Debate Tigers Tear up National Tournament

By Nick Person, 12^th grade

                On the morning of January 26, the Tiger debate team traveled to Emory College in Atlanta to compete in a national competition and to take their game to a whole new level. The Tigers qualified for this event because of how well they have been doing in state and local competitions.   

                Juniors Zach Wahlder and Jack Sheridan make up one team and sophomores Jude Sheridan and team captain Daniel Garrison make up the second team. Both teams competed in Public Form debate, which is a style of debate practiced in the National Forensic League.  In the preliminary rounds, Juniors Wahlder and Sheridan finished with a record of 3-3, and sophomores Garrison and Sheridan went 2-4.

                The Tigers were just a few wins away from being able to advance to the elimination rounds. Even though the Tigers did not get as far as they would have liked, they did much better than expected. Coach Byron Arthur ’88 commented on the team’s performance. Mr. Arthur said “They did good especially against the level of experience on the other teams. I can tell that within the next year we will win big and go to the national tournament.” The young team showed that they can not only compete locally but also nationally. The Tigers will continue to practice in order to qualify for the National Championships this summer.

                Mr. Arthur said “There is a city tournament being hosted my Mount Carmel this weekend, [March 3-4] that will help us qualify for the Catholic National Championships in Baltimore.” He encourages everyone to come out and show their support after school Friday and all day Saturday.              

                If you are interested in joining the debate team, the team will be looking for new members in April. They are looking for current 8^th through 11^th graders. They encourage all interested students to come and try out. Mr. Arthur would like to see the team grow to the size it was when he attended Holy Cross

Holy Cross Tiger Band Marching in Mardi Gras

HAPPY MARDI GRAS – GO TIGERS!!!!!!!

By Patrick Fortier, 11^th Grade

            Since 1946, the Holy Cross Tiger Band has entertained the masses along the parade routes during the Mardi Gras season. During the parades, the Tiger Band is exposed to its largest audience while marching through the streets of New Orleans.

           The latest in the long list of parades the band has participated in was the Pontchartrain parade last Saturday. However, if you didn’t catch them at Pontchartrain, you still have a chance at seeing them in action at the Hermes Parade on Friday evening. And on Sunday, they will march in the Thoth Parade. Both parades run the traditional St. Charles route.

            Tiger Band Director Mr. Michael Urbaszewski said that the band will march for about two hours.  This year, they will be play “The Fight Song,” “Hey Baby,” “Eye of the Tiger,” “Get Down On It,” and “The Elephant.” Come out, cheer the band on, and show your Tiger pride!

Debate Team Travels to Atlanta to Compete

By Nick Person, 12^th Grade

     One relatively new club on campus is the debate team, which contrary to popular belief, is much more than teenagers arguing with each other. The debate team is a close-knit group of friends who would like to try and expand their knowledge of current events, improve their speaking skills, and meet new people.

     The creation of the club is actually a revival. Team captain Daniel Garrison, a sophomore, explained: “The debate team started this year under Ms. Kylie Kastes and Mr. Byron Author, a Holy Cross Alumni who was a member of the debate team in the eighties.” There are currently six members on the team. An average practice for the team lasts two hours and involves looking up cases, practicing different topics, and going over upcoming events.

     The team participates in local tournaments in speech and debate events. “The only debate event we are participating in is Public Forum,” said Garrison. “Public Forum is where a team of two debaters go against an opposing team of two other debaters. A monthly topic is chosen from a central website that the whole nation uses.”

     The team has participated in five local tournaments, one national tournament at Newman, and they are currently preparing for the national tournament at Emory College in Atlanta. “Our future plan is to create a larger program named after the founder of our school, Blessed Father Basil Moreau. Hopefully we will place high enough to qualify for other national tournaments like the Glenbrook’s in Chicago or the California qualifiers.”

     To learn more about the debate team, I also talked to junior Zach Wahlder. “It’s a good way to meet new people from all over the city,” said Wahlder. “It helps with public speaking and communication. There are many different aspects of speech and debate, some of it is imagination which forces you to think outside the box, and some of it makes you step out of your comfort zone and open up better.” He also added “It helps with keeping you up on current events and issues around the world. Since we are doing our national competition soon, we will have a better chance to meet and learn about people from all over the country.”

Shihan Heller and His Karate Apprentices

By Zachary Stoufflet, 11th grade

       For sixteen years, the 8^th grade English teacher, Mr. Thomas Heller, has been coaching the Holy Cross Karate team. Greeted by traditional Japanese music and a strong-scented candle, I recently caught up with him on a Tuesday morning in his homeroom.

       Some falsely believe Mr. Heller was the first person to bring Karate to Holy Cross. “No, it was Harold Clark, a religion teacher,” explained Heller as he sipped coffee from his mug. “But I did bring hand-to-hand fight here.”

       Mr. Heller’s interest in Karate dates back to when he was five-years-old, when he says he started a style of Karate that involved weapons. One reason that he still loves Karate is that he can simply practice it for much longer than other sports, such as football, baseball, or basketball. In his spare time, he also enjoys scuba diving, biking, and climbing.

       The Holy Cross Karate team has won over forty World Championships. Both Logan Field and Robby Slicho, members of the class of ’13, finished in first place in the 14-15 Young Boy Sports Chanbara in Dallas this summer. “I’ve always had a great passion for Karate,” said Field, sitting by the picnic tables. “Mr. Heller has taught us many values in life that tie into Karate.” Slicho added, “Mr. Heller is such a great teacher and a great instructor; I haven’t seen him fail in teaching someone to be great in Karate.”

       Mr. Heller is confident that his apprentices will come out of the Holy Cross Karate team as changed young men. He has the title above Sensei called “Shihan,” which means that he has taught students Karate that are now instructors and teach students of their own. “I earned my Sensei title when I was close to ending my college career. I earned my Shihan title just about five years ago when we were on 4950 Dauphine St.,” said Heller. His very first student at Holy Cross, Ryan Lee, who received the very first black belt from Mr. Heller on the old campus, is now a medical doctor and still goes to Heller’s Dojo in Metairie every week. Mr. Heller stated that if a student wanted to go far in Karate, he has to trust his gut and follow the technique he was taught.

       In October, the team traveled to Ruston to compete in USKA World Karate Championship. In the 16-17 year-old division, Logan Field placed first, Robby Slicho placed second, and Ben Piazza placed fourth. Ronnie Cantin placed first in the 14-15 year-old division.

 

 

Cooper Gioe: The Voice of a School

 

 

By Nick Person, 12^th grade

Cooper Gioe: Communications Director, varsity baseball player, and all-around nice guy. I wanted to find out a bit more about his job, so we went up to the media room, which is actually not much more than a closet with a desk, computer, chair, and a green screen. It’s where our announcements come from, and this is the man that brings them to you.

Nick Person: What is your official job title?

Cooper Gioe: Well, the official job title I have is Communications Director, but it really doesn’t have anything to do with the announcements. But that’s what I ran for, communications.

 

NP: How did you get this job?

CG: I had to run for it and the students had to vote for me. It was between three of my classmates and it was a very close race.

 

NP: Why did you want this job?

CG: I didn’t exactly want this job alone, but I wanted to be on student council. I felt like I would enjoy this the most.

 

NP: How do you feel knowing that your fellow schoolmates voted for you for this job?

CG: It makes me feel good, but I think anyone of us could have won the job. It was just so close; it was a matter of one or two votes.

 

NP: How do you prepare for this job on a daily basis?

CG: I usually get here in this room for 7:30. I get the emails together, and now that I’m on TV, I get even more emails because more people listen to the announcements.

 

NP: What’s the best part of your job?

CG: I guess getting noticed a lot. I was walking through middle school the other day and a lot of little kids were like “Ahh, you’re Cooper Gioe,” I laughed and it was pretty cool.

 

NP: Did you ever or still get nervous saying the announcements?

CG: Definitely, it doesn’t change, I get nervous every morning. I’m getting a little more comfortable with it, but the nerves and anxiety are still there. But I love it.

 

NP: Can you describe how it feels to deliver the news to the entire school?

CG: It’s a lot of pressure and you have to not care what other people think about what you do and just do your own thing. It’s a lot harder than what people think.

 

NP: What’s different from saying the announcements on a phone compared to a live Smartboard screen? Does this put pressure on you in anyway?

CG: The difference is a good difference. On the phone I could hear myself, and people weren’t paying attention to the announcements. Now that I’m on TV people tend to listen more, and I can’t hear myself anymore because I’m in a room with no intercom, so it’s better.

 

NP: Can we expect any changes to the broadcast throughout the year?

CG: I tend to mix up the background. The news room will be different and get some little funny background for the green screen. Just mixing it up every day this green screen gives me the chance to catch the attentions of more students here.

 

NP: Do you intend on continuing your career in broadcast news? If so, how?

CG: No, I really don’t plan on doing this as a living. I enjoy doing it now, it’s just something I figured would be fun to do on the side but other than that, no, I don’t plan on pursuing it.

 

NP: If you’re not here, who’s your backup?

CG:  Well, the backup on the phone was George Mandella, but I’m sure he’d love to do it on the TV. He’s my go-to-guy on backup and he’s good with it.

 

NP: Getting other people to say the Holy Cross Man, was this your idea, and why?

CG: No, it’s not my idea; it actually started off with Joseph Gray getting other people to do the Holy Cross Man. I figured I’d do that; also it kind of helps me out not having to say the Holy Cross man every morning. Now, I do have a weather man this year. He’s a character; Kyle Gardner is my weather man this year. We just added something new and fun with the morning announcements.

 

NP: Do you accept shout-outs, and if so how does someone get one to you? 

CG: If someone wants to do a shout out, send me an email,and I’ll be happy to shout out. It’s something cool and fun to do. Feel free to do a shout out.

 

Holy Cross Elects Student Council for 2011-2012 School Year

 

 By Austin Deeks, 12^th grade

The votes are in and the new leaders of the school have been selected for the 2011-2012 academic year. As much as we will miss the current members, it is time to pass the torch and look forward to new leadership. With seventeen candidates running for six executive positions, there were more candidates this year than last. Many of the candidates this year came from diverse sports and extracurricular activities, showing that our leaders are highly involved at school.

Starting off at the top of the list, three candidates ran for the student body president position. Football and basketball player Trey Hooper was victorious and has been elected to lead the student body next year. “Our new Student Council, as the last class from the old campus, is ready to step up to the challenge and be leaders,” said Hooper. Trey has been at Holy Cross for eight years and has been playing football since his 5^th grade year. Well known for being friendly (a common greeting his friends use with him) to his fellow Holy Cross brothers, Trey has great potential for being a school leader. Assisting Hooper in the vice president position will be fellow basketball star Chris Kennie. Chris has had great success at Holy Cross inside and out of the classroom. Whether playing basketball or participating in a community service project, Chris has earned his reputation as a strong leader. “It is an honor and a privilege to be elected as the student body vice president. I will put my best foot forward in order to fulfill all my duties as the vice president.”

The next spirit coordinator is football player, wrestler, and former cheerleader Blaise Duhé. As an experienced athlete, Blaise understands how important spirit is to this school. Blaise has the energy and spirit to lead our school next year in pep rallies and also at games, when he is not playing football or wrestling, of course.

In contrast to last year, many baseball players will be taking office. As communications director, Cooper Gioe, a pitcher and first baseman, will bring you the announcements every day. Kyle Gardner, a center fielder, will be events president in charge of all campus activities. Kyle also has big shoes to fill as Phil Smith was very successful with blood drives and fundraisers.

Last but not least is the intramurals president. This year, Max Miranne and Mr. Ferry revived and managed the program that has attracted many students. Now newly elected intramurals president Blake Toscano has the responsibility of continuing the momentum and fostering more great rivalries such as Team Name vs. Team Delaune.

With the Palace on Paris and more facilities available, this new student council will have more opportunities to hold events and pep rallies. Good luck.

Cheer Time!

By Robert Daroca, 11th Grade

For three days in early April, the Holy Cross Student Center was filled with 55 beautiful young ladies all with one thing on their mind: cheerleading tryouts. As the football team flexed in the weight room, the girls stretched and prepared their cheers. Some hopefuls would be grouped up with their friends, and others would have to rely on total strangers to do well in the group performance in front of the judges.

The judges and coaches, Ms. Haasé and Ms. Watson, might look nice, but when it comes to cheering they are capable of becoming as mad as Coach Rebaudo when he loses a game of bingo.

Ms. Haasé said that raw talent is not what she and Ms. Watson are looking for, but that they’d rather see “the personality of the girl shine while the routine is performed.”

Many returning members came to Holy Cross to try out for the 2011-2012 season. Every single returning girl who tried out made the team. The first tournament for the Cheerleading team is the NCAA qualifier on December 4^th. This is the most prestigious tournament that the Holy Cross Cheerleading team has ever been invited to.

If our cheering Tigers come out with a victory, they will have the opportunity to go to Disney World to compete at the National Cheerleading tournament, which will be televised on ESPN. This is a great honor being allowed to compete at this tournament. Winning this is the top goal for any high school Cheerleading team in the United States.

The Tiger Cheerleading squad is one of the best in the city. For the past two years, they have been undefeated in competition. Their biggest win came with a defeat over Jesuit in the 2009-2010 season, which brought the team the highest title at the tournament, Grand Champions.

When members from the 2011-2012 Cheerleading squad were asked what Holy Cross Cheerleading means to them, “family” was the most common response. Hunter Wilson, a junior from Dominican, said “To me, Holy cross Cheerleading means everything. It has changed my life and I wouldn’t know what to do without it!”

As a first year Tiger Cheerleader, Whitney Theriot said “Holy cross cheerleading means supporting the school and honoring the traditions that have been around for many years.”

The male cheerleaders are led by sophomore Michael Stigler, aka Stiggy. Freshmen Bryce Scherer and Alex Vial will be joining the team. When asked why he is doing Cheerleading, Vial often responds, “A lot of girls, fun, and chances to make new friends.”

You can catch the squad cheering under the lights, in the palace, by the mats, the pool, or even at the robotics team competitions. No matter the event, they are always loud and proud.

Below is the list of names of the new Holy Cross Cheerleading team.

**2011-2012 H.C. Cheerleaders**
Olivia Scarber – Mt. Carmel	Michelle Leger – Mt. Carmel
Ashley Yrle – Dominican	Kaila Marinaro – Mt. Carmel
Krissy LaBrosse – Mt. Carmel	Kaitlyn Coman – Chapelle
Haley Turpin – Mt. Carmel	Maddie Borello – Mt. Carmel
Hunter Wilson – Dominican	Katelyn Forest – Mt. Carmel
Peyton Dupuy – Mt. Carmel	Alex Guerin – Mt. Carmel
Whitney Theriot – Mt. Carmel	Tiffany Forest – Mt. Carmel
Analiese Arcemont – Chapelle	Carly Peterson – Mt. Carmel
Alexis Dupuy – Mt. Carmel	Heather Underwood – Mt. Carmel
Hayley Meyers – Mt. Carmel	Michael Stiegler – Holy Cross
Bailey Schehr – Mt. Carmel	Bryce Scherer – Holy Cross
Alex Vial – Holy Cross	Miranda Flemming – Mt. Carmel
Breah Bender – Dominican

Chillin’ with Vick: A Musical Athlete

By Joseph Gray, 12th Grade

Junior Ryan Vicknair has been playing music since he was eight-years-old. “Music has opened doors and opportunities that I never thought possible” said Vicknair. He started out with the trumpet, and it remains his main instrument today.  Though his true love is playing the trumpet, he is also well-versed on tuba, French horn, baritone, fugal horn, and piano.

In his eighth grade year, Vicknair joined the Tiger Band. He first assumed a leadership role as Low Brass Section Leader during his sophomore years. His leadership continues as the first chair trumpet and trumpet section leader.  Recently, he has represented Holy Cross well by making the All-State Band.  “It felt surreal, as though I was in a dream that I would have to wake up from.”

Although most of his time during the school is spent learning marching drill and music, Vicknair’s favorite type of music to play is jazz. I have been honored to perform alongside Mr. Vicknair in the Holy Cross Jazz Band, at the New Orleans Center of the Creative Arts, and the District 6 Honor Jazz Band. His fine musicianship is evident regardless of  the venue.

Vicknair’s love for music is shown through his character.  “Life without music is like McDonald’s without sweet tea!”  While he has the ability to be a serious leader, his offbeat sense of humor shines during band camp.  Last year, for example, he wore old-school gym shorts, a white towel tucked into his shirt, an extremely tight Under Armour shirt, a cowboy hat, and knee-high socks. Every day, the outfit changed.  Starting with bright yellow, he seemingly moved across the rainbow until he finally reached blue on the last day.

A little known fact is that Vicknair has a talent for track that he never likes to speak about.  He has stated that he can run the 400 meter dash in 32.3 seconds on a bad day, and he runs his 800 in 25 seconds.  He does not want to come out for the team because he says he doesn’t want to be famous for running, even though his times would qualify him for the Olympic s.

Vicknair will be continuing his music career beyond Holy Cross and NOCCA and will be attending either Julliard or Berkeley for college with a major in Jazz Music Performance.  He also intends to tour the world with his own jazz group tentatively named “The Ryan Vicknair Quartet.”  When asked to sum up what playing his instrument feels like Vicknair replied, “Music, to me, means life itself.”

 

Middle School Students Test Smarts In Newly Formed Quiz Bowl Team

By Austin Deeks, 12th Grade

Quiz Bowl is all about, or that the Holy Cross Middle School has a stacked team that is competing in statewide Quiz Bowl tournaments. On a recent afternoon, I attended a practice to find out more about the team.

“To be or not to be is the Middle School question,” said Middle School Quiz Bowl moderator Mr. Hanemann. This year the Middle School Quiz Bowl team has competed in the Mount Carmel Quiz Bowl Tournament, the LSU Academic  Challenge, and the President’s tournament at Tulane University. Although the team has not won or placed in these events, there is a lot of potential on the team. And confidence. So much confidence that they would like to challenge the high school Quiz Bowl team.

Quiz Bowl tournaments consist of teams from all around Louisiana. At each matchup between two teams, there are three rounds: the toss-up, lightning, and lagniappe round. The toss-up round consists of questions on random subjects, and the first member of each team to raise their hand gets to answer the question. If the contestant answers correctly, their team gets the point. If the contestant is wrong, then the opposing team gets an opportunity to answer the question. After the toss-up is the lightning round, in which one team selects a subject for the opposing team. In this round, only the captains can answer the questions, but the teams can discuss the answer. The lagniappe round consists of a toss-up question, then four questions to the team who correctly answered the toss-up question. The four questions are related to the toss-up question.

One of the team’s biggest threats is 7^th grade captain Andrew Abadiel, who placed second at the President’s Individual Test at Mount Carmel Academy. Co-captain Douglas Bailey is also another name to know on the team when it comes to subjects such as history and fine arts. Bailey, a seventh grader, was the captain of one team when I attended their meeting and helped lead his team into an early lead in a scrimmage. The teams were composed of Bailey, Anthony Melancon III (5^th), Chris Bologna (7^th), and David Quade (5^th) against Donovan Harris (7^th), Blake Baldassaro (5^th), Alex Birdsall (7^th), and Paxton DeForest (7^th) (sixth grader David Englade was not at the meeting).

Donovan Harris is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to random trivia. Mr. Hanemann has dubbed Harris the “Randomizer” and his knowledge might rival that of senior Richard Dubus, a campus champion of random information. Seventh grader Chris Bologna’s strength is mythology.

The team will be well prepared for the Brother Martin Tournament on April 30. It is also clear that the team is having a great time while broadening their knowledge. When asked about his Quiz Bowl coaching philosophy, Mr. Hanemann replied, “Knowledge is power,” and, “The answer is in the question.”

Coach Arvites and Mrs. Clark better bring a full plate to the table, because Mr. Hanemann and the Middle School Quiz Bowl are hungry for an upset.

Slam N’ Jam Madness

By Joshua Brunet, 12^th Grade

On Saturday, April 2, high school students wearing teal and purple T-shirts took over Coconut Beach to compete in the very popular beach volleyball tournament Slam N’ Jam. The Holy Cross Tigers entered two teams in the tournament: The Holy Cross Cold Grits and Off Constant. Both teams were made up of seniors. Some of the other participating schools were Brother Martin, St. Aug, Dominican, Cabrini, Mt. Carmel.

The two Holy Cross teams played very well in the tournament. Both teams finished the day with records of 3-1 advancing all the way to the final round before the playoffs. The two teams lost in close tie breakers. Although neither team made it to the playoffs, everyone had a great time competing, hanging out for a day with friends, and, of course, getting a sunburn.

Players included Tim Scanlan, Ryan Wolfe, Landon Jones, Joshua Brunet, Andrew Burnette, Robert Ledet, Phillip Smith, Max Miranne, William “Billy” Schehr, Nick Guidry, Chris Melvin, Ryan Templet, Cody Pilotte, Eugene Lawrence, and Carl Rasmusson. Senior Blake Mekdessie observed and cheered on the sidelines.

Slam N’ Jam is great opportunity to get away from the worries of school life for a day and to have fun playing beach volleyball with some friends. Unfortunately, the current Coconut Beach location will be closing soon. However, there is talk of the Coconut Beach volleyball facility being relocated to either West End Park or City Park. Wherever the courts end up, hopefully the Slam N’ Jam tournament will continue. I encourage future students to participate. It is an event you do not want to miss.