42 THE QUEENS COURIER • KIDS & EDUCATION • MARCH 31, 2016 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com s kids & education Photo Courtesy of Christ the King High School The Christ the King High School Speech and Debate team will head to national and state competitions. Christ the King HS debaters head to state & national championships BY ERICA SIUDZINSKI editorial@qns.com/@qns The debate team at Middle Village’s Christ the King Regional High School will be heading to this year’s state championships and nationals after their hard work and dedication this school year. The Catholic high school’s speech and debate team has qualifi ed an all-time record of 20 students for entry into the New York State Championships in April. Eight students also qualifi ed for the National Finals this June in Sacramento, California. “The Speech and Debate Team has been challenging themselves this school year and over the past two months,” said Principal Peter Mannarino. “All of their hard work has clearly paid off. We are very proud of the team and their efforts and wish them the best of luck as they head to both the State and National Championships.” The National qualifi ers are Donatto Cado, Christian Cardus, Stephany David, Daymien Farulla, Sarah Girgis, Laura Jan, Emily Rivas, and Krystle Salvati. Bayside teen achieves glory on the ice with a champion synchronized skating team BY ERICA SIUDZINSKI editorial@qns.com/@qns One Bayside teen skated her way to a national championship earlier this month. Local skater and St. Francis Preparatory freshman Emma Estrada was crowned National Champion at the 2016 U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships in Kalamazoo, Michigan as a member of the Skyliners Intermediate Synchronized Skating Team. Performing to a “Superheroes” music medley, Estrada and her teammates impressed the nine-judge panel with the technical diffi culty of their program. The Skyliners competed among the twelve best synchronized skating teams in the country, clinching an impressive victory with the best score of the season. This is the Skyliners fi rst national crown in the Intermediate division. Josh Babb, Skyliners head coach and director of synchronized skating, called this a record season for the team. “As our team grows, so do our accomplishments. Our skaters work extremely hard and their efforts have really paid off this year,” he said. Synchronized skating is a competitive group sport consisting of 8 to 20 athletes performing a program on ice together in unison. Routines require intricate formations, speed and challenging step sequences, as well as enormous teamwork to pull it all together. Though not currently an Olympic sport, skaters compete in both national and international arenas, and there is a move towards inclusion at the 2022 Winter Olympics. Founded in 2001 by a group of competitive parents, the Skyliners Synchronized Skating Team was designed to be the most competitive synchronized skating team in the tristate area. The team started small with three lines, but has grown enormously to eleven lines and 190 skaters, ranging in age from 5 to 26. The team is primarily tri-state, but has members from across the country, from as far as Minnesota and California. “We’ve worked really hard as a team and individually all season and it paid off,” said Estrada, enthused at the team’s win. “It was a great experience.” Photo Courtesy of St. Francis Preparatory School Estrada and her synchronized skating team clinched the national championship in Michigan this month Eleven MHS students perform as part of the All-City HS Chorus and Orchestra Ensembles Congratulations are in order for Jenny, Georgia, Martyna, Laura, Kevin, David, John, Kaitlyn, Maryhelen, Zhi, Ethan, Abril, Coello, Ross, Jennifer, and Olivia on great performances this past weekend at the All-City Music Festival. The All-City High School music ensembles are important and highly regarded components of the Department of Education’s arts offerings. As a result of membership in the All-City HS ensembles, students are able to apply the acquired musical and social skills in myriad ways, beyond the scope of the program.
QC03312016
To see the actual publication please follow the link above