Montgomery Catholic Preparatory News

Van Alst Named Most Outstanding Wrestler at Julian McPhillips Invitational

2012-01-17T08:06:00.000-06:00

The Montgomery Catholic wrestling program recently competed in the Julian McPhillips Invitational Wrestling Tournament held at Saint James School. The Knights took home eighth place overall with three wrestlers placing in their weight classes. Aidan Gilbert, a senior, won third place in his weight class. David Norris, a junior, won second place in his weight class. Zachary Van Alst, a seventh grader, won his weight class and was voted the Most Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament. The Knights round out the regular season on the road with tournaments in Birmingham and Wetumpka. Pictured: Montgomery Catholic's Zachary Van Alst accepting his award from former Montgomery Catholic parent and founder of the Catholic wrestling program Mr. Julian McPhillips at the Julian McPhillips Invitational Tournament. (photo by Jennie Van Alst)

Montgomery Catholic Students Use Imaginations in Science

2011-12-27T13:43:00.001-06:00

Montgomery Catholic fourth grade students in Miss Whitman's classes used their imaginations to give "extinct" animals a new life through the "Really Extinct" project. While discussing ecosystems and extinct animals, the students had to create their own extinct creature using recycled materials. The fourth graders also had to write paragraphs describing their creature's name, habitat, food sources, defense mechanisms, shelter, and how their animal became "extinct." The students let their imaginations run wild and then presented their animals to the class. Ethan Macchia created a "Smelly-pede" from the Hawaiian Islands. Sydney Downes created a "Chick-ma-Goose" from Hong Kong. Ricky Treloar created a "Deeraffus", which is a cross between a deer and a giraffe. Carson Binns created a "Red-eyed Glaw Gator" which uses its night vision to hunt its prey. Pictured with their "extinct creatures" Montgomery Catholic fourth graders Ethan Macchia, Ricky Treloar, Sydney Downes, and Carson, Binns.

Montgomery Catholic Nominates Three for Man of the Year

2011-12-27T13:27:00.000-06:00

Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School's Government Club recently nominated three outstanding leaders for the YMCA's 60th annual Man of the Year program. Among the nominees were Liz Sadie Sutton, Montgomery Catholic class of 1977, Steve Barranco, Montgomery Catholic class of 1985, and Anne Ceasar, President of Montgomery Catholic. Chad DuBois, Hannah Masingill, and Megan Karst served as officers for the 2011 Man of the Year Committee. The members of the Montgomery Catholic nominating committee were Jarrett Mason, Maggie Starr, Hannah Barranco, Sydney Jarman, Lexie Wilkinson, and Sarah Talbot. Pictured: Montgomery Catholic Government Club members and their Man of the Year nominees Jarrett Mason, Liz Sutton, Sarah Talbot, Hannah Barranco, Steve Barranco, Lexie Wilkinson, Sydney Jarman, Anne Ceasar, and Maggie Starr.

Montgomery Catholic's Westendorf Chosen for National Soccer Team

2011-12-27T13:20:00.001-06:00

Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School student Jennifer Westendorf has been selected to the U.S. Under-15 Girls' National Soccer Team. Jennifer attended the training at The Home Depot Center in Carson, California, with 23 other young women from across the country. All of the players selected for the U-15 National Team are age-eligible for the 2012 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup. These young women will form the core of the team attempting to qualify next spring for the Women's World Cup in Azerbaijan next fall. Jennifer will play as a forward on the U-15 National Team.

Montgomery Catholic Raises Awareness at Jingle Bell Run

2011-12-27T13:08:00.000-06:00

Many members of the Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School family joined forces with the Arthritis Foundation to support the 2011 Jingle Bell Run held on the Huntingdon College campus. With 42 members, Montgomery Catholic's team raised $1,500 to support the fight against arthritis. Many of Montgomery Catholic's team members placed in their age groups including Corey Cotter taking 1st in his age group 15-19 and 2nd place overall, Alex Taylor taking 1st in his age group of 20-24 and 3rd overall, Jeff Jenkins with 2nd in his age group 20-24 and 4th overall, James Sadie was 1st in his age group 9-14, Katherine Terino was 1st in her age group 15-19, Joseph Sutton was 3rd in his age group 15-19, John Norris was 2nd in his age group 45-49, and Mackenzie Colvin was 2nd in her age group of 15-19. This was the fourth year Montgomery Catholic has participated in the Jingle Bell Run and look forward to next year's event. Montgomery Catholic's Jingle Bell Run team members were team captain Tracie Colvin, Ashley Barranco, Julie Barranco, Anne Ceasar , Hayes Colvin, Mackenzie Colvin, Corey Cotter, Rhonda Cotter, Hayden Ellis, Jeff Jenkins, Scott Johnston, Mary Kelley, Ken Klinger, Katrina Magdon, Monica McCain, Hunter Miller, Maureen Neighbors, John Norris, Doug Price, Lori Price, Stevie Price, Leslie Rider, James Sadie, John Sadie, Lisa Sadie, Josh Stark, Katelyn Stark, Sharon Stark, Joseph Sutton, Liz Sutton, Alex Taylor, Fran Taylor, John Terino, Katherine Terino, Lynda Thacker, Dennis Weber, Karen Weber, Julie Wood, Kirstin Wood, Barr Younker, Cappy Younker, and Emily Younker. Pictured: Members of Montgomery Catholic's Jingle Bell Run team pose with Santa Clause just before the event. photo by Mary Kelley.

Montgomery Catholic Students Play for Capital City Juniors Volleyball Club

2011-12-19T16:19:00.000-06:00

Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School students are proud of their students who have been selected to play on several teams of the Capital City Junior (CCJ) Volleyball Club. On the CCJ 13 Black team are Kayanna McKenzie and Ansley Rohde. Emily Barranco will play on the CCJ 14 Black team. McKinlee Houghland, Jennifer Tyner, and Ashley Karst will play on the CCJ 15 Blue team. Abby Rohde was selected for the CCJ 17 Black team and Elizabeth Karst will play fon the CCJ 18 Black team.

The Capital City Juniors Volleyball Club provides the opportunity for highly motivated volleyball players to develop and enhance their skills through participation in a safe and enjoyable environment that encourages a health competitive spirit and atmosphere in which they train and flourish. Athletes learn the benefits of teamwork, self-discipline, personal responsibility, high standards and the joy of achievement. The CCJ has a total of 120 players among 12 teams for girls from 12 to 18 years.

Congratulations to our Middle School Honor Roll Students

2011-11-22T09:09:00.000-06:00

Congratulations to our middle school students who achieved Honor Roll status for the first quarter. For "A" Honor Roll, they are Agnes Armstrong, Ivy Bach, Emily Barranco, Kathleen Beesley, David Bender, Lexie Bourgeois, Marissa Dogan, Claire Fischer, Lacy Herbek, Stephen Higgins, Gabe Keating, Audrey Kim, Brian Lee, Kayanna McKenzie, Nadine Moussalli, Patrick O’Mara, Andrew Reimann, and Zach VanAlst. The students who achieve "A/B" Honor Roll are Skye Alexander, Nia Averett, Julie Bae, Will Barranco, Tyler Barranco, Kenneth Bell, Neeley Boston, Adam Bristol, Briana Chevez, James Cleghorn, Trey Downes, Eryka Ellington, Madison Gaston, Abaigeal Gilbert, Haleigh Huggins, Blake Johnson, Devin Kelly, Anna Koerner, Mel Koontz, Emily Lafreniere, Katie Lawerence, Aubrey Lenn, Sarah Little, Morris Lottinger, Megan Matisak, Katie McDaniel, Morgan Micher, Zenia Mims, Sarah Peek, Samantha Richburg, Ethan Ronan, James Sadie, Madison Searcy, Katie Smith, Lauren Smith, Nate Smith, Mary Reagan Starrett, Jordan Steele, Megan Stembridge, Logan Stevens, Iyana Tate, Beth Vaughn, Hugh Walker, and Jennifer Westendorf.

Montgomery Catholic Student Artwork Wins at Alabama National Fair

2011-11-10T15:48:00.001-06:00

Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School student artwork won numerous awards at the 2011 Alabama National Fair. Migyn Kim won first place in Watercolor and the overall winner for her artwork. David Babb won second place in Watercolor. Audrey Kim won Division I for 7th - 9th grades in Opaque and Watercolor. Jinah Kim won third place in Pastels. Meredith Kocan won first place in Pastels. Olivia Nobles won first place in Acrylics. Madison Roberts won second place in Acrylics. Abby Rohde won second place in Pastels and third place in Acrylics. and Beth Wyatt won third place for her Printing work. Montgomery Catholic's middle and high school Art instructor is Ms. Joane Grant.
Pictured: Montgomery Catholic Art students display their award winning artwork in the middle/high school studio.

Montgomery Catholic Student Learn Spanish Traditions for All Saints & All Souls Days

2011-11-10T15:23:00.000-06:00

Spanish I and Middle School exploratory classes at Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School recently studied the history and Catholic significance of the Dia de Todos los Santos (All Saints Day) and Dia de los Muertos (All Souls Day). Students made projects depicting typical decorations used during this celebration in Mexico, such as Papel Picado (ornately cut paper), Calaveras (skulls), Mojigangas (Large papier-mâché dolls/masks), and Barilletes (large ornately decorated kites). Students chose the project they wanted to complete. Students decorated Mrs. Santana’s classroom with their projects and spent November 1st and 2nd talking about the history of the celebration, its origins and significance, as well as typical customs and celebrations that go along with the day. The middle school students got first-hand information from Mrs. Adalia Lozano who is a native of Monterrey, Mexico. Mrs. Lozano told the students how the holiday is celebrated in Mexico and how she celebrates it now in the United States.

Pictured: Middle school students from Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School display their Spanish inspired artwork during their Spanish Exploratory class for All Saints and All Souls Day.

St. Bede Science Olympiad Team Wins 1st Place at University of West Alabama

2011-11-01T09:11:00.001-05:00

Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School’s Elementary Science Olympiad (ESO) Team at St. Bede won first place at the Science Olympiad Competition held on the campus of the University of West Alabama (UWA). There were eight teams representing 12 schools from around the state at this year’s competition. Montgomery Catholic’s team won first place overall, as well as first place in the Pasta Mobile and the Water Rockets divisions. The water rocket distance was a record breaker at 11.25 feet!

Participation in Science Olympiads has been directly related to increased interest and achievement in science and math. Events in the ESO relate directly to National Science Education Content Standards and to Alabama Content Standards for Science.

Science Olympiad is a national nonprofit organization devoted to improving the quality of science education, increasing student interest in science, and providing recognition for outstanding achievement in science education by both students and teachers. Science Olympiad is also designed to encourage classroom teachers to explore new and challenging ways of teaching science.

Broken into three main divisions, Science Olympiad caters to students of all ages. Division A encompasses students from kindergarten through the sixth grade. Through a series of hands-on events, young students gain valuable experiences that encourage further exploration into the world of science. The Elementary Science Olympiad offers a unique opportunity for students to test their creative and cooperative skills, interact with other motivated students, and expand their minds with science. The emphasis is on learning, participation, interaction, and having fun.

Montgomery Catholic’s Elementary Science Olympiad team members are Annie Bach, Anna Catherine Barranco, Carrie Belsterling, Lita Blackburn, Mary Katherine Brunson, Jessie Clark, Luke Craig, Wes Domsalla , Jacob Flowers, Katie Fischer, Jonah Gier, Anna Mary Gilbert, Sieanna Grogan-Albaugh, Reagan Herbek, Ryne Herbek, Grace Leslie, Maddie Losik, Ethan Macchia, Alex O'Donnell, Henry Petters, Demetrios Philippou, Kyriacos Philippou, Zoe Rutland, Annabel Starrett, and Hunter Vaccaro.

Montgomery Catholic Pee Wee Football Team Wins Jamboree

2011-10-31T13:10:00.001-05:00

The Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School Pee Wee football team, consisting of fifth and sixth grade students, won the Lowndes Academy Jamboree Bowl by defeating the Hooper Academy Colts 7-0 in the first game, then defeating the Lowndes Academy Rebels 14-6 in the championship game. Coaches Pat McGinn, Matt Binns, John Wyatt, and Scott Godwin led the Knights in their first-ever youth football season. The Termite team, consisting of second through fourth grade students, also participated in the Lowndes Academy Jamboree and brought home the third place trophy for their age group. The Termite team was coached by Bruce Johnson.

After its inaugural season, the Pee Wee and Termite teams hope to build on the success of this year next season. The Termite team members were John McLennan, Dean Johnson, Grant Smith, Austin Cleghorn, Jason Flowers, Hollis Johnson, James Saliba, Chas Allen, Ethan Binns, Shawn Sponsler, Sean Moore, Will Driver, Dixon Peak, and Harrison Downes. The Pee Wee team members were Carson Binns, Luke Whetstone, Drew Smith, Cameron Huggins, William Furey, John Kitchens, Gabe Boles, Mathew Klinger, Donavahn Wyatt, Clint Williams, Daniel Reeves, Braxton Rogers, William Hooper, Mathew Taylor, Trey Wilkinson, Kamryn Jackson, Cary Dean, Thomas McLaughlin, Luke Craig, Carter Beesley, Evan Miles, Stevie Price, Dylon Godwin, Austin Vickery, Nicholas Brown, and Garrett McGinn.

Montgomery Catholic Students Celebrate 9th Annual Worldwide Eucharistic Holy Hour with Mass and Adoration

2011-10-20T10:05:00.001-05:00

On the Feast of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary on First Friday, October 7th - 2011. over one million Catholic school Children from around the world, including the three campuses of Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School, came before the Most Blessed Sacrament.

“We were united with all the children of the world, along with those gathered at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington D.C.,” said Deacon Jim Labadie, who teaches at the high school campus. “Having Adoration brought an added dimension to our weekly school Mass, reminding us that no matter where we are, in or outside of Mass, Jesus Christ is truly present in the Eucharist,” commented junior David Norris. The Chapel at Montgomery Catholic’s Middle/High School Campus, and St. Bede’s Church, St. Bede Campus, were used for the event, which also included a Procession of the Blessed Sacrament.

All 797 students at Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School participated in the day dedicated to praying for a deepened awareness of Christ’s presence in the Eucharist, an increase in vocations to the priesthood and religious life, and a reawakening of the vocation of Marriage and the family. “The fact is we are suffering from a crisis of vocation across the board, marriage, priesthood and religious life. Going before the Lord present in the Blessed Sacrament makes us aware of His presence in the midst of our circumstances. Being in His presence provokes an experience that helps us rediscover our desire for the infinite, the living God who makes Himself known in the face of Jesus Christ,” said Tom Riello, religion teacher.

“I have been exposed to Adoration quite a bit in Montgomery with the various parishes offering the opportunity to adore the Lord. To have that same opportunity offered where I go to school is amazing, it is special. What we do at Montgomery Catholic is related to what is done in our parishes,” remarked sophomore Andrea Hayes.

Pictured: The Eucharistic procession at Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School's Middle/High School Campus.

Montgomery Catholic Places 3rd in University of Alabama Math Tournament

2011-10-18T09:36:00.000-05:00

Eleven students from Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School participated in the 30th annual University of Alabama Math Tournament in Tuscaloosa on October 1, 2011. Led by team high scorers Brian Lee and Zach Hulcher, the team placed 3rd in their division and was the highest scoring team from central Alabama.
The tournament included a team round of twelve challenge problems and an individual round of 50 questions from the high school mathematics curriculum through pre-calculus. The Montgomery Catholic team earned their final placement with a strong performance on the challenge problems. The current team of mostly sophomore and juniors is looking forward to next year when more members will have actually taken pre-calculus.

Twelve schools participated in the tournament this year. Tournament Coordinator Dr. Jim Gleason says, “We are excited about having Montgomery Catholic come again this year. It has been good to see the students and faculty becoming more involved in the mathematics community in Alabama. “

Montgomery Catholic Crowns 2011 Homecoming Queen & King

2011-10-17T15:31:00.001-05:00

Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School recently crowned their 2011 Homecoming Queen and King during the half-time ceremonies of the varsity football game as the Knights hosted Excel High School. Miss Hailey Loria was crowned by the 2010 Homecoming Queen Mary Allison Tyner. Hailey is the daughter of Tony and Angela Loria. Mr. Miller Clemmons was named Homecoming King and presented a scepter by 2010 Homecoming King Jake Clark. Miller is the son of Greg Clemmons and Susan Ryan.

The Freshman Attendant was Jennifer Tyner. Jennifer is the daughter of Russ and Kathy Tyner. Jennifer was escorted by Gaten Armstrong. Gaten is the son of Brett Armstrong and Joanie Armstrong. The Sophomore Attendent was Anna McCracken. Anna is the daughter of Chris and Stephanie McCracken. Anna was escorted by Michael Moussalli. Michael is the son of Drs. Samir and Cinzia Moussalli. The Junior Attendent was Katie Lafreniere. Katie is the daughter of Steve and Kelly Lafreniere. Katie was escorted by Will Littleton. Will is the son of Rick Littleton and Marty Littleton.

The Senior Attendent was Evan LaBarge. Evan is the daughter of Al and Patsy LaBarge. Evan was escorted by Aidan Gilbert. Aidan is the son of Cam and Tiger Gilbert. The Senior Attendant was Alex Valdez. Alex is the daughter of Michael and Julie Valdez. Alex was escorted by Cameron Powell. Cameron is the son of Patrick Howard and Miriam Powell.

Montgomery Catholic students celebrated Homecoming Week with a host of daily activities building up to the Homecoming Dance on Saturday, October 8 held at the St. Bede Family Life Center.

Montgomery Catholic Kindergarten Students Enjoy the Works of Eric Carle

2011-10-17T14:58:00.001-05:00

The Kindergarten classes at Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School recently completed their author study of Eric Carle. Each student took home a very hungry caterpillar which he or she planted using knee high hose, potting soil, grass seeds, rubber bands and wiggly eyes. Students in Mrs. Redden's class pose with their "Very Hungry Caterpillars".

Happy Birthday, Johnny Appleseed!

2011-10-17T14:54:00.000-05:00

Students in Mrs. Burden's first grade class at Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School recently celebrated Johnny Appleseed's birthday by enjoying delicious apple turnovers in the courtyard.

Montgomery Catholic's BEST Team Presents at ASQ Meeting

2011-10-17T14:50:00.000-05:00

Members of the Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School BEST Robotics Team made the Keynote presentation at the September meeting of the Montgomery section of the American Society for Quality (ASQ). ASQ is a leading global organization supporting quality concepts, technology, and manufacturing. The Montgomery Catholic team spoke of their involvement in the BEST 2010 Total Recall robotics competition. The BEST (Boosting Science, Engineering, and Technology) 2010 competition featured two simulated factory production lines packaging “gizmos” and “gadgets.” Teams had to design and build a robot in six weeks that could package quality products while recognizing defective products.

Led by the team’s Director of Spirit and Sportsmanship, junior Chad DuBois, the team gave the ASQ members an overview of the BEST robotics competition and the development of the team’s robot, dubbed RoboKnight 1.0. The team’s Director of Engineering (sophomore Nick Niel), Director of Programming (sophomore Will Brunson), and Head Writer (junior Giselle Simms) provided amplifying details throughout the presentation and the question period that followed.

ASQ section Chair Jeff Bresee said of the team, “I was thrilled with the presentation given by the Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School’s BEST Team for our September ASQ meeting. The presentation was very thorough and professionally done.” ASW Treasurer Donna Profio added, “We were really impressed by what they managed to accomplish in only 42 days.” Nick Niel summarized the student experience by saying, “It was challenging being questioned by people who really know about quality and engineering, but the ASQ members treated us like colleagues.”

Emily McLaughlin '08 Named Homecoming Queen at the University of Alabama

2011-10-17T14:36:00.007-05:00

Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School class of 2008 alumnae Emily McLaughlin was named the Homecoming Queen at the University of Alabama. Among the many organizations in which Emily is an active member, she currently serves as the president of the Alpha Zeta chapter of Phi Mu Fraternity. Emily is a senior majoring in Nursing. Emily is the daughter of Dr. Jim and Kayla McLaughlin. Photo above Governor Robert Bentley and 2010 UA Queen Shellie Street crown Emily during the halftime festivities. Emily is escorted by her father, Dr. Jim McLaughlin. Photo taken by Jeffery B. Hanson, University Relations Photography, University of Alabama.

Five Montgomery Catholic Students Named Advanced Placement Scholars

2011-10-06T14:07:00.003-05:00

Five students at Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School have earned AP Scholar Awards in recognition for their exceptional achievement on AP Exams.

The College Board's Advanced Placement Program (AP) provides motivated and academically prepared students with the opportunity to take rigorous college-level courses while still in high school, and earn college credit, advanced placement, or both for successful performance on the AP Exams. About 18 percent of the nearly 1.7 million students worldwide who took AP Exams performed at a sufficiently high level to also earn an AP Scholar Award.

John Preston Houston earned the title of AP Scholar with Distinction by earning an average score of at least 3.5 on all AP exams taken and a score of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams.

Elizabeth Terino earned the title of AP Scholar with Honor by earning an average score of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams taken and grades 3 or higher on four or more of these exams.

Three students earned the title of AP Scholar by completing three or more AP Exams with grades of 3 or higher. The AP Scholars are Kayleigh Pears, Ben Petters, and John Talbot.

Through more than 30 different college-level courses and exams, AP provides motivated and academically prepared students with the opportunity to earn college credit or advanced placement and stand out in the college admissions process. Over 90 percent of four-year colleges in the United States provide credit and/or placement for qualifying exam grades. Research consistently shows that AP students who score a 3 or higher on AP Exams typically experience greater academic success in college and high graduation rates than students who do not participate in AP courses. Congratulations to our AP Scholars!

Montgomery Catholic Students Qualify for Duke 7th grade Talent Search Program

2011-10-06T09:28:00.000-05:00

Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School is proud to announce 15 students who have qualified for the Duke Talent Identification Program.

The Duke University Talent Identification Program (Duke TIP) identifies 7th graders in sixteen states in the Southeast, Midwest and Southwest who have scored at the 95th percentile or above on a grade-level achievement test. These students are invited to participate in the Duke TIP 7th Grade Talent Search and take either the SAT or the ACT.

Montgomery Catholic students who have qualified for the Duke TIP program are Skye Alexander, Ivy Bach, David Bender, Adam Bristol, Briana Chavez, Madison Gaston, Joey Kennedy, Audrey Kim, Morris Lottinger IV, Liam McGuire, Michael O’Connor, Andrew Reimann, James Sadie, Emily Tolar, and Zachary VanAlst.

MCPS Band Receives Superior Ratings at Marching Competition

2011-10-04T07:59:00.002-05:00

The Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School Marching Knights competed at the Huntingdon Marching Invitational on the campus of Huntingdon College on Saturday, October 1. This was the first time in the history of our school that MCPS has been represented at a marching band competition. The Color Guard was rated "Excellent," and the Winds, Percussion, and Drum Major were all individually rated "Superior." The Band received an overall rating of "Superior" from the panel of six judges, and Joseph Sutton was named Best-In-Class Drum Major, defeating Drum Majors from seven other schools. Congratulations Marching Knights!

Knight Runners Claim Crowns at Kudzu Hills Invitational

2011-09-29T15:09:00.000-05:00

Montgomery Catholic juniors Katherine Terino and Jarrett Mason dominated their races at the Kudzu Hills Cross Country Invitational at Cold Springs High School in Bremen. The Meet features some of the best small school competition in Alabama on a challenging course marked by lots of hills.

In the girls race, Terino was one of the pre-race favorites along with Logan Ayres and Ayleana Mami from St. Bernard’s Prep, Cassi Still of host Cold Springs High School, Maaike Shelton of Pisgah, and 2010 runner-up, Rachel Stowe of Hatton. During the first half mile of the 5 km race, there was a lot of congestion in the front of the pack as a few of the girls attempted to control the pace. As the course widened, Still shot a gap between the top three runners and Terino went right with her. Finally able to run freely, Katherine accelerated down the hill leading to the one-mile mark and began building an insurmountable advantage. By the end of the race, Terino was almost a full minute ahead and broke the finish tape with fastest time ever run by a Lady Knight and the second fastest time ever run in the history of the race, 19:58.43.

Sophomore MacKenzie Colvin, like the rest of the girls’ team, ran her best race of the season to claim ninth in 22:34. Fellow classmate Tara Bourke finished in 57th in 29:21.74. Seventh grader Katie Lawrence, in only her second 5K race ever, was 54th in 28:08.14.

In the boys’ race, the Knights hoped to defend their team title from 2010. The primary challenge would be from 3-time 1A-2A state champion, Hatton, and host Cold Springs High. A fast race was expected since some of the best runners in the state were entered. Cold Spring High’s own Blake Clavert shot off the starting line and led the field in a fast opening pace. Racing Knights Jarrett Mason, Matt Pouncey, and Skip Martin followed in the lead pack. Close after them were sophomore Dylan Martin, freshman Tucker Wilkinson, and eighth grader Patrick Gregorius. In the next group were seventh graders Josh Davis, James Sadie, and Sullivan Fralish.

At the mile mark, junior Jarrett Mason stormed in to the lead and set a blistering pace. Pouncey and Martin responded by going with Mason’s surge. As the racers emerged from the kudzu, Jarrett had lengthened his lead to almost 30 seconds and Pouncey was in hot pursuit of runners from Cold Springs and Hatton. As they sped to the finish line, Mason crossed the line in 17:16.11 to claim first. Pouncey cruised in at 17:35.66 for fourth and Skip finished in 18:21.02 for sixth. The team scoring for the Knights was rounded out by Tucker Wilkinson’s new personal record of 19:20.44 for 23rd and Patrick Gregorius nailing down 39th in 20:29.18. Hatton won the meet with 49 points and Catholic had to settle for second with 63 points (low score wins in Cross Country).

Jarrett Mason’s time was the tenth fastest ever recorded in the history of the meet. It was also the fastest time ever run by a Knight on the course. Almost every Catholic runner ran their best time for the year. Both teams head to the Jesse Owens Invitational on the same course in Oakville that will host the State Meet in November.

Montgomery Catholic Band Members Named to Montgomery Youth Orchestra

2011-09-16T14:49:00.001-05:00

Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School Band members Will Brunson and Brian Lee were recently selected as the newest members of the Montgomery Youth Orchestra, which is sponsored by the Montgomery Symphony League. Musically talents students from all over the River Region auditioned for 80 seats in the youth orchestra. Will, a sophomore, plays the tuba while Brian, an eighth grade student, plays the clarinet. Both Will and Brian participate in the Montgomery Catholic Band program.

Catholic's Kevin Norris Named National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist

2011-09-14T14:34:00.000-05:00

Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School proudly announces Kevin Norris as a National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist. Kevin is the son of Larry and Stacey Norris of Montgomery. Kevin will have the opportunity to compete for some 8,300 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $34 million that will be offered next spring. Today officials of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) announced the names of approximately 16,000 Semifinalists in the 57th annual National Merit Scholarship Program.

To be considered for a Merit Scholarship award, Semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the Finalist level of the competition. The preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test serves as an initial screening of program entrants. In addition to the test scores, the student's academic record, community involvement, leadership ability, and personal essay are considered when determining semifinalists. About 90 percent of the Semifinalists are expected to attain Finalist standing, and approximately half of the Finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the title of Merit Scholar.

Pictured: Montgomery Catholic's National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist Kevin Norris.

Class of 2024 Enjoys First Annual "Cookies with Kindergarten"

2011-09-06T09:29:00.000-05:00

Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School hosted their first "Cookies with Kindergarten" for the class of 2024 just before school began. All kindergarten students were invited to enjoy cookies and juice while getting familiar with their new classroom before the first day of school. Mrs. Redden and Mrs. Wilson greeted the students as they entered, distributed nametags, and introduced the students to their new classmates.

The students were encouraged to explore the classroom, play in the interactive stations, climb into the reading lofts, and get familiar with the classroom computers. Parent anxieties about the first day of school were also eased as they met new friends and saw how excited the children were in their new setting.

Pictured: Kindergarten student Luke Shatzer enjoys getting familiar with the computer in Mrs. Redden's class at Montgomery Catholic at "Cookies with Kindergarten."

Catholic's Terino Captures Title at Montevallo Early Bird Classic

2011-09-06T09:26:00.001-05:00

MONTEVALLO, Ala. - Katherine Terino became the second runner in as many races for the Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School Knights to capture an individual title this week, as she crossed the line first at the Montevallo Early Bird Classic Saturday.

Terino outran 148 other runners to the finish line, crossing the line in a time of 21:21.80; almost a full second ahead of runner-up Jordan Richmond of Holy Spirit. The finish was the second consecutive top-two finish for Terino as she finished second at the Capital City Conference Opening Meet on Thursday.

On the boy's side, Jarrett Mason finished sixth overall out of 219 runners with a time of 17:51.38, finishing 18 seconds out of first place. Tucker Wilkinson narrowly missed finishing in the top 50, crossing the line 53rd in a time of 20:32.72.

Meanwhile, in the middle school division, Katie Lawrence finished 40th overall on the girl's side in a time of 16:39.67. On the boy's side, James Sadie led a trio of Knights in the top 50 as he finished 29th overall with a time of 12:28.52. He finished just ahead of teammate Patrick Gregorius in a time of 12:31.59.

Catholic's Josh Davis rounded out the trio with a time of 12:59.41 and a 44th place finish.

Knights Charge at Capital City Conference Kick Off Classic

2011-09-06T08:57:00.000-05:00

The Montgomery area High School Cross Country Season had its official start Thursday at Montgomery Academy. The Racing Knights performed well as individuals, but came up short in the team competition.

In the Boys Varsity, junior Jarrett Mason executed a brilliant race plan and bested the finest field that ever ran at the venue. Mason let other runners dictate a fast early pace as the course circled the MA track and plunged onto the grass separating the baseball and softball fields. As the runners negotiated the hill behind the baseball field, Jarrett steadily climbed through the pack. When the pack hit the mile mark in under six minutes, Jarrett hit the accelerator and surged into the lead at the halfway point. He continued to add to his lead throughout most of the rest of the race. Meanwhile, sophomore Matt Pouncey also had been skirting his way through the pack. As the leaders turned for home and stepped onto the soccer infield for the final yards, Mason maintained his advantage all the way to the tape and the victory. Pouncey unleashed a devastating final kick and surged away from his closest pursuers to claim second place. Freshman Tucker Wilkinson grabbed 15th in a personal best time. Middle school students Patrick Gregorius, James Sadie, and Josh Davis rounded out the scoring for the Knights.

Jarret set a new course record by 15 seconds with his 11:06 finishing time. Matt was right behind in 11:07 as the first four runners all bested the old mark. Tucker’s 12:29 would have placed 10th last year.

For the Girls Varsity, a very fast competitive race was expected and the athletes delivered. Junior Katherine Terino led all the Lady Knights with her second place finish. She chased Taylor Gerard, the winner from MA, but could not close the gap in the last half mile of the two-mile race. Gerard broke the course record, but Terino established a new personal best over the course. Sophomore MacKenzie Colvin finished 16th in 14:41. Seventh grader Katie Lawrence shaved 20 seconds off her previous best by clocking 18:27. Tara Bourke, in her first race, out sprinted an opponent from BTW Magnet in 22:02.

MA claimed both team titles, scoring a perfect 15 to win the girls meet. The Catholic Boys claimed third behind MA and LAMP.

Pictured: Montgomery Catholic Boys Cross Country team members Skip Martin, Tucker Wilkinson, Jarrett Mason, James Sadie, Matt Pouncey, Josh Davis, and Patrick Gregorius at the Capital City Classic meet.

Montgomery Catholic Runners Make a Splash at Oak Mountain Invitational

2011-08-29T08:41:00.000-05:00

Heardmont Park, Birmingham--Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School's Cross Country team posted some hot times on a challenging course at the 2011 Oak Mountain Invitational Meet. The Racing Knights lined up against some of the best teams in Alabama and produced some great individual performances. Catholic did not compete for team honors because the runners were distributed across the Varsity and Middle School divisions. The course was full of hills, a rocky trail, and required every runner to negotiate fording a creek at least once.
In the Girls Varsity 5000m race, junior Katherine Terino led all Montgomery area athletes and all small school participants by finishing seventh in 21:57. Sophomore MacKenzie Colvin was 41st in 23:46 and senior Kenslie McOmber finished in 29:47.

In the Boys Varsity, junior Jarrett Mason finished 18th in a sparkling 18:12. He also led all small school and Montgomery area runners with his performance. Sophomore Matt Pouncey was right behind in 18:29 and garnered 22nd place. Freshman Tucker Wilkinson finished in 22:40.

The Middle School races witnessed the debut of many new athletes for the Racing Knights. Eight grader Patrick Gregorius, in his second season of cross country, used his experience to his benefit and led all the MS Knights by finishing 47th in 13:37 for the 3200m course. Seventh graders James Sadie and Josh Davis, competing for the first time in the Blue and Gold, completed the circuit in 13:52 and 14:45, respectively.

For the Middle School Girls, seventh grader Katie Lawrence in her first race ran 18:47 for the almost two mile long race.

The Racing Knights compete twice in the next week. On Thursday, they will be at Montgomery Academy for the Capital City Conference Kick-Off Meet and then they will travel to the University of Montevallo for the Early Bird Classic on Saturday.

Pictured: Montgomery Catholic Cross Country runner Matt Pouncey splashes through the course at Oak Mountain Invitational.

Montgomery Catholic Students Raise Funds & Awareness for Children's Hospital

2011-08-24T08:49:00.000-05:00

Montgomery Catholic students Ashleigh Little and Jasmine Rush recently participated in a fundraising event for Children's Hospital. The event was held at participating Dairy Queen restaurants where $1 from each Blizzard sold at Dairy Queen was given to Children's Hospital. Ashleigh and Jasmine helped collect cash donations from customers from 11am until 1 pm. Ashleigh, a seventh grader, was a patient at Children's Hospital in Birmingham following a back surgery this summer and Jasmine, a sophomore, is an active member member of Catholic's Key Club. Children's Hospital of Alabama is celebrating 100 years of caring for children.

Pictured: Montgomery Catholic students Ashleigh Little and Jasmine Rush pose with a child of Children's at a recent event at Dairy Queen's Montgomery location for Children's Hospital of Alabama.

11th Annual Partners In Catholic Education Golf Tournament tees off September 30

2011-08-23T17:26:00.000-05:00

Partners In Catholic Education (PICE) will host its 11th annual charity golf tournament on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Capitol Hill in Prattville on September 30, 2011.

Sponsorship packages are available from $250 to $5,000. These packages offer great promotional opportunities for businesses in the form of pre- and post-event publicity, event banners, golf tee signage, golf cart logos, as well as players in the tournament.

The registration fee is $150 per player. Entry fee is $600 per foursome. Registration and lunch will begin at 11:00 a.m. and the shotgun start at 1:00 p.m. on both the Senator and Legislative courses. Format will be best ball. The registration fee includes lunch, green fees, cart, range balls, gift bags for each player, golf shirt, refreshments on the course, post-tournament food and beverages, and many door prizes. Additionally, all par-three holes will have a prize, plus four Hole-In-Ones consisting of a new Hyundai Sonata or $30,000 cash prize for a car. There will be a $5,000 putting contest between 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. The top three net and gross teams will receive superb prizes.

For more information about sponsorships or playing, contact Liz Sutton at 334-260-2488, ext 1311, Mary Kelley at 334-272-7221, ext 32, or Jerry Lopez at 334-224-6607. Information can also be found by visiting http://www.montgomerycatholic.org/.

Mark your calendar for this premier event that will be a great day of fun while benefiting Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School.

Church of the Holy Spirit and Montgomery Catholic Break Ground on New Educational Complex

2011-08-23T10:58:00.000-05:00

Church of the Holy Spirit in Montgomery broke ground on a new Educational Complex on Saturday, July 16, at their Vaughn Road location. Most Reverend Thomas Rodi, Archbishop of Mobile, officially blessed the ground and turned the dirt with several members of the church and community. As part of the ceremony, Archbishop Rodi, the project architect Rory McKean, Billy Williams from JESCO, and Monsignor Charles Troncale signed all of the official documents for construction to begin.

Phase One of the Master Site Plan will include a 26,000 square foot two-story building equipped with 16 classrooms, administrative office spaces, as well as the infrastructure for the necessary roadways, parking, landscaping, and the foundational pad for a future gymnasium. Construction has already begun on the project.

"On behalf of all of those who will benefit from our new facilities, I express my sincere thanks to all who have made this possible," said Monsignor Charles Troncale, pastor of the Church of the Holy Spirit.

In addition to providing the much needed Religious Education classroom space for the church, the new facility will also allow Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School to open a "Holy Spirit Campus" serving Pre-Kindergarten through sixth grade students. The new campus will open for the 2012-2013 school year. For more information about the school, contact Mary Kelley at (334) 272-7221, extension 32.

To see photos from the ground breaking ceremony, click here.
To watch a video from the event created by Holy Spirit parishioner and Montgomery Catholic class of 1999 graduate Kristen Ryan, click here.

Pictured: Archbishop Thomas Rodi, center, smiles with officials from Church of the Holy Spirit following the contract signing at the new Educational Complex ground breaking ceremony. Pictured from left to right: seated architect Rory McKean, Archbishop Thomas Rodi, Billy Williams from JESCO. standing: Options Committee Chairman Nap Barranco, Building in the Spirit Committee Chairwoman Barb Rosser, Holy Spirit Deacon Steve Hellman, future pastor Father Patrick Driscoll, current pastor Monsignor Charles Troncale, Finance Council Chairman Paul McTear, Holy Spirit Deacon Gene Wadas, Pastoral Council Chairman Mark Schultz, and past Pastoral Council Chairman John Jacobs.

Catholic's Stinson Claims Victory at SGJT Wylakes Classic

2011-08-23T08:51:00.001-05:00

Montgomery Catholic golfer Jacob Stinson finished atop the leader board at the Southeastern Junior Golf Tour (SJGT) Wynlakes Classic this weekend in Montgomery. The victory qualifies Stinson for an event on the national level (AJGO tour) this season.

Stinson beat 76 of the best golfers from around the Southeast by shooting a 3-under 69 on Saturday. He followed that with a 1-over par 73 on Sunday to claim the title by two strokes.

Montgomery Catholic Names Anna Lee Ingalls as Director of Development

2011-08-09T15:07:00.000-05:00

Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School has named Anna Lee Ingalls as the school’s new Director of Development effective August 15. Ingalls will oversee all fundraising and advancement activities of the K-12 school.

“The search committee was grateful for our strong pool of applicants. After prayerful consideration, we felt that Anna Lee was the right person for the task,” said Anne Ceasar, president of Montgomery Catholic. “Ms. Ingalls is a faith-filled woman who brings a wealth of experience to this job. I believe that she will lead our school’s development program while furthering the mission of Montgomery Catholic.

“We have a tremendous history beginning in 1873 with the founding of our school by the Sisters of Loretto in downtown Montgomery. Anna Lee will be key to helping us tell our story while leading us into the future,” said Ceasar.

Ingalls joins Montgomery Catholic from the Family Sunshine Center where she has served as the Development Director for the past nine years.

“It is an exciting opportunity and a great honor to come on board with Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School. Catholic education has a long and rich history of excellence so I could not be more pleased to be a part of that Christ-centered tradition here in Montgomery. I cannot wait to get to work with the Montgomery Catholic team in developing great things for the future,” said Ingalls.

Ingalls is an active member of Church of the Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Montgomery.

Montgomery Catholic Names Travis Jarome as Athletic Director

2011-07-19T13:28:00.001-05:00

Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School has named Travis Jarome as the school’s new athletic director effective August 1. Jarome will oversee all middle and high school athletic programs.

“Our selection committee was very impressed with the strong group of applicants we had for the athletic director position,” said Anne Ceasar, President of Montgomery Catholic.

“After much prayer and deliberation, we feel that Travis brings a unique skill set to this job and we are excited to have him join our community.”

“From his experiences as a coach, to his work with the media at the collegiate level and his education background, Travis will be a great fit for Montgomery Catholic,” said Ceasar.

Jarome comes to Montgomery Catholic from Troy University, where he has served as assistant director for media relations for the past four years.

"I am honored and humbled at the opportunity that Anne Ceasar and the selection committee have afforded me to lead the athletic department at Montgomery Catholic. The school has a long and storied history, and I look forward to building another chapter in athletics," said Jarome.

"I have had an opportunity to learn from some of the best administrators and coaches from around the city and in the nation during my time in high school and college athletics. I will draw from those experiences and use them to lead the Catholic athletic department, using the foundation that my predecessors put in place. My family and I look forward to being a part of the Montgomery Catholic community."

Jarome holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Education from Auburn University Montgomery and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Sports Management from Troy University. Prior to his time at Troy University, Jarome has served as the sports information director at Auburn University Montgomery and North Georgia College and State University.

Jarome succeeds Jim Tolbert, who recently resigned to join the staff of the Alabama High School Athletic Association.

Catholic Welcomes New Baseball Coaching Staff

2011-07-08T11:02:00.001-05:00

The future of the Montgomery Catholic baseball program has been placed in the able hands of new head coach Brad Parker and two new assistant coaches.

Parker, a 2004 Montgomery Catholic graduate and an assistant coach for the Knights last season, will be joined on the staff by Barcy Spigner, who will serve as assistant head coach, and by former University of Alabama baseball player Wes Henderson.

“I’ve been a part of the Catholic community for a long time, as a player and as a coach, and I am grateful for this opportunity,” Parker said.

“I want to bring excitement back into the program. Our coaching staff is ready to hit the ground running with Barcy and Wes who bring a wealth of baseball knowledge, experience, and love for game.

“We have a great group of kids with a lot of potential and I look forward to working with these young men in building a strong, competitive baseball program,” he said.

Parker is a 2010 graduate of the University of Alabama with a degree in Kinesiology. While at Alabama, he spent considerable time working with Crimson Tide athletes in their strength and conditioning program.

In addition to leading the baseball program, he will continue to serve as an assistant coach in the Montgomery Catholic football program and will also work daily with the school’s overall strength and conditioning program during the athletic physical education period.

“I am thrilled with this new baseball coaching staff,” said Anne Ceasar, President of Montgomery Catholic. “They bring many rich and varied experiences to the program.

“I believe that under the leadership of Coach Parker, Coach Spigner and Coach Henderson, Montgomery Catholic baseball will steadily improve to a higher level.”

Spigner, who played collegiately at Troy University, is a successful longtime coach in city baseball leagues in Montgomery. Henderson, a native of Oxford, was a first baseman-DH for the Crimson Tide from 2004-2009. He will also teach high school history and assist in the basketball program.

The staff has already met to begin rebuilding the Knights’ baseball program. A team meeting with players is scheduled for July 18 in the Pope John Paul II Field House.

Holy Spirit Education Complex Groundbreaking Ceremony July 16

2011-07-07T08:19:00.002-05:00

Please join us for the official groundbreaking ceremony for the Holy Spirit Education Complex on Saturday, July 16 at 12:00 noon at Church of the Holy Spirit. A reception will immediatly follow the ceremony in the parish hall.

Everyone is invited to participate in the ceremony, so be sure to bring your shovel! Church of the Holy Spirit is located at 8570 Vaughn Road.

Tolbert Leaving Montgomery Catholic

2011-06-09T19:01:00.001-05:00

Jim Tolbert, athletic director at Montgomery Catholic for the past five years, has resigned to take another position in athletic administration. Tolbert’s resignation is effective June 30.

“Leaving Montgomery Catholic is bittersweet,” Tolbert said. “God truly blessed me with the opportunity to work at Montgomery Catholic and be a part of the wonderful Christian family environment. Leading the athletic program and working with student-athletes and their families has been extremely rewarding, and certainly made my decision to leave very difficult.

“But, the new job opportunity will allow me to continue to have a positive impact on the lives of even more student-athletes and their families, and it is one I cannot pass up,” he said.

Montgomery Catholic President Anne Ceasar said Tolbert will be missed.

“I wish Jim much happiness and success in his new position,” said Ceasar. “He is a professional in every sense of the word and has helped lead Montgomery Catholic to a new level in athletics.”

During Tolbert’s tenure as athletic director, Montgomery Catholic established its varsity wrestling program and added other sports teams, such as junior varsity softball, and middle school and junior varsity soccer. More than two-thirds of the students in grades 7-12 at Montgomery Catholic participate in at least one sport.

“It’s hard to put into words how much I have enjoyed being at Montgomery Catholic. I so appreciate the many people who have supported Catholic’s athletic department. It has been a tremendous experience.”

The search for a new athletic director has begun with the appointment of a five-person search committee. Applications for the position will be open from June 10 until June 23, with a goal of having a new athletic director in place by August 1.

Montgomery Catholic Hosts Petanque Tournament; Davis and Starr Champs

2011-06-08T12:27:00.000-05:00

Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School's French Club sponsored their bi-annual Petanque Tournament. This three-day event drew multiple teams, including several faculty members, in several close matches. Spring 2011 champions were Gerald Davis and Jack Starr who narrowly defeated Sterling Hebert and Alex Castanza, who were the runners-up. Petanque, a game closely resembling the Italian game of Bocce, is played in southern France with almost as much intensity as was evidenced in Montgomery Catholic's high school courtyard! Montgomery Catholic also held a intra-school competition with students from Montgomery Academy. Pictured: Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School Petanque champions Gerald Davis and Jack Starr.

Montgomery Catholic Concert Band Showcases Talent at Spring Concert

2011-06-08T12:05:00.001-05:00

Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School's Concert Bands recently showcased their talents at their annual Spring Concert held in the Dolly Barranco Activity Center. Members of the Beginning, Advanced, and Concert Bands all performed numerous selections. The event was emceed by Mrs. Ruth Glenboski.

The evening started with the Beginning Band members who played Marche Militaire by Franz Schubert, Dancin' on the Bayou by Ralph Ford, and Dragon Slayer by Rob Grice. The Beginning Band section members are flute: Audrey Kim, Amber Williams, Alejandra Vasquez, and Ansley Rohde; trumpet: James Sadie, Tristian Parish, Ledarianne Moore, and Ansley Taylor; clarinet: Ashleigh Little, Denise Jaimes, Ashley Donohue, Madison Bednarz, and Iyana Tate; low brass: Adam Bristol, David Bender, and Michelle Warrick; saxophone: Kenneth Bell and Nathan Smith; and in the percussion section: Briana Chavez, Francisco Gonzalez, and Skye Alexander.

The Advanced Band member played Mountains of Mohon by Sean O'Loughlin, As Winds Dance by Samuel Hazo, Shackelford Banks by Jay Bocook, and Groovee! by Richard Saucedo. The Advanced Band section members are flute: Elizabeth Overton, Ashley Kim, Peter Nguyen, Jennifer Doan, and Nia Averett; clarinet: Mary Reagan Starrett, Logan Stevens, Beth Vaughan, Brian Lee, Kaitlyn Kornosky, and Joshua Seals; saxophone: Mandy Jones, Drew Edwards, and Brian Brunson; trumpet: Patrick Wood, Gavin Gaines, and Jacob Atchley; French horn: William Russell and Caroline Mullikin; trombone: Jonathan Miller and Katie McDaniel; tuba: Lorie Moody; and percussion: Eric Crenshaw, McGowin Moore, Delohn Wyatt, and Joseph Thrash.

The Concert Band members played The Cluster Fluster Bluster March and Prairie Dances by David Holsinger, Whispers by Sandy Feldstien and Larry Clark, Concerto for Faculty and Band by James Ployhar featuring the musical talents of special guest soloists our school administration: school president Anne Ceasar, St. Bede Principal Laurie Gulley, Middle School Principal Maria Nolen, and High School Principal Fran Taylor, and The Great Locomotive Chase by Robert W. Smith.

Concert guests enjoyed a reception immediately following the performances and were entertained by the Montgomery Catholic Jazz Band.

Kindergarten Takes Flight

2011-06-08T11:21:00.000-05:00

Students in Mrs. Wilson's Kindergarten class at Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School let their kites soar after learning how to craft their own through the monthly family project. An easy summertime craft project, the students and their families created unique kites using ordinary printer paper, which they personalized through decorations and paper color choices. Mrs. Wilson and her students took their kites to the playground to test kite aerodynamics and had a great time!

Montgomery Catholic Concert Band Students Receive Superior Ratings at ABA Competition

2011-06-08T11:09:00.000-05:00

Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School's Concert Band students participated in the Alabama Bandmasters Association's Solo and Ensemble Festival this Spring and received Superior ratings at the competition. The festival is an individual event where students perform either as soloists or as small ensembles and are judged on their performance. Our Middle School Band students who received Superior ratings were Ashley Kim, Caroline Mullikin, Brian Lee, William Russell, Delohn Wyatt, Logan Stevens, and Mary Reagan Starrett. Our High School Band students who received Superior ratings were Joseph Sutton, Justis Davis, Nick Smith, Trey Riggles, Will Brunson, Rebecca Kornosky, and Allison Hermann. Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School will host the 2012 festival next Spring.

Montgomery Catholic Hosts First "Free" Physical Exam Day for Students

2011-05-24T08:08:00.001-05:00

More than 170 athletes and band members took advantage of Montgomery Catholic’s first "Free" Physical Exam Day on Saturday, May 21.

The process ran smoothly thanks to great planning by Patrick Wood of the Jackson Hospital Foundation and Mark Carpenter, Catholic’s athletic trainer from PT Solutions. Both have extensive experience in planning such events and generously shared their knowledge.

Montgomery Catholic would like to express its appreciation to everyone who worked to help make the event a success:
Dr. Alan Babb
Ashton Babb
Kelly Babb
Ann Berher
Mark Carpenter (PT Solutions)
Diane Castanza
Jill Clark
Mark Cotter
Rhonda Cotter
Dr. Carmelita DeJesus
Dr. Ronaldo DeJesus
Marcia Dixon
T-Michael Dougherty (PT Solutions)
Richard Hulcher
Vickie Hulcher
Alex Johnson
Ken Klinger
Nancy Kocan
Donna LoBello
Katrina Magdon
Dr. Nicholas Manzari
Mark Marus
Thereassa McDaniel
Teresa McLeod
Tara Padilla
Jean Parker
Dr. Jason Randall (So. Orth. Specialists)
Jennifer Rodopolous
Matt Rollan (PT Solutions)
Susan Ryan
Mike Shatzer
Maria Smith
Audra Starrett
Billy Thacker
Andy Tolar
Lisa Tolar
Michael Valdez
Bob Van Alst
Jennie Van Alst
Lesley Wilkinson
Julie Wood
Patrick Wood
John Wyatt

Montgomery Catholic Honors Students at Signing Ceremony

2011-05-23T15:06:00.001-05:00

Montgomery Catholic recently honored three senior athletes – Kenny Davison, Corey Cotter and Tommy Wujcik – who are going on to play their respective sports on the college level.

The trio was recognized with a school celebration May 16 that included family members, teammates, coaches, teachers, classmates and local media members

Davison, who is Catholic’s all-time leading scorer in boys’ basketball and was the Montgomery Advertiser’s Small School Player of the Year, signed a scholarship with Florida Institute of Technology (Florida Tech). Florida Tech is an NCAA Division II school located in Melbourne, Fla.

Cotter, who earned all-state honors in three sports – cross county, wrestling and track – for two consecutive years, has been invited by the University of South Alabama to be a member of their cross country and track teams.

Wujcik, who played quarterback for the Knights the past two seasons, has been invited to play football at nearby Huntingdon College, which participates in NCAA’s Division III.

Davison averaged 22.6 points and 7.9 rebounds per game as a senior. He finished his career with 1, 957 points. Catholic teams won 77 games in Davison’s four years on the varsity basketball team, 67 in the last three seasons under Coach Ken Klinger.

“It’s taken hard work to get to this point and it’s going to take more hard work in the future,” said Davison. “Coach Klinger has helped me understand that if you don’t work hard, you’re not going to have success.”

As a senior, Cotter finished fourth in the Class 3A cross country meet last fall, third in the 140-pound division of the Class 3A state wrestling tournament, and he won the 800-meter run at the Class 3A state track meet recently. He also joined Connor Wright, Jarrett Mason and Skip Martin to win the 4x800-meter relay at the state meet. In addition, he finished second in the 1600 and 3200.

“It took awhile after winning state for it all to sink in,” said Cotter. “It’s still sinking in that I’m going to be able to run in college. I just know that I’m going to work harder than I ever have before.”

Wujcik, an excellent athlete with a strong arm and outstanding speed, will bet an opportunity to play quarterback at Huntingdon.

“This means everything to me,” said Wujcik. “I’ve trained and worked for this opportunity, and it’s come together with Coach (Mike) Turk giving me this opportunity to play for his program.”

Middle School Students Honor the Blessed Mother with May Crowning Ceremony

2011-05-12T13:46:00.000-05:00

Middle school students at Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School recently honored the Blessed Mother's special month of May with a traditional May Crowning ceremony held in front of the Dr. Doyle Building on May 9. Eighth grade students Paige Barranco and Leo Petters were selected as crown bearers by the middle school faculty for this year's ceremony. Faculty members Kerri Moore and Vicki Petters sang beautiful A cappella songs as the seventh and eighth grade student body gathered in front of the school building. The Our Lady of Grace statue used in the annual May Crowning ceremony was donated by Mary Azar and Frances Miaoulis and blessed by Bishop Toolen on April 12, 1945. The statue was centered in front of our original school from 1945 until 1965. The Our Lady of Grace statue was relocated to the front of our Dr. Doyle Middle School Building and rededicated by Archbishop Oscar Lipscomb on September 12, 2004. Pictured: Paige Barranco and Leo Petters served as middle school crown bearers during Montgomery Catholic's May Crowning ceremony.

Click here to view photos from the event.

Jasmine Rush Elected Key Club Lieutenant Governor

2011-05-06T09:05:00.001-05:00

Jasmine Rush, a freshman at Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School, has been elected Lieutenant Governor for Alabama Key Club's Division 11 for the 2011-2012 year.

An active member in her school Key Club, Rush said it has been a wonderful experience so far and is looking forward to volunteering in our community this summer. Organizations seeking volunteers are encouraged to contact Jasmine at jrush@alabamakeyclub.org.

Montgomery Catholic Named "Best in State" by Junior Engineering Technical Society

2011-05-02T15:56:00.000-05:00

Students from Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School were awarded the “Best in State” prize in the 32st annual TEAMS high school engineering competition sponsored by the Junior Engineering Technical Society (JETS). The team, which took the top 9/10 grade "Best in State" award, worked on solving the global energy “supply and demand” problem highlighted by rising gasoline prices, current events in the Middle East and the recent Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Montgomery Catholic's JETS team is sponsored by Dr. Joe Profio.

Pictured: Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School's JETS team members (front row) Giselle Sims, Will Brunson, and Stone Miller; (back row) Dylan Craig and Zachary Hulcher. All are sophomores, except for Mr. Brunson who is a freshman.

Montgomery Catholic Shines at National Catholic Education Association Conference

2011-05-02T14:52:00.000-05:00

Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School was well represented at the National Catholic Education Association's (NCEA) annual conference recently held in New Orleans, Louisiana. Montgomery Catholic sent 19 members of our faculty and administration from all three campuses to NCEA, with Lee Anne Barranco and Nick Bourke presenting a seminar on our award-winning Science Olympiad program at the conference. Our Archbishop Thomas Rodi was the celebrant for the closing Mass at the NCEA conference.

Montgomery Catholic's NCEA Delegation: pictured L to R, row 1: St. Bede Principal Laurie Gulley, Middle School English and Latin teacher Kerri Moore, School President Anne Ceasar, Archbishop Thomas Rodi, Middle School Math teacher Julie Flowers, High School Principal Fran Taylor, and Sixth grade teacher Nick Bourke. Row 2: Elementary Media Specialist Lee Anne Barranco, First grade teacher Tina Rutland, Fifth grade Shelley Herbek, Middle School Principal Maria Nolen, High School Social Studies teacher Sue Terino, Elementary Technology teacher Ruth Glenboski, High School Theology chairman Tom Riello, Middle/High School Resource teacher Tina Tynan, High School Guidance Counselor Beverly Barnette, Middle School Social Studies teacher Mark McGuire, Fourth grade teacher Kerin Wood, Public Relations/Development Director Mary Kelley (behind the camera), and High School English teacher John Conway (not pictured).

Catholic's MathCounts Team Receives Silver Status

2011-04-11T18:12:00.001-05:00

Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School's MathCounts Team has been recognized as a Silver Level MathCounts Program by the MathCounts Foundation. MathCounts is a national enrichment, club and competition program that promotes middle school mathematics achievement through grassroots involvement in every U.S. state and territory. The MathCounts program inspires excellence, confidence and curiosity in U.S. middle school students through fun and challenging math programs while providing today’s students with the foundation for success in science, technology, engineering and mathematics careers.

Montgomery Catholic's MathCounts team is one of five schools in the state of Alabama to receive Silver status and the only school in the Montgomery area. Montgomery Catholic's MathCounts team members are Paige Barranco, Ann Faulkner, Chandler Hughes, Mandy Jones, Brian Lee, Josh Merriweather, Leo Petters, Maria Rossi, William Russell, Megan Stembridge, Ashley Sulzby, and Joseph Thrash. The Montgomery Catholic team is sponsored by Dr. Joe Profio, Mrs. Vicki Petters, and Mrs. Julie Flowers.

Catholic's Miller Clemmons Makes Bicycle Kick in Area Game

2011-03-24T15:24:00.000-05:00

Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School hosted Montgomery Academy in an area game on Tuesday, March 22, 2011. During the first half of the game, #3 Miller Clemmons, a junior, made an awesome bicycle kick for goal and then did a back flip at midfield. The Knights defeated Montgomery Academy 3-2 in double over-time. Go Knights!

Senior Anisa Britt Breaks School Strike-Out Record

2011-03-23T09:59:00.001-05:00

Montgomery Catholic varsity softball pitcher Anisa Britt broke the school strike-out record at the Gulf Shores Invitational Tournament during Spring Break. Anisa was honored during a special ceremony and presented with a commemorative softball marking the occasion before hosting St. James on Tuesday, March 22.

Britt struck out eight batters and allowed only four hits during the 6-2 win over the Trojans, bringing Anisa's and the present school strike-out record to 551. Anisa is the first softball player at Montgomery Catholic to sign with an NCAA Division-I program and will join the Alabama A&M University team in the fall.

Montgomery Catholic's previous softball strike-out record of 542 was held by Abigail Beesley, Class of 2007.

Pictured: Montgomery Catholic Varsity Softball Coach Britt Taylor with the infield players after presenting a commemorative softball to pitcher Anisa Britt. Coach Taylor, Lauren Walker (3rd base), Sydney O'Connor (short stop), Anisa Britt (pitcher), Rhyan Duffey (catcher), Kirstin Wood (2nd base), and Hadley Taylor (1st base).

Students Use Technology to Create and Pray the Virtual Rosary at Montgomery Catholic

2011-03-22T09:17:00.001-05:00

During Computer classes at Montgomery Catholic’s St. Bede Campus using the software Kidpix, every student in the school (K-6) illustrated one of the prayers or mysteries that correspond with each bead of the Rosary. Students then exported their artwork as a jpeg and they were embedded into a PowerPoint presentation. Our Rosary consists of four different presentations, one for each of the different sets of mysteries for a total of 320 slides. This year we’ve added a picture of a rosary on each slide with the correct bead colored in to help the students follow along.

This is the third year Mrs. Ruth Glenboski has helped students create the Virtual Rosary and it has become a very special Lenten tradition at Montgomery Catholic’s St. Bede Campus. During Lent, one decade is prayed daily in every classroom beginning with the Joyful Mysteries and continuing through the life of Jesus. Each child has also been given their own Rosary that was blessed during the Ash Wednesday School Mass.

You can pray this Rosary with us by going to www.rglenboski.wordpress.com and clicking on the Inspiration Station Tab on the top of the website.

Pictured, Mrs. Rutland’s first grade class prays the Virtual Rosary created by the students of Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School’s St. Bede Campus.

Montgomery Catholic Junior To Get Unique Look at U.S. Naval Academy While Attending Fast-Paced Summer Seminar

2011-03-18T11:03:00.001-05:00

The U.S. Naval Academy (USNA) invited a select group of approximately 2,250 young men and women from around the nation and internationally to attend the Naval Academy Summer Seminar program this year. Summer Seminar is a fast-paced experience for high achievers who have completed their junior year in high school and are considering applying for admission to USNA after graduation.
Kevin Norris, a student at Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School, will participate in the 2011 U.S. Naval Academy Summer Seminar Program. Kevin is the son of Larry and Stacey Norris of Montgomery.

Summer Seminar teaches prospective applicants about life at the Naval Academy, where academics, athletics, and professional training play equally important roles in developing our nation's leaders. Each student will attend a six-day session and experience a part of USNA life. Students in the program live in Bancroft Hall (the dormitory in which all USNA midshipmen live), eat in the dining hall, participate in academic and leadership workshops and participate in daily physical training involving group runs and conditioning exercises. They will have an opportunity to see first-hand what the Naval Academy has to offer through its exceptional academics, athletic, extracurricular activities, and leadership training programs.

Founded in 1845, the Naval Academy is a highly competitive four-year undergraduate institution that prepares young men and women morally, mentally, and physically to become officers in the United States Navy or Marine Corps. Upon graduation, Naval Academy midshipmen receive a Bachelor of Science degree in one of 22 majors and a commission as ensigns in the U.S. Navy or second lieutenants in the U.S. Marine Corps. In return, these young officers will serve at least five years of exciting and rewarding service to our nation.

Archbishop Rodi Blesses New Stained Glass in Montgomery Catholic's Chapel

2011-03-17T15:26:00.000-05:00

High school students in Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School's Art program recently finished the first phase of beautiful stained glass pieces for the windows of our Middle/High School Chapel. Archbishop Thomas Rodi recently blessed these stunning pieces of art during a recent school visit. This art project was student-initiated from start to finish with several students working on each phase. From the hand-drawn design, glass cutting, wrapping each piece of glass with copper foil, soldering the foiled pieced together, and polishing the final product, Montgomery Catholic students completed four different 20" x 36" glass pieces for everyone to enjoy for many years to come. Students are currently working on the design phase of the next pieces for the chapel.

Pictured: Archbishop Rodi with Montgomery Catholic art student Chance Williams and the new stained glass pieces in the Middle/High School Chapel.

Montgomery Catholic's Middle School Science Olympiad Team Participate in Regional Competition at AU

2011-03-17T14:25:00.001-05:00

Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School's middle school Science Olympiad team recently participated in the Regional Science Olympiad Competition held at Auburn University. The 14-member team worked hard as they competed in 23 events and placed 9th overall out of 22 teams competing.

Several Montgomery Catholic teams brought home honors for their hard work. Mary Reagan Starrett and Katie McDaniel received 3rd place in the "Junkyard Challenge". Six teams received 5th place in their events: Logan Stevens and Josh Merriweather for "Shock Value", Mandy Jones and Ashley Sulzby for "Science Crime Busters", Calvin Weaver and Brian Lee for "Bottle Rockets", and Mary Reagan Starrett and Maria Rossi for "Can't Judge a Powder By Its Color". Calvin Weaver and Brian Brunson took 6th place in the "Battery Buggy". The team members logged many hours after school and on the weekends getting ready for the exciting competition.

Montgomery Catholic's Middle School Science Olympiad team members are Lacy Herbek, Maria Rossi, Mary Reagan Starrett, Madison Searcy, Jennifer Doan, Katie McDaniel, Brian Brunson, Calvin Weaver, Ashley Sulzby, Ann Faulkner, Mandy Jones, Logan Stevens, Josh Merriweather, and Brian Lee. This outstanding team is sponsored by Mrs. Vicki Petters and Mrs. Julie Flowers.

Pictured: Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School's Middle School Science Olympiad Team at the Regional Competition held at Auburn University.

Montgomery Catholic's High School Students Compete in North AL Science Olympiad at UAH

2011-03-17T14:04:00.003-05:00

High school students from Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School recently participated in the North Alabama Regional Science Olympiad at the University of Alabama at Huntsville. These outstanding students spent several weeks preparing for the competition, many times working late at night fine tuning their competition pieces. Working in teams, they faced more than two dozen thought provoking activities. They also called on scientific knowledge, deduction and analysis to launch rockets, play robot billiards, and save innocent eggs from being squashed. Montgomery Catholic's teams fared well in the competition with the following students placed in the top five in their event: Zach Hulcher, Tyler Parrish, Ben Petters, Ben Stevens, Josh Stark, Chance Williams, Chase Williams, William Whitt, John Talbot, Brian Saunders, Jacob Burke, Phillip Ozgul, and Jack Starr. The Montgomery Catholic team also had four students place in the top ten in their event. They were Lizzie Terino, Cathy Ranieri, Giselle Simms, and Stone Miller.

Montgomery Catholic's high school Science Olympiad team members are Jacob Burke, Cindy Camacho, Darrin Federspill, Morgan Foxworth, Zach Hulcher, Alicia Ruth Jackson, Analaura James, Crista Jones, Sally Kornosky, Rebecca Kornosky, Tyler McGee, Stone Miller, Bianca Noumbissi, Phillip Ozgul, Tyler Parrish, Kayleigh Pears, Ben Petters, Nandi Ramirez, Cathy Ranieri, Madison Roberts, Brian Saunders, Giselle Simms, Nick Smith, Josh Stark, Jack Starr, Ben Stevens, John Talbot, Lizzie Terino, Kristina Vanella, William Whitt, Chance Williams, Chase Williams, and Amanda Youngpeter. The team is sponsored by Dr. Joe Profio and Mrs. Kathy O'Connor.

Pictured: Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School's high school Science Olympiad team during their visit to the US Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville.

Ben Petters Named National Merit Finalist

2011-03-10T08:18:00.000-06:00

Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School is proud to announce Ben Petters as a National Merit Scholarship® Finalist. Ben is one of over 15,000 scholastically talented high school seniors to have an opportunity to continue in the competition for thousands of Merit Scholarship® awards, worth millions of dollars.

To be considered for a Merit Scholarship award, students must fulfill several requirements and about one-half of the Finalists are selected as Merit Scholarship winners, earning the Merit Scholar® title.

As a finalist, Ben has maintained outstanding academic records throughout his high school years, has been endorsed and recommended by his school principal, and has earned SAT scores that confirm his qualifying test performance.

Ben also had to submit a detailed scholarship application, including a self-descriptive essay and information regarding his participation and leadership in both school and community activities. Petters is currently the President of the High School Science Olympiad team, Vice President of the Loretto Chapter of the National Honor Society, a member of the Spanish Club, Marching and Concert Bands, and is currently working on his Eagle Scout project. Ben is the son of Brian and Vicki Petters of Montgomery.

Montgomery Catholic Students Talk About Vocations

2011-03-03T13:47:00.000-06:00

Father Alex Valladares, Director of Vocations for the archdiocese and Campus Minister at Sacred Heart of Jesus at South Alabama, visited Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School's High School Campus on Tuesday February 22^nd. Father Alex had the opportunity to speak to the entire student body in their religion classes. He challenged the students to commit their lives to Jesus Christ and center their lives around the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and the Eucharist.

“Before you can think of your vocation, what it is God is calling you to, you must first make that decision to center your life on Jesus Christ,” he stated. Junior student Wellington Westendorf commented about Father Alex’s visit, “I learned a lot about myself and what it means to listen and follow God’s call.” Hailey Loria, a student, remarked, “Father Alex connected with us and we with him. He has a lot of passion for his faith and he kept me into what he was saying the entire time.” One of the purposes of the Catholic school is to assist students to discern their vocation.

Montgomery Catholic has been privileged to have a number of her alumni answer the call of God to the priesthood and religious life, including Fathers William Kidwell '42 (deceased), Joseph Johnson' 45 (deceased), Michael Labadie '91 (deceased), Fathers Bill Folsom '44, Justin Damien Dean '79, William Fields '81, Patrick Driscoll ’84, Den Irwin '88, the recently name Vicar-General and Moderator of the Curia, Steve Martin ’87 and Sr. Dominica (Natalie Bickerton ‘00) O.P.

Pictured: Father Alex Valladares speaks to Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School Theology classes in the school chapel.

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

2011-03-02T16:00:00.000-06:00

Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School celebrated the National Education Association's annual "Read Across America" with school president Anne Ceasar reading a favorite Dr. Seuss book, "The Cat in the Hat Returns" to Mrs. Burden's kindergarten class.

The National Education Association's "Read Across America" is an annual reading motivation and awareness program that calls for every child in every community to celebrate reading on March 2, the birthday of beloved children's author Dr. Seuss.

Pictured: Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School President Mrs. Anne Ceasar with Mrs. Ellie Burden's kindergarten class for "Read Across America".

Montgomery Catholic Students Donate Books to School in Africa

2011-03-02T15:17:00.000-06:00

Montgomery Catholic's Boys Leadership Council has been on a mission collecting books and donations to send to an all-girls school in Rwanda, Africa, for the past year. The service project, "Book and A Buck", collects books and monetary donations in order to ship the books to the school. Montgomery Catholic's high school Theology department welcomed Miss Rachel Snow to speak to all of the students about her experiences of teaching at the all-girls school, for which this project was done, in Rwanda, Africa, last year. Miss Snow spoke about the students, culture, her work there, and the Reconciliation project that is occurring because of the Rwandan genocide. She also showed a moving slide show of pictures from her experiences over the past year. Miss Snow is now starting a non-profit organization modeled after Montgomery Catholic's "book and a buck" fundraiser to partner with area schools to do the same project for other schools in Africa.

Pictured: Montgomery Catholic's Boys Leadership Council with their "Book and A Buck" Project which donated books to an all-girls school in Rwanda, Africa. Boys Leadership Council Sponsor Mr. Ryan Bravata, Miss Rachel Snow, BLC members Walt Cobb, Will Balchunas, Jake Clark, David DeVries, Aidan Gilbert, Tommy Wujcik, and Jacob McAlpine.

Happy Birthday, Clifford!

2011-02-24T10:25:00.000-06:00

Kindergarten students at Montgomery Catholic's St. Bede Campus recently completed a study the work of Norman Bridwell, the author and illustrator of the Clifford books. The Clifford Books were first published in 1963, which makes Clifford 48 years old. Mrs. Redden's Kindergarten class celebrated with a birthday party for Clifford with cookies and juice. Each student in the class took Clifford, a stuffed red dog, home where they wrote a real or make-believe story of Clifford's adventure. When Clifford and the student returned to school the next day, each student read their story to the class. The Clifford books are a big hit for all of the kindergarten students at Montgomery Catholic!

Knights Win Season-Opening Golf Tournament

2011-02-22T15:38:00.000-06:00

The Montgomery Catholic varsity golf team overcame a sluggish start with a strong finish to capture first place in the Auburn Invitational Monday at Indian Pines Golf Club.

Junior Jacob Stinson shot a 73 to earn medalist honors and junior Jason Katz shot a 77 to lead the Knights to a two-shot victory over host Auburn High School. Katz was named to the all-tournament team.

The Knights shot a team score of 313. Sophomore Chapman Barranco had an 81 and junior Corey Jackson had an 82. Zach Jones, an eighth-grader, shot an 87.

The Knights are back in action Feb. 28 and March 1 in the annual Blue-Gray Invitational at Wynlakes and Lagoon Park.

Montgomery Catholic Students Raise Funds, Awareness for Food for the Poor

2011-02-21T10:52:00.000-06:00

Students at Montgomery Catholic's St. Bede Campus raised nearly $500 and awareness for Food for the Poor, the third-largest international relief organization in the United States. Led by the St. Bede Student Council and chaired by sixth grader Audry Kim, students emptied their piggy banks and volunteered to do extra chores for their parents in order to raise the funds, which equals 9,940 meals for the poor. Pictured: Students from Montgomery Catholic's St. Bede Campus stand in front of their Food for the Poor bulletin board where they charted the fundraising efforts by classroom. L to R: Gabe Russo, Andrew Austin, Mitch Dedek, Angela Gier, Project Chair Audrey Kim, and Student Council President James Sadie.

Montgomery Catholic's MathCounts Team Advances to State Competition

2011-02-21T10:12:00.000-06:00

Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School's Middle School MathCounts Team advances to the state competition following their performance at the district level. Ten middle school students from Montgomery Catholic competed at the MathCounts District competition recently held at Faulkner University where their team placed second overall. All of the Montgomery Catholic team members were among the top 10 scorers who made it to the countdown round, where they competed against 40 students from several different schools. The countdown round consisted of quick response questions with the students buzzing in with the correct answers. Individually, Montgomery Catholic's Brian Lee came in fourth place, Leo Petters in sixth place, Maria Rossi in eighth place, and Mandy Jones placed ninth. These four top scorers will travel as a team to the MathCounts State Competition on March 19, in Huntsville, AL. Montgomery Catholic's MathCounts team members are Paige Barranco, Ann Faulkner, Sean Federspill, Chandler Hughes, Mandy Jones, Brian Lee, Leo Petters, Maria Rossi, William Russell, and Megan Stembridge. Montgomery Catholic's MathCounts is sponsored by Mrs. Julie Flowers and Mrs. Vicki Petters

Cotter Finishes Third in State Tournament

2011-02-21T09:34:00.001-06:00

Montgomery Catholic senior wrestler Corey Cotter bounced back from the brink of defeat Saturday morning to capture third place in the AHSAA Class 1A-4A state wrestling tournament in Huntsville.

Cotter, wrestling in the 140-pound weight division, trailed Weaver's Dakota Sumners 5-0 in the third round of the match when he reversed out of his opponents' grasp and pinned him for the victory.

With the win, Cotter improved on last season's fourth-place finish and became only the second Catholic wrestler to earn a third-place medal in the program's four-year history. Preston Stone finished third last season.

Cotter opened the tournament Friday with a first-round pin over Austin Akins of American Christian, but fell in the semi-finals to Dalton Sanders of Dora. He won a consolation match Friday night over Treddie Gray of Oak Grove to set the stage for Saturday's exciting victory.

Congratulations Corey!

Vazquez to Represent Montgomery Catholic at County Spelling Bee

2011-01-31T16:10:00.000-06:00

Congratulations to Aly Vazquez as Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School's top speller at our St. Bede Campus. Aly will represent Montgomery Catholic at the Montgomery County Spelling Bee in February. Aly, a sixth grade student, won the bee by correctly spelling "feverishly". Henry Petters, a fifth grade student, will serve as our alternate delegate for the Montgomery County Spelling Bee.

Competing in the Montgomery Catholic spelling bee at St. Bede were fourth grade students Grace Leslie, Ben Koepele, Zoe Rutland, Jean Stephenson, Emily Claire Talbot, and Reagan Herbek. Fifth grade students were Henry Petters, Annabel Starrett, Trinity Carter, and Ryne Herbek. Sixth grade students were Madison Gaston, Morris Lottinger, Adam Bristol, and Aly Vazquez.

Pictured: Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School's top speller Aly Vazquez and first alternate Henry Petters.

Happy 100th Day of School!

2011-01-31T11:01:00.000-06:00

Kindergarten students in Mrs. Redden's classroom celebrated the 100th day of school by doing everything the 100 way! The students enjoyed 100 pieces of snacks, put 100 caps on a paper tree and a 100 dots on a paper ladybug. The students also made hats with 100 dots and necklaces with a 100 fruit loops and ate a cookie cake with 100 M&M's on it as part of their snack as well. It was a great day!
Pictured: Montgomery Catholic Kindergarten students with their 100 pieces of snack as they celebrate the 100th day of school in Mrs. Debbie Redden's class.

Montgomery Catholic Students Participate in Honor Band Festival at Troy University

2011-01-31T10:35:00.001-06:00

Seven Middle School Band members from Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School travelled to Troy, AL to take part in Troy University’s Southeastern United States Middle School Honor Bands. These seven students completed an application process and were selected from a large body of applicants from Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. After being accepted, these young musicians auditioned for a spot in one of the event’s three performing ensembles: the Silver Band, the Cardinal Band, and the Gold Band. Brian Brunson was selected for the Silver Band, while Jennifer Doan, Jonathan Miller, and Beth Vaughan were selected for the Cardinal Band. Ashley Kim, Mandy Jones, and Katie McDaniel all received exceptionally high audition scores and were accepted to the festival’s top ensemble, the Gold Band. Congratulations to all of these students on this prestigious achievement!

Pictured: Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School students who were selected to participate in Troy University's Southeastern United States Middle School Honor Bands are Jonathan Miller, Beth Vaughan, Jennifer Doan, Ashley Kim, Amanda Jones, Katherine McDaniel, and Brian Brunson.

Cotter Wins Julian McPhillips Title

2011-01-13T08:21:00.001-06:00

Montgomery Catholic senior Corey Cotter won the 140-pound weight class in the 14th annual Julian McPhillips wrestling tournament Saturday at St. James School. Cotter defeated Jonathan Boston of Holtville 3-2 in the finals. Cotter's win is the first for a Catholic wrestler in the McPhillips tournament. McPhillips helped start the wrestling programs at St. James and Catholic.

Pictured: Mr. Julian McPhillips with Catholic's Corey Cotter.

Montgomery Catholic Art Students Sweep AL National Fair Competition

2011-01-04T09:25:00.000-06:00

Three high school art students at Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School swept the competition at the 57th annual Alabama National Fair competition. Senior Emily Starr won first place in the Overall Youth Art category for her Lion fish watercolor, first, second, and third place in the Pastels category, and Honorable Mention in the Acrylic category. Tyler Parrish, a junior, won first place for his Etching piece. Migyn Kim, a freshman, won second place for her watercolor and the overall award in the Creative Living Center. Middle and high school Art classes at Montgomery Catholic are taught by Ms. Joane Grant.
Pictured: Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School students Tyler Parrish, Emily Starr, and Migyn Kim display their award winning art pieces from the 57th annual Alabama National Fair.

Catholic Athletes Named to All-Metro Teams

2011-01-03T15:38:00.000-06:00

Congratulations to our athletes who have been named to The Montgomery Advertiser's All-Metro Teams for the fall sports season:
Cross Country: Male Athlete of the Year Corey Cotter, All Metro Team Nick Smith, and Honorable Mention Skip Martin, Jarrett Mason, and Matt Pouncey.
Cross Country: Female Honorable Mention Mackenzie Colvin, Lizzie Terino, and Katherine Terino.
Volleyball: Honorable Mention Elizabeth Karst.
Football: Defense Jake Clark and Honorable Mention Miles Jordan and Will Balchunas.

Congratulations and GO KNIGHTS!

Montgomery Catholic Basketball Works With Inner City Evangelism

2011-01-03T14:39:00.000-06:00

The Montgomery Catholic Varsity boys basketball team volunteered with the Inner City Evangelism (ICE) during their Christmas celebration at the Gibbs Village Community Center. Inner City Evangelism is a community outreach program which seeks to bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to others through hope, joy, peace, food, shelter, love and so much more to communities in the Montgomery area. Catholic's varsity boys basketball team assisted with arts and craft projects, led games of kickball, enjoyed pizza from Cheezie's Pizza, and played several rounds of basketball with the adults and children at Gibbs Village before traveling to Verbena to participate in the Verbena Christmas Tournament.
Pictured: Montgomery Catholic Varsity basketball team member Cameron Powell helps the children create manger scene Christmas ornaments at the Inner City Evangelism Christmas Party.

Third Grade Makes the Season Bright for MHA

2010-12-22T12:22:00.000-06:00

Third grade students at Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School helped to make this Christmas season a little brighter for clients at Mental Health America (MHA) in Montgomery. Students in Mrs. Keating and Mrs. Quillin's classes collected various personal care items for the adult clients and filled 155 goodie bags for MHA volunteers to deliver just in time for Christmas. This is the second year third grade students at Montgomery Catholic have conducted this service project. Brittany Wiggins gladly accepted their generosity on behalf of the clients of Mental Health America.
Pictured: Montgomery Catholic third grade students and Brittany Wiggins of MHA are surrounded by the goodie bags they collected for Mental Health America.

Corey Cotter Named All-Metro Cross Country Male Athlete of the Year by The Montgomery Advertiser

2010-12-21T13:12:00.003-06:00

Montgomery Catholic senior Corey Cotter has been named the All-Metro Cross Country Male Athlete of the Year by The Montgomery Advertiser. In only his second season as a Cross Country runner, Corey holds the city's best time in high school competition at 16:48 from the sectional competition. Nick Smith, a junior, was also named to the All-Metro Male Cross Country team. Earning nods as Honorable Mention All-Metro were sophomores Skip Martin, Jarrett Mason, and freshman Matt Pouncey. Montgomery Catholic's Male Cross Country team was the first runner-up in the 3A division of the Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) Cross Country State Championship.

Montgomery Catholic's Female Cross Country team members senior Lizzie Terino, sophomore Katherine Terino, and freshman Mackenzie Colvin, pictured below, were named as Honorable Mention members of the All-Metro Female Cross Country Team. All three of these female athletes represented Montgomery Catholic at the AHSAA Cross Country State Meet.

To read a full article written by Wesley Lyle of The Montgomery Advertiser on Corey Cotter and the Male Cross Country All-Metro honors, click here.

To read a full article about the Female Cross Country All-Metro honors, click here.

Montgomery Catholic Team Third Highest Fundraiser at Jingle Bell Run

2010-12-21T09:34:00.000-06:00

For the third year in a row, Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School's team at the Jingle Bell Run for Arthritis raised over $2,000 and was the third highest fundraising team at this year's event. The race begins and ends on the beautiful campus of Huntingdon College and weaves through historic Cloverdale neighborhoods. With 60 team members, Montgomery Catholic raised $2,767 to battle this crippling disease which affects over 46 million Americans today.

Several Montgomery Catholic team members placed in the top three chipped times for their age groups. Nick Smith won first place, Jarrett Mason placed second, and Mackenzie Colvin third in their respective age categories. Alex Taylor, the son of high school principal Fran Taylor, also won a first place trophy in his age group. Montgomery Catholic's team captain was Tracie Colvin.

Montgomery Catholic's 2010 Jingle Bell Run team members were Beverly Barnette, Ashley Barranco, Julie Barranco, Ellie Burden, Sarah Rose Burden, Anne Ceasar, Chris Cochrane, Charlie Colvin, Hayes Colvin, Mackenzie Colvin, Tracie Colvin, Tricia Crowley, Ann Marie Dean, Laura Dean, Mary Elizabeth Dean, Kyle Eller, Ruth Glenboski, Liz Gregorius, Patrick Gregorius, Laurie Gulley, Anne Hails, Richard Harbin, Elizabeth Karst, Mary Kelley, Anna Kimbrough, Heather Kirklin, Ken Klinger, Ben Koepele, Cameron Koepele, Steve Koepele, Hannah Masingill, Katie Masingill, Jarrett Mason, Jenny Mason, Kate McOmber, Kenslie McOmber, Nathan McOmber, Hunter Miller, Matt Pouncey, Maria Smith, Nick Smith, Josh Stark, Jerry Taff, Jessica Taff, LuAnne Taff, Shelby Taff, Sarah Talbot, Alex Taylor, Fran Taylor, John Terino, Katherine Terino, Lizzie Terino, Paige Thaxton, Karen Weber, Sara Wilson, Julie Wood, Kirstin Wood, Barr Younker, and Cappy Younker.

Click on the link to view pictures of Montgomery Catholic at the 2010 Jingle Bell Run.

Pictured: Members of Montgomery Catholic's 2010 Jingle Bell Run team pause to meet the Chick-Fil-A cow on the Huntingdon College campus.

Lee and Petters Earn Top Scores on AMC 8 at Montgomery Catholic

2010-12-13T11:19:00.000-06:00

Seventh grader Brian Lee and eighth grader Leo Petters outscored over 80 honor students at Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School on the American Mathematics Competition (AMC) 8 to attain the highest scores at the school. The American Mathematics Competitions (AMC) is dedicated to the goal of strengthening the mathematical capabilities of our nation's youth and promote excitement, enthusiasm, and positive attitudes towards mathematics.

The AMC 8 is a 25 item timed examination in middle school mathematics designed to promote the development and enhancement of problem solving skills. It provides an opportunity to apply the concepts taught at the junior high level to problems which not only range from easy to difficult but also cover a wide range of applications. The AMC year begins with the AMC 8 in the fall and the upper level tests, the AMC 10 and AMC 12, are given in the spring. High school students at Montgomery Catholic will participate in those tests in February 2011.

Montgomery Catholic's Godwin Elected Alabama's Chief Justice at Youth Judicial

2010-12-13T10:24:00.001-06:00

Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School junior Dominic Godwin was elected as Alabama's 2011 Youth Supreme Court Chief Justice at the 2010 YMCA Youth in Government's Youth Judicial Conference held at the Embassy Suites in downtown Montgomery. Of the job, Godwin said, "A chief justice should not only the be the head of the competition, but should also be there for the delegates. I hope to spark each and every delegates' enthusiasm by example and leadership."

Election speeches were given on Saturday night of the conference with elections on Sunday night. Godwin has been involved with Montgomery Catholic's Government Club and the YMCA Youth in Government Programs for the past three years. This election was his first run for office. Godwin's first official duty as Alabama's 2011 Youth Chief Justice was to adjourn the 2010 Judicial Conference during the closing ceremony. In the spring, Godwin will preside over the Supreme Court at the 2011 Youth Legislature Conference. He will return to preside over the 2011 Youth Judicial Conference next fall.

In addition to Godwin's election at the Youth Judicial Conference, Montgomery Catholic's Hannah Masingill served as the District 3 Chairperson where she aided Alabama Youth Governor Brennan McMahan in running the Pre-Judicial meetings. Sophomore Jordan Heymann was also elected and served as the Sheriff for the conference. Montgomery Catholic fielded two Prosecution and two Defense teams at Youth Judicial that were coached by attorneys Mrs. Melinda Perritano, Mrs. Susan Turley, and Montgomery Catholic alumni and attorneys Miss Laurel Crawford '02 and Mr. Richard Dean '78.

Serving on Montgomery Catholic's Prosecution team one were Jacob Burke, Chad DuBois, John Preston Houston, Sydney Jarman, Megan Karst, Hannah Masingill, and Jack Starr. Defense team one participants were Ashley Barranco, Tara Bourke, Mackenzie Colvin, Ann Marie Dean, Andrea Hayes, Daniel LoBello, and Sarabeth Parker. Montgomery Catholic's Prosecution team two were Barbara Bradley, Walt Cobb, Jason Katz, Lexie Segrest, Joseph Sutton, Constance Taylor, and Lizzie Terino. Defense team two participants were Dominic Godwin, Zachary Hulcher, David Norris, Paul Overton, Stefan Perritano, Blayne Spigner, and Ben Taylor.

Montgomery Catholic's Government Club is led by President Chad DuBois and sponsored by Mrs. Amy Johnson.

Montgomery Catholic's Elementary Science Olympiad Goes On A Dauphin Island Adventure

2010-12-10T14:52:00.001-06:00

Fifth grade students from Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School's Science Olympiad Team visited beautiful Dauphin Island on a recent field trip. The trip, which was both fun and educational, took the teachers and students on many wonderful scientific adventures. They waded into the marsh, many of them waste deep, with nets and buckets. The students also boarded a vessel used for instructional and research purposes, which took them out into Mobile Bay. The life forms they caught and pulled from the waters were plentiful, ranging from jelly fish to stingrays …and even a little shark, all of which they got to touch. It was very exciting for the children to actually participate in such activities and learn hands-on about the environment. Of course, everyone enjoyed the star-gazing walks on the beach at night where they enjoyed the evening views and closed each night with a student-led prayer service. Montgomery Catholic's Elementary Science Olympiad team is sponsored by Mr. Nick Bourke, Mrs. Allison Boyd, and Mrs. Shelley Herbek.

Montgomery Catholic Band Members Selected for Auburn University Honor Band

2010-12-10T14:32:00.000-06:00

Two Montgomery Catholic Marching Band members, Justis Davis and Will Brunson, were selected to play in the Auburn University Honor Band in October. This honor band is comprised of high school musicians from all over the state who were recommended by their band directors as outstanding musicians. Justis and Will had the honor of playing on Pat Dye Field at Auburn's Jordan-Hare Stadium with the Auburn University Marching Band.

Alabama's Catholic High Schools Award Winners at 2010 AHSAA Cross Country Championships

2010-12-06T13:03:00.000-06:00

The Cross Country teams from McGill-Toolen Catholic High School (Mobile), Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School, and Pope John Paul II High School (Huntsville) assemble to display their trophies after the awards ceremony at the State Cross Country Championships held in Moulton, Alabama in November. The McGill-Toolen Girls finished second in the 6A classification, the Montgomery Catholic Boys were second in the 3A classification, and the Pope John Paul II High School Girls were runner-ups in the 4A division.

Britt Commits to Alabama A&M University

2010-12-01T15:47:00.002-06:00

Montgomery Catholic's senior star softball pitcher Anisa Britt recently signed her letter of intent to play softball for Alabama A&M University in Huntsville, AL. In addition to the athletic honors, she will also receive an academic scholarship to the university. Anisa is the first Montgomery Catholic softball player to sign with an NCAA Division-I program.

Britt has been an avid softball player since the age of five with the Montgomery American league, where she made the All-star team each year. Three of the years with Montgomery American, Anisa's team played to the state championship in their age division. Anisa has also played with a travel ball team for the past five years and traveled to many states for different tournaments.

While at Montgomery Catholic, Anisa has been the starting pitcher for the past four years, earning the team leadership award, two-time Most Valuable Player award, and a three-time All-metro Softball Player with The Montgomery Advertiser.

In her four years with the Lady Knights, Anisa has had 232 at bats, 77 hits, .332 batting average, 56 RBIs, .941 SLG percentage, and a .435 on-base percentage. She has achieved all of this while pitching in 88 games, 457 innings, with an ERA of 3.54. With 519 strikeouts, Anisa is chasing the Montgomery Catholic school strike-out record.

Not only is Anisa a tremendous athlete, she is an excellent student maintaining a 3.6 grade point average. Anisa is a member of the Loretto Chapter of the National Honor Society, Spanish National Honor Society, and the Science Club. Anisa has also received offers from Alabama State University, Grambling State University, and Stillman College.

Anisa Britt is the daughter of Marty and Ava Britt. To view pictures from Anisa's softball letter of intent signing ceremony, click here.

Congratulations Freshmen Class Officers

2010-12-01T15:06:00.000-06:00

The freshmen class of Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School recently elected their Student Government Association officers for the 2010-2011 school year. Congratulations to President Matthew Mills, Vice President Ann Marie Dean, Secretary Kirstin Wood, and Treasurer Sarabeth Parker.

Catholic Boys Take Tiger Classic Championship; Cotter Wins Fourth in Row

2010-11-03T15:32:00.000-05:00

Senior Corey Cotter won the 1A-4A Division of the Tiger Classic Cross Country Meet at Auburn on Saturday, October 23 in 17:18. The Montgomery Catholic Boys won the overall team championship by placing five runners in the top seven of the 5 K race to win. Junior Nick Smith was third in 17:50, Sophomore Jarrett Mason fifth in 18:09, Freshman Matt Pouncey sixth in 18:10, and Sophomore Skip Martin finished seventh in 18:12. Multiple failures in the timing system prevented accurate times for the remaining racers in the Boys race, but Juniors Josh Stark and Phil Ozgul finished as the sixth and seventh runners for Catholic. Seventh grader Michael Twiford finished in the top 40. Senior Barr Younker, fresh off his two touchdown performance at TR Miller the night before, was 47th and Eighth grader Tucker Wilkinson was 48th.

In the Girls’ Race, Catholic finished third as Sophomore Katherine Terino and Freshman MacKenzie Colvin finished 13th and 14th. Senior Lizzie Terino was 22nd, Freshman Allie Micher ran her best race of the season to take 40th. Freshman Ann Marie Dean and Seventh Grader Macie Sommers rounded out the team scoring for the Lady Knights by finishing 44th and 47th.

Senior Asa Keating won the Junior Varsity race in a season best time of 20:47. Eighth grader Patrick Gregorius was second in 21:28 and fellow classmate Justin Cotter ran 24:21 to take tenth. Some members of the team will travel to Veteran’s Park in Hoover on Thursday to race in the Hoover Invitational. The rest of the team will prepare for the upcoming Sectional Meet on November 4th.

Montgomery Catholic Taps 11 New Members into National Junior Honor Society

2010-11-03T11:05:00.002-05:00

Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School recently inducted 11 new members into their chapter of the National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) during a recent ceremony. More than just an honor society, these 11 eighth grade students have demonstrated outstanding performance in the areas of scholarship, service, leadership, character, and citizenship.

The newest members of Montgomery Catholic's National Junior Honor Society are Paige Barranco, Ann Faulkner, Jacob Hulcher, Mandy Jones, Derek Kelly, Ashley Kim, Mary Janet McLaughlin, Olivia Nobles, John Ozgul, Leo Petters, and Grace Selvaggi. A reception for the NJHS inductees and their parents was held immediately following the ceremony.

Family Tradition Continues at Montgomery Catholic

2010-11-03T09:51:00.005-05:00

On Friday, October 29, Montgomery Catholic recognized all of the members of the senior class who participated in Band, Cross Country, Volleyball, Cheerleading, and Football this fall during a special pre-game presentation before the last home football game. Among the 28 seniors, John Talbot is a third generation Catholic student and football player whose father, grandfather, uncles, and great-uncle all played football for the Knights, dating back to the days when Montgomery Catholic was St. Mary of Loretto. John was escorted by his parents Mike and Angel (Stanaland) Talbot, who are both members of the class of 1982. Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School is one of the oldest, continuous, non-public schools in the state which was founded 137-years ago in Montgomery by the Sisters of Loretto in October of 1873.

Montgomery Catholic fall sport senior athletes are Will Balchunas, son of Norm Balchunas and JoAnne Hodge Balchunas; Jake Clark, son of Jeff and Jill Clark, Chris Cochrane, son of Steve and Leah Cocharane; Kenny Davison, son of Kenny and Janis Davison; David DeVries, son of David and Catherine DeVries; Patrick Freeman, son of Patrick Freeman and Evette Freeman; Miles Jordan, son of the late Faloshada Jordan and grandson of Brady and Monica Jordan; J.L. Mullins, son of Chip '72 and Lorie Mullins; Brian Saunders, son of Dave and Debbie Saunders; John Talbot, son of Mike '82 and Angel '82 Talbot; James Tidmore, son of Jody and Angela Stough; Tahj Vaughans, son of the late Carlos Vaughans and Ericka Rodgers and the grandson of Willie and Carole Vaughans; William Whitt, son of John and Mary Kathryn O'Connor; Tommy Wujcik, son of Tom and Eileen Wujcik, and Barr Younker, son of Barr and Cappy Younker.

Sally Rose Kornosky, daugher of Kevin and Sarah Kornosky; Ben Petters, son of Brian and Vicki Petters; Shannon Guin, daughter of Kevin and Linda Guin; Lizzie Terino, daughter of John and Sue Terino; Jacob Burke, son of David and Katie Burke; Corey Cotter, son of Mark and Rhonda Cotter; John Preston Houston, son of John and Rita Houston; Asa Keating, son of John and Melynda Keating; Rhyan Duffey, daughter of Nathan Duffey and Leslie Gettys; Anna Kimbrough, daughter of David and Madonna Kimbrough; McKee Cronier, daughter of John Cronier and Cheri Jordan; and Jessica Mount, daughter of Bill Mount and Kathryn Mount.

Pictured: Montgomery Catholic senior John Talbot with three generations of Catholic Knights football players, his father Mike Talbot '82, his uncles Mike Stanaland '79 and Bud Stanaland '78, his great uncle Gene Stanaland '52, and his grandfather Luke Stanaland '52.

Click on the link to view all of the photos from Montgomery Catholic's Fall Sports Senior Night.

Fourth Grade Elects Mayors at Montgomery Catholic

2010-11-01T11:25:00.000-05:00

Students in Mrs. Riggles class at Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School are building a city! Students planned all of the functions of their city and campaigned for Mayor. The students produced campaign posters and made speeches to their classmates, asking for their vote. Zachary Schuette was elected as the Mayor of Fourth Grade and Ricky Treloar and Kate Koontz were elected as Vice Mayors. Following the election, Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange called and offered his congratulations to Fourth Grade Mayor Zachary Schuette.
Pictured: Montgomery Catholic elected officials of fourth grade Vice Mayor Ricky Treloar, Mayor Zachary Schuette, and Vice Mayor Kate Koontz.

Montgomery Catholic Students Attend 37th Annual Red Mass

2010-11-01T09:58:00.000-05:00

Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School’s senior class as well as members of the Middle School Student Government Association joined the state of Alabama's Unified Judicial System officials in celebrating the 37th Annual Red Mass at St. Peter's Catholic Church in downtown Montgomery. The Most Reverend Thomas J. Rodi, Archbishop of Mobile, celebrated the Mass.

The tradition of the Red Mass goes back many centuries in Rome, Paris, and London. It is the Solemn Votive Mass of the Holy Spirit celebrated generally near the beginning of the Judicial Year and attended by judges, lawyers, and court officials of all faiths for the purpose of invoking God's blessing and guidance in the administration of justice.

Above, Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School's Middle School SGA officers spoke with Alabama Supreme Court Justice and 1970 Montgomery Catholic graduate Patty Mungenast Smith, at left, at the reception for the Red Mass.

Sekerak Awarded First Catholic Slovak Ladies Association Scholarship

2010-11-01T09:47:00.000-05:00

Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School fifth grade student Evan Sekerak has been awarded a tuition scholarship from the First Catholic Slovak Ladies Association (FCSLA). Evan is the son of Edward and Heather Sekerak. The FCSLA is a fraternal benefit society that ranks among the top fraternal societies active in the United States today, with over 86,000 members, which offers scholarship programs for elementary through graduate studies and seminary or deacon programs.

Evan was awarded one of 28 tuition scholarships of $750.00 for his essay about what he likes best about his school. In his essay Evan wrote, "What I like best about my school is going to weekly, Holy Day, and First Friday Adoration and Benediction. This is special because it builds my relationship with God. During Mass, I am in choir. I do this because I feel comfortable singing in front of many people, especially when I cantor. If I am not in choir, I am an altar server. This school year, I was invested as an altar server after training and serving my first Mass. I serve because it feels natural to be on the altar. I feel closer to God when I am a server."

Evan's essay truly captures what Catholic education is all about: bringing students closer to God. Congratulations to Evan and the Sekerak family for receiving the FCSLA scholarship.

Pictured: Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School President Anne Ceasar accepts the First Catholic Slovak Ladies Association Scholarship check from award winner Evan Sekerak and his father Edward.

Montgomery Catholic Crowns 2010 Homecoming Court

2010-10-19T17:29:00.000-05:00

Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School crowned their 2010 Homecoming Queen and King on Friday, October 15 during the half-time festivities. Sarah Armstrong and ML Shipman, Montgomery Catholic's 2009 Homecoming Queen and King, were on hand to crown the new court.

The Freshman Attendant is Ashley Barranco and Freshman Escort is Cole Dixon. Ashley is the daughter of Don and Julie Barranco. Cole is the son of Daryl and Marcia Dixon. The Sophomore Attendant is Sarah Talbot and Sophomore Escort is Calvin Freeman. Sarah is the daughter of Gordon and Heather Talbot. Calvin is the son of Patrick Freeman and Evette Freeman. The Junior attendant is Madison Roberts and Junior Escort is Benjamin Stevens. Madison is the daughter of Sloan Roberts and Brigitte Roberts. Ben is the son of Michael Stevens and Elizabeth Stevens.

Senior Attendant is Liz Armstrong and Senior Escort is Will Balchunas. Liz is the daughter of Brett Armstrong and Joanie Armstrong. Will is the son of Norm Balchunas and Joanne Balchunas. Senior Attendant is Shannon Guin and Senior Escort is Tahj Vaughans. Shannon is the daughter of Kevin and Linda Guin. Tahj is the son of Willie and Carole Vaughans.

The 2010 Homecoming Queen is Mary Allison Tyner and the 2010 Homecoming King is Jake Clark. Mary Allison is the daughter of Russ and Kathy Tyner. Jake is the son of Jeff and Jill Clark. The week-long Homecoming celebration culminated at the Homecoming Dance held on Saturday night at the St. Bede Family Life Center.

Pictured: Montgomery Catholic's 2010 Homecoming Queen and King Mary Allison Tyner and Jake Clark.

Knight Harriers Edge MA for Metro Title, Cotter Claims Course Record

2010-10-19T16:56:00.004-05:00

In a thrilling display of team running, the Montgomery Catholic Boys Cross Country team defeated Montgomery Academy, 41-40, to claim their first Montgomery Metropolitan Championship. The Racing Knights were paced by senior Corey Cotter’s third win of the season as he covered the challenging Blount Cultural Park 5K course in a new meet record of 17:49. The Knights were down a runner due to injury and it required grit and determination for the squad to beat back the Eagles. Every scoring runner after Cotter ran their fastest time ever to secure the coveted championship T-shirts. Junior Nick Smith placed third in 18:05, sophomore Skip Martin was seventh in 18:39, and freshman Matt Pouncey was 9th in 19:10. All of them earned All-Metro honors. Junior Josh Stark set a personal record by almost 30 seconds when he sprinted home in 20:24 to secure 20th place and the narrow victory. The Knights beat entries from 10 other teams in the River Region in claiming the championship.

The Girls’ race highlighted the superior depth of Montgomery Academy as they placed all five of their scorers in the top 10 to beat LAMP, 21-54. St James junior Taylor Duncan won the individual crown in 21:09 over MA sophomore Krisie Stakely (21:28). Catholic senior Lizzie Terino led the Lady Knights by finishing seventh (22:52). Freshman MacKenzie Colvin earned All-Metro honors by finishing tenth in 23:24. The Catholic squad was without its top two runners due to injury, but freshman Ann Marie Dean (25:35), senior Shannon Guin (26:29), and 7th grader Macie Sommers (30:17) picked up the slack and rallied the team to a third place finish.

Pictured: Montgomery Catholic senior Corey Cotter and junior Nick Smith compete in the Montgomery Metropolitan Championship at Blount Cultural Park in Montgomery. Montgomery Catholic's Cross Country Team at the Montgomery Metropolitan Championship and their "Team Champs" t-shirts.

PICE Golf Tournament Raises $100,000 at 10th Annual Event

2010-10-12T16:30:00.001-05:00

The Partners In Catholic Education's (PICE) 10th Anniversary Charity Golf Tournament held at the Robert Trent Jones Capitol Hill Course in Prattville, AL on October 1st was a terrific success. The $100,000 net proceeds from the tournament will significantly benefit Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School.

Tournament Co-Chairperson Liz Sutton announced that there were 45 sponsors for this year’s tournament. The Tournament Sponsors were Dr. David Bronner, CEO, Retirement Systems of Alabama and Ben Walker, Stifel Nicolaus. There was a Platinum Elite, Three Platinum, and eight Gold Elite Sponsors. The Gold Sponsors were GKN Aerospace, Wise Alloys, and Keefe, Bruyette and Woods.

Silver Sponsors included: Mara Family, Carl Whatley Family, Sinclairs/Montgomery Catering, Anderson Law Firm, Dr. Arthur and Maureen Britton, Dr. J. Michael Karst, PA, Baptist Health, AKD, Inc., OB/GYN Associates of Montgomery, Larry and Beth Russo Family, U S Foodservice, UBS Financial Services, Four Star Freightliner, and Dee Russell-Business Appraisals and Consulting.

Hole Sponsors included: John Lee Paint, Ialacci Family, Robert D. Reynolds – Attorney, St. Peter’s Catholic Church, Carnival Cruise Lines, and Alabama World Travel.

Half Hole Sponsors included: Church of the Holy Spirit Catholic Church, Murphy Chiropractic, Bass Lumber, Azar and Azar Law Firm, Chappy’s Deli, Leon M. Kelley and Co., CPA, and Montgomery Automotive Group.

Beverage Sponsors were All-State Beverage and Coca-Cola Company. This year’s Hole-in-One sponsors, both of which sponsored holes on each course, were Capitol Hyundai and Vision Insurance.

Special Guests this year included Fr. David Carucci, Pastor of St. Bede the Venerable Catholic Church, for the innovation and Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School's President Anne Ceasar.

This year the top Gross and top three Net teams were recognized for the Senator and Legislator courses. They are as follows: Top Gross Winners were George Landegger, George Landegger Jr., Christian Bangert, and Fernando Guarachi and the US Foodservice Team of Todd Hanson, Phillip Romei, Julian Alford, and Joe Chambless. First Place Net Winners were the OBGYM Team of Dr. Allen Dupre, Mike Barranco, Tommy Patterson, Dr. Keith Martin and Southern School/Medical Uniforms Team of Rob Barranco, Paul Vercher, Barry Dean and Steve Barranco. Second Place Net Winners were the Coca-Cola Team Brett Visson, Bill Mitchell, Don Viger, and John Elsea and the Anderson Law Firm Team of Charlie Anderson, Scott Loftis, Buster Russell and Matt Williams. Third Place Net Winners were the AKD Team of Greg Schafer, David Jones, John Sadie, and Tom Gietl and The Baker Team of Warren McUmber, Jim Baker, Tony Ciccone, and Doug Bristol.

There were also prizes for the Closest to the Pin and Longest Drive. For the Senator course, the Closest to the Pin were George Landegger Jr. and Ed Wright. The Longest Drive golfers were Bruce Hodges, Alan Register, and Wally Hester. For the Legislator course, the Closest to the Pin were Michael Smith and Buck Jordan. The Longest Drive winners wereTodd Hansen and Todd Lempicki.

Serving on the committee with Liz Sutton were: Jerry Lopez, Co-Chairperson, Jim Baker, Mike Barranco, Dean DeLongchamp, Ann Karst, Mary Kelley, John Sadie, Lisa Sadie, and Gary Tomlin.

The proceeds of the tournament will greatly enhance Montgomery Catholic’s educational programs and capital improvements.

Pictured: Dr. David Bronner with Montgomery Catholic administrators and members of Varsity tennis, golf, cheerleading, and marching band.

Cotter leads Catholic Boys to Kudzu Hills Championship

2010-10-08T10:52:00.002-05:00

Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School Senior Corey Cotter won the Kudzu Hills Cross Country Invitational and led his team to the championship. Cotter covered the 5K course in 17:33, the fastest time ever run by a Catholic runner, for 5000 meters. Catholic placed four runners in the top 10 as Jarrett Mason (18:37), Nick Smith (18:41), and Skip Martin (18:48) finished 7th, 8th, and 9th. Matt Pouncey finished 16th (19:20) to complete the scoring. The Knights bested 12 other teams.

In the Girls race, Catholic sophomore Katherine Terino finished 3rd (20:42, the second fastest 5000m time by a Catholic girl ever). Other Catholic runners in the top 15 included Sarah Talbot in 7th (22:23) and MacKenzie Colvin in 12th (23:13). Ann Marie Dean, running in only her second race, finished 48th in 26:30.

Photos by Jamie Martin.

Montgomery Catholic Announces 2010 Homecoming Court

2010-10-08T10:42:00.003-05:00

Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School proudly announces our 2010 Homecoming Court.

Freshman Attendant and Escort: Ashley Barranco and Cole Dixon
Sophomore Attendant and Escort: Sarah Talbot and Calvin Freeman
Junior Attendant and Escort: Madison Roberts and Benjamin Stevens
Senior Attendant and Escort: Liz Armstrong and Will Balchunas
Senior Attendant and Escort: Mary Allison Tyner and Jake Clark
Senior Attendant and Escort: Shannon Guin and Tahj Vaughans

The 2010 Homecoming Queen and King will be crowned at half-time on Friday, October 15, 2010. Kick off at 7:00 p.m. Congratulations and GO KNIGHTS!

Kindergarten Students Grow "Very Hungry Caterpillars"

2010-09-20T16:31:00.000-05:00

Kindergarten students in Mrs. Redden's class at Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School just completed their study of children's author Eric Carle. To celebrate, each student created a "very hungry caterpillar" from potting soil, grass seeds, rubber bands, and wiggly eyes. After the unit was complete, each student took their very hungry caterpillars home to enjoy.
Pictured: Montgomery Catholic kindergarten students Hannah Chitlik, Braxton Woodson, Sophia Azzaro, Danielle Willcox, Mark Osten, John Russell Smith, Erik Azar, Lena Duncan, Mason Sylvester, Max Barranco, Henry Wiederholt, Kylie Klein, Matthew Furey, Audrey Trant, Alexander Villena, and Lydia Norman.

Montgomery Catholic Hosts Annual K-6 Cheer Clinic

2010-09-20T09:52:00.001-05:00

Montgomery Catholic's Junior Varsity and Varsity Cheerleading Squads hosted their annual Cheer Clinic for girls in kindergarten through sixth grade. The half-day clinic was held on Saturday, September 11 with a pre-game performance on Friday, September 17. The 66 campers were grouped according to grade and taught several chants, cheers, and a dance routine which they performed on Friday night.

To view pictures of the cheer clinic and pre-game performance, click here.

Montgomery Catholic Elects Middle School SGA Officers for 2010-2011

2010-09-20T09:39:00.000-05:00

Middle School students at Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School recently selected their officers for the 2010-2011 academic year. Gaten Armstrong was elected as SGA President, Caroline Mullikin as SGA Vice President, Ashley Kim as Secretary, and Ali Harper was elected as the SGA Chaplain. Class representatives were also elected for seventh and eighth grade. Seventh grade SGA representatives are Eric Crenshaw, Neely Boston, Marissa Dogan, and Omari Vaughans. Eighth grade SGA representatives are Elivin Stephenson, Mary Janet McLaughlin, Tucker Wilkinson, and Olivia Nobles. Mrs. Kerri Moore is the Middle School SGA Sponsor.

Pictured: Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School Middle School SGA officers Chaplain Ali Harper, President Gaten Armstrong, Vice President Caroline Mullikin, and Secretary Ashley Kim.

Seventh Grade SGA Representatives

(not pictured: Neely Boston)

Eighth Grade SGA Representatives

Knights Score at Chickasaw Trails

2010-09-20T08:29:00.000-05:00

In spite of depleted roster due to ACT testing and illness, the Montgomery Catholic Cross Country team had some notable individual finishes at the Chickasaw Trails Cross Country Invitational on Saturday, 11 September 2010 in Oakville. Record numbers of athletes and teams entered the meet to prepare for the State Meet that will be held on the Indian Mounds Course in November. In the girl’s 1A-4A race, Catholic finished 14th out of 21 teams. The Lady Knights were led by sophomore Katherine Terino’s 9th place finish (22:02.37). Fellow classmate Sarah Talbot also earned an individual award by finishing 21st in 23:08.21. Senior Cindy Camacho (26:35), freshman Allie Micher (32:23), and 8th grader Tiffany Camacho (33:45) completed the scoring for Catholic. A total of 221 runners finished the race.

In the boy’s 1A-4A race, Catholic entered six runners and the first two ran some of the best times ever by a Knight on the Oakville course. Junior Nick Smith became the fourth fastest Catholic runner on the course by clocking 18:58 and finishing 11th out of 285 finishers. Sophomore Jarrett Mason (19:14) crossed the line in 17th place, good enough for number six all time by a Catholic runner. The team finished 13th out of 29 squads. Seventh grader Michael Twiford, in his first 5K Varsity race, ran 22:30. Junior Josh Stark (22:58) and 7th grader Patrick Gregorius (24:16), and Junior Phil Ozgul (27:37) completed the scoring for the Knights.

Photo: Montgomery Catholic sophomore Katherine Terino competes in the Chickasaw Trails Invitational Meet. Photo by John Terino.

Ben Petters Named National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist

2010-09-16T12:12:00.001-05:00

Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School is proud to announce Ben Petters as a Semifinalist in the 56th annual National Merit Scholarship Program. Ben is the son of Brian and Vicki Petters. Ben will have the opportunity to compete for some 8,400 National Merit Scholarships, worth more than $36 million, offered next spring.

To be considered for a Merit Scholarship award, Semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the Finalist level of the competition. The preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test serves as an initial screening of program entrants. In addition to the test scores, the student's academic record, community involvement, leadership ability, and personal essay are considered when determining semifinalists. About 90 percent of the Semifinalists are expected to attain Finalist standing, and approximately half of the Finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the title of Merit Scholar.

Pictured: Montgomery Catholic's National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist Ben Petters.

30 Montgomery Catholic Students Qualify for Duke 7th Grade Talent Search Program

2010-09-13T09:06:00.000-05:00

Thirty seventh grade students at Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School have qualified for the Duke University Talent Identification Program.

The Duke University Talent Identification Program (Duke TIP) identifies seventh grade students in sixteen states in the Southeast, Midwest, and Southwest who have scored at the 95th percentile or above on a grade-level achievement test. These students are invited to participate in the Duke TIP 7th Grade Talent Search and take either the SAT or the ACT.

The 30 students at Montgomery Catholic who have qualified for the Duke TIP Program are Emily Barranco, Will Barranco, Kathleen Beesley, Neely Boston, Lexie Bourgeois, Brian Brunson, Marissa Dogan, Claire Fischer, Abaigeal Gilbert, Lacy Herbek, Steven Higgins, Blake Johnson, Richard Kanneh, Gabe Keating, Anna Koerner, Mel Koontz, Kaitlyn Kornosky, Conner Langston, Brian Lee, Wilson Miles, Greg Ozgul, Sarah-Camille Peek, Maria Rossi, Madison Searcy, Mary Selvaggi, Mary Reagan Starrett, Logan Stevens, Katie Struck, Beth Vaughan, and Jennifer Westendorf.

Montgomery Catholic Hosts Adoration with Vocations Monstrance Blessed by Pope John Paul II

2010-09-01T11:12:00.000-05:00

Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School was honored recently to receive the Vocations Monstrance blessed by the late Pope John Paul II in 2004. The Holy Father blessed six monstrances with the intention that when Eucharistic Adoration was offered using one of the monstrances the faithful would pray for an increase in vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life.

Adoration was held on August 18 and 19 in the Chapel of Montgomery Catholic’s Middle/High School campus. Both middle and high school students spent time adoring our Lord Jesus Christ present in the Blessed Sacrament. Junior Dominic Godwin commented, "To be in the direct presence of Jesus Christ, in our Chapel, in adoration, is an indescribable feeling of joy." Liz Armstrong, Senior Class President, remarked, "Adoration is an immense gift to the Church. We need to continually bring ourselves before the Lord and ask Him for priests and religious. Without the priest we do not have our greatest treasure, the Mass."

“One of the chief aims of a Catholic School is to nourish and encourage vocations to the priesthood and religious life,” said Tom Riello, Theology Department Chairman. “We at Montgomery Catholic, from our President, Principals, to our faculty and staff, recognize that we exist in the service of the Church in Mobile and the larger Church that extends out from our borders.”

Father David Carucci, Pastor of St. Bede the Venerable parish, closed the time of Adoration with Eucharistic Benediction.

Montgomery Catholic Athletes are Trained to be S.A.C.R.E.D.

2010-08-30T16:07:00.000-05:00

At the beginning of each school year, the Montgomery Catholic Athletics Department holds a one-day Character Education Seminar, "SACRED", for all student-athletes and their parents. SACRED is an acronym for the virtues of the athletic program: Sportsmanship, Accountability, Courage and Competitiveness, Responsibility, Enthusiasm, and Discipline. A member of the athletic staff presents a short presentation on each virtue.

The SACRED Program culminates with a special guest speaker who discusses how the SACRED virtues have effected his or her life, both personally and professionally.

This year, Montgomery Catholic was honored to have Mr. Chet Moeller to make this year's keynote address. Mr. Moeller is a member of the 2010 class of the National Football Hall of Fame. Moeller was an All-America Defensive Back at the United States Naval Academy in 1975. Moeller discussed each SACRED virtue and their influence on his life, both on and off the playing field. Over 350 student-athletes and their parents filled the room for this year's presentation.

Pictured: Mr. Chet Moeller and Montgomery Catholic senior Brian Saunders at Montgomery Catholic's SACRED Character Education Day.