Holy Cross Juniors Receive

Class Rings

Juniors Gabe Garito, Frank Caffey, Christopher Hay, and Brian Campbell, from left, display their class rings.

The Holy Cross High School Class of 2008 reached a milestone in their lives when they received their Junior Class rings and pins at a special Mass held in the Flushing school’s auditorium.

Father Coleman Costello, school chaplain, addressed the students. He stressed the importance of community and family life and the symbolism of the ring as the circle of life.

Class President Neil Doherty spoke to his classmates asking them to reflect upon the evening. “These rings are a symbol of character and strength. They will be a uniting force for our class.”

In closing, Father Costello and the entire congregation of parents, faculty and staff, administered the final blessing upon the students “to grow in wisdom, age and grace before God, your families, your teachers and friends.”

Ford's Science Fair Winners

More than 100 students presented over 80 exhibits at the Fifth Annual Science Fair at Bishop Ford H.S., Park Slope, last month.

Top honors were awarded to senior Christopher Kaczmarzyk, who built a steam engine; junior Brittany Brathwaite, who measured solar storms using magnetic meters; and junior Crystal McBurnie, who measured and explained spacing on CDs and DVDs, using laser beams.
Brathwaite, Kaczmarzyk, and McBurnie, above, center, were lauded by Principal Frank Brancato and Jack McGuiness, Science Dept. chair, at left, and Ray Nash, school president, at right.

Frankie Needs Your Help!

Francesco “Frankie” Loccisano, a 16-year-old junior at Xaverian H.S., Bay Ridge, who was recently profiled on the Youth Page, has leukemia and is currently a patient at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), Manhattan. He requires frequent blood and platelet transfusions. Frankie and his family would deeply appreciate your donation of blood and/or platelets.

Donations designated for Frankie must be made at MSKCC at 1250 First Ave., between 67th and 68th Streets. Appointments are required.

To schedule a donation appointment, call Marion Novack at 212-639-8177. Free parking is available.
Donating whole blood takes about one hour and a platelet donation takes about 2.5 hours. All blood types are acceptable. MSKCC accepts donations seven days a week.

Youth Views

March is National Nutrition Month. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over nine million young people are overweight. Do you think TV advertising contributes to this trend?

Isaac Gay Christ the King R.H.S. Junior No, it’s up to the individual person. It depends on their self-esteem and self-confidence and peer pressure.	Tara-Ann Rock Christ the King R.H.S. Freshman Yes, because the commercials make kids want to eat food that isn’t good for them. The more commercials they see, the more they want to eat the food and, therefore, the more overweight they become.

LaQuan Miles Christ the King R.H.S. Sophomore Obesity has many factors — some hereditary, others are people surrounding the person and ads. All can affect self-esteem. People should try to impress themselves more and everyone else less.	Geleisa George Christ the King R.H.S. Sophomore Yes. Many teens don’t understand that the junk food commercials are pointless. Anything that attracts our attention is something we immediately want without thinking of the aftereffects.

Patricia Terepka Christ the King R.H.S. Senior No. Advertising does the opposite in that it promotes thin individuals which motivate society to be thin. Maybe thin advertisements discourage people. If they think they will never reach that, they just give up.	Vincent Rivera Christ the King R.H.S. Junior I think a person’s family and lifestyle make them overweight. Kids have unhealthy food all around them. If they’re raised to eat right and exercise, then they won’t make bad choices and eat junk food.

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