Welcome to the May 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...
Dear MHC Academy Family and Friends,

As we close out the month of May, we can’t help but think of Mary, so present at our Academy, both in name and in patronage. I’d like to share one of the events that happened in the Sisters’ house in Nizza, Monferrato, in Italy. Don Bosco was visiting; he began to speak frankly to the Sisters and students. In fact, there was a Salesian Brother who was with him, and would speak aloud the words Don Bosco was only able to whisper. Three times, Don Bosco spoke, pointing out, ever more clearly, “Our Lady is really here, here among you! Mary is walking around in this House and covering it with her mantle.” - Don Bosco.  

During this month, we give thanks for Mary’s protection and guidance, and we also recognize her care mirrored in the dedication we see in our own mothers. As the first people to love us and sacrifice themselves for us, our moms are a constant and tangible reminder of God’s faithful love and Mary’s intercession.

We’ve looked back at the full and joyful month of Mary, our Mother, and celebrated all of the mothers in our lives. Like Mary, they too, are really here among us, walking with us. Now, we look ahead to the similar celebrations of all of our fathers - and God, our loving Father. 

Sincerely,
CLASS OF 2026 ORIENTATION
Friday, May 6th was our Class of 2026 Orientation. It was an amazing day spent welcoming such a wonderful group of young women. The morning started getting everyone acquainted with fun team-building activities just for the Class of 2026. They also had the opportunity to spend time with their Big Sisters, who helped them become more familiarized with their new place to call home. Of course in true Salesian fashion, we had to celebrate with the whole school family enjoying a BBQ lunch, bounce houses, ice cream, and lots of laughter. Parents said their daughters left with more friends after just one day than their whole time in elementary school. We can't wait to have our Class of 2026 officially on campus in September!
A FRUIT DNA LAB
The Freshmen Biology Class had a fascinating lab where the students extracted DNA from strawberries and bananas using everyday materials. After they combined liquid from the mashed fruit with salt and dish soap, they then added Ethanol. As they stirred, the DNA rose at the top of the liquid and was visible as a gelatinous substance. This lab was meant to demonstrate that DNA really IS found in all organisms!
THE CHANCES ARE YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE FUN!
In Mrs. Black's Probability and Statistics Class, students had to design their own games with concrete rules and then explain the theoretical probabilities. They then compared it to their experimental probabilities. The games included one called "Can You Ping the Pong?" and "Lollipalooza."
MHC ACADEMY TO BE REPRESENTED AT THE NATIONAL HISTORY ACADEMY
MHC Academy Junior, Makiyah Matthews has been accepted into the National History Academy summer program, a 5-week, hands-on, history education program in Virginia. With only 100 students accepted each summer, participants come from all over the country to embark on field trips, hear prominent speakers and find common ground in parliamentary style debates. We can't wait to hear about your experience, Makiyah! To learn more about the program, click here or watch this video.
150 YEARS CELEBRATION
"A Nifty 150 Years!" MHC Academy invited the 6-8th graders of four schools in the area to join in a celebration commemorating the 150 years of the founding of the Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco! The day began with a prayer service in which we thanked God for the presence of the Salesian Sisters beginning with the first Sisters. Then there was time to play outside on the inflatables, eat hot dogs, popcorn, cotton candy and ice cream, and go boating, play nine-square or Gaga ball. There was also an area for face painting and chalk art. What an amazing way to bask in the Salesian charism! As co-founder St. Mary Mazzarello said, "Joy is the sign of a heart that loves God very much!"
MHC ACADEMY CHOIR UPDATE
Congratulations to the MHC Academy Choir who won First Place All Women's Choir Division A with a rating of "Excellent" at "Music in the Parks" hosted by Hershey Park. Great job Blue Jays, Mrs. Lucia Cardona and Sr. Maryann Caspary!

The choir also hosted their Sprint Concert on May 11th. They were joined by the Bergen Catholic Men's Vocal Ensemble.
DANCE AND ART SHOWCASE
On Friday, May 20th the Dance Department presented their end-of-the-year showcase, "A Time for Everything," an original show choreographed by Dance Teacher, Mrs. Hannah Battista. The dance showcase was inspired by José Limón's classic dance piece, "There is a Time," which captures the emotion behind the bible passage found in Ecclesiastes 3 - "To everything there is a season..." This theme was beautifully represented as all 72 dancers performed together. The same evening, student art was also displayed in the Cafeteria for all to see. A variety of medium were on view from sculptures to paintings to drawings. Congratulations to all who participated!  (Dance photo credit: Narratography)
MAY CROWNING
On May 24th, MHC Academy celebrated the Feast Day of Mary Help of Christians! As is our tradition, the sophomore class brought up flowers for Mary and two students crowned Jesus and Mary. The Salesian Sisters at the Provincial House were able to join the school community for this beautiful occassion!
SPRING SPORTS UPDATE

Track
We celebrated our Track Seniors on April 27th at the final regular season meet of the year at Waldwick H.S. Congratulations to Seniors Kyra Corbisiero (Captain), Mary Costabile and Angelina Zazzali on a great first and final track season here at MHC! 
Our top three runners will be continuing on with their season for both the Passaic County and State Tournaments. Tuesday, May 24th, runners Emma Pandorf (9th), Makiyah McCoy (10th) and Ajanae McCoy (11th) will compete at Clifton Stadium at the Passaic County Spring Track & Field Championships. Good luck ladies! 
Softball
We celebrated our Softball Seniors on Monday, May 23rd, at our Home Game victory over Harrison HS. Seniors Raquel Jacquet, Zorya Morgan and Christianna Pagano are all four-year varsity letter earners for Softball. 

Varsity softball finished with a winning record of 7-3 for the 2022 season. Top stat leaders of the season: Madison DeFilippo (9th) led the team with 30 hits, including 25 singles, 3 doubles and 2 triples ending the season with a .769 batting average; Gabriella Fromm (11th) led the team in RBIs with 21 runs off of 23 hits, including 9 doubles, 2 triples and 1 home run; Lilly Susen (11th) led the team in runs scored with 23 off of her 26 hits; and Giulia Russo led the team in home runs with 3 this season. 
Lacrosse 
Our JV Lacrosse team celebrated their last game on Friday, May 13th at DePaul Catholic. The team played hard in their first season together and are looking to build on their success in future seasons. Junior, Shannon Stix (Captain) led the team with 14 goals in 4 games, followed by fellow classmate, Junior Olivia Fanning (Co-Captain) with 6 goals. 
Time to Celebrate
Our Annual Sports Awards Dinner will be held on Wednesday, May 25th, at The Tides Estate in North Haledon. We look forward to honoring all of our athletes and coaches, and their accomplishments this year! 
We believe that every person who comes to a Salesian work is guided there by Mary Help of Christians so it is fitting that our final theme for this school year is "From Walking Alone to Walking with Mary." The first four missionaries who arrived from Italy in 1908 were not alone. They came with a spirit and a drive to bring the Salesian charism to the United States, but most importantly they came with each other guided by the Blessed Mother. They had to place their trust in her as they struggled with English, lived in a building like a barn, and stayed up late at night, after being with the children all day, doing sewing work under one bare bulb of light. The light was so high up they had to put their chairs on top of the table to be closer as they made intricate stitches that would provide them with funds that they needed to help the young people in Paterson. As the Sisters grew in number and moved into different houses and around the state of New Jersey, the Blessed Mother guided them each step of the way. 

As we come to the part of the year full of transitions we ask Mary Help of Christians to guide all of us on whatever path is laid out in front of us next year. We may have come to the conclusion of our Pastoral Plan but it is an ongoing journey of Walking with our Sisters guided by our Lord, Mary Help of Christians, and all our Salesian Saints that will bring us to our ultimate goal, Heaven. Thank you for journeying with us this year!
MHC Academy
659 Belmont Avenue
North Haledon, NJ 07508
P. 973.850-7467
F. 973.790.6125