The Crusader Newspaper - Cardinal Gibbons High School

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
Maestro Editor
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
Dani Chiavegatto
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
Maestro Editor
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
email interview.
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