by Sam Royer ‘15

In light of Principal Bradesca’s announcement regarding the mandatory random drug testing which will happen at Saint Ignatius next fall, several members of the student body felt obligated to share their opinions on the controversial policy.

Although the promulgation of the policy inspired a mixed response from the student body, most agreed that they were pleased there would be no punitive consequences that would arise from their test results.

“I’m in favor of it because the punishments aren’t so severe. It’s only a way to assist people and reduce their addictions. It’s a good thing that the school administration isn’t suspending or expelling kids. It serves as a matter of helping them,” an anonymous source shared.

Sophomore Carter Spearry had a similar opinion saying, “I know that I love this school and as a band of brothers that all Ignatius men are, I want to make sure that everyone is as happy and healthy as they can be. With being able to try to slow down the drug problem – that helps people out who aren’t doing so well and that makes Ignatius a better place.”
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It’ll help some people who I know. It bothers me that I’ve tried to help them and I’ve kind of been ignored in the past.

-Jaxon Parrish ’15
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On a personal note, Jaxon Parrish ‘15 admitted that he believes the policy will help his friend in a way a single person couldn’t. “It’ll help some people who I know. It bothers me that I’ve tried to help them and I’ve kind of been ignored in the past. I think this would be a really good thing for them,” Parrish said.

As expected there were a number of students who couldn’t have agreed less with the policy.

After attending the assembly, Joe Grega ‘15 felt that the policy would only increase underage alcohol consumption in the student body. “I was surprised that the assembly focused so much on alcohol. I think they’re leaving alcohol a viable option for drug use. I honestly think these drug tests will push kids who are in drug use to start drinking more – which I think is a very bad thing. I feel that alcohol is related to a lot of accidents that occur with Ignatius kids. Most deaths that have to do with parties…the kids aren’t high, they’re usually drunk,” Joe said.
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I think they’re leaving alcohol a viable option for drug use.

-Joe Grega ’15[/pullquote]
Although the policy won’t affect current seniors, Adam Calogeras ‘14 also felt the need to weigh in. “I don’t think it’s the school’s prerogative to drug test. I think they should’ve asked the parents if they even wanted it to happen and it should be something that the parents implement or have the school do if they want it to be done, but I don’t think it’s in the school’s reach,” Calogeras admitted.

Editor’s Note: Students are encouraged to have their voice heard by commenting below.

by Pat Millican ‘15 and Alastair Pearson ‘14

Mandatory, randomized drug testing for all students at Saint Ignatius High School begins in Fall 2014. The non-invasive hair follicle testing is the core component of a “Wellness Initiative” designed to eliminate drug use in the student body through a preventative, non-punitive public health program in conjunction with Saint Edward High School and Gilmour Academy.

Hair samples of the entire student community will be conducted in the fall, followed by “periodic random sampling throughout the year,” according to a letter to parents from Principal Bradesca and President Murphy.

The administration’s FAQ specified that tests will be capable of detecting “cocaine, marijuana, opiates (including heroin, codeine, morphine, oxycodone, hydrocodone and hydromorphone), methamphetamines, ecstasy (MDMA), Eve (MDEA) and phencyclidine (PCP).”

Bradesca announced the program at an assembly on April 29, while an email describing the program’s scope and intent was sent to the school network, the classes of 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018, and their parents on Tuesday morning.

“Our students face constant pressure to experiment with illegal substances,” Bradesca and President Murphy said. “Drug abuse is probably the largest single threat to high school achievement facing our country today.”

The program is also intended to give students a credible excuse for refusing to use drugs.

“Given the scale of peer pressure during the high school years, this program will arm our students with a very effective ‘out’ – they will be tested,” Bradesca and Murphy said. In his announcement to the students at an assembly Tuesday morning, Bradesca said that the tests will also be an “out” for parents who don’t want to be the bad guys in confronting their sons about drug abuse.

The school’s top two administrators noted the public health heroin crisis Cuyahoga County faces, and the fact that heroin addiction caused more deaths in 2013 than homicides or car accidents.

“We know that substance abuse often begins with casual drug and alcohol use during the teen years,” the letter said. “We believe this testing will save them from long-term problems related to abuse and addiction.”

There will be no maximum number of positive tests before expulsion, and no “three strikes” program, according to Dean of Teachers Mr. Ptak. Neither the office of the Dean of Students nor colleges will receive records of positive tests, although results may be made available to law enforcement following valid subpoenas or court orders. Instead, the results of failed drug tests will be made available to the student, his parents, and the counseling department.

Ptak estimated that the cost of the tests, which will be conducted by licensed professionals working for Psychmedics Inc., will average out at roughly $30 per test, including administration. Hair follicle testing is accurate up to approximately three months or 90 days back, while the FAQ response to questions about whether students can request retests did not clearly state whether this would be possible, instead describing the reliability of hair follicle tests.

The letter from Bradesca and Murphy conceded that the administration had no evidence that drug use at Ignatius was higher than elsewhere, although they emphasized that there was a wider drug problem in American society, and critiqued the recent legalization of marijuana in Colorado and Washington.

According to the FAQ, the drug testing does not constitute a violation of student privacy because hair follicle testing avoids the “embarrassment” of a urine sample.

Parents with concerns are directed to attend the parent meeting on Tuesday, May 6 at 6:00 p.m. in Rade Dining Hall, where school administrators, counselors, and George Elder of Psychmedics will be present to answer questions.

by Dominic Gideon ‘14

In society, in our local community, and in the Church, environmental issues have been pushed closer and closer to the forefront of concern. From Greenpeace USA’s fight to end deforestation to Sustainable Cleveland’s effort to increase renewable energy in the city to Pope Francis’ continual insistence that humans be protectors of the environment, the world is making a shift to a greener future.

So what is Saint Ignatius doing to help in this global environmental movement?

Mr. Hendler, head of plant services, says that his department is doing a good job making the campus more eco-friendly. He makes sure the school’s building, lighting, heating, and cooling are all done with environmental consciousness in mind.

First off, plant services now mandates that all building and remodeling follow the LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) Silver certification. So far the Breen Center and Gibbons Hall have been the only projects to follow the LEED program. To meet the requirements, the projects needed to use renewable materials, get as much of the materials from local sources as possible (cutting the pollution from shipping), install efficient lighting, use low VOC (volatile organic compounds) paint, and meet a few other standards.

In addition to construction, plant services has many energy conserving initiatives that they use every day, like their ongoing energy efficiency program, which ensures that the school uses electricity and natural gas as efficient as possible.

They also make sure that the equipment used on campus is up-to-date and energy efficient whether it be replacing an old air handler, installing LED or t5 lighting in all the facilities, or using a remote monitoring system that can manage much of the buildings’ equipment with one device.

Looking towards the future, Mr. Hendler plans to “upgrade temperature controls so we can monitor and update the library and math wing more efficiently.”

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“I’d like to see us discover different ways to be more ecologically responsible.”

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Along with plant services, student clubs─ the Green Team and Ploughmen─ as well as the administration are putting forth an effort to make Ignatius a greener place.

On the administrative side, Mr. Bradesca is supportive of a more eco-friendly environment and has made a few changes toward such a future, but most of his green initiatives are currently hypothetical plans.

“I’d like to see us discover different ways to be more ecologically responsible,” Mr. Bradesca said, later noting different ways to make the school greener: buying more eco-friendly products like biodegradable items in the cafeteria, having more reusable water bottles rather than plastic, and making environmental awareness more into the curriculum.

In regards to what has already been done, Mr. Bradesca mentioned cutting teacher printing budgets to encourage technology and more paperless means of education, and the great work of the Green Team and Ploughmen who have taken the initiative to make a greener campus.

The Green Team collects all the school’s recyclables every Monday. Last year they installed tri-bins─ garbage, paper, and bottle bins all in one─ to make recycling more convenient and started a light campaign urging people to turn off lights in classrooms after leaving them to conserve energy.

The Ploughmen, who are known for their vegetable growing and beekeeping, also compost about 40 pounds of food scraps from the kitchen each day, according to moderator Mr. McCafferty.

This composting not only keeps 40 pounds of scraps out of the landfill each day, it also save the school money. “Every time the trash compactor gets filled, Ignatius pays two times for that─ for the takeaway of the compactor, like a hauling fee, and then they weigh it,” Mr. McCafferty explained. “So depending on how heavy it is they get charged a different account.”

The compost also is very beneficial to the Ploughmen’s crops. “As [that food material] becomes composted, that becomes food for other vegetables that we grow. And those go anywhere from St. Herman’s to sharing with family and friends,” said Mr.McCafferty. “That waste becomes energy to support future growth.”

Yet while the Ploughmen are happy with their composting project, Mr. McCafferty thinks they should be doubling the amount.

In the fall, the Ploughmen had a “waste audit” where they took a day’s worth of garbage from Rade, the Atrium, and the senior lounge─ 30 bags in total─ and sorted through it.” Some of it was pure garbage, some of it was compostable material, some of it was cans and bottles that could have been recycled,” Mr. McCafferty said.

Overall there was about 40 pounds of compostable material. That is 40 pounds every day, not to mention the bottles that could be recycled,which the school pays to ship off to a landfill rather than using it for their own benefit. Not only does this waste money and keep the Ploughmen from using it for their plants, but it also uses more gas for transportation.

So Mr. McCafferty wants to change that.

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“That waste becomes energy to support future growth.”

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“We’d like to devise a plan where we change the waste stream in the cafeteria, and this is partly student responsibility. In the same way we have a tribin, we’d have a quad bin (with compost as the fourth).”

“Right now [because of the disposal setup],” he said, “it takes students a lot of effort to make a good choice.”

Mr. McCafferty also think the school could do a better job with handling recycling.

“Whenever we have an event there’s no recycling plan in place, and those are the times we have the most recyclables,” Mr. McCafferty said. “Something like open house, there were garbage cans overflowing with little 8 ounce bottles of potential students, and those end up all getting thrown away.”

So Saint Ignatius’commitment to the environment isn’t perfect; it doesn’t have every system and priority in place to be as green as possible. But there’s not doubt it is getting closer and closer every year. Because the “green movement” is not going away.

“It make sense economically, it makes sense in terms of people’s health and the greater health of the community, and it also makes sense for that  idea of caring for creation,” Mr. McCafferty said.

by Dominic Gideon ’14

Language week is packed with festivities which celebrate the value of language and the beauty of diversity; and one of the greatest displays of this cultural celebration, as well as one of the fan favorites, is the Food Extravaganza, or the Lammermeier Foundation Fundraiser as Mr. Turner likes to call it.

Dishes originating from Spanish and French speaking countries all over the world cover tables lining the senior lounge and Rade stage as students spend their language period trying to sell items they barely know more about than the buyer. Students pass on the high priced cafeteria food and bypass packing a lunch so to indulge in a huge variety of, for the most part, tasty, homemade servings of diverse foods for 50 cents a helping.

In addition to the great price, the $2000 raised goes toward charity─ the Paul Lammermeier Foundation, started by Mr. Lammermeier, class of 1957, to provide homes in Lima, Peru for homeless children.

According to Spanish teacher Mr. Kelley, The Food Extravaganza was originally the idea of Mr. Restifo, which made its debut about eight years ago while the modern languages were trying to find their staple for language week. In the early days of the event, there were some rough patches, for example the types and variety of food brought in, the organization and selling, and the distribution of credit to the food bearing students. Now, however, the day is run like a finely tuned machine even when there are game changing obstacles as they had this year.

Because of a few alterations of the week’s schedule the dining area was bombarded with action on Tuesday. Originally the Food Extravaganza was to be on Wednesday; so on Tuesday the atrium was given to college counseling for the Jesuit college fair, and the senior lounge tables were taken by Ripcho studios to distribute items to seniors.

Then came the bishop.

Because the mass for the bishop was scheduled for Wednesday, there was a shortened schedule on which the Extravaganza could not function, and so had to reschedule. But to what day?

Monday wouldn’t work because many students would inevitably forget to bring their food, Thursday was the Chariot Races and Friday, while nothing was planned, wasn’t an appealing day for the language department. So they decided to shove the food in with the colleges and Ripcho, who both couldn’t budge with the “Jesuit Excellence Tour” having a set schedule, and the Ripcho people having to distribute their items in conjunction with the Senior’s “End the Year Right Night” on Tuesday night.

Some students were very discontent, like senior Liam Patton: “This is absurd,” he said. “We have way too many kids all piled up in Rade. I’ve had 5th, 6th, and 7th period off, and I’ve had to fight for a table each time.”

When asked why he didn’t decide to go elsewhere he said, “I did my homework at home. I don’t do homework in the library. So I’m just relaxing.”

Other students were somewhat unhappy about the seating, yet were willing to compromise.

“I’m really hating being in the bullpen (Rade dining hall) with all these underclassmen because they’re not cool,” said Rick Kraay ‘14. “But at the cost of this food, I’ll take it any day.” The mug his mom surprisingly ordered from Ripcho, didn’t hurt either.

Lastly, some students kept the problem from bothering their experience of the day.

“I think it’s more annoying than the lack of tables when people complain about it,” said Philip Massouh ’16. “Everyone’s making it.”

Yet the cluttered eating quarters didn’t have a solely pernicious effect on the day. Mr. Kelley said how the forced reconfiguration has lead the language department to reconsider food placement in future years because of the much smoother flow of students, especially between periods.

To sum up the whole event, Connor Koenke ‘17 seemed to put it best: “It’s a good day for Saint Ignatius… go ’Cats.”

by Kevin Malloy ‘15

Months of preparation and planning culminated in the Pre-Med Society’s fourth annual Health Fair in the school atrium on Friday, April 4 . A total of thirty-four scientific specialists came to Ignatius in order to share their areas of expertise with interested students in the informational activities fair.

The professional healthcare workers manning the booths made a wide range of educational seminars, tasks and diversions available to students, ranging from healthy smoothie making to general surgery.

Students flocked to interactive activities like testing alcohol goggles and measuring BMI (body-mass index, a key index of body shape and obesity). Participants were able to have their blood pressure and blood sugar checked in order to promote health awareness and proper healthy living.

Aakaash Patel, a Pre-Med Society member, believes that the fair was extremely successful, and represented a serious step forward for the Pre-Med Society and the school as a whole.

“This year’s fair was a huge improvement over last year’s,” Patel said. “The Pre-Med society believes it was our most successful fair so far. Students seemed to really get engaged in the activities and presentations offered.”

Ms. Henderson, the Pre-Med society moderator, hopes that the fair inspired students to make healthy decisions. “The primary purpose of the health fair is to inform students about health issues and how to maintain a healthy lifestyle. In addition, we hope to allow participants to explore and discover areas of scientific interest.”

The Pre-Med society plans to build on this years success to have an even greater fair next year.

Special thanks to Janice Gonzales, the head of the Lutheran Hospital outreach program, Vitamix, Fleet Feet , and Aladdin’s Eatery for making this event so successful.

by Parvis Kanga ’15

As many students are aware, AP classes have been provided the option of extending their AP test deadlines. This winter has been especially tough, even by Cleveland’s standards. As a result, College Board has attempted to consolidate for the lost time many AP classes faced due to excessive “snow days” by providing AP teachers with more time for instruction. Mr. Gavan, Dean of Academics, was the one to email each department and inform them of its option to extend the AP test to the previously established makeup test date for each respective course.

Most teachers have responded very positively to College Board’s efforts. Mr. Hawkins, teacher of AP Chemistry, was quick to accept the extended deadline option. “We had a lot to cover, and I didn’t want to rush anything.” Without extended time for discussion, Mr. Hawkins knew that his students would have to learn some of the material on their own which is never as effective as in class instruction. Mr. Hawkins went on to state, “More time to cover material is always better.” Mr. Hawkins will definitely be receiving more time, seventeen days to be exact. He was able to extend the AP Chemistry deadline from May 5th to May 22nd.

Mr. Howard, teacher of AP US Government, was especially grateful towards College Board and their efforts. “I thought that the people working for College Board wouldn’t care that kids in this part of the country had missed over a week of school, but it turns out they did care. We can definitely use the extra days they have extended to us.” While some students see College Board as an evil entity out to destroy their lives, Mr. Howard presents a more understanding side to the institution that has a strong stake in the futures of many students. Mr. Howard was able to extend the AP US Government test deadline from the 13th of May to the 21st. It is clear, therefore, that some AP courses will definitely benefit more from these extensions than others.

While most AP teachers are happy to be provided more time for instruction, the student body seems to be less excited. More time learning equals less time watching The Simpsons or playing Super Smash Brows Brawl. Academically speaking, however, it seems that College Board’s efforts will help students in their preparation for the often dreaded AP exams.