Pro V. Con: HS Memes assembly was necessary to address bullying issues
Amanda Graziano, Opinion Editor
April 27, 2012
This is the pro argument on the HS Memes assembly. To ride the con argument, click here. Was it different than every other assembly that I have experienced during my four years at JC? Yes. Was it a little bit crowded and stuffy? Yes. Was the HS Memes assembly completely necessary? ... Read More
Top scholars attend Archdiocesan Convocation
Amanda Graziano, Opinion Editor
April 26, 2012
Seniors Miranda Ripken, Jon Galarraga, and Stephanie Meadowcroft took part in the 2012 Archdiocesan Distinctive Scholars’ Convocation at Maryvale High School on Tuesday, April 22, at 7:30 p.m. They earned the spots of the three highest ranking members of the class of 2012. Student were... Read More
Senioritis plagues senior class
Amanda Graziano, Opinion Editor
April 20, 2012
I did not do my homework. I did not study for my test today. I completely forgot about that project. What are all of the excuses for not completing all of these tasks? Senioritis, of course. But is this excuse exactly valid? Senioritis is a state of mind which manifests itself in... Read More
Culture Shock instructs students about African American culture
Amanda Graziano, Opinion Editor
February 27, 2012
Disney’s “Princess and the Frog,” played on the television. Students challenged one another in ping-pong. A doll’s head rested on a table. Friday, Feb. 24, was time again for the Black History and Culture Fair. The fair is a way for the Culture Shock Club to teach fellow students... Read More
Grammys focus on artists’ musical talents
Amanda Graziano, Opinion Editor
February 17, 2012
Viewers of the 2012 Grammys witnessed two things: Adele is terrible at giving acceptance speeches and she is an ugly crier. Adele was one of two women who ran the show on Sunday night. The other was the late Whitney Houston. The show opened with LL Cool J’s opening monologue. While this... Read More
Catholic Schools Week still could be improved
Amanda Graziano, Opinion Editor
February 10, 2012
Catholic Schools Week is supposed to be a week where all Catholic Schools try to show their students and faculty why they should be there, and not in a public school. It’s supposed to be a fun week that people will be able to remember when looking back on their time spent at JC. Unfortunately,... Read More
New attendance policy not practical
Amanda Graziano, Opinion Editor
February 3, 2012
The tone indicating that the mod has started sounds. The teacher stands up from behind the desk and tells the class to talk quietly or study something for a second while they take attendance. Twenty minutes later, the teacher stands back up, and class officially starts. Two minutes later,... Read More
Administration takes disciplinary action addressing innapropriate tweets
Amanda Graziano, Opinion Editor
February 2, 2012
The administration is still taking action after the blocking of Twitter occurred. See the news article about this here. On Jan. 12, Principal Madelyn Ball sent a letter to the teachers about how the school is addressing the Twitter controversy. Ball decided to separate the students who... Read More
Senior class must find ways to raise money for prom
Amanda Graziano, Opinion Editor
January 9, 2012
Without a Variety Show, the current senior class has to come up with new ideas so that they don’t have to take out a student loan to buy their prom tickets. Here is a reality check: the Variety Show usually makes the school on average $6,000-7,000. Without this, prom tickets can be $150... Read More
Patriot of the month: TJ Centi
Amanda Graziano, Opinion Editor
December 17, 2011
20 more seconds, senior TJ Centi is sure he can do this. 15 more seconds, and Centi doubts what he just thought 5 seconds ago. 10 seconds later, Centi hears people yelling and screaming his name. The countdown begins: three, two, one. The ref blows his whistle, Centi has made his 30... Read More
Dave and Buster’s after-party looks promising
Amanda Graziano, Opinion Editor
December 16, 2011
Since changing from a children’s museum to a restaurant and video arcade, the senior after-prom party has become much more age-appropriate. For the 2011 prom after-party, the seniors went to Port Discovery in Baltimore. The general consensus received from prom attendees was that it was... Read More
Senior year inflicts stressful workload
Amanda Graziano, Opinion Editor
December 8, 2011
You have nine months to become a professional juggler. Ready. Set. Go. This is how senior year has felt for me so far. Balancing between school, sports, work, college, and somewhere in there, my sanity, my life feels like a juggling act. Going into senior year I was told it would... Read More
Chick-fil-A manager speaks to senior class
Amanda Graziano, Opinion Editor
December 2, 2011
Chick-fil-A cows grazed on campus Wednesday, Nov. 30. Multitudes of small “eat mor chikin” mascots were handed out to students in religion teacher Christopher Yeung’s Social Justice classes. Abingdon Chick-fil-A owner Michael McFerren was able to talk to each of Yeung’s Social Justice... Read More
Powderpuff changes incite concern
Amanda Graziano, Opinion Editor
October 28, 2011
They say that nothing in life is free, and the 2011 Powderpuff game is no exception. This year, the Powderpuff game has gone through many changes, and the entrance fee is just one of them. The game will be held at night, under the lights on Thursday, October 27 at 6:30 p.m. It will cost $1... Read More
Cross country team ventures to Disney
Amanda Graziano, Opinion Editor
October 19, 2011
Running races, winning trophies, and riding rollercoasters in the rain, all while hanging out with Mickey Mouse in the greatest place on Earth. This is how the JC cross country team spent their weekend from Oct. 6 throughOct. 9. The runners traveled to Disney World in Orlando, Florida for... Read More
Pro V Con: Abortion protestors do not have right to protest
Amanda Graziano, Opinion Editor
October 19, 2011
This is the con argument for whether the abortion protestsors have a right to protest. To read the pro argument, click here. Should someone be allowed to post porn on the corner before turning into John Carroll? If you are saying no right now, you may continue reading. We all remember the... Read More
Women’s cross country team projected to dominate
Amanda Graziano, Opinion Editor
September 27, 2011
With the loss of the record breaking cross country team captain, Elizabeth Tauber, class of ’11, there were many questions running through her teammates’ minds. Will the cross country team be as dominating this season? Who will step up to take Tauber’s spot? Even though the team has only... Read More
Senior Profile: Linday Powell
Amanda Graziano, Reporter
June 3, 2011
Some seniors go into college with no idea what they want to do, what their major will be, or even why they went there in the first place. This is not the case for one of JC’s seniors, Lindsay Powell. In the 2011-2012 school year Powell will be a freshman at the University of Maryland to... Read More
JC teachers leave school community, embark upon future plans
Amanda Graziano, Reporter
May 25, 2011
Women’s Athletic Director Stephanie Maychack, social studies teacher Richard Wojewodzki, and Library Media Specialist and senior class moderator Anne Baker are leaving for the upcoming 2011-2012 year. “I had Mr.Wojo for three years [as a teacher]. He is a super genius, has a great sense... Read More
“Glee’s” publicized 90 minutes drags on
Amanda Graziano, Reporter
May 9, 2011
90 minutes. Not 60 minutes. 90 minutes. For anyone who watched any show on Fox for the past couple of weeks, this is that was heard during every commercial break as the network advertised the latest Glee. Yes, Glee was back this last Tuesday, April 26, with an all-new 90-minute episode. ... Read More
Patriot of the month: Jenna Elliott
Amanda Graziano, Reporter
April 27, 2011
In senior Jenna Elliott’s life, four is a popular number. She has been riding horses since age four, she has been on the JC equestrian team for four years, and she has been participating in equestrian since fourth grade. Elliott first started riding horses at age four because of her dad.... Read More
2011 Oscars fail to humor audiences
Amanda Graziano, Reporter
March 14, 2011
When Anne Hathaway and James Franco went into Alec Baldwin’s dream, they also went into my nightmare. For all of those living under a rock this year, Anne Hathaway and James Franco were the hosts of the 2011 Oscars. The show included a very mild amount of humor, forced jokes, and a good... Read More
Ferrell brings humor to “The Office”
Amanda Graziano, Reporter
March 13, 2011
How do you make a show that is slowly declining in ratings magically become funnier and more entertaining in its possible final season? Just add Will Ferrell. Ferrell has signed up to be in NBC’s Emmy winning show “The Office.” Ferrell will join Steve Carell for his final season,... Read More
Indoor track participates in Mountain Express Meet
Amanda Graziano, Reporter
January 7, 2011
It’s December 27th, two days after Christmas. Most JC students are sitting around in their pajamas and playing with their new presents, but not the indoor track team. They are out sweating and burning off all of those extra calories gained during the Christmas holiday by running in the... Read More
JC track Frosbite Invitational
Amanda Graziano, Reporter
December 18, 2010
It’s December 27th, two days after Christmas. Most JC students are sitting around in their pajamas and playing with their new presents, but not the indoor track team. They are out sweating and burning off all of those extra calories gained during the Christmas holiday by running in the... Read More
Cross country teams succeed in long run
Amanda Graziano, Reporter
November 17, 2010
Women: Cross country coach, Rob Torres, predicts the women’s cross country team’s future. Even though the team came in sixth at championships, down from last year’s first-place finish, his prediction became reality. The women’s cross country team finished their season with an 8-3 record. ... Read More
New DJ gives hope to Homecoming
Amanda Graziano
October 8, 2010
Dancing to horrible music in the well-lit gym: that’s how juniors Kelley McGill and Erin Cullinan remember their Homecoming experience from last year. SAC moderator and history teacher Rodney Johnson called this year’s homecoming changes “nothing drastic.” But a new DJ, Joe Zahn,... Read More
Coach, athlete run into knee troubles
Amanda Graziano, Reporter
October 6, 2010
Sweat dripping from junior cross country runner, Taylor Hooper’s face, she dares to glance down at her knee. It looks perfectly normal, but it’s throbbing. Her heart is pounding and a million thoughts are racing through her mind. What did I do? How did it happen? What should I... Read More