By Falon Veccia '18 On Feb. 27, 2017 the spring session of Driver’s Ed began. This date marks the first day girls would begin to drive.
The spring session holds 42 girls, opposed to the winter session’s group of less than 25 girls. In the car you learn basic driving skills including learning how to brake, accelerate, when to stop, and where to turn. These basics you learn on the very first day of practice. The route on this first trip is along Shore Road to Xaverian High school. Each girl drives at least 15 minutes a session. “It makes me feel more prepared for when I drive on my own”, said junior Angela Randazzo. “It gives me the opportunity to ask any questions I might have.” The whole process begins relatively fast, with actual sessions starting two weeks after the 500 dollars for the class was due. It begins with setting up your days to drive with an instructor in a car with three to four girls. The representative of Autonautics Driving School conveniently gave girls who lived in Rockaway driving hours from 2:45 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. once a week on any day from Monday through Friday so they may be able to catch their carpool. A learner’s permit is not mandatory until the end of the class in order to get your certificate that you’ve completed the class. The certificate also gives you the ability to test for your driver’s license earlier at 17 as opposed to 18 years old. In Spring there are also better driving conditions. The weather gets better and the sun sets later on in the day where all classes end at 4:45 p.m. Lectures are given on Wednesdays, from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. to further the student driver’s knowledge on the road. The sessions last for four months ending in June.
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By Melody Tobin '18 The beloved local tradition of the annual Saint Patrick’s Day Parade in New York City is getting closer and closer, and the community is bustling with festivities. Shamrocks and flags decorate the homes and businesses who choose to flaunt their Irish culture and pride.
This year, the parade march takes over the city in the blustering cold on Friday, March 17th from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The dazzling display can be viewed along 5th ave. between 44th Street. and 79th Street. Along the parade route, there are restaurants and sometimes pushcart food vendors on 6th Ave. and some of the side streets adjacent to the Parade route. Many streets will be closed and DVDs of the parade will be available for purchase. For many, it is a day of culture and tradition among the celebrating families, "Every year all the grandkids come up. We have corned beef and cabbage," parade party host Jim Logan said. "It's for the kids to learn St. Patrick's Day traditions." The lineup this year features Limerick native Michael J. Dowling, President & CEO of Northwell Health. Dowling is the first hospital head to serve as Grand Marshal of the Saint Patrick’s Day Parade. They are followed by multiple Irish societies who are situated in NYC, schools, colleges, Irish language and nationalist societies. The parade found its roots in a group of homesick Irish ex-patriots and military who served with the British Army stationed in the colonies of New York. This was during a time when wearing green was banned in Ireland but considered a sign of Irish pride. However, that parade in 1762 was when participants celebrated the freedom to speak Irish, wear green, sing traditional Irish folk songs and play bagpipes to Irish tunes that were meaningful to the immigrants at that time. The tradition of marching past St. Patrick’s Cathedral also remained unchanged, and this parade to this day holds an important role in the Irish community of NYC. By Stefanie Scotto '18 On Friday, Feb. 3 2017 Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy hosted the “Share the Love” event for the first time. Starting off as an English project, The “Share the Love” event raised money for four sick children in need. The original assignment was for students to write persuasive essays to businesses to donate money to sick children in need, and it took off from there.
The school decided to host a celebration for these kids, and the middle school classes were split up into four teams. The four teams represented four children who are currently battling illnesses such as lyme disease and leukemia. Each team had a booth and games to play to raise money for their child that they were representing. There were also raffles and a 50-50 to help raise money for the event. One of the children that the event celebrated was 5-year-old Gianni Incandela. Incandela was diagnosed with a brain tumor and is blind in one eye. This has been hard on him, but he stays strong and keeps on smiling. At the event, Gianni danced on stage for everyone and called out raffle numbers. His smile made everyone smile, reminding everyone why they were there to celebrate. There were many faces present at the “Share the Love” event; one being Senator Marty Golden. He spoke about how wonderful the event was and how the main priest at the parish, Father Vincent, was “setting this neighborhood on fire” with all of the good he was doing. Another face present was actor and Our Lady of Grace graduate, William DeMeo. He stayed for the event and signed autographs for anyone who asked. The event was filled way more than expected, showing the power of a good community. By Amber Masood '19 On March 1, 2017, Ash Wednesday was held in the Fontbonne Hall Academy gym. Students and faculty members marked the sign of the cross, on a majority of the girls and faculty members. Ash Wednesday marked the beginning of the Advent season, where many of the Fontbonne community gave up all different types of luxuries as a form of penance.
Lent derives from the Anglo Saxon word ‘lencten’, which means spring. It lasts for a total of 40 days which represents the time Jesus, spent in the wilderness undergoing the temptation of Satan and beginning to prepare his ministry. The girls learned that Lent is a time of repentance, fasting and preparation for the coming of Easter. “I feel Lent’s a time where I can truly reflect on myself,” said senior Emily Rassmann. The tradition of choosing to give something up or to volunteering themselves to help others is something many of the girls in the school find important. When asked what they were giving up, a group of senior girls unanimously said, “junk food” with prom approaching very closely. Christians older than 14 are to abstain from meat on all the Fridays of Lent. The members of the Fontbonne community, maintain the spirituality of the Lent season all year round. The way a majority of the girls and faculty members are dedicated to their faith is amazing. By Rebecca Kaminski '18 On March 5, 2017, the Iheartradio Music Awards hosted by Ryan Seacrest took place in Los Angeles California. Famous recording artists such as Katy Perry, Ed Sheeran and Shawn Mendes were in attendance. Presenters included Ansel Elgort, John Legend, Halsey and Daya. Other famous guests included Maddie Ziegler, Chloe Lukasiak and Kalani Hilliker from the cast of Dance Moms.
Katy Perry opened the show performing her new single “Chained to the Rhythm.” Other performances included Noah Cyrus with her song “Make Me Cry”, Ed Sheeran with his song “Shape of You”, and Bruno Mars with his song “That’s What I Like”. Some winners included The Chainsmokers with Best New Artist, Justin Bieber with Best Male Artist and Adele with Best Female Artist. The artists or songs that get nominated for an award by Iheartradio are usually well known and are played on the radio constantly. They are very popular with teenagers and adolescents around the country including those who attend Fontbonne Hall Academy. These artists make music that specifically appeals to the teenage and adolescent age group. “It was a very nice and entertaining show and I was inspired by the artists in attendance,” said Brianna Amato, a junior. This award show appeals to teenagers because it features some of the most popular artists in the United States and their songs are usually well known by teenagers all across the United States and across the world. |