ST. BONAVENTURE — St. Bonaventure will welcome alumnus Thomas M. Marra, president and chief executive officer of Symetra Financial Corporation and a former university trustee, as the 2015 guest of the Building Extraordinary Leaders series.

ST. BONAVENTURE — The National Science Foundation has awarded St. Bonaventure University almost $600,000 to help recruit talented students interested in science, technology, engineering and math for fall 2015.

Catholic Charities of Buffalo's Immigration and Refugee Assistance Program recently received two grants totaling $200,000 to develop a Hospitality and Tourism Training Institute (HTTI), in partnership with Niagara University's (NU) College of Hospitality and Tourism Management Program.

St. Bonaventure's Family Business Club was recognized for its innovative and unique case solutions and delivery at the globally renowned Family Enterprise Case Competition (FECC). The event was held from Jan. 8 to 11 at the University of Vermont.

Catholic Academy of West Buffalo, 1069 Delaware Ave., has scheduled an open house for Tuesday, Feb. 3, from 9 a.m.- 2 p.m. and Thursday, Feb. 5, from 6:30 - 8 p.m.. The school invites prospective families interested in enrolling children for the 2015-2016 academic year to tour the school and meet faculty, administrators and parents.

Educators, administrators and no less than four bishops gathered to celebrate Catholic education on Jan. 29. Now called GALA 22:6, the 15th annual dinner to support Catholic education was held at the Buffalo/Niagara Convention Center.

St. Bonaventure University will host Tom Boney, vice president and general manager of Automotive Value Stream, Novelis North America, at 4 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 5, in the Dresser Auditorium of the John J. Murphy Professional Building.

The 15th annual Catholic Education dinner will be held tonight, Jan. 29, at the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center. The 2015 dinner will mark Bishop Richard Malone's third year celebrating Catholic schools in the Diocese of Buffalo. Nearly 1,200 guests are expected to attend.

Catholic Schools Week is celebrated in the Diocese of Buffalo and nationally January 25 - January 31. Several Catholic bishops from throughout the United States recorded their thoughts on Catholic education.

St. Mary's High School senior Leah Meyer received the Gatorade Volleyball Player of the Year Award for New York State. The 6'3" middle also announced her plans to attend Duke University at the Jan. 9 presentation.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo included the Education Investment Tax Credit in his 2015 budget proposal Wednesday, pleasing many Catholic leaders who have been advocating for the bill for years. The New York Senate passed the tax credit bill, which allows taxpayers to claim credits for donations to public schools or private scholarships for students attending parochial schools.

The 15th annual Catholic Education dinner will take place on Thursday, Jan. 29, at the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center. The 2015 dinner will mark Bishop Richard J. Malone's third year celebrating Catholic schools in the Diocese of Buffalo. More than 1,200 guests are expected to attend.

Eleven of the eighteen schools participating in the annual Future City Competition for middle school students are Catholic schools in Western New York. The competition will be held on Saturday, Jan. 24, at Mount St. Mary High School, 3756 Delaware Ave., Kenmore, from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Bishop Richard J. Malone has appointed the pastor of St. John Paul II Parish, Lake View, to the Catholic School Advisory Council, the panel which advises the bishop on Catholic elementary school issues. His parish is also home to Southtowns Catholic School. Father Peter J. Karalus joined the panel in December 2014.

Administrators in the Department of Catholic Schools are asking supporters to contact New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to support the Education Tax Credit proposal in his 2015 executive budget. The tax credit would help encourage donations to private scholarship funds, which officials believe would generation an additional $150 in awards for students and families.

One of Buffalo's own received recognition for her years of dedicated service to Catholic education. Nancy DiBerardino, administrative assistant for the diocesan Catholic School's Department, received the Lighting the Fire for Education Award from the Catholic School Administrators Association of New York State in November.

The diocesan schools selected to pilot the STREAM initiative participated in an international program designed to encourage more children to become interested in the quickly growing field of computer science and also help prepare for careers.

On Dec. 7, Catholic school students used science, engineering and technology to move blocks, hold erasers and launch bottles into the sky. The students took part in an X STREAM Games and Expo sponsored by the diocesan Department of Catholic Education, held at St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute in Kenmore.

WNY Catholic Photographer Patrick McPartland ventured out to visit diocesan parishes and schools hit by the storm in an exclusive Facebook photo gallery.

The principal of St. Gregory the Great School has received two national awards for her work with the Williamsville school.

Each year, students at Christ the King School in Snyder have the opportunity to pray for and recognize those who have faithfully served their country. On Monday, Nov. 10, the eve of Veterans Day, students spoke with military heroes in the community who have done so, in addition to the support the school regularly offers the nation's veterans via organized prayer.

Our Lady of Black Rock School in Buffalo has steadily experienced an increase in enrollment over the past several years. According to Principal Martha Eadie, the school has welcomed a number of students from other countries, which has offered the community a uniquely multicultural experience.

On Oct. 3, teachers of elementary, middle and high schools throughout the diocese welcomed keynote speakers from across the country to the Catholic Educators' Convention at the Hamburg Fairgrounds. The theme was "Cultivating Our Roots in the Common Core," during which speakers stressed the importance of using the entire school day, and all subjects, to instill Catholic values in students.

This school year, St. Joseph School in Batavia will be one of the diocesan schools that has been selected to begin a new STREAM initiative. The acronym STREAM, which stands for science, technology, religion, engineering, arts and mathematics, is a modified version of the STEM initiative that is being implemented in many public school districts throughout the state of New York.

A school that has been a fixture in the Southtowns Catholic community will have a boost in enrollment for the 2014-15 academic year. Queen of Heaven School in West Seneca has doubled its enrollment and faculty and staff welcomed students and parents alike as their children's focus shifts from summer fun to the enrichment of learning.

Young students of SS. Peter & Paul School in Williamsville had a surprise as they got off the bus for the first day of class, Sept. 3. Bishop Richard J. Malone welcomed each of them and promised them an exciting year ahead.

One of the fondest memories I have of the first day of school, when I was a student (a thousand years ago), was that anticipation of a whole new year, a new teacher, new books, new friends and new things to learn. All things were possible.

America is facing a shortage of scientists and engineers. The diocesan Catholic Education Division hopes to remedy that by introducing STREAM into 10 elementary schools this fall. These schools will focus on science, technology, religion, engineering, arts and math.

Eight Catholic elementary schools received a much needed upgrade this summer, as volunteers throughout the Diocese of Buffalo refurbished and installed fresh computers and equipment during the 11th annual Ed Tech Day on Aug. 19.

As this school year comes to a close, all of our schools are showcasing the great work, inventive creativity and high energy that always characterize our Catholic schools.

Despite a strong media campaign by New York bishops, the New York State Legislature ended its 2014 session in June without passing an education tax credit bill intended to help fund public school districts and parents sending their children to private schools.

Being the new kid in class is never easy, but imagine being in a new school, in a new country, full of students with a different belief system. That's what's happening at Immaculata Academy in Hamburg, which welcomes international students, some of whom received their first taste of Catholicism when the first bell rang.

For most people, staying true to the Catholic faith involves going to Church, prayer and giving back to their communities. For James Grubka of East Aurora, being Catholic is about devoting his time and service to helping seminarians.

St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute honored its founder by giving back to the community during the Kenmore school's Founder's Week, May 12-16. During this time students collected various goods to deliver to local charities.

Carrying signs and chanting "Governor Cuomo, keep your word," 300 students, parents and educators gathered at Niagara Square in downtown Buffalo on May 28 to make Gov. Andrew Cuomo hold a promise he made to Catholic schools.

It is important that our voices are heard not only on this public square, but we must, we must be heard all the way to the halls of the State capitol in Albany: the time for approval of the Education Investment Tax Credit is NOW - it's that simple.

Things have gotten turned around at Mount St. Mary Academy in Kenmore. Students are doing homework in school and learning their lessons at home. It's all part of a new teaching technique known as the Flipped Classroom.

For many in the area, both Niagara University and Niagara Catholic Jr./Sr. High School have established themselves as key facets of Catholic education in Western New York. Now, the two organizations have signed an agreement to work together with one another on a more extensive basis, with a mission to make Niagara Falls a better place for young people to academically excel and develop their faith.

The Felician Sisters will sponsor a "Felician Service Day" on Saturday, April 12, to support the Sister Mary Josette Food Pantry at Villa Maria College.

Following the Jan. 15, 2014, announcement that 10 Catholic elementary schools would close, the Department of Catholic Schools received a large number of telephone calls, letters and emails, with questions concerning the process. The following are answers to the most frequently asked questions.