AN E-NEWSLETTER FOR BORGIA ALUMS
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A MESSAGE FROM FR. MIKE BOEHM
Dear Alumni,
I pray that this Alumni Newsletter finds you healthy and safe.
Well, here we are at the end of what has been quite a year! Most of the year was spent on campus at 1000 Borgia Drive, home of our beloved high school. About two months of this year, unfortunately, were conducted via distance learning as students and teachers managed their work from home. As it was for most secondary schools, we had a big learning curve in the distance learning environment. But as things are at Borgia, we made the best of it and were able to continue progressing through the curriculum. To say that I am proud of how our faculty, staff and students handled the challenges of the last quarter of this school year is an understatement. It sure wasn’t the same as being together, but we made progress and we learned a lot about what we can accomplish together as a school community. I thank God every day for the talented people who make up our school family and who share their enthusiasm for teaching and learning.
While we have faced many challenges this year, there have been so many successes for our school family. Whether in the classroom, on stage or at a competition, we have witnessed the Borgia Spirit stay alive and well. We see that same spirit alive and well in you, our Alumni, who continue to thrive through the effort you put forth every day and how you do so with the strong foundation laid for you while a student at Borgia. I couldn’t be more proud when I hear of our alumni succeeding in school and work because I know this school had a part in forming who you are today. I am excited to see so many of our Alumni active in their faith and contributing their time, talent and treasure to their Church families. The Borgia Family has made a difference in our world and will continue to do so.
Please know of our gratitude to you as you support our school. As you know, we rely on the support of many alumni and friends of Borgia in order to be able to continue our sacred mission of education and faith formation. If you are able to make a gift to help support our students and their families, especially those who struggle to send their children to Borgia, we would be so grateful.
Be assured of our prayers for you and your loved ones.
In Christ’s Peace,
Fr. Mike Boehm
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BORGIA ADAPTS TO DISTANCE LEARNING
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Thoughts from our Principal, Pam (Ruether) Tholen '02
We made it! I’m excited to say that we didn’t just survive the extended eLearning, but we thrived! Our students and teachers saw a continuation of curriculum and successfully completed coursework and activities. Class assignments and assessments were adjusted, of course, but I’m so proud of the ways our students and faculty rose to the challenge of distance learning.
As often as possible, we tried to make things as normal as possible. Our classes continued to meet in a regular blue/gold day schedule, we continued with morning prayer, pledge, and announcements (complete with alumni benefactor shout-outs!), and our teachers and counselors worked hard to maintain relationships with students.
Some of our favorite end-of-the year activities and traditions had to be reimagined, but we still tried to keep things special. After the seniors were finished with school, we had a virtual Senior Farewell Mass and senior class awards ceremony. Instead of the traditional last day of school breakfast and senior BBQ, we had a fun drive-through celebration, where students could drop off textbooks, pick up caps and gowns, and wave goodbye to their favorite teachers from the safety of their vehicles. While we don’t know what the summer holds, we hope to celebrate our Class of 2020 with a proper prom and graduation. We’ve chosen dates in June and July and will do our best to honor the accomplishments and hard work of our seniors.
Our underclassmen had their last day of class on Friday, May 15, and we celebrated them with an All-School Mass livestreamed on the Knightly News Live YouTube channel and grade level awards ceremonies.
Though the end of the 2019-2020 school year was nothing like we could’ve ever imagined, the Borgia Family rose to the challenge. Thank you for your continued prayers and support of all we are doing here. We may be celebrating the end of the year six feet apart and with masks on, but it’s still A GREAT DAY TO BE A KNIGHT!
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We Say Goodbye to Two Legendary Teachers As They Announce Their Retirement
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As it was once said by famous British philosopher Bertrand Russell, "No man (or woman) can be a good teacher unless he has feelings of warm affection toward his pupils and a genuine desire to impart to them what he believes to be of value." This couldn't be more true of these two long-time Borgia educators.
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Kathy Hertlein
Mrs. Hertlein began teaching at SFB in 1977, giving our school 43 years of exceptional service as a teacher and mentor to thousands of students. Joe Bitzer, who has worked with Kathy for many years had this to say,
"Somehow calling Kathy Hertlein an iconic figure at St. Francis Borgia High School comes off as an understatement.
She is so much more than that. As an educator, roll model to her peers, keeper of our faith, she leads by example in thought, word and deed.
She is tough without being mean. She is unafraid and unapologetic when it comes to speaking the truth. She sets and lives by high personal, moral and professional standards. For generations Mrs. Hertlien has nurtured, challenged and built young men and women who enter her classroom.
Among her peers she sets the standards for excellence in doing her best work, not on occasion, not when she feels like it, but every day, every moment of every day. Battling back from health issues, she never missed a single step in being a totally engaged professional.
Her faith is solid. She knows of what she speaks. Whether it is the art found in the Borgia Church or the deeper meanings of the writings of the Saints, she is a fountain of knowledge and understandings about our Catholic identity.
She has been, through times of trouble, a rock, on which many have sought out, for wise consultation, a clear path through difficult decisions, or just friendly reinforcement when the world seems to be getting you down.
I know all of this to be true, as I and many, many others, students, teachers, administrators, parents and the faithful have all benefited from this truly iconic human being. 'What would Jesus do?' is a great question to keep in mind. For myself moving forward in my roll as an educator I will be asking the questions “What would Mrs. Hertlein do?”
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Becky Price
In 1988, Mrs. Price joined the SFBRHS staff, giving our school 32 years of dedicated service. Fellow colleague Michelle Reddington described her time at Borgia the b
est,
“Becky has been instrumental in building Borgia’s excellent reputation for technological preparedness. Beyond this, Becky has been a selfless colleague who has worn many hats in her 3 decades at Borgia. Her unwavering support, compassion, and generosity with our Borgia family knows no bounds. Personally, I will miss her incredible patience, swapping prayers with me, and the friendship we have developed over these 32 years. I wish Becky the very best with a well deserved retirement.
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In Celebration of the
Class of 2020
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On Thursday, May 14, in celebration of the day that the SFBRHS Class of 2020 would have participated in their graduation ceremony, the faculty and staff delivered these signs to each senior's home.
Although we do have plans to officially celebrate with them at a later date, we wanted to at least let them know how proud we are of them. Congratulations to the Class of 2020!
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Redeeming Your Borgia Cookie Voucher
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If you still are in possession of a Borgia Cookie voucher from your gift on Borgia Giving Day, please hold on to it. You will still be able to redeem it once we are back in session.
If you have any questions, please contact Donna Grahl, Director of Annual Giving and Alumni Relations at 636-239-7871 ext. 131 or
donna.grahl@borgia.com.
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March Mega Raffle Winners
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April 1, 2020
Denise Spaunhorst (sold by Luke Spaunhorst '22)
Apirl 15, 2020
Steve Lange* (sold by Colton Lange '23)
*Proceeds donated back to our school
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Catholic Bioethics Webinar
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Unfortunately we had to cancel our in-person "The Conversation" event this past April. If you are still interested in learning more about the Catholic perspective on end-of-life issues, attend this free virtual event.
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ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
Bobby Brinker '08
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The Brinker Family - Bobby; his wife, Anna; son, Wells; and daughter, Fischer.
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Last year, Bobby recorded this cover of
Maroon 5’s Memories
. The video has reached over 1M views on YouTube.
Click the link above to view this amazing video.
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What are you currently up to?
I have been married for five and a half years, have an almost 5 yr old son named Wells, and a nearly 2 yr old daughter named Fisher. They keep us busy! I work full time in mortgage banking at a local bank in Franklin, TN (just south of Nashville). I still write music for others and myself weekly, produce songs for other artists, make demos for songwriters, and am currently working on some new music to release for my own artistry. I have a small company called RMB Creative LLC, where I make tracks for TV, movies, marketing companies, songwriters, and artists. I just finished a record for a good friend of mine and a very talented singer-songwriter, Josh Roberts. I am currently working on a project with a label out of Los Angeles where myself and two other guys are working on a five-song project for some specific movie trailers, TV shows, and TV ads. This project has definitely been the most fun as it enables me to utilize all of my musical strengths gained over the years.
Tell us about your education post high school?
I bounced around quite a bit. I studied at ECC for a year. I transferred to Missouri State for a semester, moved to Columbia in hopes of going to Mizzou. I started writing a lot of my first record in Columbia, where I lived with a long time best bud and Borgia grad, Danny Tobben. Great times. I decided to move back home to work on my record. I transferred to UMSL. I completed a year there, finished my first record "Love Life and The In-Betweens" and decided to move to Nashville to pursue music. Education is important; however, I believe you must educate yourself in what you love to do. For me, that meant I needed to be surrounded by music 24/7 and in an environment where the best of the best are living and breathing music. Although my college career is not glamorous, I will never regret the path I took as it has led me to where I am today.
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What was your favorite memory of high school?
There are too many! From friends, teachers, Knightly News, the plays I was a part of, jazz band, ski trips, even remembering my first day of high school...I would have to say that October Friday afternoons and evenings are unbeatable. Homecoming was always special too. Playing football was and still is to this day something I think about often and wish I could go back. There is nothing better than a fall evening in Washington, MO, under the lights.
How has your Borgia education helped you in your life?
The relationships built between the teachers and students is key. I believe that when you can trust your teacher and really understand them as a person and an educator, it makes for a more meaningful experience. Thankfully, I had awesome teachers in high school who were not just reading a book and giving us work to do without direction. I recall having passionate people in the classroom who truly cared about their students. Having people like that can make it easier when you transition into college and even into your career. I cannot tell you how many times I have seen friends on Facebook who credit some of their teachers for some of their current successes. It's a powerful thing when you have a strong bond with those who are helping you navigate through life.
What is the great takeaway from your Borgia education?
My education prepared me for college. The ability to take college credit courses was important. Again, I will go back to the previous question and answer: The community and atmosphere at Borgia are like no other. Because of that, I am not sure what kind of experience I would have had. There's something to be said about the town we live in and the pride and spirit of Borgia. There is always education, but if you do not have the community and network within, you don't have a legacy. Borgia is great because of the bigger picture. Not just teaching math or science.
What word or adjective would you use to describe Borgia?
Community- "We are Borgia"
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ALUMS AT THE FOREFRONT OF COVID-19
Dr. Paul Eckerle '07
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Let's hear from Paul Eckerle '07 (pictured above LEFT from his high school days and RIGHT wearing his Covid-19 Personal Protective Equipment). Paul is a physician entering his final year of fellowship training in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at St. Louis University Hospital.
"I spend most of my time these days caring for patients in the ICU with and without Covid. We remain quite busy which is of course not typical given the time of year and in light of the absence of elective surgeries and procedures. While we have seen first-hand the devastating outcomes associated with this novel virus, we are fortunate that St Louis and Missouri as a state are relatively less effected when compared to other areas of the country. We are fortunate to provide care for these patients and their families in these most trying times. Visitor restrictions continue and can foster feelings of isolation and make it difficult to maintain a grasp on hope. Speaking for myself and on behalf of my colleagues, we have received profound support for our efforts both at a public and personal level. We wish everyone continued health and safety and acknowledge the challenges outside of healthcare imposed on our communities, our country and the world."
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Thank you, Paul and all of our Borgia alums who are currently working as health care professionals.
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You are the last line of defense during this pandemic, and we are so grateful for your courage and strength!
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In light of the impact of the Coronavirus, we are greatly concerned for every member of the Borgia family. Nothing is more important to us than the safety and well-being of our students, faculty, and the entire community. I hope that you and your family are doing well and that you are staying safe and healthy in the midst of these challenging times.
Our mission to provide a Borgia education to all who desire it remains the same, now more than ever. We anticipate that the financial impact of the Covid-19 virus will continue to grow and pose an increased challenge for many of our families who want to send their children to Borgia High School. With the support of many generous donors, we hope to reach our goal of raising $300,000 toward the Annual Fund, which will help us keep our school operational while providing some much-needed tuition assistance for our families. We understand that achieving this goal will be challenging, but we remain steadfast in working to
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secure the additional $70,000 needed to reach this goal. We need the help of the entire Borgia community and we invite you to help.
We appreciate your support and ask that you please consider a donation this year to help provide our students the education and faith formation for which Borgia is known. We hope that we can count on your support of our School, as the need has never been greater. If you are in a position to help, I hope you will consider a gift.
To make it easy for you, you may donate via Venmo at SFBRHS or by donating securely on our website at borgia.com using the button below. You may also send us a check to 1000 Borgia Drive, Washington, MO, 63090. If you have any questions, please contact Donna Grahl, Director of Annual Giving and Alumni Relations, by phone (636-239-7871 ext. 131) or by email (
donna.grahl@borgia.com
).
We pray that you and your loved ones remain healthy, safe, and blessed during these extraordinary times. Thank you for your ongoing support of St. Francis Borgia Regional High School.
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Alumni Prayers
Each day we pray for our alumni who continue to generously support our school to ensure that all current and future students experience the extraordinary, lifelong privilege of a Borgia education.
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Recently married? New baby or job?
Let us know what's going on in your life so we can share
it with your classmates in this newsletter!
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St. Francis Borgia Regional High School
1000 Borgia Drive, Washington, MO 63090
P: 636-239-7871
F: 636-239-1198
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