Mother of Mercy High SchoolAlumnae Magazine | Summer 2013

BLUEprint

Inside: Mercy Education Collaborative and Honor Roll of Giving

I have always loved the “underdog”-turned-champion stories. For example, let me take a public risk, now that I live in Cincinnati, to declare that I do not have a favorite team (except the Bob-cats of course!). Instead, I tend to root for the team that others are perhaps underestimating or even betting against. I look for the stories of inspiration, for people with unquenchable spirit, devo-tion and true grit – and I put my faith in them.

When I first arrived at Mercy, I described our school as the “gem on the west side.” We had long been known by many as a strong academic institution, but primarily in our local community. Wit-nessing a faculty and staff ever willing to grow and evolve in commitment to our students and mission, I knew Mercy’s best years could still lie ahead for her. So, we have aggressively pursued our vision to become Greater Cincinnati’s preferred academic choice for indi-

vidual excellence that forms faith-filled women leaders for the 21st century, and we have made great strides. People throughout the region are coming to ap-preciate Mother of Mercy High School’s excellence and the Sisters of Mercy have also recognized our strength and momentum.

If you are over 40, you realize there comes an inevitable point when your vision is only improved by a pair of glasses. In June, the Sisters of Mercy gave our school a prescription for bi-fo-cals, enabling us to focus on that which is closest to us while also seeing things farther away. Their wise decision to capi-talize on the collaborative potential of both their Cincinnati schools, Mercy and McAuley, moves us ahead with even greater confidence and further strength-ens our own vision for the future.

Below is a portion of what Sister Jane Hotstream, President of Sisters of Mercy, South Central, communicated to our constituents through email in June:

We are pleased to bring you exciting news. The Sisters of Mercy are launch-ing a plan to introduce a new level of excellence in preparing young women for college and skills for lifelong learn-ing at both Mother of Mercy and McAu-ley high schools. Supporting the plan will be a new entity called Mercy Edu-cation Collaborative of Cincinnati. This initiative will ensure that both schools remain open, strong and thriving for years to come while maintaining their distinct traditions and heritages.

Building upon the long tradition of qual-ity Mercy education, the collaborative

will help guide the schools in redesign-ing curriculum and instructional delivery to bring a new level of excellence in preparing young women for college and skills for lifelong learning. The cur-riculum will:

• exceed national Common Core Standards;• be aligned with ACT benchmarks for college readiness;• be structured to meet diverse learning needs; and• be enhanced by technology that enriches instruction and the assessment of learning.

In addition, we will strengthen our guidance programs through the use of current technologies and increased interpersonal contact among counsel-ors, students and parents to provide customized college and career devel-opment paths for our young women.

Mercy Education Collaborative of Cincinnati will have one board and a new president of the collaborative, who will oversee both schools. The Sisters of Mercy have named Sister Doris Gottemoeller, RSM, the former chair of the Board of Trustees of Mother of Mercy High School and current Senior Vice President for Mission and Values Integration at Catholic Health Partners, as the first president of Mercy Educa-tion Collaborative of Cincinnati. Kirsten MacDougal, president for Mother of Mercy, will report to the MECC presi-dent as will Cheryl Sucher, president of McAuley High School. Also, there will be MECC vice presidents who will work in key areas on behalf of both schools. Those positions have not been filled yet.

Message froM the President

Our Vision Wears Bi-Focals

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Together, our schools will take advan-tage of collaboration whenever pos-sible and appropriate.

Our Foundress of the Sisters of Mercy, Catherine McAuley said, “I have great confidence in you to do what you think best. State your opinion and always act with courage.” The leadership of Mercy Education Collaborative Cincinnati is acting on Catherine’s words. The future

is for the brave of heart, for those willing to step out of what is comfortable and expected; it belongs to those who take the challenge to improve, grow and con-tinually learn. We are leaders of learning and with this bold initiative, we are dem-onstrating, especially to our students and alumnae that we all must seek out new opportunities, build alliances, reach higher and continually strive for great-ness in honor of God. I am proud of this

school and remain confident that our best days indeed lie before us.

Secretariat is rounding the bend … and you all know how that story ends. Wel-come to the winner’s circle MERCY!

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President’s Reception

Mother of Mercy’s annual President’s Reception was held in May to recognize those who have played a significant part in Mercy’s Annual Giving Program.

The main event was a special induction of Mr. Jim Day as Board Member Emeritus. Jim and his wife, Elaine, owners of Esther Price Candies, have been long-time supporters of

Mother of Mercy, most recently serving as sponsors for the school’s annual gala. Day also has served as a board mem-ber and he and his wife are generous supporters of Mercy throughout the school year.

Mother of Mercy is truly grateful to everyone whose generos-ity supports the mission of the school!

OUR VISIONMercy Education Collaborative of Cincinnati will usher in a new level of excellence

in college preparation and skills for lifelong learning for young women while ensuring the long-term strength and viability of each school and the

continuation of its unique history and traditions.

BLUEprintBLUEprint is published three times a year for alumnae and friends of Mother of Mercy High School by the Office of Institutional Advancement. ExEcUTIvE AdmINIsTRATIoNKirsten MacDougal President

Dave Mueller Principal

Heather Wagner Associate Principal

Dan Bley Director of Finance EdIToR Jennifer Kroner Jackson ‘00 jackson_j@motherofmercy.org

Vol. 31, No. 3, Summer 2013

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Mary Jo BarnettSue Driehaus Broerman ‘72Ted Bross Eric Chermely Sally Connelly Sr. Doris Gottemoeller, RSM Judi Yunger Heile ‘64 Patrick Kowalski Maggie Lund Kirsten MacDougal Ken Workman

BoARd of TRUsTEEs

moThER of mERcy hIgh schooL3036 Werk Road Cincinnati, OH 45211Phone: 513-661-2740Fax: 513-661-1842www.motherofmercy.orge-mail: info@motherofmercy.org

Please direct all address changes or correspondence to the above address.

This magazine is printed on FSC certified mix paper from responsible resources.

cover Photo: Seniors line up outside St. Peter in Chains Cathedral before the Class of 2013 Baccalau-reate Mass.

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Members of the senior class rallied together in the last few days of the Annual Spring Raffle. The entire school raised a record-breaking $56,000 to go towards tuition assistance! Read more on page 7.

froM the editor

ON THE WEBTHE ADVENTURES OF #FLATBOBCAT

A look at what else you can find online!

This summer, Mercy joined another social media trend and launched an Instagram account! The photo sharing app follows the travels of #FlatBobcat, an 8.5” tall cut-out of Mercy’s mascot that has travelled the world on summer adventures with students, faculty, alumnae and friends of Mercy! Find her on Instagram @mmhbobcat or visit www.motherofmercy.org/connect.

Let’s Connect !facebook: Become a fan of our official Alumnae Facebook page at facebook.com/MotherofMercyAlumnae.

LinkedIn: Network with Mercy alumnae businesswomen by joining the Mother of Mercy Alumnae LinkedIn Group.

stay connected: Keep up with the latest news, events and programs at Mercy by making sure we have your current information. Simply visit motherofmercy.org/AlumnaeUpdate to change your contact information.

Summer is typically a down time for school’s across the country as students and faculty take a much needed break from the rigorous aca-demic schedule. While our halls may have been empty throughout June, July and half of August, the Mother of Mercy spirit never slowed down. As soon as we sent 117 graduates on to the next chapter of their life, we at Mercy embarked on our own summer challenge.

Mercy entered Social Madness, a one-of-a-kind competition that measures a company’s social media engagement and is hosted by the American City Business Journals. At the end of the 11-week competition the overall winner of each category receives $10,000 to donate to charity.

Using our Facebook and Twitter ac-counts, we won the local round of competition held over the first six weeks of summer break. We moved on to represent Cincinnati in the me-dium level of the national competition,

taking on 43 businesses across the United States.

On Tuesday, August 20, Mother of Mercy was announced as the win-ner of the medium category of Social Madness! We received $10,000 which has proudly been donated to Mercy Beyond Borders, a non-profit organi-zation founded by Sr. Marilyn Lacey, a Sister of Mercy.

I entered Mercy in this contest curious to see just how we stood up against other users of social media and as a way to keep the spirit of Mercy alive. What we got out of this contest was far greater than I could have ever imagined. Over the last 5 weeks of the competition the Circle of Mercy rallied like never before proving that the Mercy mission never takes a summer break. Our students chal-lenged one another, our faculty and staff put aside their summer break and our alumnae, parents and friends of Mercy came from all corners of the world to offer support.

We reconnected with dozens of alumnae and welcomed hundreds of friends locally, nationally and glob-ally to the Circle of Mercy. It was an incredible reminder of what can be accomplished when the Mercy com-munity comes together!

To read more about this national championship and hear a message from Sr. Marilyn, please visit our website at www.motherofmercy.org/SocialMadness.

Jenny Kroner Jackson ‘00 Editor Communications & PR Specialist

Twitter: Receive instant updates on awards, events, results and more. Follow @MMHBobcats1.

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The Spirit of Mercy

Instagram: Follow the adventures of #FlatBobcat with occossional appear-ances by the real #MercyBobcat! Follow: @mmhbobcat

Mother of Mercy is pleased to announce that seniors melina Artmayer and Kelsey stevens received college scholarships from the Cheviot Savings Bank Charitable Foundation. Each year, Cheviot Savings Bank donates $2,000 to the Mother of Mercy High School Scholarship Fund to be awarded to students based on the criteria and guidelines of the students and school. One of the purposes of the Cheviot Savings Bank Charitable Foundation is to provide funding to assist deserv-ing students within the community.

“We are very grateful for this way in which Cheviot Savings Bank is generously supporting the college education of our graduates and strengthening the fabric of our community,” said Principal Dave Mueller.

Mother of Mercy has long been holding their senior Kairos retreats at St. Anne’s Convent in Melbourne, Kentucky. Now, when seniors head out there at the end of each summer, they’ll be delighted to see a photograph by a Mercy student gracing the walls of the Moye Spiritual Life Center.

Last summer, Emily fried-mann ‘13 took time during her senior retreat to focus a bit on her art work. She strolled the

campus snapping photographs including a beautiful piece of the cemetery at St. Anne’s. Just a few weeks later her dad, Mark Friedmann, was working on a construction project at the convent and Emily asked him to give her photograph to the Sisters. The Sisters were so thankful for her thoughtfulness noting “our cemetery is a very special and holy place and you captured that reality so well!” Emily’s photograph is hanging at St. Anne’s as a tribute to her and to the sisters of St. Anne’s who are now with God.

Senior Success

Mother of Mercy’s spring raffle brought a new energy to the halls the last two months of school. Each grade level rallied their classmates in the race to see which class would raise the most amount of money and win the annual trip to the Cincinnati Zoo! The junior class gave the seniors a run for their money and even won a bet with Associate Principal Heather Wagner, who had to dye her hair blue. Mercy had

set a goal to raise $30,000 during the four week fundraiser but students shocked the entire school by turning in over $20,000 in one day alone!

Through spirit dinners at City Bar-b-que and Ron’s Roost, where a portion of the night’s sales were donated back to Mercy, and students selling raffle chances for $5 apiece that came with a coupon to Orange Leaf, Mercy raised $56,587! They not only blew their goal out of the water but they shat-tered their dream goal of $40,000, resulting in students not having to wear their uniform polo shirts the rest of the school year.

The money raised went towards the Mercy Fund which provides tuition assistance to many deserving families. In addition to reaching the school goal the senior class and the top homeroom from the other three grades won a day off of school to spend at the Cincinnati Zoo. Thanks to all our students, faculty and staff along with families, friends of Mercy and alumnae who supported this fundraiser!

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Spring Raffle Success

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Twenty Mother of Mercy students attended the first-ever New Hope to the World: Called by Our Faith to be Peacemakers conference held at Xavier University. Students joined Arch- Bishop Schnurr in celebrating the 50th anniversary of Pope John XXIII’s encyclical, Pacem in Terris (Peace on Earth). The conference was sponsored by the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Xavier University, College of Mount St. Joseph, and Education for Peace Coalition.

Alena flick ‘14 and Emma hatch ‘14 have been selected to enter the 2014 National Merit Scholarship Program. Because they have shown outstanding academic potential, these young women have been invited to be referred to two colleges or uni-versities in the United States that they are especially interested in attending. In September, National Merit Program Semifinalist and Commended Students will be announced.

Lauren grosheim ‘14 was se-lected as a YMCA Teen Volunteer of the Year for Community Ser-vice. She began volunteering with the Cincy After School program at Westwood through UGive last Fall and is a member of Mercy’s National Honor Society and Mercy Works.

Julia heyl ‘14 has been selected to receive a scholarship from the Ohio Knights of Columbus. She stood out from over 400 applicants to be selected for the award. Julia is a member of Key Club, Spanish Club, Student Recruiting Commit-tee and Vocal Ensemble at Mercy.

Abby Rieger ‘14 had not one, but two exciting opportunities to ex-plore different medical and biologi-cal fields this summer. She par-ticipated in the TAP MD program, which visited different medical sites across the Greater Cincinnati area and also the EXSEL Program at the University of Cincinnati, a 5-week program studying different biological fields.

hannah siefert ‘14 was selected to attend the Washington Journal-ism and Media conference this summer hosted by George Mason University. She was chosen as one of only 250 high school students from across the nation to participate. This coming school year, Hannah will be the editor of Mercy’s newspaper and she is ea-ger to use what she has learned this summer on the newspaper.

Student Awards

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Mrs. Sarvo has been the ever-patient sender of transcripts and the supremely efficient organizer of the mountains of paperwork in the Guidance Office.

Mrs. Schnier has been a mainstay for both the English department and National Honor Society for many years, and has always prepared her students well, with critical thinking skills, clear prose and a love of literature.

Mercy Bids Farewell!

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Mother of Mercy is poised to provide even more support along with even more focused accountability for students who are at risk of underachieving or even failing out because of factors often be-

yond their control. During last school year, a faculty committee studied the needs of students who struggle academically because of:

• Weak skills for studying, organizing, tak-ing tests, reading, writing, or computing;

• Unfamiliarity with the work expectations and culture of a Catholic school;

• Challenges associated with poverty.

The committee recommended these actions:

• Further systematize and coordinate the significant support services already in place, including the current assistance from both an intervention specialist and a math tutor. As resources permit, add a professional who focuses on helping students acclimate to the culture and ex-pectations of Mercy, connecting students to resources inside and outside of Mercy and helping students to set and monitor progress;

• Develop a student peer tutoring pro-gram;

• Focus special attention on ensuring that freshmen establish good organizational, study, and work habits;

• Establish a summer program solely for incoming freshmen whose elementary school records indicate that they are at risk.

We will begin to implement these actions in 2013-14. Thanks to the committee members: Scott Ridder (chair), Mary Ann Broderick, Sharon Harris, Chris Kroner, Kathy Schnier, Rose Koch, Bev Sass, and Heather Wagner.

Dave MuellerPrincipal

At-Risk Student Summary

Mercy’s faculty and staff are one of the most dedicated groups of education professionals to be found - they are simply the best! Mercy bid “Happy Retirement” to two of the best-of-the-best at the end of the school year: mrs. Kathy schnier, English Department chair, and mrs. Leath sarvo, Guidance Department assistant. It is rumored that these two friends are celebrating their retirement with a gala trip to the Big Apple this fall. The Circle of Mercy wishes them well!

This past May, Mother of Mercy was excited to unveil the installation of a labyrinth on the school’s campus. The entire school took part in a ribbon cut-ting ceremony that dedicated the laby-rinth to the late Robert Driehaus and his wife Rita. Over a dozen members of the Driehaus family, including Rita, attended the ceremony, which recognized Mr. and Mrs. Driehaus for their years of support to Mercy, including sending five daugh-ters to Mercy.

Students and faculty circled the laby-rinth as President Kirsten MacDougal shared the importance of such an installation and the major role the Drie-haus family has played in the success of Mother of Mercy and its students. “Their steadfast and significant support of Mercy for countless years has been instrumental in furthering Mercy’s mis-sion,” said President MacDougal. “Our school stands here today as a beacon of promise and opportunity for young women across the city due, in large part, to the generous spirit of Mr. and Mrs. Driehaus.”

A labyrinth is a meandering but pur-poseful path, a contemplative journey where the mind can enter into prayerful meditation. Their use by Catholics can be traced back to European cathedrals of the Middle Ages serving as sites of pilgrimage. To many Christians who walk a labyrinth today, the walk in is a time for releasing, letting go of the cares

and concerns that keep one distracted and stressed. Then the center of the labyrinth represents Christ within and divine Illumination, a place for receiv-ing clarity and insight. Finally the return walk from the center is seen as union with God, bringing back to the world a refreshed spirit and renewed vision. In short, Mercy’s new labyrinth can en-hance our prayer life and, like Christ, provide a sure path in an uncertain world.

President MacDougal noted that during her time with Mr. and Mrs. Driehaus it was always evident that their lives were firmly anchored in their trust in God -

that trust and their faith always led them to help others, to ease burdens and to share their gifts. “It is our hope that this labyrinth becomes a place of peace, a journey of prayer and a symbol of Mercy’s unending gratitude to the Drie-haus family.”

Mercy’s Religion Department encour-aged the idea of a labyrinth on campus, looking forward to the ways in which they can use it with their classes. “Hav-ing a labyrinth on campus is a wonderful addition to my lesson plans in Church History,” said mrs. Lauren schroeder. “I will be introducing the tradition of the labyrinth as it was used in the cathe-

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A Place of Peace, a Journey of Prayer Mercy Installs Labyrinth on Campus

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Joining Mrs. Driehaus, center, for the ribbon cutting was Principal Dave Meuller, Fr. Anthony Datillo of St. Catharine Parish who blessed the labyrinth, Mercy Student Council Co-Presidents Emily Kurzhals ‘13 and Amy Dirksing ‘13 and President Kirsten MacDougal.

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drals of Europe. Additionally, I plan to take my freshman and sophomore reli-gion classes outside from time to time to have prayer.”

mrs. Johanna Becker, Director of Cam-pus Ministry, looks forward to using the labyrinth for her Campus Ministry meet-ings. “This will allow for great team build-ing as we walk, pray and share at the end what we experience. Our students always need ways to quiet themselves within and reenergize their spirit,” said Johanna.

The labyrinth, located on the west end of Mercy’s campus, is open to alumnae, parents and friends of Mercy who wish to visit.

The labyrinth was made possible by several labor volunteers including Mer-cy parents Joe Leonhardt, Shelli Homan and Bill Maurer, freshmen students Gwen Homan and Angela Maurer and Mercy administrators Dan Bley, Kirsten MacDougal and Dave Mueller.

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Below: The layout design for Mercy’s labyrinth; the entire student body circled the labyrinth as it was dedicated to the late Robert Driehaus and his wife Rita.

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BOBCATSIN ACTION

LAcRossEEmily friedmann ‘13: GGCL 1st Team and Co-Player of the Yearsara heyd ‘14: GGCL 1st Teamhailey dannemiller ‘14: GGCL 2nd TeamJen Peterman ‘13: GGCL 2nd Team

sofTBALLErin helmers ‘14: GGCL 2nd TeamAllie Ramsey ‘14: GGCL 1st Team, Cincinnati Enquirer Hon-orable MentionNicole stephan ‘13: GGCL 1st Team, Cincinnati Enquirer Honorable Mention

TRAcK & fIELdmelina Artmayer ‘13: GGCL Honorable Mentionhaley Baker ‘13: GGCL 1st Team and Field Event Athlete of the YearEmma hatch ‘14: GGCL 2nd Team

spring Wrap Up

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Rebecca Tumlin ‘13 signed a National Letter of Intent to play soccer at Hanover College.

A standout basketball and soccer player at Mercy, Rebecca served as a captain on both teams her senior year. She was also named GGCL 1st Team in soccer this past Fall and received GGCL Honorable Mention in basketball this past Winter.

college signing

Summer Athletic Reunions

Alumnae Cross Country RaceAlumnae Volleyball Game

BOBCATSIN ACTION

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Mercy Honors Outstanding Athletes

During an all-school awards ceremony held on Friday, May 24 for seniors, sev-eral outstanding athletes were honored. Mercy’s Athletic Director, denise ortman harvey ‘91, was pleased to recognize the following student-athletes:

Katharine Ruwe was named Mercy’s OHSAA Scholar Athlete of the Year. The Valedictorian of the Class of 2013, Kather-ine has three varsity letters in Cross County and two varsity letters in Track & Field. The Ohio High School Athletic Association en-courages achievement in the classroom as well as the playing surface. Katharine had the highest scholastic average at the end of the first semester this school year, was named a National Merit Finalist and met the criteria of a minimum of four varsity letters.

haley Baker was not only named the Girls Greater Cincinnati League (GGCL) Scholar Athlete at Mercy but also the over-all GGCL Scholar Athlete in the entire league. The program also recognizes academic and athletic excellence through a series of cri-teria including SAT/ACT scores, GPA and class rank, along with athletic participation

and GGCL recognition. Haley is a three-sport athlete, reigning field event performer of the year in the GGCL, a National Merit Commended Student, a member of Mercy’s National Honor Society and team captain.

Additionally, Haley was recognized for her multi-sport participation. She participated all four years in volleyball, swimming and track & field while at Mercy, a feat no other student-athlete has achieved since 1990. Mrs. Harvey honored her for inspiring the entire Mercy community through her dedi-cation on and off the court, pool and field.

Kelley Wiegman received the Archie Griffin Sportsmanship Award for promoting sports-manship, ethics and integrity in school and the community. The award was created by the OHSAA and named for two-time Heis-mann Trophy winner Archie Griffin. Kelley was nominated by senior classmates for her dedication on and off the court, always giving positive advice, serving as a great role model and excelling in the classroom and on the basketball court.

Kelley was also named the Western Hills Press Sportswoman of the year. She was recognized for her outstanding success in basketball and academics. Kelley will play basketball at Northern Kentucky University this fall.

melina Artmayer received Mercy’s most prestigious athletic award, the Lisa Moore Award. The award honors alumna Lisa Moore ‘77 who lost her life in an automo-bile accident in 1980. The Moore fam-ily requests that the award be given to a senior athlete who best exemplifies Lisa’s team spirit, concern for her teammates and overall school spirit. Classmates nominate a senior for this award along with input from teachers and administrators. Melina was noted for being “a positive, spirited athlete who inspires all athletes.” A four-year athlete in cross country and track & field, Melina also served two years in the Girls Athletic Association (GAA) Club and was known as the Voice of the Bobcat for announcing all home volleyball, basket-ball and soccer games. Another classmate shared, “she is the definition of school and team spirit, always at every game and look-ing to inspire the crowd.”

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Legacy Photos 2013Fifty-six students from the Class of 2013 can claim an alumnae connection - mother, grandmother, aunt, sister or cousin.

Rebecca Tumlin with mother sandy Klopp Tumlin ‘84, grand-mother vera schmutte Klopp ‘45, aunts Barbara Klopp mueller ‘72, Jane Klopp holt ‘76, stephanie sperber Tumlin ‘90, Amy Klopp Jones ‘78 and cousins Jen hoffman Ruth ‘98 and hannah mueller ‘10

Emily friedmann, Jamie heidel and Nicole stephan with mother/aunt Jenny friedmann heidel ‘78 and Tricia friedmann Koppen-hoefer ‘83, aunts mary Beth friedmann Brinkman ‘74, connie friedmann huber ‘77, sue fox friedmann ‘78, dottie friedmann meder ‘79 and cousins Krista friedmann crea ‘00, Beth fried-mann Bonner ‘01 and cara meder ‘10

Katelyn Brown with mother donna Nickels Brown ‘82, grandmoth-er Lois Kreimer Nickels ‘57, sister Ashley Brown ‘08, aunt Karen Kreimer menkhaus ‘63, cousins Terri menkhaus schatzman ‘86, Jenny Espelage mcKee ‘90, Angie menkhaus ‘92, christie meyer henegar ‘96, christy stath stoffran ‘98, Kelly meyer ‘98 and Abby schatzman ‘15

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Allie souders with mother Alice cruse souders ‘83; Emily hart-mann with grandmother caryl groh hartmann ‘52; Lydia fisch-esser with mother Kathy Niehe fischesser ‘84 and sister hannah fischesser ‘09

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sarah schmitt with mother Lee Ann Plageman schmitt ‘81 and sister Emily schmitt ‘10; molly dorsey with sisters morgan dorsey ‘09 and hannah dorsey ‘11

Emily Wernke with mother Janet glass Wernke ‘77, grandmother JoAnn Braun Wernke ‘51 (in frame), aunts mary Jo glass sou-drette ‘77 and Laura glass Boeing ‘85, (not pictured – aunt susan mcclure Wernke ‘75 and great-aunt marian o’mera Phillips ‘56)

grace simpson with mother Patti frimming simpson ‘80, sisters claire simpson ‘07, Elaine simpson ‘10, and aunts Nancy Kap-pelhoff frimming ‘76, missy frimming studer ‘76, donna frim-ming carey ‘79 (not pictured); Rebecca Kaiser with mother Lisa Beckemeyer Kaiser ‘81

Kristen Weber with grandmother Eileen Littner Weber ’61; Abby scherch with mother Karen Woelfel scherch ‘85 and aunts Kathy Woelfel Wertz ‘87, Kim Woelfel schamer ‘92 and Kristy Woelfel Lanier ‘94

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Zoe scott with mother susan gerhardt scott ‘79, aunts Julie Leisgang gerhardt ‘77, diane Neiheisel gerhardt ‘82, Jenni gerhardt helmrath ‘86; megan Johnson with mother Lisa moore Johnson ‘84 and sister donielle Johnson ‘09

Beth david with mother Barbara Littner david ‘83

Kerri davis with mother Kathleen Engel davis ‘89 and sister Alex-andria davis ‘10; catherine cosker with sisters Emily cosker ‘08 and maggie cosker ‘10

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melina Artmayer with sister marissa Artmayer ‘10

Abby dinkelacker with sister Alison dinkelacker ‘06; molly stowe with sister Emily stowe ‘06; Tess herzog with mother meg Bren-nan herzog ‘82

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maria finnell and sister Katherine finnell ‘08; Kim Reynolds with mother Wendy clark ‘89, grandmother Linda osterhues clark ‘64 and (in frame) great-grandmother Jane overbeck clark ‘38

callie Talbot with mother sheri miller Talbot ‘83 and grandmother Joyce Bachman miller ‘60; Ashley humphrey with grandmother Terese Weitz humphrey ‘61 and sister megan humphrey ‘11

Jane Eby with mother Sue frey Eby ‘80, grandmother charlene Thuenemann frey ‘56, aunts sharon frey Kroger ‘81, Patti frey Rahm ‘86, and cousin Jessica Kroger ‘00

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Lisa gasparec with mother Pam Wyder gasparec ‘77, grand-mother marlene hoenemier Wyder ‘55 and sisters Jen gasparec Rapien ‘05 and Lori gasparec ‘09; mykayla cassidy with mother Tammy Bode cassidy ‘91

megan mitchell with mother Ann case mitchell ‘78, sisters Kristin mitchell Penrod ‘05 and Karen mitchell ‘09

hannah deZarn with mother mary siemer deZarn ‘83; Arynn Zw-ergel with mother Beth Koppenhoefer Zwergel ‘79, sister Kelsey Zwergel ‘11 and aunt Karen Koppenhoefer Walsh ‘73

maggie Walsh and Angela Blake with mother/aunt Barbara Aylward ‘89, cousin/sister Emma Blake ‘08 and cousin maria Loreto ‘03

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Jessica michael with mother vicki Barry michael ‘81 and aunts sandy michael ‘74, gina Kuhn michael ‘80; Rachel Barkalow with sister Nikole Barkalow ‘11

Erin Biehl with mother christine dowling Biehl ‘83; stephanie Pieper with mother carol duffy Pieper ‘80, sisters Kim Pieper Wolfe ‘06, Katie Pieper ‘08, aunt Paula duffy June ‘77, and cousin Kelly Pieper ‘11

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Ashley hessling with aunts sharon hessling miller ‘74, Kathy hessling Redmond ‘75 and cousin Lauren Redmond ‘07; Jenni-fer Peterman with mother marcia Enginger Peterman ‘79, sisters christine Peterman ‘08 and michelle Peterman ‘11

Jenna Zappasodi with sister savanna Zappasodi ‘11 and aunt Eloisa Zappasodi Lasita ‘88, (not pictured - sister Alex Zap-pasodi ‘07); Erin glankler with sisters megan glankler ‘08 and Rachel glankler ‘12

Emily Kurzhals with mother Karen Barnes Kurzhals ‘83 and sister Jen Kurzhals ‘08; mary grace comer with mother Nancy calardo comer ‘79, aunts mary Beth comer ‘72 (in frame), suzanne ca-lardo Engle ‘81, connie calardo moreira ‘83

morgan sideris with aunts sandy sideris singleton ‘86, Kathy sideris Burton ‘89 and cousin Kayla singleton ‘11; Abbie Kemble with mother Beth mellott Kemble ‘84 (not pictured - aunts mary Lee mellott Wilson ‘78 and sue mellott Jones ‘86)

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hanna smith with sister haley smith ‘11; Brianna sallee-Thomas with sister maria sallee-Thomas ‘11; stephanie cline with mother mary owens cline ‘77

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NoT PIcTUREd:Ellen Bley and Pauline smith Bley ‘85Emma Burdsall and colleen conner Burdsall ‘74Liz Kenkel and Kathleen finn Kenkel ‘82megan sheehan and Lisa sander sheehan ‘86Kristina staley and Karen Beal staley ‘80

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Nine members of the class of 1982 had daughters graduate with the class of 2013!

Pictured from left to right: callie and sheri miller Talbot, Emily and Karen Barnes Kurzhals, Erin and christine dowling Biehl, hannah and mary siemer deZarn, Allie and Alice cruse souders, mary grace comer and connie calardo moreira, Beth and Barbara Littner david, Nicole stephan and Tricia friedmann Koppenhoefer, sydney and sandy Ruwe gordon

Best wishes to all 2013 graduates!

Service is an important part of Mother of Mercy’s mission. We strive to de-velop young women who seek roles of service throughout their lives at Mercy and beyond. In this issue of BLUEprint, we share with you three different sto-ries of service: One that began before a student’s time at Mercy, another of a graduate who now realizes her Mercy education had great impact on her path of service and a third story that reminds us it is never too late to serve and experience the joy of being a part of a worthwhile cause.

This past July, Julia heyl ‘14 invited 75 of her closest friends over for a pool par-ty to celebrate her birthday. The guests arrived with gifts in hand and spent an afternoon hanging out together. You can probably imagine what a pool party for a teenage girl would most likely be like, however, there was one thing about this party that sets it apart from all the typical teenage birthday parties. Every person who brought a gift didn’t bring it

for Julia, rather it was a gift for Cincinnati Children’s Mayerson Center for Safe and Healthy Children.

Five years ago, before Julia even started her high school career, she heard a news story that changed her life. The story of a young child being killed by her own mother shook Julia so much, that at that moment she decided she wanted to help children that couldn’t help themselves. That very same day she researched local organizations online and came across the Mayerson Center for Safe and Healthy Children. She sent an email immediately and Dr. Robert Shapiro replied, inviting her for a tour of the center. At the center they coordinate with Child Services and local police to investigate and evaluate child victims of abuse or neglect. It was apparent to Julia that there were many kids spending time at this center and she noticed the immediate need for toys in the waiting room.

In 2008, Julia held her first fundraiser birthday party, which has now become the summer’s must- attend event. She holds the birthday event every summer and recently added a Christmas–time fundraiser as well. Last year Julia raised $400 and donated 13 tubs of new toys! Additionally, she is now a volunteer at the Center. Once a week throughout the summer she plays with the children, or-ganizes donations, helps with paperwork and even gets to work on the database of cases. “I feel it’s important to give your time to something you feel is worth-while,” said Julia. “We are blessed to be healthy and have so much ‘stuff’; to be able to donate to the Center is reward-ing and my friends all look forward to the summer party and playing their part in supporting the children of the Mayerson Center.”

Julia credits her parents for instilling the importance of service in her everyday life while also acknowledging that Mercy has furthered the importance of not only

sPeCiaL feature

We Are Called to Serve

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service but compassion and faith as well. “Being aware and sympathetic to others is important. Mercy has taught me that our acts of kindness do make a difference in our world. My faith has grown while I’ve attended Mercy.”

While Julia was planning her 3rd an-nual birthday party in 2010, Jennifer cook ‘03 was planning a trip around the world. With a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Studies: Global Development and Human Rights from the University of Dayton and a two-month study abroad program to Mo-rocco, Switzerland and Paris, France, Jennifer knew she wanted to continue serving. She had spent three of her spring breaks in college taking part in the Habitat for Humanity Spring Break Challenge building houses in Missouri, Arkansas and North Carolina. “It was rewarding to work with friends, see the progress of the houses being built and work side by side with the future owners of the home,” she said. Jen-nifer was also involved in UD’s Habitat for Humanity chapter, an organization that seeks to eliminate homelessness around the world for people in need.

Once she graduated college it made perfect sense for her to join the Peace Corps to allow her the opportunity to experience a new culture by integrating into the community and learning their culture and language. Jennifer was assigned to the Girls’ Education and Empowerment program in the West African nation of Burkina Faso. She worked with local primary and second-ary schools, serving 1,000 students at 5 schools, in an effort to promote the enrollment and retention of female students and to improve the scholastic environment for all students amongst many other activities during her 2-year assignment. “It was an incredible expe-rience that flew by,” said Jennifer.

“I finished my service in August 2012 but am still involved through Cincinnati Area Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (CARV), a local network of returned Peace Corps volunteers.”

Much like Julia, Jennifer credited her upbringing in a Catholic environment, between her family and her time spent in Catholic schools including Mother of Mercy, that encouraged the importance of service. She also referred back to a letter given to her in the late 90’s from her great-aunt catherine strunck Allison ‘42. “She encouraged me to have ‘a wonderful 4 years at Mercy, to have fun and work hard’. She men-tioned how she still looked back lov-ingly at her Mercy days. A big portion of her letter also described her volunteer work at Malachi House in Cleveland, calling it “Christianity in Action” and described how the people she worked with thrived on the family type care they received. I realize now how much her letter and the Mercy values of Faith, Compassion, Service, Leadership and Excellence had an effect on my deci-sion to work with non-profit organiza-tions.”

And then this summer we received a note that took class reunions to a

whole new level. Kim schmitz ‘92 wrote: “A group of us from the class of 1992 typically get together at least a couple times of the year to catch up. This year we decided to expand our horizons and give back to the com-munity. In May, we held an ice cream social at the Ronald McDonald House. There were nine of us that participated all together and we had so much fun serving not only the residents and volunteers but also touring the facil-ity. What a great experience to be part of this non-profit organization which provides a “home away from home” for not only children seeking medi-cal treatment at Cincinnati Children’s Medical Hospital but also their families. It gave us a new appreciation for their services, funding and volunteer oppor-tunities, as well as giving us a glimpse into the lives of families that come there from across the world. It was truly remarkable!”

Kim went on to say “I am so lucky to have fostered such strong friendships at Mercy and feel blessed to continue those friendships 20+years later! I truly enjoyed providing community service next to my friends and look forward to future opportunities with them.”

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sPirituaL Life

Mercy was honored to have Bishop Jo-seph Binzer, auxiliary bishop of the Archdio-cese of Cincinnati, as the commencement speaker for Mercy’s 92nd graduation. The bishop’s remarks are applicable not only to our recent graduates to all of us as well. Here is some spiritual food for thought:

To the graduates, administrators, faculty, staff members and board members of Mother of Mercy High School, parents and grandpar-ents and other family and friends, what a great day this is. Especially to these young women graduating tonight - congratulations. You have worked hard and persevered. There have been challenges, change and transitions, and those can be difficult. I hope and pray that these years at Mother of Mercy have been awesome, exciting, and that when you look back on your time here, you’ll be able to see that you grew in wisdom and understanding. Your parents have taken seri-ously their responsibility to be your primary educators in the ways of the faith and we thank them.

When I was in the first grade and that was over 50 years ago, one of the religion ques-tions we were asked was, “Why did God make you?” The answer, “God made me to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him in this world, and to be happy with Him forever in heaven.” No matter what the future holds, we know that God holds our future. Our greatest hope is to be with God in heaven. All of us are on this journey of faith, a journof a lifetime. And God is with us every step of the way.

What I would like to do is offer our graduates five words tonight to think about. The first word is memories. It would be totally normal for you to have told stories over the weekend and tell stories decades from now about your time here. Maybe those memories bring laughter, maybe tears. Never forget that God is part of all the events of our lives and our faith in God will help us.

The second word is Eucharist. We want to get to heaven; we want to spend eternity there. We catch a glimpse of eternity as we celebrate the Mass, the Eucharist, as we remember how much Jesus loved us, so much that he died so that we might live. Attending Mass, receiving the sacraments, gives us a chance always and everywhere to thank God. And we can always find a reason to thank God.

The third word is relationships. We are al-ways going to have them. The word “mother” in “Mother of Mercy” means a relationship with Mary, the mother of God who is our Mother of Mercy. We are part of families who love us and want what is best for us. There are great relationships here at Mother of Mercy. And we should always remember that each of us has a relationship with God, all of us created in God’s image and likeness and God loves each of us so much. God will never forget us. God wants what is best for us. You have a chance for contacts with people in ways that I didn’t have on the day of my high school graduation, contacts that come through cyberspace including tweets and texts and postings. The world of social media calls itself a community; we have relationships in a community. But if you look around, this is what a community is all about, taking time to come together, people with hopes and dreams, maybe even with a fear or two, to celebrate together, to thank God together. And we need each other. We need people who love us for all the right reasons to help us make good decisions.

The fourth word, and this word was given to me by someone who graduated from Mother of Mercy more than 50 years ago, is collide. She told me to advise you that we have no choice but to deal with what we can’t personally control. It is our response to these collisions that matters. And people can’t always prevent our colliding with them. Some examples.: We can choose to spend time with someone who is suffering even if they don’t ask us. We can choose to volunteer for a cause where no one will know our names, but people will know that someone cared enough to be there. I saw a press release that several students formed a team called “Bobcats Bound for a Cure” and raised money to support a pediatric cancer program. I think we can call these good colli-sions. Please keep colliding with the world in awesome ways.

The fifth and final word, is “yes.” The first lines of the vocations prayer Archbishop Schnurr wrote are, Almighty Father, You have created us for some definite purpose. Grant us the grace to know the path You have planned for us in this life and to respond with a generous “Yes.” Our Blessed Mother, our Mother of Mercy, responded with a gener-ous yes to God’s invitation to know, love and serve God in this world. Each of us has unique gifts and talents entrusted to us by God for good of others, and we say “Yes” as we share those gifts. Our gifts may seem pretty ordinary, but we have no idea what good they might bring to someone else. By the grace of God, we can make a difference in the life of someone else.

You may have figured out that the first letters of the five words, - memories - Eucharist - Relationships - collide - yes - spell Mercy. A wonderful way to think of the goodness of God. A great school with awesome gradu-ates. And being people of hope, whose lives have been touched by knowing Jesus Christ, the best is yet to come. May God bless you and keep you.

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This summer, Mercy was excited to offer five different service trips for students. mrs. Lauren schroeder led students and faculty on the 15th Annual ARISE Mission Trip to South Texas, mrs. megan Kruse Knapke ‘06 oversaw the annual Christian Appalachian Project trip to Eastern Kentucky and mr. Bob Bonnici continued the Urban Immersion experience right in Cincinnati. Several additional students were accepted in two new service trip opportunities.

The first new trip launched allowed stu-dents to travel up north to Lake Erie. The girls, along with chaperones heather Wagner, Associate Principal, sr. mar-jorie Rudemiller, and faculty members chris collins and Bob Bonnici traveled to the Mercy Convent of St. Bernardine in Fremont, Ohio, just 30 miles from the shore of Lake Erie. There they teamed up with the Sisters of Mercy in their ministry among the Mennonite farming community. Led by Mercy Sister Breta, the team was immersed into the commu-nities and culture of rural Ohio.

The week began with a visit to The National Shrine of Our Lady of Consola-tion in Carey, Ohio for Mass and a tour of the Basilica. After the tour, the students headed to the countryside to work with the Mennonite farming community. With the help of Mercy Sister Rita Mary, the girls were able to visit and serve on ac-tual Mennonite farms.

Rachel hautman ‘15 was one of the seven Mercy girls who experienced the Lake Erie trip for the first time. “It was like nothing I had ever experienced because it opened my eyes to new cultures and new people,” Rachel said. “Students are told that the Mercy community is world-wide, but this is sometimes hard to be-lieve when all you ever see is Cincinnati. This trip made me realize how universal Mercy truly is.”

The students were able to visit the Fran-ciscan Sisters of Tiffin and learned about their work with victims of human traffick-ing and also Art Connections of Angeline Industries, which is an art studio featur-ing unique works of art created by individuals with disabilities.

Their week of service ended with a cookout and campfire with the Sisters of Mercy at the St. Bernardine Convent. Rachel describes it as, “nothing like I had expected but everything I could have imagined.” The trip was a rewarding experience to see the amazing work that the Sisters of Mercy are doing in north-ern Ohio.

Mercy also offered a service retreat at St. Vincent de Paul this summer, led by Principal dave mueller. Mercy stu-dents partnered with St. Ursula in the week-long local experience. They toured Over-the-Rhine, helped residents shop for food, assisted with childcare at Seven Hills Center, played Bingo and provided a cook-out for residents!

serviCe Life

Expanding Summer Service

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advanCeMent

What is an Office of Advancement – and why does Mercy Need One?Most of you attended or knew of Mercy before there was a formally structured Office of Advancement and most certainly before there was both a President and a Principal. And it is likely that some of you may wonder, “why?”

The tuition at Mother of Mercy (still one of the least expensive in the city) is $9,750 this year and in order to provide an exceptional 21st century education for today’s students, our cost-conscious budget calls for nearly $5,300,000.00. Mercy is serving roughly 500 young ladies, which you might think then provides $4,875,000.00 of revenue. But naturally, many families cannot pay the full tuition. Therefore, in addition to raising funds toward the operating gap of $425,000 this school year, we have to set a fundraising goal that seeks to provide several hundred thousand dol-lars more in tuition assistance. In short, the more money we raise, the more families we help. The number of young women who benefit by a Mercy educa-tion every year is absolutely a result of Mercy’s Advancement efforts and contributions from our community.

As a not-for-profit, we must raise enough money every year through fundraising in order to keep doing what we do – educate young women with the values of Mercy and a strong faith in God. So each fall, we begin anew in our need for generous constituents to demonstrate their faith in our mission by sending a gift to the MERCY FUND.

In addition to the annual operating needs noted above, schools such as ours periodically run capital campaigns to provide funding for facility improve-ments and big projects that secure the future. Those investments in the

future assure prospective students and their families that Mother of Mercy is here to stay and that we provide the most current offerings and sophisti-cated environment for learning. Finally, that visible campaign support for the future spurs enrollment efforts which then lessen the amount of fundraising deemed critical to annual operations. All of this (and a lot more) is precisely what an Office of Advancement is charged to do.

Why a PREsIdENT and PRINcIPAL?To build the future and sustain a mission for Mercy is no small task. It demands diligent attention to build-ing and nurturing relationships with those who can help our cause; it calls for strong branding, marketing and recruiting; it requires adequate time for strategic planning and implementation; and ultimately, it requires significant fundraising every year. In short, the op-eration of a school today begs for both a President and a Principal in order to be successful, now and in the future. While the President oversees all of the above, the Principal can focus on the day-to-day management of the school as well as the leadership of faculty, staff and students to sustain academic and co-curricular excellence. The Advancement Team, under the leadership of the President, perpetu-ates the mission of Mother of Mercy. They are not the only ones who do this, but they are certainly crucial to the success of our school. And so are YOU! Contact the Advancement Office or visit us at www.motherofmercy.org to learn about the ways in which you can express your support for Mother of Mercy High School!

In 2015 Mother of Mercy High School will celebrate 100 years of education on the West Side of Cincinnati! We are excited to announce that planning is underway. Several alumnae are serving as Class Agents and helping in the planning of celebrations for Mercy’s Cen-tennial. Leading the way are alumnae carol duffy Pieper ‘08 and Lisa Raterman ‘85. Carol reflected on why it is so important to stay con-nected to Mother of Mercy.

“I give back to Mercy out of appreciation for the fun loving and nurturing environment the Sisters of Mercy provided to me in the late 1970’s. I give back to Mercy out of gratitude for the empow-erment provided to my three daughters who attended there between 2002 and 2013. The high quality education, enrichment programs, extra-curricular opportunities and dedicated faculty supplied each of us with many vital skills for lifelong success and it is my hope that Mercy can continue to positively impact young women for at least the next 100 years. In order to do this the current faculty and staff need support from those of us who have benefited from the Mercy experience. The Centennial Planning committee is one way for me to celebrate Mercy’s success-ful past and support it’s promising future. I am grateful for the chance to share in the fun.”

I’m INSPIREd to give back ...

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Look for more Mercy Centennial announce-ments to come throughout the year!

This past spring, Mother of Mercy welcomed photographer denise miller catanzaro ‘80 to capture images around campus for upcoming marketing materials. Denise shared that her love of photography went all the way back to her “four wonderful years at MMH, ‘8-0 lets go!’” She started taking pictures as a way of not forgetting all the memories made at Mercy and turned them in to photo albums and scrapbook pages. She went on to take a beginning photography class at Diamond Oaks where she realized photography came naturally to her and it was genuinely something she loved to do. Her husband Tom helped her set up a studio in their basement and she started her own business, TLC Pictures by Denise.

Eventnually, Denise and Tom began having children and her stu-dio was put on the back burner. However, her children, stacey ‘06, Andrea ‘09 and Justin, became her muse and they now have over 200 photo albums capturing their happiest mo-ments growing up together. Before she knew it, she was getting calls to photograph for people so she switched over to on-site photograhy, instead of her studio. In 2001, after being a stay-at-home mom for 13 years, she started working for Lifetouch National School Studios.

In 2004 Denise won a national Lifetouch contest for her photog-raphy. She has been with Lifetouch for 12 years and has been doing her TLC Pictures for 25 years. “My work has captured

families, students, couples, and babies during their most memo-rable celebrations and I’ve even branched out to do advertising imagery,” shared Denise.

When asked to serve as a photographer for Mercy Denise shared the following: “It was a no brainer! I loved going back to see all the familiar faces and do what I love most. I was so excited when my daughters, Stacey and Andrea, decided to go to Mercy. I knew that they too, would be able to have the same wonderful experi-ences that I had. I left Mercy with very strong roots and many friendships that have helped me become the woman I am today. Taking school pictures for so long, I got to see some of the best and worst schools. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve counted my blessings that my kids were able to complete their education in a parochial school. I love how Mercy pushed my girls to be the best they can be.”

aLuMnae Life

mary Lynn Webb sunderman was selected the 2013 Circle of Mercy Award recipient. A 1975 graduate of Mother of Mercy, Mary Lynn was honored at the school’s commencement ceremony on June 3. The Circle of Mercy Award is the most prestigious award given to an alumna of Mother of Mercy each year. The award honors an alumna who best reflects the Mercy values of excellence,

compassion, faith, leadership and ser-vice. Nominated by her sister Laura Jane Webb hinkel ‘79, Mary Lynn was praised for her career ac-complishments and lifetime of community service that so well demonstrates her

excellence, loyalty and strong foundation of faith. “Mary Lynn’s laser focus on the end result - serving God - makes most of her life pretty predictable and if the activity is good and pure, then she is all in.” An employee of American Financial, Mary Lynn has over 35 years of commitment to service. She has been a member of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church her entire life, serving a variety of volunteer roles. Additionally, she has been a member and volunteer of the Junior League of Cincinnati since 1986 and a volunteer at Xavier University for over 30 years. She also served as a member of Mother of Mercy’s Board of Trustees. As Mercy President Kirsten MacDougal honored Mary Lynn she noted, “Mary Lynn has always ministered to those in need, through her word, deed and prayer; she has helped the lives of many through her generous acts of Mercy.” Mother of Mercy was honored to recognize Mary Lynn, volunteer extraordinaire throughout the city of Cincinnati, as the 2013 Circle of Mercy Award recipient!

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Circle of Mercy Award 2013

Capturing Memories

aLuMnae Life

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Mercy alumnae are everywhere, espe-cially as staff mem-bers of Our Lady of Lourdes School in Westwood! sr. greta schmidlin ‘59 retired this spring after 26 years of service as the school secretary. Mercy classmates Terry

Bedinghaus Etter ‘65 and Kathy oliver Berninger ‘65 (pictured below) have been teaching together for quite some time and prepared countless second graders for their First Communion. They both retired together this spring as well! Best wishes to all!

mary Jo Bihn seiler ‘62 and husband Paul “just welcomed our 21st grandchild with the birth of Raegan on May 31st. The girls are in the lead with ll, compared to the 10 boys. We will be married 50 years on October 12.”

Congratulations to Kate Lusheck ‘83! Kate is Assistant Professor of Art + Architecture, College of Arts and Sciences at the Univer-sity of San Francisco and recently received the Distinguished Teaching Award. The award cites Kate’s “accomplishments as a teacher exemplify her commitment to the University’s mission of social justice as she seeks to connect art and access to art for identity exploration, cultural empowerment, and healing while continually bringing a high level of rigor to her instruction. Additionally,

her collaborative community arts project with the Samoan Community Development Center demonstrates her strong commit-ment to historically oppressed communities in meaningful partnerships through art.” All of Kate’s sisters – Beth ‘77, Rose ‘78, Joan ‘79, mary ‘80 and Patti ‘85 are so proud of Kate and her accomplishment and wanted to share her good news.

michelle Levas-seur hinton ‘94 shares that “husband Chad and I finalized the adoption of our son Grayson James (born 7/19/2012) on January 23, 2013. In addition, I was named Princi-

pal at St. James School in White Oak this spring.”

sarah Phillips Waldeck ‘98 had a baby boy in March last year, Nathan Michael. “His 5 yr old sister Rachael is completely in love with him!!”

Andrea grant mette ‘99 gave birth to Gavin Paul Mette on December 23, 2012.

Lauren Brown ‘02 is the executive chef of Igby’s in downtown Cincinnati and was on the season finale of Food Network’s “Chef Wanted with Anne Burrell” in April 2013. It was a treat to see Lauren on the show, vy-ing for a shot at heading a new restaurant in Ibiza, Spain. Lauren’s menu at Igby’s

includes seasonal salads, charcuterie and fromage, and fresh West Coast oysters.

Jen stacey Brady ’03 and husband Dustin “welcomed our beautiful daughter Violet Vir-ginia, on April 30, 2013. We are so blessed!”

Julie davis mccoy ‘05 and husband Luke recently welcomed their first child, Simon Joseph, on March 19, 2013. Beverly Taylor davis ‘81 is the proud grand-mother.

caitlin Richter ‘05 graduated from the University of Toledo College of Medicine in June and “is incredibly excited to return to Cincinnati to begin my residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Cincinnati!” Proud grandmother of the new Dr. Richter is Janet miller Richter ‘49.

Tammy Roy ‘08 writes “Hi Mercy! The five years since graduation have certainly flown by! I spent the fall 2012 semester studying in Cork, Ireland. A fellow Bobcat, Kendra Leahy ‘08, came to visit me near the end of my trip. We spent

aLuMnae Life

Please keep us posted of your updates and achievements by submitting an update online at www.motherofmercy.org/Alumnae-Update or email our Alumnae Office at alum@motherofmercy.org.

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a weekend in Dublin where we dropped by Mercy’s beginnings on Lower Baggot Street. Unfortunately, they were closed, so we dropped a note of hello through the mailbox, took a few photos, and said goodbye. Here is a picture from our trip!”

Taylor Lacey ‘09 has had exciting things happen this summer. “I wanted to share with you an opportunity that I have been given that would not have been possible if not for Mother of Mercy High School. I am a partner in the Cincinnati-based photography collaboration entitled QueenCityScenes. We started out as two college kids taking pictures of our city and now, almost a year later, are actively selling and publishing our photos. Our photos are being featured at Coffee Emporium’s Downtown location from mid-July through the end of August (pictured below is the beginning of the installation of our display!). I took Fundamentals of Art as well as Graphic Design at Mercy, and was encouraged by Mrs. Murphy as well as Ms. McGuire to pursue my interests in the pho-tography class that was offered. If it had not been for their constant encouragement and words of wisdom, I would not stand where I am today!”

savanna Zappa-sodi ‘11 served as Mercy’s first-ever communications intern, work-ing with Mercy’s Advancement De-partment. A public relations major at Xavier Univer-sity, Savanna was responsible for

reporting on summer Mercy activities includ-ing summer camps, mission trips and ac-complishments of current students. Savanna also played a significant role in the success of Mother of Mercy’s recent national social media championship. We thank Savanna for spending her summer at Mother of Mercy and supporting the mission of Mercy!

Sr. Renee Kettering '03 Professes First Vows

Mother of Mercy is pleased to share the following press release from the Sisters of Mercy West Midwest community:

Sister Renée Kettering (Mother of Mercy High School Class of 2003) formally professed religious vows of poverty, chastity and obedience and to serve those in need as a vowed member of the Institute of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas.

In a formal ceremony at the Mercy Center Chapel in Farmington Hills, Mich., Mercy Sisters, Associates, Companions, and Sister Renée’s family and friends supported her as she proclaimed: “I respond with my life to the gift of Your love and call” as she asked God for the grace to faithfully live her commitment. The first profession of vows is a sig-nificant step in the multi-year process of becoming a member of a religious order.

“It is with great joy and open arms that we accept Renée as a vowed member of the Sisters of Mercy,” said Sister Laura Reicks, RSM, president of the Sisters of Mercy West Midwest Community. “Not only is Renée making a commitment today, but the 3,400 Sisters of Mercy of the Americas are also making a commitment to journey with her.”

In August 2009, Sister Renée entered the Sisters of Mercy West Midwest Community in Farmington Hills as a Candidate. During that time, she ministered at University of Detroit Mercy in Detroit. Sister Renée was received as a novice in July 2011 and joined the Novitiate Community in Laredo, Texas, for a year focusing on prayer and study. In the second year of her novitiate, a year focusing on service, Sister Renee served at St. Peter's School in the mission district of San Francisco, Calif.

Sister Renee's parents, Tim and Christine Kettering, her two brothers and former Mother of Mercy principal Sister Nancy Merkle attended the ceremony.

soCiaL Life

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These classes already have plans in the works:

-- The class of 1945 is holding their 67th Reunion at Nick and Tom’s on Thursday, December 8, 2013 at 11:30 am. Con-tact Dorothy Jansing Inderhees at (513) 741-3627 for more information.

--the class of 1948 is celebrating their 65th Reunion atMother of Mercy High School on Saturday, September 14,2013, beginning with Mass at 10:30 am, followed by aluncheon. Contact Laverne Nieman Boeing at (513)923-4681for more information.

-- The class of 1963 is planning their 50th Reunion on Friday, October 4, 2013 from 6:00 until 8:00 PM at the Manor House, 7440 S. Mason Montgomery Rd., Mason, OH. For more information, please contact the committee at mmh63@fuse.net or call Jane Schell Yost at (513) 398-0911 or Helen Welge Rohrer at (513) 738-5422. Looking forward to reconnecting with all of our classmates!

--The class of 1964 is planning to celebrate the 50th anni-versary of their commencement with a trip to Washington, D. C. in spring 2014 and a dinner on September 20, 2014, at the Western Hills Country Club. Classmates are urged to SAVE THE DATE. New this time is that guests are invited. Ques-tions may be directed to reunion co-chairs Judy Hall Wernicke at 513-741-3308 or judywernicke@fuse.net and Mary Jo Niklas Dangel at 513-481-0001 or mjnd@cinci.rr.com. Further details TBA.

--The class of 1968 is planning their 45th Reunion for Thurs-day, October 17, 2013 from 5:00-8:00 pm at The Farm. Check your mailbox for a postcard invitation! Contact Peggy Speer Trentman at ptrentman@fuse.net or Rita Wesseling at rwes-seling@staugustines.net for more information.

--The class of 1973 is planning their 40th Reunion for the fall of 2013. Mark your calendar for Saturday, October 19, 2013 at the Green Township Senior Center, from 8:00 pm to midnight. Contact Susan Ruehl Bischoff at uniquebisch@aol.com or Tina Putz Gorman at tgorman01@fuse.net for more informa-tion.

-- The class of 1978 is planning their 35th Reunion on Friday, October 25 from 7:00 to 11:00 pm at the Holy Grail Tavern & Grille West (1278 Ebenezer Road.) Look for details in the mail. Contact Lisa Mahon Fluegeman at fluegeman_l@moth-erofmercy.org for more information.

-- The class of 1998 is planning their 15th Reunion for September 7, 2013 at Next Chapter, 940 Pavilion Street in Mt. Adams, from 7:00-10:00 pm. Contact Sara Stark at sstark13@hotmail.com for more information.

-- The class of 2003 is planning their 10th Reunion for No-vember 30, 2013. Start out at Mercy and ‘raid the halls’ from 3:00-6:00 pm. (Feel free to bring your little ones!) Adults only party at The Pavilion, 940 Pavilion Street in Mt. Adams, from 7:00-10:00 pm – the 3rd floor penthouse is all ours! Contact Becky Kramer at becky.5585@gmail.com or (513) 439-3653 for more information.

-- The class of 2008 is planning their 5th Reunion for Sep-tember 14, 2013. Check out the Facebook page - MMH 2008 5-Year Reunion - or email mmh08reunion@gmail.com for further information.

Many classes meet on a regular basis throughout each year – check these out:

class of 1956 – September 25 and December 18 at Nick and Tom’s at 6:30 pm. Contact Jan Gibson Mathews at jan.mathews@fuse.net or (513) 481-0468 for more information.

class of 1965 – last Wednesday of September - September 25 - at LaRosa’s on Boudinot. Contact Peggy Kleimeyer Ton-nis at 513-923-4256 for more information.

Contact Lisa Mahon Fluegeman ’78, Alumnae Coordinator for assistance in planning a special event for your class.

Upcoming Reunions

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Upcoming Events

Mercy Day 2013

Around the World

September 24, 2013Celebrate Mercy wherever you are by

wearing your Mercy blue!

Golden Guild members and Sisters of Mercy are invited to

attend a special Mass and reception to celebrate Mercy.

For more details or to RSVP please contact Lisa Mahon Fluegeman ‘78 at

513-661-2740 ext. 304.

Future Bobcat Spirit Game! Volleyball vs. Seton

September 19, 2013

Cheer with Mercy students on a high-intensity, energetic night!

Activities | Prizes | Bobcat Spirit!

FREE admission for grade school girls.

October 27, 2013 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.

www.motherofmercy.org/OpenHouse

Open House

...

Collegiate Style Block SchedulingAP Classes/Dual College CreditsAdvanced TechKNOWLEDGEy ProgramOutstanding Extracurriculars & Service OpportunitiesAnd much more!

Alumnae Art EventFriday, October 11 at 7 p.m.

Mother of Mercy’s Art Department and Alumnae Office invite you to the first-ever Alumnae Art Event!

Join us to share our appreciation for the arts and celebrate the life of long-time Mercy art teacher, Joan McGuire,

whose birthday is celebrated in October. We’ll also converse on ideas to make this an annual event!

Take part in a still-life sketch session and casual conversation over wine and hors d’oeuvres!

Admission is $10For more details and to RSVP online, visit

www.motherofmercy.org/AlumnaeArt.

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Mercy Gala 2014As Danny and The Juniors sang in 1957...

You can rock it, you can roll it, You can stomp and you can stroll it at the hop! You can swing it, you can groove it, You can really start to move it at the hop!

Hey all you Mercy Cats and Chicks, come on and get your kicks at the HOP! Announcing MERCYHOP - save-the-date for February 15, 2014!

Dust off your penny loafers and your saddle shoes. Get out your letter sweater, poodle skirt and leather jackets and get ready to cruise into Mercy’s gym where we will bring back 50’s memories at this year’s Gala! We will make Dick Clark proud with our version of American Bandstand, MERCY SYTLE! Look out “Pink Ladies” -- the “Blue Ladies” are ready to ROCK the house!

Interested in being a sponsor or donating gifts for the silent and live auction? Contact Julie Leis raleigh ‘82, Mercy FUNdraiser at 513-661-2740 ext. 401

Mother/Daughter Fashion Show LuncheonSunday, November 24 at noon Western Hills Country Club

Join us for this unique event! Fashion, make-up, hair, jewelry and accessory experts and vendors will be present to shop and answer all your glamour questions! And you won’t want to miss the Fashion Show!

Reservations are required at www.motherofmercy.org/FashionShow.$30/person or $55/mother and daughter.

Casual attire, no jeans please! Top off your outfit with a hat!Best hat wins a prize! Be creative!

*** Models and Vendors Needed! ***

Want to strut the runway or sell your treasures? Contact Julie Leis Raleigh '82 at 513-661-2740 ext. 401.

Prayer Requests Our Mother of Mercy High School community

is happy to keep you in our prayers. We are

pleased to list your prayer requests and/or special

intentions in the petition book located in the

Chapel as well as online and will remember them

at our school prayer services and liturgies.

Please contact:

Lisa Mahon Fluegeman ’78 at 513.661.2740 ext.

304 or email fluegeman_l@motherofmercy.org

mail to:

Mother of Mercy High School, Prayer Request,

3036 Werk Rd.

Cincinnati, Ohio, 45211

Or submit your request online at www.

motherofmercy.org/PrayerRequest

sPirituaL Life

We profess our common faith and our hope of eternal resurrection for those who have passed through death to new life.

(Mercy has been notified of these deaths through July 31, 2013.)

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Alumnae:Ella Niederkorn ‘28Alvina Schwab Urban ‘35Catherine Grace Schlueter ‘42Marie Ploeger Hester ‘43Sr. Mary Ann Fuerst RSM ‘45Arleen Schneider Keller ‘45Jeanne Farrell Herrmann ‘46Jean Klein Toft ‘46Adelaide Colado Voelker ‘50Mary Lou Wohlfrom Hines ‘54Jean Ludwig Bruns ‘55Patricia Dowling Brunsman ‘55Ann Boyle Burns ‘55Rae Reising McDonald ‘57Carol Hester Erne ‘59Margaret Kues Schneider ‘59Judith Black Dietrich ‘61Susan Guilfoyle Hennard ‘66Janice Rais Wiesner ‘66Barbara Amrhein Brown ‘71Susan Wallingford Rossitto ‘75Deborah Olcott ‘80Patricia Kroeger Reuter ‘81Ellen Wissel Sloan ‘81Lisa (Jade) Fantetti ‘86

husband of:Marilyn Inderhees Mollmann ‘45Patricia Hart Linesch ‘48Patsyann Ryan Biederman ‘50Joyce Maibach Nie ‘50Dorothy Pfau Bayer ‘54Lorraine Richter Giglio ‘56Marilyn Hockney Yacchari ‘56Lynne Brockhaus Eschenbach ‘57Joyce Brossart Gerhardt ‘59May Lee Keller Harrigan ‘63Miriam Neiheisel Kirch ‘65Linda Korb Brennan ‘69Alma Lee Ruther Joesting ‘69Vicki Wetterich Ascough ‘72Judy Rasfeld Raines ‘78

daughter of:Judy Kidder Rolfes ‘62

son of:Betty Brielmaier Tierney ‘45

mother of:Judy Greiner Weber ‘59Alice Neu Cassidy ‘61

Barbara Urban Streckfuss ‘61Lois Neu Hancock ‘63Mary Jo Greiner Kratze ‘63Armella Zerhusen Dornsbusch ‘64Juanita Dickman Massa ‘64Lorrita Schuster Gosch ‘65Jennifer DiPilla Muccillo ‘65Linda Wessels Riley ‘65Lynne Schuster Blackburn ‘66Carolyn Kuehnle Schatzman ‘66Nancy Greiner Sagar ‘67Kathy Schlueter Ries ‘68Marianna Hautman Blauvelt ‘70Martha LeSaint Cooper ‘70Mary Reker Daniels ‘70Peggy Schlueter Godfrey ‘70Debbie Erras Metzger ‘70Julie Greiner Lyle ‘72Catherine Hautman Mund ‘72Mary Ann Jansen O’Harra ‘72Mary Kay Wittrock ‘72Clarissa Kuehnle Millner ‘73Nancy Hautman Vincent ‘73Peggy LeSaint Schlanser ‘73Linda Bakes Igel ‘74Jane Greiner Seibels ‘74 Paula Backscheider Anderson ‘76Anne Wittrock Kenney ‘76Lee McCarty Fruhling ‘77Jeanne Wittrock Leist ‘77Barbara Barnes Masters ‘77Peggy Backscheider ‘78Karen LeSaint Fox ‘78Julie Baudendistel Schaeffer ‘79Meg McCarty Shelly ‘79Josephine Kuehnle Squeri ‘79Rebecca Ritter Graber ‘80Marie Voelker Olson ‘80Pam Backscheider Patty ‘81Kami McDonald Wegman ‘81Lori McDonald Beck ‘83Lori Daugherty Gelter ‘87Katie Molleran Fish ‘01Jill Zinser Collins (staff)

father of:Kathi Hand Bastin ‘71Deborah Meyers Myers ‘71Shannon Nie Biehl ‘72Pam Buchert Moore ‘72Alice Heyob Hoctor ‘74Beverly Meyers Schirmann ‘75Peggy Buchert Thiemann ‘75Debbie Riehle Brodbeck ‘76Gail Stapleton Estes ‘76Sue Lestingi ‘76Mary Lue Hausfeld Maloney ‘78Denise Danemayer Schaefer ‘79Barb Hand Schwendenmann ‘79Debbie Reis Winter ‘79Cindy Riehle Kron ‘80Suzanne Nie Townes ‘80Jennifer Rahe Williams ‘81Debbie Danemayer Bachman ‘83Lori Stapleton Thomas ‘83Monica Hausfeld Beighle ‘86Donna Werle Shirley ‘86Amy Huesman Tackett ‘86Maria Hausfeld Neiheisel ‘87Molly Hausfeld Huschart ‘89Jamie Kirch Toon ‘90Shannon Blalack ‘91Paula Kirch Smith ‘92Amy Werle Raymond ‘94Catie Fieler Singer ‘94Heather Fredelake Wesseling ‘93Anne Joesting Burgan ‘96Elizabeth Myers Gehring ‘99Katie Jo Collins ‘08Kelly Collins ‘10Kim Collins ‘14

Office of Institutional Advancement

3036 Werk Road

Cincinnati, OH 45211

NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDCINCINNATI, OHIOPERMIT NO. 3896

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NOVEMBER 8 - 10 AT THE COLLEGE OF MOUNT ST. JOSEPH

Mother of Mercy High School’s Theatre department presents

Ticket sales will begin mid-October.Please visit www.motherofmercy.org for purchase details.

“A tale as old as time.”