WHAT’S INSIDE

THE MOUNT

mount michael benedictine school 22520 mount michael road elkhorn, ne 68022 Volume 19, issue 4

Page 2

Page 8

Pages 6-7

Kenney’s Hockey Success

An In-depth look at MM’s Alumni

Parent witnesses Old Market Fire

Stranded: March for Life bus Stuck in a Snow DriftMiles Hock | Staff Writer

photo courtesy of Jill Panzer

photo courtesy of outlines.com

photo courtesy of Connor Kenney

after winning the 2015 state cross country championship, coach John Gathje was awarded the nebraska coaching association (nca) hudl coach of the Year award for cross country. the annual award is given to a coach from each nsaa sanctioned sport. he was nominated for the award due to the overall success of his career. “it was pretty cool when i first heard about the award,” Gathje said. “it’s nice to be recognized by your peers.” Gathje successes include six state championships and two state runner ups, including the 2015 title. . “it doesn’t surprise me coach won,” junior alex earsley said. “he’s fantastic and he has made me enjoy running.” Gathje was influenced by his high school and college cross country coaches. his high school coach focused on the tactical parts of running and his college coach focused on training theory. he fused these two styles together to form his own style. “he just knows how to handle his runners, mentally and physically,” senior sam Van haute said. “he gains our trust through his honesty, knowledge and

experience.” the team had a great year winning all but two races, where they got second in

both. coach Gathje stresses getting miles in during the summer before the season starts. his coaching paid off through the

year as the team kept improving their times and results. “my favorite thing about the season

was seeing the first practices and final races,” Gathje said. “it’s exciting to see how far we have come.” Gathje has influenced his students, runners and coworkers in his time at mount michael. dylan

Parlor has been all of these. as a former runner and now coach, Parlor has seen the great qualities of a leader: respect,

Coach Gathje Wins Hudl Coach of the YearMichael Ecker | Staff Writer

humility, performance and integrity, in him. “all the accolades in the world don’t mean a thing to Gathje if his students aren’t learning in class and his runners aren’t enjoying the sport,” Parlor said. “i think i speak for all mount michael students and runners when i say i thoroughly enjoyed mr. Gathje’s class and being out for cross country.” Gathje is a man that many people look up to. Parlor learned a lot from Gathje during his time at mount michael. he has many experiences with Gathje that he still cherishes to this day. “there is something about him that demands respect,” Parlor said. “he makes you want to do well for yourself, but there’s a large part of you that wants to do well for him also.” as part of the award, Gathje will receive a plaque and a ring at the nca awards banquet this summer. “i feel the coach of the Year award is long overdue, but well-deserved,” Parlor said. “i’d bet he would rather have it inspire you to fall in love with running than receive any praise for this accomplishment.”

photo courtesy of mountmichael.comThe 2015 Cross Country State Champions sit proudly with their coaches following the award ceremony. Coach Gathje has lead the Knights to Six state championships and two state runner ups.

The March for Life buses with over 150 people were at a stand still for hours before they were able to resume their trek on the road.

photos courtesy of Amy Masek

a group of mount michael students leaving Washington d.c. were involved in a standstill in traffic for over 24 hours as a blizzard swept through the northwest. over 500 trucks, cars, and buses were involved in the backup. students from the omaha diocese were returning from the march for life rally, the only event in Washington d.c. not cancelled that day. the bus made it about 170 miles when traffic slowed to a stop due to a crash ahead. by the time cars were about to begin moving, too many had become engulfed in the snow.

eight mount michael students, along with theology teacher amy masek, waited on the Pennsylvania turnpike through a long night that ended with the national Guard and state Patrol coming with water. “the worst part was the unknown of how long we would be there,” masek said, “We took every moment as it came until we realized we’d be sleeping on the bus.” students michael Ford, christian keller, Jeremiah conneally, ben nigro, Garrett engel, kalle haines, ben hynes, and Paul dougherty made the best of the delay and used it to connect and spend time together.

some of the students slept, had snowball fights, and went sledding to pass the time. others also helped out by shoveling snow and pushing cars to help the best they could. “i honestly think it helped me grow spiritually after the march,” junior Garrett engel said, “i grew closer to some of my classmates, and made a lot of new friends as well. it definitely made the experience better, and i’ll always remember being stuck in that snowstorm the rest of my life.”