ACADEMICS in Action

Congratulations to the 144 Cardinals who received awards at this year’s CELEBRATION OF SCHOLARS. This celebration recognizes the hard work, determination, and perseverance of our most accomplished scholars. The successes of these students is a reflection of the genuine partnership between our talented teachers, students, counselors, and our parents.

Students were honored for outstanding performance on AP Exams, both math and English PSAT scores of 550, 600, and 700, both SAT scores in math and English of 600, 700, and even one perfect 800 math score! We also celebrated freshmen on the first honor roll, grades 10-12 with consecutive terms on the first honor roll, and inductees into the National Latin Honor Society.

Some of the highlights from the night included:

> Thomas Caproni ’23

Achieving a score of 5 on four AP exams

> Thomas Caproni ’23 & AJ Holl ’23

National Merit Commended Students

> Keegan Sears ’24

Perfect 800 score on the math section of the SAT

On January 21, the CARDINAL CODERS earned second place in their first qualifier at Andover High School. They competed against 20 teams and placed runner-up for the Think Award for their understanding about the Engineering Design Process and they placed second for the Alliance Competition where they competed in 10 matches! They were the only rookie team to place. Go Cardinal Coders!

The Aquinas Chapter of the NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY INDUCTED 42 NEW MEMBERS on December 6. There are currently 138 members in total. The keynote speaker was Sister Eileen Sullivan, SSJ who spoke to the students about the importance of service, one of the four pillars of the NHS. As part of meeting the ideals of this pillar, second and third year members developed their Individual Service Plans at the beginning of the school year, for which the students must serve the community with a minimum of twenty hours.

Mrs. Bauduccio’s INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY students explored biopsychology with a specific concentration on the brain. Students had fun with a “build a brain” project where they had to work in groups to create the right and left hemispheres.

The MUSIC DEPARTMENT presented an exciting and fast-paced concert of energetic music and holiday favorites. Forty-nine Pope student musicians performed, featuring the following classes and after school ensembles: Chorus, Band, Guitar Ensemble, Percussion Ensemble, Choir, Jazz Band, Rock Pop & More, and Full Band/Orchestra. Some highlights included fantastic studentchoreography, Percussion Ensemble pieces that featured xylophone, bells and keyboards, the premiere performances of our full band/ orchestra playing Queen songs, our newly formed Rock, Pop & More group, and a grand finale which combined all musicians to play and sing Jingle Bell Rock.

“Vestis virum facit” (“Clothing makes the man”) is an old Latin proverb. LATIN 1 STUDENTS studied Roman clothing and the way it communicated and reinforced the structure of ancient Rome’s highly militarized, slave owning, patriarchal world. Small groups of students created a “Roman fashion ad,” with a picture and accompanying text intended to sell the clothing and its social message.

Congratulations to the five Cardinals who received recognition from the MASSACHUSETTS SCHOLASTIC ART AWARDS 2022-2023! The Massachusetts Scholastic Art Awards received a total of 7,363 entries and we are very proud of our students for their entries and recognitions. From left to right: Silver Key Award: Rosy Lang ’24, Honorable Mentions: Landy Lin ’24, Sarah Szalai ’23, Luna Pham ’23, and Alexander Casella ’23.

Hampden County District Attorney’s YOUTH ADVISORY BOARD members Mackenzie Lopes ’24, Julia Dennis ’23 and Leana Vale ’23 presented to the students at St. John The Baptist School on how to stay safe online. The presentation included an interactive story that engaged the young students. They were also able to answer questions about what to do in a real-world safety situation.

Mr. Salloum’s PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN STUDENTS CAREFULLY CONSTRUCTED BRIDGES and tested their creations by applying weights. Congratulations to Chris Sitnik ’23 for building the strongest bridge. Her bridge was able to hold 495 pounds. A new school record!