Tim Moore Joins Montgomery Catholic as the Head Cross Country and Track Coach

Coach Tim Moore is entering his 9^th year of coaching. A native of Birmingham, Coach Moore has spent the last 23 years as a Track & Field fanatic. Coach started his track journey in high school, running the 400m sprint, 300m hurdles, and sprint relays. After high school, he attended Alabama State University (ASU) on an athletic scholarship. During his time at ASU, Coach Moore helped his teammates win the school’s first-ever Men’s Indoor and Outdoor Conference titles.

 

After college, Coach Moore couldn’t give up competing and started competing again. For the last 15 years, he has been competing in USATF and USATF Masters Track & Field meets; enjoying the sport and pushing his limits. In 2019, Coach Moore won the 2019 USATF Masters’ National Indoor 200m title for his 35–40-year-old age group. Coach Moore came back in the Outdoor season to win the 400m and 400m hurdle National titles.

 

Along with competing, Coach Moore has a strong passion to give back to the sport. He started his coaching career as a volunteer coach at his alma mater, ASU. Coach Moore spent 3 seasons with the Hornets and then took on a Head Coaching position at the High School level. Since 2016, Coach has trained several Alabama State Champions, taken several athletes to the National High School Indoor and Outdoor Championships, coached National High School All-Americans, and led teams to two AHSAA Championship titles.

 

Coach Moore is excited and proud to now lead the Knights! He is off to a great start in his first 2 races of the 2021 season. We can't wait to see what the future holds for our Racing Knights!

Montgomery Catholic Third Grader Sets National Accelerated Reading Record

Montgomery Catholic was proud to celebrate a third-grader at our Holy Spirit Campus awards assembly on Thursday, May 27. Justin Lee set a National point record for Renaissance Accelerated Reader during the 2020-21 school year.

After breaking the school’s AR point record, Justin set a personal goal to break the National AR record of 2,018 points in an 8 month period. He exceeded that point total and went on to reach a final total of 2,718.6 points within 9 months. When asked why he enjoys reading so much, Justin replied, “ Books are fun...I like the bible, science, history, even biography. At every moment, the best book I like is the one I started reading.” In honor of Justin’s amazing achievements, Montgomery Catholic has created a new AR award for students called the “Justin Lee Top Hat” award.

During the 2020-21 school year, Justin read and tested on a total of 333 books in order to get his final AR point total. According to Justin’s mother, Helen Lee, he actually read closer to 700-1000 books this school year, but the Accelerated Reader program does not contain tests for the rest of the books that he has read this year. Mrs. Lee explained that Justin has always had a strong interest in books. She says, “When I asked Justin what gift he would like on his 7th birthday, he replied, ‘I want to have a library at home.’ My husband and I laughed, but his grandfather, who heard the story, funded to make a library for Justin. The library contains more than 10,000 books now.”

Justin is not only a gifted reader, but he’s also a straight-A student, speaks several languages including English and Korean, is a second-degree black belt in Taekwondo, and plays piano, trumpet, and guitar.

Spring Signing Day 2021

Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School held a signing ceremony for seniors Mckenzie Norton, Allie Berg, Jalen Thomas, and Dean Johnson. The event was held at the Montgomery Catholic High School Campus at 3:30 p.m., Wednesday, May 19, 2021.

 

All four Catholic Knight athletes signed to play their respective sport at the college level.

Allie Berg signed her letter of intent to cheer with the Spring Hill Badgers. She has been a member of Catholic’s varsity cheer team for two years. She is a four-time United Cheerleading and Dance Association All-American athlete. This year, she was the captain of the varsity cheerleading squad and was the recipient of the Leadership Award. She has attended Montgomery Catholic for 3 years and is the daughter of Cristopher and Sarah Berg of Pike Road, AL.

Dean Johnson signed his letter of intent to play baseball with the AUM Warhawks. He is a 3 year varsity starter and recipient of the Leadership Award. He has a .343 BA, 9 Doubles, and .607 OBP. He has been a student at Montgomery Catholic since Kindergarten and is the son of Bruce and Michelle Johnson of Prattville, AL.

Mckenzie Norton signed her letter of intent to play softball with the Georgia Southwestern Hurricanes. She is a 3 time all CCC team and an all-metro honorable mention. She has a .391 batting avg, and is 2nd on the team in stolen bases with 33 and hits with 48. She has been a varsity player since 8th grade, led her team to regionals twice, and won the Leadership Award for her Senior season. She has attended Montgomery Catholic since 6th grade and is the daughter of Michael Norton and Glynn Brewer of Montgomery, AL.

Jalen Thomas signed his letter of intent to play basketball with the Mitchell College Mariners. He is a 3 time varsity athlete and a Coaches Award recipient. His Junior and Senior years he helped lead his team to the Final Four and the State Championship game respectively. He has been a student at Montgomery Catholic for six years and is the son of Anthony and Nakia Thomas of Montgomery, AL.

Montgomery Catholic President Justin Castanza, Principal Eileen Aaron, Athletic Director Daniel Veres, Head Softball Coach Whitney Toole, Head Cheerleading Coach Sarah Berg, Head Basketball Coach Mike Curry, and Head Baseball Coach Tony Hudson welcomed parents and families to our Campus Signing Day.

Montgomery Catholic is looking forward to following these students and their college careers over the next four years. GO KNIGHTS!

Montgomery Catholic Robotics Team Wins State Tournament Two Years in a Row

For the fifth year in a row, the Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School RoboKnights represented our school at the VEX Robotics State Competition. For the second year in a row, one high school team, “Happy Little Accidents” competed and won the title of State Tournament Champion.

Coach Vicki Petters credits their success to methodical building, testing, and programming. “This team has been focused on testing and adjusting all season long,” said Petters, of the team who won one of only two in-person tournaments in the River Region this year. “They began this season not knowing if there would be a State tournament, but prepared themselves for every opportunity to compete.”

Aidan Cochran and Hunter Dailey

The VEX Robotics challenge this year is called “Change Up,” and like in previous challenges, two alliances of two robots face each other on the playing field. The teams are tasked with using their robots to either shoot blue or red balls into the top of goals or pull balls out of the bottom of the goals to change which color ball is on top. Like in previous challenges, robots can score additional points by demonstrating autonomous programs in the first 15 seconds of each round. The remaining minute and 45 seconds are driver-controlled and allow the teams to demonstrate not only their designs but also their skills at operating their robots.

Unlike in previous years, the COVID pandemic challenged the Vex Game Design Committee to develop a way for teams to compete remotely. “Happy Little Accidents” quickly mastered this remote format, helping them win the State Tournament from their home field.

Happy Little Accidents is comprised of senior and VEX Worlds alumni Aidan Cochran, and 9th grader Hunter Dailey. The team will be competing in the Worlds tournament in this remote format from May 20-22, 2021.

Montgomery Catholic Track & Field Sets Two New School Records

Jeremiah Cobb

At the TR Miller Track and Field meet on Thursday, April 8th, the Knights Track Team set 2 new school records and placed in several events.

Sophomore, Jeremiah Cobb came in 1st place in the Boys 100m dash and set a new school record with a time of 10.96. Cobb also placed 1st in the Boys 200m dash. Sophmore, Matthew Galvin set another school record in the Boy's Triple Jump with a distance of 40-09.50 which was good for 2nd place.

Matthew Galvin

Other top finishers for the boys Knights were Titus Franklin who placed 2nd in the 400m dash, Sam Leslie who placed 5th in the 400m dash and 2nd in the 1600m, Andres Lemuz who placed 4th in the 800m, Kylon Griffin who placed 4th in the 110m hurdles, and Shawn Sponsler who placed 1st in high jump and 2nd in javelin. Our top girls finisher was Ann Cobb who finished 5th in the 100m dash, 3rd in the 200m dash, and 1st in the 400m dash.

Montgomery Catholic Students Win Awards at the 33rd Annual ACES Competition

Multiple Montgomery Catholic students auditioned for the 2021 Artistic Competition for Exceptional Students. The Montgomery Arts Council created this competition to help motivate students to grow and learn through the pursuit of their artistic goals. It recognizes 6th-12th grade students who display talent in the musical, visual, or performing arts.

Congratulations to five Montgomery Catholic students who placed in their respective categories. In the senior high instrumental category, 9th grader, John Scott Jackson took first place on the trumpet. In the senior high strings category, 10th grader, Nate Gartland took first place on violin. In the senior high piano category, 12th grader, Myles Jordan took second place. In the senior high guitar category, 12th grader, Carlo De Jesus received honorable mention. And in the senior high dance category, 12th grader, Inés Gonzalez-Ansaldi received honorable mention.

John Scott Jackson

Nate Gartland

Myles Jordan

Carlo De Jesus

Inés Gonzalez-Ansaldi

Montgomery Catholic Sixth-Graders Experience Camp McDowell

Every year the sixth-grade classes at our St. Bede and Holy Spirit campuses travel to Camp McDowell for an overnight retreat. Unfortunately, due to Covid, they were unable to go on their trip this year. Instead, Camp McDowell helped us keep this tradition alive for our students by sending their counselors to each of our campuses.

Both groups of students were able to spend a couple of days outside playing camp games, singing songs, having a bonfire, and enjoying each other's company. Their parents even joined in the fun for Parent's Night! It was a great experience for everyone. We look forward to seeing all of these students together on our Middle School campus next Fall.

Montgomery Catholic Students Learn About Germany

Montgomery Catholic Holy Spirit campus celebrated their annual Cultural Day this year learning all about Germany! They had a special visit from Coach Wulf Koch, our boy’s varsity soccer coach, and 11th-grade History teacher. He taught them about various aspects of life in Germany. The students had a wonderful day reading Hansel and Gretel, making paper cuckoo clocks, and learning about the German Christmas tradition of the Christmas pickle. Typically on Christmas Eve, parents will hide a pickle ornament deep in the tree’s branches. On Christmas morning the first child to find the pickle would receive an extra gift from St. Nicholas. Students were also able to partake in German-made, Haribo gummy bears and soft pretzels for snacks. It was a great day learning about a new culture!

Montgomery Catholic Inducts New Members into the National Honor Society

Montgomery Catholic is proud to announce 28 new inductees into the Loretto Chapter of the National Honor Society. The Senior inductees are Matthew Barranco and Cacey Williams. The Junior inductees are Catherine Aaron, Jamarion Augustus, Javen Augustus, Wesley Clarke, Cecelia Crawford, Samantha Day, Carissa Gilbert, Ailish Gilbert, Angeles Gonzalez-Ansaldi, Mallory Hildebrand, Emily Holston, Zachary Izer, Layne Jordan, Shannon Kille, Christopher Lathram, Aniya Lowery, Maynard Marlow, Ella Newell, William Noell, Julienne Pharrams, Matthew Reardon, Gibby Souriya, Jacob Talbot, Maggie Turner, Alex Wieser, and Hart Yost. These outstanding students join the 28 current members of the Loretto Chapter of the National Honor Society. NHS members must achieve a cumulative GPA of 3.75 or higher.

Montgomery Catholic Senior, Harrison Skala, Named a National Merit Finalist

Montgomery Catholic Senior, Harrison Skala was selected as a National Merit Finalist for 2021. Each year, approximately 1.5 million high school students apply for the National Merit Scholarship Program. Of these applicants, 50,000 students qualify for recognition in the program, and roughly 15,000 are eventually named Finalists every year. These students must meet very high academic standards in their high school coursework and PSAT testing. This spring, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation will begin awarding scholarships to approximately 7,600 of the Finalists.

Montgomery Catholic has 25 Students Selected to Alabama Bandmasters Association Honor Bands

This year, due to Covid-19, the Alabama Bandmasters Association selected students for its honor bands through a virtual submission process. For the second year in a row, Montgomery Catholic had a record number of students in our Middle and High School band programs earn spots in both the District VI and All-State Honor Bands. 10 students from the Middle School and 15 students from the High School were chosen to perform in the District VI Honor Bands, and of those, 3 Middle School students and 11 High School Students will represent Montgomery Catholic in the All-State Honor Band.

“We are exceedingly proud of all of our students who earned a spot in the District and All-State Honor Bands for 2021," said Alex Johnson, Director of Bands. "Each one represents loads of dedication and hard work. Not only are they fantastic student musicians, but they are also leaders and role models for their peers.”

Middle School District VI Honor Band Members: Amelia Bair, Cooper Beesley, Kamila Diaz, Ashley Digman, Ethan Harbin, David Huston, Anna Lathram, Keveen Ramirez, Peter Riello, and Ryan Stevenson.

Middle School All-State Honor Band Members: Cooper Beesley, Anna Lathram, and Keveen Ramirez.

High School District VI Honor Band Members: Michael Algarin, Aidan Blum, Mason Branam, Hunter Dailey, Carlo DeJesus, Mai Ellington, Daniel Gacha, Nate Gartland, Angela Gier, Kaylee Holmes, Jackson Ingalls, John Scott Jackson, Shannon Kille, Molly Nicklay, and Josie Smith.

High School All-State Honor Band Members: Michael Algarin, Mason Branam, Mai Ellington, Daniel Gacha, Angela Gier, Kaylee Holmes, Jackson Ingalls, John Scott Jackson, Shannon Kille, Molly Nicklay, and Josie Smith.

Montgomery Catholic Signing Day 2021

Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School held a signing ceremony for seniors DJ Carter, Myles Butler, Marcus Dees, Judd Osten, Hollis Johnson, Sam Leslie, Taylar Tunstall, and Grant Smith on National Signing Day. The event was held at the Montgomery Catholic High School Campus at 3:30 p.m., on Wednesday, February 3, 2021.

All seven Catholic Knight athletes signed to play their respective sport at the college level.

DJ Carter signed his letter of intent to play football with the US Air Force Academy Falcons. He is a 2020 All-State, 2 times All-Metro, 3 Time All-CCC (Capital City Conference) wide receiver. His career stats are 50 Carries for 367yds, 112 catches for 2363 yds, and 721 Return yds. DJ has attended Montgomery Catholic for seven years and received 13 college offers. DJ is the son of Sonia Carter of Montgomery, AL.

Marcus Dees II signed his letter of intent to play football with the Wofford College Terriers. He is a 2019 All-Metro, 2 Time All-CCC (Capital City Conference) defensive lineman. His career stats are 138 Solo Tackles, 104 Assist, 242 Total Tackles, 45 Tackles for loss, and 15 Sacks. Marcus has attended Montgomery Catholic for four years and received 4 college offers. Marcus is the son of Marcus and Shenitra Dees of Montgomery, AL.

Judd Osten signed his letter of intent to play soccer with the University of West Alabama Tigers. He had 16 goals and 12 assists his Junior year, is Captain of his high school and VHSC club teams, has been to regionals and nationals with his club team 2 years in a row, and won a State Championship with his club team. Judd has attended Montgomery Catholic since Kindergarten and is the son of Charlie and Ann Osten of Montgomery, AL.

Hollis Johnson V signed his letter of intent to run Cross Country and Track and Field with the Mississippi College Choctaws. Hollis was a member of the 2018 4A State Championship XC Team; he was All-State XC 2018, 2019, 2020, All-Metro XC 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and a Montgomery Catholic Freshman Jimmy Hitchcock Nominee. He has attended Montgomery Catholic for ten years and is the son of Hollis and Terri Johnson of Montgomery, AL.

Sam Leslie signed his letter of intent to run Cross Country with the Auburn University at Montgomery Warhawks. Sam was a member of the 2018 4A State Championship XC Team; he was awarded All-Metro in 2019 and 2020, and All-State in 2019 and 2020. He has attended Montgomery Catholic since Kindergarten and is the son of Fred and Lucy Leslie of Montgomery, AL.

Taylar Tunstall signed her letter of intent to run Track and Field with the Dillard University Blue Devils. She was a member of the 2019 Girls 4A Track and Field State Championship Team. Taylar has attended Montgomery Catholic for six years and is the daughter of Scotty and Gwendolyn Tunstall of Montgomery, AL.

Grant Smith signed his letter of intent to play golf with the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs. He has been an All-Metro player 2016, 2017, 2018, & 2019, the Montgomery Metro Player of the Year 2018 & 2019, has been a State Qualifier every year since the 7th grade, won over 10 tournaments in his career, and he’s the defending Blue/Grey Individual Champion. Grant has attended Montgomery Catholic since Kindergarten and is the son of Michael and Kristin Smith of Montgomery, AL.

Montgomery Catholic President Justin Castanza, Principal Eileen Aaron, Athletic Director Daniel Veres, Head Football Coach Kirk Johnson, Head Soccer Coach Wulf Koch, and Head Cross Country/Track and Field Coach Hollis Johnson welcomed parents and families to our Campus Signing Day. Due to Covid-19, we limited this event to signees, their families, and the media in an effort to comply with spacing restrictions, and to support our amazing student-athletes in the safest way possible.

Montgomery Catholic is looking forward to following these students and their college careers over the next four years. GO KNIGHTS!

Montgomery Catholic Introduces a New Maker Space

Montgomery Catholic strives to educate the whole child. Whether it be helping students to excel in academics, athletics, arts, or their faith. Throughout the last year, we discovered the need for a “Maker Space.” With the help of MCPS Grandparent, Jim Lauridson, we have created a room dedicated to our students who see themselves as makers. 

These are the kinds of students who would rather create than consume. They get joy and education by working with their imaginations and their hands. They are allowed to be creative in a non-structured and non-competitive setting. The goal of a Maker Space is to be creative, not to win.

Our Maker Space is a dedicated room for our students to be creative and use the tools and materials on hand to build primarily technical and artistic projects. Currently, our space consists of 3D printers, a laser cutter, soldering stations, electronic measuring instruments, parts, hot glue guns, Arduinos, Raspberry Pi’s, gears, motors, and sensors. Presently the Maker Space is being introduced to Middle School students through an elective which will consist of microprocessor and mechanical projects; radio projects starting with satellite tracking and leading to an amateur radio license, and an aviation project beginning with designing and building a micro-drone or a micro-fixed wing aircraft.

The next expansion of our Maker Space will be completed this winter and will include a radio tower on campus. With the addition of the tower, our students will be able to accomplish things such as bouncing signals off of meteors as they enter the earth, launching high altitude balloons with instrumentation, download pictures from the International Space Station, communicate with digital signals, be part of an emergency network, communicate with the Vatican’s amateur radio station (HV5PUL), and be the radio station representing Montgomery Catholic in international contests. 

The possibilities are endless! We look forward to seeing what our student makers create!

Kirk Johnson Named Montgomery Catholic Head Football Coach

It is with great pleasure that we announce Kirk Johnson as the new Head Football Coach at Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School. No stranger to the Montgomery Catholic football community, Coach Johnson moves from Assistant Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator to the head position in his seventh year with the Knights.  

In this time of coaching transition, Athletic Director Daniel Veres was proud to share,

"Kirk Johnson will be the next head coach at Montgomery Catholic. Kirk's passion for the kids at Montgomery Catholic is unmatched, and I can't wait to see what this new chapter of Knights football holds for us all."

"Montgomery Catholic has built a football and athletic program that focuses on helping student athletes become the best versions of themselves, both on and off the field. Coach Kirk Johnson is committed to our school and our community, not just on the football field, but in all things Montgomery Catholic. We are poised for another championship caliber season as we continue to raise the bar and elevate expectations through a seamless transition," explained Montgomery Catholic President, Justin Castanza.  

Coach Johnson is such an asset to our Montgomery Catholic family. We look forward to his leadership for our athletes and his continued involvement in our community. “I am extremely honored and blessed to accept the position as Head Football Coach at Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School. I would like to thank Daniel Veres, Justin Castanza, and Eileen Aaron for this amazing opportunity. I would also like to thank Aubrey Blackwell for his mentorship and the foundation that he helped lay here at Montgomery Catholic. It's not often that you get the opportunity in your first head coaching job to take over a State Championship caliber football team. I look forward to the opportunity to expand on what has been built and to continue to lead this program to the next level. My wife, Meghan, and I are extremely grateful to be a part of this MCPS family; we will keep you all in our prayers and ask that you do the same for us," stated Coach Johnson.