April eCommunique

Congratulations to our Ice Hockey Team for coming in Second Place in the MIAA Division II State Championships. They played at the TD Garden March 7. Thanks to the many Ducks, family and friends who came to cheer them on!

Above, with their trophy are, from left to right: Taylor Shepherd '11, Meghan Collins '11, Elizabeth Macauley '10, and Arianna Paluzzi '10.

All Scholastic Students Are Announced

Congratulations to the following students who were selected as All-Scholastic by various local publications.

Ice Hockey Players

Elizabeth Macauley: All Scholastic Boston Globe, Boston Herald and The Patriot Leger

Taylor Shepherd: All Scholastic Boston Globe, Boston Herald and The Patriot Leger

Elizabeth Coleman: All Scholastic The Patriot Leger

Basketball Players

Katie King: All-Scholastic The Patriot Leger

Alexis Peters: All-Scholastic Boston Globe, and The Patriot Leger. Alexis was named to the

Massachusetts Basketball Coaches Association
(MBCA) South Region All Senior Team (South Region). She and her family have been invited to a reception given by the MBCA to receive her award.　 The reception is a brunch at the College of the Holy Cross on May, 2.

The Wellness Center at Fontbonne Academy presents...
Love Your Body Week

It is time to Love Your Body!

The Wellness Center at Fontbonne Academy and the Peer Educators are proud to present LOVE YOUR BODY WEEK 2010

Peer Educators will be conducting a "body image " questionnaire as well as visiting homerooms with suggestions regarding what each of us can do to contribute to a healthy body.

Look for these great events during LOVE YOUR BODY WEEK

Monday April 12th

11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Get the kinks out and relax your body with a 15 minute FREE chair massage. Massage appointments will be given out by lottery on Thursday, April 8th. All those exercising for at least 30 minutes in the Wellness Center between Monday, April 5th and Thursday, April 8th will be entered into the lottery. Good Luck!

All Day: Free Decaf Green Tea in the cafeteria
Lunches: Try the yummy, fresh fruit salad!

Tuesday, April 13th

2:30-3:30pm
Stretch It Out Yoga: Come relax and rejuvenate during this 60-minute yoga class. All levels are welcome. Please bring a yoga mat and water.

All Day: Free Decaf Green Tea in the cafeteria
Lunches: Try the yummy, fresh fruit salad!

Wednesday, April 14th

Lunch n' Learn: Bring your lunch to the Wellness Center!
EAT THIS NOT THAT: Come test your knowledge about which foods are healthy and which are not. Learn what to choose when eating out, what to snack on and what makes up a healthy breakfast.

All Day: Free Decaf Green Tea in the cafeteria
Lunches: Try the yummy, fresh fruit salad!

Check your e-mails daily for additional contests, exercise classes and freebies.

Vote Now for Alexis Peters!

Alexis Peters, our famous basketball athlete, has been nominated for the High School Friday All FOX 25 Basketball Team. In order to make the team, she needs YOUR votes.

You can vote once per day by clicking here. Voting will run until midnight April 11. FOX 25 will announce the 5 members of each team live in their Dedham studio during the 6 o'clock news on Friday, April 16.

Let's use our voting power to make sure there is a DUCK on that team!!

From the Head of School

Mary Ellen Barnes

Dear Parents and Families,

As you know from reading last month's eCommunique, our students have embraced a Lenten initiative to raise funds for Engineers Without Borders (EWB). We had the honor of hosting alumna Christine Abichaker '08 from Northeastern University's chapter of the organization during our Lenten service. This chapter has spearheaded the effort to provide clean water to the people of Bbanda, Uganda. Hopefully, your daughter has invited you to be part of this Lenten effort as we move to our goal of $2500 to purchase water pumps for two wells.

As I look out my window at the heavy rain falling for a second day, I think how ironic it is that we have had such a surplus of water this Lenten season and that our excesses are in such dramatic contrast to the need of others in Uganda and other parts of our world. I am reminded of our own "water challenges" in March as we worked tirelessly to remove the flood waters from our boiler room and restore the electrical and heating systems needed to resume classes. Lent reminded us that God has blessed us in abundance and we are expected to share what we have been given with our "dear neighbor." Maybe the excessive rainfall is sent as a reminder.

During this Lenten season we also came together for our annual Evening of Stars and what an event it was! Over 360 guests gathered to celebrate Fontbonne Academy--her illustrious past, vibrant present and promising future. Thank you to the many parents who participated in the planning with Anne Comber and whose Herculean efforts paid off with a phenomenally successful night at Lombardo's.

Easter is the celebration of Christ's Resurrection and the feast of new life. May you and those you love experience this new life in your hearts and outdoors in the beauties of spring.

Sincerely,

Mary Ellen Barnes

Monthly Spotlight:

Ninth Grade Interdisciplinary Research Project

Mrs. Pilla's Ninth Grade Global History class takes part in the

interdisciplinary research project.

Ninth Grade Research Project: Starting Off Right

How do historians gather, sift, and synthesize information? What are the best research practices and methods for finding that information? Which technology tools facilitate the compilation and presentation of data? What are the most important issues facing the world today? These are some of the questions to which all ninth graders will discover the answers as they complete an inter-departmental research project at Fontbonne which sets them up for continuing academic success.

Now in its fourth year, the Ninth Grade Research Project has become a permanent and successful component of the Semester II ninth grade curriculum. Created to target those research skills so necessary for success at both the high school and college level, the program combines the talents and resources of the Social Studies, Library, and Technology departments. Students choose topics of world importance in their Global History classes. Among the subjects students are working on this year are poverty, food production, alternative fuel sources, nuclear proliferation, women's rights, disease, and education. History teachers Liz Pilla and Bob Margarit guide the ninth graders through a series of milestones (note cards, outlines, works cited pages, rough drafts) toward a final paper due at the end of the year. Along the way, students explore their topics with research strategies they learn and practice with librarian Florence Lathrop. In Technology class with Dianne Pappafotopoulos and Doug Anderson, students access software and discover techniques which help them organize and present their information clearly and effectively.

As ninth graders move on at Fontbonne, they perfect their skills with required research papers in all subsequent Social Studies courses. Their experience with the Ninth Grade Research Project also translates to research assignments in other disciplines, and starts them off on the path to college success.

Fontbonne Hosts Exchange Students from Argentina

Exchange students, host students and members of the World Languages Department pose together at the reception for the new students and their chaperone. From left to right : Mrs. Herbert, Victoria Perez '11, Agustina Maculan, Sofía De Cucco Alconada, Lauren Russell '11, Chaperone Mariana Etchegoin, Victoria Gettas, Jessica Delahunt '11, Lucia De Miceu, Sra. Bond, Alexandra Sibert '11.

On March 28, four students arrived from Colegio Jesús María, an all-girls Catholic school in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The students are participating in Fontbonne's Argentina Exchange and will be living with Fontbonne families for four weeks. Prior to their arrival, the Argentine students and their hosts had connected through email and even through Skype in order to get to know one another and their families. Accompanying the students is a teacher and administrator from their school, Mariana Etchegoin, who will be hosted by members of the World Language Department.

During their visit, the students will attend classes with their Fontbonne hosts and experience the daily routine of our students. They will also take a historic tour of Boston, visit Harvard University, and travel to New York City for a few days over the April vacation. They have already received a warm welcome from many members of the Fontbonne community and will no doubt have made many new friends before they return to Argentina on April 24.

In June, the four junior host students, Jessica Delahunt, Victoria Pérez, Lauren Russell, and Alexandra Sibert, will travel to Buenos Aires for four weeks to complete the exchange. There, they will attend classes in Spanish at Colegio Jesús María and and visit the city of Buenos Aires with their host families. This wonderful cultural and language experience will no doubt have a lasting impact on all of these students.

For those interested in next year's Argentina Exchange, please come to the reception in the foyer on Wednesday, April 14, at 2 p.m. in order to meet the Argentine students, their chaperone, and participating Fontbonne students.

Evening of Stars

Evening of Stars is a Stellar Success!

A record number of people turned out last Saturday night, March 27, 2010, to celebrate the Performing Arts at Fontbonne Academy and raise money for the Fontbonne Scholarship Fund. Over 350 parents, alumnae, Learning Community members, Board Members and friends of Fontbonne bid on a wide array of Silent and Live Auction items, bought raffle tickets and made donations to the Performing Arts Department, making this one of the most successful events ever! Special thanks to Chairperson Terese Robinson P'13, Assistant Chairperson, Maryclare Himmel P'13, and the more than 50 volunteers who worked for months to make this evening so special. Kudos also to Bill Callahan, P'09, P'11 for being an extraordinary auctioneer!

Senior AP Art students proudly displayed their painted chairs which were sold during the live auction for between $700 - $1,200 each. From left to right: Kathleen Gorman, Olivia Kajencki , Biance Andre, Ann Marie Keane. Missing is Natalie Ward who was at a drama competition that evening (she painted the middle chair) .

Mrs. Fortier and Mr. Anderson hold their Stellar Awards. They were two of the four honorees at Evening of Stars.

Members of Select and Jazz choruses joined the Alumnae Chorus to sing the Alma Mater.

Chairperson of the successful event, Therese Robinson P'13 addressed the crowd.

Admissions Ambassador Leaders Emily St. John '10, Rita Callahan '11, Tory Perez '11, and Felicia Franks '10 were among many students who helped make the night a success.

Congratulations to Problem Solvers

Congratulations to Tammy Chen and Emily Arata, members of the Class of 2013 (pictured above), who participated in the Community Problem Solving program in Canton, a branch of the global organization Future Problem Solving Program International. The Canton team submitted a Community Problem Solving Project, which won first place in the Massachusetts competition in March. Tammy and Emily are very proud of their project which is focused on combating stereotyping and bullying, especially in schools. The Canton team will now go on to an international competition in Wisconsin in June.

Mr. Welch Gets Published

Running coach and Theology Teacher, Mr. Welch, recently reviewed Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. His review was published in the March/April edition of the bi-monthly publication The Cross Country Journal, a newsletter for coaches. Congratulations , Mr. Welch, and we hope you gleaned some coaching tips for the Spring Track Team from the book!