FALL 2017 The Monarch Messenger News from Father Renninger: Jenni Ellis named principal of Saint Mary’s Catholic School Prior to Sophia Academy, Ms. Ellis served at Marist School in Atlanta as assistant principal from 2007 to 2015. She also served as director of student activities from 2004 to 2007. From 2000 to 2004, she worked at Blessed Trinity Catholic High School in Roswell, Ga., as assistant principal, and prior to that as media specialist. Before her administrative roles, Ms. Ellis taught sixth and eighth grade math, reading, language arts and social studies at Westside Middle School in Rocky Face, Ga. Ms. Ellis holds a bachelor’s degree in middle grades education from the University of Georgia, a certificate in gifted education from North Georgia Regional Educational Service Agency, and a master’s degree in library media technology from Georgia State University. In addition, Ms. Ellis has completed educational leadership coursework at Georgia State University and has given numerous presentations at National Catholic Educational Association annual conventions and other conferences. Principal Jenni Ellis Ms. Ellis has been an active member of Our Lady of the e are extremely pleased to announce that Jenni Assumption Church in Atlanta as a Stephen Minister, Ellis has been appointed as principal at Saint catechist, women’s faith group co-founder and facilitator. Mary’s Catholic School. She will begin on November She enjoys spending time with her family and friends, as 1. Her eight-year-old son, Tilden, will enroll at Saint well as travel, yoga and reading. Mary’s School as a third grader. Please join me in welcoming Ms. Ellis to the Saint Ms. Ellis was most recently head of school at Sophia Mary’s Catholic School and Parish community, and in Academy in Atlanta, Ga. Sophia Academy merged thanking Dr. Cheryl Henig for her hard work, dedication with Notre Dame Academy, a Marist Catholic and and leadership as interim principal for the past six-and- International Baccalaureate World School in Duluth, a-half months. Dr. Henig has done a remarkable job Ga. Sophia Academy was a Marist school for children stepping in when we needed her, and we are grateful for with learning differences, and it served students in her steadfast leadership. kindergarten through twelfth grade. As head of school there, Ms. Ellis successfully kept classes intentionally small and instruction individualized. Shared book creates inter-disciplinary opportunities for IB students ll Saint Mary’s middle In Emily Chadwell’s history classes, Retired U.S. Army Col. school students – rising David Lee talked to students about his role at a refugee camp sixth, seventh and eighth in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in 1994. graders – were all required to read the book Fish by L.S. Col. Lee shared a PowerPoint presentation that included Matthews as part of their pictures of the camp and its inhabitants, and artwork by summer reading assignment. the refugees who lived there. He talked about many of the factors that go into caring for refugees: food, water, The idea was inspired at an medicine, shelter, entertainment, education, security and International Baccalaureate more. workshop that Saint Mary’s IB coordinator Robin Rooks and Students in Chadwell’s classes also took virtual tours of IB Spanish instructor Mercy refugee camps online, and located refugee camps all over the Thompson attended in Miami in world using a map. 2015. The goal, says Rooks, was to have a book in common that everyone could discuss. Tying in our faith In Mrs. Pam Tuskey’s social studies classes, students used Room for discussion the book to launch a discussion and illustration of human Fish tells the story of Tiger, a child of humanitarian aid rights. workers living in a war-torn country. When conditions in the country become such that the family must evacuate, In Mrs. Slifka’s religion classes, the themes of hope and faith Tiger finds and decides to save a fish that is about to emerged in discussion, and students compared the Guide in suffocate in an evaporating mud puddle. A Guide comes to the book to Jesus. help lead the family toward the border and to safety. French teacher Jessica Healy used Fish to lead discussion The book is purposefully vague – for instance, readers never about how the French language spread to places like Canada, know whether Tiger is a boy or a girl. Nor is it clear what the Caribbean and Lousiana. country the family is evacuating. Teachers talked about Fish in all the disciplines. “The book is vague enough to allow us to determine why we care about different issues: immigration, migration, “Middle School faculty agree that the students and teachers missionaries, environment, cultural challenges, identity – it have enjoyed reading the same book and using it as a allows us to look at the story through different disciplines,” springboard for discussions on current events such as says Rooks. immigration, across academic content areas,” said Betsy Henning, media specialist “It also helped build a sense of Exploring the issues community early in the year.” The IB faculty had weekly meetings to discuss their projects around the book. Word Problem Winners his spring, 10 Saint Mary’s eighth-grade accelerated Mary’s student team performed in the top 15% of all the math students, under the guidance of teacher Nadine student teams who competed in the contest. Schiavo, competed against students from 294 schools from across the U.S. and Canada in a math contest. Sponsored by “I was very proud of the students,” Ms. Schiavo said. “Word the Math League, the contest was a 30-question multiple problems are typically the most troublesome. The types of choice test made up entirely of word problems up to and problems on the contest required them to think differently, including algebra I. unconventionally and from a different perspective. It boggles my mind that just three years ago they were scared, even When Schiavo first encountered these students in sixth horrified, of math word problems. grade, she said they were afraid of word problems: “Word problems just provoked fear in the hearts of these young “Now they can go off to high school feeling confident of scholars.” They aren’t afraid any more. After studying math doing word problems,” she said. “They are ready and willing with Ms. Schiavo from sixth through eighth grade, the Saint to try even the toughest of word problems.” 2 New faces gracing Saint Mary’s faculty this year Jennifer Southworth Jessie Teller is teaching fourth grade. She is from is an aide with the junior Richmond – grew up on the Southside and now lives in the kindergarten. She grew up in West End. Norfolk, Va., where she lived for 18 years. She moved to Jessie received her B.A. in communications from Hollins Fredericksburg for college, College (now Hollins University) in Roanoke. She worked at came to Richmond for grad two different publications doing marketing, and decided to Jennifer Southworth school and has lived here ever switch careers. She got her master’s in teaching from VCU. since. She taught for five years in Hanover County and five years in Henrico before coming to Saint Mary’s. Jennifer has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and has a M.A. in criminal justice. When she graduated, she wanted She loves the small, family atmosphere at Saint Mary’s, and to work with troubled and disadvantaged youth, and served that God is a major part of everything that we do. She says at two Richmond City schools teaching 6th grade math and everyone has been very welcoming – parents, students and algebra. faculty. She loves that everyone at Saint Mary’s is helpful and Outside of school, she loves to run, enjoys reading, watching involved, and is happy to be in a learning environment that TV and doing anything outside. She also loves to cheer on includes Christ! Jennifer says she’s having a wonderful time her two girls, Annabelle (12) and Lizey (8) at their sports. working with the JK team. She has a Chihuahua mix named DD, a calico cat named Pippie and a kitten named Sydney. Outside the classroom, Jennifer likes spending time with her husband, Theo, two stepdaughters who are 11 and 12, Jessica Healy is teaching middle and her daughter, who is two-and-a-half. They like going to school IB French. She was born in parks and museums, and have a Jack Russell Terrier named New Orleans and has lived in several Jackson. Jennifer’s also a huge football fan. southern states: Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia. Her parents Carole Forkey is a middle school IB science teacher. She moved to Culpeper, Va., when she was in grew up in Henrico and Hanover County and has lived in fourth grade. She’s also lived in France Virginia all of her life. for three+ years and in Ireland for two Jessica Healy years. Carole received her bachelor’s degree in secondary science education from Virginia Commonwealth University. She Jessica has a B.A. in French foreign language and literature also received her master’s in education with an emphasis on and a minor in history from Virginia Tech. She has her curriculum and instruction from VCU. She has also received one-year master’s in English as a foreign language from her endorsement in administration and supervision PreK – Universite de Haute Bretagne Rennes II in Rennes, France, 12 from James Madison University, and received National and her one-year post-grad in education from the National Board Teaching status in 2007. Carole has been a teacher at University of Ireland Galway in Galway, Ireland.