TBT: Scouting for Food

In late November, the OLS Cub Scouts patrolled the streets in our neighborhood to collect donations for Scouting for Food. Shown here, the 1st grade Tiger den encountered a house with a pyramid of food to donate! Thanks to generous neighbors like this one and the dedicated work of Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts throughout the region, Scouting for Food collected 2.2 million items of food, the third highest total in the program's 32-year history.

Community Building

Families from OLS, St. Joan of Arc, and St. James the Greater gathered over the weekend to get to know one another and begin building a welcoming community. Kids shot some hoops and played a bit of gaga ball while adults supervised the chaos excitement. Both kids and adults enjoyed a chance to develop new friendships.

Plans are underway to meet again at St. Joan of Arc in January. Stay tuned for more details!

Mother/Son Dance

Last weekend, the Home & School Association invited all moms and sons to come dance the night away! Moms and boys enjoyed a fun, laid-back night of dancing to both oldies and current faves. One of our parents served as DJ for the night and kept the party-goers on their feet with the Electric Slide, a bit of line dancing, and even the Stroll.

Dads and daughters, don't fret! We'll have a special night for you next semester.

Sports

At OLS, many students love the opportunity to participate in sports. Wearing the black and gold uniforms is a long tradition at OLS, and today's students don their team colors with pride. 

Our 8th grade girls volleyball team shown here has played together for years. Their teamwork and cooperation is evident both on the court and off.

Cub Scout Camping

Earlier this month, the Cub Scouts of Pack 51 and their families went camping at Beaumont. They hiked, played games, enjoyed a campfire, and slept just a bit. Both Scouts and their siblings had a blast and look forward to their next outing in the spring.

Spring Concert

Last week, the OLS students showcased their musical talent in our annual spring concert. The beginning and concert bands, directed by Mr. Litvin, treated the audience to selections in a variety of musical styles. Impressing the audience with their development over the past 8 months, the Beginning Band explored a theme by Mozart and played an upbeat march. The Concert Band performed a number of pieces, ranging from a bold fanfare to selections from Harry Potter.

Between the band pieces, Mr. Vizer directed all of the students in upbeat choral performances. Each choir included a medley: Shirley Temple favorites by the primary choir, Walt Disney selections by the middle grades, and The Sound of Music collection by the junior high. As an extra special treat, the OLS Cantor Choir performed in well-balanced harmony.

Special thanks to Mr. Litvin and Mr. Vizer for their work in preparing our students for the concert! It was a terrific evening to highlight the musical talent at OLS.

SRN: Final Speech Tournament

On April 30th, the Our Lady of Sorrows Speech Team participated in the final meet at Vianney High School.  It was a nice win for Our Lady of Sorrows...Our Lady of Sorrows is very proud of our 2016 Speech Team, but are sad to let Amy D., Kaitlyn W., and Faith K., who performed in speech earlier in the year, go into high school next year.--8^th grader Kaitlyn W.

"Speech is amazing!" was how the 8th grade girls described the speech team at OLS...I asked them why they joined speech.  Faith said it was a means for her to become less shy.  Amy said it was to improve her public speaking, and Kaitlyn said it was a way to become more outgoing.  They all enjoyed their time in speech and agreed they loved it.  I asked them how speech helped them and they all said it taught them how to work.--8th grader Brady Y.

 

As this school year comes to a close, so does the Bellarmine Speech League 2015-16 year.  OLS had a wonderful season, and to cap it off, we participated in a final speech meet.  Three speech club members were chosen to participate...Kaitlyn, Matilda and Anna received gold ribbons, and Amy received a trophy for her outstanding work!  Congratulations speech team on a wonderful 2016 speech season!--6^th grader Anna S.

Cub Scout Campout

Last weekend, the members of OLS Cub Scout Pack 51 and their families went camping at Beaumont Reservation. The boys and their siblings hiked, explored a creek, and worked together to prepare their meals.

They also enjoyed the numerous specialty areas at Beaumont, such as a pirate ship, mine, maze, and frontier fort. When they tired of exploring, the boys and their families shared stories and ate s'mores around a campfire. They can't wait to go again in the fall!

OLS Speech Team

Our Speech Team did a fabulous job at the most recent meet.  We received 3 gold ribbons, 1 red ribbon, and 3 blue ribbons.  Way to go team.

Girl Scout Sunday

Last weekend, OLS celebrated Girl Scout Sunday during 10:00 Mass.

On Girl Scout Sunday, we recognized the outstanding contributions these girls make to our parish through their service and works of charity.  Our Girl Scout troops processed in with their flags at the beginning of Mass and sat with their families at the front of church.  Each girl brought a canned good to donate to our parish’s St. Vincent de Paul food pantry.

Student Reporter News: Band Performance

On Sunday the twenty-first of February, the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth grade concert band members went to Bishop DuBourg High School.  Our new band director, Mr. Litvin, said that we did an excellent job. We were critiqued on our ability to keep the speed just right, our balance of sound, and our technique. The Our Lady of Sorrows Band performed three pieces. There were judicators; one, a former middle school band director herself, and the judicators would give us constructive criticism on what they thought needed to be worked on. There were three other bands there and together we played Thunder Bay March, a very active and lively piece in which we had to start over on because everyone started out on the same notes, but got all crazy because we went at different speeds.--8^th grader Kaitlyn W. 

Pinewood Derby

The Cub Scouts of Pack 51 hosted their annual pinewood derby last week.  Each scout designed, created, and decorated a car and had a chance to tell all derby attendees about his design process.

 

Then they were off to the races!  Each car participated in several heats, and the crowd loved watching the speedy races.  Fast or slow, all the boys were proud of their designs. 

 

 

Track Time



If you are in grades K-8 and enjoy running and/or field events, come and join the OLS track team !!  You do not have to be an OLS student, you just need to have an interest in the sport. 

                            

The team has both running and field events.   Running events include all distances between 100 meters - 1600 meters and 4X100 meter and 4X200 meter relay team (also a 50 meter dash for the youngest age group). Field events include high jump, long jump and shot put. It is a great chance for kids to get a little experience and see if they like it. It is also a great opportunity for leadership for the older kids as they help the younger kids at practice.

Our Lady of Sorrows has had many top finishers and champions in the past few years. That is really an accomplishment as each year there are about 1500-2000 kids that compete.

All levels of track experience welcome! Practices starts on March 8th. Contact Jeff Jackson (jjackson@stlouisco.com) or Anthony Scalise (anthony.scalise@bcbsmo.com) for more information or to join the team!

OLS Robotics

The OLS robotics team spent 8 weeks working on a model of a recycling plant. They named their team the Dumpster Divers and worked hard to create a working model based on research they had gathered on the recycling process. At the end of their season, they presented their model to family and friends.

Special thanks to Mr. Tom Skillman for moderating and organizing and to Lydie Drake, a Rosati-Kain student who guided the team in their efforts.

Cub Scouts Blue & Gold Banquet

Last week, the Cub Scouts of OLS pack 51 gathered with their families for the annual Blue & Gold dinner. The scouts and their siblings enjoyed lively games, recognized each other's achievements in scouting, and chatted with a District 1 officer about life on the police force. To cap off the fun night, the boys watched a movie on the big screen.

Coming this weekend, the Cub Scouts will be hosting their pinewood derby. Join them on Saturday at 10:30 in the cafeteria for the boys' races and at 6:00 in the gym for the adult derby (registration starts at 4:00). Contact Dan Harden with questions (314-882-6634).

Speech Meet

Our Lady of Sorrows did an awesome job at the most recent Speech Meet at St. Simon School.  Students from OLS received 4 blue ribbons and 4 gold ribbons.  Way to go team!!

Black & Gold Scholarship Winners

During the championship game of the Matt Sarich Black & Gold Tournament, the Kremer Family announced the winners of the Ron Kremer Memorial Scholarship.  This honor is awarded annually to one boy and one girl from the OLS 8th grade graduating class with winners chosen by the OLS Athletic Association.  This year’s honorees from the class of 2016 are Amy Donald and Vincent Laury.  Congratulations to you both!

Eligible recipients are to attend a Catholic or private high school after graduating from OLS.  They have shown exceptional leadership qualities in and out of the classroom as well as on and off the court/field and are active in OLS community. They have demonstrated good sportsmanship by treating others with dignity and respect in sporting events, winning with grace and losing with honor. They impart spiritual and moral values and display ethical standards of conduct as well as encourage cooperation and team spirit.

Light of Christ

OLS 1st graders are proud members of the tiger den in Cub Scout Pack 51. In late December, Mrs. Mattingly awarded the Tiger cubs with a religious scouting award they had earned: Light of Christ.

To earn this recognition, the boys and their parents worked to develop a personal relationship with Jesus, seeing Him as a real person and a friend. Congratulations, scouts! 

Robotics

Thanks to grant funding and generous volunteers from Rosati-Kain High School, OLS launched a robotics program this fall. Designed for students in grades K-3, the program is called Junior FIRST Lego League. A team of six students work together to design and build a model and present it to their families at the end of the program. Along the way, they learn research skills, creative problem solving, and teamwork - and they have lots of fun in the process!

Special thanks to Rosati-Kain and Mr. Tom Skillman from bringing this opportunity to OLS!

Girl Scout Hayride

On Saturday, the OLS 2nd and 4th grade Girl Scout troops participated in a district-wide hayride at Forest Park. The girls and their parents enjoyed a lengthy ride through the park then toasted marshmallows and made s'mores around a bonfire. This annual fall event is always a hit with the girls!