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12 Mrs. C Takes Her Leave
Staff Editor Kathleen C. Kenny
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Associate Editor Kathleen McDermott
Meshing Core Values with Multicultural Learning
21 Raising the Leadership Bar
Contributing Writers Carey Bell ’06 Nicolene Emerson James C. Farrar ’59 Mary Kate Farrar Vega ’93 Debra Hollander Kathleen C. Kenny Matt Lindley ’92 Kathleen McDermott Arlene Smith Tom Zeit ’88 Editorial Assistants Katy Finucane ’06 Colleen F. Kiely ’96 Matt LaWell Arlene Smith Mary Kate Farrar Vega ’93 Holly Yotter Photography John Bashian ’78 Neal Busch Bill Cumming Nicolene Emerson James C. Farrar ’59 Mark Most Kevin Reeves Michael Spear
23 Classroom Canny
Design/Production Canale Studio, Inc. Printing Oliver Printing Director of Institutional Advancement Colleen F. Kiely ’96
24 Sowing the Seeds of Spirituality
Director of Development James C. Farrar ’59 Director of Annual Fund and Constituent Relations Mary Kate Farrar Vega ’93
Sponsored by the Congregation of Holy Cross Notre Dame, Indiana
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Gilmour Magazine
CONTENTS Features
Alumni
One of Gilmour’s Finest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 The Montessori Momentum at Gilmour . . . . 8 Taking Learning to a New Level . . . . . . . . .10 Mrs. C Takes Her Leave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
AlumNews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30 Lancer Spotlights . . . .30, 32, 33, 34, 40, 42, 44 Duo Honored as Alumni . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36 Tender Mercies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38
Campus
Lancer Athletics
Facing Frenzy Head On . . . . . . . . . . . . . Meshing Core Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Power of Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Cleveland Connection . . . . . . . . . . . Looking Through the Lens of Leadership Raising the Leadership Bar . . . . . . . . . . . Experts Prep Gilmour Seniors . . . . . . . . . Forensics on the Frontline . . . . . . . . . . . Classroom Canny . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sowing the Seeds of Spirituality . . . . . . . Spiritual Seed Capital . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . On Bullies, Bystanders and Victims . . . . . Astonaut Adventures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
.14 .15 .16 .18 .20 .21 .22 .22 .23 .24 .26 .28 .29
The Places They Could Go . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 Lancers Will Play for NCAA Teams . . . . . . .48 Chaney Chooses Division I EMU . . . . . . . . .48 Sports Snapshot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
Memorial Margaret Murphy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52 Brother Terence Muehlenkamp, C.S.C. . . . .53 Gilmour Extends Sympathy to Families . . . .53
Dear Parents, We send this magazine to college-age graduates at their parents’ homes. Please forward this to keep your son or daughter informed about GA.
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Featur e
One of Gilmour’s Finest I
n 1979, a young Irishman teaching at England’s prestigious Lancaster Royal Grammar School decided to come to America. He was following the love of his life, a Clevelander whom he’d met as a student at Lancaster University. Late last year he followed her again, this time for a federal judicial appointment in Tallahassee, Fla. And in the nearly 30 intervening years, “He was one of the Gilmour Academy was blessed with one of its kindest, most loving best and most beloved people I’ve ever met.” teachers. Frank McCamley Sarah Jane Osborne ’10 taught English courses, coached the academic quiz team – to back-to-back state championships, no less – and was the Junior Varsity Boys Soccer coach, among other various responsibilities, but his impact on the school is a bit harder to quantify. To wit: “He was one of the kindest, most loving people I’ve ever met,” says Sarah Jane Osborne ’10. “I’ve never forgotten my mentor, who made me love writing and literature, and whose lessons I now pass on to any child who will lend an ear,” Sera Nelson ’03 says of him. “There were a few certainties of everyday life at Gilmour, and one of them was that
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Mr. McCamley accepted me for exactly who I was. It’s hard to explain what a powerful thing that was and is to this day,” says Hannah LaBerteaux ’05. James Asher ’88 can’t help but smile as he recalls “Carm’s” antics on the soccer field and his commanding presence in the classroom. And finally, from John Mansour ’95: “I’m certainly happy for Mr. McCamley and his family, but I wish that future classes at GA could have the special experience of having him at the front of their classroom.” Sitting in his backyard in near-80-degree sunshine in mid-February, McCamley reports missing Gilmour and the Cleveland area an awful lot, but he enjoys living in Tallahassee. “It’s a big college town, and it’s the state capital, but it feels small because really all there is in town is Florida State University, so it’s kind of got a high-school feeling,” he says. “I can’t imagine ever moving again.”
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“Many people dread getting up and going to work, but I always wanted the summer to end more quickly than it does because I really want to get back in the classroom.” Frank McCamley
Although McCamley’s wife, Janet, previously a lawyer specializing in Social Security matters, had undergone a lengthy consideration for a judgeship, the actual appointment came abruptly at the “I’ve never forgotten beginning of August. my mentor, who “It was shocking,” made me love writing Frank says. “It was only 12 days before and literature.” the start of the new Sera Nelson ’03 school year, I was reading like crazy, and suddenly I discovered I’m not going to be teaching at Gilmour any more. “So I had to tell everybody that I’d be leaving,” he continues, “and Mrs. Kenny replied, ‘No, you won’t. You can teach online.’ And I said, ‘What? Me? But I’m technologically challenged. The abacus in me is state of the art.’” But he was eager to continue teaching, and so McCamley’s presence hasn’t left the Gilmour campus entirely, as he’s currently teaching a senior Irish literature course conducted over the Web. He can now “tumble out of bed, put on my coffee, sit back in my recliner with my laptop on the elbow, click in with my 11 students, and off we go,” he says. “The kids have been fantastic, and I thoroughly enjoy being involved again.” For more than 25 years McCamley has been living with multiple sclerosis, a disease that’s unfortunately both incurable and degenerative, and he’s been bound to a scooter for several years now. So he knew there
would come a time when he’d have to call it quits. “As much as it pained me to leave Gilmour,” he says, “it probably came at the right time, because I wouldn’t be able to teach the way I used to for much longer.” Nevertheless, he reports that his condition is good and he’s feeling well, still zipping around on his scooter, but happy to be able to do what he loves from the comfort of home. “Many people dread getting up and going to work, but I always wanted the summer to end more quickly than it does because I really want to get back in the classroom,” McCamley says. “I like days off as much as anybody, but I’m actually happier when school is in session.” These 30 years at Gilmour have been eventful ones, from the allboys school going co-ed, on through the technological revolution of more recent years, McCamley sees the need to keep pace with the ever-changing world without abandoning Gilmour’s core values as the school’s greatest challenge in the coming decades.
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Featur e
One of Gilmour’s Finest (continued)
He feels very blessed and proud that his two children Brian ’03 and Lauren ’08 are Gilmour graduates. “In a world where information is changing so rapidly, you need to develop kids who can think rather than just regurgitate,” he says. “I think we’ve gone from a school where we essentially just lectured and the kids took notes, which is sort of an old Victorian, factory model that too many schools have gotten stuck in, into a school that’s student-centered, and I think that’s huge. “We used to try to cover an awful lot of material – all of British literature in one course! – and it was like this mad race,” he continues, “and I was Kathy Kenny adding to the Roast very lucky if I ever th made it into the 20 century in my teaching. We try to go more in depth now, and I think students learn more that way, more than just enough to pass the test and move on to the next hurdle.”
“I’m certainly happy for Mr. McCamley and his family, but I wish that future classes at GA could have the special experience of having him at the front of their classroom.” John Mansour ’95
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McCamley is also concerned about the effect that the speed of modern technology might have on students’ ability to reach that kind of depth. “With the emphasis on everything digital, and – God forbid - the potential death of the book, are we looking at a world in which kids can only think in short little bits “There were a few because their minds are hardwired in a different certainties of way?” he asks. everyday life at “Will they laugh at Gilmour, and one of books the way we laughed at inkwells them was that back when I was a boy? Mr. McCamley I wonder what that would mean to the accepted me for concept of what an exactly who I was.” educated person is. Hannah LaBerteaux ’05 And I worry about where literature would fit into all of that.” The strong educational traditions of Gilmour, as McCamley sees it, are a bulwark against the degrading aspects of this rapidly developing world, enabling students to better take advantage of its benefits. “A lot of public schools, with the squeeze on their finances, do a lot of teaching to the tests because their survival depends on it,” he adds. “So there’s a movement away from teaching for thoughtfulness and insight in favor of a very pragmatic approach. And more broadly, there’s definitely a utilitarian attitude out there. We used to believe that an educated person had a firm grounding in the classics and humanities, and that with those skills you could operate in any environment, but now there’s a society move toward practical application. I think Gilmour’s independence allows us not to be pulled with the current of financial necessity and to work against some of the less desirable trends in this
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Featur e
The Montessori Momentum at Gilmour F
or the children who step inside the two Montessori classrooms at Gilmour Academy’s Lower School, it really is a small world after all, as the song says. Children are surrounded by a warm and inviting environment, with paintings by art masters and artifacts from around the world. Everything seems to take place at a child’s eye level and each classroom has a door that leads to a garden where the mysteries of nature jump out for young minds. Gilmour’s Montessori Preschool Program is one of only six in Ohio and the only one in Northeast Ohio to earn accreditation by The American Montessori Society. Founded in 1985, Gilmour’s program provides a traditional Montessori education five days a week to children ages 3 to 5 – full days for Montessori Kindergarteners and half-days for the younger children. Gilmour’s 53 Montessori students work independently and at their own pace. At Gilmour, the central objective is to cultivate children as peacemakers who become self-directed students with inner discipline and skills to gain the knowledge they desire. Montessori education promotes the concept of helping children to teach themselves with a certified Montessori Directress as guide. The teachers – Mary Beth Hayes-Zatko and Randi Russell – teach the same program in both Montessori classrooms and the children remain with the same teacher throughout all three years. Between them, the two teachers have 32 years experience teaching Montessori at Gilmour, plus additional years of experience teaching at other Montessori schools.
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The Montessori teachers apply their training and observation skills to guide the students in exploring and discovering the universe through special Montessori materials. These materials use color, natural wood grains and unusual shapes to encourage multisensory learning. The high quality materials designed by Maria Montessori help children explore, invent, represent and redesign various concepts. Mathematics starts with number recognition and can progress all the way through long division if the child is ready, Russell says. Using exercises based on sensory prompts, the children might manipulate different divisions in a tube or work with glass beads on a chain to count; and learn to skip count, which helps with multiplication and work with square roots. They also study geometric shapes, use constructive triangles, learn to differentiate between sizes and to conceptualize the differences in length. “One of the lessons the children explore is called the grand array, where they use many of the sensorial materials such as the pink tower, brown stairs and knobless cylinders to create an engineering structure,” Russell explains. “The children learn the graduation of length, size and shape and to understand how all that fits together.” The principles of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) are explored within the classroom to meet life’s challenges. STEM is an interdisciplinary approach to help students become problem solvers, innovators, inventors and thinkers. Montessori materials are geared toward engineering design and include binomial and trinomial cubes, HayesZatko says. The students also learn to build a Roman arch and to study how they were made in ancient times. Science begins with botany and zoology. The children engage in vertebrate sorting, making their way through fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals, and also study invertebrates. They explore rocks and minerals, the solar system, planets, constellations, magnetic and nonmagnetic materials, and they focus
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The McCamley Heritage Dictionary ever-evolving technological society.” In sum, he says, “It’s very much the same school it was when I started there. It still believes in creating a humane and just society and all those important things. The mission hasn’t changed at all, in my view. It is very inspiring.” You may be surprised to learn that, as McCamley reflects on his career, the thing that makes him proudest is that he chose Gilmour as the place to spend it. What a piece of luck, he says, that the school had an opening for an English teacher at just the time he needed one. “It’s a place I’ve thoroughly enjoyed because of the people I’ve worked with, and the relationships I’ve developed with the kids over the years have been so satisfying. I don’t know if pride is quite the right word for that, but it confirms that I made the right choice.” As it turns out, his good luck was matched by that of the entire Gilmour Community that benefited from his presence, and by the students whose lives he improved with his work. In honor of his departure, Frank McCamley was put on trial with current and veteran faculty members. The verdict for our very own Socrates: Beloved! Tom Zeit ’88
Some favorites from among Frank’s many curious expressions. “It’s time to commence to begin to start to get ready to rock and roll.” Translation: It’s class time.
“You are a gentleman, a scholar, and a judge of whiskey.” Translation: Good job.
“Stop acting like a mental amoeba!” Translation: Think harder. [singing] “Turn out the lights; the party’s over.” Translation: You’re finished. (All possible meanings.)
“That team drinks canal water.” Translation: You boys can beat them. “Unlucky, son. Unlucky.” Translation:
You screwed up. “Rubbish!” Translation:
Rubbish.
Blast from the past: Bill Porter ’84, Paul Primeau, Tiho Teisl, Pat Brockway, Dorothy Coerdt, Kathy Kenny, Wayne Labue, John Gale, Gay Janis, Marge Baldwin, Frank McCamley, Ray Sharnsky, Lisa Forino, Rich Grejtak.
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At Gilmour, the central objective is to cultivate children as peacemakers who become self-directed students with inner discipline and skills to gain the knowledge they desire.
on concepts such as sinking, floating and water displacement. “Science is where we discover, and it engenders a sense of wonder in children,” HayesZatko says. The students traverse the spectrum of life from the inception of plants and animals, the movement of land masses from earthquakes and volcanoes and the evolution from fish to reptiles, birds and mammals. Science also is a gateway for fostering spirituality, and the Montessori gardens are crucial to classroom learning. “The wonder and awe of nature is what naturally segues into the spiritual unfolding of the child,” HayesZatko says. The garden ingrains social awareness, responsibility, community ties and service, while integrating real-life lessons in basic gardening. Educating students for their role as citizens of the world requires a school culture that teaches students to think globally. Teaching children about flags, music, art, cooking and costumes of other countries is the hallmark of the Montessori Method, Hayes-Zatko notes. Whether providing funds to build wells in Kenya or sending Girl Scout cookies to soldiers in Iraq, Montessori students learn to observe, interpret and respond to others as informed and active young citizens. Montessori students have created sachets for an inner-city parish from herbs they planted in their classroom garden. Around Halloween, they make and sell chocolate-covered pretzels and contribute the proceeds to the Fieldstone Farm Therapeutic Riding stables. The children also provide food and money for the Backpack Program at the Cleveland Foodbank to close the hunger gap on weekends when children from
some local schools do not have access to free school lunches. “Last year, one child brought his piggy-bank money to buy food,” Russell recalls. Physical education also is an important aspect of the curriculum. The students develop their motor skills, improve flexibility and increase their fitness levels by ice skating in Gilmour’s Ice Arena and through swimming lessons in the new Athletic Center natatorium. A weekly dance and movement class that is part of the music curriculum also promotes coordination and free expression. The children also participate in the Learning Through Music Program, which complements early reading and music, presented by the Cleveland Orchestra. Twice a year, a Cleveland Orchestra musician comes to Gilmour to provide lessons on instrument families and talks to the children about various stories depicted in musical works such as “Swan Lake.” Each May, the children attend a performance by the Cleveland Orchestra. Three times each week, Montessori Kindergarteners meet with Spanish instructor Joyce Ware to learn Spanish. As the students matriculate through the program, the Montessori Kindergarteners become the leaders in the classroom and the younger children look up to them. Russell’s own three children attended Montessori schools. She says, “What I learned from my own children is that they gained self-confidence that follows them through their lives.”
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Featur e
Taking Learning to a New Level
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ne of the things Monica Veto will miss most when she leaves Gilmour Academy is commencement. After 15 years as director of the Lower School and Montessori Preschool Program, Veto will retire to Sarasota, Fla., with her husband, Joe, at the end of this academic year. “I will miss not seeing the seniors graduate,” Veto says. “When I attend graduation each year, it is wonderful to pick out the students who came up from the Lower School.” In response, Gilmour Headmaster Brother Robert Lavelle, C.S.C., notes that “Lifers have continued to build on the foundation received under Dr. Veto’s leadership and enthusiasm.” Gilmour parent and Trustee Bob Monitello sees Veto as exemplifying Gilmour’s mission of “educating the heart as well as the mind.” For Veto, it has always been about the children. She is an advocate for a personal learning environment that is learner-centered – one that begins where the child finds himself or herself in the educational process. “We teach students how to think, not what to think,” Veto says, emphasizing that students are encouraged to become architects of their own learning and achievement. “When my daughter came home after her Candlelight Lunch with Dr. Veto, Hannah couldn’t stop talking about how nice and kind she was to her,” Gilmour parent Mel Weltle says. “Dr. Veto asked her questions that made her think and she listened to everything she said. Her personal relationship with the students shines through day after day.” Only the second person to serve as director of Gilmour’s Lower School, Veto was a principal and teacher at St. Thomas More School before joining
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Gilmour in 1996. She has a bachelor’s degree from Franciscan University, master’s degrees from St. John’s College and Ursuline College, and a doctorate in educational administration from the University of Akron. “My experience at Gilmour has been nothing short of incredible, inspirational and professionally exhilarating,” Veto says. The greatest gift she will leave the Academy with, she says, is Brother Robert’s “modeling of our Holy Cross mission. It has changed my life forever.” For his part, Brother Robert notes that “Dr. Veto promotes our Holy Cross mission, welcoming and including students and families into the Gilmour Community.” Veto believes that faith development plays an important role because it enables students to grow not only spiritually as individuals, but to also critically assess society’s values and concerns, igniting a passion to serve others. She also maintains that Gilmour’s Catholic Holy Cross mission provides a unique cultural experience for students of all faiths. In recalling her decision to join Gilmour, Veto points to her desire to work in a Pre-K through Grade 12 school. “I liked what I saw when I came to Gilmour, and started thinking we can do this and improve this,” she says. As a result, Veto has successfully led the Lower School into the 21st century. Many major projects have been completed on her watch: a $2.5 million expansion that enhanced the school’s science, music and humanities programs by adding a computer center, an Electronic Research Lab, a new library, music center, classrooms, exhibition area and playground. She increased foreign language offerings and religion instruction. Some of her other hallmarks include
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upgrades for the After School Program, extracurricular activities and the introduction of a Youth Impact Program that provides challenging activities for students when school is out of session. During her tenure, Veto spearheaded the move to make academic rigor the norm, laying the groundwork for confident learners who are able to apply critical thinking, inference, inquiry, reflection and creativity to their academic work. “Dr. Veto has truly seen that our children receive a customized education, so that each child is given the opportunity to reach his or her individual potential,” Monitello says. Veto believes that curriculum integration and an interdisciplinary approach make learning more personal and meaningful. Students make connections between subjects and see real-life applications through researchbased strategies about how children learn best. This holds true even for Gilmour’s youngest students. In 2006, Veto facilitated the accreditation of the Montessori Preschool Program. It became one of only six programs in Ohio – and the only one in Northeast Ohio – to earn accreditation by The American “We teach students how to Montessori think, not what to think.” Society. “Research Dr. Monica Veto informs us that the most important variable regarding highly effective teachers is the director of the school. Dr. Monica Veto is that director,” says Elizabeth Fesler, Lower School educational consultant. “Her focus for the Lower School is laser sharp. Her knowledge of curriculum is exemplary, as is her emphasis on professional development. She structures this as both daily and weekly occurrences. Teachers share collaboratively all of their unit lesson designs, including student assessment. “She has beautifully navigated the difficult waters of caring for teachers and raising the achievement level of every child.” Veto spends considerable time observing students and teachers. Her emphasis on professional development for teachers creates a culture that promotes academic excellence and students who are adept at critical thinking.
As part of a professional learning community, teachers talk with each other about their own craft and give each other feedback. They gather in grade-level teams for 90 minutes a week, as well as with others who teach the same subject for weekly after-school discipline team meetings. This has led to greater depth of curriculum content, effective teaching strategies, meaningful student activities, assessment to diagnose progress and evaluate learning, and the collection of data to analyze and document higher achievement. Whether pursuing a graduate degree, presenting at conferences, sharing teaching strategies or mastering new technology and ways to integrate curriculum, the byproduct is integrated into the classroom to positively affect student achievement. “Monica unhesitatingly teams with teachers in designing lesson plans that both personalize learning and challenge each student to reach a newer and higher level of achievement,” Brother Robert says. “She sets a tone and pace that elevates the bar and permits ways of personalizing the design, so students want to reach a high standard and beyond.” The introduction of the Gilmour Global Initiative in 2009 added a broader dimension of projects, experiences and opportunities for collaboration and problem solving, Veto says. The initiative prepares students to think critically and analyze the connections between the United States and other countries. Students are more aware of other people’s cultures and have a desire to know about what they believe in and what their traditions are. What her colleagues at the Lower School will miss is “her wisdom and her great sense of humor,” says admissions director Megan Marrie Schlickmann ’90. “I feel privileged to have worked with Dr. Veto for the past 14 years. She is a trusted friend, a mentor, a model of professionalism to her colleagues and an example of compassion to our students.” “Monica’s legacy becomes a challenge for all of us to continue her initiatives and to take them to the next level,” says Kathy Rini, Lower School administrative associate. “She never lost touch with her roots as a teacher, and as only a seasoned professional can do, she’s given us an assignment.”
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Featur e
Mrs. C Takes Her Leave
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s many members of the Gilmour Community have likely heard, our long-time beloved dorm mother, Gloria Cotton, assistant dean of residential life, will retire at the end of the school year. Fondly remembered by the many students who knew her and lived in the dorms with her, Mrs. C, as she was more commonly known, will be sorely missed by all. It is almost impossible to imagine the Murphy Residence Hall and the dorm experience without Mrs. C. No one ever left the dorms for Convocation without Mrs. C wishing them a good day. She could be seen every Sunday in the fall wearing one of her two Pittsburgh Steelers’ jerseys (Jerome Bettis from Branden Hansen ’02, Mark McCreary ’02 and Billy Navarre ’02 and Ben Roethelsberger from Max Malone ’05). The shirts were almost longer than her own height! Whatever problems they might have been facing, students always felt comfortable turning to Mrs. C for help. John Rante ’06 recalls waking up with a bad cold and fever one morning and the nurse insisting that it was only allergies and that he go to school. Mrs. C however was “having none of it” and allowed him to stay “home” that day. I, on the other hand, recall returning to the dorms from morning hockey practice and feigning illness in the hopes of being able to go back to sleep. Mrs. C was having none of that either and I found myself sitting in convocation shortly thereafter. Mrs. C was always there for her students when the need arose, but there was no slipping one past her either. One impression that seems to have stuck with all the students who have passed through the dorms is Mrs. C’s seemingly limitless compassion. If someone was sick, Mrs. C would be sure to check on the student every few hours, bringing ginger ale and toast. Emile Chartrand ’07 recalls that when he broke his collar bone, Mrs. C had her reclining chair sent downstairs to his room because he couldn’t lie down in bed. She would wake him up during the night so that he could take the medicine he needed every four hours. While there are likely many women who hold the title dorm mother, none have ever been more of a
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Gloria Cotton with resident students
mother to their students than Mrs. Cotton. Navarre is amazed that “Mrs. C seemed to always be present. I could count on walking home from school, coming back from hockey practice or even coming home from a night out with friends to find Mrs. C ready to greet, or reprimand me for my tardiness. She is one of those few adults who is universally respected. While many would be willing to cross other proctors, few would be bold enough to directly challenge Mrs. C. When I was a dormer, I could count on Mrs. C being someone I could go to for help at any time.” While each student has his or her own unique memories of Mrs. C, there are many recollections that are unique not to one year or one student, but just to Mrs. C. “I could count Every year it seems that the dorm students would request on Mrs. C being to be allowed to have a dorm someone I could dog, and each year the response was the same. go to for help at As Cody Sarmiento ’10 any time.” remembers, she would laugh a little bit at the question itself Billy Navarre ’02 and then say, “A dog? You guys can’t even take care of yourselves, let alone a dog.” It was with these witticisms that Mrs. C would respond to all manner of student requests; almost all made even less sense than asking for a dog. “Gloria has given many wonderful years of service to Gilmour, which has enabled our resident students to have a “home-away-from-home experience,” says Headmaster Brother Robert Lavelle, C.S.C. “She has
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With Sharon Osborne ’10
cared for these students when they were well and ill, communicated with their families and challenged the students in great as well as down times. Gloria has made a difference in the many lives she has touched – students, parents, faulty, staff and administrators. I am immensely grateful for her many years of care and commitment. We will miss her.” Mrs. C first came to Gilmour 17 years ago after retiring as a house mother at Mount Union College where she worked for 8 years. Prior to that, she worked for 16 years at a “We left Gilmour skilled nursing facility as an EKG technician, dental with a second assistant and assistant to the pathologist. She mother and the and her husband, Atsey, lasting memories raised four daughters. Following her we have with her retirement, Mrs. C plans to do volunteer work and at Gilmour will spend some well-deserved time with her children, be cherished.” seven grandchildren and Branden Hansen ’02 three great-grandchildren. The Gilmour Community plans to celebrate Mrs. C’s retirement and her immense contribution to Gilmour and its students this summer with a dinner scheduled for June 9, the day before Reunion Weekend. Vince Bonacci, dean of residential life, applauds the dedication Gloria Cotton devoted to Gilmour’s young resident students. “She not only embraced the mission of Gilmour, but she lived it daily,” he says. While Mrs. C will no longer be seen paddling around the dorms in her socks, she will long be remembered in the Gilmour Community for her tireless commitment, leadership and the love she had for her students. Many former resident students will undoubtedly track her down, just as they have done years after
With Alex Wahlman ’09
graduating from Gilmour. Ali Maranuk ‘04 still has her phone number memorized. “Since I graduated from Gilmour in 2004, there has not been one time that I have driven through Gates Mills and not stopped at the dorms to say “hello” to Mrs. Cotton. We can laugh to the point where we can cry, we can discuss topics that I would only share with my parents and recall more happy memories from our four years together than I will ever be able to count.” Likewise, Billy Navarre says, “I have now been away from Gilmour for nearly 10 years, but the impact Mrs. C had on me was so strong that I always make an effort to visit her anytime I am in the area.” Classmate Shahzad Khan would agree. “There are many fond memories of Mrs. C. She was there when we were sick, she was there to let us know about dinner and to give us permission to leave on the weekends. She really was our “mom” away from home. However, I think one memory stood out from all the everyday occurrences. It was my first year at Gilmour, my junior year, and a group of us were getting ready for prom, and I remember how proud she looked when we were all wearing our tuxes. She was the one who ordered the flowers for our dates and she was there watching us take pictures before we headed out. Throughout my first year in the dorms Gilmour felt like home, but it was at that moment when I realized that she truly cared about us.” Hansen believes that, “We were all extremely fortunate to have spent time with Mrs. C at Gilmour; every resident student could walk away knowing that Mrs. C truly loved us and would always be there. We all attended Gilmour for one reason or the next, made lasting friendships, but most of all we left Gilmour with a second mother and the lasting memories we have with her at Gilmour will be cherished.” Thank you, Mrs. C. Carey Bell ’06
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EDUCATING THE HEART:
AG MORAL C OMPASS A S S ILMOUR CADEMY PEAKER ERIES
FACING FRENZY HEAD ON W
ith today’s fast-paced schedules facing harried parents and children, it’s absolutely critical to take a step back and control the situation, psychiatrist and bestselling author Edward “Ned” Hallowell told parents at Gilmour Academy. “You can be so busy that you don’t even take the time to decide what actually does matter most to you, let alone make the time to do it,” he said. “My basic message is to take back control. “We’re living in a world that we’ve never seen before,” Dr. Hallowell said. Technology has brought about a change in everyday life. “Someone turned up the heat on us about 10 years ago. We have simply started doing more – faster and faster. With that comes volume.” Distractions are abundant, according to the speaker. While text messaging, online social networks, iPods and similar diversions have created exciting opportunities, he said they have also created potentially catastrophic problems. Dr. Hallowell provided parents with guidance on stopping the frenzy and understanding what’s most important. A former faculty member at Harvard Medical School for more than 20 years, Dr. Hallowell is founder of the Hallowell Center for Cognitive and Emotional Health in Sudbury, Mass. Known for his expertise on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, he is the co-author, with Dr. John Ratey, of “Driven to Distraction” and “Answers to Distraction,” which have sold more than a million copies. Dr. Hallowell observes that people who do not have ADHD still often show many of its symptoms due to lives that are so busy that they overload their brains. His book “Crazy Busy: Overstretched, Overbooked, and About to Snap!” explores this issue. His advice: Leave the frenzy, and “regulate the rush, the gush, the worry and the blather that batter us every day. “Do what matters most to you,” he said. People should strive to create a positive emotional environment and “find your rhythm.” The Gilmour presentation was part of a series of family workshops and lectures called Educating the Heart: A Moral Compass, supported by the family of 14
Michael Pender, a 1990 alumnus who died the year after graduation. His family established the speaker series in his memory. The father of three children – ages 15, 18 and 21 – Dr. Hallowell said he made the choice years ago to give up monetary opportunities to be an involved parent. “If you don’t prioritize, someone else will do it for you.” Dr. Hallowell dispelled common myths among parents. All parents want their children to grow up fulfilled, successful and happy, but being No. 1 at school will not lead to that life, he said. “There’s not a shred of evidence to support that. “What does predict a wonderful life?” he said. The key involves the “attitudes” that children develop, such as confidence, self-esteem, optimism, reaching out to others, a sense of humor and compassion. “Anyone can develop those attitudes,” he said, but how? Dr. Hallowell gave parents five steps toward cultivating those attitudes in their children. One of the most important steps is “connection,” he said. The “spinal column of a connected life” starts with a parent-child bond, he said. Have family dinners, read to children at bedtime, enjoy sports together and family outings. Children need to feel connected at school, too, he said. That involves not so much grades as it does friendships. “It’s how you feel when you walk in the door.” If children are disconnected at home and at school, they’re likely to get into trouble, he said. “All the studies come back to this force of connection.” “Play,” defined as “any imaginative engagement,” is the next step, he said. Ask children “why” and “how” questions to encourage them to use their imagination. Other steps include “work,” which “emerges out of play;” making progress in something that matters; and “receiving recognition,” which consolidates self-esteem and gives a feeling of ownership. These steps comprise the “cycle of excellence” to provide what every child and adult need, he said. “The good news is it’s free and readily available,” he said. “Don’t let all of your distractions get in the way.” SUE HOFFMAN Reprinted with permission of The Chagrin Valley Times
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MESHING CORE VALUES WITH MULTICULTURAL LEARNING G
ilmour Academy was host to an international delegation from the People’s Republic of China, the Philippines, Fiji, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam on January 24. The visit was part of a program by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the International Visitor Leadership Program. The Cleveland Council of World Affairs submitted a proposal to the State Department and coordinated the delegation’s stay. Gilmour was the only religious private school selected to host the delegation. “Gilmour is known for its openness to other cultures, faiths and traditions, and prepares students for the world not as a closed capsule, but as a place of many different experiences,” says Margarita Shulman, director of International Visitor Programs for the council. Many from the delegation are affiliated with religious schools and wanted to meet with their professional counterparts in the United States. The delegates were selected by U.S. embassies. The visit included a roundtable discussion with Gilmour faculty and administrators, a tour of the campus guided by student hosts, a buffet with students and teachers, classroom visits to share experiences and answering student questions. Each of the delegates received a gift from Gilmour, a small wooden stand with a replica of a stained glass window featuring the Holy Cross charisms. “The visitors were interested in learning how religious schools in this country navigate the separation of church and state,” says Deanne Nowak, co-director of global research and global development initiatives at Gilmour. During the roundtable, Lukman Bin Afandi, a curriculum strategist for Singapore’s Islamic Religious Council, asked how religious values
are infused into academic subjects. Nowak used the example of how in Gilmour’s science courses, students learn to differentiate between what science can do and what it should do. Joeli Naleca Dakuidreketi, a curriculum development officer with the Ministry of Education in Fiji, posed the problem of teaching values in school and seeing them dismissed after students graduate. Brian Horgan, Upper School director, says that Gilmour plants the seeds and follows up with students after they have graduated. “Most people will come back to the seeds that were planted,” Horgan says, adding that students make choices and the consequences of those choices shape their future moral choices. Students from Gilmour’s International Club prepared posters to welcome the visitors and practiced with the Livemocha language learning website to greet them in their native languages. Nine students led the delegates on campus tours – Alexandria Walters ’12, Aidan Coyle ’13, Jessica Wilson ’13, Seung Yun Jeon ’13, Nicole Caine ’14, Jae Yon Choi ’12, Ji Won Park ’13, Brittany Layton ’11 and Hope Herten ’13. Gilmour teachers met with the delegates to explore how students learn in Asia and to identify possible projects for collaboration. Shulman pointed out that many delegates come from countries where separation of church and state does not exist. The visiting educators wanted to better understand the balance between church and state from “a religious school that is tolerant to and supportive of the idea of diversity and multiculturalism, and of a multifaith world.” While they were in Cleveland, the delegation visited three schools to learn more about charter schools, public rural education and schools with special needs students.
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Campus On/Or About
The Power of Art Gilmour seniors Ryan Tobbe and Kelly Kertis earned Silver Key Awards and honorable mentions in the Cleveland Institute of Art’s Scholastic Art Competition and Exhibition. Young artists in Grades 7-12 from Cuyahoga County compete in painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, fashion, digital art, glass and ceramics. Seniors Brad Baker, Kiera Finelli, Andrea Massaad, Kathleen O’Brien and junior Jessica Loncar earned honorable mentions.
“A Day to Remember” Kelly Kertis Honorable Mention
“Beacon of Hope” Kelly Kertis Silver Key
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“Heaven at Night” Ryan Tobbe Silver Key
“City Living” Ryan Tobbe Honorable Mention
“Eye See You” Ryan Tobbe Silver Key
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Campus On/Or About
THE CLEVELAND CONNECTION
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rin Miller-Tait wants Gilmour students to have Cleveland-based experiences beyond just going to basketball games with their parents. In fact, the social studies instructor, who teaches applied economics and Modern World History, had her 15 minutes of fame on MSNBC in January, when she touted the wonders of Cleveland. Miller-Tait has been at Gilmour for six years. Three years ago, she began teaching a course she developed called Rebuilding Cleveland. It’s not a postscript to the past, but what Cleveland is today and where it is headed – if only some vibrant visionary students would see the city for its potential. “Part of why Cleveland suffers is because of students who keep leaving the city,” Miller-Tait says. “If this kind of course makes them want to remain and
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invests them in the city, then that’s good.” Miller-Tait understands that students want to test drive the world after high school and attend college elsewhere. She just hopes the thoughts of returning will linger in their minds if they see the positive things happening in Cleveland. She strives to assure that course content is geared toward their interests about Cleveland. Her most recent Rebuilding Cleveland class hit the streets of Tremont and Ohio City, and discovered the wonders of the West Side Market. “Many of the students didn’t have the sense that something like that existed so close to them,” Miller-Tait says. They toured old buildings like one in Tyler Village that once was an elevator factory. Now it is a multi-use workspace that houses an advertising agency, a record factory, a cabinet maker and a biotech firm. “It was part of our study of adaptive reuse and mixed-use development,” the teacher notes. The village buildings were built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. “We’ve also met with lobbyists, designers, and Cleveland’s mayor, Frank Jackson,” Miller-Tait says. This is an opportunity for them to have conversations with people who believe in Cleveland, she explains. “Their horizons are broadened by interacting with people who are different than themselves and they develop a new way to process their experience in the world,” Miller-Tait contends. She also directed a pilot internship program for the Gilmour Senior Projects. Although Miller-Tait knocked about Boston for a while in college, she tends to be a diehard Cleveland fan. She grew up in Shaker Heights and earned her bachelor’s degree from Cleveland State University in 2004 in urban studies and economic development. The following year, she earned a Master of Art in education from Ursuline College. Waiting tables at Cleveland
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restaurants while she put herself through college and graduate school gave her some insight into the city and its people. She also has been a museum educator at the Western Reserve Historical Society and served on its Teacher Advisory Board. Miller-Tait and Greg Deegan, a social studies teacher at Beachwood High School, collaborate on Teaching Cleveland Institute workshops for area high school teachers. She is active in BaldwinWallace College’s Leadership in Public Policy Institute to involve students in advocacy and social justice. While Miller-Tait believes students should “go out there and experience the world,” she noted on her Gilmour blog, “wouldn’t it be nice if they stayed to bring their education and experience back to the city that so desperately needs their help? At the very least, I would love for them to leave Cleveland with an image in their head that makes them want to come back, or to convince someone from somewhere else that Cleveland is a great place to live a good life.”
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Campus On/Or About
Looking Through the Lens of Leadership W
hen Gilmour Academy’s Middle and Upper School students weighed in about the qualities of a good leader, some common threads emerged. They felt that a person must be courageous, committed, competent, fair, persuasive, respectful, trustworthy and unselfish. “A good leader is one who inspires you to think on your own and never forces opinions or beliefs,” says Allison Crosby ’11. Courage and competence are the cornerstones of the Gilmour/Holy Cross mission and the foundation for its Initiative for Inspired Leadership. This leadership development effort is integrated into curriculum, service projects, extracurricular activities, advisory, self-assessments, retreats, resident life, mentoring/tutoring, citizenship, global initiatives and diversity workshops. “If I lead, I can make the world more humane and just,’” says Yvonne Saunders, assistant director of the Upper School and director of the Middle School. Saunders and Pat Brubaker, dean of student development and guidance, are co-directors of the initiative. Gilmour’s vision is to offer a cohesive and systemic approach to leadership development for Grades 9-12 students. “Our goal is to design a program and create a culture where leadership skills are shaped and valued to form ethical and caring leaders guided by faith,” Brubaker says. Ultimately, the research-based program will be expanded for Lower and Middle School students. It takes a two-pronged approach that focuses on students and on faculty/administrators. The student focus is on core values that promote social responsibility and change for the common good through dynamic interaction between individuals, groups and the community. Students become more self-aware through reflection and better able to work with others by participating in games, simulations, team-building exercises and other projects that allow them to build skills and provide effective feedback. Activities such as the Holy 20
Cross Leadership Summer Workshop, student government and peer tutoring and proctoring also will nurture their leadership potential. Faculty and administrators are key. They model behavior that inspires students to follow their lead and instills values that form ethical leaders. Teachers integrate leadership into the curriculum and guide students to discover personal learning styles and values. Based on the Higher Education Research Institute’s “Social Change Model of Leadership Development,” the Gilmour initiative will include a special emphasis for each grade level. • Ninth graders will give voice to their values. As they understand that one’s call in life comes from God, freshman will find their voices, determine their values and discover how they influence identity and self-image. • Tenth graders will share their voices. They will build trust, foster relationships and collaborate as a team to solve problems using shared values as a common bond. • Eleventh graders will give vision to their voices. Based on study, research and analysis of social issues, they will learn how common aims and values are communicated to motivate social change. • Twelfth graders will give voice to the voiceless. In examining their own values, vision and voice, they will explore how leaders live their vision with integrity and authenticity to inspire and motivate others to action. Rather than managing people, the leadership initiative is about motivating and inspiring people to do and be their best. It is designed to place students in a context of their relationship with God.
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Raising the Leadership Bar “Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.” John Fitzgerald Kennedy
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t’s Monday morning and 18 students on virtual life rafts are trying to stay afloat with their teams as part of their rafts are cut away. Each team must find a way to survive with diminishing resources. Welcome to Gilmour’s Leadership Academy. Students in Grades 8 - 11 are learning whether they have what it takes to be a leader. The first to be accepted for this youth leadership and development program, they spent eight weeks in hands-on interactive sessions as part of a “journey of self-discovery” to develop their leadership skills. Gilmour is partnering with Effective Leadership Academy (ELA), an organization to develop personal leadership, to offer this program. ELA also is training Gilmour faculty who will eventually run the workshops. “ELA focuses on the social responsibility aspect of leadership,” says Pat Brubaker, dean of student development and guidance. “This connects closely with Gilmour’s philosophy of using leadership for social change.” A Gilmour selection committee reviewed the applications and interviewed students. “We selected students we thought would grow the most,” Brubaker says. In turn, other students will be selected for future workshops. The students selected for the Leadership Academy are: Nicholas Abdallah ’15, Grant Bent ’15, Nicole Brzozowski ’14, Robert Catanese ’12, Alexander Clapacs ’14, Glenda Davis ’13, James Forsythe ’14, David Hasler ’13, Halle Markel ’14, Katelyn Parker ’12, Megan Porter ’15, John Renner ’12, Kennedy Ricci ’13, Mikayla Sharp ’14, Josie Sheehan ’15, Alexander Wakefield ’14, Jessica Wilson ’13 and Natalie Yuhas ’12. “Our hope is that once students complete the workshops they will get involved in leadership projects throughout the school,” Brubaker says.
“We believe they will want to give back to the Gilmour Community.” During weekly sessions, students focus on various themes depicted on a life wheel: academic and social issues, family values and beliefs, health and financial issues, explains Yvonne Saunders, assistant director of Gilmour’s Upper School and director of the Middle School. Participants are responsible for weekly reading assignments on Ghandi, Lincoln, Rosa Parks, Bill Gates and Oprah Winfrey, and they must keep a self-discovery log that coincides with the various subjects on the life wheel. Five Gilmour teachers involved with student leadership activities are trained simultaneously in the workshops on how to support the student teams – Kevin Berry and Virginia Dybicz (religious studies), James Kazel and David Pfundstein ’93 (guidance) and Arin Miller-Tait (social studies). Team building and group dynamics are key themes. During one group activity, leadership qualities are written on cards and laid out on the floor. A blindfolded student from each team must rely on teammates’ directions to “find” the most cards. Team members must assume the role of one of three leadership styles: enhancer, neutralizer or diminisher. “An enhancer encourages the team and motivates its members to come up with the best ideas,” student Glenda Davis says. Neutralizers neither add nor subtract from the team, while diminishers belittle the team’s ideas. Students were urged to identify and manage the leadership styles of their teammates. Other workshop sessions focused on goal setting, embracing change, learning from mistakes and balancing life. By the time the workshops concluded, Saunders was confident that the Leadership Academy had helped students and faculty become more attuned to their aptitude for leadership.
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Campus On/Or About
EXPERTS PREP GILMOUR SENIORS FOR COLLEGE LIFE B
efore seniors are inundated with prom and graduation, Gilmour Academy’s Women’s Club offered “College 101” in March to offset some of the sticky wickets issues they could face before long in college. From credit cards to campus safety, health concerns to roommate woes, seniors will be well versed on navigating college. Gilmour mothers from the Women’s Club met with members of the Student Development and Guidance Department to examine issues relevant to transitioning to college life. They determined that health/fitness, safety, legal issues and financial fitness should be the framework for “College 101.” “Students need information about safeguarding their money, social security cards, bank statements and student ID’s in their dorm rooms,” says Jayne Hasler, a co-chair for “College 101” along with Ann Marie Kollander and Julie Soukenik. All are Gilmour parents. “We wanted them to understand why trading all their
financial information for a Frisbee is a bad idea and that incurring $5 charges to take $20 from the ATM will deplete their checking account.” Gilmour’s 114 seniors were divided into four groups and rotated between sessions to allow for a smaller group size conducive to questions and interaction between the experts and the students. Gerry Weil, a branch manager for Charles Schwab, discussed money management, scams that target college students, reporting a lost or stolen credit card and the costs/benefits of debit and credit cards. Patrol Officer Mark Chavis from Case Western Reserve University examined campus safety. Alumni parent and nursing instructor Mary Lind Crowe from Ursuline College’s Breen School of Nursing explored health issues such as depression, over-the-counter medications and flu shots and other vaccinations. Gilmour parent and attorney Fred Carmen covered the legal rights and responsibilities that come with turning 18.
Forensics on the Frontline S
tudents from Gilmour Academy’s Speech and Debate Team made a solid showing at the Ohio High School Speech League’s state tournament in Toledo in March. Sophomore Sarah Abdalian was a finalist in the Student Congress event. Senior Casey Weinfurtner was a semifinalist in Humorous Interpretation and Natalie Pike, also a senior, was a quarter finalist in the same category. At the North Coast District Championship in February, Weinfurtner and Pike finished first and second respectively. Weinfurtner won the right to represent the district and the state in June at the National Forensic League (NFL) National Tournament in Dallas. She will present her Humorous Interpretation piece about the problems facing an adolescent girl. In total, 16 Gilmour students qualified to compete in 8 categories at the state tournament. The other 13 students were seniors Mackenzie Alexander and Ryan Tobbe (Dramatic Interpretation), junior Alex and freshman Matt Lohiser (Duo Interpretation), junior David Hirsh and senior Maggie Moore (Impromptu Speaking), junior Alexandra Kolberg (Oratorical Interpretation) and sophomore Robyn Cheng (Original Oratory). In Congressional Debate, Gilmour students Brigette Mendes and Adam Miller, a sophomore and freshman
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respectively, joined Abdalian in qualifying for state. Gay Janis, Gilmour speech and drama director, will receive her fourth diamond coach award from the NFL in June. The career award represents more than 2,000 speech performances or debates over five or more years. Gilmour thespians literally did a standup job at the Cleveland Theater Festival at Baldwin–Wallace College in March. Mendes won the gold medal for acting while senior Ryan Tobbe received a silver medal and a theater scholarship to Cleveland State University. Lohiser earned the Beck Center Award, and freshmen Matt Grabowski and Aire Sirvaitis both won Excellence in Reader’s Theater Awards and Achievement in Monologues Recognition. On another note six Gilmour students qualified for the National Catholic Forensic League Grand National Tournament in Washington, D.C., May 27-29. They are juniors Michael Clark and Jack Moore (Public Forum Debate), Abdalian (Student Congress) and junior Matt Sisson and sophomore Derrick Adamany (Policy Debate). Sophomore Meghan Pryatel (Oratorical Declamation) qualified but was unable to attend. Sophomore Matt Grabowski (Declamation) and junior Bridgette Mendes (Student Congress) were alternates.
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Classroom Canny
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alter Cronkite would be so proud. Eighth graders in Gilmour Academy’s Middle School created a newscast taking a kind of “You Are There” approach. They took viewers to Pearl Harbor, the D-Day Invasion of Normandy, the Battle of Midway, Iwo Jima and the Yalta Conference just as if they were war correspondents. “In the end, they recreated a television broadcast as if we were living in that time period,” says Jay Fowler ’00, Middle School social studies instructor. Small groups of students researched the causes of World War II, its major battles, events that occurred, how weather influenced operations and the media’s role in events. Students investigated how propaganda advanced American war efforts. Commercials were spliced into the broadcasts urging viewers to buy war bonds or boost patriotism through posters of Rosie the Riveter. They also learned how to use broadcast equipment. “As a teacher, it is a chance to be creative and find a way to make learning fun for students,” notes Fowler, who joined Gilmour last August. Prior to that, he taught history and religion to seventh and eighth graders at St. Francis of Assisi School. Fowler supervised the design, writing and editing of the school newspaper and developed the St. Francis Video (newscast) Club. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in communications from John Carroll University.
Fowler also is the Varsity Baseball coach for the Lancers, Junior Varsity Basketball coach and has been a counselor for Gilmour’s Day Camp for seven years. While the eighth graders were engrossed in the war, Gilmour’s seventh graders were steeped in blueprints for virtual or real inventions they created. They studied the country’s innovation, creativity and risk-taking that has defined the United States as a world power. With Thomas Edison as their muse, the students brainstormed to discover an idea they believed can change the world for the better, then designed blueprints, created summaries about how their inventions will work and developed a marketing plan. The inventors created a speech persuasive enough to attract investors and performed it in front of the class. By serving as a resource, Fowler spurs the students to take the helm in terms of discovery. “This allows them to take a more vested interest in their work,” he says, “and the things they discover on their own seem to stick with them longer.”
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Campus On/Or About
Sowing the Seeds of Spirituality T
he toughest challenge in teaching spirituality to younger children is getting them to understand that there is more to life than just the world they see. To this end, campus minister Father John Blazek, C.S.C., is dedicated to showing children in Gilmour’s Lower School that another big piece to life is a little treasure they carry – that each of us has been given a relationship with God. Spirituality is crucial in a faith-based school like Gilmour, according to Monica Veto, director of the Lower School and Montessori Preschool Program. In talking with prospective parents she advises them to consider what a faith-based education means. “We are here to develop your child’s personal relationship with God – his or her spirituality,” she says. “Parents want their children to have a moral compass and know that spirituality is important to the development of their child’s character. They are looking for a school that will support the family values they teach at home.” The National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) contends that “... most parents who select a Catholic school primarily for academic reasons also value the school’s Catholic tradition, religious instruction, sense of community and caring environment,” adding that “whatever reasons parents have for choosing Catholic schools, most parents seek the reinforcement of the values that they stress at home.” Religion is distinctive from other programs in that it has only two religion instructors. Edie Joyce teaches Traditional Kindergarten-Grade 2 and Meredith Panzica ’99 teaches Grades 3-6. “This offers an opportunity for greater consistency in content and religious tradition, beliefs and practices,” Veto says.
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Like art or music, religion, too, is a special class. “When I began teaching at Gilmour, I did not realize the significance of this,” Joyce says. “Now I see and appreciate how much this enables me to focus on teaching the faith for a full 45 minutes three times a week.” From Traditional Kindergarten through Grade 6, the importance of spirituality is ingrained both inside and outside the classroom. “A Holy Cross education nurtures connectedness with God on all levels,” Father John says. Even the Mass is tailored specifically for the children. The homily is more interactive, the songs involve repetition and hand clapping, the readings are child-friendly and the words are more elementary. Religion classes feature different focus areas each school year. • Kindergarteners are introduced to God and all that He has created by examining the world, and exploring the gifts and talents they have been given and the people in their lives. •
First graders build on their understanding of God and creation, and examine their responsibilities as stewards.
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Second grade is designed to broaden their relationship with God and deepen their spirituality as the children prepare for the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Holy Communion.
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Third graders examine the Person of Jesus presented in the New Testament, the development of the Catholic Church as a response to Jesus’ message of hope and how to be faithful members of the Church.
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Fourth graders analyze Christ’s teachings and ways to develop virtue and character, to live one’s faith and put that faith into action.
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In fifth grade, the nature and practice of prayer helps students deepen their spirituality and develop an individual sense of faith while they learn about the Sacraments.
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Sixth graders strive for a better understanding of God’s love for us and His action in our lives throughout history.
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hen researchers at the University of British Columbia studied children they found that spirituality influenced happiness more than family income, gender or even a parent’s marital status, notes an article in Psychology Today. Students share their own thoughts on how they relate to God. God made me. Sometimes I thank Him and ask Him for things. I tell Him I love Him and ask Him for toys and candy. I think He tells me I am a good boy and that I do things for my Mom and Dad and my sister. Nathan Turocy Kindergarten
What also makes Gilmour special is the number of nonCatholic students who enhance the learning experience. “We teach the Catholic faith, but we also want our students to have an understanding, appreciation and respect for the faiths of others,” Veto explains. Because the students are from different backgrounds, communicating with them where they are is vital, Panzica believes. “All students need to know the information, but not everyone needs to join in the ritual,” she says. As for non-Catholic students, Panzica adds, “they provide some truly authentic learning moments by sharing their traditions and customs.” Although they do not need to conform to the practices of each other’s faiths, students must be respectful and acknowledge that there are different ways to approach God. “Ultimately, religion and spirituality are learned on a very intimate, personal and individual level,” Joyce says. “Faith formation is a process I can guide, but in the end, it is something that occurs as the Holy Spirit moves in the heart of each individual.”
God really is in our hearts if we’re nice. I show my love for God by being nice to others and playing with my little brother and having a good time with my family. Michael Overman Grade 1 I talk to God when I pray; I think God talks to me. God rewards me when I am having a good day or bad day. Daniel Botek Grade 2 God is the person who created my life and who does everything for me and makes everything I can do possible. I am thankful for all of the stuff that has given me comfort like my drawing pad and my markers. Richard Jones Grade 3 I pray before I go to bed and I have a little corner in my room with things from my Communion and Reconciliation and my rosaries. I decided I needed to make a special little place for God. Annamarie Martin Grade 4 God talks to you through prayer. I ask God to help me and I try not to sin. To show God you love Him you must be nice to people. Maria Savani Grade 5 Our Lord rules us and we are His servants and His sheep and we should always follow His example. I ask Him to watch out for my family. I keep Him in my heart and when good things happen I thank Him. If we all followed His example we would probably be better at praying. Gianna Stafford Grade 5 I never try to put off God. I always know He is still there and I don’t ever hide it because it is uncool. I always pray to God and it helps me feel more confident. Margot Reid Grade 6
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Campus On/Or About
SPIRITUAL SEED CAPITAL Medal recipients are recognized at Convocation for their efforts to reach out and inspire others to do the same. They are nominated by individuals and groups at Gilmour for their “seeds of transformation with the school, their families and the community, and for embracing the humble service modeled by St. André.” The work by medal recipients spans a world of projects. Here is a sample.
“This is the seed.” When Brother André Bessette, C.S.C., died, these were his last words. The frail and unassuming little doorkeeper welcomed all who came to call at a Holy Cross School in Montreal. Last year, he became the first member of the Congregation of Holy Cross to be canonized. By offering hospitality and opening doors to others, St. André became God’s instrument of healing and compassion. Gilmour Academy students, faculty and staff are taking a page from the little Brother’s life of sharing his gifts and talents with those in need. Recently, Gilmour’s Pastoral Life Team initiated the This Is the Seed program. “It reaches beyond simply hearing about St. André’s life and impact on the world to honoring those who follow in his footsteps,” says Whitney Daly, coordinator of Pastoral Life and a religious studies instructor in the Upper School.
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Holly Rapp ’12 was a youth ambassador in Serbia, organizing a charity dance for Serbian teens, fostering humanitarian efforts, cleaning up a city park and marching with Belgrade students for education reform.
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Giuliana Barnes ’11 planned a benefit concert to raise funds for the Sudanese Lost Boys and Help Malawi.
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Members of the Tobit Ministry are assisting the poor in East Cleveland by being pall bearers for funerals when the deceased has no one else.
Mandy Hansen, Michael Hansen and Kristy Booher The Varsity Softball team raised over $2,500 for Swing for a Solution for autism.
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Whitney Daly, coordinator of Pastoral Life presents the Brother André Medal to Maggie Schmidt ’12
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Rosa Heryak ’12 teaches Sunday school to kindergarten students.
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Kennedy Ricci ’12 and Derrick Adamany ’12 organized a program to sell donuts to students K-12 raising $1,400 for Haitian earthquake victims and awareness of their plight.
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Doug Weisman ’14 volunteers in a soup kitchen and talked to his classmates during retreat about how he could embrace the Holy Cross core values in his Jewish faith.
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James Venzor ’15 volunteers with children at St. Adalbert School and serves at St. Dominic Church.
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The Girls Varsity Volleyball team sells T-shirts and raises support for advanced breast cancer through the Diana Hyland Miracle Fund at University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center.
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John Mohorcic ’11, regarded as a Gilmour go-to tech guy, streams Gilmour basketball games over the Internet and is a leader in the Amateur Radio Club.
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Amber Byrd ’13 supports the Shoebox Ministry, which distributes personal hygiene kits to the homeless.
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Jayme Castillo ’12 is a vacation Bible school leader and serves her teammates as an assistant captain and All-American on the Girls Prep Hockey team.
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Kenny Farona ’11 implemented a math and reading program at the Lyndhurst Child Enrichment Center.
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Maggie Schmidt ’12 raised $1,600 for computers for El Salvador and teaches PSR to first graders.
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Courtney Kolberg ’14 helped build homes in Maryland for those in need.
Others in the Gilmour Community who are medal recipients are: guidance counselor David Pfundstein ’93; the Service Club; senior Kate Sideras; freshman Pat Mohorcic; the Commons staff; sophomore Connor Hurley; John Malloy, director of Ice Programs; senior Allison Crosby; the Women’s Club; junior Maria Cup; senior Halle Grant; the Kairos program; junior Calla Telzrow; junior John Tobbe; eighth grader Megan Porter; freshman Brynn Alexander; the Gilmour Maintenance Department; junior Madalyn Kosar; freshman Oscar Waters; sophomore Hope Herten; Sister Mary Ann Mehling, I.H.M., service coordinator; junior Natalie Yuhas; freshmen Joey Armagno and Tom DeSilvio and staff members Linda Wheeler and Rosalie Massey. Daly believes that the This Is the Seed program is making an impact on the Gilmour Community and the Pastoral Life Team hopes to continue the program. “A number of people have approached me about other good works that they would like to see recognized, and students have shared that they wear their medals each day,” Daly says. “St. André’s life has meaning in our community not just because he is the first Holy Cross saint, but because his message and example come to life each day through the good Jayme Castillo ’12 works of individuals and groups at Gilmour.”
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Campus On/Or About
On Bullies, Bystanders and Victims t’s not so much about the bully. It’s the reaction
I
graders focused on managing anger through active
of victims and bystanders that thwart bullying.
listening and working to stop bullying. An editorial in
Bob Murray, a licensed school psychologist for PSI
the Washington Post contends that “Bullying has long
(Professional Staffing Innovations), has been working
been seen as a normal rite of growing up and not as
with Lower School students in Grades 3-6 on coping
the unacceptable abuse that it is.”
skills to succeed in life. The program, REACT:
This semester, in addition to working with third
Managing Anger and Conflicts Successfully, was
graders on impulsivity and taking responsibility for
customized for the Lower School with input from
choices, Murray focused on anger management and
teachers. It is designed to develop positive life skills
control and assertiveness to avoid negative peer
such as decision making, conflict management, goal
pressure examining individual and bystander behavior.
setting, avoidance of negative peer pressure and
“How you react when
problem solving.
someone is mistreating
“The sessions generate discussions between teachers
you will dictate how
and students about respect for fellow classmates,”
they continue to treat
says Monica Veto, director of the Lower School and
you,” Murray says.
Montessori Preschool Program. “They provide students with skills to prevent any form of aggression.” In January, Murray brought a mystery box to class
The tact with fourth graders is to teach them appropriate confrontation
to teach third graders about decision making. The class
techniques. “The approach
played 20 questions.
is it’s not what you say but
“The more information the children have, the better
how you say it,” Murray
“The sessions generate discussions between teachers and students about respect for fellow classmates. They provide students with skills to prevent any form of aggression.” Dr. Monica Veto
chance they have of making a smart choice,” explained
says. His sessions also
Murray. “I related this exercise to how they make
discuss being a leader
decisions in life.” Impulsivity tends to be an issue with
instead of a follower,
third graders who may act without thinking something
recognizing negative peer pressure and being
through. “The activity makes the point that when you
assertive to counter it.
gather information and stop and think about it, you are
Murray addresses several types of bullying such
more capable of making an intelligent choice versus
as physical bullying that might involve pushing and
saying or doing things,” Murray notes.
shoving, picking on someone, name calling and teasing.
Last semester, Murray worked with fifth graders
Where girls might resort to spreading rumors; physical
on issues such as anger management and staying in
bullying is more typical with boys. And then there is
control. They also discussed appropriate confrontation
cyber bullying. An article in the New York Times notes
techniques such as learning to talk things out. Sixth
that “online bullying can be more psychologically
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It’s not so much about the bully. It’s the reaction of victims and bystanders that thwart bullying.
Astronaut Adventures
G
ilmour Academy Lower School students are flying high after their visit in March from NASA
astronaut Mike Foreman and hearing about the wonders of spaceflight and life on a space savage than schoolyard bullying. The Internet erases inhibitions . . . In
station. Foreman spoke to the
responding to the problem of cell phones
students and showed a video
and online bullying, Murray referred to the
of his 2009 shuttle flight to the
use of text messages and emails to mistreat
International Space Station. The
others. “It is very easy to sit in the comfort
shuttle carried 30,000 pounds of
of your home,” he says, “and do things you
replacement parts for systems
wouldn’t otherwise do if you are in front
that power the station, keep it from
of somebody.”
overheating and maintain proper orientation in space.
To Murray, teaching students coping
NASA photo
From a personal perspective, Foreman talked to
skills is as important as teaching academic
the students about his own journey to become an
skills. “Without the skills to get along with
astronaut. The Wadsworth, Ohio, native earned a
people and make intelligent choices to
bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from the
control emotions and manage feelings, it will
U.S. Naval Academy and a master’s degree in
be difficult for students to be successful
aeronautical engineering from the U.S. Naval
regardless of how smart they are in math,
Postgraduate School. He emphasized the importance
science or any other academic area,” he says.
of perseverance in his own life when he talked to
Rather than just ignoring a bully, Murray
students about applying eight different times before
suggests possibly humoring that person and
he was accepted as a NASA astronaut. Foreman, who
treating him or her as a friend. “Someone
believes a mission to Mars is a possibility, underscored
who is bullied often is different in a number
the importance of mathematics and science for those
of ways. Yet there are people who are
considering a career as an astronaut.
different, but who don’t get bullied and are
The students discovered that Foreman’s personal
not victims,” Murray says. What are they
heroes are Ohio astronauts John Glenn, the first person
doing differently? Do they exhibit confidence,
to orbit the earth, and Neal Armstrong, the first person
use humor or do not indicate they are upset
to walk on the moon. After regaling students about
and angry? “There are different ways to
his spacewalk adventures, Foreman concluded his
respond,” he says. Bystanders also have a
hour-long visit with a question and answer session.
huge impact on preventing or stopping
The U.S. Navy captain is currently serving as chief
bullying, he adds, and children must ask
of external programs at Glenn Research Center.
themselves if they are laughing, just
The Lower School Parents Organization proposed
observing or actually standing up for
the astronaut’s visit to tie in with a space theme at its
the victim.
Book Fair earlier this year.
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1950s Lancer Spotlight G
ilmour alumnus Roger Mullaney ’58 shared an honor in September with the most Reverend Richard Lennon, Bishop of Cleveland. Deacon Mullaney and the bishop were among those invested in the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, one of the oldest ecclesiastical Orders in the Church. Investiture is by invitation. He was honored with the Papal title of Knight of the Holy Sepulchre. It is the highest papal award conferred upon clergy and laity. Since 2005, the Gilmour graduate has been a deacon with St. James Parish in Highwood, Ill. During the ceremony at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Cleveland, Deacon Mullaney received the golden spurs of knighthood and a Grand Master dubbed each shoulder with a sword. The pope’s secretary of state must approve members, and his official seal is part of the document appointing knights. Before his affiliation with St. James Parish, Deacon Mullaney worked at his home parish, Saints Faith, Hope and Charity, for 23 years. Throughout his religious career, he worked in a food pantry for Catholic Charities and as a child-care worker at Boys Town. He has served in the Diocese of Reno, Charlotte and Dallas and was in charge of a mission parish at St. Catherine of Siena in Atlanta. “I had the privilege to be Deacon of the Eucharist for the 100th anniversary Mass of Catholic Extension Society at Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago in June 2005,” he says.
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Roger Mullaney ’58
A student from Winnetka, Ill., the deacon lived in Tudor House during his freshman and sophomore years, St. Joseph Hall during his junior year and in Vincent Hall as a senior. Deacon Mullaney played football as a freshman and managed football, basketball and track the next three years. “I waited on tables in Tudor House Dining Room during sophomore year and enjoyed music appreciation class on Saturday mornings,” he says. “We went to hear the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra under the direction of George Szell.” In 1962, Deacon Mullaney graduated from Regis University in Denver, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in European history, and took an accelerated course in Latin at Glastonbury Latin School in Massachusetts. He completed his theology studies at St. Joseph/Newman Theological College in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, earning a Bachelor of Theology degree in 1971, and was ordained as a deacon the following year in Reno.
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A l u m n i
N e w s
1960s
Lancer Spotlight T
heodore Roosevelt once said, “credit belongs to the man . . . who spends himself in a worthy cause” – an apt description for Tom Callaghan ’65. When Callaghan was inducted into Gilmour Academy’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999, Gilmour Magazine cited his skills and heart as a Lancer tailback. “Tom carried the ball with great Tom Callaghan ’65 enthusiasm and determination,” the magazine reported. These traits still apply. Over the years, he has been a loyal Gilmour supporter. Callaghan currently is a Gilmour Trustee and has been a member of the Alumni Board of Governors. He was recruitment co-chair of the FAITH IN OUR FUTURE – Educating the Mind and Heart Campaign, chaired the school’s Athletic Commission and strengthened the foundation of Gilmour athletics, and co-chaired the Class of 1965’s Annual Fund Committee. He believes what distinguishes Gilmour from other schools is its longstanding, genuine family atmosphere and inclusiveness. “I love Gilmour Academy,” Callaghan says. “The Brothers were the most impressive Christian role models, and the school’s remarkable teachers taught us how to communicate – to write effectively and speak confidently.” This was done under the tutelage of mentors such as Holy Cross Brothers Ivo Regan, Francis Englert, Clarence Podgorski and Richard Sitar and teachers John Schubert, John Gale and Coach Vern Weber.
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In 1969, Callaghan earned a bachelor’s degree in English and economics and graduated from Boston College where his son, Brendan, is also a graduate. He received a Juris Doctorate from Cornell Law School in 1973. For more than 30 years, Callaghan was in private law practice, and for the past several years has served as counsel to Big Game Capital in Chagrin Falls. The firm focuses on private equity and real estate investments and owns businesses such as the Daytona Cubs Minor League baseball team in Daytona Beach, Fla. Committed to improving health care, Callaghan was a trustee and executive committee member of Mt. Sinai Medical Center before it closed in 1997. Since 2001, he has been a trustee of the Cleveland Clinic Myeloma Foundation providing support and encouragement to patients and families confronting multiple myeloma and traveling across the country giving motivational talks for the International Myeloma Foundation and other cancer survivor groups. As former chairman of Laurelwood Hospital, now Windsor Laurelwood Center for Behavioral Medicine, where he served for 20 years, Callaghan steadfastly led efforts to improve the quality and scope of behavioral health care services in the region. He is convinced that mental health does not receive the attention and funding it deserves. Callaghan made lasting friendships while at Gilmour and returns to campus regularly for meetings, sporting events, Reunion Weekend and the Headmaster’s Christmas Party. Still an avid golfer, he also enjoys frequent outings and get-togethers with many of his ’65 classmates, whether for golf or just for fun.
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A l u m n i
N e w s
1970s
Lancer Spotlight
E
ric Miller ’78 might have learned as many life lessons on the basketball court at Gilmour as he did in the classroom. He played basketball at Dartmouth College, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology and later coached his daughters, Grace and Jesse, and son, EJ, in the game until they reached high school. “Basketball is my passion,” Miller proclaims, a love he attributes to Gilmour coaches Dick Fort and Amerigo Valerian. Miller travels to his children’s sporting events at Middlebury College, where Jesse plays basketball; Dartmouth, to watch EJ row crew; and Wellesley High School, to see Grace play varsity basketball. “I’m not sure what I will do when they are done with sports,” he says. “My wife, Wendy, (whom he met at Dartmouth) is a little nervous.” When he is not courtside, Miller is engrossed in TigerPresentations, LLC, a small distribution company he owns that specializes in marketing materials for trade shows. Before that, he founded and operated TigerMark, a manufacturer of portable trade show exhibits. His first job out of college was in field sales, selling soap for Proctor & Gamble. When Miller looks back on his days at Gilmour as a resident student, he contends that it was the people who made the experience special and helped him develop into the person he is today. “Mr. Valerian gave me the confidence to
Eric Miller ’78 and family
develop my basketball skills,” he says. “I had never played before, and his encouragement and Coach Fort’s many hours working with me in the gym after school allowed me to play at a college level,” Miller adds. “Their positive coaching styles are now mine.” Miller recalls Brother Dan Kane, C.S.C., encouraging him to sing, an activity he shares with his children. “Mr. (Joseph) Turkaly instilled a passion to work in clay, which I passed on to my son. Gilmour teachers made you believe in yourself.” It was at Gilmour that Miller developed his love for gardening, working off detentions by planting trees and spending time in the greenhouse. He keeps in touch with classmates Mike Collier and Randy Fagundo, and not long ago contacted Tom Wickham and Scott Lasher, though he is still trying to track down John Harvey. As a boarding student, Miller was grateful for the “entire Gilmour Family,” since his parents lived in Venezuela. “Many people filled in the parenting roles for my Mom and Dad,” he said, noting that he got good advice from many parents. “Many moms invited me for wonderful home-cooked meals – and I never turned one down!”
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A l u m n i
N e w s
1980s
Lancer Spotlight
A
tube strike in London and disruptions in the city’s underground transit system service may seem half a world away from Mentor, Ohio, but it is all part of a day in the life of Jack Byrnes ’82. Byrnes is CFO for BBDO’s Europe, Middle East and Africa regions. He has been with BBDO, a worldwide advertising agency and communications company, since 2002 and recently became a British citizen. Initially, Byrnes was hired as vice president of finance and was based in New York. Now he spends most of his time either in London or traveling to his other regions for a job that Jack Byrnes ’82 was expected to last one or two years. “Honestly, at first I didn’t think this was for real,” Brynes said when asked to be an alumni spotlight. “I can’t believe I am that interesting.” BBDO is only his second job out of college. Byrnes, a CPA, received a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Notre Dame. He was an audit partner for Arthur Andersen’s
34
Media, Entertainment, and Publishing group. The firm folded in 2002. Byrnes coached the accounting firm’s audit teams and was in charge of publishing-industry training in Spain, the Netherlands and Illinois. Prior to his current position, Byrnes lived in Hoboken, N.J. His family moved from New Jersey to Mentor when Byrnes was in seventh grade and returned when he was a junior at Notre Dame. “I get back to New Jersey at least once a month, when I work in the New York office or just to get back for a weekend,” Byrnes says. When he returns, Byrnes visits his sister, Debbie Byrnes Murray ’84, and enjoys spending time with her children. He also tries to catch up often with his brother, Kevin, and his family in Florida. When Byrnes gets back to Cleveland, he reconnects with classmates Frank Childs, Rick Coyne, Don Patacca, Jim Evans and Marty Fallon. “Frank, Rick and their boys usually meet me at Notre Dame for a football weekend at least once a year,” he says. “All of them have been to New Jersey to see me. Don and his family have visited me in London and Rick’s oldest son, Ryan, visited London last summer.” Byrnes also keeps close ties with Notre Dame and is treasurer of its Alumni Club in London. “I am getting to see places that I never really thought I would see,” he admits. When he travels for work, the CFO arrives early, remains after meetings and goes sightseeing on weekends.
45651 Alum 11_Layout 1 7/11/11 10:49 PM Page 7
DUO HONORED WILLIAM LAVIGNA ’68 AND DEANNA CARLSON NESS ’95
G
ilmour Academy presented its 2010 Alumni of the Year Awards to dentist William Lavigna and community activist Deanna Carlson Ness. The award honors Gilmour graduates who have distinguished themselves in their personal lives and careers, and who have demonstrated leadership and service to the school. The two alumni were honored at the Christmas Celebration in Gilmour’s Athletic Center.
Bill Lavigna ’68 with Pam Hutto Scott and Deanna Carlson Ness ’95
45651 Alum 11_Layout 1 7/11/11 10:49 PM Page 8
Lavigna, who is in practice with Landerhaven Dental Associates, has been director of dentistry at St. Vincent Charity Hospital since 1999. He also served as director of dentistry and director of general practice dentistry at Saint Luke’s Hospital. A Diplomate of the American Board of Special Care Dentistry, he went to San Salvador in 2003 on a dental mission to orphanages. He received a Bachelor of Arts in zoology from Miami University and a Doctor of Dental Surgery from Case Western Reserve University, and has been in private practice in restorative dentistry since 1976. The honoree is a fellow of the American Association of Hospital Dentists and is a member of national, state and local dental associations. An avid scuba diver with more than 500 hours of experience, Lavigna is an FAA certified hot air balloon pilot and has flown competitively in 15 U.S. national championships, and in Australia, Spain and Canada. He participated in the 1988 TransAustralia Bicentenary Challenge with pilots from different countries and was a member of the U.S. World Team in the 2002 World Games in Sevilla, Spain. After graduating from Gilmour, Ness earned a bachelor’s degree in art and management from Wittenberg University. She is an active volunteer with St. John’s Lutheran Church where her husband, Scott, is associate pastor and she leads a Bible studies program and works with young adults and MOPS, Mothers of Preschoolers. Ness also led a spouses’ group of seminarians at the Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in Columbia, S.C. She previously was a home center service representative and sales representative for United States Gypsum in Florida, Pennsylvania and South Carolina, and was a financial assistant for Thrivent Financial. In addition to being a busy mom to children Ethan, Elanna and Emery, Ness is a photographer and has lent her talents to Big Brothers and Big Sisters in Wheeling, W.Va. A member of the local Junior League and PTA, she participated in Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary’s mission trip to Honduras. Deanna and her family live near Columbus, Ohio.
Deanna celebrating with her family
Paul Murphy ’68, Bill Lavigna ’68 and Michael Resch ’68
Bill with his family
45651 Alum 11_Layout 1 7/11/11 10:49 PM Page 9
Tender Mercies Amy Ritchie ’87, Don Herbe ’96, Tim Farley ’03, Trevor Claffey ’01, Jenny Oliver ’88
To coincide with Gilmour’s Homecoming on October 2, Michael Panzica ’01 organized graduates who are members of the Chicago Chapter of the Gilmour Alumni Association to paint classrooms and hallways, and help renovate Holy Trinity High School in Chicago. Once a boys’ school for Polish immigrants, it is now coeducational and enrolls students who are AfricanAmerican, Hispanic, Asian and Caucasian. The Holy Cross school is in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood and assists students from low-income families seeking a Catholic education. “The school was most appreciative of Gilmour’s offer to brighten up its learning areas,” says Panzica, who participated with his fiancée, Katie Bushouse. The Craig Panzica ’04 and P.J. Ruflin ’04
school’s financial resources are primarily directed toward educational programs and scholarships, he added.
“We can do no great things, only small things with great love.” Mother Teresa
Other alums and friends who participated in the Holy Trinity service project are Evan Traub ’02; Kyle Hannes ’01; Craig Panzica ’04; Matt Panzica ’02; Adam Link ’02 and his friend Hana Yi; Rebecca Wellman ’02
F
anning out across cities and communities, Gilmour
and her fiancee, Rich McAvoy; Joci Durkoske ’04; Dennis
Academy alumni show that they have not forgotten
Belkin ’02 and P.J. Ruflin ’04.
the lessons learned as idealistic students. During this
Gilmour’s Thanksgiving Food Drive was remarkable
academic year, more than 70 graduates have shared their
in no small part due to more than 30 alumni who
time and talents with those in need.
helped deliver a record number of food baskets – 276.
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A l u m n i
N e w s
Grades 1-12 in math, science and reading at Church of the Covenant. Those who volunteered for Alumni Service Day are Brian Pestotnik ’08, Colleen Kiely ’96, Kara Black ’92, Bridget McGinty ’02, Jennifer Oliver ’88, Don Herbe ’96, Amy Ritchie ’87, Trevor Claffey ’01, Tim Farley ’03, Robert Ondak ’91, Painting away at Holy Trinity High School, Chicago
Mary Kate Farrar Vega ’93, Melissa Zaffiro ’91, Tim Holzheimer ’89, Brett
They joined with the Academy’s students in delivering the baskets to St. Patrick and St. Adalbert parishes, Malachi House, St. Augustine’s Hunger Center, the Little Sisters of the Poor and to Father Jim O’Donnell for families living near St. Vincent Charity Hospital. Alumni and others who participated in the 2010
David Krueger ’02
Schumacher ’05, Dave Krueger ’02, Nancy Janasek ’85 and her friend, Nikki Klonaris, Robb Nardy ’03, Katy Finucane ’06, Kim Bikowski ’97, Brittney Nascone ’03 and her husband, Patrick Cogan, Amy Horvat Phelps ’97, Heather DeGrandis ’06, and Tom Zucker ’87 and his daughters, McKenzie and Gianna.
Thanksgiving Food Drive are Pat Fagan ’10; Taylor Seay ’10; Leo Sideras ’10; Megan ’10 and Erin Ruff; Colin ’05, Genevieve ’04, and Madeline ’09 Ray; Peter Smith ’09; Kristin Vaughn ’09; Michelle Embleton ’06; Ellen Pohly ’06; Chandler Converse ’07; Conner Karakul ’07; Eliot and Charlie Kamen – both ’07; Matt Lacombe ’07; Ishwar Gill ’07; Sam Stefanak ’08; Austin Link ’07; Catie Kelly ’07; Britt Mawby ’07; John ’09 and Heather ’07 Coyne; John Watts ’89 and his daughter, Kaitlin; Kathryn Ann DeVito ’84; Chelsea ’03 and Gabrielle Knauer; Colleen ’04 and Katie ’07 Coburn; Melissa Zaffiro ’91; Mindy Mallett Kovalcheck ’90; Don Herbe ’96 and Connor Dowd ’93. To honor St. André Bessette, the first member of the Congregation of Holy Cross to be canonized, 23 alums gave back to the Cleveland community on Alumni Service Day the morning of Saturday, February 19, 2011. One group of alumni worked on arts and crafts projects and played games with neighborhood children at the Thea Bowman Center. Another helped spruce up St. Adalbert Catholic School by painting interior classroom doors. A third group tutored children
Dennis Belkin ’02 with Holy Trinity Principal, Tim Bopp
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A l u m n i
N e w s
1990s
Lancer Spotlight E
lection 2000: probably not too memorable for most of us as it waned into December. For Amy Farrar Walsh ’96, though, the election was almost never ending. An intern at CNN in Washington, D.C., Walsh was there at the dawn of the Spin Room, recapping the Florida recount of Bush vs. Gore – chad by chad, night after night. “I was a college graduate sleeping on my sister’s couch working for free 40 hours a week for CNN’s ‘Late Edition’ with Wolf Blitzer,” she says. Following this, it was on to the program “Crossfire” where Walsh was a researcher for Bob Novak and Tucker Carlson as they went toe-to-toe against policy wonks James Carville and Paul Begala. Chicago and “The Oprah Winfrey Show” beckoned in 2003. As talent/news booker, Walsh spent eight years booking actors and athletes, presidents and poets, and “lots of authors” for the show. She has travelled for breaking news stories such as the Virginia Tech massacre and the 2009 Presidential Inauguration, visited wounded veterans at Walter Reed Hospital and even spent some time at Sarah Palin’s home in Alaska. “It’s an intense job, but I’ve had plenty of fun,” she says. “I’ve witnessed history before my eyes from a front row seat.” Armed with a Bachelor of Arts in communications from Miami University, Walsh feels she has benefitted greatly from the writing and critical thinking skills she gained at Gilmour. “I write all the time,” she admits. In her position, Walsh writes letters to potential guests, pitches shows and sells creative
40
Amy Farrar Walsh ’96 with Ainsley and Mike
ideas. “I often lean back on my writing skills that I learned from Mrs. Kenny and Mr. McCamley,” she says. “I need to make sure the pitch makes sense and clearly conveys my vision for the show.” Although the last episode of the show aired in May after being on air for 25 years, Walsh insists she’s “had great job satisfaction working for a show that has purpose and, in today’s crowded media field, continues to rise above the rest.” She is certain, though, to remain busy. “I’m not sure what my next chapter includes, but I’ll definitely work on my latest production – our daughter, Ainsley,” born in September to Walsh and her husband, Mike. The two married in 2007 after he travelled across the country bowling in all 50 states and wrote a book called “Bowling Across America.” The family will continue to live in Chicago, where Mike works for a design firm. Along with swimming and yoga, Amy Walsh enjoys checking out the latest restaurants. “Do what you love and love what you do,” she says. A trip to Gilmour is in the works, too, and Walsh hopes to connect with classmates Colleen Kiely, Jackie Pawlowski Coletta, Jean Arkedis Croke and Katy DeMinico Boyle. “We’re all counting down the days until our 15-year reunion in June,” she says. No doubt she will hook up with her mom, Caroline, and the Farrar Gilmour clan – father Jim ’59, sister Mary Kate Farrar-Vega ’93 and brothers J.P. ’91 and Dan ’94. “It’s pretty hard not to hear about the latest Gilmour news,” Walsh says, “when my dad and sister work in the alumni/development office.”
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A l u m n i
N e w s
2000s
Lancer Spotlight A
bu Dhabi, now that’s a long way from home – more than 7,000 miles, in fact. But Brie Tayek ’04 knows her way around the city well enough to educate travelers from the Cleveland Clinic about negotiating the capital of the United Arab Emirates. The Cleveland Clinic will help manage a 360-bed hospital and clinic that opens there next year. Tayek is a project analyst in the Cleveland Clinic’s International Operations Department and has traveled to Abu Dhabi five times, spending five months there. “I also serve as our department’s resource for educating first-time travelers to Abu Dhabi,” Tayek says. She provides pre-deployment briefings for individuals and departments to better understand the Clinic’s activities there and to show what to expect. Her department provides human resource support to employees living abroad, responds to requests, reports on international ventures and assists with day-to-day operations and activities for overseas facilities. She believes the opportunity for autonomy, participation in Gilmour’s mission trips and a desire to learn about other countries and cultures have been assets in her career. Tayek was previously an intern in the Clinic’s marketing department, an assistant at a law firm, a sports camp intern in college and a counselor at Gilmour’s Day Camp. She received the clinic’s Caregiver Celebration Honor Award four times and serves as a community liaison, organizing trips to the Cleveland Foodbank and participating in Ronald McDonald House campaigns. “My interactions with other students and teachers at Gilmour sparked my interest, influencing my decision to take part in the International Affairs Scholars Program at The
42
Brie Tayek ’04
Ohio State University,” she says. Tayek added that participation in mission trips during her junior and senior years at GA and a Habitat for Humanity mission trip in college increased her desire to volunteer. She played softball in high school and college, coaches young girls in the sport and is on a Mayfield Village softball league with Gilmour alumni and their parents. The project analyst began working with the Cleveland Clinic two-and-a-half years ago after earning a Bachelor of Science degree from Ohio State in business administration with a specialization in marketing and logistics management. In college, she participated in study abroad programs in Hong Kong, mainland China and Brazil. In the last six months alone, Tayek has traveled to three continents, six countries and numerous states. The use of the Socratic method at Gilmour taught Tayek how to view situations from all sides, “requiring me to figure out how to justify my beliefs or work,” she says. “Today, I feel as though there are not too many obstacles or situations I face that I can’t eventually figure out or find an answer to.”
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A l u m n i
N e w s
2010s
Lancer Spotlight D
itch the cellphones, music, TV and every other kind of media on the planet. Ditto for civilian clothes. If you are a freshman at the United States Air Force Academy, this is your new normal. Cadet Fourth Class Jane Kaufmann ’10 can vouch for that. At a time when only one-third of Americans qualify for the military, much less its service academies, Kaufmann began basic cadet training in June 2010. “Being given the chance to not only serve my country but to help lead it is amazing,” she says. She had “the right stuff” in terms of academic and physical grades, test scores, extracurricular activities and leadership experiences. “I still get moments when I look down and think about the fact that I’m wearing combat boots to school,” she admits. And like her fellow freshmen, she is getting used to being known as one of the SMAKS (Soldiers Minus All Common Knowledge). “What other school has Pave Hawk helicopters that land on the Parade Field or F16s flying over?” she asks. Saluting the flag the first time during training “was one of the coolest moments of my life,” Kaufmann says. She comes from a family with a history of military service. Her grandparents met during World War II – he was a Marine and she was a U.S. Navy recruiter, and their siblings were in the military, too. “Having the family history of serving and growing up valuing and respecting the sacrifice that the men and women in the armed forces give definitely influenced my decision,” she notes. Kaufmann plans to major in mechanical engineering and minor in Chinese. Marching, parades and lessons about the honor code are
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Jane Kaufmann ’10 with fellow cadet Mary Misra
part of her education, and in the summer she will learn parachuting, combat survival training and global engagement. Recently, she was one of 35 students selected to begin training to be a nationally-certified emergency medical technician (EMT). “We have an unusually large core with 152 semester hours,” she says. In her off hours, she enjoys reading, ice skating, skiing, snowboarding and running. Adapting to military life has been a challenge. “Coming in I knew nothing. I didn’t know how to march or shine my shoes; I thought I knew how to make a bed, but I didn’t. You go through courses every day that are designed to test you mentally and physically,” she says, adding that each week she is tested on the contents of the ProBook, which includes info on Air Force personnel, planes’ specifications and rules of engagement. “You also have an opportunity to qualify on an M16 rifle at the rifle range,” she says. Kaufmann believes that Gilmour not only prepared her academically, but helped her face the rigors of her first semester in college. Being a Gilmour resident student prepared her for being away from home and living with others her age. “My friends and classmates at Gilmour taught me to trust in people and to accept and understand other viewpoints,” she explains, “which helps in the diverse community here.”
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Lancer Athletics
The Places They Could Go O
ver the course of last summer, the Upper School community at Gilmour read “The Talent Code,” a nonfiction book by Daniel Coyle. Coyle, a Gilmour parent, does an admirable job of proving that performance greatness in some aspect of life is not born within a person, but grown and developed. He visited places all over the world deemed hotbeds, turning out world-class talent in music and sports. What Coyle found out was that it was not the local water supply, harmonic convergence or any magic formula that produced great talent. Rather, it was deep practice, strong motivation and great coaching. Last spring, even before Coyle’s book was assigned, the Gilmour Varsity golf team was wondering how they could beat last year’s third-place finish and become the Ohio high school state champions. They discovered Coyle’s formula on their own. It was a grand and wonderful moment where theory and practice came together. Meeting with their coach and Gilmour graduate, Charlie Tremont ’70, a strategy was developed by which the team would train much the same way as it did the year before, but go about that practice with a different emphasis and level of intensity. Coach Tremont gave the players a mantra for the upcoming season that they were to repeat over and over in order to remind them of the challenge they faced and how to face it successfully. “We know the goal!” Duncan DeFino ’12 and Connor Moriarty ’12 went about their practice by hitting all their clubs. DeFino summed it up by saying, “We hit those clubs repeatedly every day but broke the swing down to its basic parts, making sure every aspect was done in good form moving on to excellent form.” By the time the season started – and surely by its end – they felt the efficiency and proficiency of their swing with each club had improved over the previous year. For Greg Calabrese ’11, a different approach was called for. “I needed to work on the more situational aspects of the game.” By that, he imagined himself in pressure situations with the ball in a bunker, water hazard or other difficult lies. “I increased the pressure by saying to myself, ‘I need to make this shot for us to win.’ This sharpened my focus, caused me to work on good form and reminded me that I played not only for myself, but also for my team and for Gilmour.” Calabrese felt that this way of practicing toughened him mentally for the season and the end-of-the-year tournament.
Connor Moriarty ’12, Duncan DeFino ’12, Greg Calabrese ’11, Alex Andrews ’11, Andrew Bieber ’12
Andrew Bieber ’12 spent his practice time combining elements of the aforementioned teammates. Hitting shot after shot with various clubs and imagining himself in certain situations toughened the mental aspect of his game and sharpened his ability. Bieber, despite difficulties on one back nine, finished fourth in the state. Last year’s State Medalist, Alex Andrews ’11 prepared himself by practicing often with the guys to build better team chemistry. He also engaged a golf coach to work with him on his short game. Shot after shot with three different wedges and a putter under the scrutiny of his coach resulted in a marked improvement for Andrews, especially in his putting. After finishing third in 2009, the Lancers won it all last fall and by an extremely large margin. The next closest team was 23 shots behind! Practicing in a deeper and more thorough manner, having a strong motivational drive and receiving great guidance and advice from a master coach put the Gilmour Boys Varsity Golf team in a prime position to win. Win they did by knowing where they needed to go, what they had to do to get there and being dedicated enough to carry it through to completion. It is still too early for Coach Tremont to set the mantra for next season’s attempt for back-to-back championships. Oh, the places they still could go! William Seetch
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Melanie Trushel ’11
Brittany Link ’11
Camille Corbin ’11
Lancers Will Play for NCAA Teams G
ilmour Academy’s Melanie Trushel ’11, Camille Corbin ’11 and Brittany Link ’11 have signed institutional letters of intent to Lake Erie College, Union College and Brown University. Trushel will play women’s basketball for NCAA Division II Lake Erie, Corbin will play for Union’s Division I women’s hockey program and Link will play volleyball for Division I Brown. Trushel, captain of the Girls Varsity Basketball team, has played for Gilmour for three years. During that period, the team compiled a 61-13 record, winning sectional and district championships each season, while also advancing to the regional semifinals twice and the regional finals once. The Lancer, who plays guard and wing, plans to study communications and business and would like to be an event planner. During her senior year, she helped lead the Lancers to a 22-3 record that included a Division III Sweet 16 finish. She was the second leading player in 3-pointers made. Team captain Corbin was the leading scorer on the Girls Prep Hockey team, averaging almost one goal per game. This season, she scored 53 goals, 54 assists and
107 points in 54 games. As a forward, she helped Gilmour defeat both Culver Academy in November and Stanstead in the championship game at the Phillips Exeter Tournament in January. Corbin was named to the All-Tournament Team at the Cushing Academy Tournament in Boston. She plans to major in biology at Union and become a physical therapist. Link was instrumental this season in helping the Lancers earn a second-place finish in the Division III volleyball state tournament. It was the third Final Four appearance for the Lancers in her four seasons – with 2007 and 2008 as the other qualifying years. The setter/hitter was named Volleyball Player of the Year by the News-Herald, as well as Player of the Week by that paper and the Plain Dealer. She was also featured as a Channel 3 Student-Athlete of the Week. Link was named to the Division III All-Ohio First Team, while also being named the district most valuable player. Her stats for the season included 317 kills, 72 blocks and 491 assists. The Gilmour student plans to study biology or premed at Brown.
Gilmour’s Chaney Chooses Division I Eastern Michigan J ohn Chaney ’11 signed an NCAA National Letter of Intent in Gilmour’s new Athletic Center. Chaney will play golf for Eastern Michigan University, which has won two of the last four Mid-American Conference (MAC) championships. Chaney, who plans to study entrepreneurship or sales and marketing, considered offers from several other Division I teams, including Cleveland State University, Northern Illinois University and the University of Toledo.
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Chaney began playing golf when he was 3 years old and, at the same time, began competing with the Cleveland Barons, a peewee youth hockey team. Chaney remained active in hockey throughout his freshman year of high school, John Chaney ’11 competing on the Lancer’s Varsity B team. He then decided to give up hockey in order to pursue golf year round in an effort to increase his chances at competing at the collegiate level. Truly a wise decision!
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Lancer Athletics
Sports Snapshot . . . Recapping Some Highlights The 2010 Volleyball season ended with a trip to Columbus and a thrilling state championship match. Under new coach, Kelly Coughlin, recipient of the Coach’s Achievement Award in Division III, the team was consistently heralded as “the team to watch” by local news affiliates. Senior setter Brittany Link and senior libero Tori Gallo kept the team primed. In the state championship game Link had 17 kills, 17 digs and 17 assists. She was named First Team AllOhio and will play for Brown University in the fall. Junior Maria Cup received All-Ohio Honorable Mention. The season ended at the state finals with a loss to Bishop Fenwick High School. Gilmour salutes our State Runner-up volleyball team.
Girls Varsity Tennis set the tone for their season by defeating defending state champion Walsh Jesuit in their opening match. Captain Ali Althans, with co-captains Morgan Mills and Kristina Snyder, led the team’s finish as ISL Doubles Tournament Champions. Juniors Erin Abdalian and Lubby Althans earned recognition as News-Herald Players of the Week, in recognition of their undefeated play throughout the regular season.
Girls Varsity Soccer advanced through sectionals with wins against Jefferson and Kirtland, before losing 1-0 in the district finals against the defending state champion, Hathaway Brown. Led by seniors Kelly Kertis, Caitlin Brett and Kathleen O’Brien, the Lancers had a terrific season. Among the highlights was the game played in Columbus Crew Stadium against Salem. The 1-0 victory gave the team good reason to celebrate. Senior captains Andrew Gabrielson, Jack Dolan and Matt Pestotnik set the tone by stressing teamwork and focus for an 11-5-1 Boys Soccer season. The shootout win against Kirtland in the sectional finals played at Weber Stadium reflected the tenacity and prowess of this team. After 110 scoreless minutes, Gabrielsen saved three out of four Kirtland penalty shots on goal while juniors Kevin Gleason and Rob Catanese, Matt Pestotnik and sophomore Robbie Zeller each found the back of the net for Gilmour, much to the delight of a very partisan crowd.
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Lancer Athletics
Sports Snapshot . . . “Find your limits and exceed them.” The mantra for
Girls Cross Country once again led them to Columbus for the state meet. Taking on tough competition all fall paid off in the postseason. After winning several big invitationals, the Lancers took home the district and regional runners-up trophies. At the state meet the girls captured a very respectable ninth-place finish, with nearly every runner finishing with a personal best time. Freshman Halle Markel finished fifth overall individually, setting a new school record of 18:49 and earning AllOhio honors. The Boys Cross Country postseason was marked by the Lancers advancing to the regional championship out of a very difficult district meet. This marked the 12th year in a row that the Lancers advanced to this stage. Senior James Miller was voted Outstanding Runner for a season that saw him capture several individual meet titles. With a 22-3 season record, there is little doubt that this season was one of the most successful for the
Girls Varsity Basketball team. This impressive record includes going undefeated at home through the entire season. After a 5-1 start, the Lady Lancers won the
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holiday tournament at Indian Rocks Christian School in Florida and used this as momentum for a 16-game winning streak. The Lady Lancers were crowned District champs and reached the Sweet Sixteen. The team will only lose two seniors to graduation – Mel Trushel, who will play for Lake Erie College, and Brittany Layton, who will attend Lehigh University. After graduating nine seniors last year, including five starters, the Boys Varsity Basketball team knew that rebuilding had to commence immediately. Led by captains Connor Deckard and Mike Zavagno – both seniors – the Lancers roared out of the gates, taking a 4-2 record with them into winter break. After finishing the regular season 11-9, GA set off to face rival Hawken in the opening round of the sectional tournament. Trailing by 11 points midway through the third quarter, sophomore David Linane hit two key threepointers, starting an 18-2 run that gave Gilmour the lead for good. The Lancers capped their season with a Division III Sectional Final win over Wickliffe 41-35 before losing to state runner-up Cleveland Central Catholic in the district semifinals. The Girls Swim team made more than just a splash at the state tournament. Freshmen Macie McNichols and Agnes Mirando, senior Alex Venzor and freshman Skylar Schambs swam the 200-yard freestyle relay and placed seventh in the state, winning medals for themselves. Senior Allie Kasuboski, McNichols, Mirando and sophomore Monica Flocken placed 11th in the 400-yard
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Sports Snapshot . . . freestyle relay. McNichols placed 14th in the 500-yard freestyle and McNichols placed second in the state in both the 50-yard freestyle and the 100-yard freestyle, losing the latter by less than one-tenth of a second. McNichols brought home two medals for her efforts. Overall, the girls tied for 10th place at the Division II State Championship.
the Exeter Tournament. Although the team did not make it to nationals, the Lancers’ outstanding season is still one for the record books.
At the sectional meet, the
Boys Varsity Swim team finished in fifth place. The majority of the team advanced to Districts. Juniors David Mirando and Jack Renner, freshmen Joey Cerer and Zach Korman, sophomore Tad Resch and diver Alex Lohiser, a junior, went on to qualify for the state championship meet. Lohiser finished fourth overall in Division II Diving, while Korman, Mirando, Renner and Resch placed 12th in the state in the 200-yard medley relay. Individually, Resch placed 15th overall in the 100-yard breast stroke in Division II. The entire team will return next year! Posting the best season record in the history of Gilmour Girls Prep Hockey, the 37-17-7 team also won three tournaments and beat Culver three out of four times during the season. The Lancers began the season by winning championships at both the Windsor and Mercyhurst Tournaments. The team then traveled to Boston to play in the Cushing Tournament where it lost to Northwood School after five overtimes, but still placed third at the tournament. After Christmas, the team traveled to New Hampshire and won
Not to be outdone by the girls team, Varsity A Hockey also had a record-breaking season with 35 wins, 9 losses and 2 ties. The Lancers participated in eight tournaments during the season winning six of them finishing runner-up in the other two. For the second time in four years, Varsity A advanced to the Division I State Final Four in Columbus. After four overtimes in the semifinals, the Lancers came up one goal short in a 3-2 loss to St. Edward High School. Senior Matt Grider broke a scoring record with 40 goals during the season. Under the helm of new coach Scott Stirling, Boys
Prep Hockey won the U18 Mid-Am District Championship, earning the Lancers their first ever berth to the National Tournament held in Simsbury, Conn. The Lancers advanced to nationals to the quarterfinals before losing to the Colorado Thunderbirds 2-0. The Lancers finished the season ranked fifth in the nation!
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M e m o r i a l
Margaret Murphy
I
n 2003, the Irish American Archives Society honored Margaret and Murlan J. Murphy, Sr., with its Walks of Life Award. It recognizes recipients’ contributions to the Greater Cleveland area and the determination of their ancestors to realize America’s promise. The couple’s commitment to serving others and generous philanthropy earned them this deserved honor. Margaret Murphy died April 19 at the age of 91 at the Jennings Center for Older Adults. “Here was a great lady, a valiant woman. A woman who lived her faith,” said the Most Reverend Anthony M. Pilla, former Bishop of the Diocese of Cleveland. “Here was a woman, though blessed in many ways, was also familiar with adversity, and what character she showed in times of pain and difficulty.” Married for almost 65 years, the Murphys spent their life assisting the community’s poor, sick, homeless and unemployed through their dedication to local churches and schools and many other philanthropic efforts. Gilmour Academy also has been a longtime beneficiary of the family’s generosity. “Mrs. Murphy was a wonderful, gentle woman of faith who embodied much care and concern and offered a warm and friendly smile to all who had the pleasure of meeting her,” said Gilmour Headmaster Brother Robert Lavelle, C.S.C. “Mr. and Mrs. Murphy entrusted their four sons to Gilmour and all of their children reflect the wonderful qualities of their parents.” The daughter of Michael and Florence Scanlan, Margaret Murphy’s father immigrated to the United States from County Clare in Ireland. She graduated from Detroit’s Marygrove College before moving to New York City where she studied to become a commercial artist. Returning to Cleveland, Murphy applied her talent to fashion advertising at Cleveland’s Higbee Company where she also did some modeling. On New Year’s Day 1944, the Murphys met at Our Lady of Peace Church. Murlan (Jerry) Murphy, Jr., ’64, Chair of the Academy’s Board of Trustees, described his mother “as a private person, a ‘background’ person.” His sister, Rita Murphy Carfagna, echoed the thought in her mother’s eulogy. “Mom left the spotlight and ‘great things’ to Dad,” she said noting that her mother’s acts were done with “great love and kindness.” Known for their sense of humor, the Murphys “loved to host parties and pass out silly hats,” according to a 2009 article in the Plain Dealer. Over the years, Margaret Murphy volunteered at her children’s schools and was active with the St. Dominic Church Women’s Guild. Their four sons – Jerry; Ray ’65; Paul ’68 and Brian ’73 all graduated from Gilmour. Grandchildren Emily Murphy Maksoudian ’92 and John ’97 also are Gilmour alums. In addition to her children, she is survived by 17 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
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M e m o r i a l
Brother Terence Muehlenkamp, C.S.C. B rother Terence Muehlenkamp, C.S.C., who joined the Gilmour
Academy faculty in 1967 and taught here for five years, died April 5 in Mishawaka, Ind. He was 65. Brother Terence was chair of the social studies department and taught world history, AP European history and government. He served as assistant housemaster of Tudor House, Hallmaster at West House and senior class moderator. Brother Terence’s years of ministry following Gilmour included teaching for a year at St. Nicholas High School in Bangladesh. Because of illness he needed to return to the United States. While holding teaching and administrative posts over the years, he was consistently dedicated to counseling students and served in prison ministry. In the most recent years, Brother Terence lived in a senior living center because of failing health. A funeral Mass was celebrated on April 9 at the Chapel of St. Joseph at the University of Notre Dame.
Our sympathy also is extended to the alumni and families of the following:
FRANCES BONACCI, mother of Florence, Gilmour Lower School instructor
Gilmour Academy expresses sympathy to the families of the following:
JOSEPHINE ALESCI, grandmother of Frank ’04
CHURCHILL BREWSTER, father of Mel Brewster, Gilmour Academy housekeeping crew manager
ANTHONY T. DALESSIO ’70
CARLO AMMENDOLIA, grandfather of Markus Treppo ’15
MEMORIAL
JOHN BUNTEMEYER, father of Laura ’08
ANTONIO R. ANTUNEZ, grandfather of Alexis ’10 and Spencer ’12
RYAN M. CARLSON, brother of Deanna Carlson Ness ’95
JAMES P. LENNON ’80
MARY ARCADI, great grandmother of Bella ’13
ANDREW CASSESE, grandfather of Nicole ’05 and Anthony ’07
THOMAS J. URANKAR ’78
BR. VINCENTIUS BALOG, C.S.C., one of the founding Brothers of Gilmour Academy and a retired faculty member
MARY CHATTERTON, grandmother of Samuel Handy ’11
DENIS F. HOYNES, JR. ’51
MICHAEL T. WHITE ’58
VALLY P. BENCIVENNI, grandfather of Elizabeth ’12 and Hannah ’14
MARIO CHIUDIONI, uncle of Alex Keene ’10 MICHAEL CIOMEK, uncle of Adam ’23, John ’23 and Marysa ’23 Kellis 53
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M e m o r i a l
ELAINE COBURN, mother of Mary Rose Coburn Sullivan GO ’78; grandmother of Colleen ’04 and Catherine ’07
BR. THADDEUS GOTTEMOLLER, C.S.C., former Gilmour Day Camp archery instructor
PETER MAXSON, stepfather of John ’78 and James ’80 (deceased) Lennon; step-grandfather of Charles Lennon ’14
JOHN COYLE, grandfather of Charles ’21 and Lacie ’23 Frech
RANDOLPH GREENE, father of Justyn ’12
EMORY McCALLA, grandfather of Todd Adams ’82
RICHARD GREENFIELD, grandfather of Andrew Benedejcic ’13
MARGARET M. McGRATH, grandmother of Jay ’88
JOHN M. HAUSERMAN, brother of William, honorary Trustee; uncle of Terry Hauserman GO ’74, Cynthia Hauserman Little GO ’75 and Patricia Hauserman Winder GO ’76
MERLE McLEOD, father of Norman ’50; grandfather of Michael ’75 and John ’77
MARCELLA R. HERTEN, grandmother of Hope ’13 and James ’15; mother-in-law of Heidi Weber ’84
DENNIS D. MOREK, SR., grandfather of Joseph ’14
PIERRE R. DIEMER, father of Peter ’75, Robert ’77, Daniel ’78 and John ’82; grandfather of Megan ’12 and Emily ’14 BRIAN DONOVAN, cousin of Virginia Dybicz, religion instructor ROBERT F. DORNBACK, uncle of David ’78 CHARLES ECHELMEIER, grandfather of Joseph ’11 FRANK C. FERRARA, father of Michael ’01
CHARLES F. HOCEVAR, SR., grandfather of Gregory ’97, Matthew ’98, Ryan ’00 and Sarah ’01
ELEANOR FORTUNATO, grandmother of Gregory Calabrese ’11
ED HORVATH, cousin of Lynn Hammond, Gilmour library manager
JUNE MARIE FRANTZ, mother of Mark ’65, David ’66, Roger ’69, Joseph ’75 and Peter ’78; grandmother of Dale J. Belock, Jr. ’93
MICHAEL KEARNEY, SR., grandfather of Christopher ’09 and Bridget ’13; father-in-law of Kelly, chief financial officer
SUSAN GALLAGHER, aunt of Marshall ’10 and Kathryn ’10 Drew
EILEEN KOHN, aunt of Daniel Kohn, maintenance director; great aunt of Matthew ’07
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CATHERINE GALLOWAY, mother of James, softball coach; grandmother of Erin ’07 and Joseph ’13
NANCY KRUSCHKE, grandmother of Berkley ’16 and Cole ’19
EDWARD J. GERBITZ, uncle of Brooks ’81, Clayton ’83, Blake ’85 and Reece ’90
MAXIMILLIAN P. LAMMERS, father of Paul ’73, Anthony ’74 and Perry ’76
BETTY GORBETT, grandmother of Coreen Gorbett Schaefer ’02, Upper School English instructor
JOHN LINC, brother-in-law of Alan Achkar ’86 ROBERT LOBUE, brother of Wayne Lobue, retired Gilmour instructor and guidance counselor; uncle of Daniel ’82 and Paul ’83
PATRICIA MITCHELL, grandmother of Andrew Krall ’12
ANDREW MOST, father of Mark, art instructor MARGARET MURPHY, mother of Murlan, Jr. ’64, Raymond ’65, Paul ’68 and Brian ’73; grandmother of Emily Murphy Maksoudian ’92 and John ’97 SUZANNA NEAMONITIS, mother of Christopher ’09 MERLE NEWCOMB, grandmother of Corey ’06 and Hannah ’11 DEWITT J. NOETH, father of Gregory ’76 and David ’79; grandfather of Jessica ’07 MONICA O’BRIEN, grandmother of Robert ’10 and Kathleen ’11; mother-in-law of Ann Chiarucci GO ’76 CARL PARKER, grandfather of Katelyn ’12 JOE PASSAFIUME, uncle of Lynn Hammond, Gilmour library manager NETTIE PESICK, grandmother of Nicole Caine ’14
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M e m o r i a l
DOLORES PETROSIUS, grandmother of Alexander Lubetkin
PAUL A. SCHAMBS, grandfather of Natalie ’12 and Skylar ’14
CARROL TEAGUE, great uncle of Michelle Benz ’12
JUNE PETSCHAUER, grandmother of Connor Lundi ’17
VIRGINIA SCHMIDT, mother of Henry ’57; great grandmother of Alexander Perry ’12
ROBIN THOMAS, mother-in-law of Matthew Vanek, Gilmour art instructor
NORMA M. SCHUSTER, mother of Thomas ’81 and James ’84
BR. CHARLES VARNAK, C.S.C., former Gilmour instructor
MARGUERITE SHERWIN, mother of Marguerite Sherwin Frederick ’84
DENNIS F. VICCHIARELLI, father of Frank ’89 and Lori Vicchiarelli Sperling ’90
RESHMA SINGLA, mother of Neena Goel, Gilmour Upper School science instructor; grandmother of Nikhil Goel ’13
GENE VITANTONIO, father of Robert ’70, Dennis ’73 (deceased) and Marc ’77; grandfather of Daniel ’04
TOM SKINGEL, step-grandfather of Rachel Staton ’12
ELIZABETH M. WEBER, grandmother of Elizabeth Faller ’01; mother-in-law of Robert Faller ’64
PATRICIA A. PINES, great grandmother of Frank ’11 JEAN M. POZSGAI, mother of Michael, former Gilmour instructor; grandmother of Timothy ’98 DOROTHY QUAGLIATA, grandmother of Angelo ’83, Anthony ’96 and Natalie Quagliata Kupinski ’94 LINDSAY ANN RAWOT, former Lower School student FRANK J. REGALBUTO, father of Joseph ’89; grandfather of Joseph ’13 TERRI BARRETT RICHARDSON, sister of Thomas ’66 and Charles ’73 Barrett; aunt of Megan Barrett ’99 BR. JAMES ROTH, C.S.C., former Gilmour Day Camp instructor THOMAS A. SAPORITO, former Gilmour Academy instructor SPEAR SAYEGH, grandfather of Camille Corbin ’11 MONSIGNOR FREDERICK SLAVEN, uncle of Kelly Kearney, business manager; great uncle of Christopher ’09 and Bridget ’13 Kearney JOSEPH A. SBROCCO, uncle of Frank Vicchiarelli ’89 and Lori Vicchiarelli Sperling ’90 DOROTHY M. SCHADE, mother of Fr. Martin Schade, S.J., ’71 JAMES SCHAFFER, grandfather of Jackson ’25
FREDERICK S. SOLINSKY, brother-in-law of Charles VanHorn, Gilmour maintenance staff LINDA BYRD SOLOMON, aunt of Bethany ’08 and Amber ’13 Byrd JOHN SPARANO, grandfather of Elizabeth ’98 and John ’04 Peca
PHILIP S. WENK, father of Philip A. ’81 PAUL R. ZEIT, father of Mary Zeit Cornely ’87 and Thomas Zeit ’88 CHERYL ZIDEK, great aunt of Patrick ’22 and Daniel ’25 Miklus
WILLIAM A. SPETRINO, SR., father of William, Jr. ’75 and Jeffrey ’77 RONALD STACKHOUSE, husband of Linda, former administrative secretary CATHERINE M. STOFFER, mother of Kevin ’76; mother-in-law of Tracey Weber GO ’78 ELIZABETH STUTZ, retired Gilmour Lower School staff member BERNADETTE M. TAYEK, grandmother of Douglas ’00 and Gabrielle ’04
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Gilmour Academy 34001 Cedar Road Gates Mills, Ohio 44040-9356
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