Summer 2011 - Bishop O'Connell High School

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The knights’ pages Summer 2011 BISHOP O’CONNELL HIGH SCHOOL 6600 Little Falls Road Arlington, VA 22213 703-237-1400 www.bishopoconnell.org ADmINISTRATION Kathleen Ryan Prebble President Joseph E. Vorbach III, PhD ’83 Principal Rev. Phillip M. Cozzi ’94 Chaplain Sr. Catherine Hill, I.H.M. ’66 Dean of Academics Meghan Lonergan Dean of Students ADVANCEMENT Gerry Vent Director of Advancement 703-237-1445 gvent@bishopoconnell.org Cindy Krech Associate Director of Advancement 703-237-1446 ckrech@bishopoconnell.org Michelle Kannan Alumni Relations 703-237-1437 mkannan@bishopoconnell.org Kim Aubry Advancement Services 703-237-1447 kaubry@bishopoconnell.org COMMUNICATIONS Mary Jane Spurlock Director of Communications 703-237-1425 mjspurlock@bishopoconnell.org Letter from the CHAIRMAN Board of Governors Dear Parents, Alumni and Friends, I recently had the privilege of participating in our commencement exercises for the class of 2011, as faculty, family and friends came to provide enthusiastic support to our 344 graduating seniors. Congratulations to all of the class; we welcome you as the newest members of the Bishop O’Connell Alumni Association. It was an impressive day at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. We heard the remarkable words from our valedictorian, salutatorian, and retired U.S. Marine Corps Gen. James Jones, former Commandant of the Marine Corps, National Security Advisor, and Bishop O’Connell parent (class of 1992). We also had the honor of welcoming members of the class of 1961, the first graduating class, who held their exciting reunion the following weekend. Among the announcement of honors achieved, and scholarships received (valued at $11 million in this class alone), what struck me most was the consistent message of the desire and need to give to the community and to continue to spread our faith through our actions and deeds. And, as intoned by General Jones, strive to be the best and never give up. It was a little more than ten years ago that I received a call from Al Burch, principal at the time, and Monsignor James McMurtrie, asking if I would help DJO by organizing a capital campaign. Fearful of the time commitment involved, I cautiously said “yes.” I did so because I recalled that it was while I was a student at Bishop O’Connell High School that those values of giving to the community and living our faith ever day through our actions were ingrained in me. We set about to achieve our goal of creating a culture of giving, not only for our students and current parents, but for our alumni, parents and friends. And what a culture we have today. I am pleased to tell you that, in the period 2000-2010, our fundraising activities for DJO, through our capital campaign, the annual fund and our significant fundraisers—the golf outing, and the gala—raised nearly $12 million in revenue for the school. Even more remarkable, our internal fundraising activities from the PTO, athletic boosters, and student fundraisers such as the annual Superdance, raised nearly $8 million over that same ten year period. Our culture of giving is growing! In the year 2000, our Annual Fund took in less than $50,000. In the school year just ending, the Annual Fund will collect nearly $500,000. As the school year comes to a close we are preparing some of the most significant renovations to the school facility since its opening in 1957. And we are working pledges and donations this year to add to our ten year numbers above. But we cannot rest on our laurels. We must challenge ourselves to increase our efforts by another order of magnitude if we are to afford the costs of renovating our 50-year old facility, pay a living wage to our faculty, and provide appropriate financial aid as we continue to support the need and success of Catholic education. That means we need you, our alumni, to once again embrace our mission and rejoin the DJO culture of giving. As a tribute to our first graduating class (the class of 1961), our 51st graduating class (the class of 2011), and to all of you in between, we hope you will say “Count me in!” You will soon hear more about our Time is Now initiative and we hope you will consider what you can do to allow us to continue to make big things happen on Little Falls Road every day! Sincerely, COVER PHOTO: Dia Barber ’11 savors her graduation moment. Kevin J. Fay ’73 2
Message from the President Table of Contents Dear Parents, Alumni and Friends, “Big things happen on Little Falls Road every day.” These words of Kevin Fay ’73 have become an exciting reality as we officially begin construction of a multipurpose, synthetic state-of-the-art turf field and six-lane track surrounding it. This long-awaited renovation of the athletic fields has been championed by the volunteer efforts of Kevin Fay, our outgoing board chair and an involved alumnus and legacy parent, and we are truly grateful for his dedication. There is a lot happening now. The positioning of the rectangular athletic field is being realigned to allow for a regulation width soccer field. Six sports, including football, soccer, lacrosse, field hockey, cross country and track and field will use the athletic fields at the varsity, junior varsity and freshman level. Other sports teams as well as PE classes will use the track and turf for conditioning. This newly turfed field will allow O’Connell’s athletic program to maximize the use of the field on a year-round basis. The project will replace the existing rectangular field and track that was completed in 1964. These renovations should be finished before Thanksgiving. Even though construction is already underway, the funding of this project is not complete. To date, Bishop O’Connell has received almost $4 million in gifts and pledges towards the renovation of the athletic fields and other projects that include enhancing classroom technology, renovating the auditorium and updating the science labs designated in our strategic initiative, The Time Is Now. We will continue to solicit donors to help fund these very important projects. We have worked hard to fully understand the current and future needs of Bishop O’Connell in order to strategically position ourselves for the future. Through surveys, focus groups and one on one conversation, the input of our current and past families as well as alumni has become an invaluable part of our planning process. It is abundantly clear that the spirit of O’Connell is strong, our foundation is deep and our future is bright. It is also apparent that we cannot move forward without the help of our entire community. We are extremely grateful for the many supporters who have already stepped to the plate either through the annual fund or The Time Is Now initiative. Our Parent Teacher Organization, Athletic and Music Boosters, Used Book Sale volunteers and the many other volunteers who give so selflessly provide essential dollars and services to help fund many activities and projects that make Bishop O’Connell an exciting and dynamic high school. To all who have helped throughout the year—Thank You! Breaking Ground on Field Project 4 School News 6 Tribute to Steve Trimble 9 Superdance 2011 10 Graduation 2011 12 Annual Giving 14 The Time is Now Kick-off Event 15 Why We Give 16 Connolly Memorial Golf Classic 18 Legacy Brunch and Grandparents’ Event 19 All-Alumni Reunion Weekend 20 Class Reunion Events 21 Alumni Spotlight 22 Alumni Roll Call 23 Upcoming Events and Class Reunions 27 Sincerely, Kathleen Ryan Prebble MISSION STATEMENT Our mission is to provide students an education rooted in the life of Christ and to foster the pursuit of excellence in the whole person. 3
Page 4 and 5: School News Programs and Plans Athl
Page 6 and 7: Bird Watching Students from Bill Ca
Page 8 and 9: Arlington Better Sports Club Recogn
Page 10 and 11: School News Superdance 2011 For the
Page 12 and 13: GRADUATION 2011 51st Commencement E
Page 14 and 15: Annual Giving Thank YOU for support
Page 16 and 17: Why We Give Mary Deely Arendt ’80
Page 18 and 19: The winning foursome (from left to
Page 20 and 21: ALL-ALUMNI Reunion Weekend 2011 Alu
Page 22 and 23: Alumni Spotlight Atheni Asihel ’0
Page 24 and 25: Sisters Alli, Erin ’00 and Cat
Page 26 and 27: Congratulations to Father Luke Dund
Page 28: NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID P

Summer 2011 - Bishop O'Connell High School

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