F A I R F I E L D C O L L E G E P R E P A R A T O R Y S C H O O L

“Men for Others, Delivering News to Others”

Appalachia Immersion: A Must-Go

By Timmy Attolino ‘13

On June 17th, 15 students (including myself), 3 student leaders and 3 adult leaders began our trek to Fries, Virginia. We crammed all of our stuff into two 12 passengers vans, and departed the Fairfield Prep parking lot around 6 am. As we pulled out of the parking lot, I found

myself struggling to find answer this question: what am I really going to get out of my experiences and how will I use this to improve my life back home? I kept that question in the back of my head as we drove down, as well during every task we did.

Driving down, there was one thing that I distinctly noticed, and that was the nature. In the northeast and more specifically Fairfield County, we don’t really take into account how beautiful the land we live on is. Living in such close proximity to New York City, we have become used to giant skyscrapers and buildings

taking over. On the way down from Fairfield, I began to notice how the landscape began to change. In came the local gas stations and hometown businesses every 20 miles instead of McDonald’s at every corner. Now there were miles of fields and farms, with the highway just cutting through. As our journey progressed, I began to see the natural beauty of everything, and the key role in which God played in nature.

There are two experiences from our Appalachia trip that have been stuck in my mind very vividly over the past month or two. The first of these experiences took place on our fifth day in Fries. I was sent with a few other kids to a closed down elementary school. Our job was to clear out all the useable flowers, so that they could be transplanted at the new county school. They really didn’t have the money to purchase new flowers, and… See ‘Appalachia’ on pg. 3

FP October

2011

An Urban Plunge Reflection! Pg. 8

Letter from the Editor

October

2011

Soundings Ethan Doerger ‘13

Editor in Chief

Matt Craighead ‘12

Nick Martinez ‘13

Matt Contino ‘13

Arts Editors

Timmy Attolino ‘13

Liam Mason ‘14

Sports Editors

Will Coupe ‘13

Campus Life Editor

Brandon Yep ‘13

Science Editor

Matt and Ray Kingsbury ‘13

IPinion Editors

Mr. Frank Bramble

Faculty Advisor

Dear Readers,

Thank you for reading our first issue last month! It was a great start to the year, but we at Soundings ready to keep marching forward.

We have a lot to be thinking about this time of year, whether you’re a Prep student, faculty member, or alumni. Perhaps you’re a student and your grades aren’t as high-caliber as you expected them to be as the first quarter draws to a close. Maybe you’re also busy with a sport, whether its football, soccer, or cross country and you can’t find time to get work done. Or maybe you’re a teacher here and you’re starting to scramble to get more tests and quizzes into your 1st quarter progress reports. Or as an alumnus, you could be dealing with a more difficult commute with the rainy weather and slippery road conditions going to work.

That’s why it’s important to take some time, maybe only a few minutes every day and do a little Examen as the great St. Ignatius taught us. Sitting back and just being present in the world will open your eyes to what God has in store for you today. Maybe pray for all those in the Prep family who are suffering from sickness or those who mourn their losses. Our Jesuit education has taught us this important technique, one that students such as myself regularly practice in our theology classes.

I hope everyone stays safe on Halloween night and enjoys the rest of the October issue!

Stay stress-free,

Ethan Doerger ‘13

Stories Ctd Appalachia…that made me realize that what seem like small expenses to us are very large expenses down here. We also cleared out dirt around the playground equipment so they could be moved to the Grayson County School as well. The second part of that 5th day was spent at the new school, moving lumber from the back of an adjacent field closer to the school. The job would’ve taken hours if it hadn’t been for some help. Mr. Alexander, the supervisor, offered us his own personal truck to transport the lumber to the school. He put his trust in total strangers, at first nature, to use his own personal truck, to make our job that much easier. Mr. Alexander even opened up to us and told us about one of his sons. His son’s goal was to attend Virginia Tech. At first, he went to the local community college for one year and applied, and didn’t get in. He then decided to join the Marines, and fight for his country for two tours. He returned to the US and again applied to Virginia Tech, and this time, he got in. A story like this shows how determined and dedicated people can be to reach their goals. I think back about this story all the time, and it keeps me motivated to reach my goals, no matter how strenuous they may be.

Both of these experiences taught me many things. They showed me how to be a better person, with God’s guidance. Mr. Alexander taught be how a little kindness goes a long way in life. He also taught me, with the story of his son, how dedication and hard work will always help to reach your goals.

There is one picture I can’t get out of my mind, and that is scene from behind the new Grayson County School. Directly behind the school is one of the most gorgeous views I have ever seen in my entire life, in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains. The natural beauty in the Appalachian region is truly jaw dropping. The people take great efforts to preserve and maintain the beauty of the region, and their work is what makes the natural beauty stay as natural as it is.

Plunge… in the 1960’s. He told us a lot of stories and jokes and it was uplifting to be around him. He challenged whoever was willing to take him on to a game of scrabble. I played him along with a couple other kids. He was one of the best scrabble players I’ve ever seen.

Overall the Urban-Plunge experience was very simple yet rewarding. At first it seemed like the community didn’t want to accept us, but as we stayed and became involved in different things the community embraced us. I would definitely say this experience is a “must do” during your time at Prep.

October

2011

Sports

Prep Football Starts Off the

Season Tremendously Strong

By Timmy Attolino ‘13

After a disappointing season opening

loss to Daniel Hand, some people

questioned the legitimacy of the 2011

Fairfield Prep Jesuits football team. Prep

trekked up to Griswold, where Prep picked

up their first victory of the year, 21-14, in a

messy and muddy affair. Junior halfback Joe

McBride put the team on his back, rushing

for 115 yards and one touchdown. Senior

quarterback Tom Brewster held his own in

the tough conditions, rushing for a

touchdown and throwing a touchdown to

senior wide receiver Charlie Keady. With

confidence stemming from this victory, Prep

returned faced off against Wilbur Cross in

their home opener at Alumni Field. The

Bomb Squad was packed and out in full

force. Prep surely did not disappoint,

running all over Wilbur Cross 35-18. Tom

Brewster and Charlie Keady connected

again, on an acrobatic one handed catch by

Keady in the corner of the end zone. Morale

was very high as Prep faced Jonathan Law at

home. This game was over before it started.

Prep was in control virtually the entire game

and won handily, 34-0. Hopes are high for

this year’s Prep football team!

October

2011

Sports Prep Cross Country Staying Ahead of the Competition

By Liam Mason ‘14

The 2011 Fairfield Prep

cross-country team is certainly

one team that you should keep

an eye on. The #1 team in the

state has a completely stacked

team from the Freshman to

Varsity levels. The Varsity team

has the returning Gatorade

Runner of the year from

Connecticut, in Connor Rog

(pictured right). But, it’s not just

Rog who is winning the

meets, but it is a true team

performance. Perhaps the most impressive performance from the team came this past weekend,

in the Woods Trail Run, in Thetford, Vermont. The meet had the tops teams from all of New

England. The Prep team came in a close second place, which is certainly a great performance.

Connor Rog came in first place out of over 700 racers, which is also a great accomplishment. Do

not be surprised if you see some more top finishes for Prep this season and certainly keep an eye

on the Prep runners!

October

2011

Picture Taken from www.courant.com

Arts Jazzuits are Prep’s Pep Band

Nick Martinez ‘13 You’re a student a Fairfield

Prep, yes? Of course you are. So,

it goes without saying that you are

simply bursting at the seams with

pride for your school and pounce

upon every opportunity you get to

display this pride in public, does it

not? You wear your Bomb Squad

shirt everywhere you go. You

wouldn’t be caught dead without

your red and white Prep socks, and

you even wear your Prep

sweatpants under your dress pants

on form occasions. And your favorite place to express your Prep pride? In the Bomb Squad at

Prep’s home games, of course! Well, then you’ll be delighted to hear that the Jazzuits, Prep’s

very own extra-curricular Jazz band, is now helping the Bomb Squad bring the Prep pride to our

home football and basketball games as Prep’s Pep band. That’s right! With the Jazz band at all

our home games, you can look forward to Prep pride being at an all-time high. And, as if this

wasn’t already the most exciting development of this school year, the band is asking for song

suggestions to the student body. Yes, you get to pick the songs you will hear at the games. All

you have to do is give your suggestions to your friendly neighborhood Jazzuit. So, next time

you’re cheering in the Bomb Squad, you won’t be alone—the Jazzuits will be right there beside

you, helping you cheer Prep’s sports teams right on to victory to the tune of your favorite songs.

October

2011

Arts Album Review: J Cole-Cole

World: The Sideline Story

By Matt Craighead ‘12 Basically, the whole album is amazing from

the intro all the way to the bonus track

Daddy’s Little Girl. J Cole’s real name is

Jermaine Cole. A few of

the songs had been

released on mix tapes that

Cole released for free.

These songs include In

the Morning (feat.

Drake), Lights Please,

and an older version of

Lost Ones.

The intro starts off the album in an

interesting way in that the listener hears

commentary from Mr. Cole talking about

how he spent one night in jail after getting

stopped by the cops just after he had been

signed to a record deal and they were

“celebrating”. It is a very raw moment and

great way to start not only the album but

also his career with a record deal. Can’t Get

Enough (feat. Trey Songz) is a great song

that has really grown on me in the past few

weeks. He did his part and succeeded and

got his thoughts across clearly. In the

Morning (feat. Drake) is a classic song that

was off his most recent full-length mix tape

called Friday Night Lights. Lost Ones is a

very heartfelt song where Cole raps back

and forth with the mother of his

unborn child (he plays both

parts)-debating whether or not

to keep the baby.

Rise and Shine is

probably my favorite of the

songs I hadn’t heard before

listening to the album. The

rhythm is upbeat and it sounds

like a perfect song to get a football team

pumped up before running out onto the field

and while running out there. God’s gift is

another great song, and Jermaine’s Flow and

Style is top-notch. Last, but not least, is

Breakdown where Cole talks about seeing

his father for the first time, and he breaks

down hence the song title. Overall the album

shows great versatility and maturity and just

pure talent. Album rating: 9.5/10 stars.

October

2011

Campus Life

Urban Plunge Reflection By Will Coupe ‘13

Urban Plunge, to those who haven’t experienced it, sounds like taking a dip in dirty city

water. Those who have experienced it know it is a very eye-opening experience. A group of

students spends a few days living in one of the poorest communities in Bridgeport. It all started

with a walk to the Fairfield Bus Station as we navigated our way to Bridgeport using public

transportation. What would normally be a ten-minute car ride took us about an hour and forty-

five minutes. As we walked from the bus stop to our destination, still in our prep attire, people

were telling us to get the hell out of their neighborhood. Most of us were scared, nervous and felt

vulnerable. We just kept walking. We arrived at the parish center at St. Charles Church, the place

where we were staying and it was very basic.

Over the three days we lived very simply. Food was at a premium and many of us were

complaining about hunger, which is not something were used to since we can usually just grab a

snack out of our pantry at home. This gave us a better understanding of the community in our

own backyard and that some of the people there go to bed hungry every night.

We also spent time volunteering at two different schools during our stay in Bridgeport.

The teacher at Beardsley School asked me to help this one child who was struggling. This

experience was rewarding I really think I helped this kid, I had really bonded with some kids and

by the time it was ready to go a lot of them did not want me to leave. I played with kids at the St.

Ambrose after school program. I started talking to a boy who was sitting quietly by himself. I

helped him with a puzzle; we played tic-tac toe and other games. By the end of the day he really

came out of his shell and was even singing the Katy Perry song “Hot and Cold”. Even though

these kids don’t have a lot they enjoy the simple things like playing a game and singing a song,

just like us. By the end of our stay at St. Ambrose, the kids asked if we were coming back on

Monday and told us they really wanted us to come back.

On our last day at the center, we had dinner with some of the local people. There was one

man named Porter who had moved to Bridgeport from Alabama… see ‘Plunge’ on pg. 3

October

2011

Campus Life R.E.A.C.H

By: Brandon Yep’13

R.E.A.C.H is an acronym that stands for Realize, Excel, Achieve, Courage and Hope.

Words that everyone in life needs to remember. REACH was founded by junior Brandon Yep

during the second semester of 2010. Brandon who is

the oldest sibling of three children has a brother who

was born with a very rare brain disorder called

Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum (ACC). The Corpus

Callosum connects the left and right parts of the brain

together. It is the largest white matter area in the brain,

consisting of 200–250 million connections. Timothy

was born without any of his Corpus Callosum. It’s

similar to having a city separated by water with a lot of

traffic that has to cross. However, there is no bridge to

connect both sides. His brother’s focus, hard work and

determination to be better have inspired him to create REACH. REACH is a club focused on

supporting kids with special needs.

REACH was started with the help of Mrs. O’Reilly, a Biology teacher at Prep. Mrs.

O’Reilly serves as the club’s moderator and oversees the operations and planning of events and

club meetings. REACH started initially with only a few members and has grown to about 20

consistent members today. Brandon says that he wants to expand REACH to about 40 people by

the end of this year. What a better way to be “men for others,” than serving those with special

needs. REACH meets a few times a month. There are a few events every month that are

announced a couple weeks in advance. Everyone is welcome!

Please contact President Brandon Yep for more info at p13byep@fairfieldprep.org

October

2011

National News

A Spotlight on the Innocence Project By Joseph A SanFilippo ‘13

A very important organization that most people may not have heard of is the Innocence

project. The Innocence Project is a non-profit legal clinic created by Barry C. Scheck and Peter J.

Neufeld in 1992. The project is a national litigation and public policy organization dedicated to

exonerating wrongfully convicted people through DNA testing and reforming the criminal

justice system to prevent future injustice. Most of their clients are poor, forgotten, and have used

up all legal avenues for relief. The hope they all have is that biological evidence from their cases

still exists and can be subjected to DNA testing. All Innocence Project clients go through an

extensive screening process to determine whether or not DNA testing of evidence could prove

their claims of innocence. Thousands currently await their evaluation of their cases. To date the

Innocence project has helped exonerate 273 people in the United States by DNA testing,

including 17 who served time on death row. These people have served an average of 13 years in

prison before exoneration and release and most have been compensated for their time in prison.

Of the 273 people exonerated 3 have been from Connecticut. There are names are

Kenneth Ireland, Roman Miguel, and James Tillman. Kenneth was convicted of felony murder

and sexual assault in 1989. He unfortunately was a victim of mis-identification by the part of

witnesses. No actual evidence was ever found to convict him. The innocence Project used DNA

evidence to rule out Ireland as the perpetrator and he was exonerated in 2009. Miguel was

convicted in 1990 of murder and was exonerated in 2009. He was a victim of being interrogated

in English when he was fluent in Spanish. Again thanks to DNA evidence all charges were

dropped. And lastly Tillman was convicted of sexual assault in 1989. He was the victim of bad

work by the forensic analyst which wrongly convicted Tillman. Again like all the other cases the

Innocence project used DNA analysis to prove that Tillman was innocent.

October 2011

World News Amanda Knox: 4 Years of Hell

By Joseph A SanFilippo ‘13 On the night of November 1, 2007, Amanda Knox’s life was changed forever. It was on

that night that the murder of 21 year old Meredith Kercher took place at her flat. Knox at that

time was a 20-year-old University of Washington language student who shared a flat with

Kercher and Rudy Guede and Raffale Sollecito. She was in Perugia attending the University for

Foreigners for one year, studying Italian, German and creative writing.

4 years later Amanda Knox’s story has polarized the world. After the murder Knox was

reportedly interrogated by Italian police for over 14 hours straight and was denied her basic civil

rights. In the end the interrogators got her to sign papers which helped prosecutors in 2009 get

Knox convicted of murder where the prosecutor described the death of Meredith Kercher as a

“Sex game gone wrong.” After being convicted of murder she and her former boyfriend

Sollectico decided to appeal their convictions. This announcement started almost a year and a

half of constant tabloid headlines, media scrutiny, and predictions for the trial. Tabloid

journalists had depicted Knox as a sex-crazed party girl whose quest for thrills drove her to

commit murder. One of the more positive aspects for the appeal was that the DNA was declared

illegitimate and false by an independent review which deemed the prosecution’s DNA evidence

sample too small or too contaminated to be used to convict Ms. Knox. Furthermore, Italian

officials had made claims that were proven false. These include “The cottage was cleaned with a

bleach solution following the murder. In fact, police video shows that traces of blood were

found in many places in the cottage, and there is no evidence that cleaning took place in the

hours between the murder and the discovery of the body. The receipts that showed the purchase

of bleach by Knox the morning after the murder simply did not exist. Because of these facts and

after a somewhat lengthy appeal Knox was acquitted of the murder charge on October 3, 2011.

Many people in America were sympathetic to Knox and thought she was a victim of an

international legal system. Some sympathize with the family of Meredith Kercher who believe

that Amanda was let go as someone who used the media to her advantage. But all Amanda cares

about now is that she is free and has awoken from a 4 year nightmare.

October 2011

iPinion App of the Month – Real Racing 2

By Matt Kingsbury ‘13

This iPod app is just stunning; the realistic looking

graphics gives it a great look that pulls it over the edge. The

racing in the game is also very good and the computer drivers

race you very hard, and with a field of 16 that is twice as many

cars as in Forza. The app also allows you to hook up to your TV

and play it off your TV while the iPhone shows your car’s

telemetry items. You can also upgrade your race car so that you

can be more competitive in a race while you go up against

Mustangs, Camaros, BMWs, and even the 2012 McLaren MP4-

12C which is a stunning car all in its own. Overall this app will keep you entertained for hours on

end and if you enjoy a good racing app it is worth the $4.99.

Battlefield 3 Beta Review

By Matt Kingsbury ‘13

After playing the Battlefield 3 beta that was

released to the public to try I am greatly astounded by this

game. Battlefield 3 unleashes new strategies and playing

styles, the map Caspian Border is a traditional Battlefield

map which uses a large area and includes vehicles such as

tanks, jets, and attack helicopters. Unlike Caspian Border,

Operation Metro is a map that is more “Call of Duty”

inspired, with teams fighting in close quarters in an

outdoors park environment, then into a subway system,

and eventually reaching a small city block. Overall this game will provide endless fun for both

the casual player and diehard gamer.

October

2011

iPinion

In Memory of Steve Jobs By Matt Kingsbury ‘13

1955-2011

On the day of October 5th, 2011 the world lost

one the greatest minds, Steve Jobs, to cancer.

Steve was the co-founder of Apple and had a

driving passion to bring us many new things.

Some of his products included the iPhone, the

Mac and the iPod. These electronics would give

great joy to the customers who purchased them.

Steve also was in the movie industry; he had

purchased Pixar from Lucasfilms and made it

into a reputable company. Pixar would

eventually team up with Disney and produce

movies such as the Toy Story movies and Cars.

Steve will always be remembered for his

visionary accomplishments. In both the animated

movie business and in the electronic computing and devices business with his iPods, iTouches,

iPhones, and the iPad and Mac products which millions of people worldwide cherish and enjoy.

We can see that Steve Jobs will be truly missed from the multiple demonstrations and articles

which were done in memory of him.

October

2011

Picture Taken from www.Apple.com