Aaron Pico who is currently 6-3 and on a two-fight win streak fights on Thursday Night for the Bellator organization in the featherweight weight class.
Aaron Pico celebrates after defeating Daniel Carey via knockout during Bellator 238 at The Forum in Inglewood on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Aaron Pico started off his Bellator career with a 4-1 record finishing all of his fights inside one round using his high level striking and wrestling.
Though his hot streak came to a halt when he crossed paths with Henry Corrales who finished him in the first round. The fight started off well for Pico as he dropped him with a punch at the beginning of the fight, though instead of taking it to the ground he let him back up which proved costly in the end.
After that loss, he faced criticism for not using his high-level wrestling enough in the fight and many believed he would have won the fight had he chose to use it more. After that fight, he was matched up against Adam Borics where he would lose in the second round. After not using wrestling at all in his previous fight, he seemed to use the wrestling too much which became a disadvantage and led to a TKO loss in the second round.
Though after these two losses he has to seem to find the perfect combination of both his high level striking and his high-level wrestling and ground game to fight his best fight. He has fought twice since his second loss in a row and has one both of these fights. He used both his striking and wrestling in both of these fights to gain the advantage over both of his opponents.
In his first fight, he fought opponent Daniel Carey who he was able to finish with a knockout in the second round. In this fight, he was able to mix wrestling and boxing together almost seamlessly and dominated his opponent in the first round being in control for the majority of the round. Going into the second round his opponent was so worried about his wrestling that it left open the opportunity for Pico to strike which he capitalized on and got the finish.
In his second fight, he fought opponent Chris Hatley Jr. who he finished with a submission in the first round. This was one of if not Aaron Pico’s best performances so far in his career scoring a takedown early in the first round and easily transitioning to the rear-naked choke. He used his strong wrestling and strong jiu-jitsu to take control of his opponent and dominate him into submission.
Now going into this next fight against John De Jesus he is of some of the most impressive wins of his career and is the strongest looking fighter he has been so far. Though that doesn’t mean that this fight will be an easy victory seeing that his opponent is on a 3 fight win streak and is just off of an impressive decision win over Vladyslav Parubchenko at Bellator 244. This fight will be a fun and interesting fight and one of the most significant fights in young Aaron Pico’s career. Tune in on November 12th, at 12:45 pm PST.
Despite the 2019-2020 NBA season having just ended on October 11th after the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Miami Heat in six games to win the NBA Championship, Commissioner Adam Silver and league officials have released a tentative start date of December 22nd for the 2020-2021 NBA Season, sparking disagreements amongst players over the condensed offseason.
A basketball court is shown at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex in Kissimmee, Fla., Tuesday, July 21, 2020. The NBA’s marketing motto for the restart of the season at Walt Disney World is “Whole New Game,” and in many respects, that’s very true. (AP Photo/Tim Reynolds)
After the conclusion of the 2019-2020 NBA Season, the league immediately sought out to find a date for the start of the new season. Although it may seem logical to wait until the start of 2021 to begin the new season, the NBA is still a business and the longer they wait is the more money they lose. So far it is widely known that the league plans on restarting between December 22nd and December 25th.
Although it has not been said directly by big name players in the league, there is certainly a very big possibility that players such as LeBron James may sit out for the first month of play.
Many players and fans alike believe that merely two and a half months break in between the conclusion of the season and the beginning of a new season is too little of time to give the players for rest and preparedness.
Teams such as the Los Angeles Lakers and the Miami Heat especially will need extended periods of time to prepare for the new season as they were the last two teams participating in the playoffs as they were competing for the championship.
Many fans and players alike are pushing for the new season to begin no earlier than Martin Luther King Jr Day – January 21st – so as to give the teams who were in the playoffs a well needed break.
Players need time to relax and spend time with their families after having spent months away from them in the Orlando bubble. On top of that, it takes time for players to get back in shape once they’ve had that period of rest. Getting in game ready condition is certainly not an easy task, and it for sure does not take a short period of time, as it requires countless hours of working out and practice over a span of a few months.
According to SB Nation’s Silver Screen and Roll, if the NBA and NBA Player’s Association agree on the tentative start date of December 22nd – which they are expected to – training camp for all teams will begin on December 1st.
In the presumption that the two sides agree to the planned start date, that would leave the two teams who played in the NBA Finals – the Lakers and Heat – with only 51 days between Game Six of the NBA Finals and day one of training camp.
As SB Nation’s Silver Screen and Roll notes as well, the 2019 NBA Champion Toronto Raptors had exactly 100 days between their final playoff game and the start of training camp for what is now last season.
Furthermore, a team like the New York Knicks – who were not good enough to qualify for the Orlando bubble – played their last game on March 11th of this year, which gives them just about nine months of rest compared to a team like the Lakers, who will have just under two months of rest by the start of training camp.
As a result of the shortened offseason this year, players might very well come into the new season out of shape and unconditioned. This may result in a much sloppier and slower style of play in the beginning of the new season.
Although it may seem like the league is trying to minimize its losses for this upcoming season which is partially the case, it is widely known that the Commissioner of the NBA, Adam Silver, is very well liked amongst players and team management alike. So, it should be expected that all NBA players and coaches will come around to the planned start date and reach a consensus that it is the best option for the league.
The respect for Commissioner Silver might play a part in negotiations being taken more seriously between the players and ownership. If negotiations persist, then it is very possible that the NBA could be looking at as much of a month’s difference between potential start dates for the new season, with players preferring more rest, preparation, and family time, with owners thinking about the financial straits of a later start date.
Regardless of when the season is to start, it will be an unusually short offseason compared to any other offseason that current NBA players have seen, albeit the fact that the world is living in unusually uncertain times. So because of that, players will have to find ways to adjust and adapt to this year’s shortened schedule, expedited start dates, and getting into the mental mindset that comes with playing a full NBA season.
It will be an interesting year for NBA fans and players as the circumstances are truly unfamiliar territory, but until a consensus is reached and a season is played, the only thing left for people to do is speculate on how the new season will look after playing in the bubble setting in Orlando. If one thing is for sure though, it is the fact that this year’s season will be one to remember, yet another wild ride for the NBA following an unusual, but successful, pandemic-ridden season.
If someone last year told you that we would be doing all of our classes on our bed via ZOOM, would you have believed them? Of course not. Isn’t it weird that most of the time in our physical classes, our teachers would tell us that we had to put our electronics away? And now, they ask us to open our electronics, because if we don’t, then we will get marked absent. How things have changed in 2020!
Waking up five minutes before class, in your bed, and in your pajamas is amazing right? Can you imagine being in front of a screen for more than ten hours a day? Well stop imagining it, not only are you doing this now, but most of you were doing it before the pandemic (stop shaking your head – you know I’m right).
Online learning has a lot of positives and negatives. First and foremost, every quarter is different for everyone. There have been many students that are pulling their hair out because they are taking their hardest classes in the first quarter, while some students are sleeping and dreaming of those sheep jumping on clouds because they have free periods. I know this because I was one of those sheep dreamers first quarter, while now I am starting to grow white hairs.
The best part of online learning has been when the teachers tell us that our mental health matters, and to put some time to ourselves, because there is so much happening in the world right now. We deserve it, after all, they say. Then they tell us not to forget that we have a paper due the next day in MLA format, while also having twenty assignments, and don’t forget that big test at the end of the week that is worth 50% of your grade. How are we supposed to make time for ourselves when we have assignments due every day at 11:59 pm? Not only the students, but also the teachers who end up grading all this stuff.
Some people are loving life right now, while some do not. Some students have the everyday routine of sleeping for more than fourteen hours a day, including naps, while some barely sleep six. It looks like the teachers have it worse than the students. Not only do they have to grade assignments and give lectures everyday, but they also have their own families and lives that have been turned upside down. Even though most of them have gotten the hang on how to use ZOOM, it’s pretty funny when a teacher is lecturing and there is a funny background noise coming from their microphone.
Zoom is just astonishing, right? The teachers went from telling the whole class to be quiet because we were talking too much in class, to now begging for us to turn our mics on to participate. Again, how things have changed! Also, don’t you love breakout rooms? Either we get put into a room with all of our best buds and we don’t want it to end, or we get put into a room where everyone just does not know how to unmute their mic. You either get the best breakout room or the worst, no in between.
School ID pictures are this Saturday! Great! Saturday will show how many people are really drained because of the blue light that is projected from these screens. There will be many people with huge bags under their eyes. If you don’t want these, and want to look good for your pictures, listen up. Wet a cloth with cold water and hold it under our eyes for ten minutes. Does it work? I don’t know, I just looked it up on Wikipedia.
By the way, teachers know when you switch tabs on Schoology and even when you sign up for Chegg.com. Don’t believe me? Read the terms and conditions and don’t just click, “I accept” next time.
Also, make sure your microphone is muted, you don’t want to be the one that gets caught watching Tik Toks because you forgot to mute your microphone.
The Saint Joseph High School theatre department along with the Saint John Bosco theatre department presents a play about life and the simplicity of it, and the joy of every little moment, in a very extraordinary manner.
All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten is a play structured in a vignette/short story format, where a cast member interprets different roles in every scene tied into a single theme that relates to life.
After the incredible experience of the Saint John Bosco fall production of Coherence, Saint Joseph High School followed with their own production, a different outlook into a brighter and cheerful interpretation of everything going on around the world.
As the talented students in the show have been preparing for weeks, for a “production that could have met Cecil B. DeMille’s approval,” everyone from the tech crew to every castmate cannot wait for everyone to enjoy the show.
“One interesting moment I’ve encountered was trying to figure out how we were going to produce the show with COVID going on,” said Saint Joseph senior and theatre veteran Lola Powell, “[But] we need theatre in a moment like this for people to have a good laugh an just a place to escape, even for a few hours, and leave everything on hold for that moment.”
Kindergarten, normally called by the cast and directors, is more than a play of different stories with different morals to reflect on life. Kindergarten is an experience, live-streamed from Saint Joseph High School every single day, with stories that relate to the actors, and show the beauty of theatre in an extremely fascinating way.
Not only does the story reflect on everything going on around in 2020, but also allows for extremely crucial ideas that can transcend society, no matter what the year is.
Everyone in the cast and crew has enjoyed the experience, including the challenges that COVID gave the actors, even in a world where the art form is depleting.
“It has been truly a pleasure and an honor to work with Mr. V, his positive attitude radiates off of him and transfers to everyone around him,” said Bosco junior and first-time actor Gian Noble, “This production has really been a blast and I feel as if my castmates and I are like a family now.”
Theatre becomes more than an experience for people, theatre becomes a passion and a second family for many, and in times where that definition is extremely vague, Kindergarten allowed for a community to be fostered around everyone who was a part of it.
No matter if you believe in the art form or not, All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten is a one in a lifetime opportunity to not only see the talent of Saint John Bosco and Saint Joseph students at its finest but also be able to take away a greater and deeper message forever.
Both first-time actors and returning actors have enjoyed the experience, they thank Kindergarten for all that they learned and the greater message of unity, life, and how quick it all is to miss any incredible moments such as this show.
Performances for the show start tomorrow, Thursday, November 12th, and continue on Friday, November 13th, Thursday, November 19th, and end Friday, November 20th. All performances start at 7:30 PM and information for tickets can be accessed through this link.
The cast and crew of All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten are excited to deliver this show to everyone who wants to experience a life-changing opportunity.
26 years old Dayvon Bennet, better known as King Von, a prominent Chicago rapper, died after being in the middle of a fatal shooting in Atlanta, Georgia.
Before fame, Von became involved in criminal activities that led to his first time in jail when he was 16 years old. Then in 2014, he was accused of shooting and killing another person but then was found innocent which led him to start rapping.
Lil Durk signed King Von to his record label, Only the Family label, which is famously known as OTF. Von then made his first hit single Crazy Story which put him on the map in the rap community. He made many hit singles and albums and certified himself as a mainstream rapper.
Before his death King Von dropped his album Welcome to O’Block on October 30,2020. He had features with all of his friends, including Polo G. This album might be the last album King Von drops unless he has unreleased music with his record deal.
King Von also had people he never got along with in the rap industry. Von never got along with Quando Rondo another famous rapper but was from Savannah, Georgia, who many suspect that he was part of the shooting.
According to ABC7Chicago , “Timmothy Leeks faces a felony murder charge in the death of Dayvon Bennett, also known as King Von.” Timothy Leeks is associated with Quando Rondo and was with him and some other friends that were apart of the shooting.
The shooting was Friday morning at around 3:20 am. There is video footage showing Quando and Von fighting in the street but it doesn’t show either of them shooting at each other and actually shows Quando trying to help Von into the car.
The police still haven’t figured out who were the 3 other victims in the shooting, but according to USA Today, “They are trying to figure out who was struck by gunfire and if any were shot by cops that were involved.”
There still isn’t much information about the shooting that has surfaced to many sources, but The Georgia Bureau of Investigations have investigated officers and the police have suspected up to 5 people for the shootout. Many hoping that justice may be reached one day.
The Bosco community is experiencing a divide over the rapid change of quarters this semester, sparking dialogue on whether a quarter system is beneficial or detrimental to both students and faculty during online learning.
Teachers, as well as some students, feel the pinch of a quick turnaround. For a multitude of reasons, they believe that the three day break between quarters one and two was far too short.
When Mrs. Michele Dolphin, a teacher for the Biomedical Pathway and Chemistry, was asked about the single-day grading period, she responded with a sentiment many other Bosco teachers may share as well.
“I ended up not meeting that deadline and so I asked for an extension because it was just impossible, I felt really stressed and overwhelmed,” Mrs. Dolphin said.
Mrs. Dolphin represents the general consensus of many teachers at Bosco. Teachers like Dolphin finished administering their finals Thursday afternoon and were expected to grade them by the end of the following day. The tight pinch between academic quarters forced teachers into a frenzy, grading at an alarming rate. Teachers were expected to grade finals within a day and start teaching their next classes a few days later. Much of the teaching staff would have benefited greatly from an elongated break to grade finals and relax before they set out to teach a new set of courses.
Noah Citek, a Junior in the Sports-Medicine Pathway, responded similarly when asked about his view on the short grace period.
“It was a weird pace to be at because you ramped up [for finals] and then you’re back starting new classes again,” Citek said.
While teachers were experiencing an overwhelming pressure to grade finals in a matter of hours, some students felt overexhaustion from the quick break between quarter one and two. After cramming every ounce of information obtained from a quickly paced quarter and pushing through finals, they were expected to regain their momentum at the start of the new quarter in a matter of days. Students and teachers alike were experiencing an increasing amount of frustration from the dismal period of time granted between quarters.
However, counselors and some students felt the quick turnaround was optimal for success during online school.
Mr. Omar Delgado, a counselor and father of two Braves, holds a sentiment in which he feels as if students benefit from a short break.
“I feel some students don’t really want a long break because then they get out of their rhythm or their routine,” Mr Delgado said.
From the experience of a seasoned college counselor, Delgado believes that the best way for students to keep their momentum is through this short break. After seeing many classes of students graduate and move on to college, from his perspective the short break benefits students. It allows them to maintain whatever tools for success as they embark on their next set of classes and challenges.
Xavier Gonzalez, a Junior in the Computer-Science Pathway, is a student who shares Mr. Delgado’s belief.
“I liked the short break because it kept me in the momentum for school and it kept my work ethic. The short break gave me enough time to recover from finals while still being capable of jumping back into the next quarter,” said Gonzalez.
Unlike other students, Gonzalez feels that he was able to produce his best work as a result of this short break. After finishing four classes, Gonzalez had an overall positive experience in preserving his study habits and methods for success via the lessened time off. Gonzalez represents a faction of the student body who benefited from the quick period between quarters. He believes that any more time would have slowed him down in trying to gain a new routine for his next classes.
The Bosco community is divided in terms of their views on the quarter system. While some responded positively to the short breaks and found that they were able to study better and do well in the next Quarter, others felt the stress and exhaustion of the quick days off. This proves how diverse the Bosco community is educationally. As Bosco houses many who are very different in how they learn, it is key to remember how difficult it is to create a system that benefits everyone.
However people feel about this quarter system, the general mood within Bosco is that the return to campus would work wonders for learning. While online learning looks to remain the future of Bosco, people from both sides of this issue would agree that the quarter breaks would be better if in-person learning resumed.
In 2020, anything is possible. As Americans have endured a tumultuous year and have witnessed the desecration of partisanship, civility, and decency throughout the country, it is evident that a remedy to mend the wounds of the nation and restore its status as a beacon of hope to an often vitriolic, asinine, and hopeless world may be coming soon.
The rapid proliferation of a polarized political realm has indubitably changed the way in which Americans have chosen to engage in political discourse and vocalize their support for specific candidates, which often comes with preconceived notions on the character of individuals solely based on political ideologies and stances on national issues.
Throughout the history of the United States, the American people have always seemed to find a way to set aside political differences and unite as one during times of strife.
When the national state of affairs and overall well being of the country is at a compromise due to foreign or domestic challenges, Americans in every state, no matter what political party they belonged to, what religion they were faithful to, what the color of their skin was, or what state they lived in, everyone found a way to truly embody the fundamental idea of America being composed of the “United States”.
When the back of the country was to the wall after events such as the attacks on Pearl Harbor, the misery of the Great Depression, the seemingly everlasting battle for Civil Rights, the Vietnam War, 9/11, and the Sandy Hook Elementary School Shootings, Americans found a way to persevere, come together, and unite. Not once did the American people waver on their strength in numbers, and in times like those, uniting wasn’t a choice, it was a given.
Yet, somehow and someway, amidst a global pandemic that has ravaged communities, desecrated homes, and essentially put an end to any sense of normalcy that was left in the world, Americans began to grow contempt for one another based off of the same very thing that makes this country so strong and powerful – differences and diversity in thought.
All the same, amidst national civic unrest due to police brutality and calls for an improved criminal justice system, the American people were once again faced with the challenge of picking a side – either left or right – with the inability to choose neutrality due to societal pressures.
In a country where millions have lost their jobs due to the ongoing pandemic and faced with the pressures of wallowing in the mire of unemployment and dire financial straits, once again Americans found themselves pointing fingers at one another, choosing their own scapegoats, and thinking of different ways to set one another apart and add fuel to a spreading fire.
The America of today is not the America of yesterday. The biggest fallacy and irony found within the nation is the very name of the country, which promotes the notion of unity when everything is tremendously polarized.
In the election playing out right before the very eyes of all Americans nationally, the division and polarization of the country are displayed through the two candidates – former Vice President Joe Biden and President Donald Trump, two men who are symbols for the two sides Americans find themselves in.
No, not the sides of Democrat and Republican, but Unity and Division.
While the election was certainly closer than many Americans thought it would be, everything that played out most definitely went as expected.
After midnight on November 3rd, with states such as Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Arizona, Nevada, Georgia, and North Carolina hanging in the balance – with a presidency attached to it – both candidates were caught in the middle of an election hot potato.
At the end of the night, Biden had leads in Arizona, Nevada, and Wisconsin, with President Trump holding slim leads that were within a margin of error.
With polls long closed and the grueling election process playing itself out in a very prolonged manner, both Vice President Biden and President Trump decided to make formal statements to the American people as the presidency hung in the balance with no clear winner established to claim it.
In order to quell the concerns of his base of support, the former Vice President said in a short statement from the Chase Center in Wilmington, Delaware that while he was confident he was headed toward a victory and the 270 threshold needed to formally win the presidency, there was no way he could possibly claim victory without results finalized, instead commending his supporters for their patience in getting the results and telling them to “keep the faith” while promoting the idea of civility and unity.
On the other hand, in a polar opposite speech given at the White House by President Trump, he claimed victory of the entire election while throwing around the baseless accusation of voter fraud within those key battleground states, undermining the integrity of America’s democracy by degrading the power of the people from their right to use their voice at the polls and vote.
The divisive, accusing rhetoric employed by President Trump is the same divisive rhetoric that he has built his political career and campaigns around, which has amplified the polarization and divisions that plagues American society.
The fabric of our democracy is built around the process of counting all ballots and upholding the integrity of our elections and allowing Americans everywhere to exercise their right to vote, no matter whom they decide to vote for.
A palpable sense of relief that Americans can feel everywhere in the integrity and accuracy of our elections is being undermined by President Trump and his reelection campaign, who seek to undermine a staple of our democracy that has long preceded their existence of power in Washington by preparing lawsuits and requesting state-wide recounts in an attempt to not concede and drag out the process of electing a president as much as possible.
In an almost orwellian situation, the American people – no matter what party – found themselves as middlemen in a back and forth election, as the actions taken by Vice President Biden and President Trump amidst the close races in each state are not just reflective of the rhetoric they have employed throughout their political careers and respective campaigns, but create a further divide in an already overly polarized country.
Once again, the divide is not split into Democrat v. Republican, or Left v. Right, but is instead split into Unity v. Division and Rationality v. Irrationality.
After Biden took Wisconsin late Tuesday and Michigan on Wednesday afternoon – two flips back to the blue column after President Trump flipped them red in 2016 – there was a paradigm shift in the race and the path to 270 Electoral Votes for each candidate.
While the Biden camp’s confidence was confirmed, it continued to soar with a path to 270 much more clear than the potential paths to victory for President Trump’s camp.
Then, as Biden began to take the lead in Georgia and Pennsylvania, the end result was clear – the former Vice President was on track to be elected the 46th President of the United States.
Early this morning, AP, CNN, and Fox News, amongst others, officially called the election for Joe Biden, as he won Pennsylvania, later winning Nevada. While the official final results have yet to be released from Arizona, Alaska, Georgia (which may head toward a recount, but will not have an affect on Biden’s victory regardless), and North Carolina, the former Vice President fulfills a lifelong dream of ascending to the presidency. Meanwhile, President Trump, despite his denial of the election’s results, takes a stunning loss and becomes the first incumbent president since George H.W. Bush to lose their bid for reelection.
As of now, the former Vice President has 74.49 Million popular votes and 50.5% of the vote, while President Trump has 70.34 Million popular votes and 47.7% of the vote. Both marks are the first and second most popular votes received by any candidate in US History, respectively.
Barring anything unforeseen, on January 20, 2021, Joe Biden will be sworn in on Inauguration Day as the 46th President of the United States, with Senator Kamala Harris becoming the first African American Woman – and Woman regardless – to hold the Vice Presidency.
The initial point of inflection caused by the rapid polarization of our nation is not a wound that will be easy to mend. If history is any guide, however, Americans may once again prevail and rise above political differences as a new administration comes into power.
Over the summer, St John Bosco hired on a new President and CEO of the school to bring change to the Bosco community, Dr. Brian Wickstrom.
With a rich resume, Dr. Wickstrom is an exciting and enriching addition to the Bosco community.
Dr. Wickstrom was raised and educated in the state of Kansas, along with his identical twin. As a student athlete in high school, he eventually went on to receive a full scholarship to Kansas State as a Track and Field athlete running the 400 meter. This background makes it easy for him to relate to the load many Bosco student-athletes take up in order to have an opportunity to compete at the next level, as he has experienced first-hand what that feels like.
“You have to learn to manage your time and you have to learn to survive, make friends, get along and build relationships to get through school and set yourself up to be able to have the contacts for the rest of your life,” Dr. Wickstrom said. “I think it’s very similar to going through the brotherhood of St John Bosco and the value of the relationships and the brotherhood that you make here in school.”
At Kansas State, he earned his MBA with a management concentration. After that, he earned a Masters of Sports Administration from Ohio University and later became a Doctor of Education and Educational Leadership from Eastern Michigan University.
“I just knew that I had such a great student experience and student athlete experience, that I wanted to impact students,” Dr. Wickstrom says.
Dr. Wickstrom’s family is a testament to the emphasis and importance of education on his life.
His twin brother is an accountant, his older brother is an iMax film producer, his sister in law is the first prenatal care specialist at the University of Chicago Medical Center, and his sister is a lawyer.
“Academics has always been pretty high in my family … we’ve always wanted to be a part of successful academic programs” said Dr. Wickstrom.
And Dr. Wickstrom has indeed been part of many successful programs. Dr. Wickstrom’s career has taken him all across the country as a part of institutions including the University of Ohio, the University of Missouri, the University of California Riverside, and most recently the University of Incarnate Word, just to name a few. With about 20 years of experience working in collegiate athletics, Dr. Wickstrom is no stranger to high level positions in some of the country’s most prominent institutions and he has left a positive impact everywhere he’s been.
Dr. Wickstrom also expressed that his former roles have given him a “great broad background of all these different experiences and philosophies that have helped give [him] a full gamut of experiences to make St. John Bosco that national leader it can be.”
But what is it like moving a family of seven to different places across the country? That’s right, seven. Along with his wife Celina, together they have five children. He has four sons, James (3), David Grant (8), John Christian (9), Vince (12), and his daughter Bricelle (5).
To Dr. Wickstrom, the moves across the country have been quite a learning experience for him and his kids, “I think it’s cool, they get to learn about different parts of the country, different cultures, from eating crawfish in Louisiana to becoming a part of San Antonio… It broadens their thoughts, it broadens their viewpoints on a lot of different things in terms of different diversities, different backgrounds, different educational levels, and it’s been a great experience for them,” he says.
Dr. Wickstrom is looking forward to his family joining the Bosco community as well. His sons John Christian and Vince are currently in 4th grade and 8th grade respectively at Dominic Savio and Vince will be going to St. John Bosco next year.
“It’s exciting to help build a school that’s going to help put our kids in a great university someday when they get to Bosco,” and he continues “and partner up with St. Josephs for our daughter Bricelle, so it’s an exciting time to watch our kids grow and be a part of this growth at St John Bosco.
Dr. Wickstrom has not been fazed either with the transition to St. John Bosco during Covid: “It’s a little bit of a blessing in terms of coming here with school not being open so we can focus on all the internal operations and not have to necessarily worry about the students,” Wickstrom admits.
Dr. Wickstrom is optimistic of making the best out of the substantial changes surrounding the Bosco community. Plenty of advancements are being made to prepare the school to acclimate to the current worldwide situation.
“We have spent almost $200,000 to get the school prepared to come back…we’re in a better position to come back than most high schools with our distancing capabilities. We have a great plan in place when the time comes.”
Dr. Wickstrom notes that St. John Bosco is currently going above and beyond, exceeding county requirements. Having one of the biggest private high school campuses has had some advantages; with 36 acres of land, students will be able to spread out outside across the campus.
Technological advancements have been made as well, exceeding increased numbers of hand sanitizer dispensers and changes and layout. One of the biggest advancements is the bipolar ionization system.
“It’s a system that uses bipolar ionization through the HVAC system in the buildings that will kill bacteria, that will kill viruses, that will kill fungi, and it’s something that we put in all the student areas already,” Dr. Wickstrom explains.
A major accomplishment for Bosco and something not many schools have the opportunity to implement yet.
Dr. Wickstrom is constantly working to bring new and exciting changes to the school. Take the Bosco Community Garden for example, a project in which he is working, only in his first few months at Bosco.
“Dr. Wickstrom is easy going and fun to work with, and is fitting in well at St. John Bosco,” Mrs. Ellison, the Dean of Enrollment Management says, “Dr. Wickstrom brings outstanding leadership to Bosco. He is results driven and motivates others to achieve excellence. In addition to creating an environment focused on excellence, he is also a very approachable and considerate leader who always brings a positive attitude.”
In all, Dr. Wickstrom is an invaluable and thrilling addition to the Bosco community. His goals are clear as he says, “As I progressed in my career and my wife and I have grown our family, we wanted to be able to have a major impact on our kids, their lives, and basically set all the students up that we can come into contact with to be on a great path to accomplish all their goals.”
He has an unwavering commitment to the education and the success of all the students he is involved with. With Dr. Wickstrom at the helm, St. John Bosco appears to have a bright future ahead. Wickstrom is looking forward for him and his family to grow with the Bosco family.
“We’ve already seen some great accomplishments as an institution and we are just getting started, so the fun is just beginning.”
For all of the many accomplishments he has done and the ones that are on the works, Dr. Wickstrom deserves much appreciation and respect for his work. Everyone at Saint John Bosco is excited to see what other great additions he has planned for the future.
Despite the fact that Americans nationwide were under the general consensus that this presidential election would be very close, it is unlikely that anyone knew it would be this close.In an election that has spanned two days and going into three without a clear winner, here’s where both candidates stand as a presidency hangs in the balance.
Around 200 people participated in a “Protect the Vote” rally in Middlebury, Vermont on November 4, 2020, as they call for states to “count every vote”.
While the election is certainly closer than many Americans thought it would be, everything that has played out thus far has most definitely gone as expected.
After midnight on November 3rd, with states such as Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Arizona, Nevada, Georgia, and North Carolina hanging in the balance – with a presidency attached to it – both candidates were caught in the middle of an election hot potato.
At the end of the night, Biden had leads in Arizona, Nevada, and Wisconsin, with President Trump holding slim – and now even slimmer – leads that were within a margin of error.
With polls long closed and the grueling election process playing itself out in a very prolonged manner, both Vice President Biden and President Trump decided to make formal statements to the America people as the presidency hung in the balance with no clear winner established to claim it.
In order to quell the concerns of his base of support, the former Vice President said in a short statement from the Chase Center in Wilmington, Delaware that while he was confident he was headed toward a victory and the 270 threshold needed to formally win the presidency, there was no way he could possibly claim victory without results finalized, instead commending his supporters for their patience in getting the results and telling them to “keep the faith” while promoting the idea of civility and unity.
On the other hand, in a polar opposite speech given at the White House by President Trump, he claimed victory of the entire election while throwing around the baseless accusation of voter fraud within those key battleground states, undermining the integrity of America’s democracy by degrading the power of the people from their right to use their voice at the polls and vote.
The way in which President Trump claimed victory early and accused the battleground states’ election officials of voter fraud was so far past staying within the bounds of Democracy that even Mitch McConnell (R-KY), the heavily partisan Senate Majority Leader, spoke out against President Trump in statement, saying “Claiming you’ve won the election is different from finishing the counting.”
Furthermore, Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) also made sure, as a Republican, to distance himself from the President’s claims of voter fraud and speak out against his attempt to prematurely claim victory, saying, “taking days to count legally cast votes is NOT fraud.”
Due to the social media climate being extremely toxic due to extremes from both sides of the aisle, with leftists on Twitter claiming voter suppression while right-winging Twitter users claim voter fraud due to Biden’s leads and comebacks in key battleground states, Marco Rubio weighed in against the leftists claiming voter suppression, saying “And court challenges to votes cast after the legal voting deadline, is NOT suppression.”
Meanwhile, key left politicians have pushed back against the voter fraud conspiracy being pushed by right-wing social media users, as Bernie Sanders stated in a tweet:
In 2016, when Trump won PA, MI, and WI by a handful of votes, the election system worked just great. Now that he's losing, it's a "fraud" and they're "stealing the election." This is how demagogues destroy faith in democracy and move us toward authoritarianism. Count every vote!
In spite of all the things that may be being pushed on social media from left and right winging social media users – either claims of voter suppression or voter fraud – are simply not correct or rational.
The reason Vice President Biden has continued to make tremendous late strides in key states is due to the fact that the battleground states counted same-day votes BEFORE they counted early votes and mail-in votes. The mail-in votes in this election have favored Biden, since almost 80% of those mail-in ballots were votes to Biden, with the remainder of the chunk going to President Trump.
A claim suggesting either voter suppression or voter fraud – more specifically the latter – are simply not true. For many states such as Pennsylvania, early voting is new, and the seismic uptick in mail-in votes cast have reached unprecedented numbers, meaning states are taking longer to count every vote.
The best thing to do as of now is to maintain patience as votes are counted and precincts finalize vote tallies. The counting of votes, even if prolonged, is how elections have always worked within American Democracy, even if this year seems longer than usual.
As of now, the Presidency hangs in the balance and the rhetoric of the two candidates thus far shows a stark contrast in the way they view such an integral part of American Democracy.
The most recent results, Via CNN, have President Trump leading in Georgia by 13,534 votes with 98% of the results in, North Carolina by 76,737 votes with 95% of the results in, and Pennsylvania by 111,369 votes with 92% of the results in. All the aforementioned states are far from being called, with a large amount of outstanding votes yet to be fully reported.
On the flip side, Vice President Biden leads in Arizona by 68,390 votes with 86% of the results in, while also leading in Nevada by 11,438 votes with 89% of the results in.
Vice President Biden leads in the popular vote with 72.3 Million votes – the most for a single candidate in US History – while President Trump has 68.5 Million votes, another impressive mark.
As of now, Vice President Biden leads President Trump 253-213 in the race to 270 electoral votes. If Biden wins Arizona and Nevada, which he may be on the path to, he hits exactly 270 and secures the presidency. Meanwhile, even if President Trump wins North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Alaska, he still loses the election.
With many more outstanding votes left to be reported in places such as Pennsylvania and Georgia, which have heavily favored Vice President Biden during this cycle, the prospects of a second term – and a clear path to 270 – look grim for President Trump, barring anything unforeseen.
After halting the production of a spring play last school year, Saint John Bosco and Saint Joseph students are ready to showcase their talent on stage.
“Coherence” was originally a film production, directed by the acclaimed James Ward Byrkit. A great challenge was taken by the theatre department when adapting the film into a play.
Coherence deals with the fate of eight unique friends who gather in a dinner reunion as a comet passes by. What they never anticipated is that their lives would be turned upside down after the passing of such comet.
The theatre department had to become clever while producing the show, as they were never accustomed to doing anything outside of live theatre.
This year, a new method was used, in which some parts of the play are recorded, while the rest of the play is streamed live to anyone who wants to watch it.
“I enjoyed learning not only how to act in film, but I was also able to learn about the behind the scenes work that goes with it,” said Saint Joseph sophomore Kate Sheehan, who is portraying Lee, the wife of the dinner host, Mike, in Coherence, “I have gained a new appreciation for the art of filmmaking.”
Coherence plays amazingly in the airs of a pandemic, as themes of fear and uncertainty intertwine with the reality of many.
Even as Broadway is not set to open until next year, the theatre department is taking measures to maintain everyone safe, while still maintaining a show to brighten up an audience.
“It’s about engaging in your passions no matter what the situation is,” said senior Andrew vanHaaster, who portrays the nerdy and awkward friend of the group, Amir, “The show is SPOOKY AS HELL if you are looking for something mind-boggling and crazy, then you’re in for a good show.”
The students at Saint John Bosco and Saint Joseph are ready to show the whole community what they have put hours and hours of work into and are ready to see everyone enjoy the show.
The show will have a short run as everything will be live-streamed. The official dates are Friday, November 6th, Saturday, November 7th, and Sunday, November 8th; all shows will begin at 7:30 PM.
In a world where everything is upside down, having the opportunity to enjoy quality entertainment, even for a moment, is an opportunity to not pass up.
The Brave News 