St. Mary’s Dominican High School senior Lillian Cerise is the Archdiocese of New Orleans 12^th Grader of the Year Nominee for Louisiana Students of the Year Awards Program. She is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Cerise of Metairie.

The Students of the Year Awards Program recognizes outstanding elementary (Grade 5), middle/junior high (Grade 8), and high school students (Grade 12) enrolled in public, private, or charter schools throughout Louisiana who have demonstrated excellent academic achievement, leadership ability, and citizenship. It is sponsored by the Louisiana State Superintendent through the State Department of Education and the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Students are selected by their school and submitted to the local education agency/diocese level, and nominees are recommended to a Regional Selection Committee. The resulting eighteen finalists compete at the state level. The State Selection Committee will announce winners of the three grade levels on April 11, 2018.

During her years at Dominican, Cerise has held numerous offices, including, president (2017-2018) and historian (2016-2017) of Mu Alpha Theta; president, Junior Engineering Technical Society (2017-2018); vice president, National Honor Society (2017-2018), Tri-M Music Honor Society (2016-2017); drum captain (2014-2018) and First Chair snare drum for Dominican’s Band (2014-2017); librarian, choir (2015-2016).

Among the accolades she has received: National Merit Semifinalist; Advanced Placement Scholar with Distinction; University of Rochester Douglass and Anthony Leaders Award for commitment to social justice and civic action; Gold Medal on four consecutive ascending National Latin Exams; Gold Summa Cum Laude on National Latin Exam; National Latin Honor Society Classical Association of the Middle West and South Award for Outstanding Classical Studies; NOLA Chamber Fest, first place in high school competition with Prokofiev Quintet; superior rating in Louisiana Music Educators Association (LMEA) in solo and small ensemble; District Honor Choir, first place (2014, 2015), second (2017), third (2016) Alto I; and first place in State Rally, US History.

Her community service includes Second Harvest Food Bank; tutor at Kenner Discovery Health Sciences Academy, Head Start programs and Good Shepherd; Electric Girls Saturday (taught soldering, electronics and programming to girls ages 5-14); helping organize a music competition for elementary students (Tri-M Music Honor Society) and a quiz bowl tournament for elementary students (National Honor Society).

She was principal violist for Greater New Orleans Youth Orchestra (2017-2018) and Louisiana Music Educators Association All-State Honor Orchestra (2015, 2017); and participated in the Young Artists Orchestra sponsored by Boston University’s Tanglewood Institute in Lenox, MA (2016). From 2010-2018 she was in the Greater New Orleans Youth Orchestra that toured the East Coast in the summer of 2015 to perform at Carnegie Hall. She also performed for children groups at the Latter Library and played classical chamber music at the French Quarter Festival. She and her sister Catherine formed a folk trio, One Lan Band that performed at the House of Blues as part of an eight-act showcase after auditioning for the Bringing Down the House Young Artists Program in 2017.

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Congratulations to the Mu Alpha Theta club that earned several wins at February 3 math tournament held at Brother Martin High School.  The competition drew 557 students from 28 schools. Dominican placed in the following categories.

Individual Tests:
Algebra II
Honorable Mention: Elise Bourg, Gracie Manthey, Sara Miller, Bella Ockman, Celeste Patron, and Lexi Raymond

Pre-Calculus 
2^nd Place – Elise Cresson
Honorable Mention – Anne D’Armond, Maggie Latham, Isabelle Mermilliod, Olivia Singleton, and Haley Williams

Calculus A
Honorable Mention – Victoria Cheung

Interschool Test:
Algebra II
1st place

Pre-Calculus/Calculus 
3rd Place

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Special Black and White Shop Hours

February 19 through February 23 | 10 am to 1 pm

The Black and White Shop will have extended hours the week of Monday, February 19 through Friday, February 23. The shop will be open from 10 am to 1 pm or by appointment. Contact Jessica Dupepe, Black and White Shop Manager, to set up an appointment time. 

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At the February 3 Louisiana FIRST® Technical Challenge (FTC) Regional Championship held at University of New Orleans, St. Mary’s Dominican High School’s two robotics teams competed. The Dominican Indiana Janes were a finalist for the Think Award. The Dominican Valkyries won the Motivate Award and placed 8th for the Alliance Section. They were selected by an Alliance Team to play in the semi-finals. Dominican Robotics coaches are Matthew Foss, Crissy Giacona, and Madelyn Maldonado.

The Dominican Indiana Jones

The Dominican Valkyries

The Think Award is a judged award given to the team that best reflects the journey the team took as they experienced the engineering design process during the build season. The Engineering section of the notebook is the key reference for judges to help identify the most deserving team. The team’s engineering section must focus on the design and build stage of the team’s robot. Journal entries must include descriptions of the underlying science and mathematics of the robot design and game strategies, the designs, redesigns, successes, and opportunities for improvement. Teams must complete the engineering section of the Engineering Notebook in order to be considered for the award.

Sparking others to embrace the culture of FIRST, the team given the Motivate Award embraces the culture of FIRST and clearly shows what it means to be a team. This judged award celebrates the team that represents the essence of the FTC competition through team building, team spirit and displayed enthusiasm. It recognizes a team that makes a collective effort to make FIRST known throughout their school and community, and sparks others to embrace the culture of FIRST.

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A Toast of Praise to Senior Victoria Liu, recipient of the Joseph Adams Senior Scholarship from the Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica (SHH), an honor society for high school students studying Spanish or Portuguese. The scholarship recognizes her dedication to the study of Spanish and excellent skills in that language.

This national award of a $1,000 scholarship is awarded to only 60 students from over 2,400 SHH chapters across the United States. Students become eligible by being an inducted member of the SHH and then submitting samples of their written and oral work in Spanish to a selection committee appointed by the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese. Spanish teacher Mrs. Claudia Vallejo is moderator of Dominican’s SHH Chapter.

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St. Mary’s Dominican High School administrators served cake for all of the classes in observance of Foundation Day at Dominican, now in its 158^th year. Each grade level had their designated cake, trimmed in their class color.

Dominican life began in Louisiana with the arrival of seven Dominican sisters from St. Mary’s Convent-Cabra, Dublin, Ireland on November 5, 1860. The foundresses of St. Mary’s Congregation in New Orleans – Mother Mary John Flanagan, Mother Mary Magdalen O’Farrell, Sister Mary Hyacinth McQuillan, Sister Mary Brigid Smith, Sister Mary Osanna Cahill, Sister Mary Xavier Gaynor, and Sister Mary Ursula O’Reilly, came at the request of Rev. Jeremiah Moynihan, Pastor of St. John the Baptist Church in New Orleans, to teach the children of the Irish immigrants. These Dominican women, educated in the humanities and the fine arts, opened St. John the Baptist School for Girls on December 3, 1860, with a recorded attendance of 200. In February 1861, the school was officially chartered. For generations, Dominican has been a leader in Catholic education for the Greater New Orleans Region.

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When World War II broke out, Pinchas Gutter was seven years old. His family fled to Warsaw and were incarcerated in the Warsaw Ghetto for three and a half years until April 1943. Their bunker was discovered and they were deported to the death camp, Majdanke. When they arrived at the camp, Mr. Gutter was separated from his family. It was the last he saw of his father, mother, and twin sister who were killed by the Nazis. 

Mr. Gutter was sent to a work camp and passed through several other concentration camps, including Buchenwald. Toward the end of the war, he was forced on a death march from Germany to Therenstadt in Czechoslovakia. He barely survived. On May 8, 1945 the Russians liberated him. He and other children orphaned by the war were brought to Britain, under the auspices of the United Nations Relief and Administration.

Seventy-five years later, Mr. Gutter shared his life experiences with a group of students at St. Mary’s Dominican High School. Grouped in front of a television screen in The Ermina Wadsworth| Azby Fund Technology Center, students in the Advanced Placement Spanish Class engage in a “virtual conversation” with a holographic Mr. Gutter. They are connected via Skype to the Holocaust Museum of Houston where the museum’s Education Outreach Coordinator Laurie Garcia communicates with Spanish teacher Mrs. Claudia Vallejo and her students.  The following day, the students interviewed Ms. Garcia in Spanish.

Last October, the museum opened New Dimensions in Technology, which will be shown through March 2018. The project was made in collaboration between the University of Southern California’s Institute of Technology and Shoah Foundation – dedicated to making audio-visual interviews with survivors and witnesses of the Holocaust and other genocides a compelling voice for education and action. Advanced filming techniques, specialized display technology and next-generation national language processing create an experience where students ask Mr. Gutter questions and he replies. Mr. Gutter is one of the pioneers of this innovative project and the first person to test-drive the new technology. To date, 15 survivors’ testimonies have been captured by more than 50 cameras as each survivor is asked 1,600 questions addressing topics ranging from pre-war life through the Holocaust and beyond.

Junior Dina Alawamleh said the interaction with Mr. Gutter’s hologram impressed on her, “that we should value human life and not take it for granted. We should all be thankful for the life we have been given and make the most of it.”

Classmate Tai Sutherland, a sophomore, described the interviewing experience “an enriching lesson in how negative experiences do not always condemn people to lead sad lives. I learned that there is always hope in God and when in doubt, trust your faith.”

Although Junior Katherine Mazzanti had studied the Holocaust in class, Mr. Gutter’s story offered a completely new perspective. “It was amazing how he was able to revisit the worst times in his life to inform others. I loved how we was able to rebuild his life after the war and meet his wife.”

The museum’s Director of Visitor and Volunteer Services, and the Curatorial Assistant who stopped by during the class session were impressed by the students’ questions and their thoughtful comments; they requested a copy of the questions. Ms. Garcia commended Mrs. Vallejo for exposing students to such important issues. “Prejudice, discrimination, hate speech, and violence against a targeted group does not just happen during the Holocaust – as you are well aware, we have seen these issues play out throughout history and are still issues we face throughout the world today. The connections one can make between the past and present are incredibly alarming and disheartening. What is hopeful is that there are educators like you that are providing students with the opportunity to reflect on this history and consider ways they can be Upstanders.”

Mr. Gutter had dedicated his life to enlightening and educating others. His memoir, Memories in Focus, was published in 2017. He tells his story, “for the purpose of improving humanity, drop by drop, by drop. Like a drop of water falls on a stone and erodes it, so hopefully, by telling my story over and over again, I will achieve the purpose of making the world a better place.”

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Four St. Mary’s Dominican High School students have been recognized by Scholastic Art & Writing Awards for the Southwest Art Region-At-Large. Catherine Elvir earned an Honorable Mention for her photograph, New Orleans; Madison Manale received a Silver Key Award for her drawing, Gap; Sabrina Nguyen received an Honorable Mention for her drawing, Bleeding Orange; and Kristen Tholen received an Honorable Mention for her Mixed Media work, Mind Field, and a Silver Key in Drawing and Illustration for her work, Otter.

The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards are presented by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, whose mission is to identify students with exceptional artistic and literary talent and present their remarkable work to the world through the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. Through the Awards, students receive opportunities for recognition, exhibition, publication, and scholarships. Students across America submitted more than 330,000 original works last year in 29 different categories of art and writing.

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TUITION RAFFLE – DOWNLOAD THE TICKET FORM HERE!

DHS TUITION OPPORTUNITY | CHANCES WILL GO FAST | GET YOURS NOW!

Only 150 chances will be sold. Cost: $150 per chance. Chances of winning are VERY good!

The winner will be pulled at the Legacy Gala on March 3, 2018.* Winner need not be present.

 The prize is tuition (not cash) for the 2018-2019 school year only.

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Congratulations and a Toast of Praise!

Senior Abbie Richeson signed a college athletic scholarship for the Fall 2018-2019 term with LA Tech where she will play soccer.

Abbie Richeson

• 2015 – Division I All Freshman 2nd Team
• 2016 – All District 2nd Team
• 2017 – All District 1st Team
• 17 career goals and 18 assists

Senior Abbie Richeson surrounded by Head Soccer Coach Al Silvas, Principal Carolyn Favre, and Athletic Director Paul Spitzfaden.

Abbie Richeson with her teammates!

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Come cheer on Dominican’s basketball team Thursday, February 22 in the Quarterfinal Round of playoffs!

Scotlandville @ Dominican

Dominican’s Siena Center | 6 pm

Adults – $6

Students – $3

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Following the celebration of the Justice Awareness Mass, Dominican’s annual one-week canned food drive kicked off with a spirited video featuring religion faculty and staff dressed as characters from the movie Trolls and dancing to the film’s theme song, “Can’t Stop the Feeling.” The student assembly applauded the production and were inspired to bring in canned food for their teams with the goal to Stop the Hunger.

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A Toast of Praise!

National Merit® Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) has recognized five St. Mary’s Dominican High School seniors as National Merit Finalists: Caroline Bickerton, Lillian Cerise, Emma Duckworth, Annie Smith and Abigail Webb.

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St. Mary’s Dominican High School Senior Caroline Bickerton has been named one of more than 4,500 candidates in the 2018 U.S. Presidential Scholars Program. Caroline, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Dean Bickerton of Metairie, is among candidates that were selected from nearly 3.6 million students who are expected to graduate from US high schools this year.

Inclusion in the US Presidential Scholars Program, now in its 54^th year, is one of the highest honors bestowed upon graduating high schools seniors. Scholars are selected based on superior academic and artistic achievements, leadership qualities, strong character and involvement in community and school activities. In April, a distinguished panel of educators will select 600 semifinalists. The Commission on Presidential Scholars will select finalists and the US Department of Education will announce the Scholars in May.

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Senior Caroline Hensley was among the honored local A+ Athletes for scholastic achievement, athletic ability, and overall community and school involvement. A $400 donation, in Caroline’s name, was given to St. Mary’s Dominican High School by McDonald’s restaurants of Greater New Orleans to emphasize education’s critical role in today’s highly competitive world. Each student chosen as an “A+ Athlete” was interviewed by WWL-TV Sports Director Doug Mouton for a vignette that aired Sunday evenings during WWL-TV’s “Fourth Down on 4.”

Watch Her Interview Here

Photo provided by The Hensley Family

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The St. Mary’s Dominican High School basketball team defeated Scotlandville 38 -35 on Thursday, February 22 and advance to the Allstate Sugar Bowl/LHSAA Girls’ Marsh Madness State Semifinal round of basketball playoffs. Dominican takes on McKinley, Thursday, March 1 at 1:15 pm in the Rapides Coliseum, Alexandria, LA.

A Toast of Praise – We are so proud of you!

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St. Mary’s Dominican High School’s 19^th annual food drive collected 30,352 cans of food and dry goods for the Second Harvest Food Bank, representing an estimated 25,071 pounds of donations. Emily Slazer, Food Sourcing Specialist – East at Second Harvest Food Bank said the donation will “equate to 20,893 meals for families across south Louisiana. Dominican has been one of Second Harvest Food Bank’s top five highest grossing food drives the last several years, and we’re so grateful for your support!”

Jill Cabes, Vice President of Dominican Catholic Identity, called the food drive “one of Dominican’s major whole school service projects that allows us to put our principles of Catholic Social Teaching into action. There is a building sense of excitement and urgency to reach our goal as we approach the end of the drive and it really fosters sense of community among our student body.”

This year’s annual food drive kicked off after the Justice Awareness Mass with a spirited video featuring religion faculty and staff dressed as characters from the movie, “Trolls” and dancing to the film’s theme song, “Can’t Stop the Feeling,” with the added call to action: Stop the Hunger.

Congratulations to the students and the religion teachers who spearheaded the drive’s teams:

Team Delgado: Grandma Rosie Puff

Team Donnelly: DJ Suki

Team Cusimano: Biggie

Team Bordelon: Poppy

Team Gonnella: Branch

Team Ferry: Creek

Team Fields/Gallagher: Cooper

This year’s canned food drive was an increase of 10,124 over the 2017 drive.

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Preparations for Dominican’s St. Joseph Altar brought students and alumnae together to bake 3,000 cookies for the altar that will be displayed in Alumnae Hall for public viewing on Monday, March 19, from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.  

The tradition of building an altar to honor the father of Jesus, began in Sicily. In the Middle Ages, the people prayed to the island nation’s saint to provide for them during famine. During the 1800s wave of Sicilian immigration to Louisiana, this tradition was introduced. The altar preparation is one of several events during the year that connects Dominican students and alumnae with a tradition that is part the New Orleans area’s culture. 

Culinary historian Sandra Scalise Juneau (Class of 1958) gave a presentation to the sophomore class about the Sicilian-Louisiana Saint Joseph Altar tradition.

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St. Mary’s Dominican High School

presents

Rodgers + Hammerstein’s CINDERELLA

DOWNLOAD TICKET ORDER FORM HERE

Friday, April 6 • 7 pm

Saturday, April 7 • 7 pm

Friday, April 13 • 7 pm

Saturday, April 14 • 1 pm

Saturday, April 14 • 7 pm

Sr. Ambrose Reggio, O.P. Gymnasium

TICKET PRICES:

$15.00 (adult)/$10.00 (children 12 and under) $10.00 for Dominican students

Additional information:

(504) 865-9401, ext. 5016

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