ECO-FIELD TRIP

Twenty-six Grade 6 students at St. Mary School on St. Croix and ten chaperones participated in a four-day eco-field trip to St. John on May 3-5. They camped at Cinnamon Bay and participated in activities that promote awareness of the Virgin Islands eco-systems. The students and their school administrator, Elizabeth Hering, posed with Fr. Charles Crespo after Mass at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church.

RING CEREMONY

Marla Matthew, Principal, and Rachel Fenske, Librarian, presented senior rings to ten juniors from St. Joseph High School on St. Croix on May 17. Fr. Louis Kemayou blessed the rings at a school Mass at St. Joseph Church, and parents placed the ring on their child's finger.

Pictured left to right, front row: Rachel Fenske (Librarian), Dominique James, Kenya Troutman, Jaye Whipper, Annisha Scott, Marla Matthew (Principal).

Second row: Christina Clement, Conrad Huerta, Laila Khaled, Janis Valmond, Tyrell Martin.

Third row: Nadia Khaled, James Davoren, Annette Scott, Eduvina Huerta, Vincent Huerta.

Fourth row: Barbara Hill-Troutman, Jessie Whipper, Frances Davoren, Elizabeth Clement, Augustina Davoren.

THE CATHOLIC ISLANDER  *JUNE 2006*  9

MOOT COURT

Ss. Peter and Paul High School won the Twelfth Annual Virgin Islands High School Appellate Moot Court Competition at the Superior Court on St. Croix on May 4-5. The team of Tiffany Bernier, Susan Salem, Anastasia Wallace and alternate Shelaine Rawlins triumphed over nine competing public, private and parochial Virgin Islands high schools, earning $1,000 scholarships in prizes.

The law competition is held each year to test students' skills in making oral arguments in cases that may be argued before the local or higher courts. Students are asked to argue the legality of a hypothetical case before the Supreme Court of the Virgin Islands. For this year's competition, teams were asked to argue the addition of the theory of intelligent design - the belief that the universe was created by a higher intelligent being - to the philosophy curriculum at the fictitious Cyril E. King High School. Participants in the competition were to focus on whether the course violated the First Amendment right to freedom of religion, whether it endorsed a religion and whether students were coerced to participate in a religious exercise. Teams arguing in favor of the course represented the V.I. Board of Education. Those who argued against inclusion represented parents of students.

Superior Court Judge Audrey Thomas-Francis, Judge Patricia Steele and Judge Darryl Donohue ranked students on the merits of their legal arguments, how well they made their oral presentations, how well they represented their side of the argument, and how well they responded to the judges' questions.

The V.I. Bar Association and the Superior Court co-sponsored the event.