Monthly Archives: October 2018

Mount St. Mary Volley Belles Serve up a Strong Season, Bid Farewell to Outgoing Coaches

The Volley Belles recently ended their season, finishing fifth in the 6A-Central Conference. Coached by Lane West and Brendan Britt, a highlight of the year was winning the Silver Division Championship in the Lady Cat Tournament in Conway earlier this month. The team traveled to Bentonville to compete in the Class 6A state volleyball tournament, but experienced a hard-fought loss to Van Buren in four sets. Senior Belles Ava F. and Brooke H. were awarded All Conference honors. Additionally, two seniors have already committed to play in college next fall. Brooke H. plans to join the Lady Bucs at Christian Brothers University in Memphis, Tenn., and Madeline S. has signed with the Eagles of Judson University in Elgin, Ill.

This season also represented the last one for Coaches West and Britt. Coach West, who started teaching at MSM in 1995, has helped coach her alma mater for nearly 25 years. Coach Britt has assisted with the Volley Belles since joining Mount’s staff 11 years ago in 2008. Though they’re hanging up their whistles, both will continue teaching at MSM.

Congrats to the Belles, and a big thanks to Coaches West and Britt for their years of service to Mount St. Mary Academy’s volleyball program.

Mount St. Mary Academy, sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy, develops young women with a moral and intellectual foundation rooted in Catholic tradition. Mercy-minded and college-prepared, our students meet the future with wisdom, compassion and integrity.

Hard Work Pays off as Mount St. Mary Senior Signs with Judson University

Although Madeline S. ’19 jokes that it was the school’s “sushi Fridays” that sealed the deal for her, it was really the opportunity to continue playing volleyball while obtaining a degree from a noteworthy architecture program that persuaded her to attend Judson University in Elgin, Ill., next fall. On October 29, Madeline officially shared her commitment to join the Eagles in front of a gathering of family, friends and coaches.

Madeline began playing volleyball in the fifth grade and immediately fell in love with the sport. She played for MSM as a freshman, but didn’t make the team the following year. However, Madeline continued working hard through her involvement in club volleyball, challenging herself by playing on a 17 National team before turning 16 years old. Previously a hitter, she also started training as a setter and quickly became very skilled in this new position. Her dedication and perseverance paid off. Madeline earned her spot back with the Volley Belles her senior year, will soon begin her third season with 501 Volley (formerly Fatchmo Volley), and looks forward to playing at the collegiate level at Judson next year.

“Volleyball has taught me to work hard for everything, have confidence even when others doubt me, and just strive for everything in life to be at its greatest,” Madeline said. “It taught me that if you work hard enough and want it hard enough, anything is literally possible.”

MSM volleyball coach Lane West praised Madeline’s work ethic and acknowledged the contributions she made this season. “You could really tell she had been working hard and improving her skills over the past two years as she made a difference for our team this year. Her attitude and her willingness to do anything asked of her were positive for the Belles.”

Julia Fahy, head women’s volleyball coach at Judson, also noted Madeline’s work ethic as well as her energy, volleyball IQ and athleticism as qualities that will make her a great addition to the Eagles program. “We are excited to welcome Madeline into our volleyball family here. She has a bright future, and we can’t wait to see what the Lord has in store for her at Judson.”

In addition to her excitement over unlimited sushi on Fridays, Madeline plans to enjoy being close to a large city like Chicago, which has a vibrant beach volleyball scene – a sport in which her passion has grown over the past three years. She’s already been accepted into Judson’s innovative architecture program and looks forward to continuing her academic studies in an environment surrounded by smart, successful peers similar to the one she’s experienced at Mount.

“I am so very thankful that I discovered Judson University, in which I can continue working hard in volleyball while obtaining a very good degree in architecture,” Madeline said. “Judson is also a Christian school, and I am excited to be able to grow in my faith, as well.”

Mount St. Mary Academy Sophomore Payton H. Teams with PAC to Encourage Voting

It all started with an email:

“Dear Mrs. Collins,

I have recently learned that the voter turnout for midterm elections have been historically low, especially among young voters. A recent poll shows that only 28% of young adults ages 18-29 say that they plan vote in the midterms. I would like to try my best to increase the percentage by making an effort to encourage and educate my schoolmates here at Mount, as well as their families, about fulfilling their civic duties and contributing to the November 6th elections. I have pieced together a project in hopes of spreading the importance of this action to our community and I would greatly appreciate your input and approval to proceed in the coming weeks.

Sincerely,

Payton H”

From there, Mrs. Collins connected Payton with Ms. McLemore, one of the advisors of the Political Action Club (PAC), to move Payton’s ideas forward.

In order to get her peers interested in midterm elections and registering to vote, Payton thought we could have a raffle. Students can take selfies outside their polling place when they go vote or go with their parents (or have their parents take a picture). They’ll send the pictures to a PAC email address to be entered to win donated gift card prizes.

PAC will also hold a special midterms PAC meeting on Tuesday (10/30) and talk about what’s on the ballot in Arkansas, how to find out where you vote, and other election information. During that meeting, they will also make educational flyers to hang around the school.

Payton’s efforts did not go unnoticed. Her story was aired on KTHV news Wednesday, October 24th. Please click this link to see more.

Great job, Payton and PAC!

Mount St. Mary Academy Tennis Aces Season Play

The Mount St. Mary Academy Tennis Belles aced their regular season play, remaining undefeated in all games leading up to post-season play.

Advancing to Conference play:

In singles, Ty N. ’19 and Tasha M. ’22

In doubles, Hagan S. ’21 and Libby F. ’21, and Greer N. ’19 and Audrey C. ’19

Ty ’19 advanced to the first round of the State Tournament.

Congratulations, Tennis Belles and Coach Glancy, on a great season!

Mount St. Mary Academy, sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy, develops young women with a moral and intellectual foundation rooted in Catholic tradition. Mercy-minded and college-prepared, our students meet the future with wisdom, compassion, and integrity.

New Faces – Mount St. Mary Welcomes Director of Communications and Marketing

Mount St. Mary Academy is pleased to welcome Mrs. Jamie Groat. She joins our staff as the Director of Communications and Marketing.

Jamie double majored in Journalism and Art at the University of Arkansas – Fayetteville. After graduating in 2005, she joined the staff at Hendrix College as a Communications Assistant. While there, she also served as the Enrollment Communications Manager and Assistant Director of Career Services.

Jamie is excited to get back to her Communications “roots” here at Mount St. Mary. She recognizes that it will be a challenge to “learn a new community” but she is excited to continue telling the story about Mount St. Mary. “Like Hendrix College, Mount St. Mary has a rich culture of service in the community and a strong tradition of values-based education. I look forward to sharing with our community how our students and alumnae embody the Mission and Live Mercy.”

Mount St. Mary Academy Senior Cameron H. Wants to Get Out the Vote

Why We Should Vote by Cameron H. ’19

Imagine one day waking up to the news reporting that female citizens of the United States were no longer allowed to vote. Imagine the reporter on the screen saying that only men were allowed to vote; that the only opinions the government wanted to hear was that of men. While this seems far stretched and outrageous, it used to be a reality. Voting is a right that is often taken for granted, but is also a right that was relentlessly fought for.

Women’s right to vote took seventy-two years to achieve. From the day of the Seneca Falls Convention until the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment, suffragettes all around the country aided in the mission to have women’s voices heard and seen as equal to men’s. It was not a war won easily, however. Women were imprisoned and tortured because of what they were doing, yet more and more women were becoming willing to lay down their lives for this cause. They won this right for us, sacrificed their lives for this right for us. They won this right not only for themselves but all women who were born in the United States after them.

Today, women’s opinions are valued in our society. Women are not only around for childbearing. Women are recognized as strong, smart, leaders whose votes make a difference. Not only is there an easy form that you can fill out, but now when you get your driver’s license, there are convenient options to register to vote. After registering and when the time comes to cast a vote, people see the overwhelming options as intimidating. For this reason, there are websites that are made with the specific purpose of giving unbiased summaries of politicians or programs. Registering and the act of voting is being made as easy as it can be.

The government and state are not the only ones that are pressing citizens to vote. The Catholic church has identified three primary responsibilities of all citizens. These are to pay taxes, to defend their country, and to vote. The Church asks us to vote so that we can use our teachings and values to promote and defend the dignity of the human person, support the family and subsidiarity in local, state, and national institutions, work toward the common good where human rights are protected, and act in solidarity with concern for all as our brothers and sisters. Voting is actively protecting people’s rights and defending your values.

There are many reasons that could potentially fuel someone’s motivation to vote. It could be that they see it as honoring the suffragettes. It could be that they see it as a civic duty as a United States citizen. It could be that they are passionate about politics. It could be that they see their opinion as valuable and needed. It could even be a mixture of any of these. Whatever the your reasoning may be, like those who fought before you, you must be the change you wish to see in the world. Don’t be the one who silences your own voice.

Cameron distributed Voter Registration forms to all senior homerooms and encouraged her Mount sisters to get involved in the process. Like Catherine McAuley, Cameron is passionate about making a difference in her community and the world. Great job, Cameron!

Mount St. Mary Congratulates Catholic High Homecoming Court!

Mount St. Mary Academy celebrated Monday, October 8th, with a football pep rally.

The Catholic High band performed during the pep rally and the 2018 Catholic High Homecoming Court was recognized. Each young woman nominated for the Court was announced and presented with a bouquet of flowers. After a rousing game of Family Feud (MSM vs. CHS) and several spirit performances, the Court was announced.

Front L to R: Rockette representative Ashley H., Mary Chandler L., Hannah D., Ashley S., and Cheer representative Elizabeth C.

Back L to R: Courtney F., Kennedy P., and Cameron K.

Come cheer on the Rockets as they play Fort Smith Southside on October 19th. The Homecoming Court will be presented and the Homecoming Queen will be crowned.

Congratulations to the 2018 Catholic High School Homecoming Court!

Go Rockets! Go Belles!

Mount St. Mary Academy’s Dads’ Club Topples Trees

Fifteen Mount St. Mary dads and ten other Mount supporters joined together Saturday, October 6th, to assist with the removal of two dead trees on campus.

A huge THANK YOU to all those who cut, split, and stacked wood that day.

Your support is invaluable to the school community and greatly appreciated.

Mount St. Mary Celebrates the Forensic Team’s Sweepstakes Win!

The Forensics Team kicked off their 2018-19 season in Bentonville where more than 500 students competed in individual and group events. The MSM Forensics Team won 2nd Place small school overall Sweepstakes! Our students also did well in their individual areas:

Lily E. & Anna F. won 3rd place in Duet Improvisation
Victoria V. was a Finalist in Informative Speaking
Holly M. and Lily E. were Finalists in Storytelling
America A. and Sophie M. were Semi-Finalists in Poetry
Amalie S. was a Semi-Finalist in Prose
Karina S. was a Semi-Finalist in Humorous Interpretation and Impromptu Speaking

The Forensics Class Reader’s Theatre won 2nd place.

Anna, Lily, America, Sophie, and Amalie earned bids to the State Championship in April.

We are very proud of the Forensics Team and their accomplishments. Congratulations!

Mount St. Mary Celebrates the Golf Team’s Drive

The Mount St. Mary Academy Golf Belles, coached by volunteer coach Brian Loeb, had a great season.

Pictured from left to right: Emily E. ’19, Lily W. ’20, Isabel C. ’22, Lauren L. ’20, and Virginia Claire J. ’21 faced stiff competition at the State Tournament in Rogers. At the end of play, Isabel C. ’22 was named All Conference. Lauren L. ’20 was named All Conference and All State and qualifies for the High School Overall.

Congratulations Golf Belles and Best of Luck, Lauren!

New Faces – Mount St. Mary Welcomes Director of Donor Giving

The Mount St. Mary Academy Vision Statement says:

Equipped with knowledge, our graduates leave with confidence, courage, motivation and drive. Like Catherine McAuley, they are fierce pioneers, passionate about making a difference in their communities and the world.

We are pleased to welcome home one of our graduates: Ms. Melissa Stiles ’89. Melissa joins the Mount St. Mary Foundation staff as the Director of Donor Giving. Like Catherine McAuley, she has been a fierce pioneer in her field (Development) and has been passionate about making a difference in the Little Rock community.

She brings with her experiences as Senior Major Gifts Officer (CARTI Foundation), Senior Development Officer (Arkansas Children’s Hospital Foundation) and Development Director (Arkansas Community Foundation and Arkansas Symphony Orchestra). She has also been active in the community, volunteering her time to areas that she is passionate about.

According to Melissa, “This is a wonderful opportunity to serve my alma mater just like it served me.” Her goal is to grow and enhance the Foundation so “we can meet the needs of our school and her students.” She plans to focus her efforts on fundraising opportunities that fulfill that mission.

New Faces, New Spaces – International Flavor and Travel

The International Language department at Mount St. Mary Academy experienced two major changes this summer: the addition of a new staff member and travelling downstairs to the first floor of the Flake wing!

(From left) Mrs. Ruth Pineda (Spanish instructor), Mrs. Marly Gammill ’05 (French instructor), and Mrs. Maureen Stover ’78 (Latin instructor) welcomed Mrs. Mercedes Rodriguez (Spanish instructor) to the International Language department.

Mrs. Rodriguez splits her time between Mount St. Mary Academy and UA Little Rock, where she is also a Spanish instructor. Bienvenido, Senora Rodriguez!

As for travel, Gammill ’05 and Stover ’78 are actively involved in sponsoring our language trip (summer 2019) AND will be announcing the destination for the 2020 Europe trip Wednesday, October 10th.

New Faces, New Spaces – Measuring Success

Measuring student success is an integral part of the Mount St. Mary Academy mission. We are pleased to welcome two new math teachers to our staff this school year. They join a department that is determined to enrich and enhance the math experience of each young woman at Mount St. Mary.

Mrs. Teresa Chudy (from left, second), Mrs. Oceanna McMahon ’00 (fourth), and Mr. Justin Brady (right) welcome Mrs. Bobbi Barret (left) and Ms. Amber Pruss ’07 (from left, third).

Barrett will focus on Geometry and Honors Geometry while Pruss will focus on Honors Algebra II and Algebra III. Pruss also serves as the Freshman Volleyball Assistant Coach.

Also new to the department: two Promethean Boards. These interactive boards are being utilized in Algebra, Honors Algebra, Pre-Calculus, Honors Pre-Calculus, AP Calculus AB, and AP Calculus BC.

McMahon and Brady were presenters at last week’s Catholic Schools of Arkansas Professional Day. Their presentation, geared toward junior high teachers, was titled “Math + Collaboration = Future Success.” We look forward to partnering with the schools in our community to build future success for our students!