By: Jesus Garcia

Chaminade’s first trimester of the 2021-2022 school year was one to remember, with various exciting activities throughout its course. 

The school year began with the Mass of the Holy Spirit, led by a special guest through Archbishop Christopher Cardone ‘76, Archbishop of the Solomon Islands. He visited Long Island to reunite with his family and friends but couldn’t return to his ecclesiastical duties back in Oceania because of COVID-19 restrictions on his flight. He used this newfound time to serve the Chaminade community by leading the Mass of the Holy Spirit. 

While the upperclassmen celebrated this Mass, the freshman classes participated in a retreat with their homerooms. Juniors and seniors led these retreats through Chaminade’s student campus ministry club, CROSS. First, the students would participate in a survival game used to train Army Rangers in their survival skills. This game helped break the ice for the freshmen and make them more comfortable with one another. Following the game’s conclusion, the retreat shifted into a discussion about how humanity needs God to survive in the world. Then, after watching a video and writing a reflection, the freshmen would head to Darby Auditorium for Adoration. 

Chaminade would host its annual Open House on October 2nd, introducing potential candidates to what the school offers. This includes Chaminade’s excellent academic curriculum, its Science Research and Technology Center (STRC,) the ETV studio, and many other prominent locations on campus. After the tour, they would be introduced to Chaminade’s clubs in the AAC. The Open House is one of Chaminade’s key moments to demonstrate how far its come from its past. 

This trimester would also allow Chaminade’s Crew team to compete for the first time since 2019’s fall season. One of the season’s highlights is the Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston. This regatta is always a significant checkpoint in the season, and Chaminade sent its two varsity eight-man boats and one four-man boat to the race. The Flyers’ top boat, the “1930,” would row a respectable 16:12 on a course equivalent to 3.1 miles. 

Similarly, the Yale Crew team would also perform tremendously at this regatta with a significant victory from their lightweight boat, containing two Chaminade alumni. These men were John McDonald ‘19 and John Plumeri ‘19.  Rowing in college is often the final years of a rowing career, making the sport highly competitive. However, with COVID-19 restrictions, many of these rowers could not compete much during these golden years, raising the stakes for every regatta made possible. McDonald, Plumeri, and the rest of their boat ensured they would win this race with fierce determination. While this is a great accomplishment, there is still much work for Chaminade’s and Yale’s crews in preparation for the spring season. One motto Plumeri lives by both on the water and off is to “Get ahead, stay ahead, and to get ahead, you have to be prepared. You’ll never find success without being prepared.”

Like the crew team, Chaminade’s football team would have a successful season on the field as the Catholic AA champions led by coach Kevin Dolan. While they could not make the Catholic AAA playoffs with their 5-3 record, they still played to their fullest in the AA playoffs. Senior Thomas Stueber ‘22 would be the offensive MVP, while Hagan Wagner ‘22 won defensive MVP. Following another successful season, the football team continues to train for next fall to emulate last season’s victories. 

Not every athlete is in a Chaminade sport, but rather in Chaminade’s various language clubs. This includes the Spanish club, the Latin club, the Chinese club, and the French club. On November 2nd, all of the language clubs decided to hold a soccer tournament in the spirit of friendly competition. Due to many players on the Spanish club’s team, the Chinese, French, and Latin clubs would unite to create the CFL team. The Spanish club would take an early lead, dominating the first half of the game, but the CFL would come together in the second half and be victorious. 

The Junior class would gather for a “build your own burger” dinner. Participants were encouraged not to use their phones and to have regular conversations with their classmates. Then, the students would move to Hearst Auditorium for a special prayer service following the meal. Mr. Michael Foley ‘99, Mr. Saporita ‘02, Mr. Peter 

Vanderberg and finally Mr. Michael Dolce ‘99 would all give witness talks to inspire the Junior class in attendance to grow closer with God during the service. Fr. Peter Heiskell ‘86 would lead Eucharistic Adoration following the touching speeches. Finally, the night would end with fresh cookies served to the students. 

The Darby players would host the Winter Drama, Romeo and Juliet, to conclude the trimester. However, instead of featuring a Medieval-styled Verona, a setting many are familiar with, the Darby Players decided to add a steampunk aesthetic to this year’s show. Steampunk refers to a style based on 19th-century Industrial England. Every prop, costume, and set would reflect this. Despite the changes, the production remained faithful to the original script for “Romeo and Juliet,” with all lines completely in old English. Of course, many female roles in Romeo and Juliet must be filled. To accommodate this, Chaminade allows young women from surrounding schools to audition for these parts. Some schools that young actresses come from are Kellenberg Memorial High School, Sacred Heart Academy, and Garden City High School. Chaminade’s production crew would also work tirelessly to create the whole set along with every prop. They would also work with lighting and sound to ensure the show went smoothly.

The first trimester is often one of the busiest times at Chaminade High School, which allows students and staff to stay productive and have some fun together.