The Cross Border Orchestra of Ireland (CBOI) is a celebration of youth, music and peace in Ireland for this generation and future generations. Through the power of music, the orchestra's goal is to empower the young people of Ireland to help their country heal, renew and transform.
The CBOI was founded in 1995 at a landmark moment in Irish history - the implementation of a long term peace-process. Using the universal language of music, the primary aim of the CBOI is to eliminate cultural, religious, social and economic barriers among young people in border areas, thus establishing the building blocks for future generations of peace.
St. Peter Academy students from 4th to 8th grade participated in the CBOI concert at Symphony Hall on November 3, 2007. They were a part of the choir for the Cross Border Orchestra. The evening was wonderful, and the children sang beautifully
St. Peter Academy held its second annual hamster races in June 2008.
This was a great end of the year activity set up by Mrs. Hall, Miss Chapin and Mrs. Walsh and a great time was had by all. All children were invited to enter their own pet hamsters into the race to compete against the classroom hamsters from Grades 4 and 6.
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Mrs. Hall created a racetrack from PVC pipe for the event.Each hamster had his or her own star and nametag as well as a cheering section full of adoring fans. After each hamster raced three times, Miss Chapin tallied the scores and the winners were announced.
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First place went to Blueberry, owned by Katrina Mammoli, second place went to Keno, owned by Liv Callanan, and third place went to Ronald, owned by Nora Pance.
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These hamsters received gold trophies. All of the contestants received a ribbon and a special hamster treat for their performances.
Having studied and read about World War ll in class, the students in Grades 6 and 7 were deeply moved and impressed by a presentation by Edgar Krasa, 
a holocaust survivor who vividly described his experiences at Terezin, Czechoslovakia. This event was held at the Boys and Girls Club in June, 2007.
This fall, Mrs. Hall and Mrs. Walsh accompanied a group of 7th graders to a performance of chamber music which had been composed at Terezin, held in the formal setting of the Colonade Hotel. The children were excited to see Edgar Krasa again, who was in attendance as well, enjoying the beautiful music.
In 1780, Joseph ll built a city northwest of Prague to serve as a fortress to protect Prague from invaders from the North. Joseph II named this village after his mother, Maria Teresa, calling it Terezin.
Hitler, the world was told, had built a city for the Jews, to protect them from the vagaries and stresses of the war. A film was made to show the public this mythic, idyllic city to which his henchmen were taking the Jews of Czechoslovakia and eight other countries. Notable musicians, writers, artists, and leaders were sent there for "safer" keeping than was to be afforded elsewhere, as it was Hitler's quest to stave off any uprisings or objections around the so-called civilized world. This ruse worked for a very long time, to the great detriment of the nearly two hundred thousand men, women and children who passed through the gates of Terezin, a way station to the concentration camps in the east and probable death.
The vast majority of the 97,297 Czech Jews who were taken to Terezin died. Out of the 15,000 children who were taken there, only 132 survived.
There were so many musicians in Terezin, there could have been two full symphony orchestras performing simultaneously daily. In addition, there were a number of chamber orchestras playing at various times. A number of distinguished composers created works at Terezin including “Brundibar” or “The Bumble Bee”, a children's operetta, and a number of chamber compositions which only now are being resurrected and played in Europe and the United States.