Connecting the Dots with Shawn Young

In this edition of Connecting the Dots, we are going to break with tradition and not do a story about a graduate.  Instead we are going to focus our attention to someone who is really connecting the dots this month, St. Nick!  Please don't ask for his email address. I need to keep that a secret.  This is a very busy time of the year for St. Nick as you can imagine, but he was able to sit down with me and talk about why he has decided to get involved with the McNicholas Alumni and our efforts that continue to enforce the lessons that we learned about service while we were students at McNicholas. 

This partnership started last year when a close friend of St. Nick, Bridget Moran Kahermanes '66 said she had been talking with her old friend and thought it was time for us to get behind him and help support his work.  So Bridget put a team of elves together last year, and they raised over $3,000 for  CAIN, Churches Active In Northside.  This organization is headed by MiMi Chamberlin and Cathy Sheehan Graham, both from the Class of '79, and an organization that is very near and dear to several members of that class.  

Flush with that success, Bridget decided to set up a secret meeting so that I could meet with St. Nick.  We met discreetly this summer for lunch up at Pelicans Reef.  St. Nick was grateful for the effort that we made last year, but you could tell that he had a plan. As I have gotten to know him, you can tell when he has that look in his eyes!  So he proceeded to ask if we could up our game.  "The needs are so great, the kids are so good, and your alumni have such big hearts" said St. Nick.  Well, how can you say no.  (I don't think it looks good to say no to St. Nick) 

Bridget was so excited that she did not finish her bowl of chowder, "Too much work to do", she said.  St. Nick had to take off, again it is the start of his busy season, so Bridget and I sat down and got to work.  Together we came up with a couple of new ideas, and she started contacting the elves from last year.  All the elves were very willing to jump on the sleigh!  They had an elf meeting, and decided they needed to invite more people to become elves to help with this effort. The word quickly spread, and the donations started to pour in. St Nick was so fired up that even showed up at the home basketball opener against Turpin.  Many starters were injured, seven out of eight players had never played in a varsity game, and yet, the Rockets won..BIG. Many people thought Coach Tim Monahan '96 to be a genius. But Tim knows first-hand the power of St. Nick!

Thanks to the power and love of St. Nick, and the generosity of the McNicholas alumni, we have raised nearly $9,000 to support efforts to bring a little Christmas joy to those who might not otherwise had a Christmas.  Because of your generosity, we were able to extend the reach of St. Nick. This year we supported CAIN, St. Joseph Orphanage, Beech Acres, and Joseph House, which is an agency that works with veterans who are recovering from PTSD, drug/alcohol addiction. St. Nick even contributed over $1,000 to the student effort to provide gifts for underprivileged teenagers. We were able to provide them with presents to give to their kids! We also helped Clermont Social Services. GREAT JOB!

Yet, somehow when we meet up with St. Nick again this summer, I have a feeling that he is going to ask us to up our game yet again.  We are a very strong alumni family. I truly believe if we harness our energy, we can help even more people next year. If you have ever dreamed that you were really an elf who happened to live south of the North Pole, please consider jumping on our sleigh next year. We would love to share elf culture with you!  Contact Bridget Moran Kahermanes '66 at bkshome1@aol.com.  To those who helped, you generosity is greatly appreciated. St Nick said he believes the Rockets ROCK.

Events in the news at McNicholas High School

To learn more about what has been happening on campus this past month, click on any of the stories listed below.







McNick Minute Podcast
If you are interested in what is going on at McNicholas,  check out   The McNick Minute the official student-run podcast of Archbishop McNicholas High School. Several alumni have been interviewed already.  If you know anyone that has a great story to share, please contact the alumni office. syoung@mcnhs.org

Click here  to listen to the stories.

Alumni Association hosting Launch2Learn

The Alumni Association put on its first Career Connectors program  Rocketing Into Your Future back in the fall.  The program was so well received that the alumni association has developed a follow-up program. 
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Our next college and career skills seminar, "Launch2Leadership" will be presented on Saturday, February 9.  We are looking for alumni volunteers to participate in pre-recorded interviews, focused on leadership and your path to college and careers.  Each interview will be about 5 minutes. The recordings will be shown at the beginning of the seminar, prior to several leadership and interviewing learning sessions.  

If you are interested, or would like to participate on the day of the event, please contact Patti at  padold@aol.com or 513-317-6523,  for the details.

Thank you for your continued support in our alumni Job Connectors Program and Archbishop McNicholas High School.

Patti Benigni Dold '71
McNicholas High School Alumni Association - Career, Co-Chair


Mr. Norman's work recognized by graduate

Our great faculty does a tremendous job in developing our students academically, spiritually, and socially during their four years at McNicholas. When an alumnus realizes this point and cares enough to make a gift back to the school in recognition of our faculty, it is very meaningful gift. In October, of this year, Jody Nienaber Sedler '94 and her family presented a major gift to McNicholas High School in honor of faculty member John Norman. As Jody presented the gift to McNicholas at a faculty/staff meeting, she described the tremendous influence that John had on her development, not only as a student, but as a better member of society.

The Sedler family left it up to John as to how the gift would be used at McNicholas. John decided that the gift would be put to work for students by equally dividing the gift between our Tuition Assistance Program and the Polly Powers Sandmann Scholarship for students in our Support and Accommodations for Identified Learners (S.A.I.L) Program.

Thank you to the Sedler family for such a great gift to McNicholas. Thank you, as well, to John and our entire faculty who tirelessly work every day in their mission to develop our students to become great students and great people


ROCK-IT Raffle launches December 17

Why the ROCK-IT Raffle?
This fall, McNicholas removed the fund raising portion of Walk Day. Even though the revenue raised through Walk Day was extremely important to the school, we eliminated the fundraising because we felt it came at the wrong time of year and that the overwhelming majority of the revenue was coming from current parents.
How will the ROCK-IT Raffle work?
The Grand Prize for the ROCK-IT Raffle will be $5,000 plus an additional 10% of any revenue over $50,000 in ticket sales. There will be great prizes for the students which will be announced at a kick-off pep rally on December 17. The raffle will run from Tuesday, December 18, until Monday, January 25, 2019. The winner will be announced February 1.
Prices for the tickets are:
  • $5 - per ticket
  • $25 - 6 tickets
  • $50 - 12 tickets
  • $100 - 25 tickets
Students will sell the tickets. In addition, tickets will be sold online through our school website  www.mcnhs.org beginning December 18. This will give our alumni an opportunity to help, no matter where they live. Tickets purchased online can also be credited to a specific student seller. So you can still support, your grandchild, niece, nephew in there efforts. 
 
We are really excited for the ROCK-IT Raffle to become a great community event at McNicholas! If you have any questions, please contact Mark Doran, Director of Development, at  mdoran@mcnhs.org or 513.231.3500, ext. 5141.
2nd Rocket Nation Event coming up February 1

If you want to become a member of a great team, become a member of Rocket Nation. Over 120 members strong at present, Rocket Nation is a group of alumni, current and past parents, and friends of McNick who are contributing to a tuition assistance program for current and future Rocket families. We want as many students as possible to enjoy the friendships, experience a coed Catholic education. Current members are invited to gather on February 1, prior to the Rockets basketball game against Roger Bacon.  Come mingle with other Rocket Nation members as well as basketball players from the Rocket past.  More details will be coming to Rocket Nation members in January. 

If you are not a member of Rocket Nation, or would like more information about the event, please contact Mark Doran, Director of Development. 232-3500 X 5141, or click here.

2019 Hall of Fame to induct Johnson and Moore


McNicholas High School is proud to announce this year's inductees to the Hall of Fame:
  • Chuck Moore '00, football & baseball
  • Lauren Clark Johnson '11, cross country & track & field
  • Tony Fehring '67 will receive the Good Fellowship Award
 
Inductions will take place on  Thursday, Feb. 21 in the Café & Student union.  Tickets are $30 in advance, $40 at the door. Cash bar opens at 6 p.m. and the dinner starts at 7 p.m.  To secure your ticket on line click here,or you can call Susan Rohlfs 513-231-3500  ext. 5142 by Feb. to reserve your spot.


Military Memorial Dance celebrates 10th anniversary

Military Memorial group
Come join us on Saturday, February 23, from 7 - 11 p.m. in the McNicholas Main Gym. Get some friends together to shake off those winter blues with Haymarket Riot, one of Cincinnati's premier bands with your favorite hits from the 60's, 70's & 80's!  There will also be a baskets raffle and other fun events. This dance, while open to the public, has become one of the most popular alumni and parent events on the McNicholas calendar. This year you can purchase your tickets several ways. You can pay online by  clicking here,  or you can contact Pat Farwick at McNicholas at 513-231-3500 ext. 5803 or email at  pfarwick@mcnhs.org. Tickets for the event may be purchased at the door.  Or you can print off the form by  clicking here, and then mail it in. 
 
The Military Memorial Committee uses the proceeds from this dance provide tuition scholarships for incoming freshmen which, to date, have amounted to over $40,000. The committee also is able to provide for the maintenance of the memorial.  So get a few friends together and reserve your table now before they're all gone!

**Please Note! The Military Memorial Committee was formed over 10 years ago. This is our tenth anniversary dance and our final one. The committee members have served for over a decade now, above and beyond the call, and this will be our last dance (and no, we will not play Donna Summer- all night!) To our faithful patrons over the years, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We hope you will come out and join us for one more hoorah in February.

Our committee members will carry on with our Memorial Day Service and continental breakfast. We will also continue our work with our Veterans Day breakfast. We can never thank our alumni veterans enough. We are currently looking for new members to join our committee so that we can keep these programs moving forward. 

May God bless you and your families this Christmas Season, may He bless McNicholas, and may He bless our nation.
 
Questions on the event or joining the committee? Contact Jim Hay at  jhay279786@aol.com, or call 513-236-7609

Bus Tour 2019 to Nashville 

Grab your lasso ladies! It's not too late to get on the bus to Nashville for the annual ladies only weekend on April 5, 6 and 7. The bus trip is a ladies-only, kid-free weekend that raises money for the Athletic Boosters.  We will meet at 9:30 a.m. on Friday, April 5, at Veteran's Park (8531 Forest Rd.). 


Alumni Association announces first Craft Show

Calling all alumni who do crafts! Please s ave Saturday, November 9, 2019, for the  first McNicholas craft fair. We would like to know how many of you would like to participate. T he McNicholas Alumni Board believes  that there are enough alumni, parents, students, and friends of McNicholas that are talented craftsman that we could fill the gym and café. All items must be handmade or handcrafted. We do not accept vendors. If you are interested, the pricing structure will be:
8' X 8' space will be $30.00 by Nov. 1,2019
8' X 10' space will be $35.00 by Nov. 1, 2019
After Nov. 1 all spaces will be $40.00

Checks will be accepted as payment from July 1, 2019 until 2 weeks prior to the Craft Fair. Only money orders and cash will be accepted after that time. There is a $35 return check fee. NO REFUNDS.  Your receipt for cash by Nov. 1, 2019 or your canceled check will serve as conformation of your acceptance to the Fair. Confirmation packets with set up information, space numbers and maps will be mailed the first week of October 2019.

Bring your own tables or whatever you want in your space. We will provide 2 chairs per space. Electricity is limited. Let us know your need, and we will do are best.
Each crafter is required to donate one craft item per space (minimum value $15.00) to be raffled off with proceeds going to McNicholas. All other money is yours to keep. We would love to see many of you get involved with the craft show and see all of the beautiful and unique items you will be selling.

If you have any questions, contact person: Sister Judi Keehnen  judikcsj@aol.com. In your message please include  your name, year of graduation (if applicable) and the craft/s you will be selling.

Recognition Tiles make unique Christmas gifts!

Tile Wall

Honor a graduate, teacher, parent, or other loyal Rocket with a commemorative tile. The tiles are permanently installed in the main hallway and are available in white ($100), yellow ($150), and green ($250). The deadline for this years order is December 31.
 
Family and friends looking for a meaningful and beneficial way to honor their graduate can   click here or call Shawn Young, Manager of Alumni Relations and Special Events, at 231-3500 x5850.

You can also go online,  click here, and print off the form.

Time to start planning reunions for 2019!

With this year's reunions behind us, it is now time to set our sights on the next round.  If your graduation year ends in a 4 or 9, you are up for a reunion next year.  I will be sending an email to the planning committees in the next couple of weeks. Some reunions are already starting to take shape. The Class of '69 has selected September 27 and 28 to celebrate its 50th reunion. As we move into 2019, please check our website to see as new reunion dates are announced. 


Alumni Updates


Any news?
Do you have news to share? Let us know what you've been doing since graduation! Update your information by completing our alumni update form on the McNicholas webpage or call the Alumni Office at 513.231.3500. ext. 5850

Mark Zureick '69 wants to let all of you who live in Cincinnati know that all is well in sunny Southern California, unless you have to drive on the freeways.

Patty Seta-Tabb '84 has been an Adidas Team Sales Rep for the past 7 years. Married to wife Sherry and have been together for over 30 years. They reside in Loveland.

Zach Wood '15 is the long snapper for the University of Cincinnati Bearcats.  To read more click here
In Memoriam

This list is generated from local obituaries and information received from the family and friends of our alumni and current students. Please contact the alumni office  if there is incorrect or missing information. 

Alumni

James M. Stretch '61 Husband of Carol Meier Stretch '61, Father of Michael '90, Brother of David '66, John '68, Richard '76, and Mary Lee '77.

Earl L. Gilbert '65; Brother of Vera Gilbert Cruz '65.

Kathleen Sponsler Applegate '66 ; Sister  of Gary '69.

Beth Ann Henry Rivard '83; Sister of Brett '80, James '84, and Daniel '87.

William E. Huber Jr. '90; Brother of Michael '92, Robert '95, and Stephen '98.



Distinguished Family and Friends

Alwilda C. Braun; Mother of Michael '75, Alwilda Braun Middleton '80, and the late David (attended). 

Dr. William E. Daily; Husband of Mary Donovan Daily '56.

John R. Evans; Father of John '71, Joanie Evans McGrath '72, and Jean Evans Finlay '74.

Ruth H. Kelly; Mother of Margene Kelly Fisher '69. 

Joann E. Lambers; Mother of the late August '74, David '77, and the late Douglas '84. 

Robert C. Miller III; Husband of Jennifer Deimling Miller '88. 

F. Robyn Pope; Mother of Kyle Pope '08. 

George E. Rosenberger; Father of Stephen '66, and the late Brian '75.

Verna L. Rosselot; Wife of the late Calvin '58, Mother of Victoria Rosselot Wolf '77, Robert '78, Ronald '80, Karen (attended), Ralph '85, and Andrew '88. 

Quick Links for Alumni