Welcome to the January 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 and Friends,
Happy New Year! I hope you enjoyed a peaceful, prayerful break, surrounded by those you love. This is such an exciting time for setting goals and making plans to reach them. I’m always grateful for cold weather that keeps me inside, encouraging me to get work done that I can enjoy when the weather is warmer.
Believe it or not, we are well into the planning work for next school year. Our acceptance letters for the class of 2027 will be sent out January 12. We are truly blessed to have an increase of 46% in the number of applicants for this year. I so often hear from parents about their joy at having chosen to send their daughters to MHC Academy. Every time our enrollment increases, I am filled with delight at the prospect of getting to hear this from even more families!
Our semi-formal is planned for January 15. The Sisters and I are praying for weather that will make this event a wonderful evening for our girls and their dates. Wait until you see the fancy gowns we’ll be wearing!!
Midterms are just around the corner, and we have been preparing for them busily on our end. I am sure the girls are working hard to excel. I am certainly praying for their success on every exam.
The annual March for Life in Washington D.C. is also this month, and we will join, happy and grateful for so much progress made on behalf of the unborn over the last year. Nothing would make me happier than to see this event become unnecessary.
Sincerely,
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FORENSIC SCIENCE LAB
Dr. DaBronzo's Forensic Science class worked on a lab that measured the association between the height of a blood drop falling and the resulting width of a blood drop. It was discovered that the higher a blood drop is dropped from, the more likely it is that the drop will have satellites and a bigger width. The Forensic Science class focuses on content areas such as glass analysis, fingerprinting, crime scene isolation and protection, investigating scenes of fire and explosions, collecting trace evidence, and evidence of foreign objects.
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SPANISH 1
Mr. Guzman's Spanish 1 students have started to learn their prayers in Spanish. Every day, at the beginning of the period, one of the students leads the rest of the class in the “Padre Nuestro” (Our Father.) Through this activity, the students are experiencing how the language of the Spirit supersedes the limitations of natural languages!
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ART APPRECIATION - WATERCOLOR EXPLORATION
Students in Ms. Chiusano's Art Appreciation Class recently experimented with a variety of watercolor techniques to become familiar with this artistic medium and the many creative effects and possibilities it offers. Some of the exciting possibilities budding MHC Academy artists explored were resist and masking techniques using watercolor combined with oil pastel, crayon, tape and glue and additives such as liquid soap, rubbing alcohol and salt. Learning to mix colors, use a variety of brushstrokes, and to create wet-into-wet washes also offered challenges and a fun introduction to the versatility of watercolor.
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CHRISTMAS SWEATER WEATHER
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder! The MHC Academy family started its Christmas celebrations with an ugly Christmas sweater contest. With over 20 sweaters vying for the title of most unattractive, the winner fought against a very competitive field. Sophomore Skyla Vargas-Amaro triumphed with her colorful Santa sweater that featured tinsel and working Christmas lights.
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A WINTER WONDERLAND
Sophomore Student Council hosted a "Winter Wonderland" event with a viewing of the classic holiday movie, Home Alone. Participants arrived appropriately dressed in their Christmas pajamas and there were plenty of snacks on offer, in addition to some hot cocoa. Students from outside schools were also invited to attend. Great job, Sophomores!
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SKATE NIGHT
MHC Academy had its first skate night of the year at the Ice Vault in Wayne on Friday, January 6th. Stay tuned for more skate nights in the future!
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CHRISTMAS ADORATION IN SCHOOL
MHC Academy students and faculty gathered for a moment of prayer and reflection before beginning their Christmas break. Many students were involved in the creation of this prayer moment: the choir set the tone by singing O Come Emmanuel, the Campus Ministry students selected the songs that would be played for Adoration, and two students danced after Adoration was concluded. It was a nice collaboration of the Music, Dance, and Campus Ministry departments to set a peaceful and uplifting tone to the conclusion of the school’s Advent Season.
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ORATORY NIGHT
Over the past several years our student Adoration nights have been held in different locations due to the deconstruction and reconstruction of the chapel. We tried the Provincial House, the gym, the lecture hall, and while we were able to have prayerful moments, it just wasn’t quite the same. This is why the Campus Ministry made a great effort to invite recent alumnae to come to the December Oratory Night so they could finally have Adoration in our new chapel! It was wonderful to be able to pray and play together as well at to hear about their new adventures in college.
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JANUARY THEME - Spirituality in the Salesian Style
This month's pastoral theme is Spirituality in the Salesian Style. Now you might be wondering how that ties in with the overall theme of Laudato Si, and I can tell you that it all comes down to the word “simplicity.” If we want to live simply when it come to material things than it follows that our spiritual life can be one of simplicity as well.
St. John Bosco would quote to the boys the words of St. Francis DeSales, “Do ordinary things extraordinarily well.” In fact, he laid out a plan for the young people to follow in order to live a life of holiness:
- Be cheerful.
- Take care of your responsibilities.
- Honor and love Mary as your Mother and Help.
- Love Jesus in the Eucharist.
- Choose to be kind.
- Serve rather than be served.
All of these things can be done in our daily lives, in simplicity. So this January, after the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, let’s settle in to simple living both materially and spiritually.
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MHC ACADEMY CHRISTMAS CONCERT
The Performing Arts Department at MHC Academy put on a spectacular Christmas concert on Wednesday, December 14th. The choirs of MHC Academy and Don Bosco Prep performed, as well as musicians in the orchestra and band. At the end of the concert, the audience was even invited to participate in singing The Twelve Days of Christmas (all verses) with motions! Congratulations to all the student musicians and our fabulous Performing Arts faculty.
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DANCE TEAM
The Varsity Dance team had their first performance on Wednesday, January 4th at the Blue Jays' first home game for basketball of the 2022-2023 season. The team is made up of 4 seniors, 1 juniors, 1 sophomore, 2 freshmen and 1 eighth grader. They will perform at Don Bosco Prep on Tuesday, January 10th at the 7pm home basketball varsity game.
Also, at our three basketball home games, sophomore Lillian Kopacz, beautifully sang the National Anthem.
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SWIM TEAM
The varsity swim team has had three 1st place finishes in their last two races by their relay teams: two 200 Freestyle Relays and one 200 Medley Relay. Relay teams included senior Nora Maloney, junior Kelly Hinnigan, sophomore Yuumi Matsuda, sophomore Madison Oh and freshman Angela Schembri.
Some of our varsity swimmers will be competing individually in the Passaic County Tournament on Saturday, January 21st, at PCTI. We wish the best of luck to all participants!
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GOLD MEDALS IN GYMNASTICS
MHC Academy freshman, Meghan Roberts, won two gold medals at the International Atlantis Crown Gymnastics Invitational in the Bahamas. Meghan competed in the Trampoline and Tumbling category. Congratulations, Meghan!
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ADMISSIONS UPDATE
We are in the midst of exciting times for the Admissions Department. We are getting ready to mail our acceptance packets to so many wonderful candidates.
Thursday, February 2nd, we invite the Class of 2027 to an evening of celebration and fun at our Priority Registration and Admitted Students Reception. During this special event, they will be able to build bonds with new classmates and partake in a student interest fair. Here, they will meet representatives from our sports teams, performing arts department, clubs, and academic programs. They will also be able to take advantage of our registration discount and discuss with Guidance about course selections. Everyone from the Mary Help community is encouraged to join us in welcoming our newest members to the family!
Know someone who may be interested in applying? It's not too late! The Academy has rolling admissions after the priority deadline, with registration continuing until all places are filled. Contact the Office of Admissions at 973.790.6200, x148 or visit us online anytime at www.MaryHelp.org/admissions.
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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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