Headlines

On Saturday May 29 Mothers’ Club volunteers presented rose bouquets and boutonnieres to 521 graduates just before the commencement  procession. Many thanks to Chair Meg Colosimo, Co-Chair Anne Buffo and their enthusiastic committee for adding the perfect splash of color to Loyola Academy’s  100th  graduation ceremony!

The annual Baccalaureate Mass and Brunch for seniors and their families was held on Sunday, May 23 at Loyola Academy, with President Rev. Patrick E. McGrath, S.J. presiding at Mass. In his homily, Fr. McGrath told the seniors that Loyola Academy was a way station, not a stopping point, on their lifelong pilgrimage to God.  Fr. McGrath recited his favorite line from the poem, The Summer Day, by Mary Oliver: “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” He reminded students that it was now time for them to take their wild and precious lives to the next stage, but reassured them that they will always be able to refuel and reconnect at Loyola Academy. The Mothers’ Club hosted a catered brunch immediately following Mass and collected gently used uniform polo shirts to be donated to students who need them. Many thanks to Brunch Chairwoman Mrs. Katie Saletta and Co-chair Mrs. Mary Mulhall for providing a delicious breakfast and an enjoyable prelude to graduation.   Thank you also to the Shirt Collection Chairwoman Mrs. Veo Martin and all of the Mothers’ Club “angels” for providing such a valuable service!

The 6th annual Loyola Academy Rambler Run for Someone was held on Memorial day, Monday May 31st, 2010. Again, the event was a true success with the help of Tom and Clare Borah, Tom and Katherine Harig, and all of the many other wonderful volunteers that come together every year to celebrate such a wonderful day. The day began with sun and mass at 9am on the Munz Campus where Fr. Foley said a beautiful mass and some of the LA Rambler students read the names of the many people we honoring on Memorial Day 2010. At 10am, with the sun still shining, the race went off without a hitch as 400 runners/walkers began their trek down and up the hill. The rain came about 35 minutes into the run, but could not take away from the beauty of the day. All of the runners/volunteers/friends gathered under the hut at the Munz campus to share a little food and drink! What a great way to start our summer. The Rambler Run raised over $12,500 for tuition assistance. Full Results

Loyola Academy proudly salutes its 521 members of the Class of 2010. This year’s graduating class will take part in Loyola’s 100th Commencement Exercises on Saturday, May 29, at 2 p.m. at Loyola University’s Lakeshore Campus

Physical Education Department Merit Awards for performance, service and special accomplishment or significant improvement in lifestyle and fitness went to freshmen Boyd Huffman ’13 of Glenview and Cassidy Tomkins ’13 of Wilmette and sophomores William Bobrinskoy ’12 of Glenview and Nina Puch ’12 of Des Plaines.

Each year, the Speech and Debate Team competes in the Chicago Catholic Forensics League. This year, 13 Ramblers qualified for the National Catholic Forensic League competition that will be held in Omaha, NB over Memorial weekend. The qualifiers included for Public Forum debate, Noah Barger ’10 of Lake Forest, Anlil Brikha ’12 of Lincolnwood, Thomas Finnegan ’10 of Niles and Lia Hoag ’10 of Inverness; for Extemporaneous Speaking, Christina Baworowsky ’10 of Wilmette and Daniel Gordon ’10 of Glenview; for Original Oratory, Emma Collins ’11 of Chicago (60640) and Nina Synnestvedt ’10 of Arlington Heights; for Dramatic Performance, Marilyn Bass ’12 of Evanston, Patrick Sammon ’12 of Chicago (60630) and Aidan Schliesmann ’13 of Evanston; for Prose/Poetry, Amanda Smith ’12 of Glenview; and for Declamation, Margaret Moran ’12 of Chicago (60625).

The Women’s Volleyball Team spent a Friday after school in April volunteering at the Franciscan Soup Kitchen. This was the second year that the team has volunteered, and this year the girls brought with them pounds of fresh fruit. “Last year the church staff said that fresh fruit was one thing the patrons craved,” explains Head Coach Jennifer A. Morris of Glenview, “but no one ever donates it. I was so proud of the girls for remembering and doing something about it.”

Before the start of its season, Loyola’s Men’s Varsity Lacrosse Team spent two Saturdays in February helping others. For the second year in a row, 15 team members and their parents worked an assembly line at the Greater Chicago Food Depository, packaging food for the organization’s 650 Cook County-area food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters. The following week, the team and its coaches traveled to the West Side of the city to conduct a lacrosse clinic for three Chicago public schools: Manley, Collins and Lawndale, which together have formed the first-ever lacrosse team in the area. Working with donated equipment from Loyola families and Lacrosse America, the CPS team learned lacrosse fundamentals from the Ramblers. Then it was on to a fast-paced Saturday morning basketball game, where CPS athletes demonstrated their expert skills.

Loyola Academy is gearing up for its outstanding Summer School program, with the first day of classes on June 21. Programming includes coursework for junior high students in language arts, math and pre-algebra and for high school students including a wide array of courses—such as health, English, speech communication, anatomy, honors biology and chemistry, studio art, design, U.S. and world history, psychology, algebra and geometry and theology. For more information or for a brochure, please contact Loyola’s Summer School Office at 847.256.1100.

The annual Evening of Reflection hosted by Loyola’s Mothers’ Club was held on March 4, with more than 200 Loyola parents gathering to hear Reverend Monsignor Kenneth J. Velo. The Monsignor, an Archdiocesan priest, is senior executive of the Catholic Collaboration at DePaul University and president of the Big Shoulders Fund.
     Event Chair Mrs. Helen Jenko and her Co-chair Mrs. Mary Scopelliti organized an entire evening of spiritual fellowship, which began with a buffet dinner, followed by a musical interlude in the Loyola Chapel with vocalist Mrs. Meg Colosimo, accompanied by pianist Mrs. Carol Kiwala. The performance led into a Lenten prayer service, with Monsignor Velo presiding and Mother’s Club Moderator Rev. John J. Foley, S.J. serving as lector.
   The overwhelmingly positive response to the evening is attributable to the following individuals: Campus Minister Mr. Douglas Gleber, for the evening’s programs; Mrs. Kim Sommers, for invitation printing; Mr. Dave Terrell, for invitation mailing; Mrs. Carolyn Kenly, for preparing nametags; Mrs. Liz Ireland, for providing the centerpieces; and Mr. and Mrs. Scott and Mary Rafferty for their inspiration and support. Twenty-two additional Loyola parents baked desserts, decorated the Student Center, served food and beverages, worked the reception table and acted as ushers and greeters for the prayer service. We applaud Mrs. Jenko and Mrs. Scopelliti and their team of volunteers for arranging this meditative evening with Monsignor Velo, who enriched the Lenten season for all of those attending.

The Varsity Ramblerettes traveled down to Disney World in Orlando, FL to compete in the UDA (Universal Dance Association) 2010 National Dance Team Championship. They competed in the Small Pom and Small Jazz categories. They made it to the final round of competition for pom, the best they have ever done. They took 15th place and are now ranked #15 in the nation.

We are looking for a Loyola family who would be willing to host a student from Japan  during the first semester next year.  In previous years, the students spoke English clearly, were most interested in attending school here and were very open to experiencing a different culture. If you are interested in hosting a student or would like more information about it, please call Mrs. Jo Candioto in the Principal's Office:  847-920-2402.

The annual Faculty and Staff Appreciation Breakfast hosted by the Mothers’ Club on Thursday, January 28 was a delicious success!  Gwen Kindelin and her co-chair Sue Groden had 49 volunteers who baked a nice variety of breads, cakes and muffins, or brought fruit/drinks. Gwen and Sue changed the atmosphere in the faculty lounge to a Rambler Breakfast Café and had several mothers help replenish the buffet throughout the morning. Thank you to Gwen, Sue and their fabulous team of volunteers for preparing a wonderful breakfast worthy of Loyola’s outstanding faculty and staff!