Mount St. Mary
Catholic High School

Vol. 1 / Issue 2

Be the best version of yourself.

“Show me your hands. Do they have scars from giving? Show me your feet. Are they wounded in service? Show me your heart. Have you left a place for divine love?”
― Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

Football Recap
Hunter Gum

    The Mount St. Mary Rockets football season has come to a close.
     The Rockets have experienced a lot this year including a new field, new coaches and new leadership. By fighting through some tough match ups, and by playing their hardest, the team showed their capabilities. 
     Despite playing a tough schedule, the team gave everything it could against some much bigger and talented schools. The Rockets also played only four home games this year yet, with the support from the fans, it seemed every game was a home game.
     “Luke Wagner and I are ready to take the step and lead our team next year,” said Zach Fees, “We will have a much better year with us leading.”  
     The Rockets start football practice up again this spring and are striving for a better season next year. There is a possibility that the team will be playing in a different conference next year and will be playing against some new faces. “We won’t know until January,” explained Coach Willis Alexander.
     This upcoming season will be Coach Alexander’s third year coaching the Rockets, after previously coaching Douglass High School and winning a state championship in 2010. Coach Alexander's goal is to add another ring to his collection and lead The Mount to their first-ever football championship.

A Day in the Life:
​Command Z ​
RaphaeL dunlap

     Have you ever thought about a mistake or an accident you have made in the past? Have you ever wished you could have fixed it? The saying “command Z”, or “control Z” comes from the world of technology. If you make a mistake or accidentally delete something, you have the option to press the command, or control Z to redo that mistake, to allow it to go back the same way it was before you had made the accident.
    When you go through your life you grow up, you learn, and you make mistakes. You do not have to agree with me, but personally, I believe everything has happened for a reason. All the bad in your life, all the challenges, all the joy, and even the good has happened for a reason. Even after all of this, would you still want to change something in the past?
    I took to the classroom to ask our teachers about "command Z " and this is what they had to say.
“I do not think I would command Z something in the past, because something that I have been working on, something that is really important to my understanding of the world, is giving in to God's design. Surrendering and knowing that, that is not my plan and whenever I try to make a plan that it is not the best way to go,” said English teacher Mr. Schilly. He continued,  “Trying to take the power to undo something and change something seems kind of prideful to me.”
    ‘'I try to live my life as 'everything happens for a reason' and try to learn from each experience, good or bad.  So, I am not sure that I would command Z anything. But, now being the mother of a teenage daughter, I regret some of my words and actions during high school with my mom.  Might be nice to command Z some of that sass!'’ said Spanish teacher, Mrs. Munsell.
    “Yes, I would choose to fix it,” explained Principal Mrs. DeNegri. "I am glad I made the mistake, because I look for every opportunity in a mistake, to learn from, and grow from. So yes I would go back to fix it. If you did not make mistakes then how do you learn from them? If you command Z everything to go back and fix it, how do you grow from the mistake?”
    American writer Dale Carnegie once said, “The successful man will profit from his mistakes and try again in a different way.” As we grow this is the attitude we should all have. We should see mistakes as steps toward success rather than searching for a way to remove them from our history.

The Grotto - Click the picture and watch the video.

In The Spotlight:
​Noelle Ducote
Cole Ranck

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Click on the picture to watch the rest of the interview.
     Noelle Ducote is a junior and all around track athlete and great student. Noelle comes from Rustin, Louisiana and attended Saint John Nepomuk Catholic School in Yukon, Oklahoma  before coming to The Mount. 

What are you passionate about?
    “I’m passionate about working hard and I think hard work can get you out of any adversity.”

What are you thankful for today?
“I’m just thankful to be able to be alive and to have woken up this morning.”

What do you want to be remembered by?
“Being always there to accept and listen to people.”
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​Click on the picture to watch the interview and a bit more.

In the spotlight:
Ms. Ana Perez
Raphael Dunlap

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Click on the picture to watch the interview and a bit more.
       Ms. Ana Perez  is our new Music Department teacher. Ms. Perez went to Altus High School in Altus, Oklahoma. Altus is located in Southwest Oklahoma, west of Lawton. After graduating from Altus she continued her studies and love for music at U.C.O. (University of Central Oklahoma) in Edmond, Oklahoma where she graduated. Ms. Perez is currently teaching music at The Mount. 

What is your passion?

“My first passion is music. That's why I chose to teach it. And my second passion is learning because it is so important for the younger generation to keep learning even if it's outside these walls. Not book and paper learning, but you’re constantly learning and I think that is very important.”

What do you care about?

“I care about people and students, and that they are living their best lives every day. That they have the opportunity to get heard and the opportunity to explore. Music is a great advocate for that. They can explore their sound, different  genres, and I am glad I get to teach music.”

What would you like to be remembered by?

 “By what I can build here. I want to make sure that this program keeps growing with me here. And after so many years [when] I am gone and it keeps growing. I want there to be a big foundation left [when] I am gone, and I want to leave behind great relationships when [the students] graduate.”

​Click on the picture to watch the interview and a bit more.

MAKING A CHANGE
​Joshua Cleary

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     Mount St Mary’s Spanish Club and Mrs. Rhonda Munsell headed a drive for the Department of Veteran Affairs this past week. The drive collected care package items such as hair combs, deodorant, bath soap, warm socks, gloves, blankets, stocking caps, washcloths, mini shaving cream, packing tape, black sharpies, scissors, gallon-sized baggies, and wet wipes. These items were very important to the drive and the homeless veterans. As always, The Mount was proud to lend a hand!
     This drive was put together by Mrs. Christine Cleary, a homeless outreach leader at the VA. Every student in the World Language department was asked to bring in at least one item and place it in one of the tubs around the school. Some teachers created contests between their classes to help encourage students to bring items.
     “Anything that you wish you had if you were going to be out in the cold for a while, blankets, warm socks. That is the stuff we need,” said Mrs. Cleary.
     The VA Homeless program kicks into high gear as the weather gets colder. Shelters become full and people are left to find ways to continue their lives on the street.  But this week The Mount community had the opportunity to take on a big problem within our city.
     “Anything you can offer we will gladly receive and put to good use.” shared Cleary on a video edited for the school, “Thank you for all of your help! Gracias por su ayuda.” 
     Visit the VA Homeless Program for more information and opportunities to help.
UPDATE - According to Mrs. Munsell, well over 10 thousand items were collected for the VA Homeless Office. 

Kairos
Raphael Dunlap

     Kairos is a Catholic retreat held every semester. The retreat is held at Our Lady of Guadalupe Camp (Camp O.L.O.G.) in Wellston, Oklahoma. A four-day retreat, it is for juniors and seniors. The girls and the boys have their own separate retreat. (they do not go together). Kairos is open to anyone of every religious belief; you do not have to be Catholic to attend. 
      “Kairos is a four-day retreat for juniors and seniors and it is an opportunity to grow in your relationship with yourself, with others, and with God. It has been in place for almost twenty years, we usually have four of them every year,” said Theology teacher Mrs. Cristy Welch,  "[On] Thursday, Nov.14 the girls will be going to Kairos 78. It will be led by a group of teachers from [The Mount], and Bishop McGuinness, as well as seniors that have been on the retreat before," added Mrs. Welch.
     Why is information about the retreat kept confidential? “The reason we ask for confidentiality for the retreat is that we want to be able to trust each other with the big experiences that we have on the retreat and feel like each person has their own individual experience.” explained Mrs. Welch, “If I were to tell you all of my favorite experiences on the retreat before you went then you would be looking forward to those things, allowing you to miss something else because you were so focused on what I told you,” she concluded.
     Students that have attended Karios  have come back with a more positive, uplifting, and spiritual attitude. The girls just finished their fall retreat. The boys Karios 79 will be from December 5 through 8. If any junior or senior boy is interested, please contact Mr. Woodward.

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Click on the picture to watch the video.

Trip to Places Fantastic
Conner Hooper

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Click on the picture and watch a short video with highlights of the trip from last year.
     Every year, the Mount takes students on an extraordinary field trip to New York City and Washington, DC, famous places in the world to go for trips, sightseeing, food tasting, and more. The trip is a needed break for Juniors and Seniors who have worked hard during the year.
     “What did we not have time to do?” Principal Mrs. DeNegri explained, “We wake up at 6 a.m. and go back to the hotel at 11 p.m. The place is amazing and should be a bucket list [item] for everyone to go to.” The students, Principal Mrs. DeNegri, Vice Principal Mrs. Faires, Athletic Director Mr. Leroy Cantrell and Math teacher Mr. Woodward spent a week in New York City and Washington, DC.
     A former student from The Mount, Ean Heise explained, “There are lots of authentic places to eat in New York and Washington D.C.  We ate at this Korean restaurant and it was not the greatest, but it is something you do not see in Oklahoma. You get a lot of time to break off and do your own thing. You get to be on your own time and enjoy the moments.” The trip also brings the students to Washington D.C., where they do a lot more group things and tours of the city. 
     “One day we walked around bargaining with the vendors for knock-off Gucci sunglasses and handbags. It didn’t go well but it was fun to talk to different people and enjoy ourselves. The days are so long and the teachers make sure you see everything you can,”  added Ean Heise. 
     New York has a rich tradition for travelers, sports and sightseeing. There are a variety of things to do in one of the biggest cities in the world. Some  popular places to see are Bryant Park, Madison Square Park, Tenement Museum, the 9/11 museum, Madison Square Garden, where the New York Knicks play, and Times Square.
     If interested, this year’s trip is from April 2 to April 7, 2020. 

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