Catholic Academy Gets Creative With Colorful Crayon Service Project

By Currents News

Good Shepherd Catholic Academy in Marine Park is showing its true colors with a new service project called The Crayon Initiative. The school’s grandparents club collects broken and unused crayons from each grade, which will then be sent off to a company that repurposes them by melting them down into large three sided crayons.

The crayon initiative saves the pieces from ending up in landfills and distributes them for free to children’s hospitals in all 50 states. When used in healthcare settings, the new crayons won’t roll off hospital trays.

Diane Reynolds, the founder of the grandparents club at Good Shepherd, says students were eager to think outside the box on how they could help.

She tells Currents News that while the main aim of the initiative is “to learn about the environment and repurposing things,” more importantly it’s “about caring for others who may be less fortunate than yourselves.”

“We’re helping kids in the hospital learning to color, and then they won’t roll off the desk,” explain students Aylssa and Juliet Biscione, “and it’s going to make them happy.”

So far Good Shepherd has collected more than 20 pounds of crayons.

St. Michael’s Catholic Academy Students Usher in Lunar New Year

By Jessica Easthope

At this Flushing, Queens, Catholic academy, a dragon’s body stretches the length of the gym and a lion dances across the floor.

Shaking and pouncing, both are operated by students and part of a Lunar New Year celebration.

Eighth grader Taron King is participating in the celebration for the first time, and he tells Currents News that he has already made lasting memories.

“You get to bond by having the lion. It’s like the lion brings you together, just like how the lion brings everybody together for the New Year’s celebration,” he explains. “It teaches me to learn about other people’s cultures and it also helps you make a lot of friends.”

St. Michael’s, located in the heart of Flushing, embraces Chinese culture all year round. Even so, assistant principal Sister Martina Hou says the Lunar New Year is their biggest event by far.

“When they leave St Michael’s they will have learned about cultures from all over the world,” she tells Currents News. “It’s very important we teach kids and create every opportunity for them to have these experiences.”

In addition to the lion and dragon dances- there’s a traditional girls’ fan dance.

Eighth grader Genesis Lin leads the way, and shares what it means to her: “Part of cultural appreciation is sharing it with others. I’m always proud to be Chinese but this boosts the confidence.”

The students have been practicing for more than a month, and the dragon dancers have been working with Hinwai Tsang, the Grand Master for the Asian United and Culture Exchange Council.

“I’m always excited when I see the kids playing or learning the dragon dance and lion dance, because it’s part of important culture,” he says.

2025 is the year of the wood snake representing wisdom, adaptability, and intelligence. It also promises profound shifts in growth and creativity.

“It’s going to be a lucky year, and everything should be moving forward in a good way,” hopes Tsang.

The Lunar New Year is celebrated on January 29.

Pulse of the Parish: Catherina Cassiliano, Our Lady of Guadalupe

It’s been a few years since Our Lady of Guadalupe in Brooklyn was forced to shut down its school. But in the summertime, kids are flocking to the Bensonhurst church for camp. And because of that, they’re coming back to the parish in other ways too. It’s all thanks to the hard work of camp organizers, especially its director.

Catholic News Headlines for Wednesday 1/29/2025

Students at St. Michael’s Catholic Academy in Flushing joined billions worldwide in celebrating the Lunar New Year, welcoming the Year of the Wood Snake with special festivities.

Bishop Robert Brennan marked the Lunar New Year by emphasizing faith, renewal, and hope, encouraging believers to embrace spiritual growth during the Jubilee Year.

An eighth grader at St. Michael’s Catholic Academy, who arrived in the U.S. without knowing English, became fluent in just one year thanks to the support of his school, teachers, and friends.

80th Anniversary of Auschwitz Liberation: Survivor Stories at Holocaust Memorial Tolerance Center

Monday, Jan. 27, marked the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz and International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The granddaughter of a survivor wants to make sure his story and the stories of others are never forgotten.

Dana Arschin is the storyteller at “The Holocaust Memorial Tolerance Center” on Long Island.

To hear more stories of Holocaust survivors, go to hmtcli.org.

Bishop Brennan Kicks Off Catholic Schools Week with Mass and Winter Wonderland Tour at St. Ephrem’s

Bishop Robert Brennan kicked off Catholic Schools Week with a Mass on Sunday at St. Ephrem’s in Dyker Heights. Students and faculty from the Brooklyn Catholic Academy joined the bishop for the celebration. Following the Mass, Bishop Brennan was given a “Winter Wonderland” tour of St. Ephrem’s by their student ambassadors. The shepherd got to meet the teachers, visit classrooms, and admire students’ artwork, essays, and other projects.

Catholic News Headlines for Tuesday 1/28/2025

It’s Catholic Schools Week in the Diocese of Brooklyn, and academies across Brooklyn and Queens are marking the occasion in special ways – from STEM study to helping California wildfire victims.

This week also is one of Holocaust remembrance. New York City is offering an in-person opportunity to learn about the annex where Anne Frank and her family hid during World War II.

One Holocaust survivor who lives in Brooklyn is speaking about the pain of her experience as a child in the hope that history will never repeat itself.

Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Academy Students Write Letters of Support to West Coast First Responders

by Katie Vasquez

Firefighters in the Los Angeles area are overwhelmed as flames destroy property and lives on the West Coast, and those on the East Coast watch in horror.

“To see it destroyed like that, it’s devastating. just devastating to me,” said Janice Ray, a 1st grade teacher’s assistant at Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Academy.

“Every day just gets worse and worse. It’s really bad. I feel really sorry for the animals and people over there,” said Mason Clinton, a 6th grader at the school.

It’s why all 300 students at the Forest Hills school are starting Catholic Schools Week with a show of support, writing letters to California first responders and members of the Pasadena Humane Society.

“Thank you for saving our beloved animals from the wildfires,” wrote 3rd grader Samuel Ortiz. “You protect the animals and give them shelter. They are part of our ecosystem.”

The older students guided the younger ones in their penmanship, passing down their knowledge and a lesson in charity.

“I feel like the first responders over there will really enjoy them. and it will give them motivation, because coming from a whole school, it’s just amazing,” said Mohit Kapoor, an 8th grader at the school.

Some students also turned into support animals, donating two dollars to dress down as furry friends.

Jan. 28 was service day as part of Catholic Schools Week, and the school was happy to spread the lesson.

“We teach religion in the school, you teach kindness and being helpful and so on and so forth. But this actually is a lesson where they’re actually doing something hands-on and they’re very, very excited about,” said Ray.

It’s one that just might be sinking in for these students.

“I didn’t dress up as an animal because I didn’t have any animal stuff, but I still donated money,” said 8th grader at Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Academy, Matthew Stalzer.

Our Lady of Mercy anticipates they will donate a total of $1,000 to the Pasadena Humane Society, and all the letters will be mailed out by the end of the week.

Bishop Robert Brennan Takes a Closer Look at St. Andrew Avellino Catholic Academy

By Jessica Easthope

St. Andrew Avellino Catholic Academy is hoping to show Bishop Robert Brennan they’re a cut above the rest. Bishop Brennan visited the Flushing, Queens, school Jan. 28 to celebrate Catholic Schools Week to cut the ribbon and bless a new art room and STEM lab.

“We blend together the arts and sciences, the academic learning, but with that sense of faith, with the sense of friendship with Jesus Christ,” Bishop Brennan said.

The day started out with a greeting and came full circle for the eighth graders who had their class rings blessed by the bishop during Mass, a special moment for pastor, Father Gregory McIlhenney.

“To have Bishop Brennan come and to offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and tie all these things together just brings that Catholic identity and that foundation that we stand on as Christians here to northeast Flushing,” Fr. McIlhenney said.

The highlight of the day happened when the school came under the microscope. Bishop Brennan took a closer look with sixth graders who were examining threads.

“He’s spending time with us in the church, around the school, he’s blessing the new first floor, all the classrooms, the STEM lab, the art room. It’s helping us grow closer to God, so Catholic Schools Week, it’s one of my favorite weeks in the whole school year,” said sixth grader Matthew Albanese.

Principal Debbie Hanna said the bishop’s visit tied in the national theme of Catholic Schools Week, “United in Faith and Community.”

“He spent the most time in the STEM lab, and he went over to every table and he looked in the microscopes, and he engaged with the kids. And I said, ‘Well, this is an a-ha moment.’ He’s here, it’s happening and he’s happy to be with us. And I was really happy that he was,” Hanna said.

Bishop Brennan will also be visiting Good Shepherd, St. Stanislaus Kostka in Greenpoint, and Resurrection-Ascension Catholic Academies during Catholic Schools Week.

TONIGHT AT 7: St. Andrew Avellino Catholic Academy Unveils New STEM Lab

By Currents News

The Queens Catholic Academy is under the microscope as we mark Catholic Schools Week in the Diocese of Brooklyn. Bishop Robert Brennan is blessing a new lab that will help students succeed in math and science. Meanwhile, schools across Brooklyn and Queens are showcasing the quality experience of a Catholic education.