On Friday, April 22, grandparents and special friends of Holy Cross freshman students were welcomed for the annual Grandparents/Special Friends Day. More than 50 guests attended the event which included performances by the Madrigal Ensemble, the Adrenaline Dance Team, and the Irish Dance Team. All enjoyed a special slideshow of photos sent in by the freshmen families of the students with their grandparents/special friends. The highlight of the event was “Are You Smarter than a Tartan?” a special Holy Cross-style quiz game that included prizes! 

At the end of the event, grandparents/special friends posed for photos with their LOTA (Lady of the Academy).

On Tuesday, May 3, Holy Cross recognized six Class of 2016 students who will be playing sports in college. This is the third recognition of students in the Class of 2016 with a total of 16 athletes signing on to play college-level sports.

Cierra Belinkie ’16 will be playing soccer in college next year at Piedmont College in Georgia. Cierra has been extremely involved in soccer throughout her high school career, both on the Holy Cross team and on teams outside of school. She plays for the MSC Coyotes soccer team and is also involved in the organization called Sports Plus, where she volunteers with young children who have autism. Cierra is looking forward to becoming a Piedmont Lion next year!

Liliana “Lili” Caceres ’16 will be playing soccer at Salisbury University next year. She has been a pivotal member of the Holy Cross Varsity Soccer team and has also played for multiple teams outside of school, including Maryland United FC. Lili is also a summer camp counselor for at the Montgomery Soccer Academy, where she assists younger soccer players with their technical skills. Lili is honored to be a Seagull in the fall!

Anna-Sophia Capizzi ’16 will be playing basketball at Haverford College in Pennsylvania. Anna-Sophia was named All-WCAC Second team in her senior year and Third Team in her junior year from her performance on the Varsity Basketball team; she was also named MVP for the Holy Cross team in her senior year. Anna-Sophia has also been a member of the Varsity Track team for all four years of high school.

Kathleen “Katie” Clark ’16 will be rowing at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the fall. Katie has had many accolades as part of the Holy Cross Rowing team, as well as her club team at Thompson Boat Center (TBC). She was named an All-Met Honorable Mention for Crew in her junior year. She was also a member of a boat that took 2^nd place as part of the Varsity 4+ race during the Washington Metropolitan Interscholastic Rowing Association (WMIRA) Championship Regatta and competed in the C.R.A.S.H.-B Indoor Rowing Championships, as well as the Head of the Charles, the largest rowing regatta in the United States. Katie is excited to row at MIT and potentially pursue a degree in Engineering.

Alise Green ’16 will be running at Guilford College in North Carolina next year. Alise was captain of the Varsity Track and Field team and has been a crucial member to the team since her freshman year. She holds the second best record for the 100 meter dash in Holy Cross school history and is on the record board multiple times as a part of the 4x100 meter and 4x200 meter. Alise was awarded the “Most Improved Player” award in her senior year and is excited at the opportunity to continue her running career in college as a Guilford Quaker!

Grace Goetcheus ’16 will be attending Tufts University and joining the Swim team in the fall. Grace helped the Holy Cross Swim and Dive Team capture the Washington Metropolitan Private School Swim Dive League (WMPSSDL) Championship title this year and a second place finish last year. She was named the Captain of the AHC Varsity Swim team and was also voted the MVP in both her junior and senior year. Along with being a member of the Holy Cross team, Grace has participated in a summer team at Cedarbrook Swim Club for over ten years and swims on a club team year round. Along with swimming, Grace has also been a member of the AHC Crew team since her sophomore year. In her spare time, Grace has been a swim coach for younger swimmers for the last three summers. 

Leticia Candra ’16 won First Place (a $100 prize) in Painting at the 2016 Best of Independent Schools Art Competition Landon School Invitational. She won for her paining “Mortality.” The competition included over 200 submitted works. Other finalists in the competition include Rosalee Britton ’17, Caroline Kircher ’17, Ella Qiu ’17, Emily Navarro ’16, Haley Rupp ’17, and Hugh Zhang ’17.

Sister Grace Shonk, CSC has served The Academy of the Holy Cross since arriving as a young sister to teach Math in 1967. In addition to teacher, she has been Assistant Principal, Principal, scheduler and substitute administrator. This summer, Sister Grace will retire from Holy Cross and plans to move to the motherhouse at Saint Mary’s Convent in South Bend, IN.

To recognize her incredible service, the students honored Sister Grace at an all-school assembly led by the Peer Ministers on Thursday, May 5. Students shared about Sister Grace from an interview they had conducted, which included the how Holy Cross has changed during her time here, what she will miss, and her words of advice for the students. They also narrated a slideshow of photos of Sister Grace through her years here. The Madrigal Singer ensemble sang “Amazing Grace” and the alma mater.

Sister Grace thanked all gathered for the celebration and remarked that it’s “not easy to be leaving a community after all these years, especially a community where I’ve experienced such a great connection with the people. I value the efforts, the love and the concern of the faculty and staff and the students…I would say that Father Moreau’s mission and that of the Sisters of the Holy Cross is alive and well today in our school…When I leave I will carry many blessings with me.”

At lunchtime, students posed for photos with Sister Grace and were invited to sign a memory book for her.

Congratulations to the seven Holy Cross athletes who were named to the 2016 WCAC Lacrosse Girls' All Conference Teams:

First Team: Attack-Kate Taylor ’16, Midfielder-Mary Muldoon ’18, Defense-Kelsea Konz ’16

Second Team: Defense-Kelly Foley ’16

Third Team: Attack-Grace McCrery ’17, Midfielder-Michaela Lucas ’16

Honorable Mention: Caroline Menn ’16

The Varsity Lacrosse team finished their season with a 12-5 record.

Congratulations to the six Holy Cross athletes who were named to the 2016 WCAC Softball All Conference Teams:

Second Team: Casey Magersupp ’16, Sofia Muzzatti ’16

Honorable Mention: Allison Edwards ’17, Devon Lyons ’16, Julianna Renzi ’17, Gabriella Sebastian ’18

Isabel Callahan ’16 was featured in the graduation issue of the Catholic Standard on Thursday, May 19. In the article Isabel describes her plan to spend a year volunteering in Ghana and Sri Lanka before joining the Class of 2021 at the University of Notre Dame. She also discusses her experience as a Holy Cross student, the opportunities she’s had in high school, how she came to her decision to take a gap year, and her thoughts on Pope Francis. 

Read the entire article here.

Isabel is the Class of 2016 Valedictorian and will speak at the Commencement ceremony on Monday, June 6. 

Photo: Jaclyn Lippelmann, Catholic Standard

The Academy of the Holy Cross announces the selection of John Witherspoon as the new Head Varsity Basketball Coach. Coach Witherspoon is the founder, head coach and senior trainer of 1onNone Basketball in Germantown, MD. This organization has provided instruction to over 400 students in individual sessions, 25 area high school programs, and 10 AAU programs. Additionally, he has a wealth of coaching experience at the high school level, including Associate Coach of the Boys Varsity Basketball team at Bethesda Chevy Chase High School, Head Coach of the Girls Varsity Basketball fall league at Quince Orchard High school, and Assistant Coach of the Boys Varsity Basketball team at Linganore High school in Frederick, MD.

Coach Witherspoon played high school basketball at Emerson Vocational High School in Buffalo, NY where he was a key member of the City Championship team in his junior year. He played on the Bears’ team at the State University of New York at Potsdam. His post-college playing career included play in both amateur and professional leagues across the United States. Professionally, Coach Witherspoon has an 18-year career as a Montgomery County (MD) Police Officer where he currently is assigned to Special Victims Investigations Unit, Runaway/Missing/Abducted Children’s Division/Human Trafficking Task Force. Coach Witherspoon describes himself as a “gym rat” with a love for teaching and enjoying the game of basketball. He is looking forward to the “opportunity to work with the [Holy Cross] administration, faculty, students and families.” He is the father of a son and two daughters.

The Academy of the Holy Cross 2016 Commencement speaker is Mary Chris Adamec Gay. Ms. Gay is an alumna from the Class of 1985. Ms. Gay is an independent investment consultant focused on assisting start-up companies to secure financing in their initial and early rounds of investment funding. She is currently working with companies in the technology industry and the health care services field.

Ms. Gay serves on the Corporate Board of Directors for MGM Resorts International’s Audit and Compensation Committees. As part of Ms. Gay’s duties on the Audit Committee, she takes part in the Annual Compliance and Due Diligence Review for MGM China in Macau and Hong Kong.

Ms. Gay spent the first 25 years of her career in the financial services industry working for Legg Mason, Inc., a global asset management firm headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland. Ms. Gay served as a Senior Vice President and Portfolio Manager for Legg Mason, Inc. until June of 2013. At the firm’s peak in assets, Ms. Gay was responsible for managing approximately $20 billion in client assets. Ms. Gay has been featured in numerous print publications throughout the world as well as appearing on Bloomberg television in the United States and Europe.

In 2003, the Baltimore Business Journal chose Ms. Gay as one of the top 40 business executives in the Baltimore region under 40 years of age. In 2006, Global Investor Magazine named Ms. Gay one of the “20 Key Players for the Next Generation in Asset Management.” Ms. Gay served as a member of the United Way of Central Maryland’s Women’s Leadership Council for five years and on the steering committee for the Women’s Leadership Network at Legg Mason, Inc. She also served on the Finance Advisory Board at Loyola University in Maryland. She currently serves as a Trustee of the Severn School in Severna Park, Maryland. She was honored with The Academy of the Holy Cross Distinguished Alumnae Award in 2006.

Ms. Gay attended courses at Harvard Kennedy School’s Executive Education program focused on Investment Decisions and Behavioral Finance during her tenure at Legg Mason. She earned a B.A. in Finance from Towson University and a M.S. in Finance from Loyola University in Maryland. Ms. Gay lives in Annapolis with her three children. They are parishioners of St. Mary’s Parish.

The Holy Cross Commencement ceremony takes place on Monday, June 6 at 2:00 pm at the Basilica of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC.

The Washington Post All-Met players for the spring season include five Holy Cross athletes including Shannon Hanley ’16 Girls’ Tennis Player of the Year. See details here.

Girls’ Tennis Player of the Year
Shannon Hanley ’16

Girls’ Lacrosse
Second Team – Kathleen Taylor ’16
Honorable Mention - Kelsea Konz ’16, Mary Muldoon ’18 

Rowing/Crew
Honorable Mention – Kathleen Clark ’16

See full list of All-Met athletes here.

The 120 members of the Class of 2016 celebrated their graduation from the Academy with Cap and Gown, Baccalaureate and Commencement ceremonies to mark the occasion.

The Cap and Gown ceremony took place on Thursday, May 26 with students, faculty and staff. Student Council President Casey Magersupp ’16 and Senior Class President Kelsea Konz ’16 gave final addresses to the assembly.  Class of 2016 students in the IB Diploma Programme received their IB medals and Senior Department Awards were presented. 

Prior to the Cap and Gown ceremony, the Class of 2016 was inducted into the Holy Cross Alumnae Association. Francesca Rigutto Reed ’94 addressed the class and welcomed them as the newest alumnae. She encouraged the graduates to continue to be involved in the Holy Cross community. Each graduate received a special welcome gift from the Alumnae Association and all signed the Alumnae Association registry.

On Sunday, June 5, the Holy Cross community gathered at Holy Redeemer church in Kensington, MD, for Baccalaureate Mass. During the Preparation of Gifts, graduates carried mementos from significant activities, academics, clubs, etc. in remembrance of their time at Holy Cross.

On Monday, June 6, the Commencement ceremony took place at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Members of the 50^th anniversary Class of 1966 walked in the procession. Valedictorian Isabelle Callahan ’16 and Salutatorian Hania Lincoln Lenderking ’16 delivered addresses. Mary Chris Adamec Gay ’85 gave the commencement address. Following the conferring of diplomas, President Kathleen Prebble and Principal Melissa Huey-Burns presented The Sisters of the Holy Cross Award (Aleah Jensen ’16 and Elyse Keenan ’16), the Spes Unica Award (Arielle Melcher ’16), the inaugural Sister Grace Award (Nicole Clark ’16) the St. André Bessette Citizenship Award (Francesca Joseph ’16), and the Cardinal Award (Andrea Batugo ’16). At the conclusion of the ceremony, the graduates met family and friends outside the Basilica in the beautiful spring weather.

See additional details about the Class of 2016 here.

Jostens, the leading producer of yearbooks awarded The Academy of the Holy Cross’ Cross and Anchor yearbook the 2016 Jostens’ National Yearbook Program of Excellence. This is the second year in a row Holy Cross has received the award. The National Yearbook Program of Excellence recognizes engaging yearbooks that reflect a broad representation of the student body while helping students develop 21^st century skills such as communication, collaboration, and information and communication technologies literacy. 

The Academy of the Holy Cross’s award-winning yearbook was both an academic class in the Technology department and a co-curricular club led by Editor-in-Chief Sofia Muzzatti ’16, Managing Editor Kelsey White ’16, and staff: Brittney Darne ’16, Molly Monahan ’16, Isobel Hermans ’18, Claire Rowe ’16, Caroline Floam ’18, Julianne Keehan ’16, and Lauren Black ’19, under the direction of Lauren DeZinno, faculty yearbook adviser. The award was presented to the Academy for achieving the defined criteria in each of three following categories: creating an inclusive yearbook, generating school engagement, and successfully managing the yearbook creation process.

A representative from Jostens presented the award to the school community and a banner to display in the school during the underclassmen awards assembly in May.

The Academy presented the Coach Sheahan Excellence Award to Jessica Falcinelli ’17 on Monday, May 23, during the Underclass Awards Ceremony. The award, given as a surpise to the recipient, is named after the late Bill Sheahan, who coached the Academy’s basketball team to its 115-game winning streak and enjoyed a 27-year relationship with the Academy. This is the fourth year for the award that is presented to a rising senior who exemplifies the values that Coach Sheahan ascribed to in his own life and coaching style: A Christ-centered life, a devotion to family, a conscientious student, a leader and person of integrity and commitment who is loyal to herself, her school, and her community. The award includes a scholarship towards tuition. 

Jessica was nominated by coaches from two sports (volleyball and ice hockey). They wrote in their nomination:

• She is dedicated, hard-working, positive, friendly and humble
• Despite her incredible academic load, she did not miss a practice, match or tournament
• She encourages all her teammates, listens carefully to and follows instruction, and is a model student-athlete
• She had to constantly be honest with herself and assess her skills – it was this self-honesty that allowed her to continue to develop her skills and becomes a major contributor to the success of the team.

Athletic Director Lisa Schrader announced the award including a remark from last year’s recipient, Lucy Pawlowski ’16, “I felt so honored to have received the Coach Sheahan Award.  The award reminds all of us how important it is to continue supporting each other while in school and beyond.”

2016 Coach Sheahan Excellence Award winner Jessica Falcinelli ’17 
with coaches Dan Jay, Dave Geiser, and Athletic Director Lisa Schrader

The Class of 2016 were formally inducted into the Holy Cross Alumnae Association on Thursday, May 26 prior to the Cap and Gown Ceremony. Francesca Rigutto Reed ’94, who is the Vice President of Enrollment Management at Marymount University, welcomed the newest alumnae during the ceremony. “It is hard to even think now about where you might be in the next five, 10, 15, 25+ years!” she said. “Your memories of the past four years are fresh in your minds now and you will think that you won’t forget these four years. But not until later in life will you realize how Holy Cross has shaped you into the young women you are today.” She also challenged the graduates continue to stay involved through the alumnae activities and to give back to their alma mater whenever possible. 

The graduates received “AHC Class of 2016” bracelets as a welcome gift from the Alumnae Association. Many proudly wore their bracelets during the graduation activities. They each also signed the Roll of Alumnae book, a tradition started in 1992.

On Friday, May 20, The Academy of the Holy Cross hosted our 2016 Distinguished Alumnae Awards and Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. During the ceremony five alumnae received Distinguished Alumnae awards. Former Lacrosse coaches Jim Buchanan and Fred Prince as well as 39 alumnae from the 1996−2000 WCAC Lacrosse Championship teams were inducted into the Academy's Athletic Hall of Fame. Over 200 alumnae, family members and friends attended the lovely event.

The 2016 Distinguished Alumnae
Rosalie Cummings Whitlock '64
Maureen Kelly Flatley '66
Elizabeth "Betsy" Leary Sanford '74  
Mary-Beth Buckley Cooper '78
Suzanne Rich Folsom '79

2016 Athletic Hall of Fame Inductees
Varsity Lacrosse Coach James Buchanan
Varsity Lacrosse Assistant Coach Fred Prince
1996-2000 Varsity Girls Lacrosse Championship Teams

The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) recently named 47 athletes to their 35^th anniversary team of the best spring sports athletes from the past 35 years. Kristen Coleman ’07, Holy Cross Varsity Lacrosse Coach was included on the First Team.

The website reports:  

In just three seasons, Kristen Coleman dominated the record books as the all-time leading scorer in Fairfield and MAAC women’s lacrosse history. She compiled 257 career points fueled by 186 goals – also a Fairfield and MAAC record total – and also tops the Stags’ all-time list with 71 assists. She started her career as the MAAC Offensive Player and Rookie of the Year in 2008, scoring a Fairfield-record 68 goals – which stood as the MAAC record until 2016 – en route to the 90 points that also topped the MAAC ledger until this past spring. She repeated Offensive Player of the Year after an 88-pont campaign in 2009 and earned her third First Team All-MAAC nod in 2010 with 79 points. Coleman was a three-time IWLCA All-Northeast Region Second Team and MAAC All-Academic honoree. She was chosen by her teammates as a co-captain for the 2011 season, though she was out of action for the campaign due to injury. Coleman was the leading scorer on three straight MAAC Regular Season Champions from 2008-10, including the 2009 squad that won the MAAC Championship to advance to the NCAA postseason. In her three active years with the Stags, Fairfield went 18-0 in the MAAC as a part of a 47-10 (.825) overall record. 

See Kristen’s Fairfield bio here.

See entire MAAC report here.

The Academy of the Holy Cross World Languages department organized a trip to Peru in June. The 15 students and two chaperones spent nine days exploring Lima, the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, Aguas Calientes, and Cuzco.  

Throughout the journey students wrote reflections about the trip including their impressions of the scenery, the ancient ruins, local food, flora and fauna, and inhabitants. Their reflections are available on the Tartans Travel the World page here.

In preparation for the trip the World Languages department organized a clothing and school supplies drive before the end of the school year. The donations were collected for the “Hogar de Niñas Santa Rosa,” an orphanage run by the Daughters for the St. Vincent Charity under the Cusco Archdiocese. During the trip, the group traveled to the orphanage and spent an afternoon with the children, playing and singing with them, and seeing the craft shop where older children learn weaving and pottery that are sold to support the orphanage. Many of the travelers felt the visit was their favorite part of the trip.  

Giving students the opportunity for new experiences firsthand whenever possible allows them to have a stronger global perspective. Understanding the needs in other countries, and providing service to meet these needs, enables our students to become women “who responsibly meet the social, spiritual and intellectual challenges of the world."

The Academy of the Holy Cross participated in the 2016 Holy Cross Conference for Student Leaders (HCC4SL) held at Holy Cross College in South Bend, IN in June. Four seniors: Natalie Walsh ’17, Theresa Rogers ’17, Isabella Orgel ’17, and Euthymia Stratakis ’17, and faculty member Casey Robertson attended the conference designed to help students develop a wider perspective of their role in society and a greater understanding of the Holy Cross mission and heritage while fostering leadership and planning skills.

During the sessions of the four-day conference, students developed plans for ways to incorporate the greater Holy Cross charism into school culture and activities. Each of the 10 Holy Cross high schools from the Mid-West and Northeast regions shared their traditions to help develop new ideas. The team from AHC also had the opportunity to meet several of the Sisters of the Holy Cross, including two alumnae, who shared about their connection to the Academy and their journey as Sisters. While in Indiana, the team toured the University of Notre Dame, taking time to pray at the grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes and pose for photos at the famous “Word of Life” mural.

As a service component of the conference, the girls worked with a refugee family from the Middle East, helping to care for their children and clean the home where the refugees were temporarily living. 

The Academy has participated in the HCC4SL for several years. The opportunity has helped to broaden our students’ appreciation of the worldwide Holy Cross family committed to the mission developed by Blessed Basil Moreau and the network that exists beyond our campus gateway. 

Kira Myers ’17 and Amy Mortensen ’17 traveled to Scotland with their Montgomery Soccer Club, "The Stallions," in July to play four matches against teams from Edinburgh, Manchester, and Glasgow.  The team enjoyed meeting many girls from Great Britain, visiting different cities and historical sites, seeing the Scottish countryside, and visiting Manchester United's home professional stadium. It was a memorable trip and series of matches as the girls begin preparations for the upcoming season.  

The Academy of the Holy Cross has organized an annual service trip in June to Clintwood, VA for over 20 years. Set deep in the Appalachian Mountains, the town celebrates a rich cultural heritage while suffering high levels of poverty.

Sister Jean Korkisch, CSC is the founder and coordinator of St. Joseph’s Housing Repair Program – an outreach of St. Joseph’s Catholic Parish in Clintwood. The program assists low-income and elderly residents with repairs to their home. Each year hundreds of college and high school students arrive throughout the spring and summer to participate. This year 12 students and two faculty chaperones took the seven-hour ride to participate in the program.

During the eight-day trip, the group visited some of the beautiful sights in the area, worked on homes during the day, and attended programs in the evening. The projects they completed while there included rebuilding a porch and installing siding on a house that was built over a century ago. During the evening activities they learned about, got to know, and enjoyed the community. They also learned about the importance and impact of the coal mining industry in Appalachia.

For many of the students, this was their first time in this part of Virginia and first experience with the Appalachian culture. Many of them had some experience with the work they did—which included cleaning, painting, building, and repairs—but they all gained more extensive experience as well as many memories of this unique service opportunity.