Welcome to the October issue of On the Hill, Mary Help of Christians Academy monthly e-newsletter. On the Hill offers an inside view of life at Mary Help and all the other remarkable things that happen on campus each and every day. Read on to see for yourself the difference a Mary Help education makes...
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Dear MHC Academy Family,
Fall is such a significant time of the year; the chill in the air brings us indoors, and closer within our families. As the leaves fall from the trees, we are invited to shed some of our bad habits and sinfulness. Let’s ask God during this season to give us insight and courage, so we can know what we need to lose, and have the courage to let go.
During the month of October, we had the visit of Bishop Kevin Sweeney, reminding him that we are the only high school in the diocese named for Our Lady. We have had numerous events for parents and students: Oktoberfest, a first and a “keeper,” which was run ably by our PTG, Ecology Service Days in memory of Mr. Roger Rohde, Trunk or Treat and the Haunted Trail, managed by our Student Council, PSAT and SAT administration, overseen by Mr. Ed Zambrano, the Dig Pink Fundraiser for breast cancer research, spearheaded by Grace Hillmer, and a plethora of other gatherings and events, all of which indicate the level of activity and dedication of students and staff members alike!
I’m happy to announce to you that with the diligent work of Sr. Christina Chong, FMA, Mary Help of Christians now has its own school app, available on the App Store and Google Play Store. (Just search for MHC Academy.) This will offer immediate news to those who take part in day-to-day activities on campus and within the school community.
There is a story of a small fish, who is swimming around in the sea, asking a variety of creatures where he can find the ocean. The responses range from amazement to humor. This little guppy has no idea that he is right there in the ocean. In many ways, we are this small fish, living here, under the mantle of Our Lady; we can take this protection, and the grace we find here for granted…
Over the past few weeks, Mary Help of Christians Academy has had numerous visits from prospective #futurebluejays. These girls have yet to discover the wonderful graces God holds for them here, but let those of us who are Our Lady’s mantle never take this special grace for granted!
Thanks to all those who have been so communicative and have expressed their daughter’s love for MHC Academy; it truly is an amazing place!
Sincerely,
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Our very own culinary teacher, Frank Lamendola, will be on the Food Network's Holiday Wars premiering on November 7th at 9:00pm. Mr. Lamendola's episodes will start airing on November 14th. Get ready to cheer on his team “Three Pipers Piping” as they compete with some of the nation’s best sugar artists for $25,000! Goooooo, Mr. Lamendola!
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CROSS-CURRICULAR LEARNING
Psychology students engaged in a cross-curricular activity with the Biology department, where they dissected a sheep brain. Students gained deeper understanding and appreciation for the complexity of the brain, made observations and learned about the structure and many functions of brain regions and white and gray matter.
They also learned about the effects of disease, injury and medication on the brain and in turn on the body. This cross-curricular hands-on activity created a long-lasting impression on the students’ minds and gave them an in-depth look at the brain. Special thanks to Mrs. Hess and Dr. DaBronzo for an engaging and exciting class!
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FIRST AID
Juniors are learning first aid and CPR in their health class. They are getting ready to become certified Red Cross responders by practicing how to bandage an embedded object and an open wound.
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WINE TASTING THANKS
Thank you to everyone who contributed to the success of the Alumnae Wine Tasting event. If you’d like to enjoy some wine with a friend while contributing to MHCA, please click here.
to purchase some of the wines featured last Saturday. Thank you in advance!
CLASS REUNION
There is also a reunion coming up on November 14th at La Neve in Haledon, NJ for the classes of 1971, ‘81, ‘91, ‘96, and 2001. We hope to see you there! Make a reservation here.
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SALESIAN LEADERSHIP RETREAT NORTH
Members of our junior and senior classes participated in the Salesian Leadership Retreat - North in the beginning of October. Held at the Marian Shrine in Stony Point, NY the Blue Jays joined in the retreat with two other Salesian Schools - Don Bosco Prep and Salesian High School. It was a time for small group sharing, playing games, making new friends and growing in their faith. We're so lucky to be part of the bigger Salesian Family throughout the United States and the world!
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BISHOP'S MASS
Paterson Bishop Kevin Sweeney presided over mass on Monday, October 18th, the Feast of St. Luke. After mass, the students presented Bishop Sweeney with a statue of Mary Help of Christians. He then joined the school community for lunch. Thank you for being with us, Bishop! We hope to see you again soon!
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FORENSICS TEAM
Forensics Team competed in a meet held at DePaul High School on October 23, 2021. Congratulations to Lea Cabaero and Maya Watters who received recognition for their performances in the Oral Interpretation of Literature (aka Prose and Poetry) category. Meghan Rydell, Faith Monesteri, and Keira Fay also received recognition for their work in the Dramatic Performance category! Great job, ladies!
BOOK CLUB
Our Book Club is reading Night by Elie Wiesel as its first novel and is looking forward to discussing the resilience of the human spirit as it relates to this impactful memoir.
PRO-LIFE CLUB
The Pro-Life Club hosted a walking rosary in the month of October, which is Respect Life Month. Students and faculty met after school to walk around campus praying the rosary while stopping in front of various Mary statues or paintings along the way. Thank you to all who prepared the reflections and participated!
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FALL ADMISSIONS EVENTS
We also have our Fall Preview Day on Friday, November 12th. Designed with middle school students in mind, come spend a morning at the Academy and sample our courses and see special presentations of all that Mary Help has to offer. There's still time to sign up! www.maryhelp.org/pdreg/
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On two Fridays in October, students from Mary Help of Christians Academy and Don Bosco Prep gathered to do an afternoon of service around campus. Besides screening soil, uprooting old shrubs and clearing out weeds along the practice field, the students enjoyed a time of fellowship and fun. All of this was done in light of Pope Francis' encouragement to take care of our Earth and in memory of Roger Rohde a great benefactor to our school. We still have one more Ecology Service Day to come! |
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As we reach the end of October our Fall Sports are coming to an end.
SOCCER
Our Varsity Soccer program is continuing their success this season with a current record of 12-1-2. With one game left in the regular season, our Blue Jays are working hard to keep their winning streak going.
We celebrated our Seniors on Monday, October 25th at our HOME Game vs Hawthorne Christian Academy. Congratulations to our Seniors Siena Costello (4th year Varsity), Raquel Jacquet (3rd year Varsity), Karen Meneses (4th year Varsity), Ava Porter (4th year Varsity) and Rebecca Salazar (4th year Varsity). We also want to Congratulate the entire team on their 2-1 double overtime victory in their final home game of the regular season. We are so proud of our Varsity Soccer Program who has qualified for the NJSIAA State Tournament this year. Good luck, ladies!
Remaining games:
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Thursday, October 28th AWAY Game at Paramus Catholic High School at 6pm *last regular season game
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Tuesday, November 2nd First Round of the NJSIAA State Tournament
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TENNIS
We celebrated our Tennis Seniors on October 7th in our final Home Match of the season. Congratulations Janiele Campusano (4th year Varsity & Captain), Natalie Laguardia (4th year Varsity & Co-Captain), Maria Budelman (2nd year Varsity), Kyra Corbisiero (2nd year Varsity), Abigail Pyrbicien (2nd year Varsity) and Angelina Zazzali (2nd year Varsity).
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VOLLEYBALL
Our Varsity Volleyball Team is currently 8-7 with one game left in the regular season. The volleyball program also hosted a Dig Pink Game on Friday, October 22nd, for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The stands were packed! Thank you to everyone who supported the fundraiser by buying a Dig Pink t-shirt and everyone who came out to the game to cheer on our Blue Jays.
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Wednesday, October 27th HOME vs HCA **SENIOR NIGHT - We will honor our seniors before the start of the varsity game.
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CHEER
We celebrated our Varsity Cheer Seniors on Friday, October 14th, at Don Bosco's final Home Game of the regular season. Congratulations to our Seniors, Amanda Schimenti (2nd year Varsity & Captain), Emilia Coleman (3rd year Varsity) and Maria Duran (3rd year Varsity).
Our cheerleaders continue to cheer for the Ironmen who have one regular season game left and then the state tournament.
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Friday, October 29th Don Bosco Varsity Football @ Paramus Catholic 7pm
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State Tournament in November - Dates TBD
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UPCOMING EVENTS
Winter Sports Tryouts
Swim Team Tryouts: November 8th, 9th and 11th
Dance Team Tryouts: November 15th, 16th and 17th
Basketball Tryouts: November 22nd and 23rd
Competition Cheer Tryouts: November 9th and 11th
Fall Fundraiser
Our Sports Council has been working hard to plan our first Athletics Fundraiser of the year. Our annual Color Run is back! This year our "Color Wars Run/Walk" will be on Saturday, November 20th from 1pm-4pm! It will be a kick off event for Intramurals week! What's your favorite Color? Red, Blue, Green or Yellow! Come out and support your Blue Jays & earn your class intramurals points!
Athletics Instagram
Make sure to follow us on our athletics InstaGram to receive schedule updates, game scores, Athlete of the Week, upcoming events and much more!@maryhelpnj_athletics
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Inspired by talks from our Mother General (the successor of St. Mary Mazzarello) and the Rector Major (the successor of St. John Bosco) the Pastoral Plan of the year, “Boldly Tread the Paths of Hope” takes us on a journey through the difficulties we encounter everyday and inspires us to choose the path of Hope forward. As we prepare for the 150th Anniversary of the Salesian Sisters, each month we will focus on a sister who traversed the difficulties of life with faith filled steps.
This month we focus on moving “From Fear to Prayer”. Student have been encouraged to take time in the student chapel and have prayed a rosary in many of the Theology classes. The sister we are focusing on this month is Sr. Enrichetta Sorbonne, one of the early sisters in Mornese, Italy. She wanted to become a sister but felt the responsibility of carrying for her younger siblings since her mother had passed away. Don Bosco encouraged her to pray and move forward with hope. Her prayers were answered and Mother Mazzarello received Enrichetta along with all of her sisters into the boarding school! What fears can you turn into prayers this month?
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MHC Academy
659 Belmont Avenue
North Haledon, NJ 07508
P. 973.850-7467
F. 973.790.6125
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