MAY 2019 • VOLUME 2 • ISSUE 02 • MALVERN, PA 19355

Saddle up with riding superstar Annie Rogers!Cornell-bound equestrian shares her experienc-es, her motivation, and her horses.

Katie Scaggs ‘20Assistant Editor

Senior Annie Rogers rides competitively when she isn’t too busy with multiple other time-consuming activities.

While dividing her time between Model United Nations Club, Student Integrity Committee, Mission and Ministry, National Honor Society, French Honor Society, French Club, and swim team, Rogers also participates in a very strenuous and time consuming sport: horse-back riding. She started riding at a young age, and while the trail to success certainly hasn't been easy, it has been worth the ride.

Rogers started riding when she was only six and competing at seven. Her mother had grown up with horses, so she was comfortable with the idea of her daughter being on one.

Rogers mainly rides a horse named Bo, whose show name is Some Kind of Wonderful, but her childhood horse was named Gam-bler, or Gamblin' Doc in shows. Describing the two as “a mix between an old married couple and two brothers,” Rogers said they both have very different personalities.

While Rogers has lived in multiple places in her lifetime, vary-ing from Virginia to the Middle East to California, one thing has remained constant: her love for the sport.

>>continued on page 8

Walheim breaks basketball recordSenior and basketball team captain Abby Walheim becomes all-time leading scorer.

Raquel Lacusky ‘20 and Alivia Orvieto ‘20Editors-In-Chief

Abby Walheim concludes her senior basketball season with a total of 1,318 points, breaking the previous school record of 1,212 points.

During freshman year, Walheim set a goal for herself: score 1,000 points during her high school career. Although she didn’t participate in a fall sport this year, she continued to condition during the off-season. “I did really want to do well this year and win big things, so I knew I had to work hard for that,” she said.

Along with dedication and hard work, Varsity Basketball Coach Kathleen McCartney attributes Walheim’s success to her competitive nature.

“Abby was successful because of her passion and competi-tiveness. She was never satisfied with her performance. At prac-tice, even in the simplest drill, she was really competitive, and that made her teammates more competitive as well,” McCartney stated.

Walheim had an inkling she was close to reaching her goal, which made things difficult for her family to keep the big day a surprise: “It was funny because I saw on social media and Twit-ter other teams and other players getting 1,000 points, so in my mind I was like, ‘I wonder if I’m close?’...I actually asked my mom about it two days before I was going to get it, but I had no idea,” Walheim said.

>>continued on page 8

JUST COMPLIMENTS P. 4Sophomore Carina Chieffalo spreads positivity through social media.

IRISH DANCERS P. 8Sophomore Norah Bice travels the world as an Irish dancer.

STUDENT ARTISTS P. 4Three artists are featured in a show for domestic violence awareness.

VEGAN SWEETS P. 5Senior Grace McLachlan bakes and sells vegan cupcakes.

Students in the Spotlight!

Helen Lam '22 Norah Bice '21Grace

McLachlan '19

Annie Rogers '19Carina Chieffalo '21

Abby Walheim '19

VILLA LIFE2 May 2019 The Villa Voice

Cyber Day all the wayWhen we were younger, we rejoiced at the first snowfall of the winter season and began

praying for massive snowstorms to slam our area. Even as little kids, we all knew what that would mean: A SNOW DAY! No school, no tests, no homework — just pure childish fun.

Then we got to high school, and now those previously joyful days are filled with virtual assignments from each of our teachers. At first glance, it doesn’t seem fair. However, even though Cyber Days might seem like a terrible reversal of fate, in actuality, by having our snow days re-placed by Cyber Days, it is better for us in the long run.

The most obvious and most important benefit of Cyber Days is that they allow us to keep our breaks, long weekends, and summers fully intact. Didn't we so appreciate those ten full days of Easter Break when they finally rolled around? If we didn’t have Cyber Days to keep our academic calendar filled to where it needs to be, there would be no choice but to shorten these breaks — or worse, extend the school year farther into June. We’re already in an academic, school-driven mindset now, so we might as well keep that streak going in order to preserve our precious time off later.

Beyond simply wanting to keep our breaks, sometimes Cyber Days are a necessity. Families make plans months in advance for trips or vacations, and upperclassmen need those days off to visit colleges without missing class. If our time off was suddenly taken away for the senseless reason of needing to re-place lost days, it would cause immeasurable stress to families, students, and administrators alike. However, with Cyber Days, this issue is easily avoided by pro-viding a replacement for those days when we aren’t able to be on campus.

This replacement time is vital for some classes, especially APs, who often have a strict schedule to stick to so that they can cover all necessary material in time for the May exams. Eighty minutes is a long time, which is why even a single missed day can throw this schedule off. This can consequently cause chaos for teachers, who may have to eliminate some essential material if they unexpectedly lose an eighty-minute chunk of time. However, Cyber Days, while not completely as efficient as a block in school, reduce these scheduling issues with assignments to keep classes on track.

Cyber Day assignments also simply allow students to work at their own pace, perhaps giving them the time to complete the assignment better than they would have in class. Add in comfy pajamas and working in your own space with frequent breaks for snacks and hot chocolate, and well...If you have to do work, that’s the way to do it.

Aside from simply being comfortable though, Cyber Days provide valuable lessons about responsibility and accountability while also giving students a glimpse into college life. Because we often face more distractions at home than at school, having to complete classwork on top of regular homework means that we really need to buckle down and focus. This teaches us how to manage things on our own time, in our own space, like we would in college.

All these benefits aren’t to say that Cyber Days are perfect. The concept definitely could use a little bit of refinement in order to optimize the effectiveness of at-home assignments to replace class time. Assignments should be purposeful in their content.

However, while it may be a pain to complete those assignments on a spontaneous day off when you’d rather be sleeping, wouldn’t you rather be in your bathing suit than your uniform come June?

EDITORIAL

A free mental health dayPicture this: It’s 6:00 a.m. and your alarm starts blaring. In your half-asleep state, you feel a

horrible pit in your stomach telling you that it's time to wake up and get ready for school. There’s nothing you want to do more than pull the covers over your head and fall back asleep. Luckily, in the midst of your wallowing, Mother Nature saves the day. You open your eyes and see chunky snowflakes falling from the sky, building up on the trees outside your window. You hop out of bed and can’t help but grin when you see the notification on your phone screen declaring that your school is closed. You lay back down in your bed as content as can be and pull your covers over your shoulders. Just as you are about to drift back to sleep, your iPad lights up about six different times on your nightstand beside you. You pick your head up off your pillow, stare into your iPad screen, and realize that you will not be sleeping in an extra two hours. Instead, you will be completing many hours worth of assignments that your teachers have just uploaded to Schoology. Is it safe to say you might as well have just gone to school?

A snow day gives students a break from the everyday stresses they grapple with in their day-to-day routines. An unexpected day off can be the perfect medicine for a student struggling to keep her head above water during a tough week.

It is much more beneficial to give students the freedom to choose their level of productivity for the Cyber Day rather than having them complete assignments that they may not have even been do-ing were it not for the day off. Cyber Days often cause excessive stress in students’ lives where there could otherwise be a day for productivity and re-laxation. The work loads are almost always heavier than a normal night’s homework, leaving students slaving away for far too many hours. Cyber Day assignments are often due by late afternoon, mak-ing things difficult for students who have chosen to gain a couple extra hours of much needed sleep.

The assignments also often involve students teaching themselves lessons that will inevitably have to be retaught once a teacher is physically standing in front of the class, which makes them unnecessarily more difficult. The regular school weeks are enough of a challenge.

While Cyber Days prevent students from having to come into school on a scheduled day off, snow days are hardly ever made up. Although high school students aren't expected to gear up in a snowsuit and head out to build a snowman (but no judgment if that’s your thing), stu-dents may want to spend time with their families or younger siblings rather than being inside slumped over a textbook facing innumerable math problems. Having a day off in the middle of the week where it wasn't originally planned offers a great breather for students and teachers alike, allowing them to recuperate and recharge for the weeks ahead that may not allow for such a pleasant surprise.

Most students work incredibly hard, so why not give everyone a day to take a breath and productively get themselves to where they want to be in their studies? Better yet, why not pull your best Ferris Bueller without any repercussions if that's more your style? All in all, students on campus are constantly saying, “I need a break,” and that's exactly what snow days have to offer. If you want to spend your time being with your family, catching up on school work, getting ahead in your classes, or just relaxing, snow days give you the opportunity to do so.

After taking my permit test and sitting in the waiting area for all the paperwork, the woman next to me introduced herself and explained she had been driving without a li-cense for 8 years; she was 24 and just getting her permit.

I hit the curb while parallel parking, but he didn’t fail me because I think he didn’t even notice.

My last lesson for my driving test, my instructor had a new hire in the back of the car with us. During the whole lesson, the new hire started to croak like a frog so loud and then said, “Sorry, I make this sound a lot,” and my instructor and I just looked at each other, so confused.

I got the first question wrong on my permit test and started crying.

During my driver's test, the first part was to turn on your headlights, and I couldn’t get them on, so I almost failed right then and there! But I finally got them on and passed the test.

I started driving with the emergency brake on. My dad did the same thing when he was getting his license and warned me to check, but I forgot.

The person giving my test simply didn’t give me half of the test. I finished the driving course part of the test, pulled into a parking spot, and the person testing me immediately got out of the car. I freaked out and thought I failed, but apparently, she just forgot to ask me all the questions about turn signals, brake lights, and blinkers.The guy who administered my driving test told me all

about the ultimate frisbee team he coached.

I had a driving lesson the day of my license test, and I was super nervous and not thinking straight at all, and as soon as my lesson started, I pulled out of the parking lot and into the wrong lane of West Chester Pike, and by wrong lane, I mean the lane of opposing traffic.

Horror stories: driver's test editionOver 80% of surveyed junior and senior students have their license, and many more sophomores have their permits. Some of them have had better experiences at the DMV than others. What's worse: pulling into the wrong lane of traffic, or driving with the emergency brake on?

My windshield wipers kept going off throughout the test. It was like something out of a movie.

I kept messing up my lefts and rights when I was getting tested on turn signals.

Olivia DiCicco '20

Olivia DiCicco '20

How many times did it take for you to pass your driver's test?

NEWS 3The Villa Voice May 2019

Mission StatementThe Villa Voice is a student-run publication created to inform the Villa Maria community with truthful and relevant informa-tion. We strive to give students a safe outlet for their opinions and accurately represent the student body of Villa Maria.

Editorial PolicyThe unsigned editorial is to rep-resent the student voice of The Villa Voice. The unsigned editori-al is not an anonymous column. It is an opinion piece written by appointed students based on the collective opinions and ideas gen-erated by a group of students on the Editorial Board.

SubmissionsSubmissions from any students in the Villa Maria community are encouraged, specifically let-ters to the editor and feedback. Submissions must include name and email verification, and anon-ymous submissions will not be accepted. Not all submissions are published.

Joining Our StaffStudents are welcome to join the staff as contributors throughout the school year. Members are required to attend at least one monthly meeting. Please contact a staff member listed below for more information.

EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Raquel Lacusky '20Alivia Orvieto '20

Hannah Rosenberger '20

ASSISTANT EDITORSOlivia DiCicco '20

Julie Satterthwaite '20Katie Scaggs '20

SECTION EDITORSAnna Heppelmann '21

Madeline Ladd '21Carina Rose '21

MAY CONTRIBUTORSAna Ciarrocchi '19Emily Deacon '20Olivia DiCicco '20

Amelia Erb '22 Abigail Gauntner '20

Anna Heppelmann '21Olivia Karkenny '20Raquel Lacusky '20Madeline Ladd '21

Molly McCreavey '20Annie Mulqueen '19

Anna Nunag '20Cecelia Oberkircher '20

Alivia Orvieto '20Julianna Prendergast '20

Carina Rose '21Hannah Rosenberger '20

Julie Satterthwaite '20Jack Samms DP '20

Katie Scaggs '20Carly Ukalovic '20

ADVISERMrs. Laurie Scaggs '91

COPY ADVISERMrs. Jessica Mullen

SPECIAL THANKS TO:Sister Regina Ryan, IHMMs. Madeleine HarkinsMrs. Linda Henderson

Mrs. Jennifer RoseMs. Brittany Thompson

Mr. Darren Polsz

International news: Should we be paying attention? Sophomore Ella Morgan and Social Studies Department Chair Mrs. Mary Anastasi give their takes on students and global affairs.

Julie Satterthwaite ’20Assistant Editor

Brexit, the recent decision to have Britain leave the European Union, is changing the face of Europe forever. This change will in some way affect the United States.

Morgan moved to the United States from Britain in April 2018. She left a lot of her family back in Britain and came to Villa Maria as a freshman. She was in Britain when many of the huge decisions related to Brexit were made and tried to stay as involved as much as possible.

“The vote was in 2017, and then once it was official, [Britain] had two years to leave, and now there are issues with trying to get a better deal, and there is the issue of the no deal, so people are pushing for another referendum to re-vote, and there is loads of controversy about it,” Morgan said.

She added that “it is definitely confusing,” which is why some people might be overwhelmed by the news. However, she believes that international news is important.

Anastasi agrees but also recognizes that international news can seem hard to find or unnecessary with everything else that is going on in students’ lives. Finding sources and reliable international news outside of a limited worldview can be tough as well.

“Listening to different news channels or reading a variety of ar-ticles can help bring awareness from all different sides of arguments.” Anastasi said, “Talking to adults is important too because you get their perspectives.”

Anastasi also believes that having an awareness of global news will be important throughout students’ lives.

She said, “Getting into schools, getting internships, and then eventually getting jobs, professions. I think they want people that are aware, more globally aware.”

While the topics that seem to be buzzing across every headline can seem time consuming, especially when students have four hours of homework to complete, just putting in five minutes can help stu-dents to become more aware and ready for what lies ahead.

Being aware of international news is crucial to under-standing domestic and local news and being a mindful citi-zen. As Anastasi said, “You can’t watch American news with-out having some knowledge of these places around the world.”

When you don't get into your dream schoolSam DiBona '18Reporter, '17 -'18

You’ve been spending the last two years trying to picture yourself living at and attending a college. If you’re a junior, you’re trying to figure out which ones to apply to; if you’re a senior, you already know where you’ll be in a few months.

Trust me, as someone who was just in your position a year or two ago, I know what it’s like to be obsessed with the image of yourself in a particular place. In high school, I got pretty good grades in honors and AP classes, was in 8 clubs, and led 4 of them. I thought that this meant I would have options when it came to the schools I got into, but I applied to 6 schools and only got into 3. These three schools did not include the school that I had pictured myself in for the entire two years prior.

Georgetown was my dream. It was in D.C., the campus was beautiful, and I loved the people I met when I toured. Not only that, but if I went to George-town, it seemed like people would somehow know I was smart upon meeting me just because it was a brand name school.

This blinded me to the fact that Georgetown was stringing me along like a bad relationship. They put me through an application more extensive than any other school, but the interviewer told me I was great and had a really solid chance at getting accepted. Instead of denying me, they deferred me to the regular pool of applicants.

When the regular decisions came around, I was waitlisted. I wouldn’t know if I was accepted until after I would be required to accept or deny the offers from the three schools I got into. I kept thinking Georgetown would be

the best thing for me and it was all I wanted, probably for the simple reason that it was unattainable. I was so blinded by the brand of Georgetown that I overlooked the fact that they didn’t even offer my major.

While waiting for my response from Georgetown, I put down a deposit for American University because I loved Washington, D.C., and it seemed like a decent school (I had toured but beyond that, I didn’t know much about it at the time). I’ve now spent two semesters at AU, and I’ve loved my time here more than any other time in my life. I’m majoring in what I actually want to study, and AU has opportunities I never would have had access to had I gone to Georgetown.

I’m not an overly spiritual person, so I never believed in the whole “ev-erything happens for a reason” or “you’ll end up where you’re supposed to be” ideas. But after receiving the letter that no one was accepted off of the George-town wait list and spending almost nine months at American University, I

know for a fact that there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.

College is what you make of it, as cliché as that sounds. You’ll make friends no matter where you go, you can find things to do regardless of which city you end up in, and almost all uni-

versities will give you a quality education. It will work out at its own pace if you try to make it work. It’s about putting your best effort forward when it comes to all the facets of living independently in a new place, not what particular school you get into. If you didn’t get into your number one choice school, don’t stress out about it too much. Sure, have your initial breakdown about having to reimagine the life you’ll be living in just a few months, but don’t let it swallow you because it will work out if you give it a few months and your best effort.

I was so blinded by the brand of Georgetown that I overlooked the fact that they didn’t even offer my major.

It’s about putting your best effort forward when it comes to all the facets of living independent-

ly in a new place.

Cuddle My Kids serves families fighting cancer Cuddle My Kids directly cares for cancer families by offering cancer support services.Julianna Prendergast ‘20Reporter

Cuddle My Kids is a non-profit orga-nization that provides support and care for patients and families going through cancer treatment by offering free cancer support services such as in-home support and fam-ily fun activities.

They run several different programs that focus on meeting the needs of families through every stage of their cancer jour-neys.

“Our mission is to improve the qual-ity of life for cancer patients and their families during treatment. We aren’t mak-ing medical advances, but we are making advances in the comfort and the care and the lives of the people we help,” Executive Director of Cuddle My Kids Colleen Bucci ‘89 said.

Cathy Gabrielsen ‘89, Bucci’s twin sis-ter, started the organization in 2007 after she won her battle with breast cancer. She wanted to meet a need she faced during her treatment: aiding parents with cancer in nurturing their kids, especially when they did not have the energy to play themselves.

“Cuddle My Kids was formed to fill a niche in the healthcare system that was missing in cancer support… There [were] no support programs for parents with can-cer who had little kids,” Bucci said.

The In-Home Care Program focuses on caring for the children of parents with cancer. Two volunteers are paired with a family and visit twice a week to spend time with the kids while their parents rest.

“[The In-Home Program] provides the kids an outlet for creative play and ac-tivity and energy so that when mom or dad is not feeling good, they [do not have to] feel guilty about not having the energy to play with the kids,” Bucci said.

The Cuddle Cares Program hosts free events that allow families to have fun and connect with others facing similar sit-uations. Events include painting pottery at The Painted Plate, splash parties at the YMCA, and many others. The volunteers at the Cuddle Cares events work with fam-ilies and participate in the fun with them.

Event Coordinator Judy Phillips has aided many families through both pro-grams, as she typically travels to families' homes with In-Home Care and organizes the Cuddle Cares events..

“Unless you’ve had [cancer], you don’t really get it. [Being able] to connect these people together who really under-stand each other and can support each oth-er is so valuable,” Phillips said.

Theses programs bring joy to both the families being aided and the volunteers donating their time. Working with this organization gives volunteers the oppor-tunity to positively impact families’ lives during a dark time.

“Every family is so different, and I think they touch you in a different way… [The programs] provide you with the op-portunity to really leave fulfilled, feeling like you did something that had an im-pact,” Bucci said.

From providing care to creating a community, the Cuddle My Kids Orga-nization leaves a lasting impression on every family it aids. Its eight programs; including Cancer Care Kits, Art Journal-ing, Busy Bags, and others in addition to the two described here; fulfill its mission of advocating for every type of cancer and every member of the family. Bucci feels that aiding in every step of the pro-cess makes all the difference in the lives of cancer fighters. She said, “The inter-personal connection of what we are able to provide for people is not just going in and babysitting someone’s kids. It is so much more than that,” she said.

At a Cuddle My Kids event in the fall, freshman Ava Gomez '22 helps fill Cancer Care kits and Busy Bags.

// Ms. Marguerite Esmonde

Julie Satterthwaite '20

MEDIA AND CULTURE4 May 2019 The Villa Voice

Spring cleaning, Marie Kondo styleEver wonder whether or not an average high school student could accomplish the Marie Kondo standard of clean? Well, I tried it, so you don’t have to, and here are my VERY true results.

Hannah Stehura '20Reporter

On January 1, 2019, Netflix dropped “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo,” a television show where Marie Kondo, an ex-pert on the Japanese art of tidying up, enters the lives of messy Americans in need of her help.

Immediately, I was in love with the idea of maximizing my space and making my life seem as put together as possi-ble. Upon further research, I discovered I couldn’t actually get Kondo to come to my house, so I took matters into my own hands.

Marie Kondo’s methods are pretty simple...in theory. In-stead of cleaning by room, Kondo tidies by category (clothes, books, etc). She takes every single object and puts it in the middle of the floor in a giant pile.

All of the clothes that you keep are folded neatly to max-imize drawer space.

Everything being donated or thrown away is placed into a bag. However, before the item gets put away for donation, it must be thanked for bringing joy. This was going to be a chal-lenge, and I needed help from more than just eight episodes. So I sought out my friend and fellow junior Raquel Lacusky, who also attempted this method with mixed results.

“That was December. The pile is still in my room. We got through most of the pile, but the lower level is still on the ground,” she said. “You’re only supposed to keep things that ‘spark joy,’ so I will say the whole thing hasn’t been a completely negative experience. I am taking the time to sort through all my stuff, but it’s happening at a very slow pace. It’s not exactly practical for my life, but I am doing it, and if I ever finish, the end result will make me very happy.”

Knowing Raquel’s lack of success with Kondo’s method so far, I decided that in order to do this as efficiently as possi-ble, I needed to have a plan. I decided to go through all of the clothes in my drawers, maximize space with Kondo’s folding method, and say farewell to all of the clothes that have given me joy in the past but do not have a place in my future.

The first thing I did was put a pile of all of my clothes in the center of my room. Having this mountainous pile staring at me in the face, I went to work right away in order to finish this task ASAP.

At first, I was really psyched. I felt like a real adult go-ing through my clothes, and it was therapeutic to relive old

memories. However, this did not last very long. I grew bored, my folds became lazy, and instead of saying goodbye to the clothes that I ha-ven't worn in years, I started making up

scenarios about when I would wear them again. The process continued but fewer things were being placed

in the bag and more of what I didn’t need was being kept. Because of this, I would not recommend the Kondo method. I found it hard to stay on-task and even harder to give away clothes because of the nostalgia they brought me. If you are going to be cleaning this spring, you might want to think twice before going Marie Kondo on your clothes.

Junior Raquel Lacusky holds Marie Kondo's book above her attempt to follow Kondo's method. // Raquel Lacusky

Sophomore spreads positivity through social media Carina Chieffalo '21 created the @justcom-pliments_ Instagram account, amassing over 200 followers and counting in the process.

Madeline Ladd '21 Villa Life Editor

With help from her peers on the @justcompliments_ com-mittee, Chieffalo provides an outlet for young women to be able to make someone’s day by the click of a button.

About a year ago, Carina Chieffalo created @justcompli-ments_, an Instagram account centered around complimenting others and spreading positivity throughout the school community. Using her platform as Sophomore Student Council Vice President and her status on social media, Chieffalo was able to provide an outlet for girls to use social media positively.

Followers of the account can anonymously compliment their peers through a direct message, and their compliment will be post-ed on the account for all to see. So far, the account has over 250 positive posts.

“I wanted the mes-sage to be anonymous so that it would be a genuine act of kindness,” Chieffalo said. “This [act of kindness] can ultimately change a person’s way of going about their day. It’s a chain reaction.”

Often, people focus on the negative effects of social media, but Chieffalo’s work is a prime example of how it can be a positive and beneficial place for teens today.

“It plays a critical role in influencing people’s attitudes and feelings,” Chieffalo said. “By seeing your picture on one of the posts, I think it would give not just students but adults as well a sense of pride in themselves and self-worth.”

Not only has Chieffalo shared this message over social media, but she has also done work in the Villa community to continue this impact. In an effort to involve as many girls as she could, Chieffa-lo had each sophomore girl write a unique compliment about the peers in her homeroom on Valentine’s Day. With the help of Mrs. Smith and members of the @justcompliments_ committee, the team created personalized hearts and distributed them to the girls. The project was repeated in a similar way with the junior class on paper shamrocks and the freshmen class on paper bunnies.

“I couldn’t have done it without everyone who contributed: my family, Mrs. Smith, and the girls involved with the @justcom-pliments_ committee,” Chieffalo said of her project.

Chieffalo has truly had an impact on the Villa Maria com-munity, but she has goals to have her project be expanded into something bigger soon.

As Ally Metzger, sophomore and member of the @justcom-pliments_ committee stated, “I feel like the positivity that Carina and @justcompliments_ bring to the table is so contagious. Carina is the most positive person I know, and @justcompliments_ has made the school such a better place.”

Students have no-ticed the impact Chief-falo has been making, and she has a message she hopes that students will take with them.

“Everyone can affect somebody’s life in a positive way if they are inspired to do so,” Chieffalo said.

This rings true to all people around the world: kids, teens, and adults alike. Positivity can be found anywhere, and it really is a chain reaction. See Chieffalo’s impact around the community in action by following @justcompliments_ on Instagram.

Student artists bring aware-ness to domestic violenceJunior Onyx Roldan, sophomore Lia Ritchie, and freshman Helen Lam “unmask” tough topics through their art.

Julie Satterthwaite ‘20, Katherine Brown ‘20Assistant Editor, Reporter

T h r o u g h interesting medi-ums like newspa-per and nail pol-ish, Villa Maria artists brought unity to Chester County and gave hope to domestic abuse survivors.

At the All That’s Purple 2019: Unmasking Domestic Vio-lence Art Show this February,

Roldan, Ritchie, and Lam created beautiful pieces of artwork that were showcased at a gala to raise money for domestic abuse awareness. The proceeds went to support the Chester County Domestic Violence Center.

This show was highly regarded, and these students put many hours of work and consideration into their pieces. The artists each put a different twist on the topic that they were given. Ritchie said, for example, that her piece was focused on “getting yourself up after things that have happened.”

Roldan’s piece conveyed a different aspect of domestic abuse: “Mine was about maintaining strength through whatev-er you go through,” she said.

One of the main themes of the show was purple. Purple

has been used to rep-resent both domes-tic abuse itself and hope for the future.

“It was really cool to see every-body’s purple artwork against the walls,” Roldan said. “It was unifying.”

The National Domestic Violence Hotline reports that 1 in 4 women have been physically abused by a partner during their lifetime. This art show did an excellent job bringing awareness to this topic and encouraging a productive change.

“I think that it is a cool thing to do a community wide call for art because even if it’s an issue that doesn’t impact you personally, you know somebody who it does impact whether you know or not,” Roldan said.

Taking part in this event required bravery, talent, and compassion. These students’ works of art were able to convey a hopeful, strong mes-sage about domestic abuse that will inspire those affected for years to come.

I wanted the message to be anonymous so

that it would be a gen-uine act of kindness.

Everyone can affect some-body’s life in a positive way if they are inspired to do so.

Sophomore homeroom 2C poses with their compliment hearts filled with kind words from their classmates. // Mrs. Debbie Smith

Instead of saying good-bye to the clothes that

I haven't worn in years, I started making up

scenarios about when I would wear them again.

Sophomore Lia Ritchie's piece in the All That's Purple show illustrates strength and resilience. //

Mrs. Sarah Bacastow

Junior Onyx Roldan's painting quite literally captures the theme of the organization All

That's Purple. // Onyx Roldan

Freshman Helen Lam creates artwork show-cased in the All That's Purple show. // Helen Lam

Raquel Lacusky '20Editor-In-Chief

There are many thoughtful, funny ways to ask someone to prom without doing so publicly in front of a bunch of recording Snapchat cameras. Asking someone to prom should be between you and your date, not everyone who’s there to see it happen live, plus those who will inevitably scroll past the pictures on social media. By this point, promposals are hardly ever original but rather puns copied down onto dollar store poster boards from Pinterest images repinned thousands of times. Promposals can be problematic even for those who may be embarrassed by being put on the spot in the ever so public action; that’s when things get awkward (yikes!). Overall, spending days to devise a plan to ask someone to prom seems a little too unnecessary when things can be done in much simpler terms. Let’s just agree to save the grand gestures for real proposals (without the m).

MEDIA AND CULTURE 5The Villa Voice May 2019

Shopping for the perfect prom dress2019 has been full of new and exciting fashion styles, including beautiful dresses just in time for prom season.

Olivia Karkenny ’20, Molly McCreavy ’20Reporter, Contributor

Prom dress styles continue to change, but some styles will remain timeless. 2019 has brought new prom dresses as well as kept some traditional ones.

Nellie by Elizabeth Marr in Newtown Square is a promi-nent boutique with all the latest fashion styles. Employee Stepha-nie Spoerl is surprised with some of the popular trends this year.

“Satin is huge, and blue is the number one choice of color with ranges from cobalt, navy, and a purple mix. This is the first year working prom that I’ve seen satin as big as it is,” she said.

The boutique sells more classic and timeless styles of dress-es while other stores sell poofier ball gowns, which aren’t as pop-ular this year.

“I think a lot of girls are preferring one shoulder and strap-less dresses over poofy or plunging v-neck dresses,” Spoerl said. “These styles differ from past years, which were more geared to-ward plunging v-necks and two-pieces.”

Nellie’s Boutique is very popular for their gorgeous prom dresses among Villa Maria girls. Spoerl is also very connected

with the school community because she is involved with the fashion show in the fall.

“My biggest clientele are the girls from Villa, and many purchase their prom dresses from me,” Spoerl said. “I enjoy working with Villa girls.”

Most girls have come to realize that prom dresses are of-ten costly. Because most dresses do not fit without alterations, it is common for girls to spend a good amount of money on the perfect dress.

“My prom dresses range from $250 to $700 dollars, and the average dress sells at about $350 or $380,” Spoerl said.

She explained that the mother-daughter dynamic she sees in her store is almost always helpful to many students when picking their dresses. With this in mind, Spoerl has some great advice for all her customers and anyone else searching for the perfect prom dress.

“Make sure you bring someone you trust who knows your style to help you pick the perfect dress,” she said. “And go with your gut even if it is the first dress you try on.”

Senior Grace McLachlan creates Vegan SweetsSenior Grace McLachlan is making the world a little bit sweeter with her vegan cupcake business Vegan Sweets by Grace.

Raquel Lacusky ’20, Abigail Gauntner ’20Editor-In-Chief, Contributor

Senior Grace McLachlan is baking and selling vegan cupcakes and cookies through her business Vegan Sweets by Grace, known as @vegansweetsgrace on Instagram.

Creating a business that involved baking was something that made perfect sense for McLachlan.

“I’ve been baking for as long as I can remember. When I was very little I would help my mom make cakes and cup-cakes from a box mix. Once I got older and was allowed to be more independent in the kitchen, I started to try more difficult things such as bak-ing from scratch. In middle school, my passion for baking grew to the point where people only gifted me cookbooks,” McLach-lan stated.

This passion for baking took a creative turn when McLach-

lan made the decision to go vegan. “Many months of research essentially culminated into

the realization that I needed to live out my convictions. I've cared about nature all my life, and once I learned the many ways my food choices can hurt the environ-ment, I couldn’t turn back,” McLachlan stated.

While Vegan Sweets by Grace is less than a year old, the age of the business has not deterred the popularity

of its products. “The Oreo cupcakes

are very popular. I think people like the novelty of them and the fact you can’t find an equivalent in many places,” McLachlan stated.

The key to this popularity is McLachlan’s mastery in fusing recipes to bake her own unique creations.

“I’m the kind of baker that gets really into the science of

it all. I research a bunch of recipes already in existence to un-derstand ratios and technique," she stated. "Ultimately, I use a combination of recipes I’ve found, and I always change them up somehow to make them better.”

McLachlan offers key advice to students thinking of start-ing their own businesses: “If a student has a skill that they could put into a product and sell, they should just go for it. I feel like this age is a perfect time to experiment and see what you might be interested in," she stated. "Starting a business based off of a

passion is a great way to see if you’d like to make that into a career."

Vegan Sweets by Grace has offered McLachlan a newfound sense of confi-dence.

“Creating a business has surprisingly been somewhat empowering. The ability to turn a skill I’ve spent years learning into a successful little company makes me feel like I can contribute something valuable," she stated. "School is not my cup of tea, so knowing I have a skill that sets me apart makes me more confident in my individuality."

Jack Samms '20Devon Prep Contributor

Prom season is underway; this is the night that everyone dreams of making a magical and enchanted night. Many peo-ple turn to promposals, asking their prospective date through a creative sign or elaborate plan. Promposals can be as simplis-tic as holding up a sign or as elaborate as getting a celebrity to help promote you. Promposals allow teens to display their creativity and express their personality. Additionally, asking someone can be awkward, nerve-wracking and gut-wrench-ing, so promposals are a unique way to help break the ice. Being able to express one’s individuality, imagination, and uniqueness is what makes promposals such an awe-inspiring and grand gesture that should be celebrated and continued.

Emily Deacon '20Contributor

Growing up, I always saw TV shows and movies por-tray such creative and fun ways to ask someone to a dance. That being said, do I enjoy promposals? The answer is yes, but sometimes they can be too cheesy or boring. Personally, I think any attempt at a promposal is enjoyable, and I would love to be promposed to. However, it has to be done in the right way. I have promposed myself to my best friend, who I have taken to every Villa dance since freshman year. Did he say yes? Unsurprisingly, it was indeed a yes. I wish it was more of an adventure instead of just holding a sign, but no matter what, it is prom, so whatever happens the end result will be unforgettable.

Junior Olivia Karkenny poses with her sister Ashley '22 and Allie Trebelev '21 at a pre-party before prom on April 12. Karkenny's dress represented one of the

more popular styles this year: strapless dresses. // Mrs. Bethany Karkenny

Students dance the night away at Prom on April 12. // Lifetouch Senior students pause from their dancing to smile for the camera. // Lifetouch

To prompose or not to prompose?Between the punny poster boards, effortful scavenger hunts, food deliveries, and so much more, is the trend of promposing too much? We have students from Villa Maria and Devon Prep break down their opinions.

These delicious holiday cupcakes are just one among many of senior Grace McLachlan's

vegan creations. // Grace McLachlan

This age is a perfect time to experiment and see what you might be interested in.

Mr. Darren Polsz

Do you like promposals?

VILLA LIFE6 May 2019 The Villa Voice

IHM Sisters share convent stories The IHM Sisters living at the Villa Maria convent share surprising commonalities with high school students.Anna Nunag ’20, Onyx Roldan ’20Contributors

Two IHM Sisters, Sister Marie Claire Matsinger and Sister Kathleen Dunn, give Villa students insight into their daily lives in the piece of history they call home.

Ten sisters live at the convent on campus, and six of them are members of the faculty and administration of the school. The other four sisters hold jobs including a pasto-ral minister at Camilla Hall, a clinical psychologist at a Downingtown hospital, a regional administrator of con-vents, and a religious educator at St. Patrick’s.

Every evening, the sisters gather for prayer at 5:15 and then have supper. After that, they may watch the news or a television show before going to their rooms to get ready for the next day. The sisters spend their free time in the same ways as some students might.

“In my free time, I love to read,” Matsinger said. “I take a half hour every day and practice [the violin]...I like to do creative things like make cards and write prayer ser-vices….[I] go out to lunch with my friends. I usually visit my sister on the weekend.”

Students may be surprised at how knowledgeable sis-ters are of social media and technology.

“I’m a real Twitter [user],” Dunn said. “I don’t put too many things up, but I like Twitter. The 168 characters is not something I particularly like for communication. But I love that you can click on and go to the real story...It keeps me informed about the world of youth.”

In addition to spending time alone, they enjoy many activities as a community, such as celebrating sisters’ feast days, birthdays, and Jubilees.

“We have a party and a celebration for March Mad-ness, certainly [for the] Super Bowl, and especially last year when it was the Eagles. That was a big event,” Dunn said. “We find a number of activities where we can celebrate to-gether because that’s a very important part of our IHM tradition.”

Sisters also find ways to stay busy and enjoy the cam-pus with each season. Over the summer, the sisters make a retreat at the Mother House, smaller convents, or Stone Harbor.

“We have a retreat house [in Stone Harbor],” said Matsinger. “People can go to the retreat right there on the ocean. It’s a very beautiful home.”

In the winter, the sisters have their fun back at home.“On the snow days, in our [convent] foyer, we have

an electric fireplace. We have a little get-together party to celebrate the snow day,” said Matsinger.

Something most students do not know about the con-vent is the history of the building itself. Today, the convent is registered in the Malvern Historical Society. Being part of the Historical Society, however, limits them from doing certain renovations to the building.

“You can see the high wooden ceilings and beams. We can’t change them because they’re part of the history of the house,” Matsinger said. “It has a really interesting history [because] it’s over a hundred years old.”

Especially because of the history of both the building and the IHMs themselves, the sisters are all very grateful for their experience living in the convent.

“It’s a pretty neat thing to be living and working with people who share a common interest like the sisters because they wanted to be of service to the church and they had a special love for Mary and a special love for teaching,” Matsinger said.

While from the outside the convent may seem quiet, the IHM Sisters fill it with life, love, and community.

Things teachers wrote as studentsCan you guess which of Villa Maria's teachers created these works when they were students?

Raquel Lacusky '20Editor-In-Chief

Senior YearThese are the moments to never forget

The joys and the sorrows we never regretThis world is a stage and the lights are out

It is up to us to choose our own routeThe sunrise of new days only just metTo love another, time to place your betThrown into the mix, be ready, get setUnder the surface, or high on a mountThese are the moments to never forget

It’s time to be free, break out from the nestDawning of today, the dew grass still wet

Gone are the times of fear and times of doubtIt is time to show what we’re all aboutThese are the moments to never forget

Love Exists in All Kinds

giraffe, giraffe you are so tallI hope you never trip and fall

for then you’d crush poor ladybugwho really wants a baby hug

you are best friends and you know thatshe sits on your head like a little hat

you walk in the grass with your favorite friend to give her a kiss your neck has to bend

oh yeah I forgot, you are in love!even though you tower high abovegiraffe, giraffe falling is bad you see

perhaps you better lean up against a tree

Ms. Rose and the King“When I lived in Chicago during my post-graduate year

of service, I met an extraordinary woman. Her name

was “Ms. Rose”, and she was an old, large, spunky

African-American woman with a goodness that brought

light into an otherwise dark area of the world…. Ms. Rose

entertained me with stories of her involvement in Amer-

ica’s civil rights movement. At one point, she recalled

taking a bus down to Alabama for the infamous Selma

March to protest Southern voting rights. “But that was

my last march,” she sighed. She went on to explain that at

some point, she found herself walking next to Dr. King,

but rather than feeling empowered, she grew increasingly

disheartened. There was a constant stream of insults being

pitched at him by the throngs of onlookers. “Really?!” I

gasped, “You walked with MLK?!” “Yes, baby,” she an-

swered, as if that were not the point. She told me that she

walked for a long time next to the man who championed

the cause that she held so dear but eventually found that

walk intolerable. … We all learn about people like Martin

Luther King and Rosa Parks and little Ruby Bridges.

Their courage is legendary and their plights unfathomable.

But how many millions of “Roses” still fight for the civil

rights movement in their own back yard? How many qui-

etly continue to live Dr. King’s legacy as bravely as they

can by challenging young people to stay out of trouble

and remain in school? How many are willing to fight for

their beliefs?”

Answer Keya) Ms. Amanda Sierzega, 12th grade b) Madame Sarah Carroll, 8th gradec) Ms. Kaitlyn Broomell, 12th graded) Mrs. Jennifer Bowker, high school

e) Mrs. Amy Keglovits, graduate schoolf) Mrs. Diane Mallon, undergraduate

Sister Marie Claire and Sister Kathleen Dunn smile from the lawn of the IHM Convent on Villa Maria's campus. // Mrs. Laurie Scaggs

A B

C

D

E

F

VILLA LIFE 7The Villa Voice May 2019

Students fill the stationsEach morning, nineteen of your classmates catch a train to school. Their mornings probably look a lot different from yours.

Hannah Rosenberger ‘20Editor-In-Chief

Instead of riding the traditional yellow vehicle, many students call Septa their school bus.

Junior Kaira Mack, who has been taking the train from Philadelphia since she was a freshman, has a long commute ahead of her when she wakes up at 4:50 each morning.

“I have to catch a bus at 5:40 a.m. to a local train, which takes me to the most convenient re-gional rail station, usually Jefferson Station. At 6:40 a.m., I board the train from Jefferson and arrive in Malvern around 7:35 a.m.,” she said. “It usually takes me about two hours [each way] to get to and from school.”

Mack works after school three times a week at the International Montes-sori School, a local daycare center. When she has work, she often doesn’t arrive home until later than 7 o’clock in the evening. These long days can take their toll.

“Being on the train every day makes me feel somewhat productive but also exhausted,” she said. “When arriving home at night, the commute to and from takes a toll on me not only physically but men-tally as well, which drains my motivation to com-plete work.”

“I think being on the train is interesting be-cause I get to interact with people coming from a variety of places and backgrounds,” she said. “[But] I don’t like taking the train, personally, because of how exhausting the commute is. Often when I arrive at school, on top of it being pretty early in the morn-ing, I feel as though I’ve already done so much.”

Junior Madison Bedwell, one of twelve students who rides the Thorndale line, also isn’t the biggest

fan of taking the train even though she doesn’t have to get up quite as early as the girls who commute from Philadelphia.

“I personally do not like taking the train just because it’s not very easy if I miss it in the morning to get to school,” she said. “But the conductors are really nice and the people are too.”

Senior A’sja Abron, who takes a Philadelphia train to and from school each day, has experienced an evolution in how she thinks about her transpor-tation method.

“My first couple of years of high school, I en-joyed taking the train. My favorite activity was people-watching,” she said. “But now I’m so excited to go off to college, not have to wake up before the sunrises, and get a chance to enjoy my precious, precious sleep.”

Abron’s daily commute, similar to Mack’s, starts at 5 o’clock each morning.

“I have to be at the train station by 5:47 a.m. to take a train to 30th Street Station. I then wait 15 minutes until my second train from Center City to Malvern,” Abron said. Despite a long commute and a busy schedule of activities, Abron has no regrets about going to a school so far from home.

“Through my time at Villa, I’ve met amazing people, and I have gotten a chance to experience out-standing opportunities,” she said. “I don’t think a train commute or anything else could prevent me from doing it again.”

Morgan Collins Bush '03While attending Villa Maria, Biology & AP Research In-

structor Morgan Collins Bush outlined a plan for her life. “My loose plan was [to] go to college, major in biology,

potentially go to medical school, go to graduate school for mi-crobiology, get married, and be done having children by 30,” she stated.

As she attended college at St. Joseph’s University in Phila-delphia, her plan changed and she received an M.S. in Second-ary Biology education. Bush then went on to her first teaching job, a chemistry teacher at Villa Maria.

She stated, “Villa taught me hard work...how to push past the wall that every student hits when they realize they need to ask for help, that you may not be able to do it on your own.”

High school was a place for Bush to challenge herself and discover more about her skills. “You need to take advantage of opportunities that are given to you and to not be afraid of new experiences,” Bush stated. “[Villa] gave me a safe place to test out some of my shortcomings but also realize some of my strengths.”

After her freshman year at St. Joe's, Bush began dating her now husband, Matt Bush, who attended Devon Prep. They were married in September 2007 and now have four children. As a mother, Bush teaches her kids persistence and other valuable lessons even as she works during the school year as a teacher.

“I think they learn independence from the balance,” Bush stated, “If something is difficult for you, you need to practice and press on. Do extra homework problems, shoot extra foul shots, etc. You won’t get better at something by wishing for it.”

Her experiences in high school still resonate both directly and indirectly with Bush and her family through certain tradi-tions instilled during high school. “We all pray ‘Our Lady of the Highway’ before trips and in inclement weather," she stated. "I also repeat Sr. Carmel’s motto: ‘Do the right thing because it is the right thing to do’ often to my children.”

Cecilia Collins McMahon '10Pre-clinical Manufacturing Specialist Cecilia Collins Mc-

Mahon found love as a junior in high school. She was involved in theater at Devon Prep and met, through a mutual friend in the musicals, her now husband, Albert McMahon. She then attended the University of Pittsburgh to study bioengineering.

She stated, “I was overcome by a love of viral pathogens my senior year and went on to obtain a master's degree from Drexel University in Infectious Diseases.”

She worked in pharmaceutical testing for two years, and now she does pre-clinical manufacturing of gene therapy vectors.

“My life today is similar to how I thought my life would be at this point, but the path was different than I expected.” McMa-hon stated, “I am working in a technical field and married to a Devon boy.”

The latter was something she planned as a child since, after all, her mom and older sister had both married Devon boys.

As a bioengineering major at school, she was surrounded by many brilliant young people.

“It may surprise you to learn that many, perhaps even most of [the smart people in the world], are not in your 120-girl grad-uating class," McMahon stated. “Success in college did not come easily, and success after college is even more elusive because it leans on skills I had never used before.”

There is an expectation that comes with the tools presented during high school. “Villa felt safe and nurturing but nurturing in a way that expected you to challenge yourself,” McMahon stat-ed. “Villa loves you and will be a comfort to you when you need it but holds you accountable for what you do with your life.”

Some of McMahon’s favorite memories include having con-versations within classes that applied past but relevant informa-tion to the modern world.

“I owe a large part of my inquisitiveness to my time at Vil-la. All kids start inquisitive and my parents encouraged it. Villa brought it to full bloom," she stated.

Anastasia Collins Sumpaopol '06During high school, Sixth Grade Science Teacher at The Phil-

adelphia School, Anastasia Collins Sumpaopol was determined to play the highest level of college volleyball possible. She walked on to a Division 1 team at Loyola Maryland and eventually earned a partial scholarship after finishing her freshman year.

During her senior year of college, she decided to live in Thai-land and teach English for a year. “I missed out on study abroad because of volleyball, so I was really feeling the adventure itch, and Loyola had a nice partnership with a school in Bangkok that con-nected me with a job,” she stated

It was there in Thailand that she met her now husband, Tor. “He was the reason I was really able to invest myself in learn-

ing the culture, language, food, and religion of Thailand.” Sump-aopol stated, “Our time there together was absolutely dreamy but authentic and true.”

Their relationship did not stay in Thailand, however. When Sumpaopol returned to the U.S., he ended up following her, and they decided to get married. They now have two children.

Motherhood has affected her teaching style in a more empa-thetic way. “I see [my students] more as my children than I did be-fore, and I think at the end of the day, it makes me a more effective teacher,” she stated.

It’s no surprise that being a student at Villa comes with the high academic expectations that push students to work hard. She felt misplaced because she was only taking one AP class; whereas, to her, everyone else seemed to be taking several AP classes, main-taining high GPAs, receiving top SAT scores, and managing it all with no stress. She felt that she was constantly working hard both athletically and academically, but it paid off.

Sumpaopol stated that the academic rigor in high school pre-pared her for college “My first moment of feeling smart came during a creative writing course at Loyola when I had to peer edit someone’s paper and realized I could run circles around them,” she stated.

Life after high schoolAlumna sisters give insight on their lives after high school.

Alivia OrvietoEditor-in-Chief

Anastasia Collins Sumpaopol, Cecilia Collins Mc-Mahon, Morgan Collins Bush, Amelia Collins, Karen

Ricciardi, and Annmarie Collins pose for a family photo before Thanksgiving dinner 2018.

// Mr. Brendan Collins

Counseling dog enhanc-es student experienceEveryone on campus knows Kona, the dog who has won over the hearts of staff and students.

Amelia Erb ‘22 and Cecilia Oberkircher ‘20Contributors

Counseling Kona has become an influential part of the Counseling Department by bringing smiles to many students and helping to enrich their time at school.

He provides a short break from the bustling hallways when students stop by the counseling suite between classes, during study hall, or during lunch.

“I love having the ability to go from taking a hard test to petting a dog in five minutes,” junior Alivia Orvieto said.

Kona is the face of the Counseling Department's constantly growing campaign to listen to the suggestions of students. At least in regards to Kona, this seems to be working, as about 88 percent of students feel that he has enhanced their school expe-riences.

Director of School Counseling Mrs. Elizabeth Hashagen, who has conducted sev-eral years of research related to pet therapy, came up with the idea of having a therapy dog on campus knowing the stresses that students feel. At the beginning of the school year, an organization called Centers for Families completed a program with the seniors on campus, in which the director of the program brought her dog.

“Once Sister Regina heard how well the dog was received [at the program], I said, ‘I have got a dog at home too that I think would be perfect to have here on a pretty regular basis,’” Hashagen said. “She was not hard to convince. I think she saw all the evidence that it was really something that was positive.”

The benefits of therapy dogs and other animals range from physical calmness to more psychological effects.

“Studies have shown all the physiological effects petting an animal can have. It lowers your heart rate, it can calm your breathing, and it lowers your blood pressure,” Hashagen said. “I think it all ties to mindfulness because you can’t help but be in the moment.”

Often when I arrive at school, I feel as

though I’ve already done so much.

Students love to stop by the counseling office to see Kona's friendly smiling face. // Mrs. Laurie Scaggs

Kaira Mack '20, A'sja Abron '19, and Siani Ruley '20 pose for a picture during their morning commute // Mr. Darren Polsz

>>continued from page 1Walheim was able to celebrate her special 1,000 point

moment surrounded by those she loved. “All my friends came too and all my family. It was definitely fun to have everyone there,” she said. “They’re my best friends, so it's so fun to be on a the court with them when it happened.”

Walheim continued the season with the rest of her teammates, scored an additional 318 points, and attained a district championship title for the Hurricanes. “Last year we lost in the district championship, so we definitely wanted to win that. That was our main goal,” she said. “We did have ups and downs, but there were a lot of learning experiences.”

Walheim attributes the team’s success to the girls’ spe-cial bond and their ability to have fun on the court. She recalled one specific game against O’Hara where the whole team was laughing on the court, but despite this, when it was time, they were able to focus on winning the game.

Walheim’s development throughout her years on the team did not go unnoticed by Coach McCartney.

“When she was a freshman, she relied solely on her ath-leticism, which at times left her frustrated. As she matured as a player, she learned how to be a basketball player and that, coupled with her natural athleticism, made her very successful,” McCartney stated.

Walheim will continue her athletic career at Villanova University in the fall as a Division 1 lacrosse athlete.

SPORTS8 May 2019 The Villa Voice

Teacher goes the extra milePhysics teacher and assistant track coach Mrs. Nicole Cronin shows extra dedica-tion during her first year.

Alivia Orvieto ‘20Editor-in-Chief

Physics teacher Cronin spends long hours on cam-pus preparing for classes, teach-ing, coaching, and offering extra help to students.

Cronin was added to the team of science teachers during the summer, and her daily rou-tine since late August shows just the kind of caring and hardwork-ing person she is. As it is only her second year teaching full-time, she arrives at school at around 6:45 each morning to begin pre-paring for the day.

“I like to give myself at least an hour before classes start to get myself organized and get myself ready to teach,” she said.

Despite the early start to her mornings, Cronin’s afternoons are just as packed. As an assistant track coach, Cronin stays in her classroom until 3:15 to help students before head-ing to the track for practice. During winter indoor track practices, she gave the girls workouts and remained until 5:30 p.m. when practice ended.

Her two roles of teacher and coach came hand in hand when she joined the Villa Maria faculty.

“Villa kind of was the perfect storm,” Cronin said. “Everything was perfect because I got the job and then two weeks later they posted the position for the assistant track coach.”

Her busy schedule hasn’t stopped her from running herself. In her adult running career, she has completed two full marathons and three half marathons. The sport

has been a part of her life from early on, as she was a soccer player before she began running in middle school.

“[Running] came a lot more naturally to me than I thought it would. So as time went on, I became more and more into it until my senior year of high school; I was just a full-time runner,” she said.

Also during high school, Cro-nin found her love of physics. Her fascination for the subject contin-ued to grow through college, where she majored in physics, and gradu-ate school, where she received her masters' in the same. “I absolutely loved it because it combined my love of math and science and fit ev-erything together for me,” she said.

Although she was busy with her physics coursework, she con-tinued to run in college at Muhlen-

berg. However, during graduate school, physics took over, and running took more of a backseat.

“It was probably the hardest time of my life. It was very stressful, and I had to take a whole bunch of physics classes,” Cronin said. “It was probably 20 hours a week for one class, and I was doing three classes, and on top of that, I also had to be a teaching assistant.”

However, now that she made it through all of the stress and is a full-time teacher and coach herself, she enjoys seeing the more well-rounded personalities of her students. “It’s nice because you get to know your girls one way when you're in class, but it’s different when you’re out-side of school,” Cronin said. “It’s nice to see both sides of them and see their personality outside of class a little bit.”

Irish dancer shares unique experience Norah Bice ’21 shares her background and accomplish-ments as an Irish dancer and her experiences traveling around the world and learning about other cultures as she competes in this sport.

Anna Heppelmann ’21, Carly Ukalovic ’20Villa Life Editor, Reporter

Sophomore Norah Bice, following in the footsteps of her brother and sisters, has been practicing Irish dance since she was in preschool, .

“When my oldest sister was in preschool, one of her friends brought in a pair of dancing shoes for show-and-tell, so then my oldest sister did it, and then my second sister did it, and then my brother did it, and then I did it, but I’m the only one who stuck with it,” she said.

There are several different styles within Irish dance based on the type of shoe worn by the dancer.

Bice said, “There [are] two different shoes. One is called a soft shoe, and it’s more like a ballet slipper, and the style of that [includes] a lot more jumping, float-ing, and traveling across the stage.”

The other type of shoe, the hard shoe, “is more like a tap shoe that has louder beats and makes sound when you’re doing it, so it’s all about focusing on executing the beats well,” Bice said.

Bice practices and competes for the McDade-Cara School of Irish Dance and performs as an individual as well as in a group.

“There [could be] one competition that will be just yourself and then other competitions that will be with eight dancers, sixteen dancers, or twenty dancers,” she said.

Bice has a rigorous training schedule, especially when preparing for larger competitions around Thanksgiving, Easter, and the Fourth of July.

“Leading up to bigger competitions, I will practice every day for at least two hours, at most four hours. But during the slower season, [I practice] four to five days a week for two or three hours,” she said.

Bice has had the opportunity to travel across the world for Irish dance and has competed in a range of competitions.

“The smaller, local competitions will be around the East Coast, and the far-thest I’ve gone is Scotland and Ireland. The smaller [competitions] in America are just a one-day thing, but then the bigger [competitions] I travel for are a week long or a couple days at a time, and there are thousands and thousands of people, so it’s a bigger scale, more intense, [and there are] bigger prizes," she said.

Bice has numerous accomplishments within the sport. “I have qualified for the world champions four times, and just this year in

Killarney, I placed in the top 50 out of 300 people. They only call back 50 [people] for the final round, so it was pretty cool to be placed there,” she said.

Bice enjoys performing at competitions as well as in more casual areas where she feels her dancing can have a positive impact.

“My favorite time of year is, of course, St. Patrick’s Day, but usually through the whole month of March, we’ll do little shows called dance-outs, which are in places like nursing homes, firehouses, bars, [and] restaurants,” she said. “That is just a lot of fun because it’s not competing, so it’s not as stressful, and you also get to touch a lot of people’s lives because it is something they don’t see often.”

Although Irish dance is not one of the most recognized sports in America, Bice loves how the sport has given her the unique opportunity to explore the world.

“I think it’s cool to be part of something that’s global. I have a lot of friends that live other places that I don’t see often, but it’s cool to talk to them to see the difference in cultures," she said. "On the other hand, because it’s a [less common sport], a lot of people don’t understand how much hard work goes into it, and a lot of people don’t consider it a sport just because they don’t really know what it is, but it’s a lot of hard work.”

Another Irish dancers at Villa Maria is freshman Evelyn Kennedy, who also practices at McDade-Cara School of Irish Dance. Kennedy has traveled all across America and has had the opportunity to travel to Ireland twice. She has had major accomplishments, including qualifying for the world championship at a regional competition.

>>continued from page 1One aspect of her life that has been conducive to

strengthening this is that her family lives on a five-acre property with a barn.

“At a young age I realized that if I wanted to ride, I would have to sacrifice other parts of my life, which I was more than willing to do,” Rogers said.

All the time and commitment has definitely paid off, as Rogers will be attending Cornell University in the fall. She will be trying out for the polo team and has already talked to the coach about potentially mak-ing varsity freshman year because of her Pony Club rankings.

"[Pony Club rankings] are national ratings that I've studied for and taken throughout the years. The coach at Cornell took interest in me because they are somewhat difficult to come by in riders nowadays be-cause of the time commitment," Rogers said. "Imag-ine studying all year for AP and honors classes, then teaching yourself a second year [veterinary] student's curriculum in addition to that over the summer."

Despite the time commitment and difficulty of the sport, Rogers loves it anyway, and she also shares that love with others.

"I really love all of the different disciplines I've been able to compete and participate in, and I also enjoy teaching younger riders," she said.

Walheim and teammate Julia Samar proudly hoist the District Champi-onship trophy high for all to see. // Ms. Marguerite Esmonde

Eight-year-old Norah Bice is pictured with the trophy she won at a regional championship. // Mrs. Lisa Bice

Mrs. Nicole Cronin // Lifetouch

Annie Rogers cross country jumps at Plantation Field, which is one of the phases in Eventing. // Mrs. Debra Anderson