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News of Note 11/23
by Pat Burns

Morning Announcements
This year Mount Mercy Academy is once again presenting its morning announcements live via you TUBE. The students are preparing and reading the announcements as well as producing the graphics for the show. Eight students, along with Jackie Roberts, Director of Community Relations and Advancement and Linda Silva, Network Administrator/Technology Coordinator produce the programming.
On-Air personalities include senior Kyra Soto (Buffalo), juniors Paige Lapadat (Orchard Park), Alison Mysiak (Holland), and Kayla Pietrkiewicz (Buffalo), sophomore Vayana Stoyanova (Gowanda) and freshmen Gabrielle Bauerlein (Orchard Park) and Isabelle Reaszka (Orchard Park). Technical support is provided by Megan Amicone (Buffalo) and Trinity Kehoe (Derby), as well as by the on-air students.
Mount Mercy Academy Sponsors Blood Donation
Last Thursday Mount Mercy Academy held its annual blood drive. The drive, sponsored by Connect Life, was coordinated by Catherine Luhr, Mount Mercy’s Dean of Academics and Student Life and Donate Life moderator. Mount Mercy had twenty-seven donators and their donations have the capability of saving 75 local lives.
The students were proud to do their part to help the Western New York Community. Junior Madison Serafini Buffalo) has donated blood twice at Mount Mercy. "This year was my second time donating blood during the Connect Life blood drive. I decided to give blood because I read that my one donation can save up to three lives," Serafini stated. "I am in good health and able to give blood to others who need it. If I needed blood, I would want someone to donate it for me."
Mount Mercy Continues to Address Social-Emotional Needs of Its Students
One of the many components that New York State stated should be included when schools reopened was addressing social-emotional well-being. Mount Mercy Academy continues to go well above and beyond this mandate.
The school once again has a daily extended homeroom to facilitate social-emotional development. Mondays are usually reserved for emotional check-ins and bonding activities. Wednesdays are designated as Wellness Wednesdays and have included activities such as a school-wide walk around Cazenovia Park, presentations about beneficial health practices and guest speakers.
So far this year, speakers have included Christy Widman who spoke about the dangers of vaping and smoking, Jennifer Sullivan who talked about skin cancer prevention, Carolyn Bell who presented about self-esteem, Tonya Coyle discussed nutrition, Becky Ventre educated the students about substance abuse and breast cancer awareness, Kristen Mazur of the Orchard Park Police Department spoke about social media safety and Kimberly Bovo informed the students about the importance of proper posture.
The Monday and Wednesday activities will continue throughout the school year.