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Wildcats Take Down The Eagles in Basketball

By Kurt Pickering ’21

Entering this weekend, the Wildcats were on a roll with six straight victories, the momentum of Senior Night on their side, and a hunger for success that was absent for years. Head Basketball Coach Cam Joyce knew their best basketball needed to come out with the post-season closer than ever. Coach Cam has preached on the importance of improving game after game and embracing their competition. Although difficult match-ups against Cleveland Heights, St. Vincent St. Mary, and many other great teams have passed, Northeast Ohio High School basketball’s talent kept crossing paths with the Cats.

Saint Ignatius needed a victory with already one loss against the St. Edward Eagles this season and currently on a three-game losing streak against their rivals. St. Edward vs. Saint Ignatius rivalry has grown into a new rivalry between two very respected coaches, Cam Joyce and Eric Flannery.

The battle began on February 5th at 7:00 pm. With a combined 51 points between Senior Shane Macalla and Junior Michael Bova in the first match-up, Coach Cam’s defense needed to lock down the Eagles’ backcourt. The tip-off was the most exciting play with no scoring in three minutes of the first quarter. As soon as the clock struck 4:30, Eric Flannery put together an excellent play call for a Zoltan Nagy bucket inside. His 6’6 frame was bound to be an advantage for them. Shane Macalla did what he does best, knocking down a three to put the green and gold on an early 5-0 run on the next possession. Senior Henry Raynor attacked inside with a layup to put the Cats on the board. Leading 9-2, the Freshman Phenom C.J. Little battled inside and drew a foul, and connected on both attempts at the line. Shondo Green’s buzzer-beater attempt came up fruitless, and the Eagles had their way in the first quarter. A 12-4 lead drove Raynor and Junior Jon Effertz to dominate in the second quarter. As expected, Henry slammed the hammer down.

Building on the momentum, Effertz nailed a bucket from deep, and Freshman Carter Jackson got a pair of points to put the Cats on a 7-0 run. A tug of war began between the rivals. Senior Mason Lerch got a nice layup to fall inside, and Raynor matched it with a spinning layup of his own. Shane Macalla continued to dominate with a heavily contested three. In his first game coming back from an injury, Jon Effertz didn’t forget how to work his phone as he picked up and answered Macalla with a trifecta of his own. A 23-20 lead was a massive improvement from the icy cold first quarter. Carter Jackson went on a nice 4-0 run of his own to give him six in the game with a minute left in half. Effertz floated the ball up with anticipation with a splash as he watched it fall through the orange cylinder. His 10th point gave his squad their first lead of the night. With not even a smidge of stopping in their mindset, Little put his head down and worked. A great 4-0 run paired with a buzzer-beater gave the Wildcats a 28-23 lead over the state’s number one team.

Co-Captain Will Yontek and Raynor continued to feast off missed shots as the rebound numbers grew for the Wildcat bigs. Then, the block party began. A lazy pass from Senior Mike Mattimore set up a seemingly easy layup until Henry Raynor turned into Lightning McQueen with a chase-down block. The crowd exploded and built on the momentum like a Lego set. Junior A.J. Fletcher set the first piece with an and-one. Mike Mattimore’s defense continued to silence the Eagles’ backcourt. Raynor picked up another block with 4:30 on the clock and kept the Wildcats ahead by 7. Effertz took a hard foul but got his free throws to fall. Once again, Raynor swatted away two more blocks on back to back possessions. As the jaws of Wildcat fans fell, the Eagles continued to fall apart. Yontek’s board set up another chance, and Raynor capitalized. Following that possession, the Hillsdale commit dropped a dime to Effertz, who laid it up and in. Macalla’s three was too little too late. A 51-44 lead was going to force St. Eds to foul.

A 52-44 victory at home set up the Wildcats to flourish in the post-season. Raynor’s nine points, 15 rebounds, and six blocks and Jon’s 20 points have proven Saint Ignatius Basketball to be in good hands.

“My success is because of my teammates. It is a team effort, and WE won the game,” says Effertz.

Eye Poll Results: Student’s Hopes and Fears

National Signing Day: Meet the Thirteen Seniors Set to Become College Athletes

By Jack Slemenda ‘21 and Kurt Pickering ‘21 

On February 3rd, Saint Ignatius celebrated thirteen student-athletes taking the next step in their athletic careers. Each of these men has put in a tremendous amount of work to get to where they are today. Without further ado, let’s meet the thirteen Wildcats who signed their letter of intent to become student-athletes at the next level.

Bennett Adler has committed to the University of Akron for football. Bennett has been a staple defensive lineman for the Wildcats throughout his time here. He credits Coach Gibbons from freshman year to teach him the basics and mentor him to love the game. Adler seeks to major in computer engineering and is excited to be in a phenomenal program at Akron.

Fielding Carlson will be attending Saint Bonaventure University for rugby. Carlson began playing rugby at nine years old and stuck with it the whole way. Carlson was a tank on the ice and played hockey for the Wildcats for three years. His relentlessness and aggressiveness got him to be named “Most Outstanding Freshman.” Carlson was only getting started as he worked his way up the ladder and was a 2019 state champion team member. He joins an excellent program for rugby and will undoubtedly do great things for the Bonnies.

Will Claus is heading to the University of Cincinnati to join their swimming and diving program. Claus has been in a pool for as long as he can remember. Claus comes from a great family of divers as his brother Alex Claus ’18 is now at the University of South Carolina as a diver. Claus’ favorite moment from diving was beating his brother at the sectional meet in Fairview; he also won sectionals from grades 10-12. Claus also holds a seventh-place finish at states from freshman year and a sixth-place finish in sophomore year.

Matt Giberti’s next chapter is to be a student-athlete at Harvard University for baseball. Giberti is all around an excellent young man. He is a force on the field and outstanding in the classroom. Giberti is one of three captains on the varsity baseball team as well as a 2019 state champion. As stated, Matt works very hard in the classroom, holding down a 4.38 GPA. The Ivy League is perfect for him as he can combine outstanding education with top tier athletics. Giberti looks on to help the Crimson retain their Ivy League championship.

Tyler Hong has entered the admission process for Princeton University to join their swimming and diving program. Hong is a monster in the water; there is no other way to put it. He struggled with a back injury in his sophomore year yet still finished fourth on the state championship podium. Junior year Tyler pushed himself more for success and training with his teammates. He also trained for the Canadian Olympic Trials; unfortunately, the trials got canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Hong then placed third on the podium at his junior year state championship meet. Tyler is eager to be a tiger and continue his career as a student-athlete.

Aidan Hubbard will play football at the next level for Northwestern University football. From the beginning, anyone can see that Hubbard is a freak of nature and quite the athlete. However, even with a lot of his time spent with coach Ryan Franzinger ’02 and Anthony Rubino, Hubbard holds a 4.0 GPA. After a great final season with 35 tackles, 5.5 of those tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, and one interception, it’s no wonder Hubbard got so much attention. Multiple D-1 offers came in, but in the end, Aidan will remain a Wildcat and join the BIG-10. Chasing a national championship is Hubbard’s next goal.

Nick Longano will continue hitting the green at Queens University for golf. Longano is quite the golfer, no doubt, being a four-year letter winner. However, the most significant accomplishments for Longano came this past season. He led the team to 12 team wins, broke the school record, shooting 280, helped the team hold a two-day score of 609 at the state tournament (beating another school record and taking the number three spot on the OHSAA record book for best score in state tournament history). Nick was a core piece to winning the Runner-Up trophy at the state championship. He now joins a highly anticipated golf team over at Queens.

Gavin Moore will be heading to Mount Saint Mary’s University this fall for rugby. Moore didn’t even know about rugby until now teammate Aidan McCarthy ’21 talked about his freshman year Rugby experience in Latin class. Head rugby coach Dan Arbeznik ’00 taught that class and immediately took Gavin under his wing. Moore has been a big help in bringing rugby to the younger students of Welsh Academy and has aided in camps hosted at Saint Ignatius. He, too, is a member of the 2019 state championship team and can’t wait to continue his rugby career.

Adam Ormstead will take his lacrosse talents to Canisius College. Ormstead’s story is a tremendous one and the definition of resiliency. His father was his biggest supporter throughout his career and tragically was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Ormstead’s father was there for him when he tore his left ACL freshman year in football and then his right ACL in sophomore year basketball. Before coming to Saint Ignatius junior year, Ormstead was a varsity athlete for lacrosse and logged 16 goals in the three playoff games he played. Through all the trying times, Ormstead pressed on and is excited to play D-1 lacrosse as a griffin.

Henry Raynor is heading to Hillsdale College for basketball. Henry has been a dominant 6’7 beast down in the paint for the basketball team. Raynor is the Vice President of the Student Senate, a member of the National Honor Society, and the Ignatian excellence model. Being the leading big man on the floor, he averages nearly 15 points per game and seven rebounds. He looks forward to being a charger and reuniting with former teammate Austen Yarian ’17.

Marko Rimac will be playing soccer at the next level at Bowling Green State University. Rimac’s soccer career began at Saint Ignatius as a JV A squad member for two seasons. In 2019 Rimac joined the varsity team and notched in 11 goals with five assists. That team went on to win states. Rimac and the team went back to work in the 2020 season, Rimac now a captain, put up 14 goals and 11 assists. The team was going through a “rebuilding year,” and Marko and the soccer Wildcats still won the state championship for the tenth time in a row. As a member of the D-1 soccer program at the next level, Rimac is excited to see how he performs at the next level.

Gus Salopek is heading to Lafayette College for football. Salopek is one of two returning starters on the offensive line who knew that leadership would be crucial this season. Having started every game since his junior year (fortunate to have not suffered any injuries), Salopek was named a captain and set leader of the team. Salopek boasts a place on the All-District team and third-team All-Ohio. Salopek is also a member of the Honor roll and is excited to pursue football and economics at Lafayette.

Christopher Speelman will be attending Marian University and play rugby at the next level. Speelman has worked extremely hard as a rugby cat and will forever remember his trip to Ireland to compete against high-quality competition. During that season, Chris played alongside his brother, and as a sophomore star, the team took home a state championship. He, like the other rugby men on this list, was named a chief this season. Speelman is excited to join a new structure over at Marian with a new coach to help guide him.

Although National Signing Day at Saint Ignatius was a bit different and limited to parents and guardians, these student-athletes enjoyed a day to remember, signing their letter of intent to continue their academic and athletic career in college. Saint Ignatius will always be a home away from home for these student-athletes.

To see more photos from signing day, please visit the SIBN page with this link.

Saint Ignatius at the Capitol: Rep. Ted Lieu ’87, Mr. Howard, and the Impeachment

The Capitol building not long after the disgraceful riots, with the US flag at half-mast to remember sacrifices made to protect democracy.

By Jack Slemenda ’21

On January 6, 2021, as a mob of pro-Trump supporters and right-wing extremists stormed the United States Capitol, members of Congress huddled in secure locations while police struggled to secure the building. Among them were two Ignatius graduates–one Democrat and one Republican–who would both go on to play an integral role in the current impeachment proceedings against former President Donald J. Trump.   

Representative for California Ted Lieu ’87

Representative Ted Lieu (D-California) graduated from Ignatius in 1987, and earned a degree at Stanford University before studying law Georgetown. Prior to his election to Congress in 2014, Lieu served in the US Air Force JAG Corps, and continues to serve in the Air Force Reserve.  Mr. Michael J. Howard taught Lieu freshman year for World History and then as a senior for AP United States Government and AP Comparative Government.   As a senior, Lieu was recognized by the History Department for outstanding scholarship.  “He was obviously an exemplary student,” recalled Howard, “and it doesn’t surprise me that he went on to do all the things he’s done since then.”

On January 6th, Mr. Howard–a self-described political junkie–and his wife were watching live as the electoral votes were counted by Congress. “As we were watching this unfold, the screen suddenly became split, and I could see a huge mob roaring up the Capitol steps,”  Howard said.

As the Capitol building was stormed, security immediately evacuated those in the Cannon House Office Building, including Representative Lieu.   Once Lieu reached his designated safe spot, he went straight for his phone. After contacting family members to let them know he was safe, Lieu reached out to his former government teacher.

Mr. Howard, retired Ignatius history teacher. This photo is from the Saint Ignatius website.

Howard, glued to the news coverage, was horrified by the actions he saw.  “It looked like something you would see from a country we would be criticizing because their system was no longer working,” said Howard.  “I found it totally alarming.” 

“At that exact moment, I got a phone call, and I heard this voice that said ‘Hello, Mr. Howard, this is Ted Lieu.  Talk about shock!   So, I picked it up and he said I just wanted to call you because I saw that you had retired, and wanted to congratulate you and ask you how you were doing.”

“Well, Ted, I’m doing fine,” Howard replied.  “But more importantly, how are you doing right now?”

The conversation between former student and teacher lasted about 20 minutes.  “I did tell him that I was a little bit alarmed that he would finally call his government teacher on the day the government appeared to be breaking down,” Howard quipped.

Shortly after their conversation, Lieu and several House colleagues began drafting the an article of impeachment against Trump for inciting the Capitol Insurrection.  “Make sure history records that Ted Lieu left the building, called me, and then impeached the President of the United States,” joked Howard.

Howard and Lieu remain in contact and hope to reconnect in Washington, D.C. for lunch once the pandemic subsides. 

Representative for Ohio, Anthony Gonzalez ‘03.

Another Ignatius alum, Rep. Anthony Gonzalez ‘03 (R-Ohio) was also impacted by the events of January 6th. Gonzalez, a 2003 Ignatius graduate, attended The Ohio State University.  After a successful college football career and five years in the NFL, Gonzalez earned an MBA from Stanford before entering politics. After the Capitol Insurrection, Gonzalez was one of ten Republicans who voted to impeach Trump after standing by him throughout his presidency. In a statement, Gonzalez argued the President “helped organize and incite a mob that attacked the United States Congress” and that his actions and “lack of response as the United States Capitol was under attack” left him no choice but to support impeachment. Gonzalez faced considerable criticism for voting against his party and is widely expected to face a primary challenge in 2022.    

Howard was proud of Gonzalez’s decision. “He stuck his neck out quite a bit. He’s going to take a whole lot of flak for that.  It was a courageous move,” said Howard.   

“It says something that reach of Ignatius is never going to end in these people’s lives,” Howard remarked.  It goes to show that the lessons and formation our famed Alma Mater provides do influence our later lives, whether openly or as the quiet moral compass we hold in our hearts.

Stay tuned for an exclusive video recording of the interview between Mr. Howard and Jack Slemenda ’21 on the story of Ted Lieu and the Capitol riots.

Canvas Set to Replace PowerSchool Learning Next School Year

By Terry McCafferty ’22

In the 2021-2022 school year, Saint Ignatius students will be using a new primary Learning Management System (LMS), Canvas, which will take the place of PowerSchool and Google Classroom, the dual systems on which assignments were posed this school year.

Instructure, the parent company of Canvas, defines it as “an open and reliable web-based software that allows institutions to manage digital learning, educators to create and present online learning materials and assess student learning, and students to engage in courses and receive feedback about skill development and learning achievement.” On its website, Canvas is advertised as the LMS used by all of the Ivy League schools, more schools in the United States and Canada than any of its competitors, and as “the most reliable LMS in the world.”

Despite the transition to Canvas, PowerSchool will not be entirely abandoned. In fact, it will still be used as the school’s Student Information System (SIS) which means it will still be used for student information, attendance, scheduling, and the grades from Canvas will be automatically synced into it.

When PowerSchool functions poorly, as it often does, students and teachers are met with this message.

Several factors played a role in the decision to replace PowerSchool at Saint Ignatius’s LMS. When the school first transitioned to distance learning last spring, issues with PowerSchool’s functionality became more apparent than ever. Constant maintenance and technical difficulties on the platform left it consistently inaccessible and unreliable. Too often students and teachers alike found themselves more likely to find a message with a tangled up cat than whatever they were looking for.

The constant technical problems with PowerSchool’s LMS lead the school to instruct many teachers to utilize Google Classroom to post assignments. While Google Classroom easily outperformed PowerSchool in functionality, some teachers who had put a lot of time into designing their curriculum on PowerSchool disliked the simplicity and limited nature of Google Classroom’s features and missed the ability to design detailed class pages with multiple tabs full of course content. One teacher commented that, “if PowerSchool actually worked the way it is supposed to, I would take it over Google Classroom any day.”

This is the Student Information System which was merged into Haiku’s LMS on the PowerSchool platform. This interface and SIS will still be used next year by Saint Ignatius for report cards, attendance, and course scheduling.

But the way PowerSchool functions will soon change as the company will be acquiring another company, Schoology. Schoology’s LMS is set to be made available alongside PowerSchool’s SIS. This means that the grades, attendance, and scheduling components of PowerSchool will be available for schools to pair with Schoology’s LMS, but Unified Classroom (which includes class pages and the progress tab) will cease to exist. Unified Classroom used to be its own company, Haiku which was also acquired by PowerSchool and partially incorporated (some might even say sloppily merged) with PowerSchool’s SIS. Some teachers still refer to the current LMS as Haiku for this reason (to the confusion of many students who have never heard of Haiku before in their lives). The reason the Schoology is being acquired is that its LMS has more users than PowerSchool’s LMS and according to the companies, some schools already use PowerSchool’s SIS and Schoology’s LMS.

This is the Learning Management System which will soon no longer exist on the PowerSchool platform. After this year, Saint Ignatius will use Canvas instead.

But the school decided that it was not interested in using Schoology’s LMS and instead opted for Canvas, which they will use in conjunction with the SIS side of PowerSchool, which they say does not have the same functionality issues as PowerSchool’s LMS. For many who were a part of making the decision, the timing seemed appropriate with the internal changes to PowerSchool, the new schedule coming next fall, and the various other changes that Saint Ignatius will experience during the hopefully upcoming shift to a post-COVID era.

In an effort headed by Jon Jarc to begin phasing in the new LMS, sixteen teachers will have their students use Canvas this semester. Those teachers include Joe Betz, Elisa Bredendiek, Joe Buzzelli, Nathan Chaffee, Liz Colborn, Jennifer Chronister, Caroline Galicki, Jon Jarc, Drew Krainz, Amanda Martin, Joe Mulholland, Jim Murphy, Clayton Petras, Fr. Cyril Pinchak, S.J., Joe Ptak, John Rowell, and Dan Schuler.

Several students and teachers who are part of the early trial of Canvas shared their thoughts on the switch and on Canvas.

Mr. Buzzelli, who believes that Canvas is far superior to PowerSchool as an LMS said that while he “never used Canvas before as a student or a teacher, having used Canvas for a short time and PowerSchool since its beginnings as well as other systems, the benefits of Canvas are incomparable both for students and for the instructors.”

Finn McConville ‘22, Junior Class President, is part of the Canvas Trial in four different classes. He says that Canvas definitely runs “much smoother” than PowerSchool and he likes the quiz format better on Canvas than PowerSchool. When asked if there were any things he disliked about Canvas, he only said that it was “too early to say.”

Some of the students who have been part of the trial run found themselves struggling to figure out how to use the new platform with, in some cases, minimal instructions or guidance. Because the early trial was launched the way it was, some students also find themselves stuck with the responsibility of checking at least three different platforms regularly making it easy to miss assignments with the unfamiliarity of Canvas not helping.

But Mr. Jarc, who not only is using Canvas as a teacher but also is leading the trial run, spoke favorably of the LMS saying that it is “super fast”, “technically easier for students to access” and it has “features that make it easier [for teachers] to grade.”

Over the next few months, according to Mr. Jarc, the school will be working out the nuts and bolts of the system and figuring out how to utilize it and incorporate it into their classes most effectively. Teachers are set to be given more information and training on Canvas prior to the full launch and access to PowerSchool will expire on June 30th. A full launch of Canvas will take place when students return to school next fall.

At the End of the Day, What Will Become of the GOP?

When President Trump departed from Washington D.C. last month after saying "have a good life" and clapping to the song 'YMCA', he left an uncertain future for his party, the GOP.
By Terry McCafferty ’22

This week, the House Democrats unveiled their message for the midterm elections where they will be defending their slim majority: the GOP is the party of QAnon. According to The Hill, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) has already launched “an early six-figure ad campaign tying House Republicans to the QAnon conspiracy theory and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene” who lost her two committee assignments on account of her conspiracy theorizing proclivity. 

Politically, the message works in the same way that their anti-Trump messaged worked in 2020. It can draw in moderate upper middle-class and suburban voters in places like Georgia and Arizona while not alienating the party’s left-flank, unifying the broad fragile coalition and allowing them to eke out majorities in the House and Senate. 

Instead of choosing a message based on their popular policies or recent achievements, they have settled on this. While the strategy has the potential to succeed, the lack of an affirmative message makes passing policy harder because it relies on swaying voters who are much less likely to support the agenda of the Democratic Party. Additionally, spending large sums of money to tie moderate Republicans in swing districts to QAnon could backfire if it lends the conspiracy an aurora of legitimacy and increased attention. Setting aside the potential pitfalls of running an opposition message while in power, this choice reflects the struggles and opportunities of the Republican Party as various internal factions seek to win over its future.

While pundits like to predict the downfall of both our parties from time to time, the collapse of the GOP is nowhere in sight. The last time a major party ceased operations was in 1854 when divisions based on geography and slavery crushed the Whig Party. The divisions causing strife within the GOP have more to do with loyalty to a single person, Donald Trump, than they have to do with any policy or ideological differences. The worst thing Trump could do to the GOP at this point would be to form his own party, but with the entire political system set up to curtail viable third parties, Trump’s party’s biggest impact would be handing several election victories to the Democrats before fading into history as the Progressive Party formed by Theodore Roosevelt did. In other words, Trump’s power over the GOP’s future will not last forever.

Ultimately, a persona-based faction cannot long stand because while ideas are eternal, people only live so long, and enthusiasm around a single person fades even quicker. As the GOP has to determine what ideas it will espouse in the post-Trump years, here are three steps the party should take to set itself up for future long term success:

#1. Tell the truth and govern with facts: 

Climate change is a real threat to our security and future, the election was not stolen, and there is not a secret cabal of Satan-worshipping, cannibalistic pedophiles who run a global child sex-trafficking ring. As Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz learned the hard way, it is unwise to spew lies that you do not yourself believe. The tendency of some members within the party to embrace misinformation for short term political gain is not a strong long term political strategy because eventually the truth coming out is inevitable. It is also easier to govern when you accept the reality of the problems you are attempting to solve. Reembracing truth and facts is the first step in winning back college-educated voters who fled the coalition, and it will allow the party to begin rebuilding trust with the American people. You would think being truthful is easy, but when it means admitting past untruthfulness, it will not be easy. Regardless, it would make a world of difference.

 

#2. Restore compassion and empathy within the party: 

There is undoubtedly an audience for the Trumpian style of hurling insults, punching back ten times harder, putting others down, and getting down in the mud. To some people it feels genuine and authentic, to others, it expresses the anger and resentment they themselves feel, and yet, to others, it is necessary in order to shake up the orderly stagnation that they believe plagues our politics. In 2016 it made Trump interesting and entertaining to enough people to fuel his rise. But after four years of name-calling, frivolous fights, and hurtful statements, the vast majority of the country is tired of that style of politics. Without going into detail about all of the uncouth things the GOP let Trump say freely, it is high time for a more compassionate and empathetic Republican Party.

 

#3. Retain the working-class voters in the coalition that elected Trump in 2016 by catering to their economic interests: 

While a move toward a gentler, fact-based GOP might alienate parts of the Trump base, moving to policies that further his base’s economic interests could counter that. Trump was elected, in part, due to his ability to be seen as an advocate for the working-class people of this country. Once he got into office, his promise of economic reforms for regular people largely did not pan out due to his inability to effectively wield power and the hijacking of his administration’s agenda by the GOP establishment in Washington, who made tax-cuts his only major domestic policy achievement. But the charlatan’s rhetoric alone opened the door for other Republican politicians to openly support popular pro-working class policies (like $2000 stimulus checks). This was the best thing that Trump did for his party. If he had been able to use his popularity and power to corral populist and moderate Republican votes and work across the aisle to pass major legislation that would make our economic system work better for ordinary Americans, he not only would have won reelection, he would be incredibly popular. If the GOP is not afraid to be popular, they should consider moving away from their traditional economic orthodoxy, not just in rhetoric, but in action. 

 

If the GOP does these three things, challenging as they would be, and the Democrat’s only message is that one of the Republican representatives in Congress is nuts, the GOP undoubtedly will not only survive but thrive in the post-Trump years. The party that has only won the popular vote once in more than three decades could even start winning that again. Quips aside, at the end of the day, honesty, compassion, and worker-friendly economic policies are the best way for Republicans to reunify their party and win.

 

– No. 2 –

____ _______ ____

‘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.

Wildcat Weekly | National Signing Day

Miracles on the Shore of Lake Erie: The 2020 Cleveland Browns

Seamus Walsh ‘24

With the Cleveland Browns falling short to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, January 17th, their season has ended. Having a historic season amid a global pandemic is no easy feat, in the spirit of reflection, a season recap is in order. The season began with Baker Mayfield experiencing a sophomore slump; with a rookie record 27 passing TD’s in his first season, 21 picks was a surprise. Another setback was defensive end Myles Garrett’s indefinite suspension for hitting Mason Rudolph with his helmet. The season ended as a disappointing 6-10. The Browns set their sights on the draft, they ended up acquiring T Jedrick Wills Jr., and signing lineman Jack Conklin. And of course, a revamped front office, with Kevin Stefanski taking the reins from Freddie Kitchens, and a new GM in Andrew Berry.But then Covid-19 struck, leaving the Browns without a preseason and very little training camp. 

This may have been why, in the season opener, the Baltimore Ravens blew out the Browns, 38-6. The Browns had a short week, with a Thursday night home opener against #1 overall pick Joe Burrow and the Bengals. Fending off the persistent Bengals, the Browns cruised their way to a win. After a painless victory against the Washington Football Team, the Browns traveled to Dallas to take on the favored Cowboys, with Dak Prescott and former Buckeye Ezekiel Elliot. After an explosive offensive half, the Browns let up and allowed America’s Team to pull within 3. But a 50 yard TD run by Odell Beckham Jr., along with 2 other TD catches, secured the W. Myles Garret was awarded AFC Defensive Player of the Week with two sacks and a FF. Pro Bowl RB Nick Chubb succumbed to a knee injury. Regardless, the Browns moved to 4-1, their best start since 1994. 

The Browns returned back to Cleveland to host the Indianapolis Colts. They pulled out in a 32-23 victory, The Browns were humbled in their next game, falling 38-7 to Ben Roethlisberger and Juju Smith-Schuster. Next to Cincinnati to rematch Joe Burrow. After a close fight, it came down to the final minute. With the Browns down 31-34, receivers made some clutch catches on the final drive, culminating with a spectacular, toe-tapping game-winning snag from Michigan rookie Dovovan Peoples-Jones with only 15 seconds remaining, giving the Browns their 5th win of the season. One stain on the amazing game was the injury to flashy receiver Odell Beckham Jr. He tore his ACL and was placed on the IR of the season. After the win against the Bengals, they hosted the Las Vegas Raiders. In a cloudy game, with rain and high winds of up to 35 mph, it was a low scoring affair. Hunter Renfrow of the Raiders had the lone touchdown catch, leading Las Vegas to a 16-6 win. 

Now 5-3, the Browns had a bye week. Week 10 had very similar weather to Week 8, with blustery winds and severe precipitation, delaying the game. But the Browns persevered against Mother Nature and won a close game 10-7, the only score coming from a run courtesy of recovered Nick Chubb. The Browns hosted the Philadelphia Eagles, and an excellent defensive showing, including a pick-six by LB Sione Takitaki and three sacks and a safety from DE Olivier Vernon, led the Cleveland Browns to their 7th triumph of the season. The Browns headed south to take on the struggling Jacksonville Jaguars. They escaped with a 27-25 win. Week 13 the Browns squared off against the Tennessee Titans. Baker and the Browns exploded with 38 points in the first half, including a TD pass to lineman Kendall Lamm. This win the Browns secured their first winning season since 2007. 

Next up was a Monday Night Football game at FirstEnergy Stadium, rematching the Ravens. With both teams looking like they were heading to the playoffs, people expected a good game. The Ravens had the lead 21-14 at halftime, and scored again after the break. Eventually the Browns were able to take the lead on two TDs by Mayfield. Lamar Jackson, Ravens QB, went to the locker room with an injury, but returned and threw a touchdown! Kareem Hunt punched it into the endzone, but Ravens kicker Justin Tucker sealed the game with a field goal, handing the Browns their 4th loss of the season. The Browns headed to the Big Apple, taking on both New York teams. After an easy win over the NY Giants, they faced the Jets. The Browns were huge favorites, and a win would almost guarantee a playoff spot. But in a shocking game that surprised every fan, the Browns lost! A would-be game winning drive was halted on a turnover on downs. 

Heading into Week 17, the Browns controlled their destiny. With the 10-5 record, they had to win to earn a wild card spot. Their opponent was the Steelers, who already destroyed them earlier in the season. The Steelers already clinched, so they rested their starters. After the Browns went up 24-9, the Steelers made a late push but Baker was able to hold on and clinch the Browns first playoff berth since 2002, and their best record of 11-5,  since 1994. In the playoffs,the Browns again faced the Steelers, this time playing with a full lineup. But tragedy struck for the Browns, with many inactives due to Covid, and most notably head coach Kevin Stefanski. 

Regardless of this, the Browns erupted with 28 points in the first quarter! The team held off the Steelers, winning the game. An amazing victory and the first playoff win since 1994. They headed to Arrowhead Stadium to take on the #1 seed Kansas City Chiefs. After a good start for the Chiefs, the Browns mounted a comeback following an injury to Patrick Mahomes, but it just wasn’t enough. A critical first down by the Chiefs clinched their path to the AFC Championship, with the Browns falling short. 

The Browns had an amazing season, arguably the best since their return to Cleveland in 1999. Thomas Keberdle ‘24, an avid Browns fan, had some thoughts about the season and the future of the Browns. “Surely a disappointing end in a winnable game thanks to the Mahomes injury, but it was a very successful season.”, says Keberdle, “Stefanski showed he was the right coach, Baker showed he is the QB of the future, and they played excellent in the playoffs for the first time in 17 years.” The future is bright for the Cleveland Browns, and I would expect to see them in the playoffs of the next years to come. As most of Saint Ignatius is thinking, we salute and thank you Brownies for a miraculous season. Super Bowl LVI next year?

Students to Return to Campus for Full Day In-person Instruction

BREAKING NEWS | 12:01 pm

According to a letter sent by Dr. Fior to all parents Friday morning, “On Thursday, February 4, we were notified by local health officials when and where our faculty and staff would receive the vaccine. With these dates now confirmed, all students will return to campus for a full day of in-person instruction starting Monday, March 15 for the remainder of the semester. However, should the distribution of the vaccine by the State of Ohio be disrupted, we will adjust these plans accordingly.

The following dates and plans are scheduled to provide adequate time for faculty and staff to receive the vaccination, to recover from possible reactions to the vaccine and to maintain student learning.

● Thursday, February 18 — Our faculty and staff will receive the first inoculation of the Pfizer vaccine. Students will have an off-campus asynchronous A-Day from home.

● Friday, February 19 — Students will return to campus for an in-person B-Day of teaching
and learning.

● Wednesday, March 10 — We will move the originally planned professional learning day
from 3/11 to 3/10. Our faculty will gather for professional collaboration and learning. We
will conduct our Parent Teacher Conferences that evening as well.

● Thursday, March 11 — Our faculty and staff will receive the second inoculation of the Pfizer vaccine. Students will have an asynchronous B-Day from home.

● Friday, March 12 — Advice from our partners at University Hospital has indicated that side effects of the second inoculation are more prevalent and will vary from none to “flu-like” symptoms. We will maintain the previously scheduled “Day Off” from school.

● Monday, March 15 — Students will return to campus resuming all-day, in-person
instruction. A bell schedule is currently under construction and will be shared as soon as it is available.

Upon returning to campus on March 15, the following protocols will still be in place: universal mask wearing; the pre-arrival health assessment; frequent hand washing and hand sanitization; windows will be opened; and the strong recommendation to stay home if you are experiencing any Covid symptoms. Due to our large student population and physical facilities, classrooms and common areas in the school will be unable to accomodate 6’ physical distancing. We will do our best to maintain 3’, but we cannot guarantee that.

We realize that some families may not feel comfortable sending their sons back to campus on March 15. Any family that does not feel comfortable may enroll in our distance learning program. This option is meant for families that have existing medical conditions or students who have substantial anxiety about returning with so many students or who require this option temporarily due to quarantine or illness. Therefore, you will have the opportunity to opt in to virtual learning effective March 15, 2021. However, this will be an irrevocable decision for the remainder of this school year (with the only exception being a temporary need for distance learning due to student quarantine or illness). If you anticipate that your son will either continue with distance learning or switch to our distance learning program, please complete this Google Form by Friday, March 5. Students that are enrolled in the distance learning program may continue to participate in on campus activities. Finally, the essential vaccination dates may require us to amend our calendar and previously scheduled events. We will communicate those as soon as possible.”

Ignatius Eyes Bold New Schedule for Next Year

clock, clock in trees, clock tower,
Photo via Nathan Kuczmarski '22

By: Nathan Kuczmarski ‘22

After more than a decade of scrutinizing over 55 different bell schedules, Saint Ignatius administrators are in the final stages of implementing a new bell schedule for the 2021-22 school year.

According to Principal Dr. Anthony Fior, the coronavirus pandemic has created a unique opening to institute this change. “We can’t waste the good opportunity that this crisis provides,” says Fior. “Our faculty and our students are way more flexible and amenable than we thought they were before.” Given this flexibility, Fior sees this as the ideal moment to “rip the band-aid off and jump in two feet first into this pool of change.”

Despite an official schedule not yet being released to the public, Fior confirmed some aspects of the upcoming schedule. One of the biggest changes is that individual classes will be longer and will not meet every day. That being said, Fior insists that the new schedule is still not a block schedule. “Let me be crystal clear: we are not going to a block schedule.” He explained that no formerly year-long classes would be condensed into a single semester.

Several of the other changes confirmed by Dr. Fior were said to be adopted with the student experience in mind. One alteration that should be welcome news to bleary-eyed commuters is that a later start time is “likely” to be implemented. Additionally, rotating class periods will ensure that no student gets stuck in the same period at the same time of the day every day.

One of Fior’s favorite features of the plan was that “there’s great time in the schedule for clubs to meet and students to meet” during the school day. He followed up by saying that going forward, “the excuse of ‘our bell schedules don’t line up,’ or ‘I’ve got to catch a ride’, or ‘I’ve got practice’ will be eliminated” as an obstacle to participating in on-campus activities.

The last big change that Fior addressed was that there will be a common lunch period for all students during the day.

Since March of 2020, the Ignatius schedule has changed three times. First, in the spring last year, all classes were pushed online as lockdowns grasped the nation. During the first few months of the 2020-21 school year, students and teachers were then thrown into a new schedule in which students attended campus for an alternating hybrid schedule in which students alternated between on-campus learning in either the morning or afternoon depending on the day. But as internal cases of the coronavirus rose, Ignatius was yet again forced to adapt to a new schedule–one in which students spent 5 hours a day in Zoom classes, 4 days each week.

Now the school is placed on hold as it waits for the specifics of its 4th schedule change since the start of the pandemic. The only indication from Fior of when this information will be divulged was given in one word: “soon.”

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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