New Faces Join Mount Michael Community

     The 2005-2006 school year has started at Mount Michael, and with a fresh year, comes new students.
      First, new senior August Van Osch joins the Benedictine family traveling from New Jersey where he attended Seton Hall Preparatory Academy. His most difficult challenge has been “adapting to the work load.” Osch also brings with him unique talents. He plays the bagpipes, and he competed three years at the varsity level on the Rifle Team. (His team has three state championships) However, Osch thinks highly of this new change of scenery. “It hasn’t been hard to make new friends, because there aren’t cliques and because everyone is easy to talk to.”
      New junior Santiago Velasquez agrees with Osch saying, “Everybody gets along really well.” Velasquez is excited to play football and to wrestle for the Knights. And when he is not trying to finish homework from his favorite class English, Velasquez enjoys listening to the Hispanic band “Cumbias” and playing soccer. On the weekends he returns to his home town of Schuyler to work at the local grocery store Didier’s.
      Sophomore Jea Woo Park has journeyed all the way from Seoul to attend Mount Michael. Although he believes the English vocabulary is quite strenuous, he “came to Mount Michael to experience America and improve [his] education.”
      Along with Park, Sophomore Dean Oh also came from Seoul. However, he admits that his parents had a little say in his decision. Dean has been disappointed with the lack of females, but he is impressed with Mount Michael’s athletics and school spirit.
      New sophomore Ryan Nho—after three years of English lessons—finally makes it to Mount Michael. He really enjoys his new home and his new friends but cannot wait until summer vacation when he will return to his family and home in Suwon Korea.
      Dae Kwon is the last but not the least of the new upperclassmen. Kwon has been caught up in the hustle-and-bustle of Mount Michael. “I love the football,” he says. After high school, the idea of playing college football enthralls Kwon. His dream is to play for the Nebraska Cornhuskers. - Article by Mike Gibilisco, Photos by Mike Gibilisco and Scott Ritzman