Janella Brand - Holy Innocents' Episcopal School

ALUMNI CATCH UPS
Catie Sweetwood ‘03
Emily Weprich ‘03
Jeff Campanella ‘03
ALUMNI CATCH UPS
Emily Weprich
Once a Bear, Always a Bear
After graduating from Indiana University
with a degree in Sports Communication,
Catie Sweetwood got an internship with the
NFL’s Chicago Bears, handling marketing,
publicity, special promotions and rowdy
fans.
But Catie was a Golden Bear long before
she donned Chicago’s black and orange.
A graduate of ’03, she played Lacrosse,
ran Track and Field and swam for Holy
Innocents’. Some of her favorite high
school memories include sporting events
and practices. “Sports were great because
you played with everybody, and not just
your grade,” Catie says. “You depended on
underclassmen and upperclassmen and saw
everyone as teammates.”
She thanks Holy Innocents’ for preparing
her for college and attributes much of her
writing success to US English Chair Ms. Niki
Simpson. “She was my favorite teacher,”
Catie says. “She really pushed me, but I look
back and appreciate it now. I still remember
that she named her dogs Scout and Boo
Radley after the characters in To Kill a
Mockingbird.”
Catie’s stint with the Chicago Bears
ended this past season, but she continues in
marketing with Lisa P. Maxwell, a branding
and marketing agency where she helps
manage new accounts.
With sports in her past, in her bones and
on her resume, she’s always open to an
athletic career. “It’s something I’d never rule
out,” Catie acknowledges. So while one day
we may hear her on TV giving play by play,
for now she’s happy cheering on her team.
Go Bears!
This And That
For Emily Weprich, variety is the spice of life.
An ’03 graduate, she began spicing it up in
high school as a swimmer, lacrosse player and
runner. “Sports were great because they built your
confidence and were a good way to make friends,”
Emily says.
She also participated in Young Life and served as
Class President and Homecoming Queen her Senior
Year. “The Homecoming bonfire is one of my favorite
memories. We actually picked up James Jackson,
who was Student Body President, and carried him
down to the fire.”
After high school, Emily attended Auburn, where
she continued to pile up extracurriculars. She
trained in ROTC, competed in various pageants,
was president of the women’s lacrosse team and
auditioned for reality TV.
Once a college grad, she traveled to Kuala
Lumpur and Bali to backpack for two and a half
weeks, and this past October, she ran the Chicago
Marathon.
Her most recent accomplishment was on the
big screen as an extra in Tyler Perry’s The Family
That Preys. “In the movie, I’m the girl talking to the
guy wearing the pink tank top,” Emily says. “Kathy
Bates and Alfre Woodard pass me when they walk
into the bar.”
And with her hands in a number of pots, her
to-do list will only get longer. But, as we now know,
that’s just how Emily keeps life spicy.
Jeff Campanella,’03 acts out
(in and around Birmingham)
In high school, Jeff Campanella was a
Halloween enthusiast, an athlete and skilled
ping-pong player. While these traits still hold
true, Jeff has incorporated another passion
that also pays his bills.
He’s an actor with eight plays and a
Theater Degree from Auburn under his belt.
He now works at the Birmingham
Children’s Theater, where he occasionally
touts the alias ‘Tom Sawyer’ and
performs for large crowds of energetic
kids – an audience of 1,200 isn’t unusual.
“Performing in general can rack your nerves,
and you’d think kids would be easier,”
says Jeff. “But they aren’t. Especially when
they’re screaming.”
His company also goes on the road
to bring theater to less affluent areas of
Alabama, where schools often lack simple
stage equipment. “When that happens, we
adapt,” says Jeff, “but I like performing in
those schools because the kids have less,
and they appreciate you more.”
Jeff also appreciates everyone who
contributed to his Holy Innocents’
experience. “I remember I had Ms. Maney
for math, who was wonderful,” Jeff
recalls. “Ms. Danzig introduced me to The
Outsiders, which is still my favorite book.
And I loved playing P-square, which is like
4-square in the Senior Commons. Everyone
used to gather and watch us play.”
In May, Jeff will move to New York and
continue to hone his thespian skills. He’ll
focus on acting, but will spend some
time on ping-pong, too – so as to gain a
reputation as the city’s fiercest player from
Georgia. But if not, he’ll at least act like it.
Jeff Campanella and Emily Weprich
Jeff Campanella,
James Jackson,
Scott Seaborn,
unidentified
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