June 2020 ALUMNAE NEWSLETTER Read the Message of Solidarity from The Academy of the Holy Cross President
Statement from the Sisters of the Holy Cross: This past weekend, those in the United States were invited to pause and grieve the more than 100,000 persons who have died nationwide as a result of COVID-19. Another death, coming not at the hands of an invisible virus, but of law enforcement officials, plunged us further into grief. The appalling death of George Floyd again focused our attention on the continued killing, harassment and denial of rights experienced by our brothers and sisters of color in the United States, as well as in many countries around the world.
The Sisters of the Holy Cross stand in solidarity with all persons dedicated to justice, peace and right relationships in condemning violence and discrimination, especially as it is so often aimed at people of color. We echo the confession of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) in the United States and acknowledge our own complicity in systemic racism. We stand with LCWR in asking forgiveness of our sisters and brothers of color.
We pledge to pray for the healing of all nations tainted with the evil of racism, discrimination and bigotry, that they may experience God's liberating and healing presence. We also pledge to take nonviolent action and raise our voices to eliminate domination and subordination of persons in any circumstance, and to work unceasingly to bring about justice and peace in every country around the globe, especially those where Sisters of the Holy Cross live and minister.
We hold in prayer the family of George Floyd, the community of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and all people who suffer violence and injustice.
Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Cross General Administration Sister M. Veronique (Wiedower), CSC Sister Catherine Osimo, CSC Sister Esther Adjoa Entsiwah, CSC Sister Kathleen Moroney, CSC Sister Mary Tiernan, CSC Sister Pushpa Teresa Gomes, CSC Sister Suzanne Brennan, CSC
Honoring Lolita Jardeleza
It is with heartfelt emotion that we wish Lolita Jardeleza (or as she is also fondly known, "Mrs. J," "Mama J," and many other endearments) farewell as she retires after 40 years at Holy Cross. Until we are able to celebrate together with Lolita, we ask for your help in gathering thoughts, stories, well-wishes, and photos for a Lolita Jardeleza Celebration Memory Book. Let Lolita know how she has made an impact on your life. Please mail your memories and messages to Director of Campus Ministry Linda Ruszkowski by Wednesday, June 10 (Lolita Jardeleza Memory Book, The Academy of the Holy Cross, Campus Ministry, 4920 Strathmore Ave., Kensington, MD 20895). Please keep the paper size to no larger than 8.5" x 11". Email submissions should be sent to kairos@academyoftheholycross.org.
Ultimate Tartan Challenge
Many, many thanks to all of our generous alumnae and alum parents who participated in the Ultimate Tartan Challenge! As of May 31, our $75,000 goal was surpassed by over $35,000! Large or small, every gift allowed us to reach this milestone. Please know that all contributions directly benefit our students with critical tuition assistance. On behalf of our faculty, our students and our families, thank you—your gift helps make the difference!
Visit Our Virtual Campus
Despite a final two months of school in a virtual setting, our students and teachers found creative ways to learn and connect. Visit our Virtual Campus page for details. A special highlight of the end of the year is the Spring 2020 Digital Music Concert featuring our Madrigal Singers, IB Music, Guitar Seminar, Instrumental Ensemble, and Tri-M Music Honor Society. "You Will Be Found" music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, arranged by Mac Huff; Laura Meehan, piano, music direction; Kevin de Souza, bass, electric guitar, acoustic guitar; Ben Tufts, drums; audio mixing by Kevin de Souza; video editing by Dale Placek.
Holy Cross Named "No Place For Hate" School for 2020
The Academy of the Holy Cross is proud to have received designation for the second year as a "No Place for Hate" school. No Place for Hate is a program lead by the Anti-Defamation League to help guide schools to work together to combat prejudice, bullying, and hate through discussion and school-wide activities. This year the No Place for Hate committee of students and faculty/staff members coordinated the program which began with each member of the community signing the Resolution of Respect. During the Kindness in Action Week, the committee led an all-school assembly followed by small-group discussions on bullying. The entire school read "Left to Tell" about the Rwandan Genocide and were honored to welcome Immaculée Ilibagiza.
Celebrating Our Class of 2020
As part of the Academy's celebration of the Class of 2020 this spring, a special graduation box pickup took place on Sunday, May 31. Seniors came to campus in a socially distanced manner to collect their regalia, awards and a gift bracelet to welcome them into the Alumnae Association. They were each presented their diploma by President Katy Prebble and could take family photos in front of the Our Lady of the Roses statue in the circle driveway. The entrance to campus was decked out for the occasion and faculty/staff lined the driveway cheering on the families as they drove in and out. The administration is hopeful that a formal graduation ceremony can take place in late July.
Once a Holy Cross Girl, Always a Holy Cross Girl!
On Wednesday, May 6, Holy Cross hosted our first virtual all-alumnae "Happy Hour" which was a wonderful opportunity to connect. The second virtual event on Wednesday, May 20 had triple the attendance! It was so much fun chatting with alumnae from 1948 through 2018, we are going to meet again in June.
Share Your News Before the pandemic did you have a get-together with Holy Cross classmates or other alumnae? Perhaps you played golf, went on a run, enjoyed a happy hour, or traveled somewhere together. Share the news with your fellow Holy Cross Tartans! We would love to see what our alumnae were doing before social distancing kept us apart! Email photos with a description to alumnae@academyoftheholycross.org.
Recognizing Our Frontline Heroes Are you a healthcare worker or essential employee? Are you sewing masks or baking for our frontline workers in your free time? How are you helping right now? We want to know! Please send a note to tell us what you're doing, with a photo if possible, to alumnae@academyoftheholycross.org. Thank you!
Carryout from Off the Hook
Support local businesses! Off the Hook, the Academy's cafeteria caterer, is continuing their Friday drive-up carryout service at their Rockville location. Their food-service preparation and delivery procedures exceed CDC and HHS regulations. Please show your support!
Class Notes
What are you doing? We would love to hear from you and share your special story. Contact Kathleen Bula in the Alumnae Office at kbula@academyoftheholycross.org.
1948 Pat de la Vergne Quinn reports, "I've done so much since '48 graduation. I'm still active with the El Paso Chamber of Commerce's Woman's Dept. and trying to get their Addendum to their Directory finished. I've been a chemist with Food & Drug, a teacher for 22 years, taught all subjects in the upper grades and then Chemistry, Physics and Computers on the High School level. Bill and I have four children, six grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. We're both retired and busy as you can see. I remember what we were taught—especially, the quality of English instruction. I remember reading Shakespeare each year and I can still quote lines from Hamlet before the character speaks them." Pat joined the May 20 virtual happy hour from her home in Texas.
1966 In her work as an expert in child welfare, Maureen Flatley, 2016 Distinguished Alumnae recipient, chose Rockville-based Comfort Cases has her pro bono project. She was delighted to discover Julia Beattie '14 working there. Maureen said, "On any given day there are 437,500 kids in the foster care system in America. Most of them are removed from their homes with little more than the clothes on their back. If they do have personal belongings, they are given a trash bag in which to carry them. The mission of Comfort Cases is simple…to ensure that no child is forced to carry their belongings in trash bags. Because of their passion and dedication, cases filled with pajamas, toothbrushes, personal supplies, blankets, stuffed animals and toys have been distributed to foster kids in all 50 states."
These alumnae may be nearly 50 years apart in their Holy Cross experiences, but they both agreed that Holy Cross prepared them perfectly to support the mission of Comfort Cases and the work they are doing. Julia shared, "Holy Cross taught us the importance of social justice, of giving back and of supporting those in need. Comfort Cases is a perfect example of the values we learned in high school, generations apart."
Reunion News
Class of 1970 Celebrates Their 50th Reunion Virtually Members of the Class of '70 met virtually with Holy Cross President Katy Prebble on Tuesday, May 26. Over 30 alums participated and enjoyed the virtual mini-reunion. The classmates attended from Costa Rica, and states all around the country such as California, Washington, Texas, Florida, Arizona, Illinois and others. The alumnae were so excited to see each other, some after 50 years! They lively online chatting carried on for the entire time as they caught up on families, careers, and lives since graduation in 1970. It was wonderful to get these women of Holy Cross together virtually even if they couldn't be together in person.
If you are a class representative or simply willing to help organize a gathering or reschedule your event, the Alumnae Office is happy to assist! Remember, it's never too early to start finding your Holy Cross classmates to organize your class reunion!
Alumnae support of Holy Cross is vitally important to the school, and reunion gifts are the cornerstone of alumnae giving. In a reunion year, alumnae are asked to celebrate their time at Holy Cross and to demonstrate their commitment to the school by making a reunion gift to the Holy Cross Fund. These special reunion gifts set a wonderful example for other alumnae and contribute significantly to the people and programs that enable Holy Cross to continue to provide outstanding and exceptional educational experiences for our girls. Make your gift today in honor of your reunion year and show your support to Holy Cross!
We know that reunions are important celebrations and that reconnecting with our friends is a very special opportunity to share memories, stories and family photos…and reunion hugs are very important as well! Since we are in a unique period of social distancing, it's difficult to plan a reunion expecting everyone to stay six feet apart! Therefore, we ask for your patience and flexibility during this time. If your class was planning a reunion this spring/summer, please consider moving the event to a later date.
Contact Kathleen Bula at (301) 929-6463 or kbula@academyoftheholycross.org if you have questions or need assistance.
In Memoriam
Our prayers are with families of the following deceased alumnae: Elizabeth Leasure Utrecht '49 Patricia Higgins Sueck '51 Marion Hogan O'Donnell '53 Donita Michelle Soo Doane '61; sister of Leslie Soo White '62, sister-in-law of Carol Heinlein Soo '60, and aunt of Erin Soo Crane '89 Patrice Hanna Fourcade '71 Susan Schaefer Brophy '76
Our prayers are also with the following deceased family members of alumnae: Alvin A. Lawrence, grandfather of Jessica Sims '15
Stay connected!
Do we have your most current contact information? If you no longer receive The Tartan magazine, there is an excellent chance we do not have your current address! If you never receive a phone call, it's probably because we only have a landline number that you no longer use. Please be sure we have your correct information including any name change, most current email and mailing addresses, and a cell phone number if you wish to share it. It only takes a minute to contact the alumnae office with your updates at (301) 929-6463 or alumnae@academyoftheholycross.org.
We want to hear from you! Send us your news – wedding photos, baby photos, travels, awards, job changes. Alumnae Class Notes is always the most popular section in the Tartan Magazine – so be sure to let us know what's going on in your life! Email to alumnae@academyoftheholycross.org (photos should be high resolution and in jpeg format).
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