View from the Cupola/Annual Report v.28 i.1 - Mount de Sales ...

A Banner Season
Mary Gentner P'11 '15, Varsity Field Hockey Head Coach
MDBioLab Visits MDSA Campus
M. Bolesta '13, E. Hunter '13, and T. Tornatore '12
Carol Abromaitis
Member, Board of Trustees
Faculty, Loyola University of MD
Throughout your time at Mount
de Sales Academy, what have you
discovered as the school’s best kept
secret?
The academics of Mount de
Sales Academy and the academic
accomplishments of the students.
What is the most unique feature
of a Mount de Sales Academy
education?
The Dominican Sisters and the
Christ-centered education. There is
a unique spirit of love, enthusiasm,
and friendship.
How would you best describe the
distinctiveness of Mount de Sales
Academy’s mission to someone
unfamiliar with the school?
It is an environment where students
are reminded of their eternal destiny
and of being important as human
beings. Students are reminded daily
of their dignity as children of God.
As a leader of this school, how do
you promote the individuality of
Mount de Sales Academy?
Externally, I promote the
religious aspect and academic
accomplishments. Internally, I
promote the school by working
with and helping the school foster
the accomplishments of a very
impressive administration and
faculty.
What sets apart a Mount de Sales
Academy Alumna?
A Mount de Sales Academy alumna
is well prepared for college and
beyond. She has a solid sense of
who she is.
At the collegiate level, Field Hockey is played exclusively on turf
and is a different game on grass than turf. We are so excited and
grateful that MDSA is building a turf field. The new field will
enable our athletes to advance to greater heights at a higher level of
competition. Safety concerns regarding the ball traveling upwards
off of a dip on the field, or an ankle rolling off the same dip, will no
longer be an issue with the completion of Phase II.
Our 2011 season began, as always, under the sweltering August heat,
with tryouts on our bumpy field. After the teams were chosen, we
hit the ground running. Practices were hard but fun, and the strong
work ethic and team chemistry were apparent from the start. We
took the season one day at a time, one game at a time. Our schedule
included playing multiple top 20 teams and we began to amass a
winning record. In conference, we won our division and entered
the playoffs as top seed. We won both the quarter and semi-finals
at home and advanced to the Championships on the turf field at
Goucher College.
The Championship was a hard fought game with the only goal coming
in the first seven minutes, but at the end of 60 minutes, Mount de
Sales had brought home our first ever Championship victory! All of
the Sisters came to our game, bringing with them the balloons from
the Open House. The Sisters were an integral part of our season and
their presence and support meant so much to our team.
Varsity Field Hockey teammates cheer together during their pre-game ritual.
Season Highlights:
Ranked #15 in the
State; IAAM B-
Conference Champs;
Season Record of 16-
4-1; Scored 42 goals;
Only 13 goals scored
against; and 13 of our
16 wins were shutouts!
There were multiple
honors bestowed on
individuals of this
team, but the bottom
line is that the
Championship was
won by all 16 players.
Though this team
will never forget
the Championship
game, they won’t
remember all the
scores or all the
other games. What
they will remember
are their teammates
and being part of
something greater
than themselves, a
team.
It is both a joy and
privilege to coach the
Sailors and I know I
will always treasure
our Championship
Banner and the girls
that made up the
threads that hold it
together.
You are needed to make the new field possible for our students. Please think about
how you can join the team, either by making a gift or referring us to someone who
might be interested in investing in Mount de Sales. We respectfully and humbly ask
that you help make PHASE II a win so that Mount de Sales Academy may continue to
form young women who display good sportsmanship, understand and appreciate the
value of hard work, and are leaders both on and off the field. GO SAILORS!
The week of January 16 th saw classes full of
fun and learning when the MD BioLab rolled
its way onto campus. The BioLab is a tractor
trailer containing a high-tech laboratory, and
it travels to Maryland high schools to promote
"science literacy," as its website states.
"I had to sign up for the BioLab visit way back in
August," said Ms. Sargo, Science Department
Co-Chair. "The BioLab only comes to our area
every five years, so the students won't have the
opportunity to participate in it again for quite
some time."
The BioLab program was launched in 2003 by
the MDBio Foundation to "attract tomorrow's
scientific researchers and enhance inquirybased
science experiences for Maryland high
school students," according to the website's
mission page. Since its beginning in 2003,
the MDBio Foundation has contributed
more than three million dollars towards the
BioLab, purchasing state-of-the-art equipment
and hiring experienced scientists to run the
experiments. The activities students can
participate in at the BioLab include DNA
extraction, agarose gel electrophoresis,
restriction enzyme digests, polymerase chain
reaction (PCR), transformation, and protein
quantification.
"It was a really neat experience because we were
able to work with professional scientists and
high-tech equipment," said Madison Bolesta '13.
Working on the BioLab gave students the
opportunity to experience the cutting edge
technology currently being used by scientists
today. The students used this technology to
learn how to handle oil spill cleanups, create
new or modify current alternative fuels,
research wildlife forensics, conduct a crime
scene investigation, and diagnose sickle cell
disease, among other things.
Cierra O'Keefe '12
Treasurer, Senior Class
Throughout your time at Mount
de Sales Academy, what have you
discovered as the school’s best kept
secret?
First, the Fine Arts Department is
so accomplished! This is a surprise
because it is not the most prominent
feature of the school, yet it is
excellent. Dance, music, studio arts
are wonderful. Second, the Sisters.
Third, the cookies in the library.
What is the most unique feature
of a Mount de Sales Academy
education?
It is centered on Christ and the
teachers are focused on each and
every student. MDSA is a very oneon-one
environment.
How would you best describe the
distinctiveness of Mount de Sales
Academy’s mission to someone
unfamiliar with the school?
Mount de Sales forms student
with strong morals, who strive
for academic excellence, civic
responsibility, mental and physical
balance, and are well-developed
personally and socially.
As a leader of this school, how do
you promote the individuality of
Mount de Sales Academy?
I love the unique history and fun
traditions. We also have a group
of student leaders who take
charge and organize large student
events, fostering excitement and
enthusiasm.
What sets apart a Mount de Sales
Academy Alumna?
She is prepared for college, work,
and can defend her principles.
MDSA Alumnae know they are
welcome here. She is generous
and wants to give back with her
time, talent, and treasure.
best kept secret
8
Students performing DNA extractions during the MDBioLab's campus visit.
9
best kept secret