NDCL President Leads Opening Prayer For U.S. House Of RepsSister…

May 16, 2013

NDCL President Leads Opening Prayer For U.S. House Of Reps
Sister Jacquelyn Gusdane, SND, president of Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin School, led the opening prayer for the May 9 session of the House of Representatives in Washington, D.C. Sister Jacquelyn is first nun in 10 years to deliver opening prayers.
Sister Jacquelyn spoke as part of the Guest Chaplain Program, where members of Congress invite religious personnel from their districts to deliver prayers on the House of Representatives floor. She was appointed as the House of Representative’s guest chaplain for the day at the request of Congressman David P. Joyce, a good friend of NDCL and the father of Trenton ’10, Keighle ’12 and Bridey ’13.
Following her prayer, Representative Joyce thanked and applauded Sister Jacquelyn for leading a life of service.
“Sister Jacquelyn is the model of grace, compassion and humility and I feel very lucky to have had three children under her watch,” said Joyce.
College Scholarships, Grants
At Monday evening’s Senior Honors Ceremony, Principal Joseph A. Waler announced that the members of the Class of 2013 have been offered more than $13 million in scholarships and grants over the next four years from colleges and universities across the country.
“The scholarships offered to our seniors demonstrate that their hard work and the hard work of our teachers and counselors over the past four years really do make a difference. These generous and well-deserved awards open doors of opportunity for our graduates in college and beyond,” Mr. Waler said.
“Sometimes people ask, ‘Is paying for an NDCL education worth it?’ I tell them to look into our students’ hope-filled, eager eyes. See the goodness that comes from their faith-filled, caring hearts. And, yes, check out their college scholarship award letters. You bet it’s worth it — every penny!” Mr. Waler stressed.
Monday’s ceremony recognized dozens of seniors for their scholastic and other accomplishments over the past four years. The evening’s program, which includes a listing of all awards, are on the school website.
Tribe Reporters For The Day
Sophomore Alicia Perovsek and senior Michael Somrak enjoyed the unique opportunity of being “Tribe Reporters for a Day” on May 8 at Progressive Field. Alicia and Michael were two of only 25 high school students selected by the Indians to participate in the annual program.
“It was a great day,” Mike said. “I really enjoyed learning about the whole process and getting to see what happens first hand. It truly reinforced my interest in pursuing a career in broadcast journalism.”
Somrak has been accepted into The Scripps College of Communication at Ohio University. He plans to major in broadcast journalism.
El Salvador Mission Thanks NDCL Spanish Students
Community Oscar Arnulfo Romero (COAR) in Zaragoza, El Salvador, recently sent a letter of gratitude to Spanish teacher Sheilah Morgan and her students for translating letters from El Salvadoran children to their English-speaking benefactors.
“The work of your students allows sponsors to know and support the COAR children and saves them from a life on the streets,” wrote COAT Executive Director Mary K. Stevenson. “We could never maintain this program without your students help.”
Founded by missionaries of the Cleveland Diocese in 1980, COAR provides education and foster care to hundreds of children as well as medical, dental and pharmaceutical services to the entire Zaragoza community.
Ovations Awarded
In a ceremony at the Chardon Theater on the Square on May 6, NDCL’s production of Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” garnered four Ovations awards from the Geauga Lyric Theater Guild and the Geauga Council for Arts and Culture.
Seniors Julian Wilson and Michael Somrak won the Outstanding Achievement in Acting Award for their great performances as Cogsworth (Wilson) and LeFou (Somrak). The entire cast received the Outstanding Achievement in Music for their showstopping number “Be Our Guest.” The stage crew and cast were honored with the Outstanding Technical Achievement Award for their efficient use of the three-sided columns under the direction of Mr. Derek Green.
Thanks to the fantastic choreography of Mrs. Rosie Gellot and Miss Rebecca Gellot, the cast also received the Outstanding Achievement in Choreography Award for “Be Our Guest,” “Gaston” and “Wolves.”
Performing Arts Department chairperson Shirley Ivancic Stall directed the production.
Business Students Have a Plan
NDCL business students are adding entrepreneurship to their resumes. This semester, 25 seniors in Mrs. Nancy Vondrak’s Business in the 21st Century class competed in a business plan contest sponsored by the Scholarship for Entrepreneurial Engagement (SEE) program.
Three business professionals, who are also entrepreneurs and friends of NDCL, judged their plans. The judging panel included Mrs. Terri Cain, owner, Lake Business Products and mother of Shireen ’13 and Alex ’15; Jennifer Liebenauer Cavolo ’01, product manager, Progressive Insurance; and Scott Phillips, Jr. ’01, entrepreneur and president, New Homes Group of Keller Williams Realty.
Congratulations to the 11 seniors who placed in the contest. Maddie Chandler and Kim Saluan placed third for their product, “The Fashion Friend,” a wardrobe organizing app. Meghan Anderson, Mariah Salloum and Alex Zbiegien placed second with their variation of a heated ice cream scoop.
Matt Baldassarre, Mike Boehm, Dom Natale and Tom Somrack also came in second place with their mattress product, The Cooltress. Finishing in first place were Anthony Radosky and Ashley Selers for creating SuperBass wireless earphones.
Anthony and Ashley will now compete against other high school students in northeastern Ohio for cash prizes in SEE’s regional competition. The regional prizewinners will be announced at an awards program on May 23.