Cathedral Highlights - Winter 2020 by Cathedral High School

C AT H E D R AL HIGHLIGHTS WINTER 2020

Mission Continues Despite Pandemic

Innovation Center Update | Cathedral Holds In-Person Classes August-November Cathedral Raises $1 Million During Evening of Excellence

G R E AT N E S S C A L L E D - C AT H E D R A L A N S W E R E D

C AT H E D R A L I R I S H 5 A F O O T B A L L S TAT E C H A M P I O N S

WINTER 2020 CATHEDRAL HIGHLIGHTS

VOL UME 51 I S S UE 2

A MESSAGE FROM OUR PRESIDENT

2020. What a year. We can say that about any year, but as time goes by, I believe that 2020 will stand alone with a few other exceptional years in our country’s history; 1776, 1812, 1918, 1941, anytime in the 1860s or 1960s, 2001, and perhaps a few others. In Cathedral’s history, we have a few landmark years as well; 1918, of course, and 1976, and you can pick your favorite. For our Irish faithful, 2020 will, I believe, stand the test of time for so many reasons. I will remember it as the year that we showed our community how a school community could stay connected and actively engaged despite strong outside forces. Our school bravely faced the pandemic shutdowns with a strong pivot to e-Learning, with an Irish, Holy Cross twist. We held a fantastic outdoor commencement ceremony, met face to face with our 1,000+ students for three months in the fall, and sadly yet joyfully, held three celebrations of life for members of our community who tragically died. With our eyes set firmly on our mission and the needs of our students, Cathedral led the way. We look to 2021 as a year to get even better! Just days before the most recent e-Learning phase that we are now in, the Cathedral leadership team presented a bold new draft Strategic Plan to our board of directors, using our mission and vision to guide us. The plan will launch us forward to become the Catholic School of the Future (as stated in our vision statement) and fulfills our new tagline of Greatness

WINTER 2020 CATHEDRAL HIGHLIGHTS

is Calling. Our planning juices were fed by two primary sources: Blessed Basil Moreau’s Christian Education, with an emphasis on the education of the hearts as well as the minds of our students, in preparing them for a world better than ours; and Jim Collins’ Great by Choice, the third iteration of his best-selling Good to Great business book. In one mouthful, we say that we deliberately choose to be great in educating the hearts and minds of our students. In the coming months, we will collaborate with our board of directors to prioritize and map out the primary goals of a new Strategic Plan, which will go into effect beginning in July 2021. With the unbelievable 2020 in our rear-view mirrors, we gladly look through our windshields at an exciting, bold, and innovative future for our beloved school. I ask you to keep us in your hearts and minds as we navigate the day-to-day while mapping out our future. In a world of unknowns, there is one sure bet: Cathedral will bravely plan and execute our mission and vision, as we have for 102 years and counting. May God be praised, and thank you for your support.

Robert A. Bridges, PhD

CONTENTS 05 Innovation Center Update 06 Called to Greatness:

Cathedral Holds In-Person Classes August-November

09 Cathedral Raises $1 Million During Evening of Excellence

11 Jay Braun ’99 Leads Dads’ Club 12 Celebrating Greatness:

The Chris Beaty ’00 Entrepreneurship Class

IN EACH ISSUE

02 President’s Message 04 Principal’s Message 15 Sports 20 Class Notes 22 In Memoriam

CATHEDRAL TRUSTEES BOARD OF DIRECTORS Incorporated 1972

OFFICERS

Victoria Schneider ’88 Temple – Chair Kevin Alerding ’88 – Vice Chair Matt Will, PhD – Treasurer Denise Farrell, Hon. ’08 – Secretary

MEMBERS

Rev. Eric Augenstein, MDiv. ‘96 Dennis Barlow Very Rev. Patrick Beidelman, STL, ‘90 Christian Browning ‘93 Matthew Cohoat ‘78 Regina Cross ‘98 J.Michael Cunningham, Hon. ‘98 Gregg Gallant Michael J. Hannigan, Jr. Ryan Hasbrook ‘92 Colonel (Ret.) David Kasberg ‘82 Jason Konesco ‘90 Dr. Catherine Bradshaw ’87 Michael Kyle McGrath ‘01 Kathryn Martin ‘83 O’Neil Matt Renie ‘11 Carmen Hansen SAA ’66 Rivera Bro. Roy Smith ‘61 Angela Smith Jones Greg Stephens Pete A. Ugo

MEMBERS EMERITUS R. James Alerding ‘63 John L. Davis ‘66 Joseph M. Dezelan ‘62 Daniel O’Malia ‘65 Richard Pfleger ‘73 As of November 2020 Fall/Winter 2020

On the Cover: Pictured are the senior team captains and Head Coach Bill Peebles ‘88. From left to right: Jayden Scruggs ‘21, Jake Langdon ‘21, Head Coach Bill Peebles ‘88, David Guhl ‘21, and Nathan McCahill ‘21. Jayden is holding the jersey of fallen teammate, Mario McCullough ‘21. (Photo credit: Sara Greene)

The Cathedral Highlights is published two times annually by Cathedral High School for alumni, parents, and friends. The publication address is: Cathedral High School 5225 E. 56th St. Indianapolis, IN 46226 Phone number: 317.542.1481 Please send news to: Cathedral Highlights c/o Cathedral High School 5225 E. 56th Street Indianapolis, IN 46226

WINTER 2020 CATHEDRAL HIGHLIGHTS

A M E S S A G E F R O M T H E P R I N C I PA L

Dear Cathedral Alumni, Families and Friends, s I look back over the first few months of our school year, I can’t help but stand in awe of everything we accomplished. We came together on the Hill. We met face-to-face. We were a family. A family works together to defend and protect one another, and that’s what we did. We worked together to ensure that we could achieve our mission and be together. Our students were able to engage with our faculty and have a quality educational experience. I have so much gratitude for our educators! They have worked diligently to stay together as a family. They exemplify the core value of Excellence, which we have chosen as our Holy Cross core value this year. There are so many ways to exemplify Excellence, and we see it every day in our students. They are excellent friends. They are excellent students. They are excellent athletes. They are excellent brothers and sisters. They are excellent musicians. They are excellent in the service that they perform inside our school and outside our school in our community. We are so very proud of our students. Blessed Basil Moreau tells us, “Contribute to preparing the world for better times than ours.” We see this come to life every day with our students as they are excellent Holy Cross examples for others to follow. There is no limit to what we can do and create when we use the blessings that God gave us to help advance our mission. Our core values serve as the basic foundations and strategies through which our educators inform and form students who, in turn, become agents of transformation for a better future in neighborhoods, cities, countries, and even the world. A quote I saw recently said, “This is not a year to get everything you want. It is a year to be thankful for everything you have.” We have much to be thankful for at Cathedral High School. Thank you all for your continued commitment to and loyal support of Cathedral High School while we all continue to respond to these ever-changing and tumultuous times. Blessings to you and your family. Peace,

Julie Barthel

P R ESI D E N T

Robert Bridges, PhD

P R I NCIPA L Julie Barthel

C HI E F F IN A N CIA L O FFI C ER Colleen O’Brien-Teasley

C HI E F OP E RAT IN G O FFI C ER Rolly Landeros

DI R E CT OR OF A D MI SSI O NS Anna Taul

DI R E CT OR OF M A R KETI NG

EXEC UTI VE VICE P RE S ID E N T FO R ADVAN CE ME N T Nicole Farrell ’98 Beasley

C ATHEDRA L HI GHLI GH T S MA G A Z IN E

A publication for alumni, parents and friends. For change of address: Please contact Lisa Farley at 317.968.7373 or lfarley@gocathedral.com Have a story idea? Contact Grace Trahan-Rodecap at 317.968.7352 or grodecap@gocathedral.com

Trahan-Rodecap 4GraceWINTER 2020 CATHEDRAL HIGHLIGHTS

P H OT OG RA P H E RS : Liam Eifert ‘23 Sara Greene Ethan Marasco ‘21 Tyler McClure ‘08 Lacey Nix Gara Schommer Grace Trahan-Rodecap Jim Wilkinson Tony Willis Guy Zimmer

INNOVATION CENTER CONSTRUCTION UPDATE

Cathedral started her birthday celebration a few days early with a Blessing of the Beams for our Innovation Center. Students, educators, and friends got to sign the beam, and Rev. Eric Augenstein, MDiv, ‘96, blessed it for us. Construction moved quickly after the September blessing event. Our Spirit Shop team is busy moving into the new Spirit Shop, accessible from the Welch Activity Center parking lot. No more having to venture through the school to the back of the cafeteria to purchase your favorite Cathedral merchandise. As a reminder, you can always shop online at cathedralspiritshop.com.

Construction is moving along quickly on the Innovation Center.

Crews are still hoping to have the new cafeteria construction completed this month and the exterior building structure completed in April. We are excited to hold classes in our new spaces in the fall of 2021. As the work on the building continues, we thank all of you for your donations, encouragement, and prayers. As Cathedral’s motto states, “With her leading, we shall not tire.” Spirit Shop employees are excited to start moving merchandise into this great new space!

Dear Old Cathedral, Here’s to You! Congratulations, Cathedral, on winning Best Private School in the IndyStar “2020 Best Things Choice Awards!”

WINTER 2020 CATHEDRAL HIGHLIGHTS

Called to Greatness

C AT H E DRAL H OLDS I N-P E RSO N CLASSE S A U G UST THRO UGH MID-NOV E MBE R

Naysayers said it couldn’t be done. When most high schools in central Indiana were going all virtual or hybrid, holding in-person classes with all of our students seemed like a lofty goal. Guided by a 60-plus page safety document drafted by our three task forces, Cathedral was able to educate her students’ hearts and minds in person for three months this fall. The only day we were not on campus was Monday, but each class met virtually that day. Referred to as Mission Monday, students and educators got to see one another without masks and have virtual club meetings. Also, it allowed our maintenance staff an opportunity to give our spaces an ultra-deep cleaning. To say our educators have gone above and beyond for our students this fall would be an understatement. Some of our students opted to have virtual classes starting in August. That meant, in some cases, teachers were instructing in person and virtually simultaneously. We also had two teachers who, due to health concerns, opted to teach virtually for the fall semester. There were substitute teachers in their classrooms to ensure students stayed on task.

out, educators found ways to make the past several months as normal as possible. A few examples of activities that happened this fall are included below. Also, all of our fall sports teams enjoyed their season and made us proud. None of these activities could have happened without the herculean efforts of our talented educators. We are also appreciative of the support we’ve received from our families. We thank you for your support and prayers and look forward to being back on the Hill in mid-January. We ask that you continue to pray for all those impacted by COVID-19.

Even while wearing masks, observing social distancing, eating in their classrooms with students, sanitizing desks, and reminding students to wear their masks and spread

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All-School Mass - freshmen-juniors on the football practice field, seniors in the Welch Activity Center

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Lughnasa - Freshmen Orientation

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Outdoor Homecoming Assembly - Students also enjoyed outdoor class competitions, including a curb painting, board decorating contests, and themed dress up days

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Junior and Senior Retreats

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Freshmen Day of Recollection

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Outdoor Choir and Orchestra Concert

WINTER 2020 CATHEDRAL HIGHLIGHTS

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Pride of the Irish Marching Band - football game performances

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Theatre - Rookie Showcase

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Campus Photography Contest

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We The People

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Speech and Debate

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Virtual Multicultural Assembly

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Numerous club meetings, both in-person and virtual

Top Left Photo- Nyla Bingham ‘21 and our other musicians did a beautiful job performing at our Evening Under the Stars Outdoor Concert. Top Right Photo – Educator Kim Jamell continues to make classes fun and engaging for her students. Middle Right Photo – Brenda Ponce ‘21 and the Pride of the Irish Marching Band did a great job performing at several football games this season. Middle Left Photo – We are so thankful to all of the educators who made our Freshmen Day of Recollection possible. Bottom Photo – Evening Under the Stars with the Cathedral Choirs and String Orchestra was a huge success!

WINTER 2020 CATHEDRAL HIGHLIGHTS

HAP PY 1 0 2N D BI RT HD AY, C AT H E D R A L ! Cathedral’s 102nd birthday celebration looked a bit different this year, but educators worked hard and found a way for our students to honor our beloved school. Freshmen through juniors spread out on the football practice field for Mass. Father Dennis Strach led the Mass, and Choir Director Marian Bender and her students provided beautiful music. Seniors celebrated Mass in the Welch Activity Center, led by Father Jeff Godecker. Students dedicated their mass to the memory of our dear friend, Mario McCullough ‘21. Thank you to Gospel Choir Director Chelsa Lee-Samuels and choir students for the powerful music. Also, thank you to the students and educators who played a role in making the day so meaningful for all who love and miss Mario.

WINTER 2020 CATHEDRAL HIGHLIGHTS

Our birthday celebration usually includes a Day of Service in the Indianapolis community. While students and educators couldn’t leave campus, we found ways to serve others. Students made cards and blankets for shelters. Thanks to a generous donor, Cathedral received a massive donation of travel-size toiletries, but all of the stickers needed to be removed. Our students removed stickers and labeled all of the bottles. Other students picked up trash along the 56th street trail. Even during challenging times, Cathedral stays true to her mission of educating her students’ hearts and minds.

C ATH E DR AL R AISES

$ 1 M I L L I ON D U R I N G E V E N I N G O F E X C E LLE N C E INDUCTS NEW CIRCLE OF EXCELLENCE MEMBERS

Sir Jonathan Thompson ’22 gave a moving speech about what Cathedral High School means to him and his family.

Cathedral High School managed to keep excellence in the Evening of Excellence, even with COVID-19. We hosted our guests in both the Welch Activity Center and the Mimms Gym, used classroom desks that were strategically spaced apart, and served scrumptious boxed dinners. The event, hosted by WISH-TV’s Anthony Calhoun, was a lovely evening that celebrated our past and raised funds to ensure our mission to transform the hearts and minds of a diverse group of students continues in the future. Thank you to the generous donors who helped us raise a whopping $1,070,684 for the Cathedral Fund.

Quinn ‘65, and Elizabeth “Betsy” Barnard (posthumous). John Munshower ‘62 accepted the award on behalf of his brother, Fr. Munshower; Marcia Reynolds accepted the honor on behalf of her friend, Betsy Barnard, and Kevin Davis ‘95 and Ryan Davis ‘06 received the award for their father, John Davis ‘66.

During the evening, we recognized our new distinguished class of Circle of Excellence inductees. Congratulations to the following honorees: Fr. William Munshower ‘50 (posthumous), Jim McLinn ‘70, Jean Kesterson, Melinda Bundy, Hon. ‘94, John Davis ‘66, Samantha Peszek ‘10, Tom Greer, Ph.D., Hon.’19, John

Even during a global pandemic, Cathedral High School managed to safely bring people together to raise money and recognize exceptional members of our Cathedral family. May God continue to bless Cathedral and all who work tirelessly to fulfill her mission.

Cathedral is now accepting nominations for the 2021 induction class. To find out more and nominate someone for this distinguished honor, go to chscircleofexcellence.com. You can also call 317-968-7333 to request a nomination form.

CLASS OF 2020 – CIRCLE OF EXCELLENCE INDUCT EES

Elizabeth “Betsy” Barnard

Jean Kesterson

Melinda Bundy, Hon. ‘94

Jim McLinn ‘70

John Davis ‘66

Fr. William Munshower ‘50

Dr. Tom Greer, Hon. ‘19

Samantha Peszek ‘10

John

‘65 WINTER 2020 Quinn CATHEDRAL HIGHLIGHTS

Empowering Greatness

MI S S I O N CON T I N U E S W I T H SUC C E SSFUL ST UDE NT FUNDR AISE R & FOR EV ER I RIS H L A D I E S L U N C HE ON

COVID-19 meant students couldn’t go door to door to sell raffle tickets this year, so our advancement team pivoted and launched: The Remix-The Luck of the Leprechaun Student Fundraiser. Students and educators set up fundraising links, making it easy for friends and family to donate online and support our tuition assistance program. This year our community raised $236,242.45! Thank you to our students and educators who worked so hard to make this year’s fundraiser prosperous and support Cathedral’s mission to serve a socioeconomic diverse student body. In addition to our outstanding student fundraiser, we were blessed with a successful Forever Irish Ladies Luncheon. Cathedral High School is thankful to the

W HAT IS YOUR

panelists who made this year’s event meaningful and impactful. Our panelists were Dr. Kara Allen ’01 Soldati, Congresswoman Susan Brooks, and Judge Tanya WaltonPratt ‘77. The moderator, Angela Smith Jones, led a discussion on the panelists’ professional and personal experiences and how to empower women around us. We’d also like to thank the local vendors who attended the fantastic event: Blacksheep Collective, Abby Adams Boutique, Daniel’s Vineyard, Three Irish Sisters, Beautycounter, Cathedral Spirit Shop, Days Furs, Metalmark Fine Jewelry, and Indy Over Everything. We are also forever grateful to our co-chairs, Mary Susan Buhner and Kristi Macadaeg, and our fabulous Irish Angel Hostesses.

LEGACY?

For years after he graduated, Joe Karibo, Class of 1940, made continuous annual gifts supporting Cathedral High School. Unfortunately, Joe passed away in February 2020; however, his legacy lives on at Cathedral through an estate gift. We were blessed to have Joe as a graduate and annual donor, and we are grateful for his estate commitment to the future of Cathedral High School.

Have you ever thought about an estate gift to Cathedral High School? Learn more about legacy giving options at gocathedral.com/planned giving or contact 10 WINTER 2020 CATHEDRAL HIGHLIGHTS Abbe Ernstes, aernstes@gocathedral.com.

Jay Braun ’99 Leads Dads’ Club

Pictured (left to right): Dennis Petruzzi, Tony Bonacuse, Andrew Spencer, Pierre Fox, Tom Busam, Jay Braun ‘99, Clayton Kelly, Greg Martin, Rolly Landeros and Justin Sage

Jay Braun ‘99 has found a fabulous way to give back to dear old Cathedral. As the leader of the Dads’ Club, he’s helped initiate several projects on the Hill. The Dads’ Club has done everything from landscaping to lending a helping hand with clean up after the Evening of Excellence. These pictures were taken in early fall when the Dads’ Club spent an entire Saturday building a foundation for Cathedral’s storage barn, as well as shelves for the new Spirit Shop. The dads also decorated Cathedral’s grounds for Christmas. Jay is the proud father of two current Cathedral students, JJ ‘22 and Kyle ‘24. He also has three future Irish students and his wife, Shannon, is the Assistant to Cathedral’s Principal. If you’re a Cathedral dad who’d like to learn more about this opportunity to help the school and form friendships with other Cathedral fathers, feel free to email Jay at dadsclub@gocathedral. com. In our next issue, we’ll salute the wonderful ladies who are part of our fabulous Mothers’ Club.

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Celebrating Greatness

T HE CHR I S B E AT Y ’ 0 0

Chris Beaty ’00 was murdered while trying to protect two women who were getting their purses snatched during the protests in downtown Indianapolis in May.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP CLASS Cathedral High School’s entrepreneurship course is now known as the Chris Beaty ’00 Entrepreneurship Class. Alex Purvis ‘02 spearheaded this initiative, and his generosity is making it possible.

to name Cathedral’s entrepreneurship class in Beaty’s honor. Beaty was always making things happen. Just three weeks before his death, he created a face mask company that was featured on three media outlets.

“There was so much pain caused by Chris’s tragic murder, I felt it was too narrow to hear him only referred to as a former Cathedral and IU football player,” says Purvis. “Chris was so much more than that, and I want to do my part to make sure his legacy continues at Cathedral.”

“I think the root of entrepreneurship is having the ability to take an idea and outlining the steps to make it happen,” says Purvis. “That’s exactly what Chris did. He was a doer, a leader, and a builder—his friends turned into business partners and vice versa.”

Purvis only knew Beaty for one year when they were at Cathedral. Purvis describes himself as the smallest kid on the football team sophomore year, and Beaty was a senior star-athlete. “Years later, when I started running into Chris downtown and various events, Chris always made me feel like I was the star quarterback on Cathedral’s team. For no other reason than that was his genuine personality—he made people feel special. His warmth and positivity was infectious,” says Purvis. “He made everyone feel like a VIP. Few people have that ability.” Purvis says Beaty was a tenacious marketer who always had an event going on or was working on “the next big thing.” That’s why Purvis feels it’s fitting

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“

I WA N T T O D O MY PA RT T O MA K E SU RE

“

Educator Brendan Surane teaches for the inaugural Chris Beaty ’00 Entrepreneurship Class.

Purvis admits he has never donated to Cathedral before, nor does he live in Indianapolis, but was wholly moved to action by the sudden and tragic loss of Chris. He also acknowledges how thrilled he was to hear about the Chris Beaty Foundation Scholarship, which is being established at Cathedral High School and IU. “I think the scholarship is amazing, and I wanted to do what I can to honor Chris’s legacy, “ says Purvis. “Cathedral brings together more socioeconomic, racial, and geographic diversity than most people realize. I think it’s a great crux in students’ lives to use their rich Cathedral experience to figure out different paths, and how everyone interacts at more of a true scale versus the ‘bubbles’ people tend to get stuck in,” says Purvis. “Using that foundation and exploring entrepreneurship in high school will hopefully open students’ eyes to all of the possibilities they have in college and beyond. Students should know they are capable of creating their path, just like Chris Beaty did. And they should know that they, too, have what it takes to live like Chris. We’d all be lucky to have more Cathedral students grow up to be like him.”

HI S LEG A C Y CONTI NUES.

CATH E DR AL PA R TN ERS WI TH

CROSSROADS EDUCATION Cathedral High School and Crossroads Education have formed a partnership to provide peer tutoring and an industry level, project-based STEM program.

The effort aims to better equip students as they navigate the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. The long-term goal is to expose students to future problems they can solve as well as promote the opportunity for internships and talent development at the high school level. “We are very excited about the opportunity to bridge the gap between industry and K-12 education,” said Andrew Salmon, Crossroads’ chief admin officer. “Through this program, we can connect students to industry partners who are leading in innovation.” A Learning Commons, which is a resource center for students, is being designed to create a collaborative learning environment that aims to help students understand math more effectively. The setup provides access to learning tools outside of the classroom through Crossroads’ virtual collaboration platform Nexus. “This partnership is a manifestation of our team’s belief that to innovate in education we must include students as part of the learning ecosystem, where they are asked to serve others through the joyful activity of tutoring,” Crossroads Chief Executive Officer Dr. Kevin Berkopes said. “We believe Cathedral High School is a cornerstone partner, one that pushes us to execute our services at the highest level possible.”

N AT I O N A L M E R I T

C O M M U N I C AT O R

SEMIFINALISTS

OF THE YEAR

We are very pleased to announce seniors Preston Avery, Joseph Egan, and Isaac Michael were named Semifinalists in the 2021 National Merit Scholarship Program. These outstanding scholars have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,600 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $30 million that will be offered next spring.

Congratulations to Cathedral’s Director of Marketing, Grace Trahan-Rodecap, on being named Communicator of the Year by the National Speech and Debate Association. Cathedral’s Speech and Debate Coach, Jeanne Malone, nominated Trahan-Rodecap for the award. Trahan-Rodecap, a former television anchor, judged several speech and debate tournaments last year.

Preston Avery

Joseph Egan

Isaac Michael

In addition to our Semifinalists, five seniors have been named Commended Students in the National Merit Scholarship Program. Congratulations to Eric George, Liam Kelly, Ethan Marasco, Meghan McCarthy, and Erika Weed. Congratulations to our academically gifted students who exemplify our Holy Cross value of Excellence!

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W E T H E P E O P L E – T H I RD IN S TATE Congratulations to our small but mighty We The People team on placing third at the state competition in December. Pictured here are Whitley Walton ‘21, Ethan Marasco ‘21, and Mary Kuckelman ‘22. The other members of the team are Abygail Dravis ’21, Kieran McCauley ’21, Annabella McGinley-King ’21, Isaac Michael ’21, Chloe Miller ’21, and Mary Vukovits ’21. Jill Twilleager is the We the People moderator.

T WIN EAG LE SC OUT S Congratulations to Hays Teasley ’21 and Will Teasley ‘21 on earning their Eagle Scout badge! For their Eagle Scout project, the brothers built a new walking path at St. Monica Catholic Church from the Rectory to the parking lot and renovated St. Monica’s Giving Garden. Congratulations, Will and Hays!

RE P O RT I N G S U CCE S S Judges chose Senior Andrew de las Alas’s story on how athletes use technology to improve their practice and game skills as a Best of SNO story for 2019/20. SNO is an acronym for Student Newspapers Online. High school journalism teachers submit their students’ best work to SNO, and only about 15% of these entries are named Best of SNO. Congratulations, Andrew de las Alas ‘21! Tony Willis is the moderator for the student newspaper and yearbook.

P ICT URE PERFEC T FUT UR E A New York Times senior staff photographer chose Kiara Taylor ‘23 as one of the grand prize winners of the Photojournalism Challenge. Her award-winning photograph, shown on the right, was recently published in the New York Times! Congratulations, Kiara Taylor ‘23! Cathedral is proud of you! Joellen Desautels is Cathedral’s visual communications and photography teacher. 14

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The 2020 Class 5A Champions pose for a photo after the game at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Football Team Wins Class 5A State Championship It was a season like no other. In the spring, the Fighting Irish lost one of their brothers, #2 Mario McCullough. Once the football season started, there were questions if football would even have a full season. COVID threatened to take it all away. The Fighting Irish couldn’t fathom not having a season. They not only wanted to finish the regular season, but the young men were also determined to honor their fallen teammate by winning a state championship.

broken, Coach Peebles got his 100th win with the team’s victory over Whiteland at Regionals, and the team answered the call to greatness in true Cathedral fashion. “We finally did what Mario and I talked about all the time,” says Jayden Scruggs ‘21. “The main goal from the start was to win state.”

Cathedral finished its mission with a 46-28 victory over Zionsville. Before the big game, the team bus stopped on Emerson Avenue, near the area where Mario was killed. “We say the rosary before every game on the bus ride,” said Coach Bill Peebles ’88. “We just took a moment of silence, all kind of got a little teary-eyed and started the rosary there. He was at the game with us, looking over us. Even though he wasn’t on the field with us, he was with us in spirit.” Throughout the season, the team honored Mario. The captains carried his jersey to the coin toss before each game. After each first touchdown, the team always went for two. Cathedral records were

Senior members of the football team pose with the championship trophy. Nice job, young men!

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O NE OF T H E

GREATEST COACH LOW RETIRES FROM COACHING

A S R H O N D A L O W S AW I T, T H E T I M E WA S R I G H T.

Cathedral High School’s boys volleyball team is in good hands, Low said – with the right person ready to be the head coach and move the program forward. Partly because of that, Low – who for more than two-and-a-half decades shaped Irish boys volleyball and Indiana boys high school volleyball in general – decided to retire as the program’s coach. She leaves a legacy that goes far beyond Cathedral. “The program’s in a very good place,” Low said. “We’re growing. Volleyball is the fastest-growing team sports in America, and that’s being reflected here at Cathedral.” Low in recent years has battled cancer, and is in remission a second time. “The body has done a great job in this remission but it’s not giving me back the energy I need to coach,” Low said. “I just felt like I can’t give the guys the energy in the practice. I would get halfway through and start dragging my butt. I’d have to really yell at myself to pick it up. It’s selfish if I stay on.”

“He’s as Cathedral volleyball as anybody I can think of,” Low said of McClure, who served as freshman and junior varsity coach at Cathedral before serving as an assistant varsity coach last season. “He has seen the insides and outs. He knows how we’ve run it. He’s got some great ideas of improvement.”

“Mentally, I was preparing [for another Tyler McClure season], but I had to be honest with myself. ‘08 The boys deserve somebody who can give them their best and my best is not good enoughright “This was a good time to step out of his way. The now in my mind.” program is on an upswing. They’re going to have a youthful, focused, energetic, goal-oriented, teaching Tyler McClure ‘08, a setter on the Irish’s undefeated coach in Tyler McClure.” 2007-2008 state championship teams who has been She retires as the winningest coach in IBVCA (Indiana around the program since his freshman year of high Boys Volleyball Coaches Association) history. Thanks for school, will succeed Low. The state of Indiana’s Most everything, Coach Low, and may God continue to bless Valuable Player in 2008, McClure led the Irish to a you in all that you do. fifth-place national finish as a senior.

WINTER 2020 CATHEDRAL HIGHLIGHTS

Boys Cross Country

This season was for new faces – and for those faces achieving big things. Cathedral High School’s boys cross-country team wasn’t young, exactly, in 2020 – but the team was an inexperienced group. It also was a group that dealt with adversity. The Irish ran well through it all, with the result being a strong postseason performance – with three individuals advancing to the semi-state meet and the team maturing as the season continued. And Irish cross-country coach Jim Nohl ‘78 said that made the fall a success.“We were almost starting from scratch, if you want to put it that way,” Nohl said.

Sports Wraps

A team that lost multiple Division I-bound runners in recent seasons in 2020 not only placed three individuals – sophomore Liam Eifert, junior Jack Wadja and senior Collin Monesmith – in the semi-state meet, the Irish finished third at sectional and narrowly missed advancing to the semi-state meet as a team.

Girls Soccer

Girls Cross Country

This season they endured and overcame. If a thread ran through Cathedral High School girls cross country in Allie Griffith’s first season as head coach, that may have been it. The Irish faced uncertainty. They dealt with adversity. They learned a new system. They succeeded through it all, and that made for a significant season. “The theme for the season – considering everything – was ‘Expect the unexpected,’ and I think our girls responded really well to that,” Griffith said. The Irish in 2020 not only advanced as a team to the regional meet, they finished second to Bishop Chatard at the City Championship – where junior Reese Sanders finished fifth individually. They also finished second to Chatard at the All-Catholic meet.

This was a season no one will forget. Cathedral High School girls soccer achieved nearly all it could possibly achieve in 2020, doing so while overcoming adversity. That made it one of the most memorable and successful seasons in program history. Missing the state title by the narrowest of margins didn’t change that. “They deserved to have a championship at the end, but that’s not what was to be,” Irish girls soccer coach Marc Behringer ‘84 said. “The girls just did an incredible job this year. No other team I’ve coached has had to go through what they did. Yet, they reached the pinnacle.” “They got to play in the last game of the year. That’s fantastic.” The Irish, who entered the season with the motto of ‘Take Back the Ship’ – which meant earning back postseason titles missed the season before – did so to a remarkable degree. They won City, Sectional, Regional and Semistate titles while peaking in the postseason. The Irish finished as the state Class 2A runner-up, losing in penalty kicks (4-3) after a scoreless tie against Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger in the state title game. “Everything the girls could do, they did,” Behringer said. “They won City, Sectional, Regional and Semistate and then not giving up a goal in the state championship game … I would say they accomplished what they could.”

“I’m really excited to see what some of our girls can do next year with that full training and with a year of our culture,” Griffith said. WINTER 2020 CATHEDRAL HIGHLIGHTS

Girls Golf

Girls Volleyball

This season was by any measure a success.

This season was about beating adversity.

As Eric Bruns saw it, that became the case when

Specifically, it was about sacrifice and overcoming injury. Cathedral High School girls volleyball did both in 2020 while taking steps forward under Head Coach Mary Hemer ’09 – and Hemer said all that made it hard to see the season end. “It really was a full team – and even program – effort,” Hemer said.

Cathedral High School’s girls golf team completed the season – and its matches. The results that came in those matches? That made the success even greater. The Irish, who began the season as the leastexperienced team in Bruns’ three seasons as head coach, improved as the season continued. They finished second at the City Tournament, then turned in a dominant victory for yet another sectional title.

Boys Soccer

This season was far from easy.

The Irish (12-14), playing one of Central Indiana’s toughest schedules, lost two key players – including senior leader/ outside hitter Sarah Casper. Despite that, they won the Class 4A, Section 10 tournament at Cathedral – improving as the season continued and peaking at season’s end. “The girls got better every day,” Hemer said. “It was palpable at the end of the season. You could see the progress. It was really awesome to see them get in the groove.”

And it wasn’t nearly as long as would have been ideal. But Joel Russell said none of that kept 2020 Cathedral High School boys soccer from being very successful – and the season absolutely held key lessons and memorable moments. “Individually we didn’t have that All-Star, AllAmerica player,” Russell said. “But collectively, we had a really good team. When you added parts together, the sum of the parts was greater than individual. “That’s what I was hoping for.”

For a complete wrap-up of all of our sports stories, please visit

WINTER 2020 CATHEDRAL HIGHLIGHTS

gocathedral.com/athletics

Photo Credit: Ethan Marasco ‘21

Boys Tennis

This was a good fall for Cathedral High School boys tennis. The Irish played the entire season, and that was notable considering the COVID-19 circumstances that have surrounded athletics at all levels in recent months. Mark Noe said the program succeeded in a big way on the court, too.“We had a good season,” said Noe, in his 19th season as the program’s coach. Irish boys tennis, long one of the state’s top high school boys tennis programs, was that again in 2020. The Irish finished No. 15 in the Indiana High School Tennis Coaches Association state rankings, an improvement from their early-season ranking.

S H O P O N L I N E A N Y T I M E AT

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WINTER 2020 CATHEDRAL HIGHLIGHTS

CLASS NOTES LI FE LONG C ON N ECTION S W IT H AL UM NI AND F R I E NDS 1990s

Erin Bowling ‘99 and her husband, Jaideep Karnawat, welcomed Eleanor Grace on September 27, 2020.

Emily Misbach ‘00 Thomas and her husband, Trent, welcomed Jackson Manning on August 19, 2020. Katie Lawrence ‘00 Hogg and her husband, Steven, welcomed Reece Marie on July 30, 2020.

Deborah Tamulonis ‘01 Lancaster and her husband, Joel, welcomed Frederick Kenneth on November 9, 2020. Teresa Woller ‘01 Pallas and her husband, Christian, welcomed Sophia Marie on August 31, 2020. Billy Potter ‘01 and Kristin Shudtz welcomed Jackson Joseph in November 2020.

JaJuan Broadus ‘99 welcomed his daughter, Brooklyn Zaranae Marie on January 25, 2020. Lindsay and Scott Laham ‘00 welcomed Ledger William on June 2, 2020.

Josh Richardt ‘01 and his wife Suzy recently relocated to Tunis, Tunisia, where Josh is serving as Elementary School Counselor at the American Cooperative School of Tunis, with kids from over 65 different countries. When travel becomes possible again, Irish friends are more than welcome to come visit them in Carthage.

2000s

Visual artist, Deonna Craig ‘00, had her art featured in the Indianapolis Art Center’s Eighteen: Black Lives Matter exhibition. Craig also painted the V in the Black Lives Matter mural downtown on historic Indiana Ave.

Keith Fowler ‘01 married Olivia Roth in June 2020.

Erica and Eric Saunders ‘01 welcomed Emani Louise Alyse on July 31, 2020. She joins big brother, Ehsan and big sister, Epyc. Alex Christensen ‘02 and her husband, Jeffrey Oleck ‘02, welcomed Jamison Timothy on August 14, 2020.

Alyssa and Kevin Kelly ‘00 welcomed McKenna Lee on November 10, 2020.

WINTER 2020 CATHEDRAL HIGHLIGHTS

Lauren Holbrook ‘01 Craycraft and her husband, Dan, welcomed Benjamin Craycraft, in September 2020.

Kara McCalley ‘02 Longenecker and Brett Longenecker welcomed Ellie Louise on September 30, 2020.

Annie Barbato ‘08 married Colin Heller ‘08 on October 16, 2020 on Marco Island surrounded by their parents and siblings.

Colleen Ryan ‘02 Lotz and her husband, Scott, welcomed Juliette Mae on November 15, 2020.

Jade Powers ‘09 will lead the Kansas University Masters of Fine Arts graduate seminar in the Department of Visual Art for the 2020-2021 Academic Year.

Annie O’Connor ‘04 Rumer and her husband, Joseph, welcomed Patricia Josephine, in September 2020. Laura Cheesman ‘02 Snow and her husband Greg welcomed Hudson James on July 26, 2020.

Alli and Jimmy Cohoat ‘05 welcomed Lily James on July 18, 2020.

David Dellen ‘03 was appointed as a new board member of the Patachou Foundation.

Sara McSoley ‘06 Spears and her husband, Michael, welcomed John on October 8, 2020.

Sean Worland ‘09 married Katie Csillag on October 3, 2020.

Alyssa Kavanaugh ‘06 Thompson and her husband Andrew welcomed twin girls, Sophie and Juliette, on July 14, 2020.

2010s

Katie Dowd ‘03 & Michael Huntington ‘02 welcomed Jude Steven in July 2020. Danielle Reinstrom ‘03 Esmits and her husband, Andy, welcomed Ava Marie on May 23, 2020.

John Sauter ‘03 married Brenda Teruel in Chicago, IL on October 24, 2020.

Katie Sauter ‘07 and Jeremy Vande Bosche ‘07 welcomed June Irene on August 7, 2020.

Kevin Loiselle ‘10 married Kelsey Huse on November 13, 2020 in Fishers, IN. Members of the wedding party included Scott Loiselle ‘03 and Bryan Loiselle ‘07. Elisabeth Stanich ‘10 and Andy Rothenberg eloped on September 3, 2020 at Mt. Rainer National Park.

Jenna Schnellenberger ‘04 Hughes and her husband, Brad, welcomed Harper Ann on October 13, 2020.

WINTER 2020 CATHEDRAL HIGHLIGHTS

Michael Nave ‘12 married Gabrielle White on October 10, 2020 at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Joe Huntington ‘13 married Taylor Helvie at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church on July 18, 2020. Members of the wedding party included: Mike Huntington ‘02, Chris Huntington ‘06, and Boo Huntington ‘19, Conor Sweeney ‘13, and Patrick Sweeney ‘11.

Ben Sasin ‘14 began classes at Moreau Seminary with the Congregation of Holy Cross. Ben also attends classes at Notre Dame while he continues his faith journey with the Brothers of Holy Cross.

Congratulations to Rose Holtrey ‘16. She graduated recently graduated from the University of Louisville. Alec Pipkin ‘17 is featured on several billboards for DePauw University.

2020s

Kristen Day ‘20 on achieving the Girl Scout Gold Award.

Michael Alerding ’15 and Frannie Timpe ‘16 were married on December 28, 2019. Michael is a Marine oﬃcer and Frannie is an RN. The couple are currently stationed at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, NC.

Spanning the Decades

Hannah Quinn ‘13 married Matt Bitter on August 29, 2020 at Holy Spirit Parish at Geist. Members of the wedding party included Ellen Broyles ‘13, Lindsey Newhart ‘13, Hunter Wolfe ‘13, Sam Tobar ‘13, Emily Warstler ‘13, and Laine Hughes ‘13.

WINTER 2020 CATHEDRAL HIGHLIGHTS

Michael Rushka ‘16 began his journey as a seminarian at the Midwest Province of the Society of Jesus.

Kevin Troy ‘84, Frankie Medvescek ‘66, Tom McGinley ‘55, and current coach Sean McGinley ‘88 represented Cathedral High School’s wrestling excellence at the 2020 State Wrestling Tournament at the Fort Wayne Coliseum. All four men plus Dan Pleak ‘95 (not pictured) & assistant coach Brian Seltzer (not pictured) are members of the Indiana High School Wrestling Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

IN MEMORIAM 1940s Don Beckerich ‘47 Richard Heidelberger ‘47 Frank Golob Jr. ‘48 1950s Eugene Mangin ‘51 Jim Moran ‘52 Rosemary Palamara SMA ‘52 Peoni Bernie Lenahan ‘53 Jim Allison ‘54 Dan McCarthy ‘54 Bob Harvey ‘57 Patricia Ashcraft SMA ‘59 1960s Gene Boyd Jr. ‘62 Steve Spalding ‘63 Hank Arszman III ‘64 Bill Finney Jr. ‘64 Wally Gorka ‘65 George Simpson ‘66 Stephen Jerrell ‘69 Joseph Swiezy ‘51

1970s John Ackelmire ‘70 John Spanke ‘73 1980s Dan Nickolich ‘83 Rich Andriole ‘88 1990s Molly Davis ‘92 Hahn Daniel Weed ‘93 Eileen Watson ‘99

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