The Crusader

1. Veronica Kraynak-Stilts

2. Pete Danielson- Tiki Head Tissue Dispenser

3. Lawrence Sniscak- Bedazzled Jeans

4. Sammi Gerhard- Tools and Webkinz in the same year

5. Kristen Pasko- Lamp like the one from A Christmas Story

6. Mark Welch- Toy Vaccuum

7. Brian Gilmartin- Mean Girls Movie

8. Tara Fulmor- Used Coloring Book

9. Allison Baluarte- LC School Socks

10. Jayne Giampa- Bouncing Toy Horse

Every year at Lansdale Catholic the seniors dress up in their Halloween costumes for all to see. Although delayed by Hurricane Sandy this year, the costumes did not disappoint. The students dressed up and celebrated Halloween on November 5, 2012. The annual senior costume day is a topic of conversation for everyone and is a perk of being a senior. The costume ideas were vast, including superheroes, movie and television characters, military personel, and even celebrities. Some were funny and others were scary. The creativity of the senior class wass displayed in many of the costumes, and the school spirit was expertly displayed. Costume day is a fun way to demonstrate ingenuity and personality. During their lunch period, the students could walk the halls visiting teachers and staff to go "trick-or-treating". While in the classrooms, some of the underclassmen asked questions about what a costume was and made comments about their favorite costume. Whether the seniors bought or made their costumes, they all looked great. Seniors were not the only people that dressed up. Some of the teachers decided to dress in something interesting and festive for the delayed holiday. This tradition is something that underclassmen have to look forward to and plan for their senior year.

By Sam Covais and Maddy Cioppi

In 2008, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia announced their plans for two new schools, one of which would take the place of Lansdale Catholic High School. It was to be called Lansdale Catholic Regional High School. The idea behind this new school location was to make the high school more available to the general public. This month, the Archdiocese reversed their decision and announced that Lansdale Catholic will continue to operate at their current location.

This decision does not come completely as a surprise to the LC community. In 2010, the administration surveyed the current campus on 7th Street and started to make notes on things that they needed to upgrade, such as the locker room, the weight room, and new pavement for the parking lot. Now that LCHS will continue to operate at their current location, they can make decisions on making the school facilities even better without worrying about wasting people’s time and money.

The school’s plans have been cancelled for a variety of reasons, including economic problems in 2009, from which it seems that the Archdiocese has not rebounded from.

We interviewed Lisa Cunningham, a current freshman, Mr. Stephen Probert, an English teacher, Mr. Jonathan Slabeck, the assistant principal for student services, and Mr. James Casey, the school president, to find out what the LC community thinks of this potential change.

Lisa Cunningham first heard that the school would be moving a few years ago. “I was excited because I found out our class would be the first to graduate after going there all four years.” We asked her how she thinks people feel about the new school plans being cancelled. She said, “I think people will be disappointed because they might think that there are improvements that need to be made.”

Mr. Probert said that when he first found out the plans for the new school, he was a little doubtful. “I’ll believe it when I see it," he said. When we asked how he thought this would impact the LC community, he said that while “everyone wants something shiny and new, but I don’t think people would want to see their old school demolished.”

Mr. Slabek agreed. “It doesn’t matter where the school is located,” says Mr. Slabeck, “it’s the people who make the school community.” Mr. Slabek explained that people were intrigued about a possible new location and the prospect of a new facility. He also goes on to say that others, a large group of people consisting of alumni, dedicated faculty, and current students, feel a sentimental attachment to LC’s building. Memories and friends made during those precious years serve as long-lasting glue that leaves students and faculty alike stuck on the building they cherish and love.

“While somewhat disappointed that we won’t be getting a new facility, I am very happy to have a resolution on this. This commitment to stay in Lansdale will hopefully help those alumni who were hesitant to donate to our annual requests,” said school president, Mr. Casey when interviewed. “I am also happy that we were able to refurbish the gym floor and replace entirely the 52 year old bleachers.” If the new school had been built, then that hard work, the $85,000 to pay for the floor, and the effort of the LC Athletic Booster Club would be for nothing; the students at Lansdale Catholic wouldn’t be able to enjoy or use their wonderful new gym floor. Undoubtedly, LC plans on staying open for a while: “We look forward to another 62 years here in Lansdale Borough.”

This past weekend, the Drama Club of Lansdale Catholic performed a spectacular production of the stage adaptation of Washington Irving's classic story, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. After two months of hard work for many students, parent volunteers, and administrators, the show was a huge success. Opening night drew in a record crowd of students who came out to support the cast and crew. The Saturday night show and the Sunday matinee drew in a solid collection of students, family, and friends. The performance was an immense group effort to pull off. Despite technical difficulties and minor mistakes during Saturday night's performance, the cast was not discouraged and they came back to put on a superb final performance. Junior Joe Marano led the cast with a stupendous portrayal of the lead, Ichabod Crane. Junior Alex Wall had the role of Deidrich and was also responsible for designing the programs and t-shirts for the show. Mr. Rhett Commodaro returned to LC to direct yet another fall show, adding this production to his tradition of excellent fall dramas and spring musicals. The tech crew pulled off an unbelievable feat at the last minute, as the tech director, Mr. Duffy, had to abandon the production midway for personal reasons. The tech crew, with the help of LC parent Mr. Cross, did a month's worth of work in four days time. The Drama Club hopes that students who came to see the fall show will consider joining them for the spring musical, which promises to be a work of dramatic and musical excellence. Junior Michelle Doheny said, "All of us here are a part of a revolution to turn the whole drama club around and make it something that everyone at LC will want to be a part of." Even the freshmen should feel welcome, as freshman Maddie Cioppi insists with a smile. "I would like to thank the drama club for being the only ones who treat freshmen like actual people." The members of the Drama Club would like to thank everyone for their support throughout their long weeks of preparation, and hope to see everyone participate in the spring musical, either in the cast or in the crew.

Last Sunday night, October 28, during the onset of Hurricane Sandy, LC history was made when the Varsity volleyball team beat Cardinal O’Hara for the PCL Championship title.

When the girls arrived at Cabrini College for the biggest game of the season, their energy level was high, but so were their nerves. With a student section that vastly outnumbered LC’s, O’Hara seemed pretty invincible. This was the first time that LCVB had ever made it to the PCL champs, and their nerves got the best of them during the first set. O’Hara’s girls came ready to play, and they trumped LC by a huge deficit in the first set. Sophomore Brianna Gaul recalls, “But after that, our coach and captains gave a pep talk in the huddle and in the second game, we ended up going right down to the wire and winning by two!”

With their spirits lifted and their confidence restored, the varsity girls kept their momentum and fed off each other’s energy to play the best they had all season against their toughest competitor. Coach Joann Pisch supported her girls louder than any cheering spectator, and the team beat O’Hara in both the third and fourth games, winning the championship three games to one. The girls went wild and the post-game celebration was something they won’t ever forget as they proudly raised their Championship plaque above their heads and cheered. The feeling was especially sublime for seniors Ellie Greenhalgh, Taylor O’Neil, and Megan Mascornick, who have been working to earn this coveted title for four years. This title is the third PCL title that LC has won in the past three years.

The Varisity Volleyball team continued to the District 12 Championships last Friday, November 2, where they defeated Masterman Charter School. Now with both the titles of PCL and District 12 champions, LCVB will continue to PIAA Championship this week!

Congratulations and good luck, girls!

 Click here to see video coverage of the game, courtesy of LC Community and Alumni Youtube Account.

By Matthew Coakley and Victoria Razzi

Earlier this October, Dave Grohl, frontman of the Foo Fighters, announced via the band’s Facebook page that the Foo Fighters will be taking a hiatus. Just days before, the band played their last show to date at the Global Citizen Festival in Central Park, New York. Rumors of a breakup started to spread like wildfire after Grohl made a comment onstage regarding the band’s future. “We don’t have any shows after this,” he said to the crowds of people, “This is where we play as many songs as we can in a short period of time, because, honestly, I don’t know when we’re going to do it again.”

The Foo Fighters are at a very successful place in their career, as it is their 18th year as a band, and they have just finished touring for their Grammy-winning album Wasting Light. This left many Foo Fighters fans concerned about the band’s future. “I can’t give up this band,” Dave Grohl assured his fans, “and I never will. Because it’s not just a band to me. It’s my life. It’s my family. It’s my world.”

One of the main reasons for the band’s hiatus is that Dave Grohl is devoting himself to a different project: a documentary for Sound City Studios. Sound City Studios is a huge part of rock history, as it was the recording place of so many ground-breaking records, including Nirvana’s Nevermind, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ Damn the Torpedoes, Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours, and many more. Dave Grohl will not only be directing the documentary, but he will also be creating a soundtrack for it. “A year in the making, it could be the biggest, most important project I've ever worked on,” Grohl proclaims.

Dave Grohl made sure to make it very clear in his letter that although the Foo Fighters are taking a break, the band is still a major part of their lives and they are not broken up. “I'm not sure when the Foo Fighters are going to play again. It feels strange to say that, but it's a good thing for all of us to go away for a while. It's one of the reasons we're still here,” he explained in his letter, “I never want to NOT be in this band. So, sometimes it's good to just… put it back in the garage for a while…”

The 2012 Presidential Election will be the most important election in my life thus far. This is because it is the first presidential election I will be eligible to vote in. My vote will be for the candidate that is the strongest, most intelligent, most compassionate, most influential, and most likely to fight for my rights. This candidate is President Barack Obama.

Some people wonder why I would vote for Obama because he did not dramatically change our country as he promised in his campaign. While there are still problems in our country, I do not think Obama has failed. He prevented a depression, created jobs, brought Osama Bid Laden to justice, ended the war in Iraq, and fought for the rights of woman and minorities. The economy is nowhere close to perfect, but Obama is dedicated to helping it. One problem he constantly faces is that Republican members of Congress always vote no on his bills, therefore nothing can be accomplished. Even with the blockage in Congress, more jobs have been created. The unemployment is the lowest it’s been since December 2008. These figures speak for themselves. I admit that I don’t understand everything about the economy, so I included graphs to show Obama’s success.

One of the reasons that the economy tanked is because of the two wars in the Middle East. America had no way to pay for two highly expensive wars at the same time. I am not saying that the wars are bad, but they are expensive. Obama recognized this fact, and that if the wars end, America can start rebuilding the economy. Obama ended the war in Iraq, and the last troops left there in December 2011. Obama plans to end the war in Afghanistan in 2014. In May 2011, Navy Seal Team Six found Osama Bin Laden, one of the men who planned the 9/11 terrorist attacks. After he was killed, Obama made a speech on TV and filled the hearts of Americans with patriotism and pride. Another big achievement for Obama is the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”.

Women only earn 77 cents to every dollar made by a man. Mothers are discriminated in the workplace. As a girl who wants to become a lawyer and a mother, I worry that I will not be able to achieve my two dreams. It angers me that I could graduate law school with flying colors, but a male classmate who did not work as hard as I can could earn more money. I doubt that I can find an employer that would not discriminate against me and assume I can’t do the job because I have children at home. Obama signed the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act to help stop pay discrimination. Under this Act, I feel confident that I reach my dreams. Obama also fights for the rights of minorities and people with disabilities, who deserve a chance at the American Dream. His Affordable Health Care Art (Obamacare) will help people acquire the care they deserve and the medicines they need.

President Obama is far from perfect. Obama suffered a horrible debate on October 3, 2012, but bounced back and crushed his opponent Mitt Romney on October 16, 2012. Vice President Joe Biden also defeated his opponent Paul Ryan in their debate, and even proved one of his tax plans to be mathematically impossible. I am confident that the President and Vice President will be able to speak articulately to the American people and to world leaders. The President has a high approval rating in other countries, and hope America can continue working with other countries to foster world wide change.

These are only a few of the reasons I will be voting for Obama. I believe that the country will more forward with him and that tomorrow is a brighter day. My stance on Obama is firm and will not shake, but I do not think that my view on politics is necessarily the correct one for everyone. If you are voting this year, please become informed and really think about you want to vote for! It is a great honor that we have in this country, so please exercise your right!

           On October 2nd, a group of senior students travelled to DeSales University to see the 1941 play Arsenic and Old Lace. The renowned work features the tale of two merry elderly sisters who have been poisoning lonesome men and burying them in their basement with the help of their innocently mental brother, Teddy. When the Brewster sisters’ nephew, Mortimer uncovers their impenitent acts, he is shocked and doesn’t know how to react to the baffling situation. The witty and comedic narrative written to uplift the despondent spirits of the post-Depressionary spectators displayed its timeless nature when evoking many a laugh from its current audience members.

         The senior students had a wonderful time witnessing the period-piece transcend time and affect present viewers. Nicole Salfi, a senior, stated that she “Loved the play,” and described that “each character was so wonderfully developed and executed by the actors.” Sara Molloy, a fellow senior, described the play to be “Funny and sarcastic, though the show was not one of my most favorite of DeSales’ plays it still contained the amazing sets and performances that I have come to expect from the university.” Both students agree that DeSales University always delivers quality presentations and that “Arsenic and Old Lace” was a definite crowd-pleaser. The 1941 farce is a classic and an entertaining dramedy thanks to the brilliant casting and direction of Reverend Schubert, well-written script; and incredible acting.

Poised prominently at the corner of 7th Street and Lansdale Avenue, the Lansdale Catholic sign is the first greeting to students approaching school, whether they are approaching school via Lansdale Avenue during the morning rush or they are devotedly returning after hours for an extracurricular function. Currently, the sign is not electronic and requires someone to physically change the letters of the sign, but last year students from the Class of 2012 decided to give a new electronic sign to Lansdale Catholic as a senior class gift. The Class of 2012 raised $500 dollars for the new sign through fundraisers, such as the Crusader card program which offered discounts at local businesses; while the rest of the money will be contributed by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. The new sign would not need its message changed manually and could be changed more often.

Lansdale Catholic petitioned for a permit to place the sign in the Borough of Lansdale in the same location as the current sign, but problems arose because the Borough does not allow electronic changing signs. Lansdale Catholic has appealed this denial and plans to present its arguments at the October 16th appeal date before the zoning board. Mr. Casey, President of Lansdale Catholic, is hopeful that the sign will be approved and has said the sign would most likely only be changed once or twice a week. He is working with Bob Iannozzi, a Lansdale Catholic alumnus, now a lawyer. Their petition argues to either change the law to allow the sign or to allow the sign on the basis that the school will only be changing the message on a weekly basis, not scrolling repetitive messages. The sign could also be used to broadcast important messages to the Lansdale community in times of emergency. The new sign would make a significant improvement to the school and could be useful to the Lansdale community of which Lansdale Catholic is an integral member.

On April 22nd, the celebration of the beauty of the Earth and the emphasis placed on conservation of that beauty took place on Earth Day. As the students at Lansdale Catholic High School know, the earth was created by God, and it was a work of goodness, as He repeated, "and He saw that it was good" after each aspect of the earth was created. From that moment on, the environment has become crucial parts of the human society, serving as habitats to live in, suppliers of natural resources, and inspiration for several cultural movements, found most easily in the acknowledgement of Earth Day. The celebration of Earth Day stresses the importance of the aforementioned parts in society, along with the importance of preserving them for future generations to come. At Lansdale Catholic, the Community Service Corps, or CSC, aids in the major goal implemented by Earth Day throughout the school year through service projects that benefit the community and the environment. In addition to CSC, the art program at Lansdale Catholic used recycled materials, such as plastic bottles and cardboard boxes, to create artistic and practical works that showed the students the multiple uses of our recycled materials. Some of the projects that stood out were a seat made out of soda cans and a purse made out of candy wrappers. Plastered on the wall in the hallway that displayed these works were slogans advocating for Earth Day and the motives behind conserving earth's beauty, environment, and resources, which were created by the hands of God.