Elementary Schools 

Students at St. Joseph’s School in Kingston have the right moves—chess moves, that is. The St. Joseph’s Mighty Pawns chess team competed in the New York Chess Championships in Saratoga Springs March 11-12. The Mighty Pawns won the sixth-place team trophy in the middle school section and earned ninth place in the primary reserve section. Very good rankings considering there were 199 teams in the competition!

High Schools 

On any other day, the words “kick butts” might land a student in detention. But on March 15 at the Academy of Mount St. Ursula in the Bronx, students observed “Kick Butts Day,” an international day of action against tobacco products. Vonetta Dudley, class of 2000, visited her alma mater. She is the NYC Smoke-Free Bronx “Reality Check” student engagement coordinator. She spoke to students about the dangerous influence of tobacco marketing. Last year, girls at the school located about 35 licensed tobacco sales outlets within walking distance of Mount St. Ursula.

More than 75 students from three Catholic high schools attended the fifth “Engineering Tomorrow” conference held March 16 at Our Lady of Lourdes in Poughkeepsie. The conference aims to introduce high school students, particularly girls and members of minority groups, to the field of engineering. Students from Our Lady of Lourdes High School, Albertus Magnus High School in Bardonia and John S. Burke Catholic High School in Goshen attended. The event included presentations and experiments focused on water safety. Professional engineers volunteer their participation. Erik Einset and Damien Flanagan from Global Infrastructure Partners and others from Xylem Inc., an American water technology provider, led the program.

The Ursuline School in New Rochelle held the fourth annual Global Education and Serviam Symposium March 22 on the theme “Fashioning Global Change.” Presentations were made by Elizabeth Cline, author of “Overdressed—The Shockingly High Cost of Fast Fashion”; Rebecca Magee, social innovation and entrepreneurship manager at Eileen Fisher Inc.; and Jane Mosbacher Morris, chief executive officer of To the Market, an online marketplace of artisan goods. The day explored issues facing female workers in the fashion industry.

The Forum of Italian American Educators (FIAME) will hold its 33rd awards dinner dance at Villa Barone in the Bronx Friday, March 31. FIAME will honor educators from Catholic and public schools and community leaders who promote and preserve Italian culture. Money raised funds scholarships for Italian-American high school students entering college. A donation will also be made to the Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal. Catholic school educators to be honored are Michael Coppotelli, associate superintendent of public policy and student services student for the Archdiocese of New York; Jane Stefanini, principal of St. Lucy’s School, the Bronx; Victoria Galasso, teacher at St. Frances de Chantal School, the Bronx; and Christine Capalbo, teacher at St. Raymond Elementary School, the Bronx.

Send school-related news to Juliann DosSantos at jdossantos@cny.org.