Mustang Messenger Summer 2021 by Bishop McNamara High School

The Bishop McNamara and La Reine High School Alumni Magazine

Volume 27 Number 2

making

god known, loved, and served.

The La Reine Science & Innovation Center: The Dream is Becoming a Reality.

The Mustang Messenger is published two times a year by Bishop McNamara High School’s Advancement Office.We sincerely apologize in advance for any errors or omissions contained herein. Notices of misinformation or error may be sent to the Advancement Office at advancement@bmhs.org. Unless otherwise noted, photos are either taken by families, staff or courtesy of LifeTouch, Inc. Available online: www.bmhs.org/publications.

PRESIDENT/CEO

Dr. John Barnhardt

PRINCIPAL

Dian Carter

ADVANCEMENT OFFICE

Sandy Mammano Director of Development Erica Calhoun Communications Associate Kia Chatmon Grant Writer Geneen Delarosa Director of Advancement Services Melissa Antonio Huar LR ’91 Director of Events and Programs Dr. Robert Van der Waag Director for Mission Advancement

THE MUSTANG MESSENGER

President’s Letter

Board Chairman’s Letter

6-11 Mustang Moments 12-14 The La Reine Science & Innovation Center:

Construction Has Begun!

Bishop McNamara Receives $500,000 Gift

for The La Reine Science & Innovation Center

16-17 A Night of Mustang Giving:

Phones Will Be Ringing

18-21 Caritas 2021 22-26 Educating Hearts and Minds:

Transitioning from Stage 0 to Stage 1

The Bishop McNamara Family Support Fund

28-31 Teaching and Performing Virtually:

BMHS Fine Arts Amid A Pandemic

32-35 Three Seasons In One Semester:

BMHS Athletics Won By Playing

36-37 Bishop McNamara Shows Baseball

Can Beat It’s Diversity Problem

38-41 The Class of 2021: Making God Known,

Loved, and Served

42-44 Dr. John Barnhardt: President and CEO of

Bishop McNamara High School Is Making His

Mark In Spite of Global Pandemic

BMHS Fund

The Legacy Courtyard

Planned Giving

48-54 Alumni News

In Loving Memory

Title VOLUME 27 • ISSUE No. 2

TABLE OF CONTENTS

THE MUSTANG MESSENGER

President’s Letter Dr. John Bardhardt President/CEO Dear Bishop McNamara High School Family & Friends, Four years ago the class of 2021 stepped onto our campus eager to begin their Holy Cross journey at Bishop McNamara High School. Though half of their time here was laden with a global-health pandemic, our seniors still crossed the stage this year as disciples with hope to bring. They have made God known, loved, and served. Despite endless quarantines, a pivot to virtual learning, fears of infection, and many crises of 2021, Bishop McNamara’s vision of empowered leaders, inspired by the Gospel, transforming the world, stands strong. This year I am grateful for our community. Our students, our parents, our employees, our alumni and our supporters made the seemingly impossible, possible. Together, we: • Provided more than $100,000 in financial support to our families in their time of need through our Bishop McNamara Family Support Fund. • Offered grocery giveaways and hot meal service to our neighbors who were hungry. • Became a model for virtual learning by offering live-virtual teaching to every student, every day, from the first day of school. • Reaffirmed our commitment to STEM by moving forward with the construction of the La Reine Science & Innovation Center. • Completed over 22,000 health screenings for our student-athletes so that athletics could continue through the entire school year. • Safely brought students in March after a full year of virtual learning by conducting over 5,000 COVID-19 PCR tests on campus. • Hosted vaccine clinics at the school to ensure every member of our community has access to a vaccine. • Reimagined and held senior events like Prom and Graduation to ensure our class of 2021 held onto these once in a lifetime moments and opportunities for celebration. Dr. Marco Clark ’85, past-president at Bishop McNamara High School, wrote in the 2018 Mustang Messenger: The vision is bold. The initiatives are ambitious. The mission is essential. And the time is NOW. These words remain more true today than ever before. Our goal to thrive in the pandemic was bold and ambitious, but our Mustang community stepped up in unprecedented ways to ensure our vision for a safe, healthy, and authentic learning experience remained. This edition of the Mustang Messenger highlights the experiences of our Bishop McNamara family over the past year. From our thriving fine arts program and successful athletics department to the nationally renowned success of so many of our alumni, your support has continued to nurture hope for our future. To ensure our educational experience remains accessible and affordable to our students, please consider supporting or reaffirming your support of our annual fund (page 45). The Class of 2021 already is demonstrating that Bishop McNamara’s legacy will continue to thrive in the years ahead. Our seniors have earned over $20 million in scholarships and gained acceptance at colleges and universities across the country including Carnegie Mellon University, New York University, Hampton University, Marquette University, Cornell University, Xavier University of Louisiana, The University of Southern California, Howard University, The University of Michigan, Georgetown University, Johns Hopkins University, Duke University, Stanford University, The University of Maryland, College Park, James Madison University, Temple University, The George Washington University, and Louisiana State University. Thank you for being a part of our community and for ensuring our students and our families remain taken care of no matter the challenges that face the health, safety, or spirit of our students. Together, our Bishop McNamara family continues to make God known, loved, and served.

With sincere gratitude,

Dr. John Barnhardt

Email: john.barnhardt@bmhs.org Twitter: @Barnhardt

THE MUSTANG MESSENGER

Chairman’s Letter Robert N. Summers ’86 Chair, BMHS Board of Directors Greetings to All Members of the Bishop McNamara Family, The 2020-21 school year will surely be a year that will be remembered by everyone. When the school year began, there remained uncertainty regarding if or when school would reopen and if there would be a return to normalcy. Our new normal had no end in sight. However, the start of 2021 brought us hope that Bishop McNamara could in fact begin to operate normally. As the outlook of the global pandemic began to brighten nationally, there was renewed hope that our students would be afforded the opportunity to return to campus. Dr. Barnhardt and Principal Carter closely monitored local, regional, and national approaches to safely reopen the campus and consulted with local doctors and health officials to develop safety and health protocols to welcome back faculty, staff, and students. The 2020-21 school year showed the resiliency of Bishop McNamara as our community encountered and lived through this trying year together. I commend our faculty and staff for adjusting to a virtual work environment and going out of their way to accommodate our students to ensure they were properly equipped for virtual learning. Our students should also be commended for their continued commitment to the classroom, their arts, and their athletic activities. Lastly, our school leaders met the challenge of this past year and did a great job monitoring health regulations and updating our families accordingly. There was plenty to celebrate this past year. We have broken ground on the La Reine Science & Innovation Center (LSIC). The LSIC will continue the legacy of La Reine High School and will offer updated technology and state-of-the-art science and computer labs. We had a very successful “A Night of Mustang Giving” which was a phone-a-thon where we exceeded our donation goal. And most importantly, we had a wonderful outdoor graduation for our senior class where we were able to gather collectively and celebrate all they have accomplished over their four years at Bishop McNamara High School. The Board looks forward to the coming 2021-22 school year now that this one has drawn to a close. We look forward to safely convening and seeing firsthand the greatness that is Bishop McNamara. I wish everyone a wonderful and safe summer and I very much look forward to seeing you in the Fall.

Respectfully,

Robert N. Summers ’86

THE MUSTANG MESSENGER

aC Around Campus

MUSTANG MOMENTS

During the last week of January and the first week of February, Bishop McNamara High School celebrated Catholic Schools Week #CSW21. Each day during Catholic Schools Week, the Bishop McNamara community was provided with information about the benefits of Catholic schools nationwide including their outstanding graduation record, commitment to academic excellence, and promotion of the dignity of each person rooted in Gospel values. n

On Monday, January 25, the Fine Arts Department virtually hosted, as part of its 2020-2021 Guest Artist Series, nationally renowned dancer and actor, Zola Williams. Originally from Bowie, Maryland, Zola graduated from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she received her BFA in dance performance, specializing in Ballet. Soon after graduating college, Zola joined the Las Vegas company of The Lion King. For two and a half years she graced the stage with this company. After the show closed, Zola toured on-and-off with The Lion King, eventually becoming Dance Captain. Zola then moved to Los Angeles where she worked with choreographer’s including Stacey Tookey and Peter Chu for Season 10 & 12 of So You Think You Can Dance? Zola has also appeared in Marvel’s Black Panther and Avengers:Infinity War as Dora Milaje. n During the month of February, Bishop McNamara High School celebrated Black History Month. Promoted throughout the school and on social media, the achievements of African American La Reine and Bishop McNamara High School’s alumni who have made a positive difference in their communities were spotlighted throughout the month. n

THE MUSTANG MESSENGER

On Wednesday, February 3, 2021, the Bishop McNamara High School Board of Directors headed by Chairperson Robert Summers ’86, proudly proclaimed Thursday, February 4 as Faculty Gratitude Day in observance of a day of gratitude in appreciation for educating our youth! n

On Thursday, February 11, Bishop McNamara High School celebrated the birthday of Blessed Basile Moreau, C.S.C., the founder of the Congregation of Holy Cross. On this day in 1799, Basile Anthony Moreau was born 222 years ago in Le Mans, France. Raised amidst much turmoil during the French Revolution, as a young priest he felt compelled to revitalize a church devastated by years of civil war. Fr. Moreau’s birthday also falls on the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes and the annual World Day of Prayer for the Sick. As the school remembered Fr. Moreau and celebrated his birthday, they prayed, through the intercession of Mary, for all those suffering from COVID-19 and other illnesses, to experience the healing presence of Christ’s love in their lives. n

On Friday, February 19, Bishop McNamara High School announced the transition from Stage 0 to Stage 1. For more, read the article titled Educating Hearts and Minds: Transitioning from Stage 0 to Stage 1. n On Friday, February 19, Bishop McNamara welcomed and congratulated all of the students accepted into the Bishop McNamara High School Class of 2025! Welcome to the Mustang Family! n During the month of March, Bishop McNamara High School celebrated Women’s History Month. Every year March is

designated Women’s History Month by Presidential proclamation and the month is set aside to honor women’s contributions in American history. Promoted throughout the school and on social media, the achievements of La Reine High School and Bishop McNamara High School alumnae who have made a positive difference in their communities were spotlighted throughout the month. n

of special education and the inclusion of students with disabilities in Catholic secondary schools. Congratulations Dr. Greer on this well-deserved achievement! n

On Tuesday, March 2, the Fine Arts Department virtually hosted as part of its 2020-2021 Guest Artist Series The String Queen’s Music Trio. Praised for its authentic, soulful, and orchestral sound, The String Queens (TSQ) are a dynamic trio that creates stimulating musical experiences! Based in Washington, D.C., TSQ members have been featured in famed performance venues across four continents and have collaborated with artists such as Ledisi, Solange, Leslie Odom Jr., Janelle Monae, Jennifer Hudson, Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato, Common, Andra Day, and the late Aretha Franklin, among others. n

On Tuesday, April 20, The Advancement Office announced a matching gift of $500,000 towards the construction of the La Reine Science & Innovation Center! The anonymous donor of this incredibly generous gift made one ask, “Engage your parents and alumni to match my gift, dollar for dollar up to $250,000 annually over the next two years, to make the La Reine Science & Innovation Center a reality for our students and our community.” This is our charge! Help us to fully capitalize on this gift by making a donation by going to www.bmhs.org and then click Make a Gift. n On Monday, March 15, Bishop McNamara High School operated in Stage 1 and held in person classes for the first time on campus since March, 2020. For more, read the article titled Educating Hearts and Minds: Transitioning from Stage 0 to Stage 1. n

On Friday, April 23, The Advancement Office held The Turning of the Dirt Ceremony on the construction site for the La Reine

During Holy Week (March 28-April 4), Bishop McNamara High School celebrated the highpoint of the liturgical calendar with the celebrations that accompany it - Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Vigil, and Easter Sunday. The Bishop McNamara community was encouraged to do what Mustangs do best - making God known, loved, and served during this sacred time in the liturgical calendar. n On Tuesday, April 13, Bishop McNamara congratulated Dr. Abigail Greer, Director of Student Support and Moderator of the Women’s Empowerment Club, who successfully defended her dissertation the previous day, earning her Doctorate of Education (EdD) in Interdisciplinary Leadership from Creighton University. Her work examined the relationship between leaders’ knowledge

continued on next page

THE MUSTANG MESSENGER

MUSTANG MOMENTS Science & Innovation Center. For more, read the article titled The La Reine Science & Innovation Center: Construction Has Begun! n On Saturday, April 24, President Barnhardt, Principal Carter, and the rest of the Bishop McNamara Senior Saturday Task Force delivered signs and Mustang spirit gear to the students and families among the Class of 2021 on Senior Saturday. President Barnhardt and Principal Carter surprised the senior Girls Varsity Softball team members on Mammano Field with signs at their game against Bishop O’Connell while close to 40 faculty and staff delivered these items to students throughout the region. n

On Monday, April 26, The Campus Ministry Office hosted Fr. Ray Kemp, Special Assistant to President John DeGioia at Georgetown University, who celebrated Mass in Moreau Chapel during the liturgical season of Easter. Fr. Kemp reminded students to live by the words shared by Bishop John M. McNamara himself many years ago when Fr. Kemp was first ordained a priest in the Archdiocese of Washington, "The people will sustain you and they will lead you to Jesus, and Jesus will lead you to them.” n On Thursday, April 29, Bishop McNamara High School held A Night of Mustang Giving: Phones Will Be Ringing in the Andy Mona ’82 Student Center. For more, read the article titled A Night of Mustang Giving: Phones Will Be Ringing. n

THE MUSTANG MESSENGER

On Monday, May 3, Bishop McNamara High School celebrated Principal Dian Carter on Principal Appreciation Day. The Bishop McNamara community thanks Principal Carter for her guidance, leadership, and tireless dedication to our Bishop McNamara family, particularly this year in the midst of the global pandemic. n

During the week of May 10-14, Bishop McNamara High School celebrated Senior Week for the Class of 2021. The highlight throughout Senior Week was the in person presence of seniors from the Class of 2021 as many from this group had not attended in person classes since the previous school year. For more, read the article titled The Class of 2021: Making God Known, Loved, and Served. n On Thursday, May 13, the annual Project PRIDE Ceremony was held in the Andy Mona ’82 Student Center. Now in its twenty-second year, Project PRIDE (Positively Reinforcing Independence, Determination and Excellence) is led by Director Tia Bell and Assistant Director Herman Frazier. The event highlighted the accomplishments of current Project PRIDE students and speeches were given by students, faculty, administration, parents, and Project PRIDE alumni Angela Noland ’04 and Brandon Coleman ’10, who both described the profound impact that Project PRIDE had on them while at Bishop McNamara and in their professional careers emphasizing how the program prepared them for college and life beyond the classroom. A vital source of support for Project PRIDE comes from a number of generous benefactors who provide financial assistance through scholarships. A priority for Bishop McNamara High School remains increasing scholarship support for exceptional and highly qualified students like those in Project PRIDE, who embody the spirit and

character of the Bishop McNamara community. To learn more about scholarship giving to Bishop McNamara High School, contact the Director for Mission Advancement Dr. Robert Van der Waag at (301) 735-8401, ext. 158. n

Mona ’82 Student Center. Special thanks to Campus Ministry for their efforts throughout the year to carry out the vision of the founder of the Congregation of Holy Cross, Blessed Father Basil Moreau, C.S.C. “to make God known, loved, and served." Due to the pandemic, their ministry of accompaniment and personal engagement had to be done mostly virtually throughout the year. Campus Ministry organized virtual prayer groups and retreats for all classes during the school year. Senior Retreat was the first in person retreat for students since February 2020. n

On Wednesday, May 19, the Campus Ministry Office, led by Director for Campus Ministry Amanda Saunders, Assistant Director for Campus Ministry Sam Hardwick, and Campus Ministry Assistant Sandy Herndon along with faculty and staff held the annual Senior Retreat for the Class of 2021 in the Andy

Bishop McNamara High School Senior Celebration On Friday, May 21, Bishop McNamara High School held an event at Prince George’s Stadium titled Senior Celebration for the 188 students from the Class of 2021. All members of the Class of 2021 were invited to attend. The event served as a fun gathering among members of the Class of 2021 in an outdoor venue to maintain social distancing requirements due to the pandemic. The evening highlights included a formal dinner, the senior slideshow, mingling in person with friends and faculty, and a grand fireworks show that concluded a beautiful evening. n

THE MUSTANG MESSENGER

MUSTANG MOMENTS On Tuesday, May 25, The Athletics Department held the Senior Athletic Recognition Night on Tyoka Jackson Field. The evening honored all members of the Class of 2021 who participated in an athletics program at Bishop McNamara High School during their senior year. n On Wednesday, May 26, Bishop McNamara High School hosted its annual Senior Convocation. The event was done as a virtual event for students from the Class of 2021 and their families. A link was sent prior to the event that allowed all members of the Class of 2021 and their families to attend. Department Awards were given at the Senior Convocation as well as several other prominent awards that honor members of the senior class. n

On Thursday, May 27, Bishop McNamara High School held the annual Baccalaureate Liturgy for the Class of 2021 in Mount Calvary Catholic Church. Due to the pandemic and social distancing requirements, space in the church was limited only to students and select members of the faculty and staff. Families were provided with a link to view the Baccalaureate Liturgy, and many of them did so from the Andy Mona ’82 Student Center. Fr. Everett Pearson served as the Principal Celebrant for the Mass along with co-celebrants Fr. Ray East and Fr. Jeffrey Samaha. Senior reflections were given by Aliyah Thomas ’21 and Derek Jackson ’21 and readings were done by Charles Wade ’21 and Travis White ’21. n

Bishop McNamara High School Fifty-Fifth Graduation for the Class of 2021 On Wednesday, June 2, Bishop McNamara High School held the fifty-fifth graduation exercises for the Class of 2021 for the first time in Prince George’s Stadium. Student speeches were delivered by Class President Alexis White ’21 and Valedictorian Amelia Talbot ’21. Bishop McNamara High School wishes the 188 members of the Class of 2021 - our newest alumni - great success. The Class of 2021 earned more than $20 million in financial aid and scholarship assistance from leading colleges and universities across the country. Seniors in the Class of 2021 were selected from a number of top-rated institutions of higher learning including Carnegie Mellon University, New York University, Duke University, Hampton University, Stanford University, Marquette

THE MUSTANG MESSENGER

University, Cornell University, University of California, Los Angeles, The United States Air Force Academy, The United States Naval Academy, The United States Military Academy, Xavier University of Louisiana, The University of Southern California, Howard University, The University of Michigan, Johns Hopkins University, The University of Maryland, College Park, James Madison University, Lehigh University, Temple University, The George Washington University, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Louisiana State University, and St. Edward’s University. Bishop McNamara wishes the Class of 2021 much happiness as they go into the world and advance our vision as empowered leaders, inspired by the Gospel, transforming the world. n

On Thursday, June 10, The Office of the President hosted an endof-year Thank You & Appreciation Dinner for all employees. Given the continuation of COVID and gathering restrictions, the annual end-of-year party was amended this year. The event recognized the hard work, many sacrifices, and limitless pursuit of a fantastic COVID-era school experience as students, parents, and community members alike remarked throughout the year about the success of Bishop McNamara’s response to COVID-19 and the educational experience they were able to attain as a result of the work of Bishop McNamara’s Holy Cross educators. This evening also served as the annual Caritas reveal event. While different from years past, the faculty and staff were excited to celebrate these important wellearned awards in the company of one another. Among guests who received special recognition at the Appreciation Dinner were two retiring alumni from our faculty and staff - Administration Executive Assistant Joanann Walther LR ’72 and Director of Information Technology Jim Dillon ’79. n

Joanann worked at Bishop McNamara for over twenty years. Hired by former President Heather Gossart and former Principal Dr. Marco Clark ’85 in 2000, she worked for the majority of her tenure as the school’s Attendance Coordinator. In her role, Joanann kept masterful attendance records among the school’s more than 800 students and countless Mustangs remember the “trepidation” they felt upon entering her office to describe to her their reason for their lateness to class. Joanann also served for many years as the Executive Assistant to former Principal Dr. Robert Van der Waag and Principal Dian Carter, where she helped both of them to exercise their role with efficiency and skill. As

the Executive Assistant to the Administration, she has helped the Administrative Team this year with countless tasks regarding the operation of the school in Stage 0 and Stage 1. Joanann is the wife of Kurt Walther, who advanced the school’s safety and security in his role as the school’s locksmith, and the mother of three Bishop McNamara alumni - Elaine Walther ’97, Information Technology Teacher Matthew Walther ’01, and Assistant Plant Engineer Michael Walther ’03. Always proud of her status as a La Reine alumna, her colleagues will miss Joanann’s feistiness and strong will tempered by a gentle and loving heart that always wanted the best for all members of the Bishop McNamara family. Thank you Joanann for your dedication and commitment to the school and Bishop McNamara wishes you a healthy, joyous and fun filled retirement. May God bless you always! n Jim spent over 25 years in the corporate IT world, mostly in the law firm technology arena, before he began working at Bishop McNamara in 2014 when he was hired by former President Dr. Marco Clark ’85 and former Principal Dr. Robert Van der Waag. During his tenure, Jim transformed information technology at Bishop McNamara and he leaves a lasting legacy of remarkable achievement at his alma mater. Jim played a pivotal role in making Bishop McNamara a technology leader among independent schools. Upgrading the wireless information system and infrastructure, spearheading the one to one device program, streamlining budgeting for technology purchasing, integrating information management systems including the school’s Learning Management System MACCESS, and updating the school’s information technology policies for employees and students were all orchestrated and led by Jim. For his outstanding service to the school, Jim was chosen as the 2018 recipient of the Holy Cross Caritas Award for his distinguished service as an alumnus of Bishop McNamara High School. His colleagues will miss his professionalism, servant leadership, patience, tremendous competence, and overall sense of integrity as Bishop McNamara wishes Jim and his family, including his wife Anne, who now serves as Director for Special Education for the Archdiocese of Washington, DC and who worked at Bishop McNamara as the Director of the St. Joseph’s Resource Center, good health and happiness in retirement and many blessings for years to come. Jim, you will forever be for Holy Cross! n

THE MUSTANG MESSENGER

aC The La Reine Science & Innovation Around Campus

Center: Construction Has Begun! By Dr. Robert Van der Waag

In the midst of a global pandemic, Bishop McNamara High School’s dream to build The La Reine Science & Innovation is advancing forward and becoming a reality. Construction has begun on this 20,000 square foot space and the adjacent Legacy Courtyard, which will be an eco-friendly outdoor space plush with lovely communal gathering places that will honor the Brothers of Holy Cross and the Bernardine Franciscan Sisters. The commencement of construction for The La Reine Science & Innovation Center has been made possible only through the generosity of thousands of family and friends of Bishop McNamara and La Reine High Schools. Thank you! Starting in 2014, Bishop McNamara initiated The Faith. Family. Future! Capital Campaign to advance its vision to form empowered leaders, inspired by the Gospel, who transform the world to make enhancements to aging infrastructure, increase scholarship support, and build new spaces such as the recent Andy Mona ’82 Student Center. The centerpiece of

this campaign remains The La Reine Science & Innovation Center. The school seeks to give students the resources and physical spaces necessary to become the next generation of scientists, innovators, engineers, health care professionals, recording artists, broadcast journalists, and entrepreneurs. Past President/CEO Dr. Marco J. Clark ’85 and other school leaders imagined a space that would become the new front door to the school’s campus while providing Bishop McNamara’s intellectually curious and talented students with a world of opportunities. Bishop McNamara for decades has served a majority minority student population with results for college and career readiness that are way above national averages. The La Reine Science & Innovation Center will enable its students who are currently underrepresented in STEM related fields to gain the skills and certifications necessary to advance toward higher education or job placement in these highly sought after professional and technical fields, thus reducing the national achievement gap in

Turning of the Dirt

C EREMON Y 12

THE MUSTANG MESSENGER

including Dan Curtain, Laura Irwin, and Fr. Robert Boxie, III who gave the benediction, members of the Executive Corporate Partnership Committee (ECPC) including Steve Proctor, crew members from Scheibel Construction, guest speakers including Principal Dian Carter, Science Department Chairperson Denise Kazimer LR ’89, and student leaders including John Nolte ’21, Riyan Jones ’21, and Alexis White ’21. The highlight of the event was witnessing President Barnhardt and Principal Carter taking turns moving dirt with continued on next page

Today, with construction moving forward and this bold vision becoming a reality, the school wanted to celebrate this significant milestone marker. On Friday, April 23, The Advancement Office held a Turning of the Dirt Ceremony led by President Dr. John Barnhardt, members of the Board of Directors

“

The La Reine Science & Innovation Center will be critical to fostering engagement between underrepresented students and STEM related fields.

“

these areas even further. Jordan Mosby ’15, who recently won a National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship while pursuing a Ph.D. at Brown University, noted, “The La Reine Science & Innovation Center will be critical to fostering engagement between underrepresented students and STEM related fields. Women, minorities and first-generation college students continue to be marginalized and underrepresented in STEM fields. The La Reine Science & Innovation Center will bridge that gap by developing innovative and technical skills for underrepresented minorities. It will also serve as a needed pipeline to STEM fields and STEM oriented colleges and universities, where students can pursue undergraduate studies.” As a result, Bishop McNamara believes this building and its adjoining outdoor spaces will not only help the school to fulfill its mission, but lead to the transformation of the surrounding neighborhood and the wider Prince George’s County community.

THE MUSTANG MESSENGER

the front loader, which provided a meaningful symbol about how The La Reine Science & Innovation will give students numerous hands-on STEM experiences once the building is completed in 2022. Bishop McNamara High School wants to thank everyone who has partnered with us and shared our dreams. Your partnership with us throughout this journey has been integral to the success of getting the school to the point where construction has begun and is advancing forward. We would not be at this point without you. Your commitment is the reason that The La Reine Science & Innovation Center at Bishop McNamara High School is about to come to life! Thank you! We would be remiss if we did not recognize and thank the ECPC chaired by Steve Proctor. Over the past two years the ECPC has met monthly and worked tirelessly to connect Bishop McNamara High School to individuals, foundations, and corporations who share the school’s vision to empower leaders. Their work, talent, dedication, and perseverance to get us to this point has been nothing short of a miracle. You are a blessing to our school community. Thank you also to our Board of Directors! You have continued to support this transformational project that helps Bishop McNamara High School to fulfill its mission to educate hearts and minds in a dynamic, inclusive Catholic school community rooted in the Holy Cross tradition. We have so much to be grateful for at Bishop McNamara High School. Since July 1, 2020, which began the new fiscal year at our school, the school’s fundraising efforts have remained unwavering during this unprecedented time. Due to the spirited work of the ECPC, Board of Directors, President Barnhardt, Director of Development Sandy Mammano, Director for Mission Advancement Robert Van der Waag, donors, faculty, and staff, the school has achieved 75% of its fundraising goal. This is definitely a benchmark to celebrate, as this important inflection point has been reached remarkably in the midst of a global pandemic, an ongoing event which has strengthened the resolve of all those associated with the project to produce the next generation of STEM leaders capable of meeting the challenges presented by this significant health crisis. There is still much work to be done to reach the final goal and complete The La Reine Science & Innovation Center, but for a moment, we pause to celebrate this important accomplishment. n

The La Reine Science & Innovation Center: Construction Has Begun! 14

THE MUSTANG MESSENGER

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ............................................................ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Bishop McNamara Receives

$500,000 Gift

for The La Reine Science & Innovation Center

Bishop McNamara High School received

a recent matching gift of $500,000 towards the construction of our La Reine Science & Innovation Center! The anonymous donor of this incredibly generous gift made one ask, “Engage your parents and alumni to match my gift, dollar for dollar up to $250k annually over the next two years, to make the new La Reine Science & Innovation Center a reality for our students and our community.” Mustangs, this is our charge! Help Bishop McNamara to fully capitalize on this gift by making a donation today to the Faith. Family. Future! Capital Campaign for the La Reine Science & Innovation Center. n

THE MUSTANG MESSENGER

aC Around Campus

a night of

Mustang Giving: Phones Will Be Ringing

THE MUSTANG MESSENGER

On Thursday, April 29, the Advancement

Office held A Night of Mustang Giving: Phones Will Be Ringing in the Andy Mona ’82 Student Center. A Night of Mustang Giving sought to be a fun event to bring the whole Bishop McNamara family together to help support the school’s curricular and co-curricular programs and the Faith. Family. Future! Campaign for the La Reine Science & Innovation Center.

60 guests throughout the evening. Show guests relayed their passion for Bishop McNamara and provided a plethora of reasons to support the school. Guests included many La Reine and Bishop McNamara alumni including Gemma Puglisi LR ’74, Tiffany Norwood LR ’85, Arthur Horne ’79, and Tyoka Jackson ’89, members of the Board of Directors including Chairperson Robert Summers

Most importantly, A Night of Mustang Giving was a wonderful way to bring some much needed spring cheer into the Bishop McNamara community in the midst of the ongoing global pandemic. The event began at 2:00 PM where students, faculty, staff, parents, and alumni volunteers called the school’s generous donors to support the school. President Barnhardt led the effort among volunteer callers to guide them through making the calls as well as how to process gifts from donors. Special thanks to Director of Advancement Services Geneen Delarosa for setting up all the donor lists among thousands of individuals that volunteers called throughout the evening. The live telecast began at 5:00 PM. The high quality video production - broadcast in 4K HD on the school’s Facebook and YouTube pages - was done by Michael Anderson ’94, President & CEO of DHM Video. Special thanks to Director of Information Technology Jim Dillon ’79 as well as Technical Support Analyst Charles McCoy for setting up the phones, Communications Associate Erica Calhoun for marketing the event and coordinating Zoom guests, Director of Special Events and Programs Melissa Huar LR ’91, Assistant to Athletics Department Rod Chapman ’87, and Grant Writer Kia Chatmon for event setup and welcoming and working with guests throughout the evening, and Director of Web Services Janice Cuellar LR ’69 for developing the microsite on the school’s web page that called attention to this special night. The show co-hosts - Director for Mission Advancement Robert Van der Waag and Director of Development Sandy Mammano - spoke to and interviewed over

’86, Ken Harris ’82, LaShanta Harris ’93, Brian Larkin ’99, Shonda Harmon, and Fr. Robert Boxie, III and Executive Corporate Partnership Committee members including Rosie Allen-Herring and Steve Proctor, all the President’s in the school’s history including Br. John Paige, C.S.C., Heather Gossart, Dr. Marco Clark ’85, and Dr. John Barnhardt, as well as Principal Dian Carter, Deans of Students Laura Keller and Herman Gloster ’96, and Director of Student Programs Brian Brower, as well as faculty, coaches, and staff from various departments throughout the school. The telecast was highlighted by alumnus Jeff Kinney ’89, bestselling author of A Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. Mr. Kinney spoke about his excellent formation as a writer at Bishop McNamara, passion for the school, its commitment to diversity, and excitement regarding its future direction, especially with the building of the La Reine Science & Innovation Center. Most importantly, A Night of Mustang Giving was a wonderful way to bring some much needed spring cheer into the Bishop McNamara community in the midst of the ongoing global pandemic. Thanks to the school’s generous donors! Bishop McNamara far surpassed its 200 person donor goal and the school raised well over $30,000 in a few short hours. In all, it was a special night and a celebration of the school’s mission to educate hearts and minds in a dynamic, inclusive Catholic school community rooted in the Holy Cross tradition. n

THE MUSTANG MESSENGER

aC Around Campus

Caritas 2021

Caritas is a Latin word that signifies a kind of love linked to generosity and helpfulness. Men and women honored with the Caritas Award exhibit these qualities and exemplify the values and vision of Blessed Father Basil Moreau, founder of the Congregation of Holy Cross. Selfless acts of faithful service and stewardship distinguish the individuals who receive these prestigious awards. Here are the 2021 Caritas honorees as honored in a June 10 ceremony in the Andy Mona ’82 Student Center:

Caritas 2021 Jim dillon ’79

St. Andre Caritas Award

AwArded to Bishop McNamara and/or La Reine High School alumni who, in their personal and professional lives, embody the virtues of humility and service and have made, over the years, an enduring contribution to the mission of BMHS in making God known, loved and served through the Christian experience. A humble servant, Brother André Bessette always insisted that he was not a miracle worker: “I am nothing . . . only a tool in the hands of Providence, a lowly instrument at the service of St. Joseph.” He never sought to attract a following for himself; his exhaustive labors were always dedicated to leading others to God.

THE MUSTANG MESSENGER

Caritas 2021 Joanann walther Lr ’72 distinguished Staff Member

PReSeNted to a non-teaching member of the Bishop McNamara staff who has served five years or more in a full-time capacity at the School. A person nominated should exhibit performance excellence, faithful stewardship, a genuine and sustaining commitment to the mission of the School, and be a witness to the principles of the Gospel. A person nominated for this award should be of high moral character and a strong proponent of business ethics.

Caritas 2021 Kathryn Heneghan distinguished Faculty Member

PReSeNted to a teacher or counselor who has served five years or more in a full-time capacity at BMHS, and embodies the qualities and characteristics of a Holy Cross teacher. This educator has the ability to educate and inspire through personal witness and strives to expand his/her own knowledge in order to better teach and lead students. He/she fosters self-respect, gives freely of his/her time and models moral character and professional ethics for the students. Beyond classroom teaching, a nominee should be committed to building a strong school community and spirit through active participation.

Caritas 2021 Thomas James ’12 distinguished Young Alumni

ReCoGNIzeS Bishop McNamara High School alumni who have graduated within the last 10 years and have made significant contributions to society, and whose accomplishments, affiliations and careers have honored the legacy of excellence at Bishop McNamara High School. The distinguished Young Alumni Award, as its name states, recognizes alumni who have made these contributions and shown this level of dedication at a young age with the hope that they will continue this level of service later in life.

Caritas 2021 Michael Anderson ’94 Business Partner of the Year

Bishop McNamara High School strives to maintain strong relationships with our community and local businesses. The Business Partner of the Year is chosen by the President/Ceo in recognition and appreciation of a partnership that extends above and beyond services rendered to the School. The Business Partner of the Year shares in and contributes to our mission and vision.

Caritas 2021 Phyllis d. Thompson Lr ’70 distinguished Alumni

ReCoGNIzeS Bishop McNamara and/or La Reine High School alumni who have made significant contributions to society, and whose accomplishments, affiliations and careers have honored the legacy of excellence at Bishop McNamara High School. The award is given annually to alumni who have distinguished themselves by obtaining the highest level of professional accomplishments and who possess the highest standards of integrity and character to positively reflect and enhance the mission of Bishop McNamara High School.

THE MUSTANG MESSENGER

Caritas 2021 rod Chapman ’87 Holy Cross Award

CReAted to HoNoR members of the Bishop McNamara community to honor overall service and advancement of BMHS. Through their hard work, these honorees have helped us continue our Holy Cross mission and advance the school and its extraordinary students. Nomination for this award is open to parents, Bishop McNamara faculty and staff, as well as Bishop McNamara and La Reine High School alumni who have made God known, loved and served by performing charitable acts in their personal and professional lives.

Caritas 2021 Alicia Brown toni Millner “Unsung Hero” Award

tHe toNI MILLNeR “UNSUNG HeRo” AwARd is given to a faculty or staff member who consistently strives to serve the Bishop McNamara community. This person has not sought recognition or commendation, but has through his/her humility, dedication and good work, enriched Bishop McNamara High School in their service. He/ she always finds the time, energy and self motivation to walk that extra mile for our students and school community.

THE MUSTANG MESSENGER

Caritas 2021 Michael Barry Splash Award

tHe “SPLASH” AwARd is given annually to a first-year faculty or staff member who has jumped in with both feet to make a positive and profound impact on this school community that he/she has been called to serve. Their enthusiasm, dedication, vitality and faith in action, have made them wonderful and cherished members of this faculty.

Caritas 2021 Presidential Award

Nicholas Klimczak ’07 dr. Jessica Nash PReSeNted BY the President/Ceo, the Presidential Award honoree is selected based on their selfless dedication to Bishop McNamara High School. Honorees can be alumni from Bishop McNamara or La Reine High Schools, community members, or new School affiliates. The Presidential Award recognizes outstanding service to Bishop McNamara High School and the students we are honored to serve.

Caritas 2021

Carmen wilson Protector Award

tHIS AwARd IS GIveN to faculty or staff members who go above and beyond in times of international crisis and uncertainty to protect the employees of our school. These protectors are Holy Cross men and women with hope to bring and often put the needs of our employees ahead of their own. They exemplify what it means to face adversity head-on and care for nothing more than the peace, health, and success of every employee in our community.

Caritas 2021

ernesto Puesan

Jalesha Cobbs

Amanda Saunders

Charles McCoy

Celena wienand ’10

“GoLdeN MILe” AwARdS are given to faculty or staff members that have completed more than a year of service who through their faith in action, spirit, dedication and creativity help to make Bishop McNamara High School the very special community of learning that it is. He/she always finds the time, energy and self-motivation to walk that extra “golden mile” for our students, their peers and for this school that he/she serves so well.

Many thanks to all the 2021 Caritas honorees. Their selfless dedication to the students here at Bishop McNamara High School enables the school to carry out its Vision and Mission.

Protector Award

Frank Cefaratti ’78

Golden Mile Awards

Antonio Lucero

Mike walther ’03

Vision: Empowered leaders, inspired by the Gospel, transforming the world. Mission: To educate hearts and minds in a dynamic, inclusive Catholic school community rooted in the Holy Cross tradition.

THE MUSTANG MESSENGER

aC Around Campus

Educating Hearts and Minds: Transitioning from Stage 0 to Stage 1 By Dr. Robert Van der Waag

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact communities around the world, schools in particular have been dramatically influenced by the global spread of the virus. For decades, school officials have focused their safety and security efforts on areas such as fire evacuation to protocols dealing with active shooters. The recent pandemic, however, has been particularly challenging for school officials. Mitigation efforts to curtail the spread of the virus, especially the institution of mask wearing, hand washing, and physical distancing protocols, pose new challenges to schools. These kinds of safety measures fundamentally alter and change the way schools operate on a regular basis. Schools traditionally, by definition, have been large social gatherings. Teaching and learning historically have taken place in a physical school building with teachers and students gathered in close proximity to each other in brick and morter classrooms. The advent of remote learning and online schools over the past twenty years, however, have expanded horizons about the definition of “school.” Nonetheless, most students around the world continue to “go to” school on a physical campus within buildings with in person instructors who often prize collaborative learning strategies and pedagogical practices. Since the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, however, epidemiologists and infectious disease experts have advocated that the best ways to mitigate the spread of this virus are through mask wearing, frequent hand washing, and physical distancing. When schools in the United States contemplated the closure of their physical campuses last year, they confronted a new set of challenges. These included how to habituate these practices among members of their communities as well as setting up their physical campuses to meet physical distancing requirements established

THE MUSTANG MESSENGER

by public health officials. As COVID-19 infection and mortality rates skyrocketed during these early months, schools across the country decided to close their physical campuses. Many schools, including Bishop McNamara High School, decided to transition to remote learning where students and educators could remain home to engage in teaching and learning. In hindsight, it was hard for anyone to imagine that operating

schools this way would last for more than a few weeks, let alone for more than a year. When it became apparent that the spread of the virus was not being mitigated at an effective rate among the vast majority of communities across the United States, schools throughout the country closed their physical campuses and remained sheltered until the end of the school year. Schools around the country postponed, or often cancelled classes, athletic competitions, fine arts performances, proms and graduation ceremonies. As the 2019-2020 school year ended and as the 2020-2021 school year quickly approached, schools

needed to put in place policies and procedures to meet the new realities brought forth by the COVID-19 pandemic. Instituting and enforcing mask wearing requirements, restructuring the campus’ physical infrastructure to maintain physical distancing requirements, providing personal protective equipment (PPE), and developing school schedules to enable all these things to operate efficiently and effectively were just a few of the challenges that resulted from the pandemic. During the summer months that marked the transition from one school year to the next, the entire Bishop McNamara community - administration, faculty, staff, parents, and students - discerned and absorbed all that they had learned about what it meant to teach and learn virtually during the latter months of the prior school year. The incorporation of this information served as a basis to plan for a successful 2020-2021 school year. Always placing the safety and well-being of the school community at the forefront of decision making in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, this time served to prepare the community for a variety of contingencies. This included how teaching and learning could be conducted virtually for an extended period of time during the 2020-2021 school year. Over the summer, President Barnhardt and Principal Carter formed several “Contingency Planning Teams” among different stakeholder groups within the Bishop McNamara family. The goal was to solicit their input about how to reopen the physical campus at various levels. With the help of these teams, the school developed various “stage models” to govern the operation of Bishop McNamara during the 2020-2021 school year. After gathering a lot of valuable input from these stakeholder groups, four stages of operation were developed. Stage 0 represents full virtual learning, Stage 1 represents virtual and classroom learning, Stage 2 represents modified classroom learning where restrictions remain in place for large gatherings, while Stage 3 represents full classroom learning where health and safety officials have dismissed all school related restrictions. Drawing on the guidelines and safety protocols established by local, state, and federal public health officials and agencies, along with surveying all stakeholder groups within the Bishop McNamara family, the decision was made to operate in Stage 0 at the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year. School leadership monitored local trends regarding the spread of the virus, reached out to health and infectious disease experts to inform their decisions, and provided surveys each month among all stakeholders to receive feedback about what the community deemed the most appropriate stage of operation. Bishop

McNamara remained in Stage 0 throughout the first semester and into the early months of 2021. While in Stage 0 from August through early March, instruction took place synchronously to attain optimal learning outcomes. Synchronous instruction allowed Bishop McNamara instructors to meet with students in real time so that they could give lectures, show and demonstrate skills, and field live questions. Throughout, Bishop McNamara employed a student centered approach regarding its virtual learning. It did so across every academic discipline including Science, Math, English, Social Studies, Information Technology and Engineering, Theology, Modern & Classical Languages, Fine Arts, and Health and Physical Education. While in Stage 0, Bishop McNamara’s comprehensive response to educate and teach virtually did not prevent the school from advancing its vision or fulfilling its mission. Bishop McNamara operated in this stage until Monday, March 15, 2021, remarkably, and unimaginably, a full year after remote learning began in 2020. continued on next page

Transitioning from Stage 0 to Stage 1 THE MUSTANG MESSENGER

Educating Hearts and Minds: Transitioning from Stage 0 to Stage 1 While Bishop McNamara successfully navigated operating in Stage 0, the goal always remained for the school to resume in person instruction on its physical campus when the threat to contain the spread of COVID-19 was deemed acceptable for the resumption of these kinds of in person activities. Working in collaboration with transition teams gathered from among different constituent groups from around the school, President Barnhardt, Principal Carter, with the approval of the Board of Directors, took the necessary steps to outfit the entire physical campus to enable the school to transition to Stage 1 - virtual and classroom learning, which commonly is referred to as a hybrid model of instruction. The school purchased and outfitted the campus with PPE such as plastic dividers on circular tables found in the Andy Mona ’82 Student Center. Administrators and instructors measured classrooms, hallways, studios, and other campus spaces to meet physical distancing guidelines. Large hand sanitizer dispensers

and flex wipes were purchased in large quantities and put in every classroom and office so that faculty, staff, and students could prevent the spread of the virus by keeping their hands sanitary and clean. Fashionable double ply Bishop McNamara masks were purchased by the school and given to every member of the community to ensure that this most important safety protocol was carefully maintained throughout the campus each day. All persons who worked regularly on the campus were also required to take a weekly PCR COVID-19 rapid test. The campus health team completed over 2,500 PCR tests with less than 0.1% positivity and zero virus spread incidents on campus since reopening. These tests not only helped to identify whether an individual was infected with the virus, but they also helped to establish contact tracing protocols. The school’s success in Stage 1 was not possible without the tremendous support of the faculty and staff and consistent input from students, families, and employees. The school also received over 3,500 completed surveys from employees and parents alone! Bishop McNamara wants to thank the students as these policies would have been impossible to support without the help of students and their commitment to a clean and safe campus. All these measures were taken to resume in person instruction among a limited number of students among the school’s close to 850 person student population. With distancing guidelines mandated by health officials, the design of the school’s buildings did not accommodate the full student body in Stage 1. Therefore, the student body was divided alphabetically (A-L and M-Z) among all grade levels and divided to come to school on different days, thus limiting the number of students on any given day to a maximum of approximately 400 students. Families in Stage 1 were also given the choice about whether they wanted their student to receive on campus in person instruction or virtual instruction from home. This meant that teachers would have students in class as well as students at home, thus the reason why this model of instruction is commonly referred to as a “hybrid,” since it blends both in person and virtual teaching and learning. A number of factors led school officials to transition from Stage 0 to Stage 1 with the announcement coming in February and the transition scheduled for March, thus giving the community a month’s time to prepare for this new stage of operation. President Barnhardt laid out three main reasons for the transition to Stage 1. He said, “First, it is important to have an intermediate step between all-virtual learning and reopening our school to all students. We needed to provide students a scaffolded process for learning and adapting to the new procedures and health and safety protocols that will be in place on campus. Second, we

THE MUSTANG MESSENGER

by Plant Manager Frank Ceferrati ’78, Assistant Plant Engineers Michael Walther ’03 and Ernesto Puesan, and Maintenance worker Antonio Lucero, was a total team effort to enable teaching and learning in Stage 1. The transition from Stage 0 to Stage 1 to educate in a hybrid model resulted in another major shift for Bishop McNamara’s teachers. Throughout the year, they were required to use innovative technologies and more creative lesson plans while highlighting the importance of teacher-student relationships. They had to rethink their delivery of classroom instruction and the way they assessed students. Teaching in Stage 1 (a hybrid environment) was experimental and challenging. It looked different for each teacher, each class, and each subject matter. A hybrid math lesson is different than teaching a hybrid dance lesson. As a result, school officials sought to tamper expectations about meeting its same high expectations of educational excellence in Stage 1 that Bishop McNamara typically holds for more traditional, in-person instruction. Yet, with each successive month operating in Stage 1, the school’s Holy

knew that the parents and guardians of our students wanted and expected there to be a hybrid stage of learning before all students were welcomed back to campus. Finally, we knew that for many of our students, returning to campus to see and interact with their classmates and friends (while maintaining proper physical distancing) was important to their social-emotional health.” A significant hurdle to transition to Stage 1 was setting up the technology in classrooms to enable both in person and at home learning and teaching among students and faculty. The Information Technology Department, led by Director of Information Technology Jim Dillon ’79 and Technical Support Analyst Charles McCoy, deployed newly purchased large screen 75-inch LCD televisions to all 40 classrooms so that every instructor had multiple monitors to view lessons and monitor online students while giving the faculty the ability to freely navigate their classrooms to interact with in person students. In all, Bishop McNamara invested over $200,000 in improvements to instructional technology and its network infrastructure in preparation for Stage 1 hybrid learning. This included document cameras, additional monitors, and new cameras in classrooms. These efforts, coupled with numerous PPE campus readiness tasks led and completed continued on next page

Transitioning from Stage 0 to Stage 1 THE MUSTANG MESSENGER

Educating Hearts and Minds: Transitioning from Stage 0 to Stage 1 Cross educators met the challenge to educate hearts and minds in this stage of operation. With many students choosing to stay home at first, and then coming to school throughout the fourth quarter, including many students from the Class of 2021 during their final two weeks of school, many classrooms eventually had equal numbers of in person and remote learners. The growing number of in person students that came to campus was a source of joy for all the school’s employees as the refrain, “We missed you!” was often heard during these last weeks of school. school remains for its students, families, employees, and alumni a community committed to excellence. The Bishop McNamara community continues to innovate, transform, and thrive, thus serving as a source of inspiration for those within our community and beyond. n

Although the school did a tremendous job to meet the challenge of the pandemic by operating fully remotely in Stage 0 and then in a hybrid form in Stage 1, educating hearts and minds in person among and within the school’s welcoming and loving campus remains the goal. With the continuing administration of COVID vaccines nationwide coupled with the diminishing numbers of cases, the school has transitioned to Stage 2. Yet, through Stage 0 and Stage 1, the Bishop McNamara community continued to make God known, loved, and served. The

THE MUSTANG MESSENGER

The Bishop McNamara Family Support Fund

faith & service

The Bishop McNamara Family Support Fund, created in August 2020, helped current Bishop McNamara families facing economic hardship resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Through the Bishop McNamara Family Support Fund, Bishop McNamara raised well over $100,000 among over 485 donors to help more than 75 Mustang families with food aid and emergency tuition support. As the 2020-2021 school year began, the funds collected for the Bishop McNamara Family Crisis Fund during the latter part of the 2019-2020 school year were distributed and quickly exhausted as the need was great. Bishop McNamara, therefore, sought to bring its entire family together to help current Mustang families negatively impacted by the pandemic by instituting the Bishop McNamara Family Support Fund. Recognizing that these were uncertain times for many people, the school encouraged Bishop McNamara alumni, family, and friends to give in any amount they could to support these families throughout the school year. The goal was to raise $100,000 by June 30, 2021. The school focused both its giving days, one in November and one in March, on the Bishop McNamara Family Support Fund. On March 14, Pi Day, Bishop McNamara encouraged all Mustangs to share a piece of pi by making a gift of $31.14 or more on 3.14. The school raised its year long goal to $103,141.59 to reflect the spirit of the day. By the end of Pi Day, through the bountiful support of the community, the school surpassed this goal, and reached its yearly goal well before June 30. This significant fundraising achievement testifies to the spirit of generosity that characterizes the Bishop McNamara community. Bishop McNamara High School wants to say thank you to all the generous donors who came together to lift each other up during a time of collective hardship and shared sacrifice. Your kindness by giving to the Bishop McNamara Family Support Fund shows why our Mustang family remains a community with hope to bring! Thank you! n

Pictured above: Two recent fundraising efforts on behalf of the Bishop McNamara Family Support Fund.

#BMHSFAMILYSUPPORT #hopetobring

THE MUSTANG MESSENGER

Teaching and ta Performing Virtually: BMHS Fine Arts Amid A Pandemic

talent in the arts

By Dr. Robert Van der Waag

THE MUSTANG MESSENGER

••

• Although we missed coming together in groups to rehearse to do live performances, the instruction that they received has advanced their skills as vocalists, instrumentalists, dancers, visual artists, and performers.

•••

••

•

••

• ••

••

••••••••••••

•••••••••••••

•• ••

•••

“

••

•

••• •••••••••

•• •

To showcase what individual student artists had learned, the Fine Arts Department provided students with several virtual venues to display their talents during the spring semester. Assistant Director of Fine Arts and Theatre Director Mary Mitchell-Donahue, Theater Teacher Dominic Traino and their thespians, for example, produced and performed The Golden Stage, which was a virtual event that took place in late February showcasing the individual performances of over thirty students who had learned and rehearsed either a segment from a previously scripted play such as West Side Story or performed an original work. This thoughtful venue gave Mustang thespians the opportunity to act while remaining

“

••

•• •

The decision to operate in Stage 0 at the beginning of the 20202021 school year and stay in this mode of operation throughout the first semester, into the early months of 2021, and then move to Stage 1 near the beginning of the fourth quarter in March, led the Fine Arts Department not to host any in person performances this school year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While the school operated in Stage 0, instruction in the fine arts remained robust. Teachers not only held classes virtually, but they often gave one on one individual virtual instruction to students regarding their form of art. Anthony Conto, Director of Fine Arts and Band and Orchestra, noted, “Our students in the fine arts received instruction at the highest levels virtually. The ability to hold one on one tutorials with students was beneficial to them and their development as artists. Although we missed coming together in groups to rehearse to do live performances, the instruction that they received has advanced their skills as vocalists, instrumentalists, dancers, visual artists, and performers.”

•••••••••••

••

A highlight each year for the fine arts at Bishop McNamara is when students receive the opportunity to unleash their creative talents during their end of year performances. It is through these “showcases’’ where audiences receive the opportunity to appreciate and value the growth and development of each individual student artist. The production of these high quality and artistically thoughtful events not only displays the creative talents of Bishop McNamara’s students, but they also reveal the great production and planning skills of Bishop McNamara’s dedicated fine arts faculty. The high standard of performance traditionally done at Bishop McNamara challenges participants each year to push their talents even further. This year all fine arts participants should be applauded for their efforts. They’ve created and expressed themselves in the midst of a global pandemic.

••

•• ••

••

Creativity. Self-expression. The Fine Arts Department at Bishop McNamara High School believes these are essential components to a fine arts education. Its programs are uniquely placed in both the academic and co-curricular life of the school to meet these ends. The Fine Arts Department each year offers a number of courses and performance opportunities in Band, Chorus, Dance, Orchestra, Theatre, Speech, and Visual Arts to awaken and challenge every student’s desire to create. The fine arts at Bishop McNamara play a central role in the fulfillment of its mission to educate hearts and minds as the school offers one of the most extensive and well rounded arts educations in the Washington, DC Metropolitan region.

physically distanced from other performers. These students also produced another virtual performance titled 2020 in the spring that gave them the ability to express themselves about the impact that the pandemic had on them. The Band & Orchestra Program gifted listeners with a virtual collaboration performance of the song titled Lift Every Voice and Sing that was released on Bishop McNamara’s YouTube Channel. Under the direction of Director of Bands & Orchestra Anthony Conto, Assistant Band Director Francine Amos Hardy, and Music Teacher Phillip San Gabriel ’04, students in the Wind Ensemble, String Orchestra, Symphonic Band, Concert Band, Jazz Ensemble, and Percussion Ensemble performed a beautiful rendition of Lift Every Voice and Sing, which is a hymn written as a poem by James Weldon Johnson (1871–1938) in 1900 and set to music by his brother, J. Rosamond Johnson (1873–1954), for the anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birthday in 1905. The song commonly is referred to as the Black National Anthem. The song was performed to honor the struggle of African Americans in the United States, particularly amidst this past year’s call to end systemic racism. The video was the result of the students playing in their homes. The process to produce these videos began in late January. Students played along with a click track to line up their playing. The videos then went to a sound editor to synchronize individual performances and then a video editor to create the various scenes or “quilts” that highlighted each performer and then captured them as a collage of musicians at the end. The video provided viewers with a moving glimpse into the talents of these student musicians. Traditional African Music & Dance released an original virtual Sankofa Production titled Driven to Madness: Celebration of the continued on next page

THE MUSTANG MESSENGER

Teaching and Performing Virtually: BMHS Fine Arts Amid A Pandemic Life of Margaret Garner. Under Director of Sankofa Victor Bah, the cast and crew from the Traditional African Music & Dance program produced a virtual performance about Margaret Garner (called “Peggy”), who was an enslaved African-American woman in pre-Civil War America who killed her own daughter rather than allowing the child to be returned to slavery. Garner and her family had escaped enslavement in January 1856 by travelling across the frozen Ohio River to Cincinnati, but they were apprehended by U.S. Marshals acting under the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. Garner’s defense attorney, John Jolliffe, moved to have her tried for murder in Ohio, to be able to get a trial in a free state and to challenge the Fugitive Slave Law. Garner’s story was the inspiration for the novel Beloved (1987) by Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison. The choreography for Driven to Madness was particularly impressive as the dance numbers had to be brought together from individual performances and then weaved together into a whole production. The true value of this production was telling the powerful story of Margaret Garner through the medium of Traditional African Music & Dance. Another virtual venue was the Senior FADE Showcase. The Fine Arts Diploma Endorsement (F.A.D.E.), a program that is unique to Bishop McNamara High School, serves to refine students’ talent, skill and acknowledge their dedication to the Fine

THE MUSTANG MESSENGER

Arts throughout their high school career. This year’s F.A.D.E. seniors included Olivia Allen ’21 (Music), Brady Amelechkin ’21 (Music), Kendall Bradwell ’21 (Visual Art), McKenzie Campbell ’21 (Dance), Hope Harden ’21 (Music), Abria Holt ’21 (Dance), Gwyneth Lewandowski ’21 (Visual Art), Gwyneth Luster ’21 (Music), Sidonnie Malone ’21 (Music), Kai Massiah ’21 (Dance), Jordyn McAfree-Murray ’21 (Dance), Teleah McEachern ’21 (Music), Kendall Morris ’21 (General), Layla Smith ’21 (Dance), Olivia Stepter ’21 (Visual Art), Imani Strother ’21 (Theater), KaNeiya Travis ’21 (Dance), Cayla Williams ’21 (Dance), Kortney Wilson ’21 (Dance), Lauren Witter ’21 (Theater). The Senior FADE Showcase allowed members of the Class of 2021 to share virtually their individual talents with one another, underclassmen in the program, and members of the wider Bishop McNamara community. Although unable to perform in person, collectively, these students gave a number of memorable performances in areas ranging from music to dance to visual art. Whether a student was a violinist in the String Orchestra, a dancer in Traditional African Music and Dance, a vocalist in the Choir, or an artist in Visual Art, all participants in Bishop McNamara's fine arts programs need to take a “virtual” bow this year. They worked diligently and tirelessly to hone and display their artistic talents in the midst of a difficult time. Thanks are in order especially to the faculty within the Fine Arts Department including Assistant Band Director Francine Amos Hardy, Director of Sankofa Victor Bah, Director of Classical Dance Christy Bartholomew, Director of Fine Arts and Director of Bands & Orchestra Anthony Conto, Visual Arts Teacher Kathryn Heneghan, Dance Teacher Cindy King,

Photography Teacher Janay Middleton, Assistant Director of Fine Arts and Theater Director Mary Mitchell-Donahue, Music Teacher Phillip San Gabriel, Choir Teacher Rhoda Sutton, Theater Teacher Dominic Traino, Fine Arts Administrative Assistant Handirubvi Wakatama, and Dance Teacher Mian White. Thank you for educating the hearts and minds of students throughout this year that challenged them to be creative and self-expressive like no other. As the abstract expressionist painter Robert Motherwell once noted, “Art is much less important than life, but what a poor

life without it.” This quote captures well what the fine arts added this school year, as they provided a number of important outlets, many of them virtual, for creative self-expression that helped students to cope with the challenging times that resulted from the global pandemic. For their artistic commitment to create and express themselves during this time, the fine arts continued to enrich the Bishop McNamara family, a gift for which the entire community is truly grateful! n

THE MUSTANG MESSENGER

31 BMHS Athletics Won By Playing

THE MUSTANG MESSENGER

SEMESTER

athletic Pride

SEASONS

By Dr. Robert Van der Waag

For more than five decades, Bishop McNamara Athletics has had a rich and proud history of accomplishment. The school’s teams and student-athletes have enjoyed both team and personal success throughout this time. Since the founding of the school in 1964, sports such as football have been played in the fall, sports such as basketball in the winter, and sports such as baseball in the spring. Season after season, year after year, the names changed, but the annual recurrence of when the seasons were played generally stayed the same. The cadence of them created a sense of ritual and continuity through the years. For Bishop McNamara Athletics, these traditions were interrupted during the 2020-2021 school year as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout this school year, the pandemic played havoc with athletic schedules and forced member schools in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC), in which Bishop McNamara competes, to condense three separate seasons into one spring semester. A daunting and complex task to say the least! During the latter part of the 2019-2020 school year, the spring sports season barely had begun before games, and then the entire spring season, were officially cancelled as a result of the pandemic. With the cancellation of the spring sports season last year, starting in June 2020 member schools in the WCAC worked together to have their sports seasons move forward for the following school year. Paramount to their decision was meeting health and safety protocols associated with the pandemic for student-athletes, coaches, and fans attending the practices, events, and games. Since the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, epidemiologists and infectious disease experts have advocated that the best ways to mitigate the spread of this virus are through mask wearing, frequent hand washing, and physical distancing. When athletic departments throughout the United States contemplated sports seasons for the 2020-2021 school year, they confronted a new set of challenges. These included how to habituate these practices among studentathletes as well as setting up practices and game competitions for all participants such as student-athletes, coaches, and fans to meet requirements established by public health officials. As COVID-19 infection and mortality rates skyrocketed during the early months of the 2020-2021 school year, WCAC member schools decided to postpone all athletic competitions until January 2021. The plan they put forth was to have three sports seasons - winter, fall, and spring over one semester with each season lasting two months. To accommodate this schedule, member schools decided not to have postseason competitions or playoffs to ensure that each season would fit within the allotted two month schedule. In addition, league schools decided that individual student-

continued on next page

THE MUSTANG MESSENGER

SEMESTER

SEASONS

31 IN

athletes would not be recognized officially with postseason league awards and honors such as first team WCAC, for example. The number of games or events for each sport was also curtailed. Member schools clearly recognized that scheduled games or events might have to be postponed, or more likely, cancelled if a student-athlete, coach or person associated with a team tested positive for COVID-19 in the effort to limit the spread of the virus. In spite of all these obstacles, athletics at Bishop McNamara moved forward this semester as a result of the cooperation and efforts of the Athletic Department, coaches, students, parents and guardians. Special thanks this year must be given to Athletic Director and Head Boys Basketball Coach Marty Keithline, Director of Health Services & Head Athletic Trainer Dr. Jessica Nash, Assistant Athletic Director and Head Coach Varsity Football

THE MUSTANG MESSENGER

Keita Malloy ’89, Assistant Athletic Trainer Stephanie Tong, Assistant to Athletics Rod Chapman ’87, Athletic Trainer Jordan McDougal, all the coaches among the school’s 22 athletic programs, President Barnhardt, Principal Carter, and the Administrative Team. During the course of the three seasons over six months, the school administered, and this is not just a general figure - over 25,000 check-ins for temperature, COVID-19 symptoms, and masks among all visitors and participants associated with athletics. Due to the vigilance of Mr. Keithline and his staff, the school had a less than 0.1% positivity rate and zero virus spread incidents on campus. Their efforts were tremendous to keep the entire community safe throughout the pandemic. The Athletic Department is grateful to all those who cooperated with them to make this endeavor successful. As Marty Keithline said, “Thank you to everyone who worked so hard to keep our student-athletes safe, including the student-athletes themselves as well as their parents/guardians who cooperated each day in these daily regimens. I also want to thank all of our coaches. They did a tremendous job coaching both in person and often virtually, helping our young people become better on and off the field. Also, special thanks to Dr. Jessica Nash, Stephanie Tong, Jordan McDougal, Keita Malloy, Rod Chapman, President Barnhardt, Principal Carter, the Administration and everyone who helped us compete this year in a safe environment. Thanks for pulling together throughout the year to make the best of a difficult situation. You are true maroon and gold.”

On the court and on the field, team and individual success were measured somewhat differently than in years past in recognition of playing shortened seasons. Individual game statistics like one’s field goal percentage or yards gained were still kept. Yet, overall seasonal statistics and championships won by teams and individuals became less important to the significant accomplishment that games or events were actually held in the first place. Simply being able to play on the football or soccer field or compete on the basketball or tennis court became its own kind of reward. Many teams only played a handful of games by season’s end, but the student-athletes and their parents and guardians were grateful to have the opportunity to play the sports they loved.

Bishop McNamara High School this school year continued to produce a host of student-athletes who received athletic scholarships and will be competing in college. These members of the Class of 2021 include:

As the Athletic Department prepares for the 2021-2022 school year, all those who participate in athletics at Bishop McNamara High School look forward to the return of the traditional three seasons over two semesters. Yet, there will always be a special place in the annals of Bishop McNamara Athletics for those who competed during the year of three seasons in one semester. All those who took part won by playing! n

n Derek Jackson ’21 (Football) - McDaniel College

n Lindsey Bayes ’21 (Softball) - New England College n David Brown ’21 (Boy’s Basketball) - Loyola University (MD) n Terrence Butler ’21 (Boy’s Basketball) - Drexel University n Domonique Cherry ’21 (Football) - Susquehanna University n Elijah Coleman ’21 (Baseball) - University of Maryland Eastern Shore n Ryan Davis ’21 (Baseball) - University of Maryland Eastern Shore n Tyvon Edmonds Jr. ’21 (Football) - Merrimack College n Andrew Garner ’21 (Baseball) - Clark-Atlanta University n Taylor Gibson ’21 (Girl’s Basketball) - University of Michigan n Jade Greene ’21 (Softball) - Howard University n Sanai Haythe ’21 (Track & Field) - Lees McRae College

n Tyrek Kelly ’21 (Football) - Sacred Heart University n Madison Miller ’21 (Track & Field) - Marquette University n Shawn Pelote ’21 (Track & Field) - Goucher College n Miles Peterson ’21 (Baseball) - Xavier University of Louisiana n Jaden Ritzes ’21 (Baseball) - Methodist University n Ryan Shieh ’21 (Baseball) - Liberty University n Brooke Varner ’21 (Softball) - Hampton University n Joshua Wilson ’21 (Baseball) - Frederick Community College

The school is proud of the success of these student-athletes and the perseverance they have shown in their pursuit of athletic excellence in spite of all the obstacles that they have had to endure as a result of the pandemic.

At right: Madison Miller ’21 inks a track & field commitment to Marquette University.

THE MUSTANG MESSENGER

athletic Pride

05.30.21

Bishop McNamara Baseball Program Receives National Recognition When one engineers the type

of positive turnaround that Coach Anthony Sosnoskie has achieved with the Bishop McNamara baseball program, people take notice. Back on May 30, USA Today featured a story about the Mustangs' baseball program and the upward trend it is enjoying under Coach Sosnoskie and assistant coach Raphael Lockett. That article is reprinted here. Many thanks to USA TODAY and staff writer Chris Bumbaca for shining a light on the great things happening with the Bishop McNamara baseball program. n

THE MUSTANG MESSENGER

Bishop McNamara High School shows baseball can beat its diversity problem Chris Bumbaca USA TODAY FORESTVILLE, Md. — When Anthony Sosnoskie confronted his quest to reshape the Bishop McNamara High School baseball program, some people told him he had to start recruiting the right kids. “But what did they mean?” Sosnoskie told USA TODAY Sports while his team warmed up inside the school’s gymnasium. “They meant a white kid.” The student body of Bishop McNamara, a Catholic grades 9-12 coed school, is around 90% Black among the 850 students. That percentage is even higher on Sosnoskie’s 2021 roster. None of his 20 players are white – 18 are Black or mixed, and two are of Asian descent – in a sport that remains predominately Caucasian at all levels and in an area where other youth sports are the more popular choices. Bishop McNamara is a hopeful sign that the lack of diversity in all levels of baseball can one day improve. Compared to sports such as the NFL, where Black players make up approximately 70% of the league, and the NBA, where the percentage is even higher, the number of Black players in MLB this season is 7.1%, or 64 players, on openingday rosters and injured lists, according to analysis by USA TODAY Sports. The NFL and NBA have legions of Black players who dream of playing their sports, but Black people, and other people of color, based on the numbers, see baseball as an afterthought. Bishop McNamara shows there might be significant pockets in the country where that isn’t the case.

“You don’t walk out there (with your friends) like, ‘Let’s play baseball.’ It’s always like, ‘Nah, basketball, football.’ So it’s something different,” senior Miles Peterson said. “Once you’re good at baseball, you can be good at any other sport. Baseball players are athletes. You can do anything. (Anyone) can shoot a (3-pointer), but you can’t hit a baseball.” Some of Bishop McNamara’s opponents in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) may have one or two Black players, Sosnoskie said, but the majority of teams are all-white. “I think it’s something that actually drives us, since we’re minority-based,” said senior Ryan Davis, who will play at Maryland-Eastern Shores. “Just make a name, earn respect for ourselves. Our skin color can play the game.” One team, Davis said, hasn’t been shy about making monkey noises when McNamara takes the field. There was an incident in 2019 when someone shouted the N-word from a car whizzing by a practice. “We just use it as motivation,” Davis said. This senior class, six of whom will play in college from the junior level to Division, is the winningest in school history. For years, Bishop McNamara was a bottomfeeder on the diamond. Then Sosnoskie, a special education teacher at the school who is white, arrived in 2014. The struggles continued; he won six games in each of his first three seasons. But two years ago, the Mustangs went 22-7, setting the record for school wins. In

SUNDAY Anthony Sosnoskie

has been the coach at Bishop McNamara for seven years. Erica Calhoun/Bishop Mcnamara High School

the playoffs, they lost the last two games of a three-game series to rival DeMatha Catholic and played one game in 2020 before the pandemic canceled the entire season. This year, they are 5-3 – including a pair of revenge wins over DeMatha – with three games remaining. The WCAC will not have playoffs and their season will conclude on June 3. More than 20 players have gone on to play college baseball since Sosnoskie – a former Division I player at Virginia Tech with a short stint in independent ball -became coach, meaning he’s talked his team up to coaches at the next level. Those conversations often involve the “raw” label many Black baseball players bear. “We have good, talented players, who sometimes don’t believe they know as much about the game as they actually do," Sosnoskie said. “That gets them labeled ‘raw talents’ by people. That’s something we’ve tried to break down: ‘He’s a good baseball player. He happens to be super athletic, OK, whatever. He’s a good baseball player. He’s slow, actually, he’s not going to steal second base.’” That is a real stereotype that plays out during Mustangs games. Players will reach base and teams will throw over four or five times even if the player isn’t a base-stealer. Sosnoskie said he recruits a 45-minute

radius around campus. Players primarily hail from Prince George’s County, where the school is located. Some players’ families are financially well-off, and others aren’t. It’s no secret the financial costs of youth baseball – and the growing popularity of the travel aspect – have increased, making the game less accessible to low-income families and leading to less racial representation in the major leagues. The Society of Baseball Research says the percentage of Black players in MLB has declined since 1981 and reached its lowest point, 6.7%, in 2016 – the lowest since 1957. “I feel like this game is suited for people of all sizes, all wealth statuses and income,” Mustangs assistant coach Raphael Lockett, who is Black, said. Lockett, an engineer for the Navy by day, played collegiately at Jackson State and has been Sosnoskie’s assistant for three years. Sosnoskie recruits from the Washington Nationals Youth Academy, where Lockett was the lead baseball instructor. His life passion is working with kids, “trying to get more people of color back in the game.” The Black community often sets trends before the rest of society follows, Lockett said. That can be a hurdle to convince Black players to stick with

Bishop McNamara set a school record for wins with 22 in 2019 before losing in

baseball. “Nobody likes to be seen failing. And in this game, you fail a lot. So (the coaches’) goal is pumping them up, letting them realize,‘Hey, you’re going to be your best self,’” Lockett said. “This game is about discipline and probability. So if you do things the right way, you’ll get success.” That’s balanced with giving the players a feedback loop to ensure they are having fun. Music blares during warmups and stretching. Lots of screaming happens as players rope batting practice inside a mesh net constructed in the gymnasium. But when Sosnoskie addresses the team? Not a pin-drop. The Mustangs’ practice shirts have different words on the back: Approach. Contribute. Sacrifice. Locked In. Every hat, though, has “PTW” on the back. Play To Win. “Having that dynamic, with a group of African Americans who realize, ‘Hey you know what? We can struggle. But we can succeed together. It takes a community. It takes a village,’” Lockett said. “So all the things we want in society, happens in the game of baseball.” Follow Chris Bumbaca on Twitter @BOOMbaca.

the playoff to rival DeMatha. Courtesy of John Bechet

THE MUSTANG MESSENGER

academic excellence

The C l a s s o f 2 0 2 1 :

Making God Known, Loved, and Served By Dr. Robert Van der Waag

Quotes frequently heard from the past year from students in the Class of 2021

THE MUSTANG MESSENGER

“I’m tired of the pandemic.”

“I miss my friends.”

“We’ll get through it.”

“I don’t want to be late for our Google Meet.”

“Zeal is the great desire to make God known, loved, and served, and thus to bring knowledge of salvation to others.” Blessed Fr. Basile Moreau, C.S.C.

........................................................... When Bishop McNamara High School held the fifty-fifth

Graduation Ceremony for the Class of 2021 on Wednesday, June 2 from Bowie Baysox Stadium, this ritual act of celebration brought to a close the most unique senior year of any class within the school’s history. The 188 graduates among the Class of 2021 experienced a senior year unlike any other due to the numerous challenges that resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic. In spite of the numerous challenges they encountered, the Class of 2021 fulfilled Fr. Moreau’s call to make God known, loved and served by remaining people with hope to bring. Here is a window into their story.

“Thanks for being there for me; I’m struggling with this time.”

“Thank you for being a ray of hope during a difficult time.”

As a group, the Class of 2021 experienced significant hardship and loss while also showing tremendous resilience and grit. They persevered to make the most out of a difficult year. The Class of 2021 not only lived through a global pandemic, but they witnessed several other significant national challenges. Principal among them was the call to end systemic racism resulting from the death of Mr. George Floyd, a 46 year old African American male who lived in Minnesota and was murdered after pleading for help as a white police officer pinned him - unarmed and handcuffed - to the ground for continued on next page

“I appreciate the little things more. I never thought I would miss school, but I do.”

“I love my Mom and Dad. I really do.”

THE MUSTANG MESSENGER

The Class of 2021: Making God Known, Loved, and Served

.................................................................. eight minutes and forty six seconds. Given the complexity of the times they faced, dealing with adversity almost became second nature to the Class of 2021.

Through adversity, however, comes growth. And the Class of 2021 has experienced it. This time of hardship has led this group of seniors to appreciate those who supported them in the midst of the pandemic. It has given them time to reflect on the loss of loved ones and the fragility of life. Even though the Class of 2021 leaves Bishop McNamara High School in what remains a difficult time in our nation, the lessons these seniors have learned at school and through their unique experiences resulting from the pandemic have prepared them, in the words of Fr. Moreau, for “better times than these.” With this in mind, we asked a number of seniors in the Class of 2021 to reflect on their experiences during this school year that was significantly influenced by the pandemic. Regarding the move to remote learning that began in August and lasted throughout the entire school year for many of them, they spoke about both the positives and negatives associated with this major transition. Positively, Jonathan Hinton ’21 said, “My grades got better because I was forced to be more proactive with learning in general.” This was a sentiment shared by many students. Negatively, a number of students such as Alexis White ’21 noted, “It (remote learning) made the learning process a bit more challenging; I had to take more time outside of class to understand the material.” David Perez ’21 characterized well what many students felt was the most difficult challenge with remote learning when he said, “The lack of (in person) interaction with not only the other students, but also the teachers made understanding and finding motivation hard to come by.” As a result, Jonathan thoughtfully concluded, “remote learning forced me to grow as a student and rely on myself and not my teachers as much.” As these seniors transition to college,

they’ve discovered, probably more than many Bishop McNamara students in the past, that becoming a lifelong learner is an ongoing pursuit. It requires significant individual commitment, hard work, and perseverance. Lesson learned!

Another difficulty faced by the Class of 2021 resulting from the pandemic was the ongoing need to be resilient and flexible in the midst of changing circumstances and schedules. Many events throughout the school year had to be modified or done remotely to meet health and safety protocols. Some events unfortunately, but not many, had to be cancelled. Class of 2021 students, performers, and athletes received numerous in person and remote opportunities to sing, dance, or play athletically, but without the usual fanfare of doing so in front of large crowds of enthusiastic parents or peers gathered together to watch them reveal their numerous gifts and talents. Although students were excited to engage in many activities that had been cancelled during the final months of the previous school year, they called attention to smatterings of regret. As Alexis said, “I missed attending the basketball and football games (in person), along with the music trip, because I’ve had some of my fondest memories at these events.” In spite of these regrets, a silver lining resulting from living in the midst of a global pandemic was a deeper appreciation of personal relationships. Many students noted that their parents, brothers and sisters, other relatives, and friends whom they spent much time together at home or online during the pandemic really helped them get through this trying time. Senior year at Bishop McNamara High School, which is typically filled with so many activities and events, coupled with the anticipation of fulfilling post-graduation plans, that what often gets overlooked are the important personal relationships students have with family members and other persons outside Bishop McNamara. As Jonathan said, “I am very grateful

..................................................................

“I’ve prayed more than I used to. I used to say I didn’t have time, but this ... I had a year I did ... lot of time. Thank you God for comforting me. I needed it.” 40

THE MUSTANG MESSENGER

.................................................................. to my parents and sister for keeping me going when I was ready to quit, my friends as an escape from everyday life, and work for giving me something to do outside school.”

The students interviewed in the Class of 2021 also spoke highly about the dedicated faculty and staff at Bishop McNamara for guiding them through the pandemic. The variety and number of faculty and staff mentioned by students demonstrated that showing kindness and compassion to emotionally stressed out students was given in abundance. Many students were grateful that faculty and staff, including the school’s many coaches, offered them a lot of “life lessons” that “motivated” them to “keep pushing” to reach their goals. Members within the class recognized that the school’s Holy Cross educators had to learn many new skills to remotely teach and coach. With this recognition, they understood that this period was a time of “shared” sacrifice. Students noted that even though they were physically separated from each other and their teachers due to the pandemic, in many ways, they had a deeper window into their lives. They were “invited” to come into each other’s homes as teaching and learning happened remotely. They appreciated little things such as Principal Carter’s enthusiastic morning announcements to the countless hours instructors, counselors, campus ministers, and administrators spent with them online to answer academic and personal questions. More than 180 years ago, Fr. Moreau stated, “Anyone who knows young people easily recognizes the necessity of patience, which is the only thing that permits a teacher to rise above the difficulties inherent in educating youth.” He could have never imagined how true his words would become as a result of teaching and educating through a pandemic. By shepherding students through this difficult year, the Class of 2021 thanks the school’s incredible faculty and staff for giving them the “competence to see and the courage to act.” Thank you!

Like many graduates before them, the Class of 2021 offered some parting advice, but theirs seemed particularly meaningful having lived through such a trying year. Many of them spoke about “not getting too stressed’’ over the “college admissions process” since “preserving mental health” was more important than “panicking” over getting into the “right” school. Others encouraged current Bishop McNamara students not to take for granted opportunities to participate in events or activities or foster relationships that previously seemed as givens. In essence, living through the pandemic taught members of the Class of 2021 that “time” is “important” and many of them became more “aware” not to “waste it” by making sure that they “spent” it among loved ones. This sentiment was particularly evident among those who lost a loved one due to COVID-19. Many noted that they were paying more attention to the “details” and, in some instances, had more “gratitude” for life. In many ways, the pandemic taught them important life lessons. It taught them how to deal with suffering, seek answers to questions of faith, and value the importance of other people and the beauty of friendship. Although none of the students mentioned this specifically, their responses mirrored Pope Francis’ sentiments in Fratelli Tutti, his social encyclical released in the midst of the pandemic, that “no one is saved alone; we can only be saved together” (FT, 32). In this work, Pope Francis encourages everyone to practice gratitude as it is an essential component of not only surviving but thriving in times of hardship. The Class of 2021, through their time of collective hardship during their senior year, made God known, loved, and served. They remained people with hope to bring. As they turned outward during this time and used their talents and resources to bring joy, love, and hope to others, they became, as they proclaimed each day when reciting the School Code, Holy Cross! n

..................................................................

“I played a game yesterday. An actual game. And it was great!”

“Thank God we made it!” THE MUSTANG MESSENGER

academic excellence

Bishop McNamara President/CEO Dr. John Barnhardt Featured in Prince George’s Suite Magazine

In light of Dr. John Barnhardt’s fantastic leadership at Bishop McNamara High School during the unprecedented Covid pandemic, Prince Georg’s Suite Magazine published an article about the Bishop McNamara President/CEO in their June 15 edition. What follows is the text and photos from the feature.

Dr. John Barnhardt: President and CEO of Bishop McNamara High School Is Making His Mark In Spite Of A Global Pandemic By Kia Lisby Completing one of the most challenging academic years in its history, Bishop McNamara High School persevered through 2020 excelling in a host of areas. If there were a grading system for overcoming a global pandemic, Bishop McNamara would have received straight A’s.

According to the Director for Mission Advancement Dr. Robert Van der Waag, this Catholic school rooted in the Holy Cross tradition has had an extraordinary year while facing the challenges associated with the pandemic. Bishop McNamara’s graduating class of 188 students earned over $20 million in scholarships to prestigious colleges and universities across the country including Cornell, Georgetown, USC, Dartmouth, The University of Michigan, Duke, Stanford, and all four national military academies. Bishop McNamara also reached 75% of its capital campaign goal for the La Reine Science & Innovation Center while starting construction on this new facility in March. Achieving excellence at this level, however, is not new for Bishop McNamara. For the past six decades, excellence has been the school’s standard. What is new, however, is school president Dr. John Barnhardt, who completed his first year in the position on June 1. As a father, educator, and leader, President and CEO of Bishop McNamara High School Dr. John Barnhardt works to impact the lives of students and those who work within the Bishop McNamara family. “It’s been a unique year in the history of our school, particularly for Dr. Barnhardt coming in as our new President and CEO. He has done an outstanding job navigating the school through this difficult year due to the pandemic” Van der Waag says of Barnhardt. “Our current success is a testament to him, [former Bishop McNamara President] Dr. Marco Clark, Principal Dian Carter, and the smooth transition effort among them.” Originally from Wisconsin, Dr. Barnhardt moved to the D.C. Metropolitan area 13 years ago. He attended The University of Wisconsin, Madison and received his masters from American University before recently obtaining his doctorate from The University of Pennsylvania. Before joining Bishop McNamara in 2020, Barnhardt devoted the last 12 years leading schools with KIPP DC while also starting KIPP DC Northeast Academy in 2013. During his

THE MUSTANG MESSENGER

“I found a college that provided fire training and fire science and during my freshman year in college, I fell in love with the larger idea of going to college and growing in study.” He then made the decision to transition out of fire science and fire studies and into pre-law while taking several education courses. Career day inspired Barnhardt to become a firefighter, but he never considered the career path to become an educator beforehand. Realizing he wanted to create experiences for students that “equip them with an experience to have the confidence to make a choice someday,” education became his new passion.

Wanting a school that valued high-caliber academics, was mission-centered, and committed to diversity and inclusion, Bishop McNamara became the perfect home for this thoughtful educator. Becoming an educator wasn’t Barnhardt’s first career choice while growing up in Wisconsin. As a youngster, during a career day in middle school, the fire department came brandishing the big truck and equipment and explained what they do. “For me, that moment, that career day in middle school was inspiring. And it was that one-day experience that really set in for me that I wanted to be a firefighter.” From middle to high school, Barnhardt did everything possible to become a firefighter including joining the local Fire Explorers Club. He became a volunteer firefighter at 16, and earned his EMT license at 18. Even though he excelled as an EMT first responder, he decided to pursue higher education. As a result, John became the first person in his family to attend a traditional four-year university.

“

“I also believe strongly in a team and family approach to managing people,” he says. Employing 125 full-time educators and staff, Barnhardt believes that Bishop McNamara is the perfect size for everyone to have a relationship with one another. When speaking about his experience so far as president, he said “the experience has been terrific.” He can work among the external community and help build partnerships with organizations, thought leaders, and alumni, while providing services for Prince George’s County. In addition, on a day-today basis in a “normal year” he can go into Bishop McNamara’s hallways to talk to students, connect with families, and converse about challenging coursework. “That experience is tremendously motivating and where the real joy in education comes from.” Barnhardt began his Bishop McNamara journey as President and CEO in June 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic was already ravaging the country, which brought significant challenges for this self proclaimed “extravert”. continued on next page

“

last year, he worked in KIPP’s district office working on school design to better its academic programming and organizational growth.

As an educator and leader at Bishop McNamara, Barnhardt’s leadership style is one of “continuous improvement.” He believes in celebrating the greatness of the school but also considers it his responsibility to model continual reflection, refinements, and improvement of character, in addition to job and school performance.

One of the great challenges has been coming into a school that was virtual since March 2020. Building relationships with faculty and employees — in addition to students — has been really challenging in the virtual world. THE MUSTANG MESSENGER

“One of the great challenges has been coming into a school that was virtual since March 2020. Building relationships with faculty and employees—in addition to students—has been really challenging in the virtual world.” Dealing with the numerous challenges brought forth this year due to the pandemic has not stopped Bishop McNamara with Dr. Barnhardt as its new President from achieving success and advancing its vision to form empowered leaders.

As an educator, having student relationships is what Barnhardt considers most rewarding. “I have never had any interest in looking for a different career path because that connectivity is so important. That love, that relationship building is so important,” he says. For him, students achieving milestones in their lives such as starting families, getting married, attending college, and even coming back to say thank you makes the job worthwhile. n

The principal focus for President Barnhardt remains the building of the La Reine Science & Innovation Center. “The La Reine Science & Innovation Center is so special because we are literally building a science center in the middle of a global health pandemic and I think that speaks volumes about where our commitments and our priorities lie.” Bishop McNamara will offer in the La Reine Science & Innovation Center STEM classes that will augment its liberal arts curriculum in next generation laboratory spaces, innovation areas for entrepreneurship and cybersecurity, coupled with a multimedia recording studio Gaining the experiences through the Center, Barnhardt said “they’ll [students] go into college more equipped to make a decision about career and study.” In addition to building the La Reine Science & Innovation Center, the curriculum remains another focus area for President Barnhardt, targeting how and what science courses will be taught. He also said, “we need to continue developing our connectivity or support for our immediate community.” Bishop McNamara is looking for partnerships to offer career readiness courses, certificate courses and coding classes, not only for its students, but for their neighbors, at night.

Dr. John Barnhardt: President and CEO of Bishop McNamara High School Is Making His Mark In Spite Of A Global Pandemic 44

THE MUSTANG MESSENGER

FUND

IS HR INK C WI T H

BISHOP

CNAMAR

#BMHSFamily = Generosity Gifts to the Bishop McNamara Fund by generous people like you support tuition assistance initiatives, expand our academic, fine arts and athletic programs, help us to enhance our classroom technology, and make our faith inspiring retreat programs even more enriching. Please give!

Provide Opportunities of Hope Gifts to the Bishop McNamara Fund provides BMHS with the ability to increase financial aid to our talented students. You give them opportunities of hope. Please give!

Every Gift Makes A Difference Past gifts to the Bishop McNamara Fund have ranged from parent contributions of $20.21 to honor their child’s graduation year to $1,000 gifts or more from BHMS alumni, businesses, and friends. Impactful recurring gifts can be made in monthly installments. The amount that you give is not as important as your willingness to give. Please give!

Thank You We are one #bmhsfamily and we appreciate your support. Thank you! In Holy Cross, The Advancement Office

#hopetobring THE MUSTANG MESSENGER

b u y

P a v e r ,

l e a v e

l e g a c y

Legacy Courtyard

THe

at the lareine Science and Innovation center

detail

ImmortalIze your name, family name, or that of a loved one by purchasing a Legacy Paver to be placed into the Legacy Courtyard, which will be located next to the La Reine Science and Innovation Center, anticipated to open in 2021. The Legacy Courtyard will be the gateway to this next generation building and the catalyst for many new community traditions. You can become a champion of the Faith. Family. Future! capital campaign today by purchasing a Legacy Paver. For every 500 Legacy Pavers we sell, champions like you will help us to raise $250,000.00 toward this Campaign to make the building of these spaces a reality. Join the movement today! Buy a Paver, Leave a Legacy! Legacy Pavers are $500.00 each, but you can pay for them in monthly installments of $42.00 over 12 months. All gifts make a difference!

Become a Champion of the Faith. Family. Future! Capital Campaign =

$250,000

$500

toward our Goal!

each per legacy Paver...

500 legacy Pavers...

To reserve, please contact Ms. Sandy Mammano at 301-735-8401 ext. 295 (sandy.mammano@bmhs.org). 46

THE MUSTANG MESSENGER

The 1964 Society:

Planned Giving

These types of gifts — including wills, trusts, retirement plans, real estate, and insurance policies — are a wonderful way to ensure that the school’s mission to educate hearts and minds in a dynamic, inclusive Catholic school community rooted in the Holy Cross tradition will be carried on well into the future.

”

Honoring the founding year of Bishop McNamara High School, The 1964 Society allows generous benefactors to give with the greatest impact and in the easiest way — include Bishop McNamara High School in your will or estate plans through planned giving.

These types of gifts – including wills, trusts, retirement plans, real estate, and insurance policies – are a wonderful way to ensure that the school’s mission will be carried on well into the future. ---------------------------

Steve & Dianne Proctor

To learn how your legacy can transform the trajectory of Bishop McNamara students for generations to come, please contact Ms. Sandy Mammano, Director of Development, at (301)735-8401, ext. 295 or email at Sandy.Mammano@bmhs.org. THE MUSTANG MESSENGER

” 47

AN Alumni NEWS

La Reine & McNamara

ALUMNINEWS

These pages represent alumni news shared with the Advancement Office from January 1, 2021 - May 31, 2021. for the District of Columbia, after being appointed by President George W. Bush in 2006. n

Marcella (Marcie) McClure LR ’67 received funding from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for over 40 years to conduct research on the computational analysis of RNA sequence information to elucidate the structure, function and evolution of RNA viruses. Marcie retired from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease in 2014. She credits the science education and research opportunities that La Reine High School afforded her for her success as a scientist. She is delighted that Bishop McNamara High School will be the future home of the La Reine Science & Innovation Center. n Phyllis Thompson LR ’70 is the 2021 recipient of the Caritas Distinguished Alumni Award. Phyllis was the valedictorian of the Class of 1970 from La Reine High School. She attended The George Washington University graduating a year early in 1974 earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology. Once again, she was named valedictorian of her class. Subsequently, she completed a Master’s of Arts in Religion at Princeton University. She taught as a full-time (and adjunct) contingent faculty member at Georgetown University, and completed a law degree with high honors at her collegiate alma mater, The George Washington University in 1981. Phyllis joined the prestigious DC law firm Covington and Burling and became the first African American female to make partner in 1989. During her tenure with the firm she logged many hours pro bono, demonstrating both her deep commitment to community life and her ethical decision to assist those in need. The Honorable Judge Thompson has served as a Judge of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals, the highest appellate court

THE MUSTANG MESSENGER

Joanann Walther LR ’72 is the recipient of the 2021 Caritas Distinguished Staff Award. Joanann retired this year after working at Bishop McNamara for over twenty years. See the Thank You & Appreciation Dinner section in Mustang Moments for more about Joanann’s accomplishments and retirement from Bishop McNamara. n Alvin Parker ’73 is the co-founder and owner of PolyFab Display Company located in Woodbridge, Virginia. He is a graduate of the Dartmouth College Tuck

School of Business and the University of Miami of Ohio. For his leadership and vision within the business community, Al received an award from the Minority Business Enterprise (MBE). He is also a member of the Bishop McNamara Hall of Fame as a member of the 1973 undefeated championship football team. n Teresa Nolet LR ’74 attended the Massachussett’s Institute of Technology (MIT) where less than a third of her classmates were women. While at MIT, she was a General Motors (GM) scholarintern and worked two summers for GM. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Materials Science and Engineering and a master’s degree in Ceramics. Upon graduation, she joined Corning Incorporated as a Metallurgical Engineer in the corporate engineering group. Teresa retired in October 2020 after 41 years with Corning. She is excited about the La Reine Science & Innovation Center’s new possibilities for students at Bishop McNamara High School. n Wendell C. Walker ’76 recently retired as the Assistant Deputy Comptroller in Nashville, TN with the Comptroller of the Currency. n William Johnson ’77 was named a Golden Apple Award recipient by the Archdiocese of Washington, DC. Bill is a Vice Principal and an 8th Grade Religion & Social Studies Teacher at St. Columba School. Golden Apple recipients are nominated by their colleagues, students, and school parents for exemplifying the best in

ALUMNINEWS ALUMNINEWS instructional strategies, Catholic identity, and knowledge of curriculum. n

Cyber Security and IT career development and training platform. n

Frank Cefaratti ’78, Plant Engineer, is a 2021 recipient of the Protector Award along with colleagues Assistant Plant Engineer Michael Walther ’03, Assistant Plant Engineer Ernesto Puesan, Maintenance Antonio Lucero, and Director of Human Resources Carmen Wilson. This award is given to faculty or staff members who go above and beyond in times of international crisis and uncertainty to protect the employees of Bishop McNamara High School. These protectors are Holy Cross men and women with hope to bring who put the needs of employees ahead of their own. They exemplify what it means to face adversity head-on and care for the peace, health, and success of every employee in the Bishop McNamara community. n

Dr. Marco Clark ’85, Executive Director and Assistant Professor of Education at St. Edward’s University in Austin, TX hosted the Holy Cross Institute’s 2021 Convocation, which gathered virtually this year more than 700 educators from among Holy Cross schools in the United States and around the world. Bishop McNamara alumni who spoke and offered panel presentations at the Convocation included keynote speaker Jason Reynolds ’00, whose address was titled Racism, Anti-Racism and You, as well as Macscientists Carrie Alexander ’12, Courtney Young ’10, and Dr. Devin Swiner ’12, who recently received her doctorate and defended her dissertation from The Ohio State University. n

Jim Dillon ’79 is the 2021 recipient of the Caritas St. Andre Award. See the Thank You & Appreciation Dinner section in Mustang Moments for more about Jim’s accomplishments and retirement from Bishop McNamara. n

Ralph P. Sita Jr. ’80 is the President and Co-Founder of Cybrary, a crowdsourced

Dr. Geoffrey Mount Varner ’85 is an Emergency Room Physician at Johns Hopkins Hospital, a best-selling author, an international speaker, and a COVID-19 advisor to multiple government COVID committees. He is the proud parent of Brooke Varner ’21 and Geoff Varner ’24. Dr. Mount Varner has served repeatedly this year as a Covid Advisor to the school’s administration. Dr. Mount Varner is also the generous donor of the Cyber Bar, a gathering space in the Andy Mona ’82 Student Center where students and faculty enjoy conversing and learning together. n Colonel Rick Neitzey ’87, son of the former Bishop McNamara Athletic Director and Head Football Coach Frank Neitzey, retired from his career with the military. Rick graduated from the United States Naval Academy in May 1991 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics. He was commissioned a second lieutenant in May 1991 and was designated a Naval Aviator in December 1993. n Kathy Weslowski LR ’89 was named a Golden Apple Award recipient by the Archdiocese of Washington, DC. Kathleen is a Second Grade Teacher and Assistant Principal at St. Mary School of Piscataway. n Bershan Shaw LR ’91 was named one of nine black women who impacted the world by Black Enterprise. After being diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer, she became a warrior in her mind to beat the ugly disease. Dealing with years of treatment, she birthed her business, Warrior Training International, which she uses to coach CEOs, leaders, executive teams, and management teams on diversity and inclusion training, emotional intelligence training, and more. Warrior Training International helps companies and individuals change their mindset, help strategize blind spots, and focus on getting what they want: success. n (continued on next page)

THE MUSTANG MESSENGER

ALUMNINEWS ALUMNINEWS Michael Anderson ’94 is the 2021 recipient of the Caritas Business Partner of the Year. Michael is the President/CEO of DHM Photography and Multimedia where he does weddings, galas, corporate events, seminars, religious events, and other engagements. Mike has worked as a Network Engineer Specialist for Verizon and Patent Examiner with specializations in Network Security & Cryptography for the United States Patent & Trademark Office, where in 2019 he was awarded the Bronze Award for 6 consecutive years of superior performance by the United States Commerce Department. Since 2019, Mike has partnered with his alma mater on numerous video projects enhancing Bishop McNamara’s brand identity and digital footprint. Over the past two years, Mike has done countless livestream events for Bishop McNamara including monthly school liturgies, Senior Convocation, Baccalaureate, A Night of Mustang Giving, and the Groundbreaking Ceremony for the La Reine Science & Innovation Center. His work has augmented the school’s advancement and marketing efforts including the production of commercial and short videos for the Bishop McNamara Fund and The Faith. Family. Future! Capital Campaign. Mike gives tirelessly to Bishop McNamara through his artistic talent and technological skill. He, along with his wife Kia, are the proud parents of three current Mustangs - Mike, Class of 22, Markel, Class of 23, and Makenzie, Class of 24. n

THE MUSTANG MESSENGER

Ken Meringolo ’94 owns 1st Amendment Sports, the online broadcaster of the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC). In recent months, Ken has interviewed on 1st Amendment Sports former Bishop McNamara Head Football Coach Tom Clark and alumnus Tyoka Jackson ’89. n Dr. Sherese Moton ’96 earned her doctorate in 2018 from Walden University in Leadership and Organizational Change, is the author of a number of journal articles in refereed academic publications, and now serves as the Career Technology Education (CTE) Lead for the Baltimore City Public School System, where she supervises numerous educators who prepare students to receive certifications in areas ranging from Nursing, Pharmacy Tech, Child Care, Business, Construction Design Management, Graphic Design, Homeland Security, PLTW Engineering, Computer Science, and JROTC - Air Force. n Allison Titman ’02 was recently named the Executive Director of the Alice Paul Institute (API) in Mt. Laurel, New Jersey. API educates the public about suffragist Alice Paul and uses her legacy as inspiration for programs promoting leadership development for young women, gender equality, and civic engagement. n Nick Klimzcak ’07 is a 2021 recipient of a Bishop McNamara High School Presidential Award. Nick received this award due to his outstanding work with MindSpark, a think tank that Bishop McNamara High School is partnering with to enhance the school’s STEM curriculum, particularly with the building of the La Reine Science & Innovation Center. Nick joined the Bishop McNamara faculty in 2012 and has taught a number of science courses including Biology, Anatomy & Physiology, Conceptual Physics, Honors Chemistry, Zoology, Food Science, Astronomy, and Physics. He has also held the position of Co-chair of the Science Department. Nick was awarded Novice

Teacher of the year from the High School Principals Association (HSPA) in 2015 and Veteran Teacher of the Year in 2018. Nick was also the recipient of the E. Matthew Goyette Endowed Chair for Teaching Excellence. n Jared Wilson ’07 was named the Chief Innovation Officer and Managing Director of Global Sales at ABCD & Company, a marketing and events consulting firm. He is an award-winning leader, a seasoned innovative growth executive, and a datadriven business strategist. In his current role, he has demonstrated strategic client engagement and implements new business developments. n Adrienne Davis ’09 attended Howard University, where she received her BBA and MBA in 2013 and 2014. She moved to Atlanta to work in Deloitte’s Business Tax Services Group. She worked in public accounting for six years before switching to Financial Advisor for Northwestern Mutual. n Zuri Foreman ’09 is a professional dancer who is returning to the Washington, DC area to open a dance studio dedicated to serve underprivileged youth called The Foreman Arts School (FAS). FAS will be opening its doors in Prince George’s County in late June. Serving children and adults, FAS will offer classes in Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Modern, Contemporary, HipHop, Lindy Hop, Creative Movement, and more. FAS serves to diversify the industry and provide opportunities for children of color, and low-income families who would not normally be able to enroll their child

ALUMNINEWS ALUMNINEWS in an arts program. The school will award scholarships to three children to take dance classes for free as part of its summer program. The scholarship will also provide uniforms for each child. n Celena Wienand ’10, Front Office Administrative Assistant, is a 2021 recipient of the Golden Mile Award, along with colleagues Social Studies Department Chairperson Jaleshea Cobbs, Technical Support Analyst Charles McCoy, and Director of Campus Ministry Amanda Saunders. Golden Mile Awards are given to faculty or staff members that have completed more than a year of service who through their faith in action, spirit, dedication and creativity help to make Bishop McNamara High School the very special community of learning that it is. The recipient always finds the time, energy and self-motivation to walk that extra “golden mile” for our students, their peers and for this school that he/she serves so well. n Shannon C. Anderson ’11 graduated from Howard University College of Medicine in May 2021. She will be continuing her internal medicine training at the Johns Hopkins Hospital Osler Medical Residency program. n

Amanda Barber ’11 will be attending Tulane University School of Medicine this fall on a scholarship through the Army Health Professions Scholarship Program. Amanda also completed her Masters in Biology with a concentration in Medical Sciences from Mississippi College in December 2020. n

test pilot of the C-17 Globemaster, a large military transport aircraft that was developed for the USAF to perform tactical and strategic airlift missions, transporting troops and cargo throughout the world. Thank you JC for your exemplary reporting and to Colonel London for his military service and outstanding teaching career here at Bishop McNamara! n Tarik Endale ’12 presented The COVID-19 Pandemic and Structural Racism in Theology Teacher Jim Monahan’s Theology 11 class. Tarik is a Ph.D. student at The Global Mental Health Lab at Columbia University and a graduate of Georgetown University. n

Jasmine “JC” Whittington ’11 is a reporter for WUSA9. A graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park and now pursuing a Master’s in Journalism at Georgetown University, JC recently did a special feature for WUSA9 about Ret. Colonel George London to highlight the lack of representation of African Americans - less than 2% - currently serving as pilots in the United States Air Force (USAF). George London taught physics and served as the moderator of the Aviation Club for 17 years at Bishop McNamara. Before he taught at Bishop McNamara, Col. London had an exemplary and historic career in the USAF, serving as the first African American

Brittany Lynch-Carr ’12 married Quentin Carr on August 7, 2020, at The Anderson House in Washington DC. In January 2021, Brittany was appointed Director for the Subcommittee on Intelligence & Counterterrorism of the House Homeland Security Committee. In February 2021, Brittany directed her first Congressional Hearing on the Domestic Terrorism threat in the wake of the attack on the U.S. Capitol that happened on January 6. She graduated with her Masters in Security Studies from Georgetown University in May 2021. n

(continued on next page)

THE MUSTANG MESSENGER

ALUMNINEWS ALUMNINEWS Matthew Nunez ’12 and his photography were selected by Governor Jared Polis and the State of Colorado to be the new design for Colorado driver’s licenses and identification cards beginning in Fall 2021. The State of Colorado will vote to select their favorite of three photos to be the final design. n

Bartz, Ralph Peterson, Rodney Green, Jazzmeia Horn, among others. n

Thomas James ’12 is the 2021 recipient of the Caritas Distinguished Young Alumni Award. Thomas is the Visual Arts Curator at Creative Alliance in Baltimore, Maryland and a blogger for Urban Walls World. Thomas studied Business Administration at Frostburg State University where he passionately delved into the world of art. His first exhibition was at Mountain City Center for the Arts, where he interned. After graduation, Thomas took an opportunity to independently curate another exhibition - Darkest Before the Dawn - at the Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts. He was eventually able to get the show to travel to the ArtReach Gallery in Washington, DC. n

Lt. Gabriel Jenkins ’14 gave a special recognition to Ret. Colonel George London for helping him prepare for Air Force pilot training. Gabe excitedly proclaimed, “Got my wings! Thank you for everything. You’ve helped prepare me for this more than you know!” Thank you Gabe for your service! n

and played in this year’s NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. n

Jasmin Grimes ’13 became the Miami Dolphins first female Athletic Trainer, and the second African American female Athletic Trainer in the National Football League. n

Jamar “Boogie” Watson ’16, who played football collegiately for the University of Kentucky at linebacker, was selected and signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers in this year’s National Football League draft. Jamar, a former basketball player, remarkably did not start playing football until his junior year here at Bishop McNamara. At Kentucky, Jamar had 107 tackles, 28.5 TFL and 18.5 sacks, which is fifth all-time in the school’s history. He was also a team captain and earned secondteam All-SEC honors in 2020. n

Jordan Mosby ’15 recently won a National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship. He is pursuing a Ph.D. in Sociology at Brown University. n

Alexis Alvarez ’13 graduated with her juris doctorate degree from Harvard University Law School. n

Tyrone Allen ’13 released an album as a member of BRAHIM! on Feb. 1, 2021. BRAHIM! has performed with Gary

THE MUSTANG MESSENGER

Thomas Weaver ’15 is pursuing his law degree at the Howard University School of Law. Thomas graduated from Penn State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and a minor in Finance. n Isaiah Cromer ’16 became the Social Media Video Producer/ Editor for NBC Sports Washington. He creates video content for Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and the organization’s website for all professional teams in the Washington, D.C. and Baltimore areas. n Jalen Hayes ’16, a member of the Drexel University Men’s Basketball coaching support staff, helped coach the team that won the Colonial Athletic Association Conference Tournament Championship

Nicole Yeargin ’16 will be representing Great Britain at the Tokyo Olympics this summer in the 400m event! Nicole is a student-athlete at the University of Southern California pursuing a degree in Real Estate Development. A multidimensional athlete while at Bishop McNamara, Nicole played on the Girls Varsity Soccer Team, Varsity Football

ALUMNINEWS ALUMNINEWS Team, becoming the first woman in school history to play football as a field goal kicker, and ran for the school’s Track & Field Team. Good luck Nicole. Your Mustang family will be rooting for you! n

with a Bachelor’s degree in Public Health Science with a minor in Sustainability Studies. Kayla was a member of the University of Maryland’s Honors College in the Gemstone Program and a Banneker Key Scholar. n

Adia Smith ’17 graduated from North Carolina A&T State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. She will join Carrier Global Corporation’s Engineering Leadership Program. n

Kyara Frames ’17 graduated from University of Albany with a Bachelor’s degree in Special Education. n Dana Hentz ’17 graduated cum laude from Towson University with a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication and Public Relations and a minor in Marketing. n

Jasmine Dantzler ’18 has been accepted to the Doctor of Physical Therapy program at Temple University starting this summer. n Jasmine Adgerson ’17 graduated from St. Edward’s University with a Bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology. n Wesley Bowers ’17 graduated in three and a half years from Georgetown University. Wesley was also a member and captain of Georgetown University’s Football Team. n Conor Brennan ’17 graduated in three and a half years from Coastal Carolina University. n Evan Byrd ’17 graduated cum laude from Hofstra University with a Bachelor’s degree in Communications. n Ian Byrd ’17 graduated cum laude from Hofstra University with a Bachelor’s degree in Art. n Erin Farley ’17 graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park with a Bachelor’s degree in Criminology and a double minor in Global Terrorism Studies and Cybersecurity. n Kayla Foster ’17 graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park

Alanna Imes ’17 graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park with a Bachelor’s degree in Music, professional program. Alanna will pursue a Second Degree Program leading to a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N) at Salisbury University. n Shelby S. Lee ’17 graduated from Howard University and was a member of Howard University’s Women’s LaCrosse Team. n Anissa Mose ’17 graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park with a Bachelor’s degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice. She was also a member of the University of Maryland’s Women’s Soccer Team. n Edward Ross ’17 launched his music technology company, Audio Ed. Edward attended The Berklee College of Music, where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Electronic Music Production and a minor in Creative Coding. He was the first Berklee student to have his musical production presented at the Boston Conservatory. n

Kiyanna Jackson ’81 graduated early from Howard University and was a member of Howard University’s Women’s LaCrosse Team. n Sierra St. Cyr ’18, a three-year starter at point guard for Shenandoah University, averaged 10.5 points, a team-leading 7.5 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game for the Women’s Basketball Team where she earned All-ODAC honors. n Jakia Brown-Turner ’19 was named to the Atlantic Coast Conference First Team AllConference team and received Associated Press All-American Honorable Mention. Jakia scored double figures in every game this season, helping her team defeat two #1 teams and become ACC Conference Tournament Champions two years in a row. n

(continued on next page)

THE MUSTANG MESSENGER

ALUMNINEWS ALUMNINEWS Garrett Kirkland ’19 earned the Eastern Connecticut Conference’s Elite 19 Award for Mercy College men’s basketball. This honor is awarded to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade point average competing in each of the ECC’s 19 championships. Garrett has a 3.91 GPA. n Madison Scott ’20 is just the fourth women’s basketball player in The University of Mississippi’s history to ever win Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year, and the first for Ole Miss since the 2003-04 season. Madison was awarded SEC Freshman of the Week six times this season, becoming the third freshman in SEC women’s basketball history to earn this honor more than five times in a single season. She finished her first semester at the University of Mississippi with a 4.0 GPA. n

Raquel James ’21 developed her own product line of natural soaps for herself as a remedy for eczema. She began sharing it with family and friends and, during the pandemic, used her soap business to keep her productive. After the tragic loss of her father in October 2020, she found that her business helped her cope with grief. n The Admissions Office thanks Gabriela Grant ’16, Julia Kalshoven ’16, Martin McCarley ’17, Anissa Mose ’17, Christopher “Ross” Patterson ’17, Catherine Ramsey ’18, and Ayanna McCarley ’20 for their participation as alumni panelists for the Virtual Honors Breakfast for the Class of 2025. n The Advancement Office thanks Michael Anderson ’94, Melissa Antonio-Huar LR ’91, Wesley Bowers ’17, Jakia Brown-

THE MUSTANG MESSENGER

Turner ’19, Jasmine Brownlee ’21, Rod Chapman ’87, Kevin Clark ’09, Dr. Marco Clark ’85, Angelina Diehlmann LR ’85, Jeremy Diehlmann ’15, Jim Dillon ’79, Cameron Dreher ’12, Tarik Endale ’12, Nicaela Florentino ’21, Herman Gloster ’96, Marlisa Goldsmith ’07, Faith Harden ’21, Ken Harris ’82, LaShanta Harris ’93, Arthur Horne ’79, Tyoka Jackson ’89, Riyan Jones ’21, Taylor Jones ’21, Josephine Kalshoven ’15, Julia Kalshoven ’16, Jeff Kinney ’89, Brian Larkin ’99, Keita Malloy ’89, Armani Mason-Callaway ’09, Anissa Mose ’17, Tiffany Norwood LR ’85, David Perez ’21, Simisola Olorunwunmi ’18, Alex Owen ’16, Gemma Puglisi LR ’74, Breana Ross ’15, Madison Scott ’20, Ashley Sharp ’11, Robert Summers ’86, Kimberly Weaver ’14, Alexis White ’21, and Jared Wilson ’07 for participating as alumni guests, support, or volunteer callers during A Night of Mustang Giving: Phones Will Be Ringing. n The Advancement Office thanks those alumni who served on the Advancement Committee this school year for their service. This committee supports all of Bishop McNamara’s advancement activities and fundraising efforts including annual giving and the Faith. Family. Future! Capital Campaign for the La Reine Science & Innovation Center. Alumni include Ken Harris ’82, Jim Estepp ’84, Leon Reynolds ’84, Robert Summers ’86, LaShanta Harris ’93, Tracy Miller ’93, Jennifer Kilberg ’98, and Ashley Sharp ’11. n

CALLING ALL ALUMNI!

Do you have a big announcement? Maybe you’re getting married, having a baby or graduating from college – we want to know! Send us your news so that we can share it with your BMHS family! Please contact us at advancement@bmhs.org and let us know what’s new and exciting!

The Advancement Office thanks the Young Alumni Advancement Committee for their service to help Bishop McNamara’s efforts this school year to increase giving to the Bishop McNamara Fund. This year’s committee members include Aaron Barnes ’05, Kamisha Kellam ’05, Tiara Darnell ’07, Jared Wilson ’07, Anthony Conway ’07, Jitter Garcia ’08, Brianna Pippens ’08, Vincent Harrington ’09, Craig Glover-Hines ’09, Armani MasonCallaway ’09, Taylor Faulkner ’10, Mylah Howard ’10, Jamal Bailey ’11, Brandon Joyner ’11, Brittany Lynch-Carr ’12, Eric Darnell ’12, Kameron Dreher ’12, Tarik Endale ’12, Antonia Hill ’12, Aaron Hopkins ’12, Morgan Faulkner ’13, Safiya Parker ’13, Tyrus Jackson ’13, Alex Myers ’14, Kimberly Weaver ’14, Ashleigh Williams ’14, Kevin Glotfelty ’15, Jordan Mosby ’15, Eric Powell ’15, Breana Ross ’15, Bryanna Carter ’16, Frank Godfrey ’16, Gabriela Grant ’16, Alex Owen ’16, J’Mi Worthen ’16, Wesley Bowers ’17, Jordan Holder ’17, Anissa Mose ’17, Leah Vines ’17, Jenna Milner ’18, Simisola Olorunwunmi ’18, Tyme Britt-Collins ’19, and Nyela Williams ’19. Alumni from the classes of 2006-2021 are eligible to join the Young Alumni Advancement Committee for the 2021-2022 school year. If interested, please contact the Director for Mission Advancement Dr. Robert Van der Waag at (301) 735-8401, ext. 158 or via email at robert.vanderwaag@bmhs.org. n

in loving memory...

Eternal rest, grant unto them O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.

The information included on these pages reflects news shared with the Advancement Office from January 1, 2021 - May 31, 2021.

Diane (Scott) Hatley LR ’65 Dr. William F. Wheeler ’67 Michael J. Harper ’72 Brittany Chase ’06 Mrs. Susan Stanley, wife of Joseph Stanley, mother of Joseph Stanley ’67, Robert Stanley ’67, Marcia Stanley LR ’71, and Thomas Stanley ’75 Joseph Sappey, brother of Steve Sappey ’68 Shanna Woodbury, mother of Alexis Woodbury ’14 and Johnny Woodbury ’19 Naomi Webb, mother of Renee Chadwick LR ’75 George H. Tapscott, father of Director of Advancement Services Geneen Delarosa and grandfather of Christian H. Tapscott ’12 Maria Sanders, mother of Alliyah Sanders ’19 Rev. Robert DeLeon, C.S.C., former administrator

Bricks and benches for the Memorial Garden are available to purchase and personalize in memory of your loved ones. Additionally, memorial Mass Cards can be purchased from the Advancement Office. For more information, please contact Sandy Mammano, Director of Development at 301.735.8401 ext. 295.

THE MUSTANG MESSENGER

BISHOP McNAMARA HIGH SCHOOL 6800 Marlboro Pike Forestville, MD 20747-3270 301.735.8401 www.bmhs.org Address Service Requested

Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Forestville, MD Permit No. 2048

Vision: Empowered leaders, inspired by the Gospel, transforming the world. Mission: To educate hearts and minds in a dynamic, inclusive Catholic school community rooted in the Holy Cross tradition. Social Media Icons - Vector Set - Basic by @garrettgee United Way Code: 8895

CFC Code: 62489

AmazonSmile: Make Your Charitable Organization BMHS! AmazonSmile is a website operated by Amazon with the same products, prices, and shopping features as Amazon.com. The difference is that when you shop on AmazonSmile, the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price of eligible products to the charitable organization of your choice, which we hope you make Bishop McNamara High School. For more information, visit

smile.amazon.com

Stay connected with Bishop McNamara! visit our website: www.bmhs.org Bishop McNamara High School is an exempt organization as described in Section 501c3 of the Internal Revenue Code: EIN 52-0805939. Donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. A copy of the current financial statement of Bishop McNamara High School is available by writing to the Office of Institutional Advancement, Bishop McNamara High School, 6800 Marlboro Pike, Forestville, MD 20747 or by calling 301-735-8401. Documents and information submitted under the Maryland Solicitations Act are also available, for the cost of postage and copies, from the Maryland Secretary of State, State House, Annapolis, MD 21401, (410) 974-5534.

garrettright 2012 - Please do not redistribute as your own.