Spanish in The Cloud, February 2013
Sr. Brenda’s Spanish 5 Honors students now enjoy a new tool for improving their language skills. Students use VoiceThread, which is a web-based application, integrated into Moodle, that incorporates various media. Sr. Brenda uploaded a slide show about immigration. Each student, on her laptop, commented in Spanish on the slide show by either typing, calling in, or speaking and recording via microphone. They even videotaped themselves speaking on the topic.
Students said it makes language fun and easy to practice. Sometimes, “it’s less intimidating to do video at home than speaking in class, and you can do it over again to get it right before sending to the teacher for grading.” Students can also share their videos with each other.
Academic Recognition, February 2013
Congratulations to Tabitha Joseph ’13 who has been named a finalist in the 2013 Competition for the National Achievement Scholarship Program, on the basis of her PSAT/MNMSQT .
Art Exhibit at Concordia College, January 2013
Seniors Mary Danisi, Christin Farina and Noel Hedley-Noble participated in StArt , the annual student art exhibition sponsored by Concordia College. Over 30 schools and 90 student artists were represented. Christin Farina's painting "Blurred Reality" received an Award of Excellence.
Musical Excellence, January 2013
Congratulations to 8th grader Therese Bonoan who qualified for the very select Intermediate All County Orchestral Festival where she will play the cello. This means that at last Spring's NYSSMA festival she achieved a perfect score. The festival brings together only the very best instrumentalists and singers to perform in the All County Orchestra. Well done!
The Story of Watson, Dec 12, 2012
Computer scientist Dr. David Ferrucci spoke to our high school students about artificial intelligence. One of Dr. Ferrucci’s most well known projects at IBM was Watson, the computer system built by him and his team which beat the highest ranked Jeopardy champions of all time on national television. 
Dr. Ferrucci described the process by which Watson did a grammatical analysis of questions, searched its database (equivalent to 2 million books), used 100 different algorithms to narrow down possible answers, and came up with final answers in 3 seconds! He pointed out that Watson is now starting to help with healthcare and finance projects. Pictured above is Physics teacher Mr. Dalby (center left), Dr. Ferrucci (center right) and members of the AP Physics Class and the Engineering Club.
Piano and Voice Recital, Dec 11, 2012
Piano and voice students of Mrs. Kennedy, Music Dept chair, treated their audience to a delightful evening at their Winter Recital. All of them performed repertoire that was challenging and beautiful. It ranged from Romantic Period piano melodies to opera, from Baroque Period Italian Art Song to Broadway. Their phrasing and melodic interpretations were a joy.
Pictured above is, far left, accompanist Dr. Adamo Ricigliano, second from left is Mrs. Kennedy, with the students, representing both middle school and high school.
Celebrating 115 Years, Nov 15, 2012
On Thurs, Nov 15th, The Ursuline School celebrated 115 years since its founding. Pictured below is the class of 1929, at Leland Castle, New Rochelle, before the school moved to its present location on North Avenue.
At receptions in the metro NY area and around the U. S., current families and alumnae, faculty and board members, raised a glass to Ursuline. This was our "Toast from Coast to Coast!" Each reception included a Serviam focus, as chosen by the hostess. The photo below shows the group that gathered at the school.
Serviam in Pink, Oct 14, 2012
The 4th annual Paws for the Cause on Sat, Oct 14th took place at Iona Prep. It began with a Mass dedicated to Ursuline teacher Meg Mackay. Then the Koalas and Gaels walked together to raise awareness and funds for the Think Pink Scholarship in both schools. The cheerleaders kicked off the walk with a crowd pleasing BEAT CANCER cheer.
The DJ kept the crowd happily paced. There were baked goods, pink lemonade and even Caps for Care, made by Ursuline students, plus the Iona football team held a car wash. More than $5,000 was raised by the students. $1,000 was given to the Hope For Change Foundation which will distribute the funds to specific breast cancer research projects in local hospitals. The balance was split between the two Think Pink Scholarships. Please see more photos here.
Kelly Mac Field Dedicated, Oct 13, 2012
On Sat, Oct 13th, The Ursuline School community celebrated the dedication and blessing of the new turf field, named Kelly Mac Field after Kelly MacGillivray '07. New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson congratulated the school on the beautiful addition to the campus, and to the New Rochelle community. President Eileen Davidson noted the broad fundraising efforts that led to the installation of this environmentally friendly space on which athletes will compete and all students will have fun. The celebration included a pancake breakfast, tennis round robin, cheerleading program, and bbq lunch. See more photos here.
National Merit Scholars, Sept 2012
The Ursuline School is proud to announce that Sheryl Johnson has been recognized as a Semifinalist in the 2013 National Merit Scholarship Competition on the basis of her outstanding PSAT/MNMSQT score. Congratulations also to our 8 seniors who have been recognized as 2013 National Merit Commended Students on the basis of excellent PSAT/NMSQT scores. They are Annalise Chapman, Alexis Colombini, Sue Ellen Evangelista, Ashley Miller, Tehreem Mumtaz, Julia Parascandola, Sinead Schenk, and Isabel Shipman. Congratulations as well to Tabitha Joseph for recognition as a National Achievement Scholarship Program Semifinalist. We also congratulate Emily Chumaceiro and Ana Maria Losada who were named 2012-2013 National Hispanic Recognition Program Scholars. To learn more about this competitive process and the honors that these academically talented seniors have achieved, please click on the title above.
Latin Awards, June 2012
In 2012, the National Latin Exam was administered to 136,209 students in all 50 states and 13 other countries. Our 110 students scored extremely well as 62% earned honors compared to 40% for all test takers. Two of our seniors achieved a Gold Medal on the exam for the past 4 consecutive years. Contratulations to Alex Frank and Caroline Sohr. Only 1% of test takers receive a perfect score. Our sophomore, Haley Ryan, was in that 1%. Well done!
Valedictorian and Salutatorian, May 2012
The Ursuline School is proud to announce our Valedictorian from the Class of 2012 is Caroline Sohr. Caroline will be attending Dartmouth next fall. Our 2012 Salutatorian is Sarah McGinnis who will be a student at Fordham.
Science Research Symposium, May 2012
Students in our 3-year Science Research Program presented their work at our annual Symposium. Sophomores had critically reviewed articles on a topic of interest. Juniors had designed their own individual experiments. Seniors had conducted their experiments and entered local competitions. In this challenging program of independent study, students work with mentors from the community. More photos are here.
Outstanding Musicians, June 2012
The NY State School Music Association (NYSSMA) sponsors festivals each spring in which 100,000 students perform as soloists and in ensembles before official adjudicators who are music educators or professional musicians. Soloists must play scales from memory, a solo, and sight-read 8 measures of music. We are proud to report that every one of our students performed extremely well!
One student scored Outstanding on two instruments. Eleven students received Outstanding ratings on one instrument. Two students received Excellent and one received a Very Good assessment. Our High School Honors Choir was awarded Silver and our Middle School Chorus earned Gold. Please click on the title above for more details.
Drama Nominations
At the 14th Annual Metropolitan High School Theater Awards sponsored by the Helen Hayes Youth Theater, we are proud to report that two of our students and one alumna received nominations. Samantha Kenny '12 was nominated for Outstanding Actress in a Supporting Role for her performance in Archbishop Stepinac's production "The Phantom of the Opera". Tabitha Joseph '13 was nominated in the Outstanding Duet category for her performance in Salesian's production of "Grease". Lynn Fusco, Class of 2000, was nominated for Outstanding Musical Direction in Harrison High School's production of "42nd Street".
Academic Showcase, May 2012
At our academic showcase, Beyond Four Walls, we shared our technology vision and how technology is integrated into the classroom in order to teach the skills that our students need to succeed in the 21st century. We invite you to see more photos and descriptions here.
Art Show, May 2012
Our annual Art Show was a splendid opportunity for families and friends to enjoy the many superb artistic creations displayed by each student who studies art at our school. The artistic scope included drawings and paintings as well as Islamic ceramic tiles, fantasy masks, photographs, altered books, and digitally personalized classic masterpieces. Please see more photos here.
Chamber of Commerce Award, April 2012
The New Rochelle Chamber of Commerce honored The Ursuline School for excellence in education We are grateful for this wonderful recognition of our devoted faculty and hard working students.
Project Nicaragua, April 2012
For the 7th year, the junior class completed a service project to help sustain a village in Nicaragua. The goal was to share some of our goods so that these villagers can improve their living standards. Donations of clothing and household items were collected, sorted, and packed by the students for shipment to Nicaragua by the organization CT Quest for Peace. Photos can be seen in our Photo Gallery here.
Interim Principal Appointed, Apr 27, 2012
Mrs. Davidson announced that Mrs. Denise Moore has agreed to assume the office of Interim Principal for the 2012-2013 academic year. Mrs. Moore, currently the school's Assistant Principal for Facilities and Middle School Coordinator, will take on this added responsibility which will provide continuity to current projects and administration. Her appointment will allow Mrs. Davidson to conduct a thoughtful search for the person who will hold the role of Principal on a permanent basis.
Ursuline Thankful for Outreach, Feb 2012
The Ursuline School thanks the community, our alumnae and friends for the outpouring of support at our time of sorrow after the passing of one of our students.
The Ursuline School at a Time of Sorrow, Feb 1, 2012
The Ursuline School is deeply saddened by the loss of a fine young member of our school community.
NY Art and Poetry, Dec 2011
8th graders had an unusual interdisciplinary trip to the Katonah Museum of Art and the exhibit New York, New York! They examined landmarks, neighborhoods, ethnic life, modes of urban transportation and leisure activities in city parks of the 20th century. Students created their own drawings and listened to poetry about NYC.
Back at school, students will write original poetry in English class. Then they'll incorporate poetry into their NY cityscapes in art class. Look for these colorful, 3-D paintings at the Annual Art Show in May 2012!
Nobel Peace Laureate, Nov 2011
NOBEL PEACE PRIZE WINNER Speaks at The Ursuline School
Leymah Gbowee addressed the student community on November 15, 2011 and inspired students with her story of bringing peace through nonviolent resistance, in war-torn Liberia. She exhorted students to "decide what you want to be and give it your best!" She also emphasized the power of forgiveness. Pictured below with Leymah Gbowee (center) are Mrs. Davidson, Principal, and the Student Council.
