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February 23, 2019 Cherokee Town Club 155 West Paces Ferry Rd NW
Purchase tickets to the Annual Gala for you and/or a teacher! You won't want to miss out on this evening of grace and giving. Featured items include a Resort Stay in Destin, FL, 20th Century Bordeaux Wine Collection, and several pieces of student art! Click here to learn more about these items
Thank You,
Rebecca Bernier Gala Chair 404-444-1770 rebecca.b.bernier@gmail.com
A Resort Stay in Destin, FL This live auction item includes a week-long stay at Surfside Resort at Miramar Beach, Florida. Stay in a 2b/2b condo overlooking the beach; your choice from four weeks between May and September.
20th Anniversary Bordeaux Collection As we approach the 20-year anniversary of the vintage, it is appropriate to offer six of the greatest of the Bordeaux 2000 wines. All wine was purchased en primeur as futures and have been cellared in a temperature-controlled environment since. Wines include: 2000 Chateau Cos d'Estournel, 2000 Chateau Troplong Mondot, 2000 Chateau Montrose, 2000 Chateau Leoville Las Cases, 2000 Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, and the 2000 Chateau Pichon-Longueville Baron. Donated by the Meenan family.
Student Art Believe it or not, these cooperative art pieces were crafted by our Pre-K2 and Pre-K3 classes. They will be included in the Class Creations student art auction at this year's Gala.
We look forward to seeing you at the Gala so you can bid on these amazing items!
Thank you,
When: Wednesday, February 6, 6:00pm-8:30pm Where: Upper School Gym
Roma is hosted by the senior class to raise money to fund the Rome pilgrimage scholarship for their capstone trip in May. The scholarship helps ensure that as many seniors as possible are able to conclude their years at Holy Spirit Prep with this journey ad limina apostolorum.
Join us for this evening showcasing the artistic talent of our students, offering auctions, featuring great fellowship, and serving delicious Italian food! Tickets are $25 per person at the door; $100 maximum per family.
Registration Required for Mobile Bidding Website This year, we are using an online bidding platform for the silent auction items. If you've already purchased your tickets, we strongly encourage registering for the mobile bidding website prior to the event to expedite check-in.
Register for Mobile Bidding Website and Preview Silent Auction Items
Senior Service Auction One of the most anticipated features of the evening is the Senior Service Auction. This live auction allows the seniors to share their time, talent, and service for a great cause! Winning bidders will have a chance to utilize their senior(s) during the school day on Senior Service Day. Questions? Feel free to contact Thomas Cole at tcole@holyspiritprep.org.
Can't Make It to Roma? If you're unable to attend Roma, you can still participate in the silent auction through our mobile bidding website. Follow the instructions above to register and bid on-the-go! .
The 8th grade faculty and Upper School staff invite you to join us on Thursday, February 7, at 6:30pm, for an introduction to the Upper School. During the meeting, you will meet the 8th grade faculty, learn about Upper School academics and extracurriculars, and what to look forward to and expect for your rising 8th-grader as they join the Upper School next August.
When: Friday, February 8, 10:20am Where: Upper School gym
The Upper School international students, Pre-K2, and Pre-K3 students will parade around the Upper School gym to celebrate the Chinese New Year.
Parents are invited to attend and celebrate with us! We look forward to seeing you at this fun and educational HSP tradition!
Olivia Arnold raised over $12,000 for homeless youth through the Covenant House of Georgia’s Scholars in Service program. She was the only freshman out of 40 high school students selected to “learn the ins and outs of the nonprofit community in Atlanta and contribute their own strengths and skillsets to the continual improvement of the city.” Selected students committed to raising at least $1,000 during the program, and Olivia exponentially surpassed this goal and continues to solicit donations even now that the program officially ended on January 8.
From October to January, Olivia and her constituents participated in workshops and discussions to learn more about homelessness and philanthropy. The discussions focused on understanding what life is like for homeless youth and examining the factors that lead to generational poverty. They also focused on understanding the purpose and philosophy of fundraising and how to communicate in the nonprofit world while appealing to the head and the heart.
Olivia used what she learned in these workshops in her approach to fundraising. She studied the best ways to fundraise and started to network. Reaching out to family, friends, local businesses, and even asking her friends at school for their parent’s emails, Olivia cast as broad a net as possible to reach as many potential donors as she could. She then started with email solicitations, followed by phone calls to set up personal meetings, lunches, and house calls.
“What’s special about Covenant House is that they’re not just raising money and awareness,” explained Olivia, “they’re getting involved in politics and talking with lawmakers; they’re physically getting these kids off the streets and reuniting families; they’re providing a temporary home for these kids and teaching them through professional development classes.” Olivia plans to continue her work and start an apostolate here at HSP that supports Covenant House and homeless youth in Atlanta.
When you look at Manny's list of activities, it's hard to imagine how he had time to study for the ACT, let alone score a perfect 36. He's the varsity boys soccer goalie, the editor of the HSP newspaper, and this year, a founding member of the debate club and the Cantius Society apostolate.
Read more about Manny's many achievements in the Northside Neighbor
During Catholic Schools Week, we showed our appreciation for our school, our community, and our faith. We were happy to welcome Bishop Ned Shlesinger to campus for our third of four All-School Masses of the year, his second celebration of Mass at HSP.
At the All-School Mass, we recognized teachers who have served at HSP for 3, 5, 10, and 15 years. We are truly grateful for their service and commitment to our school and its mission.
We also announced this year's faculty commencement speaker, theology chair Tom Cole, who was chosen by our student House leaders. He will be the first faculty commencement speaker, marking a new tradition at HSP.
Jack Bohling, Lily Cabrera, Watson Casal, Nolan Gibbs, and Sarah Gunderson, chaperoned by Denise Gunderson and Father John, made a pilgrimage to Panama for World Youth Day 2019. Joined by a number of other pilgrims from the Atlanta Archdiocese, our pilgrims started their journey on Monday, January 21, and spent a week in Panama experiencing the universality of our faith and the Church with over 700,000 other young people from around the globe.
At the start of their pilgrimage, the group celebrated Mass in the Miami airport while waiting for their next flight, using a suitcase as an altar. "People walking by were definitely staring at us with confused faces, but I was proud of what we were doing," remembered Lily. "One lady stopped, crossed herself, and kept walking."
Once they arrived in Panama, our pilgrims visited churches, attended festivals, and listened to speakers talk about their journey in Christ. One notable speaker was Sister Bethany Madonna, who told a story about how she lost her high school friends when she didn't go to a party with them. She remembers being so lonely during that time, until a girl invited her to a Catholic youth group. That's where she started her journey and became a nun at 22 years old.
Sister Bethany Madonna was a favorite of the group, especially among our students. "She was really good at making her talk relatable to young people," said Sarah. "We took a selfie with her afterwards!"
Of course the most notable speaker of World Youth Day was the Holy Father Pope Francis. Our pilgrims were able to see the Pope on three different occasions, driving by at arms-length in the Pope-Mobile. The main theme in his homily for all the young Catholics in attendance was: "You are not the future, you are the now." He encouraged young Catholics to stand up for their faith and be present in society.
Father John had the opportunity to perform several times throughout the week, inciting a dance party whenever he did. He sang worship songs and pop songs with the help of some missionaries, dancing and singing along with him on stage. "Even people who couldn't understand the words to his songs were dancing along to Father John," recalled Lily.
On their final day in Panama, our group made a nine-mile pilgrimage to the site where they would spend the night in an open field and awake together the next morning for Mass celebrated by Pope Francis. Father John brought two plastic stools (the traveling confessional) and stayed up until 3:30am hearing confessions. The rest of our pilgrims mingled with those around them, trading bracelets and flag pins with pilgrims from other countries.
The wake-up call came at 6:00am over the loud speaker and was followed by Mass at 8:00am. Despite the mass of people, our pilgrims were able to find a Eucharistic Minister and received communion consecrated by the Pope.
The 2018-2019 yearbooks are now on sale! The yearbook is a timeless book documenting the life of the school from preschool through 12th grade, archiving memories your student will love to pore over now and thirty years from now!
Now until day of Yearbook Signing - $90
Online yearbook sales will close April 20. After April 20, students may purchase a yearbook on distribution day, while supplies last.
HOW TO ORDER Click here to order your yearbook or go to www.YearbookOrderCenter.com and search for the school name or by our job #14803. This is the same link for purchasing senior ads as well. Buying online is very easy. The site will lead you through each step. You’ll select the student’s name via a search function, and then buy a book or ad for that specific student. You may also call the Order Center if you’d rather make the transaction over the phone. The number is (866) 287-3096.
Yearbooks will be distributed on the last day of school, Thursday, May 23, and students will have the opportunity to have their friends and classmates sign them at a signing party. If you have yearbook questions, you may email the yearbook advisor at cbentley@holyspiritprep.org.
Seniors receive a complimentary yearbook; you do not have to place an order for your 12th grade student.
For the second year in a row, the varsity boys are your GISA AAA swim state champions. We are incredibly proud of our student athletes and Coach Star Brackin for their outstanding achievements this season.
The team's win closely mirrored last year's victory, edging out 2nd place Augusta Prep by 8.5 points - a wider margin than last year's three points - and a 13.5 point lead over third-place finisher, Heritage.
"We worked really hard to get our bodies ready to compete," said 12th-grader and Head Boy Conner McKittrick. "We couldn't have done it without the whole team."
"It was a nice cap to our senior year," said Gavin Marshall. "It was hard to get up some mornings and practice in 20° weather. I am proud of the determination of my teammates."
Top Placements from the State Meet
Individual William Arnold: 2nd place in the 50 and 100 free; 3rd in the 100 fly
Relay Gavin Marshall, Jacob Wilhelm, Will Stinnett, William Arnold: 2nd place in 200 free Will Stinnett, Jackson Lehmann, William Arnold, Gavin Marshall: 3rd place in 200 medley Adam Marshall, Luke Oliver, Jacob Wilhelm, Conner McKittrick: 4th place in 200 medley
Last Wednesday, we celebrated our winter sports seniors at our last home basketball game of the regular season. We are so proud of all their hard work during the season, and we wish them luck as they start to plan for their future beyond HSP!
Varsity Swim Nolan Gibbs, Gavin Marshall, Luke Oliver, and Megan Turpin
Varsity Cheerleading Lily Cabrera, Emma Daly, Kaylea Foccia, Sarah Gunderson, Julia Morris, and Gabby Schultz
Varsity Basketball Girls: Analeena Hanson, Jonnise Poole, and Mimi Robinson Boys: Emeka Adibe, Anthony Edwards, Ibrahima Jarjou, Michaiah Jeremiah, Ahmir Langlais, CeDaniel Sumpter, and Miles Wallace
The deadline to register for Lower School spring soccer has been extended to Friday, February 8.
Register U6-U8 Pre-Academy Teams U10-12 Academy Teams
Updates for Spring U6-U8 teams will have a professional, British soccer coach for 30 minutes of each practice session working on skills and footwork. If you wish to be a parent coach, please reach out to Coach Sam.
Practices U10 and U12 teams' practice days and times will remain the same as the fall schedule.
Practices will start the week of February 18, and go through the end of April. Please read the registration page for more important dates. Registration will close February 1. Please sign up online before that Friday.
If you have any questions, please contact Director of Soccer Sam Walker at swalker@holyspiritprep.org.
The Pilgrim Queen of the Family’s Catholic tradition consists of a traveling image of Our Lady visiting one home at a time, so that families receive many blessings when they get together to pray, and multiplies the blessings towards the HSP community of faith! As we all know, there are many ways to pray and bring our hearts closer to Jesus.
How It Will Work There will be one Pilgrim Queen of the Family available to visit the families at the Preschool. Every other Wednesday at carpool, the Preschool friends led by Mrs. Clara will sing the “Immaculate Mary” song while the traveling Our Lady passes from the family being visited, to bless the following family who signed up, thus creating a community of faith and continuous prayer.
Last week, we challenged our Lower School students in their knowledge of Scripture, doctrine, and Church history at the Monsignor Dillon Trivia Bowl. Emil Sacco took 1st in the 6th-8th grade division, with Sarah John coming in 2nd; Olivia Casal took 1st in the 3rd-5th grade division, with Aaron Summers coming in 2nd.
The Pilgrim Queen of the Family's Catholic tradition consists of a traveling image of Our Lady visiting one home at a time, so that family receives many blessings when they get together to pray. As we all know, there are many ways to pray and bring our hearts closer to Jesus, and one of them is the Rosary. The image of Our Lady comes with a Rosary and a booklet that explains how to pray the Rosary, that have all been blessed at the Basilica of Guadalupe.
How It Will Work At the end of a school Rosary, the image of Our Lady will visit and bless a family, and after the following school Rosary, it will come back and visit a different family, thus creating a community of faith and continuous prayer. There are four Pilgrim Queens of the Family at HSP, so four families can be visited simultaneously.
The Lower School Store will be open for Valentine’s Day shopping! Kids can shop for Valentine goodies and school supplies. The store will be open during lunch and recess on the dates on below. Most items range from 10 cents to $5. So, send your kids with a few dollars or have them do chores and earn their spending cash – they love the experience of buying stuff on their own!
Congratulations to Megan Turpin, William Arnold, Sophia John, and Samantha Gregory who took 1st place at the GISA Region Literary Competition hosted at HSP, in Solo, Argumentative Essay, Spelling, and Piano, respectively.
Other top placements include Morgan Wright: 2nd place in Personal Essay Camila Del Bosque: 3rd place in International Extemporaneous Speaking Rosey Stagliano: 4th place in Impromptu Speaking Noah Weeks: 4th place in Rhetorical Essay
The Pilgrim Queen of the Family's Catholic tradition consists of a traveling image of Our Lady visiting one home at a time, so that family receives many blessings when they get together to pray. The image of Our Lady comes with a Rosary and a booklet that explains how to pray the Rosary, that have all been blessed at the site of the apparitions in the Basilica of Guadalupe.
How It Will Work At the end of the monthly Connections Rosary, the image of Our Lady will visit and bless a family, and after the following Connections Rosary, it will come back and visit a different family, thus creating a community of faith and continuous prayer. There are four Pilgrim Queens of the Family at HSP Upper School, so four families can be visited simultaneously.
We're proud to announce that Anna Neligan is this year's Logos Bowl champion! The Logos Bowl is an annual competition in theology, Scripture, and Church history, held during Catholic Schools Week.
After finishing as runner-up the past two years, Anna took 1st place against last year's champion Watson Casal in a nail-biting tiebreaker showdown. Way to go, Anna!