Mustang Messenger Summer 2015

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BISHOP McNAMARA HIGH SCHOOL 6800 Marlboro Pike Forestville, Maryland 20747 (p) 301.735.8401 (f ) 301.735.0934 PRESIDENT/CEO Dr. Marco J. Clark '85 PRINCIPAL Dr. Robert Van der Waag

The Mustang Messenger is published three times each year. We welcome comments, suggestions, and information.

ISSUE TITLE: "Commencement"

ADVANCEMENT OFFICE Director of Institutional Advancement L'oreal Edmondson '98 Director of Annual Programs Alice V. Case Director of Web Communications Janice Conlon Cuellar LR '69 Director of Alumni Relations Michael Jones '96 Director of Special Events Melissa Antonio Huar LR '91 Director of Communications Robert Feasley Graphic Designer Jasmine Johnson '10 Please contact: Advancement Office 301.735.8401 ext. 134

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Summer2015 CONTENTS 4 President's Pen 5-9 Around Campus Caritas Awards Mustang Golf Tournament Campus Chatter Reunion Information Is There a Doctor(ate) in the House?

Roll Call: Class of 2015 10-15 Academic Excellence Josephine Kalshoven '15: Woman of the Year Tamya Matthews '19: Triskaidekaphobia 16-18 Talent in the Arts Eric Lamont Powell, Jr. '15: Man of the Year 19-24 Athletic Pride Marcus Thornton '11: Hard Work of the Irish Ramar Williams '16: Fancy Footwork 25 Faith and Service Aaron and Latice Dillingham '15: Finding Hope After Loss 30-39 La Reine & McNamarAlumni The Alumni Association Jason Reynolds '00: Author of the Untold Character Alumni News Giving Page In Memory of CFC: 62489 United Way: 8895 Maryland Charities: 6137 ŠBMHS All Rights Reserved THE MUSTANG MESSENGER

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Dear Bishop McNamara and La Reine High School Family and Friends, As the School's 50th year comes to a close, I just can't help but think how proud our Founders, the Brothers of the Congregation of Holy Cross, would be with what is happening today at Bishop McNamara High School.

From our humble beginnings in 1964, when we opened our doors with 337 students in the freshman and sophomore classes, 10 Holy Cross Brothers, and two lay faculty members, to where we are today with a record enrollment of more than 885 students and a faculty and staff of 125, the vision and dreams of our Founders have undoubtedly surpassed all expectations. Today, there are more than 170 course offerings in the arts, sciences, mathematics, humanities, business, theology, and physical education.

Students can choose from more than 25 Advanced Placement programs, a host of Information Technology courses, read classic literature in their English classes, and build and program robots in their science classes. The Catholic Standard reported in 1965 that Bishop McNamara's curriculum was "designed in the present, based on the past, and geared to the future." That was 1965, and yet, in 2015, we proudly boast that Bishop McNamara offers a 21st Century Renaissance Education that blends the arts and sciences with a focus on creativity and innovation, all taught in a framework of justice and charity.

As alumni and alumnae of Bishop McNamara and La Reine High Schools, you should also be proud of our newest alumni, the class of 2015. Over the course of four years, these talented and committed young people performed more than 26,000 hours of service to the poor and marginalized. Over 99 percent of these graduates will be attending some of the top colleges and universities in the nation this fall including Dartmouth University, the U.S. Naval Academy, University of Notre Dame, University of Virginia, Georgetown University, Duquesne University, Catholic University, St. Edward's University, and so many more. In fact, this class was accepted into 205 different colleges and universities and earned over $16 million in scholarships, grants, and aid. More than 60 percent of the class of 2015 graduated with a 3.0 or better and 62 percent will be attending higher education on an academic merit-based grant or scholarship. What I am most proud about is that they now leave our doors with "the competence to see and the courage to act" - central tenets of Fr. Moreau's goal of Holy Cross education.

The rejoicing doesn't stop there, however. For the second straight year, Bishop McNamara was named the top private school in Prince George's County by the readers of the Prince George's County Gazette. As well, under the leadership of Director of Alumni Relations Michael Jones '96 and a small group of committed and dedicated alumni from both Bishop McNamara and La Reine High Schools, we reinstated the Alumni Association, blending the proud traditions and histories of both schools.

Let us not forget, too, that this year we launched the most ambitious capital campaign in our school's history, the Faith.Family.Future! Campaign, with our sights set on breaking ground for the new La Reine Science Center within the next few years.

With just our first 50 years behind us, the future has never looked brighter! Thank you for all of your support, love, trust, and prayers. Truly, the best is yet to come!

Ave Crux Spes Unica, Dr. Marco J. Clark '85 President/CEO @mustangprez 4

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2015 CARITAS AWARDS 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.

Presidential Award Mrs. Kathy Link Distinguished Alumni Mr. William Paul Jones '79 Distinguished Staff Service Mrs. Susanne Mendiola Distinguished Young Alumni Ms. Kristian Owens '05 St. Andre Caritas Medal Ms. Sonita Singh LR '91 Holy Cross Award Mr. Michael Mattera '67 Distinguished Faculty Service Mrs. Nancy Cunningham Distinguished Volunteer Mrs. Denise Payne Presidential Award Mrs. Rosie Allen-Herring

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Several additional seniors signed their National Letters of Intent (NLIs) this spring. Jay Adams '15 committed to Albright College (Football), Mackenzie Alvarez '15 committed to St. Peter's University (Volleyball), Deja Bell '15 committed to The Ohio State University (Track & Field), Monet Fontaine '15 committed to Morgan State University (Volleyball), Laura Johnson '15 committed to St. Francis University (Women's Lacrosse), and Rasheed Slade '15 committed to Western Illinois University (Men's Tennis).

Jeffrey Belfield '16 earned a second place prize in a competition sponsored by the Brothers of Holy Cross for a film that he produced titled, "Wake Up the World!"

Bishop McNamara students Alexandria Castro '17 and Keith Sykes '17 were selected to attend the Maryland Day Ceremony as student representatives.

Four Bishop McNamara juniors received awards and certificates of merit from The National Society of Arts and Letters.

David Cobb, Jr. '16 received the Award in Art. Gabriela Grant '16 was a Certificate of Merit recipient in Dance. Dana McCoy '16 and Jada Twitty '16 each received Certificates of Merit in Music.

The Bishop McNamara Key Club attended the 66th Annual Capital District Key Club Leadership Convention from March 20-22, 2015. Ileana Fenwick '16 was recognized as a Distinguished Club President and Alonzo Farley '16 was recognized as a Distinguished Club Secretary within the division.

Kiyanna Jackson '18 was accepted to participate in the Young Scholars Program at The University of Maryland, College Park this summer.

Christopher Jones '17 was accepted into the American Advertising Federation "AdCamp" program in Washington, D.C. for the summer on a full scholarship.

Ryan Middleton '06, a community organizer and field representative for Senator Ben Cardin, visited Bishop McNamara to speak with freshman

government classes.

Jordan Mosby '15 and Megan Snider '15 received the Kiwanis Good Citizenship Award, for citizenship and leadership.

Taylor Nolan '17, Jamir Moultrie '17, Myka Johnson Matthews '15, and Morgan Smith '16 were Washington Post All-Met Team Selections! Taylor finished with an Honorable Mention for Track and Field, Jamir finished on the 4th Team for boys' basketball, Myka finished on the 2nd Team for girls' basketball, and Morgan finished on the 3rd Team for girls' basketball.

Krystlyn Palmer '15 received the Outstanding Female Catholic Youth Award for the Archdiocese of Washington, Office of Youth Ministry/Catholic Organization Award for her contribution to our young people and community life.

Ashley Rivette '17 received the Major Syllabus Scholarship after attending the Cecchetti East Coast Spring Conference in March.

Charles Shryock, Department Chair for the English Department, received his Master of Arts in Education Organization and Leadership from Columbia University.

Thomas Weaver '15 is one of 11 finalists to have been selected to travel to Los Angeles, California in July to compete for up to a $5,000 scholarship in the MLK Drum Major for Justice Advocacy Competition, held by the National Bar Association.

Joseph Webb '96, an international awardwinning dancer, visited Bishop McNamara on April 21st to speak and perform for our aspiring dancers. Joseph, a professional dancer currently based in Washington, D.C., heads the House of Tap after a storied career in New York City.

Javin White '16 was named as the 20152016 Lieutenant Governor for the Capital District of Key Club International, a student-led organization that provides opportunities of service and leadership.

Quarterback Ramar Williams '16 was nominated to the 2016 U.S. Army AllAmerican Game.

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UPCOMING EVENTS LRHS Class of 1965: La Reine Class of 1965 will host their 50th Reunion on Friday, September 25th through Sunday, September 27, 2015 at the Sheraton Columbia Town Center. For questions or to receive more information on the event, please contact Terry Hoffman LR '65 at thoffmann1@verizon.net.

LRHS Class of 1975: The La Reine Class of 1975 will host their 40th Class Reunion on Saturday, August 1, 2015 at the Historic Inn of Annapolis from 6-11 p.m.

Bishop McNamara High School President/CEO Dr. Marco J. Clark '85 will attend the event, where he'll share details about the future of La Reine's legacy with the planned construction of the La Reine Science Center as well as the progression of the Faith.Family.

Future! Capital Campaign.

BMHS Class of 1990: Reunion has been postponed.

Please look out for further information.

If anyone has any questions or would like to join the planning committee, contact bmhs90reunion@gmail.com or visit the Bishop McNamara 1990 group page on Facebook.

Summer Camps at Bishop McNamara There's still time to register for Bishop McNamara High School summer camps! Camps are available until August 15!

Full information is available on our website, www.bmhs.org!

SAVE THE DATE The Alumni Association Official Launch Party August 28, 6:00 p.m.

Alumni Hall Join us for the official kickoff of "The Association" as we celebrate Bishop McNamara and La Reine High School history!

Bishop McNamara Alumni Homecoming October 23-24 Reconnect with alumni, faculty, and staff during the weekend's events! Keep on the lookout for upcoming Homecoming information!

For more information, contact Advancement at advancement@bmhs.org

Don't miss out on: Boy's Basketball Camp Girl's Basketball Camp Boy's Soccer Camp Girl's Soccer Camp Girl's Volleyball Camp Dance Camp and more!

For more information, contact: Jeffrey Southworth '05 Jeffrey.Southworth@bmhs.org or 301.735.8401 x. 102 Let Bishop McNamara Help You Plan Your Reunion Bishop McNamara High School is calling on the following BMHS and La Reine High School classes, and any other interested parties, to let the School help organize and promote their reunions: Classes of 1970, 1975, 1980, 1985, and 2000: it's Reunion time! If interested in planning a class Reunion, please contact: Director of Advancement L'oreal Edmondson '98 Loreal.Edmondson@bmhs.org 301.735.8401 ext. 134

For further information, visit www.bmhs.org

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From L to R: Dr. Robert Van der Waag, Dr. Nigel Traylor, Dr. Katie White, Dr. Kimberly D. Mason '00, Dr. Nancy Paltell, and Dr. Marco J. Clark '85.

Not pictured: Charmayne Clark LR '85, Esquire and Dr. Ann G. Martin

During the 2015-2016 school year, Bishop McNamara High School will have a faculty of whom over 60 percent have advanced degrees. The School will employ a number of individual members of the faculty with Doctoral – Ph.D., Ed.D., or J.D. – degrees. This level of employment and level of education of our formative leaders is unprecedented in the School's history.

Dr. Kimberly D. Mason '00 Science Teacher Ph.D. in Microbiology Howard University

Dr. Robert Van der Waag Principal Ph.D. in Systematic Theology Duquesne University

Dr. Ann G. Martin Latin Teacher Ph.D. in Medieval Studies University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Dr. Katie White English Teacher Ph.D. in Women's Studies University of Maryland, College Park

Charmayne Clark LR '85, Esquire Social Studies Teacher J.D. in Law Washington & Lee University

Dr. Nancy Paltell Science Teacher Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry Iowa State University

Dr. Chris Williams Social Studies Teacher Honorary Degree Mount St. Mary's University

Dr. Marco J. Clark '85 President/CEO Ed.D. in Interdisciplinary Leadership Creighton University

Dr. Nigel Traylor Assistant Principal & Academic Dean Ed.D. in Educational & Org. Leadership Nova Southeastern University

Along with those awarded their degrees are several other faculty and staff members currently in various stages of their own Doctoral Candidacies.

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BISHOP McNAMARA HIGH SCHOOL Class of 2015 Roll Call Sardea Alia Abdul Taniyah Imani Abdulbarr Devon George Adams Jay Brian Adams Olanike Moyosoreoluwa Adejunmobi Jillian Makala Allen Alexis B. Alston Mackenzie Olivia Alvarez Krista Monet Anderson Morgan Elizabeth Anderson Christian Philippe André Joseph Price Barber Brieana Alexis Bates Jennifer Beach Daniel Jacob Beall Tariq Aaron Beasley Charles Anthony Belinky Deja Sharvae Bell Jordan Everard Bernard Samantha Ann Bowie Justin Matthew Boyd T'iara JeNae Bracken Ayanna Charel Braswell Blair Terese Braswell Alisha Brown Renée Michelle Brown Michael Edward Bryant Stephanie Maria Buggs Cameron Elijah Burnette Hannah Bush Alexa Angela Serapio Cabotaje Vivian Cao Kaela Alicyn Clark Kendall Janaye Clark McKenzie Taylor Clinkscale Dianii Leilannii Linda Commissiong Angelo Lucien Consoli, III Imari Isaiah Conway Justin Garnet Cotten Bradley Emerson Credit David Lamar Dasher Brandon Davis LeNiya Savon Davis Z'ane Breana Davis-Smith David Michael Dichoso Jeremy Thomas Diehlmann Aaron Marquise Dillingham Latice Moneē Dillingham Kevin Zenya Donnalley Taylor Ann Dotson Madeline Anne Dougherty Jordene Leanna Downer Kendyl Marie Dreher Golie Gregory-James Dunn Jasmine Nicole Dyson Kotoy Vincent Edwards, Jr. Yemiserach Endale Robert Stephen Feather Ellen Ann Ferguson Teneishia Chantel Ferrell Monét Antoinette Fontaine Gianni Allen Ford Fields Déjà Nishelle Forster Alexandra Ann Fortune Brandon Tomas Foster Daisean Foster Jeanelle Gabrielle Foster Alexander Daniel Franklin Mario Panayiotis Freni Markel Octavious Gale

Calyn Jhane' Gilchrist Grant Fortunato Gioffre Kevin Mark Glotfelty Natalie Teresa Goffney Bria Alixandria Goode Janelle Yvette A. Gozum Philip Josiah Graden Daniella Justine Gutierrez Elena Christine Gwynn Essence Helen Manago Hansberry Christal Cymoné Harley Dinecia Janay Harris Dominique Rashida Hawkins Sydney Danielle Hawkins Nichelle Sharrone Hayes Alexis Marie Hemmer Leah Nicole Herring Morgan Serene Hightower Jordan Robert Hinkle Riley Paige Holbert Victoria Danielle Holifield Christopher Stephen Hoog Mattea Dora Horton Michael Jachuku Omotyo Howard Ashley Zora Hylton Chikwado Boniface Ibe Laura Tabitha Irwin Celyna Bethni Jackson Fatima Nellie Jackson Makaela Simone Jackson Robert DeWayne Jackson, Jr. Michael Anthony James, II William Jerome Jefferson, IV Courtney Simone Jiggetts Akosua Sennu Johnson Alex Williams Johnson Cornell Everette Johnson Justin Robert Johnson Laura Catherine Johnson Myka McKenzie Johnson Matthews Brevin Maurice Jones Brian Keith Jones, Jr. Kristopher Jarel Jones Josephine Marie Kalshoven Anna Gabriella Kelleher Kyle Alexander Knight Noah Hiapoihilani Konohia Mary Hendriena Korendyke Payton Lambert Avery Teresa Langster Rachel Sarah Leader Madison Adia Lee Miracle LaKesha Lee Thomas Edmund Leonard Mindy Lo Andrew Nemeka Maduakor Michael Lazcano Magnaye Ceandria Corlesia Mars Kennie Jeffrey May, Jr. Isaac Christopher McClure Thomas Gerald McGinley Brandon Calvin McIntyre William Roja Medley, II Micaela Antoinette Miles Martin Fernando Mitchell Justin Villas Montero Jordan Malik Mosby Simone Elyse Murphy Nkwelle Nkwelle Sierra Christina Oates

Kholby Khristina Oliver Morgan Sierra Latrese Osborne Uchenna Nwamaka Osia Krystlyn J'Nae Palmer Nathan A. Payne Marquise Trevon Peel Joann Christine Lubang Perez Anthony Thomas Piazza Lauren Nicole Pittman Angelita Diamond Pollard Lyndsey Nicole Pollard Dean Jemar Pottinger Eric Lamont Powell, Jr. Alexis Sierra Proctor Jazzmyn Yolonda Proctor Kyle Clinton Rawls Breanna Marie Raymond Lauriel Razo Anthony Reambonanza Daric Tyler Rich Moira Santos Rimando Christina Joanne Robinson Breana Nadene Ross Leah Kamilya Ross Robert Russell Rush, III Briana Destiny Samms Zaynah Amoni Sayles Taylor Monet Singleton Rasheed Hermes Slade Amber Kristina Smith Samuel Adam Smith Laken Alexandria Smothers Megan Violet Snider Kristian Andrew Spears Jesse Horace Springfield Joshua Raymond Stattel Buford Fred Stennis, III Mendia Elizabeth Street-Council Briana Kirsten Sumpter Cheyenne Meredith Taylor Nyla Leandra Taylor Antwaan Christopher Thomas Cathryn Christiana Martha-Marie Tsu Elijah Jonte-Marquis Turner Mary Amarachi Uzoukwu Shaunyce Drenee Vance Aa'liyah Walker Kayla L. Walker Calvaughn Laurence Warren Tiara Jewel Watson Thomas Terrell Weaver Sky Nathan Sharpe Weiss Jordan Alyssa Wells Ashton Drew White Bria Marnette Barbara Whitfield Kaycie Marie Willard Brandon Lynn Williams Joy LaShawn Williams Charles L. Willis, Jr. Jordan Rose Wilson Kerry D. Wilson, II Chase Rodney Wooten Jordan Frazier Wright Tyler Allen Wyatt Rochell Ann Chiva Yacat Imani Brianna Yorker Cedric Graham Young

210 Graduates 30,000+ service hours $16+ million in scholarships THE MUSTANG MESSENGER

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The Adventures of Josephine Kalshoven '15 ยง

The place smelled moldy. She heard water dripping from somewhere farther inside, storm water infallibly making its way from a leaking roof down, down, down to the ground floor. The prison guard did not speak to Flavia as he led her along the hall. The floor was wood. There was something about walking on wood that made her feel as if she were going to fall through. The texture, perhaps, or better yet the groan it emoted with every step she took. Stone walkways never complained.

'What am I doing?' she asked herself.

Not being timid. That is what I'm doing. Flavia glanced at the brutish guard and raised an eyebrow, forcing her voice to sound calm, and her hand to react steadily. She drew in a fiery power from her surroundings and, as any lightweaver could, vanquished the guard with a flick of her revealed wand. Free of her despot, she continued her way along her creaky path, hoping that information of her father's disappearance would reveal itself at the end of her current tunnel.

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hat was a rendition, approximation, or at best, hypothesis, of how an excerpt of Josephine Kalshoven's '15 book could read. Despite warranted pleas, no one but Josephine and the literary agent that discovered her as a precocious child have read any of the book in its current state. It's a stab in the dark at how an excerpt from her novel could read.

The "seven-year stream of consciousness," as she puts it, morphed from, at first, "my best try as an 11-year old to not plagiarize Harry Potter and The Chronicles of Narnia" to, "a science fiction fantasy novel with elements of a thriller set in an alternate universe interplayed with technology, magic, science, and politics." She says she's still working on her 'elevator pitch.' She first received a professional contract for the book at age 11, when she finished it, but then was unable to sign the contract as she was underage. She's since been working and re-working her creation, to publish by summer's end.

The majority of her classmates, while certainly aware of her academic and extracurricular prowess, have no idea of the project of passion she's endured the past seven years. The notebook she carries around, filled with notes on plot twists and character developments, is small enough to be tucked into a pocket and keep from prying eyes.

Such is the nature of Josephine. The humble, unapologetic Woman of the Year was also Valedictorian, a Moreau Scholar, a member of the Tri-M Music Honor Society, International Thespian Honor Society, and the Rho Kappa Social Studies Honor Society, along with being named an AP Scholar with Distinction, and the English and Math departments award winner. Her "brag sheet," by which all seniors are able to list their accomplishments to send out to colleges and universities, is more of a "brag packet," though far be it from the realm of possibility to hear Josephine muster a brag.

She is and always has been an intrinsically motivated devotee of life, literature, and academia.

The Ideal Self Flavia, the protagonist in her novel, yet untitled, began as Josephine's ideal self.

"She was everything I wanted to be at 11 years old," she said. "She was slightly older,

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definitely cool, and was way into horses."

The horse part, she admits, wasn't as much of a stretch. "She was me, but a better me," she said.

The plan, as only a child in middle school in the midst of their first book contract negotiation could create, was to craft a character that, once a movie producer decided to adopt her novel and turn it into a major motion picture release, only she could portray on the silver screen. Aside from writing her own future best seller, Josephine was writing herself into the first movie in which she would presumably star.

"It wasn't about who I wasn't at that age, but who I wanted to be when I grew up."

Accordingly, Flavia was a strong, female character with unwavering convictions.

As the years passed and the edits overtook her original storyline, her relation to Flavia began to evolve. "As I became more self aware as an author, I realized that popular stories often contain a fair amount of strife," she said. "In fact, I've heard it said that no one should ever hope to star in a fantasy story unless they really, really dislike their parents, because they usually die." She'd also written her siblings and friends into the storyline, but as it became more complex and involved, she began to write them out of her stories. "For my story to have depth, sometimes bad things had to happen, and I couldn't bear to have anything bad happen to someone I loved – real or otherwise."

Flavia also lost her implacable sense of stoicism. Bothered by the lack of emotion in popular fantasy novels, she allowed Flavia to grieve for her losses and celebrate her victories. "It was a learning situation for me, in which I realized that the mark of a true hero is one who struggles, but still manages to overcome."

Flavia's relationship to the villain in the story, a seemingly evil, malevolent, shadowy character, also changed. While at Bishop McNamara, Josephine took a religion class that, she said, shifted her view on the subject. During a day in class, the topic of discussion hovered on the death penalty and whether that person, or anyone in the class, was as bad as the worst thing they'd ever done. It made the future Valedictorian think, and then shift the concept of good and evil, accordingly, towards the moral gray of the topic in her book. "I couldn't

just make someone inherently evil or good anymore," she said. "Everyone, in my story at least, has their reasons for being who they are, and when I publish the story, I hope people have a hard time thinking about which side they're on." Josephine did not face the moral or philosophical dilemmas that her character, at the time, was facing, but as a devout Catholic, took to heart the lesson of judgment of character. "It's impossible to write myself and my faithguided sense of morality out of the story," she said. "Even in an alternate universe."

The Next Adventure Despite the intricate storyline weaved over the past seven years, Josephine promises that the book is a one-and-done. "I considered making a series out of it, but I probably don't have the patience to write four or five more books just about one story line," she said. In over 200 pages, supposedly, the story will wrap up, just as her own story, as a freshman at Dartmouth University, will be set to begin.

The graduate is beginning her freshman year this fall, where she plans on majoring in Biochemistry, while minoring in theatre, but is reticent at the thought of leaving behind her Bishop McNamara classmates.

Her "McNamara moment," if it could be defined as just one, came this spring with a band trip to Atlanta, Georgia, at a Hard Rock CafĂŠ. She also plays an instrument, as if her already protracted list of after-school activities and extracurricular activities wasn't long enough. Sitting and waiting for dinner with her classmates at the cafĂŠ, Uptown Funk by Bruno Mars came on overhead. Without warning or prompting, the entire band trip burst into song and dance, with the waiting staff shortly joining in. "It was one of those transcendent moments where, even though I wasn't at McNamara, I was like, can I really leave this? Am I really about to leave this amazing place?"

The place she's leaving, she says, is to credit with her creative inspiration and academic maturation. "There's no other place where I could have been allowed to focus so sincerely on getting good grades, participating in so many extracurricular activities, and discovering my own self," she says. To that, the protagonist of her next adventure will not be Flavia, but Josephine, herself.

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amya Matthews '19, an incoming freshman from Clinton, Maryland and Mt. Calvary Catholic School, is undoubtedly the only student Bishop McNamara High School has ever accepted to be featured on ESPN before even setting foot in the school. Her sport of choice: Spelling.

A two-time Prince George's County Spelling Bee Champion and Scripps National Spelling Bee qualifier, Tamya got her start in second grade when a teacher innocently asked who wanted to partake in a school-wide Bee. Nonchalantly, Tamya remembers her relatively simple decision-making process for what, surely, was the highest stake spelling bee in second grade history in Prince George's County. "I liked to read books and spelling had never been difficult

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for me," she said. "So I figured why not!"

She won her second grade spelling bee, of course, but like any legend in the making, had to suffer a setback. In third grade, Webster's Undefeated, Unabridged Champion – the Sultan of Spelling – the Queen Bee of the Spelling Bee – the Advocate of Adverbs – the Princess of Pronouns – the Veritable Vituperator of Vocabulary – lost her school's spelling bee. Just as Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team, so too was Tamya's dream of becoming a repeat champion dashed. "I was crushed," she said. The culprit of her demise: "plumber.

I rushed through the word and didn't even think about the silent 'b' in it," she said. "I'll never misspell that one again."

In the likeness of His Airness' emboldened competitive spirit, in front of school and

classmates, the third grader vowed to never lose another spelling bee. Her reign over her classmates and competitors, henceforth, was merciless.

Triskaidekaphobia Though not forthcoming about it, Tamya's first name has frequently been misspelled.

"It's kind of ironic that I participate in spelling bees with a first name that's tough to spell, but I guess," she said, making a reference to repeat Scripps champions Vanya Shivanshankar and Gokul Venkatachalam, "all the good spellers have tough names."

With that in mind, try, as best as you can, to pronounce triskaidekaphobia correctly without tripping over any of the seven syllables. The Prince George's Board of Education considers words such as

this beyond "grade-level classification."

Triskaidekaphobia translates, literally, into the fear of the number 13. Ironically, it's Tamya's favorite word to spell, as the incoming freshman is still only 13 and, certainly, is afraid of nothing.

Aside from her passion for spelling, Tamya also enjoys acting on the theatre stage and playing basketball, softball, and the clarinet.

"Well-rounded" isn't used in Scripps competitions – hyphenated words aren't eligible – so it's an unfair word to describe the young talent. Exceptional? Sure, why not.

To study for the Scripps National Spelling Bee, however, Tamya and her parents create a regiment for her ambitious aspirations.

While Tamya jokes that, "without auto correct, my parents would be lost," they both studied with her as a young speller, working their way through flashcards, dictionaries – abridged and unabridged – and study guides provided by Scripps online.

Due to the nature of competition, contestants not only have to learn how to spell every word they can manage to find, of which there are over 80,000 alone in the Scripps addendum section, but also know the meaning of the word, the pronunciation, the language of origin for the word, and the word's favorite weekend pastimes (and how to recognize sarcasm). Due to the vast word bank used by Bee judges, anything that can clue a contestant into remembering a word is useful.

So to the training regiment.

Tamya, first and foremost, loves the dictionary. "It's such a cliché to say I read the dictionary, but in my time off, I really do read it!" she said. She's gifted with a fantastic, but not photographic, memory (allegedly). A word or page of the dictionary won't leave Tamya with a complete, newly impressed vocabulary.

She studies before school, during recess, sometimes during class to the chagrin of her teachers, and as soon as she gets home. She has flashcards in her studying rotation that she hasn't reached in months because her stack of other words to master have piled up so incessantly. She also reads voraciously.

Her mother orders her a new book off of the New York Times' top seller list every

week and, by the time she begins her freshman year, she'll likely have read more books – quantitatively and qualitatively – than a graduating college senior.

sesquipedalian, which she has been able to do since she was in fifth grade.

Truth be shared, there is no secret to her success other than genuine hard work.

Tamya is a brilliant, young student, but above that has a passion for academic study not often found among those in her age group. She enjoys the pursuit of the unconquered word and the unexplored etymology.

The cruelty of the Scripps National Spelling Bee is that the competition is exclusively for those 15-years old and under. Because the comparison was already made earlier, imagine that Michael Jordan couldn't play in the NBA past the age of 30. MJ would only have three titles under his belt – impressive, but not worthy of the lore.

Her friend and fellow incoming freshman, Nicole Pennington '19, who accompanied her to the interview, just shakes her head and giggles about her friend when asked.

"She's the most mature friend I have, and I sometimes have to look at her when she tells me about what she's been doing and say, 'are you crazy?' She's awesome."

But back to a less nationally contentious subject – the life of a retired Scripps National Spelling Bee participant.

Effectively, Tamya has hung up her cleats – shelved the dictionary – stored her flashcards – abridged her unabridged career (sorry, can't help it). She still casually flips through the dictionary when the mood suits her, but her laser-like focus has shifted elsewhere. For one, she has four younger cousins that she wants to bring up through the national ranks. "My biggest regret," she said sounding like a grizzled veteran in her twilight years reflecting on her youthful career, "was not starting earlier and not having an official coach." She plans on being their coach and, to her satisfaction, the kids have already taken to her teaching.

Her youngest cousin, only four years old, has long left two syllable words behind and is now moving onto three syllable words – words like 'precocious' that are often used to describe children advanced for their age.

LOL Do U Txt? Most pressing in Tamya's story is the case so heavily stacked against the "millennial generation."

While a little young to technically be considered a millennial – she's among the first students admitted to Bishop McNamara not born in the 20th Century – she is still a native member to a demographic that has been cited for being the "mehlennial generation" by The Washington Post as recently as March 2, 2015, in an article titled, "U.S. Millennials Post 'Abysmal' Scores in Skills Test." The idea presented is that the generation of workers and adolescents, with an overexposure of technology in their lives, have been overly inundated with its utility, and thereby have suffered in the classroom, workplace, and free space.

To this, Tamya's accomplishments, coupled with her incoming class, offer a sharp rebuke. Tamya doesn't text with abbreviations, doesn't eschew books for Twitter, and refuses to "Keep up with the Kardashians." Her favorite movie is Akeela and the Bee, a story of an inner-city girl who loses her father to gang violence and then finds redemption in the pursuit of Spelling Bees. For a generation criticized for lacking the ability to write or form cogent sentences, she stands as a young girl that actually reads the dictionary. She also has aspirations beyond spelling the word

Hanging up the Dictionary

She also wants to produce a documentary.

With her friend, Nicole, she plans to write, produce, shoot, and edit a film for a competition sponsored by C-Span about a new law or legislative motion passed or in the process of being passed either nationally or in the state of Maryland, all while enjoying her time, as she puts it, "as a regular Bishop McNamara student."

Reading the dictionary and flipping through flash cards, as it turns out, are time consuming tasks. To that, she may also take up interior decorating, sous chef duties, and feature film making to add HGTV, The Food Network, and HBO to her television station resume.

Or not. She hasn't begun high school yet, so she has time to decide. Maybe she'll even crack open the Thesaurus and make a run as a 15-year old. Michael Jordan played for the Wizards, after all.

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M

an of the Year Eric Lamont Powell, Jr. '15 – or E.L.P.J. by his hip hop moniker – as part of an audition for an acting scholarship to Bishop McNamara High School, chose to perform a monologue for Mrs. Mary MitchellDonahue, Fine Arts Department Chair and Theatre Director. The speech, several minutes in length, was set in an alleyway, on a dark evening. In the story, a young man, spray-painting on a wall, was stopped by a police officer. The officer, immediately, accused the young man of illegal graffiti, to which the young man responded, "this is not graffiti, but my chosen medium of art." A verbal sparring ensued, in which the young man attempted to convince the officer that his form of expression – his art, if the officer would consider it such – was a free and decent expression of self, rather than a derogatory form of property vandalism.

The Man of the Year Award is the highest honor a male graduating senior can receive. Recipients of the award bear witness to the core values and principles of what it means to be a, "Holy Cross Man" – one of faith, honesty, and integrity. They possess strength of character, are compassionate, and are committed to service. They are respecters of all persons, are leaders who pursue truth and goodness, and value education, understanding that the mind must not be cultivated at the expense of the heart. They actively pursue an intimate relationship with God and they seek to make Him known, loved, and served in their daily lives.

Eric chose the monologue because the story appealed to him and, to a certain extent, he could empathize with the kid. He isn't a graffiti artist, though he did get his start in the artistic realm by drawing on a piece of paper, but does ascribe to the counterculture beats of the Hip Hop world's iconoclasts as an aspiring artist. Eric has never shied away from his faith, honesty, or integrity, both as a Bishop McNamara student, and as an artist.

Hip Hop Roots Ask Eric who his biggest influences are in Hip Hop, and he's hard-pressed to answer the question. "I draw my music – my art – from life itself, and as such, I appreciate the story and the struggle behind every piece of music, regardless of whether I like it or not," he said. On his short list, though, are The Notorious B.I.G., Tupac Shakur, Rakim, the Fugees, Nas, Talib Kweli, Big L, Lauren Hill, Common, N.W.A., and Jay Electronica, among others.

The music first caught his ear as a 10-year

old. As difficult as it is to believe from a student regularly featured on stage in varying capacities, Eric was cripplingly shy.

"Even by the time I got to middle school, I didn't speak with anyone," he said. "Even the kids I'd gone to school with since Kindergarten, I had a hard time speaking with."

Throughout the day, Eric would draw in his notebook and write rhymes. "I had two friends that I would perform with," he said.

"But nobody knew what I was about or what I could do because I was so afraid to show everyone my true self." Despite this, Eric was heavily involved in local stage work as an actor, beginning as a young kid.

"I was shy, but it seemed like when I got up on stage, that all kind of disappeared."

In eighth grade, partially out of a dare and partially out of a desire to test his own levels of discomfort, Eric signed up to perform at the school's talent show.

Despite having never performed for anyone but his two closest friends and himself in

the mirror, the young man stood up and, in front of the entirety of Saint Ambrose Parish & School, performed a song about his relationship with God, his hometown, and his call for service. That same entirety was floored. "Suddenly, people knew who I was," he said, "and suddenly, I kind of knew who I was."

By the time he turned 14, Eric had released his first EP – 'extended play,' a term used for a musical recording that contains more music than a single, but is usually too short to qualify as a full studio album or 'LP.' As his confidence in the spoken word grew, so too did his involvement in drawing and other forms of art. "I feel like when I draw, I can draw a thought I have or emotion I feel and when I act, I can take on someone else's life and make it my own, but with my music, I find my own voice and know it's where I can fully express myself without having to change or filter anything," he said. "I can just be me."

"Be Me" Manifesting himself is something Eric aspires to do. The act of realizing his full self, Eric feels, is a mission of artistic and spiritual pursuit. Since he was a demure child, he has mapped out not only the ways in which he will fulfill his potential, but also change the world. He doesn't scoff at the idea that one idea could change everything, and Eric has just such ambitions, planning to do so through his music.

His next step, he says, is to attend college.

Check that off of the list, as the graduate is headed to Howard University in the fall to major in Communications and minor in Theatre. Through his music, poetry, and education, he intends to teach, and through his teaching he hopes to reach and spark the minds of the masses, particularly of his own generation, into thinking and assisting in the fostering of a new age, worldwide,

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Eric Lamont Powell, Jr. '15, in his audition for an acting scholarship, portrayed a young man forced to justify his chosen art form as a righteous mode of self-expression.

cultural revolution. With his platform as an artist and teacher, he will advocate for social justice and education, just as his Hip Hop forefathers before him did.

The sincerity of his words and actions isn't speculative, either. His mission statement is spelled out on his online Soundcloud profile nearly verbatim, though he refers to himself by his rap name – E.L.P.J. He doesn't remember, he says, when this plan was set into motion, but rather that he's always had the inalienable itch. "I've always had a feeling I was meant to serve and to educate," he said. "God the Creator has something better for us and I want to be able to submit and to execute his will," he said. "I want to be someone who uplifts and fulfills His desires for my people and my community."

At Bishop McNamara, he says, he felt that he was supported in that role. When, on a whim, he decided he wanted to be involved with the remarkable Sankofa productions, he approached Mr. Victor Bah, incapable of dancing or drumming, and asked if he could narrate for the 2015 production of Sankofa:

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Cristo. Mr. Bah, aware of his prowess with the spoken word, agreed and, even during the opening night of the show, threw him constant challenges to overcome. In the closing scene of Act 1, when Jesus was tempted by the Devil following his 40-day religious fast, Mr. Bah approached Eric, as he might a professional narrator, moments before the scene was to begin and told him matter-of-factly, "we need words here, so make them."

Eric, well versed in the story of Jesus but completely unscripted, gave a memorable monologue off of the top of his head that, he said, he felt empowered to do. "Mr. Bah trusted me, and that meant a lot to me."

The same kind of trust and appreciation fostered Eric from a fledgling artist to the Emcee that, quite literally, 'dropped the mic' following his rousing performance of his hit single, "DMV, Right on Time," at the conclusion of the Bishop McNamara talent show this spring. He, of course, picked up the mic right afterwards, dusted it off, and apologized to Mrs. Keller, who he calls "Mama Kells" for letting it slip out of his hands.

"I'm going to do Stuff!"

Eric, unlike the young man he portrayed in his monologue years past, was never challenged to justify his artistic endeavors as righteous pursuits. However, now his challenge is to be forthcoming with his musical confrontation to the public. Pitting himself against the music industry – that which he declares the reason for the decline in social justice messages receiving airplay – he has allied himself with like-minded artists, and is assisted with the tools available in the 21st Century.

With resources such as Internet radio, he is able to receive traction for his music despite its blatant disregard for the eschewing of artistic integrity in the face of financial windfall. "I've been taught by my musical idols, teachers, and classmates that pursuing your purpose in life isn't a negotiable task; I will not sell out to make money, because doing what's right for your friends, family, and community is above any price." His message, he says, will hopefully reach the world and, when it does, he'll be ecstatic to explain to everyone how and why his medium of expression is art.

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D

uring an impromptu media day, four days after Marcus Thornton '11 was selected 45th overall by the Boston Celtics in the NBA Draft – becoming the first Bishop McNamara alumnus in the School's 50-year history to be drafted into the NBA – and hours before he was set to fly to Boston to be introduced to the media, Marcus shot around on the Bishop McNamara school court to the awe of cameramen and friendly onlookers. "He's probably more nervous right now with all these cameras on him than he ever was in college playing in front of thousands of people," joked Chris Miller, the Wizards Insider for Comcast Sports Network.

The comment, made in jest, was an impromptu, but compelling summary of the over-looked journey Marcus took to reach the heights of hearing his named called by Adam Silver, commissioner of the NBA. Far from "the chosen one," as LeBron James was dubbed by Sports Illustrated while he was still in high school, Marcus'

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road was one of grit, heart, and hard work to prove he belonged among the best.

Before being drafted by the Celtics, Marcus had individual workouts with 11 teams: The Brooklyn Nets, Charlotte Hornets, Dallas Mavericks, Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, Oklahoma City Thunder, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers, San Antonio Spurs, Utah Jazz, and Washington Wizards. He

even held workouts for multiple teams simultaneously in New York and Los Angeles, all while finishing his degree in Kinesiology at the College of William & Mary.

Before working out for various NBA teams, Marcus competed at the NBA's pre-draft camp in Portsmouth, where he earned an invitation to the NBA combine in Chicago.

While in Chicago, among 62 of the best and brightest prospects in the world – University of Virginia's Justin Anderson, Notre Dame's Pat Connaughton, Kentucky's Devin Booker, Louisville's Terry Rozier, Duke's Tyus Jones, VCU's Treveon Graham, and Wisconsin's Sam Dekker – Marcus established himself as a viable, professional prospect. He tied Anderson and Kiefer Sykes for the second-best vertical jump among invitees at 43 inches, finished third in the standing vertical jump with 34.5 inches, and finished first by over a tenth of a second in the three-quartercourt sprint. In a scrimmage against another group of recruits, he scored a gamehigh 19 points.

ESPN analyst and former NBA draft pick Jay Bilas said in a media call that, "Marcus has got ability. He's got quickness, and he's very good with the ball. He's not afraid of anybody and he operates very well in the

open court and he'll defend. I like him very much." He continued, saying, "what a guy that when he plays he's pure of heart, if that makes sense. I really enjoyed watching him play, and after I watched him I was kind of kicking myself going, 'why haven't I been watching this guy more?' He's a joy to watch."

Before turning the heads of NBA teams and scouts everywhere, Thornton graduated as William & Mary's all-time leading scorer, finishing his career with 2,178 points, which ranks seventh in Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) history. As a senior, he was named Associate Press honorable mention All-American, garnered the first CAA Player of the Year honor in program history, and was selected as the Virginia State Player of the Year. He led the Tribe to back-to-back 20-win seasons in the final two years of his career, a feat unaccomplished at William & Mary since 1951, winning the first CAA regular season title in 17 years and brought his team to the CAA championship twice.

Despite an 11-45 start to his collegiate season, with freshman and sophomore years compelling enough to warrant transferring to a higher profile school, Marcus stuck with William & Mary, cementing his legacy.

His coach at William & Mary, Tony Shaver, in a press release, stated that, "I am extremely happy and proud of Marcus. It is a testament to all his hard work that he was an NBA Draft pick for an organization like the Boston Celtics. I have said it numerous times, but I have never coached a player who spent more time in the gym or worked as hard as Marcus Thornton." He continued, saying, "the true mark of a great player is his ability to make his team and those around him better."

Before ranking 17th in all of the Division One basketball conferences nationwide with 20 points per game, Marcus, as a member of the Bishop McNamara varsity team, was named the Gatorade Maryland State Player of the Year, was selected as the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) and Prince George's Gazette County Newspaper Player of the Year, averaged 24 points per game, and finished second in school history in scoring with 1,254 points despite only two years on the varsity team.

Before setting the WCAC ablaze with his fiery cuts and knockdown shooting, however, Marcus was a hard-working student-athlete that had a dream and an unmatched work ethic. "When people look at Marcus," said Keithline, "they see a kid brimming with talent and athleticism.

What they don't see is that Marcus brings with him a drive that I've never seen in another player and I can't imagine anyone at any level outworking Marcus."

As a freshman entering Bishop McNamara, Marcus didn't even qualify for the junior

varsity team. "He played freshman basketball his first year, played JV his sophomore year, and then his junior season joined varsity," said Keithline. Added President/CEO Dr. Marco J. Clark '85, "it wasn't until his senior season that he completely blew up the WCAC, but that was because he'd spent the past several years showing up hours before school in the morning to shoot and practice and stayed every night until we turned off the lights."

"He's the epitome of what I teach kids about the microwave society these

days," said Keithline. "People – and kids, particularly – want everything immediately and they don't want to work hard to get it, but Marcus from a young age knew what it would take to be recognized as a talent and went out and took care of it, whether early in the morning, late at night, or both."

Introduced to the public on Tuesday, June 30, 2015 in Boston, President of the Boston Celtics Danny Ainge said of Marcus to the media that the second-round draft pick, on a guard-heavy team, is a great player but will have to earn a spot in the rotation through,

if necessary, the D-League or European Leagues. The statement didn't phase Marcus or his former coach, Keithline, who said that, "nobody thought he'd do much in high school and he ended up being the best player in the state, nobody thought his game would transfer to the collegiate level and he ended up being the best in his conference and one of the best in the country, and now people are saying that the pros will be tough for him to break into." He finished, saying, "it's nothing Marcus hasn't heard before, and it's nothing Marcus won't prove wrong. The kid will succeed."

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H

ike!

Ramar Williams '16 takes the snap from his center and drops back into the pocket, a maelstrom of shifting feet, pushing, and shoving, not allowing himself to be overwhelmed by the constantly fluctuating hallway of cleats and elbows and, as he winds up to throw to Camari Murray '16, senses danger approaching.

His left offensive tackle has relinquished his edge and the defensive lineman is hungrily closing on Ramar, intent on delivering nothing but a knockout blow from the quarterback's blind side. Ramar senses it, hears it, and pivots off of his front foot to spin away from what, surely, would have been a sack.

be among the names called to suit up for games this season. The former Rutgers star was a standout for his size, strength, and footwork. Mrs. King, also his former instructor, lauded the 6'6" professional athlete for his pursuit of excellent footwork.

"The work done in tap dancing is precisely mirrored on the athletic field," she said.

"The memorization, the agility, the foot and body strength all needed to tap at a high level can directly correlate." His head coach at Rutgers University, Kyle Flood, praised Brandon for being, the most technically and athletically gifted receiver – if not athlete – he had ever worked with. He, too, mirrored Mrs. King's admiration, with particular note of Brandon's footwork as compared to his size 16 shoe.

Outside of the pocket, the play breaks down and instinct kicks in. At 6'1 without pads, Ramar stands above the majority of the competition, but that won't do him any favors without any of his tackles in front of him. From the waist up, he is a picture of poise and grace, but his legs and feet defy his upright posture with 90 degree cuts and unparalleled acceleration. He converts for a first down on a broken play and, just as he so often does, returns to the line for the next play.

While the play is not a marvel of team execution, and certainly will receive its diligence when the team reviews film later in the week, Ramar's deft pocket acrobatics to elude certain doom is the talk of the crowd. One onlooker in the throng of attendees, Mrs. Cindy King, the Dance and Tap instructor at Bishop McNamara High School, can't help but smile at the play. She's not the football coach, and she can't throw a perfect spiral – basketball was actually her sport during her high school career – but the 360-degree-oh-my-goodness-did-youjust-see-that move that Ramar just pulled off on the field was something she and the rising senior practice everyday during their tap dancing classes.

Success at the Professional Level Brandon Coleman '10, previously featured in The Mustang Messenger, looks to earn the ever-elusive wide receiver spot for the New Orleans Saints this season. With daily reports from the New Orleans Tribune of his success in OTA's and minicamp sessions, it seems to be a foregone conclusion from local and national analysts that his will

Mr. Keith Goganious, Head Coach for the Bishop McNamara Varsity Football team and former linebacker in the National Football League for over 10 years, despite his incredible size and appearance, relied heavily on footwork and a technical approach to his game to extend his longevity as a player. He also relied on being an enormous human being, likely able to bench press a truck during his prime, but for the purposes of this article, the focus will stay on footwork. The most common injuries, he said, weren't from being hit by an opposing player, but being the guy who was fallen upon by another teammate being tackled – often on a joint or at an awkward angle. The inadvertent injuries were the most difficult for careers and often the only way to avoid them, if at all possible, was to have impeccable footwork – something he sees blossoming in Ramar's game. "When

we work on [agility] ladder drills, I can always tell who has practiced them before and who has taken tap dancing, because those with that kind of training always get it the fastest."

Life in the Pocket The most glamorized quarterbacks in the NFL, currently, are the dual threat quarterbacks – those who can run and those who can pass. Ramar could be considered a dual threat quarterback. With career numbers of 69 touchdowns, 6,675 passing yards, and 1,555 rushing yards through his first three seasons, he has consistently presented defenses in the WCAC with logistical nightmares. Yet, in the shadow of FedEx Field, where Robert Griffin III has so famously struggled staying in the pocket, Ramar, despite his athleticism rushing, prefers to live and work in the pocket.

To his benefit, injuries are far less prolific behind players whose sole responsibility it is to protect the quarterback.

Mrs. King, watching his games, sees remarkable parallels in his performances on the field and on stage. "When everyone is moving at such a frenetic pace, it can be difficult to keep up and to know your place," she said, "but that's something he's been doing since he was a little kid, and it's something we've reinforced with his tap dancing in my class." The defense Ramar reads during games is no different than reading into choreography, she said. "Just as he has to keep up with defenders, he has to keep up with advanced choreography, as often on stage it can manifest itself differently than in practice."

Coal into Diamond Ramar's advanced footwork didn't come naturally, however. As an incoming Bishop McNamara Freshman, he was told by Director of Admissions Mrs. Patricia Garber that he had to take a fine arts credit – ballet or tap dance. "I couldn't do the ballet tights," Ramar laughed, "but Mrs. Garber told me that tap dance would help my footwork for athletics and I trusted her." In his class that year was Jordan Crockett '14, the All-Met wide receiver currently playing Division One Football at SUNY Albany in New York as well as Alfred Bannister '14, the all-time Maryland State Wrestling Wins Record Holder and freshman at The University of Maryland Division One

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program. "The list goes on, but I saw these guys in there and they didn't think it was so weird to wear a muscle t-shirt with tap dancing shoes," he said, "so I was just kind of like 'OK' and went for it."

The camaraderie typically reserved for the field or weight room for the sport of football, was fostered on stage, behind closed curtains, tapping along to a boom-box to the count of, 'five-six-seven-eight.'

"We really bonded in there," Ramar said, "and I don't think you'll find any other team around here that's working on their footwork so extensively."

Mrs. King, in support of Ramar's statement added that, "most high school kids, outside of practice, drills, weights, and so forth, don't get that extra 3-5 hours a week of practiced choreography.

There's nothing like it." His strong work ethic and focus, Mrs. King recognized, allowed her to advocate an alternative path, should football run short of expectations. "He could absolutely be a professional tap dancer," she said. "He's athletically gifted and intelligent enough that, should he want to keep this, he'll absolutely be under bright lights one day as a dancer or as an athlete."

Anchored by steady feet, an Honor Roll mind, and humble nature, Ramar hopes, though he's reticent to ever speak of personal goals, to win the ship (WCAC championship), become a better leader, and break the state record in career passing yards.

In that order, specifically, he places team before self as he has since, as a 13-year old freshman, he had to step up in the middle of a game for an injured starter and throw a 70-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Crockett on only his second play.

While he strives for state records and team accolades, the rising senior will also continue to tap with Mrs. King. "It's going to be a big year for us," he said. "I can't wait to see what we do."

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by Zoey Mauro, Catholic Standard Photo Courtesy of Jaclyn Lippelman, Catholic Standard

Finding Hope After Loss After the death of their parents, siblings Aaron and Latice Dillingham, members of the class of 2015 at Bishop McNamara High School in Forestville, founded a grief support group at their school.

Aaron and Latice Dillingham were barely teenagers when their mother was killed in a car accident. When their father died of a stroke two years later, they had to leave the home they knew in North Carolina to move to their sister's house in Maryland. At first, said Aaron, "I was angry with God." But eventually, "I wanted to do better, because I knew God had a plan for me," he said.

Learning that "your life still goes on," said Latice, inspired the brother and sister to start a grief counseling group at Bishop McNamara High School in Forestville, so that their fellow students would know "you don't have to go through it by yourself," said Aaron.

Adjusting to life in a new place without the familiarity of their parents was not easy, said the Dillinghams, but their older sister Stacey made everything go as smoothly as possible. "She put us both in private school,

and she has three kids of her own," said Aaron.

Latice added, "She felt that God told us to come to McNamara because it was a family based school‌ they're rooting for you to win." Coming from a different educational environment, both Aaron and Latice felt like they were behind in school when they arrived at McNamara and at first, "I thought I was one of the dumbest kids in the building," said Aaron. But now, he said, "I feel like I can do anything."

Every Wednesday after school, Aaron, Latice and a few other McNamara seniors would meet with their counselor to learn about the stages of grief, to remember the good times they had with the ones they lost and to find ways of coping with their pain. "I started dealing with it through sport, letting my anger out, running until I couldn't breathe," said Aaron, who ran on the track and field team at Bishop McNamara. At other times, "I'd talk to my sister," or just sit and think."

Latice let her feelings out through the African dance and drum classes she took

at McNamara, through journaling, and through listening to music, all so that "it won't be balled up inside," she said. Both Dillinghams said that the strong spiritual leaders at their non-denominational Christian church showed them that with God, overcoming all things is possible.

"My faith got me to a point (so I could understand) that everything happens for a reason... that we could help kids (like us)," said Latice. Even with the founding members of the club gone, the counselor who led them hopes to continue the program next year, they said.

In the fall, both siblings will be attending college, with Aaron studying mass communications and Latice pre-medicine in the hopes of becoming a pediatrician.

"In eight years I'm going to be a doctor, bring your kids," she said. In the immediate future they hope to make it through milestones like prom and graduation, even when their parents can't be there to take pictures or loudly cheer when their names are called. "[My dream] is that I walk across the stage and make my parents proud," said Latice.

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The purpose of the Association is to encourage social interaction and to increase good fellowship among the members, to renew, strengthen, and develop friendships, to act as the medium for continuing contact among members and with the School, and to act as a supporting body for the School. The Association shall solicit funds and generate income necessary to sustain the goals of the Association, and any income in excess of that which is needed to operate shall be reinvested, and the Association shall be and remain non-profit.

For anyone that is interested in being more involved with the BMHS/LRHS Alumni Association, please contact President Marlo Ford LR '87 at alumnipresident@bmhs.org.

Officers: President: Marlo Ford LR '87 Vice President: Brian Jenkins '96 Secretary: Denise Kazimer LR '89 Treasurer: Darius Baxter '11 Membership is open to all Bishop McNamara and La Reine Alumni.

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Jason Reynolds '00 Author of the Untold Character

THE MUSTANG MESSENGER

J

ason Reynolds '00 is the author of the untold character.

His most recent publication, The Boy in the Black Suit, deals with Matt, a 17-year old that works at a local funeral home to help his father, a single-parent, after the death of his mother, who can't afford to pay his bills and, seemingly, struggles in every other accord. His father is incapable of emerging from the dregs of alcoholism, while Matt is charged with working a job that is a constant reminder of what he has lost in his own life.

The greatest irony in an author's pursuit of telling the story of the untold character, the unheard voice, or the unheralded bravery, is missing the story right in front of them. In seeking out these voices, authors like Jason become proclaimers of the underrepresented, criers of the disenfranchised, messengers of the minorities and, ultimately, stories themselves. The work required to create, caption, and identify is often disregarded the story as 'not worth telling.'

Jason's story, however, is worth telling.

For one, the critically acclaimed author didn't read a book cover to cover until he was 17, but don't knock him for a lack of academia. He'd already graduated from Bishop McNamara High School at the time, and was working on his own book of poetry – Let Me Speak – full of his original verses, while studying at The University of Maryland, College Park. Captivated by the rhythmic brevity of hip hop and rap lyrics from the age of 10, Jason initially centered his identity on the spoken word.

During his time in high school, Jason was well known for reading poems at mass.

As a student, he wrote the Peer Ministry pledge still used to date, and participated in the prototypical number of extracurricular activities (all of them). "I tried to do everything at Bishop McNamara," he said.

"I was captivated by our English classes, but never saw the point in reading or writing anything long." The irony was far from lost on him.

At The University of Maryland, Jason started the "Juke Joint" – a club of people that would get together to perform Slam Poetry and spoken word. During its heyday, Slam Poetry, dominated by the likes of Jill Scott and Joshua Bennett, attracted over 350 people to Jason's monthly, colloquial gatherings. "Slam Poetry was new, so people were into it," he said. The poetry was far from the beatnik, thumb-snapping poetry of the 1970s, with organized competitions and scores given out to performing poets.

For the first time, poetry was considered a competition. Jason joined a Slam Poetry team, and travelled all over the country.

The Hustle While pursuing his advocacy for the spoken word, Jason continued his passion

for the written alternative – deciding with his college roommate, Jason Griffin, to create a book together. The two took on the task of creating one with huge print and images that would set the precedent for the size of the book. The book wasn't huge by page number, but physically measured the size of an average coffee table. The two, only 19-years old, decided that, "it was the right thing to do at the right time." They couldn't find a printer, other than The Smithsonian, who could print a product so large, so Jason and Jason maxed out their credit cards, took out a loan, and pooled their collective life savings to produce a book called "Self."

Jason graduated from The University of Maryland at 20 and took off to New York City to look for publishers and agents. Even with a product in hand, he underestimated

the task and, for six months, all but gave away as many copies of his book as he could to increase its circulation in artistic circles.

"It was a hustle," he said. "Jason and I were out there talking to anyone who would listen to us."

Finally, he gave a copy of his book to Ernest Waddell '00, a fellow alumnus and actor based in the city, who passed it onto an associate, who in turn passed the book onto a higher associate, and so on up the corporate ladder. "I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried," Jason said with a laugh.

Within 24 hours of gifting Waddell his book, Jason received a call from an agent at Harper Collins, who had the intention to sign him.

"It was at that point, I realized I could have a career in the business," Jason said. Despite the niceties of being signed, his stamp of approval from Harper Collins didn't move the requisite number of poetry books from bookshelves and, sooner than expected, Jason quit writing. The industry was too cutthroat and he bemoaned the squelching of artistic integrity for marketability. Still in his early 20s, Jason felt as if he'd lived the entire lifespan of an artist – from risking financial ruin as he traveled by bus across the country to being forsaken and feeling underappreciated – in only a couple years.

"It's a tough business," he said. "I felt like my work didn't have a place in it anymore, so I figured I was done with it forever."

Cover to Cover Jason began working at a clothing store in Manhattan, where he met Christopher Myers. On a weekend trip to the beach, Chris and Jason talked about Chris' father, a homegrown native of New York, whose stories, of a different time, Chris felt, merited being recorded. "Chris begged me to write about the kids his father grew up with, not as a poem but as a novel, and it had been enough time to reconsider," Jason said. He sat on the idea for several days, wondering if he had the talent or the gumption to consider branching out into

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novels or, even, returning to the craft he had spurned. Just as he had as a 19-year old, however, Jason jumped into the project head first.

Working behind a cash register at Express for Men, Jason began to write his story.

For six weeks, he tirelessly wrote on the way into work, while at work, on the way home from work, and at home until he was too tired to continue and, by the end, he said, "my life was never going to be the same." What emerged was When I Was The Greatest, published by Simon and Schuster, a compelling story about neighborhood, family, friendship, values, and the acceptance of differences in the portrayal of Ali, an upcoming, upstanding young man.

Though published years ago, the book is just beginning to receive literary traction – The Coretta Scott King Book Award, for one, given annually to outstanding African American authors and illustrators of books for children and young adults that demonstrate an appreciation of African American culture and universal human values.

The Muse The young man who didn't read a book cover to cover until he was 17 is no more. The author is a voracious reader, devouring books at a pace, he jokes, he wishes he could write. He is also a self-described cinephile, constantly pacing his literary adventures with a healthy dose of film study.

Jason wakes up everyday at 7:30 a.m. and begins work by 8:30 at a local coffee shop, powering through until 2:30 p.m., when he's able to emerge from his intense writing sessions. He stays away from home while he writes, but errs on the

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side of conservatism when comparing himself to some of his fellow writers.

"Writing is not difficult when you have routine, so I create that for myself, and then don't have to be the author that writes for eight hours a day in a blacked out room with a white noise machine," he said. "I'm not a professional athlete, but I have to train my brain like I am one."

His mission, as a writer, is to seek new ways to address the human experience, with regard to the human industry – one he feels hasn't, historically, been a diverse one – and at the same time to make reading cool.

"There are people all over this country that deserve to have their stories told, and they don't get the chance to do so," he said. "If I

can make reading cool, I can make sure the youngest generation is hearing the voices of the many." With that in mind, he approved the design for the front of When I Was The Greatest, a handgun completely wrapped in knitting. "We throw around the adage 'don't judge a book by its cover' all the time, but it's complete nonsense," he said.

"Everyone judges books by their covers, so I wanted to make sure I had a cover that looked cool."

Just as he and his former college roommate, Jason, collaborated on an art piece to sell his coffee table-sized book of poetry, so too did he painstakingly work in tandem with a book cover artist to ensure his product was visually represented.

His latest book, due out this fall, is titled All American Boys, and centers on the topic of police brutality towards young, black males through the eyes of Brandon, a white, suburban teenager from Boston and Rashard, a black, inner-city teenager.

Brandon's story takes place in high school, while Rashard's story takes place in the hospital.

The untold character, his muse, he finds in the delicate shape, color, and form his city takes. "The beauty of New York is the fine balance of the human experience," he said. "Everything absurd everywhere else seems completely normal in New York. The city is the manifestation of possibility."

Written into his latest book, he says, is a homeless guy who recently came onto the A-Train and, without warning, began doing a brilliant comedy bit.

"How could I not bring that person to life?"

McNAMARalumni '72 Joseph A. Norris, III, '72 was recently named as a Director to the SARAH, Inc. Board. SARAH is a community service provider for those with disabilities, offering an array of services and supports for children and adults of all ages and abilities: Birth to Three Early Intervention, Family and Children Center, work and life skills training, supported employment, recreation and leisure services, advocacy, and more.

'77 Chris Cosh '77 begins his first season as Defensive Coordinator for the University of North Texas football team. Coach Cosh interviewed with Mean Green Sports and spoke about what led him to start coaching at North Texas with over 30 years of experience.

'81 Congratulations to Mary Sanders LR '81 on being named as one of Maryland's Top 100 Women for 2015 by The Daily Record, the premier Legal and Business newspaper in Maryland.

'84 Congratulations to Jim Estepp '84 and his wife Inga Marie on the birth of their handsome son, Lucas Nathan, on December 15, 2014 at 4:57 p.m. Please keep Jim, Inga, and Lucas in your thoughts and prayers.

'85 Congratulations to our very own President/ CEO Dr. Marco J. Clark '85 on earning his Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) from Creighton University in Interdisciplinary Leadership on May 15, 2015.

'86 We are deeply saddened about the news of Hall of Fame Member, Durwin Greggs '86, who suddenly suffered a massive stroke on Sunday, May 17, 2015.

He is currently in critical condition and is receiving treatment at Washington Hospital Center. We ask all of those in our Bishop McNamara community to keep Durwin, as well as his family, in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.

President/CEO Dr. Marco J. Clark '85 after receiving his Doctorate Degree.

'92 Mark Herndon '92 received the Faculty Member of the Year award from the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He is leaving IAIA after eight years as a faculty member in studio arts.

This is the third time he has received this award.

'95 Bishop McNamara High School Class of 1995 celebrated their 20th Reunion on May 2, 2015.

Congratulations to Paul Carroll '95 and his wife as they recently welcomed their handsome newborn son, Graham Hamilton Carroll, weighing 6lbs. 3oz.

'96 Craig Lewis '96 had the honor of having his article featured in the May 2015 edition of The Florida Bar Journal. Collaborating with Juan Ramirez, Jr., the article discusses the revision of the Florida Arbitration Code and the understanding of its processes.

'98 Congratulations to Antonio Jeter '98 on graduating from Bowie State University with his Master's Degree in Human Resource Development.

Congratulations to Miya Swann '98 as she welcomed her beautiful new daughter, Skylar Alexa Swain, on April 9, 2015 at 7lbs. 2oz. Please keep Miya and Skylar in your thoughts and prayers.

'99 Congratulations to Alkia Carter '99 and fiancĂŠ Richard Morris as they welcomed their new handsome baby boy, Dominic Richard Thomas Morris, on Saturday, December 13, 2014. Dominic was born 8lbs. and 19.5in. long.

'00 Darrell Holloman '00 was featured as a guest on the television show, House Hunters International: Off the Grid on Tuesday, May 19, 2015. He and his wife appeared on the show to help a friend choose a house on the Island of Yap in Micronesia. Darrell has been on the island for the past 18 months teaching at a Jesuit school.

We congratulate Justin McClain '00, one of our faculty members, and former faculty member Bernadette, on the newest

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McNAMARalumni addition to their family! ThĂŠrĂŠse Elizabeth McClain was born on May 2, 2015 at 7:56am, weighing 8lbs 10.5oz.

Jason Reynolds '00, after recently receiving the 2015 John Steptoe Award for New Talent, held a book-reading at Spaulding's Library in District Heights, Maryland on April 28, 2015. He read his captivating stories, The Boy in the Black Suit and When I Was the Greatest.

were awarded Goodwill Ambassadors in the Area of Tourism to Israel. She plans to return to Israel for her third mission trip in October 2015. Therese is the current Coordinator of School Counseling Programs for Washington, D.C. Public Schools-Central Office, assisting all District of Columbia Public School Counselors with the enhancement of their programs and the planning & operation of professional developments for counselors.

'04 Omari Mandela Daughtridge '04 received his Master of Science degree in Clinical Management from the George Washington University on May 16, 2015.

Omari currently works as a Medical Clinical Assistant at Sibley Hospital, and is an employee of George Washington University Medical Associates. Prior to his Master's, Omari graduated from The University of Maryland, College Park with a Bachelor of Science degree in Public and Community Health in 2009.

'05 Katie Cuellar '05, daughter of Janice Cuellar LR '69 and Bookstore Manager Hector Cuellar, was surprised with a proposal from her boyfriend, Graham Miller, on March 29, 2015, while on a hiking trip high over Harper's Ferry. Katie and Graham have been dating for over three years and are planning a wedding for next year.

Whittney Jackson '05 has released her brand new single, "You Are God Alone," now available on iTunes and Amazon.

'06 Ricardo Durham, II '06 graduated from Georgetown University on May 8, 2015 with a Master's Degree in Sports Industry Management.

Kalea Selmon '07 at her graduation from Johns Hopkins University, where she received her Master of Science.

'01 In October of 2014, Therese Farmer '01 had the amazing opportunity of going on a mission trip to Israel. With her team, Therese toured Israel and met with several leaders and organizations to discuss international religious injustices and how to assist from the United States. They also considered how to assist with the tourism between different countries. As a result of these meetings and the conversations she had with her team in solidarity with Israel, Therese and her team members

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Congratulations to Adam Merkle '01 on earning his MBA from Georgetown University on May 15, 2015. While working on his degree, Adam had been working at Gannett as Manager of Financial Planning & Analysis. Adam currently resides in Washington, D.C. with his wife, Amanda, who were married on October 25, 2014.

'02 Jonathan Robertson '02 graduated from Walden University this past winter with a Masters in Teacher Leadership.

'07 Kalea Selmon '07 graduated from Johns Hopkins University in Fall 2014 with a Master of Science degree in Counseling, concentrating in School Counseling.

She has also completed the certification requirements to become a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor.

Sylvia E. West '07 graduated in May from the Tuskegee University School of Medicine, Magna Cum Laude, with a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine.

'08 Congratulations to Taylor Dodson '08 on her graduation from Trinity Washington University with a Masters of Education in Curriculum and Instruction on Saturday, May 16, 2015.

McNAMARalumni Congratulations to Anastasia Wroblewski '08 on her graduation from The University of Maryland, College Park School of Social Work.

'09 Brenden Bazilio '09 graduated from The University of Maryland, College Park on May 22, 2015 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree. Brenden made the Dean's List for outstanding academic performance in his Fall 2014 semester and was invited to join Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society for the liberal arts and sciences.

Monica Mason '09 graduated on May 10, 2015 from the University of Memphis with a Master's Degree in Instruction and Curriculum Leadership with a 4.0 GPA. She has begun her career at the Maya Angelou Public Charter High School as the Department Chair for Mathematics in Northeast Washington, D.C. Lawrence Smith '09 has returned from an amazing experience in China, where he participated in a basketball showcase with a group of fellow United States basketball players for two weeks. Lawrence played in approximately seven games, and is now

Jim Estepp '84 with his wife Inga Marie and their newest addition to the family!

waiting to hear if he will be permanently playing for the China Basketball Association (CBA).

Rashad Whack '09 was recently named

the Rookie of the Year for the National Basketball League of Canada's 2014-2015 Season. Rashad averaged 11.7 points per game. Congratulations, Rashad!

'10 Alexis Bigelow '10 graduated on May 30, 2015 from the University of Delaware with a Master's of Education in Exceptional Children and Youth. She will begin her career with Teach for America as a third grade teacher at Milwaukee College Prep in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in August. Congratulations, Alexis!

Gregory Carbott '10 received his Masters in Engineering degree in Space Systems Engineering from the University of Michigan in May 2015.

Congratulations to Lamont Hannah '10, son of Athletic Director Anthony Johnson '88, on his graduation from Georgia State University, majoring in Communications!

Congratulations to Casey Clark '11 and Dillon Lyle '10, another Bishop McNamara couple, on their engagement!

Mylah Howard '10 graduated from The University of Maryland, College Park in May of 2014 with

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McNAMARalumni a B.A. in Communications. Following her graduation, she was accepted into the Disney College Internship Program and worked with Disney World Resorts, where she gained valuable experience in developing strategic communication plans and managing large-scale projects. Now that her internship is completed, Mylah is currently working with the Starwood Hospitality Company.

Amanda Barber '11 graduated from Towson University with a B.S. in Exercise Science.

Mikayla Baumgartner '11 graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University, Magna Cum Laude, with a Bachelor degree in Fashion Merchandising and a minor in Business.

Security) and a B.A. in Global Studies.

Darius Brown '11 graduated from Mount Saint Mary's University with a B.S. in Biochemistry and Biopsychology.

Sydney Brown '11 graduated from St. John's University with a B.F.A. in Graphic Design, with a concentration in Photography.

Rosalind Ramsey '10 graduated from The University of Maryland, Baltimore County on May 21, 2015 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering, and a minor in Political Science.

Congratulations to Taylor Brown '11 on being awarded this year's Dr. Frank Pettrone Female Student-Athlete of the Year Award. Named Second Team All-Conference and First Team All-State, Taylor closes out her season as number 13 on George Mason's all-time list for scoring with 1,229 points, reaching the 1,000-point mark in just 50 games; faster than any female basketball player in the school's history.

Chrishon Rose '10, a former East Carolina University defensive end, received an invitation to a rookie camp tryout with the Chicago Bears following the NFL Draft. Chrishon leaves the East Carolina University Pirates with 107 total tackles in his four-year collegiate career, 41 of which came in his senior season. The 6'2" lineman recorded a season-high in tackles with six against Temple University and four in the Birmingham Bowl against The University of Florida.

Caitlin Cavanagh '11 graduated from The Catholic University of America, majoring in Elementary Education with a minor in Spanish.

'11 Shannon Anderson '11 graduated from Hampton University with a B.S. in Biology.

Stephanie Ayres '11, senior student-athlete at Stevenson University, surpassed her 100th career hit. This season, she appeared in 31 of the team's 34 games, including 26 starts at shortstop; totaling 19 hits, 19 runs, 7 RBIs, and four doubles. Additionally, she earned her third all-conference selection and second first-team honor. She led the team with 12 walks while ranking second with 12 stolen bases, a .945 fielding percentage, and turned two double plays.

Jamal Bailey '11 graduated from Hampton University with a B.S. in Business Administration with a focus on Finance.

He is currently interning with PNC's Asset Management Group while taking grad courses at The University of Maryland, College Park. In the Fall, Jamal will return to Hampton to pursue his M.B.A. in Finance in Capital Markets.

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Taylor Brown '11 graduates as one of the most prolific scorers in George Mason University history!

Darius Baxter '11 was recently selected for an internship on Capitol Hill for the summer, working with Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC). When his internship is over, Darius will be finishing his final semester in the fall at Georgetown University.

Marie Blair '11 graduated from the University of New Haven with a B.S. in Criminal Justice (International Justice and

Congratulations to Casey Clark '11 and Dillon Lyle '10 on their engagement! Dillon proposed to Casey on June 27, 2014. Their wedding is scheduled for April 2, 2016. Casey recently graduated, Magna Cum Laude, from the Honors College at The University of Maryland, Baltimore County with a B.A. in Psychology. She's been accepted to The University of Maryland, Baltimore County Division of Professional Studies to study Diagnostic Medical Sonography.

Tai Coates '11 graduated from The University of Maryland, College Park with a B.A. in Communication with a track in Public Relations.

Rayven Davis '11 graduated from Virginia Wesleyan College with a B.A. in Communication and Hispanic Studies.

Ronald Davis '11 graduated from Howard University with a Bachelor of Business

McNAMARalumni Administration degree, majoring in Accounting. Ronald will intern in Houston, Texas for the summer with KPMG. In the fall, he will enter graduate school to pursue his Master's in Business Administration.

Congratulations to Dominiqua Eldridge '11 on her graduation from Towson University on May 21, 2015 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Graphic Arts.

Matthew Feather '11 graduated from the Elon University Honors Program with a Bachelor of Science degree in both Statistics and Sports and Event Management with a minor in Business Administration.

Anita Flack-Colon '11 graduated from the University of South Florida with a B.S. in Finance.

Khiara Ford '11 graduated from the University of North Carolina, Charlotte, with a Bachelor's in Social Work.

Chelsea Goodman '11 graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a B.S. in Psychology.

Denise Jay '11 graduated from The University of Maryland, Baltimore County with a B.A. in Health Administration, and a minor in Information Systems.

ALUMNI: WANT TO GET INVOLVED? MENTOR PROGRAM Bishop McNamara is initiating a new program to create mentor connections between students and alumni. This program will promote the overall success of the student and give the alumni the opportunity to inspire, encourage, and engage with our bright young leaders. The idea is for students to develop skills that will enable them to achieve, succeed, and recognize their own potential while our awesome volunteer alumni exhibit their commitment to affecting positive change in the educational futures of young people. This is why we need you! You can inspire and encourage a young person to aim high and build their confidence to follow their dreams.

You do not need any specific skills or experience. You simply need to be willing and enthusiastic about wanting to encourage, guide, and inspire our Bishop McNamara students. No matter how far you climb, you should always look back to see who you can pull up along the way.

Please sign up to become an Alumni Mentor by sending an email to Advancement at advancement@bmhs.org or calling 301.735.8401 ext. 134.

SPEAKER SERIES We welcome all alumni to come back to Bishop McNamara and speak to our current students about their amazing careers and offer any advice they have about their professional experiences.

If you wish to come by and share, contact Advancement at advancement@bmhs.org.

Stephanie Ayres '11, a prodigious softball player and student-athlete, practicing her craft.

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McNAMARalumni Jaelan Jones '11 graduated from Mount Saint Mary's University with a B.A. in International Studies.

Brandon Joyner '11 graduated with his B.A. from Elon University with a major in Broadcast Journalism and a minor in Spanish. He has accepted his new job as a Morning Reporter at WECT News in Wilmington, North Carolina. Brandon

culture holds royal value and are all equal.

Margaret Ngami '11 graduated from Clarkson University in May 2013 with a Bachelor's of Science degree in Civil Engineering, and is currently finishing her pursuit of a Master's of Science degree in Structural and Materials Engineering. When she completes her M.A., Margaret will begin her career as a

Kamille Poindexter '11 graduated from The University of Maryland, College Park with a B.A. in Hearing and Speech Sciences.

Congratulations to Joseph Press, IV '11 on earning his Bachelor of Arts degree in History, Magna Cum Laude, from Morehouse College on May 17, 2015.

Joseph is also a member of the Phi Beta

Jeffrey Miles '11 with his work of art - a series of 18x24 on display for the St. Edward's University Senior Exhibition, "Hustle & Flow."

says, "I will be on in the mornings and will bring you up to the minute information, the minute you're up!"

Kyle Martin '11 graduated from Christopher Newport University, majoring in Math.

Chris Martinette '11 graduated from Salisbury University, majoring in Corporate Finance with a minor in Accounting.

Jeffrey Miles '11 currently has his artwork on display for the St. Edward's University Senior Exhibition, "Hustle & Flow." His series, entitled "Royalty", consists of four 18x24 oil paintings on play cards with representative figures of different cultures.

Each piece serves to show how every

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Staff Engineer at GeoStructures in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania this Fall. Margaret will be defending her thesis, entitled, "Characterization of Shrinkage in AlkaliActivated Concrete," during the month of July. Following this, she will be presenting a portion of her research in an international conference in Ottawa, Canada, and will then teach middle and high school girls basic concepts in Civil Engineering in a program called, "Horizon's" at Clarkson University.

Kayla Oatneal '11 graduated from Temple University with a B.A. in Journalism.

Edward Pak '11 graduated from the University of Southern California with a B.S. in Business Administration.

Kappa National Honor Society.

Ryan Scanlan '11 graduated from Chowan University with a B.S. in Exercise Science with a concentration in Physical Education, along with a minor in coaching.

Rose Shaver '11 graduated from The Catholic University of America with a B.S. in Nursing.

Kirsten Smith '11 graduated from LenoirRhyne University with a B.S. in Exercise Science and a minor in Sports Studies.

Alyssa Snyder '11 graduated from The University of Maryland, College Park with a B.A. in International Development and Anthropology.

McNAMARalumni Congratulations to Adam Thomas '11 who graduated from The United States Air Force Academy on Thursday, May 28, 2015. Adam received his Bachelor of Science degree in International History, with a minor in Japanese. Following his graduation, Adam began his pilot training.

Marcus Thornton '11 was drafted 45th overall in the NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics. By being drafted, Marcus joins an elite group of Bishop McNamara graduates to have been selected to play professionally either in the United States or abroad. The former Maryland State Gatorade Player of the Year and All-Time Leading Scorer in William & Mary history is the first Bishop McNamara graduate to have ever been drafted into the NBA. Shelley Vermeire '11 graduated from Marymount University with a B.A in Psychology and a minor in Sociology.

'12 Having started his newest summer internship with the SB Nation's Testudo Times blog for the Maryland Terrapins, Anthony Brown '12 has written his very first article. His feature talks about The University of Maryland, College Park Football and their status as a team having recently lost two of their running backs.

'13 The College of Southern Maryland Softball Team plans to lean on Caitlin Gordon '13 and her powerful arm in the pitching circle to continue to win and make a new name for themselves. With her drop and curve balls, Caitlin has proven to be very valuable as their No. 1 pitcher; an "Athlete to Watch!"

We have received amazing news that Briana Oates '13 has been selected as Shipley & Horne's very first college intern!

Briana joins fellow alumni: co-owner Arthur Horne '79, L. Paul Jackson II '94, and Robert Antonetti, Jr. '94.

Angela Schneidmill '13 finished her sophomore year at St. John's University, majoring in Communications. She spent her spring semester studying abroad

under the St. John's "Discover the World" program, which allows students to study five weeks in Paris, France; Rome, Italy; and Seville, Spain. While abroad, she traveled extensively from Europe to London, England; Amsterdam, Netherlands; Brussels, Belgium; Vatican City; Athens, Greece; and the Amalfi Coast of Italy.

Ricardo Wanzer '13 has had a successful start in his aspirations of becoming a successful and well known choreographer. He is currently studying at Bowie State University as a Visual Arts major with a concentration in Japanese Animation, and a minor in Dance Adam Thomas '11, a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy as of this year! with a concentration in (CIAA) All-Rookie Team.

Choreography. Outside of school, Ricardo has applied to numerous programs all over the country. From Congratulations to Breanna Townsend '14 performing for our military personnel for her newly accepted membership into in Japan, to being offered a full-ride the National Society of Collegiate Scholars! scholarship to the Jeoffrey Ballet Company NSCS is a member of the Association of in New York, Ricardo is constantly being College Honor Societies, with membership recognized for his talent. He also volunteers by invitation and a focus on grade point at Bishop McNamara, assisting Mrs. average and class standing for first and Keithline with our Dance Program and Mr. second year students.

Bah with the Sankofa production. Recently, Ricardo was awarded the Breakout Artist Winners Scholarship and submitted to two showcases: The Capiezio Awards in Long Beach, California and the Young Choreographers Festival in New York. He plans to present a brand new performance with a selection of dancers for the Capiezio Awards.

'14 Jackie Pickering '14 was named the Rookie Shortstop of the Year in her conference!

She has also been selected for the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association

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The pictured Bricks, Pavers, and Benches are available to purchase and personalize in memory of your loved ones. Bricks are $250, Pavers are $500, and Benches are $1,000.

For further information, please contact L'oreal Edmondson at 240.455.9618 or Loreal.Edmondson@bmhs.org.

Supporting the Vision of Blessed Fr. Moreau and the Mission of Bishop McNamara High School Bishop McNamara High School relies on the generosity of our school community. Tuition alone does not fully fund the needs of the School. It is only through the thoughtfulness of caring individuals that Bishop McNamara has been able to flourish and meet the needs of our students.

Annual Appeal Fund Gifts of cash are available for immediate use by the school for academic programs, student resources, and faculty support.

Cross & Anchor Endowment The newly established endowment allows for current and future students to have access to the best teachers and resources for their education. Establishing of perpetual scholarships, department chairs, naming of buildings and fields and general donor restricted gifts encompass the possibilities of the endowment.

Scholarship Fund Giving You may make a donation to individual Scholarship Funds, which have been set up as memorial or honorary scholarships, or scholarships endowed by certain organizations.

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Matching Gifts Many businesses and corporations match personal gifts to educational institutions made by employees, retirees, and their family and faculty support.

Gifts of Securities Gifts of Assets can help your save on capital gains tax. Offer a charitable income tax deduction, and give you an income tax deduction.

Memorial & Honorary Gifts Your memorial gift to Bishop McNamara can help to perpetuate the values that guided a loved one’s life. Gifts may honor a person during his or her lifetime or commemorate a significant event.

Real Estate Real estate can offer great potential for a charitable gift. Bishop McNamara High School will consider accepting a gift of a home, vacation property, condominium, undeveloped land, or other real estate.

Personal Property Gifts of assets such as cars, jewelry, and boats are also welcomed.

Securities & Stocks Gifts of assets such as cars, jewelry, and boats are also welcomed.

Planned Giving Gifts made through Wills, Trusts and/or through IRA charitable donations.

in loving memory Virginia Breen passed away on April 26, 2015. She is the mother of Marleen Breen Dubbs LR '78, William G. Breen, II '80, and Kathleen J. Webster.

Christina L. Murphy passed away on November 2, 2014. She is the mother of Christina Mull LR '91.

Rev. Charles H. Brown Sr. passed away on April 25, 2015. He is the grandfather of Darryle Brown '96.

Alfred Odierno Sr. passed away on March 18, 2015. He is the father of former Bishop McNamara English Teacher Alfred Odierno.

Rudolph Burton, long standing coach at Bishop McNamara High School, passed away on April 7, 2015.

Teresa Palumbo LR '88 passed away on March 22, 2015. She is the sister of Paolo Palumbo '84.

Michael Calvin '72 passed away June 7, 2015. He is the brother of JoEllen Gass LR '66, Ann Ellis LR '69, and Margaret Brookman LR '71.

Arlene Perkins, mother of Board of Directors member Garry Perkins '75, passed away on April 15, 2015.

Marian T. Cappello LR '72 passed away. She is survived by Joseph Cappello '74, Judith Cappello LR '70, Patricia Cappello LR '76, Theresa Cappello LR '84, and Kathy Cappello Ferrare LR '78.

Benjamin Catterton passed away on April 13, 2015. He is the father of Benjamin V. Catterton, Jr. '75 and Robert S. Catterton '80, and grandfather of Elizabeth Gilliam and Robert "Scottie" Catterton, who previously attended Bishop McNamara.

Ben Cumbo '05 passed away on April 22, 2015 at the age of 27. Since his diagnosis of muscular dystrophy at the age of three, Ben had served as a valued leader, advocate, spokesperson, and former National Goodwill Ambassador for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

Anna D. Gardiner, mother of Brian E. Gardiner '85, passed away on January 22, 2015.

James Holson '72 passed away on April 7, 2015. He is the brother of Patrick Holson '74.

Mrs. Madolyn Johns, beloved teacher of La Reine High School from 1984 to 1991, passed away on June 2, 2015.

Robert "Bob" E. Menoche passed away on April 4, 2015. He is the father of Gregory Menoche '82 and Bill Menoche '83.

Roscoe Perkins, brother of Board of Directors member Garry Perkins '75, passed away on April 29, 2015.

Denise Pino-Elliot LR '67 passed away March 29, 2015.

Helena M. (O'Neal) Ridgely LR '65 passed away on April 21, 2015. She is the mother of Sheryl M. (O'Neal) Rosetta LR '83.

James Robertson, father of James Robertson '88 and Jonathan Robertson '02, passed away on April 6, 2015.

Thaddeus Edwin Rose, father of Amanda (Rose) Ford '95 and Thaddeus "Eddie" Rose, Jr. '91, passed away on April 1, 2015.

Mary E. Savoy, grandmother of Jasmine A. Johnson '10 and Monica Johnson '12, passed away on May 7, 2015.

Theresa Snyder, grandmother of former faculty member Bernadette McClain, passed away on May 5, 2015.

Melvin Thomas, grandfather of Frank Godfrey, III '16, passed away recently.

Christopher D. Villa '69 passed away on May 12, 2014. He is the brother of Richard Villa '70.

John M. Wyne, Jr. passed away on March 30, 2015. He is the father of Cynthia (Wyne) Mammano LR '89 and Deanna (Wyne) Harville LR '89.

Charnice Milton '05 was tragically killed on Wednesday, May 27, 2015.

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

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BISHOP McNAMARA HIGH SCHOOL 6800 Marlboro Pike Forestville, MD 20747-3270 301.735.8401 www.BMHS.org

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OUR MISSION Bishop McNamara High School, a college preparatory school in the Holy Cross tradition, exists to educate and form young men and women in and through the Catholic faith. The School challenges its students to think with Christ, a thought animated by the Gospel, manifested in service and informed by academic excellence.

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