May 2010

Jay Conroy, Principal Principal's notes, ■ An invitation ■ "Choices" for 10th graders ■ Dance guidelines Dear Parents, An invitation — At Marist our Mission statement sets the path for all we do and are about. It states: “Marist Catholic High School — A welcoming, Christ-centered community committed to academic excellence and to preparing students for a life of service, leadership, integrity and compassion. Open to all who seek the challenge.” The students, parents, staff, administration and board of directors of Marist High extend to you a special invitation to our Annual Auction celebration, Saturday, May 15, and heartily thank you for your support — your prayers, your volunteer work and your financial support. Thriving Catholic high schools across the nation know full well that they succeed only with the help of supporters who recognize the critical mission and huge value of the quality community and educational experience offered to students. Those schools average 20-23% of their annual operating budget coming from development efforts like auctions, annual fund drives and support from alumni and friends. Marist is aiming to earn that level of support, a substantial increase from recent years’ levels of 5-8%. Those dollars will truly make Marist more “open to all who seek the challenge” by providing tuition support and will raise teacher and staff pay to more equitable levels with their counterparts in the local community. A special thanks this year to our new Development Office staff: Tom Simon, our Development Director, and the team of volunteers headed up by Julie and Jerry Harper. They have taken on the challenge of creating a wonderful Auction evening on a budget built mainly on hard work and inspiration. The evening is truly a witness to our community and to the huge value we place on supporting our students. Thank you for being part of our special night, your donations, your volunteer work efforts and your prayers. We look forward to seeing you there for a great evening on behalf of kids. “Choices” for 10th graders — This past week, the 26th and 27th of April, our sophomores spent a day off campus to attend a special program designed to help them do some more growing up. The Choices program is facilitated by Julie Ferrari, Campus Ministry Office, Chad Depaoli (Theology Department) and Chase Wells (Health and Physical Education Department) along with 12 seniors. The program takes a close look at the choices students will (or already have) face, especially in the area of sexual activity. I went with one half of our sophomore class and Rick Gardner, Assistant principal, the other. We were simply awed by the quality of leadership and sharing from our seniors. If you remember back to your 10th grade year, reflect on what it would mean to have a senior boy or girl share: the importance to them of maintaining chastity; the importance of communicating your personal boundaries and expectations (not in the heat of the moment, but at a time when cooler heads and important values can prevail); the tremendously sound set of positive choices and behaviors that these great role models had committed to during their high school days. We know no student is a “saint,” but it was so impressive to reflect on the impact these students’ sharing was likely to have on the minds and hearts of sophomores. Thank you to those seniors and their parents and personal role models. Dance Guidelines — We’ll be sending you, via a Constant Contact email, our revised guidelines for dances. These have been worked on by student leadership and staff during this school year and are aimed at helping students have a great time at dances while making sure those dances are safe and respectful for all. Please take a minute to review them with your student. Your support is greatly appreciated. Have a wonderful, sunny May! In faith, Jay Conroy, Principal back to top Students honored Congratulations to these students who were chosen by Marist Staff as deserving of special recognition for their contributions to our Marist community in academics, service and sports.   February Spartans of the Month Angela Bruni, '10 Laurie Campbell, '10 Erica Cross, '10 Austin Welt, '10   February Athletes of the Month Jeff Bedbury, '10: Basketball Mackey Dennis, '10: Basketball Andrina Kaupert, '10: Dance Mitchell Wilson, '10: Basketball   March Spartans of the Month Cassie Harrison, '11 Ryan Inouye, '11 Chelsea McConnell, '10 Haley Stewart, '10   March Athletes of the Month Alex Boyd, '10: Tennis Lauren Furrer, '10: Track & Field Emily Hacker, '10: Lacrosse Adam Nasalroad, '10: Track & Field   April Spartans of the Month Lindsey Ferreira, '10 Sarah Jamieson, '10 Nick MacKinnon, '10 Alice Rear, '10   April Athletes of the Month Bridgette Baker, '10: Lacrosse Jake Guckenburger, '10: Tennis Ashley Laing, '10: Tennis Dillon Oldham, '10: Lacrosse back to top Marist “Goes Country” on May 15th! TICKETS AVAILABLE Tables and tickets are still available for one of the finest parties yet - the 2010 Marist Auction on Saturday, May 15. Check out a sampling of the auction items. If you have not yet registered, you can do that now online. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED We also need volunteers - students, parents, alumni, staff, friends of Marist - for set-up, decorating, serving dinner, computer check-in and check-out, and cleanup. Your time becomes a great investment in the success of our school! Call the Development Office at 541-681-5470 or email MaristDevelopment@marisths.org to help make this year's Marist Gone Country Auction one of the best ever. AUCTION PACKAGE HIGHLIGHTS Live Auction Items Reclaimed Timberframe Tea House Alaskan Vacation Original Ink Sketch of Mac Court Olympic Club for Four Civil War Football Tickets & Tailgating Super Silent Auction Items Gold, pearl and diamond necklace Sunriver condo (4 days, 3 nights): Sleeps 6-8, with 2 master bedrooms and 1 bedroom with bunk beds Commemorative Harley Davidson 100th Anniversary collector's knife and customized display case with etched logo on glass Invisible Fence Brand Containment System: system includes up to 500 feet of installation, transmitter, computer collar, lightning protection, perfect start training program. System can be upgraded to a larger package or include indoor solutions. Weekend Getaway at Tu Tu' Tun Lodge in Gold Beach Antique Ship: Scale model replica of the Tudor ship "Mary Rose" (1509-1545). Package also includes in a customized glass case with a historical information booklet. Beach cabin weekend at Yachats: 2 bedrooms with 2 baths At the Marist Gone Country website, we'll tempt you with more items! Our Silent Auction "Wish List" needs your help! We still need your help even though our collection of Silent Auction items is growing nicely. With only 2 weeks left to catalog and assemble the packages, here's how you can help: 1) Deliver your finished baskets or individual items to the Marist office by April 30th or sooner! 2) Donate empty baskets, bowls, buckets, trays or containers that we could use to assemble packages that we already have. Please bring them to the office ASAP. 3) Stumped for the right item to donate? We have a more extensive Wish List on the website, or contact our Silent Auction Chairs, Molly Elder or Tina Auld. back to top

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Thanksgiving visitor

Biology teacher June Miller was leaving campus late in the day recently when she noticed this feathered visitor walking through the courtyard. Wild turkeys are common in certain areas of Eugene, but, Miller said, "This was a first for the Marist campus." "She looked very lonely," Miller joked. (Photo by Toni Cooper)

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Chris Deffenbacher, Registrar

News for AP students

Chris Deffenbacher, Marist's Registrar, strongly urges all AP students to "please review the AP exam schedule and note when and where you should report for your AP tests. Be sure you are on time; otherwise you may become ineligible to take the test."

She also said that students should "re-read the instructions on page 7 of your bulletin regarding the use of calculators. We will not have them available if you forget yours."

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Terrie Clemens, Administrative Assistant; Campus Ministry Assistant

Campus Ministry news

RETREAT TEAM and CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP CLASS SELECTIONS will be finalized this month. We expect to offer positions to students on Friday, May 7 after which they will be asked to make a final decision and return an acceptance notification. Selections are based on applications submitted, interviews, recommendations and the need to create a diverse team comprised of various strengths, skills and personalities. We thank those who have applied for next year.

For those sophomores not selected for the Retreat Team, we urge you to reapply next year when there will be more positions available to you. In the meantime, your desire to be involved in these two programs indicates your willingness to be of service. We encourage you to find other ways to be involved in the life of the school. If there are questions, please contact the Campus Ministry Office.

LITURGY: We welcome Fr. David Jaspers, Marist class of 1995, as the celebrant for our Founder’s Day Mass on Monday, May 3. We invite you to join us at 10:40 A.M. in the courtyard, weather permitting, for this important annual celebration.

CHRISTIAN SERVICE: Class of 2010 - Congratulations to all of our seniors (and their parents) for the completion of their service projects. The seniors spent over 6,000 hours in service to those most in need.

Class of 2011 - Thanks to each of our juniors for their initial 20 hours of local service. The remaining 30 hours must be completed by the beginning of senior year. Parents, please support your son/daughter in scheduling service opportunities this summer that will enable them to meet this graduation requirement.

Class of 2012 - The sophomores will soon be finalizing plans for their 50-hour core service project. They need to have their plan approved and their Agreement Form turned in by the end of this school year. Parents, please assist your sophomore in completing these tasks. Their Christian Service Manual will provide you with any information and instruction you may need.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

• Founder’s Day Mass - May 3 at 10:40 A.M. in the Marist Courtyard. Parents and Marist community members are welcome.
• Senior Farewell Mass - June 4 at 9:25 A.M. in the Main Gym. Parents and Marist community members are welcome to attend.
  

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Marist math skills on display at LCC

Marist took second place in Lane Community College's annual Math Skills Fair on April 14. Teams from South Eugene, Sheldon, Oak Hill, Willamette and Springfield High Schools competed in outdoor activities that included "Solving the Problem," "The Quiz," and "The Relay." Lauren Haga and Brooke Gemmell scored the highest on the written quiz for their level and will now compete at the state level at Portland Univerity next month. The Marist team, left to right: Megan Genovese, '11; Lauren Haga, '12; Carson Kiesewetter, '11; Steven Haga, '10; J.J. Cutsforth, '11; Dylan Karr, '12; Allie Sibole, '10; Brooke Gemmell, '13; Greg Ahn, '13; Hailey Winona, '13; Braden Bollinger, '13 (Photo by Amber Patterson)

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Tracy Muilenburg	Shari Pimental	Jerry Ragan

Counselors’ Corner

Seniors: May 1st is the traditional date for seniors to have made a commitment to the colleges/universities of their choice. We hope this has happened and most of you (parents and students) are happy to have that off your plate. Some of you may not have met the deadline but please don’t despair because we will try to help you as much as we can. Please call me at the Counseling Center with any questions.

Seniors should also have completed their the Class of 2010 Senior Survey on Naviance.  Failure to do so by May 1st will result in the loss of their free period until it is completed.

Juniors: Mrs. Muilenburg is now the counselor for all junior students.  She is in the process of meeting with all juniors to go over course selection, make sure they are on track for graduation, and begin the discussion about the college application process.  At this point, she has seen about a third of the junior class and plans to see all juniors by the end of the year.  Following this junior meeting, parents should receive an email which includes notes regarding what was discussed.

Juniors should be scheduling SAT or ACT exams this spring. Information about prep classes is available in the Counseling Center.

Summer is a great time for students to browse through Naviance to obtain information about colleges and universities, to take profile surveys, and to look at possible career pathways. Summer is also a great time to visit college campuses as part of a family trip or as an addition to an already scheduled vacation.

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Dance Team awarded state honor

At a special school assembly on April 28, the Marist Dance Team was awarded the 2010 Dairy Farmers of Oregon award for having the highest GPA of all the dance teams in the state. (Photo by Jared Lathon, '11)

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Jerry Ragan, MVP Moderator

Project Starfish continues toward its goal

Project Starfish, part of the work of our students in the Marist Volunteer Program (MVP), set the goal at the start of the 2009-2010 school year to raise $9000.00. The money will assist at least three families in their efforts to get into housing and gain economic security so that they may be stabilized in the community. As of April 30 the following has been raised:

You can help bring us closer to our goal by supporting the Coburg Road Papa’s Pizza Night (half of the proceeds go to our Project Starfish), encouraging your student to attend the dance on June 4, or by making a personal donation. Thanks for your support!

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Shari Pimental, Student Activities Director

Student activities updates

Congratulations to next year’s Student Council members: ASB President Chris Daniel; ASB Vice President Blaine Patrick Werner; ASB Treasurer Tierney Werner; ASB Public Relations Manager Michael Busse; ASB Advertising Manager Geoffrey Wildish

2011 Class Council Team: Zak Olson, Logan Silver, Krista Schor and Kyle Hubbard.

2012 Class Council Team: Max Diaz, Dylan Karr, Roman Stambaugh, Ryan Whalen and Jonathon Wildish.

2013 Class Council Team: Amelia Barker, Amanda Dion-Watson, Ben Fusek, Morgan Silver and Kenzie White.

Homegoing Week Celebration, "Around the School in 4 Days"

• June 1: Teacher look-a-like day
• June 2: Blaine Patrick Werner Nerd Day
• June 3: Spartan Toga Day - shorts and shirts must be worn under the toga and any type of weapon is not allowed.
• June 4: Class color day - Seniors, black; Juniors, lime-green; Sophomores, grey; Freshmen, yellow (wear your Lock-In shirt); Senior Farewell Mass; He-Man Volleyball at 3:30 P.M. in the Robert Furrer Activity Center; Powder Puff Football at 5:30 P.M. at Ed Hummel Field, Juniors vs. Seniors; Last Chance to Dance and karaoke with Mr. Matt from 8:30 P.M. to 11:30 P.M.; cost $4.00.

2010 Marist Catholic High School Dance Guidelines - The following guidelines apply to all Marist dances:

1. All school rules including dress code are in effect at dances.
2. Any changes pertaining to special dances will be announced.
3. Homecoming and Prom attire will be as follows:
   • Female students are allowed to wear strapless and /or spaghetti strap dresses.
   • Slits in dresses should only go as high as mid-thigh.
   • Exaggerated plunging necklines, bare midriff, see-through material in
     inappropriate areas, or extremely short hemlines are not allowed.
   • Male students must be in at least Mass Day attire.
   • Homecoming and Prom are semi-formal events. Therefore jeans, shorts, and sweats are not allowed.
4. Students will be required to sign out upon leaving the dance if they leave more than half an hour early.
5. "I understand that once I enter the dance, I am not permitted to leave and return to the dance."
6. Students bringing a guest must reserve a Guest Pass through the Main Office and file a Guest Pass Request Form with the Activities Director prior to the event.
7. All guests must be under 20, present identification for admission to the dance, and are expected to follow Marist Catholic High School regulations.
8. Students/Guests will demonstrate good character, maintain high community standards.
9. Students/Guests will respect and be courteous towards all students and chaperones.
10. Students/Guests will not engage in dangerous behavior (moshing, body surfing), lewd or other inappropriate behavior including dancing that may be construed as vulgar or provocative and will be required to dance FACING EACH OTHER.

Students/Guests violating these guidelines will:

1. Receive a verbal warning – first offense.
2. Asked to sit for 10 minutes – second offense.
3. Asked to leave the dance and parents notified – third offense.
4. Refunds will not be given to those who violate the dance guidelines.
5. Not be able to attend the next dance. The penalty carries over to the next academic year if the violation occurs at the last dance of the year.
   

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Can you be a host family for these students?

Ruoyu He Ying Xia Yumeng Yao Ziyao Guo Tianyi Wang

LuAnn Langford, the Eugene-Springfield International Coordinator for Global Perspectives for Youth, reminds everyone that Marist will have five new students from China this September. Each student is coming to Eugene to experience life as a member of the student body at Marist, and each will also need a loving family to host them for the year (late August 2010 until mid-June 2011).

The students will come to the United States with full medical coverage and a monthly allowance from their own family. Their American host families will receive a monthly stipend to assist with expenses. Additionally, each host family will receive support from Langford who will organize activities for the families and other students to network and socialize throughout the school year.

Ruoyu He, nicknamed Royal, is 14 years old, is living in Beijing and will be a sophomore at Marist this September. His parents describe him as an independent, curious and confident boy who is always trying to improve himself. He has taught himself how to fix many things and is especially good at repairing household appliances and computers. Because of his strong work ethic and dedication to success, he has won many awards in math and physics. Royal is very musically talented and plays the piano in a band that he organized for his school. He is concerned with the less fortunate and worked hard selling newspapers to earn money, which he then donated towards children’s charities. In the last five years he has traveled to America, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Thailand. Royal enjoys English music and films and can communicate freely in English. His goals are to study computer science in one of the top universities in America, make many new friends here and be helpful to others. Royal is very excited to begin his new life in America.

Ying Xia, from Wuhan, China, will be 17 years old when she arrives in Eugene to attend Marist this Fall. Her chosen English name is Helen. She is currently participating in a 10-month exchange program in Sandston, Virginia. Helen has an outgoing personality and she gets along well with her classmates and teachers. She describes herself as compliant, polite and hard working. At the age of seven, Helen’s grandmother began to teach her to play the piano and even now remains her greatest encourager. Her grandmother is the person that she admires the most and she is very grateful for her influence. Helen is now an accomplished piano player and enjoys performing for other people. She also likes drawing and writing, and has won prizes for them at her school. Reading is another of her interests. For sports, Helen loves playing badminton and basketball. Her teachers say she is a good student who is kind, cooperative and modest. Helen hopes to gain confidence and independence through her experience at Marist.

Yumeng Yao, also from Wuhan, is 16 years old. She is currently participating in a 10-month exchange program in Zillah, Washington. She will be a junior at Marist High School in Fall 2010. Her teachers say that she is fond of learning, an active girl and the one who always makes her teachers and classmates happy because of her pleasant personality. A talented girl with many interests, Yumeng loves painting, playing the piano, singing and playing basketball. She also enjoys Japanese cartoons and is good at drawing cartoon heroes. She was the president of the cartoon club in her school in China. Yumeng describes herself as outgoing, interesting, kind and playful. Her English name is “Polaris,” a name that she chose because like the North Star shining in the sky and showing people direction, she hopes that she can do her best to help other people. Polaris is eager to also help her new American host family understand more about Chinese culture, history and lifestyle during her time in Eugene.

Ziyao Guo, from Beijing, nicknamed “Kam,” will be 16 years old when he arrives in Eugene this fall to study as a sophomore. He would like to be involved in many activities in America, and is especially looking forward to the chance to play basketball for the school team! His teachers describe him as an honest, smart, outgoing boy who has a good sense of humor and is easy to communicate with. He is a good student who earns top grades and participates fully in his classes. Kam says that his strength is in never giving up in all that he does. He is interested in protecting the environment and helping people in the community. Kam was recently a volunteer English teacher at a primary school where the students and teachers appreciated his enthusiastic personality in the classroom and his confidence with his speaking skills. Kam’s new host family will learn first-hand about China as he shares his life and culture with them.

Tianyi Wang is a 16-year-old student who will be a sophomore at Marist this fall. He currently attends boarding school where he is active in organizing sports and activities for his class. He is the top student in his entire grade who earns straight A grades, excelling in all subjects but especially shining in math and science. Tianyi is happy to do community service and looks forward to contributing to Marist and the city of Eugene. He is interested in reading books, playing the saxophone, drawing and watching movies. He is the leading player on his school’s basketball team and his teacher says that he is the sports idol to many students. He hopes to be able to play basketball for Marist next year!

Tianyi greatly admires one of his past teachers, Ms. Long. Through her words and actions she demonstrated to him the importance of being a person of high moral character, honest and brave above all else. She also advised him to study diligently and he is very grateful for her guidance. Tianyi’s teachers describe his English reading, writing and understanding as excellent. He is outgoing, responsible, energetic, nice, popular, has good organizational skills and “sports star style.” He is humorous and often brings much fun to his classroom.

If you are interested in being a host family for any one of these exceptional young people, or would like to nominate another loving and caring family for hosting, please contact LuAnn Langford at 541-517-5915 or email at luannlangford@gpyinternational.org.

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