bosses thought I could really add to the story,” she said. “I really have been wanting to travel, and to be able to first do that for a horse racing story is unbelievable. When they decided to do the story, they said ‘you’re going,’” Boniface said. “I have been on shots in New York City before, but to be traveling and to really be imbedded in the team and story was very exciting.”

Majoring in Mass Communications with a minor in Environmental Studies, Boniface graduated from Washington & Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, in 2009. “W & L’s journalism program was amazing,” Boniface said. “We produced live news and a half hour news show every week and that really helped me prepare for working in the industry. The professors there are really supportive and the journalism school was like a family.”

While in college, Boniface also got some experience under her belt in the journalistic field. “I interned with CBS in New York the summer after my junior year of college and loved it,” she said.

Though she interned with “CBS Evening News,” Boniface wanted to work for “60 Minutes.” “I really wanted to be at ‘60 Minutes,’ but they weren’t really hiring. So I decided just to move to New York and figure it out from there,” she said. Luckily, Boniface got the entry-level job after going on several interviews following her graduation in June.

Aside from her recent duties on-set, Boniface’s day-to-day tasks include assisting the executive producer as well as the director of the show.

“I help run our story idea system, called the Blusheet system, and help maintain the office,” she said.

Boniface also works as “a broadcast associate and sometimes associate producer on stories. That part is amazing because you are really involved and have a direct hand in what goes on air.”

Before getting into the journalistic world, Boniface admits she really thought she was going to be a jockey. “I never took any journalism classes at John Carroll and I also didn’t work for the newspaper because I really wasn’t sure at that time what I wanted to do,” Boniface said.

However, she credits the “overall support of the John Carroll teachers that helped me decide that I could and would go to college so I have them to thank for putting me on this path.”

Schafer can be reached for comment at tschafer@jcpatriot.com.

History teacher Bob Schick is thrilled with the recent success of the Forensics team.  This year is the first time Bob and foreign language teacher Richard Wojewodzki have moderated the Forensics team, also known as the Speech and Debate Team.

Both enjoy moderating the Forensics team.  “I like seeing the students succeed,” said Wojewodzki.

Even though he just joined the Forensics team this year, junior Adam Kuester won first place in Reader’s Theater with sophomore Martha Schick.  “It’s performing in a way,” Kuester, who is also active in the theater department, said.

Martha gives most of the credit for her win to Kuester.  “He has most of the lines, I just helped out,” said Martha.  Kuester used four different voices in the scene and acted out in several different ways.

But Martha took home an award of her own.  She won first place in Children’s Literature and freshmen Megan Greig won first place in original oratory.

Senior Sydney Comitz won first place in Interpretative Poetry at their last meet.  According to Comitz, “the judges really like to see how you interpret [the poetry,] so you really get to put your own spin on it.”

Still, a unique spin is not all that is required to win a Forensics event.  “There are lots of strict guidelines to follow,” said Wojewodzki.  Competitors can be penalized on going over their time limit, not making enough eye contact, or stumbling over their speech.  These strict guidelines make practice crucial to success.

The Forensics team has group practices where members make sure that they are reading expressively, standing with good posture, and staying within their time limit.  Even with group practices every member practices individually.  Comitz puts in a little extra practice as well.  “After Yoga Club I have a private practice with moderator Wojewodzki from four to five o’clock,” said Comitz.

All the practice leads up to the meets.  “Students from 11 schools in the county come to compete in individual event and debate events,” County Coordinator for the Harford County Speech and Debate League Susan Burnett said.  There are two rounds with several different events going on at once.

After the events are over and the judges are adding up the scores, the kids eat pizza and drink soda while they wait to see who won.  According to Bob, when first, second and third place are announced there is “applause and mild screaming.”

The Forensics team only has five members right now and they would love to have more.  This sentiment is mostly due to the fact that the members enjoy being a part of the team.  “I like it because it forces you to be expressive with your voice rather than with your movements,” said Martha.

Forensics “encourages self expression,” said Burnett.  Everyone involved in Forensics love it for a different reason.  Some love the competition and other love the fun.  “It’s a competitive subject, but you can be really silly,” said Comitz.

Kirchner can be reached for comment at mkirchner@jcpatriot.com.