Monthly Archives: April 2018

Cross Country Runner Signs with Hendrix College

Surrounded by family, coaches and friends, Mount St. Mary senior Rachel McGhee made official her commitment to continue her academic career at Hendrix College and run cross country for the Warriors next year. At the signing event MSM Cross Country Coach Chuck Toomer commented that Rachel’s commitment reflects her Personal Record or highest achievement, as all cross country runners strive for and push toward their own personal bests.

Although an injury slowed down Rachel’s senior year records, her hopes for college are to get faster and meet people willing to run a marathon with her. While she doesn’t expect to be the fastest runner on the team, she explains that her greatest strengths lie in the long distance runs.

“My favorite distance is the 10K,” Rachel said, preferring it to the shorter 5K and track events. She added, “It’s easier for me to know how hard to push myself because my biggest problem with running is that I always have excess energy at the end.”

Part of balancing the energy and workload for Rachel next year will be finding the sweet spot in managing her time between her athletic and academic life. She plans to study law at Hendrix College and says that she is equally excited about all of the academic opportunities the college affords, especially the Study Abroad Programs.

“I’m really excited to be able to go to a classroom that’s similar to Mount because they’re small and the professors really care about you,” said Rachel. She admitted that when deciding between Notre Dame and Hendrix, the choice ultimately came down to the level of personal attention she received from the staff, coach and ambassadors at Hendrix, and even the President of the College, who greeted her by name during a tour of the campus.

Rachel laughs about her initial hesitation to run cross country in college, adding that the sport she loves is one that is used as a punishment in many other sports, though she came around in the end.

“I realized that I really do enjoy cross country and the program,” Rachel said. “Being able to continue running competitively and making new friendships through it was an offer I couldn’t refuse.”

Dinner Belles Supports School and Community

The Dinner Belles dinner and auction on Saturday, April 21, showed more than 300 guests “La Belle Vie,” or the beautiful life at Mount St. Mary Academy, with a Parisian theme and an overwhelming outpouring of support for the school community. With a live and silent auction, wine pull and first-ever paddle raise for tuition assistance, this year’s event was one of the most successful yet for Dinner Belles, which benefits the school’s annual giving campaign — The Fund for Mount St. Mary.

Highlights from the live auction included VIP stress-free graduation tickets, a “Night to Remember” dinner party with Chef Paul Novicky, Steven Lagos jewelry package from Sissy’s Log Cabin and a trip for 10 to Costa Rica. In the silent auction Dinner Belles guests bid on everything from artwork and accessories to a guided duck hunt and Razorback Football Parents Weekend at the University of Arkansas, and even a beautiful array of chairs and stools painted by MSM art students.

The live auction was followed by the first-ever Tuition Assistance Paddle Raise, which raised $12,850 in contributions designated to helping MSM students and families in need of financial assistance. Guests were invited to raise their bid card as the auctioneer called out increments of money to support tuition assistance, which benefits approximately 24% of the student body at Mount St. Mary.

A filet mignon dinner was provided by Samantha and Chris Tanner of Cheers in the Heights with beverages sponsored by Christine and Jay Castillo of Anheuser Busch and Robert Weyrens of The Ridge Wine & Spirits. The MSM Class of 1985 assumed this year’s bragging rights as the class donating the most wine to the 2018 Dinner Belles Wine Cellar, which hosted a variety of wines for guests to enjoy.

Special thanks were given to Presenting Sponsor CHI St. Vincent, auctioneer Billy Hartnedy (CHS Grad and MSM Dad), and the wonderful 2018 Dinner Belles Committee chaired by MSM mom Karen Tlapek. All in all, the night was a huge success with sponsors, participants and volunteers donating their time, talent and treasure and helping to ensure the Mount St. Mary legacy for future generations. Merci beaucoup!

Photos from Dinner Belles 2018

Concert Belles Chorus Earns Best In Class Awards at State Festival

The Mount St. Mary Academy Concert Belles earned yet another “Superior” Rating at the State Choral Festival hosted by the University of Central Arkansas on April 13. Adding another plaque to an already crowded wall of awards, this year’s chorus received two BEST IN CLASS awards: 2018 6A Best Medium Female Chorus and 6A Best Medium Chorus Overall.

The State Festival by the Arkansas Choral Directors Association (ACDA) invites the best choirs from around the state to come together to make beautiful music, have fun and perform for a panel of judges. To be eligible for participation in the state festival, ensembles and choruses must receive a minimum composite rating of “Excellent” at the region Choral Performance Assessment in early March. The Concert Belles performed three songs at the state festival, two of which they had perfected since the CPA and one new piece, said MSM Choral Director Chelsea Frazier.

“Every single year, people are RAVING over what these girls can do, from the warm-up room to the stage,” said Ms. Frazier, commenting on how much positive feedback the chorus received from choir directors, other high school students and student workers from around the state. “It is such a humbling and rewarding experience, and I want [everyone] to be aware of how amazing these girls are!”

To receive a “Division I – Superior” rating at the State Festival represents “the finest possible performance for the event,” according to the ACDA website. Out of approximately fifteen other choirs within their classification, the Concert Belles received the highest total score, with their superior rating earning the distinction of “being recognized as among the very best.”

This is not the first year the Mount St. Mary Concert Belles chorus has competed against 6A medium choruses from larger schools and come away with Best in Class awards. Because of the school’s size, Mount St. Mary Academy would be considered closer to the Arkansas Activities Association 5A classification, except the all-female status combines enrollment with the all-boys school and increases the classification for choral assessment to 6A — 7A for athletic teams. Still, the Concert Belles have consistently fared well at the state festival; the chorus earned the 6A Best Medium Female Chorus and Best Medium Chorus Overall in 2017 and was awarded Best Medium Female Chorus in 2016.

Eleven Members Inducted into International Thespian Society

“Act well your part; there all the honor lies,” from Alexander Pope’s Essay on Man, serves as the motto for the International Thespian Society. Their pledge? To uphold the ideal of excellence as students of theatre and promise to perform their best, accept praise and criticism with grace, cooperate with fellow thespians and share the love of theatre.

On Monday, April 13, eleven Mount St. Mary Academy theatre students were inducted into the International Thespian Society at a special ceremony held on campus. Membership in the international organization is not only a reward for the fine work done in theatre both onstage and backstage but also demonstrates their desire to continue to work in the specialized field and contribute to the growth of better theatre in their community, country, and throughout the world. Benefits of Thespian induction include membership in the only international honor society for high school theatre arts students, leadership opportunities at the troupe, chapter, and national levels, and eligibility for scholarships, grants, and awards through Educational Theatre Association and its festivals.

Eleven MSM students inducted into the International Thespian Society:

America Alejandri, Emily Ellis, Lexie Holley, Naomi Moreland, Anna Palmer, Cabe Parrish, Kassidy Reyes, Jessica Searle, Amalie Shollmier, Charlotte Stover, and Victoria Volpi.

AYAA Recognizes Artistic Excellence at MSM

Mount St. Mary Academy students competed at the annual Arkansas Young Artist Association (AYAA) Spring Competition and Convention on April 11, 2018, where they took home nineteen awards for excellence in the visual arts. AYAA is a state-wide organization of high school students whose mission is to encourage the visual arts in Arkansas students through professional speakers, competitions and exhibition.

Students in the Arkansas Young Artist Association were awarded fourteen scholarships at the competition. Mount St. Mary Academy seniors Lauren Duran and Meredith Muller both received AYAA scholarships of $500. Meredith received the highest score of all of the applicants.

MSM art students spent months preparing for the annual competition, for which they created a wide range of artwork in all mediums, styles and subjects. Their works will be on display at the Mount St. Mary Academy Arts Night, May 3 at 6 p.m., for the school community and their guests.

Congratulations to these MSM students:

Anna Jewel Schluterman (9) 4th place All dry color medium
Caroline Gunderman (9) 4th place oil pastel abstract
Audrey Caruthers (10) 1st place portrait abstract
Stephanie Selakovich (10) 1st place printmaking expressive
Livvie Falcon (10) 2nd place scratch board abstract
Eden Sharp (10) 3rd place sketchbook
Cecilia Ilg (10) 4th place printmaking relief
Abby Yanosick (11) 2nd place charcoal expressive
Elizabeth Bell (11) 1st place Digital Art
Kara Foster (11) 4th place mixed media 2D abstract
Lauren Duran (12) 3rd place Mixed Media Low-relief abstract
Suzanne Schwander (12) 1st place Scratch board expressive
Alice Palencia (12) 1st place Digital Art (photo manipulation)
Rachel Johnson (12) 3rd place Oil expressive 3rd pen and ink abstract
Meredith Muller (12) 2nd place oil paint realism, 2nd place scratch board realism, 3rd place colored pencil expressive, 4th place portrait realism, honorable mention 2D mixed media abstract

MSM Students Hit the Road for College Trip 2018

Thirty Mount St. Mary students, along with MSM counseling staff, spent three days in April touring colleges throughout the region. The road trip included visits to colleges and universities in Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee, where students were encouraged to walk the campuses, speak with school representatives and ask questions to get a feel for some of the different college choices to consider.

College Trip 2018:

Berry College – Rome, Georgia

University of Georgia – Athens, Georgia

Auburn University – Auburn, Alabama

University of Alabama – Tuscaloosa, Alabama

University of Mississippi – Oxford, Mississippi

Christian Brothers University – Memphis, Tennessee

Rhodes College – Memphis, Tennessee

State Language Competition Yields Awards for Latin Students

Congratulations to the Mount St. Mary Academy Latin students who traveled to Searcy on Saturday, April 7, for the 2018 Arkansas Foreign Language Teachers Association State Language Competition held at Harding University.

Their proficiency in the classical language earned the students multiple awards at the competition.

Levels 1-2 Vocabulary Bee

1st Fran Edwards

2nd Belle Wade

3rd Adeline Harton

Levels 1-2 Poetry

1st Robin Stover

2nd Devin Bennett

3rd Fran Edwards

Levels 1-2 Extemporaneous Reading

1st Erin Mann

2nd Fran Edwards

3rd Adeline Harton

Levels 3-4 Poetry

1st Carol Stover

2nd Caty Nosal

3rd Annie Quo

Levels 3-4 Extemporaneous Reading

1st Annie Quo

2nd Carol Stover

3rd Catyl Nosal

All levels Cultural Jeopardy

1st Carol Stover

2nd Robin Stover

3rd Annie Quo

Forensics State Finalist and Semifinalists Announced

The Forensics Team represented Mount St. Mary well at the 2018 Arkansas Tournament of Champions held at Har-Ber High School on April 7. Avery Appleton ’20 became the first MSM state finalist since the team began competing again.

The Tournament of Champions is a culmination of the forensics season where more than 800 competitors enter weekend tournaments to compete in the art of oral presentation. Described by some as “competitive acting,” forensics competitions include events such as storytelling, poetry, informative speaking or humorous interpretation and improvisation.

Top Qualifiers at the 2018 Arkansas Tournament of Champions:

Finalist
Avery Appleton – prose

Semifinalist
Amalie Shollmier – humorous interpretation
Karina Singh – humorous interpretation
Karina Singh and Victoria Volpi – duet improvisation

Odyssey of the Mind Team Advances to World Finals

Congratulations to the MSM Odyssey of the Mind team, who placed first at the state tournament held in Springdale on April 7. This year’s creative problem-solving team chose to solve the problem Mockumentary! Seriously?, which challenged students to create a humorous documentary-style performance and portray different characters’ accounts of what “really happened” in a classic story where they appeared.

The team also won a coveted award called the Ranatra Fusca Creativity Award given to a team or individual for demonstrating outstanding creativity. The team’s unique approach to the engineering of their backdrop involved building a triangular prism with opening panels on a spinning base, resulting in a large, impressive set span relative to its small, circular footprint.

The MSM O.M. team will advance to the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals held at Iowa State University May 23–26. There they will compete with teams from countries around the world, including Canada, China, Germany, Hungary, Japan, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Malaysia, Poland, Singapore, and Uzbekistan.

As they advance to represent MSM on the international level, we wish the best for the OM team: MaryClaire Fox ’18, Bianca Littlepage ’18, Meredith Muller ’18, Breanna Racher ’18, Emily Delfos ’19, Abby Yanosick ’19, Isabella Boyd ’20 and Audrey Caruthers (manager).

Field Trip to Crystal Bridges Examines ‘Soul of a Nation’

On the day that commemorated the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., ninety-two Mount St. Mary students explored the important contributions of Black artists during the civil rights era by visiting the Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power exhibit at the Crystal Bridges museum in Northwest Arkansas.

MSM art students, AP U.S. History students and AP Seminar students studied the role of the artists and their work in shining a light on a dramatic period of change in the nation’s history. The students were given a guided tour of the exhibit, which covered a wide range of paintings, sculptures, street photography and murals from the early 1965 collaboration of the Spiral Artists to the more organized and colorful expressions of the AfriCOBRA artists to abstract art of the 1970s.

Crystal Bridges is the first of two locations in the United States to host the exhibit developed by the Tate Modern in London. After its Bentonville debut, which ends April 23, the exhibition will travel to the Brooklyn Museum in New York.