WINTER 2019
A PUBLICATION FOR ALUMNAE, PARENTS AND FRIENDS
A P A R T Y T H AT H A P P E N S O N C E E V E R Y 1 5 0 Y E A R S !
The 150th Anniversary Gala Celebrating the 150th anniversary of SJA’s founding by the Sisters of St. Joseph in 1868 SATURDAY, APRIL 27, 2019 Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Dinner and Program 7 p.m. Dancing 8 – 12 p.m. Raising Cane’s River Center Anniversary Celebration, Seated Dinner, Open Bar and Dancing Music by The Boogie Men New Orleans’ Premier Horn-Powered Band Reserve a table now with your fellow classmates, parents, grandparents, friends and family. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.sjabr.org/gala Each person who attends will receive the first edition of the SJA History coffee table book with each graduate’s name, including the class of 2019. It will be a once-in-a-lifetime party!
IN THIS ISSUE 4
29
From the President
Planned Giving
SJA Community
On Campus
5
18
30 33
Alumnae News
Tribute Donations
Alums Today
Transitions
20 28
37
Annual Fund On the Cover:
The celebration of our 150th anniversary continues, and our girls are enjoying being a part of this milestone year in SJA’s history. Representatives of our various sports teams, clubs and student organizations are pictured with Principal Stacia Andricain, center.
Connections is published four times per year by the St. Joseph’s Academy Communications and Mission Advancement offices. It is distributed free of charge to alumnae, parents and friends of the Academy. Alumnae news, story ideas, photographs and address changes should be sent to Connections, 3015 Broussard Street, Baton Rouge, LA 70808-1198 or connections@sjabr.org. Call (225) 388-2258. Because of space limitations, we reserve the right to edit submitted news.
Communications Director Assistant Communications Director Media Coordinator Graphic Designer Mission Advancement Director Mission Advancement Associate Director Mission Advancement Assistant DirectorAlumnae and Constituent Relations Jennifer Knight Mission Advancement Assistant Director-Events Donna Blanc Mission Advancement Database Manager Wendy Coniglio Mission Advancement Database Assistant
Mindy Brodhead Averitt Jennifer Menville Fontaine Erin Barrilleaux Albarado Holly Sonnier Meg Gerald Sister Joan Laplace, CSJ Katie Jeter Valenciano
F R OM TH E PRE S I DE NT
WORD S FI LL E A C H M O M E NT
Words are powerful tools. They define how we are feeling, they give us hope and they help us understand who we are and what God wants us to be. Words also help guide us on our spiritual journey in life. In the book Nine Words by Allen Hunt, nationally known speaker, author and senior advisor at Dynamic Catholic Institute, Hunt captures how powerful words are in our destiny. He describes words that are the fruit of God’s spirit and that he believes connect us to the works of the Holy Spirit. These words – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control – direct us to the way God wants us to live our lives. As Hunt states, “These nine words provide a blueprint for what God has for us in our lives and help us conform to the image of Christ to be the best version of yourself.” I want to highlight four of the words mentioned by Hunt in his book and close with one additional word that fills each moment of our day: gratitude.
love. Love transforms our lives.
When Jesus was asked what is the greatest commandment, he responded, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind. This is the greatest commandment. And the second is Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” (Matthew 22:35-40) When we love God, we grow in love and discover the gifts in our lives. As St. Paul stated, “There is nothing love cannot face; there is no limit to its faith, its hope and its endurance.” Love brings goodness, affection, kindness, hope, patience and service to God and to our neighbors. Each day, we should ask ourselves how did we give love to God, and how did we give love to others? With love, we grow in holiness and become what God intends us to be.
kindness. Mother Teresa said, “Let no one ever
come to you without coming away better and happier. Be the living expression of God’s kindness.” Kindness is the fruit of God’s spirit. Kindness is having a good heart and using that heart in loving, gentle ways and acts. When we live a life of kindness, we look for the good in others and praise their goodness. Hunt teaches us how 4 | S J A C O N N E C T I O N S From the President
to grow in kindness. First, always think before you speak, for kindness will build up rather than injure. Next, listen well, for it is a valuable gift of kindness to really listen. Additionally, practice random acts of kindness. Look for small ways to give back to others, and start each day in prayer by asking the Holy Spirit to guide you in kindness. Lastly, live each day with honesty and kindness.
generosity
. Pope John Paul II said, “The measure of your success will be the measure of your generosity.” Our lives are filled with the generosity of God. He stands with us, and His mercy and covenant cannot be broken. Each day He gives us new life. As we accept God’s generosity, we develop a generous heart that forgives. Forgiveness is the fruit of God’s love, and a forgiving heart abounds in mercy and generosity. Let us show kindness and compassion, and let us be gentle of heart and generous to others. As Pope Francis said, “Lord, help us to live the virtue of generosity to love without limits.”
gentleness
. Let us walk each day with a gentleness in our heart. Let us trust God’s will and know that His strength will guide us in our work. When we know that God is always with us through the many challenges we face, there is a calmness in our life, a sense of self-control, “a foundation of humility and an embodiment of forgiveness." One of our greatest gifts is our gentleness of our heart, for “nothing is so strong as gentleness and nothing so gentle as real strength.” (St. Francis de Sales)
gratitude. Gratitude gives us a sense of peace, a realization of the many blessings we receive each day. Gratitude embodies love, kindness, gentleness, joy and forgiveness.
Let us take moments in our day to stop and be grateful for the blessings, both small and large, that we are given and see God’s goodness in others. As novelist Thornton Wilder said, “Let our hearts be conscious of our treasures, for then we are alive." Let us embrace 2019 with love, kindness, generosity, gentleness and gratitude. Let our prayers open our hearts to listen to God’s voice and begin each day in peace with God, peace with self and peace with others.
S JA TO I N DUC T 2 019 HA LL OF FAM E C L AS S
SJA Community
Elizabeth “Liz” Fontenot, the late Sister Ursula Harelson, CSJ ’45 and Dr. Julie Neumann ’03 will be inducted into the St. Joseph’s Academy Athletic Hall of Fame on Saturday, February 9. The induction ceremony will be held in the new Academy Student Center starting at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $35 and can be purchased online at www.sjahalloffame.org or by sending a check, payable to the SJA Athletic Hall of Fame, to 3015 Broussard Street, Baton Rouge, LA 70808.
E LI ZA BE TH “ L IZ ” FO N T E N O T
Reservation deadline is January 30, 2019. For additional information, please contact Wendy Coniglio at (225) 388-2336. Working with student-athletes in numerous sports, Liz became aware of the need to help improve their strength, stamina and performance. At a time when high school girls weren’t offered such opportunities, Liz approached the school’s administration in 2005 to express her desire to establish a strength and conditioning program. Today, SJA’s strength and conditioning program is renowned for helping young women maximize their abilities, increase physical endurance and reduce the occurrence of preventable injuries. Liz has impacted thousands of students and studentathletes. Her positive and motivational personality provides strength and encouragement to all who know her, and her devotion to St. Joseph’s Academy is unsurpassed.
Elizabeth “Liz” Fontenot earned her bachelor of science in business administration from Louisiana State University in 1992 and her master’s in kinesiology in 1996. She began her career at St. Joseph’s Academy in 1998 as a member of the Health and Physical Education department. That year, she was named assistant coach of the Academy’s soccer team and served as faculty moderator of the cross country team.
Liz became the head soccer coach in 1999, a position she would hold until 2005. She also served as assistant track and field coach (1999 and 2002), assistant cross country coach (2000-2004) and assistant softball coach (2003-2005). She coached sixth-grade volleyball at St. Louis King of France (1998-2002) and club volleyball with Volleyball Baton Rouge (1999-2002).
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Sister Ursula began teaching primary grades at Our Lady of the Rosary School in New Orleans in 1947 and would teach for 60 years. Her last teaching assignment was at SJA from 1976 to 2007. During her six decades in the classroom, Sister Ursula quite literally touched the lives of thousands of students. Sister Ursula’s love of her students extended beyond the classroom. She was a fixture at SJA sporting events, lending her support and encouragement to her beloved Redstickers. Each year, the SJA Athletic Department honors Sister Ursula’s memory by bestowing the Sister Ursula Harelson Award upon an outstanding senior student-athlete who is hard-working, selfless, competitive yet humble. In her 34 years at St. Joseph’s Academy, Sister Ursula’s presence was felt across campus. She was known for her sense of humor, unending patience and dedication to helping her students grow. Her twinkling blue eyes and warm embrace were a gift to all. 6 | S J A C O N N E C T I O N S SJA Community
SISTER URSULA HARELSON, CSJ ’45
Sister Ursula Harelson, CSJ was a Sister of St. Joseph for 71 years. Born in Baton Rouge, she graduated from St. Joseph’s Academy in 1945 and entered the Sisters of St. Joseph in New Orleans later that year. She attended Loyola University and earned a bachelor of science in education in 1960 with minors in math and chemistry. She attended Union College in New York and earned a master’s in mathematics in 1973. Sister Ursula passed away in Wichita, Kansas, on December 13, 2016, at the age of 88.
After graduating from LSU with a degree in biology, Julie turned her attention to achieving her professional goal of becoming a doctor. She graduated with Upper Division Honors Distinction from the LSU Honors College and was selected for Leadership LSU. She earned her medical degree at LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans and completed her residency at Duke University Medical Center, where she received the 2016 Award for Excellence in Orthopaedic Research. At Duke, she was a member of the medical team for the 2015 men’s basketball team which won the national championship. Julie completed her first fellowship in sports medicine at Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic in Los Angeles, where she helped care for the Rams, Kings, Dodgers and Sparks. She completed an additional yearlong fellowship in foot and ankle at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City.
JULIE NEUMANN ’03
Julie Neumann ’03 was an outstanding four-sport athlete at St. Joseph’s Academy. She played volleyball, soccer and softball and was a member of the swim team. After a decorated senior season on the soccer team – including being named to First-Team All-State – Julie was offered an athletic scholarship to Louisiana State University. She would earn four varsity letters and was named the winner of the 2006 Wally Pontiff Jr. Academic Excellence Award.
Today, Julie is back home in Baton Rouge, practicing at the Bone & Joint Clinic. Her areas of expertise include shoulder, elbow, knee, ankle and foot. Julie’s successes, both on and off the field of competition, come as no surprise. All who know her speak of her commitment to excellence, her dedication to family and friends and her “never say never” outlook on life.
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S J A C O N T I NU ES 150 TH ANNIV ERSA RY CELEBRA TION
C A L E N D A R O F E V EN T S Tickets are now on sale for the
2019 ST. JOSEPH’S ACADEMY
Athletic Hall of Fame INDUCTION CEREMONY Honoring Elizabeth “Liz” Fontenot, Sister Ursula Harelson, CSJ ’45 and Dr. Julie Neumann ’03 SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2019 6:30 p.m. Academy Student Center
AUGUST 8, 2018: • • •
Senior Sunrise Back-to-School Prayer Service Dedication of Academy Student Center
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Legacy Mass and Reception
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Sisters’ Day of Service for all members of the SJA community
AUGUST 19, 2018:
OCTOBER 6, 2018:
OCTOBER 18, 2018: •
Open House
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St. Joseph’s Academy 150th Anniversary Mass honoring the arrival of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Baton Rouge in 1868
OCTOBER 21, 2018:
OCTOBER 24, 2018: •
Baton Rouge Redsticker Social
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The Soirée
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The first day of school at St. Joseph’s Academy (November 4, 1968). To recognize SJA’s 150 years as a pillar of excellence in the Baton Rouge community, Governor John Bel Edwards proclaimed November 4, 2018, as St. Joseph’s Academy Day in Louisiana.
NOVEMBER 1, 2018:
NOVEMBER 4, 2018:
Purchase tickets at www.sjahalloffame.org
NOVEMBER 10, 2018: •
Sticker Stampede 10K, 5K and Fun Runs
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SJA Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
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Give Day
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Challenge Day
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SJA Tennis Classic
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Sticker Scramble Golf Tournament
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The Gala
FEBRUARY 9, 2019: MARCH 19, 2019:
MARCH 22, 2019: MARCH 29-31, 2019 APRIL 1, 2019:
APRIL 27, 2019:
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LOOK FOR MORE INFORMATION AS EACH DATE NEARS.
O LY MP I AN MAR Y L OU RETTON V ISITS SJA St. Joseph’s Academy’s 150th Anniversary Speaker Series continued on November 15 with Olympic gymnastics champion Mary Lou Retton. During the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, Retton became the first American woman to win a gold medal in gymnastics, scoring two perfect 10s on the vault, the final event in the women’s all-around competition, to beat Romanian Ecaterina Szabo.
compete. Karolyi sat down with the family and offered to become Retton’s coach. “After the competition, I begged my parents to let me go,” Retton said. “I knew I couldn’t live my life wondering ‘what if.’”
Retton spoke of the challenges, struggles and adversities she overcame to become a gold medalwinning Olympian. Born in the small, coal-mining town of Fairmont, West Virginia, Retton fell in love with gymnastics in 1976 as she watched her idol, Nadia Comaneci of Romania, win three gold medals in the Montreal Olympics.
The first few weeks were tough, Retton said. She had been the only elite gymnast in West Virginia; in Houston, she was the sixth best athlete in the Karolyi gym. The gymnasts practiced eight hours a day in addition to going to school. “I ate it, I slept it and I thought about it,” Retton said. “I had the dream of representing the United States on the Olympic team.”
Calling herself a self-taught kid, Retton rose to the top of West Virginia gymnastics and competed in meets around the country. At a national competition in Reno, Nevada, in 1982, Comaneci’s coach, the legendary Bela Karolyi, took notice of the youngster. “He comes up to me and taps me on the shoulder,” said Retton, who was 14 at the time. “I’m awestruck. This is the coach of my gymnastics inspiration. I’m looking up at the man who coached her. He said, ‘You come to me, and I’ll make you an Olympic champion.’ I couldn’t believe it.”
Her parents agreed, and Retton packed all of her earthly belongings into two duffle bags and moved to Houston. “It was like going to see the Wizard of Oz,” she said.
“No matter how crazy your dreams are, if you have passion and belief, you can achieve them.”
As fate would have it, Retton’s parents were at the meet, having driven half way across the country to watch her
Retton’s first big break came in 1983 after just a few months with Karolyi. She had been chosen as an alternate on the team competing for the American Cup. As a noncompeting gymnast, Retton said she looked forward to the competition as a learning experience. But when the team’s top gymnast pulled a muscle in practice, Retton got a visit in her hotel room from her coach. “He sat in a chair across from me, knee to knee,” she said. “He said, ‘Mary Lou, this is your chance. This is your opportunity to compete. Don’t let me down.’”
In the biggest competition of her young life and in front of a packed house in Madison Square Garden, Retton rose to the occasion, beating a Russian world champion to win the American Cup.
continued
Prior to her talk to the student body, Mary Lou Retton met with members of the SJA gymnastics team and their coach, Natalie Pitts, pictured on the front row, second from right. Next to Pitts and wearing an LSU shirt is LSU Gymnastics Coach D-D Breaux.
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“I seized the moment,” she said. “When the chance presents itself, you don’t walk, you run through it. You don’t know if that chance will come again.” Needing to win one more major meet to solidify her standing in world gymnastics rankings, Retton traveled to Japan. Overcoming jetlag, unfamiliar food and subjective judges, she took the top prize. “It gave me unbelievable confidence,” she said, “a confidence that I can walk out onto the mat and know I can win.” As the 1984 Summer Olympics approached, Retton’s knee was acting up. But because Karolyi wasn’t “patient or understanding” when it came to injuries, Retton kept quiet. But six weeks before the Olympic Games, in her last floor routine practice in an eight-hour day, Retton heard and felt a pop. She approached her coach in pain, with tears in her eyes. He told her to sleep with ice on her knee. By the next morning, the knee had swollen to the size of a balloon, and Retton was taken to the emergency room. She was told she needed surgery. “This can’t be happening,” Retton remembered thinking. She had cartilage and ligament damage and was told by one doctor that she should “go home to West Virginia and wait for the next Olympics.” Retton fiercely refused. “Nobody was going to put limits on me,” she said. “If I had given up then, I would have wondered for the rest of my life what could have been. So I said, ‘Let’s do it.’” Sent to Richmond, Virginia, and the best knee surgeon in the country, Retton underwent the procedure. She then “became a maniac” on a mission to rehabilitate the knee in less than six weeks. Arriving in Los Angeles for the Olympics, Retton said she was completely ready. “No matter how crazy your dreams are, if you have passion and belief, you can achieve them,” she said. In the final events of the women’s all-around competition, Szabo scored a 9.9 on the uneven bars. Retton’s last event was the vault, her strongest. “In the back of my mind, I wondered if my knee would hold up,” she said. “But I did not want to share the gold medal, which I would have with a 9.9. I knew I could do it. All I needed to do was what I had done a thousand times in the Karolyis’ gym.”
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With two attempts in front of her, Retton scored a perfect 10 on her first vault to win the gold. She took her second attempt and scored another 10. “People ask me why I took the second vault, knowing I’d won,” Retton said. “Two reasons: I was there to represent my country, and I wanted to prove to Ecaterina Szabo that Mary Lou wasn’t lucky.” Retton told the audience that anyone can achieve great things if they are committed to rising above limits, both real and imaginary. “What happened in 1984 wasn’t supposed to happen, but I have a gold medal at home that says it did,” she said. “Meet challenges head on, take risks, don’t let people put limits on you. I did those things, and because I did, I have Olympic champion under my name.” Students react to Mary Lou Retton’s story of becoming the first American woman to win a gold medal in gymnastics.
Following her talk, Mary Lou Retton entertained questions from the students. Her daughter, LSU gymnast McKenna Kelley, joined her on stage.
D R. A LL E N H U NT SP EAKS A T SJA St. Joseph’s Academy’s 150th Anniversary Speaker Series continued on January 16 with best-selling author and nationally acclaimed speaker Dr. Allen Hunt. Dr. Hunt is the senior advisor at Dynamic Catholic Institute. Dr. Hunt began his professional life on Wall Street as a management consultant with Kurt Salmon Associates. On a cold New York morning as he dashed through the freezing rain to his office tower, he had to step over a homeless man huddled on a steam grate trying to get warm. Dr. Hunt was stopped in his tracks. In that moment of reflection, he heard the Holy Spirit whisper in his ear: “Allen, when are you going to stop serving yourself and start serving me?” Dr. Hunt would leave the business world to become a pastor. He earned a master of divinity from Emory University and a doctorate in New Testament and ancient Christian origins from Yale University. He landed his dream job as senior pastor at a megachurch just outside of Atlanta, Mount Pisgah, one of the largest Methodist congregations in the country. But a longing for more led him to yet another life-changing decision: On July 1, 2007, he stepped aside as senior pastor and, on January 6, 2008, converted to Catholicism. This was the culmination of a 15-year journey in which God led Dr. Hunt home to the Church. Dr. Hunt told the story of Roger and Sally. Before the young couple married, Roger revealed that he had been briefly married and had a daughter, Valerie, whom he hadn’t seen since she was a baby. Roger felt a gaping hole in his life because part of his family was missing. When he and Sally had two daughters of their own, they told the girls about their half-sister. Roger’s life and family were incomplete,
and he ached to be reunited with his missing child. “That’s what a father’s love does,” Dr. Hunt said. “A father’s love yearns for and treasures his children. … God’s love treasures his possessions and his children, every single one, because that’s the nature of God." Dr. Hunt recounted the story of his own family’s trip to Disney World with their young daughters, Sarah Ann, then 6, and Griffin, 4, as well as both sets of grandparents. He emotionally described the moment when Griffin was separated from the family and the frantic, eight-minute search before they were reunited. “I’m beginning to panic,” Dr. Hunt recalled. “My little girl, who I love very much, is missing, and there’s nothing I can do about it.” Twenty-plus years later, Dr. Hunt still refers to those agonizing moments as the worst, most panic-laden eight minutes of his life. “The only thing that mattered to me was I had a daughter who was lost, and I was determined to find her,” he said. “A father’s love not only treasures, but a father’s love seeks and persists until it finds.” Continuing his story of Roger and Sally, Dr. Hunt shared that they turned to a website that helps people find one another. After five months, Roger received a phone call informing him that Valerie had been found. Over several months of communication, Roger and Valerie planned to meet. Dr. Hunt was present at the moment of their reunion. “I don’t have adequate words to describe the power of that moment when the one who was lost comes home, when the one who was lost was restored to the family, when the one who was lost is found,” he said. “All I know is that the joy is unimaginable.” Dr. Hunt said his overarching message was to remind those in attendance of a simple spiritual truth: You have no idea how much God loves you. “He not only formed you, He not only gives you the sacraments, He gave you his own son so that you would know how much He loves you and that you would be part of His fold and that you would love living in His family,” Dr. Hunt said. “ … Once you actually discover and embrace how much God loves you, it changes your life. You are forever made different.” Following his talk, Dr. Hunt entertained questions from the student body. Dr. Hunt and his wife, Anita, live in Atlanta. Their daughters are now married. The Hunts have four grandsons.
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T HE S O I R ÉE EN J O YS R ECORD SUCCESS The Soirée, St. Joseph’s Academy’s premier fundraising event, was held the evening of November 1 in the Academy Student Center. The gala continued the year-long celebration of the 150th anniversary of SJA’s founding in 1868 by the Sisters of St. Joseph. Guests enjoyed a night of live and silent auctions, raffles, great food and drinks by area restaurants and caterers and live music by Ned Fasullo and His Fabulous Big Band Orchestra. The evening raised nearly $150,000 to be used to provide campus-wide enhancements to benefit the young women of SJA. Through Qtego Auction Technology, guests were able to bid on auction items before The Soirée began. During the event, they used their smartphones to track action on the silent and live auctions and raffles. Guests also enjoyed the SJA Student Ambassadors who were on hand to assist throughout the evening. The planning committee was co-chaired by Katie Cheatham and Missy Heck Brown ’94. They were joined by Live Auction Co-Chairs Michelle Mitchell and Gabriella St. Amant; Silent Auction Chair Joanne Harvey; Restaurant and Pull-A-Card Chair Melanie Callicott; Decorations Chair Christy Castille Haik ’82; Sponsorship Co-Chairs Adele Netterville and Kema Bueche; Bar Chair Jean Couvillion; Marketing Co-Chairs Courtney Newbill and Kathryn Rothkamm ’87; Raffle Co-Chairs Dorothy Aertker Ewen ’94 and Kelley Green Stelly ’94; Entertainment Chair Amy Radle ’92; and committee members Tammy Brice, Caroline Lemann, Angela Sheets, Julie Lefebvre and Elise Khuri.
Serving as committee advisors were Meg Gerald, Sister Joan Laplace and Jennifer Knight. The Soirée committee owes a debt of gratitude to the individuals and organizations who sponsored The Soirée. Sanctity-level sponsors were Joanne and Charles Harvey; Linda Thompson; Celebrity Theatres; and Franklin Press. Joy-level sponsors were Dr. James Rhorer; Heck No Land Company LLC; and Qtego. Action-level sponsor was Investar Bank. Red-level sponsors were A & J Designs; Blair and Jim Purgerson; Roland Toups; Elizabeth and Tom McKowen (Elizabeth Batchelor ’72); Linda and Larry Messina; and Sparkhound Inc. White-level sponsors were Babb Construction; Benny’s Car Wash; Cajun Ready-Mix; Capital Glass; Capital City Produce; Christine and Milton Dureau; Fran Harvey; Hannis T. Bourgeois & Co.; John Turner; Guarino Group; Linda and Ian Hipwell; Mary Svendson; Tami and Mike Moran; Raymond James and Associates Inc.; Relief Windows; Ryson Roofing; School Time Uniforms; Sissy and Ralph Stephens (Sissy Wall ’80); Sharon and Tim Poche; and Anne and Tom J. Meek.
Enjoying the evening are members of the Soirée planning committee, (front row from left) Meg Gerald, Melanie Callicott, Katie Jeter Valenciano ’04, Joanne Harvey, Katie Cheatham, Missy Heck Brown ’94, Jennifer Knight, Dorothy Aertker Ewen ’94, Courtney Newbill, (back row) Christy Castille Haik ’82, Kathryn Gober Rothkamm ’87, Kema Bueche, Wendy Coniglio and Michelle Mitchell.
GIVE D
GIVE D G GIVE DA
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Visiting at the Soirée are Sister Lucy Silvio, Sister Cynthia Sabathier, Tara Nolan Messenger ’70 and Terry Messenger.
Posing for a picture at the Soirée are, from left, Amy Counce ’75, Mary Kadair Crump ’76, Gabriella St. Amant, Elizabeth Allgood McKnight ’02, Catherine Kadair ’79 and Christy Castille Haik ’82.
Taking in the festivities at the Soirée are, from left, George Holder, Leigh Dazzio Holder ’89, Joanne Harvey, Charles Harvey, Christine Hosea and Dr. Stephen Hosea.
All smiles at this year’s Soirée are Andy Blouin and Dr. Yolunda Taylor.
GIVE DAY 2019 GIVE DAY 2019 GIVE DAY 2019 GI DAY 2019 GIVE DAY 2019 GIVE DAY 2019 GIVE DAY GIVE DAY 2019 GIVE DAY 2019 GIVE DAY 2019 GI Save the Date: DAY 2019 GIVE DAY 2019 GIVE DAY 2019 GIVE DAY GIVE DAY 2019 GIVE DAY 2019 GIVE DAY19, 2019 MARCH 2019GIV DAY 2019 GIVE DAY 2019 GIVE DAY 2019 GIVE DAY Joy, GIVE DAY 2019 GIVE DAY 2019 GIVESanctity, DAY 2019 GI Take GIVE Action. DAY DAY 2019 GIVE DAY 2019 GIVE DAY 2019 GIVE DAY 2019 GIVE DAY 2019 GIVE DAY 2019 GIV Winter 2019 DAY 2019 GIVE DAY 2019 GIVE DAY 2019 GIVE DAY
GIVE DAY
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S TICK ER STAMPEDE DRAWS 431 PARTICIPANTS The eighth annual Sticker Stampede 10K, 5K and Fun Runs, hosted by the St. Joseph’s Academy Alumnae Association on November 10, enjoyed great success. Some 431 runners participated in the race, presented by Varsity Sports. This year’s race honored our nation’s veterans and introduced the 10K race. Runners and visitors enjoyed a Finishers Festival and Marketplace throughout the morning, featuring local vendors, food, beverages and live music. There was also a special kids’ area with crafts and games. Timing sponsor for this year’s run was MAPP. Gold Level sponsors were Baton Rouge Digital Products; The Celtic Group; Bone and Joint Clinic; Bella Family Medical; Bateman Law Firm; Assurance Financial; and Elevate Wellness Studio. Red Level sponsors were Allstate; Schwartzenburg, LaFranca, Guidry and Chapman; Provost Salter Harper & Alford LLC; and Wardlaw & Lasseigne LLC. White Level sponsors were Dr. Stephen Sanches; PAX LLC; KB Cook Weddings; Kleinpeter Photography; Himmel’s Architectural Door and Hardware Inc.; Postlethwaite and Netterville; Peak Performance Physical Therapy; Matilda Jane by Katie Reulet and Long Law Firm. Course support was provided by Celebrity Theatres. Other contributors were Dr. Steven H. Brooksher and the St. Joseph’s Academy Andrea Clesi McMakin ’74 STEM Lab.
Some of the SJA graduates who participated in the 2018 Sticker Stampede gathered for a picture outside of the Academy Student Center. 14 | S J A C O N N E C T I O N S SJA Community 14 | S J A C O N N E C T I O N S SJA Community
In-kind sponsors were Raising Cane’s; Catholic High School; Benny’s Carwash; Zippy’s Burritos, Tacos and More; Baby Boot Camp of Baton Rouge; Smoothie King Government Street; Crescent Crown; Coca-Cola; SAGE Catering; Walk On’s of Zachary; Capitol City Produce; Kirt Clement/Bill Shedlof Jambalaya Chefs; The Real School of Music; Brian Balhoff, Balhoff Graphics; and Jolie Pearl. Chair of this year’s race was Emily Shedloff Richard ’01. She was joined on the planning committee by Chip Magee, Hannah Shedloff Kenney ’09, Karen Edward Styron ’01, Kate Butler Cook ’01, Kathryn Johnson Sanches ’01, Lurline Hamilton ’64, Megan Bello Balhoff ’01, Melissa Silva ’99, Monica Valenciano Rogers ’01, Nan Murtagh and Patricia Kleinpeter Duvic ’99. Also helping to make the day a success were members of the Mission Advancement staff and volunteers from the SJA community.
Friends and former colleagues of Jackie Labat raised their hands in blessing as Jackie’s former principal and mentor, Sister Joan Laplace, sprinkled the Jacqueline B. Labat Foreign Language Area with holy water.
New Scholarship Established in SJA Foundation The Boyce-Dittmar Scholarship has been established in the St. Joseph’s Academy Foundation by Melanie and Johnny Boyce. The long-time supporters of the Academy created the endowed scholarship in honor of their daughters and granddaughters who are graduates of the school. Daughter Millicent Boyce Dittmar is a member of the class of 1989, and daughter Jessica Boyce Doiron graduated in 1991. Granddaughter Wellesley Dittmar graduated in 2016, and granddaughter Amelia Dittmar will graduate in May 2019. Johnny is a former member of the SJA Foundation board of directors and served on the school’s Development and Scholarship committees. He helped establish the SJA Board of Directors Scholarship. Melanie was a guidance counselor at the Academy. She and Johnny created the Boyce-Dittmar Scholarship to show their appreciation for the quality education received by their family members. Millicent said the Academy holds a special place in her life and in her heart. “Not only did it prepare me for my entrance into college and adulthood with an excellent education and solid Catholic teachings, but it has now done the same for my girls,” she said. “To watch them grow into strong, well-educated Catholic women who are ready to meet their next challenges in life has been one of my greatest life experiences to date. It is an experience that has been helped and nurtured by St. Joseph’s Academy. What the Academy has given both me and my daughters is priceless.” Melanie and Johnny Boyce, seated, sign papers establishing the Boyce-Dittmar Scholarship at SJA. They are pictured with daughters Jessica Boyce Doiron ’91 and Millicent Boyce Dittmar ’89 and granddaughters Amelia Dittmar ’19 and Wellesley Dittmar ’16.
Jessica pointed to an Albert Einstein quote – “Education is not the learning of facts but the training of minds to think.” – to summarize what the Academy meant to her. “My junior year, in AP biology, my mind learned to think,” she recalled. “I was given the foundation on which I built a career of training young minds to think. SJA prepared me for life, not only academically but with a sense of community and moral responsibility. As I watch my own daughter grow as an independent, strong young woman, I am thankful for the values that were instilled in me at SJA. The older I get, the more I value all SJA gave me.” Wellesley is a senior at Mississippi State University. She is studying biomedical engineering and is involved in the research of equine diseases, specifically asthma. She said she can’t overstate the role SJA played in her life. “It prepared me incredibly well for college by giving me confidence and book smarts, taught me to recognize my worth as a female and as a Catholic and, most importantly, it exposed me to science and technology early and often. That’s the reason I’m planning to go into research. SJA really opened my mind to my future career, which truly has and will continue to shape my life. There isn’t a better high school.” Amelia said her years as an SJA student have been both rewarding and inspirational. “The Academy has given me wonderful opportunities to pursue my goals and also exposed me to problems and needs that I can help address but did not know about,” she said. “It has provided me with a community that will be with me wherever I go and given me a legacy that I am proud to be a part of. It has been not only a place that broadened my educational horizons, but a place that taught me the meaning of unity with my fellow sisters.”
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MAKE A GIFT TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS SCHOLARSHIP
SJA TENNIS CLASSIC 2019
To commemorate the 150th anniversary of the founding of St. Joseph’s Academy, the SJA Board of Directors and Foundation Board are joining forces to fully fund the SJA Board of Directors Scholarship. Established in 1993, the scholarship’s current balance is $31,095; earnings on the fund are used for tuition assistance. It is the goal of Board of Directors Chair Suzie Toups Adler ’85 and Foundation Board Chair Kevin Knobloch to raise $8,905 or more by April 1, 2019, bringing the scholarship total to $40,000. “This is a significant and lasting gift,” Adler said. “We have an opportunity to help secure the future of SJA and ensure the continuation of quality education for young women in our community. There is no better way to honor the sacrifices of our beloved Sisters of St. Joseph than to aid families who otherwise would not be able to afford an Academy education.” All current and past members of the SJA Board of Directors and SJA Foundation Board are invited to make a gift to help fully fund the scholarship. Parents, alumnae and friends may make a donation in honor of a current or former board member or to honor or memorialize a loved one. To give online, visit www.sjascholarships.org. You may also send a check, made payable to the SJA Foundation and with SJA Board Scholarship in the memo line, to St. Joseph’s Academy, 3015 Broussard Street, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70808. The SJA Board of Directors and SJA Foundation Board thank you for your continued commitment to the excellence in education at St. Joseph’s Academy and for joining us in celebrating this milestone anniversary.
Presented by
March 29-31, 2019 Bocage Racquet Club Benefits the Alumnae Association’s five-year commitment towards the newly constructed Academy Student Center. Sponsorship opportunities available: Contact Alumnae Director Katie Jeter Valenciano ’04 at valencianok@sjabr.org $70 player fee guarantees two matches, food, adult beverages, live music, door prizes and fun! For tournament information or to register, visit www.sjatennisclassic.org Divisions: (Limit of 32 teams per division) Women’s Doubles – 2.5, 3.0*, 3.5*, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0 Men’s Doubles – 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0 Mixed Doubles – 6.0, 7.0, 8.0 Open Mixed Doubles * Women's Doubles 3.0 and 3.5 divisions are subject to a 4 p.m. start on Friday, March 29. Deadline to register is March 24. Draws will be posted and emailed on March 27. USTA Tournament ID: 700120219 For more information, or to register, visit www.sjatennisclassic.org.
16 | S J A C O N N E C T I O N S SJA Community
JUNIORS, SENIORS ENJOY CAREER DAY JOB EXPO The St. Joseph’s Academy Alumnae Office and Counseling Center hosted a Career Day Job Expo on November 14. Sixty professional women, most of whom are SJA alumnae, gathered on campus to share their career experiences with juniors and seniors. The professionals set up tables in the Academy Student Center, which students visited during their lunch hours. Students were able to talk one on one with those who represented a field in which they may be interested. The job expo was coordinated by Alumnae Director Katie Jeter Valenciano ’04 and school counselor Amy Scheurich House ’98. “The purpose of the Career Day Job Expo was to allow SJA students to gain insight into their interests and talents as they begin the process of making informed educational and career choices,” Valenciano said, adding that the expo helped the students narrow their choices of who they would like to job shadow on February 19. The following women participated in the job expo: Yvette Barbier Aillet ’09, teacher; Abby Duhé Altazan, research specialist; Amy Andrews ’06, financial consultant; Ana Andricain ’86, actress and jewelry designer; Jimi Ardoin Aucoin ’02, registered nurse; Dr. Stephanie Gremillion Babin ’05, dentist; Kelsey Perry Baines ’06, event coordinator; Morgan Leger Belello ’13, caterer; Dr. Amanda Messer Boeneke ’04, pediatric hospitalist and assistant professor of clinical pediatrics; Robin Titone Branton ’98, teacher; Melissa Bahlinger Brocato ’89, university administrator; Joanie Brocato, forensics; Lizzie Butler Broussard ’03, technology project manager; Mackenzie Brown, athletic trainer; Brittney Cardillo, events manager; Stephanie Spielman Cargile ’88, media and community relations; Dr. Rebecca Carriere Christofferson ’98, assistant professor of infectious disease research; Dr. Kelly Sweeney Clements ’84, ENT physician; Lisa Westmoreland Collier ’81, financial advisor; Kate Butler Cook ’01, wedding planner; Kat Currier ’11, Sixty women, most of whom are SJA graduates, participated in this year’s Career Day Job Expo.
financial planner; Mandy Poche Cushing ’98, teacher; Allison Davis ’07, IT consulting; Lori Adams Denstel ’89, healthcare administration; Monique Douglas ’08, instructional design; Tricia Kleinpeter Duvic ’99, registered nurse; Dr. Lindsey Richard Fauveau ’03, surgeon; Lauren D’Aquin Field ’84, fundraising; Conchetta Graphia Foshee ’86; school counselor and administrator; Rachel Fawley Gamble ’90, pharmacist; Stefania Himpler Gibbens ’04, interior designer; Dr. Dana Gosserand, veterinarian; Merrit Guercio ’09, school counselor; Katie Blouin Guillot ’96, dental hygienist; Angela Begue Hammett ’92, community healthcare education manager; Ann Lightfoot Heine ’89, hospital operations; Mary Dedeaux Honore ’02, teacher; Elise Kaufman, retired speech therapist; Mallory Morgan Ludwig ’05, physician’s assistant; Rebecca Mayeux ’12, student success specialist; Mary McKee and Kris Piland, social workers; Jennifer Moisant, attorney; Sara Hipwell Monsour ’93, registered nurse; Hayden Moore ’05, attorney; Dana Morrison, education recruitment manager; Jennifer Duplechin Oberthier ’04, CPA; Wendy Parliament, engineer; Breanna Paul ’08, communications; Kristy Roubique ’76, real estate; Susie Rykosky, engineer; Deanna Ledet Saab ’02, web designer; Holly Sanchez, law enforcement; Brooke Bayham Schoonenberg ’05, nutritionist; Christi Schott ’03, religious education; Dr. Liz Dauzat Seiter ’79, pediatrician; Natalie Bratton Sloan ’04, school counselor; Leigh Ann Town ’09, hair stylist and salon director; Elise Daniel Walker ’03, financial planner; and Tia Lockett Whittington ’04, boutique owner.
Dr. Kelly Sweeney Clements ’84 and Dr. Lindsey Richard Fauveau ’03 shared their career experiences with juniors and seniors during SJA’s Career Day Job Expo.
17 17|| SSJJ A A CC O O N N E C T II O ON NSS Fall Winter 2018 2019
MOT HERS ’ C LUB H O S TS A N N U A L F A LL LUN C H EO N The St. Joseph’s Academy Mothers’ Club hosted its annual fall luncheon on October 25. This year’s event was held at the home of Stacy and Cliff Hebert, beautifully decorated for fall. SJA moms and past presidents of the Mothers’ Club enjoyed lunch and socializing. The menu featured chicken salad sandwiches, cucumber sandwiches, a cheese board, salad, fruit and tortellini soup. Door prizes were provided by Honey Loupe, SoHo Salon and the SJA Sticker Shop. Enjoying this year’s Mothers’ Club Fall Luncheon are, clockwise from left, Aimee Walker, Mothers’ Club president; Gretchen Campesi, Sticker Shop chair; Vanessa LaFleur, Mother-Daughter Brunch & Style Show chair; Lissa Weston, Mothers’ Club vice president; Heidi Smith, Fall Luncheon co-chair; Stacy Hebert, Mothers’ Club secretary and Fall Luncheon hostess; and Katie Jeter Valenciano, SJA alumnae director and Mothers’ Club moderator.
18 | S J A C O N N E C T I O N S SJA Alums Community Today
s w e N e a Alumn ’54 GAY MAY TOWN and her husband, Hays, are celebrating the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the St. Elizabeth Foundation, which arranges adoptions of more than 20 newborns each year. The organization provides a myriad of services to expectant mothers, many of whom are young and in crisis, including housing, medical expenses, counseling and legal assistance. ’88 MICHELLE HEBERT LEVRON earned her master’s degree in dyslexia therapy in May 2018. She is a member of the Academic Language Therapy Association and a certified academic language therapist. She privately tutors students with dyslexia. ’00 KATE LUNDIN has been promoted to media director at Zehnder Communications, a fully integrated advertising agency with offices in Baton Rouge, New Orleans and Nashville. She previously served as the agency’s associate media director. She has been instrumental in expanding the agency’s incorporation of digital and nontraditional platforms, including social media and interactive applications. Kate earned a degree in mass communications from Louisiana State University and joined Zehnder in 2005. ’04 STEFANIA HIMPLER GIBBENS received the 2018 Emerging Professional Award from the Louisiana State Board of Interior Designers. The award acknowledges a professional as a promising leader in the field of interior design. Nominees must have demonstrated professional excellence in the field of practice, show leadership in the profession and demonstrate passion and enthusiasm for interior design. Stefania works at CDI Solutions.
’07 LAUREN BRADBERRY RUCINSKI has been elected to the board of directors of We Produce Grads, Louisiana’s first middle and high school aquaponics program with classroom laboratories and greenhouses focused on a foundation of STEM education. Lauren is an environmental and patent attorney at Kean Miller LLP. She has a degree in aerospace and ocean engineering with a minor in green engineering from Virginia Tech University. She is an e-mentor for the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Baton Rouge and is training for the Louisiana Marathon in January. She enjoys traveling with her husband and spending time with their two poodles, Izzo and Brees.
’11 SARA WAKEFIELD graduated from Pratt Institute in May of 2018 with an MFA in communications design. She is employed as a visual designer with ZS Associates, a pharma/biotech consulting firm in Brooklyn, New York. She graduated from Auburn University in May of 2015 with a bachelor of science in environmental design. She lived in Greenville, South Carolina, for a year before beginning grad school.
’13 VICTORIA (TORI) KLEINPETER is serving as president of Phi Alpha Theta, the history honors society at University of LouisianaLafayette for the 2018-2019 academic year. A graduate of LSU, she has a cumulative 3.7 GPA and is scheduled to earn her master’s in public history in May.
’14 MADELINE FONTENOT graduated magna cum laude from Louisiana State University in May 2018 with a bachelor of science in business, information systems and decision sciences. She is employed as a systems analyst at ExxonMobil in Houston, Texas.
’14 MARIANNE KONIKOFF graduated from Yale University with a bachelor of science in mathematics. She is now working in Boston as an analyst for Altman Vilandrie & Company, a strategy consulting firm specializing in the telecom, media and technology industries.
’15 SARAH BERTRAND was among the 150 students from 58 colleges and universities who participated in this summer’s four-day Student Ambassador Leadership Summit in Washington, D.C. The summit is sponsored by Catholic Relief Services. CRS focuses on international social justice issues including climate change, migration, human trafficking and world hunger. Louisiana delegates and missionaries from the Fellowship of Catholic University Students met with Senator John Kennedy’s staff members to discuss funding for international aid and implementing sustainable community development programs in Central America. Sarah is a senior pre-med biology major at Xavier University. She hopes to participate in an international rotation during medical school, specifically in Latin America.
19 | S J A C O N N E C T I O N S Winter 2019
’15 MADISON DAIGLE, a senior at Texas State, was named the Most Valuable Player of the Sun Belt Conference volleyball tournament. She had a match-high 12 kills and a .476 hitting percentage in Texas State’s 3-0 win over Appalachian State. She is the first Texas State player to be named MVP in five years. Madison is majoring in health and wellness promotion. ’17 MEREDITH GUIDRY is one of four engineering students at Louisiana State University to be awarded a $2,500 scholarship from BASF. Scholarship winners are chosen based on excellent grade point averages and being active in their communities and on campus. Meredith is a sophomore studying civil engineering. She serves on the Greek Board of Directors Fundraising Committee and is a member of Zeta Tau Alpha, the American Society of Civil Engineers and the National Society of Collegiate Scholars. As an Academy student, her science fair research in the transportation field enabled her to attend the International Science and Engineering Fair in 2016 and 2017. ’18 JADE WOODS, a freshman at Harvard University, is a 2018 winner of a prestigious National Latin Exam Scholarship. She is among just 21 students in the country to win one of the $2,000 awards. Recipients win gold medals as high school seniors on the Latin III, Latin III-IV Prose, Latin IIIIV Poetry or Latin V-VI exams. Jade is enjoying her first year of college and is leaning towards a major in government/political science. She is a member of an on-campus choir called Kuumba which celebrates African and African-American music and heritage. She also participates in a hip hop dance group and is a Yard Athletic Council representative, promoting intramural sports for her dorm. 20 | S J A C O N N E C T I O N S Alumnae News
Alums Today St. Joseph’s Academy to Honor Sharon Ourso Kleinpeter ’67 and Patricia Brignac Talbot ’84 have been chosen as St. Joseph’s Academy’s Outstanding Alumnae for 2019. They will be honored as part of The 1868 Dinner on March 24. In 1992, Sharon became the communications director for the Police Jury Association in Baton Rouge. She lobbied state legislators on local government policy issues; published the association’s quarterly magazine; and established and maintained relationships with elected officials in Louisiana’s 64 parishes.
SHARON OURSO KLEINPETER ’67 enjoyed a diverse career in a variety of fields, including education, video production and communications.
With a bachelor of arts in education from the University of Southwestern Louisiana, Sharon began her career in 1975 with the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board. She also taught at St. Thomas More elementary school. She was selected to teach in the local school system’s first Gifted and Talented Program. She earned her master’s in educational media and technology in 1984.
In 1998, Sharon was named the executive director of the Louisiana Cable & Telecommunications Association. Among her responsibilities were the development and implementation of industry-related policy; developing legislative relationships; lobbying for industry issues; and creating the association’s website.
Her communications career continued in 2000, when Sharon was named vice president, Government and Public Affairs, for Cox Communications. She handled public affairs strategic planning; served as the spokeswoman for Cox Communications Louisiana; and was responsible for public affairs crisis management and Teaching photography, filmmaking, business continuity planning. animation and video production, She organized and implemented Sharon found herself drawn to policy, political involvement and the video industry and founded lobbying; built relationships with SOK Productions, offering legal elected officials and national video services and industry safety industry groups; and established and training programs. Sharon community outreach and public was one of only two certified legal affairs strategies. videographers in the state in 1984-1985.
Outstanding Alumnae for 2019 As Sharon’s professional career was nearing its end, she spent a year as the director of communications for the Louisiana Department of Justice, developing a communications strategy and launching social media communications for the department. In 2017, she served as the legislative assistant to East Baton Rouge Parish Councilwoman Barbara Freiberg. Now retired, Sharon devotes passionate volunteer service to Maison des Amis, a shelter for the mentally ill homeless. Organizations which have benefited from Sharon’s talents in the past include American Red Cross, Junior Achievement, Public Affairs Research Council, Greater Baton Rouge Literacy Council, Association of Louisiana Lobbyists, Baton Rouge Community College Foundation and River Parishes Community College Foundation. A proud St. Joseph’s Academy alumna, Sharon has served as a member of the Alumnae Association board of directors, the Strategic Plan Public Affairs Committee and in various fundraising capacities. Sharon and her husband, Bo, have three sons: Lance, Kevin and Eric. They have seven grandchildren and one greatgrandchild, all of whom they enjoy visiting.
PATRICIA BRIGNAC TALBOT ’84 graduated from Louisiana State University in 1989 and immediately joined her family’s business, Baton Rouge Duplicating Products (BRDP). The company was founded by Patricia’s father, Win Brignac, in 1955.
BRDP began with a single demo copier. Win set out to build a business by embracing emerging technologies and building longterm relationships marked by customer service and support. Patricia mirrored her dad’s philosophies as she assisted with sales, service and administrative tasks. All the while, she embodied the company’s dedication to providing “the experience no one can copy.” In 1999, Patricia was named BRDP’s CEO, and in 2006, she became its owner. In 2017, she changed the name to Baton Rouge Digital Products to reflect the company’s shift to the digital world. Under Patricia’s leadership, BRDP has continued to flourish. Among the honors received are the Gold Medallion Award as the top Kyocera service dealer in the United States and the Douglas Manship Sr. Torch Award for Ethics in Business from the Better Business Bureau of South Central Louisiana.
Patricia is also deeply committed to SJA, currently serving as a member of the school’s board of directors. She served as chair of the Alumnae Board from 2013 to 2016, playing an instrumental role in greatly expanding its scope by enlisting a group of women dedicated to hard work and united in their commitment to their alma mater. Under her leadership, the board worked tirelessly to increase alumnae engagement and support. In addition to her service to SJA, Patricia was a member of the St. Thomas More School board of directors for six years. She has also lent her talents and expertise in service to the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank, YMCA, Catholic Youth Organization, Woman’s Hospital, Rotary Club of Baton Rouge, Better Business Bureau and the Greater Baton Rouge Tennis Association. Patricia is fiercely proud to be part of a fourgeneration legacy family at the Academy. Her grandmother, Aline Broussard Lambert, graduated in 1928. Her mother, Patricia Lambert Brignac, is a member of the class of 1951, and her aunt, Sister Adele Lambert, graduated in 1954. Patricia’s daughters are also alumnae. Addison Talbot graduated in 2015, and Amelia Talbot graduated in 2016.
In 2006, Patricia was honored as the SMEI Marketer of the Year. In 2009, she was named the Marshall B. Klein Entrepreneur of the Year by Entrepreneurs' Organization of Louisiana. In 2011, Patricia was named one of Baton Rouge Business Report’s Most Influential Women in Business. She was honored as St. Joseph’s Academy’s Distinguished Graduate of 2013 for the Diocese of Baton Rouge. Patricia is devoted to the spirit and charism of the Sisters of St. Joseph. Four of her aunts are Sisters, and Patricia has fond memories of spending weekends visiting their Mirabeau residence in New Orleans. Her commitment to the Sisters continues today. She is an Associate of the Congregation of St. Joseph, deeply engaged in living the CSJ mission of unity and inclusive love of God and the dear neighbor.
Patricia and her father, Win Brignac
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Sister Helen Prejean Named SJA’s Distinguished Graduate for 2018-2019 Dead Man Walking was also made into an opera. It premiered in 2000 and is now one of the most performed operas of the modern era.
Sister Helen Prejean, a 1957 graduate of St. Joseph’s Academy, will be among the Catholic school graduates honored at the 2019 Distinguished Graduates Awards Dinner, hosted by the Catholic Schools Office of the Diocese of Baton Rouge. The celebration will be held Monday, January 28, at The Renaissance Hotel as part of Catholic Schools Week 2019.
Her second book, The Death of Innocents: An Eyewitness Account of Wrongful Executions, was published in 2004. In it, she describes the flaws in the death penalty system which led to the executions of Dobie Gillis Williams Sister Helen is a best-selling author and and Joseph O’Dell, both of whom she leading advocate for the abolition of accompanied to their executions and the death penalty. She began her prison ministry in 1981 and became pen pals with both of whom she believed to be innocent. Patrick Sonnier, sentenced to die in the electric chair at Louisiana’s Angola State She recently finished her memoir, River Prison for the murder of two teenagers. of Fire, which will be published in August She visited him as his spiritual advisor, of 2019. and those visits “set her soul on fire.” Sister Helen described her experiences Sister Helen is the founder of Survive, a in Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness victim’s advocacy group in New Orleans, Account of the Death Penalty, which was number one on the New York Times and she continues to counsel not only inmates on death row, but the families of Best Seller List for 31 weeks. It was also murder victims, as well. She travels across developed into a major motion picture the globe, speaking to audiences about starring Susan Sarandon as Sister Helen the death penalty. and Sean Penn as a death row inmate. Sarandon won an Academy Award for best actress.
Sister Helen Prejean visited St. Joseph’s Academy in September as part of the 150th Anniversary Speaker Series. Sister Helen will be honored as SJA’s Distinguished Graduate for 2018-2019.
REGISTER TODAY
7 TH ANNUAL
STICKER SCRAMBLE Benefiting SJA Athletics and SJA Dads' Club
April 1, 2019
Greystone Golf and Country Club Shotgun Start: 1 p.m. Men's and Women's teams welcome Join us! Sponsors needed!
Contact Meg Gerald with questions: geraldm@sjabr.org
22 | S J A C O N N E C T I O N S Alums Today
F OU R A LUM N A E AM O NG BUS I NE S S REPO R T ’S F O R TY UNDE R 4 0 FO R 2 018 Each year, the Baton Rouge Business Report honors 40 local business and professional leaders who have achieved success and excelled in their field before the age of 40. Forty Under 40 recognition is bestowed upon those who have demonstrated leadership, initiative and dedication in pursuing their careers. Honorees are selected on the basis of character, credentials and accomplishments. This year’s honorees include four graduates of St. Joseph’s Academy.
STACIE LAMBERT DEBLIEUX, class of 1997, is an assistant attorney general, Louisiana Department of Justice, and the section chief of the Complex Litigation Unit.
KELLI BONDY TROUTMAN, class of 2000, is assistant vice president and director of communications and community relations at LUBA Workers’ Comp.
LAUREN CRAPANZANO JUMONVILLE, class of 2008, is director of civic leadership initiatives at the Baton Rouge Area Foundation.
COURTNEY DE LA BRETONNE HART, class of 1999, is senior regional marketing manager at Hancock Whitney.
To read about this year’s honorees, visit https://www.businessreport.com/business/awards/forty-under-40-2018-baton-rouge.
CHALLENGE DAY Viewing Party Friday, March 22, 2019 Bogie’s 705 East Boyd Drive Baton Rouge, LA 70808 Doors open at 3:30 p.m. Games begin at 4 p.m.
For more details or to RSVP, contact Alumnae Director Katie Jeter Valenciano ’04 at (225) 388-2244 or valencianok@sjabr.org. Must be 18 or older to enter. No current students, please. 23 | S J A C O N N E C T I O N S Winter 2019
Redsticker Reunions amd Other Gatherings B AT O N R O UG E REDST IC K E R S O C IAL
Among the alumnae attending the Redsticker Social were Julie Hannie ’88, Wendy Williams Lutgring ’84 and Amy Azar Brunet ’88.
Enjoying the Redsticker Social were members of the class of 1989: Tara Dixon, Lori Adams Densel, Wren Eversberg Eagleton, Julie Allen and Honey Nesbit Lundin.
Approximately 250 graduates converged on campus for the second-annual Baton Rouge Redsticker Social on the evening of October 24. The SJA Alumnae Office hosted the well-attended event. Alumnae met and mingled with fellow hometown alums and enjoyed campus tours and a cocktail reception.
Members of the class of 2007 connected at the Redsticker Social. They are Shannon Carney Ellis, Melissa Ruffino, Katie Hoffpauir Rodriguez, Rochelle Howard Reech, Sam Mermigas and Faith Rogers.
Principal Stacia Andricain visited with Ashley White, class of 2008.
Classmates from 1977 enjoyed reconnecting at the Redsticker Social. They are Donna Delaville Lamonte, Ann Bahlinger Bernard, Jeanne Gastinel Wintz, Sandy Darensbourg and Anita Parsons King.
24 | S J A C O N N E C T I O N S Alums Today
S J A/C H S C H E E R , B AN D, B O O S TE R , FL AG C O R P S A N D B RU I N E T TE S R EU N I O N
Current and former Bruinettes performed during the first half and at halftime of the CHS-Dutchtown homecoming football game.
Alumnae and current members of the SJA/CHS marching band practiced their halftime routine.
All former members of Catholic High School cheerleader squads, marching bands, Boosters, Flag Corps and the Bruinettes were invited to perform during the CHS homecoming football game on October 26 against the Dutchtown Griffins. Graduates met on October 25 for rehearsal, dinner and a cocktail reception. The following evening, graduates enjoyed visiting the alumni tailgate party then performing during the first half as well as at halftime of the football game.
Members of the 2018-2019 Catholic High School cheerleading squad led alum cheerleaders through a practice session held the evening prior to the homecoming football game.
25 | S J A C O N N E C T I O N S Winter 2019
1950s AND 19 60s C HRISTMAS LUNCHEON REUNIONS
The SJA Mission Advancement Office hosted two Christmas luncheons in December. On December 18, graduates from the 1960s came to campus, followed on December 19 by graduates from the 1950s. Both groups enjoyed lunch by SJA’s onsite caterer, SAGE Dining Services, and catching up with their classmates. More than 120 graduates from the two decades enjoyed the celebrations.
Members of the class of 1959 enjoyed visiting at the 1950s decade reunion. They are (seated) Verna Thompson Swinney ’59, Harriet Jacob Coco ’59, Joyce DeArmond McIntire ’59, (standing) Pat Duncan Boudreaux ’59 and Sister Adelaide Williamson ’59.
Members of the class of 1967 reconnected during the 1960s decade reunion in December. They are (seated) Rachel Roubique ’67, Mary Dardenne Michel ’67, Lynn Lacy Perez Frederick ’67, Mary Sue Jordan Jackson ’67, (standing) Karen Isaminger Cross ’67, Vickie Viger ’67, Kaye Kleinpeter Brignac ’67, Beth Terito Cannon ’67, Lillian Dunlap ’67, Kathryn Raymond Broussard ’67, Judy Kleinpeter Caponegro ’57, Rebecca Bello DeJohn ’67, Brenda Manda Bordelon ’67 and Sharon Ourso Kleinpeter ’67. 26 | S J A C O N N E C T I O N S Alums Today
Graduates from 1957 enjoyed the 1950s reunion in December. They are (standing) Sister Dianne Fanguy ’57, Jo Ann Blouin O’Neal ’57, Elise Gauthier Fryou ’57, Faye Dugas Guidry ’57, Regina Barcelona Gautreaux ’57, Judy Langridge Donaldson ’57, (seated) Suzanne Danna-Harlan ’57 and Janelle Colligan Hanna ’57.
Posing for a picture following the 1960s reunion were (seated) Pat Viccinelli Brunett ’66, Dyra Culotta Hughes ’66, Charlotte Bileci Mahfouz ’66, Becky Bourgeois Bulger ’66, (standing) Gail Gaiennie ’66, Kathy Plaisance Balhoff ’66, Jan Capdevielle Gravolet ’63, Suzette D’Amico ’66, Sallie D’Amico Segura ’63, Kay Miceli Ewing ’66, Mary Bennett Lindsey ’66, Cheryl Talbot Macaluso ’66 and Nancy Sutton Eskew ’66.
Both groups were welcomed by Alumnae Director Katie Jeter Valenciano ’04. President Jan Rhorer Breen ’69 led the graduates in prayer. Board of Directors Chair Suzie Toups Adler ’85, who is heading up SJA’s yearlong celebration of its 150th anniversary, shared some of the events that have happened this year and invited the alumnae to the year-end black tie gala on April 27.
Gathering on campus for the 1950s decade reunion were Mary Lee Guillot ’53, Sister Evelyn Mee ’53, Sister Sandra Blanchard ’54, Sister Adele Lambert ’54, Claire Wilson Bahlinger ’53 and Jean Blossman Wathan ’54.
Friends and classmates from the 1960s visited during the reunion luncheon at SJA. They are (seated) Diane Knobloch Silarais ’62, Sandra Casemore Brown ’62, Linda Richardson Loftin ’62, George May Jeansonne ’62, Cherry Foret Riggs ’62, (standing) Judy Hamilton Yuslum ’62, Jacqueline Greer Bourgeois ’60 and Joyce Greer Perez ’62.
SIX-MONTH REUNION
Members of the class of 2018 gathered on campus on December 21 for the traditional Six-Month Reunion. This event, hosted each year by the SJA Alumnae Office, was held in the Dining Hall. The graduates enjoyed pizza as they visited with one another and members of the faculty, staff and administration. They picked up their 2018 yearbooks and posed for a group picture. SJA hosts a six-month reunion each December, when the alumnae are enjoying their Christmas breaks from college. The popular tradition allows former students to return to campus and encourages them to become active members of the SJA Alumnae Association.
Math teacher Jamal Tajdaran is all smiles visiting with former students Kennedy Benjamin, Anna Peever, Clare Barfield, Allie Peever and Alexandra Hinkle.
Reconnecting with classmates at their SixMonth Reunion were Jade Woods, Juliet Alise, Annaclaire Acosta and Mia Goodson.
Posing with their yearbooks are recent graduates Aidan Asmus, Grace Brierre, Isabel Oatley, Caroline Cotten and Hannah Grace Babin.
27 | S J A C O N N E C T I O N S Winter 2019
FUND
Every day, we cross the threshold of countless doors: doors to our homes; doors to shops; doors to offices. Behind each door is a new adventure, a new path to pursue. For 150 years, St. Joseph’s Academy has been preparing young women to open doors as responsible and unifying members of the world community. Your support of the SJA Annual Fund is key to helping our students open doors filled with opportunities that stretch their minds and imaginations so they may develop confidence and new abilities.
Thank you for continuing to support our work, which is driven by the spirit and charism of the Sisters of St. Joseph. Please consider a gift that will send a message of support to families and young women who choose St. Joseph’s Academy for an education that truly provides a lifetime of advantages and prepares our young women for a world full of possibility. Together we can ensure that the tradition of a St. Joseph’s Academy education remains strong and continues well beyond 150 years.
PARENTS
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ae $
PARTICIPATION IS KEY TO THE SUCCESS OF THE 2018-2019 ANNUAL FUND.
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To uphold the mission of St. Joseph’s Academy, we rely on the generosity of our donors. Alumnae, parents and friends, like you, can impact the lives of students with a gift to the SJA Annual Fund. Each gift helps enrich our programs, including academics, arts, technology, athletics, campus ministry and facilities. Your gift makes an immediate difference in the day-to-day lives of our students.
10
7.8%
annual SJA
As of December 2018, the 2018-2019 SJA Annual Fund has reached 70 percent of its goal. Our goal is $562,000. Currently, the total is almost $400,000. Donations to the Annual Fund may be made online, by phone or by check. If you have questions, please contact Mission Advancement Director Meg Gerald at (225) 388-2254 or geraldm@sjabr.org.
ALUMNAE
Make your donation today by visiting our website at www.sjabr.org/giving or sending a check to the SJA Foundation, 3015 Broussard Street, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70808. You can also text SJA1868 to 41444. For more information, please contact Meg Gerald at (225) 388-2254 or geraldm@sjabr.org. Thank you for your support.
28 | S J A C O N N E C T I O N S Annual Fund
Planned Giving WILL YOU LEAVE A LEGACY? As a supporter of St. Joseph’s Academy, you demonstrate that you care about our mission. But what happens to your support when you pass on? If you remember St. Joseph’s Academy in your will or revocable trust, you leave a legacy that helps us continue to do the work that you value far into the future. WHY SHOULD YOU INCLUDE A CHARITABLE GIFT IN YOUR WILL (OR LIVING TRUST)? 1. It’s simple to do. It can be as easy as including language stating, “I give $20,000 to St. Joseph’s Academy.” 2. You can change your mind. We won’t receive the gift until after your death. During your lifetime, you can amend anything you choose, i.e., beneficiaries, amounts, etc. 3. It could be beneficial tax wise. Gifts to qualified charitable organizations reduce the value of your estate for estate tax purposes. 4. It’s an easy way to support St. Joseph’s Academy, and we’d be grateful for your gift. Bequests of every size build our future financial strength.
• •
Set up a named scholarship. For example, the Barb McMahon Art Scholarship. Memorialize or honor a loved one: “This gift is made in memory of my loving mother, a woman whose life was guided by the SJA mission.”
We can provide the correct legal name for St. Joseph’s Academy as well as suggested wording for the various bequest types and methods mentioned above. This information can assist your attorney in finalizing your will. If a gift through your will (or living trust) is of interest to you, please feel free to contact Sister Joan Laplace in the Mission Advancement office at laplacej@sjabr.org or (225) 388-2220. This article is intended to provide general gift-planning information. Our organization is not qualified to provide specific legal, tax or investment advice, and this article should not be looked to or relied upon as a source for such advice. Consult with your own legal and financial advisors before making any gift. LEAVING A LEGACY AT ST. JOSEPH’S ACADEMY I am/We are pleased to inform you that I/we (check all that apply):
HOW YOU INCLUDE A GIFT IN YOUR WILL OR REVOCABLE TRUST DEPENDS ON WHAT YOU WANT TO ACCOMPLISH AND TO WHAT YOU WANT TO GIVE.
o Have already included SJA in my/our estate plans. o Am/are considering a planned gift to St. Joseph’s Academy. o Would like a personal call or visit to discuss a planned gift. o Would like to receive information about how to include St. Joseph’s Academy in a will.
HERE ARE SOME OPTIONS:
CONTACT INFORMATION:
1. Give a percentage of the residue of your estate, or the amount left after taxes and expenses are satisfied and specific bequests have been paid. For example, “I give 25 percent of the rest, residue and remainder of my estate to St. Joseph’s Academy.” 2. Give a specific dollar amount or item of property. For example, “I give St. Joseph’s Academy $25,000.” Or, “I give St. Joseph’s Academy 100 shares of IBM stock.” 3. Make your bequest contingent. For example, “I give St. Joseph’s Academy $25,000 if my niece and nephew predecease me.” Besides choosing how your bequest will come to us, you also have a say in how it will be used and acknowledged: • •
Make the gift unrestricted. It will go into our Endowment Fund to build up that permanent funding source for St. Joseph’s Academy. Make the gift restricted; i.e., to support a specific area such as tuition assistance or arts education.
Name(s):
Address: City: State: Zip:
Phone: Email:
29 | S J A C O N N E C T I O N S Winter 2019
S t. J oseph’s Aca dem y St u de nt s Honored f or Phila nt h rop y St. Joseph’s Academy is the recipient of the Outstanding Youth in Philanthropy Award from the Greater Baton Rouge Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. SJA was among the organizations and individuals honored at the National Philanthropy Day awards luncheon on November 6 at the Renaissance Baton Rouge. SJA President Jan Rhorer Breen and Student Body President Anna Reese Couhig accepted the award on the school’s behalf. Nominated by Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center, the Academy was recognized for its culture of service, particularly its annual Geaux Pink volleyball matches to raise funds to support breast cancer awareness and the local fight against the disease. In addition to the on-court competition, Geaux Pink efforts include a week of student games, raffles, bake sales and pink t-shirt sales. Since 2009, SJA has raised more than $75,000 to support Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center. “When it comes to giving back, one school stands above its peers,” according to the letter of nomination submitted by Mary Bird Perkins. “Since its founding 150 years ago, service has always been a key component of St. Joseph’s Academy’s culture and curriculum. However, students strive to go above and beyond the written requirements to make a difference through volunteering and philanthropic support.” SJA was also honored for its support of the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank. Over the years, the Academy has incorporated food drives into numerous school activities. Students also volunteer their time at the Food Bank. In the past three years, the school has collectively donated more than 700 hours in service, sorting and packing items in the warehouse. Individual students also volunteer countless hours of time. Additionally, Academy students donate food to help feed the hungry. Over the past three years, more than 76,000 pounds of food have been donated, providing the equivalent of 63,600 meals.
30 | S J A C O N N E C T I O N S On Campus
On Campus
In the Food Bank’s letter of support for SJA’s nomination, Senior Vice President of Development and Philanthropy Charlene Guarisco Montelaro said the Academy’s young women have been strong supporters for years. “St. Joseph’s Academy students truly live the values of love, justice and service to their fellow neighbor by donating their time and resources to the food insecure so that no one goes hungry,” she said. “They are the embodiment of the true meaning of philanthropy.” Countless other organizations benefit from the philanthropic efforts of St. Joseph’s Academy. Each summer, students participate in mission trips to serve others at home, across the nation and abroad. Each spring, SJA partners with Catholic and Episcopal high schools to build a house as part of the annual Habitat for Humanity Albemarle Youth Build. The three schools have worked with Habitat for Humanity’s Youth Build since 2001. Throughout the school year, SJA continues its mission to help fight hunger in Baton Rouge by providing brown bag lunches – or Sticker Sacks – to St. Vincent de Paul every Tuesday. Since the fall of 2013, members of the SJA community have made between 200 and 250 sacks each week. During the Christmas season, students, faculty and staff help brighten the holidays for less fortunate members of the local community. Dozens of families are adopted each year through the Catholic Charities’ Community Comes Together for Christmas program. Other groups that benefit from the generosity of the SJA community are Myriam’s House, Bishop Ott Shelter, St. Vincent de Paul Sweet Dreams, Boys Hope Girls Hope, Grandparents Raising Grandchildren and elderly citizens in need. This fall, SJA came together to support a very special cause, the St. Jude Walk/Run to End Childhood Cancer. The 271-member Team SJA, one of the largest groups in this year’s event, raised $13,159 to benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Team efforts were dedicated to former and current students who have been treated at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, including sophomores Kennan Mashon and Katherine Scully.
Representing St. Joseph’s Academy at the recent National Philanthropy Day awards luncheon were, from left (standing), volleyball coach Sivi Miller, Athletic Director Dorinda Beaumont, seniors Peyton Smith, Kate Michel and Student Body President Anna Reese Couhig, SJA President Jan Breen and (front row) seniors Julia Welsh and Hannah Mistric. Not pictured but in 30 | Swere J A senior CONN E C T I OSpears N S Fall attendance Derquisia and2018 Mission Advancement Director Meg Gerald.
F AL L SPO R TS T E A M S E XCE L I N 2 018 St. Joseph’s Academy’s fall sports teams added to the school’s trophy case at the conclusion of their respective 2018 seasons. The swim team captured its eighth consecutive Division I-Class 5A state championship, scoring 349 points to finish ahead of Mandeville (237), Mount Carmel (235), Dominican (202) and Northshore (165). There were 22 teams in the LHSAA state swim meet held November 16 and 17 at the SPAR Aquatic Center in Sulphur. Senior Kirby Black was the only individual champion for the team, winning the 100 backstroke in a personal-best time of 58.57. SJA also captured the 200 freestyle relay and finished second in the 400 freestyle relay. Head coach Becca Gilbert said her swimmers’ performance in defense of their state title ranked among the best ever. “The girls were determined, focused and had great spirit,” she said. “On Friday, after prelims, we had a team-bonding field day that ended with an intense board game and dinner together. On Saturday morning, you could feel the excitement, and everyone was ready to go Loco for Ocho. These girls have worked hard all year, and their swims this weekend proved it. I am so happy for all of our Angels on a welldeserved state victory.” The cross country team is the Class 5A state champions for the third year in a row and for the fourth time in five years. The Redstickers placed all five scorers in the top 10 to post a schoolrecord 23 points in the 2018 Allstate Sugar Bowl/LHSAA state cross country meet. The runners battled cold temperatures and a muddy course to finish well ahead of runnerup and perennial rival Mandeville with 80 points.
Fontainebleau finished third with 114 points. There were 24 complete teams and 159 finishers in the November 13 meet at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches. Junior Isabelle Brown won the individual state championship in a time of 21:22.0. All seven of SJA’s runners finished in the top 20. Order of finish and times are as follows: senior Lauren Hendry, 3rd place, 21:50.5; sophomore Sophie Martin, 4th place, 22:10.0; sophomore Anna Camille Eagleton, 6th place, 22:58.9; junior Virginia Dirks, 9th place, 23:07.6; sophomore Lydia Poche, 16th place, 23:55.7; and freshman Maddie Gardiner, 20th place, 24:05.5. “What a day,” coach Mark LaHaye said. “It was miserably cold, incredibly muddy and crazy challenging. Yet, our girls overcame all of it. It may have been our slowest race ever timewise, but it was definitely our gutsiest and most complete race ever. Our girls dominated this race from start to finish, which showed in our low score of 23 points and placing our top five runners in the top 10. Both are new school records.” The St. Joseph’s Academy volleyball team advanced to the semifinal round of the Allstate Sugar Bowl/LHSAA state volleyball tournament. The #4 Redstickers fell to top-ranked and eventual state champion Mount Carmel Academy 1925, 12-25, 10-25 on November 9 in the Pontchartrain Center in Kenner.
The swim team continued its domination of Division I, winning its eighth straight state championship.
The cross country team brought home its third state championship in three years, placing all five scorers in the top 10.
The Redstickers ended the season with a 26-15 record. Head coach Sivi Miller said she was proud of her team. Losing to MCA in the semifinals was a disappointing way to end the season, but the Redstickers had a good year, she said. “We had great leadership that helped form us into a true family,” she said. “We pushed each other in practice and throughout the season to become a better team. Each person did her job, and the team believed in and trusted each other on and off the court. Throughout the season, we had multiple injuries to deal with, but day to day, the team pushed through and kept our expectations high.”
The volleyball team celebrates a point against Mandeville High in the quarterfinal round of the state tournament. The Redstickers were down two sets before rallying 26-24, 25-9 and 15-10 for the victory.
31 | S J A C O N N E C T I O N S Winter 2019
SJA Ho st s S T E M C a m p f or S p e ci al K i ds St. Joseph’s Academy and Cancer Services of Greater Baton Rouge joined forces over the Christmas holiday to offer a special camp for children who have been diagnosed with cancer or impacted by the disease through a sibling’s diagnosis. Eight campers between the ages of 12 and 14 spent January 3 and 4 in the Andrea Clesi McMakin ’74 STEM Lab, working with SJA technology team members and students to design and create clocks; learn about 3D printing, digital drafting, laser cutting and assembly; and play with the STEM Lab’s new dye sublimation printer. Each camper contributed to the design and printing of a T-shirt. Claire Luikart, SJA class of 2006, is the director of the Andrea Clesi McMakin ’74 STEM Lab. She said the camp was a wonderful opportunity for youngsters in difficult situations to work with fun technology tools. “Since much of what we worked on was computer based, part of what we aimed to achieve was helping individuals who are often confined to hospital rooms find an additional outlet for their creativity and energy,” she said. Whitney Craig, director of Cancer Services and a 2005 SJA graduate, said the STEM Camp opened up a world of possibilities for the young participants. “In many ways, cancer takes things away,” she said. “At camp, we had a unique opportunity to help young people impacted by cancer focus on something besides their illness and add to the innovative side of life. This camp provided an opportunity to explore and create in ways never imagined. The campers learned the software incredibly fast, which allowed the
staff to empower them to create more and more. It provided a unique chance to imagine something, build it online and print it the same day. “We are so appreciative of St. Joseph’s Academy’s willingness to partner with us on this camp,” Whitney added. “It would not have been possible without their expertise, knowledge and technology.” SJA senior Hannah Grace Vautrot was among the students who volunteered to help with the camp. Her reason for spending two days of her Christmas holiday at school was personal. “Several of my family members have been affected by cancer, so when Ms. Claire asked me to help her with a camp for Cancer Services, I said yes right away,” she said. “Cancer takes so much from people and their families, and I loved using my talents in the STEM Lab to give back to them. The kids were so eager to learn and tore through everything we taught them. One of my favorite parts of the camp was their reactions when we started cutting their projects and finally pulled them out of the laser cutter. I loved the looks on their faces when they were actually holding something that had only been their design on a computer screen just minutes before. I often forget how amazing the STEM Lab is, but fresh sets of eyes reminded me how lucky I am to go to SJA.” Claire said she hopes to collaborate with Cancer Services to host additional camps in the future. “I can’t wait to see what the next group cooks up,” she said.
Youngsters who have been diagnosed with cancer or impacted by the disease through a sibling’s diagnosis enjoyed the inaugural STEM Camp in early January. 32 | S J A C O N N E C T I O N S On Campus
Tribute Donations The following tribute donations were made between October 1 and December 31, 2018. All names of those memorialized will be remembered at the All Saints Day mass at SJA on November 1, 2019. Please remember those being honored, as well as those who honored them, in your prayers. In Honor of Mrs. Yvette Barbier Aillet ’09 Ms. Anna Claire Rabalais In Honor of Mrs. Mary Kay Alford Ms. Makenzie Morgan In Honor of Mr. Hugo Andricain Ms. Summer Bowen Ms. Grace Lachney In Honor of Mrs. Stacia Andricain Ms. Elise Saloom In Honor of Mrs. Katie Harold Andrishok ’87 Ms. Anna Katherine Andrishok In Honor of Mrs. Erika Angarita Ms. Elise Marchand In Honor of Ms. Katherine Grace Ashy ’19 Mr. and Mrs. L.J. Hymel In Memory of Josephine Bahlinger, class of 1877 Mr. and Mrs. Johnny Brocato In Honor of Mrs. Amanda Lea Balhoff ’88 Mr. Rick H. Lea In Memory of Catherine Balhoff Mr. and Mrs. Donald E. Balhoff In Memory of Mrs. Drusilla Balkom Mr. and Mrs. Eric Balkom Mrs. Dorothy McCaughey In Honor of Dr. Frances Barbera Ms. Julia Akin Ms. Elizabeth Pennington In Honor of Mr. Stephen Barrios Ms. Anna Bowden In Honor of Mrs. Victoria Taravella Bernhard ’12 Dr. and Mrs. Ron V. Taravella
In Honor of Ms. Anna Grace Borne ’19 Mr. and Mrs. Vincent J. St. Blanc III
In Memory of Ms. Allison Clement ’81 Mr. and Mrs. John A. Clement
In Honor of Mrs. Jeanne Boudreaux Ms. Claire Edwards
In Honor of Mrs. Katie Comeaux Ms. Lily Abadie Ms. Kate Callicott
In Honor of Ms. Madison McCall Boudreaux ’19 Mr. and Mrs. Robert Leslie
In Honor of Ms. Kristi Condon ’12 Mr. and Mrs. Richard Condon III
In Honor of Sister Carolyn Brady, CSJ ’48 Mrs. Lillie Thibaut
In Memory of Mr. Timothy Conley Jane Conley
In Memory of Ms. Juliette Breaux ’41 Mr. and Mrs. Marion Bahlinger
In Memory of Dr. Michael J. Coogan Mrs. Debbie Coogan
In Memory of Mr. Norman J. Breland Ms. Cecilia Cashio and Family Ms. Lilly Chastain and Family Ms. Aldyn Gremillion and Family Ms. Lucy Maxwell and Family Ms. Brooke Stein and Family Ms. Zoey Zeringue and Family
In Honor of Caroline Annesley Creech ’20 Mr. and Mrs. Jason Creech
In Memory of Sister Kathleen Brogdon, CSJ ’42 Sister Frances Landry, CSJ In Memory of Mrs. Joy Fleniken Brown ’43 Monday Morning Book Club Mrs. Pat Fleniken Reed and Family
In Honor of Ms. Marie Claire Dalmau ’19 Mr. and Mrs. Tino Dalmau In Honor of Ms. Madison Elisabeth Danos ’21 Mr. and Mrs. Monte J. Danos In Honor of Mrs. Kristine Davis Ms. Ella Barhorst Ms. Taylor Silvey Ms. Delaney Thompson
In Honor of Mrs. Mackenzie Brown Ms. Anne Marie Gahagan
In Memory of Deceased SJA Classmates, Class of 1953 Mr. and Mrs. Harold I. Bahlinger
In Honor of Mr. Brad Buras Ms. Mae Moore
In Honor of Mrs. Michelle DePierri Ms. Danielle DePierri
In Memory of Mr. John J. Capdevielle II Mrs. Ann Bernard
In Honor of Ms. Kathryn G. DeVillier ’19 Mr. and Mrs. Richard LeDoux
In Honor of Ms. Olivia Catherine Carroll ’19 Mr. and Mrs. Charles Medlen
In Honor of Ms. Caroline Catharine Dolese ’19 Mrs. Martha Dolese
In Honor of Ms. Julie Casemore ’86 Mr. James Cassels
In Honor of Mrs. Karen Douet-Wannamaker Ms. Alexis Barbay
In Honor of The Catholic High School Band Ms. Madeline Ballew In Honor of Ms. Madison Cheatham Melissa Heck Brown
In Memory of Mrs. Rosa Mansur Dunn ’71 The David and Erline Carville Family In Memory of Mrs. Martha Dupuy Mr. and Mrs. Daniel G. Farris 33 | S J A C O N N E C T I O N S Winter 2019
In Honor of Mrs. Catherine Durnin Ms. Claire Branch Ms. Addison Bruce Ms. Sydney Clebert Ms. Anne Marie Gahagan Ms. Parker Wilson In Honor of Mrs. Mary Beth Elfert Ms. Gracie Poe In Memory of Mr. Dominic Engolio Mr. and Mrs. Stephen L. Pastorek In Honor of Ms. Savannah Sue Esteve ’16 Mr. and Mrs. Darren Esteve In Honor of Ms. Eleanor Catherine Fahey ’19 Mrs. Myra Broussard In Honor of Dr. Dana Fakouri Ms. Juliet Fontenot In Memory of Mrs. Anita Fenner Mr. Paul Bologna and Dr. Bunnie Hill Re and David DiVincenti In Honor of Ms. Alexandra Leigh Fields ’19 Mrs. Millie Harris In Honor of Ms. Elizabeth Fontenot Ms. Morgen Nunnery In Honor of Mrs. Nicole Landaiche Fontenot ’94 Ms. Mallory Fontenot In Honor of Mr. André Fremaux Ms. Camille Fremaux In Honor of Ms. Camille Lauve Fremaux ’19 The Honorable and Mrs. Lewis Lauve Sr.
In Honor of Ms. Kaitlyn Ann Gaudet ’19 Mr. and Mrs. Henry Grass Jr.
In Honor of Ms. Gracie Jane Hufft ’19 Mr. and Mrs. Henry D. Locklar
In Honor of Mrs. Tina Ryan Gaudet ’85 Mr. Drew Gaudet
In Honor of Mrs. Dyra Culotta Hughes ’66 Mrs. Anglyn Hughes Brown
In Honor of Mrs. Niki Banta Gautreaux Ms. Juliette Gautreaux In Honor of Mrs. Meg Gerald Ms. Kelsi Landry
In Honor of Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Ieyoub Ms. Maddie Ieyoub
In Honor of Julia and Gustavo Gonzalez Ms. Hannah Gonzalez
In Honor of Ms. Maddie Elizabeth Ieyoub ’19 Mr. and Mrs. Kent J. Bordelon
In Honor of Ms. Grace Marie Granger ’21 Mr. and Mrs. Louis J. Granger Jr.
In Honor of Mrs. Lori Lea Johnson ’85 Mr. Rick H. Lea
In Memory of Mr. Lawrence Granier Mr. Larry Granier
In Honor of Ms. Danielle Brianne Jones ’19 Mr. and Mrs. James Robert Sr.
In Honor of Mrs. Alice Dugas Greer ’66 Mr. and Mrs. Stan Montelaro In Memory of Sister Mildred Guillot, CSJ ’43 Mrs. Emma Lane Gilmore In Memory of Mrs. Deborah Plaisance Gwin ’68 Dr. Samuel Levatino In Honor of Ms. Alexis Aline Harvey ’22 Mr. and Mrs. George Walker Jr. In Memory of Mr. and Mrs. Norman Heffron The Family of Margaret Heffron In Memory of Mrs. Amy Cutrer Heroman ’46 Mr. and Mrs. Craig Broussard
In Memory of Mrs. Betty Kleinpeter Kershaw ’48 Mr. and Mrs. Robert M. Brouillette Mrs. Lane Chenevert Mr. and Mrs. Brandon M. Kershaw Mrs. Marion Kleinpeter Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Leglue Pat Kleinpeter Odom Mr. and Mrs. John E. Sharkey Mrs. Gail Stickley Mrs. Moira Walz In Honor of Dr. Angelle Levatino Klar ’91 Dr. Samuel Levatino In Memory of Mrs. Eleanor Dixon Kleinpeter ’54 Mrs. Lane Chenevert Mr. and Mrs. Terry Gaudet In Memory of Mrs. Jacqueline Billeaudeau Labat ’64 Mrs. Ann Bernard Ms. Robin Mayhall Dr. and Mrs. Douglas Say
In Memory of Mrs. Mary Fruehan Mr. and Mrs. Marion Bahlinger
In Memory of Mr. Gary C. Hidalgo Ms. Cecilia Cashio and Family Ms. Lilly Chastain and Family Ms. Aldyn Gremillion and Family Ms. Lucy Maxwell and Family Ms. Brooke Stein and Family Ms. Zoey Zeringue and Family
In Honor of Ms. Victoria Funes ’20 Mr. and Mrs. John W. Jewell
In Honor of Ms. Raquel Hodgeson ’18 Mr. Rick H. Lea
In Honor of Mr. Mark LaHaye Ms. Lauren Hendry
In Honor of Mrs. Lauren Garrett Ms. Julianna Hill
In Memory of Ms. Allison Honeycutt ’12 Mr. and Mrs. Travis Chaney Dr. R. Clay and Heidi Gould Mr. and Mrs. D. Blayne Honeycutt Mrs. Errol McRae
In Memory of Ms. Alice S. Lamar Mr. and Mrs. Mark Morgan
In Memory of Mr. David Fremin Mr. and Mrs. Timothy F. Virgets
In Honor of Ms. Jamie Gaudet ’13 Mr. and Mrs. Henry Grass Jr.
34 | S J A C O N N E C T I O N S Tribute Donations
In Memory of Ms. Mary C. LaCour Peachie and Phil Ragusa
In Honor of Ms. Emma Grace Lambert ’21 Mr. and Mrs. Lionel Lambert
In Honor of Ms. Avery C. Landess Mr. James Osborn
In Honor of Ms. Claire Luikart ’06 Ms. Anne-Marie Dizor
In Honor of Mrs. Emily Miller-Marks ’95 Dr. and Mrs. William J. Miller
In Honor of Mrs. Candace LaPlace Ms. Caroline Starns
In Honor of Mr. and Mrs. Barry M. Mancuso Ms. Skylar Mancuso
In Honor of Nicole and Eric Mistretta Ms. Maddie Mistretta
In Honor of Sister Joan Laplace, CSJ Mr. and Ms. Patrick Geary Helen Healy Sister Sharon McCauley, CSJ Mrs. Pat Fleniken Reed and Family Mr. and Mrs. Richard A. Sherburne Mrs. Lillie Thibaut Mrs. Pat Thompson Anne Becker Yeargain In Honor of Mrs. Vicki LaPlace Ms. Erin Johnson In Honor of Ms. Emma Kate Lauret ’22 Mrs. Charlene Aucoin In Honor of Ms. Natalie Lazaroe ’19 Mr. and Mrs. Timothy M. Lazaroe In Honor of Ms. Ashley Martin Lea ’98 Mr. Rick H. Lea In Honor of Ms. Lyndra Lea ’79 Mr. Rick H. Lea In Honor of Richard and Anna Lea Mr. Rick H. Lea In Memory of Mrs. Aurelie Holliday LeBlanc ’58 The Honorable Linda L. Holliday
In Honor of Ms. Nicole Marie Mann ’20 Ms. Brooke Bell Mrs. Patricia Soto In Memory of Mrs. Georgia Faye Phillips Marcello ’47 Mrs. Tara Nolan Messenger In Honor of Ms. Elise Marie Marchand ’19 Mrs. Linda Marchand In Honor of Mrs. Stephanie Lanclos Mayeux ’95 Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Vogt In Memory of Marjorie Claire McAnelly ’95 Mr. and Mrs. Donald E. Balhoff In Honor of Mrs. Gerry Roddy McArthur ’46 Ms. Karen McArthur In Honor of Mrs. Mary Hebert McCowan ’61 Mr. Paul M. Hebert Jr. Mrs. Barbara Magruder In Honor of Mrs. Jade McCune Ms. Kelly Kimbrell
In Memory of Mrs. Corine LeClercq Anonymous Donor
In Honor of Mrs. Lena McGee Ms. Camille Taylor
In Honor of Mr. Alan LeCoq Ms. Catherine Cangelosi
In Honor of Mrs. Lily McGill Ms. Catherine Cangelosi Ms. Danielle Jones
In Honor of Ms. Anna Claire LeJeune ’19 Mr. and Mrs. Richard A. LeJeune In Honor of Ms. Lisa Levatino ’96 Dr. Samuel Levatino In Honor of Ms. Abby Elizabeth Lorio ’19 Mrs. Amber Lorio In Honor of Ms. Mary Catherine Lorio ’18 Dr. and Mrs. Keith Lorio In Honor of Ms. Michelle Margaret Lorio ’20 Dr. and Mrs. Keith Lorio
In Memory of Mr. Mickey J. Montalbano Re and David DiVincenti In Honor of Ms. Braeden Nicole Moore ’19 Mr. and Mrs. Donnie Moore In Memory of Mrs. Vonnie Morrell Dr. and Mrs. John B. Cowan In Honor of Ms. Lauren Morris Ms. Anna Thibodeaux In Honor of Mr. and Mrs. Shane B. Morrison Ms. Grace Morrison In Honor of Ms. Dana Murray Ms. Natalie Lazaroe In Honor of Mrs. Angela Antie Musso ’88 Ms. Josie Musso In Honor of Mrs. Amy Neck Ms. Danielle Jones Ms. Nikki Manuel In Honor of Ms. Eloise Parker Nelson ’20 Mrs. Rebecca Nelson In Honor of Ms. Shelly O'Dowd Ms. Gabby Barreneche Ms. Catherine Couvillion In Honor of Ms. Madison Elizabeth Ogra ’19 Dr. and Mrs. Mohindar S. Ogra
In Honor of Mr. Cord McKeithen Ms. Savannah Schweitzer
In Honor of Mrs. Vita Levatino Pagnani ’93 Dr. Samuel Levatino
In Memory of Ms. Agnes McLindon Ms. Ann M. McLindon
In Memory of Mrs. Beverly Pancamo Mr. and Mrs. Charles E. Ethridge
In Honor of Ms. Sydney Marie Melder ’19 Mr. and Mrs. Grover Johnson
In Memory of Mr. and Mrs. William Pecue (Jeanette Bourgeois ’58) Mrs. Errol McRae Ms. Sara Shields
In Honor of Mr. Mark Messina Ms. Eden Landry In Honor of Ms. Anne-Marie Miller ’98 Dr. and Mrs. William J. Miller
In Honor of Ms. Mary Jane Pizzolato Ms. Jules Vigilotti
35 | S J A C O N N E C T I O N S Winter 2019
In Honor of Sister Chris Pologa, CSJ Ms. Morgan Holland Ms. Leanne Livingston Ms. Grace Sceroler Ms. Maddie Toler In Honor of Mrs. Cissy Donaldson Poret ’62 Ms. Lilly Powers In Honor of Ms. Sabrina Danielle Portwood ’07 Ms. Meredith M. Portwood In Memory of Mrs. Bonnie Carville Reames Reverend and Mrs. Ralph F. Howe Jr. In Honor of Ms. Frances Anne Rhodes ’22 Mr. and Mrs. Bennet Rhodes In Memory of Mrs. Jewell Richard Mr. and Mrs. Terry Gaudet In Honor of Mrs. Christy Messenger Richardson ’06 Mrs. Tara Nolan Messenger In Honor of Mrs. Alexis Stein Ringswald ’11 Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Stein In Honor of Mrs. Ellen Chagnard Robinson ’93 Ms. Emily Martin In Honor of Ms. Adeline Kempton Roemer ’19 Dr. Samuel Levatino In Honor of Mrs. Tena Levatino Roemer ’90 Dr. Samuel Levatino In Honor of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Ross Ms. Ashley Ross In Honor of Ms. Lillian Margaret Roussel ’22 Mr. and Mrs. Robert Schonberg In Honor of Ms. Lauren Michel Saunders ’19 Mr. and Mrs. Henri M. Saunders In Honor of Ms. Brenda Anna Schexnayder ’20 Ms. Brenda Gannuch 36 | S J A C O N N E C T I O N S Tribute Donations
In Honor of Ms. Priya Alonsa Singleton ’19 Mr. and Mrs. Roger Singleton In Memory of Mrs. Mandy Boswell Sledge ’93 Mr. and Mrs. Jason Creech In Honor of Mrs. Brianna Pettijohn Sommers ’06 Ms. Madi Boudreaux Ms. Maurie Morris Ms. Ashlynn Sorrells In Memory of Mrs. Josie Gauthier Songy ’45 Berkley Hill Homeowners Association Mrs. Yvonne Saul In Honor of Ms. Emily E Sonnier ’19 Mr. Bruce Swindle In Honor of Mrs. Rebecca Stagg Ms. Lauren Baronet In Honor of Ms. Kate Ashton Stanford ’19 Mrs. Ellen Rea In Memory of Mrs. Carolyn Borne Stewart ’55 Ms. Lauren Arceneaux In Honor of Mrs. Linsey Morgan Sutton ’96 Ms. Mary Morgan Sutton In Honor of Mr. Jamal Tajdaran Ms. Margaret Blouin Ms. Drue Gautreau Ms. Aliya Trapp Ms. Jane Whalen In Honor of Mr. and Mrs. Kevin M. Tate Ms. Trystan Tate In Memory of Mrs. Carol Ann Roppolo Thibodeaux ’60 Mr. and Mrs. David Bacque Mrs. Valerie Orillion Baker Hope, Gordon and Sara Beanlands and David and Joanne Shaw Mrs. Janice Scardina Blanchard Mr. and Mrs. Randy Bonnecaze Mr. and Mrs. Remi Bonnecaze Mr. and Mrs. James G. Boudreaux Mrs. Marie Bradford-McCleland and Mr. James McCleland Mr. and Mrs. B.A. Byland Mr. and Mrs. Vince Cannatella
Mr. and Mrs. Dennis Cernosek Mr. Michael Clegg Mr. and Mrs. Danny A. Daniel Sr. Mr. and Mrs. Danny Daniel Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Michael Davis Mr. and Mrs. Brad Edwards Ms. Joan Ervin Mr. and Mrs. Pat Giblin Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin F. Hillman Mr. and Mrs. Brent Lambert Mr. and Mrs. Mark Lamond Ms. Rosanna Marino Ms. Faye McGee Ms. Marilyn Overton Mr. and Mrs. Russell R. Politz Mr. and Mrs. Jimmie D. Powell Mr. and Mrs. Joseph F. Quinlan III Mr. and Mrs. Vincent Rachal Dr. and Mrs. Robert L. Rome Sindee Roppolo Mr. and Mrs. Craig Russell Dr. and Mrs. Douglas Say Mr. and Mrs. Michael Schouest Ms. Rachael Shockley Mr. and Mrs. Robert Simmons Ms. Diana Thibodeaux In Honor of Mrs. Ruth Thomas Mr. and Mrs. Stephen E. Hatcher In Honor of Ms. Madeline Emma Toler ’19 Mr. and Mrs. Ben Toler In Honor of Ms. Aliya Katherine Trapp ’19 Ms. Roxanna Carpenter In Honor of Mrs. Anita Trussell Ms. Katie Trussell In Honor of Ms. Margaret Holland Turner ’19 Mrs. Diane Daley In Honor of Ms. Ansley Dobbins Upton ’22 Mr. and Mrs. Brent C. Upton In Honor of Ms. Hannah Grace Vautrot ’19 Mr. Jerry Vautrot In Memory of Mrs. Laura Vautrot Mr. Jerry Vautrot In Memory of Mrs. Geraldine Levy Venincasa ’52 Laura Venincasa-Cox
In Honor of Ms. Claire Vermaelen ’98 Ms. Madeline Ballew In Honor of Mrs. Katherine Schluter Vignes ’07 Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Vignes In Honor of Ms. Isabel Cecile Webre ’19 Mr. and Mrs. Dennis Caballero In Honor of Mr. Emerson West Ms. Madelyn Fuselier In Memory of Mrs. Emma Melancon White ’45 The Family of Laura and Mark White In Honor of Ms. Parker Alaine Wilson ’19 Mr. and Mrs. Richard Wilson In Honor of Mrs. Kimberly Wisdom Ms. Grace Wisdom In Honor of Mrs. Jackie Zeller Ms. Lisa Taylor
Transitions
WEDDINGS ’95 Jamie Lynn Purpera to Travis Arceneaux 12/8/2018 ’01 Tonette Washington to Travis Honoré 5/26/2018 ’07 Claire Rebecca Fahey to Hugh Charles Seligman 4/7/2018 ’09 Natalie Catherine Baronich to Ethan Glenn Lewis 12/14/2018 ’10 Katherine Elizabeth Alch to Myles Roberts 6/22/2018 ’10 Abbey Simoneaux to Jack LaFreniere 11/10/2018 ’13 Morgan Leger to Dwayne Belello Jr. 9/21/2018 BIRTHS ’98 Kathryn Trick Mount: son, Tilden James, born 11/6/2018 ’99 Bridget Balhoff Leitner: son, Hudson Guidry, born 12/14/2018 ’00 Amanda Henry Pickle: daughter, Catherine Grace, born 12/19/2018 ’02 Sarah Lomax Gray: daughter, Campbell Keyes, born 12/17/2018 ’04 Rebecca Nobles Larriviere: daughter, Sophia Marie, born 10/30/2018 ’04: Katie McClendon Palm: daughter, Rebecca Marie, born 12/16/2018 ’05 Kaitlyn Guerin Espey: son, Elliot Michael, born 12/6/2018 ’05 Claire Carville Ross: son, Reid Edward, born 8/7/2018 ’08 Sarah Elisar McCann: son, Jack Robert, born 11/12/2018 ’10 Lauren Hurst Fontenot: son, Noah Grant, born 8/19/2018 IN MEMORIAM We make a sincere effort to publish any close alumnae family connections with the names of the deceased. With nearly 10,000 alumnae, please note that our database does not include all possible SJA relationships. We appreciate receiving this information from family whenever possible. Notices which appear in this issue were received by January 11, 2019. Sister Jane Aucoin CSJ ’44 Mary Elizabeth Anderson Barbay Mother of J’on Barbay Blumberg ’70 Grandmother of Leila Blumberg ’95
Ann Fryou Barrett ’65 Sister of Joy Fryou ’62 Mother of Emily Barrett ’98, Ann Barrett ’02 and Lydia Barrett Ackerman ’07 Belva D. Bartholomae Grandmother of Katherine Jeter Valenciano ’04 Claire Bergeron ’59 (alum by choice) Daughter of Archangel Vavasseur Marie Bergeron ’30 Sister of Carolyn Bergeron Sumrall ’54, Deanna Bergeron Monteleone ’55 and Janelle Bergeron Shell ’67 Seth Abraham Bombet Son of Andrea Miranda ’80 (dec.) Laury Joseph Bordelon Husband of Junie Baudin Bordelon ’51 (dec.) Father of Lauren Bordelon Lapointe ’77 Dorothy Ricca Bourgeois ’42 Sister of Jacquelyn Ricca ’53 (dec.) Grandmother of Leslie Bourgeois ’03 Marilyn Cassano Bourgeois ’52 Ronald Lewis Bovard Grandfather of Hope Alexis Bovard ’15 Elaine Hill Brandao Grandmother of Erin Marie Brandao ’99 Norman Joseph Breland Grandfather of Emma Elizabeth Hidalgo ’20 Mitchell Brown Son of Joni Hollowell Brown ’80 Elizabeth Sevario Butler ’45 Mother of Birchey Butler ’81 Laura Manno Campagna Sister of Mayme Manno ’39 (dec.) Great-grandmother of Blair Catherine Ginn ’14 Drew Michael Copponex Brother of Keri Copponex Mullen ’02 Eugene Luke Croxton Jr. Father of Carolyn Croxton Mashburn ’86 Angela Morris Dockum ’86 Granddaughter of Hazel Harelson Kleinpeter ’35 (dec.) Daughter of Carolyn Kleinpeter Morris ’61 Sister of Coleen Morris Van De Car ’88 37 | S J A C O N N E C T I O N S Winter 2019
Jean Philip Dugas Husband of Carolyn Samaha Dugas ’56 Grandfather of Blakeley Broussard Santos ’08 and Brooke Alysse Broussard ’11 Rosa Mansur Dunn ’71 Edna Walker Ellis Grandmother of Alle Elizabeth Duvall ’08 Tamara Ewing ’88 Granddaughter of Madeline Ortlieb Nesbit ’40 (dec.) Daughter of Julie M. Nesbit ’62 Sister of Dawn Ewing Mills ’84 Stella Maranto Fritcher ’38 Grandmother of Traci O’Banion Goldenbaum ’92, Nicole Combs Amon ’95 and Erica Combs White ’03 Margaret M. Grigsby Mother of Gina Grigsby Vicknair ’83 Grandmother of Blakeley Victoria Vicknair ’10 and Mikayla Victoria Vicknair ’15 Anna Guillaume Grandmother of Jeneé Guillaume Branigan ’01 and Jamie Guillaume Barker ’07 Sister Mildred Guillot, CSJ ’43 Sister of Norma Guillot Roark ’45 and Mary Lee Guillot ’53 Elizabeth Safford Hawkins ’73 Gary Charles Hidalgo Grandfather of Emma Elizabeth Hidalgo ’20 Betty Kleinpeter Kershaw ’48 Great-granddaughter of Mary Kleinpeter Elder, class of 1872 (dec.) Granddaughter of Carrie Elder Gibbens, class of 1892 (dec.) Daughter of Lillian Gibbens Kleinpeter, class of 1916 (dec.) Sister of Frances Wray, SJA Bay St. Louis ’37 (dec.), Mary Carrie Kleinpeter Broussard ’38 (dec.), Eleanor Kleinpeter Lawrence ’42 (dec.), Connie Kleinpeter Leglue ’51 Mother of Kathryn Kershaw Borek ’81 Grandmother of Rachael Borek ’12 Durbin Benjamin Kleinpeter Sr. Great-grandson of Mary Kleinpeter Elder, class of 1872 (dec.) Grandson of Carrie Elder Gibbens, class of 1892 (dec.) 38 | S J A C O N N E C T I O N S Transitions
Son of Lillian Gibbens Kleinpeter, class of 1916 (dec.) Brother of Frances Wray, SJA Bay St. Louis ’37 (dec.), Mary Carrie Kleinpeter Broussard ’38 (dec.), Eleanor Kleinpeter Lawrence ’42 (dec.), Betty Kleinpeter Kershaw ’48 and Connie Kleinpeter Leglue ’51 Father of Jan Kleinpeter Ponson ’70 and Mary Alice Kleinpeter Mallett ’71 Grandfather of Rebecca Luttrell ’91, Allysa Luttrell Wolf ’97 and Heather Kleinpeter Savoy, alum by choice John M. “Jack” Klopf Father of Susan Klopf Berthelot ’83 Samuel Joseph Lambert III Husband of Joyce Campagna Lambert ’64 Jeffrey Charles Landry Brother of Leigh Anne Landry ’87, Erin Landry Wright ’89 and Jill Landry Pieterse ’90 William J. “Bill” LeBlanc Father of Diane LeBlanc ’74 (dec.) and Paulette LeBlanc Monistere ’76 Raymond J. Lockett Father of Sonya Lockett ’82 and Tammy Lockett Benjamin ’88 Philip J. “P.J.” Marino Brother of Shirley Marino Dauzat ’55, alum by choice Father of Marilyn Marino ’73 and Phyllis Marino ’80 Grandfather of Katherine Stewart ’03 Michael Joseph “Mickey” Montalbano Brother of Mary Margaret Montalbano Bains ’59 Father of Vicki Montalbano Brewer ’72 and Toni Montalbano Strong ’75 Grandfather of Dana Brewer ’95, Kerrie Montalbano Richmond ’97, Kristen Brewer Sitter ’97 and Natalie Montalbano Virgets ’07 Philip Joseph Muscarello Jr. Son of Mamie Nicholas Muscarello ’53 Brother of Toni Muscarello Tucker (ABC) and Joni Muscarello Leggio ’79 Rosemary Dipuma Pourciau ’53 Sister of Anna Dipuma Welborn ’51 and Louise Dipuma Collins ’52 (dec.)
Charles Rodney Prejean Sr. Grandfather of Kayla Prejean Vincent ’08, Victoria Stein ’13 and Brooke Nicole Stein ’20 Jere Kenwood Price Sr. Father of Leigh Price McCarthy ’74 and Paula Price Cahill ’80 Grandfather of Jane Avery Price ’18 James William Robinson Father of Sandie Robinson ’71 (dec.) David J. Shiroda Brother of Kathleen Shiroda Needham ’82, Anne Shiroda Wadenpfuhl ’89 and Erin Shiroda Saurers ’93 Josie Gauthier Songy ’45 Sister of Emma Gauthier Verret ’43 (dec.) Mother of Judy Songy Landry ’68, Peppy Songy Root ’75 and Cynthia Songy Brown ’81 Grandmother of Melissa Root Martin ’00, Lauren Brown Sanders ’03 and Mary Katherine Brown ’07 Anthony J. Spedale Sr. Grandfather of Caroline Spedale Thomas ’05 and Allison Spedale Fox ’07 Edgar E. Spielman Jr. Father of Stephanie Spielman Cargile ’88 Grandfather of Caroline Kernan Cargile ’21 Lillie Marie Musso Territo Grandmother of Samantha Jean Territo ’14 and Madeline Elise Territo ’18 Carol Ann Roppolo Thibodeaux ’60 Mother of Michelle Thibodeaux Adams ’82 and Renee Thibodeaux Brian ’86 Grandmother of Victoria Brian Simmons ’11, Meredith Adams ’13, Danielle Rebecca Adams ’16 and Claire Elizabeth Adams ’22 Rometra Jackson Tullier Mother of Keetsie Tullier Gunnels ’73 Grandmother of Deneen Tullier Richard ’97 Douglas Courtney “Doug” Woolfolk Father of Kristy Woolfolk Guillory ’98
Grand Reunion WEEKEND C LASS OF 2009: 1 0-YE AR RE UNION Friday, July 19, 2019: SJA Friday Girls’ Night Out BLEND | 304 Laurel Street, Suite 1B, Baton Rouge, LA 70801 7-9 p.m. $31 per person includes drinks and heavy hors d’oeuvres Saturday, July 20, 2019: SJA/CHS Joint Event DRIFTWOOD CASK & BARREL | 326 North 3rd Street, Baton Rouge, LA 70802 7-10 p.m. $62 includes drinks, heavy hors d’oeuvres and music
C L A S S OF 1 9 7 9 : 4 0- YEA R R EU N I O N Friday, July 19, 2019: SJA Friday Girls’ Night Out OUR MOM'S RESTAURANT | 250 West Lee Drive, Baton Rouge, LA 70808 7-10 p.m. $15 per person + cash bar Saturday, July 20, 2019: SJA/CHS Joint Event Vigil Mass with Father Mark Beard, CHS ’79 SJA CHAPEL Reception to follow at LOD COOK ALUMNI CENTER | 3838 West Lakeshore Drive, Baton Rouge, LA 70808 7-11 p.m. $80/person includes food, wine and beer, music provided by the V-Tones Premium cash bar Dressy casual attire Hotel room block available at the Lod Cook Hotel
C LASS OF 1999: 20-YE AR RE UNION
C L A S S OF 1 9 6 9 : 5 0- YEA R R EU N I O N
Friday, July 19, 2019: SJA Friday Girls’ Night Out Location and time TBA
Friday, July 19, 2019 5:30 p.m. Mass
Saturday, July 20, 2019: SJA/CHS Joint Event
SJA CHAPEL Immediately following the mass, join us for a campus tour and cocktail reception.
THE VARSITY | 3353 Highland Road, Baton Rouge, LA 70802 8 p.m. – Midnight Details coming soon! C LASS OF 1994: 25 -YE A R RE UNIO N Friday, July 19, 2019: SJA Friday Girls’ Night Out Location and time TBA Saturday, July 20, 2019: SJA/CHS Joint Event Location and time TBA C LASS OF 1989: 30-YE A R RE UNION Friday, July 19, 2019: SJA Friday Girls’ Night Out BATON ROUGE CITY CLUB | 355 North Boulevard, Baton Rouge, LA 70801 Saturday, July 20, 2019: SJA/CHS Joint Event Location and time TBA
C L A S S OF 1 9 5 9 : 6 0- YEA R R EU N I O N L U NC H EON Thursday, July 18, 2019 11:30 a.m. SJA’S MOTHER ALICE HALL | 3080 Kleinert Avenue, Baton Rouge, LA 70806 Please contact Alumnae Director Katie Jeter Valenciano ’04 at valencianok@sjabr.org or (225) 388-2244 for more information. C L A S S ES OF 1 9 3 9 , 1 9 4 4 , 1 9 4 9 : 7 0 - , 75A N D 8 0- YEA R R EU N ION S L U NC H E O N Friday, July 19, 2019 11:30 a.m. SJA’S MOTHER ALICE HALL | 3080 Kleinert Avenue, Baton Rouge, LA 70806 Please contact Alumnae Director Katie Jeter Valenciano ’04 at valencianok@sjabr.org or (225) 388-2244 for more information.
39 | S J A C O N N E C T I O N S On Campus
39 | S J A C O N N E C T I O N S Winter 2019
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FOL L OW S J A ! Parents, if your daughter no longer lives at home, please send us her address. If you would like to continue to receive Connections, please call Katie Jeter Valenciano at (225) 388-2244 or email her at jeterk@sjabr.org.
1991 • 1996 • 2002 • 2016 WQ36