St. Pius X senior earns state academic honor

By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com

A graduating senior from a local private high school recently earned a prestigious academic honor as the school year comes to a close.

On May 2, St. Pius X High School senior Stephanie Birkelbach was selected by the Texas Association of Secondary School Principals (TASSP) as a member of the TASSP All-State Academic Team, according to a news release from the school. She was one of just 20 high school senior from across the state to earn the recognition, according to the release.

“This prestigious award was designed to recognize Texas high school seniors for their…academic achievements and focuses attention on the rewards of superior scholarship,” the school said in the release.

According to the TASSP, each Texas high school whose principal is a member of the TASSP can submit the name of one graduating senior for the award, which the TASSP says recognizes the state’s top high school seniors “who have demonstrated excellence in areas of academic achievement, test scores, and writing skills.” the best playgrounds in the city,” she said. “We’ve heard that from multiple parents coming out here. It’s a playground for all. It could not be more welcoming.”

Each nominee, the organization said, was given a score based on their GPA, SAT, or ACT mark that accounted for 65 percent of their score, while each nominee also had to write an essay of at least 300 words that accounted for the final 35 percent of the students’ score.

Birkelbach will be introduced at the general session of the TASSP Summer Workshop held in Austin in June and honored there with a luncheon featuring the students, their parents, and their principals, and receive a $500 scholarship from the organization.

Additionally, she said it adds another resource to the community that came to appreciate the outdoors more during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We found a new love of our parks and of the outdoors through the pandemic, but the importance of them was always there. And we have to hold onto that to move forward,” she said. “This started long before the pandemic, but people were able to appreciate it that much more afterwards.”

The goal of the project, officials said, was to redevelop and enlarge T.C Jester Park’s playground with “state-ofthe-art” equipment to provide holistic opportunities for children and families to both play and playing softball with the Timbergrove Sports Association. But they wanted something more – they wanted to represent the private school at 3600 Brinkman St. along with their classmates.

So Mullen brought the idea to Vaden, who at the time in his second season as the school’s athletic director. And it was a no-brainer for Vaden.

“My main thing was just wanting to expand athletics for the school, so whenever they presented me with the opportunity, I was on board,” he said. “… (Being part of a team) gives them the opportunity to be part of a team, learn how to work together, and have those different solutions to help figure things out. It also helps them gain that self-esteem. Just different life situations and social skills can really come into effect.”

It was a short initial foray into the GHCAA for St. Rose, which played its first season during 2020 and managed to play just four games – going 2-2 –before the season was shut down due to the pandemic. But it didn’t stop Vaden, Mullen, and Montemayor from pressing forward.

The Cardinals would then go 4-4 the next season and 12-1-1 in 2022 – winning a division championship – before this season’s perfect 15-0 run which culminated in the title in the 13-team league that includes teams from Sugar Land, Tomball, and more. And both Vaden and Mullen said the team’s core is what spurred them to those new heights.

“It was a huge accomplishment for the community as a whole, and the girls really put in the work,” Montemayor said. The team, which has 11 players from fifth to eighth grade, had a core of eight players in grades 7-8 who have been playing together for three years, ac - learn. And that certainly has held true, at least for Broadwell, who said she and her sister consistently bring their children out to the park on a regular basis.

Pressing play on the new amenity, she said, has become one of the best things to happen for the community and their families.

“We’re really excited about this park. It’s just a great place for kids to go and have fun,” she said. “We have a lot of little kids in the family who just enjoy it, so they get really excited to come out.”

And while it may have only been a month, it appears that the new and improved local playground is already a hit with the neighbors.

“I think they’ve done a great job with everything,” Ball said. “I kind of wish I was still a kid.” cording to Mullen. Vaden echoed the sentiment, with Mullen interjecting that the Cardinals’ wins in both the semifinals and the final came on walk-off base hits.

“They know how to win a game even when their backs are against the wall. They have each other’s back through anything,” Vaden said. “Seeing them throughout the years continuing to grow as players and young ladies is pretty impressive.”

What’s more, they said the support from the school as a whole served as an extra jolt of life both throughout the season and during the playoffs, which were hosted at the St. Pius X softball field barely two miles from St. Rose.

And even though SPX was the host site of the final regardless, both coaches said the site sitting so close to the St. Rose community helped provide that adrenaline and boost from what was essentially home field advantage.

So the Cardinals took, and they ran with it to take home the title.

“It’s one thing when your coaches are saying ‘I believe in you and you can do it.’ It’s another when you have the full stands of people believing in you,” Mullen said.

And whether it’s bouncing back from errors and coming from behind, or relying on a teammate to pick them up, Mullen said the lessons of team sports go beyond the on-field championship.

“You’re presented with adversity…. that you have overcome where you have to rely on your teammates, and they have to rely on and trust you,” he said. “Once you do that a couple of times, it builds that confidence and builds that strength to face anything that comes up.”