19 September 2017 Issue No. 2 TROJAN NEWS INSIDE THIS ISSUE: NEWS Schedule Change....2 New Teacher...2/5 SPORTS Girls Soccer......1 Golf......4 Cross Country.. 4 EDITORIALS Top 10 songs of the summer....3 EXCITING START TO GIRLS SOCCER SEASON By: Nicole Twichell As soccer season begins, our Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic girls soccer team is excited for a great season. The girls soccer team has had one goal since their upset loss last season in the second round of the WPIAL playoffs against Brentwood. So far, the girls are 4-2 this season, kicking off the year with a win in the Belle Vernon tournament. The win at Belle Vernon was very exciting, junior forward, Katie Santamaria said, we went into the tournament not knowing what to expect since we re only a Single A school and both Belle Vernon and West Mifflin (the schools CWNC played in the tournament) are Triple A schools. We surprised a lot of people with our win and we believe that we can continue to surprise people as we move forward in the season. Head Coach, Emily Karr, has set many goals for the girls this season, including going to playoffs and to win more games than they lose. The girls believe they can achieve these goals. The team is working very hard at a practice which leads them to succeed during games. The girls have a solid defense this year and a center midfield that dominates. Santamaria stated that, Our center midfield, Emma Ivory (senior captain), Ella Biedler (senior), and Regina Torchia (junior), continue to create opportunities with our forwards in the offensive third that have proven to be dangerous to other teams. The whole team works very well together and encourages each other. This is a positive quality that is important for the success of the team. This week, the girls won against Quigley Catholic with a final score of 3-0.The team also won against Riverside in overtime with a final score of 2-1. The girls are determined to win their next few games which will lead them to playoffs and after that, the WPIAL Championships. Please come and support the girls at their games next Monday and Wednesday as they take on Neshannock and Mohawk at home. CWNC Wordle..6 Managing Editor: Hailey Reisinger Editorial Editor/Photographer: Jozef Perock News Editor: Kate Silvester Sports Editor:: Nicole Twichell Sports Staff Writer: John Fukon Sports Staff Writer: Ava Perock News Staff Writer: Lauryn Lucatorto News Staff Writer: Caitlin Cole 1
A NEW FACE IN GUIDANCE By: Lauryn Lucatorto This school year, we have many new faces here at CWNC including incoming freshmen, and many new faculty members. One new staff member that you might have not had an opportunity to meet yet is Mrs. Gantz. Mrs. Gantz is a new addition to the guidance department. Before coming to CWNC this year, she worked in a different setting. I worked at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic in Pittsburgh, in the child and adolescent unit. Before coming here, I had internships as a counselor in an elementary and high school, Gantz explained, when asked about her experience before joining the CWNC staff. Mrs. Gantz had the opportunity to work in a variety of career fields. In fact she wasn t even always settled on psychology. I originally went to school to be a teacher, Gantz said, When I was doing observations in classrooms, I realized I wasn t interested in teaching lessons. I was more concerned with kids having problems in the classroom. From there, Gantz earned her psychology degree, which eventually lead her to school counseling. How did Mrs. Gantz end up at CWNC? I received all of my K-12 education in Catholic schools in the Diocese of Pittsburgh. When I saw the opening at North, I wanted to become part of the family again. Gantz revealed that she is a firm believer in Catholic education. I think it truly molds students into becoming good, moral people with great values, Gantz explained. We take away things we learn at a Catholic school, and we re able to apply it to life. You don t get that in a public school. Here at CWNC, we believe just that. Our Catholic education prepares us and empowers us to take on the future, with God as our guide. What all does the job of a school counselor consist of? So far, I ve done a lot of schedule changes, accommodations for students in the classroom, helping seniors begin college applications, and working with the student success program as well, Gantz listed. There will be even more in the future, She added. When asked what she liked most about her job, she said, I like working with the students and teachers. There are a lot of great people at North, and I have enjoyed every second of it. We agree. We are happy to add Mrs. Gantz to our family as well. What is the #1 thing that you should now about Mrs. Gantz? I think everyone should know that I am always available no matter what. If it s for an academic reason, or you just need someone to listen, I m always here. NEW BELL SCHEDULE By: Lauryn Lucatorto Perhaps you remember from last year having only two lunch periods that were only thirty minutes long. Perhaps it took you all of last year to finally memorize the times your classes ended, only to find that the whole schedule has been changed this year. If you didn t notice, the schedule contains three full lunch periods. Why did the school instate these schedule changes? Mr. Tisak, CWNC s vice principal enlightened us on this matter. The main reason for schedule changes in the addition of a third lunch, but why was this change made? There was an increase in the student population, and we wanted lunch to flow better, Tisak said. There was also a second change to the lunches. The time was extended to that of a normal period. It was necessary in order to fit all the periods into the schedule, Tisak explained. It allows students to have enough time to eat, and perhaps time to study afterwards. Though the length of the periods, homeroom, and lunch have all changed there is one thing that has remained constant: the three minute transition period in between class. Is three minutes enough for students to traverse the school. Yes. Mr. Tisak assures us. He knows because he goes all over the school in the same amount of time, he explained. One question remains. Should we get used to this schedule or is it going to be switched up again next year. I don t foresee it changing, however, circumstances can change. HOMECOMING! Homecoming this year will be on October 7 th at CWNC. The dance starts at 7pm and will end at 10pm. Although the prices are not set yet, tickets go on sale next week. Pay attention to announcements to learn more information! 2
TOP TEN FAVORITE SONGS OF THE SUMMER By: John Fukon 10. Shape of You by Ed Sheeran Peaking as the number one song over the summer, Ed Sheeran s Shape of You has a catchy beat that boosted its success. Although it came in at the 10 spot, this song previewed the album Divide and gave fans a great anticipation. Personally, this song got stuck in my head too much, therefore I was not a big fan. 9. Something Just Like This by The Chainsmokers and Coldplay This collaboration between Coldplay and The Chainsmokers managed to hit the number one spot as the song reached its prime. Although it dropped to number nine, this song lasted for a long time at the top. Being overplayed on the radio did not help its listing on the chart. 8. Your Song by Rita Ora This song did not reach the top five, peaking at seventh. This song silently made it to the top. It is not a personal favorite of mine, but since it was released at the beginning of the summer, it managed to stay high in the rankings. 7. I m the One by DJ Khaled featuring Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance the Rapper, and Lil Wayne Reaching the number one spot and holding it for a long time, DJ Khaled really made his fans excited for the release of album, Grateful. Personally, this is my favorite song right now so I believe it should be at least top five, but this list posted them at seven. The combination of Justin Bieber s hook, with Quavo, Chance the Rapper, and Lil Wayne s rap lines to go along with the beat made this song so popular. This song is listed as explicit. The song contains inappropriate content for some listeners. It is not recommended that it is listened to, it just appears on the list of the top songs of the summer. 6. Feels by Calvin Harris featuring Pharrell Williams, Katy Perry, and Big Sean Although it is out of the top five, this song rose to number one over the summer. Calvin Harris got big features to add to this song which made it very popular.big Sean s line at the end finishes the song off with a bang. This song is listed as explicit. The song contains inappropriate content for some listeners. It is not recommended that it is listened to, it just appears on the list of the top songs of the summer. 5. Strip that Down by Liam Payne featuring Quavo Surprisingly, another Quavo featured song reached the top five. Just kidding, this song number three, which again shows his dominance in 2017. Liam Payne knew who to ask when making this song to get him into the top three. This song is listed as explicit. The song contains inappropriate content for some listeners. It is not recommended that it is listened to, it just appears on the list of the top songs of the summer. 4. That s What I Like by Bruno Mars Nearing a billion video views on YouTube for this song, Bruno Mars s music stays at the top on music charts. That s What I Like was nothing different, holding the number one spot for some time. Bruno Mars has music that gets an audience wanting to keep listening. 3. Wild Thoughts by DJ Khaled featuring Rihanna and Bryson Tiller Another DJ Khaled song from the album, Grateful, that soared to the top. This song featured Rihanna and Bryson Tiller, and it also reached the number one spot like I m the One. I like this song s beat as well as the Rihanna feature. This song is listed as explicit. The song contains inappropriate content for some listeners. It is not recommended that it is listened to, it just appears on the list of the top songs of the summer. 2. Unforgettable by French Montana featuring Swae Lee Personally, this song surprised me by being at the top. I feel as though the beat is too slow for my liking, but it still managed to reach the number two spot. Despite what I think, this song gained popularity which could be because of the Swae Lee feature. This song is listed as explicit. The song contains inappropriate content for some listeners. It is not recommended that it is listened to, it just appears on the list of the top songs of the summer. 1. Despacitio (Remix) by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee featuring Jusin Bieber Coming in at the number one spot after gaining it a long time ago, it is no surprise this song is listed at number one. This song has the most video views in YouTube history at about 3.7 billion. That number is just absolutely incredible and is the reason it is still at the top spot. The song is not even in English, but Justin Bieber s add to the feature helped the growth tremendously. Source The Official Top 40 Biggest Songs of Summer 2017 Revealed. Official Charts - Homepage, The Official UK Charts Company, 5 Sept. 2017 3
STAYING PAR WITH THE GOLF TEAM By: John Fukon The golf team is looking for another successful season this year after showing much skill and talent last year. The players have golfed all throughout the summer at various courses in hopes of having a great season. By practicing their touch, the team is hoping to improve their driving, fairway and putting abilities. They know that hard work and a lot of focus will put them into a position to go far in the playoffs. According to golfer Shea McTighe, We are looking really good. He has plenty of confidence in their ability to win while staying locked in on what s needed to do so. Golf is a sport of concentration and a tremendous amount of confidence. It is a difficult sport to play, which makes McTighe s confidence in himself as well as his teammates a key to success. So far this season, senior Joe Alampi claims they are Steam rolling through everybody (competition). The other teams cannot keep up with their talent and skill thus far this year. With this pace already in the regular season, the golfers are looking for a run in the postseason. When asked what the ultimate goal of the year was, senior Reilly McSteen said To win the team state championship. Although winning it all will not be an easy task, the hard work and dedication this team is putting in puts them in a great position to bring home the gold medal. In order to win the championship, the golfers will need to shoot very low scores. Par is usually 36, so they hope to average a score around there. There are individual accomplishments for golf as well, but the team award means a lot more to this group of players. As the season progresses, the team is getting better and better every day. This means that they are getting closer and closer to their ultimate goal, a state championship. Good luck to the boys and girls of this years golf team as they progress into the latter half of their season in hopes of winning the championship. KEEPING UP WITH CROSS COUNTRY By: Ava Perock North Catholic s boys and girls cross-country team traveled to Pittsburgh Saturday Sept. 9 for a meet. After running in the race, sophomore, Alayna Yoest, said, It was one of the largest and most competitive invitationals for our area. There were over twenty schools competing on Saturday. Out of those teams, North Catholic came in third place at the meet. The team did very well at this meet and all the girls and the boys beat their personal records. The boys team was led by freshman Connor Maddalon, and the girls team was led by senior Rylee Kopchak. The runners usually run about 3.1 miles. Alayna Yoest, the interviewee said her running time for that meet was 24 minutes, which is very good. She also said, It was a really nice course, you could see the UPMC building over some of the hills. The meet started at 9:30 in the morning for the boys. All the runners had to meet at the school by 5:30 to catch the bus. When the team arrived at the meet, they all did a course check with the other runners to make sure they get the feel of the course. Then, the coaches of all the competing teams had a meeting to discuss how the meet was going to work. Usually the teams meets are after school and only last a few hours. But this meet was on a Saturday and went on all day. Congratulations to the boys and girls Cross Country Team!! 4
Mr. Malone By: Caitlin Cole Where did you teach prior to teaching at CWNC? Last year I was a building substitute teacher at Hampton High School (which is the high school I attended as a student). The year before that I student-taught at Riverview in Honors and Academic Modern World History. I have an undergraduate degree in history from Saint Vincent (with a minor in Math), a graduate degree in history from Carnegie Mellon, and a graduate degree in teaching from the University of Pittsburgh. Why did you come to Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic? There are several reasons why I was attracted to North Catholic. First, I think there is a great sense of excitement about the school because it is growing. A place committed to growth is somewhere you want to be as an educator. Secondly, I was also intrigued by the opportunity to teach multiple subjects. Why do you teach (specifically math and history)? I think I teach because I love learning. One of the great things about teaching is that as you teach you never stop learning yourself. It is also a great honor to be responsible for inspiring a similar love of learning in others. And I find it very rewarding whenever I can see a student making progress with a concept they had struggled with. As for Algebra and History, I enjoy teaching in such different disciplines because I think they complement each other. In Algebra, we can always arrive a definite answer when solving equations while in history most questions are impossible to answer definitively. Are there any lifelong goals you hope to achieve? Besides being the best teacher, I can be, two other life goals of mine are to win a tournament as a professional disc golfer and to have an article published in Sports Illustrated. You told us you have eaten 10,000 apples in your lifetime, have you done any other cool things your lifetime? in I have in fact done other cool things besides eat 10,000 apples. In 10th grade, I memorized 1,030 digits of Pi, competed in the Amateur World Disc Golf Championships, played on a collegiate pingpong team when I studied abroad in Belfast, Northern Ireland. I also read 84 books last year. I can juggle, I wrote a master's thesis where some of my most important sources were baseball players swearing at each other, I played tennis competitively in high school and college. I also can announce at all manner of sporting events. 5
WHAT CWNC MEANS TO YOU By: Jozef Perock and Kate Silvester Jozef and Kate went around CWNC and asked several of the students what they thought of when they heard Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic. This is what students had to say 6