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Mount Merici School Speech Contest Winners
Mount Merici School Grade 6 students
demonstrated their public speaking skills
recently when they took part in a speech contest
sponsored by Modern Woodmen of America, a
national provider of fraternal financial
services and programs. Miranda Shepard was
awarded first place in the contest. Second
runner up was Christopher Hale. Third place was
awarded to Gerard Denoeux. The top three
students received a trophy and a gold award pin,
and their names will be engraved on the school?s
speech contest plaque. Gold award pins and a
certificate were awarded to all participants for
their efforts. Students competing in the contest
held at Mount Merici School shared their
presentations on this year?s theme: ?An American
Landmark? before parents, faculty, friends and
other guests. The contest was judged on material
organization, delivery and presentation and
overall effectiveness.
Nearly 100,000 students nationwide compete in
the contest each year. Shepard will compete in
the district level competition May 6 at St.
Michael School in Augusta.
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Mount Merici School
Receives
$1,000
Education Grant from
Hannaford
Hannaford Bros. Co.
recently presented Mount
Merici School with a
gift of $1,000 for being
a top fundraising school
in the Hannaford Helps
Schools program. In
addition to the $1,000
donation, the school was
awarded $771 in ?school
dollars? as part of the
program.
Hannaford Helps Schools
is a community-wide
fundraising opportunity
offered to area schools
to help raise funds for
athletic equipment,
computers and other
needs. To earn ?school
dollars? parents and
friends purchase
participating products
at Hannaford to receive
three school dollars for
every four products.
School dollar receipts
are collected and turned
into Hannaford in
December.
As the top fundraising
school for the
Waterville JFK
Hannaford, Mount Merici
was presented with a
$1,000 education grant.
Sharing the good news
with Mount Merici?s
second grade class
recently were Tom
Fitzpatrick, Hannaford
pharmacist, and Helen
Bowman, customer service
manager.
Since 2000, Hannaford
Helps Schools has raised
over $3.2 million for
more than 2,400 schools
in the Northeast.
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Fred
Boucher Receives
Prestigious Serviam Award
Mount Merici School
and Ursuline Ministries have
bestowed the prestigious Serviam
Award to J. Alfred Boucher of Fairfield. The award, given by Ursulines
worldwide, is the Ministries'
most coveted honor, recognizing
outstanding leadership in
service. Boucher has been a
long-time supporter of the
Waterville Catholic elementary
school. The award was presented
to Boucher December 10 at the
Mount Merici Christmas Program
?Hands? by Sister Angela
Krippendorf, o.s.u., Provincial
Prioress of Ursulines of the Northeast Province.
Boucher, founder
of Fred?s Coffee, is a
well-known businessman and
respected civic leader in the
greater
Waterville area.
Educated by the Ursuline Sisters
at Immaculate Heart of Mary in Fairfield, Boucher
attributes much of his personal
and professional successes to
the principles of Ursuline
education he received 75 years
ago.
"People thank me
for what I am doing for
Mount
Merici, but it is Jesus who
is responsible", Boucher says.
"I see Jesus every day I visit
the students at
Mount
Merici."
Boucher, 82, has
been a loyal supporter of
Mount
Merici, challenging the
school in six different matching
fundraising campaigns in the
past 10 years.
He most recently
challenged the school to a
$350,000 matching gift campaign,
the largest in the school's
history, which upon completion
in 2007 will bring his total
contributions to
Mount
Merici School to over $870,000.
Nelson Megna (left) was
among the first to congratulate
Fred Boucher on receiving
the prestigious Serviam Award at Mount Merici
School. The former Mayor of
Waterville and his wife Dottie, now residents of
Portland, are
also past recipients of a
Serviam Award. The Serviam medal
is, given by Ursuline Ministires
worldwide in recognition of
outstanding leadership in
service.
In
presenting the award to a very
emotional Boucher before his
family, friends and over 500 of
people in attendance, Sr.
Krippendorf called Boucher the
embodiment of Serviam.
" The
Serviam Award not only rewards
Mr. Boucher's outstanding
leadership in service," says Sr.
Angela, "it also recognizes his
unique awareness of the needs of
others and his long-standing
loyalty and dedication to this
school."
The Serviam, a
medal of "the Serviam shield"
is
the emblem of loyalty worn by
Mount
Merici students and
Ursuline students throughout the
world. Serviam, representing
"service to others" is an
important part of the Mount Merici tradition and the foundation of its
philosophy and mission since the
school's inception in 1911.
In addition to
over a decade of philanthropic
support to Mount Merici School,
Boucher's other charitable
beneficiaries include Thomas
College, Good Will-Hinckley,
Parish of the Holy Spirit,
Sacred Heart Soup Kitchen, China
Community Center, Alfond Youth
Center and MaineGeneral Medical
Center. In 2005, he received
Good Will-Hinkley's Humanitarian
Award and the Mid-Maine Chamber
of Commerce Distinguished
Service Award.
" Mr.
Boucher is a faith-filled
advocate of Catholic education,"
says Mount Merici School
Principal Susan Cote. "Mount Merici students, staff and families are
blessed through his generous
acts of Christian service."
The Serviam Award
has been presented to recipients
around the globe, including in
the countries of Africa,
England, Australia, France, Italy, Peru, Slovenia, Slovakia, and Thailand and in the United States to such honorees as Microsoft Chair
Bill Gates and his wife,
Melinda, who attended an Ursuline Academy for girls.
Local recipients
of the Serviam Award over the
past 20 years have included Ann
Bertsch, Tony Breton, Corinne
Picard, Dr. Lucian Pellerin,
Penny Laplante, Joyce Peters,
Nelson and Dottie Megna, Susan
Cote and Joan Phillips-Sandy.
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The Arts
Aiden Calkins
and Emily Hofgren, with fellow fifth grade classmates, give
a lively performance of the Shakespearean play "The Taming
of the Shrew" this year at Mount Merici School
Students Kindergarten through
Grade 6 will experience “The Arts” when a new, comprehensive
art program is incorporated in the fall curriculum at Mount
Merici School. The program will be taught by Jody Nichols,
who also teaches math, English and religion to Grade 5
students. Nichols holds a Bachelor of Art degree in Theater
from the University of Southern Maine and has extensive
experience in theater, including developing art and theater
curriculums for early childhood education. “Ms. Nichols has
a real talent and passion for The Arts that is evident when
she’s sharing her gift with the students,” says Principal
Susan Cote. That gift was palpable in her role as director
of this year’s fifth grade Shakespearian play “The Taming of
the Shrew,” a lively performance on stage before families
and other guests. According to Nichols, the new art
curriculum will include three components. Art Appreciation
will involve teaching the modern, impressionism and
renaissance eras, and how to critique color, texture, form
and composition.
The second,
Art Technique, will link art to literature. For example, the
kindergarten students will read “Today I Feel Silly” and
then create paper plate self portraits. Fifth graders
studying the Revolutionary War will do silhouettes, a
popular art form of the time period. All students will learn
about watercolor, pastels, clay and collage. The third
component, Performing Arts, will include learning
presentation skills, reader’s theater and physical
re-enactments linked to literature. “Students will
participate in a wide range of art and theater activities,”
says an enthusiastic Nichols, who will work this summer to
further develop the curriculum. “Our program is geared
toward strengthening the solid academic and social
foundation Mount Merici is committed to providing each
student. I can’t wait to get started.”
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Philippine Library Project
Children at a
Philippine preschool in Quezon Province, send a message of
gratitude through this class photo to Mount Merici School
students in Waterville. The preschool and library received
nearly 400 books from the Mount Merici School Library.
Mount Merici School students
learned how a small gesture of kindness can bring big smiles
to children less fortunate half way around the world. As
part of the school’s many service projects, students helped
ship a selection of books from the Mount Merici Library to
Lola Titang’s Library, a free library that serves
elementary-aged children in a small rural town in Quezon
Province, Philippines.
The Philippine library was opened in 2003 by the Villena
family, which includes Mount Merici parent Cristine Villena
Amurao, MD, MPH. Amurao’s sister, Victoria Villena-Denton,
helped establish the library in the family’s hometown, as
well as a tuition-free preschool there. With the help of her
family, Villena-Denton continues to fundraise to keep the
library and preschool open, and conducts free summer camps
for the kids.
Additional books for the project were also sent to the GA
International Foundation, which conducts medical and dental
missions and provides goods and services to schools in
Lubang, Occidental Mindoro, an island town in the
Philippines.
The Amurao family—Cristine, her husband Dr. Guillermo Amurao
(also a native of the Philippines) and their two children
Jed (Grade 5) and Jillian (Grade 1)—help support the
projects and return to their country for medical mission
work.
Nearly 400 books were donated by the Mount Merici Library.
Students grades 3 - 6 were involved in the Philippine
service project.
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