Category: Features
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Crusader of the Week: Will McHale
Viveca Stucke ’26 Chief Features Editor Name: Will McHale Class Year: 2026 Hometown: Middletown, NJ Major: Economics & Political Science Campus Activities: The Spire, Equity Research Club, SPUD, Liturgy Team Favorite Movie: 2001: A Space Odyssey Favorite Song: “Your Summer Dream” by The Beach Boys Favorite color: Red Favorite sports…
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Featuring Senior Reflections
Caroline Kramer ‘26 and Sophia Mariani ‘26 Features Staff Writer and Chief Copy Editor There is one thing I (Caroline) believe to be true both at Holy Cross and in the greater world beyond: what is meant for you will not miss you. This common quote reflects the idea that…
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Professor Playlist: Timothy Joseph
Sophia Siok ’28 & Erin Kowalski ’29 Web Editor & Guest Writer Professor Name: Timothy Joseph Academic Department: Classics, Peace & Conflict Studies Classes you teach: Intermediate Latin 1, Tacitus, The Classics & Conflict in the US, 1st Readings in College Latin Preferred music platform: Spotify What is your go…
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My Hero, Viveca Stucke
Emily Carbone ’28 Features Editor I first joined The Spire as a second semester freshman. I still remember the first meeting that I went to–I was asked which section I wanted to join and glanced around the room nervously. As I glanced from section to section, each one seemed to…
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The Nostalgia-Industrial Complex and the Search for Originality
Zach Verdun ‘27 Staff Writer Let’s face it: originality is dying in entertainment. Almost every sphere of pop culture has been recycling content for years, lacking the nuance of what used to define entertainment. Just in the last 5 years we have seen an influx of sequels, prequels, and spin-offs…
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The Spire Interviews Worcester Mayor Joe Petty
Ashwin Prabaharan ’26 and Will McHale ’26 Editors-in-Chief This past week, the Spire had the opportunity to interview Worcester Mayor Joseph Petty. Due to scheduling conflicts, we were unable to hold an in-person interview but the Mayor was kind enough to answer some questions through email. We touched on Worcester’s…
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My Final Feature: Features
Viveca Stucke ‘26 Chief Features Editor During my time at Holy Cross, I’ve written 85 pieces for The Spire (including this one!). I began by moving between the Features and Opinions sections, eventually finding my home in Features permanently during my junior year when I stepped into the role of…
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A P A R T: The Senior Studio Art Exhibition Marks a Year of Growth and Collaboration
Sophie Sundaram ‘26 Guest Writer Last Wednesday evening of the Academic Conference marked the opening of A P A R T, the 2026 Senior Studio Art Concentration Seminar Exhibition in the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Art Gallery. The show showcases the work of nine senior studio art concentrators—Sydney McDonald,…
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Working for Worcester: Student Leadership Interviews
Amelia Ciarleglio ’27 Features Editor On April 18th 2026, over six-hundred students gathered in the Worcester Common for the 14th Annual Working for Worcester (W4W) Build Day Rally. Working for Worcester is a remarkable student-run non-profit organization dedicated to building safe and innovative recreational spaces for the children of Worcester.…
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Crusader of the Week: Meredith McDonough
Viveca Stucke ’26 Chief Features Editor Name: Meredith McDonough Class Year: 2026 Hometown: Woburn, MA Major: English Major, Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies Concentration Campus Activities: The Spire, Dance Ensemble, Her Campus at Holy Cross, Spring Break Immersion Program, Senior Class Gift Committee Favorite Movie: Whiplash Favorite Song: “Wild Horses”…
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Hamlet: A Collaboration with the Worcester Community
Sophia Mariani ‘26 Chief Copy Editor This past semester, I have been taking a course called Community English with Drama, that has both pushed me out of my comfort zone and connected me to the Worcester community. This course has been nothing like any other class that I have taken,…
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Featuring the Fun of Hobbies
Viveca Stucke ‘26 Chief Features Editor It is incredibly easy in college to get swept up in assignments, deadlines, and responsibilities, so much so that you can forget about the life that happens beyond them. But one of the most important things to remember is that your time in your…
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When Talent Doesn’t Choose Morality
Zach Verdun ’27 Staff Writer In an unreleased song titled “Prayer,” Kendrick Lamar utters the line that “talent doesn’t choose morality.” Hearing this lyric made me question what exactly he meant by this statement. I mean, certainly there are artists and people that are immensely popular while also simultaneously being…
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Crusader of the Week
Viveca Stucke ’26 Chief Features Editor Name: Zaven “Big Za” Zeitountzian Class Year: 2026 Hometown: Providence, RI Major: Philosophy, Italian Campus Activities: Sitting on the Hoval for hours, WCHC, Bookstore Legend, HRA Favorite Movie: X-Men: Days of Future Past Favorite Song: Crank by Playboi Carti Favorite color: Black Favorite sports…
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Curious About Curiosier and Curiouser
Emily Carbone ‘28 Features Editor The Holy Cross Department of Theater and Dance has been hard at work on “Curiosier and Curiouser,” a departmental production with performances Thursday (4/16) through next Sunday (4/26). Directed and adapted by Lynn Kramer, the play is a fresh take on Lewis Carrol’s classic novels…
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SOLD-OUT Dance Ensemble Show
Amelia Ciarleglio ‘27 Features Editor On Friday April 10, 2026, the Holy Cross Dance Ensemble presented their extravagant Spring Show in the Luth Concert Hall. The end of the year event was organized by Senior Co-Chair Molly Hachey and Junior Co-Chair Kayla Bortik and the other Dance Ensemble Officers. The…
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President Rougeau Discusses Commencement, Leadership Updates, the Job Market, and more
Ashwin Prabaharan ‘26 and Will McHale ‘26 Co-Editors-in-Chief The Spire conducted our latest interview with President Rougeau over email in late March due to scheduling issues preventing an in-person interview. The topics of conversation included the commencement speaker for the Class of 2026, the recent campus power outage, the search…
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How to Shock the Genre: Explaining Igor by Tyler, The Creator
Zach Verdun ‘27 Staff Writer Tyler, The Creator is an artist that has continued to redefine himself with each and every piece of work he has put out. Each album strives to explore a different aspect of himself as an artist, whether it is as provocative as Cherry Bomb or…
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Crusader of the Week: Liz Schmidt
Viveca Stucke ‘26 Chief Features Editor Name: Liz Schmidt Class Year: 2026 Hometown: Lynnfield, MA Major: Economics major and French & Francophone Studies minor Campus Activities: SGA, Dance tea, Dance ensemble, World Languages SAC, WCHC, SBIP Favorite Movie: Ámelie Favorite Song: Chinese Satellite by Phoebe Bridgers Favorite color: Purple Favorite…
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Crusader of the Week: EJ Murphy ’26!
Viveca Stucke ’26 Chief Features Editor Name: EJ Murphy Class Year: Senior Hometown: Stratham, NH Major: Neuroscience Campus Activities: Student Government Association, Admissions, Gateways Orientation, SPUD, SBIP, Research Favorite Movie: Mrs. Doubtfire Favorite Song: “My Love Mine All Mine” by Mitski Favorite color: Blue Favorite sports team: New England Patriots…
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Four Senior Site Leader Insights on their Last Spring Break Immersion Program
Amelia Ciarleglio ’27 Features Editor This spring break, Holy Cross students took off across the country in the admirable pursuit of serving communities through Holy Cross’s very own Spring Break Immersion Program (SBIP). I had the incredible opportunity to interview four awesome members of the Class of 2026 who are…
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The Soundtrack of Holy Cross
Viveca Stucke ‘26 Chief Features Editor As some may know, I listen to music pretty frequently and it’s a huge part of my daily life. I currently have over 175 Spotify playlists, and I make new ones for every month depending on my mood, the season, or whatever songs are…
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Why We Like Spelling!
Tim St. John ‘26 Guest Writer (And Stellar Actor) Come see The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee this week! The show follows the story of 6 quirky kids at a spelling bee in a school gym duking it out to be this year’s champion. As the bee unfolds, each…
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HonestKimballReview Feature
Emily Carbone ‘28 Features Editor When I mention Honest Kimball Review, you likely know who I’m talking about. Maybe you have seen his Instagram account, or recognize him from an occasional perusal of Fizz. You might think of some of his recent comedic videos, filmed in Kimball, of course, or…
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Crusader of the Week
Caroline Kramer ‘26 Staff Writer Name: Desiree Calvo Class Year: 2029 Hometown: San Antonio, Texas Major: Psychology Campus Activities: Marching band, pep band, SPUD, XCHROM, SBIP Favorite Movie: The Parent Trap Favorite Song: “Royals” by Lorde Favorite singer/group: Olivia Rodrigo Favorite color: Baby pink Favorite class taken at Holy Cross:…
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Crusader of the Week
Emily Carbone ’28 Features Editor Name: Patrick Schulz Class Year: 2028 Hometown: West Hartford, CT Major: Economics and Music Campus Activities: Rugby, Jazz Ensemble, Lifting at the Jo Favorite Movie: Ratatouille Favorite Song: IFHY by Tyler, The Creator Favorite color: Red Favorite sports team: The Buffalo Bills Favorite class taken…
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Impetus: Visual Arts Faculty 2026
Helena Connelly ’29 Guest Writer On February 3rd 2026, the Cantor Art Gallery highlighted the wonderful talents of Holy Cross’ visual arts department with the opening of the Impetus show. The gallery features work by Rachelle Beaudoin, John Carney, Marcus Clarke, Hilary Doyle, Colleen Fitzgerald, Matthew Gamber, Anna McNeary, Victor…
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Peep My Crib – Lizzie and Ashley
Lucy Graham ’28 Staff Writer Recently, I made my first-ever trip down to Loyola for a very special visit to Lizzie Swanson’s and Ashley Stracco’s humble abode. Before I even entered the room, I got a peak of the warm environment that the two had created for themselves with a…
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Schrödinger’s Pizza Oven
Fiona Greaney ‘29 Opinions Editor It’s a Sunday night, and I am at Volturno’s in Worcester for a belated Galentine’s Day celebration. I order the brick-oven cooked margherita pizza and, when it arrives, I immediately go for a bite. Like Lawrence of Arabia was transported back in time to the…
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Crusader of the Week
Lucy Graham ‘28 Guest Writer Name: Riley Listengart Class Year: 2028 Hometown: Houston, TX Major: History and Music Campus Activities: Marching Band, Pep Band, Orchestra, Wind Ensemble Favorite Movie: Jojo Rabbit Favorite Song: For No One, The Beatles Favorite color: Pink Favorite sports team: Houston Astros Favorite class taken at…