Contributors: Jen Althans Jacob Doran Katharine Gaddis William Gruber Karen Kaiser Casey Leonard Andy Limbert Jennifer Miller Gianna Pandolfi

Fr. Bob Penhallurick Joan Roberts Sandy Shipley Laurie Smith

Graphic Design: Laurie Smith

THE DOLPHIN QUARTERLY

A publication to Enlighten, Recognize,

and Inspire our

St. Brendan School Community

January 2016

Dear Families, Welcome to another edition of the Dolphin Quarterly! We send this periodical out to ALL of our parish families so that the whole community can know the great things that are happening in our school, a place where faith and education unite. The school got off to a great start as we returned from celebrating Christmas and that theme continues as we journey quickly into Lent. That season starts early this year (it's about as early as it can get) because Easter falls early and as a result we can look forward with anticipation to great food (our fish fries) and great activities that remind us of our need for God's presence in our lives. Pope Francis named this year as an Extraordinary Holy Year of Mercy, and Lent is a time when we especially focus on God's mercy and generosity to us. We will celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation with the school as always, but, we will also have a parish mission that will, this year, impact the school as well. Our mission takes place on March 7,8,9 in the evenings with the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, but during the school day the Friars will be visiting the school as well. They are an energetic bunch and I know that our students will have fun and grow in their faith because of their visit. This follows on from a very successful mini-retreat that we had for the middle school in Advent and the visit to the Cathedral to pray before the relics of St Maria Goretti when they visited Columbus in the Fall. Why are these spiritual experiences important for our students? Because they help them, and all of us, to have a greater sense of our connection to the Universal Church and the Communion of Saints of which we are all a part. They give them opportunities to encounter Jesus in the Church as well as learn about Him in the classroom. Catechesis is always important but we have to know Jesus personally if it is to have an impact in our lives, and we are to reach heaven. As always, we thank you for partnering with us. We know that you take seriously your responsibility to educate your children in our Faith and want them to encounter Jesus for themselves. Don't forget Jesus wants you too! I encourage you to live your faith and go deeper in your relationship with Jesus. Remember, that we have now signed on to the FORMED online resource (formed.org) that gives you great material for your busy lives - and it is completely FREE! Contact the parish office for more details. Please continue to pray for our school and all who cross its threshold, that we may continue to grow disciples who love and serve our Lord. God bless, Fr Bob

ST. BRENDAN STUDENTS ENJOY THE “HOUR OF CODE”

During the week of December 7th, every class at St. Brendan (kindergarten through 8th grade) was given the opportunity to partici-pate in “The Hour of Code”. Students, ages 5 through 14, spent an en-tire class period learning the methodology behind and the practice of programming. Through simple commands, blockly programming, and written code, each student learned problem solving, logic and the val-ue of creativity.

Code.org®, launched in 2013, is a non-profit organization fo-cused on exposing all students to computer science, regardless who they are, what they look like, or where they are from. Code.org goals include: improving diversity in computer science, inspiring students, and preparing new computer science teachers.

Each student was challenged with a series of activities including Kodable, The Foos, Lightbot, Minecraft, Star Wars, etc. The challenges started out small with simple commands directing an object to move along a path completing tasks. Slowly and methodically, those com-mands expanded and the tasks became more complex. As students advanced through the tasks, each was provided the opportunity to

move to a more complicated level. Kindergarten students spent the majority of their time in Kodable and The Foos, while students in grades 3 through 8 enjoyed Lightbot. A few students even moved beyond the code.org lessons to programming using applications such as Scratch and Pencil Code. Students were engaged, chal-lenged, excited and upset when their ‘hour’ was over.

“The Hour of Code” does not have to stop there. Code.org has a multi-tude of resources that allow parents to assist their children with learning more about computer science. Many of the programs we used in “The Hour of Code” are available to play and download for Android and iOS devices.

According to Code.org, “9 in 10 parents want their students to learn computer science, but only 1 in 4 schools teach it.” Until The Hour of Code, St. Brendan was one of the 3 not teaching computer science. Through initiatives such as The Hour of Code, STEM Team competitions, and the potential of an expanded STEM Lab coming to the school campus, I hope St. Brendan is hop-ing to expand support in this area. Be sure to check out the school auction catalog for ‘Another Hour of Code’ count-me-in party for more opportunities!

If you have any questions about “The Hour of Code” or are interested in help finding more educational materials about computer science, please contact Andy Limbert at alimbert@rezint.com

POWER OF THE PEN

SOMETHIN’S UP, DOWN IN BETHLEHEM

Fourth grade students took to the stage this past December to share the message of Christmas with classmates and parents. Under the direction of Mrs. Vera Allen, the fourth grade led us in song and story about the shep-herd, Reuben (played by Parker Brunner) and his adventures along the way to Bethlehem.

Recently the Power of the Pen team consisting of Molly Burchard, Sarah Grace Downing, Sophia Hoersten,

Jeremy Nugent and Michael Terranova competed in the District tournament at Baldwin Rd STEM school. Sophia Hoersten placed 12th among the District’s 8th graders. The team is coached by Jenny Thomas and Casey Leonard. Congrats, Sophia!

M

MIDDLE SCHOOL RETREAT A SUCCESS!

Middle School students participated in an Advent Retreat at

the beginning of December. The parish Youth Minister, Ad-

am Boyden, led the retreat along with young adult volun-

teers from area high schools and universities. Students

heard reflections on the meaning of Advent, played in games

and contests, and ended the day with Eucharistic Adoration.

LET’S HAVE A PARRANDA!

In Spanish class the fifth grade students

learned how Hispanic countries celebrate

Christmas. They learned about the tradition of

Puerto Rico doing the “ Parrandas,” other

countries like Mexico doing “Las Posadas” and

how this is similar to the tradition in United

States of Christmas Carols. They learned the

song Noche de Paz (Silent Night) and they

participated in a “parranda,” which is musical

festivities during the Christmas season. They

paraded to classrooms to perform during the

Christmas season. Pictured above is part of their

procession known as a “parranda.”

Third graders show off their Advent service project where they collected travel sized toiletries and put them in make-up bags to be given to families in need. Both third grade

classes participated in this annual collection for the families of J.O.I.N. Way to go, third grade!

The 2015 Bishop Ready High School Feeder

School STEM Competition took place on November 10.

The STEM Competition is a hands-on, problem-solving

team competition. This year’s challenge focused on

movement. The students had to construct zoetropes

and replicas of other early moving picture techniques.

They had to follow numerous instructions, build the

required objects, and record their progress. “Brain

Breaks” were interspersed throughout the competi-

tion.

St. Brendan School was represented by two

teams of 7th and 8th grade students. The students

were selected based on teacher recommendations.

They met several times throughout September and

October to prepare for the competition. The 8th grade

team members were Tom Bair, Eli Bowles, Sarah

D’Ambrosi, and Bridget Ferguson. The 7th grade team

members were Max Greene, Grace Orians, Ethan Re-

delberger, and Grace Vulic. Molly Burchard served as

the alternate for both teams and our official photogra-

pher.

We are proud of all the students, but we are

especially proud of our 7th grade team that earned

first place in the competition.

STEM COMPETITION A SUCCESS

THIRD GRADE LEARNS TO SERVE OTHERS IN NEED

What better way to spend your Christmas break, than reading a great book? EVERY fifth grader completed the Christmas break reading challenge successfully and were rewarded with a hot cocoa party - with marshmallows of course!

FIFTH GRADE TACKLES READING CHALLENGE

The students in 2A culminated their Science unit on Weather by sharing their written reports on Thunder-storms, Blizzards, Hurricanes and Tornadoes with each other. They all enjoyed this unit and loved learning

how to be weather watchers. UPCOMING EVENTS—MARK YOUR

CALENDARS!

Feb. 4 1:30 dismissal; Parent/Teacher confer-

ences 2:00—8:30 p.m.

Feb. 5 NO SCHOOL

Feb. 6 RED dinner and auction

Feb. 9 Open House 9:00—11:00 a.m.

Feb. 10 Ash Wednesday service 8:45 a.m.

Feb. 11 Third Grade Wax Museum, 1:15 p.m.

SECOND GRADE FORECAST: SUNNY REPORTS SHARED

Since Spring of 2015, the Battle of the Books team consisting of Victoria Lorenc, Grace Vulic, Alex Casper, Alex Altier, Anthony Phillips, and Ethan Redelberger have been preparing for this year’s battle by reading 14 books each. This year the tournament takes place in March at BWHS and St. Agatha.

BATTLE OF THE BOOKS

IS UNDER WAY

ST. BRENDAN ALUMNI — WE

WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

We want to stay connected with our graduates. Please send an email to

sbee@cdeducation.org to make sure we have your latest contact info in the

directory. You can also find us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/

StBrendanHilliard.

CAN YOU SPELL E-X-C-I-T-I-N-G?

This year’s Senior

Spelling Bee was an

exciting spelling

extravaganza! An

alternate had to stand in

at the last minute, four

contestants who had no

misses went into the

challenge round, and the

final rounds pitted

brother vs. brother. Two

of the challenge round

spellers (Daniel Ferguson

and Christian Sarver) left the contest after eight

rounds of more difficult words. At that point, the

competition became a battle between brothers

Warren (last year’s champion) and Malcolm

D’Souza. With rapid-fire speed, the two gentlemen

made their way through 154 more words and

exhausted the entire list – with NO misses!

For the very first time, our moderator, Mrs.

Judy Colley, had turn to her “Super-Secret Spelling

List” which is made up of words that are not on the

preparation study lists. After a complex explanation

of the rules concerning the spell down process

between the final two players, the final rounds

began. Within the first five words, both brothers

had misspelled a word, only to be corrected by the

other brother. Malcolm gave the final correct

spelling however, and he is this year’s champion.

Congratulations Malcolm!

Malcolm, pictured above, will take the

online, qualifying spelling test on January 28. If he

qualifies, he will move on to the Regional Scripps

Spelling Bee in Athens, Ohio, in March.

Our congratulations to all of the contestants

who obviously had studied extensively to prepare

for this year’s spelling bee. We offer a special nod

to Emily Seidensticker, the alternate who had to

step forward that morning. We look forward to

more exciting competitions in the coming years.

The following students were participants in this

year’s Senior Spelling Bee:

8- Christian Sarver, Sophia Hoersten (alternate

Jeremy Nugent)

7A – Ryan Ziegler, Max Greene (Grace Vulic)

7B – Thaddeus Paxia Poppaw, Zach Yates (Grace

Orians)

6A – Emily Shoup, Victoria Regan (Timothy Govenor)

6B – Daniel Ferguson, Emily Seidensticker, the

alternate who stepped in for Lucas Chan

5A – Marcus Dye, Warren D’Souza (Anh Thi Thai)

5B – Lizzy McQuade, Arianna Murray (Evan Vulic)

4A – Brendan Meloun, Hannah Conway (Johnny

DiBlasio)

4B – Malcolm D’Souza, Joseph DiPalma (Dillon

Miller)