TAKE NOTE SUMMER 2010 in association with the Art Academy, AMSU Players & AMSU Vocalists Academy of presentMount St. Ursula THE ARTS Book, Music & Lyrics by Jeanne DiBenedetto, Michael Henry, Gary Horn & Laura Ravotti with Special Guests Yoko Ono, Vanessa Williams, Angela Brown & J.K. Simmons Starring (in order of appearance) Shaella Morales '10 - Gates Millennium Scholar Marian Guerra '10 - Valedictorian Crystal McMillian '10 - Student Body President Co-starring Choreographed by Production Supervision AMSU Alumnae AMSU Faculty/Staff The Administration Directed by Produced by The Students The Ursulines WWW.AMSU.ORG CONTENTS UPDATE Letters from Administration ���������������������������2-3 from the Academic Achievements �����������������������������������4-5 Artistic Achievements ���������������������������������������6-9 Living Serviam ������������������������������������������������10-11 President Alumnae Reunions ����������������������������������������12-13 As this Take Note arrives I am gratified to share with you the Staff/Faculty Updates �����������������������������������14-15 many exciting events hosted by our school during the past year. I would also like to thank those alums who have taken Support AMSU Students ������������������������������������� 16 an active role in serving their alma mater. Their interest Mark Your Calendar �������������������������������������������� 17 and energy have provided a tangible connection to a new generation of AMSU students. Finally, my sincere thanks to Class Notes/In Memoriam ��������������������������18-19 Mrs. Susan McCarthy Cronin '65, the Chair of our Board, who seeks out every opportunity to solidify the Mount’s wonderful reputation. CALENDAR Our 155th year has been a very busy one at AMSU. OnceThe Challengeagain, our students have stepped up. They advanced to the Poetry Reading Event............................Sept� 26th semi-final round on MSG Varsity’s academic game show and competed against Fordham Prep’s Team. Our Family Day ����������������������������������������������������Oct� 3rd students made their voices heard by participating at the UN Wine and Cheese Reception ������������������� Oct� 5th conference on the Status of Women under the guidance of Mrs. Joanne Kelly and Sr. Alice Marie Giordano, osu ‘52. They wrote materials for the Commission and sponsored an Empower Girls Day and Water Hall of Fame/155th Anniversary ��������Oct� 14th Day at AMSU. Our students are strengthening their connection with our newest neighbors at Serviam Ring Day ������������������������������������������������������Oct� 15th Gardens, in keeping with the Ursuline motto: Serviam. In response to the quake in Haiti, students raised and donated $1,000 to Catholic Relief Services. The whole school marched this year in the St. Patrick’s SSP Opening Dinner ��������������������������������Oct� 20th Day Parade up 5th Avenue and greeted our new archbishop. The weather could not have been better. Open House ������������������������������������������������Oct� 24th ThisFinally, was we awardeda year forour firstpromoting Service scholarship the Arts. to an incoming freshman. International Night���������������������������������Nov� 19th performance by the soprano, Angela Brown, Wewho awarded made her our Met first debut Art scholarship for the comingAida AMSU Flea Market������������������������������������Nov� 21st academic year, under the guidance of Mr. Horn, our artist in residence. On February 23rd we hosted Lord & Taylor Event������������������������������� Nov� 2010 a in the title role of in 2004. As a New York Times critic commented:The “Finally, Nose we have an Aida.” She sang, explained40 members opera, of andthe Spelmanspoke of herCollege journey Glee in Club music. On March 2nd, forty of our students attended the Metropolitan Opera dress rehearsal of the Shostakovich opera . On March 9th we welcomed Mr. Tambourine Man. who wowed our students with their beautiful renditions of Gospel music. CONTRIBUTORS On March 12th our school became the location for filming two scenesJ.K. from Simmons the independent (The Closer, Lawfilm and Order, A production crew of 100 actors and crew descended on the school at 6am and filmed Fr� John A� Vigilanti, Ed�D� until midnight, using the library Sondheim and auditorium on Sondheim as their on sets. Broadway. The star, Vanessa Williams and members President of the etc.)cast graciously posed with members of our Musical Theatre program. March 27th saw 100 alums, jvigilanti@amsu�org students and friends attend Ms� Lisa Harrison came back onstage for 30 minutes after the performance to share with our group threetheir Principal greattheatrical performances and personal of experiences.Grease, On March 30th, a generous donor provided a brand new Bechstein lharrison@amsu�org piano to the school to enhance our music program. In April our musicalTerri theatre Cook students‘60, author put of on Sacred Havens, conducted a private toursupported of Manhattan’s by our talented spiritual musical places faculty, for our Ms. art Jeanne students. DiBenedetto, Ms. Mrs� Anna Ramos Laura Ravotti, and Mr. Michael Henry. On May 20th, one of our alums, Executive Director of Development Finally, our aramos@amsu�org administrative team, with members of our Fine Arts faculty, met with Dr. Joseph Polisi, the President of Ms� Cecilia Granda '99 Juilliard, to explore the possibility of a partnership between our schools, an exciting initiative! Director of Marketing/External Relations cgranda@amsu�org On Saturday, June 12th, we graduated 74 students. This year we decided to hold the graduation in our own auditorium. As for the future,freshman because class of our of new roughly partnership 110! with the Student Sponsored Partners Ms� Kate Ostrander '97 program and the coordinated team work of our admissions office, teachers, and Board of Trustees’ Director of Admissions/Recruitment members, we are looking at a In addition, we have streamlined our kostrander@amsu�org structure, so that our branding and marketing, development, and admissions’ staff are working together to increase the school’s visibility, enrollment, and financial stability. Mrs� Jessica Ruiz Development Associate jruiz@amsu�org Please accept my sincere thanks for your continued support of the Mount and reserve Thursday evening, October 14th, for our 155th anniversary dinner at the Davenport Club in New Rochelle! Miss Milesska Contreras '07 Public Relations Intern Sincerely, mcontreras@amsu�org Mrs� Maureen Moore '75 Pro bono photography at various events Fr. John A. Vigilanti, Ed.D. President The Academy of Mount St� Ursula has made every effort to accurately present all information� We apologize in advance for any errors. Please contact the office with any corrections at info@amsu�org� Take Note - 2 - Take Note LETTER MESSAGE from the from the Principal Executive Director In addition to being a year for 2010 is a time to celebrate promoting and cultivating the milestones, successes and arts, academic year 2009-2010 our alumnae. AMSU is 155 has aimed to place a strong years old and we will be emphasis on diversity and self- organizing events, fundraising expression. AMSU’s student body opportunities and outreach is a paragon of diversity, a diversity initiatives throughout the which extends itself beyond the academic year to honor this traditional definition to include very important achievement. both the learning needs of students and the manner in which they In coordination with this express what they know. Societal, anniversary, we are working on emotional, and technological a comprehensive fundraising changes have demanded increased and marketing strategy which attention on students’ learning we hope will be the beginning Our Hall of Fame Dinner needs. We recognize that, as educators, we have an obligation to meet each willof a very take successful place on plan. Thursday, You will see October how we are14th phasing honoring these objectives special of our students where they are, to give each of them what they need to learn individualsin our events, materials,who have and schoolmade projects. an impact on AMSU and its and to grow, and to allow each of them opportunities to demonstrate their students. varied aptitudes, in both traditional and non-traditional ways. To this end, AMSU’s administration and faculty have collaborated to create what we feel We hope you will be able to join us at the Davenport Club to is a balanceddual-enrollment curriculum for our college college-bound credit opportunities young women. Wethrough are proud St. celebrate. (See more information about this event on page 17.) John’sto be able University to offer challenging and Mercy Advanced College, Placement and Honors level courses, integrating an initiative to “go green” as well as inIn theall spiritof our of solicitations increasing the anduse of publications. technology and decreasing costs, the while at the same time offering Office of DevelopmentAnnual will be Report equally challenging Regents level courses and ample support services in the We are beginning with form of Title I remediation and after-school tutoring. Through this focus on the elimination of the proof mailing. Instead of mailing 7,500 curriculum, along with departmental strategic planning and school-wide samples of our 2009-2010 donor listing, we will post a version onAnnual our professional development initiatives aimed at differentiating instruction, we Reportwebsite. If you are unable to access the website, please feel free to call our hope to cultivate within our students