The annual Bishop’s Night for Vocations was held in April in Loretto at Our Lady of Loretto Community Hall. Students throughout the Altoona-Johnstown diocese submitted poems, essays and posters. This year’s theme was “As I Walk and Talk with Jesus, What Is He Guiding Me to Do?”  BMCHS students took home most of the awards.

Pictured (top left-right): Lucas Walkowski, Jessica Schulte, Caitlin Stiffler, Lauren Woznick, Justin Vardian, Elizabeth Hamonko, Mary Woloschuk, Shannon O'Reilly

Seniors receive Rotary recognition

The Johnstown Rotary Club recently awarded scholarship funds to graduating seniors at the 28th annual Salute to Area Scholars. Eight BMCHS students received recognition.

5 students from McCort participated in the District Orchestra Festival this past weekend at Johnstown High School: Leah Bridges- violin I, Sarah Marchegiani- violin II, Mitch 

Mirabile- viola, Molly Thomson- violin II and Bradley Bixel- percussion.

Freshman violinist Kathleen O’Reilly, pictured, represented Bishop McCort at the Keystone String Fest on February 3 at Altoona Area Junior High School. She made 4th chair in the second violins.

Congratulations to all!

McCort junior, Taylor Akers, was crowned the 2011 Cambria County Fair Queen this past August.  As a contestant, Taylor had to write an essay, be interviewed by three judges, give a speech, and answer an impromtu question on stage.  Her essay and speech both focused on the topic, "Why you should come to my fair."  

After being crowned Queen, Taylor was responsible for walking through the fair grounds so that she could meet and talk with fair patrons and farmers.  She also was able to hand out ribbons to people who competed in various events.  Taylor says of this experience, "I met so many new people.  This has been a great experience...I even learned how to milk a cow!"  Even though the fair season is over, Taylor's responsibilities as Queen have just begun.  She plans to organize a fundraiser to raise funds for the fair, because the event can use all the support it can get.  "Because of funding cuts and the rainy weather, the Cambria County Fair made less profits this year than in the past," Taylor explained.

She will also be in several area parades and advanced to the Pennsylvania State Fair Queen Pagent in Hershey on January 21, 2012.  She competed against over 40 other young ladies.  Although she did not win, Taylor said she loved the experience and had a great time.

Taylor is a member of the McCort volleyball team and performs very well academically.  Congratulations again Taylor!

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A special thank letter from Conner Hagins

McCort's Cyber Patriot team will be competing in the second round of the national Cyber Patriot competition. Members of our competition team include Krista Alt, Michael Barron, Brandie Hartwiger, Daniel Layton, Haoyun Liang, Nicholas Masciotra, Zach Pfeil, Lisa Vatavuk, and Michael Walther.  If they do well, they will advance to the January 28 national semfinals. McCort's team will remotely access the computer targets to be defended using a Dell laptop loaned to us by our sponsor, Concurrent Technologies Corporation. The Cyber Patriot competition is a national competition sponsored by The Air Force Association and major defense companies such as Boeing Aircraft, Concurrent Technologies Corporation, and Northrop Grumman Corporation. More than 600 high schools are involved in this year's competition.  Bishop McCort's team finished in the top 30 teams in the "Open" (non-ROTC) Division and was one of the top two Open Division teams from Pennsylvania last year.

Mary Woloschuk, daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Robert Woloschuk, and Emma Thomson, daughter of Linda & David Thomson were selected by the Portage Unit 430 of the American Legion auxiliary to attend Keystone Girls State at Shippensburg University during the summer of 2011. The theme was "Experience in Goverment."

Bishop McCort Spanish students participated in a beautiful Mass in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Sunday, December 4th, 2011 at St. Benedict's Church in Geistown.  Father David Bonarrigo TOR celebrated the Mass. Our Lady's feast day is December 12th and she is the patroness of Latin America and North America.  The Spanish language students, along wth St. Benedict's 3rd grade choir took a prominent role in the hymns, readings, and liturgical ministries of the Spanish Mass.

The Art club and Art classes, pictured right, made paper flower wreaths and cards to send to the Bethesda Military Hospital in Washington D.C. for the holidays!

During the Mass on All Saints' Day, twelve students from Bishop McCort were commissioned as Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist. The students who were commissioned were:  Samantha Slezak from St. Benedict parish; Angela Pavlosky from St. Francis Assissi parish; Paige Hockyko from Resurrection parish; Lucas Walkowski from St. Andrew parish; Beth Sheridan and Jordan Wade from St. Clement parish; and from Our Mother of Sorrows parish, Neil Brett, Paul Lukski, Julia Korenoski, Patrick McKinney, Carolyn Gritzer, and Mary Woloschuk.

The County Band Festival will be held at Greater Johnstown High School December 1 and 2 with the concert on December 2. Congratulations to the students who were chosen: 

Neil Brett

Michael Barron

Olivia Murphy

Michael Walther

Aaron Hochstein 

Anastazia Hall- placed first in her section for the 3rd year in a row!

Nathan Huffman

Lauren Olek

Joey Vatavuk- 8th grader at St. Andrew School

Thank you to the Rosary Club for providing  60 teal-colored handmade blessed rosaries for distribution at the Richland Football Game as part of our Ovarian Cancer Awareness observance. They also sent 60 pink handmade blessed rosaries to the Joyce Murtha Center in Windber as part of our Breast Cancer Awareness month activities, and made 150 handmade blessed rosaries to overseas missions in mostly third-world countries.