Junior Ring Ceremony, Discover UC, Start of New MP

Hey guys UC is so busy and alive lately. Last week, myself and classmates of the junior class recieved our junior rings. It was a great night and helped us realize that we are upperclassmen now and we have something that can be on us forever that will remind us of our past and where we came from. It looks great with the blue stone and all the stuff i got written on there like my name, class, irish flag and baseball to represent the activities that i participate in. It's one of the great things you look forward to when you are younger here at UC and it's great to see that some of these are happening already.

Recently UC held it's "Discover UC Night" for perspective students who are thinking about attending UC. It was a very successful night because it gave students and parents lots of information on what UC is about and why every person that goes here finds something to do. It was also the first night that UC showed their new DVD which was done by an alum! It gave families a chance to see what our lives are like during the day because most of them can't come during the day to see the energy and atmosphere that UC provides for every student that walks through the door.

Times are flying by here at UC because first marking period ended the other day which means that we are already 1/4 of the way done with the school year. I can't believe that I'm already done with 1/4 of my junior year because it feels like just yesterday I was walking in so nervous to my freshman orientation and now I'm almost halfway done with my 3rd year of school.

Jr/Sr Trip, Notre Dame

Hey guys sorry I haven't been blogging lately school has been crazy here with the end of the first marking period but I can't believe that we are already a quarter of the way done with the school year, its amazing. I hope your school year is going great too. Recently the juniors and seniors went on our annual trip in the fall. Every year the school picks a different city and this year was Philadelphia, PA. The trip was awesome, I had a great time hanging with my friends doing all the activities that were planned for us. One night we had a dinner/dance cruise on a boat which was great because all of us were up dancing all night and having fun. The next day we went to Hershey Park where we rode roller coasters all night and it was a great time. When we took a break from roller coasters, we went over to chocolate world and bought way too much chocolate but it's okay because no one can have enough of great chocolate. The next night was my favorite because we went to Eastern State Penitentary which is a haunted house but in a deserted prison and I got so scared at some points it felt like my heart was about to come out of my chest. On sunday we went to mass at Villanova and after toured the campus and it was a really pretty school to see. The trip was great and I can't wait till next year's when we go somewhere else.

This weekend my dad took me, my brother and grandpa out to visit Notre Dame college in South Bend, IN. It was one of the best weekends of my life. The campus and buildings were so beautiful that you were taken back as soon as you walked on. There was such a great vibe coming from all the students and faculty there. On Friday we took a tour of the school and looked at all the great things that Notre Dame has to offer for every student that wants or goes there. Saturday was the best day. We got to campus early so we could see the football players walk from church to the stadium then saw the band play all of the fight and victory songs and finally watched the game. Even though Notre Dame lost to Pittsburgh 36-33 it was in 4 overtimes and even though it would have been nice for them to win, the game was so exciting and the atmosphere inside the stadium was something I had never felt before in my life. On Sunday we went to mass in the church and walked around the campus again and everything looked so calm and beautiful. It was a great couple of weekends that I will never forget and hopefully more come up in the near future.

Junior/Senior Trip and XC

Wow! School is crazy right now, and I apologize for not writing any blogs, but I think I finally have my routine down, so I’ll be blogging every week again. UC is busy as usual, and that’s always a good thing. As you know it’s fall and that’s when we have our annual Junior and Senior Trip. I remember being a freshman and watching all of the upper classmen board the buses to go on the trip, and I said to myself “I can’t wait until I get to go on the trip”. Well, it was finally my turn to go, and I had a great time. Every year the school goes somewhere new, and this year we went to Philadelphia, PA. The first night we were there we went on a dinner cruise that rode along the Philadelphia skyline. It was awesome! All of my friends were taking pictures everywhere, and we danced all night. It was one of the coolest things I’ve ever done.

The next day we went on a tour of “Amishville” or Lancaster, PA. We went to a farm, and a pretzel shop where they made the best tasting pretzels I’ve ever had. After that we went to Hershey Park for the rest of the day. That was definitely one of my favorite parts of the trip. I love going on roller coasters, and my friends were on them all night long! After we went on every coaster in the park we went to chocolate world, and I was in heaven. I love chocolate, and I bought all of my favorite candy. The day as a whole was great, but the next day was even better.

On Saturday we took a tour of all of downtown Philadelphia, and it was great. We went to all of the historical museums, and we had a real “Philly Cheese Steak” lunch at Gino’s in downtown Philly. It was the best cheese steak I’ve ever had. After some more tours and dinner we went to the Eastern State Penitentiary, which was recently voted the most haunted place in America. We went on their haunted tour which was awesome! The set up was really clever, and the actors on the tour really scared me good. Visiting that place was my favorite part of the trip. The next day we went to Villanova University for Sunday Mass, and then we took a tour of the campus. It was a great way to end the weekend.

Once we returned it was back to the real world, and school work. The first day back was tough, but it was worth it. Getting back in the practice mode after school however, was tough. A couple of kids on my team went on the trip as well so we were all struggling, but it got better. Our fall sports teams are in the peak of their championship seasons, and we’re all doing well. Recently our cross country team ran in the Mountain Valley Conference Championships at Warinanco Park in Elizabeth. We all ran well, and we placed second as a team. We were hoping to come away with the win, but the other team was better than us that day. We’re hoping to get some revenge at the Union County Championships this coming Wednesday. I’ll keep you updated, and I’ll let you all know how we do.

National Honor Society, Freshman Field Day

Hey guys how is every one's school year going?? I hope it's going great because mine is amazing and flying by fast as anything. Last week some of my fellow classmates and myself were iducted into a group that is called the National Honor Society. It is a very hard thing to get into and only a select few have the requirements necessary to get into it. I am so honored and grateful to know that it's nice to be rewarded for the work I do. Hardwork never goes unrewarded although you may not see it, in some way it will help you in the short or long term. It was a great night to be with my friends and family as we recieved this great honor that will go with me throughout my entire life. A couple days later UC held it's annual Freshman Field Day. This is when freshman compete against one another in activities such as basketball, kickball, 3 legged race, hola hooping and other fun activities. They were broken up into teams based on their homerooms and every one had an awesome time because they didn't have to go to classes and got to spend the entire day just relaxing and doing activities with all of their friends which everyone likes. It's just one of the things that freshman look forward to during the year and events like this make freshman and everyone else included love coming to UC everyday.

OPEN HOUSE

Hey guys hope your school year is going great. Ours is flying by in what seems like no time at all, I can't believe it's already October and a month of school is already under our belt. Last week we had our annual fall open house for perspective students and their parents. It was a wonderful night and we had an amazing turnout there were so many people in the halls that at some points it was hard to walk through everyone. There were tours given, which the ambassadors including myself led. We took a group of students and their parents around the buliding and showed them our facilities and talked about what makes Union Catholic a great school to come to. Other parts of the night included going to classrooms and talking about different subjects and levels of academics in our school. There were tables set up in the gym for all the sports teams so that people were able to see what kind of sports are offered here and they got to meet the coaches. In the cafeteria there were tables set up for all the clubs we offer here at UC. There were a lot of tables because we offer so many clubs and there is usually a club that can fit anyone's needs. It was a great night and the atmosphere in the buliding was so lively that you felt like you were in a great experience whether you were a perspective student, parent or even a current student in the building. It was great to see everyone so happy and i hope the class of 2013 is as great as every other class here at UC.

8th Grade Day of Recollection, Welcome Back Dance

Hey guys hope everyone's school or work year is going good. Mine is going great even though its really hectic and there isn't much time for things ater school and sports. I joined the cross country team like fellow blogger DJ and it's a lot of fun. Earlier this week UC held an 8th Grade Day of Recollection where about 160 kids from all different grammar schools came to recollect at UC and to see what our school is like. I was able to get out of school to work it which isn't so bad because everyone needs a day off once in a while. There was lots of fun with speeches and group activities and we all got lunch by Wendy's which everyone loved. It gave the 8th graders a chance to see some of what the high school experience will be like and what will happen through your 8th grade year into freshman year, which is good because it's always good to know somewhat of what is coming towards you. On friday night we had the annual welcome back dance for all uc students. It was a lot of fun to be with your friends all night at school and we were dancing and grooving to songs all night long. It was also a great place for freshman and new transfers to meet people that they didn't know and make some new friends which is always helpful. Soon a lot of you 8th graders are going to be choosing what high school you want to go to and all i can say is visit as many schools as you can and you'll know in your what school is the best for you to succeed in.

Where Did Summer Go?!

Wow!

Summer flew by as usual, but it seemed to go by even faster this summer. It seems like yesterday I was taking my last final and getting ready to kick off my summer. However, all things must come to an end, and summer is no different. I was, in a way, looking forward to school starting, but in another way I wasn’t. I couldn’t wait to get back and see some of my friends again, and I was also looking forward to my Cross Country season.

Our team is looking to do big things this year, and everyone put in a good summer of training. Our coach told us that if we wanted to do great things we would have to have a good base of mileage, and we all listened. This past Tuesday we had our first race, and it was a Dual-Meet vs. ALJ (Clark). Everyone was pretty excited and nervous at the same time, including myself. During school that day all of the guys were joking around with each other to get loose before race time. I have to say that the team chemistry is awesome this year. Everyone gets along with each other and we don’t mind going to practice everyday.

School ended and we all got changed into our new uniforms that we fundraised for over the summer. I love the new uniforms, they’re really comfortable and they look great on everyone. We warmed up, stretched, and put our spikes on. We were ready to run! The gun went off and we all sprinted off the line. The race went by really fast, and before I knew it the race was over. We counted the points and we won the meet! Dual-meets aren’t a big deal in Cross Country, but it was a great confidence booster for all of the guys on the team. Our first big meet is on Saturday at Warinanco Park in Elizabeth. It’s the Bernee Magee Class Meet. It’s a meet where freshman race freshman, sophomores race sophomores, etc. I always love running at that meet because the atmosphere is great, and we’re all really excited to race there. I’ll let you know how we all do!

Back To School

Hey guys!! I can't believe we are back to school already it feels like just yersterday we were getting ready to have a great time in the summer. My summer was great and filled with lots of exciting things and I hope yours was too. I'm looking forward to having a great year and I wish all of you luck no matter where you are in your academic career. I'm going into my junior year and it's a really big year for me. I have to take everyone's favorite test in the world the SAT'S and i'm starting to look at colleges that I want to attend. All the seniors are excited to begin there last year of high school, the sophmores are grateful that they are still not freshman and are looking to become role models, freshman are just starting there high school careers and they might be very scared or excited and juniors are glad to be known as the older kids of the school and they are looking towards stuff like the junior/senior trip and junior prom in the spring. And if there are any freshman you shouldn't be worried about school because I'm sure wherever you are you'll do fine and if you are at UC there are tons of people that can help you along your way if you feel like you need someone there to help you. There are also a lot of transfer students this year and they might be scared too, but don't because UC is a great school and has programs that can help everyone out. I will be blogging weekly about the events that come up during the year. I hope everyone has a safe healthly and great school year and remember that you can do anything you want too as long as you put your mind to it.

NATIONALS...BON JOVI!

It’s crazy to think that we’re already a month into summer vacation, but summer wouldn’t be summer if it didn’t go by fast. Even though school is over, UC is still buzzing. The track team is always the last team to finish their season. We recently went to Greensboro, North Carolina for Nike Outdoor Nationals. Our goal throughout the whole spring track season was to qualify for this meet, and sure enough there we were. The atmosphere there was awesome! There were college scouts everywhere and the crowd was electrifying! We were all so excited to race.

Our 4x800 meter relay team was the first to race. We were the first race of the day on Friday, and we were ready to go. We ran in what was called the Emerging Elite Division which allowed teams who didn’t make the fastest qualifier to still run at Nationals, and it was still National Championship race. Our leadoff leg was Ryan and he did a great job. He handed off in first place to our second leg Alex who also ran a great race. The pace was getting faster and Alex fell back to third place, but we were still within striking distance. Alex handed off in third to Danny who ran to the front pack right away. He opened up a lead and handed off to me in first place. The race was getting more and more exciting and as we came up to the final lap of the race there were about 5 teams in striking distance. As we came down the final straightaway it was between 3 teams, and UC was right in the mix. I was giving it everything I had, and I started to pull away from the other two teams and crossed the finish line in first place! We couldn’t believe it, we were National Champions!

The next day our sprinters ran in the 800 meter sprint medley. It was by far one of the most exciting races of the meet. We were in third going into the final lap and our anchor Garrett was in striking distance. Coming down the final straight he passed one team into second and then blew by the next team into first. He crossed the finish line and threw his arms in the air. Union Catholic just won two National Championships! It was a great way for our seniors to end their high school career, and for the younger guys like me it was a great experience that we’ll use throughout the rest of our high school career. That night we went out to dinner and just had a great time. The pressure of running was off and we were all able to let loose and have a great time.

However, my summer has not been just about running. It’s been great hanging out with all my friends and not having to worry about school! Recently one of my buddies Kevin (who is a fellow blogger) invited me to go to the Jon Bon Jovi concert in Central Park. It was my first concert, but it was a great one! We got there really early and we had a great spot about 50 yards away from the stage. My whole family was jealous that I was going to the concert, because we all love Bon Jovi. The concert was amazing, and I’ll never forget it. My summer is going great and it’s only going to get better. I’ll try and post as often as I can, but if I don’t talk to you before school starts again, have a great summer!

BTW... you can visit Coach McCabe's website for pictures and track stats...www.uctrack.com

ACADEMIC AWARDS, ICE CREAM SOCIAL, SENIORS

Last week we had our annual academic awards for the sophomores and freshman. It’s a night where the school rewards students who have excelled during the first three marking periods of the current school year. It is a great night where students receive awards for Math, Science, English, and Social Studies and for their GPA. It is also determined at this point who is #1 and #2 in the class. Even though I didn’t get very high up in the class, I still did pretty good and got awards for Math because of my outstanding achievements. It is great to see all of the people that are being rewarded for their academic excellence. After the awards were given out, we all met in the cafeteria for an ice cream social. It was a great way to top off the night by rewarding us and our families again by giving us ice cream and allowing us to make our own sundaes which always taste good. Everyone looked very good with the guys in suits and the girls in nice clothes or nice summery dresses. It’s a great night and is sort of the start to the end of the year which makes us all happy because summer is almost here.
The seniors are done here at UC and its very sad to walk through the halls without having them there. I was friends with a few of them, and one had a very special impact on me. He was like my big brother and he watched me throughout my time here at UC and I thank him very much for it and I hope all the seniors have a great summer and a great college experience and hopefully we get to see you around when you can come back for spring break and things like that.

TRACK COUNTIES

Wow, May is already here! It seems like yesterday that I was just beginning my sophomore year and here we are almost juniors! Our spring athletic teams are in full swing. Our track team is having a great season so far so let me get you caught up.

We recently competed in three meets over the course of a week. We had Conference and County Relays, then we had Conference individuals. The first half of our season is mainly relays, and then the second half is the individual part of the season. We ran well at the Conference meet and the two relays I was on we placed first. At the County meet was also did very well. Our 4x100 meter relay team placed first and set the meet record in the event! The other relays I was on placed first. It was a very exciting meet. The following Tuesday we competed in the Conference Individual meet. Our coach told us that we had a very good chance to win and that every point we earned meant a lot. It was a two day meet and we went into the second day with a five point lead over second place Rahway. After exciting races and great throws we came out on top and beat Rahway by ten points! It was so exciting to win and run a victory lab around the track. It was the first time in school history that we won an outdoor track meet! The team we have this year is very special and the chemistry between all of us is great. We have the County Individual meet coming up this weekend, and hopefully we can bring home another trophy.

As for the rest of the sports, our Baseball team just defeated our rival Roselle Catholic in extra innings! All of our teams are doing great as they come to the end of their seasons. I’ll keep you posted on how the end of the year winds up!

Open House, Beating RC!!!!!!

Hey readers there has been a lot going on at school lately. Everyone is excited because school is almost over and summertime is just around the corner

Last week UC held its annual spring open house for students who want to know more about the school. Being a new ambassador, it was my first opportunity to be able to give tours of the school to families that had students in younger grades that may want to attend Union Catholic one day. It was a great turnout and there were a great number of students which is unusual for the spring open house (our fall open house is usually the one everyone attends). After tours and academic presentations we had a student panel where kids at the open house directly asked current UC students questions about life at UC and what happens on a daily basis. It was a fun night and it was great to see all of the kids and their parents really learn about what UC is and what a great atmosphere it is.

Yesterday the varsity baseball team played Roselle Catholic, who happens to be our school’s rival. In a great thrilling game the Vikings pulled out on top 4-3 in 8 innings. It was an amazing game, UC had fought tough all game but they were still down 3-2 in the bottom of the seventh. They managed to score a run and tie up the game and force it into extra innings. After shutting down RC in the top of the 8th, Union Catholic’s star catcher Jimmy Thornton came up with one out and runners on first and second. He hit a ground ball through the right side and the winning run scored from second to secure the victory for UC. Everyone was jumping up and down and yelling at the top of their lungs. It’s a great feeling to win, but it’s even better to beat our rival RC. The varsity team is having a great season so far with their record being 11-3 and 2 losses by only 1 run. Come out and support the Vikings and show your school spirit.

ANOTHER SIDE OF UC

Hey everyone! I just wanted to get you caught up in what’s going on in the UC community. I am a very active member in the club SMAC (Student Movement Against Cancer) and every spring we participate in the Relay for Life at Scotch Plains High School. We do a number of different fundraisers to raise money towards our funds for the relay. We recently had one of our fundraisers.

Every spring we have a fundraiser called “Quarters for Cancer”. How it works is you walk into the cafeteria, which is decorated, and you give a donation (Example: $20), and they ask you how many tickets you want. The tickets are used to get your food, and each ticket represents a quarter. Every scoop of a dish or a dessert is a quarter. So if you want ten tickets, you can get ten things of food. It’s a great event and everyone has a great time. When I got there and saw all the food I was amazed. It was great to see everyone come together and donate all that food. It was also great because all of the sports teams had just come from either practice or a game, and they were all starving. I sure was, and I ate a ton of food.

At the end of the event everyone went over to the Auditorium for the Mr. UC pageant. I went and saw my brother perform. It was really funny see all of those guys get up on stage and dance. My friends and I were all hysterically laughing the whole night. My brother performed well and placed second. He was a little disappointed, but he had a great time doing it and that’s all that mattered.

The next day we all found out that the “Quarters” dinner raised $618!! The dinner was a huge success, and it was our best year ever. We are all excited for the Relay for Life coming up in two weeks! I’ll let you know how it goes.

AMBASSADOR ACCEPTANCE...LOCK-IN

A couple of days ago the new ambassadors were chosen and I was lucky enough to be one of those people. My fellow blogger DJ was also chosen as one. An ambassador is a leader of the school who is always at the out of school events that UC runs and is seen as the face of the UC. I’m very grateful that I was chosen for this spot because it’s a very high leadership position here at UC. I’m glad that I get to work with my classmates and people of older classes in helping younger students and parents to see how great a school Union Catholic is.

One of the perks of being an ambassador is getting to work events like the Lock-In that we held last Friday for the class of 2012. Incoming freshman come to UC from 7 until 11 at night. We split them into about 10 groups and have them do different activities with each other, so that people can meet each other. My brother was one of those incoming freshman and he said it was good to meet some of his classmates so he didn’t feel like he was going into the year not knowing anyone at all. Some of the activities that the kids did was play guitar hero, kickball, basketball, musical chairs and they had to go on a scavenger hunt to find people that liked the same things that they did. This was a good icebreaker and it helped kids who didn’t speak that much start to talk to some of their soon to be classmates. It was a fun night working with my friends and seeing all of the kids that are going to soon be my new schoolmates in a couple of months. It’s been great to update you guys again and don’t forget on April 22 which is a Tuesday night UC is having their spring open house and I would strongly advise that if you have the time that you come and see what a great community UC is.

Ambassador or Peer Ministry?

Hey everyone! Sorry I haven’t been blogging for a while, but let me catch you up on all the news in UC. As you know it’s the start of the spring season, and everyone has some spring fever. The weather is getting nicer, and all of the sports teams are in full swing. Our Track team is running well, and our Baseball team is off to a 2-0 start.

Spring is also the time when applications for leadership positions for clubs and activities are due for the upcoming year. I decided that I wanted to apply to the Ambassador, Big Brother/Big Sister and Peer Ministry programs. I was selected to be interviewed to be an Ambassador, and I had to make a decision between Ambassador and Peer Ministry. Ambassadors work open houses and visit grammar schools to talk about UC to prospective students and their families. Peer Ministry works more with the kids in our school. They help spread their faith in God to others in the school, run our Days of Recollection and school masses. I evaluated all aspects of both clubs and decided to try and go for Ambassador. I chose that because Peer Ministry holds most of their meetings right after school, and with my track schedule I wouldn’t be able to make most of the meetings. Ambassador events normally take place at night so it worked better with my crazy schedule. However, I also felt I my talents and abilities fit the Ambassador Program more than they would in Peer Ministry.

Well I had my interview on Monday, and I thought it went very well. Two days later there was an announcement calling a few students who were interviewed down to the Admissions Office. Mr. Luciano (Head of the Ambassador program), and Mrs. Thornton (Director of Admissions, and fellow blogger) told us that we were selected to become Ambassadors. I was really excited, and I can’t wait to start training.

I have a track meet today at Governor Livingston. I’ll let you know how it goes in my next blog as well as how the rest of the spring sports are going.

SPRING BREAK AND BASEBALL

For those of you who don’t know last week was spring break here at Union Catholic. We were lucky enough to get 8 days off from school which is always good because everyone needs a break. Over those days I had the lucky opportunity of going to Arizona to visit my aunt and uncle who I haven’t seen in a year. It was a great experience to be out there and see how much life is different. First of all, I was three hours behind of everyone back here so for the first couple of days it was hard for my body to get used to it. It was beautiful weather out there. Almost everyday it was around 90 degrees, but it wasn’t humid so it felt amazing and getting to swim in my uncle’s pool made it even more amazing. Later in the week we visited the Grand Canyon. It was amazing to see how water, weather, and time can shape such a huge thing into one of the world’s most famous wonders. It was cool to look all the way down and see a river flowing through all the twists and turns and know that it formed because of the canyon. The beautiful part had to be the sunset though. We watched the sun set over the Grand Canyon and when it was nearly about to disappear was probably one of the most beautiful places ever.

This week is opening week for our spring sports season. On Wednesday our varsity baseball team opened up against New Providence and won in decisive fashion 5-0. It was a great way to open up the season and gave all the players a lot of confidence for the games that are coming up. I am on JV and we hope to open up today if the weather permits against JP Stevens and it looks to be a good game. I can’t wait to get out there because playing baseball is one of my favorite things to do. I will keep you updated during the season on how the JV and varsity teams are doing. That’s all for now hope everyone has a great week and I’ll be back soon =].

BASEBALL TRYOUTS, COURSE SELECTIONS

This weekend was amazing because baseball tryouts were held for the JV and varsity teams this weekend. Baseball is my favorite sport out of all of the sports and I couldn’t wait all year for it to come. I made the JV team and although we have a lot of young kids we have good potential and I’m hoping for a great season for both JV and the varsity teams. The spring season is very exciting because the weather gets warmer and this year for the first time in Union Catholic history there will be a varsity girl’s lacrosse team. It started as a JV team last year, but this year it has moved up to varsity and everyone is very excited to see how they do. Even though we couldn’t go on the field because it was wet, it was still great to be with all the guys and know that the season is just around the corner.

Recently the freshman, sophomores, and juniors got to select what classes they want to take for the next year. I love this idea because instead of having someone choose the classes for you, you get to control what specific classes you want to take and what level you want to take them on. You can pick your classes by how much time you think you have to put in the time needed for the amount of work for each different class. I think this is great because it allows you to choose your future and what you want to be able to study for the rest of your high school career and on into college. High school is a very important part of your life and to be able to control it yourself is a great feeling

The College Search

Here at Union Catholic students are allowed to register for their own classes online from the UC website. Teachers have been explaining to all of their students how the registration works. There are requirements however, for the classes that you register for. If you are for example in the honors program you must have at least a “B” average in your class to stay in the honors program for the next school year. The same goes for the Accelerated program. However, if you want to move up in a class (Honors to Accelerated) you must have at least an “A” average to move up. It’s pretty cool to be able to register for your own classes.

All of this has sparked our teachers into talking to us about looking at colleges. They all said that you have to start looking your sophomore year so that you have an idea of where you want to apply in your junior year. I listened to their advice and started to look online for different schools. The UC Guidance Office has connected us to a website called COIN which allows you to search for specific schools. For example you can say you want a Division I school on the East Coast and it will give you a list of different schools. Every college in the country is on this website, so it helps you find the perfect school for you.

Since I am a runner I started looking for Division I schools not too far from home. I have come across a few good schools that I will continue to look at. I was looking at COIN at home and my older brother (who is home on spring break) said it was really scary to think that I was already looking at colleges. He goes to the University of Mary Washington in Virginia, and it’s a great school. All of this is pretty exciting and I’m looking forward to find the best school for me. I’ll keep you updated on the college search as it progresses further.

Next week I’ll let you know how the first day of spring track and the spring season goes.

RELATIONSHIPS

A lot of things happen in our everyday lives, and relationships are one of them. Boy meets girl, girl meets boy they go out and live happily ever after. If only it was that easy, everyone would find their soul mates in high school. Recently my girlfriend and I broke up and I’m not going to lie it’s hard but everything happens for a reason. It’s hard to move on but the important thing is that you work things out and become friends. Friends’ last forever girlfriends just come and go as time goes on. If you have ever listened to the song stronger by kanye west it makes a lot of sense. He says everything that doesn’t kill me can only make me stronger which is so true. You learn from each relationship that you are in and gain useful information that you can use for the next relationship or situation that you come into. Relationships are a big part of high school and they can bring along great experiences, but at the same time they can bring some bad ones too. Just remember that for every bad thing that happens, something good will come out of it. Whether you learn how to treat a girl/guy better or how to act around certain girls/guys, every relationship teaches you a lesson that you will use when you grow up and become an adult.

Track, Track and more Track

Life in UC sure is exciting especially now during the championship part of our winter athletic seasons. Our Track team competed in the New Jersey Catholic Track Conference (NJCTC) championships recently and we won the whole meet! For the first time in the 55 year history of the meet Union Catholic took home the gold! The meet was so exciting, and everyone raced well. It was truly great so see everyone come together and perform well.

This past Saturday we also competed in the NJSIAA State Championships at the Armory in Jersey City. Anyone who placed in the top 6 in their event would qualify for the New Jersey Meet of Champions (MOC) in Toms River next Saturday. One of our girls, Tiara won the high jump, and one of our boys, Mike won the 55 meter dash! We also had many other qualifiers for the MOC including myself. I qualified for the Two mile race. I can’t wait to race there. It will be a great experience for all of us on the team. I can’t wait!

Today we also found out who qualified for Easterns which is a meet where runners from all over the East Coast compete. It is held at the New Balance Track and Field Center in NYC. Three of our relay teams were accepted as well as many athletes individually, including me. The meet is this coming Tuesday and it should be very exciting. I can’t wait to race against some of the best runners in the country. It should be a great week! I’ll let you know how it all goes.

Counties Take 2 and Millrose

Ok so here’s the story. The Union County individual meet was this past Wednesday, and my coach was holding out four of our best guys who were competing in the Millrose games. After we won the County Relay meet, we (the team) figured we had no chance of winning the individual meet without those runners, however, things got a little interesting.

The meet was held at the Dunn Center in Elizabeth, and we still had a lot of people running in the meet. I, myself ran in the mile and two mile races. The whole night was filled with excitement. After I ran the two mile race one of my teammates Nick, told me that we were winning. I was so excited. I learned that our shot putter Charles placed 2nd and our high jumper Obi placed second as well. After we placed 3rd in the 4x400 meter relay the meet was sealed. They announced all of the results and when they said that Union Catholic won, we all went crazy! We did a victory lap around the track chanting “UC! UC!” It was an amazing feeling. We definitely have a special group of guys on this year’s team. We still have a lot of season left as well as all of the spring season, but I am really going to miss the seniors next year.

The next day we were still celebrating in school. Everyone told us congratulations throughout the day. It was a special night that I will never forget. Two days later we went to the Millrose games at Madison Square Garden in NYC. Our 4x400 meter relay team ran and placed 4th! It was a great experience for them and everyone who went to the meet had a great time. It was really cool seeing all of the professional runners around us. I really hope that I will have an opportunity to run there one day.

Vikings Basketball, Catholic Schools Week...

Hello readers, last week a lot happened at Union Catholic. First was the good play of our varsity basketball team. They won 3 home games in a row against 3 good teams are their spirits started to lift after a poor start. Morale was high and our JV team went 2-1 so we were also in a good mood. The school was pumped and we got a lot of fans out to see the games, which really helped our team. We can always use more fans though so if any of you readers want to feel a great UC experience, find out when our next home game is and come feel a true Viking experience.

Another exciting thing that happened was Catholic Schools week. It was a week that is dedicated to all the Catholic schools in America. For this occasion we got two free tag days which allow us to dress down into regular clothes instead of in our uniforms. It was good to sit back and reflect on what it means to be in a Catholic school and how not all kids have the special privilege of going to a Catholic school. Union Catholic is a very special school and it’s a privilege for every kid that gets a chance to attend, so I highly recommend it.

Last Saturday was also our registration day for the class of 2012. We had another excellent turnout and over 220 kids registered. It was a great turn out and these kids are very lucky that they will be attending Union Catholic. We are happy for the great turnout and know that the class of 2012 will be as successful as every other class has here at Union Catholic.

WINTER TRACK COUNTIES, MIDTERMS, SCHOOL

Hey everyone! As you may have expected, UC is busy as usual, but let me catch you up on all thats been happening.

On January 9th, our boys’ winter track team competed in the Union County Relay Championships at the Dunn Center in Elizabeth. Going into the race our coach told us that we have a really good chance to win. We were fresh off our Conference Championship performance, and we were ready to roll. All of the guys were pumped and excited to show the county what we could do. All day during school I couldn’t think about anything else, but I stayed focused as well as I could, and I prepared for a big night.

The meet started as expected with us right in the mix. As then night went on the race for first place got closer and closer. In fact the championship came down the last race. We were tied with Rahway for the win, and it came down to our 4x400 meter relay team. It was the most exciting race I have ever watched. We won the race and we were crowned Union County Relay Champions for the first time ever! It was a great day to be a Viking!

Recently we also had midterms, which are exams that take place after the first semester of the year. Everyone always stresses out about them, and I was no exception. We had two exams everyday, but we had half days everyday which was a nice thing. After countless hours of studying I took my exams with confidence, and I felt I did very well. I’m very nervous to receive my grades, but I think I’ll be fine.

As for the rest of school, it is still buzzing with news of our boy’s basketball team defeating arch rival Roselle Catholic on Saturday night. It was a great game, and the energy in the gym was electrifying. It was a big win for the school and it gives the basketball team loads of confidence as they approach the end of their season. I’ll keep you posted on how our team does, and also how our 4x400 meter relay team does and the Milrose Games in Madison Square Garden!

MIDTERMS, ACCEPTANCE DANCE, BEATING RC

Hello readers sorry I haven’t been blogging that much school has been hectic. Last week we finished taking our annual midterm tests. What those are is at the halfway point of the year you take a test on everything you have learned so far for every subject. I know it sounds like a lot but if you study hard you will do fine. Everyone always thinks they do horrible and get stressed over them and they end up doing just fine. Midterms are a hectic time and you learn from them each year and get a better strategy for each year to come.

Last Friday night UC held its annual Acceptance dance for 8th graders. The dance is held for all students in 8th grade that got accepted into Union Catholic. I worked the dance as a chaperone along with DJ and a bunch of my other friends. It was a very fun night and a great crowd showed up which is always nice to see. It was fun seeing everyone up and dancing and being social with their hopefully soon new classmates. It was a very successful night and we had almost no one sitting alone and even if some kids didn’t know one single person at the dance, we introduced them to people and made it a fun and memorable night for all the kids there.

Last Saturday night all 3 levels of our basketball teams played our arch rivals Roselle Catholic. All three teams played great and the freshman, JV, and varsity teams all beat RC to complete a perfect day. Everyone is happy at UC when we beat RC because although we respect them we don’t like losing to them because they are our archrivals. It was a great two nights in a row, first the acceptance dance and then beating RC.

Conference, Millrose, & Back to School

Hey everyone! Sorry I have not blogged in a while, but with Christmas everything was a little crazy. There is so much going on in UC, so let me catch you up on all the exciting things happening.

School was let out for Christmas break on Friday the 21st. Christmas was awesome. As much as I love school at UC it was great to be off from school for a little while. My family had a party practically every night during the break, because a lot of out-of-town relatives were visiting during the holidays. It was pretty crazy, but it was great to see all of my family again.

As for news in the school, the 4x400 meter relay team qualified for the prestigious Millrose Games in Madison Square Garden on February 1st. This is the first time in school history that members of our track team qualified for this event. The members of the relay team are Mike Suarez (’08), Shariff Stubbs (’09), Ryan Kilkenny (’08), and Garrett Ellis (’08). Being a part of the track team it means a lot to me to see the hard work that these guys put in at practice everyday pay off.

As for the rest of the track team, we are competing in the Mountain Valley Conference Championships tomorrow. The boys’ team is defending champions for 2 years in a row. As for the girls team, they are defending their title for the first time. We are all looking good at practice, and I think that we are going to run well. UC is still very busy with athletics and academics. Getting back into the groove of waking up early is tough, but so far getting back to school has been good.