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MSM Belles Ring In State Soccer Championship



Mount St. Mary Academy won its first-ever state high school soccer championship May 2 at Lady Razorback stadium in Fayetteville, giving Coach Donnie Bridges the ultimate retirement gift.

“Coach Bridges has had a long history with Mount St. Mary Academy and he will be missed,” said Sr. Deborah Troillett, acting-principal of Mount St. Mary Academy. “He has touched the lives of nearly 500 young women over the years and his faith-based teaching and leadership will be his legacy to this school and to the Sisters of Mercy.”

After 15 years at the helm, Coach Bridges announced at the beginning of the season that this would be his last year to coach high school soccer at the Mount, turning over the reigns to Brian Clark. Brian has been working with Donnie for the last three years, but he has been coaching club soccer at the classic and recreational levels for that past 25 years.

After an embarrassing 6-0 loss to Bentonville High School in its season opener, the team rededicated itself and ended the season 19-1-1, going undefeated in conference play and winning the 7A Central Conference title. The opportunity to play Bentonville again in its last game of the season with a state championship on the line would be the keystone of the strength and character of the team and its coaching staff.

“When the team went to northwest Arkansas for the state high school soccer tournament, we arranged for the girls to tour the new Mercy Medical Center in Rogers. In front of the hospital, the girls stopped and prayed for a little extra guidance at a statue of Catherine McAuley,” said Troillett.

With strong leadership of 13 seniors on the team, the Belles beat Bentonville after two overtime periods and a shoot out.

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MSM Swim Team Named State Champs



In February, the Mount St. Mary Swim Team was Named 2008 Arkansas High School Swimming and Diving State Champs. The last time Mount St. Mary earned the state champion title in this sport was 1985. Team members are Olivia Morley '08, Danielle Pena '10, Megan Young '11, Jessica Wilde '08, Laura Peterson '08, Amee Pena '10, Ann Richardson '10, and Rachel Reeves '10. Special thanks to coaches Mary Dawn Blair, Lindann Blair 03, and Marissa Blair '01, and to school coordinator Joyce Person, for your countless hours and dedication.

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MSM welcomes the Argentine girls


(L to R) Candie Villagra, Mercedes Arguimbau, and Candie Poviña with Madame Sue Mistric, MSM teacher and coordinator of the Mercy Ambassador program.

From February 1- February 29, the Mount welcomed three exchange students from Colegio Santa Ethnea, a Mercy School in Buenos Aires, Argentina. This was the sixth year that MSM has partnered with Colegio Santa Ethnea in this exchange program. The Argentinean students stayed with Mount host students, Sarah Dalby '08, Claire Nicholas '09, Paige Pirtle '10 all of whom will return the exchange this summer as Mercy Ambassadors to Colegio Santa Ethnea.

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Lenten Penny Drive Brings In $4,700



Each year during the Lenten season, the MSM campus ministry department sponsors a penny drive. Students hold a friendly competition among class levels, where points are given or subtracted based on the coins collected. Pennies earn positive points, while silver coins mean negative points. The class with the most points wins the competition.

School-wide, the penny drive and other miscellaneous donations combined, brought in more than $4,700.

This year, the senior class took first place, juniors were second, freshmen finished third, and sophomores placed fourth. While the senior class may have won the most points, the real winners were the organizations that received the proceeds from the drive. Those organizations included: a Mercy School in Cambodia, and an African missionary group being led by a former MSM teacher, the Rice Bowl Organization, tornado victims in Mound Bayou, MS, and "The Kitchen" food bank in Springfield, MO.

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Alcohol Awareness Program Impacts Many

Mount St. Mary students are completing a second year of taking the "Protecting You/Protecting Me" alcohol awareness education program to local elementary schools. They are teaching the classes under the direction of Laura Rasco Reeves '87.

The "Protecting You/Protecting Me" program is a science-based alcohol use prevention program that is taught to elementary students by high school students. It is an accredited curriculum developed by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). This program has been used very successfully in other states, but the Mount is the first site in Arkansas where it's being used.

Mount St. Mary juniors are trained to teach the program, and they began with elementary students at Our Lady of the Holy Souls last year. This year, in addition to returning to Holy Souls, the students have also been teaching at Christ the King, St. Edward and North Little Rock Academy.

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MSM Teacher Earns Fulbright-Hays Grant



Mrs. Phyllis Butler, a social studies teacher at Mount St. Mary Academy since 1991, will travel to South Africa this summer as a participant in a Fulbright-Hays Group Project Abroad. Mrs. Butler is one of 16 teachers in Arkansas selected for this honor. Group Projects Abroad is funded by the U.S. Department of Education, and is a one-month program of instruction, field study, and cultural activities in the Republic of South Africa. During this time participants will develop curriculum materials for use in their classrooms. They will attend lectures at the University of the Western Cape given by professors of South African history, government, economics, literature, music, religion, and health. They will also visit South African schools and travel throughout Durban, Johannesburg, Kimberley, a rural Zulu village in KwaZulu-Natal province, and Swaziland.

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Students Sign Letters of Intent for Collegiate Sports

Four seniors have signed scholarship letters of intent to play collegiate soccer. On February 8, Mary Pat Hardin signed to play for Oklahoma State University, and on February 12, Julie Foerster and Caty McMains both signed to play for the University of Central Arkansas. And on April 14, Annie DeCoursey signed with Rockhurst (Kansas City). Ceremonies were held for each signing, which featured parents, teammates, former coaches, and head MSM soccer coach Donny Bridges.

On April 17, senior Lauren Ramsey signed a scholarship letter of intent to play basketball with Lyon College. Lauren is the daughter of Diana Hain Ramsey '79 and Mike Ramsey of North Little Rock

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Six Students Tapped for Governor's School

Mount St. Mary has had six juniors accepted into Arkansas Governor's School and two chosen as alternates. Governor's School is one of the most prestigious programs in the state. Selection for Governor's School is based on a combination of ability and interest in specific subject areas.

Those selected were:
Elizabeth Beadle for Social Studies
Abby DeLoach for English and Language Arts
Madeleine Kimborough for English and Language Arts
Katherine McCoid for Natural Science
Sarah Moreau for Social Studies
Amelia Smith for Social Studies

Selected as alternates are:
Summer McBride for Social Studies
Vivian Onyekwelu for Social Studies

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Student Awards and Scholarships

Mount St. Mary senior, Joanna Kyle has been named a 2008 Stephens City Education Trust Fund recipient. She was one of eight students in the central Arkansas area awarded the scholarship. The annual award recognizes students for academic excellence and community service. She will receive a $5,000 cash award. The award was established in 1984 by investment banker brothers Jack and Witt Stephens. In March, JoAnna was also one of two Arkansas delegates at the 2008 William Randolph Hearst Foundation United States Senate Youth Program. She spent a week in Washington experiencing the national government in action. As a delegate, she heard major policy addresses by Senators, cabinet members, officials from the Departments of State and Defense and directors of other federal agencies, and participated in a meeting with a Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. All transportation, hotel and meal expenses will be provided by the Hearst Foundation. She will also be awarded a $5,000 College Scholarship for undergraduate studies. JoAnna is the daughter of Bill Kyle, and is a member of the Cathedral of St. Andrew.

Gabby Escovedo, a senior at Mount St. Mary Academy in Little Rock, was awarded a Dean's Scholarship to Arkansas State University at Jonesboro. The scholarship is currently valued at $25,240 over four years. Gabby is the daughter of Nunie and Katie Escovedo of North Little Rock.

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Alumnae Recognition

Whitney Gammill MSM '05, UA biochemistry major, of Maumelle. Gammill intends to earn a Ph.D. in biochemistry and combine biochemistry research with a university teaching position. The scholarship will cover the cost of tuition, fees, books, and room and board up to a max of $7,500 per year. The Berry N. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program was established by Congress in 1986 to honor late Sen. Berry M. Goldwater. The purpose is to provide a continuing source of scientist, mathematicians and engineers by awarding scholarships to college students who intend to pursue careers in these fields. For the 2008-2009 academic year, 321 scholarships went to undergraduate sophomores and juniors.