What started as a scary event for a 100-year-old sister, turned out to have a heroic happy ending.

A veteran educator with a wealth of school administration experience has been appointed Superintendent of Schools for the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo. Michael C. LaFever, Ed.D, president of St. Benedict School in Eggertsville, will assume the leadership of Catholic Schools in the diocese effective June 29, upon the retirement of Sister Carol Cimino, SSJ.

KENMORE — By late June, students, and sometimes faculty, are anxious for that final bell to ring on the last day before summer recess. But just a few days later, the St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute campus comes alive again as summer programs begin for boys of all ages. The school prides itself on the quality of the programs it offers each year, and all are led by St. Joe's faculty and coaches.

The transition from middle school to high school can be a big adjustment for some students, but there is a way to ease the transition during the summer between grades seven and eight. Camps such as the Higher Achievement Program (HAP) at Canisius High School offer boys heading into eighth grade a glimpse ahead to high school life.

In Jeremiah 29:11, the prophet tells us, "I know the plans I have for you; plans for a future filled with hope." Although there is currently no Catholic School located there, the seeds of hope for the future of Catholic Education are being nurtured in North Tonawanda.

The STREAM program at St. Stephen School on Grand Island has taken on many faces in the three-plus years that the school has been part of the diocesan initiative.

The excitement is blooming at St. John the Baptist in Alden as they prepare for their new community garden. Working with a grant from the Whole Kids Foundation, as well as generous parishioners and local businesses, they have begun a school-wide garden initiative as a way to teach principles of healthy living and sustainability through authentic educational experiences.

When Johnny Graves was a freshman, to him Robert Scott was more than president of St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute. Scott became somewhat of a guardian after Graves' brother, Aaron, who was a senior at the school at the time, passed away after a battle with cancer.

KENMORE — Mount St. Mary Academy Principal Dawn Riggie announced her retirement after 25 years leading the Kenmore all-girls high school.

TONAWANDA — One of the core values at St. Amelia School is "Aspiring to Serve." Throughout the school year, students are involved in many different activities and projects that serve our school, our parish and our community.

TONAWANDA — Julia Dunn, a sophomore at Cardinal O'Hara High School, will perform Carl Orff's "Carmina Burana" on a concert program May 12 and 13 with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of JoAnn Falletta.

A couple local students are putting Buffalo on the map. Zachary Hawley and Brigid Benson, both eighth-graders made their way to the state finals of the National Geographic Geography Bee held April 8 in Albany. They joined 100 students from across the state.

TONAWANDA — St. Amelia School is one of only two schools in New York state and the only school in Western New York to offer the innovative, research-based Arrowsmith Program.

Twenty-four students from Mount Mercy Academy's Health and Science Academy and Health Care Career Club had the experience of a lifetime recently. The students visited the Jacobs Institute and were able to practice and learn about cutting edge technology.

EAST AURORA — A $1.9 million construction project to completely update the education center on the campus of Christ the King Seminary in East Aurora is underway. A late spring or early summer completion date is expected.

Three outstanding community members devoted to making a positive difference in Western New York will be honored May 2 at St. Bonaventure University's Gaudete Medal Awards Ceremony and Dinner at the Hyatt Regency in Buffalo.

To say the students are thrilled with the implementation of the diocesan STREAM program at Our Lady of Victory School in Lackawanna is an understatement.

"Nearly all the presenters approached me to point out something important is happening at Christ the King Seminary, and, more broadly, in the Diocese of Buffalo."

KENMORE — "Learn, Bake, Share," were the three main goals conveyed by King Arthur Flour to the students of St. John the Baptist School. Youngsters in grades four through eight participated in King Arthur's "Bake for Good: Kids Learn Bake Share Program," where they learned how to make homemade bread.

NIAGARA UNIVERSITY - Niagara University's commitment to holding itself to the highest national and international standards in teacher education has been reaffirmed.

Just two years ago, Villa Maria College became the first private institution in Western New York to offer an occupational therapy assistant program. Classes in the new program, which is fully accredited by the American Occupational Therapy Association, began in fall 2015.

LANCASTER - St. Mary's Elementary School began integrating the STREAM program into their curriculum during the 2015-16 school year.

TONAWANDA — Cardinal O'Hara High School will honor new inductees into the school's Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame and Athletic Hall of Fame at a banquet and ceremony April 14 at Banchetti by Rizzo's in Amherst.

Students and volunteers at Villa Maria College are going to feed starving children for .22 cents. That's the cost of one life saving meal from Feed My Starving Children.

On Friday, May 18, Bishop Timon-St. Jude High School will hold its first Tiger Trot 5K, a certified 5K course along beautiful McKinley Parkway, beginning at 6:30 p.m. The Tiger Trot is the first race is the new South Buffalo Run Series (Tiger Trot, Mount Mercy Run, Notre Dame Academy Fun Run, and Ryan Purcell 5K).

Over 1.5 million people are diagnosed with cancer each year. While doctors treat their patients, a team of teens from Cardinal O'Hara High School is cooking for a cure. For the past five years Allyson Nemeth has organized a Cooking for Cancer Club, which prepares and sells baked goods and pasta sauce for Courage for Carly, an organization that raises money for pediatric cancer research and family support programs at Roswell Park Cancer Institute.

BUFFALO, NY - After 50 years of ongoing service to Villa Maria College and its thousands of students, faculty and alumni, Sister Marcella Marie Garus has announced her upcoming retirement, effective June 2018. A Buffalo native, Sister Marcella served for 40 years as Villa Maria College president, making her one of the longest-tenured presidents of a higher education institution both in both Western New York and across North America.

With a population of more than 10 million, Haiti is similar in size to the state of Michigan, but when it comes to medical rehabilitation services, there is no comparison.

EAST AURORA — Immaculate Conception School has been educating the children of East Aurora and the surrounding suburbs for over a century; and for good reason. The school remains dedicated to providing a well rounded quality education true to the Catholic tradition of academic excellence.

Students at Sacred Heart Academy will venture to Zambia this summer in an immersion trip sure to change lives of the locals, as well as their own.

KENMORE — St. John the Baptist School lives by the following mission statement: "We teach children to read, so that they may eventually read to learn - and hope that through this process, they develop a lifelong love of reading."

LANCASTER — St. Mary's High School is beginning a new adjunct professor program that involves bringing in accomplished professionals and college-level professors to guest lecture in certain classes throughout the semester.

EAST AURORA — Leading national and international speakers, and top creative minds working in theology and philosophy, will converge on Christ the King Seminary on the weekend of Feb. 23-24 for the 2018 Conference for Collaborative Philosophy, Theology and Ministry. The conference's keynote speakers represent institutions from three continents - the U.S., Europe and Australia.

The Foundation of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo's largest annual fundraiser, GALA 22:6, kicked off the festivities Feb. 1 at the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center, raising funds for needs-based Catholic education tuition assistance. The tuition assistance helps students attending Catholic elementary schools throughout the eight counties of Western New York.

STELLA NIAGARA — The Center of Renewal is pleased to announce a special Thursday through Sunday weekend retreat during Lent, "Les Misérables: A Lenten Retreat," from Feb. 22-25. This unique, reflective and interactive Lenten retreat will run from Thursday dinner through Sunday lunch.

Cardinal O'Hara High School will honor two new inductees into the school's Fine Arts Hall of Fame.

The 2016 Mount Mercy Magic varsity soccer team was named the winner of the 2017 Soccer Officials Sportsmanship Award. The award is given to the girls' soccer team in Western New York that exhibits the best sportsmanship throughout the season. All schools, both private and public are considered for this honor.

If there were an award for the Canisius student involved in the most extracurricular activities, Matthew Sullivan would certainly be a top contender. He has embraced the Ignatian concept of magis by taking the lead on several projects to help children in Buffalo and around the world. "My mom always says that nothing you have matters if you can't share it," said Sullivan.

As the Diocese of Buffalo celebrates its educational institutions during Catholic Schools Week, Bishop Richard J. Malone made a pastoral visit to St. Aloysius Church and Regional School in Springville Thursday morning.

Catholics believe that the first step in making a difference in the world is starting with oneself. Under the leadership of its new principal, Jonna Johnson, St. John the Baptist School in Alden has chosen to honor those students who have gone a step further to better their community through acts of selflessness and kindness to others.