The Titan Tribune

September 2012
Volume 7 Issue 1
The Titan Tribune
boylan catholic high school
Striving to be Saints. Scholars. Champions.
NEW YEAR, NEW RULES:
“BYOT” POLICY
Contents
News & Features........1
Sports.........................8
Entertainment..........11
Credits......................12
Andrea Valerio, a junior in Mrs.
Louise Basile’s U.S. History
class, uses one of the new
iPads to track the progress
and outcome of the American
Revolution via videos and
interactive maps.
by Alec Heaton
M
any would say that the 2012-2013 school year
at Boylan is one wrought with change, and they
would be right in saying so. One such change is
the “bring your own technology” (BYOT) policy.
This new policy allows students, with the permission of
their teachers, to bring in lap tops or tablets to enhance
their learning opportunities during the school day. While
this policy could lead to many improvements, such as
a student’s ability to take notes, it also has drawbacks.
Since the upstairs area of Boylan isn’t connected to the
wireless network, using devices in that area without a
direct connection could prove difficult. There is also the chance that this policy could be abused, with students
claiming to be taking notes on a laptop, but in reality just
playing Bubble Trouble or Tetris. Some teachers are open
to the idea of letting students use their own tech, but others haven’t been so easily swayed. Mrs. Kathy Walls, a
math teacher, and English teacher Ms. Jessica Olsen gave
their insight on the subject, and whether it would help or
hinder students. “I think we do need to be open to the use
Photo by Mr. Harold May
of technology in the classroom,” said Mrs. Walls. “I will
be anxious to see how it is used in the different subject
areas.” Ms. Olsen said, “I think that there are definite benefits to this policy, as it will allow students to access a greater number of resources without even leaving the
classroom.” Science teacher Mr. Michael Uram had a different opinion about the use of technology in his classroom: “I have chosen to not allow students to bring their
own technology into my classroom this year. At this point
I feel that the time we have in class is very limited and I
prefer that students use their time outside of class to use
the newer technologies to supplement their learning.”
The teachers weren’t the only ones to comment on the
new policy. Senior Richie Ronan shared his thoughts on
the subject: “I think the new policy is really cool and will
be even better when it is accessible throughout the building,” he said. “I see it as a very beneficial way for students to learn. If a student wants to learn then the laptop [or
tablet] will be a
great advantage.”
2
NEWS & FEATURES
SUMMER HAPPENINGS:
ROCK CAMP
By Tess Vrbin
Photo by Mr. Harold May
W
hen a high school student thinks of
summer, the words “rock music camp”
probably don’t come to mind, at least
not for most students. Every June, Keith School
holds two week-long sessions of Rock Camp for
students ages 11-18 who sing or play an instrument and are interested in being in a rock band.
The group of about forty students is separated
into bands of six or seven people, and each band
prepares a five-­song set to be performed at Sinnissippi Band Shell after five days of rigorous practicing. This summer, Rock Camp was attended by three Boylan students: junior Cheyenne
Oseguera, sophomore Tess Vrbin, and freshman
Kyle Singletary.
Cheyenne Oseguera reflected on the hours of work that lead to her perfomance and said it feels
“absolutely fantastic. Even if you were worried
thirty seconds before you set foot on stage, that
all disappears the second you see all the equipment and people. You might be tired and hot and
sick of everyone there, but you get on stage and
realize that all the early, hot, sticky, annoying
days pay off after you finish the first song and you By Margaret Sentovich
D
see all the smiling faces and hear all the
clapping.” After camp is over, some bands perform at local venues such as Byron Fest or On the
Waterfront. Some campers even form bands of
their own with other musicians they met at camp.
Most of the campers have been attending rock
camp for multiple years and attend both sessions
per summer. Most of the musicians and vocalists
who attend rock camp will say they had an unforgettable experience and would love to go back
COSTA RICA TRIP
uring the first week of June, Mrs. Margaret
Gracyalny of the
World Language Department,
and three Boylan students
visited Costa Rica. Sean
Gay, Haley Reeser, and Alexa
Wright went on the trip
along with two groups from
Wisconsin. The students
stayed with host families who
were both accommodating
and informative. Sean Gay
said, “The most interesting
thing about Costa Rica was
seeing how people live in
another country.” When
they weren’t with their host
families, the students visited
the active Arenal volcano, a
coffee plantation, went ziplining in the rainforest, and
even painted a school.
By Tess Vrbin
ON THE WATERFRONT
L
abor Day weekend means the return of OTW: the annual Rockford
music festival. This year’s featured
artists included The Offspring, Theory of a Deadman,
Billy Currington, among others that sent teenagers from
all over town flocking to the Rock River despite the rainy weather. Aside from multiple genres of music, there was
food, face-painting, carnival rides, and robots playing
basketball – yes, seriously, there were robots playing
basketball.
There probably weren’t
as many Boylan students attending on Friday, August 31st
as there were the other two
days due to the Boylan vs. Harlem football game, but some
went out to see The Offspring
nonetheless. Junior Cheyenne
Oseguera said, “It was fantastic.
The band sounded just as great
live as they do recorded. The
crowd participation was awesome and everyone had a really
fun time.” The punk group
brought another rock band,
Dead Sara, with them as their opening act.
Saturday, September 1st, not only featured
country star Billy Currington, but also several local acts,
such as bands from Keith School Rock Camp, this year’s
Rockford Area Music Industry finalists, and previous winners of Guzzardo Performance Music’s Emerging
Artists competition. The Oasis stage was filled with and surrounded by teenagers and young adults interested in
seeing some rising stars no more than their age.
On a different stage, Billy Currington drew a
huge crowd. According to sophomore Reilly Harrington,
he was “really good, he had awesome energy and sound-
3
ed exactly like he does on the radio.” Sophomore Dekoda
Wallin saw CCR (Creedence Clearwater Revisited) on
the same day, and she said they were “pretty good, even
though it was mostly an older crowd.” Morgan Langley,
another sophomore, said the Theory of a Deadman concert the following night was “fun and lively”, and Reilly
Harrington said, “They sounded amazing and kept the
crowd going. [The lead singer] was actually pretty funny
too.”
Music is not the only
attraction OTW has to
offer. There was a wide
abundance of food and
drinks stands, especially
near the stages. A group
from the International
Thespian Society drew a
large crowd at their facepainting booth. The parking lots near the Left Bank
Stage featured carnival
rides. Stilt-walkers could
be seen entertaining the
masses from blocks away.
Street vendors selling
handmade objects had their stands set up all over. Robots were playing basketball; sophomores Shayne Taylor
and Shawn Makulec were two members of Rockford Robotics Team 2039, one of the four teams from the area
that spent six weeks building a basketball-playing robot
and then engaged it in a robot-basketball tournament,
in which 2039 placed third. Rockford Robotics attends
OTW with their own robot every year and usually engages in a competition of some sort with it. The sight of
robots racing all over the makeshift court was a sight to
both laugh and marvel at, as it obviously took some dedication and time to design and construct the machines.
SUMMER ORIENTATION CLASS
By Margaret Sentovich
Over the summer, social science teacher Mrs. Stephanie McGuire offered incoming freshmen an
orientation class to become acquainted with Boylan. According to Mrs. McGuire, the main goal
of the course was “getting students familiar with Boylan: its layout, programs, and technologies.”
The 63 students who enrolled received an introduction to the school’s curriculum, practice using
required technology, such as Turnitin.com and the moodle, and developed goals for their four
years at Boylan. Mrs. McGuire said that at the end of the class, “students felt more confident
about their first year, and anything that gives them confidence and makes them feel at ease is a
success.” The freshmen seem to agree. Michael Boccignole said of the class, “ It’s nice to know
the school’s expectations.” Tommy Sentovich said, “I thought the test-taking skills we learned
were especially useful. I know the class has already helped me be successful at Boylan.”
4
P
BOYLAN
WELCOMES
THE...
Father Gerald Christenson
taught for about twenty years
for the “Chicago Board of
Education as a math teacher
and a coordinator of an
alternative school for at risk
students at Carl Schurz High
School.” He also coached
basketball and volleyball in
Chicago before being ordained
by Bishop Malloy in May.
Father began his assignment
at Holy Family Parish before
coming to Boylan to teach
morality. Father Christenson’s
favorite season and his favorite
Father Matthew DeBlock
is an assistant principal, the
spiritual director, and is also
teaching junior and senior
theology. Father came from
Elgin where he taught four years
of senior theology at St. Edward
High School. This summer
Father DeBlock visited the Our
Lady of Guadelupe Shrine in
Lacrosse, Wisconsin, and caught
up with family and friends
before moving to Rockford
to begin his new assignment.
Father is a supporter of many
Illinois teams including the
Chicago Bears, the Cubs, and
the Fighting Illini. Father
studied music at the University
holiday is Easter. His favorite
school subject was U.S. History,
and his food of choice is pizza.
Father Christenson’s favorite
color is white and his favorite
team is the Chicago White Sox.
Father said that he is inspired
by Pope Benedict XVI because
he “is a wonderful example of
what a priest should strive to
become.”
of Illinois and loves music,
theater, and art. In addition to
his other duties, Father will run
the retreat program for each
class at Boylan. Father DeBlock
is inspired by Pope Benedict ,
St. Augustine, and the Blessed
Theresa of Calcutta and is
looking forward to “helping the
students to encounter Christ
and the wonderful Catholic
Faith.”
NEWEST
MEMBERS
OF THE
FACULTY
5
Father John Evans is an
associate pastor at St. Bridget
Parish. He is teaching 2 classes
of Religion 3 at Boylan this year.
He attended high school in
South Bend,and received his
bachelor of philosophy
from the Catholic University of
America, Washington, DC, in
2005. After Catholic U, he
applied to study for the
priesthood in the Diocese of
Mrs. Breja Fink taught in
Beloit, Wisconsin before coming
to Boylan. Mrs. Fink had a
busy summer and did many
fun things including “fishing in a lake in Minnesota, creating
a classy office space in her home, “ and lots of writing. Her
favorite musicians include Iris
Dement and Joanna Newsom
Rockford, where most of his
family lives. Bishop Doran then
sent him to study at Kenrick
and her favorite color is green.
School of Theology in St Louis,
MO where his special field was Old Testament. He is a Chicago
sports fan. As for athletic
activities, he says, “ The only
two sports I can actually do are
skiing and volleyball.”
Other interests include British
and Irish history, Shakespeare,
and St Thomas Aquinas
is “embracing the age of
Mrs. Fink said that her biggest
Mr. Douglas Kuban is an
“avid outdoorsman” and a
man who is “no stranger to
the business end of a shovel!”
Mr. Kuban taught in different
schools before coming to
Boylan, including Kankakee,
Pecatonica, Auburn, and
Guilford. Mr. Kuban’s favorite
color is “green for chlorophyll”
and he teaches biology and
environmental science. He
enjoys every season, cheers
for the Chicago Bears and the
Chicago White Sox, and his
challenge (in terms of school)
technology” and that she is most
looking forward to “seeing her
students grow in their writing
and reading skills.” Mrs. Fink is
an English teacher as well as the
yearbook moderator. She will
also organize Mosaic.
favorite movie is the Twilight
Zone. Mr. Kuban has been
married for 34 years and has a
love for lab dogs- he has “one of
each color.” Saint Francis is Mr.
Kuban’s favorite saint because
he was an “animal guy.” Mr.
Kuban has restored old cars,
done some taxidermy, has built
houses, garages, and decks, and
“can fix just about anything.”
6
BOYLAN WELCOMES THE...
This school year will be
Mrs. Nicole Ronan is a
Mrs. Emily Schubert has
Miss Lauren Obermaier’s
sophomore and junior English
teacher. Prior to teaching at Boylan
she taught one year at Harlem
High School. Over the summer
Mrs. Ronan vacationed in Virginia
Beach, Hayward, Wisconsin and
at the Dells. She also “swam in
[her] pool every day and went
to her 8 year old son’s baseball
games.” Her favorite holiday is
Halloween, she cheers for the
Chicago Bears, and loves to eat
“absolutely anything with barbeque
sauce.” Mrs. Ronan’s favorite book
is Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby
and also shared “there is so much
spent the past year as a regional
representative in the Northeastern
United States working with
students as they choose their
course of post high school study.
Mrs. Schubert also worked in
College Admissions at her alma
mater, Bradley University. Her
favorite bands are Florence and
the Machine and Mumford and
Sons. Her favorite school subjects
were English and all music classes.
Mrs. Schubert is an avid Chicago
Bulls fan and also a supporter of
the Bradley Braves. Prior to the
start of the school year, she spent
I want to do and so many great
activities and books that it is hard
to pick the few that time allows.”
Mrs. Ronan also has three younger
brothers, has an extensive movie
collection at home, and tries to
spend time outside every day. She
is inspired by “anyone who works
hard to make their dream come
true, even if people tell them their
dream is impossible.”
a week at Cape Cod, went to her
first Yankees game, and tried Ethiopian food for the first time. Mrs. Schubert will work with the
Guidance Department as a College
Coordinator. She will “work with
students throughout their college
search[es] to find the best fit for them.” Mrs. Schubert said, “I
am a Boylan alum and loved my
experience so much that I wanted
to come back!”
first year of teaching, but she does have some in school experience
from time spent in Peoria and
Brimfield, Illinois. Over the summer Miss Obermaier surfed
and zip lined in Maui and also
enjoyed some Chicgao White Sox
games. Her favorite holiday is fall
and she also enjoys Thanksgiving
because she “likes that there is a
holiday dedicated to simply eating
and being grateful for what we
have.” Her favorite movie is Grease
and her favorite school subject is
science. Her favorite teams are
the White Sox and the Bradley
Braves because she majored in
Chemistry Education at Bradley.
Miss Obermaier is teaching Biology
and Chemistry.
...NEW FACULTY
Mr. Matt Skorniak is a
physical education teacher and a
football coach new to Boylan. His
previous teaching experiences
include working at “Montessori
Private Academy, St.James.
Rockford and also at the Boys and
Girls Club of Rockford.” Over the
summer Mr. Skorniak “ hiked part
of the second longest trail in the
US over Lookout Mountain, went
to my sister-in-law’s wedding, and
caught a 150 lb. striped marlin in
Cabo San Lucas.” Mr. Skorniak’s
favorite holiday is Christmas
and he also enjoys the winter.
Some of his favorite musicians
include The Beatles, the Smashing
Pumpkins, and the Foo Fighters.
Mr. Skorniak also has two degrees:
one in history and one in physical
education. His favorite NFL
team is the Indianapolis Colts.
Mr. Skorniak also has two dogs
and two cats. All four are rescue
animals.
Mr. Michael Wedwick
returns to Boylan as a religion
teacher after spending two years
as a substitute teacher here.
Mr. Wedwick tried to relax and
enjoy his summer by reading,
running “a little bit” and playing
with his “four wonderful
children and big black dog a
ton.” Mr. Wedwick is a Natural
Helper and is also the assistant
coach of the sophomore boys’
basketball team for a third
season. Mr. Wedwick’s favorite
holiday is Easter and his
favorite classes while he was in
high school were theology and
philosophy. His favorite bands
are Led Zepplin and Mumford
and Sons. Mr. Wedwick’s enjoys
bacon cheeseburgers with
barbeque sauce and cheers for
the Chicago Bulls. This year he
is teaching Morality and Church
History. Mr. Wedwick and his
wife are both Boylan graduates
from the class of 2001. He
looks forward to “exploring
God’s call to life and happiness”
with his students.
7
Mr. Matthew West “student
taught in a tiny 5-12th grade
school in rural Minnesota”
before coming to Boylan. While
he was in Minnesota, he also
“directed 5 different bands.”
During the summer, Mr. West
“served on jury duty, crafted
stained glass, and went paint
balling.” His favorite holiday
is Independence Day and his
favorite school subject, other
than music, is math. Mr. West
is a Steelers fan and his favorite
instrument is the cello. Mr.
West is teaching beginning
guitar, guitar ensemble and will
also teach music technology
during second semester. He will
also direct the drumline and pit
orchestra outside of the regular
school day. Mr. West is looking
forward to “the band and choir
concerts. They should be a
blast to conduct, and just as
enjoyable to listen to.”
SPORTS
8
FALL SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS
BOYS’ GOLF
By Alec Heaton
So far, the 2012 golf season has been successful for the boys’ golf team. They have yet to lose a
match, and they have also won a tournament. While senior Brendan Clemens noted that they could
have done better in some instances, he thinks that the team should be able to win conference and
hopes to make it further. The team’s biggest competition this year in conference is Hononegah, as it
has been in previous years. Senior Sam Cristoforo mentioned,
“Our outlook on the rest of the season is to keep improving. If we
keep improving, there is no telling what we can accomplish as a
team. A conference tournament victory would be a great way to
start our road to hopefully a state championship.”
BOYS’ SOCCER
By Alec Heaton
The boys’ soccer season got off to a rough start this year with an injury to key player Justin
Doss and a disappointing finish at the Barrington tournament. According to senior Tom Mata, Barrington was their biggest competition in the championship. He commented, “We had the better team
and we should have won, but we just didn’t play our best.” However, the team is keeping a positive
outlook for this season. Mata mentioned, “We believe we will be the NIC 10 champions again and look
forward to making a good run into the playoffs.”
The team plans to continue working hard and, if
they play their best, they may have a shot at another state title.
GIRLS’ GOLF
By Abby Austin
Senior golf team member Melissa VanSistine has been playing golf since she
was little. Since she comes from a family of golfers, it was natural for her to try it.
When she realized how much she enjoyed the game, she decided to continue playing. Although Melissa did not start playing golf competitively until her freshman
year, she has had four very successful years of golf. There have been many memorable moments in her
golfing seasons but she says the most memorable are all the times she gets to spend with her team: “We have so much fun…each practice is a unique experience.” Some of Melissa’s achievements include
being named conference MVP last season, golfer of the year for the Rockford area, and the Junior Golf
Tours’ player of the year. Personally, Melissa would like to be MVP again, but she is also hopeful that
as a team, “we all continue to improve and enjoy playing.”
GIRLS’ TENNIS
By Rebecca Russell
According to Teal Zimmerman, a sophomore, her tennis
team is like a second family. Although she decided to try out for
tennis at Boylan because she enjoyed playing it with her own family, she now enjoys playing it with her new family of teammates.
Even though tennis is sometimes thought of as an individual sport, Teal countered that it is very much
a team sport, with all of the time the girls spend practicing and playing together. She also commented
that her coach, Coach King, “is very helpful and she handles each situation with grace. She is the type
of coach that will assist you in adjusting your swing or your stance in any way. Coach King gives great
guidance tips and she is always caring about how she approaches a mistake in playing.”
FALL SPORTS, cont.
9
FOOTBALL
Coaches:
John Cacciatore, Chris Rozanski, Mike Grady, Chuck Sicotte, Josh
Alis, Joe Blume, Jeff Phad, Bryant Salamone, Matt Skorniak, Pat
Kennan, Nick Wood
Key Players:Danny Appino, Peter Cimino
Season Outlook:
“Many hands make for light work. Our record to this point has been
the result of all the coaches and players hard work and dedication
in the pre-season. Since the season has begun, those things have
continued.”
The Titan Tribune
had no information
available for these
sports at press time:
VOLLEYBALL
CROSS COUNTRY
Coaches:
Linda Schmitt, Ann Marie Coyle,
Matt Myers, Rick Wenger
Key Players:
Boys: Jonah Neidermeier,
Nathan Kimbrel,
John McHugh, Jamie Laga
Girls: Dominga Stewart, Emily Knuth, Sierra Miller,
Karly Bergstrom,Lauren Nowak, Mary Helen McQuillan
Season Outlook:
“We are starting strong and working hard. The boys have worked
hard all summer together and should move up their standing at the
conference meet. We should have some very successful Individuals,
and if they train well together the team should have success as well.
The girls have a shot at repeating Conference Champions and doing
well in the State Series.”
DANCE
CHEERLEADING
Coaches:
Jeannine Ferger, Laura Brechon,
Robin Hedrington
Key Players:
Molly Derry, Olivia Stiles, Kayla Sallinger
Season Outlook:
“The JV girls are working hard, learning many cheers and stunts.
The Varsity squad works well together. They have a good time
when cheering and get along well. They are working on elite level
stunts.”
SWIMMING/
DIVING
10
FRESHMAN
DANCE
Photos by Yearbook staffersDominique Henderson and Rosie Villegas
Photos by Mr. Bud May
WELCOME, CLASS
OF 2016
ORIENTATION DAY 8.24.12
ENTERTAINMENT
11
THE DARK KNIGHT RISES
MOVIE REVIEW
By Madeline Bhaskar
A
hero must fall in order
for him to rise. In
Christopher Nolan’s
The Dark Knight Rises, Bruce
Wayne (Christian Bale), aka
Batman, does indeed fall. He
also is beaten up constantly,
has his back broken, is sent to
a prison that is literally a hole
in the ground, but somehow
manages to arrive in Gotham
in about two weeks; but hey,
he is Batman after all. Eight
years after taking the blame
for District Attorney Harvey
Dent’s murder, Bruce Wayne
emerges from his isolation to
confront his intellectual and
physical equal, Bane (Tom
Hardy). Compared to the Joker,
Bane isn’t that impressive. His
face is covered by a breathing
mask, which derives him from
conveying any emotion. After
The Dark Knight, we were
haunted by the Joker’s twisted
mind, while Bane only made one
wonder why he had a British
accent when he was raised in
the Middle East. In all fairness,
it is hard to top Heath Ledger’s
amazing performance. The
Dark Knight Rises has amazing
action sequences, a very talented
and well-rounded cast, and an
epic conclusion that made me
wanting more. The only thing
that I felt that was lacking from
this blockbuster equation was
Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway)
aka Catwoman, which I
found enjoyable. The casting
of Joseph Gordon-Levitt as
Officer Blake was spot on. For those who haven’t seen the
movie, all I have to say is that
Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s boyish
good looks are a trademark for
the role his character will take
on if there is a sequel, which I
am pretty sure that there will
be after seeing the ending.
Also returning to the cast were
Gary Oldman as Commissioner
Jim Gordon, Michael Caine
as Alfred Pennyworth, and
Morgan Freeman as Lucius
Fox; all of which performed
plot. I was constantly asking
well. Even if most of the
myself “Why Gotham?” Bane’s
movie’s sequences weren’t very
goal isn’t to destroy the world
memorable, the ending certainly
or to get a lot of money, only to
left an impression. The last thirty
terrorize Gotham and to expose
minutes of twists, turns, backthe ignorance of its people. It
stabbing, sacrifice, redemption, was explained to me later that
and promise of a new hero was
Gotham is the symbol of greed
probably the most effective in
and all that is wrong with the
terms of an emotional response.
world, but that concept was still
a little shaky to me. I did find the Overall, I enjoyed seeing this
scenes between Alfred and Bruce movie, but I have to say that
Wayne to be extremely touching, it was not as enjoyable as The
Dark Knight. Christopher Nolan
but the rest of the dialogue
had the difficult task of not only wasn’t there. The lines from The
Dark Knight stuck with me even topping his last film, but also creating a conclusion that would
when I left the theater, but The
satisfy the audience. Taking that
Dark Knight Rises screenplay
into account, I have to say that
didn’t have that same effect on
me. There was still subtle humor the Dark Knight certainly did
rise.
in the dialogue provided by
CREDITS
12
TITAN TRIBUNE STAFF
Mrs. Mary Gavan Journalism Administrator
Mrs. Tricia Rozanski Moderator
Ben Belford Editor-in-Chief
Abby Austin Managing Editor
Margaret Sentovich News/Feature Editor
Grace Heim Sports Editor
Alec Heaton Entertainment Editor
Tess Vrbin Copy Editor
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
“W
elcome back.” When
hearing these words at
the start of the school year, most
students (myself included) have
an urge to groan. In those with severe cases of premature senioritis,
students may feel overwhelming
apprehension and even paranoia.
We forget that the first half of welcome is “well”. While we may
not feel “well” at the prospect of
spending the next nine months
of our lives at school, we must
recognize that school is not as bad
as some make it out to be.
We do not go to just any
A
school; we go to Boylan Catholic
High school. As Titans we should
enter this new year with anticipation and pride. We have the privilege of being part of an incredible
community. We are all family
here at Boylan, and while most do
not think of the classroom as an
ideal social venue, our academic
trials and tribulations bring us all
closer together.
It is all a matter of attitude.
We can go into this school year
expecting to be miserable, and if
we do, we will all be miserable. If,
however, we can convince our-
selves that we really do want to
be here, and if we recognize that
receiving a Boylan education is
the highest privilege, we will enjoy
our time here much more. This
goes especially for us seniors: we
only have one year left, and we
need to make the most of it. The
old adage “Work hard, play hard”
holds true here in high school, but
I would propose one modification: “Work hard, play harder”. I wish
all of my fellow Titans the best of
luck with in the year to come. God
bless.
LETTER FROM THE MODERATOR
merican columnist and
author Bill Vaughan said,
“We learn something every day,
and a lot of the time it’s that
what we learned the day before
was wrong.” Vaughan wrote for
the Kansas City Star for over 30
years and even though he died in
1977, he left behind some perfect
aphorisms for life such as the one
that opens my first letter for the 2012-2013 school year. A new
school year is exciting for many
reasons; it gives us an opportunity
to get back in touch with our
school friends, it reawakens our
“slumbering summer brain”, and
it also begins a year of change
and growth in all of us. Even
the administration, faculty and
staff experience the freshness of
a new year. New policies, ideas,
and procedures are born. As a
teacher I find it exhilarating to have a chance to start over with
a fresh batch of students every
year. I look forward to reusing the
activities that I know work well in
my classes. I get excited to teach
my favorite authors and books to
a new audience. Starting over also
allows me to fix what was broken and try new activities and pieces
of literature in my classroom. For
the first time in my fourteen years at Boylan, I allowed students to
use the dictionary apps on their
phones to define vocabulary words from The Scarlet Letter.
Nathaniel Hawthorne probably
rolled over in his grave. It was a
strange feeling to look around the
room and see students, phones in
hands, busily working. But change
is good and sometimes we need to
take a risk to make that discovery.
Embrace what may be different
or new this year- whether it be a
friend, a teacher, a class or an IPad in place of a spiral notebook.
One never knows what blessing
may come out of that change.
Go Titans! God Bless!