Remembering Sister Mary David, O.P. â¢ Record number of alumnae ...

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Financial aid makes SCA possible for many students St. Cecilia Academy freshman Lane Vaughn likes to paint and write stories and was just cast in the SCA fall musical, The Wizard of Oz. Sophomore Alex Wall is now performing with the SCA chamber ensemble and spreading her wings this year trying out new golf clubs. St. Cecilia Academy continues to fundraise to cover the cost of bringing more students like Alex and Lane into its family. Since last year, St. Cecilia Academy saw an increase in requests for financial assistance and the Academy is endeavoring to make sure it can meet those requests. Financial assistance provided for SCA families went from $450,000 in 2008-09 to more than $618,000 this fall. That’s an increase of 37% in one year. Both Lane and Alex are recipients of the St. Cecilia Academy Principal’s Scholarship - an award for students with financial need and high academic potential. In addition to that scholarship, SCA offers 16 scholarships and tuition assistance opportunities. Another new endowed scholarship was created in 2009 by the Bodell family. The Harris Scholarship provides tuition assistance up to $5,000 per year to an incoming freshman from Christ the King Parish School with identified need. Mrs. Kristy Vaughn, Lane’s mother, said receiving financial assistance via the Principal’s Scholarship for her daughter made the difference in being able to afford St. Cecilia Academy. “Without this help, it would be nearly impossible for us to have provided such a tremendous opportunity for our girls to grow and shine,” Mrs. Vaughn said. “SCA is a special place that brings out the best in young ladies, socially, academically and spiritually. It is such an empowering environment for our girls.” “As the student population has grown, 2008 and 2009 Principal Scholarship recipients Lane Vaughn and Alex Wall stand in front of the St. Cecilia Congregation Motherhouse, which was originally the site of St. Cecilia Academy before the school moved to The Dominican Campus on Harding Road in 1957. They represent the future of SCA. so too has the defined need for financial aid,” said Principal Sr. Mary Thomas, O.P. “It is a continuing prayer to have additional funds available for those who are in need, especially in these economic times.” Ms. Andrea Wall, Alex’s mother, said she prayed for her daughter to make the decision to go to St. Cecilia Academy even though it would be a strain on her finances as a single parent. “When we were notified that Alex was one of the recipients of the Principal’s Scholarship, she and I both broke down in tears,” Mrs. Wall said. Financial aid kept Ms. Wall from having to add extra jobs to her schedule. “Endowed Scholarships and gifts of direct financial assistance have traditionally come to SCA from a faithful group of alumnae, supportive parents and friends. This type of contribution is the spirit of St. Cecilia Academy at its best,” said Sister Catherine Marie, O.P., executive director of The Dominican Campus. • If you would like to be a part of making a young woman’s SCA experience possible, or for more information, please call Debbie Lassiter at 383.3230. To see a complete list of all the scholarships SCA offers, visit stcecilia.edu/admissions/materials.php WEB EXTRA| and click on “scholarship information” at the bottom of the page. 6 HARPSTRINGS www.stcecilia.edu
The power of one Reflections on Sister Mary David, O.P. This fall, St. Cecilia Academy said goodbye to a dear friend. Sr. Mary David Harlow, a Dominican sister of 72 years, died peacefully at St. Cecilia Motherhouse on Sept. 15, 2009. Sister taught for 58 years, 21 of them at SCA. She first taught at the Academy while it was still at the Motherhouse. She then helped move the Academy to 4210 Harding Road, teaching there from 1957 - 1964. During that crucial time in the history of the school, she taught English, directed the first play on the stage in the gym, and wrote the historical play that would serve as a central part of the centennial celebration in 1960. In her spare time she coached the basketball team. As head coach, she led the efforts to research and name a mascot for the Academy, the one and only SCArab. She later returned to St. Cecilia in 1985, teaching freshmen English until she retired in 1998. Sr. Mary David taught generations of people and was greatly loved for her personal warmth and her devotion: to God and her “dear ones” as well as to all things literary. Sisters and students alike were inspired by her. Frances Anne Varallo, SCA ’63, thought of her as a mentor and said that Sister was responsible for the fact that she went into theatre in college and from there into a television career spanning over thirty years. She noted, “Sister Mary David had an undying love for the theatre and all things related.” Frances Anne kept in contact with her mentor long past graduation and found great strength in that relationship. Sister Marian, O.P., secretary general of the St. Cecilia Congregation, and a postulant talk to Sister Mary David, O.P., at the Motherhouse. Upon retirement from SCA, Sister filled her days with tutoring English students, mentoring young student teachers, and even taking on a self-appointed position of “snoopervisor” of the Motherhouse kitchen and laundry. She retained her love for SCA, attending plays occasionally. The last play she attended was Little Women in the spring of 2006. During intermission she went into the green room to encourage the cast. As they surrounded her, she exclaimed, “Heaven just fell into my lap.” Even as her memory for details waned, she would always greet those sisters at the academy with the ready question of “How are the girls at SCA?” • — By Sister Mary Thomas, O.P. I drift off into sleep, let my mind cross in memory, prayers and dreams I still see her glass beaded chains sway as she purposefully, swiftly makes her way down the tiled hallway; I hear their “chink- chink- chinking” softly and I feel calm, I see light bounce and colors glisten as she passes Watch her uneven gait as she orients to the far left of the black board: She begins a grammar lesson Cursive- first with her left hand, seemlessly transitions chalk to her right, Finishing only to start over with her left She calls out someone’s name without looking Sister compliments, redirects, continues I rest still For Sister Mary David by Jennifer Bell By SCA Alumna Jennifer Bell, ’92 In high school I weathered some very severe storms … but God continued to watch over me. He watched me through Sister Mary David’s eyes. I performed as an average, even less than average student. Sister Mary David looked through my performance. She encouraged me to write poetry, write prose, write fiction and nonfiction and then write even more! She positioned a wooden stool close to her desk and patted the seat, motioning me to my perch. Among her love for the fine works of Emerson, St. Edna Vincent Millay and Whitman was her love of MY works! Perched there, I shared my most intimate musings with her... and my soul. Sister Mary David looked at me directly, mercifully, never letting her ocean blue eyes stray from mine. She watched. She listened. She really heard me when I felt I had no voice. Despite my raw vulnerability and fear she proclaimed and approved, “Dear, thank you for sharing your lovely prayers with me.” These memories are cemented in my soul. I use the verb “cemented” because her love grounded me for many, many years before I could allow myself to be grounded in Him. In those few moments of her precious time, Sister Mary David made me feel like the most special young woman in all the world! As a grown woman and mother of two daughters, I appreciate all the more how Sister loved me. Isn’t it all parents’ hope for our children to feel and believe these truths? Isn’t it our Father in Heaven?! I have learned we are all parents to someone, whether we know it or not, whether they know it or not. Sister was a loving mother to me, to so many girls. I would like to perch upon her stool and read once more to her from my heart. • www.stcecilia.edu HARPSTRINGS 7
Page 1 and 2: MAGAZINE OF ST. CECILIA ACADEMY WIN
Page 3 and 4: Principal Sr. Mary Thomas, O.P. Ass
Page 5: “It feels so much better, the bal
Page 9 and 10: “May St. Cecilia Academy and thes
Page 11 and 12: Choir spreads the spirit of St. Cec
Page 13 and 14: Capital Gifts and Endowment ANNUAL
Page 15 and 16: ANNUAL REPORT Mr. and Mrs. Dennis G
Page 17 and 18: ANNUAL REPORT Class of 1972 8% Part
Page 19 and 20: Letter from the President of the Al
Page 21 and 22: Alumna Profile Looking back with th
Page 23 and 24: Alumna Profile Leigh Glasser Wolfso
Page 25 and 26: Class Notes five awards, including
Page 27 and 28: Memorials Louise Meier Smith, mothe

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