K of A pitching in with recycling program p 2

Where are our Seniors headed next year? p 5

Hockey wins 4th consec-utive Kennedy Cup p 8

The Ritan

In This Issue

A Student Publication ofSaint Rita of Cascia High School

7740 South Western AvenueChicago, Illinois 60620

Volume Eighty-Two. Number Four. May 18, 2011

THE RITAN

STUDENT STAFF: Max Kurucar, Joe Ruiz, Craig Sabath, Stephen Gregory, Oscar Mascorro, Danny O’Keefe, Ed Roland

JOURNALISM INSTRUCTOR: Mr. Tim Baffoe

Every Thursday morning St. Rita students file into their home room classes before the 7:55 bell. We pray and say the Pledge of Allegiance and listen to various announce-ments. Then one student in each class gets the blue missions pencil case and walks up and down the rows of desks asking for donations, praising those who donate more than the goal of fifty cents per man, and encouraging others to donate what they can. We are told we are donating to “missions”. What are missions? Where are our donations going every week? Mission collections money goes to many causes throughout the year. These past few years we have donated our weekly missions fund to the John McNicholas Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation, the Andy Smialek Education Fund, and to the relief of the people during the Haiti earthquake. Besides our side donations to causes dear to the St. Rita family and the world around us, missions usually goes to the Augustinian Missions in Peru. The Midwest Augustinians website tells, “The missionaries working in Peru are committed to preaching the Gospel and helping the people they serve improve the extremely poor living conditions.” In the past, the Augustinian Missions were raising money to build a school in this very impoverished country. Now that they have accomplished building the school our mon-ey has recently helped them put a roof on the building. Now, they are trying to raise money for things like computers and calculators, something the kids in Peru have only dreamed of.

A school in Peru is much differ-ent than a school in America. Most buildings are a one room school house that holds a class of all different grade levels being instructed by one teacher. In some areas the school day is taken in shifts due to both too many students and the fact that many kids have to work during the day and can then take class at night. It is very hard for many families in Peru to supply each kid with even just a notebook and a pencil every year. Every donation we give helps these people run a school, something we go to everyday without a second thought. Before you may have only given fifty cents every Thursday. And that is great! You may have donated nothing. Maybe now that you understand just a small portion of what it is like for these people to live in such an undeveloped country you will be willing to donate that extra quarter, or that extra dollar to a group of people that need it much more than you want a cookie during your lunch period.

An examination of the missionsBy: Danny O’Keefe

After a few changes of ideas, it was decided that Arsenic and Old Lace would be performed on March 31st, and April 1st and 2nd. “We considered various plays; however, Mr. Tolley chose Arsenic and Old Lace based on the acting strengths of the students who auditioned as well as the number of students who auditioned,” said Ms. Stephanie Saul, the Moderator of the Theatre Club, speaking on behalf of herself and Mr. John Tolley, the Director. This is a story about two lovely old ladies, Abby and Martha, whose only joy in life is finding people to do some good to. After an unfortunate heart attack took one of their Lodgers, they realized the greatest charity they could perform was sending as many lonely old men as they could to that same peace. However, when their nephew, Mortimer, finds out about what they are doing, he cannot allow them to continue. While trying to stop them, Jona-than, his brother, and his business partner, Dr. Einstein, make things a living nightmare for Mortimer. Throw in another crazy brother, a few cops, and a Mental Institution, and you have the comedy hit Arsenic and Old Lace. Last year’s production of Young Frankenstein was the final performances of four seniors who always seemed to grab the lead roles. “Though last year’s seniors were tremendously talented, there was no doubt in our minds that we would have yet another talented cast and crew,” Ms. Saul said. After saying good-bye to four senior actors, though, who would they get to fill those big expectations? Well, it was decided that Sophomores Oscar Mascorro III, Shea Pender, Mike Lorimer, and Junior Tom Ricci, would be the ones to fill the empty holes. “Everyone casted seemed to fit their parts perfectly, so it was really not that hard to cast this play,” Ms. Saul explained. Oscar made the part of Mortimer Brewster, a Theatre Critic who hates his job, loves his Aunts, and has just proposed to his girlfriend. Shea picked up the part of Jonathan, a murderer who has traveled the world on “business”. Tom Ricci acted as Einstein, Jonathan’s business partner who isn’t as evil as he appears. Mike Lorimer was Teddy, the third Brewster brother who thinks he is Theodore Roosevelt. These four Rita men were the lead

male actors in Cast A. Cast B consisted of Tom Bauer as Mortimer, Shea Pender as Jonathan for cat A and B, Patrick Egan was Teddy, and Malcolm Carter was Dr. Einstein. Twenty-four people auditioned for Arsenic and Old Lace, and, to Mr. Tolley and Ms. Saul, this was a big improvement from the nine that auditioned three years ago. “Mr. Tolley and I were delighted to see such enthusiasm and admired the dedication, charisma, and altruism of all the members of the Theatre club, and their families,” stated Ms. Saul. Include the five crew members, and there was more than a three times increase from three years ago. Along with the Rita men who auditioned for the play, the female parts were filled by girls from Mother McAuley, Mount Assisi Acad-emy, and The Chicago High School for Agriculture Science. Most of them were Mother McAuley students who have performed in the St. Rita theatre many times before. In fact, Mary Claire Murphy, Danielle Oliver, Emily Oliver, and Anna Schlomas, all Mother McAuley stu-dents, picked up the lead female roles for the second year in a row. After three months of rehearsal, the four performances of Arse-nic and Old Lace went off without a problem. Sticking to the scripted as much as possible, the cast spent the rest of the play trying to make each other laugh, but the audience couldn’t tell since they were doing all the laughing. “I was extremely proud of the cast and crew for their diligence

and positive attitudes, and enjoyed experiencing the energy that was evident between the actors, actresses, and crew during each show of the play”, said Ms. Saul. “I am equally proud to have assisted Mr. Tolley. He is extremely talented and creative and I have learned quite a bit about the technical side of theatre through working with him.”

Arsenic kills for Theatre GroupBy: Oscar Mascorro III

Page 2 NEWS May 18th, 2011

This year The Knights of Augustine have come up with a great idea. Over a year a school can use tons of paper for tests, homework, or projects and when it has served its purpose it gets tossed in the trash. That’s why effective very soon each classroom in the school will receive a blue recycling bin for all the used paper. On the side of each bin will be a green SR sticker to show our St. Rita pride. St. Rita is working to become green-er to help our Earth and this is a great start. Mr. Knipp is ex-cited to see how it all turns out. “Hopefully this will make St. Rita more sustainable and more environmentally friendly.” Every Friday members of the Knights of Augustine will travel around the school collecting all the paper from the bins. Then fellow classmate, Loren Lorenz will bring all the paper to the facility and then it’s off to be recycled and used in another school. We can make a big difference. As a school, we use so much paper and never recycled. All that paper would be gone and never reused like it could and should’ve been. Now that we’re taking steps to help the environment we can feel better as a school. What is more exciting is that if all goes well, we can get more bins to recycle other materials besides paper. All our plastic bottles or glass bottles can be recycled along with any other plastic. Several people drink pop at lunch and toss their aluminum cans in the trash. If we could later get bins for aluminum cans, it would make a big difference. They would go to good use instead of sitting in a landfill for 20 years. This whole process was formed by a group of St. Rita’s very own students. The student body here works hard to make a difference and they’re doing a great job so far. They strive and prosper and who knows what new great ideas will come in the future. But for now let’s get our recycling on and do some good.

St. Rita Making a Differenceby Max Kurucar

Japan Earthquake Reveals many problemsBy Craig Sabath

The earthquake and tsunami that recently hit Japan combined to create possibly the worst natural disaster Japan has ever experienced in the modern era. The disaster will have a lasting effect on the politics of leadership and energy policy. The handling of the disaster has shined light on how ineffective the country’s leaders are. Much of the suffering after crisis was avoidable. Also, the nuclear crisis reveals many flaws of the country’s energy policy. Japan’s leadership has let down its people following the disaster. It has taken far too long to tame the nuclear crisis and has failed to provide the needed relief in many of the damaged communities. The disaster revealed the close ties the government and the nuclear industry share. Together they have obstructed inquiry about the damaged nuclear power plant. The government was also remarkably slow in bringing aid to victims. Japan’s Prime Minister, Mr. Kaoto Kan, has focused far too much on the nuclear crisis. The country’s bureaucracy fell back on by-the-book procedures that prevented truck loads of supplies from traveling on highways designated only for “emergency” vehicles. Mr. Kan was also once reduced to asking the plant’s leader, “What the hell’s going on?” Old laws prevented companies from distributing large reserves of oil to damaged areas. It took ten days for the government to finally ask for their release. Mr. Kan should have declared a state of emergency from the beginning. All these problems reveal how ineffective the government is. Clear lines of authority still have not been established for handling the crisis. Hopefully, the crisis will spur the Japanese people to demand change and reform in their government. The nuclear crisis revealed many of Japan’s flaws in energy policy, es-pecially in safety procedures. Many of the nuclear scientists on Japan’s nuclear regulation boards are sponsored by utility companies, putting into question their independence. Many of these scientists are later given jobs at TEPCO, the company in charge of the damaged plant. This reveals obvious corruption in Japan’s nuclear regulation. Nuclear energy is a popular option in Japan because it imports 99% of its oil. However, past crises have scared the Japanese public. In response, the government provided tax incentives and subsidies in support of nuclear energy. This resulted in some of the highest electricity tariffs in the world, and excessive energy prices overall. The natural disasters have revealed the corruption in the government’s dealings with the nuclear industry and the faulty energy price regulations. As bad as Japan’s current situation is, it gives the country an opportunity to step back and re-evaluate its current position. The disaster has shown how ineffective their executive branch is, and how obstructive their bureaucracy is. In addition, their energy policy gives far too much leeway to the nuclear industry and has failed in regulating prices correctly.

Courtesy of ajwuwu.com

May 18, 2011Page 3

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

Top Apps of March 2011

1) Cheap Gas! Price: FreeWith gas prices going up and up, you need all the help you can get in order to save a few bucks. You’re in luck. Cheap Gas! takes all the major gas stations in a two mile radius and sorts them based on price. This app can also map a route to the gas station you choose in case you get lost.

2) RedLaser Price: FreeHave you ever tried comparing prices of products from one store to another? Well, how about comparing one store to hundreds? RedLaser allows you to take a product, take a picture of the barcode, and compare it to other places where the same item can be purchased. It definitely proves useful when you’re on a budget.

3) Adobe Photoshop Express Price: FreeDo not hesitate to take pictures with your Apple device any longer! Adobe Photoshop Express al-lows you to make basic changes to the pictures you take. With a few simple gestures, you can crop, straighten, add a photo effect or two and upload it

straight to favorite social networking site.

4) AroundMe Price: FreeHow many times have you found yourself in need of some food, a store, or maybe even a movie theater? AroundMe quickly identifies where you are and provides a complete list-ing of all the businesses in the category you selected and displays them on a map for you to choose. This is an ideal day to day app.

5) Tetris Price: $4.99One of the greatest games of all time is now avail-able on your Apple device with a twist in music I might add. The touch functions in this game are not as complicated as one would think, but it takes a little bit to get used to.

By: Joseph Ruiz

It would be difficult to turn on the news or listen to the radio without hearing something about the still rising gas prices. With the quickly approaching summer it is important that we understand the effects the high gas prices could have on students vacations, driving privileges, and the sacrifices they will need to make to afford to drive. Memorial Day is known to mark the beginning of summer driving season, but with the national average up to about $3.88 a gallon, and closing in on the all time record of about $4.11 in 2008, it is hard to see how driving to common vacation spots would save you any money. (Quote about traveling) Many Rita students might miss out on annual vacations this summer because driving seems to have lost its reputation as a cheap alternative. With the gas prices breaking the bank at home, many students could lose there driving privi-leges because not all parents will be able to afford to keep filling up the tank. In the latest Lumberg Survey of fuel prices it was found that Chicago gas prices were the highest in the contiguous United States at about $4.27 a gallon. With so many Rita students living in Chicago, and with the prices still getting higher, many students might find driving around this summer isn’t worth the pretty penny, or their parents might decide for them. Although it is possible to cut down driving this summer to save some money, not driving at all is not always an option for students. Many students will be forced to get a summer job to afford to drive, but with the newly raised expense your paycheck may begin looking smaller and smaller as you drive more and more. So, to prevent the outrageous gas prices from putting your summer plans on hold there are some things you can do to save money and gas. When you fill your tank up, fill it all the way. This prevents you from driving out of your way often just to throw ten or twenty dollars into your car, and therefore wasting gas as you buy it. Another thing you can do is make sure your tires are filled to the proper amount of air. This increases your cars efficiency and miles per gallon. It turns out driving safely can help save you money on gas. Going slower, coasting to a light or stop sign instead of giving gas, and avoiding tailgating to prevent mul-tiple stops can all help prevent wasting gas. You could even go as far as parking in the shade to avoid any gas from evaporating. To find the best gas prices in your area you can use sites like www.gasbud-dy.com or www.chicagogasprices.com. Using even some of these gas saving strategies could help out in the long run and benefit towards withstanding the skyrocketing gas prices.

Gas prices may put restraints on students alsoBy: Danny O’Keefe

Page 4 CLASS OF 2011 May 18, 2011

Pride and tradition never graduate: Class of 2011 reflects on its last four yearsBy Stephen Gregory

Alan Jeffries

What is your personal attachment to the St. Rita community?

“My personal attachment to the St. Rita community is the fact that I love everything about the school, the people, the friends, and the family. I believe that has prepared me to become a man and to start own-ing up to my responsibilities. I have shared many moments in this place that I will never forget. I will miss the friends, teachers, and the moments I’ve shared with all my peers.”

Bryce Bailey

What things will you miss most about your time here at St. Rita?

“I will miss all of my friends and the people I have met at (St.) Rita. I will miss all of the long and fun nights at football and basketball games and the ear-ly mourning football lifting and summer practice. I will even miss all my teachers some whom that feel the same sentiment upon my departure.”

Brendan Finnegan

Four years ago, you made a choice to come to St. Rita. Has it lived up to all of your expectations?

“Yes it has, very much so. It has been even better than I thought it would be. It has far surpassed my expectations. When you come here, its like a family. Everyone knows each other.”

Gavriel Wilkins

How do you believe that St. Rita has prepared you for the next saga of your life?

“It has prepared my mentality so that I feel like I can thrive in the next level of schooling. I feel like I can go on and accomplish my dreams and goals in society.”

Congrats, Class of 2011, on recieving over $9.68 million in college scholarships! We are very proud!

May 18, 2011 CLASS OF 2011 Page 5

Akel, Maxx Kramer University of Wisconsin, MadisonAkui, Jahwon UndecidedAvellana, Alros Pagulayan Saint Xavier UniversityAye, Michael Joseph St. Ambrose UniversityBader, Curtis James Marquette UniversityBailey, Bryce Lamar Grand Valley State UniversityBarry, Luke Michael Loras CollegeBentley, Patrick Richard Loras CollegeBigeck III, Ronald Thomas Quincy UniversityBiros, Joseph Andrew Clarke UniversityBocardo, Michael Rubin CCC, Harold Washington CollegeBonds, Mark Anthony Lewis UniversityBrackee, Micheal George Madison Area Technical CollegeBrackin, Brendan McGathey Moraine Valley Community CollegeBuche, Jr., Charles John Kirkwood Community CollegeByrne, Joseph Christopher Parkland CollegeCahill, Kevin Daniel John Carroll UniversityCarpenter, Kyle Patrick UndecidedCarroll III, Robert Owen Loyola University ChicagoCarter, Malcolm James Moraine Valley Community CollegeCastillo, Arman Sebastion Parkland CollegeCheatham, Andrew Robert Lewis UniversityCiaglia, Patrick Joseph University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignClancy, Daniel Patrick Moraine Valley Community CollegeCloney, Brendan Michael St. Ambrose UniversityComeaux, Rudolph Joseph Columbia CollegeConnery, Kevin William The University of IowaConnolly, Michael Murphy Moraine Valley Community CollegeCorbett, Patrick John St. Ambrose UniversityDavis, Anthony Jordan University of DubuqueDelaney, Patrick Dempsey University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignDemer, Sean Michael Moraine Valley Community CollegeDiana, Michael Thomas Eastern Illinois UniversityDiDominicis, Michael Timothy Moraine Valley Community CollegeDonahue, Christopher John Wabash CollegeDoran, Timothy Joseph Moraine Valley Community CollegeEhmig, Neil Patrick University of Illinois at ChicagoEnright, Joseph Michael Moraine Valley Community CollegeFashingbauer, Joseph Albert Purdue UniversityFerguson, Michael Patrick Kirkwood Community CollegeFetzer, Daniel Patrick Junior Hockey/Community CollegeFilomeno, Joseph Dominic University of LouisvilleFinnegan, Brendan Michael Barry UniversityFlaherty, Kevin Thomas The University of IowaFlisk, Brian Patrick St. Ambrose UniversityFlood, Thomas Robert The University of IowaFoley, Daniel John University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignFoster, Michael Matthew UndecidedFox, John Ryan U.S. NavyGallagher, Robert John Clarke UniversityGarcia, Richard Moraine Valley Community CollegeGavin, Terrence Ryan St. Ambrose UniversityGlade, Ryan Raymond Western Michigan UniversityGlascott, Jake Lawrence DePaul UniversityGorski, Timothy Thomas Western Kentucky UniversityGritzenbach, Michael Thomas Moraine Valley Community CollegeGurgone, Mario Anthony Kalamazoo Valley Community CollegeHaas, Michael Thomas UndecidedHaras, Nicholas Steven Saint Xavier UniversityHernandez, Jr., Efrain University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignHess, Jeffrey Todd Iowa State UniversityHett, Daniel John St. Ambrose UniversityHiatt, Matthew Thomas WorkHitz, Thomas Allen Saint Xavier UniversityHolmes, Jason Bernard Southern Illinois University, CarbondaleHopkins, Liam Joseph Carthage CollegeHouston, Mark Matthew Moraine Valley Community CollegeHuerta, Jesus Manuel University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignJaquez, Alonzo CCC Richard J. Daley CollegeJeffries, Alan Christopher Arizona State UniversityJohnson, Brandon Lee Saint Anselm CollegeJohnson, James Campbell Saint Xavier UniversityJohnson, Michael McMahon Carthage CollegeKalisz, Sean Thomas University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignKellogg, Willard Clayton St. Ambrose UniversityKempke, Dane Marquette UniversityKhani, Sean Moraine Valley Community CollegeKnibbs, Joseph Michael UndecidedKoman, Adam Matthew Moraine Valley Community CollegeKosman, Kevin James Saint Louis UniversityKoziol, Daniel John Illinois State UniversityKramer, Timothy William Parkland CollegeKuber, Andrew Steven Moraine Valley Community CollegeLarson, Tyler Carl UndecidedLeBeau, Luke Grant Eastern Illinois University

Leiser, John Thomas University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignLepper, Cassidy James University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignLePretre, Connor Thomas University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignLorenz, Loren Edward Saint Xavier UniversityLurquin, Brian Daniel University of Wisconsin, PlattevilleLynch, James Rodger Saint Mary’s University of MinnesotaMaes, Joseph Charles Carthage CollegeMartin, Daniel John Burns St. Ambrose UniversityMartinez, John Kiernan Saint Xavier UniversityMatyas, Richard Stanley UndecidedMcAllister, Stephen Richard St. Ambrose UniversityMcCarthy, John Edward Moraine Valley Community CollegeMcCormick, Sean Patrick Columbia CollegeMcGovern, Kyle Moraine Valley Community CollegeMcGowan, Ryan Joseph University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignMcGrath, Daniel Michael The University of IowaMcManus, Thomas Edward University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignMendoza, Joseph Thomas Illinois State UniversityMitchell, Quinn Thomas University of Missouri ColumbiaMongolis, Christopher Peter University of Illinois at ChicagoMoore, Brian Patrick Moraine Valley Community CollegeMoriarty, Daniel Francis Saint Louis UniversityMoroney, Sean Francis University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignMorrissey, James Michael CCC, Harold Washington CollegeMulcahy, Ryan Patrick Moraine Valley Community CollegeMullen, Matthew William Carthage CollegeMunoz, Matthew Alexander UndecidedMurphy, David Lawrence The University of IowaMurray, Michael Patrick Illinois State UniversityNagle, Timothy John John Carroll UniversityNash, Joseph Francis Moraine Valley Community CollegeNeal, Cameron Milan United States Coast Guard AcademyNevin, Brendan Patrick The University of IowaNewton, Jake Warren Moraine Valley Community CollegeNolan, Sean Danten St. Ambrose UniversityNorman, Donovan Timothy Eastern Illinois UniversityNorwell, James Ryan Miami University, OxfordO’Brien, Tyler Kristopher UndecidedO’Neill, Michael Patrick University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignOmastiak, Brian Michael Villanova UniversityOskvarek, Glenn Anthony Western Illinois UniversityOskvarek, Matthew Joseph Saint Xavier UniversityOskvarek, Michael Joseph Saint Xavier UniversityPangrazio, Stephen Robert Moraine Valley Community CollegePeck III, Richard Edward Illinois State UniversityPender, James Henry University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignPerreira, Coty Austin WorkPikowski, Jacob Michael Eastern Illinois UniversityPuente, Giancarlo CCC, Harold Washington CollegePuetz, Robert Joseph Parkland CollegeRakow, Robert D Marquette UniversityRamos, Alex Diovier Arizona State UniversityRehfeld, Martin William Saint Mary’s University of MinnesotaRoman, Alexander Patrick Moraine Valley Community CollegeRusch, Ryan Michael Butler County Community CollegeRyan, Timothy Lawrence Moraine Valley Community CollegeSaffold, Mitchell United States Military Academy Prep SchoolSchickel, Christopher Bernard U.S. Marine CorpsSheahan, John Thomas Yale UniversitySicher, Brian Patrick United States Air Force AcademySissac, Bryce Vaughan UndecidedSmith, David Antwone The Art Institute of Fort LauderdaleSomers, David Normen Moraine Valley Community CollegeStarks, Travis Marcus Indiana State UniversitySteffeter, Kevin Marcel Eastern Illinois UniversityStraple, Steven Joseph Indiana University at BloomingtonSummerfelt, Alexander Robert Colorado CollegeSweeney, Quinn Michael Moraine Valley Community CollegeTalty, Daniel Martn U.S. Marine CorpsTellez, Abelino Jesus Northern Illinois UniversityThome, Jacob Daniel Edgewood CollegeThompson, Tyrus Lamar Indiana State UniversityTisoncik, Michael Lawrence Kirkwood Community CollegeTobin, Marshawn Rock Valley CollegeTomasek, Benjamin Joseph West Virginia UniversityToomey, Patrick Jerome Moraine Valley Community CollegeTormey, Joseph William WorkTorres, Jason Michael Eastern Illinois UniversityTurcich, Ronald Michael Illinois State UniversityWalsh, Mark Edward St. Ambrose UniversityWalton, Aamir Asad Grinnell CollegeWilkins, Gavriel Michael DePaul UniversityWilkosz, Alex Kenneth Moraine Valley Community CollegeWitry, Nicholas Matt Auburn UniversityZelek, Harrison David U.S. Marine CorpsZych, Nicholas Ryan University of Tennessee, Martin

‘Oh, the places you’ll go’: future plans of the Class of 2011

May 18, 2011Page 6

ThesequelofSci-fiFPS(firstpersonshooter),Portal,hasbecomeagreatsuccessforitsdeveloper,Valve.FromthemomentofwakingupinthecrumblingremnantsoftheApertureSciencefacilitytothecredits,thegamerarelyfallsshortofspectacular.ThepuzzlesinPortal2areharder,thestoryislonger,andthecharactersgainedhilariouspersonalities.Thefundamentalsarethesame.Youarefacedwiththechallengeofsolvingdangerousandsometimesfrustratingpuzzlesusingtheportalgun.Incaseyouarenotfamiliarwiththeportalgun,itsprojectilesdonotdoanydamage.Insteadtheyleaveentrancesorexitswheretheystrike,allowingtheplayertocreatedoorwaysinwalls,floors,ceilings,andallkindsofotherplacesthatofferroutestootherwiseunreachableareas.Theseportalscanalsobeusedtomanipulatelasers,gravityandvariousobjectsthatcanbestbeusedtohelpsolvethechallenges. Portal2fillsinallthegapsthatitspredecessorleft.ThehistoryofApertureScienceisexplainedaswellasthehistoryofthecharacters.YoustillplayasChell,whowasdraggedbackintoApertureaftertheeventsofthefirstgame.GLaDOSawakesfromhersleepafteryoudestroyedherinthefirstgame.BarelyintoPortal2,yousoonmeetanewcharacter,Wheatley,asphericalrobotwithadrysenseofhumor.Wheatley’scharacteriscomicalinachildishway,andattimeshejustmakeshimselflookunbelievablystupid.

Valvedecidedtoaddaco-opportiontoPortal2and,justlikesingleplayer,itrarelyfallsshortofspectacular.Manyco-opcampaignsusuallyplacetwoormoreplayersinasingle-playercampaignwithmodificationstothediffi-culty.Portal2isnotoneofthoseexamples.Instead,youandyourfriendareputintotherolesoftestingrobots,P-Body,andAtlas.Thesecharactersdon’tspeak,butinsteadexpressthemselvesthroughdigitizedsoundeffectsandgestures. Portal2makesitspredecessorlooklikegarbage.It’sfilledwithalargercastofcharacters,whicharevoicedbythreeofthegreatestvideogamevoiceactorsalive.Thisgameoffersoneofthebestsingleplayerandmultiplayerexperi-encestodateandhasalreadybeendeclaredas“Thebestgameoftheyear.”byPCGamermagazine.

Thetwoco-opcharacters:AtlasandP-body-Photocourtesyofign.com

-Photocourtesyofign.comAnewadditiontothePortalseries.MeetWheatley.

GLaDOSlookingovertheruinsofwhatwasonceApertureScience -Photocourtesyofign.com

BradleyCooperheadsthecastinthismindalteringthrill-er.CooperplaysEddiewhoisafailingwriter,alcoholic,andisgoingnowhere.Atleastuntilhediscoversanewdrugthatallowshimtomakeuseofhisentirebrain.BasicallythispillmakesyouamoderndayEinstein.Soonerorlaterthepill’sef-fectswearoffandEddiedesperatelysearchesformore.LateronEddiemakeshiswayintothebusinessworldwherehemeetsCarlVanLoom,playedbytheoneandonlyRobertDeNiro.BeforeyouknowitEddiefindshimselfinthemixwiththewrongpeople,andwarbreaksoutoveratinypill. Forall105minutesofthemovieI’msureyou’llenjoyit.TherearesomenicetoysthatI’msureeveryonewishestheycouldhaveandthereisthefeelingofnotknowingwhatwillcomenext.Cooperbringsanexcitingmoodtothemovieasinanyothermoviehehaseverbeeninvolvedin.AndAbbieCor-nishplaysEddie’sgirlfriend,Lindy.She’sabeautifulgirlandplaysapartintheplotofthemovie.She’snotjustthereforlooks. Youcanseethismoviebyyourselforwithagroupoffriends,nomatterwhoyou’rewithyouwon’tbedisappointed.It’sdifferentthanothermoviesbecauseitmixestogetherthrills,actions,andthemysteryofwherethispillcamefromandwhatisgoingtohappennext.Ifyouhaven’tbeentoamovieinawhile,getoutthereandseethisflick.It’swellworthit.

TheMindisEndlessbyMaxKurucar

ByJosephRuiz

Page 7 May 18, 2011

After two years of perfect seasons and losing in the s ta te playoffs , the St . Ri ta Rugby team star ted the season with the same goal as they always did, win s ta te . In the past two years , the Mustangs have been 20-0 in league play, 10-0 in the playoffs , but 0-2 in the State Championship games. Coach Mike Fleming be-l ieves that he has the team to make i t to the State Championships again and hope-ful ly to win. Coach Fleming s ta ted, “There are a few things that we need to have to be a good team: hard work, dedicat ion, and to play hard.” Both Fleming and vice-cap-tain Kevin Kosman agree that the role of players new to the game. “New players are a lways welcome. We can teach you to play the game.” This has been a task that Coach Fleming and returning players have had to work hard on because about half of the team this year is made up of guys new to the sport . Despi te the inexperienced group, the Mustangs were able to win their f i rs t two games of the season against Batavia and Glen El lyn. Then the team suffered i ts f i rs t loss of the regular season through three years with a 7-0 lose to Neuqua Val ley. Al though this was the f i rs t loss that the Mustangs suffered in the regular season in three seasons, Senior Bryce Bai ley is looking on the br ighter s ide of the s i tuat ion. “The past two years , we lost two games, the s ta te championship game. Now, this year, we got our one loss out of the way so that we can now win s ta te .” After the tough loss , the Mustangs rebounded with wins over Dekalb, Mon-t ini , and Downers Grove. These two wins have helped the Mustangs to regain their confidence and get through the rest of the season and change their s ta te t i t le cham-pionship record to 1 and 2.

Rugby looking to get past hard hitby Ed Roland

After a year’s waiting, Pride Week finally came again. “This year, during Pride Week, the Activities Team wanted to emphasize the true meaning of Pride Week,” said Mrs. Jodi McLawhorn, Activities Director. “We asked ourselves what Pride Week was all about. Was it just getting out of class for fun games, or did it have a deeper meaning?” They decided that the fun and games were not as nearly important as the deeper meaning, but what was the deeper meaning. Pride was the deeper meaning. Pride in everything that we do here at St. Rita. St. Rita holds a long tradition of pride, and there are over one hundred years of Alumni to prove it. That was the theme of this year’s Pride Week, “Pride In.” “The idea was to showcase all the different aspects of our school that make St. Rita so special,” Mrs. McLawhorn said. “Every day, we had a different theme to emphasize the ‘pride’ we have in St. Rita. Each day the dress down attire coin-cided with the “Pride In” theme.” Following the regular Late Arrival bell schedule, Monday kicked off Pride Week with short classes. “Monday was Pride in Tradition because of our strong connection to our history,” Mrs. McLawhorn explained. On Monday, the dress down code was any shirt that was from previous years. With over one hundred years in our history, there was no shortage of shirts. “Tuesday was Pride in Academics because of our commitment to excellence,” stated Mrs. McLawhorn. Adding to the fun of an Assembly Schedule, the students ventured into the Football Stadium for an array of awesome activi-ties. After the students participating in activities, such as Arm Wrestling, 100 meter dash, Bubble Gum Blowing, they all gathered in the stands and watched the

Faculty take on the seniors in a Softball game. “Wednesday was our Pride in Activities because so many Rita Men participate in various clubs and organizations,” stated Mrs. McLawhorn. The dress code was any shirt that shows off any activity you have participated in. Wednesday was a “vacation from our vacation”. With no activities that day, it gave the students a break from all the vigorous activities of the week. “Thursday was Pride in Spirituality because of our Augustinian mission and connection,” said Mrs. McLawhorn. Again following the Assembly Schedule, the students gathered in the Gym to watch Speedball, a combination of Football and Basketball. The activities on Friday were probably the most athletic. That was because “Friday was Pride in Athletics because of our stellar athletic programs,” Mrs. McLawhorn explained. Dodgeball and the Three-Point Shoot out were warm-ups to the main event, The Intramural Championship between the seniors and juniors. The juniors ran away with an exciting win over the seniors. “It was our hope to give the students time to think about why we have Pride week and why we are proud of our school.” Mrs. McLawhorn said. “We also hoped to break up the long semester before spring break, with some fun activities. We streamlined the outdoor

activities to create a better atmosphere of Unitas, and added Speed Ball to our indoor games. Hopefully the students had a great time and will remember how proud they should feel to be a part of such a great place!”

Rita men take to the field and gym for Pride Week by Oscar Mascorro III

May 18, 2011Page 8 MUSTANG SPORTS

With the great ear ly success of the St . Ri ta Varsi ty Lacrosse team, the hopes for this season are as high as ever. The Lax Mus-tangs are off to one of their best s tar ts to the season. They are un-defeated within their conference even with facing some pret ty good opponents such as York, Loyola , and St . Viator. The Mustangs s tar ted off their season losing to Loyola and St . Viator, but the two teams are in the top conference in the ci ty while the Mustangs are in the second. Besides these two loses , ev-ery win for the team this year were pract ical ly blow outs . Varsi ty captain Alex Summerfel t bel ieves that this ear ly success is based mainly on the s t rength of some of their lower class men players , such as sophomores Nick Mangan and Jake LePrete , and the leader-ship roles that a l l upper c lass men on the team have taken. Summerfel t s ta ted, “We star ted the season out against some pret ty tough opponents , but once we got passed them, the rest of the season became a bi t easier for us .” After their c lose game with York, the Mustangs rol led through four easy wins against Lincoln Way, Nazareth Academy, Marian Cathol ic , and Lane Tech. The Mustangs fought hard in these games winning al l of them by large margins . After these four big wins, the Mustangs dropped two games in two days to St . Ignat ius and Benet . After these two tough losses , the Mustangs were able to rebound with wins against Taft and Nazareth Academy. The season has been a bumpy one but the team st i l l bel ieves that they can win conference and go deep into the playoffs for s ta te . I f the Mustangs do win s ta te , they have the potent ia l to move into a s t ronger conference next year.

Mustang LAX aims high this seasonby Ed Roland

St. Rita Hockey completes four-peat by Craig Sabath

This past season, St. Rita’s Hockey team completed one of the greatest achievements in the school’s history, winning the Kennedy Cup for four straight seasons. But before they did that, they had a hard fought series with the Fenwick Friars. InGame1,Ritawasquickoutofthegate.At11:47ofthefirstperiod,StanSojkashota missile to gain a 1-0 lead, followed by a very memorable celebration. The lead did not last long, 59 seconds later Fenwick tied the game at 1. The Friars did not relent, as they scored again at 4:33. “It sure didn’t look good,” Coach Ferguson commented. “We talked about getting off to a good start, which I thought we did. Our kids never gave up.” Despite the score, Rita goalie Marty Napleton was playing great, making several in-credible saves. However, Fenwick kept swarming him and gained another score at 11:11 in the second. Thetwo-goaldeficitenergizedtheMustangs,astheybegantopickitupoffensively.Alex Roman scored at 4:33 of the second period, and Keith Burchett tied the game at 3 at 11:07 of the third. The two teams continued to battle in the third period before Fenwick was awarded a penalty shot at 5:47. However, Napleton made another clutch save to keep the game tied. Minutes later, Ryan Glade capped the amazing comeback with the game winning goal at 3:13. Despite the victory, Coach Ferguson remained focuses, “It’s only one game.” TheMustangswentontheroadforGame2,wheretheytooktheearlyleadagainwithafirstperiodgoalbyRoman.Fenwickwasquickto respond, as they tied game at 1 off a power play goal shortly after. Ritacouldn’tcapitalizeoffa5-minutemajorpenaltyonFenwick,andconcludedthefirstperiodtiedat1-1.Fenwickbrokethestalematein the second period, scoring another goal. With the momentum at their back, Fenwick scored again in the third. Ritawouldn’tgiveupjustyet,asJackWarrenputthepuckinthenetwith9:23left.TheMustangsscoringendedthere,astheymadeonlytwoshotsinthefinalperiod. “I think we need to work a little better on our own end,” Coach Ferguson concluded about the disappointing loss. “We made a couple of mistakes.Onthefirstgoalwehadtwoorthreeopportunitiestogetthepuckoutandwedidn’t,sowewererunningaroundandtheygotanopenlookandaweirdbounceanditwentin.Thesecondgoalwejustdidn’tcomebackhardenoughonit.” Despite the loss, Napleton had another elite performance, stopping 35 of 38 shots. Whenyou’redefendingthefive-on-threeyourgoaliehastobeyourbestdefenderandhewasforthem,”Fergusonanalyzed.“Hemadesomegood stops and that’s key.”WitheverythingonthelineinGame3,Fenwickdrewfirstbloodonagoalat5:28inthefirst.ThegoalignitedtheMustangs,whowentontoscore three straight. At 3:36, Roman tied the game off a back-hander. Dan Foley followed suit, putting another in the net at 2:40. Jack Warren kepttheballrollingasheturnedaFenwickpowerplayintoagoalforRitawithunder30secondsleftinthefirst.TheMustangscouldn’trestjustyet,asFenwickansweredwithagoalonlyaminuteintothesecond.TheFriarswouldn’trelent,keepingthepres-sure on Napleton. However, they failed to score again.

Courtesy of the Southtown Star