iRobot Demonstration Amazes St. Brigid Students

On May 19, students at St. Brigid School were treated to a special guest speaker—Fred Alibozek of iRobot. iRobot is a Massachussetts-based company that develops robotic technology for home, commercial, and military applications. Mr. Alibozek, a senior mechanical engineer at the company, spoke about how the robots are created and used. The visit was part of efforts to generate excitement about careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics).

Mr. Alibozek brought several examples of robots, demonstrating their abilities and discussing their uses in real life. The Roomba and Brava robots, which clean floors, rolled back and forth across the gymnasium. These devices have special sensors that prevent them from falling off “cliffs.” Students watched in amusement as the robots approached the edge of a table and stopped just short of falling off.

Next up was the FirstLook, a 10” robot that zipped across the gym with surprising speed. This device is specifically designed to be thrown into dangerous areas, and it sends back a video feed of what it “sees.” It can flip itself over and roll under vehicles. It is used by police and military forces to check for hazards in otherwise inaccessible places.

The real star of the show was a much bigger and more advanced model. There were gasps of astonishment from students as this $125,000 robot managed to climb up the stairs from the gym to the stage. Students were also amazed when Mr. Alibozek switched on its thermal imaging camera and they were able to see their own body heat projected on a screen. The regular camera on this robot can read a license plate from a half mile distance. It can withstand temperatures of -40F to 130F, and one was used to help clean up Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant after the tsunami in 2011. 

“It was amazing,” one student said. “I wish I had one at my house!”

Amazing Results on National Latin Exam

Congratulations to the students who scored above the national average on the National Latin Exam: Kathleen Meserve, Julia Pomerleau, Catherine Cornell, Benjamin Adams, and Sophia Cartonio.

Most impressive is the fact that these students competed against those who are older and meet five times weekly! "Scientia Ipsa est potestas!"*

- Mort Soule, Latin Teacher

*"Knowledge, itself, is power!"

St. Brigid Math Students Win Big!

This year, 7th and 8th grade students from Saint Brigid School competed in the Catholic Math League. Catholic Math League is a national math competition that was started in 1997 and currently serves hundreds of schools. The competition consisted of four monthly tests given from December until March, covering a broad range of concepts in arithmetic, geometry, and algebra.

We are excited to announce that Saint Brigid’s 7th grade students were the Catholic Math League Champions for their division which consisted of schools from Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Jersey. Additionally, Saint Brigid 7th graders Lawrence Bossong, Carter Dexter, Nina Le, and Mary Jerome scored in the top 10% of math students competing nationwide.

Saint Brigid is also very proud of 8th grader Robert Bossong for being the individual Division Champion for his pre-algebra division which also consisted of schools and individual students from Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Jersey.  Robert was also the only student in his division, and one of only three students nationally, to achieve a perfect score on a competition test.  

Overall, Saint Brigid 8th graders were the runners-up for their pre-algebra division. 8th grade students scoring in the top ten nationally were: Robert Bossong, Mackenzie Cranna, and Brian Conti.

Congratulations to the the Saint Brigid 7th and 8th graders for such great achievement in the Catholic Math League.  Many thanks also go to their math teachers, Mrs. Luna, Mrs. Haverty, and Mr. Healy, for their dedication and efforts towards preparing for the competitions and enabling the students to excel mathematically.

Check out the Library Blog!

Think you hate poetry? Read this week's library blog by Mrs. Contrino and see if it changes your mind!

SBS Student Receives Statewide Art Award

7th Grader Tommy Gordon and SBS art teacher Suzanne Winchester recently visited the state house and had his photo taken next to the piece of art which earned him an Excellence in Art Award from Maine Arts Commission and First Lady Ann LePage. 

The arts are alive at St. Brigid School! Congratulations, Tommy!

Poster Contest Winner!

Caris Welsh, in Mrs. White's 3rd grade, has won the poster contest sponsored by Maine Waste Water Control Association in recognition of Maine Clean Waters Week, June 1st-June 7th.  

The theme of the contest was "Why Water is Important to Me." Caris won $100.00 and an invitation to visit the state house to meet Governor LePage. Congratulations!

SBS Student Selected for Elite Dance Camp

8th grader Logan Aldrich has been selected to attend Urbanity's Summer Dance Camp in Boston during summer vacation.  The camp is very exclusive with only around 45 participants from throughout the country.  She will be participating in a contemporary mix of dances.  Congratulations, Logan, on this honor!

Dancemania!

On Thursday, January 30, St. Brigid held its annual Dancemania contest as part of Catholic Schools Week. In this fun event, each class was assigned a song and performed a dance routine in front of three judges. This year's winners were grades 2, 3 and 6. The contest was organized by parent Trish Moulton.

This year, a new feature was added to Dancemania: a surprise teacher flash mob...

This part of the afternoon was covered by WMTW channel 8. Click here to see the video!

Academic Contests Challenge St. Brigid Students

On which river is the Hoover Dam? How do you spell "chicle?" Our students know. Two recent academic contests allowed St. Brigid students to show off their extensive knowledge.

In the National Geographic Bee, held on January 10, students answered social studies questions both from memory and by interpreting data on a map. The winners were 8th graders Connor Galardo and Sydney Campbell.

On January 24, the school-level Scripps Spelling Bee challenged students to spell a wide variety of words, both common and unusual. The winners were 8th grader Robert Bossong and 6th grader Danny Bizimana.

The winners will go on to represent St. Brigid School at the next level of each competition. Good luck!

The Responsibility of the Catholic Citizen in a Free Society

This essay, written by St. Brigid 8th grader Robert Bossong, was the winner of this year's Knights of Columbus Essay Contest.

~~~

A Catholic citizen has many responsibilities, but first, let’s think of the definition of each word. The word Catholic means universal. Citizens are individuals who follow the law. A free society is a government set up to help its citizens reach their full potential. We should all be thankful that we are able to practice our own faith and that we can stand up for our religion and speak up about it. Catholics should be thankful to God that we were given an opportunity to live in a free society.

Living as a good Catholic citizen in a free society can be challenging. For one, we have some major responsibilities.

Being a Catholic citizen means being a role model. An excellent example of role models are the Knights of Columbus. These faithful people strive to bring Christ’s message through their actions.

Catholics are expected to attend mass on Sunday and Holy Days of Obligation to worship God. They also must receive communion as often as possible. The Holy Eucharist helps us grow closer to God.

Another important responsibility of a Catholic citizen is to donate your own time and money to the church and the homeless, regardless how old you are. For an example, you can volunteer for nonprofit organizations, such as soup kitchens, food pantries, and homeless shelters.

God tells us exactly what he expects from us. In Matthew 25: 34-40 and the Book of Tobit he gives us the Corporal Works of Mercy:

1. To feed the hungry.
2. To give drink to the thirsty.
3. To clothe the naked.
4. To harbor the harborless.
5. To visit the sick.
6. To visit the imprisoned.
7. To bury the dead.

These are the crucial rules for Catholics to adhere to.

As a young Catholic, I have been able to fulfill this challenge in number of ways. Since I was in third grade I have been an altar server. I play the violin for my school’s student mass and for the annual Christmas Eve family mass. I have visited the elderly at a nursing home on many occasions. I also volunteer for Partners for World Health, a nonprofit organization that provides medical care for third world countries.

Once again, Catholic citizens have numerous responsibilities. We should pray to God daily so that He can help us fulfill our Christian duties. Thank goodness that in our free society we are given a chance to fulfill this challenge.

St. Brigid Alumni Named Miss Maine Teen 2014

Recent St. Brigid graduate Danielle Hurtubise was crowned Miss Maine Teen USA 2014 at the end of the pageant competition in December. 

Young women in the pageant are judged on poise, confidence, public speaking ability, and other factors. The judges selected Danielle from the pool of 20 contestants. The winner will represent Maine at the national Miss Teen USA event later this year.

Danielle, 16, is a junior at Deering High School. According to the biography on the pageant website, she gives St. Brigid School credit for the strong educational foundation that has led to her success.