Montgomery Catholic Varsity Cheerleaders Named All-American at NCA Camp

Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School Varsity, JV and Middle School Cheerleaders attended a National Cheerleaders Association (NCA) Summer Camp held at Auburn University in July building a strong foundation for their teams for the 2014-2015 year.

As part of the 3-day camp curriculum, the National Cheerleaders Association focuses on safety, stunts, cheer and chants, jumps, and dance. The NCA selects award winners at each camp for individual and team accomplishments.

Coached by Samantha Rose, Montgomery Catholic's Varsity cheerleading team received the Most Improved award and were voted Most Spirited by the other teams in attendance. Two Montgomery Catholic Varsity cheerleaders were selected as All-American team members; sisters Ashley Kim (12)  and Audrey Kim (10). Selection as an All-American is the most prestigious award that can be received at an NCA camp. Participants vying for All-American status are judged on motion technique, jumps, tumbling, spirit and enthusiasm, voice projection, and overall crowd appeal. These individuals are eligible to perform at various NCA Special Events, including the opportunity to walk in the Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade.

"I have never been so proud! The girls went above and beyond expectations while demonstrating great sportsmanship!" said Coach Rose of the team's camp performance.

Montgomery Catholic's 2014-2015 Varsity Cheerleaders are:  Seniors, Ashley Kim (Captain), Brianna Foley (Captain), Courtney Cool, Elizabeth Overton, Maegan Cobb, Maggie Ward, Katie Reeves; Juniors, Kathleen Beesley (Co-Captain), Eryka Ellington; Sophomores, Ivy Bach, Katie Slear, Lauren Smith, Madison Bednarz, Madison Gaston, and Victoria Barranco.

Go Knights!

Catholic Varsity Athletes Host Summer Camps

Coach Jill Clark and Coach Ken Klinger along with the Varsity Basketball teams
pictured with the K5-Grade 5 campers in the Father Delahunty Gymnasium.

Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School's Varsity Basketball  and Cheer teams hosted camps at the Catholic Middle/High School campus in June. Basketball camp was held June 2 - 5 for boys and girls in kindergarten through grade nine. The Knights Varsity Basketball coaches Ken Klinger and Jill Clark hosted two sessions a day to help further develop campers' fundamental skills in the game of basketball while enjoying competitions and games.

Catholic junior and Co-Captain of the Varsity Cheer Team,
Kathleen Beesley with four year old Emma Berher.

On June 23-25, the Montgomery Catholic Varsity Cheer Team hosted a mini cheers camp for girls ages 4-11. Varsity coach Samantha Rose hosted the girls each morning in the Father Delahunty Gymnasium. The girls spent the day learning cheers and practicing stunts. The campers will be invited to cheer at one of the Varsity Football games in the fall.

Montgomery Catholic, a K4 - 12 regional college preparatory school, also offered a baseball, football, girls soccer and wrestling camp over the summer.

Doss Named as Catholic's Varsity Volleyball Coach

Victoria Doss has been named the new varsity volleyball coach at Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School beginning this summer.

"I am tremendously excited for the opportunity to take the MCPS volleyball team to new heights! I'm thankful that Daniel Veres and the administration have faith in me to keep the program's momentum rolling," said Doss

Doss was born in Sacramento,California and raised in the small town of Odenville, Alabama. She played volleyball at St. Clair County High School as a Libero and an Outside Hitter along with playing for the Team Sting Volleyball Club as a Defensive Specialist. Coach Doss received her BA in Biology from Huntingdon College in 2013. She played volleyball for the Hawks for four years as a Defensive Specialist and Setter, and coached the Team Sting Volleyball Club for two years.

“We are very pleased to add Coach Doss to our group of coaches here at Montgomery Catholic. She brings a fresh, new perspective to our volleyball program, and we look forward to helping her continue our elevation of the program as a whole,” said Athletic Director Daniel Veres.

Doss married Henry J. Doss in May 2014 and she has been assisting her husband in starting a church in Montgomery while actively pursuing a teaching career. Currently a Spanish teacher at Montessori Academy in Montgomery, Doss said "I love God, volleyball, kids, teaching, learning, being challenged, challenging others, and helping others fulfill their potential."

Catholic Senior Attends the Summer Science Institute at Auburn

Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School rising senior Ann Faulkner attended the Summer Science Institute (S.S.I) at Auburn University this June. 

The Summer Science Institute sponsored by the College of Math and Science at Auburn University is designed for rising 11th and 12th grade students with high aptitude and interest in the fields of math and science. Students invited to participate in the program were partnered with experienced Auburn University Math and Science research faculty to explore more advanced topics than typically studied in high school. 

Montgomery Catholic lead math teacher, Dr. Joe Profio suggested that Faulkner look into Auburn's Summer Science Institute. "Miss Faulkner is a motivated learner with high aspirations. The Auburn Summer Science Institute provides her with an overview of science fields beyond what she will see in high school, and it allows her to explore new concepts with talented peers who share her enthusiasm for science. Ann is considering a career in STEM-related subjects and now has a broader perspective to inform her college and career decisions," said Dr. Profio. 

Faulkner was one of only sixteen students chosen to attend the week long program. " I had such a great time there learning about science from professors who were so eager to teach us. It was nice to meet people who are just as interested in science and math as I am. It was really great to spend time around people who are so smart and enjoy learning so much. It was a nice change from a typical classroom setting." With sessions daily from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., the days were packed with activities. 

Faulkner and her peers spent their time in Auburn doing various things such as hunting for snakes and spiders, learning about quantum mechanics and relativity, and bioluminescence, replicating the chemical reaction that make fireflies light up, producing esters that smell like bananas, extracting DNA from our cheek cells and putting it into a necklace, exploring discrete mathematics, seeing their plasma generator, learning about computational chemistry, culturing bacteria from belly buttons, and watching liquid nitrogen and thermite demonstrations.

Faulkner described her experience with the program, "The professors and counselors did a terrific job of getting conversations started and getting us more involved in our activities. They all made tremendous efforts to get to know us and to help us get to know each other. We were divided into teams at the beginning of the week and throughout our time in Auburn we competed to earn points for our teams by doing things like solving math problems, having photo competitions and scavenger hunts. The schedule was super busy, and it was a tiring week but an incredible experience. All in all, I had an incredible time and wish the week had lasted longer. It was so nice to spend a week with such great people learning about such cool things." 

Faulkner has attended Montgomery Catholic since the seventh grade. She is the daughter of Amy and Charles White of Montgomery. 

Bottom row: Isabel Blancett, Nancy Tao, Ann Faulkner, Catherine McClendon, Alene Nelson

Middle row: Victor Chen, Samantha Stewart, Anna Haydon, Joshua Abreo, Luke Boyett

Top row: Aaron Hui, Connor Kusch, Blake Dexter, Chris Page, Jackson Boyett

Coach Parker Named All-Metro Baseball Coach of the Year

Montgomery Catholic's Brad Parker has been named 2014 All-Metro Baseball 1A-4A Coach of the Year by the Montgomery Advertiser.

Coach Parker, a graduate of the Montgomery Catholic Class of 2004, has been the Knight's Varsity Baseball Coach for three years. With a career record of 47-42, Coach Parker's Knights were 20-8 on the season and Area Champions for the second consecutive year.

He began his coaching career in 2006 and returned in 2010 as an Assistant Coach for the Varsity Knights and Head Coach of the J.V. team. Parker took over the Varsity program in 2011. He is a 2010 graduate of the University of Alabama with a degree in Kinesiology.

Looking forward to next season Parker said, "We have a lot to build on, our core team is strong, all of our pitchers will be back, we have good JV team members moving up and strong leadership from our seniors. Moving into a tougher area this year, I know we are up for the challenge."

Also named to the All-Metro Baseball team was rising seniors pitcher Jake Hulcher and in-fielder Bryan Rodopoulos. Rising senior Reese Smith and Jared Steele were named as Honorable Mention.

Senior Softball players, pitcher Sydney O'Connor and in-fielder Kirstin Wood were named to the All-Metro 1A-4A Softball team and rising sophomore Ansley Taylor, senior Hadley Taylor and rising freshman Aleigha Walden were named as Honorable Mention.