Top Honors Bestowed at Commencement 2013 - Cascia Hall ...

2012 EXPLORE Results
On the EXPLORE test taken by CH 8th graders in fall 2012,
96% scored at or above the College Readiness Benchmark
in at least one of the four subject areas. Of those students,
67% scored at or above the College Readiness Benchmark in
three subject areas and 34% scored at or above the College
Readiness Benchmark in all four subject areas.
A pre-ACT testing instrument, the EXPLORE is composed
of four sections, English, Mathematics, Reading, and Science.
All four sections have a highest score of 25, including the
composite score. EXPLORE College Readiness Benchmark
Scores were identified at grades 8 and 9 that reflected a strong
likelihood of students meeting the ACT benchmark scores by
the time they graduated from high school.
The ACT benchmark scores are based on the actual performance
of ACT-tested students in first-year college courses
(Composition, Algebra, Social Sciences, and Biology). ACT
College Readiness Scores were established to correspond to
a 50 percent likelihood that students attaining these scores
would achieve a grade of B or better in these college courses.
X Instructed by Mrs.
Margie McNutt, Sixth
grade art students
enjoy sketching in
the courtyard on a
pleasant spring day.
V Sixth grade art
students drew and
painted upside down
as Michelangelo did
on the Sistine Chapel
ceiling plaster.
20 CASCIA HALL NEWSLETTER
X On the east side of the library is a bell tower with a statue of St.
Joseph on the outside wall. A Bell Ringing tradition was continued
for this year’s 8th graders. Each one took a turn ascending the spiral
staircase into the dark confines of the tower to pull the rope and
ring the bell once. The bell sounded exactly 71 times, signifying their
transition into a new phase of their lives.
Bell Ringing Tradition
Observed for 8th Graders
A new tradition was begun last year to recognize the 8th grade
students, their accomplishments and the significance of their
transition from middle school to high school. During the last
Tuesday Chapel service for the school year, all Middle students
congregated in the breezeway and green space between
the classroom building and the library.
Fr. Roland Follmann offered prayers and presented a brief
homily about new phases of life. Mr. Jim Boatwright and Mrs.
Candy Coonfield led the singing of the Hymn to St. Rita and
the Cascia Alma Mater.
On the east side of the library is a bell tower. To signify their
departure, each transitioning 8th grader climbed the spiral
staircase and took a turn ringing the bell. The bell sounded 71
times.
The existing library was built in 1990 and named in honor of
Father Martin O’Neill, O.S.A.† who served at Cascia Hall for
nearly three decades; he was the Headmaster between 1965
and 1968. “When the new library was built, we wanted to
include a special architectural feature that carried the tower
theme from the rest of the campus,” said former Headmaster,
Fr. David Brecht. “We added the tower to the building design
and purchased a used bell that was imported from Europe.
When the library was dedicated by Bishop Eusebius Beltran,
there was a very special consecration of the bell in the ceremony,”
he said.