STUDENT HARVEST OF THE MONTH ARTWORK ON DISPLAY

Congratulations to Viola Eaton, Micheal Henry, Shanell Fairley, Mercy Sanhtay, Amaya Page, Sofia DiFiore, and Mariam Al-Dhumani, whose winning Harvest of the Month contest posters are now on display in the cafeteria! Winning artwork by recent graduates Marc Mancinelli, Zahraa Alduhmeen, and Camilla Mateen-Cooper is also featured.

Harvest of the Month promotes seasonal eating, encourages students to enjoy more fruits and vegetables, and supports local agriculture. Our student artists are helping share that message throughout the district through their creative designs!

Stop by the cafeteria to check out their artwork, celebrate their talents, and find inspiration to try something fresh. Thank you to all our participating artists for bringing art and healthy eating together in our school community!

SENIOR JADA MCALLISTER WINS 2026 HIGHMARK CARING PLACE CARING TEAM POSTER CONTEST

Congratulations to senior Jada McAllister, who was named the regional high school winner of the 2026 Highmark Caring Place Caring Team Poster Contest.

Her winning artwork has been reproduced as a poster and is featured in hundreds of Caring Team schools across Pennsylvania, extending her creativity and message of support beyond our school community.

Highmark Caring Place supports grieving children, teens, and their families, and its Caring Team program helps schools build a culture of understanding and compassion for students experiencing loss. This contest gives young artists a meaningful opportunity to use their creativity to support others.

We’re so proud of Jada, and we're excited to see more of our students use their art to spread kindness, encouragement, and hope!

SENIOR THEOFANIA NACOPOULOS SERVES AS GIRL DELEGATE IN 2026 UNITED NATIONS INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE GIRL

On October 9, 2026, senior Theofania Nacopoulos, Girl Delegate to the United Nations, was selected as one of six girls worldwide as a High-Level Panelist at the UN Headquarters for 2026 International Day of the Girl. Theofania Nacopoulos was chosen from over 100 international applicants.

In an international forum of collaboration with world leaders, UN Member States, Heads of UN Women, UNICEF and UNFPA, Theofania spoke on the importance of leadership and what meaningful participation looks like for girls, expressing appreciation for her Collegiate Academy teachers. The event was a powerful platform for girl leaders in all their diversity to engage in open, candid dialogue with policy makers, Member States, civil society actors, and UN agencies, around the theme: "Girls Speak Out: Advancing Equality, Accelerating Action,” focusing on key issues affecting girls, and their leadership in social and political life.

Theofania was the sole Girl Delegate in the country chosen to speak as a panelist representing The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America in this international forum. Sitting between Member States Canada and Peru, Theofania shared her own experience with leadership and what meaningful participation looks like for girls: “We must be mindful that in order to make real and lasting change, we have to start from the ground up. When we lead our own community-based initiatives, bring our own perspectives, our own lived experiences, our own ideas, and our own creativity to issues facing us, we ensure that action on any problem not only improves our communities, but is meaningfully shaped by us in response to our realities.”

She added, “Adults can open doors for girls, but meaningful participation means trusting US to walk through those doors and speak for ourselves.”

Theofania was an inspiring voice for girls across the globe: “To all the young girls listening, waiting for an opportunity to become a leader, know that we are the future. The things that seem daunting to us today, we will be overcoming tomorrow, the goals that seemed so distant become closer than ever, and the time to make real change…is now.”

Click here to view Theofania's message, which begins at the 1:07:37 mark.

Collegiate Academy congratulates Theofania on her powerful leadership at the United Nations, amplifying girls' voices, fighting for equal rights, and ensuring girls participate in the decisions that affect their lives!

NPAA OFFERS SCHOLARSHIP FOR HIGH SCHOOL ARTISTS

Do you know a high school senior with artistic ability, a strong portfolio, and big dreams for pursuing the arts after graduation?

Encourage them to begin preparing their portfolios now.

The Northwestern Pennsylvania Artists Association invites eligible student artists to apply for the 2027 NPAA Art Scholarship.

Application information and requirements are attached and available at the Northwestern Pennsylvania Artists Association website.

FOUR STUDENTS NAMED COMMENDED STUDENTS IN NMSQT

Collegiate Academy is proud to celebrate four students who have been named Commended Students in the 2027 National Merit Scholarship Competition.  Nearly 3 million juniors took the PSAT/NMSQT last fall, and these students are among the top 50,000 scorers in the nation.  Congratulations to Dylan McConnell, Ryann Wernicki, Theofania Nacopoulos, and Naomi Baker!

Join Erie's Public Schools for a fun-filled community celebration of connection, fun, and empowerment of the young girls in our district on Sunday, October 11, from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM at Biletnikoff Field!🎉

This event is part of our district’s Building Excellence Together Weekend, held in partnership with the Jefferson Educational Society's Global Summit XVIII. While our students are busy with service projects on Saturday and a select group attends a conversation with Michelle Obama on Monday, Sunday is all about bringing our families together!

Event Details:

Date: Sunday, October 11
Time: 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM (Empowerment Walk begins at 3:15 PM)
Location: Biletnikoff Field (finishing at the EPS Admin Building, 1910 Sassafras St., via an accessible route)
Admission & Activities: 100% Free for all EPS families!

What’s in Store:

- Fun family photo booth & bounce house
- Balloon headbands and wristlets provided by The Brown Clowns
- Music, refreshments, and community resource tables
- Inspiring remarks from local female leaders

An Empowerment Walk celebrating girl power, health, and wellness at 3:15 PM

Bring the whole family out to show support for our girls and the bright future we are building together. We can't wait to see you there! 💜

TRAVEL CLUB TO HOST MEETING ABOUT 2028 PUERTO RICO TRIP

The Travel Club is excited to announce that our students have been invited to travel as a representative of our community on our trip to Puerto Rico in June 2028. We will visit Old San Juan, El Yunque National Rainforest, the Bioluminescent Bay, and more.

To answer all of your questions, Ms. Lumley will be hosting an informational meeting on Wednesday, October 7, at 6:30pm to discuss our itinerary, what’s included, price, safety, and scholarship opportunities available for our students.

Click here to learn more about the trip.

Click here to RSVP to the meeting:. RSVP is mandatory.

There is limited space on this trip and spots will be filled up on a first-come, first-served basis. It will be necessary to come to the meeting in order to enroll on our tour.

This will be a truly impactful experience, and we are so excited that our students have earned this opportunity!

Collegiate Academy 12th Grade Government Students Attend The 11th Annual Gannon University And Erie Together’s Youth Civic Engagement “Constitution Day” Symposium 2026

On Thursday, September 17, 2026, 13 senior Collegiate Academy government students attended Gannon University and Erie Together’s 11th Annual Youth Civic Engagement Symposium hosted by Gannon University. During this symposium, students were able participate and interact with local, state, and federal levels of government. Their debates centered on the theme of “U.S. Constitution Day." Students interacted through many different question-and-answer panels centered on pressing governmental issues facing the U.S., Pennsylvania, and the City Of Erie today. Notable politicians at this symposium included Mayor Daria Devlin, Honorable Judge John Trucilla, Erie County Executive Christina Vogel, and Erie County District Attorney Elizabeth Hirz.

In the photograph, from right to left: Hawraa, Lewis Mokris, Selma Cemal, Christina Thompson, Autumn Sala, Amauri Crockett, Jasmine Cruz, Unique Simmons-Russell, Samuel Gross, Atticus Wojciechowski, Malcolm Zeller, Jacob Goodman, Keishaun Richmond, and Delaney Barnes. Not pictured: Staff chaperones and 12th grade government teachers Mr. Hood and Mr. Franz.

Serena Xu named National Merit Scholarship Program Semifinalist

Congratulations to senior Serena Xu, who has been selected as a National Merit Scholarship Program Semifinalist.  Over one million juniors entered the National Merit Scholarship Competition (NMSC) by taking the PSAT in the fall of 2026.  Serena is among approximately 16,000 students nationwide who qualify to continue in the scholarship competition for one of 6,700 National Merit Scholarships. Congratulations to Serena!

Senior Silvia Kang earns travel abroad scholarship

Congratulations to senior Silvia Kang, who was named a recipient of the Junior Travel Abroad Scholarship for Summer 2026.

Having studied Spanish since kindergarten, Silvia demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to language learning. In addition to Spanish, she enjoyed studying Latin, Korean, Punjabi, and English, reflecting a deep curiosity about cultures and communication from around the world. She also expressed her creativity through music and writing as a violist and poet.

During the summer, Silvia traveled to Spain to participate in a unique academic and cultural experience through the Cursos Internacionales de la Universidad de Salamanca. Students began their journey with engaging Spanish language and culture classes designed to build confidence and real-world communication skills. Beyond the classroom, they participated in enriching cultural activities that brought Spanish traditions to life and offered authentic opportunities to practice the language.

¡Qué maravilla! Silvia, te esperaba una experiencia inolvidable llena de aprendizaje, cultura y nuevas amistades. ¡Felicidades y buen viaje!

READ THE LATEST ISSUE OF THE PRIDE

The final issue of the The Pride for the 2025-2026 school year is out now! The Pride is Collegiate Academy's student-produced news magazine. Click here to read it.

THE PRIDE ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF POETRY CONTEST

Congratulations to winners of The Pride's poetry contest:

English Language

Seniors
Markella Nacopoulos, 1st place
Hawo Ibrahim, 2nd Place
Olivia Vitelli, 3rd Place

Freshman
Wesley Maske

Sophomore
Antigone Feige

Second Language

Theofania Nacopoulos , 1st place
Giada Hodinko , 2nd Place
Thomas Mayo, 3rd Place

WORLD CULTURE CLUB STUDENTS LEARN FROM GUEST SPEAKER

On Thursday, April 23, the World Culture Club at Collegiate Academy welcomed guest speaker Dr. Irene Zurita Moreno to Room 115.
Originally from Alcalá, Spain, Dr. Zurita-Moreno is a Professor of Spanish at Mercyhurst University.

She spoke to students about her home country of Spain, sharing insights into Spanish culture, language, and traditions. Students had the opportunity to learn more about Spanish life and engage with perspectives from another part of the world.

GRADUATES: YOU CAN NOW ORDER PHOTOS THAT WERE TAKEN AT THE CEREMONY

Congrats, Graduates from Lifetouch.  To access your photos after the ceremony, text the code below to 90738 (data and message rates may apply).  We'll send you a link when the pictures are ready to view and order.  The code is 119609GY26

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT GRADUATION AND TICKETS

Click here to order tickets. Each student will receive 15 free tickets for graduation. These are virtual tickets through Hometown Ticketing. Students will need to enter their student ID as the passcode, then select the number of desired tickets.

If you have any issues with your tickets, please contact Hometown Ticketing at 1-866-488-4849.

Parents and guests will enter through the gate on 26th and State and pass through security. Please follow the clear bag policy.

A shuttle will run between here and Erie High every 15 minutes

IMPORTANT REMINDERS FOR GRADUATES

There is mandatory graduation practice on Friday, 5/28/26. Please report to the field by 8:45am. Practice will conclude around 11:30am. Senior lunch will take place after for those who signed up for it.
Obligations should be paid to the office on Friday.

On graduation day, students should report to the gym specified in practice by 1:30pm.

Students can go to the dance studio for pictures.

Caps may be decorated appropriately.

Honor stoles and national honor pins are acceptable.

The promenade will be open after graduation for pictures.

Graduates are the only people permitted on the field.