Catherine McAuley graduate, and reigning Miss Maine, Julia Furtado, received the bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award for her work in community service, physical fitness, and talent last weekend during the preliminary round of the Miss America Pageant in Las Vegas, Nevada. The McAuley community could not be more proud of this 2009 graduate, and we wish her the best in all of her future work, both here in the state and abroad.  Click on the links below to see more of Miss Furtado’s extremely noteworthy accomplishments.

http://www.pressherald.com/news/Miss-Maine-2011-crowned.html?searchterm=Julia+Furtado

http://www.pressherald.com/news/Miss-Maine-wins-royal-award-during-pageant-prelim.html?searchterm=Julia+Furtado

http://www.pressherald.com/news/miss-maine-honored-for-triple-excellence_2012-01-14.html?searchterm=Julia+Furtado

Anna Gervais ~ Class of 2012

National Society Daughters of the American Revolution Good Citizens Award

Anna Gervais was selected by the staff and the Class of 2012 for the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution Good Citizens Award.  A DAR Good Citizen must have the qualities of dependability (which includes truthfulness, loyalty, and punctuality), service (which includes cooperation, courtesy, and consideration of others), leadership (which includes personality, self-control, and the ability to assume responsibility), and patriotism (which includes unselfish interest in family, school, community and nation) to an outstanding degree.  Anna will also participate in the DAR scholarship contest.  Good luck, Anna!

Molly Miller ~ Class of 2013

CMHS Goalie, Soccer

First Team All Conference – Soccer

Congratulations to Molly Miller, who has been selected as First Team All Conference for soccer.  This acknowledgment is voted on from the other coaches in our conference.  She’s also listed in www.sportsinme.com that shows her as # 2 in Class A for saves made this past season.  Although it is still early, Molly has received interest from Division I Siena College, along with several other colleges.  Click on the link below for an interview with Molly as the Athlete/Player of the year!  Great job, Molly!

http://www.theforecaster.net/content/p-sportsfallaofymcauley-120711

Hannah Calkin ~ Class of 2014

Actress, Portland Stage production of The Snow Queen

Hannah Calkin auditioned and received a part in Portland Stage Company’s premiere holiday production of The Snow Queen, a folk tale written by Hans Christian Andersen. As part of the ensemble cast, Hannah had many small roles, such as a townsperson, a flower, a robber, an attendant in a princess court, and an angel.  Hannah, McAuley is proud of your achievement!

Mary McManus ~ Class of 2014

McAuley Ambassador to the Maine Youth Leadership Program

May 2012 – USM campus in Gorham

Motivating Maine’s Future Leaders. That’s what Maine Youth Leadership is all about. Since 1980, Maine Youth Leadership (MYL) has worked with Maine youth to seek out, recognize and develop their leadership skills. Their goal is to motivate Maine’s future leaders and create a network of civic-minded students who will better their communities through volunteering. The programs encourage and assist students at critical times in their quest for self- identification and development and we provide give-and-take discussions with thought leaders and role models from across Maine society.

Each year, high school sophomores from all parts of Maine are invited to participate in the four-day Motivate ME Seminar held at the University of Southern Maine campus in Gorham.  Congratulations to Mary on her nomination as the Ambassador to Maine Youth Leadership!

Heather Chapman ~ Class of 2014

CMHS Ambassador to HOBY Youth Leadership Seminar

June 2012 – UNE Campus, Biddeford Maine

HOBY (Hugh O’Brien Youth Leadership) is the nation’s foremost youth leadership development organization. Founded in 1958, HOBY’s mission is to inspire and develop our global community of youth and volunteers to a life dedicated to leadership, service and innovation.  HOBY programs are conducted annually throughout the US.

The HOBY Leadership Seminar focuses on providing outstanding high school students with an amazing opportunity to learn how to lead and make a difference.  The U.S. State HOBY Leadership Seminars are designed for high school sophomores to recognize their leadership talents and apply them in becoming effective, ethical leaders in their home, schools, workplace and community.  Congratulations to Heather on her selection as the McAuley HOBY Ambassador!

Cristina Leake, a Catherine McAuley High School senior, was recently selected as one of the winners of the 2011 Bill of Rights Scholarship Essay Contest, sponsored by the National Foundation for Women Legislators (NFWL). She will receive her award in August at NFWL’s 73^rd Annual Conference in Des Moines, Iowa, where she will meet local and national legislators.

Below is a brief excerpt from Miss Leake’s winning essay entitled, “Social Media: For Better and For Worse”:

“…Until the mid1950s the only way to view an event of widespread importance was to personally attend said event.  Involvement meant dedication.  Involvement had value.  June 1, 1853 Elizabeth Cady Stanton delivered Temperance and Women’s Rights in Rochester, New York.  Due to the time period, her speech lacked all media coverage above press.  This absence placed an invisible limitation on her dispatch; however, those who attended experienced genuine passion.   In the past those bold enough would shout their approval or disapproval.  They would hoist signs above their heads, branding the sky with their opinions.  Today such demonstrations are meaningless.  The simplicity and anonymity creates an environment that promotes rashness.  A moment of fury can in seconds turn into an impulsive rude comment and though disrespectful it is protected under the First Amendment.  The casualness by which media can be accessed today dismisses the true privilege and power with which it should be associated”.  

The McAuley community is very proud of this poised, articulate young woman! Congratulations, Cristina!

Congratulations to the McAuley Limelighters on their stellar performance of Pamela Gien’s The Syringa Tree at this year’s One-Act Drama Competition.  The play, which takes places in Johannesburg, South Africa during the apartheid period, was beautifully acted by the Limelighters, garnering them a first-place finish overall.

According to one judge:  “At the risk of indulging in hyperbole, this was perhaps the single most compelling high school production I have seen in over 25 years of adjudicating festivals.  Beautifully conceived and staged, your vision is remarkable and acted with a maturity and grace and professionalism. . . You took us to South Africa, showed us the struggle, love, hate, and battle for freedom, and back to love of country; love prevailed. . . You touched my heart and the tears came.”

We wish the Limelighters well as they head to the Class B State Competition at Rockland High School March 25 & 26.  Break a leg, ladies!

Congratulations to senior Elizabeth McGarvey, who will be displaying two pieces of work at Portland’s City Hall as part of the First Friday Art Walk festivities (March 4).  Elizabeth’s work will be featured in the State of Maine Room, in the teen and youth section.

Doors open at 6:00 PM, so be sure to come and support Elizabeth’s artistic endeavors!

Congratulations to members of the McAuley Limelighters for their participation in the Young Playwrights Festival at Bonny Eagle High School last Saturday.

Victoria Hugo-Vidal ’10 is credited for creating the play, Fools’ Gold, which was cast and directed by Amy Richard ’10.  The Limelighters performed with a group of twelve local schools from Bath and Freeport who embrace student work.

Kudos to these McAuley students for sharing their creative talents with the McAuley community…and beyond.

Congratulations to McAuley student Hannah Cormier ’11, who has been chosen to attend the 2010 Haystack Student Craft Institute, a program that unites high school juniors who are gifted in the arts.

Impressively, Hannah is one of 64 students selected from across the state to participate in the Institute and will work on special clay pottery projects under the direction of ceramist Kari Radasch.

The Haystack Student Craft Institute is a three-day studio session for artistically-talented students to work with noted New England artists.  For more than fifteen years, over 900 Maine high school students have attended the Institute.

McAuley is proud to count you among these gifted artists, Hannah!

Congratulations to McAuley senior Samantha Dedian, whose vocal talent has propelled her to become a member of Maine’s All-State Chorus group.

Dedian was selected after an extensive audition process involving hundreds of students from across the state.  She is now part of an elite group of 250 celebrated for their skills in singing a musical scale, presenting an excerpt from an Italian aria, sight reading, and understanding the dynamics of tone, musicianship, pitch, rhythm, and vocal technique.

The All-State Chorus group will be featured in a performance at the UMO Center for the Performing Arts in May 2010.

Join the McAuley Limelighters as they perform the comedy:

The Farndale Avenue Housing Estate Townswomen’s Guild Dramatic Society’s Production of Macbeth

When an all-women’s theater group performs an “original” production of Macbeth for adjudication for the country’s community theater competition, everything that can go wrong … does.

Show times are Friday, November 20, at 7:00 PM and Saturday, November 21, at 2:30 and 7:00 PM.

The cost is $5/person and tickets are only available at the door.

Please call 797-3802 FMI, or email Lynne Erkkinen, Director, at lerkkinen@mcauleyhs.org.

Congratulations to the following students who have been selected to represent McAuley in this year’s District Chorus group:  Rebecca Tanous ’10, Samantha Dedian ’10, Tabitha Dupuis ’11, Elizabeth McGarvey ’11, Alyssa Hodgdon ’13, Tori Avella ’13, and Katie Neault ’13.

District Chorus is an annual tradition that unites some of the most talented vocalists and musicians in the area.  In order to be considered for District Chorus, each student must participate in an audition process that includes singing a musical scale, an excerpt of an Italian aria, and some additional lines of sight reading.  Tone, musicianship, pitch, rhythm, and vocal technique are important components of the selection process.

The seven McAuley students chosen for this honor will be part of a performance at Harrison Middle School in Yarmouth on Saturday, February 6 at 3:00 pm. All are invited to attend the concert in support of our talented young women.

Four McAuley theater students have extended their talents beyond the School’s stage by being cast in local community theater productions.  Each competed against many of the greater Portland area’s top theater students for their roles.

Sam Dedian, a senior, will star as Sharpay in the Lyric Theater production of High School Musical, which opens this month with a three-week run.

Grace Fosler, also a senior, recently finished performing as Janet / ensemble member in the Portland Players production of The Rocky Horror Show, a cult and fan favorite that opened on Halloween weekend.

Brittany Kopec and Danielle Nickless, both freshmen, recently performed as leads in the Studio 48 production of High School Musical at the Chocolate Church in Bath.

McAuley continues to be a proud supporter of the arts and the students who choose to participate in them!

Come and share in the beauty and appreciation of music as McAuley’s very own Chamber Chorale sings to support the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

The benefit concert, which will take place on Thursday, April 2 at 7:00 pm, will be held at the First Universalist Church of Yarmouth, 97 Main Street.  McAuley will join other area high school choral groups in an effort to raise money for the Foundation’s continued mission of providing hope, strength, and joy to children with life-threatening medical conditions.

The concert is free and open to the public, with donations accepted and appreciated.

Consider supporting our young women in this very worthwhile endeavor.

Hats off to the McAuley Limelighters for being recognized as the Class B Runner-Up in the 2009 Regional One-Act Competition Festival!

Held at South Portland High School on March 7, the troupe presented Alice! A Childish Story Take, a contemporary twist on Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, under the leadership of Drama Director Lynne Erkkinen.

In addition to walking away with the Runner-Up title, the Limelighters received special awards in four separate categories for their stellar work.

Anna Weltin ’09 and Samantha Dedian ’10 received distinction as the Competition’s “All Festival Cast” winners, representing strength in acting among the participants as a whole.  Senior Beth McAllister was recognized as the group’s “Best Supporting Actress,” while Cassandra Donatelli ’09 and Courtney Libby ’10 were celebrated for their attention to artistic detail in set design.  Two choreography awards were also given to the Limelighters — one to seniors Anna Devoe and Macauley Kenney, and the other to junior Staci Clarke.

Congratulations, ladies, on your extraordinary talent and artistry on the stage!

Congratulations to juniors Lauren Fecteau and Victoria McAllister, the recipients of two distinguished High School Award Scholarships from the University of Rochester, scholarships that seek to recognize the country’s most talented and outstanding high school juniors.

Fecteau, who received the Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony Award, was nominated for her commitment to understanding and addressing difficult social issues, leadership and attention to community action, and for strong grades attained through enrollment in rigorous courses.  Fecteau’s civic involvement inside and outside of school has proven her dedication to social justice, like Douglass and Anthony.

McAllister, the recipient of the George Eastman Young Leaders Award (formerly the Kodak Young Leaders Award), received this honor for her strong leadership at school and in the surrounding community, her extensive involvement in extracurricular activities, and for obtaining high grades in challenging courses.  Like George Eastman, founder of the Eastman Kodak Company, McAllister’s leadership has the potential to significantly impact our world today.

Both students will receive an impressive scholarship award, ranging from $7500 to $20, 000 a year for four years, should they choose to enroll at the University in the fall of 2010.

The University of Rochester is celebrated as one of the “most innovative private universities in the country.”  World-renowned for its arts and sciences programs, the University boasts strong academic departments and a commitment to analytical and creative thought.

McAuley is one of 3000 high schools around the world to participate in this award recognition program.

It’s that time of year again — time to begin preparations for our Academic Exchange Program with the students from Colegio Juanita de los Andes of Santiago, Chile.

During the month of March 14 – April 11, five young women and one teacher will become part of the McAuley community, and host families are needed to not only house these individuals, but to expose them to our culture and way of life.  This is open to all McAuley families, and you do not have to speak Spanish to become involved.

For more information, or to obtain a Host Family Application, please contact Terrilynn Dubreuil at 797-3802 ext. 2012 or tdubreuil@mcauleyhs.org.

This is a wonderful life-changing opportunity.   Consider joining us for the experience of a lifetime!