Knights of Columbus Essay Winners

Dewayn Marzagalli KC, Elizabeth Jerome (2nd place),
Michael Pizzo KC, Daniela Fornaro (4th place), Kevin Hill
(fifth place), Noah Johnson (1st place), Peter Buckley
(principal) and Fr. Jim LaFontaine (Pastor of Our Lady of
Hope Parish). Not pictured: Raymond Le (3rd place)

Noah Johnson, St. Brigid eighth-grader, earned first place in this year’s Knights of Columbus Essay Contest. Second place went to Liz Jerome, third to Raymond Le, fourth to Daniela Fornaro and fifth to Kevin Hill. Here is Noah’s winning essay: “What St. Brigid Means to Me.” Well done!

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What St. Brigid Means to Me

To me, Saint Brigid means six years of my life. It is my memories, every year is an oozing fountain of fun that I will always remember. We released salmon in third grade. We went  to Augusta in fourth grade. There we went to the museum and watched the House and Senate in action. We played a board game for domination of the “New World” in fifth. Every Friday in sixth grade we listened to music and thought hard to solve mind bending riddles. Seventh grade held a trip to Boston and the USS Constitution, or Old Ironsides, the oldest ship still in commission for the US Navy. I absolutely cannot wait to see what this year holds! And we have all certainly laughed a ton along the way here.

Saint Brigid is my knowledge, it grows more massive and great by the second. It makes me feel like I can learn anything and everything. From learning multiplication to learning algebra. From the Indians, to world culture and geography. From learning my Spanish colors to my Latin verbs. From “What is electricity?” to chemistry and “How do I calculate speed?” I learned what a poem is made of, what the Revolutionary, Civil and World Wars were all about, how to take a test, but the most valuable knowledge of all is that about the Word of God.

Saint Brigid is my freedom. We learn about our God, whom we believe in. We can speak His message and apply it in the classroom. We learn more and more about what we profess every week at mass. We talk about the meaning of it all, how it pertains to us, and how we can live it in our crazy modern world. We do not have to worry about being silenced, we all have a voice.

Saint Brigid is where I learn. This is the place where I have my life experience. Where I learn to work with others. I learn to use my voice to speak up. I learn life lessons you can’t find anywhere else. Lessons I have learned in team sports like basketball, baseball, and track. I learn skills I need to become a leader, the very best that I can be.

Saint Brigid is my opportunity. We are given the tools by our teachers to blossom into whatever type of student, or person, that we want to be. They teach us how to work hard, how to study, how to respect the rules and authority, how to respect each other, and ourselves. Wherever we might go after here, we will be prepared.

Whenever someone asks me where I am from, I can be proud and say St. Brigid. St. Brigid is much more than a school to me as I imagine it is for many others. I have felt this way from the day I walked into the school for the first time in third grade. It was a different atmosphere than anywhere I had ever been before. There is a sense of community, friends helping friends, growing from a little kid to a near high school student. To everyone who helped me grow as a student and person, who prodded and goaded me in the right direction, thank you. Now for the rest of the year, every laugh, memory, lesson, adventure, and piece of knowledge will be the icing on the cake of my Saint Brigid experience.

What does Saint Brigid School mean to me? It means Family. It is my life. And most of all Saint Brigid is my home.

Annual School Spelling Bee

This year’s St. Brigid school spelling bee was held on Friday, January 18, with 16 participants from grades 5-8. The bee is held each year in as part of the Scripps spelling bee program.

The words this year were particularly challenging for the age group, some of them difficult even for adults. By the final round, finalists received words such as sufficiently and transience. The winning word - perfectionism - was spelled correctly by sixth-grader Maggie Street, earning her the school championship. Maggie and the runner-up, eighth-grader Jesse Rodrigues, will continue on to the county-level phase of the competition. Congratulations!

Geographic Bee Tests Knowledge of Social Studies

On Friday, January 11, St. Brigid School held its annual Geographic Bee. Overseen by the National Geographic Society, this event requires competitors to have extensive knowledge of mapping, including the locations and properties of countries and landmarks.

As always, this year’s questions tested the limits of our students’ knowledge. The winner was seventh-grader Sophia Cartonio. The runner-up was Noah Johnson, an eighth-grader. 

As winner, Sophia advances on to the next stage - a written examination which is sent to the National Geographical Society in Washington, D.C. If she qualifies, she will compete at the state level this spring. State winners move on to the national finals, where they compete for scholarship prizes totaling $50,000.

Eighth Grade Field Trips

In December and January, the eighth grade took two field trips to end their Literature units.  In December, following the study of Evangeline, The Rainy Day, and The  Midnight Ride of Paul Revere by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, we visited the Wadsworth-Longfellow House in Portland. The Wadsworth-Longfellow House is owned by the Maine Historical Society.  The house was decorated for Christmas like Henry Wadsworth Longfellow would have had during his childhood. We learned the history of the house and its occupants, including Henry's sister, Anne who was the last owner of the house. She kept the house as it was during Henry's life and willed it to the Historical  Society. The Historical Society also had an exhibit of the History of Electricity in Maine, which we also visited.

After Christmas vacation, we visited the Victoria Mansion in Portland as a culmination of our Christmas unit reading A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. We saw how the very wealthy Victorians decorated their houses and celebrated Christmas. We also made orange and clove pomanders.

Our visits provide us with a greater understanding of times and lives of our authors and readings.

- Sue McCuller, 8th Grade Teacher

Christmas Artwork Gallery

Annual Christmas Program

On Friday, December 21, our school community gathered for a special Christmas show. The morning opened with Mass, featuring a nativity presentation performed by students in grades 3, 4, 5 and 7. Seventh graders read portions of the Gospel describing the birth of Jesus while younger, costumed students acted out the parts. Seventh-grader Robert Bossong provided violin accompaniment for the piece.

After Mass, students, teachers and parents moved to McCauley High School to enjoy a two-part holiday show. The event was prepared by music teachers David Collier and Anna Fournier and parent volunteer Trish Moulton. Each class sang seasonal music for the packed auditorium, and the school band also performed. The show closed with a sing-along of “Silent Night.”

Wrap Bracelets Earn Money For School

In the past two years, St. Brigid school has generated nearly $20,000 selling handmade bracelets in a simple, yet very effective fundraiser. Barbara Jerome, longtime St. Brigid parent and volunteer, is the creator and manager of this fruitful enterprise.

“The idea was inspired by my sister, Eileen,” Mrs. Jerome relates, explaining how her sister brought a bracelet with her when visiting Maine three years ago. “Eileen researched the supplies needed and the construction technique via the internet.” Before long, she had learned how to make the bracelets and found the activity enjoyable. “It was relaxing for me—like knitting is for a lot of people.”

The idea to sell the bracelets as a fundraiser was born when she gave one of the bracelets to a St. Brigid staff member as a thank you gift. Mrs. Jerome makes each bracelet herself. “I don’t like to sit still,” she says, “so having something like this to do works great for me!”

Initially, the jewelry was offered for sale directly from the school office, but as the project built momentum Mrs. Jerome wanted to expand the base of potential customers. She began forming relationships with local shops that would not only increase the money earned but also forge valuable school-community partnerships.

“Collette Warner is the owner at Rapid River Boutique in Freeport and she bought a supply of the bracelets the day I stopped by to show them to her,” she recalls. “With that success, I then went to Bliss Boutique in the Old Port and showed the bracelets to Michelle Marchesi, who was equally enthusiastic and supportive.”

The shop owners also helped refine the design of the bracelets, working with Mrs. Jerome to improve and diversify the offerings. Even the store supplying bracelet materials helped out. “The people at Caravan Beads on Forest Avenue in Portland also played a big part in helping the project to be successful,” she adds. “They taught me about tweaks to be made to make the bracelets better.”

For Mrs. Jerome, this community connection has been a major benefit of the fundraiser.

“It’s really heartwarming to see how the people of our community—both St. Brigid, and the larger Greater Portland community—will support their own.”

St. Brigid School would like to extend our gratitude to Mrs. Jerome for this wonderful project. Thank you for your generosity and support of our school community!

To get more information about purchasing a bracelet, contact the school or visit Rapid River Boutique or Bliss Boutique.

Care Committee Offers Support For Those in Need

The Care Committee, headed by St. Brigid parent Lisa Crowley, can provide assistance and support to members of our school community. The goal of the group is to strengthen our community, support each other through simple acts of service, and contribute to our children’s education and faith.

“If you have a need due to the birth of a baby, illness, death, change in job status, or for a reason you don’t want to share, please let one of the moderators know through email or a phone call, and we will organize help,” the group’s mission says. “If you would like to remain anonymous, let us know. We will adhere to the strictest confidentiality.”

“We have helped with meals for people who have lost loved ones and for people with a new baby at home,” reports committee member Stacey Hughes. “We have visited people in the hospital and have sent sympathy cards from the St. Brigid community. We have also provided babysitting to people who have medical appointments.”

For those who wish to help, a Yahoo group is available to join. While the committee is not an official St. Brigid School group, there are already 19 members and the ranks continue to grow.

There are two ways to help the Care Committee. The first is by simply identifying a need. If you know of someone in our school community who has experienced a loss, a job status change, illness, or some other serious life event, please bring it to the attention of the committee. Again, privacy and anonymity will be honored.

You can also join this group of caring and thoughtful individuals and offer your time and assistance. “This is also such a great way to introduce or continue teaching your children about acts of community building and caring for one another,” Mrs. Hughes says.

To contact the group with a need or to help out, email Lisa Crowley (lisacrowleyslp@gmail.com) or Stacey Hughes (staceyledoux70@yahoo.com). Those interested in joining can also subscribe to the Yahoo group at stbscarecommittee-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Students Collect Gifts for Needy Children

The Metro Toy Bus visited St. Brigid School on Wednesday, December 12. Enthusiastic students from grades Pre-K through 8 filled the bus with toys to be given to needy children this holiday season.

For several years now, the Stuff a Bus toy campaign has sent a city bus to the school just before Christmas. Children bring unwrapped gifts and pile them on the bus seats. This year, students marveled at the number of toys that had been collected.

“Look at all of it!” exclaimed a pre-kindergartener as he placed his item on top of several others. Meanwhile, older children lined up outside the bus with armfuls of toys.

“Somebody’s going to have a very merry Christmas,” one of them said, hefting an Easy-Bake Oven up the bus steps.

St. Brigid Student Wins International Writing Competition

Jesse Rodrigues, 8th-grader at St. Brigid School, was one of fifteen students selected to receive the prestigious Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award for 2012. His poem “Fire Knows” had been submitted by a teacher at the school. He was the youngest person among those chosen—and one of only three American recipients. 

As a winner of the competition, Jesse attended an awards ceremony in October at the Royal Festival Hall in London. There, he met the judges and read his poem to the audience. Following the ceremony was a slam poetry presentation. “[It was] stunning,” he recalls, “and certainly inspired me to continue writing poetry.”

“My mother and I spent the rest of our week exploring and enjoying the city of London,” Jesse continues. “We saw the major attractions, of course: the British Museum, King’s Cross, and the Globe Theater. We also explored some of the lesser-known sights of London on small, guided walking tours with charismatic guides.”

Jesse describes his time overseas as being somewhat overwhelming. “In the end, both my mother and I felt that London was absolutely too huge for just a one-week visit. We hope to return soon.”

The winning poem:

Fire Knows

Fire knows the wood's secrets
as they hold their heated deliberations

Fire knows how to warm
chilled hands, chilled feet, chilled faces

Fire knows how to dance and sway
to the sounds of the night

Fire knows how to belch and cackle
exactly when you don't want it to

Last, but not least, fire knows how to die with a flourish
A flame, a spark, a winking coal

then cold, hard, black, silence