News From the Hall

February 28, 2022

All-School

Ash Wednesday - March 2

On Wednesday, March 2, 2022, Dr. Brock will lead an Ash Wednesday service from 7:50-8:10 am in the Theatre/Chapel. Ash Wednesday is a Christian holy day that marks the first day of Lent, a holy season of focus on Jesus Christ, forty-six days before Easter Sunday. The forty-day period (not including Sundays) represents Jesus Christ’s time of temptation in the wilderness. Attendance is not mandatory. All are welcome to attend. Lower School students must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Attendees will have the opportunity to receive the imposition of ashes in the sign of the cross on their forehead.

Passport Tickets are on sale Now!

Passport is a fun evening for SMH parents, faculty, grandparents, alumni, and friends! It is a great night out 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 the classrooms, athletics, fine arts, and beyond! Learn more and purchase tickets here.

March Baronista Specialty Drinks

Summer at the Hall - Register Now!

Anyone else ready for summer? Summer at Saint Mary’s Hall is!

We have eight weeks of academic, arts, athletics, and enrichment camps waiting for your students, ages 3-18.

Click here to browse the full list of camps and courses, and be ready when registration opens Tuesday, March 1 at 8am.

Children from all over the San Antonio community and beyond are welcome to join us to, 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!

SPURS FAITH & FAMILY NIGHT

The San Antonio Spurs will host Faith and Family Night with special guest David Robinson on March 11. Saint Mary's Hall students, families, staff, and friends are invited to participate. For this game, the Spurs are providing a custom t-shirt, a post-game chat with David Robinson, and exclusive access to discounted tickets for the night. Purchase tickets HERE.

Upper School

Model UN - North American Invitational

Saint Mary’s Hall MUN delegates had a wonderful time at the North American Invitational Model United Nations (NAIMUN) conference February 17-18 in Washington D.C. SMH alumni, Ben Zeller (class of 2019), served as Executive Director of this international conference hosted by Georgetown University. Ben gave a “Go Barons” shout out during the closing ceremonies in front of 2,500 students from across 21 countries. Students had a tour of Georgetown University and some of the monuments along the Washington Mall.

NAIMUN serves as the de facto national conference where the very best MUN delegates from around the world come to exercise their skills at diplomacy and problem solving. Students worked at a very high level addressing issues ranging from refugee crises and energy sustainability to solving historical crises such as Rome’s war with the Seleucid Empire. Two SMH students garnered national recognition:

3^rd Place – Sophia Nelson (F9) received the “Honorable Delegate” award for her role as Bijan Namdar Zangeneh in de-escalating regional conflict among the Gulf States.
Top 10% of Delegates – Nandini Cheruku (F10) received a verbal commendation for diplomacy and coalition - building in her role as Beyonce Knowles in solving the Texas Power Crisis.

Healthy Heart Walk Fundraiser

Sunday, February 27 SMH will host a walk to raise funds for the American Heart Association. Several physicians from the community will be present to speak briefly about heart disease prevention. The walk will take place at Lewis Field from 8:30-10:30am and is open to all SMH community members and their family.

Feminism and Literature Hosts Guest Speaker

Thursday, February 10, Anne NG, owner and pastry chef for Bakery Lorraine, zoomed with Dr. Hick’s Feminism and Literature class. Ms. Ng shared her journey as a pastry chef and business owner and her experiences traveling the world. Her advice to students was to follow their passion and not stereotypical norms. Ng was named one of the “25 Influential Woman Who Absolutely Run San Antonio.” Conde Nast Traveler lists Bakery Lorraine as one of the “13 Destination Bakeries” and Food & Wine magazine says it is one of the best bakeries in the United States. Students were empowered by Ms. Ng’s story, her honesty and continued desire to create spaces for belonging.

Wednesday, February 16, World Language Department Chair, Laura Renard, led a discussion about her experiences as a student, an athlete, and a department chair. Mrs. Renard presented information on women’s empowerment in the athletic community by introducing Oiselle, a brand created by and for women athletes. The class also discussed Dr. Stacy T. Sims’ book ROAR, a comprehensive, physiology-based nutrition and training guide specifically designed for active women.

Student Investment Group Competition

Wednesday, February 9^th, Saint Mary’s Hall’s Student Investment Group participated in a short-term buy pitch competition. Given the market’s current circumstances, SIG officers decided that such a competition would most benefit our portfolio. Two groups of upper-school students went head to head, trying to convince fellow club members to vote for their proposed stocks. Both groups gave captivating and informative presentations, but in the end, the Coinbase group barely won out over LGI Homes. Congrats to Form 10 students Christopher Chan, Ephraim Cho, Austin Ottmers, and Nicholas Zavala for pitching the winning stock!

Middle School

Valentine's Pizza

On Valentine’s Day, Community Service Council held a pizza sale for middle school during lunch. Almost 100 students enjoyed Valentine pizza! This event benefited the Children’s Hospital of San Antonio. Using the profits from the sale, CSC has purchased small toys for goodie bags, which will be delivered, along with previously made get well cards, to the hospital.

Parent Education Opportunity - March 15, 2022

Please join Middle School Counselor, Leslie Palmer, LCSW and San Antonio Police Detective Rodney Aguilar as they lead a discussion on substance abuse education and prevention. As part of our commitment to developing a strong parent partnership in the support of our students’ wellbeing, the hope is to share information on pre-teen and teen development, the impact of substance use on the developing brain, effective prevention and intervention strategies and current substance use trends in San Antonio. This in-person event will take place in the Coates Seeligson Theater Chapel at 8:30 am on Tuesday, March 15, 2022. We look forward to having this important health and wellness conversation.

PVSA Hours are Due

If your student has completed community service hours that you wish to count towards the Presidential Volunteer Service Award, please turn in all PVSA forms to Mrs. Huffhines by this Friday March 4^th. The form may be found under the Community Section of our website and must be signed by the sponsor for the project. All hours for Summer at the Hall will be recognized and we already have received this information from Mrs. Westergard – we will just need a parent signature on the form.

Form 8 Golfer Bring Home the Gold

Form 8 student athlete, Bernardo Medina participated in a STPGA tournament this weekend at Olmos Basin Golf Course. He shot even par (72), holed out for eagle and finished in 1st place. Congratulations Bernardo!!

Middle School Field Trips Are A Go! Save The Dates and Mark Your Calendars!

We are so excited to announce that Middle School overnight field trips are on the calendar!

Form 7 and Form 8 Overnight Field Trips to Port Aransas and Corpus Christi (two separate field trips)

When: The Form 8 trip will take place April 4-6, and the Form 7 trip will occur 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 various types of marine life found in the bay habitat. In Corpus Christi, students will enjoy time aboard the U.S.S. 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, with faculty chaperones will serving as judges. This trip always proves to be one of the most popular events of our Middle School experience and we are especially excited that our Form 8 students will also be able to experience this trip that was not possible last year due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Form 6 Overnight Field Trip to Camp Buckner in Burnet

When: The Form 6 trip will take place April 28-29

On this field trip, our Form 6 students and faculty chaperones will travel to the Texas Hill Country to spend two days and a night at Camp Buckner outside of Burnet. The buses for this field trip will depart on Thursday morning April 28 and will return to campus on Friday afternoon by the end of the school day.

Activities during these two days include a wide range of outdoor education experiences and recreational events. Some of the fun outdoor education and recreation options available to our kids are team-building challenges on a state-of-the-art ropes course, zip line, a swimming pool with blob/slide, Frisbee golf, basketball, soccer, sand volleyball, gaga ball, 9-square, and human foosball. Professional facilitation for activities is provided by The University of Texas Outdoor Education Department, and lodging and meals are provided by Camp Buckner staff professionals. The Form 6 faculty and staff chaperones are very excited to share in the experience with their students.

Get ready for fun this spring!

Tutus for 2-22-22

Our Middle School teachers celebrated February 22, 2022 in tutus! Thanks to Form 6 Math teacher, Missy Northington, for bringing this idea to fruition, students learned about palindromes and homophones while laughing with their teachers as they sported various colored tutus. It was awesome that our faculty were able to have some fun to kick-off the “palindrome” school week!

Form 6 English Practices Discussion Strategy

In preparation for their novel study of The Wednesday Wars, Mrs. McInerney’s Form 6 English students researched topics covered in the reading and created presentations to share with their classmates.

They then took advantage of the great weather to discuss the plot development of the novel The Wednesday Wars, using a discussion strategy in which students have mini "speed" discussions with peers. Each round, students rotate to a different peer and discuss a different topic. They had a great time and did a terrific job identifying key elements from the novel.

Update on MS Literary Magazine, Crossroads

The Creative Writing and PhilArthropy clubs are preparing to publish their second edition of The Crossroads, the Middle School literary magazine. Editor, Form 8 student, Megan Lamoy, discusses the process of putting together the magazine with members of the Creative Writing club.

Mr. Mayberry’s Dean’s List for Kindness and Respect

The following people received nominations this week for the Middle School Dean’s List for Kindness and Respect:

Sohan Bhakta (F8)
Ryann Arrington (F7)
Inaaya Wali (F7)
Dillon Daskevich (F8)
Riya Jampana (F8)
Lindsey Do (F8)
Jahan Sayeed (F8)
Lauren Thomas (F7)
Clara Wallisch (F7)
Matt Montez, Educational Technology Coordinator/MS & US Instructional Technologist

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!

Lower School

Form 2 C.A.R.E.S. about self control!

At the last Lower School Community Meeting, Form 2 students explained “self-control” as part of our school C.A.R.E.S. focus (cooperation, assertion, responsibility, empathy, self-control). Watch the video HERE!

NEHS Works with Form 2

On Wednesday, February 23, National English Honor Society members partnered with students from Courtney Pierce’s Form 2 class in a writing workshop. NEHS members helped students revise their rough drafts of their color poems. In addition, students read members stories from their reflective journals. This cross-divisional partnership was a great success!

Montessori in the Winter

There is so much to learn in Montessori! The winter “snow days” served as a springboard to learn more about snow, snowflakes, snowmen, arctic animals, and more! Montessori students also celebrated 100 days of school with many 100-themed activities. In February, hearts and kindness activities led up to celebrations of Valentine’s Day. Watch the video to see how curiosity and love of learning leads to many smiling faces.

Winter Olympics in Form 5

Form 5 students celebrated the Winter Olympics by working in small groups to learn about several of the different sporting events from around the world. Speed skating, curling, ice hockey, alpine skiing, and the bobsled were highlighted. The students had lots of fun participating in STEM activities which encouraged them to not only learn about scientific principles involved in athletic endeavors, but also had them construct things using simple materials to show their true understanding of the concepts covered. Needless to say, fun was had by all while learning that athletics involves more than just “talent!”

Artist Begins Early Portrait Career

Budding artists are seen all over Saint Mary’s Hall every day. In Kathy Rigsby’s Montessori classroom, art is part of the student experience. Half-day Montessori artist Logan Bird drew a portrait of his teacher and happily shared it with her.

NEWS FROM THE LOWER SCHOOL LIBRARY

The Texas State Bluebonnet award winner was announced on Monday, February 21, 2022. Coming in first place was The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned to Read by Rita Lorraine Hubbard and Oge Mora. The second place winner was Honeybee: The Busy Life of Apis Mellfera, by Candace Fleming and the third place winner was Act by Kayla Miller.

Saint Mary’s Hall Forms 3-5 students participated in the state wide voting. Students could read anywhere from 5 books to all 20 books to be eligible to vote. At Saint Mary’s Hall, the first place winner was Scary Stories for Young Foxes by Christian McKay Heidicker and Junyi Wu. In second place, there was a tie between Black Brother, Black Brother, written by Jewell Parker Rhodes, and Act, written by Kayla Miller and our third place winner was The Incredibly Dead Pets of Rex Dexter by Aaron Reynolds.

Lower School Librarian and Instructional Technologist Linda Wells states, “It is always an exciting time in early February each year when we eagerly anticipate the announcement of the winners. We are proud of our students who read and voted. Keep on reading Saint Mary’s Hall students!”

Fine Arts

The SMH Orff Ensemble and SMH Children's Choir Concert

Broadway Hits takes the stage on Tuesday, March 1 at 6:00 pm.

The SMH Orff Ensemble and the SMH Children’s Choir will perform favorite tunes from Broadway on the Coates-Seeligson stage. Tickets are available here.

New Form 5 & 6 Strings Workshop

Is your student curious about being part of Orchestra in Middle School? Are they a beginner who has not had any previous training on a strings instrument? If so, this workshop is for you! This six-week course will help your student learn the basis of violin, viola or cello in preparation for being part of orchestra in Form 6 or 7. Instruments and music will be provided. Students who register by March 11 will be able to select their instrument, otherwise instrumentation will be selected by the teacher. This course is open to all Forms 5 and 6 students.

Dates: March 17-April 21 (six sessions)
Time: Thursdays from 3:30 pm to 4:15 pm
Cost: $240
Teacher: Julie Post, SMH Violin & Viola Teacher
Location: Black Box Theater

Link to Register

For more information, contact Ms. Post or the SMH Enrichment Office.

Speech & Debate Results

The last few weeks have been busy for our Upper School Speech and Debate students. Here are a listing of their most recent successes:

Cavalier Invitational at Durham Academy (Jan. 14 – 17)

Nicholas Campos '22 was given a Top Speaker award in Varsity Public Forum. He placed 11^th out of 172 competitors! His debate partner, Andres Trujillo '22, also placed in the Top 60.

Southlake Carroll TFA (Jan. 21 – 22)

Anish Beeram '23 Domestic Extemporaneous Speaking – 1^st Place – TOURNAMENT CHAMPION

Emory University–Barkley Forum for High Schools (Jan. 28 – 30)

Anish Beeram '23 Student Congressional Debate – 3^rd Place (out of 132 entries)

Nicholas Campos '22 & Andres Trujillo '22 – Double Octafinalists (Top 32)

Lamar Texan Classic (Jan. 26 – 29)

Sophie Holder '22 Program Oral Interpretation – 1^st Place – TOURNAMENT CHAMPION

Jonathan Tubb '22 Informative Speaking – 3^rd Place

Noor Shamieh '22 Humorous Interpretation – 6^th Place

Lara Weissmann '22 Original Oratory – Semifinalist

Abbie Zeller '22 Original Oratory – Semifinalist

Ria Mehta '22 Original Oratory – Semifinalist

Sophia Nelson '25 Dramatic Interpretation – Semifinalist

Westwood TFA (Feb. 12)

Evaristo Derby-Elizondo '25 Domestic Extemporaneous Speaking – 1^st Place – TOURNAMENT CHAMPION

Grace Ogden '23 Informative Speaking – 1^st Place – TOURNAMENT CHAMPION

Nandini Cheruku '24 Domestic Extemporaneous Speaking – 6^th Place

Emily Ton '25 / Sophia Nelson '25 Duo Interpretation – 6^th Place

Upper School TFA Speech & Debate Showcase

Come see the award-winning state qualifiers present a showcase of their pieces heading off to state at Georgy Portland High School in Corpus Christi, TX. The showcase begins at 5 pm in the Remmert Theater on Thursday, March 3. Congratulations to all our state qualifiers! (See scores here.)

Art Openings

Join Middle School Artists for the Form 7 and 8 Art Exhibition Opening and Reception on Thursday, March 17 at 5:30 pm in the Theater/Chapel Galleries.

The Upper School Scholastic Exhibition goes on display Wednesday, March 16 in the Middle/Upper School Libraries.

National Art Honor Society takes in Best Quality Daughter

Members of the NAHS travel to the Pearl on Wednesday to meet with Jenny Chowning Director of Marketing who discussed her own professional trajectory, architectural design as related to experience, upcoming greenspace and restaurant projects as well as urban planning ideas across Pearl’s campus.

Students then met with architect Vicki Yuan and Jenn Dobbertin to discuss Dobbertin’s restaurant Best Quality Daughter. Yuan, an architect at Lake Flato, worked with Dobbertin, visual artist Jennifer Ling Datchuk as well as designer Jaime Stolarski to create a new and uniquely designed restaurant concept. Both Yuan and Dobbertin discussed their career evolutions, cultural relations to food and family as well as practical aspects of both architect and restaurants as businesses. They also discussed the upcoming Pecha Kucha vol. 40 which Yuan helps to organize and Dobbertin is presenting in!

Athletics

Senior Recognitions

At the end of every season, the athletics department like to shine light on the individuals who have given extra time and effort to build the Barons Athletics program. Thank you to our seniors for their support of Saint Mary’s Hall Athletics. See a little about our seniors below.

Women's Basketball

#11 Nicole Mays

Nicole has attended Saint Mary’s Hall for 15 years and has played basketball for 4 years.
Nicole plans to attend The University of Texas at Austin, and would like to major in business.
Nicole’s other extracurricular activities include field hockey, Spanish club, DECA, and Shield Society. Nicole’s honors include being named Honorable Mention all-district last season.
Nicole’s favorite basketball memory the Mathis tournament this past year.

#21 Emily Harris

Emily has attended Saint Mary’s Hall for 15 years and played basketball for 10 years.
Emily is undecided on where she plans to attend college, but would like to major in Finance.
Emily other extracurricular activities include being a member of the 2021 TAPPS 5A Golf state championship team.
Emily’s favorite basketball memory is the Mathis tournament this past year.

#23 Ashley Mitchell

Ashley has attended Saint Mary’s Hall for 15 years and played basketball for 1 year.
Ashley plans to attend San Diego State University and major marketing communications.
Ashley’s favorite basketball memory is the really stinky Mathis elevator.

Congratulations to our women’s basketball seniors and thank you for your hard work and dedication to the team!

Men’s Soccer

#00 – Goalkeeper, Donovan Bowley

Donovan has attended SMH for 9 years and has played soccer for 3 years.
Donovan hopes to attend the University of California at Berkley in the fall and major in Chemistry and Computer Science.
Donovan’s other extracurricular activities include baseball, trumpet, and he will earn his Eagle Scout in the coming weeks.
Donovan’s favorite SMH soccer memory is stops at Buccee’s on the way back from Austin games and the fun that ensued there.

#4 – Defender, Daniel Brown

Daniel has attended SMH for 7 years and has played soccer for 2.5 years.
Daniel hopes to attend The University of Southern California in the fall and major in International Business.
Daniel’s other extracurricular activities include playing the Double Bass, JSA, Fine Arts Council, and ESports Club
Daniel’s favorite SMH soccer memory is singing songs on the bus with the team and stopping at Buccees, no matter if we won or lost.

#10 – Left Back, Gabe Chbeir

Gabe has attended SMH for 14 years and played soccer 7 years.
Gabe plans to attend the University of Puget Sound and is unsure of his major at this time.
Gabe’s favorite soccer memory is going to Buccees on the bus ride home from away games.

#11 – Midfielder, Nicholas Roldan

Nicholas has attended SMH for 8 years and played soccer all 8 years.
Nicholas plans to attend American University and major in International Studies.
Nicholas’ other extracurricular activities include Junior Statesman of America, Spanish club, and the student investment group.
Nicholas’ favorite soccer memory is playing world cup at practice with Gian as his teammate.

#18 – Center Back, Gian Avalos Delgado

Gian has attended SMH for 7 years and played soccer all 7 years.
Gian plans to attend the University of Notre Dame in the fall and major in Economics.
Gian’s other extracurricular activities include cross country, track and field and lacrosse.
Gian’s favorite soccer memory is scoring in his varsity debut.

#19 – Defender, Cailan Baker

Cailan has attended SMH for 1.5 years and played soccer 1 year.
Cailan will attend Vassar College in New York and play soccer next fall. He plans major in Data Science and Economics.
Cailan’s honors and awards include SMH team captain, ODP Ohio state team captain, 4 time Ohio state championship winner, and Midwest regional champion.
Cailan’s other extracurricular activities include Club soccer for Classics Elite ECNL and he works as a licensed soccer referee.
Cailan’s favorite soccer memory is how close the team is. From the banter, the bus rides, the team dinners and so much more, we have always been a unit. The main thing he will take away from SMH is the bonds he’s formed and feeling of family he’s had. The entire year has been his favorite soccer memory.

We are so proud of this senior group of soccer players. In their collective time here, they have won 79 games, played for four tournament titles, won two Bi-District titles, and qualified for the TAPPS State Playoffs six times out of eight attempts. We are thankful for the hard work and dedication that our seniors have invested into the SMH soccer program and to our parents and supporters. These fantastic student-athletes have helped solidify the proud tradition of Baron Soccer for the players who follow them. Thank you seniors!

Swimming

Kirsten Schlortt

Kirsten has attended Saint Mary’s Hall for 15 years and participated in swimming for 4 years.
Kirsten was state champion in the 100 free and 100 backstroke. She earned another state championship earlier today in the 100 free. She was the TISCA winner in the 200 free and 200 backstroke.
Kirsten was the state swimmer of the year runner up and the SA swimmer of the year runner up
Kirsten plans to attend Southern Methodist University in the fall and will be a member of the SMU swim team. She plans to major in Finance with alternative asset management, minor in real estate, with hopes of attending law school.
Kirsten’s other extracurricular activities include participation in project teach and national charity league.
Kirsten’s favorite SMH swim memory her freshman year at state watching the seniors learn how to do flip turns 20 minutes before the meet started.

Ethan Doehler

Ethan has attended Saint Mary’s Hall for 6 years and participate in swimming at SMH for 4 years.
Ethan events and recognitions include 2019 state champion and 2020 state runner up in the 50 free, 2019 and 2020 runner up and 2021 state champ in 100 free, 2021 state champ in 100 breast stroke, 2022 State champion in the 200 free, 100 fly. Ethan was also named the TAPPS 2022 Div. II Swimmer of the Meet.
Ethan is a 5 time NISCA All American, 2 time USA Swimming Scholastic All American and 7 time TAPPS 1^st team All State.
Ethan will attend the University of Texas at Austin as a member of their swim team and he plans to major in Mechanical Engineering.

Women's Soccer

#1 – Goalkeeper, Ally Carter

Ally has attended SMH for 15 years and played soccer for 2 years.
Ally plans to attend Ithica College or UT at Austin and major in public relations.
Ally’s extracurricular activities include literary magazine senior editor, intern with the San Antonio Express News and Teen Art guide with the McNay.
Ally’s favorite soccer memories are 11pm Whataburger stops after games in Austin, especially listening to everyone gossiping about girls on the other team.

#13 – Center Back, Georgia Kemmett

Georgia has attended SMH for 5 years and played soccer for 5 years.
Georgia is undecided on where she plans to attend college, but would like to major in journalism.
Georgia has received numerous honors including 2 time All District, 2 time Honorable Mention All-State, Academic All State in soccer and golf, Earl Bill Sportsmanship Award recipient, First team All-district in golf and State Champion in Girls Golf.
Georgia’s other extracurricular activities include Sports Council, Young Conservatives and independent voices, shield society, national art honors society, bowling team and women’s lacrosse.
Georgia’s favorite soccer memory is tying the Hyde Park game off a corner kick her junior year with 6 seconds left in the game and finally being able to play with her sister.

#14 – Forward/Midfielder, Hunter Hoelscher

Hunter has attended SMH for 6 years and played soccer for 6 years.
Hunter plans to attend NYU in fall and play soccer, and will pursue a liberal studies core.
Hunter has received a number honors including 3 time first team all-district, Academic all-state, Second team all-state and Honorable Mention all-state, SA Express News private school MVP and named to the SA Express news All Area Super team for public and private schools. Going into this evening’s game she has 107 goals scored which is third all-time in SMH history.
Hunter’s extracurricular activities include club soccer.
Hunter’s favorite soccer memory at SMH was playing at Hyde Park her junior hear and scoring at goal in the final seconds off a corner kick from Georgia to tie the game. The excitement that came from that memory will be something I remember forever.

#21 – Defensive Midfielder, Lara Weissmann

Lara has attended SMH for 4 years and played soccer for 4 years.
Lara plans to attend Northwestern University and major in Journalism.
Lara’s other extracurricular activities include Speech and Debate, French club, DECA, and Band.
Lara’s favorite soccer memory is from the Fredericksburg tournament her sophomore year with Izzy and Devika shopping around the town, specifically buying candles and hot chocolate.

#19 – Defensive Midfielder, Sofia Zavala

Sofia has attended SMH for 7 years and has played soccer at SMH for 2 years.
Sofia hopes to attend Colorado College or Rice University, and would like to major in Neuroscience.
Sofia’s other extracurricular activities include dance for 13 years and playing the cello for 9 years.
Sofia’s favorite soccer memory is screaming and cheering on the sidelines at the away game this year against St. Michael’s.

Women's Soccer Set for State Playoffs

It was a memorable and historic Senior Night for Saint Mary’s Hall Women’s Soccer on Friday, February 18, as the Barons closed out the regular season with a dominant 11-0 district victory over the St. Anthony Yellowjackets. Leading the way for SMH was senior forward, Hunter Hoelscher who scored nine goals on the night, along with one assist. Hoelscher’s nine goals broke a 37 year-old San Antonio Area record for high school women’s soccer, which was set in 1985 by Madison High School Forward, Suzy Derby. Closing out the scoring barrage was senior Defender Georgia Kemmett and freshman sister, Greer Kemmett with one goal and one assist. The Barons had the pleasure to honor their five seniors who played their final career match on Lewis Field: Ally Carter, Hunter Hoelscher, Georgia Kemmett, Lara Weissmann, and Sofia Zavala. With a great amount of momentum, SMH now looks to the start of the TAPPS State Playoffs and awaits who will be declared the District 5 #3 seed between Houston Emery/Weiner and Houston Lutheran South Academy. The Bi-District round matchup is slated for Thursday, February 24, in Houston, with time and location still to be determined.

Resource

Tennis Teams Starting Strong

The men’s and women’s teams have had a strong start to the season, and show strong potential to be successful at the March 21 district tournament. At the beginning of the season, the teams played in the Dominion Winter Classic tournament. This tournament fielded mostly public schools and several SMH players finished in the top 4 of their draws. In the men’s tournament, Ash Menick ’25 took second place in the singles B draw, double’s team of Richard Cage ’24 / Hudson Moore ’25 also took second place in the double’s B draw. Senior team of William Herff ’22 /Will Azevedo finished 3^rd in the A draw. The women had strong showing as well, doubles team of Ali Rose Davis ‘24/Ana Testas ’24, took 4^th in the A draw, the team of Nitya Patel ’22 / Sofia El Haj Moussa ’23 came in 3^rd place in the B draw, and the team of Aarya Shah ’24 / Avani Gunuganti ’24 won the C draw.

In dual matches against schools, TMI, Geneva School of Boerne, Antonian, and St. Anthony, the women are undefeated, and the men have won two (Geneva and St. Anthony) and tied two. Varsity team members that are undefeated in dual matches are Ali Rose Davis ’24, Ana Testas ’24, Avani Gunuganti ’24, Catherine Mao ’23, Jolie Mao ’25, Nitya Patel ’22, Sofia El Haj Moussa ’23, Ash Menick‘252, and Matthew Averyt ’22.

Coaches Westergard “We are proud of both teams performance so far this season and particularly pleased with the display of sportsmanship on and off the court.”

Women's Lacrosse Builds Strong Foundation

Barons Women’s Lacrosse athletes are working incredibly hard, and we are going to continue to work hard while having an amazing time writing history. The team developed a Mission Statement and identified what would make a good teammate. They also created goals for what they hope to achieve in this inaugural year. I know we are waiting on some of our athletes to join us, but I feel confident that their desires for this year were honored as well.

Coach Valerie Lohr, “My philosophy is the "Positive Pursuit of Excellence," and I will continue to help your athletes strive to "own their awesome" on and off the field. Of course, that comes with hard work and a good attitude. All I ask is for them to give 100% of what they have on any given day. “

Historic Comeback for Baseball

In a record breaking inning, the Barons Baseball team comes back from down 11 to score 17 runs in route to victory over FEAST Homeschool.

Junior Sheppard Searls was an RBI machine, driving in four on three hits to lead the Barons past FEAST to the 22-16 victory. Searls drove in runs on a double in the third and a single in the sixth. The third inning brought about a historic onslaught of runs. Down 11 runs entering the inning, the Barons scored 17 to take the lead and not give it up. This is the largest comeback in Barons Baseball history.

The team is currently undefeated heading into a big match-up against state ranked Boerne High School, and the spring Break.

Men's Lacrosse

The Saint Mary’s Hall men’s lacrosse team has been working hard this February with a full roster. Gaining Jack Hall (12), Alec Czar (12), Jonathan Largoza (11), and Justus Kleberg (9) from basketball and soccer, the Barons are operating at full capacity and looking better than ever. The Barons, now 4-0, have added two crucial wins to their undefeated record against Canyon and Westside HS

Under the Friday Night Lights and a packed stadium, and The Barons defeated the Cougars of Canyon High School 17-1. The Canyon defense put up a good fight, but the Barons offense, led by Lance Berryman (12) and Will Ogle (9), was firing on all cylinders and could not be stopped.

Westside HS came down from Houston to face the SMH this past weekend, and we came away with an 11-2 victory. Jonathan Largoza dropped five goals in his first game since the conclusion of basketball season, shooting 5 for 5 on the day. On the other half of the field, Senior Rudy Zarate was an impenetrable wall in the home cage.

Plenty of work lies ahead of this small, fiery band of Barons. As district games approach, be sure to catch your very own Saint Mary’s Hall men’s lacrosse team at home: you’ll come away proud!

Track Season is Off and Running

The Barons Track and Field got their meet season underway with the 8^th Annual Baron's All-Relay Meet this past weekend!

Despite a very small group of Barons being able to attend this first home meet we had a great showing. It was led by a small group of talented girls who completed in field events and hurdles. Senior Remy White tied the school records in the high jump with 5'0" to have best jump of any girl for the day. She also took second in the Javelin throw with a best mark of 69'9". Sophomore Ria Mehta was 3^rd overall in Varsity Pole vault with a best mark of 7'0". Junior Ainsely Hunter had another great showing taking 2^nd overall in the triple jump with a mark of 31'11" and winning the 100 hurdles in a time 17.48. Both White and Hunter were interviewed by Texas MileSplit for their efforts.

On the Boys side they were led in Field Events by Junior Patrick Lang who helped get the Barons' a third-place finish along with Senior Rob Pena wit jump of 5"0" and Pena with a 4'10. In the Triple Jump Pena along with fellow Senior Alex Alvarez managed a fourth-place finish with best jumps of 30'4" and 30'10". Finally, Sophomore Nico Zavala wrapped up the solid field event performance with a second-place overall finish in the Pole Vault at 10'0" and a long jump mark of 17'6 1/2". The Boys continued to have good fortune as the 4 x 100 Meter relay Team of Zavala, Lang, and Freshmen Ian Garza, and George Morrill took 6^th in a time of 46.76 and alter the same relay team took the bronze medal with a time of 1:37.96.