News From the Hall
APRIL 19, 2022
All-School
All-School NEWS
A message from Mr. Miller
Montessori students sing "Let's Go Fly a Kite" at Grand Day
We are in the home stretch of the 2021-2022 school year! Over the long weekend, I had the opportunity to reflect on the weeks since we’ve returned from Spring Break, and on the weeks ahead. In the past few weeks, we were able to make masks optional, and we’ve all benefited from the smiles we are now able to see regularly. We engaged in a series of important and in-person talks with our parents that strengthened our community as we listened to each other and took time to think again about our survey. And we were also truly delighted to welcome hundreds of grandparents to campus after two years – the joy in our lower school was palpable.
I am looking forward to my first Passport event, which is just on the horizon, and after that, a host of exciting end-of-year celebrations and commencement exercises. I am optimistic that all of these events mark the end of our pandemic phase, and an especially joyful beginning to summer for our students.
Just before we returned from Spring Break, I sent a note to our faculty and staff about a book by Adam Grant called Think Again. I shared a quote from the book that seems relevant for our entire community: “Thinking again can help you generate new solutions to old problems and revisit old solutions to new problems. It’s a path to learning more from the people around you and living with fewer regrets.”
Over these last two years, our School benefited from the collective creativity and determination shown by our faculty and staff members, the support of our parents, and the students who inspire us every day. Thank you.
Let’s make the most of this last month as we celebrate all of these milestones and continue to learn from each other.
Best regards,
Len Miller
Passport Tickets are on sale Now!
Passport is right around the corner, and it's not too late to join us for a fun evening! It will be a beautiful night on campus with cocktails, a seated dinner, and live and online auctions. All funds raised through Passport support the mission of SMH and the wonderful people and programs that propel our students to excellence in their classrooms, on the field, on the stage, and beyond! Learn more and purchase tickets here.
Major Dates Calendar
Major Dates for 2022-2023 calendar are announced! Print your calendar HERE!
May Baronista Specialty Drinks
Summer at the Hall - Register Now!
Anyone else ready for summer? Summer at Saint Mary’s Hall is!
Saint Mary's Hall offers eight weeks of academic, arts, athletics, and enrichment camps for your students, ages 3-18.
Click here to browse the full list of camps and courses. Classes are filling fast, so be sure to register soon!
Children from all over the San Antonio community and beyond are welcome to join, so be sure to tell your friends, family, and coworkers.
Summer at Saint Mary’s Hall is a great place to spend the hot summer days because here, CAMP IS COOL!
Lunch Menu
Check out all of our daily dining options HERE!
Upper School
Upper School
Coming soon - Bishop's Day!
On the afternoon of Wednesday, April 27th, the Upper School will host our annual Bishops' Day! The Capers and the Elliots will compete for the coveted Bishops' Cup through various student-led competitions. Our Sports Council has done an incredible job organizing an exciting and spirited afternoon for the Upper School Barons. The Upper School will have an early dismissal at 3:15 pm this day.
SMH Student selected as Teen of Impact for Go Red for Women Campaign
In April 2021, the American Heart Association nominated their Teen of Impact nominee, Ferzine Sanjana '23 for their yearly fundraising opportunity: Go Red for Women. This cause is something Ferzine is deeply passionate about, as heart disease is the #1 killer for women in America. Many women prioritize their family needs and ignore their own health issues, which makes it vital to create awareness for women’s heart risks.
“Starting February 4th, 2022, for a span of 9 weeks, I competed against five other teens from different schools in San Antonio to raise the maximum funds for the Go Red for Women campaign, along with spreading awareness in our community about cardiovascular diseases and preventative measures.
My team included F11 students Anna Albrecht, Luz Elena Chapa, Helena Hanor, Sofia El Hajj Moussa, Maria Medina Grace Phillips, and Hannah Storrie. We held several fundraising events for the campaign including silent auctions, Walk for a Healthy Heart at Saint Mary’s Hall with our students, parents and faculty, collaborations with Kendra Scott and KWJ Jewelers, and organizing a dance class. All the proceeds went towards this cause, and after 9 weeks of hard work and perseverance, my team and I won the campaign raising a grand total of $51,166! It was an absolute pleasure to run the campaign, bring awareness to heart health, and give others the opportunity to take charge of their health through education and a healthy lifestyle. It has also helped me reach out and participate more in my community, realizing the generosity and benevolence people have towards such a pivotal cause.”
Upper School Robotics
On Saturday, April 2, SMH Upper school robotics team FTC8295 participated in TAPPS Robotics Championship in Waco. Thirty-three teams from Texas competed. In the first half of the competition, teams played against a partner randomly. After five rounds, our team was ranked third out of all teams. In the second half of the competition, the top four teams each chose a partner to play against. Our team won against the second seed but sadly lost to the top seed. At the conclusion, Saint Mary's Hall was named Runner-Up. The proud team members are Leo Cheong '23 and Catherine Mao '23.
Robotics Competition Video
Spring Guest Speakers Welcomed
Students in Dr. Hicks' Feminism and Literature Class concluded their celebration of Women’s History Month on March 30 by welcoming Ms. Elise Boyan, a member of the SMH Board of Trustees. As a lawyer and activist, Ms. Boyan shared stories about her life experience, her political and social contributions to the community and her message about female empowerment. Attendees especially appreciated Ms. Boyan’s definition of feminism: “Radical love for every person.”
On Tuesday, April 12, Dr. Hicks’ class welcomed guest speaker, Tara Murray. Ms. Murray is a civil and human rights attorney, activist, and advocate. Ms. Murray is currently a White House Fellow placed in the Executive Office of the President, where she serves as a liaison between the White House and the Cabinet. Prior to the fellowship, Ms. Murray led a team of lawyers, investigators, and social service providers as Deputy Director of London-based human rights NGO Reprieve. There, she spearheaded the first investigations into the community impact of drone strikes in Pakistan, which brought international attention to the drone program and led to a U.K. judicial review, United Nations investigation, and U.S. congressional hearing. International news and media outlets have profiled her work and the National Bar Association recently honored her as one of the nation’s “Best Advocates.” Ms. Murray received an LL.M. in Advocacy from Georgetown University Law Center, where she was an E. Barrett Prettyman Fellow and taught law students in the Criminal Justice Clinic while representing indigent clients, a J.D. from Harvard Law School, and a B.A. summa cum laude from Howard University. Ms. Murray shared her experiences with the students, encouraging them to serve as allies to marginalized people and to create safe places so communities of partnership can flourish.
National French Honor Society
On April 6, President Sofia Mauri '22, Vice – President Camille Serot '22, Lara Weissmann '22, Bella Mauri '24, Sophia Riojas '24, Ana Testas '24, Ines Wallisch '24, Rachel Weissmann '24 and Cici Yang '24 visited Jane Viccellio’s Form 5 class sharing a few greetings and landmarks in French. Some of the Form 5 students shared their experience in Paris and asked questions about the Middle School French program. Bravo, future French students!
Texas State Junior Classical League - State Latin Convention Results
On Friday, April 8 and Saturday, April 9, over 1,200 Latin students gathered for TSJCL's first post-COVID-19 in-person convention. Hosted by the Alamo Heights Latin Club, students competed in Roman History, Greek Derivatives, and Latin Grammar. There were also performing contests, plays, art, photography, and Olympika events as well. Everyone took the Pentathlon, a general knowledge test of all things Classical.
Academic Tests results
Congratulations to these Saint Mary’s Hall US Latin students:
- 8th place in Latin Vocabulary Level III - Jay Vasan '24.
- 7th place in Mythology Level III - Calista Wilkinson '25.
- 6th place awards - Evaristo Derby '25 in Latin Oratory I, and Will Carter '24 in Greek History III.
Top five winners earned sweepstakes points for the school:
- 5th place - Sophia Nelson '25 in Latin Oratory, and Sophia Junaidi '24 in Mottoes.
- 4th place - Ephraim Cho '24 in in Sight Recitation and Cypress Rabke '25 in monochromatic.
- 3rd place - Leonora Leykum '24 for Greek Derivatives III, and - Calista Wilkinson '25 in Dramatic Interpretation III
- 1st place - Aarya Shah '24 in Latin Derivatives III, Evaristo Derby '25 for Sight Recitation I, and Ally Gibbs '24 in Greek Derivatives.
The Pentathlon, taken by all 1,200 participants, includes a reading comprehension passage, grammar, vocabulary and derivative questions, and cultural question covering Roman History, daily life, ancient geography, and Greek and Roman mythology. The following students recognized for their score on the Pentathlon are:
- Cum Laude - Kate Edwards '25, and Laurel Miller '23
- Magna Cum Laude - Ephraim Cho '24, Sai Ono'25, San Ono '25, and Henry Zachry '23
- Maxima Cum Laude - Evaristo Derby '25, Will Carter '24, Sophia Junaidi '24, Aarya Shah '24,
- Rohith Siddabattula '25, and Ally Gibbs '23
- Summa Cum Laude - Gaige Lipscomb '25, Sophia Nelson '25, Leonora Leykum '24, Jay Vasan '24, and Calista Wilkinson '25
Saint Mary’s Hall, in the small school division, received the Sixth place trophy Texas State sweepstakes, and students will now prepare for the National Latin Convention in July.
Mock French Elections
From April 6-7, Upper School French students held mock presidential elections, while the "real" election took place in France on April 10. Prior to the “election,” students studied the twelve candidates and their programs. After verifying their French voter ID, students cast their secure votes in a sealed envelope directly into a ballot box. On Monday, April 11, Madame Bernardin counted the ballots. Top candidates were Anne Hidalgo, from the Socialist party, and Yannick Jadot, from the Green Party. Students will have a second round of elections Thursday, April 21 and Friday, April 22 with the results revealed Monday, April 25. France will elect their new president Sunday, April 24.
Middle School
Middle School
Form 8 Field Trip to Port Aransas and Corpus Christi
On April 4-6, Form 8 students and faculty chaperones travelled to Port Aransas and Corpus Christi and stayed at the Mustang Island Episcopal Conference Center in Port Aransas. The students enjoyed their trip, which included a trawler boat excursion in Port Aransas bay to study the various marine life found in the bay habitat, time aboard the USS Lexington, and a tour of the Texas State Aquarium in Corpus Christi. One of the highlights of this trip was when all of the students took a class in sand sculpting and then participated in a team sand sculpting competition. It was a great get-away and everyone enjoyed themselves and the terrific weather.
Form 8 Trip
Bee day coming to middle school
April 29, 2022 will be Bee Day this year, sponsored by the middle school Environmental Club! It will be an OOU day for all students that purchased a bee shirt, designed by Bianca Rodriguez '26. The club was so impressed by all of the designs submitted for the Bee shirt contest that we decided to also make temporary tattoos and a pin. The designs you see below were submitted by Dillon Daskevich '26 and Lindsey Do '26, Divya Beeram '27, and Pearl Moore '28. The pin design was submitted by Natasha Rainbow '27. These will be available for purchase on April 29th along with some other bee-related items. Additionally there will be a plant sale offering everything from small hanging plants and house plants to bed plants and vegetables for the garden. All proceeds will be used to improve the landscape beds around school (adding more bee habitat), support the greenhouse and garden, and benefit the Bee Conservancy. The sale will occur approximately between 8:45 and 9:45 am near the greenhouse. We look forward to your support of bees and the middle school Environmental Club!
Bee Day Designs
CSC Announces Service Opportunity
The Middle School Community Service Council is hosting another service opportunity at Snack Pak 4 Kids on Thursday, May 12th, and we will be able to take 30 students this time. Snack Pak 4 Kids provides snack packs for food insecure elementary school children throughout San Antonio. Students can plan to stay after school to work on homework and enjoy a pizza dinner here at school around 4:45 PM. We will load into an SMH bus around 5:30 PM which will take us to the Daily Bread Ministries Warehouse located at 3559 Belgium Lane, San Antonio, TX 78219. We plan to return to SMH around 7:30 PM for parent pick-up. The cost for this event is $5, which covers the cost of the meal and transportation. Please go to this google form to sign up and complete the SMH permission slip. Permission slips and $5 must be submitted by Monday, May 9th to Mrs. Northington or Mrs. Allbritton to secure your spot.
Form 6 Robotics
On Saturday, April 9th, six of Dr. Zhou’s Form 6 students participated in the Lego Sumobot competition hosted by Bexar Chapter of the Texas Society of Professional Engineers. This is our third year participating in this event held at UTSA.
This year there were eight Lego Sumobots built and programmed by students from local middle and high schools. SMH brought three Lego EV3 Sumobots and won 1st, 2nd, and 3rd! The proud engineers and programmers are Veeraj Bajaj (1st place and UTSA scholarship), Karan Gyani, Logan Krecek, Aayan Junaidi, Alex Manso, and Alton Behrend. Congratulations!
Form 6 Robotics Video
Mr. Mayberry’s Dean’s List for Kindness and Respect
The following people received nominations for the Middle School Dean’s List for Kindness and Respect:
- Sofia Blanco '27
- Rabani Bajaj '27
- Inaaya Wali '27
- Jane Griffith '27
As a reminder, any Middle School student or parent may nominate a fellow classmate or faculty member by sending Assistant Head of Middle School and Dean of Students Mike Mayberry an email describing the act of kindness or respect. These names will be shared weekly in the Middle School section of News From the Hall as well as announced during Middle School Monday morning announcements. We encourage everyone at SMH to have an attitude of kindness and respect, one that brings out the best in you and those around you!
Form 7 Overnight Trip to Port Aransas and Corpus Christi May 2-4
On this field trip, students and faculty chaperones will travel to Port Aransas and Corpus Christi and stay at the Mustang Island Episcopal Conference Center in Port Aransas. The buses for this trip will depart on Monday morning and return on Wednesday afternoon by the end of the school day.
One of the fun activities during the three days include a trawler boat excursion in Port Aransas bay to study marine life found in the bay habitat. In Corpus Christi, students will enjoy time aboard the USS Lexington as well as a tour of the Texas State Aquarium and all of its fun educational offerings. One of the highlights of this trip occurs on the private beach at the Mustang Island Episcopal Conference Center where all students will take a class in sand sculpting and then participate in a team sand sculpting competition between class members. Faculty chaperones will serve as judges! This trip always proves to be one of the most popular events of our Middle School experience!
2022 Texas State Junior Classical League Latin Convention Results
On April 8th – 9th, 15 of Mr. Nicoll’s MS Latin students attended joined 1,200 Latin middle and high school students from all over Texas at the Texas State Junior Classical League Convention at Alamo Heights High School in San Antonio. Students competed in a wide variety of events. In a field of 20+ middle schools, our students performed very well individually and collectively.
Certamen: Certamen is a quiz-bowl style game for students of Latin, Greek, and classical civilizations. It allows students to demonstrate their knowledge of the ancient peoples, languages, and cultures, and the relationships between those topics and the modern world. The matches are fun, competitive, informative, and compelling for students. This year, Amruta Patel '26, Jay Huang '26, and Bianca Rodriguez '26 won the Area B finals and, along with Maddy Blackwell from Reagan HS, represented Area B in the State Competitive Certamen competition. Unfortunately, they did not make the final, ultimately placing 4th, but these students merit special recognition for all the hard work they put in over the last month in preparation. Congratulations to Bianca, Amruta and Jay!
Pentathlon: All students (1200+) at the convention took the Pentathlon test. The same test is given to all levels. It consists of a difficult Latin reading passage with comprehension and grammar questions, and other questions on Roman daily life, mythology, and Roman history. Students are ranked within their own level, but can compare scores across levels, too. Levels of recognition (increasing) are: Cum Laude, Magna cum Laude, Maxima cum Laude, and Summa cum Laude. Students earn 1-4 points for each level, respectively.
Academic Tests: The rules state that only one student per school, per level, can enter any academic test, but an individual may take up to 2 different tests. Several of our students took 2 different academic tests (see below), and their extra contribution should be recognized.
Contributions of note include the following students, who either placed 1st in their chosen event, or who placed 1st – 5th in two academic events:
- Amruta Patel '26- 2nd in Mythology (the most competitive test!!) and 1st in Decathlon (the most challenging test!!)
- Fiona Briggs '27- 5th in Reading Comprehension and 1st in Sight Recitation
- Henry Scott '26- 5th in Grammar 1 and 4th in Reading Comprehension
- Jacob Kollars '27- 1st in Dramatic Interpretation (Passage 2)
- Jay Huang '26- 5th in Roman History and 4th in Roman Life
- Matthew DuBois '26- 1st in Latin Oratory and 2nd in Sight Recitation
- Rabani Bajaj '27- 1st in Latin Literature and 3rd in Roman History
SWEEPSTAKES RESULTS
|
Name |
Place |
Test |
Pentathlon |
|
Amruta Patel '26 |
2nd |
Mythology |
Summa Cum Laude |
|
1st |
Decathlon |
||
|
Aarav Gupta '27 |
3rd 7th |
Mottoes Latin Vocabulary |
Maxima Cum Laude |
|
Ben Rykert '27 |
2nd |
Latin Oratory |
Cum Laude |
|
Bianca Rodriguez '26 |
2nd |
Mottoes |
Magna Cum Laude |
|
6th |
Greek Derivatives |
||
|
Colston Book '27 |
8th |
Grammar 1 |
Summa Cum Laude |
|
9th |
Latin Derivatives |
||
|
Fiona Briggs '27 |
5th |
Reading Comp 1 |
Summa Cum Laude |
|
1st |
Sight Recitation |
||
|
Henry Ames '26 |
4th |
Geography of the Ancient World |
Maxima Cum Laude |
|
6th |
Latin Derivatives |
||
|
Henry Scott '26 |
5th |
Grammar 1 |
Magna Cum Laude |
|
4th |
Reading Comp 1 |
||
|
Inaaya Wali '27 |
3rd |
Roman Life |
Summa Cum Laude |
|
7th |
Geography of the Ancient World |
||
|
Jacob Kollars '27 |
1st |
Dramatic Interpretation |
Summa Cum Laude |
|
7th |
Mythology |
||
|
Jay Huang '26 |
5th |
Roman Life |
Summa Cum Laude |
|
4th |
History - Roman |
||
|
Matthew DuBois '26 |
2nd |
Sight Recitation |
Maxima Cum Laude |
|
1st |
Latin Oratory |
||
|
Rabani Bajaj '27 |
3rd |
History - Roman |
Summa Cum Laude |
|
1st |
Latin Literature |
||
|
Sebastian Bieler '27 |
Took pentathlon only (unable to attend Saturday) |
Maxima Cum Laude |
|
|
Zain Ahmad '26 |
4th |
Greek Life and Literature |
Maxima Cum Laude |
This year, Saint Mary’s Hall Middle School placed 4th in Academic Sweepstakes in the Middle School Division!!!! All of the above contributed to our 246 points. Well done to everyone!
Lower School
Lower School
Lower School Counselor for the Day
Allegra Brahin (F3) was the Lower School counselor for the day at the beginning of April. Allegra taught two classroom guidance classes, including her sister’s class, and interviewed many important people on campus. She asked each person insightful questions including how can I help you, what has been your favorite day this year, and what is your favorite ice cream. Allegra ended each interview with “Is there anything I can do to help you and what is your favorite Disney movie.” Lower School counselor Susan Moore and Allegra agreed that this was one of the most exciting days of the whole year for both of them. Thank you to the Brahin family for supporting Saint Mary’s Hall and making the winning bid for this opportunity at the last Passport.
Counselor for the Day!
Texas Pioneers in Form 1
Students in Jennifer Lee's Form 1 class enjoyed learning about what life was like for early Texan pioneers and researching Texas plants and animals.
Activities included exploring historical artifacts such as clothing, tools, luxury items, making cornhusk dolls and painting bluebonnets.
Form 1 Pioneers
Magic of Morgan's Wonderland
One Tuesday, April 12, the kindergarteners enjoyed an amazing field trip to visit Morgan’s Wonderland! The delight of a beautiful, sunlit day served as the backdrop for all of the engaging hands-on activities perfectly designed for exploring young minds. Our students and wonderful chaperone parents enjoyed participating in lessons at the Sensory Village Market, Weather Station, Train ride, the Fishing Wharf, the Music Garden, the Carousel, the Ferris Wheel, and the Water Sensory Tables given by Morgan’s Wonderland volunteers and staff. This was not only an opportunity for our students to enjoy the unique jewel of “The World’s First Ultra-Accessible Theme Park,” but also provided a chance for interaction with volunteers and other visitors with differences including physical and cognitive challenges who taught, helped, and engaged our children throughout a day of fun and learning. Kindergarten teacher Jenny Graf added, “One of the best parts of this whole adventure was the experience of a very first bus ride for the little ones…how exciting that was!” Check out the video HERE!
Book Fair is BACK!
It was so exciting to have the Lower School Book Fair again after two years! The last book fair was December 2019. The students were so happy to be able to shop for books. Even the Middle School and Upper School students shopped. Grandparents and special friends were able to enjoy shopping with their children. Face painting by Art teacher Kellen Stanley and Upper School Art students provided an extra special touch. A huge thank you goes to Lower School Librarian Linda Wells and Lower School Library Associate Angie Veale who made this possible. A great big thank you to the many parent volunteers who helped at the book fair and to Lower School Teacher Facilitator/Instructional Technologist Teri Bohlsen, for her support.
2022 Book Fair
Fine Arts
Fine Arts
May Performance Tickets on Sale Now!
Tickets are now available for our upcoming May performances! The Lower School Dance Production Snow White performs May 5 and 6 at 6 pm. The Middle and Upper School Spring Music Concerts are on Wednesday, May 11 at 6 pm and 7pm. Check out our ticket page for more information!
Professional Photographer presents to National Art Honor Society
On Thursday, April 7, former SMH cinema student and professional photographer JP Gibson spoke to members of the National Art Honor Society about his work with the San Antonio Spurs. Mr. Gibson is a freelance Fine Art photographer, who was commissioned by the Spurs to photograph fans. His work is currently on display at the AT&T Center. Students asked questions about how he transitioned from attending Savannah College of Art and Design to working professionally, as well as details about his creative processes.
Alumni Actor on Stage
Drake Leach (2019), a Theater, Speech & Debate alum, is currently performing in the Signature Theater in Arlington, VA, in a professional production of She Loves Me. He was interviewed about his work in the production, while being a fulltime student. Congratulations Drake!
ISAS Mini Dance Fest
On Saturday, April 9, dancers from St. Stephen’s Episcopal School in Austin, collaborated with SMH Middle and Upper School dancers in taking classes and presenting selections from Beauty and the Beast for an appreciative audience of family members.
This event was organized to replace the traditional ISAS Fine Arts Festival, the largest high school arts festival in the country. SMH will be attending in the spring of 2023. Stay tuned for more information in the fall!
Dance Fest Pics
SMH Dancer Performing in France
SMH Dance student Daniela Sala ’23 is currently participating in the School Year Abroad Program. While there, she has been taking ballet classes with a pre-professional dance school in Rennes. She recently performed in the historic Opera de Rennes, a memorable moment indeed. Brava Dani!
Cyanotypes
The darkroom photography students recently created a series of giant cyanotypes in Mr. Petersen’s class. They worked in small teams to develop concepts, make sketches, acquire props, and ultimately execute their vision. The process involved placing materials on top of a five by seven foot sheet of fabric coated with a light sensitive blend of chemicals. After 5 minutes of sun exposure, the fabric is washed in water to reveal the final blue and white compositions.
Athletics
Athletics
Golf Prepares for District
Varsity golf has been off to a great start with strong Barons representation. In the next two weeks the team will meet up with district competitors for a preview, and play the course of our district tournament on April 25th at Rebecca Creek in Spring Branch.
Men's Lacrosse Finishes a Strong Season
The Saint Mary’s Hall Barons ended their season this past Thursday with a disappointing loss to the Alamo Heights Mules. Saint Mary’s Hall ended the year 10-2, but is not in playoff contention.
Since the last write-up, the Barons played 5 district games: Central Catholic, Reagan, TMI, Boerne, and Alamo Heights. Saint Mary’s Hall started off their district run with a 14-0 victory over Central Catholic and Reagan 19-4 on Senior Night.
After a tough loss against a strong TMI team, the Barons came back strong against Boerne, routing them 15-6 despite a slow start. At this point in the season, the 10-1 only needed to beat Alamo Heights to move on to playoffs. In a well-attended away game in the Mules stadium, the Barons fell 8-0, marking their second loss of the season and the elimination of their playoff chances.
After a great season that marks the new era of SMH Lacrosse, the final loss does not give justice to the hard work and dedication of the coaches and players in Purple. In the years to come, winning seasons and playoff advancement are sure to come. Saint Mary’s Hall Lacrosse is on the right trajectory.
Track and Field Ready for District
The track and field team departed for Marble Falls early Saturday morning for the Faith Academy Invitational Meet to compete in a Varsity only competition meet. The long day turned out to be a very good one, with plenty of position results, and the women coming in 4th while our men came in 6th out of 18 scoring teams in both competitions.
Leading the way once again for the Men's Barons this week was Nico Zavala ‘24 who took 3rd place in the Pole Vault (10'0) and 8th place in the 100 meters (12.09). He also led the 4 x 100 meter relay team to a 5th place finish (47.76) with teammates Ian Garza ‘25, Hayden Hoelscher ‘24, and Alex Alvarez ‘22; the 4 x 200 meter team he led recorded a 5th place finish (1:41.41) along with Hoelscher, Zach Alvarez ‘25 and Cueto Morrill ‘25. Chris Chan ‘24 also kept his 1st place winning streak alive with another gold medal performance and a new personal best in the 3200 meters (10:07.22). Ephrain Cho ‘24 recorded a personal best for 9th place in the 3200 meters (12:10.30). Later in the day Chan took 5th in the 400 meters with a 56.17, closely followed by Morrill who was 7th (56.64). Other personal bests for the day were set by Jonathan Tubb ‘23 in the 800 meters (2:28.20) taking 16th place overall, and Alex Alvarez who ran the 300-meter hurdles (50.16) for a 9th place finish overall. In other field events, the team was happy to see the return of Patrick Lang ‘23 who took a 2nd place in the high jump competition (5'8"), and pair of personal bests in the shot put by John Presutti ‘25 (27'0) and Morrill ’25 (33'2). In the triple jump Rob Pena ‘22 (31' 51/2") and Alex Alvarez ‘22 (33' 91/4") were also able to record a pair of personal bests.
Our Lady Barons had a freshman lead them as Madison Winston ‘25 placed 2nd in the 100 meters (13.53) and helped all three of the Lady Baron's relay teams place as the lead off of the 4 x 100 meter team with Sophie Holder ‘24, Grace Ogden ‘23, and Remy White ’22. They took a 4th place (56.12), but the 4 x 200 meter team of Winston, White, and Sophomores Ria Mehta and Abby Lee secured a 1st place victory in their race (1:58.74). The final race of the day also gave the Barons more points as they held on to a 3rd place in the 4 x 400-meter relay along with Lee, Ogden, Winston, and Marissa Garza ‘23 to help secure a medal performance. In the field events, they also racked up some points and personal bests as Ria Mehta took 1st place in the pole vault (8'0) and Remy White grabbed a 3rd place in the high jump (4'8"). Other significant performances were set by Grace Ogden, who took 6th in the pole vault (6'0) and Kate Whittington ’24, who was 12th in the shot put with a personal best of 20' 51/2.” Winston also recorded another personal best in the discus at 45' 4".
The Barons will take this week off from competition to rest and heal up in preparation for the upcoming District Championship meet at Lewis Field on April 21st.
Equestrian Ava Myers Ranked 1st
Ava Myers '25 has had a great couple of weeks at the Pin Oak Charity Horse show in Katy. See the outstanding results below, as she is competing in the $100,000 grand prix for the final week this Saturday. Ava is currently 1st place in Zone 7 (Texas, New Mexico, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Missouri).
Week I
- 1.20 meter Jr. Jumper placing 3rd
- 1.20 Meter $2500 Jr./amateur placing 2nd
- 1.50meter Grand Prix $30,000 placing 5th place on her horse Chico P amongst all the professional riders
Week II
- 1.50 meter Grand Prix $50,000 placing 24th
Women's Lacrosse Seniors
Women's Lacrosse Seniors Honored
The Athletics Department would like to recognize our Varsity Women’s Lacrosse seniors for their hard work paving the way for future women’s lacrosse players. Please join me in congratulating these seniors and thanking them for their commitment to the SMH lacrosse program.
#2 –Emily Harris
- Emily has attended SMH for 15 years, a lifer, and played lacrosse 1 years.
- Emily plans to attend Texas A&M and major in Finance.
- Emily’s other extracurricular activities include Varsity Basketball and a member of the state championship Women’s golf team last spring.
- Emily’s favorite lacrosse memory is the final score the first game against Canyon.
#4 –Katherine Drawert
- Katherine has attended SMH for 11 years and played lacrosse for 1 year.
- Katherine plans to attend The University of Texas at Austin, and she will double major in Plan II Honors program and Canfield Business Honors.
- Katherine’s other extracurricular activities include varsity field hockey, bowling, MUN president, Math team captain, member of Mu Alpha Theta, National Art Honor Society, National English, Honor Society, and Sociedad Honoraria Hispanica.
- Katherine’s favorite lacrosse memory is watching the men’s lacrosse game against Reagan. She loves how quickly the team has bonded, and she wishes she had more time to play with this amazing group.
#12 –Lara Weissmann
- Lara has attended SMH for 4 years and played lacrosse for 1 years.
- Lara hopes to attend Northwestern University, and she plans major in Journalism.
- Lara’s other extracurricular activities include varsity Speech and Debate, Jazz Band, Math Madness, and French club.
- Lara’s favorite lacrosse memory is everyone running to Genevieve across the field after she scored our first goal, and feeling like a real family who accomplished something great together.
#17 –Camila Alvarez
- Camila has attended SMH for 15 years, a lifer, and played lacrosse for 1 year.
- Camila will attend the Duke University in the fall and is undecided on a major.
- Camila’s favorite lacrosse memory is getting goodies and surprises for our hype buddies on game days.
#20 –Georgia Kemmett
- Georgia has attended SMH for 5 years, and played lacrosse for 1 year.
- Georgia plans to attend Ole Miss, and major in Journalism or Integrated Marketing Communications with a Sports Specialty.
- Georgia’s honors include Soccer Academic All state, 1st team all-district, Earl Bill sportsmanship award, Ben McMurray award, and she was a member of the state championship women’s golf team last spring.
- Georgia’s other extracurricular activities include Sports council, young conservative and independent voices, shield society, varsity soccer, national art honors society, and bowling team.
- Georgia’s favorite lacrosse memory is being part of the 1st ever women’s lacrosse team at SMH and building the culture with an incredible group of girls. Thank y’all for the best season I could ever ask for.
#23 –Nicole Mays
- Nicole has attended SMH for 15 years, a lifer, and has played lacrosse for 1 year.
- Nicole is undecided on where she will attend college in the fall and she plans to major in business.
- Nicole’s other extracurricular activities include varsity basketball, band, DECA, and Spanish club.
- Nicole’s favorite SMH lacrosse memory is when Valeria forgets to wear her mouth guard and gets a foul every game for it.
#26 – Remy White
- Remy has attended SMH for 15 years and played lacrosse for 1 years.
- Remy plans to attend Oklahoma University, and is undecided on her intended major.
- Remy’s other extracurricular activities include varsity volleyball and varsity track and field.
- Remy’s favorite lacrosse memory is when she first joined the team and they were so welcoming and she is going to miss this positive environment.
#99 –Valeria Ramos Prado
- Valeria has attended SMH for 3 years and played lacrosse for 1 year.
- Valeria is undecided on where she wants to attend college in the fall and plans to major in behavior neuroscience.
- Valeria’s other extracurricular activities include varsity field hockey, kids4kids, and National Art Honor Society.
- Valeria’s favorite lacrosse memory is the first game against Reagan when we fouled about every 10 seconds and lost 22-0, but had more fun that the other team.
We are so proud of this group of women’s lacrosse seniors. They are trail blazers helping form the first ever SMH women’s lacrosse team this year. We are thankful for the hard work and dedication that our seniors have invested into the new program and to our parents and supporters. These fantastic student-athletes have helped begin the proud tradition of Baron Lacrosse for the players who follow them. Thank you seniors!
Summer Sports Performance and Exercise Science Training Program
As we all make plans for summer, we are excited to share this information regarding summer training for SMH athletes.
Led by Saint Mary's Hall Director of Sports Performance and Athletic Mindset and coaches, SMH Athletics is proud to continue this unique summer training program initiative. This is not a sport-specific training program. This multi-faceted summer sports performance program is designed with the busy summer lifestyle of the SMH Upper School student-athlete in mind. With a holistic methodology concentration for both male and female student-athletes, SMH Sports Performance coaches focus on in-depth emphasis of all-around athletic functional performance and injury reduction capability with a detailed concentration on nutritional and recovery education.
Rising F8 - F12 SMH student-athletes are encouraged to attend. Please take a look at the 2022 Summer Sports Performance & Exercise Science Training Camp power point which provides all the information you need.
Registration Start Date: Tuesday, April 12, 2022
Registration End Date: Friday, May 13, 2022
To Register and Pay: Visit the SMH Athletics Ticketing Services Site:
https://www.smhall.org/athletics/tickets