THE KESTREL

In Defense of Voting and Democracy

By Eric Myskowski, Senior Reporter • November 1, 2018

It is not only true that voting actually matters but it also necessary for the country to function. But before we get to the major impact of one person’s vote, we have to see the impact of voting in...

Zebra Mussels: A Warning Tale

By Alexander Pralea, Editor • October 14, 2018

A ship begins the arduous journey from Istanbul in along the Black Sea, filling its ballasts with water to maintain its balance. Inflated with water, the ship voyages to ports along North America, burrowing...

CT Governor’s Race Voting Guide

By Eric Myskowski, Reporter • October 11, 2018

With both the CT governor election and school mock election coming up, this is an important candidate analysis. There are two main candidates for governor, Democrat Ned Lamont, and Republican Bob Stefanowski....

Glioblastoma: Developing a Treatment

By Alexander Pralea, Editor • May 6, 2018

In today's political arena, few politicians have elicited more polarized opinions in the American people than Senator John McCain, whose spars with a refractory president have left advocates more...

The (American) Kestrel

By Eric Myskowski, Assistant Reporter • April 24, 2018

Our namesake falcon, the American Kestrel (Falco Sparverius), is the most abundant and best-looking falcon that lives in the United States. Often referred to by its former name, the Sparrowhawk, the Kestrel...

Putting Prepositions at the End of Sentences: A Stylistic Choice or an Error?

By Alexander Pralea, Editor • April 24, 2018

This question, whether one can place prepositions at the end of sentence, has ruffled grammarians for the past century, pitting modernists against traditionalists. It is highly loaded question, one that...

The ESRB and Loot Boxes

By Joshua Rigsby, Editor • April 10, 2018

The ESRB was founded on September 16, 1994 in response to the controversy of games such as Night Trap and Mortal Kombat. It is classified as an American self-regulatory organization that assigns age and...

The Birds of the Masters

By Eric Myskowski, Assistant Reporter • April 10, 2018

Anyone watching the Masters on TV would notice the birds singing in the background. Even though many, if not all of these sounds are artificially put in, the songs are still of birds that live in the region....

The Mystery of the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker

By Eric Myskowski, Assistant Reporter • April 3, 2018

The Lord God Bird, Holy Grail Bird, and King of Woodpeckers, are all names for the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker. It is a woodpecker the may live in deep, virtually impenetrable, old-growth swamps and bottomland...

Extinction: The Story of the Northern White Rhino

By Alexander Pralea, Editor • April 2, 2018

With the death of Sudan, the last male Northern White Rhino, an entire species is destined to evaporate from the earth. 45 years old, he had long suffered from age-related health problems, and veterinarians...

A Closer Look at the Recent Open Houses

By Eric Myskowski, Assistant Reporter • December 5, 2017

After suffering lackluster enrollment last year, Xavier has placed an elevated importance on open houses and other ways to bring prospective students to the school. The turnout at the open houses was strong,...

Why Do People Believe Halloween Is So Scary?

By Alexander Pralea, Editor • October 31, 2017

Over the past millennia, the date October 31st has always held in special place in the eyes of the West. Originally an agricultural holiday emphasizing the closeness of the earth with the spirit world,...