Angela Manekas’ 01 Named a 2016 Big Apple Award Winner
Excellence in the classroom continues for another former women’ s basketball player. Angela Manekas’ 01, a fourth-grade teacher at PS 232( The Walter Ward School) in Lindenwood, was one of 17 teachers to win a 2016 Big Apple Award.
Manekas, who also worked for the St. Francis Athletic Department, was selected from more than 4,600 nominees.
Both of Manekas’ parents were physical education teachers; her father taught at a school for the deaf. That inspired her to have her students say the Pledge of Allegiance in sign language every morning.
Manekas has taught at PS 232 for 11 years. Her principal says she’ s an expert guided reading teacher. Manekas’ students also do well in math. In the 2014 – 15 school year, 91 percent of her students demonstrated proficiency on the New York State math exam, and 69
Angela Manekas ' 01, second from left, hearing the news about her award.
percent performed at an advanced level. ●
Tennis Teams Raise Awareness For Kidney Disease
The St. Francis Terriers’ tennis teams are fighting a battle far bigger than their matches on court. The two squads are raising awareness about kidney disease, inspired by SFC Men’ s Tennis Head Coach Chad Davis’ 02.
Davis was diagnosed with end-stage renal disease, also known as chronic kidney disease, in May 2015 just after the completion of the men’ s 2014 – 15 campaign.
“ We want people to know that it is important that they take care of themselves and go to the doctor on a regular basis,” Coach Davis said.
“ We try our best to follow the Franciscan way and help those in need by identifying a cause each year to support and build awareness,” said Terriers’ Head Women’ s Coach Alicia Browne’ 05.“ Each year, we participate in the breast cancer walk and this year, because it hit home for us with Chad being diagnosed with kidney failure, we did a project for kidney disease awareness.”
“ Having end-stage renal disease is certainly a life changer. I kind of relate it to sports where at any given time the game plan switches up on and you have to make in-game adjustments,” said Davis who is still coaching at St. Francis between dialysis appointments but had to stop working at his public school job.
“ It’ s also something that you can’ t really tackle alone so I’ m glad I have the support system of my mom, Marilyn Davis, my girlfriend, Tina, and my sister, Jackie, as well as a host of other family members and close friends. Without those three women I think it would have been an even tougher road; they have put up with a lot,” he continued.“ What I try and do is stay positive and take it one day at a time. ●
Coach Chad Davis’ 02 hopes to inspire the team with his off-court battle.
A Heroic Return
A year ago, St. Francis tennis stand-out Francesc Terns-Campius’ 15 was supposed to be celebrating graduation with his fellow seniors in the class of 2015.
But Terns never walked across the stage to get his diploma. Instead, on the day of the year-end Athletics Banquet, Terns was diagnosed with cancer and began making plans for returning to his home in Barcelona. It was the start of a months-long struggle against Hodgkin’ s lymphoma.
“ I thought it could not happen to me because I was healthy, I was playing sports,”
Francesc Terns-Campius’ 15 receiving his diploma at the 2016 Athletic Awards Banquet.
said Terns.“ I’ m fit. I never smoked in my life. I barely drink, like why?”
After coming to grips with the diagnosis, Terns began chemotherapy and radiation, writing about his fight on his Spanish language blog: whatsuppaquito. wordpress. com. Eight months later, doctors told Terns that he was cancer free.“ Right now I’ m perfect; I’ m feeling better than ever,” he said with a grin from ear-to-ear. Building on the support of friends and family that helped him through his treatments, Terns is now helping others battling cancer.
“ When I was on the fourth or fifth chemo … I saw on TV a show with kids that were going through cancer and I said, for me it’ s hard. I can’ t imagine for a kid,” added Terns.
He was inspired to start the Pinky Smiles Foundation to provide toys and once-in-a-lifetime experiences for children with cancer.
“ When I left last year, if you’ d tell me that I was going to be here like I am right now, I would say there is no way,” he said.“ I didn’ t know what I was going to go through, but I knew the worst. You know it exists but if you don’ t have cancer ever in your life then it’ s like a separate world; you don’ t understand what it is. In one year, I learned more than all my life.”
A year after the initial diagnosis, Terns returned to Brooklyn for the 2016 Athletics Banquet. He was honored at the ceremony, and finally got to walk across the stage to receive his diploma. ●
Entire SFC Athletic Department to Volunteer at the New York City Marathon for Fourth Straight Year
When runners from the 2016 NYC Marathon run through Williamsburg this November, for the fourth year in a row, St. Francis College student-athletes, coaches, and staff will support them by handing out water and sports drinks.
The volunteers get to the 11-mile mark of the race early in the morning, set-up, then clean up the trash after the more than 50,000 runners have passed.
SFC student athletes braved wet and windy weather to help out at the 2015 marathon.
“ We love being able to help out the city and the thousands of runners that compete in this event,” said Terriers’ Director of Athletics Irma Garcia’ 80.“ It’ s in our nature as Franciscans to give back to our community and I’ m proud of our group for giving their time.”
More volunteers are always welcome. Contact Director of Marketing Maggie Martini at 718.455.5411 or mmartini @ sfc. edu. ●
12 | ST. FRANCIS COLLEGE TERRIER | FALL 2016