The Dialog

By TheDialog

St. Mark’s junior to attend choir summer program

Lauren Johnson, a junior at St. Mark’s High School and an aspiring opera singer, has been selected to attend the Westminster Choir College Summer Program, as a solo vocal artist. The program is sponsored by the Westminster College of the Arts at Rider University in Lawrenceville, N.J., and is highly competitive.

After auditioning, Johnson was informed that she received a scholarship for the two-week program.

Johnson recently played the lead role in St. Mark’s production of “The Sound of Music.” To prepare for Westminster, she has been learning pieces in German, Italian and French, plus new musical pieces. Read more »

By TheDialog

Alma mater influences work in State Department

WILMINGTON – Lisa Krzywicki, a 2000 gradaute of St. Mark’s High School, told senior class leaders that her time at the school played a key role in her leadership development.

“It was at St. Mark’s that I realized it is perfectly okay to openly display my faith by being a Eucharistic minister at school Masses and participating in class retreats (and) it was at St. Mark’s that I met the teachers and leaders who would help me grow and develop who I was spiritually, strengthening and sharpening my faith, which I carry with me today,” she said. Read more »

By TheDialog

Padua alumna named soccer All-American

Garcelle Alequine, a 2012 graduate of Padua Academy in Wilmington, was named to the 2012 National Soccer Coaches Association of America girls’ All-American team, the school announced recently.

Alequine, a freshman at Lenoir-Rhyne College in Hickory, N.C., was a member of two state championship teams at Padua, including last season, when the Pandas defeated Caesar Rodney, 2-1, in double overtime. She is a nursing major at Lenoir-Rhyne. Read more »

By TheDialog

Archmere announces strategic plan

CLAYMONT – Archmere Academy has announced a five-point strategic plan that, the school says, “underscores Archmere’s fundamental commitment to its founding mission, vision and 80-year history” and positions it to expand upon the mission.

The plan, approved by the board of trustees in September and announced Dec. 3, the 2012 Strategic Plan for Archmere Academy, focuses on the following themes: Read more »

By TheDialog

St. Elizabeth senior earns Eagle Scout award

WILMINGTON — Dan Klusman, a senior at St. Elizabeth High School, recently earned his Eagle Scout award, the highest honor in Boy Scouting, for his work at the Mary Campbell Center in north Wilmington.

Klusman, 18, a member of Troop 33, sponsored by Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish, planned and organized a landscaping project at the center, which is home to 67 people with different disabilities. According to St. Elizabeth’s, the landscaping itself took two weekends and more than 100 man-hours to complete. Read more »

By TheDialog

Christ the Teacher

School steps up

its technology

GLASGOW — Christ the Teacher School has new interactive whiteboards. The new system allows the school to replace its SMARTBoards, televisions and DVD players.

Inger Cerniak, the school’s new technology coordinator, said the 25 Epson BrightLink 480i interactive projectors contain the functionality of SMARTBoards at a significantly lower cost and can use the interactive software of several manufacturers. The digital document cameras allow words from a book to be projected to a 62 inch-by-32 inch whiteboard.

In addition, the projectors are centrally controlled, which allows for the broadcast of pre-recorded and live events from any room to every room.

Mount Aviat is now

powered by the sun

CHILDS, Md. — Mount Aviat Academy has installed a solar array that will produce enough energy to power the entire campus in Childs, Md., said the principal, Oblate Sister John Elizabeth Callaghan. The ground-mount system comprises about 3,700 solar panels.

The project was made possible by an investor who covered the cost of installation. In return, Mount Aviat will buy the power produced at a reduced rate, Sister John Elizabeth said.

In addition, the school has retrofitted its lights with a reflector that allows it to use half the bulbs in some light systems, she said. That initiative was funded almost entirely through a power company incentive.

Holy Angels opens

resource lab

NEWARK — Students with diverse learning styles will benefit from the new resource lab at Holy Angels School. The lab will address the needs of students who require further academic assistance as well as those who are accelerated, principal Barbara Snively said.

Two computer-based programs will be used to monitor and assess student progress. Students in third through eighth grade who are in need of assistance in reading and math will be able to work with a facilitator, Snively said. Ten computers, most of which were donated to Holy Angels, will be used for this purpose.

Also at Holy Angels, graduates created a flower garden with a bird sanctuary and compost area for the school’s recyclable materials. The green efforts at Holy Angels have been expanded with the compost area and with the addition of bins to collect plastics and paper.

The graduates who created the garden and compost area completed the project as part of their service work for their Gold Award, one of Girl Scouting’s highest honors. It was funded by a grant from the University of Delaware.

Ursuline students attend leadership conference

WILMINGTON — Sarah Berg and Brenna Williams, both rising seniors at Ursuline Academy, attended the 2012 Ursuline Educational Services Leadership Conference in Dedham, Mass., in June with the student council moderator, Meg Kane-Smith.

Students spent the four days in academic, social and cultural activities.

“Of all of the opportunities that we had throughout our trip, the most meaningful and enduring was the opportunity to share ideas and thoughts that we are now able to bring back to each of our respective schools. Throughout the upcoming school year, Brenna and I are planning to work together with our fellow student council members as well as the administration to make some of these ideas a reality,” Berg wrote.

Padua restructures leadership program

WILMINGTON — The student leadership program at Padua Academy has been restructured for the upcoming year.

The program will have three elements. One group of students will be responsible for identifying volunteer opportunities and managing volunteers for those. Another group will coordinate fundraisers and service-oriented events such as the DeSales Leadership Conference for middle-schoolers. The final element is a course on leadership and philanthropy, which will be implemented next year.

Salesianum School grad receives McDonald’s award

Justin Gregg, a 2012 graduate of Salesianum School, was one of five students from Delaware to receive a college scholarship from Ronald McDonald House Charities and the McDonald’s Owner/Operators of the Greater Philadelphia Region.

Gregg and the other students were awarded a $1,000 grant. His was through the RHMC Scholars program. Winners were selected based on academic achievement, community involvement, financial need and plans to attend a two- or four-year college.

Archmere busy over the summer

CLAYMONT — The summer was anything but quiet on the campus of Archmere Academy in Claymont. Two projects involved renovations to the Student Life Center and St. Norbert Hall, and modifications to the Patio.

At the Student Life Center, renovations created a meeting and lounge area for student council, and a snack shack has been moved from the field house to the center. At St. Norbert Hall, an oratory was completed with new worship space large enough for an entire class to attend Mass together.

This year, the Patio returns to its roots as an academic building with the creation of a classroom on the first floor. When the building was the home of industrialist John J. Raskob, the room had been his children’s play room. Spaces on the second floor that were once bedrooms have been converted to offices.

Elkton school will

observe Year of Faith

ELKTON, Md. — Immaculate Conception School plans to open the “door of faith” this year in recognition of Pope Benedict’s upcoming Year of Faith, which runs from Oct. 11, 2012, to Nov. 24, 2013.

According to principal Mary Kirkwood, the school will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the building of the current parish church in October.

In addition, after a successful fundraiser, the school has installed a science lab that includes equipment to meet current needs, and funds have been raised for the final order of SMARTBoards.

St. Peter website adds functionality

NEW CASTLE — The website of St. Peter the Apostle School in New Castle has undergone an extreme makeover, with easier navigation and a version for smartphones or tablets.

The ability to view the site on a mobile device was the most requested feature, said Victor Fisher, who designed the site for the school.

Parents can now see an enhanced calendar, which is also available through popular messaging programs. Also, they can sign up for email or text notifications, which, for example, will allow them to see when a homework assignment is updated.

The site is at school.stpeternewcastle.org.

 — Compiled by Mike Lang

By TheDialog

Archmere senior receives Jefferson Scholarship

CLAYMONT – Alexa Hazel, who graduated this month from Archmere Academy, will attend the University of Virginia as a Jefferson Scholar. The award, administered by the Jefferson Scholars Foundation at the university, provides full financial support for four years of study and is worth $49,098 for the 2012-13 academic year.

More than 3,700 high schools from across the country and around the world were invited to nominate students for this program. Hazel, from Media, Pa., was among 104 finalists and 30 scholarship winners.

All Saints primary students go green

ELSMERE – Students in the primary grades at All Saints Catholic School in Elsmere used their science, technology, engineering and math program to go green by recreating the town of Elsmere using recycled goods.

The students in pre-kindergarten through second grade began the project in late March as each grade was assigned a section of the town. They took pictures, designed plans, brought in recycled goods and built landmarks including the VA Hospital, the police station, library and other local businesses. “Recycled Elsmere” was completed with the addition of trees and landscaping.

Elsmere Mayor Deborah A. Norkavage and town manager John Giles were on hand to view in late May to see their town through the eyes of the children.

St. Elizabeth senior receives memorial scholarship

WILMINGTON – Matt Bleacher, who will graduate this week from St. Elizabeth High School, has received a $2,000 award from the Frank D. Vari Memorial and Scholarship Fund of the Delaware Community Foundation. He was honored at a school assembly.

The award, named for the man who was president of Wilmington City Council from 1973-84, is designed to support a deserving student who lives in Wilmington and will attend a Delaware college or university. Bleacher will attend the University of Delaware.

The scholarship was presented by Francis P. Vari in memory of his father.

Four from St. Mark’s to attend governor’s school for excellence

WILMINGTON – Four St. Mark’s High School students have been selected to participate in the performing arts and academic branches of the Delaware Governor’s School for Excellence.

For performing arts, Lauren Johnson was selected for the choral music program, and Jake Diana for the theater program. Hannah Falchuk and Luke Duchemin have been accepted into the academic program.

The Governor’s School for Excellence is a one-week summer residential program that brings together students from around the state who have completed their sophomore year. Students are selected through a competitive application process. Those selected for the academic program will participate in discussions, lectures, debates and films revolving around a specific theme in the humanities, science and engineering, business or political science. The arts students will experience instruction with noted artists, with the week culminating with a performance or public display of their work.

The school is planned for July 15-20 at the University of Delaware.

St. Mark’s freshman places in Columbia Triathlon

WILMINGTON – Alexa Murray, a freshman at St. Mark’s High School, recently competed in the 29^th annual Columbia Triathlon in Columbia, Md. The event consisted of a 1.5-k swim, a 41K bike ride and a 10K run. Murray was among 2,600 participants and placed second in her age group and 157^th overall among women. She qualified for the 2010 5150 Hy-Vee U.S. Championship on Sept. 2 in Des Moines, Iowa.

“I’m drawn to the combination of the three sports,” explained Murray who has been training for triathlons since she was eight years old. “Because they’re so challenging, it’s that much more rewarding when you cross the finish line.”

St. Elizabeth baseball coach headed to state hall

Tom Beddow, the baseball coach at St. Elizabeth High School, will be inducted into the Delaware Baseball Hall of Fame on June 6 prior to the Wilmington Blue Rocks game at Frawley Stadium. He will join former Vikings coach Frank Aiello, who was inducted in 2005.

Padua soccer standout named Gatorade winner

WILMINGTON – Casey Horney, a forward/midfielder for the Padua Academy soccer team, has been named the 2012 Gatorade Delaware Girls Soccer Player of the Year, the third time the state winner has come from the Wilmington school. The award is presented by Gatorade in collaboration with ESPNHS.

Horney has led the Pandas, who are ranked first in the state, to a 16-0-1 record heading into Wednesday night’s state semifinal game against A.I. Dupont High School, which is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. at Caravel Academy. In Padua’s second-round 6-0 shutout of Sussex Tech, Horney had two goals and two assists. She had 10 goals and 19 assists in the regular season.

A three-time all-state selection, Horney is graduating Thursday with a 3.49 grade-point average and has volunteered locally for the Blue-Gold Club.

Local Catholic students among rowers heading to national regatta

WILMINGTON – Several students from local Catholic high schools are among those who will represent the Newport Rowing Club at U.S. Rowing’s Youth National Championship Regatta, which will be held June 8-10 on Melton Lake in Oak Ridge, Tenn. The club qualified four crews for the event.

The men’s lightweight 4+ team includes sophomore Nick Malchione and senior Patrick Beane from Salesianum School.  Salesianum sophomore Phil Claudy is a member of the men’s varsity 2- team.

The women’s lightweight 4+ boat includes Ursuline Academy freshman Alyson Kerrigan. The women’s varsity 2- counts Padua Academy freshman Maggie Cunningham among its members.

Beane will row at Rollins College in Florida beginning in the fall, and Claudy, Cunningham and Kerrigan are in their first year of rowing.

By TheDialog

Salesianum senior a National Merit winner

WILMINGTON – Jonathan Parmer, a senior at Salesianum School, was named a corporate-sponsored National Merit Scholarship winner, the only student from Delaware to gain that honor in the latest round of scholarships.

Approximately 1,000 high school seniors received awards from some 200 corporations. Corporate sponsors provide funds for the children of their employees, residents of the community they serve, or students who plan to pursue careers the sponsor wishes to encourage.

Read more »

By TheDialog

St. Mark’s, St. Thomas More students win art awards

WILMINGTON — Four St. Mark’s High School and seven St. Thomas More students have received Delaware Regional Scholastic Art Awards.

From St. Mark’s, seniors Spencer Shannon and Kara Barbes each were Silver Key winners. Shannon was recognized for mixed media, Barbes for painting. Their work was on display at the Arts Center/Gallery at Delaware State University in Dover until Feb. 11. That evening, all award winners were honored.

Read more »