News Articles
Summer sports & enrichment programs
Looking for a quality fun time for your kids this summer? Sports & Enrichment for Kids! at Lauralton is the place to be…with a top-notch adult staff to guide your child through a week of learning and fun in a safe environment.
New Executive Director of Development appointed
President Antoinette Iadarola, Ph.D. is pleased to announce the appointment of Lisa M. Hottin as Executive Director of Development, effective July 6, 2010.
Kudos to award recipients
Congratulations to the many students who were honored at Lauralton’s annual underclass and senior awards ceremonies held at the school on May 25 and May 26 respectively. Use the links to the right to view the lists of award winners.
Students donate to Mercy Beyond Borders
During their sophomore year, ten members of the Class of 2011 decided to get serious about almsgiving during Lent. Their sophomore Christian Scripture teacher and Religion Department Chair Christine Ring discussed Lenten practices and the meaning of almsgiving and suggested ways for the students to live out the practices. One suggestion was for the students to collect their leftover change after purchasing lunch each day and send the collected funds to a charity of their choice. This group of students, now juniors, who ate lunch together every day, took the suggestion seriously. They collected their change every day throughout Lent, and continued to do so for the remainder of the 2008-2009 school year and throughout the entire 2009-2010 year. On the last day of school this year, these generous students donated the funds to Mercy Beyond Borders, an organization that partners with displaced women and children overseas in ways that alleviate their extreme poverty. Inspired by the experience of the Sisters of Mercy who work globally with the poor, the organization is committed to working in refugee assistance and advocacy. The Lauralton students’ donation was earmarked for the ministry with the women and children of the Sudan.
Class of 2010 graduates
With the members of the Class of 2010 carrying traditional yellow roses and dressed in white caps and gowns, the school’s graduation took place in the Lauralton Hall gymnasium on June 6, 2010. President Antoinette Iadarola, Ph.D. gave the opening and closing remarks and presented the diplomas along with Eileen Dooling, RSM and Principal Ann Pratson. Sister Eileen, President of the Sisters of Mercy of the Northeast, gave an inspirational talk telling the graduates to listen to their hearts and to know the world around them. Among the 104 young women who received graduation diplomas were Valedictorian Lia Bonacci, Salutatorian Emily Ruggeri and Catherine McAuley Award winner Amanda Rodrigues. Remarks by both Lia and Emily were meaningful and touching.
Middle school girls compete at Science Olympics
On May 15, 132 middle school girls formed 33 teams from schools throughout Fairfield and New Haven Counties and went for the “gold” at Lauralton Hall’s annual spring Science Olympics. Students competed in the following activities:
* Determining a method to calculate density using only water and oil; followed by using what they learned to create a lava lamp
* Using volume and weight relationships to calculate the number of M & M candies in a bottle, with the winners taking the bottle home.
* Negotiating a maze using Bernoulli’s principle of air pressure
State awards 2nd grant for barn restoration
Lauralton Hall has been awarded a Historic Preservation Technical Assistance Grant (HPTAG) from the CT Trust for Historic Preservation. This is the second grant the school has received from the state to aid in restoring the historic barn. Presented by Helen Higgins, Executive Director of the CT Trust for Historic Preservation, the grant will assist the school in the cost of preparing bid level architectural plans and specifications for the restoration and re-use of the barn. The money comes to the school as a “matching grant” and thanks to the generosity of various donors and Lauralton Hall supporters, the match has already been met, creating a total of $27,400 to use toward the next phase in the renovation process. Interim Director of Development Patricia J. Rooney, RSM, ’54 states that “we are thrilled to be receiving so much support from the state of Connecticut as well as from local historic organizations, the City of Milford, and loyal Lauralton donors. We look forward to their continued partnership, the support of the entire Lauralton family and the Milford community as we move ahead in the restoration process which is expected to take a few years to complete.”
Seven teachers certified for UConn ECE
Lauralton Hall is proud to announce that seven certified faculty members will teach UConn Early College Experience (ECE) classes in the 2010-2011 school year, and 66 students are eligible to participate in the program.
Future legislators in action at the state YAG Conference
The Youth & Government club recently participated in the Connecticut Youth & Government Conference in Hartford. Youth & Government is a mock legislative club that meets every week after school when members assume the roles of state legislators, newspaper reporters & editors, appellant lawyers, and lobbyists. The students prepare bills about state issues and eventually present the bills to various committees in Hartford. If the students are lucky, they present to the youth House and Senate. It is a unique program allowing the students to actually see the inner workings of government.
Art students participate in Memory Project
Lauralton Art Club students have joined the Memory Project, a nationwide initiative in which art students create original portraits for children living in orphanages around the world.