The St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Knights of Columbus Council No. 8183 gathered June 1 to recognize the accomplishments of the parish youths.
Winners from two contests were recognized at the luncheon: the September 2024 Soccer Challenge and the December 2024 Keep Christ in Christmas Poster Contest.
The luncheon began with a blessing and encouraging words by Father (use full name first and middle initial) Bashista, pastor of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Lake Ridge. Trey Hall, Knights of Columbus Virginia State Council state secretary, spoke about God’s gift of athletic and artistic talent to an audience of athletes, artists, and their parents. Tony Wanderbeek, Knights state general programs director, also joined in the celebration.
Five students from St. Elizabeth Ann Seton won at the state level and, of those, two were international winners. The state and international winners are:
Royce Towns, 9, state and international winner
Dylan Baerga, 9, state winner
Leah Haddock, 13, state and international winner
Nathan Haller, 13, state winner
Gianna Boffetti, 14, state winner
The Knights of Columbus Soccer Challenge engages students with an event that encourages the values of sportsmanship and healthy competition. Students ages 9 through 14 demonstrate their kicking accuracy on the penalty kick. The scores from parish winners were compared with the scores of participants from three neighboring parishes who, with St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, make up the local district. The district scores were next compared to those from 39 other districts in Virginia and finally with the scores of international participants (USA, Canada, Mexico, Philippines, Guam, Bahamas, Puerto Rico, Panama, Guatemala, Dominican Republic). The international winners were named in February 2025.
Not only do the youths excel in athletics, they are also outstanding artists. The Knights of Columbus Keep Christ in Christmas Poster Contest encourages youths to engage their creative talent and imagination while understanding the true, spiritual meaning of Christmas. The contest is open to all students – K through 8th grade.
Student posters are judged on how clearly the theme, Keep Christ in Christmas, was presented, how well the message was conveyed, and how effectively the poster captured the viewer’s attention and caused one to reflect on the topic. The top winners in each age category advanced sequentially to the district, state, and international levels. Samantha Laura is a state winner in the first-second grade category.
