Monthly Archives: January 2019

Inaugural Day of Giving Set for Founders Day

The Mount St. Mary community will celebrate Founders Day on Tuesday, February 5. The special day marks 168 years since the Sisters of Mercy first opened the doors to what was originally known as St. Mary’s Academy in 1851. Recognized as Arkansas’ oldest educational institution in continuous operation, Mount St. Mary Academy has been providing Mercy education to young women in Arkansas ever since.

In honor of Founders Day, and inspired by the spirit of Sisters of Mercy founder Catherine McAuley, Mount St. Mary Foundation is hosting its first-ever Day of Giving. From 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on February 5, Foundation staff members, along with MSM faculty and staff volunteers, will be available in the school’s entry foyer to take donations for “the best school we know of” – in person, over the phone or online – with the goal of raising $10,000 by the end of the day.

Melissa Stiles, MSM director of donor giving and Class of 1989 alumna, has led the efforts behind organizing this exciting addition to Founders Day and looks forward to the entire school community’s support. “February 5 is not only our Founders Day, but our first-ever Day of Giving. What a wonderful opportunity to celebrate our founders and this outstanding school by contributing to our future,” she said. “It’s my hope that anyone connected to the school – students, faculty, staff, alumnae, and families and friends of the Mount – will feel encouraged to participate, no matter the size of the gift.”

Those interested in making a gift on Founders Day may do so by calling (501) 664-8006 or stopping by Mount St. Mary Academy between the hours of 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. on Tuesday, February 5. Donations will also be accepted online. An incentive for students to get involved, the class who raises the most money during Founders Day will win a breakfast catered by Chick-fil-A later this year.

In addition to the new activities associated with the inaugural Day of Giving, the annual Mount St. Mary Academy Founders Day and Sophomore Pin Mass will also be celebrated on February 5. During this special all-school Mass, the Class of 2021 will participate in the tradition of receiving their Mercy pins. These pins serve as reminders to the students to live the Mercy values in their everyday lives.

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.

Mount St. Mary to Host Second Annual Forensics Festival

Approximately 300 students on forensics teams from junior high and high schools across central Arkansas will fill Mount St. Mary Academy’s classrooms, hallways and cafeteria on Saturday, February 1, when the MSM Forensics Team hosts its second annual Forensics Festival.

The Forensics Team, comprised of nearly 30 students from all grade levels at Mount St. Mary, has been hard at work preparing for this year’s tournament with the goal of making it even more successful than the inaugural event held in 2018. If the number of entries is any indicator of the event’s potential for success, then the group will likely realize its goal. This year’s Forensics Festival has received 501 entries – nearly double last year’s amount!

The event serves as a fundraiser for the Forensics Team; proceeds from entry fees and concessions sales help cover expenses incurred throughout the busy competition season. However, according to MSM speech and drama teacher Jenny Moses, organizing a tournament like the Forensics Festival also provides students with additional opportunities to gain valuable leadership, communication and problem-solving skills.

“I love watching the confidence and poise these ladies develop in forensics, and I see a new side of this as they host other schools on campus,” Ms. Moses said.

In addition to competing, the Forensics Team will be responsible for handling several hosting duties throughout the day of the tournament, from hospitality and customer service to registration, concessions and clean-up.

“The Forensics Festival is such an exciting event for the MSM Forensics Team,” team captain Karina S. ’19 said. “It teaches us so much about teamwork, and what a good work ethic looks like.”

Though she admitted it feels a bit strange to go from simply competing to managing all the behind-the-scenes work at a tournament, Karina is looking forward to hosting. “It’s really fun when our friends from other schools get to see what our campus is like,” she said.

Ten schools, including Mount St. Mary, are scheduled to compete in the single-day Forensics Festival. Events will include dramatic interpretation, humorous interpretation, duo interpretation, oratory, informative speaking, impromptu, prose, poetry, storytelling and improv. The competition also offers two thespian events, solo musical and duet musical, for high school participants. As an officially sanctioned event by the Arkansas Activities Association, participants will be able to qualify for the Arkansas Communication and Theatre Arts Association’s Arkansas Forensic and Debate State Championship in April at the Mount St. Mary tournament. Several members of the MSM Forensics Team have already qualified for the state competition at previous tournaments this season.

Good luck, Forensics Team, and best wishes for a fun and successful Forensics Festival!

MSM Students Enjoy an Up-close Look at Washington, DC

Sixteen Mount St. Mary students spent the week of January 20-26 exploring our nation’s capital with Close Up. This year marks the 10^th year the school has participated in the experience-based, educational travel program in Washington, D.C.

The cold temperatures and partial government shutdown didn’t keep the group from enjoying a jam-packed schedule of engaging, hands-on activities. Highlights of the week-long adventure included visiting Mount Vernon, the Holocaust Memorial Museum, and the Supreme Court Building, touring the U.S. Capitol, witnessing the Changing of the Guard ritual at Arlington National Cemetery’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and meeting U.S. Representative French Hill. The Mount St. Mary students also had the opportunity to participate in debates and a Mock Congress, hear from a variety of panels, and attend School of Rock – The Musical at the National Theatre with approximately 600 students from other states who were also participating in Close Up.

“Close Up shows our students firsthand what they’ve learned in class and gives them the opportunity to fully experience our nation’s capital as well as consider their roles in our political system today and in the future,” MSM social studies teacher and trip chaperone Brendan Britt said. Britt, who participated in Close Up in high school, was instrumental in adding the program to Mount St. Mary Academy’s list of annual educational travel options in 2010.

Using the nation’s capital as a “living classroom,” Close Up seeks to inform, inspire, and empower young people to exercise the rights and accept the responsibilities of citizens in a democracy. Since 1971, it has served nearly 850,000 students and teachers from schools around the country through its Washington-based civic education programs and classroom resources.

Mount St. Mary Announces Basketball Homecoming Court

The Mount St. Mary community ended the short school week with a fun-filled pep rally on Friday, January 25. The celebration included performances from the MSM cheerleading squads and the Rockettes, entertaining skits from seniors and Student Council members, recognition of the Belles swimming and basketball teams, and the announcement of this year’s Basketball Homecoming Court.

Front row, juniors (L to R): Madi S., Anne-Marie E., and Emma O.

Back row, seniors (L to R): Alison A., Anya R., Mabry M., Emme E. and Mallory H.

The theme for the upcoming Basketball Homecoming Spirit Week was also revealed: #hashtagHOCO. The basketball homecoming game is set for Friday, February 8, in the McAuley Center. Come cheer on the Belles as they play Fort Smith Northside. The Homecoming Court will be presented, and this year’s Homecoming Queen will be announced, during a brief ceremony in between games at 5:30 p.m.

Congratulations to our 2019 Mount St. Mary Basketball Homecoming Court, and best of luck to our winter sports teams as they finish out their seasons over the coming weeks. Go Belles!

MSM Celebrates Senior’s Appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy

On Tuesday, January 8, Annie Q. ’19 received a voicemail from Congressmen French Hill asking that she call him back. The two connected after a brief game of phone tag, and Congressman Hill spoke the words Annie had been waiting months to hear: “You’re going to the Naval Academy.”

“Oh my goodness, this is actually happening” was what Annie described as her first thought upon receiving the exciting news of her official appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. “I was so grateful and amazed. There were so many emotions going through my head.”

Annie’s interest in the highly selective federal service academy developed four years ago after learning that one of her sister’s classmates, Rachel Parker ’15, had been accepted. From there, Annie got involved with JROTC her freshman year and began learning more about the Naval Academy from the program’s instructor, Sgt. Maj. R.S. Jernigan. Prior to the beginning of her senior year at Mount St. Mary, she was accepted into the Naval Academy’s Summer Seminar program. The week-long session introduced Annie to everyday life at “the Yard” and confirmed her desire to apply. “It was a sign,” Annie said. “It made me positive that I wanted to pursue the Naval Academy because I enjoyed that experience so much.”

As one of its midshipmen, Annie will attend the Naval Academy for four years on a full scholarship – a benefit provided by the Navy in return for five years of active duty upon graduation. From there, Annie, who is considering studying mechanical engineering, isn’t quite sure which path she’ll take, though she’s excited about her options.

“I think what’s good about the Academy is you get a lot of exposure to different career paths,” she said. “That real-world experience can help you decide what you want to do.”

The U.S. Naval Academy is recognized as one of the most competitive educational institutions in the country. It typically receives more than 16,000 applications each year, but offers appointments to less than 10 percent of its applicants. Annie will join Rachel Parker and Allison Polston ’16 as the Mount’s most recent graduates to attend the Academy.

“I recognize this is a really, really big opportunity,” Annie said. “I’m excited for all the challenges I’m going to face and ready to face them.”

Annie, who was honored this past September as one of five Girls of Distinction by the Arkansas Women’s Hall of Fame, will be inducted in the U.S. Naval Academy Class of 2023 on June 27. View the Instagram video posted by Congressman Hill of Annie receiving news of her official appointment here.

Save the Date for Belles Birthday Bingo

Parents, alumnae, faculty and staff, volunteers and friends are invited to come together to help us celebrate the school’s 168-year tradition of excellence at our second annual Belles Birthday Bingo on Friday, February 15. Tickets are $30 for individuals and $50 for couples, and include snacks, birthday cake, beer, wine and 10 bingo play cards per person with additional cards available for purchase at the event. Proceeds will benefit the Belle Booster Club, which supports student programs and activities at Mount St. Mary Academy. We hope to see you there!

BELLES BIRTHDAY BINGO

Friday, February 15

MSM Cafeteria

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. | Bingo from 7 to 9 p.m.

Must be 21 years of age to attend

PURCHASE TICKETS HERE!

From MSM to the State Department, Alumna Shares Inspiring Career Path with Students

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. – Mount St. Mary Academy Vision Statement

On Tuesday, January 8, a Mount St. Mary alumna returned to her hometown from Washington, D.C., as a diplomat for the nation’s lead foreign affairs agency. Special Agent Star Hy, who graduated from the Mount in 1997 and currently works for the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Diplomatic Security, visited her alma mater to speak with students about her rewarding career path, exciting experiences abroad, and the work of the State Department.

In sharing her story and accomplishments, Ms. Hy shed light on diplomacy as public service and introduced young women to the Foreign Service as a possible career path. “There are many ways to serve your country, but I think one of the outstanding options is working for the State Department,” she said. “It is an amazing career and an amazing experience.”

In addition to getting to see different parts of the world and gain valuable life experiences while being exposed to different cultures, Ms. Hy acknowledged that her work was very fulfilling, as well. “Not only do I love my job, but everyone I work with loves their job, and that’s an amazing situation to be in,” she said.

Ms. Hy, who majored in systems engineering at West Point, encouraged students to consider degrees in STEM – science, technology, engineering and mathematics – if they are interested in pursuing a career in foreign affairs. “You need three things to be successful in this job: leadership, which you gain [at the Mount], character and integrity, and you need to be a problem solver,” she said. “Being in STEM fields is going to show that you’re a problem solver, and right away it’s going to get you a leg up.”

Ms. Hy joined the Bureau of Diplomatic Security in 2009. Her initial work involved conducting criminal and administrative investigations for the State Department in Washington, D.C., as well as providing physical protection for the Secretary of State and visiting foreign dignitaries. Ms. Hy most recently completed a two-year assignment at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City, one of the largest U.S. embassies in the world, where she investigated U.S. visa and passport fraud allegations. Her next assignment will take her overseas to the U.S. Embassy in Sarajevo.

Before joining the State Department 10 years ago, Ms. Hy served as a senior intelligence analyst for the Department of Homeland Security’s Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. She also served five years active duty in the U.S. Army as a military police officer and is a major in the Military Intelligence branch of the U.S. Army Reserves. In addition to her undergraduate degree from West Point, Ms. Hy holds an MBA from Johns Hopkins University as well as master’s degrees in management and strategic intelligence from Troy University and the National Intelligence University, respectively.

Ms. Hy’s visit was part of the State Department’s Hometown Diplomats Program, in which diplomats visit educational, civic and local organizations in their hometowns to share information about the State Department’s work and why it’s important.

Student-Designed T-Shirts and Stickers Help Send Girls to School

At least four young women across the globe will get the opportunity to receive an education and fulfill their potential thanks to the positive response of the “Girl Power” pieces designed by MSM students for Bella Vita Jewelry in downtown Little Rock. More than $1,000 in profits has been donated to Heifer International’s “Send a Girl to School” initiative since the shop began selling these items in early 2018.

The MSM Art Department held a competition for design submissions after being contacted by Brandy Thomason McNair, designer and owner of the Bella Vita Jewelry, in late 2017 about creating a unique t-shirt design that illustrated the theme of girl power. The colorful design submitted by Bella B. ’20 ended up winning the voting contest that followed on Bella Vita Jewelry’s social media. In addition to printing t-shirts, Brandy also had coordinating sticker sets made that featured all the designs submitted. She and the students collaborated together to decide where the proceeds should go and ultimately decided on Heifer’s program, one that highlights the Sisters of Mercy critical concern on which Mount St. Mary is focusing this year: women.

Per Heifer International’s website: “Girls often suffer the most from gender discrimination. They are often denied the opportunity to go to school because resources are limited. Heifer International and our partners support programs designed to give every girl the chance to fulfill her potential. Join us in breaking this cycle.”

It’s not too late to support this wonderful cause. Proceeds from the sales of the student-designed t-shirts and sticker sets will continue to be donated to Heifer International until the items are sold out. You can find these items on Bella Vita Jewelry’s website, or learn more about Heifer International’s “Send a Girl to School” initiative here.