Students display exemplary behavior despite challenges
Maggie Cassidy, Print Chief
May 7, 2012
As the school year draws to a close with the days getting longer and our attention spans growing shorter, I want to compliment and commend the student body in my final days at JC. As Patriots, you were literally able to weather the storm when good old Hurricane Irene left JC in her wake and... Read More
Broom’s Bloom offers delicious chilly treats
Maggie Cassidy, Print Chief
May 3, 2012
With the summer months coming near, what better way to celebrate the first days of freedom than by enjoying a good, old-fashioned ice cream cone? Broom’s Bloom Dairy seeks to provide frozen and creamy treats with their homemade and hand-dipped ice cream. Located on a dairy farm at 1700 South... Read More
Graduation 2012 keynote speaker announced
Maggie Cassidy, Print Chief
May 3, 2012
The recipient of the 2012 Reverend Charles K. Riepe Alumni Award is David Sedney of the class of 1969, according to Campus Minister Patti Murphy Dohn. As the recipient of the award, Sedney will also be the keynote speaker for the Class of 2012’s graduation commencement. According to the U.S.... Read More
Precautionary Prom measures pay off
Maggie Cassidy, Print Chief
May 2, 2012
For her first Prom as principal, Principal Madelyn Ball had one key task: keeping drugs and alcohol out of the class of 2012’s Prom. To accomplish this task, the administration decided to take new precautions for the class of 2012. According for Ball, seniors who wanted to attend Prom were... Read More
Enrollment almost reaches targeted goal of 170 for class of 2016
Maggie Cassidy, Print Chief
April 4, 2012
With around 150 students already committed to be a part of the freshman class of 2016, the admissions department is in the home stretch of reaching their goal of 170 students. Director of Enrollment and Marketing Jesse Roberts stated that the target number of enrolled students for the incoming... Read More
Orientations planned for next school year
Maggie Cassidy, Print Chief
April 2, 2012
Instead of just hopping right into classes, the 2012-2013 school year will start off with individual class orientations and assemblies. According to Principal Madelyn Ball, “We’ve got something new cooking for the beginning of school next year.” Instead of just the entering freshmen... Read More
Lack of snow shortens calendar
Maggie Cassidy, Print Chief
March 19, 2012
The administration has decided to alter the school calendar by ending the year two days early for underclassmen. This schedule change is due to the lack of closings that typically result from snow. There are five days planned for snow in the school calendar each year. Because none have been... Read More
Donor money to fund bathroom renovation
Maggie Cassidy, Print Chief
March 15, 2012
Say goodbye to the 47-year-old restrooms in the lobby, and say hello to the soon to be freshly renovated ones. According to President Richard O’Hara, the restrooms in the main lobby, original to the construction of JC, will be refurbished, and a new community gathering area will be created... Read More
Guidance creates single college counselor position
Maggie Cassidy, Print Chief
March 14, 2012
The Guidance Department will be reorganizing for the 2012-2013 school year by appointing one college counselor and having the other three remain personal counselors. Guidance counselors Carol Heflin-Shupe, Larry Hensley, and Kathy Barnes will remain personal guidance counselors handling student... Read More
Amnesty International continues to raise genocide awareness
Maggie Cassidy, Print Chief
March 1, 2012
The Amnesty International Club will continue their goal raising genocide awareness with their annual dress down day fundraiser “Prevent Genocide Day” on March 6. “Amnesty International is an international group that acts as a means of overseeing acts of injustices in the world,”... Read More
Exchange programs require more work than play
Maggie Cassidy, Print Chief
February 24, 2012
Spending 19 days exploring a foreign country with friends and one of the greatest teachers in JC history sounds like a vacation, right? Wrong. During a vacation, the ability to choose is always there. The Spanish exchange is not a vacation, because when on the exchange, all personal freedom... Read More
Pro V Con: Respect Life Day provides educated perspective
Maggie Cassidy, Print Chief
January 27, 2012
This is the pro argument for Respect Life Day. To read the con argument, click here. Despite the stereotypical notion of Respect Life education where people are force fed what to believe and not to believe by Catholic lay people, the activities at the Respect Life Day did the opposite. Instead... Read More
Sophomore supports troops
Maggie Cassidy, Print Chief
December 15, 2011
Sophomore Grace Leung is spending two weeks every month supporting our troops within advisories. Leung along with junior Bryan Swanson decided to have a Support Our Troops Drive for the last week of November through the first week of December. Advisories were instructed by an announcement in... Read More
ESL program to be expanded
Maggie Cassidy, Print Chief
November 30, 2011
Plans are in the works to alter the foreign language department in the second semester of the 2011-2012 school year by expanding the English as a Second Language (ESL) program. According to Principal Madelyn Ball, the school may need to hire a full-time ESL teacher for the next semester in... Read More
Twi-hard deems ‘Breaking Dawn’ best Twilight film yet
Maggie Cassidy, Print Chief
November 22, 2011
It’s finally here. That’s right at 12:01PM on Friday Nov. 18, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part One hit theaters. The hearts of millions of girls of all ages stopped as they witnessed the dapper Edward and Bella get hitched. Regal Cinemas in Abingdon had a midnight showing of Breaking... Read More
Cheer no longer IAAM sport
Maggie Cassidy, Print Chief
November 16, 2011
Women’s cheerleading no longer exists as a sport. For the 2012-13 school year, the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland (IAAM) has decided not to consider cheerleading a competitive sport in the conference. “The reason is, the girls conference, the IAAM was considering making... Read More
Senior receives official Zumba licence
Maggie Cassidy, Print Chief
November 15, 2011
Senior Caroline Loeser moves her hips to the pulsating music in a local Zumba dance class, not following an instructor’s directions, but leading the class herself. Loeser teaches Zumba classes at Anytime Fitness in Forest Hill, Maryland. “I felt like it was a good job for me. It involved... Read More
Rain jeopardizes 2011 Powderpuff game
Maggie Cassidy, Print Chief
October 25, 2011
Due to rainy weather forecasts for Thursday October 27, the 2011 Powderpuff game that is scheduled to be played on the football field under the lights, may be postponed. According to Principal Madelyn Ball, if it rains heavily on Thursday, the game could be moved to Friday afterschool at 3pm... Read More
STEM school to start in 2012
Maggie Cassidy, Print Chief
October 20, 2011
The 2012-2013 school-year will mark the beginning of the new STEM Academy within JC. The STEM Academy will be a program that focuses on the four parts of STEM, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Students will take classes that are geared towards these subjects and receive an... Read More
Spanish exchange provides life-changing experience
Maggie Cassidy, Print Chief
September 21, 2011
The Spanish exchange started off like a bad game of charades. Yes, that’s right. For a portion of the three weeks I communicated with a foreign girl with the use of hand signals, active body motions, and of course, Spanglish. For the first few days it was like I was babysitting another 17... Read More
[Update 5/27] Spring sports progress into playoffs
Maggie Cassidy, Managing Editor
June 8, 2011
As the school year nears its end, so does the JC spring sports season as the teams either begin or finish preparing for their final games towards the road to championships Women’s Lacrosse: On Tuesday, May 10, the varsity women’s lacrosse team played in the league quarterfinals against... Read More
Senior Profile: Allison Siegel
Maggie Cassidy, Managing Editor
June 3, 2011
Senior Allison Siegel managed to have an extremely busy and demanding high school career at JC while being the SAC President, women’s varsity field hockey captain, and Print Chief of The Patriot. Siegel, who has been on the staff of The Patriot for the past two years, says that being a member... Read More
Senior Profile: Allison Walczyk
Maggie Cassidy, Managing Editor
June 3, 2011
Senior Allison Walczyk is not American. That is, she wasn’t born in America. Walczyk was born in Germany and moved to the states when she was just seven months old, which is why she spent a lot of time during her high school career learning German. During her time at JC, Walczyk was involved... Read More
Lazor, Forester step up to NHS moderator positions
Maggie Cassidy, Managing Editor
May 27, 2011
Chemistry teacher Rebecca Jansing-Kaestner, moderator of the NHS for five years, and English teacher Christine Zurkowski, moderator of the NHS for two years, will both be stepping down from their positions. For the 2011-2012 school year, biology teacher William Forester and psychology teacher... Read More
“Arthur” lacks humor despite Brand
Maggie Cassidy, Managing Editor
April 26, 2011
On the way to see Russell Brand’s new movie “Arthur”, I thought to myself, “how could a movie with Russell Brand playing a drunken billionaire man-child and Helen Mirren playing his maternal nanny not be a hilarious, gut-busting film?” But I was sadly mistaken. Instead of seeing a... Read More
Film Festival entertains and involves community
Maggie Cassidy, Managing Editor
April 20, 2011
My first experience with a film festival was on Monday April 11 at JC’s 2nd Annual Film Festival hosted by senior Brooke Basta. This was for her senior project and made me realize why she has such an interest in film. At the film festival, audience members viewed 14 short films made by college... Read More
Lee’s Hunan offers best food in Harco
Maggie Cassidy, Managing Editor
March 23, 2011
Eleven miles east of JC stands the best Chinese food in Harford County. Lee’s Hunan, located in Aberdeen, looks like your average Chinese restaurant: attached to a shopping mall and located next to a nail salon. When you walk in, your ears are greeted by smooth jazz and an ornate mirror wall... Read More
Faculty, admin buckle down on uniform violations
Maggie Cassidy, Managing Editor
March 11, 2011
On Tuesday, March 1, Deans of Students Thomas Vierheller and Sean Ireton met with all grade levels to discuss recent uniform violations and how the faculty would be cracking down on all uniform violators. Freshman Dean of Students and Assistant Dean of Students Sean Ireton stated that he does... Read More
Best sushi in HarCo found at Chopstix
Maggie Cassidy, Managing Editor
March 4, 2011
Sushi has quickly become a popular dish amongst people, and with the recent openings of several sushi establishments, it has also become quite popular among residents of Harford County. But with all of these openings, it has become quite a search to find good, reasonable sushi in Harford County. So... Read More
“The Eagle” disappoints viewers
Maggie Cassidy, Managing Editor
February 25, 2011
Seeing “The Eagle” was a complete and utter waste of time. I wish my eyes never had to experience watching this terrible mess of a movie, if you can even call it that. “The Eagle” is a historical action-adventure film that gets it namesake from the Ninth Legion of Rome that disappeared... Read More
‘Tangled’ wraps up its audiences with charm
Maggie Cassidy, Managing Editor
December 18, 2010
Disney has done it again. They’ve turned another classic childhood story into a wonderfully enchanting movie. The movie “Tangled,” a spin-off of the childhood fairytale “Rapunzel,” premiered last week in 3D, tangling the audience in the captivating plotline. The movie starts with... Read More
Qdoba tackles other local taco shops
Maggie Cassidy, Managing Editor
November 29, 2010
Yo quiero tacos. Those were the words that I said last week when I scouted Harford County for the perfect taco. My quest for the best taco took me to Qdoba, La Tolteca and Chipotle. I graded each taco based on specific components of the taco: the amount of ingredients in my taco, the messy... Read More
Championship loss ends field hockey season
Maggie Cassidy, Managing Editor
November 8, 2010
The field hockey championship game was held at Goucher College in Towson on Sunday, Nov. 7 and JC was ready to play. After winning 3-2 in double overtime on Nov. 4 in the semi-final game against Mount de Sales Academy, the women’s varsity field hockey team was prepared to play in the 2010... Read More
Bareilles sings her “Heart” out
Maggie Cassidy, Managing Editor
October 24, 2010
Sophomore jinxes don’t exist. Well, that’s at least the truth for Sara Bareilles’ second album, Kaleidoscope Heart, which was released on September 7th. Bareilles first entered the music scene in July 2007 with her chart-topping “Love Song” on her first album, Little Voice earning... Read More
Stink bugs invade Maryland
Maggie Cassidy
October 5, 2010
Invading cars, houses, and buildings across the Mid-Atlantic region, stink bugs have become notorious for their pungent odor. Named the brown marmorated stink bugs, they release odor when they’re threatened by a predator or killed. “The smell [the bugs give off] is pretty indescribable,... Read More
Editor cruises the Golden Coast
Maggie Cassidy
September 29, 2010
I saw palm trees. And these tropical trees signaled to me that I had just arrived in Los Angeles, California. I was ecstatic when my father approached me with the idea of going to California with him on a business trip last spring, and I was even more excited when he said that I was allowed... Read More