By Raymond Roesler

Design Editor
Eighth annual Homecoming celebrates new name
Controversy over new school name apparent in
school and Tucson community
CHLO DURAND
Senior Marcos Castillo dribbles the ball towards the goal during the eighth annual
Homecoming soccer game.
THE GREGORIAN CHANT
VOL. XXXI, ISSUE I THEGREGORIANCHANT.COM OCTOBER 2014
Political controversies
Check out articles on the ISIS
crisis & Arizona state
elections on pg. 3
Tucson Streetcar
City invests in public
transportation with new
streetcar on pg. 10
T
he 2014 Homecoming was put together by
members of the Family Association, the Upper
School Student Council, the Middle School
Student Council, and the Athletic Department. For
the second year in a row it was held primarily on the
middle school campus.
As is tradition, diferent organizations from around
the school set up booths for fundraising. Tese
booths were run by a wide variety of organizations
like French club, Te Diamond Childrens Hospital,
and Grad Night.
Varsity mens soccer beat San Miguel 4-1 with goals
from senior Marcos Castillo, junior Skylar Decker,
sophomore JP Alvarenga, and Senior Miguel Quinac.
Varsity volleyball beat San Miguel 3-0 for the second
year in a row.
JV volleyball also swept San Miguel 2-0.
Middle School fag football beat St. Michaels 20-6.
By Raymond Roesler
Design Editor
H
ead of school Julie
Sherrill and the Board
of Trustees have de-
cided that after 33 years it was
time for a change. To much
public response, St. Gregory
College Preparatory School
has been changed to The Greg-
ory School.
The school has cited
the main reason for the name
change as trying to get rid of
confusion over the religious
affiliation of the school. How-
ever, the Board was hesitant
to remove the Gregory aspect
from the name.
Head of School Julie
Sherrill said,There was very
positive name recognition in
the community in association
with excellence, so you dont
want to lose the whole name.
There have been long-stand-
ing concerns over the St. in St.
Gregory scaring away poten-
tial students because they as-
sume the school is religiously
affiliated.
Sherill said, There was
significant confusion when
people heard the saint they as-
sumed that we were a parochial
school, so thats where I think
the board met in the middle.
Lets hold on to the Gregory,
but eliminate the confusion.
The name change has
elicited much opinion. Tom
Danehy, columnist at the Tuc-
son Weekly, wrote a scathing
900-word article criticizing the
name change. Danehy had many
colorful ways to describe the
name change, comparing it to
watching as your friend makes
a huge fashion mistake and also
to Coke changing their recipe.
Danehy states that the
name change has been slow to
catch on. If you were to spend
a day at The Gregory School
campus, it would be easy to un-
derstand Danehys point. On a
regular basis you hear teachers
, and students correcting them-
selves when they accidently
refer to the school as St. Greg-
orys.
According to a poll sent
out to the students by The Gre-
gorian Chant, eight out of ten
students do not approve of the
name change. Without the sup-
port of the students, it is hard
to envision the name change
catching on.
In Danehys article he
quotes an anonymous student
of The Gregory School. The
sophomore said, I go to St.
Gregory. I entered high school
at St. Gregory and three years
from now, Im going to gradu-
ate from St. Gregory.
Opinions like that have
prevented the name change
from catching on in a positive
manner. Without the support
from the current student body,
the name change will take much
longer be a success.
I was recently at a gather-
ing with parents of alumni, and
the main problem suggested was
all of the logistical problems of
changing the name like having
to change the scoreboards, bas-
ketball court, and school vans.
A few of these alumni
parents are upset because they
are the ones that originally
paid to put the previously used
logos on campus. As a gift to
the school one of these parents
spent thousands of dollars on
branding for the school ranging
from: painting the school vans,
to putting up a scoreboard and
painting the basketball court.
Now due to the name
change all of these things have
been undone, and they feel as
though their money, time, and
legacy have been ruined.
As a result of the lack of
support from students, parents,
and members of the Tucson
community like Danehy,
The Gregory School will
struggle to overcome the orig-
inal name St. Gregory.
DHRUV PATEL
A new sign has been placed at the entrance to the school so
students and parents can see it when they drive in to the
school in the morning.
October 2014 Te Gregorian Chant
Politics 2
By Sam Groskind
Reporter
By Ben Petersen
Online Editor
I
n todays exceedingly
partisan environment, right-
wing pundits are quick to
blame President Obama for the
current situation in Iraq and the
subsequent rise of the Islamic
State. Purveyors of this opinion
are eager to point out that when
President Bush left ofce, he left
behind a stable and functioning
Iraqi state. In truth, what Bush
left behind was a quasi-Iraqi
state, led by Iraqis hand-picked
by his administration, funded
by American tax dollars.
Bushs long term goal for
Iraq was for American military
advisors to remain in the
country until its new coalition
government was capable of
functioning and maintaining
security on its own. Then
came President Obama, whose
foremost campaign promise was
to end the war in Iraq. Obama
capitalized on the widespread
frustration with US involvement
in Iraq, presenting himself as an
alternative to John McCain, who
was widely perceived as someone
who would continue on the
path of Bush-era foreign policy.
Six years after he left ofce,
is it still fair to blame President
Bush for the current situation in
Iraq? In short, absolutely. Is this to
say that President Obama hasnt
made his fair share of foreign
policy blunders, with many
more to come? Absolutely not.
Critics of Obama insist that his
2011 deadline for the withdrawal
of all US forces from Iraq was
premature, and that the coalition
government was not yet ready to
take full responsibility. This is
certainly true, but so is the reality
that no amount of time, money,
or effort could have created
a lasting Iraqi government.
To understand the current
situation, we have to look back
at the politics that led up to this
point. The result of the 2003 US-
led invasion was the overthrow
of Saddam Hussein and the
ruling Baath party. The Baath
party, while entirely comprised
of Sunni Muslims, was a
secular government. However,
Saddam and members of his
regime were responsible for the
brutal persecution of Shias and
extermination of entire Kurdish
communities. This brutality
only worsened the centuries-
old hostility between the two
branches of Islam, and would
later cause Shias to retaliate.
After Saddams
government was overthrown, the
US instated a Shiite government
under the leadership of Nouri
al-Maliki. A witch hunt took
place to identify and prevent all
those who had been involved in
Saddams regime or associated
with the prior government from
having a position in the new
government. This effectively put
hundreds of thousands of Sunni
soldiers, administrators, and
local government employees out
of work. This was arguably the
most reckless policy of the Bush
Administration. In the years after
the ousting of Saddam, the US
invested over $60 billion dollars
in grants to rebuild Iraq, with $25
billion going directly towards the
formation of a new Iraqi military.
What have we to show
for this? The incompetence
of the Iraqi government is
staggering. The Iraqi people are
impoverished, and there are so
many suicide and car bombings
throughout the country on a daily
basis that many news outlets
have stopped reporting them.
Over the summer, the Iraqi army
came under intense scrutiny
after entire divisions deserted
their posts when confronted by
ISIS militants. Iraqi soldiers
stripped off their uniforms and
ed, leaving behind advanced
weaponry, along with scores
of tanks, trucks, and armored
personnel carriers all supplied
by the US government. In many
cases, the soldiers efforts were
futile. Islamic State militants
moved with astonishing
speed and often captured and
massacred the eeing troops.
In mid-September,
Congress authorized President
Obamas initiative to train and
arm moderate Syrian rebels in
an effort to combat ISIS. One
would hope that Obama and
those in Congress might have
learned from the mistakes of their
predecessors, primarily of Ronald
Reagan and George H.W Bush.
During the 1980s, the Reagan
Administration directed the CIA
to train and arm the Afghan
mujahideen in their ght against
the Soviet Union. President
Reagan referred to these men
as the moral equivalents of
Americas founding fathers. Not
long after their meeting at the
White House, these men would
take their American training and
arms and become the founding
fathers of al-Qaeda and the
Taliban. After Reagan came
President George H.W Bush,
who supplied Saddam Hussein,
of all people, with billions of
dollars in economic aid, an
enormous stockpile of chemical
and traditional weapons, and
invaluable military intelligence
to use in his ght against Iran.
Many of these weapons would
later be used by Saddam to
exterminate Kurdish and Shiite
communities, which is one of the
factors that led George W. Bush to
advocate for Saddams removal.
President Bush accused
Saddam of being a homicidal
dictator who is addicted to
weapons of mass destruction.
Why did Saddam only become
a homicidal dictator when he
started gassing a few thousand
Kurds in Halabja, when hed
been gassing tens of thousands of
Iranian troops for years? The irony
is incredible when you consider
the fact that it was President
Bushs own father who enabled
Saddam and fed his addiction.
Theres a saying that you
can lead a horse to water, but you
cant force it to drink. When Arab
nations are forced into freedom,
they have a habit of turning to
religion instead of democracy
and secularism. Sunnis will vote
for Sunnis, and Shiites will vote
for Shiites. This is something
weve seen over and over in
recent years, from Egypt to Gaza
to Libya. What many Americans
fail to understand is that elections
do not necessarily engender
democracy, a concept which is
foreign in many Arab nations.
This is the fundamental aw in our
perceived understanding of Arab
culture, and certainly President
Bushs most consequential
oversight regarding his foreign
policy. It is because of this
actuality that in most cases,
Arab nations are better off
under a secular dictator than a
democratically elected leader.
No one is arguing that Saddam
Hussein was a moral, upstanding
citizen, but it is difcult to
assert that Iraq and its neighbors
are better off without him.
The sudden and abrupt
rise of ISIS in Iraq came as
a shock to many in the West,
but whos to blame Sunnis for
jumping at this opportunity
after a decade of hardship and
oppression at the hands of Shias?
In hindsight, we should have
predicted this. To some, Obama
looks bad because he isnt
winning. This is the result of an
inherent lack of understanding
of the situation as a whole.
Some liken our relationship
with the Middle East to a double
edged sword, saying that we
cant win either way. For those
purveyors of Greek mythology, a
more accurate comparison would
be the Hydra. For every head
chopped off, two more grow
back, each more violent and
uncontrollable than the last. For
every innocent civilian killed at
the hands of American forces, an
entire community becomes lled
with anti-American sentiment.
There have undoubtedly been
presidents and particular policies
that have inamed the situation
more than others, but what we
have to come to terms with is that
there is no winning this game.
OFFICIAL WHITE HOUSE PHOTO COURTESY OF PETE SOUZA
ISIS: Whos to blame for its rise?
Campaigns gearing up for tight 2014 elections
C
andidates for statewide
and federal ofce in Ari-
zona faced an onslaught
of negative campaigning this
month in high-prole races pick-
ing up attention from across the
nation. Millions of outside dol-
lars have poured into the state to
fund attack advertisements be-
fore Arizonans head to the polls
on November 4th.
In Tucson, incumbent Con-
gressman Ron Barber (D) is fac-
ing challenger Martha McSally
(R) in a rematch of the 2012 Con-
gressional election that Barber
won by just 2,500 votes. A recent
CBS News poll shows candidates
for governor Doug Ducey (R) and
Fred DuVal (D) are neck-in-neck.
Although traditionally con-
sidered a Republican stronghold,
changing demographics and inde-
pendent voters have become the
wild card in Arizona elections.
Voters in Tucson and Pima Coun-
ty tend to be more liberal, but the
number of Democratic and Re-
publican Party voters is roughly
equivalent.
As a result, candidates in
high-prole elections for gov-
ernor and Congress are empha-
sizing their independence and
archbipartisanship in southern
Arizona to appeal to tempera-
mental voters.
Barber, a former aide to
Congresswoman Gabrielle Gif-
fords, was rst elected in a 2012
special election after being shot
twice during the Congress on
Your Corner event on January 11,
2011. His campaign touts his ex-
perience working with the com-
munity, bipartisanship in Con-
gress, his record on protecting the
A-10 and Medicare.
Martha McSally was the
rst female ghter pilot in the
Air Force. McSally has publi-
cized her political outsider status,
promising to work across with
both Democrats and Republicans
in congress to address border se-
curity and the economy.
Meanwhile, Doug Ducey
and Fred DuVal debated in Tuc-
son on September 18. Contested
topics included the issue of deny-
ing illegal immigrants state driv-
ers licenses, Arizonas income
tax rate, and funding for public
schools.
Ducey supports lower-
ing and eventually eliminating
the states income tax in a push
to attract businesses from other
states. He was elected as state
treasurer in 2011 after a stint as
CEO of Cold Stone Creamery, a
franchised ice cream store that
was sold in 2007 to a franchising
corporation.
Fred DuVal served as an
aide in the Clinton administra-
tion and as the chairman of the
Arizona Board of Regents, the
organization that governs Ari-
zonas three public universities.
DuVal also lobbied for green en-
ergy interests. According to Du-
Val, education is his top priority;
he would increase funding to the
public education system as an in-
direct method of bolstering eco-
nomic growth.
All four candidates have
been targeted by attack advertise-
ments from outside groups. In the
last few weeks, the Republican
Governors Association has aired
several advertisements attacking
Fred DuVal for his support of a
plan to address budget cuts that
doubled the cost of in-state tuition
for college students in Arizona.
National partisan groups
continue to air advertisements
attacking both Congressional
candidates Martha McSally and
Ron Barber. Their spending will
signicantly outpace the candi-
dates own spending on adver-
tising for the November election
in an attempt to persuade or even
dissuade local voters this fall.
3
Opinion Te Gregorian Chant October 2014
Te Gregorian Chant
Pursuing Excellence in
Scholastic Journalism
Better Newspapers
Best Small High School Newspaper
in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 & 2014!
Reporters:
Noah Sanders
Natalie Armstrong
Dhruv Patel
Jack Null
Madison Mainman
Sam Groskind
Valerie Yarova
The contents of the paper do not
necessarily reect the opinions or
views of the faculty, administration, or
trustees of the school, unless otherwise
indicated. Submit letters to school
address, chant@gregoryschool.org, or
call (520)327-6395
Faculty Advisor:
Robert Mossman
The Gregory School
3231 N. Craycroft Rd.
Tucson, AZ 85712
By Arii Sylvers
Managing Editor
By Chlo Durand
Editor-in-Chief
Editor-in-Chief:
Chlo Durand
Design Editor:
Raymond Roesler
Managing Editor:
Arii Sylvers
Copy Desk Chief:
Caitlin McCormick
Photo Editor:
Trianha Johnston
Online Editor:
Ben Petersen
Business Manager:
Karam Katariya
I
n the four years Ive been
in journalism, Ive found
myself reminiscing on
one past experience that the
rest of the Chant staff has be-
come all too familiar with:
On a crisp fall morning
in November, a FedEx box ar-
rived in the ofce. Inside were
300 copies of our latest issue,
a black-and-white, eight-page
issue. Opening it up to pages
4 and 5, a huge clip-art ghost
and pumpkin covered the entire
page, with the word BOO!
bolded in all caps coming out of
the ghosts mouth. No article ap-
peared on the entire page. It was
probably single-handedly the
most embarrassing moment in
Chant history, afrming that our
newspaper was indeed a joke.
Reecting back on that
time shows just how far we have
come. Last year, for the rst time
in The Chants history, we pro-
duced six color twelve page issues
and not once did we use a clipart
drawing. We obtained a couple
dozen subscriptions, several ad-
vertisements, and sponsorships
that secured us a decent amount
of funding. Most importantly, the
quality of our articles improved
tremendously, encouraging fac-
ulty and students to pick up a
copy and read it while they ate
their lunch or during their break.
This years Chant staff is
determined to capitalize on our
success from last year, in ad-
dition to the following goals:
1) Staff Organization:
Arii Sylvers, Raymond Roesler,
and myself all unanimously
agreed that organizing and out-
lining the roles of each staff
member would increase the ef-
ciency of the newspaper and
decrease last minute problems.
In collaboration with our faculty
advisor, Mr. Robert Mossman,
the Editorial Board created new
positions, such as Business Man-
ager, Copy Editor, Photo Editor
and Online Editor, in order to
streamline the production pro-
cess and make the creation of
the newspaper a little bit easier.
In addition, the Editorial Board
was re-organized so that Arii,
Raymond and I would be in
charge of three different sections
of the newspaper, unifying the
group as a whole and allowing
fewer last minute problems and
creating a clear go-to person.
2) Online & the TGS
Community: Each month we
receive about three different
local schools newspapers and
compare them to our own. We
quickly realized that all of them
had an online website with ad-
vertisements and featured con-
tent. While we do technically
have a website now, the edito-
rial board decided that having a
website with articles, photo gal-
leries, and upcoming events will
help us become a presence on
campus that students, faculty,
parents and alumni could go to
to keep up with the latest news.
3) Legacy: Since high
school doesnt last forever, it
is important for the senior staff
members to pass on their knowl-
edge to new journalists. So while
Raymond, Arii and I can write a
500 word article, layout a page
within an hour, take pictures, and
acquire advertisements last-min-
Letter from the Editor: October
ute, one of our main goals this
year is to pass on as much of our
knowledge as we possibly can to
rising members of the journal-
ism class in hopes that they can
continue the work that we have
done. The newspaper should
continue to ourish, even when
the seniors are gone, and with
the group of journalists we have
now, I am certain that the news-
paper will only continue to grow.
Te 2014-2015 staf from lef to right: Sam Groskind, Natalie Armstrong, Madi Mainman, Caitlin McCormick, Triahna
Johnston, Valerie Yarova, Ben Petersen, Chlo Durand, Karam Katariya, Noah Sanders, Arii Sylvers, Raymond Roesler,
and Jack Null. Not Pictured: Dhruv Patel
What happened to all of the TGS spirit?
H
omecoming season is coming
to an end and familiar scenes
of students wearing pajamas
in the hallways, sports teams preparing
for their showcase games, and posters
advertising the Homecoming Dance
are on every surface. Although these
are all typical homecoming sights, The
Gregory School obviously isnt a typ-
ical high school. Were a small com-
munity, so we dont have ordinary high
school experiences. However, I think
thats what makes our school so special.
Most of us have seen larger pub-
lic high schools display their school
spirit all over social media. Pep rallies
are lled with cheering and sometimes
painted fans, cheerleaders wearing school
colored ribbons that support perfectly
coifed ponytails and bands playing the
ght song are typical scenes from larg-
er schools. They enthusiastically take
part in spirit week activities, show up to
sports games by the busloads, and gener-
ally seem to have school pride. But even
in these environments its difcult to get
everyone to demonstrate school pride.
Could some of it be the plague of
the teenage years and not wanting to be
part of the status quo? Building school
pride and spirit is a problem at every
school, no matter the size. How do you
motivate someone to fully engage and
participate in anything, especially as a
teenager? As a student body, were re-
luctant to participate in school sponsored
activities, and I often hear grumblings
about our school as a whole. I have to
wonder if there is some reason for the
apparent lack of school spirit. I believe
school spirit is directly related to the
level of school pride and overall school
satisfaction. Maybe the problem is deeper
than not wearing a hat on crazy hair day.
Student Council has made a goal
this year to increase school spirit, but
how will they accomplish such a task
with the lackluster participation from
the student body? Students busy with
studies, sports, and extracurriculars can
sometimes view spirit week activities as
just another task. Generally the negative
attitude toward spirit week and school
pride activities are that they are lame.
When polled and asked what
would they like to do there are few re-
sponses or nonsense answers. The pre-
dicament of motivating and moving a
group of people is a dilemma for society,
businesses, schools and even families.
Our goal of building school spirit
needs to start with building school pride.
The place to start is focusing on what we
do have rather than what we lack. Where
else can you nd a more passionate group
of instructors and staff who are person-
ally committed to your success? What
other school gives you the chance to play
any sport that youre interested in without
the fear of not making the team? There
are amazing opportunities here that larg-
er schools cant possibly provide. These
things make the traditions and history at
The Gregory School worth taking pride in.
Bear down is a familiar chant here
in Tucson. When the University of Arizona
Wildcats win it actually affects enrollment.
School spirit is an emotional response and
sports are emotional! Theres nothing like
seeing a great attack to win the fth set
of a closely played volleyball game, the
excitement of watching a team pass the
ball and scoring a game winning goal in
the last seconds of the soccer game, or the
rush of watching a swimmer pull an arms
length ahead of the second place swimmer
to win the heat. Homecoming games are
games you never want to lose as an athlete
playing fall sports here because the whole
Gregory School community is watching!
If the whole school turned out for
every game, it would denitely inspire
the teams to play better and increase the
interest in athletics on our campus and
probably increase school spirit. Theres
nothing like chanting Go Hawks
with an adrenaline lled crowd dressed
in blue and white to create memories.
Since we dont have cheerleaders
here to lead us in school spirit, we should
make it a goal to create some high school
memories and show The Gregory School
pride. Attend the sporting events, root
for your favorite players, and go to the
dances and dance like nobodys watch-
ing. Wear your blue and white with pride!
Seniors during Homecoming dress up in
Hawks gear to cheer during the soccer
game.
CHLO DURAND
ROBERT MOSSMAN
Campus
October 2014 Te Gregorian Chant 4
New schedule
causes backlash
T
he Gregory School
administration made
signicant changes to
the daily schedule at the start
of the 2014 school year. Head
of School Dr. Julie Sherrill
and a scheduling committee
are responsible for the shorter
day that begins even earlier at
7:50 AM and ends at 2:30 PM.
The schedule remains
at odds with many teenage
students sleep schedules and
the recent recommendation
of the American Acadeny
of Pediatrics that all classes
should begin no earlier than
8:30 AM. The earlier start has
resulted in an uptick in morning
latenesses and more severe
consequences for late students,
including weekend detentions.
While the school kept its
signature block schedule with
four classes per day and eight
blocks in total, the administration
reduced the number of rotating
days to just two. A student will
have the same four classes one
day, but the next day they will
have their next four classes.
In the past, classes began at
8:00 or 9:00 AM, ending at 2:50
or 3:30 PM, with an optional
tutorial period after school
where students could meet with
their instructors. This year began
with a mandatory tutorial during
the rst part of lunch for Upper
School and during the second
part for Middle School students.
Upper School students
criticized the mandatory delay as
unnecessary and unproductive.
After consulting with the student
council, Sherrill modied
the tutorial requirement for
students with a GPA above
3.0 and swapped Middle and
Upper School student lunch.
Middle school students
now report to tutorial at 12:05
PM as Upper School students
head to the cafeteria for lunch; an
optional Upper School tutorial
rounds out the hour lunch period
as middle schoolers get their lunch
during the second half of the hour.
The Fifth grade also has a free
recess where they can go and play.
Upper School classes dismiss
thirty minutes earlier than last
year; middle school students get
out a full hour earlier. This change
was made to avoid conicts with
athletic competitions held at far
away schools. Freshman Addison
Mort said, Ending earlier is much
better. It helps if you have a lot
more stuff to do in the afternoon.
The administration also
eliminated weekly late starts,
replacing them with a monthly
11:00 AM start that lets out at
2:30 PM. Classes are just 40
minutes long to allow for faculty
professional development led
by history department chair
Dr. Michelle Berry.Signicant
confusion arose about lunch periods
during these late starts days, since
there is only a 30 minute break
and brunch is served before class.
A new after-school Encore
block for classes was also introduced
this year. This new Encore block
occurs after school from 2:35 pm
to 3:45 pm. Nine Encore classes
are offered, including AP Biology
Lab, Yearbook, Yoga, and Italian.
According to Sherrill, the
changes were made to accommodate
the wide range of student interests.
Sherrill said, Encore is just what I
call a pilot experience to see if we
can offer additional classes that
students want to take, but without
adding another constraint to what
is already a really tight schedule.
In the future, Sherrill hopes to
expand the offerings during Encore,
including classes like Marine
Biology, German, and Madarin.
Other in the administration
expressed concern about the
earlier start time after learning
about the medical ramications of
early classes for teenage students.
More structural changes
in TGS administration
S
ince the beginning of
the new school year at
The Gregory School
(formerly St. Gregory), there
have been tweaks in the
administrative structure on
campus. While there have
been no additions to the
administration this year there
have been modifications to
the roles of several members
of the faculty and staff.
The head of school,
Dr. Julie Sherrill, stated
during a recent interview,
Some students have different
learning plans here at The
Gregory School. Several
faculty members have taken on
the responsibility to provide
students who need it with
additional support, along with
additional communication
with parents of these students.
Several teachers
have taken on various roles
apart from their primary
teaching roles in order to
provide administrative
support to the school without
the school needing to hire
more administrators. We are
not currently in a financial
position to recruit new
administrators, Sherrill said.
So, we are grateful that
several faculty members have
volunteered to help us fill the
roles they are interested in.
Drama teacher, Mrs.
Lisa Bodden, is now the
Student Council advisor and in
charge of facilitating morning
meetings. Also, Spanish
teacher, Dr. Matt Teller,
and leadership teacher, Mr.
Brian Lorimer, are assisting
students, and communicating
with parents of students who
need extra attention. History
teacher, Dr. Michelle Berry,
is now helping with faculty
professional development.
The school has also
made Ms. Lori Barnett a full
time substitute teacher. She
did a great job teaching English
during the first semester,
Sherrill said. Also, I thought
that we needed some continuity
for students when their
teachers arent at school. Every
time a teacher needs to be out
of school, the beauty of having
someone always on campus
that builds relationships with
the teachers and the students.
If a teacher knows he or she is
going to be out on a certain day,
they can easily tell Ms. Barnett
in advance, because she is
around and easily accessible.
Barnett is also assisting Berry
in professional development.
Ms. Mary Babbitt, who
was last years Director of
Student Services, now has a new
title, the Director of Admissions
and Outreach. When asked
about Babbitt, Sherrill stated,
Because so many faculty are
now doing many of the things
she was doing last year, her
responsibilities are now much
more focused on the rebranding
of the school.As Director of
Admissions and Outreach,
she is now reaching out to the
community to to make sure the
schools new name is getting
spread around. This should
help us recruit more students
in the future, said Sherrill.
The school has also
been searching for a new
business manager, since their
former business manager, Carol
Baranowski, moved to La Jolla,
California. I have done a great
number of screenings and
interviews this past month. We
have now narrowed down our
prospective business managers
to about two or three people.
We are currently doing very
thorough reference checks on
three candidates, and we hope
to have one selected soon.
By Jack Null
Reporter
By Karam Katariya
Business Manager
Tuesday-Friday Regular Schedule:
Monday Late Start Schedule:
October 2014 Te Gregorian Chant Te Gregorian Chant October 2014 5
Will student council be able to follow
through on its promises this year?
D
uring the first few
weeks of school,
the upper school
student council (also known
as STUCO) was relatively
quiet. Besides a couple
announcements about paying
for the STUCO package
to get into all their events,
the school was in the dark
about who belonged to the
governing council and what
was planned for the year.
Unbeknownst to the
rest of the school, STUCO
was quietly working on a few
projects that have since been
introduced and implemented.
The first project
introduced was the House
system, modeled after a St.
Gregory Day theme about seven
years ago, in which all grades
were divided into separate
groups who collectively
earned points to be the victor.
At the end of last year,
STUCO thought about re-
introducing the House system
as a way to increase school
spirit, and encourage students
to participate in activities and
attend events. We decided to
mix grades and assign students
and faculty to the list randomly,
in the hopes that everyone
will meet someone new
through getting House points
together, said President and
senior Riley Matulewic. This
is Matulewics second year
serving on Student Council.
I believe the house
system implemented by
STUCO is ingenious and
incredibly unifying, said
sophomore Zakaria Lamri.
Some improvements that
would make the house
system better would be more
group activities where the
houses meet and compete,
tutorials where each house
is grouped together, and
perhaps more incentivizing
rewards for gaining
points in a certain house
Matulewic also
emphasized how the Student
Council was working towards
having a bigger presence in
the Tucson community, We
have a food drive lined up
for the month of October,
and Penny Wars set for the
month of November. I am in
the process of coming up with
a big Holiday thing, since we
are no longer hosting the MDA
Christmas Party/Toy Drive.
Junior and Treasurer
Brian Liu said, So far, the
general direction of student
council looks different from
what it has been in the past.
In my previous years, the
events and plans seemed fairly
formulaic and stale. Plan a few
dances, hold some fundraisers,
have St. Gregory Day, call it
done. It looks like this year
will be about breaking from
the routine, with respect to
both meetings and events.
Liu explained student
councils goal to rekindle
interest in school events
and school spirit. A lot of
STUCOs focus this year is
on school spirit and building
a sense of community, so I
hope the students warm to
the idea that they can have
fun as a whole school.
While the optimistic
and driven attitude of
the STUCO members is
inspiring, the council has a
history of promising large
and entertaining events, only
to fail through with these
same promises later on in
By Chlo Durand
Editor-in-Chief
Administration welcomes inaugural 5th grade class
I
n January of 2014, it was
decided by head of school
Dr. Julie Sherrill and the
board of trustees that The
Gregory School would add a
fth grade to the lower school.
The hope was that a fth
grade would increase overall
enrollment and enter the school
into the highly competitive
eld of elementary education.
To complete this goal,
at the beginning of the 2014-
2015 year a main fth grade
teacher, Margaret Scoeld,
and an assistant teacher, Amie
Bergersen, were hired, with
two classrooms devoted to
the grade. Scoeld has taught
students age pre-kindergarten
to sixth grade for over 30
years, notably at Sunrise
Drive Elementary School and
Castlehill Country Day School.
As a teacher, Scoeld
hopes to instill in the fth
graders critical thinking skills,
condence, and a willingness
to take risks in all aspects of
their education. She believes
that the openness of The
Gregory School campus and
the resulting independence it
provides are huge factors that
set this fth grade apart from
others in the Tucson community.
In its introductory year,
the fth grade boasts fteen
students. It operates as a separate
adjunct to the middle school,
with a different course list and
slightly modied schedule.
Fifth graders, however, are
welcome to participate in all
middle school extracurricular
sports, clubs, student council,
and any other activities.
Even just minimal time
spent with the fth graders
will quickly enforce the idea
that theyre really just like any
other class within The Gregory
School. The vast majority of
them are involved in two to
three clubs, and many play
sports both in and out of school.
In their classes, they study
complex issues like density, in
unique and entertaining ways.
Fifth grader Hannah Calonje said
she loves her teachers because
they make everything fun.
In one memorable example
provided by Calonje, the class
used rockets to study geography.
In their English studies, the class
traveled to the movie theater
on a Friday night to watch and
analyze the new lm adaptation
of the famous novel The
Giver after reading it in class.
A particular favorite
feature of the campus for the
fth graders is undoubtedly
the farm yard. Many of them
belong to the farm yard club,
and believe strongly that the
goats contribute something
special to the campus.
For most of the fth
graders, a dening factor of
their transfer to The Gregory
School was the wealth of
opportunities afforded to them
by a school that was previously
6-12, meaning that there are
strong extracurricular athletic
programs and clubs they can
participate in that enable them
to have more freedom than the
average fth grader. Fifth graders
Nicholas Mojica and Kris Bolds
both even said they were most
looking forward to becoming
involved with the Hawks
soccer team later this year.
Elisa Acuna, daughter to
Athletic Director Vic Acuna, said
of the increased independence,
At break we dont have to stay
in the classroom and stay right
where our teachers can see us.
We get to go to the cafeteria on
the high school side and have
time to play in other places.
The fth graders are
ecstatic to be at The Gregory
School; many of them are unable
to determine their favorite
characteristic of the school
because they love it all so much.
Although by large all of the
older students and faculty have
been very welcoming of the fth
the year. Matulewic and
Liu both credited these
previous failures to the
decaying internal dynamics
of the team in last years
article Student Council
needs some counseling.
Last year STUCO
hosted only four events -
Homecoming, one movie
night, the MDA Toy Drive,
and St. Gregory Day.
STUCO had also promised
more spirit events, a Casino
Night, and a Disco Dance,
all of which fell through due
to lack of planning. In fact,
the MDA Toy Drive almost
failed because not enough
toys were collected in time
With new leadership,
and new hopes and plans,
one can only wait to see
if this years STUCO
will actually follow
through on its promises.
grade, and the adjustment to a
new school has gone seamlessly,
Acuna does point out that she
knows some of the higher grades
might feel as though the fth
graders dont deserve to be here.
She responded, I just
want to let them know, although
we might not be middle
schoolers, were mature enough
to be here and we love it.
Perhaps in our times of
lack of school spirit, we could
all learn a bit from the fth
graders and their new exuberant
appreciation for the school.
By Caitlin McCormick
Copy Desk Chief
Riley Matuewlic - President
Karam Katariya - Vice President
Brian Liu - Treasurer
Gabi Ventola - Secretary
PHOTOS COURTESY
OF DHRUV PATEL
VALERIE YAROVA
Te new ffh grade class, composed of 15 students, poses together for a group picture.
Campus
6
Te Gregorian Chant October 2014 Sports
By Valarie Yarova
Reporter
T
he Gregory School vol-
leyball team this year
had to face various
changes in different perspec-
tives. One of them was many
new members; however, the
girls already managed to be-
come a supportive and strong
team. Our team consists of
plenty of experienced play-
ers plus all the girls connect
extremely well which makes
playing on the court easier,
says junior Janessa Guerrero.
Another important
change is the new coaches,
Angela Vande Mheen and Bri-
an Halbach. Angela decided to
become a coach at The Grego-
ry School because there was no
volleyball team at Green Fields
school, where she used to work.
My experience with The Greg-
ory School Volleyball Team has
been an outstanding one so far.
The girls are a warm, energetic
and a fun-loving group! They
treat each other with respect and
kindness, and do the same for
their coaches. Coming in as a
new coach, I did not know what
to expect from them, or our sea-
son, but they have proven them-
selves on and off the court,
revealed coach Vande Mheen.
Another important addi-
tion to the team this year was
Angelas assistant Brian, who is
an alumni of Green Fields. He
has volunteered as an assistant
coach for me in the past and
has been a wealth of knowledge
when it comes to ideas to make
the girls better. Brian is my sec-
ond pair of eyes during games,
finding holes on our opponents
floor during matches. As a JV
coach, he is undefeated, and
continues to push the girls dai-
ly, said coach Vande Mheen.
The coaches have seemed
to find a connection with the
team just like the girls: The
coaches this year are wonder-
ful, they work us hard but at
the end of the day we can all
laugh together. Both of the
coaches are hard working and
fun to be around. Our coaches
are there to help us get better
and within just a few weeks
of being with them, I have
seen major improvement in
not only myself but in the rest
of my team, said sophomore
and Junior Varsity captain Jes-
sica Hunter. The JV captains
this year are Jessica Hunter
and Emma Whittman, while
Alyssa Metcalf and Triahna
Johnston hold the positions
of the Varsity team captains.
They always know how
to encourage and bring you up
if youre having a bad day and
compliment you when youre
having a good one, said Guer-
rero about the JV captains. ...
They are always there to support
you when you are down on the
court, they keep the energy up
and never give you the feeling
that they are better than you just
because they are the captains,
said sophomore Jessica Hunter
about Johnston and Metcalf.
So far the team has won
eight games and only had
two losses. Even though The
Gregory School volleyball
team is extremely strong this
year, they still had to give all
they have in order to win. The
game against Desert Christian
was one of the biggest strug-
gles for the team this year.
It was the hardest
school we have played so far
this season, but we worked
really hard to beat them and
our hard work payed off,
said sophomore Whittman.
This years team seems
to do their best work and be
there for each other no mat-
ter what happens: There is
no division between upper-
classmen and underclassmen
because we include everyone
and we dont feel obligated to,
it just comes naturally, so we
are comfortable being weird
and crazy around each other,
concluded junior Guerrero.


Girls volleyball is stronger than ever
Swim looks ahead to states with promising team
By Triahna Johnston
Photo Editor
Senior captains Triahna Johnston and Alyssa Metcalf fght to keep
the ball alive against rival desert Christain.
CHLO DURAND
T
he swim team is off to a
positive start with new
additions to the team,
as well as returning swimmers.
This season is looking
great. We have a lot of
potential on the team, says
coach Andrew Wheeler.
Last year, none of
the swimmers qualified
for the state competition.
Wheeler is looking forward
to the possibility of having
several athletes participate
in the state competition.
I believe that several
athletes have a good chance of
qualifying for states especially
with the new workout
program we are starting
this week, says Wheeler.
At both of our tri meets
Ben Siemens has scored
high points, as well as both
Bridget Norman and Hannah
Emami, Wheeler added.
Sophomore Ben Siemens
said This season has been
short so far, but weve had two
good meets and everyone is
improving exponentially as we
continue through the season.
With several new
swimmers it was hard to
predict the outcome so early
in the season. The new
additions to the team are
improving rapidly according
to junior Bridgette Norman.
We have some brand
new swimmers, but weve
been training hard enough
that some people cant even
tell the difference. Going
from that, I think that the rest
of our season is going to be
challenging since some of us
are still learning. But, well
definitely swim hard and have
fun during it, Norman said.
The team still has some
big meets ahead of them. Since
there are only two divisions for
swimming, The Gregory School
swim team is forced to compete
against much larger schools.
The hardest meets will
be the ones against big schools.
Since there are only two
divisions in swim we have to go
against big teams, not just small
teams. Also every invitational
meet will be hard. There are
three of them and there will
be lots of pressure, because
you can only make a state cut
in an invitational meet, said
freshman Hannah Emami.
Several swimmers
compete individually
rather than in relays.
My season has gone
well, but I need to work
some more in practice to get
state times, said Siemens.
Siemens hopes to go to the
state tournament and compete in
several individual races as well
as compete with the relay team.
There is still room
for the team to improve
as the season continues.
I expect that the rest of
the season everyones times
will improve and hopefully
we will send boys and girls
relays and a few individual
events to states said Siemens.
Hopefully this year we
will have some swimmers
attend the state competition.
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
UPCOMING GAMES
SWIMMING
UPCOMING MEETS
Saturday, Oct. 25
@ Phoenix
Mike Ward Invitational
Thursday, Oct. 16
@ Fort Lowell
vs. Desert Christian & Sahuarita
Thursday, Oct. 23
@ Walden Grove
vs. St. Augustine
Tuesday, Oct. 22
@ Tanque Verde
vs. Tanque Verde
CHLO DURAND
Sophomore Elaine Wright swims the
backstroke at Catalina High School.
Saturday, Oct. 25
@ Duncan
vs. Duncan
Tuesday, Oct. 28
@ Home
vs. Academy of Tucson
7
Sports October 2014 Te Gregorian Chant
By Natalie Armstrong
Reporter
W
ith fall sports in full
swing at The Greg-
ory School, students
are adjusting to their new sched-
ules of tackling school, prac-
tice, games, and extracurricular
activities. Mens soccer is no
exception: its members are jug-
gling their tight schedules im-
peccably, already evidenced by
winning their rst game of the
season against Alta Vista 2-0.
Junior Skylar Decker,
who has been on the team since
his freshman year, said that the
opening win was huge for the
team because it was a goal they
had set long before the sea-
son started. He felt the team
worked together that day, result-
ing in their big win. Tori Sub-
lette, a junior and avid soccer
fan, watched the rst game and
said that she could feel the joy,
chemistry and companionship
the team exhibited after their
rst victory. She felt the team
worked as one with their consis-
tent passes and awless goals.
The boys started con-
ditioning before school start-
ed, which united the team and
helped them work as a cohesive
group. The boys faced a devas-
tating 3-0 loss against compet-
itors Desert Christian on Sep-
tember 11th, but that didnt hurt
team spirit. Sophomore player
Eric Johnson said that the loss
stung at rst, but he fueled him-
self and the team to ght harder
and bring it home the following
week for Homecoming. John-
son also said that if the lost fu-
eled anyone it was their coach
Jeff Clashman, who also teach-
es Latin in the Middle School.
Johnson said that Mr.
Clashman lled the boys with
spirit throughout the game and
the loss made Clashman even
more determined to work hard-
er than before and make sure
this was the boys only loss of
the season. The players feel as
though Clashman is working
harder than ever to train them
to be the best in the section.
Not only is Clashman
spreading team spirit, but The
Gregory School is going all out
for the boys this year with a
school-wide spirit week to sup-
port the team before their big
game. Despite the rainy weather
during the week of Homecom-
ing, the students still partici-
pated in a week of festivities.
Senior player Andrew Zlaket
said he was really excited for
the homecoming game, despite
his broken hand, and thinks that
this soccer season is going to re-
ally be something special. His
only concern is nding good
goal scorers. He thinks if the
team had exceptional ones they
could be the best in the section.
Despite being concerned
about players who could score,
Zlaket was optimistic about
the Homecoming game and the
boys beat San Miguel by an im-
pressive margin of 4-1. Senior
and co-captain Marcos Castillo
scored the rst goal of the game
soon followed by goals from
Skylar Decker, JP Alvarenga, and
Miguel Quinac. Davis Byrne, a
senior player on the team, said
that the sole factor in their vic-
tory was the level of school spirit
conveyed from the fans. Nearly
all the students came to watch
the Homecoming soccer game,
bringing a lot of loud cheering
and positive energy. If the stu-
dents of The Gregory School
keep up the school spirit there
is no doubt our soccer team will
be number one in the division.
Senior Andrew Zlaket chases the ball against a defender from Alta Vista during an
early game in September.
CHLO DURAND
Boys Soccer kicks of the season with a strong start
BOYS SOCCER
UPCOMING GAMES
New coach and new cross country team
By Arii Sylvers
Managing Editor
T
his seasons cross
country team shows
promise. After one meet,
the team is hopeful for the
remainder of the season. Senior
R.J. Prudic said about the
season, The cross country team
is coming together pretty good.
We have a lot bigger team than
last year. We got a new coach,
Robert Scribner, who ran pro
for a few years, so that brings
a lot of experience to the team.
The members of the
team are as follows: freshmen
Kai Morfin, Addison
Mort, Sebastian Quintana,
sophomore J.P. Alvarenga,
juniors Keely Breedlove,
Gabi Ventola, Yuxi Xia, and
seniors R.J. Prudic, Jacob
Sabino and Eliza Saunders.
The cross country team
has gained new members.
Freshman Kai Morfin said,
Its different, and Ive
never done cross country for
school before, so its fun.
Fellow freshman
Sebastian Quintana is excited
about starting a new sport as
well. Quintana said, Its a new
experience; its really fun.
Some of them seem to
mess around sometimes, but
they get the work done, Prudic
said about his new teammates.
Freshman Addison Mort is
adjusting to the new sport.
Mort said, Its fun; a lot of
running though. But still fun.
Their first meet was a
big success, Prudic placed
second and Kai Morfin placed
seventeenth out of 86 runners.
Everyone else ran well,
said Jesse Vondracek, the
other cross country coach.
Unfortunately, Keely
Breedlove, a junior and a talented
runner, could not participate in
their first meet due to an injury.
The team has high
hopes for the season.
According to Prudic, Making
state, is his ultimate goal.
CROSS COUNTRY
UPCOMING MEETS
Thursday, Oct. 23
@ Walden Grove
vs. St. Augustine
Thursday, Oct. 16
@ Lourdes Catholic
vs. Lourdes Catholic
Wednesday, Oct.15
vs. Flowing Wells & Buena
Wednesday, Oct. 22
@ Tanque Verde
vs. Tanque Verde & Pusch Ridge
Saturday, Nov. 1
Division IV Sectional Meet
Location & Time TBA
PHOTOS COURTESY OF MONIKA GLOSSELEIN
Junior Keely Breedlove runs
towards the fnish line. Senior captain RJ Prudic leads in frst place during a race.
Monday, Oct. 20
@ Home
vs. Wilcox
Tuesday, Oct. 21
@ Home
vs. Immaculate Heart
Campus October 2014 Te Gregorian Chant 8
International program expands as local enrollment shrinks
T
he international student program
at The Gregory School has contin-
ued to grow, despite a long-term
trend of declining local enrollment. 272
students enrolled in grades 5-12 and TGS
welcomed a total of 18 international stu-
dentsthe largest number so far in school
historyfrom Brazil, China, Ukraine, and
Vietnam.
The international program grew
slowly, starting ve years ago with just
two students. We started getting inquiries
from students from China, said Director
of International Programs, Susan Warren,
because currently theres a huge amount
of students in China who want to study in
the United States.
In fact, there are over 60,000 Chi-
nese students studying at high schools
across the country this year. Warren de-
scribes several different motivations for
Chinese students to study abroad, includ-
ing intense competition for college admis-
sions and jobs in China, and a rigorous ed-
ucational system without a lot of room for
creativity.
We cannot choose our own class-
es and everybody has the same class, said
senior Jiaming Li, an international student
from China. Li said there are eight classes
per day, and she appreciates the extra free
time she has in the US. On moving to the
US, Li said, It was a family decision.
Li has lived with three host fam-
ilies, and she is enjoying this year. Last
year, it was kind of hard for me. They had
two kids so it was hard to get along with
the kids. She plans to study design after
she graduates this year.
The school initially worked with
an agency to locate qualied candidates,
but word-of-mouth referrals have in-
creased as the program has grown. I think
most students come to us because they
are looking for an academically rigorous
school and have heard good things about
The Gregory School, said Warren.
Students in the pro-
gram come to the United
States without their parents,
staying with relatives or a
school-sponsored host fam-
ily. The school provides En-
glish language learners with
dedicated ESL courses, sup-
port services, and a compre-
hensive orientation after as-
sistance with the application
process and immigration.
Since the program
began ve years ago, seven
international students have
graduated from The Grego-
ry School so far, all of whom
have continued their education in the Unit-
ed States.
I remember a time when Chi-
na was considered the enemy, said Lin-
da Mount, a history teacher in the Up-
per School. My experiences with these
students have been fun, rewarding, and
mind-expanding.
In total, 85 new students joined
The Gregory School this year, with 15 in
the all-new fth grade. 116 students are
currently enrolled in the middle school,
while 156 are enrolled in the high school.
Three international students are in the
middle school; the other 15 are in the high
school.
According to Director of Admis-
sions and Outreach Mary Babbitt, the 2014-
By Ben Petersen
Online Editor
PHOTOS COURTESY OF DHRUV PATEL
15 year marks the tenth year in a trend of
shrinking enrollment at the school, but
Babbitt is optimistic about the future.
I think we have a lot of work to
do in the area of enrollment, said Babbitt.
She described the challenges the school
has faced, especially increased competi-
tion from charter schools in a tough econ-
omy.
Babbitt said, BASIS has been
hard on our enrollment, especially at the
6th grade level. However, I feel as though
we are really going to be able to come
back. The administrations target enroll-
ment for next year is 300 students. As of
now, the administration remains unsure
whether to continue growing the interna-
tional program.
International admissions director Susan Warren talks to new international
students about the upcoming school year.
A new international student studies his textbook
during class.
October 2014 Te Gregorian Chant Te Gregorian Chant October 2014
9
Profles
PHOTOS COURTESY OF TRIAHNA JOHNSTON
Danny Benson has just entered
his seventh year at The Gregory School.
Since sixth grade, he has been known on
campus as an outstanding student ath-
lete. My favorite class is astronomy. Its
just so interesting Ive always wondered
whats out there, said Benson. Howev-
er, his enthusiasm for astronomy isnt the
only thing he is excited about this year.
I really enjoy sports. This year
I will be playing soccer, basketball,
and baseball. I also really enjoy play-
ing golf on the weekends. This year,
Benson became captain of the soc-
cer team and will return as captain of
the baseball team. If I couldnt play
sports, I would probably spend more
time on my homework, Benson joked.
One of Bensons best friends,
Andrew Zlaket, has known Danny since
elementary school at Castlehill. Zlaket
said, Danny is extremely competitive
and athletic. When asked about his
aspirations, Benson said, Ive always
wanted to be a pro baseball player. Since
that wont happen, I just hope I can be
happy and successful. Benson plans to
major in business or engineering, and
is applying to a wide range of schools
where he plans to continue his education.
Those who know Benson best
describe him as compassionate. Zlaket
said, Hes an amazing, caring person
who will always be there for you.
Hell always have your back no
matter what. He has one of the big-
gest hearts and I love him to death.
Danny is a significant
charter member of the Canyon
Pong Club. His many athletic abil-
ities, along with a willingness to
persevere, are evident. More im-
portantly, he demonstrates a com-
passionate and considerate spirit.
He makes the game fun and is al-
ways magnanimous whether he
has won, lost, or is refereeing a
game, said art teacher and Canyon
Pong Club advisor Virginia Encila.
Beyond the field, Ben-
son belongs to an organization
called Young Dreamers Tucson.
Once a month, a group of
Tucson teens participate in a com-
munity service project. They also
spend some of their summer va-
cation traveling to places such as
Guatemala to do additional ser-
vice projects. If I had more time,
I would definitely do more com-
munity service. I would love to
see this organization grow and get
some more kids from The Greg-
ory School to join, said Benson.
Bensons dedication to help-
ing the community and his love for
all sports make him a outstanding
leader on several of The Grego-
ry School athletic teams and in
community service organizations.
J
ulia Goes is a senior and a new stu-
dent at The Gregory School. Goes
is from Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
Goes came to Tucson to live with her rel-
atives and study at The Gregory School.
Goes said, My relatives knew that The
Gregory School was a very good school
especially for Tucson so they want-
ed me to go here. Goes also really
wanted to come and study here. So far
Goes has really enjoyed her stay here.
Prior to coming to the United
States and to The Gregory School, Goes
has had six years of English. She also
has been to the United States five times
before. She wanted to come to the Unit-
ed States so that she could improve her
English and learn more about American
culture, but she will only be here for six
months and in school for one semester.
Goes said that, The Gregory
School was very welcoming and that
made her happy to be going here. Skye
Algosaibi- Jones said, I am really ex-
cited that Julia decided came to The
Gregory School. She is really nice and
I have enjoyed getting to know her. I
think it is cool that she is from Bra-
zil because then we get to learn some
of Brazilian culture. Algosaibi-Jones
added, I really hope that she can stay at
The Gregory School for the second se-
mester because I enjoy being with her.
Her favorite extracurricular
activity is playing volleyball. Goes is
part of the volleyball team, but does
not play. Grace Herrick, another mem-
ber of the team said, She is very sup-
portive of the team. She shows up to
every single practice and helps us out.
She also attends every game with the
team. In every game she helps with
keeping stats and she also cheers for
us which really keeps the team posi-
tive. I just admire her commitment even
though she does not play in the games.
Alyssa Metcalf, captain of the
varsity team added, I really enjoy hav-
ing Julia on the team because she always
has a positive attitude. I also really ap-
preciate that she comes to every practice
and game even though she cannot play.
When she returns to Belo Hor-
izonte, she plans on graduating high
school and going to University. She
wants to go to the University in Belo
Horizonte and major in engineering
and return to the United States to study
abroad for graduate school. Alterna-
tively, she could finish high school at
The Gregory School and attend col-
lege in the United States. If Goes re-
turns to school in Belo Horizonte she
said, I would like to come for a year
as a exchange student in universi-
ty here and maybe graduate school.
Goes is still deciding on go-
ing to The Gregory School for the
rest of the year and staying for col-
lege. But, she is definitely stay-
ing for the rest of this semester.
Danny Benson 15 Julia Goes 15
By Triahna Johnston
Photo Editor
By Noah Sanders
Reporter
Check us out online!
TheGregorianChant.com
520.248.1611
Reviews October 2014 Te Gregorian Chant
10
By Caitlin McCormick
Copy Desk Chief
New streetcar increases public transportation use
O
n July 25, 2014, the
brand-new Tucson Sun
Link streetcar opened
to 17,000 eager citizens excited
to take their rst ride. Cover-
ing 3.9 miles in Central Tucson,
the streetcar route includes the
University of Arizona Campus,
the Main Gate and 4th Avenue
shopping and entertainment
districts, Downtown Tucson,
the Tucson Convention Cen-
ter, and the Mercado District.
Despite its recent arriv-
al, the planning of the Tucson
streetcar system has been a long
time coming. The original vote
to approve the implementation
of the streetcar was made in May
2006, although ofcial construc-
tion on phase one of the project
wasnt commenced until April
2012. The streetcar is just one
aspect of a 20-year, $2.1 billion
regional transportation plan cre-
ated by the Tucson City Council.
As is customary in many
projects, the actual construc-
tion time for the streetcar rail-
way proved to be much longer
than the estimated time; ofcials
promised the streetcar would
open in late 2013, while the sys-
tem didnt ofcially open until
mid-2014. Construction de-
lays, as well as additional, un-
expected costs that caused the
project to total at $75 million
(excluding operational costs)
have caused many Tucsonans to
question the value of the project.
According to a poll con-
ducted by The Gregorian Chant,
only 21% of the student body has
taken a ride on the streetcar, but
59% of those who had enjoyed
their experience. Unfortunately,
due to the fact that the streetcar
covers only 3.9 miles in a fairly
spread-out city, it does fail to act
as a convenient option for much
of The Gregory School student
population, and Tucson at large.
As someone who lives
directly along the route of the
Tucson streetcar and watches
it pass my house daily, I have a
complicated relationship with
it. During the construction of its
rails on my block and Main Gate
Square, the road was completely
blocked off for three hot summer
months with large, unattractive
gates. This made traveling to the
numerous shops and restaurants
on this area difcult for many
Tucsonans, myself included.
Although I understand the
necessity of construction during
the summer to avoid inconve-
niencing the large college pop-
ulation, it denitely had a mea-
surable impact on the already
struggling small businesses in a
difcult recession. In only a few
months, numerous shops in both
Main Gate Square and on 4th Av-
enue had announced their closure.
Nonetheless, I was excit-
ed for the opening of the street-
car, particularly after watching
it drive past my house multiple
times a day during its months of
testing. It boasted eight Made in
America vehicles, which each
hold 148 passengers, a cheap one-
way $1.50 fare, and a supposedly
convenient swipe fare card sys-
tem. Not to mention, as someone
unable to drive, like much of The
Gregory School student body, the
streetcar provided me with an easy
mode of transportation. It also has
air conditioning an easy sell.
Unfortunately, when I rode
the streetcar for the rst time in
early August, I wasnt impressed.
Obviously, the streetcar pos-
sesses all of the normal imped-
iments of public transport: you
often encounter a long wait, as
there are only six cars at maxi-
mum used at a time and only so
many stops. The streetcar is also
crowded, and you should be pre-
pared to ride without a seat if
you take it during the weekend.
Additionally, the streetcar is
just plain slow. If youd like to get
somewhere within a few blocks
quickly, you could get there much
more rapidly if you just ride your
bike. For someone like me, who
lives along the route and might be
considered the target benefactor
of the project, walking is denite-
ly more efcient in the long run.
Finally, of the ve times
Ive tried to ride the streetcar
in the past month, the vending
machine at the stop nearest to
my house has been out of order
twice, failing to accept cash or
cards. You might hope that such
a highly anticipated contribution
to our community would be a lit-
tle more streamlined and reliable.
Ultimately though, plenty
of Tucsonans have loved their ex-
perience on the streetcar and the
service it provides to our com-
munity, regardless of its aws.
Perhaps its greatest gift to the
Tucson area is an elevation of
our city as a large metropolis; it
puts us among the presence of
other modern, highly populated
American capitals from Den-
ver, to Portland, to Boston, the
streetcar provides Tucson with
a much-needed modern edge.
By Madi Mainman
Reporter
Te Maze Runner:
A-maze-ed by the movie
T
he Maze Runner, starring
Dylan OBrien (MTVs
Teen Wolf), is the story of
a fearless teenager who changes
everything in a dystopian future
world. Sounds familiar, right? It
is extremely similar to movies
Divergent and The Hunger
Games. Both of these movies
were based on best selling nov-
els, and The Maze Runner is no
different, as it was adapted from
James Dashners best seller pub-
lished in 2009. The movie obvi-
ously is a bit different in plot and
characters, but if you liked these
other lms, then you will de-
nitely like The Maze Runner.
The main character, Thom-
as, wakes up in a strange place
called the Glade surrounded by
a group of other boys and he
has no memory of the outside
world save from a few confus-
ing dreams about W.C.K.D.,
the organization that put them
there. Thomas quickly learns
that the boys are surrounded by
a massive maze and have been
trying to nd a way out for three
years. Somehow Thomas knows
there is something that sets
him apart from the other boys
and from the moment Thomas
sets foot in the Glade, every-
thing begins to change. Thom-
as knows they need to escape
soon, and he is willing to break
all the rules in order to succeed.
If you have read the novel,
you will not be disappointed in
the movie. The characters are
cast well, except, I was upset
with the character Gally, who
was played by Will Poulter
from We Are the Millers.
The whole time I kept pictur-
ing him in an RV singing Wa-
terfalls in a ridiculously high
voice. Although, apart from
that the movie was an excel-
lent adaptation of the novel.
I would recommend read-
ing the novel prior to watching
the movie as it may have been a
bit more difcult to follow with-
out the extra details in the nov-
el. Also if you have not read the
whole trilogy, the ending may
be a bit unsatisfactory, as it is
not a determinant ending. With-
out the second and third novels,
the viewers will have to wait a
year in order to reach the con-
clusion of Thomass journey.
Overall I would strong-
ly recommend this movie to
anyone, as it is appropriate for
anyone. It is an exciting and en-
gaging piece of science ction
lmmaking that keeps view-
ers on the edge of their seats.
While tting into the same
genre as movies like Divergent
and The Hunger Games, it still
has a rather simple backstory
that makes it easier to follow
the premise with less explana-
tion. Disregarding its relation
to any other young adult mov-
ies, it is still a solid science c-
tion lm with great young ac-
tors and an awesome storyline.
A
ll the hype is back again
for the new Apple iP-
hone, but is it really that
great? Apple has announced
their new iPhones and the new
Apple Watch. Hype abounds
for the next generation of the
beloved Apple phones. This
time around, Apple has decid-
ed to make two versions of the
iPhone 6. The larger iPhone 6
is called the iPhone 6 Plus,
whereas the regular iPhone is
just known as the iPhone 6. The
iPhone 6 has a diagonal length
of 4.7, while the iPhone 6 Plus
has a diagonal length of 5.5.
Apple had a lot of pres-
sure to compete with Sam-
sung, LG, and HTC. The new
Samsung Galaxy S5 features
a water resistant casing that
will work underwater for up
to 30 minutes. The galaxy
also features a 16 megapixel
camera, which is much larg-
er than the iPhone 6 with an 8
megapixel camera. Mathemat-
ically, the camera is two times
better than the iPhone 6s.
Along the lines of An-
droid phones, LG has their new
LG G3, which has a screen
resolution of 2560x1440p and
a ppi of 538. Ppi is an abbre-
viation for the amount of pix-
els per one square inch. To
most of us, ppi simply means
how crisp and clear the screen
looks. The new iPhone 6 has a
ppi of 326. So, a top of the line
Android has a better looking
screen than an iPhone by miles.
You may be looking at
these numbers and saying, Why
would I want an iPhone 6 or 6
Plus if the Android phones have
all this stuff? Many people are
asking themselves this question
including myself. I looked at the
base price of the new iPhone 6
plus, which is $300. I went to
the Verizon phone store to see
how the competition looked,
and I picked up a new LG G3
with 32GB of storage for $250.
I was also able to pick up an ex-
tra 64GB of storage for just $30.
That means I have 96 GB of stor-
age for around $300. The best
comparison would be an iPhone
6 plus with 128 GB of storage
for $500. On average, you would
save about $200 by buying a LG
G3, which is almost enough to
buy a whole new phone. With all
of the money you save not buy-
ing an iPhone, you could go buy
yourself a top of the line Android.
So why should anyone buy
an iPhone 6 over a top of the line
Android? The simple answer:
its an iPhone. It looks nice,
feels nice, and it is a big sta-
tus symbol. I want to state that
I have nothing against Apple,
I have owned an iPhone 5 for
two years, but I am just begin-
ning to realize how great these
Android phones are. Anyways,
Apple has always had reliability
on their side. This is where they
really outshine their competi-
tion because the phones rarely
stop working. With Android,
glitches sometimes occur. The
glitches dont really affect any-
thing, but they can be annoying.
The real question still re-
mains. Should I shell out $300-
$500 for a new iPhone or should
I just go buy the leading com-
petition for less? Personally, I
would choose an Android and
use the money you saved to go
buy something else. If you want
a better screen and camera, go
get yourself a new Android. If
you want a nice looking phone
that is reliable, go get a new iP-
hone. But, you should look at the
prices and comparisons to really
see the differences before you go
spend $500. Unless you want to
go spend hundreds to look cool,
you should really consider An-
droid before Apple as an option
for a phone this time around.
By Jack Null
Reporter
New iPhone is bigger &
better than ever
Photo courtesy of tucsontopia.com
Reviews
11
Te Gregorian Chant October 2014
S
honda Rhimes, writer of
popular television shows
Scandal and Greys
Anatomy, recently produced
the new ABC hit How to Get
Away with Murder. The show
chronicles the trials and tribu-
lations of Middleton law school
professor Annalise Keating
(Viola Davis), and her stu-
dents Wes Gibbons (Alfred
Enoch), Connor Walsh (Jack
Falahee), Michaela Pratt (Aja
Naomi King), and Asher Mill-
stone (Matt McGorry) who get
caught up in a murder plot.
Due to Rhimes previ-
ous successes, many were
drawn to watch this new se-
ries. The pilot episode was
viewed by over fourteen mil-
lion Americans. As a fan of
Scandal, I too was excited
to watch it, and Im glad I did.
What I found intriguing
about the show is the differ-
ence in settings and tones of
the show. From the lecture hall,
to the courtroom, to Professor
Keatings house, the drama
continues. The show has proved
that even a pep rally can become
a murder scene. Also, there is
a compelling use of flash for-
ward scenes in the show, show-
ing a sharp contrast between
the students before a scandal-
ous murder and afterwards.
Typical of any Rhimes
drama, the acting is exception-
al and convincing. Academy
Award nominee Davis is capti-
vating as both a serious and con-
fident lawyer, and a broken wife
worried for the state of her mar-
riage. Keating she is an intimi-
dating professor, a manipulating
lawyer, and a suspicious wife.
The show is also giving
many young and relatively un-
known actors the opportunity to
showcase their talents. Enoch is
given a spotlight as the bright-
eyed scrappy lawyer, who was
lucky enough to be brought
off of the waitlist and into the
program. The bambi-like actor
is best know as Dean from the
Harry Potter movie franchise.
The show is also gaining no-
toriety for the creation of a
gay character, Connor Walsh,
played by newcomer Jack Fala-
hee. Walsh is confident, witty,
and his morals are question-
able, but he is one of the most
likeable characters in the series.
My one complaint so
far is the somewhat forced re-
lationship between Wes and
his unfriendly and mysteri-
ous neighbor Rebecca Sut-
ter (Katie Findlay.) Although
there have only been a few
episodes of the series, their
dialogue doesnt lend itself to
the googly eyes the two share.
As a fan of Rhimes
Scandal, I find the show a lot
easier to follow. Most of that is
due to the fact that the dialogue
moves a lot slower, and it is
closer to a mystery than a thrill-
er. However viewers can expect
the same lies, backstabbing, and
danger that was in Scandal.
The series airs every
Thursday night at 10:00 p.m.
Season premieres:
How to get away with murder & American Hororr Story
By Arii Sylvers
Managing Editor
By Chlo Durand
Editor-in-Chief
Photo courtesy of eurweb.com Photo courtesy of inexwetrust.com
T
he circus has long been
revered as a source of
fun entertainment for
families and children across
America, which only makes it
more powerful as the theme of
Ryan Murphys American Hor-
ror Storys Season 4. Murphy
and co-director Brad Fulchuk
have created a story that exam-
ines the stories behind each of
the circus workers, otherwise
known as freaks. The result is
a vivid and gruesome look into
a failing Freak Show during the
mid-1950s in Jupiter, Florida.
American Horror Sto-
ry is unique in that each sea-
son contains a completely new
plot and theme. In the past,
the themes have been centered
on a murder house during the
modern day, an asylum in the
1960s, and most recently a
witch coven that alternates be-
tween the 2000s and the 1800s.
Jessica Lange, known for
her other movie roles in King
Kong and Frances, has been
the main character for the past
two seasons and has always
delivered a stunning perfor-
mance, whether she a glamorous
all-powerful witch, or a south-
ern belle. This season she takes
on the role of a German woman
who travels America in search of
new talent for her Freak Show.
It will be exciting to
see her character develop-
ment over the course of the
season and see whether her
dream of becoming a famous
singer will come true or not.
A new character that
veteran American Horror
Story star, Sarah Paulson,
takes on is conjoined twin sis-
ters Bette and Dot Tattler.
In a press release about
Paulsons character, Murphy
said, On average, if you have
a two-person scene maybe it
will take ve hours. If Sarah
Paulsons character is in it, its
around 12-20. Its incredibly
grueling and very draining on
Sarah but she really went for it.
All three seasons of
American Horror Story have
been truly amazing, but judg-
ing by the rst episode sea-
son 4 will be truly exceptional.
Backpage October 2014
12
Staff Picks: Most embarrassing moment from high school
A
t the beginning of last
year, The Gregory School
welcomed the new head,
Dr. Julie Sherrill. Sherrill hoped
for many changes in her rst year,
but some werent able to happen.
Some changes were num-
ber effected to help the school
nancially. This meant letting
people go to reduce the number of
positions, and this meant chang-
ing positions for some people.
Including eliminating the mid-
dle school and high school head.
Other people were let go to
help the school nancially like
Mr. Roberts. Dr. Sherrill felt many
positions were to aid the student
body like Mr. Roberts position as
the dean. Sherrill said, What I en-
visioned was a position that truly
focused on the care and well-be-
ing of students from the time we
consider you as a student being
admitted in to St. Gregory [Last
year before the name change]
until commencement day.
The positions for these
services were consolidated
into the Director of Student
Services given to Ms. Bab-
bit. This eliminated other peo-
ple jobs to help with nances.
With the name change this
year, Ms. Babbits job changed
to help the school to be positive-
ly recepted with the new name
and increase the enrollments.
This meant that the student ser-
vices position needed more help
from the faculty like Mr. Lorimer
and Ms. Barnett. Sherrill want-
ed to create one position that
covered all student services, but
after one year she chose more
faculty to help student services.
Letting go of Mr. Rob-
erts raised questions about the
Kenya trip, 12 hour STG (now
TGS), ropes course, and retreats.
The Kenya Trip did happen last
year and will happen this year.
Grade level trips will continue
this last year with Mr. Lorimers
help. However, the 12 hour and
ropes course havent happened.
For the ropes course to happen
would result in at least 15,000
dollars for repair and new equip-
ment. The 12 hour could have
happened, but Sherrill wanted
a proposal from motivated stu-
dents for the event, and she is
still willing to do it this year.
Last year, Sherrill informed
the journalists that she wished for
a sweet spot of about 350-400
students. She felt that this was the
right number for TGS while being
able to operate perfectly in terms
of nance. However, this year
there was a drop in the number
of students and her sweet spot
compared to last year. Drop in
her sweet spot went from 350-
400 to 300-350 students. Sherrill
said, In fact I worry about 400
now...350 would be fantastic.
She felt enrollment growing more
than 350 would require a mas-
ter plan to expand or improve
classrooms and even the campus.
In her rst year Sherrill
wanted to increase enrollment by
the 2014-2015 year, but there was
a drop in enrollment. Sherrill has
proposed new ideas to increase
enrollment. One idea is to vis-
it big companies like Raytheon,
so they reference our school to
the workers with families that
recently moved here to Tucson.
Another idea was to add a
5th grade which has successfully
opened to help compete with other
schools and retain more students.
Sherrill formed a new retention
committee consisting of middle
school faculty. This committee
would look over the things
that work or do not work
in terms of 8th graders
staying for 9th grade.
Last year, Sher-
rill was hoping to sit
in classes for im-
provement, but
she wasnt able to
as much. How-
ever, she plans
to sit in more
classes this year,
so she able to pro-
vide more feedback
for improvement
or be able to use that
information when inform-
ing others about the school.
By Dhruv Patel
Reporter
Dr. Sherrill refects on frst year and whats to come
SAM GROSKIND
Head of school Dr. Julie Sherrill poses for a quick picture.
A) Chlo
Durand
B) Valerie
Yarova
C) Madi
Mainman
D) Dhruv
Patel
E) Karam
Katariya
F) Natalie
Armstrong
G) Raymond
Roesler
H) Caitlin
McCormick
I) Triahna
Johnston
J) Ben
Petersen
K) Sam
Groskind
L) Arii
Sylvers
M) Noah
Sanders
N) Jack
Null
1) When I accidentally sent a screenshot of our con-
versation to the person I was having the
conversation with...
2) My GPA.
3) When I got a 27 on my Chemistry nal.
4) I dated the same girl three times.
5) When I accidentally sent a snapchat saying so
and so is so annoying to the person I was talking
about.
6) When I tripped over a log and face planted during
the freshmen retreat.
7) When I caused a car accident right in front of
school.
8) When I tripped, fell, and the entire grade saw.
9) When I was laughing so hard I spat out all of the
Sprite I was drinking.
10) Getting a speeding ticket, and almost caused a
car accident with my friends while turning left on a
green light.
11) When I complained about a teacher really loudly
as they walked by.
12) Got into a car accident when I was parked in a
parking lot.
13) Getting chased down a parking lot by a Russian
woman after I cut her off.
A n s w e r s :
1 L , 2 K , 3 I , 4 G , 5 M , 6 A , 7 C , 8 J , 9 N , 1 0 D , 1 1 H , 1 2 F , 1 3 E .