Dear Church of St. Mary,

Fall is always an exciting time at the School of St. Mary. The excitement of a new school year and connecting with new teachers and classmates; this year has been no different. We started the 2022-2023 academic year with 430 students across two buildings, welcoming back many beloved teachers and several new faces. One not-so-new face is our Principal, Mrs. Kathy Thompson. Many of you had her as a teacher or assistant principal, as she has been at SOSM for over 25 years. Kathy stepped in to take the reigns of leading the school in July, and we couldn’t be happier to have her excellent leadership and care for every student in our community.

After almost 3 years of COVID disruptions, this school year marks the return of some beloved and essential rooms at the Upper Grade Center. 

• The library, which had been serving as an additional class space to accommodate social distancing, has been cleaned, reorganized, and filled with some new, current literature and will be reopening soon. Spearheaded by SOSM Alum Tara Janos ('85) and parent Stephanie Thandani the space will once again be a vibrant and engaging workspace for the students. You are invited to join us for its debut and book fair on January 29, 2023.
• Our STEAM program moved to a larger, more vibrant classroom to accommodate a new curriculum. We recently became a Project Lead the Way (PLTW) school. PLTW is a transformative STEAM learning experience for preschool - 12th-grade students. Beginning this month, we are implementing the program in 4th - 8th grades with the hopes of expanding to the younger grades in the future. 
• Led by our social worker Catherine Homan and teachers Margaret Tazioli, Margaret Hogan, Tina Moulton, and Martha Stride ('10) SOSM started a new SEL (social emotional learning) called R.E.S.P.E.C.T, which engages students on pertinent topics relating to current social challenges and skills. The students thoroughly enjoy meeting monthly in small groups lead by different faculty and staff, to focus on a single topic, such as empathy.

We love to see our alumni and show off how much the school has changed! Please join us during Discover Catholic Schools Week for a special tour of either (or both!) buildings.

The 2023 Parents Association Gala will be held on Saturday, March 4, 2023, at The Shanty in Wadsworth. Watch for more event details and ticket sales after Thanksgiving.

Catholic Schools Week is January 29 - February 4, 2023. We would love to have alumni join us for the kick-off and library re-opening on Sunday, the 29th. We also invite alumni to come to speak about their careers during career day (typically Thursday). If you would be interested in being involved with our Catholic School Week activities, please reply to this email or reach out to Melissa Haak.

School of St. Mary alumni are doing great things! Please share your news to be included in future messages by completing this form.

• William Boyle (‘19) was named a 2023 National Merit Scholar semifinalist. 

• Greg Kosmerl (‘19)  was named a 2023 National Merit Commended.

• Connor Boyle (‘19) serves as the Editor-in-Cheif of the Forest Scout Newspaper. 

• SOSM Alumni Julia Liebelt (‘20), Isabella Ranallo (‘20), Mariella Haubner (‘19), and Kiely Goodman (‘21) were part of the Lake Forest Scouts Varsity Volleyball team that won Regionals.

• Zuzanna Janusz (‘19) was named the Loyola Academy Sr. Swim Team captain.  

• Emmie Edwards (‘19) was named Lake Forest Scouts St. Golf Capitan and led her team to a 3rd place conference finish. 

• Danny Castle ('19) is captain for the second year of the Highland Park High School Varsity Swimming & Diving Team.

Can you identify the members of this class? Reply to this email with answers and we will choose one random winner to send some SOSM swag!