On the Mount

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On The Mount

Girls, Inc. of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey honored Kelley Brisbon Hodge ’89 at the Union League on May 8. The organization’s mission is to inspire all girls to be strong, smart, and bold. Members of the Diversity Club traveled to the Union League in Center City Philadelphia to observe her speech. Kelley (an attorney, former District Attorney for Philadelphia, and former MSJA Board Member), refenced the Mount’s motto, “On the education of women largely depends the future of society,” in her remarks and stressed the importance of empowering girls to become strong young women. Mrs. Katie Kennedy (Theology), moderator of the Diversity Club, and Mr. Matt McGovern (Social Studies) accompanied the students on the trip. Also in attendance were Ann Marie Von Hacht Horner ’69 (Chair of the MSJA Board) and Pamela Hunt Gwaltney ’79 (MSJA Board member). pictured, from left: Mrs. Katie Kennedy, Ann Marie Von Hacht Horner ’69, Nasya Stinson ’20, Asha Houston ’19, Lauren McLaughlin ’20, Olivia D’Angelo ’20, Temeiah Peete ’19, Olivia Wirsching ’20, Kelley Brisbon Hodge ’89, Isabelle Krause ’20, Taylor Sistrunk ’20, Pamela Hunt Gwaltney ’79.

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School news from Mount Saint Joseph Academy

On May 8, donors to scholarships and their student recipients were invited to a lunch at the Mount. The donors had the opportunity to get to know the students who benefitted from their scholarships, and the students had a chance to express their gratitude for the parts the donors played in their Mount education.

The Fine Arts Department held their Annual Student Art Show in May. In addition to works featured from each course, the exhibit highlighted the art of the Archdiocesan Regional High School Exhibitors and Award winners, our art scholars, and our many seniors who will be pursuing various art degrees in college.

On May 15, Sofia Farrell ’19 performed a private concert at the Mount, the result of a year of independent study and training. Over the course of the school year, she devoted a significant amount of time to independent study, developing a repertoire from the 17th to 20th centuries. She improved voice techniques and researched translations and background

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information about her selections and their composers. In April, she finalized the repertoire and worked with accompanist Nile Weber and her voice coach, Phyllis Mitchell, to perfect her performance. Her recital, “Songs Through the Centuries,” included performances of nine songs in Italian, Latin, German, and English. Composers featured were Bellini, Handel, Schubert, Puccini, Bach, Sondheim, and more.

Broadway Wishes was held at LaSalle College High School on May 17th and 18th. The Broadway revue was entirely choreographed and produced by students from MSJA, La Salle High, and Gwynedd Mercy Academy. All proceeds benefited Make-A-Wish Philadelphia.

Twenty-one student-athletes have committed to play a sport in college. Front row, from left: Lauren Kiefner (Clemson University; crew); Katie Edling (Georgetown University; crew), Riley Gorman (Temple University; crew), Aine Playdon (Temple University; crew), Sofia Bernal (University of Iowa; crew), Katie Greed (University of Notre Dame; crew), Liz Meister (High Point University; lacrosse). Second row, from left: Maeve McCarthy (Catholic University; field hockey), Bridget Joyce (University of Delaware; track & field), Giavanna Hunt (Drexel University; crew), Eileen McKenna (George Washington University;

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crew), Claire Broderick (Villanova University; crew), Hailey Goodyear (Loyola University Maryland; swimming), Julianna Kratz (Fairfield University; field hockey). Back row, from left: Elizabeth Christine (Salisbury University; tennis), Stow Weiss (St. Joseph’s University; tennis), Clare Maguire (University of Scranton; field hockey), Mari Kniezewski (Colgate University; field hockey), Lauren Cunningham (Marymount University; basketball), Ellie Maransky (Georgetown University; field hockey), Cecilia Priolo (Laval University; golf).

The 2018-19 robotics competition season was one of the best in Firebirds history. In addition to the team winning the Spirit Award and Engineering Inspiration Award, Dariya Brann ’20 was selected as a Dean’s List Semifinalist. The Firebirds captained at both district competitions and played in the finals at Westtown. The team also qualified for and competed at the Mid-Atlantic Championship. Led by seniors Kaitlyn Przydzial ’19 and Brigid O’Neill ’19, the Firebirds finished the season ranked 26th out of 132 teams. The team wishes Kaitlyn and Brigid much success as they fly off to their new nests at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Kaitlyn) and California Polytech Institute (Brigid).

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Jaylen Baron ’21 was crowned Miss Philadelphia Outstanding Teen 2019. During the competition, she declared her platform as “Breathing Room:” bringing assistance to families who have been affected by a cancer diagnosis. She chose her platform in honor of her mother, who passed away. Upon being crowned, Jaylen received a prize package valued at more than $130,000, including a full scholarship to Cabrini University (undergraduate or graduate programs). As Philadelphia Outstanding Teen, she will make nearly 100 appearances over the next year on behalf of charitable organizations and as an ambassador for the city. She also will represent Philadelphia in the Miss Pennsylvania and Outstanding Teen competition in June. Jaylen is pictured with Alysa Bainbridge (left), Miss Philadelphia 2019. (Photo via the Philadelphia Free Press.)

Juniors Samantha Knoblauch (President of MSJA’s Operation Smile Club), Alex Lerro, Olivia Nace, Olivia Wirsching, Emily Kirk, Audrey Bryce, and Sara Collins and club moderator Mrs. Kathleen Hennessy organized a powderpuff tournament at the Mount. The students worked with Operation Smile to coordinate the event as both a fundraiser and awareness campaign. Nine student teams & one teacher team competed. They played on the turf field, and had a tailgate afterwards. In total, they raised enough money to provide over four cleft lip or cleft palette surgeries,

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which will change four lives! The mission of Operation Smile is to provide free and safe surgeries to children in developing countries.

The Mount got a new van this spring! We now have transportation for small groups for field trips and other school-related outings.

At the annual Senior Recognition Night, seniors were recognized for their accomplishments throughout the year during a special ceremony. pictured: Philomena Guiliano ’19, Dr. Judith Caviston (Principal), and Mrs. Margaret Toth (Computers/Business Education).

On the last day of school, underclassmen attended an awards ceremony recognizing the achievements of students in grades 9-11. Students receiving scholarships for the 2019-2020 school year were honored; some got to meet with the donors/founders of the scholarships they earned. pictured: Adriana Stepien ’20, recipient of the S. William Teresa Math Award, which was established to recognize a junior who has shown significant improvement in the study of math. She is pictured with S. William Teresa Leonard (also known as Sister Bill) and Dr. Judith Caviston.

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