Students set new record in Crusade fundraiser
The Penny War is a longstanding tradition of Catholic Schools Week, and this year, the students again broke a school record in raising money for the WHAS Crusade for Children, the recipient of the fundraiser. On the last day of Catholic Schools Week, the students had turned in less than $300 between the four classes. By the end of the day, nearly $6,300 had been raised. The senior class contributed about $3,000 that Friday and won the contest - and the prize of two weeks of free spirit wear.

Mr. Scott Hutchins '91, assistant principal/director of students, challenged the students to break last year's $6,000 record by offering a free week of spirit wear to all students if they exceeded that amount. The seniors will then receive three weeks of spirit wear, but they won't be the only class, however. The whole school has earned that reward through other contest incentives. The sophomores, which used the TV show Friends as an inspiration for their 1980s decade, won the Hallway Decorating Contest for two weeks of spirit wear. The freshmen and juniors tied for best video in the Blue Pride Video Contest, and each won two free weeks of spirit wear.
Construction work to finish up athletic projects
The final stage of two construction projects affecting our athletic fields is underway. Demolition of the third floor press box has begun, and construction of the new exterior stand-alone press box will begin soon.

Materials from the press box will be salvaged and used to reconfigure the outside of the Larkin Center. This project will complete the update of the home-side bleachers in Murphy Stadium.

The final stage of the Pioneer Athletic Center has begun, with construction of the interior locker rooms starting this week. When finished, sports such as baseball and soccer will have access to locker rooms for the first time.
School News: Speech contest, House activities
Two juniors win speech contest
Juniors Stephen Wilson and Logan Applewhite last week won the top two spots in the Clarksville Speech Contest sponsored by the Clarksville Rotary Club. Stephen received $125 for his first-place prize and will advance to the district level contest, which will be held  March 23 in  Bedford, Ind . Logan received $75 for placing second.

Students express thanks to veterans, benefactors
For a service activity during Catholic Schools Week, the students wrote cards to patients at the Louisville VA Medical Center, thanking them for their service and wishing them well. The students also wrote thank you letters to Providence benefactors, thanking them for their support which brought about the various improvements to our campus the last few years.

House activities update
The House of Spirit sponsored a Valentine's Day fundraiser to help police purchase stuffed animals for child victims of crisis/trauma. The fundraiser, which ended today, featured sales of suckers that included a nice note.

The House of Loyalty is sponsoring its annual WaterStep used shoe drive to raise money to help bring clean drinking water to impoverished countries. The drive is today through Feb. 22, and boxes are set up at the student entrance for House points. Students may also donate used cleats, and the soccer cleats will be donated to children at Amigos De Jesus, an orphanage in Honduras.

Mr. Riddle demos hardware
Mr. Jack Riddle, PHS IT manager, was the guest speaker at the new Intro to Computer Science class recently. He showed samples of various types of computer hardware and explained their purpose and how each functions.

STUDENT PROFILE
Junior makes accordion his signature instrument
It's an impressive but not too surprising a feat when someone teaches himself to play the guitar or the piano. After all, YouTube how-to videos abound, and those with a musical talent can pick up the skill fairly quickly. But junior Luke Rodski's instrument of choice is more of a rarity. He taught himself to play the accordion this past summer and has impressed his classmates by playing it for school presentations. Read more.
FACULTY PROFILE
Mr. Mathews teaches more than language skills
Mr. Alan Mathews '88
is one of six finalists for the 2019 St. Mother Theodora Excellence in Education Award from the Archdiocese of Indianapolis. In his 14th year as Spanish teacher at Providence, he also is the World Languages Department chairperson and the sponsor of the Spanish Club. Mr. Mathews said he is honored to receive the nomination and become a finalist, and he sees the award as validation of his job as a ministry. Read more.

PIONEER SPORTS NEWS
Pioneer Profile: Basketball a lifelong pursuit
The Boys Basketball team heads into the postseason in less than two weeks, so this month's Pioneer Profile focuses on two members of the team, senior Hayden Burke and junior Sterling Huber. Both Hayden and Sterling grew up playing basketball, with Sterling learning to play as a toddler on his mini-basketball goal, sparking a lifelong love of the game. Hayden also played football at Providence, and Sterling plays baseball.  Read more .
Sports News: Postseason news for winter sports
Girls Dive sends one to regional
By Coach Jim Pfeiffer

Our 2018-2019 Girls Swim & Dive team got off to a fantastic start with new swimmers freshman Sydney LaMaster and sophomores Paris O'Steen, Peyton Richey, and Hannah Bissig helping veteran swimmers  seniors
Lauren  Tomlin, Meg LaMaster, Abby Glotzbach , and Daryl Hunton , and juniors Liberty Russell and Lauren Stapp with great performances at Switzerland County, Southwestern High School, Tell City Relays, and the Floyd Central Invitational among others. But attrition through injuries, one transfer, and the good ol' flu bug slowed us down a bit.  Our season culminated with a very strong set of relays from the team of Meg, Daryl, Liberty and Lauren Stapp at sectional.

Dive came on strong with the addition of freshmen Kadie O'Bannon and Catherine Pfeiffer and junior Nadia Brooks to veteran diver junior Claire Culwell. No school records were set, but many kept moving down their personal bests throughout the year. 

Highlights included Catherine and Kadie mastering the final hard dive --the back dive at the Jennings County meet. To have these two young ladies accomplish the hardest dive of all at a meet, not at practice, in front of about 100 spectators was quite the highlight. Claire also mastered the back dive and was able to compete and do well in 11 dive meets in Kentucky. Nadia finished second in the Floyd Central Sectional and went on to regionals and finished 18th overall in the Bloomington Regional at Bloomington North High School.

At swim sectionals, Lauren Stapp swam her personal best in the 50 freestyle, and Meg swam her personal best twice in a row and nabbed 11th place overall in the 100 breaststroke, beating three other ladies for that position by less than a second. Liberty learned the art of stealing spots by continually out-tapping other competitors at the finish. The result was we had the highest scores in total points in many years by Liberty, Daryl, Meg and Lauren and a first time ever, co-MVPs with Lauren and Meg. At dive sectionals, Nadia placed second and advanced to regionals, where she placed 18th.  The future looks bright for 2019-2020.

Boys Swim & Dive starts its sectional tomorrow, with preliminary races on Thursday and the finals on Saturday. Diving sectional starts Saturday also.

Girls Basketball improves over season
By Coach Brad Burden

The Girls Basketball team finished the season 10-14. The season ended with a 27-24 loss to top 10-ranked Eastern. The girls showed a lot of improvement through the whole season as Eastern had beaten them by 23 earlier in the year.

Junior Natalie Boesing had a record-breaking year. She averaged 21 points per game and set school records for points in a game and season. Junior Brigid Welch had many big games with several double-doubles. Juniors Kaylee Kaiser and Maggie Purichia and sophomore Lauren Castleberry improved throughout the season. Newcomers freshmen Brooklynn Nolot and Amanda Upton and junior Maria Popson all got their first taste of high school basketball and were big contributors.
With no seniors graduating, the girls are motivated to work hard and have a special season next year.

Freshman Boys Basketball wins  tourney
By Coach Jeff Byrne

The Freshman Boys Basketball team had a great season going 14-4, including eight wins over 3A schools and winning the end-of-season tournament. The team was successful despite its nine players getting pulled up to either JV or varsity at one point or another throughout the season. Every player showed a lot of growth from the beginning of the season.  
 
Wrestling sends player to semi-state
By Coach Randy Lynch ex-'81

The Wrestling Team concluded its season at the Evansville Semi-State on Saturday with junior Chase Aldridge dropping a tough match to Indiana No. 10-ranked Brownsburg 1-5 in the 126-pound class. Senior Nathan Grantz was an alternate in the 160-pound class after losing in the first round at regional and placing fourth at sectional but did not get pulled in to compete at semi-state. Both had great seasons with Chase, who was the sectional champ in his weight class and third at regional, finishing 39-5 and Nathan 25-6. Senior Noah Liter and freshman Kaden Connin advanced to the regional after Noah placed fourth in the 145-pound class and Kaden placed third in the 120-pound class.

Despite its limited numbers, the 2018-2019 team made an impact, with every wrestler earning at least 10 wins for the season and four of the five wrestlers advancing to regional. The team graduates two seniors, Noah and Nathan, and hopes to build on this season's success next year.

PARENT CONNECTION
Parent Notes: STEM Career Expo, ISTEP rally
STEM Career Expo next week
All students are invited to attend the STEM Career Expo on Thursday, Feb. 21, from 2:00-4:30 p.m. in the Koetter Gym. Nearly 30 vendors will represent a wide range of career possibilities under the STEM umbrella. Some students will attend with their class during school hours, and everyone is invited to attend after school. The STEM Club participants also will attend.
 
ISTEP kick-off rally next week
Sophomore students are invited to attend a kick-off rally for the upcoming ISTEP on Wednesday, Feb. 20, from 3:10 - 3:30 in the Administrative Corridor. Guidance counselors and teachers will speak on the importance of the 10th Grade ISTEP test, test-taking tips, and resources available to help prepare. Snacks will be provided.
 
FAFSA Workshop for senior parents next week
Senior counselor Emily Losey and the director of financial aid from Ivy Tech, Pam Meek, will be in the school library on Thursday, Feb. 21, from 3:15-6:00 p.m. to assist seniors and their parents with completing the FAFSA. Seniors and their parents should enter at the student entrance and come up the middle stairway to the library on the third floor. 

It's best for parents to have access to their 2017 taxes either in paper form or electronically and to have social security numbers with them in order to complete all required steps. All seniors should complete the FAFSA this year and each following year they are enrolled in college. The FAFSA is the free financial aid application for grants, student loans, and some college-based scholarships. For more information about this event, please contact Mrs. Losey at elosey@providencehigh.net. The deadline for Indiana residents is April 15; however, most colleges would prefer the FAFSA be completed sooner with some by March 1. See www.fafsa.ed.gov for more information.
 
Scholarship opportunities for incoming freshmen
Incoming Providence freshmen can apply for two scholarships:
  • Providence Alumni Association Award: The Providence Alumni Association Scholarship is a one-time award of a 64 GB iPad Pro 10.7 equipped with wi-fi only. The scholarship application is open to all prospective freshmen, and the award is based on a combination of: desire to attend Providence, academic/school-civic involvement, and financial need. Application, essay, and letter of recommendation from either principal or teacher is required. Due March 13, 2019.
  • Dale Durham Performing Arts Scholarship: The Dale Durham Performing Arts Scholarship is a performing arts award honoring former theater director and faculty member Dale Durham. It is a $1,000 award made to an eighth-grade student admitted to Providence and enrolled in at least one semester of performing arts his/her freshman year. Essay, letter of recommendations, and application required. Due March 15, 2019. 
Spring Musical tickets on sale
Tickets to the spring musical Freaky Friday by Disney are now on sale on the school website and by calling 812-945-3350 x 301. The
show premieres in the Robinson Performing Arts Center on March 1 with a special pre-show reception at 6:30 p.m. in the transformed Koetter Gym featuring heavy hors d'oeuvres and dessert. Tickets for the March 1 premiere are $40 each, and show time that evening is 7:30 p.m.

Regular show dates and times are Saturday, March 2, at 7:00 p.m.; Sunday, March 3, at 2:00 p.m.; Friday, March 8, at 7:00 p.m.; Saturday, March 9, at 7:00 p.m.; and Sunday, March 10, at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are $15.

Providence is the first local school to produce this new musical based on the celebrated novel by Mary Rodgers and the hit Disney films. It tells the story of an overworked mother and her teenage daughter who magically swap bodies for a day and learn lessons in appreciating one another's struggles and learning self-acceptance.

No school on Monday
Teachers and staff will be in professional development on Monday, Feb. 18; therefore, classes will not be in session unless the date is needed for snow make-up.

Reserve dates for snow make-up days
The first week of Spring Break, March 18-22, and Oaks Day, May 3, are reserved for snow make-up days, should they be needed. Please do not schedule vacations during these times.
Middle School Bowling League offered
The Southern Hills Conference, of which our Bowling Team is a member, is offering a Middle School Bowling League as an instructional league for fifth through eighth graders.

The League starts the week of Feb. 18, 2019, and ends the week of May 12, 2019. It is offered at Blackiston Bowl, located at 1516 Blackiston Mill Road, for $95, which includes sanction fee, a shirt, and all bowling and shoe rental fees.
ALUMNI NOTES
Alumni Night this weekend
All alumni are invited to attend the Boys Basketball game vs. Brownstown on Saturday, Feb. 16, for Alumni Night. Game time starts at 6:00 p.m. for JV, and 7:30 for varsity. Tickets are $5.00 each.

All alumni can register for Providence swag giveaways that will be presented at halftime of the game.
Reunion planning for 2019
Reunion planning is beginning for the class years ending in 4 and 9. To volunteer to help with your reunion planning, contact Ronda (Miller) Stumler '83 at rstumler@providencehigh.net. 

Save the date for 2019 reunions:
  • 1955: quarterly gatherings: March 8, June 14, September 13, and December 6, 2019. 11:30 a.m., The Radisson dining room, 505 Marriott Drive, Clarksville.
  • 1959: Aug. 31, 2019. Dinner and mingling at the Clarksville Radisson Hotel, 5-10:00 p.m.
  • 1969: 50th Reunion, Sept. 20-21, 2019; save the dates have been sent. Golden Diploma Dinner at Providence March 2, 2019; invitations have been sent. See class website or email 
  • 1979: Sept, 6-7, 2019. Friday: Football tailgate at PHS, Saturday: Tour & Mass at PHS, dinner to follow at Covered Bridge. Follow Providence Class of '79 Facebook page for details.
  • 1999: Aug. 17,2019. Bourbon Barrel Loft, 7-11 p.m.
BLUE PRIDE ON DISPLAY
Peace Corps offers '15 grad chance to serve, grow
Robbie Gaines '15  earned his bachelor's degree in exercise science from Bellarmine University in just three years and was on track to begin the doctoral physical therapy program there. As much as he loved the physical therapy program, he felt a call to enter the Peace Corps, a longtime interest of his. He applied, was accepted, and in July began his 15-month assignment in Botswana, Africa, working in health clinics throughout the country to educate and treat AIDS/HIV patients, primarily with children. Read more .
COMING EVENTS
Feb. 14: Boys Swim & Dive Sectional begins
Feb. 18: Faculty In-service/No school
Feb. 19: Deanery Academic Olympics
Feb. 21: STEM Career Expo
Feb. 21: FAFSA Workshop
Feb. 22: Scholarship Spirit Wear Day
Feb. 26-Mar. 1: ISTEP 10th grade test
March 1: Spring Musical Premiere
March 1: End of Third Quarter
LET US PRAY

Prayer to Our Lady of Lourdes

Oh ever immaculate Virgin, Mother of Mercy, Health of the Sick, Refuge of Sinners, Comfortess of the Afflicted, you know my wants, my troubles, my sufferings. Look upon me with mercy. When you appeared in the grotto of Lourdes, you made it a privileged sanctuary where you dispense your favors, and where many sufferers have obtained the cure of their infirmities, both spiritual and corporal. I come, therefore, with unbounded confidence to implore your maternal intercession. My loving Mother, obtain my request. I will try to imitate your virtues so that I may one day share your company and bless you in eternity. Amen.


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Christa (Payne) Hoyland '84
Director of Communications
eVision reporter/writer


Our Lady of Providence High School
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812-945-2538 | E-mail | www.providencehigh.net


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