MOUNT MERCY ACADEMY

MOUNT MERCY ACADEMYNovember 2010 NewsletterVOLUME 8, ISSUE 76A Message from our PrincipalNovember, 2010Dear Parents and Guardians,Every once in a while I like to dust off my Social Studies teacher hat and try to takean historical perspective in my monthly letter. It becomes increasingly difficult to findfresh and interesting ideas for these monthly letters so I Googled “November” to tryto get some ideas.One of the first things that came up on Google was the Diversity Calendar from theUniversity of Kansas Medical Center. It listed the religious observances for themonth of November. Heading the list for November first was, of course, All Saints’Day which is a celebration for Catholics as well as other Christian denominations.(We will celebrate the Holy Day of Obligation with Mass at St. Thomas AquinasChurch.) Dia de los Muertos or Day of the Dead is celebrated on November 1 inMexico and Latin America. The Feast of All Saints was listed next and that is a distinctly Roman Catholic celebration based in part because of the Catholic belief inpurgatory. (We will have a prayer service to commemorate all our family and friendswho have passed away.)As I continued down the list of religious celebrations I encountered a few that I wasnot familiar with - - Diwali (Buddhist, Hindu) on November 5, Birthday of Baha'u'llah(Baha'i) on November 12 and Eid al-adha (Islamic, Muslim) on November 16. Theseare very unfamiliar to most of us yet there are many within the United States who willbe celebrating these religious holidays this month. The theme at Mount Mercy thisyear is Reverencing the Dignity Within Each Person – Celebrating Life and respecting the diversity of religious tradition certainly falls under this theme. There is aneed for our students to know, understand and celebrate our Catholic faith, heritageand traditions and it the responsibility of the school and family to make sure thathappens. Beyond that we are obligated to make them aware of the wider world andrespectful of the diversity that we encounter. For example, Eid al-adha of the Feastof Sacrifice is the most important feast in the Muslim calendar. It lasts for threedays and commemorates Abraham’s sacrificing his son. God stops him and thenAbraham sacrifices an animal in his son’s place. The feast re-enacts Abraham’sobedience. The family will eat about a third of the meal from the feast and donatethe rest to the poor. In the Catholic tradition we are all familiar with this story foundwithin the Old Testament. It points out one small link we have to both the Judaicand Islamic traditions. The story of course deals with obedience to God but in theIslamic tradition also portrays the need to reverence the poor. This is a theme thatcrosses all religious boundaries and it can be a focal point for how we choose tointerpret our theme.Though not strictly a religious holiday, we celebrate Thanksgiving in November.We all remember the stories we learned in elementary school about the “first”Thanksgiving (Check out www. history.com for excellent historical information aboutthis holiday. I think you will find some surprising information.) Whatever the origins,it is always an excellent opportunity to give thanks for our many blessings – as anation, as a Mercy Community, as a family and as an individual. I thank God for allof you and for the opportunity to be a part of your daughter’s education.Happy Thanksgiving!Sincerely,Paulette GaskePrincipalItems of Special InterestNov. 1: All Saints Day-School MassNov. 2: All Souls Day-School PrayerServiceNov. 3: Early Dismissal- 12:42 PM–Faculty MeetingNov. 4: 6:15 PM Mercy Honors Dinner– Romanello’s South RestaurantNov. 5: END OF FIRST QUARTERNov. 5: 6:00 PM MMA Dining Hall-FallSports BanquetNov. 8th: Winter Sports PracticesBeginNov. 10: 7:00 PM MMA Dining HallParent Guild SocialNov. 11: NO SCHOOL in observance ofVeteran’s DayNov. 17: Senior’s Cap and GownMeasurement DayNov. 19: Magic Money SweepstakesParty– Details InsideNov. 20: 8:00 AM-MMA Entrance Examfor 8th Grade StudentsNov. 23: 6:00-8:00 PMParent—Teacher Conferences

Mt. Mercy Photo AlbumMother-DaughterMass and BreakfastFifty-Seven Mt. Mercy Academy StudentsInducted into the MMA McAuley Scholars ProgramThe Mercy Center Chapel was the setting for the eighth annual Mount MercyAcademy McAuley Scholar Induction Ceremony held on Tuesday, October 26 2010.McAuley Scholars and Candidates, along with families and friends were welcomedby MMA Principal Mrs. Paulette Gaske. Sister Mary Ellen Twist, RSM, President of theAcademy opened the ceremony with a special invocation. Mrs. Nancy (Wutz 74) Ware,founder and President of EduKids, Inc., offered congratulations and words of encouragement to the students and their parents. Mrs. Gaske presented certificates to fifty studentswho were inducted as McAuley Scholars and presented sunflower bouquets to sevenMcAuley Scholar candidates.Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors are inducted into the McAuley Scholar programby maintaining a 94% or better grade average each quarter of the academic year. The designation lasts one year and students must reapply to the program the following school year.A ninth grade student is considered for special recognition as a candidate if she scores 600or better on the Mount Mercy Academy/High School Placement Exam and receives twopositive letters of recommendation from her teachers.McAuley Scholars Class of 2011MMA Freshman Genevieve Cliffordand her mom enjoyed spending timetogether at the annual MMA MotherDaughter Mass and Breakfast.Carly Andriaccio, Rebecca Fink, Emily Fose, Krista Ganis, Bridget Jackson,Stephanie Khoury, Sarah Kraus, Kathryn Loops, Leah Moran, Rylie Schreiber,Amanda Stachowski, Rachel Suchocki, Nicole Tombolesi, BrittanyAnn WolfMcAuley Scholars Class of 2012Emily Anderson, Cara Barnes, Rachel Bellis, Alison Benz, Heather Buck,Megan Cheney, Emily Diaz, Meghan Fitzgerald, Jenna Gleason, Kaitlyn Griffin,Jordan Hawkins, Kelly Hess, Isobel Johnston, Tania Khoury, Kayla Larson,Janelle Lauciello, Alexandra Lenk, Lynnmarie Miller, Stephanie Newman,Victoria Riso, Ashley Skipper, Charlene Takacs, Samantha VenturaMcAuley Scholars Class of 2013Erin Bender, Marjorie Bishop, Kaylee Cedri, Madeline Greene, Erin Friedman,Lee Haggerty, Jenna Kersten, Jillian Miazga, Evania Paz Santiano,Megan Sheehan, Rachel Singer, Marissa Stack, Taylor WeedMcAuley Scholar Candidates Class of 2014Mary Bamrick, Sarah Emmerling, Emma English, Caitlin Matuszak,Julia O’Sullivan, Emily Prendergast, Lauren SzymanskiSophomore Jennifer Nochjaskishares a smile with her mom.Senior Victoria Riso and her mom enjoythis favored annual event one last time.

MMA STUDENTS VISIT MERCY FLIGHTFor All That You Give UsDear Lord,On this Thanksgiving Day,we are thankfulfor all that You give us,for all that You do for us,for all that You teach us.Thank You for guiding usto live our livesin Your will,in Your purpose,in Your plan for us.Thank You for Your protectionfrom worldly influence and danger.Thank You for bringing us gentlyto a deeper knowledge of Youand what You want from us,with Your love, mercy,compassion and grace.And thank you, Lord,for the blessingswe are experiencing right nowat this very moment-the food,and the precious peoplewho are with usto enjoy this mealand this day.Thank You, Lord. Amen.By Joanna FuchsMt. Mercy StudentsLee Haggerty,Meaghan Cullen andMegan Sheehanexperience the inside ofthe Mercy Flighthelicopter on a recentfield trip with theMMA Health CareCareer Club sponsoredby Mercy Hospitalprofessionals.Meghan Sheehan, JillianMiazga, Victoria Siracuse,Connor Orcutt, AlexisManuel, Lee Haggerty andErika Jurek had a wonderful time learning moreabout this specialized airmedical service providerdirectly from professionalemergency care providers.Mt. Mercy Academy’spartnership with CatholicHealth provides MMAstudents with hands-onexperiences to assist themin making college andcareer choices.MT. MERCY ACADEMY HIGH SCHOOL PLACEMENT EXAM INFORMATIONTHE MT. MERCY ACADEMY CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL PLACEMENT TEST(ENTRANCE EXAM)WILL BE ADMINISTERED AT 8:00 am ON NOVEMBER 20, 2010 AT MMA.ANY INTERESTED STUDENT SHOULD REGISTERWITH MT. MERCY ADMISSIONS DIRECTOR MRS. JEANNE BURVIDPRIOR TO THE EXAM DATE.MT. MERCY ACADEMY AWARDS ACADEMIC SCHOLARSHIPSBASED ON EXAM RESULTS AND OTHER CRITERIA.

Mt. Mercy Photo AlbumStudent GovernmentFall Back DanceMMA SPOTLIGHT ON:THE CAST AND CREW OF THEMT. MERCY ACADEMY– BISHOP TIMONPRODUCTION OF“WILLY WONKA!Performances of Willy Wonka take place onNovember 4th, 5th, and 6th at 7:30 p.m.in the Bishop Timon-St. Jude Auditorium.Tickets are 8.00 for adults and 6.00 forStudents and Senior Citizens at the door.Lee, Megan, Carly and Marissaknow how to have fun!Kelly, Emily, Clare and Feliciaknow how to host a great party!Officers Rebecca, Bridget, Quinn andCharlene, with Student Gov’t ModeratorsMrs. Barblock and Mrs. LeonardBeautiful smiles from Lee, Jillian and Kaylaare coming your way!CONGRATULATIONSTO OUR TALENTED MMA CAST AND CREW!WE ARE PROUD OF YOU!CastCrewMidge BishopEmma EnglishSara GangellJordan HawkinsKatie HayesJenna KerstenMichaela LeeSimona LukasikSara MarinaroErin PappasKaitlin PinterpeBrianna RineVanessa RosenthalDominique SmithAshley TombolesiNicole VertinoKristen AndoRachel BellisKatie DonovanKatie FarrErin FriedmanKrista GanisColleen GarvinOlga GultschenkoMarissa KelleyTania KhourySarah KrausJanelle LaucielloBrittany LawsonAmanda LeneyKatie LoopsSarah LopianJill MiazgaAlexis ManuelMeghan McCarthyJennifer NochajskiEmily NostrantPaige OgdenKaylin ParkerLia PrineNia SantianoJessica SawyerCassie Schaefer

SENIOR PARENT YEARBOOK NEWS:Happy Halloween at MMA!Dear Senior Parents and Friends:Believe it or not, your daughter is scheduled to graduate inJune! This is a once in a lifetime event and it is tradition at MountMercy for senior parents to place a message in the yearbook for theirdaughter. Once again the messages will be in color!You may create the ad yourself and send it in ready to beprinted, or you may send in the message and pictures and the yearbook advisor will create it. Please do not cut the pictures; this makesthe task much more difficult. I can crop them with a cropping pencilto show what part of the picture goes in. There is no harm to yourphotograph. Looking at your daughter’s old yearbooks will give youan idea of what to do. All pictures will be returned, uncut, in May.The more pictures you send, the less room you have for amessage and vice versa. If you would like to request a particular inkcolor for your message, please make a note of that.The sizes and prices are:1/8 page: 40¼ page: 60½ page: 110Full page: 200(3” H by 4 1’4” W)(6”H by 4 1/4” W)(6” H by 8 ½” W)(12” H by 8 ½” W)MMA Freshwomen as THE INCREDIBLES!Is itMrs. LeonardorCruella Deville?The deadline for submissionis January 24, 2011but early submissions are most welcome!! If you have any questions,you may call me, Pat Burns, at 825-8796 ext 205 or email me atpburns@mtmercy.org.LOOKING FOR THE PERFECT CHRISTMAS GIFTFOR ANY MT. MERCY GIRL?Are you or any of your family members looking for a gift idea for your Mercystudent? Have you considered buying her a2011 Mercienne, the school yearbook? Avoidthe extra expense of buying a yearbook in thespring and give a Christmas gift that lasts alifetime. If you want to keep the gift a secretuntil Christmas that can easily be done. Allyou need to do is send a check for 60 to Pat Burns at Mount MercyAcademy and a note that includes who the book is for and where tosend the gift certificate. A certificate will be mailed to you that can begiven to the student.If you have any questions contact Pat Burns atpburns@mtmercy.org or at 825-8796 ext 205.Tele-Tubby Freshies!Tinky, Winky and Dipsy!Hello, Flo!I mean, Bridget!