Volume LXXXIII, Issue XXVIII
St. Louis University High School | Friday, May 10, 2019
Conversation: Sciuto reflects on his 39 years at SLUH
State Champs! Rugby claims first State title
BY Handley Hicks and Liam John NEWS EDITORS
Editors’ note: News Editors Handley Hicks and Liam John sat down with theology teacher Matt Sciuto on Tuesday May 7 for an hour and six minutes. They talked about Sciuto’s time at SLUH with sports, teaching, photography, and important aspects of the school Sciuto loves. Sciuto, while sad to retire, presents the reasons for why it is time to go. Below is a condensed version of the conversation. Handley Hicks: There was a period of time between your graduation from St. Louis U. High and your working here. What happened during that period and how did you come to work for SLUH? Matt Sciuto: I graduated from here in 1970. I was going to take a year off but it was the Vietnam War so my draft number came up. I went straight to Fr. Currigan’s office, who was our only counselor, and I said “get me into a school.” He got me into
Rockhurst College … And I spent four years there… After graduating from there, where I majored in psych, I thought I was going to be a counselor. But after all my studies in psychology, I didn’t find the answers in rats running through mazes and all that. It’s interesting. It’s worthwhile, but at Rockhurst, there was a thing called Humanistic Psychology. It’s kind of a combination of philosophy and theology. I said, “I think I’ll try to be a religion teacher.” I wanted to to do that and coach … When I sent the letter, Fr. Dressel was principal. He called me back and said, “Wanna come in for an interview?” I said, “Sure.” I talked with Fr. Burshek who was head of the (Theology) Department at the time, and he offered me a job ... I still feel, these 39 years years later, it was a whole bunch of coincidences and being unfortunate. If I hadn’t taken that gap year off after high school I probably wouldn’t have been here. Liam John: Were you a foot-
Fr. Joseph Hill, S.J. giving a pep talk before the state rugby game last Sunday. BY Thom Molen and John Mungenast CORE STAFF, REPORTER
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fter five straight emptyhanded trips to the state finals, the Jr. Bills’ rugby team finally brought home the bacon after a grueling 14-10 win over the Kansas City Junior Blues Rugby Club for the state title. continued on page 6 On Saturday, the team
Liberty scored early on and woke up the SLUH team to get ready for a hard game. Some substitutions were made and SLUH came back with a try scored by senior Miles Matyiko. When halftime began, the score was 7-5 Liberty. “They took us by surprise,” said senior John Mersinger. “We did underestimate them and they hit us hard,
but that worked against them though. It brought us to our senses so we wanted nothing but to win. I remember binding for a scrum with Thom and looking at him. He had a nose filled with blood and some grass he shoved in it to stop the bleeding. I think that set the tone.” SLUH came out ready to
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Black Student Union to focus on mentorship, action
BY Johno Jackson CORE STAFF
BY Paul Gillam EDITOR IN CHIEF
fter years of slow decline, St. Louis U. High’s all-school summer reading program has been tabled in hopes of reintroducing a similar, revitalized program in the coming years. The decision was made by the Instructional Council, a committee made up of academic department chairs, heads of the counselling departments, and other faculty leaders. The decision will not impact academic course summer reading. The Instructional Council reviewed the all-school Sciuto taking a photo of the upper field in 2009. summer reading program photo | courtesy of Dauphin Yearbook. as part of a larger review of News
school-wide projects. After examining the pros and cons, the group decided to suspend the project temporarily because of the lack of structured engagement and poorly developed assessment. “I think there were a few elements of the project that were not really well structured,” said Principal Ian Gibbons, S.J. “As a result, there was a lot of ambiguity about what should happen with the book.” Many students have grown dissatisfied with the summer reading program. Over 70 percent of students liked last year’s book, Bull in the Ring, less than previous summer reading books. “All of the books have
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t. Louis U. High’s newest club, the Black Student Union (BSU), will hold an inaugural meeting at activity period on Monday, May 13. The BSU will be an offshoot of the Association for Cultural Enrichment at SLUH (ACES) and will primarily serve as a community for black students to find mentors, grow together, and discuss and act for the advancement of black students at SLUH. Although the club is geared towards and for black students, the club complies with administrative rules requiring clubs be open to all students by inviting students of any race. continued on page 4 Mentorship, according
News
Nick Fandos From SLU High to big writer guy, New York Times reporter and former editor in chief Nick Fandos is interviewed by editor in chief Paul Gillam. Page 3
Seaton/Lucier Seaton and Lucier reflect upon their time as teachers at the SLUH; looking into the future with high hopes. Page 2
News
Sports
Scholarships Over $13.1 million in scholar©2019 St. Louis University High ships accepted by members of School Prep News. No material may the class of 2019. Page 5 be reprinted without the permission of the editors and moderator.
faced off against the Liberty Jays Rugby Club out of Kansas City in the semifinal match and started with their back up line. This lineup changed around halftime when the Bills realized that their state bid could be at stake and put in more experienced players. The first half was a long, tough fight from both sides.
photo | Mr. Vincent Lombard
SLUH to discontinue all-school summer reading program
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Baseball The Basebills pack in 10 games in a two-week span; bats come alive for the Bills in 6-2 centennial win. Page 8
Sports
Tennis Can they make it 8? The SLUH tennis team has won seven in a row, looking to cap off an incredible season with a state trophy. Page 8 Sports
Track After breezing through the MCC, the track team sprints into Districts confident that another state championship is on the horizon. Page 8
to BSU president and founder junior Jordan Smith, will be a heavy emphasis. Recalling his underclassman years at SLUH, Smith felt alone, unsure of where he fit in. He hopes to combat his own experience by having upperclassmen BSU members give one-on-one mentorship to underclassman BSU members through their first two years at SLUH. Smith also said the club, which will be moderated by Assistent Director of Equity & Inclusion Erwin Claggett, will focus on action more so than discussion, complementing its parent club, ACES. Smith hopes to implement videos, alumni speakers, and group activities to bring action to SLUH.
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INDEX 2
Departing Faculty
3
Features/Opinion
4
News
5
Scholarships
6-7
Sciuto Spread
8-11
Sports
12
News