More About Friday's Dance

My ears are still ringing from Friday night’s dance but, despite that, I am still smiling. As mentioned in the previous post, it was an 80s themed party: in part a tribute to Michael Jackson, who shaped much of pop culture then. If truth be told, I was in the throes of diaper changing, keeping up with three toddlers, and severe sleep deprivation to remember much about anything else in the 80s. So, it was not so much cruising down memory lane for me but a memory jolt. Catherine, already a loyal contributor to Knight Scene said:

The 80s dance last night was so much fun. A lot of freshmen sophomores, and even juniors and seniors were there. The Jug Yard was decorated very nicely (lots of neon colored washable paint, strobe lights, and confetti) and the music (both 80s and current pop music mixed by a professional DJ hired for the event) made it fun to dance (which ncluded a Conga type line and individual solos) too, and everyone's outfits looked great (sort of like a scene from Saved by the Bell).

As one of a number of adult “flies on the wall”, I agree with her that one of the reasons that the party was so great (like most events at Loyola) is that it is a community wide gathering. There are not many schools where freshmen through seniors comingle, so willingly and happily.

Parent Contributions:

This brings to mind another unique aspect of the Loyola community: a sense that we are all committed to working together in the best interest of our students. Earlier this month an article appeared in Newsday,which was brought to my attention by a freshman parent. In President (Molloy College) Drew Bogner’s opinion piece, he voiced his concern that as educators, "We want to teach our students to put forth new ideas and challenge old ones, but to do so in a way that shows respect for everyone in the process” citing two recent incidents (Serena William’s meltdown at the US Open and Kanye West’s boorish behavior at the MTV awards) as examples of the opposite in pop cultural examples. In so doing, we will mold “citizens who will make a difference and work tirelessly to transform our communities.
Without a doubt, this is accomplished daily in the classroom, in extra-curricular activities, and on the field at Loyola. What I find particularly inspiring is that you can also witness this at a school dance, where young men and women from freshmen through seniors Dance the Night Away (1979-almost the 80s-Van Halen and 1984-Europe) together.

More than Just Dancing the Night Away

In addition to dancing, Loyola Knights have been busy with their numerous athletic pursuits. Check out the school calendar. Sam a member of the Track and Cross Country team reflects:

When we run with a Loyola singlet on, we are running for more than just
ourselves, we are running to help the team, and at the end of the race everyone is supportive, and (again) like a second family. I certainly love being on this team even though I live an hour away and the practices require me to manage my time for homework, studying, etc. It's definitely worth it!

To that Peter adds:

It's official: September 22 has come and gone, ushering in fall. And with fall comes Cross Country, a crucible of physical strength, a stressor of mental stability, and a playpen of mud. The team's been training since the summer (well...most of us), however there's still miles to go (Ha! Ha! A pun!) Our first meet was September 19, and it was a real wake-up call to what the sport is. I remember before the race, there were utterances of "I'm going to die" and "I'll be holding up the rear" and while none of us did that, we all did cross the finish line. Though breathing at that point was noticeably difficult, we crossed that line (You can see how we did at:

http://ny.milesplit.us/meets/55471/results/99035
for the boys and http://ny.milesplit.us/meets/57422/results/99463

[Yeah! Teresa- 67 outta 164! And of course, Liam speaks for himself...) We had another meet 9/24, which was the first race where all competitors ran a full 3.1 miles, not the 2.5 for varsity and (a generous) 1.5 for freshmen. Though we weren't at our full potential, holding out for our real competition this Saturday, where we're really gonna "empty our tanks" to quote Coach Donacik. Wish us luck, but we won't need it! Go Knights!

Peter also reflects thoughtfully on his involvement on the Speech Team:

Life's like a play; it's not the length but the excellence of the acting that matters - Seneca

Such is the case when you watch the Loyola Speech team perform,
gesture, enunciate, and dominate at any given speech competition. All our competitors have their pieces and are acquainted with them, ready for our first tournament at Regis on October 3. There are a lot of new members, which is great! In the class of '11 alone, we've gained some numbers and may be gaining some more before long! I know I can't wait to compete, humorously interpreting "Employees Must Wash Hands...Before Murder! (Check out the playwrights website: www.donzolidis.com)

September Birthday Shout Out to:

Shonte, Grace, Jonathan, Isabel, Kelly, Kacie, Kathleen, Julian, Chris, James, Cara, Tatiana, Renz, Bibiana, Kevin, Brandon, Anthony (and moi, who shares the same B’day), Morgan, and faculty and staff members: Mr. Lyness, Mr. Gregory, Ms. Nagy, and Mr. Harillal.

May this be the best year ever!!!!!!!

Final Faculty Highlight

Despite the time and dedication that teachers devote to their work with students, many still find time for passions outside of the classroom. Most recently, Dr. Bob Meade, English Department Chair and writer, had another work of his published http://bartlebysnopes.com/stories.htm and is in consideration for the best of the month’s stories. This story falls under the category of flash fiction (a particularly challenging medium to pull off successfully). I am sure that you will agree that he has done a most commendable job in “Game, Set, Match”. In fact, let’s all raise a glass of grape soda to him for such a fun story to read and good luck with the contest!

See you next week!

Back to the 80s!

Another week has gone by here at Loyola School. Today, students and faculty were rewarded with a dress down day, perhaps to get us all excited about tonight's big dance (and even better, it's an 80s dance, so bust out those pastel colored blazers!). While our students have been perfecting their moonwalks in anticipation for tonight, faculty and administrators had an opportunity to meet with freshmen and transfer parents last night. It was a rewarding and fun evening.

This week, we heard from the newest addition to our faculty, Cristiano Tiozzo. Cristiano is a true renaissance man. Hailing from Italy, he is not only the director of our Music Program, but a member of the Foreign Language department as well. Additionally, Cristiano worked part-time here at Loyola as a Physics teacher! So like I said, a real renaissance man. Here's what he had to say about his first few weeks as a full-time faculty member:

I cannot believe how much we accomplished in one week. My first week at Loyola was lovely and intense. I love the students, their enthusiasm and the unique quality each one of them brings to the class. The classes, which range from the Music Theory senior and junior classes -where musically inclined and gifted students already learned the basics of harmonics, tunings, major scales, western music notation and the basics of sight-singing and ear-training- and the Freshmen Music Appreciation Classes -where we are having lots of fun understanding sound, watching music videos and learning about various instruments- to the French 1 and 2 classes, where we try to act and speak like French-speaking people do. And of course one of the highlights of the week has been meeting a wonderful choir with more than 30 students who sing wonderfully and many gifted instrumentalists who are interested in joining music ensembles. Often I cannot contain the joy of being here and having the honor of teaching wonderful subjects to extraordinarily gifted students and even though I spend many late hours working, I do so with enthusiasm and looking forward to the next day of teaching.

My big thank you to all my students and to my colleagues, for their support and understanding in what for me is a new beginning and for them a transition to my personal way of teaching,
conducting, managing, interacting...

I am truly looking forward to a great year, with great individual projects in all classes and great concerts. And of course lots of surprises!

The Office of Admission would like to remind students and their parents who are interested in attending an Information Night this fall that you must RSVP online! Additionally, any families that are interested in attending a small, Wednesday morning group tour should call the Office of Admissions as soon as possible so as to secure a spot. Please visit the website to learn more about these events and the application process here at Loyola School!

Welcome Back Students!

It is hard to believe that the start of the new year has come and gone and we are about to enter the second full week of school. Incoming students have spent the week reconnecting with friends from last year, meeting new friends, and getting used to having to be in dresscode. Reluctantly, we've all had to put away our sneakers and tees!



Students have returned to school from far and wide after trips to France, summer camp in the Adirondacks, and beachcombing in the Hamptons, where much of the summer reading took place. In fact, some of last year's seniors could be found in Belize on the senior service trip. One last Loyola experience before heading off to college in the fall.

After a summer of planning with two of our most recent seniors, Kevin and Danielle, who will continue working with us on the blog, we can all look forward to periodic updates on Knight Scene about the goings on in and around Loyola. We invite you all to contribute and to check back frequently for current posts.

Our first installment comes from a new Loyola freshman who writes:

I have been at Loyola for about only a week, and so far I love it! All the teachers are very open, understanding, kind and very helpful. Going to Loyola you will find so many things like tons of clubs and activities to join, sports like soccer and track to try out for, and a lot of nice people. The classes at Loyola are very interesting and I am learning things I haven't even experienced. Loyola has a lot to offer, and I feel that I will uncover many new and great experiences.
- Catherine, Class of 2013

While our students prepare for their summer reading test on September 22 and get reaccustommed to late nights doing homework, the Office of Admissions is preparing for a new crop of students and the 2010-2011 academic year. Meanwhile, seniors began planning for the college application season, and our Director of College Guidance, Tom Hanley, reports that:

"The Class of 2010 has wasted no time with initiation of the college admissions process. They are wrapping up standardized testing with the SAT and ACT, working on final drafts of their college essays, and hitting the road to visit America's finest colleges and universities. This senior class will be participating in Loyola's conversion to all-electronic submission of college applications through an online system called Naviance. We thank the seniors for participating in the College Guidance Office's movement toward being more "green". Although we won't eliminate paper entirely, the vast majority of our applications, transcripts, and related paperwork will be sent to colleges via the web. Best wishes to the Class of 2010 as they move through the college application process!"

The Office of Admissions will be hosting three information nights this fall. We encourage you to RSVP ASAP online, so that you do not miss out on a fun evening. As prospective students and their families start compiling that all important list of schools to explore in the months ahead, please be sure to visit our web site to familiarize yourself with our community and its very full offering. That way when you come in for an interview, you will be prepared to discuss how our offering might suit you.

See you next week! Look for the first of many helpful hints for the new admissions season ahead in our next blog post.

Have a sunny and safe weekend!