PLUS Mad Scientist Hugh Ross Filtered Noise - A Parent’s Perspective Learn how serves love with JANUARY 2014 Guerin Catholic
I am so excited about our new publication, Impact! Guerin Catholic is a shining beacon of Christ’s light in our community and it is because of how our students and their families have responded to God’s grace in their lives. Our desire is for Impact to demonstrate to you the wonderful things that the GC family is doing to make our community and our world a better place. You trusted in God’s Providence when you invested in our school with your student or your family’s time, talent and treasure. Well, God is good and the return is great. Amazingly we now have 800 graduates and 735 current Golden Eagles, not to mention an amazing faculty and staff of 100. Every day we are impressed with their accomplishments, therefore we needed a venue to allow you to share in our joy and our pride in the Guerin Catholic family. We want you to see Guerin Catholic in action. One of the most powerful ways in which we can grow the Christian faith is to share with one another the testimonies of how God has blessed us with faith, talent, courage and tenacity. At Guerin Catholic we have many stories to share and Impact is the tool to get this done. I hope you enjoy the stories that we tell, and pray that we can continue to serve our Lord for many years to come. May God Continue to Bless You, Paul S. Lunsford President OPENING REMARKS INFORMATION Editors: David Rieck Colleen Ward Copy Editor: Shelley Horn Designer: Bri Di Bari Cover Designs: Tim Coulon Contributing Photographers: Catherine Haddad Bob Nichols Riley Rapp Contributing Writers: James McNeany Riley Rapp Frank Thompson Kate Warne Printer: Priority Press Guerin Catholic High School Most Rev. Bishop Timothy L. Doherty, Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana John Gallina, Presiding Officer School Governing Board Paul S. Lunsford, President James McNeany, Principal Guerin Catholic High School 15300 Gray Road Noblesville, IN 46062 317.582.0120 facebook.com/GuerinCatholic @GuerinCatholic cward@guerincatholic.org www.guerincatholic.org MISSION STATEMENT Guerin Catholic High School is a Roman Catholic college preparatory school serving students from diverse backgrounds and preparing them to be servant leaders through authentic faith formation, academic excellence and student life opportunities. "You trusted in God’s Providence when you invested in our school with your student or your family’s time, talent and treasure." 2 1 Make an IMPACT Lead with Humility Serve with Love Trust in Providence
By the time the doors close on 2013, four more classrooms, a teacher workroom and two bathrooms will be completed and ready to use in the East Academic Wing. SIMPLY BLESSED SIMPLY BLESSED “Everything good comes from God. Every perfect gift is from him.” James 1:17 Guerin Catholic successfully completed its annual Because We Are Grateful Program benefiting for not-for-profit organizations. Students, families, faculty and staff contributed needed items and monetary donations during the month and presented their collections to the charities during an All-School Mass on November 27. Each year since 2007 Guerin Catholic High School has been recognized as one of the nation’s Top 50 Catholic High Schools. Guerin Catholic was the first and has continued to be the only Indianapolis-area Catholic high school to receive this prestigious honor. Guerin Catholic maintains the largest International Baccalaureate Program in the state of Indiana, with over 80% of students participating in the Honors/IB Curriculum. National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists Five Guerin Catholic students were named Semifinalists in the National Merit Scholarship Competition. The five National Merit Semifinalist students are: Andrew Bentivoglio, David Bergsma, Gabrielle Fetters, Nicholas Macke, Zachariah Richardson In September, Guerin Catholic president Paul S. Lunsford was ordained as a Permanent Deacon for the Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana. Deacon Paul continues on as president of Guerin Catholic High School, and has been assigned by Bishop Doherty to Our Lady of Mount Carmel parish and to the Third Option and Pathways to Healing, the marriage and divorce ministries in the Carmel Deanery. In 2012-13 Guerin Catholic awarded over $1 million in financial assistance. We thank you for your continued generosity in support of our school and our mission. Guerin Catholic Boy’s Soccer Team captured the IHSAA 1A State Championship by defeating Providence High School 1-0. In addition, Senior Doug Kaskie was named the winner of the Mental Attitude Award for Boy’s Soccer. With the start of the 201314 school year, Guerin Catholic entered its tenth school year. In 2004, just over 100 students entered the newly completed Blessed Theodore Guerin High School to begin their journey; and on August 14, 2013, 735 students walked through the doors as Golden Eagles. With the arrival of Sister Gianna Junker, O.P. and Sister Mary Peter Muelencamp, O.P., Guerin Catholic now has representatives of all vocations within the school: Priesthood, Permanent Diaconate, Married Persons and Consecrated Religious Life. In 2012-13, through your generosity, Guerin Catholic successfully raised over $1.6 million in support of programs, facilities and the overall mission of the school. Guerin Catholic welcomed over 1,000 youngsters who participated in various academic, fine art and athletic camps during the summer. The Inaugural Year of “Camp Purple” was a resounding success with nearly 40 camp options available to the local community. Nearly half of the students at Guerin Catholic participate in the Fine Arts program. They been busy melding their hearts and talents with the powerful vision that we embrace here at St. Theodore Guerin High School. The Inaugural Providence Fund kicked off in September with a fabulous catered dinner & heartwarming keynote addresses from Mike Pratt and Marcia Murphy. The evening was a huge financial success as over $198,000 was raised for the Providence Fund. 4 3 During their time at Guerin Catholic, each graduating class has consistently completed over 27,000 hours of community service globally, regionally and locally.
Over Fall Break 18 Guerin Catholic students and 5 adult volunteers ventured out to Jerusalem Farm for the second annual Fall Break Mission Trip hosted by Guerin Catholic. Once again, the trip was a huge success as students and adults alike spent the long weekend serving with love, Guerin Catholic-style! Jerusalem Farm is a Catholic International community located in the heart of Kansas City, Missouri. The farm is built on the four cornerstones of Prayer, Community, Service and Simplicity. It is their mission to transform their own lives and those around them through service retreat experiences, sustainable living and home repair. It was an honor to assist them in helping them meet their mission. For three full days, we lived and worked on the farm, side-by-side with the community members there. We picked our own food, turned compost, took care of chickens, made meals, painted houses, built porches, installed insulation, cleaned out old houses, ate together, prayed together and had many laughs along the way. Although the intent of the trip was to serve and we did so lovingly, we were blessed to walk away with a new perspective on life! – Kate Warne Campus Minister MISSOURI 5 Down on the FARM Thoughts From Guerin Catholic Students “I learned God can be found in the smallest places.” – JB Niemann “I grew in patience and got a new view of what living the gospel looks like, so I can make changes to my life.” – Christina Spech “I learned how to invest all your attention to the people around you and to live a simple lifestyle on God’s time.” – Whit Rapp “I learned that prayer as community and contributed prayer are the best kinds of prayer. Service for others is also a form of prayer.” – Stephanie Eiker “My faith was affected by just doing God’s work and doing what He would do. So happy to do His work.” – Connor Maroney “I grew closer to the Lord and am going to make my life more simple.” – Alex Mazanowski “I saw God in almost all we did: the people, the jobs, the lifestyle. Also that our life and all we do can be seen as a prayer to God” – Dan Dicks Nearly 800 students, faculty and staff participated in the Third Annual Guerin Catholic Community Service Day on November 12, 2013. In addition to raking leaves in various neighborhoods, we helped the following organizations with various tasks throughout the day: Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church White River Christian Church, Forest Park The Noblesville Boys and Girls Club St. Vincent DePaul Thrift Store The O’Connor House Good Samaritan SERVICE 6 “Congratulations to Guerin Catholic students and faculty for your service and sense of volunteerism. Thank you to each student and adult for all that you have freely done and everything you will continue to do --- it is a better world, and a better Noblesville, with you in it.” – Cindy Benedict Manager, Community Vision for Excellence City of Noblesville 卥牶楮朠睩瑨 LOVE “Thank you for being the hands and feet of Christ.” – Guerin Catholic Parent “It is days like today that I know we made the right decision to send our son to Guerin Catholic.” – Guerin Catholic Parent “We need to give back. We’ve been given so much and it feels so good to help people.” – Guerin Catholic student – Noblesville Resident “You are an answer to my prayers.”
7 ETHIOPIA 8 I believe Guerin Catholic prepared me to open my heart and do God’s work. Once He put this on my heart, there was a fire in me like I never felt before. As an alumnus of Guerin Catholic, I can’t say enough about how the school shaped me and continues to shape me. Guerin Catholic is special because it provided me with a community and support to pursue God and let Him ultimately shape me. I learned that being a leader means being a servant. I learned that having plans means seeking God’s plans for me. I watched teachers do their job so humbly every day. I learned from a hilarious priest who loves God and knows how to connect with kids. And, I learned from the greatest group of peers, each of whom I can call a friend. I believe Guerin Catholic prepared me to open my heart and do God’s work. Last December, a good friend of mine, Kathy Craig, asked my girlfriend (Hannah Blachly) and I to meet her and she presented us with the opportunity of a lifetime. She invited us on a trip to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia during the upcoming summer. Ethiopia is close to Kathy’s heart because she adopted a boy, Jesse Getiso, from there three years prior. We didn’t hesitate – we immediately said, “YES!” to the invitation. We spent the next months soaking in what saying “yes” really meant. I realized during this time how dumb it is that I make a lot of plans for my future, and recognized God’s plans are far greater than mine. During this preparation period, God gave me a “do something NOW” mindset in order to help these kids in Addis Ababa. Once he put this on my heart, there was a fire in me like I never felt before. Before going on the trip, we came up with the idea of starting a clothing line that would give back to the kids. We wanted to call it Jesse G. in honor of Kathy’s son, and to remind people that we’re helping kids with names. At the end of June into July, we went to Addis Ababa. We spent eight days hanging out with kids at a couple adoption homes, a community center (like a YMCA), and a rehabilitation center. The adoption homes were filled with children ranging from a few weeks old to eleven years old. Each one of these kids did two things: smiled as wide as he or she could, and ran at me with lifted hands, asking to be held and loved. I met some of the coolest kids with big dreams of becoming doctors, architects, and lawyers. The rehabilitation center hit home the most. Most of the kids in the center are “street kids” because they don’t have families or homes. Because of this, shoplifting food is a means of survival, leading to their stay in the rehab center for a period of time. The rehab center is supposed to be a place where the kids can have fun and grow through their mistake. But, they have zero opportunity to do so because they have zero supplies there. After the time in Ethiopia, we had a much better idea of how we would help the kids. We really wanted to help all of these locations we visited with their current needs. This led us to setting up two month “Projects”. Every two months, we have a different project in which a tangible item is donated through every purchase from Jesse G. Clothing. For example, our first Project was “The Food Project”, in which we donated three meals to the adoption homes every time a shirt was purchased. Through this project, we were able to give nearly 1,500 meals to kids. When we saw this number, and they sent us pictures of the kids eating meals provided by Jesse G., it made all of the hard work worth it. But more than anything, it humbled me. It reminded me that God is so great and big and can do amazing things. It humbled me because the number was not possible without all of the support from people buying clothes and spreading the word about Jesse G. I would not be where I am without Guerin Catholic, and Jesse G. Clothing wouldn’t be where it is either. " I realized... that I make a lot of plans for my future, and recognized God’s plans are far greater than mine." Do Something NOW! Riley Rapp Guerin Catholic Class of 2012
10 The “noise” is filtered at Guerin Catholic. So, what does that mean? From the perspective of thankful parents, it means quite a bit as we look back over four incredible years of growth and development of our daughter, Claire, at Guerin Catholic. The noise, you know the stuff we are all exposed to day in day out that challenges us, is what society says is right and accepts. Guerin Catholic confronts the societal noise head-on so our children can develop into outstanding young men and women. Yes, they start as children and leave as young adults. Claire has flourished while at Guerin Catholic. Academically, I cannot say enough of the excellence at GC. The faculty demands the best of our young men and women while, in turn, produces exemplary students. This is exemplified by the thirst colleges and universities have for all of our students. Claire recently captured this, "Dad, Guerin Catholic sets you up to succeed academically and you are put in the best position to succeed. All that is required is your effort". Claire has developed into a confident adult, with an assurance in her direction in life and a better understanding of who God made her to be. So exactly how does Guerin Catholic filter the noise? Guerin Catholic is a strong Christian Catholic Faith based Educational System with structure and rules. I saw my daughter as she developed in her four years with tremendous growth and an ignition of her fervent commitment to Catholic traditions and ideals. Daily prayer became an everyday part of her life. It is through this commitment to prayer and our relationship with God that all things are possible. This is why Guerin Catholic is such a success and will continue to succeed. - Frank Thompson PARENT PERSPECTIVE Filtered NOISE "Guerin Catholic confronts the societal noise head-on so our children can develop into outstanding young men and women." Frank Thompson and Daughter Claire Guerin Catholic Class of 2014 HUGH ROSS 9 Mad SCIENTIST “Love the children first... then teach them.” St. Mother Theodore Guerin Q & A Guerin Catholic science teacher Hugh Ross was recently recognized as a finalist for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching. Mr. Ross is among only nine teachers in Indiana, five science and four math, to receive the honor. As a state finalist, Mr. Ross will now be considered for a Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching, the nation’s highest honor for U.S. math and science teachers. One or two representatives from each state are selected annually to be honored as national winners. They receive a $10,000 award, a Presidential certificate, and a trip to Washington, DC for a series of recognition events and professional development activities. We will certainly keep you posted on this noteworthy distinction! Congratulations Mr. Ross! W h at b rough t you to G ue rin Cath olic ? God. Okay, that was the short answer...maybe I should elaborate. I was teaching physics at Noblesville High School and received a series of emails from Leona Chianello about a physics opening at Guerin Catholic. Leona had previously worked at NHS and I had taught her three children there. About the same time, I met Fr. Dale Ehrman and Keith Marsh at a church function and caught a glimpse of the strength of the Catholic mission at Guerin Catholic. Could this be the future high school for my children and me? Through prayer, I began to desire a greater integration between my family life, spiritual life, and professional life. As I first arrived at the school for a tour and interview, the beautiful voices of the school choir, GoldenVoice, soared through the commons area and I realized that I was a goner. How do you incorporate our faith into your teaching? I see science as our feeble attempt to peer into the awesome, creative mind of God insofar as He created our physical world. Scientist have only scratched the surface in understanding the intricacy of our elegant universe. Teaching science in a Catholic School affords me the opportunity to share not only my passion for science, but how it inspires and enhances a deeper faith in God. I am sincerely grateful for my teaching vocation and opportunity to work daily with my students! What do you enjoy most about Guerin Catholic? I truly enjoy learning and the faith community here! Through my interactions with students, staff, and parents, I am enriched and challenged to grow intellectually and spiritually. I also love having two of my children in the building with me! What is something people would be surprised to know about you? When I transitioned from the field of engineering to teaching, I took a "year off" to serve as a full-time volunteer at the Franciscan House of Mary and Joseph, a 300-bed homeless shelter in Chicago. I would never give up this experience of living in community with the other volunteers and seeing the face of Christ in the homeless men and women we ministered to.
Guerin Catholic High School 15300 Gray Road Noblesville, IN 46062 GuerinCatholic.org events upcoming MARCH FOR LIFE January 20-22 WINTER PLAY AND ART EXHIBIT January 30-February 1 GUERIN CATHOLIC GALA February 8 SPRING MUSICAL May 1-3, May 8-10 CANCER WALK May 17 COMMENCEMENT June 1 Please pray for the success of the upcoming Guerin Catholic events:
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