GOLDEN HALO AWARD FINALISTS

 

Congratulations to Royal Palm Academy's Golden Halo Award finalists, Ms. Ana Ozores (Spanish) and Mrs. Chrissy Anderson (5th Grade)! 

We are so proud of you!

 

FGCU’s Whittaker Math Competition

On December 16th, RPA’s math students attended the 7th Annual Whittaker Math Competition sponsored by Florida Gulf Coast University. This year was the largest attended thus far (over 600 students), having 25 schools participating from throughout Florida. Our Algebra 1 Team consisting of Gabriella Seoane, Felipe Reyes, Patrick McArdle, and Brendan McHale took 5^th place. Felipe Reyes took 7^th place in the Individual Algebra 1 category and Noelle Torres took 8^th place in the Individual Algebra 1 category. We are very proud of all who participated. It was a great feat to beat the attending middle and high school students at such a young age. You’re the best!

 

 

 The recent Boosterthon Fun Run was a huge success! Students worked for two weeks to collect pledges for interactive white boards in most classrooms. The theme, “Stand Up” represented our need to make the world a better place through the practice of virtue. At the end of the two-week period, students participated in a “fun run” on the RPA field, and even our youngest students ran the full two miles!

Parents cheered the athletes on from the side lines, and a great time was had by all! 

 

POETRY RECITATION CONTEST

On Thursday, November 5, 2009, Royal Palm Academy participated in its First Annual Interschool Poetry Recitation Contest.  The event was graciously hosted by Vicki Tracy at Bentley Village, and 5 Bentley Village residents served as the judges for the event.  Schools participating in the competition sent boy and girl finalists in three categories: Kindergarten-2^nd Grade, 3^rd Grade-5^th Grade, and 6^th Grade -8^Th Grade.  The finalists shared dramatic recitations of poems of they selected themselves.  They were judged on their overall performance including poise and confidence, communication of the message, facial expression and body language, and rapport with the audience.  The top boy and girl winners in each of the categories were all from Royal Palm Academy: Natalia Romano and Perry Mesloh (Kindergarten – 2^nd Grade), Mackenzie Roberts and Maximillian Kirk (3^rd Grade-5^th Grade) , and Mya Adrianzen and Santiago Ortiz (6^th Grade-8^th Grade).  All of the participants worked very hard to prepare for the contest and did a fantastic job!  We hope to bring even more schools to the Second Annual Poetry Recitation Contest next fall.

 HISPANIC HERITAGE FESTIVAL

Royal Palm Academy’s Annual Hispanic Heritage Festival, was held on Friday, October 9, 2009.  Students presented an interpretation of a centuries old Aztec-Mexican tradition called “Matachines.”  Matachines  are bands of Mexican mummers who wander from village to village as they perform ritualistic and choreographed dances to venerate Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patron saint of the Americas.

Our middle school Matachines dancers enacted this tradition in fantastic Aztec costumes with elaborate headdress, vestments, multi-colored and multi-tiered skirts, and shirts with the image of Our Lady on the back.   6^th and 8^th Grade students highlighted this unusual and culturally rich event while performing a dance symbolic of prayers to honor Our Lady of Guadalupe.  7^th Grade students presented a booklet made by them of this beautiful tradition. Churros, nachos and cheese, popcorn, and snow cones were sold at the festival to support RPA’s “Mano Amiga – Change for Change” campaign. 

Royal Palm Academy’s First grade class finds a way to give the gifts they have been given

Royal Palm Academy held a food drive for St. Matthew’s House last week to follow up to the virtue of giving that we have been learning about in the month of September.  A group of about 40 first grade students went to St. Matthew’s House on October 19^th for a field trip and donated all the food received last week from the school.  The students brought about 12 backpacks full of canned goods and 2 boxes full of boxed goods.  It was a very rewarding experience for the students and they were able to not only build their character, but learn to appreciate all that they have in their lives.