Introducing Mercy McAuley
High School
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Two of our education ministries are joining together to become a new school.
Mother of Mercy High School and
McAuley High School in Cincinnati, Ohio, will become Mercy McAuley High School at the start of the 2018-2019 school year. The new school will operate from the site of McAuley's current campus.
Patty Ragio, a Mercy graduate, will serve as president of the new school, while another graduate, Connie Kampschmidt, will serve as the school’s first principal. The new tagline, “Opening Hearts. Opening Minds. Opening Doors.” is reflective of the core values of the Sisters of Mercy — faith, compassion, leadership, service, and excellence. A transition team will continue fine-tuning details of the new school, including academics, student and spiritual life, athletics, transportation, and input from parents and alumnae.
Students and staff of both schools recently had an opportunity to come together for a joint pep assembly where the new school colors and mascot were revealed.
“We’re looking forward to filling up the classrooms, and to the chance to inspire and empower young women,” Ragio told
The Catholic Telegraph last week. “This is a tremendous opportunity to impact the future of Catholic education. When we come out of the transitional phase in a few years, we intend to be a model for other schools.”
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High Schools Can Apply for
Honor Roll Recognition
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Sponsored by the Cardinal Newman Society, the
Catholic Education Honor Roll recognizes schools that are committed to a strong Catholic identity. Catholic high schools that meet the eligibility requirements are welcome to apply for the 2018-2023 cycle.
Primary eligibility criteria require that the school:
- has been in operation for three or more years
- has a primary administrator who is a practicing Catholic
- requires four years of Catholic Theology
- agrees to model the Principles of Catholic Identity in Education.
More than 110 schools are currently working their way through the application process. For resources on Catholic identity and more information on the application process,
read this page.
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Black History Month, celebrated each February, is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing the central role of blacks in U.S. history. Did you know that the observance grew out of “Negro History Week,” the brainchild of noted historian Carter G. Woodson and other prominent African Americans?
Since 1976, every U.S. president has officially designated the month of February as Black History Month. Other countries around the world, including Canada and the United Kingdom, also devote a month to celebrating black history.
Less well-known is that the annual resolution in the U.S. also includes a theme. The 2018 theme is “African Americans in Times of War,” marks the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I and honors the roles that black Americans have played in the military from the American Revolution to the present day.
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School Profile:
Mercymount County Day School
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This week, we continue with our series of brief school profiles
Mercymount Country Day School in Cumberland, Rhode Island. 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/.
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Mercymount Country Day School is a 70-year-old independent school serving about 350 students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. Mercymount has been recognized as a
Blue Ribbon School of Excellence and is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. Late last year, the school inducted Sr. Martha Mulligan, R.S.M. into its Hall of Fame, an honor for her 25 years of service as principal and the many awards and accolades the school has received under her watch.
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With the guidance of the regional accreditation board, Mercymount's curriculum has seen numerous innovations. And through rigorous development achievements, every classroom is filled with state-of-the-art learning technologies from whiteboards to iPads and software resources. Special subjects - art, music, library skills, Spanish, physical education and computer technology have been prioritized in an academic curriculum that is challenging and integrated with the Mercy mission. A
new Learning Center at Mercymount has just been added to support students, teachers, and families.
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The mission to “make mercy real” has been integrated within the school in
various programs such as Mercy Ministry, Teens Living in Christ, Blessings in a Backpack, Friends of Mercy, and Rainbow of Joy. Many area organizations have benefited from Lenten donations, fundraisers and holiday cards. These philanthropic efforts resulted in the honor of
Outstanding Philanthropic Service Organization for the school in 2014 by the Rhode Island Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. The school also has tremendous support through its volunteer corps.
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Good News & Great Opportunities
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- More than 450 catholic school teachers and staff participated in an annual Catholic Educators' Conference in Guam to close out Catholic Schools Week. Saint Anthony School's Doris Camacho, Irene Camacho, and Angie Susuico were recognized for dedicating 25 years of service to Catholic education. Marie Mararac and Victoria Ramos from Santa Barbara Catholic School had 25 and 40 years!
- Educators and their students can now be part of a beta program to create their own Google Expeditions virtual reality experiences. Explore your options and sign up here.
- Students from Colegio Santa Ethnea in Argentina are attending classes at Assumption High School and Mercy Academy. Check out the send-off and arrival photos on Facebook.
- After an extensive review of Vatican documents, the Cardinal Newman Society has published Principles of Catholic Identity in Education: Parent Guide. The document is designed to help current and prospective parents reflect upon those elements the Church expects to be present in all Catholic schools and which distinguish them from other schools.
- ¡Felicitaciones! Instituto María Regina in La Ceiba, Honduras, turned 58 years old on February 1. Follow along on Facebook and Instagram to see what's happening at the school. St. Catherine Academy in Belize City celebrated 135 years on Jan. 20th. Here's a look.
- Earth Day 2018 is coming. Our friends at Catholic Climate Covenant will release a program of prayers, readings, and activities to mark the event. Sign up here to receive it.
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To help each one of us prepare for the Season of Lent (14 February - 29 March 2018), the
Mercy International Association has collated a number of new-for-2018
free online resources for your reading, listening, viewing, praying, and reflection.
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We'll be watching the social media pages of our schools for behind-the-scenes views of all the various Kairos retreats. In case you haven't been on one, Kairos, adapted from Greek to mean "God’s Time," is a special, student-led retreat program geared toward deepening students' faith, identity, relationships, and connection to God's role in our lives. Get a feel for the program from
this webpage.
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February is Lead with Languages Advocacy Month
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Throughout the month of February, a U.S.-based nonprofit is spearheading a national observance called "Lead with Languages Advocacy Month." The organization will celebrate stories from students, parents, teachers, and other community members who advocate for language education across the United States. They want to hear from you!
There are many ways you can join in to raise your voice in support of language learning, including:
- Submitting a #LeadwithLanguages selfie (like this)
- Changing your profile picture on social media platform
- Engaging with @LeadWLanguages by tweeting & posting
- Sharing all of the Lead with Languages resources you love with others in your network
The hope is to create a new generation of Americans competent in other languages and cultures and fully equipped to compete and succeed in a global economy. To get involved, check out this set of
ready-to-go activities.
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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
mesa@sistersofmercy.org.
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March 1, 2018
8 am - 3 pm
Atlanta, GA
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Leadership Academy
July 23-24, 2018
Baltimore, MD
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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
mesa@sistersofmercy.org.
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