WELL DONE

WELL DONE SPEECH & DEBATE

Fourteen DCHS students qualified to compete in the 2021 National Speech and Debate Association’s (NSDA) National Tournament held virtually June 14 - 18. Congratulations to Suzanne Bigelow, Violet Bordenaro, Collin Comito, Zach Harnden, Hannah Hayes, Reese Lovell, Jack McGuire, James Piazza, Ann Pierson, Christopher Pierson, George Pierson, Gregory Salazar, Oliver Sheaff and Luojie Weng who competed in a variety of events ranging from speech and debate to dramatic interpretation.

The pandemic created a very unique environment for students, requiring them to compete in tournaments virtually from their homes with competitors and judges located in different states and time zones. Despite the challenges, DCHS students continued to improve throughout the year and had great success.

Some highlights include Zach Harnden and Christopher Pierson finishing as state champions in public forum in both the Iowa High School Speech Association (IHSSA) and coaches league state tournaments and qualifying for nationals; the teams of Hannah Hayes/Suzanne Bigelow and Collin Comito/Jack McGuire making DCHS history as the first freshman policy debaters to qualify for nationals; and Violet Bordenaro, Reese Lovell and Elliott Sheaff qualifying for the National Individual Events Tournament of Champions (NIETOC). In addition, George Pierson ‘21 and James Piazza ‘21 advanced to the top 100 at nationals in Extemporaneous Speaking. Congratulations to the entire team on an outstanding year.

ODYSSEY OF THE MIND

Odyssey of the Mind is a creative problem-solving program that engages students in learning by allowing their knowledge and ideas to come to life. The program began in 1978 and has grown to include students from around the world, allowing them to learn and develop skills related to teamwork, resource management, critical thinking, design and more.

DCHS began participating in the program in 2018 led by English teacher Kate Leo. After last year’s season was cut short due to Covid-19, the students were excited to be able to compete in person in the state finals which took place at Iowa State University in April. Each of the three teams from DCHS placed first in their division and advanced to the World Finals where they competed virtually in May against approximately 55 other teams.

Congratulations to the following DCHS students on their outstanding work: Katya Baneulos-Moriel, Rosie Becicka, Eleanor Bootman, Kylie Camarata, Charlotte Chance, Molly Eure, Katie Flaherty, Lukas Franko, Jasper Grasmick, Courtney Haas, Hannah Harclerode, Will Jung, Eva Kilbride, Natalie Krejchi, Jake Leo, Janie McAllister, Ocean Oh, Betzy Sandoval and Danielle Stacy.

NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARS

Seniors Emily Ball, Jude Rafael Borromeo and Lele Nigg have been named finalists in the 2021 National Merit Scholarship Program. Nearly 1.5 million students entered the scholarship competition by taking the PSAT their junior year. The top scorers were named semifinalists and represent less than 1% of all high school seniors in the United States.

Approximately 15,000 of those students were selected as finalists based on academic record, participation in school and community activities, leadership abilities, honors and awards. Each finalist was also required to submit a personal essay and a recommendation from a high school official. Congratulations to these students on their outstanding achievements.

NATIONAL COUNCIL ON YOUTH LEADERSHIP

Nine Dowling Catholic students were selected to attend the National Council on Youth Leadership (NCYL), an exclusive leadership seminar held annually at Drake University. The mission of NCYL is to create public awareness of the importance and power of youth leadership, provide information to help build advanced leadership skills, and encourage community involvement in recognition and support of our youth.

Approximately 250 students from area high schools are selected each year based on their leadership qualities and scholastic record. Congratulations to Crystal Castellano, Zach Harnden, Petra Knupp, Ellen McDonough, Chris Pierson, Michael Posegate, David Roberts, Natalie Thomas and Becca Youngers who were selected to represent DCHS.

CHOIR AWARDS

The Jazz Choir, Concert Choir, A Cappella Choir and Dowling Catholic Singers had the opportunity to perform for a live audience at St. Ambrose Cathedral in May, with the evening split into two concerts to accommodate capacity limits. The last in-person concert was also held at St. Ambrose in February of 2020. After nearly 15 months, it was a thrill for the choirs to return and perform for parents and families.

The concert also included the presentation of three special choral awards. The Douglas Schultz Memorial Award is presented each year to a member of the Concert Choir in recognition of outstanding service to the freshman chorus. This year there were two recipients, Liv Hall and Jake Leo.

Katherine Kunz received the Iowa Choral Director’s Outstanding Senior Award, presented to a student who has demonstrated outstanding musicianship and leadership in the choral art.

The final award was the DCHS Choral Service Award, presented to a senior who has demonstrated sincere service to the choral program during their high school years. This year there were four recipients: Adowek Ajoung, Lizzy Erickson, Nolan Kyhl and Ana Siebrecht.

The concert concluded with special recognition of all the senior choir members. We are proud to recognize the award winners and every member of the choir for their dedication and commitment during a challenging year.

BAND AWARDS

The Dowling Catholic band program is proud to recognize students for their achievements and contributions with awards

presented annually each spring. Congratulations to the following 2021 award recipients:

Senior Awards

The John Philip Sousa Band Award – Jude Borromeo The Good Samaritan Award – Lauren Rotherham

The Most Improved Senior Award – Quinn Barrett The Service and Commitment Award – Maya Freking The Mary Perlowski Spirit & Dedication Award - Rosie Becicka The Woody Herman Jazz Award – Sam Hansen The Louis Armstrong Jazz Award – Luke McIlhon The Quincy Jones Musicianship Award – Libbie Smith The Reubin Alcoy Memorial Award – Gabe Cook The Patrick S. Gilmore Band Award – Jordan Fortelka

Freshman, Sophomore and Junior Awards

The Sean Runyan Memorial Scholarship Award – Daniel Musel The Michael Cargill Jazz Scholarship Award – Riley McElroy The Director’s Award for Band – John Cahalan (junior) The Director’s Award for Band - Emily Nguyen (sophomore) The Director’s Award for Band - Jack Freking (freshman)

The awards were presented during the spring concert which was performed for a live audience limited to symphony band families. They performed one piece, “The Parting Glass,” which portrays the idea of a farewell at the end of a gathering of friends, a fitting tribute to an outstanding group of seniors.