Music!

Hi, I'm Mark, I'm a junior at UC right now. I'm involved in the music programs here and they are great. I play the guitar and took up the banjo November of '08 and I have recently been working on the mandolin and harmonica. I've played guitar for about 5 years...maybe 6, I'm not too sure because most of the time I was just messing around. I really started getting serious about it 3 years ago. It wasn't until this summer though that I really started devoting time to knowing my instrument. I started to practice guitar a minimum of 2 hours every day. I started to focus individually on one thing heavily each day and then lightly go over the other material for a little bit. I also decided that if I was going to play my instrument and know it, then I would have to know everything about it all the way from the slight bow in guitar's neck to the wires used to make it play through an amp. So, to fulfill this "passion" I built my own guitar. I spent a lot of time developing a shape that I wanted and what type of woods I would use. Luckily, I'm fortunate to have a dad that works with carpentry enough that he has all the tools needed in my basement. My grandfather, who is also an incredible woodworker and inspiration to me along with my dad, helped me out a tremendous amount, I couldn't thank them enough. I finished that up in September and use it as my main electric guitar, maybe sometime I'll post some pictures of it. I now practice close to 3 hours every day and I'm hoping to possibly major in music or music technology/engineering in college.

Life Outside Schoolwork

Hey everyone, hope your school year is going great. It is starting to get to that time of year for us seniors to make a decision about what college we are going to attend. Recently, I applied to a good amount of schools and have heard back from a few different schools. I was accepted into Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia and really like the school. I applied for a scholarship to the school that would give me a lot of money and might make my college choice that much easier. As part of my out of school activities, I coached a youth CYO basketball team at my church IHM. It was a great experience and we made it to the championship game, and even though we lost I still loved the experience. I coached with my friend Matt and every Friday night we had a great time coaching the third and fourth graders. The day after the championship game, we went down to Toms River to watch my good friend DJ run the 1600 meters in the MOC which stands for the Meet of Champions. It is the all group meet for track in New Jersey, which means the best of the best. He won the race with the second fastest time in the nation and beat the kid with the fastest time in the nation. It was a fantastic race and I got so excited that I started screaming and lost my voice for the whole week. We are all so excited for him as he going to attend The University of Notre Dame next fall. I hope all of you are having a great year and I am looking forward to meeting most of you that are coming to UC.

And the winner is...Oh wait I have race this weekend too?!

My senior year is becoming such a whirlwind for me that I can't even stop and appreciate my experiences for everything that they're worth. College decisions are being made, track is in full blast, our school clubs are going nuts with the spring right around the corner, the UCPAC play of Les Miserables starts next weekend, and oh yeah, we have school too!

As you know I have been debating for quite a while over the school in which I'll be attending next fall. The recruiting process as a track athlete has made this choice very hard, but with the support of my family, friends and coach, I've decided to attend the University of Notre Dame next fall. The group of guys I met while I was out there visiting were great and the whole campus community felt like one big family which led me to believe that I am going to very happy for the next four years. I am so excited about this decision and I could not be happier with the opportunity that I have in front of me, and this now gives me a chance to relax and enjoy the remainder of my senior year.

However, just when I think that things are starting to settle down, track brings me back to reality and what better way to do that than to race in the NJ Meet of Champions. This race is a combination of the top 6 finishers from each State Group which consists of Groups I-V and Non-Public A and B. I ran the 1600 m race and I had the race of my life!! The race was loaded with all of the best milers in the state and it felt like everyone at the meet was there to watch this race. The race went by so fast that by the time I crossed the finish line I had no idea what had just happened. I WON! My mind was racing so fast that I couldn't stand still and I was still trying to comprehend what had just happened. My friends and coach ran towards me after the race to congratulate me and pretty soon I was mauled with congratulatory high-fives and hugs. My coach said that I had done the unthinkable and that I become the first Meet of Champions winner in school history. All I kept saying to myself was "This is crazy!". That day was a complete whirlwind but I had more fun that I've hand in my entire life. It was an unbelievable experience that I will never forget.

College Decisions...

School is getting a little crazy here at UC with winter sports in full blast, the start of the 3^rd Marking Period, and seniors being notified of college acceptances. With so much going on it’s been hard to stay on top of my blogging but I have the opportunity now to fill you in on everything that’s going on in the halls of Union Catholic.

My life for the past 3 months has been centered on the college search and finding the right school for me. I’ve been recruited by a few different schools and my family and I have been trying to find the right fit for me. However, only I can make that decision. Recently I was notified of my acceptances into American University in Washington D.C., Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C., and the University of Notre Dame located in South Bend, Indiana. I was thrilled when I found out about each of these schools, but unfortunately I can only choose one and my decision is not going to be an easy one.

As an athlete, college coaches try to make their school seem perfect for you by talking on the phone or going online; but the only way to see if a school is right for you, is to go see it for yourself. Recently I took a visit to Wake Forest University in North Carolina and it was incredible. The campus was beautiful, the guys on the track team were great, and the environment and feel of the entire campus was great and it made me feel right at home. So naturally I started to think that Wake was the place for me. However, I had those exact same feelings when I took a visit to the University of Notre Dame in September. As you can see, I’m in a bit of a tough spot, but my family is helping me map out what I really want in a school. I have an opportunity to go to a great school and I feel very lucky to have this chance, so now it’s my job to take advantage of it. I’m hoping I know where I’ll be next fall within the next 3 weeks.

I’ll keep all of you posted on how the process ends for me and I hope to see all of you 8^th graders at registration this Saturday!

Accepted Students Dance

Hello all, hope your respective school years are going great. There is a lot happening here around UC and everyone is having a great time. Recently, we had our Accepted Students Dance in the gym of UC. We allowed all eigth grade students who had been accepted to UC to come and experience a night with students who could be their classmates. The night was a great success, as we had a very large number of students attend the dance this year and everyone was out on the dance floor having a good time. It was a great way to meet new people and a great atmosphere to help show what being a part of UC is like. I had a great time working the dance and I never had to pull anyone off the bleachers to come out on the dance floor. Registration day is coming up soon and I hope to see a lot of familiar faces making a great choice by singing up to be part of the class of 2014 at UC.