Montgomery Catholic Students to Compete on United States Martial Arts Team

Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School students Heather and Peter Walski, along with their father Bill Walski, will represent the United States in the World Martial Arts Games in London, England in October.

“I am really excited to be traveling to London,” said Peter. “It’s going to be really cool meeting athletes from all over the world.”

The Walski family studies Shotokan karate, a discipline that blends fundamental movements, forms, and sparring to develop physical and mental fitness. While they have not been practicing for very long, these young athletes quickly rose through the ranks at their dojo, Grandmaster Webb's Karate and Fitness Fellowship of Christian Martial Arts Academy. Originally intended to be a fun way to learn basic self-defense, the Walski family quickly took to the different aspects of Shotokan Karate, and each one has a different area they like the best. 7^th grader Heather specializes in kata, which is a set sequence of moves, like punches, kicks, jumps, and stances. 6^th grader Peter enjoys weapons, especially the bo staff, and Bill excels at hand-to-hand sparring. At the World Martial Arts Games, Heather and Bill will be competing in three events each and Peter will compete in four events.

Heather and Peter both admitted that karate was not love-at-first-kick as they found the basic moves and repetitive kata sequences to be boring. Both children have a background in gymnastics and soccer, and their athletic conditioning and competitive natures helped to keep them engaged throughout their karate practice. They caught on quickly to new concepts and were able not only to master the basic skills but also to quickly learn new movements and techniques. The turning point for each one of them came in their first competition, where they both placed highly: Heather earned 1^st in kata, 1^st in weapons, and 3^rd in fighting and Peter placed 1^st in fighting.

“I was really nervous that I wasn’t going to do well,” said Heather about her first competition. “But then I placed in three events, and it boosted my confidence in my abilities.”

Twice a week, the Walski family trains at their local dojo in Montgomery. Once a month, they travel to the main dojo in Ashland, Alabama for an intense 7-hour training with their US National Team teammates. This is in addition to their regular schedule of schoolwork and soccer practice.

The World Martial Arts Games will take place in London from October 25 to October 27. Around 500 athletes of different ages and martial arts disciplines from 20 countries from around the world will compete in events that include kata demonstrations, grappling, sparring, and wood and brick breaking.

Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School Celebrates 10 AP Scholars for the 2018-19 School Year

Montgomery Catholic is proud to announce that ten students have been identified as AP Scholars by the College Board in recognition of their performance on the Advanced Placement Program (AP) Exams taken in May of 2019. Students enrolled in AP courses complete college-level work and take an exam at the end of the school year. The College Board recognizes several levels of achievement based on students' performance on AP Exams, based on scores ranging from 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest).

“This distinction reflects a high degree of hard work and dedication, both from the students and from their teachers,” said Montgomery Catholic high school principal Justin Castanza. “We are so proud of their achievements.”

Six students were named as AP Scholars for receiving a score of 3 or higher on three or more AP Exams: Austin Collett ‘19, Jonah Gier ‘19, Grace Leslie ‘19, Maddie Losik ‘19, Kathleen Madden ‘19, and Chloe Smith ’19.

Two students were given the AP Scholar with Honor Award for earning an average score of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams taken and scores of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams: Annie Bach ’19 and Sofie lzer ’20.

Two students qualified for the AP Scholar with Distinction Award for receiving an average score of 3.5 or higher on all AP Exams taken and scores of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams: Reagan Herbek ’19 and Clare Wilson ’20.

Of these students, Regan Herbek and Austin Collett were the valedictorian and salutatorian, respectively, of the graduating class of 2019. Sofie Izer has been named as a National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist and Clare Wilson has been named as a National Merit Commended Scholar.

Over the past two years, more than half of all Montgomery Catholic students who have taken AP Exams have earned a score of 3 or better with about half of those students earning a 4 or higher. Students have an opportunity to earn college credit depending on how well they score on AP Exams. Montgomery Catholic offers a variety of AP courses in several different disciplines.

Montgomery Catholic Senior Sofia Izer is a National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist

Montgomery Catholic Senior Sofia Izer
National Merit Semifinalist
Photo by Total Image

On September 11, 2019, officials of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) announced the names of approximately 16,000 semifinalists in the 65th annual National Merit Scholarship Program, and Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School proudly announces Sofia Izer as a National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist.

Sofia is currently a senior at Montgomery Catholic. Not only is she a top scholar, but she is also very active in a variety of school activities. She is a member of the Key Club, National Honor Society, and Mu Alpha Theta. She is also a varsity cheerleader and holds a black belt in Taekwondo. She is active in her parish, Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Montgomery, and volunteers her time during Vacation Bible School. Sofia is an aspiring architect who enjoys the merging of her favorite things: art, math, and design.

Sofia will have the opportunity to compete for some 7,600 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $31 million that will be 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 PSAT 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 in February, and approximately half of the finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the title of Merit Scholar.