Campus News

Every division gathered on the lawn of the Motherhouse to celebrate Mass and the Feast of the Archangels with Bishop Edward Malesic on September 29, 2021. The students were joined by the Dominican Sisters of Peace who live in the Motherhouse. Afterward, everyone enjoyed an outdoor picnic lunch, hosted by parent volunteers, where Bishop Malesic had a chance to interact with Elms students.

Senior Mackenzie Knott and Junior Christine Mwangi honored through the College Board National Recognition Programs. These programs grant underrepresented students academic honors that can be included on college and scholarship applications; they link students with universities across the country, helping them meaningfully connect to colleges and stand out during the admissions process.

Students who may be eligible have a GPA of 3.5 or higher and have excelled on the PSAT/NMSQT or PSAT 10, or earned a score of 3 or higher on two or more AP Exams; and are African American or Black, Hispanic American or Latinx, Indigenous, and/or attend school in a rural area or small town.

“By awarding students who excel academically with honors from the College Board National Recognition Programs, our aim is to create pathways to college for underrepresented students,” said Steve Bumbaugh, College Board senior vice president of College & Career Access.

Knott has been a student at the

Elms since 2014. She is applying to Washington University in St. Louis, Indiana University - Bloomington and The Ohio State University for college. She is interested in majoring in East Asian Languages and Cultures with either a double major or minor in Cultural Anthropology. From Akron, her parents are Andre Knott and Rilinda Rodgers-Knott. Mwangi joined the Elms community in 2018. She resides in Akron with her parents Genaro Mwangi Kinyua and Prisca Kibe-Kinyua.

“We’re thrilled our students have earned this recognition. We are very proud of them for their achievement,” said Kevin Kelly, Academic Dean.

At the end of the 2020-21 academic year, the Elms community bid adieu to four employees. Together, their service to the Elms totaled more than 100 years! • Helen Carson, who worked in

Elms housekeeping for 33 years; • John “JR” Reed, who worked in maintenance and coached basketball, had been with the

Elms for 33 years; • Richard Ruggles, who taught

Upper School Spanish for 17 years; and, • Kandy Zartman, who taught music for 20 years;

And stepping back from her day-to-day responsibilities is Sr. Maura Bartel.

We extend best wishes to each and every one of you! For those who might want to extend congratulations or share happy memories, feel free to send notes to Kelly Mocarski at the Elms and she will pass them along (kmocarski@theelms.org; Kelly Mocarski, Our Lady of the Elms School, 1375 W. Exchange St., Akron, OH 44313).

Upper School English Teacher Elaine Fippin received the University of Chicago Outstanding Educator Award this fall. Each year, newly admitted UChicago students have the opportunity to reflect on their time in school and nominate an educator who played a significant role in their education, made a positive impact in their lives and whose influence has brought them to where they are today.

According to the press release: The University of Chicago is honored to recognize excellence in teaching and sincerely congratulates this year’s Outstanding Educator Award winners, who are exceptional in their field and role models for all students. The University deeply appreciates the lively minds who thirst for knowledge that these educators have nurtured and inspired. We thank the Outstanding Educators for going above and beyond the call of duty every day and leaving an impression that will be carried over a lifetime.

Mrs. Fippin was nominated by Bernadette Broscius ’21 who attends the University of Chicago as a Questbridge National College Match Scholarship recipient. QuestBridge helps outstanding, qualified high school seniors gain admission and full four-year scholarships to some of the nation’s most selective colleges. Currently, two current Seniors are moving forward in the selection process in hopes of becoming 2022 recipients.

Congratulations, Mrs. Fippin!

The academic dean, Kevin Kelly, of Our Lady of the Elms School, announced that Senior Grace Pryor has been named a Commended Student in the 2022 National Merit Scholarship Program. A Letter of Commendation from the school and National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC®) has been presented by the academic dean to this scholastically talented senior.

About 34,000 Commended Students throughout the nation are being recognized for their exceptional academic promise. Although they will not continue in the 2022 competition for National Merit Scholarship awards, Commended Students placed among the top 50,000 students who entered the 2022 competition by taking the 2020 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®).

Pryor joined the Elms community in 2018 following graduation from Spring Garden Waldorf School in Copley. She resides in Kent, OH with her parents Richard Pryor and Elizabeth Smith-Pryor. Grace has applied to colleges around the country (Brown, Bryn Mawr, Emory, Macalester, Smith, University of Chicago and Welleslley) and in Ohio (Case Western Reserve University, Wooster, Kent State, Kenyon, Miami University and Oberlin) with an interest in pursuing a degree in history and political science. Last year Grace filmed a promo for students interested in attending the Elms, which is available on the School’s website at: www.theelms.org/pryor.

Congratulations, Grace!

We’re thrilled to announce that we continue to be recognized as the #1 Catholic High School in Summit County by Niche.com. We’ve earned this ranking by scoring highly in many factors that aim to capture what it’s really like to attend Our Lady of the Elms. While we’ve always known that the Elms is a wonderful place to learn and grow, we’re so proud of our students and staff for earning this distinction. See our profile at www.theelms.org/niche.