SPRING 2020
A PUBLICATION FOR ALUMNAE, PARENTS AND FRIENDS
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MONDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2020 TopGolf Baton Rouge Shotgun start at 2 p.m. Men’s and Women’s Teams Welcome All Skill Levels Welcome Join us! Sponsors needed! Contact Meg Gerald with questions geraldm@sjabr.org
Benefitting SJA Athletics and SJA Dads’ Club
IN THIS ISSUE 4
FROM THE PRESIDENT
5
SJA COMMUNITY
13
ALUMNAE NEWS
18
ALUMS TODAY
28
ANNUAL FUND
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PLANNED GIVING
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ON CAMPUS
32
TRIBUTE DONATIONS
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TRANSITIONS
On the Cover:
Graduates Allee Rogers, valedictorian Shreya Reshamwala and Madison Roy toss their caps after receiving their diplomas on May 17, 2020.
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.
Mindy Brodhead Averitt Jennifer Menville Fontaine Erin Barrilleaux Albarado Holly Sonnier Meg Gerald Katie Jeter Valenciano Cydney Morris Donna Blanc Wendy Coniglio
Communications Director Digital Marketing & Analytics Director Media Coordinator Graphic Designer Mission Advancement Director Mission Advancement Assistant DirectorAlumnae and Constituent Relations Mission Advancement Assistant Director-Events Mission Advancement Database Manager Mission Advancement Database Assistant
FROM THE PRESIDENT
LESSONS LEARNED IN
Moments of Transformation
you continue to walk with God every step of your journey. God will send you His love and guide each of you even through the moments we cannot explain.
Jan Rhorer Breen '69 Editor’s note: The following is Jan Rhorer Breen’s sending forth message to the members of SJA’s class of 2020 following their graduation ceremony on May 17.
Throughout life, there are moments that transform us. In these moments, we experience a change that will forever impact the way we live, our relationships with others and the way we see the world. Class of 2020, you have experienced a transformative event that has touched your lives, that has changed your lives. Look back on what you have learned, and take forward the miracles that are revealed to you. Trappist Monk Thomas Merton said, “You do not need to know precisely what is happening, or exactly where it is all going. What you need is to recognize the possibilities and challenges offered by the present moment and to embrace them with courage, faith and hope.” The challenges you have faced and the lessons you take away from these times have shaped your journey. As we reflect on these moments, always remember to trust in God. Your strength in your faith will help
4 | S J A C O N N E C T I O N S From the President
Always remember that what is most important is to live authentically and lovingly and to take time to understand more about yourself and your loved ones. Reach out to those in need – your family, your friends, your neighbors; they need your help now more than ever. Never give up hope, even when times are challenging, and try to be a beacon of hope for others. Learn to peel away the unnecessary and superfluous. What will remain is all that is important in life. Finally, remember every day what you are grateful for. Gratitude is the gateway to grace. With a grateful heart, you can recognize God in everything He has given you. Class of 2020, you are one of the strongest classes to ever graduate from SJA. Take that strength and make your future one filled with the faith of God, love, service, hope, sanctity, joy and action. You have been educated in the charism of the Sisters of St. Joseph. You are now women for others, and the world needs you. As Pope Francis said, “There is a spark of divine light in each of you. Listen and that light will lead your way.” The possibilities of the future await you. Your journey now begins.
We love you.
SJA COMMUNITY
SJA ISSUES STATEMENT ON SOCIAL INJUSTICE On Thursday, June 4, St. Joseph’s Academy issued the following statement regarding racial inequality, systemic racism and social injustice in our country today.
We at St. Joseph’s Academy are committed to open dialogue, community building and collaboration. We welcome and value your input.
Dear SJA Family,
The following day, we released this message from President Jan Breen and Principal Stacia Andricain.
As society continues to grapple with the fundamentally and deeply distressing issue of racism and the pain it creates, we know that as a country and a school, we can and must do better. At St. Joseph’s Academy, we commit to seeking ways to address social injustice and reaffirm our commitment to inclusion, love and compassion, “… that all may be one.” As a founding ministry of the Congregation of St. Joseph, St. Joseph’s Academy is dedicated to equality. The Congregation’s Social Justice Vision Statement states: “We believe that racism is a blatant sin against the dignity of human persons, each created in the image and likeness of God. Because racism flagrantly obstructs the unioning love that God wills for all, we have dedicated ourselves to work toward rooting out racism from our hearts, from our Congregation and from our world. This reconciling work of justice-making is our participation in the entire Congregation’s promise ‘to network with others across the world to bring about a shift in the global culture from institutionalized power and privilege to a culture of inclusivity and mutuality.’” How do we go about making this vision a reality? We will start by seeking your input as we create a plan to ensure that our school community is truly supportive and inclusive for all. While we recognize the limitations which currently impact our ability to physically gather, we also understand the pressing need to address these issues. We will be reaching out in the coming weeks for your feedback on specific action plans. Under consideration are guest speakers, panel discussions, networking groups to connect students and alumnae, anti-bias professional development for faculty and staff, parent/student/faculty committees to address concerns, and events that amplify black voices and history. If you have immediate thoughts on these ideas, please respond to this email (sja@sjabr.org).
Dear SJA Family, In the past 24 hours, we have heard from many of our alumnae, parents, students and friends. We are grateful for the passion and insight that you have provided. We are also grateful to those of you who have expressed your willingness to be involved as we create a plan to ensure that our school community is inclusive for all. If you’d like to be involved in the process, please respond to this email. We will begin the process this summer by forming an advisory group to gather the information and perspectives shared with us and help formulate our next steps. We are committed to moving forward and to embracing and engaging in the work ahead, “… that all may be one.” Now, with more than 120 alumnae, parents, students and friends volunteering to be part of our vital work moving forward, we are ready to take the next steps. We are in the process of selecting a facilitator for our advisory group and will begin the engagement process in late July or early August. We will work to carefully review the information we have been provided and determine the shape and scope of our plan to address these critical issues. How we will work together will be determined by the COVID-19-related restrictions in place. We may gather in small groups or meet via Zoom or Skype. We will know more in the coming weeks. Again, we are grateful to all who responded to our statements, sharing their experiences, perspectives and invaluable insight. We are committed to embracing open, honest dialogue as we listen, learn and, ultimately, act.
SJA COMMUNITY
LEARNING IN THE MIDST OF A PANDEMIC On Friday, March 13, 2020, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards announced that because of the growing threat of the novel coronavirus, schools statewide would close effective Monday, March 16. Principal Stacia Andricain gathered her administrative team and spent the weekend devising a Continuous Learning Plan, taking advantage of SJA’s long-standing use of technology in the classroom, to enable virtual teaching and learning from home. On Monday and Tuesday, March 16 and 17, the SJA faculty discusssed the details of the plan, worked as departments and received additional training in interactive teaching platforms and other technology tools, including Skype, screencasting, Moodle Choice and Google Classroom. The plan was communicated to students and parents, and on Wednesday, March 18, SJA began the foray into virtual education for its 1,102 students. It was expected that schools would reopen on April 14. A “subject block” approach was used to ensure a connection between the teacher and the learner. During a specified time, students focused on a particular subject, with teachers available to assist with the course work, including assessments. SJA’s Help Desk remained open for students to drop off a tablet computer with camera or microphone issues and pick up a loaner. Pastoral Care Minister Sister Chris Pologa was available to provide assistance on campus or through email. Students and parents were able to email their grade-level counselor with issues or concerns, and a representative of the Counseling Center was available via Skype during virtual office hours each day. The Learning Center continued to provide free-ofcharge assistance to any student needing extra help with math, science, English or writing. Tutoring sessions were arranged using Skype or Zoom meetings. The maintenance staff began a thorough cleaning of each building to ready campus for the anticipated resumption of school following spring break. 6 | S J A C O N N E C T I O N S SJA Community
In addition to the primary goal of a forwardmoving learning process, the administration placed a strong emphasis on creating a sense of normalcy for students. “We wanted to stick to daily routines as well as our Catholic traditions,” Mrs. Andricain said. “It was important that attendance be taken each morning and that we share morning prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance together. We even encouraged clubs to have virtual meetings and events. Traditions at SJA are so important, and we wanted to hold to those traditions as much as possible so that students would feel connected to their campus, their classmates, their teachers and the outside world. Social media and the internet played a huge role for us.” On April 1, students and parents were sent a survey asking for input on the successes and shortcomings of the Continuous Learning Plan, and nearly 1,200 responded. Over the course of spring break April 6-13, the administrative team reviewed survey results and made slight adjustments to the plan, should it continue to be necessary. It was. On April 15, Governor Edwards signed a proclamation ordering schools to remain closed for the rest of the spring semester. Students continued to learn remotely and, as the semester began to wind down, study for their fourthquarter assessments, which would take the place of cumulative final exams. Advanced Placement and Dual Enrollment tests were scheduled to take place during the month of May. While many end-of-the-year events were cancelled, the administration devised a plan to hold some events virtually. The Academy Awards program, which recognizes the outstanding achievements of students in their academic studies and dedication to hard work throughout the school year, was shared online. Science students competed in an online version of the Louisiana State Science and Engineering Fair.
Seniors prepared for the end of their high school careers with several time-honored traditions held virtually. Ten seniors participated in the May Crowning ceremony from their homes, and members of the class of 2020 presented their Senior Poem and Farewell Skit online. The class of 2020 received a beautiful and poignant message from Father Michael Alello, who they had chosen to preside over their Senior Mass, which was not celebrated. The seniors sent pictures of themselves with their college acceptance letters, wearing t-shirts or other apparel from their school of choice. These images were featured on SJA’s social media pages, as were detailed spotlights of each member of the class, featuring their portrait, biographical information and special memories from their time at SJA. The Academy celebrated the class of 2020 with the 54th annual Honors Convocation, pre-recorded by the leadership team on May 12 and shown on its originally scheduled date of May 15 on the school’s Facebook page and YouTube channel. Determined to host a graduation ceremony of some description, Mrs. Andricain and her team spent countless hours devising a way to safely bring the class to campus. “Many of the seniors would say they didn’t know on that Friday afternoon of March 13 that they would not return to their campus they so dearly love,” she said. “We knew that had to be our goal for graduation: to give them another moment on campus that would allow SJA to congratulate them on their accomplishments and for the seniors to say goodbye.” On May 17, the 262 members of the class of 2020 experienced a unique graduation ceremony. Observing social-distancing and crowd-size restrictions, the graduates came to campus with their parents/ stepparents in groups of 16 or 17 in 30-minute intervals to receive their diplomas. Following a tightly choreographed schedule, the first group families arrived at 9 a.m. Remaining in their vehicles, they were arranged in alphabetical order; received earned medals, cords, stoles and certificates; then moved to an on-campus parking lot with numbered parking spots. When directed by an SJA representative to exit their vehicles, families moved through a series of carefully spaced tents toward the back of St. Joseph Hall. There, each young woman, accompanied by her parents, was announced by longtime SJA faculty member Jill Abadie and received her diploma from Principal Stacia Andricain. Each graduate then received a red rose, courtesy of the SJA Alumnae Association, from President Jan Breen. Graduates then posed for a family picture and received a miniature bundt cake, courtesy of their little sisters from the class of 2023, and five copies of the keepsake graduation program.
Families returned to their vehicles to exit the parking lot, making room for the next group’s arrival. The last group of graduates received their diplomas at 5 p.m. A video of the commencement exercises was produced by Erin Albarado of the SJA Communications Department. It featured the conferring of diplomas, the salutatory address by Mary Catherine Daniels, the valedictory address by Shreya Reshamwala, the sending forth by Mrs. Breen and the singing of the alma mater by Annie Blanchard. The video was shared on several media platforms on Sunday, May 31. Senior Melanie Hasenkampf said she was grateful for the opportunity to graduate with her class. “Being able to stand by my parents to receive my diploma is a memory I will never forget,” she said. “SJA isn’t just a high school. It is a huge family. SJA gives you so many opportunities to shine bright and be you. The love from everyone is unforgettable. It’s like one big bear hug.” Freshmen, sophomores and juniors took their fourthquarter assessments the week of May 18, and on May 21, the school year came to a close. “We will forever remember the spring of 2020,” Mrs. Andricain said. “We do not know what is in store for the fall, but as a school community, we came together in a unique way and experienced a challenge we could never have imagined. We must continue to develop the lessons we learned, both the successes and the challenges, and move forward the way the Sisters of St. Joseph have modeled for us.” Social studies faculty member Sarah McCann said she most looks forward to having students in her classroom again. “I think this whole experience has made us all appreciate something we so often take for granted,” she said. “I miss seeing my students’ faces when something in the content clicks for them.” Spanish teacher Ghedy Matus said is excited to incorporate the technology tools discovered during distance learning into next year’s classroom experience. “I discovered Edpuzzle and Flipgrid, and soon I was rocking the screencasts and posting on Microsoft Stream,” she said. “I really enjoyed the new platforms and apps and look forward to using them to enrich my class at school. I also look forward to seeing last year’s students on campus. I need to tell them how proud I am that they were able to cope with such difficult times and go with the flow. I could try to hug them, but I think we might still be restricted in that respect.” Sophomore Heaven Morgan said the experience of virtual school in the midst of a pandemic helped shape her as a young woman. “It taught me that I can handle obstacles as they come, and I am much stronger than I thought,” she said. “SJA made this very doable for us.”
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ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME INDUCTS NEWEST MEMBERS The St. Joseph’s Academy Athletic Hall of Fame inducted its 2020 class during a special evening celebration on February 8 in the Academy Student Center. Stephanie Dellocono Osorno ’06 (tennis), Linda McCall McCann ’61 (basketball) and Kathy Saichuk (athletic director and coach of cross country, basketball and track and field) were honored. Athletic Director Dorinda Beaumont welcomed the crowd, and theology faculty member Sister Chris Pologa offered the blessing. Brenda LeBlanc, SJA health and physical education faculty member and 2017 Hall of Fame inductee, served as the evening’s mistress of ceremonies. The three inductees were introduced by tribute videos produced by SJA Media Coordinator Erin Barrilleaux Albarado ’07and Communications Director Mindy Brodhead Averitt. President Jan Breen ’69 and Principal Stacia Andricain presented the honorees with a replica of the SJA Hall of Fame logo carved from wood used on the original SJA gymnasium floor.
St. Joseph’s Academy inducted three new members into its Athletic Hall of Fame on February 8. Linda McCall McCann ’61 (third from left), Kathy Saichuk and Stephanie Dellocono Osorno ’06 are pictured here with, far left, Principal Stacia Andricain, President Jan Breen ’69 and, far right, Athletic Director Dorinda Beaumont.
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Lurline Hamilton ’64, 2015 Hall of Fame inductee, offered the closing prayer. The Hall of Fame planning committee was cochaired by Averitt and Mission Advancement Director Meg Gerald. Joining them on the committee were Beaumont, Assistant to the Alumnae Director and Athletic Director Nan Murtagh and Alumnae Director Katie Jeter Valenciano ’04. Sponsors for the evening were Baker Printing, Baton Rouge Coca-Cola and “The Original” Heroman’s Florist. Dinner was prepared by SAGE Dining Services.
Joining the newest members of the St. Joseph’s Academy Athletic Hall of Fame for a picture are current members, from left, Nan Murtagh (swim coach, inducted 2018); Lurline Hamilton ’64 (basketball, track and field, inducted 2015); Dr. Julie Neumann ’03 (volleyball, swimming, softball, soccer, inducted 2019); Linda McCall McCann ’61 (basketball, inducted 2020); Holly Randow (cross country, golf, track and field coach, inducted 2016); Barbara McManus ’66 (volleyball coach, inducted 2015); Ana Wiggins Barras ’03 (gymnastics, inducted 2017); Kathy Saichuk (athletic director, cross country, basketball, track and field coach, inducted 2020); Brenda LeBlanc (volleyball coach, inducted 2017); Allison Holladay ’95 (soccer, inducted 2015); Lori Nero ’98 (basketball, inducted 2018); Stephanie Dellocono Osorno ’06 (tennis, inducted 2020); Wren Eversberg Eagleton (cross country, swimming, track and field, inducted 2016); and Mike Lamana (contributor/distinguished volunteer, inducted 2018). Not pictured are Hall of Fame members Leigh Ann King ’06 (swimming, inducted 2016); Staci Alford Casey ’89 (softball, inducted 2017); Liz Fontenot (strength and conditioning, soccer, cross country, softball, track and field coach, inducted 2019); and the late Sister Ursula Harelson, CSJ ’45 (contributor/distinguished volunteer, inducted 2019).
SJA ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME CALL FOR NOMINATIONS Induction into the Hall of Fame is the highest honor bestowed upon those who preserve the spirit and heritage of Redsticker athletics in one of three categories: Student-Athlete, Coach or Contributor/Distinguished Volunteer. To submit a nomination, visit sjahalloffame.org 99| |SSJ A 2019 J A CCOONNNNEECCTTI O I ONNSS Fall Spring 2020
GLYNIS DAVIS NAMED DISTINGUISHED CATHOLIC SCHOOL EDUCATOR Glynis Davis has been honored by the Diocese of Baton Rouge as its 2019-2020 Distinguished Catholic School Educator. She was recognized during the Catholic Schools Week Mass on January 29 at St. Gerard Majella Catholic Church. Madame Davis began her teaching career in 1976 at St. John the Evangelist High School in Plaquemine after earning a bachelor of arts degree in foreign language education from the University of New Orleans. After five years and with a master’s degree in administration and supervision from Louisiana State University, Mme. Davis moved to St. Joseph’s Academy, where she has taught for 39 years. She teaches French I and French III Honors and sponsors the French Club. “The foundation that one receives at an early age is so important,” Mme. Davis said of her career-long ministry in Catholic education. “The values and morals formed in the early years are immeasurable and prepare you for the rest of your life. I believe that Catholic schools create a special bond among the students, the families, the school and the church so that all share the strong sense of community. My life has always been connected with the church and Catholic schools. In a Catholic school, I am home.” Principal Stacia Andricain said she has been privileged to witness Davis’ dynamic teaching and leadership styles over the 24 years they have been colleagues. “Glynis is one of the most enthusiastic teachers I have ever come across,” Mrs. Andricain said. “Her love of the French language is beautiful to witness. After more than 40 years in the classroom, Glynis has not lost one ounce of her spark. She has remained on the cutting edge of teaching pedagogy and has such a gift for helping her students excel. She has a wonderful way of engaging students in the classroom and teaches bell to bell without a wasted minute.” Mme. Davis’ devotion to teaching goes well beyond the classroom. She has been the moderator of the French I and French III/IV clubs throughout her time at SJA and works to ensure club membership is meaningful to her students. At a recent club meeting, students learned about 10 | S J A C O N N E C T I O N S SJA Community
Glynis Davis, center, was honored as the Distinguished Catholic School Educator by the Diocese of Baton Rouge. She is shown here with SJA Principal Stacia Andricain and Principal Jan Breen at the Distinguished Graduates Awards Dinner on January 27.
Belgium. They enjoyed homemade la Friterie Belge (French fries) and specialty Belgian dipping sauces while listening to Belgian music. Mme. Davis has chaperoned immersion trips to France since the 1980s, and more recently, has taken students to Quebec, Canada. “While travel opportunities are wonderful, it takes dedication and love of your students to do so year after year, missing Easter with her own family to do so,” Mrs. Andricain said. Sister Joan Laplace, who worked with Mme. Davis for 21 years, said her dedication and commitment to the values of Catholic education and the mission of SJA have been evident from her first year on the job. “Glynis loves French,” Sister Joan said. “Her continual efforts to improve her teaching skills and keep abreast of new developments in the field enrich her and the faculty with whom she works. Her enthusiasm and positive attitude are inspiring, and she is the kind of teacher who cares about and hears from her students long after they graduate. Her love of French and of her students has contributed to the strong reputation that St. Joseph’s Academy continues to enjoy.”
Fueled by her passion for teaching the French language and culture and bolstered by her belief in the benefits of becoming fluent in a second language, Mme. Davis spearheaded the Academy’s implementation of the Seal of Biliteracy. This honor is awarded to students who successfully complete a level 4 foreign language course in high school and earn qualifying scores on the English and reading sections of the ACT. At the time of the award implementation at St. Joseph’s Academy, 25 states offered the seal, but only two schools in Louisiana recognized high-level mastery of two or more languages. Through Davis’ efforts, St. Joseph’s Academy became the third school – and the first Catholic school – to grant the award.
languages in foreign countries and to study abroad during their college years. Others have become teachers of French. Many say they chose their career paths because of the qualities Mme. Davis brought to the classroom, qualities that can’t be learned in professional development workshops: humor, empathy, enthusiasm and compassion.
Perhaps her greatest accomplishment is the commitment to servant leadership that Mme. Davis instills in her students, a skill which serves them well for the rest of their lives. Mme. Davis embodies the charism of the Sisters of St. Joseph, which is the foundational grace rooted in the mission of the Church: that all may be one. Former students have been inspired to apply for teaching assistant programs to teach various
Glynis Davis was recognized as the Distinguished Catholic School Educator at the Diocese of Baton Rouge Catholic Schools Week Mass on January 29 at St. Gerard Majella Church. She is shown here with Mary Granier, Caroline Dazzio and Mary Claire Saia, members of the class of 2020.
REDSTICKER SOCIAL SAVE THE DATE THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22 5:30-8:00 P.M.
Come meet and mingle with your fellow Baton Rouge-area alums Enjoy campus tours and a cocktail reception. 11 | S J A C O N N E C T I O N S SJA Community
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STACY HEBERT NAMED
SJA’s Mother Seton Award Winner Stacy Hebert, an active volunteer with her children’s schools for 25 years, was named St. Joseph’s Academy’s Mother Seton Award winner for 2020. The Diocesan Home and School Association established the Mother Seton Award in 1986 to honor those individuals who have shared their gifts through exemplary service. The sharing of these gifts strengthens Catholic schools and the local community. Stacy and her husband, Cliff, have four children: Cameron, Catholic High School class of 2013; Sarah, SJA class of 2015; Colin, CHS class of 2017; and Catherine, SJA class of 2020. Since 2011, when Sarah was a freshman at SJA, Stacy has been a fixture on campus, working tirelessly for the greater good of the school community. Her skills have enabled the SJA Mothers’ Club to provide invaluable services to the administration, faculty, staff and students. With Catherine graduating on May 17, Stacy ends her nine years of service to the SJA Mothers’ Club. She rolls off the executive board as secretary. Stacy has also served as chairperson of the SJA Mothers’ Club Fall Luncheon and the Mothers’ Club Meet and Greet for new freshman moms. She volunteered her time to the Welcome-Back-to-School Faculty Luncheon, Open House, Mother/Daughter Brunch & Style Show and Senior Reception. Regardless of the role, Stacy brought an abundance of enthusiasm and an infectiously positive attitude.
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“Volunteering at my children’s schools has always been something that is near and dear to my heart,” Stacy said. “I truly believe that the schools we choose for our children have a powerful impact on their lives in the present and in the future. Because they spend so much time at school, I knew that I wanted to be a part of that aspect of their lives. I started volunteering at their schools as soon as my oldest started kindergarten, and I loved being a part of their elementary, middle and high school lives and experiences. It allowed me to stay connected in a way that I couldn’t have if I hadn’t been involved. I have been blessed to be able to volunteer all these years.” Stacy said she has thoroughly enjoyed the work, the projects and, at times, the challenges that have been a part of her volunteer service. She has especially enjoyed meeting wonderful people who have left an indelible mark on her life. “But I must say that my favorite part of being a volunteer at school is seeing my children’s smiles during the day when I catch a glimpse of them around campus,” she said. While Stacy’s time as a school volunteer has come to a close, she remains dedicated to her children and looks forward to the many precious moments of family time to come. “We have always been a family that made an effort to have dinners together at the dining table to talk about our day,” she said. “We are now a family with adult children, and we still work hard to get together. We never take for granted those times we do gather.”
ALUMNAE NEWS
’62 MARY OLIVE PIERSON has been selected as a Distinguished Achievement honoree by the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center. Mary Olive is a longtime Baton Rouge attorney specializing in banking, lender liability, complex litigation, trials, tort, contracts and complex agreements. She is a 1970 LSU Law graduate.
’77 AMEY SHORTESS CROUSILLAC has joined the staff at Capital Area United Way in the position of vice president of resource development. In addition to spearheading the annual campaign, she will work with the affinity group, Women United, which is chaired this year by Kris Cangelosi ’80. For more than 95 years, Capital Area United Way has been fighting for the health, education, income stability and basic needs of those in its 10-parish area.
’88 STACEY EMICK HOWELL, CFRE, has joined the YMCA of the Capital Area as vice president of financial development. She is a certified fundraising executive and a graduate of Louisiana State University, where she earned a bachelor of arts degree in speech communication in 1993. She began her fundraising career at Capital Area United Way in 1995 and returned to St. Joseph’s Academy in 1999 to serve as the director of development (now Mission Advancement). During her time at SJA, she and husband Cliff welcomed their first child, Annalee, who is now an Academy student. After the birth of their second child, Stacey took a career pause to stay at home with her two children. She specialized in educational fundraising for the majority of her career, including four years at the LSU Foundation working in academic fundraising and prospect development. Before accepting her position at the Y, she worked for the Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana. She is a long-time member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and served as president of the organization in 2003. She is also a member of the Association of Professional Researchers in Advancement (APRA). She recently hosted a collaborative professional development session in New Orleans on the topic of unlocking gratitude with artificial intelligence. She enjoys spending time with her family, boating on Louisiana’s waterways and traveling to Maine during the summer.
’90 HOLLEA DAY HOLLIDAY is the dean of college advising at Parkview Baptist High School in Baton Rouge. She earned her undergraduate degree from Southeastern Louisiana University and an M.Ed. in leadership from Louisiana State University. She is a member of NACAC and SACAC and is a Sustainer in the Junior League of Baton Rouge.
’93 DAWN STARNS, a veteran lobbyist and grassroots activist, has assumed an expanded role with the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB). Having served as NFIB’s state director of Louisiana since 2014, she will also serve as state director for Mississippi and will divide her time between Baton Rouge and Jackson, Mississippi. NFIB is the nation’s leading small-business advocacy organization. Dawn earned her bachelor’s degree in political science from Louisiana State University. She has extensive experience as an association manager, campaign consultant and lobbyist. Prior to her current position, she served as executive director of the Capitol Region Legislative Delegation and CAP PAC LLC. She also managed the Legislators’ Charity Fund, which raised money to help the homeless as well as fund children’s programs and a local food bank.
’96 AMY CALKINS TEAGUE has co-authored a book, Cancer is for Old(er) People, sharing her extraordinary journey with Stage IV ovarian cancer. Co-authored by Dr. Brett Cordes with Kyle Moses, the book includes details not often included in others’ battles with cancer. The book helps not only those battling cancer but also caregivers, friends and family with loved ones who are sick. The book is dedicated in part to the SJA class of 1996. Visit cancerisforolderpeople.com.
’05 STACIE LAHAYE BORDELON has been named a finalist for the Arkansas Business Health Care Heroes Award in the Allied Health Professional of the Year category. Stacie works at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) in Little Rock as the HIV clinical pharmacy specialist in the Infectious Disease Clinic. She treats and counsels primarily low-income patients, as well as the local prison population, with HIV or other infectious diseases. Stacie graduated from Louisiana State University in 2010 with a bachelor of science degree in biological sciences. She graduated in 2014 from the University of Louisiana Monroe School of Pharmacy and completed a one-year hospital residency at UAMS. Stacie is married to Dr. Brian Bordelon of Eunice.
’09 RACHEL ALEXANDER is the John and Daria Barry Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Princeton University’s James Madison Program, where she researches and writes about the history of political thought and serves as a preceptor for a course on civil liberties. While her dissertation, which she defended last summer, was on Aristotle’s understanding of human freedom in his Nicomachean Ethics, her publications also address political and philosophical themes in literature and film, as well as constitutional law and the Supreme Court. Her review of writer-director Greta Gerwig and Little Women was recently published by Law & Liberty.
’10 JAYLYN BERTHELOT is a human resources coordinator at Louisiana State University. When her son, James Grae, turned 2 recently, several of Jaylyn’s SJA classmates joined in the celebration. They are, from left, Hilary Burgmeier Gilmore, Jaylyn holding James Grae, Shelby Carbo and Erin Aguilar.
’10 ALEEN KALTAKDJIAN recently graduated from the Rosenberg School of Optometry at the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, Texas. She is currently a resident at the Memphis VA and will relocate to Mobile, Alabama, when she finishes her residency in July 2020.
’06 MALLORY HITT ALLEN recently joined The Baton Rouge Clinic, where she is practicing general pediatrics. After graduating from SJA in 2006, she attended Vanderbilt University, graduating with a bachelor of art degree in medicine, health and society. She completed an MS in pharmacology at Tulane University before attending medical school at LSU Health Sciences Center in Shreveport. Mallory matched into the pediatrics residency program at Eastern Virginia Medical School/ Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters, where she also spent a year serving as chief resident. Mallory is excited to be back in Baton Rouge with her husband, Brian, and their son, John Patrick.
’09 DESTANI PARKER is a May 2020 MBA graduate of Syracuse University’s Martin J. Whitman School of Management with a focus in entrepreneurship. She is employed as an operations associate at the headquarters of Cresa Global Inc. located in Washington, D.C. Destani has a professional passion for business process improvements and fostering employee engagement. She is also an active member of the National Black MBA Association.
’13 KAITLYN ELISE LEBLANC was recently awarded the Eastern Shore Chamber’s Young Professional of the Year. The award is given for service to the chamber and community through volunteer hours and fundraising, among other criteria. Kaitlyn lives in Fairhope, Alabama, where she works for Edward Jones as a financial advisor. Additionally, she serves as a member of the University of Southern Mississippi’s GOLD Council, which coordinates volunteer/social events for young alumni, and as a volunteer for Junior Achievement in Fairhope. This year, she will serve as a chamber ambassador and on the board for young professionals.
’13 ALEXIS ROUSSEAU graduated from Southeastern Louisiana University in December of 2019. She earned a bachelor of science degree in nursing. She was a member of the Student Nurses Association. She plans to start her nursing career at a nursing home/rehabilitation facility in Baton Rouge.
’14 CHRISTINA LEGGIO was the valedictorian of her nursing school class at LSU Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, which graduated in December 2019. She is currently working in the ICU at East Jefferson Hospital in New Orleans and plans to go to CRNA school to become a nurse anesthetist after completing the required work experience in ICU.
’15 KAYLA TELHIARD graduated in May of 2019 from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in French and Francophone studies. She spent a semester studying abroad in the Normandy region of France. After graduation, she was offered an assistantship at a high school in Bayeux, France, as part of the Teaching Assistant Program in France. The program recruits Anglophones from around the world to help teach English as a second language. She is teaching her students about Louisiana and its French heritage and culture and will soon be exchanging letters with French III classes at SJA.
’16 RIANA GAUDET graduated from Tulane University in May with degrees in psychology and French. In the fall of 2018, she studied in Paris with the EDUCO program hosted by Tulane, Duke, Emory and Cornell universities. All classes were taught in French and focused on a variety of topics from linguistics to history to current news and media. She lived with a host family in the 15th arrondissement, located 10 minutes from the Eiffel Tower. She plans to begin work this fall on a master’s in psychological science at Tulane and hopes to return to France in the future.
’16 OLIVIA JOHNSON was recently featured on the Poets and Quants for Undergrads website as a Best & Brightest Class of 2020 for Tulane University A.B. Freeman School of Business. Students are nominated from the top 50 business schools across the country. Olivia was also named a recipient of the Tulane 34 Award, presented to 34 graduates (undergraduates and graduate/ professional students) who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate life at Tulane University. Students are recognized for their exemplary leadership, service and academic excellence. Named for the year in which Tulane was founded (1834), Tulane 34 is among the most coveted university-wide honors bestowed upon students. Olivia was highly involved in student government during her time at Tulane, serving as president of the Freeman Student Government. Olivia is working at UBS Financial Services in New York as a credit analyst on the bank’s trading floor.
’16 ANIKO NOWAKOWSKI was among the 12 outstanding seniors at Louisiana State University recently recognized as the Tiger Twelve. This award recognizes seniors who contribute positively to the life of the campus and surrounding community and demonstrate the principles of scholarship, actions and contributions. While an LSU Tiger, Aniko discovered and nurtured a passion for practical poverty alleviation, specifically focusing on healthcare outcomes and education within the homeless demographic. She volunteered her time at various homeless shelters and community clinics. She also served as the associate director of GeauxBig, as an RA for Res Life, a member of the TedxLSU Creative Communications Team, vice president of the Ogden Honors College Student Council, member of the leadership and service teams at CTK, and as a volunteer mentor for high school girls planning to pursue a career in medicine.
’16 AMELIA TALBOT graduated summa cum laude from Louisiana State University in May and received the University Medal for “Highest Academic Achievement.” This medal is awarded to undergraduate students graduating with a grade point average of 4.00 or higher. Amelia will enter the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine this fall.
’16 KATIE VUKOVICS is a senior at Louisiana State University, studying music education. She performs with three choral ensembles and is a pianist. Her research specialty is looking at the effect of musical training on enhanced cognitive abilities. With her faculty advisor, Dr. Emily Elliott, Katie is looking at how musical training affects a person’s ability to tune out irrelevant sound information. They also looked at the relationship between musical training and working memory capacity. Katie also teaches music in Baton Rouge classrooms and conducts collegiate ensembles.
16 | S J A C O N N E C T I O N S Alumnae News
’17 MADISON HASENKAMPF and her partner were named the top group presenters in the engineering category at Louisiana State University’s Discovery Day 2020. This research symposium provides a forum for undergraduate students from any major to share their research and creative works. This year’s forum was presented online. Madison’s project was entitled Lower Mississippi Physical Model: Spatial and Temporal Trends in Dredge Quantities. The research was conducted over nine months through her job at the Center for River Studies. Madison is a senior majoring in environmental engineering. She is doing a second internship with Chevron this summer. She is a member of Delta Gamma Sorority and Society of Women Engineers.
’17 SARAH JOHNSON is double majoring in French and information systems and decision sciences at Louisiana State University. She spent the spring 2019 semester studying in Strasbourg, France, through LSU’s Academic Programs Abroad.
SAVE THE (NEW) DATE FOR
’17 JORDAN KLEMM was selected as one of five first-ever Foundation Development and Special Event interns for Delta Zeta Sorority. As an intern for the national organization, Jordan will travel the country to assist with donor engagement, customer relations, communications, fundraising and event planning. Prior to her selection, Jordan served LSU’s Delta Zeta chapter in a variety of positions, most recently as vice president of philanthropy. A senior at LSU majoring in mass communications, Jordan also works for LSU Sports Marketing Department.
THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2021 Academy Student Center Sponsorships available. For more information or if you are interested in volunteering, please visit the website at www.sjasoiree.org or contact Cydney Morris at (225) 388-2270 or morrisc@sjabr.org. ’19 DANIELLE JONES was recently crowned the 2020 Louisiana Association of Fairs and Festivals Queen. Sixtysix competitors representing festivals from across the state competed for the coveted title. Danielle was crowned as the Harvest Festival on False River Queen in October of 2019. As Louisiana Association of Fairs and Festivals Queen, Danielle will travel the state, visiting various fairs and festivals and promoting the mission of the association, as well as working with the board to promote state tourism. Danielle attends Louisiana State University, where she is pursuing a double major in Apparel Design, Textiles & Merchandising and Business and minoring in Film and Television.
We look forward to seeing you there!
17 | S J A C O N N E C T I O N S Spring 2020
A L U M S T O D AY
GRADUATE TO RETURN TO SJA AS CAMPUS MINISTER As a student at St. Joseph’s Academy, Kathleen (Kat) Peek embodied the mission of faith development, academic excellence and personal growth. In fact, this 2011 graduate was one of two dozen graduating seniors who received the SJA Award, presented by the administration and faculty in recognition of those who especially espouse the spirit and values of sanctity, joy and action. Nine years later, Kat is returning to her alma mater as its campus minister. “I recognize that I stand on the foundation that SJA gave me, and I am excited to return that gift in my new role,” she said. As an SJA senior, Kat was chosen by her classmates, faculty and staff to participate in the annual May Crowning ceremony, and she served as a Student Minister. She received the Courtney Myshrall Memorial Award, presented to the senior who is kindhearted, nonjudgmental, outgoing and joyful. An outstanding student, Kat was named to the LHSAA All-Academic Division 5A Cross Country Team and earned an SJA honors diploma. She represented her class on the Student Council as a junior and senior and was a four-year member of the cross country team. At the end of her SJA career, her classmates voted her Best All-Around in the Senior Favorites balloting.
founded a young adult Bible study and volunteered with high school and middle school youth ministries. After completing her studies in July 2019, she moved to Denver, Colorado, to teach third grade at Frassati Classical Catholic Academy. She will begin her new role at SJA with the start of the 2020-2021 school year. “SJA nurtured the seeds of faith within me through fostering a disposition of service to the dear neighbor,” Kat said. “Whether it was serving as a Student Minister, praying in the chapel on Fridays before cross country meets or helping a friend perfect the uniform swap technique for Challenge Day, SJA always encouraged me to serve Christ in my neighbor. When I look back on my faith formation at SJA, I am filled with gratitude for the incredible community and opportunities for the sacraments. God reached and formed me through the deep friendships I gained at St. Joseph’s, many of whom are still my closest friends today. These women have accompanied me, encouraged me and challenged me in my journey with Jesus Christ. I am deeply grateful to SJA for being the ‘rich soil’ for our friendships and faith to blossom, and now I’m equally grateful to return as campus minister to tend to the spiritual growth of future graduates.”
Kat said she is especially looking forward to helping young women discover who they are and who God created them After graduating from SJA, Kat went to me. There are many to Clemson University, where she voices telling young women earned a bachelor of arts degree in who to be, Kat said, and architecture with a minor in art. After she is passionate about graduation, she served two years forming them in the with Fellowships of Catholic University faith to help them see Students (FOCUS) at the University who they are in God’s of Miami, leading Bible studies, eyes. “St. Catherine of mentoring students and equipping Siena said, ‘Be who them to teach others about the faith. God made you to be, While in Miami, she also led a mission and you will set the trip to Mexico City, and she taught world on fire,’” she students to raise funds to fully subsidize said. “I am looking their participation in mission trips and forward to praying conferences. with, listening to and accompanying SJA When her service with FOCUS was women as they set complete, Kat moved to Pascagoula, the world ablaze Mississippi, where she taught second with that ‘Stickah grade while earning an M.Ed. from Fiya.’” Notre Dame’s Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) program. During her two years in the Diocese of Biloxi, she
Outside of work, Kat loves playing the guitar, meeting new people, visiting (and sketching) beautiful churches, hiking, painting, drawing and reading. She also has a littleknown agrarian leaning. While teaching in Pascagoula, she helped with the school’s chicken coop. “I hope to have my own chickens and a big garden someday,” she said.
GRADUATE TRAVELS TO ANTARCTICA FOR ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH From her hot-and-humid hometown of Baton Rouge, St. Joseph’s Academy graduate Elizabeth Sicard ’16 traveled to the bottom of the world, where winter temperatures can plummet to minus 40 degrees, as part of a research team exploring a region “where life approaches its environmental limits.” The Lake Fryxell Camp, located in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica, is among the sites of the Long-Term Ecological Research project, an interdisciplinary study of the aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Experts consider the McMurdo Dry Valleys to be one of the most extreme cold desert regions in the world. The research is funded by the National Science Foundation and seeks to answer questions about biodiversity, the impact of climatic legacies and ecosystem structure and function.
While Elizabeth thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to conduct important research, she admits that field-camp life posed unique challenges. Team members slept in tents, and when they needed water, it was chipped out of the lake, then heated and filtered. They showered once a week, using a five-gallon bucket and a scoop. Because all trash and waste are shipped off the continent, team members sorted and containerized cardboard, mixed recycling, landfill, food waste and human waste for shipment to the United States for proper disposal. “Additionally, it was also perpetual daylight when I was there, so when I flew back to New Zealand, it was the first time I’d seen nighttime in 67 days,” Elizabeth said.
Elizabeth will graduate in December 2020 and hopes to work as an ecologist for the National Park Service. Elizabeth is a senior at Louisiana State University, where She is a four-year clarinetist with the LSU Tiger Band. she is studying natural resource ecology and management She serves as president of the Sigma Alpha Iota music (ecological restoration concentration) with minors in fraternity and is a member of the Kappa Kappa Psi geology and oceanography. She spent nearly three band service fraternity. months stationed in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, said to be the surface area on Earth which most closely resembles “SJA prepared me very well for college,” Elizabeth said Mars. of her Academy education. “It helped me be dedicated to my studies and generate a strong work ethic. In Data collected by Elizabeth’s team indicates that dry addition to a high-quality education, SJA helped me to valleys are highly sensitive to climate changes and are be prepared for the opportunities and experiences I ideal “natural laboratories” for looking at manmade have had throughout college, such as being able to go to climatic impacts. Antarctica.” Under the guidance of LSU Geology Professor Peter Doran, Elizabeth conducted ice ablation and floating boulder surveys and melted dive holes for the dive teams. “As a dive tender, I helped the divers get dressed and set up the rack box since they do surface supply diving,” Elizabeth said. “That means that the diver is connected by an umbilical line to the rack box which has a supply of oxygen and a comms box, so while the diver is underwater, we can talk to them. This is especially useful in sample collection, because the driver communicates to people at the surface with information about the sampling conditions or data collection.”
Elizabeth Sicard, a 2016 graduate of St. Joseph’s Academy, poses in front of the 19 | SAir J A Force C O N plane N E C T on I O which N S Alums Today C-17 she traveled to Antarctica.
While dive-tending during her research work in Antarctica, Elizabeth Sicard showed her LSU spirit by writing Geaux Tigers on her gloves. Elizabeth was in Antarctica when LSU’s football team played in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game on January 13.
· We Have a Companion in Suffering: In reflecting on her grandfather’s battle with brain cancer, Becky discovers our companion in suffering, God. In the same way God companioned Jesus in His suffering, God companions us in ours. We are never alone because Jesus who suffered walks with us. · Each of Us Has a Unique Call: We all are invited by God to understand and use the unique gifts He gave us. Through discernment, we are guided in saying yes to Jesus and allowing His gifts to guide our true calling. “The inner chapel is a sacred space within us where God resides, which means that no matter what we are facing and going through, God is with us,” Becky said. “I hope the book helps people learn practical ways to go to their own inner chapels each day in prayer within the realities of their lives. Also, my hope is as they visit their inner chapels that they, too, discover the exquisite gift of the promises of God.”
Becky Uffman Eldredge ’98 ALUMNA’S NEW BOOK REFLECTS ON
God’s Promises
Just days before her grandfather passed away, Becky Uffman Eldredge sat with him and talked about the profound impact of a relationship with God. He asked Becky to make him a promise: that she would tell people they are not alone. “Promise me you’ll tell people what we understand about God’s love,” he implored. “Promise me you will not stop what you are doing, and you will keep on sharing the Good News.” Becky, an Ignatian-trained spiritual director, retreat facilitator and writer, fulfilled her promise to her grandfather by writing her second book, The Inner Chapel: Embracing the Promises of God (Loyola Press). In it, she shares the gift given to each of us, the inner chapel, and how visiting it through prayer and Ignatian spirituality practices allows us to discover the promises of God. Each chapter also provides an opportunity to reflect on a certain promise of God, including · We Are Never Alone: God is always with us, even in our times of loneliness and despair. In these times, we must embrace God’s gift of the inner chapel and be comforted knowing He is always present. · We Are Loved Unconditionally: We are loved by God, and we have to increase our capacity to receive God’s love for us. By opening to God’s love, we are able to love others in ways we never thought possible, which internally pulls us to share the Good News of this promise with others. 20 | S J A C O N N E C T I O N S Alums Today
Becky said that SJA played an integral role in her faith development. During her junior year, she began to have a more personal relationship with God. “This was in large part due to the witness of faith that surrounded me,” she said. “Many teachers had a joy within them that I knew I somehow wanted in my own life. Their example of faith, theology classes, retreats, student ministry, masses and all the other faith formation elements of SJA awakened in me a desire to know God more.”
PARENT & ALUMNAE RETREAT
THE INNER CHAPEL August 1, 2020 9 am-2:30 pm SJA Mother Alice Hall 3080 Kleinert Avenue $40 includes lunch We all carry a chapel within us, a sacred space where God dwells. How do we access it? How do we pray amidst the reality of our lives? Come discover the promises that God offers each of us – promises of rest, companionship in our suffering, unconditional love, belonging and more. Learn how to create a life-long contemplative prayer practice that helps us embrace the promises of God and harness the fuel and inspiration to go forth and spread the Good News. Join SJA alumnae Becky Eldredge, an Ignatian trained spiritual director, for a day of rest and prayer. REGISTER NOW:
https://apply.sjabr.org/advancement/sjaparent-and-alumnae-retreat-2020
As an Academy senior, Becky found her calling to retreat ministry as a student minister. Today, more than 20 years later, she is still doing retreat work and inviting people deeper in their walk with Christ. “The Sisters of St. Joseph and their charism, which is rooted in Ignatian spirituality, influenced me tremendously,” Becky said. “Today, my ministries as a spiritual director, retreat facilitator and writer are based in Ignatian spirituality.” Becky lives in Baton Rouge with her husband and three children. Away from writing and facilitating retreats, she enjoys family time, cooking together, being outside in creation, playing games, watching movies and traveling. “Last summer, we did a two-week road trip out West, and we are planning a few new adventures,” she said. “All five of us enjoy reading, and so often on a weekend afternoon, you will find all five of us curled up on couches around each other with books in our hands. Even though two of our children were born outside of Louisiana, we are avid LSU fans, and when fall comes, LSU football is part of our family’s fun.” On August 1, Becky will present a retreat for parents and SJA alumnae based on her book. The Inner Chapel will take place from 9 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. in Mother Alice Hall on SJA’s campus. For additional information and to register, please see the ad on the preceding page.
ALUMNA CREATES UNIQUE SACRED ART FOR CHURCHES, HOMES Born and raised in the rolling foothills of historic St. Francisville, Louisiana, Blair Gordy Piras developed an early love and appreciation for the beauty found in nature. From a young age, she was fascinated by art, especially the colorful illustrations in storybooks. She also developed a hunger to understand the deep truths about reality. As a student at St. Joseph’s Academy, Blair found the basic artistic formation she craved. “The classes I took helped me to focus and build confidence in my ability to create,” she said. “It is so crucial for a young artist to have a basic structure to build from: a knowledge of perspective, composition, measuring, values and so on. I am thankful to have received my first proper formation at SJA.” After graduating from the Academy in 2011, Blair chose Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio, where she studied humanities and Catholic culture and philosophy. Immersed in the Catholic liberal arts tradition, she gained an understanding of how ideas are the guiding factor for the material aspects of a society and how their incorporation begins from the common way of life of the people. Degree in hand and newly married, Blair moved to Florence, Italy, to continue her studies at the Sacred Art School. “I was drawn to the incorporation of the ‘Theology of the Body’ with anatomy and within the Catholic artistic tradition,” she said. “The location of the school in Florence was also a huge draw for me. Both helped form my person and my faith.” After completing a two-year specialization course in painting, Blair returned to Franciscan University, where she taught art as the school’s first artist in residence. Blair said teaching at the collegiate level was an invaluable and enriching experience. “You really learn a lot by teaching,” she said. “I learned how to
Some of Blair Piras’ works of sacred art.
synthesize my knowledge and make the basic tenets of drawing and painting intelligible to my students. Being able to encourage and inspire students was my favorite part; I know firsthand how important mentorship can be. Becoming a colleague of my former professors, whom I greatly admire, was both bizarre and edifying, and it pushed me to grow.” Today, Blair lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and works on commission creating unique sacred art for homes and churches. With the model of the Incarnation, Blair strives to create sacred art that takes into account the communities for which it is made. For church commissions, that means studying the history and traditions of the parish, striving to create work that engages and inspires prayer and contemplation. “I aim to honor the laws of nature and anatomy and hope to create a harmonious atmosphere in my work,” she said. When she’s not creating sacred art, Blair loves to spend time outside with her toddler, Auguste, and her
husband, whom she credits for his endless support as she pursued her dream of becoming an artist. She said she is also grateful to her parents, mentors and teachers for their inspiration and encouragement along her journey. “It’s my deepest joy to do what I love while raising my son, and it wouldn’t be possible without the unwavering support from my family and my clients,” she said. Blair also enjoys visiting art museums, reading and riding her bike. After nearly a decade away from her native Louisiana and growing hungry for the cuisine and familiarity of her home, Blair said she is scheming a return in the near future. “I’ve been vacationing in Grand Isle for my entire life, and I love the fishing and laidback lifestyle there,” she said. Visit Blair’s website at blairbarlowart.com.
2021 SAVE THE DATE
Alumnae Trip
to Italy
JUNE 15-26, 2021
Stops in the Amalfi Coast, Rome and Florence Contact Katie Jeter Valenciano ’04 at valencianok@sjabr.org or (225) 388-2244 22 | S J A C O N N E C T I O N S Alums Today for more information.
DISTINGUISHED GRADUATES
Honored at Awards Dinner
The Catholic Schools Office of the Diocese of Baton Rouge honored its 2020 Distinguished Graduates at a special awards dinner on January 27. Part of the Catholic Schools Week celebration each year, this year’s Distinguished Graduates gathering took place at the Renaissance Baton Rouge Hotel. St. Joseph’s Academy’s Distinguished Graduate for 2020 was Stephanie Spielman Cargile, a 1988 graduate. Stephanie is the public and government affairs manager for ExxonMobil Baton Rouge. Since joining the company in 1999, she has worked in a variety of public affairs roles. In her current position, she leads a team that oversees governmental, media, community and neighbor relations, corporate charitable giving, communications activities, crisis communications and issue management. In 2019, Stephanie and her Baton Rouge team were recognized with an ExxonMobil Public Affairs Global Excellence award. During her career at ExxonMobil, she has also been recognized with two national Responsible Care® awards for outreach projects and a national Telly Award for a local ad campaign. Stephanie was among the 10 female leaders honored as winners of the 2019 Business Report Influential Women in Business Award. She currently serves on the board of directors for the Public Affairs Research Council, the LA Research Park Corporation, the City Club of Baton Rouge and New Schools for Baton Rouge. She is the secretary of the Baton Rouge North Economic Development District and secretary of the Catholic High School Mothers’ Club. She serves on the Louisiana Chemical Association communications committee and the Capital Area United Way Marketing Committee. She received the Louisiana Chemical Association’s Most Valuable Player for her contributions in 2014 and 2016.
Another two SJA graduates were recognized as Distinguished Graduates by their elementary schools. EMILY MAY KLINE, SJA class of 1999, was honored by Our Lady of Mercy (OLOM) School. Emily is the director of development for the Baton Rouge General Foundation. She is a tireless volunteer for both OLOM church and school projects. She is a member of the School Advisory Board, currently serving as secretary, and is the chair of the Advancement Committee. She and her husband, Chip, served as the school’s Annual Fund chair couple. DR. CASSIE MONTAGNINO DINECOLA, SJA class of 2004, was honored by St. George School. Cassie has been a counselor in Baton Rouge since 2012 and is a clinical professor at the Louisiana State University School of Social Work. She is particularly passionate about working with those with developmental disabilities and their families. Cassie is a past winner of the Martha Tarver Volunteer Recognition Award from the Baton Rouge Crisis Intervention Center. Also honored was ELLEN BOGAN LEE, SJA class of 1975, who was named the 2019-2020 Distinguished Catholic School Administrator. Ellen became principal of St. Michael the Archangel High School in 2011. Her career in education spans 40 years. At St. Michael, Ellen has spearheaded a number of programs to help ensure that students continually grow in their faith. She also oversaw the building of a multipurpose facility to enhance the school’s fine arts curriculum and the creation of a STEM lab.
Stephanie Spielman Cargile ’88, center, was among the Catholic school graduates honored at the Distinguished Graduate Awards Dinner on January 27. She is pictured here with Dr. Melanie B. Palmisano, superintendent of Catholic Schools; SJA Principal Stacia Andricain; SJA President Jan Breen ’69; and the Very Reverend Thomas G. Ranzino.
Sister Kathleen Babin, CSJ ’43
Sister Dorothy LeBlanc, CSJ ’43
Sister Dianne Fanguy, CSJ ’57
Sister Helen Prejean, CSJ ’57
SISTERS TO CELEBRATE A JUBILEE IN 2020 In 2020, four St. Joseph’s Academy graduates will celebrate the anniversary year of their entrance into religious life. Celebrating a Jubilee this year are Sister Kathleen Babin, CSJ, 75 years; Sister Dorothy LeBlanc, CSJ, 75 years; Sister Dianne Fanguy, CSJ, 60 years; and Sister Helen Prejean, CSJ, 60 years. Sister Kathleen, formerly Sister Regis, was born in Baton Rouge to the late Eunice Templet and Ferbos Babin. She graduated from St. Joseph’s Academy in 1943 and entered the Congregation in New Orleans that same year. She professed first vows in 1945 and final vows in 1948. Sister Kathleen earned a B.S. in education from Loyola University in New Orleans in 1956 and an M.A. in theology in 1971. She also has a strong background in Myers-Briggs and Enneagram studies. Sister Kathleen taught in elementary schools in New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Grand Coteau, Louisiana, from 1945 to 1963. She was local superior and a teacher at St. Joseph Academy in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, a novice director for one year and a provincial for eight years in New Orleans. She worked part-time with Management Design Inc. for six years. She then served as assistant general for the founding community of Medaille for five years, as pastoral assistant at St. Thomas More in Baton Rouge for four years and in regional and congregational administration for four years. At the St. Joseph Spirituality Center in Baton Rouge, she was involved for 10 years as associate director and then director. She currently resides at the CSJ Center in Baton Rouge and continues to offer her prayers for the many people God has put in her path in 70-plus years. Sister Dorothy, formerly Sister Mary Andrew, was born in Baton Rouge and entered the Congregation of St. Joseph in 1943 following her graduation from St. Joseph’s Academy. She taught for 45 years in Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Beginning in 1985, she served for eight years at Casa de Esperanza for children and in AIDS ministry in Houston. She then spent five years at Our Lady of Lourdes social service center in New Orleans, where she ministered to senior citizens. In 1999, she served senior Sisters needing healthcare at Our Lady of Wisdom. In 2005, following Hurricane Katrina, Sister Dorothy moved to the CSJ Center in Wichita, Kansas, where she currently resides.
Sister Dianne, formerly Sister Mary Kostka, graduated from St. Joseph’s Academy in 1957 and entered the Congregation of St. Joseph in New Orleans that same year. She graduated from St. Mary’s Dominican College in New Orleans with a B.S. in math/secondary education and from Notre Dame University in Indiana with an M.A. in theology. She was a high school educator for 16 years. While doing Congregational Formation Ministry for five years, she pursued further studies in Christian spirituality at Creighton University. Later, she studied Spanish and Latin American historical-cultural formation in preparation for 31 years of mission work in Guatemala, Bolivia and Nicaragua, where she served for 22 years in community development with gender equality, spiritual formation on all levels, youth leadership training, national leadership training workshops and spiritual accompaniment. Sister Dianne currently resides in Baton Rouge. Sister Helen, formerly Sister Louis Augustine, graduated from St. Joseph’s Academy in 1957, then entered the Congregation of St. Joseph in New Orleans. She is a graduate of St. Mary’s Dominican College in New Orleans with a B.A. in English and St. Paul’s University in Ottawa, Canada, with an M.A. in religious education. She taught elementary school at St. Frances Cabrini in New Orleans, where she was director of Parish Religious Education for seven years. She then served as formation director for the Sisters of St. Joseph of Medaille for seven years. In 1982, she moved into the St. Thomas Housing Project in New Orleans to live and work with the poor. While there, Sister Helen began corresponding with two inmates who had been sentenced to death. After witnessing their executions, Sister Helen was moved to write Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States, which ignited a national debate on capital punishment, inspired an Academy Award-winning movie, a play and an opera. Sister Helen also embarked on a speaking tour that continues to this day. Her second book, The Death of Innocents: An Eyewitness Account of Wrongful Executions, was published in 2004; and her third book, River of Fire: My Spiritual Journey, was published in 2019. Among the numerous awards she has received include the Laetare Medal from the University of Notre Dame, the Champion of Liberty Award from the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, a Guggenheim Fellowship and the Distinguished Service Award from the National Council of Catholic Women. Sister Helen currently resides in New Orleans, where she continues to write and speak for the abolishment of the death penalty.
C O N G R AT U L AT I O N S TO
THE CLASS OF 2020 The Class of 2020 was offered admission to 135 colleges and universities. American University Arcadia University Auburn University Auburn University Honors College Barnard College Baton Rouge Community College Baylor University Belhaven University Belmont Abbey College Belmont University Belmont University Honors Program Boston College Boston University California Polytechnic State University Carnegie Mellon University Catholic University of America Chestnut Hill College Clark Atlanta University Clemson University College of Charleston College of Charleston Honors College College of Saint Benedict Colorado School of Mines Colorado State University Converse College Dillard University Drexel University Duke University Elon University Florida Institute of Technology Florida State University Florida State University Honors Program Fordham University Honors Program Fordham University Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University Franciscan University of Steubenville George Washington University Georgia Institute of Technology Grambling State University Harvard University Harvey Mudd College High Point University Howard University Iowa State University Jackson State University La Salle University Lander University Lipscomb University
$19.8 million in scholarship money was offered to 58.8 percent of the Class of 2020 (does not include TOPS information. TOPS data is not yet available for the Class of 2020). Louisiana State University Louisiana State University Ogden Honors College Louisiana Tech University Louisiana Tech University Honors Program Loyola University Maryland Loyola University New Orleans Marymount Manhattan College Marymount Manhattan College Honors Program Massachusetts Institute of Technology Mercer University Michigan State University Michigan State University Honors College Millsaps College Mississippi College Mississippi State University Mississippi State University Shackouls Honors College Nazareth College New York Institute of Technology New York University Nicholls State University North Carolina A&T State University North Carolina State University Northwestern State University of Louisiana Oglethorpe University Pace University Pennsylvania State University Point Park University Regis University Rhodes College Rice University Saint Joseph’s University Saint Joseph’s University Honors Program Saint Louis University Samford University Savannah College of Art and Design School of the Art Institute of Chicago Seton Hall University Smith College Smith College STRIDE Program Southeastern Louisiana University Southeastern Louisiana University Honors Program
112 seniors dedicated 50 or more hours to service during each of their four years.
Southern Illinois University University of Georgia Honors Edwardsville Program Southern Methodist University University of Houston Southern University and A&M University of Illinois UrbanaCollege Champaign Spring Hill College University of Illinois UrbanaSpring Hill College Honors Program Champaign James Scholar Honors St. Edward’s University Program St. Edward’s University Honors University of Iowa Program University of Louisiana at Lafayette St. John Fisher College University of Maryland St. John’s University University of Miami St. John’s University Honors Program University of Michigan St. John’s University Ozanam University of Mississippi Scholars Program University of Mississippi Syracuse University McDonnell-Barksdale Honors Temple University College Texas A&M University University of New Hampshire Texas A&M University Brown University of New Orleans Engineering Honors Program University of Notre Dame Texas A&M University Honors University of Oklahoma Program University of Portland Texas Christian University University of Richmond Trinity University University of Rochester Tulane University University of South Carolina Tulane University Honors Program University of South Carolina Honors United States Navy Enlistment College University of Alabama University of Southern California University of Alabama Honors University of Southern Mississippi College University of Tennessee University of Alabama Randall University of Tennessee Chancellor’s Research Scholars Program Honors Program University of Alabama at Birmingham University of Texas at Austin University of Alabama in Huntsville University of Texas at Austin University of Arizona Engineering Honors Program University of Arizona Honors College University of Texas at Dallas University of Arkansas University of Texas at San Antonio University of Arkansas Honors University of Texas at San Antonio College Honors College University of California, Berkeley University of Utah University of California, Davis Vanderbilt University University of California, Los Angeles Virginia Tech University University of California, San Diego Wellesley College University of Colorado Boulder Western Carolina University University of Colorado Boulder Westminster College Honors Program William and Mary University of Dallas Xavier University University of Denver Xavier University of Louisiana University of Florida University of Georgia 25 | S J A C O N N E C T I O N S Spring 2020
Donations Made to SJA Archives Staff member Nan Murtagh donated several items on behalf of her late sister-in-law, Rebecca “Becky” Morgan Roubique, including her graduation announcement, class ring and the Jeannette Svendson Memorial Award medal. Becky’s mother, the late Barbara “Bobby” Braud Morgan, was a 1951 graduate of SJA, and her sisters were also graduates: Mary Morgan Dixon ’81 and Elizabeth Morgan Cornelius ’80 (alum by choice).
Jo Constance Cangelosi ’71 donated a number of items to the St. Joseph’s Academy Archives, including yearbooks from 1962, 1966 and 1971; three merit certificates; a graduation cap tassel; the playbill from Ichabod Crane, signed by members of the cast; a Campfire Girls Christmas card and watch charm; and a uniform tie with Beta and Junior Beta pins.
27 | S J A C O N N E C T I O N S Spring 2020
SJA ANNUAL FUND
YOUR SUPPORT MAKES
a Difference
We all continue to adapt to the “new normal” created by COVID-19. St. Joseph’s Academy students and members of our faculty and staff rose to the occasion in many ways, all to the benefit of the SJA community. Immense creativity from our faculty, students and staff, combined with support from our technology staff, helped move classroom learning to a remote Continuous Learning Plan. And it was more than just classes taking place remotely.
• 100% CHARITABLE DEDUCTION LIMIT: The usual deduction limit for cash gifts to public charities is 60 percent of adjusted gross income (AGI). For 2020, gifts of cash to charity (excluding donor-advised funds and supporting organizations) are deductible to 100 percent of AGI. The gift may be for any charitable purpose and is not limited to gifts for Coronavirus relief.
From choir to dance to counseling services to awards recognizing our outstanding students, St. Joseph’s Academy easily found its place in the virtual world. Was it perfect? Not always. But, emboldened by our mission, our school community continues to thrive. That has not changed. Another thing that has not changed is our young ladies’ need for the support of alumnae, parents, friends and grandparents.
• REQUIRED MINIMUM DISTRIBUTION (RMD) WAIVER: The RMD is waived for IRA and other qualified retirement plan owners for the year 2020. This provision will permit IRA and other qualified retirement plan owners to retain funds in their IRAs. Because the markets declined substantially after the current RMD was calculated based on the plan value on December 31, 2019, Congress determined that it was beneficial to waive the RMD for 2020. Loyal donors may still wish to use IRA funds to make a qualified charitable distribution (QCD). The QCD is available up to $100,000 for individuals who are over age 70½.
During this time, we are both humbled by and proud of the outpouring of support from our SJA community: alumnae, parents and friends. Hundreds of you have made gifts to the Annual Fund to help our students succeed, and we appreciate you all. Our goal for the 2019-2020 Annual Fund is to raise 3.9 percent of our operating budget. To date, our parents, alumnae and friends have generously given $536,343.29 or 3.71 percent of our operating budget. Below is how we are achieving our goal: 100% gave $25,197.00 29% have given $238,017.03
TS
N PARE
11.1% have given $156,655.16
NAE ALUM
As always, please consult your tax advisor/attorney for advice on your specific situation. To those of you have already given to this year’s Annual Fund, thank you very much. For those who have not had the opportunity to give, please consider making a donation either by check or online. Every contribution of any size to the Annual Fund makes a difference. All gifts work together to provide direct benefits to our students and faculty. For more information about this year’s Annual Fund program or to make a gift online, please visit our website at https://apply.sjabr.org/ advancement/give or contact Meg Gerald at geraldm@sjabr.org or (225) 388-2254.
DS
FRIEN
16.4% have given $141,671.10 ACADEMY
Alma Mater
Lift up your voices to our Alma Mater. Pledge her your loyalty as long as she may live. Always remember the spirit and the way of Sanctity, Joy and Action, Dearest SJA.
On March 27, the U.S. House and Senate passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. There are three big fly her banners to the world proclaiming changes in charitable giving that you should be aware of: High immortal standards in colors red and white; Red for devotion, white for purity: Imparting her wisdom through the years, This is SJA
• CASH GIFTS: Individuals may deduct $300 above the line. This charitable deduction enables a taxpayer who is one of the 90 percent who take the standard deduction to also benefit from his or. her charitable gifts. The $300 above-the-line deduction must be gifts of cash by a non-itemizer and may not be to a donor-advised fund or supporting organization.
Following the singing of the Alma Mater, we invite all two-generation families to take a group photo on the front steps of Mother Alice Hall. We ask all three- and four-generation families to remain seated for a few minutes while the photo is taken. We will then move to the front of Mother Alice Hall for this photo. A reception will follow in Mother Alice Hall.
Legacy Legacy Mass mass and
AT Reception SJA
S u n d ay, Au g u s t 2 3 SUNDAY, AUGUST 19, 2018
Mass at 9 a.m. in the Chapel B r u n c h i m m e d i a t e ly f o l l ow i n g i n Mother Alice Hall
28 | S J A C O N N E C T I O N S Annual Fund
R S V P b y Fri d ay, Au g u s t 2 1 , t o va l e n i a n o k @ s ja b r. or g o r (225) 388-2244.
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 work that you value, far into the future. Why should you include a charitable gift in your will or living trust? 1. It is 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 will not receive the gift until after your death. During your lifetime, you can amend anything you choose, i.e., beneficiaries, amounts, etc. 3. Tax-wise, it could be beneficial. Gifts to qualified charitable organizations reduce the value of your estate for estate tax purposes. 4. It is an easy way to support St. Joseph’s Academy, and we would be grateful for your gift. Bequests of every size build our future financial strength. How you include a gift in your will depends on what you want to accomplish and what you want to give to. Here are some options: 1. Give a percentage of the residue of your estate (the amount left after taxes and expenses are satisfied and specific bequests have been paid): “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: “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: “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: to support a specific area, such as tuition assistance or technology education. Set up a named scholarship: 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 St. Joseph’s Academy’s correct legal name, 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 Meg Gerald in the Mission Advancement office at geraldm@sjabr.org or (225) 388-2254. 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): Have already included St. Joseph’s Academy in my/our estate plans
Am/are considering a planned gift to St. Joseph’s Academy.
Would like a personal call or visit to discuss a planned gift.
Would like to receive information about how to include SJA in a will.
CONTACT INFORMATION: Name(s): _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Address: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ City: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ State: ______________________________________________________ Zip :_______________________________________________ Phone: ___________________________ Email: _______________________________________________________________________ St. Joseph’s Academy, 3015 Broussard Street, Baton Rouge, LA 70808
ON CAMPUS
TRACK TEAM MAKES HISTORY WINNING INDOOR STATE MEET The St. Joseph’s Academy track and field team won the first indoor state championship in school history, scoring 55 points in the Allstate Sugar Bowl/Louisiana High School Athletic Association Indoor Championships. The meet, featuring 36 teams in the Division I competition, was held February 22 in the Carl Maddox Field House at LSU. On the strength of two state championship performances and a runner-up finish, SJA easily outscored Zachary High (41), John Curtis (39), Ruston (26) and Lafayette (24). Junior Sophie Martin finished first in the 1,600-meter run in a personal and school record time of 5:14.25. The 4x800meter relay team of sophomore Elise Jones, senior Virginia Dirks, junior Lydia Poche and senior Isabelle Brown finished first in 9:59.93, a new school record. Sophomore Maddie Kate Gardiner finished second in the 3,200-meter run in a time of 11:31.25, a personal and new school record. Head coach Charlie Daigle had high praise for his team, which finished second in last year’s indoor state meet. “This is a very talented group of girls who showed up and did what they’ve been doing all season,” he said. “For the second year in a row, they turned in amazing performances. I am very proud.”
30 | S J A C O N N E C T I O N S On Campus
The 4x800-meter relay team finished first in a new school record time of 9:59.93. From left, relay team members are Elise Jones, Virginia Dirks, Lydia Poche and Isabelle Brown.
The SJA track and field team brought home the first indoor state championship trophy in school history.
CHEERLEADERS, RED STEPPERS SHINE IN NATIONAL COMPETITIONS The St. Joseph’s Academy cheerleaders finished second in the 2020 National High School Cheerleading Championship, and the Red Steppers dance team finished fourth and ninth in two competition categories at the National Dance Team Championship. The cheer competition was held February 8 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports in Orlando. The squad competed in Super Varsity Division II against 30 other teams. On February 9, the team was among the six squads competing in the World School Cheerleading Championship against cheerleaders from Super Varsity Divisions I and II. The girls finished second to earn another silver medal. Coach Chelsea Milazzo said this year’s routine was the most difficult the cheerleaders have ever brought to Nationals. “The girls showed determination and dedication, and because of that, we were able to medal in an extremely competitive division,” she said. “The hard work that this year’s team has shown has been unmatched by any team I’ve ever coached. We are so proud of what they have accomplished, and it will only continue to grow and get better from here.” Moderator Lauren Morris was equally complimentary of the team’s accomplishments. “To walk away from Nationals with two silver medals is absolutely outstanding,” she said. “To compete with a routine as difficult as ours was takes dedication and hard work all year long. This shows that dedication and hard work truly pay off.” Senior Emma Hidalgo is captain of this year’s team. She said that bringing home two silver medals was a great way to end her final season. “We put in so much time and effort, and we all truly care about one another,” she said. “I am so proud of how much heart we put into what we do. Whenever something would mess up at practice, we would do it again without being told; not because we had to, but because we truly wanted to be the best we could be, and we all wanted the best for each other. Even though we did not win, we built such a name for ourselves and represented St. Joseph’s so well. This was the best season of cheer I have ever had, and I could not have asked for it to end any better.”
The Red Steppers, established in the spring of 2019 as SJA’s first competitive dance team, traveled to Orlando, for the dance competition, held January 31-February 2. The event is administered by Universal Dance Association (UDA) and is the only national-level dance team championship endorsed by the National Federation of State High School Associations. The Red Steppers competed in two categories in the Large Varsity Division: Game Day and Jazz. Game Day, which featured 42 teams, encompassed four components: fight song, sideline routine, performance routine and spirit video. The Red Steppers finished in fourth place. In the Jazz category, with 39 teams, the team finished in ninth place. Coach Jade McCune expressed tremendous pride in her team’s growth in its first competitive season. She said the performance at nationals was inspiring. “They have worked so hard without a clue of what they would be facing,” McCune said. “They walked in with confidence and left everything on the mat. They pushed each other and danced for each other. We truly let God lead the team, and we could not be prouder of the results. For this new team to make it to finals and place in top five and top 10, respectively, is truly extraordinary.” Senior Lilly Chastain said the experience was filled with laughs, tears and hard work. She said she was especially proud of the team for standing up to the pressure of competition. “Although we are all studio competition dancers, UDA competition is a whole new ball game,” she said. “I am proud we made a name for ourselves. We set a goal, we worked hard and we achieved it. The future of Red Steppers is bright, and I cannot wait to see what the team accomplishes next year.”
The SJA cheerleaders are the runners-up in this year’s National High School Cheerleading Championship.
The Red Steppers, competing in their first national competition, finished in the top five and top 10 in two competition categories at the National Dance Team Championship.
31 | S J A C O N N E C T I O N S Spring 2020
T R I B U T E D O N AT I O N S
The following tribute donations were made between January 1 and May 22, 2020. Please remember in your prayers those who are being honored as well as those who honored them. In Memory of Mrs. Ileana Alonso Classic Kia Kia Motors America Dr. Ann Nauman Mrs. Stephanie Heine Potter Ms. Amanda Quintero Mr. Fred Young Mr. and Mrs. Nicholes Zettlemoyer In Honor of Ms. Lea Arcemont ’20 Mr. and Mrs. Murphy M. Arcemont III In Memory of Sister Jane Aucoin, CSJ ’44 Mr. and Mrs. Zach Wilson
In Memory of Mrs. Jerry Rhea Cangelosi ’45 Mr. and Mrs. Davis B. Allgood Ms. Janet S. Boles Mr. and Mrs. Rick Bourgeois Jennifer Johnson Broussard Ms. Celia Cangelosi Steven and Deborah Cavalier & Family The Ducote Family Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Ellis Dr. and Mrs. John Fraiche Mrs. Ainsley E. Garrett Mr. and Mrs. Stuart Glasco Mrs. Fran Harvey Percy J. Matherne Contractor Inc. Mr. and Mrs. Charles P. Perrault Ms. Anna Scimeca Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Stephens ThornCo, LLC In Honor of Ms. Allie Casebonne ’20 Mr. and Mrs. Bryan J. Casebonne
In Honor of Ms. Ryleigh Averett ’23 Mrs. Carol Hardy
In Memory of Ms. Sarah Cecil Mr. and Mrs. Seth A. Schmeeckle
In Memory of Mrs. Ethel Babin Ms. Phyllis Hartlage
In Honor of Classmates of 1951 The Class of 1951
In Memory of Mrs. Angelina Lombardo Barthel ’58 Mr. and Mrs. Darren Esteve In Honor of Mrs. Sybil Bateman Mr. and Mrs. David L. Bateman
In Honor of the Class of 1970 Dr. Linda C. Robinson ’70 In Honor of Ms. Madison Corey ’20 Mr. and Mrs. Samuel K. Rotolo Sr.
In Honor of Ms. McCoy Bofinger Mr. and Mrs. George Bofinger
In Honor of Ms. Mary Catherine Daniels ’20 Mrs. Jackie Daniels
In Honor of Ms. Sydney Boneno ’20 Mr. and Mrs. Joseph L. Boneno
In Honor of Ms. Noelle DeFee ’20 Dr. and Mrs. Buren B. DeFee II
In Honor of Ms. Shelby Bordelon ’20 Mr. and Mrs. Brian J. Bordelo Sr.
In Honor of Ms. Flora DeMoss ’20 Mr. and Mrs. Darren W. DeMoss
In Honor of Ms. Carreigh Broussard ’20 Mr. and Mrs. Nol D. Broussard
In Memory of Mr. Don DeVille Ms. Debra DeVille Roesch
In Memory of Mrs. Katherine Brooks Broussard ’40 Mr. and Mrs. James N. Altazan In Honor of Ms. Madeline Broyles ’20 Dr. and Mrs. Joseph E. Broyles
In Memory of Mrs. Michelle DeVille Ms. Debra DeVille Roesch In Honor of Ms. Camille Doiron ’23 Mr. and Mrs. Scott Wilson In Memory of Mr. Gregory E. Dole The Book Club Babes
In Honor of Ms. Allison Brunet ’20 Mrs. Mary Ann Azar
In Honor of Ms. Autumn Dorsa ’20 Mrs. Tiffani Dorsa
In Honor of Ms. Amelia Buffone ’20 Mr. and Mrs. Hollis D. Chapman
In Honor of Ms. Jane Emory ’15 Mr. and Mrs. Chris Emory
In Memory of Mrs. Mary-Francis S. Burns Mr. and Mrs. Russell E. Haney Mr. and Mrs. Kevin F. Knobloch The Family of Debra R. Little Mr. Cary Saurage
In Honor of Ms. Savannah Esteve ’16 Mr. and Mrs. Darren Esteve In Honor of Mrs. Lauren Hurst Fontenot ’10 Mr. and Mrs. Mark Hurst
32 | S J A C O N N E C T I O N S Tribute Donations
In Honor of Ms. Victoria Fontenot ’20 Mr. and Mrs. Allen Fontenot In Memory of Mrs. Susan Cazedessus Fourrier ’63 Mrs. Bertha Moseley Collins Mr. and Mrs. John Tilton In Honor of Ms. Emma Gary ’20 The Family of Mona and Jimmy Gary In Memory of Mrs. Mary Delle Bogan Gerald ’47 Mr. and Mrs. Todd Gerald In Honor of Ms. Olivia Gomez ’20 Mr. and Mrs. Harry Bizette In Memory of Mrs. Concetta P. Greco Mr. and Mrs. Scott Markey In Honor of Ms. Aldyn Gremillion ’20 Mr. and Mrs. Bradley Gremillion In Honor of Mrs. Marian Lombardo Gulino ’64 Mr. and Mrs. Darren Esteve In Memory of Mr. Howard Hall Mr. and Mrs. Jack W. Allen In Honor of Ms. Ashley Hanks ’21 Mr. and Mrs. Isaac L. Hanks In Honor of Ms. Chloe Hixson ’20 Dr. Rebecca Davis In Memory of Ms. Allison Honeycutt ’12 Mr. and Mrs. D. Blayne Honeycutt Mr. and Mrs. Winton Waguespack In Memory of Ms. Kirstin Honoré ’18 The Family of Kate Baudoin '18 Dr. Mario Garner Mrs. Lisa Gillen In Honor of Ms. Evalyn Jackson ’20 Mr. and Mrs. Jason T. Jackson In Memory of Mrs. Eleanor Dixon Kleinpeter ’54 Mrs. Lane Roberts In Memory of Mrs. Jacqueline Billeaudeau Labat ’64 Mr. and Mrs. Errol Labat In Honor of Mr. Mark LaHaye SJA Cross Country Team In Honor of Sister Joan Laplace, CSJ The Vision 21 Foundation Sister Sharon McCauley, CSJ In Memory of Ms. Diane LeBlanc ’74 1 Anonymous Donor
In Memory of Mrs. Elaine Dixon LeBlanc ’58 Mrs. Lane Roberts
In Honor of Ms. Olivia Nicole Miller ’20 Mr. and Mrs. Keith Barbier
In Memory of Ms. Mary Ellen Leeper ’69 Mr. and Mrs. Donald E. Balhoff
In Memory of Mrs. Lauren Savoy Olinde ’02 Mr. and Mrs. Donald E. Balhoff Mr. and Mrs. Michael W. Savoy
In Honor of Ms. Sarah Levraea ’20 Ms. Linda Benson In Memory of Mrs. Jill Hurst Mabile ’91 Mr. and Mrs. George W. Alonzo Mr. Jason and Dr. Drew Arms Mr. John Kirk Mr. and Mrs. Bart J. Landry David, Anh and Grant Landry Mr. and Mrs. Randall C. Lejeune The Family of Esther Mabile Mr. and Mrs. Durward McLaughlin Doug and Judy Page Mr. Robert Papizan Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Robertson Mrs. Eleanor Favrot Stevens In Memory of James and Beverly Massey Mr. and Mrs. Troy A. Robertson In Memory of Mr. Landry P. Mayeux Ms. Sara Mayeux In Memory of Ms. Marjorie Claire McAnelly ’95 Mr. and Mrs. Donald E. Balhoff In Honor of Ms. Ashley Marie McGuire ’20 Mrs. Julia McGuire In Honor of Ms. Isabella McLaughlin ’20 Mr. and Mrs. Sean McLaughlin In Memory of Mr. Creighton Miller Dr. Elena Miller
In Memory of Mrs. Mabel Seghers Ms. Frances Seghers In Memory of Ms. Sammye D'Amico Segura ’56 Mr. and Mrs. Carroll L. DiBennedetto In Memory of Mr. Steven A. Shehane Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Stephens
In Honor of Mrs. Taylor Elizabeth Olinde ’10 Mr. and Mrs. Michael Olinde
In Memory of Mr. Louis E. Sigur Mr. James and Dr. Michele Boatwright
In Honor of Ms. Kendall Ourso ’20 Mr. Milton M. Ourso Jr. In Memory of Mr. and Mrs. Bill Pecue (Danni Bourgeois ’58) Mr. and Mrs. Will Pecue II In Honor of Sister Chris Pologa, CSJ Ms. Emily Reynaud In Honor of Ms. Emily Reynaud ’20 Mr. and Mrs. Mark Reynaud In Honor of Ms. Aubrey Romero ’23 Mr. and Mrs. Jorge A. Romero III In Honor of Ms. Kristy Roubique ’76 Cherie Andries Lato In Honor of Ms. Emma Routier ’20 Mr. and Mrs. Louis E. Routier Jr. In Memory of Ms. Natasha M. Sanford Ms. Alice Schofield In Memory of Mrs. Audrey McGuire Ellis Santos ’37 Mr. and Mrs. Randall J. Ellis Jr. In Honor of Ms. Natalie Scioneaux ’20 Mr. and Mrs. Todd G. Scioneaux In Memory of Mr. Edward Seghers Mr. and Mrs. Bernard Schott Jr.
In Memory of Mrs. Karen Smith ’77 Mr. and Mrs. Pete Boudreaux Mrs. Amey Shortess Crousillac Dr. and Mrs. Robert L. Rome Mrs. Jacqueline Watkins In Honor of Ms. Summer Smith ’18 Ms. Lark Smith In Honor of Ms. Isabelle Elise Stinson ’20 Mr. and Mrs. Don Stinson In Honor of Ms. Emily Swinney ’20 Mr. and Mrs. Ray Swinney In Memory of Mrs. Patricia Thompson Dr. and Mrs. Bruce Bordlee John and Petra Hendry Dr. and Mrs. Tom Meek Jr. Dr. and Mrs. Julius H. Mullins Jr. Dr. Patrick Unkel In Memory of Mrs. Genevieve Berryhill Toomer ’51 Mr. and Mrs. Scott Smith In Honor of Ms. Caroline Trammell ’15 Mrs. Jackie Daniels In Memory of Mr. James Watson Ms. Elizabeth Watson In Honor of Ms. Ashley Wisbar ’15 Mr. and Mrs. Frederick W. Wisbar
Buy a Brick, Leave a Legacy 35 | S J A C O N N E C T I O N S Fall 2019
Order your personalized brick today at www.sjabricks.org. Please direct questions to Wendy Coniglio at conigliow@sjabr.org.
33 | S J A C O N N E C T I O N S Spring 2020
TRANSITIONS
WEDDINGS ’82 Lane Kleinpeter to Mike Roberts, 12/12/2019 ’07 Faith Noel Rogers to Benjamin Sherman, 3/23/2020 ’09 Jane Merritt Guercio to James Oliver Voitier, 11/22/2019 ’10 Erin McCarroll to Colby Cheneval, 1/18/2019 ’10 Abigail Adkins to William Mitchell, 7/27/2019 ’13 Abigail Grant to Kieran Toohey, 2/14/2020 BIRTHS ’01 Sarah Ebey Hackley: son, Benjamin Thomas, born 9/17/2020 ’01 Lauren Michaud Knotts: son, Cooper Edward, born 1/10/2020 ’02 Amy Hutchinson Sugar: son, Luke Joseph, born 2/28/2020 ’03 Blythe Roubique Waguespack: daughter, Naomi Lee, born 11/30/2019 ’04 Amanda Messer Boeneke: daughter, Liliane “Lily” Frances, born 1/30/2020 ’04 Carolyn Wong Garcia: son, Austin Charles, born 3/5/2020 ’04 Page Young Gill: son, Redmond Harris, born 2/29/2020 ’04 Clara Padial Gullett: son, Wesson Joseph, born 3/20/2020 ’04 Jesse DeMers Lousteau: daughter, Anna Elizabeth, and son, Jude Michael, born 1/18/2020 ’04 Brittney LeBlanc May: daughter, Madison Randal, born 4/6/2020 ’04 Ali Giamalva Mullin: son, William Harrison III, born 4/14/2020 ’04 Stephanie Fife Parenton: son, O’Neil Joseph IV, born 4/16/2020 ’04 Tracie LeBleu Pearson: daughter, Margaret “Margot” Léger, born 1/30/2020 ’04 Allison Burns Selig: son, Felix Michael, born 2/6/2020 ’04 Natalie Bratton Sloan: son, Pierce Thomas, born 3/25/2020 ’04 Katie Jeter Valenciano: son, Preston Michael, born 3/1/2020 ’04 Sarah Jeansonne Wampler: daughter, Maren Violet, born 3/13/2020 ’05 Samantha Wall Blalock: daughter, Olivia Gail, born 12/9/2019 ’06 Allison Millburn Barrilleaux: son, Nolan Samuel, born 1/27/2020 ’06 Abby King Bourgeois: daughter, Camille Rose, born 3/20/2020 34 | S J A C O N N E C T I O N S Transitions
’06 Brianna Pettijohn Sommers: son, Sam Donald, born 1/29/2020 ’07 Mary Claire Lambert Petit: son, Jacob Matthew, born 1/20/2020 ’07 Randi Rasberry: son, John Joseph, born 2/2/2020 ’08 Jennifer Kimball Arrighi: daughter, Elizabeth Kimball, born 2/27/2020 ’08 Lauren Crapanzano Jumonville: daughter, Nora Crapanzano, born 2/15/2020 ’08 Kaysie Roberts Truax: son, Ford Stephen, born 3/28/2019 ’10 Simone deBrueys Bajon: son, Luke Philip, and daughter, Emma Claire, born 12/5/2019 ’10 Meagan Smith Luce: son, Liam Ellis, born 4/10/2020 ’10 Sarah Clement Skillern: son, John Thomas, born 5/20/2020 ’10 Kelly Verrett Van Hoof: son, Jack Charles, born 4/6/2020 ’12 Morgan Alford Leeth: son, George Henry, born 1/26/2020 IN MEMORIAM We make a sincere effort to publish any close alumnae family connections with the names of the deceased. With more than 10,000 alumnae, however, 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 May 26, 2020. Jacqueline Wright Achee Grandmother of Brooklynn James Wilkinson ’23 Ileana Alonso (former faculty) Mother of Ileana Alonso Carroll ’81 Albert Jerome Bileci Sr. Father of Charlotte Bileci Mahfouz ’66 Mary Blanc Grandmother of Rachel Blanc Treuting ’07 Robert Blumberg Grandfather of Leila Blumberg ’95 Julius Bombet Father of Marianella Tribaldos Titus ’84 and Domenica Tribaldos Smith ’89 James Bres Jr. Father of Meredith Bres Kolb ’66 and Judy Bres Wildfire ’67 Mary Frances Scafide Burns Grandmother of Mary Katherine Buchart Buzhardt ’03 and Alexandra Michelle Buchart ’15
Jerry Rhea Cangelosi ’45 Mother of Celia Cangelosi ’70 Grandmother of Lauren Cangelosi Cancienne ’97, Leigh Ann Cangelosi Martinez ’99, Lisa Cangelosi Winchester ’99, Katie Cangelosi Shoemaker ’00, Aimee Cangelosi ’00 and Camille Cangelosi Sanders ’02 Cade Leonard Cardenas Brother of Camille Elise Cardenas ’14 Sarah Norma Dopson Cecil Grandmother of Susanna Lee Shields ’23 Eldine Guidry Colligan Grandmother of Allison Roy Sanchez ’81 Great-grandmother of Kelsey Sanchez Gleaton ’09 Madeline Collette Commagere ’50 Francis R. Crifasi Husband of Sally White Crifasi ’52 Brother of Jennie Crifasi Fonte ’34 and Rosemary Crifasi Orr ’50 Grandfather of Grace Anne Crifasi ’22 Larry Cronan Father of Aimée Cronan ’96, St. Joseph’s Academy faculty member Helen Maurine Kyle Daviet Grandmother of Kelli Knight ’87, Jennifer Daviet McGarity ’88, Candace Knight Trigo ’89, Claire Daviet Oggs ’91 and Emily Daviet Vincent ’93 Great-grandmother of Zoey Isabel Monachello Knight ’17 and Lilli Elaine Daviet Kearns ’18 Joyce Force DeFriece ’45 Sister of Margaret Force ’43 (dec.) Irby Paul Dupont Great-grandfather of Joanne Hindmarch Carrillo ’83 Jennie Crifasi Fonte ’34 (SJA’s oldest living alumna) Sister of Rosemary Crifasi Orr ’50 Great-aunt of Grace Anne Crifasi ’22 Susan Cazedessus Fourrier ’63 Mother of Stephanie Fourrier Fontaine ’00 Edward Clark Gaudin Father of Allison Gaudin Ashy ’78 and Dana Gaudin ’79 William G. Gauthier Father of Jenny Gauthier Gray ’84 Grandfather of Catherine Adele Gauthier ’15 and Mary Elizabeth Gauthier ’23 Son of Gertrude Wilbert Gauthier ’23 (dec.) Henry Gremillion Husband of Karleen Mackey Gremillion ’70
Rita Haik Mother of Sarah Elizabeth Haik ’14 and Sophia Grace Haik ’18 Robert Francis Handy Grandfather of Caroline Marie Handy ’15 William Bernard Hanegan Jr. Husband of Ann Arbour Hanegan ’50 Brother of Maureen Hanegan Achee ’50 (dec.) and Emma Jean Hanegan Marchand ’52 Peggy Castagnos Hannaman ’44 Mother of Cathy Hannaman Brouillette ’68 Sister of Camille Castagnos Gomez ’44 (dec.) and Phyllis Castagnos Bernhard ’46 (dec.) Aunt of Connie Bernhard Shelden ’66 Great-aunt of Mitchell Cain Bernhard ’04 and Baileigh Lambert Carville ’04 Erin Harelson Mother of Margie Harelson Windham ’67, Janice Harelson Troxclair ’68, Dottie Harelson Territ ’71, Bonnie Harelson Ryland ’72, Louise Harelson Haydel ’73, Catherine Harelson Palermo ’75, Faye Harelson ’79 and Peggy Harelson Daigle ’81 Grandmother of Sherri Troxclair Levins ’89, Tracie Territo ’98 and Lauren Daigle ’12 Aunt of Carolyn Kleinpeter Morris ’61, Shirley Kleinpeter Roubique ’62, Marilyn Garon Miller ’66, Kaye Kleinpeter Brignac ’67, Barbara Kleinpeter Chenevert ’69 (dec.), Linda G. Tricou ’72 and Elaine Garon Hopkins ’76 Great-aunt of Angela Morris Dockum ’86 (dec.), Karen Young Fairess ’87, Coleen Morris Van De Car ’88, Robyn Young Brungardt ’88, Tammy Douget Dickerson ’90, Allyson Dooley ’96, Shannon Douget Feet ’96 and Jennifer Tricou Lambert ’97 Leslie Karen Repp Hebert Mother of Kacey Lee Hebert ’10 and Lauren Elizabeth Hebert ’14 DeAnna LaHaye ’70 Mother of Kimberly Weiland Billiot ’91 Sister of Sally LaHaye Young ’79 Carol A. Babin Landaiche Grandmother of Ashleigh Elizabeth Ward ’19 Elaine Dixon LeBlanc ’58 Mother of Suzanne LeBlanc Adams ’84 Sister of Eleanor Dixon Kleinpeter ’54 (dec.)
Aunt of Grace Kleinpeter Savoie ’75, Gay Kleinpeter Young ’78 and Lane Kleinpeter Roberts ’82 Great-aunt of Victoria Lynn Chenevert ’08, Rebecca Claire Kleinpeter ’10 and Alyssa Lane Young ’14 Vicki LeBleu Mother of Ryn Elizabeth LeBleu ’22 Jill Hurst Mabile ’91 Mother of Madison Hurst Mabile ’21 Daughter of Marie Gros Favrot ’67 Granddaughter of Anelia Rabalais Gros ’40 (dec.) Sister of Kim Hurst Martinez ’88 Larry Michael Maciasz Brother of Amy Neck (SJA faculty member) Uncle of Emily Louise Neck ’16 Louis William McHardy Husband of Jackie Arbour McHardy ’46 Brother of Esther Ann McHardy Chenevert ’45 and Margaret McHardy Pool ’60 Uncle of Lee Chenevert ’71 and Denise Chenevert Phillips ’75 Great-uncle of Jennifer Aguillard Parker ’94 Randy McNemar Husband of Shelia Voorhies McNemar ’68 Father of Stephanie McNemar Champagne ’97 and Monica McNemar Ford ’03 Grandfather of Alexia Ann McNemar ’23 Mary Miller Daughter of Judith Armshaw Miller ’61 Aunt of Megan Elizabeth Marcus ’16 Gary W. Mockler Grandfather of Taylor Erin Mockler ’09 and Shelby Alanna Mockler ’14 Laurel Trahan Navailhon ’85 Mother of Sarah Elizabeth Levraea Gordon C. Ogden Jr. Father of Lauren Ogden Hindelang ’80 and Candi Ogden Ferachi ’85 Grandfather of Hanlon Michele Landry ’16 and Camille Rose Ferachi ’22 Henry Dupont Olinde passed away on April 30, 2020 Grandfather of Julie Elise Olinde ’03, Taylor Elizabeth Olinde ’10 and Madeline Olinde ’13 Uncle of Katie Olinde Belcher ’83 Great-uncle of Elizabeth Grace Olinde ’09, Olivia Ogden Olinde ’09, Alabel Sybil Michelle Olinde ’14 and Ashley Elizabeth Belcher ’17
Shirley C. Pecoraro Grandmother of Heather Robinson LeBlanc ’99 Earline Boudreaux Pesson Mother of Abbie Pesson Wiler ’69 James Francis Pierson Jr. Husband of Karen Walker Pierson ’71 Florence Rageur Mother of Elizabeth Rageur Smith ’71 Jules Arthur Rousseau Grandfather of Julie Anne Rousseau ’08 and Sally Rousseau ’13 Joseph Roy Brother of Rachel Roy Steely ’70 and Yvonne Roy ’77 Uncle of Amy Roy Abadie ’88 and Jennifer Roy Gibson ’90 Great-uncle of Madeline Elliott Abadie ’14 and Olivia Roy Abadie ’15 Melissa Saale ’95 Sister of Meredith Saale Butler ’93 Felix Joseph Sagona Father of Sue Sagona Zammit ’66 Patricia Dupuy Schroeder ’48 David L. Shiroda Father of Kathleen Shiroda Needham ’82, Anne Shiroda Wadenpfuhl ’89 and Erin Shiroda Saurers ’93 Mark H. Souter Jr. Grandfather of Whitney Elise Abadie ’10 and Ivy Katherine Souter ’16 Leonard Julian Sullivan Grandfather of Elle Julian Sullivan ’22 Patricia Toca Thompson Mother of Bridget Thompson Stansbury ’67 Grandmother of Brittney Elgin Hendry ’94 and Sarah Jane Thompson Stuart ’07 Great-grandmother of Lauren Gabrielle Hendry ’19 and Emma Claire Hendry ’23 Lolita Emelia Diaz Granados Tilley Mother of Therese Tilley ’76 Michael James Veazey Sr. Father of Amy Veazey Seemann ’89 Grandfather of Caroline Veazey ’13 and Elizabeth Claire Francis ’15 Patricia Merelle West ’64 Marie Pitarro Zeller Grandmother of Carrie Zeller Martinez ’02 and Emily Zeller ’13
35 | S J A C O N N E C T I O N S Spring 2020
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