Local News April 2006
Saint Mary’s Grade School-Flagstaff Advances to Top Tourney
Odyssey of the Mind team members and their project
(Flagstaff) St Mary’s eighth -grade boys’ Odyssey of the Mind team placed first in regional and second in a state competition which qualifies them for the world Odyssey of the Mind tournament at Iowa State University, May 24-27.
The team took first place in a regional contest and beat out 18 other teams to place second at the state competition.
The St. Mary’s team selected the “vehicle” problem called The Great Parade. They were challenged to create a human-powered vehicle in which only their hands could touch the propulsion system. The float had to run the parade route three times, each time the float had to change its appearance. St. Mary’s team selected a farming theme for their vehicle, with its three appearances having to do with the farm industry
The project was scored in three areas: 1) whether the problem was solved; 2) style; and 3) spontaneity. In the spontaneous portion of the judging, the team was asked random questions about their project and/or given short, hands-on problems to solve.
In Odyssey of the Mind, students learn at a young age skills that will last a lifetime. They work in teams so they learn cooperation and respect for the ideas of others. They evaluate ideas and make decisions on their own, gaining greater self-confidence and increased self-esteem along the way. They see that there’s often more than one way to solve a problem, and that sometimes the process is more important than the end result.
The St. Mary’s team consists of eighth grade students, Luke Rotter, Matthew Barquin, Will Jenney, Caleb Cordasco, Dominic Griffis, and Nick Cazares, and their volunteer parent coaches, Peter Griffis and Jim Rotter. Coaches were only allowed to facilitating the children’s creative thinking, such as asking them open-ended questions that cause them to look at the problem in innovative ways. The team met each week, along with a number of weekends as regional and state times got closer. At Iowa State, the team will compete against teams from the U.S., Mexico, Canada, China, Germany and other countries.
St. Mary’s Parent-Teacher Group is sponsoring the team’s airfare and airport transfers. Coach Griffis’ employer, Aegis Security, is sponsoring the transportation of the project. The remaining $3,744.00 that it costs for them to travel to the world event will be raised by the team through a variety of fundraising efforts including individual donations from school families and local business owners and a Split-the-Pot raffle. The team is also accepting tax-deductible donation to St. Mary’s School to help support the team’s travel to the World Odyssey of the Mind tournament. To donate, please call (928) 779-1337.
St Mary’s and the Diocese of Phoenix congratulates the team members and coaches for their great sportsmanship and participation in Odyssey of the Mind and wishes them the best of luck at the world competition.
Odyssey of the Mind is an international educational program that provides creative problem-solving opportunities for students from kindergarten through college. Kids apply their creativity to solve problems that range from building mechanical devices to presenting their own interpretation of literary classics. They then bring their solutions to competition on the local, state, and world level. Thousands of teams from throughout the U.S. and from about 25 other countries participate in the program. All participants are given the same six problems, from which they can select one to solve.
The Da Vinci Code Debunked: 700 PM Tonight at St Thomas Aquinas
(April 20)- Come to St Thomas Aquinas tonight to hear speaker Matthew Arnold as he presents a critical look at the numerous outrageous historical and religious claims that author Dan Brown makes about the history of the Catholic Church. This presentation is in part a study of the Bible, part art history and part historical exploration as Arnold strips away the layers of myths and misinformation to expose the truth about the unfounded claims in the book. At this presentation you will learn the truth about Jesus and Mary Magdalene, the Holy Grail, Emperor Constantine, the Council of Nicea, the real significance behind the art of Leonardo Da Vinci and much more. The presentation is free and all are welcome and encouraged to attend. St Thomas Aquinas is located at 13720 W Thomas Road. For more info call Terri Elkinton at 623.535.3125
Seton Catholic High School fills St. Mary Food Bank’s truck with 1459 Easter Baskets
Easter Baskets headed for St Mary's food bank
(April 19)-Students at Seton Catholic High School collected food, pounds of Easter candy and toys to create wrapped Easter Baskets to delight the children and families served by the St. Mary’s Food Bank. This year the students rallied together for the one-week drive and collected 1459 baskets, breaking last year’s record of 900 baskets.
The freshmen created 146 baskets, the sophomores, 243, the juniors brought in 343, and the senior class delivered 520 baskets. A wonderful surprise occurred this year when Seton graduates from 2005 brought 207 Easter Baskets to the school on Tuesday morning. The Class of 2005 has made a commitment to participate every year to the project and will invite all Seton alumni to join in the annual Easter Basket Drive in the future.
Students collected items from home, from area businesses, and cash donations to create the baskets. Junior student Rich Helms and five of his friends created 200 baskets in a day. "We collected money from our neighbors and classmates and shopped for deals from Walgreens and Walmart." They made sure each basket had protein, pasta, and of course, Easter candy and toys.
Sharon Dandorf, the staff mentor for the project and counselor at Seton Catholic High School visited the classrooms last week to talk about the project with the students. "We have a very generous community; the students go above and beyond every time".
Chandler Mayor, Boyd Dunn, stopped by the school to thank and congratulate the students on a job well done. Mayor Dunn spoke briefly about the value of service to the community and recognized the students for a variety of projects he has worked with them on in the Chandler area.
For additional information, please contact Sharon Dandorf at 480-963-1900 x 2024
Catholic Community Foundation Awards $104,000 in Tuition Grants
click image to enlarge
(April 17)-, The Catholic Community Foundation awarded thirteen 8th graders $8,000 each at an awards ceremony held at the Diocesan Pastoral Center on April 4. Each of the 8th graders will receive $2,000 per year for four years to be used for tuition at a Catholic high school in the Diocese of Phoenix. The awards were based on service to the school, parish and community. The students were nominated by a non-family adult who was aware of their service activities. Once nominated, the students had to submit three letters of reference and write an essay on the scripture, 1 Peter 4:10 “As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” The award recognizes students for their service and encourages them to continue service through high school. This year’s recipients of the award are:
Miss Alexandra Bruno of Ss. Simon & Jude who will be attending Xavier
Mr. Kevin Burton of Horizon Charter School who will be attending Brophy
Miss Ingris Carranza of St. John Vianney Catholic School who will be attending Bourgade
Miss Alexandria Doss of St. Gregory who will be attending Xavier
Miss Alejandra Fontes of St. Theresa who will be attending Xavier
Miss Ariana Iniguez of St. Thomas the Apostle who will be attending Xavier
Miss Kathryn Martinez of Our Lady of Mount Carmel who will be attending St. Mary's
Miss Gracie McGill of Pope John XXIII who will be attending Notre Dame
Miss Hilary Montana of Christ the King Catholic School who will be attending Seton
Miss Alexis Salerno of St. Thomas the Apostle who will be attending Xavier
Miss Talleri Sydni of Most Holy Trinity who will be attending Xavier
Mr. Michael Weikamp of St. Gregory who will be attending Bourgade
Miss Megan Wolf of Pope John XXIII who will be attending Notre Dame
The Holy Land Appeal
The Cradle of Christianity Urgently Needs Your Help
(April 10)- Few places in the world are as precious to Catholics as those where Jesus Christ, Our Savior, walked and taught…lived and died. Your generosity can help keep alive those Holy Places and the Franciscan Missioners who serve the people there.
Over seven hundred years ago, the Roman Catholic Church entrusted the guardianship of the Holy Land and other shrines of the Christian religion to the Order of St. Francis. This work has grown to include support of schools and missions in the Holy Land, as well as care for refugees and other needy people throughout the region.
On Good Friday, parishes in the Diocese of Phoenix will take up the annual collection for the Holy Land We ask you to be generous. Your financial contribution will support the works of the Catholic Community in the Middle East and to protect the Holy Places and Christian shrines. Please be generous.
The Catholic Sun Newspaper is back online
(April 7) -After several long months of being off line, the Catholic Sun is excited to announce that the online version of the Catholic Sun is once again online. The web site is www.catholicsun.org . Currently, the on line version features most of the articles from the print version and will be updated with every new issue. As we are in the beginning stages of coming online, not all of the sections are functional. They will be updated in the coming weeks.
Holy Week and Easter Special Events at Your Parish
(April 4) With the coming of Holy Week and Easter, several parishes have changed or modified their normal schedule. To see if your Parish has special times or events. please check out our Holy Week and Easter schedules.
