The Beakon

Youngstown’s Metropolitan Tower towers 224 feet over downtown. It is taller than the

Leaning Tower of Piza, Brazil’s Christ the Redeemer, and falls just short of New York’s Statue of Liberty, yet Frank Ven-netti, a six foot tall senior, did not hesitate to rappel its 18 stories for the “Over the Edge” charity event benefitting Beatitude House September 25.

Beatitude House serves the community by providing education, temporary hous-ing, and family support to women and children stuck in the cycle of poverty and homelessness.

“At the top of the building I felt pure ex-citement and adrenaline,” said Vennetti.

Before taking the plunge, Vennetti and other participants were required to raise over $1000, which was donated to Beati-

tude House. Hundreds watched from the ground as

Vennetti lowered himself, but few found themselves hanging from the edge of the Metropolitan that day.

Nick Armeni, an Ursuline senior fol-lowed Vennetti, and others who took the plunge were Youngstown State University president Jim Tressel, and the first two to step over the edge were Youngstown May-or John McNally and Warren Mayor Doug Franklin.

Tressel was paired with Pam Volosin from Poland, Ohio who raised more than $6,000, and Sister Janet Gardner, the ex-ecutive director of Beatitude House.

Tressel said he had rappelled down YSU stadium with the ROTC about 25 years ago. Vennetti had also rappelled before.

Haley Mitchell, senior, said, with a bit of sarcasm, “Watching Frank rappel off of the tallest building in the city definitely made sense, knowing Frank, but he did it for a good cause.

“It was really cool to be a part of this fund raiser,” said Mitchell.

All of the proceeds went to the Beatitude House on Fifth Avenue.

“It was a rush. I would love to do it again,” said Vennetti.

His sister, a sophomore, was proud to watch him do such a brave thing to raise money for the less fortunate.

“It was really frightening watching him,” said Adriana. “It was a really gener-ous thing to do, and it raised a lot of money, but it was scary when he got stuck. I heard they raised more than $100,000.”

The goal was to raise $125,000, and ear-ly reports exceed that amount.

Sister Gardner said, “Our women take risks every day to face the unknown and change their lives. If they can do that, the least we can do is step off the top of an 18-story building to help them. We have 75 families that need the support of the com-munity to help transform their lives,”

The event was sponsored by the DeBar-tolo Corporation.

“Over the Edge” Rappelling for a ReasonBy Gwen Sieman

Gwen Sieman/The Beakon

The school year began with unexpected changes; new students, new teachers, and classroom changes.

Mr. Lawrence Bozick, Mrs. Diane Mas-tro Nard, Dr. Richard Mattiussi, Mrs. Peg-gy Moore, Mr. Justin Prommersberger, and Mrs. Mary Lou Rogers transitioned to new classrooms to provide room for incoming students, and prepare for future renova-tions, said Mr. Mark Vollmer.

The new classrooms include brighter lighting, new windows, a new coat of paint, and new flooring.

“Adapting to these changes was bit-tersweet,” said Mastro Nard in room 101. “The move was challenging because it meant leaving behind a piece of history I deeply cherish. I will miss the vast amount of space, the view of the courtyard and Mr. Bozick as a neighbor.”

Although it was rough, Mastro said she came to like the vibrant colors, and re-search shows brighter classrooms have a calming effect on people.

At the other end of the hall is Rogers, now in 109.

“My favorite part of the new classroom is brighter lights and screens built into the windows,” said Rogers.

Rogers has grown accustomed to her new room, but misses how close she was to the main office, and the view of the court-yard.

Ch ch ch ch changesBy Jelina Le

~ See “Changes” pg. 2 ~

Cardinal Mooney High School 2545 Erie Street Youngstown, Ohio 44507 October 2015

Prommersberger, now in 204, said hav-ing his room switched from junior hall to sophomore hall made it easier for “students to arrive on time.

“Although I did not get to choose my room, I am happy to have a freshly painted classroom. The atmosphere has a positive effect on my students.”

Mattiussi specifically asked for room 151 when he heard Mrs. Wright would re-tire, and he moved in June.

“My room is the coolest in the build-ing. Mrs. Wright was always cold, but I love it,” said Mattisussi. “I also love being in the same hall as Mr. Rinehart and Mrs. Kenner.”

Changescontinued from pg. 1

2 News The Beakon October 2015

Kalliope Spirtos/The Beakon

Kalliope Spirtos/The Beakon

Traditionally, the Homecoming Dance is held the Saturday of Ursuline week, but this year, it was October 3rd, two weeks before the Ursuline game, so students could experience the fun of each event sep-arately, and make each more significant.

“We wanted the focus of Ursuline week to be on the game because it gets over-shadowed by the dance,” said Mrs. Janet Cadman. “Doing the crowning of king and queen at the game instead of the dance makes it more special. It took too much time to have everyone announced and the crowning to take place at the dance.”

More family members can attend the crowning at the game. In the past, the fam-ily of the Homecoming court came to the dance to see the crowning.

“It was difficult for parents to see and take pictures, but if it is at the game more family is able to be present,” said Mrs. Tina Hughes.

Cadman and Hughes said having the game and the dance the same week as Ur-suline Week is too much and students fo-cus on the upcoming dance instead of the festivities.

However, not all student agree the change is a good idea.

“ We are sad they are not together. It lessened the excitement. Having the dance to look forward to after the game continues a fun weekend,” said senior Jaime Kempe.

There was some concern that, because the dance is so early, planning dates would

Even Homecoming ChangesBy Kellyn Jamison

be more difficult as some people may wait until the last minute. Kempe said an ad-vantage to having the dance later is the ex-tra time to plan.

Cia Lyras, senior, disagreed saying, “I think it is good to have them split. We can focus on Homecoming all week and have time to get ready. During Ursuline week, we can spend more time decorating the school and enjoying the fun of Ursuline week.”

Jake Fonderlin, sophomore, wasn’t con-cerned, “I don’t care Homecoming was moved, I’m not that interested.”

Along with changes to the Homecoming Dance, Cadman and Hughes also added a new dance for the school year, which will be more casual than the formal Homecom-ing, Sweethearts, and Prom.

Upcoming dances:Sadies - date to be determined in No-

vember, based on football playoffs - Ca-sual. This dance is typically attended wear-ing matching shirt with a date or group of friends.

Sweethearts - February 6th- Formal, girls ask guys.

Junior/Senior Prom- May 6th- Formal. “I would like to go to Sadies as a group,

it could be a lot of fun to get matching out-fits and just have fun with your friends,” said senior Julie Cook.

Cadman and Hughes are considering having the dances in the gym instead of the cafeteria, although acoustics could be an is-sue and make the music hard to hear.

Students chat in the newly-painted, freshly-floored sophomore hallway.

Jarrett Herberger, Tommy Decesare and Johnnie Mikos bask in the warm sunlight from the new windows.

October 2015 The Beakon Feature 3

With the school year in full swing, one thing everyone has had on their mind is dances. The problem is: how does one ask in order to get that signifi-cant other to say yes?

“I wanted to do something funny, but putting this much thought into asking is ridicu-lous,” said senior Vincenzo An-gelilli.

Many people now ask in ex-treme, and sometimes absurd, ways. People like to see which proposal is either the best or the funniest.

The social norm for students these days is usually creative, and reflects the couple’s per-sonality or interests.

“I think it’s cool that people don’t ask in boring ways or ways that most people do. I like how some get really creative with their dance proposals be-cause it’s not something that happens every day. It’s a mem-ory you will always have. Peo-ple should get more creative,”

Want to go to a dance?said Lizzie Matthews, senior.

These ‘proposals’ range any-where from a small treat and a clever line to singing to a girl or getting the recipient pulled over by the police.

The traditional way of ask-ing someone to a dance was a big deal handled with class and not a public event.

Some consider this new pro-cess forced and unoriginal as most people now ask dates in extravagant ways, and even say asking in a big way is cliché be-cause everyone does it.

“The new way of asking is forced and becoming cliché. The simple way of just asking is tasteful and more acceptable,” said senior Brennan Bizon.

Also, this new style of asking has many people finding them-selves in a creative rut. Devoid of originality, they copy others or do not ask to avoid deviating from the social norm and ‘just asking.’

“Every time I ask someone to a dance, I mess up. I wish

By Scott McHenrythings would go back to the way it used to be,” said Bizon.

So the big question remains, how does one ask another? The answer is quite simple, most of the time, one just needs to take into account interests and hob-bies.

Using your friends and their friends as sounding boards is also a great way to decide how to ask that special someone.

If one looks for a more cre-ative approach, one may try thinking outside of the box.

Matthews was a victim of one such approach.

“I was driving with Hannah (her sister) to Gabby Williams’ house and right before her neighborhood there is this little driveway where police can sit.

“Of course, there was a police car sitting there, and I looked at Hannah and made a smart remark, ‘Watch out, there’s a cop.’

As soon as I passed him, he turned on his lights. I honestly

had no idea what to think. “My initial reaction was

panic, as I was about to be pulled over. I kept thinking my dad was going to be angry, and I was worried I would lose my car.

“I pulled into the neighbor-hood and the officer got out of his car. I searched for my license and registration and when I looked back up, I found Nicholas Braydich standing in front of me with a sign saying, ‘Can I arrest you to prom?’

Then I saw Gabby running towards my car along with Nick’s friends. I am pretty sure I cried because it was so scary, but in the end it was funny,” said Matthews of her experi-ence with extreme proposals.

Asking someone to home-coming or prom is a big deal, but nothing to over think.

One will always remember the dance, the friends, the fun and the feeling, no matter how one is asked.

Scott McHenry, left, took a shot and scored a goal when his girlfriend, Kay-la Troxil, from Canfield said yes to Homecoming.Vinny Angelilli, dressed as a Po-land cheerlead-er, offered up a cheery proposal and got a spirited yes from Kristyn Svetlak from Po-land.

Aaron Woodberry asks Gabby Williams to Homecoming in a more traditional manner.

4 News The Beakon October 2015

Homecoming Dance typically falls on the Saturday of Ursuline week, yet another change found students dancing October 3.

“The dance was fun, but it’s better dur-ing Ursuline Week. Everyone is hype, es-pecially after a win,” said Queen Cia Lyras.

This also marked the first year the king, queen and court were announced at the football game the previous night.

Candidates, nominated by classmates, were: Marcella Adams and Anthony Gill, Anne Alcorn and Gino Ginnetti, Gianna Allegretto and Nick Bucci, Natalie Colwell and Michael Williams, Jaime Kempe and Nick Maxin, Cia Lyras and Jack Lynch and Kellie Walker and Breyshon Lott.

The student body elected Nick Maxin king and Cia Lyras queen.

“You can’t win them all, but I won this one,” said Maxin.

Lyras said, “I was surprised and excited because all my friends voted for me.”

The dance was held in the cafeteria to the theme of “Midnight Masquerade.”

“I liked last Homecoming more, but all in all prom is the best dance Mooney has,” said Marie Emch, senior.

There were also complaints about the DJ.

“He didn’t take song requests and he didn’t play familiar songs,” said Colleen Durkin, junior.

By Adriana Vennitti

Royalty ReignsBy Kelly Williams Nick Braydich

Mooney Boys’ soccer seniors take a momen-tary break from danc-ing to pose for a group photo.

“The Man from U.N.C.L.E.,” a British-American action comedy spy film based on of the 1964 MGM Television series and released in August is worth the rental fee.

The movie is set at the height of the Cold War, and a mysterious criminal organiza-tion plans to use nuclear weapons and tech-nology to unbalance the power between the United States and Soviet Union.

CIA agent Napoleon Solo, played by actor Henry Cavill, and KGB agent Il-lya Kuryakin, played by Armie Hammer, are forced to put aside their hostilities and work together to stop the villains before it’s too late.

Their only lead? Gaby Teller, played by Swedish actress Alicia Vikander, the daughter of a missing alleged Nazi scientist Udo Teller, who they must find to prevent a global catastrophe.

“The entire movie is action packed and suspenseful. It was awesome,” said Na-thaniel Jones.

Solo and Karyakin are assigned the mission to find the villainous Victoria Vinciguerra, played by Aussie Elizabeth Debicki, and keep her from using Teller’s father to build their own nuclear weapon.

Due to the apocolyptic nature of this cri-sis, the CIA and KGB reluctantly team up and ordered to stop the Vinciguerras.

Both men secretly plan to steal Teller’s research for their governments.

“It’s definitely worth a see,” said Julie Montanez, “it was very entertaining.”

The course of the movie shows Solo and Karyakin’s struggle to find information on

Teller’s father while time runs out with Victoria on their tails.

“When Victoria came in, it had me on the edge of my seat the whole time,” said Kellyn Jamison.

Solo and Karyakin meet Alexander Wa-verly, a high-ranking MI6 operative, who reveals that Teller is an undercover agent under his employ.

Karyakin then confronts Solo in his ho-tel, intending to kill him and steal the disc containing Teller’s research, but changes his mind when Solo produces his father’s watch, stolen earlier in the movie.

The two destroy the disc to prevent both countries from gaining the upper hand in the nuclear race.

They then reunite with Teller and Wa-verly, who reveals the trio is reassigned to a new international organization under his command. He deploys them on a mission under their new codename: U.N.C.L.E.

Visit the nearest Redbox or watch on Netflix soon!

You gotta see this!

October 2015 The Beakon Feature 5

Brennan Bizon, senior, started Bizon Customs at age fourteen and it flourished from hobby to career with steady income. His company, a one-man business, exhibits his passion for the arts in his daily life.

“I was inspired to start Bizon Customs in late 2013 when I saw an example of a shoe online and decided to try it.”

Bizon takes a plain shoe and creates art-work. He paints tennis shoes, Vans, high heels, flip flops and athletic spikes. He hand paints every detail, and creates de-signs specifically for the customer.

“I create a design on my computer based on my client’s idea. Each product is origi-nal and one of a kind,” said Bizon.

The design process is simple. The cli-ents tell Bizon what they want, he designs it, confirms with the client, prepares the shoes, paints the design, and adds finishing paint to strengthen their ware.

Individuals interested in Bizon Customs can contact him through e mail, social me-dia, and his web site www.bizoncustoms.com.

The entire process can take between 3-12 hours. In the summer he can have up to three orders a week, but during the school year he only takes one pair per week.

The beginning cost is $30 and becomes more expensive as the shoe becomes more intricate in design, but the cost generally remains at $30.

“Although he is influenced by other art-ists, Brennan doesn’t copy anybody’s style. He has developed his own and marches to the beat of his own drum,” said his mother, Heidi Bizon.

Teacher and mentor, Shawn Butler, de-

scribed Bizon’s style saying, “He is very meticulous and detailed. Not flashy, but creative and well thought out. There is rea-son behind what he does, he never creates something superficial.”

Bizon always had a passion for art and creativity.

“I realized his talent when he was one and a half. He would sit in his high chair and deliberate between crayons and make thoughtful decisions. That’s when I knew that he had an eye for color,” said Heidi.

Growing up, Bizon and his brother Brady had different interests.

“We always made our own games to-gether. I would create ideas and Brennan would draw,” said Brady. “He taught me to be imaginative.”

His parents support him by setting aside a room in the house strictly for his studio.

“My mom supports me by talking about my business and showing how proud she is,” said Bizon. “They also help to absorb some of the costs.”

Friend and customer, Dan Driscoll, said, “My product was exceptional. I am thoroughly impressed with the quality of his workmanship.” Driscoll’s shoes, Cham-pion tennis shoes, have a painting of the at-mosphere.

Every shoe is original and specific be-cause Bizon presents his own style and tal-ent through his work.

Driscoll characterized him saying, “He’s empathetic, compassionate, and persistent through his work and personality.”

Haley Mitchell, senior, a close friend of Bizon’s said, “His work ethic, detail orien-tation, determination, and passion to never disappoint all contribute to his talent and ability. Clients enjoy working with him be-cause he is caring and goes out of his way to help others.”

He sacrifices time to finish a product and perfect every detail.

Bizon works seemingly effortlessly to balance school and work. At Mooney, he has been involved in Academic Challenge, Art Club, Astronomy Club, Faith and Rea-son, Interact Club, Intramural Basketball, National Honor Society, Service Club, Ski Club, and Theatre.

“It is good to get involved because it

prepares me for college and the future,” said Bizon.

“School and friends can take away from the artistic aspect of my job and it becomes difficult to work,” said Bizon. “This is why I do one pair a week during school.”

As Bizon Customs continues to grow, the news media and celebrities have be-come aware of his talent.

WFMJ recently did a feature on Bi-zon which promoted Bizon Customs, and he is excited about the growing business. “Thanks to my friends, parents, and com-munity, Bizon Customs has flourished into more than I ever expected,” said Bizon.

Famous singer Kehlani reached out to Bizon through Atlantic Records, and he is working on her order. “I’m excited about this product and am grateful for the support and awareness my business has received” said Bizon.

Although art always played a major role in Bizon’s life, he plans to attend college for pre med. He said he is determined to keep his love for art active and hold on to his talent.

“I will possibly look into colleges that offer inter-disciplineship so I can work on my passion and education at the same time,” said Bizon.

Butler is confident in Bizon’s academ-ics and determination to succeed. “I don’t think he will have a problem once he de-cides on a major. He’ll be good anywhere because of his motivation.”

Bizon Customs for shoesBy Isabel Stoeber

6 News The Beakon October 2015

In past months, many high-scale inci-dents between police officers and the com-munities they serve have made national headlines, yet when police officers are killed in the line of duty, it rarely makes the same impact.

“Policing is always a profession that is going to have potential danger. That is the reality of it. The anger and the hatred and the violence directed against our po-lice officers every year, takes more than a hundred of their lives. So, I think we need to broaden the conversation to include the dangers directed against them also,” stated NYPD Commissioner William Bratton.

Although not all 100 of these deaths were caused by intentional violence, it is still an alarming number.

According to the Officer Down Memo-rial Page, a web site that tracks the deaths

Violence Against Police

of police officers, 100 officers were killed in 2015. The most recent of those 100, killed by intentional gunfire was 60 year old Sheriff’s Deputy Steve Sandberg of the Aitken County Sheriff’s Office.

In addition, a 2013 FBI report showed 49,851 officers were assaulted in the line of duty.

According to the same FBI report, the number of line-of-duty deaths remained fairly constant for the past few years. The

By Joe Kelty

Cardinal Mooney’s reputation as one of the most prestigious schools in the area began in

1956. However, the condition of the build-ing changed over 60 years, so last summer, phase one of a three stage renovation be-gan thanks to a $5 million donation from the DeBartolo family.

Phase one consisted of new floors, walls, ceilings, lights, and windows in sophomore and senior hallways.

The ventilation system was replaced, a new roof installed and ramps replaced

average number of line-of-duty deaths is 114, the most was 140 in 2007, and the least was 76 in 2013.

The last police officer killed in Youngstown was Patrolman Michael Hartzell, who was shot and killed in 2003.

Hartzell was the victim of an unprovoked attack, gunned down sitting in his patrol car. While stopped at a red light on his way back to headquarters, Hartzell began to run the plate of a suspicious car in front of him. As he did so, the driver jumped out of his car and opened fire on Hartzell.

Hartzell’s killer was arrested in Florida two days later and sentenced to death.

It remains a fact, police officers who every day put on their uniforms and leave homes to which they may not return. How-ever, every day thousands do return home, and with the overwhelming majority do this job to help the community and protect the people who live there.

stairs to assist the dis-abled.

Father Gerald De-Lucia, president, works with an overall school advancement plan, raises funds for the school and directs its finances so he was an important figure throughout the renova-tions.

“We were lucky to get done when we did,” said DeLucia of phase one of the renovations, which was completed right before school was scheduled to start.

The fact that 12 construction companies worked on the school contributed to this.

Phase two will not happen until several different factors occur.

All window replacement throughout the school will be fully completed in approxi-mately two years.

Despite rumors to the contrary, an air conditioning system will not be installed.

An improved ventilation system and ex-

Mooney: A Work in Progress

haust fans in the rooms will keep the school cool on hot days.

“Once all of the interior and exterior renovations are complete, the air flow will improve temperature and make it more suitable throughout the entire school year. This will basically simulate air condition-ing in the future,” said Fecko.

DeLucia said the improved building should help increase enrollment.

“I do believe the strong academic sys-tem, along with the Catholic background, and the school’s new look, enrollment will increase in the future,” said DeLucia.

There are three phases to the renovation plan because the school was divided into three sections, with one section to be com-pleted per year.

Thanks to the generosity if the DeBar-tolo family, the entire cost of the renovation was covered said DeLucia.

DeLucia said they donated the money to encourage others to step up, and possibly give money to help assist students with fi-nancial aid as well as other benefits.

Kalliope Spirtos/The Beakon

By Ken Keller

October 2015 The Beakon News 7

Life in Syria continues on a downward spiral caused by unrelenting fighting, gov-ernment upheaval and rebel groups, and refugees risk their lives to leave countries devastated by war.

Leaders throughout the world should care and do more about these refugees.

The brutal dictatorship of Bashar Al-Assad, since 2000, brought this vicious war upon the relatively new country of Syria, located in the Middle East below Turkey and west of Iraq. Protests, from the coun-try’s majority, Sunni Arabs, who wanted to change their second-class status and more rights, started the conflict.

Through corruption, brutality, and in-equality, the government indirectly pushed the Sunni Arabs into discontent, sparking uproar.

Feeling the pressure, the government tried to stop the protests with violent acts upon the people. In multiple cities, Assad’s military regime shot and abused protestors, which merely added to the fury against the dictatorship, which started the civil war be-tween the Assad regime and rebels.

“It’s tragic how protests could spark a civil war and how the government allowed this war to continue on and not try and stop it with a compromise,” said Quentin Rice, senior.

Plagued by constant fighting, Syrians took measures into their own hands, and left their home county in hopes of finding

better living conditions and work opportu-nities.

Recent statistics show more than four million Syrians have fled the country since the start of the civil war, four and a half years ago, in 2011.

Even with continued requests from hu-manitarian aid agencies, the United Nations raised only forty percent, $2.8 million, of their $7.4 million goal to assist refugees.

“It’s surprising how little the UN is able to raise from the international community, since countries should be concerned with creating peace in Syria and its people,” said Maria Bova, junior.

With a lack of assistance from most of the world, many larger countries are devel-oping strategies in order to send supplies and house refugees.

Several senators in the United States are trying to triple the number of Syrian refugees previously permitted to enter this country.

They say the U.S. needs to step up and aid refugees with places to live instead of merely supplies.

“There was a 60 Minutes episode devot-ed to the refugee crisis,” said Mrs. Peggy Moore, “and some countries are just inun-dated with people. Germany is swamped.”

Refugees travel to countries close enough to either travel on foot or by boat, which are European countries.

The main countries opening their doors to Syrian refugees are Egypt, France, Ger-many, Great Britain, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon,

Turkey, and Sweden. “I’m shocked there aren’t more coun-

tries surrounding Syria willing to help and support refugees desperately trying to find a safer life,” said Haley Mitchell, senior.

Officials are overwhelmed by the num-ber refugees entering the country and have set a limit on how many people they can take.

The international community has opted to send millions of dollars in supplies in-stead of offering places for the refugees to live and work.

“I can’t imagine the effects on the econ-omy of the countries taking these people. A million people looking for work? Where will they find jobs? We have unemploy-ment here, what if a million came here?” said Moore.

Germans greeted the first trainloads of refugees with applause and offers of help, but now that there are so many - up to 10,000 a day - people now protest.

Syrian refugees struggle to find places to live. They know life outside of Syria will be difficult, but they know any life is better than living in the middle of a civil war.

This country needs to do more to help.

Syrian Refugee CrisisBy Kara Okular

Not only did the school year start with a newly renovated building, but also with 15 new upperclassmen from the Youngstown area, while others traveled from Belgium and Ecuador.

“This shows they have an interest in Mooney and want to be a part of the Mooney family. Not all other high schools offer the same education and they are able to take advantage of that while they’re here,” said Principal Mark Vollmer.

Chris Lewis, junior, said he came to Mooney this year because he had more friends with whom we went to elementary and middle school.

“The school as has some nice renova-tions, and I think it will be a good school year,” said Lewis.

Israel Espinosa, a senior exchange stu-dent from Ecuador said, “My classmates are really nice and friendly.”

He chose to come to an American school because, “the education offered is better

than in Ecuador. Espinosa is a member of the soccer

team, and has played soccer from a young age.

“I have a passion for reading and hope to become a part of a book club in the school,” said Espinosa.

An only child, Espinosa said it is pos-sible he will to go to college in the states.

Teachers said they are excited to get to know these new students and the freshman.

New students adopted into Mooney familyBy Maddie Graziano

8 Feature The Beakon October 2015

When temperatures rose, students and teachers wondered if the heat would lead to school closings.

“I think anything above ninety degrees is too hot for school, with no air conditioning that is. It isn’t that kids would pass out due to the heat, but heat makes school unbear-able, I can’t focus in the heat. It makes just sitting a sweaty experience,” said Brandon Cruz, junior.

It not just high temperatures, but humid-ity causes breathing trouble for those with respiratory problems,

“When it gets hot in school some of my allergies act up, and cause me to get a stuffed nose and headaches. I just wish more rooms had AC,” Cruz said.

While air conditioning throughout the school would be expensive, the office, li-brary, band room and others already have it. It would make school during the summer months easier.

President Obama is convinced the rising heat is a problem due to global warming, but that schools should not close due to it.

Governors of several states, including Hawaii, hope public schools will get AC units through funding to improve or replace aging school buildings, which leaves little hope for Mooney.

“This school gets too hot sometimes, and it makes me want to go home,” said Eva Toth, junior. “In Ohio we are use to the cold, but in August and early Septem-ber it’s so hot it’s terrible. School should close once it reaches ninety or if it is really humid.”

Brayon Walls, junior, said, “The temper-ature outside doesn’t matter. The building traps heat inside causing it to be much hot-ter than it is outside.”

An article in The Plain Dealer said only one Cleveland school closed for heat as they take things “on a school by school ba-sis.

Some have AC, some do not. Some are in shade, and some are not. Some wiith AC have so much glass the temperatures soar inside anyway.”

One superintendent said there is no pol-icy regulating the cancellation of class due to heat, and closing for snow and cold are about transportation safety, not because of conditions inside the schools.

Now that schools back in session many students balance practice, school, work, and homework, but forget a key compo-nent - sleep.

“I have trouble balancing school and practice” said freshman Jauwan Tate

One study shows teens need about eight to ten hours of sleep each night, but only 15% get an average of 7½ hours a night.

“I go to bed at midnight, and get seven hours of sleep on average,” said sophomore Karter Kesner.

Sophomore Lauren Frommelt said, “I go to bed around eleven depending on the day, and get about seven to eight hours of sleep each night.”

Sleep is a vital element to the human body. Without it one’s ability to concen-trate, listen, and even learn becomes lim-ited. Important names, numbers, and dates might be forgotten.

“If I don’t get enough sleep I could be-come moody” said Frommelt.

Lack of sleep makes the body prone to pimples and contributes to acne and skin problems.

It also leads to aggressive or inappropri-ate behavior.

“I yell at my family when I don’t get enough sleep” said sophomore Destani Boykin.

Lack of sleep also heightens the effects of alcohol and possibly increases the use of caffeine and nicotine.

As one progresses through high school, demands of jobs, clubs, social activities and family obligations increase, which causes students to sleep less and less.

Many students struggle to get up before their body tells them to.

When one deprives the body of sleep, one is as impaired as driving with a blood

Get some sleep!

content of .08%, which is illegal in the U.S. About 100,000 crashes are caused each

year by drivers who fall asleep behind the wheel.

One solution to getting a good night sleep is take a naps. If planned correctly, they give a quick pick up, and help one work more efficiently.

If naps are too long or too close to one’s bed time they can interfere with a regular sleep cycle.

Do not exercise, eat, or drink within a few hours of bed time. Don’t do homework at the last minute. Try to avoid the phone, the television, and the computer an hour before bed.

Stick to relaxing, quiet activities before attempting to fall asleep.

Make the bedroom a sleep haven. Keep it quiet, dark, and cool.

Changes in sleeping habits are expect-ed from teens. Their internal body clocks cause them to wake up and fall asleep later. One can’t change this but one can partici-pate in interactive activities to help fall asleep easier.

Finally, establish a time to wake up and go to bed, and stick to it. A consistent sleep schedule makes one feel less tired and it is easier to fall asleep.

By Jelina Le

Too Hot for School?By Michael Groves

Physics students strut their stuff

October 2015 The Beakon Feature 9

No plans Friday night? Finish home-work early and have nothing to do? Well, the perfect thing when you’re bored is watch Netflix, a video-streaming, online DVD and Blu-ray Disc rental service.

“It’s cheap and affordable and I love watching it because it has a wide variety of shows and movies to choose from,” said Mya Wendt, sophomore.

Netflix is on the go, and available as a mobile app which can be downloaded onto just about any mobile device; especially a smart phone.

“The best thing about Netflix is I have access to my favorite shows and movies twenty four/seven,” said Kaylin Bowman, sophomore. “If I’m not at school, volley-ball, or doing homework, you can find me watching Netflix.”

The mobile app is great when on road trips, one can watch endless episodes of fa-vorite T.V. shows.

“You can binge watch entire seasons of T.V. shows in just one sitting,” said Claire Driscoll, sophomore.

Can’t figure out what you’re in the mood to watch? Netflix has 76,897 unique ways to describe types of movies or TV shows. For example: “Dark Tearjerkers Featuring a Strong Female Lead, Hidden Gem Fight-the-System Movies, and Movies Featuring an Epic Nicholas Cage Meltdown.”

“I like watching old movies I find there,” said Andie Horvath, sophomore.

Can you have too much of a good thing? “There are too many options, so you

feel as though you have to watch it all,” said Driscoll.

However, there are negative effects. “It’s probably the best and worst thing

ever made; best because I have access to fa-vorite shows and movies twenty four/seven and worst because my social life probably would be better if Netflix didn’t exist,” said Bowman. “But it does and I love it.”

Driscoll agreed, “There are some nega-tive sides to Netflix. Binge watching isn’t good for you at all and watching too much TV isn’t good for anybody. Looking at a screen before bed can keep you up later and make it harder to fall asleep, and could ruin your eyesight.”

Will the risks keep the average Netflix user from binge watching? Probably not.

Anyone who had an older sibling move away for college know the many pros but surprising cons that come with.

As the move out date approaches, you tell yourself you cannot wait for them to leave.

The idea of getting the car every week-end and getting the cool room had me counting down.

As my brother got ready to leave, my mom, sister and I were overwhelmed with helping Alex.

Mom had orientations, shopping, lists, and calls. My sister, who is a senior in col-lege, gave advice and tips on everything from roommates to the dining hall to classes.

As the youngest sibling, you get the hand-me-down everything, including ad-vice.

“The first thing you need to do is find the library,” said my cousin Timmy Hackett, an OSU Law Student.

By the time Alex was close to leaving I felt as if I was headed to college too.

The wise words from aunts, uncles, grandparents and cousins were all deliv-ered to me second hand.

I couldn’t wait for the conversation that weren’t about me to end so I was no lon-ger forced to talk to family members; it gets old.

Younger siblings have many reasons for ushering their brother or sister out the door.

Kellyn Jamison, junior, said, “I’m glad she’s gone because she can’t trash the car anymore … or steal my clothes.”

Even boys admit there is an affect. “I definitely don’t miss Brooke making

me late to school every single day,” said Jake Fonderlin, sophomore.

Home life is also different for us younger siblings. Now that Alex is gone I always get to pick what we do for dinner.

And since mom doesn’t have to split time between us now, she’s always there for my needs.

Caroline Buchenic, junior, said a big advantage of her sister’s absence is, “The house is way less crowded. When Mary

College Took My Sibling

was home she always had a ton of friends over.”

For me an empty house is not a good thing, and now mine is. I miss a lot of things about my brother and everything he brought to our house.

The less time Alex and I had together, the more reality began to set in.

Who would pick up the slack on chores? Me. Who would Mom now harass with questions? Me.

I used to take complete advantage of youngest sibling perks, but now they are backfiring.

And then there is the painful realization that they really aren’t home.

The first day Alex was gone, I called his name when I got home, and I then sat in his room and had a sad little cry.

I admit it, a lot of things have changed. Driving myself to school is weird. When Alex drove me I’d sleep or eat breakfast or even do homework.

I know this is an odd thing to miss, but not having someone to argue with and joke with and tease mom with is just aw-ful. It’s like I lost one of my best friends.

Jamison said she missed her sister too, “She was always my person to talk to.”

Having a sibling leave may seem awe-some, but I can tell you from experience it is not fun.

Although some good things can come out of the situation, missing them over-powers everything by far.

Ohio University is not that far. I’ve visit-ed him once, and I plan to attend little sibs weekend in the Spring!

By Maggie Cho

The Cho family: Mrs. Julie Hackett-Cho, Alex, Maggie, and Grace.

Pick Flix!By Adriana Vennetti

10 Sports The Beakon October 2015

Most nice days during the spring and summer, Nick Braydich is on the golf course. He started golfing when he was six or seven years old, but really took an inter-est in the sport in the eighth grade while attending Holy Family. Now as a senior, he hopes to continue the success he and the golf team had, while also acting as a role model to younger golfers.

Braydich, along with Joe Passerotti, is a captain of the team, “and try to set exam-ples for the younger players” he said.

Freshman Keegan Butler called Bray-dich, “The leader of the team and someone always willing to offer rides when a player is in need.”

Young players not only admire his self-lessness, but also the experience he brings to the game.

Last year Braydich and junior Ken Keller tied for sixth in the state tournament.

“It’s nice to have an older friend who has the experience to help me and the team, and to pass on his wisdom,” said Keller.

Braydich said, “I hoped the team could make it back to the state tournament with hard work, practice and consistency in their play, but things don’t always go your way.”

In addition to leadership and experience, Butler said Braydich brings a sense of ca-maraderie to the team.

“We are the only seniors on the team so we are close,” said Passerotti, “We play together every chance we get and are long time friends.”

Both Braydich and Passerotti said they try to set an example for the team.

While many teammates do look up to Braydich, he looks up to Jordan Spieth, currently the number one ranked golfer in the world.

“Spieth is close to my age which makes

him relatable. I also like how consistent he is and resilient when he gets in tough situa-tions,” said Braydich.

Braydich doesn’t limit himself to golf, he shares his talent on the basketball court as well.

Braydich is also a member of Nation-al Honor Society, The Beakon staff, and Spanish Club.

“It has been a delight to work with Nick on the newspaper for four years,” said Mrs. Peggy Moore, adviser. “I enjoy having him in class, and it is so much fun watching him play basketball. I will sorely miss him next year!”

Next year Braydich looks forward to continuing his golf career at either the Uni-versity of Findlay, Walsh University, or Malone University.

Braydich knows golfBy Joe Kelty

Nick holds the Bishop’s Cup

See “Arts” pg. 11

Maud Arts and Gwen Siemen

By Maddie GrazianoAlthough this is not her first visit to the

United States, it is a first as a foreign ex-change student. Maude Arts, a senior from Belgium, loves the new experiences and memories she is creating at Mooney.

“I visited the United States three years ago with my family, and toured New York City and Washington D.C., and while I miss my family and friends I’m excited to participate in activities such as sports events and hanging out with new friends while staying in Youngstown.”

Arts’ host family lives in Boardman. Although she already graduated from

Lyceum High School at home in Genk, Arts said, “It’s not uncommon to spend a year in the states after graduation.”

Arts is multi-lingual, and Dutch is her native language, but she is also fluent in French, English, and German.

She is currently learning Spanish. “It can be difficult to remember what

language I’m speaking. Sometimes I’ll start a sentence and have three different language within it. It’s cool though because

Maud at Mooney

October 2015 The Beakon Sports 11

Liz Philibin established her love soccer at age five, and ever since has the passion and drive to succeed both on the field and in class where she has numerous accom-plishments.

She is a member of several school clubs, and won Nationals two years ago on her Soccer Vision Academy club team, but with these accomplishments, she faced challenges along the way.

During high school Regional Finals last November, Philibin suffered a torn ACL, and because of this decided not to play on the high school team this year.

“My recovery process has been full of ups and downs, it has also been very stress-ful not being able to play for so long. It was frustrating because I lost a lot of the skill that had once been natural to me,” said Philibin.

Philibin decided to focus on club soc-cer, a switch in environment she believes will provide her the discipline she needs to make a strong recovery, and ultimately play at her pre-injury speed and level.

Mooney teammates feel the loss of both an exceptional player and friend.

Kellie Walker, senior, said, “It changed the entire way we play. A lot of positions were changed due to the fact we don’t have the skills Philibin brought to the field. She moved the ball very well and was a smart player; the team has faced a huge loss.”

Because Philibin was a team player on and off of the field, the girls lost a leader. Walker characterized Philibin as a player who took every move she made to heart and never gave up on a challenge.

Head Coach Frank Sikich elaborated on

the topic of the team’s loss saying, “We lost almost 40 goals and 30 assists. It impacts the team on a high level because she played such an integral part. Most importantly I miss her smile!”

The team as a unit feels the loss of this single player. Both her leadership and cha-risma with the ball are skills many fail to obtain, and seniors miss having her on the field their final year.

“Her drive and perseverance was an as-set to the team, and we will miss her per-sonality and determination,” said Walker.

Close friend Emilee Mulhall, character-ized Philibin as strong, bold, easygoing, and hardworking.

“She is always supportive and there to encourage me. She makes situations posi-tive and always looks for the bright side of things,” said Mulhall.

Players and friends look to Philibin to find comfort and support, assets every team needs.

Along with soccer, Philibin is focused on academics at Cardinal Mooney.

Since freshmen year, Philibin has been active in clubs and activities. These include Spanish Club, Student Council, and The Beakon newspaper staff.

“As a student, she is very conscientious and wants everything to be perfect,” said adviser Peggy Moore.

This quality shines both in school and on the field. Moore, who had Philibin as a stu-dent in Journalism I, noticed various talents through her schoolwork.

“While interviewing people for the school paper, Lizzie was always empa-thetic and wanted to make those around her comfortable.”

This characteristic makes her easy to ap-proach, but on the field, rivals know not to battle with the talent she has perfected.

Lizzie loves soccerBy Isabel Stoeber

Sikich witnessed her work ethic for school and her craft. Because of her car-ing and strong willed personality, Philibin is relentless.

“She is a hard worker and disciplined to be her best,” said Sikich.

Philibin set a goal to play Division 1 soccer, and although she decided to take junior year off, she feels it will make her a stronger, better prepared player in the end.

Philibin plans to play for Mooney senior year if her recovery remains positive.

“I love high school soccer because it’s not as competitive as club. It’s also fun to play with your friends, see your name in the paper, and play rivals. Overall, it gives me a chance to play the game I love,” said Philibin.

Arts continued from pg. 10

I’m able to talk to so many people in their own native language,” said Arts.

Arts said meals here are a little different but many things are similar, and a popular family meal is salad with steak with fresh fried potatoes on it.

“I don’t quite understand why French fries are titled with the country ‘French’ in front of them because they are a very popu-lar item in Belgium.”

Belgium is notorious for their choco-late and Arts said, “My absolute favorite is Cote d’Or.”

Arts said, “Some of the activities I en-joys outside of school are snowboarding and surfing at the beach. And I hope to get a chance to do these also in the America.”

Arts also said she really enjoys Mooney so far, and the uniforms are no new thing for her since they were also at her old high school in Belgium. “The uniforms are re-ally cute I think and I like them a lot.”

Arts said she does need to adjust to block scheduling and waking up earlier in the morning. She normally had school from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. four days a week and on Wednesdays from 8:30 until 12.

“This schedule gave us a nice break throughout the week so it didn’t seem as long.”

Her over all thought about Mooney so far Arts said, “The people here are very nice and have been very welcoming to-wards me.”

12 Sports The Beakon October 2015

Striding to excellence, the cross country girls’ team is ready and set to go. Eleven girls strong, clad in brand new uniforms, and stronger than ever, runners prepared to make this season unforgettable.

Practices began the end of June, and then increased in intensity. Easy three mile runs turned into hill repeats and mile repeats.

“As cliché as it sounds, practice does make perfect. And we are set on being per-fect. This year we will make our mark. We plan on setting personal records and push-ing ourselves to the limit,” said senior Kara Okular.

All members are enthusiastic for the season and the long road ahead of them.

“Cross country isn’t as easy as every-one says. It’s a lot more than just running. The season is full of hard workouts, tough meets, and long runs, but it is all worth it,” said Michaelina Appugliese, senior cocap-tain.

The cross country team has raced to-wards their goals. Over the summer, Coach Janet Cadman challenged the team to join the Distance Runners Club, a national club for dedicated runners. To join the elite club, runners had to log over 100 miles within a month. Appugliese went the distance and charted 145 miles.

Quentin Rice, senior cocaptain, finished close behind Appugliese with 124 miles.

“Honestly, it was more mental than physical. It took mental strength to go out day after day and get the miles done,” said Rice.

Gwen Sieman, senior, completed the challenge with 114 miles, while Kara Oku-lar finished strong with 110.

“I am so proud of all the girls who met their goal of 100 miles. It made us stronger,” said Okular.

Sophomores, Jenna Ronshak and Liv Saun-ders, raced into the chal-lenge with 102 miles each.

“I tried hard to make sure I had all my miles. I am really glad we were able to compete in the challenge,” said Ronshak.

After completing the challenge, runners may join the Distance Runners Club, and receive free T-shirts.

Cadman then challenged the runners to a new goal: to log as many miles as pos-sible from the start of the school year until the end of the season. The runner with the most miles will receive an award Cadman has yet to reveal.

Cadman said she has high hopes for the upcoming season, “It’s incredible to watch the girls grow stronger throughout the sea-son. At the beginning of the season the season we were six girls strong, but as the school year approached the team grew to ten girls. I am excited for the season. The girls are a tight knit group, who surpass ev-ery goal I put in front of them. With new uniforms, new runners, and high goals, I am excited to see where the girls go.”

The cross country team received new uniforms from the school for the first time in six years. In the past, runners sported sheer polyester yellow uniforms or the track teams’ old uniforms. Seniors and un-

derclassmen alike are thrilled with the Nike racer back uniforms.

In addition to new uniforms, the team received new runners. Veteran runners include seniors Michaelina Appugliese, Okular, Rice, Sieman, Sausha Peakes, and sophomores Katrina Hayes and Isabella Jones. The newest runners include sopho-mores Claire Driscoll, Jenna Ronshack, Kaitlyn Shaner, and Liv Saunders.

“My teammates are like family. The new girls who joined fit perfectly in our little family,” said Peakes.

Appugliese said, “It’s always nice get-ting new girls on the team because then we have more bonds, random adventures, and new friendships. It’s nice watching them grow into such strong runners as the season continues.”

Peakes added “So far, this season has been great. We have worked hard and im-proved over the past weeks. I cannot wait to see how far we go.”

Cross Country strides to excellenceBy Gwen Sieman

The boys’ soccer team record of 6-8-2 leaves them disappointed after last season’s record, and although the season is not what they anticipated, they share a bond and love for the game, and their chemistry on and off the field is amazing.

“We have our ups and downs for sure, but each day I see us getting stronger and smarter on the field,” said senior, Andrew Stille.

The 11 seniors this year are: Vinny An-gelilli, Israel Espinosa, Captain Keyton Graff, Dustin Hudak, Ahmed El Khaffif, Captain Nick Koken, Evan Leek, Scott McHenry, Mike Meyers, Dylan Paulsey and Andrew Stille.

“The seniors last year were a big loss as they had a lot of strong leaders. We are do-ing our best to fill their shoes,” said Leek.

Goalkeeper, Hudak, explained his love for the game after playing 14 years, and

his appreciation for the team. He expressed gratitude for everyone along the way as he confirmed his commitment to play soccer at Florida Gulf Coast University.

Underclassmen look up to cocaptain Graff and Koken.

“Each of them give special contributions to the team that make us what we are,” said Ben Trgovcich, junior.

Boys’ team boasts 11 super soccer seniorsBy Maggie Cho

See “Soccer Seniors” pg. 13

October 2015 The Beakon Sports 13

Ahmed El Khafif, an Egyptian and 16-year soccer veteran, is the newest additions to the boys’ soccer team and one of the strongest players on the back line.

Ahmed played for an elite club team called Maadi Club in Cairo, where he said he met some of his fiercest competition on the field, including the Arab Contractors and El Zamalek club teams, which gave him the passion and commitment to play soccer.

This passion and commitment make him a strong presence on the field, often inspir-ing the players around him to push them-selves to their limits and compete as hard as they can.

El Khafif came to America two years ago to live with his dad, and first attend-ed Liberty High School where he was the kicker for their football team.

As Liberty does not have a boys’ soccer program, he looked elsewhere for the op-portunity to play on the high school level, first at Howland, but Howland closed its open enrollment just before he enrolled, so he again looked for a place to continue his passion for soccer.

A breakthrough occurred when a family friend said, “There is no one I would trust with Ahmed more than Mooney and their soccer program.”

So, El Khafif and his father researched Mooney and their soccer program, and then came here to play.

E l K h a f i f p r o v e s h i m s e l f repeatedly t h r o u g h his play and lead-ership on the field

“ E v e n though I am not a c a p t a i n and Key-

ton Graff and Nick Koken lead the mid-field, I feel like I direct the defense and coordinate the field. I am one of the most supportive players on the field and give my all to help this team thrive and win,” said El Khafif.

Defense coach, Larry Lencyk, praises his play and said he is one of the biggest assets the team has to offer.

The team quickly accepted him, treated him with respect and as if, he had been with them four years.

“He’s a great kid who has blended well with the team and will continue to help us throughout the season on and off the field,” said Cali.

Chris Perry agreed saying, “Ahmed blends in well with the team and was wel-comed with open arms. He’s an incredible player and him being on the field is a sense

of relief because I rely on his defensive ability.”

During a tournament in Alliance, he re-peatedly kept his composure and class, and kept the team together by playing smart and talking them through the game.

When the team was losing to Green and Hoover, he kept a level head and kept the teams moral up with his speeches and in-tensity.

The team pressed on and finished the game with a victory. The team is quick to rely on his defensive prowess and always inspired by his competitiveness.

El Khafif attributes his style and inspira-tion to Mats Hummels who plays for the German national football team.

“I learned most of my defensive style of play from him and look up to him as an internationally recognized soccer player,” said El Khafif.

El Khafif’s talents are not limited to ath-letics. He is diverse when it comes to lan-guages. He is trilingual, and speaks Arabic, French, and English.

El Khafif also plays football and is kick-er alongside Dustin Hudak.

Ahmed plans to continue his soccer ca-reer in college at either the University of Akron or Cleveland State University, and major in sports medicine. He hopes to fo-cus less on soccer and more on his studies to continue to experience his passion for soccer while also helping players

El Khafif directs defense; coordinates soccer fieldBy Scott McHenry

For the rest of the team, losing these seniors will be hard, and not just on the field. From bus rides, spaghetti dinners, trips to Salt Fork and all the time spent together, they became a tight-knit group.

“They taught me being a part of this team isn’t just about physical fitness, a great deal of it takes heart,” said Nick Blasko, junior. “The way they took me in as a freshman, without a ton of friends, is something I’ll never forget.”

As the seniors prepare to pass responsibili-ties to juniors next year Graff said, “I hope they keep Mooney’s name on top with a win-ning tradition and strong work ethic we’ve worked at for the past years.”

Patrick Brennan, junior, said he hopes they continue, “their dedication for the sport and team on and off the field.”

“Soccer Seniors” cont. from pg 12

14 Sports The Beakon October 2015

The boys’ golf team finished the season 12-2 with two 1st place finishes, three 2nd place finishes, and a 3rd place finish in tournaments. The team is coached by Bob Banks, celebrating his 50th year coaching.

The varsity squad consisted of: seniors Nick Braydich, Joe Passerotti, and Jake Stefko, junior Ken Keller, sophomore Re-bell Strollo, and freshman Keegan Butler. The JV team, which has varsity experience: senior Seth Hill and juniors Joe Stefko, Jake Weber, and Alex Wollet.

The Cardinals opened the season at Windmill Lakes in the “Bishop’s Cup,” and soared to a first place finish with a total of 316.

Keller was medalist with a 74 and Bray-dich added a 77. This was Mooney’s first “Bishop’s Cup” victory in ten years.

The boys then traveled to the “JFK In-vitational” where they placed second. But-ler’s round of 76 and Keller’s 77 led to a team score of 328.

“That round was a nice building block for the rest of the season,” said Butler.

The boys’ then competed in the “Can-field Invitational” at Tippecanoe Country Club and placed second with 316. Keller fired 73 and Braydich 74.

“I played a nice round but it could have easily been lower,” said Keller.

The next tournament was the “Cardinal Classic” at Mill Creek. Braydich shot 75 and Keller 78 as the team placed third with 320.

The team then focused on the Kiely Cup; a tournament at Canterbury in Cleveland in which last years’ state competitors play by invitation.

The two-day tournament consisted of teams such as: St. Ignatius, St. Edward,

Hudson, Walsh Jesuit, and Canton Central Catholic.

Mooney placed 10th out of 15 teams with scores of 323/338. Individual totals: Braydich and Keller 160, Strollo 169, Pas-serotti 172, and Butler 178. Strollo cel-ebrated his 16th birthday the first day of the tournament and enjoyed playing the cham-pionship course.

“I had a great time playing Canterbury and hope we can play here next year,” said Strollo.

Keller savored the competition, “The opportunity to play against the best in the state on a prestigious course is an honor.”

After Canterbury, the Cardinals wrapped up their tri matches against Ursuline and JFK, and finished the three tri matches with a perfect 6-0 record and four players on the Catholic League Team: Butler, Braydich, Keller, and Passerotti.

After the tri matches, Passerotti said he looked forward to, “the opportunity to get back to state and improve this time, and spending time with friends one last time.”

Butler, although a new addition to the team said, “Being able to play my favorite game with my favorite people is fun.”

The Cardinals continued their success-ful season at Windmill Lakes for Section-als, where they won by 18 shots over Gi-rard; Keller 75, Braydich 80, Passerotti 84, Strollo 85.

Next was Districts at the same course, Windmill Lakes. The boys struggled to a 328, missing state by 15 shots, and coming in 4th. Individually, Braydich’s 80 was four shots shy of state and Keller’s 77 a single shot shy.

“This will serve for major motivation next year. My goal next year is to not only make state but, win it,” Keller said.

Guys golf fall just short of StateBy Nick Braydich

Lizzie Matthews had an outstanding ten-nis career and was prepared to end with a successful senior season and the hope of playing in college. All hopes were dashed when she had her tragic accident.

Matthews was playing in a tennis match at St. Thomas Aquinas when her injury occurred. “I slid for a ball and caught my toe in a crack in the court, which tore my ACL,” stated Matthews.

“I fell to the ground, everyone stopped and I knew something was wrong, I was devastated when I heard that my senior season was over,” said Matthews.

Her team was crushed by the news, I felt bad for her because she had to miss her se-nior season. I know she wishes she could’ve played,” said Jessica DiDomenico.”

“I was upset because I couldn’t go to state with my sister during her senior sea-son,” said Hannah Matthews. Hannah filled her sister’s spot as first singles.

Matthews went to all the matches and supported the team and her sister. She goes to therapy 2-3 times a week and plans to have surgery in November.

Matthews had hoped to play in college, but now she says, “I am keeping my op-tions open.”

Victoria Lyden said, “It was difficult to win without the talent and leadership of Lizzie.”

Matthews’ final record was 62-4 before her injury. She said she misses the competi-tion and playing with her sister.

Matthews was a big part of the tennis team’s success and without her the team was unable to overcome their opponents and lost in districts to end their season.

Injury sidelines MatthewsBy Jake FonderlinBy Jake Fonderlin

choir

October 2015 The Beakon Sports 15

The girls’ tennis team gained 12 team members, lost one, and began building.

New players include: freshman: Alana Boswer, sophomores: Lauren Frommelt, Miranda Keck, Victoria Lyden, Julie Mon-tanez, Juliette Palusak, Maria Pelini, Bella Stanko, Adriana Vennetti, Kennedy Wil-liams, and junior: Morgan Wardle.

“This made the season an interesting one,” said Lizzie Matthews, senior. Mat-thews missed most of the season with an ACL injury.

New members enjoyed the camaraderie of the team and how helpful everyone is.

“I enjoy how tennis is laid back and the coaches are very helpful at giving tips and pointers as I have never played tennis be-fore,” said Vennetti.

Returning players are: Jessie DiDo-menico, Isabella Francisco, Julia Giamboi, Hannah Matthews, sophomores and Lizzie Matthews, senior.

They played some tough teams and had some big wins as well. Their most chal-lenging games were against Laurel, Or-ange, and Hathaway Brown a Division II

Girls’ tennis team rebuilds; rebounds; has funBy Maddie Graziano

team. They defeated Beaver Local, Boardman,

Akron Hoban, Revere, and United and lost to Ursuline, St. Thomas Aquinas, and JFK ending the season with a 12¬6 record.

“The season was rough because we lost some state-ranked players to graduation and to injuries, so we had to play with what

we had,” said Lyden. Frommelt agreed saying, “Even through

all the bumps in the road we ended up mak-ing the season a good one”

The team is lead by fifth¬year Coach Jimmy Leslie, who took the girls’ to state in 2013, and districts in 2014.

Over the years, the junior varsity foot-ball team was overlooked as the impor-tance of varsity football overshadows jv’s, but the team hopes they end the year with a winning record.

“The football team has a lot of talent and expects a good season,” said Brent Weaver, sophomore.

The team worked hard and practiced four times a week under coaches Mike Lyden and Greg Giannios.

“Hopefully, the team will still succeed after losing three key players from last year who they moved up to varsity: Vinny Gen-tile, Alex Maxin, and Antonio Page,” said Weaver.

Sophomore Karter Kesner said key players this year are Andre McCoy run-ning back, Brennan Olesh quarterback, and Matt Hough wide receiver.

They play several strong teams, but, their toughest opponents are St. Ignatius and St. Vincent St. Mary’s, according to

Matt Hough. Some less intimidating opponents in-

clude, Boardman, Erie McDowell, and Mentor Lake Catholic, and while last year’s team had a tough loss to Ursuline this years’ team is determined to conquer the Irish.

Although the team looks good, they should never go into a game overconfident.

Many players said their favorite part of playing football is winning and playing with friends. They also enjoy going to the victory bell and celebrating with fans and teammates. These players worked hard to ensure the best season possible, and the fi-nal record will reflect their hard work and effort.

T h e y won! Fi-nal score 12 - 6.

JV Football determined to beat the IrishBy Jake Fonderlin

16 Random Stuff The Beakon October 2015

YSU Press Day 2015

Class Act TeacherMrs. Diane Mastro Nard was presented the WFMJ Class Act teacher award for the second time. Mastro was nominated by Christine Mullarky.