Donahues - Marquette Academy

[ SUMMER/FALL 2015 ]
3 Generations of
From left: Josie Eager, Ellie Eager,
Maddie Eager, Max Donahue,
Eric Donahue, Ryan Donahue, Sam Donahue
MAHS Grad
Donahues
at Marquette!
Receives
Pro Baseball Contract
Dear Friends,
HOMECOMING COURT 2015
From left: John Lechtenburg, Katherine Dyche, Emily Meine, McKenna McConnaughhay, Grace
Honiotes, Paige Aurit, Sarah Lechtenburg, Allie Nona, Mallory Martini, Abbey Owens, Aurora Flavel
Come Home for
Homecoming!
10.9.15
It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to the 2015-2016 school year!
I hope that the summer months provided everyone with some rest, relaxation, and an opportunity to enjoy time with friends and family. Now that
the summer has come to an end, we are ready for a fantastic new school
year. We have had a busy summer preparing for our student’s return. With a
new school year comes a great deal of hard work and preparation by many.
From moving our preschool campus into the grade school, remodeling the
water damage in our grade school library, to adding a new parking area at
the high school it has been yet another summer full of activity. We were
also very fortunate to have the donations from our grade school parents club who
purchased two new SMART boards as well as twenty seven new Chrome books for our students to utilize
daily. The diligent work of the supporters and stakeholders of Marquette Academy has helped us to transition into what is sure to be another successful school year.
Our administration, faculty and staff are comprised of highly qualified individuals and educators who are
committed to providing our students with the support and opportunities that they will need to become
lifelong learners. Our students’ success is our primary goal at Marquette Academy. We believe that every
student can and should learn at his or her highest level. We are prepared to offer the time and support
that each student needs to accomplish this goal. We offer a variety of opportunities through our unique
programming to help personalize our students’ education to best prepare them for their future endeavors. Our pre-K- through - twelve curriculum is designed to prepare students by developing the skills
needed to be successful in the careers of tomorrow. It is with great pride in our school and community
that we help to provide a foundation for future success for all of our students. For the administration,
faculty, and staff of Marquette Academy education is more than a job, it is a vocation.
As the beautiful fall colors ascend upon us and the halls of Marquette Academy’s campuses again become
filled with students and activity, I again wish to welcome you back to another exciting year as the Knights
and Crusaders of Marquette Academy. As we move forward in our mission of high quality Catholic education, we always remember that at Marquette Academy traditions are embraced, dedication is the norm
and excellence is the expectation.
Respectfully yours,
Brooke Rick,
Principal
M A R Q U E T T E A C A D E M Y A D M I N I S T R AT I O N
Brooke Rick, Principal •
Fr. Jacob Rose, Chaplain •
Todd Hopkins, A.D. •
Dorothy Fiesel, Guidance •
Todd Glade, Dean of Students
Lisa Tenut, Business Mgr.
Phyllis Donahue & Julie Verona, Advancement Directors
Successes!
Scenes from around
Marquette Academy
High School
Marquette May Merriment XXXIII was held
on May 2, 2015. The general chairmen, Dave
and Janet Meyer, Donna Pearson, Ken Haben
and Honorary chairs Earl and Phyllis Donahue
brought the excitement of 007-James Bond
to Bader gym. The mission was accomplished, and the well-attended event raised
just under $200,000 for the Academy!
Thanks once again to the donors, guests,
volunteers and chairmen for a huge success. Plans are underway for MMMXXXIV to
be held on Saturday, May 7, 2016. Save the
date! It will be a humdinger!!!
Donahues: Past, Present and Future Crusaders
Earl Donahue Class of 1956, Phyllis (Payne) Donahue Class of 1959, Kate (Donahue) Brown Class of 1981,
Kellee (Donahue) Hill class of 1982, Kerri Donahue Class of 1983, Kristi (Donahue) Eager Class of 1985,
Cindy (Green) Donahue Class of 1987, Timothy Donahue Class of 1988, Hannah Eager Class of 2008, Buck
Hill Class of 2008, Thom Hill Class of 2010, Jack Donahue Class of 2013, Lucas Hill Class of 2013. Future
Crusaders: Ryan Donahue Class of 2017, Sam Donahue Class of 2017, Max Donahue Class of 2019, Eric Donahue Class of 2019, Maddie Eager Class of 2019, Ellie Eager Class of 2020 and Josie Eager Class of 2022.
The old is new again —
Recently, the main entrance sign from the old St.
Xavier/MHS five-story building on Paul Street that
was demolished in 1990, was unearthed by Mr. Mike
Carlson as he was sorting through items that were in
storage at the I&M Canal house. The sign had been
handed to his grandfather to be restored. Over the
years, it became buried and forgotten. Now after 25
years, the sign has been re-furbished by Mr. Carlson
and given back to the school. The plan is to install
it at the new main entrance on Washington Street at
the high school. The sign measures 20” by 3 ½ ft. It
is made of solid brass and it weighs approximately 80
pounds. If you have any knowledge of the history of
this sign, we would love to have the information for
our archives. When was it made and by whom? When
was it installed on the “old” building? Do you happen
to have a picture of it in the original location?
Looking Ahead to
May Merriment XXXIV
Honorary Chairmen: Roy and Janet Garland,
Chairmen: Brian and Jean Garland, and
Kevin and Emily Dale
Applause!
Class of ’59 reaches goal!
Early in 2015, the MHS Class of 1959 reached the goal of $50,000 that was
pledged at their 50th class reunion in 2009. They have set up on ongoing
scholarship fund for students at MAHS. For the 2015-16 school year, they
have given out their first scholarships to 8 students totaling $4,900.
Thank you to the Class of 1959!
Student
Spotlight!
The MAHS Class of 2019 has a certified real champion rodeo cowgirl! Madeline Lee Eager (Maddie) started
horseback riding when she was about 2 years old, and began her rodeo career in kindergarten. Her events
at that time were barrel racing, pole bending, goat tying and breakaway roping. In kindergarten she joined
the Illinois Junior Rodeo Association. In Jr. High she became a member of another division called Wrangler.
Now, in high school she participates in four rodeos in the fall, four in the spring. These lead to State and
National competitions. A participant makes it to State finals by finishing in the top 10 in the event, and to
Nationals by being in the top 4 in the State in any individual event.
During her 7th grade year, Maddie made the National finals in goat tying. In her 8th grade year she made
National finals in goat tying and breakaway roping. She ended that season by finishing 9th in the nation in
breakaway roping. Maddies best friends are her horses Baisey, Ronney and Frosty. In all, Maddie owns 12
horses, 2 dogs, 2 goats and 9 cats. In addition to her rodeo adventures, Maddie trains and sells horses. She
actually broke her own barrel horse, Frosty. Maddie says that one of her favorite events is team roping
which she does with her partner Cally Diss. She catches the head and Cally catches the heels. Maddie is
the daughter of Scott and Kristi (Donahue ’85) Eager, and granddaughter of Earl ’56 and Phyllis (Payne ’59)
Donahue. Congratulations to Madeline and good luck in your rodeo future.
Faculty Spotlight!
Heinz-Dietrich Suppan,
a 33 year teacher of German and History
at Marquette Academy High School has
once again been selected by the Illinois
State Society to present at the 14th annual
conference on Illinois History. The group of
history scholars, professors and experts will
present on a variety of historical events that
affected the development of Illinois. Suppan’s presentation will focus on the opening
of the Radium Dial Company in Ottawa in
1922 where 70 local unmarried girls were
hired to prepare a mixture of powdered
radium, zinc sulphite, and water, which was
used to paint the dials of pocket and wrist
watches, and gauges used for machinery
and aircraft. The girls were very well paid
for their work, and it was considered prestigious to be employed there. Although not
encouraged by the company, the girls used
a process called lip-pointing on the bristles
of their small camel hair brushes for precision painting on the dials. To add a little fun
to their tedious work day, the girls would
often use the jars of mixed radium to paint
their eyelids, teeth, noses and fingernails
and then marvel at the eerie glow that was
produced in the dark. By 1925, many of the
girls were already suffering symptoms of radium poisoning. The company always denied
that any poisoning existed.
Suppan’s second novel called Marking Time:
The Doomed Legions of Ottawa is set to be
published by the end of the year. His first
novel Remember Indian Creek about the
massacre of 16 families just north of Ottawa
after the Black Hawk War in May of 1832
was published in January of 2015.
Support Marquette
High School Athletics —
The Marquette ‘Go’ Club was chartered in the early 1960’s as
an athletics booster organization. Over the years, the Club
has financially supported all of the sports programs by paying
for such things as uniforms, bus travel, fees for tournaments,
equipment, team dinners and awards, summer camps, officials, referees and umpires and many other costs. Membership is required for all families at the Academy with a student playing a sport. A special supporter membership is also
open to alumni, grandparents, past parents, and friends who
do not currently have a student. Dues are $25 per single or
$50 per family. We invite and encourage you to join the ‘Go’
Club by mailing your dues to the High School, Attn: Go Club,
along with your name, snail address and e-mail address.
In August, the local grandparent supporters sponsored a fun
softball tournament at the Durdan farm near Grand Ridge.
“Little Wrigley” served as the venue. There was softball,
food, music, refreshments, a very special Mass in centerfield
and skydivers!
Thank you for your support!
Milestones
Pictured at far right at the scene of an armed robbery in Machesney
Park is
Detective Sgt. Jason Newell, MHS Class of
1989.
Jason was assigned to the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Police
Detective Bureau and accepted a promotion to Sergeant. Jason joined
the department in 1993 as a patrol deputy. He has a combined experi-
ANNIVERSARIES
ence of 8 years of detective work. He currently resides in Winnebago
with his wife Amy and children Alana and Jackson. He is the son of
Alyssa Wielgopolan ’10 to Anthony White
Francis and Ann Newell of Ottawa.
on September 5, 2015
ENGAGEMENTS
MAHS grad receives pro baseball contract-
Krista (aka Bella) Taglia ’08 to Corey Brown ‘08
Class of 2011 graduate Mason Snyder, son of Bob and Kim Snyder of
BIRTHS
Ottawa was recently signed to play professional baseball in the independent Frontier League West Division with the Joliet Slammers. He
Drew James to Andrew ’93 and Mary Potter on
December 16, 2014. Joining sister Kayla, age 6 and
brother Colin, age 3.
plays the second base position, and serves the team as a designated
hitter. Shortly after his signing, Mason hit what we believe to be the
first ever homerun in the pros by a Marquette grad. Way to represent,
Charlotte Rose Novotney was born to Megan (Wheeler
’02) and Jayme ’01 Novotney on October 20, 2014.
She joins her 2 year old triplet siblings.
Kevin ’85 and Amanda Rockey gave birth to Kennedy
Elizabeth on May 28, 2015. She is welcomed home
by big brother Nolan.
Mason!
We ask your prayers for Marquette Academy:
for its students, the administration, faculty,
and staff – and for all the members of the
Marquette family. Our Lord has blessed us
and enabled us to provide a Catholic
education for over 150 years. May his grace
carry us into the future.
We Are Marquette Academy!
Here, traditions are embraced, dedication is the norm,
and excellence is the expectation.
A Special Thank You!
On May 27, 2015 the Marquette faculty and staff were treated to
lunch from the Wang’s of Marseilles along with the following letter…
“Dear Mrs. Rick and staff:
Our son Edwin came to the United States from China in 2004. He didn’t speak English and knew nobody except for
Mom and Dad. He joined Marquette family in 2006 after two years in Marseilles Elementary School. At that time, he
barely got over the language barrier and lacked of confidence. It was the family atmosphere; the encouragement from
the teachers; and the friendship from fellow students that put him on track. Eventually he began to like his school
and became a baptized Catholic in his junior year. He graduated from Marquette High School with a 4.59 GPA as the
Salutatorian and he was voted the Most Respected Senior in 2010. He graduated from Loyola University with Magna
Cum Laude and also received a master degree in Medical Sciences. This year he was accepted by three medical schools
and he chose SIU (the one in state). Hopefully he will practice somewhere close by and contribute to the community
that brought him up right. Marquette High School will always be his favorite school. Blue and gold will always be in his
heart. We thank all the teachers and coaches of Marquette High School whole heartedly and are thankful that it carries on the tradition of educating students the right way.
With Gratitude,
Edwin’s parents: John and Lisa Wang, May 27, 2015”
Megan Rose Machetta
Matthew John Paul Aurit
Mallory Ann Martini
Alexandre Karl Barker
Nathan Eugene Melvin
James Michael Boe
Maxwell Jonathon Mitchell
Madison Nicole Anderson
Kendall Nicole Kaufmann
Eric Geoffrey Donahue
Tin Nhat Duy Phan
Spencer David Anderson
Jacob Riley Leonard
Maxwell Kelly Donahue
Brandon Tyler Ruggles
Ashley Nicole Bretag
John Joseph MacBean
Ryan Jeffrey Owens
Liam Patrick Dougherty
Trevor Anthony Samoska
Cory Richard Bugelholl
Bailey E. McGrogan
Mike Parrott
Jackson Edward Durdan
Danna Fatima Sanderson
Courtney Jo Caputo
Collin Shanley McLean
Rebekah Skye Pearson
Elena Claire Gallagher
Natalie Richardson Tabor
Lauren Carson
Chloe R. Mettille
Trystin Raikes
Evan Nathaniel Green
Margaret Maria Durdan
Lauren Paige Meyer
Olivia Caradene Rhoades
Jonathan Tyler Headrick
Neal Robert Durdan
Erin K. Miskell
Melinda Theresa Rodriguez
Logan Richard Komater
Andrew Joseph Elzer
Martin Morales
Sydnee E. Stalker
Sarah Diane Lechtenberg
Salvatore Evola
Andrew Nelson
Alyssa Marie Steege
Madison Olivia Leonard
Bridgette M. Feehan
Erin J. Newbury
Michael William Sypniewski
Cody Robert Greenway
Jamie Lynn Nikisher
Ann Whalen
David Leigh Johnson
Curtis Jarrett Norman
Joseph James Wheatland
Let us know
what’s going on!
Help us tell the entire Marquette
Academy family YOUR story,
where you are, and the amazing
things in your life today!
Look for FOOTPRINTS, on our
web site and Facebook.
Congratulations Graduates!
Congratulations Graduates!
MAHS CLASS OF 2015
MAES CLASS OF 2015
FOOTPRINTS SUMMER/FALL 2015
Footprints is published twice a year, in late Summer/Early Fall and in
late Winter/early Spring for alumni, parents and friends.
The publication is posted exclusively on our web site at www.marquetteacademy.net.
To submit information, photos and articles of interest please
e-mail: dwhalen@marquetteacademy.net mail: 1000 Paul St., Ottawa, IL 61350,
call: 815-433-0125 ext. 619 or FAX 815-433-2632.
Please forgive any error or omission. The deadline for the next issue is January 31, 2016.
Let us know where you are
and what you’re up to!
Send us your email address, along with accomplishments and experiences.
The Advancement Office maintains a database of all alumni for reunion purposes.
Please drop us an e-mail with your current contact information including
mailing address, cell phone and e-mail. We will keep you up-to-date!
The 2014-2015 Annual Report will be published on our website by October 31, 2015.
visit www.marquetteacademy.net
High School Campus Main Office: 815.433.0125
Elementary School Campus Main Office: 815.433.1199
Early Childhood Campus Main Office: 815.433.2393
Questions? Inquiries? Comments? Email brick@marquetteacademy.net
Marquette Academy, a Pre K-12 Roman Catholic learning community,
promotes spiritual, academic, social, emotional, and physical growth.
Students at Marquette Academy develop critical thinking skills,
a lifelong love of learning, and are prepared
to enter into an increasingly interconnected society.