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Your Guide to More than 20 Saint Ignatius High School Instagram Accounts

By Bryce Whittier ‘24 

The Saint Ignatius High School community has a lot of great Instagram accounts. With the many sports, clubs, and other activities at Ignatius, many have their own dedicated accounts. This is a guide to help you know which ones will give you the information and content you are looking for. All stats were taken at the time of publishing, February 23. All accounts listed have posted at least once in the past year (with one exception) and are ranked in follower amount in their respective categories.

 

Main Accounts:

1. @sihscleveland – The main official Instagram account (8,744 followers)

This account has just about everything you need to know, from events to sports to academics, it is the jack of all trades. With many important events, daily announcements, and many other posts, it makes this account a must-have in your following.

 

2. @sihsathletics – The main official sports Instagram account (7,261 followers)

This account has all you need to know about the sports at Ignatius. With 2,785 posts, the sports account by far has the most posts and second most followers, also making it a must-have in your following.

 

3. @sihswildcatshop – The official Bookstore Instagram account (1,603 followers)

This account is for the bookstore that every student loves. It has store hours, products, and even the occasional deals. If you are interested in purchasing Ignatius merchandise, this is the account.

 

4. @sihsministry – The official campus ministry Instagram account (595 followers)

Much of the important religious information for Saint Ignatius can be found in this account, an important follow for all Ignatius students.

 

5. @sihscdining – The official campus dining Instagram account (348 followers)

Food highlights, weekly lunch menus, and announcements, no reason not to follow this account if you order food at Ignatius.

 

6. @sihsdiversityandinclusion – The official diversity and inclusion department Instagram account (220 followers)

With all the important information regarding cultural celebration and information, a must-follow account for all students.

 

Sports Accounts

1. @sihsbasketball – The main official basketball Instagram account – (1,240 followers)

If you play, enjoy watching, and/or interested in the basketball teams at Ignatius, this account is for you. With every game, score, and some of the players, this account will have everything you need. 

 

 2. @sihsrowing  – The main official rowing Instagram account – (1,116 followers)

Awesome photos, updates, and team/individual recognition, this account has all your rowing needs.

 

 3. @sihslacrosse – The main official lacrosse Instagram account – (1,075 followers)

With game schedules and many features of players, this is the main account for all your lacrosse needs. 

 

4. @saintignatiushockey – The official hockey Instagram account – (791 followers)

If you play, enjoy, and/or interested in the hockey teams at Ignatius, this account is for you. Player recognition, games, scores,  and more, this account has everything you will need.

 

5. @sihs_baseball – The main official baseball Instagram account – (769 followers)

The Ignatius baseball account is full of player recognition and important events, a must-follow for all baseball players.

 

6. @sihs_strength – The main official strength and conditioning Instagram account – (710 followers)

Simply a must-follow for all student-athletes. There is no reason not to follow this account. 

 

7. @sihslacrossevarsityblue – Saint Ignatius High School Varsity Blue Lacrosse Team – (300 followers) 

Features upcoming schedules, gear, team pictures, and short video clips from games and tryouts, but is not incredibly active.

 

8. @sihsvolleyball – The main official volleyball Instagram account – (302 Followers)

Player/team recognition and game day results, a must-follow for all volleyball players.

 

Clubs and Organizations

1. @sihseye – The main official school newspaper Instagram account – (458 followers)

An outlet for important school news and other information, an important Instagram account to follow to stay up-to-date for school information.

 

2. @sihsstudentsenate – The main official student senate Instagram account – (373 followers)

School updates, news, and student life events, another must follow to stay up to date on student events at Ignatius.

 

3. @sihsforum – The main official political forum Instagram account – (118 followers)

Many polls for all your political discussion needs, a great follow for anyone interested in political discussion.

 

4. @sihschorus – The main official chorus Instagram account – (63 followers)

Posts over the Ignatius chorus program, a great follow for anyone interested in the chorus program.

 

5. @sihsmband – The Instagram account of the marching band – (56 followers) 

Has not been active since 2015, but it features pictures of the marching band doing various events including sporting events, St. Patrick’s Day marches, and more. Perhaps if enough students follow it will be revived!

 

Classes of Students

1. @sihs2020 – Saint Ignatius Class of 2020 – (509 followers) 

An account that featured seniors in the class of 2020 and their intended colleges and majors which has not been active since last spring, but is still followed by many and is an archive of old college decisions.

 

2. @ignatius.2021 – Saint Ignatius Class of 2021 – (317 Followers) 

An account featuring current seniors in the class of 2021 and their intended colleges and majors. Active and growing with people curious to see where Seniors are deciding to go.

 

 

There are no bad Ignatius Instagram accounts to follow. Each one is tailored to a specific audience and will give you the information you need. This guide should help clarify which one gives you what and may have shown some accounts you did not know about. 

The Downsides of a Full Return to School This Spring

By Matt Giberti ’21

Obviously, we all want things to return to pre-COVID normal, and school is no exception, but the decision to revert to all day, full capacity, in-person learning in March does have its drawbacks. 

First, the risk of infection for students and their families is still high and returning would make it even higher.  While teachers are going to have had the opportunity to be vaccinated, the overwhelming majority of students will not. Doubling the amount of students in each classroom will undoubtedly lead to an uptick of time spent in quarantine and an increased risk of exposure to COVID during the final months of school. This increased COVID risk likely makes many students uneasy, and adds another stressor to their lives. 

Second, the return to full-day classes represents a drastic change in the schedules of students. With half day classes, students were able to use their asynchronous time to catch up on homework, catch up on sleep, work out, or pursue other extracurricular interests. The schedule change will force students to change the routines and schedules that they have gotten used to during the first 7 months of the year. Such an abrupt and drastic change in schedule could make an already difficult school year even harder for many students. In addition to students, teachers have also adapted to the current schedule, and have found ways to adapt their lesson plans, curriculum, and teaching methods to accommodate the half day schedule. The return to full days also could create an issue for teachers, who now must re-adjust their lesson plans and schedules to fit into a full-day schedule. 

While a return to normalcy is what everyone desires, do the benefits of returning to classes full time for the final two-and-a-half months of the school year outweigh the drawbacks of increased COVID risk and the extreme adjustments required by students and teachers this late in the year? I believe they do not. 

The Melting Pot | Christian Sanders ’10

Iggy Insights | Colin O’Haimhirgin ’21

At the End of the Day, Fasting Can Be Freeing

By Terry McCafferty ’22

One way to think of Lent is as a journey: an approximately forty day journey from winter to spring, sin to salvation, and darkness to light. Pope Francis recently wrote that it is a journey toward “faith, hope, and love”. It is an opportunity for us to restore our commitment to what is right, rediscover our spirituality, and renew our dedication to the parts of our lives that matter the most. Living through COVID makes these messages more pertinent than ever and this time to recenter ourselves more needed because so many parts of our lives have been thrown off balance and for many people there has been so much darkness, sadness, and loneliness in the past year. 

In his Lenten message for 2021, Pope Francis also wrote that, “Fasting, prayer and almsgiving, as preached by Jesus (Mt 6:1-18), enable and express our conversion.” In other words, it is through fasting, prayer, and almsgiving that we make this journey. Accordingly, over the next three weeks this column will focus each of those mentioned pillars of Lent beginning this week, with fasting. 

I think the most helpful thing that I have heard over my relatively few years is that done right, fasting does not have to be seen as a painful process of giving things up. Instead, it can be a liberating experience of freeing ourselves from the vices that hold us back from being our best selves. What is holding you back from being your best self? What things do you do that leave you feeling unfulfilled or even guilty? What are the things that, after doing them, make you think “I regret that” knowing that you will do it again anyway? All of us have ways that we can become better, no matter how big or small they are. This Lent, we must summon up the strength and fortitude to free ourselves from whatever weighs us down with guilt. Reflect on what it is for you and then find the courage to make your commitment concrete, perhaps by writing it down. 

Before Lent starts, we can say to ourselves, “This Lent, I will follow through on my promise” and then during Lent, when excuses flow through our minds, we must not give in to the temptation. We must remind ourselves that if Jesus could go for forty days without eating in the desert and then die on a cross for our sins, we can fulfill our 2021 Lenten promises. Think of how it will feel on Easter Sunday, when we can all look back and say to ourselves, “I did it!”

At the end of the day, make your Lenten journey your own. Make it special and unique to where you are at in your life and with your faith. If you have wandered away from being active in your beliefs, perhaps make Lent a time to come back. If you’ve lost all faith, maybe Lent is a time to reconsider what you believe. If you are strong in your beliefs, Lent can be a time to grow even stronger by acting on them. Try to set goals that push you to do your best while also not making it an impossible mission. For example, if you need to preplan a one day break from your fasting on Saint Patrick’s Day, you should. We do not usually think of Lent as a fun occurrence, but there is a lot of internal joy and satisfaction to be had from taking time to try especially hard to be the best person that you can be. 

Hopefully, at least a few of the ideas in these three Lent themed columns will spark a thought or give you at least a bit of inspiration. To all of our readers beginning their own Lenten journey this year, many blessings and may the light of Christ guide your way toward greater fulfillment and renewal.

 

– No. 3 –

____ _______ ____

‘At the End of the Day’ is a weekly column written by Terry McCafferty ‘22. Each week focuses on a different topic often related to politics, faith, culture, or society at large.

Hidden Spaces: The room inside the Main Building tower

Weighing the Pros and Cons of Returning Full Time

By Carmen Caserio ’22

As I’m sure we’ve all heard, we will be returning to our original full day schedule for in-person instruction on Monday, March 15th. As the faculty of Saint Ignatius prepares to receive the COVID-19 vaccinations, Dr. Fior has announced the stunning news in order to wrap up the 2020-2021 school year. However, with a year filled with hectic twists and turns, is reverting back to our original schedule the best option?

Following COVID-19 protocols and aiming to provide students with some semblance of a school year, the faculty of Saint Ignatius shocked students and parents with the announcement of a half-day schedule over the summer, with students being alphabetically assigned to the Gonzaga group or the Xavier group and having varying schedules. In conjunction with the already uncanny circumstances created by COVID-19, skepticism surrounded the 2020-2021 school year even before it started. However, the half-day schedule was able to provide students with the one thing that they were not having before: in-person instruction. Thus, students and parents came to accept the unusual schedule. 

Since then, this schedule has governed our 2020-2021 school year, save the period during which we reverted to our online schedule. In doing so, the half-day schedule has prevented large and consistent outbreaks of COVID-19 by creating smaller class sizes and limiting the amount of students on campus at one time, allowing students to continue in-person learning. Students and teachers have been able to settle into a comfortable rhythm with the rotation of “A days” and “B days.” Furthermore, students have come to appreciate the late start that accompanies days on which students have afternoon classes. Thus, one must ask the question if returning back to our original full-time schedule is truly in everyone’s best interest.

When the half-day schedule was announced for the 2020-2021 school year, students were not the only people that were surprised. Parents were taken aback to be paying the full $18,000 tuition for a school year during which their children would only be attending school for half of the time. Therefore, shouldn’t they have been given a discount? Nevertheless, by returning back to full-time instruction, parents will be at least given half a semester’s worth of their money back. With their children able to have the final quarter of their school year full-time, parents will not have to worry about whether or not they wasted their money. While we as students may not acknowledge this, parents definitely will be satisfied to see that we will be returning to our original schedule.

In addition, as one of the most obvious benefits, the full-time schedule will allow teachers more time for in-person instruction. While the half-day schedule only allows teachers to meet with their students for either two or three times a week, the full-time schedule will allow teachers to meet with their students every single day of the week.

Not only that, as mentioned above, the half-day schedule fractured the entire student body, with students with last names beginning with A-L not able to see students with last names beginning with M-Z in the same class. Thus, with the implementation of the full-time schedule, students will be able to regularly see their friends that they have not been able to see since the outset of the school year.

In a year filled with anxiety and uncertainty, reverting to the full-time schedule brings back some pretense of things returning back to normal. Moreover, the full-time schedule is able to provide seniors with a somewhat typical end to their tenure at Saint Ignatius. Being separated by the half-day schedule, the full-time schedule permits seniors to enjoy their last hurrah of high school.

Finally, the full-time schedule will force students to stay accountable for their work. As the half-day schedule permitted students to have a considerable amount of free time both before and after school, depending on their schedule for the day, the full-time schedule will force students to stay on top of their work. While students may not see this as a benefit, this circumstance will force students to manage their time well, a quality that is necessary for success in life.

While the full-time schedule certainly carries some benefits, there additionally remains a list of disadvantages. For starters, students will be forced to remain within the six feet of social distancing in order to fit the full capacity of students in the classroom and around campus. While three feet of distancing may be guaranteed, the risk for a COVID-19 is exponentially higher with the full-time schedule.

Furthermore, as extreme changes have already occurred, including the announcement of next year’s new and improved schedule, retaining some semblance of consistency might be in the best interest of everyone. Reverting from the full-time schedule last year to the half-day schedule this year to the online schedule back in November and December, students are looking to keep things the same to finish out the chaotic 2020-2021 school year.

Though seen as a benefit in the eyes of some, the return to the full-time schedule will take away the significant amount of free time that has been afforded to students under the half-time schedule. With classes either in the morning or the afternoon, students have had the opportunity to sleep in on some days and leave school early on others. The implementation of a full-time schedule will force students to arrive at school on time in the morning and leave at the conclusion of the school day every single day of the week.

In addition, why fix something that isn’t broken? As students and teachers have adapted to the new schedule, no significant problems have come to light in the midst of our half-day schedule. While some may say that there lies a significant problem for students not being able to be in class as much, online resources have allowed students to be able to become self-sufficient. Whereas in-person instruction is preferred to self-learning, self-sufficiency is another skill that everyone needs to succeed in life.

Lastly, as teachers have assigned students higher amounts of homework based on the limitations imposed by the lack of class time, the return to the full-time schedule will create a disparity between whether or not teachers will provide the same amount of work. As the full-time schedule will give students less time to finish their assignments, we will have to rely on our teachers to understand our situation and provide a reasonable, though not inordinate amount of homework. However, there lies a significant amount of uncertainty about how classes will continue based on the return to the full-time schedule.

Though the half-day schedule provides a transient solution given the circumstances, it is by no means a permanent solution. Thus, for the time being, the half-day schedule seems to be the best route to be taking as a school. While we may debate whether or not this is the best decision for the faculty of Saint Ignatius to be making, we as students will have no control over what happens on March 15th. Therefore, we will have to do what we have been doing for the past year: cope.

With virtual learning possible, what is the future of snow days?

By Bryce Whittier ’24

The use of online learning has made it possible to go to school anywhere. Naturally, many wondered, even feared what implications this would have for that most revered of student winter traditions: snowdays. Reminiscent of the feeling brought only by waking up in the morning to see that school has been canceled and replaced by a day of mental relaxation, some students and teachers worried about what may happen to that bliss with the newfound capabilities of virtual learning. The New York Times even published an article titled, “Sorry Kids. Snow Days are Probably Over.”

But at Saint Ignatius, our principal Dr. Anthony Fior ‘02, the person with the greatest authority on such issues, seems to have an idea of the answer in mind.

“Just because we can have virtual learning on a snow day, does not mean we need to have virtual learning,” Dr. Fior said. “I think the occasional … snow day is kind of a joy that kids and even teachers love.”

I think the occasional … snow day is kind of a joy that kids and even teachers love.

Given this response and Dr. Fior’s decision to have a traditional snow day on February 15th, his first snow day call as principal, it seems likely that snow days will, for the most part, still be the day we all know and love. However, there is one key potential alteration. Dr. Fior says that one exception would be if there were a long streak of snow days. “In the situation where there is an extended period of days, 3-4 snow days, maybe that is different,” Fior said. “I think we will have to have some conversations with our faculty.”

Much of what Dr. Fior has said, suggests that snow days are likely to remain. As long as Cleveland weather stays consistent, 1-2 snow days in each of the years to come are well within the realm of possibility. If, however, Northeast Ohio is annihilated with snow, it seems Saint Ignatius will then have 1-2 traditional snow days, but transition to online learning while the weather clears up.

It seems the principal is supportive of protecting the future of snow days, but what about the teachers? “I really hope we let you keep your snow days,” Mrs. Hruby said. “Snow days are also one of the joys of childhood, and you guys aren’t going to be kids for much longer.”

“My undying hope is that snow days will continue. I just love that feeling when you wake up at 6 AM and check your phone and school has been called… you go back to bed and wake up at 10 and drink hot chocolate,” Ms. Martin said. “I think realistically, we probably won’t have too many snow days going forward.”

“I think we will have snow days, like 1 or 2, but that is probably it,” Senor Torres said. “After that, it will probably be online.”

It seems many teachers are in agreement: snow day will likely still happen. This, combined with Dr. Fior’s opinion on snow days, and the decision to call of of school this Tuesday seems to be a shimmer of hope for some continuity in this trying time of ever-changing schedules, learning management systems, and conventions. All indications suggest that snow days, a treasured winter delight, will survive!

Saint Ignatius Graduates Among Primetime NFL Hires

By Tyler Ove ’22

Now that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have won the Superbowl, the league looks to the offseason to strengthen their rosters and staff. Luckily, it seems that there is hardly a better place to look than within the Wildcat alumni community. Early in offseason hirings, Dave Ragone ‘98 and John Gannon ‘01 were both hired as coordinators in the NFC, a beacon of Ignatian pride expanding into sports.

Ragone, having successful football and basketball campaigns, played quarterback for the Wildcats and went on to play for the Louisville Cardinals. He most recently worked as the Passing Game Coordinator for the Chicago Bears. However, the Bears’ passing game was far from desirable this season, quarterbacks Mitchell Trubisky and Nick Foles both underachieving on this defensively-led team. Trubisky still made one Pro-Bowl and the playoffs twice under Ragone’s scheme. Despite the concerns, Ragone will be joining the staff of Falcons Head Coach Arthur Smith, who led one of the most dangerous offenses on the Tennessee Titans. While he will not have Derrick Henry, Alabama receivers Julio Jones and rising-star Calvin Ridley are certainly upgrades from Allen Robinson and Darnell Mooney. Ragone will also work with tight end Hayden Hurst and veteran QB Matt Ryan, though the Falcons are likely to draft another QB: either BYU star Zach Wilson or Ohio State’s Justin Fields, Wilson being the better option. Nevertheless, Dave will have plenty to work with as Atlanta’s offense has never been the problem since their Super Bowl LI loss.

Gannon, a former safety for the Wildcats, played at Louisville as well. After many years with the Minnesota Vikings, he has served as the Defensive Backs Coach for the Indianapolis Colts for the last two NFL seasons, who flaunted one of the best DB units in the league. The products of Gannon’s success are visible, as cornerbacks Xavier Rhodes, Rock Ya-Sin, Kenny Moore II, and safeties Malik Hooker, Julian Blackmon, and Khari Willis all had great 2020 seasons.

Unlike Ragone, Gannon’s team’s strength was on his side of the ball. The Colts’ well-coached defense stepped up in big moments, erasing many concerns that could be associated with this hire. Gannon will be joining the Philadelphia Eagles as the Defensive Coordinator under former Colts’ Offensive Coordinator Nick Sirianni as Head Coach. The Eagles defense is currently in a precarious situation, but Gannon is well qualified to take on the task. He will have a lot on his plate in terms of roster and scheme thanks to former Head Coach Doug Pederson turning the team into a dumpster-fire, but he does have some key pieces: edges Brandon Graham and Josh Sweat, tackles Fletcher Cox and Malik Jackson, and cornerback Darius “Big Play” Slay. Still, this is a rebuilding team that has a lot of holes that need to be filled, and many of their better players are aging. Nevertheless, Saint Ignatius will be excited to see what Gannon can achieve in Philly.

In addition to these two highly successful Saint Ignatius alumni, Nick Caserio, cousin of Carmen Caserio ‘22, was recently hired as the General Manager of the Houston Texans. While he is an alumnus of the University School (Hunting Valley, OH), his connections to the Saint Ignatius and Northeast Ohio communities make him a significant hire from a Wildcat perspective. After playing for John Carroll, he joined the coaching business at Saginaw State and Central Michigan.

This caught the attention of Bill Bellicheck and the New England Patriots, serving many different roles in the organization since 2002. His largest role within the franchise was as Director of Player Personnel, which earned him a large stake in the future of the Texans.

We wish good luck, hoping it will not be needed, to all of the members of the Ignatius community taking their careers to the next level, using just a few in the NFL as examples. Go Cats!

Wildcat Basketball Dominates Top Notch Competition

By Kurt Pickering ’21

Following an intense night vs. the St. Edward Eagles, the Wildcats had another tough matchup the next evening. A road game against the only team to defeat St. Edward all year, the Shaker Raiders.

Coach Cam says, “Being on a winning streak, we only focus on the next game. This game against Shaker is the most important game to us, and we are going to play like it.”

Junior guard Danny Young fueled the Red Raiders as he averaged nearly 30 points per game this year.

The Wildcats owned the first few minutes in a give and take game. Mattimore fired a deep shot and connected to put the Wildcats on a 7-0 run. Kellon Smith and Jahdae Walker each tacked on two and forced a timeout for Coach Cam. Minutes of sloppy play allowed Cody Head to capitalize on Saint Ignatius’ woes with seven points. A 13-0 run now gave the Raiders a 13-7 lead. The quarter came to a close with a Raider lead 15-13.

Junior C.J. Yarian kicked off the quarter with a beautiful sequence and assisted for a Will Yontek bucket. The quarter continued to work for the big men as Senior Alex Garcia rained in a three. Yontek got it to go again and sent the Wildcats on a terror. Sophomore Braydyn Szczepaniak scored his first points in his first career start on varsity. Their 12-0 run gave Ignatius a 25-17 lead. After a technical foul was called on Little, Raynor brought the momentum back to Cleveland with a transition slam. Scoring for Danny Young was quiet, but a beautiful hesitation cross set up him for a solid bucket. Then, Young fired a deep stepback three and dropped it in, all net. The quarter closed with a 33-25 lead.

Shaker scored first early in the third, but the scoring didn’t come easy. Yontek was a force all night, and the Raiders had no solution. Suddenly, Little stormed inside with the blink of an eye and finished smoothly. A fast break play worked out nicely for the future Charger. Another post-move finish gave the Cats a double-digit lead. Danny Young picked off a pass and took a euro-step layup to a whole new level as he finished beautifully. Jahdae Walker added to the scoring burst and cut the lead substantially to 39-35 to close the quarter.

The Wildcats played sloppy early on in the quarter and gave up multiple turnovers. Unable to take advantage of the subpar Wildcat offense, Yontek ate up rebounds inside and finished with force on two straight possessions to give him 10 on the night. Multiple three-point attempts became the achilles heel for the Red Raiders. Cody Head did his work inside with a silky scoop layup over Henry Raynor. Szczepaniak continued to disrupt Shaker’s offense and put the game more and more out of reach. Cody Head laid in it again, but there wasn’t enough time for the Raiders to battle back.

That 52-39 victory put them at eight straight victories. Will Yontek dominated with 14 points, eight rebounds, and two blocks. Saint Ignatius will take the floor on Saturday at home against Rossford at 5 p.m. as their game vs. Bedford is canceled. The Wildcats also drew a top seed in the OHSAA Division I Playoffs. They will have an opening-round bye and host the winner of Parma/Twinsburg in the second round of the tournament.

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About The Eye

The Eye is the student-led publication of Saint Ignatius High School.

Editors-in-Chief: Kelly Coleman '23, Young Kim '23 & Aidan Oliss '23