The Show Must Go On: How the Theater Program is Adapting for its Upcoming Play, Pippin

January 29, 2021

By Ethan Potoczak ‘21

COVID has forced many things to change, especially for the performing arts. There are thousands of challenges of performing a show during a global pandemic, and a thousand more new challenges for performing a musical during COVID. What is beautiful about the Saint Ignatius theatre program is that it is students solving these issues. Departments have needed to be cut, scale has needed to be minimized and expanded dramatically in many cases, and the pressure is on.

Saint Ignatius is one of a few high schools within the Greater Cleveland area which is performing a musical this spring, and the group is determined to present the best experience possible. Every show over the past four years at Saint Ignatius has been students running the shows with adult mentors. Students have built sets designed to keep performers safe from COVID, students have designed and wired all of the lights, students deal with the sound systems, and students deal with everything else from a technical perspective. The theatre program is working closely with the Cleveland Clinic to make sure that everyone stays as safe as possible while still having a show to perform. Many ambitious plans are being worked out for Pippin, things that you are not going to want to miss!

Here’s a short Q&A from our director, Mr. David Hoover ‘03:

How are things different this show vs shows pre COVID?

“The biggest difference is the amount of people we can have involved. We’ve had to shrink each department but we cannot shrink the spectacle of the show.”

Has changed your view on plays/musicals in general?

“Theater is meant to be live. Movies are meant to be filmed. Trying to cross the two just doesn’t work well. Some may say that that thought-process is too limited and that, if you are creative enough, you can find a solution, but it really doesn’t work. I hate saying that because a lot of theaters NEED to be online right now to survive. At the end of the day, though, as soon as things can get back to normal, you will see every theater do so.”

Are there new opportunities or ideas that have come up from trying to perform during Covid, things that might be taken past COVID?

“We are certainly more efficient than ever because we have to. The level of professionalism has been outstanding amongst the students because we can’t put on a great show if the focus isn’t there. I hope the work ethic continues once things calm down.”

Any other general comments that you want to add?

“When you can, make sure to support your friends involved in the production. You may or may not be able to see them live (based on the amount of tickets we are allowed to sell come April), but a quick word of encouragement before class or during lunch goes a long way for these guys.”

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Want to get involved with Pippin? Want to learn skills which will guide you for a lifetime? Join the Stage Crew! All grades welcome! No experience is required, everything is taught by students and mentors. Contact Mr. Ebert (jebert@ignatius.edu) Luke Weisend (jweisend22@student.ignatius.edu) or Ethan Potoczak (epotoczak21@student.ignatius.edu) for more information.

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The Browns is the Browns – Adjustments for the 2021 season

January 27, 2021

By Bobby Gerome ’21

After a very successful season, the Browns enter the offseason with high hopes. The team surpassed all expectations going into this season, and before getting into what adjustments the team should make, here are a few certainties going into the future:

The system is finally in place. Kevin Stefanski is the coach for the future, and Andrew Berry is the GM for the future. These two are dominant and will finally create a winning culture in Cleveland. Browns fans will not have to worry about dysfunction for the foreseeable future.
Baker Mayfield is our franchise QB. In the course of one season, Baker has gone from a questionable NFL QB, to an okay starting QB, to a franchise quarterback who can take a team deep in the playoffs. All he needed was the right system in place, and when he got it, Baker thrived. With no salary cap increase, this is the offseason to sign Baker to a long term contract.
The rest of the offense is set. The Browns have one of, if not the best O-Lines in the league. Chubb and Hunt create the best running game in the NFL, and Baker has great chemistry with his weapons at wide receiver.

With all of that being said, here is what the Browns have to improve this offseason: DEFENSE, DEFENSE, DEFENSE, DEFENSE, DEFENSE!

Seriously, that’s all. Maybe the argument can be made that Cody Parkey can be replaced, but he had an okay season this year. There should be a competition for the kicking job, but other than that, make the defense better.

Myles Garrett and Denzel Ward are the two players to build around. They are both top tier players for their positions. When it comes to the D-Line, not many adjustments have to be made. The team will likely lose Olivier Vernon because of the contract he wants, but Adrian Clayborn played solid, and can replace Vernon. Sheldon Richardson and Larry Ogunjobi are great interior linemen, and many forget that the team has Andrew Billings coming back next season, so Ogunjobi and Richardson do not have to wear themselves out the entire game; the Browns can switch to a five man front against run heavy teams like the Ravens.

The secondary and linebackers are where the work needs to be done. Second round pick Grant Delpit is coming back as safety next year with Greedy Williams, but there are a lot of questions regarding the health of both LSU alumni. Ronnie Harrison has potential to be a top tier safety as well. Above all, there needs to be more depth. Against teams like the Bills and Chiefs, where you have to put six DB’s on the field, this current secondary cannot be trusted. Playing prevent defense and hoping the other offense stalls out in the red zone will work with mediocre teams, but it will not work against Super Bowl contenders. More depth with skill players on defense is on the top of the checklist for the defense.

The other big improvement that needs to be made is with the linebackers. Mack Wilson and Sione Takitaki are players to keep, but that’s about it. There are plenty of good linebackers the Browns can pick at 26, and that is what needs to happen. Poor linebacker play is what killed the Browns on Monday Night Football when Lamar Jackson wasn’t having his “cramps”. Mobile quarterbacks and elusive running backs will destroy a team with bad linebackers, and the Browns need to address this issue if they want to contend this season.

The final concern going into the offseason is what to do with OBJ. Kevin Stefanski said that the star wide receiver will stay on the team and give Baker more weapons, but the offense functioned better without him this season. Baker was making more than one read on every throw when OBJ was hurt. Trading Odell would not be detrimental to the offense, because against some of the best teams in the league the Browns were still scoring 35 points a game without Beckham. Trading OBJ also makes sense economically. With Baker, Chubb, and Denzel Ward all having their rookie contracts expiring in the next year, they will all want big extensions. The team cannot afford to keep all of them plus the other players that make the foundation of this team when they have to pay Odell 18 million a year. The option that would work better in the long run is to trade Odell for some high draft picks or proven young defensive players to a team that can afford him.

The Browns took a huge step in the right direction this season. The team showed that they have the potential to go far in the playoffs, and compete with the best teams in the league. If they improve their secondary and linebacker core, the Browns can be Super Bowl contenders. Those are the goals for the offseason. For the regular season, the goal is for the Browns to win the division and host a playoff game. For the postseason, the goal is to get to the AFC championship game, and have a shot at the Super Bowl. The bright future in Cleveland has a lot of success because the Browns is the Browns.

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Update: Christmas Food and Toy Drives

December 1, 2020

The 84th annual Rini Family Christmas Food Drive will continue this year despite COVID-19 and a transition to online school through Thanksgiving break.

A change to what the Christmas Food Drive has been in the past is that all food donations are going to the Arrupe House. All students still need to bring in four cans and four dollars. All preparation for the food drive has been changed to allow COVID-19-friendly practices, such as sanitizing the canned food as it comes in and proper social distancing for assembling the boxes. When it comes down to it, this is still the Christmas Food Drive. As long as everyone makes sure to use common sense and proper COVID-19 policies, this will be a just-as-effective food drive as in the past, even in these challenging times.

Additionally, the Student Senate Christmas Toy Drive will happen in conjunction with the food drive.

Students and parents should see their emails for more information on what to give and when and where to give it. Together, we can help others end this difficult year on a bright, hopeful note.

Model UN places third at William & Mary XXXIV

November 22, 2020

by Tyler Ove ’22

Coming off a strong first-place finish at Mentor V, the Model UN team attended the College of William & Mary’s annual conference, WMHSMUN XXXIV, with high hopes from November 6th through 7th. William & Mary has been a competitive conference for over three decades, having been nationally recognized for its merit. From https://bestdelegate.com’s top 25 national rankings, of which they are a part of, the DiploCats faced off against Thomas Jefferson, Langley, and Centennial. Although only including award-winning teams, the overall conference standings were as follows:

Thomas Jefferson (Alexandria, VA)
Langley (McLean, VA)
St. Ignatius (Cleveland, OH)
Maggie Walker (Richmond, VA)
McLean (McLean, VA)
Bishop Ireton (Alexandria, VA)
Centennial (Roswell, GA)
Bronx School for Science (Bronx, NY)
Henrico (Richmond, VA)
Bloomington North (Bloomington, IN)
Hockaday (Dallas, TX)
Townsend (Queens, NY)
Needham Broughton (Raleigh, NC)
Archimedean (Miami, FL)
Greenwich (Greenwich, CT)
George Mason (Falls Church, VA)
Lindon Hall (Lititz, PA)
Kennett (Kennett Square, PA)

Like Mentor, this conference was virtual, with each committee taking place in its own Zoom server. Committee topics ranged from dealing with the economic challenges of COVID-19 in the Economic and Financial Affairs Committee to planning for the construction of Atlantis in the year 3000 to establishing independence from Spain in the Catalan secession. Debate was thorough and numerous resolutions/directives were both proposed and passed by St. Ignatius delegates.

Bringing 31 delegates to the competition, 14 less than 2019’s trip to Williamsburg, Ignatius brought home a total of 4 individual awards as opposed to last year’s 6. While not being quite the performance that was hoped for, it was still enough for a podium finish. With no Verbal Commendations or Best Delegate awards, the winners were:

Honorable Mention

Brendan Oliss ‘21 – Ragnarok

Ferenc Somogyi ‘21 – Catalan Secession

Outstanding Delegate

Bert Wirtz ‘23 – Abraham Lincoln’s Cabinet

Tyler Ove ‘22 – Catalan Secession

While all of these awards are impressive, perhaps the most intriguing is second-year Bert Wirtz’s Outstanding Delegate. Having just achieved a separate Outstanding Delegate at Mentor (https://www.saintignatiuseye.org/2020/11/17/model-un-finishes-first-at-mentor-v/), Bert has established himself as a frontrunner among underclassmen during his successful early-season performance. Exploring the benefits that Model UN can have on your skillset, career, and college application, Bert holds that “MUN is a great program that really helps students to learn about other nations, international relations, and diplomacy. It is a great way to enjoy yourself while practicing public speaking skills and gaining experience in debates.” The Model UN team, done with their first-semester competitions, will ideally work hard into the second semester, as they seek a better showing at the University of Michigan (MUNUM XXXIV) in February. Go Cats!

A few of last year’s Williamsburg pictures from WMHSMUN XXXIII

Model UN Team finishes first at Mentor V

November 17, 2020

By Tyler Ove ’22

Last year, the Model UN team’s final main-season conference, Michigan State (MSUMUN XX), was canceled due to COVID-19. Just days after, the selective faculty-invite conference, Cornell (CMUNC 2020), followed suit. Although the DiploCats hosted a small virtual conference in May, the 2020-21 season had previously looked unsure. However, the team was able to acquire an unusually substantive schedule, consisting of largely virtual conferences, and Mentor V did not disappoint.

Technological expectations surpassed, the conference ran smoothly from October 9th through 10th. It was a joint crisis committee, with debate over policy, negotiation with foreign powers, and using abilities of individual positions to address a newly decimated ozone layer and the effects it had on the economy, politics, and the environment. Again, all this was done through Zoom, which Ignatius delegates logged into from the Westin Hotel downtown.

This smooth transition into the new virtual Model UN scene helped the Wildcats to a clean victory in their season opener. Although bringing far less than the average 45 delegates, 14 out of 21 total delegates brought awards – 44% of all awards – back to their seat in Ohio City. Paving the way to victory against our competitors (Holy Name, Solon, Hathaway Brown, Archbishop Hoban, Madison, and Gilmour) these delegates were:

Honorable Mention

Soham Shah ‘24 – China

Michael Swanson ‘24 – Japan

Will Riley ‘23 – Russia

Aidan Oliss ‘23 – France

James Votypka ‘23 – Japan

Rithvik Ayyagari ‘22 – United Kingdom

Terence McCafferty ‘22 – United Kingdom

Outstanding Delegate

Patrick Laudolff ‘24 – Germany

Bert Wirtz ‘23 – Russia

Chris Kondas ‘22 – Israel

Tyler Ove ‘22 – United States

Best Delegate

Braeden Pentz ‘22 – Israel

Ferenc Somogyi ‘21 – United Kingdom

With a surprising performance from the freshman and sophomore classes, the underclassmen are shaping up nicely to take the reigns in future seasons. On the same note, our upperclassmen did not fall short of expectations. One of the greatest team achievements was 3rd-year delegate Rithvik Ayyagari, Undersecretary for Resources, bringing home with his first award. Ayyagari says, “I’d say winning an award is always a good feeling. Being recognized for the hard work you put into anything whether it be school, sports, or extracurriculars, and seeing that it pays off is always a great feeling. And, to win an award, it really comes down to two things: mindset and hard work. If you’ve got a strong mindset and are willing to put in the work to present a unique idea in MUN, I’d say you’re basically set for an award.” The program applauds Ayyagari for his accomplishment and dedication.

Looking forward to William & Mary (WMHSMUN XXXIV), the DiploCats’ major fall conference, Ignatius is poised to compete fiercely against top schools such as Thomas Jefferson (Alexandria, VA) and Langley (McLean, VA). With last year’s performance being less than stellar at this conference, our delegates have something to prove heading into the competition. They will continue to train and accept new delegates on Tuesdays at 3:30 in their new venue in Murphy Gym. Go Cats!

Saint Ignatius Eye