Let It Snow! - Convent of the Sacred Heart

12
features
Advanced Placement masterpieces
Laura Silvera: Swimming Dog
g
“I used oil pastels. I didn’t really
have an inspiration. I decided
I wanted to take pictures of ordinary
things in really different
perspectives, sort of giving the
simple things we take for granted
a new look and beauty. One day I
just started taking pictures, and I
liked some and drew them.”
Hail to the chief
sylvia khoury
features editor
If Katie Eisenberg is trying to keep a low
profile at Convent of the Sacred Heart, she
is failing dismally. It’s hard not to notice her
when she smiles from the podium every day
at morning meeting, moderating announcements.
She has comfortably settled into her
new role as Student Body President after an
arduous campaign last spring.
“I knew that, as a senior, I wanted to
serve the student body to my fullest extent
and give back to the school that has given me
so much,” said Katie, who is a “lifer,” having
attended the school since Preschool.
In spite of Katie’s 14 years at Sacred Heart,
her previous attempts to become a member of
student council were unfruitful. “I’ve run for
“
and authetic.
”
Katie created a brilliant
character who was
at once likeable, edgy,
- Senior Maria Zoulis
Student Council each year, but I hadn’t actually
won before I became President. I can’t
claim to have a history in this area, but I’m so
thrilled that I get to be the liaison between the
students and the administration,” she said.
Students are pleased with Katie’s performance
in her role, notably her daily appearance
as moderator of morning meeting, in
which she entertains the student body with
her “facts of the day.”
“I am constantly asked if I have a secret
source for my facts of the day. Unfortunately,
I am not at liberty to discuss this with members
of the press,” said Katie, adding the little
known fact that grasshoppers have white
blood.
“The facts of the day are so funny,” said
senior Lara Abdo. “I love how they teach us
too.”
Many students know Katie as the girl
who bakes cookies for anyone’s birthday at
the request of the birthday girl’s friends, or
for other special occasions.
“She made the cross country team a huge
cookie in the shape of a sneaker with wings,”
said junior Brittany Williams. “She’d clearly
spent a lot of time decorating, and it made us
really happy.”
Katie has also made a name for herself
in the school community through her acting.
She most recently starred in Dancing
at Lughnasa, Sacred Heart’s fall play, which
received very positive reviews. She played the
role of Agnes, one of five Irish sisters.
“Katie created a brilliant character who
was at once likeable, edgy, and authentic,”
said senior Maria Zoulis, one of her co-stars.
Katie also uses her stage presence to excel
on the school’s Forensics team. She broke
to finals in varsity reading at the state tournament
in Albany last May.
“I thoroughly enjoy public speaking, and
I finally realized this year that practically all
of my extra-curricular activities involve public
speaking in one way or another. This year
I’ve also given many speeches to prospective
students, so I’m glad my experience has been
put to good use,” she said.
Members of the community appreciate
her unique speaking style.
“When I think of Katie, I think of imagination
and of thinking out of the box. When I
see her at morning meeting, it always brings
a smile to my face. I’m so happy that someone
with her talents is the head of our school,”
said Head of the Upper School Mrs. Jayne
Collins.
Katie is also a member of the school’s Instrumental
Club and has played the flute and
piccolo for eight years and the electric bass for
one year. She wants to pursue theater in college,
and claims that her dream job would involve
Saturday Night Live and the Muppets.
Alex Jung: Legs in the City
f
“I used acrylic paints. I was
walking down Haight Ashbury
Street in San Francisco when I
passed a building with a pair of
fake legs sticking out. I thought
it was funny so I decided to take
a picture and paint it. It was my
first time doing a painting with
so much detail, so it took a while,
but I’m glad I stuck with it.”
Books that inspire
Literature shapes the lives of Sacred Heart teachers
caroline kitchener
asst. features editor
Giving birth to revolutionary children
like religion, history, and language, literature
continues to sculpt the overall progression of
humanity. But books also impact the personal
life of each individual. Words have the power
to change minds, ignite passions, or even inspire
a new life direction.
“The Physics of
Baseball combined two
of my favorite things. It
helped me realize just
how much physics applies
to everything,” said
Mr. John Paul Reid, Upper
School physics teacher.
The ramifications of
this realization are still
felt on a daily basis as
Mr. Reid teaches Convent
of the Sacred Heart
students about the wonders
of physics. Other
Sacred Heart teachers have also found their
vocations within the pages of a good book.
Upper School English teacher Dr. William
Mottolese has devoted much of his life to
a single work of literature. James Joyce’s Ulysses,
the subject of his dissertation, changed
the way that Dr. Mottolese approaches life.
“Ulysses is an unbelievably inexhaustible
book that you can read over and over. Just
reading it expands my awareness and sensitivity
to life,” said Dr. Mottolese.
Unable to name just one book that
shaped him into the man he is today, Dr. Mottolese
emphasized the importance of his favorite
book as a teenager.
“Reading The Lord of the Rings shaped
my imagination. After reading the trilogy, I
had to read all the other nerdy, sci-fi stuff.”
h
Danielle Giorgio: Silverware
“I used pastels on dark blue paper for
the silverware. I decided to do a piece
on silverware because the AP judges
like to see some range in your work. I
get a lot of inspiration from other artists’
styles and interpretations of different
things. It was extremely difficult to
get the right highlights on the different
pieces of silverware, especially trying to
make the spoon look like it actually had
a 3-dimensional shape to it.”
Mr. John Paul Reid, physics teacher, reads
the book which influenced him most, The
Physics of Baseball.
compiled by emily schloss
Like Dr. Mottolese, many other Sacred
Heart teachers were influenced by the books
that they read in their childhood. Upper
School Dean of Students Miss Karen Panarella
found life’s truth buried within a simple
children’s story.
“I received Dr. Seuss’ Oh the Places
You’ll Go upon graduation from kindergarten
and probably did not realize how true it was
until I got older, but it is
a book about life. There
may be twists and turns,
and ups and downs, but
that is life,” said Miss
Panarella.
Other teachers claim
that they were most influenced
by a book that
transported them into
another world. Upper
School Spanish teach-
olivia ruggiero
er Sra. Ana Maria Neuman
found her haven
in a little Columbian
town shaped and molded
by renowned author Gabriel
Garcia Marquez.
Sra. Neuman said, “Reading El Amor En
Los Tiempos Del Cólera [Love in the Time
of Cholera], I experienced laughter, sadness,
hate, and love all in one page.”
Although most Sacred Heart teachers
experienced a change of mind or heart as a result
of their favorite work of literature, Upper
School history teacher Mr. Paul Grisanti is
not one to follow the crowd. Mr. Grisanti cites
the name of his favorite cookbook, Mastering
the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child.
“I used to look like Doc Mott, but then I
read this book,” said Mr. Grisanti.
Mr. Grisanti quickly amended his humorous
answer with a serious one. He named
the Bible as the book that has had the greatest
impact on his life.