OP Stories

On Wednesday, December 18th, our middle school students and Santa visited Friendship Corner in Paterson, NJ to deliver gifts and to sing and read with the preschoolers. Everyone had a great time getting into the holiday spirit!

On Friday, December 6, the Oratory Prep Model UN Club hosted its second annual mini-conference. The event - which also hosted members of the Basking Ridge Model UN Club - was organized and run by seniors Daniel Carvalheiro-Santos, Jack Mogen, Matthew Mazzuca, and Richard Williams. All participants contributed to the night's success with their enthusiasm, maturity, and passion for global affairs.

The Oratory Prep Service Book Club collected close to 1000 children's books for children in need. Senior Chris Lowe and his father delivered the books on Thursday afternoon. Thanks to all who donated!

On Tuesday, December 17, Oratory Prep will be on a two-hour delayed opening. All students should report to school by 10 AM. All buses and shuttles will run on a two hour delayed schedule. Please drive carefully. Any additional weather announcement will be sent by 7:00 AM.

Congrats to Ty Cross '20 (not pictured), Robert Grasso '22 and Benedict Martinez '22 for being awarded the Archdiocesan Youth Award for sharing their talents, time and service to their parishes and school. It was this past Sunday at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart. Msgr. Tom Nydegger, our Vicar General, was the Main Celebrant and Homilist for the ceremony. Peter Ainsworth '20 was Altar Server. Congratulations on your achievement.

On Tuesday, December 3, Oratory will be on 2-hour delayed opening. Students should report to school by 10AM. All buses & shuttles will run on 2-hour delay.

Due to the hazardous weather and winter storm warning, Oratory Prep will be closed on Monday, December 2. All after-school activities and sports are canceled. Students should check Netclass for assignments

Freshman Jack Chacon spent the day on Capitol Hill yesterday advocating for Hereditary Angioedema, a rare and life threatening blood disorder he suffers from. He met with seven House & Senate representative offices sharing his story and asking for their support on bills that greatly affect the patient community, including Access to Marketplace Insurance and the Safe Step Act as well as an increase in funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for additional research.

The Digital Art & Photography Club has teamed up with the non-profit organization The Memory Project to create portraits of children in the country of Pakistan. The Memory Project is a unique initiative in which art students create portraits (drawings, paintings, digital art) for children around the world who have been orphaned, abandoned, neglected, or otherwise disadvantaged. To do this, student artists receive pictures of children who are waiting for portraits. The artists then create the portraits, & we coordinate the delivery of the portraits to the children.

A few of our Middle School students enjoyed the Chess Consortium Event yesterday at Central Middle School in Stirling. Other participating middle schools included Delbarton, Oratory Prep, Central Middle School, Newark Academy, The Peck School, and Ridgedale Middle School. Other schools in the Consortium include: Oak Knoll School, St. Virgil’s, and Frelinghuysen School. Throughout the year, this Consortium regularly participates in a variety of activities and competitions.