ALUMNI N
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DECEMBER 2013
Mr. Christopher Dolce
Named 2013 “Alumni of the Year” St. Michael’s Catholic Academy’s Interim Head of School,
Renews His Parish.” He also volunteers at St. Theresa Catholic
Dr. Judith Knotts, presented Mr. Christopher Dolce with
School and is the current co-chair of the Annual Fund.
the “Alumni of the Year” Award at the annual Alumni Mass on Sunday, September 22.
Chris continues to give his time and talent to St. Michael’s by serving on the Board of Trustees and Facilities Committee. He has worked countless hours this year to create the school’s Master Plan. In addition to his work with St. Michael’s, Chris works to advance Catholic education throughout the Austin community and Diocese of Austin. Service has included:
• Chair, Diocesan School Advisory Board
• Member, Enrollment Management and
Models of Education Committee
• Member, Catholic Schools Strategic Plan
Chris Dolce became a Crusader at an early age. His
Committee
parents, Ann and Leonard Dolce, were instrumental in
building the foundation of St. Michael’s Catholic Academy.
“St. Michael’s is indeed a special place,” Chris said.
• Member, S.E.E.D.S.
• Co-Chair, Catholic Charities of Central
“There is no other institution quite like it – founded by
• Past and founding Co-Chair, Celebrating Catholic Schools Event
Texas Benefit
laity for our community and in the name of Christ. I am involved with all of these Catholic organizations in order
Chris and his wife, Kacy Richards Dolce, constantly rely
to improve, not only my family’s spiritual life, but also our
on the values they learned in Catholic schools. Their
quality of life.”
four children, Hank, Kaiki, Jack, and Cricket, are Future Crusaders and are currently students at St. Theresa
After graduating with the St. Michael’s Class of 1988,
Catholic School.
Chris co-founded Sixthriver Arthitects in Austin, Texas, and currently serves as Vice President.
Congratulations to Chris for his many accomplishments, especially in community service and leadership at St.
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Chris and his family are active members of St. Theresa
Michael’s and throughout the Austin community. He
Catholic Parish. He served on the Stewardship Committee,
is an inspiration and truly embodies the mission of St.
Pastoral Council, and works as a Lay Director of “Christ
Michael’s Catholic Academy.
SMCA ALUMNI NEWSLETTER
St. Michael’s Catholic Academy
SMCA Alum Creates Business in South Sudan “Madang!” (Greetings) from Kajo Keji County in the new nation of South Sudan, where St. Michael’s alumnus Christopher Douglas ‘01 has been helping entrepreneurs, churches, women’s groups, and farmers to create sustainable enterprises and reduce dependence on aid with Africa Works since 2009. Together with his father and the rest of the Africa Works team, Chris travels to South Sudan two to three times a year. Through their Austin-based non-profit Lone Star – Africa Works, they are currently helping artisanal farming cooperatives to set up a natural foods business for honey, shea butter, and coffee. Chris draws on his experiences at St. Michael’s for inspiration, especially the emphasis on community service, faith, and good works. He returned from his most recent trip in September and will return this December to help beekeepers prepare the first shipment of honey to the United States. It is expected to ship in the spring of 2014. In addition to supporting community enterprises, Chris and the Africa Works team work with south Sudanese and international partners on other support projects. These
include prayer books and hymnals in the traditional languages, weather stations for agriculture, tools and technical training, medical supplies, textbooks and classroom materials.
For more information about Africa Works, South Sudan, and how you can support social enterprises like Sosu Pure Honey, please visit:
lonestarafrica.com facebook.com/lonestarafrica sosupure.com gossmission.org
Andrew Cannata in Les Miserables Andrew Cannata ’05 recently starred as Marius in Zach Theatre’s Les Miserables. Andrew has had an incredible career thus far at Zach Theatre including roles in: Ragtime, Next to Normal, Rent, and The 25th Annual Putman County Spelling Bee. He was honored with the B. Iden Payne Award for “Best Lead Actor in Musical Theatre” in 2009, 2010, and 2011. Andrew graduated from St. Edward’s University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science. He is currently a Video Systems Engineer for Logitech, Inc. and resides in Austin with his wife, Kailynn. Congratulations, Andrew, on your incredible performance in Les Miserables - you were terrific!
www.smca.org
SMCA ALUMNI NEWSLETTER
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Athletics Highlights Balancing Football & Academics at University of Missouri Mitch Morse ’10 has excelled at the University of Missouri both in the classroom and on the football field. Mitch started at right tackle for the number eight Mizzou Tigers. He is a two year starter and has made the Dean’s list every semester. He will graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality and will play as a redshirt senior year as a graduate student. Mitch has been awarded the Spring Team Most Improved Lineman, 2011 Academic All-Big Twelve First Team, and has eleven career starts, including seven at center and four at tackle. In high school, he was ranked by ESPN as the nation’s No. 19 offensive tackle talent, and also ranked as the nation’s No. 51 offensive tackle prospect by Rivals.com. Mitch started three years on the offensive line at SMCA, and also starred on the defensive line. Mitch twice earned 1st-Team All-State honors, First Team All District, and Academic All –State Honors. As a senior, Mitch was named First Team All-District as a defensive tackle. At St. Michael’s, Mitch excelled in football, basketball, and track and field. Congratulations to Mitch for all of his successes at SMCA and Mizzou! We look forward to watching as your bright future continues to unfold!
and qualified for the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Las Vegas, Nevada. The race consisted of a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, and 13.1 mile run. I was honored as the youngest competing athlete. It was so incredible to be honored in front of all of these professional athletes. I placed second in my division for swimming and finished eleventh overall. My goal was to have fun and finish the race. I definitely achieved my goal - it was by far the most amazing experience of my life. I was able to race with professional athletes from all over the world. I am so blessed and thankful that I was able to go and look forward to competing again!” Congratulations Andrea, we look forward to hearing more about your adventures and accomplishments!
2013 ALUMNI TAILGATE St. Michael’s hosted alumni on Saturday, October 26 at the SMCA vs. St. Joseph’s Brownsville game. Alums came to show their Crusader spirit at the football game and were able to meet other past, present and future Crusaders as well. SMCA defeated Brownsville 48-21.
SMCA Represented at Ironman 70.3 World Championships Andrea Nunez-Smith ’13 shared her story about competing in the Ironman 70.3 World Championships: “Earlier this year I competed in my first half ironman in Galveston, Texas,
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SMCA ALUMNI NEWSLETTER
Pictured: Walker Drewett ’13, Ryan Gjerset ’13, and Maggie Blackwell ‘13. Walker is currently enjoying his freshman year at the University of Texas at Austin, Ryan is studying and playing lacrosse at Wheaton College in Massachusetts, and Maggie is at Texas A&M University after graduating as valedictorian.
St. Michael’s Catholic Academy
Alumni News CLASS NOTES Sara Dunger Fuentes ’93 has been married to her husband, Raymond, for five years and living in San Marcos for the last eight years. She has a two year old daughter, Madden Saray, born June 2011, and recently gave birth to a baby boy, Adyn Sebastian, in July. She was previously a pediatric nurse, but is now able to stay at home with her kids.
2013 Alumni Reunion Despite most of the alumni reunion events being cancelled due to rain, the Class of 1993 gathered at Red’s Porch on Saturday, September 21, to catch up and reminisce about their Crusader days.
Ellen Williamson ‘97 welcomed her second child, Rebecca, in February, joining big brother Daniel, age three. She also recently started her own law practice focusing on estate planning, probate, and family law. David Daniel ’00 is in his final year of general surgery residency at University of Tennessee College of Medicine in Chattanooga. In July, he’ll begin a three year cardiothoracic surgery fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. Michael Fabiano ’01 was married in June 2013 in Napa, California. He currently lives in Dallas with his wife and is the CFO of Segra Capital Management, LLC.
BBQ THROW DOWN Woohoo for BBQ! The BBQ Throw Down was a great kick off party for the 2013 Crusader Classic Golf Tournament. Many alumni were present at this event. The bartenders for the evening were alums from the class of 2007 and Mary Grace and Ian Mooney ’03 ran the Golf Toss. Congratulations to the Evan LeRoy and the Class of 2004 Alumni Team, including Molly McClurg and Patrick Leahy, for taking home the BBQ Throw Down trophy! Evan is the Pitmaster and Executive Chef at Freedmen’s BBQ in West Campus.
www.smca.org
Sofie Leon ’02 graduated from Stanford and then lived in New York City and Washington DC. She moved back to Texas to earn her MBA at the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin. She is also engaged and will be married to Austin-native Anthony Pompa in Christ Chapel in May of 2014. She is currently working at a local software company called Spredfast. Marissa Fabiano Christoffel ‘04 was married in April of 2012 in Austin, Texas. She currently lives in New York City with her husband and is the Head of Marketing at Daily Burn, an IAC Company. Amanda Sustaita Denson ‘04 has two boys, four year old, Caleb, and four month old, Benjamin. She currently lives in Kirkland, Washington with her husband.
SMCA ALUMNI NEWSLETTER
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Victoria Fabiano ‘06 is currently living in New York City. She is working towards her MBA at NYU Stern School of Business. Patrick Shanahan ‘07 graduated from Creighton University with a Marketing degree in 2011. He had a scholarship and played golf for the Bluejays all four years. After college, he moved back to Austin and is currently working for State Farm Insurance. Kathleen Shipley ’07 graduated from UTSA and became a family law paralegal in San Antonio. She also has a one year old son named Jax!
graduates excelling in college and making a difference in the greater Texas communities! Amanda Davidson ‘10 is engaged to John Shults ’09. Their wedding will be celebrated on June 28, 2014. Nora Thompson ‘10 graduated from Texas A&M University in May. She is living in New York City where she is employed by a recruiting firm in their Wall St. office. Vanessa Carrizales ’12 and the UT-Tyler Softball Team advanced to the 2013 NCAA DIII College World Series in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Vanessa, SMCA’s former star pitcher, doubled in the game-winning run to vault the Patriots to their College World Series appearance. Maggie Blackwell ’13 is loving life at Texas A&M University. She says her first semester as an electrical engineering major has gone by so fast! She is enjoying an engineering lab where they’ve built a model car and are now programming it to travel through a maze. As her classes start to increase in level of difficulty, she says she always falls back on techniques she learned at St. Michael’s. For example, she sings Dr. May’s derivative song every day in her Calculus II class.
Kerry Quinn-Shulte ‘08 and Nicholas Shulte ‘08 competed on Family Feud this year Kyle Martin ’09 was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 2013 MLB Draft. Alice Schneider ’10 is a senior at Texas A&M University. She is the student regent appointed to the Higher Education Coordinating Board and is currently focusing on the costs associated with college degrees. Her sister, Evie Schneider ’13 is a freshman at Texas A&M and is an “A” student at midterms. SMCA is proud to have
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SMCA ALUMNI NEWSLETTER
St. Michael’s Catholic Academy
Upcoming Events 3rd Annual SMCA Alumni Holiday Happy Hour
2014 Annual Gala
Calling all SMCA Alumni! Come catch up with old friends and watch the Texas Bowl (Big 10 vs Big 12) at Little Woodrows (520 W. 6th St, Austin) on Friday, December 27 at 6pm. All alumni are welcome! This event is hosted by the Class of 1997. Please email Dirk Vander Ploeg at dirkvanderploeg@gmail.com with questions.
Mark your calendars! The Gala will be held on March 1, 2014 at the W Hotel. Special alumni pricing available. Please contact Megan Gray for more details at mgray@smca.com.
Contact Update Did you recently get married? Have a baby? Promoted at work? Move to another country? Email us your life updates and contact information at alumni@smca.com.
Alumni Soccer Game The Annual Alumni Soccer Game will be held in January. More details to come. Please email Megan Gray at mgray@smca.com if you are interested in participating.
Give 5 Campaign Thanks for gifting your Alma Mater during Christmastime with your support of the SMCA Alumni Annual Appeal “Give 5!” campaign. Join your classmates to celebrate SMCA by donating $5 for every year since your graduation. With alumni support, SMCA will continue to keep our students “Inspired for Life”! Thank you for your support and contribution. Give 5 and give the gift of inspiration!
St. Michael’s ALUMNI
Annual Appeal
www.smca.org
SMCA ALUMNI NEWSLETTER
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ST. MICHAEL’S CATHOLIC ACADEMY 3000 Barton Creek Blvd. • Austin, Texas 78735 • Ph. 512-328-2323 • Fax 512-328-2327
2013-2014 Academic Profile
Judith Knotts, Ed.D. Interim Head of School Michael R. Volonnino, Ph.D. Assistant Head of School
School and Community
Charlotte C. Knepp Director of College Counseling
St. Michael’s Catholic Academy, founded in 1984, is a Catholic, coeducational, college-preparatory day school for grades 9-12. Total enrollment is 370 students. The senior class numbers 90. The student body is 70% Catholic. In keeping with St. Michael’s tradition of serving a diverse student body, 35% of students represent ethnic minorities, 6% come from other countries, and the school draws from over 54 different zip codes in the Central Texas area. Financial aid is distributed to 35% of the student body. The student-teacher ratio is 9:1, and the average class size is 17. The matriculation rate to four-year colleges for the Class of 2013 was 91% and 9% will attend a two-year college.
Heidi R. Gray College Counseling Assistant Director of College Counseling Ph. 512-328-2323, ext. 232 Fax 512-328-2327 School Code: 440-313
Accreditation/Memberships
Community Service Requirement
St. Michael’s Catholic Academy is accredited by the Texas Catholic Conference and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Memberships include the National Catholic Education Association, The Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools, the National Association of Independent Schools, Association of College Counselors in Independent Schools, the National Association of College Admissions Counseling, the Texas Association of College Admission Counseling, and the College Board.
The Service Learning Program at St. Michael’s Catholic Academy is based on the Catholic-Christian gospel commitment to serve the needs of the “disadvantaged.” Over the course of their four years at St. Michael’s, students are required to complete a minimum of 60 hours of community service. The Service Learning Program experiences, as well as cross-curricular opportunities to relate their experiences/learning to other subject areas.
Academic Program and Diploma Requirements St. Michael’s Catholic Academy offers a rigorous college-preparatory curriculum using a semester system of seven class periods. Students must complete a minimum of six credits each year and the academic program required of all students is the equivalent of the Texas High School Recommended Plan. The Class of 2014 is required to complete 28 credits for graduation in the following disciplines. DISCIPLINE
CREDITS
DISCIPLINE
CREDITS
English
4.0
Communication Applications
.5
Mathematics, including Algebra II
4.0
Electives
1.0
Science, including Biology, Chemistry, & Physics
4.0
Fine Arts
1.0
Social Studies, including Government & Economics**
4.0
Health
.5
Physical Education
1.5
Foreign Language (3 years of same language)
3.0
Technology
1.0
Theology*
4.0
* Two credits in Theology meet the requirements of 19 TAC § 113.38, Special Topics in Social Studies (TEKS) ** AP Government and AP Macroeconomics are taught together as a year-long course. Credit (.5 for each) will be awarded at the end of the spring semester. The transcript will not show an award of credit or a grade in either of these courses at the end of the fall semester.
Advanced Diploma with Honors This diploma is awarded to students who complete nine semesters of PreAP or Advanced Placement courses and complete the Senior Honors Thesis, a 20–25 page research paper that is written under the direction of faculty advisors.
SMCA Entrepreneurship Center for Economic and Social Innovation This center serves to develop students as emerging leaders to become agents of change, who improve society by solving the Entrepreneurship courses and internships are available to students.
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SMCA ALUMNI NEWSLETTER
St. Michael’s Catholic Academy
Advanced Placement Program for 2013-14
College Acceptances and Matriculation for the St. Michael’s Class of 2013
PreAP course offerings are: • Foreign Language Level II & III • Algebra I • Geometry • Algebra II • Pre-Calculus
• • • • •
91% will attend a four-year college or university and 9% will attend a two-year college.
Biology Chemistry World Geography World History English I & II
Abilene Christian University
Goucher College*
Saint Joseph's University
The University of Alabama
Harding University*
Saint Louis University
American University
Harvard College*
Sam Houston State University*
Appalachian State University
High Point University
San Diego State University*
The Art Institute of Austin
Hollins University
University of San Diego
The University of Arizona
College of the Holy Cross
Santa Clara University
Advanced Placement course offerings are:
University of Arkansas
University of Houston
Savannah College of Art and Design
• • • • • • • • •
Auburn University
Howard Payne University
Schreiner University*
Austin College
University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign
University of Southern California
Austin Community College*
John Carroll University
Southern Methodist University*
Baylor University*
Kansas State University
Southern New Hampshire University
Belmont University
University of Kentucky
Southwestern University*
Berklee College of Music*
Lafayette College
St. Edward's University*
Birmingham-Southern College
Lehigh University
St. John's College
Blinn College
Louisiana State University
Stanford University*
Boston Conservatory
Loyola Marymount University
Stephen F. Austin State University
Bowdoin College*
Loyola University Chicago*
Stevens Institute of Technology
Studio Art 2-D Studio Art 3-D Art History* Biology* Calculus AB Calculus BC Chemistry Computer Science AB English Literature and Composition • English Language • Environmental Science*
• • • • • • • • • •
French Language Latin Macroeconomics** Physics Psychology Spanish Language Spanish Literature Statistics United States Gov.** United States History
Bowling Green State University* Mannes College of Music
Stonehill College
University of British Columbia
Marist College*
Sweet Briar College
University of California at Berkeley*
Marquette University
The University of Tampa
University of California at Davis
Tarleton State University
**AP Government and AP Macroeconomics are taught together as a
University of Mary HardinBaylor*
University of California at Irvine
Marymount Manhattan College* Texas A&M University*
year-long course. Credit (.5 for each) will be awarded at the end of the
Univ. California at San Diego
University of Massachusetts, Boston
Texas A&M, Commerce
Univ. of California at Santa Barbara*
Miami University, Oxford
Texas A&M, Corpus Christi*
California State University, Long Beach
University of Miami
Texas A&M, Galveston
Carleton College
Michigan State University*
Texas A&M, Kingsville
Carnegie Mellon University*
University of Michigan*
Texas Christian University*
College of Charleston*
Millsaps College
Texas Lutheran University
Clarendon College*
University of Mississippi*
Texas State University*
Clemson University
University of North Carolina Greensboro*
Texas Tech University*
Coastal Carolina University
University of North Texas*
The University of Texas, Austin*
University of Colorado at Boulder*
Northern Colorado Community College*
The University of Texas, Dallas
Concordia University at Austin*
Norwich University*
The University of Texas, San Antonio*
*Not Offered 2013-14
spring semester. The transcript will not show an award of credit or a grade in either of these courses at the end of the fall semester.
Class Rank St. Michael’s does not report rank in class with the exception of the top 10% of each class. The weighted grade point average for the top ten percent after six semesters for the Class of 2014 is 4.01 and above. Grading Scale and GPA (PreAP and AP courses are enhanced by a factor of 1.07) Grade
Grade
Letter
Grade
Letter
95-100 A
Letter
Point 4.0
86
B
3.1
77
C
2.2
94
A-
3.9
85
B
3
76
C
2.1
93
A-
3.8
84
B
2.9
75
C
2
92
A-
3.7
83
B
2.8
74
C-
1.8
91
A-
3.6
82
B-
2.7
73
C-
1.6
90
B+
3.5
81
B-
2.6
72
C-
1.4
C+
2.5
71
C-
1.2
C+
2.4
70
C-
1
89
B+
3.4
80
88
B+
3.3
79
87
B
3.2
78
Point
C+
Point
2.3
2013 SAT Scores Section
SMCA Middle 50%
Cornell University
University of Notre Dame*
Trinity University*
University of Dallas
Oklahoma City University
Tulane University*
University of Dayton
Oklahoma State University*
University of the Incarnate Word
University of Denver
University of Oklahoma*
Vanderbilt University
DePaul University*
University of Oregon
University of Vermont
Eastman School of Music, Rochester
Pace University, New York City
Villanova University
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical AZ
Point Park University
University of Virginia
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical FL*
Princeton University*
Wagner College
Emerson College
Purchase College State NY
Washington University in St. Louis*
Purdue University
University of Washington
Florida International University
Regis University
West Texas A&M University
Florida State University
Rhodes College
Wheaton College MA*
Furman University
Rice University*
Xavier University
Georgia Institute of Technology
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey*
* Indicates that one or more members of the Class of 2013 matriculated. SMCA Mean
Texas Mean
National Mean
Cr. Reading 540-650
583
484
501
Math
520-670
597
505
516
Writing
510-610
568
473
492
Class of 2013
2013 ACT Composite
95 students graduated
SMCA 26.7 Texas 20.9 National 20.9
in June 2013.
2013 Advanced Placement Test Scores 75% passing rate on 300 AP tests
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www.smca.org
SMCA ALUMNI NEWSLETTER
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Welcome to the SMCA Alumni Association!
Class of 2013 Mission Statement St. Michael’s Catholic Academy is a college-preparatory school founded by laity within the Diocese of Austin to serve a diverse student body. Combining academic excellence with faith formation and co-curricular learning opportunities, St. Michael’s prepares the whole student for leadership, service and decision-making consistent with Catholic values.
ST. MICHAEL’S CATHOLIC ACADEMY 3000 Barton Creek Blvd. Austin, Texas 78735