Dear Friends,

The Saints Academy at 111 New Balch Street in Beverly recently installed a Miracle Playground – Spreading Joy through Play – for the schoolchildren and will dedicate this playground structure in loving memory of Jeffrey G. DeLorenzo, a   proud 2003alumnus of St. John the Evangelist School who tragically passed away last year.  We would like to extend an invitation to you to attend the ribbon cutting memorial dedication, which will take place on Friday, June 1, 2018 at 10:15AM following First Friday Mass at 9:00AM at St. John the Evangelist Church. 

 Jeff possessed a youthful, joyful and fun-loving spirit and because a school playground also connotes joy, The Saints Academy felt dedicating the playground and naming it, The Jeffrey G. DeLorenzoMemorial Playgroundwas so fitting.  In the words of Jeff’s former principal at St. John the Evangelist School, Karen McCarthy, “When I think of Jeff, I see a kind, caring, happy student.  Jeff always made me smile and he was a perfect St. John’s student.  A principal’s blessing!  I know Jeff loved his family, his friends, his school and his faith.  And we, his teachers and I, were all privileged to know him and educate him.”

Let us come together as friends, neighbors, alumni, parishioners, and family along with the school community and the DeLorenzo Family to celebrate the life and joyfulness of Jeff DeLorenzo and dedicate The Jeffrey G. DeLorenzo Memorial Playgroundat The Saints Academy as a way to keep Jeff’s memory and spirit alive for generations to come.

Sincerely,

Dan Bouchard

Principal

Students Win Genes in Space Contest!

In March, Mrs. Pomeroy, our middle school science teacher, presented an opportunity for our 8th graders to take part in the national Genes in Space 2018 contest.  This contest challenges students from around the country to design an original DNA experiment that addresses real-life challenges and opportunities of space exploration. Genes in Space is a national contest open to students in middle school and high school.  Students were invited to design a DNA experiment that could be performed on the International Space Station. Proposals are judged solely on their creative and scientific merit.  

Eight of our 8th grade students (Graham Speidel, Max Sperry, Catherine Terelak, Emma Perry, Lindsey Gannon, Aria Rahimi, Josh Berube, Abby Booth)  formed a team and worked with Mrs. Pomeroy for weeks during recess, before, and after school.  Additionally, Mr. McFarland, a bio-tech veteran, offered assistance and guidance to the team. 

The 8th grade students at The Saints Academy engineered a study in the field of bio-engineering addressing the question, "Can living organisms help us colonize new worlds?" They investigated whether plants that typically are not drought-resistant could become drought -resistant through gene manipulation.  The students isolated the gene responsible for regulating the opening and closing of the guard cells inside the stoma.  This discovery could be used to modify the process of transpiration in a plant cell.  The significance of the study has far reaching implications.  The demands for usable water are increasing, but the availability of clean water is decreasing due to Global warming and changes in environment.  Pretty impressive stuff!!

Last week, The Saints Academy received this notification from the Genes In Space:

Congratulations!  Your Genes in Space proposal has won a Junior Scientist Award.  This award recognizes outstanding proposals by US middle school teams. We had a very competitive Genes in Space application pool this year, with 559 submissions from grades 7-12th including 129 proposals from middle school applicants from across the US.  Your team's submission was among the top 5 proposals in a pool of very strong middle school proposals. We warmly congratulate you on your achievements.

Please note that we will make the official announcement on Tuesday, May 15^th.  Please do not share the news of this award outside of the submission team and family. The announcement will appear on the Genes in Space website, partner websites (e.g. Boeing, miniPCR, etc.) and may be picked up by national and local media. 

As a Junior Scientist Award recipient, your educational institution will receive a miniPCR DNA Discovery System™.  This complete biotechnology toolkit includes the same DNA technology that is currently in use aboard International Space Station!  Each member of your team will also receive a medal, certificate, and Genes in Space t-shirt. 

Congratulations again on your award! If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. Thank you for participating in this year's competition and for pioneering space DNA science.

Regards,

Emily Gleason on behalf of the Genes in Space team 

https://www.genesinspace.org/?mc_cid=ebd76de362&mc_eid=11fedddf2e

https://www.genesinspace.org/blog/genes-space-awards-2018-part-1

How incredible!!!!!   We are so unbelievably proud of the work and effort that Graham, Joshua, Lindsey, Catherine, Aria, Max, Abby, and Emma put into this project.  To stand out nationally for the quality of their work speaks volumes of their commitment, the wonderful support of Mrs. Pomeroy, Mr. McFarland, their parents, and the whole Saints Academy Community!  Congratulations to all of you!!!  

Registration is now open for the Summer Enrichment Theme Weeks offered at The Saints Academy. These programs are geared toward children 4-6 years old and will be taught by Anne Knapp and Marie Rodriguez. Each program will run Monday through Friday from 9:30am to 11:30am. Please fill out the registration form and return by April 3oth. We will need a minimum of 5 students to run each program and will take a maximum of 10 students per week. If needed, registration will be open to the community after April 30th.  You will be notified in advance if a program will not run. 

Click here for more information!

Check out The Saints Academy ad in the 2017-2018 Boston Celtics Yearbook! Page 55

Click here to see our ad in the Boston Celtics Yearbook!