Bear The

VOLUME 16, ISSUE NO. 4 • MARCH 8, 2013 www.sjbearfacts.com • SAINT JOSEPH CATHOLIC SCHOOLFactsBear Facts

SAVING BABIESUsing prayer and sacri� ce, St. Joseph students travel nearly a thousand miles to participate in national pro-life movement

Prom set for Mississippi Children’s Museum

Top photo: Hundreds of people march on Washington and the nation’s Capitol to protest the legalization of abortion that took place 40 years ago with the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in Roe V. Wade. Bottom photo: St. Joe students Bridget Abadie, left, Sammie Dupont, Mary Kathryn Wheatley and Lucy Loveless participate in the annual March for Life event protesting abortion.

INSIDE THISEDITION

St. Joe students travel to France, A3

Speech and Debate heads to Nationals, A6

Basketball team nets winning season, B1

Visit The Bear Facts Onlinewww.sjbearfacts.com

Have a safe Spring Break

St. Joseph seniors and juniors will celebrate their 2013 prom at the Mis-sissippi Children’s Museum in Jackson – a location students and others say will make the event unique and unforget-table.

The Children’s Museum, located off Highland Drive about a mile south of

the Mississippi Agriculture Museum, provides elementary-age children with an interactive learning experience in such areas as cultural arts, literature and health.

“I think prom at the Children’s Mu-seum will be so much fun,” said Anna Claire Chastain, a junior at St. Joe.

“We are all kids at heart, and we will probably end up running around like the little kids that go to the museum every

day.”The prom will be held on Saturday,

April 27, from 7 p.m.-11 p.m.; the event is open to St. Joe seniors and juniors and their invited guests.

Allison Tupman, the 11th grade ad-viser and one of the lead prom coordi-nators, said that “the Mississippi Chil-dren’s Museum was chosen because of its central location, size and availability.

“With the growing number of stu-

dents attending prom, it is necessary that our venue be large enough to accommo-date a sit-down dinner and still leave plenty of room for dancing and social-izing,” Tupman said. “The majority of our event will be held in areas that most people don’t even realize exist.”

The junior class is planning this year’s prom. Earlier in the school year, the junior class raised more than $7,000 for the prom budget through the sale of

cheese cakes. Money they raised will fund all of the costs for prom, with the remainder going to the junior class bank account.

The entire Children’s Museum, in-cluding all interactive exhibits, will be open to all prom attendees. Among the exhibits are a giant, oversized Scrabble game and a large wooden train set.

A separate area of the building will be

By BRIA PAIGEStaff Writer

See St. Joe prom, A8

St. Joe drama department to perform ‘The Music Man’

St. Joseph Catholic School will stage its own production of the award-win-ning musical “The Music Man” this spring on campus.

The Fine Arts Department will stage the play Friday, April 19, through Sun-day, April 21. Tickets are $10 for gen-eral admission and will be on sale at the door.

“The Music Man,” written by Mer-edith Wilson, is about a travelling con man who comes to town with a scam to start a boys’ band. The town is won over through upbeat tunes and the idea of a town marching band. In the process, the main character decides to do the right thing and creates the band.

This will be a very ex-citing produc-tion, accord-ing to theater director Ra-chael Ken-yon.

“The whole thing, every part, is in-teresting,” Kenyon said. “The actors

can be as big and comical as they want to be. All of the musical numbers are a lot of fun.”

She urged students to plan now to at-tend.

“These performers give so much of their time for this production,” she said. “And they want their peers to come out

to see them.”School

productions such as “The Music Man” are possible with the sup-port and ef-fort of the student body. Students bal-ance play practice with academics,

sports, and other extracurricular activities. They also build the sets, work the sound board, play in the orchestra, coordinate behind the scenes moving sets and act in the play.

Sophomore actor Andrew Morgan, who played a key role in last fall’s production of “And Then There Were None,” landed the lead role of Harold Hill in “The Music Man.” Despite his involvement in fi ne arts, he said, aca-demics comes fi rst.

“If I have a test the next day, I study for it before reading my script. If I want to stay in the play I have to keep my grades up,” Morgan said.

Music director Ronnie Russell said he is excited to see so many of his stu-dents volunteer their time to play in the orchestra for the musical. He believes that the music, and especially having a live band, adds much to the musical.

“It moves along the plot, and the mu-sic portrays the same tone as the scene on stage,” Russell said. “The acous-tics of the auditorium also improve the

By LONDON HATTENStaff Writer

As friends and family waved goodbye in the early-morning chill, a

group of St. Joe students pre-pared for fi ve days of cold weather, personal refl ection and spiritual sacrifi ce – all to save the lives of the unborn.

The 107 students were on a mission Thursday, Jan. 24. They were headed to Washington, D.C., to participate in March for Life, which commemorated the 40th anniversary of the legalization of abortion in the United States.

“I went on the trip because I believe that every life is sacred,” said Lucy Loveless, a sophomore.

St. Joseph students joined other stu-dents from Catholic parishes from across the state on the annual trip to the nation’s capital to protest the legaliza-tion of abortion.

While St. Joe students have made the annual trek to Washington for three years, joining Catholics from Louisiana

on the trip, this was the fi rst time the Catholic Diocese of Jack-son sponsored a group. St. Joe sophomore Mary Kathryn Wheatley said she wanted to “be a voice for those who can-not speak for themselves.”

“Our genera-tion is making a difference and infl uenc-ing others through our sacrifi ces and ef-forts,” she said.

As St. Joe students gathered in the school gym that Thursday morning wait-ing for their chartered bus to arrive, the tone among them and some chaperones was a mix of nervousness, excitement and anticipation. Bishop Joseph Latino blessed everyone, who were then split into two busses.

The buses pulled out of the parking See March for Life, A8

Story and photos by Elisabeth Scott

St. Joseph celebrates Black History Month

MORE INSIDE

Students refl ect on march, A4 Maggie Smith: March leaves lasting memories, A5 Nathan Gieb: A personal journey, A8

RACHAEL KENYON

ANDREW MORGAN

Black History Month is the annual month to remember the important peo-ple and events in the history of the Afri-can American culture. The whole month is a celebration of African American history and an acknowledgement of the hard work put in for African Americans to be free. It is also to help people be-come more tolerant of each other’s dif-ferences.

The annual month is February for the

United States and October for the United King-dom.

In 1926, his-torian Carter G. Woodson and the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History announced the second week of February to be “Negro History Week.” This week was chosen because it marked the birthday of Abraham Lin-coln and Frederick Douglass. It was also chosen because it was the founding

month of the NAACP.“Negro History Week” soon became

“Black History Month.” The fi rst cel-ebration was at Kent State in February of 1970.

African Americans struggled with adversity to achieve full citizenship in American society. Many African Ameri-cans fought for the right to be treated equally as stated in the Constitution: “All men are created equal.”

Although “Black History Month” was to strike at the importance of black history, there were many critics. Mor-

gan Freeman, a critic of Black History Month, said, “I don’t want a Black His-tory Month. Black history is American history.”

Carter G. Woodson said he hoped the week could one day be eliminated – when black history would become fun-damental to American history.

On Feb. 7, Verna Meyers of Madison led a Black History Month assembly at St. Joseph Catholic School. Meyers mainly explained what black history was to her and how it contributed to her

See black history, A8

By JACK HALLStaff Writer

See Music Man, A8

MORE INSIDE

Trip opens eyes to civil rights, B5

This up-com-

ing Memo-rial Day, the St. Joseph Speech and Debate team will take 16 competitors and their families to the City of Brotherly Love – also known as Philadelphia, Penn.

As a senior member and cap-tain of the team, this will be my fifth year on the team and my fourth and final year of going to a Catholic Nationals Tournament with the St. Joe forensics team – meaning that each and every moment will be full of sentiment and nostalgia.

Looking back on my years with the team, I am reminded of all of the friendships and relationships I have made. This activity, which is actually considered a sport by the MH-SAA, is not easily understood by those on the outside.

Sure, we travel on most week-ends and run around in suits all day. But on a deeper level, Speech and Debate is a bunch of colorful characters arguing and

OpinionMARCH 8, 2013A2

The Bear Facts

Miranda Barrett • Teryn YazdaniEditors

Matthew McKinleyWeb Site Editor

Terry R. Cassreino, Faculty AdviserKeith Barnes, Principal

ReportersHalle Anderson

Jack ButtsRachel Divine

Searcy FoxNathan GiebVictor Griffin

Matthew HarkeyLondon HattenNick HembreeJack Hoffman

Mary Claire LogueJacquelyn Massey

ReportersSam Osborne

Bria PaigeOlivia PostSara Powell

Rachel ReddixKathryn SckietsElisabeth Scott

Milena SebuktekinMaggie Smith

Ian VandevenderJordan Welsh

Whitney Willoughby

The Bear Facts, the official student newspaper of St. Joseph Catholic School, is published at least once each quarter of the school year. This newspaper is devoted to the interests of the

student body, faculty, parents, alumni and community of St. Joseph. This paper’s purpose is to reflect the spirit of St. Joseph Catholic

School, keep the school community informed and help promote the school’s Christian values.

All stories and photographs are copyright © 2013 by The Bear Facts and St. Joseph Catholic School.

Reproduction and unauthorized use of any article, photograph or graphic in this newspaper is prohibited without explicit written

consent in advance. Contact The Bear Facts, P.O. Box 2027, Madison, MS 39130-2927.

Our View

Student Views

Charles King, 9th Grade“Probably three hours because I really need to study.”

Casey Hall, 11th Grade“Three hours because I love school.”

Christina Burse, 7th Grade“I spend probably an hour and thirty minutes studying because I want to get A’s on my tests.”

Liza Ambriz, 8th Grade“Probably four or five hours because I

want to get good grades in school.”

Darius Farmer, 10th Grade“An hour because I want to get good

grades.”

Rachel Robinson, 12th Grade“Only thirty minutes because I already

know most of it from school.”

With the third semester coming to a close at St. Joseph Catholic School, eighth-grader Kaitlyn Watson, a contributor to The Bear Facts, asked students how much time they spend on homework each night. Here is what some of them said:

With the fourth quarter set to begin after Spring Break, Watson asked students whether they liked the first semester or the second semester better. Here is what some of them said:

Matthew McKinley, 12th Grade“I like second semester more because I don’t have to do any more college applications.”

Kristian Washington, 7th Grade“I like the second semester because school’s almost over.”

Pera Massey, 8th Grade“I like the second semester because I’m

ready for eight grade to be over with.”

Trey Orsborne, 12th Grade“I like the second semester because it’s

closer to the end of the school year.”

Underclassmen look for-ward to their senior year about as much as seniors

look forward to graduation. I remember my freshman year, getting to know all the seniors and wishing that I could be as old and cool as they were. Then, in my sophomore year, I simply wanted to get through my tough classes and imagined my senior year being carefree and fun. And, of course, last year all I wanted was to hurry up and get to my senior year.

I must admit, senior year is pretty great. Finally hav-ing a sense of authority is very refreshing after five years of being the little kids. The senior deck is also a nice perk of being top dog.

However, I have to warn you that senior year, while fun and exciting, is also the most stress-ful year of high school.

The main reason is, of course, college. At the beginning of the year you will be thrust into a confusing world of online ap-plications, vague instructions on scholarships, and no real plan for how to get into college.

The stress of picking schools, applying for admis-sion and scholar-ships and trying to keep track of it all stays with you and builds up over time.

As a senior looking back on the application process, St. Joe offered a lot of effective guid-ance.

The annual college fair each fall, which attracts representa-tives from higher education institutions across the South and the country, is an effective event that offers students an opportuni-ty to see what programs specific universities offer.

The ACT prep classes are a great way to help students improve scores on the ACT – something many colleges use to help decide to accept students or offer them scholarships.

St. Joe also is revising and

improving the help it provides students in the actual application process.

I wish I had a better plan go-ing into that process. Instead, I picked seven schools to apply to and hoped for the best. I still have trouble keeping up with where I am with each school.

One possibility: Maybe St. Joe could offer a class or small ses-sion with a teacher or counselor specifically geared toward the application process. I had been told multiple times to apply for scholarships and to use what’s called the “Common Applica-tion.” But I didn’t really have any idea how to do any of it.

So, based on my experiences this year, allow me to offer some advice to help you manage the stress and confusion of college applications.

First of all, start making a list of colleges that interest you. I advise keeping it to five schools or less. Some people will advise you to pick nine – but let’s face it, nine applications would make you go absolutely crazy. Pick some schools in state and some out of state. Have one that you

know you’ll get into, and one that you know is a long shot.

After that, go to each college’s Web site and find out if they use the Common Application. If not, fill out their application on their individual site. I suggest using the same email and password for each application and writing it down.

After that, you just have to wait. Once you’re accepted, you’ll receive more information about scholarship applications.

The most important part is to start early. The summer before your senior year, decide which schools to which you want to apply.

Also get your difficult classes out of the way during your sophomore and junior years. Don’t overload yourself with hard work. Trust me, you’ll be happy later.

So, to sum it all up, look forward to your senior year. Just prepare yourself, because you only get to apply to the right col-lege once. Unless of course you slack off your senior year and get to do it again later.

Laziness:a vicious cycle Procrastination is probably the largest

hurdle any high school student will ever have to face in order to achieve good grades. At home, students may believe

they have much better things to do, or at least things they would rather do than study and slave away doing homework. Then, the next day, they stress and run around trying to finish any of the work they put off.

Ask yourself: In the end, is putting off a half hour of work for several hours of fun really worth the stress the next day? Sadly, in some cases, common sense and determined work ethic has a hard time beating evening television.

The worst habit some students have developed due to procrastination is staying up freakishly late at night. Many upperclassmen can, no doubt, attest to this. It just seems that the more you progress from grade level to grade level, the later that you will stay up at night.

When some see the clock hit 10, they think: “Well, it’s time for ‘The Daily Show.’ No way I’m going to bed now.” Next thing they know it’s two hours later and they think, “Well, time to catch up on my YouTube subscriptions.”

By the end it’s 3 in the morning. They dread waking up. And they finally force themselves to get some sleep. The point is that we live in a time where there are so many distractions, the Internet being possibly being the largest one.

Homework is not the only thing students put off. Without sleep, a student will probably spend the time they didn’t sleep the night before nap-ping in class.

The best thing that any student can do to com-bat this is to do some form of exercise in the af-ternoon to burn off any excess energy, go home, eat dinner and finish their homework.

That student will most likely have plenty of time to watch television and kick back. When it starts getting late, set a time to head to bed and turn off any electronics. Sit somewhere quiet and just let yourself wind down.

In no time, your body will be ready for some well-needed rest.

Just remember that a teenager needs a good eight hours of sleep or more per night. Is staying up all night on YouTube, playing video games or watching television really worth the misery and drowsiness the next day? The answer is some-times.

But most of the time it’s better to procrastinate on watching your shows than it is to put off on catching some Z’s.

talking to walls. Just kidding. We don’t argue – we debate. We do, however, talk to walls. Ask any one on the team.

Despite waking up in the wee hours of the morning and going until we drop at the end of the day, I wouldn’t have spent my high school weekends any other way.

I’m going to miss helping the novices (who, by the way, are phenomenal this year) and all the crazy antics that go down at practices and the tournaments themselves. Apples to Apples and “Lion/Fish” anyone?

This activity has given me relationships that surpass grade lines, making friendships with people that I might not have known otherwise.

Even though the season is not exactly over, I would just like to take a moment to thank my amazing coaches and teammates for all of the wonderful memo-ries that I will be leaving with as I cross the graduation stage.

I know that I have nothing to worry about for the years to come because the team is being left in ever capable hands.

I cannot wait until our team takes Philly by storm, making impressions and memories on the national stage that last.

Members of the St. Joe speech and debate team after a school assembly last month. From left: Kathryn Sckiets; James Patin; Pam Walberg, the team coach; Miranda Barrett; and Teryn Yazdani.

Senior sentimentality: Speech and debate team

Word to the wise – college prep work is not a walk in the park

MIRANDA BARRETTEditor

TERYN YAZDANIEditor

Special to The Bear Facts

Bruin NewsA3MARCH 8, 2013

St. Joseph French teacher Bob-bi Naylor is taking a group of stu-dents and parents to France.

Six adults and 13 students left Mississippi on Thursday and will return March 15.

“I have taken students to France several times in the past. It is a great teaching and learning tool,” Naylor said.

On the trip, students will see places discussed in class. On the first day alone, students will take a walk around Paris and visit Ile de la Cité, Notre Dame Cathe-dral, Ile St. Louis and the Latin Quarter.

“It will be cool seeing the Arc de Triomphe and going into mu-seums like Le Louvre and just experiencing all the stuff we talk-ed about in class,” junior Natalie Smyth said.

Day 1 will not be an easy one, however. The group will arrive in Paris at 6 a.m. after a 17-hour plane ride.

“I will probably sleep most of the plane ride because the minute we get off, we will be exploring,” said junior Lucy Kennington.

The students will also be able to use the language that they have been studying. It will help them get from place to place easier.

“We will have to be able to read signs in French and commu-nicate with the French people,” Kennington said.

On second day, students will visit Paris landmarks including the Arc de Triomphe, Champs-

St. Joseph group heads to France

By ELISABETH SCOTTStaff Writer

St. Joseph girls take the ‘Nun Run 2013’

By RACHEL DIVINEStaff Writer

Élysées, Eiffel Tower, Champ de Mars, École Militaire, Les In-valides, Conciergerie, Tuileries, Place Vendôme, and the Opera House.

“I’m mostly looking forward to eating the food and seeing the Eiffel Tower. Also, I’m excited for being with friends in foreign country,” Kennington said.

On the third day, the group will ride Europe’s fastest train, the TVG, to Avignon. On Day 4, they will Travel to Cote d’Azur via Aix-en-Provence & Cassis and go on a Calanques cruise. They will also travel to Nice this day.

On Day 5, they will visit Mo-naco, tour the Prince’s palace and visit the Parfumerie. On their fi-nal day in France, they will visit the Côte d’Azur.

“I have seen almost everything we will see. I enjoy seeing it for the first time through the eyes of others. I look forward to just be-ing in France. I love it – every-thing from the café au lait to the baguettes,” Naylor said.

Special to The Bear FactsStudents from St. Joseph Catholic School hug Sister Grace, a Discalced Carmelite nun, during the “Nun Run 2013.” Sister Grace’s convent is in Covington, La.

Students ready for break

Spring break and warmer weather are here – the week-long holiday begins today.

“Spring Break is the best time of the school year. It marks the end of third quarter, which means you have survived writ-ing your research paper and only two months until you get out for summer,” sophomore Joanna Bellan said.

“Spring break is always fun because the weather is warm and you can go outside.”

Spring Break is generally one week in late March. It gives stu-dents an opportunity to relax and take a break from the pressures and hard work at school.

The break falls right after third quarter, which many St. Joe stu-dents say feels like the longest quarter of the school year.

Usually, every student has something different planned for the break.

Sophomores Sophia and Isa-

By MARY CLAIRE LOGUE Staff Writer

belle Cosmich, senior Alex Cos-mich and their family are going to Brenckenridge, Colo., for a ski trip. The ski trip is a big change from trips the family has taken in the past to warmer climates like Costa Rica.

“Our family loves warm weather, but we thought we should try something new,” So-phia said.

Although the Cosmich family is spending break at a cold venue, many people try to venture off to warm tropical places after the

holidays to relax. That is exactly what the

Doiron family has planned. Eighth-grader Shelby Doiron,

her twin brother Chad, and their family are going to Hawaii for spring break. Shelby said, “I can’t wait to hang out with my friends in Hawaii and drink re-ally good milkshakes.”

Sophomore Joanna Bellan and her family are spending the break at the beaches along Gulf Shores, Alabama. Bellan said, “I’m so ready for warm weather and to be able to lay out on the beach.”

Some students don’t have plans for the break in March and plan on staying at home to relax. Sophomore Hunter Beene is staying in Madison over the vacation.

“I plan on hanging out with all of my other friends in town and going to the pool,” Beene said.

Many families stay home over the break because they do not want to deal with the struggles of traveling.

“Spring Break is always fun because the

weather is warm and you can

go outside.” – Joanna Bellan, a

sophomore

“I’m mostly looking forward to eating the

food and seeing the Eiffel Tower,”

– Lucy Kennington, a junior

Fifteen high school girls from St. Joseph Catholic School joined religion teacher Emily Lazor and St. Richard’s youth group leaders Amelia Rizor and Melisa Shap-ley for the “Nun Run 2013.”

The girls met at St. Richard Catholic Church on Saturday, Feb. 23, to leave for Louisiana. Arriving in Louisiana around 10:30 a.m., the ladies went to the Magnificat House to drop off their luggage. The Magnificat House is a place where young women can live during their dis-cernment process. Discernment is listening to God’s call to voca-tions.

This is where the girls met Sister Diane, a Marianite nun, and Sister Carmen, a Sister of the Holy Family. After the girls got settled in at the Magnificat House, they left to have lunch with the Marianites of the Holy Cross. The Marianites gave a

tour of their convent.After the tour, the group spent

some time with the Discalced Carmelites. The Carmelites are a cloistered order, meaning they spend most of their day in prayer without leaving their convent

Then, the group had evening prayers with the Daughters of St. Paul. The Daughters of St. Paul specialize in evangelization through the media.

They manage a bookstore, Pauline Press, and their convent

is right above their chapel which is located the level above their bookstore.

For dinner, the group spent time with the Sisters and Daugh-ters of Charity. The sisters spoke about their charism and ministry.

After the long day, the group headed back to the Magnificat House for games and stories of vocations.

The next day, the girls were treated to breakfast with the O. Carmelites at the Magnifi-cat House. After breakfast, the group went to Mass at the St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans.

At Mass, the group met with the Nashville Dominicans of St. Cecillia. The Dominicans gave the group a tour of their chapel and showed a quick video about their order and the mother house in Nashville.

After a long weekend of fun with the nuns, the group said its good-byes to all the sisters, and the ladies headed back to Madi-son.

“I was really touched by all

the nuns who are so in love with Jesus Christ.”

– Maggie Smith, a junior

Bruin NewsMARCH 8, 2013A4

This was my fi rst year on March for Life, and all I can say is that it was an experience – but an amazing one. I went on the March for Life with

the Catholic Diocese of Jackson. I went on the march because I believe that abortion should be made illegal and that every life is precious, no matter the size or shape. I put my energy and effort into this

problem by prayer and sacrifi ce. I sacrifi ced warmth for those (who) can’t feel it (and) my phone for those who never get one. I prayed so much on four short

days that it felt like a lifetime with God. I’ve never been so happy or at peace with myself. This trip did change me; it helped me grow in my faith and it showed me that I love God and babies. – Lucy Miller Loveless

March for Life 2013 opened my eyes to the reality of abortion. I would not say the march itself impacted me the most, but the thousands of people joining together around me fi ghting for life. To be a part of such a large movement

changed my perspective completely. Walking by a stranger was like walking by a family member because this common bond was so strong.I will forever remember this experience

because those 650,000 people, and I now share the love and the sacrifi ce for the pro-life movement. – Lindsey Funderburg

On my journey to March for Life in Washington, D.C., I had no idea what to expect. My mind was fi lled with different visions and expectations of what I would experience. What I encountered on the March

for Life was far greater than I ever imagined. The streets of Washington, D.C.,

were fi lled with thousands of high school and college students sharing their pro-life beliefs. This large amount of people was mind-blowing! An estimated 650,000 people marched the cold streets in D.C. as it began to snow. As I was marching, a sign with

these wise words touched my heart: “Any country that accepts abortion, is not teaching its people to love, but to use any violence to get what it wants,” Mother Teresa. After I read these words, I began to pray for our country and its leaders.While walking up Capital Hill as it

began to snow, I realized that if our God is for us, who can be against us? I continue to pray everyday for the

abolishment of abortion. I hope that you do, too, and realize that everyday is a blessing and gift from God. – Mary Kathryn Wheatley

The March for Life mission trip I took with my diocese to Washington, D.C., was one of the greatest experiences I’ve had in my life as a Catholic.The march truly defi ned what I

believe: All life is sacred and a gift given from God. About 650,000 pro-life voices were heard that day, and the world can’t ignore this injustice in our society any longer. I was one of the many that gave

a voice to the voiceless, fought for those that could not fi ght. That’s why I came on this pilgrimage – to defend life. I will never forget this experience

I shared with my friends and can’t wait to March for Life next year.“Before I formed you in the womb,

I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.” – Jeremiah 1:5

– Jackson Olstad

I thought that the March for Life we had this year was great. We had a wonderful group with us, which made the trip all the more wonderful.One thing that I really loved about the march

was the fact that you could really tell that everyone wanted to be there. You could just tell by the way that no one complained on the actual march; instead, we all walked around with smiles on our faces, chanting about how we were saving babies. Also, when any hardship came our way, like when the bus was late outside the train station in the freezing cold, we all simply huddled together and just enjoyed each other’s company ignoring the cold. One thing that I defi nitely got out of this trip was a huge new group of friends. I don’t think there was one person on our bus

that I didn’t grow closer to on that trip. The same thing happened last year, too. I always leave the March for Life with at least 40 new friends. I’ll defi nitely be going again next year, – Sammie Dupont

St. Joseph Catholic School students on the March for Life in Washington, D.C., pose in the National Mall just before the march.

Several students in Barbara Mustain’s and Emily Lazor’s 10th- and 11th-grade religion classes participated in this year’s

March for Life. A� er returning, as part of a class assignment, the students wrote letters re� ecting on their experiences. Here are a

few of the letters the students wrote.

March for Life: Saving babies

Photo by Elisabeth Scott/The Bear Facts

A marcher holds a sign during the March for Life in Washington, D.C., in January.Photo by Elisabeth Scott/The Bear Facts

St. Joseph students share their thoughts, feelings in letters

Bruin NewsA5MARCH 8, 2013

March for Life leaves lasting memories

By MAGGIE SMITHStaff Writer

It’s Thursday, Jan. 24, and two large charter buses are parked outside St. Joseph Catholic School.

Teenagers and college students crowd into the gym, sporting sweatpants and stuffed, rolling suitcases. The crowd splits into small cliques, sepa-rated into each church of the Jackson Diocese.

Eventually, the students wait in the bleachers as the buses load and the churches distribute between the two vehicles. St. Richard’s Catholic Church has particular trouble, even though they have just 10 students and two chaper-ones.

Excitement fi lls the air, quickly turn-ing into anxiety at the slow pace. But eventually, Bishop Joseph Latino of the Jackson Diocese gives his blessing, the buses load, the students head for Wash-ington, D.C., and the 2013 March for Life.

This is my personal day-by-day ac-count of the trip – a yearly effort to overturn the Roe V. Wade U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized abortions.

• • •DAY 1: THURSDAY, JAN. 24

The fi rst day begins slowly.Some people introduce themselves.

But, initially, the bus ride involves little more than a few dozen teenagers plug-ging in their iPods.

Eventually, the Rev. Scott Thomas starts a game of “Two Truths and a Lie,” which prompts a few students to interact.

I meet students from St. Joe Green-ville and chat with a few Millsaps stu-dents. Still, there isn’t much human in-teraction outside of individual churches until a few hours later.

By the time we stop for dinner, ev-erything shifts. The small group of St. Joe students on my bus teaches every-one the dance for “Alive Again” by Matt Maher, and the Millsaps students teach the high school students about their majors. Prayer takes on a major role, through the Rosary and samples of

the Liturgy of the Hours.I learn that Reya is full-blooded

Lebanese, fl uent in a dialect that mixes French, Arabic and English; that Erin is a fi lm and English major; that Kevin speaks fl uent French; and that Melinda embodies the craziness of Megan, a character from the fi lm “Bridesmaids.”

Dinner is in a mall food court, the fi rst of many. I bond with my youth group and chat with anyone on the trip who passes by.

Everything becomes a bit crazy as Bailey Brilley comments on Mrs. Mus-tain’s “ice cream swag” and Ms. Lazor drops her salad while busting a move.

The night closes with more bonding through Two Truths and a Lie, a show-ing of “Despicable Me,” and the fi nal decat of the rosary. Students line the fl oor to sleep more easily, while others cram themselves into awkward positions in the seats. I stay awake for a while. I have never understood how people can sleep easily on road trips, especially on crowded buses.

• • •DAY 2: FRIDAY, JAN. 25

The second day begins for many at about 3 in the morning. We stop at some type of truck stop or rest station in Vir-ginia to change into warmer clothes, but apparently there is not enough room for it to be very effi cient. We drive another hour to change.

The bus is boiling with so many bod-ies wrapped in warm clothes, but ev-erything’s quiet for a while, as most are back to sleep or just exhausted. Around 8 or 8:30 a.m., the buses arrive in Wash-ington.

Every member of the bus wears a thick blue hat, so we can be identifi ed on the march. We spend about an hour walking around D.C., pausing to take pictures and pray two decats of the ro-

sary in front of the White House. My group waits outside the Smith-

sonian Air & Space Museum for what feels like several hours as my toes go numb in my boots and my hand warm-ers run out of juice.

Finally, the doors open, and a sea of blue hats fl oods the museum; people try to thaw themselves after who knows how long in the cold. The museum food court overfl ows with teenagers crowd-ing cash registers, trying to get a bite to eat. McDonald’s is the standard choice.

We wander the museum for an hour admiring the dozens of fl ying machines, from fl imsy to futuristic, hanging from the ceiling. Finally, we gather outside and head to the National Mall. It is time for the march.

It turns out we have approximately an hour and half before the actual march begins. We receive signs and other pro-life memorabilia, and, slowly, every ounce of warmth soaked in from the museum fades away.

As the hour and a half dwindles to one hour, then to 30 minutes, delirium sets in. We entertain ourselves by hitting each other with signs that read “Defend Life.” It’s strange how entertaining and ironic it is.

“We’re moving. I think we’re mov-ing!” someone shouts every 10 minutes or so. But, eventually, we are. The huge mass of people slowly inches its way along the route of the march, and this is when it becomes extremely diffi cult.

By this time, it hurts to move your feet because they are practically frozen in your boots. You’re surrounded by people who don’t have a good under-standing of personal space.

Did I mention the steady stream of snow that starts falling halfway through?

But somehow, it’s all worth it. The Rosary comes to mind, and it keeps me occupied at the slow pace we’ve ad-opted. I remember why I’m there, and it somehow makes me feel less cold.

Soon enough, the march ends, and members of the Jackson Diocese strug-gle in the cold to fi nd the bus. It takes us about another hour and a half, which includes doing nothing but standing in the snow.

The night is topped off with a Matt Maher concert and youth rally none of us really want to attend. We spend far too long on a bus and in the cold, and it seems almost cruel to be kept away from a cushy hotel room. But eventually, the rally doesn’t seem so bad, and I dance with my friends to every Maher song we know and a few we really don’t.

We run into an old St. Joe teacher who’s since moved away. It’s almost like we were supposed to be there.

• • •DAY 3: SATURDAY, JAN. 26

Saturday is tour day, beginning with the Jackson Diocese placing a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Ar-lington National Cemetery.

Most of our day is spent driving to The Basilica of the Shrine of the Immac-ulate Conception, an enormous Catholic

church with a huge underground burial chamber with the names of the dead in-scribed on the walls.

The basilica also houses dozen of dif-ferent altars to Mary, represented in sev-eral different cultures. The church itself is huge, with rows upon rows of pews and a huge vaulted ceiling with varying biblical mosaics. This part of the trip is junior Hannah Heilman’s favorite.

“I really loved the Basilica. The mo-saics were so beautiful, and they really showed Catholic unity from around the world,” Heilman said.

The day ends with a night tour of D.C. After a long few days of bus rides in cramped quarters and standing in the cold, it’s nice to kick back for a little while.

• • •DAY 4: SUNDAY, JAN. 27

Suddenly, we’re leaving.The buses are loaded, my sweat pants

are on, and we pile back into the buses for the long trip home. There isn’t much to describe. Mostly, we sleep. We talk, we laugh and we pray. But mostly we sleep.

There is one memorable event, how-ever. It’s what junior Mollie Montgom-ery remembers most.

“One moment I really remember is when our bus driver told us that when he came on the bus, he wasn’t sure what his view on abortion was,” she said. “But after spending a few days with us, we changed his point of view and he de-cided abortion was wrong.”

We share a moment. And again, we sleep.

• • •DAY 5: MONDAY, JAN. 28

Around 3 in the morning, it’s all over.I leave the bus and new friends be-

hind in the St. Joe parking lot. I sit in my room, thinking about it all. I scroll through Instagram photos, browse foot-age on my camera.

It all seems so far away, like a dream. It seems like a very happy, very new and different dream.

Before I know it, I really am dream-ing, asleep in my own warm, freshly made bed.

But when I wake, for some reason I miss the scratchy bus seats and the stiff-ness in my body. Or maybe I just miss the people with whom I woke laughing.

“ Our bus driver told us that when he

came on the bus, he wasn’t sure what his view on abortion was. But after spending a few days with us, we changed his point of view and he decided

abortion was wrong.”

– Mollie Montgomery, a junior at St. Joe

Photo by Maggie Smith/The Bear FactsSt. Joseph Catholic School students Hannah Heilman, left, Mollie Montgomery and Bailey Brilley stand in the National Mall minutes before they participated in the March for Life.

MAGGIE SMITH

Photo by Maggie Smith/The Bear FactsReya Hayek of Greenville prepares to march on the U.S. Capitol. Hayek was part of the delegation from throughout the Catholic Diocese of Jackson that traveled to Washington, D.C., for the annual event.

When we fi rst pulled out of the St. Joe parking lot Thursday morning, I had no idea what to expect. This was my fi rst time to go on the march ... The prospect of going out of my way and dropping everything I was doing back home in order to go nearly 1,000 miles across country seemed less than appealing, and while I was excited, I felt a great deal of uncertainty....The march itself was a very unique experience. I was

surprised to see how many people there were not angry, ranting, or bitter. Rather, a vast majority of the 650,000 gathered were peacefully walking in support of their cause.As the temperature began to drop and snow started to fall,

I realized what incredible dedication on our parts it took to come out this weekend. Yes, the much-repeated words “prayer and sacrifi ce” became tiresome after a short while, but perhaps in this case, the journey was the destination. As we pulled back in to Madison early Monday morning,

there was a certain sense of solemnity that followed such a powerful experience. Maybe we only made a small change this year, but by continuing to demand a voice for the voiceless, we can soon bring reform. –Bailey Brilley

More student letters from March for Life

“ I really loved the Basilica. The mosaics were so beautiful,

and they really showed Catholic unity from around

the world.”

– Hannah Heilman, a junior at St. Joe

A personal day-by-day account of the 2013 March for Life

The experience I had on March for Life was not much different than I expected. ... It was prayer and sacrifi ce for all those who don’t have a voice in the world. We were speaking for all the unborn that couldn’t, the lives that were at risk. The whole thing was a very moving, powerful experience. I would say my favorite part of the march would be getting to the top of Capitol Hill and looking back and seeing all the people that had come out to support the pro-life movement. It was people and posters as far as the eye could see.The best part of the trip for me was visiting the Basilica

of the Immaculate Conception. It is the most beautiful church I have ever seen in my entire life. The outside of the church is huge and very pretty. When you go inside there are two fl oors. Both levels have many Chapels for the Virgin Mother. ...My overall experience on the March for Life was one I

won’t forget anytime soon. I am so glad I got to make this pilgrimage to Washington, D.C., to show my support of the pro-life movement. – Hannah Heilman

Bruin NewsMARCH 8, 2013

By NIC HEMBREEStaff Writer

A6

St. Joseph Catholic School speech and debate team is used to competing in tournaments all over the state, from DeSoto County to Pascagoula.

At the end of the school year, however, 16 team members will pack their bags for Philadelphia to attend the Catholic National Tournament in Philadelphia, Penn., during the last weekend in May.

“I feel as though going to Na-tionals will be an extremely won-derful experience,” said sopho-more Meredith King of Madison, an active member of the team who will compete in Oral Inter-pretation. “I’m super excited to spend bonding time with the rest of the speech and debate team and to meet new people as well.”

These team members have qualified to attend the tourna-ment: Kathryn Sckiets, Teryn Yazdani, Miranda Barrett, Bai-ley Brilley, Andrew Morgan, and Maggie Smith in the category of Duo Interpretation; Gene Loper, Benjamin Payne, and Patrick

Morgan in the category of Dra-matic Performance; James Pa-tin in the category of Original Oratory; Bria Paige in Lincoln Douglas Debate; Noah Greene in Declamation; Robert Tonos in Extemporaneous Speaking; and Meredith King, Megan Pat-terson, and Caleb McCullum in Oral Interpretation.

In past years, St. Joseph has taken a large group of students to compete in the Catholic National Tournament, which normally takes place immediately after school gets out in May. However, this year the team is taking one of the largest groups of students in its history.

The Catholic National Tourna-ment brings together thousands of speech and debate competitors from all over the country.

On Saturday of the tourna-ment, the students will partici-pate in four rounds of competi-tion, which are generally held at local universities and divided up by the different events. The com-petitors discover Saturday night if they advanced to, or “broken into,” the next rounds of com-petition – which will then take

Speech and debate heads to national competition

The Academy Awards, the most notable and esteemed movie award ceremony, has once again passed. In this admittedly tough year with several strong movies and actors, the Academy had its work cut out for it as it chose the best of the best. But this year’s Oscars also became a year to celebrate music in mov-ies, which seemed appropri-ate given the popularity of the musical-turned-movie “Les Mi-sérables.” Also, brought in this year were several singers from the James Bond series leading up to Adele Adkins’ song “Sky-fall” winning the award for Best Original Song.

Luckily, the host Seth MacFar-lane, creator of hit shows such as “Family Guy” and “American Dad” as well as the movie “Ted,” was well versed when it comes to musical theater and brought on several classic songs as well as a few he wrote himself for the show. Most notable of these was when he, Daniel Radcliffe,

By KATHRYN SCKIETSStaff Writer

Brain drain: The ACT challenges St. Joe studentsFood, water, clothing and

shelter are among life’s necessi-ties – along with something ev-ery high school student needs if he or she plans to attend college: The ACT.

“I hate it,” junior Blake Rueff said. “But it’s pretty much re-quired if I want to go to any col-lege down South.”

The ACT is a national college admissions exam that consists of tests covering English, reading, mathematics and science rea-soning. ACT originally was an acronym for American College Testing; it was created as a com-petitor to the SAT, or Scholastic Aptitude Test.

The ACT and SAT are the

most effective guidance for col-leges when screening students for their university. The number of students who take the ACT has steadily increased through the years.

“It goes like this,” junior Richard Brown said. “You wake up pretty early in the morning and go to the testing place. Then you go inside and sit and take the test with a break in the middle.”

The four separate subject tests each have a time limit. The Eng-lish section is composed of 75 questions completed in 45 min-utes; the math section has 60 questions completed in 60 min-utes; and the reading and science sections have 40 questions each completed in 35 minutes each.

Some St. Joe students said they

found the reading portion of the exam the hardest.

“It’s just the fact that you have little time per question and on top of that you have to read these super boring stories,” said junior Joe Harkins.

Others found different sec-tions difficult.

“To me science was hard be-cause it was really boring and a lot of reading. I probably did pretty bad,” sophomore Michael Potts said.

Some students have techniques to conquer these difficulties.

In the reading section, some questions ask for the definitions of words in the passages you must read these words are un-derlined in the passage and are known to be the easiest part of

the section. Go through the entire reading portion and answer all of these. After that, skim the pas-sages and answer the questions normally.

In the math section, go through and find 20 problems that you know you can do and seem easy.

If you get all these easier ones right, you are guaranteed at least a 25 out of 36 score on Math.

Many people spend a long time to prepare for the ACT and have pre-test rituals as well.

“I like to listen to some slow, classical music because I heard it

makes you do better,” sophomore Jordan Vice said.

Vice is right. A study by CBS News shows that classical mu-sic calms your brain and lowers emotions – which can give you more focus, ultimately leading to a better test score.

NEWS | SPORTS | OPINION | PHOTOS MULTIMEDIA

THE BEAR FACTSONLINE

Go to: www.sjbearfacts.com

and Joseph Gordon-Levitt did a dance routine while singing “Be Our Guest” from Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast.” The host also brought some his fa-mous humor to the Oscars, with many jokes being well received, but several still receiving groans from the audience.

As for awards, Ben Affleck’s “Argo” caused a bit of an upset, beating out Steven Spielberg’s “Lincoln” for Best Picture. Af-fleck, who had been snubbed in this year’s Best Director catego-ry, got up on stage on the verge of tears after First Lady Michelle Obama announced his win. The Best Director award went to Ang Lee for his masterful rendition of Yann Martel’s classic “Life of Pi,” a movie once deemed “im-possible to make.”

Best actress went to Jennifer Lawrence for her role in “Silver Linings Playbook,” with Best Supporting Actress going to Anne Hathaway for her role of Fantine in “Les Misérables.”

Best Supporting Actor went to Christoph Waltz, a seeming Oscar winning machine when paired with director Quentin Tar-

antino, who won Best Original Screenplay, both of them win-ning for their work in “Django Unchained.”

The award for Best Actor seemed to be the only one that night that everyone knew the outcome of, going to Daniel Day-Lewis for his performance as the titular character in “Lincoln,” making him the first actor to win three Oscars in the Best Actor category.

As for the other awards, “Amour” took the Award for Best Foreign Picture, “Innocente” won Best Documentary, “Brave” won Best Animated Picture, and “Paperman” won Best Animated Short. Each being exceptional in their respective categories.

The night ended with “Life of Pi” taking home the most awards, mainly in visual effects and de-sign categories.

Nobody really left with a frown on their face, except for Kristen Stewart who left with no expression at all.

Overall it was a night with ev-ery award being well earned by the professionals who rightly de-served them.

By MATTHEW MCKINLEYWebsite Editor

The 85th Academy Awards was one to remember

place on Sunday.In the past, St. Joseph has seen

team members advance to the octo-finals and quarter-finals in debate.

In addition, the team will also have time to explore the city of Philadelphia. This is a prospect that history teacher and speech and debate coach, Pam Walberg

of Jackson, is looking forward to.“We will be visiting one of the

most historic cities in the coun-try,” Walberg said. “I’m looking forward to the trip – this is one of the largest groups of students we’ve ever taken.”

“I’m super excit-ed to spend bonding time with the rest of the Speech and Debate team and to meet new people as

well.” – Meredith King, a

sophomore

Bruin NewsA7MARCH 8, 2013

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Mock Trial Team: Our future lawyersAll rise. The St. Joseph Catholic

School Mock Trial Team advanced to the statewide championship.

The future lawyers of St. Joe debated and studied their way to the top this year, the first time St. Joe has even com-peted in the mock trial competition. Se-nior James Patin said, “This is a huge accomplishment for us especially since it's our first year in it.”

With all this in mind, what exactly is mock trial? Well, it is precisely what the name hints. Teams that compete in mock trial are given a mock case; they must act out a trial for that case.

Each team has three attorneys, three witnesses and one time-keeper. This year's winning team is backed by senior James Patin, junior Whitley Pannel and

By SAM OSBORNEStaff Writer “Mock trial helps

students learn about the legal system and also improves public

speaking.”

— Whitley Pannel, a junior at St. Joe who started the Mock Trial Team

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“It’s all in the preparation. You have to know you’re going

to do well when you start.”

— James Patin, a junior at St. Joe

sophomore Bria Paige as the attorneys. Junior Jaela Hefner, sophomore Domi-nic Indest, and freshman Noah Greene are the witnesses. The time is kept by sophomore London Hatten.

This a huge accomplishment for St. Joe. Schools from all around the state

compete. And making the fi-nals after just one year is impressive. On the win, Patin said, “It’s all in the prepara-tion. You have to know you’re going to do well when you start.”

Teams have to prepare for both the Plaintiff and Defense side of a case. Usually they have criminal and civil cases, but St. Joe prepared for a civil case with the charges of medical malpractice.

Each team has a coach and a teacher representative. St. Joe is coached by at-

torney Shauntee Washington, and their teacher representative is Toni Harris, the art teacher and volleyball coach at St. Joe.

Harris is in charge of informing the team about upcoming events and pro-viding moral support at trials.

The regionals are held at Mississippi College Law School, and the champion-ships are held at the Hinds County Dis-trict Courthouse. Each team member ad-

vances if they make it to the state finals.The team practices every Sunday and

sometimes at lunch and after school.As for advantages in school, mock

trial helps students in many ways. “Mock trial helps students learn about

the legal system and also improves pub-lic speaking,” Pannel said. “Students considering a career in law, like myself, can use mock trial for help and prepara-tion as well.”

Some of us may know who we are calling next time we get a traffic ticket.

The Regional Competition was held-Jan. 26 and the Statewide Championship was March 1 and 2.

Bruin NewsMARCH 8, 2013A8

available for eating, dancing and socializing.

The Children’s Museum was incorporated in 2004 as a non-profit organization. The building has more than 40,000 square feet with five galleries of educational and interactive exhibits that chil-dren from around the state flock to on a daily basis.

The museum has worked with the Mississippi State Department

lot at 9 a.m. for a 26-hour ride to Washington. Along the way, students played games such as “Two Truths and a Lie”; they prayed the Rosary and reflected of the purpose of the trip; and they watched films like “October Baby.”

Shortly after arriving in Wash-ington in the early-morning hours of Friday, Jan. 25, chaperoned groups walked around the Smith-sonian Air & Space Museum to eat breakfast and prepare for marching in 18-degree weather. A few hours later, the March For Life began.

Within minutes, thousands of people crowded the National Mall and flooded Capitol Hill. Trekking through the snow and weaving between mobs of peo-ple, members of the blue-capped group from Mississippi finally made it to the end of the march and worked its way to Union Station – where they hopped on buses to journey to the Matt Ma-her concert.

The group traveled to George Mason University to attend the concert.

The night was full of keynote speakers, talented musicians and spiritual development. Speakers talked about making life direc-tion decisions. Not only was the Sacrament of Reconciliation of-

sound quality almost to that of a play on Broadway. I hope the stu-dents all come out, they will be entertained.” This will be an exciting perfor-mance for everyone who attends. The production will also be the first musical with the new choral director, Molly Windham. She said she is excited to be at St. Joe running the choral depart-ment and looks forward to the spring musical. This musical will be the fourth to be held in St. Joe’s Fine Arts Theater.

All St. Joe students are encour-aged to attend the play and show support for the St. Joe Fine Arts program and fellow students.

life. Meyers said it is, “not just for blacks but for the entire na-tion.”

The significance of Black His-tory Month is that it is a testa-ment to the problems that all people had once endured.

Although it is a month dedicat-ed to black leader’s accomplish-ments, it is not only for the Af-rican American community. We are all one nation under God and

fered, but concert-goers also had an opportunity to participate in Eucharistic Adoration.

After the concert, the group traveled to the hotel for the night. Some, like Mollie Montgomery, a junior, reflected on a special night.

“The most powerful thing – would have to be adoration during the Matt Maher concert because it was absolutely amaz-ing,” she said.

On Saturday, Jan. 26, the group traveled to Arlington National Cemetery to participate in the wreath ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier – the site of a burial of an unidentified soldier that memorializes all soldiers who have died at war. The tomb is guarded by military officers.

Nathan Gieb, a St. Joe senior; the Rev. Scott Thomas, a pastor in Greenville; and Dennis Ricke, a chaperone and a member of the Knights of Columbus; were selected to represent the Jackson Diocese during the wreath cer-emony.

“Meeting the guards and par-ticipating in such an important ceremony was an awesome expe-rience,” Gieb said.

After lunch, everyone went to the National Shrine of the Im-maculate Conception on the cam-pus of the Catholic University of

America for prayer and spiritual enlightenment. The basilica is the eighth largest religious build-ing in the world.

People took pictures and toured the 70-chapel church af-ter praying in front of the blessed sacrament.

The group attended Mass at St. Patrick in Washington after touring the basilica. The group ended the night with a tour of the monuments in the city such as the Washington Monument, the Lin-coln Memorial, the Reflecting Pool, the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial and the Vietnam War Memorial.

The next day, Sunday, Jan. 27, the group boarded buses to the trip home; they arrived at about 3 a.m. Monday Jan. 28.

As they said their good-byes, they looked back at the friend-ships, sacrifices, and memories they made the past few days. They remembered the main point of the entire trip: Their unwaver-ing opposition to abortion and their dedication to protecting the unborn.

“There were so many people who were pro life,” Wheatley said. “They reminded me that God can do great things through those who come together for him. Everyday is a blessing and gift and we should life to the fullest.”

of Education to align its exhibits and programs with common core curriculum standards and the state’s visual and performing arts frameworks.

The museum quickly has be-come a popular attraction in Jackson, annually attracting thousands of visitors from across metropolitan Jackson as well as across the state.

It holds many interesting ex-

we are all in this together.Black History Month stands

to educate and inform us on the way things used to be. However, it also helps us to realize how far we have come and how far we have to go. History helps us to define who we are no matter what color we may be. “We shall not dwell on the past because we have a future to do,” said Mrs. Verna Meyers.

March for Life, from A1

Photo by Elisabeth Scott/The Bear FactsA red covered wreath stands alone against the white snow in Arlington National Cemetery. Students from St. Joseph Catholic School who attended March for Life in Washington also visited the Arlington National Cemetery.

Music Man, from A1

Black history, from A1 St. Joe prom, from A1hibits that bring a unique quality to each visit that is made.

When tickets go on sale closer to the prom, they will cost se-niors $25. Tickets for juniors are expected to cost $50 each; ju-niors who met their cheesecake fundraiser obligation will either receive half-priced tickets or even free tickets.

Specific details about the prom, including the disc jockey,

the meal and the theme, are still being worked out by the prom planning committee.

The junior class, the junior class parents and Tupman are working hard to put together an unforgettable prom at the Missis-sippi’s Children’s Museum.

“We are sure that this prom will be very successful,” said Jo-seph Edge, president of the junior class.

March for Life is a religious pilgrim-age to Washington, D.C., in order to protest the Roe V. Wade U.S. Supreme Court decision.

Roe V. Wade made abortion legal on Jan. 22, 1973. To protest against the rul-ing, thousands of people march from the National Mall to the steps of the U.S. Capitol building.

The march is to show Congress that

there are many people in the country believe that abortion is wrong and that there should be an end to it as soon as possible.

The march originated back in 1974 by a man by the name of Nellie Gray, and there was an estimated 20,000 people there in support of it. Now, 39 years later in 2013, there were more than 600,000 people there to fight the estimated 55 million abortions committed since it be-came legal 40 years ago.

St. Joe took a diocese trip to the march

and participated in it this year. Close to 90 people signed up to go throughout the diocese. So, the diocese got two char-tered buses to take us on the 18-hour trip all the way up to Washington.

We arrived around 8 a.m. on Friday morning. We walked around the White House first, then we walked by the Washington Monument on our way to the Air & Space Museum where we had lunch.

After we had lunch and warmed up from the cold weather outside, we

walked to the National Mall to get ready to march. It was freezing outside, and there were so many people there.

All of us were there for the same cause: to stop the killing of innocent babies. We actually started walking in the march around noon. We walked for what felt like all day, but ended up being around three hours.

Around half way through the march, it started snowing and the tempera-ture continued to drop. Eventually, the snow got so hard that you couldn’t walk

through it without having to wipe your face because it was in your eyes. But we kept trucking through it because we were fighting for those who didn’t get the opportunity to live.

My opinion on the march is that it is a great way to get involved in this fight that we are in to stop the killing of ba-bies and give them the equal rights they deserve.

I highly recommend it for anyone. It’s a life-changing trip.

By NATHAN GIEBStaff Writer

March for Life: A Personal Journey from the eyes of a student

Here are details about “The Music Man,” St. Joe’s spring musical

n What: St. Joe will stage the award winning musical, ‘The Music Man’ n When: 7 p.m. April 19-20; and 2 p.m. matinee April 21n Where: St. Joseph Catholic School Fine Arts theatern Who: Andrew Morgan, Maggie Smith landed lead roles; other talented students round out the cast

SPRING MUSICAL

Photo by Maggie Smith/The Bear FactsAndrew Morgan, left, Will Lindsey, Gene Loper, Charles King and Kendall Comish learn dance steps in rehearsal.

Submitted PhotoSeniors Leighton Hill, Sarah Bednarzyk, Gabriella Nuzzo, Morgan Peoples, MariMac Collins and Miranda Barrett attended their last Father-Daughter Dance on Saturday, March 3. The dance played both current music and oldies for fathers and daughters to enjoy.

Photo by Victor Griffin/The Bear FactsSenior Walker Foggo, junior A.K. Moorehead and senior Sam Miller dissect a crawfish in science class. The class will do a number of disections throughout the remainder of the year.

St. Joe Father-Daughter Dance creates lasting memories Cracking open crawfish

www.sjbearfacts.com • ST. JOSEPH CATHOLIC SCHOOL Bruin Sports

B1 MARCH 8, 2013

Last season, the Bruin baseball team had one of the best seasons in the past eight years, the last

time that they reached the playoffs. This year, we look to improve on that

– but it won’t be easy.Even though our baseball team hasn’t

been great over the past few years, it still attracts a lot of people who support and watch the games. Lots of people love to watch baseball.

We return seven starters and eight seniors this year. From the looks of things, all but one position on the field

St. Joe 2013 baseball season could be best in yearswill be filled by a senior, and that will be catcher.

Last year, we finished with a 13-13 record. That may not seem a very good record, but it got us where we wanted to be. This year, we have bigger and better

goals.We not only want to make the

playoffs, but we also want to win the district championship. Last year, we got out to a fast 5-0 start in district, but then dropped four games in a row – and probably should have won at least three of those.

Once we reached the playoffs, we lost two heartbreaking games in two days. Both went into 10 innings; one was 3-2 and the other was 6-4. Both losses were to the hands of Richton.

This year, we look fairly strong even

after losing five seniors including four pitchers from last year. There will be some big shoes to fill, but it looks like it can be done.

We were supposed to open this year with two home games on Feb. 22 and 23, but they were rained out.

We begin district play the day Spring Break begins – and that is when every-thing counts. Last year, we came in third place in a fairly powerful district.

This year, our goal is to be No. 1, and it will not be an easy task by any means. Every team but one will give us

good competition. This means that we will always have to be on our game.

The top three teams in each district make the playoffs. We want the No. 1 spot this year.

“Last year was the best season we’ve had since this senior class has been here,” said senior second baseman Drew Meyers.

“This year we want to top that, but it won’t be easy.”

Jack Butts, sports editor for The Bear Facts, plays baseball for St. Joe.

JACK BUTTSSports Editor

Photo by Sara Powell/The Bear FactsDenarius Odell drives to the basket in an early-season game against Hartfield Academy. The Bruins won the game on the way to a winning season – the team’s best in 10 years. The team fell short of reaching the state tournament.

Nothing but netBeasley, Jones sign with Co-Lin

Photo by Jack Hall/The Bear FactsCharlie Waddingham, a senior on the Bruin basketball team, prepares to make a free-throw.

Even though the St. Joseph Catholic School basketball team just missed going to the

state tournament, the club ended the year on a high note with a successful year on the court led by six talented seniors.

Denarius Odell, Charlie Waddingham, Nick Beasley, William Lindsey, Brennan Trask and Josh McClenty provided more than enough leadership this season for the dominant Bruins team.

This year the Bruins ran through district domi-nating almost everyone that they faced. Their only loss came to the No. 2 team in the state, at William Sullivan.

They did, though, beat William Sullivan at home a few weeks earlier 78-76, which was no doubt their biggest win so far this season. Along with that win, they finished the season 6-1 in district and a 14-9 overall record.

“This team is special. We have the talent to beat anyone that we want,” said senior Denarius Odell. “We just have to come and take care of business every game.”

Another big part of this team’s success has been the coach. Nick Stamps is in his first year as head coach and has done a very good job of keeping the team in shape and on top of their game.

By VICTOR GRIFFIN and NATHAN GIEB

Staff Writers

By JACK BUTTSSports Editor

“Coach has put us through some miserable prac-tices this year,” said senior Brennan Trask. “There hasn’t been a day since Thanksgiving that I haven’t been sore. I know that all the hard work is paying off, though.”

The Bruins finished their district play with a 69-35 win over East Webster in Maben. They then came home for senior night against Florence.

“It was one of the most memorable nights of my life,” said senior Nick Beasley. “I love every one of my teammates and am so thankful for them and everything we’ve been able to accomplish. But our work isn’t over yet.”

“We already beat the No. 2 team in the state once. That should be proof enough that we’re

While the St. Joe basketball team snags its best season in years, the Bruins fall just short of making the state tournament

Sports Analysis

“I love every one of my teammates and am so thankful for them and

everything we’ve been able to accomplish.”- Nick Beasley

Track and field prepares for the new seasonBy JACK HALL

Staff Writer

St. Joe football star Nick Beasley and soccer star Blayne Jones plan to con-tinue playing sports next fall at Copiah Lincoln Community College in Wesson.

Beasley and Jones signed separate scholar-ships last month. Beasley, a key reason why the Bruin football team, went un-defeated last year and Jones, a force on the school’s soccer team, are expect-ed to play key roles at Co-Lin next fall.

“The two hardest decisions I will make in my life is which college I will attend and the woman I will marry,” Beasley said.

Beasley’s strong play for the Bruins last fall won him several accolades.

Jones, who also played Bruin football, participated in the Mississippi All-Star soccer game playing for the South of the State. He played as a defender and started for team. His effort landed him the position to play for Co-Lin.

“I’m excited for the opportunity to be a college athlete” Jones said.

Jones and Beasley both have good reasons to attend and play at Co-Lin – including playing close enough to home that their families can attend their games. Nevertheless, the decision was not an easy one for Beasley.

Beasley had many possibilities from which to choose including such schools as the University of Louisiana Lafay-ette, Louisiana Tech University and Mississippi State University. Beasley became the first St. Joe student to sign a football scholarship since Micah Pel-lerin six years ago.

Beasley must prove that he can com-pete at a level that will make him stand out from the rest. Beasley does not seem

NICK BEASLEY

BLAYNE JONES

See Basketball, B8See Co-Lin, B8

Photo by Jack Hall/The Bear FactsMembers of the track and field team have been practicing for several weeks.

Track is among the largest spring sports at St. Joe with upwards of 70 students participating in a number of diverse events that include distance running, discus, sprints, relays and the triple jump.

Five meets have already been sched-uled by Coaches Kenner Purvis and Da-vid Wissel.

This year’s season is expected to be strong, building on the previous year’s success.

Along with a large portion of last year’s athletes returning, there are state champions Ryan Crandall, a senior, and Riley Reeves, a sophomore. Crandall won state for the 3,200-meter run and took second place for the 1,600-meter run. Reeves won both the 3,200-meter and the 1,600-meter run.

All varsity relay teams are intact with returning juniors and seniors that have

the will and determination to carry the Bruins to state, according to Purvis.

“With the relay teams, everybody’s coming back,” Purvis said. “And I really think they can improve over last year and really go far.”

But, of course, to make these im-provements, the team will have to train to that degree.

With so many returning seniors, it’s no surprise that both coaches believe St. Joe will have a great season. Purvis is looking for seniors such as Josh Mc-Clenty, Brennan Trask and Crandall to take leadership roles during practice and on the track.

Crandall is trying to make the most out of his last high school season by training rigorously.

“I’ve been working my tail off since Cross Country ended,” Crandall said. “This winter, I’ve been putting down miles on the treadmill.”

Junior Richard Brown, who ran long See Track and Field, B8

Bruin NewsMARCH 8, 2013B2

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Soccer season ends with a boom

Submitted photo

Passing balls, scoring goals and creating battle scars – this is what St. Joseph Catholic School soccer is all about.

This year’s men’s and wom-en’s soccer teams were better than ever and are ready to strike back. Each team practiced every day and prepared for the big day: state playoffs.

Coach Brad Biard coaches the women’s soccer team, along with the help of “soccer mom” Ann Delaski. Biard has been coach-ing for 12 years. Coach Dwayne Demmin coaches the men’s soccer team. Demmin has been coaching at St. Joe for 10 years.

“What I enjoy about coaching

girl’s soccer is that they always put in true effort and do what is asked,” Biard said.

The women’s and men’s teams had a great start. There are 23 girls on the women’s team and 28 boys on the men’s team.

“As the years pass by, I enjoy watching the girls grow up and develop as better soccer players every day,” Delaski said.

Recently, both teams played arch rival, St. Andrew’s. Mary Reagan Baladi, a senior on the girls’ team, said she was thrilled with defeating St. Andrew’s 1-0.

“Oh my gosh,” she said. “I can’t even express the feeling to finally beating a team who I can’t remember the last time we beat them. It was a great feeling

to beat them and shove them into the mud.”

The St. Joe soccer program has been going on since 1990. Delaski started the first girls soc-

By OLIVIA POSTStaff Writer

cer team and helped organize uniforms and supplies.

Both teams were filled seniors. On the girls team are Baladi, Olivia Barcelona, Maddie Best, Taylor Manning, Ashlyn Riley and Natalie Younger. On the boys team are William Fetherson, Mike Boland, Alex Cosmich, Blayne Jones, Nathan Gieb, Walker Foggo, Nick Fertitta, Trey Orsborne, Ryan Crandall, Griffin Kennington and Giacomo Dughiero.

Josh Speyerer, a junior on the boys team, said the senior players have been invaluable.

“The seniors are great leaders to our team, and we will miss them very much. I think the best thing about being on the soc-

cer team is on the bus messing around and playing switch with me teammates and getting out early to go to the away games,” he said.

“It is very bittersweet about be-ing on the team for the last time. I’m so proud of what we have done during my time on the team and I’m ready to bring home a state championship,” Baladi said.

Playoffs began Jan. 22. The girls played Our Lady Academy away. The final score was 2-1 with an end to their season. The boys played St. Patrick home. The final score was 3-0 with an end to their season as well.

“As a coach, if you don’t know you're going to win, you shouldn't be coaching,” Biard says.

“I’m so proud of what we have done during my

time on the team and I’m ready

to bring home a state champion-

ship.”-Mary Reagan

Baladi

Church League basketball is only for the ones who aren’t afraid to lose.

There are many leagues out there in the basketball world. But not many are like the seven-team league that St. Richard and St. Francis are in. There are teams from all over the metro Jackson area that participate in the league, including Broadmeadow United Methodist Church, Brandon United Methodist Church, St. Richard’s Catholic Church, Mad-ison United Methodist Church, St. Francis Catholic Church, First Baptist Madison and Galloway

United Methodist Church.The season started Jan. 10 and

ended Feb. 21.All the teams play for the fun

of the game and to spend time with friends. St. Francis Catholic Church and St. Richard Catholic Church are the two worst teams among many good teams, with the best team being either Bran-don United Methodist Church or Galloway United Methodist Church.

St. Francis ended the season winless. St. Richard had one win – coming against the winless St. Francis.

“We may not be the best play-ers, but we sure do have the most heart,” said Joe Harkins of Madi-

son, who plays for St. Richard. “We love the game.”

There are not many players on the St. Richard team roster. There are eight on the roster. So, everyone on the team gets to play a good amount in the games. But if a couple people foul out, then they have to play with men down.

But on the other hand, St. Francis has a lot of people on their roster and can sub in a lot of people. There are 16 play-ers on St. Francis team. But the downfall is that they may not be able to play as much. Bobby Tal-lant, a player for St. Francis, said, “We may lose but we have a darn good time at it.”

There are many rules to church

league basketball. But all those rules go out the window when St. Richard and St. Francis play. They will do whatever it takes to get a win, even if that means fouling. Also they are not afraid to shoot it, even if they are guard-

Church league basketball: the hot sport across Jackson By NATHAN GIEB

Staff Writer

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ONLINEGo to: www.sjbearfacts.com

ed.Their philosophy is in order

for the ball to go in the hoop you have to shoot.

So, it doesn’t matter if they are behind the basket or at half court ,they will shot. Walker Foggo, se-

nior player for St. Richard, said, “I don’t want the season to end; I’m having too much fun.” But in the end it’s all about spending time with friends and having a good time.

Bruin NewsMARCH 8, 2013B4

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Weekend trip opens eyes to civil rights era

A flashback to Mississippi in 1963 would be a shock to many students here at St. Joe.

Most students today are obliv-ious to the past history of Missis-sippi that has shaped and molded it to be what it is today. But I took a ride back into history this month when I got on the bus to explore the Mississippi Freedom Trail.

On President’s Day weekend, I joined about 200 other people from around the Southeast on a trip around Mississippi to ex-plore and learn more about the civil rights movement. The trip was a three-day bus tour that included stops in such historic areas as the Mississippi Delta, Neshoba County and Jackson.

This year marks the 50th anni-versary of the civil rights move-ment, which is a monumental achievement.

Among the other golden an-niversaries this year: the tragic death of one of Mississippi’s greatest civil rights leaders and pioneers, Medgar Evers, and the Rev. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech.

Although St. Joe is a very di-verse school, it is important that students learn about the past is-sues Mississippi has had with race relations. Even though Mis-sissippi was among the worst of the Southern states during

the civil rights era, the state has made drastic improvements in its attempt to reconcile race rela-tions.

Yet, I was still excited about my opportunity to learn more about my own history and my state’s history.

On Friday evening, we visited our first stop -- the Alamo The-ater located in downtown Jack-son. There we watched “Free-dom Song,” a movie based on the young people involved in the civil rights movement in Missis-sippi. The movie emphasized the impact young people have on many issues and the difference they can make. This is still rel-evant today seeing how effective young people are about bringing light to many issues that are a problem today. St. Joe has many examples of these young, effec-tive leaders.

Saturday was spent in the Mis-sissippi Delta. There, the group toured several locations relevant to the Emmett Till case. Emmett Till was a young, 14-year-old black boy from Chicago who was brutally beaten and murdered in Money, Miss., after being ac-cused of whistling at a white woman. This story made national headlines after his mother, Ma-mie Carthan Till, held an open casket funeral for her young boy when she wanted to show the world what happened her son.

On the following day, we

toured Neshoba County where the main focus was the deaths of the three civil rights workers during Freedom Summer in Phil-adelphia, Miss. Andrew Good-man, James Chaney and Michael Schwerner were the three civil rights workers who were brutally beaten and murdered by the Ku Klux Klan after trying to register African Americans in the area to vote.

But there were plenty of posi-tive aspects about the trip, too. While in the Mississippi Delta, we visited the B.B. King Mu-seum, where the history of the blues legend is beautifully dis-played. Also, there were several sets of panels of both women and men who actively participated in the civil rights movements as youth by marching, sitting or protesting. And we also took a half day to tour the state’s Capital City, where we visited the home of slain civil rights activist Evers along with several other historic spots.

Overall this experience was amazing. I really received a once in a lifetime chance to experience literally a textbook of history in only three days. I never knew Mississippi had so much his-tory hidden, both good and not so good. But it’s that history that has shaped Mississippi to be the state it is today.

So, let’s continue to love each other for who we are and not the color of our skin.

SUBMITTED PHOTO

By BRIA PAIGEStaff Writer

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Photo by Sam Osborne/The Bear FactsCheryl Mackey tries on a mask at lunch on Mardi Gras, Tuesday, Feb. 8. St. Joseph Catholic School middle school students spent the day using Mardi Gras as a way to learn about poetry and solve math problems.

Middle School Mardi Gras

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The St. Joe Dance Marathon Committee is determined to make Dance Marathon 2013 a success with positive attitudes, effective fundraisers and strong planning skills.

Dance Marathon is a St. Joe event that raises money for the Blair E. Batson Children’s Hos-pital. Last year, Dance Marathon 2012 raised more than $13,000 and had 150 dancers. Teryn Yazdani, a senior at St. Joe and director of the dance marathon, is determined to raise more mon-ey than last year.

“I love the fact that Dance Marathon brings St. Joe together for a great cause,” she said. “We are standing up for those who can’t, and it doesn’t even feel like work.”

The Dance Marathon com-mittee is made up of 14 St. Joe students who have worked hun-dreds of hours to make Dance Marathon 2013 a great triumph. The co-director, junior Katherine Mangialardi, said the event can be stressful.

“When it gets closer to Dance Marathon, it does get a little stressful,” she said. “But even when we’re stressed, we have fun.”

Each member of the Dance Marathon committee receives 25

St. Joe service hours.The date of Dance Marathon

2013 is Friday, May 3, 2013, and the last date to sign up and turn in the fee, $150, is Friday, April 5, 2013. The event will start around 4 p.m. in the afternoon and will end at midnight. Dancers will be on designated teams, which are determined by the colors red, pink, purple, yellow, orange and

green. Also, dancers will be giv-en eight St. Joe service hours if they decide to participate in this fundraiser.

Dance Marathon 2012 dancer, junior Karson Nelson, said, “I had a great time at Dance Mara-thon last year. It wasn’t hard to raise the money, and I didn’t even realize I had been standing up for 8 hours because of the fun games and dancing.”

Dance Marathon consists of eight hours without sitting down. The Dance Marathon Commit-tee has planned many activities to keep dancers busy, in addition to dancing. For example, they have planned a “miracle hour” in which the children who benefit from the money raised come and speak with the dancers.

Students who are not able to sign up for this event can con-tribute to the cause by donating money. Each month leading up to Dance Marathon, the commit-tee will sell certain items to those who cannot participate in Dance Marathon or who just want to do-nate extra money.

During the month of February, the committee sold candy – Kit Kats, Hershey bars and Twix –for $1. Yet, five “golden tickets” have been hidden in five pieces of candy. The students who find the “golden tickets” will be given the opportunity to take a trip to the Blair E. Batson Children’s Hospital with the Dance Mara-thon committee.

The Dance Marathon Com-mittee has given students many opportunities to help the Blair E. Batson Children’s Hospital, whether it means participating in Dance Marathon 2013 or buy-ing items, such as candy, to help their cause. Their efforts are sure to make Dance Marathon 2013 a success.

Dance Marathon ready for success

Staff Photo/The Bear FactsCoach Miller Todd shoots a basket as part of the student/faculty basketball game during Catholic Schools Week at St. Joseph Catholic School. The week highlighted the importance of a Catholic education.

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By JORDAN WELSHStaff Writer

“I love the fact that Dance Marathon brings St. Joe together for a great cause. We are standing

up for those who can’t.”

-Teryn Yazdani, director of this

year’s event

Shooting GoalsStudent-faculty basketball game highlights Catholic Schools Week

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British ‘Downton Abbey’ fi nds U.S. audience

Special to The Bear Facts“Downton Abbey” has become a major success and attracted a sizeable audience on PBS.

These days, the world of tele-vision has become a rather broad spectrum.

Whether your enjoy old-fash-ioned comedy or drama-fi lled re-ality television, you can usually fi nd a program to your liking. In September 2010, a new program emerged that seemed unlike any other show on television, PBS Masterpiece Classic “Downton Abbey.”

The British period drama fol-lows the lives of an aristocratic family, the Crawleys, and their multitude of servants as they live their lives during the Post-Edwardian era on their fi ctional estate, Downton Abbey.

The show deals with the affairs of the Crawleys as they arrange marriages for their three daugh-ters and manage fi nancial matters of their estate, all during critical points in history.

By KATHRYN SCKIETSStaff Writer

Season One begins after the sinking of the Titanic, for exam-ple, and ends with the breakout of World War I. Characters fi ght in the war and struggle with the Spanish infl uenza in the second season. The current Season Three focuses on the emerging of the Irish Free State.

St. Joseph English and religion teacher Michael Mohr of Madi-son is an avid fan of “Downton Abbey.”

“ ‘Downton’ really shows how humans, by nature, want to hold on to the past, and how hard it can be to let go,” Mohr said. “It focuses on transitional moments in history, the decline of the Vic-torian aristocracy and the smaller gap between the rich and the poor, all through likable charac-ters.”

“Downton Abbey” may be strongly focused on history, but it also bears similarities to any other fi ctional drama on televi-sion. Characters pursue their own

goals and dreams, as well as ro-mances with each other. There’s even a touch of mystery at the end of Season Two, when a mys-terious servant is charged with a terribly serious crime.

The series has been a hit with critics and audiences and has earned several awards, the most recent being the Screen Ac-tors Guild Award for Outstand-ing Performance by a Cast in a Drama Television Series. British veteran actress Maggie Smith has also won praise and accolades for her role as the witty and con-servative Dowager Countess of Grantham.

“Downton Abbey” combines compelling storylines with histo-ry from different and unique per-spectives. Still, you don’t have to be a history buff or a big fan of British television to get into the show. As senior James Patin of Jackson put it, “I’ve watched half of one episode, and I’m hooked.”

Bruin SportsMARCH 8, 2013B8

Photo by Jack Hall/The Bear FactsBen Payne, a freshman at St. Joe, trains for the new season of track and field.

distance last year and will do so again this year, said he had a lot of fun at the practices last year.

“I loved the people on the team, and we were always laughing and cracking jokes,” he said. “My favorite part of practice was when we had our super-

duper funny conversations with the other amazing people on this absolutely wonderful track and field team.”

And to add on to a rock-solid high school team, there are many up-and-coming middle school runners who will eventually add their talents to the varsity team.

“There is some good, young talent in middle school,” Wissel said. “We just have to see who’s willing to work.”

Wissel pointed to middle schoolers Will Foggo, Emma Dotson, Jo-Jo Gray-Lewis and Jason Price.

This will be Wissel’s second year coaching track at St. Joe, although he has six years prior experience in Cinci-natti. He is ready for the season to start.

“We have very good odds at state this year, and I look forward to winning the district meet and also the regional meet as a goal,” Wissel said.

Purvis agreed, adding, “We’ve won two district titles back to back, and I’d like to see us pull forward and go for a third district win.”

Junior Walker Burrow, who ran sprints last year, said the camaraderie on the team is unmatched.

“Track and field was always fun,” Burrow said.

“The people on the team really grew together as a family. And the meets are always so much fun to hang out with the team and hear funny stories from every-one. I always have a smile on my face when I am with the St. Joe track and field team.”

“There is some good young talent in middle school. We just have to see who’s willing

to work.”- David Wissel, track

coach

Track and field, from Page B1

Co-Lin, from Page B1to be too worried about working hard and getting to where he needs to be to move on.

Beasley’s choice of Co-Lin came as a surprise to many. Many people believe his talent could have taken him much

further. But Beasley believes this is just the first step of his college football jour-ney. If Beasley does perform at a high level, he could get picked up by a much higher-profile school.

This decision was not easy for the highly anticipated athlete. Beasley wanted to choose a school where his family could come support him at his games. The Co-Lin coaching staff also was a huge part in Beasley’s decision.

“I really like the staff; they make me feel at home,” Beasley said. Co-Lin’s football team won last year’s state championship against Gulf Coast mak-ing them the best community college football team in the state.

Is junior college really a small step for Beasley and Jones? Many great ath-letes began at junior college. Players like Cam Newton and Alonzo Lawrence both came from junior colleges and now play pro ball.

The Wesson, Miss., community col-lege has a history of athletes attending the school, making a name for them-selves and going on to be better athletes. Beasley and Jones have two years to prove what they can do at the next level.

St. Joe Bruin bowling team ends successful season

Photo by Milena Sebuktekin/The Bear FactsMembers of the boys and girls Bowling Team at St. Joseph Catholic School. The St. Joseph Catholic School bowling team had a winning season. The girls’ bowling team finished second at district and went on to play at the state meet. Top Row, from left: Steven Whyte,Chris Hanneke and Coach Dillon. 3rd Row: Hamp Godfrey, Stewart Inman, Brett Burgess, Chuck Dorian, Robert Brown and Drew Myers. 2nd Row: Mary Kathryn Wheatley, Swayze McDearman, Margaret Best, Brittney Browning, Leighton Hill, and Anna Margaret McDonnel. Front Row: Michelle Kellum, Caroline Bonin, Elisabeth Scott, Sara Powell and Gabriella Nuzzo.

Submitted photoNick Beasley signs to play football next fall at Copiah-Lincoln Community College.

no doubt one of the best teams out there,” said senior Charlie Waddingham.

After playing Canton Academy in the last regular season game, the Bruins hosted the district tournament from Feb. 12-15.

They came in second place, losing to William Sullivan 70-57.

They entered the playoffs as a No. 2 seed. They won their first game against North Forrest at home.

They then played Scott Central at Bassfield and also beat them 69-65 without a very important player Denar-ius Odell who suffered a fractured nose and a slight concussion in the previous game.

They dropped their final game against Bassfield, only one game shy of going to the Coliseum.

Basketball, from Page B1

“This team is special. We have the talent to beat anyone that we want. We just have

to come and take care of business.”

- Denarius Odell

For the latest in St. Joe news, visit ...

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Go to: www.sjbearfacts.com

Be sure to come see the Fine Arts Department’s Spring Musical:

The Music ManApril 19-21, 2013

Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m.

Sunday at 2 p.m.

In the Fine Arts Building

Your Support is Appreciated