OPINION | Page 5 COURSE REQUIREMENTS ARE TOO LIMITING
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ARTS & LIFE | Page 8 MUSIC FESTIVALS ANNOUNCE LINEUPS
CATALYST
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF NOTRE DAME HIGH SCHOOL
Volume 9, Issue 4
NDB’s annual winter formal dance was held on February 4, 2023 at the Crowne Plaza hotel in Foster City. The dance’s theme, “Once Upon a Dream,” transported students to a fairytale world. This year’s event had high attendance from NDB students and their accompanying guests, with a total of around 480 tickets sold. The dance’s guest policy was updated this year, permitting students to bring two guests instead of only one, so NDB students could bring along more friends for the exciting occasion. Every year, the winter formal dance is put together by a winter formal committee, made up of members from both NDB’s National Honor Society (NHS) and California Scholarship Federation (CSF) boards. The event is entirely student-led, from food planning to decorations. The committee began preparing for the event at
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“Once Upon a Dream”: Students gather for annual winter formal by Editorial Staff
SPORTS | Page 10 SPRING SEASON BEGINS WITH TRYOUTS
January/February 2023
Tigers face Panthers in Catfight game by Ashley Strain Sports Editor
the beginning of the school year in September. “The power of collaborating different skills and interests towards a dance for everyone to enjoy is really fun and culminates into a fulfilling product,” said NHS Board Member Ella Chatterjee. From 7 p.m. to 11 p.m., students had the opportunity to dance, eat and socialize. Music was provided by Quake City DeeJays, and some of the
On January 27, NDB hosted the Woodside Priory HS Panthers in the annual Catfight basketball games in the Moore Pavillion. The varsity team played at 6 p.m., and the game had been advertised all week as a spirit event that would award the classes with the highest attendance spirit points, cookies and early dismissal for lunch. Despite the energetic crowd of NDB supporters, the Panthers pulled away after a close game, and the Tigers lost 38-47. The varsity game also served as the Spirit Squad’s senior night. The nine seniors on the Spirit Squad were recognized in between the JV and Varsity games. The seniors, accompanied by their family members, walked through a tunnel made by their teammates and were greeted with flowers and posters before taking a photo with their coaches. After the
See FORMAL| Page 3
ceremony, the cheerleaders lined up in their game-day lines, preparing to cheer on the varsity Tigers. “I enjoyed being recognized during the Catfight game,” said senior Mabelle Joudieh. “Honestly, cheer is not paid as much attention when compared to other sports at this school, and a lot of people misinterpret what we actually do. Being recognized totally made it feel so worth it, especially performing at halftime because everyone could see just how much we do and what it takes to be a cheerleader.” After the tipoff, the game began and the score remained close throughout the first half. Every few possessions, the Panthers would break ahead, but the Tigers fought back each time, so the team in the lead was constantly changing. By halftime, the Tigers were down by just two points with a score of 21-23. See CATFIGHT | Page 11
Mock Trial heads into the courthouse for county competition JV and varsity teams vie for top spots against local high schools by Genevieve Klein Opinion Co-Editor Since September, the NDB Mock Trial team has been tuning their argumentative skills and building their case. Now, they are right in the thick of competition season, with Round One commencing on January 26, Round Two on February 2 and Round Three set to happen on February 9. For both new and returning team members alike, these competitions bring a balance of nerves and excitement. NDB’s Mock Trial is made up of three divisions: varsity, JV and showcase, each divided into a prosecution team and a defense team. However, all members have been collectively collaborating throughout the past six months. At the beginning of the season, the team received their casebook,
which gave the details of this year’s theatrically themed crime. In a tense altercation between rival actors Billie Scher and Jordan Franks, Franks supposedly stole Scher’s precious Shakespearean ring and broke Scher’s arm, all while aboard the “Heart of the Ocean” cruise ship. After thoroughly looking over the contents of the casebook, including the stipulations, witness testimonies and exhibit images, team members received their roles. Some have chosen to argue as pre-trial attorneys, willing to speak directly with the judge about past court cases in order to prove that an exhibit should or should not be allowed for use in the trial. Others have elected to act as trial attorneys and prepare opening and closing statements, witness cross examination questions and objections. Many take on the essential role of portraying a
witness, working to give a convincing performance in order to help their team’s case. Lastly, a few have taken on the role of timekeeper or baliff, who help the trial run smoothly. The team has practiced on Mondays and Wednesdays each week and has dedicated multiple weekends to scrimmaging against other high schools, including San Mateo HS, Serra HS, Prospect HS and Oceana HS. Additionally, the JV team competed in the Santa Clara County Invitational on January 10 and January 12 in order to gain extra practice before league competitions began. Competition trials take place at the Superior Court of California, County of San Mateo, in Redwood City. A practicing judge rules over the trial and scorers are normally practicing or retired attorneys who generously give their time to watch and evaluate
participants. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this is the first time in two years that competitions are being held in the courtroom, rather than on Zoom, which brings a new and exciting element for team members. Both attorneys and witnesses focused more on their
courtroom presence, hand gestures and tone of voice, all of which did not carry as much weight during a virtual trial. “I think it was definitely a little bit harder because it’s more pressure when you’re speaking in front of more people and you can’t easily have your
material there just for safety,” said junior Mallory Moore, who is a JV defense attorney. “I definitely think that I had to be more confident with my memorization going into it, but overall, it was fun.” In both Round See MOCK TRIAL | Page 2
PHOTO COURTESY OF SUZANNE SULLIVAN
Senior Kate O’Connor reads over her notes for her closing argument as NDB’s Varsity Defense finishes up their trial against Hillsdale.