Louisville HS’s mock trial team headed for state competition

After recently winning top honors at the 36th annual L.A. County Mock Trial Competition, Louisville High School’s team will participate in the state competition set for March in San Jose.

Louisville won seven straight rounds of competition before the Dec. 4 county finals, defeating the Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies (LACES) to win the regional championship. This is the tenth victory since 1979 for the Catholic all-girls’ college preparatory school in Woodland Hills.

“Their success is due to their willingness to be selfless and to do whatever is necessary to be their best,” said Louisville’s Mock Trial coach, Michael Telesca. The team of seniors included: pre-trial motion attorney, Rachel Thomasson; prosecution attorneys, Samantha Slade and Dani McGinnis; defense attorneys Anna Pasano and Nikki Javadi; and witnesses Callie Ring, Brittany Donowho, Christine Bradshaw, Ava Palazzolo, Lena Elmeligy, Becca Franks, Kristy Pirone and Valentina Maio.

Election & Call to Continuing Conversion retreat set Feb. 22

Those who will celebrate the Rite of Election or the Call to Continuing Conversion, including adult catechumens and their godparents; and candidates preparing for confirmation and Eucharist, their sponsors and initiation team members are invited to attend an afternoon retreat with San Fernando Region Auxiliary Bishop Gerald Wilkerson on Feb. 22, 1-4:30 p.m. at St. John Baptist de la Salle’s Seton Hall.

Registration closes for this event on Jan. 30. Group fees ($10 per person) must accompany the official registration form and only parish checks will be accepted. Checks should be made payable to De La Salle S.R.E. and sent with the registration form to St. John Baptist De La Salle Church, c/o Sandy Cole, 10738 Hayvenhurst Ave., Granada Hills, CA 91344. For further information, contact Cole, (818) 368-1514 or [email protected].

  

St. Patrick School celebrates library reopening

With more than a year and a half of volunteer effort, St. Patrick School in North Hollywood celebrated the reopening of its library on Nov. 17 following the monthly school Sunday Mass.

The school’s library program was resurrected thanks to the donation of many hours of service provided by former school parent/library science student Julia Roman and school benefactor Lupe Drysch, who recently moved into the area and started volunteering at the school.

The library was dedicated in honor of Drysch for her generosity in not only adopting the school and library, but for her gift of new flooring and colorful, age-appropriate furniture for the students who will visit the room to select reading books. The school library now has a group of dedicated volunteers who come twice a week to staff the reading room.

  

Providence HS Robotics Team places in ‘Metal Crunch’

In its first competition, the Providence High School Robotics Team placed fourthin Metal Crunch 2013, a competition organized by the National Robotics League against 16 other teams from local high schools and community college groups across Los Angeles. 

Per competition rules, the ’bot was delivered to team captains, sophomores Joseph Welch and Zachary Romero, one week before the competition. They and their team, builders Michael Napa, London Ruff, Vlad Naumov, Ryan Chow and Christopher Hodges as well as drivers Timothy Viray and Nicolas Moffa, had five days to build the ’bot and practice driving it before competing at the National Tooling and Machining Association (NTMA) Training Center in Santa Ana.

Judging for each match is based on aggression, control of the ’bot and damage that reduces the effectiveness and functionality of the opposition. The PHS team lost the first match due to damage to their wooden wedge, rebuilt and won the next two matches, then lost the last due to their motor burning out.

This was the first of three local competitions before the team heads to Cleveland for the Nationals in May with their team coach Susan Beckenham, who entered the team in this competition. “Competitions are great ways for the students to think on their feet, using the skills gained in the classroom in a real world setting,” she said.