Archbishop Kennedy High School - Kencensus Yearbook (Conshohocken, PA)

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Mew York, New York On January 27, 1985 three Ken- nedy students experienced Mew York in way that many will never see it — from the inside out. Patty Dem- psey, Prank Steitz, and Greg Stan- wood of the World Affairs Council all had the opportunity to visit three of Mew York's most famous land- marks: The United nations Building, The new York Times, and the hew York Stock Exchange. In the United nations Building, the students were given a guided tour after having a few moments of ex- ploring on their own. Patty Dempsey explains. They illustrated different things for us in each of the exhibits such as the Assembly Rooms, the Trustees Council and other organizations. They also had the unique chance to see the The new York Times in operation. Unlike many Hollywood versions of the newsroom, Dempsey stated. It was so quiet. They (the reporters) were really intent on their work. There were some editors talking, but not very loudly, and the reporters use computers to type their stories so it's virtually silent.' They were then escorted to the layout room where we got to see the paper being laid out. The people there were very friendly. Dempsey, Steitz. and Stanwood also visited the New York Stock Ex- change, famous for ticker tapes and the Dow Jones average, where the daily routines of commerce were ex- plained to them. Patty summed up the day: I really learned a lot. I finally got to see what New York was like. You never really understand what it's like until you see it. We Keep On Growing Kenndy is growing. This year perhaps the best the school has ever been. With each passing day, new opportunities for students to become involved in school activities are blooming. New soon-to-be traditions are forming and positive attitudes are entering Kennedy as each new class enters our doors. Perhaps the students' changing attitudes are what brought about the addition of the Karate and Camera clubs, the Soccer Team, a forensics club, and the Zoo Crew to Kennedy's list of activities. Yet, they are not simply statistics or another club on your transcript, they are alive with the ushering of the latest in Kennedy school spirit. Archbishop Kennedy has, in the past, had a reputation of being a sports-oriented institution. Al- though our school will always rely on their sports teams the trends now, however, lean toward a more academic and non-sport activity en- vironment. The Karate Club instructed by Mr. Fred DeStolfo teaches students self- defense and self-respect; the Camera Club, initiated by Sister Rose Concetta, our librarian, opens doors to students interested in photography. The Soccer Team, paired with its new-born field at- tracts many freshmen; the Forensics Club, headed by Mr. Joseph Murray and Miss Anne Murray, assist in public speaking and debating. Last but certainly not least is Kennedy's version of a Pep Club, the Zoo Crew , an energetic group of un- derclassmen who are not the least bit timid on expressing their Saints pride. Father Canavan also intends to ex- pand in the future with a bowling team golfing team, and a school show, but student interest deter- mines the birth of these new organizations. Two by Two Are Are twins twins rare rare?? At Kennedy they're not. There are six sets of twins scattered throughout the four grades, an interesting statistic considering our small school. Some are not of the same gender, and others such as Kris and Joe Raucher. are not even in the same grade. Many people often wonder what it's like to be a twin. Is it any dif- ferent than having a normal brother or sister? Are they closer? Do they fight more often? All of these questions really can not be generalized since every twin is dif- ferent. The picture they paint is not so alien. What is it like? Many students replied with the usual. It's neat. Tom Wittig even stated. It's weird, but the general consensus of Ken- nedy twins seemed to enjoy their double. They do resent, however, when family and friends expect them to be carbon-copies of the other. Megan Murphy explains, Everybody looks at you like you're twins and you can't have your own individual life. It's not good when there's the com- parison he's like this and you're not , says Kris Wittig. Kim Flanagan has a definite reason to dislike com- parisons: We re always being com- pared in our grades especially since we re in the same classes. Sean's in- to sports and I'm only in a few. We re really opposites so you can't really compare us. And they are all different. People don't really think of us as twins because we re so opposite. Monica Murphy has a point. She and Megan are definite opposites and they both will admit it, but Monica sadly reports that many people still confuse their names even though we don't look alike. Seniors Nick and Paul lademarco both feel that We are respected as individuals even though we have the same ideas. Nonetheless students still jumble who's w ho. It's often difficult to remain a separate person when you're a twin. Both family and friends sometimes consider the two as one under the similar title of the twins. Megan Murphy demonstrates the situation with this story. My older sister moved out and Monica and I had been sharing the same room. We both asked if each of us could have the room, but they gave it to our younger sister because they didn't want to separate us. They fight, share ideas, and care like other normal brothers and sisters. So does being born on the same day necessarily make them distinct? We're not closer because we re twins. We're just like any other brother and sister, says Kim Flanagan, being twins doesn't make it any different.

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The Real Tugger Many feel that nothing out-of-the- ordinary happens at Kennedy, not so. On October 14. Phillies' 1980 World Series Pitcher Tug McGraw delivered a guest Student Council Installation Speech in our own Tracy Hall. His speech contained many fascinating stories that placed students in the dugout and on the field during the World Series, but he also revealed another side of himself as he spoke his proverb, enjoy the effort.” He further unveiled a more serious personality in an interview with Maria lannozzi following his In- stallation speech: M.I.s How that you're retired from baseball, do you miss playing? Tug McGraw: I don't really miss the actual playing of the game of baseball . . . The thing I miss the most is the pump, the adrenalin. It's an exaggerated form of a natural high, it's unusual compared to other things you do in your life. M.I.: Were the Philies a close-knit team? Were there any problems? T.M.: We went through highs and lows and in terms of dissension and everybody getting along or not get- ting along, out team was pretty nor- mal. We had a wonderful ability, though, to give everybody their own space and sometimes, when we were going through a losing streak, it wasn't as easy to give everyone that space. Winning cures a lot of ills . . . There was a lot of character in our team, a lot of substance . . . They cared about what we did as a team. M.I.: Who were your role models? T.M.: Seaver and Carlton were probably the two finest pitchers I've ever seen. M.I.: How serious of a drug problem do you think there is in baseball? T.M.: Regardles of the numbers, it's a serious problem, even if it's just one major league player or more than that — it's serious. I think that before it was more serious than people thought it was and now that the trials are over, it's not as serious as people think it is. We were at an extreme disregard before and now I think that we re over-concerned. M.I.: Do you think the mandatory drug testing is fair? T.M: I don't think it's an invasion of privacy at all. If you're working in a group or team environment and there is some question about whether or not you are living up to your responsibilities, I think it's en- cumbent upon everyone including your teammates to want to know why. M.I.: What sort of a kid were you in high school? T.M.: I was kind of a goof off . . really high strung. I had a hard time concentrating in class although whenever I did I usually came out with a good result ... As a student I wouldn't call myself a role model. Although, I was really active in every type of club, activity or committee you could be in. M.I.: Looking back on your high school years, would you change anything? T.M.: If I had to do it all over again, I d try to figure out a way to spend more time pumping information in- to myself so I would have been more organized and aware of myself when I got older. What I said today in my talk was very sincere about the toughest part of being a parent is trying to teach while I'm still learn- ing. I think if I would have con- centrated more on myself as a kid in school I would have been a better parent today. M.I.: How are you enjoying your work at WPVI? T.M.: Very much, I think that the types of stories that they're giving me, to go out and interview people who are full of spirit and motivation and who care about other people, are really great... I really enjoy the theme of my reporting. M.I.: Do you have any advice for the students of today? T.M.: Try to turn tough times into good times and try to create a happy environment around you ... try to be active and care. Heedless to say, Kennedy certainly enjoyed Tug s adages and his in- telligent advice. In keeping with his proverb, he certainly deserves an A for effort.

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Who Is Where In the beginning of the school year, students received their rosters. Everything was normal. They looked over their classes and teachers without too many grimaces. Some had Ms. Ciociola, our English Department Head, for English, nothing out of the ordinary. Only, on arriving in class, students, after carefully scrutinizing the situation, realized that it was not Ms. Ciociola standing in the front of the room smiling. Instead, it was Miss Susan Qies, who was replacing Ms. Ciociola for the semester. Rumours flew. She was getting married, or She was going under cover for the literary CIA in Russia to examine the latest Soviet short- stories, amongst others, only no one seemed to know the real reason for Ms. Ciociola’s absence, which was simply a sabbatical. Miss Qies, a former student of Ms. Ciociola's, attended Cardinal Dougherty High School and has her origins in Northeast Philadelphia. She graduated from Villanova University with a BA in English and a BS in Education. In addition to Ken- nedy, Qies has taught at her alma mater, Dougherty, moved on to Lit- tle Flower, and then ended up at Ar- chbishop Carroll, where she moderated the school newspaper. Miss Qies is not new to a one- semester job and has been in this situation before. It's a mental strain. This is my last year of switching in the middle. Yet, she did not have a totally negative attitude toward her position at Kennedy. I like it. I have a lot of fond memories. The students were very friendly and so was the faculty. Mr. Leahan is my hero, Mr. Kauffman is my mentor, and Mr. Dabagian is the Rollie Massimino of Archbishop Kennedy. Her classes included Honors English, English II and III, and Creative Writing Class. When com- menting on the English Program she said, It is really a complete program considering Kennedy is a small school. As far as curriculum, you can't offer as much with a smaller institution. With the notion that The Arch- diocese sent me here on a mission from God, Miss Qies said good-bye to her temporary commission in January so that Ms. Ciociola could assume her position as English Chairperson. Ms. Qail Ciociola returned to Ken- nedy with a more serious attitude than that of Miss Qies when she departed. I feel as though I came back with a very different frame of mind about education. I realized that education should not be something that creates walls, but rather that it should be a process in which we bring down the walls and liberate ourselves. I hope to find some way of doing that in the classroom, says Ciociola. She utilized her sabbatical to work on her MA in English and to take her comprehensive exams. Ms. Ciociola summed up her leave in two words, study and travel. She also felt that Miss Qies did a good job and that she could pick up where she (Miss Qies) left off. Making More Space Expansion. Some consider it to be the key to success. If this is true, Kennedy is on such a path. Some do not consider the addition of a modular classroom an event of any real significance. Yet, the classroom represents the increase of Kennedy enrollment which, in turn, shows a general increase in the community's view of our school. Perhaps it is Kennedy's newly of- fered programs such as Soccer, or even simply its reputation for ex- cellence that has sparked this sud- den interest in our school. Nonetheless, the population has soared and in order to keep class sizes at their current level, the room was added. What a dramatic change when one considers that only a few years ago Kennedy was threatened with closing down because enrollment was suffering. The room has its drawbacks; it is sometimes cold, in the beginning of the year it was not connected to the morning announcements nor did it have a bell to signal class changes. These problems however, were soon rectified. With the addition of this classroom, Fr. Canavan feels that Kennedy is headed in the right direction. Will there be more modular classrooms added in the future? It really depends on which direction Kennedy's enrollment takes. An Award For Excellence The Mirror's reflection is one of hard work and responsibility. These adjectives certainly explain the ef- fort put into each issue of our bi- semesterly publication. The Mirror. This year, in fact, this dedication won the paper a second-place ranking in the Columbia Scholastic