November - Saint Mary's Catholic High School

NOVEMBER 2007
Basketball Returns in November
The new year promises to bring some excitement to the basketball courts. The girls begin play under a new coach, Curtis Ekmark,
who brings years of club coaching to the Lady Knight program. The boys adjust to the absence of Jarryd Bayless but field a team with
plenty of experience, including a trip to the 5A-1 championship game last year. This year promises another exciting display of SM
basketball skills, both playing and coaching. Please support Saint Mary’s basketball as each team seeks a return to the top of the 5A
basketball world. Here are the early season schedules. Unless noted, all three levels play at the same site - Freshmen @ 4:00 PM, J.V.
@ 5:30 PM, Varsity @ 7:00.
Girls Basketball
November
27 Cesar Chavez Home
29 Salpointe Home
30 Basha Away
December
4 Mesquite Away
8-9 New York Tournament
11 Centennial Home
13 Gilbert Home
17-23 NIKE Tournament (Chandler, AZ)
Boys Basketball
November
27 Cesar Chavez Away
29 Salpointe Away
December
4 Mesquite Home
8 Gilbert Away
11-15 Tournament of Champions (Huntington Beach, CA)
21 Basha Home
26-29 McClintock Tournament
Swimming
Nautical Knights enjoyed a fine season of competitive
swimming. The team set 8 new school records. 24 of the 39
swimmers made the Region Swim Meet and 14 qualified for the
State Meet. Congrats to Blake Beasley (Diving), Patrick
Cardenas (200 free, 100 free, 2 relays), Julia Cardenas (200 free,
100 free, 2 relays), Sarah Hinojos (500 free, 2 relays), Kyle
Koehler (2 relays), Michael Koehler (1 relay), Greer Palmer (2
relays), Justin Perez (50 free, 2 relays), Nicole Rodia (1 relay),
Taylor Sanchez (2 relays), Zach Sanchez (1 relay), Aida Soto (2
relays), Joseph Standerfer (1 relay), Zach Standerfer (1 relay).
Boys and Girls Golf
Senior Michelle Arbagey and sophomore Davis Bauer each
qualified for the 5A State Golf Tournament by virtue of their
fine play in qualifying regional tournaments in late October. We
wish these two fine athletes the best lies and the cleanest putts
as they pursue a championship.
Friends of Saint Mary’s Baseball
A committee is being formed to work on creating a baseball &
softball complex for the Saint Mary’s Community. Please
contact Bridget Costello 602-251-2508 or Ric Moreno 602-251-
2513 if you would like to be a part of this endeavor.
THE NEW CORPORATE TAX CREDIT: A NEW COST-FREE WAY TO HELP
The Arizona Legislature has enacted into law a provision that grants a tax credit to corporations for contributions to
organizations like the Catholic Tuition Organization of the Diocese of Phoenix (CTODP). This is a credit, not simply a deduction.
There is no maximum amount that a corporation can contribute, but the state program was capped at $10 million for fiscal year 2006-
2007. Each year, for the five years of the program, the cap will increase by 20% until fiscal year 2010-2011, when it will reach nearly
$21 million! A corporation may carry any unused tax credit forward for five years.
If you, or someone you know, is a decision maker at a corporation willing to help
families desiring a choice in education for their children, contact the school's Development
Office at 602-251-2508.
The 2007/2008 school year is the first year funding from this source was available to people filing CTODP financial aid
applications. Under the corporate tax credit law, CTODP may make grants from corporate contributions only to students transferring
to a Catholic school from a public school. CTODP has allocated more than $137,000 to our families from this new source of financial
aid.
CTODP GREATLY BENEFITS SAINT MARY'S – PLEASE SUPPORT CTODP
CTODP is the largest single support for the Saint Mary's financial aid program. For the 2007/2008 school year, through the
generosity of individual donors, CTODP has made more than one million dollars available to our families, helping more than 400
students. This is an increase of more than $150,000 from the prior year. We thank everyone who has supported CTODP, especially
those who have designated Saint Mary's as the school to benefit from your generosity.
For the 2007 calendar year, the maximum credit for married couples will be $1,000, and for single taxpayers the maximum
credit will be $500. A contribution to CTODP is one of the best “investments” you can make. You can receive a dollar for dollar tax
credit when you file your Arizona income tax return and also claim a deduction on your federal income tax return. So, it costs you
nothing to participate. You can actually make money through this program.