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A Blast from the Past: DCHS Then & Now

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 by Ella Kuhn '24 Our story begins back in the 1960s, at Delone Catholic High School. Margaret Knox, my grandma, was entering her freshman year at Delone Catholic High School. Margaret came from a family of six siblings where she lived in the neighborhood behind Annunciation church.  In 1961, Dave Knox, my pappy, entered his freshman year at Delone Catholic. Dave also came from a family of six siblings, and they lived in the town of Gettysburg, Pa.  Present-day David and Margaret Knox wear Delone sweaters Photo courtesy of Ella Kuhn During this time, it only cost fifty dollars to attend Delone.  Dave would arrive at school by getting a ride from one of his buddies or by taking one of the four buses that ran from Gettysburg to Delone. On the other hand, Margaret would walk to school because she lived in McSherrystown and you were expected to walk or get a ride because there was no bus available.  Since then cars have become the main way of transportation and busing has become

Student-Athlete Jumping to New Heights

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by Carolyn Melody '25 Time, balance, and dedication are critical characteristics of a student-athlete. With this in mind, it is a daily challenge for students to manage their academics and athletics. The stakes are further heightened when there is an equine athlete involved. Although equestrian sports are not as traditional as soccer or football for high school students, there are incredible benefits to being a young equestrian. In addition to physically training themselves to reach peak athletic performance, they must also ensure that their equine partner is at their best. High school Junior Mackenzie O’Connor knows firsthand what it takes to be a competitive athlete while balancing her academics, athletics, and social life. Although she is forced to compromise traditional high school experiences, in order to be successful in the ring, she would not trade the opportunity for the world.  Photo courtesy of Mackenzie O'Connor   “It's a really subjective sport and you really c

Making Headlines: Speech & Debate

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by Alessandra Colantoni '27 “In my summary, Speech and Debate is a creative community that closely compares to the theater,” Kali Hilfiger ‘26 says when asked about the sport that she has participated in since eighth grade. Coached by Mr. Derf Maitland, one of the English teachers here at Delone, as well as Mrs. Janet, the members of the speech and debate team work hard each week to perfect and perform what are hoped to be award-winning pieces at one of the many competitions attended throughout the season. Photo courtesy of Derf Maitland  According to Riley Slee ‘24, “We practice in either the library or Mr. Maitland’s room twice a week for about two hours each meeting”. During the duration of these practices, students in the speech category practice their self-chosen pieces from a category of their choice. Category topics include the following: humorous interpretation, dramatic interpretation, poetry, duos, etc.  They then head off to a competition, where their pieces are presente

From the Archives: Hall of Honor Inductee

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The DCHS Hall of Honor inducted five new members for the class of 2024, including retired faculty member Anne Kerr , interviewed here in the January 1979 issue of  Delonews  regarding her success as a field hockey player.  Photo courtesy of Brienna Richelle Photography 

On the Mat: Q & A with John Paul Groves

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by Peyton Faller '27 Photo courtesy of Brienna Richelle Photography John Paul Groves, a junior on the Varsity Wrestling team, has taken the time to give us an overview of the hard work that has been put into the very successful 2024 season. Q: Why do you enjoy wrestling? A: It's a very good exercise and I enjoy winning both individually and with the team. I love bonding with the guys in the room and have fun being there every day. Q: What strategies do you and your teammates use to be more prepared for matches? A: We identify the specialties of the opponents to see what their best moves are and then practice ways to counter them. Q: What is the reason the team has been successful this season? A: Ryan Green, who used to coach for Fairfield, came to coach at Delone and brought his son Gavin, who is nationally ranked. We got several new wrestlers this year; half of our team is new. Coach Green came in and taught us several techniques and pushed us to be as great as possible.

Enter the Splash Zone

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by Peyton Faller '27 Over the years, Delone Catholic has had successful swimmers.  This year, two of our students added to that legacy.  Gabriella Erdman ‘24 and Peyton Faller ‘26 represented our school in the water as individual swimmers.  Because Delone isn’t designated as a swim school, there were struggles that they overcame.  For example, they didn’t have a coach, place to practice, or contact with other schools. “I owe a huge thanks to my father for stepping up and Photo courtesy of Peyton Faller filling the coach role,” said Faller.  “Without him, Gabby and I wouldn’t have been able to represent our school in the water.” Peyton mentioned how without her father, swimming wouldn’t have been possible for her and Gabby.  She also said she is glad she has reintroduced the sport into the school.  She hopes for more swimmers in the years to come. “Swimming has been a part of my life for many years now.  I plan to swim for Delone again next year,” Faller said. “I hope that other sw

Songs of Sea & Sky

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b y Baleigh Stetter '27 Photo courtesy of Brienna Richelle Photography On Sunday, April 21 the curtain closed at the Delone Catholic Music Department’s Spring Concert. The Spring Concert included performances by the Junior Band, Concert Band, and Chorus as well as the addition of the Jazz Band.  Many practices and rehearsals led up to this spectacular performance. The Delone Catholic Concert Band performed four songs, under the unofficial theme ”Sea and Sky,”  which included “Seal Lullaby,” featuring Evan Glass on piano, “Learn to Fly,” a popular song by the band Foo Fighters, “The Great Clipper Race,” a retelling of the story of two great steamships through music, and finally “Seashell Shanty,” a composition composed by Delone Catholic junior Will Frizzell.  The Chorus, which rehearsed during Activity Periods in school and during a few out-of-school rehearsals, performed four pieces. The first “Scarborough Fair,” an old English folk song made famous by Simon and Garfunkel, was per

Interact Club: Leaders in the Community

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by Victoria Staub '24 Leadership has always been what I felt God has called me to take part in. Delone Catholic has opened up so many opportunities for me and many other students to take on leadership roles, the most significant to me is being President of Interact Club.  Interact Club is a service club at Delone Catholic, connected to the Hanover Rotary Club, which is open to grades 9-12 as not only an opportunity to gain service hours but also to be blessed with a sense of fulfillment from giving back to the community.  Each year we have a few very impactful events: Adopt-A-Highway, Helping Hands for the Homeless, Earth Day Projects, as well as sending care packages and cards.  Adopt-A-Highway takes place twice a year, where the members of Interact Club will go along Route 194 and pick up trash to make a difference in the health of our environment.  Helping Hands for the Homeless is where members collect monetary donations and put together care packages that include basic necessi

Girls' Basketball: Pass… Shoot… Score!

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by Peyton Faller '27 Delone Catholic’s Girls’ Basketball team has gone far in postseason competition in the past years. Like the previous years, the Girl’s Basketball team fails to disappoint.  Hours that have gone into practice brought them to the PIAA Tournament where they had many excellent wins.  Brielle Baughman ‘24 and Jocelyn Robinson ‘26, two of the girls on the Varsity Basketball team, mentioned that their success this season is because of hard practices and their coach, Gerry Eckenrode. “ We have a really good coach,” said Baughman. “We all give our best effort in practices and games.” While hard work is important, teamwork is also just as important.  Jocelyn mentions how the team requires the maximum effort from all of the players.   “Basketball is a team sport that requires everyone to work together,” said Robinson.  These girls have set the bar high for future seasons, but with hard work and dedication, Delone Catholic will continue to score and outshine rival teams.

Speech & Debate Team Reigns Supreme After Hiatus

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by Maggie Murray '24 Photo Credit: Victoria Staub When people think of Delone Catholic’s championship teams, many people think of the baseball team's district win and the basketball team's various victories, but very few people think of the Speech and Debate team.  Due to Covid, Speech and Debate has been dormant for the past few years, but because of the efforts of coaches Mrs. Jennifer Knechtmann, Social Studies teacher and head coach, and Kaitlin Repp ‘18, as well as the hard work and dedication of the team, the group has returned for a very successful season.  Repp, assistant coach of the team, stated, "In my first year as an assistant coach, I never imagined that the team would be so successful, especially right after Covid. From placing in the top three at tournaments throughout the year to having state semi-finalists and finalists, this year marked a huge milestone for our team."  Each member of the team was tasked with finding a ten-minute piece and perfor

300 Words: The Heart of a Black Belt

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by Molly Stonesifer '24 Joy and Molly Stonesifer Students enter and exit the martial arts studio. Most of them recognize the two sisters leading the classes; one wears a red gi, the other in blue. The sisters smile and laugh with students, help the ones struggling, and guide the activities of the class. But none of the students know how they got there. How, years ago, they started as white belts in a small martial arts school inside Walmart. How they started to earn belts together and climb the ranks. How they earned Black Belt Club and started to train with weapons.  How they learned to stand up for themselves and gain confidence. How they continued to train and earn Master’s Club, the advanced weapon training. How the sisters became leaders as the school continued to grow. How they didn’t stop their training once they earned their black belts, and continued to hone their skills. How the sisters earned higher levels of black belt, obtaining their second degree. How, over the phone

Spiritual Life Offers Wealth of Opportunities

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by Gracie Wildasin '23 As a senior, I have thoroughly enjoyed my past two years being involved in Spiritual Life. It is a great community to be a part of and has brought so much joy to my life. Spiritual Life has so much to offer and so many ways that anyone can get involved. A big part of Spiritual Life is participating in Kairos retreats, being involved in Peer Ministry, helping with set up and readings at school masses, and taking fun trips throughout the year such as the Pink Sisters trip and annual March For Life trip.  I have personally been lucky enough to participate in each of these activities, and I have to say that I enjoyed every single one of them as they each are fun and unique experiences in their own way.      Sister Helen David Brancato explains a piece of her artwork  to to the visiting seniors.  A few female students who are involved in Peer Ministry, as well as Mrs. Phenicie and Ms. Noel, attend a vocation trip each year in order to visit the Convent of Divine L