The UA Cross Country team made history over the weekend, winning their first-ever Division VI Eastern Mass State Championship! The fleet-footed champions earned their victory with a score of 96, edging out tough competitors Lynnfield, who scored 100 points, and Dover-Sherborn with 106 points. Senior captain Maddie Wolfe and junior Lindsay Baryluk led the charge, finishing 14th and 15th respectively in the race.

This victory capped off a standout season for the Bears Cross Country team. Highlights from the season include:

• Dual meet record of 5-0
• 4th place out of 40 teams at the Manchester Invitational
• Runner up out of 18 teams at the Coaches Invitational
• Frank Kelly Invitational Champions
• Catholic Conference Regular Season Champions
• Second-straight Catholic Conference League Meet Title

Congratulations to all our athletes and to Coach Tom Shaw and assistant coaches Mary Ferrucci and Angelica Pizzi! Pictured above: The UA team and coaches pose with their championship trophy after the meet on Saturday, November 10.

Pictured below: UA runners Megan Grela, Maddie Wolfe, Lindsay Baryluk, Erin Harten, Sarah Bent, Julie Lugten and Erin Grela accept their championship trophy after running in the meet.

"Would Hester Prynne have confessed without the Puritans putting the scarlet 'A' on her?"

Sophomore English students participate in a Socratic seminar.

One of Michael Mayer's sophomore English students posed this question to her classmates, and then the discussion of Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter was off and running for the next 45 minutes of class time, with little teacher interjection. Students explored the themes of this classic piece of American literature, referencing their classmates' ideas and quotes from the text, for the entirety of the class period.

Mr. Mayer's English classes are not your typical lecture courses. His Socratic seminars mimic what most students find in a college-level discussion course: an entire period of student discourse and discussion. This is the third year that Mr. Mayer has been using these seminars as part of his English curriculum here at Ursuline.

"It goes without saying that it affords an opportunity for somewhat more reserved students to contribute to class discussion," he said. "Perhaps more importantly, though, it gives the students a chance to work through, around, over and under questions posed by the literature."

During this particular class on The Scarlet Letter, students discussed topics ranging from tragedy in literature to Puritan perceptions of sin and guilt, as well as the intersection of religion, law and society. Students cited quotes from the novel to support their assertions, and even made connections to the Greek tragedy Antigone and Hemingway's The Nick Adams Stories, both books they had read in previous classes at Ursuline.

"The seminar provides a teacher-free space for them to wrestle with ideas and issues that are of primary importance: questions about morality, spirituality, the human family, etc.," Mr. Mayer said. "My absolute favorite part of the entire method is seeing the conversation begin, take shape and ultimately veer off in an entirely different direction to include an entirely different viewpoint."

Students in Mr. Mayer's classes enjoy the seminars, as well as the chance for their voices to be heard. 

"While his lectures surely bring to light many ideas that help me understand the depth and symbolic meaning as well as the plot of a novel, the Socratic seminars are very enlightening, bringing new perspectives and ideas into the mix," said Michaela Chipman '15, one of Mr. Mayer's sophomore English students. "By using the Socratic method, our class can all share and recognize one another's points, and also, quieter, more shy students can share thoughtful, analytical viewpoints that may have otherwise never been mentioned."

Students know that they must come prepared to consistently participate in the discussion. As Mr. Mayer reminded his students at the beginning of class, the goal is not to make one point, get participation credit and then not participate in the rest of the discussion. All students must be full and active participants in the discussion for these Socratic seminars to work well.  Luckily, that is exactly the case for these sophomore students. As Michaela put it: "Mr. Mayer, as well as our class, values the opinion and insight of every student, and [this is] an excellent way to allow all to share their thoughts."

Last week, President Whiting and Principal Keaney held two morning Coffee & Conversation events for parents. Parents of 7th and 8th grade students came to campus on Wednesday, November 28 and parents of students in grades 9-12 came on Thursday, November 29.

Over the course of the two mornings, 60 parents joined President Whiting and Principal Keaney to discuss life at Ursuline, from technology in the classroom to the arts and athletics to course offerings and class sizes. Parents can view a full summary of the events by logging in to Edline.

These Coffee and Conversation events are offered once a semester, giving parents a chance to hear updates from the President and Principal throughout the school year. Parents are encouraged to bring their questions to this dialogue with the Ursuline administration.

Future Coffees with the President and the Principal are scheduled for Wednesday, April 3 for parents of 7th and 8th grade students and Thursday, April 4 for parents of 9th-12th grade students. We hope you can join us!

The classic Christmas movie Elf said it best: "The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear!" Christmas cheer was in abundance at the annual Christmas Gathering on Sunday, December 2, as the UA community came together to listen to holiday classics performed by student musical groups.

This year, we enjoyed performances by the Chamber Ensemble, Choral Group, Glee Club, Liturgical Dancers and members of the Speech Team. The Chamber Ensemble is Ursuline's instrumental music group, Glee Club is a singing group for students in Grades 7-12 and the Choral Group is a singing group for high school students. Both Liturgical Dance and the Speech Team are made up of students in Grades 7-12.

Get into the Christmas spirit by watching these highlights from the event:

 The Glee Club serenades the audience with "Grown-up Christmas List."

The Chamber Ensemble performs the Christmas classic "Sleigh Ride."

The Choral Group sings "Star Carol."

Photos of all the performances!

During the whirlwind that is the holiday season, 12 of Ursuline's junior and senior Peer Ministers took time out to give back at Boston's annual Christmas in the City event. This special day of food, fun and games helps over 4,000 homeless children and 1,800 parents experience the joy of Christmas. The event is staffed entirely by volunteers and has been a Christmas tradition in Boston for over 20 years.

The UA volunteers, along with their chaperones Mrs. Morency and Ms. Tracy, hosted a luncheon for the guests. But the real fun began once lunch was over and the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center became a Winter Wonderland, complete with fake snow and Santa and Mrs. Claus.

"It is a privilege for the members of Peer Ministry at Ursuline to participate in the annual Christmas in the City event," said UA Campus Minister Mary-Kate Tracy. "Our students experienced the fun of an amazing Winter Wonderland game park and distributed toys with Santa."

The Ursuline girls spent their time with children from the Martha Eliot Shelter in Jamaica Plain, and judging by the smiles on all the faces in these pictures, a good time was had by all!

Read more about the history of Christmas in the City in today's Boston Globe.

Before the advent of technology and the internet, a science project might have looked something like this:

Photo Source: iStock

Or this:

Photo Source: iStock

But in 2013 in 9th grade biology class at Ursuline, a science project means learning to build your own website.

During their unit on ecosystems, the 9th graders created "glogs" (also known as electronic posters) through the GlogsterEDU website.

Each student worked with a partner to gather information about a specific biome from various sources, after a lesson in academic research from UA librarian Amity Johnson. The goal of the assignment was to use Glogster to build a website containing informative and visually-appealing multimedia objects to share what they learned about their ecosystem and to educate others.  Each group chose an ecosystem and researched five specific features of that ecosystem:

1. abiotic factors
2. biotic factors
3. interactions in the ecosystem
4. special features of the ecosystem
5. the future of the ecosystem

At the end of the project, students presented their glogs, each of which included both original creations and borrowed resources of text, sounds, images, videos and links to informative websites. You can view the student glogs by logging into Edline and selecting "9th Grade Ecosystems Glogs" in the right-hand column on the homepage.

"The girls worked in teams to create creative and interactive glogs incorporating pictures, videos, sounds and written text," said biology teacher Taryn Powers Surabian '03. "They did an outstanding job researching the material and learning how to use Glogster. I was extremely impressed and am proud to show off their work to the Ursuline community."

Mary Lesa Brady, Ursuline's Curriculum Integration Specialist, presented awards to the most outstanding students for this project, as recognition for creating the most visually-appealing, aesthetically-pleasing and technically-usable glogs. Congratulations to Brianna DiNicola, Elizabeth Coughlin, Noella D'Souza, Carolyn Recupero, Nneka Oyigbo, Maria Ferzoco and Monica Dunphy!

Broadcasting live from UA...it's Lowder News!

The Communication Arts class taught by Mrs. Maura McCarthy Polles '86—also known as Lowder News—is a favorite elective course among UA seniors. The class consists of three distinct components and includes hands-on learning in the field of communications.

The first component is public speaking. "Since effective public speaking is a key to several areas of academic and professional success, the students build skills throughout the year with the intention of using these skills throughout their lives," said Mrs. Polles. "The goal is to build skills and confidence so when required to speak in a professional environment down the road, the foundation is there." One of the assignments during the Public Speaking block is to write and deliver a speech reflecting on the student's Ursuline experience. Several of the speeches become part of the presentation at a reception that Ursuline hosts for accepted students. Former Communication Arts student Gabriella Santone '12 delivered her speech at the 2012 Accepted Student Reception (video below).

In addition to sharpening their public speaking skills, the Ursuline seniors also conduct a comprehensive study of media influence in modern society. "The influence of the media is enormous in our culture today. We spend much of our own precious time and hard-earned dollars consuming various forms of media," said Mrs. Polles. "Communication Arts students explore various forms of the media, including music and the recording industry, the movie business, television, journalism and advertising. The goal is to become wise to the ways of media influence and to recognize what is truly valuable."

And as the students become wise to the way of the media, they also have the opportunity to create some media of their own through the Lowder News broadcasts. Communication Arts students collaborate with each other to bring the latest news to UA, from the happenings on campus to national and world news. They record video, edit recordings and produce newscasts using Apple's iMovie software. Lowder News even has their own iPad to use as a teleprompter while recording segments and they also incorporate voiceovers, lighting, special effects and use of a green screen into their broadcasts. The video below is a broadcast from the fall semester focusing on the Class of 2013.

One of the members of the Class of 2013, Jackie Rioux, has been so inspired by her Communications class that she has decided to further her study in college next year. "My Communication Arts class...has become my favorite class, and I have decided to major in communications in college," she said.

Mrs. Polles' Communication Arts class does other learning outside the classroom in addition to their news broadcasts. Past classes have been on field trips to radio station Kiss 108 and this winter the class of 19 seniors had the opportunity to spend the day at KHJ Brand Activation, a branding company located in Boston. KHJ President and CEO Judy Habib '71 shared her tips and tricks of the trade, as well as her favorite memories from her days as an Ursuline girl! "The smaller environment at Ursuline gave me the freedom to find myself," Judy said. "Never stop questioning and trying to find direction."

The students even got the chance to try their hand at promoting a brand, putting together presentations in groups and then sharing their branding and PR tactics with their classmates and Judy. To hear more about their day at KHJ, check out the recap video at right.

You can keep up with the Lowder News broadcasts all year long by visiting their YouTube channel and subscribing to their updates!

In December 2012, 25 juniors and seniors were commissioned to serve as Peer Ministers for the remainder of the school year.

These Peer Ministers act as leaders in faith and service for the Ursuline community. They plan and lead prayer services and retreats for younger students and also participate in community service. Each December the group volunteers at Christmas in the City, a special holiday event to help the homeless in Boston.

During the special commissioning ceremony, the Peer Ministers light candles that symbolize the light they will bring to the Ursuline community and receive pins in the shape of the Cross to wear on their blazers. Watch a video of this year's Peer Minister Commissioning:

In January 2013, 20 Ursuline students made their first pilgrimage to the March for Life in Washington, DC. This yearly march supports the right to life of every human being and the Ursuline students participated in the spirit of our motto, Serviam.

The 20 sophomores, juniors and seniors from UA joined a group of 500 pilgrims from the Archdiocese of Boston, including many fellow high school students. Campus Minister Mary-Kate Tracy and religion teacher Jane Morency accompanied the students on the three-day trip.

"The 2013 March for Life was a true pilgrimage for the students and chaperones from Ursuline," said Mary-Kate Tracy. "The March for Life affirmed our strength as a community of faith, infused us with new respect for the sanctity of life and truly changed our lives."

Once they arrived in DC, the group attended a special Mass with Cardinal Sean O'Malley of the Archdiocese of Boston. On the day of the walk, January 25, 2013, the 500 members of the Archdiocese of Boston were part of the group of over 500,000 people who showed their support for the right to life, despite chilly temperatures and snowy weather!

View more pictures from the March for Life on the Archdiocese of Boston Flickr account!

Without the explorers of the past, our study of geography today might look very different. Mr. Will Donovan's 7th grade Geography students created an Explorer Hall of Fame to commemorate the accomplishments of these intrepid voyagers.

Three sections of 7th grade Geography students researched an explorer who has made a contribution to our knowledge of the world. The explorers ranged from the famous, like Christopher Columbus, to the not-so-famous, like Zebulon Pike. Along with writing a report, each student created a plaque highlighting the explorer's major accomplishment. All the plaques are pictured below in the Explorer Hall of Fame in Mr. Donovan's room:

Though it is only February, preparations have already begun for next year here at Ursuline Academy! Current students are in the process of course selection for the 2013-2014 school year and calendar planning is under way. Acceptances letters have been mailed to the students who will become the next generation of Ursuline girls when they join us in the fall of 2013.

On Thursday, February 14, Ursuline Academy hosted an Accepted Students Reception to welcome the admitted students and their families to our community! Parents attended a Q&A session with current students, faculty and current parents, while the admitted students enjoyed a Talent Showcase in the gym. The UA girls wowed the crowd as they showed off their singing, dancing and musical skills, along with a comedy performance. The cast of the mid-year play performed a scene from A Midsummer Night's Dream ahead of their performance on Saturday, March 2 at 7 p.m. here at Ursuline.

The highlight of the evening by far was the "Student Voices" portion of the evening, when four of our students gave speeches about their Ursuline experiences.

7th grader Jackie Hayes spoke about the friends and role models she has found among the upperclassmen who are her track teammates:

Freshman Sydnie Healy, the daughter of an Ursuline alumna, shared her family's Ursuline story with the audience:

Sophomore Allie Erk Thompson told the admitted students how Ursuline has helped her find her voice, both in the classroom and on the volleyball court:

Senior Taylor Hartley reflected back on how her years at Ursuline have given her the strength and confidence to find her way, even in times of difficulty:

Thank you to all our student speakers for sharing your stories!

For two weeks in February, nine Ursuline Academy students traded in their French classroom in Dedham for the real thing, studying with students at L' Institution Saint Marie in Toulon, France.

This is the second time that Ursuline has offered this French exchange program in collaboration with Xaverian Brothers High School, an all-boys Catholic school in neighboring Westwood. "Students who study French have the opportunity to spend two weeks immersed in French culture through staying with French families in Toulon, then visiting Paris for three days," said Dr. Amal Radwan, one of Ursuline's French teachers and the UA chaperone on the trip.

The students spent time with their host families and got to know the city of Toulon, in the southeast of France, as well as attended classes at the host school. "My favorite thing about France was living in the city for a few nights and being able to see how the French people live," said Meghan Stewart '14.

Both the Xaverian and UA students also got to see the sights in France, from the Lourve, Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower in Paris to Versailles to the World War II museum in Toulon. They also enjoyed a brief visit to the nearby country of Monaco, where they saw the Royal Palace and the exterior of the famous Monte Carlo casino. "Being immersed in the French culture and experiencing their way of life was truly an unforgettable experience. I came back with not only new friends--both American and French--but a French family that I love just as my own," said Chantal Chammas '13.

Many of her classmates also expressed a desire to return to France again in the future. "France was a life-changing experience that I will never forget," said Lisa Luciano '14. "The scenery was breathtaking and I met lifelong companions. I cannot wait to go back as soon as possible!"

"It's almost fairy time." ~ A Midsummer Night's Dream

This year the Ursuline Academy Drama Club added a third production to their schedule for the first time ever! In addition to the winter play and the spring musical, the UA thespians took on the challenge of performing a Shakespeare play in March. Watch these mystical scenes from their production of A Midsummer Night's Dream on Saturday, March 2!

The annual Father-Daughter Dance is a much-loved tradition at Ursuline. The older students have the semi-formal and the prom, but the 7th, 8th and 9th graders have this fun night with their dads (or grandfathers, brothers, uncles, godfathers, etc.). The UA girls danced the night away with dad in the Tea Room on Friday, March 1, 2013:

It was a Friday afternoon in the Ursuline Gym, but the match up on the court was worthy of NCAA March Madness: the student vs. faculty basketball game!

The UA Basketball team faced off against their teachers in front of a gym full of cheering fans and the freshmen reporters from our Lowder News club were on hand to capture all the action:

Thanks to all the faculty players, pictured below in their coordinating green UA shirts with the student team (left to right): Mrs. Johnson, Dr. Muldoon, Mr. O'Connor, Mrs. Surabian '03, Ms. Williams, Ms. Mayo, Mrs. Manning, Mrs. Collins, Ms. O'Malley '07, Mr. Pokotilov and referee Mr. Hursey.

(Left to Right): Nancy Kelley-Loughnane '91, Danielle St. Germain-Gordon '87 & Regina Sullivan '78

"Once an Ursuline girl, always an Ursuline girl" is a phrase heard often among the nearly 3,500 alumnae of UA. The truth of that phrase was surely evident at the 16th annual Women in Leadership Symposium on Friday, March 1, 2013.

Three Ursuline alumnae, of the Classes of 1978, 1987 and 1991, were answering questions in a Q&A session, bantering like they had known each other for years. A group of seniors in the audience wondered aloud to each other if the women had been friends while at school.

Not quite. They had just met that morning, when they arrived to present at the symposium, but bonded instantly over their shared Ursuline experiences. Once an Ursuline girl, always an Ursuline girl.

Ursuline Academy's annual Women in Leadership Symposium brings distinguished alumnae back to campus to mentor and network with current students and this year we were thrilled to welcome Regina Sullivan '78, Executive VP at Fidelity Investments, Danielle St. Germain-Gordon '87, Chief Development Officer at Arena Stage Theater, and Nancy Kelley-Loughnane '91, Human Signatures Branch Technical Advisor in the Navy, back to campus. Each of our guest speakers gave a talk about her career and personal journeys since leaving the halls of Ursuline, followed by the Q&A and an opportunity for students to speak to the women individually.

Thank you to our wonderful speakers for joining us! Watch all the highlights from Women in Leadership 2013:

7th grade members of the Junior Plaids (L to R): Amanda Giordano, Abby Wukitch, Lillian Wood & Kiara Cronin

The latest edition to the robotics programs at UA--which already include junior high technology classes and a high school FIRST Tech Challenge Robotics Team, the Robots in Plaid--is a junior high robotics club. This group of 7th and 8th grade students interested in robotics dubbed themselves the Junior Plaids and is in it's first year in 2012-2013.

Sheila Orechia '14 and Grace Ryan '14, both members of the high school Robots in Plaid, mentor their younger robotics counterparts. "We started the Junior Plaids because a big part our robotics competition deals with outreach and spreading technology awareness to the community," Sheila said. "We thought that a good way to do that would be to spread robotics to the 7th and 8th graders in the Ursuline community."

The Junior Plaids competed in their first competition in November, with a theme of "Senior Solutions." They programmed their robot to do various tasks and challenges that have the potential to be helpful to senior citizens. Tasks included programming the robot to turn off a hot "stove" and using color sensor programs to select the correct "pill bottle" and return it to the robot base. The students must program the robot to complete as many tasks as possible in 2 minutes and 30 seconds for the competition.

Abby Wukitch '18 designed the Junior Plaids' official competition t-shirt this year, and has also been recruiting her friends to join the club. The Junior Plaids started out with only two 7th graders this fall, but now that number has increased to five. Though the competition season is over, the Junior Plaids still meet every Monday after school. "We are using this time to learn new techniques, like motors and color sensors, and do research on next year's theme, which is Natural Disasters," said Mrs. Jennifer Brown, the Science/Technology teacher who also serves as moderator of the club.

Sheila and Grace have also taken an active leadership role with the Junior Plaids. "At first it was hard because you have to direct them in a way that is going to guide them without giving the answer," Grace said. Sheila agreed, "The motto for the club is 'Figure it out' because they should be figuring it out and learning the process, rather than Mrs. Brown or us telling them what to do."

With ten 7th and 8th graders already signed up for next year, it seems that the Junior Plaids are ready to figure it out. While working on the robot at only her second meeting, Kiara Cronin '18 said "I can't wait to go to the competition next year!"

But if you can't wait until next year, check out this "Day in the Life" video from the Junior Plaids' first competition, created by Mrs. Brown:

What does it take to succeed in the world of business?

The UA junior class found out when they spent a "Day in the Life" at Fidelity Investments in Boston on April 3.

This unique opportunity was made possible thanks to the planning and generosity of Regina Sullivan '78, Executive VP at Fidelity. Students saw the trading room, did a practice exercise about buying and selling of stocks and learned about opportunities for women in the finance and business world through a panel discussion with four female Fidelity employees.

Four members of the Class of 2014 chronicled their experiences at Fidelity for the Life on Lowder Street Blog:

Brigid Buckley '14

If you were to ask the majority of junior class girls who experienced a "Day in Life of a Fidelity Investor," they would probably admit to the fact that they only went to get a day off from classes. However, I am confident that those same people would say that the experience was very enjoyable. The staff spoke in high school terms and they were all very welcoming to a group of green plaid skirts parading their business suit hallways. While the experience exceeded my (and others') expectations, it did not necessarily create 60 new stockroom analysts. Through all the room tours and interactive group activities, the trip instilled something more important than how McDonald's stocks were doing (they went down 2 points while we were there, in case you were wondering). Every staff member that got up to speak to our group always admitted that this was not the career path they thought they would be taking. Many left high school and started college chasing after the career they had in mind since they were young children and somehow, they were steered in a completely different direction. Throughout that day, we were indirectly taught that it is okay for us not to know what we want to do for the rest of our lives. If we come out of college doing a job that is far less than what we expected, it is okay to switch careers and try to find something else that is truly worth our time. While this field trip was very informative in our knowledge of the world of finance, it unintentionally taught a more important lesson that I believe we as high schoolers need to remember: "You don't need to know where you're going; you just need to know where you've been."

Julia Gustin '14

The field trip to Fidelity Investments was an outstanding opportunity for the class of 2014 to gain insight into the world of investments and into potential career paths. The employees were very welcoming and did an excellent job explaining their areas of expertise to the class. We were guided through reading some of the numerous charts in the chart room that display various trends in economic growth and decline in the United States and countries around the world. This was an excellent way to visualize important economic developments that are considered when making investments and are needed for a better understanding of markets both in specific areas and worldwide. We then were able to go to the trading room and observe the workers as they researched and traded stocks. Here, we were taught about considerations that are involved in decisions to buy and sell stocks. The class then had the privilege to hear from four employees in different focus areas who outlined their educational background and their career journey to their current position at Fidelity. They described the different demands of their jobs and illustrated a typical work day, all of which provided the class with a much better understanding of the range of the responsibilities in their different positions. We were encouraged to ask questions which also helped to define the requirements and benefits of a job in investments. The day ended with a group activity in which we had to read articles and charts containing real information about a company to decipher if our group should buy or sell stock in this particular company and then presented our final decision to the class. This activity helped give a hands-on example of investment decisions and furthered our understanding of the process.

Overall, the day at Fidelity Investments was a very fulfilling and informative experience to learn about this career path and to interact with experienced workers in the field. It illustrated an energetic, professional and gratifying environment and depicted the many opportunities available at Fidelity. I thoroughly enjoyed the day and I, along with many of my classmates, truly appreciated this wonderful opportunity and am so grateful to the people at Fidelity Investments for a great day!

Casey Lynch '14

Unsure of what to expect when I arrived at Fidelity's ginormous revolving doors, I was soon sold when we were given Fidelity sunglasses, planners and pens. The day continued to get better as we learned the basics of the stock market and investing from friendly and interested staff members. The overarching theme of a Fidelity career, we soon learned, is not simply picking stocks, but rather learning to analyze and communicate efficiently in order to help others. Because we learn to analyze so thoroughly and communicate so freely at Ursuline, we were able to connect instantly with the Fidelity staff. They answered our questions eagerly and set up a hands-on activity to deepen our understanding of their work. In this final collaborative activity of the day, we were given articles and data on a particular company's financial history and then we had to decide whether to buy or sell shares of stock in the company. My classmates and I enjoyed applying the knowledge we had gathered throughout the day and sharing our ideas with one another and with the staff. Our day at Fidelity was truly memorable and truly special and I would like to extend thanks to everyone who worked hard so that we were able to attend.

Jaclynne Nader '14

Last week the Ursuline junior class had the opportunity to spend a day at the Fidelity Investments headquarters in Boston. I honestly had no idea what to expect as I got off the bus and stepped into the lobby of the building. We definitely turned heads as 60 17-year-old girls dressed in green plaid and blazers crowded into the elevator. We were brought through the building by one of the women whose focus is to recruit young adults right out of college to work at the firm. She was really fun to talk to (and very stylish!). We stepped into Fidelity's main conference room and in front of each seat was a notebook, pen and a pair of Fidelity sun glasses, which were definitely a hit! We started off the day with presentations by the heads of the various departments at Fidelity, including the head of their equity department. I was amazed that such busy businessmen (and women!) took time out of their work day to speak with us! They took the time to explain what Fidelity is and what each of them does on a "regular" day at the office. We also had the opportunity to tour the chart room and the trading room, where Fidelity employees once again took the time to show us around and explain to us (in the most basic terms possible) what the purpose of their particular job was. After touring the building we were able to speak with four different women at Fidelity. These women discussed their roles at the firm and encouraged each one of us to pursue our dreams and work hard. Lunch was provided and then we moved on to the most exciting part of the day! Given information about the Lululemon stock, we were divided into groups and asked to make a presentation of whether we would advise to buy or sell the stock. We applied everything we had learned throughout the day to make an educated decision. Out of the five groups, four chose to sell the stock and only one chose to buy it!

It was truly a great opportunity to be exposed to the world of business. In school we learn a lot about history, math and science but we do not learn a lot about the business world. Overall, this was a great opportunity to expose the junior class to the business world, a world we do not see everyday!

Suzanne Brownell guides the 9th grade through a breathing exercise.

"Talk yourself through stress and empower yourself."

"Even though I feel overwhelmed and stressed...I love and accept myself and how I feel."

"Cultivate a positive attitude--an attitude of gratitude!"

These are just a few of the tips that Suzanne Brownell, a local health and wellness expert, gave the 9th graders during a presentation about managing stress on Friday, April 26. The Guidance Department arranged for this special presentation for the Class of 2016.

Brownell showed the students breathing techniques for relaxation and stress relief, as well as yoga and meditation practices. Some were simple, unobtrusive breathing exercises that can easily be done at a desk before a big exam; others involved patting the limbs and head or massaging the ears and are perhaps better suited to outside the classroom. No matter the method, each of the techniques that Brownell demonstrated had an immediate impact on the students, who eagerly followed her instructions for each exercise.

Jaimie O'Neill '15 has asthma and said, "I felt it really helped my breathing, and I felt more relaxed."

Classmate Alia Spring '15 agreed, saying, "It was fun! I am definitely going to practicing the breathing before tests."

Brownell also talked to the students about the importance of eating healthy, calling it "mood food" and reminding the girls that "you are what you eat." Each student received helpful handouts with healthy recipes and descriptions of the stress relief exercises, as well as links to more information on Brownell's website, healththyself.com. You can visit Brownell's site for videos, classes and recipes for living healthy.

If you drove down Lowder Street during the week of April 8-12, you might have noticed a conspicuous bus parked in the UA parking lot. But it wasn't your average school bus: it was the Boston University Mobile CityLab!

UA biology students had the opportunity to act like real scientists when the BU Mobile CityLab spent a week parked right here at Ursuline Academy. The Boston University Mobile CityLab is a 40-foot long traveling science laboratory operated by the Boston University School of Medicine. The CityLab's mission is to increase community access to modern-day biotechnology and is specially designed for grades 7-12 teachers and their students to participate in hands-on laboratory experiments.

Each class got a chance to go inside for a few hours and do an experiment. The state-of-the-art materials in the Mobile CityLab enabled our students to do lab experiments that they would not otherwise have been able to do in our labs here at UA.

The students used their knowledge of DNA structure and function to help solve a fictional crime scene and also learned new laboratory skills, including how to use micro-pipettes, gel electrophoresis boxes, centrifuges and more. The girls also got a chance to see how DNA fingerprinting can be used in crime scene investigations and historical discoveries.

Watch some of their lab experiments in action in this photo slideshow:

Special thanks to science teachers Mrs. Lisa Collins and Mrs. Taryn Surabian '03 for helping bring the Mobile CityLab to Ursuline.