The Valley Catholic April 29, 2014 | Page 8

8 April 29, 2014 Catholic Schools T he Valley Catholic St. Mary School cupcakes brighten seniors’ day Augustinian Recollect Sisters with fifth grade class at St. John the Baptist School, Milpitas; youth led Stations of the Cross at St. John’s Church March 28. St. John the Baptist students re-enact Stations of Cross Students at St. John the Baptist School, Milpitas were asked, “What has the Cross given to those who have gazed upon it and to those who have touched it? What has the Cross left in each one of us?” Sister Marisa Dacuya, AR, said, “It gives us a treasure that no one else can give: the certainty of the faithful love which God has for us. A love so great that it forgives our sins and gives us the strength to bear our sufferings.” As a reflection of these words, Sister Marisa and the fifth grade class did a project in their Religion class. Crosses were made and each student chose a favorite passage from the Bible, wrote it on the cross, and reflected on it. Eighth graders at St. Mary School, Gilroy baked and decorated more than 150 cupcakes March 30 and delivered them to residents of Wheeler Manor, a local senior citizen community. The cupcakes are part of eighth graders’ Lenten Project and an extension of Project Cornerstone, a literaturebased program which trains volunteer parents to go into classrooms to read selected books, initiate discussions and lead projects that focus on issues such as respect, tolerance, peaceful conflict resolution, honesty, caring and friendship. Earlier in March, St. Mary School parent Ann Fiorio talked to students about a website, 40acts, which offers ways groups can “give back” to make Lent meaningful. Students watched a video which featured cupcake baking and distribution as an act of love and kindness. The students were inspired, and Mrs. Fiorio offered to host a Sunday afternoon cupcake baking party. She St. Mary School eighth graders deliver homemade cupcakes to Gilroy senior citizens. recruited neighbors to donate use of their ovens. “It felt good to give people something,” said Angela Martin, St. Mary eighth grader. “All of the elderly people were very nice and very thankful.” Disney ‘Imagineer’ visits alma mater, Bellarmine Bellarmine College Preparatory held its 7th annual Senior Networking Luncheon in March. More than 65 Bellarmine alumni returned to campus to meet with seniors and offer career advice in areas ranging from engineering and education, to finance, science and entertainment. A highlight was the keynote address presented by alumnus David Crawford, who was raised in Saratoga, graduated Bellarmine in 1990, and majored in engineering at UCLA. Crawford is the executive in charge of Creative, Research & Development at Walt Disney Imagineering