The St. Alphonsus-St. Patrick School  Invention Convention was held on Thursday, January 26th. Students from 7th and 8th grade participated in the event. They began developing their inventions in science class in October. The inventions were on display at this year's Open House and what a display it was! The gym was filled with ingenuity and creative problem solving. The winners of this year’s Invention Convention were as follows. There was a tie for 4th place Honorable Mention: Cameron (7th grade) for his Ipad Slip-Grip and Michael (7th grade) for his Salt-O-Matic.  Third place was awarded to Kristen and Kate (8th grade) for Split the Pot---not a fundraiser but rather a unique cooking pot with a divider so that two different foods could be cooked in just one pot. Amanda (7th grade) won Second Place for the Ready Pedi Sandal, sure to make pedicures easier. Finally, first place honors went to Anna R. (8th grade) for her Step-n-Shop. Anna’s invention was a special retractable step stool attached to a shopping cart so that shorter shoppers could have an easy way to reach items on high shelves. The student inventions came complete with market research and a marketing plan. Take a look at some photos of our inventors with their creations. Many were amazing ideas brought to life by some brilliant young scientists!

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As our 8th graders journey toward their Confirmation, they have studied saints who will serve to inspire their lives. In computer class they have created digital posters about their chosen Confirmation Saint. Then they created a wikispace page so they could share their information with their classmates and with others.  Take a moment to visit the 8th Grade Confirmation Saint Wikispace. You will learn about some new Saints that you may not have known about before, and you may learn some new information about other more familiar patrons.

Our 5th graders do an extensive study of the animal kingdom and the biomes of the world that provide habitats for the various species. The students also learn all about how scientists classify creatures. As part of this science unit, the 5^th graders created Glogsters or digital posters that focus on the members of the animal kingdom that are endangered. Their research included trying to find out why these species are having trouble surviving and ways that their habitats and ecosystems are being compromised. The glogsters were created as part of their computer classes and they have been gathered onto a wikispace by Mrs. Yakes so they can be easily viewed in one place. Please take some time to learn from the projects these 5th grade students have created!  Click on this link to access the 5^th Grade Endangered Species Wikispace.

The 7th graders have been working on their podcasting skills and also doing some research on charitable organizations that offer ways for us to make a difference in the lives of those less fortunate.  The students chose a charity they wanted to advertise and then researched the mission of that organization.  They also used a site called Charity Navigator to decide if the organization spends most of their donations for the cause rather than for administrative costs. Then they worked either solo or with a partner to craft a "radio commercial" for the charity. As the students finish,  Mrs. Yakes is gathering the commercials on a Wikispace so that everyone can listen to them.  Please take the time to visit the 7th Grade Commercial Wikispace.  If you wish to leave a comment, visit the Discussion page and please post your comment!  Thank you!

On Friday, December 9, the fourth through eighth grade students got a glimpse into the inequalities that exist in the world. Members of the National Junior Honor Society and its sponsors, Mrs. Raelyn Wall and Ms. Beth Burke, hosted a Hunger Banquet that has been developed by Oxfam America, an international relief and development organization that works to create lasting solutions to poverty, hunger and injustice. The Hunger Banquet is the signature event of Oxfam, and is designed to bring attention to poverty and hunger issues through first-hand experience and stories from around the world.

With the help of alumnus Maddie Wall, the members of the NJHS learned how to conduct the Hunger Banquet by experiencing it themselves first. Then they in turn hosted the experience for all of the fourth through eighth grade students. As students entered the school's cafeteria, they were given random slips of paper to determine their income levels. Groups were formed based on the latest statistics about the number of people living in poverty — 15 percent in the high-income tier, 35 percent in the middle-income and 50 percent in low-income. The underlying purpose was to get the students thinking about some of the inequalities that exist in the world and about how many people in the world live a life of extreme poverty just because of the culture, place or circumstances into which they were born.

Students in the high-income group were seated at a large table adorned with a table cloth and place settings. They were served large portions of salad, lasagna, bread and soda as most their classmates watched from the floor. Those assigned to the middle-income group received moderate portions of rice, beans and water — all meant to symbolize a simple, low-cost meal. The low-income group was forced to sit on the ground, and was only given small amounts of water and rice, which students had to scoop out of a large bowl using plastic cups. As the low-and middle-income students ate the last of their rice, the high-income table was served large pieces of red velvet cake with scoops of vanilla ice cream.

During the banquet and while waiting for whatever meal portion was their lot, the students shared information with each other about the character their card described. Students were allowed to share their reactions and reflections in a discussion at the end of the meal and after watching some very moving videos from Oxfam.  Mrs. Wall encouraged the children to perhaps think of forgoing just one Christmas wish of their own and using the money to perhaps help Oxfam help someone else that is living in poverty. Ms. Burke, who narrated the activity, closed with a meaningful quote: "The one thing I would like you to remember is this: Everyone on earth has the same basic needs; it is only our circumstances—where we live and the culture into which we are born—that differ," she said. "Some of us are born into relative prosperity and security, while millions—through no choice of our own—are born into poverty."

In our Advent of waiting for the Christ child who came to save us all, this activity was a most fitting way for the students to think about one small way that they might be able to contribute to saving the world as well.

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