Brooklyn Education: St. Athanasius students explore nursing

Students from St. Athanasius School recently visited Touro College Department of Nursing to learn about the nursing profession. The students were taught a variety of nursing skills, such as how to take someone’s temperature and pulse, and how to use a stethoscope.They saw the life-sized dolls that help student nurses learn how to recognize and treat specific maladies. After the experience, several of the St. Athanasius students expressed interest in pursuing nursing as a career.

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The fifth grade at P.S. 100 presented its senior play on May 21. Under the guidance of Mary Ann Spinner, music teacher, and Kim Wojcieszek, dance teacher, the 105 students performed “Grease” for an audience filled with students, parents and guests.

Soloists Nikita Katsnelson (Danny), Ilana Yakubova (Sandy), Douglas Falk (Teen Angel) and Mia Fisher (Cha Cha) gave outstanding performances. To celebrate the spirit of the show, the entire school participated in ‘50s Day, and dressed in the clothes and accessories that were popular during that decade.

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Xaverian High School hosted its annual Spirit of Xaverian Gala at the El Caribe Country Club on May 15. The event honored Vincent Iannelli ’68, secretary, Iannelli Construction Co., and member of Xaverian’s Board of Trustees, with the Spirit of Xaverian Award; Joseph Farraye, M.D. ’74, director of neurology at Elmhurst Hospital Center and associate professor of neurology at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, with the Bernard McQuillan Distinguished Alumni Award; Lieutenant Colonel Lester Martin Hunkele, III ’65, PE, CCM, CPE, LEEP AP, F CMAA (retired), owner of Hunkele Consulting, with the Bernard McQuillan Distinguished Alumni Award; Michael T. Strianese ’74, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of L-3, with the Bernard McQuillan Distinguished Alumni Award; Mr. and Mrs. Frank Oswald, parents ’14, with the St. Francis Xavier Award; Louis Piccola, faculty member in the Physical Education Department, with the Bernard McQuillan Distinguished Faculty Award; and Joseph Verde, faculty member in the History Department, with the Brother Theodore James Ryken Award.

President Robert Alesi ’78 announced a $1 million gift from Mr. and Mrs. Michael T. Strianese in support of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education at Xaverian.

With the establishment of the Michael T. Strianese ’74 STEM Program, Xaverian will offer its Genesis middle school students introductory classes in engineering through its Gateway to Technology curriculum, and its high school students will have the opportunity to select a sequence of courses in either engineering or biomedical sciences.

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On May 8, St. Saviour High School celebrated the School Sisters of Notre Dame Foundress Day with a special Mass.Guest speaker Sister Leonora Tucker, SSND, a member of St. Saviour High School Class of 1957, spoke to students after the Mass about what it means to be amember of the School Sisters of Notre Dame. She also gave the students some history about the founding ofthe school.