By Nicolette Torani '19 Fontbonne Hall Academy held its National Honor Society (N.H.S.) induction on March 15, 2018, at 3 p.m. in the Fab Lab. Both parents and teachers were welcomed.
Before the ceremony began, the soon-to-be inducted juniors were given corsages by Ms. DeLuca and Mrs. Correira. The corsage was a yellow rose with blue ribbon. The senior members of N.H.S and the juniors lined up in the Conference Room and Ms. DeLuca’s room and processed in. The seniors of N.H.S. led the ceremony and discussed what N.H.S. entailed. The current members explained the history of N.H.S. and the requirements needed to become a member. They discussed the qualities of a member in N.H.S.: scholarship, leadership, service, and character. When the seniors finished, the new members took the N.H.S. pledge. Assistant principal Ms. Wierzbowski announced the names of the 25 ladies accepted into the organization. Each student walked up, shook principal Ms. Spicijaric’s hand, signed their name in the N.H.S. book, and received a certificate that recognized this huge achievement. Sophia Pedernera, a junior inducted into N.H.S., said, “It was a very nice ceremony that recognized the achievements of the girls in my year.” The ceremony ended with the FHA community singing the school song. The juniors processed out and celebrated the rest of the day in the conference room with dessert and pastries.
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By Sabrina Perrone '18 On Monday, March 19, 2018, the Fontbonne community celebrated the feast day of Saint Joseph Day. The mass was held in the school’s gym. Monsignor Romano led the mass. It was organized by Ms. Correia.
During the mass, everyone learned that Saint Joseph led by example and actions, not by his words. “Saint Joseph sets an example for our Christian faith because he listened to the angel of Lord explain the virgin birth in a dream, then took Mary as his wife and showed his love towards Mary and Jesus,” said Monsignor Romano. Some of the songs that were sung at the mass were “Da Pacem Domine,” “Holy, Holy, Holy,” “Table of Plenty,” “One Bread One Body,” “Servant Song,”and “Hail Holy Joseph Hail.” “I enjoyed the mass and singing the songs throughout the mass, but my favorite song that I sang at the mass was ‘Hail Holy Joseph Hail,’” said senior, Rebecca Kaminski. Aside from singing the songs, the faculty, staff, and students all renewed their vows to being apart of a Saint Joseph school. Students did not follow the normal schedule. Instead of going to first period, they reported to FA at 8 a.m. and had 33 minute periods. By Sophia Pedernera '19 Fontbonne Hall Academy’s chapter of the National Honor Society (NHS), known as The Mother Saint John Fontbonne Chapter, was formed in 1949 and is moderated by Ms. Correira and Ms. DeLuca. This year’s group includes 25 members of the Class of 2019.
On March 15, an induction ceremony was held for the new members and their families. Graduating members spoke about the history of the NHS at Fontbonne and the chapter’s accomplishments. This year, the application forms were due on January 12. After the submission, a council considers each candidate and decides who should be invited to join the NHS. Students were informed of their acceptance on March 6. Nicolette Torani, a new member of the NHS, stated, “I was very excited and proud that I was to find out that I was accepted into the NHS. It was a huge achievement, I worked extremely hard to be accepted. I put my time, effort, and dedication into making my dream of being in NHS come true.” To be a member of Fontbonne’s NHS, a student must have a 95 overall average throughout their first three years at Fontbonne and complete 35 hours of service beginning in sophomore year. Once meeting the basic requirements, a student is invited to apply for full membership. During the application process FA, club, service club, and community service evaluation forms must be filled out. An activity form must also be filled out by the applicant. Aside from the Mother Saint John Fontbonne Chapter, there are chapters of the National Honor Society in schools nationwide. It is estimated that there are over one million members. By Zana Frluckaj '19 On March 14, 2018, Fontbonne Hall Academy and several schools around the nation participated in the National Walkout Day. This event was held for the 17 victims in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting. Coordinated by the class of 2019, a tribute was given to these lost victims as well as push towards better laws for student safety around the United States.
At this event, Winter Charles, Kimberly Cabrera, Isabelle Najjar, and Amanda Curcio had solos in the song, “Rise Up,” by Andra Day. Several students spoke about their stance on these issues. One of these speakers was Annushka Romanets. When asked about her speech, Annushka stated, "I didn't even plan for it to become a speech. I wrote it the night before, while I was thinking about the walkout and all of the shootings that have happened. Whenever I feel too much, I write it down. I guess my emotions inspired me. I felt overwhelmed when I was writing. I was engulfed in my own emotions and everything I felt was just coming out. I was sad for the lives lost, tired of things like this happening over and over again, and honestly, a little scared for our futures. Hopefully, students at the school heard the message and, at the very least, feel differently than they did before.” There have been 11 shootings in 2018. One occurred in Maryland on March 20. Thousands of people are banding together for change. The next event for support of this cause will be on March 24, 2018. March for Our Lives took place in both Washington D.C and New York City. By Maggie Arpaia '18 On March 14, 2018, Fontbonne Hall Academy took part in National Walkout Day with over thousands of schools nationwide to support an end to gun violence and to honor the victims of school shootings.
This was a historical event that took place after the tragic school shooting in Parkland, Florida at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. The walkout was organized by the juniors to honor the 17 students and faculty that were tragically shot and killed on February 14, 2018. Fontbonne had a prayer service and hung orange ribbons around the perimeter of the school to to send the message that there is more that can be done to end gun violence. Zana Frluckaj and Annushka Romanets, juniors, gave speeches to voice how they felt and how students can spark change. They helped lead the walkout. “The thing that moved me was the realization that those kids could have been me or anyone, in general, to be honest,” said Frluckaj, “When I heard how all these kids had great futures ahead of them, I just felt so much pain for them and for their wasted talents. I just had this desire to change something. There shouldn't be a reason for 17 teenagers to die.” “I'm glad we did the walkout and I think it was good thing to do, but I feel like we could have done more,” said Romanets, “What we did was more of a vigil for the students, while the walkout was meant to be more of a protest.” Fontbonne marched with other CSJ schools in the March for Our Lives protest in New York City on Saturday, March 24. By Nicolette Torani '19 Fontbonne Hall Academy celebrated its annual C.P.R. Week, or Courtesy, Pride, and Respect Week, from February 12 to February 16. The members of S.A.C. planned an exciting week.
Catherine Santora, member of S.A.C., said, “C.P.R. Week demonstrates the respect shared between the student body, faculty, and staff. As a member of SAC, I was glad to participate in organizing C.P.R. Week and work with my fellow SAC members to decorate, sell lollipops, present gifts, and show the pride we share for our entire school community!” Every day, a new event took place involving the faculty and students. On Monday, S.A.C. sold lollipops for 25 cents in the cafeteria to raise money. Administration Appreciation Day took place on Tuesday. Students wore any pink or red accessory. S.A.C. presented principal Ms. Spicijaric and assistant principal Ms. Wierzbowski chocolates and flowers. Their doors were decorated for Valentine’s Day. Thursday was Faculty and Staff Appreciation Day. Students wore crazy socks. S.A.C bought breakfast for the faculty and decorated the faculty room. On Friday, Student Appreciation Day took place. Students dressed down. C.P.R. Week was a successful week. S.A.C. performed wonderful things for the faculty and students. By Sabrina Perrone '18 On Saturday, March 3, 2018, Fontbonne students along with their mothers and grandmothers attended the Bonnies Oscars Brunch. The event was school fundraiser and held at Kennedy’s in Breezy Point, Queens N.Y.
This fundraiser was organized by Effie Maldari, Gloria Musto, and the Parent Association. The Parent Association raised the money for the event by having 50/50, raffle baskets, and the birthday board. To start the event, there was a breakfast buffet. “I thought the food was really good and my favorite was the waffles at Kennedy's,” said senior, Rebecca Kaminski. During the brunch, the students took pictures with their mothers and grandmothers. “It was to take a picture with my mom and having a great bonding experience with her,” said junior, Gabriella Agliata. Aside from taking picture, everyone played a fun game of bingo. The winner received Bath and Body Works items. “The bingo was so much fun!” said junior, Kristina Ruggiero The next two events that Fontbonne is preparing for is Sports Night and the 80th Anniversary Gala. Sports Night will be held on April 15, 2018 at Saint Francis College and the 80th Anniversary Gala will be held on April 21, 2018 taken place at the El Caribe. Both located in Brooklyn, N.Y. By Sophia Perdernera '19 Ms. Castillo’s forensics and anatomy classes conducted an investigation of the “crime scene” in the Fab Lab. The two classes had a project where they investigated the fake murder of Carmen Lopez.
The main crime scene was located in the FabLab of Fontbonne Hall Academy, the scene of Lopez’s death, but there were additional crime scenes set up around the school. The two classes were split into different groups to conduct their investigations. Each class had a different task to complete to solve the crime. The forensics class was given the task of investigating the crime scene. They were split into small groups of three people. Each group investigated the crime scene and made videos about the findings. The anatomy and physiology class were tasked with the medical side portion. Each girl acted as a doctor to find out specifically how their victim was murdered. Alexandria DiNatale, a senior in Ms. Castillo’s anatomy class, acted as a toxicologist, or a doctor that works to find drugs or chemicals present in the body. DiNatale also experienced the forensic side of the project since she was enrolled in the forensics class during her junior year. DiNatale stated, “I really enjoyed the assignment. I did something similar last year when I took forensics so it was really enjoyable to do it again and act on the other side of the project.” The girls will receive a project grade for completing the assignment. By Grace Pappanicholaou 13 juniors returned from their trip in the Dominican Republic on Feb. 24, 2018 and shared their personal experiences with the rest of the school community. The girls visited organizations such as DREAM, MUDHA and Health Horizons and experienced life in the Dominican Republic. Over seven days, they traveled to Samana, Sosua, and Santo Domingo.
On the first day, they went DREAM (Dominican Republic Education And Mentoring Project), a non profit school. They were given the chance to interact with girls who attend the school and witness the work that they do. DREAM has helped more than 8,200 men and women receive quality education. At Health Horizons, they understood the healthcare system in DR. People are not provided with the necessary knowledge to keep themselves healthy. Health Horizons works to better these conditions, specifically those with diabetes and high blood pressure. Juliana Recchia said, “It was a once in a lifetime experience. I especially loved walking through the towns, meeting new people, and talking to the girls that attend school at DREAM.” When students were given free time, they went horseback riding to a waterfall, snorkeling, and spent time on the beach. By Alexandria DiNatale '18 On February 15, the first practice for senior sports night was held from 6-8 p.m. in the gymnasium. The seniors came together to practice their dance, tumbling, and skit performances and meet for sports competitions and painting the mural. The captains of each activity started choreographing and teaching their routines.
The seniors have had three of 11 practices for dance, tumbling, and skit. The girls on the mural team had two meetings during the February break. The year is working as a team to make their last Sports Night the best one possible. “Being dance captain is a lot of work, from putting together choreography, to teaching it to over 30 girls and editing music, it's a hard but enjoyable job. So far, we've only had three rehearsals, but the girls show so much potential and I think this year will be a really great one.” said senior dance captain, Jailene Gonzalez. The seniors have eight practices left to prepare for the rehearsal at St. Francis College which will be held on April 9, the same day as Senior Spirit Day. The festivities for Sports Night include a volleyball tournament and relay race. |