&ROOTS WINGS SPRING 2022NOTRE DAME PREPARATORY SCHOOL SPIRIT AND GRACE: ATHLETICS AT NDP
Cami RachelColarossiDruckenmiller ’02
Other stories in this issue provide both a look back and a look forward to the accomplishments and activities of the school and its community members. We hope you enjoy reading about the history of NDP’s iconic Gateway and its journey from Charles Street to Hampton Lane. There is an essay on NDP’s commitment to promoting global citizenship and how the school is preparing students to leave NDP as aware, determined, and engaged members of our increasingly complex world. The “Heart of NDP” features an alumna who inspired a young graduate to pursue her life’s dream, and we celebrate Victoria Chou ‘92, the 2022 Alumna of the Year, and how she lives the NDP mission.
Over the years, we have witnessed the evolution of athletics and its importance in the lives of young women. In our cover story, we explore and celebrate the history of athletics at Notre Dame and the NDP athlete. In addition to athletic skills, whether honed on Yeardley Love Field, in the pool, on the courts, or (for the first time in my memory) on the fencing piste, the lessons of fair competition, good “sports-womanship,” and teamwork anchor NDP’s long-standing commitment to athletic excellence.
Jennifer Caine ’86
NDP Archives Mia ABOUTWalshNOTRE
SisterHEADMISTRESSPatriciaMcCarron, SSND, Ph.D.
Dear Friends,
DAME PREPARATORY SCHOOL
On behalf of Notre Dame Preparatory School, it is my pleasure to share with you the latest edition of Roots & Wings, a publication for which we are most proud. We hope that the enclosed stories of the amazing students, teachers, and alumnae at NDP, as well as all of the happenings here on Hampton Lane, instill in you as much gratitude for our beloved NDP as it does in all of us.
Victor Pellechia, Ed.D.
The Catholic Review
Notre Dame Preparatory School educates and empowers girls to become women who transform the world. As a Catholic, independent, college preparatory school for girls in grades six through 12, Notre Dame Prep inspires students to pursue academic excellence, spiritual growth, and the practice of justice. Infused with the spirit of the School Sisters of Notre Dame and rooted in the teachings of the Catholic Church, the NDP community strives to answer God’s call “...to act justly, to love tenderly, and to walk humbly with God.” (Micah 6:8)
Many blessings to you and your families for a safe and happy summer!
LETTER FROM HEADMISTRESSTHE &ROOTS WINGS
Galeone Photography
CamiEDITORColarossi,
Katherine Fitzgerald ’09
I hope this magazine allows you to feel more closely connected to Notre Dame Prep and to those individuals who have helped shape our wonderful school. Their stories are a testament to a mission that continues to inspire all to act justly, love tenderly, and walk humbly with God (Micah 6:8).
Shawn Osmeyer ’88
Robin CarrieHarryPHOTOGRAPHYAlbertBoskBurns,MSPH
Chris Meyers
Where Girls Become Women Who Transform The World
NotrePUBLISHERDame Preparatory School
Caroline Whitman ’09
SisterCONTRIBUTINGAPRWRITERSBarbaraBrumleve,SSND, Ph.D.
Sister Patricia McCarron, SSND, Ph.D.
Founded in 1873, Notre Dame Preparatory School is sponsored by the School Sisters of Notre Dame. More than 800 girls in grades six through 12 attend the Catholic, independent, college prep school, which has 6,000-plus living alumnae. NDP has been named a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence, a Baltimore Sun “Top Workplace,” and a Top Engineering Source School by the University of MISMaryland.SIONSTATEMENT
HeadmistressA
In Notre Dame,
GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Roots & Wings • Spring 2022
ON THE COVER: Track and Field competitor Jess Seymour ’21 STORIES 8
NDP in the Spotlight
The Heart of NDP Following in her saddles Living the Mission
“Joyce’s gift exemplifies the life-changing effects philanthropy can have on individuals,” says Sister Patricia McCarron, SSND, Ph.D.. “Just as her life was transformed by a scholarship, so, too, will her gift make a positive impact in the life of a student today.”
14
Victoria Chou ’92, NDP’s 2022 Alumna of the Year
Where a Gateway Opens
Choosing to Rise
How global citizenship is foundational to the NDP student experience and at NDP
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Grace Athletics
GRATITUDE’SGIFT
13
A scholarship is a life-changing gift, and for Joyce Koebrugge Burke ’53, it was a gift she would never forget.
Joyce attended Notre Dame of Maryland for seventh and eighth grade and was selected to take the high school entrance and scholarship exams, ultimately being awarded a full, four-year scholarship. In the early 1950s, tuition was $200 a year; for Joyce’s senior year, that figure increased to $220. Grateful for the opportunity she had been given, she vowed to one day give back the money she was awarded to another deserving student. In December 2021, the vow was actualized when she addressed a letter to NDP Headmistress Sister Patricia McCarron, with a $820 check enclosed: “I am finally able to fulfill my dream to give Notre Dame the money for my scholarship,” she wrote.
A woman’s story of challenge, resilience, and change
After graduation, Joyce went on to raise a family and continue her education. Having always remembered and appreciated the gift of a Notre Dame education, she has consistently given back to the school. This year, with her most significant gift to date, she fulfilled her dream to repay her scholarship—a true expression of gratitude!
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Collectively these women tell a story of faith, courage, and transformation in the world
9
Each day, Notre Dame Preparatory School receives gifts of all sizes. Each gift holds different value to each person. Joyce’s gift is an example of a grateful student who, for over 70 years, never lost sight of the opportunities that had been granted to her. g
FEATURE 4 Spirit
Educating Global Citizens
Roots & Wings • Spring 2022 • 1
SPRING 2022
Celebrating Catholic Women of Color
DEPARTMENTS 2 Hampton Headlines
Every gift truly does make a difference here at NDP. What makes an even greater impact is the meaning behind that gift that inspires the generosity of our alumnae and all those who support Notre Dame Prep.
The story of NDP’s iconic Gateway
Here Madeline Anson ’22 (left), Women in Technology President and student in NDP’s STEAM – Computer Science Program, and Lizzy Kelly ’22, a student in NDP’s STEAM –Engineering Program, pose with Spot under the Gateway.
The Notre Dame Preparatory School community was thrilled to welcome Sister Carolyn Anyega, SSND, to the school on April 11, 2022. Sister Carolyn, a member of the School Sisters of Notre Dame General Council, located in Rome, spent the day touring the building, and meeting with students, faculty, staff, and administrators, as well as with her fellow SSND and Associates who serve at Notre Dame Prep. Originally from Kenya, Sister Carolyn shared her vocation story at a welcome assembly that began her visit. Sister served in Ghana, where she was missioned to form community with the sisters in Sunyani and teach and ultimately serve as headmistress at Notre Dame Senior intobeforeincludingsoredmanyStates,timeSchool.SecondaryDuringherintheUnitedshevisitedSSND-spon-institutions,NDP,returningherresidenceRome.
The Faraone family presents their inaugural Women in Science Scholarship to senior Nicole Ellis.
Welcoming a
HamptonHEADLINES
Engineers Week at NDP was doggone fun…robotic doggone fun, that is! Thanks to STEAM Director Mary Agnes Sheridan and NDP parent Steve Montgomery P ’27, CEO and Co-Founder of BuildingPoint Northeast, Upper and Middle Level students learned about robotics and technology in architecture, construction, and engineering, and met Spot, an agile mobile robot dog that navigates terrain and captures data. Walking up the auditorium aisles, greeting students, and performing “commands,” Spot demonstrated the current advances in robotics in a fun, educative way.
2 • Roots & Wings • Spring 2022
The NDP Community in the Spotlight
SPECIAL SSND VISITOR
THESPOTDOG
Diagnosed with cystic fibrosis (CF) at the age of three, Lea Faraone ’09 spent her life embracing every opportunity she was given, both as a student at Notre Dame Prep and in her career as a nurse. Prior to her death in 2018, Lea became a public figure within the CF community through her advocacy work. To honor her memory and her resilient spirit, her parents, Henry and Laura Faraone, and her sister, Leeza ’12, established the Lea Marie Faraone ’09 Foundation Women in Science Scholarship. This $5,000-dollar scholarship will be awarded annually to a graduating senior at NDP who intends to pursue a college course of study in science, medicine, nursing, or scientific research. The recipient will have expressed a commitment to one of these areas and to advancing the quality of life and care of children and adults with chronic illness. The first recipient of the Lea Marie Faraone ’09 Foundation Women in Science Scholarship is Nicole Ellis ’22 (pictured left with the Faraone family).
In Loving Memory
Kate Kaiser Kasabula ’98 was featured in Baltimore’s Catholic Review, in honor of Women’s History Month, along with a handful of Baltimore Catholic school alumnae who are “making history”! Kate, who was a student leader and star athlete at NDP, is now the vice president of client services at the Ravens, making her one of the few female VP-level executives in the NFL.
For the third year in a row, NDP earned the College Board’s AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award for high enrollment in AP Computer Science A (CSA) and AP Computer Science Principles (CSP). NDP was one of only 61 schools nationwide to be recognized for closing the gender gap in both AP computer science courses. Schools honored with the AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award have expanded girls’ access to AP computer science courses.
FOR THE LoveOF THE GAME
NDP EXCELS IN COMPUTER SCIENCE
Pictured here are Rylan Sachs ’22 and Molly Cain ’22 representing Notre Dame Prep as their varsity club ice hockey team, North Eastern, defended their Maryland Student Hockey League championship title in overtime with a 3-2 win. This is the second straight MSHL championship for the team. A life-long hockey fan, Rylan has been playing since she was in third grade. Last year she was among 25 teens selected for the National Hockey League’s Youth Advisory Board. Molly, who has been playing hockey for about 12 years, has won five league championships with her club team and one state championship with North Eastern.
Roots & Wings cover story writer, Katherine Fitzgerald ’09, is scoring big in the world of sports reporting. For the past six years, she has been on the sports beat formerly with The Arizona Republic and now with the Buffalo News covering the Bills, a spot that earned her entry to Superbowl LV. Katherine credits her time at NDP for kindling her love of sports communications. “I ran cross country and track at NDP, and loved watching all games. I loved photography classes at NDP and started thinking of ways to tie sports and communications into a career. I tried a few different paths before realizing that writing is my favorite way to report.”
MAKINGHERSTORYHER OWN WAY
History
Mark your calendars! NDP will be celebrating its sesquicentennial (i.e. 150th Anniversary) during the 2023-2024 school year. Between now and then, planning will be underway to ensure this celebration is one for the books! Be on the lookout for volunteer opportunities and special activities designed to celebrate 150 years of educating young women to transform the world!
Roots & Wings Spring 2022 3
“Trillium Court,” a new extended play recording by Maria “Maz” Goggins launched this past March in Perth, Western Australia, where the NDP Class of 2012 grad has been living and practicing medicine. After completing her six-year degree in medicine at the University College of Dublin, she moved down under, where the environment and life style allowed her to pursue both her medical and musical career aspirations. Check out Maz’s original music on your favorite streaming platform.
ONNDPICE
SES·QUI·CEN·TEN·NI·AL
noun a one-hundred-and-fiftieth anniversary: “The Notre Dame Preparatory School sesquicentennial is just 18 months away!” Music
By Katherine Fitzgerald ’09
2010slate
4 • Roots & Wings • Spring 2022 1962 1935 1957 1983 1999 1980s 1926 Spirit and Grace :Spirit and Grace :Spirit and Grace :ATHLETICS AT NDPATHLETICS AT NDPATHLETICS AT NDP 2018 1911 2021 1970-71 2015
walk up to the grass fields,” Burch said.
Erika Ezumba ’22 laughs as she describes the “elaborate” jump-roping Easter egg hunt that the basketball team did this year around the courtyard.
On the field came the practices and the games, of course, but also the traditions: the cheers and songs; the matching ribbons unique to each team, each season; the inside jokes, handshakes,
“Some of my favorite memories were just walking together as a team.”
the school’s founding in 1873, physical education and athletics, once referred to as “physical culture,” have been core components of NDP’s mission to support and educate students holisitcally. The Notre Dame of Maryland annual calendar from 1902 references that “students are encouraged to take an active part in basket ball [sic], hand ball, tennis and other outdoor games” (27).
Sinceways.
A former lacrosse player at her alma mater, Georgetown University, Burch is a sports reporter, having worked at ESPN, Big10 Network, and CBS Sports Network during her 16-year
Croquet circa late 1800s
Today, nearly 150 years later, NDP fields teams in all 15 sports sponsored by the school’s league, the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland (IAAM), including crew and squash, and the school sponsors a club Ultimate team. About 50 percent of NDP’s high school students and nearly all Middle Level students participate in interscholastic athletics. The vibrant programs shape student learning on and off the field, preparing students for life after NDP.
“Inicknames.lovethat
Roots & Wings • Spring 2022 • 5
Sheehan Stanwick Burch ’97 still remembers the walk up to the field. A three-sport athlete (basketball, cross country, lacrosse), Burch followed the winding path that led to some of her best memories at Notre Dame.
“Even now, it [her time at NDP] helps me relate more to some of the players…” Burch said, “…even though things have changed and recruiting has changed. It’s just funny when I hear college athletes talk about their high school experiences and the coaches that meant so much to them, and it totally brings me back to those same memories.”
In a few months, the field will look a little different, a little brighter. State-of-the-art lighting is coming to Yeardley Love Field during the summer of 2022, the latest investment in an area that nourishes students’ God-given talents in so many
Erika Ezumba tips off against a rival team.
Sheehan Stanwick Burch reports from the field.
Many of these memories revolve around special traditions that hold true today among NDP athletes.
career. She views her job as connecting viewers to the game by introducing them to the athletes on the field. She credits her time at NDP as instrumental in accomplishing that goal.
“Atherself.admissions
The interconnection between classes extends well past graduation. Mary Bartel has seen it firsthand for 41 years, during which she’s served in numerous roles including chair of the Physical Education Department, teacher, Gym Meet and Athletic Association moderator, and former athletic director. She regularly hears from alumnae reminiscing so warmly on their tunic-wearing days. They share stories about how their time on costume committee prepared them for college engineering classes. Others will stop in and see pictures of themselves hanging in the Phys Ed office.
Terri Byrd, swim coach, is one such coach who sees her role as coach and teacher intertwined.
Byrd works to ensure students do more than just compete together. The Swim Team regularly engages in service activities with captains and seniors leading the charge, and year over year, the team collectively has earned scholar-athlete honors under Byrd’s influence.
a sense of failure,” Bartel said of what students can learn through sports. “I think it’s really important to fail, because then I think you figure out how to Thesucceed.”positive
The dual role of coach and teacher for educators like Byrd and others on the NDP faculty means they get to know and support students in many ways. Such holistic care ensures a student quietly struggling or in need of encouragement doesn’t fall
Sports instantly helped Ezumba connect to her new school community as a ninth grader, when her older teammates helped put her at ease. Now she pays it forward as an upperclasswoman
Ezumba will head to Johns Hopkins this fall, where she is leaning towards majoring in biology. She feels confident to step into the next chapter of her life following her four years at Notre Dame.
Notre Dame Prep is primed to continue its success on the fields of play as Maryland Soccer Hall of Famer Steve Powers prepares to assume duties as NDP’s athletic director July 1. Powers will inherit a number of outstanding coaches who are key reasons the school’s teams annually compete for championships.
impact from NDP athletics is tangible to people outside the school, too. Sue Thompson, executive director of the IAAM since 2005, can attest to that. Working with 30 schools across the conference, Thompson says she’s always struck by the spirited nature she sees from NDP’s teams. “I find them to be a very positive force in our league,” she said, noting that lifting up others, even in competition, matters. “It’s important stuff in our lives that helped craft who we are,” Thompson said.
A decorated senior and three-sport Blazer, Ezumba plays tennis and basketball, and competes in track and field. She’s a multisport captain, and, with partner Sydney Taylor ’22, won the IAAM B Conference Tennis Championship as a sophomore and the A Conference doubles title as a senior. This spring she received the prestigious C. Markland Kelly Award for service to NDP’s Athletic Program.
Tennis 1958 6 • Roots & Wings • Spring 2022
From the number of students who go on to compete in college athletics to the number of championships NDP teams have won, Notre Dame athletics is a strength of the school that continues to be a draw for prospective students. But Bartel knows success on the field extends beyond trophies, medals, and college
“As a coach and as a teacher, you’re teaching the whole child. And if I don’t stress that to them—especially to the top-notch swimmers—if I don’t get through to them that there’s more to life than just swimming, I failed them,” said Byrd, who was named the Girls Swimming Coach of the Decade by the Varsity Sports Network in 2021.
“Ascholarships.senseofaccomplishment,
events, I tell people who are looking to [play] sports...it builds a community for you and allows you to connect with other people,” Ezumba said.
Rylan Sachs ’22 and Molly Cain ’22 play ice hockey. Freya Andrews ’22 competes in horseback riding. Iggy DeCourcey ’22 fences. There’s no shortage of students who manage to stay involved at NDP while also dedicating time to a sport they love off-campus.
Winning the lacrosse championship in 2018
through the cracks and is on the radar of her attentive teacher and
Finley Barger ’22 is immersed in those traditions now. A senior who plays soccer and lacrosse, Barger will continue playing the latter after graduation at the University of Virginia. She’s excited, and she feels prepared. But for now, she’s soaking in one last season as a Blazer.
students come back to visit, Byrd says she often sees the results of the seeds first planted at Notre Dame.
Whencoach.
For some alumnae, it is as if they never left. Leah Taylor ‘09 is now an assistant coach with the NDP swim team. Cynthia Walsh ’07 has been named NDP’s new assistant athletic director and head varsity soccer coach. The chance to shape the next generation of Blazers, to pass along hallowed traditions, calls them to give back to their beloved alma mater.
“As we say at NDP, we’re all sisters. And every team that I’ve played for… it’s like we were a family. I’ve never felt that my voice wasn’t heard,” Barger said. “And that’s what I really love about NDP...that we all are together as a family, as one team. g
It’s fun, it’s refreshing, and there are more life lessons in those additional sports such as time management.
Sachs can attest to that: At NDP, she’s Student Council President, Mock Trial President, is involved with It’s Academic, and plays lacrosse. On top of all of that, she serves as a teen ambassador on the NHL Power Players youth advisory board. She’s interested in coaching and has gone to different coaching clinics to keep learning more. At one, she realized she stood out.
“I was the only youth coach there, and one of only two women in the room,” Sachs said.
FOR THE LOVE OF ALL GAMES FOR THE LOVE OF ALL GAMES FOR THE LOVE OF ALL GAMES
Roots & Wings • Spring 2022 • 7
She loves the contrast of a team sport at NDP and an individual sport outside it. With riding, Andrews has to advocate for herself at shows. She signs up for her own shows, like the Thoroughbred Makeover in Kentucky last October, a national competition.
“I just think it’s like opening a present on Christmas—you never know what you’re going to get when you hear someone’s coming back,” Byrd said.
“I can do all of those things, and still be active in multiple sports. And I really enjoy that,” DeCourcey said. g
Freya Andrews ’22
Iggy DeCourcey ’22
Andrews has grown in different capacities from horseback riding and from being on NDP’s crew team.
“I’m used to team sports, so I like a sport that’s more independent and causes me to focus on myself and growing,” Andrews said.
Outside of NDP’s 15 IAAM sports, there are plenty of students who find success competing away from NDP in less traditional sports. A number of those students also still participate in NDP’s teams, giving them fresh perspectives.
Some students will follow their sport to college. DeCourcey competes in sabre fencing, a quick and aggressive style, and will continue playing at Denison University in Ohio come fall. Like many others, DeCourcey is a multi-sport athlete, playing lacrosse at NDP, but also working on a capstone for Humanities, preparing for a Chinese proficiency test, and working on initiatives with NDP’s Diversity Council for Lent and Women’s History Month.
Sister Thea Bowman, renowned Roman Catholic nun, teacher, and scholar, pioneered the rights of African Americans in the Catholic Church and countered racial injustices within her community. She combined her gifts of singing and preaching with prayers and storytelling, bringing her “ministry of joy” to far-ranging audiences.
Sister Patricia Chappell, a Sister of Notre Dame de Namur, is former executive director of Pax Christi USA and president of the National Black Sisters’ Conference. Currently she is working throughout the country offering peace and anti-racism training.
8 • Roots & Wings • Spring 2022
Mother Mary Lange, O.S.P., founded the Oblate Sisters of Providence, the first African American religious congregation, and the first-ever African American Mother Superior. Baltimore’s newly built Archdiocesan school is named in her honor.
The Oblate Sisters of Providence was founded in 1829, when a handful of women from Baltimore’s Haitian refugee colony began to educate local children in their homes. Today the Oblate Sisters minister from New York to Florida and Costa Rica, including Baltimore’s Saint Francis Academy, the oldest Black Catholic high school in the United States.
Celebrating CATHOLIC WOMEN OF COLOR
OBLATE SISTERS OF PROVIDENCE
SISTER THEA BOWMAN
Black History Month at Notre Dame Preparatory School took on a special focus this year as the school celebrated notable Black Catholic women. Each week during February, students researched notable Black Catholics and shared their biographies during morning announcements with the school community; social media posts helped broaden the reach of the stories of these faithful individuals. Collectively these women, some of whom are actively ministering today, tell a story of faith, courage, and transformation in the world.
MOTHER MARY LANGE, O.S.P.
SISTER PATRICIA CHAPPELL
Carole Artigiani is still is enjoying life in the Big Apple. She posted, “We’ve been here in New York City throughout the ‘COVID Times’ and it’s been a good place to be. Both my book groups have continued on Zoom. I’m still involved with Global Kids, which has done yeoman’s work in the past two years. Other than days of heavy rain, ice, and frigid temperatures and weeks during the uptick of COVID cases, friends, Bob, and I have walked all over, done our shopping with care, enjoyed museums, and carefully selected restaurants, and on a few occasions (double masked), attended opera, theater, and dance and music events. We’ve been
2020, Pat Innes Muth suggested a mini reunion. Super idea! Then came COVID with shut-downs, everchanging regulations, postponements, and finally...plans to meet soon! A very small group of us “local gals” rarely get together these days but do keep in touch. We miss you all and share news about you as we learn it. We do care; so
Delores Hergenroeder Pomles and her daughter Natasha.
We hope you and your families are well. The connection we have to NDP and to one another is forever. It is our hope that these pages help to maintain that connection. We love hearing from you and thank you for sharing your accomplishments and good news. It is in sharing that we strengthen the bonds that connect us! We want to hear from you and are looking for chatter reps for various classes. If your class is missing, and you would like to submit news, please email me at osmeyers@notredameprep.com.
CLASS OF 19 57
Delores Hergenroeder Pomles daughter, Natasha Pomles Belanger ’88, married Nick Calleri on September 9, 2021.
Charlotte Carozza Archer cc_archer@verizon.net410-323-1891
Ann Cecil Adamski was happy to share, “My biggest news is that my granddaughter, Celie Mahle, NDP class of 2009, is expecting our first great-grandchild in April; but this is probably very common news in our class of ‘58.” Ann, you’re right; several of our class mates have welcomed great-grandchildren. They are certainly God’s Blessings in our Golden Years and reasons for joy and celebration.
Greetings, dear friends, NDM class of 58!
Marce Brown Jackson included in her news, “Arrival of my first great-grandson, Greyson, who is now fifteen months old, spent a wonderful car ride with my son Joe and his wife Joselin through the states, stopping in New York City to lunch with my grand daughter Megan, who is working there...ending up in Maine...then spent the holidays and several weeks in Jupiter, Florida with son Patrick and his family in the warm sun.
Pud Lynch, a big reader, loves book clubs. To branch out, two years ago she added an “Exploring Science” club that meets electronically. She has been surprised at her enjoyment of the new experience, and it’s now her favorite.
Earlylucky.”in
A big THANK YOU to those who sent news! We surely enjoy reading about pleasant events, especially in these challenging times.
CHATTERClass
Dear Sisters in Blue and White,
In true blue spirit,
Shawn Osmeyer ’88 Alumnae Engagement Manager
Roots & Wings • Chatter 2022 • C1
Libby Silcott libbylewandowski@comcast.netLewandowski
CLASS OF 19 58
Expecting another Jackson wedding and high school graduation this year.”
Peggy maclaugh2003@yahoo.com301-251-0458Bradley
Melanie Dugan
Will and I moved at the end of the year to a CCRC. We purchased it in July but need ed to do some renovation which took four months to complete. Neither of us wanted to make this move but due to my husband’s health issues, it was time. We have moved numerous times but this time it was very difficult for so many reasons. Downsizing is not for the faint of heart, but we somehow got through it and amazingly survived. We are now working to assimilate to our new surroundings and doing the fun part which is decorating. I think that maybe by May, we will be settled...and then, maybe not! For anyone interested, our new address is 743 Cedar Club Circle, Chapel Hill, NC 27517. Regards to all and wishing you and your families’ health and happiness in 2022.
Ronnie Donatelli O’Keefe
I am a member of Salisbury Garden Club, Volunteer for the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Flower Guild, and a member of several Women’s Clubs. I volunteer at our church as a Eucharistic minister and minister to the homebound. My good friend, Lee Lee Kirby Cummings/NDM ‘55, also lives in the Richmond area and we have a small florist business/hobby and keep busy mostly with flowers for weddings. Be safe and stay healthy.
This year my family surprised me with a birthday party for my 80th, at Ocean City with 60 family members and friends! At a Blessed Sacrament elementary school reunion, I visited with many friends I have known since first grade. Others from the NDP class of ’59 were there; Carolyn Crosby Farrell, Frannie Quinn Brooks, Barbara Cully Frost and Anne Klug Coyle and Mary Corrigan D’Ambrogi were guests. Two addi tional surprises this year: My family hosted a special dinner for Butch and myself to cele brate our 60th wedding anniversary and we are going to be great grandparents in April! Happy 80th birthdays to all! I am hoping we can get together soon.
Ann Reiter
Like a lot of folks, been mostly treading water the last couple of years, but got the 2 shots and booster and mask up when food shopping, etc. (esp. Costco) which we did today. Carl and I managed to go on vacation both past Julys with the family to the Outer Banks area which we all really needed. Other people had the same idea as most houses were rented. Will do the same this year, just different house so Pippa, our grand-dog can come.
In 2018 I sold my house and bought a condo in Columbia. I now live just a mile and a half from my house. I pretty much am doing the same thing as I always done. I am still doing aerobic dancing and line dancing. I am in two book clubs and spend as much time as possible with friends and family. Not too easy to do in the time of COVID. My last trip out of the country was in 2018 to Sicily. Since then I have only done trips to Florida to visit friends. Thankfully I still have my health and am enjoying (?) being 80.
I must admit to enjoying the restrictions with more time for reading, peace, and quiet, and keeping ahead on projects at home. Daily, long hikes with my dog, Foxy, and one or more neighbors with/out dogs, is wonderful physically and mentally! I con tinue tutoring students with mild to severe dyslexia, and those relationships are stim ulating and keep me on my toes. We work online and have shifted to “in person” tutor ing for those who have had their shots. We do wear masks, wash hands, etc. and so far, no negative ramifications. Pierre has chal lenged me to read Ulysses, and it IS quite a challenge, with moments of pure frustration, others of pleasant surprises with the beau ty/depth of its language and the scope of Joyce. A fabulous highlight this year was an October birthday trip to the Grand Canyon. My brother, Pierre, was 72, and I was..., well-
Wishing you Good Health, Peace, and God’s Blessings.
Pat Montley 207 Spring Avenue, Lutherville, MD 443-841-0058pat_montley@msn.com21093
Claire Lange Rankin
please let us know what and how you are doing. We are all dealing with SOMETHING, including the usual senior challenges, and perhaps more serious health problems. One of our wise classmates, in her recent post, described these as, “age-appropriate issues.” How true!
children, two daughters and a son. One daughter lives in Michigan, one in Georgia, and our son lives in Richmond. Six grandchildren, two great-grand daughters. My biggest news is that we have an eightmonth-old precious great-granddaughter.
Carolyn Crosby Farrell, whose husband Eddie died in July 2021, mentioned that she is back to subbing this school year after sitting out last year due to COVID.
I am a student again after all these years, participating in a program called the Ministry of Spiritual Direction. I am practicing on church friends which is fun and a learning process. Hope all our classmates are well and able to start getting out in the world again. I know I’m ready!
you-all-know! His daughter, Ellie, a dedicated long-trails hiker, came with us. My good friend and Grand Canyon aficionado, Roger (the most-bald-but-mighty), who knows the GC well and has taken me four or five times since I moved here 20 years ago, was our leader. (We train on local mountains, so have a big advantage.) It was a perfect, allday hike of 15 miles, walking from the south rim to the river on one trail and back up to the south rim on another with the canyon light and beauty changing as we walked. It was great test of our respective mettle! Ellie had run up to the rim well ahead of us and came back to help those of us who were flagging, though nonetheless determined. At the rim, we were greeted by a chorus of hikers (whom Ellie had organized!!!), sing ing “Happy Birthday” to us! When hiking, there are no strangers, and we exchanged hugs with them, most of whom had passed us off and on through the journey, so we were already friends! We celebrated over southwest fajitas and wine, slept like rocks, and woke up refreshed and energetic with hopes to do it again! The memory lingers on so pleasantly—enough to last at least until next October! So there have been two big challenges this year: one accom plished; the other in process! With love and all good wishes to all in the class of ’59! Affectionately, Melanie
On a sad note, we lost another dear classmate last year. Susan Cole Brune passed away on November 14, 2021. Susan had leukemia for four years. Also, we recently learned of the death of Virginia Strong Kimball in 2019. Please keep Susan and Virginia and their families in your prayers.
Carole Snyder Brudin
Joanie Machen Corcoran reports that after a COVID delay, her husband Joe was interred at Arlington National Cemetery January 11, 2022, with full military honors at a beautiful ceremony on a bright, 28-degree day. In attendance were Laurie Kunkle Mills and husband Lloyd, Phoebe Ward Sachs and husband Ray, and Maureen O’Brien
Got to go out to our granddaughters’ (twins, age 15, Brooke & Skylar) lacrosse and soccer games in the spring and fall. That is fun, and we get some fresh air. When we finally decide, probably a retirement center in Maryland is in our future.
CLASSMulliganOF 19 60 CLASS OF 19 59 C2 • Roots & Wings • Chatter 2022 Class Chatter
Jack and I will celebrate our 59th wedding anniversary in June, and have been living in Midlothian, VA, for 47 years. We have three
Rosie Giordano Profili
Paula Rosch Newton
Although most of our classmates have retired, social worker Puddy Boyle Herrmann has taken on a new job as clinical director of Reentry Corporation in New Jersey, where she supervises social workers at eight sites working with incarcerated clients in group settings, facilitating sharing through nar rative therapy. Inspired by reading Bryan Stevenson’s Just Mercy, Puddy believes, “My life has become richer and more humbled
Pat Montley, a Baker Artist Awardee for 2021, has two new publications: a full-length play, Shattering, anthologized in AACT NewPlayFest Winning Plays, 2020 (Dramatic Publishing, 2021) and a monologue from Pope Joan II in The Best Women’s Monologues from New Plays, 2020 (Applause Books, 2021).
And now, the winning entry in the Class of ‘60’s “Who says ‘We ain’t what we used to be?’ Contest”: Paulette Valle Stagg who is still riding horses! “It is a little hard to get in the saddle but if Queen Elizabeth can still ride, why can’t I?!”As the Brits would say: Brilliant,
Sheila Sweeney Peter 115 Castlewood Road Baltimore, MD 410-323-8526sheila.peter@verizon.net21210
Marcy Peters Toon’s favorite COVID pastimes have been playing online bridge with distant friends and hosting a weekly Zoom conversation for a local organization, International Neighbors, most of whose members are from Japan.
Trisha Mullan Kammer loved telling me about her four handsome grandsons, who pick her up and swing her around saying, “We love you, Dede!” Tucker is on the President’s List at Elon University and plays the guitar at a local cafe. Brady earns all A’s in his “Cyber Security Course” at Loyola Blakefield. And, it seems, another grandson may say “I do” in the foreseeable future! Leslie Colimore Beever sent best wishes, along with her hope to be with us for the big 60.
“I will be with you at the 60th!” Pat Hart Callahan assured me.
Pat Scally Hines organized a November luncheon in Annapolis for Cookie Morgan Davies, Dee Green, Mary Laura Muse Griffin, Sue Carozza Geoff, and Maribeth Gilliece
We had a wonderful reunion weekend last June! On Saturday, June 5, 2021, nine of us attended the alumnae reunion mass at NDP: Cass Herman Coyle, Lacy Boyle Flynn, Marty Hohenstein Franz, Lawre Donnelly Langhoff, Susan Wright Lattin, Nannette Smith Singer (California), Sr./Dr. Sharon Slear, Peggy Sullivan Young, and me. The following afternoon, we attended a brunch at the Country Club of Maryland where the above nine girls and the following 15 attended: Barbara Chiminello (New York), Jane Trail Culver, Nancy Morgan Donnelly (New Jersey), Pat Hoy Evans (class of ’62), Marie Boccuti Fields, Dr. Barbara Gaver, Janice Heilman, Carole Forbes Hinkel (South Carolina – with her new, handsome husband!), Karen Kapland, Lynda Peterson Kemper (Georgia), Lynn Reagan Macfarlane, Sr. Pat McLaughlin, Stephanie Schaub O’Hara, Anne Parlett Reder, and Surry Bollinger Rohrer.
In January, Mary Lou McQuaid Bedford’s brother, Tom, died after eight and a half months in a Texas hospital, following Open Heart surgery. Our love and prayers go to Mary Lou, whose brother was like a father to her. On the lighter side, Mary Lou told me that her daughter, Whitney, exhibited a stunning painting at Art Basel in September. It seems that the artwork was sold before the Exhibition for $120,000!
Mullan Greenman 217 Baltimore,NorthwayMD 21218 410-467-3500
by working with those who need second chances to succeed in their life.”
Peggy Sullivan Young, Lawre Donnelly Langhoff, Susan Wright Lattin, and I – met with Sissy Muse (California) for lunch in October. We spent three and a half hours catching up on old news! Bobbie rides her horse five days a week. Sissy continues to publish books on poetry.
Diane Lears Stern is selling real estate and active with her horses. Cass Herman Coyle continues to run Herman’s Bakery and travels with her family, including her great-grandchild. Lynn, Marty, and I have worked together for over 20 years at Kenwood Park Apartments. Muff Pasko Forbes has published a book, “Love Thy Neighbor,” which can be purchased on Amazon. It is a true story about she and her neighbors taking care of a terminally ill person who was estranged from her family.
Six of us from our NDP lunch table group – Bobbie Lears Dripps, Jane Trail Culver,
Better than any publication was Pat’s October visit with Joan Polston L’Heureux (formerly Sister Paul Mary) in Stanford, CA. She reports our favorite and (almost) last living teacher—though a little less up for walking a vigorous mile—is still as gracious and elegant as ever, reading voraciously, thriving on chocs and ice cream, raging at Joe Manchin, addicted to Schitt’s Creek How could we not love her?
Our class hopes for a healthier future in which we can gather before waiting five years!
Class Chatter
Location, location, location! As the Class of ’60 turns 80, three more members have bitten the senior-living bullet and moved to retirement communities: Phoebe Ward Sachs and Sharon Dopman Krulak have moved with their husbands to Blakehurst in Towson. M.K. Hense Hokenson and husband Devon have moved to The Seville in Orem, Utah. Both professional storytellers, they performed for fellow residents on Christmas Eve. A fourth classmate, Kaaren Kronenberg Burton and husband Mike have made the leap from one part of Timonium to another. Traveling a little farther… Carolyn Finnerty and husband Ray have been exploring the Eastern Shore, staying at charming B&B’s in Oxford, Cambridge, and Salisbury. Micaela Kelly and husband Charlie visited Guatemala, Honduras, and Belize. The travel bug sent Mac Callis Fink off to St. Thomas and St. Johns in the U.S. Virgin Islands; channeling her fave rave, Jimmy Buffet, she stayed at…Margaritaville!
Kapie (Kat) Pohlmann Warner, retired award-winning silversmith, now works for ARC Disability Services and recently celebrated 41 years sobriety.
We lost one classmate last July, Carole Nance McGreevy
CLASS OF 19 61 Roots & Wings • Chatter 2022 • C3
EllenLaVecchiaGould
deLima’s visit from her home in Colombia, South America, was cause for a BlueStone lunch for Mac Callis Fink, Bobbie Davis Speace, Carolyn Finnerty, Pat Montley, Joanna Shehan Baird, and Carol Toohey O’Hara
No matter their location, members of the Class of ’60 have managed to get together. Retired office nurse Pat Connelly Hoffman (Pennsylvania) reports that every July she and Marcy Peters Toon (Michigan) catch up in Towson with others from their original Bridge Group for cards, collation, conversa tion, and exploration of Baltimore sites.
Paulette!Peggy
CLASS OF
Well, my Classmates, this is our 60th Reunion Year!!! Prior to our Reunion, I heard from some of our colleagues.
1962
Bobbie Davis Speace took a break from COVID isolation to spend holiday time with family at Deep Creek Lake but reports that isolation has had its perks. “I’ve been going through so many books that I had to slow down to save my tired eyes.”
Scarlett, a mini pit bull, shares Martha Talbott’s life these days as she enjoys life
Class Chatter
“We have been pretty quiet during COVID.” Sharon Troja Derr told me, but she is looking forward to seeing her grandson, Joseph, in his high school play, Chicago, in Connecticut. He has the second male lead, Amos Hart, and sings “Mr. Cellophane”!
Sallie sarahmullen46@gmail.comMullen
“I am now COVID free,” reported Anne Baetz Hilgartner, who is also looking forward to our How60th.sorry we were to lose another dear member of our class, Barbara Gentile Owens. May her sweet soul rest in peace.
Speaking of Sallie and Peter, they are getting married in Baltimore on April 30 and having a party in Italy to celebrate the big event with their European friends on May 15! Here’s a shot of them and one of the homes they’ve built in Umbria. Sallie will move there to live with Peter permanently.
CLASS OF 19 64
Like everyone else, members of the Class of ’64 are anxiously awaiting the time when COVID restrictions will be lifted sufficiently to permit us retirees to resume our world wide travels! Meanwhile, Mary Louise Libby Palm and husband Bill managed to sneak in a Viking river cruise of the Rhône last fall. And Sallie Mullen was able to make two three-month trips to Italy to be with her fiancé, Peter Cole.
Another move that took place recently was Nancy Knauff Damico’s. She and her husband Frank moved from sunny Florida to blustery Buffalo, Minnesota, where Nancy’s son and family live. Quite a thermal shock, but a warming feeling having family so nearby.
Diane Marsiglia Malone also lost a brother, Eugene, in the summer of 2020. “The death of a sibling is quite a blow.”
to Joan Gavin Hillier on the death of her husband, Don, on December 20, 2021. Their marriage was the second time around for them, each having two chil dren, blending to have many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. They were married for 33 years.
Kathie Donnelly Solomon, Ellen Hanley Herwig, and Barbara Doyle are expand ing their electronic horizons via a course on using iPhones and iPads at the CCBC campus in Hunt Valley. They caught up at lunch with Sallie last week at the Baltimore Country Club.
Susan Van Wiggeren and Jim Markowitz are spending the winter in Hilton Head and enjoying the relatively mild weather there compared to their home in Ithaca!
The 60th should produce much more news!
CLASS OF 1963 Pizza Barbara K., Peggy G., MaryJo M., Mary Lou W., Camilla Downey Joan G., and Bonnie
Peggy Gill peggyparsonz@gmail.com410-461-9402Parsons
58 th Reunion Luncheon at California
Kathy Latrobe, who moved to Tennessee to be near her son, Michael, and family, is “finally retiring”(her words) on May 1 and continues to enjoy hanging with her three grandkids.
(l to r):
C4 • Roots & Wings • Chatter 2022
at Warren Place in Towson. Scarlett is well known to son, Evan, and accompanied them on a tour of the Rodgers Forge Christmas decorations. Martha added that Scarlett is much nicer than her namesake, Scarlett O’Hara!
Mary Beth H., Helen McM.,
C.,
Eugene was the oldest and I the youngest.” We pray that Diane will be comforted by all of her happy memories. Perhaps Switzerland could be one. She and Pat have had to can cel their trip to Switzerland three times, due to COVID!
P.
We will be planning a luncheon this spring and fall. Next year, 2023, will be our 60th Reunion. Can you believe that? We probably will have that at the Spring Jubilee Brunch with a follow-up gathering at Mary Jo’s afterwards. I’ll be in touch about all of this. Please let me know if you have any ques tions. Hoping to see many of you over the next Condolencesyear.
B., Maggie H.,
Sallie Mullen and Peter Cole
Thank you to the Alumnae Office at NDP, especially Shawn Osmeyer, alumnae engagement manager, and Jennifer Caine, creative services manager, who assisted
It’s been a year like no other, well, sort of like 2020, but your classmates nevertheless send greetings and news: Betsy Jessop Kaufmann reports that she and husband Bill spent much of quarantine in Lake Tahoe, enjoying outdoor activities like skiing in winter and hiking and sailing in summer. Then in February 2021, Bill had quadruple bypass surgery at Carson/Tahoe Hospital. All went well, and he was recovered by June. In July, Betsy was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and has been in treat ment in Baltimore at the University of Maryland Medical Center Serpick Infusion and Multidisciplinary Cancer Center. She has just completed a protocol of radiation and chemotherapy. She and Bill plan to go back to Tahoe in March for Betsy’s birthday. Yes, as Ann Coneen Klaes pointed out when she checked in to say hi, we’re all turning 75.
Saturday evening was a divine, Wine & Gold fashion! The Class of ’70 ate, drank, and gabbed the night away. Joyce Miller Helgas supplied our beautiful flower centerpieces at dinner held at the Bluestone Restaurant. We were once more “inspired” by a toast from Robin Schmidt Higgins and humored by words from Noreen Mellick Lidston, and entertained by Ouisee Weadock. High School stories you hoped your parents or nuns would never find out about were shared!
CLASS OF 19 65 Roots & Wings • Chatter 2022 • C5 CLASS OF 19 70
with planning our events and hosting the NDP Gateway Reunion in a most unusual pandemic setting! NDP rolled out the red carpet for the Class of ’70. We were hon ored at an outdoor event under a huge tent, which I found extremely sentimental. A personal tribute rose was presented by Rhonda Treppe for our deceased class mates, Kathy Brocato, Carole Demski Frank, Martha Malooey Hackman, Pat Manning Kwetkauskie, Gussie Radcliff, Mary Jean Rehak Darrell, Ann Stirling, Betsy Wasowicz Mettee. Since our reunion, we note that Mary Laura Anzman Kalista, and Kandy Buckley Cronin have also passed away. Our sincere condolences go out to their families.
Class of 1970 at NDP
Class of 1970 Wine & Cheese Happy Hour
Anna Maria Ostrom Storey, and her hus band, Mike, managed to get in a Viking cruise in autumn, 2021, and since then have been leading quiet, mostly indoor lives. Their granddaughter is in 11th grade and looking at colleges, and their grandson is enjoying 9th grade and also reportedly doing their yard work. AMO and Mike hope to take anoth er cruise in 2023 and also a Smithsonian trip to Egypt. Gayle Banner Frohlich and husband Chuck got tired of cancelling vacations and bought a motor home. Both of their children also have campers and so they can travel together. Daughter Cathy lives in Virginia, and son Chip in Edmonds, Washington. Chip and his wife Lindsey welcomed Gayle’s fifth grandchild, Sterling Charles Frohlich, in April 2021. Gayle and Chuck live in Lewes, Delaware, where Gayle has run into Marcia Pearce DeWitt in a local coffee shop. Eileen Woytowitz Masaschi and her family had Thanksgiving and Christmas disrupted by COVID with constant quaran tines for exposures. I’ll throw in here that I had my own close encounter at Christmas, spending an extra week imprisoned in a room at my daughter’s house in Colorado having tested positive. I had my very own oxygen concentrator and a view of the mountains, so mixed feelings about the extra week. Jackie O’Rourke says hello. She has three sons and seven grandchildren and says it “doesn’t get much better than that.” Katherine Callanan Sharpless checked in from St. Augustine, Florida, Anastasia Island. She saw Pat McGuire Barrow while on a trip to Wilmington, North Carolina, and says she looks fabulous and is “quite the artist.” She also has seen Marian Lipinski, also looking fabulous, and was hoping to see Mary Brent Toohey Buckett on one of her visits to Chattanooga. Most of you know we lost Vicki Smith Anderson in August after
Class Chatter
Many thanks to my partners, who helped plan and host the weekend events. I am truly grateful for my calm in the storm, Celie Neville, who hosted me, and helped me tie up many last-minute details! Many, many thanks to Jim and Patti Heagy, who graciously opened their home to all us on Friday evening for a “Wine & Cheese” Happy Hour. It was wonderful catching up with the 25+ who attended. I loved the chatting buzz that filled the evening. A big thank you to Patti’s sister, Terry McGuire, Class of ’64, who pitched in and hung out with us for the evening. Dr. Anita Barry, Class of ’71, volunteer on NDP’s Medical-Public Health Advisory Team, also attended. We were blessed with great weather, which allowed us to take advantage of the Heagy’s beautiful the outdoor setting.
her many years of living with Parkinson’s Disease and then battling cancer. She is sorely missed Celie Neville and Jen Jenny-Schaefer@mdpins.comCelie.neville@gmail.comSchaefer
I am pleased to announce that amidst a lin gering pandemic, with great determination and in true Wine & Gold spirit, “Only the Strong Survive,” the Class of ‘70 was able to reunite and CELEBRATE our 50th Reunion in June of 2021!
Bobbe Harder bobbefriedman@gmail.comFriedman
Hello Class of ’70 Alums,
Nancy Dougherty Whiteley just added two grandsons to her horde, now totaling eight. Jenny Schaefer has four Grand Girls.
Harriet Dougherty Whitely recently sold her financial planning practice and is now offi cially retired, while Noreen Mellick Lidston can’t seem to quit McDonogh she can still be counted on to drive a bus when needed. Holly Gaumnitz Adolph is still teaching at Notre Dame with Sue Connell Muth, who’s doing ONE LAST SEMESTER. Holly’s daughter is getting married in May.
Laura Kihn Otremba is managing her
Mary McFadden Molinaro welcomed her fifth grandchild in October; three girls and two boys. Patty Maguire Haegy has two more grands on the way to add to the four boys and four girls already. Mary Ann Novotny Leitch has four, and she’s looking forward to getting back out to row on the water.
Molly Stringer Meagher will welcome her 11th in May (no wonder she’s still working as Preschool Director at her Parish School and playing pickleball on the side).
brother-in-law’s affairs and hoping one of her three boys might get married.
443-904-4535nashields@comcast.net
Class Chatter
And so, we will, thank Toni, for managing this process for the past several years. As we make plans to gather again this summer when “70 Turns 70,” we’ve heard from class mates who are experiencing life milestones. Interestingly, more than a few have notified us that they are not, in fact, 70.
Alums connecting at the wedding of Margaret Case Gugerty’s son, TJ.
CLASS OF 1974
Class of 1974
Let’s try it again! In June 2022, the Class of 70 turns 70 (at least most of us). Take it away, Celie and Jen!
Toni Marcantoni Mitchell is really taking advantage of her free time, she’s been on a Rhine River cruise, visiting Switzerland, France, Germany, and the Netherlands.
Karen also had reason to celebrate when daughter Megan (2006) was featured in the Baltimore Business Journal for becoming a partner in the accounting firm GRB&A.
Jo Maguire Greenawalt and husband Bill recently celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary. Bill is semi-retired, and two of their four children are in line to take over the fourth-generation family business. Jo and Bill have been enjoying their time traveling and spending time with their seven grandchil dren, ages 5-14.
A huge thank you to all who attended our 50th Reunion, for you are the ones who made the reunion a success! Joan Zelubowski Blemly, Holly Gaumnitz Adolph, Karen Barry Boyd, Mary Love Conor, Barbara Barry Conover, Gwendolyn (Dolly) Smith Cordry, Harriet Lowry Doherty, Mary Jane Fisher, Dotty Flanigan, Patti Maguire Heagy, Page Plete Heidenreich, Joyce Miller Hegas, Robin Schmidt Higgins, Joann Arisoa Hyatt, Karen Letrenta Leikus, Noreen Mellick Lidston, Denise Lupo Lutz, Barbara Kearney McKay, Jill Wallace McNeill, Molly Stringer Meagher, Mary McFadden Molinaro, Sue O’Connell Muth, Celie Neville, Laura Kihn Otremba, Carolyn Santry, Jenny Schaefer, Sandy Sites Glover, Ann Simon Spotts, Eileen Sweeney, Rhonda Treppe, Ousiee Weadock, Nancy Dougherty Whitely, Jeffra Manchester Zeller. Over 40 people attended including the brave husbands who joined in the weekend festivities!
Natalieshare.Aiken
Shields
This past year seems to be a happy one with our children’s weddings and new grandchildren. Tracey Henson Ford’s son, Henson, was married on September 18 to Emily Vianna. They are living in the Baltimore area. Her daughter, Molly, who lives in Denver, surprised Tracey and husband Tom over the Thanksgiving holiday with her engagement announcement. Margaret Case Gugerty’s son, TJ, got married in Utah over the summer at a lovely wedding. Sue Coliton attended as well as the following alums; Barbara Williams Case, Megan Case, Tara Hrdlick, Carolyn Gugerty Hrdlick, Missy Gugerty, and Pat McLaughlin. My daughter, Erin (2006), got married to Dave Evans on New Year’s Eve 2020 in a small ceremony at our home due to COVID. We are looking
forward to the celebration of the marriage in May 2022. My son, Kevin, got married to Greer Wendling in North Carolina in October. Classmates in attendance included Janice Hunt Damon, Karen Kehoe Lindenmeyer and Mary Galvin O’Conor Wilson
Joyce Miller Helgas retired from T. Rowe Price in August and has been spending her time attending barre and yoga classes.
Rhonda Treppe is volunteering at Community Food Pantry and other organizations who provide services to those in need, she’s off to Aruba for her 70th! We are all feeling the hand of time. Mary Jo Keefe Gabriel lost her husband and is planning on moving to Utah to be near her brother and sister. We look forward to June 4th to reconnect with all of our classmates. Please reach out to Jenny (jenny-schaefer@mdpins.com) or Celie (celie.neville@gmail.com) with any news you wish to
Karen Kehoe Lindenmeyer’s daughter, Katie (2004), got married at the Loyola University chapel to Jack Keenan in May 2021. Guests included Tracey Henson Ford, Karen Kohlhepp Raubach, Janice Hunt Damon, Mary Galvin O’Conor Wilson and me.
So many Grandbabies!
10 Clynmalira Ct. Phoenix, MD 21131
C6 • Roots & Wings • Chatter 2022
Greetings Ladies,
Christine Rogers Robinette: Hello to the class of ’77, hope everyone is doing great! The news from our house is that this year we are celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary. Who would have thought, right?! Hope to see you guys in May!
Barbara Callis Helms: Nick and I spend our winters in sunny Florida enjoying the golf life until mid-April. We are in the Ft. Myers area. If anyone is in the area next season, give us a call! (443-474-5694)
Carol Watkins Reid became a new grandmother in December 2021. Daughter Erin had a baby girl, Josephine “Josie” Claire. Sue Hill Gebhardt now has three grandsons and is expecting another arrival in July. Sherree McNamara Devor has one grandson, Hendrik, who lives in Oregon. Sherree is now creating pottery full time and selling both at The Cumberland Shop in Shippensburg, PA, and on Etsy. Dottie Caldwell Lopez and her family are back in traveling mode. They went to St. Barth’s in January to enjoy the pristine beaches and exceptional food. In March 2022 they are planning a trip to Virgin Gorda, which is a very laid-back island with secluded beaches. Sue Hill Gebhardt and Melissa Allen Moser both send heartfelt thanks to everyone for their love and support upon the deaths of their brother and son
Sally Fitzpatrick Waller: I somehow find myself in the middle of my 19th year teaching middle school English at Loyola Blakefield, as well as coaching cross country and track and field for the middle school team (and driving the Loyola bus to meets). I’m in the space between teaching classmates’ sons and their grandsons! As sad as I am that two of my children live far from us, it offers opportunities for travel. Last summer, Jim and I went to Kalispell, Montana, to see friends and hike in Glacier National Park, and then to Denver, where my son Conor lives, for a week of more hiking, a race in Boulder, microbreweries, and good Denver dining. We also made a trip to Boston, where Conor’s twin, Keene, has been for almost six years, for lots more dining and brews!
respectively.KarenMeekins
Carey’s pretzels on The Today Show
Carol with grandbaby Lucy Rose
Grandmom if I don’t brag about my four grandkids! They are the love of our lives. We have two five-year-old girls and two three-year-old boys. Can’t wait to see everyone in May!!!
Wendy Popp: Though we have suffered some significant losses over these two years, we have emerged spiritually intact and look forward to the warmth of the coming seasons of spring and summer 2022.
Hope 2022 has been good to you and your families thus far! Classmates from near and far have shared their news:
Class Chatter
While on the subject of grandchildren, Jill Boggs Rowan has a new granddaughter, Rowan Emma Dunkin, born in January 2022. Jill and husband John are also looking for ward to an April trip to the Irish countryside to hear music played in pubs and villages.
The Wilmots with grandchildren
Carol Salazar Udvarhelyi: Big news for our family...my daughter Tory gave birth to a little girl, Lucy Rose Madden, on January 12, 2022. She is our first grandchild, named after my mother, and she is precious! Steve and I are so excited to be grandparents! Knowing that we would want to spend more time in Denver once Lucy was born, Steve and I bought a small condo about six miles from their house in an area called Cherry Creek. We really love it, we can walk to just about everything we need!
(443)kbenckini@comcast.netBenckini841-4571
Roots & Wings • Chatter 2022 • C7
Carey Talucci: Carey and her daughter, Downey, have owned a gourmet catering company, Talucci Fine Foods, for 21 years. A few years ago, they developed a line of signature pretzels, delicious bites that are drenched in bourbon, butter, and spices. When COVID struck in 2020 and 2021, their catering business suffered when people could not entertain. On a lark, Carey sent samples of her pretzels to the “Today Show” in New York, and in the summer of 2021, she was in for the surprise of her life when she received a call that they wanted to feature her pretzels in a segment on the “Today Show” hosted by Alejandra Ramos, their food and lifestyle contributor! To prepare, Carey quickly developed a website on the E-commerce platform called Shopify to get ready for all the mail order requests that started rolling in after the segment aired. Fortunately for locals in Baltimore, we can purchase them at Grauls Markets and some other retailers in the area! Kudos to Carey for taking a chance by contacting the “Today Show!”
CLASS OF
I have completed a book with the writer and naturalist Douglas Wood, a collaboration that is being published by a young company in China that desires to introduce Western culture and philosophies on conservation to their youth. The publisher’s vision was to enlist my help in reconnecting Chinese children—and their parents—to the world of nature through the lyrics of Woods’s song. “Sarah’s Prayer” will be out in March of 2022. Lyrics will be in English with scannable music.
1977
Kathy Stanley Wilmot: Mike and I are looking for a place near Naples to spend our winters. Meanwhile, we sold one company and are still running the other with both of our sons in Senior Management and itching to take over the reins! I’m still on the Board of Trustees at NDP and am constantly impressed by the professionalism and future view the staff and administration have at our alma mater. I’m very proud to be part of that school! And finally, I wouldn’t be a good
The Popp Family
Condolencessummer!
Dody Farley - death of brother Susan Lawrence (deceased) - death of mother
Patty Moxley Howachyn (deceased) - death of Wefatherespecially
Karen Meekins Benckini: All is well in the Benckini home. Our twins, Joey and Gigi, are set to graduate from Loyola Blakefield and NDP respectively in 2023, so the college search is intensifying! It’s been wonderful re-living the NDP traditions that we all cherished, like Junior Ring Day and Gym Meet! I’m still working at the ad agency where I’ve been since 2012. It recently re-branded itself as C360. For fun, I’m taking a six-week Pickleball clinic with Tracey and Mary Blake this spring to get ready for the
comfortable going out when Omicron started surging! We are trying to stay safe because we have a young granddaughter, and until she can be protected, we don’t want to risk exposure. Hopefully, in a few months, we won’t have to worry about this anymore!! I do keep busy by reading and participating in virtual book clubs.
Katie Stevenson katiegroom@comcast.netGroom
on your Saddle Shoes Everyone will start to Cheer when you put on your Saddle Shoes…” It paused me to think of the cheers from the privilege of those saddle shoes. The day you were accepted into the school The cheers from your family, friends and teachers. The cheers on the playing fields. The cheers for the coveted Silver Cup! The cheers at assemblies, not to mention birthdays, holidays, Ring Day, dances and proms, awards, wins and even the losses, tears and fears, joys and sorrows. Hip Hooray always a new day! The beautiful liturgies with our sisterhood we are never alone. So, when you wake up each day and put on your shoes with or without “Laces,” always remember the LOVE from NDP that God so Embraces.
Rose Schmitz Marcin: Bill and I have been pretty much homebodies since COVID started, and we were just starting to feel
Cristina hosted us at an impromptu after-party at her beautiful home in Towson. Lots of catching up, laughing, and planning for future gatherings, plus Shot-ski, were a big part of it! And Cristina Chakales offered to host a 60th birthday party for all in 2023 (the year most of us turn that ripe young age.) In October, I hosted a welcome party for everyone who braved the long drive to the Outer Banks (and some even flew!). Allison Burger, Carolyn Clarke Gartner, Carolyn Brennan Wescott, Ceci Frederick Neubauer, Cristina Rosell Chakales, Helen Linhard Aberle, Kathy Anderson Chaney,
CLASS OF 1981
mourn the loss of our two dear classmates and Angels of ’77, Teresa Lynch and Kimberly Wooden. As always, we love each of you and encourage you to stay in touch!
DianeIreland.Surak
Mary Miller-Hardman: My husband Neil and I recently built a home in Lewes, DE, and have moved there as our full-time residence. We are loving the Eastern Shore lifestyle, we especially enjoy biking on the local trails, and meeting new friends and neighbors! My son, Colt, got married in 2021, and he and his wife, Caitlin, moved to Charleston, SC. Daughter Courtney (NDP ’05) is a school nurse at St. Paul’s and has two children, Milly (6 years) and George (4 years).
Last Autumn I was driving past The Prep School, and I noticed a sign on the campus that read WELCOME BACK! Put on your Saddle Shoes!
Hello out there! Plenty has happened in the last year, despite the pandemic doing its best to wreak havoc on our physical and mental health, and our social gatherings! Many of those gatherings centered on our 40th Reunion, which we made sure to stretch out to make the most of it. First, Jill Guidera Packo hosted us at Barley’s Backyard Uptown (fka The Greene Turtle Towson). Joining me and Jill were Cristina Rosell Chakales, Kathy Michaud Garliss, Charissa Seipp and Ginna Krebs Alderman. The following evening, a few attended the mass at school, but we had a bigger gathering for the after-party! Sue Hunt Dempsey, Anne Regan Lund, Cristina Rosell Chakales, Kathy King Bell, Sally Costello Rogers, Susan Valis Faber, Cathy Fath Megger, Kathy Michaud Garliss, Helen Linhard Aberle, Pebbles Buchanan, Ginna Krebs Alderman, Michaela Quinn Kammer, Diane Surak Rohan, Janet Stadter Tomasic, Sharon Lanzi Bateman, and Kim McCoy Burns attended the reception in the big tent at the school.
CLASS OF 1978
It reminded me of an album from our Graduation Year that was popular, a song by Robert Palmer. Sailin’ Shoes The lyrics “But you gotta put on your Sailin’ Shoes. Put on your Sailin’ Shoes Everyone will start to Cheer when you put on your Sailin’ Shoes”. I was singing “Put on your Saddle Shoes Put
Rohan 133 Tall Pine Lane Southern Shores, NC 917-375-1596Dianerohan3@gmail.com27949
However, the brightest spot on the calendar is my daughter Zoe’s new doctorate and wedding plans. She is a newly minted Dr. and has secured a new position at QurAlis in Cambridge and is working on the neu rological characteristics of ALS as they investigate studies for a cure. She plans to wed this summer in the Berkshires. My son is working on his degree in biology at Sacred Heart University and spends a great deal of time composing music on the piano. Bill and I have just celebrated our 39th year together, and we look forward too many more. Be well everyone. Virtual hugs from the north!
C8 • Roots & Wings • Chatter 2022
Joyce Kohlerman’s daughter Lindsay on wedding day
Wendy’s book “Sarah’s Prayer”
Katie Glose - death of father Karen Brennan - death of father Renee Zgorski Renner - death of father Eileen Fraher Dowling - death of mother Anna Maria Marzullo - death of mother Marianne Mainolfi Walsh - death of father Cindy Clary Rose - death of husband Karin Howard Shaw - death of father Ellen Brown Stengel - death of father Melanie Mercaldo Berndt - death of brother Mary Jo Melvin Mullin - death of sister Mary Joe Hergenroeder Campanella - death of mother
Joyce Kohlerman: Joyce shared that her beautiful daughter, Lindsay, got married on February 5, 2022, to Mike Moressi, who hails from New Jersey.
to our classmates on their losses:
PS. Janice Myers has extended an invita tion for us to come visit her in New Zealand and Susan Baughman as well to come for a “Spot of Tea” in
Class Chatter
Retired judge and former Assistant State’s Attorney in Baltimore County Katie Curran O’Malley (and former First Lady of Maryland) is running for Attorney General, following in the footsteps of her dad, Joe Curran. Katie is the first candidate in the race to put forward a plan on the reforms “we must make to our criminal justice system, so that every Marylander receives equal justice, while reducing violent crime across our State.” https://www.katieformd.
Class of 1981 at BC Brewery
Class Chatter
Susan Valis Faber and husband Barry are renovating a 100-year-old house in Ruxton, a project they took on since his retirement in September. We hope to be completed this Spring! Both Susan and Barry are enjoying both of their kids’ return to the Baltimore
Kelly Doyle Oakes, Laurie Gisriel Taylor, Lisa Lake Langley*, Lisa Weber Austin, Maria Cuevas Duckett, Nancy Hubbard Mann, Pam Trainor*, Susan Valis Faber, Susan Ebersole Boddiford, and Tina Pappas Crisci enjoyed paella made by Cristina, cocktails, custom sugar cookies of our uniform provided by Susan (and Barry) Faber, and a beautiful idea planned and executed by Susan Boddiford, which entailed writing blessings on eco-friendly paper and setting them afloat with lighted arcs. The next day, we enjoyed a beautiful beach day, a sunset sail and dinner in Duck. Sunday was a pool day at my house, with grilled pizzas, a reunion trivia game and even more cocktails! (*Lisa Langley and Pam Trainor were attending their first reunions ever.) I hope to have a regular gathering for anyone who wants to try the OBX again.
Katiecom/issues/isproud
held January 21, but was postponed due to … you guessed it! The new date is May 6, and I hope to see more of you there!!
Class of 1981 in
Roots & Wings • Chatter 2022 • C9
In other news…
to be endorsed by Former Maryland Governor Parris Glendening, Former Baltimore Mayor Jack Young, Baltimore City Councilwoman Odette Ramos, Baltimore City Councilmen Yitzy Schleifer, State Senate Majority Leader Nancy King, Eric Luedtke (Majority Leader, Maryland House of Delegates), Mark Conway and Eric Costello, Former Congresswoman Beverly Byron, Community Advocate Maria Martinez, Baltimore County Councilman Izzy Patoka, Baltimore County Community Leader Samay Kindra, Maryland State Senator Ronald Young, Courtney Watson, Cathi Forbes, Vaughn Stewart and Lisa Belcastro (Maryland House of Delegates), the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, Lorretta Johnson of the American Federation of Teachers, Harford County Councilman Andre Johnson and Emily’s List, among others!
Later in October, Lisa Doleschal Schachtner, Kim McCoy Burns, and Mary Pecora Scarinzi planned a Baltimore event at the BC Brewery. Attending were: Kim McCoy Burns, Carolyn Brennan Wescott, Cathy Fath Megger, Kathy Matter Turcotte, Mary Kay Pecora Scarinzi, Marion Knott, Lisa Doleschal Schachtner, Laurie Gisriel Taylor, Lyn Smith Jablonski, Mary Pat Muller Ortenzio, Marty Wright Kelly, Mary Epstein*, Mary Kate Rooney*, and Betsy Plunkett* (*missing from photo) For both reunions, Mary Epstein created and procured glass mugs etched with the date for attendees. And Shawn Osmeyer arranged for us to have NDP insulated tote bags as well, happily coincidentally in Pink and Also#togetheristhebestplacetobeBlue!,Ihadsignedupwith
OBX
Susan Valis Faber and Susan Ebersole Boddiford for the Alumna Silver Cup Bingo, which was to be
And of course, Katie is supported by me, Mary Beth Regan, and Joan Sweeney, who attended a virtual reception on January 11. It was great to see her dad, husband (Former Baltimore Mayor and Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley) and her beautiful family, proud to introduce and support Katie. I wish I lived in Maryland just to vote for her!
Class of 1981 reunion
Mary Carroll Alderman and Ginna Krebs Alderman lost their mother and motherin-law (respectively), Mary Kathryn Carroll Alderman ’52, on 3/20/21
Jennifer Stradtner Myers embarked on what I’m sure was a life-changing adventure to Antarctica in late January! How cool.
Sharon Lanzi Bateman lost her mother Carol on 1/29/22
Mary Beth Regan’s daughter, Liney Somerville, made the Ireland Lacrosse Women’s National team! Mary Beth writes that their family will be serving Guinness and all rooting for Ireland!
Mary Jo Baird Daniel lost her father Bill (William Baird, Jr.) 5/10/21
Margaret Nagel Gnegy lost her mother-inlaw 10/14/21
Bess Jacobo Early lost her dad on 3/4/22
Lisa Lake Langley of Emerge Canada was named CEO of the YEAR by 2021 Wealth Professional Awards!
Pam Trainor writes: after two years, seven mos. and six days (including nine days in jail), case dismissed with prejudice and they can’t bring more charges. Glad to hear that nightmare is over, Pam!
Kim Rachuba Williams lost her brother Christopher 10/11/21
Jennifer Myers, here in Antarctica, enjoys amazing scenery and wildlife.
are after seven or eight years living out of state. Daughter, Emily, is a full-time journalist and teaches yoga in various spots downtown. Son, Alex, is a financial analyst, studying for his CFA. Enjoyed a wonderful visit with Diane Surak Rohan and husband Chris last fall and hope to get down to the Outer Banks a lot more frequently in the future. Loved seeing everyone at our wonderful 40th reunions!!
Class Chatter
FROM FACEBOOK/Instagram:
Bess Jacobo Early posted: I appreciate hearing about the wonderful celebrations which brought so many of us together in 2021 (logistically more difficult and mean ingful during these COVID times). I’m sorry to have missed the fun! News from me: my daughter, Maggi, is a professor and researcher at Boston College, her husband is a professor and data scientist at Boston University. Son, Dean, is in Portland work ing as an analyst for a non-profit, and my youngest, Ben, works in interior design, currently managing projects in New York and the Virgin Islands. During lockdown, I decided to learn how to swim after being frightened of the water and avoiding pools most of my life. Now I swim laps every day in a heated pool, no matter the weather! Swimming has replaced tennis for now, but I am hoping to get back on the courts soon. I’ve also become the crazy plant lady. It has really helped my emotional state to take care of my 40 plants and watch them grow. Also wanted to mention in 2019, we convinced my parents to leave their home of 50 years on Jacobo Lane in Towson to live with us in their own “multi-gen suite.” They are adjusting but of course missing their life in Maryland. I am excited to become a grandma for the first time—my stepdaughter, Christina, and husband, Chris, are expecting a future Australian citizen—due in late March! Other than that, still working in healthcare leadership roles, loving life in Oregon, and looking forward to trips to the East coast to visit my kids in April, and hopefully more travel planned for later in the year. Stay safe and healthy, everyone, and please share some news!! It helps bridge the miles and years. Hugs from the Pacific NW!
Terre Jones Short has some more updates: Short Group (my biz) has launched Thriving Leader Collaborative and in addition to free resources on our Learning Management site, we are offering four retreats in 2022—all info found on both sites. We ignite and inspire the inner wisdom of leaders by helping them evolve their intuitive intelligence. The retreat journey cultivates deeper self-awareness to thrive in leading others and an exploration of self-care practices to access the joy in leadership. We’d love NDP alum to join us! First and second are in the mountains above Santa Cruz, the third is in Estes Park, Colo., and the fourth is in Costa Rica!
Julie Ellis Langan took a zipline challenge in Costa Rica “BECAUSE I CAN!” and posted that she and her husband are “loving this Condolences:country.”
Kitt Zgorski O’Brien posted beautiful photos of her daughter, Grace O’Brien, who earned a bronze medal in Dressage in November! She added: “Keep chasing your dreams Gracie...your hard work, dedication, infinite positivity and joyful spirit will continue to serve you well.”
C10 • Roots & Wings • Chatter 2022
Cathy Flattery Favo earned her EdD with a concentration in STEM from the University of Pittsburgh School of Education in June!
Mary Glotzbach toured Paisley Park in November! She wrote “What an amazing artist and person Prince was.” Agreed. Gone too soon! She also went to the Van Gogh exhibit in October and posted such great photos and videos, I bought my tickets to an undisclosed location in Raleigh in March! I’m so looking forward to it. She also traveled to her home state of Minnesota for vaca
Carolyn Clarke Gartner is waiting on her final offer, hoping to start a new job with VISN20. She would be 100% virtual as PCP, and they want her to start a virtual whole Health program. She also writes that she had to cancel the holidays after getting COVID in November from a patient, despite them both being immunized. Also, the VA where she works had a change in leadership and cancelled the Reiki program she started that had spread nationally. Sending good thoughts that things turn around for you, Carolyn!
tion that included hiking, sailing and paddle boarding. Sail on, Mary!
Margaret Nagel Gnegy: Not much to report here. COVID has kept us pretty busy and close to home. My husband is a cardiologist, and I work in the health care system. My hope is to add some travel in 2023. What an abnormal and unpredictable time we are in! My oldest, Matt, lives in NYC. He is a consultant for Ernst & Young. My daughter, Katie, is a third-year med student. My youngest graduates from Vanderbilt in May. Andrew is a Biomedical Engineer. We hope they get to have an in-person ceremony. I was so hoping to get to Baltimore last fall and missed everyone! Maybe our 45th will be the lucky year. Wishing everyone good health and happiness.
Tara Reed Carlson: We spend time between Fripp Island and Charleston, SC. We are closing in one more step towards retirement. Celebrated my first grandchild Chase’s first birthday and christening. Sorry I missed the reunion. It looked like so much fun! It was, and we missed you, too!
Class of Blue and Green,
Toni Ianniello Stapel and her husband have moved to Alexandria, Virginia, after two years in Atlanta, and one year living in Airbnbs on the East Coast. They plan to split their time between Alexandria and Tierra Verde. Her daughter Nicole is living in Chicago working for Accenture. It will be a year of celebrations for the Stapels with both of the boys graduating from college!
Suzanne Victor Stromberg and Mary Beth Wey Quinn reconnected last spring at the NDP Sophomore Pinning Ceremony. Suz’s daughter, Charlotte, received her pin at the inaugural ceremony. Mary Beth was the guest speaker and shared her poem, “NDP Tapestry.” She was asked to write the poem in honor of 60 years on Hampton lane. The Pinning ceremony is a new NDP tradi tion, and the inaugural ceremony was last spring with the Class of 2023. (I am a little bummed we missed this new tradition!)
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Jane Carroll Wilson shared the sad news of the passing of her father, Joe Carroll, who served as the Attorney General of the State of Maryland and was President of the Maryland New Car and Truck Dealers Association. He also taught and coached at Gilman, Calvert Hall, and Johns Hopkins and was a college football official for 26 years. He is the only CHC graduate who has played, coached, and officiated in the CHC/ Loyola Turkey Bowl game. Jane’s family was so grateful for the condolences and for the many NDP sisters who attended the services. Her son, Tyler, graduated from the grueling Army Ranger School and received his expert infantry badge. He is now a First Lieutenant at Fort Stewart in Savannah, Georgia. Her daughter is enjoying her sophomore year at Clemson and playing on the Clemson Women’s club lacrosse team. Jane’s youngest son is navigating finding a career when you have a disability and is currently working at Eaglebank Arena as an usher and at Giant Food. Jane celebrated her 25th year working at EAB Global, an educational consulting firm in Washington, DC, and Richmond, Virginia, and loves it!
CLASS OF 1982 CLASS OF 19 83
of ladies in their 60s, 70s, and 80s who dressed any way they wanted to, refusing to be invisible as society tried to dictate to women of a certain age. Ever the shameless performer, she thought maybe she could inspire some women who may have the same fears she did. She began posting pics wearing various outfits (and she looks amazing in them). She focuses on wearing things from her closet, thrifted items, or those responsibly made. In late 2021, an Australian clothing label called “Cadarra” contacted her. They are launching their clothing line in the US and wanted her to be their US ambassador! When she submitted this news, they were getting ready to send her to NYC to attend a trade show on their behalf. She will help them decide the appropriate venue to show the clothing line during New York Fashion Week in September.
909 Oakdene Road Baltimore, MD 443.326.9342goodspeed909@gmail.com21220
Our condolences go to Lisa and Jane on their family’s losses. Our thoughts and prayers also go to Mary Carol Jarosinski Lamdin on the loss of her mother, Theresa Rachuba Leatherbury on the loss of her brother, and Carla DiPasquale DAmato on the loss of her father, all in the last year. Also, remember some of our classmates and their family members who are dealing with health challenges and aging parents. I hope they can feel our love and support.
Laurie Klein Blhuger@gmail.comHuger
Kelli Weinstein White is an underwriting assistant for Zurich Insurance, formerly Maryland Casualty/Farmers Insurance. Kelli
Suzanne Victor Stromberg and Mary Beth Wey Quinn at the Sophomore Pinning Ceremony
her master’s degree in Cognitive Behavioral Neurology. She could not travel, of course, so this will be a big, happy homecoming for the Markovitz family!
Karen Rolfes Goodspeed
Sue Ellen Sacco Grove has been posting pictures wearing various outfits on Instagram for the last several years. Her focus is on women over 50 expressing them selves through sustainable style. It all started because she always believed that she would have to dress “a certain way” as she aged; she would have to dress “appropriately” like an old person. She enjoys following a group
Anna Marie Romeo Bavett’s son, Matthew, graduated from Le Moyne College in 2021 and headed to Ashland, Montana, for a year of service work with the Jesuit Volunteer Corp. He is academic support for the students at the St. Labre Indian School on the Northern Cheyanne Indian Reservation.
Theresa Rachuba Leatherbury’s son, Freddie, graduated from Roanoke College in 2020 and recently earned his CPA. He is working at EY in their Audit Department. Her daughter, Allison, graduated from University of Tampa in May 2021 and is working for Waybetter Marketing as a CRM coordinator.
Debbie Aranaga Castro wanted to share the exciting news that her son, Christian, is planning his wedding to his high school sweetheart, Grace-Lynn. His twin sister, Gabby, fixed him up for a Seton Keough junior prom date with one of her friends and turns out, she was quite the matchmaker because now, 10 years later, they are tying the knot. They are all thrilled and are enjoy ing helping with all the plans! She reports that she is doing well and is progressing well on the clinical trial.
I was able to enjoy a mini-reunion last summer at McFaul’s Ironhorse Tavern with Wendy Strassner, Kathy Natale, Clara Ferro, and Mary Aronis. Kathy’s sons are graduates of UVA and both live and work near her in Virginia. Her daughter, Kelly, will graduate from my alma mater, JMU, this year. Clara chatted about her plans for her upcoming retirement. Mary filled us in on her daugh ters’ educations and jobs. However, mostly we laughed and told many old stories! Wendy was in town with her two teenage daughters, and all three were able to crash my vacation in OC for a few days later that week. We sat on the beach remembering our summers as roommates in OC and all the fun times we had. No matter how much time passes, it seems NDP girls can pick right up where they left off!
Class Chatter
It is our big year! It is hard to believe but it has been 40 years since we wore our white dresses, carried a dozen red roses, collected our diplomas, and tossed confetti into the air! Saying goodbye to NDP and one another was hard. However, it was not a true goodbye, but a see you next time and the next time and the next time. Our five-year reunions have helped us retain our bonds to both one another and NDP. I hope our 40th reunion is the most exciting and successful one yet! On to the bit of news I have about some of our classmates.
Lisa Birrane Markovitz wrote that her family lost her husband’s sister, Toni, this year. Lisa has added to her Howard County civic work lately with her own column in the Business Monthly newspaper. Her daughter, Anna, has been in New Zealand where she completed
CLASS OF 1984 CLASS OF 1988
C12 • Roots & Wings • Chatter 2022
Samantha (aka Mandy) Voxakis is a Producer and Company Manager of Eighty-Eight LLC/Hershey Felder Presents, a company devoted to the creation and production of new works of musical theatre. Pre-lockdown, she traveled extensively for work in the U.S. and Europe. She loves baking for family, neighbors, and the Ronald McDonald House. She lives in Quarry Lake (Baltimore), MD.
Alice Kfoury Hayes is a licensed veterinary technician. In 2012 she had a Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection (SCAD) in her right coronary artery. In 2016 she had another dissection in her LAD (Widow Maker). Alice had emergency bypass surgery and was placed in a coma for four days. She is in heart failure now but got a Pacemaker/ defibrillator and is doing much better. She volunteers with the Sea Turtle Healing Center and with Wild Florida Rescue. Alice will celebrate her 30th wedding anniversary in November with her husband, Keith. She has three dogs, two cats and a Leopard Tortoise. She lives in Melbourne, FL.
Class Chatter
Alice Kfoury Hayes, Monica Brown Mitzel, Anne Powers Harris, Margie Kirby Fritzius, Pam Foresman, Samantha Voxakis, and Yvonne Yokubinas gathered for a mini reunion at Alice Kfoury Hayes mother’s house in Middle River, MD.
Lisa Chetnik Treichel retired from 30 years of government service on December 31, 2021. She worked on Environmental Remediation and Nuclear Quality Assurance at the Department of Energy and has worked in the Department of the Interior on Environmental Policy. She married Todd in 1988, has two kids (Tory 27 and Bryce 20) and lives in the woods near Leesburg, VA.
Natasha Pomles Belanger married Nick Calleri on September 9, 2021 in Baltimore, Maryland.
Mary Sacco has been a psychotherapist for the past 12 years. She is now a fourth-year candidate in a psychoanalyst in training program. Art continues to be a passion. She is a member of the Seattle Psychoanalytic Society Art Salon which combines these areas of interest: art, analysis and social justice. She lives in Seattle, Washington.
Monica Brown Mitzel has been working for the State of Maryland as an Assistant Attorney General for the last 20 years. In October, Monica and her
husband, Ed, will be celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary. Monica has children: Matthew (26), Caroline (23), and Stephanie (21). Monica lives in Hampstead, Maryland.
Shawn Donohue osmeyers@notredameprep.comOsmeyer
Stephanie Papa Levasseur retired in April 2021 after 31 years as the Director of the Baltimore County Circuit Court Library.
Kim Hitselberger Fernandez earned her Certified Association Executive credential last summer and this January, started a new job as vice president of communications with the National Club Association, which represents private clubs throughout the U.S.
Yvonne Yokubinas Janowiak is a manager at the Office of Dr. Evans and Vendelis. She attended NDP elementary school with Monica, Alice, Anne, and Margie until grade eight and kept in touch with her amazing NDP friends since then. She is married for 31 years and has one daughter (24). She lives in New Freedom, Pennsylvania.
Jess Moore worked for the National Park Service during the summer of 2021 at Grand Teton National Park. She was a featured presenter at The University & College Designers Association (USDA) Design Conference in October, speaking about her life as a Digital Nomad. Jess will be spending this coming summer in Homer, Alaska. Her business continues to grow as she amasses more inspiration in western wild places.
is married to John and has one son, Jesse (32). She loves the beach and classic muscle cars. She created Ellie & Kelli’s Cart of Love in several local hospitals. The Cart is filled with donated gifts and distributed to cancer patients while they receive chemotherapy. The cart was created in memory of Kelli’s mom. She lives in a renovated old cottage in Edgewood, MD.
Margie Kirby Fritzius is a program analyst. She was widowed six years ago by the loss of her husband, Billy. She does paranormal investigations with Yvonne. She lives in Stewartstown, Pennsylvania.
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Pam Foresman has been an attorney since 1992 and currently is a Staff Attorney for Baltimore County Public Schools in the area of special education law. She has been married for 21 years to Brian Messaris and has two daughters: Charlotte, a sophomore at Georgetown University, and Beatrice, who is a senior at McDonogh School.
Alice Kfoury Hayes, Monica Brown Mitzel, Anne Powers Harris, Margie Kirby Fritzius, Pam Foresman, Samantha Voxakis, and Yvonne Yokubinas gathered for a mini reunion at Alice Kfoury Hayes mother’s house in Middle River, MD.
Anne Harris has been working as a paramedic for 30 years, also 23 years as 911 responder, now doing critical care transport through University of Maryland express care. She and Glenn married in 1989 and have 3 adult children (Morgan 30, Jon 29, and Courtney 27). She lives in Cambridge, MD.
Kate Kaiser kmkasabula@gmail.comKasabula
&
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Stacey Jess
Laura (Moy) Klink is celebrating 10 years as a Diagnostic Medical Sonographer and works at Buckner Vein and Aesthetics which focuses on women’s wellness, from varicose veins to facial treatments to sexual health.
Natasha Pomles Belanger’s wedding
Theresa2021.Tsamoutalistheresa@allsafeelevators.comDaleyFormbydaleyformby@gmail.com
Class Chatter
Sarah Disney welcomed her second daughter, Nari Elizabeth O, on Mother’s Day, May 9, 2021. Emelia is excited about being a big sister. January 2, 2022, Sarah became the Director of Operations and Strategic Planning for the Johns Hopkins Surgery Centers Series and in mid-January, was asked to step in as the interim Vice President/Chief Administrative Officer for the Johns Hopkins Surgery Centers Series. Mary Voneiff accepted a new position as the President/CEO of Raytheon Rafael Area Protection Systems (a subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies) and relocated to Boston in August
Ranger Jess Moore
Alexandra Bambrick Waterman and her husband Andrew, welcomed Fiona Tierney Waterman, born December 1, 2021 in Minneapolis, MN. “She’s delightful, fun and healthy. We can’t wait for spring, so we can enjoy the great outdoors again.”
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Katie Rouse is the Executive Director of On Our Own of Maryland, a statewide nonprofit behavioral health education and advocacy organization. Kelly Stewart works at State of Maryland as a Disability Hearings Officer, avid hiker with her 15-year old German Shepard mix, Kassidy, and volunteers at Luna’s House animal shelter. Andrea Vella-Camilleri is a chief nurse anesthetist, certified yoga instructor, rock climber, and mom to sweet pittie mix named Andouille. Kathy (Phelan) Weber is a mom of a two-year old and is managing Reliability Engineering for Outdoor Products at Stanley Black and Decker, where she has worked for 17 years.
Kelly Boyle Klobucar welcomed her third child, Ann Kathryn (Annie) on September 29, 2021. Her family moved from Hoboken to Summit, New Jersey, and Kelly continues to work for Blackstone and was promoted to Chief Learning Officer late last year.
mutual love of Lands’ End and created an IG account (@landsendblessus) to share this love with the world. It’s gained a strong following, and they have been invited to participate in Lands’ End store events! Rebecca (Hanifen) Derwin celebrated her 40th in January with friends & family at a private Orangetheory class, followed by tacos and margaritas. Heather (Sala) Engler is about to celebrate four years owning a financial advising and bookkeeping company, Capital Advisors. Kate Fahey is a nurse and pastor in Lusaka, Zambia. She was just asked by the government of Zambia to help design a program for youth centers to be built across Zambia. She has a church program on TV station, ZNBC. Elizabeth (Herr) Kelly is preparing to launch her own design & consulting business this spring. It includes virtual and accessible design and color consulting services for sewing, wardrobe, and home design endeavors. Check out Studio of Growth on IG. Meg Jancuk was recently appointed Senior Director of Quality Assurance/Health and Safety at the Arc of Washington County. She purchased a house in Boonsboro, which was originally built as a civil war hospital.
Amanda (Lee) Bolinsky welcomed her second child, Brooke, in January. Sarah (Conkwright) Smithwright, Katie Brennan, Brooke (Bascietto) Bures, realized over the course of the pandemic that they share a
Hillary Millard hillaryamoyal@gmail.comAmoyal
2004
Class Chatter
Lots of exciting updates from the class of lime & blue! Jessica Fox started a psychotherapy private practice in West Los Angeles in January 2021. Her patients include adolescents, adults, and families with mental health concerns. She also specializes in addiction treatment and relapse recov ery. Heather McArthur lives in Brooklyn, NY, and started a new job as a Senior Project Architect at MASS Design Group. The interdisciplinary nonprofit is composed of more than 200 architects, landscape architects, engineers, furniture designers, writers, and filmmakers. Katie Lindenmeyer married Jack Keenan in Baltimore on May 14, 2021, and they live in Baltimore City. Bridesmaids included Lauren Jason Harkins, Allie Lanzi Rich, Caroline McDermott Sapperstein, as well as Katie’s sister, Megan Lindenmeyer Emdad (‘06), and cousin, Jenn (Winfield) Price (‘00). Brennan Kahl wel comed her son, Feilian Yue, on July 3, 2021 in Pacific Grove, CA. Allie Lanzi Rich and her husband, Mark, moved to Towson (very close to NDP!) and welcomed their third child, Theodore Constantine Rich, on July 14, 2021 Erin O’Grady Barnaba and her husband, Matt, welcomed their third child, Alice, on September 6, 2021. Lani Yap-Encomienda and her husband, Steve, welcomed a baby girl, Stella Marie-Noelle “Ellie” Encomienda, on December 1, 2021. Alex Lebrun Schaeffer and David Farrar eloped to Las Vegas on December 12, 2021, and were married by Lady Elvis. They now have a blended family of her 7-year-old son, Stuart, and Dave’s two daughters. Chrissie Bortner Perry gave birth to her second son, Henry, in February 2021. She lives with her husband, oldest son Robby, and Henry, in Monkton, and works
Becky (Lillemoe) Griffin welcomed son Ben.
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in public relations for Planit, an advertising agency in Baltimore. Meghan Cashen Hinder also had a baby boy, Jay. He was born on December 9, 2021, and joins big sister Emma. Michele Hammerbacher Modany’s wife gave birth to their son, Elliott Francis Modany, on January 1, 2022. On January 25, 2022, Becky (Lillemoe) Griffin and her husband, Paul, welcomed their third child, Ben Lucas Griffin. Older siblings, Grace and Jack, are beyond excited about the new addition to the family!
Katie Lindenmeyer’s bridal party
Michele Hammerbacher Modany’s son, Elliott
Alex Lebrun Schaeffer and David Farrar
Allie Lanzi Rich’s newest addition, Theodore
CLASS OF
Lani Yap-Encomienda’s daughter Stella MarieNoelle “Ellie”
in August. Haines joins his brother, Jude (5) and sister, Devon (2.5).
John Nicholas Economos IV, welcomed their first child, a daughter, Eliza Ruth, on April 11, 2021. Margo is a Paralegal with the Law Office of Joel E. Segall.
Caroline Killian and her husband, Andrew OF
PeytonDianaHealy
Sarah Hackman s.r.hackman@gmail.comLucas
Margo Bader-Economos and her husband,
Sarah Lucas’s son Francis
Parisi’s son Leo
Class Chatter
Jen Lahatte’s sons Nicholas and Timmy
Jen Cox LaHatte and her husband Dan and welcomed their second son, Nicholas Paul LaHatte, on June 15th. Another big boy at 10lbs 2oz, and he made it just in time to join the rest of the family with birthdays on the 15th of different months (they also have May, July, and September). Big brother Timmy has been great!
Francis Lundie Lucas was born to Sarah Hackman Lucas on August 28, 2021.
Caroline Killian married Andrew Osmeyer on October 15, 2021 in Hunt Valley, Maryland. Mekenna Sigai, Brittany Phillips, and Sara Rosen (Morgan) were bridesmaids. Stacey Barron was interviewed and featured
Diana Healy Parisi and her husband, Marc
McCall Gridley (Gaeng) and her husband are still living in Brooklyn and they welcomed their third child, a little boy named Haines,
Erin Bradley Somerville, along with her husband, John, and four-year-old son Johnny, were pleased to welcome Susanna June Somerville into their family this past
welcomed Leo William, named after both his grandfathers, on November 12, 2021.
Cliff and I welcomed our first child, Francis Lundie Lucas, on August 28, 2021. We are still living in Brussels, Belgium where I am teaching and coaching at the International School of Brussels.
in a Women in STEM article for Wired magazine representing the National Security Agency (NSA), where she has worked in technical cyber security and leadership roles in the intelligence community through out her career, and since graduating from Towson University with a Computer Science degree. She is passionate about increasing diversity in STEM; she is also active in formal NSA diversity, inclusivity, mentoring, and hiring efforts.
Meghan Brady Merket’s daughters Margot and
Marissa Oeste’s son James
Marissa Pribyl Oeste and her husband welcomed James Harvey Oeste IV on September 10, 2021.
CLASS OF 2006
CLASS
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Meghan Brady Merkert and her husband Hayes welcomed their second child, Margot Aline, on April 15, 2021. Big sister, Peyton, is two years old and warming up to her new role!
2005
CLASS OF 2010
Erin Bradley Somerville with husband John, son Johnny, and new daughter, Susanna
summer. Susie was born on July 22, weighing 9 lbs. 6 ounces and measuring 21 inches long. Erin and her fam ily reside in Farmington Hills, Michigan.
CLASS OF 2007
Dr Kelsey Kuhn married Jackson Eubank on September 18, 2021 in Kiawah, SC. Claire Yokum and Liz Ford Wuestling were in her bridal party.
Roots & Wings Spring 2021 • 26
Hutton married Tyler Golacinski in August 2021. Rebecca Newton is marrying Sean in April of this year, and they will live in their house in Bel Air. Jordan Harris had a blast at Maddie Pamfilis and Andrew’s wedding in September, and she continues to work as an ICU Nurse, though she recently started nurse practitioner school in January. Speaking of school, Gabby Mamo gradu ates from medical school in May, and looks forward to becoming a doctor and getting placed for residency this March! Additionally, Abby Mulliken graduated with her Master of Occupational Therapy in December 2020 and is now working at Johns Hopkins Bayview in their Specialty Hospital Rehab. Jamie Knudsen finished her master’s degree in forensic science from Stevenson University in July 2021, and currently works as a Forensic Scientist at the Baltimore Police Department’s Crime Lab in the Drug Analysis Unit. Lauren Cayce is living in Colorado and loves waking up to the mountains every morning! She teaches fifth grade and is working on her master’s in culturally and linguistically diverse education. Angela Healy continues to love her job teaching math and religion to fifth, sixth, and seventh graders at Sisters Academy of Baltimore, where she also now serves as their first Athletic Director! Though teaching and coaching keep her busy, she always finds time to visit her new nephew Leo (born to Diana Healy Parisi ‘06, in November 2021). Katelyn Owen has been
Class Chatter
CLASS OF 2013
Dr. Kelsey Kuhn at her wedding with bridesmaids Claire Yokum and Liz Ford Wuestling
CLASS OF 2011
Ellicott City, MD 21042
CLASS OF 2009
10208LohrWetherburn Road
excitingTheSydney.Tommins@gmail.com443-472-0543pastyearhasbeenfullofupdatesfortheClass
Dr. Kelsey Kuhn and her husband Jackson Eubank
of 2013! Kristin
Allison Barnes Reichhold was awarded the ANCC National Magnet Nurse of the Year in Transformational Leadership. She is the VAD Coordinator at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago where she works as an inpatient nurse prac titioner.
Sydney Tommins
Liz Hoey and her husband James Bailey
Liz Hoey married James Bailey on February 29, 2020 in Baltimore, MD. Liz continues to work on projects to end and prevent youth homelessness in Maryland at The Institute for Innovation and Implementation at the University of Maryland Baltimore School of Social Work.
Allison Barnes Reichhold with her ANCC National Magnet Nurse of the Year in Transformational Leadership award
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After graduating from Bowdoin College this spring, Kate Walsh will work as a Molecular Neurobiology Research Assistant at Salk Institute in La Jolla, California.
Anna Zittle received a Fulbright Scholarship to teach in the Czech Republic. Anna graduated from Lafayette College with a math and music dual degree.
Gabriella Kastrunes was inducted into the Cross and Crown Society at Boston College. She was one of 30 students chosen out of her class of 2500. The Cross and Crown Society honors those students who demon strate exceptional academic excellence, leadership, and service. Besides being in the top percentage of her class, she is the president of BC Bigs (a division of MA Big Brothers and Big Sisters Program) and works full time at the Marasco Lab at Harvard University, researching a cure for cancer.
Emily Sheridan, a comput er science and dance double major at the University of Maryland, was inducted into Phi Kappa Phi, the University’s oldest continuous academic honor society, and National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NCSC).
living in St. Louis, Missouri, for six years and works as a pediatric nurse at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. She is also in gradu ate school to become a Nurse Practitioner. Annie Gallagher is working as a pediatric nurse in New York City, though during the height of the pandemic she transitions into a COVID ICU nurse. Sophia Ferro lives in Canton Square and works at the University of Maryland Medical Center as a Senior Healthcare Information Analyst. She loves her 115-pound Labradoodle named Cooper and is quite excited to travel to Spain this summer! Mary Kate Stromberg also lives nearby in Hampden and recently started a new job as a Mechanical Design Engineer at Bowley Jones. Claire Walker also just started a new role in sales for a textiles showroom, Romo, in Washington D.C. Casey Clarke has been working at Fox News for almost five years, and recently was promot ed! She helps to produce editorial content for affiliate stations across the country. Julia Richter works at a civil engineering firm called KCI Technologies in their land development discipline where she serves as an Engineer in Training while also studying to get her professional engineering license. She lives in West Chester, Pennsylvania, and she just recently bought a house! Next up, after finishing her service in the Navy (where she served as a Surface Warfare Officer on a ship and as a Public Affairs Officer within her squadron) in February 2020, Meghan Bennett is now living in Baltimore and working on the Communications Team at RSM US LLP, which is the fifth largest public accounting firm in the US. Rounding out the Class of 2013 updates is me, Sydney (Tommins) Lohr, with a career change. In the past year, I switched from working as a consultant in the business world to serving as a missionary with a nonprofit organization called Cru. While most of my time is spent working with students at the University of Maryland, this job has also brought me to places like North Africa and the Middle East just in the past eight months! Who knows what other exciting updates will affect the Class of 2013 this next year!
Roots & Wings • Chatter 2022 • C17
Gabriella Kastrunes
CLASS CHATTER, or information submitted by alumnae of Notre Dame Preparatory School, exists for the purpose of alumnae-to-alumnae communication. Publication does not signify endorsement by Roots & Wings or its sponsoring bodies, Notre Dame Preparatory School and the School Sisters of Notre Dame. Notre Dame Preparatory School is an independent, Catholic school for girls which upholds the teachings of the Catholic Church.
CLASS OF 2019
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Harriet Muth Roche Joan Boyd Marconi Gloria Ditzel Beyer Marilyn Cook Buedel
’78 Mary Elizabeth Banick Jasion
If anyone has been overlooked, we sincerely apologize. Please share any updates with the NDP Advancement Office.
Virginia Ball Cuthbertson
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’70 Karen Buckley Cronin
Mary Anne Ulrich McKinnon
’72 Elizabeth Poggi McEvoy
Susan Coleman Hodgeman Susan Cole Brune
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Carol Reilly Lanzi Regina Baesch M. Alice Meade Carter
’60 Anne Kennedy Gartland Barbara Gentile Owens
’65 Jean Bullen
’55 Lois DeTota Rathmell
Virginia Strong Kimball Carol Quinn Sybert
’71 Beryl FaithMaryDarcelBentley-AndersonEcolonoKoehneCatherineQuinnAnnHalpinNufer
’90 Jennifer Traglia Blair
’08 Clare Grover 2021
’83 Carole Ulrich Simmonds
Louise Rede Davis
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Doris Anderson Pahr Barbara Close Coulson
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Prayers of gratitude for the gift and life of Mary Elizabeth McCarron, mother of Sister Patricia McCarron, SSND, Ph.D., NDP headmistress; Mary Agnes Sheridan P’20, NDP director of STEAM; Ed and Maureen McCarron P’23; and Kathy Landers; and grandmother to Emily Sheridan ’20, Brennan McCarron, and Maeve McCarron ’23
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NDP was clear to these alumnae: You need to believe in yourself— it’s the first step to taking chances and being successful,” summed up Shawn Osmeyer, alumnae engagement manager.
Whether paying this gift of support back to the school through volunteering or paying it forward to fellow NDP grads thinking of making career changes, these alumnae set the tone for an evening of support and sisterhood.
Key recommendations emerged. All agreed that finding the right mentors and “cheerleaders” is essential as one works toward personal goals. Investing in yourself—whether in the form of continuing education, taking out a small-business loan, or networking with vigor—is always part of the preparation for any significant change.
According to Barbara Mantler ’94, co-chair of the Networking and Recruitment Committee which organized the event, “Tonight’s meeting was designed not only to help alums network, but also provide a platform where we can lift one another up and eachencourageother.”
• Maggie Morton ’04, interior designer
For all the speakers, at the core of their career change was a self-confidence they felt was nurtured at NDP. They referenced not just their classes but the caring teachers who cheered them on: Chris Kaiser, former math teacher and dean of students; Ed Donnellan, NDP’s long-time service director; Ann Klaes, social studies teacher; and Susanne Nichols, the indominable art teacher with a 50-year legacy at the school. “The message at
These words were at the heart of the collective message of an esteemed panel of alumnae who came together for the inaugural Sisters & Speakers: NDP’s Alumnae Networking Series. Moderated by Rachel McFadden ’99, co-founder and “left brain” at Drio, a web design and marketing company, the panel consisted of a group of alum career changers who shared advice to those looking to evolve in their personal or professional lives:
Roots & Wings • Chatter 2022 • C19
“YOU ARE ALWAYS EVOLVING.”
• Rachel Druckenmiller ’02, speaker, trainer, and CEO of UNMUTED
• Sophia McCormick ’99, realtor at The W Home Group
C20 • Roots & Wings • Chatter 2022 If you have already included NDP in your plans, please let us know. We want to acknowledge your legacy in our Legacy Circle.
...but
The
THEY MAY NEVER KNOW YOU... they will always celebrate the friendship, opportunities, and sisterhood made possible by members of our LEGACY CIRCLE.
Your gift provides critical funds for: l Our Area of Greatest Need l Financial Aid l Student Life l Academic Programs Every gift makes a difference. Every student benefits!
Strengthen future generations of NDP students with a gift in your estate plan. To learn more about planned giving opportunities, contact our Advancement Office at 410-583-8797 or Marybeth Drusano, major and planned giving drusanom@notredameprep.com.officer, Fund for Notre Dame Prep ensures that every student experiences a full and robust educational experience at NDP. support has tremendous impact both inside and outside the classroom.
Your
CHOOSING TO Rise:
By Rachel Druckenmiller ’02 Speaker, Trainer, & CEO, UNMUTED
I have been angry, sad, and frustrated throughout my healing journey, but not defeated. Two years later, I have facilitated over 300 virtual learning experiences and my business has grown exponentially Throughoutyear-over-year.these experiences, I’ve learned the importance of asking for help, receiving it when offered, being grounded in my faith and community, and sharing the unexpected messes so others may be inspired by them to navigate challenge.
A WOMAN’S STORY OF CHALLENGE, RESILIENCE, AND CHANGE
When I got home, I went into action, reaching out to my network and asking for introductions and opportunities. I spoke for free or at reduced rates to build momentum. Little by little, my calendar filled. By March 2020, I was slated to generate more than half of my previous full-time income. I was crushing it.
Life threw another curveball when, in May 2020, while out on a run with my husband, a pickup truck turning right on red hit me, fracturing my back and damaging my left ankle. After two months in a back brace and a year in physical therapy, I’m still healing my body and mind.
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and now I had to completely reinvent a business seven months after starting it. I switched to virtual, presenting on well-being, resilience, and employee engagement topics. Again, I spoke for free or at reduced rates to rebuild my client base.
I’ve always known that I’m meant to use my voice for something significant. A lifelong “achiever,” I found, my time at NDP a catalyst for stepping into the power of my voice. As a sophomore, I proposed to teachers a change to the summer reading program, which was made. I ran— unsuccessfully—for Senior Class President but wasn’t defeated. Senior year found me launching a class newsletter called “Senioritis,” taking voice lessons for the first time, and performing “on stage,” all experiences which built the confidence that has allowed me to stretch throughout my career.
want anyone to think I couldn’t handle it, and I was muting the voice inside me encouraging me to leave the safety of a full-time job and bet on myself.
But as I met with my mentors in December 2019, looking at a flip chart with the two speaking engagements I had booked for 2020, my heart sank. Did I really have what it took to do this entrepreneurship thing?
As the daughter of two teachers turned entrepreneurs, I was destined to become my own boss. After 13 years in a successful corporate career, as well as a bout of burnout and mono at 32, I realized the time had come. I didn’t burn out simply because I was working too hard to prove myself; I had refused to share my struggles or ask for help because I didn’t
In my full-time job, I loved speaking to, training, and facilitating groups of people through reflection, connection, storytelling, and insight-sharing. My passion was validated when the people around me recognized my talent and affirmed these gifts. In September of 2019, I launched UNMUTED to help organizations, leaders, and their teams connect, engage, and thrive, and elevate their well-being, confidence, and courage.
Roots & Wings • Spring 2022 • 9
Then the pandemic and ensuing lockdowns hit. I lost more than 85% of my business in a matter of weeks. I was scared. I didn’t see it coming. I was the primary breadwinner in my family,
The future holds much possibility, including a book I’m writing and a TEDx I hope to land before year-end. We don’t choose what happens to us, but we do choose how we respond. When you get knocked down, do you give up or do you rise up? I choose to rise!
The
2022.
we
True Blue Reunion Celebration
CLASS OF 1971 CLASS OF 1972 CLASS OF 1962 CLASS OF 1987 CLASS OF 1982 CLASS OF 1977 CLASS OF 1972
not
we
10 • Roots & Wings • Spring 2022
It’s always a pleasure to welcome alumnae home for the True Blue Reunion Weekend! This year was extra special as honored jubilarians from the classes of 1971 and 1972. While last year’s COVID protocols interfered with the class of reunion plans, time did dull the excitement felt when everyone came together on May 7, Prior to the cocktail reception, heard from this year’s recipient of Mother Caroline Friess Alumna of the Year recipient, Victoria Chou ’92, Ph.D. Thank you to all who attended.
our
1971’s
If you know Notre Dame Preparatory School, you know that faith and tradition are very much a part of who we are as a school community. So, it just made sense to combine both, as we sought a new way to welcome our graduating class into the Alumnae Association. On May 6, 2022, the Class of 2022, present at a liturgy honoring our jubilarians, received Miraculous Medals. Long ago, the medal was a required part of the NDP uniform, as much as saddles, white collars and cuffs, and a long hem. As the decade turned from the 60s to the 70s and hemlines got shorter, the requirement of the Miraculous Medal faded. Now, the Class of 2022 can choose to wear their medal—and with it garner all the protection of Our Lady, Notre Dame— as they prepare to leave Hampton Lane and head out into the world.
A senior donning her new metal
Seniors after the Alumnae Association Induction Ceremony
MIRACULOUSTHEMEDAL
Family and friends celebrating Victoria Chou ’92, Mother Caroline Friess Alumna of the Year (read more on page 16).
CLASS OF 19 97 CLASS OF 1992 CLASS OF 2017 CLASS OF 20 02 The Mother Caroline Friess Alumna of the Year The Mother Caroline Friess Alumna of the Year The Mother Caroline Friess Alumna of the Year
Roots & Wings • Spring 2022 • 11
Showing true Blazer perseverance, Caroline reapplied to the Academy and entered her plebe summer in 2021. “It’s seven hard weeks that feel like seven months. But one day, I was running past the spot on campus that serves as Chastity’s final resting place, and I knew I could carry on.”
In the Notre Dame
During her years at NDP, Caroline always looked to the future. She founded the Travis Manion Club; played lacrosse and tennis; participated in Youth and Government, Model UN, Project Greenway, and Gym Meet committees; and was active in the French and Italian Clubs. Yet, she always dreamed of a college experience like Chas’. She wanted the chance to learn leadership, discipline, rigor. She wanted the United States Naval Academy.
Preparatory School foyer, next to a framed White Blazer, is a portrait of a young naval officer. Both images honor the memory of Chastity Brione Dunnaville ’06, a.k.a. “Chas,” a standout student, athlete, and leader at NDP who passed away in 2012. Looking gentle and strong at the same time, Chas smiles at the viewer providing encouragement and inspiration. It’s that portrait of Chastity in her Naval uniform that served as an inspiration for Caroline Campbell, NDP Class of 2020 and first-year Midshipman.
“I applied to … and was accepted to a lot of great schools like Wake Forest, UVA, Tulane, Ole Miss, but my number one choice was always Navy. I remember the day I got rejected. I thought my dream of serving was crushed.”
A high school graduate at 17, Caroline chose The University of Mississippi. Enrolling in the prestigious Honors College and Croft Institute, she focused on Russian Language and International Studies, always with the intent to pursue the “EvenUSNA.when you receive a ‘no,’ it is not the end of the dream. I am beyond grateful that I went [to Ole Miss]. I think sometimes things happen for a reason. Maybe, somehow, God knew I needed that extra year.”
Chastity Brionne Dunnaville ’06
Like Chastity, Caroline came to NDP as a sixth grader. “I knew the second I shadowed, that I wanted to go to NDP and didn’t want to apply anywhere else for middle school.”
HEARTThe OF NDP
’20
A DREAM TO FOLLOW IN HER SADDLES
By Jennifer Caine ’86 Creative Services Manager
12 • Roots & Wings • Spring 2022
Caroline Campbell
When asked what she would say if she had the opportunity to speak to Chas herself, Caroline says, “It doesn’t take much. When you are at the Academy, you have your own language. You understand each other. I guess I would ask her if I am in the right place, is this good for me, because we really do question ourselves every step of the way, and Chas would understand.” g
Each September, all new Notre Dame Prep students process through the school’s iconic Gateway while older classmates form an honor guard and sing the alma mater which begins,“Where a gateway opens to Our Lady’s way. . . .” Later that school year, after graduation, NDP’s newest alumnae, clad in white dresses and carrying red roses, process outward through that same Gateway, as young women educated and committed to transform the world.
When NDP’s Gateway newspaper staff learned about the arch, they proposed to Sister Christine Mulcahy, SSND, then NDP headmistress, the idea of installing a similar structure on Hampton Lane. In their November 18, 1998, issue, the student journalists advocated that the Gateway was “a meaningful part of NDP’s history,” as “gateway” was the name of student newspaper and was referred to in the school song. Four years later, student support prevailed. The Class of 2002 adopted installing a replica gateway as its senior gift to NDP, raising more than $21,000 from 111 donors, most of them senior parents. In addition, NDP’s class of 1955 gave $1,200 for the “archway” project, a gesture that figuratively connected the two campuses through this shared symbol (Notre Dame of Maryland University also installed an archway on its campus in the fall of 2015).
If you have stories to share about NDP’s Gateway—either the one on Charles Street or on Hampton Lane—please send them communications@notredameprep.com.to
Then, in 1971, the unexpected happened! A student’s car hit the supporting pillars, damaging the arch and knocking it loose. The
By Sister Barbara Brumleve, SSND, Ph.D. Coordinator of Mission Integration
Over the next 70+ years, that arch stood. If it had had a voice, it could have told of the College of Notre Dame of Maryland emerging on Charles Street; of Notre Dame Preparatory School outgrowing its space with day students outnumbering boarders; and of boys—always few in number—no longer accepted in the lowest grades. In 1960 the arch witnessed faculty, students, and NDP families moving the secondary and elementary schools to Hampton Lane.
arch was removed and disappeared—for 25 years. In 1996, surveyors at the college working on a master plan to stop erosion, noticed a piece of arch among the leaves and debris. After identifying it as part of the 1892 arch, the College displayed the artifact and then stored it until future restoration.
These two simple, yet meaningful community traditions anchor the school year and remind all of the history of NDP and its founding order, the School Sisters of Notre Dame.
WHERE A GATEWAY OPENS…
It was Sister Christine who launched the beloved tradition of walking through the Gateway when she invited the Class of 2002 to be the first group of graduating seniors to walk through the Gateway away from the school. The following September she invited new students to process through it toward the school. As she reflected, “I never would have dreamed of it if the girls hadn’t gone after it.” g
As we prepare for Notre Dame Preparatory School’s 150th year anniversary in 2023-2024, we take this opportunity to delve into the school’s rich history and the many stories that have emerged over the years about the traditions, activities, programs, and people that have enriched our school community. Here is one such exploration.
Roots & Wings Spring 2022 13
The story of the Gateway goes back more than a century to 1887 when Notre Dame of Maryland Collegiate Institute for Girls, founded in 1873, erected a wooden arch over its main entrance on Charles Street in Baltimore. By the summer of 1892, the wood had decayed beyond repair inspiring the school to erect “a handsome gateway, consisting of grey stone pillars…at the main entrance to the grounds.”
BY INVITATION ONLY
Advancing this mission, NDP is in the midst of a reaccreditation process focusing on global citizenship and those aspects that
14 • Roots & Wings • Spring 2022
For three and a half years, NDP faculty have been collaborating on the school’s strategic plan, Sustaining Excellence.
In 2022, this mission has never been more critical to student development and human formation. This global mindset has its roots in NDP’s identity and that of the school’s founding order, the School Sisters of Notre Dame (SSND), an international religious congregation of women committed to the pursuit of education, justice, and truth. Since the beginnings of its ministry, the SSND have been committed to transformation through the education of individuals. Today, the order serves in 30 countries on five continents, inspiring all, including those of us at NDP, to affect change locally and globally.
By Dr. Victor Pellechia, Upper Level Director
Chinese students explore traditional art forms.
Global citizenship is foundational to the Notre Dame Preparatory School student experience, and as generations of alumnae have proven, NDP is a place “where girls become women who transform the world.”
A NOTRE DAME PREP GRADUATE WILL INTENTIONALLY EDUCATE HERSELF ABOUT LOCAL AND GLOBAL—NDPISSUESGraduate Profile
students need to understand and embrace when cultivating a global mindset, including technology, diversity/inclusivity, and care for creation.
The first step in Sustaining Excellence involved dialogue among members of the internal NDP community, resulting in the
GlobalEducatingCitizens
Known as Sustaining Excellence, this action-research reaccreditation protocol is offered through the Middle States Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Education of the Middle States Association, which has accredited NDP since 1927. Only those schools that consistently demonstrate an exemplary standard of education across all facets of the institution are asked to participate, an invitation NDP readily accepted in the 2017-2018 school year. Since then, the school has worked through a self-study and research and is now formulating plans for a mid-point Colloquium Conference, to be held in November 2022.
Students count fish at Cromwell Valley Park as part of their AP Environmental Science Class.
The active research dimension of Sustaining Excellence allowed NDP to refine its initial question based on the community’s lived experience of the past two years. Thus, in the most recent work, the NDP community is now viewing global citizenship through three lenses:
• DIVERSITY/EQUITY/INCLUSION – NDP’s ongoing commitment to justice and antiracism, as inspired by Catholic Social Teaching, were expressed in the school’s DEI Commitments published in the spring of 2021, and are being furthered by student affinity groups and the school’s STRIVE Anti-Racism Task Force.
regularly to evaluate all aspects of school life through these lenses. A steering committee, established in summer 2021, has guided efforts toward the midpoint Colloquium Conference.
Through in-person presentations, a poster gallery, and student performances, the Colloquium will highlight and celebrate NDP’s research progress to date for guests from peer and partner institutions and other stakeholder groups.
• Advanced Placement Environmental Science students count fish and catalog native plant species in Baltimore County’s Cromwell Valley Park with an eye to providing recommendations to park management on sustaining ecosystems.
research question, “What changes are being made in evolving institutional practices, curriculum and instruction, professional development, constituent engagement, and community life in order to advance global citizenship?” If NDP is to best prepare graduates to transform the world into which they enter, the school must advocate that “global citizens have the capacity and disposition to act on issues of global significance.”
Often maligned for limiting interpersonal relationships, digital tools kept us connected during the COVID-19 pandemic. Those same tools make it possible for our students to connect to the world around them.
• Medical, engineering, computer science, and architecture classes focus on issues that 21st-century’s high-tech workforce need: care for creation through sustainable design and “green” architecture; diversity/equity/ inclusion by understanding housing disparities, redlining, and accessible design; and digital collaboration by honing tech skills.
The zeal that propelled the SSND to educate young people all over the world flourishes at NDP. Today, 21st-century technology and instruction infuse classrooms with the beauty and richness of the global community and broaden perspectives. Ultimately, as our students take what they learned on Hampton Lane beyond the Gateway, our world will become richer, more understanding, and more united. g
• In Global Dance Club, students in the Middle Level experience other cultures and traditions through the Irish jig, Ukrainian folk dancing, Afghan dance, Salsa, and more!
• Working with the Religion Department, the Green Schools Committee developed a non-reusable plastic “fast” for Lent to encourage environmental stewardship.
Roots & Wings • Spring 2022 • 15
THE WORK UNDERTAKEN
Global dance students
Academics meets global citizenship in the classroom, where students explore matters of global significance across all subject areas. For instance:
• Chinese language students engage with Chinese high school students via Zoom to learn about culture, traditions, even foods, like the ceremonial moon cakes made for Chinese New Year.
In the fall of 2021, Pope Francis renewed his call for environmental stewardship around the world as he did in his landmark 2015 encyclical, Laudato Si, Care for our Common Home. The SSND committed themselves as a global congregation to participate, making care of creation the third lens of the school’s endeavor.
• DIGITAL TOOLS –
• CARE FOR CREATION –
LEARNING BECOMES GLOBAL
• To understand the complexities of self-esteem and body image, students in health classes are investigating beauty standards around the globe and the cultural contributors that may define them.
Through Sustaining Excellence, faculty, staff, and administrators have met
Contributing to a world in dire need of her knowledge and care is how Victoria is giving back. As an assistant scientist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, this proud member of the Class of Blue and Gray travels the world helping governments plan programs for maternal, newborn, and child health. Currently, she is focused on a clinical research site in Uganda where she is trying to better understand HIV among pregnant women and their children, and ways to prevent transmission from
For Victoria B. Chou ’92, Ph.D., this year’s recipient of the Mother Caroline Friess Alumna of the Year Award, NDP is home, a place where as a student she felt safe and nurtured while at the same time, empowered. “NDP helped me go after what I was good at and what I would be able to contribute to the world around me.”
16 • Roots & Wings • Spring 2022
Victoria Chou ’92, Mother Caroline Friess Alumna of the Year for 2022
LIVING THE MISSION: Victoria Chou
”
mother to baby. Her hope for this work is to give impoverished women the option to live fuller lives, whether living with HIV or not. In addition to balancing her busy career with family life—she is the proud mother of two—she also finds time to give back to her beloved Notre Dame as the current vice chair for the school’s Board of Trustees and former and“IthekeynotegraduationspeakerforClassof2019.wassosurpriseddeeplyhonoredwhenIfoundoutabouttheMotherCarolineFriessAlumnaoftheYearAward,”says
Victoria. “There are so many dear classmates and alums who live lives dedicated to the values of NDP and carrying out the mission taught on Hampton Lane. I am excited to represent them and hope that I have made them proud.” g
“NDP HELPED ME GO AFTER WHAT I WAS GOOD AT AND WHAT I WOULD BE ABLE TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE WORLD AROUND ME.
Roots & Wings • Spring 2022 For more information and to register, go to notredameprep.com/events THE BLAZER DASH CELEBRATES 25 YEARS! THE BLAZER DASH CELEBRATES 25 YEARS! Save the Date! September 25, 2022 NDP BLAZER DASH SCHOLARSHIP RUN Save the Date! NDPBLAZE R DASH CEL E B RATING 25 Y EARS 2022 2022
815 Hampton Lane, Towson, Maryland 21286 410.825.6202 • www.notredameprep.com Return Service Requested Lutherville-Timonium,U.S.OrganizationNon-ProfitPostagePaidPermitNo.237Maryland ------presenting sponsor-----------------------1873 --------headmistresssponsors------------------sponsor-------The Acevedo Family Alessia ’22, Isabella ’24 The Bradley T. MacDonald Family Foundation Kaela ’24, Karli ’25, and Kirsten Pizzico ’25 BuildingPoint Northeast CalvertSolutionsMechanical Honey & NancyTheConstantineMichaelHerwigFamilyKaelin’24Jerry’sToyotaKellyBenefitsMaria’sTag&TitleTruist’67&SteveWhalen The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company --------------------------red rose sponsors--------------------------------------------blue blazer sponsors------------------Aqua Vision Care, LLC The Nnabue/Mezu Family BiancaRose ’26 Archdiocese of Baltimore Karyn ’93 & Ken Bauer The Buedel Family DEX Imaging, LLC, a Staples AnnaLillyFlynnO’HaraeCampus.CompanycomUniforms’90&DavidHunterKate’23,Georgia’26TheMangioneFamilyTheSaxonFamilyMia’26,Madison’28 SC&H Group School Sisters of Notre Dame Atlantic-Midwest Province David & Kathryn Schroder Allie ’21, Nora ’26 Sentral Services The Shaeffer Wealth Advisory Group at RBC Wealth Management SpeedPro Imaging The Bouchard Family Emma ’22, Lily ’26 Towson Orthopaedic Associates Kathleen and David Willis Katie ’14 Apartment Services The Benassi/Harbold/Saxe Group at Merrill Lynch ChemStation Chesapeake/ Maryland Chemical Company, Inc. Colleen ’87 & Luke Driscoll Grace ’18, Tara ’22 Edward St. John Foundation/ St. John Properties The Flowers Family Erin ’24 Brian & Jill Kroneberger Sarah ’15, Emma ’22 The Lynn Family Natalie ’16, Anna ’24 NDP Parents’ Association Marlene & John Schiech Kristen ’06 thank you gala sponsors THANK YOU to our All-Event Sponsors thank you to everyone who supported our 2022 gala! ---------------onyx & gold sponsor--------------Scott & Susan Wilfong Julie ’95, Sarah ’00, and Madison ’21
