ANNUAL REPORT EDITION MERCY HIGH SCHOOL • BURLINGAME • FALL 2015 Great futures start at Mercy OAKS Fall 2015 • 1 FEATURES Welcome Mercy Class of 2019 4 Making a Difference Raises Record Donations 6 Mercy Girls Visit Japan 8 DEPARTMENTS 2015-16 Board of Directors Mercy Parent Club 10 Penny Stack Alexander ‘78 Kelli Benz On Campus 12 Judy Cannon, RSM Athletics 18 Cindy McDonald Dunleavy ‘81 Graduation 20 Patricia Flanagan ‘65 Admission Events 28 Bart Gaul Bob Grassilli Annual Report 30 Sr. Mary Kilgariff, RSM Alumnae 42 Alan Maffei Class Notes 44 Brandy M. Navarro, CFP®, Catherine’s Legacy 50 ChFC, CLU ‘98 Clare Pool Purpura ‘75 Five Wishes 51 In Memoriam 52 Upcoming Events 54 From the Head of School Dear Mercy Community: David Brooks in his bestselling book, The Road to Character, wrote about the difference between resume virtues and eulogy virtues. Resume virtues being the “skills you bring to the job market and that contribute to external success.” Eulogy virtues being “the ones that exist at the core of your being – whether you are kind, brave, honest or faithful; what kind of relationships you formed.” It is certainly the job of all schools to make sure our students graduate with resume skills. Skills that not only benefit them in the job market but help them matriculate into good colleges and universities that, in turn, make major contributions to those resume skills. Schools like Mercy, partnering with families, also have a keen L to R: Lauren Conklin, Assistant Head of School for Academics; responsibility to foster the eulogy virtues; those Karen Hanrahan, Head of School; and Summer Dittmer, traits that make how we live and what we live for Assistant Head of School for Student Life. worthwhile and merciful. In these pages you will find accomplished women – current Mercy students, 2015 graduates and alumnae – whose resume virtues have helped them to excel academically, athletically, in a variety of fields and by doing extraordinary things extraordinarily well. What really makes them accomplished, however, are the eulogy virtues they all possess – compassion, faithfulness, kindness, a passion for service, humility and love. Virtues shared by Catherine McAuley and the Sisters of Mercy and emphasized in our mission at Mercy High School. Pope Francis has decreed a Jubilee to be called the Holy Year of Mercy beginning on December 8, 2015, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception (and the closing of Vatican Council II), and concluding on November 20, 2016, the Feast of Christ the King. In announcing the Jubilee year Pope Francis wrote, “…mercy is a key word that indicates God’s action towards us. Just as he is merciful, so we are called to be merciful to each other. May it open us to even more fervent dialogue so that we might know and understand one another better; may it eliminate every form of closed-mindedness and disrespect, and drive out every form of violence and discrimination.” Eulogy virtues all! Just as Mercy High School joyously celebrated the Pope’s visit to the United States in mid-September, we are planning year-long activities to recognize and commemorate the Holy Year of Mercy. Check the Mercy web site (www.mercyhsb.com) to see what is on tap. I hope, when possible, you will join us in marking this special year. Karen Hanrahan Head of School OAKS Fall 2015 • 3 FEATURE Welcome Mercy Class of 2019! By the Numbers . • Every freshman has a “Big Sister” to help welcome her into the Mercy community • 75% of our students are Roman Catholic • 49% of freshmen are playing on a fall sports team from freshman volleyball to varsity water polo • The Freshman Class comes from nearly 50 Catholic, public and private schools throughout San Mateo County, San Francisco, Palo Alto and the East Bay • The average freshman is involved in at least one extra-curricular activity: academic decathlons, athletics, music, dance, performing arts, parish and community leadership and volunteer opportunities Following in their Footsteps Mercy Burlingame is proud to have four new freshmen following in their mother’s footsteps as they carry on the legacy of becoming a Mercy Crusader. This year Mercy welcomes (bottom to top): McKayla Fagliano, daughter of Sheila Fagliano Zamora ‘98; Kate Schorno, daughter of Jamee Constantinos Schorno ‘83; Victoria Grace Pieri, daughter of Denise Barbagelata Pieri ‘89 and Ruby Mayne, daughter of Arlene Susmilch Mayne ‘84. 4 • MERCY HIGH SCHOOL Be Known • Be Challenged • Be Transformed Feature Given the breadth of talent of our Freshman Class, we cannot wait to see the feats they accomplish throughout their four years at Mercy! OAKS Fall 2015 • 5 FEATURE Making A Difference Raises Record Donations Last May’s Making A Difference dinner was a tremendous success raising a record $280,018 for Mercy’s tuition assistance program. We were thrilled that this was the most successful Making A Difference in our 11 year history. We are so proud that the amount we raised represents a 17% increase over last year and a 35% increase over two years ago. All of our donors can be very proud in knowing that they have helped so many young women benefit from a Mercy education. Mercy’s signature annual event drew a sell-out crowd, all of whom share a deep passion for Mercy education. We are especially grateful to our Keynote Speaker Brandy Martinez Navarro ’98, student speaker Sammy Baker ’15, and those who shared their stories in our video: Veronica Smart ’11, Jasmine Visperas ’15, and Rita Arnold ’75 with her daughters Sophia ’15 and Angelica ’17. Each of you were an inspiration to each of us. The Making A Difference video is posted to Mercy’s website under Giving. A special thank you to the Board of Directors for underwriting the event; 100% of all sponsorships and donations directly support tuition assistance. Making A Difference 2015 Steering Committee: Cathy Dunleavy Rosaia ’72, (Gina ’99), Chair Janet Abbot, Drum Foundation (Marian ’14) Kelli Benz (Samantha ’11, Katie ’12) Joan Fitzpatrick (Ciara ’15) Stacey Longwich ‘98 Mary Lund, Director of Advancement (Theresa ’06, Kathleen ’08) Clare Pool Purpura ‘75 Caroline Romeo (Christina ’14) 6 • MERCY HIGH SCHOOL Be Known • Be Challenged • Be Transformed Feature Making A Difference 2015 raised $280,018 for tuition assistance! OAKS Fall 2015 • 7 FEATURE Mercy Girls Visit Japan International exchange students from Nakamura Gakuen High School, an all-girls school in Fukuoka, Japan, joined us in the Spring of 2015. Each of the girls stayed with a Mercy “host” family. The girls came to Mercy with their “host” sister, participated in English conversation classes and various activities during the day and spent afternoons and evenings with their host families. This summer, our Mercy “host” students had the amazing opportunity to join their friends in Fukuoka. They tried different foods, participated in Martial Arts, were greeted by the students of Nakamura Gakuen with a wonderful assembly and were presented a beautiful Hakata painting to bring back with them. Throughout their trip they visited the Atomic Bomb museum in Nagasaki, participated in a traditional Tea Ceremony and a Flower Arrangement class. We encourage our girls to be global citizens and seek every opportunity to learn about other cultures. We believe the International Exchange Program is a rewarding experience for the international student as well as Mercy students, faculty, staff and families. 8 • MERCY HIGH SCHOOL Be Known • Be Challenged • Be Transformed Feature OAKS Fall 2015 • 9 MPC Mercy Parent Club A Toast to Mercy! A Toast to Mercy! Taste and Take Wine Tasting & Sale to benefit Mercy High School Friday, November 20, 2015 7:00 PM, Kohl Mansion • $20 per person Sponsored by the Mercy Parent Club Must be 21 to attend Friday, Nov 20, 2015 Reserve online by Nov. 17th 7PM Join fellow wine lovers, vintners and connoisseurs for an evening of Kohl Mansion Burlingame, CA tasting and conversation at the Kohl Mansion. Over one dozen local Must be 21 to attend. wineries will be present. Join fellow wine lovers, vintners & connoisseurs for an evening of tasting and conversation at the Kohl Mansion SALES BENEFIT MERCY! Wine from all vintners will be available for purchase. 50% of all wine sales Sales benefit Mercy High School 50% of all wine sales will be donated will be donated to Mercy High School! Visit the Parents tab at mercyhsb.com to Mercy High School Burlingame to find more info about the Wine Tasting and other MPC events. Details and Tickets at www.mercyhsb.com Mai Tais at the Mansion! Saturday, March 5, 2016 The premiere MPC fundraising event of the year, highlighted by amazing food, spirits and the generosity of the Mercy Community! All proceeds benefit current Mercy programs. For more information, to make reservations, or donate to these events, visit our website at www.mercyhsb.com or call 650.762.1199. 10 • MERCY HIGH SCHOOL Be Known • Be Challenged • Be Transformed Mercy Parent Club Mercy Parent Club presented Head of School Karen Hanrahan with a check for $46,000 for the renovation of the Library, AMES, Resource Center and Counseling offices, MPC scholarships and the Angel Fund. We kicked off the 2015-16 school year with a fun Welcome BBQ! Plans are underway for “Taste and Take Wine Tasting and Sale” on November 20th and our annual benefit “Mai Tai’s at the Mansion” on March 5, 2016. For more information and reservations for these upcoming events visit www.mercyhsb.com. OAKS Fall 2015 • 11 On Campus Tri-School Leadership Summit In September, Mercy hosted their fifth annual Tri-School Leadership Summit. The morning's events were led by musical sensation Jesse Manibusan - a composer, singer/songwriter, storyteller, humorist, catechist, evangelizer and encourager.