Volume XXIII | January 2024

We hope your new year is off to a great start and

that you have a wonderful, blessed 2024!

Mid-Knight Stakes will be held on Saturday, February 3, 2024, as we celebrate our past (Alumni Gym) and our future (new facilities).

MKS began in 1984, so we will be celebrating the '80s that evening! We hope you will want to join in on the fun!

Ticket Sales deadline is January 22, 2024.

Don't miss out on an incredible evening!

BUY MID-KNIGHT STAKES TICKETS

A letter from our Alumni, Tim Wiesenhahn '85

Hi. Hello. Or, as my relatives in Rhode Island like to say, “Hi. How are yha? How yha doing?”

My name is Tim Wiesenhahn. I’ve been teaching at Lexington Catholic since 2001. I am writing this letter because I was asked to tell the story of how I got here and what it is like teaching here. I said I’d do it because as an English teacher and a former newspaper reporter, that’s what I like to do.

As an alumnus (1985) and a former cross-country runner and track man, it gives me great pleasure to be working at Lexington Catholic.

I often get asked what’s it like to teach at your high school. Well, a lot has changed since the 1980s.

Obviously. The phone no longer hangs from the wall and Spotify is the record store. And my cool feathered haircut has given way to my ever expanding forehead. And stated simply, and again obviously, the key difference is this: I am now the adult in the room. I won’t tell you how long it took me to realize that.

That said, I teach American literature. I get to teach the works of Whitman, Dickinson, Emerson, Thoreau, Hawthorne, Melville, Twain, Frost, Miller, Fitzgerald and others. (Too many dead guys on my reading list, I know.)

This semester we talked a lot about living deliberately and fronting the essentials of life. We read Jon Krakauer’s excellent book Into the Wild and talked daily about a “need for a higher purpose.”

When I quote Thoreau – you know, the guy who wrote Walden in the 1850s -- and tell my students, who are seniors, to “Sell their clothes and keep your thoughts,” they like to point out that I have three Patagonia jackets and four pairs of Merrell shoes. My response is, “True. Now, tell me what you know about irony.” They give me a blank look at that point.

To read Tim's full message, click here

Where Are They Now?

Amanda Garrison Dunens '01 is an Athletic Trainer at Lexington Clinic currently providing sports medicine coverage for all the student athletes here at Lexington Catholic. She lives in Lexington with her husband, Karlis Dunens, who is the Head Volleyball Coach at Berea College. They have two children, Ella (6), and Lukas (3).

Jacob Roberts ’17 is living in Lexington and is a Trust Associate at New Covenant Trust Company. He is currently a member of Team USA Beach Handball and took home the gold medal at a recent international tournament in Puerto Rico featuring Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Trinidad, and Tobago.

Mariah ’14 and Robert Dence ’14, were married in 2023. They are Lexington Catholic High School sweethearts! Mariah works at Sts. Peter & Paul Regional Catholic School. Robert is a realtor and basketball coach. They are loving their life

and with their dog, Bronx.

Alexis Cerise ’19, is a Master of Music student, bassoon, at The Juilliard School. She graduated from the University of Kentucky in May of 2023, and started at The Juilliard School in New York City for her master's degree in Bassoon Performance! At Juilliard, Alexis holds two teaching fellowships, in which she works with their Music Advancement Program as a mentor to students, and in music classrooms in New York City, providing support to teachers and gaining a better understanding of classroom music instruction. She is so proud and thankful for the education she received at LC (even though she says she didn’t always appreciate it at the time) and Alexis still uses what she learned in high school daily. Alexis is now in the early stages of her professional career as a freelance bassoonist in New York City, and she couldn’t have done it without the support she received from the wonderful faculty and staff at LC. In particular, Mrs. Weitkamp, Mr. Banks, Mr. Jackson, and Dr. Gartland have had wonderful impacts on her time at LC and her life, and she is thankful for their teaching and guidance.

Meghan Hawkins ’18 is living in Bowling Green and is a Special Education Preschool Teacher at Bowling Green Independent Schools.

Anne Simonetti Deaton ’63, is a retired State Director of the Missouri Division of Developmental Disabilities. Anne’s career also includes serving as Deputy Director of the Missouri Division of Aging, faculty member in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at the University of Missouri, and as Assistant Director of the Center for Gerontology at VA Tech where she earned an Ed.D. Following the Sandy Hook tragedy in 2013, Anne founded The Children's Grove in Columbia, MO, a 501c3, whose mission is to foster a culture of kindness and to promote emotional and mental well-being among children, youth, and young adults (www.childrensgrove.org ). She also conceived and helped found in both MO and VA, The Common Ingredient. The common ingredient is LOVE. The bi-fold mission of TCI is to celebrate the centrality of food in our lives and to ensure that all people have enough food to be healthy and live productive lives (www.thecommoningredientnrv.com). Anne and her husband, Brady, spend lots of time with family --- four children, their spouses and 7 grandchildren. She and her husband work with undergraduate and graduate students every semester to help them explore issues of food insecurity and extreme poverty through their Deaton Scholar program at the University of Missouri. Anne also serves on the board of Va Tech’s lifelong learning institute. Anne is an avid reader and writer of poetry which has appeared in literary journals. She is a member of the University of Kentucky’s College of Arts and Science Hall of Fame and serves on the College’s Alumni Advisory Board. Anne is the recipient of community, state and university awards including a scholarship endowment in her name created by the University of Missouri’s Griffith’s Leadership Society for Women. Anne was honored to be selected last year to join LCHS's Alumni Hall of Fame and says she will be forever grateful for her LCHS education and the dedication of Sister Louise Joseph, Sister Richard Marie, Sister Mary Michael, Father Frankrone (Assist. Principal) and many other LCH teachers who positively influenced her.

The Class of ’03 celebrated their 20^th reunion December 29, 2023, at Marikka’s! Beth Keeney Fowler ’03 described the gathering best in her own words…Time passes so fast. 20 years have gone by in a blink of an eye. Our lives have completely changed from when we last saw most of these classmates. Love, loss, success, failures, and all the in between. But the conversations with these people, who I literally haven’t seen in 20 years, started back up immediately as if we were back in the hallways walking to our lockers again at Lexington Catholic. It was a great evening.

Reunions!

It is time to start thinking about gathering your classmates for your reunion! The Fall is a great time to get together as we will have our Alumni Knight and there is Keeneland, football games and more to add to the fun of getting together!

Please contact Pam Schneider pschneider@lexingtoncatholic.com

Save the Date for LCHS Events!

Saturday, February 3, 2024 – Mid-Knight Stakes

Saturday, March 23, 2024 – Easter Egg Hunt

Thursday, April 18, 2024– Sapphire Society Reception

Monday, May 13, 2024 – 4th Annual George Ewen uKnight Cup Golf Scramble

School News

Congratulations to the dance team on competing in UDA Regionals! Their Hip Hop routine, choreographed by senior, Emily Baber, placed 1st in division and Game Day placed 3rd! Their hard work and dedication paid off qualifying them for UDA Nationals. Way to go girls!

On Thursday, December 28, 2023, a small gathering was held to unveil our 'Knights In Service' display that will honor Lexington Catholic graduates who currently or formerly served in the military. The display will proudly showcase the flag of Lexington Catholic graduate and Air Force Capt. Matthew D. Roland. Two paintings will border the display, featuring Saint George and Saint Joan of Arc, that will be done by 2013 Lexington Catholic graduate Amber Pitts Knorr. Watch the video below to view her process and inspiration. We hope this display inspires others and will forever honor those who sacrifice for our country.

If you would like to donate to this amazing cause, please click the link below to see how you can make a lasting impact for this display.

DONATE HERE

We are thrilled to share exciting news about a project that will significantly enhance the spiritual atmosphere at Lexington Catholic High School – the creation of a dedicated Grotto. This sacred space will serve as a focal point for prayer, reflection, and spiritual growth within our school community. To turn this vision into reality, we are launching a fundraising campaign and warmly invite you to participate in bringing the Grotto to life. By contributing to this initiative, you will play a vital role in creating a space that will benefit current and future generations of Lexington Catholic students.

Suggested Brick Donation Amounts:

$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,500
$5,000 or more

Upon making your contribution, we will reach out to you to discuss the wording for your personalized brick paver(s) based on your chosen donation amount. This offers a unique opportunity for you to add a personal touch to the Grotto and be remembered as a supporter of this meaningful project.

BUY YOUR BRICK

LCHS Alumni Benefits

As an LCHS alum, you automatically gain access to on campus events such as reunions, communications, such as our Alumni Newsletter, Knightline magazine, and your Happy Birthday month email.

We need your updated address and email

for you to hear from your alma mater!

Help us update our records so we can let you know what is going on at LCHS. Please click on the link below to update.

Update Your Record

Help Us Find Your Fellow Alums

If your fellow alums are not receiving this newsletter,

have them send in their name, email, and class year to Pam Schneider.