Blue Gold Fashion Show

The Blue-Gold Fashion Show has been a tradition at Saint Mark's for over thirty years now. I have been attending the show for six years now, three of them as an audience member and three as a live participator. My older brother was in the show before me and it was something I looked forward to every year. So, naturally, when I came to St. Mark's it was something I immediately tried out for. Thankfully, I made it and have participated in the show sophomore, junior, and senior year. This year will be last. I cannot describe to you how difficult it will be on Saturday night to say goodbye to a show that has given me so much through these past six years. The atmosphere and love that my peers have shown each other and the buddies is overwhelming. To see their smiles and hear their laughter is all I could ever ask for. Blue Gold is truly making a difference for those men, women, and children suffering from cognitive disabilities. I am so humbled to be a part of something so great. It is these times that I will remember for the rest of my life. I will wear the blue-gold logo, tradition, and message with me forever. We must realize that these people are just like us, and deserve to be treated as the same. Spread The Word to End the Word is making changes in our community, and I know that my peers don’t use the R-word half as much as they used to. Because finally they’ve realized that everyone deserves respect.

Healey Research Reading

I don’t think many students realize what cool things you can learn about while researching for well.... a research paper! This year, for my World Lit class, I have decided to study Irish Mythology. More importantly, though, the heroes within those tales. I was surprised about how interesting those stories were. I'm really not that into mythology, though I guess it just depends on the story itself. For example, I enjoyed Oedipus but I didn’t enjoy Gilgamesh. Actually, I’m not 100% sure either of those really counts as mythology. Oh well, those stories just tend to melt together into one genre for me. But, on reading the different Irish folktales the culture of Ireland really began to make more sense! Leprechauns and famous places in Ireland had real meaning. We look at hills in America to be nothing more than that, a hill! But in Ireland many hills have importance to the mythology of their culture. Many hills have been said to be the home of the Tuatha De Danaan, a magical race. Particularly, I enjoyed the story of Oisin in the Land of Youth. Everyone can relate to that story on a level because the Fountain of Youth or Eternal Youth is a common household theory. All mythological stories seem to have an element of immortality. It was also cool to see the significance that Oisin had on the future of these legends, a point that I make in my Research Essay. Overall, this experience was far more enjoyable than I had predicted!

Fio Research Reading

This year I have decided to take both World Lit and Creative and Critical. Everybody thought I was crazy for it, since English doesn’t seem to be many people's strong suit. However, English is my best subject and I pride myself on my writing. For Mr. Fiorelli's research paper I have been reading books on the Mafia. I came across one particular book that really sparked my interest. It was called This Family of Mine: What it was like Growing up Gotti, By Victoria Gotti. For those of you who are not as familiar with the Italian mob, the Gottis are the family of none other than the infamous John Gotti, head of the Gambino Crime Family. My dad grew up in the Philadelphia Area and the mafia is one of our favorite bonding topics. Though neither of us agrees with the mafia as a whole, it has always sparked my interest in various ways. John Gotti was a household name for my father and me. He was also known as the Teflon Don and various other aliases for his remarkable good looks. Victoria was his most famous daughter, and the book takes you through their life as her and her siblings grew up in the shadow of their father. Eventually, John Gotti was sent to prison because of a "rat" named Sammy "The Bull" Gravano. This historical mafia event took place in the 90s and was the cover for many eastern newspapers. It was headlining news. My interest in the Mafia has always been on the dynamic side of things, like how their hierarchies are made, and what rules must be followed. I love to study the interactions of these groups and situations. They are always extremely fascinating, though sometimes horrific or crude. The book provided great insight on life in the Mafia and gave me GREAT notes for my research paper. Which, now that I think of it, I should probably start finishing!