Ex-Student, Father James Si-

chko, has become a priest in

Kentucky. He felt called to the

Ordained Ministry so he could

serve others and be Christ-like

to others through the Sacra-

ments and prayers. Catholic

Education is very close to Fa-

ther Sichko’s heart. He believes

that “worldly ideas” water

Catholic Education down. He

went to St. Mary from Kinder-

garten to 6th grade. His Kinder-

garten teacher, Maryann Rich-

ard was great. He loved writing

and English, but hated math.

He thinks that God had plans

for him to be in Kentucky and

not South East Texas. Father

Sichko found new people to

serve in Kentucky. He loves

coming back to South East

Texas anytime he can, so he

can visit with his “brothers and

sisters” from St. Mary. Father

Sichko attended West-Orange

Stark. New England Conserva-

tory of Music was his college.

The seminaries he went to were

Notre Dame and Sacred Heart.

Father Sichko remembers the

Spring Festivals (which are still

a St. Mary favorite), Mass

(which are still done every Tues-

Continued on page 2.

Girl Scout Troop 3393 visited

Sister Sharon on Saturday,

March 3rd. They went to say

thanks to her for all that she

has done for St. Mary. Sister

now teaches at a school in

Houston, Texas. The Girl Scouts

saw that the flower bed there

was a mess so the scouts

helped by fixing it all up for her.

They helped her by removing

old plants, putting in

weed barriers, and plant-

ing new plants. After they

finished that bed, they

weeded the Rosary Gar-

den that previous 8th

graders from our school

had made for her. The Girl

Scouts really enjoyed

helping Sister, and they

would love to do it again.

The Mission of St. Mary Catholic School is to ensure learning for all students within the framework of Catholic Christian values by maintaining accreditation through the Texas Conference Education Department. The students, PreK 3 through 8th grade, are challenged to grow in a manner consistent with their needs, interest and abilities, preparing them to live in an ever-changing world as self-directed, caring, responsible citizens.

Upcoming Events April 1

•Softball vs SMS teachers

@ home

April 1-4

•Iowa Assessments K-8

April 3

•Stu Co Mtg

April 4

•Exec Stu Co Mtg

•Kumon Honor Roll 8am

•NJHS Dance (6-8 grades)

6-9:30pm

April 7

•Pre-K & Kindergarten

Roundup

April 9

•March for Parks

April 10

•NJHS Mtg

April 11

•Track Meet

April 16

•4 ½ 9 week progress

report

•Stu Co Mtg

April 17

•Exec Stu Co Mtg

•Early Dismissal

April 18

•No school

April 21

•Weather Make Up Day

School will be in Session

April 23

•Science Superstars

April 24

•NJHS Mtg

•Science Superstars

April 25

•LCM Counselors speak to

8th graders

•Festival Ribbon Cutting

Ceremony

April 26 & 27

•Spring Festival

April 28

•No School

April 30

•Stu Co Mtg

• NJHS Induction

April 2014

Volume 2: Issue 4

The Swarm News Our News is the Buzz

Girl Scouts Help Sister Sharon By: Munawar Rahman/6th Grade

Mrs. Miller’s 3rd Grade Class dressed as Mr. Popper’s Penguins.

Priest, Author, Speaker and SMS Alum By: Elizabeth Johns/6th Grade

Father Sichko and the students with their tuna can prizes.

Krystal Lester, Jenna McCorvy, Kaitlyn Orillion, Elizabeth Johns, Kylie Braquet,

Amber Lester and Megan Do pose with Mrs. McCorvy, Sister Sharon, and Mrs.

Braquet in front of the refurbished flowerbed.

Page 2 The Swarm News

day), and May Crowning (which

is still the last day of the

school). He has written a book

called Among Friends. The book

is a compilation of short stories

and insightful lessons that he

experienced on his many trav-

els as a priest and motivational

speaker.

He came and celebrated Mass

with us on March 25, 2014, or

the Annunciation of Mary. In his

Homily, Father Sichko gave out

tuna cans to those who an-

swered his questions correctly.

Afterwards, these lucky stu-

dents found out those cans

were worth a $10 McDonald’s

gift card if they showed it to

Mrs. Darby. At the end of Mass,

the Johns siblings and Dalton

Wimberley presented Father

Sichko two gifts: one from St.

Mary and another from the Pub-

lications class (which consisted

of Father Sichko’s favorite –

cupcakes).

In Father Sichko’s teensy

weensy parish in Kentucky,

many very famous people have

visited him for fund raisers. This

list includes Dolly Parton

(singer) and Paula Deen

(famous chef), Harry Connick Jr.

(singer-song writer), Martin

Short (comedian), Bill Cosby

(comedian and movie star), and

former First Lady, Laura Bush.

Come back soon Father Sichko.

We loved your visit!

Father Sichko (Continued from pg 1)

St. Mary Wins Best of Show

Students participated in the

Diocesan Science Fair. The fair

was held at Monsignor Kelly

Catholic High School on Febru-

ary 28th. Winners enjoyed their

moment in the spotlight when

their name was called. As a

participant I, myself, could see

the joy and delight in the win-

ners’ faces. The one person I

saw at their happiest was

Spencer Johns who won best in

show. Not every participant won

but they all tried. Their names

are John Hughes, Nathan

Hughes, Elijah Vigil: 3rd place,

Dalton Wimberley: 3rd place,

Jerran Carlin, Spencer Johns,

Geordan Grant, Nicholas Wil-

son, Megan Do, Krystal Lester,

Shelby Smith, Hannah Mayfield,

Rae Guidry, Olivia Fuselier: 3rd

place, Sarah Gonzales: 3rd

place, Victoria Doan: 3rd place,

Lydia Covington: 1st place, and

McCartney Miller: 1st place. Last

but not least without the contin-

ued support of Mrs. McIntire,

we would not have pulled it off.

By: Jerran Carlin/7th Grade

and they threw candy, toys and

necklaces. The students waved

as they passed by the other

students and parents who were

watching. The Duke was Roc

At 8:20 in the gym on Fat Tues-

day, the whole school was wait-

ing for the Pre-K students’

Mardi Gra parade. The Pre-K

students were in wagon floats

Slaughter and the Duchess was

Lila Johns. All of the students

had a great time and caught

lots of beads.

Pre-K Gets School in Mardi Gras Spirit By: Logan Russell/6th Grade

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Father Sichko takes a “selfie” with Dalton

Wimberley, Elizabeth and Spencer Johns.

Lydia Covington and 1st place

went to Megan Do. In the poetry

category, Division 1: Honorable

Mention went to Jagger McCul-

lom. 3rd place went to Slade

Foreman, 2nd place to Anthony

Bandiero and 1st place to Han-

nah Mayfield. In Division 2 po-

etry, Honorable Mention was

Jenna McCorvy, 3rd place went

The St. Cecilia Court # 1396 of

the Catholic Daughters of the

Americas sponsored an essay

and art contest. The following

students won 1st place in the art

category; Division 1: Amiyah

LeBlanc, Division 2: Olivia Fu-

selier. For the essay category-

Division 2: 3rd place went to

Elijah Vigil, 2nd place went to

to Ian McHann, 2nd place to

Bryce McAllister and 1st place

went to Lauren Abrego. In divi-

sion 4 for CDA members only,

Jackie Spears received 1st place

for her photography entry and

Joann Sparacino received 1st

place for her poetry entry. All 1st

place entries were sent to com-

pete on the state level.

Catholic Daughters Contest Winners By: Nicholas Wilson/7th Grade

Lila Johns and Roc Slaughter ride on their Mardi Gras float.

Mr. Joe has been working at

SMS for four years. Before he

worked at St. Mary, Mr. Joe

worked at Texaco, West Orange,

and for the government. He

attended school in Madison,

Wisconsin. The reason Mr. Joe

became our janitor was be-

cause he needed something to

do after retirement. He does not

like to just sit around doing

nothing. Actually, Mr. Joe only

planned on staying here for a

few weeks but 4 years later he

is still here because St. Mary is

a good place to work with great

people. Mr. Joe’s favorite part

about being janitor is having the

satisfaction that the school is

clean.

Mr. Joe Sweeps Us Away

Page 3 Volume 2: Issue 4

Mrs. Miller—Teacher of the Month

up in times of need and her

amazing school pride. Mrs.

Miller has been seen displaying

a character of compassion daily

and has a tremendous love for

her students. She was recog-

nized on the first Monday of

March at morning announce-

ments. Among the things that

she won were a reserved park-

ing spot at the front of the

school, teaching supplies, and

snacks for her personal prefer-

ences.

St. Mary Catholic School is hon-

ored to announce that the

March Teacher of the Month is

3rd Grade teacher, Mrs. Leisa

Miller. She was chosen for her

dedication to her students and

parents, her willingness to step

By: Spencer Johns/8th Grade

Megan Do Wins Laws of Life Essay John Paschall, the Better Busi-

ness Bureau of Southeast

Texas President and CEO and

Laws of Life Program Director,

Michelle Brewer, presented an

award at our school to Megan

Do. She competed against

4,500 other Southeast Texas

students who each discussed

about and reflected on charac-

ter, ethics and core values. Her

entry was chosen as one the

top 15 essays overall and was

presented the finalist plaque at

morning announcements.

Megan Do’s family, her English

teacher, Joann Sparacino and

St. Mary School Principal,

Donna Darby will celebrate her

success at a Laws of Life Essay

Program Awards Banquet on

Thursday, April 17th.

By: Dalton Wimberley/8th Grade

Chapel. She runs the Eucharis-

tic Adoration at our school, but

Adoration could also be a Struc-

tured Adoration where the

priest leads, or a Perpetual

Adoration where the Chapel is

open 24 hours for people to

come in at different times to

pray in silence.

Don’t forget to attend the Chil-

dren’s Rosary ever Friday morn-

ing in the Chapel at 7:15!

St. Mary has begun an adora-

tion program that students par-

ticipate in every Tuesday after

Mass. Mrs. Guidry leads this

program. She says that there

should be more prayer in school

and that we need to get closer

to Jesus. She explains that it is

a blessing for us to pray to him.

She got the format from the

Children of Hope Organization,

Apostleship of Prayer, and her

own experience at St. Mary

Here are the Pope’s intentions

for this month:

Ecology and Justice: Pray that

leaders in every country help

people protect creation and

share the gifts of nature fairly.

Hope for the Sick: Pray that

Jesus, who rose from the dead,

will bring hope to the hearts of

people who are sick and in

pain.

Come Let Us Adore Him By: Ian McHann/6th Grade

By: Bryce McAllister/6th Grade

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Mrs. Miller and Mrs. Darby

Megan Do and Mr. John Paschall of the

Better Business Bureau of Southeast Texas.

During March 17th – 20th, the

Middle School teachers gave an

assignment to all students 5th –

8th grades. Students were as-

signed to a group. Then each

group picked a topic and re-

searched about the science,

math, religion, and literature

during their chosen period. They

were required to create a bro-

chure and a skit of the historic

event or historic person that

included their findings and then

presented to the judges, a

group composed of 5 teachers.

The group leaders and their

topics were Olivia Fuselier:

Mardi Gras, McCartney Miller:

Pompeii, Lydia Covington: Greek

Mythology, Elijah Vigil: Abraham

Lincoln, Spencer Johns: Apollo

13, Dherin Wright: Titanic, Na-

than Hughes: Cold War, and

Hannah Mayfield: 9/11. All of

the groups did an outstanding

job.

Writing Across The Curriculum

The Lincoln Group: Lanie Wright, Laura

McBride, Elijah Vigil, Dayne Seay, Stephan

Kusek, Sydney Schmitt, Amber Lester &

Nicholas Wilson.

Page 4 The Swarm News

By: Timothy Tran/8th Grade

Status for collecting at least

$100.00 are Mrs. Smith’s PreK-

4, Mrs. Eatman’s 1st Grade,

Mrs. Miller’s 3rd Grade, Mrs.

McIntire’s 5th Grade, and Mrs.

Willingham’s 6th Grade. The

classes that received Silver

Status for collecting at least

For three weeks, the St. Mary

Student Council sponsored a

contest to see which class

could bring in the most money

for the Pennies for Patients

program benefitting the Leuke-

mia and Lymphoma Society.

Classes receiving the Bronze

$200.00 are Mrs. Thompson’s

Kindergarten, Mrs. Wimberley’s

2nd Grade, Mrs. Pousson’s 4th

Grade, and Mrs. Braquet’s 7th

Grade. The class that brought in

the most money in donations

was Mrs. Pousson’s 4th Grade.

They will receive a pasta party.

Pennies for Patients Contest Completed By: Spencer Johns

8th Grade

award by doing a good deed

and not expecting a reward.

When students are caught in

the act of doing a good deed,

they are then nominated by the

teacher, parent or staff who

witnessed the good deed.

Good Samaritans Selected The Good Samaritans this

month were Shelby Smith,

Megan Do, Tristen Sala, and

Nikki Sala. Students get this

By: Elijah Vigil/8th Grade

Megan Do and Shelby Smith

Good Samaritans

Vigil and Krystal Lester, along

with their advisor, Mrs. Angie

Smith. The group was able to

take a tour of the facility and

learn its history. The Student

Council then delivered items to

Sr. Sharon Steglich, former St.

Mary 1st grade teacher, for the

Angela House in Houston. The

Angela House is a rehabilitation

step for women that leave

Several of the Student Council

Officers traveled to Houston on

Saturday, March 23. They vis-

ited the Ronald McDonald

House and delivered all of the

soda tabs they had collected. It

was the largest collection of

soda tabs that had been deliv-

ered. The officers that attended

were McCartney Miller, Lydia

Covington, Shelby Smith, Elijah

prison so they can adjust back

into society. Items were col-

lected by the 8th grade during

our 100th day celebration.

They included dish washing

soap, laundry detergent,

stamps, toilet paper, socks,

toothpaste, and more. What

great examples of what our

school does for others!

Student Council Delivers The Goods By: Kaitlyn Orillion/6th Grade

Warm Reception for “Frozen” On Thursday, March 19 there

was a free Family Movie Night

that was sponsored by the Stu-

dent Council. Drinks and foods

like pizza were available to pur-

chase. Many people rushed to

get a chair from the Student

Council room, so they could get

a spot to watch the movie; other

people who didn’t get a chair

brought sleeping bags and blan-

kets. The movie that they were

trying to get good seats to see

was the latest Disney movie,

“Frozen.” Everyone had a good

time at the Family Movie Night.

By: Landon Acord/5th Grade

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Krystal, Shelby, Lydia, McCartney and Elijah

load Sister Sharon’s car with the items for

Angela House.

The softball team is having a

great season. They have won

seven games and only lost two.

Their last game is April 1st

against SMS faculty. Come out

and cheer them on. Help them

to celebrate their awesome

record.

Hannah Allison

April 13

Leyton Walters

April 16

Adam Hollis

Emilie Mayfield

April 21

Kaleb Mills

April 4

Hannah Mayfield

Spencer Johns

April 7

Kendall Phillips

April 11

Bailee Rogers

April 12

April 24

Griffin Felchak

April 25

Mrs. Vigil

Kaleb Malin

April 28

Cade Watson

Softball Hits a Homerun

Joanna Henry winds up her pitch while Olivia

Fuselier looks on.

Page 5 Volume 2, Issue 4

By: O’Shan Mitchell/7th Grade

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The Swarm News

A monthly Newsletter

published by the

Publications Classes of

St. Mary Catholic School

2600 Bob Hall Road

Orange, TX 77630

(409) 883-8913

www.stmaryschooltx.org

Our News is the Buzz

pudding cups, Pre K 4 – fruit

cups, Kindergarten —tissues, 1st

– chapstick, 2nd – lotion, 3rd –

Easter candies, 4th – chapstick,

5th -- word puzzles and liquid

hand soap, 6th – pudding cups,

7th – playing cards, and 8th –

socks. The Student Council will

be collecting, assembling and

delivering the baskets to 3 nurs-

ing homes in the area. Please

turn in all of your items by April

16th.

Items Needed for Easter Baskets The Student Council is sponsor-

ing Easter baskets for nursing

homes. They have asked each

class to bring in items to fill the

baskets for the residents. A list

follows of what each class is

donating: Pre K 3 – sugar free

By: Brycen Van Tassel/5th Grade

Birthdays By: Jenna McCorvy/6th Grade

Kylie Braquet waits on the pitch.

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alization. The St. Mary publica-

tion class will be making it. You

can go online and order with a

credit card, simply log-in to

w w w . m e m o r y b o o k . c o m /

parentpay and enter code

72656. Or you can order by

placing a check in the envelope

attached to this newsletter.

It’s Not Too Late To Buy a Yearbook The St. Mary Catholic school

yearbook is selling school year-

books. It is $47 with personal-

ization (students photo and

name) and $40 without person-

By: Brycen Van Tassel/5th Grade

Lydia

Covington

gets ready

to pitch.