ANNUAL REPORT EDITION THEOAKS MERCY HIGH SCHOOL BURLINGAMETHE OAKS F A•LL FALL 2017 20171 FEATURES Events 2017-18 Making a Difference 4 Visit our website for details on Girls in Medicine 7 these and other events Why Mercy? 8 www.mercyhsb.com. Meet Class of 2017 Valedictorian 9 Radium Girls Iceland 10 Tri-School Fall Play at Serra October 20, 21, 27, 28 Patricia Ivancich Dassios ’97 12 Kelly Franco ’09 13 A Taste and Take Wine Event Friday, November 17, 2017 Veterans Tell Amazing Stories 15 7pm Kohl Mansion The Oaks is published twice yearly for the Alumnae, Admission Parents, and Friends of DEPARTMENTS OPEN HOUSE Mercy High School sunday, November 19 On Campus 16 Burlingame a Catholic 12:30 pm to 3:00 pm Visual & Perming Arts 19 College Preparatory since Mission 20 Christmas at Kohl 1931. Mercy High School is Wednesday, November 29 sponsored by the Sisters Athletics 22 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm of Mercy of the Americas Graduation 24 West Midwest Community. Tri-School Winter AnnuaL Report 30 Choral Concert at Mercy In an effort to go green we Tuesday, december 5 will only be sending one Alumnae 40 Oaks per household. Please Class Notes 42 Winter Dance Show share with all. Thank you! “It’s Christmas” In Memoriam 49 Thursday, december 14 Head of School Skyline College Theater Planned Giving 50 Karen Hanrahan Mercy Fund 52 Spring Benefit Event Assistant Head of School Join Us! 54 Mystery at the Mansion for Academics saturday, March 3, 2018 Lauren Conklin Tri-School Spring Musical Assistant Head of School 2017-18 at Serra for Student Life Claire Rietmann-Grout ‘04 Board of Directors March 16, 17, 23 & 24 - 7:30 p.m. March 18 - 2:00 p.m. Dean of Students Penny Stack Alexander ’78 Shannon LeCompte Making a Difference Kelli Benz Wednesday, April 25, 2018 Director of Advancement Anne Bianchini 6:30 pm Mary Lund Sr. Pauline Borghello, RSM Spring Open House Assistant Director of Sr. Judy Cannon, RSM Monday, April 30, 2018 Advancement Carol Fraher Cindy McDonald Dunleavy ’81 Spring Choral Concert at Mercy Graphic Communications Patricia Flanagan ’65 Tuesday, May 8, 2018 Jill Scerri Bart Gaul Mercy Dance Concert Bob Grassilli “Showstoppers” MAIN OFFIcE Sarah Newsom Healy Wednesday, May 9, 2018 650.343.3631 Skyline College Theater Alan Maffei ADVANCEMENT & Brandy M. Navarro, CFP®, Mercy ArtsFest at Mercy Alumnae OFFIcE Wednesday, May 16, 2018 650.762.1190 ChFC, CLU ’98 AdMIssION OFFIcE Michele O’Connor Tyler ’68 v Baccalaureate Mass saturday, June 2, 2018 - OLA 650.762.1114 Joan Marie O’Donnell, RSM FAX 650.343.2976 Clare Pool Purpura ’75 Graduation St. Ignatius Church (USF) EMAIL Caroline M. Romeo sunday, June 3, 2018 [email protected] 2 MERCY HIGH SCHOOL BURLINGAME www.mercyhsb.com LEAD WITH Mercy On September 24, 1827, Catherine McAuley opened the doors of her House of Mercy in Dublin to offer compassion and hospitality to her community. So much has happened in those 190 years that has benefitted from her legacy. I would maintain none more than the schools educating young women around the globe opened by the Sisters of Mercy. As Catherine wrote, “No work of charity can be more productive of good to society than the careful instruction of women.” This year the Student Body officers and the Class Councils selected a theme of “Lead with Mercy.” As Claire Rietmann-Grout’04, our Assistant Head of School for Student Life, wrote, “Catherine McAuley was a servant leader and throughout the year, our student councils will focus on learning to lead like Catherine. Each grade will have a theme-based service learning project helping them unify as a class and becoming better global citizens. The classes will be encouraged to lead service learning projects that directly correlate with one of the critical concerns of the Sisters: Earth, Immigration, Non-Violence, Anti-Racism & Women.” In addition to following the lead of Catherine McAuley, the young women at Mercy Burlingame are also following in the footsteps of our alumnae. In these pages you will read about Allison ’98, Abbie ’17, Patricia ’97, Kelly ’09, Sister Marilyn ’47, Donna ’72 and others who are doing so many works of mercy and inspiring others. Their deeds and EAD OF SCHOOL their stories, along with those of so many other Mercy graduates, inspire us all. H As we prepare to celebrate Mercy Day this year we will be focusing on the Critical Concerns of the Sisters of Mercy. We are living each one of these concerns – environment, women, immigration, non-violence, racism – in the news every day. To Lead with Mercy means we must also educate our young women so that they have an understanding of these issues and what can be done to find ways, in the spirit of Catherine, to compassionately change the world and make a difference in the lives of those who lives are affected. We will Lead with Mercy! As you read this issue of The Oaks, I hope you will sit back with a cup of tea (or a “comfortable cup of tea), enjoy the stories, and celebrate 190 years of the House of Mercy! Karen Hanrahan Head of School FROM THE THE OAKS FALL 2017 3 MAKING a differenceScholarship Benefit RAISES OVER $390,000 hrough the generosity of hundreds of donors, our Making A Difference 2017 Scholarship TBenefit raised over $390,000! We raised $288,000 that will be used directly for tuition assistance and an additional $102,000 for a new endowment started by Keynote speaker Alison Vorsatz ’98 in memory of her sister Arica ’00. This year, 36% of Mercy students will receive financial aid totaling over $1 million. Making A Difference raises critical funding to enable qualified students to attend Mercy. We are especially grateful to the Mercy HS Board of Directors for underwriting the dinner allowing 100% of all donations to directly benefit our students. Alison began her Keynote address with these inspiring words: “I learned so much in my time at Mercy that continues to shape the woman I am today, but the thing that made the most impact on me is the belief that ordinary people can achieve extraordinary things. I grew up an ordinary girl. Mercy made me believe that I could do anything I put my mind to, and two decades later, I still believe it.” Alison’s speech was truly transformative. Alison had a very successful business sales career at a Fortune 20 company and is now an Executive at a tech startup called Aced My Interview. She is an amazing woman who has embraced life and one “With the guidance and who has also experienced great loss having lost support of the school, both of her parents and most recently her sister. teachers, and friends, In honor of her sister, Alison announced at the Benefit that she is starting a new endowment fund, I have been able to The Vorsatz Family Award, in loving memory of learn how to question Arica Vorsatz ’00, in honor of her sister. Read more the status quo, show about this new endowment on page 51. compassion towards Special thanks to the Making A Difference others, and most Honorary Committee and Steering Committee importantly carry for their leadership, support and generosity. We are also very grateful to Mercy parent Clifton RE out my faith in Clark, General Manager of the San Francisco U my everyday life.” Airport Marriott Waterfront, for his support that allowed Mercy to expand our Benefit to this —Chickie ’17 beautiful new venue which will allow us to continue to grow this event. Chickie’s and Alison’s speeches and video FEAT are posted on our website under Giving. MAKING A DIFFERENCE 2018 April 25th - 6:30PM 4 MERCY HIGH SCHOOL BURLINGAME Airport Marriott Waterfront in Burlingame RE U FEAT “. five life lessons I learned at Mercy that transformed that shy, awkward, insecure girl into these extraordinary things. If you want to achieve extraordinary things, you need to learn to believe in yourself, even when no one else does. If you want to achieve extraordinary things, you can’t let the competition intimidate you. Just focus on what you need to do, and give it everything you’ve got. If you want to achieve extraordinary things, you need to step outside of your comfort zone, and you will find out how much you and your comfort zone can grow. If you want to achieve extraordinary things, find something that makes your heart feel full, bring all of your passion and gifts to it, and you will make a bigger impact than you know. If you want to achieve extraordinary things, difference in the darkest moments of life, you have to believe you have the power to be your own light.” —Alison Vorsatz ’98 THE OAKS FALL 2017 5 RE U FEAT Margaret Dugoni ’19 6 MERCY HIGH SCHOOL BURLINGAME NYLF: Medicine, UC Berkeley Girls in Medicine RE U ive Mercy students attended National Youth Leadership FForum programs in Medicine and Advanced Medicine & Healthcare at college campuses and renowned hospitals across the country this past summer. These students were nominated by their teachers and given the chance FEAT to step into the shoes and (scrubs) of a physician and gain transformation and medical and career knowledge. The girls participated in hands-on workshops, simulations and engaging seminars by top medical professionals, toured medical facilities and explored the latest medical techniques. Emma Cleary ’19 NYLF: Advanced Medicine, Johns Hopkins Margaret Dugoni ’19 University and University of Maryland, NYLF: Medicine, UC Berkeley Baltimore “Mercy has blessed me with the opportunities to follow my dreams.