Monthly Archives: April 2021

Five MSM seniors awarded AYAA scholarships

Five Mount St. Mary senior art students were awarded scholarships from the Arkansas Young Artist Association (AYAA) during the online awards ceremony for its 2021 Virtual Competition on Wednesday, April 21. Caroline Gunderman won the organization’s top award, the $750 Carmen Alexandria “Allie” Thompson Memorial Scholarship. Kendal Betton, Charlie Colburn, Mary Owen and Anna Jewel Schluterman each received one of 13 additional $500 scholarships awarded by AYAA. Charlie was also offered a $1,000 scholarship by the Kansas City Art Institute.

 

AYAA received more than 2,200 entries from across the state in this year’s virtual visual arts competition, which was canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19. Twenty of the 76 pieces submitted by Mount St. Mary Academy students placed in various categories.

 

“We are so very proud of all of our students who submitted work this year,” Jenny Holder and Mimi Parrish, MSM art instructors, said. “The talent is undeniable, and the amount of work these students put into their artwork is abundantly evident.”

 

Congratulations to our 2021 AYAA winners:

 

  • Leighton Bennett ’21 – 1st place in crafts
  • Sophia Brannon ’22 – 3rd place in pen/ink (abstract/non-objective)
  • Charlie Colburn ’21 – 4th place in colored pencil (expressive), honorable mention in portraits (realistic) and honorable mention in printmaking
  • Alexis Coy ’23 – 2nd place in photography (color)
  • Abigail Garmon ’22 – 3rd place in sculpture (realistic)
  • Caroline Gunderman ’21 – 1st in tempera (expressive), 1st place in sketchbooks, 3rd place in oils (realistic), 3rd place in chalk pastel (expressive) and 4th in mixed media 2-D (expressive)
  • Cecilia Ilg ’20 – 2nd place in mixed media 2-D (expressive), 2nd place in colored pencil (realistic) and 4th place in printmaking
  • Brynne Johnson ’21 – 3rd place in digital manipulated imagery (with photos used)
  • Mary Owen ’21 – 2nd place in mixed media low-relief (abstract/non-objective)
  • Emily Roach ’21 – 2nd place in chalk pastel (abstract/non-objective)
  • Anna Jewel Schluterman ’21 – honorable mention in advertising design
  • Grace Weaver ’21 – 2nd place in digital manipulated imagery (with photos used)

 

AYAA is a state-wide organization whose mission is to encourage participation in the visual arts by Arkansas students through professional speakers, competitions, exhibition and scholarship. There are currently more than 1,500 student members in the organization from over 60 participating high schools across the state. It annually awards a minimum of 10 $500 scholarships to senior members in good standing.

 

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.

Class of 2022 celebrates Junior Ring Mass

The Mount St. Mary Academy Class of 2022 participated in the time-honored tradition of receiving their senior rings at Christ the King Church on Sunday, April 25. Following the call to worship by their class president, Ellen Brady, the juniors celebrated Mass with their families in preparation of becoming next year’s leaders.

 

MSM Chaplain Msgr. Lawrence Frederick blessed the rings at the end of the special Mass. Then, as homeroom teachers announced all 112 names in the Class of 2022, each young woman stood and was presented her senior ring by a family member. The rings will not only serve as a symbol of the group’s class unity and leadership, but also as an important reminder to live Mercy every day.

 

After Mass and the presentation of the rings, the rising seniors briefly gathered outside the church for photos and the long-standing tradition of asking family and friends to turn their rings. The turning represents the year of graduation; therefore, for the Class of 2022, the rings were turned 22 times.

 

Congratulations to next year’s leaders, the Mount St. Mary Academy Class of 2022!

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 Elects 2021-2022 Student Council

Mount St. Mary Academy held elections for its 2021-2022 Student Council on Monday, April 19, and Tuesday, April 20. Congratulations to next year’s newly elected officers:

 

Student Body President: Ellen Brady

 

Senior Class President: Lucy Nimmo

Senior Class Vice President: Mimi Baldwin

Senior Class Officers: Lindsey Duran, Savanna Hindman and Brooklyn Holcomb

 

Junior Class President: Anna Mammarelli

Junior Class Vice President: AnnaRose Boone

Junior Class Officers: Megan Denery, Grey Parrish and Eliza Spellins

 

Sophomore Class President: Eliza Jane Null

Sophomore Class Vice President: Kennedy Griffin

Sophomore Class Officers: Ashley Adams, Haven McCormack and Abby Whittaker

 

“This year’s election was unique due to social distancing, but the girls still did a great job with their speeches through Google Meet. I’m so proud of everybody who ran! The student body chose a wonderful group of representatives,” Noël Gieringer, MSM English teacher and student council sponsor, said.

 

Next year’s student body president, Ellen Brady, already has big goals in mind for the group of leaders. “I cannot wait to get started on plans to bring our school back together following a time during which we all felt so far apart,” she said. “My main goal is to ensure that every student at MSM feels hopeful for the upcoming school year and comfortable enough to get involved in the activities that we have missed so much this past year!”

 

As the elected representatives of the student body, student council members traditionally help coordinate and promote school events while also overseeing the execution of class projects to assist in furthering the mission of Mount St. Mary. Officers for the freshman class will be elected later this fall.

 

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.

School’s 170-year history officially recognized by the State Senate

A group of Mount St. Mary Academy students, administrators, staff and alumnae were invited to the Arkansas State Senate meeting on Tuesday, April 6, to attend the presentation of Senate Resolution 10, which officially recognized the school for its 170 years of service to the State of Arkansas. Sr. Deborah Troillett, RSM ’73 opened the meeting with a prayer, which made the occasion even more special. State Senator Missy Thomas Irvin ’89 wrote and filed the resolution.

 

Mount St. Mary Academy celebrated its 170th birthday earlier this year on February 5. Founded in 1851 by the Sisters of Mercy at the request of Arkansas’ first Catholic bishop, Andrew Byrne, it is the state’s oldest continuously operated school.

 

“Be it resolved by the Senate of the ninety-third General Assembly of the State of Arkansas that the Senate recognize and celebrate the one-hundred-seventy-year history of Mount St. Mary Academy and the transformative power of faith and knowledge.” – portion of SR10

 

You may read the special resolution in its entirety at www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Bills/Detail?id=SR10.

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.

OM team wins state tournament, will compete in World Finals

Congratulations to members of this year’s MSM Odyssey of the Mind (OM) team for placing first in their division at the virtual State Tournament on Saturday, April 10. The win earns the group a spot in the 2021 World Finals where it will compete against other qualifying teams from countries around the world.

 

This year’s team chose to solve the problem “OMER and the Beanstalk”, which challenged the students to create a mystical land inspired by selected fairy tales that a youngster character must journey through in order to learn a valuable lesson. They used unique materials like baking soda to create works of art relating to the stories represented. The team’s originality and problem-solving skills earned them high scores for their performance and in the Style and Spontaneous (improvisational) portions of the competition, and ultimately a combined score that topped the charts.

 

Mount St. Mary Academy has participated in the international creative problem-solving program promoting teamwork, STEM and the arts for more than 20 years. Since 1999, the MSM team has regularly been awarded first or second place in regional and state competitions. This marks the 10th straight year the school’s OM team has advanced to the World Finals. Last year’s team finished 13th overall in the final competition, which was held virtually for the first time due to COVID-19.

 

We wish these talented girls the best as they represent MSM and Arkansas on the international level at the upcoming World Finals: Josie Fitz ’21, Caroline Gunderman ’21, Isabel Jara ’22, Belle Mentgen ’23, Lucy Nimmo ’22, Mary Owen ’21, Clara Principe ’24, Macy Ramiro ’22 and Emily Van Ecko ’21. They are coached by Deborah Baldwin, Monica Madey ’06 and Ilia Bailey McNeal ’06.

 

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.

MSM chemistry teacher wins Stephens Award

Dr. Marty Perry, a chemistry instructor at Mount St. Mary Academy, has been named a recipient of the 2021 Stephens Award by The City Education Trust. Dr. Perry is one of just six teachers in Little Rock selected to receive a $6,600 cash award recognizing his outstanding and inspirational teaching. Over the past six years, 10 MSM faculty members have earned this prestigious honor.

 

This is Dr. Perry’s second year at Mount St. Mary Academy, where he teaches chemistry classes including Honors Chemistry and AP Chemistry. An active member of the Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) Project, Dr. Perry actively engages his students in the learning process through collaborative teamwork using guided-inquiry materials. He believes they not only effectively learn content through this student-centered instructional approach, but they also develop skills valuable for lifelong learning.

 

“College admission committees and future employers routinely identify the most important student attributes as the ability to effectively communicate (oral and written), think critically, solve complex problems, collaborate with a team, process new information, and manage time and resources,” Dr. Perry stated in the essay that accompanied his award application. “Students in POGIL and other active learning settings intentionally work on the development of these skills every day in the classroom.”

 

In addition to his teaching responsibilities, Dr. Perry also coaches the Belles’ golf team and serves on the team of students, faculty and staff that is drafting Mount St. Mary Academy’s new Honor Code. He previously taught at St. Louis College of Pharmacy for three years and at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia for 18 years.

 

“I am honored to be recognized among all the other outstanding faculty we have at MSM,” Dr. Perry said. “It is a privilege to work in an environment that actively engages students in learning and is supported by colleagues and administration.”

 

Congratulations, Dr. Perry!

 

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.