Rosarian Academy E-News

Volume 3: Issue 9                                                                                                                                       April 1-30, 2016
Alumni Connect

Dear Rosarian Community, 

As the third trimester of my first year as Head of School is well underway, I feel grateful to be a part of this wonderful learning community--a partnership between an exceptional student body, committed parents, and incredible faculty and staff. We work together to create an environment where our children have opportunities to work hard and grow as individuals. 

Earlier this month, we kicked off The Rosarian Fund (formerly known as the Annual Fund).The Rosarian Fund is our annual campaign to help bridge the difference between the actual cost to attend Rosarian Academy and what is being charged through tuition. I witness the importance of philanthropy on our students' education on a daily basis. Gifts to The Rosarian Fund impact every child and directly support each activity that occurs in and out of the classroom and on the playing field or stage.

The news stories highlighted in our monthly newsletters help us show you all of the components of an exceptional education that we are providing. The generous support form our donors makes this Rosarian experience possible. 

Click here to give online or call our Advancement Office at 561.345.3109 to make a pledge.

Join us in making a difference in our children's lives,

Stephen Rubenacker, Head of School 
Alumni News

Class of 2015, Nicholas Nunez


Nicholas Nunez, Class of 2015, joined Suncoast/Inlet Grove's FIRST Robotics team. The team competed the first weekend in April at the South Florida Regional held at the Palm Beach Convention Center and made it to the semifinals. They won the Excellence in Engineering Award and were recognized with the Imagery award for their outstanding and aesthetic integration of machine and team appearance. They also competed in FIRST World Championship in St. Louis April 27-30 where they finished 5th in their division. Congratulations Nick and teammates!






Class of 2013, Paige Adams
 
Paige Adams, Class of 2013 alumna and current junior at Oxbridge Academy, self published her book, Red Velvet, which is available on Amazon.com. 
 
Red Velvet follows a teenage girl as she loses what she loves most. Delilah must learn to move on, but most importantly, forgive herself. An unlikely stranger opens his heart and reminds Delilah that behind every struggle there is a saving grace, and in the end, love and faith are all you need.








Class of 1979, Katherine Woerner Reedholm

We love visits from alumni! Katherine Woerner Reedholm (Class of 1979) stopped by for a tour on Friday, April 29th with her husband, daughter and son-in-law. Katherine attended Rosarian for her freshman year in 1976 and currently lives in Austin, Texas.
Students Raise $11,045; St. Jude Honors Mrs. Wallace for Leading Efforts to Support Math-A-Thon Over Last 11 Years

Led by Middle School math teacher Jan Wallace, Rosarian Academy fifth- and sixth-grade students recently concluded their participation in the St. Jude Math-A-Thon raising $11,045.61 in three weeks for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
 
The St. Jude Math-A-Thon combines learning real math skills with helping other kids. The program works with the school's existing curriculum and teaches students social consciousness through fundraising for St. Jude kids. Sponsored by family and friends, each student had a special workbook with math problems. Sponsors donated per problem or gave a flat donation. This year was Rosarian's 11th year participating.
 
At a school awards assembly on April 11, a St. Jude representative honored Ms. Wallace for her devotion to the Math-A-Thon fundraising efforts since 2005. Rosarian has raised $130,000+ over the last eleven years.
 
"What a tremendous commitment and service of philanthropic work...her professional presence and commitment to help end childhood cancer is deeply appreciated," said Brook Cranor, St. Jude Sr. Regional Development Representative, of Ms. Wallace.
 
Ms. Cranor also thanked the Rosarian students for their continued efforts that help St. Jude keep their doors open so children can receive treatment. She explained that we have progressed from a 4% survival rate of childhood cancer in 1962 to over 94% survival rate today.
 
Rosarian Class of 2015 alumnus and childhood-cancer survivor Brian Quinlan was also present with his mother and father, Nancy and Patrick Quinlan, to thank Ms. Wallace and the Rosarian community for their tremendous fundraising for St. Jude. Brian, a freshman at Cardinal Newman High School, was diagnosed with cancer in 2014 at age 4. He endured three years of intensive treatment at St. Jude. Brian was declared cured in 2012 when he was 12 years old. The Quinlan family continues to encourage support of St. Jude to ensure the hospital can help other children receive the medical treatment needed at no cost to the families.
Daisy Cook Honored as April Student of the Month

Congratulations to eighth-grader Daisy Cook for being selected as Rosarian's April Kiwanis Club Student of the Month. Due to a boarding school visit, Daisy was unable to attend the luncheon honoring her at The Chesterfield Palm Beach. Daisy was selected based on her academic excellence, character and leadership potential.
Jack Throop Competes in State Geographic Bee

On April 1, eighth-grader Jack Throop participated in the state level of the National Geographic Bee in Jacksonville, FL. Jack competed in a room of twenty participants and answered seven of eight questions correctly. Unfortunately, the one incorrect answer disqualified him from advancing to the finals.

After winning the school-level competition of the National Geographic Bee, Jack took a qualifying test and placed in the top 100 of all scorers on the test in Florida. Congratulations Jack on a great run!
The Children's House Raiders Get Ready for Kindergarten

With the end of our school year quickly approaching, the Children's House Raiders are preparing to enter kindergarten. Recently, the Raiders had the opportunity to mix and mingle with the existing kindergarten students, teachers, and parents, in an effort to minimize butterflies and increase excitement for the 2016-2017 school year.  

The Children's House students joined the current kindergarten students in the dining hall for pizza and dessert, followed by recess on the kindergarten playground! A few weeks later, all incoming kindergarten students and parents came to campus for an Ice Cream Social and play time. A few representatives from the National Junior Honor Society helped each incoming kindergartner plant a flower in a pot to take home. 

The final event to assist with the transition into kindergarten is a visit to the kindergarten classrooms. 
Current Children's House students who are registered to attend kindergarten in August will spend a portion of the morning in the classroom. They will each have an assigned "buddy" and will experience firsthand what it is like to be in kindergarten.  

The Kindergarten Transitional Program provides the children with assurance, excitement, and enthusiasm for the next step in their education.  
Honoring 2nd Trimester Academic and Athletic Achievers

The Middle School held an awards ceremony April 11 to honor and recognize its students with exceptional academic and athletic achievements during the second trimester of the school year.
 
Five students--Meredith Anderson (8th), Daisy Cook (8th), Devyn Dyett (7th), Gabi Faber (7th), Javier Keough (7th)--were recognized for achieving Highest Academic Honors (all "A's" in the second trimester and on all exams). Accelerated Reader awards were given to fifth-through-eighth-grade students who have read 500,000 words or more since the start of the school year. The following students were recognized: +500,000 words--Maggie Acosta (6th), Spencer Bernstein (6th), Mercedes Cassidy (6th), Joseph Coates (6th), Madison Fabbri (6th), Finn Throop (6th), Thomas Raymond (8th), Seema Thakkar (8th); +1,000,000--Marlowe Flom (7th); +2,000,000--Elise Lanahan (6th), Nieve Conroy (5th); +3,000,000--Blair Haft (6th).
 
Eighth-grade students selected as Kiwanis Student of the Month were recognized. Charlotte Breckenridge (January), Meredith Anderson (February), Mason Adams (March), and Daisy Cook (April) were chosen based on their academic excellence, character and leadership potential.

Sixth-through-eighth-grade students who received no less than a "B-" in all academic subjects and no grade less than "Satisfactory" in all co-curricular classes qualified for Honor Roll and were announced: sixth grade--Maggie Acosta, Christian Azqueta, Spencer Bernstein, Jamis Bornschein, Wilder Breckenridge, Mercedes Cassidy, Grace Colangelo, Joseph Coates, Caleb Curtis, Davis Dickinson, Brandon Dorsey, Madison Fabbri, Zachary German, Sara Gil, Macarena Gonzalez-Cabanellas, Delaney Groth, Blair Haft, Emma Hardyman, Haiden Hersey, Wisner Jean, Jack Keogh, Logan McGruder, Morgan Roberts, Margot Smith, Robby Vargas; seventh grade--Sailor Kate Ashley, Remi Beaud, Hope Diffenderfer, Isabella Fiorentino, Marlowe Flom, Alana Marchese, Sofia Mendez, Drew O'Brien, Max Sanderson, Jack Shepherd, Mia Sabol, Lacey Steele, Bella Vega-Dadurian; eighth grade--Alex Boren, Charlotte Breckenridge, John Carlson, Lily Cook, Liam Groth, Colin Kramer, Jake Mockoviak, Frances Melendez, Laura Narcisse, Mariana Perez-Vargas, Thomas Raymond, Grayson Zwickel.
 
All students who participated in a Winter sport--soccer, basketball, and cheerleading--were acknowledged. The following student-athletes received awards: Boys Varsity Soccer--Max Sanderson (7th) / Most Valuable Player, Joseph Coates (6th) / Heart, John Molina (7th) / Sportsmanship; Girls Varsity Basketball-- Devyn Dyett (7th) / Coach's Choice, Bella Vega-Dadurian (7th) / Most Coachable, Lacey Steele (7th) / Most Improved, Kendal Perry (5th) / Heart; Girls Varsity Soccer--Lily Cook (8th) and Mariana Perez-Vargas (8th) / Most Valuable Player, Logan McGruder (6th) / Offensive Player of the Year, Meredith Anderson (8th) / Defensive Player of the Year; Boys Varsity Basketball-Andrew Guildford (8th) / Most Valuable Player, Liam Groth (8th) / Sportsmanship, Brandon Dorsey (6th) / Most Improved; Boys JV Basketball--Javier Keough (7th) / Most Valuable Player, Thomas Raymond (8th) / Sportsmanship, MJ Hanlon (5th) / Most Improved; Boys Navy/White Basketball--Christian Azqueta (5th) / Most Valuable Player; Peter Fields (8th) / Most Improved; Cheerleading--Lolly Colton (8th) and Emma Guerrieri (8th) / Most Valuable Player, Bettina Johnston (7th) / Sportsmanship, Elizabeth Guerrieri (6th) / Most Versatile.
14 New Honor Society Members Inducted

During the school's April 11 awards ceremony, 14 new students were inducted into the National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) based on their scholarship, leadership, character, service and citizenship. The inductees include seventh-grade students: Sailor Kate Ashley, Gemma Conroy, Hope Diffenderfer, Devyn Dyett, Gabriela Faber, Isabella Fiorentino, Marlowe Flom, Alana Marchese, Sofia Mendez, Drew O'Brien, Mia Sabol, Max Sanderson, Jack Shepherd, and Lacey Steele.  
 
Rosarian NJHS members, led by moderator and teacher Patrick Hansen, participate in a number of community service activities throughout the year including: leading holiday-themed parties and activities for the disadvantaged children at The Lord's Place Family Campus; decorating cookies with the children at Opportunity Inc. Learning Center; reading books and playing games with the elderly residents of the Lourdes-Noreen McKeen Retirement Community; organizing a water station for the Race for the Cure; participating in the St. Jude's Walk; painting a home through the sponsorship of the Solid Waste Authority's Paint Your Heart Out; making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to be distributed to vulnerable populations at St. Ann Place; joining beach clean-up efforts at local beaches; volunteering with the Special Olympics; gleaning crops with C.R.O.S. Ministries to benefit The Palm Beach County Food Bank.
8th Grade Tours Nation's Capital and Visits with Congressman Tom Rooney

As an extension of the eighth grade classroom study of American democracy and the U.S. Constitution, thirty-eight eighth-grade students and four chaperones took a tour of our nation's capital April 18-20.  In preparation for this visit, students researched, created and presented digital documentaries on the D.C. monuments and memorials.  
 
Class work came alive as the enthusiastic group started their extensive, guided three-day tour of Washington, D.C., including: Arlington National Cemetery, the Marine Corps War Memorial, Washington Monument, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Korean War Veterans Memorial, World War II Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Martin Luther King Memorial, FDR Memorial and Jefferson Memorial.
 
During the second day on tour, students explored the estate and gardens of George Washington's home at Mt. Vernon, including the Georgian mansion, museum and education center.  They learned the details of Lincoln's assassination during their visit to Ford's Theatre and Petersen House.  Students attended the play, Shear Madness, at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in the evening.
 
Students also visited Capitol Hill and met with Congressman Tom Rooney. They toured the U.S. Capitol and Visitor Center with special gallery passes compliments of Congressman Rooney.  A walk along Capitol Hill took them to the U.S. Supreme Court and inside the Library of Congress.  Following a photo stop at the White House, students spent considerable time at the Smithsonian Museums, including the National Air and Space Museum, National Museum of National History, and the National Museum of American History.  
 
Traveling to Washington, D.C. has become an annual tradition for the eighth grade over the last decade. 
 
"In addition to learning firsthand about our nation's history and capital, these soon-to-be Rosarian Academy graduates bond as a class for the last time and have memories that will last a lifetime," stated Ms. Kathy Moormann, Rosarian's seventh- and eighth-grade history teacher who plans the trip and chaperones the students every year..
Earth Day Every Day

In observance of Earth Day, Rosarian Academy fifth- and sixth-grade students spent the first half of the school day on April 21 outdoors teaching kindergarten through fourth graders environmental concerns and ideas for improvement. Middle School students taught the Lower School students via creative visual "earth-saving" projects, including topics on recycling, endangered animals, alternative forms of energy, and the affects of pollution.
Foreign Language Week

Lower and Middle School students celebrated Foreign Language Week the last week of April. Second-through-fourth-grade students researched a country in each class and presented to other Lower School classes. The Lower School students also learned about passports and why they are needed. Each child made a passport and received a stamp at the "customs desk" for the country being presented. 

Throughout the week, Middle School classes explored Hispanic art, wrote about the theme "Language Links Us Together, enjoyed a culinary experience, shared facts on RATV, listened to and identified various languages spoken, and went on a virtual field trip. Using the app Google Street View, the students explored the world--everywhere from Machu Picchu to the Sydney Opera House.

One morning, all K-8th students enjoyed a typical Spanish breakfast of churros, vigilantes and chocolate con leche while listening to festive Spanish music.

In addition to learning about various Spanish-speaking countries around the world, students also supported Nicaraguan artists through the purchase of bracelets in support of the Pulsera Project. Students empower nearly 100 artists through pulsera sales, creating sustainable fair-trade jobs in a country where few such opportunities exist.
Look What's Trending in Creative Writing

Mrs. Ferguson's Creative Writing class is spending the third trimester writing a class blog. As a creative team, the class brainstormed to decide the name of their blog, What's Trending, and identified what column each student would write. The students came up with their own ideas of "what's trending" among their peers and put together the copy, in addition to videos, to share with their peers. Each week, the students work on deadline (just like they would in the world of journalism) to provide Mrs. Ferguson with new copy to edit and post for them on the class blog. 
Grease Is the Word: Purchase Tickets

Grease is the word! And the word is coming to Rosarian Academy May 12, 13, and 14. 

Led by seventh-graders Sailor Kate Ashley (Sandy) and Javier Keough (Danny), the cast of 50 in this school edition of Grease will take the audience back to the 1950's and have everyone singing along to the classics of the most successful movie musical of all time.
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Showtimes are: 

Thursday, May 12 | 7:00 PM

Friday, May 13 | 7:00 PM

Saturday, May 14 | 2:30 PM

Tickets cost $5: Students and Faculty | $10: Adults. Tickets will be available for purchase at the Box Office on the days of the performances for $10.
Register Today for Summer 2016 Camps and Academic Programs
Rosarian Academy, founded in 1925, is an independent, Catholic school sponsored by the Adrian Dominican Sisters. Its mission is to educate the whole person for life in a global community in the light of Gospel values. 

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Rosarian Academy | 807 N. Flagler Dr. | West Palm Beach, FL 33401 | 561.832.5131 | www.Rosarian.org