St. Bede Students Care with Community Christmas Project

Mrs. Tynan’s sixth grade class from Montgomery Catholic's St. Bede Campus chose to purchase and deliver Christmas plants to a local nursing home for their Community Christmas project. Trey Magdon, Tucker Wilkinson, Drew Tolar and Will Thacker visited Crowne Health Care of Montgomery on December 17th to spread cheer and good tidings to over 20 nursing home residents. The students and residents had a wonderful time sharing good will with each other.

Saintly Students at Montgomery Catholic

Sixth grade students at Montgomery Catholic's St. Bede Campus dressed as their favorite saint for their Saint Reports in Religion class, which they presented in front of the entire school. From left to right: Justin Cotter, Grace Selvaggi, Ashley Kim, Jennifer Tyner, Delohn Wyatt, Carol Edwards, Joseph Thrash, Mary Janet McLaughlin, Sean Federspill, Aliceann Harper, and Sarah Hunkins.

Montgomery Catholic Raises Money for Arthritis

As part of our community outreach, Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School participated in the 19th annual Jingle Bell Run for the Arthritis Foundation at Huntingdon College on December 5th, raising over $2,000 for the cause.

Montgomery Catholic's team left their mark on the event. Eighth grader Gregory Hunkins won 1st place in his age group. Montgomery Catholic Senior Brianna McClure won 3rd place for her age group. Montgomery Catholic's team of 40 runners and walkers was the 5th top fundraising team out of over 60 teams. Laurie Gulley, Vice Principal of the St. Bede Campus, was the 5th top fundraising individual out of 1,300 participants.

Many thanks to all of the Montgomery Catholic team members for their dedication to such a worthy cause. They were Roscoe Anderson, David Been, Elizabeth Been, Justin Castanza, Anne Ceasar, Shannon Cheney, Tricia Crowley, Joe Crowley, Susan Duke, Megan Foran, Rachel Forsyth, Aidan Gilbert, Alexandra Gilbert, Cam Gilbert, Laurie Gulley, Lynn Higgins, Steven Higgins, Jacob Hudson, Meghan Hudson, Christine Hunkins, Gregory Hunkins, Mark Hunkins, Thad Hunkins, Faith Johnston, Melynda Keating, Mary Kelley, Allie Manzari, Dan Manzari, Ellen Manzari, Nick Manzari, AJ Mayhan, Brianna McClure, Bryan McClure, Chris Phillips, Debbie Redden, Michael Stewart, Jerry Taff, Jessica Taff, Fran Taylor, John Terino, and Lizzie Terino.

To view photos from the event, click here: http://family.webshots.com/album/569269436tCMLsc

The Polar Express Stops at St. Bede

The Polar Express made a special stop by the Kindergarten classes at Montgomery Catholic's St. Bede Campus just in time for Christmas. All three Kindergarten classes wore pajamas, drank hot chocolate, and watched the movie Polar Express.

As the movie began we punched their tickets and handed out cookies. Every student received a jingle bell from Santa to take home. Each of the classes read the book on Monday to establish a background for the big event.

Knights Host Christmas Basketball Tourney

The Catholic Knights varsity boys basketball team gets the Christmas holidays off to a rousing start this weekend, hosting the Catholic Christmas tournament on the campus of Huntingdon College.

The Knights, winners of four straight games, are now 7-3 overall and 3-0 in area play. They will be joined in the tournament by Trinity, LAMP, Tallassee, Georgiana, Beulah, Bayside Academy of Daphne and Faith Academy of Mobile.

Play begins at 2 p.m. Friday with Trinity taking on Georgiana. Catholic meets Beulah at 3:30, followed by Bayside vs. LAMP at 5 and Tallassee vs. Faith at 6:30.

All teams will play two games on Saturday with the pairings determined by Friday's results. Saturday's play includes two four-game sessions. Session two begins with consolation bracket games at 9 a.m. Session three begins with more consolation bracket games at 3:30 and concludes with the tournament championship game Saturday night at 8.

All games are being played in the Catherine Dixon Roland Arena at Huntingdon's Delchamps Student Center. There three sessions in the tournament and the admission price is $5 per session. A tournament pass can be purchased on Friday for $12. Knight Passes are not valid for this tournament.

St. Bede PTC hosts Muffins with Mom

Mothers of children at Montgomery Catholic's St. Bede campus recently enjoyed an early morning breakfast during the Parent-Teacher Council's (PTC) "Muffins with Mom" at the St. Bede Family Life Center.

It was standing room only for the mothers and children during the before school event where they enjoyed delicious coffee, juices, and muffins (of course!)graciously served by the dads of PTC. Photographs of each family were also provided as a keepsake.

Pictured is Mrs. Vonda Wood with her daughters Claire and Caroline during St. Bede PTC's annual Muffins with Mom.

Welcome to our wetu!

The little tribe of kindergartens at Montgomery Catholic's St. Bede campus were very busy building their wetu for the playground for Thanksgiving. The kindergarten students partnered with their third grade buddies to turn their jungle gym into a wetu to use during recess. A Wetu is a domed hut, used by some north-eastern Native American tribes such as the Wampanoag. They provided temporary shelter for families wandering the wooded coast for hunting and fishing. Mrs. Redden's Kindergarten glass is all smiles in front of their wetu.

Britton Named 2009 YMCA Chief Justice

Montgomery Catholic junior D'Jara Britton was named as Chief Justice for the 2009 YMCA Youth Judicial during the 2008 program.

As part of the closing ceremony, the presiding Chief Justice Sam Hobbs passed the gavel to the newly elected Chief Justice for the following year.

Britton served as a judge at this year's YMCA Youth Judicial program. Also from Montgomery Catholic, Matthew Copeland and Cleo Smith served as Judges and Marie Quillin and Morgan Newton, served as bailiffs of the court.

Pictured: Montgomery Catholic's 2008 YMCA Youth Judicial judges Matthew Copeland, '09 Chief Justice D'Jara Britton, and Cleo Smith.

Montgomery Catholic Students Named Top Plaintiff Team at Youth Judicial

The Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School Youth Judicial team had an extraordinarily successful weekend at the 2008 Alabama YMCA Youth Judicial mock trial competition held recently in Montgomery.

The team led by attorneys Brandon DuBois, Wallace Harvey and Aaron Weber with witnesses Lora Burke, John Dugan, Rebecca Hails and Thomas Sutton, were chosen as the top plaintiff team and tried the case again in the Final Trial on Monday morning. Although they did not win the verdict, however, they performed so well during the course of the weekend that they were chosen, as a team, to represent the State of Alabama at the National Mock Trial Competition to be held in May. In addition, Aaron Weber was named the top plaintiff attorney of the weekend.

The other MCPS plaintiff team, led by attorneys Austin Barranco, Butler Parker and Tom Visco with witnesses Lauren Gore, Justin Hughes, Lowell Moore and Caroline Starr, won the 2nd place plaintiff team award and served as jury members in the Final Trial.

Three MCPS students D’Jara Britton, Matthew Copeland and Cleo Smith served as Judges and two others, Marie Quillin and Morgan Newton, served as bailiffs.

Other participants from Montgomery Catholic were Roscoe Anderson, Austin Barranco, Hannah Carter, Clarissa Deal, Jim Dugan, Dominic Godwin, John Preston Houston, Ashley Johnson, Jacob McAlpine, Alex McGough, Amalia Otero, Frederick Randall, ML Shipman, Alex Taylor,
Justin Taylor, Lizzie Terino, and Elizabeth Thrower.

The final act of the Youth Judicial program is always the announcement of the winner of the election for Youth Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

This year the gavel has gone to D’Jara Britton, who will serve as Chief Justice at the 2009 competition.

Also in attendance were three former MCPS students, Julian Arrington, Brianna Morgan and Kierra Rumph, who began a Government Club at their new school, St. Jude. Paul Allen, a relative of our MCPS family, was named top defense attorney.

Pictured: YMCA's Youth Judicial Top Plaintiff Team from Montgomery Catholic (left to right) Thomas Sutton, Brandon DuBois, John Dugan, Wallace Harvey, Aaron Weber, Rebecca Hails, and Lora Burke.

Three Students Selected for W.I.L.D. Foreign Language Weekend

Three students from Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School attended the 5th Annual W.I.L.D. (Weekend Immersed Language Development) weekend at the YMCA's Hargis Retreat Center in Chelsea. Activities included films, games, music, art, history and grammar.

Montgomery Catholic students selected for the W.I.L.D. weekend were sophomores Abigail Kindt and Laura Donohue for Spanish and junior Mark Hunkins for German.

Sponsored by the Alabama Association of Foreign Language Teachers and co-sponsored by the Alabama Humanities Foundation, the program is open to 10th , 11th and 12th graders who have completed a year of study in a foreign language, submitted their application with two letters of recommendation, school transcript, and an essay.

The students were only allowed to speak their target languages. At the closing ceremony, the students presented plays and dances that they practiced and learned during the weekend.

Pictured: Montgomery Catholic students Mark Hunkins, Abigail Kindt, and Laura Donohue who participated in the W.I.L.D. Foreign Language weekend.

St. Bede Artists Have "Gone to the Dogs"

The Fine Arts Department on Montgomery Catholic's St. Bede Campus hosted a family art night "Gone to the Dogs." Many families turned out for the event where they could choose a ceramic dog or cat figurine, select the paint colors, and create their own masterpiece. There were many door prizes, a coloring contest for the younger children, and light refreshments for everyone to enjoy. Each family placed their completed artwork in separate boxes to be glazed and fired in the art department's kiln. To view photos from the event, click here: http://family.webshots.com/album/568683665uMNUnz

Pictured: McKinley Boyd, daughter of St. Bede Fourth Grade teacher Allison Boyd, enjoys painting at St. Bede's "Gone to the Dogs" art event.

It's all in the brand!

The Montgomery Catholic Varsity Cheerleaders got together the night before Halloween to carve our school logo on pumpkins for the last regular season football game.

The girls carved the school's "MC" logo on 10 pumpkins that decorated the football stadium on Halloween night. Pictured are Hannah Been, Haley Scanlan, Sarah Armstrong, Brittney Wilkinson, Molly McLaughlin, Kaitlyn Roberts, Marissa Marmolejo, and Jessica Barranco.

Montgomery Catholic Students Design Ads for Area Businesses

Emily Barranco and Paige Barranco, students from Montgomery Catholic's St. Bede Campus, submitted the winning designs for the Montgomery Advertiser's Design an Ad Contest.

Over 1,200 entries were submitted with 30 drawings winning advertising space for local businesses in upcoming editions of the Montgomery Advertiser.

Paige Barranco designed an advertisement for Jim Wilson & Associates' newest subdivision, New Park.

Emily Barranco designed an advertisement for the Alabama Shakespeare Festival. Emily's drawing also won first place in the 4th-6th grade overall competition.

Pictured: Montgomery Catholic students and cousins Emily Barranco and Paige Barranco designed winning advertisements in the Montgomery Advertiser's Ad Contest.

Six Montgomery Catholic Students Earn AP Scholar Awards

Six students at Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School have earned AP Scholar Awards in recognition of 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 to earn college credit, advanced placement, or both for successful performance on the AP Exams. About 18 percent of the 1.6 million students worldwide who took AP Exams performed at a sufficiently high level to also earn an AP Scholar Award.

The College Board recognizes several levels of achievement based on students' performance on AP Exams.

At Montgomery Catholic:

Four students qualified for the National AP Scholar Award by earning an average grade of 4 or higher on a five-point scale on all AP Exams taken. These students are Molly Jones, Lane Keating, Rob Preston, and Samantha Telofski. Molly Jones and Samantha Telofski are freshmen at the University of Alabama. Rob Preston is a freshman attending Rensselaer Technical Institute. Lane Keating is a freshman at Tulane University.

One student qualified for the National AP Scholar with Honor Award by earning and average grade of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 3 or high on four or more of these exams. Montgomery Catholic's AP Scholar with Honor is Robert Carter. Robert is a freshman at Suwanee the University of the South.

One student qualified for the National AP Scholar with Distinction Award by earning and average grade of at least 3.5 on all AP Exams taken and grades of 3 or high on five or more of these exams. Montgomery Catholic's AP Scholar with Distinction is Jacob Weatherly. Jacob attends Harvard University on a full scholarship.

St. Bede Elects Student Council

Students at Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School's St. Bede Campus recently elected their officers for the Student Council. Paige Barranco was elected as President, Gaten Armstrong as Vice President, Courtney Wallace as Secretary, and Emily Barranco as the council Chaplain. Congratulations to these students and thanks to all who participated in the election process.

Pictured: St. Bede Student Council Officers President Paige Barranco, VP Gaten Armstrong, Secretary Courtney Wallace, and Chaplain Emily Barranco.

Kindergarten Learns Fire Safety

Montgomery Catholic's Kindergarten classes learned the importance of fire safety from members of the Montgomery Fire Department.

Students toured the safety house, learned what to do in the event of a fire, and visited with "Sparky" the fire dog.

Pictured: Montgomery Catholic kindergarten students pose with "Sparky" in front of the Fire Department's Children Safety House.

Students Honored at Middle School Fall Sports Banquet

Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School honored their Middle School fall sport athletes during an end of the season banquet held in the Dolly Barranco Activity Center.

Student athletes received participation certificates in volleyball and football. The middle school cheerleaders were recognized and will be honored at the winter sports banquet following their basketball cheerleading season.

The top four athletes for Middle School volleyball and football were honored with awards in sportsmanship, leadership, coaches award, and the most valuable player.

For volleyball, Natalie Sullivan was awarded the Sportsmanship award, Maggie Starr was awarded for Leadership, Shelby Taff was presented the Coaches Award, and Hannah Barranco was named the team's Most Valuable Player.

For football, Jack Starr received the Sportsmanship award, Sterling Anderson was awarded for Leadership, Kyle Berher was presented the Coaches Award, and Michael Tyner was named the team's Most Valuable Player.

Pictured: Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School's Middle School fall sport athlete award winners are row 1 Natalie Sullivan, Hannah Barranco, Maggie Starr, and Shelby Taff. row 2 Kyle Berher, Jack Starr, Sterling Anderson, and Michael Tyner.

Congratulations Middle School Basketball Players

The Montgomery Catholic Athletic Department is pleased to announce the middle school basketball players for the 2008-09 season.

Chosen for the girls team, to be coached by Britt Taylor and Patrick Wood, were Hannah Barranco, Jordan Lacey, Alex Manning, Sarah Nolen, Sydney O'Connor, Maggie Starr, Natalie Sullivan, Hadley Taylor, Callie Wilkinson, and Kirstin Wood.

Chosen for the boys team, to be coached by Kenny Davison, were Sterling Anderson, John Arnold, Kyle Berher, Michael Dallas, Brett Foxworth, Clayton Guillot, Zach Hulcher, Matt Pouncey, Connor Preston, James Sherman, Benny Taylor, Michael Tyner, and John Watts.

The middle school and JV teams open their season on November 18th against Montgomery Academy.

Congratulations Jr. NHS Inductees

Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School inducted 23 eighth grade students into the Jr. High National Honor Society during a special ceremony on October 24, 2008. These students are the first members of the Montgomery Catholic Jr. High NHS.

Pictured: row 1: Jarrett Mason, Taylor Pitters, Mary Frances Mount, Maggie Starr, Caya Taylor, Michaela Armstrong, Katherine Terino, Elena D'Argenio, Broghan Freeland. row 2: Lexie Wilkinson, Megan Karst, Robbie Sankey, David Norris, Giselle Simms, Gabby Hayes, Sarah Talbot, Joanne Spotswood. row 3: Kenneth Dickerson, Trey Riggles, Karen Kappellman, Shelby Taff, Zach Hulcher, Connor Preston.

A special reception was held in the Barranco Center for the new inductees and their parents.

MCPS students attend YMCA Europe Youth Festival

Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School seniors Roscoe Anderson and Austin Barranco attended the 2008 YMCA Europe Youth Festival in Prague this summer.

Anderson and Barranco are active members of the Montgomery Catholic Government Club and both have held numerous offices in YMCA Youth in Government Programs.

Anderson is currently Alabama's Youth Governor and will preside over the 2009 Alabama Youth Legislature. Barranco was the House Floor Leader at this year's Youth Legislature. Barranco will also serve as a delegate for the Youth Conference on National Affairs later this year.

While in the Czech Republic, Roscoe and Austin attended the Europe Youth Festival to learn about the cultures of different countries, meet friends from across the world, and to learn about the YMCA's role in other countries.

Pictured: Montgomery Catholic seniors Austin Barranco and Roscoe Anderson hold the school banner while in Prague, Czech Republic this summer.

Kindergarten Visits ASF for "Charlotte's Web"

Mrs. Redden's Kindergarten class from St. Bede recently visited the Alabama Shakespeare Festival to see "Charlotte's Web" on the Octagon Stage. The students were all smiles following the performance.

In the tradition of "Winnie the Pooh" and "James and the Giant Peach", ASF continues great family programming with a delightful staging of E.B. White’s classic tale of a spider who becomes the best friend a little pig ever had—and whose good deeds are returned in the most inspiring ways.

Archbishop Rodi Visits Montgomery Catholic

The Most Reverend Thomas J. Rodi, Archbishop of Mobile, recently visited the high school campus of Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School. Archbishop Rodi spoke with each of the high school religion classes on his first official school visit, and visited with the students in the hallway during break and between classes.

Senior Brandon DuBois admits he was a little apprehensive about meeting the Archbishop but was instantly put at ease.

"The Archbishop was very friendly and approachable. He talked about things we are interested in like college football and asked us what senior year was like. I was very impressed," said DuBois.

Archbishop Rodi will return to Montgomery Catholic on Saturday, November 1st to celebrate the dedication of the Dolly Barranco Activity Center and Cafeteria at 1:00 p.m. All are invited to attend.

Pictured: Archbishop Rodi speaks with MCPS senior Carrie Tucker between classes.

Starrett Wins Grand Prize for "Howl-iday" Art Contest

Mary Reagan Starrett, a 5th grade student at Montgomery Catholic's St. Bede Campus, was a grand prize winner in the Montgomery Humane Society's "Howl-iday Card Art Contest" on October 10th. Starrett appeared before the entire "Walk and Wag" festival at Alabama Shakespeare Festival to receive her $100 prize and trophy.

Mary Reagan's winning picture will be featured on this year's Montgomery Humane Society Christmas cards. The Humane Society received hundreds of entries for this contest.

Catholic girls win Hoover cross country meet

The Montgomery Catholic girls cross country team recorded 32 points to finish first in the 1A-5A division of the Hoover Invitational held at Veteran's Park on Thursday.

Lizzie Terino led the Knights, placing second with a time of 22:01.

Alexandra Gilbert was sixth, followed by Katherine Terino (7th), Sarah Talbot (8th), Brianna McClure (9th), Jessica Taff (10th) and Sara Beth Parker (11th), Elena D'Argenio (15th) and Megan Foran (32nd).

St. James was second and LAMP finished fourth.

LAMP won the boys race with Catholic finishing fifth. Steve Brown and Mark Hunkins placed 14th and 15th, respectively. Thomas Sutton was 25th, followed by William Sherman (40th), Josh Glenboski (43rd) and Michael D'Argenio (55th).

The racing Knights will participate in the AHSAA Class 4A sectional meet Oct. 30 at Keisel Park in Auburn.

Lady Knights Volleyball in State Play-Offs

Congratualtions to Coach Jill Clark and the Montgomery Catholic varsity volleyball team on winning the AHSAA Class 4A, Area 4 tournament championship last week and for their fourth-place finish in Saturday's Region tournament.

The Knights, now 19-12 overall, move on in state playoff competition. They travel across town Thursday night for a sub-state playoff game against Alabama Christian. The match begins at 5:30 p.m. with the winner advancing to next week's AHSAA state tournament in Pelham.

The area tournament was held at Catholic on October 14. The Knights were seeded first in the tournament and did not disappoint. They defeated Greensboro 3-0 to clinch the title.

Saturday, the Knights opened region tournament play at St. James with a 3-1 victory over W.S. Neal of Brewton. St. James defeated the Knights 3-0 in the semifinals. Clarke County beat Catholic in a thrilling five-game match in the consolation.

Coach Clark and the team would love to have your support Thursday night at Alabama Christian. Come out and support the Knights as they battle for a berth in the state tournament.

Drummond Bowls Over Competition

Parker Drummond, a seventh grader at Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School, was recently presented a number of bowling awards by his Central Alabama Bowling Association Coach Bill Hause. Parker received a plaque for bowling the highest series scratch for the 2007-2008 bowling season in the Central Alabama Bowling Association for his division.

Drummond was also awarded a bowling shirt for earning a place on the All Star Team based on his high average. He also received three plaques from the state tournament earned earlier this year in Huntsville for 2nd place in the Team Division, 6th place in Singles Division, and 3rd place in all events.

Pictured: MCPS student Parker Drummond accepts bowling awards from Central Alabama Bowling Association Coach Bill Hause at Bama Lanes in Montgomery.

Montgomery Catholic Students Attend 35th Annual Red Mass

Students in Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth grade as well as the Seventh and Eighth grade Student Government officers from Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School joined the state of Alabama's Unified Judicial System officials in celebrating the 35th Annual Red Mass at St. Peter's Catholic Church in downtown Montgomery on October 6. The Most Reverend Robert J. Baker, Archbishop of Birmingham, 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, Middle School students spoke with Alabama Supreme Court Justice and 1970 Montgomery Catholic graduate Patty Mungenast Smith, center, at the reception for the Red Mass.

Montgomery Catholic NOW Classes Keep Olympic Spirit

Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School's Middle School NOW (No Opportunity Wasted) Classes keep the Olympic Spirit alive with class competitions. Middle School students meet with their NOW classes for 25 minutes each morning where they meet in small groups to discuss study skills, plan for upcoming tests, and conduct regular daily homeroom duties. Recently, each classes adopted a country, studied its background, history, and culture, and then competed against each other in a series of competitions. For Jamaica, Miss Vinson had t-shirts custom airbrushed for each of her students in the colors of the Jamaican flag.

Happy Birthday Johnny Appleseed!

Students in Mrs. Redden's Kindergarten class celebrated Johnny Appleseed's birthday with an apple tasting party. The students sampled many variety of apples in all sorts of delicious snacks like apple butter, apple juice, dried apple chips and many different kinds of fresh sliced apples. Above, James Warner Cleghorn, Jimmy Wildes, and Spencer Bach enjoy their apple-inspired snacks.

To view photos from the party, click here: http://family.webshots.com/album/567983524WsmYUZ

WSFA Visits Kindergarten at St. Bede

WSFA StormVision Meteorologist Josh Johnson visited Mrs. Burden's Kindergarten class at the St. Bede Campus of Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School. Mr. Johnson reported the weather segments for Alabama Live! and The Twelve O'Clock Report news broadcasts.

Mrs. Burden's class has been studying weather, charting it daily in the classroom, and creating weather related artwork which they showcased live during one of the segments from their classroom.

Following the indoor segments, the broadcast carried out into the courtyard where the Varsity Cheerleaders and members of the Marching Knights band held a mini-pep rally for all of the Kindergarten students.

To view photos from the event, click here: http://family.webshots.com/album/567737521cThNYV

Montgomery Catholic Crowns 2008 Homecoming Queen & King

Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School announced their Homecoming Court and crowned the Queen and King for 2008 during the half-time festivities on Friday, September 26, 2008.

The Freshmen Class attendant is Miss Amanda Logan escorted by Mr. Jacob McAlpine. Logan is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Bill Logan. Amanda is a Junior Varsity Cheerleader and a member of the Pep Club. McAlpine is the son of Lt. Col. and Mrs. Gaylon McAlpine. Jacob participates in football, basketball, and soccer at Catholic and is the President of the Freshmen Class.

The Sophomore Class attendant is Miss Mary Allison Tyner escorted by Mr. Kenny Davison. Tyner is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Russell Tyner. Mary Allison dances with a semi-professional dance company, studies voice at Huntingdon College, and is active in the Girls' Leadership Club at Catholic. Davison is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Davison. Kenny is a member of the Varsity basketball and baseball teams as well as a Junior High Jimmy Hitchcock Award nominee for Catholic.

The Junior Class attendant is Miss Sarah Armstrong escorted by Mr. Michael D'Argenio. Armstrong is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Brett Armstrong. Sarah is a member of the Varsity Cheerleading squad, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Key Club and Pep Club. D'Argenio is the son of Lt. Col. and Mrs. Michael D'Argenio. Michael is the captain of the Cross Country team, percussionist for the Marching Knights, and is a core team member of the youth group at Church of the Holy Spirit.

The Senior Class attendants are Miss Kelsey Steffen escorted by Mr. Cater Elliot and Miss Hannah Been escorted by Mr. John Dugan. Steffen is the daughter of Mr. Henrique Roelho and Mrs. Barbara Steffen. Kelsey serves as the chaplain for the Lady Knights soccer team, vice president of the Pep Club, and is a member of the yearbook staff. Elliot is the son of Mr. William Elliot and Mrs. Rhonda Stewart. Cater is an active member of the Key Club, Pep Club, and Government Club. Hannah Been is the daughter of Col. and Mrs. David Been. Hannah is a member of the Varsity Cheerleading squad, dances on a competition dance team, and is a member of the National Honor Society. John Dugan is the son of Mr. John Dugan and Ms. Colleen Dugan. John is a member of the Varsity football team, enjoys wake boarding, skiing, snowboarding, and playing golf.

The 2008 Homecoming Queen & King are Miss Mara McCracken and Mr. Austin Barranco. McCracken is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Chris McCracken. Mara plays on the Varsity Volleyball team and is a member of the club volleyball team "Dig It Alabama" where she has been voted the most valuable player. Barranco is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Michael Barranco. Austin is the president of the Senior Class, was the House floor leader at this year's YMCA Youth Legislature, and represented the United States at the International Youth Festival in Prague, Poland this summer. Austin will also serve as a delegate to the Conference on National Affairs.

The Homecoming dance was held on Saturday night at the St. Bede Family Life Center.

To view pictures from the event, click here: http://family.webshots.com/album/567559069XiIAgZ

Fourth Grade Elects Mayors; Sworn in by Bright

Fourth grade students at Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School's St. Bede Campus recently elected mayors to run each of their "cities". As a lesson in civics, Mrs. Riggles' students create cities from the ground up: listing out job descriptions, setting up pay scales, and assigning duties from virtually every aspect of municipal management. Each office has specific duties they are responsible for each day.

The Mayor oversees class meetings, signs paychecks, and picks the "star student of the month." Vice-Mayors distribute and collect timed tests, facilitates clean up, and checks assignment pads. Even the city decorators are in charge of decorating their classroom bulletin boards. Each person has tasks and duties and all are learning valuable lessons in the process.

For the office of mayor the students ran campaigns, created posters, gave speeches, and patiently waited for the votes to come in. Margaret Ann Allen, Brian Anderson, Tori Barranco, and Will Couey were victorious in their bout for mayoral office.

Montgomery Mayor Bobby Bright attended a special ceremony where each of the mayors were officially sworn into office. The fourth grade presented Mayor Bright with a token of their appreciation.

Pictured: Montgomery Catholic Fourth Grade Mayors Brian Anderson, Margaret Ann Allen, Will Couey, and Tori Barranco.

Miles Represented State as Student Ambassador with People to People

Mary Frances Miles, an eighth grade student at Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School, served as a student ambassador in the People to People program for the State of Alabama this summer in Europe.

Miles spent 20 days traveling all across England, Scotland, Whales, and Ireland. While in England, she met with a member of the British Parliament as well as enjoyed a "home stay" adventure with family during the trip.

In London, Miles watched the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, enjoyed a cruise of the River Thames, and explored the infamous Tower of London learning about its fascinating history as fortress, residence, prison, and home of Britain's Crown Jewels. Miles took in a few golfing lessons in St. Andrews, cruised around Loch Ness, visited the ruins of Urquhart Castle, and walked the cobblestone streets of Royal Mile while in Scotland. In Ireland, Miles visited the glass factory to see how the famous Waterford Crystal is made, strolled O'Connell Street, and kissed the Blarney Stone.

Miles' first trip as an ambassador with the People to People program was in 2006 when she attended the Yosemite Adventure for 14 days. She received an official proclamation as an Ambassador for People to People from Governor Bob Riley. Mary Frances Miles is the daughter of Dee and Sandra Miles of Montgomery.

Pictured: Mary Frances Miles, center, stands in front of the Warwick Castle in Warwick, England. Miles served as an Ambassador for People to People for the State of Alabama this summer.

Gore Named National Merit Commended Student

Fran Taylor, high school principal of Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School, announced today that Lauren Gore has been named a Commended Student in the 2009 National Merit Scholarship Program. A Letter of Commendation from the school and National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), which conducts the program, will be presented by principal to this scholastically talented senior.

About 34,000 Commended Students throughout the nation are being recognized for their exceptional academic promise. Although they will not continue in the 2009 competition for National Merit Scholarships, Commended students placed among the top five percent of more than 1.5 million students who entered the 2009 competition by taking the 2007 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT).

"Recognition of academically talented students and the key role played by schools in their development is essential to the pursuit of educational excellence in our nation," commented a spokesperson for NMSC. "The young people named Commended Students have demonstrated outstanding academic potential by their strong performance in this highly competitive program. We hope that this recognition will enhance their educational opportunities and that they will continue to diligently pursue their professional goals."

PICE Tournament Tops $100,000

The Parnters In Catholic Education (PICE) 8th annual Charity Golf Tournament held at the Robert Trent Jones Capital Hill Course in Prattville, AL on September 19th was a terrific success. The over $83,000 projected net proceeds from the tournament will significantly benefit Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School.

Tournament Co-Chairperson Liz Sutton announced 51 sponsors for this year’s tournament. The Tournament Sponsors were Dr. David Bronner, CEO, Retirement Systems of Alabama and Ben Walker, Smith Barney. There was one Platinum Sponsor and eleven Gold Elite Sponsors. The Gold Sponsors were Knights of Columbus Councils 893, 10731, 12011, 12150 & Jim McDonald, FICF, and GKN Aerospace

Silver Sponsors included: Mara Family, Lopez & Fowler Family, Carl Whatley Family, Sinclair’s/Montgomery Catering, Anderson Law Firm, Arthur & Maureen Britton, Delta Consulting Group, J. Michael Karst, MD, PA, Jenkins Brick, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc., Baptist Health, AKD, Inc., EnterConference, OB/GYN Associates of Montgomery, and the Larry & Beth Russo Family.

Hole Sponsors included: Baker Family, 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, Murphy Chiropractic, Bass Lumber, Pinecrest Brokers Realty, United Food & Fuel, Azar, Azar & Moore LLC, Chappy’s Deli, Goins Sisters, Leon M. Kelley & Co., CPA, Montgomery Automotive Group, and The Copy Center.

Beverage Sponsors were AllState Beverage and the Coca-Cola Company. This year’s Hole-in-One sponsors were Capital Hyundai and Alabama World Travel & Carnival Cruise Lines.

Other Sponsors included Pat Mullen, Drs. Wilson & Goerhring, Frier Planning Concepts, McGriff Auto Service, and Dr. Rachelle Janush.

Special Guests this year included Fr. David Carucci, Pastor of St. Bede the Venerable Catholic Church, for the innovation and welcoming by an LPGA player. Fr. James Dean, Pastor of Our Lady Queen of Mercy Catholic Church, and Fr. Patrick Driscoll, Pastor of St. Peter's Catholic Church, were also in attendance.

This year, the top three Net and top Gross teams were recognized for the Senator and Legislator courses. They are as follows: Top Gross – Casals Clinic Team: Dr. Leon Casals, Mark Brooks, Mike O’Connor & Patrick Wood, and Anderson Law Team – Charlie Anderson, Scott Loftis, Buster Russell & Matt Williams. First Place Net was the Mara Family –Duane Mara, Matt Mara, Darrell Sager & George Tombacaris, and on the Legislator Eddie Eiland, Mike Nelson, John Sadie & Bryan Kelley. Second Place Net was Goodwyn Mills Cawood Architects – Ferrell Duncombe, Tracy Bassett, Feagin Johnson & Eddie Hill, and the Jenkins Brick Team Joe McNair, Mark Sadie, Greg Crews Sr. & Greg Crews Jr. Third Place Net was Doster Construction – John Stivender, Fletcher, Tony Wayman & Mike Grim, and the Irwin Team – Bubba Turner, Dr. Mike Irwin, Sid Schroll & Robert Reynolds.

Serving on the committee with Liz Sutton were Co-Chairperson Jerry Lopez, Jim Baker, Mike Barranco, Dean DeLongchamp, Debbie Harvey, Mary Kelley, Mark Sadie, John Sadie, Merrie Tolbert, Gary Tomlin, and Jimmy Tucker.

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

To view photos from the event, click here: http://family.webshots.com/album/567378536bfCvep

Pictured: Montgomery Catholic’s administration, members from the Marching Knights and tournament co-chair pose with special guest Dr. David Bronner. L to R: Phillip Spotswood, Joseph Sutton, Michael Jones, Toni Profio, High School Principal Fran Taylor, MCPS President Anne Ceasar, special guest Dr. David Bronner, Middle School Principal Maria Nolen, PICE Tournament Co-Chair Liz Sutton, Drum Major Nelson Jancaterino, Ben Petters, Thomas Anile, Gavin Duke, Tommy Hatcher, and Tony Hatcher.

Montgomery Catholic Varsity Cheerleaders Host Cheerleading Camp

Montgomery Catholic's Varsity Cheerleaders hosted their annual cheerleading camp on Saturday, September 20th in the Father Delahunty Gymnasium. With 95 girls in grades Kindergarten through Sixth Grade, this was a banner year for the girls' camp. The campers were grouped by grade and taught several chants, cheers, and a dance routine.

The camp participants will perform a pre-game show on Friday, October 17th when the Knights host the St. James Trojans. The Montgomery Catholic Varsity Cheerleaders are Captain Kaitlyn Roberts, Co-Captain Haley Scanlan, Hannah Been, Sarah Armstrong, Marissa Marmolejo, Jessica Barranco, Brittany Wilkinson, Jessica Mount, and Molly McLaughlin. The cheerleaders are coached by Mrs. Debbie Barranco and Miss Michelle Vinson.

Sixth Grade Girl Scouts Work on Communications Badge

The Sixth Grade Girl Scouts in Troop 9276 at Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School invited a guest speaker to their weekly meeting as part of the work for their Communications Badge. Montgomery Catholic's Public Relations Director, Mary Kelley, spoke to the girls about the different aspects of communication at their school. Mrs. Kelley brought all sorts of school promotional items for the girls and discussed the many facets, both internal and external, of communication at Montgomery Catholic. The members of Girl Scout Troop #9276 are Marissa Craig, Mandy Jones, Ashley Sulzby, Paige Barranco, Tori Barranco, Sarah Hunkins, Ellen Jane Bergman, and Caitlin Smith.

Middle School Elects SGA Officers

Middle School students at Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School recently selected their officers for the 2008-2009 academic year. Robbie Sankey was elected as SGA President, Gabriella Hayes as SGA Vice President, Jack Starr was elected Secretary and Maggie Starr will serve as the SGA Chaplain. All of the eighth graders are looking forward to a great year!

Pictured: Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School's 08-09 Middle School SGA Officers Secretary Jack Starr, SGA President Robbie Sankey, Vice President Gabriella Hayes, and Chaplain Maggie Starr.

Montgomery Catholic Announces 2008 Homecoming Court

Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School is pleased to announce their 2008 Homecoming Court. Freshman Attendant is Amanda Logan escorted by Jacob McAlpine. Sophomore Attendant is Mary Allison Tyner escorted by Kenny Davison. Junior Attendant is Sarah Armstrong escorted by Michael D'Argenio.

The Senior Attendants are Hannah Been, Mara McCracken, and Kelsey Steffen. The Senior Escorts are Austin Barranco, John Dugan, and Cater Elliot.

The 2008 Homecoming Queen and King will be crowned during the half-time festivities by the 2007 Queen Meridith Anile and 2007 King Brad Kondrak. The Knights will host the St. Jude Educational Institute Pirates. Kick off is set for 7:00 p.m.

McPhillips Named Leader with Alabama Citizens For Life

The Alabama Citizens for Life presented their "Individual Community Leader Award" to Montgomery Catholic senior David McPhillips during their 35th Anniversary celebration held at the RSA Activity Center. The event honored Alabama citizens for their work in the pro-life community. All honorees were adults, except for David.

David is the son of Julian and Leslie McPhillips who also received an award.

Montgomery Catholic Junior M.L. Shipman Honored at Montgomery Quarterback Club

Montgomery Catholic's M.L. Shipman was recognized by the Montgomery Quarterback Club as one of their players of the week at the Club's September 8th meeting. Mr. Tony Barnhart of The Atlanta Joural-Constitution was the featured speaker.

Shipman was selected for his performance in Montgomery Catholic's 13-0 shut out of rival Montgomery Academy, breaking an 11 year streak. The junior running back rushed for 147 yards on 20 carries.

Montgomery Catholic's football team is coached by Tim Trokey and is 3-0 on the season and will host Bullock County High School in 4-A Region 2 game on Friday, September 19. Kick off is at 7:00 p.m. at the Montgomery Catholic Athletic Complex.

Montgomery Catholic Varsity Cheerleaders Shine at UCA Cheer Camp

The Lady Knights recently returned from a Universal Cheerleaders Association (UCA) summer camp held at Auburn University. As part of the four-day camp curriculum, the cheerleaders were awarded numerous Superior Ribbons and the Spirit Stick each night for demonstrating teamwork, spirit, enthusiasm, and ability. The girls earned a Spirit Stick to bring home for their trophy case as well as a Superior Trophy for the final day Cheer & Extreme Routine evaluation.

Six Montgomery Catholic cheerleaders were nominated for "All-Star" status. Seniors Kaitlyn Roberts, Hannah Been, and Haley Scanlan. Juniors Molly McLaughlin, Sarah Armstrong, and Jessica Barranco. Each of the girls were judged on motion technique, jumps, spirit, enthusiasm, and voice projection. Jessica Barranco was selected as a UCA "All-Star."

Pictured with Auburn University's Mascot Aubie are the Montgomery Catholic Varsity Cheerleaders: kneeling Haley Scanlan, Sarah Armstrong, Hannah Been, Marissa Marmolejo, and Jessica Barranco. Standing are Kaitlyn Roberts, Brittany Wilkinson, Jessica Mount, and Molly McLaughlin. The cheerleaders are coached by Mrs. Debbie Barranco and Miss Michelle Vinson.

Montgomery Catholic Cheer Camp, September 20

Montgomery Catholic's Varsity Cheerleaders will hold their annual Cheerleading Camp for girls in grades K-6 on Saturday, September 20th from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. in the Father Pat Delahunty Gymnasium on the Vaughn Road Campus.

Participants will be divided into small groups according to age and taught cheers, beginner stunts, chants, and a dance. The girls will showcase their new cheers during a pre-game show on Friday, October 17th when Montgomery Catholic hosts St. James.

A camp t-shirt, lunch, snacks, and drinks will be provided. Space is limited, so please stop by the St. Bede Campus office to sign up. The cost of the clinic is $50.

St. Bede Collecting Soup Labels, Box Tops & Green Reciepts

Montgomery Catholic's St. Bede Campus is collecting Campbell Soup Labels, Box Tops for Education, and Bruno's Green Receipts.

Bruno's Supermarets are offering 100 bonus points on Campbell soup labels until 9/07/08. If you purchase 10 Campbell’s participating products, you get a coupon worth 100 labels. Participating products include Red & White condensed soup, Pace salsa, Swanson canned poultry, Campbell’s tomato juice, Campbell’s Harvest Fruit cans, Spaghettios, Campbell’s chili, Campbell’s baked beans, Prego, Campbell’s gravy, ready to serve Campbell’s soup (does not include Chunky Healthy Request) and Campbell’s Super Bakes. Save your Bruno's Supermarket green receipts and give them to Mrs. Foran at St. Bede!

There are hundreds of products and food items you use everyday that participate in the Box Tops for Education program. For a full listing, go to www.boxtops4education.com

Knights Blank the MA Eagles, 13-0

Montgomery Catholic opened the 2008 football season Friday night with a big win over city rival Montgomery Academy, 13-0. Knight fans around the globe could watch the game via the web thanks to podcast live streaming from WSFA. To watch the game, click here: http://raycom.playonsports.tv/wsfa/?eventId=5113

The Montgomery Advertiser wrote a nice article published in Saturday's newpaper. A highlight reel can also be seen. To read about the game and view highlights, click here: http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080830/SPORTS03/808300356/1020

Photos from the game are posted in our albums. To view a photo slideshow, click here: http://family.webshots.com/slideshow/565900340jmTLRU;jsessionid=abcAlKhS_7NXf4SIX4tWr

Montgomery Catholic will travel to southeast Alabama on Friday, September 5th, in our first Class 4A, Region 2 match against Ashford High School.

GO KNIGHTS!

Fall Sports Kick Off With Back to School Pep Rally

Montgomery Catholic athletics kicked off the new year at their annual Back to School Pep Rally on Saturday evening, August 16. Student athletes participating in volleyball, cross country, cheerleading and football at all three levels were announced to the home crowd.

Athletic contests get underway in a big way Thursday with football and volleyball games. The football Knights visit the Trinity Wildcats for a pre-season contest. The varsity kicks off at 6:30 p.m. and will play the first half. The second half will feature the JV teams from both schools.

The varsity team opens its regular season Aug. 29 at Montgomery Academy in a non-region game, then travels to Ashford in week two for the first Class 4A, Region 4 game. The Knights' first home game is Sept. 12, when Holtville visits for a region game.

The JV and middle school teams open their seasons at home Sept. 2 against St. James. The middle school starts at 5 p.m. and the JV follows at 7.

All three volleyball teams open play Thursday. The varsity visits St. Jude for a tri-match. They'll play St. Jude at 4 p.m. and Thorsby at 5. The JV and middle school teams visit Trinity, with both matches getting started at 4:30.

To view photos from the Back to School Pep Rally, click here: http://family.webshots.com/album/565526724lTAoUv

Come out and support the Knights!

Dolly Barranco Activity Center Opens

Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School opened the new school year with 17,000 square feet of new and renovated space at their Vaughn Road Campus. The Dolly Barranco Activity Center and Cafeteria is named for Mrs. Dolly Barranco; a beloved member of the Montgomery community who managed the then Catholic High cafeteria for more than 25 years.

The Barranco Activity Center is a 13,000-square-foot facility housing two new art classrooms, a stage, state of the art kitchen, and storage areas. The former cafeteria was renovated over the summer into four new classrooms.

The Barranco Center is the largest climate-controlled facility on any of Montgomery Catholic's campuses with seating for over 600 students. A formal dedication of the new facility will be held this fall.

Montgomery Catholic Adds 12 SmartBoards

Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School added 12 SmartBoards in classrooms throughout their K-12 campuses. SmartBoards are interactive whiteboard projection systems with touch-sensitive displays that connect the teacher's computer with a digital projector showing the computer image. This technology allows the teachers & students to write directly on the board, interact with and change the information displayed.

Pictured: Montgomery Catholic seventh grader Mackenzie Colvin answers the "brain teasers" of the day in Mrs. Moore's English class at the Middle School Campus.

Partners In Catholic Education (PICE) 8th Annual Golf Tournament September 19th

Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School’s Partners In Catholic Education Organization (PICE) is planning their Eighth Annual Charity Golf Tournament benefiting the school.

The tournament will be held at the Capitol Hill Course in Prattville, AL, on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail on Friday, September 19th. Registration and lunch will begin on the veranda at 11:00 a.m. with a shot-gun start at 1:00 p.m.

There will be a putting contest, hole-in-one contest, predict your distance, and closest to the pin, as well as numerous door prizes. The entry fee is $150. For more information, sponsorship opportunities, or to register a team, call (334) 272-7221, extension 15.

Pictured: PICE Golf Tournament Committee Members Jim Baker, Event Co-Chairs Jerry Lopez and Liz Sutton, John Sadie, Merrie Tolbert, Dean DeLongchamp, Bill Sutton, and Gary Tomlin.

Montgomery Catholic's Barranco Attends Capstone Leadership Academy

Montgomery Catholic junior Jessica Barranco joined 118 students from across the state at the Capstone Leadership Academy held at the University of Alabama this summer.

The Capstone Leadership Academy is sponsored by the Office of the President and the Capstone Council of the University of Alabama.

The students were welcomed by the University's President, Dr. Robert E. Witt. Mr. John Croyle was the keynote speaker for the event.

The two-day conference consisted of several guest speakers as well as leadership activity sessions on values, vision, and voice.

Jessica has served as a member of the Student Government Association, cheerleading squad, as well as several other school sponsored clubs and organizations throughout her high school career. She is the daughter of Bill and Debbie Barranco.