At Bethlehem Catholic all students alike have one thought circling their minds – that the end of the school year is finally here. There is a buzz of excitement, anticipation, and stress all around. Underclassmen are ready for another summer vacation and seniors can hardly wait to begin the new chapter that lies ahead. The school year is winding down but the activities and events at BECA sure haven’t.

The Bandos took their annual band trip at the end of April. They traveled to Nashville to perform on stage at the Grand Ole Opry. They also had their last band concert for the year on May 17.

Bethlehem Catholic Theater put on “Meet Me in St. Louis” as its spring musical this year, receiving three Freddy Award nominations: Outstanding Use of Costumes, Outstanding Overall Production by a Smaller School, and Deirdre Kelly was nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Female Ensemble Member. Stage manager Madylin Zegalia was awarded the Student Achievement Award scholarship at the Freddy’s for all the hard work and dedication she has put into theater in her four years at Bethlehem Catholic. Zara Smith, Morgan Altemose, Jacob Moser and Ian Capilitan-Pulanco all did an amazing job performing in the opening and closing at the Freddy Awards on behalf of BECA Theater.

On May 6, singers, dancers and musicians all performed at Variety Night. Even some teachers joined in on the fun. Band Director; Christopher Klump and his mariachi band performed, and John Grogan sang a song.

On May 10, juniors and seniors attended Prom, a magical night with good food, music and a nice time with friends.

BECA students did another amazing job at the Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science state finals. Hunter Cantwell, Cole Hershman, Sarah Knoble, Reagan McGill and Sarah Miskovich all won second place. First place winners were; Bridget Ehrig, Marcela Banuelos, Myrna Khalouf, Thanah Huynh, Lauren Lancaster, Hudson Oberholzer, Molly Wladyslawski and Ethan Metzger who received a perfect score.

Bethlehem Catholic is a service-centered community. On May 22, teachers Timothy McGorry and Melissa Magliochetti took a group of students to New Bethany Ministries to serve lunch. In addition, there has been an ongoing Belt Collection for Catholic Relief Services that ended May 31. Also during May was the second annual Color Run to raise money to make Bethlehem Catholic more wheelchair-accessible.

Final exams are the last thing holding students back from the end of the year. Stress is in the air as everyone attempts to cram a semester’s worth of information before each exam. Luckily, the students in the National Honor Society are offering tutoring after school in each subject.

Seniors are done! On May 23 there was the Senior Farewell Mass, the last time the class of 2019 would celebrate Mass with the school community. Things got emotional when everyone watched the senior video, a highlight reel of all the best memories from this school year, made by Morgan Altemose. Speeches were also shared and several seniors reflected on their experiences and best memories from BECA.

On May 24, all the seniors enjoyed a Senior BBQ. Graduation activities began with the Baccalaureate Mass June 4 and Graduation June 5. Congratulations to Salutatorian Kaitlyn Hartman and Valedictorian Julia Zambo.

Also, a congratulations to the graduating class of 2019. It has been a marvelous year of memories here at Bethlehem Catholic.