SUMMER 2017
DOMINICAN Magazine
TRUTH
COMPASSION
JUSTICE
COMMUNITY
PARTNERSHIP
Fade to Black Marie Foss ’17 performs choreography to “Teeth” by Lady Gaga during Inspirations X. The spring performance marked the tenth and final installment of Inspirations. Photo by Jesse Weiler
Living The Mission Cailey O’Neill ’17 spent time with a Guatemalan student during the Dominican service trip this spring. Eleven Dominican students and four chaperons spent over a week in Guatemala helping with a clean water project and visiting local schools, orphanages and businesses.
From the President currently serves as an adjunct professor and Director of Social Justice and Civic Engagement at Dominican University, a Sinsinawa Dominican sponsored school. Not only did Sr. MaDonna share her wisdom and expertise, she also provided excellent strategies on reflective practices which will be put into action this coming year. She also introduced me to Tai Chi, which garnered her the status of “rockstar alumnae” in my book!
Dominican President Leanne Giese with Sr. MaDonna Thelen ’67
The Dominican story ~ the weaving of so many lives and experiences throughout the past 60 years. The Dominican story is your story, as a student, parent, board/faculty/staff member, and you will forever be connected to our family. The talents and gifts you shared, the school spirit you created, the high standard of education you expected and the belief and value you place in our mission has made Dominican stronger and more vibrant with each passing year. In May, the graduating Class of 2017 left their mark on the Dominican story. Members of this class led our Knights football team to playoffs for the first time in 17 years, represented Wisconsin at a global STEM competition, won numerous Tommy theater awards and logged hundreds of service hours, both at home and abroad. Our newest alumni will no doubt make a positive difference for our greater world. On a yearly basis, I attend a mission conference led by Sinsinawa Dominicans; the women who created the Dominican Story. The conference always provides me with a spiritual rejuvenation and I return ready to begin planning for the year ahead. The theme this year was Contemplata Aliss Tradere: To Give to Others the Fruit of Contemplation, and to my delight, the presenter was Dominican High School alumna, Sr. MaDonna Thelen ’67. MaDonna has devoted her life to education and outreach, and
Today, Dominican High School remains vibrant and faith-filled. We continue the tradition of providing a rigorous, collegepreparatory education which prepares young men and women for success in their postsecondary education, as well as promoting and exemplifying the importance of having servicecentered lives. This magazine highlights many shining examples of the Dominican mission in action. Dominican also continues to be a place where diverse minds and experiences come together. As a school community, we continue to highlight the best in others, celebrate uniqueness and flourish together. If you haven’t been back to visit, please make a point to do so this year. Be proud of your Dominican experience and share your story with us. I’m incredibly honored to be part of the school’s history and look forward to our bright future. God Bless and Go Knights!
Leanne Giese President Current / Past Parent
Board of Directors
Special thanks to our 2016-2017 Board of Directors and Officers Ida Androwich ’60 PhD, RN, FAAN Professor Emerita Loyola University Chicago
Brian Conole ’73 * Board Chair Senior Vice President Bank of America
Theresa Barry * Vice-President, Student Affairs Carroll University
John Desing * Financial Advisor Morgan Stanley
Louise Berg ’79 Co-Owner/Producer – Editor Life Productions, Inc.
Paul Engibous ’74 Assistant Professor School of Dentistry Marquette University
Doug Brown Sr. Eileen Brynda, O.P. Pastoral Associate St. Kilian Parish
Terry Flanagan ’74 Sales Executive Coldwell Banker
Steven Gall * President Tri Par Oil Company Leanne Giese * President Dominican High School Daniel Gerlach ’06 Senior Actuarial Analyst LTCG Katie Mehan ’75 * Vice Chair Alisia Moutry, Ph.D Regional Director of Technical Assistance SWIFT Center University of Kansas
Tim Murphy Arthur Phillips Special Counsel Foley & Lardner, LLP Annemarie Scobey-Polacheck ’86 Director of Corporate Programs/ Corporate Responsibility Johnson Controls Peggy Stern * Executive Secretary Operations Consultant SAP Fieldglass * Executive Members
Dominican Magazine
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Survive and Advance George Wong ’18 advanced to the WIAA State Tennis Tournament after finishing fourth in his sectional. In Madison, George went on a run, winning his first three matches and advancing to the Division 2 semi-finals before falling to the eventual state champion.
In This Issue
DOMINICAN
Magazine
Dominican High School publishes Dominican Magazine for alumni, past parents, current families and friends.
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CONTRIBUTORS Lauren Cazares Emily Curley Edward Foy Leanne Giese Joseph Grady Christine Hudak Claudia Martin Spencer Smith MAGAZINE DESIGN & LAYOUT Spencer Smith, Communications Manager PHOTOGRAPHY Indicated by photo credits CONTACT US Comments and address changes are welcome and may be sent to: Dominican High School Attn: Spencer Smith
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(414)-332-1170 ext. 174
FEATURES
ssmith@dominicanhighschool.com
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INSPIRATIONS X
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KATIE HIRSCHBOECK ’69
For the tenth and final time, Inspirations capped off the Dominican Theatre season with the help of some old friends.
Ever since she can remember, Katie has loved nature and her faith. Now, she has built a career that allows her to teach both.
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GUATEMALA SERVICE
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KATRINA GALKA ’07
Eleven students traveled to Guatemala on a service trip this spring. What they found was not only the beauty of the country, but the beauty of its people.
From the Dominican Auditorium to opera houses across the country. Katrina is living her dream as an opera singer.
PLUS 8 22
CLASS OF 2017 CAMPUS MINISTRY
120 East Silver Spring Drive Whitefish Bay, WI 53217
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THEATRE SOMEONE TO KNOW
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ATHLETICS ALUMNI UPDATES
Our Mission
To provide young adults with a co-educational, Catholic, college-preparatory experience based on the teachings of Jesus. Our faith-driven school community fosters spirituality and creativity, and encourages intellectual, social, physical and artistic development. We commission our students to develop a heightened sense of social responsibility and respect for human dignity based on the values articulated by our sponsoring congregation, the Sinsinawa Dominicans: Truth, Compassion, Justice, Community, Partnership. Dominican Magazine
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CLASS OF 2017
On May 26, 2017, 85 students walked across the stage and became the newest members of the Dominican alumni community. 2017 LEGACY STUDENTS Front row: (Left to right) Sydnee Jenkins, Allison Fritsch, William Lambrecht, Ann Desing, Michael Loehr, Eric Dlugopolski Back row: (Left to right) Shanee (Smith) Jenkins ’93, Daniel Fritsch ’74, Kathleen (Kruesel) Fritsch ’78, Beth (Bronikowski) Lambrecht ’86, Jayne (Coonan) Desing ’85, Carol (Reichert) Loehr ’76, David Dlugopolski ’85
2017 VALEDICTORIANS AND SALUTATORIAN The co-valedictorians of the Class of 2017 are Thomas Dolan and Jamie Piatt. Thomas and Jamie achieved a grade point average of 4.177 through seven semesters at Dominican. Thomas will attend the University of San Diego. Jamie will attend the University of Minnesota. The salutatorian is Sara Patoka. Sara achieved a grade point average of 4.150 and will attend the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire.
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Class of 2017
Excerpts from the Valedictorian and Salutatorian Speeches Valedictorian Address by Thomas Dolan “On August 20, 2013, a kid with a big smile and confidence to spare walked excitedly through Dominican High School’s doors, ready for the first day of his freshman year and the next four years of his life. He knew his potential, and was ready for whatever might come his way. And then I walked in after Kevin Linn, scared out of my mind.” “Whether we like it or not, for better or worse, everyone sitting on this stage knows one another. We’ve hated each other, dated each other, even, I’d say, created each other.” “As you leave these halls for the last time, look into your classmates’ smiles, shake your teachers’ hands and hug your grandma, savor this moment. Savor it––and then look forward. For as we prepare to leave our families, our friends, our homes and enter into the ever-beckoning and ever-terrifying new, I hope we have learned there is more to life than a career, more to God than religion class, and more to ourselves and each other than we might believe.” “On May 26, 2017, 80 kids with big smiles and confidence to spare will walk excitedly out Dominican High School’s doors, ready for the first day of their freshmen year and the next four years of their lives. We know our potential, and are ready for whatever might come our way. And yes, we are also scared out of our minds.”
Salutatorian Address by Sara Patoka “Last night at Baccalaureate Mass, we received letters we had written to ourselves at the beginning of freshman year. So I cracked open that letter, hoping to find something prophetic that my freshman year self had come up with. I am sorry to say that there were no gems to be found in that letter. So, then I begrudgingly opened up my letter that I wrote to myself at the beginning of this year. And after reading that, I would like to give a quick shout out to the entire English Department, because after seeing the differences between the letters written four years apart, all I can say is, job well done Dominican English teachers. Job well done.” “We are all going to face certain hardships in our futures. But even those times when you are feeling defeated by the world, or you just can’t catch a break, you must remember two things. One, remember to look to the support of your loved ones, many of whom are in this room today. And two, remember your own strength and power, because if anyone can do it, you can” “Now, for a second I would like to go back to that fateful letter I wrote to myself at the beginning of this year. I think one of the most important parts of this letter is what I wrote on the back. It says “Dominican is Home.” So, I can’t think of any better way to end this speech than this. Congratulations class of 2017. May your futures take you on the adventure of a lifetime, but I pray that you will always be able to find your way back home.”
Class of 2017: By the Numbers
52 Colleges/Universities 18 States 10
53% Attending
$10.9 million in scholarship offers
private institutions
47% Attending
Colleges in Wisconsin
Acceptance List
Members of the Class of 2017 were accepted to the following colleges and universities nationwide. Adams State University Alabama State University Alverno College American University Ball State University Belmont University Beloit College Blackhawk Technical College Bryant & Stratton College Butler University Cardinal Stritch University Carl Sandburg College Carroll University Case Western Reserve University Olive-Harvey College Central State University Chaminade University of Honolulu Clark Atlanta University College of Saint Benedict Columbia College Chicago Concordia University Chicago Concordia University Wisconsin Creighton University Dean College Denison University DePaul University Dominican University Drake University Drexel University Eastern New Mexico University Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising Fashion Institute of Technology Fisk University
Florida Gulf Coast University Fordham University Franciscan University of Steubenville Grinnell College Hamline University Hampton University Howard University Indiana University Bloomington Iowa State University Ithaca College Jackson State University John Carroll University John Paul the Great Catholic University Kendall College Lake Forest College Lakeland College Loyola University Chicago Loyola University New Orleans Marian University Marquette University Marymount University Michigan State University Milwaukee Area Technical College Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design Milwaukee School of Engineering Minnesota State University, Mankato Morehouse College Mount Mary University New England College New England Culinary Institute
North Carolina State University Northeastern University Nova Southeastern University Oakland Community College Ohio University Old Dominion University Pace University Pennsylvania State University Portland State University Regis University Rhodes College Ringling College of Art and Design Ripon College Rochester Institute of Technology Saint Joseph’s University Saint Louis University Saint Mary’s College Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota Saint Xavier University Savannah College of Art and Design School of the Art Institute of Chicago Seattle University South Dakota School of Mines and Technology St. Ambrose University St. Catherine University St. Cloud State University St. John’s University St. Norbert College Stony Brook University Suffolk University Temple University
Tennessee State University The Catholic University of America The Culinary Institute of America, New York The George Washington University The Institute of Culinary Education The Ohio State University The University of Akron The University of Alabama The University of Alabama The University of Iowa The University of Memphis The University of Tennessee Trinity University Tulane University The State University of New York at Buffalo University of Bridgeport University of California, San Diego (Revelle College) University of Central Oklahoma University of Cincinnati University of Connecticut University of Dallas University of Dayton University of Evansville University of Illinois at Chicago University of Kentucky University of Massachusetts Amherst University of Minnesota, Crookston University of Minnesota, Duluth
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities University of Mississippi University of Northwestern University of Oregon University of Pittsburgh University of San Diego University of San Francisco University of South Carolina University of St. Thomas UW - Eau Claire UW - Green Bay UW - La Crosse UW - Madison UW - Milwaukee UW - Oshkosh UW - Parkside UW - Platteville UW - Stevens Point UW - Waukesha UW - Whitewater Villanova University Viterbo University Washington and Lee University Washington University in St. Louis Waukesha County Technical College Wentworth Institute of Technology West Virginia University Wheeling Jesuit University Winona State University Xavier University Xavier University of Louisiana
Dominican Magazine
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Campus Buzz
Students Form Rock Climbing Team Dominican students are always reaching new heights in the classroom and in their extracurricular activities. In the fall of 2016, a few students took that attitude literally, forming a rock climbing team. The advent of Dominican rock climbing began with the ambition of four students, Colleen Fischer ’17, Bennett Artman ’19, Colin Trafton ’17 and Shannon Garwood ’17. They were stuck on the idea of bringing a rock climbing team to the school, they just needed a coach to help bring it all together. So, they turned to Dominican English teacher Trevor Russell. They knew Mr. Bennett Artman climbing at Adventrue Rock Russell had an interest in outdoor/adventure sports, they had to convince him that rock climbing should be one of them.
climbing, Russell thought it was a great idea to fill a need in the outdoor/adventure sport area. The only concern was if it would drive enough interest to form a complete team. “It was a great idea to fill in a niche that we didn’t have,” Russell said. Within a month, Dominican’s rock climbing team had 22 students committed – 10 boys and 12 girls. The team began to practice once a week at Adventure Rock on Milwaukee’s East Side.
Seniors on the team enjoyed their sport so much that the question, “Do you have a rock wall?” became common-place and almost a prerequisite on college visits.
After a few months of practice, the team began to compete against area high schools at competitions held at Adventure Rock. In its first competition in November, Dominican finished 14th out of 19 teams. A result to be expected with a brand new team still learning the basics. What might not have been expected was that November tournament would be the last, and only, time Dominican would finish outside of the top seven. In its final five competitions, Dominican would finish seventh, fourth, first, sixth and third respectively, winning a competition in March over schools the likes of Pewaukee, Kettle Moraine and Fond du Lac – teams with more competitors and experience.
“I had rock climbed once. And by that, I mean literally one time,” Russell said.
Russell attributes the team’s success to a desire to improve. Team members would climb on their own, always pushing the limits.
Despite his limited experience with rock
“It’s a very addictive sport. The more you do it,
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the more you want to keep coming back. It is a pure form of sport. You are competing against yourself,” Russell said.
The team celebrating their competition win in March
The best part of the team? Russell says it was the camaraderie. “There was a great bond between the kids on the team,” he said. “You had boys and girls, freshmen through seniors working together and enjoying themselves.” While the rock climbing team lost several seniors, the plan is to continue to grow the team and reach new heights next year.
Campus Buzz Concurrent Enrollment Programs Added Dominican partners with Cardinal Stritch to offer college-level courses Beginning in the 2016-2017 school year, Dominican partnered with Cardinal Stritch University in the concurrent enrollment program (CEP). The CEP partnership allows for Dominican students to take college-level courses during the regular high school class schedule. Dominican is always striving to provide its students as many opportunities as possible to prepare them for college, so adding the concurrent enrollment partnership with a local, Catholic university was an obvious decision. “Concurrent Enrollment is an exciting opportunity for our top students to take on college-aligned courses while still in high school,” Dominican principal Edward Foy said. “This type of experience prepares students for the rigors of college before ever leaving Dominican’s hallways.” Through the CEP partnership, Dominican offered Spanish V (Spanish Composition and Conversation) in the fall 2016 semester taught by Mrs. Ann Setterlun. With this class, students were eligible to concurrently enroll for both college credits and high school credits. Students who chose to enroll for college credits were admitted to the University as “nondegree seeking students” and received three college credits and an official university transcript. This partnership benefits the students, as
STEM Team Qualifies for Globals well as the faculty members. “Partnering with a local university is a huge benefit for Dominican. Our participating faculty members receive professional development and are hired as adjunct professors at Cardinal Stritch,” Foy said. Dominican will continue to offer Spanish V CE, along with its 11 AP courses, in the 2017-2018 school year and will add another CE class “Philosophy for Theology CE,” marking the first advanced religious studies course to be offered at Dominican. “Our first year was a strong success. We are constantly looking for ways to enhance our curriculum and provide more challenging opportunities to improve the skill sets of our students before they leave for college,” Foy said. “We are excited about the success we have experienced with concurrent enrollment already and look forward to the possibilities of growth with this partnership.”
Under the guidance of math teacher Michele Franklin and science teacher Melissa Senn, Dominican created STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) teams that participated in competitions as part of the Destination Imagination program throughout the year. Destination Imagination (DI) “is a fun, hands-on system of learning that fosters students’ creativity, courage and curiosity through open-ended academic Challenges in the fields of STEM, fine arts and service learning,” according to its mission statement. In DI’s regional tournament held in March, Dominican earned first place in the science category and the engineering category allowing the teams to advance to state. At the state competition, Dominican’s science team of Ani Zhu ’18, Nicole Zehner ’18, Peter Ying ’20, Jack Chen ’17, Isaiah McCray Jones ’20 and David Law ’18 earned a third-place finish giving them a berth in the Global Finals in Tennessee. The Science Team also earned the prestigious “DaVinci Award” for creativity.
N e w s Fe e d SOPHIE MUELLER AWARDED HERB KOHL SCHOLARSHIP Dominican senior Sophie Mueller was awarded a $10,000 Herb Kohl Educational Foundation 2017 Excellence Scholarship. In March, scholarship recipients had been informed that each would receive a $5,000 scholarship, but in a
surprise announcement at the recognition luncheon, Herb Kohl revealed that he decided to double the scholarship amount. The Herb Kohl Excellence Scholarship recognizes students who have demonstrated academic potential, outstanding leadership, citizenship, community service, integrity and other special talents.
SEVEN CLASSES ADDED TO CURRICULUM Dominican has added seven classes to its curriculum beginning in the 2017-2018 school year: Philosophy for Theology CE, Print Making, Astronomy, Environmental Science, Forensic Science, Speculative Fiction as Literature and Diverse Voices in World Literature. Philosophy for Theology will be a part of the Concurrent Enrollment program.
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INSPIRATIONS X
After a decade of breathtaking, passionate, high-energy performances, Inspirations has come to an end For the last decade, the Dominican Theatre season has been a well-oiled machine: two to three performances in the fall, a massive musical in the winter and Inspirations in the spring… repeat. Before 2007 there was a hole in the spring theatre, something was missing. And, after this year, the spring will again be…different. But what happened in between is something no other high school had, and it changed Dominican Theatre for the better. Until 2007, the Dominican Theatre season ended with the winter musical. Then came Aida which was performed in the spring of 2007 and opened the door for a spring performance, but the Theatre Department wanted something different, something fresh. “We knew we needed something else in the spring. We didn’t know what it wanted to be, but we wanted Mr. E to do it,” Dominican Theatre Director Jeff Schaetzke said. “After some songs, some reviews, some dance, it all focused on dance and the inspiring way to tell stories with movement, passion and push students to develop abilities they might not know they had.” Michael Endter, a.k.a. Mr. E, is the man responsible for the meteoric rise of the spring performance that has become known as Inspirations. For the last decade, Mr. E has fostered the show with brilliant choreography, hit songs from the past and present, and always an overflow of passion and energy. Ten years later, it is almost impossible to imagine the spring without Inspirations, but after its tenth installment in the spring of 2017, the show’s time has come to an end. “This year will mark the 10th Inspirations. That’s crazy to me. It will also mark my last Inspirations. That’s a relief to me. A melancholy relief, but a relief,” Mr. E wrote in a letter to the audience in the Inspirations X program. “After well over 100 dance
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numbers and countless steps of choreography, I have come to the realization that my time with the show has come to an end. When the show started to become a popular event and the pressure/ expectations grew, I gave myself the goal of doing 10. I have reached that goal.” Inspirations has given hundreds of Dominican students the chance to express themselves through dance. As Mr. E says, it is all about the passion the students put into the performance that made the show so successful. “There is no question to me about why Inspirations has been a success. It is due to the talents, efforts and passion of the student performers,” Mr. E wrote. As Inspirations grew, it became more than just a dance revue. It became an environment for students to express themselves, find themselves and celebrate each other. “Inspirations is not just about dance. Inspirations has become an experience where students are encouraged to create freely, to push their boundaries, to support and encourage individuality, to celebrate each other’s talents with love and positivity and to dance with reckless abandon,” Mr. E wrote. “Inspirations is about passion and growth.” In 2017, 36 Dominican alumni came together to celebrate the 10th and final Inspirations, performing numbers they had done years before, working with current Dominican students, or seding video messages if they couldn’t be there in person. Although Inspirations is done, Dominican is grateful that it happened and is ready for the next challenge ahead. “We are thrilled to have had this chapter of a decade of Inspirations, and look forward to the next chapter this coming spring,” Schaetzke said.
“Inspirations has become an experience where students are encouraged to create freely, to push their boundaries, to support and encourage individuality, to celebrate each other’s talents with love and positivity and to dance with reckless abandon.” - Mr. E
Kaelin Graham ’17 performs Thriller by Michael Jackson Photos by Jesse Weiler
Winter Musical Directed by: Jeff Schaetzke Dominican theatre’s winter musical took audiences to a ‘barrio’ in Washington Heights following the story of Usnavi, Vanessa, Nina and the Rosarios. From the mind of Hamilton creator, Lin-Manuel Miranda, In the Heights, featured rap, salsa, R & B, modern dance and a beautiful soaring, energetic score. It was nothing like the shows the Theatre Department has done in the past, and that is what was most attractive about it. “When we chose In the Heights, it was to celebrate and pursue developing the diverse talent of Dominican’s student body. Certainly, Hamilton and its popularity helped draw audiences, but our program always wants to tell new stories and tell them in different ways,” Dominican Theatre Director Jeff Schaetzke said. The In the Heights cast and crew performed to packed houses for every show and welcomed alumni that returned to celebrate their 10-year anniversary of High School Musical and Aida. In the Heights won five Tommy Awards including the award for Outstanding Musical. Of 87 productions from the state that entered in 2016-2017, Dominican was one of 13 schools to win the award. The individual awards went to: Oscar Eck ’18 for Outstanding Lead Performer, Anne Linn ’17 for Outstanding Supporting Performer, Grace Parlier ’18 for Outstanding Supporting Performer and Shannon Garwood ’17 earned the Spirit Award. “To be able to do a rap/hip-hop/salsa-centered show was thrilling for our students and brought out some great new talent. It was a beautiful experience for our department and our audiences,” Schaetzke said. “We rose to the challenges, blasted out high-energy dances and ensemble, and found that our voice matches the voice of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s about community, diversity, and home.”
The Complete Works of Shakespeare ged!) (Abrid
Fall Comedy Directed by: Chris Feiereisen ’05 All 37 plays in 97 minutes! The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged) was a hysterical whirlwind through the mind of Shakespeare, all in Dominican’s Auditorium! With no true lead, several students shared the stage, conveying some of the darkest
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and most tragic plays in the goofiest reenactments possible, with some sketches lasting only seconds. The Fall Comedy brought the house down with their performances, including a matinee for local grade school students. Photos by Christian Tomsey
STRIDER One Act Play Directed by: Jeff Schaetzke Dominican’s 2016 One Act Play was Strider, the adapted story of Tolstoy’s life seen through the eyes of Strider, a multicolored horse. Strider is a moving story of success and misery, serving as an allegory about the courage of the pure of heart and shedding light on the injustices of the world. Led by Dominican junior Joey Mitchell as Strider, the one act play was performed in the Little Threatre in October before moving on to the Theatre Festivals. At the State Theatre Festival at UWStevens Point, Strider brought home eight awards. The performance earned three ensemble awards: Critics’ Choice Award, Ensemble Award, Outstanding Directing Award. Strider also earned five Outstanding Acting Awards: Joey Mitchell –Strider, Katie Wagner –Madame Serpuhovski, Marie Foss –Darling, Hannah Garwood –Cole-Black Stallion & Lieutenant, Anne Linn –Chestnut Filly & Announcer.
Fall Drama Directed by: Katie O’Neil ’11 Dominican Theatre’s fall performance of Lonely, I’m Not told the story of Porter, played by Oscar Eck ’18, a 20-something who has already been married, divorced, had a successful job and experienced a nervous breakdown. After four years of unemployment and no dates, Porter gives life another shot when he meets
Heather, played by Anne Linn ’17, an independent and work-obsessed blind business woman. Lonely, I’m Not took audiences through the joys and trials of Porter and Heather’s budding relationship as they both learn about themselves. Dominican Magazine
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GRIDIRON BREAKTHROUGH Led by seven seniors, Dominican football tasted the postseason for the first time in 17 seasons
They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. Well, the Dominican football team had its heart set on one goal in the 2016 season: earn a berth in the WIAA playoffs. It had been 17 years and a different millennium since the last time the Knights made an appearance in the football playoffs, and that was when Dominican was still a member of the Wisconsin Independent Schools Athletic Association (WISAA). In 2017, a perfect storm of personnel, coaching and determination broke that drought and lifted the Knights into their first-ever WIAA playoff appearance. It began with the players. Led by seven seniors, all of whom had been in the program since their freshmen year, the team developed a hunger for the postseason. For the seniors, they knew it was their last shot at a chance at history. First-year head coach Quincy LaGrant, and almost an entirely new staff, was brought in to pair with the core of experienced players. Coach LaGrant had spent several seasons at UW-Oshkosh coaching the secondary and the last few seasons as the defensive coordinator at St. Francis High School. He could tell from day one that his new team was ready to put the work in to accomplish its goals. “My primary take from working with these guys this year is that they actually committed to the challenge I presented of laying the foundation of what we want Dominican football to be. I told them it would lie with them.” Coach LaGrant said in an interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The players took notice of their new coach’s confidence and ran with it. “He said we’re going to win games,” Dominican senior linebacker Daniel Walton said. “Most coaches wouldn’t say that. Most coaches would say we’re going to try to turn this around. His mind wasn’t just on trying to maintain and not get blown out. It wasn’t trying to win some games. It was go to the playoffs and try to make a run in the playoffs.”
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The Knights took that confidence and turned it into wins in three of their first five games. With four games to go, Dominican only needed two more wins to guarantee a winning conference record and lock up the playoff spot it coveted. With a 3-3 conference record, it came down to the final regular season game against Martin Luther at home. A win, and the Knights would be in the playoffs. A loss, and it would be another year without a postseason. Dominican’s desire was obvious from the start of the game. The Knights jumped out to a 24-7 lead over the Spartans early in the third quarter. But, Martin Luther battled back, bringing it to within six points with less than five minutes left in the game. In the end Dominican’s defense held up, keeping Martin Luther out of the end zone on its final drive and securing the playoff berth it had worked so hard for. The scene of celebration and emotion from the team after the game showed just how much the accomplishment meant. “For me this is the most special thing I’ve done in high school sports,” senior Jake Bennett told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. With the regular season in the rear-view mirror it was on to the postseason where Dominican was matched up with number one seed and undefeated Columbus. The Cardinals proved to be too much, taking down the Knights 51-14, but that didn’t take away from the team’s accomplishments this year. With a successful season comes the individual awards, and the Knights took home a total of 11 conference awards highlighted by the Metro Classic Defensive Player of the Year - Daniel Walton ’17 and Conference Coach of the year - Quincy LaGrant, along with five First Team All-Conference winners and four Second Team AllConference Winners.
DOMINICAN FOOTBALL 2016 RESULTS
At bay view
L
30-32
VS Brown deer
W
33-14
AT kenosha st. joe’s
L
0-48
VS catholic central
W
14-6
AT st. Thomas More
W
42-7
Vs st. Catherine’s
L
20-55
AT shoreland LUTHERAN
W
33-30
AT Racine Lutheran
L
12-49
Vs martin Luther
W
31-25
WIAA pLAYOFF LEVEL 1
AT Columbus
L
14-51
Eric Dlugopolski ’17 breaks a tackle against Brown Deer. Photo by Dan Dujmic
Athletics Update All-Conference Team Selections
2016 - 2017
Knights Highlights
Boys Soccer First Team All-Conference Christian Schramka – Forward
Boys Basketball First Team All-Conference Gacoby Jones
Second Team All-Conference Sam Yarmulnik – Midfielder
Honorable Mention Ralen Brown Will Jelacic
Girls Volleyball Honorable Mention Izzy Badran Kaelin Graham Football Coach of the Year Quincy LaGrant Defensive Player of the year Daniel Walton First Team All-Conference Corey Guy – Wide Receiver Drew Dlugopolski – Tight End Patrick Sherlock – Center Daniel Walton – Inside Linebacker Jake Bennett – Punter
Young Scores 1,000 Points Dominican junior Jazmine Young scored her 1,000th career point for the girls basketball program during the 2016-2017 season. Jazmine is the sixth player in program history to reach the 1,000-point mark.
Second Team All-Conference Bo Bennett – Quarterback Will Jelacic – Offensive Lineman Jalen Black – Outside Linebacker Jake Bennett – Defensive Back Honorable Mention John Hudak – Defensive End Eric Dlugopolski – Defensive Back
Jazmine averaged 20.3 points per game while shooting 42 percent from the floor during the 2016-2017 season, leading the Knights to the WIAA Regional Final game. Jazmine has committed to play NCAA Division I basketball at Tennessee State University in 2018.
Girls Basketball First Team All-Conference Jazmine Young Second Team All-Conference Alanna Newsome Honorable Mention Kalyn Sias-Chaney Baseball First Team All-Conference Isaiah Tapiz – Utility Second Team All-Conference Michael Vecitis – Infield Honorable Mention Drew Dlugopolski Boys Tennis Second Team All-Conference George Wong Golf Second Team All-Conference Patrick Sherlock Softball Second Team all-conference Kayla Bates Honorable Mention Lauren Greenya
Wong and Holland II Qualify for WIAA State Berths Two Dominican juniors pushed their respective spring seasons into the WIAA State Tournament and Meet. George Wong earned a position in the Boys Tennis State Tournament in singles play and Ma’Rico Holland II qualified for the State Track & Field Meet in the one-mile run. After earning a Second Team All-Conference nomination in the regular season, Wong finished fourth in his sectional to advance to Madison for the state tournament, his third-straight appearance. In Madison, George won his first three matches, advancing to the 20
State Semifinal match before falling to the number one overall seed, Casey Johnson of Kohler. Ma’Rico began his postseason by placing first in the one-mile run at the Metro Classic Conference Meet. After finishing first in his regional, Ma’Rico placed fourth at the Sectional Meet in East Troy with a time of 4:36.72 to advance to La Crosse for the WIAA State Meet, marking the first Dominican Track athlete to advance to the State Meet since 2012. At the State Championship Meet, Ma’Rico finished 16th, posting a time of 4:45.72.
Michael Vecitis ’18
Lydia Moroder ’19 Photo by Jesse Weiler
Gacoby Jones ’18
Kayla Bates ’20
Christian Schramka ’17
Lexi Meyer ’17, Charlotte Sather ’17 and Allie Fritsch ’17
Ma’Rico Holland II ’18 Photo by Jesse Weiler
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Campus Ministry
Discerning Vocations with Dominican Sisters
A Day with Dominicans In March, Dominican celebrated National Catholic Sisters Week, welcoming nine Sinsinawan and Franciscan Sisters to join them in class, in service and fellowship. Throughout the week, the sisters shared stories from their ministries, taught in a several classes and talked with countless students about their life in faith and their relationship with Christ. The week culminated with 17 girls sharing lunch, conversation and faith with our sisters as they discerned their own path in faith.
Classic Combinations: Peanut Butter, Jelly and Service For nearly 20 years Dominican has provided a simple meal to the guests of the House of Peace: a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Students would make the sandwiches at home and each Thursday, bring them to school. This simple gesture has provided thousands of needy people in Milwaukee with a meal. This school year saw Sandwich Thursday take on a new, dynamic life of its own as students mixed community with their service. Students made sandwiches each Thursday during their lunch hour together, as a class. Selflessness and generosity gave new life to the lunch room as Sandwich Thursday became an event each week, inspiring students to have joy in the simplest acts of service.
Sandwich Thursday
FROM THE CAMPUS MINISTER “I learned one simple lesson from my service this year: to give more and worry less.” These words from freshmen Jenna Alberti describe the essence of what this Dominican community is rooted in. This school year was marked by incredible selflessness and a great passion to serve. Entering the year, there were two goals in ministry: how can we revitalize our longstanding ministries like Sandwich Thursday and introduce our new integrated service program. To summarize this year, I must share a story. 22
It was a Friday in April, and the seniors in our religion class were using work time for an upcoming project. While checking in on each student’s progress, a senior boy raised his hand. Assuming that his question was about the given assignment, I was delightfully surprised when the student, with a mix of frustration and disappointment, said, “I can’t believe we forgot about sandwich Thursday yesterday. I don’t like that we didn’t have it. We need to make sure that we announce it for next week, the cafeteria wasn’t the same.” For 20 years, Dominican has been providing peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the needy of The House of Peace. For the last decade or so, students have made the sandwiches at home and brought them on Thursday mornings, sometimes on their own, sometimes for extra credit.
IN
FAITH
St. Ben’s Meal Preparation
25 Years of Feeding the Hungry This year, Dominican celebrated its 25th school year of serving the needy at the St. Ben’s community meal. Since 1992, Dominican has made countless trays of meatloaf, using Sr. Flannen’s secret recipe, provided endless amounts of fresh vegetables in salads and nourished well over 21,000 people over the past quarter century. Serving at St. Ben’s has been an institution in the lives of Dominican students and staff alike and even brings in future Knights to serve the neediest in their community.
uKNIGHTed in Service The Class of 2020 began the first year of the new uKNIGHTed Service program as they explored how their faith, service and studies meet in their daily life. Their focus on the Dominican pillar of community this year was highlighted by their freshmen retreat, “rooted” and concluded with a day of insight, study and hard work. Slightly covered in flour, they learned about the history of homelessness in Milwaukee and made 400 homemade dinner rolls for the St. Ben’s meal program. Freshmen Retreat
“I learned one simple lesson from my service this year: to give more and worry less.” - Jenna Alberti ’20 This year, we changed the recipe. No extra credit, don’t make them at home. A different class will bring in the items each week, and we will make sandwiches together in the cafeteria during lunch.
No reward given, just one community, together, serving another. This story serves as a snapshot of the selflessness that defines our students. This year at Dominican has been, as the Freshmen Retreat theme highlighted, “Rooted” in the Dominican pillar of Community. Our faculty and staff have fostered it, the students have carried it out, the parents have supported it, and together we have extended our community outside these walls. I am blessed to have witnessed a great year in Campus Ministry and am excited to see how we can continue to share the Gospel in the year ahead. Nate Friday ’09 Campus Minster
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GUATE -‘LINDA’ Dominican students discover the beauty of service in Guatemala
By Will Jelacic ’17
“C’mon Will, just come to the meeting. You can make a decision after this one, but I guarantee you will regret it if you don’t go.” Those were the words of senior Sophie Mueller, pleading with me to take a chance and attend a planning meeting for a spring service trip to Guatemala. Fast forward a few months and I witnessed the struggle of teenagers facing severely bumpy bus rides, getting locked in run down bathrooms, the lack of our beloved Wi-Fi, the hardship of a war-torn country, the precious gift of clean water and the effect kind actions have on people. Needless to say, Sophie’s words worked. Guatemala is a fairly small country spanning only 42,000 square miles, or roughly two thirds the size of Wisconsin, sharing its northern border with Mexico. Though small, its population is around 16.3 million people, which is three times larger than the population of Wisconsin. While Guatemala is known for its savory exports, especially coffee and bananas, it is also known for its brutal recent history. The country endured a back breaking Civil War that claimed the lives of over 200,000 Guatemalans, 83 percent of whom were of indigenous Mayan decent. The classified genocide saw the government commit heinous crimes against their own people, nearly wiping out any trace of previous indigenous life. The war lasted for 36 years, and finally ended with a peace accord in 1996. Twenty years later, the war can still be seen. Major cities, such as the capital, Guatemala City, are littered with crime. Rural areas do not have it much better, as they traded crime for a life of poverty with limited technology and little-to-no resources. Guatemala’s largest cities vary greatly from its smallest rural villages, but there is a common thread that ties them all together: a lack of clean water. That is where a group of high school students come in. The Guatemalan service trip is a Dominican program that began in 2014. The plan is to take upper classmen volunteers on the trip every two years, but things always change. This is where I can personally say that the Zika epidemic did help me, as strange as that sounds. The Gautemalan service trip was originally planned for 2016, but canceled due to the possibility of contracting the Zika virus. This opened the door for me to join the team in 2017 and go on the trip, and BOY was it a dream team. I have to emphasize the word boy as I was the only male student who attended the trip. Before I receive any sympathy, I’d like to remind you that I was able to secure my own room for the hotels, so all was not lost.
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the town during Holy Week. Antigua, touted as one of the best places to be during holy week, did not disappoint. The cobblestone streets were filled with alfombras: brightly colored carpets made of an assortment of colored sawdust, flowers, pine needles, etc. Processions showing the Passion of Christ ran from dusk until dawn, with volunteers carrying giant floats weighing about 10 tons each down the tight corners of the brightly colored town. As many as 3,000 volunteers could be in the procession at once, each fully participating and showing their devout faith in Jesus to the spectators.
A reenactment of the Passion in Antigua
Another stop in Antigua was at Transitions. Transitions is a foundation that works with the handicapped, making wheelchairs and prosthetics from scratch for those in need, not only in Guatemala, but the entire world. All of the employees are handicapped, seeking this opportunity to give back to their own special community. When our time in Antigua ended, we headed to an orphanage run by Dominican sisters in Santa Apolonia. It took us two steps into the building to instantly make connections that could last a lifetime. We were told by the sisters that these kids rarely got visitors, so we made it a mission to give them a great time.
The Dominican service group at Transitions
At the helm of our ship was our fearless leader Sr. Jan Gregorcich, a member of the organization, Global Partners: Running Waters. Knowing Sr. Jan now, she would be very displeased if I was not to remind all the readers to follow Global Partners: Running Waters on Facebook, as she so kindly hinted at numerous times on bus rides. Sr. Jan was our behind-the-scenes expert, having worked in Guatemala during periods of the war and also knowing just about every other shop owner in town. Next was Mrs. Mueller, Dominican history teacher by day, Guatemalan Quetzals bank teller by night. Dominican librarian Mrs. Krzykowski also accompanied the team and always seemed to have a special story to tell when times were 26
slow. Current parents Mr. and Mrs. Badran also joined our adventure. I was a big fan of Mr. Badran as he was my only other male counterpart. Finally, it was the gals: Sophie, Izzy Badran, Allie Fritsch, Cailey O’Neill, Sara Patoka, Charlotte Sather, Melissa Villagran, Grace Parlier, Olivia Taylor, Elisa Guzior, and Eliana Mosley. Our 10-day adventure lay ahead of us and we were ready to change the world… until we saw the 6:00 a.m. flight out of O’Hare. Maybe changing the world could wait until day four or something. Our journey started about an hour southwest of the capital in the town of Antigua. With the expert planning of our trip advisors, we were able to experience
From the moment I stepped into the orphanage, a four-year-old boy named Cesar came to me, and never left my side. “Tu es muy alto!” he would exclaim, and all he wanted to do was ride on my shoulders. When it was finally time to go, there was a lot of questions that came to mind. Why were they there? Will they get out? How can I help some more? San Lucas was the next stop on the journey. Two highlights come to mind when thinking of San Lucas: the story of Stan Rother, and our environmental project in the city. Rother’s courageous story started in Oklahoma until he was called to be a missionary in Guatemala. His care for the indigenous people put him on many kill lists by the government during the war, so he reluctantly fled. He famously told his American counterparts that “The shepherd cannot run away at the first sign of danger. A shepherd cannot leave his flock.”
Despite objections from his family and parishioners, Rother returned to Guatemala and was later murdered in his church in 1981. He was named the first American born martyr for the faith, and will be beatified in September. His story connected with me, showing me to never let go of my faith. The deforestation project was a fascinating look into the ecosystem of Guatemala and how they are trying to conserve the immense forest system of the country. Our guide told us, “I prefer Guatelinda to Guate-mala. This is so as Guatemala is not bad, but beautiful.” “Linda” means beautiful in Spanish, “Mala” means bad. Teaching the boys how to “Dab”
Next stop was Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz was an area that needed help with its water and with its people. Luckily we had people to do the work. We went to a rural community school called La Puerta. La Puerta was a place with struggles. They only had water from 5:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. every morning. They had no real technology and they didn’t have power that day. It was a tough situation to be in, but the way they acted you would never have guessed it. Their smiling faces warmed our hearts and they gave us a grand entrance and a show of traditional Mayan dance. The kids navigated well in their English studies, baffling Sara and I as they knew their colors already… and that was our only teaching plan. Our departure was that from a movie, with the kids running alongside our bus as our skillful driver, and all around greatest man ever, Nixon, hit the gas as we disappeared into the Guatemalan forest. The last stop on our journey was to the city of Chichicastenango, Chichi for short. The first day there was spent at the market, using our now perfect bartering skills to get the best prices available. We then went to the water project that Sr. Jan had helped start. We learned how the water projects were completed and how we could help. Our guide in Chichi, Jorge, was of fast words and bro hugs and was loved dearly by the group. His life was a journey worth telling. He had to flee to the highlands during the war and eventually came to work at the project. Our last service of the trip was at a Dominican school called La Anunciata.
“I was reminded to always learn before you judge a culture. I learned that actions and games have no barrier. I saw the great devotions of faith by the people and their trust in Jesus. I saw Guatemala.” Will with Cesar at an orphanage in Santa Apolonia
We were quickly dragged to the soccer fields to revive the age-old rivalry of “Chicos vs. Chicas.” The game was rough, but with the help of my four goals and assist, the Chicos were able to prevail in a 5-3 victory. My celebrations included the “Dab” which the boys enjoyed very much. If my one influence on Guatemala was bringing the “Dab” to them, this trip would have been worth it tenfold. After the rousing game, it was off to the classrooms to teach the kids about our culture. To our amazement, the kids knew about the Green Bay Packers, with one student even telling us Aaron Rodgers was his favorite player. A game of 20 questions followed with favorite actor (Matthew McConaughey), Real Madrid or Barcelona (Real Madrid) and if I enjoyed Skrillex or not (hard no). After
visiting La Anunciata, the service was done, the activities were done, the trip was done. We packed up and made it back home the next day and that was that. The book had closed on this once-in -a-lifetime opportunity. People always say, ‘to really know someone; you have to walk in their shoes.’ My feet were too big for their shoes, but I walked the same path. I felt what it was like to live their life, eat their food, speak their language. I was different, I was stared at everywhere I went, I was giggled at when I walked past. I was reminded to always learn before you judge a culture. I learned that actions and games have no barrier. I saw the great devotions of faith by the people and their trust in Jesus. I saw Guatemala. Or, should I say, Guate-linda? Dominican Magazine
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CARE FOR CREATION Katie Hirschboeck ’69 has combined her love of nature with her faith to spread the word of the church.
Ever since she can remember, Katie Hirschboeck ’69 has had two loves: her faith and nature. Her faith was nurtured through 13 years of teaching by Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters, first at St. Robert’s School, then at Dominican and one year at Rosary College, now Dominican University. Her love of nature was acquired through her parents on family trips to the countryside, nature walks with her mother and searching for fossils along the river at Estabrook Park with her father. Now, at her home in Arizona, she uses both loves, faith and nature, as she spreads the teachings of the church on caring for creation through her knowledge of earth sciences. Before she earned her bachelor’s degree, master’s degree and Ph.D., Katie had a strong academic upbringing, which she attributes to her time at Dominican. In a family of one brother and four sisters, there was never any question where Katie would go to high school. All of her sisters went to Dominican and that’s where she would go too. When Hirschboeck talks about Dominican, names like science teachers Darwin Kaestner, Sr. Antoine and Sr. Julitta, along with Sr. Clare Wagner, Sr. John Dominici, Sr. Cathan and many others, all come up as educators responsible for her solid science education and faith formation. She is quick to point out that a majority of those named are women, a huge influence on her in the 1960s. “I’m eternally grateful to the Sinsinawa Dominicans. They were probably the most important and inspiring mentors and teachers that I had,” Hirschboeck said. “I cannot accurately describe the powerful influence these women had on me in making me realize I could do anything I wanted.” In high school, however, she didn’t necessarily know what she wanted. Katie had taken basic biology, chemistry and physics classes at Dominican, but never thought about becoming a scientist. It was in college by discovering courses in geology, weather and climate that she began to realize she could apply her love of nature to a career as a scientist, and after that, it was a done deal. “Once I learned that you could take the basics of science and tie it into my love for the environment, which I got from my parents, and that I could study this and learn about how the earth processes worked, especially the climate, that’s what did it for me,” she said.
Hirschboeck went on to complete her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Wisconsin – Madison where she says the work that was being done on past climates was a huge influence on her career. After researching flooding in the Mississippi Valley and its link to climate variability for her master’s, Katie ended up at the University of Arizona in Tucson and its cutting-edge Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research. “The University of Arizona had a remarkable set of scientists that were studying climate variability of the past, including the whole tree-ring laboratory there, which is the first and largest of its kind in the world,” Hirschboeck said. So Hirschboeck began her Ph.D. at Arizona in geosciences and continued to work on research that linked the climate to earth processes, specifically to flooding. At the tree-ring lab, she was also able to study climate in a unique way. Tree rings can be counted to determine the age of a tree, but they can reveal much more. If a tree is having a favorable year it grows a wider ring, but if the tree’s growth is stressed, the ring will be narrower. A tree can be stressed by severely dry conditions or extremely cold or hot weather patterns, depending on where it is growing, and the patterns of the rings reveal information about these past conditions. While Hirschboeck was finishing her dissertation at the University of Arizona, she still felt a strong pull to her faith. She decided to take a leave of absence to explore whether she was being called to become a Trappistine Contemplative nun. “It was a wonderful experience, but the one thing that became clear . . . was that I needed to go back and finish my dissertation, which I did,” she said. “Then I realized, this is where I am supposed to be.”
Hirschboeck (far right) with other members of her parish’s Care for Creation team / Arizona Daily Star
After finishing her dissertation at Arizona, Katie went on to Louisiana State University where she was on the faculty in the Geography and Anthropology Department for seven years. In 1991 she returned to the University of Arizona and joined the Tree-Ring Laboratory as a professor. She was happy to make the move because of her positive past experience and “gladly came back to the desert” which she loves. For the last 26 years, Katie has continued to conduct research and teach at the University of Arizona. She has taught several of the science courses there, but her “love,” as she called it, is her freshman “Introduction to Global Change” class. All the while, her faith has continued to be a very important part of her life. In the late 2000’s, she had the opportunity to bridge the gap between her work and her faith by being appointed as a “Catholic Climate Ambassador” for the Catholic Climate Covenant, whose mission is to inspire and equip Catholics and Catholic institutions to “care for creation and care for the poor.” The Covenant is sponsored and supported by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, Catholic Relief Services, Catholic Charities USA and several other national Catholic organizations. This was the perfect opportunity to share her passion with her faith. “I knew the church had strong teachings about the environment, but we don’t often hear about those in our homilies in Mass. So I said, we need to talk more about this,” Hirschboeck said.
Hirschboeck with a tree ring section
As a Catholic Climate Ambassador, Katie gives talks to parishes and other groups about the connection between the earth and its climate, our Catholic faith, and caring for God’s creation. She has been especially busy giving talks ever since Pope Francis wrote his Laudato Si’ Encyclical “On Care for our Common Home.”
“We live in such a polarized society, and what I love about the Catholic Church is that it is holding those ends together,” she said. “Most people are probably in the middle. This is an important time to deliver this message (about caring for creation) from the perspective of our faith.” And yes, Katie brings samples of tree rings with her for these talks. Specifically, a special sample of a bristlecone pine tree, which is the oldest living tree species on Earth. She uses this sample because its tree rings date all the way back to 2000 B.C. so people can see and touch the boundary between B.C. and A.D. and reflect on the birth of Christ. As of May 2017, Katie is retired from the University of Arizona, in name only. She continues to help with research projects and graduate student committees and is helping transfer her Introduction to Global Change class into an online format. But she now has time to focus more on her passion of spreading her faith. She also has more time to spend with her husband. She has been happily married for almost 20 years to Bob Maddox, a meteorologist and former director of the National Severe Storms Laboratory, with whom she shares a common love for the environment, weather and climate. Forty-eight years after graduating from Dominican, Hirschboeck continues to embrace her love of nature and her love of the Catholic faith. Part of which was instilled by the Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters and continues to grow through these passions. “They talk about learning about God through the book of Scripture and the book of Nature. I’ve always felt that is how I’ve been nurtured through the years,” she said.
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Galka Fulfilling Dream as Opera Singer From the Dominican Auditorium to opera houses across the country, Katrina Galka ’07 is living her dream as an opera singer It began with the decision to come to Dominican. As a student at Holy Family, Katrina Galka ’07 had plenty of high school options, but it all came down to the theatre program. She couldn’t forget all of the performances she had seen in the Dominican Auditorium as a grade school student. “I remember going to see Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat [at Dominican] and saying, ‘I want to do that,’” Galka said. At Dominican, Galka was completely involved with the Theatre Department, performing in Cats, The Music Man, Footloose, The Pirates of Penzance, The Foreigner, As You Like It, High School Musical, Aida and more. Of all her performances and experiences at Dominican, performing at the State Theatre Festival stands out. “I absolutely loved The Pirates of Penzance,” she said. “We were one of the showcase shows at the State Theatre Festival that year. All of the theatre programs across the state came to the festival. You perform for all of these people
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your age that are also involved in theatre. I just remember the response we got was so exciting. It was also cool to be able to perform on a college campus on a bigger stage. That was a really unique experience.” After graduating from Dominican, Galka attended Southern Methodist University on a full tuition academic scholarship and began her studies in the theatre program. Until that point, most of Galka’s experience had been in theatre and musical theatre, not vocal performance. It was at SMU that she discovered opera and realized that was the perfect fit. “That was a turning point for me, realizing that I loved music the most and then I loved performing after that,” she said. “To find a way to bring the two together and opera, for me, was the perfect balance.” Galka graduated from SMU with a Bachelor of Music degree in vocal performance and moved on to Boston University for her master’s degree. At BU Galka studied under Penelope Bitzas, an associate professor of music in voice, and completed her
Master of Music degree in vocal performance. After completing her master’s degree, Galka began her tour around the country. She started working at the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, then returned to BU for their post-graduate program at the Opera Institute for a year. In 2014, Galka received an invitation to audition for the Portland Opera and landed a job as a resident artist for two years. In 2016, Galka moved on to the Arizona Opera, after a brief stop at The Atlanta Opera, and then The Dallas Opera. In the summer of 2017, Galka is performing at the Glimmerglass Festival in Upstate New York (think of it as opera’s version of Summerfest) and will return to the Arizona Opera in the fall. While Galka has achieved success as an opera singer, it isn’t always the easiest profession to build a career in. “The biggest challenge, always, is believing in yourself and staying focused on what you want to achieve. There are a lot of fields that you can go into that your successes are more
measurable and the work you put in is rewarded in a comparable way,” Galka said. “When you are in a career like this that is very subjective, you can do a lot of work and it might not be appreciated by other people. So for me, the biggest challenge always is just to stay focused, take the rejections and not take them personally and keep working towards what I want to achieve.” Galka intends to continue pushing herself in her opera career and hopes to one day sing internationally, earning principal contracts and performing lead roles in opera houses around the world. While she still has lofty goals for her career, Galka is able to take a step back and appreciate how far she has come. “I have to remind myself a lot [that this is my dream]. There’s a mindset that goes along with being driven and that’s that you always want more. You become kind of greedy for the next thing and once you get to a certain point, you want to get to the next level,” Galka said. “I often have to realize; I’m getting paid to sing. This is my job. This was my dream to be a singer and I’m doing it.”
Faculty & Staff Updates
Mary Gehr Retires after 45 Years Although it was difficult in the beginning, Gehr kept her faith, which is why she knew Dominican would be a perfect fit. “The minute I walked into Dominican, I knew this was the place for me,” she said. “This is my second home. I love Dominican’s values, the sisters have inspired me, the atmosphere is loving and it is a place where I can be open in my faith.”
By Isa Crespo ’17 Mary Gehr has been a part of the Dominican family for 45 years. Her journey began at the University of Hawaii, and life took her a few other places before arriving at Dominican High School. At Dominican, she has become a pillar of the community and will be dearly missed. Before arriving at Dominican in 1972, Gehr was a student at the University of Hawaii. She studied Art Education where she was required to take several types of art classes including sculpture, ceramics, print making, weaving, calligraphy, art history and art survey. “When you learn all of these things it opens up what you are able to teach because you don’t know what you’re going to teach once you get into a high school,” she said. Her first teaching position was at an elementary school, but she soon realized that elementary art was not for her. She then moved on to working for the Milwaukee Journal where she was an illustrator. Finally, she ended up at Dominican where she has been a cornerstone of the Art Department for 45 years, but it wasn’t always easy. Gehr’s first year at Dominican was so hard that she didn’t think she would stay very long. At the time, there were 800 students and there were so many kids in the class. She wasn’t that much older so it was difficult to have authority over them.
With the countless classes and students that Gehr has taught, she always finds satisfaction in unlocking a part of her students that they didn’t know they had in them. “The best part of teaching art is when students are able to find their passions and know that they can create in some phase of art,” Gehr said. While she has loved her time at Dominican, Gehr is ready to have time to herself in retirement. “I am really looking forward to getting back to working on my own pieces. I’ve taught as much as I can teach and now I’m ready to leave,” she said. Although she won’t be teaching next year, Gehr still has hopes for Dominican students. “I hope that the students gain more confidence in their creativity, have more of an appreciation for art, and that they stay involved in creativity – whatever that means to them.” In her 45 years, Gehr has meant so much to the Dominican community and has inspired a countless number of students. She is grateful for the time she was able to spend with the school and wishes it nothing but the best. “Every morning I stop in the chapel to say hello to Jesus and thank him for letting me be here,” Gehr said. “He has blessed me for so many years, and I hope I bring the same gratitude to my Dominican family for all the blessings in their lives.”
Faculty & Staff Anniversaries Dominican would not be the incredible place it is without the dedication and passion that it receives from all of its faculty and staff members. They are one of the biggest reasons Dominican is special. The following faculty and staff members are celebrating anniversaries at Dominican. We are so grateful for their commitment to Dominican’s mission.
20 Years Pam Keller
Administrative Assistant
Jeff Schaetzke Theatre Director
15 Years Tom Mueller
Social Studies Teacher
10 Years
Lindsey Price Guidance Counselor
5 Years Susan Eoloff Religious Studies Teacher Tim Dries Band Director Katie Volcensek Science Teacher Ann Setterlun Spanish Teacher
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Advancement Mark Jelacic Selected as Sr. Duchesne Maxwell Volunteer of the Year During his time as ABC president, Mark has worked almost every home event Dominican has hosted in the gym, which equates to close to 80 events and every home football game. The only time he would miss an event was when one of his kids was playing an away game on the same day.
During an Athletic Booster Club (ABC) meeting in June 2014, Mark Jelacic received a phone call which required him to leave the meeting. When he returned, he was congratulated by the rest of the ABC and was told that while he was away on the phone the Booster club had voted, and Mark had been elected its president. This came as a surprise to Mark considering he did not run for the position nor did he really even want it. Nevertheless, he happily accepted the position and has been the steady foundation of the ABC as its president for the last three years.
DISTINGUISHED
ALUMNI AWARDS
As a sports parent and a member of the ABC for nine years, Mark has not missed a single ABC meeting and has never once complained. Mark and his wife, Peggy, have four children, Amalia ’12, Jack ’14, Will ’17 and Ben ’20, all of whom played multiple sports, that both he and Peggy always attended. Mark runs his own business which requires him to be on call 24/7. And, on top of it all, he has put in hundreds of volunteer hours over the past three years as ABC president, he helps out at Holy Family coaching the basketball teams and regularly ushers during Mass every Sunday. Mark works hard at everything he does and he is rarely seen without a smile on his face. “It is clear that Mark has made a tremendous impact at Dominican. He has been a great ABC president and his service and hard work are deserving of this recognition,” Joe Grady, Dominican Athletic Director said. “I am very thankful that Mark is part of our Dominican community.”
The Dominican High School Distinguished Alumni Awards honor graduates who exemplify our five core values of Truth, Compassion, Justice, Community and Partnership. Recognition is awarded to individuals who carry forth and support the Dominican mission through professional, leadership and service achievements.
Dominican High School is proud to announce this year’s award recipients: 2017 Distinguished Alum of the Year Ida Androwich ’60 Ida (Groeschell) Androwich ’60, Professor Emerita of Nursing at Loyola University Chicago, exemplifies Dominican’s five core values in both her personal and professional life. As a well-respected and award winning member of the healthcare field, she has been published and presents nationally and internationally; has written grants obtaining funds for nationally recognized research; and has been appointed to numerous committees and boards. Ida currently serves on Dominican High School’s Board of Directors.
2017 Young Alum of the Year Kyle Feerick ’01 Kyle Feerick ’01 serves the community in more ways than one. Professionally, he is a Funeral Director & PreArrangement Consultant at Feerick Funeral Home and he is on the board of directors for several local organizations. Kyle is also a singersongwriter and DJ who is frequently featured on local morning shows and radio stations. Kyle has continued his support of Dominican by attending school events and fundraisers, volunteering his musical talents for various functions and providing sponsorship support.
Please join us on Friday, August 18 at Dominican for the Alumni and Friends Reunion from 6 - 9 p.m. to honor this year’s award recipients. The Distinguished Alumni Awards ceremony is at 7:30 p.m. Contact Lauren Cazares at LCazares@dominicanhighschool.com for more information. 32
Knight Cruise Auction Sails to Success More than 350 guests contributed to a record-breaking Knight Cruise auction that brought in more than $335,000 Over 350 guests came aboard the S.S. Dominican on April 8th for the 37th Annual Dinner and Auction. Netting over $335,000.00, Knight Cruise, was the most successful auction to date. The scholarship paddle raise broke all records, inspired by an emotional speech from Dominican senior, Corey Guy. And thanks to a generous benefactor who offered to match every $1,000 gift, we were able to get FIFTY $1,000 donations in a matter of minutes, bringing our grand total for scholarship funding to over $200,000.00.
the Captain’s Table raffle, Bill Desing and his table were treated to champagne, shrimp cocktail, and chocolate covered strawberries. Matt Linn was the $1000 Visa Card winner, Jeff Schaetzke was the $100 runner-up. Mark Roltsch was the $1000 Loser’s Bingo winner, Al and Traci Brown won the custom-made remote control cooler, and Elsie Carroll was the winner of a beautiful Robert Haack diamond necklace. Thank you to the many generous winners who donated right back to Dominican.
After being greeted by our student deck crew with streamers and wishes of “Bon Voyage,” passengers tested their luck in the Casino, viewed auction items in the Ship’s Art Gallery and dined in the Grand Ballroom (ok, maybe it was the school gym), capped off with a grand march of Baked Alaska for dessert. Dave Porter was the big winner in the Casino, Joe Guenther was the lucky Golden Ticket winner of a Costa Rica condo for a week, and Ann Marie Brown was the winner of a 7-night Caribbean Cruise. As the winner of
Alas, all cruise ships must return to dock, but guests kept rockin’ the boat until midnight, enjoying live music from Mission River Band.
Scholarship speaker Corey Guy ’17
Thank you to decorating co-chairs Mary Pesich ’78 and Desiree Dujmic for turning our school into a first-class luxury liner and to our auction co-chairs Tom and Carrie Eck and Mark and Mandy Meyer for steering our ship to a record-breaking destination.
Auction co-chairs, Mark and Mandy Meyer and Carrie and Tom Eck
Mary ’78 and Rick Pesich enjoy the after-party music Photos by Kate Jurgens
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David J. Frank ’67 Education: Started at UW-Whitewater, transferred to UW-Milwaukee School of Business, majoring in Finance and Marketing (senior standing) Resides: Fox Point, Wisconsin Family: Married to Jane Marie, children David (36), Megan (34), Michael (32), Lindsey (30) and Christian (15). I also have two stepchildren, Ari and Sidney. Current Job: I am the CEO/Chairman of David J. Frank Contracting, Inc. and I have been doing this since the mid-60’s – 50 years! Favorite part of the job: Working directly with clients on challenging projects, working with our firm’s top-rated staff, as well as engagement in numerous community service organizations!
Someone To Know
We checked in with Dominican alumni from each decade to see what they are up to. Here is what they had to say.
Tim mcdaniel ’72 Role Models: Business and community leaders who have had a positive impact on their organization and community. I have had the good fortune to work with many of Milwaukee’s top-tier business leaders and I have learned a lot from them. First Job: Landscape gardening – still doing this type of work, although I have the help of 320 professional staff – I have lots of help! Best Dominican Memory: I enjoyed working with Student Council as well as Senior Class Officers on numerous projects during senior year that benefited the school. Hopefully, these projects made it a better experience for those attending. I also enjoy many friendships formed in these high school years! What Dominican teacher have you become most like: I have benefited immensely from the great teachers at Dominican. Sister Athanasia demanded that students do their best work, Bill Crowley made Biology interesting enough to incite my interest in science, and Bill Sturm introduced me to the world of accounting and business practices! Favorite pastime/hobby: Competitive tennis, travel and scuba diving!
Resides: At the beach in Santa Monica Canyon, CA Family: My amazing and beautiful wife, Diane Duarte. Current Job: I have owned a personal management company, McDaniel Entertainment, since 1990. We represent Songwriters, Producers and Composers to Record labels and Film Companies. Favorite part of the job: Any time one of my client’s songs becomes a hit on Pop Radio. Role Models: Clive Davis, Irving Azoff and the guy that invented pizza First Job: Bus boy at the Bavarian Inn on the Milwaukee River at 16 years old. The place is still there!
What’s playing in your car stereo: Broadway tunes from past show- Dear Evan Hanson and Come from Away. Hamilton is in my stereo at the moment!
Best Dominican Memory: I loved the Varsity Basketball games, always wished I was good enough to make the team. And of course the Dave Roche “Project Clear-out” fake speech he gave to the Sophomore class our Senior year.
Words of advice for current Dominican students: Work toward finding your purpose and developing a real passion for it!
Favorite pastime/hobby: Love skiing and tennis and running on the beach with my Golden Retriever Barkley Jones.
Shelli Marquardt ’84 Education: Bachelor of Business Administration – Marketing, UW-Whitewater Resides: Delafield, WI (on Nagawicka Lake) Family: married to Cathy Priem (Realtor), 18-year-old son who just graduated and is headed to Texas A&M to study Statistics. Current Job: President, Waukesha County Community Foundation (1 year); previously Executive Director of five Wheaton Franciscan hospital foundations (13 years) Role Models: My mother, Pauline Dalton. She was a Senior Vice President at a time when most women didn’t hold high level management positions. Best Dominican Memory: I have so many great memories, hanging out at basketball and football games, dances, great teachers, but mostly the friendships throughout the years that continue today. What Dominican teacher have you become most like: I think possibly Mary “Duffy” Kasum, who was my French teacher. I used to babysit for her children when I was in high school. She was a very centered person and the love for her family was always evident.
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Education: UWWhitewater, UWMilaukee (left after my junior year)
What Dominican faculty member do you wish you had known better: Bill Crowley. He is definitely a Dominican icon. I always appreciated his enthusiasm for teaching and his students.
Most meaningful accomplishment: Getting my client’s song “The Game Of Love” to Clive Davis who had it recorded by Santana, featuring Michelle Branch. It went on to win BMI and ASCAP’s Song of Year and the 2002 Grammy for “Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.” What’s playing in your car stereo? The Beatles on SiriusXM- It’s fantastic! Words of advice for current Dominican students: Dominican changed my life, half my closest and dearest friends are from that time period. Treasure your experiences there.
Favorite pastime/hobby: Definitely travel. Especially when it involves attending a major sporting event, concert or gambling destination. Most meaningful accomplishment: The work I had the opportunity to champion related to the prevention of infant mortality in Milwaukee. Providing funding and resources to mothers who would not otherwise be able to afford car seats, safe sleep environments or prenatal care. Words of advice for current Dominican students: Be true to yourself. Lead your life with integrity. Build meaningful relationships. Don’t be afraid to take risks.
Deysha Smith-Jenkins ’12
Mandi Strachota ’96 Education: B.S. in Math, University of Notre Dame Resides: Atlanta (since 2001)
Best Dominican Memory: The memories that stand out in my mind are definitely my trips to Germany with Herr Wagner, the lock in, and TP’ing the school senior year. We had really grown a lot of unity in our class by then.
Education: B.A. in Journalism and B.A. in Women’s Studies, University of Connecticut
What Dominican teacher have you become most like: I would say I’m probably most like Mark Wagner or Robin Paradise-Kent. They both are really passionate about what they do and both definitely have an ‘artsy’ side.
Family: Sydnee Jenkins ’17 (sister), Shaneé Jenkins ’93 (Mother), Derick Jenkins (Father)
Family: One spoiled, adorable ‘old man’ 14-year-old shepherd/chow mix, recently lost a very ‘special’ three legged What Dominican faculty member do you shepherd mix wish you had known better: Probably Don Kern. He was always a good sport. Current Job: Currently a full time musician, I started being full time about three years ago. I Most meaningful accomplishment: In the am currently involved in four bands: Mudcat, a next two weeks I will be driving to Nashville blues band I have been full time with for about to pick up my first vinyl! I have one CD that a year; Wasted Potential Brass Band, a New was released in 2013, but this will be the first Orleans style brass band I have been with also time I get to hear myself on vinyl. Look for for about a year; Bytchcraft, a group of three UNLEASHED to be released in August of women that we formed a couple months ago; 2017!!! and, of course Mandi Strachota, my own band that plays neo-soul which you can listen to What’s playing in your car stereo?: My here:www.mandistrachota.com stereo is almost always playing local artists, aka friends. Right now it is probably either Favorite Part of the Job: My job is awesome Katie Martin or Justin Hylton. There are so all the time! I love making music, especially many talented musicians and songwriters in playing my own songs. And I get to hang out this city. with my favorite people. Sometimes I even get to travel, which I imagine will become Words of advice: Don’t take for granted more and more a part of it as time goes on. I that you are in a very special place. I recently flew to L.A. to watch one of my songs consider myself extremely blessed for premiere in an indie film and I just got back attending a school that was so diverse as from playing a couple shows in New Orleans well as dedicated to service, and wonderfully last week. It is exhausting but worth every challenging academically. Soak in as much minute of it. as you can. There is so much to learn! At the same time, don’t take anything too seriously. First Job: My first job, interestingly enough, It will get serious enough after you graduate. was a delivery driver for KFC. I’m not sure if they even have delivery anywhere other than West Bend, WI.
Resides: Milwaukee, WI
Current Job: Marketing Manager for Integrity Consulting and Coaching Enterprise in Chicago, IL. Best Dominican Memory: Best memory is going up to state for Track and Field four years in a row and holding the state title and record. What Dominican teacher have you become most like: I would say Mr. Schramka because I love Dominican just as much as he loves girls basketball. What Dominican faculty member do you wish you had known better: Mr. Tomsey. He's always been really low key and chill. I loved his teaching style, it really prepared me for college. He actually is the main reason I pursued journalism in college. Favorite words of wisdom: Live the Fourth. Favorite pastime/hobby: Training, coaching and working out with the youth of today because they are the future. Most meaningful accomplishment: Running track for my dream school and becoming an All-American. What is playing in your car stereo: Always Beyoncé. Advice for current Dominican students: Time flies, so take every moment of high school in because before you know it you'll be walking across the stage at your college graduation.
CHASE WEIDMANN ’05 Education: B.S. in Biochemistry, University of Rochester, Ph.D. in Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan – Ann Arbor Resides: Chapel Hill, North Carolina Family: My wife, Brittany Bowman, whom I met in college and married in 2012. My parents, Jerry and Kim Weidmann, still live in Germantown, Wisconsin, along with two Great Pyrenees dogs and a few goats. My younger sister, Stephanie Weidmann ’08, currently lives and works in Chicago, Illinois. Current Job: I am a scientific researcher, known as a postdoctoral fellow, at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill. My research focuses on understanding the structure and function of noncoding RNAs in an effort to find new therapeutic targets for the treatment of cancer and disease.
Favorite part of your job: My favorite part of my job is the opportunity to train young scientists, sometimes as a teacher in their classes and mainly as a research mentor in the laboratory. Students that work with me in the laboratory constantly provide fresh new perspectives on the challenges of my own projects. First Job: I was a caddy at Milwaukee Country Club. I sometimes still wear the polo shirt uniform I had to buy when I started there. Best Dominican Memory: Honestly, I remember most fondly my time spent in the cafeteria, where I could interact with my friends. I believe some of the friendships that began there will be lifelong. The three groomsmen in my wedding were originally Dominican classmates.
connect with and learn from. I am very enthusiastic about the subjects I teach, and I might be prone to elaborating outside of the day’s topic if the right question is posed. Favorite words of wisdom: “In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s mind there are few.” – Shunryu Suzuki Favorite pastime/hobby: More recently my wife and I have started doing escape rooms across the country (We’re at 6 successful escapes out of 7 attempts!).
Words of advice for current Dominican students: Learn to code as soon as possible. It doesn’t matter what programming language. There are numerous free learning tools available on the internet. Technology is only going to become more What Dominican teacher have you become most ever-present in our lives going forward and the like: I have actually had the opportunity to teach careers of the future will rely heavily on it. science in undergraduate and graduate classrooms. If a student wants to know more about getting a I think my students might see some reflection of degree in the life sciences and doesn’t know where Bernie Schreiner in the courses I teach. I appear to start, don’t hesitate to contact me at intimidating initially, but I quickly become easy to chase.weidmann@gmail.com.
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Alumni Updates
John Coster-Mullen ’65
Dave Roche ’72 (front) with alumni friends
Jeno Cataldo ’00
Hugh Murphy ’69
Bill Crowley & Bill Engibous ’71
Oscar Patterson ’03 and Mary Clare Connolly ’03
1960s
1970s
2000s
Susanne (Foley ’63) Krasovich celebrated 50 years of marriage with her husband, Mathew.
Bill Engibous ’71 is an investor, mentor, and member of the board of directors for City Lights Brewing Co., which opened its doors on February 1, 2017.
Professor Emeritus of Political Science, Michael Kryzanek ’65, retired after 42 years at Bridgewater State University in Massachusetts. Michael can still be seen around the university working on special projects.
Mike Drescher ’72 founded The Vibrant Body Company, an intimates company that puts women’s bodies and health first by designing bras that are free of toxins and wires.
Jeno Cataldo ’00, owner of Jo-Cat’s Pub, purchased Mimma’s Café on Brady Street last fall. He opened a new restaurant, Dorsia, on May 2nd and offers modern Italian dishes as well as a fine wine selection.
John Coster-Mullen ’65 was a presenter at the Annual Convention of the American Physical Society in Washington DC on January 30, 2017. He discussed his research as the first to unravel the most closely-guarded secrets of the two atomic bombs, Little Boy and Fat Man, created by the Manhattan Project that were used to end WWII. John’s research has landed him articles in various publications including The New Yorker, where he mentions his Dominican Chemistry teacher, Darwin Kaestner. His papers are now housed in the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library. Hugh Murphy ’69 recently appeared on stage in community theater productions as: Mr. Mushnik in Little Shop of Horrors; Mr. Potter in It’s a Wonderful Life; Playing both Norb and Herb in Godspell and Caesar in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar.
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Dave Roche ’72 and his wife, Carol, celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary on May 23rd, with the help of many Dominican friends.
1980s Mary Jo (Francione) Heyen ’82 recently celebrated 20 years at Northwestern Mutual. In 1997, she started as a Customer Service Representative and worked her way to a Project Support Specialist.
1990s Jennifer Janaszek ’97 was recognized as the 2017 teacher of the year from Lafollette K-8 school through the MMABSE. Metropolitan Milwaukee Alliance of Black School Educators recognizes teachers from Milwaukee Public Schools, MequonThiensville, West Allis, West Milwaukee and Shorewood school districts.
Betsy Hoover ’02 started a new company, Higher Ground Labs, which invests in entrepreneurs and young companies building technology for progressive campaigns. Betsy is also a Founding Partner at the political consulting firm 270 Strategies. She currently resides in Chicago with her husband, Jeremy, and their 9-month old son, Isaac. Oscar Patterson ’03 and Mary Clare Connolly ’03 were married on November 4, 2016. Anton Timms ’03 has joined 826 Valencia, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting under-resourced students with their creative and expository writing skills, as their Volunteer Engagement Director in San Francisco, CA. In early 2017, Katie Simon ’04, started working at Crossroads Campaign Solutions in Washington DC as a Field and Communications Consultant where she helps nonprofit organizations develop their strategic vision and gather resources to mobilize communities as they take action on social justice issues.
Alumni Updates
Dezjorn Gauthier ’09
Sam Starke ’12
N’Jameh Camara ’09
Betsy Hoover ’02
Aliyah Watkins ’13
Jarred Bedgood ’13
2000s cont. Anthony Pettis ’05 was named one of the Most Powerful Latinos in Wisconsin by Madison365. He is the former UFC Lightweight Champion with a record of 19-6. He has reinvested in the Milwaukee community by opening several businesses including Showtime Sports Bar, Roufusport MMA Academy and APS Barbershop. Dan Gerlach ’06 has moved to Minneapolis for a new job opportunity serving as a Senior Actuarial Analyst at United Healthcare. He will be working on the Community & State Finance team, focusing on Medicaid Pricing. Dan has been a member of the Dominican Board of Directors for the past five years. Dominican is grateful for the time, talent and commitment he gave to the community. Dezjorn Gauthier ’09 attended a Transgender Community Briefing sponsored by the White House office of Public Engagement in November, 2016. N’Jameh Camara ’09 recently earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from UC San Diego. She just finished The Acting Company’s National Touring Productions of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar and X: Or Betty Shabazz vs. The Nation by Marcus Gardley, which ran Off-Broadway
and toured from Phoenix to New York. N’Jameh is also in the process of developing a workshop for undergraduate theater majors on the topic of Diversity Representation in Artistic Production at the University of Oklahoma. Next fall, she will be teaching Scene Study at the prestigious Barnard College. David Lancelle ’09 graduated from a 2-year program at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts with an MFA in Musical Theatre Writing in May ’17. He wrote his thesis musical entitled, The Glass Girl, with lyricist Marina Toft of California.
2010s Lily Vartanian ’11 accepted a new position as a middle school math teacher at Bruce Guadalupe School in Milwaukee. Sam Starke ’12 graduated Summa Cum Laude with a B.A. in Public Health from St. Louis University in May 2016. He then began a Global Health Fellowship with Medical Missionaries. He is currently living at the St. Joseph Clinic in Thomassique, Haiti where he is part of a team that is coordinating several health and community projects. He also has had the opportunity to shadow clinic physicians and surgeons. Upon his return to the states this summer, he will be attending UW Medical School.
(second from right)
Michael Linn ’12 got engaged to Sarah Divney on November 11, 2016. Aliyah Watkins ’13 is serving in the U.S. Navy with Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 120. She works with E-2D Advanced Hawkeye Squadron, also known as “Greyhawks,” operating out of Norfolk, Virginia. Her squadron’s primary mission is to fly and train naval aviators, flight officers, and air crewmen to safely and effectively operate E-2 and C-2 aircrafts. Patty Bolan ’13 graduated with a B.S. in Physics from Boston College in May 2017 and will be attending the University of California, Davis for a Ph.D. in Physics with a concentration in Cosmology. Jarred Bedgood ’13 has just landed a role in the International production of Sister Act: The Musical in Asia. Jarred will be playing TJ and the tour runs through January 2018. Jarred just completed a run in the National Tour of How the Grinch Stole Christmas this last winter. Jack Murphy ’14 will intern this summer with Congressman Ron Kind in Washington DC through the Les Aspin Center at Marquette University.
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In Memory We join in prayerful remembrance of those in the Dominican community who have died. May the souls of the faithful departed rest in peace. Eternal rest grant unto them, Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. John Avery IV, father of Patricia ’70 and John ’74.
Anna Marie (Cindy) Halloran, mother of David ’81 and the late Mary Beth ’83.
Patricia Avery, mother of Patricia ’70 and John ’74.
William Hargarten Jr., father of Daniel ’70, Jeff ’78, Michael ’66, Thomas ’73, Bill ’68, Anita ’75, Katherine ’82.
Charles Bekos, father of Jeff ’77 and John ’80. Gordon Bell, father of Mary Pat ’66. Richard Blake, father of Dady ’72. Frances (Sellitto) Bonpenser, mother of Gina ’73, Sarah ’75 and Joan ’79. Laverne Brondino, mother of the late Denise ’72, Michael ’75, Steve ’76 and Amy ’82, grandmother of Anastasia ’10. Timothy Browne ’71, brother of Connie ’69 and Peter ’71. Dorothy Carr, mother of Barry Green ’94 and Dezjorn Gauthier ‘09. Anthony D’Amato ’75, brother of Christine ’89, Mary ’85, Robert ’77, Thomas ’80 and Rosanne ’83. Alice Margaret (Stern) Dickmann, mother of John ’65, Kathleen ’67, David ’70 and Ann ’72, grandmother of Jason ’92, Ben ’96 and Becky ’97. Mary Dobbin, mother of Barbara ’63, grandmother of Maribeth ’88, Erin ’93, Brian ’94 and Sean ’96.
Mary (O’Brien) Hosterman, sister of Jane ’63, Kathleen ’66, Eileen ’72, Sheila ’74 and Louise ’79. Mary Hufschmidt, mother of James ’67 and Barbara ’68. Michael Jaekels, father of Mia ’81 and Julie ’84, grandfather of Madeleine ’14. Allan J. Jarumbo ’66
Matthew Pompe ’09, brother of Tina ’05. Bede (McCasky ’62) Potter, sister of Charles ’65. Robert H. Rech, father of Priscilla ‘67. Carson Childs Remington Jr., father of Mary ’75, Claire ’77, Amy ’78, Carson ’80, Allison ’81, Leslie ’82, Heather ’85. John Renzel, brother of Mary Beth ’64 and Jean ’68. Edward Ryan, father of Lynn ’68 and Patricia ’69.
Thomas Kaupp ’78
John A. Schloegel, father of Kathryn ’81 and John ’86.
Michael Keller, husband of Pam (Dominican’s Main Office Manager) and father of Sarah ’00, CC ’02, Zach ’08 and Angelina ’18. *Jorene Lipscomb, mother of Mark ’77, Mary Jo ’82 and Beth ’88. *The Lipscomb family was erroneously omitted in previous publications. Dominican regrets the oversight.
Barbara B. Lynch, mother of Terry ’67 and John ’68. Abby Mejia ’10, sister of Sarai Mejia ’12.
Mary Ann “Tracy” Fitzgibbons, mother of the late Joan ’71.
Timothy Morgan, father of Marissa ’19.
Fredricka “Fritzi” Gosz, mother of Gary ’80 and Jim ’81, wife of former Dominican faculty member and basketball coach, Don.
Adrienne Parsons, mother of Edwina ’65, the late Meredith ’70 and Adrienne ’74.
Kay Jones, mother of Mary Catherine ’69 and Rebecca ’79 and mother-in-law of Eamonn O’Keeffe (Dominican faculty from 1990-2007).
Douglas Drake ’88, brother of Richard ’87.
Charles W. Foran, father of Ellen ’72, Kathleen ’75, Jane ’78, Colleen ’81 and Eileen ’81.
Susan Palen ’85
Mary Louise Mussoline, mother of Madeline Cope ’04 and Margaret Cope ’06. Jeanne Normoyle, mother of the late Nancy ’71 and Susan ’76. Frederick Oswald III ’67
Ashley L. Sawatzke, sister of Jason ’96.
Daniel Schwerm ’75 Marylou Shanahan, mother of Katherine ’75, Kevin ’77 and Brian ’79. Rebecca Lynn Sherer, daughter of Charles ’75 and Deborah Guerrera ’82. Susan (Schmitz ’82) Tavolier, mother of Alex Jensen ’15 and Andrew Jensen’14. Laura Thelen, mother of Elizabeth ’66, James ’63, John ’79, MaDonna ’67, Michael ’82, Peter ’71 and John ’79. Patricia Downey Trussell, mother of Robert ’69. Bryant G. Weber ’61, father of Brad ’85 and Melissa ’87. Nona Wirth, mother of Janet ’89, grandmother of Tori ’11 and Erin ’14. Devin Wyatt ’11
Please inform us about the death of a loved one in the Dominican community by contacting Lauren Cazares at lcazares@dominicanhighschool.com.
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8.1
TUE
DOMINICAN’S KNIGHT AT THE BALLPARK Tuesday, August 1
CALENDAR 8.1
TUE
A Knight at the Ballpark
City Lights Brewing Co./Miller Park
Join us for pre-game drinks at City Lights Brewing Co. followed by the Brewers vs. Cardinals game. For more information and required RSVP, contact Lauren Cazares Lcazares@dominincanhighschool.com.
8.18 FRI
Alumni & Friends Reunion Dominican High School
Join us from 6:00 - 9:00 p.m. for music, raffles, tours, food, drinks and the Distinguished Alumni Awards ceremony. Visit: dominicanhighschool.com/reunionweekend for more details and to RSVP.
8.20
SUN
Back to School Mass Dominican Auditorium
Ring in the new school year with an all community liturgy at Dominican at 9:00 a.m. After Mass, stay for donuts and coffee. Everyone is welcome to join!
8.21
MON
34th Annual Bill Crowley Scholarship Golf Outing
Ozaukee Country Club
Enjoy a round of golf at the beautiful Ozaukee Country Club with alumni, family and friends. Then join us for dinner and an auction. Visit dominicanhighschool.com/golfouting for more information.
9.22 FRI
Knightwalk
Dominican/Whitefish Bay Area
Dominican’s annual fundraiser culminates in a six mile walk around Whitefish Bay where students show off their Dominican spirit.
9.29 FRI
Homecoming Football Game
Whitefish Bay Football Field
Get in the homecoming spirit and cheer on the Knights football team as they take on Shoreland Lutheran at home.
10.19-21
Thu-Sat
Fall One-Act
Dominican Auditorium
Join us as Dominican’s Theater Department kicks off the season with its performance of The Girl Who Was a Hundred Girls by Finegan Kruckemeyer.
11.2-5
Fall Play
Thu-Sun Dominican Auditorium Join us for Dominican Theater’s second performance of the year Peter and the Starcatcher by Rick Elise, based on the book by David Barry & Ridley Pearson.
12.8 FRI
Immaculate Conception Liturgy/Grandparents Day Dominican Auditorium
Celebrate the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception with the Dominican community. Grandparents of our current students are invited to join us for Mass and a reception afterwards.
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Non-Profit Org. US Postage PAID Milwaukee, WI Permit #0188
120 E Silver Spring Drive Whitefish Bay, WI 53217
DOMINICAN HIGH SCHOOL
CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED
ALUMNI & FRIENDS REUNION WEEKEND August 18 - 21, 2017
Alumni and Friends Reunion Friday, August 18th, 6-9 p.m. Distinguished Alumni Awards at 7:30 p.m.
CLASS ReunionS Saturday, August 19th
Back to School Mass Sunday, August 2nd, 9 a.m.
34th Annual Bill Crowley Scholarship Golf Outing Monday, August 21st, 12 p.m. For more information on Dominican’s Alumni & Friends Reunion Weekend, please visit our website, dominicanhighschool.com/reunionweekend or contact Lauren Cazares at (414) 332-1170 ext. 173 LCazares@dominicanhighschool.com.