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Wildcat Weekly
A Weekly Newsletter from St. Mary's Academy 
The Wildcat Weekly includes news from the Academy and updates on events and activities. Watch for the Weekly in your email inbox every Wednesday afternoon that school is in session.  If you have news to share, please email Lindsey Lopez in the President's Office at [email protected]. And, be sure to click here to read my weekly blog. 
Deirdre V. Cryor
Academy President 
Lower School Represents SMA at DI Global Finals 
Three of SMA's Lower School Destination Imagination teams just concluded a great week in Knoxville, Tennessee at the competition's annual Global Finals. They were among 17,000 people in attendance, which included representation from 17 foreign countries, over 8,000 participants, and more than 1,500 teams.  

Most challenges had over 80 teams in each division and SMA's teams all finished very well: 
  • The all-fifth grade team of Scientific Psyclones, including Courtney Capoot, Cedric Choi, Lucas Ferguson, Rashika Kartik, Caley Tamondong and Georgia Winkler, finished in fifth place in the Sound Waves group.  
  • Taking 11th place in Feary Tales was SMA's all-third grade team (pictured above) including Madeline Carr, Caitlin Crysel, Hannah Reyes, Emily Rodriguez and Isabel Shaw.  
  • The 4/5 team of rapping grannies who included fourth grader Claire Malik and fifth graders Annie Peragine, Emma Seneshen, and Kate Seneshen in Brand Aid finished 12th of 83 teams!
Participants reported that this year's Instant Challenge proved to be very hard. One team had to sink paper cups and another create a fountain. Beyond the challenges, students had plenty of time for fun and participated in the competition's beloved tradition of Pin Trading.  Pictured at right is one student's pin board displaying quite the collection!

Congratulations and thank you to all participants, families, coaches, and Lower School faculty who made the experience possible for the students.  What a way to finish the year!
HS Student-Athletes Celebrated at Sports Awards Ceremony

The Spring Sports Awards Ceremony took place on Thursday, May 21 in our brand new Community Center Duncan Lunchroom.  Students, faculty, families, and friends gathered to honor over 80 athletes who competed for SMA.

 

Among the many highlights of the evening was senior Mary Tezak's remarks about what it means to be a student-athlete at SMA, or as some students have coined the term, a "Sporty Smirl."  Click here to read her remarks.

 

Congratulations to our student-athletes on a great spring season!  Listed below are notable awards given at the Ceremony:

 

ALL-LEAGUE HONORS

  • Alex Weil, Tennis 1st Team, #1 Singles
  • Lexi Maerz, Lacrosse 1st Team
  • Annie Hess, Lacrosse 2nd Team
  • Jenny O'Brien and  Becky O'Brien, Tennis 2nd Team, #1 Doubles
  • Gabby Grant, Lacrosse Honorable Mention
  • Keriann DeLine, Lacrosse Honorable Mention
  • Rachel Cella, Soccer Honorable Mention
  • Kierstyn Leo, Soccer Honorable Mention

ACADEMIC AWARDS

 

CHSAA Academic All-State Teams

  • Varsity Lacrosse- 3.7
  • Varsity Tennis- 3.8
  • Varsity 2 Tennis- 3.6
1st TEAM ACADEMIC
  • Lauren Clarke
  • Sophie Finke
  • McKinley Hamilton
  • Jolie Klefeker
  • Natalie Levitt
  • Morgan Mahre
  • MacKenna Norris
  • Jenny O'Brien
  • Becky O'Brien
  • Anna Stenson
  • Emily Sutherland
  • Hannah Taylor
  • Mary Tezak
  • Alex Weil
ACADEMIC HONORABLE MENTION
  • Chloe Armstrong
  • Ahtziri Rodriguez
  • Maddie Shepardson
  • Holly Sommers
  • Emma Taylor-Kilian 
3 SPORT ATHLETES
  • Avery Butler- Field Hockey, Basketball, Soccer
  • Isabel Forward- Cross Country, Swimming, Soccer
  • Summer Hepp- Cross Country, Swimming, Soccer
  • Sophia Richardson- Cross Country, Swimming, Soccer
  • Raegan Rychecky- Field Hockey, Basketball, Soccer
  • Ambar Solis- Volleyball, Basketball, Lacrosse

COACHES AWARD RECIPIENTS

  • Anna Stenson, Varsity Lacrosse
  • Nicolette Ohlsen, JV Lacrosse
  • MacKenna Norris, Varsity Golf
  • Morgan Mahre, Varsity Soccer
  • Gabby Lopez, JV Soccer
  • Jenny O'Brien and Becky O'Brien, Varsity Tennis
  • Gabby Lorance, Varsity 2 Tennis
  • Amy Burke, JV Tennis
VARSITY AWARDS
  • Lexi Maerz, Lacrosse
  • Sydney Leen, Golf
  • Rachel Cella, Soccer
  • Alex Weil, Varsity Tennis
  • Sarah Emmanuel, Varsity 2 Tennis
Who is Ready for Summer Camp?!?
Finalize your children's summer plans with a number of activities being offered through Academy Adventures and Wildcat Sports Camps!

Click here to see the schedule for 2015 Academy Adventures summer camp and additional camp programs facilitated by St. Mary's Academy including Count Me In math camps for Lower School age girls and Get it in Writing essay booster course for Middle and High School age students. 


Wildcat Sports Camps registration is also still available!  Gain skill development and game experience in lacrosse, cross-country, tennis, field hockey and volleyball!  Click here to check out all the athletic camps offered this summer and to register today!
All Academy & Community Happenings
  • Take a look at SMA's YouTube channel, SMAWildcatTV to see a time lapse video of the Pam Bent Turf Field installation that Mouse Mischief member and junior Meme Fisseha produced!  SMA remains sincerely grateful to all who made this project possible on campus!
  • Englewood Library is sponsoring Amelia Edwards: Journey Up the Nile presented by David & Jill Pepper of the Egyptian Study Society on Sunday, May 31 at 1:00 PM in Hampden Hall at Englewood Civic Center.  Amelia Edwards was a fascinating explorer and writer who visited Egypt in the late 1800s. The lecture is free and for all ages!
  • Denver Ballet Guild invites girls in grades 6-12 to join Les Cygnettes (grades 6-8) and Les Demoiselles (grades 9-12)!  Programs dedicated to inspire teen girls to love the arts, Les Cygnettes and Les Demoiselles attend major performances as a group on Sunday afternoons throughout the year, turning an afternoon at the theatre into an enjoyable, social event.  Les Cygnettes and Les Demoiselles have helped generations of girls to broaden their appreciation of performing arts and cultural events.  The 2015-2016 season will include touring Broadway blockbusters, local theatre productions, and high-energy dance performances including touring productions of Matilda, Disney's The Lion King, and Riverdance - 20th Anniversary World Tour The cost of the program is $250 per girl and covers the cost of tickets for most of the performances.  Both programs are open to girls at any school in metro Denver as long as one parent is a member in good standing of the Denver Ballet Guild.  Registration deadline is June 30, 2015. Click here to register for Les Cygnettes.  Click here to register for Les Demoiselles.

     
  • The 12th Annual Graham Family Golf Tournament will be held on Monday, September 21, 2015.  Sponsorships are still available. Please click here for additional information.
Lower School News & Events
 News:
  • 4/5 Families: Check out all the new posts on the 4/5 Blog!
  • Pediatric cardiologist Dr. Martin Runciman, dad of fourth grader Rhys and fifth grader Jonathan, came to visit last week and led a heart dissection with all fourth and fifth grade students (pictured at right).  He also brought an EKG monitor so that students could watch an ultrasound of one of their own hearts! Students observed the blood pump and the valves open and close, which made for a very interesting science class full of learning. Thank you for visiting, Dr. Runciman!
  • Parents of girls in grades 2-5: Spots for 2015 Count Me In Math Camp for Girls are still available!  Let your daughter join us to enhance her math skills through engaging and purposeful games and activities created specifically for young girls. With an approach that's out of the box and away from the desk, your daughter will work collaboratively with other girls her age to solve problems and strengthen her math skills-all while having fun!  Click here for online registration.
    • For girls entering grades 4-5 in Fall 2015: July 27 - 31, 8:30 AM - 11:30 AM
    • For girls entering grades 2-3 in Fall 2015: August 3 - 7, 8:30 AM - 11:30 AM

Events:

  • Thursday, May 28
    • Last day of classes
    • Assembly; 1:45 PM in the Forum
  • Friday, May 29; 1:00 PM; Fifth Grade Continuation Ceremony
  • Monday, August 31; First day of classes for the 2015-2016 academic year!
Middle School News & Events 
News:
  • Thank you to the writers who entered the Middle School Writing Contest.  The writer's challenge was to write in any genre (poetry, fiction, non-fiction) and to include SMA's 150th Celebration.  Each writer received points for creativity, imagination and beautiful use of language!  Click the links below to read the eighth grade entries and winners for Poetry, Narrative Nonfiction and Personal Narrative with Historical Background (written in Spanish). Congratulations to Sophia Sutherland, Alex Bush and Monica Bautista.  

Congratulations as well to:

    • Second place in Poetry: Meghan Gilley (6th grade)
    • Flash Fiction First Place: Annabelle Swenson (6th grade) Caveman comes to SMA.

Enjoy a summer of writing!

  • Please remember to have students bring strong bags to carry belongings home this week.
  • Parents who would like to have more information about the November Peru trip for 2015-16 seventh and eighth grade students, please email Martha Ashley to request a Prepare to Go document and an application. 

  • Spots for 2015 Get it in Writing! camp are still available.  This Persuasive Essay Booster Course is the simple way to master the basic format of every paper students will have to write, from now through college and beyond.  These seminar-style classes give students the individual help necessary to rapidly improve daily class composition.  The course is taught by Ann Ferrell who is an Adjunct Professor of English at Community College of Denver and has also taught at Regis University, Metropolitan State College of Denver, and Red Rocks Community College. If you have any questions about the writing course, please contact Ms. Ferrell directly.  The course will be taking place at SMA on July 6 - 9, 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM, for students entering grades 6 - 8 in Fall 2015.  Click here for online registration.

Events: 

  • Thursday, May 28; Last day of classes
  • Friday, May 29; 8:00 AM; Eighth Grade Closing Ceremony; Students are to be in the Commons by 7:15 AM.
  • Monday, August 31
    • First day of classes for the 2015-2016 academic year!
    • Fall sports practices begin
High School News & Events
News:
  • Congratulations, again, to SMAbotics for a fantastic year.  Click here to take a look at junior, Jolie Klefeker's short video recap of Team 5493 at FRC World Championship 2015.
  • Congratulations to ninth grader Meaghan Miner who, despite being new to the sport, received an invitation to row at USRowing Youth National Championships in June.  Taking place in Sarasota, FL, she will be in seat 5--also known as the "engine room" seat--of the women's lightweight 8 boat.  Meaghan and her family credit Sara Binder '15 for encouraging Meaghan to try this sport!  Meaghan rows for the Cherry Creek Rowing along with other girls from SMA. 
  • Spots for 2015 Get it in Writing! camp are still available.  This Persuasive Essay Booster Course is the simple way to master the basic format of every paper students will have to write, from now through college and beyond.  These seminar-style classes give students the individual help necessary to rapidly improve daily class composition.  The course is taught by Ann Ferrell who is an Adjunct Professor of English at Community College of Denver and has also taught at Regis University, Metropolitan State College of Denver, and Red Rocks Community College.  If you have any questions about the writing course, please contact Ms. Ferrell directly.  The course will be taking place at SMA on July 6 - 9 from 12:30 PM - 3:30 PM, for students entering grade 9 - 12 in Fall 2015.  Click here for online registration.

Events:

  • Friday, May 29; Last day of classes
  • Monday, August 17; Fall sports begin
  • Monday, August 31; First day of classes for the 2015-2016 academic year!
Admissions News

On behalf of the entire Admissions team, we would like to THANK our SMA families--both new and re-enrolling!  We are so grateful for your participation in the life of SMA and we love educating your children! 

 

If you have any questions pertaining to Admissions, please contact Gracie Carr, Admissions Director, at (303)762-8300 x205.

Advancement News

  • We are just over $30,000 from reaching the Annual Fund Goal of $350,000.  Will you help us get there???  Annual Fund money supports all divisions, athletics, fine arts, performing arts, furniture for the new Community Center, and teacher appreciation.  Help us Be 1 for 100%.  Click here to make your donation today!
  • There are many other ways you can support SMA!  Here are a few to consider:
    • Matching Gifts- Your employer may double or even triple your gift to SMA.  Obtain information from your company's Human Resources office to initiate a match.
    • Loretto Legacy SocietyAll generous donors who inform SMA of their plans to include St. Mary's Academy in their will or estate plan, will become members of St. Mary's Loretto Legacy Society.  Contact Director of Advancement, Charlie Arbogast to learn more.
    • Donate Your Car- The donation of your car can also benefit SMA!  Click on the image below to learn more.  

    

 

Alumnae/i News

This Friday, as the eighth graders celebrate graduation from the SMA Middle School, we will welcome a new class of alumni into our Middle School Alumni Group

 

SMA values its relationships with its alumni and we'd like to stay in touch with all of our Middle School graduates as they advance  through their high school, college and post-college careers. As contact information changes throughout the years, please send updates to Molly del Monte.

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