CCHS Chronicles - Catholic Central High School

CCHS Chronicles
Vol. 1, No. 4
February 2016
From the Editor: Due to the mid-Winter break and illness this February issue is a bit late. There were many exciting events
in February and we hope to give you a taste of a few of them below. Most of you are already familiar with the monthly
newsletter which contains all important announcements, requirements, and upcoming events. The March Newsletter can be
found under the Current Students tab at the http://cchstroy.org/ website or at http://cchstroy.org/students/newsletter/ Be
sure to check it out! It is a wealth of information. We hope to be back at full strength in late March reporting on Career Day,
Spring Sports, the School Play, more Middle School fun, College acceptances, and more.
WHAT’S INSIDE
QUICK QUIZ – JUST FOR FUN
News
Catholic Schools Week – Jan. 31 – Feb. 5
Upcoming Events
CCHS March Newsletter
Winter Classic
The Lenten Season and Pancake Races
News Shorts
IRS VITA Program
Sports Pages
Lady Crusaders Basketball
Indoor Track and Field
(Answers can be found in the article listed or on the last page.)
1. What former CCHS teacher started St. Joseph’s Place?
2. What is Father Ligato’s new title?
3. What play will the Drama Club be performing on March
3rd, 4th and 5th?
4. How much did the seniors raise for the Boys and Girls Club
of Lansingburgh?
5. Who was crowned Middle School Mardi Gras Queen?
6. What team won a Colonial Council championship this
Winter?
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK – JAN. 31 - FEB. 5
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- NYS Catholic Conference which serves as the voice of New
York bishops as they inform and lobby officials and the public
about Catholic Social Teaching about the poor and vulnerable.
Catholic Schools week began on Sunday with Mass at the
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception celebrated by Bishop
Scharfenberger. The celebration of Catholic schools included
two Crusaders being acknowledged for their commitment to
CCHS. Mrs. Dolores Kania was awarded the St. Elizabeth
Seton Distinguished Teacher Award and Mr. Terence
McDonnell was awarded the Mother Francis Cabrini
Distinguished School Support Award.
On Monday there was a school-wide assembly with activities
held in the Msg. Burns Gymnasium. Mr. Don Wilson, from the
diocesan program Residents Encounter Christ, told students
how they could be present to imprisoned persons by sending
(anonymously) spiritual letters called planta to give
encouragement to and lift the spirits of the imprisoned. Next,
representatives of each grade at CCHS competed in a relay
race enacting the Corporal Works of Mercy. Students took
turns acting out each of the works: feeding the hungry, giving
drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked, burying the dead,
sheltering the traveler, comforting the sick and freeing the
imprisoned.
This was followed by a Theology Bee in which a Senior team
competed against a Junior team to demonstrate their
knowledge of theology.
On Thursday all Theology classes visited a Vocations Fair in
the Library. Representatives from a variety of ministries in the
diocese set up “booths” in the Library and explained their
ministries to students and the role Catholics can play in each.
Students participated in a scavenger hunt to help them identify
the ministries and their representatives. Ministries included:
- Kateri Institute for Lay Ministry Formation where lay
persons can study and become certified as more active leaders
in church services and ministries.
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CCHS Chronicles, Vol. 1, No. 4, February 2016
- Office of Marriage and Family Life which conducts marriage
preparation classes and is charge of the marriage ministry and
Focus on the Family.
- Father Anthony Ligato, Vicar of Vacations for the Albany
Diocese was present with two other young priests. Father
Ligato is pastor of St. Jude the Apostle Church in Wynantskill.
He is described by our own Freshman Jacob Freehart as giving
good sermons and being “easy to connect to.”
- Sisters of St. Joseph were represented by Sister Jean Marie
Gocha, their vocation director and our own (retired) Sister
Linda Neil. Sister Linda told about her involvement with the
St. Joseph Worker Program in which women ages 21 to 30
spend a year in service while living in community with other
young women committed to social justice.
- St. Joseph’s Place is Sister Linda’s other involvement. A
drop-in center for neighbors of Albany Street in downtown
Schenectady, St. Joseph’s Place is a storefront where
neighbors can drop in to talk, pray, and engage in other
activities including crafts. For a complete picture check out
this article in the Gazette:
http://www.dailygazette.com/weblogs/foss/2015/nov/09/1109_
foss/
- Catholic Charities is the employer of a 2006 CCHS graduate,
Erica Kirkland Warner. Erica informed students about the
many volunteer opportunities for students under the Catholic
Charities umbrella. Notable among them was the tutoring for
children done at Sunnyview Center in Troy done Monday
through Friday from 2:30 to 3:30.
- On Wednesday throats were blessed in honor of St. Blaise.
- On Thursday students participated in a dress-down to support
of the Annual SOUPer Bowl of Caring. A donation will be
made to Feeding Our Neighbors
- On Friday, to end the week, students and staff from St.
Augustine’s and Sacred Heart elementary schools joined
CCHS in the Msgr. Burns Gymnasium for a Catholic Schools
Week mass and enjoyed a snack and a dance party.
UPCOMING EVENTS
The Stinky Cheese Man. The annual school play will be
performed March 3 and 4 in the Gymnasium beginning at 7
p.m. and again on March 5 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $5. Raffle
tickets and refreshments will be on sale. “If you liked the
book, you’ll love the play!” “Unbelievably funny, and stinky!”
CCHS Open House.Thursday March 10, 5-7 p.m..
Volunteer tour guides are eligible for service hour credit.
The Dodge Ball Tournament is coming on Friday 3/18. The
first game starts at 3:30. Forms are available on the
schoolwebsite. There will be a Coaches meeting to discuss
rules Wednesday 3/16 during activity period in the library. All
are welcome. 8 players per team. Must have 2 females. First
16 teams to sign up. Registration is open NOW.
Spring Sports begin March 9. Participants must be cleared by
the nurse.
CCHS MARCH NEWSLETTER
Catch the CCHS March Newsletter for more upcoming events.
Each month faculty, staff, and anyone who has anything to do
with CCHS commits to paper the upcoming events at CCHS
and submits that writing to Mrs. Mary McCormack, the school
secretary. Mrs. McCormack compiles the information and
publishes it on the school website as the CCHS Newsletter. It
is chocked full of interesting, useful, and MANDATORY
information. Catch the March Newsletter at:
http://cchstroy.org/students/newsletter/. Here is a preview:
- Operation Rice Bowl operates its major fund-raising during
Lent each year. This year CCHS freshman Tanner Gamache
will be using media to remind students that their donations will
go to feed and provide water, sanitation, health, and education
projects throughout the U.S. and the world.
 College Information: new SAT and ACT registration
information; Career Day, March 1; College Info Night,
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CCHS Chronicles, Vol. 1, No. 4, February 2016
March 26, 6:30 p.m.; Junior College Readiness Day,
March 31
 2016 Yearbook information
 2016 Course Registration information
 Pi Night, March 12
Guided by coaches Emilie Benton, Mary James Clement, and
Abby Fountain, team Seniors was a force to be reckoned
with. Tommy McCormack, Steph Secor, Tess Sweeney,
Lukas Wall, Josh Helenek started the team off strong in the
first quarter. Steph's free throws and Lukas' rebounding skills
gave team Seniors a confident attitude. Giuliana Bruno, Mark
Curry, Keira DiNuzzo, Jaxon Evans, and Ryan Farrar backed
up the Seniors along with Ally Ryan, Katherina Theoktisto,
Spencer Tibbitts, Cole Vane, Noah Wygel, and Meaghan
Curran.
WINTER CLASSIC
by Giuliana Bruno
Prior to the Winter Classic game, Seniors presented a check for
over $2,000 to representatives of the Boys and Girls Club of
Lansingburgh. The Winter Classic is a charity event, but once
the check is presented, the participants are anything but
charitable. There was a palpable tension in the air at CCHS on
Friday, February 11. Teachers rushed to the gymnasium
during their free periods to work on their defense. Gym
classes were being utilized by seniors to practice their free
throws. 'Twas the long awaited Winter Classic game
day. There was a certain sense of team spirit among the
seniors, as we were determined to blow the teachers out of the
water.
Christian Englund, Terrance Jones, and Gabe Woodley
ensured the game was clean and fair as the referees.
The Seniors opened their defensive strategy in a zone defense,
and changed to a man-to-man in the second half.
With 1:51 left in the game, Josh Helenek got a steal and scored
two points, bringing the Seniors to 46. With a quick putback,
Ms. Bailey brought the Teachers to 49. The final score was
49-48, the Teachers AVENGING LAST YEAR’S LOSS.
Leading team "Teachers" were Coaches DiBacco, Field,
Carpenter, Foley, and Courtney Berry. Coaches Bailey and
Miller provided crucial plays and points for Team
THE LENTEN SEASON and PANCAKE RACES!
Ash Wednesday Mass was celebrated at CCHS in the
Monsignor Burns Gymnasium on Wednesday February 10.
Ashes were imposed on students, faculty, and friends to
remind all to reflect and renew. But, one day prior the Middle
School celebrated “Mardi Gras” in a fun, and history-filled,
way.
Teachers. Mr. LaPoint, Miss Cuomo, and Mr. Dempsey also
dominated the court. Mrs. Campbell, Ms. Denovio, Mr. Horn,
Mr. Trapasso, and Mr. Krakat rounded out the team, with a
surprise and brief appearance from Mr. Bott.
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CCHS Chronicles, Vol. 1, No. 4, February 2016
In French, "Mardi Gras" literally means "Fat Tuesday." It was
so named because it falls on the day before Ash Wednesday.
The name comes from the tradition of slaughtering and
feasting upon a fattened calf on the last day of Carnival. The
day is known as Shrove Tuesday (from "to shrive," or hear
confessions). It is also known as Pancake Tuesday and fetter
Dienstag. The custom of making pancakes comes from the
need to use up fat, eggs and dairy before the fasting and
abstinence of Lent begins. (Catholic Encyclopedia).
IRS VITA PROGRAM
This year 24 CCHS business students in Mr. Brezenger’s
accounting class received specialized training and learned how
to prepare income tax returns as part of the Internal Revenue
Service’s VITA Program.
The students have been working diligently and are now
certified by the IRS to prepare tax returns. They have earned
various levels of certification and now prepare returns as part
of the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, providing
free assistance to individuals earning below certain income
levels in surrounding communities. After they are certified, our
students volunteer at the Catholic Charities VITA site.
In the Middle Ages kings reportedly rode through their lands
distributing small cakes to their peasants. The preparing and
consumption of pancakes is a still a tradition in the United
Kingdom, where pancake tossing and pancake races (during
which a pancake must be tossed a certain number of times) are
still popular. In this spirit, the middle schoolers took part in a
pancake relay race, running the length of the gym and back
while tossing a frozen pancake in a skillet and then handing the
pan off to the next student in line.
Epiphany (celebrated one week after New Year’s) was
traditionally when celebrants served King's Cake, a custom
that began in France in the 12th century. Legend has it that the
cakes were made in a circle to represent the circular routes that
the Wise Men took to find Jesus, in order to confuse King
Herod and foil his plans of killing the Christ Child. In the early
days, a coin or bean was hidden inside the cake, and whoever
found the item was said to have good luck in the coming year.
In Louisiana, bakers now put a small baby doll, representing
the Christ Child, in the cake; the recipient is then expected to
host the next King Cake party.
A typical day for the students was profiled in the February 11,
2016 edition of the Evangelist.
http://www.evangelist.org/main.asp?SectionID=3&SubSection
ID=28&ArticleID=25572
In recognition of their efforts and accomplishments, several of
our student tax preparers represented CCHS at a public event
marking Earned Income Tax Credit Awareness Day in Troy on
January 29. Dignitaries at the event included County Executive
Kathleen Jimino, State Senator Neil Breslin, Assemblyperson
John McDonald, and Brian Hassett (President of United Way
of the Greater Capital Region) as well as representatives of
NYS Department of Taxation and Finance, CA$H Coalition of
the Greater Capital Region, and the IRS. See the press
conference and our students in action:
http://www.twcnews.com/nys/capitalregion/news/2016/01/29/earned-income-tax-creditawareness.html
At CCHS, after the pancake races, cupcakes were consumed.
Instead of the small baby doll traditionally baked into a cake, a
small sticker was placed under one cupcake for the girls and
another for the boys. Megan Gendron selected the cupcake
with the sticker and became Queen of the Mardi Gras. Sadly,
no middle school boy selected the cupcake with the king
sticker under it and Queen Megan reigned alone.
Nevertheless, all enjoyed the merriment and sweetness of the
day before Lent.
Our certified tax preparers are: Samia Baker, Dylan Behunin.
Alyssa Brimmer, Cassandra Burch, Alix Anne Denue, Bridgit
Donnelly, Ryan Farrar, Jacob Gerwin, Taylor Gratton, Shierra
Harrington, Yujia Lai, Erin Mackey, Tommy McCormack,
Alexandra McDonald, John Murphy, Hannah Myers, Milan
Patel, Maureen O’Brien Nicholas Piccolo, Elean Riano, Casey
Shelton, Brandon Upton, Zoe Wood, and Gabriel Woodley.
NEWS SHORT
CCHS Senior Helps Veterans - Read the uplifting Article
about the work of one of our Seniors, Emma Simoneaux, on
behalf of Veterans.
http://blog.timesunion.com/giving/mission-help-veterans-inneed/2784/
CCHS VITA student tax preparers have become a recognized,
much needed, and much appreciated resource in the Capital
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CCHS Chronicles, Vol. 1, No. 4, February 2016
Region, assisting low income individuals and families in our
community. Last year, CCHS students prepared over 100
returns, providing over 380 hours of service. Students saved
tax payers more than $16,000 in tax preparation fees alone.
precision passing and fell short by a score of 72-46 and their
season came to a close.
The team shared a great bond and was very excited to advance
to the second round of Sectionals. The team finished with an
impressive 15-1 record for the Colonial Council. Some season
highlights include the defeating of AHN in a highly anticipated
rematch, competing in the Albany High Showcase, and hosting
the first round Sectional game in our very own CCHS gym.
We congratulate the seniors on a great season, thank Coach
Audra DiBacco for a phenomenal first year in the Colonial
Council, and look forward to more games in the future. Thank
you to all of the families, supporters, and students that
followed the Lady Crusaders throughout their season. Go
Crusaders!!
SPORTS PAGE
LADY CRUSADERS BASKETBALL –
CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON COMES TO A CLOSE
by Gabi O’Neil
After defeating Holy Names and clenching the title of Colonial
Council Champions, the Lady Crusaders Varsity team closed
their regular season with a strong win over Schalmont. They
faced Schalmont on their senior night on Tuesday, February
9th. All six seniors, Emilie Benton, MJ Clement, Abby
Fitzgerald, Abby Fountain, Faith Gilbert, and Gabi O’Neil
were honored and played their last regular season game on
their beloved home court. The Crusaders were victorious with
a 55-39 win over the Sabers.
INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
By Sarah Ingalsbe
Congratulations to the Catholic Central Indoor Track and Field
Team on a very successful 2015-2016 season! Along with
breaking many school records throughout the season, more
records were broken at the Colonial Council championship
meet. Both the boys’ and girls’ teams did very well at the
meet. Claudia Fountain came in second place for 55 meter
hurdles and Jaclene Rieth placed sixth. The 4x800 meter girls’
team, consisting of Madison Miller, Keira Dinuzo, Maureen
O'Brien, and Emily Hogan, came in sixth place overall. Bella
Fanning came in fourth place for the 300 meter run, and
Jaclene Rieth was awarded sixth place. For shotput, Jenny
Picarillo was awarded sixth place.
The team prepared for Sectionals over the February break, and
played their first round on Friday, February 16 at home against
Guilderland. The Crusaders were ranked as the Number 8 seed
for Sectionals. The game started off close, with the score
almost tied at the half. The Crusaders pushed forward in the
second half, and leading scorer Abby Fountain poured in 19
points to help the team advance. Grace Field also added 12
points, and Abby Fitzgerald 11.
On the boys’ team, Ryan Farrah broke a school record, running
the 400-meter race in 40.88 seconds. The 4x200 meter team,
consisting of Kyle Dempsey, Dylan Behunin, Josh Helenek,
and Ryan Farrah, came in fifth place overall. The 4x800 team,
consisting of Milan Patel, Sebastian Kania, Spencer D., and
Gregory Daniels was awarded fifth place as well. Another
team that won fifth place was the 4x400 meter team of Josh
Helenek, Bradon McFerran, JP Loughlin, and Ryan Farrah.
James Faraci came in fifth place for the 1800-meter race. In the
3200-meter run, James Faraci came in fourth place while
Spencer D. came in fifth, and Dylan Behunin came in second
for the 1000-meter race. Bradon McFerran came in second
place for high jump, and JP Lynch came in third. JP Lynch
also came in fifth place for long jump. JP Loughlin was able to
On Monday, February 22 in the second round, the Crusaders
faced Shenendehowa, the number 1 seed, on the Plainsmen’s
home court. Catholic High’s game plan was to dominate on
the defensive end, implementing a 2-3 zone against Shen. The
team played well on the defensive end and led with 6 threepointers compared to Shen’s 5 on offense. Some highlights
included 20 points from Abby Fountain and 8 from Emilie
Benton. The Lady Crusaders played strong throughout the
entire game but were overpowered by Shen’s depth and
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CCHS Chronicles, Vol. 1, No. 4, February 2016
break a school record for triple jump, coming in sixth place
after jumping 32 feet and 7 and 3/4 inches.
At the Division 3 Sectionals meet, Claudia Fountain came in
fourth place in the 55-meter hurdles. Kyle Dempsey, Dylan
Behunin, Josh Helenek, and Ryan Farrah came in sixth place
for the 4x200 meter run. Dylan Behunin came in third place
for the 600-meter race, and Bradon McFerran came in fourth
place for high jump. Congratulations to all athletes! Overall,
the indoor track team was very strong this year. We hope to
see the same enthusiasm and success during the upcoming
outdoor track season!
In the Next Issue…
Career Day; CCHS Phonathon; Spring Sports Review; College
acceptances; Pi Night; College Information Night. Let us know
what you would like to see covered by writing to us at
[email protected]
Back to “What’s Inside”
Answers: Quick Quiz – Just for Fun
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CCHS Chronicles, Vol. 1, No. 4, February 2016
Sister Linda
Vicar of Vocations
Stinky Cheese Man
Over $2,000.
Megan Gendron
Girls’ Basketball
Editor-in-Chief: Giuliana Bruno; Feature Editor: Maddy
Mazzotta; Reporters: Josh Canary, Julia D’Agostino, Michael
Donnelly. Sarah Ingalsbe, Abigail Kacensky; Jackson Murphy,
Gillian Nadeau; Gabi O’Neil and Maggie Thomas. Moderator:
Mrs. Gallati.
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