By Veronica Ouellette
Special Correspondent

Published February 27 2008

STAMFORD - The Daughters of the American Revolution used an essay contest to teach Stamford students in Grades 5 to 8 about espionage.

The topic was “I Spy - Espionage During the American Revolution,” and winners of the annual contest were announced yesterday at Union Memorial Church. Winners received a certificate and a book to help them with research projects.

The three first-place winners also received a medal, and their essays will be submitted to a state competition.

The top three winners read their essays to the audience.

“I was a patriot spy,” said Katherina Focke, a fifth-grader at St. Cecilia’s School. “My name was Elisabeth Kane and I was married to a shopkeeper and had two children.”

“My spy started out being a Loyalist and then one of the generals killed his brother, and so he sought revenge and became a Patriot,” said Matthew McArthur, a seventh-grader at Trinity Catholic Middle School at St. Gabriel’s.

“My spy was a Loyalist posing as a soldier in General Washington’s troops,” said Blair Downey, an eighth-grader at Cloonan Middle School.

The contest was mandatory for some schools, but some of the winners liked learning about the American Revolution and the spies who helped the colonies break free from Great Britain.

“This project enabled me to deepen my knowledge about spying,” said Joanna Koczuk, an eighth-grader at Cloonan Middle School.

Joanna’s character was based on Lydia Darragh, a Philadelphia Quaker who spied on the British while they used her home as a meeting place. Joanna said she thought it would be interesting to make Darragh into a teenager so students could relate to her.

“I liked learning about the American Revolution,” said Maria Caponetti, a fifth-grader at St. Cecilia’s. “I also learned that we’re lucky to live in a free country right now because if we lived back then, we would be in great peril.”

In his essay, Michael Mackey, a seventh-grader at Trinity Catholic Middle School at St. Gabriel’s, was a 25-year-old Boston cobbler named Samuel Johnson.

“I learned how the Americans battled through these harsh times and even though the British had more money and weapons than them, the Americans came through and defeated them,” Michael said.

The winners in the “I Spy - Espionage During the American Revolution” essay contest:

Fifth grade

Honorable mention: Katherina Focke, St. Cecilia’s School, and Christopher Schwartz, Our Lady Star of the Sea School.

Third place: Jessica Chen, St. Cecilia’s.

Second place: Chelsea Campana, Our Lady Star of the Sea.

First place: Maria Caponetti, St. Cecilia’s.

There were no sixth-grade winners.

Seventh grade

Honorable mention: Morgan Kurtz and Carolyn Janik, Trinity Catholic Middle School at St. Gabriel’s.

Third place: Matthew McArthur, Trinity Catholic at St. Gabriel’s.

Second place: Marisa Carpanzano, Trinity Catholic at St. Gabriel’s.

First place: Michael Mackey, Trinity Catholic at St. Gabriel’s.

Eighth grade

Honorable mention: Brett Sottosanti and Jacquelyn Nelson, Cloonan Middle School.

Third place: Carolyn Ruther, Trinity Catholic.

Second place: Blair Downey, Cloonan Middle School.

First place: Joanna Koczuk, Cloonan Middle School.

Copyright © 2008, Southern Connecticut Newspapers, In

Katharina Focke is sworn in by Stamford Postmaster Mark Dolan with a group of fifth-graders at St. Cecilia Elementary School for the Wee Deliver Post Office. It is the 14th year for the in-school postal service.
(Kathleen O¹Rourke/Staff photo)

January 24, 2008

Students make the rounds at St. Cecilia

By Veronica Ouellette
Special Correspondent

Published January 24 2008
STAMFORD - Rain or shine, snow or fog, U.S. Postal Service carriers deliver the mail.

But weather is not a factor for mail carriers at St. Cecilia Elementary School, where students run Wee Deliver, an in-school post office.

“It’s a great experience for anyone who would like to try,” said 10-year-old Emma Sanfilippo, one of the postmasters. “It’s great fun. Kids want to send notes to people.”

Letters don’t have to be “official,” said Maria Caponetti, 10, another postmaster.

“St. Cecilia is the patron saint of music, so we made the addresses with music,” Maria said. “For instance, the third-graders’ address is Rock and Roll Road.”

Twelve fifth-graders were sworn in yesterday by Stamford’s U.S. Postal Service postmaster, Mark Dolan. Three fifth-graders serve one postmaster session at a time.

“We all really enjoy participating in Wee Deliver, whether we are a part of the staff or just writing letters to our friends,” 10-year-old St. Cecilia postmaster Matthew Fraioli wrote in a letter thanking Dolan.

The program helps children improve reading and writing skills, and teaches them responsibility by having them complete job assignments.

It’s fun, too, said the newly sworn postmasters.

“Now you can write letters to people,” said Brianna Samaranayake, 10. “If you have a friend in another class, then you can write to them and they can write back.”

Postmaster Emma enjoys several aspects of the program.

“I like delivering mail and helping the little kids. If they need help, I help them address the envelope properly,” she said. “It’s fun teaching them how to do it, and maybe one day they will become a post master.”

The Wee Deliver program began in 1994 at St. Cecilia, three years after it was originated by the U.S. Postal Service. The program for grades 3 through 5 is run by students who work as carriers, clerks, sorters and postmasters.

“This is serious for the children,” St. Cecilia Principal Joann Borchetta said. “They enjoy it. It’s different than e-mail, where you just delete it. They can read the letters over and over again and cherish those letters.”

After the ceremony, Dolan gave his future successors advice.

“Don’t forget to treat your carriers and clerks well,” he said. “You won’t be successful without making sure that the clerks and carriers are doing their jobs.”

Copyright © 2008, Southern Connecticut Newspapers, Inc.

Academic development includes decision making, problem solving, goal setting, critical thinking, logical reasoning, interpersonal communication, and the application of these skills to academic achievement. 

Personal development involves maximizing each student’s personal growth while building positive attitudes and self-esteem. 

Social development involves supporting each student’s social interaction and communication skills in order to enhance their educational development.

“At St. Cecilia, we are committed to the “whole child” and the “whole community,” Dr. Joann Borchetta, Principal of St. Cecilia Elementary School said.  “We want to help our young people develop good character and strong values and seek to lead lives of honesty, kindness, meaning, and contribution.  We believe Martha Erdman will play an essential role in ensuring this goal.”

“I am very excited to be a part of the school community and look forward to working with the students, teachers and parents. I will be working in conjunction with the school’s mission toward academic success within a loving, Christian community,” said Ms. Erdman.

An additional component of the school counseling program involves teaching classroom lessons at every grade level with the goal to support the students’ academic progress through their school career. Examples include lessons in character education, responsibility, decision making, conflict resolution, bullying, and study skills.  The entire school community welcomes Martha Erdman and the new school counseling program. 

Students Score High on Physical Fitness Tests

STAMFORD, CT (September 19, 2007) – St. Cecilia School in Stamford has been designated as a Physical Activity and Fitness Demonstration Center by the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.  It is the only school in Connecticut to hold this distinction.  Marny Spearman, Physical Education teacher at St. Cecilia School, said, “Our students did exceptionally well on the physical fitness tests so I submitted their scores to the President’s Council.  When I received the notification that we won this recognition, I was thrilled.”

All the children in the 3rd, 4th and 5th grades received a certificate and a patch, and the school received a flag.  Fifth grader Sam Ruzzi said, “I feel good about our school winning this award.  I didn’t think we’d get it.” His classmate, Gina DeVito added, “I did my best when we were tested.”

Principal Dr. Joann Borchetta commented that despite their facility’s lack of a gym, “the teachers and the children proved that with commitment and resourcefulness, they can achieve anything. I am very proud of them.” The athletics program at St. Cecilia School includes extracurricular programs in basketball, soccer, and karate, in addition to a weekly gym class for all students.

Any school that includes a clear emphasis on physical activity and fitness within its physical education program is eligible to become a Demonstration Center.  The requirements include 60 minutes of activity daily, an emphasis on the importance of physical activity, and instruction to lead students to be active their entire lives. 

In addition to having desirable physical education programs, Demonstration Center schools are open for other teachers, administrators, parents, and other interested parties to observe their program. After serving as a Demonstration Center School for a period of three years, schools are eligible to become an Honor Roll School.

About St. Cecilia Elementary School
A Coeducational Day School from Pre-K through Grade Five located at 1186 Newfield Avenue in Stamford Connecticut, our mission is “Fostering the growth of lifelong learners who strive for academic excellence within a loving, Christian community.” St. Cecilia School is fully accredited with the New England Association of Schools & Colleges, Inc. and the State of Connecticut.

STAMFORD, CT (June 7, 2007)—Today, the 5th grade students of St. Cecilia School hosted a fun-filled day of games and entertainment for the school community.  Carnival games, created by the students themselves, were played for 25 cents a game and ice pops were sold for 75 cents each at the “Haiti Fair.” They were raising money for Visitation Hospital Foundation, an organization based in Nashville, TN whose mission is to provide healthcare to the people of southwest Haiti. 

Over the past four years, the students of St. Cecilia School have donated about $15,000 to the organization.  The money has helped to build medical facilities in a poor town in southwest Haiti, Petite Riviere de Nippes.  The people in this rural region live in very poor conditions and have no local medical facilities.  Ms. Bea Kelly, who has organized the event, said, “The children feel good about helping people in another part of the world who so desperately need our help.  When we were planning the fair, the children were very excited about the games, but they were also very focused on the people we are helping.”

This year, in addition to the Haiti Fair, the students raised fund by raffling Webkinz and by selling $2 “bricks” and $5 “windows and doors” for the hospital.  Donors’ names were displayed on a poster, shaped like the hospital, in the school lobby.

October 4, 2006 in Stamford, CT: St. Cecilia School, a coeducational day school from Pre-K through Grade Five, just launched an incredibly exciting soccer sports program for the students. 

After seeing the success and excitement of the Calle Fit Soccer Kids program in Stamford, Mrs. Borchetta, principal of the St. Cecilia School, said “I cannot wait to get the energy of soccer on our school fields.” Coach Mike Calle and Mrs. Borchetta pioneered a wonderful school soccer league for both the fall and spring seasons.  The student enthusiasm has been incredible with more than one third of the students participating.  The St. Cecilia Soccer clinic sessions are divided based upon age group and soccer skills level. 

“Soccer is an excellent sport for children of all ages providing all around fitness and valuable skills.  Coach Jennifer Calle and I enjoy working with the students to help them develop their motor skills, coordination, soccer skills and most importantly learning how to work as a team,” says Coach Mike Calle.  Coach Mike Calle also coaches for the Stamford Youth Soccer League and was a professional soccer player for the New York Cosmos and a member of the Connecticut state Soccer team. 

The whole Calle family all shares the love of soccer.  Coach Mike Calle and his wife, Coach Jennifer Calle, are the proud parents of two St. Cecilia students; Daniel Pre-K and Jacob, first grade.  Mike and Jennifer Calle are both Master Level Personal Trainers, and train both adults and children to foster healthy living.