Parents eNewsletter: November 2010

Wit's End . . . Notes from the Principal

Hard times. So many needs have been voiced and so many frustrations expressed about the current state of existence for so many. It seems impossible at times to extract ourselves from all that is dismal. And yet we do. We still look to contribute to the world. We care for loved ones who cannot care for themselves. We offer food donations and financial support for just causes, knowing that very likely, we will never see the faces of the recipients. We raise our children to share, and we communicate that message as soon as they are old enough to understand. If you have more, you are asked to do more.

Hard times. And at this very particular time of year, as we look to close the calendar, we also celebrate with many gatherings of family and friends. We express thanks to God for our own blessings and we are reminded of the vast numbers in our communities and across the globe who have so little. We do what we can. The need never gets filled and never goes away.

I believe that it is a common goal shared by many people to make a lasting impression during one’s time on earth, to leave a footprint, a mark of significance for having been here. Such was the case with one Max Ehrmann, a poet and lawyer from Terre Haute, Indiana (1872-1945). Ehrmann expressed just such a sentiment when he wrote in his diary: “I should like, if I could, to leave a humble gift – a bit of chaste prose that had caught up some noble moods.” Sometime in the early 1920s, he accomplished just that. He penned a poem, originally untitled, that came later to be named Desiderata. In 1933, he included the text of his work in the Christmas cards he sent to family and friends. Ehrmann’s poem, written when he was roughly age 50, would make him famous, albeit long after his death. Fast forward to 1965, 20 years after Ehrmann’s death. The death of another American, Adlai Stevenson, would inadvertently become the vehicle by which Desiderata gained a whole new audience. Stevenson, a long time politician, is probably best known for the position he held late in life, that of Ambassador to the United Nations, a position to which he was appointed by President John F. Kennedy. Stevenson may indeed have held the position for much longer but he suffered a fatal heart attack just four years later. After his death, a guest found a copy of Ehrmann’s poem on Stevenson’s bedside table. The rest, as they say, is history.

I reprint the poem here because I believe its words are as relevant today as when Ehrmann wrote them. Desiderata, translated from its Latin roots, means “things to be desired”. Might these words aptly describe what we need now in these current hard times? Have you seen these words before or maybe even repeated lines from the poem yourself, even though you didn’t know their origin?

Take a look. These words might be a nice reflection to share with your children and other loved ones as you gather during the next days and weeks. Certain words might resonate with you depending upon your own current reality. If you are experiencing your own hard times, maybe there is comfort to be found here in some small measure.

We do not know the back story that each one of us carries around each day. We never know the burdens that are present. We still reach out. We give to one another and we give to strangers. We embrace an ideal, an ideal that suggests people might one day experience a world where all needs are met. Until that time arrives, we can and should take care of needs that appear. We need to minister to ourselves as well. This poem, written nearly 90 years ago, accomplished much more than the author desired. On August 26, 2010 a bronze statue of Max Ehrmann, sitting on a park bench, was unveiled in Terre Haute, his hometown. Some lines from the poem appear on a walkway. Ehrmann hoped to “leave a humble gift.” His poem, his advice, is a gift that we should now accept, a gift that I will read and re-read often. If I can remember to “Go placidly amid the noise and haste”, I am far better equipped to minister to others in good times, in hard times, and in all the times in between.

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even to the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
they are vexations to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter,
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs,
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love,
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life,
keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

(Max Ehrmann, c 1927)

Mrs. Carolyn Witte, Principal

Mothers Club

GIFTS for your GIRL - The Mercy Mothers Club has partnered with Orin Jewelers to create special Mercy charms and bracelets which will soon be available for purchase. They're sure to make fabulous holiday gifts. More information coming soon!

ALL MERCY MOMS are invited to join us for our nextmeeting December 6 at 6:30pmin the Media Center. There will be a special performance by the Mercyaires at 7:00pm. And new this year is our meeting raffle! At each monthly meeting there will be a raffle for a special gift. Every mom who attends automatically gets a ticket.

DadsClub

Deck your holiday halls with Christmas Wreaths & Roping from the Dads Club. A variety of sizes are available as well as English Garden gift cards. Pick up and pay for items on November 23 and 24 from 12noon to 3pm at the Mercy Pool Parking Lot. CLICK HERE for details and to PRE-ORDER your items online.

The big Dads Club raffle tickets were sent home a few weeks ago. Don't miss out on your chance to win grand prize of $10,000. Drawing will take place at the Father Daughter Dance February 19.

ALL MERCY DADS are invited to join us for our nextmeetingDecember 7 at7:00pm in the Cafeteria.

PINK GLOVE DANCE VIDEO

Have you seen it? With 21,990 YouTube views and counting the Mercy Pink Glove Dance Video is a footloose and fantastic production. Kudos and congrats to NEWSPRINT and Erin Pienta '12 who filmed, produced, directed, and inspired Mercy! It even made headlines in the Detroit News, and the Paul W. Smith Show on WJR. Here are just a few comments from viewers,"Amazing! So proud to be a Mercy girl. Brings back so many memories. Long live the Mercy spirit. What a great school!"

Living the Sisters of Mercy Mission

The Mercy Focus: HOPE Food Drive ends Monday. The entire Mercy family is asked to give to other families in need this Thanksgiving season. Fill a bag of food and donate $5 to live out the Mercy value Option for the Poor. Join us on Monday, November 22 at 10:25am for the annual Thanksgiving Prayer Service and Food Drive Closing Assembly. "God knows I would rather be poor and hungry than that the poor should be deprived of any consolation within our power," Catherine McAuley.

Admissions Anecdotes

On Sunday, November 7, Mercy welcomed 220 prospective students and their familiesat the annual fall Open House. Families toured the building with students and had the opportunity to meet teachers, administrators, coaches, and parents. One family said, "We truly enjoyed meeting so many of the students and faculty members and were impressed with the fine educational opportunities available at Mercy High School. We appreciate what you are doing for the students and their families in this community by nurturing these young women to become our future leaders." Plenty of pictures will be posted on Admissions Open House web page soon! THANK YOU to the student, parent, staff, and alumnae volunteers who made the day a success! Our next open house is Sunday, January 30 from 1:00pm – 3:00pm. If parents know of a prospective student in your parish or neighborhood, pleaseencourage them to contact the Admissions Office at admissions@mhsmi.org or 248.476.2484 and arrange a day to shadow a student.

CELEBREZ La Semaine Nationale Du Francais

Mercy High School joined the French classes across the nation celebrating National French Week sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of French. The Suscipe, Our Father, and Hail Mary were said in French for morning prayer and the cafeteria featured a scrumptious French menu item each day. Madame Joyce Campbell and food service manager Madame Anne Hallberg gave French food lessons and demonstrated how to make a Salad Nicoise. French students engaged in some new activities this year and created their own Impressionism masterpiece using Art Rage, a computer application demonstrated by Art Teacher Ms. Susan Smith.

All French classes were captivated by guest speakers and Mercy Alumnae Bridget Bosco Bohn '82, Jennifer Broniak '00, and Constance Guzinski '95 who presented "Careers and Living your French Dream" which focused on how Frenchinfluenced them in their careers today. The French Honor Society made over 300 French crepes for the school on National Crepe day. This event is becoming more and more popular each year as the girls stuff their crepes with jam or chocolate. The French restaurant trip to Cuisine in Detroit was the highlight of the week. The meal was superb and Chef Paul crafted the menu especially for Mercy. Chef Paul also shared stories about his training with famous chefs in France and the Cordon Bleu cooking school. The students enjoyed it so much there will be another trip for the upcoming Mardi Gras celebration! Oui, it was quite a week and the t-shirts and french-ship bracelets are bons souvenirs. Allons-y next year!

MUSIC of Mercy

Student Successes . . . APPLAUSE! APPLAUSE!

These super singers received the following ratings at the Michigan School Vocal Music Association Musical Theatre Solo and Ensemble Festival: Jaclyn Godwin '13 - Superior; Annie Griffin '12 - Superior; Maggie Malaney '13 - Superior; Veronica Battersby '12 - Superior; Diana Levandowski '12 - Excellent.

Mary Kate Winn '13, Maggie Blake '13, Christina Hadley '13, Diana Jasser '11, Elaina Weber '12, Katie Koehler '12, Courtney McKay '12, Shannon Carpenter '11, Meghan Ronayne '11, Samantha Wenson '11, Mary Haapala '12, Kelly Redmond '12, Katie Coerdt '13, Gabriella D'Agostini '13, Mary Fredendall '13, Erin Hand '13, Jamie Jeffries '13, Monica Johnson '13, Anna Mondrusov '13, and Maria Walawender '13 were all recipients of the 2010 Scholastic All-Catholic Award. *Those pictured were presented medals during half-time of a Prep Bowl game held at Ford Field.

The newly elected officers for the Class of 2014 are: President Sam Bauer; Vice President Lexi Kahler; Secretary Danielle Abboud; Treasurer Lauren Jackson; Class Representative Katherine Powers. Human Relations Council for the Class of 2014 are: Amira Badr; Lindsay Hiser; Sabrina Jamil; Monica Niehaus.

Nikki Barczak '11 was selected as the Oakland Press Female Athlete of the Month for October. She received a trophy and photo feature in their paper and the Mercy Athletic Department received a plaque and a $250 donation from promotion sponsor Sunkist.

Amy Nabozney '12 and Natalie Diehl '11 made a presentation at the Michigan Association for School Media Annual Conference on October 29 at the Dearborn Hyatt along with Mr. Larry Baker. They discussed Mercy's M-Hub Project which will "connect the Mercy community through personal networks, furthering the education of our students." They have been selected to reprise their presentation at the 2011 MACUL Conference at Cobo Center in March. Mr. Baker will be presenting at the Apple Challenge Based Learning Webinar on November 30, 10:00- 11:30 A.M. (PST). Registration is free at the following site: http://edseminars.apple.com/event/3145.

Let Us Pray

Mercy High School wants to join you in prayer. If you have a special prayer request, please use the new online prayer intention submission form. It will be added to the Mercy Mothers Prayer Circle as well as copied to the Alumnae Office and Mercy Pastoral Minister. The Mercy Mothers Prayer Group is an informal group which meets every Monday from 1:30 - 2:30 in the Mercy High Chapel, excluding days off and early dismissal. The Prayer Group recites the Rosary and The Chaplet of Divine Mercy as we lift in prayer specific intentions submitted online and those placed in the prayer box located at the reception area of the school. Please join the Mercy Mothers as they facilitate prayers for blessings and protection upon the faculty and staff of the school, students, the Sisters of Mercy, as well as all Mercy families and alumnae. If you have any questions please contact: Debbie Tisdel 248.433.8491 or Bonnie Reaume 313.884.2057.

MERCY VOTE 2010

The sophomore Government classes held a Mock Election in the school lobby on November 2. In the weeks leading up to this election day, the students were divided into groups to work on various topics and projects such as the Michigan Election and a News Feed Group. Others were solely in charge of organizing and running the election and another group had to produce and present a “fantasy presidential candidate” campaign. There were four of these candidates and the entire school voted for a “president” based on that candidate’s platform. Each of these groups used a separate Wikispace to organize and disseminate information. The results of the election mirrored the actual Michigan election and the winner of the fantasy presidential race was Nicholas Stone. He was the candidate presented by Mr. Baker's 6th hour Government class.

A U C T I O N 2011

Show your THANKS for all Mercy does for your daughter by GIVING to the Mercy Auction. The Auction Team is looking for individuals to give their time and talents to this fun and exciting parent fundraising event. Creativity and networking are key as you think of ways to support this year’s Auction. Not sure what to donate? Concert, show, and sports tickets; electronics; gift certificates; trips and weekend adventures are all big sellers. Over the years, the Auction's most intriguing and successful items have been acquired by parents just like you!     Watch for information coming through the mail for details on how to win 2 tickets to the Auction as well as dates for upcoming Auction Gift Gathering parties. Also . . .think before you throw away any items from holiday gifts such as packing peanuts, paper shredding, confetti paper, and baskets, baskets, baskets. They are critical materials in producing Auction gift baskets. For more information or help with planning contact Mercy's Auction Coordinator, Kari Weber, at klweber@mhsmi.organd CLICK HERE for all things AUCTION.

TECH TALK

Give Me a M, Give Me an E, Give Me a R, Give Me a C, Give Me a Y!

STATES, HERE WE COME! Volleyball keeps making headlines serving up win after win and captured both DISTRICT and REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS and won their STATE quarter-final match! Volleyball will play in the semi-finals on Friday. Swim swum to a 20th consecutive CHSL championship. GOOD LUCK to the 4 divers and 23 swimmers who qualified for STATES and will be competing this weekend. GO MARLINS! GO MERCY!

GOLF girls received some major awards: Elena Vlachos All-State Academic and All-Area 2nd Team; Maggie Lentz Division 2 All-State Honorable Mention, All-Oakland County 2nd Team and All Area 1st Team; Brenna Hammond All Area 1st Team; Maddy Asta and Kelsey Shaw All Area 2nd Team.

SO MANY SIGNINGS! There are a number of athletes who are in the process of signing or have recently signed National Letters of Intent to play a sport in college. Look for a feature and photos in next month's MEMO and check the Athletics Awards & Highlights web page. If you know of a Marlin athlete who will play a sport in college, please contact kmscalzi@mhsmi.org.

MNotes . . . miscellaneous info you need to know!

Have you read MOSAIC? The Fall/Winterissue of the MOSAIC Mercy High School Magazine was mailed this month. If you have stories to share, please contact the Alumnae OfficeorJulie Earle at jhearle@mhsmi.org.

AFTER SCHOOL TUTORING - The National Honor Sociey will offer after school tutoring on Wednesdays from 2:45pm - 3:30pm throughout the school year. Tutoring sessions will have 4to 5 NHS members in the Media Center to tutor in all subject areas.

Mercy Ethnic Bazaar 2010 "WAVE YOUR FLAG" will be held December 2nd (2nd-6th hour) in the Drama Studio. Enjoydance, poetry, fashion, song, prayer, art, food, music, and more!

Catch up on ninth grade news! CLICK HERE to read the NINTH GRADENovember Newsletter by Counselor Trish Brown.

Shop. Give. Make a Difference. If you are ordering gifts online, go to ONECAUSE FIRST. Hundreds of online merchants like Nordstrom, Lands End, Amazon, and morewill 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 Christmas shopping at Target or picking up some tasty holiday fare atGordon Foods or Meijer, pleasebe sure to designate MERCY. Clickto register at target.com/tcoe, Meijer.com/MCRmember,gfsmarketplace.comor click here for more rewards program information.

Look who is a Sweepstakes Drive winner!

Mercy Month Ahead

TheDECEMBER MEMO will be delivered to your inbox by December 17.If you have any questions or want to submit any educational stories or share some good Mercy news, 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.