Madonna Freshman Parr Attends National Jamboree
After years of scouting and months of waiting, Dustin Parr, 14, of Weirton Boy Scout Troop 36 got the opportunity to go to the National Council Boy Scouts of America 2010 Jamboree in Fort A.P. Hill, Va.

Parr said he looked into going for six months before finally filling in an open spot a little late in the game. He said while he was a little behind on the meetings Troop 1316, the National Council Troop Parr was with, he got through strong.

For 10 days, Parr stayed at Fort A.P. Hill Military base with more than 70,000 Boy Scouts. He said daily activities offered fun, challenge, an opportunity for religious reflections, citizenship and the international brotherhood of being with Scouts from other countries of the world. He said some of the skills activities available was the 5K Fun Run, Action Alley, Action Centers, Air-Rifle Shooting, Amateur (Ham) Radio Operators, American Indian Village hosted by the Order of the Arrow, Aquatics, Archery, Merit Badge Midway, BMX and Order of the Arrow Jamboree Adventure: The Mysterium Compass.

"I definitely want to try to fill the slot for the 2013 Summit which will be held in West Virginia," he said.

Parr said there were many things he never experienced before he got to do on his trip. He said one interesting thing was the fishing. He said 10,000 fish were put in a local lake and once a fish was caught, it could be taken to get weighed and would then be filleted which he said was "very good."

During his stay, he received several patches - including emergency medical preparedness, military patches and one designed by NASA. He said he also participated in a very popular activity hosted during the evening at the base, patch trading.

"You would see a couple hundred kids laying on blankets along the road trading patches," he said.

According to Parr, in order to earn patches one must be disciplined. He said it sometimes took a lot to be outside doing things in 110 degree heat when laying around seems like the best option. He said anyplace with air conditioning was usually packed.

Parr said many precautions were taken during his stay. He said one of the most important things a Scout needed was the lunch ticket and the heat index card. He stated the lunch ticket allowed the members to receive lunch at any kiosk around the camp, even though Scouts were not permitted to go anywhere beyond a 30 minute walk back to the commissary. He added the heat was overwhelming at times.

"It stayed over 110 degrees during the day and anything over 90 degrees required us to drink a quart of water an hour so we didn't dehydrate or suffer from heat exhaustion," he said.

As part of the Scorpion Patrol, Parr said the group walked to Arena Shows where several famous people and stunt shows were presented. He said there were individuals from Survivor and The Amazing Race, WWE Superstars and Mike Rowe of Dirty Jobs was in attendance. He said President Barack Obama was unable to attend, but sent a video sending his regards to the troops.

"We had to leave three hours early to get a good seat even though it was only a 15-minute walk," he said.

Boy Scouts were informed on the daily happenings and heat index every hour via a private radio station. Parr said songs and other information was announced on a regular basis to help keep the troops in touch with what was going on at camp.

Of his experiences, he said his top three favorites included the closing arena show, Action Alley and the armed forces exhibit.

The closing arena show consisted of one of the top five biggest fireworks shows, the Chief Scout, the President's video, WWE Superstar Sgt. Slaughter and the Golden Knights. Parr said Action Alley was one of the most popular activities at the camp. He said calls had to be made for reservations to go onto the military training course.

"It's some of the hardest stuff you will ever do," he said.

At the armed forces exhibit, Parr said it was highly interactive. He said there were strength competitions and prizes for the winners as well as a video game exhibition, pull-ups and push-ups. Parr won the competition for the 6-inch leg lift with the time of 1 minute and 30 seconds.

"The military officer there told me to just imagine I was somewhere else, somewhere lighter and it really helped," he said. "I know that sort of advice will also help me later in life, too."

Throughout his stay, Parr said it was not a choice of what you wanted to do, but choosing what you weren't going to do that day. He said there were other activities that also helped him have fun but learn about life.

"I encourage every Boy Scout in Weirton to try to go to the 2013 jamboree because it'll only be a 3-hour drive, so start saving money now," he said. "It is worth the money, time and all you have to put into it."

(Article taken from Weirton Daily Times, by Angelina Dickson)

 
Catholic Schools of Weirton Hold Teacher Academy
(Article taken from Weirton Daily Times, by Angelina Dickson)

The Catholic schools of Weirton are teaming up this week to give teachers an early start on the school year.

In an effort to introduce and integrate some new technology, teaching techniques and refreshing teachers, a Teacher's Academy program hosted at Madonna High School has been offered to the staff at St. Paul Elementary, St. Joseph the Worker Primary and Weirton Madonna High School.

The principals of each school came together over the past years to organize the seminar as a way to pool resources and communicate what is being taught.

John Mihalyo, Weirton Madonna's principal, stated the program was organized to help get teachers off on the right foot. He said the topics touched on throughout the Teacher's Academy was assessment, reading and writing across the curriculum, Catholic identity, classroom management and integrating technology in the classroom.

"This continuing education program offered to the teachers was not mandatory and we've had nearly the full staff of all three schools attending," he added. "It just shows the teachers' enthusiasm and a deep dedication to the students and to learning."

According to Mihalyo this program is the first of its kind to be offered during summer months. Continued education seminars often take place throughout the school year; however, some teachers are left waiting until the following school year to get access to that information.

Jamie Lesho, principal at St. Paul, stated the Teacher Academy has helped expand the relationship with the teachers and among themselves. He said there is an opportunity for teachers to be talked to instead of talked at and share ideas with each other since most students attending the local Catholic elementary schools go on to attend Madonna.

Christina Brown, a fourth-grade teacher at St. Paul Elementary, feels the program is excellent. She said it gives teachers an opportunity to begin the implementation of everything learned at the Teacher Academy in a few short weeks. She said the instructors brought in for the seminars had a wealth of knowledge to share along with experience.

"As a teacher, learning is a continual process and this program helps bridge the gap prior to the start of the school year," she said.

Patty Boniti, a teacher at Madonna High School, stated the program offered an exciting way to get ready for the new school year. She said new ideas came to light during the seminar along with a pep talk.

"The instructors were very energetic even after many years of experience teaching throughout the different levels of education reminding us that we need to be energetic in the classroom as well," she said.

Another teacher attending the seminar, Maria DeFilippo, said teaching is a very solitary activity. She said even though teachers are a collective, it's an individual activity requiring teachers to focus only on what they are teaching throughout the year. She said it's very easy to get burned out and the seminar served as a way to help "re-charge the batteries" prior to the start of the school year.

 
Madonna Registration Scheduled for August 10-11/Uniform Ordering Information

 

Registration for the 2010-11 school year will be held on Tuesday, August 10 and Wednesday, August 11, 2010. The schedule will be as follows:

· Tuesday, August 10th, registration will run from 7:30 am — 12:30 pm in the Conference Room

· Wednesday, August 11th, registration will run from 12:00pm — 6:00pm in the Conference Room

Parents will be required to choose one of the following payment options:

· FACTS Monthly withdrawal taken out over the course of 12 months

· FACTS Monthly withdrawal taken out over the course of 10 months (seniors only)

· One-time full tuition payment

· Two payments, the first made in August, the second made in January, 2011

Parents will also have the opportunity to purchase uniform polos at this time. The cost is still to be determined. Sample shirts will be available to try on and see the styles for both male and females. Uniform requirements are Madonna-issued polos only. Any non-Madonna issued polos will be considered out of uniform.

All registering students are required to pay the fees up front at the time of registration. No student will be given a schedule without a signed tuition contract. If you have any questions, please contact the main office at 304-723-0545.

 
Kendrick Named Madonna Athletic Director
Jon Kendrick has been named Madonna High School's new Athletic Director for the 2010-11 school year. Mr. Kendrick will work with Richard Barnabei in the role of Athletic Director for the upcoming year. He will begin his duties on July 1, 2010. Congratulations to Mr. Kendrick!
 
2010-11 Tuition Rates & Fees Schedule Set
The tuition rate and fees for the 2010-11 school year will be as follows:

In Parish Tuition Rates
Single: $3,095.00
Second Student: $1,600.00
Family Rate: $5,100.00

Out of Parish Rates
Single: $3850.00
Second Student: $1,900.00
Family Rate: $6,100.00

Fees Schedule
Registration Fee: $25.00
Textbook Fee: $125
Technology Fee: $50
Activities Fee: $50
 
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