Prom 2r0a1d4e!
Masque
This year’s Prom was held at Suncoast Hotel and Casino on April 26th. Students who attended this Masquerade themed event were treated to a buffet dinner, delicious desserts, and dancing. A special moment during the night was the presentation of our Prom Court and the crowning of our Prom Queen, Carrie Keller '15 and Prom King, Chase Johnson '15.
Volume 20
Issue 7
May 2014
Junior Prom Court Rose Asaf Nicco Fertitta Maggie DiFederico Daniel Hong Janey Fielden Chase Jeter Monique Koman Blake Lobato Kevyn Robins Austin Mack Alexa Weidenfeld Jason Musni
32 Annual nd
Knight of the Gael On Thursday, March 27th parents, alumni and friends gathered to honor Al '68 & Kathie Faccinto at the 32nd Annual Knight of the Gael. Along with their children Missy '93, Tina '96, Katie '99, Taryn '00 & Destinie '13 and about 650 guests, we celebrated a couple who for decades have been loyal supporters, avid fans and generous donors. Their commitment to Bishop Gorman is seen and felt by all. We are proud to call them Gaels and forever grateful for their ongoing support.
The evening included a lively cocktail hour and silent auction followed by a delicious dinner by Red Rock Casino and great wines provided by Wirtz Beverage Group of Nevada. After dinner, guests were treated to a special performance by the Gaels Theatre Guild, an update on all the happenings at BGHS and a tribute to the honorees. Thank you to all who participated in this great tradition.
continued on page 7 Administration
2
Campus Ministry
4
Athletics | Activities
6
Gael Pride
3
Academics
5
Advancement
7
Bishop Gorman High School
Diocese of Las Vegas
Administration
Dear Parents:
2014 Book Buy Back
As the year comes to a close, I would like to highlight some of our academic achievements.
Book Buy Back event dates are: Seniors: May 23rd from 11AM - 2PM AUX Gym
First of all, I would like to congratulate Rebecca Arteaga '14 and Megan Gray '14 for being named the valedictorian and salutatorian, respectively. We are very proud of these two young ladies who have challenged themselves academically and achieved at the highest levels. Rebecca will give the valedictory address at Commencement, and Megan will give the salutatory address at the Senior Awards Night.
Underclassmen: May 30th from 11AM - 2PM, Main Gym. Students: Go online to the BG website/ESCO link & print your Book Buy Back Form to bring to the on-campus event.
Beginning on May 5, we will begin the annual administration of the Advanced Placement (AP) Exams. The AP Program is truly the “gold standard” of college level coursework taken in high school. Students who pass these exams with a score of 3, 4, or 5 will in most cases earn college credit. This year, we will administer 515 AP exams in 15 subject areas including mathematics, science, social studies, English, world languages, and art.
This is essential to speed up your process and confirm your credit forms and books are completed successfully. The Book Buy Back days are the only days available to return your school books on campus, no exceptions. If a student misses the assigned dates, they must return their books to ESCO on their own.
Demonstrating comprehensive success in the program, the following recognitions were awarded to last year’s seniors: • 48 AP Scholars – students who received a 3 or higher on three or more AP Exams • 17 AP Scholars with Honors – students with an average score of 3.25 on all AP Exams taken and scores of 3 or higher on four or more AP Exams • 10 AP Scholars with Distinction – students with an average score of at least 3.5 on all AP Exams taken and scores of 3 or higher on five or more AP Exams
Graduation Events Pick up Cap & Gown • May 14 • during all lunches Campus Store
We expect that students will continue to succeed in the Advanced Placement program, and encourage them to prepare diligently for these exams.
Senior BBQ/Yearbook Signing • May 19 • during all lunches Senior Plaza. Yearbooks will be distributed and the senior BBQ will be held between 10:15 am -12:00 noon in the Senior Plaza.
And in order for our all of our students to continue to achieve at such outstanding levels, it is important that everyone remains focused through this very busy final month of the school year. We still have four weeks of school and final exams to complete before summer break. I encourage everyone to “finish strong,” providing their best effort and working to completion.
Senior Academic Awards Night • May 19 • 6:00pm BGHS Gym A significant evening for seniors, their families and friends. This formal presentation will include the announcement of scholarships, academic awards and a speech by the salutatorian. Please wear appropriate “dress” clothes. No cap and gown should be worn.
Congratulations to the Class of 2014, and I hope everyone has a wonderful summer break. With iPads and semester exams before Christmas, we have much to look forward to academically for the 2014-2015 school year!
Senior Final Exams • May 20 and 21 Finals in periods 1, 2 and 3 will be on Tuesday, May 20. Finals in periods 4, 5 and 6 will be on Wednesday, May 21. Graduation Practice • May 21 • 2:00pm • BGHS Aux. Gym We will review procession, seating, and the procedure for receiving your diploma. We will also cover the senior class trip itinerary and rules.
Kevin Kiefer, Principal
Finance
Senior Trip to Disneyland • May 22 - 23 All seniors attending the class trip will meet in the gym no later than 7:30 am to load the buses.
Summer Hours
Deadline to order graduation picture (receiving diploma from the Bishop) • May 23
Hours of operation for the Finance Department will be posted on the website.
Baccalaureate Mass • May 29 • 6:30pm • Shrine of the Most Holy Redeemer 55 E. Reno Avenue (Las Vegas Blvd. & Reno) Please arrive by 6:00pm. Bring your ironed gown to the Shrine of the Most Holy Redeemer. Please wear “dress” clothes under your gowns. No caps should be worn to the Mass. Please try to carpool as there is limited parking available.
Tuition – 2014-2015
Tuition billing for the 2014-2015 school year will begin July 1, 2014. If you have any questions regarding your student’s account, please contact Vanessa Orozco, 476-4023.
Graduation • June 1 • 12:00 noon Orleans Arena (4500 W. Tropicana Ave.) Seniors should arrive at the Orleans Arena by 11:15am, enter through the ticket office door and go directly to the “Gold A” meeting room to put on their caps/gowns and line up by 11:30am.
If you wish to have your tuition automatically taken from your checking account or charged to your credit card for the 2014-2015 school year, please make sure you have signed and returned a new authorization form, which you can download from our website, www.bishopgorman.org
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Gael Pride
T
ARt takes a Trip!
hree teachers from the Visual Arts Department escorted 30 art students on a two-day trip to Pasadena and Los Angeles. The group toured three amazing museums: The Norton Simon Museum, LACMA, and the L.A. Science Museum. Also included was a docent-led tour of the Gamble House which is a superb example of Architecture as a Fine Art. Current Photography teacher and BG alum, Mr. Greg Cava '76 was able to arrange a V.I.P. tour of Art Center’s campus as well. Students finished the field trip by seeing the space shuttle, Endeavor, and its accompanying exhibition.
Seeing the Endeavor space shuttle up close was truly a breath-taking experience. The group had two days of museums, art, architecture, photography, and a firsthand look at what it means to take their work to the next level. Students left with a magnitude of exposure, inspiration, and experience. The Visual Arts Department would like to recognize Mrs. Kim (Hinkell) Bailey '89 (mother of sophomore Emma Bailey) who took time out of her busy schedule to chaperone the trip.
Thank you so much!
Have you ever wanted to ask an author,
“Did you mean to do that?”
Last month, the entire student body was able ask that question of four different authors. Warren Lewis, who has completed over twenty-five original or commissioned screenplays and numerous re-writes, listened to movie pitches from the senior class. One was so strong that he advised Jordan Myrda '14 to register her idea with the Script Writers’ Guild. When asked how that made her feel, she responded, “That was awesome! I plan to register the idea and finish writing the script now that I have his feedback.” Our long-standing presenter, Randy Sutton, is a decorated police officer with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and a national speaker on ethics in police enforcement. His collection of short stories, entitled A Cop’s Life, is inspired by the events of 9/11. The sophomores were awed by the story of Holocaust survivor, Stephen Nasser (see photo), who wrote his diary in 1943. At the time, Stephen was in the Muhldorf concentration camp, under the nose of the Nazis. His story was kept a secret for fifty years and was published in 2003 by Stephens Press of the Las Vegas Review Journal. Students also heard from Christi Thomas-McEachern ’86, who earned a MA in English at the University of San Diego and returned to Las Vegas to teach. She is currently completing her 24th year teaching English Literature at Bishop Gorman and she spoke about her novel, a fictionalized retelling of her oldest son’s experience as a nationally-ranked gymnast. Our Author Event, now in its 12th year, is always enthusiastically received by the students. Not only did they learn about the process of writing but also were able to receive feedback on some of their own ideas.
W
ith the school year coming to a close, I encourage the freshmen to finish strong. Just a few points can change a C+ to a B- and make a significant change in GPA and class rank. It gets more difficult as the years pass to raise these, so a strong finish this year will make it easier to maintain the grade point average. This semester has seen several students’ hard work rewarded by the Freshman of the Week Award. These students include Cody Buckley, Virginia Genato, Elizabeth Carleton, Sasha Araujo, Luke Bradford, Nicholas Pero, Dylan Bruton, Brayton Walls, Francesca Tabora, Connor McDermott, Devon Ashe and Kara Thompson. As we transition from the freshman year into sophomore year, I encourage the Class of '17 not only to take some Summer Enrichment classes, but to read, read, read! If you want to succeed academically, reading something that interests you is a far better way to spend your spare time than playing games. Also, take some time to rest; sophomore year is a little more intense, and more is expected. I hope that your freshman year has been a good experience for you here at Bishop Gorman and that you return refreshed and with your goals set for sophomore year. It is not too early to start planning for the future. As you begin to investigate colleges, make sure that you are on track with your course selections. Enjoy and see you in August. Switching hats for just a moment, let me welcome in the class of '18! I hope that you have registered for Summer Enrichment classes. This will not only allow you to meet future classmates and become familiar with the layout of the school, but it helps to open up your schedule for future electives. Additionally, the class of '18 needs a catchy slogan for their class that will carry on to graduation. Past classes have used: Class of ’17, The Dream Team; Best of the Mix, Class of One Six; Class of ’15, Watch Us Beam. Please submit your ideas to: ianderson@bishopgorman.org
Irene Anderson, Dean
Freshman PRIDE Program
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Campus Ministry
Matthew's Closet Awareness Week
What a success it was! During the week we collected 725 pairs of jeans and over 1600 pairs of socks and underwear. The senior class won a free dress day by collecting the most socks and underwear! In addition, the Spanish Honor Society did their own sock drive bringing in 555 pairs of socks! It could not have been done without the help from ASG and the Matthew's Closet Board who got the word out about Matthew's Closet all week and collected the jeans, socks and underwear. Thank you!
Sort A-Thon at Three Square Mr. John Goertemiller and BGHS National Honor Society students have volunteered at Three Square Food Bank several times to sort and pack food going directly to the hungry of Las Vegas. Great job!!
Mite Box
Mr. Crisp and class win the Mite Box trophy for the 10th time!
Matthew's Closet
receives tighty whiteys!
This year, Ms. Miller's English classes held a Tighty Whitey Collection of Men's Underwear and Socks to benefit Matthew's Closet. Competition was fierce between all of her five freshman Honors and Scholars classes. In the end, the winners were the 3rd period Scholars English 1 class, with a close second from her 1st period English 1 Honors class. Great job everyone!
Christian Service
soroptomist awards Savannah Prenger '14, Erica Korbel '15, and Brianna Ruvo '14 recently received awards from the Las Vegas Soroptimist Group. All three young women have chosen to go above and beyond in service to others. Savannah created "Teens Helping Teens" and reaches out to the homeless teens of our community with much needed supplies for daily living. Erica started "Students United in Recycling School Supplies" an on-going project taking partially used school supplies and channeling them to lower income students to use. Brianna began the "Gourmet Gaels" which provides baked goods to nursing homes, schools and other facilities. All three of these young ladies have made a huge difference in the lives of those less fortunate in Las Vegas.
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On March 22nd McKay Wilson '16, Austin Wilkins '16, Andrew Hahn '16, Sione Lasike '16 and Cole Knops '16 helped assemble and install three permanent basketball hoops for the children at Boys Town. Once they were done, it was time for some basketball fun with the kids. It was not only a rewarding, fun-filled day but they also earned some well-deserved Christian Service hours! Way to go!
Academics
Counselor’s Corner It is hard to believe that the school year is coming to a close. That means that finals are right around the corner. Included in this month’s issue are some study tips that will help you “ace” those finals!
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Start early - Preparation for exams should begin earlier than the day before the test. Get started at least two weeks before the exam.
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Organize - Begin by making a calendar outlining a daily schedule of topics for review. Cover a small amount of material for each class each day. Every time you complete a topic, give yourself a mini review.
3 Outline - Once you have decided what you need to study and how much time you need to spend studying, it is time to actually study. One of the best ways is to make outlines. As you read over your textbook and class notes, write a brief summary for each topic. Highlight the areas in your outline that were most troublesome. When you have finished with all the material, you will have an outline you can review. 4 Make flashcards - Similar to outlining, making flashcards is a really helpful technique for studying. By writing down the information
from your outline, you are already doing half the studying. Once the flashcards are complete, you will have a portable study packet to look over.
5 Get help - If you are having trouble memorizing something or a particular concept is just not sinking in, get help before it’s too late. Ask your teacher to go over a glitch you might be having. Or if memorizing 200 vocabulary words seems like too much to do, recruit your family members to quiz you with index cards. 6 Sleep - You need at least seven hours of sleep a night to function. Tests are designed to make you think. If you are sleep-deprived, you won’t be able to remember any of the information you worked so hard to cram into your brain. 7
Don’t rush - You have spent at least two weeks studying, so what’s another couple of minutes? Work through the exam slowly and read all the questions before answering them. If you are done before the time is up, look over your answers. Source: Next Step Magazine Remember, final exams are worth 20% of your semester grade, so it is important that you do well.
Summer Enrichment
2014 If you have not yet turned in your Summer Enrichment registration form and payment, please plan to do so soon. Classes are quickly filling up. Here are a few notes regarding Summer Enrichment: • For a list of closed classes, please access the link on the home page of our website. • Summer Enrichment t-shirts may be purchased online or in the Campus
Who killed Mrs. Morton? a CSI Project
Store. The cost is $10. • Students are not allowed any absences during
Our beloved Mrs. Morton from Student Services was found “dead” on the morning of April 7th. The "Breaking News" story was brought to the students via our own BGTV reporters. Mr. Cava’s Photography classes took crime scene photos, while Mrs. DeJoria’s Honors Human Physiology classes processed evidence and investigated the crime. This staged CSI Investigation was part of an annual three-week collaborative project where investigative teams processed blood, fibers, hair, fingerprints, and handwriting found at the scene of the crime to come up with the perpetrator.
Summer Enrichment sessions, so please plan any time away accordingly. • Students registered for an online course must attend a mandatory orientation class during GAELS period
A crime directed toward one person ended the life of another. Who committed this horrible act? Our investigative teams found that it was none other than, Ms. Lea, the Chemistry teacher, and Amanda Morton '14, the victim’s own daughter!
either Tuesday, May 20th or Wednesday, May 21st. For further details
Congratulations to all the
regarding Summer Enrichment,
students who participated in
please visit the website at
solving this case
www.bishopgorman.org
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Athletics | Activities
Congratulations to our 2014-2015 Elected Officials
Our Associated Student Government has been hard at work this year earning the NASC Southern Star Award, the NASC Silver Star Award and the National Gold Council of Excellence Award. Additionally, Nina Niedbalski '14 and Nick Hatton '14 were selected as Junior Counselors at our State Conference and Jenna Mikulich '15 and John Hatton '15 were selected to present a workshop at the National Student Council conference this summer in Orlando, Fl.
2014 Executive Board
President: Jason Musni '15 Vice-President: John Hatton '15 VP of Student Activities: Douglas McArthur '16 Secretary: Olivia Cerza '16 Treasurer: Erin McGarry '15 Parliamentarian: Amber Del Rosario '15
Administrator of the Year This year, Mr. Tracy Goode has been named the 2014 Nevada Association of
Student
Councils'
Administrator of the Year. Mr. Goode has served
Class of 2015 President: Janey Fielden Vice-President: Marcus Webster Secretary: Jarlette Uy-Custer Treasurer: Joe Schmit
as moderator for our Associated Student Government and many other roles in his time here at Bishop Gorman and we are proud that his exemplary service to our school and community is being recognized with this prestigious award.
Congratulations Mr. Goode! Bringing our Music to Disneyland
Class of 2016 President: Carolina Castro Vice-President: Katelyn Dunn Secretary: Sierra Mark Treasurer: Richard Standaert
Congratulations to the BGHS
Concert Band for their outstanding performance at Disneyland on March 23rd and at the CCSD Band Festival on March 27th at Desert Oasis High School. What an incredible year it has been for our Band program! Make plans to attend their final performance of the year, the Spring Instrumental Music Concert on Friday May 9th at 7pm in the Jim3 Theatre. The concert will feature the debut of the BGHS Jazz Ensemble along with the Concert Band.
Class of 2017 President: Sean Hale Vice-President: Venus Melvin Secretary: Rachel Korte Treasurer: Carson Tucker
Tickets are $5 and can be purchased online at www.bishopgorman.org or at the door.
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Advancement
Passport 2014 Bishop Gorman
Bon Voyage!
Friday, May 16, 2014 Pool side at Red Rock Casino Resort Spa
Tasting, Entertainment & Silent Auction
7:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Get ready to have a good time pool side and experience fine cuisine, a great silent auction, live entertainment and wines from our friends at Wirtz Beverage.
Tickets $ 100.00 per person or Mon Ami Package: 4 tickets at $75 each in advance (purchased prior to May 2)
Crème de la Crème Package: 10 tickets at $2,500 (private cabana at event, gift basket and a bottle of bubbly)
Special Room Rates available for Passport Guests For details visit: www.bishopgorman.org Dress Summer Chic Must be 21 or older to attend
Purchase Tickets at:
www.bishopgorman.org or call (702) 476-4032
Proceeds benefit Bishop Gorman High School tuition assistance
Knight of the Gael Continued from front page
We couldn't have done it without the help of our partners, Red Rock Casino Resort Spa, Station Casinos, Wirtz Beverage of Nevada, Destinations by Design, Bernhard & Williams Photography, Encore and Five Star Creative. Thanks to our auction donors Jodie and Stu Berger, Piero's, Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Gustav’s Master Chef Catering, Michael Mack, MGM Resorts International, and Palms Casino Resort. A very special thanks to our many volunteers and student performers that helped make the evening extra special. Thank you to Mrs. Elena Ferrante-Martin and the Gaels Theater Guild; Mr. Geoff Neuman and the drum line; Mrs. Sandy (Sagel) Young '75 and the senior varsity cheerleaders and especially our MC for the evening, Student Body President, Nick Hatton ’14.
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Go Gaels! Wishing you a Happy & Sunny Summer from the Hammes Campus Store
Final Performance Of The Year!
Book
Spring Instrumental Music Concert
S
SENIORS ONLY: May
Friday May 9 7:00 p.m. Jim3 House of Performing Arts th
Featuring the BGHS Concert Band
Buy
23
rd
Back
ALL STUDENTS: May
30th
ummer Enrichment Tees Available May 1 st
and the debut of the BGHS Jazz Ensemble!
Tickets - $5.00 Available at:
Visit the Hammes Campus Store for all your school uniforms &
www.bishopgorman.org or purchase at the door
spirit gear for the upcoming school year! For more information visit: www.bishopgorman.org. PRESORT STANDARD U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 37 Las Vegas, NV
Bishop Gorman High School 5959 S. Hualapai Way Las Vegas, NV 89148
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