The Knights' Pages - Bishop O'Connell High School

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School NewsCoast Guard CommandantVisits Global Studies ProgramAdmiral Robert J. Papp, Jr., Commandant of the U.S. CoastGuard, visited Bishop O’Connell for an afternoon discussion withstudents enrolled in the Global Studies program. He presentedthe Coast Guard’s role in events that were familiar to those in theroom, including the recent rescue of crew members aboard theBounty during Hurricane Sandy. He also talked about the U.S.Coast Guard as a role model for maritime services in countriesaround the world. Admiral Papp shared photos and stories of arecent trip that took him to Malta, Bahrain, Singapore, Guam andfinally Hawaii, before returning to headquarters in Washington,D.C. The students asked questions about the future of the CoastGuard and his career highlights. He encouraged the students to“find a way to serve,” and to find something for which they havea passion. He said he never considered the Coast Guard a job, butrather a privilege to sail the seas and to serve his country. Findout more about the Global Studies Certificate Program at www.bishopoconnell.org/global.Speech and Essay Winnersand VFW Teacher of the YearO’Connell students swept several local speech and essay competitionsthis year. In February, three freshmen claimed the top threeprizes at the Alexandria Sunrise Optimist Club essay contest. ClareAdams took 1st place, Maureen Duesterhaus took 2nd place andKatherine Katz took 3rd place.Just up the road at the Arlington Optimist Club essay contest, threeother freshman students took top honors: Claire Stemberger wasawarded 1st place, Stephanie Salinas, 2nd place, and Isabel Fernandez,3rd place.At the John Lyon VFW Post 3150 Voice of Democracy oral essaycontest earlier this year, freshman Virginia Schilder won first place,junior Rhett Nugent won second place and freshman Isabel Fernandezwon third place. The O’Connell community was also honoredwhen Post 3150 named English department chair, Diane Cerniglia, asthe Teacher of the Year. Read about all of this year’s essay and speechcompetitions at www.bishopoconnell.org/essays.Dr. Michael E. MannJohn Lyon VFW Post 3150 awardsRobotics Program Gets a BoostThanks to a $1,000 sponsorship from Lockheed Martin’sSTEM Education Outreach program, O’Connell’s robotics clubhas registered as a “FIRST Tech Challenge Team.” The FIRSTprogram allows high school students to design, build and programrobots to compete against other teams at the local, stateand regional level. The club meets regularly after school, mappingout goals for this year, and making plans for competing inthe 2013-2014 school year. The students are guided by scienceteacher, Anthony Rennekamp, engineering teacher, PaulGerton, and O’Connell alumnus and MIT graduate, SamanthaPalazzolo ’06. Don Brobst, senior mentor for the WashingtonareaFIRST program, recently visited the O’Connell roboticsprogram to demonstrate a typical robot and familiarize the studentswith the program elements. “This program encourageshigh-quality work,” he told the student. “Equally important tothe actual level of competition is teamwork and cooperationwithin and among teams.”6
Students Take a StandAgainst BullyingCourtesy of student correspondentMary BarnaThis year at Bishop O’Connell a bullyingpreventionteam, called “DJO Upstanders,” has been put in placenot only to create awareness of the problem of bullying, but alsoto encourage students to “stand up” against it.DJO Upstanders is made up of 30 members of the O’Connellcommunity — students, parents and staff — who helped framethe program. In October, the team hosted a Stand Up to Bullyingassembly with a message for students not to just stand by butto stand up for what is right. The term “upstander” was used todescribe people who report acts of bullying they witness.Special guest speaker for the assembly was Paul Hewitt, basketballcoach at George Mason University in Fairfax, who gave an inspiringspeech to the students about the importance of respectingeach other. There also was a contest for students to make “StandUp to Bullying” videos, which were shown to the O’Connell communityat the assembly.Erin O’Malley, dean of faculty and counseling, serves as themoderator for DJO Upstanders. “It is exciting to see how manyindividuals are participating in the efforts this year,” she said.“The students have quickly embraced this program with enthusiasmand support. We have many new plans and programs inthe works for the upcoming months and even for next year.”Thanksgiving with theMissionaries of CharityFor most students at Bishop O’Connell, the Thanksgiving holidayweekend began on Wednesday, a planned day off for the school. But onegroup of seniors joined Christian Service Coordinator Mannikka Heardfor a special day of service. The group traveled to Northeast Washingtonto lend a hand at the Gift of Peace home which is run by Mother Teresa’sMissionaries. Some students helped with yard work, while othersworked in the kitchen, preparing for the afternoon meal service.In the meantime, O’Connell’s Art Department Chair Joe Crivella wasbusy shopping for Thanksgiving staples for the Missionaries of Charity’swork. For more than 15 years, he has coordinated the “TurkeyBlitz,” a two-week fundraising drive at school which helps the sistersat the Gift of Peace home feed a growing number of families in need.This year, armed with over $3,000, he was able to deliver four overflowingpallets of provisions that would feed 150 families in total, 30more than last year.Dantzler is Intel FinalistSenior Alexa Dantzler is one of 40 high school students aroundthe country to be named a 2013 Intel Science Talent Search(STS) finalist.“This is such a special honor, and we are thrilled that Alexa’shard work has been recognized at this level,” said sciencedepartment chair Doreen Curtin.Dantzler’s project, entitled “Quantification of PerchloroethyleneResidues in Dry Cleaned Fabrics,” began as a freshmanscience fair project at O’Connell, and has continued to grow inscope and detail. Early in her research she recognized the needfor more accurate measuring devices to improve her project,and was able to team with Dr. Paul Roepe and two graduatestudents in the Chemistry Department at Georgetown University.The results of some of this work were published last yearin the Journal of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry.As an Intel STS finalist, Dantzler spent seven days in March inWashington, D.C. at the national STS competition. The week’sactivities included two days of intense judging, some mediatraining, and a public exhibition at the National GeographicSociety. Participants met with Intel Innovators, Einstein Fellowsand past STS winners, and visited Capitol Hill and theWhite House, where they met President Barack Obama.Dantzler was honored by her peers to be selected as the GlennT. Seaborg Award winner. As the Seaborg awardee, she wasasked to speak on behalf of the finalists at the black-tie awardsdinner held at the National Building Museum on the last day ofthe competition. She began by thanking Intel and the Societyfor Science & the Public for making the week possible.“During this week, we have taught and inspired each other,and are consequently now more enthusiastic about science andour roles in the scientific community,” she said in her remarks.“We will continue to question our world because questions fuelinitiative and initiative leads to answers…We have diseases toprevent and cure, new energy to harness and save, efficient technologysystems to build, and diagnostic tests to improve, amongother things. We have no time to lose. While the world awaits us,it also needs us. Let the research never stop and let the curiosityand inspiration continue to be planted and flourish.”As a finalist, Dantzler was awarded $16,000 from the IntelFoundation. Earlier, when she was named a semi-finalist, theschool was also awarded $1,000 from the foundation in orderto continue the development of STEM programs.Alexa Dantzler is joined at the awards dinner by two of her mentors—Dr. Paul Roepe and Doreen Curtin.7
Page 1 and 2: The Knights’PagesSPRING 20131
Page 4 and 5: StrategicinitiativeLaunched in Apri
Page 8 and 9: A Busy Winter Season forthe Perform
Page 10 and 11: 38th AnnualSuperdanceFor the 38th y
Page 12 and 13: Annual GivingEvery gift, whether la
Page 14 and 15: Why We GiveMartha Holroyd Goetzman
Page 16 and 17: The Class of 1977 met up on Friday,
Page 18 and 19: AlumniRoll CallRick DeutschJohn Mag
Page 20 and 21: Christopher Franco and Lauren Roubi
Page 22 and 23: Join us for a special evening recep
Page 24: NON-PROFIT ORG.U.S. POSTAGEPAIDPERM

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