May 31, '10 edition of OPEN - Oratory Preparatory School

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OPEN
Oratory Prep’s Electronic Newsbits, May 31, 2010
I F Y O U H A V E I N F O , C A L L S U S A N D O U G H E R T Y , X 4 6
T
he
Two Weeks of Blood,
Sweat and Tears
Blood Drive Gives Life to Others
student council-sponsored Blood Drive
was quite the success according to adviser
Bill Martin. “There were more boys able to
participate this time around (the second of two
blood drives this year) since it was later in the year
and more boys turned the right age to give.”
2009—10 Student Council President Nick Luther
was pleased with the turn out. “We had 45
donors, more than in January,” he explained.
Spirit Continued...
Spirit was high with the day-long Field Day on
Thursday, May 20 and the Senior Barb-B-Q on
Sunday afternoon, May 23. The senior boys were
able to kick back and relax at Great Adventure on
Tuesday, May 25 and then kick up their heels at
the junior/senior prom on Thursday, May 27.
All in all, it was a couple of weeks to remember.
No
Sweat
Here…
Senior Sean
Doddy and
junior
Spencer
Forrest show
that there’s
nothing to it.
Even seniors,
like Sean,
who didn’t
have any
exams that
day came in
to the school
to donate.
They were
among dozens
of juniors
and
seniors who
decided to
give the gift
of life.
Blue badge of courage...Teens had snacks
and juice after giving blood and wore their arm
bands as badges of participation. Volunteers wore
one color while the staff of student volunteers wore
another. Pictured left are former student council president
Nick Luther with juniors Harris Hoke and Joe
Ghio. Nick was one of the council members who
brought the blood drive to Oratory this year.
Congrats!
Oratory has won the
“Rookie of the Year” award
for New Jersey Blood Services
and will be recognized
at a pre-game awards
ceremony on June 1 at the
Yankees – Orioles game.
Junior Jared Littlejohn gives
it up for the cause, left, while
Sherwin Lotfi gets some
sugar from the apple juice
that was offered each donor.

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PAGE 2
Field Day
Raises $$$$
for Charities
T
he sun shone brightly on
Field Day, a time for fun and
games. The obstacle course,
right and center, proved to be a
favorite of a number of boys. At the
first part of the day and at the end,
the student body gathered in the
gymnasium, for basketball shootouts
which raised money from
pledges and cash totaling $800.
Junior Mike Rosato was the high
man who brought in $250 for the
Susan G. Komen Foundation.
C
ollecting money for the dunk
tank was an easy job, above,
since over $900 was collected
for the opportunity to dip teachers and
administrators in the cold water. Below,
Head of School Bob Costello commiserates
with Dean of Academics
Owen McGowan on his dunking. Lots
of good-natured razzing came from
those waiting to be dunked. “Is that all
you’ve got?” Mr. Costello queried Jack
McKenna who eventually hit the bull’s
eye to dunk the Head of School. All
money went to charity.
Musicians Spencer Berstler and Ray Thek were able to plug in and jam.

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MAY 31, 2010 OPEN
Mr. Bill Martin made certain that
every class was involved in the halfcourt
shots in the morning or last
session of the day.
Field Day, continued
Hamburgers, hot dogs
and cheeseburgers
were eaten leisurely on
picnic tables and other
available spots on the
grounds.
PAGE 3
L
iterally,
there
was
something for
everyone to do
on Field Day.
Gone were the
morning movies,
replaced with
basketball shoot
arounds and
half court attempts.
There was
time to hang out
with friends, put
on the enormous
boxing
gloves and work
up a sweat.
Senior Class Trip Memories
A Great Adventure
I
n College Counselor Ann
Geissler’s opinion, “It was a great
day! 28 kids...7+ hours. Perfect
weather, no traffic, just great.” She
should know since she chaperoned
the Great Adventure trip.
Because it was a weekday, Great
Adventure in Jackson, NJ wasn't
crowded and the teens were able to
hop on any rides and attractions they
wanted without long lines and the
obligatory wait time that happens on
weekends. Mrs. Geissler’s camera
grabbed some of those memories.
Photos by Ann Geissler
May 31, 2010

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PAGE 4 PROM: Tuxes, Boutonnières and Dancing
F
or the first time
in years, Oratory
crowned a Prom
King and Prom Prince
from the senior and junior
classes respectively.
Senior Nick Luther
was
named
king
while
junior
Jared
Littlejohn was selected prince
for the night.
The prom, held at The
Villa, enthralled the teens with
music for all tastes and a setting
that provided glitz, glamour
and memories.
Pre-prom parties gave
moms and dads plenty of time
to grab pictures of the boys in
their tuxedoes before they
headed off for the night. The
candids on this page are thanks
to Mrs. Ann Geissler whose
camera was at the ready to
capture special moments.
Candids by Ann Geissler
Everybody
dance now!
Prom King Nick Luther and his
date share a special dance.
Kevin McGovern, Joe Macri and Tim Dore pose at a
pre-prom party hosted by the Macri family.
Photos by Theresa Macri
Parents always need one more group shot for the album.
OPEN MAY 31, 2010

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MAY 31, 2010 OPEN
Eighth Grade Retreat
W
hen religion
teacher Jonathan
Gordon
plans retreats for the various
grades, he relies on seniors
who have been trained
as Retreat Leaders to help
him.
The recent eighth grade
retreat, held in the gymnasium,
saw 12 new trainees
from the junior class who
assisted. “We’ll be called
the apostles next year,” Joe
Ghio said “because of the
number of us.”
Fr. Sal will also train and
instruct the young men
who will serve in masses
next year.
For now, they got a
taste of what it will be like
while the eighth graders
played games, were encouraged
to trust each other
and to open up to themselves
and God.
PAGE 5
Eighth graders, like
Jack Waltzinger, left,
write their own life
event timelines and,
above, listen to Mr.
Jon Gordon’s account
of what’s important in
his life.
Mock Trial News
M
r. Bill Martin, Mock Trial
Team moderator , has
bragging rights...not for
himself, but for his teams—
past and present.
The Oratory Prep
Mock Trial team recently
celebrated
another successful
year with its annual
end of year team
dinner. This year,
the celebration was
held at Winberie's
in Summit on April 25 where the unveiling
of the county championship plaques
took place, along with the presentation of
team sweatshirts and formal recognition
plaques to seniors Sean Doddy, Nick Luther,
and Taylor Rosenbauer.
With its inception just seven years ago, the OP
Mock Trial Team has already become a powerhouse
“OP Mock Trial program is a clear
example of what passion and
commitment to an extra-curricular
program may mean for a student’s
career and life choices .”
Bill Martin, Director of Student Activities
throughout the state, having won five county championships
and garnering a fifth place finish in the American
Mock Trial Invitational in 2007.
For six of the seven years, the team has been under
the direction of OP teacher and administrator Bill Martin.
Mark Scirocco '06 and Stephen Scirocco '07 , participated
in the program as students, and their father,
Bob Scirocco, has remained as the attorney consultant
for the program. "It is such a pleasure to work
with a teacher like Bill Martin.
He casts the roles of the witnesses
and attorneys and designs
the practices, while I provide
the technical assistance
and first-hand experience,
which I think makes for a
good combination," says Mr.
Scirocco. “Of course, the quality
of students who are drawn
to the program never ceases to
amaze me. I have stayed with
the program because it is such a pleasure and a privilege
to be associated with Bill and the students," he
continued.
Members of the first winning Mock Trial Team are
now graduating from college and a number of them
are pursuing their love of the law by attending law
school. They include Warner Butkus (Rutgers-
Newark), Chris Henschel (Quinnipiac), Brian Kasper
(Villanova), and Mark Scirocco (George Mason).

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If you have information or photos
to share, please send them to
OPEN editor Susan Dougherty
Phone: 908-273-1084, x 46
E-mail: sdougherty@oratoryprep.org
Sports
Varsity Spring Track
Senior Barbecue : Casual and Fun
T
he actual last gathering
of seniors at
the school was Sunday,
May 23 for the class
barbecue. Tents covered
the field and Parents’ Guild
provided the food. None of
the boys would admit to a
tear, but plenty of senior
moms choked them back.
Among the well-wishers were surprise guests Father Paul Provosto, former
Chaplain and teacher at Oratory, and Mr. Kevin Kostibos, former Director of
Co-curricular Activities.
The boys played Frisbee and volleyball, enjoyed the cake provided by the Parents’
Guild and made one more special memory.
Photo by Gayle Khoury
Prep B Champions, Again!
C
oach Mike Firestone’s flyers all
predicted it: “Come out for Spring
Track to defend our title of Prep B
Champions,” they said. He challenged
the boys to do it, and they came
through.
“We’re making a name for Oratory in
track,” Coach Firestone said with pride of
his team.
JV Tennis
r. Peter Astor, coach of the JV Tennis
Team, reports that the final
D
match of the season ended on a high
note with the boys’ doubles team winning
six out of eight matches.
The team of Andrew Marshall and
Andrew Palmer won both of its matches
against Elizabeth, finishing their season
with a winning record.
The team of Nagarjun Yarlagadda
and Alex Berberi won both of its
matches, the first time this season.
Finally, the first and second doubles
teams of Scott Turtur and Loren Reinoso
and Dan Sommer and Mike Rosato, respectively,
split their matches, one loss in
a tie-breaker.
Zychowski ‘09
S
teven Suarez, Class of
Two Alums named to
Golf Patriot League
2006, graduated from Lehigh
University a few weeks ago
and added to his list of accolades
being named the 2010 Patriot
League Golf Scholar-Athlete of the
Year.
Steve was also the team captain and
had been named to the Patriot League
Academic Honor Roll in each of his
first three seasons. He earned a First-
Team All-Patriot League honor by placing
second in the championship, missing
the individual title by one shot.
As mentioned on Lehigh’s Web site,
“Suarez is notably one of the strongest
and most consistent golfers the Brown
and White currently has.
So good in fact, that Suarez was
named the Patriot League “Rookie of
the Year” following a top-five performance
at the league championship
in 2007.” Steve culminated his four
years at Lehigh earning a Bachelor’s
Degree in Finance with an impressive
3.56 GPA.
Steve Zychowski, Class of
2009, a freshman at Holy Cross,
(pictured above) was also named to the
2010 First-Team All-Patriot League.
Leading the Holy Cross Men’s Golf
Team at the championship with a
three-round score of 224, his best performance
of the spring, Steve helped
the Leopards to a seventh place finish.
Steve placed in a tie for fourth place
individually, earning him his Patriot
honors. After completing his freshman
year with an average stroke rate of 77.2
after 20 rounds of golf, Steve is well
on his way to making his mark.
Scholar Athlete : Brandon King
O
n Sunday, May 16, senior Brandon King was honored as the scholar athlete representing
our school to the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association.
Athletic Director Pat Gist and Brandon’s parents Debra and Jeff were on hand
to congratulate him as he was awarded a $1,000 scholarship from the New Jersey State
Coaches’ Association.
Brandon, a varsity swimmer and captain of the team and MVP, is the class valedictorian.
Information compiled by Cathy Allocco