On June 12, Dr. Phyllis Zagano, an internationally known expert on women in ministry, will speak on “Women in Ministry: Emerging Questions on the Diaconate.” The author of 13 books and over 200 articles and reviews, Zagano is senior research associate-in-residence and adjunct professor of religion at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y.All sessions, which are free and open to the public, will take place in the St. Bernardine Parish Center and begin at 7:30 p.m. Hogan’s series will take place the evenings of May 16, 24 and 31. For more information, call the parish, (818) 888-8200.West Hills students win regionals in ExploraVision competitionChaminade College Preparatory ninth grade students David Gaydos and Ryan Nagotashi, were recently honored as regional winners in the 2011 Toshiba/National Science Teachers Association ExploraVision Awards Program. They were selected as one of 24 regional winning teams from a group of 4,346 entries submitted by teams made up of a total of 13,387 student participants from across the US and Canada.The ExploraVision competition asks students to imagine ideas for future technologies that could exist in 20 years. The Chaminade team’s entry, titled “Zephyrus — VMWAT,” is a futuristic energy producing device that could be mounted on the K-rail or center divider of a six-lane highway or interstate, utilizing solar panels as well as specially designed wind turbines to actually generate power from the wind of passing automobiles.St. John Eudes installs ‘SMART Board’ technologyDue to the generosity of several donors dedicated to implementing advanced technology resources in the classroom, St. John Eudes in Chatsworth recently was able to complete installation of SMART Boards in all classrooms at the school. “The availability of SMART Boards in all our classrooms is an important asset to our educational program,” said Barbara Danowitz, principal. “These boards will give our students new and advanced learning experiences and will be a special tool to our teachers to provide a cutting edge curriculum at all class levels.”The recent installation of the interactive whiteboards that use touch detection for user input is one phase of several dedicated to implementing advanced technological tools into the educational environment at St. John Eudes. The school has already provided computer centers in each classroom, installed new iMacs in its computer lab, and is utilizing web-based resources for its hot lunch program, grade reporting and school/parent communications. Research is also being done on using digital textbooks for the classrooms.St. Genevieve takes National Show Choir titleSt. Genevieve School’s Cherubim Show Choir, under the direction of Rose Corpuz, won the National Middle School Show Choir title after performing in March at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville. Twenty-six choir members and their parents from the elementary school in Panorama City flew to Tennessee, along with members of St. Genevieve High School’s “Valiant Voices.”“We were the biggest group,” said school parent Leah David, mother of Cherubim choir member Michael. Since its formation in 2004, the Cherubim Show Choir has taken a number of first place prizes, including first place in the Mixed Division and Sweepstakes Overall Award at the Star Music Festival in Atlanta, Georgia, last year.Locally, the choir has performed for several events, such as the archdiocesan Academic Junior Decathlon at the Sports Arena and the annual Granada Hills Street Faire.{gallery width=100 height=100}gallery/2011/0513/sfnews/{/gallery}Notre Dame HS students named Project Hope winnersSix students at Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks are among the recently-announced winners of Project Hope, a contest designed to engage those attending schools run by the Brothers of Holy Cross in the congregation’s mission of “Bringing Hope to Others.”First launched in 2010, the national competition, which drew more than 120 participants this year, focused on the canonization last October of St. André Bessette, the Holy Cross congregation’s first saint. Extraordinary things happened when St. Bessette, a humble doorkeeper at Notre Dame College in Montreal, Canada, bestowed simple acts of kindness to the sick and poor who came to his doorstep each day.Students were encouraged to express their ideas on the theme that “Saints Don’t Have to be Superhuman” and to utilize their gifts and talents to communicate their thoughts in many mediums including writing, art, film and music. Among the local Notre Dame High School prize-winning students are: Megan Guardiano, first prize, Essay (“Hope and Life through Caring Hands, Open Minds, and Loving Hearts”); Gia Giordano, third prize, Essay (“Project Hope”); Alice Hungerford, third prize; Kellie Mossler, third prize, Art Project (“The Loving Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things”); Heather Haigler, fourth prize, Art (“Random Acts of Kindness”); and Summer Senna, fourth prize, Art (“Love and Kindness: A Children’s Book”).