NEWS FROM CAMPUS MINISTRY

Send the Love Food Drive

Thank you to all who participated in our Send the Love food drive to benefit our community partners. We received word that all of our partner agencies received ample donations. We are so grateful for your contributions!

Lenten Collection

Each year, we collect money to send to our brothers and sisters at St. Francis Secondary School in Lare, Kenya. Typically, we send money for a specific project, but this year, in light of Covid, they need money to keep their doors open. Each week, we are collecting spare change and other donations in religion classes. Donations can also be made through our Zelle account at [email protected] Please considering donating and supporting our friends in Kenya!

Virtual Knit-In

In collaboration with the student knitting organization, The SFP WOOLVERINES, we are sponsoring a Virtual Knit-In project. Student and faculty participants are knitting blankets, scarves, hats, and gloves to be donated to community agencies. If you don't know how to knit and want to learn, we have provided links to videos that might help you do so. Check out the tile above to get more information.

Good Friday and Easter Sunday

This year, we will be broadcasting Good Friday and Easter Sunday liturgies. We invite you to pray along with us on Good Friday at 3:00 pm and Easter Sunday at 11:00 am as we celebrate the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus our Savior.

Spring Cunningham Park Clean-ups

We will be looking for volunteers to get involved in our park clean-ups this spring! Go to the Campus Ministry page to access the dates and sign ups.

Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion

Current juniors interested in becoming Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion can see Mrs. Ruotolo in Campus Ministry to get more information. You must be Catholic and have received Confirmation to be eligible to serve in this ministry.

Senior Retreats

This year, we will be hosting four Senior retreats at Camp Alvernia. The theme of the retreat is Foundations: Building on Lessons from High School. The cost of the retreat is $20, which includes food and transportation. Space is limited. If you are interested, please stop by Campus Ministry to get more information. Wishing you a beautiful spring! May God bless you and your loved ones.

GLASS RIBBON PROJECT INSPIRED BY GARY ROSENTHAL

Students from the SFP Art Department create glass ribbon projects inspired by Gary Rosenthal. Saint Francis Prep hosts an introduction to glass fusion course. Students in Mrs. Buccino’s glass class learn the fundamentals of glass design and fusing. Covid has brought about a time of loss, gratefulness, and reflection. The class researched Gary Rosenthal and his foundation. They were amazed to learn about the Glass Ribbon Project and all of the people the glass work helped. Students created several glass pieces each. They discussed their own intentions. Each student created five to ten glass designs to share with a person or group in need. They fused and packaged their designs. Father Ralph met with Mrs. Buccino and the students to discuss their intentions and bless the stones. Students then shared their healing stones with their loved ones. It was a truly inspirational project. We would like to thank Gary for his strength and true courage. It was a pleasure and thrill to speak with Gary over the phone and personally thank him for his leadership.

2021 SFP - SCHOLASTIC ART AND WRITING AWARD WINNERS!

We are thrilled to announce that students from the SFP Art Department are once again winners in the National Scholastic Arts and Writing Awards. The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards have grown to be the nation’s longest-running, most prestigious recognition initiative for creative teens and the largest source of scholarships for young artists and writers. Students from across the nation submitted over 250,000 works of art and writing to the Scholastic Art Competition. Winners are recognized at the regional level and celebrated in exhibitions and ceremonies at The New School and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Our winners this year are:

GOLD KEYS, SILVER KEYS, AND HONORABLE MENTIONS

Ronaldo Santiago – Gold Key
Angelina Buonincontri – Gold Key
Cindy Hightower – Gold Key
Grace Buzzi – Silver Key
Eleni Tsevis – Silver Key
Seunghwa Woo – Silver Key
Mujie Shen – Silver Key
Victoria Mercado – Honorable Mention
Kaitlyn Murphy- Honorable Mention
Sean Vera- Honorable Mention
Christina Walker – Honorable mention
Flora Meredith – Honorable Mention
Tullia Santo – Two Honorable Mentions

ART EVENTS: SAVE THE DATE

2021 NYC Region Scholastic Art Awards Ceremony Thursday, March 4, 2021: 7:30 pm - 8:00 pm

2021 NYC Region Gold Key Exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art On View: Friday, March 19, 2021 - May 21, 2021, at the Uris Education Center Wing Virtual Reception: Friday, March 19, 2021: 7:00 pm

SFP EXHIBITS - The 2021 National Art Honor Society and National Junior Art Honor Society (NAHS-NJAHS) Juried Exhibition.

Congratulations! The submission titled: America 2020 was accepted into the 2021 NAHS-NJAHS Juried Exhibition.

SFP Senior Amanda Benavides has been selected as a winner in the National Art Honor Society Juried Show! The NAHS organization received 1,187 submissions; only 93 works have been selected nationally for inclusion in the exhibition. Representatives from 8 member schools of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design (AICAD) participated as jurors: Burren College of Art, College for Creative Studies, Emily Carr University of Art and Design, Laguna College of Art and Design, Maryland Institute College of Art, Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, Minneapolis College of Art and Design, and Parsons School of Design. Amanda’s art work, created at SFP, was on display starting Monday, January 11, 2021. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, NAEA has transitioned to a completely virtual exhibition for the safety of all.

THE MARINE BIO CLUB

The Marine Bio Club is a new club that was started this year by Juniors Katerina Hanif and Gabriella Cavallo. This club is for students who are passionate about marine life and want to find ways to protect oceans and marine ecosystems. The club recently shared a survey on different Google Classrooms that asked about plastic usage in the school from students' perspective (i.e., how often they buy water bottles, whether they recycle or reuse bottles, and if they use reusable plastic containers or throwaways). The survey got 480 responses. The students created the below poster with the results and ways to conserve and recycle.

SCIENCE RESEARCH PROGRAM SENIOR SELECTED TO COMPETE AS A SEMI-FINALIST IN THE JUNIOR SCIENCE AND HUMANITIES SYMPOSIUM

We are proud to announce that a senior in the Science Research Program, Maria Poulos, was selected to compete as a semi-finalist in the Junior Science and Humanities Symposium for her research entitled "The Association Between COVID-19 and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Diagnosis." Maria looked at the impact that the pandemic and associated lockdowns had on her peers and found that economic impacts were the largest predictor for PTSD-like symptoms in high school students. In fact, it was a better predictor than having been infected, personally hospitalized, having family members who were hospitalized, or knowing someone who had died from complications of the disease. While the results of her study are certainly concerning, we are proud of the work that Maria has done. Her original plans were interrupted by last year's shut downs, but Maria had the drive and insight to persevere in a way that was so personally relevant to her and her classmates. With this, we can better understand the impact that this pandemic has had on our own community.

COLLEGE AND GUIDANCE OFFICE ANNOUNCEMENTS

Junior Families

We hope you are well and safe during this incredibly challenging time. Now more than ever, St. Francis Prep recognizes the need for specialized attention for our juniors in the college process. We know you have a lot of questions. It is normal to be nervous or concerned about the college search. But it is essential to remember that things are going to be okay. The process might look and feel different from you might have anticipated. Still, SFP is focusing our time and energy on adapting to the changing landscape with our goal of supporting you as we work together to navigate this process. We are here, and we are available to help. As we have faced some extended time away from school, students need to take advantage of the Senior College Process Symposium, a unique opportunity to focus only on college.

With this in mind, we are offering the Senior College Process Symposium throughout the first three weeks of August. We plan to run this in person; however, we will provide the same program virtually if there are students with extenuating circumstances. The symposium will focus on the college process. Especially under these circumstances, we want to reduce the stress and work involved in all aspects of the college process, including applications, essays, resumes, personality and career development, financial aid, SUNY, CUNY, and much more. The Link is on the SFP home Page. Register there.

Patrick McLaughlin Principal

Guidance has a link on the home page for College Information: Stay current 

Ms. Armon has visited each English 11 class as a first introduction to the process.

Juniors should be making appointments with their counselors to have individualized college meetings.

Use your SFP email for all things college JUNIORS: Naviance email must be accepted ASAP.

Virtual fairs are taking place daily; some registrations are through Naviance, and others are direct invitations. The College Office has been sending via email daily virtual events to all juniors throughout the school year and will continue through the summer break.

CHECK YOUR EMAIL REGULARLY!

There will be an SFP Virtual College Fair on April 29th from 5:00-7:45 pm for Parents of Sophomores and Juniors.

Registration information will be distributed within two weeks. The registration process is called College Fair 6X6. This will allow you to meet with up to 100 colleges in small groups of 6 colleges. This will be an interactive session in which you can ask questions. This particular College Fair is strictly for the SFP community.

The Summer Symposium Registration is live.

The Symposium takes place during the first three weeks in August. Students can pick a session that works with their summer jobs and family’s plans. Each session is 3 hours, Monday-Thursday.

JUNIORS: It is imperative to be aware of what you are putting on Social Media. Colleges will most certainly be able to see your profiles! A good rule of thumb is not to post anything you wouldn't want your Grandparents to see.

NOTHING IS PRIVATE!!! Poetry Out Loud 2021 On January 6th, this year's annual Poetry Out Loud competition, like so many other special SFP events, was held virtually. Our winner was junior Ruth Zhang, and our runner-up was freshman Katherine Reshetnikov. They went on to represent Prep at the NYC Regionals. Both delivered brilliant recitations!

Since 2005, Poetry Out Loud has grown to reach more than 4 million students and 65,000 teachers from 16,000 schools in every state.

Prep has been proudly having POL competitions since 2009. Since then, SFP has had 5 NYC Regional winners and 2 New York State Regional Runners-up (more than any other high school in NYC!).

Scholastic Art & Writing Awards

Junior Olivia Tyka received a Scholastic Art and Writing Awards Honorable Mention for her poem, "Superman." Olivia was also the recipient of the Scholastic Art and Writing Award in the area of writing for her poem.

The English Dept. and the rest of the Prep faculty and staff are very proud of her accomplishment!

The Moth All City

Two of our juniors, Sophia Caporusso and Helen Israelian, had the unique opportunity to learn and practice the art of storytelling through a series of after- school workshops. The workshops finished with them sharing their personal stories in a special online event.

The Moth is a non-profit group based in New York City dedicated to the art and craft of storytelling. Founded in 1997, the organization presents a wide range of theme-based storytelling events across the United States and abroad, often featuring prominent literary and cultural personalities.

SFP Music Department

In a year like no other, Prep's Music department has had just this week alone two wonderful experiences.

St. Francis Prep Music Department congratulates senior bassoonist William Park.

The St. Francis Prep Music Department congratulates senior bassoonist William Park for being selected by NYSSMA (New York State School Music Association) to perform with the All-State Symphony Orchestra. We received William's certificate on Monday, March 22nd. To achieve this honor, William was adjudicated performing top-level solo music. His 100 score beat out other applicants from across the state. We are extremely proud of William’s accomplishment. To our knowledge, he’s the first student from our band program to receive this honor.

Then on Monday evening, our Chamber Orchestra got to work virtually with composer and guitarist, Eric B. Davis. Mr. Davis teaches at the Aaron Copland School of Music and recently won a Grammy for his contribution as the guitarist for "Jagged Little Pill," the Alanis Morissette musical. His composition, "Chimera," is being rehearsed by our student-musicians. His comments were congratulatory and gracious towards the students, the Music department, and the school!

And finally, a warm Prep welcome to Mr. Michael Caprino, our student teacher, who began on Monday the 22nd. Mr. Caprino is finishing his Master's Degree at Queens College. He is equally excited to be teaching Music and to be teaching in a Franciscan school. Prep's Music department has had a long standing partnership with the QC Music Education program.

CHSAA Catholic State Championship 

On March 5th, Peter Athanailos won the CHSAA Catholic State Championship in the Shot Put. Peter’s performance was made possible through months of hard work during the pandemic. He looks forward to defending his title in the upcoming outdoor season.

WILLIAM A. MCLOUGHLIN CLASS 1940 CELEBRATING HIS 99TH BIRTHDAY

On Sunday, March 21st, the Prep’s oldest living graduate, William A. McLoughlin, turned 99 years old!

William was a star on the Terrier basketball team for three years and graduated from St. Francis Prep in 1940 when it was located on Baltic Street in Brooklyn. In 2020, he celebrated his 80th Anniversary Reunion and, if not for the pandemic, he would have been back to celebrate this milestone!

In the 1940 San Fran, it was written, “Nothing gets Bill down. His smile is his fortune.” Even though he is the last surviving member of the Class of 1940, his daughter Denise said that he can still recite all of the names of his 158 classmates in alphabetical order!

I ask you to join me in wishing him a Happy Birthday!

High School is four years; St. Francis Prep is Forever!

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