As devotion and fidelity to God and Country are essential attributes to one’s life, the Regina Coeli  Council of the Knights of Columbus of Easton, Maryland is proud to sponsor the following essay contest for the students of Saints Peter & Paul School. Open to students in the 9th and 10th Grades.  

1. ESSAY THEMES

9th Grade – Theological Prompt (Theology):  

• Select one of the Beatitudes, and discuss how it informs and inspires Christian beliefs and action, and what it means to you personally.  

10th Grade – Patriotic Prompt (Social Studies):  

• As we approach Memorial Day, discuss one day in American history in the first half of the  20th Century when members of our armed forces paid the ultimate sacrifice, and what it means to you. 

1. TIMELINE

Friday, April 19 – Essay Contests kick-off at school assembly 

Thursday, May 2 – Essays due to SSPP teachers (Theology and Social Studies) 

Thursday, May 9 – Teacher panel gives 14 finalist essays (seven for each grade/topic)  to judges 

Monday, May 13 – Judges provide the six winners to SSPP HS 

Friday, May 17 – Winners announced at school assembly 

Thursday, June 6 – Awards Ceremony/Reception in Marie Mitchell Parish Hall,  5:30-8 p.m.

III. ESSAY REQUIREMENTS 

• MLA Format: Follow all MLA guidelines for spacing, margins, pagination, and headers. Please  include your First Name/Last Name/Grade in the header 
• Length: Limited to 400-500 words. No more than three, double-spaced, typed pages ● Essays will be judged on: (1) Content; (2) Writing Ability; and (3) Creativity/Originality. 

1. AWARDS/SCHOLARSHIP

• Each grade level will receive the following: 

○ 1st Place — $1,500 award 

○ 2nd Place — $600 award  

○ 3rd Place — $400 award 

• In addition, the first-place winners will receive an engraved plaque, and all winners will  receive a Certificate of Achievement from the State of Maryland courtesy of State Senator  Johnny Mautz, a member of the Regina Coeli Council. 

1. PROCESS

• This is a graded assignment for members of the Freshmen and Sophomores.  ● A panel of teachers will determine the seven best essays for each class and submit them, with names redacted, to the Regina Coeli Council of the Knights of Columbus. 
• A three-judge panel from the Knights will score and rank the essays to determine the winners. ● The winners will be announced at a school assembly on May 17. 

Our congratulations again to Samuel and Aidan, our inaugural essay champions! 

Best wishes from the Knights of Columbus to all the student-contestants, and all members of the Saints Peter and Paul High School and Parish communities. 

Vivat Jesus! God continues to bless and protect America!

Students at Saints Peter and Paul Elementary School (SSPP) took the stage by storm on Saturday, March 30 for the first ever talent show. With 24 boys and girls participating, the competition filled with a variety of acts to include singing, dancing, reciting and magic. “The kids were fabulous, the parents were proud and the audience was delighted, which was a win-win-win all around” stated Shari Ochse, the event organizer for the talent show.  

The first annual talent show raised almost $900 to be donated to the music and arts department at SSPP.  The Overall Champion was Lane Morgan who sang “The Climb” by Miley Cyrus. The other judges choices for division winners are as follows:  

PreK-2 1st Place: Katie Fitzgerald 
PreK-2 Runner Up: James Paris
Grade 3-5 1st Place: Danilo Moskalyuk
Grade 3-5 Runner Up: Izzy Ochse
Grade 6-8 1st Place: Amy Sheridan
Grade 6-8 Runner Up: Sarah LaPointe

The evening kicked off with a blessing by Father Nash followed by the National Anthem led by Sgt. John Coleman, an Easton Police Officer who regularly performs in various capacities. SSPP third grader Will Ingham was the Master of Ceremonies and the guest judges included Mrs. Bessie Morris from SSPP, Kimberly Stevens from the Avalon, William Thomas with the Tidewater Singers and Sgt. Coleman.

The talent show was a success because many people came together to help. A special thanks goes to Irina Cawley for playing the piano, Gary Caffrey and CJ Wood for audio mastery and technical assistance. “We truly are a family and it is rewarding to see so many offer help and support to pull this off,” added Ochse.

To learn more about Saints Peter and Paul, please visit www.ssppeaston.org.

 

# # #

The Saints Peter & Paul Athletic Department is pleased to welcome Alison Beyer as the new head coach of the Sabres Women’s Lacrosse program.

Beyer, a 1997 graduate of Saints Peter & Paul, has been actively involved with the sport since her days as a Sabre. Upon graduation from Saints Peter & Paul, Beyer played at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh as well as trained in Australia with the USA U19 lacrosse team.

Alison returns to the sidelines of Saints Peter & Paul as the varsity head coach after serving as the middle school coach from 2003-2008 and coaching with Talbot lacrosse and the Dark Horse lacrosse club. “I feel honored and blessed to have the opportunity to coach the Saints Peter & Paul women’s varsity team. It is a bit nostalgic and I am excited to get the program back to where it once was. I had a fantastic experience playing lacrosse here and I hope to create that same experience for my players. I am looking forward to the girls achieving the level of play I experienced and am eager to support them in their efforts, both academically and athletically”

Director of Athletics Pat Tracy commented, “We are thrilled to have Alison rejoin the Saints Peter & Paul community as our next women’s lacrosse head coach. Her passion and energy as a coach and mentor will be invaluable to the growth of our student-athletes on and off the field. There is no doubt that the program will continue to move in a positive direction under her leadership.”

Freshman Kevin Kyle, Junior Jack Riley, and sophomore Jack Martell joined 60 other students from 20 different high schools from the Delmarva Peninsula as they participated in the 35th Annual Eastern Shore High School Mathematics Competition hosted by Salisbury University.

The competition attracts the best of the best from the Eastern Shore and involves both team and individual competitions. The Sabres Mathematics Team is coached by Mrs. Laurin Westerfield.

Saints Peter & Paul High School is pleased to announce that Bernhard Tyler Christianson has been named a 2018 Scholastic All-American by USA Swimming. Tyler is one of 1622 scholar swimmers nation-wide to earn this distinction for achieving a 3.5 GPA in his academic subjects and for meeting the 2017 Winter Junior National Standard for the 100 Breast, 200 Breast, 200 IM, and 400 IM.

On being named a USA Swimming Scholastic All-American, Tyler commented, “Earning this achievement means so much to me because it reflects on the huge support I have gotten from all those around me – my coaches, my teachers, and my family. I am very blessed.”

Along with pacing the Sabre Swim team, Tyler trains six days a week for 2-3 hours per day with the Naval Academy Aquatic Club in Annapolis, is currently the top ranked 16 year old in the nation in the 200 breast and 400 individual medley, and the top ranked 16 year old for the USA Swimming IMX Composite (combination of all strokes).

Tyler is being recruited by some of the top schools and swimming programs in the nation, including Notre Dame, Michigan, Harvard, North Caroline State, Tennessee, Missouri, Texas A&M, Georgia Tech, and others.  Tyler is competing at Nationals in Greensboro, NC, the International Panama meet this month, and will then head to the TYR Pro Series Meet in January 2019. Congratulations and good luck Tyler!