Community

As the 2010-2011 School Year comes to a close I realize how long it has been since I've posted a blog ~ the year seems to have flown by especially since we have been back from Easter Break! Since Easter Union Catholic has come together to celebrate Junior and Senior Proms, May Crowning, held a Meet the Coaches Night and crowned a new Mr UC, hosted a Golf Outing, celebrated multiple Conference, County and State Athletic Titles, selected our new ambassadors and big brothers and sisters, said good-by to the Class of 2011 and hosted a "right of passage" breakfast for our juniors ~ to say it has been busy is to say the least. However, today I'd like to focus on two events that took place that I think give you the essence of who UC is ~ We are a Community!

The Spring Concert ~
The UC Spring concert always has a theme; when I asked Mr. Frio (music director) what the theme was this year, he told me it was Halloween. Wow Halloween in Spring..."outside the box" to say the least. Mr. Frio explained that the students this year were really passionate about the music from that time of year and therefore, Mr. Frio allowed them the freedom to express themselves! To say that is was a fabulous concert would not even begin to convey how much fun it was ~ Here we sat on May 17th with a stage decorated with pumpkins, cobwebs and students decked out in their favorite Halloween costumes. The music was lively, fun and everyone loved it ~ A Community of Creativity!

Relay For Life ~
Union Catholic High School has one of the largest SMAC (Student Movement Against Cancer) groups in the area and The Clark Relay For Life held at Arthur L. Johnson this past weekend tapped into the "UC Community" by using SMAC students to help pull off one of their most successful Relays. Over 100 Union Catholic students came together (even our graduated seniors) to raise money and walk all night in support of finding a cure for cancer. You could see Union Catholic students throughout the school grounds doing everything from walking for their team, face painting, selling luminary and working the food stand. Even a severe thunderstorm and down pour couldn't dampen their enthusiasm! Even though their night was cut short by the storm, the UC Community raised over $15,000 for Cancer Research.....great job kids!!

I think the reason these two events stuck out to me this spring is that it emulated one the Union Catholic Core Values ~ "COMMUNITY"! Whether it is a community of students free enough to express themselves musically or a community raising money for a cause that has touched so many of our lives. As I stood on the track Friday night at Relay ready to do the "Survivors" lap, I felt truly blessed to be there with the UC kids....The theme this year was "More Birthdays" I am happy to say that as a survivor I have celebrated 14 more birthdays ~ not just my birthdays but the birthdays of my five children and now a grandson; so thank you UC Community for being committed to a cause that is so close to my heart!


As I write this blog the last exam has just finished and the school year is officially over for our Union Catholic Community ~ Safe and Healthy Summer Everyone!

Locked In and More

This has been a busy week at UC, not that all our weeks aren't busy!

The week began with a tag day in celebration of World Language Week which also brought, International Bake Offs, Poster Contests and Carnivale. Carnivale is a celebration much like Fat Tuesday, the day be before Lent begins. Students, faculty and staff gathered in our gymnasium for a beautiful prayer service and the distribution of ashes on Ash Wednesday.

Tuesday, we welcomed the Class of 2015 Scholarship Winners and their families at a reception held in our main foyer. Music was provided by two of our music students, Mark and Tatiana and families were greeted by some of our Emerging Leaders and Student Ambassadors. Mr. & Mrs. Hartnett spoke beautifully about the impact Union Catholic has had on their son Brian who will be heading to Notre Dame next year and their freshman son TJ who is already making his mark at UC. Annie, a junior at UC, also addressed families and shared her experiences in the Distinguished Scholars Program. It was wonderful to feel the energy in the room and to see how excited the Class of 2015 is to be coming to UC!

We were happy to welcome these same students and so many more at the Union Catholic Lock-In on Friday night. Class of 2015 students poured into UC and jumped right into a night of fun, food, games and getting to know all their future classmates!!

Thursday faculty, parents and alumni attended the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick Annual Dinner where Assistant Principal Jim Reagan was presented with the Distinguished Service Award....congratulations Mr. Reagan!!

Saturday we saw the Union Catholic Irish Vikings carrying Ireland's County Banners down the center of Union in the Union County St. Patrick's Day Parade. Thank you to the Parade Committee for the beautiful Irish Viking Sweatshirts!!!

Union Catholic's Emerging Leaders were also busy on Saturday working the first annual St. Bartholomew 5K. Congratulations to St. Bart's on a successful event!

Union Catholic's Track and Field Team spent the weekend at the NY Armony where Nike hosted the indoor National Meet...congratulations UC Track!! Spring sports began this week as well ~ how exciting it was to see so many of the Vikings all out practicing on that beautiful field!

With so much happening....UC is definitely....Where you want to be!!

UC WOWS

So many exciting things happen on a daily basis here at UC...Sister Percylee calls them her "UC Wows" and this week was an especially exciting week.

All our seniors have been logging all their colleges acceptances and scholarship offers in the guidance office and we are so very proud of each of their accomplishments ~ Notre Dame, Boston College, Villanova, Lehigh, Georgetown...their futures all look so bright. However, we in the admissions office were anxiously awaiting with one of our senior ambassadors for news from his top choice and Thursday he received the news!! He has been appointed to the United States Naval Academy - congratulations Vinnie - we are all so very proud!!

Thursday was also the day that one of our seniors joined the ranks of few by scoring his 1,000 point in a game on the road against RC. A celebratory breakfast with his teammates followed the next day and he has gone on to break the school record of points scored in a high school career ~ Congratulations Bryan!!!

Sunday, baseball coach and long time UC friend, Coach Burns was inducted into the Union County Baseball Hall of Fame ~ Congratulations Coach on all you have done for the UC Community.

And as we approach St. Patrick's Day, we were so excited to hear that this years Leadership in Service Award for the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick is going to Assistant Principal, Jim Reagan ~ Enjoy the dinner Mr. Reagan and thank you for all you have done and continue to do for the students of UC!

As the week wrapped up, our students skyped with Archbishop Meyers, celebrated Black History Month, competed and won individual State Track and Field Titles at the "Bubble" in Toms River. Every day life at UC is anything but ordinary...extraordinary things happen every day! I'll try to keep you up to date! however, it is no reason why.....UC IS WHERE WE WANT TO BE!!

Personality Plus!

Each new class brings its own personality to the UC Family and the Class of 2015 is no exception. If I had to think of a word that descripes the Class of 2015 it would be perseverance. This winter has made it less than easy to visit their prospective high schools, attend events or even get to registration....yet they did.

They had danced the night away at the Accepted Students Dance, had their questions answered on Q&A Sunday and braved icy conditions to attend registration! Saturday's registration was buzzing with excitement as our newest members greated each other, picked up their Class of 2015 T-shirt (designed by UC Alum and art teacher Becky Venezia Schroppe), bought their UC hoodies and signed up to attend the Class of 2015 Lock-In!!

Why wouldn't they be excited ~ UC will offer them an opportunity to learn in a 21st Century learning environment, help them to grow spiritually and socially, challenge them to give back to their community and have a lot of fun along the way!

The Class of 2015 made it very clear....UC IS WHERE THEY WANT TO BE!

Welcome Home!

Welcome back to a new school year...it truly is amazing how fast a summer can go!! I'm sure I've mentioned it before, but I do love September. Our building is not the same without all our students here and even though it seems that our building is never really quite even in the summer, it sure was nice to see all those familiar faces, as well as the new ones, coming back to start the new school year.

The Class of 2014 is already making their mark on our UC Family...Freshmen making winning goals on the soccer field, freshmen runners breaking meet records, freshmen volleyball players contributing to wins and emerging leaders already stepping up in leadership roles in our building. The Class of 2014 is a wonderful addition to our community ~ so glad you are here!!

With our new freshman class also comes a lot of new improvements to our facility with the new turf field and track project continuing, the addition of the Shakespeare Garden by our Performing Arts Center and SMART Boards filling the vast majority of our classrooms.
It is no wonder that UC IS WHERE YOU WANT TO BE!

The start of the school year has left our office phones ringing off the hook with inquiries about Open House and Freshman for A Day ~ we look forward to meeting all our Class of 2015 prospective families on either:
Thursday, October 7th 7PM - Fall Open House
Sunday, October 24th 1-3 PM - Fall Into UC Family Fair Open House


Welcome Home UC Community ~ it sure is nice to be back!

Failte ~ Welcome

Failte ~ Welcome to Foreign Language Week!

Each year the Union Catholic Foreign Language Department takes one week to celebrate the languages and cultures of foreign countries. Each morning this week the UC Community is being greeted on UCTV by students speaking either French, Italian, or Spanish...with the translation following. The Main Lobby is filled with flags from countries all over the world, hallways are lined with posters competing in the the foreign language poster contest, and the Foreign Language Society Induction will be celebrated this evening. But my favorite part about this week has to be the cultural "bake off"! Students are asked to use a recipe from their heritage to bake a dessert and the faculty has the privilege of sampling and voting on the best dessert...I will keep my personal favorite a secret, but am anxious to hear what dessert wins!

As far as my heritage...in my house we are making a lot of soda bread and looking forward to the many parades to celebrate Irish Heritage...Feel free to stop by the Union County St. Patrick's Day Parade in Union on March 13th! Union Catholic has the honor of carrying all of Ireland's County Banners for the parade!!

This Friday opens the Spring Sports season...one of my favorites! Make sure to check the sports schedule and come see a home game on our new turf field!!

UC...WHERE THEY WANT TO BE!

It was clear...UC IS WHERE THE CLASS OF 2014 WANTS TO BE...even a snow storm couldn't keep them away.

It really has been an exciting month! Acceptance letters were no sooner mailed when the Viking Vault was hopping with the Class of 2014 dancing the night away at the Accepted Students Dance...this is an enthusiastic group!! Members of the Class of 2014 receiving scholarships based on the results of the scholarship exam were welcomed by Sister Percylee at the Principal's Reception, families with last minute questions filled our cafeteria at Q&A Sunday and our new Endowed Scholarship winners were announced.

Then came time for registration...and the snow! So our registration day turned into registration weekend and oh what a weekend it was!! How wonderful it was to see so many of the families we have grown to know through the registration process. The Class of 2014 is here and we are so happy that you have joined UC the family. As the Natasha Bedingfield songs says..."this is where your book begins...your page is still unwritten"

Seasons of UC

Welcome to 2010!

One of the things that makes UC such a special place is how we celebrate every season of the year. December has to be my favorite time. It seems that the minute we are back from Thanksgiving, the halls are decorated and the UC Christmas Trees are up. Our building is separated into wings and each class year has their own wing for homerooms. I have to say that it was hard to decide who had better decorations this year???The Seniors? or the Juniors? All I can say that was hard not to feel the Christmas spirit as you walked the halls ~ great job!

The first week of December brought the Annual Tree of Lights Celebration and Christmas Concert. What a beautiful way to spend an evening ~ congratulations goes out to all the UC Musicians, the Concert Choir and the Gospel Choir!

The Christmas Semi Formal has to be one of my favorite events and it has been since I was a student here. The Viking Vault (UC's gym) was transformed into a winter wonderland thanks to the student council and help from the UC parents! How beautiful everyone looked. The night flew by as they danced the night away only taking a break for a sit down candle-lit dinner, which was cooked by Mrs. Abel and some alumni parents. Once again, a great time was had by all!!

Another wonderful tradition at Union Catholic is the Christmas Alumni Mass. On our last day of school before Christmas break, we take time to celebrate mass as a community. Union Catholic invites her alumni to come back and celebrate the season by attending an alumni breakfast and mass. This year had the largest turnout ever ~ the balconies of the gym were packed with enthusiastic alums all excited to see each other and to be back!! As I left mass and school that day I couldn't help but feel so very blessed to be a part of such a special community ~ UC is where I want to be!

We all had a wonderful restful break and are now back and ready for the New Year!
The admissions office is busy reading all the applications and getting ready for this Saturday's Scholarship Exam. Make sure you see the Admissions Website for the announcement of the New Endowed Scholarship Program. Endowed Scholarship will be awarded in the areas of: Fine & Performing Arts, Ministry in Faith Community, forensic/Public Speaking, Community Service, Leadership and Character (demonstrates honest, courage and integrity). For more information you may visit www.unioncatholic.org/uconline/scholarship.

Don't forget that UC is open every Thursday for "True Blue" Tours - come and see why "UC IS WHERE YOU WANT TO BE"!!

Discovering UC

If you have visited our website, then you know that Union Catholic will be hosting "Discover UC Night" on November 17th at 7 PM.

Why "Discover UC"? As I have been giving tours on our new "True Blue Thursdays", I am amazed how many families say to me..."I had no idea UC offered all this"! Sometimes I think UC is the "best kept secret". Families really need to come into our building to see for themselves how exciting our learning environment is ~ let me give you a "brief" summary...

Academics
Through a powerful integration of technology and curriculum - including six learning levels from Advanced Placement to Remedial, classroom SMARTBoards, access to 252,000 scholarly documents in our Online Library, Elmo digital projectors, AirLiner wireless tablets, and much more - we are offering a cutting-edge education that gets exceptional results for our students.

VHS
Union Catholic is also one of a select few New Jersey schools participating in the Viritual High School (VHS) consortium, going beyond the walls of the classroom, allowing students to pursue individual interests.

Center for Success
Offered in partnership with the Union County Educational Services commission, our new Center for Success program uses state-of-the-art assistive technology to provide scheduled support for classified students.

Faith
A faith-based education at Union Catholic anchors young people in God's teachings and instills important values that will sustain them through life. Here at UC, students are invited daily to "Become All God Calls You to Be".

Service/Clubs
Union Catholic students are always looking for ways to make a difference. Whether it is their involvement in SMAC (Student Movement Against Cancer), REACH (Raising Educated Awareness for the Causes of HIV) or participating in the Big Brother/Big Sister Mentoring Program, our students take the opportunity to give back to the local community and to larger causes that touch the lives of the less fortunate.

Being a student at UC means more than experiencing academic excellence in action. Our students learn a lot about themselves by participating in the many clubs and extracurricular opportunities.

Sports
Union Catholic's successful athletic program allows our students to develop their competitive spirits and become winners beyond the classroom. As our principal, Sister Percylee, said at the groundbreaking of the new state-of-the-art turf field "the construction of this athletic facility is a momentous event for us at Union Catholic. It brings new life and energy to our mission of helping students grow both in the classroom and on the field of play".

The Arts
Union Catholic students are encouraged to sing, dance, act, paint, design and perform. UC's expansive fine arts programs inspires students to explore their talents and individual gifts!

As a side note, members of the UCPAC will be performing the original play "Love Awkwardly" at the Manhattan Theatre Source at Washington Square Park, NYC on November 15, 16, & 17th. More on this to follow in the next blog!

This has been a long post, but hopefully it has given you a very small glimpse of all that is available to students here at UC.

"UC THIS IS WHERE YOU WANT TO BE"

If you would like to come see for yourself....give us a call!!
908.889.1600, ext 302 or bthornton@unioncatholic.org

Inspiration!

The thing I like most about September is that it is a "fresh start". It reminds me of New Year's Day. It is a time to think about how the school year is going to be.

Each year the Peer Ministry Team picks a theme for the school year ~ this year the theme is "Inspiration". As I look around our building, I realize that this is an easy place to find inspiration. Teachers inspire students everyday to learn as 21st Century Learners with a progressive approach to teaching. Students inspire faculty as we learn of all the summer travel, accomplishments and service projects. Buses arriving, friends greeting each other after a long summer everyone checking how many classes and lunches they have together. Shining floors and windows and a new turf field...Yes can you believe it...Union Catholic has a new "state of the art" turf field under construction...check the front page of our website for a link to the photos and watch the turf field develop for yourself - very exciting!

Yes, I have a feeling that Inspiration will be a fitting theme for this year. I promise to fill you in on all the inspirational things that happen here at UC - or maybe you should just come see for yourself!!

Open House - October 8th 7PM
Call for more information...908.889.1600, ext. 302

Farewell ’09 ~ Welcome ‘13

It has been so long since I’ve blogged but not because there hasn’t been anything to write about! It seems that in the “UC Community” there are special moments every day; events and memories that will last long after we leave the halls of UC.

Since the lock-in (my last post), UC students have marched in the Union County St. Patrick’s Day Parade, put on an amazing spring musical (congratulations on the Rising Star Nominations for the lobby display), participated in Career Day, attended pep rallies, hosted grammar school teachers and principals at a “Roundtable Dinner”, congratulated athletes for all their accomplishments at an athletic dinner (especially the track team for running at Penn Relays), crowned a new Mr. UC, hosted 7th grade students at the annual Anti-bullying Workshop, helped the admissions office host a very successful Spring Open House, took their Physics final at Great Adventure and enjoyed ice cream sundaes after their academic awards night. They have raised over $120,000 for the fight against and cancer and walked in the Relay for Life in Scotch Plains. They have attended their junior or senior prom and the funeral of a beloved guidance counselor.

These events fill our calendars and our days blend into months which blend into the end of another school year. It is so very hard to believe that the Class of 2009 has graduated, the Class of 2010 has inherited the courtyard, the Class of 2011 has ordered their class rings and UC "Big Brother and Sisters" are busy planning to welcome the Class of 2013 at their BBQ on June 17th.

This afternoon several of us were commenting on how quiet the building is without the Class of 2009. Each class brings a unique personality to our building and the Class of 2009 was no different. They leave UC having earned over 14 million dollars in scholarships and they leave having earned numerous awards academically and athletically. They leave UC with the memories of first loves, first victories and first defeats. They leave having made life-long friends and having learned life lessons both in and out of the classroom. They have grown up here at UC; grown into young men and women ready to take on the next phase of their life journey and leave their Alma mater behind. What does Alma Mater mean? It means “Our Mother” ~ so Class of 2009, your Alma Mater…your mother…will never forget you and will always welcome you home!

God Speed Class of 2009

Next blog…update on the Class of 2013 BBQ and Big Brother/Big Sister Roller Skating Event!!

The Golden Class - 2013

Welcome Class of 2013 - Union Catholic's Golden Class!!

Yes, you are the Golden Class...why??? Union Catholic High School will celebrate its 50th anniversary the year you graduate high school. What a great time in UC's history to start high school. Four years filled with celebration and anticipation of our school's golden anniversary - one more reason why "UC Is The Place To Be"!!

Congratulations on choosing a high school that will help you grow as a person, achieve your goals, to be successful in ways you never knew possible and to manage to have fun along the way!

Speaking of fun ~ don't forget to register for the Class of 2013 Lock-In on March 13th!! Our "big brothers and big sisters" are anxious to see you, especially after meeting so many of you at the accepted students dance! We'll have lots of games, food and fun!! Feel free to e-mail Mr. Luciano and let him know you are coming dluciano@unioncatholic.org

As you finish your 8th grade year know that we are already preparing to have you here as a part of the UC Community ~ we can't wait for you to get here!

Class of 2013 - as Natasha Bedingfield says in her song Unwritten "Today is where your book begins...the rest is still unwritten"

UC ~ Something Beautiful

I think I have gotten so caught up in all the amazing things happening on a daily basis here at UC that I have neglected to blog!

Since my last blog our days have been filled with excited 8th graders visiting as "freshmen for a day". ~ Word is out ~ "UC IS THE PLACE TO BE".

This years fall pep rally felt a new energy as the DJ rocked the Viking Vault. You couldn't help but feel the excitement as our fall athletes were introduced! The pep rally must have done the trick because the fall season finished strong with the volleyball team winning conference and county titles finishing 2nd in the state and one of our cross country runners winning the conference and county title as well as placing 3rd in the state qualifying for the Meet of Champions to name just a few!

Athletics was not the only area celebrating this fall! The Fall Play "Incorruptible" was a huge hit with brand new talent shining on stage. UC's Peer Ministry Team held wonderful Days of Recollections for both students and faculty and a Mock Election predicted our next president on Channel 12 News! Two honor roll breakfasts were held to recognize 1st marking period accomplishments and UC welcomed a record number of students to take the COOP Exam on November 7th.

This morning,at the Freshmen Assembly, Sister Percylee congratulated the Class of 2012 on their many accomplishments both academically and athletically this fall. To celebrate all these many accomplishments, Sister gave the UC Community off the day before Thanksgiving ~ Thank You Sister Percylee!

After the assembly I attended a meeting where I was asked to pick a "shining moment" at UC this year. It was hard, there have been so very many shining moments already and it's only November. So I thought about it and I have to say that truly shining moments happen everyday. The song we used on our new DVD is "Something Beautiful" by the Newsboys ~ well, "Something Beautiful" happens everyday, whether in the classroom, in clubs, or on the athletic fields ~ the extraordinary shining moments happen in the beautiful events of everyday life at UC!

UC is hosting a new event this year ~ "Discovery Day" on December 12th from 8:45 am to 11:45 am. This unique event will allow families to visit our classrooms while in session! Seats are liminted, so a RSVP is necessary!

COME AND SEE FOR YOURSELF WHY UNION CATHOLIC IS "THE BEST KEPT SECRET"!

A NEW BEGINNING

UC held Open House last night and WOW, what an enthusiastic crowd!
Families were so anxious to get started that our UC Ambassadors began the "early bird" tours a 1/2 hour early!

Our standing room only crowd cheered as the UC Viking escorted Principal Sister Percylee on stage to address our families. In Sister's welcome she let our prospective students know what our current freshmen had to say when asked "If you could use one word or phrase to describe your first month at UC, what would it be"? They used words and phrases like; cool, the best, amazing, feels like family, exciting, fun, incredible, something to look forward to. The list goes on and on! It was wonderful to hear that the Class of 2012 knows that they are already of vital part of the UC family!

The Open House DVD presentation was entitled "A New Beginning" ~ each 8th grade student has the opportunity to choose their new beginning ~ A New Beginning at UC will include an academic program that includes six learning levels, an anytime anywhere laptop learning environment, a Virtual High School Program, athletics, clubs, and so much more! Come for Freshman for a day and see for yourself!

How will you look in Blue & White!!!

WELCOME BACK UC!

Even though summers at Union Catholic are never really quiet, there is nothing like the first month of school... the building is sparkling, our summer projects complete, and our students are back. The building is back to how it should be, filled with students happy to see each other after their summer off.

The environment this year seemed to be especially electric! As each class came in for orientation, their excitement over the improvements spread. You could hear them talking in the halls…”Have you seen the new Tradition Meets Tomorrow Hallway? It’s fabulous!” “How about the new physics lab and new bathrooms??” UC students take great pride in their campus and it shows with how proud they are each time an improvement is made.

UC students aren’t just proud of their campus, but their sports teams as well! What a great way to start the fall season with big wins in soccer and cross country not to mention the freshman, JV and Varsity volleyball wins at RC – the Blue Crew, with painted faces and chests cheered their teams to victory!

If you’d like to meet some of the UC faculty, coaches, athletes, students and yes…The Blue Crew…then stop by our Open House on October 2^nd at 7PM. Can you see yourself in Blue & White?? Register for the UC open house at http://www.ucevents.org/. and receive a free Blue & White UC t-shirt the night of open house.

BTW…I happen to be at the Varsity Volleyball game and couldn’t help but get caught up in the “blue & white” spirit so I’ve included a short clip of the winning volley!

ALUM VIEWPOINT

I happen to be talking with one of our alums from the Class of 2004. He's just graduated from a college in Virginia and was sharing with me his many memories of his last four years and how it felt to be back. He was on his way to a BBQ with his former UC classmates so I asked him if he would write a quick note that I could post on my blogspot, so here you go....

Alum Viewpoint

I am a Union Catholic Alum and I graduated with the Class of 2004. It seems so long ago but the memories are still very clear. I received an amazing education at UC that prepared me for college. I was highly involved at UC with Student Council, Performing Arts, the Irish Vikings and Cross Country. UC was not just a place for academics. There were so many clubs, organizations and sports that everyone could get involved in. The school was full of school spirit and I still feel that spirit when I go back for any of the sport games. When I entered college I wanted a similar experience to that of UC, because I loved it so much, and I found it.

I have also maintained life-long friends from Union Catholic. Ever since my graduation from UC four years ago my friends and I have done our best to stay in contact. Even though we all went to different schools we stayed in touch and made sure we saw each other when we were home. One of my favorite traditions that we started was the annual Thanksgiving dinner. We have been doing this for 4 straight years and I can't wait for next year! It's just a big pot-luck dinner and we can all catch up(all 20 of us)! My friends and I still see each other a lot. They even came down to visit me in Virginia where I went to college! I have gained life-long friends at UC and we continue to keep those friendships even after college.

It is crazy to think how fast high school and college have gone by. But it is fun to see where the journey will take us! Some of my friends are going back to school while others are in the working world. Some are teachers, engineers, or working in advertising. Union Catholic has made the possibilities endless for me and all of my friends and that is the same for anyone who walks into those doors. It is a place of great education and life-long friendships.

Eddy '04


What memories and friendships will you take away from your high school experience???
Where will your future take you...

An Extraordinary Future begins with an Exceptional Education!

save the date:

OPEN HOUSE, THURSDAY OCTOBER 2ND @ 7PM

COLOR OUTSIDE THE LINES!

“We could all learn a lesson from crayons…Some are sharp, some are pretty, some are dull, some have weird names, all are different colors, but they all learned to live together in the same box”

This quote is from the Union Catholic 2008 Yearbook whose theme was “Color Outside the Lines”. What a wonderful message to all of us…yes we are all different. All unique and yet, we all live together in this community called Union Catholic.

Union Catholic encourages students to “show their true colors”. To be able to show their unique talent, ability or gifts and let them grow and flourish.

It is fun to flip through the yearbook to see all the smiling faces and remember all the fond memories of a school year, but it is even better when the message of the yearbook is so appropriate…Don’t be afraid to be yourself ~ let your true colors shine through.

The Class of 2008 attended their graduation on May 31^st ~ their true colors shown through as awards and accomplishments were acknowledged and tributes were made to a classmate who lost his battle with cancer. This class has left their mark on UC, we are better because they were here.

Visit our homepage www.unioncatholic.org for a photo slideshow of Graduation….Class of 2008 ~ you will be missed!

SENIOR PROM

The anticipated senior prom ~ beautiful gowns, tuxes, flowers and limos. I had the privilege of being able to attend one of the pre-prom gatherings. The girls looked stunning, the boys looked sharp and parents were snapping pictures.

Looking at them huddling together for pictures I realized that they have grown up before our eyes. From nervous freshmen to “silly sophomores”; from a ring ceremony to the college search, how fast it has gone, how sophisticated they looked ~ how quickly they became friends; no, maybe family is a better word.

As incoming freshmen, you may be nervous about high school. You worry about leaving friends behind. You probably feel much like our seniors as they get ready to leave the friends they have made here at UC. In their four years of high school they have grown academically, spiritually and socially. They are now ready for the new challenges that await them; and they will carry with them the memories of nights like their senior prom; a night of celebrating friendship.

So a message to all my incoming freshmen ~ I know that this is a bittersweet time for you and I am sure that you may be nervous about what your future holds. With eighth grade almost behind you and September around the corner, we want you to know that we can't wait for you to get here!

“At UC ~ The Best Is Yet To Be”

Looking forward to seeing you at the Class of 2012 BBQ on June 19^th ~ don’t forget to RSVP bthornton@unioncatholic.org.

Here is a peek at some of our seniors as they headed of to the Crystal Plaza in Livingston. A good time was had by all!

OPEN HOUSE ~A GREAT PLACE TO BE!

I could not believe I was turning the calendar to May, where did April go??

It seemed that the month was filled with an event a day. Career Day, Golf Outing, Anti-bullying Workshop (held for 7^th graders), Mr. UC (mentioned in a previous blog), The Senior Leadership Luncheon, The Class of 2012 Lock-In, Sophomore Olympics, Youth Rally for Pope Benedict, Honor Roll Breakfast, Open House, the Spring Concert and the Hall of Fame Dinner….phew…hard to catch your breath.

Even though the month was filled with so many amazing highlights I thought I’d write about the Open House, after all this is an admission blog!

Our Spring Open House is held for 6^th & 7^th grade students looking to get a “head start” on the high school search as well as students looking to transfer. This is generally a smaller Open House, so you can imagine our surprise when the families kept pouring in! How nice it was to meet so many prospective families…the future of UC. The night was buzzing with tours, academic presentations, student panels and more. You could feel it in the air - "UC Is The Place to Be"

Sum up the night? I believe I would use the word “Dedication”. Dedicated parents eager to find the “best school”, dedicated seniors willing to give up a night off to show prospective families how their talents have been fostered at UC, dedicated teachers willing to take time to share with families how their children will develop academically, a dedicated Alum willing to come back for the night to share what UC has meant to her, and dedicated UC students coming off the playing fields to hold student panels.

As I was thinking about the evening I realized that the dedication that was evident at Open House runs through the very “being” of Union Catholic. UC teachers coming in early to tutor students, Mrs. McKenna staying late to make sure every college application is sent out of guidance on time, the “ladies of Room 114” helping students through the challenges of high school friendships, parents helping organize and chaperoning the Relay for Life and Sister Percylee stopping students in the hall to see how the latest track meet, game or test went. Union Catholic is a community filled with dedicated people who really just care about each other ~ what a great place to be!

I'm attaching a video of the UC musicians who came to play at Open House ~ this was just a small taste ~ the Concert was amazing!!

MR. UC

With Mr. Luciano as the MC, the fourth annual Mr. UC Contest took place on Wednesday evening, April 16th. Eight seniors competed for the Viking Crown and the prestige of knowing that they could be the next "Mr. Union Catholic".

Words really cannot describe the evening that began with our eight contestants doing a dance to "I Will Survive" which was followed by their casual wear, talent and formal wear. Who would have thought that one of the basketball team's leading scorers would do an interpretive dance to the Lion King or that the captain of the baseball team plays in a pipes and drum band; who thought that the UC technology guru of Room 115 was a stand up comic? But even if all those talents were impressive,it was Kevin who won out...his "UC Song" done to the tune of Billy Joel's Piano Man stole the show. An auditorium full of screaming fans casts their votes for this year's Mr. UC ~ Kevin Cascone! Congratulations Kevin and as you leave us to become a St. Joe's Hawk, remember that you will always be a Viking!

Now you may ask yourself, what does a Mr. UC contest have to do with admissions? I like to give all prospective families a sense of the school spirit that is here within the walls of Union Catholic. At Open Houses or Information Sessions you can learn all about the academic offerings, the virtual high school, our athletic programs and clubs. What you can't always see at these events is the spirit of the school...our students. The Mr. UC contest is one of my favorite events. Senior boys comfortable enough to be themselves and have fun and a supportive student body that comes out to support them.