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March was packed with activities such as Career Day, Game Night, the Sophomore Retreat, Cabaret, March Madness, Rise Up and many other events. The involvement at these events from both students and staff was amazing and is what gives PMA our wonderful sense of community.
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On Friday
evening March 24, over twenty PMA students took part in the inaugural event called Rise Up at the beautiful Sisters' Chapel on the grounds of the Searles Estate. Inspired by events such as Lift and Cry Out at St. Mary's in Lynn, Rise Up is a night of praise and worship with songs performed by PMA students for PMA students. Senior, Eryn McGuinness was fundamental in making Rise Up a reality. She approached Francis Stanton, Campus Minister, with the idea and was instrumental in the planning process by making the song sections, directing music ministry in the song performance and recruiting guest speakers.
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Catie Griffin, '16
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There were a number of contemporary Christian songs played over the
course of the evening as students were invited to pray before the most Blessed Sacrament for Adoration and Confession. We were very fortunate to have both Fr. John Cassani of St. Monica & St. Lucy Parish in Methuen and Fr. John Delaney of Sacred Hearts in Bradford join us for the evening. We were also excited to have a
lumni Catie Griffin present to share and give a witness talk about letting God into our lives and how He loves
us for who we truly are so we can be authentic with Him.
It was a powerful evening with many students walking away having been moved by the experience.
They are already eagerly anticipating the next Rise Up event which will be scheduled for a time in June.
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The Sophomore Retreat for the class of 2019 was held at St. Basil's Seminary on March 7 and the topic was God's Grace. Over the course of the day, between games, activities, witness talks, and discussion, the retreat conveyed to the sophomores exactly what Grace is, why we need it, and how to grow in it. The speakers for this retreat did an excellent job of sharing these different messages and themes of the retreat with juniors Zoe Henderson and Abe Collazo talking about how to understand grace, senior Marisa George who, although she could not make it to the retreat due to an illness, recorded her talk on how grace has affected her life and posted it on YouTube for us to watch. Finally senior Eryn McGuinness spoke about how she has personally grown in her faith and grace and discussed different ways for students to do the same.
The sophomores were active participants in the various activities, games (especially "Organized Chaos") and discussions. Their enthusiasm during this retreat is but another stellar example the strong sense of community this class has.
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What do you want to be when you grow up? That is the most asked question to kids and young adults. To help our students regarding this topic we hosted a Career Day, on Friday, March 3, where they had the opportunity to speak with alumni, parents, and friends of PMA about various careers and the path they took to get there.
Students were able to sit in on three sessions and hear about three different career paths. Our goal for this day is to help the students open their eyes to something they have never considered. It is a great way for them to make connections in the professional world.
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PMA was hopping
on Friday
night, March 3rd for what is quickly becoming one of the more popular events at PMA: Game Night. Over the course of the evening roughly 40 students took part in the many different activities offered, such as board games, video games, and karaoke. Students and staff both took part in the evening's festivities with some even bringing their own games for others to try. The event was sponsored by the Panther P.A.W.S. Club as a means to build an even stronger community at PMA and provided drinks and snacks to all attendees. The night was such a success that students are already eagerly awaiting the next game night which could come as early as May.
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| Cabaret: Heroes vs Villains |
 On Saturday, March 4, the PMA Music Guild performed a Heroes and Villains themed Cabaret in the Dupre Center, to a packed house.
The 60 minute show featured two sets of characters, some some who have chosen the path of good and others who have not. Each tried to persuade a young girl to join their side, through song. They sang songs with either a 'good or evil' theme to entice her. Ultimately the show ends with the lesson that though being bad may look enticing, good will always prevail.
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| 4th Annual Alumni Basketball Game |
On Sunday, March 5, 2017 seventeen Alumni returned to the Dupre Center to play basketball for a good cause: The 4th Annual Alumni Basketball Game. This event raises money for the Cathy Habeeb Sheehan, '87 memorial scholarship given annually to one PMA student.
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| The Shack: A Movie Worth Seeing |
After the usual pre-movie visit to Chipotle on Monday, March 6, 19 PMA students participated in the Campus Ministry event to go see the highly acclaimed movie, The Shack. The movie is a
faith-based drama film directed by Stuart Hazeldine and written by John Fusco, based on the 2007 novel of the same
name by William P. Young where a grieving man receives a mysterious, personal invitation to meet with God at a place called "The Shack." The film stars Sam Worthington and Octavia Spencer. who both gave moving performances. The students really enjoyed the movie and appreciated the interesting take on the Trinity that the movie takes on. The message of forgiveness and openness to God's plan was something that resonated with students.
The next movie they will most likely see will be The Case for Christ in April which is b
ased on the true story of an award-winning investigative journalist -- and avowed atheist -- who applies his well-honed journalistic and legal skills to disprove the newfound Christian faith of his wife... with unexpected, life-altering results.
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| Young Writer: Kephirah Pierre, '19 |
After hearing about the North Shore Young Writers Conference from two mainstays of the English department, Mrs. Zygmont and Mrs. Viscosi, Kephirah Pierre, '19, decided to enroll in this two-day conference. She spent February 3rd and 4th at the Waring school in Beverly, MA and was immersed in days of writing.
While in this program, Kephirah was assigned to different groups, such as fiction, poetry, and did activities such as collaborative writing where the participants would write a poem in groups. At the end of the conference she was able to present her work in front of the crowd and showcase her writing talents.
The attendees of this conference have the opportunity to submit their writing for publication in the
Lupine Literary Journal, which is an literary issue that features the works of students throughout the greater Boston area. Kephirah is featured twice in the LLJ Vol.2 Issue 2 published on Tuesday, March 28, first with her original poem,
"Ribbons of Gold" and second with her collaborative poem,
"Like a Platypus."
Kephiria's future goals are to become an author so the North Shore Young Writers Conference was a step in the right direction. She recommends this conference to any aspiring writer because you will get to interact with other young writers as well as meet experienced authors and poets.
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On Tuesday, March 22, five PMA students went to have dinner with Bishop Mark O'Connell and other young men throughout the northern region of the Archdiocese of Boston to discuss vocations. The evening included a prayer service, dinner and discussion followed by witness talks from some of the current seminarians from St. John's in Brighton. The PMA students, which consisted of juniors Greg and Eric Blomgren and sophomores Brady Quinn, Aidan Lena, and Sam Mather gained a lot from this experience and
left with a greater appreciation for priests and the priesthood. They also left their mark on the Bishop and other priests who attended the event with their enthusiasm in their faith, with the questions they asked and the
pictures that they took with them. Bishop O'Connell
wanted to make sure that these students ended their evening with a special trip to Dunkin's by offering to generously pay for their dri
nks and treats. It was an evening these PMA students will not soon forget.
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| The Drama Department Presents: High School Musical |
Friday, April 7 and Saturday, April 8 the PMA drama department will perform the spring musical,
High School Musical.
Both evenings will have a performance at 7:00 p.m. in the Dupre Center and Saturday will have an additional show at 2:00 in the afternoon
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Tickets are $10 each and proceeds will benefit the PMA Performing Arts Program.
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| Here are more pictures of our kids at Career Day. |
| Annually, PMA celebrates March Madness with a week full of spirit days. This year student had a week starting with sports day and ending with "freaky Friday." |
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Or download a printable 2016-2017 school calendar here
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High School Musical
Friday, April 7
7:00 pm
Saturday, April 8
2:00 pm & 7:00 pm
Dupre Center
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Junior Retreat
Tuesday, April 11
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Good Friday - No School
Friday, April 14
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April Vacation
April 17-21
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Yankee Candle Fundraising Drive
The 2016 Yankee Candle Drive is over. Don't worry if you didn't get your catalog order in. Yankee Candle has committed to help PMA all year long.
Anytime you shop online they will make a donation to our school. Visit
www.yankeecandlefundraising.com and enter group #99896054 in the "start shopping" box.
Thank you for your support!
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GoodShop
Hands down, online shopping is the easiest way to shop. Through GoodShop, you can donate back to PMA, in the comfort of your own home, office, or wherever you online shop. Goodshop has partnered with
over 5,000 stores to offer you daily online promotions and coupons. Plus, they give a percentage of your total back to your favorite non-profit. That could be us!
Before you shop, quickly set up a user name and password and don't forget to assign Presentation of Mary Academy, Methuen, MA as your non-profit of choice! Everybody wins! Happy shopping.
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Amazon Smile
You can support PMA every time you shop online at Amazon.com! Especially now since you need to fill those Easter baskets, shop for Mother's Day or graduations.
Through the Amazon Smile program, Amazon will donate 0.5 % of your purchase to PMA. It's that simple. Just make sure you select Presentation of Mary Academy - Methuen, MA as your charity of choice. Or click in the link below to to be taken directly to smile.amazon.com in support of PMA. Doesn't that make you want to smile?
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The 2016-2017 Annual Fund is Underway.
Money raised through this fund helps support student programs, athletics, and allows us to offer tuition assistance to deserving families.
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