Monthly Newspaper • DIOCESE OF BRIDGEPORT

TRUMBULL—St. Theresa School recently celebrated Grandparent’s Day with an oral spiritual bouquet after Mass and the Litany of the Saints led by Father Gannon.

Each class presented a prayer in Latin or English for the intentions of their grandparents and special guests.

Attached are the few short videos of the children reciting their prayers:

Kindergarten: Ave Maria (Hail Mary), Pater Noster (Our Father)
3rd Grade: Pater Noster (Our Father)
1st Grade: St Theresa Prayer

Click play below to watch a video.


 


 

DANBURY – Annual spring musicals are part of the Immaculate High School tradition. Due to Covid-19, the 2020 musical was unfortunately unable to go on, but director Matthew Farina was determined to make the 2021 show a reality. The planning process for this year’s production has been different than most years, as a virtual show was inevitable. When exploring possibilities for shows, Farina wanted an option that would come across screens as well as it would on a stage. “I wanted to weave the virtual production into the storyline of the show,” he said. This goal of having the storyline of the show make sense virtually eliminated traditional options such as Oklahoma, which takes place in a time where Zoom and virtual watching would be foreign concepts. Thus, Immaculate’s rendering of WE WILL ROCK YOU was born.

WE WILL ROCK YOU is told through the songs of the British rock band Queen and is set in the distant future where live music and free thought have been banned. A group of rock rebels, called Bohemians, fight against the globally corporate world to restore freedom and the rebirth of rock and roll.

The next challenge to tackle was how to produce this show in a way that would be interesting to the audience watching through a screen. Due to Covid-19 restrictions and safety protocols, having the whole cast together and live streaming the show from the school auditorium was out of the question. That is where the movie musical idea came to be. By filming one scene at a time, students are able to work in smaller groups and maintain social distance to keep each other safe. Scouting and filming at different locations around Immaculate and the Danbury community keep the show fresh and interesting to watch.

Farina says the new way of producing the show has allowed not only himself and producer Kathleen Czel to think outside the box, but the students as well. “It may never be like this again,” Farina said in regards to the movie musical format, and explained that they are taking advantage of the opportunity to be “creatively brave” and use different technology and computer effects to enhance the viewing experience.

WE WILL ROCK YOU will be livestreamed Friday, May 21 at 7:00 pm, Saturday, May 22 at 7:00 pm and Sunday, May 23 at 2:00 pm. Information regarding accessing the livestream, a full cast list and more can be found at www.immaculatehs.org/rock.

TRUMBULL, CT—St Joseph High School, southern Connecticut’s premier college preparatory school, is proud to announce that Joseph Harrington and Helen Mahoney are this year’s Valedictorian and Salutatorian respectively.

Joseph Harrington has attained the highest academic record among his class and will deliver the Valedictorian’s Farewell Address at the close of Commencement on Saturday, June 5th. Joseph resides in Fairfield, CT and currently serves as President of the Writing Center, a Captain of the Boys Varsity Tennis Team, and member of the National Honor Society, Jazz Band, Coding Club, and Student Ambassadors. Joseph is also a Harvard Book Award recipient, Commended National Merit Scholar, and a member of Math, English, Spanish, and Music Honor Societies. Additionally, he has represented St Joes multiple times as a Western Region and All-State Euphonium instrumentalist. Joseph is heavily involved in scouting, having served as the Senior Patrol Leader of his troop, and as a Chapter Chief in scouting’s national honor society, the Order of the Arrow. Joe is currently wrapping up his Eagle Scout project and application and, in the fall, plans on attending The University of Notre Dame to study economics and political science.

St Joe’s Salutatorian, Helen Mahoney resides in Stamford, CT. She is President of the National Honor Society, and has led the initiative to make and deliver over 10,000 sandwiches to the New Covenant Center. She is a member of the Math, English, and Spanish Honor Societies. Helen is also a Yale Book Award recipient, an AP Scholar with Distinction, and a Bausch + Lomb Honorary Science Award recipient. During her time at St Joes, as a Presidential Scholar, Helen has been an active member of the Drama and Debate clubs, as well as President of the Online Writing Resource Center and Vice President of Student Ambassadors. She was also a starting defender on the 2017 Varsity Girls Soccer State Championship team. In the fall, Helen will attend The University of Notre Dame as a Glynn Family Honors Program Scholar, majoring in Mathematics.

“We are so proud of these two very talented students who embody all that is St Joes,” said Principal, Nancy DiBuono. “James is a leader through example and his strength of character is noticed by all. Helen is a talented student with a strong work ethic. She sets high standards for herself and is a leader both in and out of the classroom. We know they are both destined for greatness.”

 About St Joseph High School

St Joseph High School (SJHS) strives to be the premier college preparatory school in Southern Connecticut. The school provides a learning environment that embraces the Gospel values of the Roman Catholic faith and promotes a commitment to family and community. SJHS prepares young women and men to realize their potential, helps them to excel in higher education, and provides a foundation to guide them throughout their lives. St Joseph High School is a member of NCEA, NAIS, NEAS&C.  www.sjcadets.org

 

NEWTOWN—St. Rose School students recently traveled the world as they celebrated International Week. This is a long-time school tradition where every grade chooses and studies a country then shares their knowledge with fellow classes.

The week kicks off with an International Flag ceremony.  This year the ceremony was small, with 3 representatives from each class carrying flags, wearing country colors and garb and presenting key facts about the country.

Countries represented ranged from Italy to Ghana.  Students read articles, watched videos, created art work and made items such as rain sticks (Australia), Achi, a game played in Ghana, as well as Djemba drums (also Ghana).

In fact, fifth-graders also created folk tales that they will be sharing with students at a school in Ghana that St. Rose School supported through its recent Lenten Mission Drive.

First-graders studied the tastes, sights and events of Italy while second graders toured Mexico and made maracas. It was a marvelous learning adventure for all!

Click here to see a full video of the International Flag Ceremony!

DANBURY—Immaculate High School will be hosting their 16th annual Gala on May 1, 2021 at 7 pm. This year, the gala will be held virtually and everyone is invited to attend! In lieu of admission or ticket prices, Immaculate is asking everyone to become a sponsor at any level. Sponsorship options can be found at immaculatehs.org/gala. In traditional fashion, Immaculate will be honoring two members of their community with the Nancy K. Dolan Leadership Award and the Distinguished Service Award.

Brian P. McGovern, a member of the Immaculate Class of 1989, is the recipient of the Nancy K. Dolan Leadership Award. Brian stayed active in the Immaculate community after graduating by helping to plan the Class of 1989 reunions and furthered his involvement in 2009 by becoming a member of the school’s Advisory Board. In this role, he was able to lead the initiative to bring better technology such as projectors and laptops into the classrooms. He also the Immaculate Alumni Association, which keeps graduates of the school in close communication with happenings at Immaculate. Brian is presently a General Manager at Miratech, overseeing the company’s industry leading workflow management products that deliver business results across a variety of industries.

John G. Capilli, Sr. is the recipient of the Distinguished Service Award for his commitment to Immaculate High School as a member of the community for the past eleven years. Along with being aparent of Cara ‘14 and Johnny Jr. ‘17, John has continued to serve on the Mustang All Sports Club (MASC), the Annual Golf Outing Committee and is a member of the School Advisory Board. He has also been a generous sponsor of numerous athletics fundraising events, the Tuition Assistance Program, Annual Golf Outing and Annual Gala. John is the Division President of Classic Equipment Services, Inc., a subsidiary of Vault Structures, Inc. out of Fort Myers, Florida and Cedarville, New Jersey.

The theme of this year’s gala is Light the Way and will feature a virtual silent auction, a $10,000 cash raffle and more! For more information and to become a sponsor, visit immaculatehs.org/gala.

NEWTOWN—On Monday, March 29, Kindergarten students at St. Rose School in Newtown were decked out in their Easter finest, including handmade Easter bonnets, hats and bow ties.

Students and their parents paraded around the school parking lot, calling out Happy Easter! They then brought their joy across the street to Church Hill Village, an assisted living facility.

Many residents were seated in front of the building with a special guest—the Easter Bunny!

Students waved and called out Happy Easter, giving high fives to the Easter Bunny. The Bunny led students to the back of the facility where they waved to other residents who were watching from their windows.

Their little feet walked many steps and warmed many hearts with Christ’s love!

STRATFORD—Shaelyn Averaimo, an eighth-grade student at St. Mark School in Stratford, recently met with Senator Chris Murphy and Senator Richard Blumenthal’s office about passing the Food Allergy Safety Treatment Education & Research (FASTER) Act.

According to Shaelyn, the FASTER Act would ensure food ingredients are listed in “plain” wording and allocate more money towards research and development for a food allergy cure.

Shaelyn has a life-threatening food allergy and is a strong advocate for herself and other young people like her. She is a Teen Advisory Group (TAG) member for Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE), the world’s largest private funder of food allergy research. Shaelyn works on youth projects, creates content for the company’s website, and serves as a leader at national events.

She recently attended Courage at Congress 2021, FARE’s second annual advocacy event on March 8-10. The three-day event was a virtual gathering this year, allowing more members of the community to have their voices heard by key members of Congress and work on passing H.R. 1202, the FASTER Act.

The bill would update allergen labeling laws to include sesame and would require the federal government to analyze the most promising research opportunities to help scientists develop more effective treatments and, ultimately, a cure for food allergies.

“More than 1.5 million people are allergic to sesame, yet it is not required to be included on any product labels,” shares Shaelyn. “We will not stop advocating for this critical piece of legislation until we get sesame labeled.”

Shaelyn adds, “Also, 32 million people suffer from food allergies, but there is only one FDA-approved treatment, and it only helps those with peanut allergy. We must collect national data on Americans’ exposure to food allergens and prevalence of food allergies to specific allergens.”

In 2020, the FASTER Act passed the United States House of Representatives on November 17 and the United States Senate on December 9. Due to some minor changes in the bill in the Senate, it needed to go back to the House for a final vote. Unfortunately, the legislative clock ran out.

In February 2021, the bill was reintroduced and on March 3, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed the FASTER Act, moving the legislation one step closer to law.

Shaelyn suggests, “If you live with a food allergy or have a loved one with a food allergy, please contact your Representative, ask them to co-sponsor H.R. 1202 and pass it.  Also, please contact your Senator and let them know that more needs to be done by way of funding and research to protect over 32 million people from life-threatening food allergies.”

Next fall, Shaelyn will be attending Sacred Heart Academy in Hamden where she hopes to join the Track Team, the Drama Club and focus on Science, Mandarin, and making new friends.  She also hopes to continue to advocate for food allergy awareness when the opportunity presents itself.

For more information, please visit Shaelyn’s Instagram Account (shaeallergy07) and website (www.nowheyshae.com), both dedicated to food allergy awareness.

NEWTOWN—On Friday, March 12, 5-8th graders at St. Rose School participated in activities to celebrate Pi Day.

Students in Mrs. Cicarelli’s 6th, 7th, and 8th grades created a “Pi-Line, Skyline” project. Pi Day is celebrated on March 14 around the world and the Greek letter “π” is the symbol used to represent the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter, approximately 3.14159. 

Students shared in a mini-lesson discussing pi and translated the famous number into their very own artwork. Students created a vertical bar graph, where each bar’s height corresponds to each digit of Pi. The completed graph gives the impression of a city skyline, which the students then colored in to enhance the buildings.

As a special treat, 7th-graders received individual-sized apple pies (donated by generous parents) to eat while they worked on their Pi-Line projects.

Students in Mrs. Bokuniewicz’s 5th-grade class were challenged to name as many digits in Pi as they could—winners named as many as 151! It was an innovative, engaging and memorable lesson.

DANBURY—Continuing with a rigorous academic program, Immaculate High School students are awakening their hearts to transform challenging times into caring times. This vibrant school community ignites its charisms of service and educates the whole student while preparing for a joyful Easter season. During Lent, students have stepped up to support one another and those in the community who are facing daily hardships while pursuing their coursework and extracurricular activities with vigor and grace. Consciously spending more time in prayer whether in the school’s Monsignor Hossan Memorial Chapel or at home, students are embracing their faith through self-reflection, repentance and almsgiving.

During this time of renewal and new beginnings, the school is discontinuing its twelve months of student cohorts and virtual learning by inviting all students to attend class in person. “When reviewing our current mitigation practices, we feel confident with opening our doors to all students to return to the school building,” shares school President Mary Maloney. The school will continue to adhere to all CDC and Danbury Public Health guidance, especially the wearing of face masks for the remainder of the school year.

The school has been able to offer its students the ability to engage in a synchronous hybrid learning environment where fifty percent of the students were in the building and fifty percent attended class remotely. To assist students with the challenges of the hybrid program, the counseling department began offering an increased number of advisory programs and grade level meetings, as well as created a Helping Peer Excel Program, a Scholars Program, a Freshman in the Fold program and a Virtual Calming room, an online space where students can access visuals, sounds and activities designed to help lower stress.  In addition, PSAT, SAT and ACT tests have been administered, students have been participating in regular club activities, and have earned awards in Mock Trial, Cyber Patriots, Engineering, Writing and Art competitions. The school’s athletic teams have been able to participate in league competitions in the fall and winter. Principal Wendy Neil compliments the efforts of teachers, building maintenance teams, support staff and parents for sustaining the ability to provide students with a positive experience. “Everyone has worked so hard to maintain our excellent programs and now we are looking forward to being back together with all of our students,” she exclaims.

With the significant reduction of local positive cases in the Danbury area and the ability for school personnel to be vaccinated, the school’s decision to invite all student’s back to the building was welcomed by faculty and administrators. The school will continue to offer the option for parents who have family members or students who are at high risk of severe illness due to exposure to the disease, to have their child remain enrolled on the school’s virtual student roster.

“Although so many are uncertain about what life may be like after the pandemic, we are certain that our experiences have strengthened our understanding of the lessons of humility, the importance of caring for others, and our need to trust in God’s love. We are extremely thankful for the blessings that have been bestowed upon our school community and pray that Easter blessings will be abundant for all,” states Maloney.

DANBURY—Celebrating Catholic Schools Week, Immaculate High School in Danbury held a week-long food drive for the FAITH Food Pantry in Newtown.

“I’ve always wanted to do a fundraiser through my school,” said Sophia Pertoso, a junior at Immaculate High School who organized the food drive.

A collection bin was set up in the school and one bin was stationed outside the school for any virtual students who wanted to drop off food items.

Pertoso, who also volunteers to make sandwiches for Dorothy Day Hospitality House in Danbury and visits a nursing home near her school to spend time with residents bringing home-baked cookies and good conversation to brighten their day, chose FAITH pantry to help people in her hometown.

“We really, really appreciate what Sophia did,” said Lee Paulsen, president of FAITH Food Pantry, adding that the demand for food and household items has doubled since the pandemic.

FAITH food pantry established in 1984, provides one week of groceries to Newtown residents in need, once a month. The letters in the nonprofit volunteer organization’s name stands for Food Assistance, Immediate, Temporary Help.

“We need all the help we can get,” Paulsen said. “There are so many people in need right now.”

Although the pantry continues to get donations of fresh eggs and milk from local restaurants, donations for basic items are down due in part to the lack of contributions from school food drives since many public schools have been closed or partially closed due to the pandemic.

After contacting the pantry, Pertoso discovered donations are not as plentiful after the holidays but the need for items is still there. Her fellow classmates did not let her down.

“It was an overwhelming amount of donations,” she said. “The food pantry was over the moon excited. I don’t think they expected to get as much as they did.”

In fact, after the food drive was over, students continued to bring much needed items such as apple or cranberry juice, cleaning supplies, laundry detergent, pancake mix, salt, pepper, taco kits and napkins.

Pertoso, a virtual student due to the pandemic, was planning to make a second trip to pick-up donations at the school and drop them off to the pantry.

“That’s the good thing about my school, everyone is very giving,” said Pertoso, who organized the food drive with school officials through zoom meetings.

“I admire young people like Sophia that think outside of the box, ‘Gee, maybe I can help somebody,’ well she did and I appreciate it,” Paulsen said. “What she did was terrific.”

“I want to help as much as I can,” Pertoso said. “You never know what people are going through. Maybe that chocolate chip cookie will make someone smile. The little things matter.”

DANBURY—Six Immaculate High School students had their work recognized and awarded at the annual Connecticut Regional Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards is the nation’s longest-running, most prestigious recognition program for creative teens. Teens in grades 7-12 can apply in 28 categories of art and writing, and submissions are judged regionally and nationally by panels of creative industry experts.

Regional Art Awards were presented to Brooke Squitieri ‘21 who received an honorable mention in the drawing and illustration category for her piece “Discriminating Digits”; Anna Kopec ‘23 who received a Silver Key in the drawing and illustration category for her piece “Tiger King”; and Olivia Esposito ‘23 who received an Honorable Mention in the design category for her piece “Trivia Tile Game”. Student artwork is juried by professional artists and university art faculty and is selected on merit for inclusion in a state-wide art exhibition that is traditionally held at the Hartford Art School. Beyond the honor of being selected for this high quality exhibit, students may be awarded Gold or Silver keys and Honorable Mention Awards in each of 18 media categories. Students whose art pieces were recognized in the 2021 Regional Art Awards will be honored at a virtual celebration with winners from other schools on February 26. A virtual gallery of all the entries can be viewed here.

In the Regional Writing Awards, Spencer Squitieri ‘21 with his essay “Finding the Words for Why,” Zachary Meyerson ‘21 with his essay “More In Common” and Caitlin Doherty ‘21 with her essay “Unspoken” all received Silver Keys in the personal essay & memoir category. Annually, over 1,500 students from across Connecticut submit entries vividly demonstrating their passion for the craft of writing. From this large pool of poetry, essays, stories, and drama, submissions in Poetry and Prose are awarded to be published or honored at each grade level. Students who were awarded for their pieces will be celebrated at a virtual celebration on March 7. View the full list of award recipients.

Immaculate High School is a private, non-profit Catholic college-preparatory institution serving students from 28 communities in Connecticut and New York. Founded in 1962, Immaculate High School also allows students to focus on their spiritual development, personal moral commitments and service to others. Located in Danbury, CT, Immaculate High School is part of the Diocese of Bridgeport’s parochial school system. Immaculate is currently accepting freshman and transfer student applications. For more information on rolling admissions please visit immaculatehs.org/admissions.

DANBURY—Immaculate High School’s Brave Engineers team participated in the Real World Design Challenge (RWDC), receiving second place in the State Finals. This incredible performance qualified the Brave Engineers for the RWDC National/International competition in April. The team will also have the opportunity to compete for merit awards at the National/International Competition.

The Brave Engineers, coached by Jeanine Antonios, includes members Mario Perez ‘22, Carolyn Jandura ‘22, Nikolas Badinelli ‘22, Meryl McKenna ‘21, Shaun McKenna ‘23 and Zifeng Zhan ’22.

The Real World Design Challenge is an annual competition that provides high school students, grades 9-12, the opportunity to work on real world engineering challenges in a team environment. Each year, student teams are asked to address a challenge that confronts our nation’s leading industries. Students utilize professional engineering software to develop their solutions and also generate presentations that convincingly demonstrate the value of their solutions. The RWDC provides students with opportunities to apply the lessons of the classroom to the technical problems that are being faced in the workplace.

Immaculate High School is a private, non-profit Catholic college-preparatory institution serving students from 28 communities in Connecticut and New York. Founded in 1962, Immaculate High School also allows students to focus on their spiritual development, personal moral commitments and service to others. Located in Danbury, CT, Immaculate High School is part of the Diocese of Bridgeport’s parochial school system. Immaculate is currently accepting freshman and transfer student applications. For more information on rolling admissions please visit immaculatehs.org/admissions.

DANBURY—Immaculate High School’s CyberPatriots team has been competing in the CyberPatriots XII National Tournament. There are three qualifying rounds in order to be considered for a spot in the National Finals, Immaculate placed fifth and first in the opening two rounds and finished the third round strong with a first-place win for the gold tier and third overall for the state of Connecticut.

Immaculate’s CyberPatriots team, coached by Dave Cirella, includes members Perry Gosh ‘21, Kolbe Mosher ‘21, Anish Nanda ‘22, Ethan Goodman ‘21, Aidan Doolabh ‘23, and Logan McAloon ‘21.

CyberPatriot is the National Youth Cyber Education Program created by the Air Force Association (AFA) to inspire K-12 students toward careers in cybersecurity or other science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines critical to our nation’s future.

Immaculate High School is a private, non-profit Catholic college-preparatory institution serving students from 28 communities in Connecticut and New York. Founded in 1962, Immaculate High School also allows students to focus on their spiritual development, personal moral commitments and service to others. Located in Danbury, CT, Immaculate High School is part of the Diocese of Bridgeport’s parochial school system. Immaculate is currently accepting freshman and transfer student applications. For more information on rolling admissions please visit immaculatehs.org/admissions.

NEWTOWN—With Catholic Schools week running from January 31-February 6, St. Rose of Lima School in Newtown started out the month in celebration. However, the snow interrupted the initial timing of events, so the celebrations were extended over the following weeks!

First, there was an 8th-grade vs. faculty Family Feud game on Friday, February 5. In the past, there has been an 8th-grade vs. faculty volleyball game but given restrictions that has been postponed and will hopefully take place outdoors later in the spring. In the meantime, students and faculty played a safe and fun game of Family Feud in the Gathering Hall. The students were the victors!

Also on Friday, February 5, the Home & School Association (HSA) showed their appreciation to teachers and faculty with hand-delivered lunches from Marketplace as well as Relax, Rest & Restore Mason jars filled with a candle, lip balm, a teabag, a face mask and a beautiful plant. This was in place of the traditional teacher/staff appreciation luncheon and was received with much gratitude.

On February 10, 6th and 7th-graders assembled Valentine craft kit bags for the CH Booth Library in Newtown to distribute to three and four-year-olds in the community. This is in keeping with a past tradition of the middle school students leading a craft and reading hour for Little Ones at the Library over the past few years during Catholic Schools Week. Three 6th-grade students filmed a “how-to” video which the Library will post.  The bags were delivered and are displayed on top of one of the bookcases in the Children’s department where little ones can pick up and take home to do the craft.

Also on February 10, first-graders collected packaged cookies and candies for guests at the Dorothy Day Hospitality House in Danbury to be included in their Valentine’s Day lunch.

On February 11, there was a Spirit Stroll for 8th-graders at SRS. This took the place of the annual pep rally but enabled faculty and staff to acknowledge the leaders of the student body in this special last year at SRS. The entire school dressed in red and white. After morning prayer and announcements each 8th-grader was called by name over the speaker and “strolled” down the hallway while representatives from each class stood at the doorway of their classroom waving red and white pom-poms.

That afternoon, traditional mechanical pig races ensured, but to ensure safety and distancing only two classes went to the gym at a time.  It was a school-wide, creative effort. Third-grade, New Pork Piggers, won the preschool-3rd grade slot. Just Jeff, the fifth-grade pig, won the 4th-8th grade slot. New Pork Piggers was the overall winner, crossing the finish line ahead of Just Jeff in the final heat of the day. All classes put in a spirited effort:  Preschool—Her Royal Porkness; first grade—Moe; 2nd-grade—Baconator; 4th-grade —Bob the Bacon Builder; 6th-grade—Elvis Pigsley; 7th-grade—Hampa Bay Baconeer; 8th– grade—COVID-19.

The “fee” for dressing down for every student and faculty member was to bring at least two items for contribution to the Faith Food Pantry.  Service is an integral part of all St. Rose does throughout the year and particularly during Catholic Schools Week. During these weeks of celebration, students wrote cards for essential workers at Danbury Hospital, Nursing Home residents and Veterans to name a few.

DANBURY—Immaculate High School’s Mock Trial Team had its first competition on Friday, January 29. The competition was hosted virtually but it was still a great opportunity for the students of Immaculate to face off against the students from other schools in the state. The Immaculate defense team competed in the morning and lost a very close round against the prosecution team from Fairfield Ludlowe, one of the top ranked teams in the state. In the afternoon, the Immaculate prosecution won their round against the defense team from Mercy, bringing Immaculate to 1-1 on the day.

Individual honors were presented to Grace Garvey ‘21, who was awarded second Best Attorney for the morning round; Allie Belone ‘22, who was awarded Best Attorney in the afternoon round; and Ernst Koch ‘22, who was awarded Best Witness in the afternoon round. The high scores in both competitions leave Immaculate in a very good position as they enter the next level of competition on February 26. This competition season may not be like other years, but the Immaculate Mock Trial Team has remained invested and has been working hard under the guidance of their Mock Trial coach Chris Houser as they prepare for the next level of competition.

Mock Trial is a program sponsored by Civics First. Civics First is a private, non-profit association that conducts and promotes law-related education programs in Connecticut’s public, private, and parochial schools. Students who participate in the program develop self-confidence, critical thinking, and public speaking skills while learning about the Constitution and the rule of law.

Immaculate High School is a private, non-profit Catholic college-preparatory institution serving students from 28 communities in Connecticut and New York. Founded in 1962, Immaculate High School also allows students to focus on their spiritual development, personal moral commitments and service to others. Located in Danbury, CT, Immaculate High School is part of the Diocese of Bridgeport’s parochial school system. Immaculate is currently accepting freshman and transfer student applications. For more information on rolling admissions please visit immaculatehs.org/admissions.