The Academy of the Holy Cross is part of a global consortium of Holy Cross schools who are all connected by the vision of Blessed Basil Moreau. President Katy Prebble, Director of Student Activities Phyllis Ouellette, and College Counselors Rebecca Allen and Kelly Fitzpatrick participated in the Holy Cross Institute’s 2017 Convocation at St. Edward’s University on April 1 and 2. The theme of this year’s convocation was “The Work of Each and Everyone: Preserving and Promoting the Mission of Holy Cross Education.” The program brought together Holy Cross educators from around the globe.

A highlight of the program was the keynote presentation “Redeeming Administration” delivered by Dr. Ann Garrido, Associate Professor of Homiletics at the Aquinas Institute of Theology. The program included numerous breakouts relevant to educators and unique to the Holy Cross educational charism. During the weekend, alumnae from the Academy who are currently attending St. Edward’s joined the conference and connected with our attendees. Ms. Prebble and Ms. Ouellette also met three Holy Cross Sisters who were attending the conference: Sister Esther Entsiwah, CSC from Ghana, Sister Beatrice Driwaru, CSC from Uganda, and Sister Diane Cundiff, CSC Principal of Colegio Santa Maria in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

The Holy Cross Institute is a national network of secondary schools, colleges and universities founded and sponsored by the Congregation of Holy Cross in the United States. The institute hosts educational, spiritual and service programs throughout the year for students and educators.

Rebecca Allen, Kelly Fitzpatrick, Phyllis Ouellette, and Katy Prebble with Alumnae who are
now attending St. Edward's

Phyllis Ouellette and Katy Prebble with Sisters Beatrice and Esther

 
Katy Prebble with Jennifer Dillon ’06 who also attended the Convocation

On Thursday, April 6, Sister M. Veronique (Wiedower), CSC visited The Academy of the Holy Cross. Sister Veronique is the President of the Sisters of the Holy Cross Leadership Team and will give the commencement address at the 2017 graduation ceremony on Monday, June 5. Sister Veronique met with Class of 2017 Student Council members to hear about their experience at Holy Cross. A special reception after school for Sister Veronique was attended by faculty/staff and Board of Trustee members.

A native of San Diego, California, Sister Veronique has spent her religious life serving in the Western United States and at the Motherhouse of the Sisters in Notre Dame, IN. Her years of ministry have been as teacher and liturgical director at the secondary and college level, as well as serving on diocesan committees and as Director of Women Religious. Her love of young people moved her to the ministry of formation, where she served as spiritual director and mentor for college seminarians and for the newer members of her own congregation. She served two terms in administration for the Sisters of the Holy Cross which allowed her the privilege and joy to visit the sisters around the world and deepen her commitment to and love of the international dimensions of the Congregation. In 2014, she was elected to a five-year term as President for the Sisters of the Holy Cross. In this ministry of leadership, she and her team facilitate the oversight and administration of over 400 Sisters who serve in eight countries, on four continents.

The Academy of the Holy Cross welcomed, 45 students into the World Languages honor societies–Société Honoraire de Français (French Honor Society), Societas Honoraria Linguae Latinae (Latin Honor Society), and Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica (Spanish Honor Society) during a special induction ceremony on Wednesday, April 19. These students have demonstrated excellence in their study of World Languages over several consecutive semesters.

Principal Melissa Huey-Burns welcomed the students and families attending the ceremony. Students then read prayers in each of the three world languages. As students were inducted they lit candles as a symbol of their commitment to and love of learning a world language. Students also received certificates of membership in the societies. To conclude the ceremony, Assistant Principal for Academics Rodney Larsen spoke about the derivation and meaning of the word “congratulations”. 

Latin Honor Society
Bridget Brown ’18
Keilah Callahan ’17
Adriana Colburn ’18
Leilani Chew ’18
Isobel Hermans ’18
Catherine Kiyonaga ’19
Liz Li ’18
Shauneen Miranda ’18
Lindsay Wright ’18

French Honor Society
Jeasmine Ebessa ’18
Claire Guarini ’18
Elizabeth Haywood ’18
Brigid Johnston ’18
Sharvari Puri ’18

Spanish Honor Society
Alyssa Acosta ’18
Aeiriel Ahadi ’18
Jazmin Campbell ’18
Haley Hogan ’18
Chewon Kwak ’18
Lauren Clancy ’18
Sara Castellano ’18
Margaret Cosgrove ’18
Maureen Cosgrove ’18
Caroline Floam ’18
Sara Folger ’18
Katrina Hebert ’18
Lindsay Konz ’18
Sofia Koudjeti ’18
Alexandra Lauderdale ’18
Elise Mitchell ’18
Stella Mitchell ’18
Mary Muldoon ’18
Helena Orrego ’18
Amanda Primosch ’18
Alexa Rios ’18
Caroline Ryan ’18
Margaret Ryan ’18
Andrea Shirdon ’18
Courtney Shuck ’18
Jordan Shuck ’18
Natalia Taaffe ’18
Sophia Wagner ’18
Emily Walsh ’18
Alexandra Whittington ’18
Estela Villafane ’18

A special Pinning Ceremony was held on Monday, April 24 to recognize the outstanding work of the 13 Class of 2017 International Baccalaureate Diploma Candidates. As part of the ceremony, candles were lit symbolizing the three areas of the IB Diploma: Theory of Knowledge, Extended Essay, and Creativity, Action, Service.

After receiving their IB pins, which they will wear at graduation events, the candidates signed an IB banner which has been signed by previous IB candidates.

Class of 2017 IB Diploma Candidates
Rebecca Arce
Bernadette Badamo
Elizabeth Bruno
Jessica Falcinelli
Emma Falkenstein
Jacqueline Kerlin
Evangeline McNabb
Lauren O’Leary
Isabella Orgel
Madeline Ratnavale
Mary Schech
Grace Tarbrake
Julia Urban

During a special assembly on Monday, April 24, seven Class of 2017 athletes were recognized for committing to play a sport next year in college. This is the second recognition of students in the Class of 2017 with a total of 11 athletes committing to play college-level sports.

Lizanne Passaro ’17 will be continuing her swimming career at Mount St. Mary’s University. Lizanne loves the water and loves swimming, especially when she gets to teach young children how to swim. She is a lifeguard during the summers and takes her job seriously. She has translated her love of swimming to her favorite day of the year, the Race for the Cure, a three-mile open water swim whose proceeds go to research at the Johns Hopkins Comprehensive Cancer Center. When she's not in the water, she's been a pivotal member of Campus Ministry.  

Dorothy “Dori” Mesmer ’17 will complete for Virginia Tech's DI tennis team. She has been a member of the varsity tennis team here at Holy Cross and has been the captain for the last two years, elected by her peers. Voted by her coach as the MVP over two different seasons, Dori is dominant on the court. Off the court, Dori is a member of the Young Conservatives club and she has also been a leader in the Tartan Spirit and Booster club, and she puts her tennis skills to good use as an instructor for the Special Olympics.

Next year, Amy Mortensen ’17 will be competing for the varsity soccer team at Rollins College. Amy has been a standout player on the Holy Cross soccer team, has played for several travel teams and has competed internationally. While soccer is her true love, she also participates as a student ambassador, coaches younger children, and is a beloved camp counselor. 

Jessica Falcinelli ’17 will be continuing her volleyball career at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University where she will be studying aeronautical science, (as well as possibly double majoring or minoring in astronomy, or minoring in meteorology). This 2016 recipient of “The Coach Sheahan Excellence Award” and All-WCAC Volleyball Honorable Mention recipient has earned accolades here for her leadership on the Volleyball and Ice Hockey teams, her involvement in a vast array of extracurricular activities, her deep dedication to her Catholic faith and her commitment to her family, and her strong academic record.

Gianna Carmona ’17 has been a standout on our varsity volleyball team here at Holy Cross and she will take her talents with her next year to Frostburg State University. For four years, Gianna has been part of our WCAC league championship volleyball team and as a senior, earned herself WCAC Honorable Mention recognition. She was named MVP by her coaches in Freshman year in both basketball and volleyball. When she's not competing on our court, Gianna can be found playing for her club team or as an integral member of the Onyx Club. 

Emma Falkenstein ’17 will continue her rowing career at the Hobart & William Smith Colleges where she will also major in International Relations. At Holy Cross, Emma has been a competitive rower and swimmer, and she leads and encourages her teammates as captain of both teams. Emma is also a prized student ambassador, an advisory rep for Student Council and an active member of our Girl Up! organization.

Amber Onyekwere ’17 will be playing basketball next year for the Salisbury University Seagulls. As senior Captain of the Holy Cross team, Amber has led her teammates on and off the court. She received the Tartan Award in both Junior and Senior year from her team coaches. Also a lector at her church, a Student Ambassador, and a member of many other student organizations here, she's excited to take her talents to the next level. 

Catherine Kiyonaga ’19 and Latin Teacher Rachel Mullervy

Catherine Kiyonaga ’19, a student in Latin IB SL I, won the gold medal summa cum laude award on the National Latin Exam - level 3. The National Latin Exam, sponsored by the American Classical League and the National Junior Classical League, is a 40-question test offered to students on seven levels.

The gold medal summa cum laude is the highest award offered on the exam and requires students to get no more than 5 questions wrong.

Catherine was recognized and presented her medal at an all-school assembly on Monday, April 24.

On Friday, April 28, grandparents and special friends of Holy Cross freshman students were welcomed for the annual Grandparents/Special Friends Day. The celebration included performances by the Madrigal Ensemble and the Adrenaline 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). 

The Holy Cross Track and Field team participated in the Penn Relays on Thursday-Friday, April 27-28 at the University of Pennsylvania. The event is the oldest and largest track and field competition in the United States, hosted annually since April 21, 1895.

Holy Cross had great results this year!

The 4x100m Relay Team (Jeasmine Ebessa ’18, Kierra Marshall ’20, Amy Mortensen ’17, Tori Kestel ’19) had a finish time of 50.96 finishing 80^th of 350 teams. This is the first time the Tartans have placed in the top 100 and the top 25% of all the high school teams competing. This is the fastest time in Holy Cross history since 1988, missing the all-time school record by .06 seconds. An incredible accomplishment!

The Tartan Crew team took second place in the Women’s First Varsity 4+ at the Maryland State Championship in Chestertown, MD on Sunday, April 30. The boat included Catherine Kiyonaga ’19 (stroke), Erin Hicks ’17 (3 seat), Emma Falkenstein ’17 (2 seat), Elizabeth Girard ’17 (Bow), and Jessica Snowden ’17 (coxswain).

On Wednesday, May 3, Holy Cross celebrated Asian American Heritage Month with a special assembly coordinated by the Asian American Student Association.

The assembly began with guest speaker, Dr. Elia Femia, who is the Scientific Review Officer for the National Institute of Health Center for Scientific Review. Dr. Femia leads review meetings that conduct peer review of applications in Small Business Innovative Research. Her work has been published in well-known research journals and presented at national and international conferences. She is an entrepreneur and former adjunct assistant professor at Penn State. In her talk, Dr. Femia spoke about her journey as an Asian American.

The program included an educational slide show and presentation about popular tourist destinations in Asia, and a lighthearted video, created by the girls, about different types of Asian food. Then three musical numbers were performed: a dance performed by Sirigorn Valairuch ’18, Haley Kraus ’19, Mackenzie Blount-Rich ’20, Belane Ayelework ’19, and Janet Martins ’19 to a Korean pop or “K pop” piece; a lively solo dance performed by Ivy Peng ’19 to a second popular Korean song; and a Chinese folk song sung and played on guitar by Hugh Zhang ’17.

May was designated as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month by Congress in 1992 as a celebration of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States. The month of May was chosen to commemorate the immigration of the first Japanese people to the United States in May 1843 and the completion of the transcontinental railroad in May 1869. The majority of the workers who laid the tracks were Chinese immigrants.

The Academy of the Holy Cross President Katy Prebble received the John Carroll Society Medal at the society’s annual awards dinner recognizing Catholic schools on Saturday, May 6. Katy was recognized for her more than 40 years of dedication to Catholic education. The heads of Stone Ridge, Visitation, and St. John’s were also recognized for their leadership. The society noted of the honorees, “Each one plays an integral role in sustaining the work of the Church, serving our Archbishop, strengthening our Catholic faith lived, and, in partnership with parents and extended families forming young men and women to make a difference in the world.”

The society sponsors the annual Margaret Mary Missar High School Essay Competition. Holy Cross students participated in the competition, in which they wrote essays on the theme “Service, the Pathway to Holiness,” that recognized the recent canonization of St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta and her inspirational life of service to the poor and infirm. Olivia Young ’20 was awarded First Place and a $2,000 tuition scholarship for her essay. She was recognized at the annual awards dinner for her achievement. Additionally, Emily Dimond ’19, Mary Muldoon ’18, Anna Owens ’20, Fiona Sheridan ’20 received Honorable Mention for their essays.

The John Carroll Society, founded in 1951, and named after the first Catholic Bishop in the United States, is dedicated of the service of the Archbishop of Washington. The society’s primary purpose is to promote the enhancement of spiritual, intellectual and social fellowship among its members and guests.

It was with sadness that The Academy of the Holy Cross received news of the death of P. Kelly Mikules, 71, on Tuesday, May 9, 2017. Kelly, whose wife Carol Ann Hook Mikules was an alumna from the class of 1963, was a generous Holy Cross donor. Following Carol’s death in 2009, Kelly funded a $300,000 endowment in Carol’s name for scholarship. Additionally, he supported events of the lacrosse teams during their spring trips to California. Most recently, Kelly was a major contributor to The Difference We Make Campaign which allowed for the air conditioning of the Carol Ann Hook Mikules ’63 Student Commons.

Kelly was a native Washingtonian and graduated from Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, MD with a degree in Biology. He and Carol met while she was a student at Holy Cross. It was Carol’s great love for the Academy, which inspired Kelly’s generosity. They were married for 43 years and have two children, Michele and Bryan and four grandchildren, Kelly, Carson, Kate and Chloe. He was a successful business man for 43 years. Throughout his life his priority was his family. He enjoyed traveling with his family and living a full and active life. He was known to write tributes and poems for his loved ones, and wrote a book for his children before they left home entitled “Pearls for My Children: 100 useful lessons about life.”

He will be missed by our community. God grant him eternal rest, O Lord.

Read Kelly’s obituary in The Washington Post here.

The Academy of the Holy Cross has once again earned the Jostens’ National Yearbook Program of Excellence for 2017 Cross and Anchor yearbook. Jostens is the leading producer of yearbooks. This is the third 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 Isobel Hermans ’18, Managing Editor Jennifer Case ’17, and staff: Cassidy Accardi ’17, Haley Hogan ’18, Sophia Garcia-Zafis ’17, Samantha Copeland ’18, Carmen DiPippo ’17, Emily Dimond ’19, Gabriella Sebastain ’18, Emily Ryan ’17, Alexa Rios ’17, Mary Rowedder ’18, and Jessica Snowden ’17 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 assembly on Monday, May 15.

On Friday, May 12, The Academy of the Holy Cross hosted the 2017 Distinguished Alumnae Awards and Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. Karen Schmelzer Jacobsen ’81 and Dominica Groom ’00 received the 2017 Distinguished Alumnae Award. The members of the 2004 and 2005 Tennis teams and their coaches, Suzy Ornstein-Fleming and Ali Yagci were inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame. The event was attended by friends, family and fellow classmates of the alumnae being recognized.

In 1985 Karen Schmelzer Jacobsen ’81 has dedicated her life to serving those in need. She first worked as a social worker for Covenant House serving runaway and homeless youth. Then she and her husband Kerry became live-in caregivers for 23 boys ages 6-21 at a residential school for children with intellectual disabilities in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. In 1995 Karen and Kerry began working for The Emmaus Community of Pittsburgh as direct support professionals. Emmaus is a faith-based non-profit that provides permanent residential homes and community-based services for adults with intellectual disabilities and autism. At Emmaus, people with and without disabilities break bread with one another, recognizing the beauty, the dignity and the gifts that each person has to share. Karen served in many capacities at Emmaus before becoming executive director in 2008. She is extremely active in the cause for people with developmental disabilities. Karen was nominated by classmate Kathleen Burgess Clark who spoke abou how Karen’s life has been a testimony to the Holy Cross mission. During her speech, Karen remarked about how proud she was that Holy Cross has grown the Moreau Options Program.

Dominica Groom ’00 is the senior director for Global Sustainability and Supplier Diversity at Marriott International. She has been instrumental in leading the company to elevated supplier diversity success and global recognition, including generating increased opportunities for diverse-owned businesses across Marriott’s global portfolio of 30 brands. She actively volunteers across various non-governmental organizations, including serving in various board and leadership capacities. Dominica also leads recycling and waste reduction efforts to support Marriott’s global sustainability platform. Dominica was recognized as one of the “Top 100 Women” in the state of Maryland by The Daily Record. She was named as one of the top “Leading Women,” under the age of 40, in the state of Maryland and was also named a “Top Influential Leader in Diversity” by the National Association for Minority Companies. Dominica was nominated by classmate Megan Hendon Harbold ’00 who shared from many of her fellow Class of 2000 Ladies of the Academy about the impact Dominica has had in their lives.

The Academy of the Holy Cross’ 2004 and 2005 Tennis teams exhibited a mark of superiority with the WCAC Finalist and Championship titles. In the 2004 season the Tartans compiled a 9-2 record under coach Suzy Ornstein-Fleming and captured the second-place spot in the WCAC. Angela Fuccillo ’06 was named First Team All-Gazette in 2004 and Courtney Radcliff ’06 received All-Gazette Honorable Mention. In 2005, the team completed their season with a 14-0 record, winning six of nine matches in the championship finals. Angela and Maria Fuccillo ’09 were named First Team All-Gazette in 2005 in both the Singles and Doubles category. Angela remarked on the closeness and supportiveness of the teams. She noted that tennis can appear to be an individual sport, but that the importance of the team is what certainly helped the Tartans achieve the title.

2004-2005 Tennis Teams:
Brittany Bigelow ’05
Melanie Concordia ’07
Kelsey Daniels Glading ’06
Grace Ellis ’06
Angela Fuccillo ’06
Maria Fuccillo ’09
Samantha Hopkins ’09
Bridget Kerner ’07
Colleen McNish ’06
Alicia Migliorini ’06
Lindsey Monroe ’06
Tina Pappas Cron ’05
Courtney Radcliff ’06
Mary-Kate Rasa ’05
Kathryn Sturm ’08
Carly Yoo ’08

The Catholic Standard’s upcoming issue features Brittany “Britt” Menjivar ’17, who has made an impactful mark in the literary life at Holy Cross during her four years. The article notes that Britt’s love of telling stories began at age three and has bloomed into activities that have carried through her high school days. Britt demonstrates leadership in many areas of her life, both in an out of school and she’s always willing to take on a new challenge. Next year she will double major in English and film at Yale University.

Read the Catholic Standard article here.

The Academy presented the Coach Sheahan Excellence Award to Jeasmine Ebessa ’18 on Tuesday, May 23, during the Underclass Awards Ceremony. The award, given as a surprise 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 fifth 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.

Jeasmine was nominated by Outdoor Track and Field Coach Bryan Hoffman who wrote, “[Jeasmine] is a wonderful individual to coach and her personal and family values show true with each action she takes.  Her faith is important to her and guides the decisions she makes. Her teammates look up to her and my entire coaching staff is amazed at what she can accomplish when she takes the lead. If something needs to be done, there is no hesitation in asking her to manage it and we know that it will not only be done on time, but correctly.”

Athletic Director Lisa Schrader announced the award and included a remark from last year’s recipient, Jessica Falcinelli ’17, who noted how special it was to receive the award.

Four girls in the Class of 2018 were recently recognized for their academic achievement in science.

	Brigid Johnston ’18 George Washington University, School of Engineering and Applied Science, High School Medal: Awarded to a Junior who has achieved the highest cumulative grades in the fields of mathematics and science in her graduating class.
	Evelyn Xiao ’18 The Rensselear Medal: The Medal was first presented in 1916 with two purposes: to recognize the superlative academic achievement of young men and women, and to motivate students toward careers in science, engineering, and technology.
	Kiara Beckham ’18 Bausch & Lomb Honorary Science Award: Founded in Rochester, NY in 1835, Bausch & Lomb is the preeminent global technology-based healthcare company for the eye. Together with the University of Rochester, this award is presented to a student with high achievement and rigor in science classes: and one who has high math scores on the PSAT.
	Sharvari Puri ’18 Xerox Award for Innovation and Information Technology: The Xerox Corporation was founded in Rochester in 1906 and has emerged as one of the world’s top technology pioneers conducting work in color science, computing, and other disciplines related to printing and document management. The Xerox Award recognizes students who share in the pursuit of innovative approaches and appreciation for the possibilities of technology.

The Holy Cross Social Justice Award is given to students in each grade level that best represents Holy Cross’ commitment towards serving those in our communities that are most in need. The awardees help to spread the love of Jesus preached in the Gospel through their service and have reached out to work in different communities across our region.

The Junior, Sophomore and Freshman recipients of the Social Justice Award were recently recognized.

Class of 2018: Samantha Miller Devan O’Neil Megan Witt

Class of 2019: Maria Maloney Grace O’Connor Lucy Young

Class of 2020: Catherine Hunt-New Bridget Malone Abigail Malone Shelby Wilson

The Class of 2017 Social Justice awards will be presented during the Cap and Gown Senior Awards ceremony.