Recent Feature Stories
Grimes Valedictorian Takes a Chance on Yale
By Caroline K. Reff “I’LL JUST TRY. YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN.” That’s what Danielle Yerdon told herself when she applied to the prestigious and highly competitive Yale University. The 2016 valedictorian of Bishop Grimes Jr./Sr. High School originally thought she’d attend college nearby, possibly in Rochester, but she couldn’t stop thinking about the Ivy […]
Bishop Grimes Offers Rare AP Computer Science Option
Bishop Grimes Jr./Sr. High School is one of only a very few schools nationwide to offer the new AP Computer Science Principles course, and the only Catholic high school in the Syracuse Diocese to do so, according to Patrick Kinne, assistant principal. A year ago, Bishop Grimes administration and faculty were looking at ways to […]
International Students Enhance School Culture, Boost Enrollment
By Caroline K. Reff It’s hard to believe that Jingkai Zhou is just 13 years old. Thousands of miles away from his home in Shanzi Province, China, this 7th grader, who likes to be called Barnett, has an unusual maturity as he navigates a new culture and educational experience at Bishop Ludden Juinor/Senior High in Syracuse. Barnett […]
Pastor, Principal Make Strides in Uniting Holy Family School, Parish
By Renée K. Gadoua Once a week, Rev. John Manno teaches the 6th grade religion class at Holy Family School in Fairmount. The pastor also joins students for lunch and for recess occasionally. “They’re so used to seeing the priests in a formal setting,” he said. “It just drives them crazy, in a good way, […]
CAP Quilt Showcases Diverse Student Body
Students from the Cathedral Academy at Pompei showcase the beauty, talents and diversity of its student body through a quilt pieced together by volunteers after school families were asked to design squares that reflected the various countries and cultures from which they came. With a population that includes students not only from the United States, […]
Willenburg Center to Enhance Arts, Athletics, Community at Notre Dame
By Dyann Nashton Where there had always been lawn and a gravel driveway at the Notre Dame’s Jr./Sr. High campus, the school’s imposing new 14,000 square-foot building is taking shape. The new Msgr. Francis J. Willenburg Center is the only new major construction project to take place in decades at any of the Syracuse Diocese […]
Bishop Ludden STEM Program Expands Student Skills
By Michca Ballard-Fortin STEM: an acronym for an educational program designed to prepare students for college and graduate study in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The original baseline of STEM studies aims to engage a student’s inquiring mind, foster logical reasoning, and develop collaboration and team-building skills. Once thought to be an […]
St. Mary’s Teacher Receives Distinguished Alumni Award from NCEA
By Claudia Mathis The day before last June’s 6th grade graduation at St. Mary’s School in Cortland, 5th grade teacher Eileen Hoyt was notified by Principal Denise Hall that she would be receiving an award during the ceremony. Hoyt soon discovered that she was to receive the National Catholic Educational Association Alumni Award. “I felt […]
SU’s Newhouse Research Class Helps MHR Develop Communications Strategies
By Caroline K. Reff Most Holy Rosary School in Syracuse has partnered with students from the S.I. Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University on a research project aimed at increasing effective communication. Under the direction of Assistant Professor Christal Johnson, Ph.D., four groups of students taking Public Relations Research began working with Rosary Principal […]
Update on Pullano Family: Welcome, Baby Leah
(Editor’s note: In last year’s edition of Pillars, readers had a tremendous response to writer Christy Perry Tuohey’s story about the Pullano family — Karen and Bill and their seven children — whose strong faith helped them through the loss of their son, Michael (“Mikey”) to cancer in 2008, and a daughter, Anna, in a […]
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