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QC03262015

FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.queenscourier.com march 26, 2015 • kids & education • The Queens Courier 9 PARTIES ALL YOUR PARTY NEEDS UNDER ONE ROOF We Specialize In: • Tents, Tables & Chair Rental, • Princess Parties, • Children’s Birthday Parties, • Bounce Rides, Carnival Games, • Dunk Tanks, Cotton Candy Carts • Popcorn Carts, Snowcone Carts, • Ice Cream Carts, Hot Dog Carts • Photo Booths, Spin Art, Sand Art • Clowns, Magicians • Costume Rentals and Much More ASK ABOUT OUR PARTY PACKAGES 718.823.3033 www.frankiescarnival.com SFP StudentS Place in new York citY PoetrY out loud comPetition On Thursday evening February 6th, St. Francis Prep students, junior Maggie Capozzoli-Cavota and sophomore Yasmeen Quereshi, competed in the New York City Poetry Out Loud competition against 21 students representing private and public schools from the five boroughs. According to their website, poetryoutloud. org, “The National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation have partnered with U.S. state arts agencies to support Poetry Out Loud, a contest that encourages the nation’s youth to learn about great poetry through memorization and recitation. This program helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about their literary heritage. After successful pilot programs in Washington, DC, and Chicago, Poetry Out Loud was launched in high schools nationwide in the spring of 2006 and has grown to involve millions of students across the country.” Both Maggie and Yasmeen reached the final round of competition composed of seven l-r, St. Francis Prep President, Brother Leonard Conway, O.S.F., English Teacher Mr. Eric Hafker, sophomore Yasmeen Quereshi, junior Maggie Capozzoli-Cavota, Principal Mr. Patrick McLaughlin, and English Department Chairperson, Dr. Stephen A. Marino students at F.I.T.’s Katie Murphy Amphitheatre. When the contest was over, Maggie placed second and Yasmeen placed third. Maggie, and the first place winner represented New York City at the Poetry Our Loud New York State finals in Syracuse, New York on March 9th. Maggie was 1 out of 24 students at the New York State Final and made it to the final round, “top 8 of the state!” This was made all the more special because St. Francis Prep was the only Catholic high school in New York State that participated in the State final. According to Prep’s Poetry Out Loud Moderator, Eric Hafker, “Her understanding and interpretation of the poems in her recitations were so profound and heartfelt that one thought Maggie was channeling both the poet and speaker of each poem. Her confidence, poise, and humility were that of a seasoned speaker who has been doing this for decades.” He went on to say; “The last three lines of her final poem describe her as a student and young woman aware of her potential and most importantly aware of her self: ‘I want to be famous in the way a pulley is famous, or a buttonhole, not because it did anything spectacular, but because it never forgot what it could do.’” ST. FRANCIS PREP STUDENTS RECEIVE PRESIDENT’S VOLUNTEER SERVICE AWARD Queens, nY -- Kristen Yost, 18, Kristen Cournane, 17, and Jean-Pierre Tenesaca, 16, all of Queens, nY, students at st. Francis Preparatory school, have been honored for their exemplary volunteer service with a President’s Volunteer service Award. The award, which recognizes Americans of all ages who have volunteered significant amounts of their time to serve their communities and their country, was granted by The Prudential spirit of Community Awards program on behalf of President Barack Obama. st. Francis Preparatory school nominated Kristen, Kristen, and Jean-Pierre for national honors this fall in recognition of their volunteer service. These very special students have run the gamut in terms of following in the footsteps of their school’s patron, st. Francis of Assisi. Francis edicated himself to providing for those on the farthest fringes of life. Between them, these young people have served as retreat leaders, traveled to Peru to help those less fortunate, volunteered at a local public school to work with challenged students, counseled their peers, and volunteered for Prep’s Party for those with special needs. Mr. Patrick McLaughlin, principal of st. Francis Prep expressed, “All three students were recognized by President Obama for outstanding community service. Their vision and leadership in the area of service provides wonderful Franciscan modeling for our entire school community. We are proud of them.” The Prudential spirit of Community Awards, sponsored by Prudential Financial in partnership with the national Association of secondary school Principals (nAssP), recognizes middle level and high school students across America for outstanding volunteer service. “The recipients of these awards demonstrate that young people across America are making remarkable contributions to the health and vitality of their communities,” said John strangfeld, chairman and CeO of Prudential Financial. “By recognizing these students and placing a spotlight on their volunteer activities, we hope to motivate others to consider how they can also contribute to their community.” "Demonstrating civic responsibility through volunteerism is an important part of life," said nAssP executive Director JoAnn Bartoletti. "These honorees practice a lesson we hope all young people, as well as adults, will emulate." Prudential spirit of Community Award applications were distributed nationwide last september through middle level and high schools, Girl scout councils, county 4-H organizations, American Red Cross chapters, YMCAs and HandsOn Network affiliates. These schools and officiallydesignated local organizations nominated Local Honorees, whose applications were advanced for state-level judging. In addition to granting President’s Volunteer service Awards on behalf of President Barack Obama, The Prudential spirit of Community Awards selected state Honorees, Distinguished Finalists and Certificate of Excellence recipients. Volunteer activities were judged on criteria including personal initiative, creativity, effort, impact and personal growth. The tenets of these qualities reflect the Belief Statements of st. Francis Prep, where, “The community of st. Francis Prep values God’s life in each person. Therefore, we are compelled to be seekers of Truth, to develop a critical intellect, to treat all with respect and dignity, to lead lives of justice, integrity, and compassion.” The national Association of secondary school Principals (nAssP) is the leading organization of and voice for middle level and high school principals, assistant principals, and school leaders from across the united states and 35 countries around the world. The association connects and engages school leaders through advocacy, research, education, and student programs. nAssP advocates on behalf of all school leaders to ensure the success of each student and strengthens school leadership practices through the design and delivery of high quality professional learning experiences. Reflecting its longstanding commitment to student leadership development, nAssP administers the national Honor society, national Junior Honor society, national elementary Honor society, and national Association of student Councils. For more information about nAssP, located in Reston, VA, visit www.nassp.org. Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU), a financial services leader, has operations in the united states, Asia, europe, and Latin America. Prudential’s diverse and talented employees are committed to helping individual and institutional customers grow and protect their wealth through a variety of products and services, including life insurance, annuities, retirement-related services, mutual funds and investment management. In the u.s., Prudential’s iconic Rock symbol has stood for strength, stability, expertise and innovation for more than a century. l-r, St. Francis Prep Chaplain, Fr. Bill Sweeney, Principal, Mr. Patrick McLaughlin, Jean-Pierre Tenesaca, Kristen Yost, Kristen Cournane, Director of Campus Ministry, Dr. Christian Sullivan, and Campus Minister for Service Learning, Mr. Shawn Sempowich


QC03262015
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