TheLittleFlower - St. Theresa of Lisieux Catholic High School

TheLittleFlowerA BIMONTHLY FOR PARENTS OF THE ST THERESA OF LISIEUX CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL COMMUNITY MAY/JUNE 2012CAPPING A STELLAR YEARBY MR. J. SERVIDIO, PRINCIPALTHE AMOUNT OF POSITIVE ENERGY AND ACTIVITYTHAT WE HAVE HAD AT ST. THERESA OF LISIEUX INTHE LAST TWO MONTHS ALONE IS SIMPLY DIZZYING!►Retreats and ten liturgies (including two in French andItalian) have been held. Theme weeks have focussed onimportant school and larger-community issues: Social Justice (March for Life in Ottawa, Cultureof Life Conference), National Mental Health, and spirit-building Spring Fling. ►We have seengreat participation in slo-pitch, baseball, rugby, soccer, track and field, and ultimate frisbee ‒ all ofwhose accomplishments were celebrated at our 9 th Athletic Banquet, which brought together over200 athletes and coaches. Citing the Banquet’s theme… it was truly Out of This World! ►Specialevents showcased the abundance of talent at St. Theresa: students performed at the RhythmsInternational Music Festival in Montréal, and we staged Culturalicious, first-time STL’s GotTalent, and Acoustic Night. ►Business classes ran a successful three-day Market Fair; and studentefforts were applauded at year-end celebrations: Council and Committee get-togethers and YSCPCAwards; Mathematics Breakfast for CMC contestants; English Writing Contest Banquet; and 10 thGRADE 10 O.S.S.L.T. SUCCESS RATE: 2011 AND 2012The Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test was written by Grade 10 students on March 29, 20122011 2012OVERALL 92 % 95 %SPEC ED 67 % 78 %ACADEMICAPPLIED98 %WITH THOSEWHO FULLYPARTICIPATED49 %WITH THOSEWHO FULLYPARTICIPATED97 %WHENFACTORING INTHE DEFERRED47 %WHENFACTORING INTHE DEFERRED97 %WITH THOSEWHO FULLYPARTICIPATED81 %WITH THOSEWHO FULLYPARTICIPATED96 %WHENFACTORING INTHE DEFERRED78 %WHENFACTORING INTHE DEFERREDViva! reception forFrench and Italianauthors and theirparents.IN THIS YEAR’SO.S.S.L.T., our Grade10 students attained a95 % success rate; aswell, there has been amarked improvementin results at theApplied Level.WE BID FAREWELLto this year’sgraduates: CampRobin Hood Day and Mass, Graduation, and Prom were fitting celebrations of the milestone thatyou have reached. From here, in the words of H. D. Thoreau: Go confidently in the direction of yourdreams; may I also express the Irish blessing that God hold you in the palm of His hand.WE WISH THE BEST to retirees Dan Geras“We must find time to stop and thank the people (Head, Arts), Maria Ho (Student Services), andwho make a difference in our lives.” ‒ J. F. KENNEDY Liz Smart (Head, Cooperative Education). Wealso extend best wishes to Ed Lavor, on his newassignment as Vice Principal at Holy Cross Catholic Academy. We thank each of you forthe years of committed service that you have given to Catholic education. We extend awarm welcome to incoming Vice Principal Anne-Louise Sabo, from Sacred HeartCatholic High School, who will be joining us in September. ►A FINAL THANK YOU GOESTO THE FOLLOWING TEACHERS, who have served the St. Theresa community this year; wewish you well in your future assignments: Mari Alvarez, Nicolas Chung, J. J. Deocampo,Angela Di Trani, Christina Gallucci, Aleksandr Konar, Samson Kwok, Andras Molnar,Veronica Odtuhan, Terri Penney, Christina Resciniti, Meaghan Sheahan, Ingrid Spicer,Christine Tavares, and Daniela Vyslouzil. ►IN CLOSING, I wish to thank all members of ourlearning community ‒ parents, staff, students ‒ for your varied contributions. We look forwardto celebrating together the 10 th Anniversary of this wonderful community in the coming year!SUMMER PRAYERFather, Creator of all,thank You for summer!Thank You for the warmth of the sunand the increased daylight.Thank You for the beauty I seeall around me and for the opportunityto be outside and enjoy Your creation.Thank You for the increased timeI have to be with my friends and family,and for the more casual paceof the summer season.Draw me closer to You this summer.Teach me how I can pray no matterwhere I am or what I am doing.Warm my soul with the awareness ofYour presence and light my path withYour Word and Counsel.As I enjoy Your creation, create in mea pure heart and a hungerand a thirst for You.IN GRATITUDE [BY CATHYCHEN] This year, our StudentGovernment has taken studentleadership to new heights. Thenumber of events that we haverun, in addition to running theboard-wide Horizons Conference,is a testament to our amazingstudents. ►Thank you to allparticipants and to those who runthe events ‒ members of our ninecouncils, committees, clubs. ►Aspecial thank you to the followinggroups, for your ongoingencouragement, time, work, andsupport: our Parent Council; ourstaff advisors; and our tirelesscustodial team. ►Finally, we’dlike to express our gratitude toSTL’s administration ‒ Mr.Servidio, Mr. Flynn, Mrs.Lyander, Mr. Lavor ‒ for givingus the avenue through which wecan pursue our goals, for comingout to our events, and dedicatingtime to ensure our safety andsuccess!Joining our sponsorial group insupport of our Broadcasting SHSMat St. Theresa, we welcome Salt andLight Television, which will lend aCatholic media perspective.W E A R E I N S P I R E D B Y T H E S P I R I T U A L B E L I E F S A N D ‘ L I T T L E W A Y ’ O F S T T H E R E S A O F L I S I E U Xto strive for personal excellence as life-long learners within our Christ-centred Catholic school community.S T . T H E R E S A O F L I S I E U X C A T H O L I C H I G H S C H O O L 2 3 0 S H A F T S B U R Y A V E N U E R I C H M O N D H I L L O N T A R I O L 4 C 0 E 8

Viva!... Ten Years After2FROM L: M. Marcuzzi cuts the anniversary Viva X! cake, which was prepared by Ms. Siggia. Joining the cake-cutting are authors Seongwoo Ahn, William Cho, Sharon Tan, Mmes Gagnon andSabatini; Iliana Derraugh intones a bilingual rendition of O Canada!; Superintendent of Education Ms. Cosentino presents Rhea Szarics with a ‘Certificat de participation’ and a copy of Viva X!;flautist extraordinaire Julia Woo plays as parents and students assemble for the much-anticipated ceremony, celebrating our French and Italian language authors.►BY M. G. MARCUZZI, HEAD,DEPARTMENT OF MODERNLANGUAGESOur tenth year as a Department couldn’thave been more exciting, featuringexcursions, guest speakers, and a range ofin-school opportunities for our students topractice and hone their French languageOVERTHEtopskills.OUR TENTH VIVA! celebrationwas held on May 23 rd tohonour our French and ItalianYoung Authors. Parents,students, Vice Principal Mr.Flynn, Superintendent Ms. Cosentino, andmembers of the Department of ModernLanguages were on hand to applaud theaccomplishments of our language students.The event recognized French authors whohad submitted entries for the O.E.C.T.A.Prix jeunes écrivaines et écrivains; Italianauthors who had submitted entries for theConcorso letterario (jointly organized byCentro Scuola and the Toronto and YorkCatholic District School Boards); andTeam TLC (our mentorial group). Studentsreceived Certificats de participation andCertificats de mérite for their creativewriting efforts, and Certificates ofAppreciation for their volunteer service toThe Language Clinic.Also presented at themorning ceremonywere copies of our10 th anthology, VivaX!, which featuredthe unabridgedcollection of studentwritings in Frenchand Italian. Following the awardspresentation, attendees enjoyed avariety of refreshments.FÉLICITATIONS! to all oftopOFTHECLASSour students on yourachievements! The timeand effort that you haveinvested over the courseof this semester and school year hasyielded results of which you can indeedbe proud! We wish you continuedsuccess in your language and otherstudies. Students who receive aminimum grade of 80% in their ModernLanguage course will be receiving aCertificat de mérite and congratulatoryletter from the Department for theirnotable achievement.topELEVENTHANK YOU! to members ofTeam TLC, who have sharedtheir talents and time to workwith their peers. On behalf ofthese students and members of theDepartment of Modern Languages, weare indebted to you! Thank you, Amelia,Eni, Frederick, Ivelina, Juliane,Rebecca, Renata, Samantha,Seongwoo, Sharon, and William Thankyou, as well, Mme Ah-Chin, MmeGagnon, and M. Marcuzzi for yourtime and support in overseeing thetwenty-four Friday TLC sessions.CONGRATULATIONS TO Andjela Kubura,whose correct entry, Ça va?, was drawnfrom the entriesreceived for the MayRébus. Andjelareceived a TimCardfor her solution.10 TH MARIAN MASS: On May 25 th , ourthree Period 4 French classes cametogether to celebrate a Massin honour of Mary. Sincerethanks to our lectors VictorAdarqua, Justin Kim,Jeffrey Lam Shin Cheung,Teresa Lee, and SharonTan, and Emily Minor,who was in charge of music. A specialthank you to Fr. Ernie DeCiccio, pastorof St. David Church in Maple, whocelebrated this Mass with our students,and has served as our celebrant for fiveFrench and Italian Masses held this year.On May 6 th we bade farewell to our studentA PRESTO, CARI AMICI! exchange group from Liceo Bertrand Russell,from Cles, in the region of Trentino-Alto Adige.The student/teacher group had been hosted by our students during their two-week stay inCanada, which included a welcome breakfast and dinner, shadowing our students, and aMass and Reception at St. Theresa of Lisieux.Our first-ever reciprocal exchange, which saw over 50 participants from the two schools, wasa huge success! Sincere thanks to Ms. DeAngelis who, together with Principal Mr. Servidio,organized the exchange and accompanied our students to Italy during the March Break, andto Sig.a Reich, who served as co-organizer from B. Russell.

MR. GERAS IS RETIRING!►BY MS. C.SANTAGATO-DAVIES,HEAD OF ARTSMr. Dan Geras is retiring fromthe YCDSB after thirty-one years ofteaching in both the elementary andsecondary school panels. He came fromHoly Cross to St.Theresa of Lisieux tenyears ago as one of our pioneer teachers inthe position of Arts Department Head. Inaddition to his job as Drama teacher, Mr.Geras played a pivotal role in bothproducing and directing plays for his classproductions and for the Sears DramaFestival, and ran many successful ArtsNights over the years. His leadership andcollaboration with the Visual Arts, Drama,and Music teachers will be missed. Mr.Geras, we wish you a wonderfulretirement. Carpe diem!“We all have something tolearn from one another.”►BY MS. W. BRITT-STEINER,HEAD, STUDENT SERVICESDEPARTMENTMs. Maria Ho, of the Student ServicesDepartment, is pursuing new dreamsfollowing a long career as a teacher. Thelegacy she leaves behind is one filled withmany quiet accomplishments.In her career, she has taught atvarious grade levels and invarious capacities: elementaryteacher, Science teacher, co-Chaplain, and, finally, as aCore Resource teacher in ourStudent Services Department. It is in thiscapacity that she truly showed her love ofteaching by patiently helping students withlearning challenges, particularly in Scienceand Mathematics. She also showed aspecial love for our Functional Life Skillsstudents as a key staff leader in the BestBuddies program. Here she taught us allthe important lesson that every student isspecial and that we all have something tolearn from one another. Recently, she was3awarded Outstanding Teacher by the Yes ICan Awards, cementing her true gift as aneducator to all. While we are saddened thatshe is leaving us, we are stronger forhaving had her with us. We wish her muchhappiness during the next phase of her life.May God bless.Best Wishes, Mrs. Smart!St. Theresa of Lisieux pioneer Mrs. LizSmart is retiring this year.Thank you for your service asHead of CooperativeEducation and as Co-chair ofschool-wide events such as theAnnual Academic Award andGraduation Ceremonies.Sincerest wishes of good health andwonderful moments in the coming years!MAY LIONS OF THE MONTHStudents are selected by staffand students to receive theLion of the Month Award fordoing the ordinary things in anextraordinary way, for being agood role model, willing to help others,performing good deeds within thecommunity, and for involvement inactivities, good behaviour, and academiceffort. Lion of the Month recipients receivea certificate and a gift from the school.Here are the May Lions: Danielle Auciello,Amanda Bayne, John Bennett, PatrickBisogni, Guiro Boyadjian, SpencerButler, Laura Cassar, Bianca Crawford,Elliott Crawford, Emily Crawford,Keanna Dal Bello, Nadia DeAcetis,Dyanca D'Lima, Blake Harris, MichelleJang, Theodor Lasenko, Christie Lee,Teresa Lee, Victor Li, Ioulia Malamoud,Elisa Mastrorillo, Michael Monteleone,Giancarlo Onorati, Lauren Polesel,Nicole Reid, Alex Rokos, Leanne Rokos,Sean Ryan, Maria Sanabria, CassandraSasso, Nicholas Te, Parsa Torabian,Anelle Trushina, Melissa Vieira, MirandaWang, Chloe Wong, Anita Woo, AliceYao.THE LITTLE FLOWER is a bimonthly which ispublished five times a year for parents ofthe St. Theresa of Lisieux Catholic HighSchool community. Current and backissues of ‘The Little Flower’ are availableon our school website, at stlch@ycdsb.ca.ADMINISTRATIVE ADVISORMR. J. SERVIDIOEDITORMR. G. MARCUZZIPHOTOGRAPHYMR. D. MARKLEYEAR-ENDMESSAGE FROMOUR TRUSTEESANN STONG ANDDOMINICMAZZOTTADear Parents/Guardians:We are always amazed at howquickly the school year comes to anend. We are very proud of the manyrewarding programs that havebeen delivered to our students. Oureducators are to be commendedand thanked for their dedication toCatholic Education; theirprofessional and collaborativeapproach has promoted success forall learners. We would also like tothank our parish and pastoralteams for their continued guidanceand spiritual nourishment as westrive to fulfill our Christianmission to promote and preserveCatholic Education. Our Church'svision inspires us to embrace itsrich traditions, and spread Jesus'Word. We extend heartfeltcongratulations to all elementarystudents who will be transitioningto high school. To their secondarycounterparts, we wish all graduatesthe best of luck in their futureendeavors in the workforce, collegeor university. It is important thatall graduates remember thatacademic success is achievedthrough determination, effort, andperseverance. These attributes areessential in becoming valued andrespected members in our society.We would also like to take thisopportunity to thank the Catholicschool councils, volunteers and theentire school communities for alltheir contributions in making ourschools vibrant and excitinglearning environments. We wisheveryone a safe, relaxing summer,and look forward to seeing you inSeptember!

F ALLWINTERSPRINGSlo-Pitch Team Played With Heart►BY MR. CARUSO AND MS. GALLUCCIThis season was one of growth and consolidation for theGirls’ Varsity Slo-Pitch team. The 2012 edition was amixture of veteransand those new to thesport. This Lions’team had great spiritand workedcohesively on thefield from thebeginning. Seasonhighlights includedgreat pitching fromRosanna and Chelsey, coupled with Kristen’s consistentcatching at home plate; Kiara’s consistent play at thirdbase; and impressive contributions from newcomersBryanna, Melissa, Isabella, Jennifer, Selene, Sophia,and Opey. The entire team is to be commended for havingplayed with much heart and determination. We would alsolike to extend best wishes to our graduating players, someof whom have been with our team for four years: Jessica,Shannon, Kristen, and Rosanna.NINTH ATHLETIC BANQUET: ONE OF THE BEST!►BY GLEN SCULLIONOn June 7 th , our Athletic Council held its 9 th AthleticBanquet, themed Out of This World!, which celebratedour student athletes. Over the course of the year, over 400students dawned the black-and-gold, in sports from soccerand basketball to rugby, hockey, and tennis. The eveningwas a huge success, with over 200 athletes, 30 coachesand administration, and alumni in attendance. Awardswere presented for the Most Improved and Most ValuablePlayers for each team; Letters of Merit and Distinction;and Outstanding Athletic Contribution. The AthleticCouncil would like to congratulate our winners on theirhard work and would like to wish all of our athletescontinued success. The highlight of the evening was thepresentation of the Junior Athletes of the Year (MichaelaDiCianna, Paul Dorland) and Senior Athletes of the Year(Francesca Pedulla, Glen Scullion). ►Thank you to allwho attended the Banquet, making it one of the best thatour school has ever hosted!Outstanding Athletic Contribution: Natalie Collier,Charlotte Davie, Olivia Grossi, Toni Kritikos, Elisa Mastrorillo,Caterina Parmegiani, Ryan Salvador, Glen Scullion. Letter ofMerit: Rudy Ambrosio, Madison Belo, Emily Benvenuto-Whitham, Wallace Chan, Crystal Chin, Alvin Chow, AnthonyCiampa, Matthew Cuccia, Mikaeel Dewji, Jennifer DiCarlantonio, Michaela DiCianna, Stefano DiCianna, Nick Doaii,Paul Dorland, Tristan Dryden, Fernando (Dox) Espinoza,Martina Ferraro, Connor Flanagan, Julia Gosio, Maddie Hare,Tyler Hewitt, Samuel Hillis, Thomas Hulbert, Mark Hwang,Matthew Kempt, David Lee, Ye Na Lee, Natalia Liberatore,Matthew Lippa, Nicole Lund, Elizabeth Macchione, ArminMaghsoudlou, Rosanna Marchese, Celine Markle, ElisaMastrorillo, Connor Mercouris, Adam Michalik, PhilipMichalski, Flavian Mihele, Queenie Ng, Antonio Niro, RobynNovorolsky, Natalie Okunowicz, Giovanni Pasquale, StevenPemberton, Daniel Perfetti, Nicholas Preiano, Ivana Rodriguez,Connor Self, Ryan Shotlander, David Sullivan, Chris Suppa,SPORT MIP MVPJUNIOR GIRLS BASKETBALL Kristen Augurati Nicole BaranowskiSENIOR GIRLS BASKETBALL Natalie Collier Francesca PedullaJUNIOR CROSS COUNTRY Kyleigh Hutchison Vincent BaikSENIOR CROSS COUNTRY David Sullivan Roxy RusuVARSITY GIRLS FIELD HOCKEY Leah Kelly Rosanna MarcheseGOLF Marc Mazzotta Antonio NiroSENIOR BOYS RUGBY SEVENS William Gross Connor FlanaganJUNIOR BOYS RUGBY SEVENS Jonathan Gross Paul DorlandGIRLS RUGBY SEVENS Elisa Mastrorillo Natalie CollierJUNIOR BOYS SOCCER Marco Marsala Austin RicciSENIOR BOYS SOCCER Adamo Beaudoin Rudy AmbrosioTENNIS Ksenia Seliverstova Elizabeth BranopolskiJUNIOR BOYS VOLLEYBALL Patrick Zumpano Philip MichalskiSENIOR BOYS VOLLEYBALL Christopher Suppa James SolakisJUNIOR BOYS BASKETBALL Liam Fredericks Tucker MooneySENIOR BOYS BASKETBALL Lucas Tobin-Campbell Jordan MarloweJUNIOR BOYS HOCKEY Kyle Hewitt Lucas VenturaSENIOR BOYS HOCKEY Justin Pontarini Glen ScullionSKI AND SNOWBOARD Madison Belo Connor FlanaganSWIMMING JUNIOR Ye Na Lee Paulina SanchezSWIMMING SENIOR Jae Woo Ahn John LimJUNIOR GIRLS VOLLEYBALL Jessica Palazzo Michaela DiCiannaSENIOR GIRLS VOLLEYBALL Caterina Parmegiani Gabi PavlovicJUNIOR BADMINTON Allyssa Manalaysay Fred LamSENIOR BADMINTON Cathy Chen Jeffrey LamVARSITY BOYS BASEBALL Ryan Endicott Jason TeBOCCE Jacqueline Lanzara Kelly SherrerMIDGET BOYS RUGBY Lucas Veltri Blake HarrisJUNIOR BOYS RUGBY Nicolas Szabunio Paul DorlandSENIOR BOYS RUGBY William Gross Glen ScullionVARSITY GIRLS RUGBY Magdalena Tsilkas Francine MiloneVARSITY GIRLS SLO-PITCH Rosanna Marchese Jessica GosioJUNIOR GIRLS SOCCER Alyssa Vitelli Celine MarkleSENIOR GIRLS SOCCER Julia Pileggi Francesca PedullaJUNIOR TRACK AND FIELD Vincent Baik Francesca EspinozaSENIOR TRACK AND FIELD Andrew Chung Jonathan YueVARSITY ULTIMATE FRISBEE Rudy Ambrosio Jack OnoratiVOLLEYBALL COED JUNIOR Parsa Tahvildar Patrick ZumpanoVOLLEYBALL COED SENIOR Ryan Salvador Nicole LundLucas Tobin-Campbell, Paul Vinalon, Christopher Yue, JerryZhang. Letter of Distinction: Natalie Collier, MatthewFredericks, Michaela Garito, Julia Giancola, Toni Kritikos,Eugene Makarski, Francesca Pedulla, Shannon Rafferty, RyanSalvador, Artiom Sceniov, Glen Scullion, Rachel Sequeira,Magdalena Tsilkas.CULTURE OF LIFE [BY PARSA ALIPOUR]: The Culture of LifeConference presented by our Social Justice Council was anabsolute success! The conference helped enlighten many peopleand reminded us of the value of human life. Members of Councilare very happy and proud of everyone who participated in thisevent. If it weren’t for you, we would not be able to send out ourpro-life message. We thank everyone who contributed, helped out,and participated in this event, and hope that next year our messageof life will be spread better than ever! Remember, STL, we are thevoice of those who do not have one: together we can (and will)save many lives!S T T H E R E S A O F L I S I E U X C A T H O L I C H I G H S C H O O L I S A S C E N T - S A F E S C H O O L