Monthly Archives: April 2017

Special Dedication and Painted Skirts Join College T-shirt Day

On April 28 the Mount St. Mary student body celebrated the college decisions of the senior class with College T-shirt Day and a special “Pizza on the Plaza.”  Seniors shared their newly painted Mount St. Mary houndstooth skirts decorated with college mascots and school logos while posing for photos with friends, teachers and classmates.

 

The Class of 2017 then invited the family of Bella Brown to join the school community for a special dedication to honor their friend’s memory with a garden of three butterfly bushes and a flowering tree. The tree’s flowers will be Bella’s favorite color, pink, and the butterfly bush flowers will be purple, the color of the school she loved.

 

Three MSM Athletes Sign with Colleges

Mount St. Mary Academy would like to recognize and celebrate the athletic and academic accomplishments of three senior athletes who signed their letters of intent over the past two weeks. Mary R., Lizzie A. and Maggie S., surrounded by family and friends, made the public decision to continue their education at the university level while also pursuing athletic careers.

 

“The entire Athletic Department and school community is extremely excited for Lizzie, Mary, and Maggie to have the opportunity to continue their athletic careers at the collegiate level,” said Athletic Director Marilyn Lenggenhager, recognizing the Mount St. Mary four-year athletes and honoring the decision made by each student and her family. “Their hard work here at Mount St. Mary Academy has paid off and we wish them well!”

 

Mary R. signed a letter of intent to play basketball with Hendrix College on Tuesday, April 18. Mary played varsity three years for Mount St. Mary Academy and was a member of the AAU basketball team Arkansas Elite. As a dual sport athlete, she also played on the Belles volleyball team. Mary is a scholar athlete and president of the National Beta Club at Mount St. Mary.

 

Lizzie A. signed a letter of intent to play basketball with Lyon College on Tuesday, April 25. A three-year varsity starter for the Belles, Lizzie was selected to All-Conference her junior and senior years and to the 2017 All-Metro Classic girls basketball game. She is also a scholar athlete and multi-sport athlete.

 

Maggie S. signed her letter of intent to join the Lyon College volleyball team on Thursday, April 27. Maggie played volleyball four years at Mount St. Mary, playing varsity three years as the middle blocker for the Belles. She was selected to All-Conference her senior year.

 

Photos from these events can be found on the MSM Flickr page:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/mtstmary/albums

 

Mercy & Me: A Celebration of Leadership

 

The fourth biennial Mercy & Me Luncheon was held on Wednesday, April 26, 2017 at the Statehouse Convention Center downtown. The signature event was created by Mount St. Mary Academy as an opportunity for alumnae, friends and family to celebrate Mercy-inspired leadership in Little Rock and beyond — from the proud mother to the business professional to the community leader.

 

The speaker for the luncheon was Linda Rowe Thomas—celebrity fashion designer, burn survivor and inspirational speaker. Mrs. Thomas’ keynote address told the story of her accident and her mother’s faith and encouragement throughout her ongoing recovery process, and she spoke about self-acceptance and opening herself to God’s love and plan for her life.

 

Prior to the luncheon, Mrs. Thomas addressed the student body in the Mount St. Mary McAuley Center, where students modeled designs from her fashion line, Romás by Linda Rowe Thomas, as well as fashions by David’s Bridal and Proposals.

 

Mount St. Mary Academy has the distinct honor of being the only all-girls secondary school in Arkansas. And throughout its 166-year history, the Mount remains a dignified, stately testimonial to the unceasing labors of the Sisters of Mercy and the more than 20,000 graduates who have emerged from the school stronger in wisdom, compassion and integrity.

 

Click here to see a video of the keynote address by Linda Rowe Thomas:

[https://youtu.be/u8yY_L1P9sc]

 

View photos from the event:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/mtstmary/albums

 

 

We Have a Winner for the Tuition Raffle

Free tuition at Mount St. Mary Academy for one year.

 

That’s what the first-ever Tuition Raffle offered parents of current students and 8th graders planning to attend Mount St. Mary Academy next year. The raffle, presented by the Mount St. Mary Belle Booster Club, was kicked off during Catholic Schools Week in January to raise funds for student activities at Mount St. Mary Academy.

 

The Bray family was the winner of the full year of tuition to be applied to the 2017-2018 school year. The drawing  was held on April 26 at the Mercy & Me student program. Thank you to all the families who participated in the tuition raffle to support extracurricular programs for MSM students!

 

 

MSM Science Teacher Wins Stephens Award

Mount St. Mary Academy science instructor Marcella Melandri received the Stephens Award by the City Education Trust at a reception on Monday, April 24. Eight high school seniors and five teachers from Little Rock schools were recipients of the 2017 Stephens Awards, which recognize teachers and students with $5,000 scholarships to outstanding students and $8,000 cash awards to selected instructors.

 

Ms. Melandri has been teaching for the past nine years at the Mount, where she has taught Biology, Honors Biology and IB Biology. She also co-sponsored the HoneyBelles team that won first place in the Lexus Eco Challenge, a national STEM competition, and she has accompanied students on trips abroad.  Congratulations, Ms. Melandri!

 

 

 

 

 

MSM Artists Highlighted at Annual AYAA Competition

Forty-five Mount St. Mary Academy students competed at the annual Arkansas Young Artist Association (AYAA) Convention and Competition on April 12, 2017, where more than 50 schools and 2,000 student members were represented.

 

In addition to viewing student exhibits and listening to the convention speakers, the Arkansas Young Artist Association annually awards at least ten $500 scholarships to current AYAA members in good standing.

 

Congratulations to these MSM students:

 

Erica Vanhaute and Kristin Divino both received scholarships from AYAA and Breanna Freeman received a renewable scholarship from Kansas City Art Institute.

 

Erica Vanhaute – 1st place Oils Abstract/Non-Objective, 4th place Sketchbook
Giselle Trejo – Honorable Mention Cut Paper/Collage
Jasmine Rico – 3rd place Sculpture Realistic
Emily Delfos – Honorable Mention Scratchboard Expressive
Audrey Caruthers – 3rd Place Pen and Ink, Honorable Mention- Sketchbook
Elizabeth Bell – 1st place Digital Art Computer Generated
Vivian Boe – 1st place Fiber Arts Expressive, 4th place Fiber Arts Realistic
Amelia Ochoa – 4th place First Year Dry Color Media
Isabella Boyd – Honorable Mention- First Year Painting
Olivia Bice – 4th place First Year Painting

 

The Arkansas Young Artist Association (AYAA) is a state-wide organization of high school students grade 9-12. The mission is to encourage the visual arts in Arkansas students through professional speakers, competitions and exhibition.

 

 

 

June Basketball Camp for 2nd through 9th Grades

Girls entering 2nd through 9th grades are invited to attend the Mount St. Mary Belles Basketball Camp. This day camp will provide instruction to develop individual  basic fundamental basketball skills.

 

WHEN

June 12-14 ,  2017

9:00-11:00am → girls entering 2nd-5th grades for Fall 2017

1:00-3:00pm → girls entering 6th-9th grades for Fall 2017

 

WHERE

MSM McAuley Center – 3224 Kavanugh Blvd, Little Rock, AR

 

COST

$65 includes camp t-shirt*  (*If registered by due date of June 5)
$50 for Basketball Skills Academy participants

 

WHAT TO BRING/WEAR

You will need to wear a t-shirt,  shorts, and tennis shoes.  Refreshments will be sold.


INSURANCE

Each camper must be covered by a family’s insurance policy.

 

Space is limited! To register for camp, download the registration form and return by June 1 with cash or check made out to MSM.

Drain Smart

Mount St. Mary will be participating in Drain Smart again this year. Junior Art student Grace C.’s design “A Day in the Creek” has been selected for installation on the storm drain located at Kavanaugh and Ash in front of Hangers in Hillcrest. Art students will be painting the design as a group so keep your eyes peeled for us!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Concert Belles – State Festival Results

The Concert Belles were AMAZING at the State Festival April 6, 2017!  They received a Division I plaque and TWO best in class awards:  “best medium female chorus” AND “best medium chorus OVERALL” for the 6A division.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quiz Bowl Honors

The Mount St. Mary Quiz Bowl team competed in the state Quiz Bowl tournament on Saturday.  The team performed admirably. 

Katie S received All-State honors and she will be invited to play in the state All-Star tournament in May.

Seniors Win Art Competition

Congratulations to Erica V. and Isabella G. Both of the students’ artwork were selected as winners in the 2017 Governor’s Young Artist Competition, and will be displayed at the Arkansas Governor’s Mansion, April 12 – May 13, 2017.

Teen Poet Wins 1st Place

Hannah B. won 1st place at the McMath Branch Library for her written poem, which she entered into the teen poet laureate contest.  She will be representing the McMath Library Branch at this year’s Arkansas Literary Festival, which is put on by the Central Arkansas Library System.  Her written poem will be competing against the written poetry winners from all of the branch libraries April 27th through 30th.  Congratulations, Hannah,  and good luck!

Mount St. Mary Academy to Honor Mercy Legacy

During the month of May, as Mount St. Mary Academy celebrates the gift of the past school year, the oldest ministry in the former St. Louis Region will be celebrating with hearts of gratitude another time of special importance.

 

To honor the Mercy legacy at the school, Mercy Moments on Our Journey will be held at Mount St. Mary Convent on Sunday, May 7th from 4 to 6 p.m. with comments at 5 p.m. Light refreshments, libations and tea will be provided.

 

Two Sisters in residence at the school, Sister Mary Ann Hardcastle and Sister Mary Jolitta Konecny, will be recognized in light of their significance. Both are graduates and former members of the faculty who have reached the graceful wisdom of 80 years this March. Due to multiple circumstances for community and ministry, the Sisters will be relocating to Catherine McAuley Convent in Barling, Arkansas. The South Central Leadership Team has communicated their wish to deed the Mount St. Mary Convent residence to the ministry leadership at Mount St. Mary Academy.

 

As with all Mercy experiences, Mount St. Mary is blessed to continue to have the presence and ministry of Sister Joan Pfauser bringing the daily gift of Mercy presence as a school counselor. The school is also privileged to have six Sisters of Mercy actively serving on the Academy and Foundation boards.

 

With deep thanksgiving to God for His faithfulness and for the courage of those who have helped bring Mount St. Mary to this point, all who have been a part of her history are invited to celebrate these Mercy Moments on Our Journey. Guests attending should RSVP to Shannon Tanner at 501.476.3367 or stanner@mtstmary.edu.

 

 

June Volleyball Camp for 4th through 9th Graders

Girls entering 4th through 9th grades are invited to attend the Mount St. Mary Belles Volleyball Camp. This day camp will provide instruction to develop individual  basic fundamental volleyball skills.

 

WHEN

June 5-7 ,  2017

 

9:00-11:00am → girls entering 4th-6th grades for Fall 2017

1:00-3:00pm → girls entering 7th-9th grades for Fall 2017

 

WHERE

MSM McAuley Center – 3224 Kavanugh Blvd, Little Rock, AR

 

COST

$65.00 includes camp t-shirt*  (*If registered by due date of June 1)

 

WHAT TO BRING/WEAR

You will need to wear a t-shirt,  shorts, knee pads and tennis shoes.  Refreshments will be sold.

 

INSURANCE

Each camper must be covered by a family’s insurance policy.

 

Space is limited! To register for camp, download the registration form and return by June 1 with cash or check made out to MSM.

 

MSM Teams See Success at State Competitions

Mount St. Mary Academy teams performed well in several State Tournaments held during the weekend of April 1.

 

Mount St. Mary Latin students received eight first-place awards and 24 awards for top-three placings at the State Latin Competition held at Harding University. The competition included a variety of categories, such as Poetry Recitation, Latin Extemporaneous Reading and Vocabulary Bee.

 

At the Arkansas Odyssey of the Mind State Tournament, the Mount St. Mary team placed first for their creativity and problem-solving abilities applied to this year’s problem, “It’s Time, OMER” in Division III. The seven team members will advance to the World Finals at Michigan State University in May.

 

The Mount St. Mary Quiz Bowl team competed admirably in the state Quiz Bowl tournament held at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith. Katie Strickland received All-State honors, and she will be invited to play in the state All-Star tournament in May.

 

Fourteen Mount St. Mary forensics team students qualified for and competed at the State Tournament of Champions. The forensics team focuses on developing students’ public speaking and communication skills. The team received charter member status in February.