News From the Academy 

Seriously Funny

On Friday, March 7, the students at the Academy watched an innovative performance about Cerebral Palsy. Seriously Funny stars Clare O’Shea, a professional actress who’s realistic portrayal of a person with cerebral palsy had the students convinced that she really does suffer from the disorder. Ms. O’Shea’s co-writer and producer, Gary Marshall, who is affected by Cerebral Palsy, hopes that these performances will help to educate people about his condition and show how much people with disabilities have to offer. Performing Seriously Funny at schools throughout the Washington Metropolitan area, Ms. O’Shea and Mr. Marshall “are primarily interested in carrying the message to high school audiences, where being the slightest bit different can be considered a disease.”
 

Spanish Classes Welcome Argentinean Students

Students from various AHC Spanish classes welcomed exchange students from Buenos Aires, Argentina on Thursday, March 6. The ten students from a Jesuit boys’ school, on a five week exchange trip with Georgetown Prep, enjoyed lively conversations with the Tartans about life in the US versus life in Argentina. The visit was one of three events organized by the head of the AHC language department, Dr. Jeannie Vanover. Previously, the exchange students hosted a Valentine’s Day party for the AHC Spanish Honor Society and Spanish Club and also joined the Tartans in a salsa dance lesson. The Academy hopes to continue this relationship with future exchange students in order to provide the Tartans with the opportunity to discuss dialectal variations of Spanish, stereotypes associated with languages and miscommunications based on linguistic errors.
 

The Academy of the Holy Cross commemorated Black History Month on Thursday, February 28, with an assembly sponsored by the Onyx club. The program included performances, readings, and inspirational words as well as a speech by the Honorable Anna Blackburne-Rigsby, Associate Judge, District of Columbia Court of Appeals, who shared personal stories of growing up as a Catholic African American woman. An African inspired prayer, a performance of James Weldon Johnson’s Lift Every Voice and Sing, and a brief account of the evolution of Black History Month preceded the recitiation of an origional poem by an AHC Freshman. The AHC step team’s performance to a narration of Maya Angelou’s inspirational poem, Still I Rise concluded The Academy of the Holy Cross’s first Black History Month celebration.

The AHC Varsity Basketball team took on the Paul VI team in the WCAC Championship quarterfinals on Saturday, February 23. The Tartans triumphed with a 51-42 win. On Sunday, February 24, the team played Bishop McNamara in the semi-finals. Though the team fought hard, they met defeat with a 50-54 loss. AHC’s final basketball season record is an impressive 20-10.

To fulfill the requirements for her Girl Scout Gold Award, an AHC senior organized a half day conference entitled “Free to be Me” for girls in grades five through eight with their parents or girl scout troop leaders. The free conference was held Sunday, February 24, at The Academy of the Holy Cross and was designed to empower these teen and preteen girls to make healthy lifestyle choices. The girls and adults attended a variety of workshops on topics including healthy eating and exercise for the whole family, makeup and skin care techniques, and developing poise and self-confidence. The student also arranged for several health experts in nutrition, fitness, and psychology from many nationally recognized institutions to speak at the conference.

The AHC Guidance department coordinated two programs on Thursday, February 21 featuring topics relevant to today’s adolescents. The Classes of 2008 and 2009 attended the Adolescent Depression Awareness Program presented by Dr. Daniel Matthews, a second year medical resident at Johns Hopkins. The focus of Dr. Matthews’ presentation was helping the students understand the difference between normal feelings of sadness, and depression as a medical condition. Meanwhile, the Classes of 2010 and 2011 participated in a program about body image and how people’s perceptions of beauty are influenced by the media. This program included activities such as viewing commercials and analyzing advertisements from popular magazines.

AHC Participates in the North American Invitational Model United Nations Conference Forty-one students from The Academy of the Holy Cross took on roles as foreign diplomats to participate in simulated sessions of an intergovernmental organization from Thursday, February 14 through Sunday, February 17. This year’s North American Invitational Model United Nations Conference, sponsored by Georgetown University, included more than 2,800 students from around the country who gathered at the Washington Hilton to participate in the program’s forty-fifth year. All grades from AHC were represented at this annual event which has grown to become the largest simulation for high school delegates in the United States.