Once again Academy students celebrated Catholic Schools Week (CSW) with great flair and style. In keeping with the spirit of the national observance of CSW on January 31-February 4, faculty and students showed their enthusiasm for Academy education each day with creative costumes, lively competitions, and school spirit that showcased students’ talents and interests.
On Monday, the entire school, grades K-12, gathered in the Brady Center to launch this special week with an exciting Dr. Iven concert featuring Domenico Pilato (Lead Vocals and Piano), Gino Di Leva (Drums and Vocals), Josh Taddeo (Bass and Vocals), and Jose Hernandez (Guitars and Vocals). Based in Southern California, Dr. Iven started up his band by putting together four men with a passion for music and a mission to change the negativity towards women in today’s music. In their concerts they combine motivational speaking and modern music to “get the message across.”
Sophomore MK Khan was an immediate fan. “Dr. Iven is not too religious or preachy but inspiring.” In turn, Dr. Iven voiced mutual admiration for Academy students, “Our performance at AHN was amazing and funny, and we especially enjoyed the involvement of the students.”
Golden Girls, with the support of club moderators Mrs. Maureen Finley and Mrs. Deborah Collins, organized the spirit-filled festivities of Manly Monday, Fiesta Tuesday, Wizard Wednesday, and Preppy Thursday. On Friday each grade was assigned a color in decorating their hallways and wearing apparel. Each grade earned points according to how many students integrated their own style with the theme of that day.
Freshmen went all out with their assigned color of white, creating a Roman ambiance in their beautifully draped togas. Madison Allen felt that the themes, especially Manly Monday, were creative and comfortable.
Spirit Week ended on a high note when the entire high school gathered again in the Brady Center for grade-level competitive activities. During breaks, Golden Girls showcased a slide show with highlights from the week. In the Dance Off, two dancers at a time, each from a different grade, competed by selecting Jeopardy dance categories. The winner of each face-off had to dance the closest to matching a music video rendition of a decade dance style. .
Then students from each grade prepared an impromptu skit: freshmen performed a scene from Mean Girls. Sophomores presented a skit about asking someone to Christmas Formal during a Jesuit Game. The prompt for the juniors’ skit involved many girls asking the same boy to Prom . The seniors put on a skit entitled “A Day in the Life of ….”
At the end of the day, seniors placed first followed by the freshmen, juniors, and sophomores. Academy teachers Mr. Paul Sloshberg, Mrs. Edie LeBas, and Mrs.Sharon West judged the dance competitions and skits.
Mrs. Finleysaid, “”The most gratifying moment for me was watching all of my students’ hard work come together in such an amazing and entertaining pep rally. The hard work that these girls did truly paid off.”
To conclude the week with pride and joy, students and faculty stood nd sung the Academy Alma Mater, led by a representative from each class as requested by Assistant Principal Mr. Jack Mullarkey.
