2012_09_25 - Saint Thomas Aquinas High School

Features September 25, 2012Saints filter traditions, keeping best7Beanies are gone and halldecorations are back; longtimeteachers don’t miss theold traditions.BRYAN ZACKFeatures EditorMany traditions at SaintThomas Aquinas High Schoolwere started very early in theschool’s history. Some of themare still around today.“I like all the traditions wehave now and don’t care to seeany of the old traditions comeback” said Phil Farnan, who hasbeen a teacher at Saint ThomasAquinas since 1988 when theschool first opened and taught atSt. Joseph / Aquinas in Shawneebefore then.Mass and school productionsused to be held in thecommons. In the first yearbookGail Prieb, English and dramateacher in 1988, complained thatthe lack of curtains, seating, andacoustics made performing in thecommons difficult.Homecoming week is oneof the students’ favorites timeof year. SueWaters, Englishteachersince 1988,describesthe first everAquinashomecomingas magical. Itwas when theschool firstreally cametogether. Homecoming week haschanged very little in the past 25years.Not all of the traditions have“I like all of the traditionsand don’t careto see any old traditionscome back.”- Phil FarnanEnglish teacher1989 MedallionSenior boys put on drill team outfits to show off their dancing talents at the 1988 Homecoming Pep Rally. This tradition is often relived at the Cheer vs. DanceBasketball Game after basketball season. Other traditions have died out or been refined.endured. Some traditions thatrecently disappeared were theHomecoming float and parade.Each class made a float anddisplayed it before the Homecominggame.The floats wereexpensive andit caused kidsto miss schoolbecause therewere not enoughpeople workingon the floats. Sotwo years ago theadministrators replacedthe floatswith hall decorating. Originallythe floats were also in a parade.This was a St.Joe tradition thatthey tried to bring over to Aquinas.They attempted doing theparade the first year, but it didnot work out too well.The float competitionwas replaced by hall decorations.Many people think that this isnew to Aquinas, but according toSue Waters they had hall decorationsthe very first year.Aquinas has been hostinga cross country meet everyyear since the school opened.The first home cross countrymeet was named the St. ThomasAquinas Fall Run, held on Oct.8. The opposing teams wereOttawa, Turner, Harmon andBishop Ward, according to assistantcross country coach ChrisRonan. Ronan was a freshman onthat 1988 team and finished ninthat the Fall Run. As a senior, hebecame the school record holderfor the fastest 5-kilometer (3.1-mile) run in school history.Aquinas first started hostinga Labor Day Weekend meet thefollowingyear andrenamed itthe GregWilsonClassic in2006 afterWilson retiredfromcoachingcrosscountry. It now hosts the biggestand best programs in the metroKansas City area.There are also traditionsthat stopped because they madestudents feel uncomfortable.“My daughter was forcedto wear a cap her freshman yearand she felt like she was beinghazed,” said Jeannette Marstall,art teacher,“My daughter was forcedto wear a cap her freshmanyear and she felt likeshe was being hazed.”- Jeannette Marstall,art teacherwhose daughtergraduatedfrom SaintThomas Aquinasin 1996.When BillFord becamepresidentof Aquinasin 1998. Hepermanently eliminated the capsfreshman had been forced towear.g