Real skeleton lurks school halls: meet Sister CarlaEstimated to be over 100 years old, the bones of classroom skele-ton Sister Carla have been in Room 111 for as long as anyone can remember.

Olivia DiCicco ’20, Alivia Orvieto ’20Assistant Editor, Editor-in-Chief

>>> continued on pg. 6

DECEMBER 2019 • VOLUME 3 • ISSUE 02 • MALVERN, PA 19355

TEACHERS BEFORE TEACHING Find out what some of your teachers

did in their early careers.

>>> page 4

HAPPY HOLIDAYS VS. MERRY CHRISTMASWhat do you say?

>>> page 2

MAINLINE BABIESVilla mom. Malvern dad. Mainline babies.

>>> page 6

CHEERING US ONStudent Integrity initiative promotes school spirit and support.

>>> page 8

#EICsSwapOutWhat happens on the other side? Your editors-in-chief were determined to �nd out what really goes

on at Devon Prep. See what they learned on page 3.

Julie Ertz honored as Remarkable Woman of the YearThe award commended Ertz for her work with the Ertz Family Foundation, as well as her ath-letic achievements.

Hannah Rosenberger ‘20Editor-in-Chief

The co-founder of the foundation and star center mid�eld of the United States Wom-en’s Soccer Team received the award at a lun-cheon hosted by radio station WOGL 98.1 on December 10.

The annual recipient of the designation is selected from a group of about 100 women in-terviewed on the "Remarkable Women" radio show, hosted by Marilyn Russell, throughout 2019.

"It's so important to showcase and high-light Remarkable Women, especially women who use their platform to give back to the world,” Russell said.

Ertz’s excellence both on the �eld and with the Ertz Family Foundation made her a prime candidate for the award. The foundation supports sports programs, education, and de-serving families in the Philadelphia area.

"As a World-Cup Champion, Julie's posi-tive energy shines on the �eld,” Russell said of Ertz. “But she knew...that giving back to the community is the most important thing she could contribute o� the �eld.”

According to their website, Ertz and her husband, Philadelphia Eagles tight end Zach Ertz, always knew that they wanted to �nd a

way to use their platform and their faith to cre-ate positive change.

“We really wanted to give back, especially because we’ve had so many people who have been good to us,” she explained on the website.

To help fund that mission, WOGL 98.1 also included a donation of nearly $3,000, the proceeds from the luncheon’s silent auction, to the Ertz Family Foundation.

The couple uses donations like this one to work with aspiring students and athletes in the Philadelphia area. They serve as an inspi-ration to young people worldwide, including the three Villa Maria students who were able to attend the December 10 luncheon.

Senior Alivia Orvieto, as an athlete her-self, found the experience of hearing Ertz speak both encouraging and rewarding

“She is such a role model to me both on and o� the �eld,” Orvieto, who was grateful for the opportunity to attend the event, stated.

>>> continued on pg 8.

Hi! I am Sister Carla!

Soccer Star • Alivia Orvieto, Hannah Rosenberger, and Ra-quel Lacusky enjoy the opportunity to hear from Remark-

able Woman of the Year Julie Ertz. // Mrs. Laurie Scaggs

Outnumbered • Alivia Orvieto, Noah Wolter, Raquel Lacusky, Pat McCann, and Hannah Rosenberger at Devon Prep. // Mrs. Gabriela Dokas

New Merch • Jack Samms, Kevin Walton, and Sean O'Reilly at Villa Maria (sporting Villa Voice gear, of course.) // Mrs. Laurie Scaggs

OPINION2 December 2019 The Villa Voice

Ugly sweaters and holiday fashionThe holiday season presents an opportunity for anyone and everyone to showcase their unique styles and discover new trends. Kaira Mack ‘20Reporter

During the holiday season, there are styles that have become an essential part of the festive celebration. While these traditions are everlasting, fashion is always changing.

“Even if you're not a Christian, even if you're not a Cath-olic, even if you don’t celebrate Christmas, there are so many cultural components that have come to in�uence and bring peo-ple together all over the world,” Christmas enthusiast Katherine Brown '20 said.

During the holiday season, fashion is one of the many ways that these traditions have come to connect people from various backgrounds. An element of the holiday season that has gained a universal association with Christmas is ugly sweaters.

“An ugly sweater, if it’s truly an ugly sweater, is authentic. It’s really trying its best, but it’s also not. There are a lot of brands now with the sole purpose of creating ugly sweaters, and it's just not the same,” Brown said. “I think if you can picture your grandma wearing a sweater or someone else’s grandma wearing

it, then it’s an ugly Christmas sweater.”However, there has been a noticeable change in the holiday

season style. “I would say the biggest shi� is from more formal wear to

casual nowadays. People are not as into wearing a long dress or skirt, and opt for a more casual jean skirt and dress it up with accessories,” senior fashionista Julia Ungvary said.

“Velvet has been really in recently, like crushed-velvet dress-es and things like that. I think velvet is very much a wintery vin-tage fabric. Vintage is really in right now and I think velvet has a very 50’s aroma that reminds me of the Frank Sinatra era. The ’50s exude to be a very homey, winter vibe,” Brown said.

While trends are ever-changing, there are some essential pieces that everyone should invest in. The implementation of any of the Christmas associated colors of red and green can be considered festive depending on how you choose to use them.

“I love red statement pieces. I think they embody the loving atmosphere that surrounds the holiday season. Even if you have a basic out�t, pairing [it] with a red ribbon in your hair makes it

very festive,” said Brown.

W h e n looking for the perfect out�t to wear on Christmas Day, there are a few things you should keep in mind before hopping on the latest trend.

“Don't try to make every piece a statement piece. A lot of people will try to mix very loud pieces and it comes together jumbled. Pick [one] statement piece,” said Brown.

While everyone wants to look their absolute best for the im-portant holiday, they sometimes forget to consider what makes them feel the most comfortable. When deciding your out�t, keep in mind factors like the weather for the day because there’s no correct way to be passionate about something you love.

Happy Holidays!Halls are decked, bells are jingled, and reindeer are fed. It’s the most wonderful time of the year, but for those that don’t celebrate Christmas, sometimes it doesn’t feel that way.

During December, when just about everywhere is overrun with Santa Claus, Christmas trees, and candy canes, a “Merry Christmas!” may seem like just another invention to make people whose winter holiday is Ramadan or Chanukah feel excluded. Holiday-themed activities in schools typically include most religious and secular traditions during this time of year, but it o�en looks like a Christmas celebration with a few other holidays thrown in as an a�erthought. Hearing a chorus of “Merry Christmas!” when you’re out, while the cheerfulness and holiday spirit is still there, doesn’t hit the same way when you aren’t celebrating.

In contrast, the phrase “Happy Holidays” neither fosters exclusion nor sacri�ces the desires of millions worldwide to wish others well this holiday season.

It most certainly gets across a message of cheerfulness and merriment, as any holiday greet-ing should. It might brighten someone’s day with it’s colorful connotation or just remind them of the joy that this season should bring.

It also lets the recipients know that you hope they enjoy this special time of year, regardless of what that means for them. It’s broader language only referencing the word “holiday” encom-passes the celebrations of all faiths that take place in these winter months. Nearly everyone has something to celebrate, even those who don’t have a religious a�liation and are just reveling in the joy of the season. As a result, “Happy Holidays” fosters a sense of inclusivity by being con-scious and respectful of the beliefs of the whole population.

Beyond that, because it lacks speci�city, the all-encompassing nature of “Happy Holidays” creates a sense of unity among all people. Whatever someone’s “thing” of the season may be, it likely falls under the category of holiday. Using a phrase that emphasizes this aspect of the season, therefore, allows all people, regardless of culture, race, or religion, to celebrate this merry time of year as one.

No matter our backgrounds, it’s important that we are all open to spending it in goodwill with one another. A�er all, the whole point of the holiday season is to spend time with our family and friends, to make merry and spread joy, and to help those in need. What better way to get in the holiday spirit than by making sure those around you are enjoying the season too, rather than feeling excluded from the festivities?

And with that, Happy Holidays, everyone!

Merry Christmas!During the Christmas season, it seems like the entire country trans-forms into one big celebration.

People are wrapping presents, decorating trees, and baking Christmas cookies. They’re do-nating gi�s to toy drives and spending time with their family and friends. There truly is nothing like the festive spirit of the holiday.

For Christians, there is also, of course, the religious component of the holiday with the celebration of the birth of Jesus. Those who belong to a Christian denomination acknowledge and honor this important day in their faith by �ocking to Nativity scenes and Christmas Mass.

However, as cultures and societies have evolved, so has Christmas. Consequently, telling everyone you meet to have a “Merry Christmas” should by no means be considered a negative or discriminatory statement.

In the twenty-�rst century United States, most people celebrate Christmas in some form, whether that be religiously or not. Countless individuals enjoy Christmas as a time to be with their loved ones. Although the holiday has become overly commercialized, especially so in more recent years, for many, the ideals of giving are still at the heart of the season even when we’re bombarded by advertisements and coupons.

When you open up a greeting card from a far �ung family member that reads “Merry Christmas!” alongside the smiling faces of your cousins in Alaska, it’s not the exact phrase that matters; it’s the sense of community and love that goes along with it. It’s hard to not feel the Christmas spirit when you open a box wrapped in red and green, or when you cuddle up on the couch with your family to watch a beloved holiday movie because of this very phenomenon.

Of course, you should never make someone feel uncomfortable or excluded, especially at this time of year when the most important thing is to spread cheer.

It’s the intention behind the words, and the kindness alongside it, that matters when you wish your customer, your friend, or your teacher a 'Merry Christmas." Chances are, when you say those two words, you are intending to brighten someone's day with words of good cheer.

But saying those two words to someone is more than telling them to have a nice December 25th. It’s telling them that you hope they �nd happiness this holiday season. It’s telling them that you wish them the very best at this time of year. And most of all, it’s telling them that you hope they bask in the joy, the light, and the love of the season.

So Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

EDITORIAL

Ugly Sweaters • The members of the Counseling Depart-ment show o� their holiday spirit during a visit from Santa

Claus on December 13. // Mrs. Laurie Scaggs

I saw a candle on a table

with �owers, and I thought it would fall o�, so I pushed the candle under the �owers. About

10 minutes later, I came back and my godfather, who was carving the turkey,

bursts in with a �re extinguisher. Turns out, the �owers were fake

and the candle made them burn like a tongue of

�re.

My whole family came over for Christmas. They

brought their dog this year so I was running out to see it and it came sprinting at me. It knocked

me over on the driveway, and I got a con-cussion.

Someone at my Thanksgiving dinner asked me if I was romantically interested in any of

my cousins.

One year on Christmas,

I forgot to put milk out with cookies for Christmas

Santa. My parents tricked me with a fake stocking and put coal in it with a very strong note ex-

plaining why I got nothing because Santa didn’t

get milk.

My aunt brought her

new boyfriend to Thanks-giving and he wanted

to help cook some of the meal. However, while he was cooking, the oven caught on �re and the turkey

had to be rushed outside on the deck along with the

other food.

Every Christmas my

family sings “The 12 Days of Christmas,” and each year my

grandmother sings it wrong. We each sing a part (a day of Christmas) and

each year my grandmother gets “three French hens” but each year she sings

“three French toasts” instead and my family dies of laughter

every year.

Holiday mishaps!During the holidays, everyone has quite a lot going on. Sometimes that

can lead to family shenanigans...

My mom is an amazing

cook and always goes above and beyond for Thanksgiving. One

year, she took the turkey out of the oven and my pop-pop started carving, there was

all brown meat and all the parts of the turkey that most people just feed to their dogs. My mom was so confused and started panick-

ing because the turkey was “ruined.” It turned out that she had cooked the

turkey UPSIDE DOWN.

There was a major snow-

storm on Christmas Eve. My sister and our friend had

to take sleds and walk four blocks to my parents friend's house and act

like Santa bringing all of the gi�s that my mom had hidden for the

younger brothers and sisters back to our house.

Lia Ritchie '21

SWAP DAY 3The Villa Voice December 2019

MISSION STATEMENT

The Villa Voice is a student-run pub-lication created to inform the Villa Maria community with truthful and relevant information. We strive to give students a safe outlet for their opinions and accurately represent the student body of Villa Maria.

EDITORIAL POLICY

The unsigned editorial is to repre-sent the student voice of The Villa Voice. It is an opinion piece written by an appointed student or students, not an anonymous column.

SUBMISSIONS

Submissions from any students in the Villa Maria community are en-couraged, speci�cally letters to the editor and feedback. Submissions must include name and email ver-i�cation, and anonymous submis-sions will not be accepted. Not all submissions are published.

JOINING OUR STAFF

Students are welcome to join the sta� as contributors throughout the school year. Members are required to attend at least one monthly meet-ing. Please contact a sta� member listed below for more information.

EDITORS-IN-CHIEF

Raquel Lacusky '20Alivia Orvieto '20

Hannah Rosenberger '20

ASSISTANT EDITORS

Olivia DiCicco '20Anna Heppelmann '21

Madeline Ladd '21Carina Rose '21

Julie Satterthwaite '20Katie Scaggs '20

DECEMBER CONTRIBUTORS

Alexis Allen '23Vatsala Arora '20

Katherine Brown '20Rayne Bunado '20Emily Deacon '20Izzi DeSimone '20

Mary Cate Doughty '23Amelia Erb '22

Jordi de Jong '23Emma Herrick '23

Olivia Karkenny '20Kaira Mack '20

Molly McCreavy '20Briana McDonald '23

Ella Nugent '23Anna Nunag '20

Julianna Prendergast '20Hannah Stehura '20Carly Ukalovic '20

ADVISERMrs. Laurie Scaggs '91

COPY ADVISERMrs. Jessica Mullen

SPECIAL THANKS TO

Sister Kathleen Dunn, IHMMs. Marguerite EsmondeMs. Madeleine HarkinsMrs. Linda Henderson

Mr. Darren PolszSister Regina Ryan, IHMMiss Brittany Thompson

Behind enemy linesSean O'Reilly DP '20Editor-in-Chief, Devon Dialogue

Throughout American history, there have been a number of unforgettable war stories of sol-diers miraculously surviving behind enemy lines. Although I have never served in the army, I have my own tale of survival: the day Jack Samms, Kev-in Walton, and I were Villa Maria students for a day. Sure, those soldiers completed feats of mental and physical toughness, but have you ever felt the collective gaze of an entire all-girls high school on you for an entire day? Didn’t think so.

Our story begins with a drive down Lancaster Ave en route to Villa Maria. A�er several weeks of actively trolling The Villa Voice on social media, we were surprised to have received an invite from the very people we spent much of our time antago-nizing. A stench of fear �lled that 2015 champagne frost pearl Honda Accord; however, much like all those soldiers who came before us, we beat on.

When we �nally pulled into Villa, the odd looks began before the three of us even stepped foot outside of the car; girls looked at us with con-fused expressions as we slowly drove by. As Kev-in struggled to �nd parking, we encountered the �rst di�erence between our beloved Devon Prep and Villa Maria: the parking lot. At Devon, we are accustomed to a lot that emphasizes freedom of choice and equal opportunity; you see a spot, so you park there. However, Villa’s lot is much more organized in nature with its labeled spaces.

A�er we parked and walked into the cafete-ria, reality set in. We were alone. The boys were nowhere in sight to save us; instead, hundreds of Villa girls stared at us while we tried to make our way through the crowd. A�er managing to survive the commotion of the breakfast club, we went to homeroom with Mrs. Bowker where we received a rundown of the day that lay before us.

We learned that Villa runs on a two day block schedule, a foreign concept to those of us accustomed to the hustle of an eight period day. We thought that it was di�erent for fundamental classes, such as math and science to only meet on half of the days.

Suddenly, a startling noise commenced the end of homeroom; everyone claimed it was the bell, but Jack and I were unable to believe it. At Devon, a pleasant, satisfying tone begins and ends each class. However, at Villa, it was much more jarring.

We �nally got over the bells and our shock quickly turned to delight, as we were pleasantly surprised by the quality of chairs at Villa. Devon’s Class of 2020 knows all too well the status of desks in our distinguished school, so they would greatly appreciate Villa's comfortable and durable desks.

Our �rst class of the day was World Religions with Sister Regina, in which we had an interesting discussion about the Islamic faith. Our training in the History of the Church prepared us well, and Father Javier would have been proud of our contri-butions to the class discourse.

A�er �rst block, we headed to Ms. Harkins’s AP Psychology, by far the most interesting class of the day. We discussed memory tricks, learned about �ashbulb memories, watched a "60 Minutes" video about people with superior autobiograph-ical memories, and Kevin did the Walton family name proud as he dominated his way through the Thanksgiving themed memory game.

We then headed o� to lunch down in the im-pressive Senior Lounge where we taste tested every cookie Villa o�ered. A�er behaving for much of the morning, Kevin was quickly reprimanded for attempting to wear one of their Kairos bandanas that was hanging on the wall.

Then it was o� to Honors Genetics with Mrs. Keglovits where we knocked out a few Punnett

squares before we were o� to the �nal block of the day. By this time, the three of us had a good feel for life at Villa Maria, and we found the most contrasting di�erence between our two schools in note taking of all places. Notes are king at Devon; with most classes being lecture based, the constant talk is about who has the best notes. Although many students prefer to use their laptops in class, pen and paper still dominate the halls of Devon Prep. Interestingly, in contrast, every girl at Villa has an iPad on which they do most of their work.

We ended our day in AP American Gov-ernment with Mrs. Bowker where we attempted to earn the class extra credit by getting a perfect score on their quiz. A�er an intense twenty min-utes of �ghting over the correct answers in a dif-ferent room, we came up short by earning an eight out of ten. Our knowledge about retrospective and prospective voting only got us so far, as the Motor Voter Act of 1993 killed our chance. We then wit-nessed the most intense class debate of our lives, as girls fought tooth and nail for quiz credit as if their lives depended on it.

Our day at Villa came to an unfortunate end, and through our short stay as honorary Hurri-canes we gained a greater appreciation for the high caliber schools that we are fortunate to attend.

Into the wildAlthough we were not venturing into Amazon Rainforest or the African Sahara, three girls going to school for a day with well over 200 boys was a comparable experience.

Raquel Lacusky ‘20, Alivia Orvieto ‘20, Hannah Rosenberger ‘20Editors-In-Chief

There is only one way to prepare to embark on a journey of attending an all boys school for a day: a newspaper sleepover. To say we were excited to attend Devon Preparatory school the next morn-ing would be a terrible understatement. Think little kids on Christmas Eve, but instead of coping with the inability to sleep by reading “The Night Before Christmas,” we, your Editors-in-Chief, stayed up editing articles until 11:30pm.

Pulling in one a�er another (Raquel, un-able to understand Devon’s loop driveway system, driving towards opposing tra�c), we were lucky enough to �nd three empty parking spaces right next to each other. “How can this be?” we thought. We were hesitant; we didn’t want the humiliation of being called out over the PA system for parking in someone else’s spot. Turns out we worried for nothing. Unlike at Villa, students are free to park wherever they want when they arrive at school.

Walking through the doors, we were faced by the blank stares of a massive group of freshman boys. It didn’t take long for the boys to pull out their phones to �x their hair and send whispers to their fellow ninth graders.

Next came a friendly welcome from Mrs. Desch and Noah Wolter, who would be one of our hosts for the day. We received paper copies of our schedules for the day, for which we were very grateful because even a�er having it explained to us at least three times, we were still unsure how the Devon schedule works. Something about eight day cycles and...dropped periods? Don’t ask us. #blockforlife.

Our class schedule started o� with AP Litera-ture with Mr. Sheehan, where we were able to save a couple of guys from having to play the female roles in Shakespeare’s "Hamlet." Alivia’s performance as Queen Gertrude was absolutely stellar but sadly cut short by the sweetest sounding bell we have ever

heard. The bell to signal the change of class sound-ed more like a peaceful wind chime than a blaring buzzer. Not going to lie, we were kind of into it.

A�er second period Organic Chemistry with our other host, Pat McCann, we were then able to live vicariously through Noah and be a part of the student council. We attended a meeting which was held during their advising period, which was at 9:40am, instead of our usual 2:16pm.

Before our fourth period tour with Mrs. De-sch, we stopped at one of the only woman's bath-rooms, where we took �ve to dish on all of our thoughts on the day so far (most signi�cantly, how strange it was to have tiny people (i.e. the middle schoolers) storming the halls alongside us seniors. During the tour, we saw the intricate details of the architecture of the mansion and met more friendly administrators. And we were quite amused when, walking through a classroom of middle schoolers, an awestruck eighth grader looked up at us with an audible “Whoa.”

The squad decided to be adventurous and split up for ��h period. Alivia went to AP French with Madame Dokas while Hannah and Raquel took on a heated debate in the AP Spanish room with Senora Dudurich, where we did our best to make Señora Medina proud.

Lunch was next, where we tried Devon’s fa-mous chocolate chip cookie. It's a very good con-tender for better cookie, but you may just have to spend a day at Devon and try it yourself for the �nal verdict. Our fries, on the other hand, knock Devon’s out of the park. No debate necessary.

A�er a Catholic Social Theory class discus-sion on cloning, we sat alongside our next host, Rob Burdick, in AP Physics II absolutely wallow-ing in confusion. We only completed one and a half problems, not because we were o� task but because of the rapid �ow of the class on an eight period schedule (and, you know, because the entire white board was �lled with numbers). Once again, #blockforlife.

The biggest di�erence between our two schools, at the end of the day, seemed to be the at-titudes of the students. We theorized that girls tend to stress out a little more than boys do, and we were proven right by our experience at Devon Prep.

The school overall had a laid-back atmo-sphere. Students were free to park wherever they wanted. They were able to come to class a few min-utes late if they were �nishing up tests. They were not required to sign out to their advising period location. The sound of the class bell was soothing. Long story short, everything just seemed relaxed.

One of the biggest similarities between our two schools, though, proved to be how comfort-able students were in class, with lots of participa-tion. Students at Devon felt comfortable discuss-ing controversial subjects with teachers, asking questions when they were confused, and working well with their peers. We can assume that it is the same-sex classroom environment that allows stu-dents to participate so con�dently in class.

At the end of the day, even though we had a blast, we are glad to be back at our home sweet home, Villa Maria Academy High School. While we will miss the cookies and the beautiful sound-ing bell, it would be weird if people kept �xing their hair every time we walked into class.

Smack Down • After the bell, the boys also faced an inter-rogation about the Instagram feud between the two papers

from three senior reporters. // Mrs. Laurie Scaggs

In the Spotlight • Raquel Lacusky, as Ophelia, and Alivia Orvie-to, as Queen Gertrude, guest star in a rendition of Hamlet Act 3

in AP Literature at Devon. // Hannah Rosenberger

VILLA LIFE4 December 2019 The Villa Voice

Mrs. Amy Keglovits After having di�erent careers in genetics in Chicago and Los Angeles, Amy Keglovits found her way to teaching at Villa Maria.

Julie Satterthwaite ’20, Jordi De Jong ’23Assistant Editor, Contributor

Keglovits began her career in an HIV/AIDS research lab in Chicago, con-tinued her education to become a genetics counselor in California, and is now in Pennsylvania shar-ing her passion for genetics with students.

Keglovits’s experience in her �rst lab taught her cutting-edge techniques that were just starting to change the face of genetics: sequencing, cloning, and splicing.

“Sequencing was just new, so the ma-chines were enormous, and they sent all the data down to New Mexico to read because we didn’t have supercomputers back then,” she said.

Not only were the techniques cut-ting-edge, the research itself was groundbreaking. Keglovits said, “It was really cool and really exciting, especially since it was the early 90s and HIV and AIDS was still just this huge scary unknown thing.”

A�er working in the lab, Keglovits earned her certi�ca-tion to be a genetics counselor. Following a two-year master’s program and board certi�cation, Keglovits worked primarily with pregnant mothers and children with metabolic diseases. One of her favorite parts of her job was work-ing with the families.

“I loved working with people, so I loved that about genetic counseling,” Keglovits. “I

loved seeing new peo-ple come in all of the time with new issues, and it was always a challenge.”

Since genetics is always changing, Keglovits enjoyed the fast-paced nature of her �eld.

“You go into a �eld that is constantly on the cutting edge (changing, changing, changing) and you have to

be on your toes,” she said. “You can’t say ‘I learned that three years ago so it’s still true.’”

A�er taking a break from genetics to raise her daughters, Keglovits jumped back into the workforce as a teacher. One of her fa-vorite parts of teaching has been working with high school students.

“I’m curious, and I love learning,” Keg-lovits said. “I �nd that being with high

school students, [the students] are curious, and [they’re] thinking

outside of the box, like it’s just natural.”

Keglovits’s path to her where she is now has changed and evolved, but she has found strength and passion in each di�erent

part of her life. Her advice can apply to anyone, no matter

what career or interest. “Be kind, be passionate,

be curious, and work hard, and you’re good, whatever it is," Ke-glovits said. "And course-correct.

If you go into science and think ‘This is really boring, and I really like history,’ then switch—there’s no shame in that."

Mrs. Cristina McLachlanAn attorney before becoming a Spanish teacher, Mrs. Cristina Mc-Lachlan shares her courtroom experience and what led her to her current career.

Anna Heppelmann ’21, Mary Cate Doughty ’23Assistant Editor, Contributor

McLachlan, now a teacher of multiple levels of Spanish, began her career as an attorney and courtroom translator.

“I was an attorney, so I worked for a little while for the Delaware County District Attorney's o�ce,” McLachlan said.

McLachlan became an attorney a�er studying law in school and worked several di�erent courtroom jobs. She also worked for a �rm in Media, Pennsylvania, then went on to become a court interpreter.

“I was a court interpreter, which basically means if there was a witness or defendant in a trial that didn’t speak English, I would interpret for them,” she said.

McLachlan also worked in-dependently on juvenile defense. McLachlan said she loved how the jobs challenged her.

“I liked being in court. I liked the interaction with the other attorneys,” McLachlan said. “I, of course, enjoyed helping my clients, especially when I did juvenile defense. That was very rewarding.”

Later, McLachlan decided to make a career shi� and began

teaching. She discovered this passion through the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, an organization that teaches children the Catho-lic faith.

“It started by being a CCD teacher…I really enjoyed that. I think that’s what made me start thinking about being a teacher,” McLachlan said. "And I just wanted a career that was more in tune with the schedule of being a mom.”

McLachlan now teaches in the Spanish department at Villa, which

is both challenging and rewarding.“What is the most challenging part? Get-

ting up early in the morning,” McLachlan said. She added that “seeing students struggle is always di�cult.”

McLachlan loves being a teacher and helping her students learn and improve.

“One of the [things] that I en-joy the most is when I get to meet

with students...individually before or a�er school and I can help a struggling student,” she said.

Dr. Jennifer HoranBefore pursuing a career as a teacher, Dr. Jennifer Horan

worked as a pediatrician.

Julie Satterthwaite ’20 and Jordi De Jong ’23Assistant Editor, Reporter

Horan, now an AP and CP Biology teacher, started her career in Reading, PA as a pediatrician at a large pediatric group.

She attended Middle-bury College for her BA in biology, which was followed by medical school at Dartmouth and pediatric residency in Long Island. Once she had completed her train-ing, Horan pursued her passion for science and working with kids in pediatric groups in Reading and Bryn Mawr for eight years. However, her �rst job in Reading was more demanding of her time.

“We saw six patients per hour,” Horan said of her �rst job, “so on an hourly basis, we saw three well visits and then we would have three sick children on top of that.”

With such a demanding schedule, Horan had to �nd a way to balance her personal life with her work life, so she stayed home with her four children for 10 years before deciding to move on to another career.

“I kept talking about teaching, and my oldest daughter called me out on it,” Horan said. “I went back to Im-maculata just as she went o� to college.”

A�er completing her teaching certi�ca-

tions in around a year and a half, Horan’s �rst year of teaching at

Villa Maria was no walk in the park.

“It was nice. Immaculata didn’t make me retake a lot of science credits, but you don’t use a lot of that as a doctor. My

biology degree was [completed] a long time ago,” Horan said. “I

actually taught the AP course the �rst year I was [teaching] here, and I was learning right along with the students.”

Horan learned much from her years of education, but also gained more than just a teaching certi�cation when she entered the world of education as an instructor.

“You forget that you’re a competent, edu-cated woman who can learn and be in control of knowledge,” Horan said. “That was really a great thing for me to go back and learn about

myself.”Horan found ful-

�llment in both of her careers and is grateful to have been able to use her gi�s to help children and families as a doctor, and now, as a teacher.

“I would never change anything,” Horan

said. “Your life is a path, and you’ve got to fol-low where you go and not look back.”

Mr. Edward ByrnesAn engineer before becoming a teacher, Mr. Edward Byrnes shares what led him to his current career after designing satellites for over thirty years.

Anna Heppelmann ’21, Mary Cath-erine Doughty ’23Assistant Editor, Contributor

Byrnes, now a physics and astronomy teacher, was previously employed at Lockheed Martin, an aerospace company that works for NASA and the defense department.

Byrnes’ previous job was both challeng-ing and fun, as it was di�cult yet grat-ifying when he and his team were successful in a project.

“It was really challenging because it was di�erent,” he said. “You launch, and then you’re just relying on dials and read-outs to tell you if everything is going well.”

Before pursuing this ca-reer, Byrnes grew up around this area and wanted to stay lo-cal, so he attended Villanova Uni-versity to pursue his educational and career endeavors.

“I chose electrical engineering as my major, and I chose it because I

love taking things apart and seeing how they work. I

just like gadgets, and electrical engineer-

ing seemed to be the closest thing to [this interest ] ,” B y r n e s said.

H i s job at Lock-heed Mar-

tin was his only job be-

fore becoming

a teacher, as he worked there for thirty years and then decided to take an early retirement.

A�er his retirement, he felt it was only natural to become a teacher next. He said, “Physics is mostly rocket science, so I was very prepared for [teaching], and I became a man-ager in the last several years. I like explaining things to people in ways they haven’t thought

of before, so it became a natural pro-gression for me to say ‘let me teach

this in high school.’”He walked away from his

job without knowing what he was going to do next. He thought he wanted to be a genealogist but ultimately decided to become a teacher. Byrnes shared the hard work

of a teacher that includes grad-ing, working late into the night,

and working on weekends. “I work harder as a teacher

than I ever worked in any other job. It’s hard work. You have to

prepare a lot of stu�, and you have to be ready for everything. Before I come in to teach a class, I have to have everything mapped out,” Byrnes said.

Working at Villa Maria has made a fun job even better, according to Byrnes, and de-

spite the hard work, he has a great time in the classroom, which is why he continues to teach.

Byrnes said, “One thing that makes it really easy for me is teaching

at Villa because I’ve always loved Villa. My daughters went here. It’s been my favorite place, and so when I got o�ered a job here, it was a dream come true.”

“Your life is a path, and you’ve

got to follow where you go and not look back.”

A glimpse into the past

Learn about the professions some of your

teachers had before they began teaching,

ranging from a pediatrician to a court

interpreter.

Mrs. Amy Keglovits // Lifetouch

Mrs. Cristina McLachlan // Lifetouch

Dr. Jennifer Horan // Lifetouch

Mr. Edward Byrnes // Lifetouch

“You can’t say ‘I learned that three

years ago so it’s still true.’”

levels of Spanish, began levels of Spanish, began her career as an attorney her career as an attorney and courtroom translator. and courtroom translator.

“I was an attorney, so “I was an attorney, so I worked for a little while I worked for a little while for the Delaware County for the Delaware County District Attorney's o�ce,” District Attorney's o�ce,”

McLachlan became McLachlan became

teacher…I really enjoyed that. I teacher…I really enjoyed that. I think that’s what made me start think that’s what made me start thinking about being a teacher,” thinking about being a teacher,” McLachlan said. "And I just wanted McLachlan said. "And I just wanted a career that was more in tune with a career that was more in tune with the schedule of being a mom.”the schedule of being a mom.”

Spanish department at Villa, which Spanish department at Villa, which

If there was a wit-ness or defendant

in a trial that didn’t speak English, I would

interpret for them.

has a great time in the

he continues to teach.

"It was a dream

come true."

VILLA LIFE 5The Villa Voice December 2019

Dia DoceKatherine Brown ’20 works at Dia Doce, a cupcake shop and co�ee bar in West Chester.

Emily Deacon ‘20Contributor

Brown has been working Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays since the summer of her sophomore year. Working part time is fun but can be very time consuming and hard to balance with school work and her other activi-ties. However, even though it’s challenging, Brown �nds joy within her job.

“I love my job,” Brown states. “I have the opportunity to interact with a lot of interesting people, connect with customers, and make people smile.”

Brown loves that she gets to make special connections with the regular customers at Dia Doce. She o�en �nds herself having conversations with them and even memorizing some of their orders.

“It means a lot to me to make connections with my customers,” Brown continued. “One of the regulars, Roger, is an older gentleman that comes in for a small black co�ee every morning. I enjoy having conversations with him; he always asks me how I am doing and how my day is going.”

Like lots of teens, Brown wanted a job to earn a little bit of extra money for herself. Working part time at Dia Doce gives her the opportunity to be independent with her money. From working, Brown has developed skills that she will be able to use for the rest of her life.

“Working has taught me a lot,“ Brown states. “Dia Doce has taught me time management, people skills, and responsibility.”

Brown has developed a close relationship with her employer and fellow employees. She even stops into the shop every morning before school for a double shot on ice, a cupcake, and a smile.

WegmansKaitlyn Tsiaras ‘20 is employed at Wegmans as a cashier.

Carly Ukalovic ‘20 Contributor

Tsiaras is currently ful�lling her childhood dream by working as a cashier at Wegmans in Collegeville.

“I always wanted to be a cashier since I owned a toy cash register when I was a kid,” Tsiaras stated.

Tsiaras enjoys her job because she sees many familiar faces and because she receives discounts on sports games as well as other bene�ts. She also has met a lot of new people and is continuing to make friends.

At times, though, the job can be di�cult with big orders. Tsiaras copes with this by memorizing all produce codes.

“I do have a chart in front of me, but I �nd it easier to have the codes in my memory, like bananas is 4011,” Tsiaras stated.

By working as a cashier she is given new ideas on what to grocery shop for, as Tsiaras stated, “I have the opportunity to talk to customers about the foods they are buying.”

Tsiaras enjoys working at Wegmans and said that they even celebrate each worker's birthday by giving them a free birthday cake.

Express Anastasia Galante ’20 is a part time sales associate at the clothing store Express.

Molly McCreavy ‘20Contributor

Galante works in retail, where she is able to experience all the latest fashion trends and gain work experience.

Express is a trendy clothing store that o�ers new styles to young men and women. Galante loves her part time job at Express because of all of the di�erent experiences she has had.

“Working at Express has brought me new friendships [and] time management skills,” said Galante. “It has prepared me for the working world in fashion, as well as [supplied me with] some extra spending money.”

Working during the school year o�en comes with many obstacles. Sports, homework, college applications, and extra-curriculars cause students to have to sacri�ce time with friends and learn time management. However, working part-time in high school is o�en very rewarding.

Working in retail has especially inspired Anastasia be-cause she wants to make fashion her career. She loves working hard and is extremely excited to work in the industry.

“Fashion is a way of expressing yourself every day,” Galante said. “I love helping people feel con�dent in what they wear. I can’t wait to work in this industry for my career.

Overall, working as a retail associate has prepared Galan-te for the working world.

Still #Izzistrong: checking in with Izzi Desimone '20Senior Izzi DeSimone ‘20 opens up about her IzziStrong-life post-cancer.

Alivia Orvieto ‘20Editor-in-Chief

A�er being diagnosed with stage four Hodgkin's Lympho-ma in September 2017, Izzi DeSimone was de-clared to be in remission on January 3, 2018.

Although it’s been nearly two years since she was cleared of the disease, DeSimone continues to deal with the repercussions of being sick.

“Losing my hair was really hard and still is, all the bone marrow biopsies, several blood trans-fusions, the steroids that made me gain so much weight, and the chemo, which made me feel weak and suppressed my immune system,” she stated.

Time o� is di�cult for anyone to take in life, and it was especially a challenge for DeSimone, who is a competitive �eld hockey player.

“I am not the same athlete I always was because I was not able to participate for a couple of years. It was hard dealing with all my physical changes due to treatment,” she stated.

Through her battle with cancer, she realized how she wants to become a pediatric oncologist to help sick kids, just like the

doctors had helped her. DeSimone stated, “I kind of took this as a sign that this

is what I am meant to do with my life. Even though I wish I did not have to go through this, it has made me stronger and I have gained more than I lost from conquering cancer.”

DeSimone currently has to go to the doctor’s o�ce every few months for checkups to make sure she is healthy and that there are no expressed side e�ects from the chemotherapy.

“For the �rst few years I needed CT scans, x-rays, blood work, pulmonary and cardiac tests... As the years go on, I will meet with my doctors

farther apart and I will no longer need CT scans and other tests.” DeSimone stated.

The life-altering event of cancer at such a young age has taught her many powerful lessons.

“I’ve learned compassion, a strong work ethic, positivity even where it may seem impossible, [and] perseverance. I have matured greatly and so much more,” DeSimone stated. “I still don’t feel caught up in life in general, but I always try to wear a

smile even though I am still battling in other ways.”She was grateful to be declared in remission as well as for

the love and support she received from her friends and family, who kept her positive throughout the whole battle. She was able to celebrate with them when her wish was granted in summer 2019.

“I have been so fortunate to have my wish granted by the Make-A-Wish Foundation," Desimone stated. The Foundation granted her a week-long trip with her family to Hawaii.

"I have volunteered at their o�ce with my family to make phone calls and write letters to the donors thanking them for making my wish and the wishes of many other children come true," DeSimone stated. "I also try to reach out and provide en-couragement to those who are still battling by visiting children at CHOP.”

A�er all she’s been through, DeSimone is able to appreciate the strength she has gained from this hardship

“As cliche as it sounds — what doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger,” DeSimone stated.

Counseling dog brightens students’ day The Counseling Department brought a new member to their team this past fall through the addition of a new counseling dog, Charlie.

Vatsala Arora ‘20, Madeline Ladd ‘21Contributor, Assistant Editor

Mrs. Elizabeth Hashagen, Director of School Counseling, adopted Charlie and began bringing him to school to raise the spirits of VMA students.

Charlie is a �ve-month-old Black Lab and German Short-Haired Pointer mix that Hashagen found on pet�nder.com and adopted from Main Line Animal Rescue. The online application process was extensive and included many in-depth questions re-lated to her family’s schedule and how a dog would �t in with their lifestyle.

“We put applications on a number of dogs and his appli-cation was approved �rst. We then were able to go out and meet him,” Hashagen said. “As soon as we met him, we knew he was the one.”

Charlie �t right into the Hashagen household, and his ar-rival at Villa was met with overwhelming positivity. It wasn’t just the Hashagen family that missed having a dog, the Villa family did too.

“The students' reactions when we brought Charlie in for the �rst time were very positive,” Hashagen said. “Anyone who was here last year, knew Kona, and was a dog person de�nitely connected with him.”

Hashagen was thrilled with the positive feedback she re-ceived from students about Charlie. She has done extensive re-search on pet therapy and how it can impact a person’s overall wellness (both physical, mental, and emotional) so she was grate-ful to be allowed to bring him into a school environment.

“Charlie did great the �rst day,” Hashagen said. “He just wanted to be around the girls. I think there was no going back a�er we saw how big of an impact he had. So many girls had come up to me saying it just made their day.”

It’s safe to say that Charlie has already proven to be an amazing addition to the Villa family. Hashagen has several plans in the works to incorporate him even further into the communi-ty. If you are walking past the Counseling suite, be sure to stop in and say hello. You might just get to see Charlie!

Students strive for careers Read about the experiences of a few members of the Villa Maria population who have already entered the working world.

Charlie Chilling • Charlie manages to bring smiles everywhere he goes when Hashagen walks him around campus. // Ms. Marguerite Esmonde

Wish Granted • Izzi enjoys her time in Hawaii with her brothers in July 2019. // Luisa DeSimone

"I’ve learned com-passion, a strong

work ethic, positivity even where it may seem impossible,

[and] perseverance."

VILLA LIFE6 December 2019 The Villa Voice

Student Council implements changes to breakfast club Following its success last year, the Breakfast Club has been updated by Student Council as part of a growing campaign to enhance the school environ-ment.

Cecilia Oberkircher '20Reporter

The popular Breakfast Club, occurring once a month, now not only o�ers more options for food, the ability to pay with a keycard, and the op-portunity to stay in the cafeteria for homeroom, but also has raised money to improve the environmental friendliness of Villa.

"The money goes toward recycling bins, LED lights, and water re�ll stations," Student Council o�cer Adriana Yacovelli '20 stated.

The Breakfast Club originated from student suggestions and is an in-dication of how Student Council attempts to continually listen to feedback as a way to better the school community.

"Last year, we got feedback that people wanted breakfast, but we couldn't serve it every day, so we decided to make it a Breakfast Club," Executive Council Secretary Bridget Finley '20 said. "Hopefully we're going to do that in other areas, not just breakfast, [and] add in other things that students want."

This is just one example of Student Council valuing feedback from students, which has played into creating an atmosphere of communication.

"Especially with more announcements in homeroom, we make sure that every student is on the same page and that they know what is coming up, but then [we] also make sure that the students can advocate for them-selves," Finley said.

Student Council brings enthusiasm and a hands-on attitude to every school event based on their philosophy of bridging the students to the rest of the school community. The Breakfast Club is no exception.

"We wanted an event to boost morale for the students," Executive Council President Maggie Powers '20 stated, "and we thought why not make it food related."

This energy then trickles down to the student body who enjoy break-fast staples.

"The Breakfast Club is a super easy way to grab a cup of co�ee and a doughnut while getting to socialize with friends before the school day starts," Molly McCreavy '20, who attended the last event, said.

'Mainline Babies' enrolled at VillaDaughters of Villa and Malvern graduates share how their parents met, and re�ect on what it is like to walk the same halls their moms did at a private Catholic school on the Mainline.

Anna Nunag '20, Izzi DeSimone '20Reporter, Contributor

>>> Skeleton continued from pg. 1Science classes interactively learn about the skeletal

system through the real human remains of classroom skeleton Sister Carla.

According to sci-ence teacher Amy Keg-lovits, the skeleton has been around for as long as anyone can remember.

The skeleton is re-ferred to as Sister Carla—a name made up by students.

"My �rst year here, we had a competition, and they named him Carl because of cartilage," Keglovits said.

However, she later found out that Carl was actually female due to the shape of the pelvis, the mastoid process, and other physical clues extracted from the bones.

"We decided to make up a story about her being a nun that used to teach here, and we started calling her Sister Carla," Keglovits said.

Students, along with Keglovits have used their imag-ination to entertain theories about who Sister Carla was and the possibility of her haunting the halls of Villa.

Keglovits said, "None of this is based on fact; it's all theoretical...Only things I've created in my mind because they sound fun."

Due to legal restrictions, many schools do not own real skeletons for academic enhancement.

"I don't think in the last century [schools] have been allowed to have real skeletons. That's why I'm thinking [she's] over 100 years [old], but I don't know," Keglovits said.

Despite that, Keglovits came across a video from NPR that was eerily similar.

"[It was about] a class-room in Western Pennsylvania… that has a skele-ton similar; they don't know how long it's been there either. When they got theirs analyzed, [they found] it's likely from the trade in the Ganges. That's why I decided that might be where ours is from," Keglovits said.

This prompted her to uncover the possible past and origin of Sister Carla. Who was she? What was she? Where did she come from?

Keglovits contacted the Mütter Museum, a medical museum in Center City, Philadelphia, two years ago and requested that they analyze the school's skeleton.

Although she received no response from the muse-um, she has plans to persist and ask again. She said, "I would consider further testing. I think it is really cool. I think it's like a jewel that we have here at Villa—that we have a [real] skeleton… And it's something we have that other schools don't, so it sets us apart."

Senior Bella O'Rourke '20, along with her sisters Maggie '23 and Ryan '18, are the daughters of Villa Maria and Malvern Preparatory School graduates.

In this family, the tradition of a private Catholic education in the Mainline area extends to more than just one generation.

"My grandpa went to Devon, and my grand-ma went to Villa," O'Rourke said.

Years later, her parents met during their high school years in the same area before attending St. Joesph's University.

"They met at a homecoming a�er-party their junior year," O'Rourke said. "But they were just friends in high school."

When asked what it's like to go to the same high school as her mom, O'Rourke recalled how some teachers' careers at Villa have spanned more

than one generation of Villa girls. "I have teachers that taught my mom and

that have seen our family grow, so it's cool in that way," O'Rourke said.

Just as multiple teachers have stayed the same over the years, so have traditions. Villa girls can bond over sharing the same traditions, even if those Villa girls are a mother and her daughter.

"[My mom] did Daisy Chain," O'Rourke said. "She still talks about the cookies and the fries and all of the same things. I feel like it hasn't really changed in that way."

And beyond the school traditions, the infa-mous rules and regulations are another common-ality all Villa girls can bond over.

"I think it was much stricter back then," O'Rourke said. "[My mom] always talks about the blazers and the uniform."

Senior Emma Pinola '20 is a daughter of Villa and Malvern gradu-ates, who met through a school-related event still in e�ect today. "[My par-ents] met senior year during the Mal-vern play," Pinola said. "They were on stage crew together."

For Senior Stephanie Stinger '20 and her sisters Sydney '21 and Samantha '16, their parents met before their high school years.

"My mom's brother was best friends with my dad when they were really young," said Stinger. "They always knew of each other, but my mom was always out [riding horses] when my dad was over, so they didn't start hanging out until they were seventeen."

Stinger's parents eventually dated during high school and even crossed paths with the parent of a Malvern Prep student Stinger knows.

"Someone I'm friends with, his mom was friends with my mom in high school, except she went to Notre Dame, and [they] used to go on double dates with her and her old boy-friend," Stinger said.

Proud Parents • Villa alumna Missy Pinola and Malvern alumni Rick Pinola pose alongside daughter Emma at the

tennis senior banquet. //Ms. Marguerite Esmonde

"We decided to make up a story about her being

a nun that used to teach here, and we started

calling her Sister Carla."

Skeleton Sister • Mrs. Amy Keglovits puts her arm around Sister Carla. Although its origins

are still a mystery, Keglovits believed it is over 100 years old. // Alivia Orvieto '20

Breakfast Ready • Student Council members Bridget Finley, Dylan Miller, and Maggie Devine prepare to sell donuts at breakfast club on December 13. Among other treats, students were

able to purchase iced co�ee, doughnuts, and cinnamon buns. // Mrs. Laurie Scaggs

Villa to perform 'Chicago' in springHistory and theatre teacher Mr. Robert Cucinella will direct Villa Maria's �rst full-length production in April, which will feature choreography from Dance Company instructor Ms. Tanina Urbanski.

Devyn Stek '23, Hannah Rosenberger '20Contributor, Editor-in-Chief

Previously, the drama club, Marian Masques, has put on a student written production during an advisory peri-od in early spring.

However, this year, when Cucinella took over the club, he, President Maria Fennell '20, and Vice President Julianna Prendergast '20, brought up the idea of doing a full musical. They decided on "Chicago" for a number of reasons, primarily because it is a well-known and fe-male-driven show.

"When we �rst started talking about the show in the beginning of September…[we decided to] go big or go home," Fennell said.

Although the performances will not occur until April, planning and production are already well under-way. Auditions, including singing and dancing, took place during mid-November. Callbacks also included an acting portion.

"We had a whole audition process even though it was our �rst show," Prendergast said. "Even though we didn't

cut anyone, it still felt like a real audition." According to Mr. Cucinella, students in "Chicago"

will have a unique opportunity because not only are they now able to perform in shows at Malvern, Devon, and Villa, but they also will be involved in every aspect of a production, from costumes to lighting to, obviously, per-forming. Fennell, who is stage manager of "Chicago" be-lieves that this is what will make the show special.

"[Mr. Cucinella] wants students to be as involved as possible, so this can really be our show," she said. "We're so strong in sports and art and academics...but the one thing we don't have is theatre. Villa is all about empower-ing women, but we haven't been able to empower them in this way yet, and now we can."

Prendergast added that she is incredibly excited that Villa has �nally taken the leap to develop a full-scale the-atre department and is looking forward to all of the talent to be featured in "Chicago."

"We have a stage; we have the talent; we have every-thing we would need to have a show," Prendergast said. "It makes sense for us to have one."

NEWS AND MEDIA 7The Villa Voice December 2019

Juuling hits the danger zone New C.D.C statistics show the very real dangers behind the popular e-cigarette brand.

Rayne Bunado '20Reporter

The dangers of e-cigarettes have �nally come to surface in recent months, including that of lung-related illnesses and even death.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the youth's usage of e-cigarettes is due to curiosity and the misconception that they are much less harmful than regular cigarettes.

It is undeni-able that the e-cig-arette epidemic, including that of juuling has become a recent concern regarding public health across the nation. According to the C.D.C., the once unknown consequences of vaping a�ect peo-ple of all ages, especially individ-uals under the age of 35, which make up 77% of the cases reported.

Health and Physical Education Teacher Mrs. Michelle Black em-phasized the dangers of e-cigarettes to her sophomores in health class. Black �rst explained the key di�erences between e-cigarettes and regular cigarettes.

Black said, "Juuls speci�cally have a higher concentration of nico-tine of 5% compared to that of cigarettes, which are about 1.25%. Juuls are essentially four times stronger and, therefore, more addictive."

Black added the concept of third-hand smoke in e-cigarettes has just become more widely known.

"Third-hand smoke is essentially smoke le� behind from aerosols that sticks onto surfaces. This could be dangerous to kids and pets," she said.

Black then explained the psychological impact of vaping on teens especially.

"E-cigarettes can be harmful to teenagers' developing brains as well as lungs," Black said. "Nicotine a�ects the part of your brain that's responsible for cognitive behavior and development, which can be es-pecially detrimental to teens."

The information provided by Black coincided with that of the C.D.C.. According to the C.D.C., "nicotine in adolescence can harm the parts of the brain that control attention, learning, mood, and im-pulse control."

Black gave her own insight regarding why teens continue to use e-cigarettes like Juuls despite recent news.

"It's hard to speculate but I think that because the e�ects aren't fully known, people don't really take [these e�ects] seriously yet," Black said.

Black mentioned the concept many teens believe is known as the "it won't happen to me" mentality. This principle essentially could be the primary explanation as to why teens continue their usage despite the breaking news and public health crisis regarding e-cigarettes.

Villa Maria school nurse Mrs. Pierna Antonello also agreed with the thoughts of Black concerning the growing population of teen va-ping.

"Juuling is an 'alternative' to smoking, but most teens have never smoked prior to usage," Antonello said. "Young adults most likely con-tinue to use e-cigarettes despite the news because they don't think [the negative e�ects] will personally happen to them."

Antonello also mentions the appearance of Juuls themselves to contribute to continued usage.

"Juuls are easy to conceal," Antonello said. "They're said to have a better taste and lack that awful nicotine taste found in cigarettes."

As stated by both Black and Antonello, most young adults feel that they cannot fall victim to the dangerous e�ects of juuling. Howev-er, it is important to note the recent statistics as of late November. The C.D.C. reports that as of November 20, 2019, there have been 2,290 cas-es of e-cigarette product use associated with lung injury, and 47 deaths con�rmed. In 2,016 cases reported with available data on hospitaliza-tion status, 95% of those were hospitalized with 68% being male and 32% being female. Within that data recorded, 15% of the patients were under 18 years old and 38% were between the ages 18-24.

With these daunting statistics, it is safe to say avoiding e-cigarettes at all costs is advisable. Do not hit the danger zone, and stop vaping!

Why you so obsessed with me? TikTok wants to know.Reality Check: We all downloaded this app as a joke and now we're addicted. Why?

Hannah Stehura '20Reporter

Let's face it, all of us watch TikTok, no matter how o�en we deny it. The majority of high school students have become serial viewers of these viral videos, as �ipping through the For You page is a part of their everyday routine.

Imagine: You lay in bed tonight at around 10 and go onto your phone. You might start with Snapchat or Insta-gram, but one way or another, you end up on TikTok. And then just like that, it's midnight, and the only thing that makes you check the time is a video saying,"The person who sent you this wants you to stop watching TikTok and go to sleep." What were doing for those two hours? Mindlessly watching videos on your"For You" page. We can all relate to this in one capacity or another because TikTok has be-come the new medium for binge watchers, making it easier and easier to lose time because of the hilarious content and short videos. But now I want to know what it is doing to us.

On a very real note, most of us seniors have been af-�icted with serious senioritis, making assignments harder to do and making our attention spans shorter. Now, this "senior slide" isn't anything new—we've all heard to watch out for it. However, I'm proposing that this new viral app isn't a simple place for entertainment. It's actually harming us by making our attention spans shorter; it's a lot easier to go on our phones and mindlessly scroll through TikTok than do our homework.

Now, this idea might seem a little far fetched at �rst—believe me, I know. But actually take a minute to think. TikTok is so prevalent in teenage life that it has now be-

come part of our dialogue and everyday behaviors. We all reference TikTok at some point and probably say or hear "Hey, have you seen that one TikTok where…" at least once a day. TikTok is the new "in-vogue" trend that all Gen Z-ers have hopped on.

In short, I'm not against TikTok, but I am also acutely aware that all of my struggles may not be entirely the fault of my own. I know I should stop, and who knows? A�er writing this maybe I will be a whole new person, quitting TikTok forever! Oh wait, my friend just sent me this really funny TikTok I have to go watch right now so I'm just going to end this here.

It's a busy 'Nutcracker' season for Villa's dancers Many students participate in performances of "The Nutcracker" yearly, but how do they balance the rehearsals and practice with schoolwork and studying?

Amelia Erb '22Reporter

As the fall-winter transition unfolds, many dancers are preparing for performances of the ballet "The Nutcrack-er." Although this is a beloved holiday tradition for these dancers, it is also a major time commitment, that requires careful time management in order to complete schoolwork.

Julia Young '22, whose roles in the ballet this year include the Nutcracker, the Candy Cane lead, and back-ground parts of the Snow and Waltz dances, de�nitely no-tices a shi�.

"Since I don't have "Nutcracker" in the spring, I de�-nitely notice a di�erence, but I do �nd time to get my homework done," Young said. "There's always breaks at dance and little times when I can sneak [schoolwork] in."

Young is no stranger to the commitment and plan-ning required in order to perform in "The Nutcracker," as she has been performing in it for eight years with the Ches-ter Valley Dance Academy.

"There are times when other people are running, and you can sit down in front of the studio, and read your book or work on an essay, and that de�nitely helps you balance it," Young said.

Christina Janowicz '22, a fellow "Nutcracker" dancer with the Chester Valley Dance Academy, described the re-hearsal process leading up to the show.

"Rehearsals are mainly on the weekend, and then we

will just have regular technique classes during the week, but for rehearsals I'd say it pretty much takes up your entire day Saturday especially getting into October, November, and December," Janowicz said.

She has also danced in "The Nutcracker" for eight years and this year is performing as the Snow Queen, Mar-zipan lead, Waltz demi-lead, and the Nutcracker. Janowicz de�nitely agrees that e�ectively working with her schedule is important. "Especially because [Villa] is block scheduling, time management is a big thing," she said.

Even through the hard work required to prepare the dances and keep up with schoolwork, both girls made clear that it was worth it.

"My favorite thing about doing the show [is] just the traditions and staying all day Saturday with your friends. You form a bond with them. We have so many memories," Janowicz said, adding that she also loves the ballet itself.

Young agrees. "My favorite thing about doing the show is how close I grow with all of the other girls doing it because we all just become like a family. It's de�nitely tough getting through the long days of rehearsal and learning, and struggling together, so that brings us all closer together," she said.

Chester Valley Dance Academy's "The Nutcracker" will be performed at Phoenixville Middle School on December 20 and 21. Olivia DiCicco '20

Tikked and Tokked • Alivia Orvieto records Raquel Lacusky and her dad, Dave Lacusky, for their latest TikTok. The duo have recently started creating them together, to much success on the popular video-sharing

app. // Hannah Rosenberger '20

Leaping Into Action • As Mouse King in the Nutcracker, Stephanie Janowicz '21 leaps over her sister Christina '22 during rehearsal. //

Photo provided by Stephanie Janowicz '21

Pretty in Purple: Junior Stephanie Janowicz strikes a pose in her sugar plum fairy costume. Janowicz has spent many dedicated hours rehears-

ing for the show. // Photo provided by Stephanie Janowicz

SPORTS8 December 2019 The Villa Voice

‘Cheering On’ the communityThis year, the Student Integrity Committee began The Cheer On Project, a school-wide project designed to boost school spirit and increase support for clubs and sports teams.

Julianna Prendergast ‘20, Kather-ine Brown ‘20Reporters

The Cheer On Project pairs sports teams and clubs together to “cheer on” each other at games and events throughout the year.

Student Integrity Committee leaders Angelica Nunag '20 and Corinne Stroup '20 came up with the idea for this project.

“Student Integrity as a group wanted to �nd a way to boost morale for the school… one of the ways we wanted to do that is through sports events and other groups like music [and] art,” Nunag said.

Through the project, the Student In-tegrity Committee matched three teams or clubs together and encouraged them to cheer on one another by showing up at games or events and making posters or goodie bags to give to the teams.

“[The Cheer on Project] involves… all of the clubs and sports [teams at Villa]... and is an organized way for them to support each other and have a speci�c team they can... cheer on throughout the year,” Stroup said.

The Student Integrity Committee also hopes this project will promote integrity in all aspects of the community and demon-strate that integrity is much more than aca-demic honesty alone.

“We wanted to focus on not only aca-demic integrity but also on personal and re-lational integrity this year,” Stroup said.

The members of the teams and clubs

involved with The Cheer On Project have re-sponded with positivity and enthusiasm so far this year. The project has impacted the majority of the student body and has in-spired many stu-dents to support groups they are not personally involved in.

With the fall activities coming to a close, Nunag, Stroup, and the Student In-tegrity Committee hope the winter activities will gain even more support from the Villa community as The Cheer On Project grows.

“The student body can help us with this project by bringing enthusiasm to the events that they cheer on and being support-ive of their match teams [in the future],” Nunag said.

Fall athletes dominate the season Villa Maria fall sports teams all had winning records, with volleyball and �eld hockey both going to state playo�s.

Carina Rose ’21, Emma Herrick '23 Assistant Editor, Contributor

Ms. Stephanie Taylor, the Athletic Director, had high ex-pectations for all the fall teams going into this year's season.

“We expect that our students are going to be excellent, and I think that all of our teams rose to that expectation,” Taylor said.

This was Taylor’s �rst fall season as Athletic Director, and she was very happy with how all of the sports performed.

Tennis had a new head coach and assistant coach for this season who helped to bring the team together and coach them to a winning record. “Tennis was super success-ful,” Taylor said.

As Athletic Director, Taylor was able to go to some of the golf matches and drive around with their coach, Mr. Matthew Poole. She loved being at the golf course and was also impressed with the level of skill that the girls played with, as they ended with a record of 9-6.

“I think [golf] is a fun way to spend your a�ernoon,” Taylor said. “It is so fun that the girls get to spend their days in a beautiful place with their friends doing something that they love.”

Cross country meets really touched Taylor. “I cry during cross country meets. I think of all over the world and all of the things that [teens] are doing and our girls are out there doing something really hard that doesn’t get a lot of atten-tion,” Taylor said. “That grit just makes me cry.” Because of this hard work, cross country �nished with a record of 6-1.

The soccer team plays with an impressive level of skill that allowed them to end the season with a record of 11-5-2. Soccer lost in the District 1 quarter�nal against Nazareth.

“To watch women’s soccer at the level that our girls play, it couldn’t be more fun,” Taylor said.

Volleyball made it to the state quarter-�nals a�er a sea-son of hard work and dedication, but unfortunately lost to

Southern Lehigh. Despite this, there is a spirit that surrounds volleyball that is contagious.

“When you get the energy on the court and the music playing and there’s a closeness spacewise, everything that’s happening is just so energizing,” Taylor said.

Field hockey made it farther than all the other fall sports, playing in the state semi-�nals. Last year, �eld hock-ey lost three players that played on the national team, two of which were All-American. Taylor knows that some people would think that it would be hard to come back a�er losing such high level players but she believes their season showed the opposite.

“They had a really successful season,” Taylor said. “We have really, really good players who played a really, really di�-cult schedule and so it's not surprising that those really good players who played a really di�cult schedule got to the �nal four in the state.”

Her favorite part of the fall season is the senior nights because not only does she get to see the relationships that have been formed and deepened over four years but also the commitment of the families.

“Here at Villa, we see the students all the time, but now you get to see the commitment that parents make,” Taylor said. “You just kind of see this culmination of all of the time and money and energy and early mornings and late nights. It’s really touching.”

Taylor’s expectations are the same for the winter sports, and she is looking forward to the new season.

Sophomore helps low-income athletes gear upAmelia Erb ’ 22 and her older sister launched a nonpro�t, Halftime Gear, to aid kids in need of sports equipment.

Raquel Lacusky ‘20, Ella Nugent ‘23Editor-In-Chief, Contributor

Erb and her sister created collection boxes to obtain used sports gear for athletes who can’t a�ord it. Her inspiration for the project came from her own experience playing sports.

“My sister and I both play ice hockey and then I play �eld hockey.” Erb said. “I’m a goalie for both and it’s just a lot of equipment [that] can be really expensive.”

Erb was faced with the harsh reality of the accessibility of sports equipment when trying to donate her own goalie gear as a kid.

“Someone was willing to drive up from South Carolina to get it from us,” Erb said.

These e�orts proved to be a call to action for Erb and her sister.

“My sister and I talked about it and decid-ed it would be really fun if we collected every-thing and painted boxes… and handed them out to schools that need it or speci�c people if they need gear,” Erb said.

Erb runs the nonpro�t alongside her sister, with the help of their mom. This was no simple task; it took lots of organization and planning. Erb’s mother is a tax attorney and is able to help with the legal aspects of the project.

“My mom helps a lot especially going into the logistics,” Erb said. “It is a tax exempt orga-nization… She’s the one who got us tax-exempt status so it makes it easier for people to donate [gear] and donate money.”

Although working with siblings might seem hard, Erb explained it’s actually nice to have someone be honest with you about your work.

“Since she’s my sister, she’s not exactly afraid to tell me when I’m painting a box that looks horrible,” she said. “It’s nice to have some-one that will be nice to you and not just put you down, but also [point out] when you’re doing something completely wrong.”

The collection is not only at Villa Maria, but Owen J. Roberts Middle School and High School as well. Once all of the equipment is col-lected, Erb repairs the sports gear to prepare it for its next owner.

“We are in the reparation process right now because [of] the collection at Owen J. Roberts,” Erb said. “We’re going to have a whole day where we sort it and clean it...just the basic stu� to make sure its in good condition.”

>>> Ertz continued from pg. 1“Not only is she one of the most elite players of her cra�, she is

also humble and �nds ways to give back to the community.”When Ertz’s husband presented her with the award, he noted

that while he is so proud of her accomplishments in soccer, she is “so much more than sports.”

Ertz then spoke brie�y to the attendees of the event, who in-cluded past Women of the Year, cancer survivors, and the mayor of Philadelphia.

“Philadelphia is our home,” she said. “I can’t thank you guys enough for inviting us into your home and supporting us and mak-ing this community feel like that.”

"Remarkable Women" host and radio personality Marilyn Rus-sell also asked Ertz a few questions during the luncheon, where she o�ered some words of wisdom, especially to her younger fans.

“Make adversity your best friend,” Ertz said. Senior Raquel Lacusky, who also attended the event, felt that

this sentiment was one of the most impactful aspects of the day. “I loved hearing how she turned

adversity into a positive experience she could grow from,” Lacusky said. “It was really inspiring to see someone with such an esteemed career speak to us.”

Director of Student Experience Marketing and "The Villa Voice" mod-erator Mrs. Laurie Scaggs '91 obtained tickets to the event to allow the three student journalists to attend because she felt that it was an important event, especially due to Villa Maria’s mission of empowering women.

“It is truly an honor to guide young journalists and present po-tential networking connections that may guide their future career

goals,” Sca-ggs said. “I am always looking for opportunities in which stu-dents can be exposed to experienced professionals in the indus-try of broad-casting and journalism.”

“We wanted to focus on not only academic integrity but also on

personal and relational integrity this year."

"We expect that our students are going to be

excellent and I think that all of our teams rose

to that expectation."

“I loved hearing how she turned adversity into a positive experience she could grow from,” Lacusky said. “It was really inspiring to see someone with

Director of Student Experience -

erator Mrs. Laurie Scaggs '91 obtained

"She turned adver-sity into a positive

experience she could grow from."

Scoring Season • Senior �eld hockey player Adriana Yacovelli swings for the ball during a game. The �eld hockey team used strong teamwork and

communication to succeed during their season. // Lifetouch

Cheer On Project • Fine art students Raquel Lacusky, Katherine Brown, Hannah Rosenberger, and Nicole

Bacallao "cheer on" the volleyball team at their away game against Pope John Paul II High School. The girls

supported their classmates by cheering and wearing white for the white-out game. // Mrs. Laurie Scaggs

On-Air • Editors-In-Chief Hannah Rosenberger, Raquel Lacusky, and Alivia Orvieto smile alongside radio host Marilyn

Russell. The girls listened to Russell present Julie Ertz with the title of Woman of the Year as a part of her "Remarkable

Women" series. // Mrs. Laurie Scaggs

Halftime Gear • Sophomore Amelia Erb collected gently used sports equipment from Villa Maria students for her

nonpro�t earlier this year. // Mrs. Laurie Scaggs