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Astoria Gemz Shine at Annual Talent Show
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Astoria Gemz’ singer Krystal Cortez |
This summer, the Astoria Gemz Youth Group of St. Margaret Mary Church, Astoria, presented their Second Annual Talent Show under the direction of husband and wife team Peter and Louise Walton, youth ministers.
Young people spent several weeks preparing and practicing their various routines for the show.
Keyana Collazo, Alexis Cortez, Krystal Santana and Cassandra Logan performed a traditional Puerto Rican dance complete with handheld flags.
Nine-year-old Krystal Cortez confidently sang several solos.
Alyssa Forty, the most junior member of the Gemz, lead Kayla Gonzalez and Cassandra Logan in her favorite dance, the Macarena.
Then Bryant Depass, the newest member of the group, lead Keyana Collazo, Alexis Cortez, Krystal Santana and Krystal Cortez in the Cha Cha Slide. Even when he’s off stage, whenever the song comes on the radio, he grabs whoever is nearby to cha cha with him.
Kayla Gonzalez and Cassandra Logan, who have both studied dance for several years, showed off their deft footwork and displayed their vocal skills.
The Astoria Gemz offer special thanks to Stage Director Ashley Logan, who put in many hours behind the scenes, getting everyone to attend rehearsals, distributing flyers and promoting the show.
St. Margaret’s Girls Are
Playin’ it Safe
Kristiana Wolfe, Joanna Rizzo and Elizabeth Schatz, students at St. Margaret’s School, Middle Village, were the winners of the Catholic War Veterans’ Safety Poster Contest earlier this year. The girls received certificates and were congratulated on their achievement by Sister Bridget Olwell, OSU, school principal, and Father Steven Aguggia, pastor of St. Margaret’s. Way to go!
Maryknoll Contest Challenges Youth to Promote Peace
Highlighting the Christian faith of today’s youth and the ways in which they integrate Jesus’ teachings into their lives is the focus of the 2007 Maryknoll Student Essay Contest for students in grades six to 12. Winners will receive nearly $3,000 in scholarships, as well as coverage in Maryknoll magazine and on the Maryknoll Web site.
“The essay contest offers young people the opportunity to share their vision for a world wounded by violence and fear,” said Father Dennis Cleary, M.M., publisher of Maryknoll magazine. “It also allows adults to hear the commitment of the next generation as they respond to the Holy Father’s call ‘to face the multiple serious challenges of our times,’ and become architects of the future.”
The theme, “Put Away Your Sword,” is drawn from the Gospel of John (18:1-11). At the time when soldiers came to arrest Jesus unjustly, Peter drew his sword to defend him. But Jesus told Peter, “Put away your sword.”
Today there are many instances where people are resorting to violence to solve problems.
Students are called upon to describe a situation in the world today or in their own lives in which Jesus would say, “Put away your sword.” In an essay format, 500-750 words, students must explain what they’d do to follow Jesus’ command to promote peace instead of violence.
First, second and third place prizes will be awarded in Division I (grades six - eight) and Division II (grades nine-12). First place is $1,000, second place is $300 and third place is $150.
Full instructions and a cover sheet are available at: www.maryknoll.org/essay.
Entries must be postmarked by Friday, Nov. 30. Winners will be notified by mid-February 2008.
TACHS Exam & Prep
Attention eighth-graders! The Test for Admission to Catholic High Schools (TACHS) will be given Saturday, Nov. 10, at all 20 Catholic high schools in Brooklyn and Queens. Deadline: Oct. 10 for paper registration, Oct. 25 for telephone and Internet registration. Log onto www.tachsinfo.com or call (866) 618-2247.
St. Agnes Academic H.S., College Point, offers a series of seven TACHS Exam prep classes, beginning Sept. 20. For an application, call 718-353-6276 ext. 18.
Holy Cross H.S., Flushing, offers TACHS Exam Prep Course for six weeks starting Sept. 29. To register, call 914-771-8577.
H.S. Open Houses
Saturday, Sept. 22
- Cathedral Prep Seminary, Elmhurst (Boys) — 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. Call 718-592-6800.
Sunday, Sept. 30
- Christ the King R.H.S., Middle Village (Co-ed) — 10 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Call 718-366-7400.
- Bishop Kearney H.S., Bensonhurst (Girls) — 1 - 4 p.m. Call 718-236-6363.
Wednesday, Oct. 3
- Nazareth R.H.S., Flatbush (Co-ed) — 5 - 8:30 p.m. Call Jorge De Jesus 718-763-1100 at ext. 226.
Monday, Oct. 8
- Regis H.S., Manhattan (Boys) — 1 - 4 p.m. Call Eric DiMichelle, 212-288-1100.
Thursday, Oct. 11
- Catherine McAuley H.S., Flatbush (Girls) — 6 - 8 p.m. Call 718-462-7282.
Sunday, Oct. 14
- St. Edmund Prep, Sheepshead Bay (Co-ed) — tours at 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Call 718-743-6100.
- The Mary Louis Academy, Jamaica Estates (Girls) — 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Call 718-297-2120.
- Holy Cross H.S., Flushing (Boys) — presentations at 1, 2 and 3 p.m. Call 718-886-7250.
Tuesday, Oct. 16
- Marymount School, Manhattan (Girls) — 6-8 p.m. Call 212-744-4486 ext. 183.
Wednesday, Oct. 17
- Cathedral Prep Seminary, Elmhurst (Boys) — 12 - 3 p.m. Call 718-592-6800.
Thursday, Oct. 18
- Stella Maris H.S., Rockaway Park (Girls) — 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. Call 718-634-4994.
- St. Joseph H.S., Downtown Brooklyn (Girls) — 6 - 8 p.m. Call 718-624-3618.
Sunday, Oct. 21
- Fontbonne Hall Academy, Bay Ridge (Girls) —12:30 - 3:30 p.m. Presentations: 1 and 2:15 p.m. Call 718-748-2244.
Tuesday, Oct. 23
- Bishop Kearney H.S., Bensonhurst (Girls) — 7 - 9 p.m. Call 718-236-6363.
- St. Edmund Prep, Sheepshead Bay (Co-ed) — tours at 7:30 p.m. Call 718-743-6100.
Thursday, Oct. 25
-LaSalle Academy, Manhattan — 4 - 7 p.m. Call 212-475-8940.
Saturday, Oct. 27
- Xavier H.S., Manhattan — 1 - 4 p.m. Call 212-924-7900 ext. 1442.
Sunday, Oct. 28
- Bishop Loughlin M.H.S., Ft. Greene (Co-ed) — 1 p.m. Call 718-857-2700.
- Nazareth R.H.S., Flatbush (Co-ed) — 1 - 4 p.m. Call Jorge De Jesus 718-763-1100 at ext. 226.
Wednesday, Nov. 7
- Catherine McAuley H.S., Flatbush (Girls) — 6 - 8 p.m. Call 718-462-7282.
Thursday, Jan. 24
- St. Joseph H.S., Downtown Brooklyn (Girls) — 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. Call 718-624-3618.
Monday, Jan. 28
- LaSalle Academy, Manhattan (Boys) — 4 - 7 p.m. Call 212-475-8940.
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Partial scholarships for World Youth Day 2008 are available to young people from diocesan schools, parishes and organizations. For applications, contact Marilyn Santos, 718-281-9584, or e-mail pilgrimages@rcdob.org.
Want a free baton twirling lesson? Baton Twirlers at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Sunset Park, are offering a free lesson. Try it you'll like it. Meet on Tuesdays at 6 p.m. in Notre Dame Hall. Former twirlers are also needed as instructors. For more details, call 718-376-1620 or e-mail cpakruda@aol.com.
Registration for boys and girls CYO soccer, track and basketball at St. Andrew Avellino, Flushing, will be in the gym, Sept. 12, 7 - 8 p.m. Call Frank, 718-359-1359, or Kevin, 718-939-3786 for details.
Holy Family/St. Luke’s, Flushing and Whitestone, respectively, Girls Swim Team is looking for swimmers, first through ninth grades. Registration during September. Call Cathy, 917-929-2752 or e-mail Donohoe@yahoo.com.
Belated kudos to Jennifer Furno, a senior at Stella Maris H.S., Rockaway Park, who received an honorable mention in the high school division of an essay contest sponsored by Stop World Hunger, Inc., earlier this year. Students entered from 62 schools across Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island.
Are you still on fire with the Holy Spirit? Reserve your spot at Post-Confirmation Youth Day on Sept. 15, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. at Cathedral Prep Seminary, Elmhurst. Cost: $15. Call 718-281-9584 or e-mail msantos@rcdob.org.
All are welcome to the diocese’s annual Migration Day Mass, Sept. 15, 3 p.m. at St. Thomas Aquinas, Flatlands. Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio will preside.
The 19th Annual Police Officer Chris Hoban Memorial Run is Sept. 16, 10:30 a.m. at Xaverian H.S., Bay Ridge. Register at www.hobanrun.com or call 718-836-7100 ext. 862.
If your daughter is a new student at Fontbonne Hall Academy, Bay Ridge, this fall, you’re invited to a get-together on Sept. 17. Call 718-748-2244.
Tickets are on sale for the musical “Start of Something New” at St. Bernard, Mill Basin. Show times: Sept. 21 and 22, 8 p.m. Tickets: $10/adults; $5/children under 12. Call 718-763-5533.
Students from Cathedral Prep Seminary, Elmhurst, will visit parish schools in Brooklyn on Sept. 27 to spread the message and mission of Cathedral to the young men in the diocese. Senior students will also visit Queens eighth-graders on Wednesdays through November. To schedule a visit to your school, have your principal contact Father Cush at 718-592-6800 ext. 120 or e-mail frcush@
cathedralprepseminary.com
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