April 3, 2013

 

Happy Easter

I hope that everyone is having a Happy Easter season!  Activities are picking up as the weather warms and year end celebrations of accomplishments begin!

Language Honor Society Inductions

 

On Thursday, March 21^st the first ever French National Honor Society Induction took place here at Mercy High School.  That same evening we also inducted students into the Spanish National Honor Society.  It was a wonderful evening celebrating the hard work of our students and the benefits of language study.

Thank you to Mr. Rob Hunt and Mrs. Patty Labella for all their hard work in preparing for the ceremonies.

 

Discover Mercy

 

What a great day we had on Saturday, March 23^rd as a number of 5^th – 7^th graders visited Mercy with their parents to begin their high school search.  We had a number of teachers and students volunteer to offer fun activities to these potential Mercy girls such as tie-dying, robotics, and dance team moves!

 

SCC Scholar Leaders

 

It is the beginning of awards season for our Seniors as we begin to attend a number of events honoring outstanding students from the class of 2013.

Congratulations go to Samantha Formica and Meghan Nelson as they received the Southern Connecticut Conference Scholar Leader Award at a dinner on March 25^th. 

We also congratulate Ki’Yonta Stevenson and Vicki Scott who were honored at the Connecticut Association of Schools Fine Arts Dinner on April 1^st.

We are so fortunate to have such outstanding young women at Mercy High School!

 

Mercy Field Trips!

 

We can learn many things from our work in the classroom, but it is also quite beneficial to participate in events away from school.  We had two groups take day trips on March 26^th and come back having learned a great deal!

Here is a picture of the Spanish 3 Honors class that traveled to New York City with Mrs. Larson to see  the play “Don Quijote” and eat at a local Spanish restaurant.  I hear both the play and the food were superb

The same day, Mrs. Curello and Mrs. Ermer brought students from the Business and Personal Finance class to Central Connecticut State University, where they participated in a “Financial Reality Fair”.  Here students took on roles as adults with particular jobs and incomes.  With those incomes, they were to find housing, transportation, food and entertainment.  The challenges of life come very quickly with this simulation of the real world!

 

Holy Days

 

One of the benefits of a Catholic education is the opportunities given for reflection and service.

In the area of service, our National Honor Society organized a project where all students brought candy to be placed in “Bunny Bundles” which were distributed to places like St. Elizabeth’s in Hartford, St. Vincent de Paul Place, Middletown,  Shepherd Home in Middletown and Mercy Housing and Shelter in Hartford.   Here is a picture of the NHS working on some of the 600 bunny bundles prepared for Easter!

 

On Holy Thursday our Peer Ministers, led by Campus Minister Ms. Derbacher, facilitated a Retreat Day with the Theme:  “If you really knew who I am”.   Students watched videos on stereotyping and discussions were held in advisor groups around the theme.  The day ended with a beautiful prayer service centered on the Last Words of Christ on the Cross.  Holy Thursday was quite a moving day for students and adults alike.

Upcoming Events:

 

-        Friday, April 5^th will find us at a Welcome Picnic for the Class of 2017.

 

-   I know it is hard to believe but our April vacation is fast approaching.  There will be no school on  Monday, April 15 to Friday, April 19.  Classes will resume on Monday, April 22^nd.

 

-   The spring sport season has begun!  We have a number of competitive teams that are beginning their team schedules including Golf, Lacrosse, Tennis, Softball, and Track. 

Take a look at the schedules and come support our Mercy Tigers!

http://www.mercyhigh.com/page/athletics-schedule

 

 

Be Well.

 

 

 

 

 

Principal’s Blog

March 20, 2013

What a Game!

We are still celebrating here at Mercy the incredible win of our State Championship Basketball team which occurred on Saturday evening!  If you haven’t yet seen the winning play, just take a look:

YouTube Footage of Game

On Monday the team was greeted by enthusiastic classmates as they returned with a police escort from the Middlesex Chamber of Commerce Breakfast.  You can see pictures at the Middletown Press website:

Middletown Press

What is wonderful is that we have many things to celebrate here at Mercy like the many events that follow!

 

Wadsworth Mansion

The Wadsworth Mansion property which adjoins ours is quite beautiful.  We had a number of our Mercy students volunteer there on Sunday, March 3^rd at their Friends of Long Hill Tea.  It was a beautiful day and event.

Tech Tigers Win Gracious Professionalism Award!

From Tea to Technology….Our winning TechTigers are now home after braving the weather and competing at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) for the FIRST Competition.  We were able to watch them compete online as teams made their robots throw Frisbees through targets and actually climb a pyramid structure!  When it was all done our team won one of the more prestigious awards of the weekend, the Gracious Professionalism Award.  This award highlights how a team presents itself and was helpful to others.  Congratulations Ladies and Thank you to the adult mentors who make it all possible!

 

Grease is the Word!

The same weekend that the TechTigers were in Worcester we were also performing the musical “Grease”!

What a great job done by cast, crew, musicians and directors!  I had been told that the Mercy/Xavier musical is always a treat to look forward to and now I can see why!

 

Senior Class Trip

Can you believe that the senior activities have begun?!  Our senior class spent the day in Boston on March 12 and really had a nice time.  Even though we had pouring rain in Middletown, they stayed dry and were able to enjoy all the sights they had planned. 

 

 

Upcoming Events:

 

 

·  The end of the Third Quarter is Wednesday, March 20.  Sr. Peggy will let you know when the report cards are ready to view.

·  The French and Spanish NHS Induction Ceremony will occur on Thursday, March 21st at 7:00 p.m.

·   On Saturday, March 23 we will be holding our Discover Mercy event for girls in grades 5, 6, and 7.  It promises to be a fun and informative day for all.

 
    ·  Sophomore Ring measurements are happening on March 26
         and 27 from 9:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

·         Reminder:

-   Thursday, March 28 is Holy Thursday and a student Retreat Day at Mercy.

 

-   Friday, March 29 is Good Friday and there will be NO SCHOOL.

 

• The Home and School Association is holding the Annual Education Raffle on May 16.  Click below for ticket information!  Raffle Ticket

•  Mercy will be holding a summer "Higher Achievement Program" for girls rising to 7th and 8th grade from July 8-19th with optional 3rd week July 22-26.  Click below for more information!  HAP Program

 

A School Calendar for 2013-14 can be found on the school website:  CALENDAR

 

 

May you have a Blessed Easter !

 

 

 

 

 

March 6, 2013

 

Is it Spring yet???

I don’t know about you, but I am ready for Spring to begin!  As I write this latest edition we seem to be waiting yet again to see if a storm will go out to sea.  If we all wish together at the same time, maybe we can give it a good push out! 

One sign that Spring is on the way is a reminder that we have a Daylight Savings clock change coming up this weekend on Sunday, March 10.   So remember “Spring Ahead!” 

We have had a number of our students traveling to participate in different activities and programs this past week.  They are taking advantage of great opportunities!

 

Spanish National Honor Society

On Wednesday, February 27^th members of our Spanish National Honor Society went to Hartford for lunch at a local Spanish restaurant, Costa del Sol.  From the pictures it looks like they had a wonderful time and enjoyed their cultural experience.

 

Yale Discovery to Cure Program
Five juniors traveled to Yale University on Friday with Ms. Sue Psoter to participate in the Yale Discovery to Cure program.  The program was established to “expose talented students from local high schools to Yale’s biomedical laboratories and open their minds to future career opportunities in science and medicine”.  The students who participated on Friday may have the opportunity to work as interns this summer through this program. 

Model UN
On Saturday, March 2^nd members of the Mercy Model UN traveled with the Xavier High School team to a conference at Boston College High School. 

The picture below shows members of both teams working in the Mercy library media center to prepare for their weekend conference. 

Commission on the Status of Women 57

On Sunday, March 3^rd, four Mercy students traveled to New York City to attend a Youth Orientation at St. Jean Baptiste High School to prepare for the 57^th Annual Commission on the Status of Women.  This meeting occurs each year at the United Nations and takes on a different theme each year focusing on the condition of women throughout the world.  This year’s theme is “Elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls”.

Our Mercy students met young women from around the globe who have traveled to participate in this annual conference.  They will travel to NYC again in order to participate in some of the meetings occurring around this topic. 

 

Second Quarter Honor Roll
While our young women have been actively participating in these various activities, they are also making sure that their work is getting done!  Congratulations to all our Honor Roll students in this second quarter!   Second Quarter Honor Roll

Upcoming Events:

·         Our Varsity Basketball team is doing a great job as they work toward the Class LL State title.  They will be playing E.O. Smith on Thursday, March 7 at 7:00 pm here at Mercy.  I know our Mercy Tiger will be there!

 

·         Mercy – Xavier Musical – March 8, 9 and 10

Our drama students have been working very hard to prepare for this year’s musical, Grease!     From what we are hearing at rehearsals, it promises to be an enjoyable evening for your   families. 

ClickHere for Grease Ticket Information

·         Our TechTigers are traveling to the Worcester Polytechnic Institute to compete in the FIRST competition this weekend, March 7 – 9.  There are rumors that the competition may be streamed live so visit the TechTiger website for updates!

 

·         Our Chamber Choir did such a great job singing the National Anthem for the UCONN women that they have been asked back to sing at the Big East Semifinal game on Monday, March 11.    Congratulations Ladies!

 

·         Course selection sheets and registration fee are due on Friday, March 8.

 

·         You may want to make note of the following dates:

-          March 21^st :  Spanish and French Honor Society 

             Inductions, 7:00 p.m.

-          March 23^rd:  Discover Mercy

-          March 28^th :  Retreat Day (also Holy Thursday)

-          March 29^th:   Good Friday, No Classes

-          April 8^th      :  NO FACULTY MEETING – Regular School

                                      Day*

* April vacation, scheduled for April 15 – 19, will remain intact.

 

Be well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

February 13, 2013

The Blizzard of 2013

Having grown up in the heart of the state of Maine, I am accustomed to a bit of snow during the winter months, but, I do have to say that my first winter in Connecticut has been quite impressive!  Forget the little 3 – 6 inch snowstorm, let’s go straight to 36 inches!

Here are two pictures of downtown Middletown on the Sunday after the storm!

 

While quite impressive, it can also be quite dangerous.  It has taken a number of days to make the roads safe to travel.  We are hoping to open for classes this week.  Please know you will receive another call/notification today to give you an update.

Now before the snow fell we were in the midst of a very busy few weeks!

 

Indoor Track & Field

On Friday, February 1^st members of our girls indoor track team competed in the SCC indoor track & field championships in New Haven.  I was quite proud of our girls as they cheered each other on in the various events and came in 8^th out of 18 overall.  Quite an accomplishment!  Congratulations ladies!

 

Mercy on Saturdays!

 Mercy High School isn’t active only during the regular school week!  One example would be Saturday, February 2^nd (the last Saturday before the BIG SNOW!)   We had students arriving for the first session of the SAT preparation course, the Tech Tigers were arriving as they are in their build season preparing for the FIRST robotic competition in Worcester, sports teams were arriving and our Mercy Dance Team was heading out to its first competition. 

Here’s a picture of some dance team members performing at the last home basketball game!

 

On that Saturday they came home with a Third Place Trophy in the Hip Hop category!  Congratulations!

To see their trophy click here:  TROPHY 

 

Mock Trial Team

The Mock Trial team did compete at Weston High School on Monday, February 4^th.  They did very well but did not advance.  You can read about their competition on the Mercy website:  Click here:
MOCK TRIAL

 

Rotary Student of the Month

Congratulations to Delia Ernst ’13 who was selected as the Rotary student of the month for February.  Click here to see picture and article:  ROTARY 

 

National School Counselors Week

This past week we celebrated National  School Counselors Week.  I  would like to take this opportunity to thank our school counselors for all the great work they do for our students at Mercy!  One example is the opportunity presented below.

Representatives from Rustic Pathways Student Travel visited to talk with interested students and faculty about service and adventure travel programs. They can zipline through the jungles of Costa Rica, ride horses across the plains of Mongolia, or teach English to underprivileged students in Thailand.

 

 

Basketball Last Home Game

The last regular season home game was played on Thursday, February 7.  It was a special night for the seniors and most especially Jordyn Nappi who scored her 1,000^th point!  Congratulations!  Here are some pictures from that night!

 

 

 

National Honor Society Blood Drive

 

I am quite proud of our National Honor Society and their sponsorship of the annual blood drive.  We had a number of students, faculty and staff donate or attempt to donate a pint of blood on Thursday, February 7.   Facilitating the donation of this gift of life is a great service to the community at large.  May this giving become a habit of a lifetime. 

 

Upcoming Events:

 

·   Due to the number of school days lost to the snow, Monday, February 25^th and Monday, March 11^th, previously scheduled as faculty NEASC work days will now be class days for students.  Please mark your calendars.

 

·   Given the amount of snow we received with the Blizzard of 2013 there are a number of activities which will need to be rescheduled.  One example is the Senior Valentine Dance.  As we have new dates for these activities, we will let you know.

 

·  A reminder to those who are planning on filing for financial aid.  Financial aid forms are due by March 1^st.  FACTSlink  

 

·  You can expect Progress Reports to be posted on February 27^th.  Sr. Peggy will send you notification once they are available for viewing.

 

·   Valentine’s Day:  This is a reminder that Mercy High School will not accept any deliveries of flowers, candy etc. on Valentine’s Day for any of our young women. 

 

·      Winter Break begins Monday, February 18 with classes resuming on Monday, February 25th.

 

 

Be Well.