The Knight TimesA monthly publication for Alter Families! NOVEMBER 2015

alter UPDATE1 - FACTS Deadline!2 - From the President3 - From the Principal4 - Guidance/Booster Party5 - Campus Ministry6 - Giving Tree

alter NEWS7 - Grandparents Day8 - Blood Drive9 - Turkey Drive, Taylor Lab10 - STEM News11 - STEM Saturday12 - Photo Gallery

alter ATHLETICS13 - Fall Sports Recap14 - Cross Country, Bob Ellis, & College Signings15 - Hockey, Girls BBall

alter ARTS16 - Marching Knights News17 - Improv, Lip Sync Battle18 - Spring Musical Auditions

alter CALENDAR19 - December Calendar20 - 2015/2016 Calendar

alter INFORMATION21 - Steubenville Conference

register today!FUTURE ALTER KNIGHTSDECEMBER 1, 2015

Application,  FACTS Grant & Aid Deadline, & ScholarshipsIf you have missed the deadline, please submit the

following immediately if applicable:

APPLICATION: ALL incoming students must submit an application to attend Alter. 

alterhs.org/admissions/how-to-apply

FACTS GRANT & AID: Available for any family who wishes to be considered for financial assistance

for next school year.online.factsmgt.com/signin/3FH66

SCHOLARSHIPS:If you would like to apply for a scholarship to Alter,  students are required to complete

an Alter HS Application (due on Dec. 1, 2015) before submitting a completed scholarship application. Returning students must have their FACTS account information up to date

by Dec. 1, 2015 before submitting any scholarship application. First priority will go to families that met the December 1st FACTS and Alter HS Application deadline. All

scholarship applications are due on or before January 19, 2016. alterhs.org/academics/scholarships

happy thanksgiving

WISHING YOU MANY BLESSINGS FROM

ALTER HIGH SCHOOL

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The Knight Times

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From the PresidentFr. Jim Manning

Jubilee Year of Mercy

On Divine Mercy Sunday last spring during the Easter Season, Pope Francis announced a Jubilee Year of Mercy beginning on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception and ending on the Feast of Christ

the King next year. The title of the announcement is “Misericordiae Vultus” which translates in the opening words of the document meaning “the face of the Father’s Mercy.” Jesus Christ is the face of the Father’s mercy.

In the announcement of the Jubilee Year, Pope Francis stresses that mercy is not a sign of weakness but a mark of God’s omnipotence; it is a mark of strength.

Pope Francis encourages the faithful to use this year to reflect more deeply upon the corporal and the spirituals works of mercy. “It is my burning desire that, during this Jubilee, the Christian people may reflect on the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. It will be a way to reawaken our conscience, too often grown dull in the face of poverty. And let us enter more deeply into the

heart of the Gospel where the poor have a special experience of God’s mercy. Jesus introduces us to these works of mercy in his preaching so that we can know whether or not we are living as his disciples. Let us rediscover the corporal works of mercy: to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, welcome the stranger, heal the sick, visit the imprisoned, and bury the dead. And let us not forget the spiritual works of mercy: to counsel the doubtful, instruct the ignorant, admonish sinners, comfort the afflicted, forgive offences, bear patiently those who do us ill, and pray for the living and the dead.”

The liturgical season of Advent begins the Sunday after Thanksgiving. We will have an All-School Mass on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on December 8 at St. Charles Church at 10:15. The very next day on December 9, we will be having our Advent Reconciliation Services every period in chapel. Kairos will also be the first week of December.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, and the seasons of Advent and Christmas, let us make the Jubilee Year of Mercy real here at Alter High School! May we treat each other with more kindness and compassion, and mercy!

Remember what the Beatitudes of Jesus teach us - “Blessed are the merciful for they will be shown mercy.” Fr. Jim

gratitu

de

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From the PrincipalLourdes Lambert

Grateful to be a KnightAt Alter High School, we are blessed with students who work hard and who seize the opportunities availed to them. I never cease to be amazed by their accomplishments, and their unwavering faith. This month, I have two tangible examples to share with you.

The first is our group of National Merit Scholars. We are so proud

of our commended scholars – John Carr, Tony Dagher, Nick Fadell and Paul Jasek. We are also thrilled and thankful to have two National Merit Semi-Finalists this year – Garrett Rethman and Jake Untener! These six young men are humble, determined, hard-working individuals whose quiet grace is an example to others. Congratulations to you all!

National Merit Semifinalists

Garrett Rethman Jake Untener

The second group is a group of peer ministers who accompanied students from Bishop Leibold School on their day of giving on November 17th. These peer ministers worked alongside grade school students to provide service to ten different local nonprofit agencies in the Miami Valley. Great job to Libby Baird, Emily Beam, Kate Bockrath, Chandler Bullard, Michael Dockins, Susan Erhart, Sofia Fernandez, Kasey Klug, Lindsay Koeller, Audrey Mershad, Dan

Morrison, Rachel Rowland, and Gretchen Trick. These individuals were models of faith and encouragement for the BLS students, and they were truly shining examples of God’s love in action to us all.

As you all know by now, I feel blessed to come to Alter High School each and every day. On Thanksgiving and every day I try to remember how important my attitude towards others is and how an attitude of gratitude affects others. One of our teachers, Mrs. Anne Drayton, shared this excerpt with me and I hope you will find it as inspirational as I did:

GRATITUDEThe longer I live, the more I realize theImpact of gratitude in my life. Gratitude, To me, is more important than facts.

It is more important than the past,Than education, than money,Than circumstances, than failures,Than successes, than what other people Think or say or do. It is more important thanAppearance, giftedness or skill. It will makeOr break a company, a Church, a home.

The remarkable thing is we have a choice Every day regarding the attitude of gratitudeWe will embrace for that day. We cannotChange our past – we cannot change theFact that people will act in a certain way. WeCannot change the inevitable. The only Thing we can do is play on the one string weHave and that is our gratitude.

I am convinced that life is 10% whatHappens to me and 90% how I react to it.And so it is with you . . .

We are in charge of our Gratitudes. Adapted from Charles R. Swindoll.

My prayer for all of us is that we make the choice to be grateful every day, and we share that gratefulness with others. May God bless you and your families on Thanksgiving and always.

With a grateful heart,Lourdes LambertPrincipal

Congratulations to Garrett Rethman and Jake Untener on their recognition for their accomplishments of

becoming National Merit Semifinalists.

National Merit Commended Scholars

include: Paul Jasek, Nick Fadell, John Carr and

Tony Dagher.

The Knight Times

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From the Guidance OfficeShannon Brown, Kati Fulk, and Teresa Rupper

As we celebrate this season of gratitude, the Guidance office would again like to express our thanks to the Class of 2016 for their timeliness and organization in their college application process. This has been a very busy, but successful, semester thus far and your efforts have been appreciated. As always, if any questions or concerns arise, please don’t hesitate to stop in, email, or call one of the counselors.

Speaking of college…. Paying for college is becoming increasingly expensive and overwhelming, but there are options to help you prepare your student to affordably attend. Parents of current Juniors and Seniors are invited to the Alter Guidance Department’s Annual College Financial Aid Information Night.

ANNUAL COLLEGE FINANCIAL AID INFORMATION NIGHT

Date: Wednesday, December 9thTime: 7pm

Location: Alter CafeteriaThis year’s presentation will be led by guests from Marian University, a private Catholic university in Indianapolis. We are thrilled to have such knowledgeable guests to provide their expertise! They will be covering many topics to include:

Scholarships and Loans for Private AND Public UniversitiesFederal AidThe FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) ProcessTimelines for securing financial helpMany other topics

There will also be plenty of time for Q&A, so please feel free to bring questions. The Guidance counselors will also be there to offer advice and answer questions you might have. We look forward to seeing you there!

PSAT results from the October test are somewhat delayed this year from SAT, so score reports will be expected to be sent home with the students after Christmas break. A PSAT Score Review Session for parents will be held in January. Details will be forthcoming.

Please join the Boosters for a Christmas Party!

Father will be holding Mass and then we will gather for the annual Holiday Party. 

December 8th at 6:30Pm Meet in the chapel and then move into the school lobby

  If you plan on attending please RSVP to boosters@alterhs.org by November 27th so that Father Manning

can order appropriately.

Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving!

Meaghann FiteBooster Secretary

bOOSter chrIStmaS PartY

The Knight Times

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Come, Lord Jesus!“And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.” – Luke 2:19

As November draws to a close, we begin a new church year on Sunday with the season of Advent. While or commercial society already has us thinking about Christmas, our church

Campus MinistryDave Conard

reminds us of the importance of hopeful waiting. There is a lot of value in waiting in hope. As with so many aspects of our faith, Mary gives us a model of what this waiting in hope looks like. At the annunciation, the birth of Jesus, at Cana and at the foot of the cross, Mary’s response to the most significant events in her life with Jesus was to see deeper meaning and search for what was really going on beyond just the physical reality. She questions and challenges. She finds God at work in her life. Mary saw with eyes of faith and that takes patience.

We need patience too, so we can wait on the Lord to bring to fulfillment the work he has begun in us. While we wait, we grow. We become more fully who we are called to be and we become ready to welcome Jesus in new ways we may never have dreamt of in the past. This is the power of waiting in hope. Those of us who are parents, know what it means to wait and to hope as the lives of our children gradually unfold. God waits for us in much the same way and it is good for us to have this kind of patience as well.

As we wait, we are far from idle. In fact, there is a lot going on, as always!

Applications were due last week for summer mission trips. In addition to trips to Guatemala and Ecuador, we are excited to offer a third trip to El Salvador this year. Spots still remain for the Ecuador and El Salvador trips. Interested students should see Mr. Conard.

A group of seniors will be making their Kairos retreat next week and a group of juniors will make their Junior Retreat on Dec. 6th-7th. We pray these will be special times of grace for these students.

Next week, we will have our giving tree ceremony and students will be invited to purchase gifts to be donated to those in need of gifts for their families at Christmas.

On December 8th we will come together as school community for Mass for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Please join us!

On December 9th, all students will participate in Advent Reconciliation Services during theology classes.

Finally, our new parents’ prayer group will continue meeting on Wednesday mornings in the chapel. Rosary with the students will beginning at 7:30 am and the parent group will meet at 8:00. All parents are welcome.

Prayers for a Happy Thanksgiving and an Advent filled with hope and expectation!

Tuesday, December 8thSt Charles 10:10am

Feast of the Immaculate Conception

next maSS

The Knight Times

the giving treeOn Monday, November 30 we will be on an am assembly schedule for the annual Giving Tree Ceremony.  This will be the 29th year for the Giving Tree at Alter.  The tradition began in December 1987 initiated by the Class of 1988 to help focus the attention of students at Alter on those who are less fortunate in our community and who might otherwise not have presents for Christmas. 

Ornaments on the tree indicate a toy or clothing for a boy or girl (size or age indicated).  Students are asked to take an ornament, purchase the gift, attach the ornament to the package and place it under the tree to be taken by the Key Club to Catholic Social Services and other agencies in the area with whom we work.  Parents and community members are invited and encouraged to stop by and pick up an ornament as well. 

We will ask that all gifts be brought back to Alter by December 11. 

A note from Mr. Willits:I just got a call from a father from a family that was helped via our Giving Tree gift collection a number of years ago.  He shared that he never will forget the Christmas that our Alter family provided to his family in that year of hardship, he said that he has been blessed that his life has turned around and wanted to give back.  He asked if he could come up to school the first week of December to pick some of the gift ornaments off the tree and bring back presents to deliver to another family.

This is truly a season of giving!

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The Knight Times

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ALTER’S FIRST

Grandparents Day

The Knight Times

alter NEWS

CARING FOR OTHERS, FINDING CURE, ALL PART OF UNITY CAUSE

ALTER COMPLETES UNIVERSAL 1 UNITY IN COMMUNITY CAMPAIGN

KETTERING, Ohio - Helping save lives through blood donations… searching for a cure for cancer… improving lives in the Kettering community. All these causes came together Friday, Nov. 20 at Archbishop Alter High School’s Unity in the Community Blood Drive.

The former “Kettering Challenge Blood Drive” between rivals Alter and Fairmont High School is now part of the “Unity in the Community” campaign partnership with Community Blood Center (CBC) and Universal 1 Credit Union.

The rivals are no longer trying to outdo each other in blood donations. Instead, Universal 1 Credit Union awards $500 to each school for hosting a blood drive. The schools will combine the awards and present a $1,000 donation to charity at the Dec. 22 Alter-Fairmont basketball game.

The Alter High School blood drive also has a new student sponsor organization. The newly formed CURE club (Cancer, Understanding, Remembering, Everyone) is a cancer research advocacy and support group. Members helped recruit donors and volunteered Friday with check-in and the Donor Café.

Friday’s blood drive was supported by 63 donors, including 35 first-time donors, resulting in 57 blood donations. The combined Alter-Fairmont Unity in the Community Blood Drive total is now 351 donors, 145 first-time donors, and 303 donations.

“My grandfather lived nine more years because of people who donated blood,” said Alter senior Sydney Bailey, who made her third lifetime donation Friday. “He died last year, and I still do it for people who need blood. I’m happy we’re doing this. It’s really cool. I’m glad I’m a part of that.”

Fairmont held its Unity in the Community blood drive on Oct. 30. The schools will alternate naming a charity to receive the $1,000 award from Universal 1 Credit Union. As host of the Dec. 22 basketball game, Fairmont chose this year’s recipient. The award will go to the “Community Summer Food Program” sponsored by Partners for Healthy Youth in Kettering.

The former “Kettering Challenge” blood drive on July 10 served as a kick-off to the Unity in the Community campaign. Many students donated at the summer blood drive, and again at their school blood drives this fall. “I think it’s a great thing,” said Alter blood drive coordinator and school nurse Jeanne Kernan. “This is the third step in our Unity campaign. It’s a positive thing Alter can do, and it doesn’t have to be a competition.”

Kernan was also impressed by the CURE club’s volunteer work as blood drive sponsors. Club president Sarah Miozzi is one of several club members who have a family member battling cancer. They were motivated to form the club when a classmate had to quit the Alter dance team when her mother was diagnosed with cancer.

“She had to put her life on hold because of her mom,” said Sarah. “We wanted to do this for Alter support, not just in our school, but outside in the community. It’s students showing they want to be the ones to help.”

Learn more at www.GivingBlood.org

CARING FOR OTHERS, FINDING CURE, ALL PART OF UNITY CAUSE

ALTER COMPLETES UNIVERSAL 1 UNITY IN COMMUNITY CAMPAIGN

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Thanks to the support and generosity of our parents, staff and students, Alter’s Key Club continues to thrive each month thanks to the service and generosity of its members and the Alter community. This school year Key Club members have participated in over 30 projects while contributing more than 2,000 service hours to those in need.

Most recently, the Key Club’s annual Turkey Drive was completed. For the past 45 years Alter has collected money for turkeys to give to local food pantries. This year’s Turkey Drive ran from November 5 to November 12. The Key Club’s goal this year was to raise $7,000. Each day generous amounts of money were donated by students, parents and faculty/staff. Thanks to everyone’s help, the Key Club collected $6,200. This money will buy about 500 turkeys which will be delivered to four area pantries including Catholic Social Services and Saint James. Approximately 3,500 canned goods will be collected from dress down day donations and the Dare To Care canned food drive. The Turkeys and canned goods will be delivered on Monday, November 23rd with the help of Dave Reeves to four Dayton area food pantries so that needy families can have a great Thanksgiving meal.

Thank you to all students, staff and parents who have donated money, time and service to Key Club!

Anna Lechleiter (Key Club Officer)

key club news

“The Peanuts Movie” director Steve Mar-

tino and Jerry Schmitz, author of “The Art and Making of The Peanuts Movie” are both Alter

High School grads. They are shown here

with Charlie Brown and Snoopy. Photographed for the Dayton Daily

News at the Charles M. Schulz Museum in Santa

Rosa, California.

Photo courtesy of 20th Century Fox.

THE TAYLOR LABWe will be emphasizing  the following for second semester

in addition to the regular activities: If parents have any questions they can reach me at tom.kokenge @alterhs.org

 Grade               Lab Opportunities    9th                       Resume Building    10th                    OCIS ( Inventory Survey)    11th                    College Process ( Selecting & Visiting Colleges)    12th                    External Scholarships

The Knight Times

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BIOTECHNOLOGY

AP BIOLOGY TO BLSFive AP Biology students went

to Bishop Leibold on November 20th to assist the 6th graders of

Mrs. Hallinan’s classes on Gram Staining. The Bishop Leibold

students had grown their own bacteria and mold from various

surfaces around the school (YUCK!) and were able to make their own microscope slide of a stained bacterial colony from their petri dishes. The Gram Stain was done so the

students could see the bacterial cells that were in the colony and were either purple or pink depending on which

type of cell wall the bacteria had. AP Biology students were impressed with how well the Bishop Leibold students listened and used the microscropes. On the same visit, our wonderful AP Biology students also helped Mrs. Hallinan’s 7th graders extract DNA from strawberries. !00% success! All students successfully extracted the strawberry’s DNA

and were able to see what a lot of DNA looks like without a microscope. All of the students were able to tell us that under a microscope, DNA would look like a twisted ladder.

Nice job!

STEM TALKSThree excited STEM Talks have taken place to far in the Fall of 2015 at Alter. Mr. Steve Butler (PE) shared his knowledge of autocad and how it is used by civil engineers to design the grading of a site so that it doesn’t flood. Mr. Mike Ryan stopped in on October 27th to educate our students destined for medical careers about the current fight against cancer and how the therapy drugs are becoming more and more specific to the type of cancer. More recently, Brad Doudican (Ph.D, PE) talked to our future engineers about skyscrapers and the extensive team of professionals that were needed to complete the building of the One World Trade Center. Future STEM Talks are planned to continue to expand the vision of our students.

Pictured is of Brad Doudican, Ph.D, PE He is the founder and president of Advantic, which is a local company that creates a new polymer which simulates concrete’s strength, but is lighter.

Future STEM Talks are planned to continue to expand the vision of our students. Check out Alter’s homepage and click on Academics. Under Academics, a link for the STEM Talks will be present. Or go straight to the STEM Talks page at https://alterhs.org/calendar/category/stem-talks/photo/

Alter High School students were invited to attend Dr. Lamb’s presentation “Top Biotechnology Discoveries and Applications of 2015” at the Kettering College. Dr. Neil Lamb is the VP

of Educational Outreach of the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology in Huntsville, Alabama. Along with the Kettering College’s own students, three Alter students listened to Dr. Lamb share the most recent updates in genetic research. This included top techniques such as gene therapy for temporary treatments of cystic fibrosis and some types of blindness; gene editing, which allowed for RNA polymerase to snip out the mutation and replace it with the correct nucleotide (COOL!); and genetic modification to save the orange trees in Florida. Tony Dagher, Brian Ostendorf and Kat Popp were the motivated AP Biology students that attended, expanded their knowledge of the biotechnology field and were prompted to think about what possibilities are out there for them.

The Knight Times

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Alter’s Horse Club made some sugar cookies and decorated them at their last meeting. These cookies were left on the steps to surprise and brighten the day of the Goodwill workers at the intersection of State Route 725 and Wilmington Pike.

horse club The Dottie Yeck Good Life Award Writing ContestCongratulations to Caleb Thomas, a freshman in Mr. Imber’s class, for your honorable mention award. The contest had a record year with 442 essays received. This was the 10th year for the contest.

STEM SATURDAYOn November 7th, University of Dayton’s Educational Outreach and Wright Patterson Air Force Base’s Educational Outreach (called Wizards of Wright) shared their knowledge of Material Science, Aerodynamics, Structural Engineering and

Bioengineering with local 5th – 8th graders at this free event held at Alter.  Some students chose to build structures out of various materials and tested which design held up during a hail storm, wind storm and rain storm.  Others had to design and test their design that helped to pull a sock on without their hands touching the sock.  Another option that students could have chosen was to learn about hot and cold materials and why some materials are better insulator than others.  These students were able to freeze a marshmellow with liquid nitrogen and then eat the marshmellow sucker. 

It was an amazing morning of motivated and inquiring students!  In the Spring, another STEM event will be planned at Alter.

The Knight Times

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a glimpse at november

Fall Turnabout Fall Turnabout Fall Turnabout

Pep Rally

Freshmen Bowling Mixer

Art History: The Scream

Freshmen Bowling Mixer Creative Arts: Movie Makeup

Pep Rally

Open HouseOpen House: Student Ambassadors Open House

The Knight Times

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fall sports recap

CROSS COUNTRY - BOYSTwo members competed at the USATF Cross Country Junior Olympics - Mike Duplain, 6th

place and Sam Fehringer, 7th place.

CROSS COUNTRY - GIRLSGCL Champs/District Champs/Finished 4th

at the State meet. Abby Nichols – Division II State Champion!

FOOTBALLQualified for the State playoffs for the

15th  year in a row!

GOLF - BOYSThe team defeated rival Oakwood this

season.

GOLF - GIRLSQualified for the State tournament and

finished in the top 10.

SOCCER - BOYSGCL Champs/District Champs. Beat rival

Carroll during the regular season

SOCCER - GIRLSThe girls tied an incredible game with rival

Centerville this season!

TENNIS - GIRLSAmanda Showalter qualified for the State

tennis tournament for the 3rd year in a row

VOLLEYBALL - GIRLSThank you for a great season! Emily Willits was named Honorable Mention All State.

The Knight Times

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CROSS COUNTRY

congrats coach!

Congrats to Hall of Fame Coach, Bob “WIZ” Ellis, on being named the 2015 D2 Coach of the Year in

the State of Ohio.

Congratulations to Abby Nichols, the 2015 DII Cross Country STATECHAMPION. In a time of 18.05.4, Abby beat out Mary Kate Vaughn of Oakwood by 0:00.2!!

Abby knocked off more than 40 seconds from her 8th place finish in last years Championship.

Other Knights finishing at STATE were Perri Bockrath - 14th (18:56.4), Maria Grilliot - 50th (19:37.3) Abby Bishop - 69th (20:04.7) Tiffany Ward - 101st (20:50.6) Kate Bockrath

- 109th (21:05.9) and Tess Harnett 135th (22:48.7)

The team placed 4th overall at STATE!congratulations!

Haley Combs signed her letter of intent to play basketball at Northern Kentucky University.

COLLEGE SIGNINGS

Claire Golba signed her letter of intent to swim at Tulane University.

Abby Nichols signed her letter of intent to run at

The Ohio State University.

Claire Schuermann signed her letter of intent to dive at

Auburn University.

The Knight Times

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ALTER HOCKEYGirls Basketball: Dayton Daily News Preview

Alter gears up for unbeaten encore

Posted: 1:41 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19, 2015By Marc F. Pendleton – Staff Writer

Area teams swept three of the four girls high school basketball state cham-pionships last season. Alter (30-0) capped an incredible two-season run by winning the Division II title. Versailles (26-4) reasserted itself as a D-III power as did Fort Loramie (26-4) in D-IV.

All three defending state champs were hard hit by graduation losses and will carry well-earned big targets this season.

“Last year was something you don’t even dream about,” said Alter co-head coach Chris Hart, in her 22nd season with the Knights and who shares coach-ing duties with Kendal Peck (18 seasons). “To have been a part of it, honestly, was a privilege.”

The girls basketball season opens today throughout the area. The boys are one week behind and begin their regular season Nov. 27.

Alter suffered its only loss of the 2013-14 season in the D-II state final. That set the stage for last season’s determined drive, which ended with a 57-42 defeat to Toledo Rogers in the state final. The Knights are 59-1 over the last two seasons, but gone are four-year starters Maddie Bazelak and Emma Bockrath, both of whom surpassed 1,000 career points.

But there’s plenty for the Knights to build around. That begins with junior guard Braxtin Miller (10.0 points, 3.4 rebounds), a 6-footer who drew recruit-ing attention even before she enrolled at Alter. Junior Libby Bazelak (7.1, 5.1), Maddie’s sister, was a lock-down defender. Senior Hayley Combs (7.7, 3.8) is a 6-1 force in the middle.

Alter graduated just four seniors off that title team – including Jocelyn Meyer and Lauren Ashurst — and went deep into its roster during most games.

“As one coach told me earlier this fall, ‘People would die to have what you have coming back,’ “ Hart said. “We sure did lose a lot. You don’t lose 2,000 points and not feel it. All four of those kids meant so much to the program and especially the run we’ve had the last two (seasons). It’ll take us some time to develop who we are now. We have different pieces. Once we figure that out, we’ll be OK.”

Alter opens the season at Cincinnati Mother of Mercy.

Just as last season, D-II is loaded with quality teams, especially in the Central Buckeye Conference. Tippecanoe (27-1) lost only to Alter in the regional final and returns 5-10 senior Carly Clodfelter (15.5 points) who signed with Wright State University last week. Kenton Ridge (22-5) has a high-scoring returning combo in senior Sydney Bates (19.5) and junior Jamari McDavid (18.9).

girls BASKETBALL

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE

WINTER SPORTS SCHEDULES!

November has seen the Knight’s Hockey Team off to a great start to the 2015-16 season beginning with a fun day of service helping the Columbus Special Needs Hockey Team hone their skills. The Knights posted a tie against

Thomas Worthington after their first scrimmage, and wins against Beavercreek, Anthony Wayne,

and Toledo Whitmer. Thanksgiving weekend has the Knights in a tournament hosted by

Talawanda at the Goggin Ice Center at Miami University. Come support your Knights at their

December games at South Metro Ice Rink: FRI 12/4 at 740, SUN 12/6 at 1230, FRI 12/11 at 740, SAT 12/19 at 3, and FRI 12/18 at the

Kettering Rec Center at 1010 PM.

The Knight Times

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It’s an exciting time for the Music Department!Todd TuckerDirector of Bands

alter conservatory for the arts

November was a busy month for the Marching Knights competing in two Bands of America events. The band traveled to San Antonio Texas to compete in the San Antonio Super Regional. The Marching Knights placed 2nd in the Class A division competing with over 60 bands from across the Texas region. The band was the only band from Ohio in the competition and had a great time competing in the Texas band community. We were welcomed and loved by all! Students and staff toured the Alamo, Tower of the Americas, Riverwalk, Sixth Flags and participated in mass in Arkansas. The band and Lancerettes also competed in the prestigious BOA Grand National competition held in Indianapolis IN. Competing with over 90 of the best bands in the

country is an experience the students and staff are thankful for and will never forget! Thanks to everyone who made these trips and amazing memories possible.

4th Straight MSBA Class A Championship

BOA Nationals At the Alamo!

Huge CONGRATULATIONS to the Alter Marching Knights and Lancerettes for accomplishing a feat no other band in MSBA history has done. The AMK and Lancerettes captured their 4th straight MSBA Class A Grand Championship in a row at Norwood High School on Nov. 9th. This would not have been possible without the support from our amazing directors, staff, parents and administration. The Alter Marching Knights would like to thank everyone that has played a role in the achievement--the parents who helped with fundraising, every person that has bought a raffle ticket, attended the fundraisers at Carvers, Meal Sponsors, Mulch buyers, Pie buyers, Poster sponsors, Friends and Family sponsors, Crowd Funding donations and every volunteer that has helped to ensure our program and kids are assured the best possible experience. A huge thank you to FJM and Dayton Freight because without the expertise, mentoring, friendship and supplies from these companies none of this would be possible.

Auditions for the Alter Winter Guard were held on Nov. 18th. Congratulations to the following:

Catherine Bryan, Madi Brewster, Kate Grilliot, Melanie Grilliot, Maddie Hale, Emily Hare, Savannah Leichty, Maggey Mangold, Carli Mann, Sarah Portman, Morgan Schneider, Sumika Stansbury, and Ashley Waker.

The Alter Wind Ensemble and feeder school students will perform a Christmas concert on Dec. 6th at 3pm. All our welcome to enjoy a wonderful afternoon of delightful Christmas music!

Sign ups for ensembles in the music department are currently taking place. Please sign up in the band room by Tuesday Nov. 24th for Jazz Ensemble, Percussion Ensemble, Alter Indoor Performance Ensemble, and Pep Band.

Students interested in OMEA Solo and Ensemble Festival, sign ups are also on the band room door. This is an excellent opportunity to learn and grow as an individual musician.

The Alter Marching Knights wish everyone a Blessed and Happy Thanksgiving!

The Knight Times

alter ACTIVITIES page 17

alter conservatory for the artsOn Friday, November 20th, Miller’s Babies hosted the Second Annual Theater Sports/Improv Competition. Eight teams from area schools like West Carrollton (Room for

What: Alter’s Second Theater Sports-Improv Competition

Improv games will be fueled by audience suggestion—so bring your quick wit!

Who: Open to all schools!

Where: Alter High School, 940 East David Road, Kettering, OH

When: Friday, November 20th

Show begins at 7:30 PM-Teams must arrive by 7:00 PM

All high school students are invited to form teams of 3-6 members. Schools may enter more than one team, but space is limited to the first ten teams to register by emailing

audrey.miller@alterhs.org with your school name, team name, the individual team members’ names, and their grades. Each team is guaranteed to compete in one round of improv games.

Competing teams will be evaluated by the amount of change donated to their team bucket after the round. The heaviest buckets will be the teams who advance to the next round. The final winners will be determined by audience vote. All money raised will be donated to charity in

memory of Sydney Breyer. Be sure to bring a team, your fans, and heavy change!

There is no fee for competing teams and their advisors. If you come to watch the show, the cost of admission is $5 per person.

Why: It’s FUN! Last year’s show was an outstanding success with teams participating from five different schools. We are looking forward to having talented, local students compete and show

their creativity and outspokenness! Do you have what it takes?

Teams MUST RSVP by November 10th!

Improvment and All’s Fine that Ends Green), CJ (My Mom Thinks We Are Funny and Mission Improvable), Fairmont (She’s Only In It For The Diversity and KCT Unscripted), and Alter (Brown Italian Beef and Not a Chance) performed to about two hundred guests. After the first round of gut busting competition, audience members placed coins in the buckets of the teams they wanted to move on to round two. These coins were donated to the charity To Write Love On Her Arms in the name of 2015 Alter alumnae, Sydney Breyer. Teams that went on to Round Two were All’s Fine That Ends Green (WC), My Mom Thinks We Are Funny (CJ), She’s Only In It For The Diversity (Fairmont), Brown Italian Beef (Alter), and Mission Improvable (CJ). From there, teams competed for audience vote and the top three moved into the final round where She’s Only In It For the Diversity got third place, Brown Italian Beef got second place, and CJ’s Mission Improvable won. A great time was had by the audience and $623.78 was raised for a great cause. Together we came together and gave change to make a change. As a result, after this competition everyone was the winner.

Photos by Allie Godfrey

Vincent Leone gets Brown Bagged during a skit.

Miller’s Babies perform the opening skit

Runner Up: Brown Italian Beef-Dan Brown, Vincent Leone, Angus

Crowley.

Not a Chance: Peyton Kocevar, Brendan Lynch, Julia Querol, Alyssa

Fasoli, & Andrew Bidwell.

WHAT: Alter’s first Lip Sync BattleWHEN: Saturday, December 5th

WHO: You! (You can enter as a solo, duo, or group)HOW: Send an email to Mrs. Sears (megan.sears@alterhs.org) by

Wednesday, November 23rd with the members in your act, as well as two song choices. Once you commit to performing on the 5th, you will

receive more information about the night. WHY: Because it’s hilarious!

Questions or concerns contact Mrs. Sears @ megan.sears@alterhs.org

creative arts clubhalloween makeup

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WHAT: Aida

WHAT TO PREPARE: Prepare a minute long musical theatre song selection of your choice OR prepare one of the chosen audition cuts from the director. You can pick up this audition cut in Room 404 (neither have to be memorized, but are encouraged) You will also be required to attend the dance call the day of your audition. Please bring clothes you can move in for the dance portion.

WHERE: SIGN-UPS AND AUDITION FORMS are located in Room 404 (make sure you bring your completed form the day of your audition)

AUDITIONS: Room 404 on Monday, December 7th and Tuesday, December 8th 3:30-6:00

CALLBACKS: Room 404 on Thursday, December 10th 6:30-9:30

SHOW DATES: March 17th- 20th 2016

WHAT IS THE SHOW ABOUT? The triumphant love story between an Egyptian prince and a slave transcends warring nations and brings a country together. Winner of four 2000 TONY Awards, Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida is an epic tale of love, loyalty and betrayal chronicling the love triangle between Aida, a Nubian princess stolen from her country, Amneris, an Egyptian princess, and Radames, the soldier they both love. An enslaved Nubian princess, Aida, finds her heart entangled with Radames, an Egyptian soldier who is betrothed to the Pharaoh’s daughter, Amneris. As their forbidden love blossoms, Aida is forced to weigh her heart against the responsibility she faces as leader of her people. Aida and Radames’s love for one another becomes a shining example of true devotion that ultimately transcends the vast cultural differences between their warring nations, heralding a time of unprecedented peace and prosperity.

WHO ARE THE CHARACTERS?Amneris A beautiful and materialistic Egyptian Princess who is the betrothed of Captain Radames. Daughter of the Pharaoh.

Radames An Egyptian Captain and the son of Zoser. A strong, handsome, adventurous soldier who falls in love with Aida.

Aida A beautiful, brave Nubian Princess who is loyal to her people but is torn between her heritage and love for an Egyptian Captain. Daughter of King Amonasro.

Mereb A young Nubian slave and servant to Radames. He is faithful to his Nubian heritage and befriends Aida upon her arrival to Egypt.

Zoser The manipulative and evil Chief Minister hungry for power. He attempts to poison the Pharaoh and is father to Radames.

Pharaoh The Leader of Egypt and father to Amneris. An older, distinguished gentleman.

Nehebka A Nubian slave who is friendly with Aida. She creates a robe for the Nubian Princess.

Amonasro An honorable and peaceful man who is imprisoned by Egypt. The King of Nubia and father to Aida.

Ensemble Ministers, Soldiers, Egyptian Men, Palace Women, Nubians, Guards, Dancers

QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS CONTACT MRS. SEARS at megan.sears@alterhs.org

spring musical auditions announced

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Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday1APPLICATION & FACTS DEADLINE

Shadow Day

2Fashion Club 3pm

3 4 5 6

7 8Shadow Day

STEM Talk: 7:30amDr. Hale MD

ALL SCHOOL MASS 10AM

Booster Christmas Party

9NHS – New Member meeting 7:20am

College Financial Aid Night 7pm

10Key Club 7:30am

11Senior Class Announcement Order Day

12 13

14EXAMS

8am-NOON

15EXAMS

8am-NOON

16EXAMS

8am-NOON

17EXAMS

8am-NOON

18End of 2nd Quarter NO SCHOOL

Possible Snow day Exam Make Up day

19 20

21CHRISTMAS

BREAK

22CHRISTMAS

BREAK

23CHRISTMAS

BREAK

24CHRISTMAS

BREAK

25CHRISTMAS

BREAK

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

26 27

28CHRISTMAS

BREAK

29CHRISTMAS

BREAK

30CHRISTMAS

BREAK

31CHRISTMAS

BREAK

1CHRISTMAS

BREAK

2 3

December 2015

back to school: january 4, 2016

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August:13 Teacher/Staff Professional Development Day17 Teacher Work Day18 Freshman First Day – No bus service19 First Day of School/ Opening All School Mass26 Meet the Teacher

September4-7 Alterfest Weekend7 Labor Day – No School14 Possible No School – Student Alterfest Day16 Mass22-25 Kairos- 1st Retreat

October2 Homecoming Football game3 Homecoming Dance4-5 Junior Retreat7 Respect for Life Mass12-16 Blackout Week15-18 Fall Play Weekend18-19 Junior Retreat (revised 3/26/15)16 End of 1st Quarter29 Parent Conferences, No School, 12-8:00pm30 Possible No School – Teacher Alterfest Day

November2 Mass15 Open House (1-4:00pm)21 High School Placement Test24 Mass25-29 Thanksgiving Break

December1 Application Deadline1-4 Kairos – 2nd Retreat6-7 Junior Retreat7-11 Blackout Week8 Mass14 First Semester Exam – Noon Dismissal15 First Semester Exam – Noon Dismissal16 First Semester Exam – Noon Dismissal17 First Semester Exam – Noon Dismissal18 Possible Snow day Exam Make Up day & End of 2nd Quarter / NO SCHOOL19-January 3th, 2016 Christmas Break – NO SCHOOL

January4 Return to School6 Mass10-11 Junior retreat18 Martin Luther King Day – NO SCHOOL19 Scholarship Deadline21 Knights of Excellence Dinner21-23 March for Life23 Alter’s Got Talent24-29 Catholic Schools Week26 Mass26-29 Kairos – 3rd Retreat

February3 Registration Day (in the past 3-7:00pm) possible 2:00pm dismissal10 Ash Wednesday / Mass15 President’s Day – NO SCHOOL18 Upperclassman Scheduling 5-7:00pm23 Freshman Scheduling – 4-7:00pm24 Sophomore Retreat26 Alter Fish Fry

March11 End of the 3rd Quarter15-18 Kairos -4th Retreat17-20 Spring Musical24 Prayer Service25 Good Friday – NO SCHOOL26-April 3, 2016 – Easter Break

April4 Return to School15-20 Senior Washington DC Trip28 Academic Banquet

May7 Prom9-13 Blackout Week11 Mass16-19 Senior Exams20 Senior Awards/Baccalaureate21 Senior Graduation23 Second Semester Exam – Noon Dismissal24 Second Semester Exam – Noon Dismissal25 Second Semester Exam – Noon Dismissal26 Second Semester Exam – Noon Dismissal Last Day of School27 End of the 4th Quarter/ Teacher Work Day – NO SCHOOL

ARCHBISHOP ALTER HIGH SCHOOL

2015 – 2016 CALENDAR

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alter INFORMATION