Weekly Bulletin January 19, 2014

There is a real focus on STEAM in this issue: Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics. Be sure to check out the Sneakers-to-Beakers story, the Fine Arts exam projects, and the Robotics Team update. We have amazing things happening in these exciting areas!

At the outset, let me highlight two items: College Road and the Website Survey.

College Road: We are pleased to announce the formation of College Road, a program to assist students and their families in understanding, navigating, and completing the college process. Supporting students and families throughout the college process—from envisioning a future in college to strategically pursuing that future—is vital to our mission. And we recognize that we need to assist our scholars both inside and outside the curriculum in order to give them the greatest chances for success. Indeed, college readiness involves more than just course work and standardized testing; interview skills, résumé writing, job experience, familiarity with college campuses (in order to find the right fit), and knowledge of the particular components of the process (in order to develop the appropriate strategies) are all necessary. In an effort to address these outside-of-the-curriculum components, and in collaboration with our strategic partner, , we are launching College Road.

The first College Road event is scheduled for Thursday, March 27, from 6:00 to 8:00 PM at Corcoran Commons on the Campus of Boston College. Because of the introductory nature and focus of this event, it is open to students and families of the Classes of 2016 and 2017. Our friends at BC have graciously provided us with the three conference spaces—the Boston, Heights, and Newton rooms—at Corcoran Commons. There will be panel discussions and short presentations, all focused on providing an overview of the college process. We hope to have represented there a mix of BC administration, faculty, and students, perhaps with a recent graduate or two from Saint Joseph Prep. This will be an exciting, engaging, and informative evening, so please circle this date on your calendars. All 9th and 10th graders and their families should plan to attend!

Website Survey: In an effort to better serve our families, we are asking for your feedback on our website, on PowerSchool, and on the Weekly Bulletin. Please click here to complete the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/sjpwebsitesurvey . The survey takes less than 10 minutes, the responses are confidential, and the results will help us to improve communication with our students, parents, and guardians. Thanks so much for giving us your feedback! And please check out the homepage of our website for stories about the SAT Prep Course, the successful FAFSA Night, and the Girls’ Basketball Team.

Student Quote of the Week

In last week’s edition, I neglected to mention that on our first Monday back from Christmas vacation, January 6, during our All-School Gathering and Prayer, students and faculty were treated to an excellent speech by Student Council President, Daniel Donabedian ‘14. Danny shared with us one of his favorite stories, The Fourth Wise Man by Henry Van Dyke, which was entirely fitting as we were celebrating the Feast of the Epiphany (the Feast of the Three Kings). In the story, Artaban, the mythic fourth wise man, ends up selling the three precious gifts he was going to present to Jesus—a sapphire, a ruby, and a pearl—in order to serve those in need. He dies at the scene of Jesus’ crucifixion, despairing that he failed in his ultimate goal—to meet the Savior, the Newborn King. But at Artaban’s death, he sees Christ face-to-face, and he hears the voice of the Lord say, “What you have done for the least of my brothers and sisters, you have done to me.” In Danny’s thoughtful and insightful reflections on this beautifully powerful story, he encouraged all of us to put the needs of others first, to focus as much on the journey as on the destination, and to remember that the gifts we are given by God are always enough to do what God asks of us.

Scholar Highlights of the Week

Students in Mr. Shiner’s Choir class participated in a midterm exam project culminating in a collaborative performance of paired songwriters within the class. Each pair combined elements of their individual songs to create a new song, loosely based on the song “Do-Re-Mi” from The Sound of Music. In their performances, they included additional aspects such as props, costumes, and choreography. There were several stand-outs among the presentations: Terry Shin ‘14 and Elizabeth Burke ‘14 created a song mash-up with the melody of “Love” (L is for the way you look at me..., made famous by Nat King Cole) and included Shin’s hand percussion accompaniment. Jen Holman ‘14 and Ju Eun Lee ‘14 enhanced their effort with a jazz-infused piano accompaniment and several modulations throughout. The most elaborate performance involved the teamwork of Daniel Donabedian ‘14 and Yujee Song ‘15, which included a scripted storyline and self-deprecating slapstick comedy. All students did an exceptional job and thoroughly entertained each other in their final execution!

Ms. LaFauci's Theatre Arts class also participated in a unique midterm experience—a mock audition. Each student presented a Shakespearean sonnet he/she had been preparing all quarter in front of a panel of three judges. Ms. LaFauci was joined on the panel by two guests, Ms. Katie Speed and Ms. Anne Slotnick, both of whom also direct and teach high school theatre. Ms. Speed is currently a student teacher at Wellesley High School, having recently completed her Master’s in Applied Theater at the Royal Central School of Speech & Drama in London and her Bachelor's in Theatre Education/Acting at Emerson College. Ms. Slotnick also graduated from Emerson College, with a Master’s in Theater Education; she previously studied Theatre at Colgate College, and now teaches a theatre class and directs plays at Westborough High School. Each student received marks for professional dress and demeanor, diction and volume, and effectively putting forward the message and motivations of their character. Our guest “auditioners” were very impressed with the students' work and had many positive comments about the actors-in-training here at Saint Joseph Prep. Congratulations to all on a job well done!

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Students in Mr. Shiner’s Graphic Design class created digital versions of their own personal logos for their midterm exam project. Drawing from their understanding of the fundamental elements and principles of design, as well as from their developed experience working with design apps on the iPad, students creatively expressed themselves in graphic visual icons tantamount to the simple elegance of the Nike swoosh. Anthony Goncalves ‘14 suggested that he initially felt challenged by the project, but ended up creating arguably the most inspired design, reminiscent of some of the great icons of Paul Rand. Anastasia Ricoy ‘14 converted her own signature into a vector-based image, effectively maintaining the intricate texture of her pen stroke against a rough canvas. Students had to make sure their marks were compelling as black-and-white line art before elaborating in color and detail, and they were all successful!

Sneakers to Beakers: The following students participated in our collaboration with Sneakers to Beakers (www.sneakerstobeakers.org), a start-up non-profit afterschool program whose mission is to inspire children to become engaged in STEM-related fields: Alexandra Hung ‘16, Vanessa Alvarado ‘16, Sarah Murphy ‘16, Emily Petrillo ‘16, Amanda Hernandez ‘16, Anna Daher ‘16, Lauren McCarthy ‘16, Liam Fitzpatrick ‘16, Natalie Fitzpatrick ‘16, Hannah Walsh ‘16, Neema Ellie-Joseph ‘16, Toni Gardner ‘16, Jenaya Hobson ‘16, and Rachel Sansone ‘15. These scholars braved the snow on Saturday, January 18, from 1:00 to 3:00 PM to work with Curriculum Developers, Ms. Maryann Stimmer (named Informal Educator of the Year for 2008 by the National Science Teachers Association) and Joseph Fabio to create curriculum for the program. Thanks to Mr. Bob Sansone P ‘15 for providing this opportunity. Kudos to our students for sharing their passion for learning, and congratulations to Sarah Murphy ’16 on winning the drawing for the Celtics tickets!

Student-Athlete Highlights of the Week

This week in Girls’ Basketball could most aptly be described as a “roller coaster.” After a road loss to ended the team's six-game winning streak on Monday, the Phoenix roared back to life with one of the most exciting wins in school history on Wednesday. Despite trailing Weston HS from the opening tip—and losing senior captain Aria Ross ‘14 to an early ankle injury—Saint Joe's erased a 12-point fourth quarter deficit with full-court pressure and a 22-4 run to close the game. Mercedes Edwards ‘14 paced the team with 9 of her 12 points coming in the final frame; the senior also added 3 assists and 2 steals in the victory. Captain Rachel Sansone ‘15 once again demonstrated her versatility, scoring 12 points, pulling down 7 rebounds, dishing out 6 assists, and collecting 4 steals. Playing out of position at center, captain Lexie Corey ‘15 hauled in 19 rebounds against a towering Weston front line to go with 9 points, 3 assists, and 4 steals. The following night, the team took on Maimonides in Brookline and lost a heartbreaker, 52-51. Game officials and fans of both teams commented that it was one of the best basketball games they'd seen in recent history (the quality of the preceding SJPHS-Weston game notwithstanding). Corey scored 22 points and corralled 22 rebounds in the loss, while Sansone contributed 9 points and 7 rebounds. Heading into the second half of the season, Saint Joe's is now 7-3 overall and 3-2 in the .

Check out next week’s edition for highlights from the other winter athletic teams.

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Club/Activity Highlights of the Week

FIRST Robotics 1965: Saint Joseph Prep Firebirds: In Week #2 of the Build Season for FIRST Robotics, Team 1964 met Friday night and all day Saturday to continue designing and building. Anamaria Ronayne ’13 (UMass Boston) and Lia Brodeur ’13 (RPI) returned from college to assist, and volunteer mentors Colm Prendergast, Steve Kirchner, Amanda Kirchner, Derik Thomonn, Cody Lewis, Lewis Malaver, Madison Krensky and Faraz Chowdhury engaged our students in all phases of the project. This week the team was also joined by Jim Kennedy and Enoch Kim who are studying Engineering at Boston University. Upstairs, Mr. Marino, father of Angela Marino ‘17, was busy constructing a complete replica of the “goals” and “obstacles” of the field, which are now on display in Phoenix Hall. Check out the homepage of our website, http://www.saintjosephprep.org, for a detailed story and terrific action photos!

Next weekend, the team will start construction of the competition robot. Team 1965 meets on Fridays from 2:30 to 8:00 PM and on Saturdays from 9:00 AM until 6:00 PM. The schedule is found here: http://www.saintjosephprep.org/page.cfm?p=652. All members of the Saint Joseph Prep community are invited to stop by the Robotics Lab and watch these supremely talented students and mentors in action.

Parents’ Corner

1. Re-Registration: It is already time to begin the Re-Registration process for the 2014-15 school year. Specific dates for Re-Registration and Financial Aid application deadlines can be found by visiting: http://www.saintjosephprep.org/page.cfm?p=597 and clicking on the “Re- registration Notice 2014-2015” link. Please know that information regarding Re-Registration, including this form, will be sent out via a separate email this week. Please connect with our Business Manager, Mr. St. Pierre, at [email protected] with any questions.

2. Phoenix Family Association: The PFA is hosting Trivia Night next Saturday, February 1, from 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM. All parents, alums, family, and friends of SJP are all welcome to participate. Start forming your team—6 to 10 people, all 21+ years old—and exercising your memory banks! Additional information about Trivia Night can be found on the Events page under Phoenix Family Association (under Parents) on the website: http://www.saintjosephprep.org/page.cfm?p=593

3. Catholic Schools Week: Catholic Schools Week takes place from Monday, January 27 to Friday, January 31. We will have an All-School Mass on Monday, January 27, at 9:15 AM to kick off the week. All parents and guardians are most welcome to join us!

At the same time, some of our students will be “starring” in the Catholic TV Mass on Monday morning at the Catholic television studio in Watertown. The Mass will be broadcast at 9:30 AM on Monday, January 27, so tune in to see The Phoenix in their Catholic TV debut!

4. Celtics Game: All students and their families are invited to attend “Saint Joe’s Night at The Garden.” The Boston Celtics play the Dallas Mavericks at 6:00 PM on Sunday, February 9th.

4 We have reserved 125 Promenade Level seats. Tickets are still available at a cost of $43 each. Please contact Ms. McCarvill ([email protected]) or Mr. Sansone ([email protected]) for questions or to order tickets.

5. College Counseling: Coffee Chat with the College Counseling Staff: These are informal opportunities for families to ask questions about the college exploration, planning and the application process. Coffee Chats are held from 7:15 to 8:00 AM. Upcoming dates are: January 31, February 28, and March 28. Parents/Guardians of juniors or seniors with questions about the college process should contact either Ms. Piendak at [email protected] or Ms. Pabst at [email protected].

6. As noted last week, we welcome three new members to our Saint Joseph Prep community in the Third Quarter. Ms. Heather Giblin from Boston College will start her full practicum with us, working with Ms. Osborne in the Science Department. Ms. Tricia Rodrigues from Regis is joining us to complete her pre-practicum, working with Mr. Koelsch in the Math Department. And Mr. Matthew Cunsolo, a trained SAT Prep Coach who has worked previously with The Princeton Review program, will lead our SAT Prep Course for the juniors.

7. Summer Jobs for Boston Residents: On behalf of Mayor Martin J. Walsh, the Boston Youth Fund would like to invite any eligible students to apply for the 2014 City of Boston HOPELINE and attend the 2014 BYF Summer Job Fair. Please consult the information below regarding these terrific opportunities:

The HOPELINE is the ONLY form of application to obtain a Summer Job through the Boston Youth Fund (BYF). To be eligible, students must meet the following requirements: • Must turn 15 years old, on or before Sunday, July 6, 2014 • Cannot turn 19 years old, on or before Friday, August 15, 2014 • Must be a full-time resident of the City of Boston • Must be legally permitted to work in and the United States

The Application: • WEB Application Available 24 Hours a Day at www.bostonyouthfund.org: o OPENS February 1st at 10:00 AM o CLOSES March 3rd at 11:59 PM • PHONE Application Available at (617) 635-HOPE (4673): o Tuesday, February 18th: 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM o Wednesday, February 19th: 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM o Thursday, February 20th: 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM

HOPELINE information in additional languages is available at www.bostonyouthfund.org.

The Boston Youth Fund will be hosting the 2014 BYF Summer Job Fair at the Boston Public Library (Copley Branch) on Saturday, February 15th, from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM. This event will offer eligible teens the opportunity to speak with returning work site partners about the wide variety of available opportunities available for the summer of 2014. • More than 100 organizations will present about summer job opportunities.

5 • Career peers will be offering 3 career development workshops. • Organizations will either conduct onsite interviews or will schedule for another date. • Computers will be available for registration for the HOPELINE. • There will be games and PRIZES to be won!

Go to www.BYFteenjobfair.eventbrite.com for information and to register. If you have any questions, please contact the Boston Youth Fund at (617) 635-4202.

Mr. Nunan’s Corner: Forgiveness, Faith, and Friendship

On Friday, this was the gospel reading: Mark 2: 1-12

When Jesus returned to Capernaum after some days, it became known that he was at home. Many gathered together so that there was no longer room for them, not even around the door, and he preached the word to them. They came bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. Unable to get near Jesus because of the crowd, they opened up the roof above him. After they had broken through, they let down the mat on which the paralytic was lying. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to him, “Child, your sins are forgiven.” Now some of the scribes were sitting there asking themselves, “Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming. Who but God alone can forgive sins?” Jesus immediately knew in his mind what they were thinking to themselves, so he said, “Why are you thinking such things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, pick up your mat and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth” –he said to the paralytic, “I say to you, rise, pick up your mat, and go home.” He rose, picked up his mat at once, and went away in the sight of everyone. They were all astounded and glorified God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this.”

It is one of my favorite passages. Years ago, when I was studying to be a Jesuit, our very wise rector said in his homily on this passage: “Hey, let’s be honest. If it were me, I’d be asking, ‘But what about the roof? Who’s going to fix my roof?’” Indeed. To me, the passage speaks powerfully of three themes: forgiveness, faith, and friendship. And all are relevant to us.

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Forgiveness: Challenging the current worldview of the scribes and the Pharisees, Jesus asks them which is more difficult, to forgive the sins of the paralytic or to heal his paralysis. Jesus does both, of course. But it reminds me of what Pope Francis said when a reporter asked him to describe himself: “I am a sinner.” We are all sinners; we all have our faults and our failings; we have all fallen short in our love for God and for one another. But the good news—the gospel—of the Christian tradition is that sin is not the end. Our petty jealousies, our weak moments, and our selfish decisions are not the last word. God’s unconditional love—God’s mercy and compassion—are the last word. And as the Lord forgives us, as we pray in the Our Father, so we are called to forgive others.

Faith: The paralytic has made this journey for one reason and one reason only—he has faith. The man believes that, somehow, someway, this Jesus of Nazareth will heal him. He comes to Jesus trusting in the mysterious, albeit often elusive, love of God. There are no promises, no guarantees. He must have approached every other healer of the time; he must have attempted every ritual or rite prescribed by his religion; he must have sought a whole host of potential solutions. But he makes this journey, to this Jesus, carried by his friends, because he has come to that place—that moment—in his life where faith is his only hope. And that faith, that hope, is rewarded. For me, this means that I am called to keep the faith, to hold the hope, even when all other possible avenues and approaches have been exhausted. As St. Paul reminds us, “Love never fails.” Neither do hope or faith.

Friendship: This is why I love this gospel story. Mark tells us that the paralytic is “carried by four men.” Who are these guys? How do they know him? Why are they doing this? It seems obvious that these men are friends of the paralytic. They have carried him to Capernaum; perhaps they have journeyed for miles, enduring the hot sun, the dusty roads, and the heavy burden. But they love their friend; they will do anything for him; they will even bring him to Jesus. The message, at least for me, is that we need others to bring us to faith, to hope, and to love. We need others to help us along this journey, to bring us to Jesus. We do not walk alone; we do not fly solo. We make our way together… related, connected, united. We carry each other. That is what friends do. That is what we do at Saint Joseph Prep.

Day in and day out, in myriad ways and in untold circumstances, our students support each other; they cheer and root for each other; they compete not against, but with, one another; they encourage and inspire one another; they welcome and greet one another; they do what the friends of the paralytic did—they carry each other.

Last week, I had the chance to catch up with a family who kept singing the praises of our Saint Joseph Prep Family, and these parents continued to highlight not just our academic and extra- curricular programs, not just our outstanding faculty and staff, but most importantly, our exemplary students. They spoke eloquently and persuasively about how our students—both the older students and the newer students—had made their young person feel so accepted, so appreciated, and so at home. They told me about the many small gestures and the many kind words that have made their child’s experience such a uniquely positive one at Saint Joe’s. What a blessing it is to be a member of this community, a community where, in a very literal way, we carry one another… and bring each other to a place of healing and grace.

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