Students aren't the only ones asked to meet with the principal. Freshman parents recently were invited to hear Principal Jason Curtis speak about the 2016-17 school year and what's ahead for next year. The hour-long presentation, called "Connect with Curtis," also provided parents with the opportunity to chat informally with him and to ask questions, as well as to meet fellow freshman parents.

The annual event, sponsored by the Cardinal Gibbons Family Association, was offered on May 17^th in two sessions, one at 8 a.m., the other at 7 p.m. Freshman parents hosted light refreshments before and after each presentation, which took place in the Studio Theater.

Topics Curtis spoke to parents about included: service and leadership opportunities, arts and athletic programs, the strategic plan, college counseling, technology, scheduling, and how both students and parents can become joyfully engaged with the Gibbons community. He also devoted time to a question-and-answer session and stayed after the presentation to field additional questions from parents.

Some 175 freshman parents attended the event. One of them was Christy Rodri whose son, Jason, is a Gibbons freshman. His older son, Joseph, graduated from Gibbons in 2016.

"Despite the fact that I have had a child matriculate through Gibbons, it is helpful to find out any new ideas and possible changes that might be going on at the school," Rodri said of attending the event.

First-time Gibbons parent Nanci Jordan, whose son, Reilly, is a freshman, also attended the event. She said the message that resonated with her was, "parents have a role at Cardinal Gibbons and if we've not found it, we need to explore it."

Gibbons Library redesigned its freshman orientation as a puzzle room for Fall 2016, and an article on the creation and implementation of this approach appears in the May/June 2017 issue of Knowledge Quest, the journal of the American Association of School Librarians.

The KQ editorial staff called the puzzle-themed orientation "very timely," adding the suggestion that "in the age of escape room popularity, why not add puzzles to your orientation?"

The article goes on to mention four Gibbons sophomores who beta-tested a prototype of the room during May of 2016, when they were freshmen, as well as current library staff personTerri Ingraham, and former library staff person--now part of Gibbons' IT Department--Shelley Horman.

Puzzle Room 2.0 is under development for the Fall 2017 orientation!

For her color photograph, titled "Red Light; Green Light," Brooke Connolly '17, recently received first-place honors in the 2017 High School Congressional Art Competition, a showcase for young artists from North Carolina's Fourth District.

In capturing top honors in the competition, part of a nationwide high school visual art contest, Connolly will receive round-trip airfare to Washington D.C. to attend a congressional reception in June. Her work will be showcased for one year in the U.S. Capitol Building.

"I am really excited to be given the honor of having my work displayed in the Capitol Building, as I really feel it is important to have young artists represented and given a platform that encourages them to continue making art," noted Connolly. She will be attending NC State next year and plans to study Fashion Design.

Connolly's piece will replace the work of last year's first-place winner, Gibbons alumna Julia McGillicuddy, Rebecca Dason, chair of the Fine Arts Department, said and added, "It is nice that we have this tradition of support for the arts."

Isabella Salazar '18 won second-place honors in the competition for her chalk pastel drawing, titled "Face It." Of receiving the award Salazar said: "I feel extremely blessed and grateful to have received such an amazing award. I was speechless when I found out that it will be displayed in the Washington D.C. office of Congressman David Price (NC-04), especially since the face I drew is of my Mom who had just received her U.S. citizenship exactly a week before!"

Along with Brooke and Isabella, five other Gibbons students participated in the competition. They are seniors Brian Spangler and Brynn McDonald, juniors Chloe DeHart and Sarah Meyer, and sophomore Payton Kaeding.

The Congressional Art Competition recognizes and encourages artistic talent in the nation and in each congressional district. Since the competition began in 1982, more than 650,000 students have participated.