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.

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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.