Sturgis East Student Council Candidates 2013

By the Stormwatch Staff     

     On Thursday, May 30, during advisory, the freshman, sophomores, and juniors will be voting on their class representatives for the Sturgis East Student Council, or STUCO, for the 2013-2014 school year. These same grades will also be voting on a president-vice president pairing for student council next year, as well as STUCO's secretary and treasurer. Here is a breakdown of the student council candidates:

* The incoming freshman Class of 2017 will be holding their class representative elections in September.

2013 Sophomore Class Rep: 
Maura Coughlin
Katie Curran
Victor Dominatto
Holden Ramage

2013 Junior Class Rep:
Kevin Agostinelli
Matthew Cappucci

2013 Senior Class Rep:
Quinn Coughlin

2013 President-Vice President: 
Adam Bennani (Senior) - Kit Freddura (Senior)
Kaleigh Fallon (Senior) - Maggie Randall (Junior)
Meredith Sullivan (Senior) - Liam Prendergast (Junior)

2013 Secretary: 
Catherine Etienne (Senior)

2013 Treasurer: 
Laura Sirhal (Junior)

The following video features each candidate's campaign speech, in the following order:
Freshman Class Rep, Sophomore Class Rep, Junior Class Rep, Senior Class Rep, President-Vice President,  Secretary, Treasurer.
Here is the link to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsApPbX2jIM

Boys' Baseball State Game This Friday at Lowell Park

By Jacob Tobey, staff reporter  
 
With the fourth seed in the Division 4 state tournament, it was revealed on Tuesday that Sturgis East will face Westport on Friday, May 31, at 4:00, at the Storm’s hometown ballpark of Lowell Park in Cotuit. Come with friends and family to show school pride and support the Sturgis Storm in their quest to win the first state tournament game in school history!

If you can’t make it to the game or just want to listen to it, you can listen to the first-ever live broadcast of a sports game for Sturgis. I will be conducting the radio broadcast, and I will be joined by former Boston sports radio commentator and current history department director Jim Barasso, sophomore commentator Nick Goetz, and our sophomore producer Parth Patel. We will be using the website http://www.blogtalkradio.com/, so look for a specific link from this website to be posted on the front page of the Sturgis Charter School website, http://sturgischarterschool.org/, and on the front page of the Stormwatch website, http://sturgisstormwatch.blogspot.com/. 

Boys’ Baseball Completes Historical Regular Season

By Jacob Tobey, staff reporter

The Sturgis boys’ baseball team finished the 2013 regular season with a 13-3 record, the best record in Sturgis baseball history.

    On Wednesday, May 22, the Storm played their rivals Sturgis West for the third time this season.  After beating them 13-0 in their last game, it shockingly took ten innings to finish this one as East came out with a well-deserved 2-1 win. The game was characterized by an exciting pitcher’s duel between East junior Luke Chevalier and West junior Tom Cunning, both of whom pitched all ten innings, with Chevalier eventually emerging as the victor, recording a season-high 14 strikeouts.

    In the bottom of the seventh inning with a man on third, Tom Cunning hit a RBI single to tie the game up at one to send the game to extra innings. In the top of the tenth inning, sophomore Ryan Havey gave the Storm a 2-1 lead on a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded to drive in a run. Then, in the bottom of the tenth, with a runner on second base, Chevalier caught a line drive and threw it to second for the double play, ending the game and giving Sturgis East another impressive victory. Although East’s offense was really contained in this game, both Austin Taubert and Connor Bryant had two singles.

    The boys next played New Testament on Thursday, May 23. They won with the final score of 12-0, with Coach Levine sitting some of his starters, giving Kyle Garvey, Chevalier, and Havey a rest. Sophomore Cooper Gavin got his second start on the mound this season and struck out six. He was on his game against a poor New Testament lineup. With Havey getting the day off, junior Ryan Bracken got the start at second base and went 4-5 with two doubles, and senior first baseman Ben Duncan went 2-4 and scored twice.

    Several milestones were achieved during the 2013 season for the Storm.  Along with having the best record in Sturgis baseball history, another accomplishment was senior Kyle Garvey becoming the winningest pitcher in school history after attaining 8 wins. The third milestone was making the state tournament in back-to back years for the first time in Sturgis baseball history. This goes to show that Sturgis East sports are clearly on the rise and becoming more competitive.  

    

Video: Sturgis East Field Day

By Katie Curran, staff reporter & videographer

On Thursday, May 23, Sturgis East held its annual Field Day on the fields behind Pope John Paul II High School. The day was relaxing and enjoyable for all, especially after the sun began to shine! Special thanks to STUCO, Sturgis East's student council, for hosting the event.

Watch this video to see some highlights of Field Day (0:49 min): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fkdkIZ_3Xk

Key Club Zumbathon A Resounding Success

By Parth Patel, staff reporter

 The Sturgis East Key Club held a Zumbathon on Saturday May 11th as a fundraiser to support Camp Sunshine, a retreat in Casco, Maine for children with life-threatening diseases and their families. For those of you who don’t know, Zumba is a dance Fitness mini-marathon event that uses music and dance to help unite people, while having a party in the process! Zumba Fitness® leverages dances such as Salsa, Cha Cha, Samba, Tango, Merengue, and hints of Flamenco, Calypso, Hip Hop, Celtic, Rock-n- Roll, and Belly Dancing. Zumba® is for all ages and all fitness levels.

Each day around the world, the Zumba program makes a positive impact on millions of people’s lives, and it’s in this spirit that Zumba was founded. The mission of Zumba is to foster charitable initiatives that raise funds and awareness for important global health causes, and to celebrate the joy of giving through dance, fitness, friendship and love. Powered by the energy and passion of its Zumba Instructor Network and Zumba fans worldwide, it has raised millions of dollars for breast cancer, motor neurone disease, heart health and more through thousands of Zumbathon charity events and other Zumba activities.

The Zumbathon began at 1 P.M. when instructors began arriving through the doors of the Hyannis Youth & Community Center. The music was turned up and the Zumba instructors started dancing and urging people to Zumba along with them. There was great participation among everyone who came along to support the cause. There were teachers from Sturgis East as well as a great deal of students. Instructors took turns coordinating their dances, which were very upbeat and creative. At the end of the Zumbathon everyone was tired and dripping in sweat, but it was well worth it. Not only was there Zumba, but there was also a raffle which included gift cards and prizes from a variety of stores such as Ben & Jerry's, The Silver Sea Horse, Trader Joes and Common Ground. 

All in all, the event was a success in that it was entertaining and exciting and that it raised a lot of money for a great cause. Everyone who participated had a great time with their friends and family and everyone also had the opportunity to win great prizes during the raffle. The instructors were a crucial part of this Zumbathon and it would not be possible without them. Also, Sturgis East Key Club hosted a great event that brought a number of people together for a cause, which will provide a retreat for kids and families with life-threatening diseases.

The Journey Continues: Sturgis Baseball, Tourney Bound

By Jacob Tobey, staff reporter

The Storm experienced a busy but very successful week as they had five games between Monday the 13th and Sunday the 19th. 

On Monday, the team played the first of two games against South Shore Christian at Lowell Park and won 14-2. Sophomore Cooper Gavin was on the mound as he got his first start and pitched six innings, recording seven strikeouts, walking nobody, and only letting up three hits. Senior captain Connor Bryant went 2-for-2 with a walk, sacrifice fly, a single, a double, and five RBI. Sophomore Ryan Havey was up in the bottom of the sixth and hit a two RBI double to win the game on a “slaughter rule” (the games ends if the deficit is at least 12 runs after five innings). 

Havey commented on what it felt like to get the deciding hit, “Well I approached the plate with a lot of confidence and I knew I would drive the ball hard somewhere. When I made contact I knew it was good. It was a good feeling ending the game like that.”  

On Tuesday, the Storm played at Cape Cod Academy and kept the winning streak going as they won 6-4. The Storm’s ace Senior Kyle Garvey was on the hill and pitched a complete game, striking out seven while allowing seven hits and walking three batters. When Sturgis was down 4-2 in the fifth inning, Garvey hit a two-run double to tie the ballgame up, and Connor Bryant followed with a single for the go-ahead RBI, one of his five RBI on the day. Senior captain Ben Duncan went 2-for-4 on the day. With this win, Sturgis East officially made the state tournament for the second consecutive year.       

Sophomore Kevin Agostinelli explained how he felt after qualifying for the tourney for the second time in his Sturgis career, “It definitely feels good, but our objective at the start of the season was to at least qualify. I think we've come to the point where we as a baseball franchise believe that making the state tournament should be an annual routine. As for winning a state game at Lowell Park? That is our ultimate goal for this year."  

East next played on Wednesday against Cape Tech at Lowell Park and Luke Chevalier dominated as he collected twelve strikeouts in a 5-0 win. He pitched a complete game, which is becoming a normal thing for him and for Kyle Garvey. Seven of the nine Sturgis batters got a hit in the cohesive win. Ben Duncan went 1-for-2 with a walk and drove in two RBIs, while Ryan Havey, Kevin Agostinelli, and Ryan Bracken recorded the other three RBIs. Connor Bryant also went 2-for-3 with a single and a double.  

Thursday, the Storm kept on rolling as they won in a blowout fashion, 11-2, against South Shore Christian for the second time in four days. Despite committing four errors, the team was boosted by their power hitters Connor Bryant, who went 2-for-3 with four RBIs, and Austin Taubert, who went 3-for-4 with two RBIs. Coach Levine sat Chevalier, Havey, Duncan, and Agostinelli as he wanted to give a chance for the bench players to get some time on the diamond. Ian Devine threw a gem in his second start of the year, allowing just one hit in six innings and striking out nine batters. 

Sunday was a matinee game against East’s rival, Sturgis West. With arguably the largest crowd on hand this season for the Storm, the fans got to see a show as Kyle Garvey pitched his second no-hitter in two seasons at Lowell Park, leading Sturgis to a 13-0 victory. Garvey threw the first no-hitter in team history last spring against New Testament, and he was on his game as usual as he fanned nine batters and had zero walks.  Garvey also had a good day offensively, going 3-3 with a pair of doubles, three runs scored, and one stolen base. In the bottom of the fifth inning, senior center fielder Ian Devine made a phenomenal diving catch to preserve the no-hitter. 

Garvey reflected on his second career no-hitter, “It felt awesome, especially against West. The coaches told everyone not to say anything and told the people playing to make all the plays, and that’s why Ian made that great catch to save the no-hitter.”

Sturgis now sits at 11-3, 5-2 in the Cape and Islands League. The boys look to continue their eight-game winning streak against Sturgis West for the third time this season on Wednesday, and they will travel to New Testament High School on Thursday to finish off their season. As Coach Levine has reiterated for the past couple of weeks, “The journey continues.”  

My School Trip to Roger Williams and UMASS Dartmouth

By Cooper Heilman, staff reporter

This past Tuesday April 30th, a number of my fellow Sturgis classmates and I went on the sophomore college field trip to Roger Williams University and Umass Dartmouth.  We were all excited to see what college was really like firsthand.  
The bus left school early in the morning and we headed out to Roger Williams University first, which was right near the Rhode Island/Massachusetts border.  The college was on a small peninsula next to the water.  My first impression of the campus was a good one; there were water fountains at the gate, green grass everywhere, and neat buildings.  The campus was like its own little town.  We met with our tour guides in the morning, and they showed us around the whole campus.  They were both very nice and thoughtful.  First, they showed us the gym and athletics department, which had large indoor basketball courts, soccer courts, and a track, its own cafeteria, swimming pool, gym, and much more.  It was a very inviting place overall.  What I remember most were the windows from the gym that overlooked the water.  It was a pretty sight.Roger Williams University library (above)
The tour guides continued to lead us to the biology labs and the dorm rooms.  The dorm rooms seemed cozy and clean, with plenty of windows overlooking the water.  It looked like a place I might want to live in while at college.  Finally, they showed us the library and the cafeteria.  The cafeteria was a huge plus; it had about every variety of food you could think of.  As our tour guides informed us, Roger Williams takes pride in its architecture program, which happens to be one of the top architecture programs in the country, and we were able to see many impressive works and models of architecture on our tour.
    As far as the academics went, there was a decent variety of majors (43 to be exact), and plenty of clubs, sports, and other activities to get involved in.  However, the academics were not as impressive as the campus itself.   
Roger Williams University tour
 
As far as Umass Dartmouth was concerned, I was not impressed in the least bit with the campus, and after talking with many of my classmates, I figured out that the majority of them shared my opinion.  We visited the dorm rooms first, which left a bad first impression on me.  The hallways that led to the dorm rooms were dark, milky-white, and stuffy, and the room numbers were painted on the grungy walls above the rooms. However, the rooms themselves were not as bad; they had plenty of space.  
    Once we got to the main campus, the buildings improved a little.  The architecture would have been interesting if it weren't made of the same gray cement everywhere.  The architect seemed to have had many great ideas, but they just did not seem to have worked out.  The stairs were built awkwardly so as to “slow people down so they can think about life” as our tour guide informed us, and there was a very tall radio tower that also functioned as a bell tower.  The central yard and fields were pretty enough.  We visited the arts building, which was definitely the most impressive area of the campus.  This was no surprise to me, because Umass Dartmouth prides itself in its arts program.  
    Overall, however, I was much less impressed with Umass Dartmouth than Roger Williams.  Roger Williams had a beautiful campus and decent academics, as it seemed to me, whereas Umass Dartmouth’s campus was unpleasant, although it would be a great college for an arts student.  
    The best thing I gathered from the college field trip was a sense of what a college campus looked like, and what life will be like for me when I go to college.  After visiting these colleges, regardless of their academic rating, I found myself actually excited for my future in college.

Sturgis Senior Runs Marathon in Honor of Boston Victims

By Parth Patel, staff reporter

The Boston Marathon bombings were a tragedy that will forever remain in the hearts of Boston residents as well as those of the nation. It was a catastrophe that killed three spectators and left more than 200 people injured.

A marathon is by no means an easy task and requires extensive training and dedication, but Sturgis East senior Noah Lonergan decided to try and run a marathon in order to honor those who had lost their lives and those who had been injured in the Boston Marathon bombings.

Noah Lonergan said, “What we do for ourselves dies with us what we do for others lives in the hearts and minds of the living." He also commented saying, “For those who got injured or died I just wanted to let 

them know they changed my life and will live in my heart and mind until I die; forever inspiring me with their sacrifice and determination.”

The night before that he decided to run the marathon, he designed a shirt with the front side saying, “Yesterday I ran for the dream” and the back side saying “Today I run for dreams lost.” He ran with the shirt on not to really accomplish anything, but just to try and make what those people got injured and died for worth more. He did it to show that what happened to them inspired him and hopefully many others as well to sacrifice for running.

Noah encourages people to donate to The One Fund Boston, the purpose of which is to raise money to help those families most affected by the tragic events that unfolded during Monday’s Boston Marathon. He also urges people to join him and others for a run on May 25th which will give runners and spectators an opportunity to experience the final mile of the marathon and to honor the victims of the bombings.

Sturgis Baseball Improves Record to 5-3

By Jacob Tobey, staff reporter

The Storm hosted Pope John Paul at Lowell Park on Monday, April 29, and with a three-game winning streak coming in, they felt pretty good. Unfortunately, Pope John also brought their game as they beat Sturgis 12-0. That is the second time the Storm have lost by double digits to the Lions in two weeks. To give Luke Chevalier and Kyle Garvey a rest from pitching, senior Ian Devine pitched and only let up three earned runs, since the Storm committed a season-high total of six errors. Senior Ben Duncan relieved Devine in the 6th inning and pitched well, letting up just one run. 

East, which had a couple days to readjust, came back with an impressive 8-5 win over Cape Cod Academy. The team's pitching ace, senior captain Kyle Garvey, had a no-hitter through four innings, but eventually let up 5 runs (3 earned) as CCA began to hit better in the fifth inning. Ian Devine had an outstanding game, going 3-3 with a walk and three RBI. Austin Taubert had two hits as well to help propel the team to a victory.

Friday was a different sort of game as the Storm didn’t have their usual starting lineup versus New Testament. The team had seven players with various injuries. Another notable injury was the broken finger of senior captain Connor Bryant. With Garvey and sophomore Ryan Havey out with apparent leg injuries, and with Ben Duncan out with a back injury, Coach Levine was forced to make several changes to the starting lineup. Junior Ben Brown started at first base and Grant Dauwalder started at centerfield, moving Ian Devine to shortstop. 

Before the first at bat for the Storm, Levine was repeating to his players, “ Let's do what we do, ” as motivation to hit the ball well like Sturgis normally does. Luckily, the injuries didn't affect the Storm much as they won 14-0. Despite his broken finger, Connor Bryant was fantastic at the plate, going 3 for 3 with 4 RBI and a double. Austin Taubert also had a four RBI day. These big bats in the lineup really complemented the gem thrown by Luke Chevalier. He went all seven innings with thirteen strikeouts. In the fourth inning, clearly his best inning in the game, Chevalier struck out the side with three strikeouts in nine pitches. It was a dominating win for the boys to say the least.

The injury-ridden Storm look to continue this domination as they look to journey on into the rest of the season. There is great news on starting second baseman Ryan Havey as he got his MRI results back on Monday.  He is not out for the remainder of the season(as first reported) as he has some bone bruising around the knee and a sprained ligament. The doctor has cleared Havey to play, and he will surely help the Storm with his bat and his glove as he was the original starter. The team’s record is 5-3, and they are playing Cape Tech today at Cape Tech in Harwich.  

Make sure to check http://www.sturgisstormwatch.blogspot.com/ for exclusive videos on the New Testament game.