The Ritan Volume 82 No. 2

8/7/2019 The Ritan Volume 82 No. 2

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A look inside

the Monastery p 3

Are you getting enough sleep? p 5

Mardi Grascelebration p 6

The Ritan

In This Issue

A Student Publication of Saint Rita of Cascia High School

7740 South Western AvenueChicago, Illinois 60620

Volume Eighty-Two. Number Three. March 31, 2011

THE RITAN

STUDENT STAFF: MaxKurucar, Joe Ruiz, CraigSabath, Stephen Gregory,Oscar Mascorro, DannyOKeefe, Ed Roland

JOURNALISMINSTRUCTOR: Mr. TimBaffoe

St. Rita says good-bye to another fellow Rita Man

St. Rita students were just getting over the lost of their fellow Rita brother, John McNicholas, when Fr. Walter Mc-Nicholas lost his ght to Lung Cancer.

Fr. Walter McNicholas was born in 1926, and grew up inthe St. Rita parish. He graduated from St. Rita of Cascia High School in1944, and joined the Augustinian family in 1947. After he was ordaineda priest in 1952, his rst assignment brought him back to St. Rita. Heremained till 1960 before getting transferred. He returned to St. Rita in1964, and remained for 10 years until he was named Pastor of Immacu-late Conception/St. Henry Parish in St. Louis.

The third time he was assigned to serve at St. Rita last- ed

ten years, beginning in 1983. He took a single year off to serve a t HolyCross Hospital before spending the last of his working days at St. Rita,where he retired in 2009.

In 2010, his new assignment brought him to Lemont. He entered a Franciscan Village and served in Blessed Stephen BellesiniFriary.

Four months ago Fr. McNicholas was diagnosed with Lung Cancer. December began his hospice care. March 9, 2011, at 3oclock in the afternoon, God called Fr. McNicholas home to Heaven.

More than Half his life was spent in the walls of St. Rita of Cascia High School. The school was really his home. St. Rita playedsuch an important part in his life, that at his funeral, he asked for only one song to be played....the Hymn to St. Rita.

Throughout his time at St. Rita, he spent most of that time in the class room. The two classes I can remember him teaching,mainly, were Latin and Theology, Fr. Tom McCarthy said. He was a teacher all his life. He even taught Br. Gary Hresil. He taught mewhen I was a student at St. Rita, in 1985, Br. Gary recalled, I had him for a Junior Morality Theology Class. He told a lot of stories of different things he did when he was younger, and tried to always relate what he did too what we were learning in Theology, and what weneed to do to make this world a better place, and to make a difference.

He was also a councilor, Fr. Tom explained, His of ce is where Mrs. Nagels of ce is. Although many students may haveknown that already, from going into his of ce to get whatever they forgot at home to try to avoid a JUG It looked like a garage sale, Fr.Tom explained, It was just full of clothes, books, belts, shoes. Anything he would give away to kids.

That seemed to be a major point in Fr. McNicholas life: the happiness of the students. Whether it was his smiling face thatgreeted you in the morning, his stories he would tell about his childhood, his appearance at sporting events when the only fans in thecrowd were the parents, or his cheerful attitude toward life, he had a way of bringing joy to the St. Rita Family.

Whatever he could do to help the students in class, or students in the school, Br. Gary said. As long as it involved the bene t,and happiness of the students, Fr. McNicholas needed to be part of it. He didnt care whether he was a good student or bad student, asenior or a freshman, or what sports they played. As long as they were a student, that was all the reason he needed.

Many students wouldnt even be able to call themselves Rita Men if it werent for the support they received from Fr. McNicho-las. Not only the support he gave them, but Fr. McNicholas was one of the rst to desegregate St. Rita. As a young priest, he would inviteGrammar School students of African American Heritage to consider coming to St. Rita. Even though he got reprehended for it, he never stopped.

Every student has heard the stories, but was that really who Fr. McNicholas was? Was he really the man everyone believed himto be? What you see is what you got, Fr. Tom said about his good friend. He was really a home body. He was not a guy who went outtraveling. Hed go out to say mass, and hed go out when we would go out to dinner or community things. A part of that may have beenbecause of his inability to get around toward the end. For the last few years he couldnt drive, but even before that he was at home, or hewould be watching the games here, or take his walks around here.

Fr. McNicholas served almost six generations of Rita Men, and his personality never changed. The same person I saw back

then was the same person I encountered when I moved in here, and he moved in here with us...just a little bit older, Br. Gary said, whiledescribing Fr. McNicholas.

He was very easy to live with. Fr. Tom explained. He was a very Spiritual man. He said mass every day, whether it was in thecommunity or by himself and looking at the mass book many, many times he would pray for the St. Rita students. He would pray for aspeci c team that was having a major season or something. And many kids dont know that he would pray for them all day. He spent mostof his time doing anything that involved St. Rita. He loved watching sports. If he were at home, he would be watching sports,

By Oscar Mascorro

Rita family shaves the way to conquer kids cancer By: Ed Roland

In the last three years, one of the biggest events that has been ableto bring the entire school together has been the St. Ba ldricks Dayevent. Over the last four years, St. Rita has been able to raise tensof thousands of dollars towards this foundation. It has been able tounite the entire school, freshmen and seniors alike.

This year, there is a certain specialness about the headshaving event. With the recent death of our dear Rita brother, JohnMcNicholas, this year is even more special than the last ones. Edand Amy McNicholas have started the John McNicholas PediatricBrain Tumor Foundation in memory of John.

The foundation aims at raising money for teens with can-cer and their families. The ultimate goal for the John McNicholasPediatric Brain Tumor Foundation and the St. Baldricks Founda -tion is to nd a cure for cancer.

There have already been several ways that the St. Ritacommunity has helped this foundation. The Rita Men Wear Pinkshirts were the rst way of raising money for the foundation. Then there were mission collections at every lunch period and homeroom class .

Now there is a new way to support the John McNicholas Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation. The new Once a Rita Man, Always aRita Man shirts honoring John and Andy Smialek08 who also passed due to cancer in November, 2009, are available. These shirts were de -signed by sophomore Tim Lynch who was a close friend of John McNicholas.

This year, just like the past four years, the event was a great success. The goal for the event was only ve thousand dollars. The St.Rita community was able to rise $22,409 this year.

This year, the St. Rita community was able to raise more than $40,000 for cancer awareness and treatment through the Ritamen Wear

Pink event, the Go Blue event, and St. Ba ldricks.


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March 31, 2011Page 2 NEWS

Pipe bursts St. Rita into new technology wing possibilitiesBy: Danny OKeefe

Students and faculty led into school on Monday morning of January24 to an unexpected surprise. Most noticed how chilly the building was,others heard rumors, but by 8:55 it was made known that a pipe had burst inthe chemistry and computer lab wing of the school. Not only did the dam -

age destroy two rooms but it also threw the typical schedule of most Ritastudents into turmoil.

Students sat in their desks rst period, jackets still on, as theylistened to the announcement and whispered comments on how their daywould be affected to their classmates around them. The accident also man -aged to turn the heat off which took most students out of their typical dresscode to stay comfortable. To keep classes moving, all students that usuallyhad classes in that wing were given room numbers to report to as a replace -ment.

As far as damages go, room 114, a computer lab, was affected themost. Between the water and damage from the humidity, all of the com -puters were ruined, Director of Facilities Mr. Gary DeCesare said. Thewater had also torn the carpeting that was once covering half of the surrounding walls down, brought down the ceiling, and damaged nearly every -thing else in the way. The water managed to travel to its neighboring room, Room 115. This brought damage to the carpeting, the shared wall, and

the many outlets on the oor, but due to the fact that laptops are used in thatclass they were safe from damage up on the desks.

Although Mr. and Mrs. Krystof were affected for the next few days,Mr. Gilbert and Mrs. McLawhorn were going to be affected for over amonth. Both teach classes requiring a computer so they found temporaryrooms with Mr. Baffoes computer lab and the lab located in the library.Mrs. McLawhorn stated, I think the students handled it well. It was actu -ally harder on the teachers having to move their class and class materials toa new room.

Mrs. Krystofs class was disturbed by the construction for a fewdays. There was noise from the demolition, electric tools, and constantmovement for the rst couple days back in class. The noise could getdistracting at times, but we worked through it and everyone handled it welllater Mrs. Krystof told. Senior Alex Summer eld said, I sit against thewall and the construction could get really loud, but Mrs. Krystof is a greatteacher so it was easy to pay attention.

Although it may be thought of as an unexpected disaster that leftthe school under construction for the next few weeks, it may also be thought of as an improvement. With the water damage in the two rooms dam -aging the oors, walls, and equipment, also brought a total upgrade of the two rooms. Room 114 was given a new ceiling, new carpet, wainscot -ing, and all new computers. It was also rewired electronically and the layout from the room before the damage is completely different. It was givena fresh look with a cool blue paint color against the dark wood color of the wainscoting. Overall, the new room looks updated, clean, and morepresentable than it was before. Room 115 was also given new carpeting, wainscoting, and paint. These upgrades also share the new, clean, andupgraded look of Room 114.

Blood Drive has

St. Rita drippingwith prideDozens of St. Rita students, fac -ulty, and staff donated blood for St. Ritas annual Blood Drive.These donations will help savemany lives. Were not sure if Mike Haas (pictured right) wasgiving blood or getting it.


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Mr. Baffoe: Englishteacher, Heckler ?

By, Stephen Gregory

M a n y o f y o u m a ya l r e a d y k n o w M r . T i mB a f f o e f o r t h e n u m e r -

o u s t h i n g s t h a t h e d o e s h e r e a t S t . R i t as u c h a s t e a c h i n g E n g l i s h , J o u r n a l i s m , a n dm o d e r a t i n g o u r s c h o o l p a p e r a n d o u r v e r yo w n s a t i r i c a l p a p e r , T h e N a t i r . B u t C l a r k K e n t h a s a s i d e j o b .

G r o w i n g u p , M r . B a f f o e h a s a l w a y sh a d a b u r n i n g p a s s i o n f o r t h e l i t e r a r y a r t s ,e s p e c i a l l y i n t h e r e a l m o f s a t i r e , t h e u s eo f i r o n y, s a r c a s m , o r r i d i c u l e t o e x p o s eo r d e n o u n c e p e o p l e s , c o n c e p t s , o r i d e a l s .I t s r a w w a y o f a p p l y i n g w i t a n d a s h a r p -t o n g u e d m i n d t o c o n v e y a n o p i n i o n h a s a l -

w a y s b e e n a p p e a l i n g t o B a f f o e . I v e w r i t -t e n a s a h o b b y a l l m y l i f e , a n d m u c h o f i th a s b e e n s a t i r i c a l , h e s a i d . E v e r y t h i n g i nt h e w o r l d i s j u s t b e g g i n g t o b e m o c k e d a n dl a u g h e d a t . I c a n t g o f i v e m i n u t e s w i t h o u ts e e i n g s o m e t h i n g t h a t I m a k e f u n o f e i t h e r t o m y s e l f o r o u t l o u d .

R e c e n t l y T h e H e c k l e r t o o k a s t a r v -i n g s o u t h s i d e I r i s h w r i t e r o n t o i t s s t a f f ,o u r v e r y o w n M r . B a f f o e . T h e H e c k l e r i sa C h i c a g o - b a s e d o n l i n e s a t i r i c a l m a g a z i n ef o u n d e d i n 2 0 0 3 t h a t c a t e r s t o a l l t h e m a j o r C h i c a g o p r o f e s s i o n a l s p o r t i n g c l u b s . T h eH e c k l e r i s t h e p r e m i e r e s a t i r i c a l s p o r t sm a g a z i n e i n t h e C h i c a g o a r e a , r e c e i v i n g

s u c h h o n o r s a s h a v i n g b e e n i n T h e C h i c a g oT r i b u n e a n d T h e C h i c a g o S u n - T i m e s .

T h i s i s n o m e n i a l a c c o m p l i s h m e n tb y a n y s t r e t c h o f t h e i m a g i n a t i o n . C o u n t -l e s s w r i t e r s h a v e s p e n t t h e g r e a t e r p o r t i o no f t h e c a r e e r s t r y i n g t o b e r e c o g n i z e d a n da d d e d t o a p r o f e s s i o na l s t a f f . H a v i n g y o u r w r i t i n g p u b l i s h e d b y o t h e r s i s a l w a y s a nh o n o r , B a f f o e c o m m e n t e d o n h i s r e c e n th i r i n g . I t m e a n s y o u g o t t h e j o b d o n e a sa w r i t e r . A n y o n e c a n s t a r t a b l o g a n d h o p es o m e o f i t s t i c k s w i t h a r a n d o m r e a d e r , b u tt o w r i t e f o r a p u b l i c a t i o n t h a t y o u a l r e a d yk n o w p e o p l e f r e q u e n t - - t h a t s a g o o d f e e l -i n g .

B a f f o e s f i r s t a r t i c l e f o r T h e H e c k -l e r i s a w i t t y p i e c e c o m i c a l l y r e p o r t i n gt h a t t h e S t . L o u i s C a r d i n a l p l a y e r s h a dc o n t r a c t e d a m y s t e r i o u s i l l n e s s . B a f f o er e p o r t e d t h a t t h e t e a m w i d e i l l n e s s w a sc a u s e d b y t h e C a r d i n a l s s i g n i n g o f f o r m e r C u b i n f i e l d e r R y a n T h e r i o t . T h e r i o t h a db e e n a f f e c t e d b y t h e h i s t o r i c c u r s e o f t h eC u b s b y h i s a f f i l i a t i o n w i t h t h e c l u b .

T h e a r t i c l e s p e c u l a t e s t h a t t h i s i st h e d i r e c t c a u s e o f t h e t e a m ' s r o s t e r w o e s ,d i s a b l i n g s u c h s t a r p l a y e r s a s A d a m Wa i n -w r i g h t , t h e C a r d s a c e w h o i s c u r r e n t l yr e h a b b i n g h i s e l b o w a f t e r u n d e r g o i n gs e a s o n - e n d i n g To m m y J o h n s u r g e r y d u e t o

a n i n j u r y s u f f e r e d i n S p r i n g T r a i n i n g .B a f f o e s l a t e s t p i e c e c h r o n i c l e s t h e

d e a t h o f t h e l a s t C u b s N o m a r G a r c i a p a r r aj e r s e y i n c a p t i v i t y . T h e H e c k l e r c o n t a i n s m a n y m o r ee x a m p l e s o f h u m o r o u s w r i t i n g d o n n i n gw o n d e r f u l l y c r e a t i v e h e a d l i n e s s u c h a s t h ef o l l o w i n g : G o o d e l l r e g r e t s n o t o f f e r i n gp l a y e r s t w o y a c h t s a p i e c e i n s t e a d o f j u s to n e , A f t e r c u r i n g s e l f , Z a m b r a n o m i r a c u -l o u s l y h e a l s o t h e r b a l l p l a y e r s , B o o z e r d e l i g h t e d t o s u f f e r i n j u r y t h a t d o e s n tr e q u i r e a c o v e r u p , J e r m a i n e D y e s p o t -t e d w a n d e r i n g P h o e n i x c a r r y i n g w i l l c r u s ht o w e r i n g h o m e r u n s f o r f o o d - s i g n .

O n e c a n f i n d t h e s e , M r . B a f f o e sa r t i c l e s , a n d m a n y m o r e c o l o r f u l s e l e c t i o n ss i m p l y b y v i s i t i n g t h e H e c k l e r s o f f i c i a lw e b s i t e a t w w w t h e h e c k l e r c o m

Prayer, sacred silence, and walking around with your hands folded. That is the ideamost of the students have about what life in the Monastery would be like. Well, con-trary to popular belief, life in the monastery is very similar to life anywhere else.

Before St. Rita made the move from 63rd and Claremont to 77th and West-

ern the monastery was a residency for the Dioceses Priests. The section that belongedto the school had a faculty locker-room, bathroom area, and work room, which weconverted into a living room, dining room, and kitchen, said Br. Gary O.S.A.

There are ve people who currently call the Monastery their home: Br. GaryHresil, Fr. Tom McCarthy, Fr. Erwin Dodge, Fr. Bernie Scianna, and Fr. Ron Turcich.Br. Gary is the Prior of the Monastery, which means he is in charge of making sure thehouse runs smoothly, and that the needs of the people living in the Monastery are met.

After entering the Monastery, from either the Chemistry Hall or through theentrance by the Chapel, a long hallway needs to be walked through. This hallway hasrooms on the right, if entering from the Chapel, and is decorated with tables that havelittle gurines resting on top of them. This stuff is from trips we have made to otherAugustinian houses in Germany, and Europe, Br. Gary said about the items. For themost part it is just decorated to make it feel more like a home, rather than an institutiontype building, Also in the hall are glass shelves holding more little items that havebeen collected by the Augustinians through the decades.

The rst doorway on the left leads you into the dining room where every-body gathers for dinner Monday through Thursday. Just past the dining room is thenewly remodeled kitchen. The remodeling involved new cabinets, new tiled oors, andgranite covering every counter top. Continuing through the kitchen, a large living roomgreets the eyes. With half a dozen couches, shelves lined with books, and a rather largetelevision, there is plenty for people to do.

It is still a Monastery, so prayer is a very important part of everyday living.It doesnt have to be through the chanting of psalms, reciting the Our Father, or singingthe Hymn to St. Rita. Well, like anything you should spend time in quiet for yourself,Br. Gary commented about the prayer that takes place in the Monastery. I would hopethat all the priests and brothers do nd time during the day time to be with God and topray and re ect upon their day, and how they could have encountered Christ. Becauseanybody can just say prayers like the Our Father and the Hail Mary, or read prayersfrom the Bible, but you have to do more than that. You have to build your interior life.To St. Augustine that was very big, to build on the interiority. So, therefore, you shouldtake time to re ect about how you brought Christ to other people and how you experi-enced Christ through other people.

From 77th Street, the black fence is the most any student knowsabout the Monastery garden. Fromthe outside, not much can be seen, butits size, organization, and layout canonly be fully appreciated when seenfrom the inside. There is a large deck that greets the visitor, which givesway to a large eld of grass. In themiddle of all the grass, is a pond linedwith stone and home to at least twodozen small gold sh.

Each person living in theMonastery has their own room. Theway this was set up, it was two rooms

connected with a walking closet and a private bath, Br. Gary said, describing therooms. The rooms are decorated in any way the person sleeping there would like themto be decorated. Fr. Dodge, for example, has a room lled with books which he likesto read in his spare time. Each room does come with a few standard items, including abed, a television, and a dresser.

Four days a week, everybody partakes in a loosely laid schedule, whichBr. Gary, as Prior of the Monastery, makes sure everybody follows as required by theAugustinian Order.

At 6:45 a.m. in the morning, everybody attends a Morning Prayer immedi-ately followed by Mass in the St. Augustine Chapel, which is the little enclosed Chapelin the corner of the St. Rita Shrine Chapel. After breakfast, they are sent on their way topartake in their various assignments. Their assignments depend on the person. Fr. Tom,for example, would perform his duties as President of St. Rita, while Br. Gary wouldgo and teach classes.

At 5 p.m., everyone gathers back into the St. Augustine Chapel for EveningPrayer. After this, they all sit down for a community dinner. The dinner is cooked bythe Monasterys private cook, Br. Jim, who is the Franciscan Brother who works in theMustang Store.

Anybody can preach the appearance of the Monastery. Whether they talk about the bedrooms, the yard, or the living room, they are only talking. The moststriking part about the Monastery cannot just merely be told, but it needs to be felt. Thefeelings of just complete peace and comfort strike deep into the body.

Its more like being in a home, rather than a Monastery. Even for those whodont live there, a feeling of being at home sweeps over the body. Its an ever pres-ence feeling of comfort and serenity. Something about the Monastery just feels as if you were meant to be there.

Over the years I have come to understand what community life shouldbe, that is family, Fr. Dodge said. Like all families, we must be willing to face thechallenges each day brings with due regard for our differences in background, tempera-ment, and personalities. Our goal is to live together in one mind and heart centered onGod as St. Augustine stated in his rule for community life. Unlike the married stated,the family we create has a wider outreach as our perspective like an extended family,which included everyone who is in search of God whom we approach through Our Lord, Jesse Christ and his Church. So, my life after so many years of teaching andsaying Mass, has taken on a more contemplative approach to nd deeper meaning inmy vocation as a religious priest. The Monastery is not a place of retirement but a place

Hey, whats it likeinside the Monastery?

By Oscar Mascorro

Page 3 NEWS March 31, 2011


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March 31, 2011Page 4 Technology

One must admit, smart phones are becoming more and more popular by the day. The topsmart phone on the market is the iPhone. The reason for this is the abundance of applicationsthat can assist their users in almost any task. Here are the top 5 apps for this month:

Top Apps of March 2011

While playing your favorite game, have you ever thought about what it wouldbe like to actually be in the game? Well, of course you have, whether you wanted tobe that big football star or the soldier that can take on a whole army by himself, thishas been made possible! PC gamers can take full advantage of these new technologiesbeing released and at an affordable price. Sorry console gamers, you have to wait your turn.

This is the Z800 3DVisor. This has to be one of the best devices released thisyear in terms of personal display units. Imagine yourself playing your favorite FirstPerson Shooter (FPS for short) and all you see is the game. Pretty cool, huh? Well, itsnot going to feel real unless its in 3D. eMagin, the creators of this wonderful device,thought about that and added this 3D feature. This headset includes a noise-cancellingmicrophone as well as a pair of ear buds. Although it runs at a steep $1799.00, it is agreat investment if you are a hardcore gamer, especially if used in combination with theother devices in this article.

TN Games. Havent heard of them? Well, they are becomingvery popular due to the release of their new 3rd Space FPS GamingVest. This vest has eight air actuators. Four in the front. Four in theback. These actuators provide a ve pound impact force on your body.

This is supposed to mimic impact from bullets and explosions. Theprice is reasonably set at $139.00 and provides the best gaming experi-ence to date. TN Games website said an adapter for consoles was sup-posed to be released summer of 2010, but nothing has been releasedyet.

This has to be best gaming accessory released to date. Intro-ducing the NIA (Neural Impulse Actuator). OCZ, a major computer hardware manufacturer has released a device that frees the hands of PCgamers from their keyboard and mouse (for the most part). Priced at$110.00, this controller allows gamers to play their favorite games justby moving their eyes, making facial expressions, or just by thinking.

The Peregrine is a glove (yes, a glove) that takes most of thecontrols in any game and places them on your hand. This glove can beused for any game; however, it is most effective for RTS (Real TimeStrategy) games. This glove is very useful for any game due to its 18touch points and 3 activator pads. This product is priced at $99.00.

TN 3rd Space FPS Gaming Vest (Bottom), Peregrine Gaming Glove (Right), and theOCZ NIA (Left).

1) Google Translate Price: FreeHave you ever been stuck in a foreign country and failing at understanding what people are saying? No? Well,maybe youre just stuck on a little bit of Spanish homework. Google is here to help you with your languageproblems! With Google Translate, you can translate words or phrases between fty different languages.Theres also a nifty little feature that provides audio playback of the translated word or phrase.

2) eBay Mobile Price: FreeeBay members will never miss an opportu-nity to snag a hard-to- nd item with instantalerts when outbid or auctions are ending.You can compare prices in the store againsteBay prices using the handy barcode scan-ner. You are also able to sell! Take a couple

of pictures with your iPhone or iPod cameraand youre set. Sharing items you are sellingor buying with Facebook and Twitter friendsis quick and easy with the eBay for iPhoneapp.

3) Urbanspoon Price: FreeCant decide where to eat? Urbanspoon can help!All you have to do is shake your iPhone and theUrbanspoon slot machine will pick a good restau-rant for you to try. You can also see whats nearbyby using a handy little map in the application. Thisapp is great when you are out on the road or whenyoure just looking to try something new.

4) The Weather Channel Price: FreeTired of the Weather app that is provided onyour iPhone? Maybe you need a little moreinformation about the weather. The Weather Channel for the iPhone provides you withextended forecasts as well as full screen, in-teractive radar maps, severe weather alerts,and more.

5) SoundHound Price: $4.99This has happened to almost everyone. Yourelistening to the radio and you miss the name of thesong that is playing. You keep thinking to yourself,What is the name of this song?! SoundHound,Inc. must have had these moments because theydesigned this amazing app that will identify almostany song. All you have to do is hold your phonenext to the speaker in which the music is comingout of and then the rest is magic. You wont ever have any of those moments again.

-Photos courtesy of manufacturerswebsites

Gaming Goes to a Whole New Level

-Photo courtesy of eMagin

Z800 3DVisor

By: Joseph Ruiz

By: Joseph Ruiz


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March 31, 2011Page 5

Movie shouldnt be Unknown to youBy Max Kurucar

Do you like crazy thrillers that keep you on the edge of your seat? If so Ive got a movie for you. In Unknown Liam Neeson isMartin Harris a botanist happily married to Elizabeth Harris. (Janu-

ary Jones) You may know Liam Neeson from big lms like Taken(2008) and January Jones from the hit series Madmen.The couple travels to Berlin where Dr. Harris is giving a speech

at a Biochemist Convention. Soon after arriving in Berlin Harris isinvolved in an accident that left him in a coma for four days. Uponawakening he discovers that someone has taken over his identity andhe is left to prove he is the real Martin Harris.Along the way you meet another character, Gina, played by DianeKruger. Kruger adds great character to the lm because she is anative of Germany. Her accent and German language gives you anauthentic feel as you go on in the lm.

I can assure you that this movie keeps you on the edge of your seat. The anticipation starts early and doesnt end until themovie is over. Whatever comes next is sure to overwhelm you and

keep your eyes glued to the screen. The sheer thrill and action willkeep you guessing at what is around the corner. Fast paced action hits you hard and wont stop until you are knocked out.

Unknown is great weekend movie to see with friends or your signi cant other. And it will not disappoint those action-thriller loversout there. A mere ten bucks gets you into the lm at any local movie theater and buys an hour and fty minutes of heart-pounding action thatis sure to bring you back for a second or third time. Grab your wallet and head out for a thrilling experience brought to you by Unknown.

Photo Courtesy of xcitefun.net

Sleep experts recommend that teenagers get nine hours and fteen minutes of sleep every night. With school work, practice and games for sports, club meetings, exercise, and just some time for yourself, it might be hard to see how we are expected to get to bed that early. In aquick survey taken in a sophomore World History class it was found that 1 in 6 students get eight or more hours of sleep consistently at St.Rita. And as far as experts can tell, technology has a lot to do with it.

Everyone knows that sleep is important, but do they know just how important it really is? The Division of Sleep Medicine at HarvardMedical School found that the body requires sleep in the same ways it regulates the need for eating, drinking, and breathing. Their studieshave shown that sleep plays a vital role in promoting physical health, longevity, and emotional well-being. Sleep also helps keep your bodyhealthy in general. It is known to help repair your body, reduce stress, improve your memory, reduce the chance of diabetes, and keep your heart healthy. So, when we cut the time we need to sleep short, we are also cutting the time our body needs to reap these bene ts short.

There are also some negative things that a lack of pro cient sleep at night can cause. One thing some people might recognize is poor performance in the classroom. It is dif cult to pay attention in class when tired and it is even harder to get good grades when you are nap -ping in class. However, you might not even need to worry about school at all because drowsiness and fatigue causes more than 100,000 car crashes each year, with young drivers at the wheel in almost half of these. Eve Van Cauter, Ph.D., from the University of Chicago MedicalSchool performed a study that showed that a lack of sleep can negatively impact physiology that is critical for athletic performance. So, on afew hours of sleep you risk car accidents, bad grades, and if you can ght through those two, your jump shot wont be so hot either.

Watching television, logging onto Facebook, or talking and texting on our cell phones might be why so many teens are up so late.Although computers, cell phones, and television make our livesmore productive and enjoyable when used appropriately, whenabused it can severely affect our performance each morning. St.Ritas Spanish teacher, Ms. Yanez stated, Something is affect-ing students sleep every night. Too many students try to sleep inclass.

In a Yahoo! article it was reported that Nearly 95 percentof people questioned in an NSF [National Science Foundation]study said they used some type of electronics in the hour beforegoing to bed, and about two-thirds admitted they do not getenough sleep during the week. Many teenagers get ready for bed with their Blackberries, iPods, and laptops in reach sendingout occasional texts, listening to their newest playlists, or surf-ing the web. Some people even manage to fall asleep each night

but are woken up by the ring of a phone call or the beep of atext. Although this may seem harmless, experts believe bringinga laptop or phone with you to bed causes the mind to recognizeyour bed as a place to work or communicate, not sleep. In thelong run, it is just confusing your body making it harder andharder to go to sleep at a decent hour.

You might nd that you are one of many people that doesntseem to get enough sleep each night. If so, you may also ndyour use of technology immediately before or even while tryingto get to sleep each night is part of the problem.

Are you getting enough sleep at night?By: Danny OKeefe

photo courtesy of Four Walls No Limits


6/8

March 31, 2011Page 6

Stuff your face on Fat Tues-By Max Kurucar

Its about that time when Lent comes around and everyone is thinking about whattheyre going to give up. But before we do theres Fat Tuesday, or Mardi Gras as the French callit. Mardi Gras is a large carnival where people come together to eat all the fatty food and drink all the sugary soda they want before the Lenten season.

This year Mardi Gras was on March 8th and Ms. Saul and her French Club met after

school to carry on the tradition of Carnivale. The students of the French Club made masks us-ing feathers, glitter, and anything they could put to use. After making masks all the students hadsome delicious pastries. Some of those pastries were some jelly lled donuts that were gone in amatter of seconds. The students also had candy and cake that Ms. Saul had brought in.

For students who do not know about French Club, anyone can join. You dont have tobe taking French, you can be in Spanish or Latin or not even take a language and still join FrenchClub. It is never too late to join. It can be May 25th and you can still stop by and take part inwhatever the activity is. Ms. Saul is fun and kind and a great teacher, so dont be shy try FrenchClub. Every month or so French Club goes on a eld trip. Last month they went downtown tosee a French play and it was a blast. If you ever want to see what it is all about you can stop Ms.Sauls room, thats 206 if you are wondering. In the future listen to announcements for FrenchClub information and make sure you dont miss the next meaning. It is a great time.

Photo courtesy of holiday-corners.com

Libya becoming quite the issueBy Craig SabathThe origin of the recent crisis in Libya lies in the autocratic rule of Muammar Gadha . Gadha has rmly held his position since he seized power in 1969. However, last month,as part of the recent trend in Middle Eastern protests, unrest erupted in several Libyan cities. Though it began with a very organized core of anti-government opponents, opposi -tion to Gadha s rule spontaneously and swiftly spread throughout the country. In response, Gadha lashed out with violence previously unseen in his regime. The oppositionquickly put together a rag-tag rebel army, attempting to portray themselves to the West as an alternative to Gadha s erratic rule. The rebel army was at rst very successful, tak -ing a signi cant portion of the country out of Gadha s control. However, with the advantage of numbers and logistics, Gadha seems to be turning the momentum in his favor.The relevance of this civil war to the West is the fact that Libya is one of the worlds largest producers of oil. Also, the proximity of Libya to Europe further complicates theissue. The possibility of a new Afghanistan right next to Europe frightens many within the European Union.

The earliest developments of the crisis began around a prison in Tripoli which is notoriously known for human rights violations. On 24 January 2011, Libya blocked ac -cess to YouTube after it featured videos of demonstrations in the Libyan city of Benghaziby families of detainees who were killed in Abu Salim prison in 1996, and videos of fam -ily members of Gadha at parties. This attracted much attention from many human-rightsgroups around the world. Opposition to Gadha s rule slowly escalated until large-scaleprotests broke out following the arrest of a Libyan human rights activist. The protests bal-looned following violent retaliations by the government.

The opposition elded a rag-tag army that quickly gained control of most of EasternLibya and the second largest city, Benghazi. In response, Gadha brought in mercenariesfrom Chad as the rebel army pushed west to take over Gadha s stronghold at Tripoli. Therebel advance was stalled in the face of Gadha s superior numbers and logistics.

Many rebels are equipped with nothing more than small arms. As a result, their onlyhope is Western intervention. The West must answer the question of how much they shouldget involved. Many factors make the con ict in Libya relevant to west. Oil essentially con -trols the world economy. If the price of oil goes up, the price of just about everything elsegoes up too. Can the West afford to have such a large producer of oil be ruled by someoneas erratic as Gadha ? The price of oil per barrel has already well surpassed $100. Second,the proximity of Libya to Europe is important. We must not allow Libya to become an-other Afghanistan just next door to us, declared Italys interior minister, Roberto Maroni,

at the end of a European ministerial meeting in Brussels February 25th.The West debated many courses of action. Many imposed sanctions upon Libya to little avail. Creating a no- y zone over Libya is the biggest debate. It is the most

controversial of options to be implemented and raises many questions in terms of effectiveness. The consequences of a no- y zone arent clear. It may prevent government air

strikes on rebels, but it probably wont save the rebels because it doesnt do much about the rebels disadvantages on the ground. Libyan rebels are hoping for an arm and trainstrategy so that they can cancel out Gadha s logistical advantage. However, it is the most complicated and most dif cult of all options. Who would supply the weapons andwhat kind would be supplied? Is it prudent to arm a Middle Eastern country so heavily? This will become more of an issue if the ghting continues. Its only hope is that a non-Western supplies the arms and training, Egypt is an attractive supplier.

Along with the new class schedule, it was announced that student tuition would be increased too. Tuition will raise about fivehundred dollars in the 2011- 2012 school year. The new cost is understandable what with every student gaining one more class, therehas to be either more t eachers or teachers having more classes.

With this tuition rise, St. Rita has now offered a new way f or students, or their famil y, to pay. Relatives can now buy a TuitionGift Certificate. They can be bought in any dollar amount between twenty five and two hundred and fifty dollars. Gi fts can be given

to students of all grades and the entire process is relatively fast, only taking about one to two business days.If any students would like t o purchase these gift certificates or find out more about this new system, contact Mrs. McWilliams

in the Tuition Office.

New way to pay the schoolby Ed Roland


7/8

Page 7 March 31, 2011

Stock Club off the ChartsBy Max Kurucar

Who wants some money? As Father Tom would say. The Stock Club is theplace to be if you love money. St. Ritas Stock Club has risen in the ranks last year andthis year as well. The Team is currently ranked second among the other one hundred and

twenty Illinois Stock Clubs. St. Ritas team consists of thirteen students, senior Aamir Walton, juniors Billy Pink and Billy Henry, sophomores Peter Cozzi, Quinton Gray,Pedro Martinez, Bryce Sissac, Patrick Henry, Joey Wilimczyk, and Kevin Sicher, andfreshman Mike ODonnell, Ian Leyden, and Victor Luna. The clubs advisor is Mr. MikeGallagher, who is also the Augustinian Chief Financial Of cer here at St. Rita.

For those who dont know much about Stock Club, the team meets everyWednesday morning at 7:30 a.m. in room 213. The students use computer software to buyor sell real stocks from real companies. Each team starts with one hundred thousand dol-lars of monopoly money and they invest to see who comes out with the biggest earn-ings. Easier said than done right? Although everything is computer generated, the amountof money teams earn is based on the real increase and decrease of the price of stocks.Have you ever heard news about the DOW Jones dropping however many points? Wellthats stock market talk for losing or gaining money. Im sure the team has nally founda use for the otherwise unknown stock exchange section of the newspaper. The seasonstarts in January and ends in April. So far, the stock club has made a pro t and exceeded

the S & P 500 growth by 7%, according to Mr. Gallagher. That puts the teams runningtotal at one hundred and eight thousand dollars.

Stock Club can be very useful to students for when they enter the real world.Although they use fake money, the way they strategize and invest their money can beused in todays market. Students have fun earning money and at the same time learn use-ful ways to invest their money once they have their own job. Students can learn ways toinvest their money to eventually be millionaires by the time they retire. And who doesntwant to be a millionaire?Students keep coming back, so they must like it, Mr. Gallagher said, and he encourag-

es more people to join. Stock Club has two seasons, one in the Fall and one in the Spring.If youre ever interested in Stock Club its never too late to stop by room 213 on Wednes-day morning and see how everything works. Or you can stop by Mr. Gallaghers of cewhich is located right next to the elevator on the rst oor. The season is almost over butyou can still join. If you dont have time this year there is plenty of time next year to jointhis fun and interesting club. Stock Club is a great way to learn real life skills that can

help you in the world of tomorrow, today.

Photo Courtesy of Nasdaq Stock Market, I nc.

Baseball looks to bring it home

For the pas t two years , St . Ri ta basebal l has placed second in s ta te . Their goal for th is sea-son is c lear. When asked about thei r goals for th is season, i t was a no-brainer for Athle t icDirector and Head Vars i ty Coach Mike Zunica , To win the Cathol ic League and Sta te .

Ri ta has plenty of obstacles in thei r pursui t for the crown. Deal ing wi th the losses of Mark Payton and Anthony Andres , who now at tend the Univers i ty of Texas and NIU respec-t ively, wi l l be tough. Mark Paytons bat t ing saved the team on many occasions and was thecenter p iece of Ri tas bat t ing t r io of h im, Stefano Belmonte and Joey Fi lomeno. Andres wasa s tud pi tcher whose ski l l cannot be replaced. The loss of such ta lented seniors , however,wi l l be leveled by the addi t ion of many ta lented juniors . Ri tas current s i tuat ion providesplenty of oppor tuni ty for the upcoming players .

When asked who should be expected to have a breakout season th is year, he an-swered, Stefano Belmonte , and maybe Zack Sor ia . Belmontes ski l l i s wel l es tabl ishedfrom his p lay las t year. He made a phenomenal t ransi t ion to Vars i ty las t year, where he hi t.377, 13 doubles , 11 homers , 52 RBI. That Belmonte kid is specia l , Zunica commented.Hes jus t one of those guys who can hi t and hi t and hi t . And no one can forget that four-hundred footer he shot out of Cel lular Fie ld agains t De la Sal le . In the off -season, Belmontehas been racking up col lege offer af ter col lege offer. Zack Sor ia made plenty of contr ibu-t ions a t the pla te , as wel l . His walk off h i t that l i f ted St . Ri ta agains t Hunt ley in the s ta tesemi-f inals was his most notable contr ibut ion a t the pla te las t year. Junior Ricky Faronshould be expected to contr ibute as wel l th is year a t bat . I t s hard to forget h is sol id play onVars i ty las t year, where he hi t .304 in twelve games. While bat t ing is s t i l l led by Louisvi l les ignee Joey Fi lomeno, who hi t .461 wi th 10 doubles , 14 homers and 61 RBI las t year, thepi tching crew has a new a ce in Junior Eddie De la Riva, who commit ted to Purdue over thesummer.

Despi te the di fferences in the s taff of th is year s team, dont expect much to changefrom the team. Names have changed, but expecta t ions havent . We wil l s t i l l p lay the samehard-nosed aggress ive s ty le , Coach Zunica concluded. That p lay must be expected consid-er ing the compet i t ion Ri ta faces every year in the Cathol ic League. Mt . Carmel has a lwaysbeen a di ff icul t opponent for Ri ta , and Providence themselves are expected to make a runfor the s ta te t i t le th is year. Coach Zunica ac knowledged the di ff icul ty of the league. Wheninquired whether there are any match-ups in par t icular we should watch, he repl ied, Every-body in the league. I t i s the bes t league in the s ta te . Zunica c lar i f ied , I t s the toughness ,t radi t ion and ta lent that real ly se t the Cathol ic League apar t f rom others .

In any case , expect Ri ta to have another fantas t ic season of basebal l . There are plentyof juniors wi l l ing and able to s tep up in place of las t year s seniors , and compet i t ion wi thinthe league is something Ri ta has become accustomed to . Same obstacles , d i fferent season.

By Craig Sabath

Photo Courtesy of Chicago Tribune


8/8

March 31st, 2011Page 8 MUSTANG SPORTS

Mustang football players move on to th e next levelBy Craig Sabath

Though the football season concluded many months ago, football hasnt completely left the campus. Last month, ve members of Ritas foot-ball team signed to carry on their careers to the next level. This year, these ve players ledRita to another successful season where they advanced all the way to the State semi- nals.The players parents were present for the signings, in addition to Head football coach ToddKuska, Athletic Director Mike Zunica, and Principal Brendan Conroy.Tight end Tim Gorski, running back/defensive back Travis Starks and Offensive linemanBrian Lurquin, Jack Sheahan and Tommy Hitz were the ve players who signed. They ledSt. Rita to a 22-5 record the past two seasons, a Catholic League Blue Championship, PrepBowl Title, and to the State Semi- nals.

Its a great day for all of these kids and their parents to make the commitment tomove on to the next academic and athletic challenge, said Kuska. These guys were a spe-cial group. Theyve won several championships and had a ton of postseason success. Wewill have ve or six more guys from this class join this group in the near future with theirchoices. Its tting that a large number of these guys will continue to play football.

Brian Lurquin was a two year starter at center for the Mustangs. His play contrib-uted immensely to the success the Mustangs have had running the ball in recent years. Hesigned to play for the University of Wisconsin at Platteville. He attended Oak Lawn Home-town Middle School and resides in Oak Lawn, Illinois.

Jack Sheahan is the second member of Ritas offensive line to sign for collegefootball. He battled through injury to nally achieve the honor to play on the next level. Hisacademic success has allowed him to sign for Yale University of the Ivy League. It was arelatively easy decision for Jack, who fell in love with Yales campus upon his visit. Itsa high-level of football, and the academics speak for itself. Yale is always one of the top-ranked schools in the world. Im thankful that Ill be able tocompete at a program thats at a high level and also get an education thats second to none. Jack attended Sutherland Grammar School and resides inthe Beverly neighborhood in Chicago.

Tim Gorskis decision wasnt as easy. He went down to the wire before deciding the week before. Gorski will play Division- One football atWestern Kentucky. The tight end selected the Hilltoppers over offers from Northern Illinois, Toledo and Western Michigan. Tim attended St. Alexanderand resides in Palos Heights, Illinois.

Tommy Hitz signed for St. Xavier University, where he will be able to compete for a national championship, which was huge in his decision.Hitz graduated from St. Cajetan High School and also resides in Beverly.

Travis Starks signed for Indiana State. Starks was a two-year starter who had plenty of success running the ball and defending against the passat defensive back. Indiana State is a program on the rise that picked up many Illinois Prep standouts. He also considered Central Michigan, IllinoisState and Eastern Michigan. Travis attended Emmanuel Christian and resides in Alsip, Illinois.

With the star t of this year s new track season, everyones hopeswere high. We have the tools to win a lot th is year, we just need to usethem right , says head Coach Tony Sosnowski . The Running Mustangshave fa l len shor t the pas t couple of years in conference meets , so th isyear the team wanted to do i t r ight .

Wi th in t he t ea m th er e ha ve b ee n ma ny n ew c ha ng es . Pr ac ti ce shave become harder for runners to bet ter prepare them for compet i t ions .There has a lso been a much great s t ress on form running and runningcont inual ly with form. There has been a greater s t ress on guys runningr ight , not jus t running as fas t as they can, said coach Sosnowski .

Some key re turns to th is year s vars i ty team are seniors Mark Bonds and Anthony Davis , two of the fas tes t 55 meter runners in thes ta te . Senior thrower Bryce Bai ley and junior Shakir Spel ls are two ma-jor compet i tors in vars i ty shot put . Senior hurdler Andrew Cheatham isclose to the top in hurdlers in the conference. Juniors Jake Golding andAlber t Alfano are two big compet itors in mid and long dis tance running.

For the f rosh/soph team, sophomores Zack Maderak and ArisI r izarry are the 55 meter runners . Sophomore throwers Frank Wissehand Jon Eskra are expected to come within the top f ive in conference.For long dis tance, sophomores Dan Dwyer and Brendan Raffer ty andfreshman Pete Schaible are leading the pack for the Mustangs th is year.

At the Indoor Cathol ic League Championships , the Mustangshad a st rong showing. St . Ri ta was able to score within the top eight inspr ints , d is tance running, throwing, and jumping.

F or t he f r es hm en /s op ho mo re t ea m, A ri s Ir iz ar ry l ed t he w ay f orthe Mustangs . The sophomore placed in the long jump, the tr ip le jump,and the 200 meter dash. Dis tance runners Pete Schai lbe and BrendanSchmit t p laced in the mile and two mile races . The mustangs f inishfour th out of a f ie ld of f i f teen a t conference.

Vars i ty Capi tan Mark Bonds sa id , The f reshmen and sophomoresof this team are the ones that wi l l be taking our spots on vars i ty next year.

For the var s i ty t eam, the confe rence championsh ips were a s t ep in the righ t d i r ect ion . The team scored in d i s tance , jump-ing, throwing, and spr ints . Junior Cody Leach took f i rs t in the t r ip le jump. Mark Bonds and Anthony Davis took second andfour th in the 55 meter dash and a tr ip to the s ta te f inals . Anthony Davis also took second in the 200 meter dash and wil l be go-ing to s ta te to run that too.

Coach Tony Sosnowsk i says tha t a l l t he pe r fo rmances in the indoor season po in t to a s trong ou tdoor season.We be li evethat we have the potent ia l to take this year s outdoor t i t le .

Running Mustangs look to clear hurdlesby Ed Roland

The Ritan Volume 82 No. 2

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Transcript of The Ritan Volume 82 No. 2