2019 Edition
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CA MAGAZINEonnections FOR THE ST. MARY’S RYKEN COMMUNITY Beloved and Retiring President Mary Joy Hurlburt Donnie Williams Celebrates with the Varsity Football Team Center Opening! Following Their WCAC Metro Division Victory! p.07 Retirement story p.02 / Football championship story p.38 a catholic school in the xaverian brothers tradition 2019 » IN THIS ISSUE 10 Local Partnerships Help Shape 30 St. Mary’s Ryken Students 56 A Q&A with Venture Capitalist Aerospace Engineering Course Perform at the White House Rob Kniaz ’97 FROM THE PRESIDENT Dear Alumni and Friends, It’s an exciting time to be a Knight as we pledge to cultivate lifelong learners who prepare to welcome our Class of 2023, open are also critical thinkers—creative, adaptable the doors of the Donnie Williams Center and collaborative. SMR continues to excel and begin renovations in Paschal Hall to at providing our students this type of create top-notch classrooms and science learning environment! labs in the new MIL STEM Wing! Please read more on pages 7–9 about the huge It’s a thrill to have the Donnie Williams impact these new facilities will have on the Center, a health and wellness facility student experience and campus life. Thank you for believing in St. Mary’s Ryken opening in August, not only for our students, I conclude my final days as school president and for giving our children the very best that faculty and staff, but to share with the entire with an enormous sense of pride and Catholic education has to offer. Southern Maryland community. confidence in our faculty, staff, board of I want to thank all of you—our most steadfast directors and community to keep everything Every day is a great day to be a Knight! supporters of Catholic education—for your here at SMR moving to the next level of God bless each of you, dedication to our strategic plan, which this excellence. The school is poised for ongoing building has been a part of for over 10 success, and I know that with the commit- years. The culmination of this project is ment and dedication of so many, we will because of your commitment to St. Mary’s continue to inspire a future of respectful, Ryken and our students. The renovations compassionate and honorable St. Mary’s Mary Joy Hurlburt in Paschal Hall are also a testament to our Ryken graduates. President and CEO 2019 CONNECTIONS MISSION STATEMENT EDITORS CONTRIBUTORS AND PHOTOGRAPHY PROOFREADERS St. Mary’s Ryken is a Catholic, Jerrilyn Borneman, Aimee Bixby, coeducational, college preparatory Director of Development Riley Foster Assistant Director of Admissions school community operated under Betsy Haley, Reah N. Moore, Jerrilyn Borneman the Xaverian Brothers’ sponsorship Director of Communications writer/content specialist, dedicated to academic excellence Betsy Haley and Marketing Meredith College and individualized student growth. HD Photography Camryn Morris ’19 DESIGN Legacy Studios MeMe Stauffer, Ideal Design Co. Raiser’s Edge Meredith College Department of Marketing Database Manager Joseph Ky Nguyen (GP ’19, ’21) Laurie Vergott One Heart Photography Chris Palombi, Webmaster Please send alumni news, updated contact information and corrections to [email protected] or call 301-373-4162. Jeremy Scarbrough (P ’22) St. Mary’s Ryken High School Laura Schreyer (P ’14, ’16, ’18, ’20) 22600 Camp Calvert Road Leonardtown, MD 20650 smrhs.org Cover photos, top: Members of the varsity football team pose with President Hurlburt following the WCAC Metro Division Championship game. Bottom row (L-R): Jonathan Smith, aerospace engineering teacher / SMR choral and Youth Honors Chorus students pose in the East Room at the White House. / Rob Kniaz ’97 with his wife, Caroline and daughter, Charlotte IN THIS ISSUE Contents 02 Feature Stories 44 Faculty and Staff News 02 Godspeed and Farewell, 48 Class of 2019 President Hurlburt! 48 Congratulations to the 05 Dr. Rick Wood Named Class of 2019! New President 49 27 Graduates Earn Scholars 06 St. Mary’s Academy Alumna, Program Diploma of Distinction Dr. Cathy Bowes, Selected as the New SMR Principal 50 Continuing a Tradition Brittany Nwadike ’18 becomes a world for Legacy Families traveler during her freshman year of college. 07 The Donnie Williams Center Nears Completion 53 Accomplishments and Awards 09 Paschal Hall Receives 56 Alumni Spotlights a STEM Facelift! 56 Rob Kniaz ’97 10 Local Partnerships Help Shape Aerospace 58 The Stefko Family Engineering Course 60 Brittany Nwadike ’18 12 The President’s Dinner 61 Cori Eisele ’13 14 Art to Heart Program 62 Alumni Career Fair 16 Student Life 63 Carlee Joseph ’14 16 Special Accolades 64 Pilgrimage to the Saints of Italy 24 Servant Leadership 65 Alumni Gather at SEEK and Campus Ministry 66 Alumni News 30 Fine Arts 66 Homecoming 2018 38 Athletics 68 Gold and Silver Graduates are Honored During the 38th Commencement Ceremony Class of 2019 Speaker, Raina De La Cruz and 70 Golden Gathering Trisha Bowes following the Baccalaureate Mass 71 Alumni Class Notes 75 In Loving Memory 76 Supporting SMR 76 Scholarship Luncheon 77 Grandparents Day 78 Knight Gala 80 Welcome to the Class of 2023! Jonathan Fatoki is grateful to be part of the SMR community! St. Mary’s Ryken High School 01 FEATURE STORIES Godspeed and Farewell, President Hurlburt! Upon retirement President Mary Joy Hurlburt is honored with highest award in Xaverian Brothers school community. “Mary Joy Hurlburt has been a trailblazer faith—students, parents, alumni, staff—is school chaplain Father Scott Woods. “Only in leading the St. Mary’s Ryken community one of the greatest blessings in my life.” God and her husband will ever know how since she began her tenure over 30 years many countless hours she has worked and Mary Joy Hurlburt Is Recognized as ago,” said Principal Rick Wood. “As an art how much she has sacrificed for our students, a Trailblazer in Leading St. Mary’s teacher, dean of academics and principal, faculty and staff. She has stood on the Ryken Into the Competitive Private she was always focused on improving our shoulders of the giants who have gone School Arena. school and preserving our heritage as a before us and has continued to build up Xaverian Brothers Sponsored School. In In Mrs. Hurlburt’s time at SMR, she has this community.” 2005, she was the first woman to become worked diligently to improve the campus, Additionally, Mrs. Hurlburt completed president of any of the 13 Xaverian overseeing the construction of a turf field, the school’s first comprehensive campaign Brothers schools,” Dr. Wood continued. track and stadium, creation of a Campus for an endowment and annual fund. She Ministry center with student meeting area, “Words fail to express my tremendous introduced a 1:1 iPad program—the first renovation of the fine arts spaces, installation appreciation for the gift of St. Mary’s Ryken of its kind in the state of Maryland, added of air conditioning in all buildings and, performing arts classes, added Chinese in my life these past 33 years and the last currently, the completion of a 48,000-square- to the world languages curriculum, and 13 as president,” said Mrs. Hurlburt. “The foot wellness center and renovation of Paschal instituted summer camp programs on campus. decision to retire did not come easy, for I Hall for STEM Innovation labs. love our school, and the exuberant experience As the most prolific fundraiser in the of being in our school is so much more than “Our school president, Mrs. Hurlburt, has school’s history, Mrs. Hurlburt has raised ‘work.’ To be part of the SMR community, led our school closer to Christ not only by over $16 million, including garnering to be a member of this inspiring family of her words but also by her deeds,” said SMR scholarships for financial aid, raising over The St. Mary’s Ryken Community Bids a Fond Farewell to Their Admired and Respected School President In September 2018, President Hurlburt announced her intention to retire in June 2019. The SMR community has been blessed to have her guidance and steadfast commitment to the Xaverian Brothers charism and values through her tenure as the school’s leader. President Hurlburt has been part of the SMR community for 33 years, beginning as an art teacher. She has been the school president for 13 years. 02 Connections 2019 In December 2018 on the Feast Day for St. Francis Xavier, the St. Mary’s Ryken community joined the 12 other Xaverian Brothers Sponsored Schools in a Mass to honor our Theodore Ryken Award recipient, President Mary Joy Hurlburt. This is the highest award in the Xaverian Brothers school community and was presented to President Hurlburt by Principal Rick Wood. From left: SMR board member Laura Roland, Principal Rick Wood, Father Scott Woods, President Mary Joy Hurlburt and George Hurlburt, Mary Joy’s husband. $4 million for the endowment fund of the Lexington Park Rotary Club, National assistants, our chaplain and most especially and over $8.5 million for the current Catholic Educational Association, St. Mary’s you, our students—all of you give witness construction projects. Chamber of Commerce, Washington Catholic to a commitment of working together, High School Presidents Association and to support each other, and to serve each “Mary Joy often says: Everyone, through the College Board. She has led the school other. That is part of our Xaverian charism. their uniqueness, brings something special through three strategic plans and four Each of you are strengthening a community to our school and makes it a better place,” Middle States reaccreditation visits. She has that recognizes no matter who you are, at said SMR Board of Directors Chairman been a lead presenter at national conferences St.