School Notes

Elementary Schools

Technology is on the move at St. Paul's School in Valley Cottage, and students there are excited. LearnPads are now used in the school in the implementation of the Core Curriculum. Students can engage in group, individual and directed learning in a controlled environment under the guidance of their computer teachers.

The Mighty Pawns of St. Joseph’s School in Kingston have all the right moves. They placed sixth in the Primary section and tied for second in the Middle School section at the 47th annual New York State Scholastic Championships for chess held in Saratoga Springs March 1 and 2.

High Schools

Students at The Ursuline School in New Rochelle started the Zero Hunger Club last year to raise awareness about global hunger and to raise funds to alleviate hunger. The club takes its name from the United Nations Zero Hunger challenge. This year, club members have raised money by staging a play and organizing a bake sale. Their work resulted in a $250 donation to the World Food Program at the United Nations.

Donna Grace Moleta, a senior at Preston High School in the Bronx, was named the winner of Sophia’s “Get Schooled” contest and participated in a live science demonstration with Hamline University and Bill Nye the Science Guy at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn., Feb. 23. The “Get Schooled” campaign allows high school students to get a jumpstart on college by taking a free college-level course on SOPHIA.org.  SOPHIA presents courses to students using a “flipped classroom” technique that allows technology to be a part of education process and provides instruction in and out of the classroom.

Four students at Loyola School in Manhattan received Scholastic Art and Writing Awards last week. Will Kurach received the Gold Key for his personal memoir “In Utero,” while Emmet Teran earned the Silver Key for his fictional piece “So So Need.”  Claire Robinson's short story “Highways” and Nicole Seredenko's satire, “How to Write a Paper” earned honorable mentions.  The awards were sponsored by the publishing house Scholastic. 

Misha Alyas, a senior at the Academy of Mount St. Ursula in the Bronx, has won the President's Volunteer Service Award. The award, which recognizes Americans of all ages who have volunteered significant amounts of time to serve their communities and their country, was granted by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program on behalf of President Barack Obama. Some of Misha’s service in the school community includes: tutoring and helping out in the library, assisting children at Concourse House and Our Lady of Refuge parish with homework, and volunteering at a nearby soup kitchen. The awards are sponsored by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals.

Send school-related news to Juliann DosSantos at jdossantos@cny.org or by fax to (212) 688-2642.