Vincentian Connection Issue XIII | December 2019
Meet Ms. Elli - A Special Visit From an Exceptional Lady Earlier this year, SVA had the honor of welcoming a very special guest, Ms. Livia Bitton-Jackson, (aka Ms. Elli) to the school. Ms. Elli is the author of the memoir, I Have Lived a Thousand Years: Growing Up in the Holocaust. Ms. Elli was accompanied by her daughter Emily and her granddaughter Laura. Laura and Emily were welcomed back to SVA, as last year they’d been guests at a book discussion on the memoir as the poignant book was required reading for freshmen studying the Holocaust. Impacted by the book and the follow-up discussions, the then-freshmen successfully made an Ms. Livia Bitton-Jackson, (aka Ms. Elli). international call to Israel and spoke directly with the author.
Top to Bottom, L to R: Jade Brame ‘20 with Elli, Student Forum President, Makya Allison ‘20 presenting Elli with a picture of a group of Freshmen reading her book, Students giving Elli a standing ovation after the Q & A session, Laura and her grandmother Elli.
Now, when making plans for a state-side visit to family, Ms. Ellie requested a visit to Saint Vincent’s! She wanted to meet her SVA admirers and visit the school. Thrilled and flattered, the SVA community welcomed Ms. Elli, Emily and Laura with open arms. During the Q&A, Ms. Elli stressed the importance of both love and education. “We are not born to hate. We are born open-hearted. My experiences taught me to love because it is the only solution to peace and happiness. I want you to love and always be happy, always be happy.”
Ms. Elli, again and again, thanked the students for the invitation to meet with them. “I thank you in all the languages of the world,” she said. The students, in turn, were touched and thrilled as, one by one, they shook hands and expressed their admiration and respect to this special lady who endured so much.
34th annual Friends in Concert Event Celebrated the Past and Welcomed the Future The Friends in Concert gala was hosted at SVA on October 18. The evening was filled with gratitude, singing and dancing as SVA marked the closing of celebrations recognizing the 150year history of the Academy. Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Mike Long, welcomed 200 guests, giving special recognition to SVA’s friend and honoree, Kevin P. Conlin, Chairman and CEO of Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of NJ. Unfortunately, Kevin was unable to attend so Horizon’s Executive Vice President Christopher Lepre accepted the Pelican Award in Kevin’s honor. Top to Bottom, L to R: Taleha Whyte ‘20, Mike Long, Sister June Favata, Liz Vochecowicz ‘70, Step Team members, Christopher Lepre with Joan Tyburczy.
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SVA’s President, Sister June Favata, briefly spoke of the “new continues on page 2