e ildren a. classic - Bishop O`Connell High School

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Letter from the
ChAIrmAN
The kniGhTs’ paGes
Winter 2010/11
Board of
Governors
BishOp O’COnneLL
hiGh sChOOL
6600 Little Falls Road
Arlington, VA 22213
703-237-1400
www.bishopoconnell.org
aDminisTRaTiOn
Kathleen Ryan Prebble
President
Joseph E. Vorbach III, PhD ’83
Principal
Rev. James Hudgins ’88
Chaplain/Assistant Principal
for Spirituality
Sr. Catherine Hill, I.H.M. ’66
Assistant Principal for Academics
Lt. Col. John Gutter (ret.)
Assistant Principal for
Student Life
aDVanCemenT
Gerry Vent
Director of Advancement
703-237-1445
gvent@bishopoconnell.org
Cindy Krech
Annual Giving
703-237-1446
ckrech@bishopoconnell.org
Michelle Kannan
Alumni Relations
703-237-1437
mkannan@bishopoconnell.org
Kim Aubry
Advancement Services
703-237-1447
kaubry@bishopoconnell.org
COmmUniCaTiOns
Mary Jane Spurlock
Director of Communications
703-237-1425
mjspurlock@bishopoconnell.org
Dear Parents, Alumni and Friends,
Greetings and welcome to our newly designed Knights’ Pages. It is impossible to walk the halls
of Bishop O’Connell and not be energized by the enthusiasm and spirit that is the hallmark of
our school. Every day, the faculty, staff and students are meeting the challenges of education in
the 21st century and excelling. The excitement is everywhere—in the classroom, with our athletic fields renovation project, and in the community as DJO students fan out to provide service
in the Washington metropolitan area.
Equally exciting is the behind-the-scenes work of our Board of Governors, as we build a strong
financial plan for the next 50 years. As you know, the operation of DJO has changed over the
years, from our founding as a diocesan school operated by the Christian Brothers and the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM), to the implementation of the presidentprincipal model six years ago. Throughout these changes, we are, nonetheless, fortunate to have
had the consistent presence of the IHM community at our school.
The board is taking a more active role in key areas such as strategic planning, financial management, marketing and facilities. We are in the process of modifying the bylaws to address our
makeup, and to acknowledge that Bishop O’Connell has evolved from an enrollment based on
six founding parishes, to a community that welcomes students from more than 90 schools in
Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia. In our board reorganization we are striving
to assure that we identify and bring onboard individuals with the necessary skills—i.e. financial,
facilities, marketing—to help with planning and decision-making for the future, while maintaining the opportunity for pastoral participation of diocesan priests.
Aside from the daily student life, perhaps the most exciting addition to our community has been
the return of our alumni, who have taken a renewed interest in the DJO community. We see
this daily in a variety of ways:
• Nearly 500 alumni have logged onto the alumni portal and updated information
that we previously did not have.
•Ten alumni, from graduating classes that span the 50-year history of the school, are now
serving on the new Alumni Association board.
•Our first 50-year reunion is planned for this year and nine members of the class of 1961
have taken on important tasks to help make this a gathering to remember.
•Alumni who had not been involved or in touch with O’Connell are joining our golf and gala
planning committees, our Affinity program, and helping with many important projects.
They are making reference calls for incoming students and showing a general interest in
being a part of the community in an active way.
•The class of 1967 is funding the first Alumni Association award to be given to a rising
senior. This scholarship will be presented by the Alumni Association and funded by members of the alumni community.
The future of Bishop O’Connell is bright, but it is even brighter if we can count on the support of our more than 16,000 graduates to channel their energies, creativity, and financial
resources to help us offer the best Catholic high school education in the Washington area.
For those of you who have come back to DJO we thank you. To those who are interested
in knowing how you can participate, give us a call or email. Because big things happen on
Little Falls Road every day!
Sincerely,
Kevin J. Fay ’73
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messAge from the
president
Dear Parents, Alumni, and Friends,
As I continue to meet students, alumni, past parents, current parents and prospective
families the strength that defines Bishop O’Connell becomes more vibrant and clear. I am
constantly reminded of the three things that have always made DJO a remarkable place: the
depth of our scholarship, the spirit of our student body, and our commitment to service. In
this issue of the Knights’ Pages you will find ample evidence of each of these qualities, which
I think define a transformative school community. Bishop O’Connell has built a community
of learners, where everyone finds a place in our classrooms, on our athletic fields, on our
stage, and in serving others throughout the greater Washington area.
We live in a remarkable time, facing a future in which our global society engages us with its
diversity, creativity and new models of living and learning. In response to these opportunities Bishop O’Connell is positioned to launch two exciting new initiatives for the 2011-2012
school year. Our Global Studies Initiative will offer the opportunity for any student to select
a focus area of study on world issues of interest to him or her, to choose from a variety of
learning experiences and to earn a certificate at graduation signifying completion of this
unique “Semester 9” curriculum. At the same time, Bishop O’Connell will partner with
Marymount University to continue the tradition of quality Catholic education at the secondary and post-secondary level through dual credit and dual enrollment programs.
As we plan celebrations to honor our first 50-year reunion class and recognize the emerging needs for our school, we acknowledge that we are at a defining moment in our history.
It is critical for us to be proactive in addressing our facility needs, technology needs, science
laboratory needs, athletic fields needs and auditorium needs to position the school for continued success into the future. At the same time we must be concerned about building our
endowment to ensure sustained funding for academic programs, financial assistance, professional development, and technology. Your input is critical as we develop funding opportunities for these emerging needs, and we thank all of you who completed our planning survey.
Results of the survey and focus group discussions will be disseminated in late spring.
I am excited to be at Bishop O’Connell and be part of this important opportunity to
strengthen and secure our position as an institution of excellence. Bishop O’Connell was
founded and exists today because of the passionate belief that a Catholic education offers
the best opportunity for young men and women to develop and grow into responsible, caring, spiritual adults who will live lives of consequence.
Sincerely,
Kathleen Ryan Prebble
Keep the joy of loving God in your heart, and share this joy
with all you meet especially your family. Be holy—let us pray.
—Mother Teresa
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tAbLe of CoNteNts
athletic Fields Renovation
4
affinity program
5
school news
6
homecoming 2010
10
10th annual Gala & auction
11
annual Giving
12
president’s Club events
13
Why We Give
14
athletic hall of Fame
17
alumni Roll Call
18
alumni spotlight
21
alumni events and Reunions 22
all-alumni Reunion Weekend 23
athletic Fields Renovation
project Update
Since the 1970’s, Bishop
O’Connell has more than
doubled the number of
teams that compete on
our athletic fields. The
school is very proud of
this growth and excited
to have the opportunity
to meet these challenges
with imminent plans
to renovate our athletic
fields.
sChooL News
programs
and plans
“The new fields renovation would give our team and others a
new start. With a recently revamped lacrosse program with
two new coaches, the new fields renovation will give us an
opportunity to achieve great success. The vibe of the whole
renovation is boosting school spirit tremendously. It will
attract students overall because it shows that O’Connell is
striving for excellence.”
Kevin o’malley ’12
Varsity Lacrosse Attack Man
In the words of O’Connell’s Chairman of
the Board of Governors, Kevin Fay ’73, “As a
community, we are committed to providing facilities that match the legacies of our
past champions, the spirit of our current
students, and the dreams of our future
families.” Fay has worked tirelessly alongside school administration and countless
others to see the athletic fields renovation
project through to fruition.
The renovation of the athletic fields will
begin in the next few months and is ex-
pected to be completed within four to five
months. The plan involves the enlargement
and improvement of the current rectangular field to include a six lane competition
track with a straight away, new bleachers,
new synthetic turf on the regulation-sized
playing surface, and state of the art sound
system for football, soccer, and lacrosse.
Bishop O’Connell will plant and landscape
extensively, and will install decorative fencing to screen the side streets from balls and
noise. Reorientation of the baseball field
will reduce offsite baseball infringements
and improve play for safety purposes. The
baseball field will also include a synthetic
turf surface along with installation of new
bleachers with a seating capacity of 246.
What a great addition this will be to DJO!
The field renovation is the first part of
a series of initiatives that the school is
launching to build on our 53-year tradition of excellence in serving our students
and our community. The project includes
a partnership with Marymount University
and will benefit the students and athletic
teams from Bishop O’Connell, Marymount,
and the Arlington community. This effort is part of a larger partnership with
Marymount University that enhances both
the academic and athletic programs at
O’Connell.
Future fields at O’Connell
“There was a time over 20 years ago that O’Connell had the
best sports facility complex in the area and now sadly we
have one of the worst in the WCAC league. The new fields
renovation plan will give O’Connell the newer state-of-theart feel, appearance and provide an optimal performance
environment for our student athletes. This in turn will attract
new enrollment and prospective student athletes.”
Your help is needed. We will be contacting
you for major contributions to help us
move this project along. Naming
opportunities are now available. If
you are interested in helping with this
major initiative or in making a financial
contribution or pledge, please contact
Gerry Vent at gvent@bishopoconnell.org.
For the most up to date information
on the athletic fields project, please visit
www.bishopoconnell.org/fields.
Alberto starace
Head Varsity Girls Soccer Coach
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Dr. Lawrence Yun presents 2011 economic Update
realtors, builders and
Lenders for o’Connell
hosts event
Dr. Lawrence Yun, Chief Economist and
Senior Vice President of Research at the
National Association of Realtors, came to
O’Connell in February and provided an
engaging presentation on the state of the
U.S. economy, entitled “From Recovery
to Normalcy.” More than 150 students,
alumni, parents and community members
attended this Thursday evening event,
which was hosted by the O’Connell’s Realtors, Builders & Lenders (RBL) group.
Yun’s presentation covered not only trends
in the residential real estate markets, but
also local and national employment data
and projections, and general economic
growth and consumer confidence indicators for the upcoming year. Students from
Mrs. Carol Moore’s AP Economics class
Lawrence Yun, Katy Prebble and Tom Stevens ’68
contributed to the discussion by asking
questions related to their current topics
of study. “Dr. Yun’s remarks reinforced
the curriculum we teach as it pertains to
the economy as a whole—inflation, national debt, international issues, to name
a few areas of interest,” said Mrs. Moore.
“The students were motivated to hear an
economist working in the business world.”
This event also included a reception which
gave guests an opportunity to meet and
greet fellow alumni and parents in related professions.
“Providing the opportunity to
not only educate our community, but also to engage them in
professional networking activities,
is one of the key goals of our group,”
remarked Tom Stevens ’68, who
organized the event on behalf of the
RBL group. “Dr. Yun’s presentation
was extremely well-received by those in
attendance and I hope we can continue
to provide seminars and presentations
like this in the future to benefit the entire
O’Connell community.”
The reception was generously sponsored
by SunTrust Mortgage, SunTrust Bank
and Double Eagle Title.
To find out more about the RBL
group, and to view Dr. Yun’s
PowerPoint presentation, visit
www.bishopoconnell.org/green.
Join the Growing Bishop O’Connell affinity program
The business affinity program
provides an opportunity to
bring together businesses
and customers in support of
Bishop O’Connell. Businesses
enrolling in this program
pledge to contribute a portion
of the patronage from the
Bishop O’Connell community.
In return, they will have their
support publicized in Bishop
O’Connell publications and on
the Web site. Customers will
know that their purchases of
goods and services from these
businesses support Bishop
O’Connell.
No matter what the economic
climate, the Affinity Program
provides the unique opportunity for the community to
share a portion of its good fortune with Bishop O’Connell.
bishop o’Connell business Affinity Partners
(as of Feb. 25, 2011)
Albrittain group–
Keller williams
Mike Albrittain ’80
Alonso Insurance
Agency LLC
Leo Alonso ’69
build ease
Karen Hathaway Viani
’89
Callaway
transportation Inc.
David Callaway ’87
Carmel steindam
graphic Design
Carmel Steindam
Christian wealth
management LLC
Gerry Balestrieri ’75
Dale Photo Imaging
Connie Casey-Dale
Double eagle title
Chris Melnick ’84
ecoloblue
Jason Pettetier ’02
met Life bank
Ernie Castro
elite settlements
Leo Alonso ’69
met Life homes
Robert Hoy ’85
1st Commonwealth
bank of Virginia
Don Ziegler
moD Arts
Mary O’Donnell ’85
first Potomac
realty trust
Skip Dawson
home Design
elements
James Kannar ’84
home energy
Detective
Lawrence R. Nightingale
homefirst
mortgage Corp.
Gregory L. Kundinger
Keller williams
Steve Eaheart ’78
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NbI realty LLC
Isabela Cocoli
Potomac Commercial
Properties
Saul Corral
real Access
Arthur Bonair
signet Construction
Companies
Louis Clemente
the safety first
Driving school of
Northern Virginia, LLC
Geroge M. Baker ’83 and
Charles H. Burke IV ’83
Van meter
Barry Bylund
walsh, Colucci,
Lubeley, emrich, P.C.
Mark Goetzman ’77
welsh Printing
Robert Welsh ’78
and Becky Turner ’75
westtown
savings bank fDIC
Leo Alonso ’69
sunAmerica supply
Ron Stevens
For more information on the Affinity
Program or to enroll, please contact
Gerry Vent at gvent@bishopoconnell.org
or visit www.bishopoconnell.org/affinity.
scholarship
global studies Initiative
sChooL News
scholarship
spirit
service
Striving to prepare students to be wellinformed, self-motivated adults with the
skills, confidence and moral perspective needed for the 21st century, Bishop
O’Connell is launching the Global Studies
Initiative beginning in the 2011-12 school
year. This program, also known as “Semester 9,” includes student-selected, beyondthe-classroom learning experiences
focused on themes of world importance in
our time: Faith and Humanitarian Issues,
Global Business and Finance, Language
and Culture, Global Health and Environmental Issues, Arts and Humanities, and
Global Politics.
french exchange
Program blossoms
Bishop O’Connell hosted ten students from
our sister school, Lycée Jean XXIII in
Rheims, France. This exchange program is
part of what has become an annual tradition that benefits students on both sides
of the Atlantic Ocean. O’Connell French
teacher Joan McCarty established the
program five years ago and her students
alternate traveling abroad one year, and
hosting French students the following year.
This year, the students from Rheims spent
one week in the Washington area, living
with and experiencing American teenage
life with their O’Connell host families.
Upon graduation students who participated in the Global Studies program receive a
certificate indicating his/her completion
of a set of non-GPA credit units in global
studies the equivalent of a ninth semester
of coursework.
harriet fulbright Addresses
o’Connell seniors
New Dual Credit and Dual
enrollment
Beginning in the 2011-2012 school year,
Marymount University will offer college
credit for specific classes taught at Bishop
O’Connell High School. This opportunity
for obtaining dual credit will be open to
seniors whose general academic profile
meets Marymount University criteria. Two
classes—a statistics course and a forensic
science course will serve as pilots for this
initiative. Dual credit classes are taught
at O’Connell by O’Connell faculty. It is
anticipated that this program will expand to
include a significant number of offerings.
Harriet Mayor Fulbright paid a special visit
to Bishop O’Connell High School in January, presenting the senior class with a history of the Fulbright Scholars program and
emphasizing the importance of a global
education in today’s society. Ms. Fulbright
has spent the majority of her adult life in
the fields of education and the arts, and
along with her late husband, Senator J.
William Fulbright, has dedicated her life
to advocating for peaceful solutions to tension and conflicts around the world. Ms.
Fulbright focused her discussion with the
assembly of seniors on the opportunities
that university “study abroad” programs
offer to this generation of students. She
sees global education as one of the greatest
contributors to lasting peace and harmony
throughout the world.
In addition, seniors whose academics profile meets Marymount University criteria
will also have the opportunity to participate in new dual enrollment opportunities,
registering for 100-level classes offered at
Marymount.
The Dual Enrollment program with
Marymount University expands and
supplements the long-standing
dual enrollment opportunities that
Bishop O’Connell students have
enjoyed with Northern Virginia
Community College (NVCC).
Ms. Fulbright (center) visits O’Connell.
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French exchange program participants
The French students attended classes at
O’Connell, and were also treated to several
tourist outings which included the Capitol
and the Secret Service headquarters, the
National Harbor, Tysons Corner, and a
day trip to New York City. This year’s visit
was not only a learning experience for the
French exchange students, but it was also a
great opportunity for O’Connell students to
use their French language skills and learn
more about a foreign culture from members
of their own peer group.
National merit scholarship
Corporation (NmsC)
recognizes students
Congratulations to Bishop O’Connell
senior Amanda toulme who was named
as a Semifinalist in the 2011 National Merit
Scholarship Program, and to seniors Alessa
garcia, Nicholas hentschel, Kevin Lauerman, Audra Nakas, scott rapuano, Connor scully, Ashley stumvoll, Christopher
szentkiralyi, and Dylan Vorbach who were
named as Commended Students.
In September 2010, officials of the National
Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) announced the names of approximately 16,000
Semifinalists and 34,000 Commended
Students in the 56th annual National Merit
Scholarship Program. More than 1.5 million
juniors in about 22,000 high schools entered
the 2011 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2009 Preliminary SAT/
National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test
(PSAT/NMSQT®), which served as an initial
screen of program entrants.
In addition to her recognition as a Commended Student, Alessa garcia was
selected as a 2010-11 National Hispanic
Recognition Program (NHRP) Scholar.
Senior Deon thomas was designated as a
Semifinalist in the 47th annual NMSC National Achievement Scholarship Program.
New Nursing elective
O’Connell’s latest elective class is an introduction to the nursing profession, taught by
current O’Connell math department faculty
member and former nurse, Susan Koranek.
This semester-long course includes nursing theory, a history of nursing through
the ages, the nursing process, the ethics
involved with nursing and an overview
of career opportunities. A field trip to
the VCU School of Nursing is one of the
highlights of this class, where students are
divided into smaller groups to visit a stateof-the-art simulation and training room,
which includes high-tech mannequins,
with human-like responses that simulate
patients. According to Mrs. Koranek, “This
experience was marvelous! The students
were all enthralled by the presentations and
the unique first-hand experiences gain.”
remembering
father Luis Valdivieso
english teacher recognized
by University of Chicago
The University of Chicago recently recognized
O’Connell creative writing teacher and alumnus Tom
Duesterhaus as an outstanding educator and mentor.
Duesterhaus was nominated by former O’Connell
student and current University of Chicago student,
Taylor Brogan ’10. According to the University,
awardees are teachers “who opened new vistas and
realms of discovery, challenged students intellectually
for the first time, or channeled their private interests
into productive paths for intellectual growth.”
Tom Duesterhaus graduated from Bishop O’Connell in 1991, and returned in 1999 to
teach English and creative writing. As a result of regularly writing short stories and
vignettes alongside his students, Duesterhaus has completed and recently published his
first novel, entitled The Loyal Treatment.
spirit
Junior selected for senior
regional orchestra
winter musical—
The Lamplighter
This past fall, violinist Charlie fiddler
was selected for the highly competitive
Senior Regional Orchestra of the Virginia
Band and Orchestra Directors Association
(VBODA) Districts X, XI and XII. The
Senior Regional Orchestra is made up of
the top music students from public and
private high schools in Fairfax County,
Arlington, Alexandria and Falls Church,
which is considered by many to be the
most competitive region for music in the
Commonwealth of Virginia and among the
most competitive districts in the United
States. The Senior Regional Orchestra
convened for rehearsals and a special
performance in November.
In December, O’Connell theater students
staged an original musical adaptation of
Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. This
show, entitled The Lamplighter, was adapted
for the musical theater by O’Connell’s own
theater director Elizabeth Milam, along with
Robert Casal and Nicholas Horner. Casal, a
former music teacher at Bishop O’Connell,
recently finished his graduate studies in film
scoring at New York University. “He oozes
with talent,” says Milam. “We were lucky
to catch him before he heads off to much
bigger things.” Horner, a 2006 graduate
of Bishop O’Connell, who now serves as
theater assistant at O’Connell, helped write
It is with a heavy heart that
the O’Connell community
shares with you the death
of Father Luis Valdivieso on
February 3, 2011.
Fr. Luis retired from Bishop
O’Connell in 2008, after a
40-year career as a teacher
and earlier a Chaplain to
the Christian Brothers who
resided at the school. He
continued to minister to the
Spanish-speaking population
of the Diocese of Arlington.
A funeral Mass — officiated
by Third Order Regular of
St. Francis Father Alberto F.
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Bueno, parochial vicar of St.
Joseph Parish in Herndon
and a Valdivieso family friend
— was offered Tuesday,
February 8, at St. Anthony
of Padua Church in Falls
Church. Interment will be
held at a future date at Woodlawn South in Miami.
“Father Luis was a kindhearted man with a deep
Faith and a wonderful sense
of humor who drew upon
a superb education and an
innate talent for connecting
with students in serving our
school community for 40
years,” says Principal Joseph
Vorbach. “A quick look at any
picture of Father Luis reveals
the warm smile and thoughtful expression of a wise and
caring man. The news of his
passing, while filling us with
sadness at Bishop O’Connell,
has also occasioned the
retelling of wonderful stories
about a priest who left a lasting impression on thousands
of students and colleagues.”
Let us continue to offer our
prayers for Fr. Luis, for the
consolation of his family, and
in thanks to God for the gift
of his life which he shared
with us so generously.
and adapt the story. “This is an incredible
piece of literature,” added Milam. “We found
ourselves imagining our students in these
roles even before we were finished creating
the play.”
Knights Volleyball Dominates
fall tournament
The O’Connell volleyball team entered the
September 25, 2010 Model School Invitational Tournament in Washington, D.C. on
a seven-game winning streak following a
victory over Bishop McNamara the night
before. In the end, the Lady Knights won
all five tournament matches, giving up
only one set and defeated their opponents
by a total of 260-152. Sophomore Claire
Crutchfield garnered Tournament MVP
honors and the Knights were lead by
senior setters Dia Barber (captain) and
Brooke Moore, both of whom were AllTournament team selections.
fall Athletes honored
The following O’Connell athletes were named to
fall All-WCAC and Washington Post All-Met teams:
Football
Josh trimble—All-Met Honorable
Mention and All-WCAC 1st Team
Patrick simms—All-WCAC 1st Team
michael Kissinger—All-WCAC
2nd Team
michael Katz—All-WCAC 3rd Team
marvin stewart—All-WCAC
3rd Team
tom terwilliger—All-WCAC
3rd Team
thomas Cline—All-WCAC
Honorable Mention
thomas farrelll—All-WCAC
Honorable Mention
Colin scott—All-WCAC Honorable
Mention
Dominick manuel—All-WCAC
Honorable Mention
Volleyball
Claire Crutchfield—All-Met
Honorable Mention and
All-WCAC 1st Team
brooke moore—All-WCAC
2nd Team
Zoe Criley—All-WCAC 3rd Team
KeKe richards—All-WCAC
3rd Team
sophia giaquinto—All-WCAC
Honorable Mention
Dia barber—All-WCAC Honorable
Mention
Laura reynolds—All-WCAC
Honorable Mention
Girls soccer
Kara Deguisto—All-Met 2nd Team
and All-WCAC 1st Team
morgan reuther—All-Met 2nd
Team and All-WCAC 1st Team
regan houston—All-Met
Honorable Mention and All-WCAC
1st Team
Alison Dommell—All-WCAC
2nd Team
Caroline Leary—All-WCAC
2nd Team
shannon Nasca—All-WCAC
2nd Team
emily Lodge—All-WCAC Honorable
Mention
Ashley Ninteman—All-WCAC
Honorable Mention
Cate weaver—All-WCAC
Honorable Mention
boys soccer
C.J. Corey—All-Met 2nd Team and
All-WCAC 1st Team
Nicholas Kent—All-WCAC
Honorable Mention
will tidwell—All-WCAC Honorable
Mention
ethan tomaselli—All-WCAC
Honorable Mention
Girls cross country
sarah mcCarthy—All-Met 1st Team
and All-WCAC Team
emily blagg—All-Met Honorable
Mention and All-WCAC Team
Devin Nihill—All-Met Honorable
Mention and All-WCAC Team
Ashley stumvoll—All-WCAC Team
taylor Chamness—All-WCAC Team
brittany stumvoll—All-WCAC Team
Nicole Carty—All-WCAC Team
service
second Annual gleaning
2010 Girls Cross Country Team
girls Cross Country
Claims 4th Consecutive
wCAC and VIs titles
The girls cross country team strode to
their fourth consecutive WCAC championship at Lake Fairfax on Saturday,
October 30. The team scored 19 points (a
perfect score is 15) by placing six runners
in the top eight finishers. Good Counsel
finished a distant second with 54 points.
The Lady Knights were led by senior
sarah mcCarthy, who won the race and
set a new course record, running 19:52
(with a pace of 6:24 per mile) on one of
the toughest courses the team faces all
season. Sophomore Devin Nihill (20:21)
and junior emily blagg (20:23) finished in
second and third place respectively. Two
weeks later, the team capped their season
by winning their fourth straight Virginia
Independent Schools state championship, placing five runners in the top nine
finishers.
For the second year in a row, a group of
O’Connell students and faculty members
spent an early fall morning gleaning at
an apple orchard outside of Winchester,
Va. The weather cooperated fully, and the
cool, sunny morning provided the perfect
backdrop for their efforts in the fields.
Gleaning is an ancient custom of taking
leftover crops from a farmer’s field after
the commercial harvest is over. In some
cultures, farmers would deliberately leave
the edges of their fields unharvested as
a form of welfare for the needy. Today,
humanitarian groups glean to help feed
the hungry.
Faculty members, Janis Sposato and Bill
Carpenter, accompanied the O’Connell
group this year. “It’s a great way to spend
a Saturday morning,” said Bill Carpenter.
“There’s genuine satisfaction in what you
are doing, and it gives you a chance to
meet other people from across the metro
area who have joined together in these
efforts.”
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Annual soup Drive Concludes
with Living rosary
Since 1975, the students at Bishop O’Connell
High School have sponsored an annual
hearty soup drive to benefit Catholic Charities’ food pantry at Christ House in Alexandria. Christ House has come to depend on
the generosity of the O’Connell community
to replenish their stocks each year.
On November 5, the students gathered with
their collected cans of soup in the school
gymnasium and prayed a living rosary in
honor of the hungry in our community
who will benefit from these cans of soup
this winter. Once the prayer service was
concluded, members of the student council
loaded a large truck to deliver the more than
8,600 cans to Alexandria, where they spent
the remainder of the afternoon stocking the
shelves at Christ House.
Project Unify Club and Special Olympics athletes
special mass of rededication
for Ihm sisters
to lend a helping hand to several service
organization.
Every year on the feast of the Immaculate
Conception, the O’Connell school
community takes part in a special Mass
and celebration. Not only do we come
together to celebrate the feast day of the
Blessed Virgin Mary, but we are also part
of an annual rededication ceremony for the
Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart
of Mary (I.H.M.) who live and work among
us. This year, our community was doubly
blessed, as Father Ed Bresnahan, class of
1999, returned to O’Connell to celebrate
Mass with us on this special occasion.
Members of the boys cross country team
volunteered as coaches at the KEEN
(Kids Enjoy Exercise Now) facility in
Springfield. KEEN is a national, nonprofit
volunteer-led organization that provides
one-to-one recreational opportunities for
children and young adults with developmental and physical disabilities at no cost
to their families and caregivers.
The devotional renewal of vows by the
Sisters took place within the devotional
renewal of the baptismal promises by
each member of the Mass assembly. Our
school community is truly blessed by the
presence of these Sisters, and we continue
to keep them in our prayers throughout
the year.
Project Unify hosts special
olympics basketball
On Friday, January 14, the Project Unify
club from Bishop O’Connell High School
sponsored an exhibition game for two
local Special Olympics basketball teams
during the boys varsity basketball game
against Bishop Ireton. The Arlington
Panthers played the Bellefonte Wizards
of Alexandria in an exciting six-minute
match up. Project Unify is a student
organization encouraging young people
to become agents of change in their
communities — fostering respect, dignity
and advocacy for people with intellectual
disabilities by utilizing the programs and
initiatives of Special Olympics.
Members of the ice hockey team worked
with the Arlington Knights of Columbus
EDW Council to provide 1,500 Thanksgiving meals (approximately 750 sit-down
and 750 delivered) for homeless, indigent,
and shut-in people in the Arlington area.
Members of the O’Connell boys soccer
team took part in a wreath laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery during
the holidays. This was the culmination of
weeks of fundraising for these boys, who
had “sold” wreaths to family and friends
as part of a program called Wreaths Across
America. As a result of their efforts alone,
more than 450 wreaths were donated
to this noble cause. Within a matter of a
few hours, the army of volunteers helped
transform the landscape at Arlington
National Cemetery in remembrance of
those buried there. In addition, the soccer
team donated funds to the Wounded Warrior Project, which provides support to
severely injured soldiers and their families
throughout the year.
sports teams make
holidays bright
Three O’Connell sports teams took time
out of their busy schedules during the
Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays
O’Connell Soccer team members lay wreaths at
Arlington National Cemetery.
9
march for Life
Student participation in the annual March
for Life is an O’Connell tradition dating
back more than thirty years. On January
24, approximately 200 O’Connell students
made their voices heard and stood up for
the sanctity of human life. Unusually cold
weather did not deter our students from
joining an estimated 150,000 people from
across the country, who marched along
Constitution Avenue from 7th Street to the
Supreme Court. Judging by the smiles on
students’ faces, the 2011 March for Life was
a great success.
Our New Deacon—
Paul ochenkowski
On January 15, Paul Ochenkowski was
ordained a deacon in the Diocese of
Arlington. Ochenkowski was part of
the largest group of men to be ordained
— sixteen in all — in the history of the
diocese, and part of the first ordination
of permanent deacons in Arlington in
more than 20 years.
Ochenkowski has taught social studies
at O’Connell since 1997, and he currently teaches advanced placement
history and is chairman of the social
studies department. He serves as a
lector at daily Mass at O’Connell and
as an extraordinary minister of holy
Communion at student Masses. He is
currently assigned to his home parish of
St. Veronica’s in Chantilly, where he has
been serving as a lector for several years.
school spirit Lights Up DJO
For Bishop O’Connell students, Homecoming week (Oct. 11–16) was filled with all the traditional
themed dress holidays—decade day, wacky-tacky day and school spirit day—and an all-school pep
rally on Friday afternoon. One of the highlights of this year’s Homecoming week was the return of a
Friday night bonfire, which brought students back to campus on Friday night for more spirit contests
and fireside camaraderie.
homeComINg
2010
On Saturday afternoon, the Knights football team capped off the week with a 14-6 victory over
Bishop McNamara. Halftime activities included a parade of floats from each class depicting this
year’s theme—“Under the Sea,” and the crowning of the
Homecoming court. Homecoming Queen and King for
2011 were seniors Dia Barber and Wes Robinson (pictured, above right). The students then danced the night
away at the Homecoming dance in the school gym—
transformed into an “Under the Sea” wonderland.
Alumni tent Draws a Crowd
Students weren’t the only ones enjoying Homecoming week at Bishop O’Connell. Before and during the Homecoming game, more than
150 alumni, family members and faculty members enjoyed a catered lunch and much more under the alumni hospitality tent set up
adjacent to the main entrance to the football field. The classes of 1975 and 1980 were especially well represented under the tent, as they
included the Homecoming game as part of their festivities during their reunion weekends. Welcome back Knights!
Katy Prebble and Mark Goetzman ’77
Tim Connolly ’03, Mike Connolly ’80 and
Patrice Connolly
10
Stephen Hill ’69 and Sr. Catherine Hill ’66
10th annual Gala & auction
Flagship event Raises
Record support
Nearly 400 parents, alumni, parents of
alumni, friends and faculty gathered at
the McLean Hilton on January 29 for the
school’s 10th Annual Gala & Auction. Not
only was this year’s event one of the best
attended gala’s to date, it raised record
support grossing over $200,000. The monies raised this year will help advance the
mission of Bishop O’Connell by supporting
important programs at the school including: technology advancements, facility
improvements and faculty development.
While the gala has grown to become the
school’s flagship fundraiser, it is also an
elegant and festive evening that celebrates
the O’Connell community. This year, attendees began their evening bidding on
delightful silent auction items, while sampling a scrumptious assortment of passed
appetizers. The most contested auction
items during the early evening were the
custom class baskets—from family movie
nights, to game systems, to designer purses,
and much more—donated by each of the
homerooms.
Once guests were seated in the main ballroom, they were entertained with a school
video and a performance by the Royalette
dance team before their dinner was served.
The highlight of the night was the fastpaced live auction where vacation homes,
special school packages and reserved
It’s Not too Late to
be a hero
Staci Meruvia and Sister Ann Marie Markoe,
I.H.M.
graduation pews created added excitement
to the night. Our generous community
opened their wallets in an extraordinary
fashion that night.
The event would not be possible each year
without the tireless efforts of countless volunteers. Special thanks to our Gala Chair
Chrissy Salvador’95 and Advisory Chair
Martha Goetzman ’80 who, supported by
a dedicated and hard working committee,
helped make this year’s event an overwhelming success.
In support of technology advancement,
gala attendees had an opportunity to raise
their paddle to become a “Hero” by making a donation towards securing SMART
Board systems in all the classrooms. For
those of you who missed this opportunity,
you can still make a contribution to this
important improvement today by contacting Cindy Krech, Manager of Annual
Giving at ckrech@bishopoconnell.org or
703-237-1446.
Special Appreciation
to our 2011
Gala Sponsors
exCALIbUr CIrCLe
Alcalde & fay
flynn & o’hara
UgL services
bIshoP CIrCLe
bergeron’s flowers & events
Cardinal bank
Vapiano
KNIghts’ CIrCLe
flik Independent schools
hilton mcLean tysons Corner
walsh Colucci Lubeley
emrich & walsh PC
sworD & shIeLD CIrCLe
Albrittain group &
Keller-williams realty
robert & Karen fornaro
Football coach and parents Steve and Gretchen
Trimble
Parent Cheryl Hughes during the live auction.
11
manus Dei
A message from Don Klawiter
Chairman of the Advancement Committee
I am happy to report that the Bishop
O’Connell holiday Matching Gift Challenge
was a great success. The Challenge was set
up to match up to $100,000 of gifts totaled
between November 23 and December
31. The gifts totaled $130,000, which far
exceeded the $100,000 goal. All gifts up to
$100,000 were matched dollar for dollar. As
a result, $223,000 was raised for the Bishop
O’Connell Annual Fund.
ANNUAL
Giving
Thank you to all who gave so generously
during the season of giving. The fact that
so many of you took the time to think of
Bishop O’Connell in the midst of holiday
shopping and festivities is greatly appreciated. Thank you also to the members of the
President’s Club, who for the second year
have created a challenge—and exceeded it
substantially. Thank you to all who helped
to spread the word and encourage new
donors to help Bishop O’Connell flourish.
This year’s Annual Fund has three months
remaining. If you haven’t given yet, please
consider a generous gift this year. Your gift
will enhance the education and growth
of the young men and women of Bishop
O’Connell—there is no better investment in
the future.
alumni
Challenge!
The three diocesan
high schools with
the longest history
in the Diocese of
Arlington are being challenged to
see whose alumni
are the most committed graduates
in the area!
Through June 30,
alumni donations
of any size to the
Annual Fund will
be tracked, and the
school with the
highest of alumni
participation will be awarded bragging rights and a new Bishop’s Cup.
It is the number of participating
alumni that matters most!
Let’s beat Ireton and Paul VI,
and remind them what the DJO
spirit is all about!
Please use the attached envelope,
or go to:
Thank you,
www.bishopoconnell.org/give
Don Klawiter
Parent of Jeffrey Klawiter ‘11
and make sure to indicate your
graduation year!
support the annual Fund
Tuition alone does not cover the cost of educating our students, and Bishop
O’Connell is dependent upon the generosity of our donors to ensure the quality of
virtually every aspect of school life. Gifts to the Annual Fund support the school’s
mission and Catholic identity, build our community, provide essential financial
resources and contribute to an outstanding education for all students.
Annual Fund gifts come from across our community—alumni, parents, Board of
Governors members, faculty and staff, vendors, and friends of Bishop O’Connell
High School. These donations are used to:
•Provide faculty enrichment programs
•Improve technology and classroom resources
•Enhance the programs and services offered to the students
•Increase our scholarship and tuition assistance funds
Please use the attached return envelope to send in your Annual Fund gift,
or go online to give at www.bishopoconnell.org/give.
Questions? Contact Cindy Krech, Manager of Annual Giving at 703-237-1446 or
ckrech@bishopoconnell.org.
12
PresIDeNt’s
CLUb
events
President’s Club
reception
Bill Conway (pictured above right), founding partner and managing director of the Carlyle
Group, joined members of the President’s Club in an early morning coffee in December. Conway
was asked to speak about ethics in the business world and he shared candid thoughts about both
his personal and professional life—driven not by constantly looking at what he should not have
done, but by asking the question “what have I not done?”
Conway is a philanthropist whose recent capital contribution to the Capital Area Food Bank has had
a profound impact on this organization’s ability to serve the community. It was an honor to have him
as the guest of Bishop O’Connell that morning.
Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Jacob catch up with
Dennis Dwyer ’61 at the reception.
Kevin Fay ’73, Don Klawiter and Joe Vorbach ’83
In November, President’s Club members
gathered at the home of O’Connell parents
Sean and Estelle Ballington in Great Falls.
Guests enjoyed a wonderful assortment of
appetizers and small plates, and—thanks
to the generosity of the hosts—they were
able to sample outstanding wines from
around the world. President Katy Prebble
and Board of Governors Chair Kevin
Fay ’73 used the opportunity to thank
the President’s Club members for their
continued support, emphasizing how
important it is to Bishop O’Connell to have
so many alumni and parents giving back to
the school at this leadership level.
Estelle Ballington and Katy Prebble
Join the President’s Club
the President’s Club is a special group of donors who demonstrate
exceptional leadership and generous commitment to the mission of
bishop o’Connell high school. membership is open to individuals,
families or organizations who make a minimum annual gift of $1,000 to
the Annual fund. In the fall, President’s Club members are invited to an
elegant reception in recognition of their leadership. this year, members
receive an exclusive tie or bracelet with the bishop o’Connell logo. In
addition, membership in the President’s Club includes invitations to
special events throughout the year.
13
Lisa Underwood ’74
ALUmNI
Why
We Give
As current parents of a senior Emily ’11,
board member, parents of two graduates, Rachel ’09 and Sarah ’07 and an
alumna with four alumni siblings Anne
’71, Brian ’72, Marion ’79, and Eileen ’82,
my husband Mike and I donate to Bishop
O’Connell High School because we have
seen the benefits of the superior education
our children have received, the nurturing Christian environment O’Connell
provides and the tremendous spirit found
in all aspects of the school. After her first
year at O’Connell, our oldest daughter
said she had made many friends, enjoyed
her classes and teachers and had thrived
academically. We have subsequently seen
and heard this from our three daughters
for the eight consecutive years that they
have attended O’Connell. They have
benefited greatly from their interactions
with the highly qualified and motivated
faculty and school counselors, the wide
variety of courses offered and the strong
academic atmosphere maintained and
promoted by all levels of the school’s staff
and administration. Our daughters and
their friends have also enjoyed participating in the many sports and activities
available outside of the classroom, ranging
from the Royalette dance team to the
Keyettes, Visor and Helping Hands service
clubs. However, the primary reason we
contribute to O’Connell’s Annual Fund
each year is because of the appreciation
our daughters have for their O’Connell
experience. How could we not donate to
the school after they have told us, “We
love O’Connell”?
Mike and Lisa Underwood ’74
14
Joe and Jo Ann Sieve ’76
Jo Ann sieve ’76
As a board member, a past parent and an
alumna, my husband Joe and I donate to
Bishop O’Connell High School because
we want to give back to a school which
has provided so much to our family. Our
children, Michael ’03, Kevin ’04, Caroline
’06 and Rose ’10 have all graduated from
O’Connell and entered good colleges.
Those who have already graduated from
college have gone on to successful careers
in their fields of study. The friendships we
all made at O’Connell are still with us and
will last a lifetime. Pictures and memories of baseball, softball, cross country,
O’Connell Singers, father-daughter and
mother-son banquets, legacy brunches and
graduation will be with us for a lifetime.
Many wonderful teachers have made
lasting impressions on our family and for
that we are blessed. Finally, we believe
very strongly in Catholic education and
will continue to support O’Connell in its
effort to provide an extraordinary spiritual
and academic experience and to remain
competitive in a market where many cannot afford Catholic high school. We feel
very blessed to have been able to send our
children to O’Connell. The Annual Fund
assists in making more dollars available for
financial aid, scholarships and technology
in the classroom so others may also benefit
from a great educational experience.
martha tuszka ’73
When I arrived in the U.S. in 1961 as a sixyear-old immigrant from Peru, my mother,
a firm believer in Catholic education, sent
me to St. Charles in Arlington. When I was
ready for high school, there was no PVI,
and Ireton was GOQ (geographically out
of the question). Bishop O’Connell was my
choice. This foundation prepared me well
for college and a successful career.
In making the decision to send our two
daughters to school, Michael and I had
no doubt that a Catholic school would
be the answer. Then, in 2003, our oldest
daughter pronounced “Mom, I want to
go to O’Connell, where you went.” Ana
Rose graduated in 2007 and will graduate from UVA in May 2011 with a double
major in Chemistry and Italian—obviously,
O’Connell prepared her well to compete
and to be successful.
It was a little different with our younger
daughter. In addition to O’Connell, Eva
Rose was admitted to (what she thought
was) her first choice high school, a small
private Catholic all girls’ school. When the
final day for decision/acceptance came,
Eva Rose tearfully asked if she could attend
O’Connell, because O’Connell offered a
Martha Tuszka ’73, with daughters Ana ’07 and Eva ’11
wider, more varied, and deeper curriculum.
And a good decision it was! She is currently
applying for college, and I have no doubt
that O’Connell’s preparation has prepared
her for her first choice college.
Both of our daughters thrived at O’Connell,
and received great guidance in developing a firm moral compass, an attribute of
an O’Connell education that has grown
even stronger and better since I graduated so many years ago. There is really no
way to repay all the dedicated teachers at
O’Connell for all they have done, so all I can
do is volunteer at the school.
Three out of four of our family are proud
graduates of O’Connell. Too bad Mike grew
up in Wisconsin and attended a Christian
Brothers high school there. Had he been
in Northern Virginia, Mike knows that he
would be an O’Connell grad, too!
My husband, Mike, and I give back to
Bishop O’Connell because we have been
life-long students of Catholic schools, and
we believe in and support the mission
of Catholic education in general, and
especially the mission of excellence at
Bishop O’Connell. We gain great satisfaction knowing that our gifts go toward the
areas of greatest need at Bishop O’Connell.
Mike and I hope to instill this sense of
philanthropy in our two daughters as
they graduate, and we want them to know
and remember that Bishop O’Connell is a
wonderful and very deserving school to
give back to.
Jeffrey Klawiter ’11
Jeffrey Klawiter shares his exceptional musical talents with the O’Connell community by
regularly providing piano or keyboard music at various fundraising and networking events.
During these events, Jeffrey places a “tip bowl” out while he is performing and he donates
all proceeds to the music department to help provide financial aid to students for the annual
music competition trips.
From the time I was little I loved music,
whether it was listening to classical
music tapes in the car or playing a little
red piano my neighbor gave me. I can
remember playing songs by ear even
when I was four years old, much to my
mother’s amazement. Later I received a
real piano and began taking formal lessons; I had a blast and started composing
my own music. I am a big fan of movie
soundtracks, so my music generally has
the same feel as that. When I was ten
I played my first original composition
for my elementary school graduation.
In middle school, I joined the hand bell
choir and the concert band where I
learned to play other instruments and
broadened my musical knowledge.
I chose to go to Bishop O’Connell
because of its varied musical program.
I was able to join the band, take a piano
seminar, and study AP Music Theory.
All of these courses should help me
reach my aspiration of becoming a composer and to attend a music conservatory for college where I plan on majoring
in film composition.
While at O’Connell, I have been asked
to write songs for our Drum Corps, the
Flute Choir and the Senior Class. I have
also been given the honor of playing the
piano for the Super Dance assembly, the
Bishop O’Connell Galas, and other cocktail fundraisers for the school. At these
fundraising events, I set out a tip jar to
help raise money for music students
who are in financial need when paying
for our annual spring music competition
trip. This year I have also worked with
the band director to organize several
15
performance dates at local nursing
homes where our music students volunteer to perform.
It has been a privilege to be part of the
Bishop O’Connell music program. I’m
looking forward to using all the skills
I have learned in my music career and
hope that the music program continues
to develop with the help of our Bishop
O’Connell supporters.
The Albrittain family, from left to right: Mary Beth Albrittain Haas ’78, Michael Albrittain ’80, Sydney E. Albrittain (father)
W. Sydney Albrittain ’83, Most Reverend Paul S. Loverde, Gloria M. Albrittain,(mother), Chris Albrittain, Kerry Albrittain
Williams ’86, Clare Albrittain Smith ’73, and Nancy Albrittain Bright. (Not picture: Matthew Albrittain ’75)
Albrittain family Investing in the future
Sydney and Gloria Albrittain knew that
Bishop O’Connell was a good investment.
From St. Agnes Parish in Arlington, the
Albrittain family sent six of their eight
children to DJO. Clare ’74, Matthew ’75,
Mary Beth ’78, Michael ’80, Syd ’83 and
Kerry ’86 were all involved in the Bishop
O’Connell community as athletes, scholars
and neighborhood volunteers. Two of their
children, Christopher and Nancy, attended
nearby Yorktown High School, but stayed
connected to the O’Connell community
through their siblings and family friends.
As of this printing, there are twenty-one
grandchildren and one great-grandchild in
the Albrittain family. Two grandchildren
are members of DJO’s class of 2011—Madeline Albrittain, daughter of Michael and
Kristine, and Lauren Albrittain, daughter
of Christopher and Margaret.
As is tradition at Bishop O’Connell, alumni
parents are given the honor of personally
presenting their child with their diploma
at the commencement ceremony, which is
held at the Basilica of the National Shrine
of the Immaculate Conception “I know
that this is one of those events in life that
you never forget,” remarked Michael Albrittain, who will be presenting his oldest
daughter, Madeline, with her diploma on
June 2 of this year.
Sydney Albrittain continues to give to
Bishop O’Connell because he sees it as an
investment in the future. “My kids graduated from O’Connell and have made a real
contribution to society,” he said. “I want
my grandkids and great-grandkids to have
the same opportunities.”
A hall of fame salute for Darrell snyder—Coach snyder to retire in 2011
Athletics at Bishop O’Connell had a new face in August 1974.
Coach Darrell Snyder arrived on the scene after spending ten
years as coach and athletic director at Flint Hill School in
Fairfax. Snyder taught history and government, and began
making his mark on O’Connell teams. More than one generation
of students has now known Coach Snyder as a mentor, teacher,
coach and friend.
Along the way, Snyder garnered “just
a few” accolades and honors from the
community, including—but certainly not
limited to—the following:
Darrell Snyder served as head football coach from 1974-1981
and again from 1994-2002. During his tenure, his football teams
amassed a winning record of 103-76-2. Since 1980, Snyder served as
O’Connell’s athletic director, as well as head golf coach, where he
continued to be a positive and dynamic influence on the Knights
athletic programs.
•Arlington Better Sports Club Sportsman of the Year (1992)
16
•Virginia Independent Schools Coach
of the Year—Football (1976, 1979, 1981,
1994)
•WCAC Coach of the Year (1994, 2000)
•WCAC Athletic Director of the Year
(1995-96)
2011 athletic hall of Fame
Since 1991, the Bishop O’Connell athletic
department has worked with the alumni
office to honor student-athletes from the
past and inducted them into the Athletic
Hall of Fame. Many of these distinguished
athletes have gone on to play competitively
in college, and some have even played for
professional teams.
Friends and families join past and current
teachers, coaches and school administrators
to celebrate the achievements of these athletes in a special dinner and award ceremony. They share inspiring stories of loving and
dedicated parents, committed coaches and
a caring O’Connell community. Their names
are added to the Hall of Fame wall near the
gym lobby, where the names of more than
100 fellow O’Connell athletes from the past
50 years are celebrated and remembered.
On March 19, 2011, the O’Connell community
will come together to honor the following
alumni who are being inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame:
Jacy thurmond ’70
(football, basketball,
track)
Jacy was a true studentathlete. As a standout in
both academics and athletics, he was voted
the best “all-around” by his class and was
named the Student Athlete of the Year. Jacy
was a starter in football his senior year,
and was a three-year stalwart in varsity
basketball and track. In basketball, he
was instrumental in the 1969 Christmas
Tournament upset of St. Francis Prep. On
his way to earning MVP honors in track,
Jacy set records in the triple jump, the 220,
and the mile relay. He also received the
Better Sports Club of Arlington Sportsmanship Award for Track. This National Honor
Society member went on to earn his J.D.
degree from the University of Virginia and
now is an Associate Commissioner for the
Social Security Administration.
Diane LaClare Alden
’91 (soccer)
Diane was an outstanding defender for the Lady
Knights. The senior cocaptain earned first team All-Mets honors
from The Washington Post her senior
year to go along with her three WCAC
first team honors. Diane also played for
the Under-16 national champion Fairfax Express. After becoming a walk-on
starter, she earned a scholarship at George
Mason University. Diane is still playing on
women’s and co-ed teams and coaching
her daughter’s soccer team.
tara Laposa ’93
(softball)
Tara was one of the most
outstanding players to ever
don an O’Connell Varsity
softball uniform, excelling in all three of
her years at the school after transferring in
as a sophomore. Tara is among the school’s
career leaders in base hits (100) as well
as single-season batting average (.500),
base hits (43) and doubles (6). A versatile
standout, Tara starred at three positions for the Lady Knights over her three
years at DJO—earning first team All-Met
accolades as a senior in 1993, first team
•First-ever recipient of the J. Dallas Shirley Award for Outstanding
Service to the WCAC (1995)
•Honorary Chairman of the City Title Game (1996)
•As golf coach, six-time Virginia Independent Schools Coach
of the Year
•Inducted into Bishop O’Connell Hall of Fame (2004)
•Inducted into the Arlington Sports Hall of Fame (2010)
“Snyder has been totally dedicated to the Bishop O’Connell community,” says former principal and baseball coach, Al Burch. “His
leadership and hard work have always served as a model for the
entire school.”
All-Conference recognition all three years,
an Outstanding Performance Award for
Softball and the Coaches Award recipient
in 1991. Tara attended Miami University
(Ohio) on a softball scholarship.
Colin smeeton ’94
(tennis)
Colin may be the most
accomplished male tennis
player in Bishop O’Connell
High School history. He played #1 singles
and doubles all four years. After his freshman year, Colin won the Metro Conference
championship three times with a combined
record of 46–2, including an undefeated
14–0 his junior year. The Washington Post
honored him three times as a first team
All-Met selection. Colin went on to play #2
singles and #1 doubles on scholarship at
Penn State University. He captained Penn
State’s NCAA championship teams during
his junior and senior years.
Adrienne Pavelko ’95
(tennis)
Adrienne is the most honored female tennis player
in Bishop O’Connell High
School’s history. She played # 1 all four years,
collecting team MVP and The Washington
Post first team All-Met awards each and
every year. She lost one match in her high
school career on her way to the WCAC
singles and doubles titles. Adrienne also received an Outstanding Performance Award
at O’Connell and was the recipient of the
Arlington Better Sports Club Sportsmanship
Award for Tennis. She attended the University of Maryland on a tennis scholarship.
For more information on the Athletic Hall
of Fame, visit www.bishopoconnell.org/
halloffame.
Rumor around the school is that Snyder’s middle name is “Work.”
Whether it’s taking care of the fields or facilities before dawn and
well after dusk, coordinating schedules with coaches, arranging
transportation for teams, and even driving the early morning swim
bus back to O’Connell before most folks are out of bed—Coach
Snyder has had his hand in the years and years of successful sports
programs at O’Connell.
Assistant Athletic Director Tommy Orndorff had this to say: “His
name has become synonymous with words such as integrity, class,
character, loyalty and dedication…words to live by. Coach Snyder
has been a tremendous inspiration and example to both players and
coaches alike.”
17
ALUmNI
Roll Call
william Iseminger ’62 has recently
published the book Cahokia Mounds:
America’s First City. Although he has
contributed to several other books and
publications, this is his first solo book. As
an archeologist and museum curator, he
has worked for nearly 40 years at Cahokia
Mounds in Collinsville, Ill., just eight miles
east of St. Louis, Mo. The book, published
by the History Press for the general reader,
examines the
origins and demise
of America’s largest
prehistoric Indian
community north of
Mexico. (National
Geographic will have
a feature article on
this site in the January 2011 magazine.)
Joe and Nancy Koons ’64 and ’65 are
the proud grandparents of 17 grandchildren with two more on the way.
william L. hechmer,
Jr. ’65 has retired
from the Department
of Defense, Defense
Acquisition University. He is living and
golfing in Woodbridge, Va. with wife
Pamela, two cats and
seven lovebirds.
Jim morin ’97 and
Jennifer (tingle)
morin ’97, who are
O’Connell sweethearts and classmates,
celebrated the birth
of their fifth child on
Nov. 5, 2010. Therese
Marie (“Tess”) Morin
is a beautiful, healthy
girl and joins siblings
Loree (age 8), Aimee
(age 6), Madeleine
and Jackson (4 year
old twins). Tess is
the sixth grandchild
of elaine (Porzel)
morin ’71.
Victoria mcKernan
’76 published her latest novel, The Devil’s
Paintbox (Knopf,
2009), a youngadult historical/adventure novel set in
the American west
just after the Civil
War. The book has
just come out in
paperback.
The newest
Koons
grandchild,
Elias John.
Denise gehley Carlson ’77 has been
running her own rare book business for 28
years. D&D Galleries, based in Somerville,
N.J., is a rare and antiquarian bookseller
specializing in European and American
literature from the 16th through the 20th
centuries with sub-specialties in S.T.C. and
Wing books, Lewis Carroll, Charles Dickens,
presentation and association material as well
as 17th and 18th century. British history. Denise has traveled around the world and given
lectures on rare books to universities, all
the while encouraging people to collect and
start their own businesses.
Class of 1978—Thirty classmates celebrated their birthdays at “The Class of ’78
Turns the BIG 5-0 Bash!” at Brion’s Grille
in Fairfax.
Youngest members of the Koons family.
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matthew Kershes ’80 and his wife
Giovanna O’Brien Kershes announce the
births of their twins, Bernadette-Rose
Siobhan Kershes O’Brien, 4 lbs, 1 oz. and
Matthew Sean Kershes O’Brien, 6 lbs
even, born Nov. 23 at Fairfax Hospital.
mike Loughery ’83 and his wife Kimberly welcomed their fourth child, Amelia
Elizabeth Loughery, on Oct. 22, 2010
(pictured above).
Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Wieczorek
John Lewis ’81
recently released
a new book. Radio
Master— The Life
and Times of Sports
Broadcasting Great
Ted Husing (Langdon
Street Press) has
launched and is
available wherever books
are sold. It has been well
received and officially
endorsed by some of
the biggest names in
broadcasting including
Larry King, Bob Costas, Jim
Nantz, Keith Olbermann and Dick Enberg.
mike Keens ’93 is a Senior Director
of Business Development with Kendle
International, a global company that collaborates with pharmaceutical firms to
develop new drugs.
Josh and Julie (borges)
mcgee ’97 are the proud
parents of Caden Michael
McGee, born Mar. 13,
2009. Julie and Josh are
expecting a baby girl at the
end of March. They live in
Annandale, Va.
Julie ’97, Josh and son Caden McGee
Nina Deboeck ’01
married Christopher
Wieczorek on
Oct. 2, 2010 at St. Agnes
Catholic Church in
Arlington, Va. Many
friends from O’Connell
were present including Julia sullivan ’03
who was a bridesmaid, Cecilia banks ’01,
Jeanette schmitt ’03, Aneliz escudero
’01, Nicholas Yenson ’02, and martinelle Allen ’01. The couple hopes to
move into a house in Fairfax, Va. in March.
Mike Keens ’93 with wife Nikki and son Mike Jr.
Members of the class of ’78 celebrate together.
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Danny bessette ’02 and
Jackie (heppes) bessette ’03
were married at Saint Theresa
Catholic Church in Ashburn, Va.
on July 17, 2010, followed by a
reception at Chantilly National
Country Club. They were married by Father David P. Meng, previous
chaplain at O’Connell High School.
More than 30 O’Connell alums were
in attendance, including the following
Knights in their wedding party:
Katy heppes ’10
sawyer heppes ’05
grant heppes ’07
Allie burrow ’03
Caitlin miller ’03
Libby muldoon ’03
ryan fay ’02
Chris burrow ’02
matt Lawless ’02
Luke Altmeyer ’02
bridget heppes ’16
Caroline scallion ’19
maddie scallion ’13
robert L. Cherry ’06 graduated Magna Cum Laude from
Virginia Tech in May 2010
with a BS Degree in Accounting and Information Systems.
In December 2010 he passed
the fourth and final part of the Certified
Public Accountant (CPA) exam. Rob has
been employed as a staff accountant with
Swart Lalande & Associates in Fairfax, Va.
since September.
Jordan trimble ’07, a senior at West
Point, was selected for the ESPN Academic All-America Team. Jordan is the
first Army player to earn first-team Academic All0America accolades since 2001
and the 13th player is Army history.
In attendance were the following
Knights (pictured above):
maura (burns) watson ’87
rich hardy ’02
Laura reneghan ’02
Amanda (turner) budd ’02
mark Villapando ’02
mike smith ’02
Abbie (tang) smith ’02
bridget mahoney ’02
Lacey Currle ’02
sean whitfield ’03
Lola (williams) edwards ’03
mike Connell ’03
Atheni Asihel ’03
mike o’brien ’04
Jackie moriarty ’10
michael flach ’09 was named the
Councilman Hunsaker National Collegiate
Swimmer of the Week as announced by
CollegeSwimming.com. Michael is a sophomore at University of South Carolina.
A group of DJO alumni (with divided
loyalties) met up before the NHL Winter
Classic in Pittsburgh, Pa. on New Year’s
Day. Pictured (left to right): Colin fay ’06,
Alison spurlock ’07, sean Carliss ’06,
Peter fay ’07, eric butler ’06, bridget
spurlock ’11, and suzie howell ’09.
in memoriam
william Kempter ’61
Clifford Neal ’62
Andrew bueno ’97
michael A. myers ’98
tom tribuiani, former faculty member
(1977–1987)
Art o’Keefe, former faculty member
(1975–1979)
fr. Luis “Louie” Valdivieso, former
faculty member (1970–2008)
Paul Ibrahim ’02 has started his own law
firm, PJI Law, in Fairfax. He already counts
several DJO alumni among his clients.
shannon theresa otto ’05 and David Alexander Smallfield have recently become
engaged. A Fall 2011 wedding at St. Mary’s
Catholic Church in Alexandria is planned.
20
betty L. Agamy—Mother of Deborah
Miller ’74, Cheryl Masella ’76, Lisa
Agamy Romano ’78 and Janet Vetter, ’79
alumni spotlight
Dennis Dwyer ’61
Dennis Dwyer is a true example of what it
means to be a Knight. Dennis is a
member of the first graduating class at
Bishop Denis J. O’Connell High School.
“I vividly remember the anticipation and
excitement that led up to the opening of
this first diocesan high school in Northern
Virginia,” says Dennis. “I can’t believe I
have been a part of this community since
the beginning.”
More than ten years after graduating from
O’Connell , Dennis found himself reengaged in the O’Connell student community
through his work in the mid-1970s with
the Junior Chamber of Commerce program and the Walk for Mankind. After a
short time, then-Principal Al Burch asked
Dennis to serve as the first president of the
DJO Alumni Association.
Dennis continued to stay involved in the
school throughout the 1980s and 1990s,
sending both his sons, Matthew ’85 and
Jonathan ’93, to O’Connell.
In 1994, Dennis was honored by
the DJO community when he
was inducted into the Athletic
Hall of Fame.
While working as a religious education teacher at St Mark in Vienna in
2000, Dennis felt that it was time
for a change in his life. He took
on the job of Alumni Director and
Director of Development at Bishop
O’Connell. During this time he also
went back to school to get certified
to teach. In the fall of 2005, Dennis
entered the classroom as a certified
teacher. He continued his studies,
ultimately earning his Master of
Theology in 2009.
When thinking about Bishop O’Connell,
Dennis thinks of gratitude. He is grateful to God for the opportunity to work in
a place where his faith can grow every
day. He is grateful to the students and his
fellow teachers for creating a wonderful
Katie Yohe ’05
After graduating from O’Connell in 2005,
Katie Yohe went on to graduate from
Saint Mary’s College in South Bend, Ind.
in 2009. While in college, Katie had the
chance to hear from a group of Sisters of
the Holy Cross who worked at a Catholic
school in Ghana, West Africa. She was
so touched by their work that she was
led to ask if there was an opportunity for
her—and other students like her—to go to
Ghana and work in the school for a period
of time. When she found that there was
no such program set up, she successfully
worked with the school administration to
create one. The final design of the program
was etched just as Katie graduated, and
she and a fellow student were able to organize themselves, gather donated school
supplies, and head over to Ghana before
the summer was over.
Once in Ghana, Katie lived for a year with
the Sisters of the Holy Cross and taught
second grade at the school. Since the
school was new, second grade was the oldest group and the most advance in English.
Katie taught all her subjects in English,
and very quickly fell in love with her
Everyone wants to be in the picture with this
Freshman Theology teacher, Dennis Dwyer ’61.
community. Dennis is optimistic about the
future of the school and hopes to be a part
of it for years to come. Dennis is currently
serving as the chairman reunion committee for the class of 1961 and is grateful for a
wonderful committee of his classmates.
While at O’Connell Katie never thought
twice about all of the various service
projects that took place. “It was just what
was done and it felt natural,” she said. But
after leaving high school, she started to
realize that the spirit of service was a part
of her. In college, while there were many
opportunities for service, she had to go out
of her way to search for them and she did.
That yearning for service to others was
ultimately manifested in her strong desire
to serve the community in Ghana.
Katie Yohe ’05 with some of her students in
Ghana.
students. She was struck by the extreme
poverty, but was moved by the spirit of
the children who appreciated all the little
things in life.
Earlier this year, during Catholic Schools
Week, Katie was invited back to O’Connell
to share her experiences with the current
student body. The students were inspired
by stories and her reflections on what
“service” has meant to her.
21
Today, Katie is teaching at St. Catherine’s
School in Richmond, Va. While the atmosphere is quite different from her school
in Ghana, Katie says that she still reaps
the same rewards from her students. The
community has already embraced her
school in Ghana as a project they want to
support. Katie is thrilled to be able to continue her life-long commitment to serving
others in many ways.
Katie is the daughter of O’Connell alumni,
Joe Yohe ’76 and Ann (deVenoge) Yohe ’76.
To read more about the program at Saint
Mary’s College and about Katie’s trip visit
http://www3.saintmarys.edu/headline/
teaching-overseas.
alumni events
Young Alumni Pizza Party
Nov. 23, 2010
For the third year now, college-aged alumni
were invited back to Bishop O’Connell on
the Wednesday before Thanksgiving for a
pizza party in the school cafeteria. More
than 50 young alumni strolled through
the halls of their alma mater and made
their way to the informal party to mix and
mingle with classmates and faculty members, just as current students were finishing
a half-day of classes and heading home.
“It was so much fun to come back and
compare notes about our college experi-
ences with old friends and teachers,” said
Claire Steindam ’10. “I even caught up with
a few of my friends who are still attending
O’Connell,” she added. “I’m glad the alumni
office does this!”
The alumni office organizes this event to
encourage young alumni to re-engage with
their classmates regularly, well before
their traditional five-year reunion mile-
stone. The pizza party is primarily publicized via e-mail and Facebook. All alumni
are encouraged to make sure their e-mail
addresses are up-to-date in the alumni
database. Visit the Alumni Community at
www.bishopoconnell.org/alumni to make
sure your information is accurate. Please
contact alumni@bishopoconnell.org
or 703-237-1437 if you have any problems.
o’Connell vs. Ireton Alumni bowling Challenge
feb. 24, 2011
Front row: Theresa Koons ’01, Marjorie Leiva ’08,
Claudia Cox ’08, Maria Cervantes ’82.
Back row: Kim Rabe ’82, Dan Streib ’83, Rafael Bueno
’88, Carlos Cervantes, Jr. ’08, Jerome Ingram ’08,
Ted Dettmar ’82, Ken Alegre ’97, Joe Dettmar ’62,
Terry Rainey ’73.
Twelve O’Connell alums who represented
graduating classes from 1962 through 2010
headed out to U.S. Bowling on Pickett
Road in Alexandria earlier this year to take
on alumni from Bishop Ireton in our first
alumni bowling challenge. The DJO team
fought hard, improving by seven points
between the first and second rounds, but
fell short in the end. Nonetheless, spirits
on both sides were high and talk of a 2012
rematch at a venue in Arlington was in
the air. “We’ll get them next year at our
house,” said Maria Cervantes ’82.
Reunions
Members of
the class of
1975 (from
left to right):
John Reiter,
Diane Neill
Tincher, Parker
Harrington and
Stephen Easley.
Class of 1975
Class of 1995
The Class of
1975 held their
35-year
Reunion on
Nov. 5-6. The
class kicked off
their weekend
with a party at
DJO on Friday
night. The
fun continued
on Saturday
at Brennan’s
Irish Pub and
Restaurant in
Arlington.
Members of the class of 1995
organized an informal 15-year
reunion which began at the
alumni hospitality tent at the
Homecoming football game.
They continued the fun at
Clare and Don’s Beach Shack
in downtown Falls Church.
The class of 1995 is hoping
to plan a larger reunion over
the Thanksgiving holidays.
Class of 1980
Members of the class of 1980
kicked-off their 20-year reunion
weekend with a golf outing
on Friday, Oct. 15 at Goose
Creek Golf Club in Leesburg.
This event was followed by an
Members of the class of 1980 enjoy
post-golf festivities at Kilroy’s.
informal gathering at Kilroy’s
in Springfield that evening. The
reunion activities continued
at O’Connell on Saturday. The
group invited other alumni to
join them at a morning Mass led
by Fr. Jack Peterson ’81 in the
school chapel. This group then
made their way outside to the
alumni tent at the Homecoming football game for a catered
lunch and more mingling. The
reunion party continued that
evening with a dinner-dance at
the Dulles Hilton Hotel.
Members of the class of 1995
look over yearbooks (from
left to right): Julie Jones, Erin
Sindelar, Chrissy Salvador and
Mario Herrera.
22
Class of 2000
The class of 2000 held their 10year reunion over the Thanksgiving holidays at the Clarendon
Ballroom. Over 110 people were
in attendance including a number
of current and past faculty! Pictured above is the class of 2000
SCA executive board with their
former moderator (in 2000 and
again at the 2010 reunion). From
left to right: Nate Gallen, Mike
Newbold, Diane Cerniglia, Kristin Hughes and James Zumwalt.
JUNe 3-5, 2011
all-alumni Reunion Weekend
Mark your calendars and tell your friends!
Join classmates and fellow alumni at the all-alumni Reunion Weekend this summer.
friday, June 3
saturday, June 4
sunday, June 5
Cocktail Reception
and awards Banquet
individual Class
Reunions
Family mass and
Brunch at O’Connell
All alumni and their guests are invited to
attend this evening event. The Alumni
Association would like to recognize
alumni for their contributions to society
through the presentation of three new
alumni awards for 2011:
Classes ending in “1” and “6”—this is
your time to celebrate! The alumni office
is available to help reunion organizers
with venue selections, mailing lists, publicity and much more.
All alumni and families are invited to join
us back at O’Connell for a community
Mass followed by a brunch in the cafeteria.
•Distinguished Alumni Award
•Young Alumni Award
•Knights Spirit Award
The Alumni Board will be collecting
nominations this spring. More information
on these awards and the nomination
process will be sent with reunion
registration materials.
Class of 1961 reunion—Members of
O’Connell’s first graduating class have
already begun planning their 50-year
reunion at DJO on Saturday night with
dinner, music and a lot of reminiscing.
Information on all the events surrounding
this very special anniversary celebration is
coming via e-mail and postal mail. Please
contact ddwyer@bishopoconnell.org to find
out more.
Registration information for the
All-Alumni Reunion Weekend will
be sent out in March.
If your class is planning or would
like to plan a reunion during the
All Alumni Reunion Weekend,
please contact Michelle Kannan at
mkannan@bishopoconnell.org or
703-237-1437.
new Faces Bring new
ideas to alumni association
stay Connected with DJo
Thank you to the following alumni who have volunteered to
serve on the new Alumni Board:
Visit www.bishopoconnell.org/alumni
to keep your contact information
up-to-date.
Don’t miss out on any upcoming
alumni events!
Jeanne whyte ’67
Karen rumpler ’90
roberta Drabyk ’76
michael Abbenante ’98
olga barber ’80
Jackie bessette ’03
Joe Kennedy ’80
Libby muldoon ’03
maria maldonado ’84
23
6600 Little Falls Road, Arlington, Virginia 22213
www.bishopoconnell.org • 703-237-1400
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
Grandparent Event
Thursday, April 7, 2011
9:30 a.m.
Gather for coffee in
the convent
10:00 a.m. Spring musical matinee
Spring Musical
You Can’t Take It With You
April 8–9, 2011 at 7:30 p.m.
April 10, 2011 at 2:00 p.m.
Call 703-237-1448 for tickets.
Hall of Fame Dinner and
Award Ceremony
Saturday, March19, 2011
5:00 p.m. in the cafeteria
Legacy Brunch & Mass
Sunday, April 10, 2011
11:00 a.m. Mass and Brunch for
alumni who currently send their children
(or grandchildren) to O’Connell.
36th Annual Superdance
for Cystic Fibrosis
Festival of the Arts
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Noon to midnight in the school gym.
Find out more at
www.bishopoconnell.org/superdance
Connolly Golf Classic
Alumni Superdance Events
24
Friday, March 25, 2011
7:00 p.m. at Kilroy’s in Springfield
Saturday, April 16, 2011
6–9:30 p.m.
Friday, May 6, 2011
10:30 a.m. Registration
12:00 noon Shotgun Start
at Laurel Hill Golf Club in Lorton, Va.
Look for more information