Parents eNewsletter: May/June 2011

Wit's End . . . Notes from the Principal

“If there be any truer measure of a man than by what he does, it must be by what he gives.”

Robert Smith, a 17th century English churchman, captured in words, the essence of a life well lived. It is fitting as we close yet another year at Mercy High School, to credit those who have given of their time and talents. Two such men have made this year their last and each will be missed. They are Mr. Will Gervais, Associate Principal, and Mr. Ron Sill, Performing Arts teacher. Together, they have amassed 83 years at Mercy and together they represent the heart of this great school – its staff.

There are many reasons why people work. We work to feed and clothe ourselves and our loved ones. We work to live independently and to educate ourselves. We work to make a contribution to our families, both immediate and extended. But, beyond all of this, I believe we work to make some indelible print on the world – to leave a mark of some significance – a mark that forever suggests to countless future generations “I was here.”

Teachers, especially those who dedicate their life’s work to one quality school, make many such marks but do so with little recognition. It is a profession of delayed gratification, for so much of what is done is only a building block for a structure that will not appear in finished form for many years to come.

And the work is noble. Consider the demands. A teacher meets and interacts with dozens of kids each and every day, kids who bring their fragile selves and egos into the room. The teacher prods and nudges, encourages and critiques. The student responds and the choreographed dance begins. The fragile relationship between student and teacher is unequaled by any other relationship, and it is a relationship fraught with emotional highs and lows. For whatever successes and failures occur, the same people must reappear the next day and re-engage once again.

Neither side gets to walk away, at least for a minimum of some 18 weeks, and through it all, there is information to be shared, knowledge to be gained, and opinions to be challenged. There are achievements to be celebrated, mess ups to be acknowledged, and efforts to be modified. Add to this the hormonal changes of adolescence and the insertion of a healthy dosage of laughter and fun, and you have a glimpse of the high school environment.

So I end this year, saluting not only the contributions of all veteran educators, but also Mr. Gervais and Mr. Sill as two of our finest. They have impacted the lives of thousands of young women and they exemplify and model good men and good work. Albert Einstein said: “One should guard against preaching to young people success, in the customary form, as the main aim in life. The most important motive for work in school and in life is pleasure in work, pleasure in the result, and the knowledge of the value of the result to the community.”

Those of us who are blessed to work alongside quality teachers know first-hand what Einstein meant.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Carolyn Witte, Principal

Mercy Moment of the Month

HATS OFF TO THE STUDENTS OF 2011!

Scholarship. Leadership. Service. Character. Excellence. The entire Mercy school community convened on May 26th for the annual HONORS CONVOCATION to recognize all the stellar students of 2011. From poetry and art, service and scholarships, biology and music, all were honored for their awesome achievements and a standing ovation to the seniors for a fabulous four years. Visit these links to see the full list of student awards: grades 9 - 11 and grade 12.

Dads Club

The Annual Mercy Dads Club BBQ for the incoming Freshwomen parents will be held June 7 at 6:00pm in the Mercy CAFE. New officers for the 2011 - 2012 school year are: President Stephen Abowd; Vice President Marty Smith; Treasurer Gilbert Gerardo; Secretary Gary Shuck; Membership/Communications Jim Peterson.

THANKS for all the support this year in all of our Dads and Daughters events! The Tigers game was sold out and there were a record 50+ golfers at our outing held May 18th. Be sure to check out the Mercy Dads Club web pages throughout the summer for events and updates.

Teacher of the Year

Congratulations to the 2011 Teacher of the Year Mrs. Lisa Schrimscher! Mrs. Schrimscher is a passionate science teacher extraordinaire who goes above and beyond to help students understand chemistry and biology. For the past 9 years, she has devoted her talents to Mercy. She uses all the learning tools available to her and by so doing, helps students learn by any means necessary. One student commented, "She's so good, I wish I could have her every year for class!" Mrs. Schrimscher told NEWSPRINT, "I love being able to encourage girls to stay in science and love school...and being able to acknowledge that everything we know and learn is from God."

Let's Hear It for the STAFF!

This year we say goodbye to two very dear men of Mercy, Mr. Will Gervais and Mr. Ron Sill.

Mr. Gervais has devoted the past 42 years to Mercy as Science Teacher and Associate Principal. He has worked to make Mercy what it is today through building improvements, technological advances, and dedicated service to Human Relations Council and Cultural Sensitivity Workshop. He is a living example that one can be effective, dedicated and relevant even as one accumlulates many years of service. Mr. Gervais has served this school very well and has changed lives. He is truly irreplaceable.

Mr. Sill has made Mercy his home for 41 years and is much more than a teacher. He not only has dedicated himself to the Performing Arts Department, but he is a kind and reliable father figure who will change a flat tire, help a student who needs medical attention, and still manage the auditorium. He works, he builds, he teaches, he does whatever is called for and will be missed more than words can say.

Mr. Gervais and Mr. Sill, you are Mercy! You made a difference and your legacies will continue for years and years to come.

We also bid farewell to maintenance staff Hope Wesch who has been a lifesaver for the past 16 years. May God bless you in your future adventures!

BABIES and a WEDDING - A warm Mercy welcome and congrats to all these bouncing babies! Religious Studies Teacher Mrs. Alison Kline-Kator '97 gave birth to her second son Noah Dominic Kline Kator on May 22. Math Teacher Tony Scalzi and Athletics and Transportation Coordinator Kate Scalzi welcomed a new member to the family, Arden Matthew Sziede born May 3 to Emily Scalzi Sziedi '98. Media Center Specialist Cheryl Corte is also a proud grandmother to Addisen Clare born May 19th! Athletic Trainer Nicole Schreiber gave birth to a beautiful baby girl Isabelle Ann on May 26th. And . . .a blessed marriage to Spanish Teacher and Track Coach Kelly LaBelle Bickes who married U of D Jesuit High School Teacher and Soccer Coach Nick Bickes on April 29th.

Here's to these super staff who achieved a milestone in serving Mercy High School! These eight staff members alone have a combined total of 255 years of serving virtually thousands of students.

Student Successes ~ APPLAUSE!! APPLAUSE!!

	Read The Best of this year's ART & POETRY Compilation Image Is 2011!
	Madison Denomme received honorable mention for a mixed media composition (art foundations) at the Farmington Area Arts Commission Student Art Competition.
	Mercy's Ace Quiz Bowl team took honors and a trophy this year as they blew away the competition from the eastern division of our league to take first place in the Junior Varsity category. The final competition of the East and West divisions at Hartland in March saw us earning 2nd place in the full league for JV behind the strong team from Novi. Our second team, Beta, placed midway between all teams playing, doing well with the newer members in Quiz Bowl. Mrs. Katy Koskela, Mercy's Library Media Specialist and the teams' coach, praised the girls as "small in number but mighty in participation, effort, and persistence!" A special thumbs-up goes to Liz Eagle who was the player extra ordinaire all year. We are looking forward to next year's teams as many of the current players move to Varsity team ranking and new girls are brought into Quiz Bowl to have fun, enjoy this different type of competition and play as Novice and JV players. Any interested students should contact Mrs. Koskela or any team member now or in the fall.

The Council of 2011 - 2012

The students have spoken, the ballots have been counted, and the 'vote for me' posters pulled down. Time to congratulate these elected officers for the 2011 - 12 school year.

GUESS WHAT?

Through the efforts of Mercy High School's GREEN Club, Mercy has been recognized this year as an Official Michigan Green School - Emerald Level. This is above and beyond the regular Green School designation. The GREEN Student Club members submitted an application documenting activities such as: cell phone and battery recycling; adoption of an endangered animal; hosting a speaker; promoting a school wide effort to reduce energy consumption and 'reduce, reuse, and recycle' in our school environment. Mercy High School will receive a certificate from the governor and have a flag to designate Green School status. More information about being an official Michigan Green School can be found here: http://www.michigangreenschools.us/.

Monthly Reflection

Blessing by Fr. Brian Chabala (St. Fabian Parish, Farmington Hills) and Fr. Charles Fox (Secretary to the Archbishop of Detroit) bestowed upon the graduating Class of 2011.

Lord God source of life and light, we praise and thank you for brightening Mercy High School with your love through this senior class. In your wisdom and love you surround us with the mysteries of the universe illuminating our path. In the past you sent your prophets to teach us and bear witness to your unending love. You then sent us your Son, Jesus to teach us by word and example of your wisdom and love. Lord God, send down your Holy Spirit upon these seniors and fill them with your wisdom and your love so they may continue to proclaim your greatness to the world and be a reflection of your light. Grant that they continue to be filled with many blessings and remain witnesses of your love to one another and others in the world. Bless them and may they remember they are called to follow You and be examples of your unending love beyond the Mercy Community. We ask that God makes them more conscious of the sacred and they continue to nurture their relationships with friends, family, and God as the journey forward growing closer to you as they strive to be directed by His Path .

Tech Talk

Class of 2011 - Now that you will no longer be attending school here at Mercy, CLICK HERE for instructions on how to uninstall all of the Mercy related software on your tablet that you will no longer need. Of course, make sure you do this after you no longer need your tablet here at school. It is not required that you remove this software, but it may make it easier to use your tablet in other environments if you plan to do so. Also, please keep in mind that your email, Moodle, Dyknow and network login accounts, as well as the contents of your H: drive will be deleted after July 1st, 2011. If you want to keep the contents of your H: drive please back it up to either your laptop hard drive or other external device. Any email you want to keep you will have to forward to an outside account. Any sites that you may be registered to with your Mercy email should be updated with a different outside email account.

IT Summer Hours - The IT Department is staffed from 7:30 - 3:00 during the summer. Please contact support@mhsmi.org or 248-893-3522 to schedule an appointment. Keep up with our blog at http://it.mhsmi.org/ or contact us at http://www.mhsmi.org/technology/contact.

VIEW THIS VIDEO!

Challenged Based Learning projects have produced some very cool videos! Here is a must see solution video which will be submitted to Apple as part of their extensive research into Challenge Based Learning. This video presents solutions which focus on the challenge "Use Design to Improve the Cafeteria Environment." Visit here to check out the Apple challenge community site.

Latest and Greatest from the Alumnae Office

The Mercy Alumnae Association is proud to announce that 15 scholarships will be awarded to deserving students for the 2011 - 2012 school year. Thank you for your support!

Plenty of Alums headed back to the Mercy Auditorium for MOVIN' UP. Thanks for stopping by! Your opinion makes a difference. So if you have a comment to make or story to share for the MOSAIC Mercy magazine, please send us an email at alumnaeoffice@mhsmi.org. Follow the Mercy Alumnae Association on Facebook at facebook.com/MercyHighAlumnaeMI.

MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR MERCY!

Tuition Assistance makes a difference for girls who otherwise would not be able to attend Mercy High School. Please join us for a day on the links Monday, June 20th and help young Mercy women receive a Catholic, college preparatory education while discovering their unique sense of self. Sponsor! Donate! Golf! Click here for more event information and follow this link to register by June 1.

Counseling Corner

CLASS of 2012 MANDATORY MEETING - The Counseling Office suggests your daughter begin over this summer familiarizing herself with college applications that she plans to complete. From our experience, we know that students will have many questions about the application process once they start looking at the actual forms. Therefore, every year we hold a mandatory meeting with "seniors" to walk them through the "how to's" of completing their applications. Please save the date for the mandatory senior college information meeting Friday, August 26th. Last names A - K, 9am - 11am; Last names L - Z, 12pm - 2pm in the Mercy Auditorium. Parents are invited to attend. An alternate parent presentation of this information will be held in the evening on Wednesday, August 31st.

Naviance: Family Connection - The Counseling Office is pleased to introduce Family Connection from Naviance, a Web-based college planning resource designed especially for students and families. Family Connection is a comprehensive resource that you and your daughter can use to help in making post-secondary plans. At present, sophomore and junior students have been given individualized registration codes in order for each student to create a personalized log-in. During the week of May 23rd, each sophomore and junior student was given an envelope addressed to their parent/guardian. We asked that your daughter give you this important information. Included in the mailing was a welcome letter introducing you to Naviance. It also provided you with a registration code to enable you to set-up your own Naviance account. Naviance: Family Connection will replace ConnectEDU, our current college planning resource. To access Family Connection go to http://connection.naviance.com/mercyhigh or go to the Counseling page at www.mhsmi.org. We have not yet introduced this resource to our 9th grade students, however; if you are interested in setting up an account, please contact your daughter's counselor. We are excited to be able to bring families this comprehensive and user friendly resource and we hope you find it meets your needs.

Alternative Spring Break

While many Mercy girls traveled to exotic places for spring break, 18 Mercy girls decided to try Mercy’s Alternative Spring Break in Kentucky to experience Habitat for Humanity. The girls and three chaperones left Easter morning and returned six days later. Chaperones included Pastoral Minister and MCAP Service Coordinator, Mrs. Judi Dennis, librarian, Mrs. Katy Koskela, and Mrs. Dennis’s daughter, Sara Dennis-Festerman. A mix of juniors and seniors that attended the trip were Shannon Carpenter, Lindsey Pryce, Lauren Wilson, Nida Qureshi, Maddie Mikula, Allison Vogler, Abbey Lovat, Emma Bowen, Christine LaRouere, Lilianna Haddad, Bridget Johnson, Lauren Ochoa, Brittany Jones, Michaela Mazur, Maggie Smith, Jamie Anumba, Cherima Chungag-Ibe, and Katie Lee. When we arrived, only the skeleton of the house we were to build had been erected. Progress on the house included, Tyvek wrapping, outer walls, installation of windows, insulation, and the beginning of a roof. The Mercy team made such an impact that the main construction supervisor stated that the Mercy girls were the best group of workers he has seen since he began working for Habitat for Humanity four years ago. The girls also helped out at the local Habitat Re-Store.

Auction Update

The Auction Committee would like to thank all the people who responded to the Auction survey we ran in March. We analyzed all the data from the survey, read every comment and are acting on those things where we feel we can make an impact. We have begun some very preliminary planning for next year, but the bulk of the work will not start until September. We are in need of a couple more people to round out our 2011-2012 committee as we are graduating some very valuable chairs and committee heads. If you would like to become more involved with the Auction, please let us know. There are many levels of involvement and many different talents needed ranging from the very creative to the very meticulous. Call or email Kari Weber (klweber@mhsmi.org, 248-893-3535) if you want to be a part of this very important Mercy fundraising event.

Thank you!

~ The 2010-2011 Auction Team: Nancy Auffenberg; Ann Gee; Patti Lezotte; Anita Sevier; Helen Stoick; Mary Ann Verderbar; Kari Weber

SNAPSHOTS of Mercy

GOD BLESS the CLASS of 2011!

CONGRATULATIONS and best wishes to the 190 extraordinary young women who will receive diplomas June 2nd at Compuware Arena for the 66th Commencement of Mercy High School.

Did you know the Class of 2011 earned over $10 million in college scholarships? You'll be able to see more grads, white dresses, roses, smiles, speeches, and tears captured on film. Just click here to view and order LIFETOUCH professional graduation photographs. Password is cwmercy2011.

MNotes . . . miscellaneous info you need to know!

Senior Parents - If you're wondering about a graduation gift and want something unique and personalized, how about adopting an auditorium seat in your daughter's name, with her graduation year. A perfect gift for your young Thespian, Mercyaire, Spirit Choir or Tri-M Music Honor Society Member. CLICK HERE for more information.

USED BOOK SALE - The Mercy Moms will once again be running the Used Book Sale. Drop off of books for sale will take place on August 16 and the sale will be held August 17. Please visit the curriculum page of Mercy's web site in early August to see what books will be accepted for resale. Students will receive schedules by mail in the summer with further instructions on book purchasing from the Mercy Moms sale and/or from our online bookstore through Follett Virtual Bookstores. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Ms. Linskey at mjlinskey@mhsmi.org or 248.893.3568.

Used Uniforms - Uniforms that are no longer needed may be brought to the Reception Area. The Moms Club cleans and re-sells skirts, blouses, sweaters, and sweatshirts.

CLASS of 2012 Portraits - Seniors must have their yearbook photo taken at Prestige Portraits to be pictured in the yearbook and the class composite. CLICK HERE for more portrait details and deadlines.

Student Athletes - Mercy Athletic Trainer Nicole Schreiber is participating in a research project at the Henry Ford Center for Athletic Medicine. Students have the opportunity to participate in a FREE ACL prevention program study in Detroit this summer. The program will include participating in the Henry Ford Health System ACL prevention program for six weeks at the William Clay Ford Center for Athletic Medicine in Detroit. There will be three sessions scheduled per week, for approximately one hour each. Before you begin, you will go through a series of functional movement tests. We will video record these tests to assess your stability, flexibility, and balance. Once the six week program is complete, we will retest and re video tape you. Please note that we need people who are committed to completing the whole six week program. Space is limited, so acceptance into the program will be on a first come, first serve basis. If you are not able to get into this session, we also need some people who would want to have a video analysis done and not go through the program. CLICK HERE for more information or call 313-972-4167.

Summer Shopping - Click and shop at ONECAUSE. Hundreds of online merchants like Nordstrom, Lands End, Amazon, and more will give MERCY a nice percentage from every item you purchase. Simply register your information and select Mercy High School (ID 130214). If you are out and about at Target or picking up some tasty BBQ fare at Gordon Foods or Meijer, please be sure to designate MERCY. Click to register at target.com/tcoe, Meijer.com/MCRmember, gfsmarketplace.com or click here for more rewards program information.

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Looking Ahead to the 2011 - 2012 School Year

Mark your calendar for these important start dates and meetings for next school year. Be sure to CLICK HERE and visit mhsmi.org often to browse the entire academic school year calendar.

The MEMO will return to your inbox in September. If you have any questions or want to submit information contact jhearle@mhsmi.org.

Want even more? Click the school year calendar and the Mercy web site. And don't miss all of the latest Mercy In The News articles. Check out the current announcements, view past issues of the MEMO newsletter, and browse the home page yellow box to link to what's happening today @ Mercy.