As 2013 winds down (holy moly, the days are flying by!), life at AHF is never boring...always busy...keeps reminding us of the goodness with which we are surrounded.
This week, we celebrated Thanksgiving early. We joined the entire AHF community with a number of the Sisters who live in the Holy Family Motherhouse. This was a great treat, especially since the tradition has been for the Sisters to share a pre-Thanksgiving meal with the Resident students. This time, ALL of our students...Day and Resident...welcomed the Sisters to Hanlon Hall for a dinner prepared with all of the trimmings! Miss Fran and Coach Tina prepared the meal, with Mrs. Sobanski's Foods classes providing the desserts. It was a menu fit for any family's dinner table, and we were blessed to share it with our AHF family.
We were also treated with some entertainment that included some of our talented students, as well as an unexpected presentation by one of our beloved alumnae :) Here is Sr. Lucette favoring us with the famous "Turkey Song!"
On Friday night, 11/22, the Concert Choir hit the road to leave their mark on the Providence Bruins' rink at the Dunkin' Donuts Center. Singing "America the Beautiful," these eight, talented and lovely young women, totally rocked the arena with their two-part version of the beloved song. The oldest (and smallest) of the three groups that performed, they demonstrated a level of performance that really set the bar pretty high. Following their performance, they enjoyed the game with friends, family and fans, and were treated to a Bruins win over the Bridgeport Tigers.
What's coming up next? Teens in Action is sponsoring the first of two traditional FILL THE BUS! sessions at the Norwich Stop & Shop. Check out the link for more info!
And now, to prepare for the week to come. As always, thank you for your interest in the Academy of the Holy Family, and for supporting us in any way that you can!
Have a blessed day!
Mrs. T
Dear Friends...
November has arrived, and has brought the traditional "If the weather changes every day, you must be in New England" surprises with it!
We have begun our Salt & Light theme for the month: Gratitude With An Attitude, and are hoping to help raise the awareness of everyone at the Academy in regard to what they are receiving from others. What do we receive (small and and large "gifts") from others that impact our lives every day? So far, so good!
So, this "STEM" business...exactly, what is it? Simply, it is the acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. Traditionally, these areas have been challenges when seeking equal educational opportunities for girls and young women. At the Academy of the Holy Family, we work to consistently develop these areas for our students, and we do this by offering a strong curriculum in each of the categories, as well as by providing valid, co-curricular activities to support them.
In an effort to continue this work, we have begun a fundraising campaign through Indiegogo, and we are calling it Tech and Girls is the Way 2 Go! We invite you to visit our page to read the description of our campaign. While you're there, check out the "perks" that we are offering to our donors. They range from a lovely package of notecards that feature full-color photos of landmarks at the Academy of the Holy Family to a five-course gourmet dinner for four! There is also a link that you can share with others that will direct them to the page:
http://igg.me/at/AHFTech
We ask that you pray for the success of this campaign. If you are able to donate, we will be tremendously grateful for your support. Please share the news with anyone you know. The more voices we have sharing this update, the better. At the Academy, we do our best to make sure that all of our students reach their potential: spiritually, academically, physically and socially. Thank you for your interest in our ministry of Catholic education!
Long weekend? Yes, indeed! Most importantly, it is a long weekend for us because of those who have served or are presently serving in the U.S. military. We remember them in our prayers, as we continue to pray for peace in our world.
Have a blessed day!
Mrs. T
Hello, dear friends!
It has been a while since I've posted, but you deserve an update on what has been going on at AHF. All of it has been a combination of amazing and blessed. Our community is committed to infuse the three Goals into all aspects of life at AHF for the duration of this year. We have embraced an Academic Goal: Continuing to promote writing across our entire curriculum; a Social Goal: Continuing to strengthen the sisterhood and strengthen the connections between our day and boarding students; and a Spiritual Goal: To be Salt & Light to all we encounter (Matthew 5:13-16).
First, our students have really been coming together and creating community. I love watching them as they interact in Hanlon Hall, in their classrooms and on the soccer field. We are so blessed to be able to observe their growth; socially, academically, spiritually and more. The saying, "Where friends become family" is so evident, regardless of where you look around campus.
Secondly, our co-curricular activity selection has just grown in leaps and bounds! One of our newest ones, the Human Rights Club, received a great kick-off when AHF hosted a High School Invitational to celebrate Peace One Day. Students from St. Bernard School and Marianapolis Prep arrived on our campus for sessions with visiting speakers, a soccer challenge and a game of dodge ball, a chance to share lunch and a FlashMobDance. The Human Rights Club is now preparing their programming for the rest of the school year. Among their efforts, the young women in this organization are focusing on Children's Rights
Our Teens In Action club, a long-standing organization at AHF, got off to an outstanding start to their year as they sponsored a pot-luck supper to raise funds for Andrea Dellarco-Legore, teacher of English at the Academy who underwent a double-lung transplant. By the grace of God, Andrea is recovering, and we look forward to having her rejoin us at the Academy. The girls have been doing a great job of keeping her up to date with what has been going on during the day with their videos, "selfies," and more.
The Guardian, the AHF newspaper, is off and running. As of this writing, its staff has produced its first edition and is currently completing its second. Hard copies are distributed on campus, but you can read The Guardian by following this link. We look forward to future editions of this great effort that combines our students' writing, technology and artistic skills!
So much more...so much more! If you didn't catch it during its debut airing, you can watch AHF on WFSB's Cool Schools, as our students and faculty shared four reasons why the Academy is just SO cool! Here are some photos of the taping that took place when Meteorologist, Mark Dixon and Videographer, Mike Fisher visited us for a morning. Memories were made, the word about AHF's COOLNESS was shared, and what a day it was.
Have a blessed day!
Mrs. T
Meet Cedric, one of our Guidance Office staff members. Cedric's name was voted upon in two rounds by the entire AHF community, and he received his name on the Feast of St. Francis.
We were also treated with some entertainment that included some of our talented students, as well as an unexpected presentation by one of our beloved alumnae :) Here is Sr. Lucette favoring us with the famous "Turkey Song!"
