School Notes

Elementary Schools

Three students at St. Simon Stock School in the Bronx were named first-, second-, and third-place winners in an essay contest sponsored by the Carmelite Vocation Office. The third annual contest was open to students in sixth, seventh and eighth grade. The student winners were: Samantha Yamson, sixth grade, first place; Bernice Lama, sixth grade, second place; and Iris Brooks, eighth grade, third place.

Students at St. Adalbert School on Staten Island held an ice cream social on May 26 to raise money for The Brendan Marrocco Road to Recovery Trust which benefits Marrocco, a U.S. Army soldier who lost all four of his limbs in an explosion while serving in Iraq. The students created a documentary for Instructional Television (ITV) that they have forwarded to schools in the archdiocese to raise awareness for Marrocco, a Staten Island native.

High Schools

Seven Catholic high school students were among those honored with 2011 Youth Awards from St. Vincent’s Hospital Westchester Auxiliary Board, which recognizes area students for their volunteer service. The students are: Gabrielle Carlisle, Academy of Our Lady of Good Counsel; Aileen Collins, The Ursuline School; Paul Francisco, Salesian High School; John Gillespie, Iona Preparatory School; Troy Edward Kruscz, Fordham Preparatory School; Lauren Manzion, School of the Holy Child; and Carly Sobecki, Convent of the Sacred Heart.

Karen Tutora Fondu, the president of L’Oreal Paris, will be the speaker at the graduation ceremony for the Academy of Our Lady of Good Counsel in White Plains on June 4. She is a 1971 alumna of the school. She joined L’Oreal USA in 1979 and has held various positions through the years.

St. Raymond High School for Boys in the Bronx held a toiletries drive to collect items for the troops in Marine Corps Unit 44015, who are currently stationed in Afghanistan. Four large boxes were mailed to the troops, including foot powder, wipes and deodorant, all in travel sizes. Students also raised $480 for additional supplies and to cover shipping costs. The students became involved thanks to John Cummings, history department chair. Cummings, a former police officer, wanted to assist another former officer whose son is deployed with Unit 44015.

Students of Aquinas High School in the Bronx have been assisting with the volunteer program Habitat for Humanity. The students painted the DeHostos Community Center in Manhattan as part of a “Brush with Kindness” painting project through Habitat. Students of the school’s social justice and peace organization, Seeds of Solidarity, also joined a Habitat campaign for affordable housing. Students educated their peers about rent control regulations, which are set to expire June 15, through announcements and a bulletin board display.

Mariel Charles, a senior at Cathedral High School in Manhattan, was awarded a Gates Millennium Scholarship. She was one of 1,000 students across the nation honored with the full-tuition scholarship, which is good at any accredited college or university for four years, and offers potential funding for graduate and doctoral degrees in the fields of computer science, education, engineering, library science, mathematics, public health or science.

Colleges

Eighteen students at Iona College in New Rochelle used their remaining meal card money, totaling $2,200, to order prepared food from the college’s on-campus caterer, Chartwells. The food was donated to HOPE Community Services, a New Rochelle food pantry, soup kitchen and eviction-counseling program, as part of a new service outreach, Operation Give Away Extra Loot (GAEL). The idea was conceived by freshman Alexa Serrecchia when she realized she had funds remaining on her meal plan. She contacted the college’s Center for Campus Ministries, which helped to organize the project.

A graduating senior at Manhattan College in Riverdale was accepted into the Rostro De Cristo, a volunteer and retreat program. Brittany Lee Ellis will travel to Ecuador in August for one year. The program’s assignments include volunteering at Damien House, a center for patients with Hansen’s disease, teaching at a school, working in a soup kitchen or assisting at a health clinic. She was involved in the campus ministry and social action departments at Manhattan. She traveled to Ecuador twice with the schools Lasallian Outreach Volunteer Experience program. She majored in industrial-organizational psychology with minors in religious studies and sociology.

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