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Connecting the Dots with Shawn Young
In this edition of Connecting the Dots,
we meet Justin Burwinkel '07. I first met Justin in the fall of '04. He was a sophomore in the AP US history class that I was teaching. I remember he was a smart kid, with curly hair, and a good work ethic. His hard work has paid off, and now he has been able to help many people. He may have helped you already, and you had no idea, but you will shortly.
Justin was the youngest sibling in his family of Rockets. His sister Sharon was the Class of 1999, and Alan was in the Class of 2001. They grew up near Batavia, and attended St. Louis in Owensville. Rather than follow his siblings blindly to McNicholas, Justin wanted to shop around. His parents agreed, and the search was on. Justin was fascinated by the black and white, wet-process photography lab and decided on McNick. According to Justin, "
I remember feeling welcomed, like family, by the teachers who already seemed to have already known me".
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2019 Alumni Awards - Call for Nominations
Attention all alums - please start thinking about deserving alumni for this year's Alumni Awards. McNicholas will host a special event on October 7, in the Café and Student Union to present the awards. (Archbishop McNicholas was ordained a Dominican priest on October 10, 1901.) The following day, October 8, the recipients will be introduced to the students at an all-school assembly.
Selection
The McNicholas community may nominate candidates for this award
. If you nominated someone last year, we still have his or her name on file. All three awards will be selected by a committee of school representatives. Nominations are due by June 15, and the committee will announce its selections in July.
If you would like to nominate someone for this year, please
click here.
Awards
The Distinguished Alumni Award will be presented annually to one male and one female McNicholas graduate who have honored McNicholas High School with their outstanding professional achievements, volunteer activities, and community-organization advocacy. These alumni have shared their affection for McNicholas and its community and have been shining examples of high moral and ethical standards and values learned at McNicholas High School.
The Full Stature Special Achievement Award
will be presented to an alumni who exemplifies the ideals and mission of McNicholas High School and the Sisters of St. Joseph. It is presented to an individual in recognition of his or her accomplishments which bring honor to self and school and whose service, leadership, and concern for McNicholas support, strengthen, and exemplify the school's mission. This award is bestowed as a lifetime recognition and will not necessarily be presented annually.
The McNicholas Outstanding Service Award
will be presented to a member of the McNicholas community who has made, through years of tireless effort, significant contributions of time, talent, and treasure to the growth of McNicholas High School.
Last year's winners:
Distinguished Alumni Award
MiMi Chamberlin '79
Distinguished Alumni Award
Dr. Bradley Mathis '87
Archbishop McNicholas Outstanding Service Award
Jim Hay '77
Full Stature Special Achievement Award
Sr. Jeannie Masterson '61
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Recap on McNick at Night
Thank you to all of the alumni that helped make McNick at Night's Night's Blue Jeans Ball such a huge success this March. We had over 100 Rocket alumni in attendance. Classes from '55 all the way to '16 were represented. Many of our items were donated by our alumni, even Riley the Rocket Dog, donated by the widow of Jeff Riley '77. We could not have accomplished our goals without your enthusiastic support of the live and silent auctions, games and raffles, and the special appeal. We had record-setting attendance this year. The success of the night will be instrumental in providing a quality Catholic education to current and future Rockets. McNicholas is a special community, and we
thank you for the pride, loyalty, and generosity that help make it that way.
If you have any comments or suggestions about the evening, or you would like to get more involved next year, please contact Karen Yorio Veeneman '84 at
kyoyo@cinci.rr.com .
Once again,
thank you!
The McNick at Night Committee
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McNicholas Alumni Association could use your help
To all my fellow McNick alumni.....
As we approach the end of another school year I thought it would be good to bring you up to date on some of the activities and successes of the Alumni Board over the past couple of years and share some general overviews of what's going on at McNick.
McNicholas High School is constantly changing, and because of my involvement with the school, I can tell you with all honesty and sincerity that McNick just keeps getting better and better. The new principal, Dave Mueller, has taken the place by storm, and there's an excitement and can-do attitude that permeates the entire operation. Shawn Young has now been in his position of Alumni and Special Events Director for five years and I've seen, first-hand, the tremendous inroads he has made in alumni involvement, alumni communications, and alumni giving. Here, for example, are two examples that I find simply amazing:
- In the past five years, the number of alumni giving to the Annual Fund has increased from 2% to 10%. Think about that: the school has been in existence for almost 70 years, and in the short time frame of just the past couple of years YOU, our alumni, have answered the call. Fantastic!
- The dollar size of alumni donations also continues to steadily increase. That, along with the increased number of alumni participating has resulted in dollar gains of 200% over the past couple of years.
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Military Memorial Dedication
The Military Memorial Committee is planning a re-dedication ceremony for Friday, April 26, at 10:00 a.m. This will be an outdoor event, open to guests. We are currently lining up featured speakers, and music. Guest parking will be at Guardian Angels and at Mt. Washington Presbyterian Church. The committee strives to hold a re-dedication event every four years so that every student that passes through McNicholas High School will know the stories associated with our alumni who have made the ultimate sacrifice. This year, we will also add three stones to our monument area. They will be for Bill Nolan '84, Ann Robinson '99, and
Brad Giesting '04. These three Rockets, although not killed in action,
had distinguished service tenures. Bill was killed in a training exercise while in the service. Ann served two tours in Iraq as an army nurse and was killed in a vehicle accident. Brad served a tour in Iraq as well, where he contracted cancer from exposure to fire pits. We remember Brad every year with our Random Act of Kindness day celebrated on Oct 22.
If you are interested in getting involved with any of our veteran-related programs, please contact
Jim Hay. The members of the committee are: Ken Serger '69, Rick Ahlrich '69, John McHugh '69, John Kindel '69, Jim Hay '77, Denise Kiser Grannen '77, Barb Quehl Boots '78, Gwyn Bush, Gloria Ann Castleman, Sharon & Joe Horn, Anne & Bill Jones.
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Paul Daugherty of The Enquirer to speak.
On Monday, April 29, Paul Daugherty the award-winning columnist from
The Enquirer will join us for an evening at McNicholas High School. Paul has been a sportswriter for
The Enquirer for many years. This year, Paul was recognized by his peers as the Sportswriter of the Year for Ohio. Those of you who read
The Enquirer already know Paul writes and tells stories about many facets of everyday life and his relationships. He has authored an award-winning book, "An Uncomplicated Life: A Father's Memoir of His Exceptional Daughter." We hope you can join us.
This evening is the third in a series of Rocket Nation events. Rocket Nation is a group of McNicholas supporters dedicated to providing tuition assistance for current and future Rockets. For more information on Rocket Nation, please
click here.
The evening will begin with a reception at McNicholas High School in the
Café
and Student Union from 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. Paul will speak immediately following the reception. Admission for Rocket Nation members is free; for non-members. admission is $10 per person. Reservations are required and can made by
clicking here
. Please contact Mark Doran at (513) 231-3500 ext. 5141 if you have any questions.
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Career Day - Alumni stepping up to help
The Alumni Association participated in the McNicholas High School Career Day, on Friday, April 5
. Thank you to all of the alumni who stepped up to help. Fifty guest speakers spent the morning at McNicholas helping the students prepare for their futures. Of the 50 speakers, 38 were Rockets! That is a great participation rate, and we hope that continues to grow. A special thank you to Amy Arbino Wiley '88 for leading the entire student body in an interviewing skills session. This increased alumni involvement in career-related events has been spearheaded by Patti Benigni Dold '71. Patti also worked with students and faculty to put on a "do and do not" fashion show for the students with faculty demonstrating what not to wear to interviews and work! If you would like to get more involved with this career education effort, please contact Patti Dold. We would love to have your help, as we help the current Rockets! Please click here if you are interested in giving back.
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Rocket Alumni Day with the Florence Freedom
On Saturday July 20 , the Florence Freedom will be hosting "Where'd you go to school? Night!" The game starts at 6:05 p.m. Stick around after the game for a concert by the Sunburners. Wear your Rocket colors with pride, and $2 of every ticket will come back to McNicholas.
Click here
for a flyer that has all the information you'll need, including the promo code ROCKET and link where alumni can purchase tickets.
We hope to see all of you in your Rocket gear on July 20!
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Rocket Baseball at GABP on April 26
McNicholas will take on Newport Central Catholic at Great American Ballpark on April 26 at 5 p.m. A ticket purchased for the Rocket ballgame is also good for a ticket to the June 18 game between the Reds and the Astros.
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Come celebrate a day in Paradise - May 4
Come celebrate our beautiful campus and cheer on the women's softball teams, women's lacrosse, and men's baseball teams on Saturday, May 4 from Noon-4p.m. Mr. Redlegs from the Cincinnati Reds will be throwing out the first pitches for softball and baseball varsity games. Help support your community and donate to our FANS FOR FANS DRIVE where we will be collecting monetary donations to buy fans to beat the summer heat for Guardian Angels St Vincent de Paul pantry. Kona Ice will be set up and our concession stand will have lots of food and drinks for sale. For more information,
click here.
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McNicholas well represented at Anderson Chamber Awards
(Left to Right)
Carly Fehr, Karen Veeneman, Sharon Tobin, Mary Beth Sandmann, Beth Hamad, and Keith McCarroll
On April 9, the Anderson Area Chamber of Commerce (AACC) honored several community members for their outstanding work and commitment. McNicholas High School senior Carly Fehr was named Student of the Year, and theology teacher Mrs. Mary Beth Sandmann was honored as Educator of the Year.
Carly Fehr has compiled an impressive and diverse list of activities and accomplishments as a student at McNicholas High School driven by an unparalleled work ethic. No matter the challenge or adventure, she gives her whole self to its success and is passionate about the results. Carly is a four-year member of the Service Club with the majority of her service hours going toward Matthew 25 Ministries. She was a two-year member of the lacrosse team and received the most improved award in 2017. Carly is also a four-year member of the Ski Club and has been a part of the school's Improvisation Club and Student Ambassador program.
Carly is a four-year honor roll student and has been named Theology Student of the Year. She has been a Freshman Retreat leader and a Kairos leader. Well-respected by peers and teachers alike, Carly was on Homecoming Court and a nominee for Eastern Hills Student of the Month.
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Alumni Association announces first Craft Fair
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Time to start planning reunions for 2019!
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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
Donna Veronica Schultz '69 moved to Arizona in 1994, bought a dude ranch and ran it for 20 years. She loved every minute of it! She retired in 2016, and is staying in Arizona!
Lori McConlogue O'Shaughnessy '75 and her husband moved to central Pennsylvania 15 years ago when she decided to take a job as a family nurse practitioner in a small rural clinic. They see their daughters and their families (including 5 incredible grandkids!) as much as possible. One family lives in Washington and one another family lives in Cincinnati. Besides work, they like to spend as much time as possible outside exploring, as well as devoting a great deal of time volunteering in politics, thanks to Sr. Jean Masterson, who pushed Lori to speak out at a town hall meeting on health care back in 1993.
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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
Gaile M. DeTellem '61; Sister of Anita '69, Michele DeTellem Hanselman '71, and Steve (attended).
William A. Barney '67; Brother of Robert '70.
Mary Beth Gardner Feie '70; Wife of Paul '70, and sister of Jan Gardner Blassie '75
Distinguished Family and Friends
George Abraham; Father of Michael '79, Joan Abraham Buhr '82, and the late Margaret '80.
Donald J. Anglim; Father of Donald '74, Rev. Shawn '81, Gerald '82, Douglas (attended), Eugene (attended), and Carol (attended).
Joan M. Custer; Mother of Jenny Custer Southerington '66, Jim '67, Gail Custer Gundrum '68, Diane '69, Steve '71, Dave '77, Tom '82, the late Greg '70; Grandmother of Jason Gundrum '91,
Kristin Gundrum '93, Cassie Gundrum Niemann '95, Sean Gundrum, '98 Keady Gundrum Delia '00, Rachel Custer Markovich '05, Sara Custer Suellentrop '06, Lucas '10, Brendan '15, Evan '17, Katherine '20.
Alice J. Dadosky; Mother of Steve '73, Julie
Dadosky Ziegler '75, Susan
Dadosky Schwarz '76, Michael '78, Teresa
Dadosky Fincken '79, Margaret
Dadosky Clarke '80, Ed '81, Mary
Dadosky '83, Trish
Dadosky Mcbee '83, Ken '88, Liz
Dadosky Hart '92; Grandmother of Thomas Wegener '14 and
Jimmy Wegener '16.
Barbara Diehl; Mother of Suzanne Diehl Rackley '81, and Steven (attended).
James W. Foliano; Father of Nancy Foliano Schlosser '72.
Robert J. Foliano; Brother of Nancy Foliano Schlosser '72.
Lois D. Johnson; Mother of Doug '73, Becky Johnson Whitacre '77, and Mother-in-law of Donna Stratton Duddey '73.
Susan J. Siemers; Mother of Gretchen Siemers Schmidt '74, Stephanie Siemers Bloemer '77, Heidi Siemers Walsh '83; Mother-in-law of Barry Schmidt '77; Grandmother of Zach Schmidt '99, Nick Schmidt '02 , Drew Schmidt '06, Jillian Bloemer '10 , Annie Bloemer '11, Mitch Bloemer '14, Emily Bloemer '15, Elise Walsh '18, and Maura Walsh '20.
Frank L. Soppa; Father of Anne '10.
Mildred R. Sunderman; Mother of Robert '73, and Nancy Sunderman Chappell '79.
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