Mustang Monthly
Student of the Month - Math
Robin Zhan ‘22
Robin is an intelligent, hard-working, creative, and competitive student. He shows enthusiasm for learning in general and passion for math. His score on AP Calculus is one of the highest scores that his teacher ever had in AP Calculus classes. He doesn’t miss any opportunity to challenge himself. He was one of the very few to take the American Mathematics Contest 12 (AMC 12), one in a series of prestigious secondary mathematics examinations.
In addition to his academic strength, Robin is friendly and fun to be around. He helps his friends grasp difficult topics. He shows a lot of patience and encouragement when tutoring in the math center.
Congratulations to Robin and all the students who were nominated!:
Kevin Coonan ‘22
Amanda Hoyt ‘23
Keira Licursi ‘25
Abigail McLoughlin ‘25
Nicole Merritt ‘25
Melanie Riggs ‘24
Sofia Vitarelli ‘23
Happy Lunar New Year!
The International Club celebrated the Chinese New Year by going to Yoko Kitchen in New Milford. Club members enjoyed Chashu Buns, Edamame, and Spring Rolls for appetizers and a variety of delicious Ramen for entrees. Everyone enjoyed the great conversation and excellent food.
Celebrating Catholic Schools Week
January 30 - February 5, 2022
During Catholic Schools Week we celebrated our school community, and thanks to Charles Doran and Sophia Pertoso who sponsored a coat and food drive, we were able to give back to our local community. We also welcomed Danbury Mayor Dean Esposito on Thursday. The Mayor met with students and shared his commitment to serving all Danbury residents. Social Studies Chair Joanne DeMassa presented letters written by students about the benefits and importance of Catholic education. Due to the predicted ice storm February 4, our Catholic Schools Week Mass was postponed to February 11.
Celebrating Immaculate High School
Immaculate Celebrates Black History Month
National English Honor Society Celebrates Black History Month
In honor of Black History Month, the National English Honor Society has decided to commemorate Black authors who have influenced our society members. Through this activity, members of NEHS were asked to choose a Black author of a book they've read or simply were interested in, and to provide a favorite quote from the book. The bulletin board now holds countless quotes from multiple different Black authors, highlighting their impact on the community and the different ways writing can leave a mark on history.
Social Studies Department
The Social Studies Department sponsored many activities to celebrate Black History Month 2022. A sampling of these activities include research on the meaning of Juneteenth and its new federal holiday status and discussion on the creation of Black History Month. Elective classes focused on the Civil Rights Movement and the issue of equality and contributions of African Americans in specific disciplines.
Students in 9th and 11th grades researched influential African Americans from all walks of life and highlighted meaningful quotes from these individuals to share with their classmates. In addition, creative tributes were drawn and showcased in classrooms. Some of this work is shown in the following photographs.
Five Immaculate Students Achieve Fine Arts and Writing Awards
Five Immaculate High students are winners of the 2022 Scholastic Fine Arts and Writing Awards. The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards recognize and inspire bold ideas in creative teens each year. In the writing category, winners are Caitlin Doherty '22 and Matthew Reeves '22, and in the arts category, winners are Julong Williams '22, Anna Kopec '23, and Caroline Tucker '22.
Mock Trial Team Members Recognized By Civics First
In their first Mock Trial round, Immaculate High School's team members were recognized for their outstanding performance in a civil case regarding an injury sustained by a player in a soccer tournament. Sponsored by Civics First, Mock Trial is a unique program that teaches an understanding of trial law along with language and communication, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills in a real-life trial setting with students competing against their peers throughout the state.
Attorney Mary-Caitlin Cronin and Attorney Kristin Chiriatti have been volunteering to prepare the Immaculate team for the 2022 trial competitions. On the plaintiff side, Allie Bellone ‘22 was awarded Best Attorney, Nik Badinelli ‘22 as Second Best Attorney, and Ben Gasparinni ‘23 as Best Witness. On the defense side, Carolyn Jandura ‘22 was awarded Best Attorney, Gavin Buttafuoco ‘22 as Second Best Attorney, and Ernst Koch ‘22 as Third Best Witness. The 2022 team will move forward to the next round of competition
Student Engineering Team Wins State Competition
For its fourth year, the Immaculate High School Brave Engineers team competed and won the Real World Design Challenge's State Champion Governor's Award. In a letter to students Nikolas Badinelli ‘22, Carolyn Jandura ‘22, Mario Perez ‘22, Paulina Garcia ‘22, Ava Viola ‘23, Yipeng Zhao ‘24, and Nicole Radliff ‘24 from RWD founder Dr. Ralph Coppola, students were complimented on their "demonstrated ability and significant achievement in science, technology, engineering and mathematics" and were cited to be among the most innovative students.
Caroline Tucker Receives Congressional Award
Caroline Tucker '22 received the Congressional Award for her service as a student teacher for the Children's Leadership Training Institute (CLTI), a program that teaches children about community, inclusion and civic engagement. In addition, Caroline volunteered at the Families Network of Western CT, Inc., a nonprofit organization that sponsors the CLTI.
Danbury Mayor Dean Esposito Visits Immaculate High School
As part of its Catholic Schools Week celebration, Immaculate High School invited Danbury Mayor Dean Esposito to visit the school and meet with SCA President Gavin Buttafucco ‘22, SCA Vice President Kennedi Muller ‘22 and Mock Trial Captains Nikolas Badinelli ‘22 and Allie Bellone ‘22.
Immaculate Teachers Awarded Educational Grants
At the Foundations in Education reception held at Sacred Heart University's Discovery Museum, Immaculate High School teachers Anthony D'Ausilio and Anthony Pellegrini were awarded innovative teacher grants. Anthony D'Ausilio, an AP Physics and Computer Science teacher, received $11,000 for his proposal "Integrate Real World Data Collection and Analysis into Physics Labs," an initiative to enhance how students collect and interpret raw data using an Application Program Interface (API) and computer coding to replicate a college course environment. Band and Recording Studio teacher Anthony Pellegrini was awarded $2,500 to augment the current recording studio with a cardioid condenser microphone and audio interface package to provide a professional quality podcast communication program.
Veer Chetal Joins Harvard’s Future Lawyers Program
Veer Chetal was selected for and successfully completed Harvard's Future Lawyers Program, a unique pre-professional program where students, guided by qualified Harvard undergraduate instructors, learn how to read and build a case, how to write position papers, and how to navigate the path to law school.
Giving from the Heart Tree
The International Club’s Giving From The Heart Tree for the Hopeline Pregnancy Resource Center overflowed with donated baby items: over 2100 diapers, 110 baby apparel items, and 50 pacifiers and bottles, which have helped to clothe and take care of some of the neediest babies in our community. They say “thank you” for the overwhelming generosity that was shown!