SHB_p024

SC09292016

24 The Courier SUN • kids & education • SEPTEMBER 29, 2016 for breaking news visit www.qns.com ▶KIDS & EDUCATION Getting ready for entrance exam at Midville school Christ the King High School along with CK Continuing Education recently hosted a TACHS Seminar for parents of eighthgraders ST. FRANCIS PREP CELEBRATES ITS LEGACY AND HISTORY ON THE FEAST OF ITS PATRON SAINT On Tuesday, October 4th, the St. Francis Prep community will take a break from its rigorous academic program, outstanding arts offerings, and storied athletics, to celebrate the Feast Day of the school’s patron saint, Francis of Assisi. Francis was a champion for those in need and the environment, and today’s Prep students are steeped in the necessity of service, and respect for the natural world, due in great part to the school’s gifted faculty and staff. The day gives the school the opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate many of these dedicated teachers and staff members who have had a lasting impact through their longevity. Social Studies teacher Jean-Patrick Devesin, Controller Joseph DiSomma, Guidance Counselor Laura Hassett, Music teacher Gregory Madama, Assistant Principal and Dean Xenos Novoa, English teacher Lorna Pietryga-Park, and Library Staff member Vesna Vulin will be recognized for 15 years of service to the school. That’s a total of 105 years! Amazingly, there are four members of the Prep family that will be recognized for 40 years of service each. They are Robert Corbino, Ed.D., Chairperson of Prep’s Music department, Math teacher Robert Guthenberg, English department Chairperson Stephen Marino, Ph.D., and Math department Chairperson Sr. Mary Ann Napier, C.S.J.. That’s 160 years! Brother Adrian Fannon, O.S.F. will be recognized on the occasion of his 60th Anniversary (Diamond Jubilee) as a Franciscan Brother. All that adds up to 325 years of dedicated service to the school, and the order that founded it, the Franciscan Brothers of Brooklyn. In a recent conversation with Sr. Mary Ann and Dr. Corbino, they were both quick to comment how it seems like they started just yesterday, and just how quickly 40 years went by. These exceptional educators will be honored at a Mass that morning at the school, celebrated by Bishop Paul Sanchez, Auxilliary Bishop of the Diocese of Brooklyn, and concelebrated by the school’s newly appointed chaplain, Father Mark Simmons. Today, many people recognize St. Francis by the staues that addorn gardens and the front of homes, usually depicted with birds. From the late 1800’s to the early 1950’s, St. Francis Prep was located on Butler Street in Brooklyn, and the monastery was addorned with a beautiful statue of the saint. When Prep moved in the mid-20th century, the night watchman of the old property offered that statue to the DeMarinis family who also lived on Butler Street. The family’s children remember four men carrying the satue down the street to the family home. Today’s family members marvelled at how the statue even had a calming effect on their little grandchildren, when brought face-to-face with the statue. The statue was with the DeMarinis family until they relocated a few years ago. At that time, the family contacted the Franciscan Brothers at Prep, and returned the statue. No small feat, since the school’s expert maintenance staff not only repaired the statue, but also built a buitiful brick base for it at the entrance to the school’s parking lot. Now, St. Francis greets those who contribute to the education of today’s Prep students each and every day. For more information, please contact the Office of the President at St. Francis Prep, (718) 423-8810, x232 (Feast Day celebrations), or Mr. Michael Graziano, Associate Director of Development, (718) 423-8810, x283, or mgraziano@ sfponline.org. Members of the DeMarinis family, flanked by Brother Leonard Conway, O.S.F. and Brother James McVeigh, O.S.F.. Members of the DeMarinis family and St. Francis Prep community admire the statue that has been returned to Prep after many decades. attending Catholic schools. The TACHS (Test for Admissions to Catholic High Schools) is taken by all eighth-graders who wish to apply and attend a Catholic High School. Parents were invited to attend a free seminar informing them of the process of applying for Catholic High School as well as what the test will cover and how Christ the King’s TACHS Program will prepare their children to succeed in taking the test. The TACHS Program at Christ the King provides parents and students with two separate options to choose from to best fit their needs: one-on-one tutoring with a teacher and choice of either weekday or weekend preparatory classes. Christ the King President Michael Michel said, “Christ the King strives to make the TACHS information seminar as helpful as possible for parents. For many, this is the first time the process and timeline for the TACHS exam were described to them in detail, from when applications are filled out to the registration of the high school of choice.” More than 200 eighth-grade students are enrolled in Christ the King’s TACH Preparatory Class. For more information regarding the TACHS program, visit www. ctkny.org.


SC09292016
To see the actual publication please follow the link above