Author: Janis DeVore

What an interesting and fact-filled morning for our fourth grade students who had the privilege of meeting Villanova University professor Dr. Steven Goldsmith and learning about his upcoming trip to Antarctica. Dr. Goldsmith will be traveling near the South Pole to an area called the McMurdo Dry Valleys. This row of snow-free valleys in Antarctica represent an extreme desert environment, making them the perfect backdrop to Dr. Goldsmith’s scientific work involving rocks, water and minerals.

Currently summer in Antarctica (with average temperatures approximately 26.8 degrees), melting snow and ice cause running streams of water to form in the region. Dr. Goldsmith and other scientists on the expedition will collect water samples and mud samples to test the chemistry of the stream and mud. He will also bring back dirt samples that Villanova students will test to determine the origin of the dirt that sweeps into that area of Antarctica. The McMurdo Dry Valleys are believed to be the closest environment on earth to Mars. Experiments related to this expedition will be used to help scientists working on experiments with the Mars Rover.

Thank you, Dr. Goldsmith for enlightening our students on your fascinating scientific research in Antarctica!

In celebration of the Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, All Saints students re-enacted “The Miracle of the Pink Roses” accompanied by the glorious sounds of the professional Mariachi band,  Mariachi Son De America. Prior to Mass, students honored our Blessed Mother with a decade of the Rosary in Spanish.

The Story of the Miracle of the Pink Roses
At dawn on December 9, 531, on Tepeyac Hill near what is now Mexico City, Our Blessed Mother appeared to Juan Diego, an Aztec Indian.  Juan Diego lived a simple life as a weaver, farmer, and laborer. That morning, as Juan passed Tepeyac Hill, he heard music and saw a glowing cloud encircled by a rainbow. A woman’s voice called him to the top of the hill. There he saw a beautiful young woman dressed like an Aztec princess. She said she was the Virgin Mary and asked Juan to tell the bishop to build a church on that site. She said, “I vividly desire that a church be built on this site, so that in it I can be present and give my love, compassion, help, and defense, for I am your most devoted mother . . . to hear your laments and to remedy all your miseries, pains, and sufferings.”

The bishop was kind but skeptical. He asked Juan to bring proof of the Lady’s identity. Before Juan could go back, he found out his uncle was dying. Hurrying to get a priest, Juan missed his meeting. The Lady, however, met him on his path and told him that his uncle had been cured. She then told Juan to climb to the top of the hill where they first met. Juan was shocked to find flowers growing in the frozen soil. He gathered them in his cloak and took them at once to the bishop.

Juan Diego told the bishop what had happened and opened his cloak. The flowers that fell to the ground were Castilian roses (which were not grown in Mexico). But the bishop’s eyes were on the glowing image of the Lady imprinted inside Juan’s cloak. Soon after, a church was built on the site where our Lady appeared, and thousands converted to Christianity. Our Lady of Guadalupe was declared the patroness of the Americas.

Juan Diego’s preserved cloak can still be seen behind the main altar in the new Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, near the original Basilica site. Millions from all over Mexico and the world make their way to venerate Our Blessed Mother and to implore her intercession. Juan Diego was canonized on July 31, 2002 as Saint Juan Diego by Pope John Paul II. The Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Patroness of the Americas, is December 12th.

Did you know that December 8-14, 2014 has been deemed Computer Science Education Week? Mrs. Carroll will be expanding our students problem-solving, creativity and logic skills by participating in the “Hour of Code” Event with grades 3-8. The event is designed to demystify coding and introduce students to 21st century career paths.

Check out the Computer Science Education Week “Hour of Code” website and try your hand at coding.