Lt. Col. Ball, USAF Air Force One Navigator, Speaks to Middle School

As part of Tuesday's Catholic Schools Week theme "Light the Way: Through Our Nation" Lt Col Calvin Ball, who is about to serve his second tour as navigator of Air Force One, spoke to the middle school students at Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School. Lt. Col. Ball grew up on Portland, Oregon, and entered the Air Force in 1980 as an enlisted troop right out of high school. During this time, he served as a fireman. In 1984, he left the Air Force in order to attend Oregon State University where he graduated in 1987.

After college, Lt. Col Ball reentered the Air Force as an officer and became a navigator on the C-130 Hercules, a tactical cargo plane. He flew numerous missions and was deployed for Desert Shield/Storm for 7 months.

He left the C-130 in 1997 and entered the VIP airlift world as a navigator on the VC-137. He flew the Vice President, Secretary of Defense, Secretary of State, and members of Congress. One of the airplanes on which he served at this time was the Boeing 707, tail number 26000. This was the aircraft that President Kennedy took to Dallas on November 22, 1963 – the date of his assassination. President Lyndon Johnson took the oath of office as President on this same aircraft shortly before President Kennedy’s body was returned to Washington.

In 2000, Lt Col Ball served a Pentagon staff tour, and in 2002 he joined Air Force One as a Presidential Navigator.

The duties of the Presidential Navigator are to plan and execute the movements of Air Force One. The navigator flies and is responsible for the safe and timely navigation of the President’s 747, known as Air Force One. Lt Col Ball was one of the two navigators for President Bush’s surprise Thanksgiving mission to Baghdad and was also the navigator that brought President Reagan’s body to Washington DC for his State Funeral.

Lt Col Ball will return to Air Force One in June where he will assume the duties of Chief Presidential Navigator.

He has been married for almost 18 years, and his daughter, Kayla, is a seventh grade student at Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School.

Erin Plate '07 Named to Dean's List at University of Notre Dame

Erin Plate, a 2007 graduate of Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School, has been named to the dean's list in the University of Notre Dame's First Year of Studies for outstanding scholarship during the Fall 2007 semester.

Students who achieve the dean's list at Notre Dame represent the top 30 percent of students in their college.

Erin is the daughter of Lt. Colonel Jeff and Kelly Plate.

JV Boys Capital City Conference Champions!

The Junior Varsity Boys Basketball team were crowned Capital City Conference champions on Saturday, January 26th at St. James School during the annual CCC tournament. The Knights defeated St. James in the first round 52-28. In the second round, Catholic defeated The Montgomery Academy 64-48. Playing in the championship, the JV boys defeated Trinity 41-38, claiming the title of Capital City Conference Champs!

"This was a total team effort and a big accomplishment for our team. These young men played hard and did a tremendous job. We are all very proud of them," said JV Coach JR Richardson. Landon Pickens was named the tournament MVP and Nolan Plate was named to the All-Tournament Team.

The Montgomery Catholic Knights JV Basketball Team are #3-Trey Aiken, #4-Will Balchunas, #10-Nolan Plate (All-Tournament Team), #12-Tommy Wujcik, #21-M. L. Shipman, #22-Tripp Whatley, #23-J. L. Mullins, #30-Walker Catoe, #33-J. B. Howell, #34-Landon Pickens (Tournament MVP) #44-Fred Randall, #55-Patrick Freeman, Andy Telofski (injured reserve) and Coach J. R. Richardson.

Briana Morgan Wins Second Place in the Future Black Leaders' Scholarship Program

Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School junior Briana Morgan won 2nd place and $800 to the college of her choice for her essay in the Future Black Leaders’ Scholarship Program. Briana’s essay was selected from over 90 contestants answering the question “If you were elected President, what would you do to make this country a better place to live and work?” Briana and the other scholarship winners will be honored at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival on Monday, February 4th.

The Future Black Leaders’ Scholarship program is designed to help recognize and encourage high academic achievement, exceptional leadership, exemplary character, and community service among high school juniors. Each of the contestants was required to submit an application, recommendation letter from their guidance counselor, have a minimum G.P.A of 3.0, and their typed 500-600 word essay. The scholarship program is sponsored by the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Alabama, the Alabama Shakespeare Festival and WSFA-TV.

PICTURED: Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School junior and 2nd place winner of Future Black Leaders’ Scholarship Program, Briana Morgan.

Jones and Weatherly Nominated for National Honor Society Scholarship Program

Molly Jones and Jacob Weatherly, seniors at Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School and members of the Loretto Chapter of the National Honor Society, have been nominated to compete in the National Honor Society scholarship sponsored by the National Association of Secondary Principals (NASSP).

Sue Vaughn, principal, at Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School’s high school campus announced the nominations, which places both Jones and Weatherly in the national competition. This year the program will once again award $200,000 in college scholarships. As a feature for the 2008 program, special recognition and additional awards will be presented to state and regional winners, along with the selection of one national recipient who will receive a $13,000 award.

High school National Honor Society chapters from across the country were eligible to nominate two senior high members to compete. Nominees were selected based on their leadership skills, participation in service organizations, clubs, achievements in the arts and sciences, employment experience, and academic record. They were also required to write an essay.

PICTURED: Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School seniors Molly Jones and Jacob Weatherly.

Montgomery Catholic Students Help Warm Montgomery

Students from the elementary and middle school campuses of Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School held a coat drive to help warm fellow Montgomerians through the Salvation Army. Over 170 coats were collected in the drive. Helping to deliver the coats were Montgomery Catholic school board member Ann Karst and students Jordan Fox, Elizabeth Karst, and Megan Karst.

PICTURED: Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School students Megan Karst, Elizabeth Karst, and Jordan Fox join Salvation Army Captain Roy Harris with the 170 donated coats at the Salvation Army’s central office.

MADD Multimedia Assembly Shows Delivers Alcohol Safety Messages to Students at Montgomery Catholic, January 23 at 2 p.m.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving in Alabama (MADD AL) is using MADD’s newest multimedia school assembly shows to help students understand the dangers of underage drinking. The three-screen assembly shows are 45-minute programs that will be shown to approximately 12,000 elementary, middle and high school students throughout Alabama and will be at Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School on Wednesday, January 23rd at 2:00 p.m. in the Fr. Pat Delahunty Gymnasium.

"Game On" is a three-screen presentation for elementary schools. It takes students inside a video game where they learn how to keep themselves safe by sitting in the middle of the back seat when riding in a car, it stresses the importance of wearing a helmet when riding on wheels and always buckle their seatbelt. Young students also receive valuable information about alcohol's effects on a growing brain and body. In addition, it talks about how to deal with bullies, tattletales and strangers. Game On features movies clips "Curious George" and "King Kong" as well as music kids can relate to and enjoy.

"Broadband" will target middle and high school students. Broadband is the 10th school assembly show in the MADD's long line of award-winning shows and it takes a fresh, high-tech look at issues teens deal with every day:
Teen driving safety
Media and advertising influences
Law enforcement
Substance use
Consequences
Choices
Empowerment

The show features popular movie clips, music videos and songs teens know. The host of the show, along with teen interviews, educates youth on the challenges and consequences of the decisions they face every day. It also features a poignant, tragic and true story of a deadly crash involving three underage drinkers.

The show also demonstrates to young drivers that just because they're old enough to drive, it doesn't mean they're ready to drive. Teens are charged with the task of becoming more aware of the dangers associated with driving and encouraged to learn more before getting behind the wheel.

Broadband also dispels the myths teens have about police officers and encourages them to get involved in their community through MADD programs such as Youth In Action, Protecting You/Protecting Me, or Strides for Change.

“We are trying to reach out and educate teens in Alabama in a way that they will want to hear the safety message,” said Debra Fuller, MADD Alabama State Youth Coordinator.
“Broadband” gives teens permission to express concerns and pressures that inherently come with being a young adult. It encourages teens to pay attention to their surroundings, take advantage of the second chances life provides, resist the pressures of “fitting in” if it means using substances of any kind, and taking time to gain experience as new drivers,” states Mrs. Fuller.

“MADD Alabama is proud to have funding the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) sponsor the multimedia shows. Thanks to this funding, thousands of students will have the latest information about the developing brain, safe driving, the dangers of underage drinking and they will be able to recognize who is trying to influence the decisions they make,” said Peggy Batey, MADD Alabama State Executive Director.

2008 Archdiocesan Catholic Youth Conference: The Amazing Race!

Come join us and the Archbishop for the annual Archdiocesan Youth Conference in Mobile on Feb 29- Mar 2. Contact your parish for registration and further details.

CYO, MOBILE-St. Paul declared to Timothy, "I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith." We can learn much from Paul in this short statement. Our faith life is not a sprint, but rather a marathon. We need to get off to a good start, and we need to constantly train. We may "hit the wall," but with help from our coaches, we’ll break through to continue the race. This is a race that we never truly finish this side of eternity.

St. Paul’s declaration is the inspiration for this year’s Archdiocesan Catholic Youth Conference, where our youth and our youth leaders of the archdiocese come together to break open these words and see how they relate to our lives today.

ACYC will be held at the Holiday Inn in downtown Mobile from February 29-March 2, 2008. All teens from our archdiocesan parishes are encouraged to attend. The Archdiocesan Catholic Youth Conference is a unique event which cannot be duplicated by any other organization. This is the only time of the year when all of the high school youth are invited to gather together to celebrate our common journey as young Catholics of southern Alabama. This is an important time for our youth to develop friendships across our archdiocese.

In addition to making new friends, our youth will be treated to entertaining speakers, incredible musicians, delicious food, talented performers and most importantly, amazing celebrations of Eucharist and Reconciliation.

For more information about the upcoming Archdiocesan Catholic Youth Conference, contact your parish youth minister or pastor. Come, as we journey together this "Amazing Race"!

Montgomery Catholic Boys Basketball Finds Groove

The Montgomery Catholic Boys Varsity Basketball team seems to have found their groove with wins over big city rivals, defeating Montgomery Academy and St. James, within the last week. Head Coach Pete Arner took over a program that went 19-10 last season, played in the sub-regional round of Class 3 A playoffs, and lost eight seniors from the team. With three seniors returning this year, the Knights are a young and developing team.

In the beginning there were obvious growing pains against tough competition. With learning a new system, a new coaching style, and new teammates, the Knights have worked hard to find their groove. Things began to turn for the Knights around Christmas, finishing second in the Shades Mountain Christian Tournament, winning two out of three games.

At the heart of their progress has been much better defensive play, which is what Coach Arner stresses with the team. The players have a better understanding and are getting more comfortable with their roles.

“Our success is attributed to being more familiar with what we are trying to accomplish as a team. Learning a whole new system was overwhelming for them at first, but I give a lot of credit to this team. They have faced some adversity, battled through it, and kept believing. As a result, we are seeing the fruits of their labor throughout this season,” said Coach Arner.

“Another component is leadership. James Watkins has really stepped up as a senior and team captain. I’m proud of his work and dedication to the success of the entire team,” Arner added. “We’re not there yet and we’ve still got a long way to go, but positive steps are important for us at this early stage of our program.”

The Knights gained confidence with two big come-from-behind wins against Montgomery Academy in a nail-biting 45-43 victory and a 64-44 win over neighboring St. James. In both games, the Knights were trailing at the half and turned it on in the third and fourth quarters to take the lead and win the games.

Montgomery Catholic travels to LAMP on Friday with the girls playing at 5:30 p.m. and the boys at 7:00 p.m. On Saturday, the Knights journey to Montgomery Academy with tip off at 4:00 p.m. for the girls and the boys take the court at 5:30 p.m.

To read a story about the Knights in The Montgomery Advertiser, click here: http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080116/SPORTS03/801160358/1002/SPORTS

Pictured: junior Teddrick Arrington. Photo by David Bundy, Montgomery Advertiser

Montgomery Catholic Receives AEDs from Baptist Health Care Foundation

Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School received two automated external defibrillators (AEDs) from the Baptist Health Care Foundation as part of their program to place AEDs in local schools and organizations. Baptist Health CEO Mr. Russell Tyner and Baptist Health Care Foundation Executive Director and Vice President Mr. Ben Kelley were on hand to present the two AEDs to the principals of Montgomery Catholic. Mr. Tyner commented, “We are pleased to help our community become better equipped in the event of an emergency. We hope you never have to use the AEDs but it’s good to be prepared in the event that you do.”

Twelve faculty members at Montgomery Catholic have been trained in CPR using the automated external defibrillators in July 2007. The entire kindergarten through twelfth grade staff will go through training using the AEDs during an upcoming in-service in February. “We are so blessed to receive such a generous gift from the Baptist Health Care Foundation. You never know when the need for such a device will be required, whether on the playing field or in the classroom. We’re glad we are now equipped to handle such emergency situations,” said Anne Ceasar, Elementary and Middle School Principal. The Montgomery Catholic Booster Club purchased a third AED for the athletic programs.

Pictured: Baptist Health’s CEO Mr. Russell Tyner, Montgomery Catholic’s High School Principal Ms. Sue Vaughn, Montgomery Catholic’s Elementary & Middle School Principal Mrs. Anne Ceasar, and Baptist Health Care Foundation Executive Director and Vice President Mr. Ben Kelley.

Scholarship Opportunity for Seniors

Ben and Alice Tokarz Memorial Scholarship for School Year 2007-2008

James Thibodaux, Grand Knight Council 893, Knights of Columbus, announces applications for the Ben and Alice Tokarz Memorial Scholarship, for school year 2007-2008, are now available at The Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School office. This memorial scholarship is in memory of Ben and Alice Tokarz, deceased parents of the Reverend David Tokarz. Father Tokarz is past pastor of Saint Bede the Venerable Catholic Church and a past faculty member of Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School.

The Ben and Alice Tokarz Memorial Scholarship is awarded annually to a graduating senior of Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School who exhibits superior academic achievement, active involvement in student government, other noteworthy extra-curricular activities, and demonstrates student leadership qualities.

For school year 2007-2008, Saint Bede Council 893 voted to provide a scholarship in the amount of $1,000. Completed and certified applications must arrive at The Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School office by March 31, 2008 and to Council 493, Knights of Columbus, by April 10, 2008 to be considered.

The name of the selected graduates will be announced in early May 2008 and presentation of the scholarship will take place on Senior Day, May 23, 2008.

Varsity Wrestling Records First Win

The Montgomery Catholic Varsity Wrestling Team posted their first win in its inaugural season against Holtville High School on Thursday, January 3rd in the Fr. Pat Delahunty Gymnasium on the high school campus. The team won 42-38 over Holtville with wins from Asa Keating, Peter Carl, Ian Sweet, David McPhillips, Stephen Bodet, Charlie Anderson, and Chris Wilson. The Varsity Wrestling program is coached by Tyler Countryman.
Pictured above on the right, freshman Asa Keating.

To view pictures from the Knights wrestling match, click here: http://family.webshots.com/album/562008525pMjbNW

MCPS Respect Life Club Members Brighten Christmas for COPE

Members of the high school Respect Life Club raise money throughout the year to help Montgomery's C.O.P.E. crisis pregnancy center. With monies raised last year, the group was able to purchase a car seat, two strollers, and two cribs for C.O.P.E. this Christmas. Respect Life Club members Caitlyn Wiggins and Kelsey Williamson pose outside of Wal-Mart after their purchases.

Montgomery Catholic Band Conducts 4th Annual Christmas Concert

The Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School Band Program presented their fourth annual Christmas Concert on December 11th in the Stakely Sanctuary of the First Baptist Church in downtown Montgomery. The beginning band members, comprised of elementary and middle school students, played Silent Night and Jolly Old St. Nicholas under the direction of Mr. Lavone DuBose and Mr. Kerry Palmer.

The Middle School Band, conducted by Mr. Kerry Palmer, played It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year, Christmas Dreams, and Santa's Parade. The High School Band, also conducted by Mr. Palmer, played Celebration, as recorded by Mannheim Steamroller, Cantique De Noel, and A Christmas Festival. A reception followed the concert in the Portrait Hall of the church. Our many thanks to First Baptist Church for the use of their beautiful facility.

Pictured: Montgomery Catholic Middle School Band member Kyle Hudson plays the French Horn during the concert.

Kindergarten Presents the "ABCs of Christmas"

The Kindergarten students at Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School presented "A Christmas ABC" during their annual Christmas program. Each student had a letter describing an aspect of Christmastime and sang carols sharing the Christmas spirit. The story was an adaptation from a story by Florence Johnson. Kindergarten is taught by Mrs. Tracey Bender, Mrs. Ellie Burden, and Mrs. Mary Hutchinson. Pictured: Montgomery Catholic Kindergarten students Patrick Whetstone, David Dedek, and Anna DuBois.

To view more photos, click here: http://family.webshots.com/album/561822010CMjARi