Cross Country Wrap- Up

By Isaiah Matthew, Grade 12

The Lourdes’ cross country team successfully completed the championship race on October 30, 2025. Edward Nuzzo, one of the runners, came in 17th place out of 137 runners. I, personally, had the privilege of interviewing Edward. I asked Edward what the progression felt like as a teammate and what it was like as an individual athlete to have made it to a big-time championship. Edward replied, “The pressure on you as an individual causes the nerves to spike, and as a team, it requires a lot more focus because the only thing we are thinking about is how if we lose this race, our season could end soon.” I then asked Edward how he, as an individual cross country runner, has been able to deal with his nerves. He replied, “I don’t know. I think it is just the fact of having myself surrounded by like-minded people. We are all thinking of doing our best and giving each other the motivation and support to move forward.” Edward told me that “cross country was hard and difficult,” that it was “not as it seems to be where the cross country athletes simply go outside for practices; it takes discipline and hard work.” I then asked Edward, “if there is one quote you would say motivates you to exceed your limitations, but the same thought process may be running out of speculation in your teammates’ minds, what would it be?” Edward said, “be better than who you were yesterday because Coach Slinskey said so!” Thank you, Edward, for your amazing insight into what the cross country team at Lourdes was all about this year!

Radium Girls

By Aurora Chan Grade 10

Whether you are learning U.S. history this year, or in years past, you may have heard of the Radium Girls. These girls were teenagers who struggled for justice in court against the dial factory they once worked at. The highly radioactive element “radium” was founded by scientists Marie and Pierre Curie. Many experts saw radium as a “lifesaver” because it reduced tumor growth and believed that they had found the cure for cancer. Radium was also used in other products, such as, face creams, makeup, radium injections, radium water, radithor, which was an energy drink, and dial watches. These glow-in-the-dark dial watches allowed the military to read the time when it was dark. People in the 1920s referred to the radium as liquid sunshine because of its luminous properties. The radium girls would paint these watches and were well-paid in comparison to other jobs during the time. They would put the paintbrush in their mouth to mold the tip to a point allowing them to paint the small, detailed numbers. Unfortunately, this radium caused them to experience bone decay, especially in their jaws. One girl went to the dentist after experiencing mouth pain and the dentist had to remove her whole jaw because it was too decayed to fix. While this might sound horrible enough, they also faced many other health related problems.

This year, the Lourdes Theatre Company performed “Radium Girls” for their fall show. It is a story of courage as these young girls fight for their day in court. The shows were at 7:00pm on Friday, November 21st and 2:00pm and 7:00pm on Saturday, November 22nd. Thank you for supporting your fellow warriors as they remembered the captivating story of “Radium Girls.”