The Crusader Newspaper - Cardinal Gibbons High School

Senior Issue 

Volume 10, Issue 7 

May 29, 2011 

Congratulations Graduates! 

11 

Twenty 

Memories made and shared at Senior Luncheon 

Seniors embrace their last on-campus event as a class before graduation 

Photo by Rachelle Garbarine/Advancement 

Graduating seniors gathered together one 

last time at Gibbons for the traditional Senior 

Luncheon on May 19. The latest Gibbons 

alumni, as of graduation today, received 

photos and gifts, including their baby picture. 

(From top left to bottom right) Jeremy 

Donabedian, Andrew Bass, Brooks Edmonds, 

Austin Donnald, Nathan Vaughn, Alex Zajdel, 

James Hickey, Joe Forbes, and Jack Daly 

show evidence of how far they’ve come. 

Page design by Copy Editor Haleigh Nelson 

Cristina Cabrera 

Executive News Editor 

Six days after celebrating the end of their high 

school classes at the senior picnic, the Class of 2011 

gathered for the last time at Gibbons to celebrate 

their four years together with the annual Senior 

Luncheon on Thursday, May 19. 

Graduating seniors enjoyed reminiscing and 

spending this last time together at school. 

“We talked about all of our memories, plans for 

the summer, how great everyone looked and the 

hilarious baby pictures,” said Abbie Morrissey. 

“I really enjoyed being able to talk, hug, and take 

pictures with my friends and teachers. It was also 

great to see so many parents who came to support us 

and help out to put together an amazing day,” said 

James Shearin. 

“My favorite part was the senior video. It was 

so funny seeing all of the baby pictures compared to 

our senior pictures and looking back on all the good 

times the senior class has had during our time at 

Gibbons,” said Sarah Callanan. 

But the fact this was their last time together at 

Gibbons began to sink in for many. 

“The luncheon was kind of bittersweet because it 

finally hit me that we were leaving Gibbons, and the 

next time I go to Gibbons, it will be as a visitor and 

not a student,” said Callanan. 

Check us out online at www.cghsnc.org/newspaper and follow us on Twitter @newspapercghsnc 

The graduating seniors met in the theatre at 

10:15 a.m. Gene Davis ’86 spoke to the class along 

with Principal Jason Curtis and Alumni Coordinator 

Kirsten Monroe. Then the graduating seniors 

watched a 48-minute video of photos celebrating the 

class and their high school career. Finally, the senior 

gift committee showed a video they made explaining 

this year’s senior class gift, the Leadership Grant. 

After the presentations, the class moved to the gym 

for lunch. 

As the class entered, many went right to the 

poster-sized baby pictures of each graduating senior 

which were placed around the gym and tried to 

figure out who was who. After everyone was seated, 

Assistant Principal for Spiritual Life Father Scott 

McCue blessed small San Damiano crosses, which 

were distributed to each graduating senior. 

After lunch, each soon-to-be graduate received 

an envelope filled with photos of themselves at 

various service events throughout their four years, 

which Director of Outreach Agnes Penny collects 

for each class member over their four years. Each 

student also received copies of the senior video. 

The event was a success in the eyes of many of 

the Class of 2011. 

“It was amazing, a great way to sort of wrap 

up my years at Gibbons. It definitely exceeded my 

expectations,” said Morrissey.

The Crusader 2 

May 29, 2011 

Class of 2011 celebrates its last days of high school 

See below to find out who is who on the front page 

Rachael Lynch-Daniels 

hugs Shannon Voelkel on 

May 13, their last day of 

school. 

Paul Yacono and Chris 

Hamrick at the Senior 

Luncheon on May 19. 

Erin Blaser, Christine Prosser, Maddie 

Hooper, and Kate Piccola 

(l to r) Brian Dini, Olivia Navolio, 

Meredith Masteller, Andrew Rinderer, 

Carolyn Mathiot, Maddie Hooper, Austin 

Yarber, Ali Glaser, Lauren Schaale, 

Stephanie Scope, and Rozalia Romocki 

prepare to celebrate the last period of 

high school. 

(l to r) Andrew Eichen, Christopher Winsch, Jude 

Mahoney, Robert Deacy, Dan Strief, and Nick Pizzurro 

Natalie Gaviria and Sarah Graves 

Gregg Kaluza and Josh Teder, each 

holding the other’s baby picture. 

Robert Deacy and Kim Williams 

hug each other on their last day 

of school. 

Eunece Gallego and Natalie 

Mann hug each other at the end 

of their last day 

Camilla Strazanac and Kyle Schimelfenig 

pose with their baby pictures at the senior 

luncheon 

Ryan McAnallen, 

Shannon Voelkel, and 

Kim Williams hug each 

other at the end of their 

last day. 

NHS elects new leaders for 2011-2012 

Rising seniors ready to take on a larger role and added responsibility 

Rachel Pratl 

OpEd Editor 

From Freshman Welcome to 

Christmas Toy Drive, previous National 

Honor Society leaders have impacted 

the Gibbons community through their 

many charitable works. 

With the graduating seniors 

leaving their leadership positions, 

rising junior and senior students are 

stepping up to replace their roles 

throughout the school. 

The Gibbons chapter of the 

National Honor Society held its 

elections on Wednesday, May 11 in the 

library. 

Rising seniors were selected for the 

top four leadership positions. Owen 

Zidar was elected as Treasurer, Marc 

Graduating seniors return for one last retreat 

Photo courtesy of Gibbons Retreats 

Kairos V retreatants and peer 

leaders along with adult leaders 

Crista Anders, Andrew Tuttle, 

Sister Laura Downing, IHM, and 

Lexie Nichols. 

Celestini as Secretary, junior Tyler 

Zimmerman as 1 st Vice President and 

Hunter Smith was elected President. 

NHS adviser Dale Foushee, who 

has been the NHS adviser at Gibbons 

for the last 17 years, was intrigued by 

the results of this year’s elections. 

“This is the first time that I can 

remember all of the officers being 

male,” said Foushee. 

Rising juniors elected Karthik 

Sundaram as 2 nd Vice President on 

May 25. Danny Rosenblum, Allyson 

Perez, and Michael Parker also ran for 

the position. 

New President Hunter Smith is 

looking forward to the service activities 

the NHS sponsors. 

“I enjoy the hard work and 

Kristen DeMaria 

A&E Editor 

Though they were officially 

finished with high school, some 

seniors chose to extend their Gibbons 

experience by attending Kairos V, the 

final senior retreat of the year. 

This retreat took place from May 

15 to May 18 at the Short Journey 

Center in Smithfield. 

Like all the Kairos retreats, 

Kairos V was led primarily by senior 

peer leaders, with the help of adult 

leaders, including teachers Lexie 

Nichols, Andrew Tuttle, Sr. Laura 

Downing, IHM, and Sean Boyan. 

Twenty-five graduating seniors 

participated as the retreatants and 

many said it was definitely worth 

enthusiasm all the members of the 

NHS have in every service activity they 

volunteer for. Whether it’s the Easter 

Toy Drive or Freshman Orientation, 

the NHS members always bring an 

exuberant vibe. I am always amazed 

at the Gibbons spirit,” said Smith in an 

email interview. 

Smith plans to improve the NHS 

by encouraging his classmates to get 

excited about serving the community. 

“I’d like to encourage and motivate 

the NHS members so we can be even 

more excited about doing our service 

projects and helping others,” said 

Smith. 

New Vice President Tyler 

Zimmerman agreed that he, too, enjoys 

NHS service activities in the local 

community. 

it and would highly recommend it to 

other students. 

“Kairos was an amazing 

experience! I was going to back out, but 

I went and it was seriously one of the 

best decisions I’ve made. I found out 

more about myself and God and grew 

closer to my peers,” said Nina Mascia. 

“Admittedly, I was hesitant to go, 

but I am so happy I went and met new 

people. It was definitely life changing,” 

said Ali Glaser. 

Retreats at Gibbons create a strong 

bond among those in attendance, and 

seniors and adults alike found that it 

was very difficult to say goodbye on 

this final retreat. 

“We bonded so well and it was 

hard knowing that we wouldn’t see 

“My favorite thing about the 

NHS is the opportunity to help so 

many people through our service 

projects. Our Christmas Toy Drive 

and our Easter Basket Drive both 

help less fortunate children celebrate 

the holidays. I always enjoy giving 

back to the community through these 

projects,” said Zimmerman in an email 

interview. 

Secretary Marc Celestini added 

that he joined NHS to get more 

involved in the school. 

“I decided to run for NHS because 

I wanted to accept a leadership role in 

one of Gibbons biggest clubs. I thought 

it would be a great way to step up and 

lead by example,” said Celestini in an 


[the graduating seniors] in the halls 

anymore,” said Director of Retreats 

Crista Anders. 

An interesting addition to this 

year’s Kairos program was that 

Gibbons alumni from the Class of 2010 

helped lead as well. Thomas Graham, 

Lucas Edmond, and Maria Cannon 

volunteered their own time and helped 

lead all four Kairos retreats. 

Even though the current seniors 

had to say goodbye, now it is time for 

the rising seniors to step up to the 

plate and prepare for next year’s peer 

leading. 

“The peer leaders were amazing 

this year. The upcoming seniors have 

huge shoes to fill, but I know that they 

are up to the challenge,” said Anders. 

Page design by Section Editors Cristina Cabrera and Caleb Maloney 

Last day photos by Al Drago ‘11/The Crusader. Senior Luncheon photos by The Crusader staff. Photo graphic by Copy Editor Haleigh Nelson

may 29, 2011 

Annual Italy trip a highlight for seniors 

Moira O’Neill 


Just like every Easter break for the 

past 16 years, Gibbons students, faculty 

and staff traveled together to Italy for 

the annual Italy trip. 

This year, 44 graduating seniors 

and seven faculty members spent nine 

days experiencing the culture of Italy. 

The Italy trip is led by Assistant 

Principal for Student Activities Mike 

Rogosich, who has gone every year 

since he first went as a chaperone 16 

years ago. Rogosich said he now feels 

that it his responsibility to bring people 

on this trip, which in many ways has 

changed him. 

“I’m obligated to return the favor 

to other kids and other people,” said 

Rogosich. “And I absolutely love doing 

it.” 

Students recognized for achievement 

Hayley Amanna – Regional Scholastic Art, 

Silver Key 

Christian Anderson – Drum Line 

Zachary Ang – Science Olympiad Medal 

Winner 

Abigail Baric – FYI Secretary, Lenten Soup 

Sales, Dress Down Day Canned Food Drive 

Andrew Bass – NHS Executive President, 

NHS Service 

Ryan Beale – National Latin Exam for 

Latin 2, Gold Summa Cum Laude 

Celia Bettinsoli – Randolph College 

Classics Department Book Award 

Erin Blaser – Retreats 

Sean Brassington – Regional Scholastic 

Art, Gold Key, National Scholastic Silver 

Key 

Kaylee Braswell – National Latin Exam for 

Latin 1, Cum Laude 

Chase Brewster – Science Olympiad State 

MVP, Regional Scholastic Art, Silver Key, 

Science Olympiad Medal Winner 

Leah Bryson – Visual Art Exchange Young 

Artists Exhibit, First Place and Margot 

Richter Scholarship, Regional Scholastic 

Art, American Visions Nominee, 3 Gold 

Keys, National Scholastic American 

Visions Award 

James Butler – Coffee House, Gibbons 

Inklings, Moot Court Most Improved 

Team 

Ashley Cairns – National Catholic Forensic 

League, Moot Court Most Improved Team, 

Model UN-1 st Place 

Sarah Callanan – NHS Service 

Robert Callus – NHS Service 

Sean Cannon – Coffee House 

Marc Celestini – Latin Music Club, 

Robotics Club Inspire Award 

Daniela Chiavegatto – NHS Service 

Matthew Clarke – Drum Line 

Jacob Comello – Science Olympiad Medal 

Winner 

Megan Comstock – National Latin Exam 

for Latin 1, Cum Laude 

Madeline Cooke – Science Olympiad 

Medal Winner 

Angela Curtin – Science Olympiad Medal 

Winner 

Cristina Curtin – NHS Service, National 

Latin Exam for AP Latin, Magna Cum 

Laude 

John Czuhai – National Latin Exam for 


Kelly Daniels – NHS Service 

Erin Davidson-Dyer – Robotics Club 

Inspire Award 

Sarah Davidson-Dyer – Anime Club, 

Catholic Daughters Education Contest, 

Robotics Club Inspire Award 

Hunter Davis - Yearbook 

James Daw – Drum Line 

Kristen DeMaria – NHS Service 

Patrick Dever – Moot Court Most 

Improved Team 

Santino DeVita – Student Council 

Executive Treasurer 

Brandon Dini – Science Olympiad Medal 

Winner 

Tyler Do – NHS Service 

Colin Donahue – Student Council 

Executive President 

Katie Donahue – NHS Executive 1 st Vice 

President, National Honor Society Service 

Al Drago – Catwalk for Cancer, Retreats 

Haley Drummond - Yearbook 

Brooke Eichenlaub – Science Olympiad 

Medal Winner 

Allison Elias-DeJesus – Regional 

Scholastic Art – Gold Key 

Stefano Fenu – Robotics Club Inspire 

Award, Moot Court Most Improved Team, 


Christopher Fernandez – Marketing Club 

Victoria Fernandez – NHS Service, Miracle 

League/Buddy Walk 

Austin Fountain – Marketing Club 

David Foye – National Latin Exam for 

Latin 2, Magna Cum Laude 

Jovanna Fuentes - Retreats 

Griffin Gast – National Latin Exam for 


Christopher Geaslen – Student Council 

Executive Secretary 

Clay Geiger – Liturgy Tech Crew 

Caroline Geradts – Le Cercle Francais, 

NHS Service 

Mary Olivia Gerald – NHS Service 

Christina Gibbons – Regional Scholastic 

Art, Gold Key 

Jacquelyn Girard – Le Cercle Francais 

Allyson Goff – Box-A-Thon 

Cindrella Gomes – FYI Vice President, 

Lenten Soup Sales, Senior Citizens Prom 

Sarah Graves – Le Cercle Francais, Global 

Crusaders 

Michelle Green – Biology Club 

Cameron Hahn – Science Olympiad Medal 

Winner 

Lauren Halk - Retreats 

Benjamin Halula – NHS Service, Liturgy 

Tech Crew, Retreats 

Chandler Hays – Latin Music Club, 

Strategy Club 

Samuel Heath - Repeater 

Maggie Holsinger – Global Crusaders, 

NHS Executive Treasurer, NHS Service, 

Moot Court Most Improved Team 

Madeline Hooper – Catwalk for Cancer 

Zachary Howard – Marketing Club 

Kathryn Johanson – Le Cercle Francais 

Chris Johnson – Science Olympiad Medal 

Winner 

Ariana Keeling – Robotics Club Inspire 

Award 

Anna Kihm – Regional Scholastic Art, 

Gold Key 

Amilyn Kober – Book Club 

Cori Krause – Science Olympiad Medal 

Winner 

Sean Lanier – NHS Service, Robotics Club 

Inspire Award 

Andrew LaPointe – Senior Citizens Prom 

Charlotte Leadem – NHS Executive 

Secretary, National Honor Society Service 

Lauren Long – Regional Scholastic Art – 

Silver Key 

Joseph Lucido – NHS Service 

Avery Lue – Tri-M Honor Society 

Christina Mancini – Regional Scholastic 

Art, Silver Key 

Maggie Manning – NHS Service, Regional 

Scholastic Art, Gold Key 

Carolyn Mathiot – NHS Service, Retreats 

Mary Clare Mazzocchi – United States 

Institute of Peace Essay Contest, 1 st Place 

State Winner 

Katia McClure – Science Olympiad Medal 

Winner 

Anne McGarry – NHS Service 

Jonathan McGee - Retreats 

Ashley Meehan - Retreats 

Maeve Mense – Strategy Club 

Andrew Merritt – Carolina Designer 

Craftsmen Student Participant, Regional 

Scholastic Art, Gold Key 

Kevin Miller – NHS Service 

Lauren Miller – Coffee House, Club for the 

Easily Amused, Gibbons Inklings 

Alexis Milner – Lancer Club 

Ryan Milroy – FYI President, Dress Down 

Day Canned Food Drive 

Chloe Mintel – Regional Scholastic Art, 

Gold Key 

Maggie Mitterling – Retreats, Strategy Club 

Amy Morris – Science Olympiad Medal 

Winner 

Kelly Morrissey – NHS Service, Box-A- 

Thon, Retreats 

Cal Murphy - Retreats 

Morgan Murray – NHS Service, Yearbook 

Christopher Noonan – Global Crusaders, 

Marketing Club 

Sean O’Leary – Surf Club 

Derek Palinski – National Latin Exam for 


Michael Palmer – Strategy Club 

Marina Pappas – Regional Scholastic Art, 

Gold Key 

Colin Pennington – Strategy Club 

Allyson Perez – National Catholic Forensic 

League, Science Olympiad Medal Winner 

Vincent Perino - Repeater 

Anna Pincus – Repeater, Moot Court Most 

Improved Team, Science Olympiad Medal 

Winner 

Nicholas Pizzurro – Student Council 

Executive Vice President 

Christine Prosser – NHS Service, Retreats 

Natalie Protasowicki – Science Olympiad 

Medal Winner 

Erin Quinn – National Latin Exam for 


Matthew Racher - Retreats 

Elizabeth Raines – Regional Scholastic Art, 

Silver Key 

Peter Rajani – Visual Art Exchange Young 

Artists Exhibit, Honorable Mention, 

Regional Scholastic Art, 2 Gold Keys 

Marybeth Rauh – Catholic Daughters 

Education Contest, Regional Scholastic 

Art, 2 Silver Keys and 2 Gold Keys 

Tyler Re – Biology Club 

Daniel Reiland – Repeater, Science 

Olympiad Medal Winner 

Danielle Repke - – National Latin Exam for 

AP Latin, Cum Laude 

Jennifer Rilley – Science Olympiad Medal 

Winner 

Marquette Rocque – National Latin Exam 


Abigail Rodriguez - Retreats 

Richard Rosso – Tri-M Honor Society, 

American Math Competition, 10 th grade 

school winner 

Aaron Ruff – Video Club 

Michael Ruff - Retreats 

Claudia Rutikowski – Club for the Easily 

Amused 

Gabrielle Saleh - Retreats 

Michael Schnupper – National Latin 


Group travels across the world to experience Italian culture 

The itinerary is jam-packed the 

whole trip. From Venice, Rome, or to 

smaller towns in Italy, the trip has a 

wide range of activities and places to 

see. 

“It was cool seeing everything 

we talked about in religion class. The 

churches were amazing,” said Katie 

Donahue. 

“My favorite part was St. Anthony’s 

Basilica. I loved the atmosphere and 

how the Church was alive,” said Maggie 

Manning. 

The trip is not only about 

sightseeing, but is also an opportunity 

to learn about cultural differences, 

and to experience Catholicism in a 

completely different way. 

“What kids get the most out of it is 

[a better] understanding of the Catholic 

News 

view of the world,” said Rogosich. 

The group took a break from their 

hectic schedule in order to celebrate 

Easter Sunday Mass at the Vatican. 

For some, this was definitely one of the 

highlights of the trip. 

“My favorite part of the trip was 

Easter Mass at the Vatican,” said 

Maggie Holsinger. “It was so cool 

seeing Catholics from across the world 

to come together to celebrate. It was 

special.” 

From eating, driving, money and 

language, there were many differences 

to overcome when traveling to a 

different country. 

“Our dress stood out one hundred 

percent from Europeans,” said 

Manning. 

Photo courtesy of Maggie Holsinger 

Austin Yarber, Maggie Holsinger, 

Connor Cloninger, Taylor Mihok, 

and Ben Halula pose in front of 

the Colosseum. 

Students were recognized for their dedication and service to clubs and 

organizations at the annual Student Recognition Ceremony 

Exam for AP Latin, Magna Cum Laude, 

American Math Competition, 12 th grade 

school winner and AIME qualifier 

Fei-Lin Scruggs – NHS Service, FYI 

Publicity, Lenten Soup Sales, Dress Down 

Day Canned Food Drive 

Winston Senter – Regional Scholastic Art, 

Silver Key 

Audrey Shannon – NHS Service 

Christopher Shannon – Liturgy Tech Crew 

James Shearin – Retreats, Yearbook 

Daniel Sheehan – NHS Service, Catwalk 

for Cancer, Retreats 

Lauren Sheplock – NHS Service 

Laura Sheridan – Science Olympiad 

Regional JV MVP, Science Olympiad 

Medal Winner 

Alanna Smith – Biology Club 

Hunter Smith – NHS Executive 2 nd Vice 

President, National Honor Society Service 

Paul Spencer – Coffee House 

Jack Strickland – National Latin Exam for 


Karthik Sundaram – National Latin Exam 

for AP Latin, Silver Maxima Cum Laude 

Nicholas Teder – Video Club 

Anne Thelen – Congressional Art 

Competition, Regional Scholastic Art, 

Silver Key 

Scott Thieken – Science Olympiad Medal 

Winner 

Daniel Todd - Retreats 

Blair Torres – Regional Scholastic Art, 3 

Gold Keys 

David Torres – North Carolina Museum of 

Art Teen Advisory Council, Congressional 

Art Competition 

Grace Turner – Box-A-Thon 

Nathanial Vaughn – Moot Court Most 

Improved Team and Most Improved 

Competitor 

Dominick Vellucci – National Latin Exam 


Andrea Velosa – Marketing Club 

Emily Venezie – North Carolina State Fair 

Lions Club Kettlecorn Booth 

Erin Walklet – NHS Service 

Nathan Walters – Liturgy Tech Crew 

Ryan Wangen – Science Olympiad 

Regional Varsity MVP, Science Olympiad 

Medal Winner 

Andrew Wasilick – Liturgy Tech Crew 

Grady Whitsit – Regional Scholastic Art, 

Gold Key 

Emmary Williams – North Carolina 

Museum of Art Teen Advisory Council 

Helen Williford – Regional Scholastic Art, 

Gold Key 

Robby Wilson – Science Olympiad Medal 

Winner 

Brandon Woolard – National Latin Exam 

for Latin 2, Gold Summa Cum Laude, 


Michael Zanga – Anime Club 

Dillon Zarrelli – Drum Line 

Caroline Zullo- Moot Court Most Improved 

Team, Model UN, 1 st Place 

Page design by Section Editors Cristina Cabrera, Moira O’Neil, and Caleb Maloney


May 29, 2011 

Helping us understand reactions 

to the death of bin Laden 

Osama bin Laden’s death at the hands of U.S. 

SEALs shocked the world. His passing has perhaps 

provided closure to the families who lost their loved 

ones during the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks 

on The World Trade Center in New York City, The 

Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia and the passengers 

of United 93, which crashed in Shanksville, 

Pennsylvania. 

The Catholic Church does not believe in gratifying 

in the death of another human being, no matter how 

evil the person may have been, even if he was, as bin 

Laden certainly was, one of the most dangerous and 

destructive terrorists in the world. 

The Crusader staff, like many, found agreeing on 

one position on this historic and important topic very 

challenging because our individual opinions vary 

so greatly and the implications of it are so hard to 

understand. 

We all agreed, however, that despite this 

important event, the end of our nation’s War on 

Terror is still out of our sight. 

So instead, to help our community better 

understand our own individual responses to bin 

Laden’s death, we asked the insight of two of our 

Gibbons theology faculty on bin Laden’s death. We 

hope their insights will help inform our points of 

view. 

Assistant Principal of Spiritual Life Father 

Scott McCue 

On Monday, May 2, Fr. Federico Lombardi, 

S.J., the director of the Press Office of the Holy See, 

released this statement: 

“Osama bin Laden, as is known, claimed 

responsibility for grave acts that spread division and 

hate among the peoples, manipulating religion to 

that end. A Christian never takes pleasure from the 

A farewell to seniors and 

a look forward to next year 

Elisabeth McFarland 

Editor in Chief 

Staff Editorial 

fact of a man’s death, but sees it as an opportunity to 

reflect on each person’s responsibility, before God and 

humanity, and to hope and commit oneself to seeing 

that no event become another occasion to disseminate 

hate but rather to foster peace.” 

I think we have to take seriously what Fr. Lombardi 

said. As Catholics, and for that matter as humans, we 

can never find pleasure in the death of someone. As evil 

as bin Laden was, we cannot take pleasure in his death. 

Rather, we must see this as a chance to call to mind 

the individual responsibility we have as humans. We 

must be instruments of peace each working to make our 

world a better place. Bin Laden was a man of hatred but 

it is only through our efforts to love one another better 

that we will tear down a culture of hatred and violence. 

Theology teacher Mark Delarosa 

My family did not celebrate the death of Osama 

bin Laden. My younger brother, Thomas, is currently 

stationed in Afghanistan. Our family will celebrate 

when he comes home and peace is established in a 

region too accustomed to violence and war. 

There were over 3,000 murdered on 9/11 and that is 

a great tragedy. There have been over 4,000 U.S. troops 

killed in the war that continues there. There have been 

over 150,000 people from the Middle East who have 

died too. The death of bin Laden did not bring back one 

of those killed. In the words of Pope John Paul II, “War 

is always a failure.” 

When we turn our “swords into ploughshares”, 

then the cause for celebration will be present. May that 

day come very soon! 

A personal view: relief not joy at the news 

By Matt Burnette 

Op-Ed Editor 

While I did not celebrate Osama bin Laden’s 

death, I did feel relief after learning of his demise. 

I know that the war on terror is far from over 

and that we could now be at a higher risk than ever 

from terrorist attacks because of bin Laden’s death. 

But, like many people around the world, I feel that a 

great burden has been lifted off my shoulders. 

I understand the Catholic Church’s stance on 

not rejoicing in another human’s death. However, 

I cannot help but feel that bin Laden got what was 

coming to him. 

It’s not that I felt joy in his death, but I felt that 

As the new editor-in-chief, I proudly present the 

Senior Issue in honor of the Class of 2011. My hope is 

that the Class of 2011 will not only enjoy reading this 

newspaper after graduation but will also keep it as 

one of your mementos of high school. 

I would like to thank The Crusader graduates and 

former staff members Al Drago, Danny Todd, Sarah 

Graves, Meredith Huml, Gabi Saleh, and Raymond 

D’Ottavio for all of your hard work on The Crusader 

this year and during your high school careers. There 

is no way we could have accomplished what we did 

this year without the six of you. 

Al, I will miss deadline days with you, and our car 

rides home afterward. Danny and Raymond, I will 

miss your political discussions with Mr. Jukic during 

class (even though we really need to be working on 

the newspaper). Sarah, I will miss your amazing 

designs and maestro ideas. Gabi, I will miss your 

infectious enthusiasm as well as your rather random 

stories. And last but not least, I will miss Meredith’s 

sense of calmness that I so envied on deadline days. 

This year would not have been the same without you 

guys 

Ṫhe Crusader now has to move forward without 

you but we have a very enthusiastic group of aspiring 

From the Chief 

it is right and just that he no longer is able to harm or 

plan to harm more innocent people. 

The damage that occurred during the 9/11 attacks 

can never be fully repaired and the many, many 

lives that were lost can never be restored, but I hope 

that bin Laden’s death may bring peace and a sense of 

relief to the people who lost their friends, husbands, 

wives, parents and children on that horrible day. 

For me, the conflicting emotions when I heard 

the news were confusing. But in the end, I’m just glad 

that bin Laden is not able to harm any more people 

and some people will get some closure. 

journalists who are ready to make this newspaper 

even better for our student body next year. 

One of my goals for the paper is to increase 

the newspaper’s online presence next year. Our 

newspaper has now posted articles and full issues 

online at www.cghsnc.org/newspaper for two years 

now, but the problem is that not many of you actually 

know about it. 

That is a problem that I wish to address next 

year. I would love for our newspaper web page to be 

at the top of your list when you get home from school, 

right next to Twitter and Facebook, to find out up-tothe-date 

information about our school. 

I have enjoyed the past three years but now I can’t 

wait to tackle making decisions for this newspaper in 

the hopes that I will make it even better. I know that 

this is going to be not only an exciting job, but also a 

very challenging one. 

However, I am more than ready to step up and 

make those important decisions. For all of those 

who are returning to Gibbons next year, you should 

definitely look out for The Crusader, in print and 

online. I see great things in our future. 

For the Class of 2011, I wish you all the best in 

college. All of you will be missed next year. But I 

hope you will check in with us at www.cghsnc.org/ 

newspaper to keep up with all is going on here at 

Gibbons! 

Gibbons Responds: 

What are your thoughts on 

Osama bin Laden’s death? 

Do you think gym should be 

required for all four years at 

Gibbons? 

What changes would you like to 

see in the Cusader newspaper 

next year? 

Respond on our website: 

www.cghsnc.org/newspaper 

or send your Letters to the 

Editor to 

newspaper@cghsnc.org 

Check us out online at: 

www.cghsnc.org/newspaper 

Dani Chiavegatto 

Exec. Managing Editor 

Cristina Cabrera 

Exec. News Editor 

Rachel Pratl 

Op-Ed Editor 


A&E Editor 

Allison Johanson 

Inside & Out Editor 

Erin Welsh 

Sports Editor 

Marisa Casson 

Maestro Editor 

Follow us on Twitter: 

@newspapercghsnc 

Elisabeth McFarland 

Editor-in-Chief 

Moira O’Neill 

Exec. News Editor 

Caitlin Donovan 

Exec. Sports Editor 

Matthew Burnette 

Op-Ed Editor 

Alexandra Hernandez 

A&E Editor 

Matthew Talbot 

Inside & Out Editor 

Caleb Maloney 

News Editor 

Wynn Saleeby 


Haleigh Nelson 

Donna Steinbacher 

Copy Editor 

Copy Editor 

Ellyson Williams 

Copy Editor 

Dan Jukic 

Adviser 

Editorial Policy 

The Crusader is the official student newspaper 

of Cardinal Gibbons High School in Raleigh, North 

Carolina. 

As a school of the Roman Catholic Diocese of 

Raleigh, The Crusader will not purposefully publish any 

material that contradicts the teachings of the Catholic 

Church. 

The Crusader will endeavour to publish only the 

truth, to the best of its ability. The Crusader will not 

purposefully publish any stories that are libelous or 

disingenuous nor any images which diverge from the 

essential truth of the captured image. Only images legally 

obtained or for which permission has been granted will 

be published. 

The Crusader is the product of class work and 

as such is subject to prior review by the adviser and 

administration. Regardless, the commentaries contained 

herein are the opinions of the newspaper staff only, and 

do not necessarily reflect those of the faculty/staff or 

administration. 

The Crusader editorial board as a whole will be 

responsible for determining editorial options, which 

represent the opinions of the majority of the editorial 

board. No single member of The Crusader will be held 

responsible for editorial content decisions. 

All submissions to The Crusader will be considered 

for publication either in print or online but may be edited 

for space and content. 

Please contact The Crusader by email at newspaper@ 

cghsnc.org. 

Page design by Op-Ed Editors Rachel Pratl and Matthew Burnette

May 29, 2011 

Catholic versus American 

perspective on bin Laden 

Balancing loyalty to faith and country 

By Elly Williams 

Copy Editor 

Osama bin Laden’s death is a controversial 

topic for many because it has 

forced us to consider our loyalty to our 

faith and our loyalty to our nation. 

Should we as Catholics view his 

death through the eyes of a Catholic, 

or through the eyes of an American? 

While I’m glad his death brings relief 

and justice, it’s never okay to rejoice 

simply in someone’s death. 

When I first heard about bin Laden’s 

death, I didn’t fully realize what 

it meant. All I knew was that the man 

who orchestrated one of the most tragic 

events in America was finally dead, 

and the victims of 9/11 could have 

some small reward of justice after ten 

long years. 

It seems to be a difficult thing to 

process for Catholics, since the Catholic 

faith does not rejoice in the death 

of anyone, even an apparently evil person 

such as bin Laden. However, as an 

American, it’s so difficult not to rejoice 

and to feel proud the strength and intelligence 

of our nation prevailed. 

Living in such a privileged country 

as ours, we easily forget that people 

all around the world don’t have access 

to basic necessities that we take for 

granted. 

Water, for example, is so easily 

attained in the United States that 

it’s hard for many of us to imagine 

someone not having clean water, or 

simply not having enough water at all. 

When North Carolina was 

suffering from a drought last summer 

everyone tried to conserve water. 

Conservation sort of became a fad 

and for a few weeks everyone seemed 

to really care about it. Sadly, the fad 

ended when the drought ended, and 

most people returned to their waterwasting 

ways. 

Now that summer is here again, 

we should be even more conscious 

of our water use at all times, not just 

during droughts. 

Last summer, I went on a 

delegation to Nicaragua. For part of 

the time I was there, I stayed in a rural 

town called El Regadio. Our group 

Bin Laden rejoiced in his attack on 

America, and in the death of so many 

Americans. Therefore, if we rejoice in 

his death, some people think we are 

no better than he is. I do understand 

the Catholic Church’s opinion, but it’s 

so hard to not be happy. While we as 

Catholics certainly rejoice in at least 

the relief his death brings us, it’s a difficult 

task to not feel happy in his death 

specifically. 

The families of the victims have 

every right to be happy—someone 

they love was cruelly murdered by this 

man. They deserve a token of justice, 

no matter how small. While his death 

doesn’t end terrorist threats, it is the 

beginning of the end to them. That certainly 

brings relief not only for me, but 

also for my entire generation. 

The Bible says an eye for an eye. 

But Jesus says to turn the other cheek. 

It’s hard to determine which is right. I 

am glad he is gone because his death 

brought relief and justice, which I feel 

is long overdue. 

Official White House Photo by Pete Souza from www.whitehouse.gov 

President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, along with 

members of the national security team, receive an update on the 

mission against Osama bin Laden in the Situation Room of the White 

House, May 1, 2011. Seated, from left, are: Brigadier General Marshall 

B. “Brad” Webb, Assistant Commanding General, Joint Special 

Operations Command; Deputy National Security Advisor Denis Mc- 

Donough; Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton; and Secretary 

of Defense Robert Gates. Standing, from left, are: Admiral Mike Mullen, 

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; National Security Advisor 

Tom Donilon; Chief of Staff Bill Daley; Tony Binken, National Security 

Advisor to the Vice President; Audrey Tomason Director for Counterterrorism; 

John Brennan, Assistant to the President for Homeland 

Security and Counterterrorism; and Director of National Intelligence 

James Clapper. Please note: a classified document seen in this photograph 

has been obscured. 

As summer approaches, 

it’s time to conserve again 

By Moira O’Neill 


brought our own water to drink, but 

showering was a different story. My 

host family had running water, but they 

didn’t have it 24-7. They also didn’t 

have a sink, so any water they needed 

came from a hose. Buckets of water 

and the river were my only options 

when it came to showering. Staying in 

El Regadio, even only for a few days, 

really changed my perspective on 

water. 

We all have heard how to conserve 

water: take shorter showers, turn of 

the water when you brush your teeth, 

install low-flow shower heads, the list 

goes on and on. 

The problem isn’t that people don’t 

know how to save water. The problem 

is that for some reason people don’t 

care. All around the world people die 

because they don’t have clean water, 

and here we complain when we can’t 

water our lawns. 

It’s time to appreciate the natural 

resources we have, and make sure 

we’re using them wisely. 

Next time you turn on a faucet, 

think about it. 

This article first appeared in the 

October, 2010 issue. 

Opinion & Editorial 

By Karthik Sundaram 

Contributor 


Rethinking U.S. foreign policy 

now that bin Laden is gone 

U.S. should work with all nations 

Many in the U.S. celebrated the 

death of Osama Bin Laden, the leader 

of Al-Qaeda. Now some pundits are 

using the U.S. government’s accomplishment 

as a springboard to reevaluating 

the U.S. presence in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

In light of this, it is perhaps important 

to assess U.S. foreign policy in the 

Middle East with respect to its ubiquitous 

military intervention. 

While the death of Bin Laden and 

the institution of democracy in Iraq 

exemplify how the strong arm of the 

U.S. seems to achieve its ambitions, we 

must not overlook the negative consequences 

of the War on Terror. 

Our nation has not only experienced 

the physical and emotional loss 

of over 5,000 soldiers but also suffers 

a price tag nearing $1.5 trillion since 

2001. In addition, the U.S’s failure to 

acknowledge a higher world authority 

contributes to political turmoil globally. 

By neglecting to wait for a U.N. 

Security Council resolution to engage 

in armed conflict in Iraq, the Bush administration 

effectively damaged the 

backing of its allies and opened the 

door for other nations to defy global arbitration 

and to act entirely of its own 

accord. In short, our government’s use 

of military in the Middle East accomplishes 

its own goals yet is quite clearly 

outweighed by economic and political 

repercussions. 

While it is apparent that complete 

aggression isn’t the answer, the right 

balance of military interference seems 

to tip near none. By December 31 of 

this year, all U.S. troops will be withdrawn 

from Iraq in accordance with an 

agreement between the Iraqi and U.S. 

governments. 

So the U.S. is headed for the polar 

opposite in terms of its original military 

intervention in Iraq, which did 

ultimately result in the removal of Saddam 

Hussein’s dictatorship and established 

the representative democracy in 

place currently. 

The withdrawal of U.S. troops solidifies 

the Iraqi government as an ally 

by acknowledging it as an independent 

state and at least doesn’t perpetuate 

anti-American sentiment among the 

Iraqi populace. 

It is because of these respective 

benefits, the U.S. policy in Afghanistan 

should also shift to match that of Iraq: 

let’s withdraw our troops as soon as 

possible. 

The issue with withdrawing from 

Afghanistan, however, is that groups 

similar to the oppressive nature of 

Saddam’s regime, such as the Taliban, 

pose a threat to U.S national security 

as well as that of numerous other nations. 

So instead of taking matters into 

its own hands yet again, our government 

should work to achieve a U.N. 

consensus on the future and security of 

Afghanistan. 

It is a natural tendency for nations 

to follow their own agenda, yet this is 

realistically only possible for the countries 

with the power to do so. And of 

those few powerhouses that are able 

to pursue their self-interest, other nation’s 

expectations could limit these 

seemingly imperialistic attitudes. 

Russia’s veto of sanctions against 

Libya a few months ago in the U.N. 

Security Council due to its economic 

self-interest clearly demonstrates the 

self-concerned mindset, which can be 

attributed to the U.S., not only in its 

policy in the Middle East, but also its 

foreign policy globally. 

By working with the U.N. and other 

nations, the U.S. would ultimately 

be setting a precedent for the rest of 

the world and would eliminate, or at 

least mitigate, the tendency of states to 

act primarily in its own interest. 

Address obesity 

with mandatory athletics 

Advantages outweigh risks and rights 

By Donna Steinbacher 

Copy Editor 

The widespread and major issue of 

overweight and obese high school students 

is a very real problem. Many solutions 

have been proposed and some 

have been put into action to help solve 

this crisis. 

Despite these efforts the fact remains 

that in 2008 17% of children 

ages 2-19 were obese and no doubt 

that number is growing. Along with 

trying to get cafeterias to serve healthier 

food, another fix could be requiring 

every high school student to participate 

on a sports team. 

Why should this be part of education? 

Being on a team teaches values 

and lessons that are just as important 

as those taught in the classroom when 

it comes to living in the real world. 

First, it will keep teens in shape 

and teach them how to stay in shape, 

which can prevent obesity when they 

are young and when they become 

adults. This is not the only advantage 

though. Being in shape and not being 

obese is bound to raise student’s confidence 

and sense of self-worth. 

In addition to this, being on a 

team teaches many things other than 

just physical health. Playing on a team 

teaches you how to work with other 

people and how to put your trust in 

some one else to do what they are supposed 

to do. It also teaches teens how 

to put themselves out there and learn 

to accept that it is okay to fail at something 

as long as you learn from it and 

put yourself right back out there again. 

Being on a team teaches that success 

cannot come without discipline 

and hard work. Along with building 

character and teaching life lessons, 

playing on a team builds friendships. 

I understand that people may 

think that this idea would be a violation 

of personal freedom but some 

kind of physical education is required 

if the problem of obesity among the 

young is going to be fixed. 

I know that not everyone is very 

athletic or great at sports but more 

teams than just varsity and junior 

varsity could be made so that everyone 

can play even if they are not great 

at the sport. This will also help teach 

young people about how you must always 

work to make yourself better. 

For students who have other responsibilities 

such as a job or taking 

care of a younger sibling there could 

be multiple practice times in order to 

accommodate these responsibilities. 

Altogether, the advantages of requiring 

participation in a team sport 

greatly outweigh the disadvantages 

and would be very beneficial to implement 

in schools. 

Page design by Op-Ed Editors Rachel Pratl and Matthew Burnette

The Crusader 6 May 29, 2011 

Scotty crowned new American Idol 

Garner star wows fans in homecoming 

Elly Williams 

Copy Editor 

The newest “American Idol” winner, 

17-year-old Scotty McCreery, has 

quickly become America’s favorite 

singer. 

Once just the pride of Garner, 

North Carolina, his deep voice and alluring 

country twang thrust him into 

the center of the American spotlight. 

After being crowned the new Idol 

during Wednesday’s finale, McCreery 

hugged his parents, sister, grandparents, 

and pastor as he was singing his 

first single, “I Love You This Big.” 

Scotty’s exceptional talent earned 

him the right to a triumphant, fanfilled 

homecoming on May 14, put on 

by Garner, his hometown. 

The day of his return, an estimated 

30,000 people crowded Lake Benson 

Park to hear McCreery sing. But his 

day didn’t start there; he had already 

been to radio station WQDR 94.7, now 

renamed Scotty 94.7, Garner’s AT&T 

store, his high school, Garner Magnet 

High School, and Lowe’s Foods, where 

he had worked before he was discovered 

Ṁy mother, sister and I—along 

with hundreds of other fans—followed 

him throughout the day, appearing 

at several of his destinations. At the 

AT&T store, McCreery signed autographs, 

shook hands and posed for 

pictures before announcing the judges’ 

song selection for him, Kenny Rogers’ 

“She Believes in Me.” He didn’t stay too 

long before he was surrounded by security 

once again and guided back to the 

giant “American Idol” SUV limo. 

At Garner High School, McCreery 

was emotional as he got out of the limousine. 

He cried in what was probably 

disbelief and shock as he walked down 

the sidewalk filled with screaming fans. 

However, “Idol” producers weren’t satisfied; 

they made him get back in the 

car, drive around the block, and reenact 

the arrival. Once again, he walked 

back down the sidewalk of screaming 

fans. This time, he signed autographs, 

including my Scotty McCreery t-shirt. 

I told him welcome home, to which he 

responded “Oh, thank you so much,” in 

his charming southern drawl. 

After he finally got inside the school, 

he went to the chorus room, bringing 

his chorus teacher a bouquet of flowers. 

While anxious fans waited outside, 

I found my way to the cameramen, who 

were standing outside a different door 

than all the other fans. My family stood 

there talking to the producers when 

Scotty casually walked out. Of course, 

my sister and I asked for a picture. He 

posed with us while my sister gushed 

that we lived in Cary and had been voting 

for him. 

After that, we made our way to 

the lawn of the park where we joined 

tens of thousands of other Scotty fans. 

Three hours before the concert started, 

there were already thousands of people 

there, toting signs that said things such 

as “Scotty is a hotty,” and “Scotty is my 

Elvis,” and even “Scotty will you marry 

me?” 

After hours of waiting for some, 

Scotty McCreery’s parade finally began. 

The procession was slow-going 

as Elvis impersonators, Grandmas 

for Scotty, Scotty’s baseball team, the 

“Blue Crew,” and finally his family and 

he waved and entertained the huge 

crowd surrounding the parade route as 

they made their way to the Lake Benson 

Park lawn. 

McCreery finally made his way on 

stage after an introduction from mayor 

Ronnie Williams, who presented Mc- 

Creery with the key to Garner. McCreery 

repeatedly gave credit to Garner, 

and insisted he was “the same Scotty 

who left home” back when he first auditioned. 

He worked his way though some 

songs, including “Your Man” by Josh 

Turner. However, he didn’t expect Josh 

Turner showing up on stage with him 

and singing a duet; he stopped midsong, 

bending over in shock and introducing 

Josh Turner to the screaming 

crowd. When he composed himself, 

they sang “Your Man” together, as well 

as “Long Black Train.” 

The concert ended with McCreery 

sharing some of his faith with the 

crowd. All day, there had been the 

threat of rain; the weather channel 

showed two storms straddling Garner. 

Scotty said he had been praying about 

the weather and was looking through 

his Bible. He had quickly come upon 

Amos 4:7, which says, “And I withheld 

the rain from you.” Maybe that was 

more than just a coincidence on this 

special day for McCreery and Garner. 

Some of the colors and styles of prom ‘11 

Photo courtesy Elly Williams 

Emmary Williams (left), Scotty Mc- 

Creery, and Elly Williams (right) pose 

for a picture in Garner. 

Photo courtesy of Morgan Griffith Photo courtesy of Maddie Hooper Photo courtesy of Britany Thorton 

Senior Trends: What Seniors Are Sporting 

Jack Rogers 

Maxi Dresses 

Longchamp Purses 

Toms 

Photo courtesy of Jack Rodgers 

Photo courtesy of Velvet By Graham & 

Spencer 

Ray-Ban Wayfarers 

Photo courtesy of Longchamp 

Vineyard Vines Bowties 

Photo courtesy of Vineyard Vines 

Photo courtesy of Toms 

Photo courtesy of Ray-Ban 

Riding Boots 

Satchels 

Tory Burch Flats 

Photo courtesy of Dooney & Bourke. 

Page design by Section Editors Allie Johanson and Matthew Talbot 

Photo courtesy of Tory Burch 

Photo courtesy of Tory Burch

MAY 29, 2011 SENIOR SECTION 

THE CRUSADER 7 

SENIOR SECTION 

2011 

Cairns and Mazzocchi rise to top of Class of 2011 

Valedictorian of 2011 

Wynn Saleeby 


Ashley Cairns, the valedictorian of 

the Class of 2011, excelled academically 

throughout her four years and also 

participated in multiple extracurricular 

activities. 

During her four years at Gibbons, 

Cairns took a total of 10 AP classes and 

participated in Biology Club, Science 

Olympiad, Debate/Forensics, Model 

UN, and Moot Court. She also swam 

for the Gibbons swim team, a year 

round swim team, and North Carolina 

Aquatic Club. 

Out of all her AP classes, Cairns 

said the most challenging was AP Art 

3D. 

“[That] class was really challenging 

for me because it required a different 

perspective and structure than any 

other subject or class I had taken,” said 

Cairns, in an email interview. 

Cairns appreciates the opportunity 

to speak to her fellow classmates and 

their families at graduation. 

“I am truly honored. I am very 

excited to speak on behalf of our class 

at 

Graduation and hope that I can 

represent each of the individuals of our 

class,” said Cairns. 

Cairns looks forward to attending 

the University of North Carolina at 

Chapel Hill in the fall. 

“[UNC-Chapel Hill] presents 

opportunities to explore various 

subjects and interests. The people are 

very welcoming, and there is a place for 

everyone, very much like Gibbons. For 

me, it offered a great opportunity to 

explore what I want to do and find who 

I want to become, in a supportive, yet 

Class of 2011 gives 

future students gift of leadership 


Executive Managing Editor 

The gift of leadership is what the 

Class of 2011 has decided to give back 

to Gibbons with the traditional senior 

class gift. 

This year’s gift is unlike any other 

in the past because it isn’t anything 

tangible. The senior class will give 

$9,000 to fund the new Leadership 

Grant. Gibbons students will be able to 

apply for funds from the Grant to help 

make their future leadership initiatives 

possible. 

The senior gift committee was 

made up of six graduating seniors, Erin 

Blaser, Gregg Kaluza, Maggie Mitterling, 

Christine Prosser, Josh Skow and 

Josh Teder. 

“I feel like our class has something 

different and special within it, we need 

a special gift that just keeps on giving,” 

said graduating senior Gregg Kaluza. 

“Since CGHS flourishes through its 

students in the first place, we felt like 

it was best to let the students decide 

on what they felt the school needed the 

most.” 

“We decided on this gift first because 

it was something that no other 

senior class had done before. We also 

had to come up with a creative idea 

that wasn’t a physical gift because of 

[the possible] future school expansion 

plans. We didn’t want to dedicate 

something to the school and then have 

it [potentially removed] in two years,” 

said graduating senior Josh Teder. 

Since the Leadership Grant is 

not something that can be easily presented, 

the senior gift committee created 

a video which explained exactly 

Valedictorian Ashley Cairns and salutatorian Mary Clare Mazzocchi 

will both be attending UNC-Chapel Hill. 

challenging environment. Also ‘Apple 

Chill,’ as [Spanish teacher and UNC- 

Chapel Hill graduate Mr. Miguel] 

Casas calls it, is a very cool place to live 

and learn in,” said Cairns. 

Cairns appreciated the help and 

support of her parents throughout her 

high school career. 

“They are such a supportive and 

motivational force. I really rely on 

them for guidance and support,” said 

Cairns. 

Cairns advises current Gibbons 

students to work towards their goals 

and take advantage of all that Gibbons 

offers. 

“Set a goal and try to achieve 

it. We are all so blessed at Gibbons 

because there are so many people 

and resources at your fingertips,” said 

Cairns. 

what the grant would do. The video 

was shown at the Senior Luncheon on 

Thursday, May 19. 

“We made the video to show 

how the Leadership Grant could be 

used in the school. We also wanted the 

video to have a very fun feel to it and 

not be too serious because we felt that 

really wouldn’t reflect the nature of 

our senior class,” said Teder. 

“The video gives us a memory that 

will never be able to be replaced or 

lost,” said Kaluza. 

The $9,000 will come from the 

senior class itself and the hope is the 

Grant will grow over time and continue 

to fund projects into the future. 

“For the next five years, each student 

from the graduating Class of ’11 

will be asked to donate $20.11 to the 

fund,” said senior class moderator 

Kirsten Monroe. 

“It’s an incentive for future Gibbons 

students to contribute to such an 

awesome cause,” said Kaluza. “It will 

give the students a chance to be able to 

live out their dreams while at Gibbons, 

and that will not only benefit them, 

but others. And not only for today, but 

down the road for years to come.” 

“The gift will be able to help future 

students by providing them with 

the funds necessary to have their ideas 

come to life. This could be anything 

from a school mission trip, to creating 

a club around the school. The possibilities 

are really endless when it comes 

to what this grant could be used for in 

the future,” said Teder. 

“I guess you could say we brought 

Disney World to Gibbons ‘where all of 

your wildest dreams come true,’” said 

Kaluza. 

Salutatorian of 2011 

Marisa Casson 


Mary Clare Mazzocchi, the 

salutatorian of the Class of 2011, 

balanced a strong work ethic, nine 

AP courses, and Gibbons Drama 

throughout her four years at Gibbons. 

Being salutatorian means a lot to 

Mazzocchi and she is very proud to be 

able to speak at graduation. 

“My time at Cardinal Gibbons has 

been very special to me, and I’m happy 

to have the opportunity to speak about 

it at graduation to my classmates and 

their families,” said Mazzocchi in an 


Both Mazzocchi and valedictorian 

Ashley Cairns graduated from St. 

Thomas More School in Chapel 

Hill and are excited that they get to 

represent their parish and school. 

“I’m happy that our success and 

the accomplishments of the other STM 

kids in our Gibbons class reflect so 

well on our home parish and school,” 

said Mazzocchi. 

AP Chemistry was the hardest 

class Mazzocchi took during her time 

at Gibbons, but thanks to the help of 

teacher Sr. Janet Schemmel, SND and 

her classmates, it was also one of her 

favorites. 

Outside of her school work, 

Mazzocchi played a major role in 

Gibbons Drama for four years, with 

appearances in eight productions, 

including playing the lead role of 

Anne Frank as a sophomore in 

“The Diary of Anne Frank” and 

most recently as Jojo the Who 

in “Seussical…the Musical!” this 

spring. 

In recognition of her 

contributions to the drama program, 

Mazzocchi was awarded the Gibbons 

Drama Ensemble Award, given 

to seniors in recognition of their 

outstanding commitment and 

dedication to the program and 

school. Her other recognitions 

include being named “Most Likely 

to be Famous” by her classmates for 

the senior superlatives published 

in the yearbook and being chosen 

to attend the Governor’s School for 

Drama last summer. 

Mazzocchi looks back fondly on 

her time in Gibbons Drama. 

“It was a great program to be 

involved in, and I learned so much 

and had so much fun participating 

in the productions. It was an honor 

to work with such a talented and 

committed group of people. There 

were some pretty difficult weeks, 

with late rehearsals, lots of tests, 

etc., but for the most part, if I 

planned ahead and used all the time 

I had, I was able to keep up,” said 

Mazzocchi. 

Mazzocchi is going to miss many 

things about Gibbons. 

“Being a student at Cardinal 

Gibbons brings so many incredible 

blessings. From the caring teachers 

to the faith and service components, 

Gibbons is very special, and I will 

miss pretty much everything about 

it,” said Mazzocchi. 

Mazzocchi advises rising seniors 

to be thankful for all they have at 

Gibbons and to get a head start on 

college applications. 

“Enjoy your last year at Cardinal 

Gibbons. You’ll all probably be 

excited to move on to college, but 

try to appreciate your last moments 

here. It’s an awesome school, and 

you’ll be sad when you have to 

leave. And try to get your college 

application essays done as early as 

possible!” said Mazzocchi. 

Mazzocchi is proud to be this 

year’s salutatorian and is proud to 

be attending the University of North 

Carolina at Chapel Hill in the fall. 

Class of 2011 by the numbers 

1 

Graduate will be attending 

an Ivy League school 

(Dartmouth) 

295 

Number of graduates in the Class 

of 2011 

24 

Graduates attending schools in 

South Carolina, the most going 

to the same state outside of 

North Carolina 

45 

1863 

Miles from Gibbons, the furthest 

school from Raleigh a graduate is 

attending (University of Arizona) 

273 

Graduates attending schools east 

of the Mississippi 

Graduates attending 

87 

N.C. State, the most attending 

the same school 

Graduates going out of state for 

college 

Page design by Maestro Editor Marisa Casson and Managing Editor Dani Chiavegatto

Pinning Down Se 

The Crusader 8 Senior Section 

May 29, 2011 

Cori Krause 

Q: What is your favorite 

memory from Gibbons? 

A: Last day of school 

Q: What advice do you 

have for rising seniors? 

A: Enjoy your last year. Make 

the most of it. Get involved. 

Ro 

Q: Wh 

mem 

A: Ev 

especially 

Q: Wha 

fo 

A: Ma 

becaus 

And mak 

frien 

Dan Sheehan 

Q: What is your favorite memory 

from Gibbons? 

A: Performing with Noteworthy 

(Gibbons glee club) at the pep rally 

Q: What are you most looking 

forward to about college? 

A: Meeting new people. I have had 

four years with these people and I 

love them, but I’m ready to meet 

new people 

Nick Pizzur 

Q: What advice d 

have for rising se 

A: Remember to ha 

because it’s senior y 

still work har 

Q: What are you 

looking forward to 

college? 

A: Frisbee in coll

May 29, 2011 

Senior Section 


nior Memories 

bert Liberatore 

at is your favorite 

ory from Gibbons? 

erything with soccer 

the two state champs. 

t advice do you have 

r rising seniors? 

ke sure you enjoy it 

e it goes by very fast. 

e sure you are with the 

ds you care about. 

Nailah Bascombe 

Q: What advice do you 

have for rising seniors? 

A: Don’t stop working until 

the end of the year. It doesn’t 

end after Christmas break. 

Q: What is your favorite 

memory from Gibbons? 

A: Kairos 

Three graduates — 

Patrick “Packy” Dever, 

Maggie Holsinger and 

Maribeth Rauh—are 

following in their siblings 

footsteps to Notre 

Dame. All three siblings 

are Gibbons alumni as 

well. 

Two graduates, 

William Thompson 

and Dustin 

Yeungling, are 

attending Johnson 

and Wales, a 

culinary institute 

One graduate, 

Christopher 

Dixon, is 

attending Duke 

University. 

ro 

o you 

niors? 

ve fun 

ear but 

d 

most 

about 

ege 

Eileen Nedoma 

Q: What is your favorite memory 

from Gibbons? 

A: Too many to count. I liked PLC 

(Principal’s Leadership Conference) and working with 

Gibbons Drama and Earth Day. 

Q: What advice do you have for 

rising seniors? 

A: When you’re going off campus, 

check your receipts. I’ve gotten so 

many free meals at Moe’s just for doing 

a 3 minute survey at the bottom of the 

receipt. Lunch gets SO expensive. 

For the first 

time in 5 years, a 

Gibbons grad — 

Nicholas Becherer 

— is attending The 

Citadel 

Three students, 

Patrocinia Ical 

Cuz, Rozalia 

Romocki and 

Rebecca Daley, 

are going out of 

the country after 

high school 

Page design by Maestro Editors Marisa Casson and Wynn Saleeby

May 29, 2011 

INSIDE & OUT 


Executive Student Council 

An inside look at Gibbons’ 2011-2012 executive council 

President 

Jenny Betz 

Q: Why did you decided to run for 

Executive Student Council? 

A: Because I truly love Gibbons and the 

experiences I have had and I want to 

makes sure that everyone else gets to 

enjoy it as much as I have. 

Q: What are your favorite things to do 

on the weekend/downtime? 

A: Playing soccer, hanging out with 

friends, eating, and shopping. 

Vice President 

Megan Kunkel 



A: I have always wanted to be an 

executive student council member and 

I really like being involved in school 

activities. 

to do the same for the year after me. 

Q: Do you have any hidden talents? (If 

so explain...) 

A: Not really, I’m pretty straight 

forward with what I’m good at. 

Q: Freshman year, would you have 

pictured yourself on Executive Student 

Council? 



Council? 

A: No, I could not have. I would have 

been too scared to make a speech in 

front of the entire student body. 

Q: How long did it take you to write 

your speech? 

A:Haha, a long time. A week of just 

brainstorming and 4 or 5 hours to 

actually write it. 

Q: If you could describe yourself in one 

word, what would it be? 

A: Vivacious. 

Photo courtesy of Landmark yearbook 

A: Maybe, because I was on Student 

Council Freshman year. 


your speech? 

A: It took me like an hour including all 

of the revisions. 

Q: Who is your role model/biggest 

inspiration? And why? 

A: The execs from last year really 

paved a strong path and inspired me 


Treasurer 

Ryan Milroy 

Secretary 



A: I ran because I love Gibbons and 

I wanted to be more involved in my 

senior year. 



Council? 

A: I don’t know if I would say that 

much. I was the freshman class 

president but I never thought that far 

ahead, mainly because I didn’t want to 

get my hopes up if it didn’t happen. 


your speech? 

A: That’s a funny story actually. My 

original speech had pieced together 

various jokes and thoughts that 

spanned a week. The night before 

the assembly, I completely re-did my 

speech at 3 o’clock, and thus was the 

final product. 



A: I don’t know my role model, but my 

biggest inspirations are my parents. I 

try to learn from their mistakes in life 

and live mine so that I don’t make the 

same mistakes. I figure they dedicate 

their whole lives to me so the least that 

I can do is make them proud. 



A: Single ;) 

Q: Do you have any hidden talents?( If 

so explain...) 

A: I’m really good at making t 

hings incredibly awkward. I know just 

the wrong thing to say at the right 

time...if that makes sense. 



A: You mean there’s something else to 

do on the weekend other than soccer? 




A: I thought that I needed to get more 

involved in the school to help out and 

really make a difference during my 

senior year. 



Council? 

A: No not at all. I never really 

considered running for student council 

until the beginning of this year. 

Q: How long did it take you to write your 

speech? 

A; About 3 days. 



A: Probably my parents because they 

have helped me throughout the years 

at Gibbons and supported my decision 

to run for student council. 



A: Friendly. 

Stas’ Noga 

Q: What song describes your life? 

A: Till I Get There by Lupe Fiasco 



A: I like to spend time with my friends 

and travel. 


Page design by Section Editors Allie Johanson and Matthew Talbot

The Crusader 12 May 29, 2011 

AP artists exhibit 

whole year’s work 

Artist Spotlight: 

Leah Bryson 

Graduating senior Leah Bryson 

is attending the Rhode Island 

School of Design in the fall to 

continue her training in art 


Managing Editor 

On Friday, May 6, students in 

the three AP art classes showcased 

their collaboration of projects 

throughout the year in the annual 

student art reception and exhibit. 

Artists invited their parents, 

students, and teachers to come 

to Plant Ops to view what they 

accomplished during the year. 

Students chose a concentration 

(which is basically a motif) and 

based all of their works on that one 

idea. Some students chose a more 

cerebral approach, while other 

chose a more artistic and creative 

approach. 

“I focused a lot on symbolism 

and underlying meanings in each 

project, and many of my projects 

were based on typical stereotypes 

found in society,” said junior Chloe 

Mintel. 

Selection of artwork was one 

of the most challenging parts of 

putting the show together. 

“Choosing the pieces was 

probably the most difficult part for 

students in the AP art program. I 

chose my pieces based on quality 

for the most part, as well as my 

favorites I’ve done all year,” said 

Mintel. “Other things factor into the 

process of choosing them, such as size, 

how easily they transport, as well as 

how to display them (some of the art 

required mannequins to display).” 

Other students chose different 

approaches, such as a concentration 

focused on the environment. 

“My concentration was a series 

of sculptures of flowers made from 

recycled plastic bottles. I wanted to 

do something that would be both 

interesting to look at and fun to do. I 

wanted to make lively, bright flowers 

from used, industrial materials; what 

most would see as garbage,” said 

junior Glenn Driskill. 

Students were required to have 

at least five works, but many chose to 

display more. 

“I think it’s great that we all had 

the chance to display our work for our 

parents and other students to show 

them what we’ve been doing all year! 

It was great to end this year with a 

bang, and I felt the art show was very 

successful in doing so,” said Mintel. 

“The show was done to not only 

celebrate the completion of our AP 

portfolios, but to display the quality 

and talent of the art department with 

the rest of the school,” said Driskill. 

Out of the thirty students whose 

artwork was displayed, seventeen 

were seniors and this was their last 

exhibit here at Gibbons. 


A&E Editor 

Q: How did you get involved in the 

arts? 

A: I’ve always done art, I honestly 

can’t remember a time when I didn’t. 

But I guess it would really be going to 

art camp in the summers that got me 

started. 

Q: How has your art experience 

been at Gibbons? 

A: I had a really great art 

experience at Gibbons in terms of the 

teachers I had, the other students I 

got to be around, and the medium and 

styles that I was exposed to and had the 

opportunity to experiment with. 

Q: Have you won any awards for 

your art while at Gibbons or outside of 

school? 

A: Yep, I’ve won a few scholastic 

Honors dancers debut original pieces 


A&E Editor 

The Gibbons Dance program 

staged one last show for the 2010-2011 

school year, the Honors Dance Showcase, 

on Thursday, May 19. 

The show included a series of solos 

and duets by various sophomores, 

juniors, and seniors. However, this 

show was unique compared to other 

dance shows because honors dance 

students got to perform their own 

choreographed pieces for their friends 

and families. 

This show was also special because 

it was the last concert that the 

graduating seniors participated in as 

Gibbons students. Rob Callus, Quinn 

Czejkowski, Dree Deacon, and Gina 

Ursetto performed for the last time 

in the Gibbons theatre before graduation. 

Along with the graduating seniors, 

performers included sophomores Abbey 

DiSano, Sarah Reynolds, Hannah 

Cooke, Laura Matrazzo, and Emily 

Schumann; juniors Christianna Carter, 

Taylor Filliben, Elizabeth Reeves, 

Sabrina Lage, Fei-Lin Scruggs, Dana 

Jordan, and Brittany Thornton. All 

Photos courtesy Chloe Mintel 

Pieces like these, created by rising senior Chloe Mintel, were 

displayed at the exhibit. 

performed original dances in the 

show. 

The concert included thirteen 

numbers and was completely run by 

the students, including staging and 

lighting. Tech Theatre students were 

each paired up with a dancer to work 

out the staging and lighting for their 

piece. 

“The tech theater kids were awesome. 

They were focused and very 

professional thanks to [technical theater 

teacher Ms. Lexie] Nichols and all 

of her hard work. The lighting turned 

out great,” said Filliben. 

Juniors Thornton and Filliben’s 

duet to the song “Buzzin” by Mann 

seemed to be a huge crowd pleaser 

and energized the audience. Filliben 

and Thornton integrated their different 

dance styles to create a unique 

duet. 

“Brittany and I took our strengths 

and combined them to choreograph 

our dance. We have diverse dance 

backgrounds [including ballet and 

hip hop] and attempted to use that to 

create a dance that was fun and energetic 

for the audience,” said Filliben. 

Artwork by Leah Bryson 

art awards junior and senior years, 

and this year I also won an award 

from the visual arts exchange and 

the American Visions award from 

scholastics. 

Q: Was RISD your dream 

school? 

A: Yeah, I would definitely say 

that RISD was my dream school, 

probably from the day I visited the 

campus. 

Q: Are you planning to pursue 

art after college? 

A: Absolutely, I will be doing 

art for the rest of my life, but it 

would be wonderful to have a 

career in the art world. 

Q: What is your favorite kind 

of art? What do you like to draw 

most? 

A: I really like surrealism, 

but there are so many kinds and 

styles out there, it’s kind of hard 

to choose. I like to draw from life 

a lot, sketches mostly, or whatever 

pops into my head really. 

Q: What influences your art 

most? 

A: There are about a million 

things that influence art. Nature, 

dreams, people, places, pretty 

much life in general, but nature’s 

one of the bigger influences for 

me. 

Q: What is your favorite piece 

of yours? 

A: My favorite piece 

right now is probably one of 

concentration pieces I made. It’s 

got a lot of texture and was kind 

of experimental for me, so it was 

great to see how it turned out! 

Photo courtesy of Gibbons Dance 

Graduating seniors Dree Deacon, Christine Prosser, Quinn 

Czejowski, Gina Ursetto, Alison Shipkowski, and Lizzy Goudreau 

pose outside of the dance room. 

Page design by Section Editors Kristen DeMaria and Alexandra Hernandez

May 29, 2011 

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 

Plain White T’s rock Lincoln 


A&E editor 

Continuing the second leg of 

their concert tour, the Plain White T’s 

performed at the Lincoln Theater in 

Raleigh on May 10. This concert tour 

was aimed at promoting their latest 

album, “Wonders of the Younger,” 

which came out at the end of last year. 

Prior to the T’s performance, 

two opening bands rocked the stage. 

Photo by Mary Olivia Gerald 

jumped in to the opener “Irrational 

Anthem”. Following this, the T’s 

continued to raise the energy level in 

familiar old tunes like “Revenge” and 

“Take Me Away”. 

In the midst of their set, the T’s 

slowed things down and played the 

familiar hits “1,2,3,4” and “Rhythm of 

Love”. 

Towards the end of the concert, 

the stage went dark for a few moments, 

and when the lights came back on, Tom 

Higgenson (the lead singer for the T’s) 

was on a platform in the middle of the 

crowd. After the screams of ‘I love you 

Tom’ subsided, Tom performed the 

classic “Hey There Delilah” acoustically 

and encouraged the crowd to sing along 

as loud as they could. 

As their set came to a close, the T’s 

reassured the crowd that after a leg of 

their tour in Europe they would return 

to Raleigh at the end of summer. This 

statement gave the crowd one last rush 

of enthusiasm. As hands waved in the 

air, people jumped up and down, and 

I waved my homemade sign one last 

time, the T’s closed the concert with the 

title track “Wonders of the Younger.” 

The first was a singer named Andy 

Grammer, whose upbeat single “Keep 

Your Head Up” amped up the crowd’s 

energy. The next act was the band 

Parachute, whose claim to fame was 

a free download, “Under Control”, on 

iTunes last year. 

After the two openers finished, the 

T’s stepped out on stage and quickly 

Summer Concert Calendar 


Summer 

Playlist 

Contributing graduating seniors- Abbey Morrissey, 

Chris Dixon, Greg Kaluza, Alanna Smith, Austin 

Yarber, Caroline Heller, Cori Krause, Dan Sheehan, 

Kathleen Caldwell, Maribeth Rauh, Marilyn Kobelinski, 

Patrick Boyle, Rebecca Daley, Robert Liberatore, Zach 

Bumgardner 

June 

5 6 7 8 9 10 11 

Beach Boys 

Mumford & 

Sons 

Josh Groban 

Greensboro 

Charlotte 

Raleigh 

Ampitheater 

12 13 14 15 16 17 18 

Katy Perry 

RBC Center 

Owl City 

Charlotte 

21 24 25 

Keith Urban 

RBC Center 

July 

26 27 28 29 30 1 2 

Taylor Swift 

Greensboro 

Zac Brown 

Band 

Charlotte 

3 4 7 8 9 

Tim McGraw 

Time Warner 

Cable Arena 

10 13 14 15 16 

O.A.R. 

Raleigh 

Ampitheater 

Lil’ Wayne 

Time Warner 

Cable Arena 

Rihanna 

Greensboro 

17 20 21 22 23 

Wiz Khalifa 

Greensboro 

NKOTBSB 

Greensboro 

24 25 26 27 28 29 30 

American 

Idol 

RBC Center 

Vans Warped 

Tour 

Charlotte 

Rascal Flatts 

Time Warner 

Cable Arena 

August 

Maroon 5 & 

Train 

Charlotte 

2 3 4 5 6 

Goo Goo 

Dolls 

Raleigh 

Ampitheater 

Kenny 

Chesney 

Time Warner 

Cable Arena 

7 8 9 11 

12 13 

Death Cab 

for Cutie 

Koka Booth 

Ke$ha 

Raleigh 

Ampitheater 

Page design by Section Editors Kristen DeMaria and Alexandra Hernandez


may 29, 2011 

Women’s lacrosse 

make long run in 

state playoffs 

Team goes the farthest ever in 

playoff run 

Baseball reaches 

new heights in 

playoffs 

Team overall happy with 

season results 


Copy Editor 

Photo Courtesy of Greg Mintel 

Junior Christine Spellman runs 

with the ball in a recent game. 

This year the team went the 

farthest ever in the state 

playoffs. 

The Varsity girls’ lacrosse team 

was conference champions and made 

it to the semifinals of the state playoffs, 

but lost to Apex. They had only two 

other losses this season, one to Apex 

and one to Green Hope. 

“This year we went farther than we 

ever have in the playoffs. We put a lot of 

work into practicing and implementing 

a new defense. I’m proud of our 

efforts,” said senior Natalie Mann in a 

Facebook interview. 

They later were able to beat Green 

Hope in the state playoffs. 

“The Green Hope game was a great 

game. Everyone played great, and 

played as a team. We really pushed 

ourselves and redeemed ourselves 

from the last time we played them. 

Coming out with a win was a great 

feeling,” said Mann. 

The captains of this year’s team 

were Maggie Manning, Lauren Halk, 

and Shannon Voelkel. 

“Leadership played a major role 

this year. Many of the girls have been 

working together since August and it 

paid off during the tournament,” said 

head coach Prudence Lyon in an email 

interview. 

The team seemed to have really 

enjoyed their season. 

“My favorite part hands down was 

getting together with the greatest group 

of girls and playing the best sport in 

the world. We just really bonded this 

year on the field and off, and this really 

helped us grow and develop as a team,” 

said sophomore Stephanie Whitecross 

in a Facebook interview. 

The final record of the season was 

19-3. 

“My favorite part of the season 

was that every game we played we 

became more and more of a family 

and supportive of each other,” said 

sophomore Kathleen Mills in a 

Facebook interview. 

The team seems to have high hopes 

for next year and is excited. 

“I absolutely cannot wait for 

another lacrosse season. This season 

was better than I ever could have asked 

for and I know they will just keep 

getting better,” said Mills. 


Sports Editor 

The varsity baseball team ended its 

season on a high note, making it to the 

third round of the playoffs. The team 

lost the away game to Northeast Guilford 

(7-1) on Friday, May 22. 

Even though the team was disappointed 

with their season being cut 

short, they were still happy with their 

overall play. 

“The third round is the farthest 

Gibbons baseball has been in the playoffs,” 

said junior CJ Liuzzo. 

The team finished their season 

with a record of 12-14, placing them 

third in conference. 

They faced many challenges 

throughout the season, which made 

them stronger. 

“The team’s biggest challenge was 

starting off the season 0-3,” said junior 

Jack Rosenblum. 

The team’s bond made for a great 

season. 

“Our team is very close with one 

another and that has helped make the 

season very enjoyable even through 

tough times,” said Rosenblum. 

Throughout the season the team 

has had many highlights especially in 

tournament play. 

“My favorite part of the season was 

winning our first two playoff games 

because we were the underdog in both 

games,” said Liuzzo. 

The team will be losing four seniors 

to graduation today. The seniors 

have learned a lot from their time on 

Gibbons baseball. 

“Playing on this team has taught 

me what being on a team that means 

something and having an achievable 

goal feels like,” said senior Sean Brassington. 

The returning players have high 

hopes for next year’s team. 

“I hope next year’s team can win 

the conference and just keep improving 

in the off season,” said Rosenblum. 

“My hope for next year is that we 

have a much better season and that we 

go deeper into the playoffs,” said junior 

Joe Knight. 

Photo Courtesy of Greg Mintel 

Junior Max Schrock winds his 

arm to throw the ball in a recent 

game. This year is the farthest 

the team has ever gone in the 

playfoffs. 

The World According to . . . 

Christine 

Murray 

Softball 

Senior 

Maggie 

Manning 

Lacrosse 

Senior 

Chris 

Noonan 

Golf 

Senior 

Harry Potter or Pirates 

of the Caribbean 

Harry Potter 

Pirates 

Beach or pool? 

Beach 

Beach 

What are you 

looking forward to 

most this summer? 

Working and 

partying at the 

beach 

Seeing my friends 

before i leave for 

work and college 

Pirates Beach Europe and 

hanging with 

friends 

Lemonade or Iced tea? 

Sweet Tea 

Lemonade 

Arnold Palmer half 

and half 

Chris 

Geaslen 

Tennis 

Senior 

Harry 

Potter 

Pool 

Relaxing 

Lemonade 

Page design by Section Editors Caitlin Donovan and Erin Welsh

MAY 29, 2011 

SPORTS 


Gibbons athletes move on to college sports 

Senior Steff Saura will attend USC Upstate 

where she will play soccer. 

Sarah Rapp 

Robert Liberatore 

Ginny Eckstine 

Nathan Wallers 

Lauren Halk 

Sarah Russo 

Steff Saura 

Casey Hachem 

Erin Walklet 

Danielle Hawkins 

Source: Information reported to Cardinal Gibbons Athletic Department. 

Men’s lacrosse 

season ends too 

soon in state playoffs 

Erin Welsh 

Sports Editor 

Photo courtesy of Greg Mintel 

Frehsman Gannon Morrison 

defends the ball in a recent 

game against Apex. Going into 

the state playoffs, the team was 

ranked number one in 3A schools 

in North Carolina. 

The Gibbons men’s lacrosse team 

ended their season with a record of 

17-2 losing only to Durham Academy 

(9-7) late in the season and to Middle 

Creek (10-6) in the early rounds of the 

playoffs. 

They started out their season 16-0 

with challenging games resulting in 

victories against-Broughton (5-4 in 

OT) and Apex (5-4 in OT). 

Photo courtesy of Greg Mintel Photo courtesy of Greg Mintel Photo courtesy of Greg Mintel 

Team finishes 17-2 after 

starting season 16-0 

Senior Robert Liberatore will play soccer for 

Drexel this fall. 

Virginia Tech 

Drexel 

Belmont Abbey 

UNCW 

Belmont Abbey 

Coastal Carolina 

USC Upstate 

App State 

Wofford 

Western Carolina 

With this winning record, Gibbons 

was ranked number one in 3A schools 

in North Carolina. Their dedication, 

training and hard work paid off, resulting 

in a successful season. 

The team was led by head coach 

Mike Curatolo and graduating senior 

captains Andrew Bass, Cullen Raymond 

and Paul Yacono. 

Sophomore Zander Lim said the 

season was solid, but a letdown. 

“We started out strong but we ended 

disappointed. But next season will 

be better,” said Lim. 

“I thought we had a very successful 

season. It wasn’t necessarily the outcome 

we all wanted but overall it was 

very good,” said Curatolo. 

One of the strongest aspects of the 

team is the bonding between players. 

“Teamwork was a huge thing because 

we’re like a family,” said Lim. 

According to Lim, next season the 

team can work on executing their opportunities 

more. But with the many 

returning and potential new players, 

there is still hope for a successful season 

next year. 

“Although we graduate nine seniors, 

we return 21 players from this 

year’s team and eight out of ten starters 

will be back,” said Curatolo. 

Softball finishes 

third in state 

playoffs 

Erin Welsh 

Sports Editor 

The Gibbons women’s softball 

team started off their season 9-0 with 

their first wins against Wake Christian 

Academy (9-5), Northwood (7-3), 

Ravenscroft (11-1) and Orange (8-6). 

After their season’s strong start, 

the team then lost to Southern Vance 

(3-0). They ended their season 11-4 

with other losses belonging to again 

Southern Vance (8-0), Webb (8-3) 

and Northern Vance (5-3). 

The team then lost to John M. 

Morehead in the playoffs. They 

finished their season third in the 

playoffs. 

The team was led by senior 

captains Kathryn Johanson, Morgan 

Kunsman and Christine Murray. 

Marianne White and Tim Chorba are 

the two co-coaches. 

Although the team has many 

strong aspects to it, the team’s bond 

is a true strong aspect. As their record 

shows, the team works really well 

together. 

Senior Danielle Hawkins is headed for 

Western Carolina where she will participate in 

Track & Field. 

Cross Country/Track & Field 

Soccer 

Volleyball 

Swimming 

Girls Lacrosse 

Soccer 

Soccer 

Soccer 

Soccer 

Track & Field 

“I think we had an excellent season. 

The girls played very well together,” 

said White. “We have a lot of talent.” 

“The strongest aspects of the team 

was how well we got along, our inside 

jokes, and we worked very well together 

when it was time to get serious on the 

field,” said sophomore Mary Wood. 

“Our strongest aspect was how well 

we came back to win games when we 

were behind,” said sophomore Frances 

Myers. 

While proud of the season they 

had, there is more to be expected for 

the next season. According to White 

the girls can build on the foundation 

from this year. 

“We can improve for next year by 

keeping our heads up and having a 

good attitude throughout every game,” 

said Myers. 

“We can improve by raising 

out batting averages, continuing to 

welcome the upcoming players from 

the younger grades, and still keeping 

the bond all the players have,” said 

Wood. 


Freshman Stephanie Girard strikes the ball in a recent game. Overall, 

the team finished the season 11-4. 


the crusader 16 

may 29, 2011 

Men’s tennis wins state championship 

Team wins title for first time in 3A classification 

The 3A State Championship winning men’s tennis team consisted of (left to right) junior 

Matt Daly, junior Killian Steer, sophomore Pierce Beary, sophomore Sean Solik, junior Greg 

Galush, freshman Robert Kelly, senior Chris Geaslen, senior Wade Tuttle, senior Andrew 

Rinderer, sophomore Nicholas Dodson, sophomore Greg Scurtu, sophomore Jackson 

Freeman, and coach Andrew Tuttle. This was the team’s first 3A State Championship. 

Track runs big at 

state meet 

Photo Courtesy of Andrew Tuttle 


Copy Editor 

The men’s varsity tennis defeated Charlotte 

Catholic 6-0 on May 21 in the state championships 

to claim its first state championship at the 3-A level. 

“The best part of the playoffs was winning the State 

Championship match against Charlotte Catholic. Our 

team played great in each of the five playoff matches, 

not losing a single court and winning by a 6-0 score 

in each match. After last year’s close loss in the State 

finals, it was important for us not only make it back 

there this year, but to win the championship and I am 

proud of the team for accomplishing that goal,” said 

head coach Andrew Tuttle in an email interview. 

The team finished second in a national 

tournament in Louisville earlier in the season, as 

well. 

“The best part of the regular season was our 

trip to Louisville, we got to play a lot of competitive 

matches but also had a lot of fun as a team,” said 

senior Chris Geaslen in a Facebook interview. 

The final record of the season was 26-2 with a 

conference record of 10-0. It was the team’s fifth 

state championship overall. Men’s tennis won every 

year from 2006 to 2009 at the 2-A level. 

Also, Matt Daly was selected as Conference 

Player of the Year and was also named MVP of the 

championship match. 

“The biggest strength of the team is our players’ 

competitive drive and desire to play their best every 

match. Regardless of the opponent, each of our player 

have a high level of tennis talent and experience 

that they each bring with them to make our team 

successful,” said Tuttle. 

Women’s soccer returns 

to state title match 


Sports Editor 

The men’s and women’s track 

teams ended their seasons competing in 

the 3A NCHSAA state championships. 

The girls came in 2 nd while the boys 

came in 17 th . 

Both teams believed that the spring 

season was successful overall. 

“The spring track season 

went pretty well with lots of great 

improvements across the entire team,” 

said junior Steven Phillips. 

“Everyone continued to improve 

from the beginning to the end of the 

season, so I think that means we were 

successful,” said junior Megan Cuomo. 

Both teams trained hard to make it 

to regionals and then on to states. 

“Everyone put in hard work to 

get us to regionals,” said sophomore 

Samiiah Wilson. 

Some team members were able 

to move onto states. These players 

included juniors Patrick Wolf, Tommy 

Schotzinger, Megan Kunkel, Kate 

Donato, Cuomo, Wilson, and Phillips, 

and senior Sarah Rapp. 

Phillips placed third in the two 

mile, Wolf came in 7 th in the two mile, 

and Schotzinger placed second in the 

mile 

Ẇilson, Kunkel, and Rapp won the 

4 x 800 relay. Kunkel also placed 2 nd 

in the 800, and Cuomo placed third in 

the two mile. Rapp won the mile and 2 

mile and placed third in the 800. 

The season was an overall great 

experience for everyone and was a lot 

of fun. 

“I enjoyed the overall 

experience of running with friends, 

laughing at practices, and pushing 

myself at meets,” said Donato. 

“[My hopes] for next year are that 

we win Conference and regionals by 

beating Chapel Hill and we qualify 

more people for the state meet,” said 

Wolf. 

“I hope next year will be as fun as 

this year was. I hope the people who 

ran this year come back for another 

great season and I hope we get a new 

load of freshman to help build the team 

even stronger,” said Donato. 


Sophomore Jose San Miguel hurdles past a Chapel Hill High School 

runner in a recent meet. The men’s track team later participated in 

the state meet, where they finished 17th. 

Haleigh Nelson 

Copy Editor 

The women’s varsity soccer 

team found themselves down for the 

first time all season in the NCHSAA 

3A Eastern Regional final against 

Jacksonville. 

The Crusaders, however, were able 

to keep their composure despite the 

unfamiliar feeling of being behind and 

prevailed 2-1, setting up a return to the 

3-A state championship match. 

This is the second year in a row 

the team has beaten Jacksonville in 

the regional final, and they competed 

Saturday, May 28 for the 3-A state title 

against Charlotte Catholic. (Results 

were unavailable as of press time). 

After an early goal by Jacksonville 

sophomore Meredith McCarty put 

them up 1-0, Gibbons freshman 

Morgan Reid tied the game with a goal 

assisted by senior Kiki Davis in the 

middle of the first half. 

In the 54 th minute of the match, 

Davis scored the winning goal with 

an assist from sophomore Christina 

Gibbons, and the girls were able to 

heave a sigh of relief after their most 

intense match of the season. 

They ended regular season play 

undefeated in conference with an 

overall 20-1 record. They ended 

conference play with a win over Webb 

8-0 on May 4. 

The Crusaders dominated the 

playoffs by outscoring every team in a 

combined ratio of 23-1. 

“I am so proud of how far our team 

has come, and we are playing every 

game our hardest to prepare for the 

state championship game again, and 

finish the season the right way,” said 

Reid. 

“The main focus for improvement 

has been [taking] chances and 

opportunities because [we] never 

know when [we] will get another one, 

and we have been successful because 

everyone has given 100 percent effort 

wherever and whenever the team 

needs it,” said Gibbons. 

“Our strength is the depth in our 

team. The quality of play stays really 

high no matter how many people we 

sub in. We also play as a team and trust 

each other which is the key to success,” 

said Reid. 

Leadership from the seniors and 

captains has also been an important 

part of the season this year as well. 

“They always bring a positive 

attitude to the field, [and] give great 

pep talks. They are so trustworthy 

even off the field. They basically have 

everyone’s backs,” said junior Kathleen 

Davis. 

“Our seniors are great! They are 

supportive and reinforcing, and they 

know how to make us push ourselves 

to be our very best,” said Reid. 

Photo courtesy of Landmark Yearbook 

Junior Monica Trickett passes the 

ball in the regional final against 

Jacksonville last Tuesday. The 

team played Charlotte Catholic 

in the state championship game 

yesterday.

The Crusader Newspaper - Cardinal Gibbons High School

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