Member News
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Many members of our Parish have been doing some absolutely Brillant!things in the community as of late.  However, given their modesty, we don't always get to share in the celebration as much as we would like.

Well, say no more!  Our undercover webmasters have gleamed the following accomplishments from a variety of clandestine sources (wink-wink, nudge-nudge).

And if you've got something good to share about the beautiful people in our Parish, don't keep it to yourself!   Share the wealth and Email us pronto!

Latest and Greatest

Congratulations and best of luck to all our HS graduates -

Natalie Bindert, Brian Sternemann (both attending Bucknell), Michelle Soloff (Boston College) and Nicole Winters

... and our outstanding college grads ...

Austin Bennett (SUNY Stony Brook), Andrew Melichar (Carnegie Mellon), Adam Faeth (New York University), Scott Beinecke, Christopher Hegyesi and Rebecca Lowry.

- for their stellar academic careers, outstanding community service, keen sense of humor and being wonderful members of the Christ Church family.

Hope you all have a terrific summer and enjoy your well-deserved downtime - freshman orientation is just around the corner!


Father Lowry is speaking at a conference on corporate social responsibility sponsored by the City University of New York and the United Nations at the end of June.  His presentation will deal with redefining values for corporations in a post-modern, post-colonial and globalized world.  He will also chair a session on efforts of corporations to alleviate poverty and disease in troubled parts of the world.  Also, on June 8 and 9 Father Lowry will be in Colorado Springs for the board meeting of the Village Heartbeat Foundation, a church-based outreach group operating in the highlands of West Papua, New Guinea.

First Quarter 2007

Dr. Richard (Dick) Field was honored by the Manhasset Club in November for outstanding lifelong community service.  Dick, a dentist in private practice, has also devoted much time to caring for needy children and adults in the community who could not afford dental work.  Glad everyone's finally catching on!  All the best, Dick! 

Click here for the February 2007 Manhasset Press article!

Kate and Hannah Phillips each garnered some highly coveted achievement awards for their excellence on Buckley's upper school soccer teams.  Kate won the MVP award for the 7th/8th grade girls "B" team while Hannah seized the Bulldog Spirit award for the 5th/6th grade squad.  Way to bury it in the Back of the Net, ladies!!!

Max Smitham helped propel the MHS Boys Swim team to an impressive 104-79 rough-housing of the neighboring Great Neck North crew.  Max placed a solid fourth in the 100 yard breast-stroke, proving again that he's not only a heartthrob on the soccer pitch.  Outstanding work, Max!


Fourth Quarter 2006

Jade Blocker starred as a premier "lock-down" defender for the undefeated 5th grade Manhasset Mighty School girls soccer team this Fall
(woo-hoo!).  Click here to peruse her dynamic pose in the Manhasset Press!!!

David Paterson is feeling creative again!  David was the writer and producer of the film "Bridge to Terabithia", completed with Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media.  The film is based on the novel of the same name that was written by David's mother, Katherine Paterson.  Although the movie does not open until February, the trailer is available now on AOL Moviephone on the web!

James Carr has been an ABSOLUTE WALL in goal for the ever-evolving but compassionately dominant Manhasset Middle School Ice Hockey team (eh!).  Click here to catch up on their fantastic journey!!!
 

Third Quarter 2006

Brian Sternemann partnered with five other Manhasset Soccer Club players to organize and run the "Score for a Cure" tournament on Sept. 23.  These Manhasset teens worked all summer to develop plans for this fund-raiser for Myasthenia Gravis research (a neuromuscular disease that affected one of their teammates).

Click here to see the candid photo from the October 19, 2006 edition of the Manhasset Press.  Way to go, Bri!

Cory Riggin achieved her personal best in the 100 yard backstroke at the October 11 Girls Swim Team meet at the US Merchant Marine Academy.  We can't even run 100 yards in 1:29 (at least without dropping our laptops) !!! Great performance, Cory!!!


Second Quarter 2006

Congratulations and best of luck to all our HS graduates -

Alex Bennett, Teresa Ciaccio, Ali Conrad, Marissa Mazek, Alex Smitham and Erica Wedeking

Also, best wishes to our collegiate grads - Billy Allen (Lehigh) and Vin McGill (Georgetown) !!!
 

Update!  Update!

Teresa Ciaccio  - was honored by Tom Suozzi for her terrific work in renovating the Teen Room at the Manhasset / Great Neck EOC facility - thereby garnering the highest award in Girl Scouting, the Gold Award.

Click here to see the outstanding pix with Teresa and Tom!  (June 22, 2006)

and ...

Click here to see the great writeup in the January 10, 2006 edition of the Manhasset Press (w/ Victoria Bindert and Lisa Ciaccio).  Ladies, we're so proud of all of you!


Jasmine Blocker absolutely blew away all comers at the County Championship in June - both in the 100 meter and 200 meter dash.  Her next conquest will be at St. Lawrence's for the STATE FINALS.  Can you believe that? - we're in the presence of track and field royalty!!!

Wow!  We felt some hurricane level winds last week - didn't know it was Jasmine training along Northern Blvd!   Both Manhasset Middle School's track coach (Steve) and ALL of our Christ Church members are ecstatic!!!  (psst - now's a good time to ask Mom and Dad for that new iPod - wink-wink!)

Alex and Max Smitham posted some outstanding times in their MHS January swim meet, which helped crush division rivals Great Neck North and Wantagh in Division C competition.  Alex swam a 24.4 in the 50 yd. free, 1:07.8 in the 100 yd fly (you so fly, man!), 2:08 in the 200 yd. free and 6:01 in the 500 yd. free (gee, we can't even run that fast!)

Max led the freshmen squad by swimming a 2:35 in the 200 yd. IM (you can instant message in the pool?  Cool!) and a 1:00.1 in the 100 yd. free.  Major props to both of you!


First Quarter 2006

Teresa Ciaccio  - together with some fine friends (like Victoria Bindert and Teresa's sister, Lisa) renovated the Teen Room at the Manhasset / Great Neck EOC facility - thereby garnering the highest award in Girl Scouting, the Gold Award.

Click here to see the great writeup in the January 10, 2006 edition of the Manhasset Press.  Ladies, we're so proud of all of you!


Fourth Quarter 2005

John McGill and Hannah Pavlovich won AP Scholar Awards for their outstanding performance on various advanced placement tests taken during  at Manhasset High School last Spring.  We're bursting with pride, but ...no, you can't take the rest of the year off!

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat will be presented at Manhasset High School this weekend (Nov 17-20).  Theresa Ciaccio and Brian Sternemann will have leading roles in the production.  We congratulate Theresa and Brian upon this wonderful accomplishment.

Third Quarter 2005

Maggie Pavlovich and Nicole Sternemann helped propel the 5th/6th grade Yankees softball team to victory in their championship series at Manhasset Valley Park on June 11-12.  Sweet hitting, daring baserunning and timely defense all were in vogue ... but we think Fr. Lowry's 11th hour appearance on the Yankee bench put them over the top!  Remember, girls, you ain't got a thing 'til you flash off those (championship) rings!

Natalie Bindert displayed her all-around track and field versatility by grabbing the gold in both 2000 meter and steeplechase events for good old Manhasset HS at the Nassau County championship in May.  Super job, Natalie!  (and nice photo on the Manhasset Press sports page!)


Second Quarter 2005

Gregory Beinecke, Emily Faeth, John McGill, Alaina Melichar, Hannah Pavlovich, Julie Scherer, Kathryn Schmidt and Ryan Winters are all graduating their senior high programs this month.  Considering that our local schools present some of the most demanding curricula in the nation, their success is truly "Excellence Through Effort".

Please be sure to extend your best wishes these wonderful men and women who will be going on to the next marvelous chapter in their lives this Fall.


Kathy McGill is receiving her MPA in HealthCare Administration on SUnday, May 8.  Congratulations on your hard-earned and well-deserved achievement, Kathy!


Natalie "Pigtails" Bindert, Michelle "MP3" Soloff and Brian "Scatman" Sternemann were inducted into the Exemplar Honor Society at Manhasset High School on March 16.  The ceremony was largely a student produced performance, which was themed around major events in popular American culture occurring in each decade of the twentieth century.

Brian banged out some serious ragtime, surrounded by a bevy of "flappers", in a musical tribute to the Roaring 20's.  Natalie displayed her dramatic acting chops in a four woman skit encapsulating family life in the 50's.  Michelle created a dynamic multimedia show, combining visuals, music and inventive stage lighting, to send off the 90's.  Congrats to all for your achievements and a highly entertaining evening!


First Quarter 2005

Hannah Pavlovich is performing with the Long Island Youth Orchestra in a Special Tsunami Benefit Concert on Sunday evening, March 13 at 7:30pm at the Tilles Center, C.W. Post Campus.  This program, to be conducted by the orchestra's founder and director, Martin Dreiwitz of Oyster Bay, will be as follows:

            Prelude to Die Meistersinger - Wagner
            Suite from the Plow That Broke the Plains - Thomson
            Pavanne - Faure'
            Roman Carnival Overture - Berlioz
            Suite from Tales of the Tsar Sultan - Rimsky-Korsakov
            Enigma Variations - Elgar

David Paterson's latest film, "Love, Ludlow," is premiering at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah this week (week of Jan. 24).  "Love, Ludlow," is the first screenplay that David has produced, in addition to his extensive acting and writing credits.  What we especially like is that the play was staged in a rather remarkable manner ... 90% here in Manhasset (at Christ Church, 2 bars and a laundromat). 

Click here for the inside scoop from the New York Times.   Or ... Click here for the Sundance Credits.   All the best, David, for a fantastic opening!

Kate Phillips plays defense on the Buckley 5th/6th grade soccer team that went undefeated this year (and has done so for four straight years)!   That's putting it in the "Back of the Net", Kate!

Teresa Ciaccio, John McGill and Hannah Pavlovich earned the designation of AP Scholar by the College Board in recognition of their exceptional achievement on the college-level Advanced Placement exams last Spring.
Truly, a tremendous achievement!  Congrats to all!  (can you party through your freshman year now?)

By the way, we finally wrestled Teresa's magnificent pix out of our friends at the Manhasset Press when they covered her National Organization of Women's "Young Women of Achievement" award last November.  Click here to take a look!

Alex Smitham posted his personal best record in the 200 yard IM and 500 yards freestyle swim for the MHS varsity at the Nassau County Relay Carnival.  Great news, Alex!

Fourth Quarter 2004

Michelle Soloff was inducted into the MHS Math Honor Society.  For students to receive this achievement, they must have completed four semesters of Regents level math, achieving a 3.7 unweighted average in their Math courses, while maintaining an overall 3.4 grade point index.  Congratulations, Michelle!

Max Smitham was inducted into the National Junior Honor Society.  This award is more than an honor roll; it indicates excellence in the areas of scholarship, leadership, service and character.  Way to go, Max!

Brian "Baron von" Sternemann appeared with the St. Stephen's Chancel Choir and a fifteen piece orchestra at the December 19th performance of Handel's Messiah in Port Washington.  Nice stage name, Bri!

Maxine Thevenot has been engaged to be married to Iain Quinn at the Cathedral of the Incarnation in mid-June 2005.  She will remain in New York through May 15th, at which point she will be accepting a position together with Iain at the Cathedral Church of St. John in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  All the best, Maxine and Iain!