VOLUME XCII ISSUE 8 THE RAMBLER VOLUME CXII ISSUE 8 News & Features

What’s going on around the school? What’s going on around the world? This is the place to find out.

1 NEWS AND FEATURES Taking their talents to the next level By Michael Squeglia, staff writer

This year at Cathedral Prep we are lucky enough to see a couple of Dantonio. Delton, a captain of the undefeated 2012 state champi- our standout athletes take their talents to the next level, that is par- onship team, chose Michigan State because of the profound im- ticipating in collegiate sports. Many students dream of reaching pact the campus had on him when he first visited there. "The min- this achievement. It is not an easy task and takes a lot of time and ute I stepped on campus I knew that Michigan State was the right dedication. This why I feel it necessary to acknowledge a few of place for me," said Delton. He also chose Michigan State because these special students we have here at Prep. of their outstanding academics and friendly coaching staff.

The first student I would like to acknowledge is senior baseball Senior quarterback and captain of the football team, Damion player Eli Flynn. Next year Eli will be headed to Athens, West Vir- Terry, will be joining Delton at Michigan State next year. Damion ginia, to play for the Concord University Mountain Lions. Eli will has started as quarterback for Prep since his sophomore year and be playing as an outfielder for the Mountain Lions. While here at has broken numerous school and district records. According to the Prep, Eli has consistently held a batting average of .591. In an inter- ESPN top 300 recruits of the class of 2013, Damion is ranked as view with Mr. Flynn, he explained why he chose Concord Univer- the 283rd top recruit. ESPN also gave him a four star ranking as a sity. "I chose it because they gave me a good offer, and when I dual threat quarterback recruit. When asked the same question went on my visit I loved the atmosphere and the team," he said. about why he chose Michigan state Damion said, "I instantly took "They were a big family, and it is really good baseball. I also chose a liking for the coaches from the time I first met them. The campus it because the coaches were really cool and showed a lot of interest has a great atmosphere,and the academics there were what I was in me. I was at the top of the list for their recruiting, and I liked looking for in a college." that." These are just a few of the students that will continue their athletic Senior football standout Delton Williams will be making the jour- career at the collegiate level. There are still many student athletes ney up to East Lansing, Michigan, next year to continue his foot- here at Prep that have not made the big decision as to where they ball career as a Michigan State Spartan under head coach Mark will go next year, but with the official signing day coming very

2 soon, we will soon find out who else is going to college for sports and where exactly they are going. This is a very special opportunity that these students have achieved and on behalf of the crew here at The Rambler we are very proud of your accomplishments.

3 NEWS AND FEATURES Who has the most guts?

By Luke Merski, staff writer

This year's Catholic Schools Week featured a new and exciting spicy chicken tender sub along with a side of nachos with cheese. event. This was a food eating competition between the classes to Fifth and finally was the fettucini alfredo, of course served with gar- see who could stomach the most food in 15 minutes. This naturally lic sticks. attracted much attention and many students wished to participate. As the event began, all contestants seemed enthusiastic and ready The teams/competitors were chosen at random by Mr. Del Rio. to go. Just after the first special, the juniors Bobby Dugan and The students had a chance to sign up for the event at both lunches Zach Kubiak, seemed to slow down tenfold, while the seniors Ryan during the weeks prior to the competition. Once they signed up, Heart and Nick Dubowski were still devouring the food with enthu- dice were rolled to see which two students from each class would siasm and drive. By the time the eaters reached the third special, participate. The participants found out that they were chosen the they were all almost eating like they were out to lunch on a Sunday night prior to the competition. afternoon, relaxed and bored. The only contestant that was still go- ing strong was the one and only Nicholas Dubowski. There were, in total, two competitions. One was held between the juniors and seniors, which was held during first lunch, and the sec- When time was up there was a clear winner. Dubowski had eaten ond was between the sophomores and freshmen during second about 4.15 specials, while Hart was just behind him with 3.65. lunch. At each lunch the two students from each class competed Next, as expected, the juniors took the third and fourth spots eat- against the other two students. They were challenged to eat five ing an unclear amount. It seemed that they had completely eaten specials in a total of 15 minutes. about one special while eating portions of the other four. Either way, it was a fairly weak performance by the juniors; some even When the event started, each of the four students were given a thought that they were only in it for the free food due to their lack bowl of chili and a single soup-and-sandwich. Once the chili and of drive and enthusiasm towards the competition. sandwich were finished, they were given a plate with a hotdog and side of tater-tots. The third special was the standard Wednesday During second lunch the sophomores and freshmen battled it out chicken tenders and mashed potatoes. Fourth was the legendary to find the victor of the underclassmen. Representing the sopho-

4 mores was Ollie Wiesner and Tim Ziezula. Representing the fresh- men was Joey Hickin and Mike Causgrove. Out of these four young men, the freshmen Joe Hickin reigned supreme, devouring a sur- prising 4.5 specials in the 10 minute time period. This was an even larger amount than senior Nick Dubowski managed to eat during first lunch.

The two winners, Nick Dubowski and Joe Hickin, will be receiving five free specials from Chef Cirillo. All of the other contestants will be receiving a single free lunch for their good sportsmanship and participation in the event. This was a very successful event that all of the students enjoyed. Hopefully we can have this same event again next year during the 2014 Catholic Schools Week.

5 NEWS AND FEATURES The benefits of a Prep education

By Delton Williams, staff writer

The difference between a Prep education and any other education but bring happiness and joy to your family and you is theology. speaks for itself, but if you want to get deep into it, there are a lot Dealing with God and the Bible shows what good things God of things that can show how far a Prep education can take you. brings to you and how. Basically it shows you the true meaning of life in and out. First, to get into a good college or any college, having a diploma from Prep will help you a lot. Being a preparatory school basically Prep makes you a better person in and out while also having fun means Prep gets you ready for college and the real world. Also, with friends who become your brothers by senior year. Once you when colleges see a Prep diploma, they see hard work and dedica- leave Prep you will never forget it because it's a different way of tion because you can't get one without putting your all into it. life. Being the only all-boys school in Erie, Pa., which Prep stands out and gets a lot of attention. In all ways, from sports to educa- Nothing is given to you at Prep. Everything is earned, which tion or others, it is just a great program to be a part of. teaches you that you have to work to get something. Working hard and not rushing or waiting will always get you success and happi- There are some ups and downs to it , but it is all for the best teach- ness in life. Once you understand your purpose in life you will ing you day by day, making you a stronger man for the big world. have a start and finish, and a plan on how to get there. So basically, coming to Prep will get you ready for life and college so you are prepared to be successful. Life is about ups and downs , and you go through them throughout your whole life. You have to learn from them, make the best of them, and make yourself better as you move on. Prep is a brother- hood that helps you make friends with all types of people. The friendships last a lifetime.

The classes you take will benefit you as you move up to the next level. One class that some may think might not help you in college

6 NEWS AND FEATURES Rambler News gives students valuable experience By Lewis Greco, staff writer The Rambler News morning announcements crew has been pro- is still a popular club in school and continues to grab students left viding the school with modern and often hard hitting school re- and right every year who take a serious interest in producing or lated news for quite a while. However, most of what goes on down- working in the media industry. stairs is beyond understanding to those who do not work directly with the Rambler News team.

Morgan McCormick, a senior at Cathedral Prep, has been working with the news staff since his freshman year. "It's a lot of fun work- ing with the team before school every morning regardless of hav- ing to get here a half hour earlier than most to set up. I get here at about 7:30 every morning and promptly start setting up my audio equipment."

The announcements include a crew that includes but goes beyond the faces on screen each morning. McCormick is one of several who contribute. "I also used to work with the school's stage crew for plays," McCormick said, "so most of this is second nature for me. Although I enjoy doing what I do, I do not plan on doing any- thing with media of any kind past high school, other than perhaps helping my dad run a commercial for our family company."

As you can see the life of a Rambler News team member is not ex- actly what most people might consider it to be. It is hard work that requires some extra time before school. Despite that though it

7 NEWS AND FEATURES Students become the teachers for a day By Sean Reed, contributing writer The student/teacher switch day was a huge success based on the insight, self-understanding, the use of power, and communication comments from teachers and students. There were only four teach- skills." ers and students that actually switched, so student government did not get the money they would have liked, but it still was a suc- I then asked Mr. Parsons what was the overall experience from his cess for those that participated. perspective. His response was not as elaborate, but he loved John Hilbert as the teacher, saying, "I thought it was a great experience. The teachers that participated were Mr. Parsons who switched It was interesting to see how a student could do in front of the with John Hilbert, Mrs. Maxson who switched with Jack McCor- classroom, and Johnny did excellent!" mick, Mr. Hubert who switched with Kody Baxter, and Mr. Flani- gan who switched with Chris Steele. There were also other teach- Jack McCormick, who filled in for Mrs. Maxson gave heartfelt re- ers that offered to switch, but unfortunately no students wanted to sponses about his experience. "The class wasn't too thrilled to see participate in those classes. There were also alternates, Kody me, but after a little of whipping them into shape, they could tell I Witchoff and Donald Laird, who were available any of the partici- wasn't playing around. But overall I think that they disliked it, pants could not switch. Laird filled in for Mr. Hubert's first period strongly." before Baxter took over the rest of the day. McCormick reflected on his overall experience "I enjoyed doing it It seems like the switch day was a huge hit. I asked Mrs. Maxson a lot. A lot of students, especially in period five, were talking back what was the student's job as teacher. She gave me a very elabo- so I had to lay down the law from time to time, but overall it was a rate response with excitement saying, "He (Jack McCormick) led good time and it was another reason to wear a suit." my classes in prayer, and then led the class in a discussion regard- ing questions they had answered earlier in the week. In my theol- The overall reaction that I heard was that the teacher switch day ogy classes, it was a discussion about honor, forgiveness, and par- was a success for the teachers and students involved, but not so don. In my leadership elective, it was a discussion about self- much for student government and the students who had to deal with Jack McCormick. Student Government should continue this

8 fundraiser, even if it does not bring them the income they hoped. It is a fun activity during Catholic Schools Week, and next year hope- fully more students will participate in it.

9 THE RAMBLER VOLUME CXII ISSUE 8 Sports

Full coverage of Cathedral Prep athletics plus insights into college and pro sports.

10 SPORTS Super Bowl XLVII in review

By Samuel Riley, contributing writer

Jim Harbaugh and his San Francisco 49ers took on John Har- threw a 56-yard touchdown to Jacoby Jones who made a beautiful baugh and his Baltimore Ravens in this memorable Super Bowl in move to get into the end zone and extend the lead to 21-3 Raven. New Orleans. The Ravens wanted to win this one for Ray Lewis, who announced his retirement earlier this season. Joe Flacco, the The 49ers kicked a 27-yard field goal to end the half, and the Ra- Super Bowl MVP, made sure this happened. vens seemed to have a pretty controlling lead with the score being 21-6 at half time. Early in the first quarter, Flacco passed 13 yards to Anquan Boldin for a touchdown to make the score 7-0 Ravens. On next posses- The Ravens opened the 2nd half with a bang as Jones returned the sion, the 49ers put themselves on the scoreboard with a 36-yard kickoff for 108 yards, a new postseason record. This put the Ra- field goal kicked by David Akers, making it 7-3 Ravens. vens up 28-6. But the momentum of the game changed entirely moments later when the power went out in the stadium, and the The next Ravens possession took the game into the second quar- game was delayed for 34 minutes. ter, when Baltimore was forced to punt. The 49ers took over, and on the fifth play of the drive Colin Kaepernick completed a pass to The 49ers take advantage of the break as Kaepernick passed 31 LaMichael James, who fumbled. The Ravens recovered and this yards to Crabtree, making the score 28-13. This was the first of the came back to bite the 49ers, as Joe Flacco threw for a 1-yard touch- 49ers 17 unanswered points leading into the 4th quarter, including down to Dennis Pitta on the ensuing possession. Adding the extra a 15-yard touchdown rush by Kaepernick, which was a new Super point it was 14-3 Ravens. Bowl record.

No sooner than the 49ers get the ball, Kaepernick threw an inter- The 49ers got as close as 31-29, but they never took the lead. The ception to Ed Reed who tied the all-time career postseason record Ravens kicked a 38-yard field goal to put the score at 34-29. The with 9 interceptions. After an attempted fake field goal by the Ra- 49ers took over and drove down the field. On 4th and goal, Kaeper- vens and a punt by the 49ers, the Ravens took over, and Joe Flacco nick was rushed, and he threw to the right corner of the end zone, where it fell incomplete to Crabtree. This was a very controversial

11 play, where it looked like Crabtree was held. This was when the game became out of reach for San Francisco.

When the Ravens took over, they ran down the clock, and on 4th down, they took an intentional safety, worth 2 points for the 49ers, leaving only 4 seconds on the clock. The 49ers received the free kick, but Ted Ginn Jr. failed to run it back.

Ray Lewis won the last game he will ever play, and John beat his younger brother Jim in a hard fought battle. The Harbaugh broth- ers shook hands at mid-field, and the Ravens celebrated their fran- chise's second Super Bowl victory.

12 SPORTS Prep basketball beats McDowell

By Calvin Reed, staff writer

January 24 featured a highly antici- lead. Soon the 10-point game turned into a 20-point advantage. pated D-10 matchup as the Cathedral They never looked back during this run and won the game handily. Prep Ramblers faced their arch rival, the McDowell Trojans. Both teams were returning practically the same lineup as last year. Prep edged out McDowell by one point last year when playing on the Trojans' home court. Many believed that Prep had the upper hand with all the senior leadership that they have.

Students packed the small McDowell gymnasium to watch their fellow classmates beat their foes. Each team was exchanging buckets both and forth for the early part of the game. The student section screamed chants trying to get in the head of the opposing players. During the second quarter there was The final score ended up being a demolishing 69-46. This outcome a brief intermission when the lights in the gym went off. was largely due to the stellar performance by standout senior Shel- don Zablotny. He had a night to remember, scoring a season high As halftime approached, Prep held 10-point lead. McDowell was 30 points. Conor Colpoys handled the McDowell bigs rather well, quite lucky because it could have easily been much higher. As the scoring 12 points and adding 6 rebounds. The biggest key for this team ran out of the locker room the fans erupted in cheers. Prep win was largely due to the great team defense played by the Ram- held onto this lead throughout the third quarter, but the Trojans blers. Each player helped keep any McDowell player from halving were still very much in the game. The back-and-forth cheers and a big night scoring. It was a great win for the team as they continue jeers got a lot of laughter out of most of the spectators viewing the their march toward capturing another D-10 title. game. The fourth quarter opened, and Prep began to run up the

13 SPORTS Basketball team scores upset at Burger King Classic

By Joe Hampy, staff writer This tournament is a huge event for the city of Erie and hopefully This past January at the Gannon Hammermill Center, the annual will continue to be a part of the community for a long time to Burger King Classic was held. Cathedral Prep was again the host come. It brings Erie great competitive basketball with future super- team of the tournament. This tournament is highly anticipated be- stars at the college level. This year had a great outcome and was cause it brings the Erie people great teams from around country packed to the top just like it is every single year. Year after year, competing for the tournament title. the Classic is an event that never seems to disappoint.

Many Division I players come and play showing off their skills I know I will be bringing my kids to this event because it only with dunks and outstanding basketball skills. This year Prep fin- comes around once a year, and we need to take advantage of the ished 1-1 in the tournament, winning in an upset against Bishop opportunity. Stay tuned until next year for the Burger King Clas- O'Connell, who came in ranked in the top 25 of three national sic, one of he top four-team tournaments in the country. polls (as high as number 15 by MaxPreps). Prep knocked off Bishop O'Connell 80-75 in the consolation game.

Lower Merion was one of the teams playing in the tournament championship after beating Bishop O'Connell on Friday. Prep lost to Lower Merion in the state semifinals last year, but the Ram- blers will have to wait for a potential rematch. Lower Merion, which is where Kobe Bryant played in high school, is one of the best in the country. They were electrifying with their play, domi- nating and showing why they are such a powerhouse in the state. However, they lost in the title game 64-61 to Imhotep Charter, ar- guably the best team in Pennsylvania.

14 SPORTS CYO season heating up

By Steve Bretz, staff writer

CYO: Three letters that might as well stand for nothing, consider- ing that no one remembers the meaning to them anymore. Never- theless, these letters represent one of the greatest eight team bas- ketball leagues in all of Erie. It is a league made up former grade school basketball all-stars, reliving their glory days on the Dioce- san courts they grew up on.

The top five teams have at least one or two remarkable players that should or could have considered playing for Prep. For St. Pete's it's the one-two combo of Erik Swanson or "Swanny" and Jerry McCor- mick. These two players have been the catalysts of the team thus far. Despite the teams 3-3 record, don't underestimate their abili- ties. This squad is hot right now, coming off a buzzer beater win CYO Highlights against the insatiable Harborcreek Youth Services team. Dubowski. However, look out for the rising star Sean Reed. This young stud isn't afraid to chuck the ball at the hoop and air-ball 5 After the Dukes comes the Raiders of St. Jude, led by the two to 8 times a game. He is one of the main reasons they are coming guard combo of John McCain and Anthony Chiarelli. Both players off a brutal 75-51 loss to St. Luke's. have been extremely consistent all year and are continuing to lead this team to success. A perfect example is this Sunday's game Leading the charge this Sunday for St. Luke against the Bulldogs when they trampled over OLP 57-42, allowing them to use their was senior Blaine Bensur. His ability to hit a shot from anywhere deep bench and put in reserves such as Jonathan Fitzmaurice and on the floor and the amount of talent on the team is the reason for Brian Dailey. their success. This year they were able to acquire former Prep bas- ketball players Kyle Carmosino and Felix Manus who have been Immediately following the Raiders is the Blessed Sacrament Bull- key assets to the squad. If anyone is going to give St. George a run dogs. This team mainly revolves around their two veterans, Calvin for their money this year, it's going to be these guys. Reed, who can hit a shot from anywhere behind the arc, and Nick

15 However, St. George has not one or two, but an entire bench full of outstanding basketball players. That it is why it is no surprise that this team is flourishing this year. Just this past sunday they blew Mount Caramel out of the water with a score of 89-39. Keep an eye out for key role players Ryan Dill, who is a rebounding machine, and Ted Desanti who mimics the playing style of Derrick Rose.

At the bottom of the food chain are the three teams of OLP, Mount Caramel, and Harborcreek Youth Services. Each squad has a set of decent players but are lacking talent and fundamentals of the game. OLP's very own Kevin Bogniak and Mount Caramel's Ryan Becker are players who are key role players to their squads, but if they played for another team, they would likely be riding the pine.

16 SPORTS The NHL returns to action By Joe Sala, contributing writer Hockey is back. After a lockout had almost ended the season, the Minnesota Wild. Jaromir Jagr moved to the Dallas Stars. Joe players and owners came to an agreement and will play hockey for Corvo moved to Carolina. the 2012-2013 season. Due to the lockout the season will only be 48 games. Players and fans are just glad that hockey will be Now that the season has begun, we have seen some new top teams played, and a team will be able to hold the Stanley Cup. emerge and others begin to lose their composure. The Chicago Blackhawks have emerged as the powerhouse in the West. They The lockout began on Sept. 5, 2012. The players and owners had have started out 6-0. One game behind them are the San Jose different views on certain aspects of the financial part of the game. Sharks. The powerhouses in the east has been the Boston Bruins. The owners wanted to reduce the players share of NHL revenues They have an 8-6-1 record, along with Tampa Bay who are 9-6-3. they received from the original 57 percent to 46 percent. The own- The league leader in points is Thomas Vanek with 19. Patrick Mar- ers wanted to make players play on a team for at least 10 years be- leau leads the league in goals with 9, and Vanek leads the league fore becoming an unrestricted free agent. in assists with 11. Viktor Fasth of the Anaheim Ducks leads the league in goals against average with 1.30. Although it took a long wait, the two sides finally came up with a tentative deal on Jan. 6, 2013. This deal included terms such as limiting teams to giving players 8-year contract extensions at the max and 7-year contracts to new players. This deal also gradually changes the salary cap to $60 million over a two year period of time.

Now that the season has began we get to see a lot of players on dif- ferent teams. The Pittsburgh Penguins traded Jordan Staal to the Carolina Hurricanes for Ryan Sutter, Brian Doumoulin, and a 2012 first round draft pick. The New York Rangers acquired Rick Nash, Steven Delisle, and a conditional 3rd round pick for Bran- don Dubinsky, Artem Anisimov, Tim Erixon, and a 2013 first round draft pick. The Flyers got Luke Schenn from the Maple Leafs for James van Reimsdyk. Zach Parise was picked up by the

17 SPORTS An interview with Kyle Goldcamp of the Erie BayHawks By Anthony Mezler, contributing writer Kyle Goldcamp is a Pittsburgh native who played basketball at Goldcamp was kind enough to answer a few questions about his Pitt-Johnstown before transferring to Gannon University his life and career. sophomore year. At Gannon, Goldcamp lead the Golden Knights to the Division II Elite 8. Q: When and Why did you decide to transfer to Gannon? A: I transferred my sophomore year from Pitt-Johnstown to Gan- Basketball didn't stop there for Goldcamp as he then went on to non because it just wasn't a good situation basketball-wise, and it try out for the local D-League team, the Erie BayHawks. In his worked out great. rookie year Goldcamp played 32 games, starting 10 and averaging 3.3 points per game and 3 rebounds. Q: What was it like on the BayHawks to have gone from the end of the bench to starting and eventually being in- Goldcamp returned the following season under coach Jay Larran- vited to the Cleveland Cavaliers camp? aga and played 42 games, starting 18. This time around his statis- tics got better. Goldcamp averaged 6.4 points per game while grab- A: It was great. I had to keep working hard, my coaches were be- bing 4.4 rebounds. Goldcamp was showing signs of major im- hind me from the begging, even when I was on the bench like you provement and was suddenly becoming a fan favorite. said and I just kept working hard and got some breaks along the way. The Cavs were also tremendous. I got to do so many cool After playing some regular season games with Erie, the Cleveland things there. I got to play with LeBron, Kyrie and all those great Cavaliers called Goldcamp up on Dec. 10, 2011. The stint only guys. lasted eight days as Goldcamp was waived. Goldcamp didn't give up there though, he came back and played harder than ever aver- Q: What is like to be playing in Erie considering you aging 14 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1 block per game. played here during your college career?

In the summer of 2012 Goldcamp signed with Russia but has re- A: I loved it. The city of Erie has really embraced me a lot and cently returned to Erie to pursue an NBA career. have supported me good and bad. It's been great. They've been really good to me. It's like a second home to me. 18 Q: Have you visited Gannon since you finished playing there? If so, Q: Where and how did you meet your wife? How is mar- what was it like? If not, why haven't you? ried life?

A: I go to Gannon all the time. I try to stop by and say hi to coach A: I met my wife at Gannon. We had a Catholic tradition course to- Riley and then see the guys as much as I can when we are not on gether, and married life is great. She's a great wife and has helped the road and come back here and show my support as much as I me out a lot and has been behind me and has put up with the travel- can. ing. She's been great.

Q: What will you remember the most about your time was Q: Do you have any advice for high school students that in Russia? are reading this article?

A: It was a really cool experience. It was a really beautiful country, A: Education is a big thing for me. My advice would have to be stay it was definitely different like the language was very different but I in school and work hard in whatever you do. If you put your mind learned a lot through that experience. to it, you can do anything you want to do. Just stay the course and work hard. It'll take you places. Q: If you could only use one word to describe Russia, what would it be? Q: Who is your favorite basketball player?

A: Inspiring. A: Probably Kevin Garnett, the other KG.

Q: How was the summer league this year?

A: The summer league was another great experience. Got to meet Amare, Felton, J.R. Smith practiced with us and Chris Cooplean and James White were with us which also another fret experience just to play with those guys.

Q: What would you consider is your biggest milestone on the court and why?

A: My biggest milestone would have to be when we played our re- gional final at Gannon to play in the Elite 8. That was probably my happiest moment.

19 THE RAMBLER VOLUME CXII ISSUE 8 Opinion & Editorials

Prep students have always had opinions on matters large and small. Now they have a space to share them with the brand new opinion and editorials page.

20 OPINION & EDITORIALS Share your opinions with The Rambler By Op/Ed staff We want to here from you. Write us commenting about one of our articles. Ask us a question. Share your opinion on an important is- sue, school related or otherwise.

Every month we will publish some of the best ones in the opinion and editorials section of The Rambler. If warranted, your submis- sion may even get a personal response from one of our editors.

All you have to do is send an email to [email protected]. It really is that simple. So go ahead, be a part of the new move- ment and help make the voice of the students heard.

21 OPINION & EDITORIALS Problems with smartphones By Lucas Buseck, staff writer Society, as a whole, has changed. The dynamics of human interac- ness of their smartphones the tion have, in the past two decades, and even more so in the past first moment silence, an awk- five years, spiraled to a level that, in my opinion, is pathetic. ward, or difficult situation comes up. Our lives have become self-defined by and rely on social media/ entertainment for supposed "fulfillment." This has become so The reason smartphones domi- much so that we have become attached to our smartphones, as nate the social landscape these these devices are nowadays our primary outlet to the social life- days is obviously because of all style we have come to think we need. their capabilities. For one, text messaging is probably, due to Next time out, at a restaurant, a concert, at a friend's house, or at a our lack of verbal conversa- party, take a look around. Observe those around you and take note tion, the most relied upon of all those who are completely engulfed in the social networking form of communication now. experience via their smartphone device. It's probably a significant amount of the people you're with. Smartphones also feature many apps that place social By trying to stay connected, we have, quite ironically, ended up iso- media in the palm of our hand. lating ourselves. Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram are all available in the Because of our concern over staying in the loop, we lose sight of iTunes and Google Play Stores, and I'm sure if MySpace was still the social interactions that actually matter: person-to-person, around, it would be too. face-to-face encounters. By trying to be more social, we can end up Now, I am not completely innocent of taking part in the social becoming closer and closer to what would be considered anti- downfall that I described above. I myself can be caught in the act social, ironically again, what we're trying to avoid. of retreating back to my smartphone to check out the latest tweets These days, a quality conversation is hard to come by. It disgusts or Facebook posts from time to time.While I have not yet taken me when I am out and, instead of interacting, those around me are part in what seems to me to be the latest craze, that being Insta- confined to their cell phones. Even when someone may attempt a gram, I cannot say I never will. When Twitter began to gain popu- conversation, a converser may head back to the security and alone- larity, I told myself I never would give in and follow the crowd. "Why should someone care what I'm having for lunch?" I would

22 ask. As it gained more and more popularity, the odds of me remain- The event happened in that legendary sophomore first period ge- ing without Twitter became less and less. As more friends raved ometry class of Mr. Czytuck. Feeling rebellious, I decided to keep about it, and tweeting seemed to be the social norm with hash tags my cell phone on me for the day. I decided the risks may not have appearing on TV shows and broadcasts, thoughts of giving in per- been worth it soon into the lesson however, so I stuck the cellphone vaded my mind. Finally, I caved, and now I myself tweet. In fact, in my book bag, or what I thought to be my book bag. scrolling through the Twitter feed has become somewhat common- place in my day to day life. You see, what I did not know at the time was classmate John Dill, the student to my left, had the same book bag as me. The cell So, will I give in to this next social media fad eventually? Despite phone ended up in Mr. Dill's book bag and stayed there for quite my frustrations towards people who are constantly concerned with some time, unbeknown to both myself and John. documenting and capturing events instead of "living in the mo- ment" (another life skill smartphones are slowly taking away from What did I do, you may be asking. How did I survive this experi- us), I probably will. ence?

So, the question then remains, how can we fix this problem that The answer really is simple. Now, I will admit, I did use Facebook has perpetrated society almost as a whole? How can we get back to Messenger to remain in contact with a few individuals, but more so the so called "good-ol' days" that were the 1970s and 80s, when life than ever I cherished the opportunity not to worry about staying was simpler and social interaction was defined not by what you en- connected. tered into your keyboard but by the words that came out of your Whether we realize it or not, most of us have developed an impulse mouth. in our self-conscious to check our phones and make sure no one The answer, I believe, as I have hinted at, lies in the usage, or wishes to talk to us or we aren't missing the latest trending topic on rather ceasing of usage, of our smartphones. These are our outlets Twitter. This self-conscious necessity can in a sense drag us down to the many distractions that continue to push us farther and far- and take us away from staying in the present, distracting us from ther away from how life used to be; these devices have changed the what we are doing in the here and now. dynamics of human interaction more so than any other device I can To say I never thought about how many people were trying to con- think of. tact me or how many notifications I had missed on Facebook would Limiting the usage of our cellular devices by either just leaving be a lie. But, without my phone, I did enjoy the little pleasures in them at home or turning them off, as radical and extreme as it may life considerably more. seem, is definitely doable and could be the solution. I know this be- Sure, a cell phone can be of usefulness when trying to coordinate cause of an experience I had just last year. That experience would plans, etc., but isn't everything else on it really just a distraction? I be losing my cell phone. urge you to make an attempt to try to reduce your daily time on it, and see what that can do for you. Take a step back in the past, if you will, and experience all the wonders of a simplified life you may be missing.

23 OPINION & EDITORIALS Examining the lack of participation in theater program

By Sean Taylor, staff writer The Rev. Mike DeMartinis is tired. Not in the physical sense, far First among them is time allotment. Fr. Mike fears that with the from it. The man is as energetic and dynamic as could be, pounc- wealth of things a young man or woman may involve themselves in ing like an electrified pinball from church service to play practice, (be they academic, athletic, or social) they will have little leftover back to the church and on again. It's kind of astounding. time to invest in the stage. This worry is valid. Academics have be- come increasingly demanding with students given opportunities to But his busy schedule is not what tires him. No, the exhaustion he pursue AP and Gannon classes finding next to no free time. The feels is that of a man at the end of his rope. When I say the man is same problem arises with athletics as weightlifting, fall ball and tired, it is a tiredness derived from the absurd bias that the student summer leagues turn seasonal sports into year-long commitments. body of our prestigious school shows his plays, the odd deference his work gets. The man bleeds for his art, and all our student body Secondly, Fr. Mike feels his lack of a physical presence at Prep has does is shrug their collective shoulders and sigh. To the average deprived him of the opportunity to engage on a face-to-face basis Prep student, all the plays amount to is the noise that is made on with potential actors. Fr. Mike is extremely charismatic. His enthu- the morning news before they get to lunch. This is not right. siasm for all manner of tasks is downright infectious, and I'm am downright certain that if he was able to accost some of these fresh- This disinterest is of great frustration to Fr. Mike and myself. The man and sophomores (who are extremely impressionable to begin quality of the shows is always of a high standard, some of them with) the theater program would experience a great influx of verging on greatness. They are as a rule consistently well-acted bright-eyed, bushy-tailed lads eager to find out just what the priest and sung, accentuated with one of the better stage teams in Erie. was talking about.

Yet the numbers are not there. Fr. Mike attributes this decline to The third theory is my own, one I've conceived from personal expe- three different phenomena, each one exacting their own toll on his riences and observations, my conjecture being that the average limited well of students, each depriving him of students who Prep student fears being construed as effeminate or woman-like, would otherwise be involved in his thespian showcases. and that to the ill-informed the plays are emblems of this "soft-

24 ness." I myself, as a freshmen, was eager to be involved in the plays stead became artificial gods, for two hours a night clamping the until I overheard several seniors decrying the theater, using epi- audience firmly in hand. This is the golden age Fr. Mike speaks of, taphs and slurs of varying degrees of vulgarity to illustrate precisely a time at Prep when the theater mattered, and not just to a small how much disdain they had for Prep productions. I was struck with like-minded few. a rich fear, chilled at the idea of my fledgling reputation being slan- dered, and terrified that people might think that I was feminine! Fr. Mike is hopeful though, and it is in this hope that I am inspired. He is adamant that if the potential thespians of Prep and Villa It's ridiculous to think about it now, how worried I was that some could see the reality of a stage production—fun and laughs and the ignorant older kids might look down on me, how concerned I was satisfaction that comes from putting on a spectacle—then perhaps that they would think poorly of me. In my sophomore year I wised the best could still be yet to come. up, and it occurred to me for the first time that the opinions of all my peers, at least while they were in high school, were if not worth- Fr. Mike is waiting, he confides, for that one young man, an athletic less at least ill informed. Needless to say, their ideas were things star perhaps, good looking and popular, to break out of the prison that I should not put any sort of credence in. of social conventions, to be unafraid to do what he pleases. DeMar- tinis has no doubt that in the years to come, with a newly renovated This is what most confounds Fr. Mike, and by extension myself, auditorium, that his program will gain more traction, and perhaps most of all. Cathedral Prep men, erstwhile the most confident, fear- start acquiring some of the acclaim it had and has coming. I hope less pinnacles of courage and rightness in all of PA, are slaves to beyond hope he's right. The man deserves it. the opinions of their peers, terrified that the disguise they've cre- ated for themselves may be torn away if they entertained the possi- Fr. Mike also requested we at The Rambler include several emails bility of escaping the narrow circle of interest they've created for he received in which Prep students of yore detailed some of the themselves. This is not just sad, it's pitiable. great times they had performing in past shows. One commonality among the men who sent these emails? They were all very involved Things were not always this way. Fr. Mike regales me with tales of in other aspects of the school—many of them athletes, all popular shows past, just a few years ago, in fact, where his shows would be and well liked. Yet they performed in plays. They were trepidatious filled with not just the normal cast of theater kids, but enriched at first, as all will be at some point, yet they went out of their way to with students of all strata. Athletes, honor students and others try something new. They all derived something from the theater, be came together, collaborating over the course of what were always it fun with friends or academic accentuation, not a one of them find- fun filled weeks. At the end of that time, they creating something ing even a minor dissatisfaction. else entirely—high school plays that were as fun and exciting to watch as they were to perform.

These almost sordid affairs were not afraid to push the envelope and produce almost mystical performances where the guys and girls on stage stopped being recognizable as themselves, and in-

25 Men of Prep, Prep students:

My time at Prep was some of the best times of my life. The extra- Some of you may know me, but most of you probably do not. My curricular activities I did with my fellow brothers are my fondest name is Mike Knoll, and I graduated from Prep in 2011. While memories. I had been involved with many various sports and there I played basketball and played on two District 10 champion- clubs throughout my 4 years and wouldn't trade them for the ship teams and every year I played varsity we made the PIAA world. One regret I did have was not getting involved with Fr. playoffs. However, I am not writing to you about my basketball Mike's plays/musicals earlier. I luckily had an opportunity my career. I am writing to you on behalf of the Prep theater program. senior year to be a part of the first ever Cathedral Prep senior I know most of you probably just ignore those e-mails from Fr. class play. Although being in the last month or so of school, I can Mike about doing theater (I know because I used to do the same honestly say it was one of the highlights of not only my senior thing). It took Fr. Mike until the beginning of my senior year to year but my 4 years at Prep. There was no better way to end my get me to act in a play, and it was probably one of my greatest senior year. I encourage all brothers to join and have the same ex- memories I have from my high school career at Prep. I got to meet perience I had. Join with a group of your friends like I did, and a bunch of new people who I probably wouldn't have met or even make new memories with the already involved performers. I can talked to if I didn't get involved. Also, I had such a fun time with truly say I wish I had got involved earlier. the first play I did that I did another one at the end of my senior year. The feeling of satisfaction at the end of one of the shows was Hope all is well, the same feeling I would get after a tough win on the basketball Phil Hampy court. Fr. Mike makes everything so much fun and is a great guy to get to know. My advice is to get involved in theater early in your high school career. Don't wait until the end because you may end up regretting it like me.

ROLL RAMBLERS!

Mike Knoll, Prep Class of 2011

26 Men of Prep,

Many of you, at some point have been to a theater production at Gentlemen, Prep. Maybe you even watched some of your classmates perform. You may or may not have thought to yourself, "Maybe I'll try that My name is Steve Piotrowicz. Some of you may know who I am someday." I would also assume that many of you have also been and some of you may not. I graduated Cathedral Prep in 2008 told by Fr. Mike that "You should be in a play!" I was once in your and will be graduating Gannon University this upcoming Decem- shoes. I really had no desire to ever be in a play. I had never acted ber. Most, if not all of you know who Fr. Mike is. He is a close or had any singing experience (other than the shower). During friend of mine and the theater director at Prep. I was once in high my senior year, at Fr. Mike's insistance and a group decision by a school too and some of you, maybe all of you are just going to skip number of my friends, we all decided to give it a try. It was a this e-mail and not read it at all. For those of you who do read unique experience but not completely foreign. Anyone with ath- this, let me explain to you my experience with the performance letic experience is familiar with the progression of practices lead- arts at Prep when I attended. When I was at Prep, the sole pur- ing up to performances (games). Our group had a great time. We pose for me was to get a great education and play basketball. I would go out to eat after practices and shows and talk about eve- know most kids in high school think it's not popular to be seen in a rything funny that happened. After it was finished I could proudly play by your friends, girls, family, whoever else. During my time say that I went out of my comfort zone and got a pretty cool life at Prep I thought the same thing and if you don't t know anything experience, and it was even better because I shared it with my about me I was the starting point guard for two years and was friends. If you've ever thought about being in a play (even a little the starting point guard at Gannon throughout my career. Ill be bit), talk with your friends and talk to Fr. Mike. I did and he fi- the first to admit that my thought process was I had an image to nally wore me down. I've made many memories on the basketball uphold of being one of the popular kids and there was no way I court, and I am somewhat surprised to say that I've also made could be seen in a play. I had it all, the popularity, the girls, and fond memories in theater as well. didn't feel I needed to concern myself with performance shows at Prep. During my senior year, Fr. Mike would not stop nagging me about being in a play. Everyday, he would find a way to contact me and try to convince me to be in a play. Finally I told him I Roll Ramblers, would be in a play but I was not going to be a major part in the Mark Blazek, Class of 2008 play. Luckily, most of my teammates from the '08 season and foot- ball players were in the play as well which made it easier to be in it. I shouldn't have trusted Fr. because I found out himself and the other producers of the play wanted me to play the lead role. I had ZERO experience in shows and was completely against it from day 1. What I want to tell you about my experience when it was all said and done is that it was one of the best experiences I ever had. Not only did I enjoy actually doing the play, the better part

27 was building a bond and building relationships with people I didn't know that well, especially with the kids that went to Prep. You only are in high school for 4 years, these are some of the best times of your life with some of your best friends, try to expand and be willing to try new things. I have to admit, I had a blast per- forming in a show and furthermore, the best part was building that bond with the people I worked with and after all, you go to a school that is based on BROTHERHOOD. Just consider it, you might be surprised how much you like it regardless if you think its popular or not. Good Luck in the future.

ROLL RAMBLERS

Steve Piotrowicz '08

28 OPINION & EDITORIALS Cathedral Prep’s willingness to change is a strength By Austin Kanonczyk, contributing writer Cathedral Preparatory School, since its founding in 1921 has made fits the school greatly. Both of these fine gentlemen fill their roles many changes around the school, some good while some are not so perfectly and their synergy helps make Prep as great as it is. favorable. These changes include but are not limited to physical renovations, state-of-the-art technology, professional staffing Lastly, the lunches have gotten even better as the year goes on. changes, enhanced rules and regulations. Prep is fueled by the Chef Cirillo has perfected his old recipes and has been experiment- pride the school receives for keeping up to date with the newest ad- ing with several new ideas as well as frequently providing favorite vancements in education. Prep graduates are well respected classics such as "Feta" Friday. Another of the biggest examples of a around the country. Cathedral Prep was the first high school in positives change to the school is the technology; the iPads Erie to teach via technology such as laptops and now currently equipped with school-wide Internet access is what gives Prep that iPads. Many of these changes are positive, but a few have negative step up over the other surrounding schools. Though Mercyhurst consequences attached with them. Prep also utilizes iPads in their school, it is highly unlikely that their technology department is equal to Preps's. Examples of some of the changes that are positive are: the newly renovated H.D. Bowes Auditorium and the newly added Cathedral Examples of some of the changes that are negative are: the loss of Prep Events Center (CPEC). The Bowes Auditorium is a state-of- legendary teachers, an increased number of rules and pep rally re- the-art auditorium, featuring very comfortable seating, top-of-the- strictions. In the last few years Prep has lost some of its most inspi- line lighting and an excellent sound system. This auditorium is per- rational and skilled teachers such as the late Mrs. Mullen and Mr. fect for rallies, plays, Mass, and assemblies. Clancey. Mrs. Mullen was a part of the still standing tight-knit Prep math department, and she will never be forgotten. Mr. The CPEC is the new sports complex, which is home to many of Clancey was a part of the science department and successfully the Ramblers sports teams. The CPEC is conveniently located near taught many difficult classes such as AP Chemistry. school and this opens up the opportunity for Coach Grychowski to take his gym classes there for outside exercise. The addition of Mr. In my opinion, compared to years in the past, the rules pertaining Murnock as principal and Mr. Swanson as assistant principal bene- to messing with the freshmen used to be more loosely enforced.

29 Coming in as a freshmen and being nervous when turning every hallway corner used to be standard, and it was bittersweet because the roles were reversed when these freshman eventually turn into seniors. The current pep rallies also seem to be laden with too many restrictions, Prep is known for its cheering sections as well as rallies and these new restrictions are making it more difficult to suc- cessfully rally all classmates. An example of an excessive restriction is having to ask the freshmen’s permission when choosing the lucky student to be carried up on stage during a rally and attempt to do the P-R-E-P cheer.

The CPEC is a great addition to the Cathedral Prep Community, but there are some negative aspects of the Events Center. The loca- tion is close to Prep, but the field is placed in between railroad tracks and the always busy West 12th Street, so noise from the trains is often overpowering anyone on or near the field. Also, the field lacks seating to hold big games such as the ever so popular “Prep vs. McDowell” football game. The field placed in a vastly open location makes it subject to excessive wind, and the tempera- ture on the field is often much colder than the rest of Erie.

Prep has changed over the years, some for the best, some not so much. But change is not always a bad thing; learning to adapt to dif- ferent settings is an important life skill. Without change there is no innovation or incentive to improve. If Prep initiates change, we have a better opportunity to manage all change which is inevitable. All changes made to the school help Prep succeed in all aspects. Overall, Prep is always looking to be one step ahead and change be- fore they have to, and that is something we definitely don’t want to change.

30 OPINION & EDITORIALS The toilet paper issue By Dan Makowski, staff writer It's that time of the day. You're fresh out of lunch, and your stom- say no to that), instead all we need is an upgrade. Something that ach is rumbling. You decide to venture down to the first floor bath- doesn't make you second guess and regret your decision to utilize room, so that you can relieve the pressure. You find a stall, open a the Cathedral Prep bathroom facilities. window, and do your business. Just as you are finishing up you look to your left, then you remember, you have to use this so called "toilet paper."

The quality of toilet paper here at Prep is very poor. This school is known for having the most technological advances in the area; however, when it comes to t.p., we must rank at the bottom.

It has come to the point now where students are looking for alter- natives to using our bathrooms. Some students are reverting to waiting all day until they go home so that they can use the quality toilet paper they have at their house. I have actually heard stories of students asking to leave school early because it was an emer- gency and there was no way they would use our bathrooms. Now don't get me wrong, everything else in our bathrooms are top notch, high quality things. Except for those sandpaper rolls in the toilet paper dispensers.

When asking students about how they feel about the quality of our toilet paper, Nate Carlin put it best. He said, "I don't feel comfort- able wiping with notebook paper, but I would feel comfortable about writing an essay on the toilet paper."

The extreme measures that the students are taking are just a result of the poor quality of toilet paper. Now I'm not saying that we need to get the highest quality, ultra plush toilet paper (although I won't

31 THE RAMBLER VOLUME CXII ISSUE 8 The Rambler Staff

Prep’s finest when it comes to all things journalism.

32 THE RAMBLER STAFF The Rambler Staff

NAME YEAR POSITION Lewis Greco Senior Senior Editor-in-Chief Lucas Buseck Junior Junior Editor-in-Chief Stephen Bretz Junior Editorial/Opinions Co-editor Joe Hampy Senior Photo Co-editor Matt Hess Senior Editorial/Opinions Co-editor Dan Makowski Senior Audio/Video Editor Luke Merski Senior Copy Editor Calvin Reed Senior Sports Editor Michael Squeglia Senior News and Features Editor Sean Taylor Junior Staff Writer Delton Williams Senior Photo Co-editor

Email: [email protected]

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