Bloomin’ Festival picture perfect

Weather conditions for the 26th Annual Bloomin’ Festival produced a picture perfect weekend for the St. Bernard Abbey and Prep School community in Cullman. Thousands of visitors took advantage of the low 70’s temperatures and enjoyed the weekend browsing the quality arts and crafts produced by artisans across the Southeastern United States.

Festival Director Joyce Nix was thrilled with the turnout. “We have worked so hard to create a quality show with a family atmosphere. The weather certainly contributed to the success of our work.“

More than 150 vendors adorned the grounds of St. Bernard Abbey and Prep School. Parents, faculty, staff and students volunteered the entire weekend to work the festival.

City police were on hand to assist with traffic control and parking. “Everything went like clockwork, “Nix said. “We appreciate the assistance from Mayor Townsend and Chief Culpepper.”

Nix said without sponsorships Bloomin’ Festival would struggle. “We are so thankful for our sponsors, and we encourage the public to let them know how much their support of Bloomin’ Festival is appreciated. “ For a complete listing, visit the festival website at www.bloominfestival.com.

Winners of the grand prize giveaway were as follows: 2010 Ford Focus, Marianne Prime of Shoal Creek, AL; 2 nights at Zoder’s Inn in Gatlinburg, TN, Steffen Segewitz of Huntsville, AL; Apple iPod Touch, Joseph Nam Tran, Cullman; Garmin GPS Navigation System, Loretta S. Blaylock, Gardendale, AL; and the Phillips Digital Photo frame was won by Marie Hollaway, of Cullman.

All proceeds from Bloomin’ Festival benefit the operations of St. Bernard Preparatory School in Cullman. See what people are saying about Bloomin’ Festival on Facebook www.facebook/bloominfestival. For more information about St. Bernard Prep visit www.stbernardprep.com or follow us on facebook www.facebook/stbernardprep.

Bloomin' Festival plans set for April 17-18

Plans are being finalized now to welcome more than 150 artist and craftsmen to the campus os St. Bernard Abbey and Prep School for the 26th Annual Bloomin' Festival Arts and Crafts Fair. The show is set to feature blacksmiths, chair caner, glass blowers, and potters. Other items available are birdhouses, quilts, plants, jewelry, clothing, watercolors, oil painting, caricature artist, and so much more.

A 5K race will begin on April 17 at 8 a.m. Runners wishing to participate should register before 7:30 a.m. at the Fazi-Richard Athletic Complex.

Specialty foods can be purchased on site. Funnel cakes, strawberry waffles, and fresh squeezed lemonade are just a sampling of tasty treats. Roasted almonds, kettle corn, peanut brittle, fudge and shaved ice will be available as well.

The lunch menu consists of polish sausage dogs, hot dogs, hamburgers, and smoked chicken served with baked beans, corn on the cob, bread, and Pepsi products.

Ave Maria Grotto is open the entire weekend for a reduced price of $3. A donation of $5 is requested at the festival gate.

The giveaway of a 2010 Ford Focus along with a Gatlingburg vacation and many other valuable prizes will be awarded on Sunday at 5 p.m.

Festival hours are 9 am to 5 p.m. daily. Become a fan on facebook.

Blood drive held at SBP

Student Council President, Louis YuTiamco, was pleased with the American Red Cross Blood Drive held last Thursday. Thirty-four people, most of which were first time donors, presented thirty-one pints of blood for the American Red Cross.

Tennis wins first section match of season

The SBP Boys' Tennis Team won their first section match of the season yesterday over Westminster Christian of Huntsville, 5-4. Winners included #1 doubles team of Louis Yutiamco and Jake Killebrew (10-4) and #3 and currently undefeated team of JC Albritton and Minsang Kim, 10-6.

Winners in singles play were #1 Louis Yutaimco, extending his own unbeaten string, 10-3, #4 Ethan Arndt, winning his first match of the year, 10-7, and in #6 singles, Minsang Kim, 10-4.

The Saints travel to the UAH tennis complex today to face 3A foe, Catholic of Huntsville.

October Trip to the Holy Land Planned

Alumni and friends of St. Bernard are invited to join Fr. Marcus Voss for a trip of a lifetime visiting the biblical sites in the Holy Land. The 10-day tour is scheduled to leave for the Holy Land on October 18, 2010. While in the Holy Land, transportation will be provided by deluxe motorcoaches and overnight stays will be in 1st class hotels. Also included in the cost of the tour will be guided sightseeing, entrance fees to all sites visited, buffet breakfast and dinner daily and a bible study guide. Tour members may also add an optional 5-day extension to visit Istanbul and the biblical site of Ephesus.

While in Israel the tour will visit Jericho, Qumran and Bethlehem as well as the Mount of Olives, the Garden of Gethsemane and Emmaus. Members of the tour will walk the “Via Dolorosa,” the traditional way of the cross in the old city of Jerusalem. Mass will be celebrated at the Church of the Visitation, the Church of St. Catherine and other important churches in Jerusalem. The tour will include the opportunity to visit Masada, King Herod’s stronghold overlooking the Dead Sea. In the Galilee, the group will cross the Sea of Galilee, celebrate Mass at the Church of the Beatitudes and visit baptismal sites along the River Jordan.

The Istanbul and Ephesus extension will include a visit to Hagia Sophia with its beautiful glass mosaics and Byzantine Art. The ancient cities of Nicaea and Troy will be visited. The final stop will be the spectacular excavations that have been completed in Ephesus, a city visited by St. Paul.

Educational Opportunities Tours (EO) is serving as the organizers of the trip and Fr. Marcus Voss is serving as chaplain. For more information, please contact Fr. Marcus at frmarcus@stbernardprep.com;
or, at 1600 St. Bernard Drive SE, Cullman, AL 35055; or, at 256-255-5882. Participants are encouraged to sign up for the tour before the end of May.

SBP completes SAC review

St. Bernard Preparatory School completed the final phase of a year-long reaffirmation of accreditation with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools on Wednesday and Thursday, March 10-11. Dr. Donna Bryant, Assistant Headmaster at St. Bernard Prep, served as the project coordinator. Chairing the review team was Dr. Maurice Persall, Dean of the School of Education of Samford University. He was assisted by Dr. David Balik, the Dean of the Faculty at Briarwood Christian School in Birmingham and Dr. Lynn Kirkland, Professor of Education from the University of Alabama, Birmingham. At the end of the two-day review, St. Bernard Preparatory School was reaffirmed as an accredited school by the Southern Association (SACS).

Accredited schools are required to undergo a review every five years. In preparation for the SACS review, the faculty completed a Standards Assessment Report which is an internal analysis of the school’s current practices. “There are seven standards which are uniform and are used throughout the country,” said Dr. Bryant. “In order for a school to be accredited it must equal or exceed what every other accredited school in the country is doing.”

St. Bernard teachers served on the committees which addressed each of the seven standards. Each committee was required to submit a report which documented current practices in each of the seven standards. These seven reports were then compiled into one document called the Standards Assessment Report. This document, which was submitted to the state office of SACS in January 2010, was used by the members of the visiting team in preparation for their visit to the campus.

During their review, the SACS visitation team met with the faculty committee members, spoke with currently enrolled students and talked with their parents. They also met with several members of the St. Bernard Board of Directors as well as selected administrators. “Part of the on-site visit is to ensure that our Standards Assessment Report accurately reflects the actual practices of the school,” said Dr. Bryant.

At the end of the two-day visit, the committee reaffirmed St. Bernard Preparatory School as an accredited school and offered commendations and recommendations to the faculty, staff and administration on their work in educating today’s youth. “It was evident to us,” said Dr. Persall, “that St. Bernard Preparatory School has a committed faculty, staff and administration and holds a very distinctive place in the community.”

St. Bernard Preparatory School is a accredited, co-educational Catholic Boarding and Day School for students in grades seven through twelve. St. Bernard is operated by the Benedictine monks at St. Bernard Abbey. The 800 acre campus is home to the world famous Ave Maria Grotto, St. Bernard Abbey Retreat and Conference Center, and Alabama’s only Benedictine Abbey – St. Bernard Abbey.

Middle School Scholars Bowl competes at State

St. Bernard Scholars Bowl team recently participated in the Alabama Scholastic Competition at Hoover High School. Students qualified to participate earlier at the district competition which was held at Austin High School in Decatur. St. Bernard Prep School was among the top 33 middle schools in Alabama qualifying to participate.

While the team fell short of advancing after round play with a record of 3-3; Team Captain, Michayla Brown received a medal recognizing her as a State Tournament Scholars Bowl All Star. This title is awarded based on the total points scored during state competition.

Headmaster, John Tekulve said he was proud of what his students had accomplished. “We have been to state every year since the Middle School opened. However, Michayla is a first to be recognized as a State All-Star performer.”

Team members practice before school several days per week with their sponsor, Mrs. Lisa Rawlings. Members include: Arabella Holsonback, Mackenzie Bockhold, Michayla Brown, Alex Anderson, Daniel Coccia, and Jake Sweeney.