Catholic Memorial School Blog

CM's new blog: "We/Are/CM"

2011-07-21T11:16:00.000-04:00

CM Life in Photos: Beaker buddies

2011-07-13T12:04:00.000-04:00

Students in Mr. Murray's Middle School Program summer enrichment class took a break from concocting some devilish experiments on Wednesday. The class, a survey in the humanities, takes students beyond the classroom walls - to museums, historical sites and fun spots around the city.

Pictured are (L-R) Philip Chomicki, Raffi Rivera (Back), Joseph Madeya, Kamal Pearson, Aidan Lewis (Back) , Michael Twohig, Jordan Reyes, PJ Trahon.

CM Life in Photos: Fieldwork, past and present

2011-07-06T12:30:00.000-04:00

Work continued on Br. McKenna Field and the CM track this week, 45 years after its original construction in 1966. Compare these two photos - one of the original construction and one taken on July 6.

CM Life in Photos: A lifetime of service

2011-06-09T10:27:00.000-04:00

Ms. Celia Susi retired this year after 36 years of service to CM. At the annual Board of Directors Appreciation Dinner on June 6 at the Harvard Club of Boston, Principal Richard Chisholm recognized Ms. Susi for her devotion to the school over the years, during which she served in a variety of capacities. "After thirty-six wonderful years at CM, I am honored to be here tonight," Ms. Susi said. "CM has been a special part of my life, and I will miss it, especially the kids, who always showed me so much respect...truly, wherever I am, CM will always have a special place in my heart."

CM Life in Photos: No homework tonight!

2011-06-08T15:31:00.000-04:00

Jonathan Jackson '15 heads out the door of Donahue Hall on the last day of classes. Since it was his last day of eighth grade, Jackson had no books to bring home and no shirt to tuck in - until September. The high school students will have to wait until tomorrow to get that smile on their faces. One more final exam remains...

CM Life in Photos: Graduation practice

2011-05-26T09:19:00.001-04:00

On the morning before Catholic Memorial School graduated its 51st class, the Johns Hopkins-bound salutatorian Pat Carney '11 took one final lesson from speech and debate coach Rob Croteau '93 as he put the finishing touches on his address.

CM Life in Photos: Cap's Chaps

2011-05-24T15:02:00.000-04:00

Mr. Capodilupo and his crew grilled hundreds of hot dogs and burgers over the last three school days for the annual, year-end class barbecues.

CM Life in Photos: Progress on track

2011-05-19T09:37:00.001-04:00

Recognize that field? Work began on Monday to resurface Br. McKenna Field and the CM track. Catholic Memorial School was one of the first secondary schools in the east to have all-turf surfaces on its athletics fields. After ten years of use, Todesca Field was resurfaced earlier this spring, and the football field will be ready for use again this summer.

CM Life in Photos: Senior Week

2011-05-10T13:28:00.002-04:00

With the last of the Advanced Placement exams taking place on Monday, Senior Week has begun. With two weeks left till graduation, seniors will bond this week over the bowling lanes at Kings in Dedham, one last day of service on Wednesday, a cookout on Thursday, and Prom on Friday.

Above, CM's chapter of Students Against Destructive Decisions invited Mr. Tom Hermanowski, statewide coordinator for SADD, to speak to juniors and seniors about substance abuse, peer pressure and wise decision making.

Founder's Day: Renewal and Recommitment to Blessed Edmund Rice

2011-05-05T14:04:00.004-04:00

On the feast day of Blessed Edmund Ignatius Rice, Br. Kirk Phelps, Br. Anthony Cavet and Br. Jeffrey Oxx led the CM community in renewing and recommitting itself to the shared values of the Edmund Rice Christian Brothers and the larger international family of Edmund Rice.

At the annual Founder's Day Mass on the morning of May 5, these three Edmund Rice Christian Brothers renewed their vows in the Ronald Perry Gymnasium. They were followed by the faculty and staff doing the same, and finally the students, who were called to "work to the best of our ability to help fulfill the mission of our founder, Blessed Edmund Rice, as we live out our lives."

President Paul E. Sheff '62 led the faculty and staff in this recommitment, while Brian Murphy '11 led the student body. After Mass, guidance counselor Bill Hanson came forward to present the Brothers with a gift on behalf of the school community and to announce that this year's collections for the Brothers' missions in the world totaled over $6,000.

Mr. Hanson then asked the school community to give the Brothers a rousing applause - "one that this gymnasium has never heard before." It obliged.

CM Life in Photos: NHS Blood Drive

2011-05-02T10:10:00.003-04:00

Terrence Rooney '12, Mike Techiera '11 and Nick Barker '11 greet potential donors at the door of the National Honor Society spring blood drive.

2011 Art Show: Student Favorites

2011-04-29T08:16:00.006-04:00

Art enthusiasts loitered in the CM lobby all week, studying watercolors, pencil sketches, digital art and pastel prints from artists in grades 7-12. Below, some of the lobby's art critics' favorites.

Senior Victor Rho's favorite: Dongjun Lee's sketch of Mohammed Ali.

Senior Sungho Jun's favorite: Nygel Jones's watercolor.

Junior Jon Doris's favorite: John Clarke's fighter planes done with Photoshop.

Seventh grader Eric Lyon's favorite: Philip Hong's self-portrait.

Seventh grader Mario Marino's favorite: a pastel by Lucas Schneiderhan.

Seventh grader Matt McGurin's favorite: Lufeng Wang's big apple.

Senior Dongjun Lee's favorite: Philip Hong's digital art on recycling.

CM Life in Photos: CM-FA

2011-04-26T12:33:00.003-04:00

The Catholic Memorial School lobby was turned into a museum of fine arts this week in advance of Thursday night's annual Art Show and Arts Awards. Here, Ms. Malachowski's Studio Art class talks about their favorite works.

CM Life in Photos: Postcard from New Orleans

2011-04-19T18:05:00.003-04:00

Sixteen CM students are spending their spring break this week in New Orleans, Louisiana, working with Operation Helping Hands to rebuild parts of the city devastated by Hurricane Katrina. Here, the students (from grades 7-12) strip a house of rotted wood and paint before painting it with primer on their first day of work.

The trip is part of CM's BERSI (Blessed Edmund Rice Solidarity Initiative) program, begun in 2003 as a travel immersion program. Also on the road this spring break is a delegation of 16 students to the Dominican Republic for a week of service and cultural immersion.

CM Life in Photos: Born to hand-jive

2011-04-14T10:55:00.003-04:00

Ethan Madden '11 and Stephanie Malis '13 (Concord-Carlisle) starred in Grease on April 13. Above, Kevin Beazley '11 croons the Act II number "Born to Hand Jive" while Madden and Malis show the ensemble how it's done.

1,729 shots - for life

2011-04-09T15:42:00.002-04:00

By 3:30pm on April 9, Mike Slonina '11 was looking strong, having recorded 1,729 shots in his "Shot for Life" 24-hour basketball fundraiser. At that pace, the senior is headed towards over 10,000 free-throws and three-point baskets in his feat. Students, faculty, family and friends were coming out to the Ron Perry Gym to support Slonina all afternoon and into the evening in his effort.

CM Life in Photos: Guarding the President

2011-04-08T11:46:00.004-04:00

Dan Crehan '87, pictured above with his partner, Derek Boyd, spoke to the Class of 2015 this morning in Donahue Hall about life as a special agent for the U.S. Secret Service. Crehan talked candidly about guarding the first family on Martha's Vineyard and even one embarrassing trip to Russia.

"You always bring a suit, because you can always dress down. But I went to Russia once, and I forgot the pants with my suit. I had my jacket on a hanger but I got there, and I said, 'Oh God, I forgot my suit.' One of the big guys lent me his suit so I got to be a big guy that day.'"

CM Life in Photos: Career Day

2011-04-06T13:41:00.003-04:00

Shea O'Connor '16 throws baseballs to his classmates as part of a demonstration by Lori Hock P'16, president of Adecco Solutions, during the 7th grade's annual Career Day.

CM Life in Photos: Get on the pitch

2011-03-30T08:12:00.002-04:00

CM rugby coach Ross MacDonald sizes up his varsity team during an early season workout.

CM Life in Photos: Home turf

2011-03-16T09:03:00.002-04:00

The varsity baseball team will kick up a little less dirt this year thanks to the new turf infield.

CM Life in Photos: Cross-check

2011-03-04T15:26:00.003-05:00

Before their team photo this month on the icy Br. McKenna field after school, the senior captains gave goaltender Tom Knox '11 a taste of a good cross-check. See the team photos on CM's Shutterfly site.

CM Life in Photos: Hackey sack lunch break

2011-03-01T13:38:00.002-05:00

What better way to spend the last few minutes of lunch period, and the few days in between winter and spring sports, than enjoying a hackey sack game?

CM Life in Photos: The Snow Knight

2011-02-16T09:04:00.002-05:00

No one's sure how he got there, or when. But students arrived on Tuesday morning to a Snow-Knight, dressed in school colors, in the middle of Br. McKenna field.

CM Life in Photos: Airborn

2011-02-11T10:07:00.003-05:00

Matt Droney '12 leaves the parquet behind as he lifts off for a layup in the Knights first matchup of the season against St. John's Prep, 1/14. The team faces the Prep again this weekend. Photo courtesy Lifetouch.

CM Life in Photos: MS Speech team ascending to great heights

2011-01-26T10:17:00.004-05:00

A most enthusiastic Middle School Program Speech Team of forty eighth graders accompanied Coach Ellen Eberly to compete against nine other schools at the Pike School in Andover on January 23.

Earning honors were Kevin Lynch, 3rd Place, prose; Angelo Conti, Finalist Medal, prose; and Sayer Harrison, Honorable Mention (Novice).

The team's next meet will be held at the Jewish Country Day School in Watertown on Sunday, February 13th.

CM Life in Photos: Art Club's latest work

2010-12-17T11:42:00.003-05:00

Art club adviser Stephanie Peacock and the members of the club pose in front of their latest work, a mural depicting the birth of Christ, after Lessons and Carols on December 17. About fifteen students collaborated on the piece, which also hung on the altar of Holy Name Church for the CM Christmas Concert on December 7.

CM Life in Photos: Christmas lunch with the Irish Studies Program

2010-12-14T12:16:00.002-05:00

The Blessed Edmund Rice Society and Irish Studies Program hosted a luncheon for visitors from the Irish Pastoral Centre in Quincy on December 14. Above, Mrs. Mary Concannon introduces the students who would lead visitors in singing "Silent Night" in Gaelic.

CM Life in Photos: Parents Council Breakfast

2010-12-03T09:40:00.004-05:00

Thanks to Debra Buckley P'13 and the Parents Council for organizing the annual Parents Council Christmas Breakfast for parents, faculty and staff. The Parents Council also organized the annual wreath making event on December 2.

CM Life in Photos: One more game...

2010-11-22T15:34:00.004-05:00

The fall sports season isn't over each year until the varsity football team says so. This year, the team visits BC High for the 49th annual Turkey Bowl, scheduled for 10:30am on Turkey Day. Get their early; the Pumpkin trophy hasn't been seen on Baker Street since 2004, so the Knights will need everyone's help winning it back.

The rivalry isn't just on the gridiron, of course. ESPN's RISE Magazine recently rated the CM v. BC High rivalry as the greatest alumni rivalry in high school sports.

Above, one final practice of the season before the big game.

CM Life in Photos: Thanksgiving service

2010-11-19T13:31:00.003-05:00

Above, Vice Principal of Student Affairs Mr. Scott thanks the student body for their generosity in the annual Thanksgiving food drive, organized by Campus Ministry, after the Thanksgiving liturgy on 11/19. Below, students in Leah Ramsdell's peer ministry class sort the food before delivering it to St. Patrick's Church in Roxbury.

Top Flight takes intramural basketball tourney

2010-11-16T13:19:00.003-05:00

On November 15-16, fourteen teams from the Middle School Program competed in CM's 3rd annual 3-on-3 Intramural Basketball Tournament. After many closely contested games, Team O defeated Lil Globetrotters to claim the 7th grade title, while Top Flight beat the Blue Rockets to earn the 8th grade title. Top Flight then beat Team O to take the Middle School Program title.

Top flight consisted of Denis Tobin '15, Sean Fontes '15 and Kellan Grady '15, while Owen Morris '16, Matt Kerressey '16, Jimmy Stewart '16 and Max Pisano '16 made up Team O.

Above: Robert Mullen '16 drives to the hoop, guarded by Joseph Zegarelli '16, while Michael Calderone '16 looks on in the annual intramural basketball tournament, organized by Mr. Hal Carey '95.

On November 16, twenty Middle School Program students participated in a "basketball shootout." Each student had one minute to earn points by making shots from various spots on the court. Kellan Grady '16 defeated Matt Kerressey '16 in the finals to win the shootout.

~Hal Carey '95

CM Life in Photos: Postseason practice

2010-11-08T11:47:00.002-05:00

Members of CM's cross-country team do warm-ups before practice last Friday ahead of this weekend's state championship meet. Connor Muldoon '12 (far right) led the Knights at the Catholic Conference Championships on October 31.

CM Life in Photos: Mr. Bloomstein's Halloween

2010-11-03T14:00:00.002-04:00

Dominic Montalbano '11, right, won the top costume prize on Halloween at CM for his impression of Mr. Bloomstein. Montalbano is joined here by classmate, Michael Carroll '11.

CM Life in Photos: Retake Day

2010-10-21T11:26:00.000-04:00

Brian Martone '14 readies himself for a photo on retakes day.

CM Life in Photos: A captain's life

2010-10-18T08:29:00.000-04:00

Josh Rudy as Capt. Daniel Malcolm poses with Middle School Program students after his talk about the Revolutionary War on 10/13. Photo: Ellen Eberly.

CM Life in Photos: Open House

2010-10-17T16:55:00.004-04:00

Brendan Hughes (Right) and Ryan Curley (Left) represent the National Honor Society at CM's Open House.

Michael Gallagher '11

Longmeadow hands CM its first loss

2010-10-12T11:39:00.001-04:00

A loss on a field goal with nine seconds left gives the Knights a bad taste in their mouth heading into the bye week.

The game was delayed about an hour because Longmeadow was late coming to CM; understandable, since it's about a 3-hour drive.

The delay without a doubt made the Knights sluggish as they came out and went down 14-0 in the first half. In the second quarter they seemed to wake up, with Armani Reeves '12 and John Gorman '11 both crossing the goal line and putting CM back in the game. However, a field goal at the end of the half gave them a 3 point deficit heading into the break.

Coming out of the gates for the second half was much easier for the Knights than it was to start the game. A 35-yard pass from AJ Doyle '12 to Reeves set up an 11-yard touchdown run to give CM its first lead of the night, with 9:34 to go in the third.

There weren't many defensive highlights on the night other than a hit by Josh Charles '12 that rocked a Longmeadow player's bones. The player broke a few tackles across the middle of the field before Josh came from the side and sent him down. There is a one-hundred percent chance that this hit will be in Charles' highlight video for colleges next year.

Running back Will Earl '12 took over during one phase of the game when he danced his way for huge gains on several plays. One of those runs was started off by a beautiful juke and ended with Earl in the endzone. That run ended the third quarter and pushed the Knights' lead to 26-17.

The wheels began to fall off the wagon early in the fourth. First, Longmeadow scored a touchdown with 8:51 left and closed the gap to 26-24.

After the ball changed hands a few times Paul Fahey '12 recovered a huge fumble for CM and gave the Knights the ball on their own 40 yard line, up two, with 2:52 left in the game.

Earl once again broke free, this time for a 35-yard gain and gave the Knights great field position. After being stopped three straight plays, the Knights went for it on fourth down. Doyle appeared to have connected with Armani Reeves in the end zone for a game clinching touchdown, but Armani was ruled out of bounds.

Longmeadow marched to ball down, deep in CM territory and after being stuffed on the goal line three times, they hit the game-winning field goal with nine seconds left.

Losing is horrible in general, but losing heading into a bye week is worse because the team is forced to think about it for two long weeks before taking the field again. It's important for the Knights to get refocused, and get ready for the Catholic Conference games which will start against Malden Catholic. Winning the Catholic Conference is what will get them into the playoffs, and that's still a very legitimate possibility.

Mike Slonina '11

CM Life in Photos: College Fair

2010-10-07T13:18:00.003-04:00

Ethan Madden '11 weighs his options during Tuesday morning's college fair for the junior and senior classes. The fair was one of three that CM's Guidance Department hosts for representatives from colleges across the country.

Karma for Guertin and a win for the Knights

2010-10-05T08:34:00.001-04:00

The CM Knights played the role of dragon-slayer on Saturday night as they handed Bishop Guertin their first loss in 20 games.

Last season, the Knights traveled up to Nashua, New Hampshire and were one of the many teams that Bishop Guertin beat on their mammoth win streak. In that game, Guertin scored high. They were going for first downs on 4th & 1 situations at midfield.

I know from talking to the CM players this week that they were so hungry for this win that they weren't going to the leave that field without one. That's something that senior captain John Gorman alluded to in his postgame comments: "The talk about this game began immediately after last week's game. We knew we were a good team but we knew this would be the test to show how good we are. In the locker room before the game, it was probably the most focused I've ever seen a CM football team."

The Knights jumped out in front when AJ Doyle hit John Gorman for a 10 yard pass that Gorman turned into a 50+ yard touchdown. There was a bad snap on the extra point so the Knights only came away with six points.

Bishop Guertin took back the lead with a touchdown and the Knights faced a one point deficit. A big kickoff return from Armani Reeves gave them good field position. Armani would get in the end zone before the end of the half on a pass from Doyle. The Knights went for two but it was unsuccessful. They retook the lead, 12-7, and never looked back.

CM came into the second half as hungry and energized as they started the game. You could tell they knew the win was in their sights. Armani Reeves once again got on the scoreboard when he returned a punt for a touchdown and ran over some Guertin players in the process.

Just when it seemed that the Knights were going to run away with it, Bishop Guertin got back into the game on a touchdown run to make the score 19-14.

With the fourth quarter starting and with the ball deep in their own territory, the Knights showed tremendous poise in marching the ball up the field. A pass to Armani Reeves on third down really gave the offense life, and in my opinion that may have been the biggest play of the game. Had they not completed that pass, Guertin would have got the ball back with decent field position and a chance to retake the lead.

Later in the drive, Doyle connected with Nolan Powers for a massive gain and put the Knights in striking range. Doyle came through again when he found Reeves near the sideline for a touchdown to give them an insurmountable 26-14 lead.

The Knights' defense, which had been great all night, forced a turnover on downs. When they got the ball back, running back William Earl broke free for a 42 yard run and that put the game away.

The defense was fantastic, holding a team that was averaging 32 points per game to just 14.

When the final horn sounded, the red sideline was going insane. As they gathered at center field to shake hands, quarterback Doyle was yelling so loud that you could hear him from the crowd.

As one of the very few CM supporters who were at the game in New Hampshire last season, it brings me a ton of joy to see the Knights take this team out.

After the game, I asked Armani Reeves to try and explain the emotion. His answer was short and sweet: "It was crazy, we had a hell of a game. I am so proud of my team."

Next week, the Knights will play against Longmeadow whom they beat on the road last season. CM clearly had a lot of energy going into this game, it's going to be important that they maintain that energy rather than letting it drop off.

Mike Slonina '11

CM Life in Photos: Sophomore Olympians

2010-09-23T10:11:00.002-04:00

Sophomores try their luck at the dash on CM's annual Olympic Day, September 23.

CM defeats Haverhill to start season 2-0

2010-09-19T15:10:00.005-04:00

On a comfortable early fall night the CM Knights came out and dismantled the Haverhill Hillies from the opening kickoff.

Wasting no time, the Knights moved the ball ahead with a quick three minute drive that was capped off by an Aj Doyle touchdown run. The run gave the Knights a 7-0 lead, a lead they would never relinquish. Later in the quarter Aj connected with Armani Reeves for a 15 yard touchdown giving the Knights an early 14-0 advantage.

The Knights defense looked sharp as Haverhill struggled to pick up any positive yardage throughout the game. With 3:52 left in the first half Reeves returned an interception for a touchdown pushing the Knights to a 21-0 lead.

Aj wasn't done making his mark on the first half, with three seconds to go he hit Josh Charles in the end zone for a 39 yard pass putting the Knights up 28-0.

CM wasn't done scoring until Mike Techiera rushed for his first touchdown of the season establishing a 35-0 lead which would end up being the final score.

The Knights played with a lot of energy and passion on a night that featured a huge crowd, a Fox 25 television camera crew, and a Powerade truck handing out thunder clappers. When asked about his team's attitude the blur of speed otherwise known as Armani Reeves had this to say.

"We were really excited with Fox being there and we were really pumped and ready for the game. We played hard and really wanted to win. It was a big motivator for us."

Next week the Knights will take their show on the road as they make the long bus ride to Hartford, Vermont. Last season the Knights beat Hartford at home 42-12. Next week the Knights hope for a repeat performance.

Mike Slonina '11

CM Life in Photos: God before the gridiron

2010-09-17T16:57:00.003-04:00

An hour before Friday night's varsity football matchup against Haverhill, a CM football player caught a few moments of quiet.

CM Life in Photos: Early Success

2010-09-16T18:44:00.005-04:00

Catholic Memorial soccer made an outstanding statement to the rest of the Catholic Conference last night with a 1-1 draw to St. John's Prep. The always dangerous midfielder, Ryland Foster (Above), buried a free kick from well outside the box in response to SJP's goal just four minutes prior. About the match Ryland said, "The game was a good one. They scored a cheap goal, but we bounced back and buried our opportunity on that free kick. It's a big step in the right direction."

CM's next match is at BC High tomorrow at 5:30.

M.G. '11

CM wins on 73-yard bomb

2010-09-11T15:25:00.005-04:00

On, Friday night, the Knights kicked off their 2010 football season against the Lynn Classical Rams with a thrilling 21-14 come from behind win.

Knight's quarterback AJ Doyle came out of the gates hot and opened up the defense for running back William Earl to operate. The junior running back followed up a 20 yard run with another 19 yard touchdown run filled with jukes and spin moves.

The Rams' offense consisted of a heavy diet of run plays. The reasoning for that became obvious when the first pass they threw was picked off by Donovan Henry.

One thing about the Rams' offense that seriously hurt the Knights was their ability to run long, time consuming drives. To end the second quarter they capped off a 6 minute drive with a pass to the sideline that turned into a 40 yard touchdown.

The Rams started the second half on their own 3 yard line and the Knights took advantage by forcing a safety and tying it up at 8.

Things kept getting better when junior Armani Reeves returned the punt on the safety to the 29 yard line. The offense didn't move much from here on for the Knights. Doyle ran for 10 yards early in the drive but after three consecutive failed runs the Knights were forced to kick a field goal.

Senior Tom Byrnes nailed the 17 yard field goal to give the Knights an 11-8 lead.

The Rams refused to go down quietly and connected on a 24 yard pass to get into the red zone to end the third quarter. The Knights fought hard to keep the Rams out of the end zone but eventually they got in on a two yard run to go up 14-11.

The Rams got greedy and tried an onside kick but it backfired horribly when it didn't go 10 yards, giving the Knights the ball on the Rams' 45 yard line.

The Knights' running game was slowed to a crawl in the second half and they faced a 4th & 2 situation, arguably with the game on the line. Doyle and Reeves came up big for the first time on a pass to the sideline for a first down to keep the drive alive. Later in the drive, after escaping a heavy pass rush AJ Doyle showed a pure will to win as he refused to go down for 10 yards, setting up another field goal from Byrnes with 4:23 left to play. As he usually does, Byrnes drilled the 23 yarder and tied it up at 14.

Senior captain John Gorman sacked the Rams' quarterback with 1:50 left as the Knights defense was trying to force overtime. They would end up doing one better as senior Dimitri Claude intercepted a pass intended to the sideline and gave the Knights the ball on their own 40 yard line with 1:01 left in the game.

With the ball and a chance to steal a win, Doyle escaped a rush and broke free for major yards before being thrown down far out of bounds, a dirty tackle that would cause a lot of pushing and shoving on the CM sideline. Despite that dirty play, a block in the back put the Knights back on their own 27 yard line with just 35 seconds left.

After a couple failed plays, it happened.

Doyle dropped back and connected with Armani Reeves for a 73 yard touchdown that sent the crowd into a frenzy. After crossing the goal line Armani immediately looked for the ref and humbly handed him the ball. Then he and the rest of teammates went crazy. I've been to a lot of high school football games and I've never seen a game end like that.

Another interception from Donovan Henry sealed the game and the Knights escaped with a jaw dropping 21-14 victory.

The Knights won without both Cam Williams and Fabrice Rateau, two integral parts of the team.

AJ Doyle showed poise that he didn't have last season and he seemed much more confident in the pocket. I asked him about the game winning touchdown pass and what was going through his mind as the play developed.

"I didn't see the pass get completed because I got hit, but then I heard the crowd go nuts and knew the game was over. Nobody can catch him (Armani Reeves)."

After Friday night I think you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who would disagree.

Completing that play meant more than football to Reeves. He recalled saying to himself, "I got to do this for my grandfather, so please let me catch this," he said. (Reeves' grandfather had passed away recently.)

Next week, the Knights will play Haverhill in the Fox 25 game of the week. Although their win against Lynn Classical was as exhilarating as a win can get, I'm sure the Knights would rather not do it the hard way next time.

Mike Slonina '11

CM Life in Photos: First Day Starting Off Right

2010-09-10T17:13:00.003-04:00

Above, senior Dan Daniluk finishes his first day back with a free period which he put to good use. Everybody agrees that it is good to be back, even if it means that there is work to be done.

~ M.G. '11

CM Life in Photos: Eighth grade begins

2010-09-10T10:02:00.002-04:00

On their first day as eighth graders, students settled into second period Theology class with Mr. Boyle. Above, Devin Agyeman '15 musters a smile.

CM Life in Photos: Hands down, the hardest-worker

2010-09-09T16:41:00.003-04:00

Senior captain Steve Twerago (above) does his routine one-handed push ups after a tough practice. These are not done to show off but, because he says, "They are great exercise. If I push myself to do these after practice then I will push myself to go the extra mile during a match." He is wearing one of the teams new warm up jackets that they received yesterday. "It's not only enough to be good, you also have to look good," said senior starting keeper Brendan Hughes.

CM Life in Photos: Leadership starts in the classroom

2010-09-08T19:19:00.004-04:00

Senior captains Nick Leney (left) and Patrick O'Mara (right) lead the soccer team in a warm up lap around the pitch before their first match. O'Mara says, "Leadership on any team is dependent upon varsity experience, as the younger players get more experience we will benefit as a team. As a senior though, it is not only important that I set an example in a match, but also in the school as well. The examples that all three senior captains set in the classroom will translate into greater success on the field."

CM Life In Photos: Soccer Team Prepares for Season

2010-09-07T16:38:00.005-04:00

As the new Student Blogger I wanted my first entry to be focused on a subject important to the school as a whole and to myself personally. As a proud member of the CM Soccer team for the past five years it is an honor to showcase the defending State Champions.

Today Coach Finn prepared the team for their first match tomorrow against Stoughton. The young team focused on fundamental team oriented soccer. Senior captain Nick Leney (above), looking forward to the upcoming season said, "Coming off a strong season last year, every team is going to be gunning for us. With a strong three set of defense comprised of the three senior captains and offensive threats such as Ryland Foster we have the potential to make another great run this season and continue soccer dominance at CM." The team isn't taking last years success for granted however, as celebration for the teams championship ended as quickly as the new season has begun.

The CM community wishes the Soccer Team along with all athletic teams success this year.

CM Life in Photos: Freshman Retreat

2010-08-31T09:32:00.004-04:00

Freshmen checked into the cafeteria and ate breakfast on August 31 in advance of their overnight retreat in Becket. Above, CM admissions director Tom Ryan helps one table of new freshmen wake up.

CM Life in Photos: Basketball Camp

2010-06-29T14:30:00.004-04:00

The 26th annual Catholic Memorial Summer Basketball Clinic for boys and girls got underway last week in the school's Ronald Perry Gymnasium. Above: Matt Droney '11 and Kyle Lawrence '10 get ready for a day's work, running 3- to 9-year olds through skills and drills.

Middle School Program students reflect on New York City

2010-06-10T11:08:00.008-04:00

The seventh and eighth grade classes finished their year-long study in immigration with a trip to the Statue of Liberty in New York City on Friday, June 4. Three guest bloggers tell the story.

Chris McKeeney '14: "I got dropped off at CM by my dad in the morning, and found out what bus I was in. We had breakfast---bacon egg and cheese sandwiches from the cafe in the bus, and a couple of apples. We got on three buses and left around 6:30am. It was about a 4-hour ride. We watched 'The Incredibles' on the ride down.

I hadn't ever been to New York City. When we came over the bridge we could see it--big, crowded, and a lot of performers on the sidewalks. We walked down to the ferry and took that to Liberty Island. From Liberty Island, we went to Ellis Island, but our group ran too late so we didn't get off to see it. We went straight to the food court where we had chicken fingers and fries."

Gabriel Porter '14: "At Liberty Island we went as a group around the Statue of Liberty. kids were taking pictures of the statue. We took a group photo, and we could see the city from the Statue, it was fun. I had been there two years ago, but this time it was a lot more crowded--there were a lot of schools and families, too. At Ellis Island, I went with two other kids to the immigrant wall, with all the immigrants from A to Z who came to Ellis Island in the first wave. My two friends, Casey Hamel and Beau Starrett, found their ancestors there.

When we got back, we drove on the bus to the harbor, where there was a big ship called the Intrepid. My friend Pat Murray and I went on the simulator. I didn't know what a real plane feels like in [the cockpit]. It was fun to steer one, but it felt scary."

Kevin Lynch '15: "When we got to New York, we were driving by Ground Zero, and I saw how they were building the 9/11 Memorial. It was fascinating. In the distance we could see the Statue of Liberty through the trees. we saw street vendors, and street performers doing their acts.

It was a five-minute ferry to Liberty Island. The boat did a loop so we could see all points of view of the island. We docked and walked around, took pictures with the American flag. It was cool, because when you were out on the boat, the statue looked tiny, but when you got there it was giant. We could see 'July 4' written on it in Roman numerals.

Then we walked around Ellis Island and ate lunch. When we got off the ferry, there was a man playing a steel drum, and everyone was clapping and giving him money. It was great to see how talented everyday New Yorkers were. When we got back to the city, we went to the Intrepid. It was like a museum ship, and we got to go through the halls of it, seeing miniature versions of ships. Some of us went on the top deck to see the jets and fighter planes. I went to the Command Center where I saw the captain's room, with his diary, letters, and glasses. It was cool, seeing that big ship. After the top deck, we went back down and rode a 3D roller coaster ride, then had dinner at a restaurant."

Gabriel: "After the Intrepid, we went to a restaurant where we ate an all-you-can-eat buffet. I ate caesar salad, a hot dog, fries, chicken, a brownie, and an orange soda. After the buffet we took a walk down to the busses, then we went home. On the way home, we watched 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.'"

Chris: "The best part of the trip for me was the battleship, seeing these old-fashioned planes and big helicopters on this huge boat, and fun rides on the boat, and the 3D roller-coaster ride.

This year, we also did a big English binder. We did a lot of stuff about immigration, some writing--poems and reports on our ancestors, biographies, and mixed all of our papers from other classes into the binder. And at Student Showcase Night, we showed it all off."

Gabriel: "The best part of the New York trip was the bus rides! They were fun. It was fun to spend time with your friends and having chants--'Mr. Spaner's yellow hat!' and 'Lemonhead.'

Throughout the year, each class that I had was learning about and tying in the immigration unit. In my Spanish class we did the different Spanish missions in California that immigrants had come to. In Civics, we wrote different papers on the first through fourth waves of immigration. In math, we made different charts on immigrant populations. In religion, we had to write a letter pretending we were a bishop writing to President Obama. We also went to the State House and watched the immigrants sworn in as naturalized citizens at Faneuil Hall."

Kevin: "New York looks better than Boston, but the New York Yankees are there. It's ten times bigger than Boston, but the Red Sox are better.

I liked the immigration study we did this year. I liked seeing how my ancestors came from Ireland and Germany. I'd like to look into that now and I don't think I would have if we didn't study immigration this year. We did a lot of projects that gave us the opportunity to do more with it."

Photos courtesy of Mrs. Ellen Eberly.

CM Life in Photos: Farewell CM, Hello World Cup

2010-06-10T10:14:00.002-04:00

The seventh and eighth grade spend their last hours of the school year on June 10 at a cookout and field day. With World Cup fever running high, many chose to compete on the soccer field.

CM Life in Photos: Cap's Dogs

2010-05-21T12:46:00.002-04:00

Mr. Capodilupo and his dog-and-burger crew plated up the last of over 650 hamburgers and 900 hot dogs on May 21 at the last of the high school class picnics.

CM Life in Photos: Founder's Day Mass

2010-05-04T10:36:00.002-04:00

Brothers Oxx, Phelps and Cavet led Catholic Memorial School in its celebration of Blessed Edmund Ignatius Rice on Founder's Day, May 4, with a Mass celebrated by Fr. Joe Mazzone. It was a special Mass for the seniors, celebrating with the student body for the last time as students.

Eighth graders tour State House, Fenway Park

2010-04-21T15:22:00.001-04:00

The Massachusetts State House and Fenway Park gave CM's eighth grade class a closer look into the storied history of their city and state on April 7.

At the State House, students received a tour from State House historian and state representative Mike Rush '92. Rush gave students a bevy of trivia and facts about the building and grounds, from the secret about the building's main doors (open only when the governor leaves office or when a president comes to Boston), to the dome being painted battleship gray (during World War II).

"We all agreed that we had a great time at the State House and learned a lot about state government," said Dan Shulman '14.

At Fenway Park, students toured the grounds, learning about another great Boston landmark.

Thomas Quinn '14 and Jack Dion '14 enjoyed learning about the significance of Jackie Robinson's number, Ted Williams's red seat, and the history of the park. "We learned that the Green Monster is the highest wall in a major league baseball park," Quinn recalled.

CM Life in Photos: No rest for the A.P.

2010-04-21T11:38:00.004-04:00

Mr. Bradley's Advanced Placement U.S. History class spent part of their April vacation in the classroom. Though the dress was casual, the class was business as usual, as the students prepared for their A.P. test in two weeks. And although the extra study sessions were optional, nearly 100% of the students were there each day, including John Gaffney '11, above.

CM Life in Photos: Dance benefits Haiti Relief

2010-04-12T13:38:00.002-04:00

While sophomore class president Mark Woodall was brainstorming ideas for the spring dance on March 19, he thought it might be a nice opportunity to remind students, faculty and guests that Haiti's earthquake relief efforts still need support.

Woodall petitioned President Paul Sheff '62 and Student Activities director Patrick Murray (pictured above) to agree that a dollar of each dance ticket go towards Catholic Charities' efforts in Haiti. After 518 guests enjoyed the dance on March 18, Woodall mailed the check in, along with the best wishes and prayers of the entire CM community.

CM Life in Photos: 8th Grade Field Trip

2010-04-09T11:09:00.002-04:00

On April 7, CM's eighth grade class took a tour of the Massachusetts State House guided by Representative Mike Rush '92. Later that day, they toured Fenway Park. Above: students enjoy the view from the first row of the Green Monster. View more pictures here.

CM Life in Photos: Meeting Boston Marathon director Dave McGillivray

2010-04-09T10:50:00.003-04:00

Boston Marathon director Dave McGillivray took a break from his busy schedule this April to speak with the 7th, 8th and 9th grade classes on April 8. McGillivray shared some of his most fond memories of organizing, running in and watching the Boston Marathon. Over the years, he has worked closely with Asst. Dean of Students Tom Meagher, who coordinates the marathon's finish line staff. The 114th running of the marathon will take place on April 19.

CM Life in Photos: 800 Rosaries

2010-03-30T14:19:00.003-04:00

Students gathered in the Perry Gymnasium on March 30 to celebrate Holy Week in recounting the Stations of the Cross. Here, Josh Hillard '11, Peter DaSilva '11, and Chris Ryan '11 lead students in the recounting of the Divine Mysteries. Other student lectors led the congregation in praying the Hail Mary in Italian, Chinese, French, Spanish and Irish.

CM Life in Photos: From the page to the stage...

2010-03-25T15:00:00.002-04:00

After reading Macbeth in their English classes this winter, the sophomores watched Shakespeare Now's live performance of the play in the Perry Gymnasium on March 24. The Brookline-based theater troupe specializes in traveling theater and drama education programs. Above, Lady Macbeth questions Macbeth in Act II.

CM Life in Photos: Middle School Coffee

2010-03-25T14:49:00.003-04:00

Above, Mr. Boyle speaks to parents at the March 23 Middle School Guidance Coffee. Mrs. Kenna Sullivan P'14, a social worker at Newton Wellesley Hospital who teaches at the Graduate School of Social Work at Boston College, also addressed the parents on a variety of issues pertaining to early adolescence.

Bland, Warren commit to Bentley

2010-03-03T12:17:00.000-05:00

Catholic Memorial School seniors Donald Bland and Lorenzo Warren have committed to Bentley University, a decision announced by the CM Athletics Office last week.

The two seniors, who captained CM’s football team last year, will play for the Falcons, who led the Northeast-10 Conference last season and sent four players to the Conference All-Star game.

Warren, who earned a Catholic Conference All-Star nod in December, led the Knights in rushing yards this past season. Bland, who played tight end on offense and linebacker on defense, was also named a Catholic Conference All-Star in the 2009 season.

“This is a well-deserved opportunity for both players,” said CM head coach Alex Campea. “They are both good student-athletes and a good example of kids who work hard both in class and on the field.”

Behind the Iron Curtain: BERSI in Eastern Europe

2010-02-26T13:27:00.001-05:00

“Standing at ‘Checkpoint Charlie’ and the remnants of the Berlin Wall, brought me back in time to a world that I thought never existed, or that I never appreciated, being born after Berlin and Europe were united.” So wrote Michael Gallagher ’11, one of the thirty-two students on this February’s BERSI trip to Eastern Europe, in his reflections afterward.

Joined by Director of Campus Ministry and theology chair Brian Scott and theology teachers William Hahn and Tim Lewis, the group visited Munich, Krakow, Prague and Berlin.

Gallagher continued: “Prior to my visit, the Berlin Wall was just a wall, and nothing more. But I learned that the magnitude of despair there was much greater than what I would have imagined before visiting it."

Students might have gotten lost in Berlin, lost their passport, or lost a lot of sleep due to jetlag on the trip. But according to Brendan MacNabb ’10, who went with BERSI to Peru last year, the gains offset the losses.

“These trips have given me perspective of the world outside Boston, and outside of the U.S.,” he said.

At the Berlin Wall.

The group’s visit to Auschwitz and Birkenau, MacNabb noted, will likely stay with them forever. “Just the desolation…it just stretched on as far as you can see,” he said. “The gas chambers and barracks. Where there weren’t buildings, there were still the smokestacks, and rows and columns as far as you could see.”

Although Berlin has been modernized and reborn, students saw glimpses of the old Europe in Krakow. “It was left untouched by the Nazis, and then the Soviets, and all the original architecture was there,” MacNabb recalled. “But once you stepped out of the nucleus of it, you see the modern city. Just the dichotomy of it was noteworthy.”

Mr. Lewis arranged the itinerary in collaboration with Vice Principal Dr. Keane and art teacher Mrs. Malachowski. Brother Jeff Oxx briefed the group on contemporary European history before they left.

“A personal highlight for me was walking behind the young men and seeing their reverence for the cemetery at Auschwitz,” Mr. Lewis said. “Their respect for that place was admirable.”

Auschwitz.

“We were extraordinarily happy with how the trip went,” said Mr. Lewis. “The kids really embraced the diversity of Eastern Europe, and will fondly remember their time there.”

Postseason update: CM Hoops downs West Roxbury, 79-57

2010-02-24T10:37:00.003-05:00

Senior captains Kyle Lawrence '10, Dan Brooks '10 and Mike DeRoma '10 enjoy a break in the 4th quarter as CM won its first round game against West Roxbury in the MIAA Division 1 South Sectional bracket, Feb. 23. Lawrence led the Knights in scoring with 16 pts. The team faces the winner of Weymouth/Newton North this Saturday at 7pm.

Speech and Debate wins University of Pennsylvania tournament

2010-02-22T11:08:00.000-05:00

The CM Forensics team took home its third consecutive team championship from the University of Pennsylvania's 35th Annual Liberty Bell Classic on February 13. In the team's first year at the tournament, it surpassed fifty-five schools by earning individual spots in the finals in every speech category.

"This was an impressive showing for CM and an outstanding overall team effort," said head coach Rob Croteau '93.

The team was led by Pat Simas '10 and Ethan Madden '11, who earned a first place trophy in duo interpretation, and Jhovani Vonleh '11 who earned the tournament's first place trophy in declamation.

Also earning high honors were Chris Masterson '10 (2nd - Original Oratory), Pat Simas '10 (3rd - Dramatic Interp), Kevin Donnelly '11 (3rd - Declamation), Mark Woodall '12 (3rd Oral Interp), Laroy Streat '12 (4th - Oral Interp), Marcus Jackson '12 (4th - Declamation), Sean Steinberg '10 (5th - Dramatic Interp), Eric Butts '10 (5th - Oral Interp), Andrew Fanikos '10 (6th - Extemp) , Joe Botsch '12 & Michael MacKenzie '12 (Octo-Final - Debate) Joe Sweeney '10 (Super Session - Congress), Tom Foley '12 (Semifinals - Declamation), Chris Traynor '12 (Semifinals - Declamation), and Kevin Verity 10 (Semifinals - Oral Interp).

Forensics team earns 19 spots at Nationals

2010-02-08T16:14:00.004-05:00

Nineteen CM students will travel to Omaha, Nebraska over Memorial Day Weekend to compete in the National Catholic Forensic League Grand Tournament.

The following students qualified for Nationals at the National Qualifier Tournament held at Shrewsbury High School on February 6:

Patrick Simas '10 (Dramatic Performance)
Patrick Simas '10 & Ethan Madden '11 (Duo Interpretaion)
Chris Masterson '10 & Sean Steinberg '10 (Duo Interpretaion)
Aram Gurekian '11 & Raffi Grigorian '12 (Duo Interpretaion)
Kevin Verity '10 (Original Oratory)
Andrew Fanikos '10 and Joseph Sweeney '10 (Extemporaneous Speaking)
Joe Botsch '11 & Michael MacKenzie '11 (Public Forum Debate)
Laroy Streat '12 (Oral Interpretation)
Kevin Donnelly '11 (Declamation)
Jhovani Vonleh '12 (Declamation)
Marcus Jackson '12 (Declamation)
Andrew Rogantino '12 (Declamation)

The following students were selected as alternates for Nationals:

Chris Traynor – Declamation (1st Alt.)
Mark Woodall – Oral Interpretation (1st Alt.)
George Evangjeli – Congress (2nd Alt.)
Eric Butts – Oral Interpretation (3rd Alt.)

“Congratulations to our entire team on a true team effort,” said Coach Rob Croteau ’93. “Our team showed great strength this weekend in all facets of our program—drama, public address, and debate.”

On January 30, Kevin Donnelly ’11 and Ryan Lemoie ’12 led the team with wins in declamation and radio as it earned its third Tournament Championship of the year at the Cape Ann Classic, hosted by Manchester/Essex High School. Individual winners also included:

Andrew Fanikos '10 – 2nd Place (Extemp)
Michael MacKenzie '11 & Joe Botsch '11 – 2nd Place (Public Forum)
Frank Theodat '11 – 2nd Place (Novice Reading)
Aram Gurekian '10 & Raffi Grigorian '12 – 2nd Place (Duo)
Eric Butts '10 – 2nd Place (Poetry)
Mark Woodall '12 – 3rd Place (Poetry)
Pat Simas '10 & Ethan Madden '11 – 3rd Place (Duo)
Joseph Sweeney '10 – 3rd Place (Extemp)
Gerard Lawler '12 – 3rd Place (Novice Extemp)
Marcus Jackson '12 – 3rd Place (Declamation)
Chris Ryan '12 – 4th Place (Novice Reading)
Brendan McGowan '12 – 4th Place (Declamation)
Nicholas Leney '11 – 4th Place (Radio)
Sean Steinberg '10 – 5th Place (Play Reading)
Pat Simas '10 – 6th Place (Dramatic Performance)
Brendan Shea '11 – 6th Place (Play Reading)
Ethan Madden '11 – 7th Place (Play Reading)
John Clarke '13 – 7th Place (Radio)
Eric Butts '10 – Semi-Finalist (Prose)
Kevin Verity '10 – Semi-Finalist (Prose)

Letters to Haiti

2010-01-27T13:05:00.009-05:00

In addition to other efforts to send relief and support to those affected by the January 12 earthquake in Haiti, students in several Catholic Memorial English classes have been writing open letters of support to the people of Haiti.

More results of this project, which began in Mrs. Eberly's eighth grade Language Arts classes and spread to include high school classes as well, will be published here in the coming days. Here are a few of the first "Letters to Haiti."

Dear people of Haiti,   

I heard about your devastating earthquake on the news. It made me feel sad because it was a huge earthquake that broke everything. It even broke jails so criminals could get out. Then what really shocked me was another earthquake with a magnitude of 6. It wasn’t as bad as the first but it still did a lot of damage.   

Some information did shock me when the week went on because I saw this lady who lost her leg, but she didn’t care about that, she cared about her survival. Some images inspired me, I saw people getting saved under a lot of buildings and I saw worried photos of little boys and girls who could not survive this devastating earthquake.   

My hopes for Haiti are a lot of things in the near future. I hope that the USA will be able to rebuild this destruction and that Haiti will rebuild…and that the survivors will get shelter, food and care. I hope Haiti will get stronger soon.   

Sincerely,  

Jonathan Blouin '14

---

Dear People of Haiti,

I remember the day that I first saw the horrifying videos and pictures of the aftermath of the earthquake. It was the morning after the quake and I was curious as to why my mom was paying such close attention to the TV. It was at this time that I realized the magnitude of the quake and how serious it really is.

When I looked at the newspaper, the front page had a picture of the damage. It was later this same day that I saw a short video of the people in Haiti. It consisted of pictures of the damage, all of the people left homeless, and a young man trapped in a pile of rubble with his arm hanging out of the side signaling for help. This made me feel as though we take for granted how safe and grateful we should be here in America.

I hope that everyone in the world can do as much as possible to help the people of Haiti. Every single contribution, no matter how big or small will help them. The people of Haiti will be especially grateful because they have lost everything, and they did not have much to begin with...

Sincerely,  

Zack Stueve '14

 --- 

Dear People of Haiti,

When I first heard of the earthquake and how bad it was, I thought the people who told me were exaggerating. But then I saw pictures of the country. I saw children crying, wounded trapped under buildings, and thousands of dead. When I saw this, I was at home watching TV. I felt selfish and snotty because of the things I had. But the pictures also inspired me to want to help.

Each night I pray for the people of Haiti. I hope that the world will immediately respond and help. You did not deserve what was done to you and your country.

Sincerely,

Angelo Conti '15

---

Dear People of Haiti,   

I was very sad to hear of the terrible earthquake which struck your country last week...I want you to know that I am thinking of you and praying that you will be able to carry on day by day. It is so sad that you have lost so much.  

The worldwide community knows you are suffering and hears your pleas for help. Millions of dollars have been raised and countries throughout the world are coming to your aid. Your life will never be the same but I believe with the help of the world you will be able to first have your basic needs met: food, water, shelter and medical care...  

You will not be forgotten. Here in West Roxbury, we are praying for you and hope you find strength knowing you are not alone – the world will help you begin again.   

Sincerely,  

Michael Keane '14

---

Dear People of Haiti,

I first heard of the 7.1 magnitude earthquake a few weeks ago while I was eating my breakfast at 6:00 in the morning. When I came into school that day everyone was talking about this tragic event.

Over the week I heard many awe-inspiring stories of people being able to survive for days under the rubble of the destroyed buildings. On the news channels on the television every day there was a new shocking story of lives being saved.

In my school we are raising money to help rebuild the tragedy struck city of Port-Au-Prince. Everyone in America is surely praying for you, people of Haiti, that you will be able to rebuild from this disaster.

Sincerely yours,

Kevin O'Toole '15

---

To the People of Haiti,

My heart goes out to you and your suffering. Your country has had suffering and troubles that we here in America can only face in our worst nightmares. Though we too have had disasters, we have had nothing as unexpected as what happened to you.

When I heard about the earthquake and the amount of people that had lost their lives, I was filled with shock at the result…I am quite glad to hear that all these countries, even from far away, are sending aid to this one country.

This event may be filled with suffering, but it is an example of how the human spirit, and its will, continues. In my perspective, this one event will unite the world for one purpose.

Sincerely,

Kyle MacNeil ‘10

--- 

Dear People of Haiti,

The first time I heard about the earthquake was when I came home from school. When I heard about the damage and people I realized how many people were either killed or trapped. I saw pictures of the earthquake and I saw all of the people that were affected by the earthquake. I also saw how many people persevered to help others. Then I saw how strong your country is, even when you have lost people. My hope for your country is that other nations like the U.S. help rebuild and supply you with water, food, shelter and medicine. Every day at school, we are praying for you, your country, and those who have lost loved ones.

Sincerely,

Bryan Sweeney '15

---

Dear Haiti,  

It is a terrible thing that has happened to you.   

It is strange to think that such a thing could happen so close to my home. My apologies, though, do not do much for your people. I intend to do my part to support the problems there. I hear what is going on down there and I wish there was more I could do. I wish I could supply the natural resources that you're lacking. I wish I could supply the leadership that you are lacking. To put it simply, I wish there was more I could do.  

I do plan on joining my school in their efforts for relief. We are doing our best and giving what we can to help support your people. We hope for the best in the future for the people of Haiti that their nation may turn in the right direction.  

Sincerely,  

Brad Jones '10

---

To the People of Haiti,

The earthquake that has struck your nation has caught every single country's attention in sending aid and resources for reconstruction. However, the earthquake has done more than to show how each nation is generous...it gives a glimpse into a world of poverty and disease that went unnoticed for too long.

CNN has depicted scenes that will stay fresh in my mind for a lifetime. People rising out of the rubble badly injured, holding their children in their hands and crying out loud, haunts me. Images where people hurt each other for food, water and thousands of corpses left on the streets raises more problems.

Haiti is ravaged by illnesses and poor economic development...the question that should be in everyone's mind is why didn't we send aid years before this incident took place? By beginning with Haiti, new steps to end world poverty and disease can be increased. Haiti can present us with a single solution for a world problem.

Sincerely,

Ben Alves '10

---

Dear People of Haiti,

When I first heard about the earthquake, I felt worried for all of you. Also, I thought of the worst thing that happened to me, and it doesn't seem to be anywhere near as bad as what you are going through. When I saw the news, I thought of all the people who lost somebody and prayed for them. The images scared me and made me worry more about you and the rest of the people in Haiti. I really hope that Haiti gets through all this. We are sending money and supplies to help you. We will continue to try as hard as we can to help you recover from this terrible disaster.

Sincerely yours,

Patrick Wall '15

Chamber Ensemble, eighth grade perform at Faneuil Hall

2010-01-22T14:38:00.002-05:00

"O beautiful for spacious skies." As the eighth grade class sang those words on Thursday afternoon, and they echoed against the halls of the most historic hall in the country, they became the first words that two hundred and fifty immigrants to the United States heard as newly naturalized U.S. citizens.

Above: the Chamber Ensemble performs, while the eighth grade prepares to sing.

Click here to see a video of the naturalization ceremony.

As part of the Catholic Memorial Middle School Program's interdisciplinary unit on immigration and citizenship, the eighth grade class and its teachers spent their second day this term outside of the classroom on January 21, visiting two historic sites important to U.S. immigration and citizenship throughout the city. In December, the Middle School Program visited the Museum of Science for an Omni Theater presentation of "Great Journey West" and to the Prudential Center's top-floor exhibition of immigration history in Boston.

On Thursday morning, students visits the famous "Golden Steps" in East Boston, arrival site of thousands of Italian, Irish and Jewish immigrants in the 1800s and 1900s. Second only to Ellis Island in terms of the number of entering immigrants, the Golden Steps are an important landmark in the history of new Americans seeking the dream.

From seeing one of the points of entry for America's first major wave of immigration, students then traveled to Faneuil Hall, where they witnessed the oath of allegiance of two hundred and fifty of America's newest citizens.

Along with the CM Chamber Ensemble which played the Star Spangled Banner, the eighth grade sang "God Bless America," as representatives of the U.S. District Court, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Immigration and Naturalization Services looked on. Mr. Denis Riordan P'14, the District Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, arranged for the students to come on Thursday. Judge Rya Zobel, who swore in the newest citizens, praised the students' efforts and musical talents.

Middle School Program theology and geography teacher Mark Smith '85 testified that the students got a lot out of the day. "Watching these people who are looking for new opportunities to come intro our country and experience freedom and democracy...it's an exciting day," said Smith.

Jacob Graham '14 agreed. "It was good to see everybody so happy after they came into this country."

"My favorite part was seeing so many different countries [represented] and everyone becoming a U.S. citizen," added Andrew Kang '14.

Plans are underway for a seventh grade field trip to the March naturalization ceremony at Faneuil Hall as well.

Speech and Debate Team wins New York City tournament

2010-01-21T17:38:00.001-05:00

CM's Speech and Debate team took home the 2010 Team Championship trophy from the Fr. Gerald Rippon Memorial Tournament held at Regis High School in New York City on January 16.

Individual winners that contributed to the team championship were:

Marcus Jackson - 1st Place (Declamation)
Laroy Streat - 2nd Place (Oral Interpretation)
Ethan Madden & Patrick Simas - 2nd Place (Duo Interpretation)
Kevin Donnelly - 2nd Place (Declamation)
Jhovani Vonleh - 3rd Place (Declamation)
Chris Masterson - 4th Place (Original Oratory)
Kevin Verity - 5th Place (Original Oratory)
Joe Botsch - 5th Place (Congress)
Andrew Fanikos - 5th Place (Extemp)
George Evangjeli - Finalist
(Congress)
Joseph Sweeney - Finalist (Congress)
Andrew Rogantino - Finalist (Declamation)
Mark Woodall - Honorable Mention (JV Oral Interp)

"All of our competitors represented CM well this weekend," said head coach Rob Croteau. "Their hard work and dedication to this program was evident as we captured our second championship there in three years. From skating at Rockefeller Center to enjoying each other's company to getting up early to prepare for this event--everything contributed to our ability to shine this weekend."

The Forensics team captured its first team championship of the year at the Lincoln Sudbury Showdown on December 5. Two weeks prior, the team had come in 6th place out of over 60 teams in the prestigious Villiger tournament at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia.

Boston Poet Laureate Sam Cornish visits CM

2010-01-21T17:36:00.001-05:00

Last month, nearly a hundred poets, storytellers and essayists vied for $500 in cash and prizes and for the pride of being celebrated as CM’s best writers in the annual Catholic Memorial “Picturing America” Writing Contest.

On January 20, the judges—bestselling novelist William Martin ‘67, former Boston Globe columnist Charles Kenney ’68 and Boston Poet Laureate Sam Cornish—revealed the winners at a ceremony in the CM Board Room.

Above: Poet Laureate Sam Cornish addresses the winners.
Click here to watch a video of the winners reading their work.

The winners: Eric Butts ’10 (1st place, poetry), Conor Leahy ’12 (2nd place, poetry), Ian Reeb ’10 (honorable mention, poetry), Ryan Hubbard ’12 (honorable mention, poetry); Dan Haley ’10 (1st place, non-fiction), Seungjae Lee ’12 (2nd place, non-fiction), Brendan MacNabb ’10 (honorable mention, non-fiction); Jon Lott ’10 (1st place, fiction), Ethan Madden ’11 (2nd place, fiction), and Sean Sweeney ’11 (honorable mention, fiction).

The winners read from their works, which were all inspired by one of two pieces of art installed at the school as part of the “Picturing America” series of art prints, funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Boston Poet Laureate Sam Cornish emceed the awards ceremony. “You read so much, and sometimes your eyes can’t take anymore,” he said of judging poetry. “But then I opened up this pack, and there you were—it was a joy. It was a pleasure to read them. It was more difficult, however, to decide.”

“Sometimes, something just jumps right out and grabs you,” Cornish told the students, parents and faculty assembled, “as if the heart and the truth of the moment has found its way to the pen, to the keyboard and is on the page. And that’s what I experienced here.”

According to librarian Mrs. Magyar, who founded the contest last year, this year’s winners had some things in common. “Two characteristics—empathy and honest—came through in all these winning entries,” said Ms. Magyar. “These are qualities that all good writers share.”

City Councilor John Tobin ’87 addressed and congratulated the students as well. Tobin’s recalled to everyone the difficulties in installing the post of Poet Laureate and getting Mr. Cornish’s appointment passed. “Everyone thought it was crazy at the time,” said Tobin, “but I’ve had so many parents in the city thank me, because that is one of the ways many of their children express themselves.”

Winter Sports Updates

2010-01-04T09:39:00.004-05:00

Varsity wrestling defeated Walpole (36-33) but fell to Central Catholic in the Commonwealth Cup on 1/2. Varsity basketball opens Catholic Conference play this Friday (1/8) at Xaverian at 7pm. Varsity swimming visits East Boston Tuesday at 4pm.

Scores/Stats:

Varsity Track: 1/2/10 Donovan Henry '12 broke a meet record in the 300-meter dash at the Auerbach Inivtational Meet, earning first place by 1/100th of a second. Henry, who also came in 2nd place in the long jump event, earned the Outstanding Overall Performer of the Meet award.

JV Hockey: 1/2/10 Coyle Cassidy High School Away W 4-1
Goalie Marty Josephs '11 had an outstanding night in the net stopping 14 shots. Brian Picarello '11 lit the green light twice and Kevin McCarthy '11 scored once and earned an assist. The highlight of the game was an unselfish pass by Ryan Curley '11 as he froze the CC goalie and laid a pass to Picarello for the goal.

JV Hockey: 1/1/10 Needham High School (West Roxbury) Home W 7-1
Goalies Marty Josephs '11 and Jake Uminski '11 shut down Needham. Defensman Christian Durham '11 assisted on two goals. John Mildner '11 led the offense with two goals and an assist. Kevin McCarthy '11 also netted a goal and an assist. Joe Barton '12 posted his second goal of the season.

Freshman Hockey: 12/31/09 *Malden Catholic High School (at Boston University) Home W 7-1
The Knights scored on their first two shots and never looked back. Tom Barrett and Jack O'Hear each had two goals and two assists. Michael Cusato and Connor Meagher each had a goal and an assist. Dylan Ryan scored his first of the season with an assist to Billy Campbell (his first point of the season). Sean Donovan played the first two periods and only gave up one goal. Justin Devieux made his season debut and played a clean third period.

JV Hockey: 12/31/09 *B.C. High (West Roxbury) Home T 2-2
A strong CM defense lead by Goalie Jake Uminski '11 (18 saves) and defensmen Pat Carney '11, Christian Durham '11, Leo Stapleton '11 and John Delano '12 were able to hold off BC High by blocking 7 out of 28 shots on net. Scoring for CM: Tom Stanton '12 and Ryan Curley '11.

Freshman Hockey: 12/30/09 *Xaverian Brothers High School Away L 2-1
The Hawks were up 1-0 going into the 3rd period when Jack O'Hear tied the score from Tom Barrett and Justin Ryder. Xaverian won the game with about 1:30 left on a breakaway goal. Sean Donovan was in the CM net.

JV Hockey: 12/28/09 Hingham High School Away W 6-5
Trailing 4-1 after 20 minutes of play, the Knights never quit and fought back to win. Goals by John Harrison '12, Sean Vitello '11, Brian Picarello '11, Tom Stanton '12, Nick Barker '12 and the second game-winner of the season for Ryan Curley '12. Goalie Marty Josephs '11 stopped 22 shots.

Freshman Hockey: 12/28/09 *St. John's Prep School (at West Roxbury) Home L 3-1
St. John's held a 1-0 lead after 1 period of play. The Knights tied it up on a goal by Michael Cusato from J.J. Barrett early in the second frame. However, the Prep put two past Sean Donovan, who played well in his second game in the CM net, before the period was over. A scoreless third then followed to leave the final score 3-1.

JV Hockey: 12/26/09 *Xaverian Brothers High School Away L 2-1
CM battled for three full periods taking 33 shots on the Hawks but came up short with only one goal by John Mildner '11 assisted by Tom Stanton '12 and Nick Barker '11. CM netminder Shane Starrett '13 stopped 23 shots.

Freshman Hockey 12/23/09 *B.C. High (at West Roxbury) Home T 3-3
The Knights were up 3-1 after 2 periods on goals by Tom Barrett (2) and Jack O'Hear, But the Eagles got two early in the third frame to even the score. Sean Donovan started his first game of the year in the CM net and played a strong game.

Varsity Hockey: 12/23/09 Saint Sebastians Country Day Sch (Kevin Mutch Cup) Away L 4-2
T.J. O'Brien '10 and Troy Starrett '10 scored for CM, with an assist by Derek Colucci '10 on both goals. Tommy Knox '11 had 21 saves.

Read more on the Winter Sports Feed.

Click here for the Athletics Calendar.

Winter Sports Updates

2009-12-23T10:27:00.001-05:00

Varsity Track: 12/22/09 Brockton High School(at Reggie Lewis) Away v Brockton
Individual winners included Ed Colvin '10 (1-mile), Donovan Henry '12 (Long Jump, 300-meter), Tim McLaughlin '10 (Shot-put), Ryan Malone '11 (High jump), Connor Muldoon '12 (2-mile).

JV Hockey 12/22/09 Hingham High School (Neponset) Home W 2-1
Nick Barker '11 scored in he first period and Ryan Curley '11 netted the game-winner with 5 minutes left in regulation time.

Frosh Hockey: 12/21/09 *Xaverian Brothers High School(at West Roxbury) Home W 4-1
The Knights got 2 goals from Jack Kilty, a goal and an assist from Tom Barrett and two assists from Jack O'Hear. Shane Starrett had his shutout bid broken up with just 30 seconds left in the game.

JV Hockey 12/18 - 12/19/09 Belmont Hill School Tourney v Belmont Hill W 2-1
Goals by John Mildner '11 and Tom Stanton '12 in the third period helped the Knights come back after being down 1-0 after two periods.
v Malden Catholic L 6-3
Two goals by Ryan Curley 11' and one goal by John Mildner 11' could not hold off MC.

Frosh Hockey: 12/19/09 Cardigan Mountain School (Belmont HIll Holiday Tournament) Away L 3-1
CM got on the board first with a shorthanded goal by Jack Kilty from Jack O'Hear and John Allaire, Cargigan came back to tie it 1-1 before the end of period number one. In the second frame, Cardigan kept the pressure on. Shane Starrett was great in the CM net, but could not prevent the two goals that made the score 3-1 going into the third period. CM's offense, led by Kilty, O'Hear, Tom Barrett, J.J. Barrett, Michael Cusato and Connor Meagher stormed the Cardigan zone but could not get any closer.

Read more on the Winter Sports Feed.

Speech Team places 4th at prestigious "Holly Fest" Tournament

2009-12-23T10:26:00.000-05:00

Thirteen students on the CM Forensics team made the finals in the annual Natick High School "Holly Fest" on December 19th. Jhovani Vonleh '12 won the top speaker prize for receiving nothing but 1st place in every individual competition through the tournament.

Other winners on the 4th-place CM team included:
John Federico '11 (1st - Radio)
Chris Masterson '10 (2nd - Original Oratory)
Jhovani Vonleh '12, Thomas Foley '12, Nick Leney '11, and Ryan Lemoie '12 (2nd - TV News Team)
Frank Theodat '11 (3rd - Novice Reading)
Dave Consigli '12, Andrew Rogantino '12, Kevin Donnelly '12, and Mark Woodall '12 (3rd - TV News Team)
Jhovani Vonleh '12 (4th - Declamation)
Pat Simas '10 (4th - Dramatic Performance)
Laroy Streat '12 (5th - Prose)
Kevin Donnelly '12 (6th - Declamation)
Kevin Gill '13 (6th - Radio)
Kevin Verity '10 (6th - Original Oratory)
Chris Traynor '13 (7th- Declamation)

"The team should be proud of the success we shared at the Holly Fest," said head coach Rob Croteau '93. "Our team demonstrated great strength in the prelims, and this performance put us within points of being in the top 3 at a major tournament. Congratulations to the entire team for a week of great focus and a willingness to put in long hours."

Croteau also thanked the assistant coaching efforts of CM Forensics alumni Steve Murphy, Greg Cunningham, Joe McLean and Brian Murphy, who worked with many of the students during weekly practices. Alumni who judged at the tournament included John Labelle, Tim Sullivan, Ryan Sullivan, Michael Giovanucci, Brian Murphy, Mike Macchi, Mark Macchi, Brendan Ahern, Derek Powell, and Liam Concannon.

"It was great to see our alums come back and give back to the program," said Croteau.

The team was also grateful to Cindy Murphy, Maureen Donnelly and Elizabeth Traynor for judging.

Merry Christmas from Catholic Memorial School

2009-12-19T19:13:00.004-05:00

On behalf of the entire Catholic Memorial School family, I wish you and your familya very blessed and Merry Christmas and happy new year.

Sincerely,

Paul E. Sheff '62
President

In keeping with the Edmund Rice Christian Brothers of North America's call to recognize and command better stewardship of our ecological footprint, we have foregone the printing and shipping of a school Christmas card this year in favor of this electronic equivalent. This video was co-produced by CMTV's Francis Hawley '11 and Austin Bannister '12, under the supervision of Mr. William Hahn.

Immigration and expansion: Middle School students get a new view of Boston

2009-12-18T09:42:00.001-05:00

For the seventh and eighth grade classes, there was no better way of kicking off their interdisciplinary units on immigration than visiting downtown Boston on December 15. The Middle School Program took them to the Museum of Science for an Omni Theater presentation of "Great Journey West" and to the Prudential Center's top-floor exhibition of immigration history in Boston.

Although at first it might not seem like either stop on the students' tour of Boston Tuesday had directly to do with immigration, one only needed to here them report on it to make the connections.

"Lewis and Clark mapped out what would be the future of our country," said Douglas DePaola '14. "After they mapped it out, that would bring more immigrants here."

"The Prudential [exhibit] showed us how people immigrated to Boston, and it showed us the view of the way people would come through to these parts," said Matthew Chipman '15.

Mike Tomaino '14 reflected that afternoon on his own family's journeys west from Europe. "I'm looking forward to seeing how people came to this country," he said. "My grandparents came from Italy, and i'm wondering how they came to be citizens."

Chipman said he enjoyed the whole day--from the Museum of Science to lunch to the afternoon skyline view of his city. "It was pretty fun, walking around the city with my friends," he said.

Of the view at the top of the Pru, DePaola added, "It was pretty cool. I'd never seen all of Boston like that before."

CM Life in Photos: NHS Blood Drive

2009-12-14T10:54:00.002-05:00

Brandon Pierce '10 strikes a pose before signing up for the National Honor Society's annual Blood Drive at CM on December 11. At the registration desk are (l-r) Troy Starrett '10, Brian Besinger '10, Matthew Dalton '10 and Eric Anderson '10. In all, over forty individuals donated blood.

"We Saw His Star": Talents delight at annual Christmas Concert

2009-12-11T10:25:00.002-05:00

CM's Kevin Beazley '11 has a voice most choruses long for. With deep baritone notes that can fill a cathedral space, Beazley showed hundreds of listeners why this week. That began for him in his own church--St. Theresa's in Dorchester, where Beazley performed portions of Handel's Messiah alongside Boston Symphony Orchestra musicians.

And on Wednesday evening, Beazley again brought a hush among several hundred listeners in the cavernous space of Holy Name Church. Singing "Have yourself a merry little Christmas," Beazler was one of many soloists who showcased their talents in the annual CM Christmas Concert.

Arranged and conducted by Music Director Craig Spaner, the annual concert featured the CM JazzMen, CM Chamber Ensemble, eighth grade chorus, and a variety of other talented musicians performing for parents, teachers, friends and the public at Holy Name Church, the annual venue for the concert.

Those assembled felt the advent of Christmas more fully thanks to Dan Masterson '08, who opened the evening with song and accompanied many of the younger performers on piano. Several selections by the eighth grade chorus set the stage for CM's finest performers in grades 7-12, like Seung Eun Park '10 on cello, Ethan Madden '11 on vocals, Brendan MacNabb '10 on guitar, Matthew Young '15 on flute, and Angelo Conto '15 on vocals.

"Having watched the annual Christmas Concert evolve over the past twelve years, it is a credit to Mr. Spaner the way he has inspired our students to showcase their varied talents," said Middle School Head Teacher Don Cormier. "CM is fortunate to have him leading our Fine Arts Department."

Mr. Paul Sheff closed the evening with brief remarks, thanking the faculty and staff involved in putting on the concert, applauding the student talents, and praising Mr. Spaner for his fine conducting.

Revved Up: CM Car Club heads to New England Auto Show

2009-12-10T11:31:00.001-05:00

The CM Car Club’s first excursion of the year brought it to the New England Auto Show at the Boston Convention Center December 3. Moderator Mr. Tegan and a dozen students made the trip, one of at least four after-school trips they make through the year to area auto shows.

“Kids and cars, it’s a natural connection,” says Tegan. “Whether it be tinkering with them or admiring the worksmanship. The Car Club fills that need.”

With over twenty car aficionados in its ranks each year, the Car Club heads to the Larz Anderson Auto Museum and the Bayside Expo’s “World of Wheels Show.” On trips like these, members meet and talk with engineers and car manufacturers and see real-world applications of science and math skills.

The Club began ten years ago when Mr. Tegan noticed a freshman, Matthew McGonagle ’03, paging through Car and Driver during his study halls. Tegan and McGonagle struck up a conversation each week, and soon invited more and more students to join them in exploring the intricacies of automotive design each week. Matthew’s father, Ed McGonagle ’76, graciously continued to sponsor the Car Club’s outings well beyond Matthew’s graduation.

This past week, the Car Club’s acting president Tom Flaherty ‘10, a member since his freshman year, enjoyed seeing both mass-marketed and custom-built designs at the New England Auth Show. Flaherty thinks about studying diesel mechanics and design after CM.

Beside the newest Chevy Corvette (complete with GPS and DVD systems) was a custom-pinstripe airbrush paint job of ghostly figures on a 6-door pickup truck. Both caught his eye.

“I wanted to be able to get into the new models and see what new technology is coming out,” said Flaherty. “We all do. There’s definitely a bond between all of us who have the same passion for cars.”

Donnelly leads Speech and Debate to 1st Place Finish

2009-12-08T13:01:00.001-05:00

Kevin Donnelly '12 took home three first place trophies in the categories of Declamation, Duo Interpreation, and Multiple Improv at the Lincoln Sudbury Showdown on December 5, leading the CM Forensics team to a 1st place team win. Laroy Streat '11 and Brendan Shea '11 were named finalists in two categories each, and the following students earned 1st place trophies as well:

Andrew Rogantino '11 (Duo Interpretation)
Nick Leney '10 (Radio)
Joe Kain '11 and Michael MacKenzie '11 (Public Forum Debate)
David Consigli '12, Ryan Lemoie '12, Andrew Rogantino '12, and Kevin Donnelly '12 (Multiple Improv)

"This was a record-breaking showing at the Showdown," said team coach Rob Croteau '93, "and the team's first Sweepstakes Championship of the year. We congratulate all the winners who made it possible, and thanks to all the parents who volunteered."

Studio Art coursework showcased at Wellesley's Davis Museum

2009-12-04T13:57:00.002-05:00

Ms. Malachowski's Studio Art class saw their photography on display at Wellesley College's Davis Museum on December 2 as they visited "Cell Tango," an exhibition of creative photography taken by cell-phone cameras.

A project by artists George LeGrady and Angus Forbes, Cell Tangois an interactive installtion featuring a large-scale projection of phone images contributed by the public. The project intrigued Ms. Malachowski, who encourages her Studio Art students to think differently about their involvement in the art world and the broad definition of "the arts" each year.

"It's an experience for these boys to see their artwork in a museum," said Malachowski. "We decided that we would take pictures, contribute them to Cell Tango, visit and see their artwork live, and tour the museum and gardens."

In addition to seeing the art museum and meeting exhibit curator Jim Olson, students toured the campus, around which were installed serveral other larger pieces of scultpure.

Studio Art is an elective course at CM for students in grades 9-12.

BC High 28, CM 17

2009-11-26T18:02:00.000-05:00

In the annual CM VS BC High Thanksgiving day game you could feel the tension in the air. CM came out emotionally charged and took a small lead into halftime, BC came out in the second half with no intention on conceding and that was evident when they outscored CM 14-0 in the second half to keep the Pumpkin Trophy in their possession.

Armani Reeves came out early and made a statement on a bone-crushing hit to force a fumble, which he also recovered. On CM’s first possession quarterback AJ Doyle hooked up with Donald Bland on a play action pass for a 20-yard gain. The Knights would get on the board first as Keshaudus Spence broke a 28 yard touchdown run on a well executed draw play. On the next BC High possession Cam Williams recovered a fumble on the Eagles’ one-yard line, an AJ Doyle run put CM ahead 14-0. The Eagles finally joined the party halfway through the second quarter when a 5-yard touchdown run put them down 14-6 after a failed two-point conversion. A costly pass interference call gave CM the ball on the Eagles’ 29-yard line, CM couldn’t force their way into the end zone and were forced to settle for a field goal. It looked as if the Knights were going to be able to enjoy a big halftime lead until the Eagles connected on a long touchdown pass to keep themselves in striking distance of the Knights. A successful two point conversion made the score CM 17- BC 14 heading into the break.

The Eagles came out and sent a message on their first drive in the second half when they immediately took the lead on a long touchdown pass. BC pulled away on a 58 yard run from Preston Cooper who then punched in a short touchdown run to put the Eagles up 28-17, which would hold up as the final score. CM still didn’t quit, Spence willed his way for a first down with about six minutes left in the game. The game wasn’t completely out of reach until miscommunication between Doyle and his receiver resulted in an ugly interception with just 3:46 left. The biggest reason why the Eagles were able to totally shut down the Knights’ offense was their relentless pressure on AJ Doyle. Play after play the Eagles busted through the Knights’ offensive line and put Doyle on his back.

It has been a long season for the Knights who have been plagued by injuries since day one. Right now the only good news is that the Knights have a long list of talented underclassmen including one captain from this year who will be returning next year.

Mike Slonina '11

Soccer wins State Championship

2009-11-22T18:14:00.001-05:00

Congratulations to the CM soccer team, who won the MIAA Division I State Championship on Sunday afternoon with a 1-0 win over Western Mass champion Ludlow. In leading the Knights through an impeccable six-game postseason win-streak, Coach John Finn earned his first state championship in his fifth season as head coach.

A solid all-around team, the Knights let in only one goal during regulation in the entire tournament. They fought against elimination in five sudden-death overtime periods and one penalty-kick showdown.

The team earned a berth in the title game by defeating Weymouth, Greater New Bedford, King Philip Regional, Brockton, an undefeated North champion Lexington squad. They defeated Lexington on Thursday night for the EMass Championship, 2-1 (OT) at Weymouth H.S.

Henri Jean-Claude '12 scored for CM to tie it in the 2nd half, and senior co-captain Will Donovan '10 netted the sudden-death overtime goal to give CM the win. Nick Leney '10 assisted on the winning goal. Connor Askins '10 was once again solid in goal. In five postseason games, the Knights' opponents have scored only twice against them.

NHS welcomes its newest members

2009-11-20T15:00:00.001-05:00

CM inducted its newest class of National Honor Society members on November 19 in the Ronald Perry Gymnasium. To help inspire the newest inductees, Peter Trovato '00, who earlier in the month earned the first Vince in Bono Malum Award for Outstanding Young Alumnus, gave the keynote address.

Trovato, founder of the Massachusetts Soldiers Legacy Fund, spoke of his years at CM a decade earlier, and of his most poignant memories as a student.

"Congratulations to the juniors being inducted here tonight. You should be proud," said Trovato. "It's an honor and achievement. However, I want to stress that too many times achievements...are simply used as filler for your college application or resume. I urge you tonight to challenge yourself more as a member of the NHS."

After hearing Andrew Fanikos '10, Gjergji Evangjeli '10, Dominic Montalbano '11 and Chris Stathopoulos '11 each lit a candle in the induction ceremony speak on the NHS pillars of scholarship, leadership, service and character, Trovato further reflected on these characteristics of the NHS member and on the motto of his school.

"'Conquer evil by doing good.' Tonight the service, character and leadership and academics all come together for you to promote causes here, for you to be leaders, and for you to not forget of other people and their sacrifice," he said.

CM President Paul Sheff gave the closing remarks. "Congratulations to our newest inductees into the National Honor Society. I know how hard you worked to earn this recognition. You should be proud of yourselves and I know your parents are proud as well," said Sheff.

Sheff offered one model of an ideal scholar in discussing the famed 16th century writer Erasmus. After becoming the first writer to translate the New Testament into Greek, Erasmus became controversial in his refusal to support either the Protestant or Catholic cause in the Reformation, earning the scorn of both.

"Be honest and humble in your intellectual exploits, and keep your eyes and hear open to the great big world that beckons you. You would do well to be a disciple of Erasmus," said Sheff.

Mr. Malionek, advisor to the NHS, announced the following inductees from the Class of 2011:

Nelson Alvarez
Nicholas Barker
Joseph Botsch
Patrick Carney
Ryan Curley
Christian Durham
John Federico
John Gaffney
Michael Gallagher
James Golding
John Gorman
Aram Gurekian
Francis Hawley
Marc Hetnik, Jr.
SeungJin Hong (Philip)
Brendan Hughes
SungHo Jun
Nicholas Leney
Ryan Malone
Dominic Montalbano
Christopher Moriarty
Christian Mowles
Daniel O’Hear
Gwontaek Rho
Ryan Shanahan
Brendan Shea
Nicholas Sitar
Ryan Skiba
Christopher Stathopoulos
Sean Sweeney
Elliot Simmons-Uvin
Michael Techiera
Stephen Twerago
Jake Uminski
Sean Vitello
Peter White

Soccer team wins Eastern Mass Championship

2009-11-19T21:45:00.001-05:00

After a third consecutive overtime win in three postseason games, the CM Varsity Soccer team will vie for a Division I State title this Sunday. They earned a berth in the title game by defeating North champion Lexington for the EMass Championship on Thursday night, 2-1 (OT) at Weymouth H.S.

Henri Jean-Claude '12 scored for CM to tie it in the 2nd half, and senior co-captain Will Donovan '10 netted the sudden-death overtime goal to give CM the win.

The Knights will face West champ Ludlow on 11/22 at 1:30pm at Worcester State College for the Division I State title.

CM Life in Photos: Thanksgiving Food Drive

2009-11-19T14:35:00.003-05:00

After the Mass of Thanksgiving on Thursday, November 19, members of the Peer Ministry program at CM, accompanied by Director of Campus Ministry Mr. Brian Scott (right) packed up over one ton (2,000 lbs.) of Thanksgiving food donated by the CM community. The food will go to 200 needy families in Boston through St. Patrick's Parish in Roxbury. Below, (l-r) Christian Mowles '11, Nolan Schmidlein '11 and Andrew Rogantino '12 load the food onto a CM bus for delivery.

South Sectional Champs!

2009-11-18T11:23:00.003-05:00

The Soccer team is the MIAA Division 1 South Sectional Champion after defeating Brockton in the sectional finals Tuesday night. After two scoreless overtimes against #4-seeded Brockton, they won in a penalty-kick shootout. The Knights face North champ Lexington on Thursday night at 7pm at Weymouth H.S. for the Eastern Mass Championship title.

Click on the photo to see more pictures.

"This is a great win for them," said head coach John Finn '89. "For the seniors in particular, this win bookends their four years of varsity play with two South Sectional titles."

After battling through 80 minutes of regulation and two ten-minute overtimes, the soccer team captured the championship with a dramatic 4-3 penalty kick shootout Tuesday night. The game ended in a 0-0 stalemate before the shootout was needed to determine the champion.

Goalkeeper Connor Askins '10 made two crucial saves in the shootout and scored the game-winning penalty kick goal himself. In additions to Askins's goal, Hamadi Cantave '10, Will Donovan '10 and Stephen Twerago '11 routinely converted their spot kicks for the Knights.

CM didn't need a fifth kick, as Askins kept out Brockton's last effort to set off the championship celebration.

The win marks CM's second Division I South Championship in four seasons, having previously captured the prestigious title in 2006.

The seventh-seeded Knights improved to 16-3-3 on the season and advance to the EMass championship game against Lexington with a berth in the Division I state championship game at stake.

CM Soccer v. King Philip, S. Sectional semis

2009-11-16T09:47:00.003-05:00

Click here to see more photos from CM v. King Philip soccer in the S. Sectional semifinals, at Veterans Stadium, Quincy, Nov. 15, 2009.

CM Falls Just Short of Monumental Upset, 30-28

2009-11-15T23:08:00.001-05:00

On Sunday the Catholic Memorial Knights marched into Xaverian Brothers High School ready to give the number one ranked team in the state their first loss of the season. The Knights stayed in the game throughout but fell just short in the end losing 30-28.

Xaverian got on the board first with a one-yard touchdown run about halfway through the first quarter. On the next drive, once CM was finally forced to punt the kick was returned for a touchdown. The Knights, now down 14-0 knew that Xaverian's momentum needed to be stopped immediately or they were going to be looking at a blowout. Apparently Sophomore Armani Reeves knew this because he returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown. Joey McCarthy fumbled the snap on the extra point but he made up for it by running into the end zone, which put the Knights down only 14-8. After their returned kickoff the Knights defense stepped up with solid tackling as well as a fumble which was caused by Lorenzo Warren hitting the Xaverian quarterback from his blind side. The game score would stay at 14-8 heading into halftime.

In the second half no impact plays were made until Warren recovered a fumbled snap to give the Knights the ball in excellent field position with 6:09 left in the third quarter. Keshaudus Spence then broke free for a 25 yard touchdown run to put the Knights in position to take the lead, however a blocked punt kept the game tied at 14. The Hawks broke the tie on the first play of the fourth quarter with a touchdown run. Knights' quarterback AJ Doyle then threw a costly interception deep in CM territory which would have buried the Knights if not for excellent defense to force the Hawks to kick a field goal. Xaverian helped the Knights' cause when their kickoff went out of bounds, which gave the Knights the ball on their 40-yard line. The play of the game was a reverse to Joey McCarthy who, after looking to pass downfield, maneuvered his was for a 35-yard gain. The Hawks would once again hurt themselves with a costly pass interference penalty, which gave CM the ball on the 9-yard line. Lorenzo Warren kept CM in the game when he muscled his way for a touchdown to put CM within three, down 24-21. Much to the disappointment of the Knights' bench, the Hawks connected on a huge pass play to put themselves on the CM's 9-yard line and in excellent position to make it a two-possession game. Xaverian scored their final touchdown of the afternoon with 3:17 left, a blocked extra point made the score 30-21. The Knights marched all the way from the 8 yard line into the end zone but time was not on their side, Doyle finally hit McCarthy in the end zone with only :04 remaining.

With their performance in this game the Knights have nothing to hang their heads about, they gave the number one ranked team in the state the biggest scare they've seen this season. Still, that doesn't mean that it hurts any less. The Knights gave everything they had and if a few things went differently then who knows, maybe they pull it out.

CM's final game of the season is their annual Thanksgiving day game against BC High. Every year the Pumpkin Trophy is put on the line in this age old Catholic Conference rivalry. The Knights' final mission of the season is to bring the trophy back to Baker Street for the first time in four years.

Mike Slonina '11

CM Soccer heads to South Semis

2009-11-12T15:39:00.001-05:00

The CM Varsity Soccer team will face King Philip Regional High School in the Division I South Sectional semifinals on Saturday evening at 7pm at Weymouth High School.

The Knights earned the semifinal berth after handily defeating #2-seed Greater New Bedford on the road on Wednesday afternoon. In that matchup, Ryland Foster-Gorbach ’11 opened the scoring for the Knights, while Nick Leney ’11 and Kevin Butler ’10 rounded out the scoring in the second half. Will Donovan ’10 assisted on all three goals.

After Wednesday's quarterfinal matchup, head coach John Finn encouraged the team. "Continue the way you're playing hard ball and playing your game," he said.

As for upsetting Greater New Bedford, Coach Finn never took a chance in getting optimistic about being up 1-0 or 2-0.

"We just capitalized on opportunities when they missed," he said. "They definitely had two or three good opportunities in the first half, and when they missed, we got our chances and scored on them. Once we got that second goal, I knew it would change the tempo of the game, and it did."

Finn has been happy with the depth of his team as they head into the postseason against other tournament-ready teams. "This showed that we can play well on the road. And [senior captain] Will Donovan assisted on all three goals, but it showed that we don't have to have him scoring to win a game."

The Knights last made it to the semifinals in 2006, when they went on to the Eastern Mass finals.

CM Life in Photos: Soccer v. Weymouth

2009-11-09T14:01:00.006-05:00

Photos from the CM/Weymouth soccer matchup in the first round of the Division I South playoffs, Sunday, November 8. Top to bottom: Will Donovan '10 tests Weymouth's defensive skills (courtesy Mike Gallagher '11); Donovan scores the first goal; celebrations after Donovan's goal; Sean Steinberg '10 celebrates his goal with teammates.

CM gets season back on track with 21-6 win over Plymouth South Panthers

2009-11-07T12:32:00.003-05:00

The CM Knights traveled down to Plymouth South High School where they would try to get their season back on track against the Panthers. After a somewhat lackluster 3 quarters the Knights finally broke it open in the fourth, scoring 15 points and securing the win.

1st Quarter
The Panthers started the first half on an 8 minute drive which consisted of all run plays out of the exact same formation. They brought the ball all the way down to the 10 yard line where the Knights stopped the drive by stuffing a run up the middle. The only offensive highlight from the Knights in the first quarter was a 15 yard pass from AJ Doyle to Joey McCarthy across the middle of the field.

2nd Quarter
The Knights started their touchdown drive in the second quarter on a play action, Doyle rolled out as far as he could go and found Donald Bland who turned the 8 yard pass into a 20 yard gain. Next, the Knights ran a reverse from Armani Reeves to Joey McCarthy who ran for 13 yards. Doyle would then hook up with McCarthy on an 11 yard touchdown pass, after an unsuccessful extra point attempt CM lead the way 6-0. After another heavy diet of run plays from the Panthers, CM turned them over on downs to end the half.

3rd Quarter
The third quarter was for the most part uneventful. CM ran another reverse, this time to Reeves who ran for a 10 yard gain. The Knights drove the ball into field goal position but kicker Tom Byrnes didn’t have a chance as the Panthers penetrated the line to disrupt the play. All Byrnes could do was try to draw a penalty but there was not enough contact to justify it. CM got the ball back with 2:30 left in the quarter when Shane Smith jumped on a fumble, the first big mistake of the Panthers’ offense all night.

4th Quarter
After relinquishing the ball back to the Panthers this game looked like it could go down to the wire. In a sense the Panthers killed themselves in this game. Once again they turned the ball over when a botched pitch to the running back was recovered by the Knights on their own 12 yard line. This is where the Knights’ started to put the game away. When Doyle dropped back and realized that he had no receivers down field he tucked it and ran, after getting a couple of blocks he ran for 26 yards. Running Back Lorenzo Warren then broke free from a few tackles ran for a a 51 yard touchdown with 4:57 left in the game. A successful two point conversion put the Knights up 14-0 and in great position to get the win. However the game was not yet secured to the point where they could relax. On the Panthers’ first pass attempt of the game Paul Fahey stripped the Quarterback to force a fumble and give the Knights the ball back. A few plays later Warren forced his way into the end zone once again with 3:11 left to put the game away. The Panthers finally got on the scoreboard with :04 seconds left in the game and missed the extra point.

This was a great win for the Knights. All season in close games they have made big plays in the fourth quarter and this game was no exception. Great plays were made on both sides of the ball in the closing minutes of the game as the Knights improved to 5-3 on the season. Next Saturday they will travel to Xaverian and try to derail the number 1 ranked team in Massachusetts.

Mike Slonina '11

CM Life in Photos: NHS Clothing Drive

2009-11-04T17:02:00.004-05:00

Above, Dennis Weir '10 and Jon Lott '10 load bags of clothing donated through the National Honor Society's annual Clothing Drive before they get delivered to St. Francis House in Boston. The NHS collected 90 bags of clothing in total in the last week of October.

CM Forensics on top again as season begins

2009-11-04T16:20:00.001-05:00

Both the high school and middle school forensics teams are off and running this fall already, with students in grades seven through twelve earning high praise across the state.

At the Dighton-Rehoboth High School “Fall Fest” Forensics Tournament on October 24, the team earned a 3rd place team trophy. Sixteen Catholic Memorial students broke into the final rounds to win individual awards, including Kevin Donnelly '12 (1st), Andrew Rogantino '12 (3rd), Marcus Jackson '12 (4th), Jhovani Vonleh '12 (6th) in Declamation; John Federico '11 (1st), John Clarke '13 (2nd), Anthony Sears '13 (4th) in Radio Broadcasting; Andrew Rogantino & Kevin Donnelly (1st) David Consigli '12 & Myles McCarthy '12 (3rd) in Team Improv; Laroy Streat '11 (1st), Frank Theodat '11 (4th) in Novice Reading; Chris Masterson '10 (3rd) in Original Oratory; Aram Gurekian '11 & Raffi Grigorian '12 (4th), and Josh Hillard '11 & Brian Ziniti '11 (5th) in Duo Interpretation.

Coach Rob Croteau was proud of the Forensics team after the meet. “This was a great team effort at the beginning of our season,” Croteau said. “It was the type of performance that we needed to energize our team as we continue to shape and polish our pieces.”

At the Nashoba Brooks School tournament on the same day, the Middle School Program's speech team competed, with three students gaining recognition: Andrew Kerwin '14 (6th) in Declamation, and Brendan Fitzpatrick '14 and Dan Shulman '14 (honorable mention) in Novice Reading.

Sophomore Service Day helps 800 families in need

2009-11-04T16:08:00.002-05:00

In the last week of October, over a hundred and fifty CM sophomores devoted hundreds of collective hours of service to help Quincy's Cradles to Crayons and The Greater Boston Food Bank. The day of service, an alternative retreat designed by the Campus Ministry program at CM, made it possible for over 800 individuals in need to receive clothing and food as winter approaches.

"We chose to serve at Cradles to Crayons, where a lot of our seniors work for their Senior Service Project each year," said Mr. Brian Scott, director of Religious Education and Theology Chair at CM. "Both Cradles to Crayons and the Greater Boston Food Bank work behind the scenes, day and night, to provide for so many families in need."

Making their way through the Cradles to Crayons warehouse last Wednesday, Jon Doris '10 and Sean Myers '10 loaded a grocery cart full of supplies. Nearby, Errol Hudson '12 checked items off a list. "We're picking out clothes and food for children that need it," he said. "Then we deliver it to the check out counter."

At the checkout counter, other volunteers sealed the bags together, and another group of students heaved bags down a ramp to the delivery truck.

On two other days that week, students did the same thing, slowly assembling materials that would make life at least a little bit easier for children with needs greater than themselves.

Over at the Boston Food Bank in the South End, students worked in groups as well, sorting thousands of pounds of food donations and assembling meals for families. In all, the forty-five CM students sorted 7,431 pounds of food (or 132 pounds per student). In doing so, each one of them made 102 more meals possible for the homeless or for families living below the poverty line in Boston.

Joe Harney '10 Wins State Championship

2009-11-04T16:08:00.001-05:00

Joe Harney '10 knew he'd probably have to take some chances heading into the last nine holes of his high school career yesterday at Blackstone National Golf Club in Sutton.

Down by two strokes, Harney remembered what his coach, John Palermo '79, had told him the day before. "These guys you're going up against are always going to shoot a 75 [on the coure]. You've got to take a chance and get an 80 or take a chance and win it."

Harney did just that, hitting agressively, catching a little luck here and there, and making four birdies overall on the day to earn a 72 and take home the Division II State Championship. Harney's score beat the three second-place finishers by two strokes.

In his four seasons for the Knights, Harney has consistently been a contender in the Conference, according to Coach Palermo. As captain this year, he has been an outstanding leader for the team's younger, talented players.

"This was an outstanding effort for Joe, that caps off four great years of play," said Palermo.

Harney also captured the Catholic Conference Championship on October 17 at Indian Ridge Country Club in Andover. Harney shot a league-low 77 on the 72-par course.

Malden Catholic 28, CM 26

2009-10-23T22:12:00.008-04:00

In their first home game since September 25th, the Knights faced off against the Malden Catholic Lancers in their first Catholic Conference game of the season.

The Knights second drive of the game was highlighted by a Lorenzo Warren 54 yard run, and a 37 yard pass from AJ Doyle to Cam Williams. CM would miss a field goal to end the drive after three runs which were unsuccessful. The very next play Cam Williams recovered an MC fumble to give the Knights the ball back in prime scoring position. Doyle hit receiver Joey McCarthy deep in the red zone on a fourth down to continue the drive.

The first quarter ended with the Knights on the 2 yard line, and Doyle would run it in himself to start the second quarter. MC's rushing attack was sensational, their first drive in the second quarter started at the 20 yard line and took them all the way through the end zone. Once CM got the ball back they took a lot of time off the clock before drilling a field goal with 1:04 seconds left in the first half. It looked as if CM was going to be able to head to the locker room with a lead before MC's Quinn McDonough returned the following kickoff for a touchdown to give the Lancers a 14-10 lead heading into the halftime.

The third quarter was rough for the Knights as their offense was completely stalled, it looked as if the communication between Doyle and his receivers was off. It didn't help the Knights that McDonough would return an interception for a touchdown to give his Lancers a 20-10 lead. Another interception with 0:49 left in the third enabled the Lancers to start the fourth in great position to put the game away. They would once again break into the end zone with 8:56 left in the game, after a successful two point conversion the Lancers held a comfortable 28-10 lead.

CM never stopped playing, and as a result, they would put themselves back in the game. Doyle hit running back Lorenzo Warren in the end zone with 6:09 left, after a converted two point conversion the score was 28-18. The CM defense came up with a stop and the offense took advantage of their opportunity. In two consecutive plays Doyle connected with Donald Bland for a 40 yard play, and Joey McCarthy on a 39 yard missile to put the ball on the seven yard line. Donovan Henry punched it into the end zone to make the score 24-28. The Knights' two-point conversion featured a fantastic run from Warren putting CM down two after being down by eighteen just seven minutes earlier. The defense once again came up big and stopped the Lancers with 0:52 left in the game.

CM would then go four and out and in the process drop their second straight game.

It is important to note that the Knights were ridden by injuries Friday night. In addition to the already injured Armani Reeves, wide receiver Cam Williams and defensive back Keshaudus Spence both left the game with shoulder injuries in the first half. In the second half seniors Mark Glynn and Richard Errico also suffered injuries which would keep them sidelined for the remainder of the game. Not having Spence in the middle definitely hurt the Knights dearly. The Lancers' running game would have been as dominant as it was if Spence was there to hit anything and everything wearing a white jersey.

One piece of good news concerning the Knights' injuries is that junior captain John Gorman debuted in his first game of the season. A back injury had kept Gorman off the field since the end of August.

This game puts CM in an undesirable position concerning the playoff picture. In a ten-game season, two losses is a lot. Every game from here on out is an absolute must win for the Knights. One more loss and CM's playoff hopes are dead. They have a tall task in front them, the next few games are all against good teams and each game is probably going to be a dogfight. Next week the Knights will host the St. John's Prep Eagles and try to keep their postseason dreams alive.

Mike Slonina '11

Classrooms on Wheels: Walden Pond with Dr. Keane's English class

2009-10-23T15:15:00.007-04:00

As part of their unit on transcendentalism, students from Dr. Keane's grade 11 English class visited Walden Pond and Concord on October 23.

Students read excerpts from Henry David Thoreau's Walden before walking the circumference of the pond and visiting the original site of Thoreau's house.

Students also toured the Old Manse and the Concord Battlefield.

Thoreau's grave at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Concord.

Emerson's grave.

Caricatures with Ms. Malachowski's cartooning class

2009-10-22T16:06:00.004-04:00

Brother Cavet

View more caricatures done last year and this year by clicking here.