JANUARY 30, 2017 | CONTACT: [email protected]
 
  Learn about the CRS FoodFast
 
Did you know that in the month of February many Catholic schools will observe a period of fasting and praying as part of the Catholic Relief Services FoodFast program? The program is designed for secondary schools to include education in Catholic social teaching and to help students become aware of poverty across the globe. Many schools participate because they say it ends the disconnect between service hours and understanding on a personal level the struggles of the people who are being served.

There are several components to the program, including varying lengths of the fast and different themes to observe. You can sign up to get free resources to support your own FoodFast here: http://foodfast.crs.org.
 
  School Profile:
Academy of Our Lady of Guam
 
We continue with our series of brief school profiles, this week with the Academy of Our Lady of Guam, located in Hagåtña. Our goal for these profiles is to support learning from one another. So if you see something you want to know more about, get in touch with that school community! All MESA education ministries are listed here: http://mercyedu.org/educational-ministries/.
 
The Academy of Our Lady of Guam was founded nearly 70 years ago by Bishop Appolinaris William Baumgartner and the Sisters of Mercy from Belmont, North Carolina. It became the first all-girl college preparatory Catholic high school on the island. Rooted in the unique charism of Catherine McAuley, the school boasts a dedicated faculty and staff that promote the holistic development of a diverse population of young women fostering academic excellence, leadership, global awareness, social justice, and compassionate service.

Learn more by visiting the school's website and following it on Facebook and Instagram.
 
AOLG students are renowned for excelling in both academics and athletics. Classes are kept intentionally small with a student-teacher ratio of 17:1, which promotes a more individualized learning atmosphere. The school’s Science, Technology, and Resource Wing is equipped with numerous computer labs, state-of-the-art science labs, and a spacious library. The Academy fields interscholastic level teams in volleyball, basketball, cross country, softball, rugby, paddling, track and field, soccer, tennis, and golf. In addition to interscholastic sports, the Academy offers a varied physical fitness program planned year round for fun and fitness.
 
AOLG's community life programs are known island-wide. The Academy is frequently featured in local media for its generous charitable programs and service projects. The school was part of the International Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Our Lady of Fatima during its visit to Guam. Watch here. In addition, the whole island is watching as the school enters Songfest season, a heartwarming tradition you may want to try. Students also recently supported Guam's own Rally for Life, which in addition to showing solidarity with the Washington, DC, march, also supported local legislation that limits abortion.
 
Good News & Great Opportunities
 
 
  • Today, January 30, 2018, is a Day of Giving, a special commemoration observed during Catholic Schools Week. Several Mercy schools are participating. Use the searchable directory to offer support to our schools.
  • Mount Saint Mary Academy's literary magazine, Echoes, earned the meritorious distinction of "Excellent" from the National Council of Teachers of English
  • Sacred Heart University invites Catholic high school students to apply for the Lilly Endowment Summer Theological Institute for High School Youth.
  • The College Board selected Mount de Sales Academy to pilot a new AP Service Learning Program. AP environmental science students are monitoring the Ocmulgee River and will submit their findings to the Georgia Environmental Protection Division.

Want to highlight good news from your school? Send a note to [email protected] .
 
Sr. Mary Edwina Butler, Co-Founder of Notre Dame High School Has Passed
 
Sister Mary Edwina Butler, who with four other sisters founded Notre Dame High School in Elmira, NY, died on Dec. 27, 2017. She was 102 years old.

Sister Mary Edwina entered the congregation in 1932 and professed her final vows in 1938. She earned a bachelor’s degree in French with a minor in Latin from Nazareth College; a bachelor’s degree in music from Marywood College in Scranton, Pa.; and a master’s degree in public-school music from the Eastman School of Music. She also received a certificate of approval in oral French from DePaul University in Chicago, Ill.

She spent her religious life as an educator.
 
Updated Job Listings


Our Ministry Openings webpage contains links to the employment pages of MESA schools. Visit regularly to stay up to date.

Do you have an opportunity you'd like to highlight in an upcoming issue of MESA Flash? Email [email protected].
MESA Leadership Forum
 
March 1, 2018
8 am - 3 pm
Atlanta, GA
  “Partners in Mercy”
 
Leadership Academy
July 23-24, 2018
Baltimore, MD
 
 You are encouraged to send in information that you'd like to share through the MESA Flash. We'd love to share your good news, photos from your schools, along with tips and practical suggestions from which others in the community can learn. Email us at [email protected].