Oct. 25, 2013Volume 94, Issue 2Cathedral High School 5225 East 56th Street Indianapolis, IndianaTwitter: @IrishMegaphoneMegaphone

Syrian girl, family find comfort at CathedralBy Elizabeth Wyman

Just south of Turkey and north of Iraq lies the country of Syria. About the size of Australia, Syria is composed of 22.5 million people and finds itself in the midst of a Civil War.

While most Americans appear to have little to no connection to Syria, junior Sarah Louly was born and raised in Damascus and left two months ago to avoid the vio-lence.

Louly shares her story on the war in Syria and her transition to American soil.

The conflict in Syria began in 2011 when a group of school-children was arrested, tortured and then killed due to writing anti-government graffiti on a wall by supporters of long time Syrian President Bashar al-Assad

Angry protesters flooded the streets, demanding additional freedom for the citizens of Syria and for justice for the slaughtered schoolchildren. Al-Assad, along with the rest of the government, was not pleased with these pro-testers. These once peaceful pro-testers became a bit less peaceful when mutual violence broke out between the governemnt and the citizens of Syria.

Since that day in 2011, Syria has been divided by those who agree with President Assad and those who are against his decisions.

America’s involvement includes President Obama’s effort to ensure

that Syria does not use chemical weapons, as it did on its own peo-ple last summer.

Louly, along with her mother, father and younger sister, moved two months ago from their home in Damascus.

Louly’s family now lives in In-dianapolis with her uncle. The rest of her family remained in Syria.

Her family left due to increased violence in their area.

“Syria was the safest country ever. If you got home at 1 o’clock in the morning nobody was going to kill you. It was just a really safe place,” Louly said when referring to her home three years prior to the violence breaking out.

Louly talks to her family in Syria and worries about them “We talk on the phone a lot. I tell them to be careful, don’t go out too much,” she said. Although the fighting is going on in their area, they still have to continue living a normal life and be alert that some-thing traumatic could happen.

“When I was there I was always out with my friends, it was normal but dangerous. You can’t just lock yourself in,” Louly said There has been fighting in the countries sur-rounding Syria for the better part of the past decade. Now, the vio-lence has slowly overflowed into Syria.

“They saw us rising, our country was rising in the past 10 years, malls were opening, private schools were made, and (the ter-

rorists) didn’t like it. These terror-ists will do anything for money,” Louly said.

“I really love our president, just really love (him and) I don’t be-lieve that he would do that to his own people. It doesn’t make sense,” said Louly, referring to the use of chemical weapons that the United Nations said resulted in the deaths of nearly 1,500 men, women and children.

“If it was like a revolution then it’s like a peaceful revolution, no guns, no blood, no war, every pres-

ident has his mistakes. Of course, nobody is perfect,” Louly said re-garding the accusations that the Syrian president is the one who has ordered chemical warfare.Louly immediately jumped into her ju-nior year of high school when she arrived to the States. “It was very hard at first, but I have family here and actually cousins that go to Ca-thedral, which made it a lot easier,” said Louly.

“The first month was really hard, I didn’t know anything, but now I think I am going to maybe

“We talk on the phone a lot, I tell them to be careful, don’t go out too much.”

do swimming or running,” Louly said. Louly eventually hopes to re-turn to all of her friends and family in Syria, but not until it is com-pletely safe to do so “We were liter-ally the safest country. Things were going on in surrounding countries like Egypt, but we were always OK, and then out of nowhere it all just started,” Louly said.

“Before all this happened Syria was the safest country,” and until it returns to that condition Louly’s family plans to stay in the States and lead a safe and normal life.

Junior Sarah Louly and her family fled Syria admist the turmoil for a safe place they could call home. Although she is safe now, she is worried about what is yet to happen in Syria. | Photo by Elizabeth Wyman

August 2013March 2013August 2012March 2011Feburary 2011

Syrian troops fire into a crowd of protesters

Death toll reaches 20,00015 teenagers are arrested and thrown in prison for re-beling against government

Rebels vs. Assad accuse each other of chemical warfare

Syrian government denies use of chemical weapons

megaphone news

Lack of funding for Holt Cemetery triggers mission trip move to Joplin

October 25, 20132

By Ben Sasin

Since 2006, the school has made its annual fall break mission trip to New Orleans to provide stu-dents the opportunity to on restore a cemetery and volunteer in the Lower Ninth Ward However, due to various factors, the trip, which was scheduled to leave yesterday, was discontinued and relocated to Joplin, MO.

For eight years, Bobbiann Lew-is, a mortician and assistant profes-sor of funeral sciences at Delgado Community College in New Orle-ans, volunteered countless hours at Holt Cemetery, working with school mission trips to restore the cemetery after Hurricane Katrina.

The City of New Orleans cut off the money the cemetery used for maintaining the grounds.

After a few weeks, Lewis dis-covered that the grass on the prop-erty was overgrown, making it a hub for snakes and fire ants.

“For safety reasons, I had to dis-continue (the mission trip),” Lewis said during a phone interview.

Eventually, Holt Cemetery re-ceived a federal grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which was used to build a new shed.

Also, a new organization, Camp Restore, aims to enhance the cem-etery and has plans to improve it one project at a time.

After learning of the news about Holt Cemetery, Service Outreach Coordinator Mrs. Shan-non Fox said she was clueless as to where students would go for the fall break mission trip until she noticed an issue of the Xavier magazine on her desk.

Pictured on the cover was an image of Joplin after the tornado had destroyed the town.

“It was almost like the Holy

Spirit was calling me to organize a trip to Joplin,” Fox said.

Fox contacted Joplin relief ef-forts and discovered that its resi-dents were thrilled to hear that the school was interested in helping them.

“After the Oklahoma tornadoes happened, they (Joplin) have seen a major drop in the number of vol-unteers,” Fox said.

“Once they got our calls, they were so excited that they passed the news to three different organi-zations to begin to get the project organized. It was like it all fell into place.”

Among the scheduled projects are assisting with building homes with Catholic Social Services, stocking supplies at the Habitat for Humanity Restore and planting trees.

Students will be housed in the volunteer village, which is oper-ated by Abundant Life Christian Ministries.

In addition to volunteer work, students will enjoy a day in St. Louis, visiting the City Museum and the Gateway Arch.

Junior Jessica Weir, the trip’s re-treat leader, and senior Jack Mou-rouzis, project and event organizer, will lead the group of 75 students and 10 chaperones.

Weir hopes to emphasize the importance of teamwork on the trip.

“I want people to know that you cannot always do things on your own; sometimes you have to reply on others and work together as a team.”

Mourouzis intends for students to leave the trip more aware of their impact.

He said, “I hope people are humbled by the experience and get a real taste of what it’s like to serve a community in need.”

In late October 2010, students work on filling a mold with cement for a future grave site in Holt Cemetery. This cemetery holds low-income people who cannot afford a proper burial. | Photo by Ben Sasin

Bobbiann Lewis • Licensed funeral director• Assistant professor of

funeral education at Delgado College in New

Orleans• Laid off in May 2012 • Volunteered for six years,

two of which she was unemployed

• Future plans: to host the “dynamics of grief” workshops in the Austin, TX, funeral industry

A bulldozer demolishs a shed to make way for renovations made possible by FEMA. | Photo submitted by Bobbiann Lewis

megaphone News October 25, 2013 3

By Morgan CarterSenior Anna Gibbons’ eyes

widen when she spots people walking toward her lonely table in the front of the library.

She was on her first day of tu-toring and was awaiting future clients.

But the students she first spot-ted just walked by toward friends, a sometimes common occurrence at the National Junior Society tu-toring table.

“We are lucky to have one to two kids show up in the morning (for this free tutoring service),” said Mrs. Debbie Boyd, Nation-al Honor Society moderator and Spanish I and II teacher.

Gibbons, a National Honor So-ciety (NHS) member and senior, also said that she thinks atten-dance could be higher. Gibbons

was tutored when she was a ge-ometry student and the assistance helped her.

She said, “I came in one morning to finish homework and couldn’t figure out an assignment. I saw that NHS had a table and sat down.”

Since it is that easy to get help, why don’t most students use the program?

Freshman Marlee Clayborn said that she didn’t know that there was an NHS tutoring program.

Gibbons said that she thinks students don’t take advantage of the program because “the under-classman are intimidated by the upperclassmen.”

Gibbons also said that she thought many students didn’t know how or where to actually get help.

National Honor Society tutors encourage students to take advantage of program

Senior Vinny Corsaro tutors senior Courtney Graham. Often, the tutors do not have students to help. | Photo by Jingle Wang

Students can go to the library any Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday before or after school or during any resource except for lunch periods.

Students can come in any time in the morning from 7:25 until class starts.

The times for afternoon are 3:30 to 4. During resource, students can come in any time.

Once students are in the li-brary, one of the circular wooden tables in the front will have a sign that states “National Junior Society Tutor.”

There should be a senior seated there ready to help potential cli-ents with schoolwork.

If students are in the library looking for a table, there may not be other students sitting at the table with the tutor, since, as Gib-

bons said, “not many people have shown up.”

However, if students do de-

cide to come in, Gibbons said, “If there’s anything they need, come find us in the library.”

Students notice a jump in SAT, ACT scores after taking exams multiple timesthat students tend to do better on one test over the other.

As an instructor of the SAT/ACT prep class, O’Brien notes the different structures of the tests. They each emphasize different skill sets and subject matter, she said.

She helps students prepare for the test going over types of questions on the test and overall test-taking strategies.

Mrs. Rachel Ludington also teaches the prep class, assisting students with the math sections. Students who have taken the prep class have told O’Brien that it helped improve their scores.

“Most students can improve their scores,” O’Brien said.

Seniors Austin Compton, Oliv-ia Kluger and Olivia Olde all said they recommend taking the tests for the first time without preparing too much in order to get an idea of how they can improve.

The seniors said that each time they have taken either the SAT or ACT, their scores have improved.

As for which test to take, the opinions vary by student.

By Claire MooreOver the past five years, the

number of Cathedral students tak-ing both the SAT and the ACT has doubled.

Mr. Mike Jaskoski, director of guidance and college advising, said he supports this strategy for taking the tests.

“There are no disadvantages. We encourage all our students to take both,” he said.

Most colleges accept both tests, so for students there is an incen-tive to take each one and analyze the scores to discover which works best for them.

In addition to discovering which test better suits them, stu-dents who take both are simply giving themselves greater chances through more exposure.

As Jaskoski said, “Two oppor-tunities are better than one.” Sev-eral seniors and teachers agree that it is to the advantage of the student to take both.

Miss Laurie O’Brien, an English 11X, advanced composition and AP Composition teacher agrees

Kluger prefers the SAT, claim-ing that the shorter sections give her mind a break.

Senior Olivia Odle agrees. She said, “The ACT gives students more questions than they have minutes, making it hard to fully comprehend each question.” How-ever, Odle said she does like that the fact the ACT tests creates clear divisions between subjects.

The SAT starts with an essay, but students may take the math portions of the test at any time between Section 2 to Section 10, which range in time allotted from 10 to 25 minutes.

Aside from taking a class or trying both tests to find the best fit, Jaskoski recommends taking the tests in a familiar environment, in-cluding here. Studies have shown that taking an important test in a familiar location can help one to relax and stay focused. Odle said that when she took the tests here, her scores went up by at least two points in every section.

Ninety-nine percent of stu-dents attend college after their se-

nior year. To go to many colleges, such as the larger in-state schools such as Indiana University and Purdue University, a standardized test is an application requirement. Both the SAT and the ACT, the two most common standardized tests, are offered to here.

Both are accepted by univer-sities but incorporate some key differences. The ACT is more of a speed test, while the SAT is taken at a slower place.

Additionally the ACT puts a greater focus on mathematics and science, while the SAT is centered more on vocabulary and reading comprehension. Since universities allow either or both tests to be submitted, students can see which style best suits them and act ac-cordingly.

As Compton said, “You never really know which test you are bet-ter at until you take both tests, so why not both?” Reporters Morgan Carter, Megan McEntire, Valerie Moore, Jack Quigley and Trenice Smith also contributed to this story.

Raffle fundraiserproves a success, coordinator saysBy Zane Turi

Despite the switch from selling magazines to raffle tick-ets, the school saw increased revenue this year compared to last year’s fundraiser, said Mr. Howard Fogel, chemistry teacher and organizer of this year’s raffle.

According to Fogel the school raised about $262,000 compared to last years maga-zine sale that generated only about $130,000.

Also, new this year was a change from a school quota to an individual student goal. “We felt that each student has an in-dividual responsibility to help promote the school,” Fogel said.

Fogel said that about 75 per-cent of students participated in the raffle this year.

“I think it was more true to our mission. We were selling Cathedral High School.”

4 October 25, 2013 Megaphone Feature

Homecoming king and queen Jack Gomez and Gabby Woodman were crowned at halftime of the varsity game against Tech, which the Irish won 23-14. Selection of the king and queen was determined by a vote of the student body. | Photo by Emma Flynn

LOOKING BACK ON HOMECOMING 2013

“Dressing up”Senior

Ally Farrel

“The Homecoming dance”Sophomore

Carrie Goldfarb

“Being out of uniform”Sophomore

Patrick Maxwell

Photo poll: What was your favorite part of Homecoming?

“The Spirit Stick”Junior

Olivia Lemke

“The assembly”Freshman

Nicole Cerar

“The spirit assembly”Junior

Justin Mitchell

After 17 years at Archbishop Hoban High, Brother Haders joins Irish staffBy Annie Browning

This is the first of a two-part series on Brother Ken Haders, a Holy Cross brother who joined the staff at the beginning of the school year. The second part of this story will be printed in the Nov. 22 issue.

Brother Ken Haders sits in his new office, reminiscing about the past 41 years of being a Holy Cross brother but excited, he said, about his new position at this school. Being reaffiliated with the brothers has come with many changes, in-cluding the addition of Br. Haders to the Cathedral family.

With degrees from Notre Dame and Case Western, he has been a brother since 1972. After serving as the president of Archbishop

Hoban High School in Akron, OH for 17 years, he has made the tran-sition to East 56th Street.

Q: What made you want to be-come a brother?

A: I went to a school where the brothers taught. I observed the brothers and said I’d like to try that. That was really the initial mo-tivation. And then as I pursued it, it became more and more evident that this was a good fit and it was something I wanted to continue.

Q: What was your experience as president at Hoban?

A: It was a wonderful experi-ence. There were such good peo-ple. They were very welcoming and very affirming of me individually as well as the brothers in general. It was an easy place to be a brother

because they seemed to under-stand was that meant and they of-fered a lot of support and encour-agement and trust and confidence.

Q: What made you want to come to Cathedral?

A: I had visited Cathedral a few times. I had visited with oth-er brothers when Cathedral first wanted to reaffiliate in order to confirm that our initial impression that getting involved again with Cathedral would make sense, and if Cathedral really wanted to be reaffiliated with the brothers and if it was going to fit. And what we found was that it was a very good fit. I had given a two-day retreat to faculty members on Holy Cross values and the level of enthusiasm that they showed for the values

was really invigorating. They didn’t necessarily have the

names that we were using current-ly, but there was a lot of “Oh yeah we do that here” and “oh yeah, we try to do that here” and “Oh, we want to do that here.” So, in the course of getting to know the school through visiting and being part of the accreditation team, I just decided that it was a very good school and this position was one that was a little less strenuous.

Q: What is the difference be-tween your positions?

A: Being the head of a school, basically the buck stops with me. You’re in charge of a lot of things. In my position here I’m really not in charge of anything; I’m more a facilitator of things.

I am a consultant on Holy Cross values and traditions and so I do things to enable. When you’re the head of a school, there’s a lot more responsibility. I had done that for 23 years and before that I was an assistant at the school in Chicago, so I had been in administration for a long time.

I was looking for something where I could still exercise leader-ship and this offers the things I like to do most, which is to promote Holy Cross values. I just thought it was a good fit.

In the next issue, learn more about Br. Hader’s goals for the school and his involvement in the school’s ministry as well as his initial re-actions to the culture and climate.

MEgaphone A&E October 25, 2013 5

Pride of the Irish prepares to march its way downtown for Veterans Day parade By Jingle Wang and Elizabeth Wyman

Everybody knows that five players per team occupy a bas-ketball court at once, 11 are on a football field at once and nine are on a baseball diamond at one time. But in band, 118 people marching to the beat of one’s drum partici-pate. That is how many people will be marching in this upcoming Vet-erans Day Parade on November 11 at 11:45 a.m.

The parade will begin at Mich-igan and Pennsylvania Streets. It will continue south on Pennsyl-vania Street to New York Street and west to Meridian Street. It will conclude at North Street.

The agenda for the day includes a Memorial Service at the Indiana War Memorial at 11 a.m. A recep-tion and dinner will be held that evening after the parade concludes at 5:30 p.m. in the Primo Banquet Hall and Conference Center.

The Pride of the Irish band is also deeply rooted in tradition. Band instructor Mrs. Kathy Mc-Cullough has taken the Irish to the Veterans Day Parade for a number of years now.

Senior Edward Schwering has participated in the parade each of

The Pride of the Irish marching band plays in the annual Veterans Day Parade at the Indiana World War Memorial. Sophomore Olivia Ford performs with the color guard. Senior Edward Schwering said, “The Veterans Day Parade is a time to show our service for those in the service and who have served. It is a great time to show off all of the hard work we put into band and the Vets know how much we really do care.” | Photo by Johanna Cole

his three years as a marching band member. “The Veterans Day Pa-rade is a time to show our service for those in the service and who

have served. It is a great time to show off all of the hard work we put into band and the Vets know how much we really do care,”

Schwering said.The Pride of the Irish which is

sporting a larger guard of 14 this year will also be going to Disney

World in March of next year to perform. “There’s always some-thing new about band every year. The freshmen come to band at the beginning of the year ready to learn, and the theme is a new sur-prise,” guard member and senior Maureen Kesterson-Yates said.

Like the football or basketball team the Pride of the Irish spend numerous hours rehearsing for contests.

Alto saxophone player and freshman Keegan MacDonell has followed in the footsteps of his two older brothers in becoming a member of the Pride of the Irish “Since I was little I have been at-tending Cathedral band events, even going to Ireland where the band marched in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Even as a toddler, it was evident to me how great Ca-thedral’s band is,” he said.

The Irish have spent numerous mornings out on the football field practicing in a variety of weather conditions prepping for this spe-cial day. “Playing in the parade is quite the experience, as tiring as it may be to perform, the fatigue is canceled out by the adrenaline of performing, it’s absolutely amaz-ing,” Schwering said.

Sophomore Gates Schneider takes the spotlight with her first lead in ‘The Sparrow’ By Katie Swanton

“The Sparrow” will take the stage this fall, with the opening scheduled for 7:30 p. m. on Nov. 22 in the auditorium. The cast and crew have been working for sever-al weeks now to put this produc-tion together.

“The play is getting those work-ing on the play and those watching the play to use their imagination more, and I think it’ll be a great experience,” said Ms. Alexander. She intends for the audience to be able to connect with the characters by using their own imagination.

As a sophomore, Gates Schnei-der plays the lead role, Emily Book. “I had never heard of ‘The Sparrow’ before but it has an in-

teresting message and I like it,” Schneider said. “I feel like I can truly connect to Emily.”

The Sparrow is about a myste-rious girl named Emily who un-intentionally causes a horrible bus accident. She then leaves town and comes back 10 years later for her senior year.

She befriends her science teach-er, Mr. Christopher, who is played by senior Tyler Lyons. Emily then encounters the class president and cheerleader Jenny McGrath, who is played by Emma Leising, and they instantly become friends.

Emily soon discovers that she has these powers that she cannot control at times. These powers can be beneficial or hurtful depending

on the situation.Emily then mistakenly reveals

her special talents to the entire school. She then has to deal with people not accepting her and turn-ing against her.

Emily’s powers then get out of control depending on her feelings and then, before she realizes it, ev-eryone is turning on her including Jenny, Mr. Christopher and Mr. and Mrs. McGuckin.

“I think ‘The Sparrow’ will give our students a new experience with a different kind of theatre style,” said Ms. Alexander, who is the director of this play.“I feel like everyone can relate to Emily because you just have to let go of your mistakes,” said Schneider.

Sophomore Gates Schneider practices her lead role as Emily Book with director Ms. Jennifer Alexander. This is her first lead in a Cathedral production. | Photo by Kara Williams

6 October 25, 2013 Megaphone A&E

Ultimate Frisbee Club gains new momentum with growing popularity among studentsBy Brigid Murphy

Sunday evenings at the Butler University track field are what members of the Ultimate Frisbee Club look forward to after a long week of schoolwork. While many clubs are created for service or competition, the Ultimate Fris-bee Club is about just having fun, blowing off steam and getting some exercise, too.

Last school year, seniors Evan Miller and Devin Ludes-Braeger came up with the idea of having an

Ultimate Frisbee Club. Miller said both of them had thought of the club and decided to work together to create one organization.

“It was kind of a club last spring but it wasn’t much at first,” said Miller. The original members in-cluded only Ludes-Braeger, Miller and two senior boys from the Class of 2013. “It started in the courtyard during school,” Ludes-Braeger said.

Miller said, “We really just started playing outside at lunch.”

first time participating in the group, he’s been having fun. “I just love playing Frisbee,” Tacy said.

Only students run the club. They choose their own teams and make their own rules without any teacher moderators. The bonding time goes beyond the field, too; Miller says members often go eat together after playing Frisbee for an hour or two.

Ludes-Braeger said the club was created “to promote peace, love and the pursuit of Frisbee.”

“I remember being late to class because I was playing Frisbee,” Ludes-Braeger said.

The club was originally an of-ficial school organization with Ms. April Long as the moderator. Although the Ultimate Frisbee Club is no longer affiliated with the school due to liability issues, that doesn’t stop these boys from having fun.

The club has grown since last spring and members are predom-inantly senior boys including

Joe Fulnecky, Chris Rudicel and Edward Schwering, but Miller said anyone can join. “Devin and I are the official co-presidents, but anyone can be co-president if they want to,” said Miller jokingly. “Nicholas Cage is also our official mascot.”

Many members had something to say about why they love the Ul-timate Frisbee Club. “It’s just laid back. Really laid back,” Fulnecky said. A newcomer, sophomore Layne Tacy said although it’s his

Senior Jack Mourouzis recognized as one of two National Merit semifinalists By Megan McEntireEditor’s note: This is the first of a two-part series featuring this year’s National Merit semifinalists. A fea-ture on senior Nicolas Bratton, the school’s other semifinalist, is sched-uled for the Nov. 22 issue.

Senior Jack Mourouzis wakes up in time to leave his house in West Carmel at 6:10 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fri-days in order to arrive at school by 6:40 for We The People team meetings. At 7:50 his day of class-es, including six AP and IB, begins. He said one of his favorites is inde-pendent study ceramics with Mrs. Sara Greene during sixth period.

After having Mourouzis as a student for three years, Greene said she is not surprised that he has earned National Merit semifinalist status. She said he is intelligent, creative, energetic and social. “He’s always willing to try something new,” Greene said.

Mourouzis’s AP English Liter-ature and Composition teacher, Mrs. Kathy Keyes, also praised his effort and ability. “He’s hard work-ing (and) he’s very focused,” Keyes said, “but he also has a wonderful sense of humor.”

Mourouzis is one of two seniors who have been recognized as a National Merit semifinalist. Only 16,000 students of the 1.5 million who took the PSAT last year earn this title, which is based on their scores on that test. In other words,

only the top half of the top 1 per-cent are named semifinalists.

According to Ms. Kathy Pivon-ka, college adviser for juniors and seniors with last names G-N, every year there is at least one semifi-nalist from this school. “We have had up to seven semifinalists (in a given year),” she said. Over the last six, she said, 28 students have been named semifinalists, and all but one eventually was honored as a National Merit finalist. To become a finalist one must fill out recommendation forms as well as an essay.

Of the 16,000 students across the nation who are named semi-finalists, typically about 15,000 are named finalists, a status which affords them the opportunity to apply for college scholarships.

Students who score exception-ally well on the PSAT but miss the semifinalist cutoff, which changes from year to year, are named com-mended students. Eight seniors earned that honor: Chris Fitz-gerald, Joseph Fulnecky, James George, Rachel Goldfarb, Grace Gresham, Claire Moore, Melissa Roberts and Luke Wojtalik. This year, 34,000 students from across the nation were named commend-ed students.

Mourouzis said he is looking at what he termed “high level schools,” such as Amherst, Dart-mouth, Northwest, Stanford and Vanderbilt, but is still unsure of

where he will attend.Mourouzis said, “It’s an honor

to receive this recognition.” He said he was not necessarily sur-prised because he knew he would be in the running, but he said he was excited when he found out.

He didn’t do anything specific to prepare, Mourouzis said, except in Miss Laurie O’Brien’s English course. He said material that she covered in class helped him.

He said he believes taking AP

classes allowed him to think more critically, and this ability raised his score – which he declined to provide – on the PSAT. He also said reading and interpretation are important when looking at each question.

He doesn’t have a great deal of free time, he said, because much homework and reading are in-volved in his AP and IB classes.

He does, however, find time to participate in many extracurricu-

lar activities. These include being a member of German Club and We The People, helping plan the fall mission trip, which was scheduled to leave Wednesday, and serving as the president of Indiana Associa-tion of Students of German.

“Take it seriously,” Mourouzis said, referring to the test, “(be-cause) if you do well on the PSAT, it can really help you.” Reporter Jack Quigley also contrib-uted to this story.

Senior Jack Mourouzis, a National Merit semifinalist, works in Ms. Sara Greene’s sixth period ceramics class. Greene said, “He’s always willing to try something new.” Mourouzis said, “It’s an honor to receive this recognition” about qualifying as a National Merit semifinalist. | Photo by Sam White

megaphone A&E October 25, 2013 7

New operating system: Download at your own risk, chief information officer says

bring your tools that you know are going to work.”

One of the most noticeable changes in iOS 7 was the appear-ance of the home screen and apps. A new feature includes a control center that allows users to navi-gate their mobile device quickly. Through the control center, users can access certain settings such as brightness and airplane mode and tools such as the calculator, clock, music and flashlight.

The introduction of the iTunes radio allows listeners similar fea-tures as the Pandora music app.

Users can search a particular artist or song and the radio will play songs that are similar or are of the same genre.

Because the changes are mainly cosmetic and serve to make the device easier to navigate and more ascetically pleasing, there is no sense of urgency to update.

From an academic standpoint,

By Emerson WolffApple released the iOS 7 update

to the general public last month, but students here were encouraged not to update their iPads, and as of two weeks ago, that still is the case, according to Mr. Rolly Landeros, chief information officer.

“Your iPads are basically pro-duction equipment. You need your iPads to work,” Landeros said, and at this point, he said he is not con-vinced that iPads updated with the new operating system will func-tion in classrooms.

Landeros said that main issue in downloading iOS 7 involves its current reliability.

“The issue comes down to it’s a fun piece of equipment or it’s new and its different, and that in itself is alluring, but that’s not what is go-ing to get you an A, it is what’s re-liable, what’s consistent, and what you’re going to be able to use in the classroom,” he said.

Until the technology depart-ment can guarantee safeguards when using the update, the staff will not recommend the upgrade to students or teachers.

Landeros said that he will re-main conservative in his approach to using the update so that stu-dents feel comfortable knowing they have reliable piece of equip-ment in the classroom.

Problems with printingLanderos said issues students have experienced if they have decided to download iOS 7 have included the inability to open the Pear-son textbooks in iBooks, deleted notes in Notability, failure with the IMessage application and pass code trouble.

These difficulties hinder stu-dents’ abilities to use their IPads efficiently. Landeros said, “We want to make sure what students are bringing to school is no differ-ent than what an employer would expect them to bring to work. You

students should not expect iOS 7 to help boost their grades.

A select group of teachers has been asked to download iOS 7 and experiment with it in the class-room, Landeros said.

Their assignment is to detect difficulties so that they can share with their fellow staff members their experiences with the operat-ing system.

Mr. Eric Schmidt, who teaches math and theology, said that iOS 7 is a more “visual than practical dif-ference in how you use the applica-tion.” He said he found that some third party apps he had previously downloaded did not have sound compatibility with iOS 7.

Beneficial to classes“I don’t think the update was nec-essary but it will definitely be ben-eficial for classes to do things more efficiently,” theology teacher Ms. Katherine Klee said.

Klee said she is new to Apple products and said that her newly installed Apple TV, which is syn-ched with the control center on iOS 7, will allow her to perform classroom activities in a more timely manner.

The technology department’s primary concern with the new update is its functionality for daily student use and an assurance that students will be able to use the technology that has been provided to them as effectively as possible.

Ultimately, students have the final decision whether they will download iOS 7.

Landeros said, “There are dif-ference between wanting some-thing that looks nice and is fun to use versus something that is very reliable that will work every single time you want it to be in the class-room.”

During his ninth period ceramics class last week, sophomore Sean McKinney works on his iPad. Technology staff here have cautioned students about downloading the latest operating system until staffers have ensured that iOS7 is compatible with textbooks and other software. | Photo by Johanna Cole

What do you think of iOS7?

“The new camera is cool.”Freshman Alan Lozano

“I like it but it looks girly.”Junior Maradythe Stuart

“I like the double tap.”Senior Anna Gibbons

megaphone Sports October 25, 20138

Former football standout Jack Doyle lives the dream of playing for hometown ColtsBy Ross Weber

The football program has al-ways produced Division I ath-letes.  From Stu Stanley to Kofi Hughes, and from Anthony Cor-saro to Terry McLaurin, Irish foot-ball traditionally has at least one player every year who goes to on to a top-tier college football pro-grams.

 However, only a select few have ever made it to the NFL. Now, add Jack Doyle to that list.

Doyle graduated in 2008 and was part of two State champion-ship teams. In his senior season in 2008, he had 21 catches for 400 yards and four touchdowns as the Irish won a State championship.

He then went on to attend Western Kentucky University on a football scholarship. There, he had a stellar career, finishing with 162 receptions (second all-time in WKU history), 1,769 yards and eight touchdowns. He was first team all-conference his senior year and was a semifinalist for the John Mackey award, given to the best

tight end in the country every year.After finishing his college ca-

reer, he went on to enter into the 2013 NFL Draft. He was given a seventh round draft grade by NFL.com, nfldraftscout.com, and CBSSports.com. Even though he went undrafted, his 6-foot, 6-inch frame made him a hot free agent commodity. The Tennessee Titans signed him on May 10, and he went through training camp with them.  He was released by the Ti-tans, but then the Colts picked him up on Sept. 1.

“It’s been kind if a crazy pro-cess,” said Doyle, who was inter-viewed over the phone two weeks ago. “I go through training camp with Tennessee, then I get a call from the Colts and I drive up (to Indianapolis) from Nashville the same day.”

Now, due to the season end-ing injury to starting tight end Dwayne Allen, Doyle moves to second on the depth chart behind tight end Coby Fleener. “(Fleener and Allen) have been very help-

ful,” Doyle said. “I try to pick their brains as much as possible.”

In a Colts offense that has been running more two tight end sets under new offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton, Doyle could see more playing time in the coming weeks. 

Doyle’s accomplishment of reaching the NFL is a rare feat for a former Cathedral football player. He joins Mathias Kiwanuka of the New York Giants and Jake Trueb-lood of the Atlanta Falcons as the only former Irish currently on NFL rosters. 

He’s also the first Cathedral graduate to play for the hometown team, the Indianapolis Colts.

“It makes it that much more special,” Doyle said. “I’d be lying to you to say it isn’t cool.”

The Colts have been on a roll this season, led by second year quarterback Andrew Luck who worked with Hamilton at Stanford. “It’s hard to see (Luck) as a young guy,” Doyle said. “He’s such a lead-er, he’s a man.”

And as the Colts make a run toward the playoffs, the “build the monster” motto and never back down style will help drive this team toward the goal of playing in February. “It’s such a family atmosphere here,” Doyle said. “Ev-

eryone cares for each other.” Doyle is currently living the dream of playing for one’s hometown team.

“It’s cool for my family because they get to go to all the games,” Doyle said. “But when you’re out there, it’s just football.”

Doyle is in his rookie season in the NFL, “It’s been a crazy experience.” |photo provided by Indianapolis Colts, used by permission

Only six years after graduating, former football players return to coach freshman teamBy Andrew Hussey

Everyone here knows football is huge, from the raucous pep rallies to those seminal moments under the Friday night lights. The entire community unites to cheer on those who have devoted hours upon hours to perfecting their craft. Seemingly the palpable passion for Irish football never graduates. That’s why three former players have chosen to come back to help coach freshman football.

Marty McGlinn, Class of 2008, loves blasting Nelly after huge wins, but that’s not why he said he came back. “Missing Cathedral” is what encouraged McGlinn to re-turn to the home of the blue and gold after playing all four years of high school and he could not resist when “John O’Hara asked him to help coach.” With his degree in ed-ucation it felt like a perfect fit.

What makes the program so

special for him is “the kids, who make it worth putting in all the time and effort that coaching brings,” McGlinn said. “It’s cool to see the kids come in June and watch them grow up and mature by the end of the season.”

McGlinn serves as the offen-sive coordinator for the freshman team and also helps coach the quarterbacks and the outside line-backers. “it’s hard to think about Cathedral without football, always been a big deal, everyone loves it,” McGlinn said.

Another former player, William Stubbs, Class of 2007, also bleeds blue and gold. Stubbs tried coach-ing at Warren Central, but said he didn’t feel the love at Warren and appreciated the family aspect of football along with the tradition, here.

“The traditions are essential to Cathedral football and they make

people feel connected with the football program no matter how old they are,” Stubbs said. Stubbs played football all four years here and was the starting running back his sophomore year.

His favorite moment so far“-Seeing all the freshmen on the first day in their little grade school cliques, and now they have come together as one.”

Stubbs said he loves coaching because “it means everything to me; it allows me to teach these kids teamwork, responsibility, discipline and time management,” all important life lessons. And as Stubbs said, football isn’t just about life lessons, but it is “the backbone.” He is coaching the running backs this year.

Although one only gets four years at Cathedral High School, it’s true, one never leaves the Irish family.

Marty McGlinn (left) and William Stubbs (right) are now coaching with Coach Rick Streiff after playing for him fewer than six years ago. McGlinn is currently the quarterbacks coach and Stubbs is currently the running backs coach for the freshmen. |Photo by Andrew Hussey

megaphone Sports October 25, 2013 9

Olivia Kluger - Volleyball - HeartKluger uses her heart in every single aspect of volleyball to help her team win. Without her passion of the game, the Irish would be without a great senior leader.

Lauren Roy- Women’s Cross-Country - LegFor cross-country, running is the name of the game. Runners need to have strong, quick legs to accomplish victory and Roy, who has been on varsity cross country since her fresh-man year, has proven to be one of the best.

Karli Lagrotte - Golf - MindState ranked golfer, and holder of multiple course records across the state, Lagrotte uses her knowledge to focus on her next move and execute her swing.

Luke Wojtalik - Arm - TennisWojtalik has been one of the best Netters over his four years on the varsity squad. His powerful arm leads to plenty of aces and front hand

Nick Foley - Men’s Soccer - CoreFoley was a true senior leader on this remarkable Irish team this season. In soccer stamina, endurance and a strong core are a necessity, also soccer players like to show off their core by taking their jerseys off as celebration after scoring goals.

Adam George - Men’s Cross-Country - LegGeorge has been racking up fast numbers this season, and been improving his times over the last four seasons on the squad. He’s prov-en himself to be one of the hardest workers on the team.

Kate Bigelow - Women’s Soccer - FootBigelow was the captain for the Lady Irish this year, and she used her feet to dribble through defenders and pass the ball to her teammates all season.

Ultimate Athlete: Fall Sports Edition

Terry McLaurin - Football - HandsIt’s a necessity to have strong and soft hands as a receiver, and McLaurin has certainly shown his great ball skills this year with 41 catches and 7 catching touchdowns. His explosive play has led to strong Mr. Football consideration.

Maddie Logan- Cheer leading - Voice Senior cheerleader Maddie Logan uses her voice to cheer on the Irish and get the crowd excited during the assemblies and all of the football games.

Recognizing the best and brightest varsity athletes

Photos submitted by Cathedran Staff

10 October 25, 2013 megaphone Opinion

STAFF EDITORIALS

megaphoneStaff

Co-editors in chief: Ben Sasin,Elizabeth WymanNews editor: Ben SasinAssistant news editor: Zane TuriOpinion editor:Claire MooreAssistant opinion editor:Jill Stinson Feature editor: Meg Turchi Assistant feature editor: Emma Flynn

In-depth editor:Elizabeth WymanAssistant in-depth editor: Ashley KingSports editor: Ross WeberAssistant sports editor: Ian KeaA&E editors: Kara Williams, Emerson WolffPhotographers: Annie Browning, Jingle WangReporters: Ben Baker, Brigid Murphy,

Katie SwantonCartoonist: Megan WolfAdviser: Mr. Tony WillisPrincipal: Mr. David WorlandPresident: Mr. Stephen Helmich

Megaphone is a forum for public expression. These opinions do not necessar-ily reflect the views of the entire Megaphone staff or of Cathedral High School.

Letters Policy -- Letters to the editors are welcomed from readers who wish to express their opinion on issues and topics that affect them. Letters should be de-livered to the student publi-cations lab (room 2212) or e-mailed to megaphone@gocathedral.com at least two weeks before the paper is published. All letters must be signed and will be pub-lished with the writer’s name affixed. Length is limited

to 300 words. Megaphone reserves the right to edit letters for grammar and for space requirements without changing intent. Letters that are libelous, unduly sar-castic or caustic will not be published.

Megaphone is the student news-paper of Cathedral High School, 5225 E. 56th Street, Indianap-olis, IN 46226, (317-542-1481), and is published the last Friday of every month.

Mission Statement:The Megaphone is committed to delivering honest news and informing the student body with quality, informative, and entertaining news.

While a fall break would be welcome, there’s a reason we don’t have oneThe crisp fall air tickles your

nose as you hold a Starbucks cup in one hand and a stack of books in another. Your classmates rush around you in an array of stress, anxiety and frustration.

With the falling of the leaves goes the falling of the grades and the rising of stress levels.

A fall break would obviously allow for some recuperation time. For us, it would be the perfect break in the quarter and a nice reward for all our hard work. Un-fortunately, the instituting of a fall break would come with a price.

Principal Mr. Dave Worland said, “We schedule 183 school days knowing that three will be used for championship free days or snow days. I am open to discussion of a fall break, though.” With the con-sultation of several other admin-istrators, Worland is in charge of what days we get off of school.

If Cathedral High School were to get a fall break, those other spe-cial days we get off would be taken away. So it comes down to whether students would rather have a day off here and there, or all of them at once.

Your opinion does matter, and Worland said he is open to hearing those opinions and to exploring options regarding fall break.

It has been scientifically proven that long breaks in the year such

as winter and spring breaks help students much better than if they had only a day off. If students have only a day off, they are going to want to spend time with friends rather than catch up on rest. If the breaks were long, then there would be time for both.

However, a long fall break – two weeks for some area districts due to their implementation of a balanced calendar – is not under immediate consideration here and probably should not be, at least at this point.

The staff agrees that a fall break would be nice, but that break would not be worth the elimina-tion of days off such as St. Patrick’s Day or the Shamrauction Day.

Regardless, it is always an-noying to hear about awesome fall break experiences from our friends attending other surround-ing schools, but if you know the reason for the lack of a fall break here (and don’t forget Monday’s day off to reward the students who sold their allotment of raffle tick-ets), then you can appreciate the lack of a long weekend or even two weeks off.

For now, just be content with the view of the beautiful court-yard’s changing leaves from your classroom windows and finish your cup of coffee.

Congratulations to French and Spanish teacher Mrs. Kathy Darnell, who was cho-sen as Indiana’s 2013 World Language Teacher of the Year.

She was also selected as the Indiana Secondary French Teacher of the year and the Indiana Secondary World Language Teacher of the year.

Darnell was given this honor, with the announcement made last weekend, after competing with other world language teachers through-out the state at the annual Indiana World Language Fall Conference.

She will now continue on in competing for the Cen-tral States World Language Teacher of the year in 2015.

We wish her the best and recognize the outstanding instruction that takes place not only in Darnell’s class-room, but in classrooms on this campus every day. We are fortunate to attend a school with exemplary, caring educa-tors such as Darnell and her

Congratulations to Mrs. Darnell

megaphone Opinion October 25, 2013 11

The sweeping movement for life the mainstream media doesn’t want you to know about One day changed my life. That

day was Jan. 23, 2012 on the March for Life, which is a peaceful pro-life protest in Washington.

That day, as I stepped off the coach bus with other high school students, I stopped in my tracks and stood in awe at the amount of people that packed Washington. Everywhere I looked there were people. What once were streets of vehicles became rivers of people flooding the nation’s Capital. More than 500,000 people descended on Washington that day.

I noticed people in all stages of life from newborn to elderly participating in the march. I saw signs of pro-life groups from coast to coast, and I heard various lan-guages spoken by people marching by and saw people of different reli-gions. I even heard high-school-ers chant “We. Are. Pro. Life.” and “Hey, hey. Ho, ho. Roe v. Wade has got to go!”

I felt a chill run down my spine from the excitement of being a part of something so powerful.

It was an experience like no

other, almost too difficult to put into words. I was in shock over the number of people who were pres-ent at the same time, in the same place, who believed in the pro-life movement, in spite of the freezing East Coast winter weather. The

protest made me feel like I was not alone in speaking out and the children who were lost to abortion were not forgotten.

In no time, I realized what a big deal the March was so, I simply asked myself, “Why exactly has the mainstream media not reported about this massive protest?”

It was at that moment that I decided to become a voice for the unborn. And that is why I invite you and the entire student body to join the Life Savers, the school’s pro-life club, and I in going to the

2014 March for Life. On my first year going on the

march, I traveled to Washington with two fellow students, and the following year I went with 14 stu-dents. My goal is to be able to share my experience by bringing even more students to January’s March for Life.

Even if you are slightly interest-ed in the trip, I encourage you to attend the March for Life Trip call-out meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 19 at 3:30 p.m. in Mr. Quannah Jefferies’ room 4238. See you there!

PERSONAL OPINION: BEN SASIN

“I felt a chill run down my spine from the excitement of being a part of something so powerful.”

Film provides the incentive to pay it forward and is a challenge worth acceptingPERSONAL OPINION: HEAVEN’S TO BETSY | ELIZABETH WYMAN

“I will pay it forward and do something good for someone else.”

Newly elected Freshman Class expresses pride and sets goals for his fellow students

Talk about a change. I came from a class of 45 eighth-grad-

ers. I entered into a class of 319 kids in the Freshman Class. Now, I know kids who came from eighth grade classes larger than Cathedral’s whole student body. Kids from every type of school have come together, and now rep-resent the Class of 2017 as a whole.

I, Jack Mattei, was lucky enough to be voted as the class president, along with six other officers, Joe A’Hearn, Hannah Dittmer, Hunt-er Hopkins, Mazzy Huser, Maddy Martin and James Smith.

I have been here only for two months, but I already can tell this place is special. We are now a family. Our class has been coming

together of kids come together so well in the course of a week. The outcome was not what we were hoping for, but after the Home-coming assembly, not a single kid was upset.

We were all proud of how we came together and what we were able to accomplish (third place). I know we have a lot to work on, but

this class is going to be great. And we do plan on winning the Spirit Stick the next three years.

We would like to be known as that class that went above and be-yond, not just in class spirit, but in service, faith and academics.

I expect big things from our class. It’ll be an exciting four years. 

GUEST OPINION: FRESHMAN CLASS PRESIDENT JACK MATTEI

Most people know Hayley Joel Osment as the guy

who said “I see dead people” in the movie “The Sixth Sense.” But I know him as the little boy who came up with the remark-able concept of paying it forward in the movie “Pay it Forward.”

It’s about a young boy who takes special interest in his social studies assignment, to “think of something to change the world, and put it into action.” The boy came up with the idea of paying it forward. That to make the world a better place is to simply pay it forward, and give back what has been given to you.

Now paying it forward is not a newly discovered concept. Ralph

Waldo Emerson once said, “In the order of nature we cannot render benefits to those from whom we receive them, or only seldom. But the benefit we receive must be ren-dered again, line for line, deed for deed, cent for cent, to somebody.”

But in this movie, for an 11-year-old boy burdened by his mother’s alcoholism and abusive father to come up with this con-cept and act on it in his commu-nity conveys a deeper meaning and one well worth emulating.

Completely irrelevant to the movie, due to strange cir-cumstances that I would nev-er be able to explain to you, I have had weird luck when it

comes to winning radio contests. I don’t sit by my phone and

wait to call or text, I just hear the word, I call and I win. It’s an in-sane streak of luck and all I have to show for it are nine used con-cert tickets and a few Instagrams. But this last time I won tickets I decided to do something different.

Fast forward to a few days pri-

or to when I won the tickets I was driving and saw a family of four on the side of the road holding a piece of cardboard with writing on it that nobody ever bothers to read. They were homeless. Sud-denly, a feeling that I hadn’t ever felt before subdued my body.

I was near a Walmart so I went in bought a loaf of bread, a jar of peanut butter and jelly and I went to take it to the fam-ily as, it was the least I could do.

Unfortunately, when I got back to where the family, they were gone. Fast forward two days later after I picked up my Imag-ine Dragons tickets at the radio station. I see a homeless man on

the side of the road with a simi-lar cardboard box to the one the family held. This man’s sign simply read “hungry,” so with the bread and peanut butter and jelly still in my car, I motion for him to come over and I hand him the food.

He simply said thank you and I noticed he didn’t have any front teeth. So I have decided that from now on when something good or in my case “lucky” happens to me, I will pay it forward and do some-thing good for someone else. You never know what little things could mean the world to someone else.

So pay it forward, Cathedral, because one day you may just find yourself on the other end.

“I’ve only been here for two months, but I already can tell this place is special.”

together since welcome week, but Homcoming has really sped up this process. I have never seen a

12 October 25, 2013 megaphone Face-off

FACE-OFF: To trick-or-treat or to not trick-or-treatTrick-or-treating is best left as a childhood traditionBy Ian Kea

“Halloween, and trick-or-treating in particular, isn’t just about getting candy.”

“It’s time for the younglings to get their chance. We must realize its time to grow up.”

When we were younger, my sister and I would always compete to see who could collect the most candy while out trick-or-treating. I have no shame in admitting that this same competition between us was still occurring just two years ago.

My freshman year, several of my friends and I decided that regardless of our age, we would go trick-or-treating. My sister was still in middle school at the time, so she, of course, was trick-or-treating also. We walked around the same neighborhoods and stayed out for the same amount of time, but at the end of the night, my sister had collected more candy than I had.

Though I didn’t want to admit it, I knew that this was because she was younger. Some of the houses my friends and I had gone to hadn’t given us candy because they said we were too old. So, this clearly put a dent in my collections. But I didn’t regret my choice to trick-or-treat that night or feel like I was too old to have gone; I wasn’t going to let a few stubborn adults ruin my Halloween fun.

Halloween, and trick-or-treating in particular, isn’t just about getting candy. Trick-or-treating is a time to have fun dressing up in costumes and spending time around your neighborhood with family and friends. There’s a special sense of holiday spirit in going door to door collecting goodies.

As a child, you learn many things while out in the

neighborhood: who has the coolest costumes, which houses give the best candy, how late you should stay out, etc. After gaining this knowledge, kids become more experienced in the art of trick-or-treating. So, if we spend all those years learning more and more about Halloween, why should there be a cut-off age at which we must stop using what we know?

The past two years, I’ve gone with my friend to take her younger sister and her friends trick-or-treating around their neighborhood. Since we’d been trick-or-treating for years, we knew what to do to ensure them the most candy. While walking around, it was only tradition that we went to the doors to get candy as well. Fortunately, all of the parents gave us treats too. It’s probably fair to say that we were using my friend’s little sister as an excuse to go trick-or-treating, but we weren’t ready to give up our Halloween traditions yet.

Looking back on my high school trick-or-treating experiences, I realize that the reason I got more candy the last two years than my freshman year is the fact that I had younger kids with me. Adults are probably much less likely to give out their candy to a group of teenagers than they are to a couple older kids chaperoning a younger group.

But does this mean that high schoolers should be discouraged from trick-or-treating? Not at all. There are plenty of neighborhoods that give out candy to anyone, and volunteering to walk around with younger siblings or neighbors would be a great help to parents. Either way, do whatever it takes to get your Halloween candy this year; you’re never too old.

Trick-or-Treating is a symbol of most Americans childhood. Dressing up in costume, playing monster mash, taking 3 pieces of candy instead of 2 or even dumping a bowl full of candy from a person who left a note saying grab just 1 piece.  As much as I myself would love to go and take strangers candy annually on October 31st I know my time is up. I knew my time was up when I was a freshman in high school and went trick-or-treating with a Michael Jackson mask on which scared more kids than I realized. I live in the Immaculate Heart of Mary area so I always knew it would be a competitive Halloween. That’s why I always went early to go trick-or-treating. My friends and I one Halloween were going from house to house minding our own business until we arrived at one house that told us “Aren’t you a little old for trick-or-treating. Let some of the real kids get some treats you ungrateful young men”. The woman who said this to me was that one person on the block that gave out fruit...But she had a point and that’s when I realized finally, my time was up. When thinking about that night I realized when people ran out of candy and another little girl or boy comes to that house, that my friends and I took their candy without really knowing it and ruined the holiday we had treasured for years as kids. It’s time for the younglings to get their chance. We must realize its time to grow up.

The true cutoff age for trick-or-treating is high school (sorry for the late warning freshman). Remember how you enjoyed trick-or-treating so much? Remember that one house that gave out the King sized candy bars just to you because you mowed their yard once? Remember when you and your sibling when the night was over would dump the bag of candy on the floor and go all in on a certain candy while your parents picked out the ones you didn’t like? Let the kids now enjoy what we got to experience and love and pass it down to their kids and so on. During Halloween it is about the experience and to be honest kids remember the candy most of all. The candy reminds them of the fun experience they had with their family and friends that Halloween night. I am not knocking off Halloween as a whole. It’s an awesome holiday. Halloween is one of the holidays that the United States is known for. If Will Ferrell promotes and throws Halloween parties then it has to be an important holiday. My recommendation to you to curb your desire to go out trick-or-treating; give out candy to kids at your home and see the smile on their face and realize how much joy you are giving them just through a little piece of candy or go to CVS and just buy some candy. You could assist a younger sibling by walking with them as they go trick-or-treating. You could go to a party. You could carve a pumpkin or smash one. Or you could do what I do and watch the Michael Myers movies all night and never sleep. Let the kids be kids, let them enjoy it.

There is never an age that is too old to trick-or-treatBy Jill Stinson