At the Hudson County Swimming Championship finals on Monday February 27, a Saint Dominic Academy sophomore, representing SDA, broke two County Records in the 200 yard Freestyle with a time of 1:55.34 and the 200 yard Individual Medley with a time of 2:07.28, in addition to helping her relay 200 medley relay and 400 Free relay to second place finishes.

In addition to representing Saint Dominic Academy, she trains with Scarlet Aquatic Club year round amongst many of the state’s best swimmers and will forgo the High School Meet of Champions to compete at the Arena Pro Swim Series in Indianapolis.  The Arena Pro Swim Series will offer challenging competition with the country’s best rising age group swimmers, college swimmers and professionals.  At the end of the March, she will compete at Speedo Sectionals, a regional championship held in Indiana.

The sophomore has further qualified to represent TEAM USA in the 2017 International Maccabi Games in Israel this summer. This event is the third largest sporting event in the world held every 4 years, with about 42 countries sending their best in each sport. Besides competition, she will have some time to experience Israeli and Jewish culture and historic country.

The SDA Swim Team, itself, also had a great season finishing second in their league and third (out of 12) in the Hudson County Championships.  Another sophomore also set a record in the 100 Free with a time of 56.40 seconds.  Team members came in 1st  and 12th in the 200 IM, 1st  in the 50 Free, 1st in the 100 Free, 1st and 9th in the 200 Free, 7th and 9th in the 500 Free, 9th in the 200 Free Relay, 2nd in the 400 Free Relay, 10th in the 100 Breaststroke and 2nd in the 100 Medley Relay.

The Class of 2017 has earned over $2.5 million in early college acceptance scholarship recognition.  Students have already been awarded $2,500,776 from the following schools:  Caldwell University, The Catholic University of America, College of Mount Saint Vincent, The College of New Jersey,  East Stroudsburg University, Fairfield University, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Franklin Pierce University, High Point University, Hofstra University,  Holy Family University, James Madison University, Johnson and Wales University, Kean University, LIU Brooklyn, Loyola University, Lynn University,  Marist College, Marquette University, Montclair State University, Mount Saint Mary College, New Jersey City University, Northeastern University, Pace University, Providence College, Rider University, Rutgers University, San Diego State University, Seton Hall University, St. Joseph’s University, St. Louis University,  St. Peter’s University, Stockton University, Temple University, University of Hartford, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, University of New Haven, University of Scranton, University of Vermont,  and Wentworth Institute of Technology.

As  members of Pueri Cantores, the official student choral organization of the Catholic Church, many members of the SDA Glee Club participated in Pueri Cantores’ 40^th International Congress held recently in Rome, Italy.  They left for Rome on December 26 and sang on four separate occasions while there. During the Opening Ceremony, they marched from the Castel Sant’Angelo down the Via Conciliazione to Saint Peter’s Basilica where they marched through the Holy Door which has been opened for the Jubilee Year.  They then sang with all American and Irish choirs for the Mass of Nations at the Basilica of Saint John Lateran.

New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day was the climax of the trip. On December 31, the Glee Club sang at Sala Nervi in a performance in honor of the Holy Father, “Christmas Around the World.” The international choirs serenaded Pope Francis with the Argentinean Carol “El Naciemiento.” 

At 10:00 A.M. on New Year’s Day, the Glee Club sang in the World Peace Day Papal Mass and then gathered for Angelus in St. Peter’s Square. The girls returned home on January 2^nd with memories to last a lifetime. Check out the Papal Mass here.

As part of SDA’s on-going Service Program, students volunteer to help on selected Saturday’s at one of two local food banks.  On Saturday, November 15, students from Ms. Armea’s freshman religion class worked at The Church of the Incarnation on Storms Avenue in Jersey City distributing food to the those in need.  Among the services the girls provided were setting up the groceries, bagging perishable items, greeting guests, doing intakes, translating Spanish/English, distributing food,  and assisting the guests.. 

Additionally, boxes for non-perishable foods and for clothes (socks, especially men’s, scarves, gloves and winter coats) have been placed in Religion classrooms to help those less fortunate.  The boxes will be present throughout the entire school year. 

In Religion classes, the message to the students has been:  ^“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food.  If one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”  (James 2:14-17)

Saint Dominic Academy expands its campus!  Click the link below for the story…

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2015/05/jersey_city_womens_club_donates_building_to_saint.html