The Black & Gold Report

March 22, 2024 Volume 1 - Issue 27

Dear Saint Families and Friends:

“Exchange what can never satisfy you for the only thing that can.”

-Wendy Speaks

Greetings from Berks Catholic! Happy Lent! As our 40 days of Lent wind down, we still have some time to prepare – to pray, to repent, to reflect and to strengthen our relationship with God. Last week, Deacon Lanciano and students who recently attended the Kairos Retreat, led the school community in a beautiful Stations of the Cross service. The time we shared together was marked by sacredness as we walked with our Lord in the Stations. I was so proud of how mature and reverent our students were during the Stations. As we look forward to Holy Week, I know for myself there are still things I can do to focus more fully on what really matters in these coming days of the Lord’s Passion, Death and Resurrection. I pray that all of us in these closing days of Lent may find peace during this holiest week of the Church year. Have a blessed Lent and a great weekend.

It’s a great day to be a Saint! Together, we rise!

John Petruzzelli

Principal

610-374-8361 ext. 253

Email: jpetruzzelli@berkscatholic.org

Twitter: jpetrobcsaints

Instagram: john.petruzzelli.9

The Week Ahead

Monday, 3/25

Courthouse Field Trip

Tuesday, 3/26

College Counseling trip to West Chester University

Wednesday, 3/27

Chrism Mass at the Cathedral

Easter Break begins at dismissal

Thursday, 3/28

Holy Thursday

School Closed

Friday, 3/29

Good Friday

School Closed

Let Us Pray…

For all who mourn loved ones, that Christ who wept at the death of his friend, Lazarus, comfort them.

That all may experience a holy, solemn and sacred Holy Week.

SAINT OF THE WEEK

Congratulations to Junior

Aloyska Gonzalez

who was named this week's

Saint of the Week!

Congratulations to the following Saints who were winners in last week’s Science Fair (RBSEF) at Albright College:

Timothy Machion ’26 - 2nd Place in Botany
Priella Lenzi ’27 - Honorable Mention in Botany
Audrey Cunningham ’26 - Honorable Mention in Chemistry
David Schnatz ’27 - Honorable Mention in Engineering
Molly Hearing - Honorable Mention in Medicine and Health

Congratulations also to those Saints who won special Science Fair Awards:

Excellent Interview Award (meaning they were extremely personable, respectful, and knowledgeable about their project and the process)

Rosie Perlman ’27
Heidy Mancebo ’25
Micah Drumheller ’26

Berks County Dental Society Award

Ilaria Cirandine ’27

Senator Judy Schwank Award

Priella Lenzi ’27

American Society of Civil Engineering Award

Niyah Morales ’27

Ricoh Sustainability Development Award

Sofia Brugger ’26.

Congratulations to the Academic Bowl Team of Nick Alvine ’26, Sophia Harrison ’27, Tony Nguyen ’25, Rosie Pearlman ’27 and Lily Yohn ’27 (and Mrs. Poe, Moderator) who went 1 and 1 in the Finals of the Academic Bowl Season. The team defeated Conrad Weiser 12-6 in the first round of the playoffs and took a tough loss to the #1 ranked team, Daniel Boone, in the second round. Great job for making the playoffs in your first year!

Congratulations to Caylyn Hauser ’24, Sarah Hauser ’27, Ianthe Morales ’27 and Nicola Polinsky ‘24 who sang last weekend with the Reading Choral Society’s Gloria Singers Concert at Berks Catholic. The Gloria Singers are comprised of students from our partner schools, grades 4 through 8, as well as our own BC Choir. The students were joined by the members of the Reading Choral Society for a beautiful concert in the Franco-Post Auditorium.

In celebration of Pi Day (March 14th) last week, we congratulate Seniors Nicholas Barbera and Caylyn Hauser who won the PI Decimal Award. Nick was able to name 117 digits after 3.14; and Caylyn was able to recite 83 numbers.

Winners of the Pi Day video questions packet were Freshmen Greg Bagnoni, Jakob Dempster, Adrianna Murren, Kayla Olivieri, Gianni Valeriano and Maddie Walton.

Congratulations to Junior Nathan Perez who won the Lucky Leprechaun contest by coming the closest to the number of Leprechaun candies in the bowl. Nathan guessed 310, only one shy of the exact number of 311. Nathan won the candy, a box of Lucky Charms cereal and a Dunkin Donuts gift card.

Congratulations to Swimmer Trey Stricker who competed last week in the PIAA State Swimming Championships at Bucknell University. Trey qualified for the final in the 50 Free and placed 16th . Trey also swam in the 100 Free. Great job, Trey!

We received the following message from the staff at Reading Hospital thanking the football team for their recent donations. They shared in part: “Thank you for bonding together to bring some joy to our patients. The items you collected will bring great comfort to them in their time of need. Giving back and being unselfish are vital traits to success in life and on the field.” Great job, Football Saints!

We also received the following note from Msgr. Orsulak at St. Peter’s Parish. Msgr. Orsulak writes: “I received the donation from the BCHS students and staff toward the Kennedy House food pantry. We distribute food bags on Wednesdays to the poor. This will be quite helpful towards this mission. Please pass on our gratitude to anyone who made this happen.” Great job, Saints!

What's Happening

Lenten Reflection

Let everything I do this day and in the season of Lent

Come from you, be inspired by you.

I long to be closer to you.

Help me to remember that nothing is important in my life

Unless it glorifies you in some way.

It’s so easy to get caught up in the day to day of my life and keep saying,

“Tomorrow, I will spend more time in prayer,”

But now my longing meets your love and I want to do it now.

Help me to rely on you for help.

The prayer asks you that I reach perfection.

Please, Lord, remind me that perfection

Isn’t the frantic, successful way I try to live my life,

But a perfection of my most authentic, real self.

My perfection might be holding my many flaws in my open hands,

Asking you to help me accept them.

Heal me, Lord, and help me to find you in the darkness of my life.

Let me reach out in this darkness and feel your hand and love there to guide me.

Easter Break

A reminder to families that Easter Break begins at the 2:30 p.m. dismissal on Wednesday, March 27th. There is no school on Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Monday. Students and staff return from break on Tuesday, April 2nd.

Unused Snow Days

Barring late unforeseen bad weather, we have two unused snow days that we can utilize in the calendar. Because of that, the following days are now days off for all BC students: Friday, April 26th and Monday, April 29th. Please update your calendar.

Late to School

As the season changes and temperatures begin to rise, unfortunately so has the number of students being late to school in the morning. We appreciate your help at home to make sure that students are on time for school. Please remember that after 5 lates students will be issued a detention.

Financial Aid Reminder

Please complete your 2024-2025 STS Financial Aid Application by April 15, 2024, for maximum financial aid consideration. Applications will be reviewed in the order that the review result is VERIFIED. If a parent or guardian does not see a Review Result of VERIFIED on their application, it is not considered complete. Please check your STS application for any required documents that are still needed. To date, we have received 113 applications for 2024-2025 financial aid and 45 of them are NOT considered verified and require additional information from the parent or guardian. If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Tracy Donoff in the Financial Aid Office at tuition@berkscatholic.org or 610-374-8361 ext. 223.

Reading Royals Hockey School Outing

THERE ARE STILL TICKETS AVAILABLE!

Saints and their families are invited to a Reading Royals Hockey game on Saturday, April 13th at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are free but limited. Check out the attached flyer for details.

Reading Royal Tickets

A Night at the Races

The Berks Catholic Athletic Boosters is sponsoring their annual “Night at the Races” on Saturday, April 6th starting at 6:30 p.m. The cost is $25 (without a horse) or $35 (with a horse). There is a limited number of horses. All tickets are pre-sale. For more information, contact Danielle Fowler at dfowler@berkscatholic.org. Scan the flyer to purchase tickets.

A Night at the Races

The Bible by the Numbers

When your prayers grow narrow or selfish, check out Psalm 67.

Social Media

Did you see our posts this week about our upcoming “Make a Joyful Noise project? Stay tuned. More to come on this. Keep up with all the happenings at the school on our social media channels. Check out what our students are doing day-to-day in class; important news articles; sports and activities; and more! Be sure to follow the school on social media for all the latest updates, pictures, and school information. Facebook: Berks Catholic; Twitter: @BerksCatholic; and Instagram: berkscatholic.

It's a great day to be a Saint!

It's a great day to be a Saint!

Our Mission

Berks Catholic High School is centered on the four pillars of God, Family, Academics and Fun. As a vibrant Christ-centered community, the Administration, Faculty and Staff are dedicated to providing a challenging academic environment for a diverse population of young men and women. Through Christian principles rooted in the Catholic tradition, we strive to positively impact our students spiritually, intellectually, socially, physically and emotionally, so they can live productive lives of service in this world and attain eternal life.

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