-Profe
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Class of 2012
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
La Mulasa
Monday, April 9, 2012
Joliet Catholic Academy's Spanish Exchange 2012
JCA Spanish Exchange
JCA Short Term Exchange to Spain
May 8, 2012 at 12:40 p.m.
JCA Short Term Exchange to Spain
SCHOOLS ›
From the community
Joliet Catholic Academy's Spanish Exchange Club enjoys trip to Spain
May 8, 2012 at 12:40 p.m.
Students from JCA's Spanish Exchange Club pose for a picture during their trip to Vilanova, Spain.
JOLIET – A different language. A different place. A different pace.
“People are a little different when they’re at home,” nodded Lauren Finaldi, a Spanish instructor and the moderator of National Spanish Honor Society and Student Exchange. “When you have the opportunity to see your students living and speaking in this type of environment, it gives you more of a full picture.”
From April 5-18, 14 students from Joliet Catholic Academy’s Spanish Foreign Exchange Club viewed that picture in Vilanova, Spain, a suburb of Barcelona. JCA hosted the same families from Sept. 4-15.
“That gave us a certain comfort level,” Finaldi said. “Vilanova is a half-hour drive from Barcelona – like Joliet to Chicago, the same kind of distance. The kids were impressed that, even though it was a city setting, they could walk everywhere or they could ride bikes. We did a ton of walking over there.
“It’s a very nice lifestyle. Most of the kids either walked or rode their bikes to school, picking up their friends along the way, and you can’t drive in Spain until you are 18. A lot of the kids won’t drive even when they turn 18 because it’s not really necessary. Anywhere that you have to go, you can walk.”
Traveling during the school’s Spring Break to Spain from JCA were seniors Anne Schmig (Joliet), Brittany Rosales (Joliet), Jasmine Smith (Joliet), Nick Humbles (Wilmington), Alessa Smith (Shorewood) and Marissa Cardenas (Plainfield); juniors Carolyn Hall (Plainfield), Madeline Mutz (Joliet), Taylor Madlener (Plainfield), James Hunter Warning (Shorewood) and Michael Kaminski (Joliet); sophomores Alexis Rotnicki (Shorewood) and Cesar Mireles (Joliet); and freshman Nataly Cardenas (Plainfield).
Also along as a chaperone with Finaldi (Naperville) was Katie Drabik (Joliet), who teaches Spanish at JCA. And as educators, Finaldi and Drabik were thrilled to witness the classroom coming alive in real time.
“It was so gratifying to hear the students,” Finaldi said. “There are things you teach in class – the language, obviously. But there are other things you may have told them or tried to teach them.
“Until they go there and they live it, it’s different. Then you hear them talking to each other and they’re saying something like they have discovered it for the first time, and it is amazing how it sinks in.”
For her part, Finaldi considered the trip the realization of a dream and thanked Jeffrey Budz, JCA’s Principal/CEO, for approving the trip. Finaldi went on student-exchange trips in high school and college.
“I have done this many times, so I know the value of it,” Finaldi said. “I went and we hosted students when I was in high school, I went as a college student and I spent a semester there as a grad student.
“I have always dreamed of doing this because I know how much it has shaped my life. It’s the reason I became a Spanish teacher. And for our kids, they will make friends from Spain that can last a lifetime.”
Sunday, April 1, 2012
JCA/EPIA connection
16 JCA students and two teachers (Profe Finaldi & Srta. Drabik) embark on an adventure in Spain. They travel throughout Madrid and Toledo, then settle in the town of Vilanova. In Vilanova, which is just south of Barcelona, the students live with families and attend school with their host brothers and sisters. They also take excursions to Barcelona.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Thursday, February 9, 2012
National Spanish Honor Society Ceremony 2012
President of the National Spanish Honor Society, Carley Serena, lights the mother candle that the new inductees will use to light their candles and recite the pledge.
New Inductees
Barron,
Victoria
Belofsky, Kayla
Bergeson,
Jordan
Bertino,
Dominic
Bettenhausen,
Joie
Bui, Mary
Emerson, Austin
Mattea, Dyllan
Butler, James
Hippman, Ryan
King, Jessica
Mihalakakos,
Ariana
Pluth, Brett
Rodriguez,
Miranda
Whalen, Jack
Clevinger, Nina
Harvey, Frederick
Korst, Chloe
Kwaben, Alexis
Madlener,
Taylor
McSteen, Moira
Mueller, Thomas
Nuñez, Jr.
Roberto
Rezin, Zachary
Rotnicki,
Alexis
Schmig, Claire
Stockl, Seth
Elmore, Taylor
Gottardo, Sarah
Malec, Justin
Minarich,
Elizabeth
Nahas, Mary
Pettenuzzo,
Alexandra
Reyes, Lorenzo
Villegas, Roman
Charley, Taylor
Kennedy,
Madeline Rose
Kennedy, Rachel
Kostecki, Brady
Kovalcik, Paige
Randich, Daniel
Ruiz, Ariana
Sharp, Erinn
Smith, Clayton
Tan, Modesty
Weis, Dan
Four Year Medalists
- Alessa
Smith
- Alexander
Mantis
- Alexander
Rubocki
- Alexis
Zelehovitis
- Andrew
Stover
- Anna-Marie
Patrick
- Annie
Schmig
- Austin
Mackert- Miller
- Brittany
Rosales
- Carley
Serena
- Courtney
Powers
- Dominick
Allen
- Hailey
Pennington
- Jeremy
Malec
- Jonathan
Chignoli
- Josh
Roher
- Kelsey
Fenske
- Kelsie
Chasten
- Kim
Kitchell
- Laurel
Stofan
- Lauren
Randich
- Michelle
LaViola
- Molly
Vodacek
- Myra Villas
- Nicholas Fedosenko
- Nicholas Humbles
- Nicole
Formhals
- Nolan
Hucek
- Rachel
Jelinek
- Rachelle
Sartori
- Stacy
Bedore
- Stephanie
Demos
- Stephanie
Wilson
- Theresa
Gallo
- Thomas
Wiffler
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
ICTFL Poetry & Poster Contest
ICTFL Poetry Contest
Nov. 22, 2011 at 2:25 p.m.
SCHOOLS ›
From the community
Joliet Catholic Academy's Finaldi, Pasieka, Rohder highlight Spanish Poetry Contest
Nov. 22, 2011 at 2:25 p.m.
JCA students Marin Pasieka (left) and Josh Rohder placed in the Chicago Area Chapter Poetry Competition.
The poem was “Soy Yo Quien Anda” by famous Spanish poet and Nobel Prize winner Juan Ramon Jimenez. The performance by a pair of Joliet Catholic Academy students was “impressive.”
Marin Pasieka and Josh Rohder competed in the Chicago Area Chapter Poetry Competition on Nov. 12 at Nile North High School in Skokie. The event was sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portugese.
Rohder, a junior from Shorewood, earned a second-place medal and Pasieka, a junior from Joliet, picked up a third-place medal. Both participated in Level 3 for non-native speakers, reciting the poem from memory.
Lauren Finaldi, a Naperville native and their Spanish teacher at JCA, helped prepare Pasieka and Rohder for the competition and also served as a judge for the entire event.
“I was very impressed with Marin and Josh,” Finaldi said. “This was something they didn’t have to do, and they went the extra mile to represent the school. They had to do a lot of work to prepare for it and they were absolutely outstanding.”
Pasieka and Rohder recited a poem that is about a man, after growing old, looking back upon his life. They were judged on their performance, which included memorization and emotive ability.
“That was the part which was so impressive,” Finaldi said. “Not only did they have to memorize it and get the punctuation correct, they had to have the right emotion and right feeling for it – and they did.”
For Finaldi, it has been a busy time.
She presented original material at a recent Illinois Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages and was asked to join the board of directors of that professional organization. She will begin serving in 2012.
As part of her preparation for the presentation, she created a blog that other teachers and students of foreign languages can use. It is called profeTUNES and can be found on profeTUNES.blogspot.com.
“I update it regularly with new material,” Finaldi said. “I’m very excited about it.”
Finaldi’s presentation was titled, “Pop Music & Foreign Language Classes: A Natural Combination!” It stressed the importance of infusing pop icons and their music into classes to enliven the lessons and motivate students throughout the school year.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
ICTFL Fall Conference 2011 Presentation
"Have Languages, Will Travel: Culture & Communication in a Mobile World"
Tinley Park, Illinois
Oct. 21 & 22
Pop Music & Foreign Language Classes:
A Natural Combination!
- Infuse pop icons and their music into your class to liven up your lessons and peak student motivation throughout the year.
- Learn numerous ways to integrate appropriate songs and videos into grammar, vocabulary, culture and geography lessons.
- Give your class a fun conversation lexicon for TPR storytelling.
- Most examples will be for Spanish classes, however, resources and applicable lessons will be available for all languages.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Hosting Experience
Lauren Finaldi, a Spanish teacher at Joliet Catholic Academy, remembers her
trip to Spain as a high school student. And the impact of that trip has remained
a poignant memory for the Naperville resident.
“When I was a high school student in the 1980s, I had the wonderful opportunity of participating in a short-term exchange program to Spain,” Finaldi said. “The unique experience of traveling with your teacher and a small group of classmates to a foreign land was completely life-altering for me.”
It was that type of experience Finaldi hoped would be the end result of having JCA families host 11 exchange students and their teacher from Barcelona, Spain. They were on campus from Sept. 4-15.
After arriving on a Sunday and attending a barbeque, the Barcelona students participated in a Labor Day parade. Trips to Chicago and Brookfield Zoo were included, as well as a trip to White Fence Farm and a night of bowling. The students attended mass at St. Raymond Cathedral and held a Fiesta on Sept. 9.
“I am so happy JCA has been open to hosting this great group of students, and they have touched our lives in so many positive ways,” Finaldi said. “My trip shaped my life in a positive way, and from there on out, it has been a goal of mine to bring this wonderful experience to as many students as possible.”
Two JCA students, Naperville’s Malin Jones and Shorewood’s Julia Malinowski, could attest to Finaldi’s sentiments.
“I had a great time,” Jones said. “I really enjoyed Miquel. He was one of the best English speakers, so that made it easy on me. He learned a lot about us and I learned a lot about him. Like their schools are much, much smaller. He saw our hallways and said, ‘It’s just like in the American movies.’”
“It was definitely a cool experience, Malinowski said. “We found out that kids from Spain are the same as us. They listen to the same music and have the same problems, especially with boys. It was two weeks, but it flew by so fast, and it was a great chance to learn about another part of the world.”
Each exchange student was paired up with a JCA student and their family. They were:
* Plainfield’s Jessica DeLaVergne, her parents Jason and Tammy, with Judith Adiego Perez.
* Shorewood’s Katelyn Gannon, her parents Kelli and Shaun, with Maria Palcios Marti.
* Joliet’s Nolan Hucek, his parents Doug and Beth, with Gerard Birlanga.
* Naperville’s Malin Jones, his parents Earl and Dolores, with Miquel Alvarez.
* Plainfield’s Michelle LaViola, her parents Margaret and John, with Patricia Plan Novella.
* Shorewood’s Julia Malinowski, her parents Laura and Dan, with Paula Hidalgo Herrera.
* Joliet’s Sidney Munch, her parents Tammy and Robert, with Maria Villarubias Abiac.
* Shorewood’s Carley Serena, her parents Joseph and Heidi, with Maria Del Mar Luuch Orriols.
* Joliet’s Jasmine Smith, her parents Marc and Jennifer, with Anna Gene Orriols.
* Plainfield’s Stephanie Tillman, her parents James and Mary, with Maria Gonzalez Rodriguez.
* Shorewood’s Colleen Quinn, her parents John and Alex, with Laura Cardona Roca.
“When I was a high school student in the 1980s, I had the wonderful opportunity of participating in a short-term exchange program to Spain,” Finaldi said. “The unique experience of traveling with your teacher and a small group of classmates to a foreign land was completely life-altering for me.”
It was that type of experience Finaldi hoped would be the end result of having JCA families host 11 exchange students and their teacher from Barcelona, Spain. They were on campus from Sept. 4-15.
After arriving on a Sunday and attending a barbeque, the Barcelona students participated in a Labor Day parade. Trips to Chicago and Brookfield Zoo were included, as well as a trip to White Fence Farm and a night of bowling. The students attended mass at St. Raymond Cathedral and held a Fiesta on Sept. 9.
“I am so happy JCA has been open to hosting this great group of students, and they have touched our lives in so many positive ways,” Finaldi said. “My trip shaped my life in a positive way, and from there on out, it has been a goal of mine to bring this wonderful experience to as many students as possible.”
Two JCA students, Naperville’s Malin Jones and Shorewood’s Julia Malinowski, could attest to Finaldi’s sentiments.
“I had a great time,” Jones said. “I really enjoyed Miquel. He was one of the best English speakers, so that made it easy on me. He learned a lot about us and I learned a lot about him. Like their schools are much, much smaller. He saw our hallways and said, ‘It’s just like in the American movies.’”
“It was definitely a cool experience, Malinowski said. “We found out that kids from Spain are the same as us. They listen to the same music and have the same problems, especially with boys. It was two weeks, but it flew by so fast, and it was a great chance to learn about another part of the world.”
Each exchange student was paired up with a JCA student and their family. They were:
* Plainfield’s Jessica DeLaVergne, her parents Jason and Tammy, with Judith Adiego Perez.
* Shorewood’s Katelyn Gannon, her parents Kelli and Shaun, with Maria Palcios Marti.
* Joliet’s Nolan Hucek, his parents Doug and Beth, with Gerard Birlanga.
* Naperville’s Malin Jones, his parents Earl and Dolores, with Miquel Alvarez.
* Plainfield’s Michelle LaViola, her parents Margaret and John, with Patricia Plan Novella.
* Shorewood’s Julia Malinowski, her parents Laura and Dan, with Paula Hidalgo Herrera.
* Joliet’s Sidney Munch, her parents Tammy and Robert, with Maria Villarubias Abiac.
* Shorewood’s Carley Serena, her parents Joseph and Heidi, with Maria Del Mar Luuch Orriols.
* Joliet’s Jasmine Smith, her parents Marc and Jennifer, with Anna Gene Orriols.
* Plainfield’s Stephanie Tillman, her parents James and Mary, with Maria Gonzalez Rodriguez.
* Shorewood’s Colleen Quinn, her parents John and Alex, with Laura Cardona Roca.
\\jcaxeon\USERS\Faculty\LFinaldi\newspaper articles\'Another World' Comes To JCA - Naperville, IL Patch.mht
First Visit from EPIA Spanish School to JCA
JCA Hosts Spanish Students, September 2011
SCHOOLS ›
From the community
11 exchange students from Barcelona bond with Joliet Catholic Academy's Spanish Department
Sep. 28, 2011 at 3:29 p.m.
JCA students and their exchange students from Barcelona, Spain, get together for a picture on Fiesta Friday.
Lauren Finaldi, a Spanish teacher at Joliet Catholic Academy, remembers her trip to Spain as a high school student. And the impact of that trip has remained a poignant memory for the Naperville resident.
“When I was a high school student in the 1980s, I had the wonderful opportunity of participating in a short-term exchange program to Spain,” Finaldi said. “The unique experience of traveling with your teacher and a small group of classmates to a foreign land was completely life-altering for me.”
It was that type of experience Finaldi hoped would be the end result of having JCA families host 11 exchange students and their teacher from Barcelona, Spain. They were on campus from Sept. 4-15.
After arriving on a Sunday and attending a barbeque, the Barcelona students participated in a Labor Day parade. Trips to Chicago and Brookfield Zoo were included, as well as a trip to White Fence Farm and a night of bowling. The students attended mass at St. Raymond Cathedral and held a Fiesta on Sept. 9.
“I am so happy JCA has been open to hosting this great group of students, and they have touched our lives in so many positive ways,” Finaldi said. “My trip shaped my life in a positive way, and from there on out, it has been a goal of mine to bring this wonderful experience to as many students as possible.”
Two JCA students, Naperville’s Malin Jones and Shorewood’s Julia Malinowski, could attest to Finaldi’s sentiments.
“I had a great time,” Jones said. “I really enjoyed Miquel. He was one of the best English speakers, so that made it easy on me. He learned a lot about us and I learned a lot about him. Like their schools are much, much smaller. He saw our hallways and said, ‘It’s just like in the American movies.’”
“It was definitely a cool experience, Malinowski said. “We found out that kids from Spain are the same as us. They listen to the same music and have the same problems, especially with boys. It was two weeks, but it flew by so fast, and it was a great chance to learn about another part of the world.”
Each exchange student was paired up with a JCA student and their family. They were:
Plainfield’s Jessica DeLaVergne, her parents Jason and Tammy, with Judith Adiego Perez.
Shorewood’s Katelyn Gannon, her parents Kelli and Shaun, with Maria Palcios Marti.
Joliet’s Nolan Hucek, his parents Doug and Beth, with Gerard Birlanga.
Naperville’s Malin Jones, his parents Earl and Dolores, with Miquel Alvarez.
Plainfield’s Michelle LaViola, her parents Margaret and John, with Patricia Plan Novella.
Shorewood’s Julia Malinowski, her parents Laura and Dan, with Paula Hidalgo Herrera.
Joliet’s Sidney Munch, her parents Tammy and Robert, with Maria Villarubias Abiac.
Shorewood’s Carley Serena, her parents Joseph and Heidi, with Maria Del Mar Luuch Orriols.
Joliet’s Jasmine Smith, her parents Marc and Jennifer, with Anna Gene Orriols.
Plainfield’s Stephanie Tillman, her parents James and Mary, with Maria Gonzalez Rodriguez.
Shorewood’s Colleen Quinn, her parents John and Alex, with Laura Cardona Roca.
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