Tuesday, May 30, 2006

Montgomery Catholic Honors Students at Academic Award Banquet

Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School honored their top high school students at their Annual Academic Awards Banquet. Departmental awards, National Honor Society inductions, Most Improved and Most Outstanding students were named and well as Leader of the Year and Ideal Catholic Graduates. The Most Improved Student for each grade is determined by the student’s GPA at the end of the second trimester of 2005 and the GPA at the end of the second trimester of 2006. The student with the greatest improvement in their GPA is named “the most improved student.” Sophomore Most Improved is Alex V. Taylor, Most Improved Junior is Nick Jett, and Most Improved Senior is Lindsay Avant. The Most Outstanding Student honors those students with the highest GPA in their class. Most Outstanding Freshman is Caitlyn Schnitzer, Most Outstanding Sophomore is Jacob Weatherly, Most Outstanding Junior is Thomas Herge, and Most Outstanding Senior and Class Valedictorian is Audrey Duke. The St. Mary of Loretto/Montgomery Catholic Alumni Association offers a $3,000 scholarship to a member of the rising senior class who exemplifies service to others, their school, and community. Kristin Sutton was chosen from a field of seven applicants. Kristin is the daughter of Bill and Liz Sadie ’77 Sutton. Ideal Catholic Graduate honors the student who epitomizes the qualities and ideals of a well-rounded student. This year’s Ideal Catholic Graduate was awarded to Laura Barranco and Lauren Tucker. The Leader of the Year honors the student who is a leader both inside and outside the classroom. This year’s Leader of the Year was awarded to Mary Catherine Ingram. Ten students were nominated for the Leader of Year honor. They were Laura Barranco, Mary Catherine Ingram, Mary Kimbrough, Kristin Sutton, Trey Griffith, Olivia Veres, Bob Weber, Cynthia Weber, Lauren Tucker, and Lauren Houston.

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Jim Tolbert Named Athletic Director

Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School President Faustin Weber named Jim Tolbert as the school’s new athletic director effective July 1. Tolbert will oversee all high school and middle school athletic teams.

“We were blessed to have several excellent applicants for this position,” Weber explains, “but we felt that Jim’s executive skills, his public relations expertise and his life-long interest in Alabama high school athletics made him the best combination for us.”
Tolbert, a former president of the MCPS school council, has more than 20 years experience in public relations and communications. He spent the past three years as general manager of Gadsden Broadcasting Co. and is a staff writer for the Birmingham News sports department.

“I am very excited to have this opportunity,” said Tolbert. “Catholic has played such an important role in the lives of my entire family. My wife and I have been active supporters of the Montgomery Catholic school system for many years. Our oldest son is a Catholic High graduate and now serves as the boys basketball coach and our youngest son is about to enter his senior year here.

“I’m looking forward to taking my passion for and knowledge of athletics and using it to continue building athletic teams that are competitive at the highest level. Our top priority will always be to produce outstanding young Christian men and women.”

Tolbert succeeds Tony Taylor, who resigned recently to return to coaching and teaching.

Tolbert holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from Auburn University. Prior to joining Gadsden Broadcasting, he served as executive director of the Diabetes Trust Fund in Birmingham. He has also served as communications manager for the American Red Cross Blood Services and was public affairs director for the Alabama Public Service Commission.

Monday, May 08, 2006

State’s Top Speller Prepares for National Contest

Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School seventh grader, Ben Szatanek, is preparing for the competition of his life. The past few months have been very exciting for the two-time Montgomery County spelling bee champion and now Alabama’s top speller as he prepares himself to compete in the 79th Annual Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, DC on May 31st and June 1st. Ben has been studying and practicing his spelling diligently with his mom. On the eve of the state competition, Ben went up against the teachers in a mock spelling bee in front of the entire Middle School. Ben said, “It was fun to see how well my teachers could spell.” Of course, he was the last man standing. After 17 grueling rounds, Ben cinched the state title with the correct spelling of “Catechumen.” The Scripps National Spelling Bee will be televised on ESPN on June 2nd.

Pictured: Alabama’s top speller, Ben Szatanek, is a seventh grade student at Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School.

David ’72 & Jeanne ’72 Barranco Named Charlie Harbin Distinguished Service Award Winners

David and Jeanne Barranco are very dedicated and loyal supporters of Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School. Being products of our school themselves, their love and dedication to the school runs very deep and spans generations on both sides of their family. They and their four sons are alumni of Montgomery Catholic and their daughter, Laura, will graduate this spring.

Over the years, both David and Jeanne have been and still are active participants of all programs and festivities connected with MCPS. Jeanne has been on the Alumni Committee since its inception, always serving on various subcommittees and helping in all spots where she recognizes a need. Many hours she has spent sorting through the archived photographs and bringing order to the chronicles. David has spent as much time as Jeanne in the halls of CHS and on the football & baseball fields where he was an original member of the “Chain Gang.” Both of them have been the driving force behind the Annual Spring Dinner, auction, and countdown, heading up the ticket sales committee and manning the phones to get those last few tickets sold. Whether its through hosting after Prom breakfasts for the students, volunteering to compile the Nowadays Alumni Newsletter, helping out on school clean up days, organizing Homecoming receptions for alumni, or sponsoring athletic banners, David & Jeanne and their family business, Chappy’s Deli, can always be counted on as steadfast supporters of Montgomery Catholic.

There is likely no complete record of the many times both of them have served on various committees and functions connected with Montgomery Catholic, at individual times or together, to assist in pursuing the goals set by our school for the students and faculty. In fact, David and Jeanne have even decorated the tables, cooked, and served the meal to all recipients of this Distinguished Service Award, and their families, since 1999. They are always cheerful, eager, and enthusiastic in whatever task they are asked to do, or have volunteered before being asked to handle many problems. Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School is proud to honor David and Jeanne as the Harbin Distinguished Service Award recipients this year.

Wednesday, May 03, 2006

Mary Catherine Ingram Receives AATF Outstanding Senior in French Award

The American Association of Teacher of French (AATF) is pleased to announce that Mary Catherine Ingram of Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School has received a 2006 AATF Outstanding Senior in French Award. This award is made annually to a graduating senior who has demonstrated excellence in the study of French as well as exceptional commitment to the French language and the many cultures where it is spoken. Recipients must have completed at least three years of French study at the time of graduation and be non-native speakers of French.

Mary Catherine has traveled abroad, is an officer of the French Club, has participated in National French Week activities, is a member of the National French Honor Society, and has encouraged other students to take French IV so it could be offered at her school for the first time. She has studied French for four years and is the student of Madame Patricia K. Crowley.

Montgomery Catholic Wins State 2006 Pedagoguery Award

Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School was recently named the State/Provincial Winner of the 2006 Pedagoguery Award for the Mathematical Association of America. One award is given to the school in each state or province with the best difference in team score on the AMC 10 and also the school in each state or province with the best difference in team score on the AMC 12 from 2005 to 2006. Through the generosity of Pedagoguery Software, Inc., who donated the awards, the American Mathematics Competitions is making this award to stimulate continued year-to-year interest in the AMC contests and to reward teachers who coach their teams to greater levels of achievement on the contests and in mathematics generally. Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School is an annual participant in both the AMC 10 and AMC 12 math competitions through The Mathematical Association of America.