STS Grade 8 News
Our News
9/11 Prayer Service
9/11 was a very unexpected day for all of America. For the prayer service, we mourned for the victims and their families and also the death of one of our beloved parishioners, Barbara Keating, who unfortunately died along with many others on this terrible day. On September 11, 2001, millions of people across the world witnessed this terrible day and remember how they felt about it. One of our teachers, Mrs. Patton-Hiatt, remembers what she witnessed on this day with her class in 2001. While she was in the classroom with her students and some parents in the room, she said, “It was so quiet in the classroom that you could hear a pin drop.”
On Tuesday, September 11, 2012, our school had a prayer service for Barbara Keating and the other victims of 9/11. The media was there, too. Mrs. Corey introduced John Allen, the deputy fire chief of Palm Springs. He talked about the people who died and the people who came to help. He also informed us that unfortunately, more than three hundred firefighters died at that terrible event. Mr. Allen did some research on Mrs. Keating and discovered that she was an amazing person. Mr. Allen, about this sad day, said “When tragedy strikes, there is no better remedy than being around the people we love and helping our community.” He also gave us the advice to live our lives to the fullest.
The next guest speaker was Mrs. Elizabeth Raynes, who was Mrs. Keating’s best friend. When she had heard the news about the planes crashing, she was hoping that Mrs. Keating had missed the plane, but instead, she received the terrible news that Barbara Keating had been on that plane and perished along with many other unfortunate souls. Mrs. Raynes then talked about all of Mrs. Keating’s good work and that she will always be remembered. Afterwards, a candle was then presented on a table with Mrs. Keating’s picture for her. And later, four other candles were presented for the victims at the Twin Towers, Flight 93, and the Pentagon.
After the Gospel, Sister Diane talked about remembering to pray for the people who help out, like the paramedics and the firefighters. She also told us to not put people down and to make peace with others. The third guest speaker was Dr. Raul Ruiz, who was a surgeon in Boston at that time. He remembered that he was with a patient when he heard about the planes. Dr. Ruiz had thought it was an accident, but he soon realized it wasn’t. He decided to do another twelve-hour shift because he couldn’t bear to stand there and do nothing. The final guest speaker was Mark Troast, who read Congresswoman Mary Bono Mack’s letter to us. Congresswoman Bono Mack could sadly not be there to attend.
The sixth grade also recited a beautiful poem called “One”. After the prayer service, all of the classes were able to touch a piece of the World Trade Center that was brought to us by John Allen. After wards, the others left, and the junior high grades got to talk to two Marines and ask them questions.
The prayer service was mostly silent and serious, but I think that it was beautiful. The guest speakers didn’t speak for too long, but their speeches made me realize that our community was still united as one.
9/11 Reactions
When 9/11 occurred, we (Lily and Kaysha) were two years old. Our strong and emotional reactions were fear and bewilderment. It wasn’t just scary for us; it was scary for our whole country. Think about it. There were innocent people being harmed and killed. When we saw the pictures/videos, it was very depressing because harmless adults and children were killed by terrorists. It was very shocking because the terrorists attacked civilians. It was just regular people going to work and living their everyday routines. When we had our Saint Theresa School 9-11 Mass, we got to touch a piece of the World Trade Center. It was very emotional. Just thinking about how large the World Trade Centers are made us think how two planes took down 500,000 tons of each tower. Seeing the horrifying flames, people knew that they were going to die. Imagine losing a family member and knowing that they suffered.
What It Feels Like To Be on a Sports Team
Being able to be on a team is like being part of another family. You meet new people and they then turn out to be some of your closest friends. Knowing that you have a passion for sports is knowing that you have something else to live for. For some people playing sports is a part of life. Without sports we are nothing. And sometimes we get sore and so tired but that’s when we know when we go harder and really push ourselves to the best of our ability.
“To me sports is my life and without it I would be bored out of my mind. It is my passion and that’s all I live for.” –Kylee
“Sports to me is not just my passion its my life and without it I wouldn’t be who I am today.” –JoMarie
“Sports is everything I need in life.” –Nayeli
“Sports to me is the only thing I’m good at and I’m very blessed to have this opportunity in life and I wouldn’t be anything else.”-Phoenix
“Sports is my stress reliever, it calms me down, and is my life. Without it I would just be average.” –Allyssa
We want to thank our coaches for pushing us to do our best and thank God for blessing us with the ability to play the sports we really have heart for.
Shakey's Night
Wow! What a night! We raised over $600 from our night at Shakey’s. There were so many energetic, good-hearted people that helped to support this well-rounded restaurant. There were a number of kids playing games and adults mingling together. There was a lot of different foods like pizza, potatoes, and delicious chicken. It was funny because my friend and I were given free chicken since there were so many orders to remember, but we were honest St. Theresa students and told them that we had not paid for the chicken. We would like to thank Shakey’s for partnering with St. Theresa School, and we hope we can do this again. We would also like to thank the students and parents for coming out to Shakey’s and showing school spirit! We would encourage you, as parents and students, to attend other fundraisers like Ruby’s Night, which is October 17th from 11a.m. till closing.
Why Fundraising Is Important for Our School
By Zach
Fundraising events at St. Theresa are not just important to the school itself, but it also affects the learning environment of the students. Events such as “ Shakey’s Night” and any school night at restaurants help us pay for replacements for the equipment used in P.E. and repairs for the basketball court. The students have been using the same volleyballs, basketballs, and soccer balls for eight years, and they’ve become worn down and difficult to use. The gaping cracks in the basketball court make it that many students, such as myself, can’t play basketball without worrying about being injured. These are the problems the fundraising events help fix. This is important to us as students.
$1 Free Dress Day for Cancer Research
Free Dress for Cancer Research
Thank you for everyone who brought money for the cancer research! We are currently still counting the money that we have raised on this day. I’m sure it will mean a lot to all the kids. We ourselves have planted a seed in our community. If you brought more than a dollar we thank you so much for being a part of our community. Our Saint Theresa School is very proud of the participants who volunteered for this event. We would like to congratulate you all for your participation as well as being part of our community.
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