Viking Society Newsletter

November 2021

Dear Vikings,

Happy November! We hope that everyone is getting ready for the season of giving that November brings!

As you may know, our Annual Fund Report/Alumni Magazine is now in a digital format on our website. It is because of this approach that we are able to direct the thousands of dollars saved towards tuition assistance to help families facing economic challenges. If you are an alum and haven't received the post card with this information, it might be because we do not have an updated mailing address for you - click here to update your address.

This years' copy of the report/magazine captures and reflects the generosity of our donors, alumni events/news, and all of the work the Development Department has done during that time to raise funds for Archbishop Wood High School. Click here to access the report.

Stay in touch with us and be sure to check out our monthly newsletter on the first Thursday of every month! Our newsletters are a tool to keep you "in the know" of all things going on at Archbishop Wood, from our alumni to our current student body. Included in this newsletter is Senior Costume Day 2021, so be sure to scroll all the way through and check out some of the costumes!

God's Blessings,

The Development Department at Archbishop Wood High School

Sarah Hale : Director of Institutional Advancement

Lisa James ('06): Director of Marketing & Communications

Regan Gallagher ('16): Major Gifts Officer

The November 2021 Viking Society Newsletter is brought to you by...

For more information on how to be a newsletter sponsor, please contact

Lisa James, Director of Marketing & Communications at [email protected]

AWHS Day of Giving 2021...

With your help, we can form the next generation of Vikings!

Archbishop Wood High School is happy to announce our Third Annual Day of Giving on

Tuesday, November 16, 2021.

It is our HOPE that with your HELP and the help of 54 years’ worth of Viking Alumni,

WE can achieve our goal of $25,000 TOGETHER!

To commemorate fifty-four years of graduating classes, AWHS is asking you to make a gift of $54. Your gift will directly benefit current and future students by means of tuition assistance and program/campus enhancements.

THANK YOU in advance for your support of Wood’s Tradition of Excellence for the Leaders of Tomorrow!

Please consider supporting AWHS by clicking HERE to make your gift!

YOUR TAXES CAN BUILD AN EDUCATION INSTEAD OF A BRIDGE!

Did you know that you can redirect your PA Taxes to Archbishop Wood (money you already pay!) to help families in need of tuition assistance?! It's as easy as filling out a form! Watch this quick video that breaks down how it works.

100% of contributions made through the EITC/OSTC program goes directly towards tuition assistance, allowing us to offer more students an Archbishop Wood education!

Questions?! Please contact Sarah Hale [email protected], 215-672-5050 extension 227.

VIKING SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS ARE DUE NOVEMBER 19, 2021!

Viking Scholarships can be accessed on the AWHS website HERE.

Please note that in order to be eligible for a Viking Scholarship, all applicants must apply to FACTS by November 19, 2021.

AWHS is grateful to recent Alumni from the Class of 2004, who came forward to start an Art Scholarship to honor their late friend, Alex Sakuma. All registered incoming 9th graders who intend to enroll in the four-year Arts Major program at Archbishop Wood High School are eligible.

Alex was a wonderful friend and beloved student of AWHS and is missed by many!

Click here to access the scholarship and apply.

Interested in starting a scholarship in honor of a loved one, for your graduating class, or something near and dear to your heart? Please contact Sarah Hale, [email protected] / 215-672-5050 ext. 227 to learn more about the simple process.

Christmas is Only 7 Weeks Away!

The Elves have been working hard constructing one of a kind Santas for the Gerri Garofalo Scholarship!

Santas are $25 a piece and 100% of the proceeds go directly to the scholarship fund benefitting a current 11th grade student going into 12th grade. SANTAS WILL ALSO BE AVILABLE AT THIS YEARS AWHS CRAFT FAIR - NOVEMBER 12th & 13th.

The Garofalo sisters will also take orders for Santas to be made out of Bishop McDevitt & grade school specific uniforms, you will just need to request that in your email order and donate a uniform to be used.

Have uniforms to donate and/or wish to purchase a Santa?! Please contact Gabrielle Garofalo Snyder via email at [email protected] and put "Wood Santas" in the subject line of your email!

On October 20, 2021 we gathered together to celebrate the 2021 NHS Induction & Liturgy. Congratulations to all of our students on this wonderful accomplishment!

Thank you John Iannarelli ('82) and Julia Love ('90) for stopping by this morning to teach our students about mortgages! It is so great to see so much interest and have a great turn out of students who want to learn more and see if the real estate world is for them!

AWHS is committed to hosting as many opportunities as possible for our students when it comes to career discernment. We are grateful for alumni like John and Julia who help us make it possible!

Wish to host a career workshop of your own? Please contact Sarah Hale, [email protected] / 215-672-5050 ext. 227 - AWHS is currently searching for alumni who work in the trades, hospitality, medical careers and science field.

Students in the Engineering class experimented with batteries, wires, bulbs, and switches to assemble series and parallel circuits and to test for conductivity in sample items.

Our students paired up with Our Lady of Confidence Day School students in Creative Expression & Illustration class. Before they paired up, Wood students wrote Halloween stories and then created coloring pages based on the characters in their stories. The OLC students then came to help fill in the coloring pages and add their own creative expression touches to the stories! It was wonderful to see the students all working together to take these Halloween stories to the next level!

Senior AP Literature & Composition students traveled to DeSales University to see the campus and tour the library before reveling in the exemplary production of Pride and Prejudice.

AWHS HALL OF FAME

Don't forget to cast your ballot for the Archbishop Wood Hall of Fame. Ballots are due January 10, 2022.

The Viking Hall of Fame honors any person, living or deceased, whose life and accomplishments are an inspiration to the students of Archbishop Wood High School. Upon graduation, the nominee must exemplify the pride and spirit that is expected of a Wood graduate. In order to be considered as an Inductee, providing a list of their accomplishments and service to their community is highly encouraged. He/She must be an Archbishop Wood High School graduate and have been out of high school for at least ten years.

For more information please contact: Sarah Hale, Director of Development at [email protected] or 215-672-5050 ext. 227

Click here to cast your ballet!

ALUMNI PRAYER GARDEN

The Archbishop Wood Prayer Garden is a beautiful sanctuary to pray, meditate, and reflect.

Personalized stone pavers, benches, trees and plants provide a lasting tribute for alumni, family, friends, faculty, members of the community, and corporate donors. Special occasions such as birthdays, graduation, marriages, anniversaries and retirement may also be honored.

All donors will receive an invitation to the annual Alumni Mass and Breakfast which is held in the spring to bless the tributes and memorials.

For more information click here or please contact Lisa James at 215-672-5050 ext. 228 or by email at [email protected]

AWHS TV Studio

Established in January 1971, the AWHS TV Studio is celebrating 50 years of broadcasting! It has always been in the same room, but that room has seen several facelifts over the decades. With the installation of flat screen HD TVs in all of our classrooms, we're hoping that the next big upgrade will bring WOOD-TV into the High Definition age.

These upgrades are all made possible thanks to our alumni and community supporters who contribute to Wood's Viking Fund. Every dollar raised goes directly to our students and families by means of tuition assistance and campus upgrades.

Consider making a donation to the annual fund today! You can click here to donate or you can contact Sarah Hale to make a contribution directly to the TV Studio, [email protected] 215-672-5050 ext. 227

Thank you for supporting Archbishop Wood High School!

Calling all AWHS Alumni Veterans!!!

Archbishop Wood High School will be honoring all veterans next Thursday, November 11, 2021.

If you or someone you know is a member or was a member of the United States Military, please send their name, rank/title, branch of service, and a photo to Donna Ellis [email protected] so that we may pay tribute to their service to our country.

Thank you!

...Senior Costume Day 2021...

A glimpse into some of the costumes during AWHS's long standing tradition of Senior Costume Day 2021 - Even some of the faculty & staff got in on the fun!