February 28, '11 edition of OPEN - Oratory Preparatory School

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OPEN
St. Philip Neri Scholars
Oratory Prep’s Electronic Newsbits February 28, 2011
Students honored at Scholars’ Breakfast
Front from left: Tom Fay, David Batista, Richard Montalvo, Christopher Pope, Andrew Vita , Kevin McCarthy, Cooper Logerfo,
Daniel Santos and Michael Rosato. Row two: Harris Hoke, Matt Szpunar, Jack McKenna, Ryan Montalvo, Fernando
Garcia, Nick Baressi, Bobby Vander Meulen, Daniel Sommer and Jon Schwolsky. Top row: J.P. O’Toole, Ryan Murray,
Brandon Deger and John Plantemoli.
Missing from the photo: Matthew Munro.
W
hen Mr. Bob Costello first came to Oratory in
2009 as the new Head of School, he brought
with him a few events that have now, in his second year,
become traditions.
At the end of the marking periods, Mr. Costello invites the
St. Philip Neri Honor Roll honorees and their parents to the Neri
Breakfast held in the school’s cafeteria. On February 15, the celebration
of excellence was held for the 23 students and their folks.
Campus Ministry Addresses Hunger
etting ready for the February
27 Bridges run to G
Irvington, students gathered
in the cafeteria on Friday to
assemble the sack lunches for
at risk people. Mrs. Cathy Marshall,
the coordinator of the
Campus Ministry that has
participated in Bridges
seven times this year, says
this service gives boys a
deep sense of compassion
for people in need.
After school on Friday,
Michael Skinner,
Andrew Croonquist
and Dan Santos
help put together
300 sandwiches.
t the conclusion
of A
the St. Philip
Neri Breakfast
on Tuesday,
February 15,
the honorees
gather for a
photo. Parents’
cameras
clicked away at
the group of
boys that was
feted for their
95 or higher
averages for
the second
marking period.
URGENT NEED
Blood
Drive
March 1
8:30– 2:30
Walk-ins
welcome !
As with most
Oratory gatherings,
food is an added
attraction.

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PAGE 2
Like a Fish in Water
T
here
are
loads of reasons
why the
boys have joined the
swim team. For Tim
Lynch, a junior,
swimming is
“addictive.” He says,
“I live in a lake community
in the summer
and everybody
swims there, so it’s a
natural for me.”
Likewise, Kenny
Mika, whose beach
house is in Seaside,
said, “I just love water,
straight up.”
Fellow team member
Nick Benelli, who
specializes in the 200
freestyle, is a life
guard at Long Beach
Island in the summer,
so joining the
swim team seemed
like the logical thing
to do.
Kenny Mika shows his diving form.
A Senior Looks Back
W
hen Harris Hoke looks
back on his four years of
swimming with Oratory, he says
he’ll remember different highlights.
Concerning his freshman year, “We
had All-Star swimmers and we pulled
out the conference championship and
that was memorable.” By the junior
year, 9 out of 20 swimmers were seniors,
so “in our senior year, it was a
rebuilding experience.”
Going into a meet he said, “I focus on
personal best.” Basically, he explained,
“It’s you, the pool and the clock.”
He doesn’t think that swimming is
just in his past, but plans to try out for
the college team at Swarthmore College,
where he has been accepted.
For senior Chris
Nunn, right, the
best moment of
the season came
at “Preps” in
Lawrenceville. “I
got my two best
times in the 50
freestyle and 100 breaststroke,” he said. He felt
it was an exhilarating finish to his last time
swimming competitively.
Joe Nunn, junior, above, displays his winning
form with the butterfly.
Swim for a Cure
B
oys on the swim team
will hold a fundraiser
swim-a-thon at the Summit Y
for their swim teammate
Connor Burrows.
Look for the date and forms
on Edline or see junior Ken
Mika for a form to donate.
The swim team poses for the yearbook photographer from Lifetouch Photos.

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FEBRUARY 28, 2011 PAGE OPEN 3
Basketball Rolls Out
Another Win
n Senior Night, February 22, the last home
O game for the seniors, Oratory beat Morris
Catholic in a nail-biter 59– 58. According to the Star
Ledger, Matt Billups, a junior, “hit a jumper as time expired
to give Oratory the victory.” Billups ended with 20
points and John Plantemoli scored 15 that night. OP goes
to the opening round of the State Tournament at Montclair
Kimberly on Wednesday, March 2 at 6 p.m.
Supportive Parents
Senior Night : Moms, sporting their son’s numbers, are out in
force, from left: Mrs. Orr, Mrs. Koomar, Mrs. Gilligan,
Mrs. Plantemoli, Mrs. Allen, Mrs. Miller, Mrs. Murray.
McCain Named Finalist
Each senior team member gave a rose to his
mom. Brandon Deger, who Athletic Director
Pat Gist called the “Voice of Oratory”
because he announces all the games, poses
with his mom, Dr. Carolyn Lalli.
Bowlers At Top
The JV Bowling Team
finished number one of their
division under the leadership
of Coach
Ann Geissler.
Dean of Academics
Owen McGowan congratulates
Kwame
McCain, senior, who has
been notified that his status has
been updated from Semifinalist
to Finalist standing in the 2011
National Achievement Scholarship
Program, a privately financed
academic competition
for Black American high school
students. Of the 1300 Finalists,
approximately 800 will receive a
scholarship of either a one time
award of $2,500 or a corporate
sponsorship award that is renewable
for up to four years of undergraduate
study.

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PAGE 4
This past weekend four of
Oratory’s teens were a part
of the cast of “Oklahoma!,” a
musical presented by Oak
Knoll of the Holy Child
School in
Summit.
Four OP Teens in ‘Oklahoma!’
Colin McReynolds commands center stage.
Sophomore Shea Magee, above, is
surrounded by girls, one of the benefits
of participating in a musical at a
girls’ high school.
Brothers Kegan O’Brien and Justin O’Brien,
above, clash as Cowman and Farmer, while
Justin’s character, at right, scuffles with Shea
Magee.
Ali Hakim (Colin McReynolds) is confronted
by the show’s antagonist Judd.
It Will Be a
Gala Affair
A VENETIAN MASQUERADE BALL
T
hink the Grand
Canal, a moonlit
night, gondolas
floating and couples being
serenaded. Well, maybe
not exactly, but on Saturday,
April 2 , from 7:00
PM until midnight, you’ll
be transported to another
time and place.
The raffles, dinner, dancing
and gift auction will be
featured at the school’s annual
gala to be held at the
beautiful Westin Governor
Morris in Morristown. Tickets
are $135 per person.
For more information,
contact Jeneen Perrella at
908-647-8092.

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Keeping Right on Track
A
thletic Director Pat Gist
offered his congratulations
to Marcus Laroche
who won the Prep B Shot
Put Championship at
Toms River with a
throw of 49 feet and 10.5
inches, setting the new
state group B record by 2
feet. “I was pleased and
especially proud of Marcus’
record-setting
throw,” he said.
Photos by Pat Gist
PAGE 5
Qualifiers for the Meet of Champions
(based on their record at the State
Non-Public B meet in Toms River.)
Marcus Laroche: shot put
Matt Munro: 55 meter hurdles
Bobby Vander Meulen:
400 meters
WINNERS...The OP Track Team displays their trophy and
their number one attitude at winning the Prep B Indoor Track
Championship for the first time. Coached by Kenny Vaughn,
David Antunes, top left, and Mike Firestone, top right, the team
celebrated the victory of the February 16th Lawrenceville meet
when Oratory came out on top.
Band room: Sounds Good to Me
A
s part of campus improvements, the sweet
sounds of the band now stay within the walls of
the music room. Sound-absorbing panels were
hung during the Presidents’ Day weekend. “They make
an amazing difference,” music teacher Dr. Cliff
Whitelegg said. “Not only do they absorb overly electric
sound, but they reduce the audio ‘dead’ spots in the
room” that seemed to swallow the human voice.
Legally Speaking
O
n Wednesday, February
23, Mr.
Robert Scirocco,
father of Mark ‘06 and Steven
‘07, spoke to Mr. Bill
Martin’s American Law
class. “Mr. Scirocco did a Q
and A with the boys both on
criminal and civil legal topics,”
Mr. Martin said. The
lawyer has served as the
attorney adviser to our
Mock Trial team for years
and is invaluable in his volunteer
service to the school
since the inception of the
Mock Trial eight years ago.

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PAGE 6
Phone: 908-273-
1084, x 46
If you have information or photos to
share, please send them to OPEN
editor Susan Dougherty
PR Coordinator
E-mail: sdougherty@oratoryprep.org
Tech Club
Photo by Josh Daw
Photo Club
President of the Photo Club
Joe Ghio, senior, above right,
checks the listing as to who
has been assigned which clubs
to cover for the yearbook photos.
Mrs. Susan Dougherty is
the club’s moderator.
On any given
Tuesday and
Thursday, members
of the Technology
Club
gather with Mr.
Nick Lalama,
adviser to discuss
the workings of
technology.
Photos by Greg Caldera
Ping Pong Club
Under Mrs. Sherry Mahan’s guidance, the Ping
Pong Club serves as light, competitive fun after
school.
Art Club
meets weekly
with Mrs. Susan
Preston.
Advice: Read the Package for Nutritional Info
S
eventh graders
in Mr. Denis
Noonan’s
health class
completed a hands-on
visualization last week
that made the boys realize
just how much sugar is
lurking in the food and
drinks they consume
daily.
“What’s the first thing
you should look for when
determining the importance
of a package’s ingredients?”
he asked the
boys.
“The serving size!”
came the answer.
“Right,” he answered,
“because you might be
fooled into thinking you
are having only a certain
number of calories when,
in reality, the serving is
two and a half times what
you see on the package.
“Always do the math,”
Mr. Noonan cautioned the
boys.
Seventh grader Andrew Vita scoops out the number of spoons of sugar
listed in one of his favorite foods.
OPEN FEBRUARY 28, 2011