UC and UD 23’s Big Decision Written By: Cierci Yeager Designed By: Nicholas Ezyk
Scrolling through the SFD Senior Instagram, two schools stand out: the University of Dayton and the University of Cincinnati. The class of ‘23 is not the first to have many students pick these schools. Ava Kreuzer will be attending UD and majoring in Early Childhood Education. She originally saw the school because her sister graduated from UD as well as DeSales. So far, there are nine students that have posted on the senior instagram page, saying they will be attending Cinci. In addition, there are six who have posted their commitment to UD. However, this page does not encompass the whole senior class. Many students are waiting to post until May, after national decision day on May 1st. Although everyone chooses a school for different reasons and programs, when interviewing a handful of students, there was one common factor. Apparently, these two schools have the perfect, in-state location. They’re not too close to home so your parents can pop up unexpectedly, but just close enough that you can get home easily. In addition, students say that these campuses are the perfect size! They are not too big, like OSU, and not too small, like Otterbien. Alayna Aventino is attending UC in the fall and shares “It’s close to home but you still have space to make your own experiences.” Gabe Caruso will be attending the University of Cincinnati and majoring in business. He shared that his whole college deciding process was basically just choosing between UD and UC. The modern, large campus of Cinci is what sold him. Gabe’s best friend and sister will be in Dayton in the fall however, attending UC gives Gabe the opportunity to know enough people to have support during the transition, but also branch out and start his own path. T he reason I was apprehensive about touring these schools was due to the fact that I knew so many people from DeSales who were going to enroll. However, Anthony Pickford is attending UD as an undecided major, and he commented that he “felt very comfortable after touring there. I think I am more comfortable because I am going there with people I know and that will make it easier to make new friends.” Apparently, these two schools have the perfect, in-state location. Although everyone chooses a school for different reasons and programs, when interviewing a handful of students, there was one common factor.
Skipping to Senior Year The junior class is very excited to become seniors for many reasons. A few members of the junior class shared what they were most looking forward to when they become a senior next year. So let’s find out what everyone’s most excited for! Designed by: Gabriel Offei Written by: Joe Mannion
Isabella Carfagna: I am looking forward to having one more year with my close friends and some of my favorite teachers. I am also looking forward to all the fun senior activities we get to do and my senior lacrosse season! Adian Shepardson: Hanging out with friends and using the courtyard. Raesean Betton: Trying to build the relationships that will last after high school
Lily Wieging: What I’m looking forward to the most is all of the things only seniors get to do. Like leading the student sections at football and basketball games (even though I won’t be the true student section leader), the senior courtyard, and Karios. I can’t wait for all the memories I’m going to make this upcoming year, and hopefully they are as fun as Iimagine them to be! Cooper Simpson: Everyone always says you will never forget senior year, that it is amazing. I’m really excited to know that I am going to be living in one of the best times of my life. Adam Hatcher: All the fun senior get-togethers and being in the front of the student section at football games, because that’s always been something I wanted to do since freshman year.
Their answers were very similar but had some minor differences. They all had to do with being able to walk the courtyard, help lead the student section, and to just straight up enjoy the year. The junior class is also excited to create friendships that will last a lifetime. Many juniors are looking forward to a fun senior year and the memories that will come from it!
flip the Script flip the Script Here at St. Francis DeSales, at the end of each year, the senior class comes up with superlatives to give to students in their class. Student council comes up with the topics and categories to ask about, then sends out a google form to the senior class to decide who gets what. The categories are usually all the same each year or sometimes some are added, based on what the student council thinks. We all know about the Senior Superlatives and how the senior class all comes together and vote on who is “most likely to become president” or who has the “best hair,” the same thing every year. This year, the Quill decided it was time to change things up and make our own Senior Superlatives for the teachers! A google form was sent out to the teaching staff along with the votes of the Quill members, asking them which teachers would be “most likely” to do the certain topics we picked. Based on the form, the results were mostly mutual agreements amongst the teachers. Teacher Superlatives
MOST LIKELY TO: Go to the Olympics Mr. Newman “I’m flattered that my coworkers thought of me because I’ve been working on my jump shot and thought I really had a chance at the 2024 Olympic basketball team.”
MOST LIKELY TO: Run into a Student at a Concert “You will usually find me crowd surfing in the mosh pit. I love connecting with my students.” Señora Lessells
MOST LIKELY TO: Marry their High School Sweetheart “The best thing in life is marrying your best friend!” Mr. McGoldrick
“I mean ya, fair.” Mr. Gill MOST LIKELY TO: Blow Up a Chemistry Lab
MOST LIKELY TO: Be the First Female President “I feel honored because when my daughter Mary graduated in 2021 she also was voted most likely to become first female president so I feel honored to be following in her footsteps.” Mrs. Pollemeni Presidential quote: “It’s nice to be important, but it’s more important to be nice.”
MOST LIKELY TO: Grade Something After Graduation “I hate grading.” Mr. Ulry
MOST LIKELY TO: Survive an Apocalypse “That’s great. Most likely to survive an apocalypse ha. ha. ha. ha.” Mr. Slupski
Class Clown “Whatever you do, always give 100%, unless you’re donating blood. -Bill Murray” Mrs. Barrett
Teacher’s Pet “It’s nice to know I’ve turned a leaf from high school.” Ms. Koch
Best Style “At least it wasn’t worst style.” Ms. Huelskamp
The Dreaded Draft One of the biggest stresses about college is the dreaded college essay. How are you supposed to sum up your biggest life experience in a limited number of words? How do you even decide what that experience is? How do you let your personality shine through a Google doc? Luckily, a few seniors were willing to share their advice, tips, and tricks for perfecting that essay! Written By: Lucy Wills Designed By: Stella Hocker
High schoolers are very busy people. We are all involved in numerous different activities, such as sports, jobs, hobbies, theater productions, and many more. Considering this, there are a plethora of different topics to choose from for your college essay. Senior Anna Blubaugh is involved with dance and says it is a major part of her life. She wrote her essay on how dance negatively impacted her body image but how she learned to grow and love her body while still carrying on a love of dance. She had multiple other topics to decide between but ended up choosing dance because it is a huge part of her life. Her biggest advice in picking a topic is to make sure you highlight little things about life that you love. Even if it does not look impressive in the Common App you should highlight it in your essay if it is something you really love.
Another senior, Elena Vanasdale wrote her college essay on her room decor and how it reflects her personality. Elena had a hard time picking her topic because “I really wanted to be original but I haven’t had a giant struggle or anything.” I think many of us can relate to Elena in this area which is why picking a topic is so difficult. Elena’s biggest advice is to “be unique and add a personal flair.” She also says to get it done early. She regrets not doing hers sooner and wishes she had done it over the summer, which she prompts others to do. “It’s not fun doing stuff over the summer, but then you won’t have to worry about it during the school year when everything gets stressful.”
Overall the common theme is that you just have to be yourself and pick something that you feel represents you. Colleges are interested in you as a person and the growth that you have gone through. As long as you stay true to yourself (and write it early!) your college essay will be hit!
• Stella Hocker - A stranger teaching me how to skimboard • Denise Nuñez-Rayas - Disdain for the second toe • Haley Kyle - Learning from Dad’s mental illness • Calmera Irakoze - Immigrating from refugee camp in Tanzania • Anna Bedzyk - Being adopted • Camren White - Kanye West interview • Bianca Long - Changing my own oil • Asher Hayles - Growing up in family business • Maxwell Materu - Turning a bad situation into a blessing • Kofi Oduro - Momentum going into freshman year • Ben Famosa - Being 1st generation in America • Adam Feltz - How stories • inspire people to write stories • Mariana Whitney - Grilled Cheese • Camryn Louis - Cheer • Emily Boren - school uniforms • Josie Dages - Running • Rhett Morris- Political Unrest • Emily Rayas-Family obstacles • Abby Bechtel-Art • Zack Rennie-Diabetes • Olivia Ettenhofer-finding my place • Seamus Bonte-Uniform • Alexis Reynolds-Feminity • Morgan Davis-My nails • Ellie Reash-little moments • Kofi Asamoah-building a LEGO robot • Mary Kate Moriarty - a rollercoaster I made • Nick Jewett-Covid • Ethan Lackey-learning to play the guitar • Reece Hanley-being openly gay at catholic school • Michael Hunsaker-service with best friend • Hutson French-finding the silver lining • Katie Cavanaugh-learning to drive a boat with my grandma • Gabby See-people’s perception of me • Kylie Hoying-Marvel, how it ties into my major, and helps me overcome challenges • Ivana Laurol - 4th Grade Spelling bee Class of 2023 College Essay Topics:
When I
Grow Up... “What do you want to be when you grow up?” The question we are all asked at least once in our adolescent years. As young children, we feel like we have it all figured out: “I’ll be a veterinarian-lawyer-doctor-dentist-actor-astronaut…” The list goes on, and the possibilities seem endless. However, as we get older our list of possible occupations shorten as we discover who we are and what our interests are. For some people though, their interests never change. From the time that they are asked as a child about their future job to now, the answer has remained the same. The Quill took the time to interview some seniors here at DeSales to ask them about how (or if) their desired job routes have changed over the yearsfrom when they were younger, to now. “What do you want to be when you grow up?” “What do you want to be when you grow up?”
Kennedy Melvin said that when she was younger she wanted to be a doctor- but now she wants to become a child therapist or a dentist. Senior Anna Schneider said she wanted to be a teacher on account of her mother being one herself. Now, though, she wants to go into filmmaking. “I wanted to be a pirate- not the Pittsburgh Pirates, like an actual pirate that takes money from people.” Said Luke Gabrielli. Now he is majoring in business- not a major change from his childhood aspiration. He says that a degree in business would be most beneficial to him once he gets into the real world.
Finally, the Quill’s very own Norah Gustafson and Anna Blubaugh said that they wanted to be a cranberry farmer and author respectively. Norah’s major is currently undecided and she says she plans to take an exploratory program due to her many interests. However, she says she will not become a cranberry farmer anytime soon due to her fear of spiders. Anna says that she still wants to write- but is leaning more towards journalism. She said that she “Preferred telling the stories of other people rather than my own.” Kylie Hoying wanted to be a vet- like most other kidsbut now she is considering going into mechanical engineering. When asked why her aspiration changed, she said this: “Well I was scared of dogs growing up, so that definitely could have been it. And I’ve grown much more in my interest in math and science and that’s what I started to excel in. I feel like in grade school, you don’t learn about being a vet so I started learning about stuff that interested me and that’s how I came up with engineering.” Mimi Belford wanted to be a lawyer when she was younger. She is currently going into communications in prelaw, and wants to become a sports reporter.
There are endless possibilities when it comes to professions. When you’re younger, you feel as though you want to do it all. But as you get older you realize that not all of it interests you. Most people only have a few things that they are truly passionate about and this is what drives them to pick what they will do with their lives.
@Diianagiiselle @camren__9 The battle of the best dressed. Two seniors: Cam and Diana, who both have some of the best style in their class. Each individual has their own sense of fashion, but which one is better? As we go in depth from where they get their inspiration, to where they shop from, who do you think has the better style? The Battle of the Best Dressed Written By: Sam Couchmann Designed By :Camren White
1nstagram Usually the first thing people struggle with when it comes to style is where to get inspiration. For Diana, she gets her ideas from her Instagram explore page and Tiktok. You can find many posts of people showing their fashion and tag where they got it from. Although you can find where to shop the inspiration from Instagram, Diana says she normally thrifts her clothes. She added that she doesn’t have a consistent retail store she shops at, but if she sees something she likes she will buy it. For lots of people, style comes gradually. You have to play with different colors and patterns to see what suits you. However, Diana’s style has certainly evolved and she herself says she has definitely become more fashionable, “ Freshman year, my go-to outfit was light washed cuffed SKINNY jeans, white Nike air forces, and a bright rugrats hoodie.” You can shop for some of Diana’s thrifted pieces on her instagram shop, @diianascloset.
1nstagram Similar to Diana, Cam tends to look for inspiration on his Instagram explore page. He also says that he gets inspiration and suggestions from his friends Kevin and Bianca. With the inspiration from Instagram, he buys the pieces that he likes. He says buying from the overpriced has a negative connotation, replace it with quality or local , small business shops. Cam says that he has not always been the stylish person we know him to be and that his style began to change once he got to high school, “For the longest time I didn’t care about how I looked. When I got into high school I wanted to get more attention from girls and change my aesthetic, so that’s when I started dressing better.” In many stallion’s opinions, he definitely has upgraded. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1_zBHVKgVHLOZ-Au-tCGx61v0KkujnFLh362aju9DDRU/edit?usp=drivesdk Now that you’ve received both perspectives, please take a chance to fill out this form on who you think has the best style.
The Quill Senior Spotlight Our senior Quill writers say their farewells...
Kat Gunther-Reveal In the words of John Mulaney, “This has been a real thrill to perform here, by the way. I just want to say that in all sincerity…Really, really appreciate it.” The performing arts department has been a home here at DeSales. I’ve met lots of incredible people and friends that have become my family. I can confidently say that I wouldn’t be who I am today without them. I’ve grown as a person and a performer here. Morticia and Miss Andrew will always have a special place in my heart. I’ll leave DeSales with fond memories, wonderful friendships, and so many songs I’ll never forget.
As my time at St. Francis DeSales comes to an end, I look back on one of my favorite highschool experiences: journalism class. I would like to thank Mrs. Reither for creating an engaging and comfortable environment for all of us to learn in. She taught me and my peers not only about journalism but so much about life. In journalism, I can take a break from the chaos of the day and just enjoy a more low key class. This isn’t to say we don’t work hard, because (chief) Anna and I spend so much time together editing, brainstorming, and (sometimes) arguing. This class is also such an interesting dynamic because of all the different grade levels and the ability to create friendships with so many people. I would also like to thank Mrs. Aumiller and all of the designers for working with us and making our stories come to life. The collaboration of the two classes was not always easy, however, I learned so much about collaboration and communication. The life lessons I have gathered through journalism will be utilized throughout my life. I will definitely miss everyone at DeSales, but I am so excited to start this new chapter. norah gustafson
As I prepare to leave highschool there are several things that I’ll miss. However with that being said I don’t think that I would have been able to experience half of the memories that I did without Ms. Shockling and Ms. Willson. They gave me a family here in the form of the cross country and track team. When I first got here I felt more alone than I ever have but they connected me with some of the best people I have ever met. They also never gave up on me and gave me opportunities to succeed that I would have never imagined like being captain of the cross country team and being a kairos leader. I am beyond indebted to them and will love them for life. P-Bear out. Pierson bryan
cierci yeager I’m thankful that I took the time to join the drama club as well as be a part of the Evangelization team. Performing in High School Musical and leading Kairos were the best memories of my high school experience. My advice is to try new things while you’re in high school, don’t just stick to one hobby or one clique. This is the time in our lives where it’s easiest to try new things. I want to say thank you to Señora Lessells for making her classroom a safe environment where we can learn without the fear of failure. I will miss you very much and I’m grateful for you everyday.
Anna blubaugh If you know me, you know that I have the absolute least amount of school spirit. I think I’ve only ever gone to two football games (both during freshman year, both cold and overrated). Despite my reluctance to actively participate at DeSales, I do think that the school has changed me for the better. The Quill has been one of my favorite parts of my DeSales experience. Although I didn’t start writing for it until junior year, I can confidently say that I wouldn’t be where I am today without it. Not only did it help me discover what I want to do for the rest of my life, but it helped me branch out and realize that I am more capable than I believe. I’ll definitely miss fighting with Norah everyday, but I’m truly grateful for the opportunities that DeSales has brought me. As I go on to pursue journalism, I’ll be sure to take the lessons I’ve learned from Mrs. Reither and all of my fellow writers with me.
caroline reither If I had to give a piece of advice I would say, don’t peak in highschool. Many look back and think of highschool as the best years of their lives. I definitely will not do that and I’m happy about that. It was a hard pill to swallow for me to understand that it’s ok that my favorite memories aren’t football games, and that it’s normal that I don’t spend weeks thinking of how excited I am for highschool dances. I’m happy for the people who love those things, but it’s not for me and I spent too much of my my highschool experience thinking there was something wrong with me because of that. But once I realized there are more people who don’t enjoy those things then there are that do, I got to step back and realize how many amazing things I did enjoy. Sometimes you need to focus on embracing the little moments instead of getting caught up in the hype of the iconic moments. At the end of the day, it is those little moments that mold you into the person you are. When I see who I’ve become at the end of my four year journey, I really love the person I’ve become and it’s because of those little moments I’ve stopped to appreciate along my journey. So my advice for you is to stop comparing your journey to everyone else’s. Just enjoy your journey and enjoy your moments, whatever they may be. That is enough.
anna schneider Hailey Balik stella Hocker ellie reash cam white owen Hartsough elena vanasdale Thanks for reading The Quill this year. We loved making it for you, we’ll see you next year! If you are interested in joining The Quill staff as a writer contact Mrs. Reither, as a designer contact Mrs. Aumiller Farewell to our amazing senior designers as well, who were too busy designing the layouts for this issue to write their bios! But we loved them and will miss them all!