March Madness is in the air! | |
March is the perfect time to showcase three of our recent alumni who are standouts in the basketball arena! We are “St. Mary Proud” of Keaton Elliott, Colin Doss, and Palmer Sims. Each young man brings his expertise and unique set of talents to his role in one of Kentucky’s most beloved sports: basketball! | |
Keaton Elliot, Class of 2020
2020 St. Mary alumnus and University of Kentucky senior Keaton Elliot operates the camera for the SEC Network. Throughout this year, he worked as the primary game camera operator for five UK games. He worked three events for ESPN’s main channel (Missouri, Florida, and Ole Miss). The other two events were on the SEC Network (Georgetown and New Mexico State). A typical game day has Keaton arriving five hours before tip-off to ensure the camera equipment and lighting are ready for the game. They have about an hour of downtime before the game. Once the warm-ups start, Keaton is on his camera getting shots for the pregame packages and the opening of the show…and then, it’s game time! Keaton is a journalism major with an option in sports journalism. He will graduate in May and plans to either stay at the SEC working full time or take an internship with an NFL or NBA team. He credits a lot of his success to his high school English teacher, Melissa Reed (2004 alumna). He said, “Mrs. Reed set me up so well and taught me essential knowledge that I use every single day at work and in school. She deserves recognition for teaching me things that are bigger than school.”
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Palmer Sims, Class of 2023
2023 St. Mary alumnus Palmer Sims is a Student Manager for the University of Kentucky men’s basketball team. He is one of eight student managers overall. He works under the direction of the Coaches, the Equipment Manager, and the Director of Basketball Operations. Palmer has many duties which can include sorting equipment and going to daily practice and workouts with the team. During practice, he helps the players with rebounding, passing, and scouting the opposing teams. Palmer attends all home games, showing up 3 hours before game time. His responsibilities include getting the uniforms ready for the players and helping the team with workouts and warmups before the game. This season, he traveled with the team to Vandy and his travels to away games will increase with each year. By his senior year, he will be attending every away game. He does all this while attending classes as a full-time student working toward his Business Management major. Typically, he puts in 40+ hours a week as a student manager. Each day varies as to the time commitment, but on a game day, he will put in eight hours for the team. Discipline, hard work, and commitment are the driving forces for Palmer’s success in the classroom and on the court.
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Colin Doss, Class of 2020
2020 St. Mary alumnus Colin Doss is an Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach at Brescia University. Brescia University is an NAIA program in Owensboro, Kentucky. Colin handles all aspects of the program, such as recruiting, scouting, development, weight training, film, paperwork, and academics. His week typically consists of 50-60 hours of work on and off the court. He is currently one of the youngest coaches in the country. He is also the Head Coach for PHD Team USA U16. This summer, Colin and PHD Team USA 16 will be heading overseas to compete in the United World Games in Austria on June 1st. In the summer of 2023, he won the United World Games Gold Medal as an Assistant Coach for the U19 team when they competed in Europe. He was the youngest coach on the tour at 21 years of age. He hopes to win back-to-back Gold Medals this summer. Colin also coaches for Kentucky Supreme, a prestigious and well-known AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) program based out of Louisville. He loves coaching because it gives him an opportunity to impact the lives of young people. He can help send them to college and pursue their dreams of playing college basketball. In his four years of coaching AAU, impressively, his record stands at 72-30 to date, and he has sent roughly 23 student-athletes to play college basketball. Colin’s love and commitment to the game define his success as his coaching career continues to soar.
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The History of St. Mary’s Academy Part II
~ The Civil War Years~
Many thanks to Bill Baxter, Director of the Lloyd Tilghman Museum in Paducah,
for his knowledge and expertise of the Civil War.
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St. Mary's Academy was founded in 1858 by the Sisters of Charity in Nazareth in response to the growing educational needs of Paducah. There were no public schools in the city at that time, and a limited number of private schools were conducted in family homes.
At the end of the first school year, the Sisters conducted public examinations with the students, and St. Mary annals claim one of the first female graduates as Miss Anne Menard. Her family had moved to Paducah from France. After graduation and further studies in France, Miss Menard felt a call to religious life, and upon her return to Kentucky, she entered the novitiate at the convent. As a Sister, she became one of the community's most distinguished educators and the First Secretary General of the Sisters of Charity in Nazareth, KY.
Enrollment in St. Mary Academy increased quickly, and by the beginning of the second year, already one hundred students were enrolled, with two Sisters added to the original three as faculty. By 1860, a new school building was required, as well as an expansion of the Paducah convent. The growth and success of St. Mary's first years were soon overshadowed by rumors of civil war. One of the most challenging periods in St. Mary Academy's history was about to unfold.
As the Civil War erupted, Paducah's location at the confluence of four rivers became a crucial shipping and supply route for both the Union and Confederate armies. Kentucky attempted to remain neutral in the war efforts, but soon, it was a state with distinctly divided loyalties. In September 1861, the Union General Ulysses S. Grant was stationed in Cairo, IL, and laid siege on Paducah. Most local Paducah families fled the Union soldiers - taking their St. Mary students with them.
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Plan Your Class Reunion today!
If you graduated in 1954, 1964, 1974, 1984, 1994, 2004, 2014, it's time for your class reunion! If reunion plans are already underway, please let us know so we can spread the word, and help you plan a wonderful reunion.
Please reach out to our Alumni Coordinator, Lisa Zakutney, by email: lisa.zakutney@smss.org
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Class of 1954 - 70th Reunion
March 10, 2024
Zoom Reunion hosted by Charles Rawlings
Phone: 270.538.1766 / Email: rawlings@siu.edu
Class of 1959 - 65th Reunion
Fall 2024
Contact: Al McKeown
Phone: 270.519.5816 / Email: a_mck@bellsouth.net
Class of 1964 - 60th Reunion
May 31 - June 2, 2024
May 31:Meet & Greet Cocktail Hour at the home of Linda Thompson
June 1: Dinner (Location TBD)
June 2: Alumni Mass at St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church
Contact: Linda Swain Thompson
Phone: 270.210.0820 / Email: linda_t7@msn.com
Class of 1969 - 55th Reunion
June 7-9, 2024
Cabin Rental east of Brookport, IL
Contact: Norma Wirt
Phone: 859.396.3132 / Email: nwirt@hotmail.com
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Have you graduated from college, started a new job, celebrated your wedding, or have exciting news to share? We love to hear about your Alumni Milestones! Click HERE to share news and be featured in our quarterly newsletters. | |
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CLASS OF 2005
Bridget Anderson Medley welcomed baby boy Matthew David on February 15, 2024. He joins big brothers, Walter, 11, Andrew, 9, Patrick, 6, and William, 4.
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CLASS OF 2006
Adrienne Rasche Bear welcomed baby boy Walker Lee on October 18, 2023. He joins big brother Brooks, 2.
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CLASS OF 2006
Michelle Pederson Monico welcomed baby boy Ryan Nathan on November 30, 2023. He joins big sister Olivia, 4.
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CLASS OF 2000/2007
Michael Perry and Abby Townzen welcomed baby boy Davis William on December 11, 2023.
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CLASS OF 2008
Chad Perrewe welcomed baby boy Graham Charles on September 13, 2023. He joins big brother Cal, 3.
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CLASS OF 2009
Zach Howard welcomed baby girl Taylor Dawn on August 1, 2023
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CLASS OF 2009
Derrick Wurth welcomed baby girl, Charlotte Ann on February 19, 2024
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CLASS OF 2010
Gayle Dunlap Anstett welcomed baby boy, Wyatt Francis on March 29, 2023
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CLASS OF 2010
Josh Meredith welcomed baby boy, Joshua Simon on February 5, 2024. He joins big sister Noelle, 2 ½.
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CLASS OF 2010
Jared Thweatt welcomed baby boy, Easton Wayne on July 8, 2023. He joins big brothers Harrison, 9 and Paxton, 6.
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CLASS OF 2010/2011
Peyton (Vaughn) '11 and Clint Engert '10 welcomed baby boy Hudson Reed on December 1, 2023. He joins big sister Collins, 1½.
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CLASS OF 2011
Isabelle LaBarge Williams welcomed baby girl Louisa Eleanor on October 2, 2023.
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CLASS OF 2012
Nathan Ellis welcomed baby boy Nicholas (Nico) Alexander on February 4, 2024.
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CLASS OF 2012
Michae Word Culp welcomed baby girl Lynlee Jean on August 3, 2023
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CLASS OF 2013
Matthew Rea welcomed baby boy, Liam Michael on September 1, 2023.
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CLASS OF 2013
Leann Thweatt Kane welcomed baby boy, Charles Patrick on September 22, 2023.
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CLASS OF 2013
Sally Ballard Overcast welcomed baby boy, Clyde Cecil on February 12, 2024. He joins big brother Cactus, 1½.
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CLASS OF 1983
Shannon Turner Rose married Theo Moyssiadis on July 8, 2023.
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CLASS OF 2004
Seth Perry married Jennifer Mason on November 18, 2023.
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CLASS OF 2010
Katherine Halicks married Joel Harley on August 29, 2023.
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CLASS OF 2011
Linsey Quigley married Travis Hickman on November 18, 2023.
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CLASS OF 2011
Ryan Hunt married Taylor Proctor on September 23, 2023.
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CLASS OF 2012
Alexa Brandon married John Rose on October 21, 2023.
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CLASS OF 2012
Reed Vaughan married Meredith Endris on January 20, 2024.
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CLASS OF 2014 / 2016
Justin Lang '14 married Emily Bowerman '16 on October 28, 2023..
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CLASS OF 2017
Olivia Griffin married Reed Hutchinson on November 4, 2023.
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CLASS OF 2020
John Ryan Curtsinger graduated from Ohio University with a Bachelor of Arts in Media Film Production.
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CLASS OF 2014
Ian LaBarge graduated from Ohio University with an MFA in Film.
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