Sand Script November, 2009 John W. Hallahan Catholic Girls’ High School Volume LXXIV

Decks of cards, slot-

machine posters, and hanging

dice adorned the gym on Octo-

ber 3, 2009. These decorations

set the perfect mood for the

―Las Vegas-themed‖ Back-to-

School Dance. Many people got

into the Las Vegas spirit and

came dressed in flashy-colored

clothes and jewelry. Some girls

even wore earrings with cards

of aces dangling from them.

The night kicked off at

7:30 with many popular songs

such as ―Circus‖ by Britney

Spears, ―I Gotta Feeling‖ by

Black Eyed Peas, ―Single La-

dies‖ by Beyoncé Knowles and

of course, ―Hey Mickey‖ by

Toni Basil. The memorable

night ended with the senior

class song, ―Remember Me

This Way‖ by Jordan Hill.

When asked their opin-

ions on the dance, senior Gina

Cautilli said: ―It was a really

nice final back-to-school dance

for me. I had a fun time.‖ ―I had

a lot of fun with my friends at

the dance. I also thought that

the DJ was good because he

kept everyone up and dancing. I

had a really good time,‖ said

freshman, Stephanie DiCicco.

―The dance was so much fun. It

was really nice hanging out

with my friends. It was also a

great way to meet new people. I

really liked when the DJ played

―Party in the USA‖ by Miley

Cyrus because everyone got

together to dance with each

other. It was my first dance at

Hallahan and I really enjoyed

it,‖ said freshman Veronica

Duca.

The dance was an ex-

citing way for students to get

back into the school year. It

proved to be an enjoyable ex-

perience for all.

Friday, October 23, was a day

that Hallahan students were waiting for all

year: Hallahan Day. Hallahan Day means

many things to different people. For some

it means seeing or performing in the Hal-

lahan Day Show. It also means giving and

receiving presents

with their big/little

sisters, getting a

break from classes,

or hanging out with

friends. No matter

what you think when

you hear the words

"Hallahan Day", this

day has a special

meaning for every-

one.

The sched-

ule this year was a

little different. In

previous years the

juniors and freshmen had

their breakfast and ex-

changed gifts while the

sophomores saw the Hallahan Day show.

The sophomores then went home and the

freshmen and juniors saw the show.

This year the seniors and sopho-

mores quickly exchanged presents and

then went to the auditorium to watch the

seniors perform the

Hallahan Day

Show. The sopho-

mores had a dance

party in the gym

during this time.

After the first per-

formance, the jun-

iors and freshmen

had their breakfast

and exchanged

gifts while the

sophomores saw

the second show.

The

theme of this year's

Hallahan Day Show was

―The Breakfast Club‖ and

followed a day in detention for five stu-

dents: an NHS girl (Stephanie Osawaru),

a Student Council member (Stephanie

DiMuzio), a cheerleader (Loren Mallon),

a basketball player (Chrissy Hodges), and

a rebel (Chrissy DiStefano).

Throughout the show they

flashback to how each student received a

detention from beloved teachers such as

Mrs. O'Grady (Liz McPeak), Ms. Ehritz

(Ashley Harley), Mrs. Sawick (Sara Tim-

per), Ms. Fleming (Alex Karpin), Mrs.

Lafty (Kerri McLaughlin), Mrs. Betham

(Jessica Plaza), and more. Each teacher

performed a song such as ―Love Story‖

and ―You Belong With Me‖ by Taylor

Swift, ―Halo‖ and ―Single Ladies‖ by

Beyoncé, ―Good Girls Go Bad‖ by Cobra

Starship, and more.

By the end of the day it was clear

to see that each student had a great time

and enjoyed this year‘s Hallahan Day.

No matter which aspect of the day they

liked most, this year's Hallahan Day was

a memorable one for all.

On October 21, 2009 silence

filled the gymnasium. The sounds of crick-

ets were heard from miles away. Chatters

of human voices were nonexistent at that

moment.

Suddenly, the bell rang. Fourth

period lunch was about to begin. The

sound of footprints going thump, thump,

thump, rapidly increased as hundreds of

girls charged down the steps for their pe-

riod of relaxation: a period of nourishment,

and a period of leisure and knowledge.

After devouring their lunches, the

girls piled into the gym to explore the

wonders of the different aspects of health,

from ways to maintaining a healthy system

to the tragic results of breast cancer if not

treated properly. Not only did they receive

the chance to enhance their minds, they

were also able to have their faces painted!

Representatives from CCP were also there

to provide Hallahan with health informa-

tion on aspects such as blood pressure.

This day was a blast and everyone enjoyed

the fair as if it were a circus, especially the

free candy and prizes that were offered!

Always remember: Staying healthy puts a

smile on your face!

Student Council Installation ■ Pledging to serve the Hallahan Community

————————————————- By: Shelley Leung ‗12

As every blue ribbon girl walked down

the aisle of the Cathedral, some were carrying

flags and others carried candles which represented

"the light of Christ." This exciting moment for our

new student leaders marked the beginning of a

new and exciting school year. A special welcome

to the Hallahan family was extended to the Class

of 2013.

Congratulations to Audrey Melli, our

2009-2010 student council president, and to all of

the other student council members. Our student

leaders made a pledge to serve our school commu-

nity which was highlighted by the passing down

of the class flags.

Hallahan Day ■ Students enjoy beloved tradition ———————–——————————— By: Angela Robb ‗10

Ready, Set, Stay Healthy! ■ Hallahan Health Fair is a hit ———————–——————————— By: Lena Ma ‗10

Back-to-School Dance ■ Las Vegas comes to Hallahan ———————–——————————— By: Tiffany Cautilli ‗12

Inside Page 2: Pulaski Day Parade, Cheeseteak Wars, and more Page 3: Book and movie reviews Page 4: Senior soccer players highlighted

The Community

If you reminisce all the way back

to last April, you will remember when

everyone panicked over the word ‖swine

flu‖, thinking that it literally came from a

pig. Just so we are all clear about this,

swine flu, also known as H1N1 influenza,

is a human disease, not from pigs. The

reason for the nickname is because the

virus that causes the disease came to hu-

mans from pigs. In addition, the virus

contains genes from swine, bird, and hu-

man flu viruses, and even scientists today

are still arguing whether ―swine flu‖ is

the correct name to call this disease, how-

ever, most people know it as H1N1 swine

flu virus.

What frightens people the most is

that very few people have any natural

immunity to the H1N1 swine flu and the

result is that the normal seasonal flu shot

offers no protection against this new vi-

rus. You‘re probably wondering what the

symptoms of this virus are. Just like any

other flu symptoms, it includes fever,

cough, sore throat, runny nose, body

aches and fatigue. Also, numerous people

who have had swine flu have experienced

diarrhea and vomiting. Almost everyone

with the flu has at least two of these

symptoms. Here‘s something you probably did not

know: pregnant women are six times more

likely to have severe flu diseases than

women who are not pregnant. Also, young

children, especially those under 2 years of

age, people with asthma, liver or kidney

problems, neurological disorders, and

elderly people are at higher risk of severe

flu disease. People in these groups should

seek medical care as soon as they get the

swine flu.

Let me give you a

few healthy tips, if you should ever get

the swine flu: STAY HOME, and when

you cough or sneeze, please cover your

mouth and nose with tissue. Most impor-

tantly, ALWAYS carry a hand sanitizer!

This will not only benefit you, but also the

people around you,

Also, Dr. Margaret Chan, direc-

tor-general of the World Health Organiza-

tion emphasizes the danger of the swine

by saying, ―All countries should immedi-

ately now activate their pandemic prepar-

edness plans. Countries should remain on

high alert for unusual outbreaks of influ-

enza-like illness and severe pneumonia.‖ The U.S. has purchased 251 mil-

lion doses of the vaccine against this dis-

ease and has promised 10% of the vaccine

to developing nations. Moreover, this vac-

cine is especially beneficial for students.

Schools across the nation are urging every

student to get the vaccine in order to pre-

vent as many people as possible from

catching the swine flu, including John W.

Hallahan!

So what are YOU waiting for?

Get your flu shots now!

The Polish community of

Philadelphia showed their pride on Sun-

day, October 4th in the 76th Anniver-

sary of the Pulaski Day Parade.

The theme of this year‘s parade

was the 230th anniversary of the death

of General Casmir Pulaski and also to

commemorate the 70th Anniversary of

the Invasion of Poland and the Outbreak

of World War II.

Beginning on 20th St. and the

Benjamin Franklin Parkway and ending

at 22nd Street, the parade was covered

live by WPVI TV. There was free seat-

ing for viewers

and families to observe the parade from

Logan Square. People enjoyed an an-

nual display of Polish history and cul-

ture.

Dieters and vegetarians, please skip to

the next side of the page immediately! It‘s time

to shed some light on Philadelphia‘s

―Cheesesteak Wars‖. For those who are just

hearing about this legendary war, the main con-

flict of it lies in the decades-long question peo-

ple are still trying to answer: Which is better,

Pat‘s or Geno‘s Steaks?

Located in the heart of South Philadel-

phia, these two cheesesteak powerhouses have

been at it for years and are so famous that they

have even made their way onto ―The Dr. Phil

Show‖. But there are some of you who still want

to know, what‘s the big deal? A Sandscript

reporter (yours truly) was able to go to South

Philly to try one cheesesteak from each of the

steakhouses. I must say, it‘s a

very difficult decision to make. Both steaks are

very good, and are sure to whet the appetites of

any person visiting the city.

So, the only conclusion I can make is

that the ―Cheesesteak Wars‖ will last for a very,

very long time.

By: Tiffany Cautilli ‗12

Football player Michael Vick

was at the top of his game until officials

arrested him for operating a dog fighting

ring. Vick, who was only sentenced to 18

months in prison, was considered by some

to be a ―heavyweight dogfighter‖ due to

how much money he bet on these brutal

dog fights which he thought of as a

―sport‖ of some kind. Vick wasted be-

tween $30,000 and $40,000 on these mali-

cious death arenas in which innocent dogs

were put into a pit and expected to fight

each other to their death.

This wicked man was responsible

for the death of over 60 dogs, mainly Pit

Bulls. Sadly, Pit Bulls and American Pit

Bull Terriers are the main dog breeds used

in dog fights. For some reason, people

assume that these dogs are vicious and

evil from birth, and are ―bred to fight.‖

Being the owner of a Bull Terrier, I can

say from experience that these dogs are

not vicious from birth. My dog is ex-

tremely affectionate and caring and would

never want to fight another dog. People

assume because they are considered ―bully

breed‖ dogs that they are evil. I think that

it all depends on how a dog is raised. If a

Chihuahua or Chow is raised to be a vi-

cious, it‘s going to be an evil dog despite

its breed. The actions of a dog all

depend on the care of its owner. There-

fore, I feel that Michael Vick should be

imprisoned for the rest of his life. He is a

murderer and if he would have murdered

another living thing, he would have been

imprisoned for more than a mere 18

months. I think that it is a disgrace that he

was only sentenced to 18 months in jail

for what he did. I also feel that it is an

even bigger disgrace to the city of Phila-

delphia that he is now a member of the

Eagles. Even if he is the best football

player in the entire country, he still killed

over 60 dogs and doesn‘t deserve to go

back to playing football again.

By: Kathryn Murray ‗12 When we thought of Michael Vick

before 2007, we probably used the term ―pro

-football player‖ to describe him. But nowa-

days we think of him using one term: ―dog

killer‖. For some, the mere thought of his

name boils our blood (for good reason), or

makes us shake our heads in disgust. Some of

us can‘t even stand the fact that he is now

playing on our beloved football team, the

Eagles. But I have a question for all the peo-

ple reading this article and many others: How

long are we going to do this? How many

more years must we condemn and criticize

Vick before we can actually forgive him?

(Yes, I said it: forgive him.)

I believe that as Christians, we are

supposed to eventually forgive those who

have hurt us in some way, no matter how

heinous the crime may be. Also, Vick‘s crime

was a very grave one, which required serving

time in federal prison. (Now I know that

some of you feel that he should have served

more than 2 years, but consider this: How

many people in this country who deserve to

be put away behind bars actually are, espe-

cially a famous NFL star who earns millions

every year?)

Now I don‘t want any of you to re-

spond to my questions with angry notes or

dirty looks in the hallway or cafeteria when

the teacher‘s not looking. Do my points jus-

tify Vick‘s actions? Absolutely not. (I‘ll say it

again: Absolutely not.) What he did was atro-

cious, and always will be. But I want people

to stop and put their pitchforks down and

think about a situation before they start to act

on it. I hope you have enjoyed reading this

article, and have tried to see it from my per-

spective. Thank you for your attention.

Courtesy of cbc.ca

Pulaski Day Parade ■ Polish Club represents Hallahan in annual parade ———————–——————————— By: Dominique Brennan ‗11

Courtesy of Mrs. Sheetz

“Cheesesteak Wars” ■ Attempting to settle a decades-old dispute ———————–——————————— By: Kathryn Murray ‗12

Courtesy of Flickr.com H1N1 Pandemic ■ Vital information about the ―swine flu‖ ———————–———————— By: Hannah Mira ‗13

Opinion Editorials The Michael Vick Debate

■ Examining two sides of the issue

———————–———————————–———————————————————————————————————————————

Source: Zimbio.com

Vick‘s Philadelphia Eagles jersey Source: Jerseycloset.com

Arts and Entertainment

During the week of

June 23-28, 2009 the eight-time

Tony winning musical

(including one award for best

musical in 2007) ―Spring

Awakening‖ came to perform

for audiences in Philadelphia at

The Academy of Music for its

first national tour.

In the months leading

up to the show, the street team,

―The Guilty Ones‖ advertised

the show, handed out flyers,

and tried to earn prizes and

tickets to sit on stage.

The cast of the show

included Krystina Alabado

(Ensamble), Christy Altomare

(Wendla), Blake Bashoff

(Moritz), Julie Benko

(Ensamble), Steffi D (Ilse),

Chase Davidson (Ensamble),

Gabrielle Garza (Anna), Ki-

miko Glenn (Thea), Sarah Hunt

(Martha), Anthony Lee Medina

(Otto), Andy Mientus

(Hanschen), Ben Moss (Ernst),

Krista Pioppi (Ensamble), An-

gela Reed (Adult Women),

Kyle Riabko (Melchior), Perry

Sherman (Ensamble), Matt

Shingledecker (Georg), Henry

Stram (Adult Man), and Lucas

Wells (Ensamble).

What made the Phila-

delphia stop special was the last

day of the run was Kyle Ri-

abko's final performance as

Melchior. The two days leading

up to his final performance was

his replacement (Jake Epstein)'s

first two preview performances.

Jake Epstein is best known for

his role as Craig on 'Degrassi:

The Next Generation"

―Spring Awakening‖

is one of my favorite shows and

I would recommend it to any-

one. While the show will not be

coming back to Philadelphia

during the second leg of the

tour, I will definitely be at the

next closest stop to see the

show again. If you want to see a

piece of art that is different and

unlike anything you have ever

seen before ―Spring Awaken-

ing‖ is a show you should defi-

Tony Award-Winning “Spring Awaken-

ing” in Philadelphia ■ An unforgettable performance

———————————————————–—————

By: Angela Robb ‗10

TV Book and Movie Reviews “9” Movie Re-

view ■“Not your little brother‘s

animated movie!‖

_____________________ By: Kathryn Murray ‗12

Lights, camera,

action: It‘s another Halla-

han Movie Review! This

time, we‘re giving the

scoop on a movie called

―9‖. Even though it is an

animated film, the tagline

says it all: ―This is not

your little brother‘s ani-

mated movie!‖

It is an unknown

time in the future, after

the annihilation of human-

ity. A group of tiny, rag-

gedy-doll creatures are the

only remaining living

things, and their leader

has a moniker of sim-

ply…the number 9. De-

spite its dark theme and

inevitable food for

thought, this is a very

inventive and entertaining

film. You should take a

trip to the theater and see

it before it‘s gone for

good. (Just don‘t take

your little brother with

you, no matter how an-

noying he might be.)

Starring: Elijah

Wood (―Happy Feet‖ and

―Lord of the Rings), Jen-

nifer Connelly (last year‘s

―The Day the Earth Stood

Still‖), and many other

somewhat unknown ac-

tors.

“Glee” ■ Explaining the television phenomenon —————————————————————-- By: Angela Robb ‗10

By its very definition ―glee‖' means ―opening

yourself up to joy‖. Joy is certainly what you are in for if

you tune into ―Glee‖, the new smash comedy by Nip/

Tuck's Ryan Murphy every Wednesday at 9:00 on FOX.

The show is about high school Spanish teacher

Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison) who relives his high

school days when he takes over the school glee club de-

pite the club being bottom of the school social latter and

football and cheerleading being all the matter. His new

'gleeks' include football quarterback, Finn (Cory Mon-

teith), determined diva, Rachel (Lea Michele), diva-in-

training, Mercades (Amber Riley), guitar playing nerd,

Artie (Kevin McHale), fashionable soprano, Kurt (Chris

Colfer), and stuttering punk-rocker, Tina (Jenna Ushko-

witz). Meanwhile Will's wife, Terri (Jessalyn Gilsig),

tries to fake a pregnancy and school guidance councelor,

Emma (Jayma Mays) tries to hide a soft spot for Will.

Also Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch), the coach of the

school's cheerleading squad, the Cheerios, tries to use her

cheer captain, Finn's girlfriend, Quinn (Dianna Agron),

and Finn's best friend, Puck (Mark Salling) to take the

club down from the inside.

This show is very funny and witty, much more

humorous than many shows on TV today. The show also

contains excellent covers of popular songs, many of

which reached iTunes top 100, ―Don't Stop Believing‖

from the pilot episode even reached #1! 'Glee' is an audi-

ence favorite and is definitely a show I would recom-

mend to others.

Although the ―King of Pop‖

died on June 25, 2009, he still seems

to outdo himself. Michael Jackson‘s

Movie, ―This Is It‖ will be showed

worldwide on October 28, 2009. On

September 27th tickets for his concert

film sold out immediately in media

markets such as our own City of

Brotherly Love, Philadelphia as well

as Los Angeles. So folks don‘t waste

time any longer! Want to know what

to expect of the King of Pop‘s movie?

His concert film will contain

the last three weeks of him practicing

his dance moves such as his famous

moonwalk, back stage footage at the

Staples Stadium in Los Angeles, Cali-

fornia, and much more. Additionally,

the film chronicles his plans for his 50

-night stay at the 02 Arena in London

that was cancelled after his death.

That‘s all I‘m going to spill since you

should see this phenomenal film for

yourself.

If you think that this movie

is Jackson‘s final goodbye, relax fans:

he‘s not going anywhere anytime

soon. If you think that Columbia Pic-

tures will just end things after the film,

you‘re dead wrong. You, my friends,

are in for a treat! There is a DVD to be

released. There is the director‘s cut;

director‘s cut deluxe edition, deluxe

edition with a zipper jacket and so

much more. Watch out world, this is

just the beginning!

“This is It” ■New movie honors late ―King of Pop‖

————————————————————————— By: Sarah Mira ‗13

Courtesy of Fox.com

Halloween Costume Poll —————————————— Polled by Tiffany Cautilli ‗09

“What are you going to be for

Halloween?”

―A Roman boy‖ -Kim Dutil, ‗10

―A pirate‖ -Leanna Ashcom, ‗11

―Little Red Riding Hood‖ -Taylor

Divirgilio ‗12

―A witch‖ -Laura Fabey, ‗13

Printactivities.com

On August 19, 2009,

eight of the lead cast members

of the new hit FOX show

―Glee‖ came to visit the Hot

Topic at the King of Prussia

Mall as the third stop on their

Gleek Tour. Fans of the show,

or ―Gleeks‖ purchased their

―I'm a Gleek‖ shirt the week

before the event which was sold

with a free wristband that guar-

anteed them a spot to meet the

cast of the show.

The event was similar

to last year's Twilight tour

(though less crazy!). Despite

only one episode of ―Glee‖

having aired (three months be-

fore the time of this event),

about 350 ―Gleeks‖ came to the

meet-and-greet and even more

showed up at the Q+A session.

Cast members Cory

Monteith (Finn), Lea Michele

(Rachel), Jenna Ushkowitz

(Tina), Chris Colfer (Kurt),

Amber Riley (Mercades),

Kevin McHale (Artie), Dianna

Agron (Quinn), and Mark Sal-

ling (Puck) came to Philadel-

phia to meet Gleeks, sign auto-

graphs, and give a question and

answer session for Fox‘s ―Good

Day Philadelphia‖.

Soon it was time for

the Q+A where the cast an-

swered questions from fans

such as "What was your audi-

tion song for 'Glee'?", "Are you

anything like your character?"

and of course, hundreds of re-

quests to sing. In Chris Colfer's

case, he was asked to dance to

―Single Ladies‖, to which he

replied "I made that mistake

yesterday and dislocated my

dignity" and suggested that

everyone to look it up on You-

tube.

Lea Michele was the

only cast member to grant the

audience a song. She sang

―Blue Wind‖ from the musical

―Spring Awakening‖ (of which

she was an original cast mem-

ber) Lea's impromptu perform-

ance can be seen on Youtube as

well.

At the end of the day

many new people found out

about ―Glee‖ and some current

fans were energized for the new

season. After filming the re-

mainder of season one what

could be on the plate for the

cast? Rumor has it that this

summer there will be a concert

tour. Stay tuned for details.

“Gleek Tour” hits K.O.P. Mall ■Hundreds of fans show their support

———————————————————–— By: Angela Robb ‗10

Courtesy of Miami Herald

―Glee‖ star Corey Monteith signs

autographs at the KOP mall Courtesy of Nationalpost.com

Hallahan Fall Highlights Soccer ■ Celebrating our senior soccer stars

————————————-———

By: Dominique Brennan ‗11

As they head into the playoffs

this year, Hallahan‘s soccer team is hav-

ing a good season with a respectable re-

cord of 6-5 under the guidance of coach

Pat Cain. Led by captains Chelsea Liller,

Connie LaRussa, Sara Myers and Leanna

Ashcom, they have been successful due to

the hard work and effort of the entire

team.

The entire soccer team will take

time to honor seniors Chelsea Liller and

Nya Mercer at their game against St.

Hubert‘s on Tuesday, October

27th. Liller and Mercer have played an

important part in the team‘s success. Mid-

fielder Liller has played on the team all

four years at Hallahan while Mercer has

played defense since her sophomore

year.

Junior defensive player Sabrina

Spei looks forward to honoring the senior

players. ―I think they should be honored

for their hard work and leave with good

memories of their time on the team,‖ she

said. As they play their last game the

team will thank the seniors for their dedi-

cation and wish them well as their soccer

career at Hallahan comes to an end.

Good luck Chelsea and

Nya! The team will miss you.

Hallahan girls: it is time to

get active now! Do you play a sport

for Hallahan or another organization?

If not its time to start getting active!

There are so many benefits to playing

sports. Any kind of physical activity

(i.e. ice-skating, soccer, basketball,

baseball, hockey, football, or danc-

ing) can help to keep you fit. Many

athletes enjoy participating in sports

so much that they often forget that it

is also keeping them in shape.

Participating in a sport cer-

tainly has other advantages as well.

Most jobs require teamwork so what

better way to learn than to participate

in a sport. Working with a team can

help to develop important life skills.

Athletics can also improve mathe-

matics skills, leadership abilities, and

self-esteem.

Most statistics say that chil-

dren who are involved in an athletic

ac-

tivity are less likely to develop drug

and alcohol problems. Imagine that!

If more kids got involved in a team

activity, we could potentially deter

many students from using drugs in

the future. So girls get out there and

choose a sport that‘s right for you!

Participate in a Sport ■ You don‘t have to be athletic to reap the benefits ———————–——————————— By: Ariana Jones ‗12

We have all experienced the fatigue that comes

with weekday mornings, the dread of the up-

coming work that teachers seem to use as a

form of torture. We have all had those days

where we are simply exhausted by the repeti-

tion of our daily lives and the typical boredom

of school. On the other hand,

there are days (usually a weekend) when you

feel filled with energy from the moment you

wake up. On those days the first thing that pops

into your head is something exiting that you'll

be doing that day or something you've been

waiting to see.

An example of an energizing day is

Christmas. As a child it was difficult to sleep

with the anticipation of Christmas morning.

You probably dreamed of what you would see

under the tree and then woke up bright and

early, full of energy, and ready to run full speed

to your presents. Afterwards, your older sib-

lings (and now some of you) would go back to

bed once the gifts were revealed and there was

nothing left but hugs and kisses from aunts you

weren't aware you had.

The beginning of the school year is

similar. On the first day of school you're ex-

cited, or sometimes anxious, but you are full of

energy. As you get into the habit of things,

however, you become tired again. For fresh-

men, who are new to the high school experi-

ence, their energy tends to last longer. The

newer the experience, the more energy you

have. Now the

question really is, how can we use this spurt of

energy to our advantage? It is widely known

that a positive outlook can influence the out-

come of an event, and also improve a person‘s

mood. If you can focus on something exciting

that you are going to do later on, while retain-

ing enough focus to do your work, then you can

have energy throughout the day. Even if you do

get the right amount of sleep, your dislike of

school can overpower it. Of course self manipulation isn't the

only way to obtain energy. Sometimes people

don't get enough sleep, and being deliriously

happy about a date shouldn't be the only thing

keeping you upright. A messy environment can

bring you down so clean that room! Junk foods

shouldn't be breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Many

people find exercise rejuvenating, and being

around happy, energetic people can rub off on

you. There is something that you can do about

constant fatigue, if you‘re not too tired to try.

Courtesy of Ms. Houlihan

Courtesy of Ms. Houlihan

Feeling Lethargic? ■ Trick yourself into a boost of energy ———————–——————————–———————————— By: Stephanie Crossley ‗12

Leanna Ashcom displays her skills on the field

Hallahan Soccer Team

―Who is your little sister?‖ ―Who is

your big sister?‖ These were the

questions on everyone‘s mind on

October 15. No one knew who their

sister would be but this was the day

of the Big Sister/Little Sister meet

and greet.

The pairing off of a junior

with a freshman is a Hallahan tradi-

tion that has been around for a long

time. The juniors help their little

sister feel like she is a part of the

Hallahan family. Junior Katie Wal-

ters said ―I liked being a big sister

and sharing my experiences here at

Hallahan with my little sister.‖ Katie

hopes that she helped her little sister,

Shante Baker, feel welcome at Halla-

han and hopes that they she can be-

come one of her new friends.

Hallahan Day is a day that

all students enjoy. On this day, Hal-

lahan girls celebrate their school

spirit and enjoy food, music and

dancing in the gym. Big and little

sisters also exchange their colorful

sister gifts. T

The highlight of the day is

always the Hallahan Day Show. This

year‘s performance of ―The Deten-

tion Club‖ showed just how well the

seniors know our faculty mem-

bers. The senior actresses portrayed

Mrs. Bethem dancing with Louis

XVI, Mrs. O‘Grady making ―bad

girls go good,‖ and Ms. Ehritz being

a ninja. They didn‘t miss one funny

aspect about our teachers and staff.

Hallahan Day 2009 was a

lot of fun for everyone. I am sure

next year will be just as much fun.

Hallahan Day ■ More highlights from the excitement

————————————————————————————

By: Morgan Calvert ‗11

The Sandscript Staff Editor-in-chief Lena Ma ‘10 Student Life Editor Angela Robb ‘10 Entertainment editor sarah mira ‘13 Sports editor Hannah mira ‘13 Reporter tiffany cautilli ‘12 Photographer Dominique brennan ‘11 Staff morgan calvert ‘11 Stephanie Crossley ‘12 shelley leung ‘12 Kathryn Murray ‘12 Moderator Ms. Rodolico