Inscape - Winter 2021

News from Mother McAuley High School

WINTER 2021

175

years of

MERCY

in Chicago

F E AT U R E D S T O R I E S

Keeping the Mercy Tradition Alive!

Feature Stories..... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Alumnae News. . .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Advancement Update. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 School News.. ........ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Ways to Give......... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Peggy Evans Rourke ‘76 Vice President of Institutional Advancement prourke@mothermcauley.org Maria McCormack ‘16 Alumnae Coordinator mmccormack@mothermcauley.org JoAnn Foertsch Altenbach ‘76 Annual Fund/Database Specialist jaltenbach@mothermcauley.org Inscape is a publication of Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Alumnae Relations, Mother McAuley High School, 3737 W. 99th Street, Chicago, IL 60655 alumnae@mothermcauley.org Copyright 2021 Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School.

Reproduction in whole or part is prohibited without written permission.

Design and layout by Karen Culloden Hoey ‘84 | Printing by Accurate Printing

FROM THE PRESIDENT In 1846, seven Sisters of Mercy (all younger than 21 years old) arrived in a “frontier city” named Chicago. They quickly established St. Xavier Academy for Females, and a few years later, Mercy Hospital. They carried with them the mission of Catherine McAuley from Ireland - the Sisters were focused on the education and health of women and their children, to foster a better world.

They tended to the sick, housed the poor, and taught the uneducated. Their vision and legacy have brought us to where we are today, 175 years later, celebrating the enduring legacy of Mercy education in Chicago. We are part of an amazing story of women supporting and empowering women. The innovative spirit of the Sisters of Mercy is alive and well among our students, faculty, staff, and alumnae as we continue to look to the future and prepare our young women for an ever-changing world.

At Mother McAuley, we often sing a song, “I am Standing on the Shoulders.” The first verse begins, “I am standing on the shoulders of the ones who came before me, I am stronger for their courage and wiser for their words.” The theme of this song resonates with me every day. I believe that much is learned through history and that more than ever we must celebrate our Mercy heritage and the women on whose shoulders we stand. In my role, I think often of the McAuley administrators who came before me - Sister Brian Costello, Sister Ruth Mutchler, Sister Cathleen Cahill, Sister Corinne Raven, Sister Rose Wiorek and Christine Melone. Their determination to advance McAuley’s mission while adapting to academic, cultural, and technological changes for the betterment of our students inspires me. We follow in their footsteps as we strive to create an environment that educates the whole person and instills intellectual curiosity, creativity, spirituality, and entrepreneurship.

I think of the song’s theme, too, when I hear of alumnae who embrace Mercy in their daily lives, whether by helping to provide stability, career opportunities, and a sense of community to those in need; supporting local restaurants in the midst of a global pandemic; or volunteering their time and talents by leading art classes for the Sisters of Mercy. They, too, have been inspired by the ones who came before them, and in turn, serve as inspiration to the generations of Mighty Macs to come.

What a glorious legacy we cherish, and what a momentous celebration of 175 years of Mercy tradition in Chicago. Please enjoy the timeline on pages 4 through 7 to fully appreciate the impact of the Sisters of Mercy’s significant history in Chicago. As for their influence on our McAuley community - it is clear to see on each page of this issue and in each interaction I have with students, alumnae, faculty, staff, and friends.

It fills me with great hope and anticipation for the future when I see how far we have come. May we continue to carry on Catherine’s mission and vision for many years to come.

In Mercy, Mary Acker Klingenberger ‘75 President INSCAPE MAGAZINE

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175

years of

MERCY

in Chicago

“No work of charity can be more productive of good to society than the careful instruction of women.”

- Catherine McAuley

Catherine McAuley

founded the Religious Sisters of Mercy on December 12, 1831 in Dublin, Ireland. She did so as a direct course of action to alleviate the sufferings of the poor and sick and to educate, particularly the young women of her time. The Sisters of Mercy take the vows of poverty, celibacy, and obedience, and in addition, a vow of service to the poor, sick, and uneducated. After opening several schools throughout Ireland and England, Catherine died in 1841 leaving a lasting legacy of Mercy tradition and charism.

1840’s

1852

Mercy Hospital opens as the first chartered hospital in Chicago. Upon the closing of Mercy Hospital this year (2021), the Sisters of Mercy have graciously donated a tabernacle, sacristy, portrait and bust of Catherine McAuley to our school (Mother McAuley). These items will now be on permanent display within our school to remind our students of the rich history behind Mercy Hospital and inspire them to walk in mercy everyday.

1850’s

1846 Protege and confidant

1860’s 1865 After moving to two different

of Catherine McAuley, Mother Mary Frances Xavier Warde leads a group of 5 Sisters to the Midwest Diocese of Chicago.

locations, the Third Saint Xavier Academy was erected after the Civil War, hailed as the most up to date institution of its kind in the city.

Saint Francis Xavier Academy for Women opens for 10 boarders and 40 day students.

1846 Mother Mary

Agatha O’Brien was the foundress of the Chicago Mercy Community.

1866 The first

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class graduates from the new Saint Xavier school at 35th and Wabash.

1901 Academy enrollment necessitates plans to move the

school to the intersection of 49th and Cottage Grove, resulting in a 10 acre campus.

1871 On the eve of their silver Jubilee, the Sisters of Mercy watch 25 years of labor and financial security reduced to rubble during the Great Chicago Fire.

1884 After rebuilding, Latin and Physics are introduced into the curriculum.

1870-80’s

1912

A charter is issued to incorporate the Saint Xavier College for Women and includes courses in Liberal Arts, Pre-Medical Study, and Music-Art Expression.

1890’s

1900-10’s

1920’s

1893 The school

receives the World’s Columbian Exposition award for “Excellence in drawing, watercolors and painting and classic needlework and artwork.”

1920 McAuley’s long standing graduation tradition of long, white dresses, full length gloves and red roses was originated.

1894 Mastery of the arts is considered an essential part of a cultured young woman’s education.

1921 Accredited

by Illinois and City of Chicago examining boards, Saint Xavier identifies as an all girls college preparatory school emphasizing the liberal arts approach to education and logic.

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1983 The annual

calendar drive launches in 1983 and provides funds to create 2 computer science centers.

1943 Leadership skills are encouraged

and teach students that the principles of Catholicism were “not merely a creed, but a culture.”

1960 The first class who attended all 4 years graduates at McAuley.

1948 A new two-story building houses the Science Department with two large laboratories, a physics lab, and a dark room. A spacious gymnasium occupies the second floor.

1965

Sr. Mary Huberta McCarthy leads the way as McAuley breaks ground on the Fine Arts Wing; the centerpiece is a 900-seat air conditioned auditorium.

1930-40’s

1950’s

1960’s

1987 McAuley wins first Illinois State Water Polo Championship as the only Catholic girls school in the league.

1970’s

1980’s

1974 Little School, an

onsite lab preschool, provides seniors the opportunity to earn college credit while getting hands-ons teaching experience.

1950 Plans to relocate south of the

city begin to emerge as Sr. Mary Huberta McCarthy, RSM; Morgan Murphy Sr.; Sargent Shriver; and Sr. Mary Josetta form the development team.

1956 Now at the southside campus, under the direction of Sr. Mary Ignace Garvey, RSM, the name of the school is changed to Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School in honor of Catherine McAuley, the foundress of the Sisters of Mercy.

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1977 McAuley joins the

Illinois High School Association under the direction of Sr. Ruth Mutchler, RSM. The volleyball team wins its 1st State Championship.

1991 The Basketball team brings home their 1st state title.

1993 Sr. Corinne Raven, RSM

initiates the “Expanding for Excellence” campaign. Mighty Mac Basketball teams compete against Queen of Peace in a standing room only crowd at the opening game.

2012 McAuley constructs two state-of-the-art LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)

2013 McAuley is the first

school on Chicago’s south side to have a 1:1 iPad program.

1994 The National Honor Society

1992 Seniors participate in

Kairos, an off-campus weekend retreat focusing on self reflection.

1990’s

sponsors the annual Fall Festival to benefit Misericordia, featuring a performance by the Misericordia Heartbreakers.

2000’s 2002 Under the direction of Sr.

Rose Wiorek, RSM, McAuley enters the new century on the cutting edge of technology with computers available to all McAuley students.

2000 Students competing at

the State level are driven through the halls in a cart ride on the “Vincemobile” through crowds of cheering fans.

2017 Nursing class taught

by a Saint Xavier University professor is added to the list of College Credit Courses offered to McAuley students.

2010-20’s 2017 The Student Lounge is

renovated to enhance collaborative learning.

2002 Acknowledging academic diversity among students, the Learning Resource Center is developed to support college preparatory learning.

2018 In the second phase of the Future Ready campaign, C-Wing is updated to be tech-friendly and communal with access to virtual learning environments.

2020-2021 Our faculty, 2000 Instituted by Sr. Cathleen Cahill, RSM to increase awareness of the Mercy charism, the first annual Mercy Day celebration is held in September.

staff, and students pivoted to virtual learning due to the pandemic with great success.

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FEATURE STORIE 8

WINTER 2021

Keeping the

mercy tradition Alive

Our school has thrived over the past 175 years, educating and empowering more than 28,500 young women, who have graduated and gone on to be the leaders and changemakers in our community and our world. When our alumnae leave our halls, they bring the spirit of Mercy with them into their adult life.

Mother McAuley is proud to educate our young women in the Mercy tradition and to continue the legacy of Catherine McAuley. We are even more proud to see our McAuley women go out into the world and spread the spirit of Mercy into the lives of others.

In these pages, you will read about students, faculty, and alumnae who are shining examples of Mercy in action, both in their careers and their volunteer work. They are just a small sampling of McAuley women who see a need and respond with compassion, confidence, patience, and leadership.

FEATURE STORY

(from left) Tom Owens, Jr., Julie Owens Burns ‘82, Mary Owens and Tom Owens (deceased 2019), Katie Owens Mulcahy ‘93, Sharon Owens ‘88 and Michael Owens at a Cara Collective fundraiser.

Julie Owens Burns ‘82, Sharon Owens ‘88, and Katie Owens Mulcahy ‘93 Service to others has been an integral part of the lives of Julie Owens Burns ‘82, Sharon Owens ‘88, and Katie Owens Mulcahy ‘93, for as long as they can remember. Their parents, Tom and Mary Owens, built the Owens Foundation in 1986, which helps the homeless in Chicago and those struggling with self-sufficiency - but they didn’t stop there.

Seeing how often talented people who were facing challenges such as poverty, homelessness, and lack of resources, were overlooked in the workforce, they knew there was work to be done. They started Cara Chicago, now Cara Collective, in 1991 to work with motivated job seekers, folks who have been affected by poverty, homelessness, and/or previous incarceration, and help them transform their lives through the power of employment, and in the process provide hope and opportunity to participants and their families.

What began as a grassroots movement for the Owens family - personally visiting shelters to provide interview and resume writing skills, helping to find business attire for interviews, and making use of their personal network to connect job seekers with Chicago companies - has grown exponentially.

To date, the Cara Collective has helped place 7,500 men and women in over 12,000 quality jobs; has expanded to Fort Wayne, Indiana and Atlanta, Georgia, with more expansion opportunities to come; and has continued to launch new programs to provide support and resources for all.

It’s no wonder the Owen’s daughters have dedicated their lives to serving others. Julie and Katie both serve on the Board of Directors for the Owens Foundation and Cara Collective, and their sister, Sharon, serves on the Cara Collective Alumni Board.

“What’s really exciting is that, through the power of employment and mentorship opportunities offered through Cara, they can change the trajectory of their own lives and also that of their families - their children, their grandchildren,” Katie

shared. “That’s really remarkable and really fulfilling to see families reunited or that kids are going on to college because they see that mom and dad were able to get back into the workforce and stabilize their lives.”

Participants go through a six-week long program where they learn not just the hard skills, such as resume writing and interviewing, but the soft skills. They learn about themselves in the process, talk about forgiveness, and learn about the tools that they already have. Once they’re placed in a job, they have a mentor - many of whom are Cara Collective alumni - who continue to check in with them throughout their first year of employment, leading to a higher rate of job retention for Cara participants.

“I think we take a page from our parents. As our dad would say, ‘to whom much is given, much is expected.’ And he always wanted to give back. When I think of our dad, I’m just so proud that he always thought the best of everybody,” shared Julie.

Their time at Mother McAuley has played an integral part in their lives of service, as well. “McAuley really provided a foundation of love, of service, giving back to others,” Katie shared. “And I think the Mercy nuns always showed by example how to do that, which I think was really powerful.”

She continued, “The Owens Foundation has a long history of providing scholarships to Mother McAuley students. And the reason is, we believe, that Mother McAuley education prepares young women for a productive life of leadership, spirituality and continued learning. My sisters and I benefited from our McAuley experience, and we believe it instilled in us a desire to serve others in our communities. So it’s our hope that through the scholarship program, young women who typically could not afford a private education would be able to access this foundational experience.”

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Kathleen Langdon ‘79 Kathleen Langdon ‘79 was appointed to the position of Executive Director of Catholic Charities for the Diocese of Joliet in July 2021. She has served in the diocese as Interim Executive Director for six months and as the Director of Development and Communications for nine years. Her areas of expertise cover a wide scope of services from strategic planning to major gifts to volunteer management.

As an executive, Kathleen combines top-level skills with a passion for the work, respect for her staff, and compassion for those whom she serves. She is energetic in addressing the current issues of human rights, poverty alleviations, senior housing, and other pressing areas of social services.

Kathleen brings to her present position years of successful experiences in which she demonstrated a spirit of adventure in stretching herself to meet new challenges. Since earning a B.A. in Communications from Marquette University, she has worked in the banking industry as a manager of a team of 30 employees, and as a Financial Sales Officer, where she was named “top producer” for four consecutive years.

For ten years, she was an entrepreneur at Mkathleen and co serving as the Artistic and Managing Director.

During these years she conceived, promoted, directed, and oversaw a popular children’s theater school in Chicago. At this venture, she managed and trained a cast of more than 150 students each year and received help from more than 100 alumni students who were inspired to mentor other students. This attracted a diverse student population representing more than 30 Chicagoland grammar schools where sold-out performances packed in audiences in excess of 4,800. It was here that she gained the skill of fundraising. In order to produce each show, numerous donation appeals, sale of ads and merchandise, and special events were conceived and carried out with great success.

Now, as Executive Director of Catholic Charities Diocese of Joliet, Kathleen leads a 26 million dollar agency which employs 300 staff members and serves 60,000 individuals in need per year.

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Carole Intrieri Wilson ‘68 After a long, successful career in financial and healthcare marketing, Carole Intrieri Wilson ‘68 found herself sharing her talents and compassion to lift the spirits of those struggling with serious health issues.

When both of her parents went through treatment for cancer, she was inspired to help people who were going through the same experience. She felt that cancer patients could benefit from art therapy, which would provide them an outlet to release their stress and anxiety. She approached the administrators of The Cancer Center at Little Company of Mary Hospital (currently OSF), and soon her idea turned into reality. This began her 21-year partnership with The Cancer Center.

Patients had the opportunity to paint during their treatment to pass the time creatively and constructively. Once they started, their art was the focus, taking their minds off

Kathy Gordon Davis As chairperson of the Visual Arts & Technology Department at Mother McAuley, Kathy Gordon Davis has inspired and guided thousands of students. She has taught them how to unleash their creativity, instilled in them an appreciation of art, and showed them how creativity and passion can serve them in their professional and personal lives.

In addition, Kathy has brought her art skills to the Sisters of Mercy for over a decade, teaching a weekly art class at Mercy Circle. From the beginning, she was inspired by the Sisters - by their kindness; focus on the things that really mattered; the incredible careers they had pursued, blazing a path for women just as Catherine McAuley and the Sisters of Mercy before them.

This, and the friendships she cultivated during her time with the Sisters, led Kathy to become a Mercy Associate - someone who is dedicated to living a life of Mercy and service, and spreading the legacy of Catherine McAuley.

FEATURE STORY

the heaviness at hand and helping to lighten their load.

At first, Carole volunteered once a week, but soon, patients who received treatment on other days asked, “Where is the art lady?” The program grew and Carole was able to provide art therapy for more people.

When patients were finished with therapy, they wanted to continue with Carole; many realized the value of creativity in their life and wanted to keep painting. It provided an outlet for the stress in their life and a network of friends with a common experience. With the backing of The Cancer Center, she started classes for survivors.

Eventually, she was offered a part-time position that allowed her to leave her other work and focus strictly on art with cancer patients and survivors. She feels blessed that she was able to share her gifts and time with those who needed them and make a difference in their lives.

Carole’s parents believed in the importance of giving back and provided their children with a Catholic education that would strengthen that call to service. Her McAuley education and experience reinforced that sense of service.

It was also instrumental in her career and life’s success. Her creative spirit began in the halls of McAuley, but initially, it was the written word that caught her attention and awakened her love and appreciation of writing and literature. The dynamic duo of Sister Mary Brian Costello, RSM and Sister Clement Mary, RSM was an inspiration. Also, French teacher Sister Mary Emily, RSM influenced her to minor in French during college. Carole feels lucky to have had these “phenomenal” Sisters of Mercy to inspire her and prepare her for college and a career.

Her introduction to art at McAuley kept her “dabbling” with painting throughout her life. Once her career was winding down, she began to paint more as a way to focus and meditate.

She currently teaches at the La Grange Art League and she has shared other gifts at McAuley, by serving on the Board of Trustees and being a great supporter of the annual Celebration gala, which benefits student tuition assistance. In 2016, she was honored as a Life Trustee. Carole feels blessed to share her life with her husband of 50 years, Gaines.

But what does Mercy mean? To Kathy, it means, “sharing your light, like all of the incredible women that came before us,” she wrote in a reflection at the beginning of the school year. “I am so blessed to have become part of a community and a tradition, which educates the ‘whole’ person: body, mind and spirit. Nurturing Mercy Kathy Gordon Davis, Sr. Cora, Sr. June, Sr. Jeanne Marie, Mary Beth, Sr. Barb, and Sr. Sheila at an art show hosted for the Sisters of Mercy. and Christian values has gifted and their willingness to learn is all Mercy in action. The fact that me with a sense of purpose and connection that I never experithey’re learning to be strong women and strong leaders, and enced before. It is my hope to encourage the young women that educated women, is Mercy in action, too.”

I teach, to make choices with a well-developed moral conscience, to live with and protect all creation, to promote justice “And obviously the service they do,” she adds. Service to others and to serve others.” has always been important to Kathy, partially because of the way Since becoming a Mercy Associate, Kathy has been more intentional in her interactions with students and more reflective of the ways they show Mercy.

“I have students every day that say ‘thank you’ before they leave the classroom. And that’s such a gift to a teacher,” Kathy said.

“I think student’s openness, the kindness they show each other,

she was raised and educated, but, as she shared, “quite honestly, it’s lovely. It feels good. It’s nice to help other people. I’m not sure what the motivation is exactly, but if you have these gifts or these ideas, why not share them? Because what use are they otherwise? It’s like hiding your light under a bushel basket - it doesn’t do a bit of good if you keep it to yourself.”

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Betty Harn ‘82 The phrase “servant leader” is the perfect way to describe Betty Harn ‘82 because of her humility and willingness to put others before herself. As the Executive Vice President at Marquette Bank, Betty has been able to use her position to help those in need in the community during difficult times.

“McAuley taught us that our personal and professional beliefs do not need to conflict,” Betty shared. She is fortunate to work for an organization that celebrates these beliefs.

Marquette Bank is very active in serving the community, especially during the pandemic where it contributed over $100,000 to projects that help those in need. Their efforts helped them “pay it forward” by purchasing meals and gift cards from their own customer’s to feed first responders, healthcare professionals, and teachers. They also worked with Illinois Partners in Hope to help more than 4,000 families through a mobile food pantry.

Lydia Long ‘22 and Leena Webb ‘23 Inclusion and acceptance of people with disabilities is an important cause for two of our upperclasswomen, Leena Webb ‘23 and Lydia Long ‘22. Both girls are leaders of Macs LEAD (Leadership, Education, and Awareness of Disabilities), a club that encourages students to raise awareness for people with different types of disabilities.

Working with non-profit organizations is an important part of Marquette Bank’s mission. They have partnered with two local non-profits, ToyBox Connection, which provides toys and books to children in need, and with Port Ministries Bread Truck, which gives out 500 sandwiches daily to people in need.

Betty gained her zeal for service from her parents. “My parents came here from Italy and taught us to always share what we have, no matter how much we have. I have been blessed with a wonderful family and friends and believe that we are presented with opportunities every day to make a difference.”

Betty graciously shares her talents and wears many hats. She has simultaneously served on the Mother McAuley Board of Trustees for the past year and the Board of Directors for the Port Ministries for the past 10 years.

She is a parishioner at Our Lady of the Ridge, previously serving as the school board president. She also coordinated a parish Cook Team for Pads/Beds Plus for over 15 years to provide monthly meals to her clients in need. In addition, she is also the President of The Marquette Education and Affordable Housing Foundations.

“Even on our worst days, we know we are blessed and have so much to be thankful for, “Her friend and mentor, Sr. Stephanie, always says, “the Good Lord will not be outdone in generosity.”

At McAuley, we are grateful to have Betty serving on our Board to guide us in our mission of Mercy!

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In addition to their dedication to Macs LEAD, Lydia and Leena are on the Special Olympics Youth Activation Committee, more commonly known as YAC. Every month they meet virtually with students and adult advisors, including Special Olympics Director of Outreach and Mother McAuley alumna, Melissa Welsh Garritano ‘00, to learn tangible leadership skills and discuss ways to advocate for their peers.

In conjunction with YAC, they partner with the Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools, a program that brings students with and without disabilities together on and off the field and consists of 3 components: Unified Sports, Inclusive Youth Leadership, and Whole School Engagement.

Mother McAuley is now a Special Olympics Illinois Unified Champion School and partners with Southside Occupational Academy, a Chicago Public School transition center for

Molly Dart ‘22 In the history of Mercy education in Chicago, it is evident that the fine arts hold great importance for the Sisters of Mercy.

They believe that the further instruction of women in music and the arts will benefit them greatly in life. Throughout the years, visual arts opportunities in Mother McAuley’s curriculum have vastly evolved. Our students can take a wide variety of classes to learn and grow in their artistic passions from freshman to senior year, ranging from Introduction to Drawing to Art and Emerging Technology to AP Art & Design.

Molly Dart ‘22 is a prime example of a student who uses her artistic abilities to benefit the lives of others. In the past year, with the encouragement and support of her family, Molly created an art class called Miss Molly’s Art Program for incarcerated women.

Both girls are a part of a unified pair, consisting of one Special Olympics Athlete and one Unified Partner, with two Southside students James and Josh.

students with disabilities aged 16-22 years old.

The unified pairs have accomplished so much since the beginning of the year. They created a presentation that will be part of the Special Olympics Illinois and IHSA Leadership certification class (online) for high school students across the state, which will launch in early 2022. In October 2021, they spoke at the Special Olympics Unified Champions Press Conference about their involvement with Special Olympics Unified Champions and the importance of inclusion and equal opportunities for students with disabilities. The McAuley/Southside pairs also created a presentation for the Special Olympics Illinois Youth Activation Summit in November of 2021. The summit was live virtually, and the unified pairs shared a 45-minute presentation on Social Justice & the Inclusion Revolution.

Since their involvement with YAC, more members of Macs LEAD are applying to become Class A volunteers to work directly with the Special Olympic Athletes, and many McAuley girls attended the summit. Lydia and Leena have seen their goals of inclusivity in our school directly impact their peers and are looking forward to more unified events in the upcoming year.

The spirit of Mercy is alive in these girls, and they plan to continue their mission into their college careers and beyond.

Each week, she volunteers and leads an in-person art class for 8-12 women, and they complete different painting projects. With limited resources at the prison, Molly is constantly operating on a learning curve. She uses her creativity to brainstorm different ideas for projects and techniques for these women.

Molly feels fortunate to be allowed to share her talents. Art is a great way to support the mental health of the women with whom she works and give them an escape through expression.

She is touched by their excitement to learn and is hoping to continue this path through her college career.

When Molly graduates from Mother McAuley this Spring, she plans to study architecture in college, continuing Example of a project from Miss Molly’s Art to use the skills gained Program during the Christmas season. at McAuley. She has taken many art classes at Mother McAuley, but she is most inspired by her AP Art & Design class and her teacher Kathy Gordon Davis, a great example of Mercy in her life.

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ALUMNAE NEW 14

WINTER 2021

THESE MACS CAME BACK On Friday, October 8, Angel Idowu ‘12, Arts Correspondent for WTTW/Chicago PBS, spoke to our Journalism 1 class via Zoom. Angel shared her impressive journey from being involved in journalism and theatre at McAuley and receiving her Master’s in Broadcast Journalism from Northwestern University to her experience as a News Reporter and Arts Correspondent.

Her candor allowed our students to ask important questions about this career path and how to take the steps to be set up for success!

Emily Liston Quinn ‘08, a Speech Pathologist at CST Academy, came back to McAuley this summer to speak to 6th-8th graders at Leadership Camp. She gave a presentation about the importance of communication in leadership through demonstrations and games!

Past Catherine McAuley Honors Scholars, Maeve Fitzgerald ‘17, Erin Donovan ‘17, Caitlin Jandacek ‘16, Meghan Baker ‘15, Meghan Rokas ‘16, Amy Geraghty ‘16, and Julia Geraghty ‘14, shared stories of their academic and career experiences with current CMHS members. These alumnae visitors introduced students to a variety of career possibilities ranging from cyber security to cardiovascular perfusion, nursing and more.

On Thursday, October 14, Cassidy Patton Newman ‘05 and Lauren McDonnell Fasan ‘04, Occupational Therapists and owners of Snap Fine Motor, spoke to our Little School students about fine and gross motor developmental stages. They brought in their Snap Fine Motor Kits to demonstrate different motor skills and give our students examples to apply into their lesson plans. It was such an interactive and informative day - thanks Cassidy and Lauren!

On Tuesday, October 26, Kristyna Kresic ‘16 spoke to Journalism 1, 2, & 3 via Zoom. Kristyna received her undergraduate and graduate degrees in Journalism from the University of Missouri, one of the top 10 journalism schools in the country. During her time at McAuley, Kristyna was the editor of the school newspaper, Inscape!

She is now working as an Account Executive at Arc Worldwide, an advertising agency in Chicago. She shared her journey with the journalism classes and answered their questions about studying Journalism in college and beyond!

ALUMNAE NEWS

ALUMNAE VOLLEYBALL NIGHT On September 30, we held our annual Alumnae Volleyball Night. We honored Coach Jen Rees DeJarld ‘87, as she is celebrating 26 years of dedication to the McAuley volleyball program! Jen has used her talents to shape past, current, and future Mighty Mac champions. We are so grateful for all she has done for the Mother McAuley community!

WINE & CHEESE ALUMNAE RECEPTION Alumnae gathered for a Wine & Cheese reception before opening night of the fall musical, Meet Me in St. Louis!

Audriena Comeaux ‘06 (right) played Tootie in McAuley’s 2005 production of Meet Me in St.Louis!

SAVE THESE DATES March 18, 2022

Class of 1970 & 1972 50th Reunion

March 20, 2022

McAuley Hall Induction and Mass

April 8, 2022

Banner Year Reunion

Classes ending in 0, 1, 2, 5, 6, 7

Spring 2022

Celebration Gala

at Beverly Country Club

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McAULEY LEGACY

In the super sectional match against Willowbrook High School, our Varsity Club members decided our fan section theme would be denim because “victory...it’s in our jeans’’!

VICTORY...IT’S IN OUR JEANS Since 1977, Mother McAuley has been a member of the Illinois High School Association (IHSA). In the first year, our volleyball team won their first state championship, putting McAuley Volleyball on the map and giving us a powerhouse legacy. Since then, the volleyball program has had 23 state appearances and brought home 15 state titles - the most volleyball state titles for any school in the state of Illinois.

This year, tradition and legacy were at the forefront for our varsity team.

Five of our athletes, Paige Bonnett ‘22, Grace White ‘22, Ellie White ‘24, Gigi Navarrete ‘23, and Georgia Lausch ‘23, have mothers who played McAuley volleyball at McAuley and competed in the state competition.

Their mothers, Joan Ross Bonnett ‘92, Colleen Quinlan White ‘94, Ellen Monson Navarrete ‘88, and Mary McNulty Lausch ‘88, were all coached by Nancy Pederson and brought home two state titles collectively.

Not only do these women share the legacy and tradition, but they share the pride of being a part of a highly competitive program. Tradition at McAuley continues with MacNation, the best fan section in the nation. School spirit is more alive than ever at McAuley!

Left to right: Ellie White ‘24, Colleen Quinlan White ‘94, Grace White ‘22, Ellen Monson Navarrete ‘88, Gigi Navarrete ‘23, Paige Bonnett ‘22, Joan Ross Bonnett ‘92, Georgia Lausch ‘23, and Mary McNulty Lausch ‘88.

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ALUMNAE NEWS

IN MEMORY OF MONICA DUNNE FUDACZ ‘75 AND LUCY DINEEN BARRY ‘75 Christmas and Thanksgiving are times to pause and give thanks for family and friends. On November 22, we gathered with the families and friends of two McAuley alumnae, Monica Dunne Fudacz ‘75 and Lucy Dineen Barry ‘75, both who have sadly passed away. As a rememberence of their wonderful lives, former classmate Ann Ernst McAuliffe ‘75 generously donated a lovely piece of art. Sr. Nancy Houlihan, RSM gave a beautiful blessing over the artwork as it was placed in the English wing. As fate would have it, the location is across the hall from the locker and homeroom of Monica’s daughter Laura Fudacz ‘01. We are honored to remember our alumnae in this special way!

The Fudacz family pictured with the two gracious scholarship recipients of the Monica Fudacz ‘75 Memorial Scholarship, established in 2020 in her honor.

LEGACY STUDENTS Legacy is an important part of the Mother McAuley experience. We have over 400 legacy students who have a mother, grandmother, or aunt who has graduated from Mother McAuley and passed on the Tradition of Excellence to these young women.

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MIGHTY MACS ON GRACE TRIPPIEDI ‘18

PAOLA GORDILLO ‘17

Incoming Mechanical Engineering Intern at Burns & McDonnell

Kraft Heinz Fellow in Health and Wellness

STUDYING

MASTER’S STUDENT STUDYING

Mechanical Engineering & Engineering Management at Miami University

Food Science and Human Nutrition at University of Illinois

During her time at McAuley, Grace was involved in all things music; choir, band, A Cappella, and the all-school musicals. Her involvement did not stop with music, as she was the Salutatorian for the Class of 2018, a member of Catherine McAuley Honors Scholars (CMHS), and on the Math Macs team. Her love of STEM and the different classes she took at McAuley guided her to the decision to double major in Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Management at Miami University, where she is in the University Honors Program.

Paola graduated from McAuley in 2017 and attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where she received her Bachelor’s Degree in Human Nutrition. Continuing her education at UIUC after graduating in the Spring of 2021, Paola is now a Master’s Student in Food Science and Human Nutrition. She was awarded the Kraft Heinz Fellowship in Health and Wellness and is focusing on health coaching in underserved communities.

“I had this huge confidence coming out of high school. I always held leadership positions, and I never felt like I couldn’t do anything. I always felt super comfortable and confident in myself.”

Paola is currently working as a Graduate Research Assistant for her professor, Dr. Prescott, in her lab. She is researching the effects of behavior change techniques on health coaching to improve cooking skills among low income communities. Her thesis is an extension to a project called Nourish, which focuses on culinary skill building and waste mitigation with the use of relevant nutrition messages.

While in college, she quickly became an active member in the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), where she served as the Treasurer, President, and most recently as the Outreach Coordinator. Similar to CMHS, SWE provided different networking skills and opportunities.

“I love networking and reaching out to people. I think McAuley helped me be comfortable in making that step to advocate for myself.”

Grace’s college experience has been both academically rigorous and formative in and out of the classroom. For example, her dream of working with the Walt Disney Company became a reality when she was accepted into the Disney College Program her sophomore year.

Working as a Skipper at the world-famous Jungle Cruise in Magic Kingdom provided Grace with an unforgettable experience. She even continued networking through different professional learning days within the program.

Last summer, Grace worked for The Walsh Group as a Project Management Intern and oversaw the construction of a 4-story residential office building in the West Loop. Her internship gave her tangible experiences on the project management side of mechanical engineering. In wanting to try something new, Grace accepted a position with Burns & McDonnell, focusing on consulting in the upcoming summer.

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“Underserved communities are not getting the proper help or nutrition education that they need. One problem we see is the choice of fast food or cheaper unhealthy grocery items. Some of the people I have met with ask ‘how am I supposed to improve my cooking if I don’t have an oven or proper kitchen tools?’, so the question becomes how do we help them? That’s where my interventions are going to take place.”

Paola is passionate about health and fitness and also the importance of mental health. She advocates for equally prioritizing physical and mental health. Especially in times of stress, it is important to appreciate small moments of peace.

Paola is completing her didactic program to become a registered dietitian and hoping to complete her dietetic internship by the fall of 2023. She is a shining example of Mercy and Catherine McAuley’s spirit!

ALUMNAE NEWS

Whether you are in college or established in your career, add Mother McAuley to the education section of your LinkedIn profile to connect with fellow alumnae.

Follow McAuley on LinkedIn to stay up to date on alumnae and school events!

MADELINE DEDERICHS ‘18

IF YOU DON’T HAVE MOTHER McAULEY IN THE EDUCATION SECTION of your LinkedIn:

Indiana University Student Body Vice President

1. Click the “Me” arrow under your photo on the LinkedIn navigation bar, then select “View Profile” under your name.

2. Scroll down to the “Education” section and click the “+” symbol.

STUDYING

Policy Analysis at Indiana University

3. Under “School”, start typing in “Mother McAuley”.

As you begin typing, LinkedIn will populate a drop down menu with results.

4. You can leave our degree and field of study blank.

Maddie is the perfect example of someone willing to try new things and discover her passions on the way. During her time at McAuley, she was very active outside of the classroom, from volleyball to Upperclasswomen Advisory Board to Student Ambassadors.

She took the leadership skills learned at McAuley to help guide her during her time at Indiana University. “A lot of the skills and leadership traits I have during college are because of McAuley. Women can be in leadership roles, and definitely should be in leadership roles.” From the start of her freshman year, she became an active member in IU’s student government and currently holds the position of Student Body Vice President. Her main focuses during her term have been centered around public safety and the well-being of students. She does this by listening to concerns and elevating their voices to administration. On top of her roles of developing new policies and advocating for her fellow students, she also leads a cabinet of 30 other student leaders.

In addition, she held the position of President of the Student Recreational Sports Association. Mental and physical wellbeing has always been at the forefront of Maddie’s mind, and these positions allow her to exercise her ability to support the IU student body, especially with the hardships faced during the pandemic.

After graduation, Maddie is moving to Arlington, Virginia to work as a Strategy & Consulting Analyst with Accenture Federal Services.

5. Type in your start year and end year (the year you graduated).

6. If you would like, you can include any activities or societies in which you participated, and/or a description of the school.

7. Don’t forget to hit “Save”!

IF YOU HAVE MOTHER MCAULEY IN THE EDUCATION SECTION but it doesn’t have the school logo next to the listing: 1. Click the “Me” arrow under your photo on the LinkedIn navigation bar, then select “View Profile” under your name.

2. Scroll down to the “Education” section. If you don’t have the McAuley logo next to the school listing, click the pencil symbol to edit this listing and continue to Step 3. If you have the logo, you’re set!

3. Click on the “School” box, delete the school name and begin to retype “Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School”.

LinkedIn will populate a drop down menu with results.

4. You can leave our degree and field of study blank.

5. Type in your start year and end year (the year you graduated).

6. If you would like, you can include any activities or societies in which you participated, and/or a description of the school.

7. Don’t forget to hit “Save”!

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ALUMNAE NOTES 1964 Karen Earner Ballard ‘64 retired from Mercyhealth in June 2021 after 42 years as a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist!

1972 Dr. Louise Cainkar ‘72 was promoted to Full Professor at Marquette University in the Spring of 2021. She also won the 2021 Marquette University Community Engaged Teaching Award. Louise has a PhD in Sociology from Northwestern University, is the Director of Marquette’s Peace Studies Program, and teaches in its Social Welfare and Justice major.

She has published numerous scholarly articles and her third book is about to be released. Prior to working at Marquette she was a researcher, writer, and activist on a range of social justice issues.

1975 After 23 years as an Art Director with The Chicago Tribune and then Encyclopedia Britannica, Nancy Donohue ‘75 earned her Masters of Science in Education degree and bilingual endorsement from NIU. She spent nine years with CPS, and now teaches children from Mexico and Guatemala who are all recent arrivals to the US. She says, “There is no greater reward than watching a middle school student find their confidence in learning while acquiring a second language. Los niños son tan sinceros y tengo orgullo de apoyar su crecimiento.”

1980 Dr. Jennifer Lim ‘80 was awarded the Women in Ophthalmology Scientific Contribution Award in 2020, the Macula Society Paul Henkind Award for Clinical Research in February 2021,

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named an Inaugural Fellow of the American Society of Retina Specialists in 2021, and listed as one of 150 of America’s Best Ophthalmologists by Newsweek in July 2021. She is also the incoming Vice President of the Retina Society (International Organization of Retina Specialists) Fall 2021.

1981 Jean McKenzie ‘81 is a retired psychotherapist. Throughout the pandemic, she has been caring for super seniors (over 80). She provides rides, shopping, overnight care, and laundry services!

1982 Mariyana Spyropoulos ‘82 was announced as a recipient of the WEF Public Officials Award WEFTEC. She joins Suffolk County, New York Executive Steven Bellone and Ohio U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown in receiving the award.

The Public Officials Award is presented to a local, state or federal elected or appointed public official that has made a documented, significant contribution in clean water legislation, public policy, government service, or another area of public prominence that resulted in improvements to the water environment.

1983 Kimberly Price ‘83 is a career civil servant, working over 31 years for the US Railroad Retirement Board, in various positions. She is currently the Director of Policy and Systems, managing a staff of approximately 60 employees. She is also a member of the Federal Managers Association who earlier this year, selected her as the Manager of the Year, from among the thousands of managers

in the federal government.

Scan the QR code to read the article that showcases her career and the award!

1991 Sheila Scherr Levins ‘91 earned her Doctorate of Nursing Practice (Transformative Leadership: Systems) from Rush University in August 2021. She is currently the Unit Director of the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at Rush University Medical Center. Under her leadership, the Rush PICU was awarded a Silver Beacon Award for exceptional care through improved outcomes and greater overall patient and staff satisfaction. Her unit is currently the only PICU to achieve Beacon status in the State of Illinois.

1992 Jenny Dunne Harkins ‘92 is the owner of Treadfit, a rapidly growing fitness brand that provides small group customized workouts from certified trainers. Treadfit has opened its newest franchised location at 9975 W Lincoln Highway in Frankfort, IL.

ALUMNAE NEWS

This is the newest location for Treadfit, with several franchised locations in the works!

1993 Veronica Villalon Pinela ‘93 is a seasoned communications professional with more than 20 years’ experience working on marketing strategies and efforts for regional, national & global brands. Veronica recently joined Amazon as Sr. Manager, Global Brand Marketing where she will manage global inclusive marketing and diversity PR initiatives, and develop global multi-channel brand marketing communication campaigns to maximize multicultural candidate and customer experiences through authentic and relevant brand marketing and storytelling.

1994 Betsy Ross Ready ‘94 was recently elevated to the Head of Client Business at O’Keefe, Reinhard & Paul (OKRP), a leading Chicago Advertising Agency.

From her 23 years of experience in the industry, she says, “It’s the importance of leading with empathy and a lens of compassion for the consumer that was instilled in me at Mother McAuley and then reinforced at Marquette University.”

1995 Sofia Hernandez ‘95 has been appointed to the Board of Directors at Suzy, a market research platform.

Sofia is currently TikTok’s Head of North America Business Marketing. As an early executive, she helped lay the foundation for Suzy’s exponential growth.

1996

Katie McAlinden ‘96 served as the Chairman of the Y-Me Breast Cancer Committee.

1997 Maya-Camille Broussard ‘97, owner of Justice of Pies, competed on the Netflix show Bake Squad.

Jessica Hiltner ‘97 joined Hinsdale Humane Society in January 2021 as the new Shelter Director and in 6 months was promoted and now runs all of their community programs; Pet Therapy, Humane Education, Training classes and Community Outreach (pet food pantries and low cost vaccine clinics).

Christine Doyle, MD, PhD ‘97 is an OB/GYN Physician residing with her husband in Dixon, IL

1998 Patti Arvesen Weinmann ‘98 made a career switch in July 2021. She is now the Special Events and Community Relations Coordinator at DePaul College Prep.

2000 Katie Soso ‘00, MSN, RN, CPSN-R, CNE, ISPAN-F, was recognized by the Illinois Nurses Foundation as one of the 40 under 40 award recipients. This designation is awarded to nurses who are positively impacting and shaping the future of the nursing profession. Katie has served as a Faculty Instructor and Academic Success Coach in the Nursing Program at Saint Xavier University since January 2018. Katie’s clinical background is in plastic and aesthetic nursing; she has been a Certified Plastic Surgical Nurse (CPSN-R) since 2011 and a medical micropigmentation artist since 2008. Katie currently serves as the Chair of the Clinical Practice Committee for the International Society of Plastic and Aesthetic Nurses (ISPAN-F). She has also held roles on its Board of Directors, as Chair of the Scopes and Standards Revision Task Force, and continues to serve as a peer-reviewer for the society’s journal. In 2019, Katie was awarded the title of ISPAN Fellow (ISPAN-F), which designates dedication to exceptional leadership, education, and a commitment to the plastic and aesthetic nursing specialty.

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Annette Smith Fech ‘00 was promoted from theater teacher to Theater Company Director and Productions Manager at Your Performing Arts Center (YPAC). She will be running their theater program, leading all the theater teachers, and also directing their productions.

2001 Julie Doyle Daly ‘01 was promoted to Partner at Deloitte in August 2021. She is married with 2 children and has been with Deloitte since graduating from St. Norbert in 2005.

into sweet Lemolade. They donate $5 from EVERY purchase, L2L or any other apparel, to that selected organization.

Scan the QR code in the previous column to learn more about Lemolade.

2004 Angie Pacetti ‘04 ran in the Chicago Marathon this year, marking her 10th marathon. She says, “My love for running started at McAuley with cross country and track!”

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Lemolade is a clothing company created by Morgan (Ingersoll) Winters ‘03 and Nikki Harrington. Pronounced like lemonade with an “L” (the way their kids say it), the company was created by two moms who wanted soft clothing for their kids with fun, timeless, positive messaging everyone can relate to. With six kids under the age of five between them, both women know the importance of comfortable, durable clothing. Once launched, the two realized that adults want comfort and positivity just as much as kids. Their soft sweatshirts have quickly become a top seller. Lemons to Lemolade (L2L) is how they champion causes that reflect their mission.

Throughout the year, Lemolade releases limited-edition, Lemons to Lemolade apparel to celebrate organizations that embrace optimism, empower positivity, and focus on turning life’s lemons

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Kaleigh Nolan Powers ‘07, MSN, RN, was recognized with a 40 Under 40 Emerging Nurse Leader Award from the Illinois Nurses Foundation! She is responsible for heart transplant and ventricular assist device (VAD) programs at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

2008 This summer Emily Rezetko ‘08 led yoga classes at the Mac Market!

2009 Rachel Page ‘09, Associate Attorney at Jones Day, was nominated as one of the Best Lawyers in America “Ones to Watch” for Health Care Law (2022).

2013 After graduating from the University of Missouri in 2018 with a degree in Black Studies, Camryn Wheeler ‘13 attended

school to become a licensed esthetician and has plans to open her own spa soon under the name of CamCosmetics!

2014 Erica Wieczorek ‘14 joined the Adventure Media & Events (The ToyBook, The Toy Insider, & The Pop Insider) team in June as an Account Executive. She found the job through Women in Toys, Licensing & Entertainment (WIT). WIT is a global nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing women who work in, or seek to work in the toy, licensing and entertainment industries, through leadership, networking, and educational opportunities. She was added to both the WIT Marketing Committee and the Young Professionals Network Committee.

2015 Sarah Dynia ‘15 had her White Coat Ceremony at Rush Medical College! In addition, Sarah has been selected to the prestigious Family Medicine Leadership Program (FMLP) at Rush!

Heather L. Bland ‘15 received her Masters of Arts with Distinction in Digital Communications and Media Arts from DePaul University. While working on her Master’s, Heather interned for the University of Chicago’s Urban Labs as a Communications Research Assistant. Luckily, this past October the University offered her a full-time position as Project Associate for their Choose to Change program with the Chicago Public Schools.

ALUMNAE NEWS

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In 2021, Alejandra Alvarez ‘16 graduated from Valparaiso University with her Master’s of Science in International Economics and Finance. She is now attending law school at New England Law | Boston.

2018

Abbey Murphy ‘20 was selected to join the US Women’s National Residency Team to train for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games.

Abbey represented Team USA in the International Ice Hockey Federations’ Women’s World Championship match against Canada on August 31, 2021.

Charley Niego ‘18 became the 24th member of the Fighting Irish Women’s Volleyball team to reach the 1,000-kill milestone with her third kill of the match in the first set against Oakland! Charley led the Fighting Irish to win this match with 19 kills.

background knowledge in Spanish and I even end up being the translator for a lot of my friends, so thank you for the fantastic education!”

2021 Sam Bikulcius ‘21 is living and studying in Spain during her first year of college at Florida State University. She said, in a message to her former Spanish teacher, Señora Nina Munizzi Lesch ‘75, “I would be extremely lost in Spain without my

Crain’s Notables

Many of our alumnae were recognized for their outstanding work in Crain’s Chicago Business. We are so proud that their leadership and accomplishments are being recognized!

Mary Kate Clifford ‘18, Molly Clifford ‘16, Maggie Clifford ‘14, and Mary Ellen Carroll Clifford ‘84 ran the Chicago Marathon on October 10! This was Mary Ellen’s 7th marathon and her first with her daughters!

JoAnn Gruca ‘60

Mary Lawrence ‘80

Elizabeth Babbitt ‘01

Read more

Read more

Read more

Notable Nonprofit Board Leaders 2021

Notable Nonprofit Board Leaders 2021

Notable Rising Stars in Law 2021

THE McAULEY ALUMNAE NEWSLETTER IS PAPERLESS! Every month, our alumnae newsletter is sent out electronically. Stay up to date on alumnae news and events!

If you would like to receive our newsletter, scan the QR code and fill out the form to be added to this list!

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MARRIAGES Pictured: 1 Brittany Vacchiano ‘10 married Samuel Navin on October 25, 2020. 2 Leah Durham ‘08 married Steve Flaherty on June

26, 2021. Alumnae bridesmaids included Katherine Durham Maki ‘05, Meghan McCollom Durham ‘07, Bridget Flaherty ‘14, and Janie Jennings ‘08 with many other alumnae in attendance. 3 Kathleen Kelly ‘09 married Mike Montag on September 17, 2021.

4 Amy Meyer ‘08 married Michael Valenti on September 18, 2021. 5 Clare Rohan ‘12 married Kevin Anderson on October 16, 2021.

6 Honor Bennett ‘12 married Dan Fitzgerald on November 12, 2021. Alumnae bridesmaids included Siobhan Bennett ‘14 and Megan McCauley ‘12. 7 Rebecca Bukowy ‘95 married Charles Vinton on March 24, 2018 at their home in Peoria, AZ. The matron of honor was Heather Bukowy Burchall ‘01. 8 Megan Scully ‘09 married Colm McGinley on November 23, 2012 at St. Columba’s Church, Fanad, County Donegal Ireland.

Not pictured: Tia Puetz ‘09 married Zack Topps on October 22, 2021. Shannon Enright ‘11 married Nathan Hicks on August 7, 2021.

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BIRTHS & ADOPTIONS Pictured: 1 Honor Bennet Fitzgerald ‘12 and husband Dan Fitzgerald welcomed baby girl Teagan Faye Fitzgerald on March 14, 2021.

2 Lauren Frost Stull ‘08, husband Sam Stull, and older sister Lyla welcomed Lincoln on June 21, 2021. 3 Jennifer Beeson Davis ‘04, husband Mark Davis, brothers William (8) and Matthew (3), and sister Elizabeth (5) welcomed Alexander Luke Davis on November 10, 2020. 4 Bianca Trocellier Castellon ‘06, husband Giovany Castellon, and big brother Gianni Anthony welcomed home Francesco Biagio Castellon on February 2, 2021. 5 Katherine Nowicki Hall ‘05, husband Micah Hall, and older sister Caroline welcomed home Greta Hall on July 21, 2020. 6 Jessica McQuillan Ruskey ‘08 and husband Eric Ruskey welcomed baby Caleb Joseph Ruskey on March 9, 2021. 7 Nadine Arvesan Byrnes ‘08 and husband Brendan Byrnes welcomed baby Charleigh Susan Byrnes on July 1, 2021.

8 Shannon Ready O’Neill ‘08, husband Matt O’Neill, and big sister Reagan O’Neill have welcomed baby Abigail O’Neill on October 8, 2021. Shannon and Matt can’t wait to send both girls to McAuley one day! 9 Therese McCarthy Brendich ‘08 and husband Dan Brendich welcomed baby Margaret Mary “Margot” Brendich on September 16, 2021. 10 Julie Kirsits Underhill ‘06 and husband Drew Underhill welcomed home baby girl Emma Jo Underhill on September 3, 2021. 11 Victoria Acevedo Barrett ‘04 and husband John Barrett welcomed home baby boy Henry Barrett on November 16, 2021. 12 Aileen Reilly Martin ‘10 and husband Ryan Martin welcomed home baby girl Bridget Kathleen Martin on August 19, 2021. “Bridie” can’t wait to be a Mighty Mac! Not pictured: Kelly Bartusiak Gilbert ‘09 and husband Ruben Gilbert welcomed home baby Ambrose Gilbert on November 6, 2021.

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IN LOVING MEMORY ®

Reported from June 1, 2021- December 1, 2021

JANUARY 2020 William R. Lieber, January 31, 2020 Husband of Ann Minogue Lieber ‘74; father of Elizabeth Lieber ‘92 and Heather Lieber Shay ‘94; grandfather of Alexis Lieber ‘19; brother-in-law of Mary Fran Minogue Henehan ‘65

APRIL 2020 Charles Bradley Shay April 6, 2020 Husband of Heather Lieber Shay ‘94; son-in-law of Ann Minogue Lieber ‘74; brother-in-law of Elizabeth Lieber ‘92; uncle of Alexis Lieber ‘19 James Francis Keane, April 12, 2020 Father of Brigid Keane Scheffler ‘83

AUGUST 2020 Margaret O’Connell, August 30, 2020 Mother of Kathleen O’Connell O’Grady ‘86; aunt of the late Mary Kay Thibeau Fields ‘70, Elizabeth Thibeau ‘83 and Ann Thibeau Halleran ‘87; great-aunt of Nora Halleran ‘16, Bridget Halleran ‘18 and Mary Kate Halleran ‘24

Nancy Sarata, May 21, 2021 Mother of Jennifer Alvarez ‘89 and grandmother of Carina Miller ‘23

JUNE 2021 Peter Martino, June 12, 2021 Husband of Patricia Daley Martino SXA ‘54; brother-in-law of Mary Carol Daley Vanecko SXA ‘56 and the late Eleanor Daley ‘59 William Webb, June 14, 2021 Husband of Susan Black Webb SXA ‘54 Sister Elizabeth “Betty Burns” Burns, R.S.M., June 21, 2021 Former McAuley staff member Josh Haberkorn, June 24, 2021 Brother of Sarah Haberkorn Leahy ‘06 , Emily Haberkorn Keating ‘10 and Grace Haberkorn ‘13; nephew of Karen Haberkorn Harrigan ‘77

J U LY 2 0 2 1 Mary Knickerbocker Greenhalgh ‘67 July 3, 2021 Sister of Sue Knickerbocker Devries ‘64

SEPTEMBER 2020

Diane Costello, July 6, 2021 Mother of Jenny Costello Fortner ‘94 and Becky Costello Heidegger ‘97

Nancy Norton Lemm SXA ‘51, September 8, 2020.

Mother of Bonita Lemm Cerario ‘72, Deborah Lemm Weslowski ‘74 and Karen Lemm Kennard ‘77

Gertrude Gallagher, July 7, 2021 Mother of Christie Gallagher Sever ‘72 and Cathy Gallagher Maloney ‘75; grandmother of Caitlin Gallagher ‘09

FEBRUARY 2021

Rosemary Kyler, July 10, 2021 Mother of Marion Kyler ‘82; mother-in-law of Kathy Gorman Kyler ‘77; grandmother of Katie Kyler-Tolley ‘09 and John Kyler, former McAuley faculty member

Kathleen Shevlin Kehoe ‘60, February 26, 2021 Sister of Maureen Shevlin Foley ‘61 and Margaret Shevlin Slattery ‘62

MARCH 2021 Gerald Peck, MArch 19, 2021 Father of Laurel Peck ‘86 and Jacqueline Peck McGovern ‘83

M AY 2 0 2 1 Lynn Vry Goff ‘78, May 4, 2021 Sister of Carol Vry Schuberth ‘80, Judy Vry DeMoss ‘82 and Donna Vry Thompson ‘84

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Margaret Dart, July 14, 2021 Mother of Kathleen Dart ‘79; grandmother of Molly Dart ‘22 and Lauren Dart ‘23 John T. Kennedy, July 23, 2021 Father of Courtney Kennedy Beninato ’97; uncle of Kerry Kennedy Esselman ‘92, Tracy Kennedy Polaski ‘94, Meredith Kennedy ‘97; grandfather of Claire Kennedy ‘13, Grace LePretre ‘16, Emily LePretre ‘18, Maggie McDonald ‘20, Kate McDonald ‘22 and Nora McDonald ‘23

ALUMNAE NEWS Mary Lou Feerick, July 29, 2021 Mother of Honorable Maureen Feerick Bennett ‘77 and Kathleen Feerick Richardson ‘79; grandmother of Honor Bennett Fitzgerald ‘12 and Siobhan Bennett ‘14 William McGrath, July 30, 2021 Grandfather of Katie Carey Botica ‘03 and Bridget Carey Thatcher ‘06

AUGUST 2021 June O’Keefe, August 8, 2021 Mother of Therese O’Keefe Badali ‘88, and Maureen O’Keefe Ritter ‘95; mother-in-law of Jean Schneider O’Keefe ‘80; grandmother of Katie O’Keefe Lyons ‘96, Kelly O’Keefe LasCola ‘07, Megan O’Keefe ‘11, Madeline Meyer ‘14, Emily O’Keefe ‘15, and Jenna Badali ‘19 and grandmotherin-law of Karen Biros Cano ‘05 Thomas O’Connell, August 10, 2021 Father of Kathleen O’Connell Grady ‘86; uncle of the late Mary Kay Thibeau Fields ‘70, Elizabeth Thibeau ‘83 and Ann Thibeau Halleran ‘87; great-uncle of Nora Halleran ‘16, Bridget Halleran ‘18 and Mary Kate Halleran ‘24 John Cremin, August 13, 2021 Brother of Carol Cremin McMahon ‘62, Marilyn Cremin Lehnerer ‘71 and Gail Cremin Byrnes ‘73 Anthony Sobieszczyk, August 16, 2021 Husband of Dawn West Sobieszczyk ‘90; brother-in-law of Beth Borsch West ‘90 Denise Sullivan Huguelet ‘72, August 17, 2021 Sister-in-law of Cathy Huguelet Kingery ‘73, Mary Ann Knight Huguelet ‘76, Judy Oldenstedt Huguelet ‘76 and Nancy Huguelet Cook ‘82; aunt of Mary Cate Huguelet ‘99, Alyson Huguelet ‘11, Norah Cook ‘12 and Eileen Cook ‘17 Maureen Dybsky Madden ‘64, August 20, 2021 Sister of Diane Dybsky ‘66; mother of Heather Madden Walsh ‘89 and Meredith Madden ‘92 Patrick G. Clarkin, August 23, 2021 Father of Amy Clarkin Hannon ‘90, Christine Clarkin McLaughlin ‘91 and Jeannie Clarkin Olson ‘94; grandfather of Mary Hannon ‘23, Claire McLaughlin ‘24 and Grace McLaughlin ‘25

SEPTEMBER 2021 Alison Curran, September 4, 2021 Mother of Erin Curran ‘23 Margaret Rubino, September 7, 2021 Grandmother of Gianna Rubino ‘21

Lorraine Griffin ‘70, September 13, 2021 Sister of Judith Griffin ‘65, and Patricia Griffin Vlanzy ‘68; aunt of Kathleen Vlanzy Bilski ‘00 Gilbert Earl Jones, September 15, 2021 Husband of Angel O’Neal Jones ‘71; father of Melissa Jones McVey ‘93 and Katherine Jones ‘94 and grandfather of Hayley Dotson ‘25 Patricia Brett, September 18, 2021 Mother of Margaret Brett Valentine ‘78, Catherine Brett Hadjis ‘82, Amy Brett Madden ‘83 and Mary Kay Brett Signorelli ‘85; mother-in-law of Carolyn Dressel Brett ‘77 and the late Susan Horne Brett ‘79; grandmother of Kyra Signorelli ‘17, Natalie Brett ‘21 and Elizabeth Brett ‘24; aunt to many McAuley alumnae Dennis Kasper, September 19, 2021 Father of Kathleen Kasper Anderson ‘81 and grandfather of Maeve Anderson ‘17 Matthew McCarthy, September 20, 2021 Brother of Mary McCarthy Danaher ‘85, Molly McCarthy Cranley ‘90 and Maureen McCarthy McClelland ‘98; brotherin-law of Sherry Lambert McCarthy ‘86; uncle of Megan McCarthy ‘04, Alysssa McCarthy ‘12, Maggie Cranley ‘17, Maureen Cranley ‘19 and Catherine McCarthy ‘21 Mark McCollom, September 20, 2021 Father of Meghan McCollom Durham ‘07; brother of Madonna McCollom Ashe ‘73 and Carol McCollom Boyce ‘78 Kathleen Boland, September 22, 2021 Mother of Kathleen Boland Lawlor ‘86 and Teresa Boland Loch ‘88; mother-in-law of Lisa Pastore Boland ‘91; grandmother of Patsy Boland ‘13, Bridget Boland ‘14 and Mary Kate Boland ‘17 Patrick Brennan, September 22, 2021 Uncle of Casey Macander ‘18, Caroline Macander ‘22 and Cecila Conroy ‘22 Anne Conners Whealan SXA ‘58, September 23, 2021 Daughter of the late Modwene Nelson Conners SXA ‘35; mother of Jenny Whealan Jepsen ‘89 and Amy Whealan Mikuzis ‘96; grandmother of Grace Lavin ‘13

OCTOBER 2021 Ann Marie O’Neill Crago ‘94, October 7, 2021 Sister of Kate O’Neill McShane ‘88 and Ellen O’Neill Rourke ‘91 Mary Eleanor Scannell-Zunic, October 9, 2021 Mother-in-law of Carole Finn Scannell ‘79 and Nancy Neylon Scannell ‘80; grandmother of Kara Scannell ‘09 INSCAPE MAGAZINE

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Paul Slosar, October 10, 2021 Husband of the late Maureen McCormack Slosar SXA ‘52 and father of Maggie Slosar Burke ‘82 Marilyn Thibeau, Oct 19, 2021 Mother of the late Mary Katherine Thibeau Fields ‘70, Elizabeth Thibeau ‘83, and Ann Thibeau Halleran ‘87; grandmother of Nora Halleran ‘16, Bridget Halleran ‘18 and Mary Kate Halleran ‘24; aunt of Kathleen O’Connell O’Grady ‘86 Thelma Brown Wentzel ‘78, October 19, 2021 Sister of Juanita Brown ‘79

Eugene Sullivan, November 25, 2021 Father-in-law of current faculty member, Cheryl Sullivan Colleen O’Malley, November 26, 2021 Mother-in-law of current faculty member Gena Lanuti O’Malley ‘97 Tom Nelligan, November 26, 2021 Husband of Maureen McQuaid Nelligan ‘01; brother-in-law of Meghan McQuaid Senger ‘98 Margie Browne Gallagher ‘88, November 28, 2021 Mother of Bridget Gallagher ‘21; sister of Cathy Browne ‘86 and Julie Browne Brandt ‘92

Charles Haas, Sr. October 19, 2021 Father of Stacy Haas Matthias ‘85 and Mandy Haas Gaida ‘93; grandfather of Kelly Haas ‘10, Miranda Haas ‘11 and Kristine Haas ‘15 Eugene Powers, October 25, 2021 Father of Mary Powers Hobert ‘84 and Ann Powers Gruber ‘89; grandfather of Emily Myren ‘10, Ann Myren ‘12 and Mary Gruber ‘24 Patricia Barry Rocco ‘79, October 31, 2021 Sister of Cathy Barry-Ipema ‘73 and Sally Barry DeGiacomo ‘77

NOVEMBER 2021 Thomas and Irene Reidy, November 2, 2021 In-laws of Terry McInerney Reidy ‘90 and grandparents of Lauren Reidy ‘21 Bernadette L. Gniadecki, November 14, 2021 Mother of Dr. Bernadette Gniadecki ‘77 and Sheila Gniadecki Panella ‘82; grandmother of Sarah Van de Kerchove Vanderside ‘08 and Anna Van de Kerchove ‘09 Thomas Boyle, November 15, 2021 Father of Kathy Boyle Styler ‘76, Mary Boyle Weiler ‘78, Tricia Boyle Flannery ‘81, Therese Boyle Niego ‘82, Sheila Boyle Nawrocki ‘84 and Colleen Boyle Krzysciak ‘87; grandfather of Carli Weiler Rowan ‘08, Alexa Weiler ‘09, Mary Kate Styler ‘11, Brynn Flannery ‘13, Charley Niego ‘18 and Grace Niego ‘20 Barbara McKeown, November 16, 2021 Mother of Therese McKeown Hernandez ‘85; mother-in-law of Debbie O’Malley McKeown ‘76; grandmother of Clare McKeown ‘13 Mary Ruth Donahue, November 16, 2021 Mother-in-law of Kathy McKinney Donahue ‘75

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Sister Ruth Mutchler, RSM Our Mother McAuley community is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Sister Ruth Mutchler, RSM on November 20, 2021.

Sister Ruth served as Formation Director for the Mercy community before coming to Mother McAuley in 1969 to work as a guidance counselor, and as Executive Director from 1971 until 1979. Returning to education, Sister Ruth served as Principal of Saint Michael’s School in Orland Park. She later became Director of Saint Catherine’s Residence in Milwaukee, assisting homeless and pregnant young women. From 2000-2004 she was the Director of the Institute of Women Today in Chicago. Sister Ruth was a member of the McAuley Board of Trustees in 1975 and 1976 and in 2018 was honored as a Life Trustee.

May her legacy live on every day within our McAuley halls.

ADVANCEMENT UPDATE It’s hard to believe that another year has come to an end, and what a year it has been! When I look at how we started 2021 and how we ended, I cannot help but be grateful for our McAuley family. From our students learning half in-person and half virtual, to welcoming them all together again full-time; from an outdoor musical with a virtual audience, to our momentous return to the stage in front of family and friends; from limited athletic seasons, to a second place state finish for volleyball and participation in the state tournament from athletes in tennis and diving; and so much more - there is much to celebrate.

A highlight for me was the ability to welcome so many alumnae and friends to our Fore the Macs: Playing it Forward Golf Outing. Once again, we were able to join together in support of our Tradition of Excellence Scholarship, and had a record-breaking year! The joy I feel knowing that we will be able to award scholarships to 114 incoming students is equaled only by the joy I felt seeing so many of you in person again - finally!

I cannot express in words the gratitude I feel for the unconditional support you have shown Mother McAuley over the last year. Whether you have supported us financially, or helped spread the word about the McAuley lifetime advantage to your friends and prospective families, it has made an impact.

As we move into the new year, I ask that you continue your support of Mother McAuley. Your gifts help us remain innovative in our academic offerings, continue to provide a space that will make our young women future ready, and ensure all who wish to attend Mother McAuley have the opportunity to do so. There is much we can accomplish when we work together to continue the legacy of Mercy education and the mission of Catherine McAuley.

I am beginning 2022 with a grateful and hopeful heart thanks to you, and can’t wait to connect with you in person, celebrating McAuley Hall, 50th Reunions, our Banner Year Happy Hour Reunion, and Celebration 2022. Together, we will ignite the spirit of all that McAuley continues to be! Happy and Healthy 2022 to all our Mighty Macs!

In gratitude,

Peggy Evans Rourke ‘76 Vice President of Institutional Advancement

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ADVANCEMEN UPDATE 30

WINTER 2021

FORE THE MACS: PLAYING IT FORWARD GOLF OUTING On Thursday, August 26, 2021, we had our most successful Fore the Macs: Playing it Forward Golf Outing! We surpassed our goal and raised over $114,000. We will be able to award more Tradition of Excellence Scholarships to the Class of 2026 than ever before. We are grateful to our generous alumnae, faculty, staff, parents, and friends for partnering with us to offer the McAuley lifetime advantage to our students!

The Caring Heart Award pays tribute to alumna Caroline Griffin ‘12. Caroline was a member of the McAuley Golf Team. She also was a heart transplant recipient who never let her congenital heart condition get in the way of enjoying life. While a sophomore at St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa, Caroline passed away as a result of ongoing heart issues. Her courage and perseverance in the face of hardship can be found in her mother Georgina Byrnes Griffin ‘76, and sister, Courtney Griffin ‘08, whom presented the award.

This year’s Caring Heart Award was given to Frosty Walk, an organization created in 2009 by the Frost sisters, Lauren Frost Stull ‘08, Colleen Frost Piko ‘10, Kara Frost ‘12, and Emily Frost ‘17, in honor of their late mother, Darlene Whirity Frost ‘81. Because the girls were so young when Darlene passed, the Frosty Walk was a way to share stories and celebrate their mom’s life with family, friends, and neighbors. Darlene was always the person to make everyone laugh and smile, and they wanted a way to embody her spirit.

The first Frosty Walk was founded in the middle of winter in Mount Greenwood Park.

Originally, the Frost girls planned to choose a new organization each year to donate proceeds from the walk, but once they learned about the Mulliganeers, each walk’s proceeds have been directed to them. The Mulliganeers is a local non-profit that provides financial support to families in need in the greater Chicagoland area. The Frost family felt connected immediately to this organization and their mission and a long-term partnership ensued.

Donating to the Mulliganeers is a way for them to give back to the community that had been so supportive to them when their mother was sick and this is their way to say “thank you”. The Frost girls also felt an extra connection to the Mulliganeers because Caroline Griffin ‘12, who graduated with Kara Frost ‘12, was a recipient.

The Frosty Walk grows each year and is currently held every winter at Brother Rice High School. The Frost girls continue to live out their mother’s legacy by lifting up those in the community who need assistance. They truly deserve this honor. Congratulations to the Frost Family and the Frosty Walk. We are Mighty proud of your “Caring Heart!”

A Mighty C A R I N G H E A RT S P O N S O R S

thank you to our sponsors!

D R I V I N G FO R C E SPONSORS

ADVANCEMENT

G O L F C A RT SPONSORS Steuber Florist & Greenhouses Ann Acker Corsalus Financial Jason Dobrzynski and Maralynn Deacy Kearney ‘85 Proven IT County Fair Emelie Ilarde, MD ‘87

H O L E -I N - O N E S P O N S O R

FRONT ENTRANCE SPONSOR

Joseph M. Wiederman and Sons Inc. The Rohan Family Mary Pat Schumacher ‘76, Mary Kate ‘03, and Clare ‘12

MASTER SPONSORS

19TH HOLE SPONSORS

PUTTING WITH THE PRESIDENT SPONSOR

THANK YOU TO O UR GENERO US RAFFLE DONORS !

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MERCY DAY OF GIVING On September 24, 2021, we celebrated Mercy Day of Giving! We raised over $134,000 and reached more than 560 donors and counting! Every dollar donated will make an immediate difference in the lives of our students. Thank you for believing in our mission of educating young women in the Mercy tradition! Thank you for showing our students that you believe in their education and their future!

SCHOLARSHIP Mother McAuley offers more opportunities for scholarship than any other Catholic high school in Chicago.

We are grateful for all of our scholarship donors and our Outside Assistance Organizations. One of those generous donors is the Madonna Foundation, an organization that increases access for young women to attend Catholic high schools in the Chicago area by providing tuition scholarships. In addition to tuition scholarships, the Foundation provides college and career readiness seminars, leadership and empowerment workshops, spiritual retreats, service-learning opportunities, and one-to-one tutoring support through a variety of dynamic and innovative programs.

On Wednesday, December 1st, we hosted the Madonna Scholars from Mother McAuley, Our Lady of Tepeyac, and Josephinum Academy of the Sacred Heart for a Christmas Celebration/ Service Project. In the true Christmas spirit of giving, scholars created holiday tie-blankets, which were donated to the children of St. Jude House providing services to victims of domestic violence and/or sexual assault and their dependent children.

Learn more about all of our scholarship and financial aid opportunities by scanning the QR code.

Any questions? Please contact Peggy Evans Rourke ‘76, prourke@mothermcauley.org or (773)881-6547.

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FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Dear Friends, As the first semester comes to an end, we are proud to reflect on all the great things that happened this fall at McAuley!

We happily welcomed back our 9-period schedule with 100% of students participating through in-person learning.

When our first quarter ended, 83% of our students achieved honors including 88% of the senior class. What an accomplishment!

Our freshmen and sophomores experienced many firsts this semester, including celebrating their first all-school Mass.

It was a great way to welcome a new school year by praying together with a beautiful Mass organized by our Theology Department. The spirit of mercy continues to be alive inside and outside of our hallways!

Several clubs organized fundraisers and charity drives throughout the semester to help those in need. Our National Spanish Honors Society and Campus Ministry hosted a Homeroom Food Drive and filled up three carloads for the St. Blasé Pantry. Although the Misericordia Heartbreakers were unable to attend our annual Fall Fest this year, our National Honor Society still organized a fun Fall Fest with all proceeds directed to Misericordia. It’s so wonderful to see McAuley students spreading that mission of mercy all over the Chicagoland area!

Outside of the classroom, our fall sports had incredible seasons! Three of our teams - tennis, diving, and volleyball went downstate. Mairead Doran ‘23 and Maddy McNamara ‘23 had a great showing at the Tennis Doubles State Tournament. Abby Manos ‘22 fiercely competed in the State Diving Tournament. Our volleyball team had an unforgettable road to state. For state playoffs, McAuley was lucky enough to host sectionals and super-sectionals in our home gym with hundreds of fans in our bleachers. The energy and excitement followed them all the way to Bloomington-Normal, where they finished the season with silver medals! We are so proud of all of our athletes, coaches, and our fan section, MacNation, for representing the very best of Mother McAuley!

We also welcomed back live theater and a live audience for our fall musical Meet Me in St. Louis! In fact, over the last few years, we have scheduled an all-school showing of the fall musical to make sure all students get to see the incredible acting, singing, musical accompaniment, stage design, costume and makeup design, lighting, and directing!

We have so much to celebrate and are looking forward to another exciting Spring semester!

Go Macs, indeed!

Eileen Boyce O’Reilly ‘03 Principal

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SCHOOL NEW

Academics ILLINOIS STATE SCHOLARS Congratulations to the 32 Illinois State Scholars from the Class of 2022! Illinois State Scholars represent high school seniors who have reached great academic achievement and who have performed in the 95th percentile on the ACT/SAT. What an accomplishment!

Pictured from left to right:

Row 1: Virginia Brennan, Thea Bueno, Mary Kathleen Carey, Samantha Conjar, Claire Filipiak, Maura Hanley, Moira Haran, Olivia Harris Row 2: Molly Dart, Leilani Diaz, Margaux Doran, Elena Fernandez, Nora Harvey, Bridget Hickey, Annie Justic, Anne Kenah Row 3: Gianna Kmak, Katherine Koepke, Hope Lukasik, Abigail Manos, Rosemarie Nolan, Madeline Obrzut, Abigail Poppish, Evelyn Rowan Row 4: Elizabeth Marceille, Madison Martin, Madeline McGrane, Kiley Nelligan, Anna Ryan, Colleen Taylor, Talaja Taylor, Leah Zemgulys

NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARSHIPS Annie Justic ‘22 was named a National Merit Semifinalist! Annie is 1 of 16,000 highest-scoring entrants during the 2020 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. Annie will continue in the competition for National Merit Scholarships to be awarded in the Spring of 2022.

Congratulations to Claire Filipiak ‘22, Gianna Kmak ‘22, and Katherine Koepke ‘22 on being named Commended Students in the 2022 National Merit Scholarship Program! Claire, Gianna, and Katherine are being recognized for their exceptional academic promise. They placed among the top 50,000 students who entered the 2020 National Merit Scholarship competition.

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SCHOOL NEWS

SECOND QUARTER MACS WITH MERIT These students were nominated and selected by a teacher or staff member on behalf of their honorable character, diligent work ethic, and notable contributions to the McAuley community. We are so proud of these outstanding young women!

NATIONAL AFRICAN-AMERICAN RECOGNITION PROGRAM Congratulations to Sydney Banks ‘22, Michelle-Marie Nimo ‘23, and Talaja Taylor ‘22 on being selected for the College Board National African-American Recognition Program. These remarkable young women have earned this recognition for their outstanding academic achievements and stellar performance on the PSAT and/or AP exams.

Well done girls!

Makenna Beattie ‘25, English Lisette Corral ‘23, World Language Claire Dalton ‘25, Physical Education Maggie Nolan ‘22, Counseling Ella Devine ‘24, Performing Arts Emma Schaller ‘24, Social Studies Megan Connors ‘23, Learning Resource Center Emily Grzyb ‘23, Science Naaliah Lane ‘24, Math Olivia Villasenor ‘23, Visual Arts & Technology Kate Worthy ‘22, Student Activities Sarah Powell ‘24, Theology Isabella Finnegan ‘22, Athletics Georgia Lausch ‘23, Administration

BROADCAST JOURNALISM Every Friday, our Broadcast Journalism Class streams MacNation News to every homeroom via YouTube! Students work on all levels of production, showcasing their work on camera and behind the scenes.

FRESHMAN EDGE PROGRAM Freshman Edge is a summer program designed as an opportunity for incoming freshman to gain experiences and skills that will allow them to be successful in a more independent high school setting. Emphasis was placed on highly effective skills such as summarizing, organization, and note-taking that could be utilized in any content area. Specific skills in the areas of Math, Reading and Writing were highlighted. Instructors provided an environment that was engaging and active such that students left with a sense of success and empowerment to begin their freshman year.

ANATOMY Our Anatomy and Physiology students took an in-school field trip to the Auditorium for “Live from the Heart,” where students watched live footage of heart surgery. They were able to talk to the surgical team and learn about heart health and careers in the medical field.

Thank you to The Museum of Science and Industry, Advocate Christ Medical Center, and Mrs. Brown for this opportunity!

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Tradition MERCY DAY 2021 As part of its annual Mercy Day celebration, Mother McAuley bestows the Catherine McAuley Award upon a senior student and faculty or staff member who demonstrate a deep faith and commitment to the school and the students, which inspires their co-workers, students, and family members to be better stewards of Catherine’s vision.

Congratulations to Mary McCormick, English Department Faculty Member, and Lydia Long ‘22 for being honored with this year’s Catherine McAuley Award!

We are so grateful to both of you for embodying Catherine’s spirit and living out her legacy of service, compassion, and hospitality.

Scan the QR codes to watch Mary and Lydia’s speeches.

JUNIOR BLESSING We celebrated our Junior class with a blessing in the auditorium and reception with their families!

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Music + Performing WHITE SOX NIGHT The Mother McAuley Choir hit it out of the park with the National Anthem at Mother McAuley White Sox Night on July 21, 2021!

In partnership with alumnae, the Fathers’ Club sold 466 tickets!

FALL MUSICAL After a year and a half, live theater came back to McAuley’s auditorium. This year our Performing Arts Department put on a beautiful production of Meet Me in St. Louis!

Our cast, crew members, pit orchestra, and performing arts staff members deserve a standing ovation for their hard work and dedication!

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Faith + Service MACS GIVE BACK Ciara Hosty ‘23 was nominated and chosen for Buddy’s Helpers’ Making a Difference On and Off the Field Campaign. She is a member of the Varsity Soccer team, a Student Ambassador, a member of the Upperclasswomen Advisory Board and a Ronald McDonald House Teen Advisory Council Member. Ciara enhances the lives of others throughout the Chicagoland area by selflessly giving her time to many different organizations. On Tuesday, September 21, Ciara was given the opportunity to sing the 7th inning stretch at the Cubs game with other student leaders in the Chicagoland area! Congratulations Ciara and thank you for making our Mighty Mac community strong!

ALL SCHOOL OPENING MASS Students, faculty, and staff were welcomed back with an all-school Mass, the first all-school Mass in over a year and a half.

During the Mass, Fr. Mark blessed a tabernacle given to us by Mercy Hospital, an item which will now be on permanent display within our school.

FRESHMAN RETREAT On September 27 and 28, our Peer Ministers led the Freshman Retreat. The freshmen were able to hear Peer Minister reflections and participate in various small group activities.

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FRESHMAN MASS AT BROTHER RICE Freshman Mighty Macs joined the Freshman Crusaders for a Mass and reception! Special thanks to Brother Rice for hosting this wonderful event and to Fr. Mark Walter for celebrating the Mass.

SCHOOL NEWS

9/11 TRIBUTE Our students, faculty, and staff gathered together to remember and honor all 9/11 victims and their families from this day 20 years ago. Mother McAuley and Brother Rice Student Government members came together to place American flags along our campuses to pay tribute to all 9/11 victims and their families. A special thank you to the student leaders, faculty, and staff who put this beautiful event together.

BREAST CANCER WALK Our team “Macs for a Cure” participated and raised money for the Chicago Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk! Thank you to our National Science Honor Society for organizing our team and to all who joined!

ROAD RUNNERS AT THE CHICAGO MARATHON A group of Mighty Macs volunteered at the Chicago Marathon and handed out water and encouragement to the marathon runners!

FALL FEST The National Honor Society hosted our Annual Fall Fest to support Misericordia!

Students dressed in their best superhero gear to show support to all of our heroes at Misericordia! The celebration included music and dancing. The Macs know how to have a good time for a great cause.

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Visual Arts + Technology NATIONAL ART HONOR SOCIETY INDUCTIONS We celebrated the new inductees of the National Art Honor Society in September. Congratulations to this very talented group!

We are mighty proud of our McAuley Art Department!

BEVERLY ART WALK Members of our National Art Honor Society participated in the Annual Beverly Art Walk. We are so impressed by their creativity, and they loved sharing their talents with the community!

ART RECOGNIZED AT STATE Congratulations to two of our McAuley artists who were recognized as the 2021-2022 winners of the Illinois Art Education Association State-Wide Student Exhibition. Their work was submitted at the end of last year.

Maggie Hughes ‘24 (right) from Deanna Pierce’s Art and Emerging Tech class and Grace Rowan ‘21 (left) from Kathy Gordon Davis’ Advanced Placement Art and Design course won these awards!

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SCHOOL NEWS

Clubs + Organizations UNITY COMMUNITY CLUB

INTRAMURALS

Our Unity Community members organized various events and activities to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month! Lotería at lunch, Open Mic, Dance Class, Live Music, and more! We had so much fun throughout the month. Thank you to those who organized and to all who participated!

In honor of Homecoming Week, Intramural Sports hosted Freshman vs. Sophomore and Junior vs. Senior powder puff games!

ECOMACS This year, our EcoMacs Club is partnering with Illinois Green Schools Project to help McAuley follow more sustainable practices.

Some goals include: • Styrofoam reduction for entire school • Kitty Mac Café cup reduction • Creating “green corner” that includes: • Recycling information for various items to divert from the landfill

CLUB FEST

• Updates/information on sustainability initiatives at McAuley

Did you know that we offer 40+ clubs & organizations for our students to join? We are always looking for ways to appeal to each student’s unique interests, which is why 94% of our student body participates in one or more club or organization!

Scan the QR code to learn more about the clubs offered at McAuley.

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Athletics VOLLEYBALL ROAD TO STATE The Mother McAuley Varsity Volleyball team had an exciting season and road to state, finishing with a 35-7 record and Silver Medals at the IHSA State Championship Game on Saturday, November 13, 2021.

Leading up to the State Championship at Redbird Arena, the varsity team had intense sectional and supersectional games against Whitney Young, Marist, and Willowbrook, all ending in victories for the Mighty Macs! Each game was filled with excited fans decked out head to toe in creative themes provided by our well-known Varsity Club. Themes included Mac Dynasty, Victory... it’s in our Jeans, and Mac Out as our students brought out their best costumes to cheer on the Macs!

The entire McAuley community is so proud of our Varsity Volleyball team for an incredible season, for their teamwork and sportsmanship, and dedication to our program!

A special thanks to the group of dedicated coaches: Head Coach, Jen Rees DeJarld ‘87; Assistant Coach, Meg Griffin Gardner ‘99; and JV Coaches, Kristyn Corley Carmody ‘01 and Desiree Aramburu ‘09. Thank you to our team managers Maura Reidy ‘23 and Mia

TEAM ROSTER Paige Bonnett ’22 Peyton Brokemond ‘22 Samantha Falk ‘24 Mary Hannon ‘23 Tess Hayes ‘23 Heather Jiricek ‘22 Olivia Klapp ‘23 Georgia Lausch ‘23 Caroline Macander ‘22 Katie Maloney ‘22 Jillian Moonan ‘23 Maeve Moonan ‘23 Gigi Navarrete ‘23 Keira Ohse ‘24 Mary Kate Sheehan ‘23 Ellie White ‘24

Throughout the season many of our players received awards and accolades.

ELLIE WHITE ‘24 • Player of the Year - Southtown Star • GCAC All Conference • All tournament: Asics Challenge; Autumnfest; Metea Valley • Southtown All Area - 1st Team • IVCA All State • #1 in State for kills CAROLINE MACANDER ‘22 • GCAC All Conference • All tournament: Metea Valley • Southtown All Area - 1st team • Jimmy Griffin Award Winner • Team MVP • IVCA All State

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PEYTON BROKEMOND ‘22 • GCAC All Conference • All Area - 2nd team • Team MIP GIGI NAVARRETE ‘23 • GCAC All Conference • Autumnfest MVP • Southtown All Area - 1st team • Northwestern University commit • Reached 1,000 career dig milestone • IVCA All State MARYKATE SHEEHAN ‘23 • Southtown All Area - Honorable Mention SAMANTHA FALK ‘24 • Southtown All Area - Honorable Mention

Grace White ‘22 Najwa Williams ‘23

SCHOOL NEWS

Fall 2021 SOCCER We are MIGHTY proud of our Soccer Team for being awarded the 2021 Girls Soccer Sportsmanship Award by the Illinois High School Soccer Coaches Association! Coached by Jenna Ryan ’05 and Megan McCauley ’12, our Mighty Macs were nominated and voted on by other Illinois soccer coaches to win this award! Way to go, Macs!

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CROSS COUNTRY Congratulations to our Varsity Cross Country girls for getting 3rd place at the Girls Catholic Athletic Conference and 3rd place at sectionals!

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SENIOR SIGNING DAY Congratulations to our Mighty Macs who signed National Letters of Intent to continue their athletic careers at the college level. We are so proud of you all!

1 Aaliyah Walker ‘22, Softball Davenport University 2 Alyssa Grant ‘22, Lacrosse Saint Mary’s College 3 Heather Jiricek ‘22, Volleyball South Dakota Mines 4 Rosie Nolan ‘22, Lacrosse Carthage College 5 Isabella Finnegan ‘22, Basketball Indiana State 6 Kate Worthy ‘22, Volleyball Olivet Nazarene University

Qualified for sectionals: Nora Enright ‘24 Lily Coakley ‘23 Heather Wagner ‘22 Gabi Hynes ‘23 Agnes Signorelli ‘24 Mary Kate Carey ‘22 Ellie Barron ‘24 Gianna Kmak ‘22

GOLF

All Conference player Veronica Kirsch ‘23 Qualified for sectionals: Veronica Kirsch ‘23 Abbey Ellerbeck ‘23 Elish Flynn ‘24 Caitlin McDonagh ‘23 Phelan Haggerty ‘23 INSCAPE MAGAZINE

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Athletics TENNIS JV Tennis took 1st at the Marian Catholic Round Robin Doubles Tournament!

Congratulations to Maddy McNamara ‘23 and Mairead Doran ‘23, our Mighty Mac Tennis doubles team, for qualifying for State!

SWIMMING & DIVING Congratulations to Abby Manos ‘22 (right) and Bree Burns ‘24 (left) on placing 1st and 3rd at the diving sectional meet! Abby Manos went on to compete at State, and placed 19th! Abby is the GCAC Dive Champion and Diver of the Year! Congratulations to our swimmers on a 4th place finish at sectionals!

Winter 2021 BASKETBALL Basketball season is underway! Congratulations to Isabella Finnegan ‘22 and Morgan Feil ‘24 for making the All Tournament Team at the Bison Classic Thanksgiving Tournament!

WATERPOLO Congratulations to Kira Jacobsen ‘24 and Shannon Parks ‘22 for being named 2021 American Water Polo Scholar Athletes! To receive the award, student-athletes must have at least a 3.20 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) and have competed in an American Water Polo event, league or tournament during the season.

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SCHOOL NEWS

Student Life

FATHER DAUGHTER DANCE FRESHMAN PICNIC We welcomed the Class of 2025 with our Annual Freshman Family Picnic!

Special thanks to our Fathers’ Club, Mothers’ Club, and Student Ambassadors for helping put together such a fun day in the sun!

Our freshman and sophomore classes enjoyed a wonderful evening at the Father-Daughter Dance! A Special thanks to Mothers’ Club for all their hard work planning this special night!

MAC2SCHOOL BASH Our students celebrated the start of the new school year in style at our Mac2School Bash! Water slides, blow-up obstacle courses, food trucks and more made for a great way to kick off the new school year!

BEST OF BOTH WORLDS

HOMECOMING WEEK We celebrated Homecoming Week September 20 - September 25. Each day our students dressed up in a different movie theme and participated in fun activities. We ended the week with an all-school Homecoming Dance!

Our Mighty Macs joined forces with the Brother Rice Crusaders at our Best of Both Worlds Kick-Off event! Students from both schools enjoyed participating in games and hanging out together before they went to cheer on the Brother Rice football team as they played Benet Academy!

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WAYS TO GIVE Unrestricted Gift to the McAuley Fund Your unrestricted gift does more than you realize!

A gift to the McAuley Fund is used where it’s needed most and helps to enrich programs, including academics, arts, technology, athletics, campus ministry, financial aid, and scholarship or helps with everyday operational expenses.

Scholarship and Financial Aid

A gift to Mother McAuley helps to advance our mission and prepare young women for lives of leadership and service.

There are many opportunities to support McAuley and provide the lifetime advantage to our students.

Catherine’s Garden Leave your mark at McAuley or remember that special person with a commemorative brick in the beautiful Catherine’s Garden!

Purchase a brick to honor your McAuley legacy family members, share a brick with your McAuley classmates or team, commemorate graduation, or remember a teacher, mentor or coach.

Three sizes available • Standard $200 (8X7) • Large $300 (8X14) • Seating Stone $500 (14X8)

As McAuley strives to make tuition affordable for families, providing assistance is more important than ever. Your gift will have a direct impact on a student’s ability to attend McAuley.

Employee Giving Programs

Event Sponsorship and Participation

Did you know that thousands of companies match donations made by their employees to organizations like ours?! Check with your employer about their giving program and multiply the impact of your gift for our students!

Our Celebration Gala and our annual Fore the Macs: Playing It Forward Golf Outing are other ways to support McAuley students. Proceeds from these events support tuition assistance/ scholarship for students.

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Double (or Triple) Your Donation!

Scan the QR code to check if your company will match gifts.

Any questions regarding giving, please contact: JoAnn Foertsch Altenbach ’76 773-881-6559, jaltenbach@mothermcauley.org

WAYS TO GIVE

Planned Giving Create a lasting impact – become a member of the Catherine McAuley Legacy Society A planned gift to Mother McAuley indicates a commitment to the long-term success of the school and its students. Making a planned gift confers membership in the Catherine McAuley Legacy Society. Explore these ways to plan and give back now or in the future. Your gift helps McAuley remain strong while maximizing your generosity and providing tax benefits.

PLAN NOW,

PLAN NOW,

DONOR-ADVISED FUNDS This option offers you the flexibility to recommend how much and how often donations are granted to qualified non-profit institutions.

A GIFT IN YOUR WILL OR TRUST Include McAuley in your will or trust today by a simple addition to your legal documents for a gift in the future.

GIVE NOW

APPRECIATED SECURITIES Donors can contribute appreciated property, like securities or real estate, receive a charitable deduction for the full market value of the asset, and pay no capital gains tax on the transfer.

RETIREMENT PLAN REQUIRED MINIMUM DISTRIBUTION (RMD) If you are 701/2 or older, you can give any amount up to $100,000 per year directly from your IRA to a qualified non-profit without having to pay income tax on the gift.

GIVE LATER

RETIREMENT PLAN ASSETS Name McAuley as a beneficiary of part or all of your retirement plan assets.

LIFE INSURANCE POLICIES Consider donating all or part of your policies which will pass tax-free to a non-profit.

This information is intended to provide general gift planning information. We encourage you to consult with your own legal and financial advisors.

WHY PLAN? Planned Giving allows donors to have a much greater financial impact to organizations in which they believe! Despite that fact, fewer than 10 percent of Americans utilize planned giving. Yet there’s a wide range of options for potential gift-givers, making it much easier to fit philanthropy into their budgets and long-term plans. Planned giving offers flexibility for donors from a broad range of financial backgrounds.

Additional information can be found at mothermcauley.org/ give/planned-giving.

For additional questions contact Mary Acker Klingenberger ’75 at 773-881-6504 or mklingenberger@mothermcauley.org

As I reflect on my upcoming 45th reunion, I think about my parents and their emphasis on the value of Catholic education. They sacrificed to send me and all my siblings to Catholic schools which has been a lasting legacy for all of us. They also stressed the importance of supporting these institutions over the long term via financial assistance to ensure lasting sustainability.

I have fond memories of my four years at Mother McAuley and I believe the experience was instrumental in both my personal and professional endeavors. It provided me with confidence as I entered the workforce and for success in my career.

The friendships that I made have withstood the test of time and I see similar bonds in those who graduated after me.

I have enormous respect for the parents of Mother McAuley and the many challenges that they face. I admire all they do to provide their daughters with this education and I want to provide support and assistance in helping them achieve their goals.

Graduates of Mother McAuley have repeatedly demonstrated their ability to become impactful leaders in their respective communities. They carry themselves with a certain style and grace and their confidence in tackling all sorts of issues is wonderful. I want to do what I can to help provide young women with the many positives our school can provide.

As such, I am confident that my Planned Gift to Mother McAuley allows future generations to make this world a better place. I encourage others to do the same.

Barbara Hamel ‘75 Senior Vice President Bank of America Merrill Lynch, retired INSCAPE MAGAZINE

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