Mission MOTHER McAULEY LIBERAL ARTS HIGH SCHOOL is a Catholic educational community committed to providing a quality secondary education for young women. In the tradition of the Sisters of Mercy and their foundress, Catherine McAuley, we prepare students to live in a complex, dynamic society by teaching them to think critically, communicate effectively, respond compassionately to the needs of their community and assume roles of Christian leadership. In partnership with parents, we empower young women to acknowledge their giftedness and to make decisions with a well-developed moral conscience. We foster an appreciation of the diversity of the global community and a quest for knowledge and excellence as life-long goals. ABOUT McAULEY A small group of Mercy Sisters arrived in Chicago in 1846, led by Frances Warde, Catherine McAuley's closest friend. Within weeks they opened a "select school" that became St. Francis Xavier Academy for Females, the first school chartered in the city of Chicago. The course of study covered primary, secondary and collegiate levels. The first building was located on Wabash Avenue between Madison and Monroe Streets. When the Chicago Fire in 1871 destroyed the original building, St. Francis Academy relocated to 29th and Wabash for a short time, then to a larger site at 49th and Cottage Grove in 1900. In the 1950's, the southwest side of Chicago needed a Catholic girls' school to serve a fast-growing population. In 1956 "the Academy" relocated once again. Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School and St. Xavier College (which is now a university) opened in the fall of 1956 to serve secondary and post secondary students respectively. McAuley opened with 523 students, 300 of which were first year students. McAuley has continued to expand. Today approximately 1400 young women and 150 faculty and staff members form the McAuley community. CHARISM Mother McAuley was dedicated to serving those in need. She had strong faith, courage and initiative. Others joined her and worked with her because they too believed in the dignity of all persons. They also believed that one must work actively to make the world a better place in which to live. CHALLENGE The young women of Mother McAuley High School have inherited a great tradition and a great challenge. They are challenged to preserve the faith and make it grow, to have the courage to live by the Catholic values they believe in, to take the initiative to be women of the 21st century - educated women who will respond to the needs of others. The faculty, staff and administration share in Mother McAuley's call to educate young women. The challenge for the future requires the commitment of each person who helps form the community of Mother McAuley High School. SERVICE Service is an essential dimension of the mission of the school. Through direct service and with reflection, students respond compassionately to the needs of the community and critically reflect on needed societal systemic change. Giving Thanks We are pleased to present the Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School 2010 Annual Report. This past school year marks the completion of our 164th year of Catholic education in the Mercy tradition. We are grateful to the Sisters of Mercy for entrusting us with their mission to develop young women as confident, well-educated and strong leaders for the future. We are truly thankful for the generous financial support from our board, Sisters of Mercy, alumnae, parents, faculty, staff, friends, and neighbors. We need to ensure that a McAuley education remains within the financial reach of our students by keeping tuition rates affordable and by providing Nancy Hill-Davis financial assistance to those families that need help. This delicate balance Chair, Board of Trustees can only be accomplished through our ongoing partnership with individuals and organizations. Given their rigorous liberal arts education, we are confident that our graduates are thoroughly prepared for college. The Class of 2010 has the proud distinction of having achieved a 100% college acceptance rate. They also received over $23 million dollars in college scholarship funds. In fact, we believe that each of our alumnae enjoys a “Lifetime of Advantages” as a result of their unique McAuley experience. In this Annual Report, we will acknowledge our supporters, present our financial results, and share some stories of our success at McAuley. Whether you are a donor, alumna, parent or friend, we are certain that Christine Melone, Ed.D., Mother McAuley has touched your heart in some way. Please continue President/Principal to support and/or participate in our sacred mission and help us spread the message of Catherine McAuley to others. We wish you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving, a Merry Christmas and in the words of Catherine: “Provident God, pour out your blessings on our benefactors. Their goodness has encouraged us; their gifts have enhanced our efforts to recreate your merciful presence in our world. In gratitude, we ask you to reward them with signs of your generous love and, when their lives on earth are over, to welcome them to your heavenly banquet. Amen.” Nancy Hill-Davis Dr. Christine Melone Chair, Board of Trustees President/Principal Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School 1 A Celebration of Giving The name Celebration, given to Mother McAuley’s largest fundraiser, is all encompassing. The literal definition of celebration is the essence of what the Mother McAuley premier event stands for: to show happiness that something special has happened by eating and drinking together or playing music. At Mother McAuley’s annual Celebration Endowment Fundraiser, we celebrate our honorees, donors, guests and our school community as a whole. Our Honorees During the Celebration event, we honor individuals who exemplify the charism and values of Catherine McAuley; carry on the tradition of the Sisters of Mercy; and demonstrate an ongoing commitment to our mission. We honor these individuals with the presentation of two coveted (left to right) Mother McAuley Celebration 2010 Co-Chair Sheila awards: The Catherine McAuley Butler King ’64, Co-Chair Bishop John R. Gorman, Distinguished Leadership Award and the Alumna Award recipient Laura Shallow ’75, Catherine McAuley Distinguished Alumna Award. Leadership Award recipient Bishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller, M.Sp.S. and Co-Chair Robert B. Kuenster This year the Catherine McAuley Leadership Award was presented to Archdiocese of Chicago Auxiliary Bishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller* for his support of the mission of the school in providing a quality Catholic liberal arts education for young women. Board of Trustee Chair Nancy Hill-Davis said, “We at Mother McAuley commend Bishop Gustavo for his tremendous contributions to our community, our school and most importantly the girls of McAuley.” Ms. Laura Shallow, Class of 1975, was honored with the Distinguished Alumna Award at this year’s event. For more than three decades, she has supported Mother McAuley High School’s mission, most recently as the Chair of the Board of Trustees. “Laura fosters the mission of the Sisters of Mercy and of Catherine McAuley in every action. Laura also embraces a true commitment to providing a quality secondary education for young women in a Catholic educational community. Mother McAuley is a better place today and will be a better place tomorrow because of Laura,” said Mr. Michael Nielsen, Vice Chair, Board of Trustees. Our Donors We give thanks and pay tribute to our donors for their selfless support of the young women of Mother McAuley. The support of their time, talents and resources made Mother McAuley’s Celebration a true success. Key supporters of Celebration 2010 included Event Sponsor Fifth Third Bank; Décor Sponsor HR Imaging/Root Studios; Valet Parking Sponsor Henry Bros. Construction; Entertainment Sponsor The Lombard Company; Invitation and Program Sponsor Sheila King Marketing and Public Relations; Floral Design Sponsor Robert. B. Kuenster/Country Daisy Flowers; and Lighting Sponsor Bigane Paving Company. Through the generous support of these donors and many more, McAuley was able to boost the tuition assistance endowment and provide young women an opportunity to benefit from an outstanding education in the tradition of the Sisters of Mercy. 2 Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School The Celebration Committee was led by three selfless individuals who saw to every detail in making this year’s event remarkable. These Benefit Co-Chairs were Bishop John R. Gorman, Sheila Butler King ’64 and Robert B. Kuenster. (standing, left to right) McAuley Board of Trustee members Dr. James Additional platinum and gold Rabbit, Mary Beth Sheehan ’82, Sister Frances Crean, RSM ’60, sponsors who were key to the Dr. Joseph Schwieterman, Tim Sterk, Michael Nielsen, Lawrence Harris, event success included FGM Robert Kuenster, (seated, left to right) Coleen Griffin ’95, Nancy Hill Architects, The Keyser Davis, Dr. Christine Melone, Sister Cathleen Cahill, RSM and Group – Bill and Marlo Kate O’Malley ’82 (not pictured: Anne Edwards-Cotter ’73, Margaret Evans Rourke ’76, Michael Sheffieck, Sister Nancy Swanson, RSM) Keyser, Laura Shallow ’75, Sister of Mercy West Midwest, Brother Rice High School Board of Trustees - Burton S. Odelson, Daniel and Mary Anne (Hennessy) Capron ’75, Center for Psychological Services - Dr. Victoria Williams, Cotter Consulting – Anne Edwards-Cotter ’73, Dr. Robert and Nancy Hill-Davis, Mr. and Mrs. Jose Garcia, Most Rev. Gustavo Garcia-Siller, M.Sp.S, Dr. Christine Melone, Mercy Hospital – Sister Sheila Lyne, RSM, Sister Susan M. Sanders, RSM ’69, St. John Fisher – Sister Jean McGrath, CSJ ’62, Saint Xavier University, and Dr. Patricia Stifter ’75. The evening included several one-of-a-kind silent auction items and fabulous raffle prizes. This year’s Auction and Raffle donors were Kimball and Jeanette Goluska, George Kinsella, Sister Rosemary Connelly, RSM, Bob Kuenster and Georges “Kiki” Cuisance, Sister Brian Costello, RSM, Bishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller, George Jewell, Rich Daniels, Jean Morman Unsworth, Michael J.