Principal’s Preface Hello, Mercy family members! Summertime is

coming to an end soon and school bells will again ring. Set your sights on a new school year, a new Principal, and chances of a lifetime!

My name is Tina Villa. I am the new Principal at Our Lady of Mercy School. Although new to the role of Principal, I have been a Mercy teacher and Assistant Principal for the last 13 years. What a great place to be! Through my years at Mercy, I have witnessed much. . . Fun Walks, fairs, Mobile Mining, field trips, concerts, feasts, liturgies, Munchie Mondays, sporting events, Living Rosaries, team players, Award‟s Nights, Grandparent‟s Day, plays, TEAM Mercy fly-over, Christian Life Awards, special teachers come and go, Cartoon Man, United Nations, Muffins with Moms, Living Stations, math tournaments, volunteers, liturgical dances, song, praise, and Jesus in and among us. We have been so many “places” and have so many more to go.

As part of this wonderful Mercy family for 13 years, I feel like I know so many of you. For those of you who I don‟t know, I look forward to meeting you. Following is a snippet from “The Life and Times of Tina Bergeron Villa.” Small town, USA . . . Morgan City, Louisiana, born to Larry and Evelyn Bergeron on October 7, 1963, Tina was the second of four children. She attended Sacred Heart Elementary across the street from her house. Educators at Sacred Heart included a mixture of lay teachers and nuns. Living across the street from school, the family was involved, to say the least. “There were nuns who stood over my shoulders to watch me eat my peas!” (I have a hard time eating peas even today.) Tina was destined to be a teacher from 2nd grade on through the loving guidance of Sr. Rita. “The love, devotion, joy and commitment to education enriched my desire to disseminate wisdom to other little „2nd graders.” Since about 1970, a teacher is all I ever wanted to be. It was my dream and desire. If you ask my family . . . they will say I am a teacher 24 hours a day.

Years ago my mentor, Carolyn Guidry saw something in me and helped bring it to the surface. I have watched a great leader place Mercy in a strong academic and spiritual position in the Baton Rouge area. With the help of staff, family and students I hope to continue enriching Our Lady of Mercy‟s strong standing in our community in God‟s name.

The MERCY Momentum Prayer Knowledge Service

SUMMER, 2009 Volume 13, Issue 3

400 Marquette Avenue Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70806 225-924-1054 Fax 225-923-2201

Nineteen of the forty-seven Our Lady of Mercy School seventh graders who were invited to participate in the 2008-09 Duke University Talent Identification Program, have received ACT/SAT scores which qualified them for state and national recognition at Duke sponsored recogni-tion ceremonies.

Students who qualified for state recognition and re-ceived invitations to the state ceremony were: Thomas Barfield, Max Eysink, Ivy Hamilton, Grant Hardy, Eve Heit-man, Marianne Konikoff, Andreé Laville, Collin Lindrew, Claire Miller, Daniel Murray, Joshua Nguyen, Joy Roberts, Amber Elise Robillard, Elizabeth Rumfola, Parker Say, McKenzie Schexnayder, Jack Toups, Molly Toups, and Dy-lan Zeringue. In addition to their qualification for state recognition, Thomas Barfield and Marianne Konikoff quali-fied for national recognition and received invitations for the Grand Ceremony which was held in May, 2009 at the Duke University Campus.

Front: Dylan Zeringue, Collin Lindrew, Andreé Laville, McKenzie Schexnayder, Ivy Hamilton, Jack Toups, and Caro-lyn Guidry. Middle: Joshua Nguyen, Daniel Murray, Elizabeth Rumfola, Molly Toups, Claire Miller, Joy Roberts, Amber Elise Robil-lard, Grant Hardy. Back: Max Eysink, Thomas Barfield, Marianne Konikoff, Eve Heitman. (Not pictured: Parker Say)

Duke TIP State and National Recognition

2009 National Educational Technology Conference By Kirsten Steintrager

Administrators and faculty members from several area Catholic Schools attended the 2009 National Educa-tional Computing Conference (NECC) sponsored by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) in Washington, DC June 28 to July 1. Attending from Our Lady of Mercy School were, Christina Babin, Josh and Rachelle Berkley, André Cardinale, Ginger Lively, Susan McKinley, and Kirsten Steintrager.

For almost three decades, this annual conference has been a premier forum for learning, exchanging, and sur-veying the field of educational technology. It features hands-on workshops, lecture-format and interactive con-current sessions, discussions with key industry leaders, and the largest educational technology exhibit in the na-tion. The conference was kicked off by opening keynote speaker, Malcolm Gladwell, British-born Canadian jour-nalist, author, and pop sociologist best known for his books, The Tipping Point (2000), Blink (2005), and Out-liers (2008). Gladwell delivered his unique perspective on the ways that intentional practice today influences expert-development of the future. The workshops at-tended covered topics such as web 2.0 tools, podcasting, blogging and other tips, tricks and tools to enhance teaching and learning while engaging and exciting stu-dents. Alan November and Leslie Fisher were two of the favorite presenters. Leslie, a long time NECC presenter, is a “gadget freak” and showed participants some of her favorite hardware and software gadgets. Alan November is an international leader in technology education who uses his humor and wit to push the boundaries of how to

improve teaching and learning. His session was about how authentic assignments that solve problems and build global connections can help students prepare for the re-alities of our globally competitive “flat" world. In addi-tion, participants had opportunities to win a variety of things. Two attendees from Our Lady of Mercy won soft-ware programs worth a combined total of $9,000, and another won a Flip Video and a Blackberry cell phone. All participants hope to be able to attend next year‟s conference which will be held in Denver, and cannot wait to share what they learned with co-workers and students as they return to school for the 2009-2010 school year.

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Some attendees from the NECC pictured at our nation’s Capitol are Barbara Hathorn and Cathie May from St. George Catholic School, and Kirsten Steintrager, Ginger Lively, Christina Babin, and Susan McKinley from Our Lady

of Mercy Catholic School.

On May 27th, Our Lady of Mercy School, using Title II funds, hosted a seminar titled, “Getting the Most Out of Your Accelerated Reader Program.” Renaissance Learn-ing Consultant, Judy Cox was the presenter and teachers from Our Lady of Mercy, St. Thomas More, St. Jean Vian-ney, Most Blessed Sacrament, and Sacred Heart attended. Accelerated Reader is a computer-based assessment and progress monitoring software that provides personalized practice and continuous feedback on student‟s reading practice. Participants learned how best to use the pro-gram by setting goals that accelerate learning and how to link instruction and practice. Kirsten Steintrager, Our Lady of Mercy‟s librarian and organizer of the 6 hour seminar, said that the program was so successful many participants asked if the presenter could return for fu-

ture presentations.

OLOM Hosts Accelerated Reader Seminar

2009-10 T.A.S.T.E. of Mercy

Parents . . . Please be sure to join us for these important Back to School informa-tional presentations.

Sunday, August 9, 2009 1st – 6th grade – 1 PM

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

7th and 8th grade – 6:30 PM

School sweatshirts are available by order only. There will be a form available at the website, and forms will be sent home on the first day of school. Please note that the deadline is WEDNES-DAY, AUGUST 19, 2009, and that shirts are or-dered only once a year. Questions? Please call 225-927-2341.

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Core Knowledge Sequence at Our Lady of Mercy School

The Core Knowledge Sequence is a detailed outline of specific content to be taught in language arts, history, geography, mathematics, science, and the fine arts. As the core of a school‟s curriculum, it can provide a solid, coherent foundation of learning, while allowing flexibility to meet local needs. The Sequence offers a coherent plan that builds year by year and helps prevent repeti-tions and gaps in instruction. Currently, the Core Knowl-edge Sequence is being used at all grade levels at Our Lady of Mercy School for the Social Studies and Science curriculums.

Sequencing of topics by grade level gives students a background that allows them to arrive at the next grade level with knowledge of studies that build upon concepts they already know. One example . . . that by the time one reaches fifth grade World History, learning would be based on prior knowledge of ancient Greece, ancient Rome, and the Middle Ages.

During the 2008-09 school year, first grade students studied ancient Greece, and put into action some of the lessons learned as they welcomed the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. Third grade students studied the details of ancient Rome, and during an all-day event, trans-formed the school‟s playground into a setting modeling the streets of ancient Rome. With the help of teachers and numerous parent volunteers, students experienced a day enriched with activities that brought to life ancient Roman culture. The students visited different stations during the event, and had the opportunity to be outfitted in togas, make wreaths for their heads, play marbles, enjoy a Roman feast, and participate in chariot races using chariots constructed from boxes.

In fourth grade, students also enjoyed their study of the Middle Ages, with an all day event that culminated

studies at this grade level. The fourth grade courtyard (complete with a “student sized” catapult) became a recreational area for games and activities common during the Middle Ages. Knights, ladies, and even court jesters filled the area as students played checkers, and con-structed items such as hats and masks to complete their traditional dress. Spectators observed as knights battled with lances they created from cardboard paper rolls.

Such activities require much preparation from the teachers of these classes, and although it is a lot of hard work, the enthusiasm for learning is passed from teachers to students as they are challenged to learn the subject matter. The preparation also fosters unity among teach-ers and families as they work together to make such creative events possible for the students.

During their studies of the Middle Ages, fourth grade dam-sels put the finishing touches on their artwork.

2009 Spring Band and Choir Concert

Our Lady of Mercy School’s Band and Choir presented the annual Spring Concert on April 30, 2009. It was a full house and audience members enjoyed a wonderful performance by these talented musicians. The band under the direction of Felix Daw-son, and the choir under the direction of Deanna Yablonsky, both had a very successful year. See page 8 of this newsletter to read about some of the great achievements and highlights from the 2008-09 school year.

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On May 1, 2009, Our Lady of Mercy School students, fac-ulty, staff, and par-ents, bid a fond fare-well to retiring princi-pal, Mrs. Carolyn Guidry. Declared “CG Day”, events for the day unfolded to honor Mrs. Guidry, principal of the school since 1995.

The events for the day were a surprise to Mrs. Guidry, who thought the day was planned to offer her a leisurely breakfast, and a day “duty free”. The day began at Our Lady of Mercy Church with the an-nual May Crowning,

where she was escorted by her grandson, rising eighth grader, Seth Spinner. A morning of pampering was fol-lowed by a reception in Mrs. Guidry‟s honor. The recep-tion was attended by many special guests who were on hand to wish Mrs. Guidry well, and thank her for her ser-vice to Our Lady of Mercy School. Special family guests included her husband, Kirk Guidry, daughter, Jill Guidry, and grandson, Seth Spinner. Family guests who traveled to join her for this day, included her brother, Joe Ehrhardt, and cousin, Sis Ortego. Members of past and present school, parish, and athletic boards, as well as current and retired teachers, gathered for the reception held in the school‟s library.

An afternoon assembly, filled with unique presenta-tions, began with Superintendent of Catholic Schools, Sr. Mary Michaeline Green, O.P., making a special presenta-tion to Mrs. Guidry. After words on her behalf, school stu-dents from each grade level presented gifts, songs, po-ems, and entertainment in honor of their beloved princi-pal. The presentations culminated with a video recapping some memorable highlights of Mrs. Guidry‟s 14 years at Our Lady of Mercy School. The assembly concluded with an emotional farewell from Mrs. Guidry as she thanked everyone for their special contributions to the day, as well as for the love and friendship she has experienced during her time at the school. As of July 1, 2009, Mrs. Guidry became Director of Ministries/Development for Our Lady of Mercy Church. All at Our Lady of Mercy School wish Mrs. Guidry the best in her new endeavors, and gratefully thank her for her many years of faithful

service to the school.

Special Day to Honor Our Lady of Mercy School Principal

Mrs. Guidry enjoys an entertaining presentation by the school choir and Blue Jay mascot, during an assembly in her honor on May 1, 2009.

With the help of Assistant Principal, Tina Villa, students Mia Germany, Cullen Clebert, Reid Schroder, and Mason Acosta, present a unique piece of artwork designed by the kindergar-ten students, to Mrs. Guidry.

Carolyn Guidry receives a plaque from Superintendant of Catholic Schools, Sr. Mary Michaeline, Green, O.P.

Mrs. Guidry (center) pictured with family members, Sis Or-tego, Kirk Guidry, Joe Ehrhardt, and Jill Guidry.

Our Last time to enter the church as a class. Congratulations and best wishes for success to the Class of 2009!

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Congratulations to the Our Lady of Mercy 8th Grade Class of 2009

Brette Adams, Hunter Baudier, Barrett Beam, Kelsi Bergeron, John Michael Bourg, Christian Brown, Arianna Campesi, Clair Chapman, Abby Chesson, Ashley Cook, Caroline Cordell, Corinne Covington, Patrick Cunningham, Tyler Davidson, Carson Day, David Doiron, Lucas Dove, Christopher Dufour, Nathaniel Fabre, Aaron Finley, Jake Forshag, Natalie Gar-cia, Ali Gibby, Abby Grant, Evan Graves, Justin Guitreau, Ashton Guyton, Alex Hebert, Matthew Herrera, Heather Hig-gins, Jonathan Hoffmann, Haile Holloway, Alec Hudson, Patrick Isacks, Madeleine Jeansonne, George Jeha, Bria John-son, Jeffrey Jones, Hailey Katzman, Anne Kellerman, Emily Krzystowczyk, Mary LaHaye, Amanda Lally, Kim-Nam Le, Taylor Lemoine, Emily Lewis, Alex May, Madie McFarland, Alan Melder, Grace Mikesell, Hanna Mikesell, Emily Mitchell, Brian Monic, Madeline Olinde, Steven Orr, Genna Paine, Jaime Parker, Annie Peek, Jean Pittman, Elise Richard, Ellen Richard, Hayes Robert, George Roberts, Phillip Rodman, Kaitlyn Rothkamm, Zach Schmidt, Ryan Shore, Tré Simmons, Sophia Spano, Annie Suydam, Avery Thibodeaux, Anne Marie Trepovicht, Patrick Van Duzee, Alex Venable, Colleen Ver-rett, Caroline Vinning, Adam Vo, Evan Wampold, Meredith Williams, Cassidy Woods, and Allie Young.

Wishing all of you much success in high school!!

Highest Academic Achievement awards were presented on Awards Night to: Arianna Campesi, Kaitlyn Rothkamm, Abby Grant, Jonathan Hoffmann, Hayes Robert, Taylor Lemoine, Emily Krzytowczyk, and Allie Young.

Here’s a group that’s ready to get to church for the Gradua-tion ceremony!

Madeleine Jeansonne and Nathaniel Fabre were chosen for the honor of crowning the Blessed Mother during the 2009 May Crowning ceremony.

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OLOM Students of the Year

Congratulations to Our Lady of Mercy‟s Students of the Year, Claire Cordell (5th grade), and Abby Grant (8th grade). Each year, Our Lady of Mercy School, in conjunc-tion with the Catholic Schools Office for the Dio-cese of Baton Rouge, selects its Students of the Year. One student is selected from the 5th grade class, and one student is selected from the 8th grade class. These students then compete against other 5th and 8th graders in the area at the Diocesan level. To be nomi-nated and ulti-mately chosen to be Student of the Year is quite an

honor. Candidates for Student of the Year must, by their actions, exemplify our school‟s motto of Prayer-Knowledge-Service. In doing this, candidates are screened for their academic endeavors, their involvement in their school and in the community, their involvement with their church, and the leadership they have shown at school and elsewhere.

Congratulations to these two students on their out-standing work, and a thank you for representing Our Lady of Mercy School.

Student Spotlights

Our Lady of Mercy School is proud of our students' many accomplishments! With a student body the size of Our Lady of Mercy's, it should be no surprise that activi-ties and interests after hours and outside of the school hallways are almost as varied as the number of students. The lives of our students are filled with various achieve-ments and experiences related to hobbies, interests, and talents.

Be sure to check out the new "Student Spot-lights" located under the STUDENTS tab on the school‟s

website at: www.olomschool.org. Here you will find some of our students featured as they participate in various activities. As space and editing permits, we would like to share their news with the school community. Please send your "after school" news item by e-mail to: mbuz-bee@olomschool.org.

To follow you will find some of the news we have fea-tured as of the date of this publication:

Please join us in congratulating Mercy’s very own Tylor Row for her outstanding performance in the USATF Jun-ior Olympic Regionals held this past weekend in Nash-ville. Tylor competed in the Youth Girls Division for Ba-ton Rouge’s United Southern Express Track Club. She has now qualified for the USATF National Junior Olympic Championships in Greensboro, NC at the end of this month. Way to go Tylor!!!!

Her incredible results from her multiple events for your

quick review.

1. 100 Meter Dash - 8th 2. 200 Meter Dash - 9th 3. 100 Meter Hurdles - 1st 4. Outdoor Pentathlon - 2nd overall, which con-sists of the following events:

· 100 M Hurdles - 2nd · Shot Put - 4th · High Jump - 3rd · Long Jump - 1st · 800 M Run - 1st

If you want to read more about Tylor’s track club, go to http://www.eteamz.com/usexpresstc/

Congratulations to fourth grade tennis player Sola Akin-niyi, who has advanced to the 2009 Jr. Olympic Skills Na-tional Finals!! Sola placed 1st in three Jr. Olympics Skills competitions over the summer. She has advanced to the Jr. Olympics in San Diego, California, to be held July 23-26. Sola and one parent will be travelling on an all ex-penses paid trip, and in addition will receive tennis shoes and two shirts. Keep Sola in your prayers and best of luck to her during this competition. Photos from the event will follow later in the summer! Read the press release published 7/13/09 by clicking on the link below.

http://teamusa.org/news/article/14259

The National Finals Competition will be streamed LIVE on www.TeamUSA.org on July 24. The day's action can be tracked by following "JrOlympicSkills" on

www.twitter.com.

In March 2009, Lorenzo Casso participated in a large na-tional Karate tournament in Houston, Texas. The tourna-ment was sponsored by Chuck Norris's Kickstart program. Chuck Norris was actually present for the finals on Satur-day night, when Lorenzo won 1st place in his division for Traditional Forms! What awesome news! Keep us posted Lorenzo.

8th Grade - Abby Grant

5th Grade - Claire Cordell

Pictured at the 2009 Our Lady of Mercy Auction are Christina Kruithof, Becky Bourg, Carolyn Guidry, Allison Traxler, chairperson, and Fr. Miles Walsh. Special thanks to all who worked so hard to ensure that this was in fact “The Hottest Ticket in Town”. Great night, great fun, GREAT success!!

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Fifth grader Michaela Mitchell starts her day as “Principal” with morning announcements. Guided by Ms. Villa, one of Michaela’s first duties was very successful. “Principal for the Day”, is a popular item offered at the annual OLOM Auc-tion.

Spring and End of Year Activities Keep Things Busy!

It’s all smiles on the last day for Pre-Kindergarten students. This group takes a break from their walk to the gym for the Pre-K End of the Year Program. Students entertained par-ents, grandparents, and friends on this special day, during a program created to showcase the students’ beautiful voices.

Chef Philippe Parola visited first graders to demonstrate how to make chocolate mousse. Students and teachers en-joyed the presentation as well as the finished product. What a way to sweeten the afternoon as the school year comes to a close.

OLOM Early Childhood Curriculum Fosters

Healthy Brain Development

Did you know that young children‟s brains are “wired” to learn? Before birth, the brain produces trillions of connec-tions between the brain cells. During the first five years of life, children‟s experiences nurture these connections.

Research suggests that children learn best through hands-on interactions with adults, children and materials. In the

Developmentally Appropriate environment of OLOM‟s ECC classrooms, teachers intentionally choose materials and ac-

tivities that provide meaningful, rich and stimulating experiences for each child‟s mind, body and spirit – all of which

provide for healthy brain development.

The MERCY Momentum is published by the Our Lady of Mercy School Development Office. Story ideas, Student or Alumni news, OLOM sports updates, or address changes should be sent to: 400 Marquette Avenue, Baton Rouge, LA 70806 (Attention: Mari Buzbee) Information can also be sent by e-mail to: mbuzbee@olomschool.org

The MERCY Momentum Our Lady of Mercy School 400 Marquette Avenue Baton Rouge, LA 70806

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Take a Closer Look at 2008-09 School Year

2008-09 DUKE TIP 7th Grade: 48 recipients; 18 quali-fied for state recognition, 2 nationally recognized.

2008-09 DUKE TIP 4th Grade: 30 recipients

48 National Beta Club Invitations issued.

Beta Club District Rally: Poster Contest, 1st place; Quiz Bowl, 3rd place; Math, 4th place, Group Talent, 2nd place.

Elementary and Middle School All State Honor Choir: 5th grade, 8 students; 6th grade, 7 students; Middle School, 2 students.

District Choir Competition: Superior ratings in per-formance and sight-reading; received Sweepstakes Trophy.

Honor Bands: Catholic High School, 6 students; EBR Parish Honor Jazz Band, 2 students; EBR Parish Middle School Honor Band, 2 students.

Youth Legislature: Lt. Governor, House and Senate officers, 23 Hall of Fame Inductions, 7 bills passed into law.

Creative Communications 2009 Accepted Poets List included: 6th grade - 10 poets; 8th grade - 9 poets.

Math tournament participation at Catholic High School, Redemptorist High School, and Saint Joseph‟s Academy, resulted in the following in different catego-ries: 12 - 1st place; 10 - 2nd place; 8 - 3rd place; 8 - 4th place; 7 - 5th place; 6 - 6th place, and 18 Honor-able Mentions.

Social Studies Regional Fair: 8 - 1st place; 2 - 2nd place; 3 - 3rd place.

Social Studies State Fair: 1 - 1st place; 1 - 2nd place; 3 - 3rd place.

Science Regional Fair: 1 - 1st place; 3 - 2nd place; received the Navy Award and the BR Society of Ameri-can Women Engineers Award.

Diocesan Quiz Bowl - 3rd place (7th-8th)

5th-8th grade presented: The Wizard of Oz

1st Place American Chemical Society Poster Contest

Participated in the Current Events Rally sponsored by The Advocate.

7th / 8th Science teacher, Nessie Galliano was a pre-senter at the National Science Teachers Association Convention in March, 2009.