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The holiday break is over and it’s time to recognize once again the incredible achievements of Rhode Island’s high school students.
Below you will find the nominations for The Providence Journal’s Student of the Week initiative and it’s time for you to pick the best of the best.
Voting is open until noon on Thursday, Jan. 16.
High schools across the state have been asked to submit nominations. A new round of nominees and voting will be available every Monday and close the following Thursday.
Participating Rhode Island high school principals, teachers and guidance counselors nominated students they say have shown outstanding academic and school achievement and community service.
We will announce a winner on providencejournal.com on Friday and in print in the Providence Sunday Journal.
Take a look at this week’s nominees and cast your ballot below.
Matalyn McLaughlin, Ponaganset High School
Ponaganset High School would like to nominate Matalyn McLaughlin as the Providence Journal Student of the Week. Matalyn is the ultimate verbal communicator. As a peer mentor assigned to a freshman home base, Matalyn enters the room with a huge smile and has control of the space. She immediately has the students’ attention and carries out the mentoring task with the control of a well-seasoned teacher. This student is a poster child of the PHS Vision of a Graduate as she displays all four of the learner qualities. Overall, she is an asset to the school and exemplifies the type of person we strive to educate at Ponaganset High School.
Marcos Ramirez, Toll Gate High School
Marcos Ramirez of Toll Gate High School won the 120lb bracket (35 wrestlers) at the Marshfield Holiday last week and now is currently ranked 20th in New England.
Kate Maness, South Kingstown High School
Kate Maness is an outstanding student and a leader and advocate for others in the South Kingstown High School community. She is an All-State field hockey player. She served as a team captain this year and is using her senior project to run a field hockey tournament to support the sport and donate money back to the SKHS program. Kate is a co-coordinator of the SKHS Freshmen Mentors, supporting ninth graders weekly in advisory and organizing student support for open house, showcase, and orientation events. As president of SKHS’s SafeBae chapter, Kate is an advocate against the normalization of sexual assault and promotes support for victims. Kate is also president of the SKHS Civics Club and a member of the RI Secretary of State’s Civic Liaison Program, meeting monthly with state staff and other RI students monthly, and working to increase youth civic engagement locally.
Landon Resendes, Middletown High School
Landon Resendes is a senior who was selected as one of two Rhode Island students to attend the US Youth Senate Program. In addition, he is our student government president and student liaison to the school committee and is retiring this month.
Landon is a natural-born leader, and a member of our winning Mock trial team, as well as our The Wave newspaper.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha will release on Wednesday findings from a multiyear investigation into child sexual abuse in the Diocese of Providence.
According to the attorney general’s office, the report will detail the diocese’s handling of clergy abuse over decades.
While the smallest state in the U.S., Rhode Island is home to the country’s largest Catholic population per capita, with nearly 40% of the state identifying as Catholic, according to the Pew Research Center.
Neronha first launched the investigation in 2019, nearly a year after a Pennsylvania grand jury report found more than 1,000 children had been abused by an estimated 300 priests in that state since the 1940s. The 2018 report is considered one of the broadest inquiries into child sexual abuse in U.S. history.
Neronha’s investigation involved entering into an agreement with the Diocese of Providence to gain access to all complaints and allegations of child sexual abuse by clergy dating back to 1950. Neronha’s office said in 2019 that the goal of the report was to determine how the diocese responded to past reports of child sexual abuse, identify any prosecutable cases, and ensure that no credibly accused clergy were in active ministry.
Rhode Island State Police also helped with the investigation.
Rhode Islanders who plan to join in the global celebration of Irish culture can choose from big and small events, including a parade in Providence.
The March 17 holiday falls on a Tuesday this year, and many big events will be held the weekend of March 14-15. Originally a modest, religious feast day honoring the patron saint of Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day today is a vibrant, boisterous holiday observed by millions of people regardless of their heritage.
The Providence parade is March 21.
We’ve rounded up 10 more events to help you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. But first, are you planning an event this spring? Feature it, so nearby readers see it all across Patch — including in roundups like this!
Here’s your guide to St. Patrick’s Day fun in Rhode Island:
Local News
A Rhode Island husband and wife in their 50s were identified as the two people killed in a Swansea car crash Friday night.
Carlolyn Carcasi, 54, and James Carcasi, 53, of Bristol, Rhode Island, were killed in the Feb. 27 crash, the office of Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn said in a press release Monday.
The crash occurred at the intersection of Route 136 and Route 6 in Swansea, Quinn’s office said.
Police in Cranston, Rhode Island identified the driver who allegedly hit the couple as Demitri Sousa, 28. Sousa allegedly shot and killed a man in Rhode Island nearly four hours before the crash, Cranston police said.
At around 12:18 a.m. Friday, Swansea police spotted Sousa’s Infiniti barreling down Route 6, Swansea officials said previously.
The couple was driving southbound on Route 136 when the Sousa crashed into the side of a Subaru Ascent. Both cars had “catastrophic damage,” and the Subaru was engulfed in flames, Swansea fire and police officials said.
Both occupants of the Subaru were declared dead at the scene, Swansea officials said.
Sousa was transported to a local hospital, where he is being treated for serious injuries. He is expected to live and will be held in Cranston police custody until he is medically cleared, police said Sunday.
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