News From the Head of School
By Lauren Lek, Head of School
Dear Parents, Students and Friends:
Greetings and good wishes to all! I hope this newsletter finds you in good health and good cheer as we begin our second month of the spring semester at OLP. I am thrilled to share that we are quickly reaching capacity for our upcoming annual school Gala and Auction. For those of you who have not yet purchased tickets, be sure to do so quickly. This is an evening that you do not want to miss! It is a special opportunity for our entire community to come together: parents, grandparents, alumnae and community partners. If you have delayed in getting your tickets … don't wait another day! Click here to purchase tickets.
In addition to our annual Gala, this month also brings with it a multitude of opportunities to celebrate our Catholic, CSJ identity. On Thursday, February 6th our community will come together to honor current students who exemplify what it means to live out the charism of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. At the Miss OLP Assembly, the school will honor a sophomore, junior or senior who exemplify the spirit o f OLP and the CSJ charism. This is a time honored tradition, and first began in 1947. Women were chosen for their spirit of peace, gentleness and joy. The legacy began with Patricia Arnold, and still continues today.
This year, we will also be joined by 7th and 8th grade siblings of current OLP students. As a new tradition, we are looking forward to including these future Pilots as part of this celebration! If you have any additional questions about sibling day, or to sign-up, please contact Jessica Hooper.
I would also like to thank all of the parents and alumnae who have reached out to our community with letters, stories, memories and condolences for the loss of Sister Joyce. For those of you who are unable to physically attend the services on Saturday, February 1st, you can watch the livestream that has been set up by our CSJ sisters: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/csjla. Services will also be held on February 8th at Our Mother of Confidence in San Diego. Details for February 8th can be found on our AOLP website.
I wish you all a blessed February!
Lauren Lek,
Head of School
Request for Support From Bishop Flores
In Bishop Cirilo Flores' recent mailing to parents, families, patrons, and alumni of our Diocesan Catholic schools, he asked for participation in an online survey. The Bishop has commissioned a special committee to study the organizational structures, policies and financial stability of our Catholic elementary schools. This includes partnering with the University of San Diego to provide a thorough study of the current state of the schools within our diocese.
We would love to hear from as many parents as possible. The full text of the Bishop's letter can be found here. Please click here to take the survey online.
Shakespeare Goes Viral – Who Would've Thunk it?
By Jamie Flannery, English Department
To complement our study of William Shakespeare, the freshmen class worked in groups to learn all about the Elizabethan Era. Some areas of research were: Elizabethan Music, Art and Architecture, Diet and Nutrition, Fashion Among the Classes, Reign of Queen Elizabeth, The Role of Women, and The Globe Theater.
This year the freshmen teachers decided to give this tired project a much-needed makeover and asked students to incorporate their research using popular applications such as Prezi, Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest, Twitter, and iMovie. Long gone are the days of presenting with a foam board/trifold poster – our girls are internet savvy and jumped at the opportunity to incorporate the different media in their presentations. Over the course of two weeks, the students worked fervently, in and out of the classroom, preparing stellar presentations. The world is 'a-changing' and the girls of OLP are ready!
Here are a few links from the classes of Mrs. Flannery, Mrs. Longaboardi, Ms. Rodriguez, and Mrs. Zapala:
http://www.tumblr.com/blog/iheartelizabethanfashion (Please note you cannot access Tumblr without an account).
@QueenLizTudor
http://instagram.com/eli_arch_art
http://prezi.com/zgtmrcxnp_lk/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy
http://prezi.com/arpyq-rzkreh/religion-and-the-church-in-elizabethan-england/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy
State of the Arts
By Kathleen Herb Baker '70, Visual & Performing Arts Department
Shakespeare Competition
On January 3, students competed to become the school representative to the National English Speaking Union Shakespeare Competition. Andrea Cervantes '15, Caroline Cecena '16, Aminah Al Jaber '14, Spencer McVeigh '16, Alexa Querin '14, Lily Van Horn '14, and Sabrina Mendoza '14 all charmed the judges with characters ranging from Lady Macbeth to Hermia from A Midsummer Night's Dream, and made the decision very difficult! Alexa Querin '14, performing Rosalind from As You Like It, won our OLP competition, and will be representing OLP at the Old Globe on February 28th. Thanks to teachers Susan Antolin '06, Monique Muther, and Teri Heard for acting as judges for this great competition!
The Little Mermaid, Jr.
Come Under the Sea with OLP! The Academy of Our Lady of Peace presents, Disney's The Little Mermaid, Jr. This new and innovative version of the Hans Christian Anderson tale has adventure, dances, wonderful characters, and of course, all that well loved music, including "Under the Sea," "Part of Your World," and "Poor, Unfortunate Souls!" Join us as we descend into the kingdom of Atlantica to follow Ariel (Grace Newton '17), the youngest daughter of King Triton (Eric Lujan '15), on her journey of self-discovery … and legs! With the help of her sea pals Flounder (Susana Alvarado '15) and Sebastian (Andrea Cervantes '15) Ariel challenges the evil and cruel sea witch, Ursula (Courtney Govan '14). Tickets will go on sale February 24th on Showtix4U.com, and the dates are April 10, 11, and 12 at 7:00 p.m., and at 2:00 on Sunday the 13th!
Hey, Alums! There will be a special alumni show on Sunday, April 13! Come for a reduced price and a special treat at intermission! Details to follow soon.
Spring Sing 2014
OLP is also producing our 43rd Annual Spring Sing! Would you like to travel into the future? Maybe you'd rather dive into the past and visit George Washington during the Revolutionary Era? Or maybe you'd like to witness the reign of Caesar! Perhaps, you'd just like to stay in the present. No matter what time period you prefer, you can travel through these eras with Spring Sing's theme this year, "Eras."
Spring Sing will be performed at the beautiful Balboa Theatre on March 7th and 8th. Watch the website for ticket information!
International Thespian Conference
Finally, AOLP Thespian troupe 4843 will again be traveling to Lincoln, Nebraska at the end of June for the International Thespian Conference. This is a wonderful week of theatre where girls can see some of the best school theatre in the United States, go to workshops, college fairs, and compete for performing arts scholarships. Please see Mrs. Herb if you would like more information.
Robotics Team Explores the San Diego Wind Tunnel
By Elizabeth Farkas '15 and Haley Antoine '15
In early December, three members of the OLP Robotics Team attended a talk by Doctor Sandra H. Magnus, a former astronaut and the current director of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), at the San Diego Wind Tunnel.
We were given a tour of the facilities and were able to see all the different airplanes, people, and sports teams that have used the wind tunnel for various tests. Our personal favorite was the USA Luge Team which used the facilities to test different helmets, uniforms, and even sitting positions to determine which were the most aerodynamic. We were also able to see how they use scale model airplanes in the tunnel to check for wing flexibility and wind resistance, which are all essential components to take into account when building a new series of airplanes.
We enjoyed the venue almost as much as we enjoyed the enlightening talk given by Dr. Magnus to all the students and engineers in attendance. She touched upon her background in physics and electrical engineering and inspired us to keep pursuing science. Her presentation, which contained interesting facts and incredible pictures, was unique in that it applied her space experiences to universal life lessons. We were pleasantly surprised when she approached us during dinner and already knew that we were an all girls robotics team and was very kind and supportive of our progress. It was an incredible experience and we were so fortunate to be able to attend!
OLP MicroChicks Robotics Team Excels in Competition
By Haley Antoine '15
The OLP MicroChicks have had a fabulous robotics competition season thus far! This season, hundreds of teams across San Diego County competed in qualifying tournaments starting in December. Each tournament, our team not only competed in driving and operating the robot to score match points, but we also were interviewed by a panel of judges. The team also kept an engineering notebook to document the engineering and programming processes throughout the season. These three components are all taken into consideration when determining overall rank in a tournament and if special awards should be granted to teams.
Our team competed in early December and made an excellent showing! The judges awarded us the Motivate Award for team building, team enthusiasm, and expressing our individuality through fun outfits, a team cheer and an outstanding team spirit. Then in early January, we competed again and finished with the second highest total of match points out of 25 teams in attendance. When the tournament concluded, the MicroChicks walked away with the Connect Award for community service involving STEM and a great Engineering Notebook, and an invitation to the San Diego Regional Championships Tournament! This is an extraordinary feat for a rookie team and it is truly an honor to be 1 of only about 25 teams to qualify to move on to the Championships.
Cheer on the MicroChicks and our robot, Karel, as we compete February 15th at Madison High School at the Regional Championships!
OLP Students Attend Anti-Defamation League Grosfeld Family National Youth Leadership Mission
By Susana Alvarado '15 and Tori Mullenix '15
Imagine 100 high school juniors from 10 great cities of the U.S. including New Orleans, New York, Los Angeles and more, all specifically chosen to learn about current injustices in our world as well as past issues ranging from bullying to genocide. Fortunately for us, OLP juniors Susana Alvarado �15 and Tori Mullenix �15, we had the opportunity to experience something like this when we represented OLP as San Diego delegates at the Anti- Defamation League Grosfeld Family National Youth Leadership Mission in Washington, D.C.
Following a tight schedule packed with specific activities and missions, we delegates examined and applied our thoughts to current issues of injustice. We had discussions, heard touching personal stories from survivors of genocide and advocates of peace, and had an incredible time during this experience. We were honored to meet Holocaust Survivor Nesse Godin, Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez, National ADL Director Abraham Foxman and many more amazing people.
We were greatly encouraged by the wisdom and overwhelming support of our peers. Tori said she loved "meeting people we would have never met otherwise and learning from them. Thinking back to those four life changing days in our nation's capital, and trying to put in words exactly what we felt and what we experienced is very difficult." Another delegate from California, Ethan Robinson, said, "It was eye-opening...It was a gateway to a world that excludes hate. After merely sampling something like that, it's easy to say that it has made a major change in my life."
Both of us came home ready to spread the word on the various topics discussed, such as the pyramid of hate and how to prevent it from escalating. Armed with new skills, encouragement and wisdom from our moderators, support from 98 teenagers across the country, and a vision of hope, we will begin our action plan this spring right here in San Diego! As Abe Foxman said, "we're here to understand the power within our grasp," and that's what we hope to inspire others to do.
NAHS Guest Speaker from SHARP Hospital
By Emma Manguy '14
On January 28, 2014 NAHS had the honor of a guest speaker from SHARP Hospital. Liz Mackenzie, our guest speaker, introduced us to the amazing opportunity of volunteering in the Sharp Arts for Healing art and music program. SHARP encourages patients to participate because it is a fun and creative way to distract them from their illness. Not only do patients enjoy arts and crafts but their families do as well. Having arts and crafts time motivates and empowers patients to take a lead in their own healing activities.
If you are interested in art or music and would like to volunteer, contact Liz at [email protected] or 858-939-3475.
You may also ask Danielle Burner '14, as she has volunteered extensive hours in various hospitals including SHARP and could assist you with any questions.
Cheer Update
Stay tuned for competition updates in the March e-Newsletter.
CSJ History Corner: Honoring our Heritage
By Diane Yandell, Religious Studies Department
A statue of Mother St. John Fontbonne stands at the left of the mural in the main hall of Aquinas at OLP. She is considered the second foundress of the Sisters of St. Joseph. While the Sisters of St. Joseph were originally founded by six humble women under the direction of Fr. Jean-Pierre Medaille, S.J. in Le Puy, France in 1650, the French Revolution outlawed all religious congregations in the next century.
Jeanne Fontbonne and her older sister, Marie, had entered a house of the Sisters of St. Joseph before the Revolution in 1778. Within six years, at only twenty-six years of age, Jeanne evidenced strong administrative gifts and was elected Mother Superior of the community. With the outbreak of the French Revolution, she and her community followed Bishop de Gallard in refusing to sign the Oath of the Civil Constitution of the Clergy. However, the local parish priest did sign the Oath, and aided the government in the persecution of the sisters. When ultimately forced to disperse her community, Mother St. John remained at the convent of Monistrol until she was literally expelled by the mob which took possession of the convent. The sisters returned to their family homes, but were hunted down and later thrown into the prison of Saint-Didier, where many religious were guided, day by day, to their deaths at the guillotine. Mother St. John was forewarned that she would be executed the next day, but the fall of Robespierre that night saved her from the guillotine.
Upon their release from prison, Mother St. John and her sister returned to their father's house, where they continued their religious life in the practice of prayer and good works. Twelve years later (1807), Mother St. John was called to Saint-Etienne to form a community of the Sisters of St. Joseph from a small group of religious women, with varied levels of training in different religious orders dispersed by the Revolution. Mother St. John was later appointed superior general of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph, and was summoned to Lyons to found a general mother-house and novitiate. This took many years, which exemplified her vision and gentle persistence to overcome many obstacles.
During the remainder of her life, Mother St. John was known for gathering many of the scattered houses of the sisters into a common congregation. She also established over two hundred new communities. We, at the Academy, are particularly indebted to her for sending the bold group to the United States in 1836 to form the community at Carondolet, outside of St. Louis. Even as she approached the end of her life, Mother St. John continued her correspondence and faithful prayers for their work, offering her ongoing guidance and provisioning of their needs.
And her guidance continues in our own work at OLP. I retain a simple post-it note Sr. Joyce sent me. "Mother St. John is watching over our every need!"
Mother St. John, pray for us.
Alumnae Profile: Lisa Handelsman '92
Of the time I spent at OLP, I found ambition and determination; I found drive and motivation; I found camaraderie and companionship. But none of these are as important as the one thing I found for sure: at OLP, I found my voice.
Finding my voice has been pivotal in the 20 years since I graduated from Villa Montemar. It has shaped the way I built my career with confidence and dignity, it has influenced how I mother with strength and wit, and it has thoughtfully guided me through life's bumps and bruises.
With a career in Public Relations, today I develop communications strategies for technology companies – from global brands to Silicon Valley start ups – and my voice has undoubtedly influenced the way I conduct myself as an executive. The most meaningful milestone since my time at OLP is my marriage; I met my husband, Jeremy, at St. Mary's College where we married 12 years ago. Our children, Cate (8) and Sam (6), continually challenge my voice as their fearless leader.
And among the most prized possessions I carry from OLP are the friendships that continue to thrive, especially with Margaret Goebel Linville '90 and Jennifer Goebel Ferrara '90; Elizabeth Goebel Nuti '89; and Diane Ruston '92, Marguerite Trevino '92 and Becky Parker Frost '92. I am fortunate to visit OLP often, witnessing firsthand the many significant updates that my mom, Jeanette Prantil Handelsman '64, supports as one of the school's leaders.
I continue to look for thoughtful ways to bring my voice to life, knowing that even after 20 years OLP will support it.
My name is Lisa Kennedy and I am proud to be an OLP alum.
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