Mater Matters FALL 2011 ANNUAL REPORT 2010-2011 IN THIS ISSUE Fall 2011 magazine PRINCIPAL Sister Barbara Buckley ’72 VICE PRESIDENT OF DEVELOPMENT Maureen McKeegan Cullen ’61 MAGAZINE STAFF EDITOR Kristina Stanton Cawley ’90 EDITORIAL STAFF Linda Miele Benton ’75 Agnes Shields Finigan ’72 Jessica Hearn ’02 Patricia McAleer PROOF READER Lisa Anne Schaad page 8 LAYOUT AND DESIGN Proof Design FEATURES ON THE COVER PRINTER Offset Impressions, Inc. 4 “ Girls Will Be Girls, but Merion Girls Will Be…” MERION MERCY AcADEMY 511 Montgomery Avenue By: Alexandria Manning ’11 Merion Station, PA 19066 610-664-6655 www.merion-mercy.com 6 Merion Mercy Academy Triumphs Mater Matters is published twice a year at the Henley Women’s Regatta by the Development Office. By: Michael Jensen, Father of Elissa Jensen ’12 MMA students are fortunate to have many Sisters of 8 2011 Commencement Mercy on the faculty and staff. They spend time with Follow MMA on your favorite social media sites: other Sisters on campus through various programs, Facebook such as Kate’s Girls, where Login and get updates. DEPARTMENTS students visit with retired Sisters of Mercy. L. to r. Twitter OPENING COMMENTS Morgan Iacovella ’14, Updates and announcements. Inside front cover :: From the Principal Tammy Le ’14, Kayla Lane ’13, and Stephanie Thomas CAMPUS NEWS ’13 chat with Sister Mary 02 :: School Happenings Antonita Tobin ’41. 10 :: Board Profiles ALUMNAE NEWS 11 :: Reunion 13 :: Class Notes 16 :: In Memoriam PLEASE RECYCLE THIS MAGAZINE Ring Ceremony Juniors pose after receiving their rings. The event is now held in the evening, and families enjoy a reception at the school. Posing left to right with their new rings are members of the class of 2012: Colleen Downey, Holly Dennis, Gemmika Champion, Colleen Eldon, Michaela Shea, Jessie Donofrio, Aaliyah Chisholm, and Jacqueline Spross. Fashion Show Merion Mercy Academy held its annual Mother and Daughter Fashion Show. The theme was “Peacocks and Pearls.” Drexelbrook in Drexel Hill catered the event; close to 415 moms and daughters attended. Fashions were provided by Elizabeth Maar and Just Girls (Haverford and Newtown Square). Natalie DiCocco '11 Heart of Mercy At the senior assembly, alumna speaker Gina Troncelliti Daley ’01 inducted the members of the class of 2011 into the Alumnae Association. This annual event was facilitated by Alumnae Association president Kristina Stanton Cawley ’90. On this day, the Front l. to r. Katie Duffy Keating ’77, Catherine Stumm, Catherine Williamson Sabia ’85, Lorraine Heart of Mercy award was Backe, and Brigid Squilla. Back l. to r. Katrina Keating ’12, Jaclyn Stumm ’12, Suzanne Sabia ’12, Caitlyn Sabia ’10, Kelly Sabia ’15, and Kalen Backe ’12. given to Natalie DiCocco ’11. FALL 2011 3 “Girls Will Be Girls, but Merion Girls Will Be…” By: Alexandria Manning ’11 A Rosemont, Pa. native, Andrea Koletas Spiegel ’81, is the Executive Vice President of Account Management at Leo Burnett Advertising, one of the largest and oldest advertising agencies. Her path from Rosemont to her prestigious position in Chicago started at Merion Mercy Academy. Ms. Spiegel attended things. A four year hockey and basketball player, Ms. Merion from kindergarten Spiegel credits Merion sports with “initiating lifelong through the 12th grade, friendships.” To this day, she still remains in very when MMA was an close touch with some of her hockey teammates. all-girls K-12 school. Ms. Spiegel also credits Merion with her love of Following in her older travel and foreign language. At Merion, she studied sister’s footsteps, Ms. French and Latin under former faculty members Spiegel chose to stay at Sister Patricia Roux and Sister Mary David. Ms. Merion for high school Spiegel’s first trip to Europe was inspired by the because of all that it French curriculum. Since then, she has traveled, had to offer. An active member of clubs, service studied, and worked in Europe. organizations, and sports teams, Ms. Spiegel says When it came time to choose a college, Ms. that one of her finest memories of Merion is that she Spiegel wanted to continue with Catholic education was able to do and be a part of so many different at a school in a city setting. She fell in love with 4 Mater Matters Boston College, which offered the perfect blend of academics, solutions are fun and rewarding aspects of the job. It is not sports, and social life. Ms. Spiegel says that while Boston without hard work, however, since “you come up with lots of College was very different from Merion because of its size wrong answers before coming to the right answer.” and population, it had the same comfortable and secure Ms. Spiegel thanks Merion for teaching her many of the Catholic foundation that she loved so much about Merion. life lessons she still uses today. “Try things, try anything and After graduating from Boston College with a double everything. Merion gave me the opportunity to do so many major in communications and French, Ms. Spiegel chose to different things.” One of her favorite sayings to this day is pursue work in the communications field. Having worked for “Girls will be girls, but Merion girls will be ladies.” She lives a number of different companies in Boston and New York by that motto because it means taking the high road and not City, she decided that “being on the client side was really getting caught up in what is cool or hip, but really trying to interesting” and worked in marketing at Avis Rent-a-Car, do the right thing. Virgin Atlantic, and Cunard Cruise Line. When the career path of her husband John (also a Boston College graduate) “Try things, try anything and took the family to Chicago, Ms. Spiegel accepted a position at Leo Burnett. This advertising agency has developed everything. Merion gave me campaigns that include characters like the Marlboro Man, the the opportunity to do so many Jolly Green Giant, and Tony the Tiger. Ms. Spiegel has been with Leo Burnett for one year. She develops, implements, and different things.” manages the strategy, planning, and creation of marketing campaigns for several national accounts. Technology is a very The Spiegels have two children, Harry, 12 years old, significant part of her job, as she relies on emails, calls, and and Julia, 11 years old. Her biggest challenge, Ms. Spiegel texts throughout the day. The business is truly 24/7 as “you comments, is “balancing the demands of raising a family have to always be ready and communicating.” and working outside the home.” Ms. Spiegel follows Merion Ms. Spiegel cites the diversity as the best feature of the through Mater Matters and return visits, and she loves the job. She admits she does not like to be bored. Helping school that Merion has become and is proud of where it companies with marketing challenges and developing smart is going. Calling All Alumnae Merion Mercy Academy is looking to form national alumnae groups in areas such as Chicago, Washington, D.C., and New York City. What a great way to bring a little bit of MMA to your new hometown! Stay tuned for more details and contact Kristina Stanton Cawley ’90 at [email protected], if you are interested in joining a group in one of these areas. FALL 2011 5 commencement 2011 Top: l. to r. Alexa Musumeci, Susan McCarthy, Gianna Cappelli, Kellianne Rafter, Kelley Fay, and Ashani Rubin gather before Commencement. Bottom Left: L. to r. Angela Petrone, Elizabeth Parker, Shannon Easton, Chelsea Quinn, Brianna Mattio, and Anna Temple-West enjoy a few moments before graduation. Bottom Right: L. to r. The Manning family poses on this special occasion. Francis Manning, Genevieve Manning ’15, Elizabeth Manning ’12, Alexandria Manning ’11, and Lynn Manning. 8 Mater Matters Commencement Profile of Carolina Ramirez ’11 Highlights By: Lisa Anne Schaad, mother of Christine Schaad ’05 and Katherine Schaad ’10 The Excellence Medal for the Highest Cumulative Achievement When Carolina Ramirez graduated from Merion Mercy in Shannon Radomski June, she took with her more than a diploma. Carolina left The Loyalty Award MMA with stronger self-confidence, a sense of purpose, and Lianna Drobatz a substantial scholarship to the University of Notre Dame. The Service Award She was selected from among 23,000 applicants as a Gates Madeline Bardi Millennium Scholar, winning a scholarship that will complete Letters of Commendation from the her college funding. It was not only the perfect ending to National Merit Scholarship Corporation four years of personal and academic growth for Miss Ramirez, have been awarded to: but also the culmination of efforts that began years earlier. Madeline Bardi, Briana Giordano, Lucy McInerney, Shannon Radomski, As a 7th grader at Queen of Heaven School in Cherry Hill, NJ, Carolina received a Kathryn Sullivan, Kaitlyn Votta flyer for Merion Mercy’s pre-8th program. Although the program was too expensive, The following students have received Carolina’s mother reached out to the school. Carolina is grateful for the financial aid that recognition as National Merit Finalists: enabled her to attend. “We weren’t expecting that,” she said. Lisa Bevilacqua, Mary Kate Crenny, The following year, Carolina was awarded MMA’s Josephine Bakhita full-tuition Amanda Lorei scholarship, given annually to an exceptional student who has demonstrated strong In recognition of academic promise and distinguished performance in the leadership qualities. This sets a high bar for an 8th grader, but Carolina already had 2011 competition, a National Merit a pretty impressive resume. In addition to achieving academically, she performed Scholarship has been awarded by community service with her church and school, served on student council, and was the National Merit Scholarship involved in “pretty much every sport you could think of,” she recalled.