IRONMAN DON BOSCO PREPARATORY HIGH SCHOOL Volume: 10 492 N. FRANKLIN TPKE RAMSEY, NJ 07446 Issue: 2

APRIL 2012

BISHOP DONATO CELEBRATES

FEAST OF ST. JOHN BOSCOWITH DON BOSCO PREP COMMUNITY

By Guy Jean-Louis ’12

The entire Don Bosco Prep community gathered together in the gymnasium on January 31 to celebrate a Mass for the feast of the school’s patron, St. John Bosco, and to mark the end of this year’s Spirit Week, a Don Bosco tradition of entertaining and competitive intramu-ral activities.

Before the Mass began, Don Bosco Principal John Stanczak welcomed the Most Reverend Thomas A. Donato, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Newark, who served as the main celebrant. In his introduc-tion, Mr. Stanczak informed the school community of the bishop’s early desire to enter religious life, which he first expressed in an es-say written in response to a question from his second grade teacher, Sister Jeanette DeSena. Bishop Donato also pointed out that he was no stranger to Ramsey and the areas surrounding Don Bosco Prep. He served as pastor of St. Paul’s Church in Ramsey from 1988 until 2001, and has baptized or confirmed several students, including Michael Flanagan, who presented Bishop Do-nato with a statue of St. John Bosco to thank the Bishop for celebrating the Mass.

In his homily, Bishop Donato reflected on Christ’s teaching of the importance of having faith like that of “little children.” He said that Jesus calls upon us to show our faith “in small and significant ways.” As an example of these demonstrations of faith, the bishop

recalled witnessing the hosts of the 2000 World Youth Day in Rome pass a symbolic cross to a group of young Catholics from the next host city of that event. Bishop Donato also discussed NFL quarterback Tim Tebow, who has recently received the attention of the media for his trademark of kneeling in prayer during football games. Such simple yet meaningful “genuine expressions of faith,” the Bishop said, can enable us to more effectively live according to the teachings of Christ and to better recognize our life with God.

Bishop Donato also urged the members of the school community to follow the example of St. John Bosco, who taught the catechism and offered vocational training to the impoverished youth of Turin, Italy, by attempting to “see the face of Christ in others and respond to them when they are in need.” By doing so, Bishop Donato said, we not only grow in faith, but also help to fulfill the promise of St. John Bosco which is written on the wall of the gymnasium: “Tell my boys I await them in paradise.”

Just before the conclusion of the Mass, Mr. Tom DeLucci, Director of Guidance, recognized former Don Bosco Guidance Counselor, Mr. Paul Guadagno. Until his retirement two years ago, Mr. Gua-dagno was instrumental in the development of the school’s Learning Needs program and the Resource room. Mr. DeLucci announced the dedication of the Paul Guadagno Resource Room, and Bishop Donato blessed a plaque presented to Mr. Guadagno as a token of the school’s appreciation for his contribution to the Guidance Department.

The celebration of the feast day ended with the announcement by Father Manny Gallo of the final tally of spirit points. Perhaps not surprisingly, the Seniors took first place, with 1,112 spirit points, with an eleven-point lead over the Junior class. In keeping with Salesian tradition, Father Manny invited the youngest member of the Prep to the podium to make a request of the visiting Bishop in honor of Spirit Week and the Feast Day celebration. The excitement of the student body grew increasingly palpable as Marco Pecovic, a freshman, maintained the long honored school tradition by asking the bishop for a school holiday. Upon Marco’s firm insis-tence that the request was “not negotiable,” Bishop Donato gener-ously decided to grant not only the coveted “day off,” but also a check for a charitable

donation.

The Mass provided a time for the entire Don Bosco Prep com-munity to come together after an ex-citing and competitive Spirit Week to

SPIRIT WEEKTUESDAY - Opening Ceremonies, Olympic Relays

By Brian Zied ‘13

Don Bosco Prep’s Spirit Week started off with a bang on Tuesday, January 24th in a rousing display of exuberance and colorful class support. Students were asked to wear a color corresponding to an ancient Greek city-state assigned to their grade level: Freshmen – Athens (Blue), Sophomores – Olympia (White), Juniors – Troy (Black), and Seniors – Sparta (Red). Students bold enough to wear togas from their representative city-state earned their grade extra spirit points.

The day’s enthusiasm culminated in the opening ceremony during last period, as King James (Dr. Scanlon) and his four maidens (Ms. Manicone, Mrs. Byrne, Ms. Sepulveda, and Ms. Rando) introduced Tuesday’s event: the Olympic Relays. Five students represented each grade in a timed event showcasing athleticism and skill in the ways of Don Bosco Prep High School. The first student was asked to disentangle and put on a frozen t-shirt, a task that proved quite strenuous for both the Freshmen and Sophomores. The second student, after tagged by

because the students just slobbered all over the table in attempt to finish their pies the fastest. In the end, Dr. Catherina won the event using the same method as the

students and got more points for the Senior class.

Thursday’s competition concluded with the pineapple race. The object was for the students to pass a pineapple down their line 15 times. The students had to transfer the pineapple by alternating over their head and under their legs. Once each team grasped the concept the pace picked up, and in a nail-biter, the Sophomores pulled out the victory.

SPIRIT WEEK2 - Don Bosco Prep Spirit Week April 2012

the first, was instructed to spin 10 times with a wiffle bat and hit a wiffle ball. Student #3 then ran across the gym, and upon reaching his destination, answer a question

regarding Don Bosco that resulted in a penalty if answered incorrectly. The fourth student made his way over/under four hurdles before facing the obstacle of tagging the fifth student with students Frank Failace and Michael Casimos in the way. Student #5 appropriately “skinned” the backpack of a

sleeping student by turning it inside out, putting the books back into the backpack, and zipping it shut. If completed, they could move on to sink a foul shot that would stop

the clock and solidify their time.

The Sophomores and Freshmen came in 3rd and 4th respectively, but controversy arose over the times of the Juniors and Seniors. A 30-second penalty was

added to the Seniors’ time as a result of their attempts

TUESDAY - Opening Ceremonies, Olympic Relays (cont’d)

THURSDAY - Pie-Eating Competition, Pineapple Race

By Nick Dipoto ‘13

During the third day of the highly competitive Spirit Week, the Greek-themed classes battled in a pie-eating competition and a pineapple race.

Two students represented each class in the pie-eating contest. The Freshmen were represented by Connor Foley and Joe Acquaviva . The next two participants from the Sophomore class were Joe Siciliano

and Alex Merchant. Following the Sophomores were the heavy-eating Juniors, Frank “The Tank” DiGiacomo and Marc

Buermann. The last participants were the Seniors with their two participants, Ben Simon and Andrew Neggia.

The objective of the contest was for both participants to eat their whole banana cream pie completely before the other pairs finished theirs. As the contest began, each team used different methods to devour their pies. At first, all the contestants tried to

to skew the contest in their favor, putting the Juniors in first by a matter of seconds. Mass chaos ensued in the

form of a Junior class mosh pit on the gym floor. The success of the class color day and Olympic Relays only added more excited anticipation for the days of Spirit Week yet to come.

WEDNESDAY - DodgeballBy Matt King ‘13

During the Greek-themed Spirit Week, no event was more trying on the competitors, both mentally and physically, than dodgeball - a favorite in the week-long games.

The first of four games was fought between the Seniors and Freshmen. The entire student body knew what the outcome of this game would be. It was not long before there was a “Baseline!!!” call after which the Seniors expeditiously finished

off the remaining Freshmen. This game was immediately followed by the contest between the Juniors and Sophomores. This was the greatest upset of the day with the Juniors losing in a hard fought game. The game dragged on for quite some time until the Sophomores hit Jack Young, the last remaining Junior. Fueled by the anger of their defeat, the Juniors immediately returned to the court to play the Freshmen for third

place. The Juniors heard the announcers yell “Baseline!!!”, and they quickly destroyed the remaining Freshmen, hitting each of them three or four times.

The finals were played between the Seniors and Sophomores. This was the longest game of the day. As the Juniors and Freshmen sat on the side, irritated by their defeats, the Seniors and Sophomores fought valiantly for first place. Throughout the game, players were hit sparingly, but no real damage occurred until the baseline call. The Seniors quickly charged the Sophomores and decimated all of the remaining

competitors. It was all over, the Seniors had won it all.

Although the Seniors won, the Juniors were angry because the Sophomores kept walking into their game when they were out. The Junior Class President Frank DiGiacomo asked for a rematch between the Sophomores and Juniors, but he was

rebuffed. This year, the Seniors won the event, and the current Juniors will have to prove they are truly better then the Sophomores at next year’s games.

work from the cream filling down to the crust, but it was evident that it was not fast enough nor did it help their cause. The reason for the slow pace was that the cream filling, according to the participants, tasted awful, and it was hard to get down. So, the next option was to get down and dirty, simply flipping the entire pie onto the table and munching away. The contest was getting down to the wire between the Seniors and Juniors, but in the end the Seniors came away with the victory.

Following the pie-eating contest between the students came the pie-eating contest between

the teachers. Each class was represented by one teacher who would hopefully give its class some extra points. The Freshmen were represented by Mr. Clark,

the Sophomores by Mr. Buesser, the Juniors by Mr. Rodriguez and the Seniors by Dr. Catherina. The teachers were reluctant at first to flip their pies over on the table

SPIRIT WEEKDon Bosco Prep - 3FeaturesApril 2012

FRIDAY - Tug of War, Hand Ball

Ironman Newspaper 2012 staff 492 N. Franklin Turnpike

Ramsey, New Jersey 07446

MODERATORMr. Paul O’Connor

WRITERS

Joe Monopoli Joseph Luongo William Bozain Sean McNulty

Robert Smith Thomas Potenza Nicholas Mendolia Thomas McNulty Michael Yankovich Matthew McMorrow

LAYOUT EDITORS

Sean WeirMatthew Barker David Rameau Andrew Dawd Adam Andriulli

PHOTOGRAPHERBrian Dorsey

COMMUNICATIONSThomas Potenza

William McCormackOwen Lane Connor Mack Ryan Tucker

Ryan Touhey James Hunt Marshall Tomat Christopher Lengua Marko Begonia Rustel Froneiseo

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Ronan James Rick Alves

Brendan Bisset Robert CaldwellEric Cole

MONDAY - Talent ShowBy David Rameau’13

To conclude what was, in my opinion, the most exciting Spirit Week in recent Don Bosco Prep history, the student body gathered in the dimly lit audi-torium. It was finally time for the talent show, the opportunity for a few of Don Bosco’s bravest students to showcase their skills to the rest of the school. Judges Mr. DeCarlo, Sr. Mary, Mr. Ojo, and Ms. Lawlor gathered in their seats eagerly waiting for the show to begin.

After a brief introduction from Se-niors, Steve Lombardi and Kevin Donadio, the first act, a Sophomore band fronted by Josh McGann, nervously ambled onto the stage. Almost as soon as the Sopho-mores started playing their band’s cover of the Red Hot Chili Pepper’s “Can’t Stop”, all signs of apprehension suddenly vanished, and their

lead guitarist Kevin Quimbo left the audience in awe after managing to play his entire guitar solo with the instrument behind his back. Theirs would be a tough act to follow, but seasoned Talent Show “veteran” Tim Gysin, and his band eagerly stepped up to the chal-lenge. In a two-part act, they played Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now” and MGMT’s hit song, “Kids”. The group received a standing ovation and what appeared

to be a 11 out of 10 from Ms. Lawlor, and the group’s stand outs included guitarist Bart Lasceki and drummer Mike Flanagan. Fol-lowing this act was an incredibly well-produced short film by Senior Sean Corbin, which explored the idea of a Senior learning how to tie a tie. The next act was a stellar Tae Kwon Do exhibition by Dan Magurno, who unleashed a flurry of punches, kicks, and flips that left the audience amazed. Dan

was followed by another physical performance, alumnus Mark O’Dea’s Glow-in-the-Dark “Poi”. The Seniors finished off the Talent show with James DePierro’s comedy routine, and a lightshow concert, equipped with

two unknown Daft Punk impersonators.

All in all, it was an impressive showing by the upperclassmen, including the Sopho-mores, whose members really stepped up their acts from last year. Hopefully, next year’s Tal-ent Show will be even better but, from what I saw that day I can be sure that it will be a tough act to follow.

By Robert Smith ‘13

On the Friday of Don Bosco Prep’s awe-inspiring “Spirit Week”, though an incident arose that threatened to cancel the games, the unrelenting spirit of the Bosco community prevailed, and the games went off without a hitch.

The day began with lumberjacks hitting the books, but ended in a fierce, yet affable competition between the classes. The event was initiated with a momentary tug of war battle between the Seniors and the Freshmen. The Seniors, outnumbered two-to-one by the Freshmen, claimed victory within seconds. Subsequently, the Juniors and Sophomores “tugged it out”, and what started out as an even match, shortly became an utter con-quest. After the first few seconds into the contest, the Juniors found them-selves losing ground rapidly to the surprising strength of the Sophomores who swiftly triumphed. The consolation round between the Juniors and the Freshmen followed, and what was supposed to be an easy victory, became an expeditious and shameful defeat for the Juniors. Next was the final round between the Seniors and the Sophomores.

Though the Sophomores didn’t stand a chance, losing almost instantly to the unmatched strength of the Seniors, the sheer intensity of their chants were commendable. To conclude this phase of the event the teachers, consisting of Mr. Ojo, Mr. Buesser, Coach Ann, Mr. DeCarlo, Mr. Maka, Mr. McLean, Mr. Rodriguez, and a few more male members of the faculty joined together twice, in a last-ditch effort to dethrone the Seniors. Yet, their attempts were in vain, for they suffered a crushing defeat both times, leaving the Seniors as the unparalleled victors.

The second phase of the competition was composed of a rousing hand ball tournament, “reffed” by Coach Ann, Ms. Judd, and Ms. Sepulveda who were handpicked by his majesty, “King James” (Dr. Scanlon). In the first game between the Seniors and the Freshmen,

the Seniors took initial pos-session of the ball, scoring the first goal within twenty seconds. At first, the Fresh-men couldn’t seem to keep their hands on the ball, but during the latter part of the game, they made an ineffec-tual comeback. Ultimately, the Seniors won 6-2, with an amazing, final goal with only a second left on the clock. Next, the Juniors played the Sophomores, in a more physical match. For the major-

ity of the game, the score was evenly matched at 2-2, but in the final seconds, the Sophomores scored the winning point, once again shaming the Juniors and winning 3-2. The consolation round between the Juniors and Freshmen fol-lowed, with a lot of tension and suspense in the air. The game ended up being a tie at 1-1 and went into a sudden death round; comparable to a free kick in soccer. With a sigh of relief, the Juniors redeemed themselves, eventually winning sudden death after three rounds. To bring Friday’s events to a close, the Seniors vied with the Sophomores in the final round, with the majority of the crowd clamoring for a Senior victory. Both sides played a good game, but in the end, the Seniors claimed victory once again, winning 3-2.

4 - Don Bosco Prep Features April 2012

By Robert Smith ‘13

The backdrop was an image of a young couple traveling through the dessert by mule with a bright star in the top right corner. On

the dimly lit stage, two brilliantly lit Christmas trees stood on each side of the stage – a lectern stood on the left side of the screen, and a chair for the presider rested on the right side.

For this year’s Advent Prayer Service, there were four Advent readings (read by students) interspersed with

Advent Prayer Service Builds

Christmas Spiritthe chorus and school community signing verses of “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”. A video was then shown, which depicted four different relationships – a returning wounded veteran rejected by his wife, a father who acted abusively toward his wife and children, a young man who used his girlfriend solely for his own pleasure, an ailing mother alienated from her family through her bout with cancer. Fr. Jim, our Director who presided over the service, opened his remarks by emphasizing the number 4 through a series of questions posed to department chairmen and teachers (the four planets with mountainous terrain, the our gospel writers

in the New Testament, and the symbol that appears from hitting “shift” and the number 4 on a keyboard). Fr. Jim pointed out that in different contexts, the number four represents completeness and in the context of the Advent season and Christmas, Christ’s four gifts to us repair the brokenness and emptiness of our lives and fulfill our deepest desires.

With the conclusion of the prayer service, Fr. Manny led the school community in rousing renditions of several Christmas classics (with the help of lyrics projected on the large screen on the stage). The finale was

a very humorous singing of “The Twelve Days of Christmas” by the collective faculty, administration and staff gathered in front of the stage. In the usual outcry for days off, Fr. Jim graciously acceded to “five days off” between Christmas and New Year’s, as well as an extra day after New Year’s Day.

“Nica”By Bennett Alvaro ‘12

There are few in the world that possess the ability to smile at the misfortunes to pass. Among these people are the content of heart, the fulfilled of desire, and the children of innocence. Walking the dust and litter filled streets of Nicaragua, I saw many of these very same people. One can not begin to describe the tribulations people all over the world face in their lifetimes. What I can explain is the expressions on their faces when their day had been brightened by the transient presence of a missionary. All I can express to complement this observation is my thanks for being that missionary.

I witnessed parents, no older than I, carry toddlers to and fro on their backs. I was thrust into a whole new atmosphere, a new culture, a new world. The days wavered in the cool night breeze, beckoning us to learn to go with the flow. As the sun set on the first day, I realized that life was forever changed. The “Nicas”, or Nicaraguans shared with us their faith, their homes, and their stories, stories that left etches on our hearts from each stabbing blow of hurt and grief.

I spent two days visiting a peculiar place referred to as the Train Station, a dilapidated reminder of the once powerful and strong Central American nation, a breadbasket in its heyday. All that remained now was a small platform, concrete blocks, and construction cables, covered in brown dirt and garbage, surrounded by the metal shacks of the barrio, a term used to describe the Nicaraguan slums. In the background lay a lake, full of children floating on rafts of bagged trash and bull sharks. At this picturesque beach I met a girl who found it in her heart to alter my fate forever.

Maybe, her name was Evelyn? The more I think about it, the more I am convinced that she never told me her name. She was four years old, with the frame of a well-fed two-year-old. The words running from her lips were strung together like a sentence devoid of spaces. The little Spanish I could understand was enough to get me by with her simple diction and repetitive instructions - “Uno más!” quickly followed by another “Uno más!” She climbed over my shoulders and jumped to the sand, with my help, time and time again. “One more” seemed to mean five more with Evelyn.

I lifted her and threw her about, making her smile and scream ecstatically. That was all I wanted to see in her. The small face of an innocent child, born into the worst of situations, could smile more broadly than I have in years – even if just for that small insignificant flash of time in both of our lives. In those few moments, I felt myself smiling too - not as she was, in joy of the “daddy” to climb on that I have always had, but as a person fulfilled of desire and content of heart. The small act of charity I committed by flying to a foreign nation was belittled in comparison to the magnanimous act of love shown to me the the meanest of all society.

In all the honesty of my heart, I do not know if I will ever return to Nicaragua and see Evelyn again. Maybe, if I do, it will be in ten years, and I will not even be able to pick her out in a crowd at the barrio. But, maybe, she will remember the boys that

came and gave her the chance to give the love in her heart to strangers who knew no Spanish, gringos.

It is a stretch to say that everything else I experienced on the trip, and in my life up until now, was dwarfed by a little girl, and it would be a lie. Evelyn was not my revelation, but just another piece of the puzzle. The truth is, my life has been a big puzzle, a puzzle I only started to notice existed a few years ago. There have been big pieces, and small pieces, some more important and revealing than others. I do

not regard Evelyn as a big piece of my puzzle; better yet, it is the small piece that makes all the other pieces fit. It has been the one thing I have looked for but never found.

There are three facts I am positive of while I write this on an airplane to Atlanta. First, I will not forget a single picture or image that I have seen this week. Regardless of their importance, there are still images in my mind that from birth I have been capable of retaining indefinitely. But those images are no more prominent than the clouds I have seen in the sky or the locker I used in the seventh grade. Second, the emotions I felt are not as photographic as my memory and will soon fade into the darkness of my mind. The third fact I can guarantee is certain. I will always remember the Nica that made me smile, the Nica that saw an American kid as a chance to have a father, the Nica that gave me the chance to continue my puzzle and make my life matter. There is nothing that I wouldn’t do to make sure I hold onto this for eternity.

nicaragua service tripSenior Bennett Alvaro Reflects on February Mission

By Ryan Tucker ‘12

As the winter season opened and the members of the Don Bosco Prep Indoor Track and Field team met for their first of many meetings, Head Coach Robert DeCarlo made clear the team’s intentions for the coming year. With many high-scoring ath-letes’ graduation from last year’s Spring Track State Championship team and two new coaches, this year’s team had a lot to adjust to. Approaching the next two track seasons holistically, the coaching staff agreed that, aside from a few minor meet goals, the main intention of this winter season was to prepare to compete for the fourth straight Spring Track State Championship.

A few high-scoring Seniors from last year weren’t the only members of the team missing this season. With two coaches leaving, Coach Maurice Gibbs and Coach John Murphy, the team welcomed the new sprinting and throwing instructors, Coach Kelsey and Coach Kruchik. Both alumni of Don Bosco Prep and veterans of the Track and Field team, the two coaches joined the experienced staff of Rob DeCarlo, Kyle Mur-phy and Kevin Kilduff to lead the team to its many accomplishments this season.

In past years, the Ironman team would strongly rely on a few high scoring “super stars” to help out the team. In lieu of any extraordinary athletes this year, the athletes and coaches had to rely on the team dynamic and chemistry that is taken very seriously. With many of the Seniors being a part of the team since their Freshman year, they agreed that it was their time to step up and lead the team to their next victory. “It’s been a great experience these past four years.” says Senior Nick Carapezza. “But now that we’re the Seniors, it’s time to take control of the team and leave a reputation for future track members just as the great athletes of the past have left for us.” This reputation is one earned by the hard work and dedication seen throughout the history of Don Bosco Prep Track and Field.

With the season’s intentions in mind, Bosco’s Indoor Track team took to the track with many dominating perfor-mances. Exceptional performances within Bergen County earned many of Don Bosco’s athletes

All-County recognition. First Team All-County recipients include Seniors Tim Hamlet (400m), Christian Costello (3200m), Ryan Keller, Mitch Keller and Nick Mendolia

(4x800m). Many other individuals received Second and Third Team recognition, as well as All-League awards. These individual successes were accompanied by many team victories within the League and County.

With the small-scale County and League meets behind them, the team prepared to perform on a State-wide scale at the New Jersey Catholic Track Conference Meet and NJSIAA State Championship. Here, many of Bosco athletes competed well on the State level and achieved personal bests in their

events. Competing against the best track programs in the State, Bosco finished in an im-pressive 2nd place to Christian Brothers Academy. Exception-al performances at the State Group meet allowed many of Don Bosco’s athletes’ to continue their seasons at the State Meet of Champions.

Before the season concluded, a few select Varsity members quali-fied to compete at New Balance Indoor Nationals at the New York City Armory. In these events, the Ironmen represented their school on a nationwide scale. With its ups and downs, this season provided many athletes with noteworthy successes and many wanting more. Many will also agree that both the victories and defeats of this season will only create a stronger dynamic among the team members that will help them out along the way. For all, it has provided an opportunity to assess the team’s performances and make any needed adjustments for the coming spring season.

While not directly involved with the Indoor season’s progress, another important aspect of the Don Bosco Prep

Track community was the cancer research fundraiser earlier this winter. When approached with the idea in late fall of competing in the Walt Disney World Half Marathon in Orlando, Florida, many of the distance runners were more than eager to be involved. Inspired by other charitable groups which participate in this marathon, the students agreed to take part in a charity fundraiser organized by Coach DeCarlo. Aspects of this fundraiser included tee-shirt and cancer ribbon sales, donations and pledges for the Don Bosco Prep Run-a-thon. At this run-a-thon, every member of the Indoor track team was asked to receive pledges and then run laps around the track. Overall, the Don Bosco Prep Track team raised over $5,000 for the cancer research group Ironmatt in Franklin Lakes and the Ironman Fight Cancer Club.

Don Bosco Prep - 5Winter SportsApril 2012

WINTER TRACK ATHLETES EXCEL

DBP SWIMMERS SHINE AT COUNTIESAndrew Neggia, Shane McNamara, Matt Burk, and Dan Steinmetz Lead Ironmen

By Shane McNamara ’14, Matt Burk ’14 and Justin DeVuono ‘14

The Don Bosco Prep Varsity Swim team welcomed its new Head Coach, Mrs. Grigby, and As-sistant Coach, “Doc” Catherina. In what

was considered a “rebuilding” season from the start, the Ironmen tried their hardest to make the best of the talent they had this year, and from that standpoint, it can be said that this year’s team was still pretty successful in terms of preparing for next season.

As for this season, however, the most success-ful events for the team were both the 200-yard Medley Relay and the 400-yard Freestyle Relay teams, which were comprised of Senior Andrew Neggia, Sophomore Shane McNamara, Sophomore Matt Burk, and Junior

Dan Steinmetz. In fact, the 400-yard Freestyle Relay team was Second Team All-County at this year’s Bergen County Champion-ships. These four

individuals – Neggia, McNamara, Burk and Steinmetz - also helped lead the team in individual events, both over the course of the dual meet season, as well as at League and County Championships in early January. The Ironmen saw strong per-formances throughout the season from the four team workhorses and other swimmers. The 200-yard Freestyle was strong - both Andrew Neggia and Matt Burk swam the event during the season and at Counties (where they both put up solid times for points). Next, Shane McNamara dominated the 200-yard Individual Medley at Counties, which

he won with a time of 1:56.83, while fellow Sophomore Dylan Magee and Junior Hart Sibug added depth to this event. Juniors Dan Steinmetz, Nate Singer and Evan Cal-tavaturo all swam the 50 Freestyle, consistently putting up a good times in that event . Don Bosco’s Varsity Swim team wishes the best to its graduating Seniors and assures them that next season the Ironmen will swim their hearts out at every meet. Hopefully, the Varsity Swim team will gain a few new Freshmen and others from various grade levels to contribute to the team next year. The goal for the team next year is to beat Bergen and reclaim our title as the best swim team in Bergen County!

6 - Don Bosco Prep Winter Sports April 2012

Bosco BasketballMosely, Quinn, Carroo and Todmann Propel Ironmen To 22-6 Record

DBP BOWLINGVince Siekierski Bowls 753 Series to Win State Sectional Tournament

By Marshall Tomat ‘12

The Don Bosco Prep Varsity Bowling Team finished a successful season with a final League record of 6 - 10. Along with its success within the Big North Con-ference, the DBP Bowling team finished 20th (out of 37 teams) and 7th in the Group 4 State Sectional Tournament.

The Ironmen were anchored by Senior Vince Siekierski with a 203 average. Vince finished 3rd in the County Tournament, averaging 220 and placed 1st in the State Sectional Tournament, averaging 251 (223 – 252 – 278 = 753 series). Also con-tributing to the success of this year’s Varsity squad were Senior Marshall Tomat (185 average), Joe Maliani (152 average) and Nick Ventura (146 average). During the regular season, the team’s high series was

718 by Senior Vince Siekierski, and the team’s high game was 254 by Senior Marshall Tomat.

Coach Richard Zawacki was very proud of the team and thought that his bowlers performed well

throughout the season. Coach Zawacki agreed that the major highlight of this season was Senior Vince Siekierski winning the State Sectional Tournament and going on to place 11th in the New Jersey State Individuals Tournament at Carolier Lanes in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

Asked to sum up this year’s team, Co-captain Marshall Tomat stated, “We had a great season, sparked by some great performances, and I really enjoyed my last year. I believe that with the return of Nick and Joe to the Varsity squad the bowling team should re-ally improve overall.”

With the end of the season, the Varsity squad will lose its two Senior Co-Captains -Marshall Tomat, who will receive the Spirit Award, and Vince Siekier-ski, who will receive the MVP Award.

By Chris Lengua ‘14

The 2011 Don Bosco Prep Basketball program took another huge step towards becoming the best team in Bergen County. The Ironmen finished the season with a remarkable 22-6 record, which included many dominant wins, along with some heart-wrenching losses. Although the team fell just short of its ultimate goal, this season will provide fuel for next year’s campaign.

The Don Bosco Prep Basket-ball team’s regular season was marked by many decisive wins which earned the team the 2nd seed in the Bergen County Jamboree, and the Non-Public North A State Tournament. The team’s biggest wins during the regular season came against De Paul Catholic and Bergen Catholic. Bosco played De Paul Catholic three times and only beat them once. However, the one victory against was a desecration, 88-58, on a day when the team was at its best. Bosco’s second signature win of the season was against its fiercest rival, Bergen Catholic. The Crusaders proved no match for the Ironmen, as the Ironmen swept the season series against them. In the second game against Bergen Catholic, Bosco beat the Crusaders by forty-one points, 72-31.

The Don Bosco Prep Iron-man Basketball team entered the postseason with hopes of winning both the Bergen County Jamboree and the State Tournament. The top four seeds in the County tournament were Teaneck, Don Bosco, Hackensack, and Bergen Catholic. In their opening game in the tournament, the Ironmen breezed past Ridgefield Park 54-40. In the quarterfinals, Bosco went on a crucial 13-0 run late in the game to fend off Dwight-Englewood 66-49 to advance to the semi-finals at Ramapo College. Stand-ing in their way was Hackensack, which came into the showdown ready to shock the world. However, Bosco dominated Hackensack 76-59, a statement victory fueled by a 23-point first quarter in which Bosco drained its

first seven shots. “There’s no way to coach that,” said Coach Kevin Diverio when asked about his team’s stellar shooting early.

For the second consecutive year, Don Bosco Basketball was back in the Bergen County Jamboree Final. This opportunity was familiar to the Ironmen, considering they were in the County tournament championship last year against Teaneck. Teaneck, which was undefeated going into the game, provided the ultimate test for the battle-tested Ironmen. Similar to last year, the Ironman started out strong, but faded late and fell just short of the title, 62-53. However, the game

proved the team could stick with the top team in the State which provided some valida-tion for the tremendous work the Ironmen had put in to reach the title game.

Despite the crushing defeat to Teaneck, the Ironmen still had an opportunity to take home the State title. Bosco thoroughly defeated Paramus Catho-lic in the quarterfinals 71-54 to set up a showdown with De Paul. The team came into the game overly confident because of the way they had demolished De Paul the last time the two teams met. The hubristic attitude of the Ironmen allowed De Paul to pull off the upset 58-56 and shockingly end the season for the 2011 Ironman Basketball team.

Even though the Ironmen had an excellent season, Coach Kevin Diverio and his staff will have to mold some of their younger players into superstars if the team wants to be competi-tive next year. The team was led by the four Seniors in the starting five. Jemal Mosely, the team’s best all-around player, came up big time and time again for the Ironmen including his outstanding performance in a losing effort against Teaneck in the County finals. Leonte Carroo, one of the best rebounders on the team, came up big in the final four games of his high-school basketball career, including a signature performance against Paramus Catholic. Paddy Quinn, the team’s sharp shooter, hit many huge threes down the stretch of the season to lengthen leads and close gaps for the Ironmen. Last but not least, Dajon Todmann, the team’s enforcer in the middle of the paint, fueled the Ironmen’s defensive attack all season by altering and blocking many opposing shots. These four graduating Seniors all made their mark on the court at Don Bosco Prep and were leaders on and off the court for the team in their final season as Ironmen.

Teamwork, cohesion, and trust are the words that describe this year’s Ironmen hoops team. Each player on the team fed off of one another en route to an outstanding year. Next year, the team will need players like Tom Sweeny, Paul Jorgensen, Jack Ely, and Justin Salem to assume leadership roles on the team. Those four, along with the rest of the returning players will need to find a way to keep Don Bosco Basketball where it has to be - as one, together.

By John McDermott ‘14 and Tim Wolfangel ‘14

The Don Bosco Prep Varsity Ski Race team was coming off of a year in which we had won the State title for the first time in years and would have to live up to high expectations.

Our Coaches, Lori Marchiafava and Coach Russ, got us ready physically before the season even started by sending us to Velocity to do workouts and hav-

ing us do dry land training every Friday. Unfortunately, the weather didn’t cooperate – this winter season was plagued by little snow and unseasonably warm weather. As the season began, however, it became clear that the training had paid off, and Don Bosco began to dominate the Freedom League for the second year in a row.

The Ironman team was lead by Senior Co-captains Brandon Marchiafava and Bobby Wolfangel. The rest of the Varsity team included Senior Luke Poliseo, Junior Chris Joong, and Sophomores Jimmy Fava, Tim Wolfangel, and John McDermott. The rest of team included Senior Thomas Irwin, Sophomores Austin Contegiacomo, Justin McPartland, Thomas Licata, Matt Morandi, Mike Mazzola, Scott Nicholson, Taylor Whiteman, and Chris Piekarz, and Freshman Kevin McFadden. The team won the Varsity Giant Slalom Festival, the Dual Slalom, and took 4th in the JV Giant Slalom Festival.

After the regular season, Don Bosco was once again one of the teams favored to win States. However, it did not appear that this would happen after the first day of competition. In the Giant Slalom race, three of the six Varsity racers fell or missed a gate. Racers Brandon Marchiafava, Tim Wolfangel, and John McDermott were the ones who struggled on the GS, but all came through in the Slalom. After the catastrophe in the GS, the Varsity skiers were asked if they would like to ski safely and have a shot at 3rd place or go all out and try for 1st. The decision was unanimous that they would go all out for 1st place. Going into the Slalom, the team pulled together and made back all the time that they were behind. All of our skiers came out and raced with their hearts, pulling the team to the State Championship. Winning the State Champi-onship two years in a row is a great way for our Seniors to graduate. This was not the last race of the year, however. The final race was the Race of Champions, which determines the State team. Of the three Bosco racers who competed - Brandon Marchiafava, Bobby Wolfangel, and Tim Wolfangel, all three made the State team. They all participated on the State team and represented both Don Bosco Prep and Team New Jersey in the best way.

Don Bosco Prep - 7Winter SportsApril 2012

skiing STATE CHAMPIONS AGAIN

wrestling WINNING AS FAMILYBy Tristan Hollenbaugh ‘13

As the Don Bosco Prep Varsity Wrestling team officially settled in with the new coaching staff this season and also integrated some new power-houses into the lineup, it really made a reputation for itself. Before the intense practices started on Thanksgiving Weekend, Head Coach Chris Bitetto had great expectations for the team. With some great role-models in the room, such as Sal Mastriani and Billy Reardon, who wanted to bring their team home a State title in their last year at Bosco, the team as a whole raised the bar to a level at which every single wrestler wanted to be. Every sea-son someone brings up the topic of family within that DBP wrestling room, and to some it may sound like a cliché. However, every wrestler who set foot into the wrestling room, in which the policy was everyone must improve every day, knows that by the end of this season, the team was indeed a family.

The 2011-2012 Wrestling season started out as any season would - the long November practices forced the wrestlers to go places where they were uncomfortable to be. As Coach Rob Didomenico said numerous times up in the room, his job was to push the wrestlers’ bodies to a point past ex-haustion in order to prepare us for anything that could happen out on the mat. Some days, the guys would mentally collapse, but the intensity was all for a reason; the hard work that a wrestler puts in for his body and his mind all pays off down the road. Early December was as brutal as Novem-ber; only we were working about ten times harder than before. Coach Adam Baier was notorious among the wrestlers for extend-ing the practice further than the two and a half hours that it was supposed to be. Yet, Coach “Bear” - as the wrestlers call him - was an inspiration booster in the room, as was Coach Butch Bitetto, Chris Bitetto’s father. These two coaches, in particular, were excellent technique coaches who not only cared about their certain weight classes that they helped out with, but also about every single wrestler.

By the time mid-December rolled around, the wrestlers were getting ready for one of the most competitive tournaments in the country: “The Beast of the East.” With very tough competition, the Bosco wrestlers struggled, as did everyone in the tournament, but our 152- pounder, Sal Mastriani, came out with a Gold Medal. Two members from what they liked to call the “Three-Headed Monster,” which consisted of the 195-pounder, 220-pounder, and 285-pounder, placed as well. Our 195-pounder, Razohnn Gross, took 8th place and our 220-pound Freshman, Zack Chakonis, took 5th. The following week, the Ironmen team was in a run for its money against the team ranked 2nd in the state. That day, the DBP Wrestling team came to wrestle. While the Ironmen did lose that match, they exhibited tremendous progress, demonstrated the abil-ity to compete with almost any team out there, and formed a sense of unity.

At the Bergen County tournament, Bosco’s Wrestling Team really wanted to show off its capabilities. All together, the wrestlers simply went out on the mat and wrestled as hard as they could. In a tournament like this, every single match matters. Don Bosco had been trailing behind Bergen Catholic and Paramus throughout the entire tournament. However, the team came up big when everyone decided to step in and give it his all. The Bosco Wrestling Team ended up in First Place at the end of the tourna-ment, just barely beating Bergen Catholic. Coach Bitetto was extremely happy with his wrestlers, as were the other coaches.

The team was cruising through its dual-meet season and was confident of mak-ing it into the State tournament. During a dual meet against St. Joe’s, the Bosco Wres-tling Team was embarrassed after the match had ended, resulting in a loss on their home turf. From that point on, all the men brought only seriousness to their determination to beat Joe’s when they saw them again in States. Sure enough, when the Team State Tournament came, so did the Ironmen. Facing St. Joes the first round, the wrestlers

were hungry for revenge. From the endless hours of work that they put into this sport while sacrificing much of their time, they walked out of the St. Joe’s gym, utterly embarrassing the Green Knights. It was a great day for the Ironmen!

The time came for the individual part of the season, and our wrestlers did well. Sophomore Luke Farinaro, who originally certi-fied at 145 lbs, wrestled up at 170 pounds and finished a round away from placing in the State Tournament, an impressive feat. The big Freshman, Zack Chakonis, made a name for himself down at States as well, as he took 6th Place at 220 lbs, not a weight class built for the average freshman. Sal Mastriani, who was seed-ed first in the State Tournament cruised through the early rounds. If anyone

were to predict who the first State-Champ would be for Bosco, it would be Sal. He came in and out of the door to the wrestling room every day and honored the quote written above the door from Nunzio Campanile, “Did you get better today? If not, turn back around” (2009). Unfortunately, in the final round, Sal got caught in the third period and lost the match, even though it seemed to me that he had outwrestled his opponent. It was hard to watch a guy like Sal to lose that match, but I’m sure he’s glad his younger, but bigger, brother at 195 pounds came home with the title of State Champion. Razohnn Gross beat McMullen in the State Finals, who had beaten him earlier in the County Tournament. After his match, he ran over to the stands to celebrate with the team, the parents, and the coaches. According to him and many others who have proudly earned their places on the Don Bosco Prep Wrestling team, we are considered a family.

8 - Don Bosco Prep Winter Sports April 2012

DBP HOCKEY GOES BIG2012 Ironmen Hockey Team Proves To Be One Of School’s Best

FENCING Undefeated in Dual-Meets

By Jarred Liscio ‘14

The 2011-12 Don Bosco Prep Ironmen Varsity Hockey team is definitely on everyone’s list of the top ice hockey teams in the State of New Jersey. Finishing last season ranked third according to New Jersey Power Ranking, the team had high expec-tations for this year, and the Ironmen did not disappoint.

The season proved very promising after the Ironmen had a commanding 7-1 victory over the Seton Hall Pirates for the season opener on December 2nd. After starting off on a positive note, the Ironmen went on to win the next 12 games, until one of the most highly anticipated showdowns within the whole state would take place. On Janu-ary 8th, over 850 people gathered at the Ice Vault in Wayne to spectate the #1 ranked Delbarton School against the #2 ranked Don Bosco Prep. After a hard fought effort, Delbarton won that battle 4-1, giving the Ironmen their first loss of the season over a month after their first game. In January, the first ever annual Bergen County Tournament took place. The Ironmen en-tered the event ranked #1 in the county and went on to prove they had earned the ranking. In the first round, the Iron-men defeated Mahwah High School 5-1, then Ridgewood 7-1, and in the finals defeated Tena-fly 6-2 to become the first Bergen County Champi-ons.

The Ironmen Ice Hockey Team finished the regular season with an impressive 20-2-1 record. This is one of the best records in all of Don Bosco Varsity Hockey history, and Head Coach Greg Toskos was very proud saying, “We expected to be good, and as we got more momentum and wins, each game became more and more exciting. I was proud to be a part of this team, and I’m very proud of all the boys on the team.”

Moving into the post season and league playoffs, the Ironmen set their sights on winning the Gordon Cup, the most prestigious championship of all the leagues in the state. In the first round, they played the Pope John Lions. In this game, the third meet-ing of the year between the two teams, the Ironmen came out on top with a 6-0 victory. Next, in the semi-finals, they played a strong Christian Brothers Academy team, which in the previous meeting had defeated Don Bosco. However, this time the Ironmen brought their “A-game” and won 4-1 to propel themselves to the finals, once again fac-ing off against the Delbarton Green Wave. This second meeting between the two teams was just as gripping as the first; but, unfortunately, Don Bosco once again fell a bit short and was again defeated in a valiant effort, with a final score of 4-1. Although the

Don Bosco Ironmen were unable to win the League Championship, they believed they played well as Coach Greg Toskos stated, “I thought that we were mentally prepared and excited. And I thought that the way we played against Delbarton gave us the right preparation for the State playoffs.”

As soon as the league playoffs concluded, it was time for State playoffs to begin. Don Bosco was once again ranked #2 in the State, and when the seedings were established, it was determined that the Ironmen would be facing off against the Bergen Catholic Crusaders in the first round. This heated rivalry is present in every sport at Don Bosco Prep, so this first round match-up just became more interesting. Don Bosco won the game 3-1, despite coming out of the gate slightly flat. Coach Toskos described it as, “Bergen came out hard, and their coach [Mark Lotito] had them fired up… And, we were absolutely asleep in the first period. We definitely didn’t get ready, but we survived the first period. I think they may have figured it out in between the first and second peri-ods.”

Upon beating rival Bergen Catholic, the Iron-men went on to play St. Peter’s Prep in the quarter-finals. Unfortunately, the team did not play as well as it would have liked and was defeated 4-2. This upset prematurely ended the Iron-men’s season, which many thought had State Champion-ship potential. Although the season ended earlier than it should have, a final record of 23-4-1 is more than im-pressive, and in addition to becoming the first Bergen County Champions, the Iron-men also won the Ice Vault Holiday Classic Tournament.

Within any great team, there is always great leadership, which was provided by the four Captains, Justin McKenzie, Brendan Calello, Matt McMorrow, and Christian Brown-Noel. Each contributed with significant points and goals at critical moments in several different games, but more important were their contributions off the ice. Assis-tant Coach Andrew Steffey described it best by saying, “Our Senior Captains did a great job this year in creating a great team-first atmosphere within our locker room.” All of these Senior Captains, along with Seniors Michael Carfi and Kyle Magner, were a major part of the team and will surely be missed next season.

In addition to many accomplishments on the ice, another success of the season was the relationships and bonds made between all of the teammates off of the ice. All of the players got along very well and often “hung out” together outside of the rink. Junior Forward Lucas Luppino stated that, “I’ve never been involved with such a tight-knit group of guys before.” Despite losing several Seniors and a few others, the team will be looking forward to another great season next year.

By Owen Lane ’14 and Jeffrey Asidu ‘14

It is fair to say that this season held much unexpected success for the Ironmen. At the beginning of the school year, Don Bosco Prep’s former Fencing coach, Christian Rivera, unexpectedly announced that he would not be returning to coach the Don Bosco Fencing team. The prospect of the Ironmen being able to compete in the 2011-2012 Fencing season was looking bleak. With only a few weeks left until the beginning of the season, the Ironmen finally found the solution to the dilemma they faced. The staff members of the Nyack Fencing Academy in Nyack, New York were willing to become the new coaches for the Don Bosco Prep Fencing team. The Ironmen were now able to prepare for the season that lay ahead and spent every day of practice aspiring to reach the goal of an undefeated dual-meet season. This feat had never been previously accomplished by the Ironmen Fencing team and served as a difficult, yet surmountable goal.

The season began with the Ironmen defeating Teaneck High School handily in a meet illustrating the promise the Ironmen showed. Don Bosco defeated powerful opponents such as Northern Highlands, West Milford, Indian Hills High School, and Bergen Tech. Despite the Ironmen’s impressive performances against these opponents, Don Bosco’s toughest competitor and most prominent ri-val, Ramapo High School, produced one of the most exciting Fencing meets in the team’s history. Don Bosco had lost to Ramapo the past two years and recognized that Ramapo had a very talented group of fencers who were less than willing to allow Don Bosco to achieve its coveted undefeated season. The Ramapo fencers themselves were unde-feated going into the fateful meet, just like the Ironmen. The difficult struggle between the two powerhouses featured critical wins by the Foil squad led by Juniors Nick Tormey and Matthew Owens. Freshman Foilist Kevin Lee also showed promise by winning all three of his bouts in the meet. Senior Sean Kang clinched the meet with a dramatic 5-4 win, allowing the Ironmen to defeat Ramapo in a final score of 14-13. After defeating Ramapo, the Ironmen kept their momentum and were able to accomplish their goal of an undefeated dual-meet season.

The Ironmen soon went on to fence in the Districts Tournament, which decides and seeds a team’s posi-tion in the State Tournament. The Ironmen gave a stellar performance at Districts which relied heavily upon the Ju-niors, due to the lack of Seniors. The Ironmen finished with the same number of bouts won as Ramapo High School, but they had fewer individual points. The Ironmen placed 2nd in the Districts Tournament. Since the top four teams at the Districts Tournament fence in the 16-team Dual Meet Tournament to decide which team is the best in the State, the Ironmen moved on to face more difficult competition.

Despite their success during the regular season, the Ironmen’s time in the State Tournament was short lived. The Iron-men’s first opponent in the tournament was Bernards High School in Bernardsville, New Jersey. Don Bosco soon learned how fierce the competition was outside of its district. Don Bosco’s momentum was quickly put to a halt when the Ironmen lost by a significant margin to Bernards High School. Though the Ironmen were disappointed in their early loss, they were happy to find out how much they must improve to be a strong competitor in the State Tournament next year.

The future of the Don Bosco team also showed their might in the District Four Freshman-Sophomore tournament. Chris Jaochico took 1st Place for Freshmen Epee, Kevin Lee took 3rd Place in Freshmen Foil, Jedrick Tranate took 3rd Place in Sophomore Sabre, and Owen Lane took 3rd Place for Sophomore Epee. These

performances showed that the future of the team was in good hands.This was surely one of the best seasons the Ironmen have ever had. Consistently great performances

by Seniors such as Steven Dazo, Sean Kang, and Dan Cleary allowed the Ironmen to reach heights which had only recently seemed impossible. Possibly the most impressive performance came from Senior Landon Schertz, who switched his fencing hand in order to compete. Schertz, who is typically right-handed, was a temporary southpaw for the latter half of the season, due to a shoulder injury. He still managed to pull off many wins after only a few weeks training with his new dominant fencing hand. Along with the important contributions of the Junior year fencers, all of this came together to bring the Ironmen the best season in the history of the Don Bosco Prep Fencing team.

Speech at the Induction Ceremony of the National English Honors SocietyDon Bosco Prep - February 7, 2012

Michael McLean, Class of 2001

Thank you, Alec.

Thank you to the members of the National English Honors Society for inviting me to speak.

Thank you to the parents who have supported your sons and helped them to achieve this honor.

Thank you to Mr. Stanczak, Father Jim, Mr. O’Connor, Kristine Byrne and all of the teachers and administrators who make this school community so amazing.

And thank you to tonight’s inductees. Your hard work and determination is being honored, and I am honored to have the opportunity to congratulate you. Congratulations.

I would like to share with you a story about how I came to know literature. When I was a student here at Don Bosco just over ten years ago, I was not inducted into the National English Honors Society. Actually, I was on the receiving end of several lectures with the resounding theme of “you’re just not applying yourself”. In fact, my English teacher had a nickname for me: “Slacker”. I preferred the moniker of “selective diligence”, although “Slacker” seemed to have an endearing tone to it.The truth is, I did apply myself, and I wasn’t a slacker. I loved literature, I loved writing. I just loved punk rock music a whole lot more than both of those things. In fact, my friends and I loved punk rock so much that we would dedicate our weekends to attending local concerts in basements, garages and VFW Halls. Our weekday nights were spent transcribing interviews with band members, writing reviews of albums and scribbling diatribes about how phony and disillusioned conventional wisdom was…(or still is?) In the world prior to Facebook, prior to the Internet as we know it, we would publish our ramblings in independent photocopied magazines. We called them “fanzines”.

Now, if you are in high school and you are an independently published author, with a readership of 23, counting your aunts and uncles, and you socialize with other

independently published authors, how important is a five-page research paper on Beowulf and the British perception of war really going to seem? Please. I already thought I was the Lord Byron of suburban punk rock, a regular F. Scott Fitzgerald sitting at the same lunch table with Earnest Hemingway and Henry Miller, or Johnny Rotten and Sid Vicious, depending on how the day

was going. Eventually, my English teacher won, and I did write the five-page paper. It was titled “From Beowulf to John Lennon: The British Delusion of War”. I also gave up my own delusion that publishing a photocopied fanzine was the pinnacle of my career

in literature. Thank goodness that I did! But at the time, it was a devastating conclusion to give up on writing fanzines. Back then, it was hard to look past all that romanticism and nostalgia and realize that the writing was just, well, mediocre.

To us, what we wrote was literature. We wrote it, we read it, it was real, we lived it everyday; it was our lives, on paper. Certainly some of it had literary merit, at least in spirit. But at some point between then and this very moment, I discovered the true power of literature. Maybe it was when I finally realized that literature is so much a reflection of the world that it is the world itself; the world, sealed and captured neatly and furiously in pages and paragraphs. Maybe it was when I was buying a copy of Edgar Allan Poe’s poetry on the streets of some West African city and I realized that I was buying it from an illiterate street child. Her story seemed better than Poe’s. Maybe it was when I found myself teaching English to three Costa Rican coffee farmers who had crossed the desert walking just to arrive in the United States where they could make pizzas for college students and mop floors. Maybe it was when I walked through these hallways again, not as a hackneyed version of Holden Caulfield, but as your Freshmen English teacher, and you showed me that same passion for writing, and that same courage, and that same determination that I thought I had when I went to school here.

Gentlemen, you have discovered your talents and sharpened your skills differently than I have. You have been conscientious and diligent at every opportunity. You have submitted nearly all of those five-, ten-, even twelve-page research papers. You have worked hard with the help of your parents. Despite our different experiences, we have come to the same realizations: Literature is a form of art; The English language is a vehicle for sharing all of humanity’s passions, struggles and dreams. On the contrary, words can also be used as weapons. So tonight, as we induct you into the National English Honors Society, I would like to urge you, more than anything, to use your talents and your skills for good. Tutor students, share books, write poetry, submit to the university newspaper, and if they don’t print it, publish your own! Push the limits of the Internet, speak truth to power, be the underdog, use your words passionately and courageously. It was Don Bosco who said, “Without confidence and love, there can be no true education.”

Tonight, I invite you to accept this honor by throwing yourself into your wildest dreams of the power of literature: Read, write, tutor, teach, publish. Live, love, inspire, dream, and act.

Thank you.

Don Bosco Prep - 9FeaturesApril 2012

English National Honor Society Inducts New Members

10 - Don Bosco Prep Features April 2012

WILL ROGERS FOLLIESWILL-O-MANIA LIGHTS UP DBP STAGE

By Joseph Pellicano ‘14

Although he may not be remembered by today’s youth, Will Rogers, the person who never met a man he did not like, was truly one of the “greats” of

twentieth-century enter-tainment. In the musical The Will Rogers Follies, Rogers’s fascinating life experiences are described in great detail, and Don Bosco Preparatory High School in Ramsey, New Jersey has just performed a memorable rendition

of this classic theater performance. Performed countless times previous to these showings, The Will Rogers Follies, albeit only a musical on a high school level, truly lives up to the expectations of many of those individuals who saw the play themselves on Broadway or in other theaters.

The Will Rogers Follies is basically “a play within a play.” Will Rogers speaks to the audience directly, and he narrates and performs his entire life story along with many others involved in his life. The Ziegfeld Follies, which was a series of plays that Will Rogers himself performed in during the early twen-tieth century, is used as a backdrop for the play; in fact, The Will Rogers Follies itself is presented as a Ziegfeld production, with Florence Zieg-feld directing and sometimes even speaking to Rogers about the performance that is being presented to the audience. Since Will Rogers was extremely well-known in his time as a wonderful humorist and entertainer, he uses his skills exquisitely through acts such as rope twirling, danc-ing, and joking with the audience. Will goes through all the major events of his life, such as his birth and his marriage to his wife Betty Blake. Wiley Post, the individual who was later killed with him in a terrible plane crash in Alaska, makes random appearances throughout the show, and he constantly invites him to go flying with him. After Will Rogers and Wiley Post’s death is announced at the

end of the perfor-mance, the rest of the cast talks about his fame and influence around the world as a tribute to him. He was truly a world-renowned

individual.

In the musical, Patrick Sweeney and Courtney Kofoed starred as the two leads, Will Rogers and Betty Blake, respectively. Patrick Sweeney is a Senior at Don Bosco, and his acting and singing skills were outstanding on stage; it is almost as if he was born to be an actor. Patrick sang wonder-fully in numbers such as “So Long Pa” and “Look Around.” From his cowboy accent to his amazing rope twirling, Sweeney definitely stole the show. Courtney Kofoed is a Senior at Immaculate Heart Academy, and like Patrick, her acting and singing skills were also phenomenal. Courtney sang terrific solos, such as

“My Unknown Someone,” “My Big Mistake,” and “No Man Left for Me.” At some points, watching these two students on stage made it seem as if this mere high school musical were actually a Broadway production. Assigning these two students as the lead roles for this production was a brilliant idea on the director’s part. Besides these two amazing students, there were others who should be noted as well. Jaclyn Scerbak, a Freshman at Immaculate Heart Academy, played Ziegfeld’s Favorite, and although she was not the lead, she still performed excellently nonetheless. She was very “into” her part and was extremely spirited, adding to the musical as a whole. Some people may not like her character due to her somewhat irritating interjec-tions during conversations; however, she definitely did a bril-liant job acting out this role, which was her second performance in high school. There were also two other students from Don

Bosco, Will Martarano, a Junior, and John Geraghty, a Senior, who were very talented. John Geraghty was hilarious as Clem, Will Roger’s father. Even after his death, Clem appeared as an angel to give Will advice, and his jokes aroused laugh-ter throughout the audience. Will Mar-tarano’s role as Florence Zieg-feld was also very entertain-ing; Ziegfeld ordered the changing of some scenes randomly throughout the

show. The audience enjoyed these interjections very much. Last, but certainly not least, another student from Don Bosco, Sophomore Eric Cole, was absolutely hilarious. He

played Wiley Post, and throughout the show, at least on four separate occa-sions, Wiley appear on the stairway to the right of the stage inviting Will to another plane excursion, “Let’s go flyin’, Will!” Although he un-fortunately did not have a microphone, the audience still

found Cole’s performance as a character who randomly interjected throughout the show absolutely hysterical. Besides these actors, there were many others in the ensemble. The ensemble performed exceptionally well; they sang and danced splendidly. This ensem-ble seemed to be at a Broadway-like level at some moments, and their numbers were

extremely well done.

Besides the illustrious actors and actresses, another very memorable and likeable part of the play was the music. One of the most popular

songs in the musical was “Favorite Son”; this song

contained both an extraor-dinarily catchy tune and lyrics.

Will Rogers and the rest of the ensemble performed this mag-nificent number, which was about Will Rogers’s campaign for the presidency. Another outstanding song in this performance was “The Big Time”, which Will, Betty, and the children sang. By far, this song was the catchiest piece of the musical, and it definitely caused much foot tapping throughout the audience. Clearly, preparations for this number were excellent and intense, as the song contained many fast sections that were meant to grab the attention of the audience; indeed, the au-dience did pay much attention to this song from its beginning to its conclusion. Besides the very catchy song lyrics, there was also an excellent choreography. During the singing of “The Big Time,” the choreography was spectacu-lar; the actors and actresses were moving so quickly and with such skill that it was absolutely mind-blowing. The finale, “Never Met a Man I Didn’t Like,” also contained outstanding choreography. All in all, the dancing was probably the best part of the musical; it was utterly splendid.

Besides the dancing and the sing-ing in general, there were also many numbers that stood out throughout the play. A few of these big numbers were solos that were sung by Betty Blake. By far, the greatest number was “No Man Left for Me.” This num-ber was fantastic; Court-ney did a beautiful job sing-ing Betty Blake’s heart-stopping solo. An-

other big number was “Marry Me Now/I Got You.” Patrick Sweeney and Courtney Kofoed truly did an outstanding job singing and dancing in this number in which Will Rogers and

WILL ROGERS FOLLIESWILL-O-MANIA LIGHTS UP DBP STAGE

April 2012 Spring Musical Don Bosco Prep - 11

Betty Blake were mar-ried. These two numbers truly gave this musical a “Broadway feel,” and the audience completely adored them.

Don Bosco Preparatory High School’s rendition of The Will Rogers Follies was outstand-ing, especially for a high school production. The writing of the musical was interesting enough, but the students who enacted this performance truly made it absolutely amaz-

ing. Students such as Patrick Sweeney and Court-ney Kofoed were utterly magnificent performers; they were tal-ented enough for musicals on Broadway.

With outstanding numbers such as “No Man Left for Me” and “Marry Me Now/I Got You,” the musical truly lived up to the expectations of those who saw the original. The choreography was mind-blowing, and the singing was excellent. Aside from a few problems with the production of this performance, every other aspect of the musical was surprisingly well-done. It is com-pletely safe to say that this performance was a high school masterpiece.