Congratulations to the winners of the Spartans Fun Run bib sales!
Individual:
1st place: Ashlynn Joy Abagatnan, 2-A
2nd place: James Edwards, 4-A
3rd Place: Francezca Angela Joy De Lima, 2-A
Class:
1st place: 2-A
2nd place: 4-A
3rd place: 1-B
Santa Barbara Catholic School students attend beetle talk to save coconut trees
By: Julianne Castro
The Santa Barbara Catholic School students continue to learn new ways to be good stewards of the environment in response to Pope Francis’ encyclical, Laudato Si. This October, they learned how to preserve the coconut trees on their island of Guam through pest management.
Coconut trees are an important part of Guam’s culture. Palm trees line the whole island, swaying beautifully against the clear skies whether the weather is sunny or rainy. They are a source of drink, food, and cooking. The coconut tree’s leaves are also used for weaving.
On October 16, 2015 the school welcomed Ms. DonaMila Inta Taitano to give a talk on the Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle for the 6th and 7th grade students’ Science class under Mrs. Lolita Limjap. The students were informed of how to stop the beetles from feeding on living coconut and palm trees as well as damaging their leaves.
Ms. Taitano is the Extension Associate for the University of Guam’s College of Natural & Applied Science Cooperative Extension Services for the Agriculture and Natural Resources Division’s Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle Program. For the talk she was joined by her Extension Assistants, Raymundo San Miguel, Marty Hara, Derrick Diego, and Donatus Somol.
The students learned the Principles of Coconut Rhinocerus Beetle (CRB) Management, which are: Education (learning facts about the Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle and how to take proper care of palm trees), Monitoring (observing CRB activities and damages they caused in the area), Sanitation (Maintain the areas’ green waste and trees) and Trapping (Using traps to help prevent CRB from damaging the trees).
Ms. Taitano and her team educated the students on the beetle’s behavior and biology, later on letting the students have first hand encounters with the beetles that they brought with them. The students were able to see and touch beetles in different stages of its life, from pupa to adult beetle. They were encouraged to monitor the waste in their own homes and in the school, and were taught how to detect signs of damage done by the beetles on the trees. The students also learned the different trapping methods for the beetle.
Tekken Netting, a gill net that traps the beetle, will soon be laid over piles of green waste around the school by the students. The green waste is what attracts the beetle.The entire school body will be able to observe how effective the Tekken Netting is, and most importantly, the great effect this small effort has for the coconut trees and our common home.
6th Annual 5k/2k Fun Run
October 17, 2015
2015 Guam Shake Out Drill
Walk For Life 2015
Mercy Day 2015
September 23, 2015
On its 65th anniversary SBCS celebrated Mercy Day by inviting all the Sisters of Mercy who have staffed SBCS since 1950. Sister Dorothy Lettiere who ministered at SBCS in the 70’s shared her vocation story and her memories of Santa Barbara before the start of the Eucharistic celebration. The day also marked the celebration of the Birthday and Feastday of SBCS principal, Sister Jeanette Marie Pangelinan, RSM
SBCS Back to School Book Fair
By: Julianne Castro
The Language Arts Department kicked off the school year with their Back to School Book Fair on September 15 to 17, 2015, with a last day sale on the 18th. It was held during the middle school students’ lunch period and after classes from 3:10 to 4:00PM. Although January is the official month for the school’s yearly Book Fair during Catholic Schools Week, September is also an apt time as National Literacy Month. The books sold in this fair were left over from last year’s book fair.
“Just for the FUN of it…READ!” was the slogan written below the mustaches on the Scholastic bookmarks given with each purchase. The Santa Barbara Catholic School students entertained themselves with the cutout mustaches, putting on a character as one often does when reading a story. Other take-home goodies were Inside Out and Avenger posters.
Ms. Kristine Roxas, Language Arts Teacher for 6th grade and 7B, along with student volunteers from 6th to 8th grade arranged the books neatly into categories: $2, $3, 50% OFF, and Hardbound books for $5.
The books for sale covered a wide range of genres. For sale for $2, Classics such as Maya Angelou’s “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” and Anne Frank’s “The Diary of a Young Girl” shared the same space with “The Girl Who Was on Fire,” an anthology of essays about Suzanne Collin’s popular Hunger Games Trilogy, and “Goosebumps,” R.L. Stine’s iconic Horror series for children. Lois Lowry’s Dystopian novel, “The Giver,” and a compilation of Lincon Peirce’s witty children’s comic strips, “Big Nate: The Crowd Goes Wild” were among the $3 books.
The hardbound and newly released books were the clear and quickly sold “bestsellers.” Adding to their selling points were their halved prices for most. Angelica Gomez, a 7th grade volunteer, specified, “Teen books, Sci-Fi, and Series books” as the attention-grabbers compared to the older and History books.
The newer books for 50% off were both informational and intriguing — “Egyptian Mythology” by Donna Jo Napoli, “Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods” by Rick Riordan, and Ripley’s “Believe It or Not 2015 Special Edition” to name a few. The hardbound books covered more of the Young Adult genre, such as Kathryn Lasky’s Fantasy series, “Guardians of the Ga’Hoole: The Rise of a Legend” and Rooman Philbrick’s unconventional novel, “Freak the Mighty.”
According to Ms. Roxas, the middle school students brought in the most sales. The lower grade students were able to visit the fair after classes. “I would have wanted to accommodate the lower grades however, my class schedule only permitted me on some days. However, the lower graders were able to buy after school,” she said. It can be safely said that Shannon Hale’s “Ever After High: A Wonderlandiful World” held its own among its more mature hardbound companions. Brydon Balbin, another 7th grade volunteer, confirmed the general age group of the buyers, “the 6th to 8th graders bought the most books.”
Most books were sold by the second day. The tables were bare by Friday. Ms. Roxas and the volunteers considered the fair a success. Volunteer Aliyah Bagroh justified the success with a word, “interesting,” describing the books themselves first and foremost before sales. The Book Fair was exciting and appealing to all types of readers, and perhaps turned some self-professed “non-readers” into “new-readers.” Congratulations!
Ysrael Science Hall Groundbreaking Ceremony
Video by Mr. Julius Sotamayor Cena
6th Annual Spartans 5K Fun Run
Prayer Service/Tree Planting SBCS 65th Anniversary
To mark the 65th anniversary of Santa Barbara Catholic School (Sept. 5, 1950), and the World Day of Prayer for the Environment declared by Pope Francis, the SBCS family gathered for a special prayer service in the school’s gym, and held a tree planting ceremony in the school’s courtyard. Special guests for the occasion were Sister Bernadette Marie Leon Guerrero, one of the pioneer sisters who started Santa Barbara School and Sister Cecilia Camacho, Guam Administrator of the Sisters of Mercy.