Wit's End . . . notes from the principal

The topic, dear parents, is end of year. My target audience this month – parents of seniors! For all other parents, read along, because you’ll be there soon enough; until then, you can be a bit more relaxed than the rest of us. 

Here’s the mantra to get you through at least the next three weeks: It’s not going to be perfect. Say it with me now: It’s not going to be perfect. Come on, once more with feeling: It’s not going to be perfect. How simple it seems to give that advice, that warning to others, a statement of truth I’ve heard many times in my past. How difficult it is to apply that wisdom to the current reality. There are indeed countless activities facing us in the next few weeks. These activities, and more importantly the acts of preparation that precede many of them, loom large and gain a life of their own. I suggest that you embrace a perspective that may truly be life giving right now, a perspective that may enhance the moments of joy to come and diminish the headaches or heartaches. It’s not going to be perfect. 

A child is graduating, having completed her high school curriculum. She finalizes her course work, takes some final exams, and submits projects or papers for critique. In addition to those responsibilities, she participates in more than a few events: senior banquet, prom, baccalaureate Mass, Honors Convocation, moving up, graduation, all night party, and family parties, her own and those of countless friends, which consume every weekend in June and oftentimes extend well into the summer. Concurrently, many will attend orientation days at the college or university they’ve chosen. Take a breath. It’s not going to be perfect.

As I play a role in many of these activities, my approach, as a parent, is mine to monitor and control. I believe that the most productive, sane, and healthy thing for me to do in anticipation of each activity is to conjure up a clear vision of each specific situation and then promptly do the following – let go of the picture. You are horrified, no doubt, but this is my suggestion to each of you for everything that appears on your horizon for the next few weeks. Envision it – take a picture in your mind’s eye – and then, let go of the picture. Like me, you have seen each day ahead as you wish it to be, the sun shining, every detail executed correctly, a seamless event with no surprises.

Let go of the picture and instead, repeat your mantra once again: It’s not going to be perfect. Do not shed a tear. Do not harbor a moment of regret or sentimentality. It is not going to be perfect, but rather, it will be real. It will be human. It will be cause for celebration. The glitches, the unknowns, the unexpected adjustments . . . they will forge the memories that you are supposed to have, the memories that should be kept and lovingly stored after each glorious moment. In the grand design, what happens is supposed to happen, and I must not be so focused on the impossible perfection that I miss the imperfect wonder that will occur.

Be glad of heart. Accept what is flawed because, if for no other reason, you were privileged to be present at all. Cars will malfunction; information will be miscommunicated; names will be mispronounced. Nails will be broken; hair will flop; flowers will wilt and weather will change. People will appear unannounced, either early or late, and others, though expected, will not appear at all. None of it is going to be perfect, but it will be, after all, grand and loving and funny and unexpected.  

For myself, I choose to believe that whatever happens, much of it will create pictures far more beautiful than any of the ones I could have imagined – pictures I will hold and treasure for as long as I can.

Rest and rally and rest some more. All of it is a blessing. 

Sincerely,
Mrs. Carolyn Witte ~ Principal

Save the date for the new and improved Mothers Club Annual Mother Daughter Fashion Show and Boutique Sunday, October 26, 2008 at Shenandoah Country Club.

Dads Club

Eagle, birdie, or par - you're sure to have a golfing good time with your Mercy girl at the annual Dads and Daughters Golf Outing Wednesday, May 21st at Bay Pointe Golf Club in West Bloomfield. Deadline to register is this Friday, May 16. Don't miss out! CLICK HERE for all the event info and sign up sheet.

The grill will be hot and the dads will be cooking at the Dads Club Annual Picnic Tuesday, June 10 at 6:30pm. All new and current parents are invited to join us for food, fun, and refreshments.

Sweepstakes Success

Mercy is simply the TOPS! Yep, we outdid ourselves again by surpassing our goal and selling and then selling some more to reach over $153,000! THANKS to all of YOU, students, staff, and parents for your enthusiasm and support to benefit our school.

Check out these top sellers. Gillian Staudt '09 reigns as the top school seller for the second year in a row, selling a whopping 1,080 tickets; she is followed by Lauren Smith '09 who sold 170 tickets. Top class sellers were senior Danielle Cowper, junior Rachel Bellono, sophomore Samantha Saroki, and freshman Marilyn Ainsworth. The class of 2009 is the super selling class and will enjoy their day off, May 22nd!

Adviser groups worked together to be at the TOP! Mrs. Sill's group was the first to have 100% turn in and, along with Ms. Stirling's group, they were the first to have everyone turn in all 6 books to be out of uniform. Mr. Davenport's advisees will enjoy a lunch party for being the top selling group. Special recognition to top staff sellers Mrs. Kusch, Mrs. Ewald, Sr. Marianne, Sr. Regina, and Nadine Maynard.

THANK YOU to Maureen King, Kari Weber, and all the parent volunteers for taking time out of your days to coordinate, count, and organize. More THANK YOU's to the spirited sweepstakes student committee and Ms. Linskey for their outstanding energy. Wonder who will be the winner for the first drawing on June 5th?

Mercy Moment of the Month

Look who is teacher of the year!

Mercy congratulates Mrs. Colleen Rozman, the 2008 Teacher of the Year! Since graduating from Mercy in 1981, Mrs. Rozman has been a Mercy girl for many years. This is her 11th year at Mercy and she has taught Biology, Chemistry, and Psychology.

Students who nominated Mrs. Rozman noted that she is "easy to talk to, takes time to be sure students understand material, is enthusiastic in class, and always willing to lend a helping hand." We are proud to say Mrs. Rozman is one of our very best!

Golfing FORE Mercy

Grab your clubs and join Meg Mallon and 140 Mercy parents and friends to golf in the Mercy Meg Mallon Golf Outing on June 16th at Western Golf & Country Club. It's a great way to show your Mercy support and catch a fun day of golf at the same time.

CLICK HERE for all the golfing details or contact mallongolf@mhsmi.org.

Hola Class of 2012

On Friday, May 2, 125 members of the Class of 2012 celebrated an early cinco de mayo at the Freshwomen Fiesta. The evening of open gym, swim, games, face painting and pizza allowed Mercy's newest students to meet one another and their Mercy Mentor leaders prior to summer.

With students coming from about 70 different cities, the casual evening provided reassurance to girls that they will make new friends and establish lasting friendships! The donation of 200 moroccans from new mom Tina Lyles added to the fun and volume in the gym! Gracias to everyone who supported the Fiesta!

Student Successes  ~  APPLAUSE!  APPLAUSE!

Amanda C. Popiela '08 was selected as the winner of a Special Scholarship Automatic Data Processing, Inc. sponsored by the ADP Foundation in agreement with the National Merit Scholarship Foundation.

Let's hear it for Mercy's newly elected Student Council Officers for the 2008 - 09 school year! President Kristen Malloure '09, Vice President Danica Verderbar '09, Secretary Erin Keith '09, and Treasurer Karen Malloure '09.

Erica Parkinson '09 received the Timothy Award at an awards ceremony on April 27. The Timothy Award is given to youth who through their actions show visible signs of living Christ's message in their church, community, and school.

The Marlin Varsity Basketball team scored on the court and in the classroom, receiving top honors from the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan as one of the top 10 academic teams in the state.  

Congratulations to Elizabeth Allen '11 who will represent Mercy at the 2008 High School Competition at the Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center. Her piece will be on display at the BBAC through May 30.

Bravo to these Mercy students who won 2008 Detroit Free Press Writing Awards: Michelle Krasnesky '08 (Award of Excellence - Poetry); Mirabeth Braude '08, Krista Kulesa '08, and Kellyann Wargo '08 (Commendation - Poetry); Jessica Jary '09 and Alessi Nehr '09 (Commendation - Journalism Opinion Writing); Janine Semperger '08 and Liz Grden '08 (Honorable Mention - Journalism Opinion Writing).

Toni Rose Arceno '09 was selected as one of nine finalists out of 700 entries in the 2008 Albion College High School Poetry Contest for her poem "Sampaguita Jasmine."

Natasha Mason '09 and Samantha Horsell '09 will participate in Operation Bentley next month. Operation Bentley is a week long intensive academic program held at Albion College for high school juniors who have been selected to participate in a rigorous and rewarding study of local, state, and national politics.   

Lauren Follmer '09 and Karen Malloure '09 attended the Oakland Community College Civic Forum "The Sons and Daughters of Detroit's Civil Rights Leaders of the 1960's." Forum participants included Ken Cockrel Jr., Dr. Kim Logan-Nowlin, Conrad Mallet Jr., and Wade Harper McCree. 

The Farmington Youth Assistance Program hosted their 23rd Annual Youth Recognition Awards Breakfast on May 1 and honored these students for the exceptional service to our community. Laura Hansknecht '10, Karen Haubert '09, and Marissa Martz '09 volunteered well over 100 hours!

 The National Honor Society is proud to welcome these new inductees.

Toni Rose Arceno	Lauren Dubosh	Sophie Juncaj	Morgan McPartlin	Meghan Schneider
Christina Basso	Natalie Dulzo	Nicole Kajy	Alysa Miller	Alyssa Selasky
Reem Bata	Miranda Eliason	Chelsea Kassa	Jordan Mueller	Carly Sevald
Christina Bender	Victoria Facchini	Erin Keith	Kaitlin Myszkowski	Lauren T Smith
Mary Bender	Felicia Flowers	Destiny Kellam	Alessandra Nehr	Brittany Stallworth
Sarah Berger	Lauren Follmer	Shannon King	Maura Nicholson	Gillian Staudt
Christine Bilger	Eileen Fredendall	Julia Kowalski	Jennifer O'Neil	Ashley Terry
Allison Boatright	Emma Fricke	Tara Kristock	Ellen Panetta	Anna Vandecaveye
Stephanie Bodien	Sara Fritz	Victoria Lencione	Meghan Pappas	Danica Verderbar
Meaghan Borgelt	Grace Griffin	Deanna Lyght	Erica Parkinson	Mary Walle
Laura Bridges	Rebecca Guerriero	Patty Malaney	Alyssa Paul	Theresa Whalen
Kelly Cebula	Angela Haddad	Karen Malloure	Bianca Pompino	Emily Wilkins
Margaret Check	Tiffany Haddad	Kristen Malloure	Kiersten Popke	Caitlin Williams
Francesca Chiejina	Bridget Hickey	Maura Malone	Deidre Ratliff	Jackie Winterbottom
Carson Cueter	Samantha Horsell	Molly Malone	Hannah Redigan	Sarah Wojcik
Megan Devine	Jessica Jary	Kathryn Martel	Leah Reinhold	Allegra Wrocklage
Gabriella DiFiore	Kierstyn Jeffries	Jennifer Martin	Kelsey Risk	Kaitlin Zoina
Emily Dolan	Katie Jenereaux	Marissa Martz	Jillian Rozycki
Katherine Dougan	Aimee Jokinen	Natasha Mason	Vanessa Rychlinski

F H S

The French Honor Society held their annual awards and induction banquet last month welcoming 25 new members who recited the pledge en francais and were serenaded with the French National Anthem, "La Marseillaise." Outstanding seniors received prestigious awards from National and State Language Organizations. Theresa Broniak received the American Association of Teachers of French Outstanding High School Senior French Award and Medal of Excellence. Mirabeth Braude was honored with the Michigan Foreign Language Association Award for outstanding performance in French language study. The Northeast Conference Board of Directors Award for excellence in the study of the French language went to Jacquelynn Kittel. Certificate of Merit for excellence in French from the American Association of Teachers of French was given to Florianne Silvestri. 

Sisters of Mercy Form West Midwest Community

The Sisters of Mercy, Regional Community of Detroit, are beginning a new moment in history.  As of July 1, 2008 they will join the regional communities of Chicago (Illinois), Cedar Rapids (Iowa), Omaha (Nebraska), Auburn (California) and Burlingame (California) to become the West Midwest Community. Although the central administrative site will be in Omaha, the Detroit sisters will continue to live an active presence at the current ministries in their areas.

In response to today’s needs, the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas are reconfiguring 26 regional communities into six. Numbering 4,200 sisters, these communities form the Institute of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, with offices in Silver Springs, Maryland.  Although the American institute comprises the largest group of Sisters of Mercy, there are similar Sisters of Mercy institutes throughout the English speaking world, totaling 10,000 women religious and thousands of Associate Members.

Founded by Catherine McAuley in Dublin, Ireland in 1831, the Sisters of Mercy are dedicated to the service of the poor, sick, uneducated and to those in need of compassion, especially women and children. The first House of Mercy in Dublin is now the International Center for the Mercy Sisters around the globe. The reorganization of the American communities will better strengthen and enable the sisters to fulfill their mission. The works of mercy that you care about, including  Mercy High School, will continue to be a commitment and focus.  The Sisters of Mercy ask your continued support in keeping the mission of Mercy a reality.  

Latest and Greatest from the Alumnae Office

Alumnae and Friends Have a TEA Party for Mercy

The Mercy High gymnasium was transformed into a tea parlor for over 200 women at the 4th Annual Tea for Tuition held April 27th. 25 tables were adorned with everything from fine china and glass stemware to asian bamboo centerpieces. Sr. Regina Marie Doelker, RSM presented the 2008 Distinguished Alumna Award to Mary Pat McDougall '56. Mary Pat was nominated by her classmates for her invaluable service to her community and parish and is a woman who exemplifies the Mercy values. THANK YOU Alumnae and Friends for raising over $11,000 for the Tuition Assistance Program. CLICK HERE for plenTEA of photos.

Let's Hear it for the Staff

Mercy’s Principal Mrs. Carolyn Witte is in her second term on the Board of Directors for the Mercy Secondary Education Association (MSEA). The association is a group of 42 schools sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy, serving 18,000 students, the majority of whom are young women. 

Mrs. Colleen Rozman, Science/Social Studies teacher, is newly appointed to the Network for Mercy Education Board of Directors, a corporation of 42 secondary and 23 elementary schools in the Americas sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy.  The network provides support services for the integration of mission in Mercy schools.  The spirit of Catherine McAuley, founder of the Sisters of Mercy, and the common Mercy values and tradition are fundamental to the organization.  

SNAPSHOTS of Mercy

Photos by Libby Hagemeyer and Angela Haddad

Now that's talent! Broadway and pop song performances, a monster drum jam session, irish dancing and a poetry reading were some of the numbers at this year's talent show. 

MNotes . . . miscellaneous info you need to know!  

Please be advised Mercy will be running a test of our new emergency notification system on the afternoon of Thursday, May 22. Test will go out to cell and business phones and e-mails to parents which will allow us to communicate in the case of a true emergency.  

Join us for "Good Bye Songs" at the Mercy High School Spring Concert Sunday, May 18th at 2pm in the Auditorium. Tickets are $5 at the door.

Senior parents! If you're wondering about a graduation gift and want something unique and personalized, how about adopting an auditorium seat in your daughter's name, with her graduation year. A perfect gift for your young Thespian, Mercyaire, Spirit Choir or Tri-M Music Honor Society Member. CLICK HERE for more information.

Mercy is hosting a Volleyball Camp this summer July 21 - 25. CLICK HERE for more sport camp info.

Mercy Month Ahead

THANK YOU for taking the time to read the MERCY MEMO.  The purpose of this parent newsletter is to inform, enlighten, and entertain. The JUNE MEMO will be delivered to your inbox June 12th. If you have any questions or want to submit information contact jhearle@mhsmi.org. 

Want even more?  Click the school year calendar and the Mercy web site.  And don't miss all of the latest Mercy In The News articles. Check out the current announcements, view past issues of the MEMO newsletter, and browse the home page yellow box to link to what's happening today @ Mercy.