For a student to be eligible for membership consideration at West Catholic, they must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.8.  Additionally, candidates must meet high standards of leadership, service, and character.  Leadership and service are based on a student’s level of participation in school and community activities.  Character is measured in terms of integrity, behavior, ethics, and cooperation with both students and faculty. 

Juniors and seniors with academic qualifications were invited to apply for membership.   Once students applied a council of faculty members reviewed each applicant.  Twenty four juniors and seniors were selected to join the National Honor Society.

The chosen members of the West Catholic chapter of the National Honors Society are:

Seniors

Rachel Fox

Natalie Scalabrino

Taylor Tenbrock

Juniors

Kaitlyn Augdahl

Alexis Bowe

Luke Brechting

Teresa Brechting

Jack Brooks

Clare Coddington

Jeff Ford

Claire Goodfellow

Ellen Hackett

Megan Harkema

HanBin Kim

Alex Klein

Brendan Kosnik

John Mroz

Meg Normand

Monica Proulx

Nick Schweitzer

Alayna Stratton

Noah VanHartesveldt

Jacqueline Wilson

Andy Woodruff

Fr. Lou reminded the students, staff and parents that we are called to be gifts to the world and to image Jesus in the things that we say and do.  After the homily, 27 new Extraordinary Ministers of Communion were commissioned to serve our school and their parish communities.

The West Catholic Ski Team did extremely well this past Saturday at the South Lyon Invitational Ski Meet at Boyne Highlands.

Varsity Girls took 2nd place overall - combined Slalom and Giant Slalom events

Varsity Boys took 2nd place in Giant Slalom.

Individual medalists were -

Mallory Eliopolus (V) placed 2nd in Slalom and 2nd in Giant Slalom

Nate Stancroff (V) placed 5th in Giant Slalom

Nick Solarewicz (JV)placed 5th in Giant Slalom and 4th in Slalom

Great weekend and great competition!

Kelly Ryan (9^th) and Izabella Babkowski (12^th) both from West Catholic joined the Haiti Needs You and Holy Spirit Church Medical team in Haiti this January.  The team was there from Jan 12 – 21. Kelly travelled with her father Tim and Izabella traveled with her mother Anna.

Passing out toothpaste and toothbrushes after the school children watched a video on dental care. This is part of the CC/WC combined school project.

The girls working in the pharmacy.

The January Medical team

Kelly holding a baby

Monsignor Duncan presided at the Mass at which students, teachers, parents and pastors gathered to celebrate and pray for our diocesan schools.

This year’s Catholic School’s Week theme focuses on three priorities that Catholic schools establish that make them stand out from other educational institutions. Children are taught faith – not just the basics of Christianity, but how to have a relationship with God.  Academics, which in Catholic schools are held to very high standards, help each child reach his or her potential.  Service, the giving of one’s time and effort to help others, is taught both as an expression of faith and good citizenship.

Following is a schedule of events for Catholic Schools Week

Monday, January 30
                Today, students and adults offered special prayers during Teamroom adoration time for those who support Catholic schools.  Also, all HTN (Help The Needy) money that is collected during Religion classes this week will be donated to SAFAH.  The money will be used to provide toothbrushes, toothpaste, water bottles, and canteens for over 500 Haiti students. In addition, students will receive fluoride treatments and medicine.

Tuesday, January 31
                Today members of the WC Choir along with select other students will be attending Mass at the Cathedral. There will also be a special announcement made during Teamroom highlighting the amount of service hours that the students at West Catholic have logged this year and members of the community that have been affected by their service.

Wednesday, February 1
                Today, a group of students will be praying the rosary with special intentions for world missions.

Thursday, February 2
                Today we will be celebrating an all school Mass which will include inducting new members to the National Honor Society and Commissioning Extraordinary Ministers of Communion.  There will be a brief reception following Mass for the new NHS members and their families.

Friday, February 3
                Today, the staff and students will enjoy a free jeans day.  A special pizza lunch will also be offered as we wrap up a great Catholic School’s Week!

47 students and 10 adult chaperones left West Catholic on Friday night to travel by charter bus to Washington, DC for the March for Life. While in Washington, the group visited Arlington National Cemetery, the National Archives, the Smithsonian Museums, and various monuments. On Sunday, the group attended Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

The focal point of the trip was Monday. The students woke up at 4:30 am to travel to the Youth Rally and Youth Mass at the DC Armory. This Rally and Mass was attended by approximately 10,000 youths from across the country. West Catholic students had the special privilege of being asked to be the student leaders at the Rally and Mass. Brendan Kosnik and Nolan Mikowski led the prayers of the Rosary before the Mass. During the Mass, Aubrey Clark, Ben Moore, and Greta Worm served as the lectors. Sarah Huber, Shelly McGough, Natalie Scalabrino, and Libby Schichtel presented the gifts at the Offertory. In his remarks at the conclusion of the Mass, Cardinal DiNardo, the principal celebrant, specifically thanked and complimented West Catholic for its role in the Rally and Mass. After the Mass, the group travelled to the National Mall to join with hundreds of thousands of pro-life supporters from across the country.

Exhausted but inspired, the West Catholic contingent boarded its bus Monday evening for the ride home. The experience of the trip motivated the students to continue to spread and defend the pro-life message back at West Catholic and in the Grand Rapids area.

West Catholic Students for Life has approximately 70 active members. The club raises awareness for pro-life issues in the West Catholic community. Club activities include: participating in the Life Chain, volunteering for Grand Rapids Right to Life events, volunteering at and raising funds for HELP Pregnancy Crisis Center, sponsoring pro-life movie nights, and attending the March for Life. The club has sent students to the March for Life for 14 years.  The club advisor is Mr. Patrick Nugent.

In our first tournament Women's Foil earned Gold & Bronze. This weekend, nine schools, with over 400 students competed at Culver Military Academy.  Six events were, Foil, Epee & Sabre, Men's and Women's. Medals for top eight finishers. CC/WC Men's foil 3rd place medal, Third place team. Women's Foil 1st, 3rd & 7th, with the 1st place team trophy. Welcome to the Great Lakes Fencing Conference. Exchange student (Natan) Jitrlada Chawalitcheewinme, a first year fencer, completed the fourth slot in women's foil to help capture the 1st place team trophy.

West Catholic has revamped its recycling program to include weekly pickups.

Every Thursday it has become common practice to see Meg Ziegler, Amber Ellen, and Shannon Kneibel traveling the hallways collecting paper that will be put in our paper gator.

Two of these dumpsters are filled weekly. Along with paper recycling, Katy Miller, Audrey Ostrowski, and Matt Nelson can be seen collecting cans, bottles, and other recyclable items for Grand Rapids city pickup.

Every two weeks, they move three full city bins down to the street for pickup. Recycling has expanded to the cafeteria and the athletic department as well. In addition, household batteries and printer ink cartridges are being collected in containers in Miss Golembiewski?s classroom. The ink cartridges, under the direction of sophomore class president, Mitch Mox, will be sent to a company and proceeds will benefit the sophomore class. Cardboard is also collected for recycle and deposited into our cardboard dumpster, which in turn gives us credit toward our dumpster/trash costs. As a school, we are making recycling a way of life that will improve our attitude towards the earth that God has entrusted us with, helping pave the way for future generations. Go Green! Go West Catholic!

On Saturday, December 3^rd, 2011, the West Catholic Athletic Boosters held their annual Arts & Craft Show at West Catholic High School.

Over 180 vendors occupied booths in the main gym, auxiliary gym, cafeteria, and hallways flanking both gyms.

Over 2000 Holiday shoppers entered through the doors looking for the perfect gift and/or home décor item.

To accommodate the Holiday shoppers, vehicles were parked in the main lot of West Catholic with alternate parking at Frost Incorporated, located at 2020 Bristol Avenue NW.  Two buses from Dadd’s Magic Bus and Limousine shuttled Holiday shoppers from parking at Frost Incorporated to the main entrance of the Arts & Craft Show.

The West Catholic Band Boosters offered food and beverage service to the Holiday shoppers within the Cafeteria and provided delivery of food to the vendors in their booths.

The West Catholic Athletic Boosters would like to say “Thank You” to the many adult volunteers and teams who donated their time in making the 2011 Arts & Craft Sale a big success. The athletes and coaches from the following teams assisted in setup and tear down, Boys Swimming, Wrestling, Boys Basketball, Hockey, Cheer, and Girls Basketball.

We would also like to extend a very special “Thank You” to Joel Langlois and the DeltaPlex for the use of 50 eight-foot tables; Mike Rampalski of Give ‘Em A Brake Safety Company for the use of traffic cones; Brad Meyers of Meyers, Bueche & Nies for use of safety vests and measuring devices; and Frost Incorporated who donated their parking lot.

In closing, the Boosters thank the Athletic Department and Facility Staff for their support in our fundraising endeavors to ensure continued success of student athletes of West Catholic High School.

Athletic Booster Staff consists of Tom Rooney (President), Brad Sturgell (VP), Julie Nelson (Secretary),

Nikki Wasielewski (Treasurer), Craft Show Co-chairs Trudy Wysocki and Kay Rooney, and Jack Wysocki.

Read the news release (pdf)

  “Red and Green” day provided the funds. Thank you to all who participated.

This note was received from a teacher at San Juan…”Thank you so much for your generous gifts today.  The kids are all so excited, and so are the teachers.  We have been talking about the spirit of Christmas, and your kids really showed that today. Thank you!” 

Way to go Falcons!

Senior class and student body president Nick Freybler presents Msgr. Stasker with a certificate representing his induction into the Honorary Religous Wall of Fame. Pontifical honors of chaplain to his holiness were conferred on Msgr. Stasker earlier this year.

WC grad comes to talk with students and staff about the United States Air Force.

Don't miss out on this event! Get your tickets today!

The following letter regarding the enrollment process was emailed to all of our current families this week:

December 5, 2011

Dear Parents of Current Students,

In order for Catholic Secondary Schools to prepare, plan and welcome students to a new school year we have developed some very specific budget setting and enrollment processes.

We begin the budget setting process as early as August of the current school year in preparation for the next year.  Throughout the current year, we will draft an estimated budget reflecting enrollment trends and typical expense patterns of Catholic Central and West Catholic High Schools based on data collected by the Business Office.

Using projected enrollment numbers and those estimated costs, the Business Office will develop standard operating and student budgets for the awarding of grants and scholarships, staffing and labor costs, supplies, operations, programming, Campus Ministry, course offerings, transportation, etc.

Ninety percent of our operating revenue comes from tuition, so an enrollment deadline of March 1 allows us to gain an accurate projected student count early in the year. This allows us to better prepare for staffing needs, the scheduling of core courses, class size, additional course offerings, extra-curricular offerings, including athletics and the performing arts, bus runs, and campus ministry.

Since three quarters of the student population is made up of returning students we feel that it is a reasonable expectation for us to have 75 percent of course schedule and staffing needs identified by the enrollment deadline.  Ultimately, we want our faculty to feel certain of their employment and of the courses they’ll be teaching. Our goal is to have a course and daily schedule in place on the first day of classes to insure the best use of our resources and your investment in your child’s education.

As you are aware, course registration cannot take place until enrollment is complete. Yet we have experienced a recent trend toward late enrollment on the part of many of our returning families. This trend has a negative effect not only on staffing but also on programming, possibly compromising our number of course offerings – especially singleton classes, such as Advanced Placement and Honors courses. Late enrollments also put a strain on the master schedule as we attempt to balance course offerings; class sizes are affected; and individual student schedules must be adjusted to accommodate changes.

To help remedy the situation, we are reminding our returning families to enroll no later than March 1, submitting both the completed Tuition Contract forms and the $100 (per family) enrollment fee to the Business Office.  Further, beginning in 2012 returning families who do not complete the enrollment process by March 1 will be assessed an additional amount in enrollment fees for a total of $400*, per a recent policy passed by the CSS School Board. 

To clarify, the enrollment process is as follows:

* Complete a Tuition Contract

* Pay the Enrollment Fee ($100 per family if paid by March 1)

* Complete the Payment Processing Agreement

* When the enrollment process is complete, your student may register for classes.

By making use of these budget setting and enrollment processes, we can provide an efficient start to the school year, a higher degree of employment certainty for faculty and staff and continued high-quality programming. We ask that our families also consider these goals when enrolling your student(s) for next year.  Necessary enrollment forms will be mailed to homes and available on the school websites near the end of January 2012.

Please don’t hesitate to contact your building principal with questions.

Sincerely,

Tom Maj
President, Catholic Secondary Schools

* Please notify the Business Office if your future enrollment is uncertain due to job status change, medical issue, or other hardship.

Download the letter (pdf)

Caleb is a 3-time OK Blue All-Conference member and has been an OK Blue Conference Individual Champion. He also holds honors as:

·         1^st Team All-Area bowler

·         Two- time State qualifier

·          Team Captain

Caleb holds these OK Blue Conference & West Catholic records:   

·         Bowled a “Perfect 300 Game” in Conference match

·         2-game high series score of 536

·         School record for high average of 207

Dan (WC '83) and Jenny (WC '89) Steil are the proud parents of the first student signed to Aquinas College’s new bowling program.

The Grand Rapids Community Foundation has awarded science instructor Mike Reynolds a 2012 Good Classrooms mini grant in the amount of $5,000 for iPad Apps Library and Science Visualization.

Good Classrooms is a mini-grant program that provides funds for projects that enhance learning, but are beyond the means of a school’s budget. 

Teachers and students in Grand Rapids Public, Catholic and Christian Schools can apply for mini grants each year.  The awards range from $250 to $3,000 and can be used for new projects or programs, program enhancement or expansion, student awards, special events, professional development, field trips and parent involvement activities.

The STEM Conference on November 5 was sponsored by West Catholic, Catholic Central, Kettering University and GRCC.  170 5^th through 8^th grade girls spent the day working on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) related activities, visiting with female mentors working in these fields, and listening to presentations from women in science and math related careers. 

The West Catholic volunteers guided small groups of girls through the hands-on activities and awarded "Girl Genius" points to attendees for extra effort and success. Our girls received many well-deserved compliments from the planners of the conference for their skills as positive role models for the younger girls in attendance.

Students delivered approximately 400 pounds of turkeys and pies, plus more than 1,000 non perishable items to God’s Kitchen Wednesday.

The food was collected from students, faculty and staff members and will be used by God’s Kitchen to assemble Thanksgiving baskets for those in need in the Heartside area downtown.

Now celebrating its 50th year, West Catholic High School was founded in 1962. It has a current enrollment of 506 students.

Students loading the truck of nonperishables:  Josh and Jake Neubecker, Andy Zimmerman and Tony Brechting

A group of West Catholic students have become qualified finalists in the 55^th Annual Michigan Mathematics Prize Competition (MMPC).   These students completed Part 1 of the competition in the top 1,100 out of 6,200 of their peers.   Part I was a multiple choice exam made up of 40 problems.  The finalists from Part I competed in Part II on Nov. 30.  Part II consists of a five question exam in which the students must give written explanations of their claims and proofs of their results.  The grading session for Part II will not be held until January.  This will take place at Albion College and will be performed by mathematicians from over 70 Michigan colleges and universities. 

Students who earn the top 100 scores in both parts will be invited to an awards program at Hope College in February.  The top 50 will be presented with scholarships ranging from $250 to $2,500 for first place.

Students eligible for Part II

John Brooks

Nicholas Freybler

Brendan Kosnik

Jike Li

Phillip Miller

Jesse Stewart

Falcon senior running back Jalin Faison in a game earlier in the season

Jalin Fasion rushed for more than 200 yards and scored five touchdowns in his final year as a Falcon.

Read the MLive account.

The defending state champion Falcons will meet Lansing Catholic in the state semifinal game on Saturday.  

Kendra Meyers participates in a workshop at a US Naval Academy summer seminar.

"Over the summer I went to the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis Maryland for a week long summer seminar. My stay there included living as a midshipman, academic workshops, team building, as well as the hard physical training. At the end of the week I was chosen out of 750 participants to receive the "Outstanding Candidate" award. It was an honor and privilege to get to go."

-Kendra Myers, Class of 2012

The swimmers and divers continue to improve their times and now focus on getting their swimmers and divers ready for the Diving Regional. That event will be held next Tuesday, Nov. 15, at East Grand Rapids. The State Meet is Friday, Nov. 18  at Oakland University.

West Catholic took first place with 363 points. They won over Grand Rapids Creston, who scored 311 and third-place Grand Rapids Union who scored 197. Grand Rapids Ottawa took fourth with 147 points.

West Catholic Event Winners

50 Free – Meghan Arbanas  27.50

Diving – Erica Wysocki – 199.10

100 Freestyle – Meghan Arbanas 1:01.25

500 Freestyle – Emily Price 6:12.43

200 Freestyle Relay – M Arbanas, E Wysocki, M Galbraith, E Price 1:58.30

West Catholic Senior, Meredith (Mertzie) Klein has verbally committed to attend Grand Valley State University to play Women's Basketball for the 2012 School Year. 

Mertzie committed to GVSU Head Coach Janelle Burgess on Wednesday of this week.

Mertzie is currently preparing for her 4th year as a member of the Varsity West Catholic Girls Basketball Team, and was selected as a team Captain for the 3rd consecutive Year.

She suffered a season ending knee injury her sophomore year, and worked extremely hard to come back and help lead the Lady Falcons to a 18-3 record last season, including a second straight OK Blue Championship.

To date, Mertzie has been selected to the OK Blue All Conference Team three times, All Area Advance Newspaper two times, and GR Press Dream Team Honorable Mention. She has also been selected to play in the BCAM High School Showcase on two occasions. 

Mertzie's parents are Jay and Shelly and she also has three brothers, Jason, Nick and Kyle, who also graduated from WC.  She attended Holy Trinity School and the Klein’s are members of Holy Trinity Parish.  Congratulations, Mertzie!

Photo courtesy GBalcom Photography

More photos on Facebook

The Lady Falcon Swim Team placed second in Creston's Polar Bear Classic with a score of 167.

The team accomplished the second place finish with a team of only 16 girls.

The Falcons snagged their fourth straight OK Blue conference title after a 55-14 win over Cedar Springs last Friday.

Our reigning Div. 5 state champs totalled up 25 straight conference victories and earned a spot in the playoff for the sixth year in a row.

Read the account on MLive.

They finished off a strong competition season Tuesday with an A grade and a Division One Rating.  The scores broke down as such: General Effect “B+”, Music Performance “A” and an “A” in Marching Performance. 

The WC band also earned a trophy for fourth place in class C at Saturday’s Grandville Marching Competition while receiving an Excellence Award for Color Guard. 

The band looks forward to showcasing its talents once again at the next WC home football game  on Oct. 14.

Watch their performance on You Tube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tu-JitXImU

A Letter of Commendation from the school and National Merit Scholarship Corporation, which conducts the program, will be presented by Interim Principal Cindy Kneibel to the academically talented senior.

About 34,000 Commended Students throughout the nation are being recognized for their exceptional academic promise. Although they will not continue in the 2012 competition for National Merit Scholarships, Commended Students placed among the top five percent of more than 1.5 million students who entered the 2012 competition.

Students like Katrina who are named Commended Students have demonstrated a strong potential for academic success," said Kneibel. "Celebrating scholarship is vital as we continue to build on our already strong academic program. We congratulate Katrina’s achievement as well all the scholastic accomplishments of the class of 2012."

West Catholic and Catholic Central students raised $102,395 last Wednesday in the 20^th Annual All A’s Walk, topping their $100,000 goal by more than $2,000. 

Nearly 1,200 students walked three miles to John Ball Park in the culmination of a month-long effort to raise funds to assist Catholic Secondary Schools families with tuition costs.

On behalf of our current and future families, West Catholic's Advancement Office would like to express its thanks to all the students who participated and to our sponsors who helped make this very important annual event possible.

All Sponsors

Silver Sponsors

Legacy of Faith

The Drum Line kicked off a little "Sneak Peek" last night:

http://youtu.be/6NpECKW-zNY

West Catholic Alums can get started on the celebration by attending a FREE All-Alumni Tailgater before the Homecoming Game (5:30 p.m.) this Friday night! And watch for announcements of more events to come.

The band performed prior to the walk, which was held on Saturday, Sept. 17.

See more photos on the Band Boosters Facebook page

A “Blackout” theme marked last Friday’s football matchup against Comstock Park: Players wore their black jerseys and students dressed in black in honor of Organ Donor Awareness Night at Falcon Stadium.

"Blackout" for Organ Donor Awareness Night at Falcon Stadium

The goal of the evening was to raise awareness of organ donation, according to Athletic Director Dan Rohn. “There is a great need in Michigan for organ donors,” he said. “We want to help people become informed of the process for becoming an organ donor and what that means. We also want to recognize donors, their families and recipients for their sacrifice and courage.”

VIP guests for the pregame ceremonies included Grand Rapids’ first heart transplant recipient Rahn Bentley and the family of donor Tim Korzen, West Catholic class of ’84. The families became acquainted after Korzen was revealed as the donor in the November 2010 transplant. Together they participated in the ceremonial coin toss.  

The game against OK Blue rivals Comstock Park was back and forth up to the end with the Falcons winning in overtime, 42-35. Read the account on MLive.

See more photos on West’s Facebook page.

Heart transplant recipient Rahn Bentley (foreground) leaves the field after the coin toss.

Players' helmets were decked with green ribbons for organ donor awareness.

These retreats are organized by the football dads and involve a community service project that includes both the student/athlete and someone who is a significant male role model in his life. The goal is to give back to the community, build team unity and bond with those males who impact their lives.

This year with a group of over 150 Falcon Faithful we were able to branch out to several venues. From the “Football Field” into the “Mission Field,” we completed service projects in Grant, Newaygo and two locations in the Grand Rapids area.

Read the entire account (pdf)from Football Dad Tim Bancuk.

See more photos on West's Facebook page.

Students got an idea of how much good one donor can do last Wednesday during an organ donor awareness forum.

The group of students on the left represents the number of people who can benefit from the donations of single individual.

West Catholic parent Jill Brechting who works with the organ and tissue donation program, Gift of Life, showed how many people can benefit from the donations of a single individual. Mary Mequino, a Gift of Life Michigan staff and a living donor who gave her kidney to her daughter and Holly Werlein, a liver transplant recipient who volunteers at Gift of Life Michigan also spoke to students about organ donation.

The forum was conducted before last week’s Organ Donor Awareness football game at West Catholic. Rahn Bentley, the recipient in Grand Rapids’ first heart transplant, and the family of Tim Korzen, whose heart was donated, were on hand as special guests.

West Catholic alum Dr. Steve Bloom with the band MidLife Crisis plus a host of other local talent will stage a benefit concert for Kids Food Basket on Sept. 30 at DeVos Performance Hall.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Concert begins at 8.

www.MLCBAND.com/10years

The players and their parents built a playground for Holy Trinity students as part of their annual Football Retreat.

The group photo was taken after 5 p.m. mass last Saturday, Sept. 10.

In the Beginning…

By Lisa Nawrocki

Acrylic on wood panel,  72” x 138”

On display at:

Downtown Courtyard Marriott Hotel
11 Monroe Avenue NW

Lisa's ArtPrize profile

Fr. Pete McCormick WC '95 spoke about the sacrifices his family made to
send six kids to Catholic school.

This year’s theme – This is the Day - reiterates how our daily decisions affect those around us, and suggests to donors that today is the day to reaffirm their commitment to Catholic education in Grand Rapids through their generous gifts.

Guests enjoyed a complimentary lunch followed by a short program featuring a successful alumnus from each high school. Father Pete McCormick, a 1995 West Catholic graduate, is the current Rector at Notre Dame’s Keough Hall.  Mark Weber, who graduated from Catholic Central in 2005, is a filmmaker whose recent work, “Strong Bodies Fight” is the story of the Notre Dame boxing team and its fund raising efforts for the Holy Cross Missionaries fighting poverty in Bangladesh. Both spoke on the difference a Catholic school education can make in the life of an individual and in turn, the world. The West Catholic Jazz Band and Catholic Central Capella Choir provided music.

The Annual Fund provides tuition assistance for students with financial need. Last year about $1.7 million was provided with an average grant of about $2,500. The goal of the drive this year is to raise $ $429,700, a 10 percent increase over last year’s pledged total.

GRAND RAPIDS, MI, September 2, 2011 – The Board of Directors of the Catholic Secondary Schools announced today the appointment of the following four new board members:

Mr. John Brechting is a Project Engineer in the design, development and coordination of industrial system and manufacturing facilities construction for BP&R Engineering, Inc. in Holland.  He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Michigan Technological University and is a licensed professional engineer.  John is a member of Holy Trinity parish in Grand Rapids.  He and his wife, Patricia, have 5 children.

Mr. Thomas McGovern is President of Rockford Construction Company, Inc. in Grand Rapids, and brings extensive experience in facilities and construction management.  He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Facilities Management from Grand Valley State University.  Tom is a member of Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Grand Rapids.  He and his wife, Jackie, have 3 children.

Mr. Kevin McGrath is Vice President of Sales & Marketing for First Telecommunications in Grand Rapids, and brings experience in the marketing and classroom technology planning.  He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Grand Valley State University and a Master’s degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from the University of Baltimore.  Kevin is a member of Blessed Sacrament Parish in Grand Rapids.  He and his wife, Kasie Lynn, have 3 children.

Mrs. Cheryl Ora is a Supply Chain Manager within Steelcase, Inc.’s Wood Division, and brings extensive experience in communications and organizational change management to our Board.  She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Finance/Public Administration from Western Michigan University.  Cheryl is a member of St. John Vianney Parish in Wyoming.  She and her husband, Ben, have 2 children.

“We filled some important needs with these appointments,” said Reverend R. Louis Stasker, Pastor of the Grand Rapids Catholic Secondary Schools.  “Each of them brings gifts and broad experiences to our Board that will enhance our ability to deliver a quality, faith-filled education to the students of Catholic Central and West Catholic high schools.  I am honored to make these appointments and look forward to their contributions over the coming years.”

The Board wishes to acknowledge and express deep gratitude to Mr. Steven Abid, Mr. Pius Ezeh and Mrs. Mary Beth Barkeley for their years of service as members of the Grand Rapids Catholic Secondary Schools Board.

West Catholic High School Interim Principal Jack Young has announced he has accepted the position of principal at Coleman High School in Coleman, Michigan. We accepted his resignation with regret and accommodated Coleman's request that it be effective immediately.

A statement received from Jack is as follows:

"After much thoughtful consideration, I have decided to take on the new challenge of principal at Coleman high school. I am thankful for my time at West Catholic, working with Tom Maj and all the faculty and staff. I sincerely appreciate all the support I've received over the years from the West Catholic community." 

Jack graduated from Catholic Central and served for many years in various faculty and administrative positions at CC and West before being appointed associate principal, then interim principal at West. He has been a respected figure at both schools and his leadership will be missed.

West Catholic Social Studies Department Head Ms. Cindy Kneibel will assume responsibilities of interim principal, having also submitted her application for the permanent position. Cindy earned her BA from Georgetown University and holds a master’s degree from Aquinas College. She has taught religion and social studies classes at West Catholic for eight years and has been very active serving the school and the West Catholic community, including as adviser to Student Government and the Robotics Team. She also is a tireless volunteer, and as a past student activities director she was involved in such causes as community blood drives and the annual All A’s Walk fundraiser.  Her teaching responsibilities will be assumed by West Catholic alumna Ms. Emilee (Tanis) Lowell.

We are confident that West Catholic will see continued success under Ms. Kneibel’s capable leadership, and with assistance from WC graduate and Dean of Students Tony Fischer, our school and our community will be well served.

With solid interim leadership in place, we will continue our search for a candidate with outstanding credentials who as principal will lead West Catholic High School into the decades ahead with enthusiasm and passion for Catholic school education. We appreciate your prayers of support and will keep the community updated on the progress of that search.

Sincerely,

Rev R. Louis Stasker, Pastor          Tom Maj, President

Read the MLive account here.

GIFT Days stands for “Growing in Faith Together.” At the retreat, the students had an opportunity to reconnect with classmates after the summer vacation and to get to know their classmates on a newer and deeper level.

In addition to some fun and games, the students engaged in small group discussions, listened to a keynote speaker, and spent time in prayer. The retreat concluded with a Mass offered by Fr. Tom Page of St. Jude Parish.

The specific theme chosen for this year’s retreat was “Time of our Lives,” encouraging each student to make the most of this time in his or her life. It is hoped that the fruits of this retreat will empower the Class of 2012 to have a very successful senior year—academically, athletically, socially, and spiritually.

Summer Reading Academy students show how many books they read over the summer.

In less than two months, the 14 students read a total of 229 books (compared to 120 books during their entire 8th grade school year) and 44,716 pages.

The students posted an average 8 percentile growth on their High School Placement Test Reading Post-Test.

Ms. Faith Marko and Ms. Julia Reynolds coached the students, encouraging them to read constantly to build comprehension and vocabulary.

Show dates are October 27, 29 and November 3, 5 at 7:30 p.m. and October 30 and November 6 at 3 p.m. with all performances at the Performing Arts Center at Aquinas College.

For a rundown of the cast and a couple of photos, go here.

About 145 athletes attend the sessions each day to work on strength, speed and agility. The entire WC coaching staff is on hand to assist.

“Many thanks go to the West Catholic Athletic Boosters and the Touchdown club for their assistance, in addition to Kim McDonough  of Core Pilates, Yoga and Stretching, Daimond Dixon of Performance Sports, Speed and Agility and Nate Schaffer with 3 D Dynamic Performance,” said Coach Rohn.

The sessions are free and open to all WC athletes in grades 9-12. They will conclude on July 28.

See more photos on our Facebook page

In Tianannmen Square

The trip featured stops in Beijing, Xi'an, Shanghai, and Hong Kong.

Highlights of the trip included: climbing a steep portion of the Great Wall and singing the Catholic Central fight song at the top, visiting the Terra-cotta Warriors museum site in Xi'an, the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. The students were able to practice their Chinese with the local people on a daily basis.

At the Great Wall of China

Those who participated in the trip included:

Students: Catholic Central: Maggie Lawrence, Owen Kane, Lauren DeWitt, Grace Tomaszewski, Jon Rupert, Mark Dyehouse West Catholic: Katrina Marks Faculty: Kai-Ling Wu, Chinese Teacher and Sandy Vesbit Spanish Teacher Adults: Karen, Bill, Katie, Patrick Lawrence, Tom Marks, John Vesbit and Suzanne Sapita

Following is the text of a letter sent by Father R. Louis Stasker to diocesan parish priests and Catholic Secondary Schools faculty, staff and parents today regarding changes in CSS leadership structure:

"Grand Rapids Catholic Secondary Schools (GRCSS) soon will undergo modifications to its administrative structure as approved this week by Walter A. Hurley, bishop of the diocese of Grand Rapids, and based on recommendations from the secondary school board, the superintendent of schools, the Connecticut-based consulting firm Catholic School Management, parents and myself.

"The new structure is consistent with findings in an ongoing study of diocesan school governance commissioned by the diocese with Catholic School Management as part of the “Our Faith, Our Future” initiative.

"The new structure calls for the organization to be led by a canonical administrator – a pastor – with a president heading up external affairs for the schools. A principal at each high school will be charged with oversight of internal affairs, including day-to-day operations within the buildings. 

"I will retain my role as pastor, and current Principal Thomas Maj will assume the duties of president. Associate Principal Greg Deja of Catholic Central will take on the responsibilities of principal at Catholic Central. Jack Young, who is currently associate principal at West Catholic, will serve as interim while a search is conducted for a permanent principal for the school.   

"In my role as pastor, I will ensure adherence to canon law and will have specific reserved powers. As president, Tom Maj will be responsible for GRCSS external affairs, including oversight of mission effectiveness, business affairs, fundraising, board relations and liaisons with external constituencies, including parishes and the community. The principals will be charged with overseeing faith community, academic and student affairs for their respective buildings.  

"The new structure more closely aligns the two Catholic high schools under a common vision while still allowing them to serve their unique communities. This process of restructuring and further defining roles is the next in a series of steps necessary to achieve the strategic priorities stated in our vision, which was adopted in 2010 along with 12 strategic priorities that are critical to building and maintaining a sustainable organization.

"These changes further align the organization and support the vision of our high schools to continue to be renowned as high-quality Catholic schools preparing students to realize their full potential as active participants in their faith communities. I have put my full support behind Tom Maj as a leader who is tremendously capable of guiding our schools toward a sustainable, viable future. "

For more detail on the CSS administrative restructure, see the Q & A.

Media Inquiries: 616-292-3177
kathleenvandervelde@grcss.org or

kathleen.vandervelde@gmail.com

 Go to this page and download the pdf for camps, dates, price and registration form.

NOTE: Tennis camp has been cancelled.

Students in grades 4 - 8 from a dozen different schools participated in Art, Band, Choir, Creative Writing, Dance, Drama, and Graphic Design classes.

See lots more photos on our Facebook page!

10:30 a.m. lunch buffet

12:15 Shotgun start

5 p.m. banquet

Download the pdf for all the details plus a signup form.

Lisa Nawrocki’s Art 2 -Design students finished off the year with the annual class project: a proposed sculpture for the West Catholic courtyard.

Jessica Krystiniak, Brooke Pasikowski, Kyle Jost, Mary Katherine Myles, and Molly Morrow with their proposed sculpture for the courtyard.

Each student must design a miniature model from cardboard. After sculptures are critiqued in class, the students are divided into groups. Each group is to create a large sculpture out of 4'x8'x1/2" plywood with the end product measuring at least 4 feet in one direction.  Students may pick one of the sculptures already designed by a member of the group,  they can combine sculpture ideas, or as a group they can come up with a completely new idea. The only stipulation is that they must all  agree 100% on the final piece. Students then are trained to use various power tools safely before beginning the final sculptures.

The projects usually take about three weeks to complete.

Samantha Makowski, Hunter Nemmers, Matt Kirchhoff, and Adam Rooney

Lauren Bearinger, Corinne Maddox, Maddie Jones, Rachael Stowe, and Nate Stancroff

The Grand Rapids Catholic Secondary Schools School Board elected officers for 2011-12 at its regular meeting on June 9, 2011, as follows:

Mark Scott, Chairman. A member of St. John Vianney Parish, Scott is corporate controller at Autocam Corporation. He is entering his sixth year as member of the Board and has served as chairman since 2007.

David Veneklase, Vice Chairman. The executive vice president for organizational development at Davenport University, Veneklase is a member of St. Anthony of Padua Parish. This will be his third year on the Board, having served as secretary in 2010-11 and as chairman of the Strategic Planning Vision Committee from 2009 - present.

Michael Lown, Treasurer. Beginning his fifth year as a Board member, Lown belongs to St. Thomas the Apostle Parish and is director of accounting & tax at Fox Motors. He served as Board treasurer from 2007-present.

Donald Duba, Secretary. A member of St. Anthony of Padua Parish, Duba is an attorney at law for Duba & Duba, PLLC. He is entering his second year as member of the Board.

All were elected unanimously and will serve in these capacities until the June 2012 Board meeting.

West Catholic High School and the Detroit Tigers would like to congratulate Lance Buitendyk on his invitation to this year’s High School All-Star Game at Comerica Park on Tuesday, June 21 at 7:00 PM.

It is truly a great honor to be a part of this event.  Lance is the first in West Catholic history to be invited to play in this event. 

Lance was an integral part in the West Catholic State Championship football season.  He will now have this tremendous opportunity to get the experience of a life-time playing baseball at Comerica Park.

Lance will continue his baseball career next year at Grand Valley State University.

The boys golf team under coach Andy Weatherhead finished 2^nd at the Regional meet on June 9. They have qualified for the State Tournament, scheduled for Friday and Saturday June 17 and 18 at Forest Akers in East Lansing.

Also - congratulations to Sam Weatherhead, who finished first in regionals with a round of 72.

WC golf team

Sam Weatherhead - 72

Steve Strain - 78

Kenny Nawrocki - 80

Matt Kowalczyk - 85

Adam Rooney - 85

Senior Nick Burciaga has been named a High School All-American diver for the fourth year in a row. 

With this selection, Burciaga becomes the first Michigan male diver to be selected as a NISCA/Speedo High School All-American four times.

Read entire release (pdf)

Many students received awards for excellence in Fine Arts at the Honors Night Assembly on May 12.

Nick Burciaga was named Outstanding Artist in the area of Drawing

Alyssa Ellen was named Outstanding Artist in Design

Jacquie Sochacki was named Outstanding Artist in the area of Studio Art

Megan Rogalski was named Most Improved Artist

Jenna Rood and Mike Harmon were named Artists of the Year

Mike Harmon, Jenna Rood and Jacquie Sochacki had artwork selected for display at Vern Ehlers’ Third Congressional District Art Exhibit, Artfest 2011 at the Gerald R. Ford Museum

Jenna Rood had artwork purchased by the KISD for a permanent exhibit in the main building

Anna Brechting received West Catholic Band Director’s Award

Alec Maguire received John Phillip Sousa Award

Angela Stoddard and Stacy Sienkiewicz were the recipients of our West Catholic Drum Major Awards

Eamon Carmody was named the Louis Armstrong Award recipient

Lindsay Zenner received the William Staudacher Memorial Choir Award

Michael Hurst was awarded the National School Choral Award

Jacquie Sochacki received the WC Drama Award

Jennifer Stancroff and Lindsay Zenner received Father Lawrence Griffin Drama Awards

Josh Laske was the recipient of the Theatre Director’s Award

Matt Outman and Woody Nelson received the “Call to Places” Awards

Katie Kosnik was honored with the Liturgical Musical Award

Five individuals will be inducted into the West Catholic Wall of Fame during the 2011-12 school year, announced Athletic  Director Rohn at last Friday's 28th annual Falcon Golf Classic. The inductees are: Dave Abanas, Rose Arbanas, Jim Schaffer, Katie Clifford Jazwinski and Mike Cherrette.

The Arbanas family is being recognized as special honorees because of their years of service to both the athletic department and the Boosters. Together, they help to form the boosters and develop the golf classic, along with assisting in Project Falcon. Dave and Rose had three children graduate from WC and currently have grandchildren competing for the Falcons.

Jim Schaffer spent 26 years at West Catholic as a teacher and coach, and he served as  athletic director from 1992-1998. Schaffer coached basketball, track and cross country during his time at West, before he moved on to take the role of athletic director at Kent City High School. Schaffer was highly respected throughout the area by all people involved in athletics. He recently lost his battle with cancer.

Katie Clifford Jazwinski graduated from West Catholic in 1998. While here she was named to the all-state teams in both cross country and track. She also was a member of the basketball team. Jazwinski continued her success at the University of Michigan and qualified for the 2012 Olympic Games. She currently lives and coaches in Dexter, Mich.

Mike Cherrette graduated from Catholic Central in 1965. He taught religion at West until 2010 and coached both softball and golf at WC. His golf teams accumulated numerous conference and regional championships and competed at the state level many times. Cherrette had three sons -- Mark, Tom and John  -- graduate from WC. He is currently a member of the Michigan High School Golf Coaches Hall of Fame.

Ceremonies and celebrations for each of the inductees will take place at athletic events during the 2011-12 seasons.

The Invisible Children tour will be stopping at West Catholic for an assembly at 10:15 a.m. on Friday, February 25 for a screening of the documentary, “The Tony Bracelet.” The film follows the life of a Ugandan boy who was abducted and conscripted into the rebel army during the current war in East Africa.

You can view a trailer for the film here.

Following the film, a young Ugandan woman will speak to students first hand of the atrocities she has seen in the war.

Invisible Children is a social justice and youth-based educational organization that focuses on advocacy and awareness regarding the urgent need in Eastern Africa, specifically Uganda and Congo, for peace and justice restoration.  The region has been beset by 25-year conflict that has become the longest-running war in Africa. 

Representatives from Invisible Children will hold a talk-back session during lunch for students who wish to learn more. Merchandise including t-shirts, hats, etc., also will be available for purchase during that time.

Join us in the West Catholic gym Saturday, March 26, at 6 p.m. for dinner, drinks and auction festivities. Reservations are just  $25 per person and include free admission to the 10 p.m. After-the-Auction party!

See more details at CelebrateWest.org or simply register here. You don’t want to miss this!

Sunday, January 30 - Education Sunday
Students from West Catholic and Catholic Central will be speaking about Catholic education during Masses at parishes in the diocese.

Tuesday, February 1
Catholic Schools Week Mass - students, clergy, faculty and administrators from schools throughout the diocese join Bishop Hurley for Mass at the Cathedral of Saint Andrew, 11 a.m.

Parent Information Night, 6:30 p.m., West Catholic High School Library Media Center

Wednesday, February 2
All School Mass - WCHS Cafeteria, 10:12 a.m.

Thursday, February 3
Students and staff will bring in a bag of rice or beans and $1 (Bag & a Buck). The collection goes to support Rays of Hope for Haiti in Grand Rapids.

Friday, February 4
Junior Falcon Night at the WCHS Varsity Basketball Games - All 5th-8th grade students with a Jr. Falcon card will get in free.
Between the two varsity games, at approximately 7:30 p.m., the 2010 WC Varsity Football Players and Coaches will receive their Division 5 Championship Ring.

 The 2010-11 staff of West Catholic's student newspaper, Westword, earned a Gold Award from the Michigan Interscholastic Press Association for their performance.

The following students earned individual awards for their articles.

Katrina Marks - second place for Bylined Opinion article

Brendan Kosnik - honorable mention for Bylined Opinion article

Tiffany Boorsma - honorable mentions for Feature Column and Front Page Design Magazine Style

Mackenzie Bush - honorable mention for Diversity Coverage

Andy Woodruff - honorable mention for Sports Feature

See selected issues of Westword online here.

West Catholic posted a dominant victory over Allegan before being eliminated from the tournament by eventual state champion Detroit Country Day. Team members competing at State were seniors Zach Hartman, Miles Johnson, Alex Herrington, and Devon Hagen; and freshmen Jack Brooks and Brendan Kosnik. The team is coached by Mr. Patrick Nugent. West Catholic has qualified for the State Tournament each year since 1999.  Congratulations!

Mr. Todd Beaudoin of West Catholic’s Social Studies Dept. has won a competitive scholarship from the National Endowments for the Humanities to attend their summer residential workshop, Landmarks of American History and Culture. 

Teachers selected to participate will receive a stipend of $1,200 at the end of the workshop session. Stipends are intended to help cover living expenses, books, and travel expenses to and from the workshop location

According to the NEH website:

The National Endowment for the Humanities is an independent grant-making agency of the federal government. As part of the NEH’s We the People program, we offer the following Landmarks of American History and Culture Workshops for School Teachers. NEH Landmarks of American History and Culture Workshops provide the opportunity for K-12 educators to engage in intensive study and discussion of important topics in American history and culture. These one-week programs will give participants direct experiences in the interpretation of significant historical and cultural sites and the use of archival and other primary evidence. Landmarks Workshops present the best scholarship on a specific landmark or related cluster of landmarks, enabling participants to gain a sense of the importance of historical places, to make connections between what they learn in the Workshop and what they teach, and to develop enhanced teaching or research materials.

West Catholic junior, Libby Schichtel, was awarded the Kettering University Technology Award for 2011. The award is given to an outstanding junior who excels in the sciences, technology or mathematics.

Kettering alumnus Robert Mock presents Libby Schichtel with the 2011 Technology Award from Kettering University

The award is sponsored by Kettering/GMI alumni and is intended to give students well-deserved recognition, as well as attract qualified students to careers in engineering, mathematics, technology and the sciences. Awardees receive a bronze medallion with the Kettering seal and a portfolio personalized with their name. These students may qualify for Kettering’s Merit Scholarship and are encouraged to apply for admission to the university. 

Highlights

Valedictorian

Eamon Raphael Carmody

Salutatorian

Kathryn Nicole Kosnik

Paragon Award

Thomas Richard Doyle, II

Kathryn Nicole Kosnik

Top Ten Seniors

Tiffany Alexis Boorsma

Anna Elizabeth Brechting

Eamon Raphael Carmody

Ryan Anthony Diehl

Nicholas Andrew Dyga

Jared Richard Heys

Kathryn Nicole Kosnik

Joshua Allen Laske

Matthew John Moser

Rachel Elizabeth Szczytko

National Merit Finalists

Eamon Raphael Carmody

Jared Richard Heys

National Merit

Commended Scholars

Nicholas Andrew Dyga

Jacob Gregory Kneibel

See the complete Commencement program here.

We will be casting two boys and one girl who can play 10-12 years old.  Incoming freshmen at either high school are also invited to audition for a role (10 males, seven females, extras). 

Auditions will be held Wednesday, June 1 at West Catholic (choir room) and Thursday, June 2 at Catholic Central (music room) from 3:30-6:30 p.m.  

To sign up for an audition time on either day or for more information, please contact (maryharwood@grcss.org or call (616) 233-5961.

In their second season - and first year of eligibility - the Davenport University Panthers have qualified for the USA Rugby D1 National Tournament, to be played this weekend at Stanford University. Five players on the DU team are Catholic Central or West Catholic alumni:

Reece Czarnecki

1st Year

5-11

175

Wing

Wyoming, Mich. / West Catholic, 2010

Keenan Dolan

2nd Year

6-4

220

Lock

Lumberton, N.C. / GR Catholic Central, 2008

Erin Hillary

2nd Year

5-8

165

Center

Grand Rapids, Mich. / GR Catholic Central, 2008

John Nowak

2nd Year

6-3

220

Lock

Grand Rapids, Mich. / West Catholic , 2008

Gabe Sochanek

1st Year

5-7

220

Hooker

Grand Rapids, Mich. / West Catholic,  2010

DU will take on Harvard in the semifinal game, which will be streamed live this Friday, May 13 at 4 p.m. PST (7 p.m. MI Time) at www.ustream.tv/usarugby.  National Championship final takes place Saturday, May 14, 4 p.m. PST (7 p.m. MI Time) and will be streamed at www.ustream.tv/usarugby.

On May 6, VSA Michigan will celebrate their annual Festival Day with more than a dozen collaborating arts-based organizations and 2,000 special needs students and community members. The event, themed Arts for All, will kick off VSA Michigan’s 25^th anniversary.

About 125 art and music students from Catholic Central along with the West Catholic Jazz Band will volunteer at the event, a celebration of the arts for children and adults with disabilities. Participation is an honor and a privilege for students, and something they look forward to every year, according to social studies instructor and HOPE volunteer coordinator Kris DeYoung.

With the theme Arts for All, VSA is collaborating with area organizations that also focus on art and provide students a chance to experience a diverse range of art including but not limited to: music, dance, creative expression and painting.  All attendees and organizations will come together at the event held at the Grand Rapids Public Schools Lincoln Campus under VSA’s mission and compass: Disabling Disabilities with Art.

To celebrate VSA’s anniversary, students, volunteers and artists will o hand paint individual tiles that will be collected and collaged into a large community mural.

Catholic Secondary Schools is proud to unveil a newly designed Alumni News with the Spring 2011 issue, which arrived in mail boxes this week.

The clean, uncluttered design makes use of color photography throughout to connect the community of alumni, friends and family of Catholic Central and West Catholic high schools.

Regular departments include news from the schools, alumni, advancement and the Foundation for Catholic Secondary Education (FCSE). There is also a letter from Pastor/President Rev. R. Louis Stasker and a memorial listing for deceased classmates.

The Class Notes page will be a place to read about the accomplishments and life changes for classmates, such as a new job, new marriage, new baby, etc. Announcements and photos for Class Notes should be sent to communications@grcss.org.

View the current issue on the GRCSS website at Communications > Alumni News magazine

If you are an alum of Catholic Central or West Catholic and have not received your copy by May 9, please email communications@grcss.org with your current name, name at graduation, current email and mailing address. We'll get a copy out to you right away and put you on the mailing list for future issues.

As the State of Michigan wrestles with difficult economic decisions, including cutting millions from public education, Grand Rapids Catholic Secondary Schools continue to offer thorough and sound intellectual formation by expert faculties in a faith-based setting for less cost-per-student. The results: 

(Download and print the entire message, or keep reading below.)

·         Our graduates average a full point or more higher on the ACT compared to their peers at state colleges and universities

·         Our students account for nearly 15% of the area’s National Merit Semi-Finalists

·         College scholarships and awards to the graduating classes over the past five years average over $5 million

·         97% of our graduates go on to college, are accepted into their majors, and graduate in less than five years (depending on their program).

·         Our bands and choirs consistently receive first division ratings at district and state competitions

·         Our students have provided service in Haiti, Latin America, Africa, Appalachia and Grand Rapids

·         Within the past three years, six graduates have entered seminary or convent

·         Our sports teams have achieved  five state title appearances and four titles in the past 12 months

If you’re interested in having your son or daughter join a community of students from five counties, 21 school districts, and 31 communities all desiring to effect real change in the world, Catholic Central or West Catholic may be the right choice.

Your student will experience a combined interdisciplinary study with practical problem-solving skills. He or she will gain new perspectives that come from Catholic theology and a Catholic intellectual tradition that is thousands of years old. Our unique locations and history enrich all of our offerings, from innovative courses like pre-engineering and research, to the performing arts and athletics. Our dynamic faculty provides training within the context of personal attention that is unmatched. Care is given to the development of the imaginative, emotional and creative dimensions of every student in all courses of study.

Now more than ever, there is no better place to attend high school that at one of our Catholic secondary schools. That’s why I invite you to accept my personal invitation to visit and learn more about us. For an appointment at West Catholic call (616) 233-5918. We are enrolling students now for the 2011-12 school year. 

Sincerely,

Thomas Maj
Principal
Catholic Central High School
West Catholic High School

Band Director Darren LaPrise was interviewed on the Tony Gates Show yesterday about the band’s experience playing for Pope Benedict XVI at Vatican Square over spring break.

WC Quiz Bowl Team preparing to compete at the State Tournament

From left: Jack Brooks, Patrick Harwood, Ryan Diehl, Brendan Kosnik

The team posted a State Tournament record of 5 wins and 2 losses, defeating Otsego, Morley-Stanwood, Fremont, Flint Powers, and Yale, before being eliminated by Gull Lake in the last minute of a very close match. Competing at State for West Catholic were Jack Brooks, Ryan Diehl (team captain), Patrick Harwood, and Brendan Kosnik.

West Catholic earned its berth in the State Tournament by winning the Grand Rapids Metro Quiz Bowl League. The team posted a record of 11-1 in league matches this year to win its first-ever league championship. Jack Brooks and Brendan Kosnik received all-conference honors.

The team had 13 members competing at varsity and junior varsity levels this year: seniors Mackenzie Bush, Ryan Diehl, Patty Pierzchala, and Kris Zakfeld, juniors Patrick Harwood and Katrina Marks, sophomores Jack Brooks, Katie Hartman, Brendan Kosnik, and Zach Zakfeld, and freshmen Pete Brechting, Chris Jensen, and Joe O’Brien. The team is coached by Mr. Patrick Nugent.

Congratulations Quiz Bowl Team for a very successful season!

This is one of our largest fund raisers. Your participation will have a positive impact on our student athletes and on sports at West.

Place: The Highlands Golf Club (map)

Two shot-gun starts:

8 a.m. - $100

1 p.m. - $125

Entry fee includes continental breakfast, lunch, beverages and dinner at The Highlands.

Also:

Team prizes, door prizes and raffles!

Download and print the registration form and return to the WC Athletic Office. Or register by calling 233-5912.

Students from Catholic Central and West Catholic spent Alternative Spring Break in Haiti helping people in the town of Seguin, a community about 20 miles south of Port au Prince.

Tim Ryan, director of Haiti Needs You, organized the trip with staff and parents from both high schools. The students checked water quality of home water filters, helped build latrines and provided tarp coverings to protect peoples’ corn stalk homes from the rain. They also worked and played with children in a local school.

Students who attended included, from Catholic Central: Shea Farley with her mother, Geraldine;  Leah Vicini with her mother, Mary Ann; and Joseph Leeuwenburg with his mother, Katherine. From West Catholic: McKenzie Samuelson, Kathryn Miller, Valerie Stacey, Rachel Golembiewski, Taylor TenBrock, and Jakob Berguist  with his father Dr. Michael Bergquist

Plans are for the joint mission trip to become a yearly occurrence.

See the video from Fox17 News.

More information: haitineedsyou.com

Fifty seven members of West Catholic’s band spent spring break touring Italy, stopping for performances in Rome, Florence and the highlight of the trip – St. Peter’s Square for the Pope’s weekly Wednesday address.

There found themselves at the foot of the stage, barely 50 ft from Pope Benedict XVI.

They arrived at 7:30 a.m. and played various selections as the crowd grew around them in anticipation of the 10:30 address. Afterward, when the band was announced by name, they played an American march for the Pope, who waved and offered a blessing when they finished.

Director Darren LaPrise and Associate Director Joshua Doe led the band on tour – an extraordinary experience they will always remember. See the story at MLive, which included video of the band's  performance in St. Peter's Square.

REMEMBER! The Athletic Boosters are sponsoring their annual "Fish Fry Fridays" every Friday during Lent, March 11 - April 22.

The group learned about the high school technology classes, saw examples of student work, worked with WC students to create webpage animations, and assisted WC students in creating a student broadcast that aired on Friday, April 1.

Instructors Shawn Abele and Tom Kutzli presented information along with WC students.

The articles, by Tiffany Boorsma and Katrina Marks, were published as part of a series of reflections from students on the meaning of Lent.

Read Katrina's article here and Tiffany's here.

Rachel Szczytko and Nick Freybler placed 3^rd in Ecology, Jake Kneibel and Doreen Mbekenga placed 4^th in optics, Nick Dyga and Patrick Nink placed 6^th in Chem Lab, Nick Dyga and Zachary Grice placed 6^th in Remote Sensing, and Rachel Szczytko and Kathryn Bishop placed 6^th in Write It Do It.  West Catholic also placed in the top ten for Anatomy, Disease Detectives, and Microbe Mission.  Other team members included Katie Kosnik and Sarah Huber.   

Tori Gutowski's pointillism piece is styled after the work of Seurat.

Nick Burciaga, Alyssa Ellen, Tori Gutowski, Maddy Jones, Kyle Jost, Margaret Kline, Mitch Miklosi, Mary Katherine Myles, Sarah Neville, Jenna Rood, Ashley Savage, Jacqui Sochacki, Kristi Sterkenburg, Zeke Timmer, Jessica Visser, Taylor Wood, Erica Wysocki and Natela Yepremyan,

A reception honoring art students was held Tuesday evening at the Grand Rapids Art Museum. Admission to the exhibit is free.

Lisa Nawrocki and Sara Olsen

Zeke Timmer

Erica Wysocki

Your Auction Catalog is now available here.

Download and print the pdf and check out all the great deals!

Don't have a ticket yet? Register at celebratewest.org for a great night of food, fun and prizes. Just $35

Celebrate West! is Saturday March 26, 6 p.m. - midnight at the West Catholic gym. See you there!

Join the WC Spring Sports Teams on Saturday, March 26, from 9-11 a.m. for our Spring Falcon Pride Day.

Bring your garden equipment - rakes, shovels, brooms, trimmers, edgers, power washers and work gloves - as the West Catholic athletes, coaches, and parents work with the facilities department and administrators to put the final sparkle on West Catholic before the start of the 2011 spring sports season.

Invite friends, family, and alumni of West Catholic.  We have built our school with hard work, dedication and many hands for over 49 years.  Now we need to continue to improve our facility the true West Catholic way. 

Many hands make light work.  If you have any questions email danrohn@grcss.org or call the facilities/athletic department at 616-233-5903.

As part of Fine Arts Week last month, art students spent a day at the Toledo Museum of Art.

There they enjoyed a guided tour of How to Look at Art and had free time to explore and enjoy the rest of the exhibits such as the Libby Glass Pavilion where some saw a glass blowing demonstration.

The students then went to Our Lady Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, the Cathedral for the diocese of Toledo, for a guided tour.

The West Catholic boys’ varsity swimming and diving team ended their season with standout diver Nick Burciaga capturing his third consecutive first-place win at the Division 3 State Championship Finals March 11-12 in Holland.

Nick Burciaga ended his high school career by capturing his third consecutive state championship in one meter diving. Nick outpaced the field in setting a new Division 3 record, breaking the record he set last year by over 22 points. Nick broke 500 points in setting the new record at 512.30.

Junior Ben Paxson also had a good day on the diving board, capturing 8^th place overall with a score of 333.85. Both divers should win All-American Honors with their performances on the boards at the state meet. Junior Hunter Nemmers did not make the cut in the 50-yard freestyle but still ended the season with a personal best time for the year.

2011 Division 3 State Meet Awards

Nick Burciaga - Diver of the Year
                      All State Team Selection

                      Dream Team Selection (All Divisions, only one diver selected)

Ben Paxson -   All State Team Selection

Steve Burciaga - MHSAA Divsion 3 Diving Coach of The Year

Congratulations to all the West Catholic swimmers and divers on a great season!

Diocesan Catholic School students, including many from West Catholic, raised $10,995 in the “Change for Water – Water for Change” project recently to benefit the Malawi Connection.

The Michigan-based charitable organization provides assistance to the people in the East African country of Malawi through projects that are sustainable and promote self-reliance.

The Malawi Connection matches contributions and uses  the funds to drill wells in villages without fresh water sources.  The change collected by our students will help bring about great change for others.

Performance Schedule

March 10 - 13

Thursday – 7:30 p.m.

Friday – 7:30 p.m.

Saturday – 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Sunday – 3 p.m. 

Directed by Ms. Mary Harwood

Cast

Principles

Jesus……..Hunter Nemmers

John the Baptist/Judas…Josh Laske

Principle Players

Nick Coulson

Nick Freybler

Katie Kosnik

Patty Pierzchala

Jenna Rood

Mitchell Smith

Jacquie Sochacki

Lindsay Zenner

Chorus

Teresa Brechting

Mackenzie Bush

Eamon Carmody

Aubrey Clark

Jennie Connell

Jeff Ford

Stephen Guild

Michael Hurst

Madeline Jone

Lucy Kalinowski

Phillip Kropp

Drew Laske

Lizzie O’Rourke

Joey Pakalnis

Nathaniel Quam

Emily Robison

Jennifer Stancroff

Renee Stauffer

Elle Sturgell

Sam Weatherhead

Friday's swim prelims start at noon and diving prelims will begin at approximately 3:30 p.m.  Saturday's finals will begin at noon.

Nick Burciaga successfully defended his regional championship by winning the Diving Regional at East Grand Rapids. 

Nick finished nearly 100 points better than the second-place finisher and now moves on to the State Meet where he will attempt to win his third State Championship. 

Ben Paxson also qualified for the State Meet this weekend, March 11-12. Ben was thrid after prelims but still dove very well to finish fifth overall.  Danny Selgo finished his diving career at the Regional when he could not finish in the top 12. 

Hunter Nemmers, Ben Paxson and Nick Burciaga will represent West Catholic this weekend at the Division 3 State Meet at the Holland Aquatic Center.  Friday's swim prelims start at noon and diving prelims will begin at approximately 3:30 p.m.  Saturday's finals will begin at noon.

Congratulations to the team of Phil Novak, John Blankemeier, Jared Heys, Meg Feldman and Jack Brooks for their hard work and good showing during the competition.  In the individual events, Jack Brooks won 2nd place in Mad Hatter, a 40-question quick-thinking event.

The West Catholic Boys Varsity swimming and diving team ended their regular season Tuesday night with a convincing team effort in capturing their second straight City League Invite Championship.

 The Falcons put themselves in the position of a win by taking 1^st place in the both the 200 free relay and the 400 free relay. But the big bonus was the Falcon “B” relays. In the 200 medley relay the team of Joey Pakalnis, Phil Novak, Jon Kokx and Danny Selgo medaled taking fourth place overall. And the 200 free relay of Luke Brechting, Ben Paxson, David Strain and Jon Kokx also medaled taking fourth place over all.

These relay finishes gave the team a point cushion that the other teams at the invite could not overcome.

 Individual 1st place finishers for the Falcons were: Nick Burciaga 1^st place diving, Hunter Nemmers 1^st place 100 free, Mike Sacha 1^st place 500 free and Nick Linck 1^st place 100 backstroke.

1^st place finishes In the  relays were: Steve O Rourke, Matt Kirchhoff, Mike Sacha, Hunter Nemmers and Call Coddington.  Also having individual 2^nd place finishes were: Hunter Nemmers and Call Coddinton. Swimmers and divers who finished top six and received medals were: Ben Paxson. Danny Selgo, Aidan Nguyen, Jon Kokx, Joey Pakalnis, Nate Quam and Phil Novak.

Congratulations to all the swimmers and divers on this total team Victory!!

The teams end of the season results are:

Dual meets; 3-6 overall,   2-4 league

Invitationals

Raider Sprints 7^th

Polar Bear Classic 1^st

Bengals Invite. 3^rd

Wayland Invite. 4^th

City League Invite. 1^st

Conference Championships. 5^th

Nick Burciaga; Conference champion diving, new conference record.  All conference

Hunter Nemmers; state qualifier 50 free, All conference in swimming.

As reported last week, Coach Dan Rohn was honored on Feb. 27 as Coach of the Year by Sports Faith International at a ceremony in Chicago. (Read the press release from Sports Faith International here.)

The reporter talked to Coach Rohn afterward. From the article:

Rohn attributed the honor to his team’s success, as well as their active role in the community.

“It’s a tremendous honor, and it’s really a program and community honor,” said Rohn, who guided the Falcons to the 2010 Division 5 state championship.

“Our kids do a great job out in the community with volunteering and doing community service, and it is something we believe in. I was just accepting this award for our program more than just me as a coach.”

Read the rest of the article here.

Once again, congratulations to Coach Rohn!

Congratulations to the Lady Falcon basketball team on their second consecutive OK Blue conference championship!

The team finished the season 17-3 overall and 12-0 in conference play. They move to the district playoffs vs. Allendale in Coopersville on Wednesday, March 2 at 5:30 p.m.

The winner of that game will play in the finals matchup in Coopersville on Friday, March 4, at 7 p.m.

Come out and support your team!

West Catholic’s choir participated in the Michigan School Vocal Music Association District 10 Choir Festival in Zeeland today, where they received 46 points for an overall rating of Excellent.

The rating is a full level higher than last year’s Good, at 68 points, according to Director Mary Harwood.

Participating choirs are evaluated on performance by a panel of four retired musicians and music educators in categories such as tone, rhythm, diction, interpretation and overall performance. Choirs also are tested on sight-reading (singing a line of music never seen before in one, two and three parts as accurately as possible).  Scores range from 1 to 5 in each area, with 1 being the best.  The lowest – or best - overall score possible is 24.

The choir showed the greatest improvement in the sight-reading room, where they earned a mix of 1 and 2 ratings for an overall score of 9.  Last year’s score had been 16.  

Many congratulations to the choir on a fine performance.

In a communication addressed to CSS current and prospective parents, CSS School Board Chair Mark Scott wrote:  

I am writing today on behalf of the members of the Board of Directors of the Catholic Secondary Schools to provide some historical perspective and facts underlying our newly implemented high school admissions policy.

Research shows that students with academic gaps as they enter high school are likely to fall further behind in an academically challenging environment where few remedial resources are available to assist them.  Although Catholic Central and West Catholic have modest resources to assist with reading deficiencies, our high schools historically have not had programs or the necessary staff in place to adequately assist academically challenged students or those with significant learning differences.

In an effort to address these practical realities in a timely and forthright manner, the Board and administration agreed on a two-pronged approach to better serve all prospective families in the future:

1.    The consistent use of minimum admissions standards to ensure all incoming freshman are adequately prepared for high school work.

2.    Feasibility exploration and development of remediation programs in areas where the most need is present.

Believing it to be in the best interest of our schools and community, the Board adopted admissions standards in June 2008 that are slated for full implementation for students seeking enrollment in our high schools in the fall of 2011.  Modeled after best-practice admissions criteria used by Catholic high schools throughout Michigan and nationally, these standards take into account standardized test indicators for academic potential, what we expect of incoming students in the areas of behavior and discipline and what we can realistically provide today in the way of academic support for students.  You may read the admissions policy on our website here.

Additionally, the Board and administration are in the early stages of conducting a needs analysis with regard to special education and remediation programs for our high schools.

* * * * * * * * * *

For the past five years, our high schools have required incoming students to take the High School Placement Test (HSPT).  During its 50-year history, the HSPT has been administered by high schools throughout the country to measure skills deemed most critical to a new high school student.  The HSPT is a skills-based test much like the ACT in that it requires students to think in a thorough, quick and strategic manner while insisting upon accuracy and the consistent use of logic and wisdom.  It judges writing, verbal and mathematical ability which are so vital to a student’s success at the high school level and beyond.

The HSPT scores submitted for this fall’s incoming freshman class were assigned one of three status designations:  unconditionally accepted, conditionally accepted and deferred.  As I write to you today, no student has been denied admission to our high schools.

Unconditional acceptance.  Students filing applications accompanied by HSPT scores above the 30^th percentile were accepted unconditionally without further review.

Files of applicants with HSPT scores below the 30^th percentile, but above the 20^th percentile were subject to further review by the Principal, Associate Principals, Director of Guidance and the department heads of our two high schools’ English, Math and Science departments.  Additional factors were considered before making final determinations, including:

·         Grades in core curriculum classes at the middle school level.

·         Standardized test scores submitted by partner schools.

·         Resources available at the high school level to assist with remediation and special education/learning difference needs.

Those with HSPT scores in this range who had proven consistency in other areas of academic achievement also were accepted unconditionally.  I am happy to report that 85% of those applying to our high schools were unconditionally accepted.

Conditional acceptance.  Students with scores below the 20^th percentile were either conditionally accepted or deferred based upon the strength and consistency of their academic record in middle school and on other standardized test scores submitted by partner schools.

Those conditionally accepted (about 12% of our applicants) must successfully complete a three-week summer school program led by our staff and designed to reinforce essential reading and/or math skills necessary for achievement at the high school level.  They also will be required to limit their freshman course load to six classes to ensure focused effort on core classes during the first year.

Deferred acceptance.  Students with deferred acceptance based upon their academic record (about 3% of our applicants) have been offered an opportunity to retake the HSPT.  They also must successfully complete the summer school program described above.  Their applications will again be reviewed and final decisions made after these requirements have been met.

* * * * * * * * * *

The Board is singularly motivated to accurately assess the abilities of incoming students and to provide families with an objective determination that will best serve each child’s educational needs.  As expressed in our Vision Statement, it is our desire that all children can be served within the walls of our two great high schools – Catholic Central and West Catholic – and we will continue to strive to broaden the spectrum of services we can provide to our students.

However, in the interim, we must be good stewards of our financial resources through the fair and accurate assessment of what we have to offer in the way of assistance and accommodation to those students functioning below grade level.  Further, we are obliged to provide professional, honest and compassionate feedback about your child’s academic standing and our ability to serve any special needs he/she may have.

As always, please continue to pray for those involved in leading our schools, and in particular, pray for those individuals who may have hoped for a different outcome from the admissions process.  It is our sincerest wish that these actions are understood to be as they are intended – the utmost expression of our desire to help all students reach their full potential.

If you have any questions or concerns you would like to address to the Board, please submit them to our on-line mail box at www.surveymonkey.com/s/5TDFRJJ.

Sincerely,

Mark R. Scott

Chairman

Grand Rapids Catholic Secondary Schools Board

Students, faculty and staff were asked to bring in a bag of rice or beans and $1 (to offset shipping costs) to support Rays of Hope Haiti Warehouse. Special thanks to Guidance Director Heidi Smitley who donated 100 lbs of beans from her parents' farm.

West Catholic band students  broke last year's record for top and second tier awards in the 2011 MSBOA District Solo and Ensemble Festival earning 20 First Division and 12 Second Division medals in the event held last Saturday.

“We are extremely proud of our students today,” said Director  Darrin LaPrise. “To walk into a room and make a presentation to complete strangers is nerve racking even with several months to prepare … To walk away and call your performance successful is one of the best feelings our students can achieve.”

Students who received a First Division rating will participate in the State Solo and Ensemble Festival on March 26. They are:

Percussion Quintet (Drums) Luke Brechting, Riley Ostapowicz, John Paul, Tara Snow and Haley Willsea    

Marimba Duet Chris Jensen and Patty Pierzchala

Marimba Duet Chris Jensen and David Sacha

Flute Trio: Anna Brechting, Theresa Brechting and Tim Priest (from Catholic Central)

Brass Duet: Joel Gravelyn (Trombone) and Mike Sacha (Trumpet)

Flute Solo:  Anna Brechting

Flute Solo: Theresa Brechting

Flute Solo: Katie Brown

Flute Solo: Zoe Sutton

Clarinet Solo: Mary Frances Eshleman

Marimba Solo: Patty Pierzchala

Piano Solo: Mary Frances Eshleman

Second Division ratings included:

Flute Duet: Katie Brown and Mackenzie Bush

Saxophone Trio: Dominic Frazine, Lucy Kalinowski and Jake Lenartz

Trumpet Solo: Joe O’Brien

Trumpet Solo: Eamon Carmody

Trombone Solo: Joel Gravelyn

Tuba Solo: Peter Brechting

Snare Drum Solo: David Sacha

Piano solos:  Katie Hartman, Haley Willsea

Honorable mention goes to Abby Cooper (Trombone), Dominic Frazine (Bari Sax) and Tara Snow (Piano) for their performances on Saturday.  They worked hard and have become better musicians through this experience.

Seven athletes from West Catholic signed national letters of intent to play their sports at a college or university on National Signing Day, Feb. 2.

Congratulations to:

Mitch Bredberg – Grand Valley State University Football

Lance Buitendyk - Grand Valley State University Baseball

Dan Pittman – Hillsdale College Football

Zach Smith -  Sienna Heights University Football

Rachel Sprenger - Aquinas College Volleyball

Alli Veneklase - Davenport University Track and Field

Becca Veneklase - Davenport University Track and Field

West Catholic holds signing ceremony

West Catholic signees, from left: Dan Pittman, Zach Smith, Lance Buitendyk, Mitch Bredberg, Rachel Spranger, Alli Veneklase, Becca Veneklase.

Parents and grandparents also were invited to a symbolic signing ceremony at West Catholic High on Friday. The group enjoyed a private lunch together after the signing.

Live Signing Day event at Celebration Cinema

Football signees, from left: John Haley, Bronson Hill, Dan Pittman, Mitch Bredberg, Zach Smith

Catholic Central and West Catholic football players who signed letters of intent for next year participated in the 2011 High School Football Signing Day at the Celebration Cinema North on Thursday, Feb. 4.  The event was presented by the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association – Region 6 Directors.

At the invitation of West Michigan state legislators, the football teams from Grand Rapids West Catholic High School and Catholic Central High School took a trip to Lansing on Tuesday, Feb. 1, to be recognized at the state capitol for their dual 2010 MHSAA championships.

West Catholic and Catholic Central football teams and coaches pose at Michigan's captiol with Rep. Roy Schmidt, Sen. Dave Hildebrand and Rep. Brandon Dillon (front row, center). 

Sen. Dave Hildebrand (R), Rep. Brandon Dillon (D) and Rep. Roy Schmidt (D) extended a joint invitation for the teams to be recognized together before the State House and Senate.

The recognition took place on the floor of the Senate on Tuesday morning and, due to differing rules, from the House gallery on Tuesday afternoon.

For the first time in school history last fall, both Div. 4 Catholic Central (12-2) and Div. 5 West Catholic (13-1) made playoff appearances in Detroit. Both returned to Grand Rapids with championship trophies in their respective divisions.

“Everyone who had any interaction with the teams walked away thoroughly impressed,” wrote Senior Legislative Aide Ed Kettle in a note to Principal Tom Maj.  “You and the teachers and obviously the coaching staffs have so much to be proud of. It was a pleasure to have them visit Lansing.”

Congratulations to both our teams!

To view previously published News Briefs which feature many of our successes, please click on the link below.

News Briefs Archived