February 5th was "Soup-er" Bowl Friday at Holy Cross in support of the St. Vincent DePaul Mission of Waterbury. Thank you to all of our families and faculty that donated to this annual Catholic Schools Week tradition! Those that donated enjoyed dressing down in their favorite jersey or Holy Cross gear

Holy Cross High School will induct nine individuals and one athletic team into the Crusader Hall of Honor. This year's recipients will be celebrated virtually in video tributes starting on February 9, 2021. A video will be released every Tuesday through April 20^th. They can be accessed on our website and on our YouTube channel.

In each video tribute, the honorees will share their personal Crusader experiences and acknowledge the influential people in their life. Family, friends, colleagues, business associates and notable local figures will also offer their words of congratulations.

"The 2020 inductees have done heroic, miraculous and amazing things in their everyday work and lives to transform the world," said Dr. Thomas C. Pellegrino, President. "I hope you enjoy the videos and get a sense of just how amazing these inductees are and what they have done with their lives."

The 2020 Crusader Hall of Honor recipients include:

• Sally Bowman '86, Rob Paternostro '91, Chanessa Saunders '93 and Nicole Zuraitis '03, recipients of The Crusader Award, honoring an alumnus/a who distinguished himself/herself during his/her time at Holy Cross.
• Chris Corbett '93 and Msgr. Thomas Ginty '76, recipients of The Saint Andre Bessette Award, honoring an alumnus/a who distinguished himself/herself in life after high school.
• Phyllis Altieri and Frank Steponaitis, recipients of The Blessed Father Basil Moreau Award, honoring a coach, teacher, administrator or staff member for his/her/their stand-out, outstanding service to Holy Cross.
• Jeff Fryer '87, recipient of The Saint Marguerite Bourgeoys Award, honoring the individual's contributions to and support of Holy Cross.
• The 1995 Boys' Basketball Team, recipient of The Green and Gold Award, honoring teams that have brought respect and honor to Holy Cross High School because of their outstanding accomplishments while in high school

This year also marks the beginning of the Crusader Hall of Honor Scholarship Fund. All future monies raised through this fund will help to make a Crusader education more affordable for new students. Led by a generous leadership gift from Kim and Jeff Fryer '87 and numerous gifts from previous Hall of Honor inductees, over $50,000 has been raised for the Hall of Honor Scholarship Fund. If you would like to make a gift, please click here.

The Crusader Hall of Honor was established in 2016. Alumni, teachers, administrators, friends and athletic teams are recognized in this prestigious group for their achievements and contributions to Holy Cross and/or their local communities.

Video Tribute Release Dates:

February

9 – Christopher Corbett '93
16 - Nicole Zuraitis '03
23 - Monsignor Thomas Ginty '76

March

2 - Sally Bowman '86
9 - Frank Steponaitis
23 - Chanessa Saunders '93
30 - Rob Paternostro '91

April

6 - Phyllis Altieri
13 - The 1995 Boys Basketball Team
20 - Jeff Fryer '87

Holy Cross High School has always had the support of local, small businesses. Entrepreneurs, business owners and local officials have graciously donated their goods and services for the betterment of the school. Holy Cross leadership recently found themselves in a situation where the school could give something back to some of those supportive businesses.

School leadership examined how they provided lunch options to the students. In the past, the school partnered with food service providers. However, the administration found itself reassessing the daily lunch model with the arrival of COVID-19.

"We brainstormed ideas," said Kathleen Partin '93, Director of Finance and Operations. "We didn't want to risk purchasing inventory that could potentially go bad if we were not in the building for an extended period of time due to the pandemic."

Mrs. Partin thought about all of the local restaurants and delis that supported the school in the past. "We decided to reach out to nine restauraunts to see if they would be interested in providing lunches for our students. Five replied back and said they were interested."

Crusader lunches now take on a local flair. On Mondays, the aroma of Noochies Italian food fills the hallways. The beloved burgers (and more) of Frankies loom large on Tuesdays with a Brooklyn Baking Company cookie to finish off the meal . The iconic Nardelli's sandwiches are offered on Thursdays. Amalfi's closes out the week on Friday with pizzas and more.

"Hot and cold items are offered each day," said Mrs. Partin. "Every day, there are healthy options. Students don't just get fried food. They can also purchase beautiful sandwiches and salads."

"Bringing in local restaurants this spring to provide the lunch program for our students was an easy decision to make," said Dr. Thomas C. Pellegrino, President of Holy Cross High School "Beyond the quality of the food and the popularity of the vendors with our students and families, we felt this was one small way Holy Cross could help support the local food industry here in Waterbury. The offerings are diverse and offered at reasonable prices. The students love it, which is the most important thing."

"I am an alum of the school. My kids also went to Holy Cross," said Justine D'Amelio '84, who owns and runs Noochie's with her husband, Gianni. "When Kathleen asked us to be a part of this, we were so honored and thankful that we were able to bring our products into Holy Cross. We have a lot of pride in them and are happy to share them with those who know us and those who don't."

"I was excited when Holy Cross reached out to me, " said Chris Dwyer '10, owner of the Nardellis in Southbury. "It is always an exciting opportunity to mix what I do for a living with the school I went to."

Dwyer was very prepared for the demand of making lunches for a large number of hungry adolescents. "Bagged lunches are more prevalent now because of COVID-19. We have a good system in place at the store. We prep what we can the day before and time out what we need to do on the day of delivery. It's hard to start something new like this. I give Kathleen a lot of credit."

Lunch sales have doubled since this started in February. "Every week, we see more orders coming in," said Mrs. Partin. "The snow days have been challenging, and we appreciate the patience of our local partners. We are definitely pursuing this through the end of the school year. We will reassess what we are doing for the next school year."

The Holy Cross High School community is deeply saddened to hear of the closing of Sacred Heart High School. Our thoughts and prayers go to their school community, past and present. Sacred Heart's roots run deep in the Greater Waterbury area. The school's impact on Catholic education will be long-lasting. In this moment and in the days to come, our care and support goes to their students, teachers and staff.

Holy Cross students dressed in red in celebration of Lunar New Year.

On Thursday, February 25, 2021, Holy Cross High School's Student Diversity Leadership Board will host the first of a series of diversity panel discussions. This inaugural virtual presentation, "Celebrating Black Leadership in the Greater Waterbury Area" can be viewed on the school's official YouTube channel (channel name: HolyCrossHSWaterbury) at 7:30pm. Admission to the event is free. All students, teachers, families, alumni and members of the local community are welcome to attend. Student Diversity Leadership Board members, Jaiden Epps '21 and Richayla Stallings '22 will serve as the moderators.

The six panelists are outstanding black leaders in their respective disciplines and communities:

• Loretta Claiborne, American Athlete & Advocate, US Special Olympics
• Congresswoman Jahana Hayes, US Representative for Connecticut's 5^th Congregational District
• Harold Miller '95, Interim Assistant Superintendent, Boston Public Schools
• Judge Maurice Mosley, New Haven District Superior Court
• Chief Vernon Riddick, Chief of Police, West Hartford Police Department
• Delecia Woods '13, Voice Teacher, Bethel Music Center

"Through this presentation, we will highlight the differences made by these exceptional leaders," said Megan Dwyer '05, Director of Student Life. "We will learn more about who and what inspired them. They will also give their advice on how we, as a society, can achieve greater racial equity within our communities. All of the invited panelists have connections to the Greater Waterbury area."

Holy Cross's Student Leadership Board was started in 2019. They are dedicated to expanding the representation of student voices and discussing different issues affecting the greater Holy Cross community, as well the world around us. They spent time last year holding meetings to discuss diversity, equity, implicit bias, discrimination, and experiences of marginalized individuals. According to their Mission Statement, they are "committed to starting conversations which will allow students to hear and share different perspectives. We are hoping today begins ongoing conversations about diversity, inclusion, and equity within our community."

"The Student Diversity Leadership Board wanted to launch a diversity panel series that invites members of the community to share their experiences and inspire youth," said Tommy Pompei, Principal. "This is an awakening that the work that begins here at Holy Cross High School can spur a life of inspiring change in our community and beyond. I look forward to sharing the stories of these fine men and women with our school and local community."

What is your current position? Describe what a typical day is like?

I am the Director of Faith Formation at St. Anthony's Church in Prospect, CT. During the school year, I run the religious education program for kindergarten through high school. We are extremely busy this year trying to keep in person classes for Religious Education. We have to keep all the COVID-19 rules; social distancing, masks, sanitation, cleaning hands and not breathing on anyone else!

What is one of your favorite memories of Holy Cross?
One of my favorite memories was being a peer minister during my senior year. We loved our group of peer ministers. We also loved our two teacher advisors. They were approachable and accommodating. One of my highlights was being a senior and feeling like we were helping the freshman as leaders of the school.

Did you have a favorite teacher? Why was he/she your favorite?

My favorite teacher was Mrs. Rita McCarthy who was so patient with all us teenage girls. At the time, she taught keyboarding (a.k.a. typing). She loved us and we knew it. She actually came to my high school graduation party, along with Mrs. Muldowney. I guess I loved Mrs. Muldowney as well. She was our peer minister coordinator. We also loved Mr. Regan, the accounting teacher. I guess I loved the people on the second floor!

What was your biggest takeaway from Holy Cross?

My biggest takeaway from Holy Cross was the act of service. Service should be foremost in your life, in your job, in your home life, in your neighborhood. I think Holy Cross had such an emphasis back then and I'm sure they still do now. We always had food and clothing drives. We packed up baskets for Thanksgiving to give to the neighborhood people. There was always an act of service going on. There were always posters in the hall advertising different acts of service. My occupation of service in my current position certainly came from Holy Cross. It is important to serve others than yourself. I will credit Holy Cross with that. Along with very good study skills

How did your years at Holy Cross influence your professional career choices?

I think my years at Holy Cross influenced my career choice - the act of service. Technically, I work for the Catholic Church. I also work mostly with families that are trying to raise children in the Catholic faith in such a different atmosphere now.

What advice would you give me as a current student at Holy Cross?

I would say smile at everyone! Make different friends outside of your usual friend group. Go outside your comfort zone every once in a while and meet amazing new people. You never know. You could make another acquaintance. Branch out a little!

Holy Cross High School dressed down in red to support two important initiatives: Hilltoppers for Hope and Hearts for Hope. Approximately $750 was raised through this dress down day. Monies raised from this initiative will benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. "So many of our students supported this effort," said Megan Dwyer '05, Director of Student Life. "Half of the money went to Hilltoppers. The other half went to Hearts for Hope."

Chase Collegiate transfer, Jaiden Paniauga '22 brought the Hilltoppers for Hope to Holy Cross. "One of my friends attends the Hopkins School," said Jaiden. "She posted a story on Snapchat talking about Hilltoppers for Hope which raises money for Leukemia. They raise money for this at her school. I wanted to bring some good to the world and help out, so I thought it would be great to raise money for it here."

This is the first time Jaiden spearheaded a fundraising effort and according to him, "It took me out of my comfort zone. It's really a great cause. If we all do something small, it will have a great effect in the long term."

"We are so proud of Jaiden," said Ms. Dwyer. "He really took the lead on this to make it a reality. I want to thank him for bringing this to our school community."

Raeanna Byrnes, Lena Gereski and Lauren Baker, sophomores at Sacred Heart High School, led the efforts for Hearts for Hope. According to their webpage on the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society website, "By donating to LLS, you support the many facets of LLS's mission work from investing in groundbreaking research, providing education and support to patients, and advocating at the state and federal level for legislation to help those living with cancer."

"We were proud to partner with our friends at Sacred Heart to support this cause," said Terri Ann Parks, Director of Enrollment Management. "I had the pleasure of meeting Raeanna, her sister and parents at one of our Open House programs for Sacred Heart Families in the last few weeks. I'm grateful that our students were so supportive of those Sacred Heart students who lead this charge who will be their future Crusader classmates!"

Our band and choir, under the direction of Sean Lewis, put together this mini-performance to kick off the spring season.

Brielle Myers '22 and her mother showed their American pride by participating in a project headed by the Waterbury Pride NAACP Youth Council. They joined other mothers and daughters who participated in a photo shoot in honor of Vice President Kamala Harris's Inauguration. Dressed in all back and pearls, they posed for photos at Clay Johnson studio in Watertown.

"All of the girls who participated were part of the Youth Council," said Brielle. "We printed all of the photos, wrote quotes of encouragement and put them into a book which was sent to Vice President Harris. I wasn't the only Crusader in the book. Alum Nadia French-Graham also sent a photo."

Brielle has been a member of the Youth Council for one year. She got involved after helping out with a number of events at her church. "People reached out to me and asked me to join," she said. "The Youth Council would help us out at our church. We gave away boxes of food during the holidays. Cars would drive up to us, and we would give them the food. During Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, we went for a walk in MLK park. Together, we feel like we can change the world. As a group, we feel like we can do anything."

Holy Cross High School raised over $22,000 in its recent Online Auction, thanks to the generosity of our Crusader family. Alumni, parents, faculty and friends continuously put in their bids (which came as far as California) during this week-long virtual event.

The Crusader community was able to bid on items for the whole family. This included weekend getaways to Rhode Island, DeWalt Tools, jewelry, gift card packages, a personalized Tater baseball bat, items for a home movie night and much more.

"Several people donated items for bid this year," said Terri Ann Parks, Director of Enrollment Management who also led this year's auction. "We want to thank them for their generosity. It was important to us that all auction items could be used in our new COVID-19 world. We wanted them to bring a sense of comfort and normalcy."

All monies raised in the Online Auction will support the school's Annual Fund which supplies monies for Holy Cross High School's yearly operating budget. The cost of a private school education is such that tuition and fees do not cover the total cost of educating each student. The difference is made up by gifts to the Annual Fund which is critical for the support of the school's entire program.

An Annual Fund gift greatly impacts all aspects of daily life at Holy Cross High School. Tuition assistance, learning management systems, computer supplies, classroom supplies, telephone/internet lines, art supplies, drama productions, sports equipment, and much more rely on annual giving.

The winter athletic season culminated in two NVL Championship wins: one for Boys' Swimming & Diving and one for Girls' Varsity Basketball.

"Our community lived vicariously through these amazing young athletes," said President, Dr. Thomas C. Pellegrino. "Their performances on the court and in the pool brought us great joy in challenging times. I can't say enough about how proud I am about both of these squads. They epitomized prioritizing the team over the individual. That is why they succeeded."

"I would like to send my most heartfelt congratulations to two of the great sources of pride and tradition at Holy Cross as our Boys' Swimming & Diving and Girls' Basketball teams captured the NVL titles," said Principal, Tommy Pompei. "Congratulations to all of the Crusader student-athletes who put so much hard work into such an unusual season to truly earn these accomplishments. I'd like to send my most sincere gratitude to Coach (Frank) Lombardo and Coach Mary (Racevicius) for their devotion to our kids and sustained excellence in representing the Green and Gold!"

History was made as the Swimming & Diving Team took home their seventh straight NVL Championship win. When the final results were tabulated, Holy Cross High School won over Woodland (831-821).

"There were challenges, but we overcame them." said Mary Racevicius, Boys' Swimming & Diving Coach to the Waterbury Republican-American. "The kids worked really, really hard. They stayed focused...This was an interesting year for us. Woodland brought out the best in us, so kudos to them. The dual meet was great. That was the start of us getting ready for the NVL meet."

Micheal Gauthier '24 and P.J. Gauthier '23 were each double-winners for the Crusaders. Micheal finished first in the 200 freestyle (1:49.35) and 500 freestyle (5:02.16) while brother P.J. was first in the 200 IM (1:58.12) and 100 freestyle (49.32).

Holy Cross also captured first in all three relays. The 200 medley relay of Michael Gauthier, P.J. Gauthier, Derek Fantano and Seamas Bowler was first in 1:39.39. The 200 freestyle relay of Will Tucker, Bowler, Alex Corona and Michael Gauthier took first in 1:30.29. The 400 freestyle relay of Corona, Tucker, P.J. Gauthier and Fantano claimed first in 3:16.59.

The Girls' Varsity Basketball also saw a successful end after an undefeated season. They won 64-48 over Woodland in the semifinals of the NVL Tournament. They were supposed to face off against Seymour in the finals. However, Seymour had to forfeit the final game.

"I feel sad for the girls at Seymour," said Frank Lombardo'85, Head Coach for Girls' Basketball. "They had a great season as well, and we were looking forward to facing off with them. I am so proud of our girls and what they have accomplished during this challenging season. Each year, it is one of our goals to win this title."

At the semifinals, Cayla Howard '22 converted ten of her thirteen attempts from the line and finished with a team-high 24 points, ten rebounds and four steals to lead the Crusaders to their win.

"By spending so much time in practice at the foul line, it helped prepare us for pressured situations like this," said Cayla. "It made a big difference."

Against Woodland, guard Mya Zaccagnini '23 scored 17 points and had five steals, and tri-captain Alyssa Hebb '21 added 12 points to complement Holy Cross' offensive production. Maeve Perrone'22 contributed eight points, including two critical 3-pointers, one in the second quarter and another in the third to put the team up, 41-27.

Throughout the season, all of our student-athletes had to maneuver through the uncertainty in a COVID-19 world. From one day to the next, they didn't know if they would continue to play or if the season would be cut short. "This taught them adversity," said Lombardo. "It also taught them a respect for the game and for each other. We had a veteran team this year. Many of the girls played last season which ended early because of the pandemic. Consequently, they didn't take anything for granted this year."

"We are so happy with how the coaches handled the COVID-19 guidelines all year," said Mike Giampetruzzi '95, Director of Athletics. "It was a real commitment. We are proud that the coaches and the student-athletes could put out a Championship effort during these times."

"Both teams were led by two amazingly talented and committed coaches who are also supported by amazing coaching staff," said Dr. Pellegrino. "Again, my congratulations to both squads."

Holy Cross High School is proud to announce that the following students have achieved honor roll status for the third quarter of the 2020-2021 school year.

Senior Class

First Honors: Robert Anchini, Neel Avancha, Paydon Bushka, Colby Calabrese, Xiaohang Cheng, Schuyler Cummings, Colette D'Alessandro, Michael Dane, Alexandra Dassatti, Jenna DeBiase, Juliana DelPriore, Jaiden Epps, Christina Failla, Julianne Filippone, Diego Flores, Justin Forino, Alyssa French-Graham, Gennaro Genua, Alyssa Hebb, Jenna Hulstrunk, Matthew Keating, Simon Kopecky, Joshua Lee, Armani Mayes, BriAnna McConnell, Sydney McIntosh, Matthew Minutillo, Liam Moran, Jacob Myers, Lydia Perron, Benjamin Piri, Vesa Prevalla, Daniel Ready, Raquel Rosa, Victoria Rosales, Paige Santopietro, Dante Sarlo, Alyssa Sarracco, Gabriele Smith, Brayden Wihbey, Alec Zappone & Luke Zipoli

Second Honors: Joseph Antonazzo, Tatanya Bailey, Seamas Bowler, Tyler Ciavarella, Brooke Coletti, Sean Cremins, Savannah Diogostine, Arta Dobruna, Zi'Aire Flowers, Dmitriy Fogie, Matthew Granchelli, Jacob Janatiss, Evan Kaczmarek, Elsa Kollcinaku, Tanner Linhard, Kyle Lombardi, Rafael Mahario, Connor McCormack, Cara Melchionne, Samantha Miller, Giuseppe Mongelluzzo, Giovanna Oliver, Zachary Powers, Alana Snow, William Tucker, Chase Tyson & Hoang Thanh Truc Sop Vu

Junior Class

First Honors: Ella Atkins, Cyril Balatbat, Matthew Barrett, Lyvia Bartoli, Michaela Bell, Logan Bessette, Devon Bushka, Francesca Campagna, Aryanna Carter, Aiden Coelho, Alyssa Colangelo, Andreas Effes, Jameson Fauth, Abigail Galasso, Thomas Galusha, Garrett Girgasky, Dorian Goroveci, Arianna Gove, Grace Graziano, Luca Guerrera, Charlotte Henderlite, Rachael Honegger, Emily Lanoie, Amanda Martinez, Benjamin Mason, Jonathan Melgar, Grant Mowad, Nihn Nguyen, Avery O'Connell, Patrick Osiecki, Jaiden Paniagua, Megan Paolino, Maeve Perrone, Grace Persaud, Alexander Regan, Mary Rosko, Robert Rosko, Michael Shaker, Joseph Shinglar, Cameron Sivilla, Samuel Summerfield, Haoyue Tian, Elizabeth Titley, Gia Han Truong & Loren Tuck

Second Honors: Ava Andolena, Sydney Bakewell, Marley Bonderenko, Isabella Bugaytsova, Valerio Capobianco, Caiden Charette, Ethan Cizauskas, Louis Coptsias, Luke Daddona, Tyler Doherty, Javin Frageau, Brianna Greenlaw, Ashley Harris, Cayla Howard, Isabella Marzano, Brielle Myers, Kylie O'Brien, James Quicquaro, Victoria Reyes, Thomas Salvador, Ashton Sannasi, Eliza Slevinsky, Ryan Thomas, Jenna Tymosko, John Walsh, Emma Wheeler & Chase Zaccagnini

Sophomore Class

First Honors: Reese Becker, Tajae Bennett, Madison Brasche, Madison Capozzi, Jenna Cavallo, Faith Crosby, Joseph Dane, Juliana Dane, Sebastian Dasilva, Nathan DiMatteo, Jonathan Diogostine, David Eaton, Jayme Erdtmann, Zachary Ferguson, Peter Gauthier, Ava Genovese, Seth Glinsky, Bethany Gonzalez, Shaye Harris, Angela Ho, Joshua Holland, Jadan Izzi, Thomas Lapham, Alexander Lee, Thomas Ligi, Carly Lombardo, Ella Mancini, Cecelia Moisan, Kendell Murray, Sydney Murray, Victoria Odonkor, Logan Pilla, Elena Roberts, Paul Schiavone, Mischa Telesford, Jenna Tracey, Justin Vail, Xin Wang, Ava Wheeler & Chenhao Yang

Second Honors: Jacob Almeida, Garrett Brown, Hee Mang Carlson, Jordan Cronan, Kaiden Dunn, Leo Fiore, Cailyn Gorman, David Kacprzyski, Delong Li, Hannah Lima, Kendall Maisto, Kevin Matiz, Declan McGrath, Tyra McKoy, Gillian Mucciacciaro, Rocco Palladino, Gianna Petrokaitis, Alexandria Richard, Jaela Rivera, Dustin Sannasi, Kyle Sarracco, Donald Shivas & Mya Zaccagnini

Freshman Class

First Honors: Celine Assahoua, Peter Atkins, Catherine Balatbat, Kyla Barrett, Wicharporn Bunlue, Tyler Carolan, Abigail Cummings, Mirella DeLong, Justin DiGiovanna, Michael Gauthier, Sadie Girgasky, Michael Lombardi, Owen MacDonald, Drew McGarrity, Sarah Medeiros, Aurora Miller, Isabella Oliver, Nadia Pelosi, Juve Perez, Aidan Peterson, Tabitha Richard, Connor Scully, Lauren Scully, Ian Sullivan, Lily Vescera & Mary Grace Washburn

Second Honors: Kaitlyn Alagno, MaKenna Bedard, Chase Calabrese, Hailey Christiano, Gavin Cleveland, Landon Coelho, Molly Dunn, Joseph Godin, Mahmoud Hafez, Jasmine Howard, Benjamin Iannantuoni, Antonia Leary, Lucca Magaraci, Brendan Matos, Myles Mitnick, Nicholas Nelson, Everett Partin, Ava Purcaro, Luke Schrade, Jadon Segnatelli & John Torrance