DE EQUITIBUSVol. V No. 8 - Wed., May 13, 2015

INSIDETrack and field team makes strong showing at State.Page 6

Favorite memories of the 2014-2015 school year.Page 8

Exchange students preparing for summer adventures abroadBy Clara Moffitt

This summer, five of our outstanding TPA Juniors will participate in the foreign exchange program sponsored by Tempe Sister Cities: Catherine Coriell, Christopher Moffitt, Noah Lewis, Jon Maza, and Clare Waddell. Tempe Sister Cities generously funds the program and sends Tempe students to: Skopje, Macedonia; Regensburg, Germany; Lower Hutt, New Zealand; Zhenjiang, China; Timbuktu, Mali; Beaulieu-sur-Mer, France; Carlow, Ireland; Cuenca, Ecuador; Cusco, Peru; and, new this year, Trollhättan, Sweden.

In the Sister Cities pro-gram, the Tempe student goes to live with their host family for five weeks. Then they return to Tempe with their foreign “sib-ling,” who stays with the Tempe student’s family for a month. Then all 32 Tempe delegates and their 32 foreign siblings have a full month of trips and activities, from visiting Disneyland and the Grand Canyon to hosting a prom, an annual favorite for all the exchange students.

Catherine Coriell will be going to Sko-pje, Macedonia. This small country north of Greece is said to be very relaxed and laid-back. Catherine is excited to “lounge around in a beautiful city with the great-est people.” She is especially excited about meeting her host family and her “sister,” Jovana. Her “dad” owns a business and her “mom” is chief editor of a primary news-paper. She is very eager to be a part of the Macedonian culture. She says, “Highlights of my trip will probably be hiking Mt. Vodno, visiting Mother Theresa’s home, and eating all of the wonderful food!”

Christopher Moffitt will be seeing the

foreign land of Zhenjiang, China, very close to Shanghai. Christopher is thrilled to stay at this beautiful port city, the name of which means, “guarding the Yangtze River.” Having studied Mandarin intensely in China last summer, Christopher hopes to speak the language more fluently by the end of this summer. He awaits his favorite treat: “The food! I can never have enough Chinese food! It’s delicious.” Chris expects to be academically challenged over the summer since his host brother starts his day at 4 a.m. and his host parents are both professors at the university. He says, “I will have quite an intellectual family!”

Junior Noah Lewis will be traveling to Regensburg, Germany on May 23. Noah is enthusiastic about hiking the towering Alps in Germany. He is also excited to travel to Rome with his musically talented host family. He says, “My host family, the Rusins, seem incredibly nice. The dad, Oli-ver, is in a quartet, and my brother, Max, is a very talented musician.”

Jon Maza will also be venturing to

Regensburg, Germany. He looks forward to spending two full days in the mag-nificent Alps. Jon was very shocked to find out that his host family is very similar to his. He explains, “Both of our mothers are teachers and both of our fathers own their own construction compa-nies.”

Clare Waddell will go to Country Carlow, Ireland. “I’m really looking forward to the cultural experience, such as different foods, the sites, and definitely the accents!” Clare states. Her host sister, Stephanie, as well as the rest of her family, enjoy the sport, Gaelic Football, which is very similar to rugby. Clare adds,

“I’m also really excited to see the greenery; it’ll be nice to get away from the heat and desert landscape.”

We at Tempe Prep are very proud to have a record number of our Juniors selected to go abroad as Tempe Sister Cities delegates. We are confident that these five students will succeed in representing our school as well as our city. We look forward to their exciting stories and meeting their new international siblings when they come to visit our classes at TPA in August!

Sister Cities foreign exchange students, from left, Noah Lewis, Jon Maza, Katherine Coriell, Clare Waddell and Chris Moffitt.

Other Tempe Prep students are planning summer trip to Mexican town.Page 5

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De Equitibuswww.DeEquitibus.com

Co-Editors in ChiefClaire Newfeld, Rachel Neglia

DeEquitibus.com EditorRachel NegliaSports Editor

Emma MoriartyFeatures Editor

Chris MoffittEducation Editor

Billie NagyStaff Writers

Sarah Faulkner, Nina Lin, Sarah Buchert, Sammy Nagy, Yegor Zenkov, Clara Moffitt, Waley Lin, Cole Klassen,

Denzel RustempasicAdvisor

Bob Schusterbschuster@tempeprep.org

The De Equitibus staff meets every Friday morning at 7:30 in Room 404.

Anyone interested inparticipating is invited to attend.

Published by and forTempe Preparatory

AcademiesTempe, Arizona

www.DeEquitibus.com is now mobile-friendly!

Visit us often (but not while on campus!) for the latest TPA news and features, plus lots more photos than we have room for in the print edition.

The 2015 TPA Yearbook is better than ever, and Co-Editors Anne Fischer, left, and Rachel Matsumoto invite you to purchase it whilesupplies last. Only $45 at the office.

Tempe Prep seniors honored in styleBy Claire Newfeld

Every year, Tempe Prep has a tradition: the senior dinner. Usually occurring at the end of April or beginning of May, the event is a special celebration of the gradu-ating class. A few weeks prior to the event, the faculty choose one to three students to toast at the dinner. These students will often be kids they have taught or have gotten to know very well over the course of the students’ tenure at TPA.

The teachers often email parents and ask friends of their chosen student for more information and funny stories. They then write two to three minute speeches about the students and their experiences with them. Finally, they record the speeches as audio files and submit them to Herr Gray.

In turn, the students send in photographs of themselves from early childhood up to the present day, and Herr Gray compiles these photos into a slideshow for each student. He then plays the recording of the teacher’s toast over the slideshow. Students also can submit a 20-second segment of a song they would like to be played at the end of the video.

On April 30, the seniors, their families, and faculty members gathered at the Embassy Suites in Tempe for a special celebration of the graduating class. The event lasted a few hours in the evening, and was enjoyable for all who attended. As people walked to the ballroom, artwork done by the seniors were posted around the hallway. People milled about, hugging their classmates and families and enjoying the artwork. Approximately two to three families sat at one table with one or two faculty members.

Dr. Baum made opening remarks and commented particularly on the sacred nature of the tradition. Shortly after dinner was served, the videos began. There are 56 seniors this year, so it of course took awhile. But many said it was worth it. Teachers related both touching and funny moments for each senior, exposed inside jokes, and wished their students good luck in the future.

Several faculty members have their own style when writing toasts. For example, Dr. Evans writes a poem for each of his students, complete with rhyme and iambic pentameter. One of the favorite toasts of the night was Mr. Calahan’s tribute to Nico Zwemke, set as a parody of the Lord of the Rings theme. Overall, each toast was special, and teachers managed to find inspiring things to say about even the most … difficult of students.

Underclassmen, you have a lot to look forward to with the senior dinner. But be-ware: Anything embarrassing you do from now through your senior year is fair game to go into your toast.

This year’s Senior Dinner was held at the Embassy Suites in Tempe.

Survey results favor forming student governmentBy Denzel Rustempasic

A large group of students have dedicated their time and minds to propelling this project forward, and learning how to craft it so it fits this school’s teachers, students, and administration as best it can. These students make up the TPA “Steering Com-mittee” which has been meeting in Room 402 and holding open discussions devoted to building this organization from the ground up.

The Steering Committee found that the best way to tailor this project to the students was to simply ask them what they thought. On May 4 they released their official Student Government Survey of grades 8-11. Students Claire Carmody, Suz Defusco, and Reeya Devani helped me to collect the results of the survey and bring them to the Steering Committee. Here’s what the Tempe Prep student body had to say about the creation of their student government.

The first 10 questions were a series of

constitutional goals.1. Represent students’ feelings, opinions,

and ideas (94%).2. Give students a voice in decision-mak-

ing (94%).3. Encourage students to participate in

school activities (75%).4. Emphasize citizenship and democracy

(84%).5. Help students understand their role in

student government (85%).6. Develop a sense of behavioral responsi-

bility in the individual (79%).7. Aim to understand the concerns of the

teachers (82%).8. Aim to understand the concerns of the

students (96%).9. Maintain a positive relationship be-

tween faculty and students (91%).10. Be involved in social problem-solving

within the school (75%).For complete survey results, go to www.

deequitibus.com

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Participants describe All-State as ‘amazing!’By Cole Klassen

Choir. This word invokes much at TPA, mostly about Cantamus and Disney-land. However there is another choir event that TPA students participated in, known as All State. I had the oppor-tunity to talk with two of the students who participated — Chris Moffitt and Nasrynn Chowdhury.

De Equitibus: What is All State?Chris: The All State Choir Festival is

an amazing event that gathers the 200 top high school singers in the entire state into one setting for a weekend of learning, growing, making talented new friends, and making absolutely incred-ible music. To get in, high school choir members must first make it into their respective Regional choir which encom-passes all of the high schools in their region.

DE: What was the experience like?Nasrynn: Always an amazing experi-

ence, as I’ve gone twice before. I love the people, we talk about music or like any-thing. It’s really nice to be surrounded by people who really love music. Everyone really enjoys what they are doing.

DE: What advice would you have for anyone looking to get into All State?

Chris: You have to be part of your school choir so if you’re not already part of it, join next year. And then practice, practice, practice. I think the most difficult part of the audition is the sight reading portion, but it is definitely something you can practice and prepare yourself for. That is the section which distinguishes the singer from the musi-cian. But also, regardless of how far you get in the process, any participation is a worthwhile experience.

Nasyrn: Start early, like a couple of months. It hard to get in, especially in freshman year, but still as a junior. I worked really hard on sight singing which is one of two parts of the audition, the other is a solo. Also start on the solo early on in order to gain confidence. All the practice is to gain confidence. You never really know how an audition will go, so confidence is important.”

Disneyland workshop gives Cantamus members taste of professional creatingBy Chris Moffitt

It claims to be “The Happiest Place on Earth,” and for TPA’s Cantamus members, it certainly proved to be so.

On the weekend of April 24-25, Canta-mus took their annual trip to Disneyland. That 32-hour experience, from 10:30 p.m. on Friday night until 6:30 a.m. Sunday morning, is looked forward to by everyone in the choir. And when it finally came, everyone was beyond ready for it. When they arrived in the park after an all-nighter bus ride, the Cantamus members raced into the park to begin a 15-hour adventure.

This day obviously included spending time racing from one ride to the next and taking in the magic of Disney alongside one’s closest friends. And of course, this is a part of the trip that absolutely every-one enjoys. Participant Carter Marshall recounts that, “I hadn’t been to Disneyland in a long time and so it was tons of fun go-ing on all those rides again! But it was even more fun because I went on them with my closest friends.” Mary Goodykoontz remembers that “everyone was laughing, and it was super, super fun.”

These amazing memories that were made with friends will certainly last a lifetime. One particularly favorite memory of Taylor Shroll was on the ride Grizzly Bear Rapids “when Christian Gaylor tried to tame the river gods and calm the rapids by hilariously crying out the lyrics to the song Baal We Cry to Thee! and everyone was getting super soaked!”

Along with the fun times spent in the

park, however, the Cantamus Disney trip also included time spent “backstage” in a recording studio workshop learning how the magic of Disney is actually created! The Cantamus members participated in a studio workshop where they worked with a respected music clinician to rapidly learn songs from Disney movies and then record them. Then, after recording the song, they got to watch that scene from the movie while hearing their own voices!

Connor Will describes this workshop as “an amazing experience because the direc-tor really taught us how to be professional and we got a lot of insight into the whole world of singing and the performing arts from a very professional standpoint.”

In the end, the trip was a rewarding experience for all. Marisa Putrasahan comments that “it was a really good break to have after all the hard work we put into Cantamus and it was also a time where we could use the skills that Dr. Wolfe taught us as an ensemble.”

Dr. Wolfe, the director of Cantamus, also finds the Disney trip extremely valuable. He comments that, “the Disney trip affords the students an opportunity to do some-thing that I can’t provide for them here. I can provide some great performing experi-ences here, but we don’t have a recording studio and, of course, Disney has a state of the art recording studio! And they have their wonderful professional directors with all kinds of professional experience. So it’s an absolutely wonderful experience!”

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Robotics team nets win and lots more at Nationals in St. LouisBy Billie Nagy

Traveling to the St. Louis FIRST Robotics World Championship Competition was a fun, yet busy time. Because of the early competition schedules, the team had to wake up at the crack of dawn, grab a quick brown bag breakfast that was prepared by the hotel, and rush out to catch the metro that was about a half mile away, quickly eating in an effort to beat the crowds to the stadium and prepare the game plan for that day.

The first morning of the competition was by far the most crowded I had seen. Essen-tially, the entire downtown area appeared flooded by the plethora of brilliant minds, buses and trailers, food and water packs/containers, and heavy-duty instrument and spare parts for the robots. As some of us took the later tram to the arena, we were forced to wait outside in the slightly chilly weather, practically shoulder to shoulder with those of the other teams who kept the excitement alive by having mini disco par-ties and pumping Everybody Dance Now by C&C Music Factory.

Overall, what first appeared like a long wait to enter the building quickly faded into an exuberant and exciting journey, talking with other teams, listening to the cheering masses, and finally entering the enormous dome filled with some 40,000 kids, mentors, parents, and robots flying every which way. Oh, and it didn’t stop there. This only marked the start of the feverish five-day event.

After watching many thrilling matches, I found myself wandering all around the arena, exploring every crevice of the multi-leveled enormous dome, everywhere from the main FRC pit area (where all of the non-competing robots were being fixed and reworked), to the multi-cultural

LEGO League (K-8 robotics groups from around the world), and eventually out and about in the downtown area.

I will say, however, finding and getting food to everyone was a slight challenge. Really, the main reason for walking ex-tensively through the beautiful downtown area was to find food for the hungry TPA kids who were each extremely busy with their own tasks - especially since three days of pizza delivery wouldn’t suffice. Early on we found (along with every other robotics team) a rather nice supermarket not too far away, so we were able to get a few sandwich lunch runs in and any other supplies needed.

Back in the arena, we had a few hours to kill before the next TPA match oc-curred, so we ventured through the pit area again and eventually came across a quite impressively enhanced vehicle — the NASA Mobile Tech Lab — from Kennedy Space Center. We were invited inside and graciously given a complete tour of the in-tricate space, learning that NASA actually live streams the whole competition, and

was able to broadcast the event to their website all around the world.

Speaking of NASA, another unique fea-ture of attending the competition was the chance to attend the Renaissance Grand Hotel’s “Innovation Faire” located just across from the arena, in which recruit-ers from large companies and colleges/universities searched for the best and the brightest students, while displaying their newest and greatest innovations in technology. The draw was major entities like Nvidia, Raytheon, NASA, Navy, Air Force, Lockheed Martin, Qualcomm, MIT, Yale, Boston University and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

Also present were companies like Disney, who were promoting a challenge for FRC competitors to create the next innova-tive idea for changing the world, where the winner will be given the grand prize of a personal 3-D printer. Other than the robotics competition, the Innovation Faire was a special highlight of the trip.

On Monday morning, as the TPA All Knights First Robotics team were back at school, my family stayed one more day in St. Louis as all the flights were full coming back home. On this last day, we decided to visit the campus of Washington University, and walked all throughout its beautiful, lush, tree-lined grounds and old stone buildings. But, alas, there were no formal tours available in early brisk morning. Nonetheless, it was still a sublime experi-ence to be able to visit this prestigious university.

Having the opportunity to be able to travel to St. Louis for the FRC Robotics Competition truly was one of the greatest and most memorable experiences I had this year.

By Rachel NegliaWhen I was a freshman, there was a Ger-

man Club. I could walk into Room 202 on a Friday morning and expect both German music and Settlers of Catan (in German, of course!) to be played simultaneously. Sadly, the German Club disintegrated over the course of that year, and neither I nor my German classmates had an extracurricular outlet to practice German.

This semester, however, the situation is different. In February, Elinor Sauer, a Ger-man III student, reestablished the German club as a completely student-run activity. “German is one of my favorite classes, so it didn’t make sense that there was no Ger-man Club. I proposed the idea to my Ger-man class and everyone gave really positive feedback, so I formed it,” Elinor explains. The club has blossomed with approxi-mately 20 active members representing all

of the various language classes.Because it is still in its formative stages,

the club has not planned very many activi-ties. Even so, members planned to meet on Saturday for a traditional German brunch to commemorate the year. “Because it’s so late in the year, this is really just a test-run,” Elinor says. “Next year we will be opening the doors for the entire high school.” She sees the club expanding in the future with more events to enrich mem-bers’ knowledge of German language and culture, and hopes to even “organize an educational field trip.”

Herr Gray, the de facto administrator of the German Club, commented that he believes the newly formed club to have more potential than the last. “The last club struggled because it was held before school and everyone who would otherwise have been interested was too busy with sports,”

he says. “The current club is promising because it is held at lunch and is student-run.”

He suggests, however, that the club be more active in fostering more of an inter-est for German at TPA, and also provide enriching opportunities for students already in German. “There are a lot of club members who do not take German, who are, understandably, in German club for the fun of it,” he points out. “The club leadership could certainly devise some fun activities to teach the newbies some of the basics -nothing complicated, just enough to keep them enthused.”

Although there are few meetings left this year for the German Club, it will certainly be back next year, so please show your interest then. Auf Wiedersehen!

After hiatus, German Club is back as student-run activity

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By Francesca De LucaThis Summer Tempe Prep is offering a

variety of classes for different subjects and interests. All classes run June 9-27 un-less otherwise indicated. Cost is $125 for two-hour classes and $250 for four-hour classes.

For 7th and 8th graders who need help with Pre-Algebra there is a class for you. It is 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

If you would like to get a head start on preparing for 9th or 10th grade there is an Algebra I class from 8:30 to 12:40 Monday through Thursday.

For current 6th and 7th graders that would like to strengthen their understand-ing of math concepts there is a class from 10:30 to12:40 Monday through Friday.

For Latin I and II students who need to review grammar the class is from 8:30 to 12:40 Monday through Friday.

For those interested in learning Manda-rin Chinese, now is a perfect opportunity with the class from 8:30 to 10:25 or from 10:30 to 12:30 Monday through Friday.

For students interested in German there will be a conversational German class from 8:30 to 10:25 or from 10:30 to 12:30 Mon-day through Frida.

For current 10th graders who want to prepare for the PSAT, and interested 9th graders with one year of Algebra and Ge-ometry, there is a class from 10:30 to 12:30 Monday through Thursday and on Friday from 10:30 to 1:30.

For students who are interested in Greek Mythology, there is a class that goes from Athena to Zeus from 8:30 to 10:25 Monday through Friday.

For those who need additional help with writing essays, grammar, along with class participation skills, there is a class for 5th through 8th graders is from 8:30 to 10:25, or from 10:30 to 12:30 for 8th through 11th graders, Monday through Friday.

For students in 8th to 12th grade who are interested in writing for fun in different styles and genres, this is a perfect oppor-tunity taught by a multi-award winning writer of short stories, plays and screen-plays from 10:30 to 12:30 Monday through

Friday.For incoming seniors who need help

to prepare for the components of college applications, there is a College Application Workshop that runs July 22-25 from 10- 2 for $100.

There also are biology labs from 8:30 to 10:25 Monday through Friday for $150, and Java Programming, as well as Web Design, same times, for $125. Chamber Music June 23-27 from 10:30 to 12:30 Monday through Friday for $125.

For several of the classes, such as Creative Writing, Java Programming, and Web Design, the teachers are familiar to the TPA community. Mr. Granville, who is a multi-award winning writer of short stories, plays and screenplays, is teaching Creative Writing. Gennaro De Luca who is an alumnus of TPA and currently major-ing in Computer Science, is teaching Java Programming and Web Design.

Enrollment is due by May 31 to ensure a spot in the class.

Wide range of classes will be offered at TPA this summer

Publishing De Equitibus is fascinating job for student staffBy Rachel Neglia

Among the multitude of expectations for TPA students, participating in extra-curricular activities is one of the most prescient. Our community has a variety of clubs that students are encouraged to join – from the Speech and Debate team to the football team. At TPA, there is an activity for everyone.

One particular club that is rarely publi-cized (because the publicity of other clubs is its chief function) is the school newspa-per, De Equitibus. Apart from a text box on the inside cover of the publication itself and mysterious doughnuts that appear ev-ery Friday morning on campus, few know about the process of creating the paper.

The production of De Equitibus begins with brainstorming in weekly meetings. Staff writers and editors contribute story ideas, and writers choose their story top-ics. Mr. Schuster, our advisor, will suggest ways to improve articles. The deadline and distribution dates are set.

After morning meetings, writers prepare to write. Chris Moffitt, the De Equitibus features editor, explains that “A lot goes into writing a story for De Equitibus. Be-sides simply writing the story, you have to search hard for a story, set up interviews, and coordinate pictures. Then, when you write the story, you have to try hard to make it interest and captivate the reader.” Preparing to write an article often takes longer than the writing, and the whole process takes about a week.

Staff writers then submit their pieces to Mr. Schuster once they have finished. At this point, the articles are uploaded onto a file-sharing site where the editors can access them and correct mistakes before publication. All editing occurs the week-end before the newspaper is distributed.

Once editing is finished, Mr. Schuster formats the articles and sends them to be printed. “Tempe Prep uses the Kyrene Print Shop, part of the Kyrene School District, for most of our printing needs,” explains Mr. Schuster. “They have excel-lent equipment and a staff of experienced experts who are great to work with. I send the pages via email to the print shop and they print it on Monday. They usually let the ink dry overnight and then they collate and staple the pages on Tuesday. All of that is handled by machines. The paper is ready

for pickup late Tuesday or Wednesday.”Mr. Schuster spends hours organizing

the printed pages, then distributes them to every class on the following day. “When I walk into the classes I enjoy hearing the buzz among the students when they see the paper,” Mr. Schuster says, “It tells me they look forward to reading it, which says our student journalists are doing their job of producing an excellent student newspa-per!”

Distribution day is the most rewarding time for De Equitibus members. Writers see their peers reading their own pieces. Claire Newfeld, an editor for De Equitibus, explains that, “As a writer, I get to inspire students and faculty to get more involved in all the interesting activities at Tempe Prep. I also enjoy being able to provide in-formation to members of the community and keep them as up-to-date as possible.”

Recently, De Equitibus has branched out to include an online version — www.deequitibus.com. The website is updated after every print edition is distributed. Next year, the newspaper will include news that is not published in the print edition — meaning that the website will become a regular hub for TPA sports, extracurricu-lar, academic, and other breaking news.

Last Friday was De Equitibus’ last meet-ing day for the year. However, if you are interested in participating next year, email bschuster@tempeprep.org, or come to a meeting in the Fall.

The experienced crew at Kyrene Print Shop makes sure De Equitibus looks its best

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By Chris Moffitt Once again, Tempe Prep’s new sports

teams are showing that they are a competi-tive force and can play with the big boys! The season of TPA’s Varsity Golf has ended but not without see-ing great improvement, camara-derie, and success.

Summarizing their overall season, Senior Christian David says, “It was one of tremendous growth for everyone on the team. As a team and as individu-als, we all realized how well we can play. We won many matches, we were close to qualifying as a team for state, and we all had personal best scores.”

The spirit of TPA must have been helping our team achieve this success! In one seemingly supernatural occurrence, Junior Carter Marshall comments that,

“once I hit a bad drive and it ended up hitting a trash can and going 300 yards straight down the fairway!”

Besides these amazing successes, Da-vid’s favorite memories of this season, his last before graduating high school, were “witnessing the improvement of each individual on our team.” In particular, he mentions Jacob Massie, Carter Mar-shall and Hayden Powers whom “all had great matches where they shot awesome scores. Each of them have only been playing for a couple years yet they beat experienced players, myself included, multiple times.” Clearly, this team is on the track to achieving great things.

However, the season did not just con-sist of skill improvement. Strong friend-ships were also created and strengthened amongst the players. Sophomore Jacob Massie comments that “Our team bonded really well due to the increased number of matches where we were able to spend time together.” He added, “What I like most about golf is that it’s relaxing and you can really enjoy it with a good group of friends.”

These bonds and successes are elements that the TPA golf team can only build off of to grow more and more each year. Con-templating future seasons, Christian David says, “The key for the future is consistency, as it always is in golf. I’m sad to be leaving the team, but Coach Thurston has done such a great job to build the team and whoever coaches next year will have great talent to work with. I anticipate great suc-cess in future years.”

Track and field athletes make strong showing at StateBy Emma Moriarty

Just like Connor Woltz running and jumping over hurdles, this track season has gone by amazingly fast and finished in a good place. During the first full week of May, the majority of TPA’s track team spent a good 8 hours a day on Friday, Saturday, and for some, Thursday, at Mesa Community College, all competing in the various track and field events they quali-fied for in the state meet.

Rachel Matsumoto put in her best effort at the 400 meter, being close to second and first for one lap, third for another, and finishing in fourth overall. All of Tempe Prep’s athletes put in their best effort and

scored amazingly.Speaking of Connor

Woltz, he made it to finals for Tempe Prep’s division on Friday in the 110-meter hurdles, plac-ing 9th overall and also in the 300 meter hurdles, getting 7th overall. Cath-erine Bryant finished with an impressive 2nd place in the finals for 100-meter hurdles.

TPA’s relay teams also did very well. The girls’ 4 by 400 meter team, consisting of freshmen Kierstin Thigpen and Rachel Dietz, Sophomore Mary O’Melia, and Senior Rachel Matsumoto, finished in 8th place for the finals. For the boys’ 4 by 400, the combination of sophomores, juniors and seniors Herman Flores, Jacob Matsumoto, Isaiah Brittain, and Zach Brit-tain, placed 5th in finals.

The 4 by 100 Tempe Prep boys’ team with freshman Ahmad Jones, Isaiah, Herman, and Zach placed 6th. The girl’s team placed 5th with a team of Rachel Matsumoto, Mary O’Melia, Catherine Bryant, and Catherine Coriell. Rachel Matsumoto also later won an impressive 6th place in the second session of the 800 meter run, and freshman Kat Camberg ran in the 3200 meter, finishing 23rd but never giving up and finishing strong every single lap.

Moving onto the “Field” portion of Track and Field, for boys’ discus throwing, Isaiah Brittain got 3rd place in finals and senior Cameron Bergin got 13th, and for

girl’s, Catherine Swingle placed 9th. Claire Ternyik got 8th in shot put for both finals and flight 2, and for the boys’ event, Isaiah Brittain placed 3rd in finals and Cameron Bergin in 10th.

Catherine Bryant and Rebecca Knebels-berger did very well in triple jump as well, placing 2nd and 11th overall. For the boys’ portion, John Paul Beguhl placed 6th in finals and Jacob Matsumoto in 11th.

For the girls’ pole vaulting finals, Cathe-rine Camberg set several school records as the first pole-vaulter in the whole history of Tempe Prep, placing 8th overall against several extremely competitive schools that have been competing in the event for sev-eral years. For finals in long jump, Cath-erine Bryant finished with an astounding 3rd place.

The teams’ hard work and dedication have especially paid off this season and we hope to see such a successful time next spring as well!

Tempe Prep varsity golf season builds skills and friendships

Jacob Massie works on his putting before a recent game.

After taking the baton from Kat Camberg, Rachel Matsumoto takes off in the anchor leg of the 4 by 800 meter relay at Region-als on April 29.

Tempe Prep’s Connor Woltz is one of the top Division IV hurdlers in the state.

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By Cole KlassenAh, it seems we find ourselves at the end

of the school year once again. It is a time of changes, cramming, and increased stress. Yet, somehow, these athletes manage to perform to a great degree.

Boys BasketballBasketball has wound its way to this

point. Coach Phelan had this to say about the season. “We finished the season 7-5 and improved individually and as a team. We overcame the challenge of few practic-es during the last month because the boys listened well during games and weren’t afraid to try to adjust during games.”

Sounds like the boys did an upstanding job. I asked the coach how the program expressed the ideals of truth, beauty and goodness, and he said: “On the level of truth, we had a good season for learning

two truths at least — team is greater than a sum of parts, and leadership must be con-stant, not based on feelings. Our captains, Preston McCollough and Jonathan Phelan were outstanding leaders, particularly in the last month, and all of our 8th-graders led very well by the end of the season. We will miss our 8th grade boys next season and wish them well in high school, and look forward to returning to the court with our returning 7th and 6th grade boys.”

Girls BasketballGirls’ basketball has come to a close, and

Coach Brittain had this to say about the season: “Our season was one I am very proud of. We did not have a great record (2-8), but I feel that each of my players improved both as basketball players and as teammates. We had to play in games against tough opponents, several of whom

were much older than my prominently sixth grade team. Furthermore, through-out the season there were many games played in which girls were out due to academic probation, injury, and prior academic commitments.”

She said of the practice sessions “During practice there was always great enthu-siasm and camaraderie. We would sing together, laugh, and work hard and even during conditioning, at Rochelle’s lead, we would shout excitedly, push ourselves, and struggle together.

“Our last three games of the season were played without two of our best players, in-cluding our point guard, because they had both acquired concussions. On top of that, our best defender missed multiple games because of the TPA drama performance.”

Junior high boys’ and girls’ basketball seasons come to a close

By Emma MoriartyPerfectly exemplifying Tempe Prep’s core ideas of beauty, truth,

and goodness, the softball season — highlighted by an amazing 25-2 win over Gilbert Classical Academy on April 24, has ended.

This is not the only victory that stands out this season. Sopho-more Sarah Simminger recalls one of the most intense games: “We played Phoenix Christian on a Friday in March after losing three games earlier that week. We really came together and won 10-9. Iit was an awesome victory and I will remember it forever.”

When looking back on what aided in the team winning this fierce game, Sarah explains, “Celeste Muniz’s pitching was on fire and Abbie Alford caught the winning out in left field with her bare hand! It was amazing!”

Throughout the entire season, the whole softball team has persevered and put in their best effort at every single game. There have been various comments made by coaches, parents, and stu-dents all praising TPA’s softball team for continuing to constantly do their best in practices and competitions alike. As Sarah points out, the reason the team won the close match against Phoenix Christian was because they are able to come together and, united, reach a goal.

Sarah adds, “Even though we did not have the best season record, we really improved as a team. I personally improved on my batting and catching grounders and throwing them to help the team move forward in position. We all improved our overall skills by working together as a team, we never discouraged each other and always pushed each other positively to get better at what we do and always supported each other.”

By Denzel RustempasicThere is only one skill that unifies the great athletes of history,

that skill is mental toughness. When you think about the legends of every sport, their bodies or abilities are never the constant, their attitude is. Anyone who watched this year’s men’s varsity baseball team grow had a unique opportunity to watch that killer mentality take shape. The season started poorly. A team that would end the season with

a 19-10 record was only 6-6 and fingers were being pointed. The team wasn’t taking things seriously and Head Coach Kandler was fed up. For the team to develop the mental toughness they needed, they would first have to endure the consequences of lacking it completely. With full understanding of his team and their abilities, Coach Kandler sat his team down, ripped them apart, and lit a fire under them that would last the rest of the season.

What Coach K explained was the concept of mental toughness. He told them that talent and ability didn’t mean a thing without the right mindset, and they were lacking that mindset entire-ly. Coach K had this to say about that pivotal moment in the team’s season: “Mental toughness

comes from within. There’s no drill you can run to get it. It has to come from inside you.” Once this seed was planted in the minds of the team, they responded with a 6-game winning streak and ended the year with a 19-10 record.As sophomore Joe Swingle stated, “A workout can make your

muscles a little stronger, a sprint can make you run a little faster, but an idea will change how you approach the game completely.” The team made it to the second round of the playoffs before even-

tually losing to the elite and highly regarded Joy Christian. Making it that far was something the team couldn’t have dreamed of before the pivotal speech they got from Head Coach K. This team accom-plished something rare and vital: they rebuilt their minds.

Big victory was softball season highlightCeleste Muniz’s pitching improved throughout the season.

Building mental toughness was key to reversing baseball team’s slide

Turning around a mediocre season started with planting an idea.

8

Students, teachers recall favorite memories of school yearBy Nina & Waley LinKelsi DeWaard, 6A: My favorite memory is meeting everybody and making friends and laughing in class.Gloria Grama, 6B: One of my favorite memories at TPA includes the day a girl in my class started a book club. Because of it, we found out that we had a lot of things in common, therefore we became best friends and I will still remember her when I’m 80 and training whales how to dance. Waley Lin, 6B: A shout-out to the people in my class who might leave: You guys are the best friends I can ever wish for. I also loved when my team, the watermel-ons, won athletic field. And then another memory is spending time with my track team. Thank you Mr. Wilkison for teach-ing us, and I made so many memories with my track members.Finn Ramos, 6C: So far my favorite memory this year is Academic Field Day. I had so much fun. Caroline Waddell, 6C: My favorite memory this year is Athletic Field Day. Also meeting my best friends, and making new friends.Emily Gregg, 8A: My favorite memory of this year is when I was interviewed for the newspaper for this exact question. I feel so famous!Olivia Lewis, 8A: When the teachers did the ice bucket challenge. It was so funny!Steven Veentra, 8C: I enjoyed the awesome cross-country season that we had in junior high!Sofia Hidalgo, 8B: My favorite experience is running cross country this year because it was my final year in the sport for junior high. I have run it all three years and it was cool to run with old friends and meet new friends.Mitchell Rines, 8C: When Steven Veentra made the worst crane imaginable, and then when Mr. Granville held it up and said, ”I don’t even know what this is.”Gyllian Gaylor, 9C: My favorite memory from this year was performing in the musical “Carousel,” and adopting Nina as my child.Joe Swingle, 10B; Jose Valenzuela, 10A; Matthew Burgin, 10A: We were studying diligently in German, as usual. And sud-denly the whole class broke into song. We, of course, tried to keep it under control, but the rampant, incessant chaos could not be contained, despite our best efforts. Herr Gray, using his melodic finesse, managed, by the grace of Odin, to somehow morph these chaotic revelers into productive and studious beings. Herr Gray quickly rewarded our efforts to maintain control by granting us each one sugar plum and a cube of sugar. Avery Strachan, 10B: My favorite memory this year was my last day of school. Al-though it hasn’t arrived yet, I yearn for the

day and can already taste the glory.Christie Van Dusen, 11A: One of my favorite memories of this school year was playing at state for volleyball. Another good memory was when school was can-celed on account of rain. I also really liked Spirit Week this year because of the “free” week. Jacob Brown, 11A: When Connor Woltz proposed to me this winter! I’m so excited for the marriage! Won’t get cold feet! The wedding is on the railroad.Isaiah Brittain, 11A: Getting to know and love Mr. Sanderson, and when I napped with the hobos on the railroad with my boys.Gabriel LeBeau, 11A: When I lived with Nick on the railroad tracks with the home-less. We later got engaged.Connor Woltz, 11C: When I proposed to the love of my life! The wedding is this summer at the tracks with my boys!Ariana Cardoso, 11A: My favorite memory is getting my marriage license to officiate Jacob’s, Connor’s, Nick’s, and Gabe’s double wedding this summer at the railroad tracks. I am really looking forward to the ceremony. Abbie Alford, 11B: My favorite memory is when I scored a goal in the last game of the season. Erin Guiney, 11B: The best memory I have was jamming out Tequila in the girls’ dressing room during Carousel. Also that one day it rained so much the school flooded and school was cancelled. Nick Bellavia, 11B: When I ran away from home and lived with the homeless people on the railroad. Maddy Butler, 11C: When there was no school and when we went to Disneyland.

Enrique Favaro, 11C: My favorite memory as not going to school on that rainy day where the streets, roads, and school were flooded. Quinn Collins, 11B: My favorite memory was becoming the president of National Honor Society. Max Steadman, 12A: My favorite memory was Mr. Sanderson’s speech at the end of the year telling us how much he appreci-ated our class. Denzel Abdulai, 12C: When me and the seniors went to D.C., it was an awe-

some time. I spent a lot of time growing closer with my friends and I found that some people are actually really cool. I was inspired by all the monuments, especially the Martin Luther King Jr. Monu-ment. Zach Brittain, 12A: Beating Northwest Christian, 19-18. At the end of the first half I had a blocked field goal and returned it for a touchdown — 76 yards. TeachersDr. Baum: My favorite memory is the championship game for football with Yuma. And then my second favorite mem-ory is when Waley Lin wore the M&M box on his head as a hat.Mr. Atkinson: My favorite memory is coaching football in a state championship game. Señor Cardoso: My favorite memory is Dr. Baum proposing the new academic changes, which include lesson plan, new classes, curriculum map, etc. Dr. Wolfe: My favorite memory is when the Cantamus performed “Brahms.” Mr. Sanderson: Seeing Carousel coming together after almost three months of hard work when I finally knew that we had a show, and the pride and relief that came with that.Ms. White: We were looking at the Ameri-can Realism Art movement and one of the paintings was of school children playing snap-the-whip (old schoolyard game). One day we went out and played it with 9A and 9C on the fields.Dr. Evans: Finishing the 23rd and last senior thesis defense.Mr. Carlin: Having my humane letter class obsessed with my favorite moment. The class impressed me and the observers.Mr. Kelly: Arm wrestling with Bueno after school and humbling him.Bueno’s comment: I want a rematch.