McAuley High School

McAuley | The Brilliance of Balance

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Inside Contact The McAuley tab is published by the Specialty Publications Department of The Community Press/The Community Recorder.

Questions and comments can be sent to Editor Melissa Hayden c/o The Community Press/Recorder/394 Wards Corner/Loveland, OH 45140 e-mail mhayden@community press.com. Or call 248-7121.

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Change happens; tradition remains

Spirituality comes first at McAuley

Freshman recalls her first year

McAuley – At the world’s service

Something for everyone

Dynamic virtual learning environment

McAuley’s 50th anniversary

All articles, unless otherwise noted, are written by Emily Mouch ‘07.

September 2010

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Change happens; tradition remains Fifty years ago the average salary was $1.50 an hour. Fifty years ago you would pay 31 cents for a gallon of gas and 49 cents for a gallon of milk. Parents would proudly send their children off to college for $1,200 a year, and this included tuition, room and board, and personal expenses.

In 1960, girls wore their hair in beehives, donned “shortshorts” and listened to Rock n’ roll music and folk rock. McAuley students wore green and yellow plaid skirts with bobby socks and saddles, worked out in one-piece green, skirted gym suits, and used adding machines and typewriters.

Obviously, much has changed in 50 years. Today you pay $2.74 a gallon for gasoline, $3.75 for a gallon of milk, and parents spend $18,000 and more each year for college tuition and fees. McAuley students still wear the same plaid skirt, but with gym shoes and leggings, and they carry personal tablet computers to class.

Although much has changed since McAuley opened its doors in 1960, much has remained constant.

More than 10,000 young women have walked through

McAuley’s doors, traveled its halls, and graduated ready and empowered to influence the world.

Past students may have typed their literature papers on typewriters or computers, or they may have doublechecked their algebra on adding machines or graphing calculators, yet, regardless of the tools used, the excellence of a McAuley education has never wavered.

Technology in the classroom has surely advanced, but McAuley continues to pride itself on its excellent teachers, administrators, and staff who ensure that every girl who passes through McAuley receives the best education possible.

Whether you graduated in 1964 or 2004, the bonds of sisterhood have remained constant.

Over their four years here, McAuleyans form lifelong friendships fostered through McAuley’s emphasis on spiritual, academic and personal growth.

By attending retreats, cheering on friends at athletic events, and spending countless hours decorating for Raffle, students become more than just classmates.

However, the sisterhood of McAuley extends beyond the

… the women of McAuley are forever united …

school and into the homes of McAuley students.

Grandmothers, mothers, aunts, sisters, and daughters continue to pass down class rings; hem, alter, and reuse the infamous plaid skirt; buy and sell countless raffle tickets; and share stories about favorite teachers, classes, and memories.

In the late 1950s, Archbishop Karl J. Alter asked the Sisters of Mercy to open a new high school for girls to relieve overcrowded conditions at other high schools.

On Aug. 28, 1958, as an event of their celebration of the centenary of their coming to the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, the Sisters of Mercy broke ground in

College Hill on 15 acres of land, the gift of the Archdiocese.

In 1960, the Sisters of Mercy proudly opened the doors of McAuley High School to 200 eager young freshmen.

Today, 50 years later, McAuley continues to open its doors to countless young women from the Cincinnati area who desire a balanced Catholic education.

Regardless of their graduation years, the women of McAuley High School are forever united as members of the McAuley family.

No matter how far they stray from Oakwood Avenue, McAuley graduates remain forever members of the burnt sienna and gold.

McAuley | The Brilliance of Balance

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Spirituality comes first at McAuley As an incoming freshman at McAuley High School, there are a few obvious things you can expect in your four years. You can expect to proudly wear that plaid skirt, you can plan to master parallel parking (thank you, Oakwood Avenue), you can plan to exude unimaginable amounts of class pride during Raffle, and you can plan to receive an exemplary education.

What many young women don’t expect but come to appreciate is the impact of McAuley’s spiritual development. Each and every morning begins with allschool prayer, and classroom prayers continue throughout the day. The beautiful Christ the Teacher Chapel is always open for private prayer and reflection.

McAuley begins infusing the ideals and spirituality of Catherine McAuley into the curriculum during freshman year

with Days of Awareness.

On these days, class time is spent discussing topics pertinent to students’ lives, such as relationships with God, families, and friends. For freshmen and sophomores, these days represent the first steps of a spiritual journey rooted in the Catholic faith.

Juniors and seniors are encouraged to further their bonds as a class by attending overnight retreats that test, break down, and rebuild bonds of friendship and sisterhood.

Those sisterhood ideals are further enhanced by Family Homerooms, which meet three times a week and consist of students from all four grade levels.

Each family has an Irish name in honor of Catherine McAuley, the foundress of the Sisters of Mercy and a native of Dublin, Ireland. Catherine’s belief in inclusiveness drives the Family

Homeroom program, and the girls truly become a family in their home away from home, as many McAuleyans think of their school.

But spiritual growth is not centered solely on individual or class development. The school encourages unity throughout the entire community by having

Campus Ministry Liaisons organize Masses, liturgies, and prayer services. The Campus Ministry Liaisons are student volunteers who provide a connection between each homeroom and the Campus Ministry office.

They keep each homeroom informed of what is happening in the spiritual life of McAuley and offer the homeroom a list of McAuley students, friends, and families in need of prayers.

As each May rolls around all too quickly, parents, friends and the McAuley administration proudly watch as the graduating young women confidently leave McAuley ready to influence the world. In four years, these young women were given the educational and spiritual building blocks necessary to achieve happiness and success. A place of prayer and spirituality, McAuley is a school based on strong faith.

Academic excellence prevails The importance of a strong Catholic education is twofold.

Most importantly, a Catholic education ensures that each student is given the opportunity to grow and develop in her faith and spirituality.

Secondly, a Catholic education ensures that each student has the opportunity to reach her fullest academic potential.

McAuley High School, a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence, values each student’s individual and unique gifts, talents, and needs.

Therefore, McAuley offers an array of courses catering to individual learning styles and levels: honors, advanced college preparatory, and college preparatory courses.

In addition, McAuley

prepares young women for future careers by offering classes centered around particular majors.

For example, future veterinarians or zoology majors may choose to take McAuley’s marine biology class, with labs at the Newport Aquarium and exotic trips to marine reefs throughout the world.

In addition to offering courses catered to future college classes, McAuley offers 12 Advanced Placement (AP) classes that allow students to earn college credit for their hard work.

A McAuley education prepares each young woman for college and a future career.

The Women In Medicine, Women in Engineering, and Women in Law Programs combine rigorous courses with real-world mentoring and experiences, partnering with Mercy Mount Airy Hospital; Procter & Gamble; Smucker’s; Frost Brown Todd; and Thompson Hine.

The McAuley curriculum values the importance of basic education, English, science, math, language, and performing arts, while balancing modern advancements in technology.

McAuley prides itself on implementing learning styles that represent the wave of the future while emphasizing traditional education. Teachers, guidance counselors, and administrators are always

available for extra and individualized help with anything from a calculus problem to a college admittance question.

In May, McAuley graduated 182 young women.

These women were accepted to 87 colleges including the University of Notre Dame, Fordham University, Loyola University Chicago, and the University of Southern California. The Class of 2010 received more than $8,000,000 in college scholarships!

McAuley is a leader in both academics and technology and utilizes both assets so each student meets with success at a level appropriate to her ability.

Clearly, academic success is vitally important at McAuley High School.

September 2010

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Freshman recalls her first year

By Abbey Meister My freshman year at McAuley has flown by. I never thought that I could learn so much in what seemed to be such little time. Three major things I learned this year or have improved on are how to make friends, my speaking skills, and my writing skills.

Walking through those McAuley doors the first few days was nerve-wracking because I had doubts of making new friends. As I discovered who was in each of my classes, however, I came out of my shell and was friendly towards everyone.

I learned to become friends with people because of their personalities and common interests as opposed to their style, looks, or rankMeister ing. Because of this, I have made many true friends at an incredibly fast rate!

In addition, my stage fright problems have improved immensely. Before this year, I would be shaky, get knots in my stomach, and blush like crazy whenever I had to speak in front

of people or even answer a question in class.

Being surrounded by girls all day every day has helped me with this, since I do not have to worry about looking dumb in front of them. Now, I can give speeches, ask and answer questions comfortably in class, and give presentations calmly without turning into a tomato or stuttering through it.

Also, I have definitely improved on my writing skills.

All of the dreaded questions that were assigned to us for the chapters in the novels we read actually helped to improve my writing skills. At first, I was struggling

and did not know how I was supposed to answer simple questions in so many words. But I kept working hard and learned to use supporting facts and specific details in my answers.

Before I knew it, I was writing one or two whole paragraphs for a single question! Writing my thoughts and feelings comes easier to me now and, in fact, I look forward to writing, whether it is answering questions or writing a reflection paper. In general, my freshman year has been a great success. I have learned a plethora of things, which has allowed me set the path for next three years of high school.

McAuley – At the world’s service The numbers speak for themselves.

Last year the young women of McAuley High School donated 26,000 hours of community service. That is roughly the length of 4,633 school days or 25 years of high school!

But in one school year, McAuley students rehabbed homes in Overthe-Rhine, coached Special Olympics, tutored local grade school students, and collected money for local charities and relief efforts.

The helping hands of McAuley also extend far outside the Cincinnati area.

This year, students attended mission and immersion trips to Jamaica and Give Kids the World Village in Florida.

Regardless of how far these young women travel, countless lives have been touched.

The McAuley Service Program emphatically stresses the importance of understanding the larger

social justice issues behind these worthwhile service projects.

Throughout service projects, students discuss injustices and viable solutions to improve society.

The process of educating the entire person is an essential aspect of

McAuley’s goal to inspire and influence young women to promote positive change.

Mohandas Gandhi once said: “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”

A McAuley education

exists well beyond the science labs, the library, and the performing arts center.

McAuley gives young women the opportunity to lose themselves in the quest for social justice in order to experience a broad and bold view of the struggles of humanity.

McAuley | The Brilliance of Balance

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Something for everyone On a regular school day, the halls of McAuley are brimming with over 660 young women, ranging in age from 14 to 18.

McAuley's academic curriculum, faith development, and extracurricular activities are designed to ensure that these young women receive the best Catholic education possible. Yet the McAuley experience caters not only to current students; McAuley strives to provide something for all ages.

McAuley offers a Child Development Class for pre-school students.

McAuley students plan activities that give handson experiences about the physical, social, emotional, and intellectual stages of child development.

From pajama parties to tea parties, the halls of the school are full of laughter and giggles!

For girls and boys slightly older, McAuley offers summer camps that are designed with them in mind. Among other courses and camps, McAuley offers a baby-sitting course, a drama camp that allows grade school students to sing and dance on the big stage, and a Harry Potter camp that concludes with an intense Quidditch match.

For future Mohawks, McAuley invites sixthand seventh-graders to

sleepover at McAuley for a pajama party! In the summer, eighth-graders “give up a day at the pool for a day at school,” participating in scavenger hunts, conducting science experiments in McAuley's state-of-the-art science labs, and dabbling in foreign languages.

Regardless of a girl's interest, there is something for everyone at McAuley.

Just as importantly, for the parents and grandparents of McAuley students who support the importance of a Catholic education, McAuley students are given the opportunity

to thank them. Four times a year Elvis, the Beatles, and the Grease Soundtrack can be heard blaring from the McAuley cafeteria as dads and their daughters dance the night away at father/daughter dances. Each May, seniors and their mothers enjoy a special Mass and breakfast hosted by the Mom and Dad’s Club as they prepare for graduation.

Finally, each spring, the Grandparent's Day Mass and Breakfast allows McAuley students to spend a special morning with their grandparents and show their McAuley pride.

No matter your age, McAuley is a place for everyone. They welcome you to come and see for yourself!

Dynamic virtual learning environment A McAuley education implements the best that the technological and academic world has to offer.

McAuley prides itself on being a leader in innovative technology that includes a TabletPC Program, two computer labs, three laptop carts, and computers available for use in the library. In the TabletPC Program, all incoming freshmen purchase a personal computer through McAuley.

Each tablet computer is equipped with a learning management system that consists of Blackboard, OneNote, and DyKnow, programs that allow education to take place outside the classroom.

Blackboard, for example, allows teachers, students, and parents to access academic progress,

communicate freely, view uploaded projects and papers, and receive assessment and feedback.

This virtual learning environment allows students and teachers to dynamically collaborate and communicate whether at school or home.

This year, McAuley has moved to Microsoft Live.

All programs, documents, and means of communication will be found, used, and saved solely using the Internet.

This allows students and teachers access to all documents from any computer. In addition, having all files backed up and saved using the Internet ensures that no document will be lost or deleted.

McAuley is excited to add to its already strong curriculum with a “hybrid”

class in U.S. history for sophomores and juniors.

This class will help students be more responsible for their learning and help prepare them for future online classes. A hybrid class allows for some faceto-face time and some independent learning, coupled with online, small group discussions, similar to those of many university courses.

In addition, McAuley will be introducing students to “cloud computing,” the next step in the computer world.

McAuley will also be using “live.edu” which gives students storage space, e-mail accounts, and shared calendars while allowing them to blog and use wikis.

In addition, McAuley will be offering new

Multi-Media and Communications classes that will explore technology’s impact on communication and the media.

One major project of these classes is moving to an online student newsletter rather than a print newspaper – the wave of the future.

Every year, the students and teachers of McAuley stay current and up-to-date on the advancements of technology. McAuley prides itself on being on the cutting edge of technology and has led the way among Cincinnati Catholic high schools.

Seminars, classes, and personalized help are provided to ensure that each student is receiving the most from her McAuley experience.

September 2010

50th Anniversary During the 2010-2011 dances, all-school Masses, school year, McAuley class ring ceremonies, dedHigh School is celebrating ications to Mary, proms, its golden 50th volleyball games, pep ralAnniversary. lies, English classes, and Since opening many more memories. the doors to Throughout the 200 young year, McAuley has McAuley women in planned events to 1960, the pay tribute to 50 High School classyears of stuis celebrating rooms of dents, parents, its golden McAuley teachers, and have busstaff. We hope anniversary. tled with you will join us for activity. one or all of the A class was events that honor this added in each of the next momentous occasion. three years, and the first For more information class proudly graduated in about 50th Anniversary 1964. The last 50 years at events please visit the McAuley have been filled McAuley Website with father/daughter www.mcauleyhs.net.

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Visit McAuley’s Open House and

Feel at Home

6th, 7th, and 8th grade girls and their parents are invited to McAuley High School’s Open House

Sunday, October 3 11:30 am to 2:30 pm

This Is Your Opportunity To...

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• Meet our outstanding faculty • Tour our sparkling campus • Hear from our wonderful students and parents • Get a unique perspective from a McAuley alumna For more information, call Kathy Dietrich, Director of Admissions, at 513-681-1800, ext. 2272 or email dietrichk@mcauleyhs.net