Catholic Schools Month at Saint Thomas School was filled with Activity.

Southington, February 14, 2013 – Catholic Schools Month at Saint Thomas School from January 2 through February 1, 2013 was a busy month with each week dedicated to a meaningful theme. The month began with SPIRIT WEEK which included the annual and always fun Faculty vs. Student volleyball tournament. The students narrowly edged out the faculty for the 2^nd year in a row. The week ended with the annual St. Thomas IDOL competition. The competition yielded 3 winners and 2 acts worthy of Honorable Mention. Coming away with 1^st Prize was 6^th grader Zachary Waskowicz who demonstrated his talent by playing an original song on the piano and ending with a Happy Birthday magic trick. Second place went to twin boys in 3^rd grade, Carter and Colby Kane, who dance in perfect unison to “Take On Me” by a-ha. Coming in 3^rd was 7^th grader foreign exchange student Dongkyu Kim who sang “Creep” and danced to a gangnam style dance along with some of this classmates.

The honorable mention awards went to 7^th grader Matt Raymond, who wowed the crowd with a musical rendition of the Spinning Song on the piano, and to Etta Rocco, 1^st grader who serenaded the crowd a cappella with “My Favorite Things.

(pictures: 0174: Zach Waskowicz; 0216 Carter and Colby Kane; 0177 Dongkyu Singing, 0181 dance with: Liz Melvin, Mike Nanfito, Don Kim, Marianna Pombo, Jess Morelli, Brit Mangiaracina, Tessa Coleman and Steph Nazzaro; 0217 Matt Raymond; 0161 Etta Rocco.)

The eighth grade students celebrated their final year at the school with the traditional pinning ceremony held at Saint Thomas Church on Friday evening, January 4, 2013. Pictured

063: Richard Ciamarra is pinned by his mother, Theresa.

The next week the students celebrated Community Week, kicking off the festivities with the annual H.S.A. sponsored pancake breakfast. Students in the 1^st and 5^th grade created a “Spiritual Bouquet” Booklet filled with prayers and well-wishes for the families affected by the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Students were treated to a demonstration and trick presentation from alumnus Diana Sheard, known to young friends as “Valentine the Clown”. Valentine graduated from Saint Thomas in 1977 when the school was a middle school only, for grades 7, 8 and 9. She demonstrated to the students how she puts on all her make-up and then taught them some tricks of her trade. As the week came to a close, the H.S.A. sponsored a basketball and ice cream social for our students and the 4^th and 5^th grade students from St. Dominic’s school.

Pictured: (024 Valentine the Clown; google chrome picture – basketball social. )

The next week, January 20 -26, the school celebrated Science week with the annual Science Fair. All students in the middle school were required to produce individual science fair projects, while the classes in grades Kindergarten through fifth grade each produced a class science experiment with results displayed. The following prizes were awarded:

8^th grade: 1^st prize: Michael Nanfito: Sound Proofing Your World; 2^nd prize: Ross Ayer, Flow Rate vs. Heat Transfer; 3^rd prize: Victoria Bairos, Penny Effects.

7^th grade: 1^st prize: Noah DeFeo, Salt of the Earth; 2^nd prize, Matthew Raymond, Bridges; 3^rd prize, Patrick Lajoie, Mechanical Advantage of Using Pulleys

6^th grade: 1^st prize, Zachary Waskowicz, Rock Candy Conundrum; 2^nd prize, Connor Bogdanski, Nail Rust; 3^rd prize, Morgan Kolb, Show Me Your Pearly Whites.           

Pictured: 041 Michael Nanfito; 042 Ross Ayer; 044 Victoria Bairos; 046 Noah DeFeo; 045 Matt Raymond; 063 Patrick Lajoie; 048 Zachary Waskowicz; 049 Connor Bogdanski; 050 Morgan Kolb.

The final week, multi-cultural week, the school hosted it’s annual Open House for current and new prospective families. There were 25 new families who inquired about Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, the elementary grades and the 6^th grade of the middle school. Additionally, the school hosted a shadow day for new students to experience a typical day at the school. Thirteen students attended the shadow day. The week was capped off with the “Souper” bowl soup donations to Southington Community Services Food Pantry.

Pictured: Open House:059 Ceil Morelli, Jessica Morelli, Mike Nanfito, Stacey Raya and Vin Nanfito man one of the information tables for the middle school.