A Magazine for Alumnae,Parents and Friends ofMount Saint Joseph Academy W

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Educating Founders since 1858

A Letter From the President

Dear Friends,

I write this letter on the eve of the Oscars when the motion picture industry and the rest of the country are poised to find out who can claim to be the best actor and who can claim to have made the best motion picture. I must admit that each time I see Anne Hathaway I feel a certain pride, since her mother, Kathleen Mc Cauley Hathaway ’71 is a graduate of the Mount.

Two of this year’s film nominations invite us to think about communication and the power of the media. The King’s Speech is about overcoming fear and how as a leader, he could instill confidence in his people as they faced the horrific challenges of World War II. The Social Network, for better or worse, brought us to understand both new depths of relationship, as well as the power of technology. We need only to look to the Middle East to confirm what happens when Twitter, Facebook and Google collide! We are a people who are intimately linked to one another, yet we need ways to share the stories of our lives to find greater meaning. Cryptic phrases or codes convey information, not meaning. I believe the Mount Magazine draws its readers into a wealth of information and heartfelt connections.

As you read through the pages of this edition you will be awed with both our graduates and current students who have distinguished themselves in unique and varied ways. You will read about significant moments within the year that have brought them to a deeper level of being.

You need only to read the story of the birth of Deirdre Brett Horan’s ’98 triplets, and Chierika Ukogu’s ’10 tribute to Mimi Bender to feel the quality and presence of the Mount community.

I am very proud to invite you to consider attending the new Broadway show, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, starring our very own Rose Szczesniak Hemingway ’01. Don’t miss the article about Rose written by Cory Stieg ’10. Ashley O’Brien ’07 wrote a piece about Melanie Field ’06, who is making waves on Broadway and in the theater world as well. Both Melanie and Rose offer tips about perseverance as they pursue their dream.

Check out the feature articles and the blurbs from our Seminar class to verify my claim that the accomplishments of Mount students and Alums are ubiquitous!

I hope it is no secret by now, that the Mount continues to offer the best quality education for the best price. This is due in large part to your generosity to both the Mount Fund and our largest fundraiser, Celebrauction. For eleven years Lisa Henrich has brought her professionalism and expertise to this event. It is now time for her to move on and bring her time and talent to a new experience. We thank her and wish her the best.

By the time you read this, the Oscars will be decided, the best will have been chosen, and all but the memories are history. Know that the Mount is a place where being the best is an everyday experience, and communication, leadership and relationships are all that matter. Let us be attentive to the ways we can inspire others to do and be their best.

Blessings,

Sister Kathleen BrabsonPresident

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The Official Publication of Mount Saint Joseph Academy 120 West Wissahickon Avenue

Flourtown, PA 19031

President Sister Kathleen Brabson, SSJ

Principal Dr. Judith A. Caviston, EdD.

Development Office Staff

Director of Development Jill Gregori

Director of Communications Elizabeth Racine

Director of Alumnae Theresa Moyer

Annual Fund Coordinator Leigh McFadden

Auction Director Lisa Henrich

Development Office Secretary Barbara Oldt

Phone: 215-233-3177 Fax: 215-233-4734

Website: www.msjacad.org

Alumnae Website:www.msjaalum.org

Alumnae e-mail: msjaalum@msjacad.org

Winter 2011

Table of Contents

Profiles of Hope ................................................................................... 4

Making a Difference: Senior Seminar .................................................. 7

Founders Directory .............................................................................11

Connections Beyond the Classroom ................................................. 12

From Broad Street to Broadway ........................................................ 14

Alumnae Spotlight ............................................................................. 17

Happenings ....................................................................................... 23

All-Stars ............................................................................................ 26

Development ..................................................................................... 28

Alumnae ............................................................................................ 29

Celebrauction XXVII .......................................................................... 36

Celebrauction XXVII“A Journey Down the Nile”

Photos and Info starting on page 36 3

Clare Anne with her brothers. From left to right: Tommy, Timmy, Danny, Christopher, Clare Anne, Jamie, and Michael.

CClare Anne is a member of the beach-loving, Irish-Catholic, wonderfully happy Darragh Family. This middle child – and only girl – of

the seven Darragh siblings attended St. Philip Neri in Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania. After graduating from the Mount, Clare Anne attended Loyola University in Baltimore. While in college, and true to her hardworking spirit, Clare Anne majored in Communications while playing field hockey and lacrosse and working three jobs. Her work on campus, as bartender at PJ’s Pub (working her way up to manager) and as a National Anthem Singer for every Men’s Lacrosse Game furthered her multi-tasking capabilities.

Initially, Clare Anne was exposed to French at the Mount and through incredible timing upon college graduation, she moved to France to attend the University of Strasbourg where she studied French, lived with a French family (lifelong friends to this day) and experienced European culture as a student for a year-and-a-half. She continued her multidimensional path by working at The Council of Europe – in the Division of Natural Disasters. This select division of this exclusive European Governmental Agency brought relief to survivors of Natural Disasters. Clare Anne was responsible for contacting the 12 elected countries to see how they could help when member countries suffered tremendous losses due to earthquakes, floods, etc.

She gives credit to the Mount’s Freshman year typing class for helping her land this job, recalling with a smile how she aced

the typing test the Council of Europe gave her upon application. Who knew that every class the Mount offered had the potential to set us up for life?! Clare Anne knew...

At the time of her studying and working in Europe, the dollar was strong; thus, she seized the opportunity to travel every weekend throughout Europe. She fondly recalls creating amazing memories with her Dad who traveled internationally for his work as a Controller for Glaxo Smith Kline. She happily remembers with gratitude experiences like traveling to Brussels for the first time with her father and conversing in French with the locals as he looked on with admiration at his baby girl. She acknowledged that she

is blessed with great parents and great brothers, and that she is very lucky to have the people in her life that she does. Clare Anne told me the best advice her parents ever gave her was, “You can always come home.”

To be grounded with strong roots yet given the freedom and opportunity to soar truly showcases one of the reasons Clare Anne has become successful in so many ways.

By Kelley Osborne Faust ’87“Go as far as you can see; when you get there,

you’ll be able to see farther.” -John Pierpont Morgan

Clare Anne Darragh ’87 shines as a spectacular example of a Mount St. Joe’s Alum lighting up the world. With genuine pride and tremendous admiration, I interviewed Clare Anne and was honestly amazed to learn just how much she has accomplished. She continues to realize her fullest potential in creating an amazing life and legacy. She is a true pioneer who makes the entire MSJA Community proud.

Profiles of HopeClare Anne Darragh ’87

Partner, FRANK PR

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Lina Plath and Clare Anne Darragh of FRANK PR at the Lincoln Center Tribute to Michael Douglas

Mount Alum Goes To The MOVIESFollowing her parents’ advice and ready to create her next adventure, Clare Anne left France and moved to New York City with neither a job nor any idea of what she was going to do...but she possessed a confident fire in her belly and a genuine interest in life. Always the multi-tasker, she acquired two waitressing jobs and started networking – talking to everyone she met about what they did and how they got there. Her multimedia career started as she worked in television with David Letterman and continued as she progressed into movies. Clare Anne ecstatically accepted an offer to become an Assistant with Time Warner’s New Line Cinema, setting the stage for a remarkable 15-year career journey. She credits the great family environment of New Line with teaching her so much about the movie industry. Relying on her naturally ingrained hard work ethic, she quickly climbed the corporate ladder helping put out amazing films such as Wedding Crashers, Elf and The Mask among numerous others. Her work on the National Film and Award Campaign for The Lord of the Rings Trilogy resulted in their winning The Academy Award. For a year, Clare Anne worked with October Films, but New Line wooed her back with the promise of a promotion that included the prestigious responsibility of running a division. By age 29, Clare Anne Darragh was a Vice President for a Major Motion Picture Studio. Perhaps you saw one of her films, Sex and the City?? As the business climate changed and mergers occurred, the division closed. Clare Anne and a friend saw an opportunity and thought, “If we don’t do this now, we’re never going to do it – let’s start a company.” With the same spunk that landed her an amazing experience in Europe, Clare Anne and her friend Lina Plath’s entrepreneurial vision resulted in FRANK PR, whose mission statement reads:

“Founded on the principle that the strategy and execution of the national publicity campaigns express honest and straightforward communications to our clients and the media.”

The Entrepreneurial Vision of FRANK PRClare Anne and Lina wanted to pay homage to their fathers by naming their new company after them. In true Hollywood style (think ‘Brangelina’), Lina’s Dad’s name, Francesco, and Clare Anne’s Dad’s name, Hank, were combined. Voila!! FRANK PR was born.

FRANK PR has been in business two-and-a-half years, and Clare Anne freely states it’s the hardest work she’s ever done. But true to her spirit of hard work and hustle, she is experiencing success! In their first year of business, FRANK PR’s campaign helped a beautiful documentary win the Academy Award for Best Short. Smile Pinki spotlights the wonderful work of the Charity Group Smile Train, whose tagline reads, “Changing The World One Smile At A Time.” You will see FRANK PR leading publicity campaigns for The Hamptons International Film Festival, Sarasota Film Festival, EPIX Premium Cable Network, Restaurant Groups as well as supporting individuals like Marlo Thomas, Michael Flatley and James Farmer. No matter

where her travels take her (recently Nashville and The Berlin Film Festival during the three days of compiling info for this article), she continues to keep her priorities straight, including taking the time to mentor and guide recent Mount grads. FRANK PR has worked with the Mount by creating jobs for Mount Interns resulting in a win-win for both employer and student.

Clare Anne shared some great advice for those looking to develop their professional careers, “If someone asks you to get a cup of coffee, you get the best cup of coffee you could ever get. No job is too small. Write a handwritten thank you note...the internet is crazy. Everybody uses it...don’t forget to be personal with people, because that’s what makes us succeed in our business world. People hire us because we have energy, we’re upfront, we get excited, we talk to them and we have a relationship with them.”

Regarding her experience with Mount Interns, she explains, “Mount Interns are the best interns I’ve ever had, and I’ve

had countless interns since New Line Cinema. I’m really proud that the Mount girls are the way they are.” Now, everyone Clare Anne knows “wants a Mount Intern...and they don’t even know what it means. They’re great girls. They’re very energetic. They smile. They’re happy. They like each other. They are eager people. That is so important. If a person gets excited about getting me coffee, I know that they will present the energy needed when they are talking to a press person or they’re promoting a movie or they’re on the Red Carpet.” She further advises, “Try to learn as much as you can learn wherever you are, because even if the job is not for you, it is a step forward.”

Clare Anne on Friendship“I learned about friendship early on from my mom. She has always been an incredible influence in my life – someone who has been there for me no matter what and always without judgment. There is no greater friend to know, and she is why I have chosen such great girlfriends in my life...one of whom was a fellow Mountie, Eireann Flynn Marzarella ’87.”

Clare Anne states, “Eireann is an amazing woman in her own right...raising four beautiful boys and her husband...and having done so much for Catholic Schools and the Mount.” Eireann has been an incredible friend to Clare Anne since they met in freshman year religion class. Clare Anne vividly remembers her first impression of Eireann - “looking cool wearing her basketball coat from eighth grade and having asthma.” They have been solid friends ever since. Eireann has watched Clare Anne in action and continues to be amazed with her talented, hard-working and self-assured friend. Eireann sees similarities between the Clare Anne who helped raise all those brothers and helped cook dinners – and the powerful executive in New York – large and in charge – who directs movie premiers. “She

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Back row: Tommy, Jamie, Danny, dad Henry, and Christopher. Front row: nephew Matthew, mom Clare, nephew Patrick, sister-in-law Amy holding nephew Nicky, sister-in-law Rebecca, and Clare Anne.

is an incredible do-er and has super-great people skills. Of these skills, Eireann appreciates Clare Anne’s humor the most. “She is funny and gutsy and willing to take a chance and take a risk and that is why she is so successful.”

We discussed the challenges of growing up, and Clare Anne gave wisdom for the ages: “Everyone goes through tough times in their lives. Fall back on the people who love you and support you. Remove yourself from the situations that cause pain. Remember to be yourself and try not to be someone you are not.” To this day, Clare Anne counts on her core group of friends and thinks girl-friend-friendship is the most important thing you can have in your life. “If you find your soul sister, you will always be ok...you will always be taken care of.” She wisely advises, “You don’t have to have 10 friends...you don’t have to have 50 friends...if you have even one friend you can count on, you are blessed. It’s easy to get wrapped up in all the high school drama, but try to remain true to yourself. Hang out with your parents. Hang out with your mom.” One piece of sage advice from Clare Anne’s mom, Clare, has carried her through the tough times, “This, too, shall pass.”

“Enjoy Today”As she lives life on a big scale and continues to experience unbelievable success, I asked Clare Anne what hopes, dreams and possibilities she has for herself. Very humbly, she simply replied, “To continue to be happy.” She said she doesn’t need much, and enjoys living the day that she is in. She looks forward to growing her family, enjoying time in Ocean City, New Jersey, and maybe even moving there full-time someday. She likes keeping it simple.

From Those Who Know Her Best: As Clare Anne continues to light the world on fire, I wanted to ask those closest to her, their impressions and observations. Here is Clare Anne in their words:

Clare and Hank Darragh, Clare Anne’s Parents: “We are so proud of her accomplishments, but we are more proud of the person she is. Clare Anne is the best daughter, sister, sister-in-law, aunt and friend a person could have. Everyone should have a Clare Anne in their family. We are blessed to have her in ours.”

Chris Darragh: “Clare Anne is one of the hardest-working individuals I have ever met. She is dedicated not only to her career but to her family and friends as well. As her career has progressed from David Letterman, to working her way up to become an executive at New Line Cinema to starting her own company, Frank PR, there has never been a time when she would not drop everything to rush and help a friend - no matter what the situation. Clare Anne proves that you can be a success without forgetting who you really are as a person and what is truly important in life (family and friends). Although her career path has not been easy, she never quit, never took the

easy way out and she is a better person for that today. My sister is a great example of what you can accomplish if you continue to get up after every time life knocks you down. I am most proud not of what she has accomplished but that she has stayed true to who she is as a person.”

Tom Darragh: “We could not have picked a better sister. She will make you feel like you belong from the minute you meet her and would give the shirt off her back if you were in need. The Mount should be as proud of her as we are. There is nothing

but a bright sky in front of her. Watch out other PR firms in NYC, she is just getting going.”

Jamie Darragh: “Clare Anne and I are very close, not only in age (14 months apart), but as friends. She really is the kindest person I know. She will do anything for anybody, and when it comes to family she is selfless. The quality that I admire most is her drive. Do not tell Clare Anne “No,” or “You won’t succeed,” because she will eat you alive. It brings back a memory of when she was struggling to learn French and someone suggested that Clare Anne give it up. So what does she do…she moved to France and learned to speak

French fluently. That is Clare Anne. I truly admire and respect Clare Anne. She is simply the best!”

Dan Darragh: “Clare Anne is the best sister and Aunt anyone could ever have. Ever since I was little, I always looked up to her. I still do to this day. No one has a bigger heart and more determination than she does. She has always been there for me.”

Kelley Ann Osborne Faust ’87: As Clare Anne’s classmate, I am so proud of all Clare Anne continues to do. We in the Mount community can say a collective thank you for everything Clare Anne Darragh has done to make us all shine a little brighter.

FRANK PR has led the publicity campaigns for The Hamptons International Film Festival, The Sarasota Film Festival, The Film Society of Lincoln Center Tribute to Michael Douglas and The St. Maarten Heineken Regatta. Upcoming projects include The New York Comedy Festival, Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance, films at South by Southwest and the Tribeca Film Festival, as well as working with the non-profit Smile Train. Clients also include The Livanos restaurant group in New York City as well as the premium cable network EPIX owned by Focus Features, Paramount, MGM and Lionsgate. For more information on FRANK PR you can visit their website at www.frankpublicity.com.

Kelley Ann Osborne Faust ’87, M.A., C.M.R. is President and Chief Hope Officer of Sunshine Hope, LLC. She writes this article as part of her mission to raise the level of HOPE in the world. Kelley is a stress management consultant and a work life consultant, and she belongs to the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association and National Speaker’s Association. For more information, visit her website at www.SunshineHope.com, or contact her at Kelley@SunshineHope.com.

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Senior Seminar:Making aDifference

The Popular Women’s Senior Seminar Course at the Mount focuses on women as agents of political and social change. This year’s class reports on their

projects and their goals to make a difference in their communities.

Heart HealthAmanda Clark and Elizabeth MaloneyA simple heartbeat makes us live; it helps the functioning heart breathe. But how do we take care of this important muscle? For our Senior Seminar project, we wanted to make our community of young women aware of heart disease, since it is the number one killer of women. It is also the leading cause of disability among women. Diet and exercise are two very important risk factors that could lead to heart disease. We believe that if one is well informed, one can make excellent decisions about diet, exercise, and all-around healthy choices. “Heart Healthy Week” was an engaging way to inform others about these issues. We carefully selected beneficial and nourishing food items to be presented as the lunch entrée with the help of Dennis Littley, Mount’s chef. Every day we presented something new and different, but equally as delicious. This all led to our “Heart Healthy Presentation.” We asked speakers, a heart disease survivor, a fitness trainer, and a dietician to come in to talk to students and teachers. We hope that everyone received good information to make decisions about the body, the mind, and especially the heart.

Texting While Driving Anna SchultzFor my Senior S e m i n a r project, I chose to spotlight the issue of Texting While Driving.

According to a Nationwide I n s u r a n c e

study, 20% of drivers text while driving. The deadly act is equivalent to a driver drinking four beers, then proceeding to get behind the wheel of a car to drive.

In the year 2007 alone, 1,000 car crashes among 16-17 year olds occurred due to texting while driving. Currently, there are no statewide laws in Pennsylvania regarding cell phone usage in the car. However, the individual cities of Philadelphia, Harrisburg, Wilkes-Barre, Erie, and Allentown have banned cell phone use for drivers unless it is a hands-free device.

My goal is to remind drivers that it is unsafe to use their phone when they are on the road. I sold black bracelets with the saying, “Arrive Alive. Don’t Text and Drive” for $3 each. If drivers go to pick up their phone while in the car, their bracelet will remind them that TWD is a deadly combination.

I also collected donations from neighborhood businesses. The proceeds helped underwrite the cost of a billboard on the Pennsylvania Turnpike going west between Route 1 and Willow Grove. It reads, “Don’t text and drive. You have too much to live for.”

Crohn’s DiseaseCaitie MoranCrohn’s disease causes inflammation in the digestive tract, and many patients suffer from abdominal pain, diarrhea and in some cases malnutrition. There are many complications of Crohn’s disease that may be life threatening. The cause of this disease is unknown, but research has shown that it might be caused by a combination of the patient’s genes, the environment where the patient lives and the patient’s immune system. There is no known cure for Crohn’s disease, but there are different treatments so the patients can manage their disease and live almost normal lives. However, some patients stop responding to these treatments and have a difficult time dealing with the symptoms and effects of the disease.

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For my project, I hosted a fundraiser—a pancake breakfast at Applebee’s in Doylestown. The money raised will help scientists from the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA) conduct research to find more effective treatments.

Therapeutic Horseback RidingCasey Damiani

My name is Casey Damiani and my Senior Seminar goal was to raise awareness of Therapeutic Horseback Riding for challenged children and adults. Therapeutic Riding is an alternant option to building strength physically and mentally. This recreational style of treatment eliminates the idea of repetitive or painful therapy. Through such programs, one gains physical, psychological, cognitive, and educational benefits. People are able to interact with therapists, instructors, and horses, building strength, relationships, confidence, and so much more. In September, I teamed up with Sebastian’s Riding Associates to inform others of this rewarding alternative. Sebastian’s works with their students to meet the needs of many different conditions. Many are unaware of the benefits of such programs, and I believe people need to be educated about all the wonderful opportunities therapeutic riding has to offer. I recently held a clinic highlighting the program, and currently, I am collecting new equipment to give back to Sebastian’s.

Support Our TroopsErin Walsh For my Senior S e m i n a r project, my mission is to e n c o u r a g e more people to support our troops. Too many troops feel like society has forgotten them.

It is vital that the citizens of America support the men and women who fight for our lives and freedoms. For my project,

I organized a collection of items for care packages through Mount Saint Joseph Academy.

In addition to reminding students to support the troops, I encouraged my church, neighbors, and fellow members of the community to donate items for care packages. In order to educate people on the difficulties that our troops undergo, I invited Sgt. Flemming and Senior Airmen Anthony Flemming to speak at school during lunches.

The soldiers shared their military story and gratitude towards the students for donating items for care packages. The collection lasted for two weeks and concluded on November 19, 2010. That same day, items were delivered to the Willow Grove Naval Air and Joint Reserve Military Base for shipment. Ten days later, Tastykake Company provided two cases of product donations to accompany the care packages. All items were sent on November 30, 2010.

I hope that my project has had an effect on the men and women in the armed services but also the people they fight to protect. It is crucial that Americans show support for its military personnel.

Domestic ViolenceJackie BernalDomestic violence is a specific and deliberate pattern of behavior for the sole purpose of establishing and maintaining power and control over another person in an intimate relationship. The abuse can be physical, psychological, sexual, or economic. Unfortunately, in the U.S., one in four women will experience domestic violence in her life; one in four teenagers, both boys and girls, will experience violence in a dating relationship before graduation from high school. A Woman’s Place, located in Bucks County, PA, is a community organization dedicated to ending domestic abuse and violence. It provides comprehensive free, private, and confidential services, support, outreach, education, and more. By teaming up with AWP and raising awareness about domestic violence in my own community, I hope to help prevent even just one situation of abuse.

Rett SydromeKatherine MatchettFor my Senior Seminar Project this year, I have chosen to become an advocate for Rett Sydrome, a horrific developmental disorder that is diagnosed in thousands of little girls worldwide. My beautiful cousin, Olivia, arrived on this earth as normal and cheerful as any newborn could be, but eighteen months into her life, she began to regress. This once smiling, happy child started to lose her ability to speak. She began to repetitively wring and lick her hands. Olivia’s once sparkling eyes quickly turned an eerie shade of gray. For my project this year, I hope to expedite the

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process that brings such bubbly attributes back into the lives of these little girls. Although over 200,000 young females are diagnosed with Rett Syndrome each year, the awareness and support of the disease is limited. With my project, I hope to raise awareness of Rett Syndrome by asking for government support, through petitions from Congress for the International Rett Syndrome Foundation (IRSF). I not only strive to bring about understanding in the Mount community, but also make a positive change for these beautiful little girls.

Shark ConservationKathleen SharafFor my Senior Seminar project, I chose to promote Shark Conservation. Because 100 million sharks were killed last year, this staggering statistic has inspired me to educate people on the need for a healthy shark population. Over the last 30 years, sharks have been killed at an unprecedented rate. Many sharks and other sea life have been caught in fishing lines, essentially strangling to death, while most sharks have been killed by shark finning. Shark Fin soup is popular all over the world, particularly in Asia, so the demand for shark fins has skyrocketed. Once the sharks are caught, their fins are cut off and the rest of their bodies are thrown back into the water, where the shark eventually drowns to death. These horrifying facts have motivated me to make a positive change in the plight of sharks. A major part of my project is to educate the youth about the importance and need for sharks. Shark specialist, Dean Fessler of the Shark Research Institute, has been my mentor throughout this project. Mr. Fessler, when not diving with sharks, gives presentations on sharks, and he came to the Mount on December 10th, in hopes to quell long lasting fear of sharks. I have also teamed up with Shark Savers, an organization focused on preserving sharks, in hopes to get enough signatures for their petition to persuade the government of Indonesia to create a sanctuary to protect sharks from aggressive hunters. Through these actions, I hope to change the image of sharks and create a long lasting positive change.

The Arc of PhiladelphiaKatie O’Brien There are approximately 2.5 million mentally challenged individuals residing in the United States who are often overlooked and not given the attention they need. Society may see them as useless human beings, but I was shown that these individuals have much to offer. For my Senior Seminar project, I chose to work with The Arc of Philadelphia. The Arc is a non-profit organization that provides services and job opportunities to intellectually disabled adults. The goal of my project was to bring the topic of mental disability to the forefront and make

others aware of what this disease really entails. My activist step consists of two parts; first, a collection of new or gently used board games to donate to The Arc at their Holiday Open House. The second part of my step is a basketball game named “Play for The Arc.” Individuals who are served at The Arc will attend with a few members of the staff to experience the Mount spirit. The proceeds of the game will be donated to The Arc to help fund this organization that sees these people not as useless human beings, but a vital part of our society.

Helping Women Choose LifeMary Jo HorganMy Senior Seminar Course at Mount Saint Joseph Academy focuses on women as agents of political and social change. I want to be proactive in abolishing abortion and saving the unborn child who has no voice. I discovered that only three pregnancy centers in Southeastern Pennsylvania are equipped with ultrasound machines and The Pregnancy Resource Clinic (PRC) of North Penn is one of them. The use of ultrasound allows the truth about an unborn child to be seen by a mother contemplating abortion. Various reports indicate that 70-90% of “abortion minded” mothers who see an ultrasound change their mind and choose life. This led me to research the availability of ultrasounds at crisis pregnancy centers in our area.

The Pregnancy Resource Clinic of North Penn has an internal ultrasound which allows a mother to view her unborn child as early as 5.5 weeks after conception. Allowing mothers to view the life of their child with their own eyes early was powerful in helping them to choose life. The MSJA Pro-Life Club was open to embracing the cause of purchasing a second probe for PRC through school bake-sales and we have raised $510 towards purchasing a new internal ultrasound probe.

I hope to raise awareness of centers that offer ultrasounds and promote life. I will continue to collect funds to purchase the second internal ultrasound probe to help PRC meet their increasing demand for services.

“Spread the Word to End the Word”Mary Kate Pascali and Bridget BradyEvery year over 2.5 million athletes in over 180 countries come together to compete at the Special Olympic Games. These athletes work extremely hard to develop fitness, motor skills and most importantly self-esteem. As with any other team it is important that these children have proper uniforms and equipment in order to compete. Recognizing the importance and the financial commitment of outfitting all of these children, we decided to organize an All-Star Party at the Planetarium of Upper Dublin School District in order to raise

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funds to subsidize these costs. We have elected to donate the proceeds raised from our event to Conshohocken Ambucs, a local chapter of Montgomery County Special Olympics. In conjunction with raising funds we are also promoting the education awareness of the dehumanizing word “retard” through the campaign “Spread the Word to End the Word.”

The Faces of HomelessnessMelanie Lagreca and Alison Deasy

In Mount Saint Joseph Academy‘s auditorium on December 14th, we held an event entitled “The Faces of Homelessness.” At the event, we had formerly homeless people speak about their experiences and how they became independent and self-sufficient. Sister Mary Scullion, the founder of Project H.O.M.E., spoke about homelessness in Philadelphia and her work with Project H.O.M.E. In addition, we asked all of the guests to bring in a donation for the Women’s Emergency Respite Center, one of Project H.O.M.E.’s temporary shelters for women in the winter. (picture of us with our speakers: Sr. Mary, Craig, and Almita)

Action for AutismMichaela McGlynn and Michele BurnsAutism is a whole-body disease that has no known cure, no known cause, and no specific treatments or medications. It affects an estimated one in every 110 children and continues to increase about 10-17 percent each year. Once people with autism reach the age of 21, all government funding from the public school district is terminated, leaving these adults dependent on others.

For our Senior Seminar project, we strived to create an environment for these adults to live more independently. In order to accomplish this, we created a petition in support of the Autism Treatment Acceleration Act of 2009 (ATAA), which is currently

pending in Congress. Section two of the ATAA is specifically dedicated to creating programs to aid adults with autism spectrum disorders through services including employment, housing, nutrition, social activities, and transportation.

Along with the petition, we raised funds for autism research and to start these programs for the adults in our community. By gaining signatures of local citizens, the representatives will be aware that this is an issue people care about and want to change. Autism is a neurological disorder, not a contagious disease, and all of those affected by it deserve to be treated like any other human being.

With our help, we can improve the lives of our neighbors living with autism and create a better world.

End Dogfighting CampaignMorgan McCafferty

My name is Morgan McCafferty and for my Senior Seminar project, I chose to work with the End Dogfighting Campaign in Philadelphia. This campaign promotes awareness and education regarding dogfighting. In particular, I decided to help the Pit Bull Training Team, which is a group of trainers affiliated with the campaign who teach kids in Philadelphia to obediently train their dogs instead of fighting them. I organized a 5K run / one mile walk on Saturday November 20th at Mount Saint Joseph Academy. The cost of participation was ten dollars and all proceeds went to purchasing materials to build agility equipment for the dogs trained by the Pit Bull Training Team. Not only has this team and campaign shown reduced numbers of dog fighting in Philadelphia, but it has had a positive effect on the dog owners as well. Through training and awareness against dogfighting, there have been smaller numbers of involvement of dog owners in gang violence and drugs. Dogfighting is an underground business that often involves gangs, drug use, and gambling. By trying to eliminate dogfighting, Philadelphia is also eliminating places for gangs and illegal drug use. Also, at my event I had petitions to local representatives which each participant signed. These petitions urged the support of the campaign, and through this support the campaign will be able to get the proper connections and funding needed to keep it running for years to come. (To watch Morgan’s interview on NBC10 News, visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vshJyTf8rGQ).

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Attention Alumnae:

IntroducingMount Saint Joseph Academy Founders DirectoryHopefully by now you have seen the tagline we have been using in our advertising and recent publications: “Educating Founders Since 1858.” We chose the theme “Educating Founders” to emphasize the many Mount Alumnae who have “founded” or created diverse pathways in their lives and/or careers. Over the years, we have collected a great list of these “Founders”—which generated an idea: to create an online resource of “Founders”— business owners, doctors, lawyers, etc., for our Mount community. The web page listing, which includes name, business, contact information (no ad space or logos), will serve as a reference tool for the members of the entire Mount community to utilize as a valuable networking opportunity. The Directory will be visible on both the main website: www.msjacad.org/FoundersDirectory and the alumnae site: www.msjaalum.org/FoundersDirectory. If you would like to be listed in our Founders Directory, simply send the following information to founders@msjacad.org:

Name, Title: Business Name: Business Address/PhoneE-mail and Website Address (if applicable)

If you have any questions, please contact Jill Gregori, Director of Development at jgregori@msjacad.org or 215-233-1859. We look forward to hearing from you!

Follow Us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Please see our web pages for links: www.msjaalum.org for Alumnae, and www.msjacad.org for current parents and students.

Follow UsKelly O’Connor Memorial Brunch

Sunday, April 17th Join us on Sunday, April 17th, 12:00 Noon at the Plymouth Country Club. Tickets are $20.00 per person. For information, contact: Marianne O’Connor 610-825-4975 Oconnor4@comcast.net

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II could only hear the buzz of voices and the shuffle of cloth-covered shoes scurrying in and out of the

room. The doors would have been better if made revolving, as they had swung open and snapped shut at least fifty times. Through this quiet chaos, I heard the familiar voices of my obstetrics team, working along with the unfamiliar voices of the neonatal team in preparation for this event. The anesthesiologist, Dr. Tom, was positioned at the head of the table, giving me the play-by-play.

I was 30 weeks and four days pregnant with triplet boys, and could never have imagined the rollercoaster ride that brought us to this moment. From the joy of seeing their three little hearts beating for the first time, to the fear of losing them all; I felt like I had already gone to battle, and yet we were on the brink of watching them fight through another war. Almost four weeks prior, our Baby C was diagnosed with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) caused by an umbilical cord abnormality known as absent-end diastolic flow. This defect restricted the nutrition he was receiving to fifty percent of the normal rate. Accordingly, my husband, Pat, and I were faced with the agonizing decision: how much longer were we willing to wait before delivering all three babies? Early delivery meant compounded risks of prematurity to Baby A and Baby B, yet for Baby C, it meant his chance to survive.

By utilizing today’s technology of Doppler ultrasound, we hoped to pick up the reversal of blood flow through the cord – which would signal further failure of the cord and ultimately fetal demise. After three days of testing, the ultrasound detected that

ConnectionsBeyond the Classroom

By Deirdre Brett Horan ’98

This Mountie describes the rollercoaster ride during her pregnancy and delivery of triplets, and how that journey was made smoother by the comforting presence of several Mounties who brought support and encouragement, which helped throughout the whole process.

Baby C’s cord blood flow reversed, and I was admitted to the hospital for continuous monitoring and delivery if necessary. I knew the moment was inevitable; however, I could not imagine that just 24 hours later, on April 3rd, I would be in the OR for an urgent cesarean section. I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the work of the doctor who picked it up… and to Will, our Baby C, for holding on.

As they brought Pat to my side, I could hear the team begin to assemble around me. And in the next 54 seconds, our lives were forever changed. Listening in amazement we first heard, “Pushing Baby A out, formerly Baby B, Baby A is out.” Then, before hearing the first cry, we heard “Pushing Baby B out, formerly Baby A,

Baby B is out.” The next thirty seconds felt like a lifetime, and then we finally heard, “Pushing Baby C down, pushing Baby C, Baby C is out.” They were all born within the minute of 12:30 pm and are now known as Kevin Patrick, born at 3 lbs 2 oz, John Patrick (“Jack”), born at 3 lbs 5 oz, and William Patrick (“Will”), born at 1 lb 12 oz. In preparation for their arrival, the Intensive Care Nursery (ICN) team had assembled in the adjacent operating room. Each boy had his own team of doctors, nurses and respiratory therapists. All were alive and breathing on their own, but with a long road ahead of them. As I was moved to recovery, Pat and our families were able to go the ICN and see each baby.

Although somewhat dazed, I remember being wheeled to their isolettes to see my three miracles for the first time that Saturday night. The preemie world is an amazing place where God’s hand – along with brilliant minds, incredible technology, and the sheer will of the human spirit – leaves you completely in awe.

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families had come and gone, bringing along Easter baskets full of treats – I was starting to feel more alert. While sitting in between Kevin and Jack’s isolettes, my brother walked in and recognized Jack’s nurse, Kaileen Burke from Mount Saint Joseph Academy, Class of 2004! (See photo at right.) Kaileen took care of Jack from delivery through the better part of his first two days. As if I weren’t already filled with gratitude and respect for the nurses standing watch over my sons’ incubators, monitoring every respiration and heart rate drift, I instantly felt like Kaileen was a long-lost relative. After all, she was a part of my Mount family, a family that I feel was created upon walking through the doors as a freshman, and has grown stronger with each passing year. Throughout the boys’ stay in the ICN, Kaileen became a special part of our lives, watching over them and befriending Pat and me through many hours of difficult ups and downs.

A few days after the boys were born, I woke up in my dimly lit hospital room to another familiar face – my former classmate, Kristin Burton Rogers ’98. Throughout my pregnancy, I had been trading emails with Kristin, who worked as a physician’s assistant in the neonatal intensive care unit at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Kristin and I had caught up at our 10-year reunion, trading war stories, as we were both in the medical field. I am a nurse practitioner, working in the emergency department at The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, adjacent to CHOP, and yet we had never run into one another. Kristin had been a wealth of knowledge and encouragement to me throughout my pregnancy, another form of indispensible support.

Each day brought new victories and challenges the boys needed to overcome. As Kevin and Jack were checking off their list of milestones needed for them to come home, Will was still fighting through some complications of prematurity. Overall his

complications were minimal, and as minor as we could have hoped for, but they kept him in the ICN twice as long as his brothers. Once he was stable, at eight weeks of age, he was transferred next door to CHOP for the surgical

repair of a bilateral inguinal hernia. At this point he tipped the scales at just 4 lbs, and although more than twice his birth weight, he was still so frail. In light of this, I could not fathom the skill and precision required of the surgeon who would attempt this repair.

After everyone else in the waiting room had come and gone, Pat and I anxiously awaited Will’s surgeon for an update. It was late, and Will’s had been the surgeon’s last case for the day; she looked tired. Regardless, as she informed us that the procedure was difficult but successful, she sat down to take a minute to see how we were holding up. Within minutes we discovered another Mount connection: Dr. Kate Deans, Mount Saint Joseph Academy, Class of 1990!

At a time in our lives when each day was a struggle, these run-ins with Mounties not only offered much needed services that each individual bestowed on our boys, but an invaluable morale boost as well. These connections had been purely coincidental, but I remember thinking as we drove home that night, “Was this really just a coincidence, or do those Saint Joe nuns’ prayers have more power than I realized?”

Kevin, Jack, and Will have been home with us for a while now, and as we approach their first birthday, the scars from their time in the ICN – literally on them and figuratively on us – have started to fade. We have been extremely blessed, as our sons are thriving, happy, and healthy babies. Raising triplets is not easy to say

the least, but we are fortunate to have parents, family, and friends who offer us endless love and support.

There is one last Mount connection to speak of which arose during my journey to motherhood. Through a good family friend, I was encouraged to connect with another mother of triplet boys; Kim Komelasky Carter ’95 (See photo below). Kim’s sons are almost four, and she somehow finds time to capture all their memories through an online blog. To me, talking with Kim and checking in on her blog over the last year has filled me with admiration, inspiration, and excitement for things to come.

This journey was nothing short of a miracle, as is the birth of any child. When given little to no hope that Will would survive, the flood of support and prayers was o v e r w h e l m i n g . F o r t u n a t e l y , modern medicine was there to give all that it offers, but where these c o m p l i c a t i o n s

gave us pause, we were strengthened by prayers. This article came to fruition after I shared these experiences in a thank you note to the Sisters of Saint Joseph for their daily prayers. I only hoped they, too, would be filled with pride for the work they do; empowering young women each day. I feel honored to be one of them.

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The boys visit Will’s surgeon, Dr. Kate Deans ’90

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MMelanie Field’s star is rising onstage. During her time at the Mount, Melanie ’06 was known as a triple threat: excelling in dancing, acting, and especially singing,

she starred in every show and sang her way into the heart of the Mount community.“I was so lucky to meet former Glee Club moderator,Joey DiMarco,” said Melanie. “He was an instrumental as mentor and teacher to me. Through his knowledge and passion, I was exposed to so many different styles and performers of the musical theater world.” Indeed, it was Joe’s belief in Melanie and his enthusiasm for her talent that was so reassuring and beneficial as she made the choice to pursue musical theater as a career. “I have such love and gratitude for his influence in my life.” From the Mount, Melanie moved on to the NYU Steinhardt School for voice performance and musical theater. She began her journey toward Broadway there, studying and working to develop as an artist.After finishing her tour in Phantom of the Opera as part of the ensemble, Melanie recently joined the first national tour of Wicked. She is currently a member of the ensemble, and understudies the role of Madame Morrible. When asked about the auditioning process for her roles, Melanie described her experience as “unconventional.” She explains, “My vocal coach at NYU is good friends with the Music Director at Phantom. My vocal coach arranged for me to sing a few songs for the Music Director, in hopes that she could mentor me as I began my career in Musical Theater. It just so happened that the Associate Director of Phantom was there that day and also got a chance to hear my audition.” A few weeks later, Melanie got a call from the Director saying

that they had a position open in the Broadway company for six months and wanted her to join. Full of excitement and shock, she was offered the part in the Phantom of the Opera.In the future, Melanie plans include pursuing her acting career while continuing to support herself as an actress. She says, “I want to continue to learn – about myself, both as a person and as a performer, and about this amazing art form that I so love to inhabit. It’s what makes me who I am – it completes me. And as long as I am pursuing my dreams and goals, I will be happy and fulfilled.”As Melanie follows her heart, she continually works toward her dreams for the future. Her most important piece of advice? “You must believe that your dream can come true, and do everything in your power to make it happen.” Her list of advice also includes the following tips: practice, hone your craft, learn as much as you can about music and theater and acting and dancing, become as business savvy as you can, never pass up the opportunity to perform, and make and

keep connections with people who can help you, and people who believe in your talent. “And remember,” says Melanie, “If you are pursuing what you love to do, you will find happiness. And girls, if you don’t make it the first time around, keep trying. Most of the time, actors audition for parts they never get. It’s just a part of the job. But the best way to deal with rejection is to not let it get you down and ruin your confidence. Keep trying.”As the Mount mission statement states, “On the education of women largely depends the future of society.” Melanie Field is a

wonderful example of how a Mount education enables young women to become great role models and leaders in our society. We can expect to see a lot more of Melanie in the future.

From Broad Streetto Broadway

Melanie Field ’06Making a Name for Herself Onstage

By Ashley O’Brien ’07

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SShe was a freshman at the Mount, performing in her first La Salle musical. The show: How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Her role: an understudy for a Pirate

Dancer. It was a small part in the chorus, but Rose Szczesniak was on stage! And then, for one night, she was able to sing and dance on stage before an audience. “I remember thinking that was really a success for me to get into the show at all,” she said.

It was the first of many successes.

Fast-forward 13 years later, and Rose is preparing to take the stage again. This time, the stakes are higher.

She is now a 28-year-old professional actress performing in her first Broadway musical. The show: How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Her role: the female lead, Rosemary Pilkington.

Instead of dancing in the chorus alongside older La Salle boys, Rose will co-star with another young actor making his Broadway musical debut—Daniel Radcliffe. You may know him as Harry Potter.

It’s a long way from the Mount. “My first year I was in the ensemble,” she recalled recently. “I was an understudy, and I got to go on one night, so that was neat.”

She’d watch the leads in the La Salle production—and dream. “I can remember being jealous of the girl who played Rosemary,

and thinking she was so good and wanting to be just like her,” she said.

She had caught the theater bug.

After months of rehearsals, How To Succeed opens on March 27th at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre on 44th Street. Rose Szczesniak — now billed as Rose Hemingway—is finally starring on Broadway.

But she remembers where it started. “The musicals at the Mount were definitely the highlight of my Mount career. It was always a huge deal,” Rose remembered.

It was here at the Mount where Rose partook of everything the music/fine arts department had to offer: the fall musicals, Acadram, Glee Club, and Liturgical Singers. A member of the National Honor Society, Rose graduated with Honors.

“She was the model student for musical theatre,” said Joey DiMarco, Mount’s music coordinator at the time. “She was always ready to do whatever we asked her to do and was very enthusiastic with the other students.”

How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying tells the story of an ambitious entrepreneur named Jay Pierpont Finch (“Ponty”) trying to climb the corporate ladder at the World Wide Wicket Corporation. Through the help of an instructional book

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Rose Szczesniak Hemingway ’01Now Starring on Broadway

in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying

By Cory Stieg ’10

From Broad Streetto Broadway

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Ask Rose Hemingway

how to succeed, and her answer is:

perseverance

With quirky songs like “The Company Way” and “A Secretary is Not a Toy,” this 1960s musical is certainly a product of its time. Though for a 21st Century audience the humor and

appeal are still there.

“I think it’s very reminiscent of classic musical theatre,” Rose said. “That’s the kind of thing I fell in love with about musical theatre from the beginning.”

It all began when Rose was a little girl, performing at the community theatre at the Watertown Recreation Center in Chestnut Hill. Around seventh grade, Rose decided she wanted to make theatre her career.

“She and her sister would have little performances for us, and they would perform on the coffee table,” Mary Szczesniak said. “She always had a ready audience in her family.”

At the Mount, she performed several lead roles such as Rose Alvarez in Bye, Bye Birdie, Katie in Meet Me in St. Louis, and Minnie Fay in Hello, Dolly!.

Not only did Rose participate in the Mount’s musicals, but she also became involved in regional theatre, and worked professionally in Philadelphia. Every week she would take private acting and voice lessons.

“I learned a lot of the basics at the Mount, things like what blocking is, and it was my first real exposure to dance and choreography,” she said. “It felt like a real team and a little family.”

But Broadway is not as warm and fuzzy as the Mount. Ask Rose Hemingway how to succeed, and her answer is: perseverance.

In her years as a professional actress, she’s been to countless auditions, and inevitably experienced countless disappointments. “I don’t think I had any idea how hard it would be. I had a fantasy view of what it would be like. And it was difficult; they were trying times. My first couple of years I didn’t work at all.”

But sometimes the fantasy eventually comes true.

Flashback to that first show at La Salle, with young freshman Rose, an understudy in the chorus. And now, on the eve of her Broadway debut, what advice would Rose give her younger self—or to aspiring actresses at the Mount?

“I would have told myself: This is what you’ll have to get through—and that it’d be okay,” she said. “You have to work hard, and you have to stay really focused, and you’ll go through some trials and tribulations. It’s a matter of determination and hard work. If this is the only thing you can see yourself doing with your life, go for it. It can come true.”

and the advice of his secretaries, Ponty makes his way to the top as Vice President.

The instructions for how to succeed on Broadway, however, aren’t always spelled out in a book. For Rose, this meant four years as a Musical Theatre major at Catholic University, and months on the road in the traveling cast of Mamma Mia!.

“You spend years going to auditions and being rejected, and waiting tables or bartending at night, and waking up early the next day and signing up for another audition,” she said. “It takes a thick skin and a lot of determination. But it’s definitely worth it.”

But to Rose, Broadway was always the dream. “I can remember telling people flat-out, ‘I’m going to be on Broadway,’” she said. This past summer, when Rose was cast in How To Succeed, her years of hard work paid off.

“She’s worked very hard and this is what she wanted, so we were happy that she was able to live out this dream,” said Rose’s mother, Mary Szczesniak.

But with every dream comes a bit of reality. Every day, Rose rehearsed from 10 am-6 pm. Prior to the show’s opening, her typical day is filled with singing, learning dance numbers, and rehearsing scenes. “It definitely takes over your life, but that’s what I’ve always wanted. It’s a good thing,” she said.

Like Rose, her character Rosemary is driven by a goal. Rosemary is a secretary, determined to marry Ponty, played by Daniel Radcliffe in this production. This will be Daniel’s second show on Broadway after his 2008 role in the play Equus. This show will mark the Broadway musical debuts for both Rose and Daniel.

What is Rose’s take on her male counterpart? “He really is down-to-earth, humble, and hard-working, and this is all a new world for him too. It’s cool to go through this together. I kind of forget, now that we’ve been working together for a while, that he’s a big deal.”

Other big names appearing in the show include John Larroquette as J.B. Biggley, owner of World Wide Wicket Corporation, and Anderson Cooper as the narrator.

Half a century ago, How To Succeed won the Pulitzer Prize and the Tony Award for best musical and best book. “It’s very sassy, it’s smart, and it’s a statement on the times,” Rose said. “It touches on sexism and the workplace; it’s a statement on all of that. It’s very satirical on that world and that time period in a very smart way.”

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Correction: Annual Report of Gifts Listing The Mount Fund gift made by Madeline Harkins ‘00 was inadvertantly omitted from the Annual Report of Gifts

for 2009-2010, which appeared in the Fall 2010 Mount Magazine. We apologize for the error.

Dear Sister Kathleen:A Letter from a Grateful MountieSister Kathleen Brabson received the following letter from MSJA Alumna Christen Kouch ’07, who has given us permission to share it with the Mount community.

Dear Sister Kathleen,

First of all, I hope that everything is going well and that you are enjoying the beautiful weather and fall semester so far. I am writing to tell you of a wonderful and completely unexpected experience I recently had, that I thought you might appreciate. Last night I was lucky enough to go to the Phillies game with my little sister, her friend, and one of Nicole’s friends (who both just so happened to be Mount Alums, as well!). As I was waiting in line at a concession stand, in the midst of a red and white sea of people, somebody tapped my shoulder and said, “Hey, Lady.” As I turned around, I was faced with a somewhat familiar smile that I could recognize, but needed a minute to place exactly. About twenty seconds later, as he asked me how I was doing, I realized it was Lamar! I cannot tell you the amount of shock I was in to first of all see and recognize him, but that he could spot and pick me out from the thousands of Phillies fans swarming the building. I was wearing a Penn sweatshirt and black sweatpants, and honestly still have no idea how he was able to remember me without my sporting any sign of the Mount. We talked for a brief moment, in which he mentioned that he had left the Mount two years ago, after his 25th year, and made sure I told everyone he says hello. As he walked away pushing an oversized trash can, I could not help but smile and rush back to tell Danielle and our friends who I had just seen. I still can’t get over it! This September I began my senior year at the University of Delaware, where I am planning to graduate from the nursing program in the end of May. I have met a ridiculous amount of wonderful people these past four years, and have learned so much about myself and the kind of person I want to be. Delaware and nursing have both been a really perfect match for me, and I feel so lucky and excited to be where I am right now. However, I can honestly tell you that even now, over three full years past graduating, I still feel connected to the Mount. This

past summer I lived down the shore with three of my best friends from my class at the Mount (Erica Braun, Steph Grimes, and Kristin McFadden), and I was on the phone with Caroline Baca earlier tonight to talk about her coming to visit me tomorrow night. Like I said, I have met great people during college; but my friends from the Mount will be my best friends forever. Coming from a family where I am lucky enough to have four best friends (my sisters plus my mom), I sometimes feel greedy to have four other best friends who know me as well as I know myself. But that’s the beautiful thing about the Mount. It’s where you make connections and create relationships that literally last forever, including ones with the janitor who can still recognize you four years later. That doesn’t happen just anywhere. I know this letter only reiterates the message of every assembly I’ve attended and speech I’ve heard from Marybeth, Nan Daly ’04, and you! Still though, because you are part of such a beautiful place that I still appreciate and miss so much, I thought that you, if anyone, would enjoy my story and be able to picture Lamar’s huge grin! Thank you for helping to make the Mount a place where friendships are made that seriously don’t ever die, and where people meet and continue to remember one another years later under the most unlikely circumstances. I wish you all the best, and hope you have a wonderful year!

Sincerely,Christen Kouch ’07

PS: This January I will be studying abroad in South Africa, where I am going to be taking a class on labor and delivery, and one on women and children. I think it’s fitting to tell you I will be rooming with Allison Pugh ’07, who I just so happened to room with in Disney World our freshman year at the Mount! Some things really never change!

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One Mountie’s Urban Gardens:

Creating the

Unexpected T log cabins. This work included constructing cedar shakes using

a mallet and a froe, and all logs for the cabins were set in place using pulleys and a horse. She loved the work, and while there, made a promise to herself that she’d never work inside again.

When Toni Ann got back to Philadelphia, she took and passed the test for the local Carpenters Union. This was when she started using her middle name, Ann, because of the gender confusion associated with her first name. In 1982, after three years of working in construction, she decided it wasn’t for her and

answered an ad in the Springfield Sun for a “flower gardener on a large, private estate.” Deerfield Estate in Jenkintown was owned by the fun-loving Mr. H. Thomas Hallowell, Jr., president of Standard Pressed Steel, now called SPS Technologies. This estate, an English style strolling garden, graced 45 acres. There were six full-time gardeners taking care of 32 acres of lawn, 10,000 azaleas, 5,000 boxwoods, various flower borders and woodland gardens. Toni Ann was in charge of the flower beds which included cutting beds, rose gardens, perennial borders, shade gardens, a fern garden, a wetland garden and a wildflower meadow. On her first day of work, Mr. Hallowell informed her of the

bylaws for employees at Deerfield: Toni Ann speaking at the Kimmel Center on Broad Street

Toni Ann Flanigan ’74 took an unconventional path to an unconventional career in 1984, when Philadelphia Gardens, Inc. was launched. Philadelphia Gardens

specializes in urban garden design, installation, and maintenance in Center City and Northwest Philadelphia. The goal? To draw each client outside to the garden through visual beauty and motion – with an emphasis on conservation and natural habitat.

After graduating from the Mount, Toni Ann began her journey after earning an Associate’s Degree in Business from the University of Dayton. She then set off to see Alaska by hitchhiking across the United States.

Once she got there, she stayed five months, visiting some of the most remarkable places in Alaska and Northern Canada. Next came a job in upper British Columbia on a 1,600 acre homestead, farm, ranch and hunting lodge. Every day she cooked breakfast, lunch and dinner for the 12 crew members who were restoring and rebuilding the original log cabins on the property that were first built by French fur trappers and traders. Toni Ann did all the cooking on a wood stove, and delivered the mid-day meal using a horse and wagon to the construction site.

Her second job at this ranch was working as a carpenter building the 18

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She made a promise to herself that

she’d never work inside again.

“Have fun, and the moment I catch you not having fun, you’re fired.” During Toni’s tenure, Deerfield Estate was named one of the best gardens in the world by Architectural Digest Magazine. The book Deerfield: An American Garden through Four Seasons was written about this magnificent estate by Bucks County author and photographer, Derek Fell.

Mr. Hallowell and Toni Ann got along, as Mr. Hallowell used to say, “like two peas in a pod.” While working on the estate, Mr. Hallowell mentored Toni in starting her own company - Philadelphia Gardens, Inc.

The company was born out of Toni Ann’s intense love and respect for outdoors and her fascination with design. She would peek into people’s backyards and send them a letter telling them what she would do with their yard if they hired her. Her response rate for these solicitations was nearly 100 percent.

Twenty-seven years later, Toni Ann’s focus continues to be complementing the natural world and enhancing it for the wildlife while protecting our environment. She insists on purchasing plant material in re-used pots. All the yard waste generated during her installations is recycled for mulch. For such a large landscape business, it is extremely unusual, and, in fact never heard of, for a landscape company to be waste-free.

For Toni Ann, there is no other way. She annually dedicates 80 man hours for sorting and returning pots to the original nurseries and delivering yard waste to centers that convert them to mulch and compost. She also focuses on using native plants because these are the plants the birds and wildlife actually “use” and are therefore attracted to her gardens. Her clients often remark on the increased number of birds they have year-round as a result of her installation.

In the second year, one of her clients, Fitler Square (a city park in Philadelphia), was awarded “Best of Philly” by Philadelphia Magazine.

In 2006, Toni Ann again won a Philadelphia Magazine’s Best of Philly Award for “Best Urban Garden Designer.” She is a frequent lecturer for the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society

and has been a featured lecturer for the Philadelphia International Flower Show for the past eight years.

In 2007, ToniAnn was hired by Therese Flaherty to consult on her garden. Therese is Director of the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School’s Small Business Development Center. Therese encouraged Toni Ann to sign up for some of the Center’s classes which Toni Ann has been attending for three and a half years. She credits these classes and her winning Philadelphia Magazine’s Best of Philly award as the two major factors contributing to her significant increase in business during the last five years.

In 2008, the Annual Conference of the American Society of Landscape Architects was held in Philadelphia. Five of the nine gardens featured on their annual tour were designed and installed by Philadelphia Gardens, Inc. As a result of this distinction, ToniAnn was awarded an Affiliate Membership to the Society.

Most recently, the website “Yelp!” has listed her as the top gardener in Center City Philadelphia.

Her business now includes a crew of three, as well as subcontracted carpenters, electricians, masons and hardscapers. Each year, Philadelphia Gardens, Inc., installs over 6,000 annuals and perennials custom grown by local nurseries.

She has been featured in the Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Home and Garden Magazine, Milestone Publication, Architectural

Digest Magazine, Architectural Digest Publication - 33 Most Beautiful Gardens in the World, Deerfield - An American Garden, and the 2010 EP Henry Catalog.

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In her free time, Toni Ann enjoys spending time in Northeast Pennsylvania with her two boys – Curtis, 22 and Brendan, 19.

Toni Ann’s extended family includes fellow Mounties: sisters, Sharyn Flanigan Vergare ’64, Coleen Flanigan Pontin ’65, Joan (Po) Flanigan ’67 and Margaret (Meg) Flanigan Feehan ’73; nieces, Megan Vergare Ostuni, Mollie Koniers Vergare, and Elizabeth (Liz) Vergare Shane. Toni’s website is www.philadelphiagardens.com.

Toni Ann working on a client’s garden.

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LLifelong adventurous Chestnut Hill area resident Diana Zalewski, 25, was once five yards away from wild gorillas in the

mountains of Uganda; she played with tigers in Thailand, was in an underwater cage in South Africa surrounded by sharks and has gone bungee jumping, but her confrontations with huge, powerful, unpredictable wild creatures were not as scary as appearing on the TV show, “Who Wants to be a Millionaire.”

“The show got my heart racing a lot more than any of those experiences with wild animals,” said Diana in an interview last Friday. “I was so nervous. There was one question that I knew the answer to (‘In a recent policy reversal, the U.S. Navy announced that female officers are now allowed to serve on what types of vessels?’), but I was so nervous that I started to doubt myself. I was allowed to ask the audience what they thought the answer was, and 93 percent said ‘submarine,’ so that’s what I said, and it was correct. But all in all, it was so much fun, and Meredith Vieira (the host) was great. I still can’t believe I was chosen.”

Zalewski, a graduate of Norwood-Fontbonne Academy, Mount St. Joseph Academy (2003) and the University of Pennsylvania (in 2007), was a contestant on “Millionaire” in the episodes televised last Tuesday and Wednesday (October 12 and 13) (it is shown weekdays at 12:30 p.m. on Channel 6ABC), and she wound up winning $61,600. The shows were

actually taped last month, but Diana had to promise that she would not reveal the results to anyone, even friends and family members (her mom knew the results because she was at the taping), before the actual telecast, so she never caved in to the non-stop interrogations about how she had done.

“I’m thrilled,” said Diana, a resident of West Mt. Airy. “I would have been happy to walk away with $1,000. I’ll use the money to pay off student loans, maybe visit Tanzania to view the wildebeest migration and help produce a TV nature program. My dream is to transition to a career in wildlife programming or documentaries, and this money may help me get started on living that dream.”

Diana currently works as a “headhunter” for PSE, a local firm that recruits electrical engineers, aerospace engineers, workers for pharmaceutical firms, etc. But she has always been an athlete, adventurer and risk-taker, so she and her brother, Joseph, 35, recently went online to apply to be contestants on the “Millionaire” TV show.

Diana was called to go to New York to take a 10-minute written exam of 30 questions in a room with 100 other people. She failed the test but applied

to take it again. The second time she passed, along with six or eight others out of 100. Those who passed were then sent

Scarier then her confrontations with sharks, gorillas:

Adventurous Mountie Wins $61,600 on TV’s ‘Millionaire’

by LEN LEAR, Chestnut Hill Local*

Diana (left) was on “Who Wants to be a Millionaire.” She is seen here with host, Meredith Vieira.(Photo courtesy of Valleycrest Productions Ltd.)

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to a face-to-face interview. Those who passed that stage (like Diana) graduated to an on-camera interview, and those who did well on that (like Diana) wound up on the show. (Joseph got as far as the on-camera interview but was not approved to appear on the show.)

On the “Millionaire” show, contestants used to start out with easy questions, which got progressively harder as more money was at stake. But starting with this season (as of Sept. 13), both the dollar amount and the difficulty of questions are now randomly shuffled. They have also done away with calling friends at home because of “Googling.” There is a first round of 10 questions, which will produce $68,600 if the contestant answers all 10 correctly. Diana answered nine out of 10 correctly and passed on one question worth $7,000.

Diana then moved on to the $100,000 question — about what American city shares the same latitude as Rome, Italy (Chicago), and decided to “jump” over the question, which she was allowed to do. She then went on the $250,000 question, which was: “In the classic thriller Fatal Attraction, what is the name of the bunny who meets an untimely end boiling on a stovetop?”

A: HopperB: WhiteyC: FluffyD: Snowball

Out of “lifelines” and unsure of the answer, Diana decided not to take a guess and instead walk away with her “Millionaire Bank,” which had accumulated to $61,600. If she had guessed incorrectly on the $250,000 question, she would have fallen back to $25,000 in winnings. It was the correct decision because if Diana had been forced to make a choice, she would have guessed “D,” and the correct answer was “B.”

Diana is the daughter of Eugenia and Walter Zalewski, who died when she was 6. Both had come to the U.S. from their native Poland and lived for a time with Eugenia’s aunt in Northern Liberties in the 1970s. Diana also has a sister, Anita, 36.

“My brother and sister are much older than I am,” said Diana, “and after my dad died, they were like a second set of parents to me. My mom always stressed the importance of education. Anita went to Emory University, and Joseph went to Duke.”

Diana’s mom went to New York with her and sat in the “Millionaire” audience as her on-air companion for the show.

In 2007 Diana got up close and personal with a tiger in a sanctuary in Thailand. In 2008 Diana went to Uganda in East Africa in an attempt to see the extremely endangered mountain gorillas, who have been decimated by poachers and warring tribes. She wound up hiking up a mountain for two hours (some groups take up to six hours) in a rain forest with eight travelers and several guides carrying AK47s because “tourists have been attacked in the past.” The tourists are

allowed to stay on top of the mountain for one hour.

“When I saw a gorilla in a tree far off in the distance, I was thrilled,” recalled Diana. “I couldn’t believe I saw it, but I never, ever thought we would get close to them. But then I saw a dark figure in the brush, and before you know it, a couple of them came really close to me, just about five meters away. I wasn’t really scared, but I was shocked.”

After leaving Uganda, Diana spent three weeks in South Africa, where — among other things — she went shark diving in a cage. Adventurers stay in an underwater cage, where many of them take pictures of the sharks that may surround the cage. In South Africa Diana also made a jump off Bloukrans Bridge, the highest commercial bungee jumping point in the

world at 216 meters. “That definitely got the heart racing,” said Diana, “but still not as much as being on ‘Millionaire.’”

In 2007 Diana got up close and personal with this tiger in Tiger Temple, a sanctuary run by Buddhist monks in Thailand to protect the highly endangered creatures. “It was such a thrill,” said Diana, “because the tiger is my favorite animal.”

Diana went shark diving off the coast of South Africa in 2008. This would terrify most people, but Diana insists that it was not as scary as being on “Millionaire.”

*Reprinted courtesy of Chestnut Hill Local. Originally entitled, “Adventurous Hiller wins $61,600 on TV’s ‘Millionaire’

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This was

Jeopardyby Kate Palladino ’93

and chose our personal anecdotes. Actually, the coordinator chose mine, having deemed the story of my unexpected birth at home the most interesting of my submissions. I hoped I would do my parents proud on that one if I got on the show.

On December 8, the date my show aired, my parents did watch proudly. We gathered at the restaurant where my older brother, Michael, works in Lansdale, and I also was surrounded by my sister-in-law, my niece and three nephews (one of whom celebrated his fifth birthday that day), and one of my many cousins. My sister, Crista ’97, cheered for me at her home in Virginia.

Not having studied, in the interest of seeing how far I could get on “just my brain,” I struggled with some of the categories, wishing for more about Art (having been given the opportunity to attend The Mount as the recipient of an art scholarship) and less about State Fairs. Even so, I remembered the Shakespeare that Mr. Donohoe and Mrs. Ryan taught me—as well as the Shakespeare that they inspired me to go on to study in college. Also, in a roundabout way,

performing on stage in Glee Club and learning music from Sister Kathleen McCloskey, SSJ, helped me keep my composure, because after college I began to cantor Masses and felt comfortable being in what was a very strong spotlight. “You were so poised! I would’ve been a nervous wreck,” came the frequent remark from family and friends afterwards.

Although I went into the Final Jeopardy! round in third place with little hope of overtaking my competitors, I got what for me was just as sweet a victory: I was the only one to

get the final question correct (Clue: “After the royal family fled to this country in 1807, it became the only one in South America from which a European country was ruled.” Question: “What is Brazil?”). With that correct response, and the incorrect responses and wagering of the other two, I walked away in second place and with a $2,000.00 prize. Most of all, though, I came away with a great experience and some interesting stories to tell.

In the days following my appearance on the show, I have enjoyed all the kind acknowledgments by family, friends, and of course Mount alumnae. A surprise letter arrived from Mary Merz Berko (’48), writing both to congratulate me on my appearance and also to apologize for missing the show because she was on a Mount-sponsored trip to “Promises, Promises”—as I suspect some other readers might have been as well!

As I have been asked “What’s next?” many times by both friends and newspaper reporters, I have to answer, “I’m still thinking about it.” Right now, I am enjoying the day-to-day adventures of being a librarian to grades four to eight.

I do, however, still dream of publishing that novel I have been working on since I was a wee sophomore at the Mount.

IIf you asked my Mount classmates, they might say that I was rather low-profile in school and way too quiet to end up on television. It must have surprised some of them to have seen

me this past December on “Jeopardy!”

In January 2010, I took the online test. One reason I registered was that it had been a cruelly cold January, and California sounded warm and inviting. Not to mention I tended to do pretty well answering the questions from the couch or the dinner table. (Ask my cat.) Lastly, I thought my late classmate Jessica Woods Marshall ’93, with her flair for the dramatic, would have gotten a huge kick out of seeing me on stage.

Estimating that thousands of other people had taken the online test across the country at the same time, I thought my chances were slim, so I put the idea out of my mind once I was finished. Then, on Holy Thursday, I received an e-mail from the show, inviting me to audition in downtown Philadelphia in June. The prospect of getting on the show seemed a little brighter, but still I downplayed it.

The audition was great fun! It was like playing a home version of the game, only I was in a hotel conference room and playing against total (but equally geeky) strangers, led by genial contestant coordinators. As I walked out of the room with the fellow hopefuls, one turned to me and said, “You’re going to get on the show.” While there’s no way to know what made him believe so, it had felt very heartening to have been among the first group of three called to play in the mock game. His prediction proved right about two months later when I received a phone call from one of the contestant coordinators. A flurry of phone calls followed from there, including ones to obtain permission from the administration of my yet-to-begin job at Gwynedd-Mercy Academy Elementary, and arranging travel plans with my three cousins who would accompany me on the trip.

In September, I took my first flight ever to Los Angeles. My cousins and I went a few days before the taping date, to get settled and do a little touring. While we did some typical sightseeing in places like Hollywood Boulevard and Rodeo Drive, we also did some exploring and wound up at places like Pepperdine University, where we saw a multitude of flags planted on the campus to honor those who died in the September 11, 2001, attacks. In a way, that made the West Coast I usually thought of as distant seem a little closer to my home.

When the day of the taping arrived, I felt extremely nervous but also extremely excited. I even had one of those anxious “missed the school bus” dreams I used to have as a student. Upon arriving at the studio, I went into a blur of makeup, instructions, practice, and more instructions. We rehearsed our hometown greetings 22

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Mother / Daughter Relationships: “Mama, I’m a big girl now!” Senior Erin Dohony punishes senior Maura Ricci for being imprisoned without permission.

Standing Up for

The late Cardinal Bernardin described the Church’s teaching as a "seamless garment" embracing the totality of life from womb to tomb. The Mount Saint Joseph Respect Life Club rallied a large group to attend the “Stand Up for Life” Dinner held by the Pro Life Union of Souteastern Pennsylvania at the Sheraton Philadelphia City Center Hotel on November 21, 2010. At left are some of the girls who caught up with Mount Alumna Mary Ellen Carroll Brown ’48 for a photo.

Students and their parents heard inspiring words from Dr. Anne Mielnik, Founder and Director of the Gianna Healthcare Center for Women, the first women’s medical center in New York City explicitly committed to providing women’s healthcare that is pro-life and faithful to the teachings of the Catholic Church, including the reproductive advances found in NaProTECHNOLOGY (Natural Procreative Technology).

Life

LaSalle senior Andrew Lonergan, senior Corynne Peters and senior Mary Beth Gries prove big is always beautiful. Photos Courtesy of Emily Covais ’12

From the day that the Mount became the first high school in the tri-state area to perform Marc Shaiman’s musical, Hairspray, the cast and crew began thinking “big.” The result was a production with a level of talent and energy that exceeded even the dress size of the plus-sized main character, Tracy Turnblad (played by senior Mary Beth Gries).

Hairspray is in many ways like Tracy herself. From the hairstyles to the voices of the chorus, the musical was unapologetically big and fun-loving. Like Tracy, its message was truly upbeat and optimistic. Hairspray proves that just as “you can’t stop the beat,” you can’t hold back a girl with big dreams. Hairspray was directed by Maggie and Fran Doyle, Musical Direction by Don Holdren, Choreography by Kathleen Ochs.

Hairspray: “You Gotta Think Big to be Big”

by Catherine Zakrzewski ’11Excerpted from her article in the Campanile

Bullying: “This girl is either blind or completely deranged.” Juniors Catherine Purcell and Jessica Riloff (posing with La Salle junior Conor Janda), bully Tracy because of her weight.

Integration: “It’s Afro-tastic!”Senior Corynne Peters (right) leads the cast in showing that network TV is both black and white. Left to Right: Marcus Richardson, La Salle senior; junior Jackie McCreavy; junior Amara Chukwunenye, and Peters.

Left to Right: Julia Shinkle ’14, Lillian Flashner ’13, Margaret Mary Rilling ’13, Julie McGlynn ’12, Emily Covais ’12, Evelyn Flashner ’11, and Mary Elllen Carroll Brown ’48

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Quizzo Returns

Mountto the

DDespite the frigid temperatures, the ever-popular Quizzo night returned to the Mount on Friday, January 21st and brought together over 300 Parents, Alumnae and Friends. Costumes ranged from Alumnae

dressed as “Mounties” to Happy Hallidays (in celebration of the Phillies). Our sincere thanks, once again, to our veteran emcees Dave Cavanaugh (father of Courtney ’05 and Mackenzie ’07) and Kent Roman (Board member and father of Kerry ’06, Corin ’09 and Lisa ’13) who developed challenging questions and provided an enjoyable program.

Stephanie Rivero ’11 provided the musical talent for the evening and over 50 students volunteered their time to ensure a fun and successful event. We are grateful to past parent Sue Maron (mother of Kerrie ’09) for her assistance and generous donation of gift bags for the winners. Over $6,000 was raised and the proceeds were split between the 20/20 and Robotics programs.

Photos by Kathryn Glover ’11

Photos: clockwise from top left: Kathleen Sharaf ’11, Kelley Grady ’12, Steph Rivero ’11 and Lauren Garoppo ’12, and two tables of Quizzo fans, including a table of Mounties!

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Mimi Strolle Bender ’72

Recognized by

Stanford Universityfor her Dedication

Stanford University recognized Mrs. Mary “Mimi” Strolle Bender ’72 on Wed., Nov. 24, for her dedication to educating students.

Mrs. Bender was awarded the Teacher Tribute Initiative in front of the Mount Saint Joseph Academy community.

Each year, Stanford University grants the award to teachers who have touched the lives of their students, impacting them both as students and as people. Chierika Ukogu, a 2010 graduate of the Mount, nominated Mrs. Bender because of her enthusiasm and dedication to her subject and her students.

“I met Mrs. Bender freshman year during my first step into the realm of foreign language.

Mrs. Bender not only gave me a handle on Latin, but also represented a person that I, myself, aspire to be. She loves her

job whole-heartedly, and her passion has sparked my own passion in my academic pursuits. Mrs. Bender is a truly marvelous woman, and I fully attribute my high school success to her teaching methods and the advice I received in room CVIII,” Chierika wrote.

Mrs. Bender received her degree from Villanova University. Before entering college, she debated whether she should study French or Latin. She eventually decided that Latin was her greatest love. “I had a great teacher, and I loved it from day one,” she said.

When she was trying to choose a career, Mrs. Bender wanted one in which she could use Latin every day. While considering her options, Mrs. Bender visited an archeological dig site, but she quickly decided that archeology wasn’t for her.

A career in education was the next obvious choice, and it was one that she has never regretted. After teaching for over twenty years, Mrs. Bender has had countless fun experiences and memories. However, she could instantaneously choose her favorite part of being a teacher.

“The students,” she answered, without any hesitation. “Watching them learn, interacting with them…” she smiled broadly. “I just love the students.”

Students benefit from Mrs. Bender’s enthusiasm; not only does she instill a love of Latin and of learning in her students, but she also pushes each student to challenge herself. Mrs. Bender will accept no less than a student’s best effort.

In my junior year, I asked Mrs. Bender to sign my roster. When she saw that I had not signed up for AP Latin, she

stopped and said, “You should really take AP. I think it would be a good challenge for you. You could do really well.” As always, she pushed me to work harder and achieve more.

After careful consideration, I enrolled in the AP Latin class. I’m not sure how well I’ll do, but it’s thanks to Mrs. Bender that I am willing to take on the challenge.

Mrs. Bender displays her award from Stanford University; she was nominated by Mount Alum Chierika Ukogu ’10 (left).

By Meghan O’Grady ’11This article originally appeared in The Campanile

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Field Hockey: Brooke Sabia ’12, MaryJo Horgan ’11, Allie Sabia ’12, and Emilee Ehret ’12

Cross Country

Cross Country: Left to Right: 1st team--Patrice Hoffman ’13, Meredith Reiche ’13 and Honorable Mention, and Danielle Leporace ’12

Golf: Front, Left to Right: Jenny Jenkins ’11, Samm

Arena ’11, Mary Elizabeth Entwistle ’11. Back, Left to

Right: Alise McNutt ’11, and Nicole Mischler ’13

Basketball: Left to Right: Mary Jo Horgan ’11 and

Stephanie Smith ’11

Basketball

Field Hockey Golf

Congratulations Fall & Winter 2010-2011 All-Stars

Crew

US Rowing Scholastic Honor Roll: Left to Right: Colette McNeela ’11, Maggie Rush ’11,Meaghan Bresnahan ’11, and Paige Flynn ’11

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Volleyball: Carlie Krill ’11, Regina Trabosh ’12, Kasey Cannon ’12, and Val Smith ’11

Soccer: Left to Right: Kelly Moran ’12, Morgan McCafferty ’11, and Maggie Gottschalk ’11

Swimming: Front, Left to Right: Katie O’Connell ’12. Alex

Sullivan ’11 and Dana Zielinski ’12 Back, Left to Right: Miranda

Rafferty ’12, Christina Formica ’14, and Meg Weiser ’11

Tennis: Back: Mary Gorman ’13 and Allison Murray’13. Front: Jessica Bonet ’13 and Maddie Kohler ’12

Volleyball

Swimming

Soccer

Tennis

All

-Sta

rsCongratulations

Fall & Winter 2010-2011 All-Stars

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Thank you for your

generosity!We are presently at 78% of our goal of $375,000

Overall gifts to date: $292,774

Class Gifts Participation:The Class of 2013 is in first place with 32% participation.The Class of 2014 has 23%. The Class of 2011 has 22%. The Class of 2012 has 22%We have just a few months left to this year’s Mount Fund Campaign which will end on June 30th. As of press time, we have received $292,774 toward our goal of $375,000.

Gifts to the Mount Fund are essential to the day to day operations of the Mount. Revenue generated from tuition only covers 81% of the actual cost per student. The generosity of our alumnae, parents, faculty, staff and friends helps to make up this difference and make the dream of a Mount education a reality for many young women.

We appreciate those who have already given to this year’s Mount Fund campaign. Thank you for making the Mount a priority in your charitable giving! If you haven’t already done so, please send in your Mount Fund donation today. All gifts, regardless of size, have a direct and immediate impact on our students. Your support helps the Mount provide an excellent education foundation to our young women. Thank you for your participation and generosity!

Mount Fund Goal$375,000

$300,000

$200,000

$100,00078%

2010-2011

In February, Sister Kathleen Brabson, SSJ, MSJA President, and Mary Merz Berko ’48, Chair, MSJA Board of Directors, travelled to Florida to visit many of our Alumnae who reside in Florida or visit during the winter months

each year.

Sister Kathleen and Mary appreciated the time they spent with many Mounties during four planned receptions.

Special thanks to Gloria Garcia-Velez Arazoza ’54 and Mary Jarett Whistler ’77 who graciously hosted receptions in their homes. Gatherings were also held in Miami Beach and Naples.

Mount Fund Gifts to Date$292,774-------

A Visit with our Florida Mounties

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“Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tunes without the words and never stops at all…” -Emily Dickinson

Dear Alumnae,As we all anxiously await the robin’s sweet song and an early spring, I am reminded of just how important hope was to Mother St. John Fournier and the Sisters of St. Joseph. It was because of their vision, hopes and dreams that Mount Saint Joseph Academy began its journey. As members of the Alumnae Association we carry on this hope by striving for a stronger Association. While the Mount continues to grow by maintaining its core Catholic mission, so too has our Alumnae Association. With your dedication and support, each year brings new programs and events.The holiday season at the Mount began with our annual Lunch with Santa. On this festive day, over 300 Alumnae, Parents, Grand-parents and, of course, their children came back to the Mount to celebrate the holidays. The excitement on the children’s faces was priceless as Santa made his appearance. A few days later was our first ever trip to Broadway to see Promises, Promises. Six buses ventured forth, filled with excited students, alumnae, parents and friends who enjoyed the show, shopping and lights of New York City. By day’s end we could feel the Christmas Spirit! With the help of Facebook, the College Age Social drew a large number of our college-age Alums together during their break to catch up with their classmates and teachers.The Alumnae Association strives to connect Alumnae from all over the country. Alumnae Day, scheduled for April 2, is the perfect opportunity to revisit your roots and enjoy catching up with fellow classmates. We will begin the weekend festivities with an Alumnae Basketball Game on Friday, April 1st. We welcome back all Alumnae, but especially those graduating classes ending in 1s and 6s. We will also be honoring the newest members of the “Golden Girls” from the class of 1961.Spring Fling is set for Sunday, April 10th. This event continues to be a popular one among the entire Mount community. Gather your friends and plan to get together for a fun-filled afternoon of shopping for unique gifts.I urge you to support the “Mount Fund.” By supporting the Mount Fund you have the opportunity to help raise up the next generation of women leaders. Your gift helps to continue our commitment to excellence in teaching, learning and student experiences here at Mount Saint Joseph Academy. Thanks to all Alumnae, Faculty, Directors and Board Members for your loyalty and support. I hope to see many of you at our upcoming events.

Kind regards,

Trish Zugay Burkholder ‘74

A Letter from the Alumnae Association President

Purple & Gold and

Harvest Club Donors, Mark Your Calendars!!

You will soon receive an invitation to the annual Harvest Club Dinner being held at the Mount on Wednesday, May 11, 2011, at 6:30 p.m. This wonderful gathering is our way of saying “thank you” for your generosity to the Mount. We look forward to seeing you there. 29

IIf you or someone you know is interested in making a difference in the lives of others by giving a year of service, you might want to know about the SSJ Mission Corps.

This volunteer program, sponsored by the Sisters of Saint Joseph, provides an opportunity for young women between the ages of 21-35 to work with those who are materially poor in the Philadelphia area. The young women who join the SSJ Mission Corps live together in a community which is grounded in the values of justice, spirituality, community, and simple living. The women partner with the Sisters of Saint Joseph in furthering the gospel mission of active inclusive love of God and neighbor without distinction. We are now accepting inquiries and applications for the 2011-2012 volunteer year beginning in August 2011. For more information call Sister Rose Andrea

at 215-248-7239 or email her at rloughery@ssjphila.org. You can also check the volunteer link at http://www.ssjphila.org/SSJMissionCorp2.html

Efforts to recruit SSJ Mission Corps volunteers for 2011-2012 are already underway, thanks to the generosity of our current missioners and Sisters who have been attending colleges to meet and speak to interested students about our program. The SSJ website serves as a valuable resource for anyone interested in the program. http://www.ssjphila.org/SSJMissionCorp2.html. It contains links to current information on such specifics as: mission statement, program benefits, application for 2010-2011, bios/photos of the current Mission Corps members, as well as the newest Volunteer Newsletter.

Thank you for all you are doing to support this work of the Spirit!

Looking to Serve Others? SSJ Mission Corps

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Annual Lunch with Santa

The MSJA Alumnae Association welcomed its College-Age Alumnae, graduates from the classes of 2007-2010 to the

annual College-Age Social, held on January 4, 2011. We are grateful for the assistance and hard work of our Co-Chairs, Erin T. Connelly ’07, Amanda Nolan ’08, Victoria Wischhusen ’09, and Kelly Moyer ’10. Thanks to their hard work and success in getting the word out, many of our College-Age Alumnae “Came Home to the Mount” and reconnected with each other, faculty and administration.

the Mount’s

College-Age

Social

On Saturday, December 4, Mount Saint Joseph Academy hosted its annual “Lunch with Santa”

for the families and friends of its Alumnae, faculty and staff. Approximately 300 people attended, including 150 children who got to visit with Santa Claus. The children enjoyed making (and eating!) gingerbread houses and decorating Christmas ornaments for their family Christmas trees. The children shared in a special day with their families that helped to bring out the Christmas spirit in all.

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1944• Marguerite Haggerty Harrington welcomed Jeanne

Black Clark to this year’s Golden Girls Luncheon. This marks her first Mount function since graduation. Jeanne lives in Ohio. Welcome back Jeanne!

1949• Barbara Havas Miller has been living in Florida for 52

years and has a daughter now living in Downington, Pennsylvania, so she hopes to visit Philly more often.

1951• Anita Casani Haffey lists grandchildren, family

celebrations, volunteer activities and bridge keep her out of trouble. She hopes to see you on April 2nd.

1954• Gloria Garcia-Velez Arazoza is enjoying her family and

especially her eight grandchildren, but wishes she lived closer so she could see all her friends at the events.

1955• Margaret Conroy Jordan spends a good deal of her time

watching grandson, Ryan, play traveling baseball, soccer and basketball which will start soon. How exciting for her!!

• Nora Tierney Parker is enjoying life with her grandchildren. Her oldest, Brenna, is teaching English to French children in France. Her blog is like a history lesson – so interesting!

1956• Dorothy Hordubay shouts, “Hooray for Founder’s Day!”

1957• Ann Tushim Csink Linck is still involved in real estate

at Eichler & Moffly and traveling as much as possible. Ann is now living in Chestnut Hill, and still enjoying music (Philadelphia Orchestra, Philadelphia Singers, and Philadelphia Ballet).

1958• MaryLou Snyder Goldberg with sister, Kate Heron

(Cecilian ’68) spent an exciting two weeks in Ireland and England in September 2010. MaryLou says retirement is certainly rewarding.

1959• Marion Williams Berry with husband, Vince, is enjoying

life in Vero Beach. Marion participates in two book clubs, the Docent corps of their museum and is this year’s HOA President. Her family has grown from five in 2001 to 13 in 2010. All were together at Christmas and individual families throughout the year. Life is good!

• Barbara McCrea Flanigan is celebrating her first grandchild, an adorable adopted boy named Seamus Waarvik Flanigan. Her daughter, Melissa, is a Ph.D. Now there are two Doctor Flanigans in the family.

• Elizabeth Nace Gumprecht has been thoroughly enjoying the Golden Girls’ Luncheons. Says it’s a great way to keep in touch with classmates.

1962• Patricia Condon McDonough and her husband, Bill,

just celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary with a trip to Sedona and the Grand Canyon. They are blessed that their family of five children and 11 grandchildren are all local, so their family gatherings are often. Patti is still working as the Massage Therapist for the Sisters of Mercy at Merion. Bill still runs Sport Camps, Inc. She is looking forward to the 50th Reunion and memories from the past!

1964• Joanne Caruso Garces announces that daughter, Susan

Garges Silberberg ’98, was married on her grandparent’s anniversary, November 11, 2009, and brought their first home. Her son, Chris, and his wife had their first child, a daughter, Olivia Payton on February 5, 2010. Olivia is Joanne’s first grandchild, allowing her to be a “Gigi” for the first time!

1966• Joan Morasco Parsons announces two new

granddaughters born this year, Cristina, born August 6th and Kierstin, born July 25th. They join her five other grandchildren, Nathan, Anthony, Monica, Brendan and Kayla. Joan is currently working for The Philadelphia Institute of Dermatology in medical billing and credentialing.

1971• Mollie O’Rourke Menapace stays involved at the Mount

via the Special Events Committee. Her daughter, Caroline ’08 is swimming at Fairfield University, also sings with the “Lord’s Chords” at Mass on campus and is mentoring local high school students preparing for college.

1974• Elizabeth Quinn Antonucci can’t believe it’s been 36

years and is looking forward to her next reunion! Liz has been with NWA which is now Delta Airlines as a flight attendant for the past 33 years. Her husband, Joe, is a commercial real estate broker and is self-employed. Son, Michael (19), is in his first year at St. Johns University, and Matthew (14), is in eighth grade.

1976• Joanne Mulligan Giagnacova is happy to share that her

son, Greg, is engaged to Mountie Jenna Stabinski ’03 and that the wedding is planned for September 2011. Her daughter, Colleen, ’07 will graduate in May 2011 from St. Joseph’s University with a major in business management and a minor in Fine Arts, piano performance.

1978• Catharine Farnan married John Kennedy on November

26, 2010, at Immaculate Conception Church in Jenkintown, PA, with Mounties attending. Catharine and John honeymooned in Ireland.

1979• Peggy Gorman McKeon announces that her daughter,

Caitlin ’05, will graduate from Chestnut Hill College with a

Alumnae

News

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New

smaster’s in Education. Caitlin was recently engaged to Mr. John Burt, and the wedding will take place in Winchester, England on July 30, 2011. They will reside in England. Caitlin is the granddaughter of Joan Gallagher McKeon ’48.

1987• Jennifer Labrum McColigan is proud to have completed

her first half marathon in September. She is staying busy with three children, ages, ten, eight and six. Jennifer is also active in her children’s school and is the PTA Treasurer.

• Suzann Carabello Zappolo and husband, Len, welcomed their first child, Christian Matthew on August 30, 2010.

1992• Jenna Franceski announces her marriage to PJ Linke

(Bishop McDevitt ’92) on August 29, 2009, at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, Glenside. The Philly-themed reception was held at the Abington Arts Center. Jenna, a program manager for Philabundance, and PJ, a software developer, are kept busy working on their new house in Abington which they share with their furry family Andie (Border Collie), Buster and Tyler (kitties). Many Mounties were on hand to help celebrate. From top, left to right: Sadie

Nickelson ’94, Maureen McGinley ’92 (Maid of Honor), Coleen Dyer Wybranski ’92, Nicole Cavaliere ’94, Jill Franceski Lagarenne ’87 (Bridesmaid), Monica Rodan ’92, Marie Bertino ’95, Maura Wiswall ’92, Kristen Hunter ’92 (Bridesmaid), Jenna, and Dana Bertotti ’94. (not pictured: Suzie Dunkelberger Homack ‘93)

• Lisa McNamara Rhodes was excited to join fellow ’92 grads, Christine Cote, Katie Rogers and Dr. Tina Siddal at the 2010 Philly SheRox.

1995• Kimberly Parsons Brockmeyer announces

the birth of her daughter, Cristina, 8/6/10. Kimberly is currently employed with PointRoll, which is the leading provider of digital marketing solutions and technology.

• Erin Smyth Wenzel and husband, Robert, welcomed their second child on September 24, 2010. Big brother, Cole, is so excited to have a little brother, John Thomas, whom they are calling “Jack.”

1997• Kathryn Parsons announces the birth of

her daughter, Kierstin, on July 25th. Kathryn is currently employed with the Principal Financial Group.

2000• Meaghan Londergan has joined the practice of Green,

Silverstein & Groff, LLC, Attorneys at Law, Philadelphia office.

• Jane Milton Polto and husband, Ethan celebrated the arrival of their daughter, Avery Elizabeth, on October 4, 2010. She weighed 7lbs., 13 ounces and was 20 inches long. Big sisters Megan (8) and Marykate (3) are enjoying the new family addition.

2001• Shannon McGonigle says it was great to see S. Kathleen

and other ’01 grads, Bernadette Longino and Chrissy Byrne in New York City.

2004• Lisa Prybella married Sean Egan on August 21, 2010, at

Our Lady of Good Counsel Church. Mounties in attendance were (left to right) Lisa Feden ’04, Aleks Wolchasty ’05, Jenn Feden ’04 and bridesmaid, Maryann Jordan ’04. Lisa and Sean spent their honeymoon in Tahiti and are now living in Chestnut Hill.

Exciting things going on in your life? Let us know about them! Deadline for inclusion in the next Mount Magazine is June 1, 2011. Send to Theresa Moyer at tmoyer@msjacad.org.

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• Suzann Carabello Zappolo ’87, a son, Christian Matthew• Nancy Kaiser ’88, a son, Ivan Gregory Kaiser-Potter• Megan Burghart Flynn ’93, a son, Michael Thomas• Laura Ragan Henry ’94. a daughter, Ragan Sophia • Kimberly Parsons Brockmeyer ’95, a daughter, Cristina • Erin Smyth Wenzel ’96, a son, John Thomas, “Jack”• Kathryn Parsons ’97, a daughter, Kierstin• Lauren Schaffer Stienes ’97, a son, Colin• Kelly McKeown Adomsky ’00, a son, Bennett Michael• Jane Milton Polto ’00, a daughter, Avery Elizabeth

New Arrivals

We extend our sympathy and prayers to the families of the

following Alumnae:

In Memoriam

Ruthann Boone Braunwarth ’66Mary A. Herglotz Cassidy ’41

S. Frances Gervase O’Brien, SSJ ’42Gloria Garcia Cook ’47

Theresa Victoria Felix ’48Patricia Weber Schreiber ’52

Patricia Hogan Sacus ’62Annette Malanowski ’66

• Patricia Kelso Eckert ’49, on the death of her husband, James H. Eckert

• Dolores Roche Purtell ’49, on the death of her husband, James M. Purtell

• Jane Ledwith Charlton ’50, on the death of her husband, John e. Charlton

• Carol Weymann Jones ’63, on the death of her husband, Morgan Richards Jones

• Colleen Kelly Coll ’64 and Fiona Kelly ’13, on the death of their Mother-in-law and great grandmother respectively, Marguerite Rodgers Coll

• Margaret Gallagher ’66 and Cynthia Gallagher Dowling ’91, on the death of their father and grandfather, Robert F. Gallagher

• Marianne Fleming McCarty ’66 and Karen Fleming Schuler ’69, on the death of their mother, Eileen Keeley Fleming

• S. Rose Andarea Loughery ’69 and Andrea Loughery Chernekoff ’72, on the death of their father, Thomas M. Loughery

• Mary Brady McSherry ’71, on the death of her brother, John A. Brady

• Alison DePaul-Schmitt ’73, Donna DePaul Bartynski ’70, Cynthia DePaul Saponaro ’75, Andrea DePaul Naticchione ’76, Susan Dragani Ramos ’76, Lisa Dragani Ramos ’78, Donna Dragani Williams ’79, Jamie Walters Dimitri ’97, Christina Ramos ’04, Cara Saponaro ’04, Jennifer Ramos ’06, Katelyn Williams ’08, Angela Saponaro’11 and Ashley DePaul’12, on the death of their daughter, niece and cousin, Stephanie A. Favata

• Nancy Connor ’76, Rose Marie Connor Haney ’77 and Colleen Connor Honigman’78 on the death of their cousin, Patricia Hogan Sacus ’62

• Denise Coletta Neuschwander ’76, on the death of her sister, Karen Coletta DeGennaro

• Christine O’Connell Lally ’77, on the death of her son, Sean F. Lally

• Marie Adams Hughes ’79, MaryLou Dante Hughes ’81, Amy Hughes Watson ’93, Marybeth Hughes ’94, Valerie Hughes ’00, Aurora Hughes ’02, Christina Hughes ’02, Jamie Hughes ’03 and Caitlin Hughes ’14, on the death of their

Our sympathy and prayers are extended

to the following alumnae:

I n M e m o r y o fElisa DiBono

Elisa was a member of our department for three short years, but during that time she had a great impact on our Mount community. My most vivid memory of her is on the stage during our foreign language assembly her first year here. We had asked her to talk to the students about the ups and downs of learning a new language. Elisa had us all laughing as she described herself try-ing to make conversation as she sat across from her mother-in-law at the breakfast table one of her first days in America. Never afraid to laugh at her own foibles, she gladly shared with her Mount colleagues the trouble she had finding ASAP’s mailbox in the faculty room. When she finally solicited the help of one of her depart-ment members (a Spanish teacher), she learned that “Please Return ASAP” simply meant she had to get her response back as soon as possible. A natural teacher, she overcame any language barrier in the classroom with inventive mimes and clever word associations. She connected with all her students, whether instruct-ing them in basic conversation skills or explaining an intricate construction in AP Spanish.

The thoughts and prayers of the language department and the whole Mount community go out to Elisa’s family and friends at this difficult time.

Ave atque vale, Elisa. Requiescas in pace.

–Mimi Strolle Bender ’71

Latin translation: “Hail and farewell, Elisa. May you rest in peace.”

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mother-in-law and grandmother respectively, Jane Murphy Hughes

• Margaret Loos Kieffer ’84, Cecilia Loos ’90, Katherine Loos Major ’92 and Lauren Kieffer ’08, on the death of their father and grandfather respectively, George J. Loos

• Frances Princivalle Chadwick ’85, Jennifer Maguire Princivalle ’81, Lauren Ellis ’99 and Kathleen Princivalle ’10, on the death of their father, father-in-law and grandfather respectively, James D. Princivalle

• Carol Antes Sponseller ’85, on the death of her mother-in-law, Dorothy Keffler Sponseller

• Linda Rongione Cipriano ’87 and Danielle Rongione ’06, on the death of their mother and grandmother respectively, Mary Daniele Rongione

• Liza Burnett ’91, on the death of her mother, Edwina Cropper

• Megan Gallagher Melusky ’93, on the death of her mother, Carolyn Stanton Gallagher

• Mary Beth Minnick Slaughter ’93, on the death of her father, Robert Minnick

• Lisa Hargadon ’95 and Megan Hargadon Ryan ’97, on the death of their grandmother, Teresa Kilfoil Putney

• Laura Paul Lasky ’96, on the death of her grandfather, David J. Savaiano

• Stephanie Arizin ’99 (deceased) and Marissa Foy ’06, on the death of their grandmother, Catherine Haney Foy

• Sarah Martynowski ’00 and Jessica Klusek’03, on the death of their grandmother, Stella E. Martynowski

• Meghan Malone ’03, Kathryn Malone ’06, Morgan McKibbin ’11 and Jessica Malone ’13, on the death of their grandmother, Margaret “Marge” Gallick McCormick

• Angela Koerper ’05 and Christina Koerper ’06, on the death of their grandmother, Angela A. Mancuso

• Christine Dunn ’06, Catherine Dunn ’08 and Caroline Dunn ’13, on the death of their grandmother, Bernadette McLaughlin Dunn

• Marissa Foy ’06, on the death of her grandmother, Catherine Haney Foy

• Denise Belcher ’07, on the death of her grandmother, E. Jean Hagenbucher Robertson

• Jenna Cave ’08, on the death of her grandmother, Anna E. “Ann” Moran Stupak

• Christine Fesnak ’08, on the death of her grandfather, Thomas Cleary

• Karly Palcinella ’08, on the death of her aunt, Annemarie D. Butler

• Caroline Ezzo ’09, on the death of her grandfather, Raymond F. Ezzo

• Kiersten Brinkos ’10, on the death of her grandmother, Philomena Spada Brinkos

• Laura Mancano ’10 and Kerrie Longo ’12, on the death of their grandfather, Rocco J. Mancano

• Taylor Stabler ’10 and Lauren Stabler ’13, on the death of their grandfather, Robert Owens

• Brittany Hood ’11 and Jacqueline Hood ’13, on the death of their grandmother, Mary Ann Arthurs Plunkett

• Kelley Grady ’12, on the death of her grandfather, Donald K. Fletcher

• Olivia Calamia’13, on the death of her grandfather, Umberto Longhi

• Katerina Lux ’13, on the death of her grandfather, Matthew J. Shields

• Sabrina Creamer ’14, on the death of her grandfather, C. Graham Berwind Jr.

• Emma Feeney ’14, on the death of her grandmother, Beatrice Bowlacker Reese

• Elizabeth McKernan’14, on the death of her grandmother, Susan Mary Barry Ward

• Mr. William Osgood (faculty member) on the death of his father, Kenneth Osgood.

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Premier Event SponsorFIRSTRUST Bank

Bronze

Silver

TTen years ago, Lisa Henrich took the helm of “Celebrauction,” Mount Saint Joseph Academy’s Auction, charting a steady course of growth for the school’s largest

fundraiser. Looking back to March 2002, Celebrauction XVIII, “La Celebration de Paris” was in full swing with Lisa personally overseeing every detail, just as she has done for each ensuing year, culminating in this year’s Celebrauction XXVII, “A Journey Down the Nile.”

With grace and aplomb, Lisa worked with countless volunteers, vendors, and companies, soliciting advertising and sponsorships, and encouraging her tireless band of dedicated volunteers to do the same. Lisa’s role expanded along with Celebrauction’s proceeds, raising over $2,000,000 during her tenure.

But even with all the hard work involved, this dedicated group of volunteers knows how to have fun! Kathi Clarke, former Parents Association President and mother of Annie ’11 and Kelly ’05, says, “Volunteering with and for Lisa has been a pleasure. What stands out about working for her is that volunteers have so much fun. I always look forward to heading over to Mount to spend a day with Lisa. She is kind, encouraging and professional, and we work with complete confidence in the ultimate success of the event.”

Indeed, Kathi noted the significance of volunteers who continue to return even after their daughters have graduated, a testimony not only to their friendship with Lisa, but to their belief in the Mount’s mission.

As a result, Lisa’s close ties to the Mount Community are the hardest part of letting go.

“Being part of the Mount community has been very special to me, and working here has affected my spirituality,” said Lisa. “I will miss not only the job, but also the relationships I’ve made here.”

She added that her relationship with MSJA President, Sister Kathleen Brabson has been particularly special for her and that she considers Sister Kathleen to be extended family.

Reflecting on Lisa’s tenure at the Mount, Sister Kathleen said, “It has been a pleasure to work with Lisa. I will never forget the 150th Celebration, and the memories she’s helped to create in the hearts of the Mount Alumnae, parents, students and benefactors. I wish her all the best as she moves on and charts a new career path.”

In addition to growing relationships with the volunteers and the Sisters of Saint Joseph, Lisa has enjoyed sharing her time here with her daughter, Stephanie ’11 and her friends. Although she has taken a position as a Director of Sales and Marketing in a marketing, promotional, and custom packaging company, she plans to continue fundraising and hopes to help in a limited role in next year’s Celebrauction.

Looking forward to her new opportunity, she knows she will be leaving Celebrauction in the capable hands of Cindy Moore. Says Lisa, “Cindy will be a nice addition to the Mount, and brings with her experience, energy, and enthusiasm.”

As Lisa embarks on the next phase of her life, she holds a special place in her heart for the Mount, remembering fondly her time spent with the Mount community, and the special memories she helped create.

a Fond Farewell to Lisa Henrich, Mount’s Auction Director

A Warm Welcometo Cindy Moore

WWe are pleased to welcome Cindy Moore as Mount’s Auction Director. Cindy brings to the Mount a rich background in business and fundraising. After graduating from Temple University with her BBA, she embarked on a career in human resources, earned her graduate degree from Villanova

University, then became the youngest member of her company’s executive team.

She founded and has spent the last seven years chairing the auction program for Conshohocken Catholic School, in addition to leading their Marketing and Advancement Team. She is Youth Coordinator for Plymouth Country Club, where she oversees all programming for the Tennis Camp and Swim Teams. She is also captain of Plymouth Country Club’s Tennis Team.

Cindy resides in Conshocken with her husband, Donald, and their three children, Ashley, 11, Michael, 8, and Kelly, 8. The family belongs to St. Matthew Parish, where Cindy serves as a lector.

Says Cindy, “I am looking forward to working with the Mount Community in leading Celebrauction XXVIII!”

By Annie Clarke ’11 and Steph Henrich ’11

36

Happ

enin

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Platinum C-Jay, LLC; Yunnie and Carl JenkinsThomas J. Paul, Inc.; Denise and Jim PaulBPG Properties, Ltd; Gail and Art PasquarellaEileen and Bob Fabiszewski

Celebrauction XXVII, held on March 5, 2011, was a great success, raising over $250,000 for the Mount! This delightful evening was filled with excitement, fun and friendly competition amongst the bidders. Featured in the photos on the inside back cover with Sister Kathleen Brabson, SSJ, are Auction Chairs Debbie and Kirk Nemshick, who, with their outstanding committee, student volunteers and Auction Director Lisa Henrich, transformed the Mount into a dazzling treasure, making Celebrauction XXVII a night to remember.

Celebrauction XXVII

A Journey Down the Nile

SponsorsPremier Event Sponsor

FIRSTRUST Bank

GoldDeb and Kirk Nemshick Global Packaging; Eileen and Tony MaginnisParx Casino; Helen and Tony Ricci

Aramark Condon Skelly; Kris Boyd, Client Service ManagerCozen & O’Connor; Suzanne Serianni Mayes ’84 and Herman Fala

AccuTech Mechanical Services; Jim BrewerAudrey and Dennis Durkin Beth and Michael Brown Boenning & Scattergood; Maliz and Lou DePaulCarr & Duff; Joanne and Bob DuffCericola Family; Ellen and Don CericolaD. M. Sabia & Co., Inc.; Ginger and John SabiaDeloitte; Steve GardnerDePaul General Contractors; Donna DePaul Bartynski ’70Eileen Heck Slawek Fenningham, Stevens & Dempster, LLP; John C. Fenningham, Esq.Hunter Douglas; Mr. & Mrs. Norman MaloneJulie and Mike McHugh

Kathi and Tim Clarke Law Offices of Daniel L. Thistle; Dan and Chris ThistleLisa and Dave HenrichLouise and Jack Gavin Mary Merz Berko ’48 McNeil Consumer Healthcare; Peg and Bob HavardOrthopaedic Surgery & Rehab Associates; Susan and Walter DearolfPhiladelphia Coca-Cola Bottling Company; Faith and Fran McGorryReMax; Peg and Tony RizzoSheila and Brian McLaughlin Wells Fargo Advisors; Bill MichettiWells Technology; Phyllis and Clayton Wells

Bronze

SilverGrant Thornton, LLP; James Welsh, PartnerHi-Trend, LP; Lois Trench-Hines ’60 and George HinesKane, Pugh, Knoell, Troy & Kramer, LLP; William Pugh VMSJA Board of DirectorsNSM Insurance Group; Nancy and Geof McKernan

SAFE AND SOUND FOR 75 YEARS.

Cel

ebr

au

ctio

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Cel

ebr

auc

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XX

VI

Celebrauction XXVII

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Daughter(s) Class Year(s)

The Registration Committee can only seat you with

the guests whose names, addresses and complete

payment you include with this response card.

All seating will be pre-assigned. Alternatively,

we will try to assist with seating. Indicate your

daughter’s grade above, or list the names of other

guests with whom you would like to be seated.

Tables seat 10. No tickets will be issued.

Please list the names and addresses of guests with

whom you would like to be seated:

CELEBRAUCTION XXVIIMOUNT SAINT JOSEPH ACADEMY

MARCH 5, 2011

4" 4"

5.5"

Approved by/Date_________________

Account Exec____________________Coordinator_____________________Mechanical_____________________ Art Director_____________________Proofreader_____________________

37989IL04B_RplyCrd.ai1-05-11

BFUR

Outside Spread

Process Color Inks

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

Note to Separator: Remove this legend from film!Colors shown here are for TJP internal review only.

Separator is responsible for actual Process Color Combinations!

Process Color Combinations

0C 10M 67Y 10K

39

Monday, October 3, 2011

Blue Bell Country Club

19 th Annual

Golf Classic

Save the

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120 West Wissahickon AvenueFlourtown, PA 19031-1899RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

NON PROFITORGANIZATIONU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDLANGHORNE, PA

PERMIT #118