| Saber News |
Hugs, smiles, and jumps for joy filled the halls of St. Gabriel’s for the first day of the school year. New and returning students alike were thrilled to be on campus to meet their teachers, make new friends, and see the classmates they missed so dearly over the summer.The excitement accumulated in the gym first thing in the morning, as the entire community came together for the first all-school Morning 
Prayer service of the year. Students in Pre-kindergarten through eighth grade gathered with teachers, staff, and family to watch a beautiful video about treating the earth and all things on it with respect. Then it was time for prayer, singing, and even dancing!
Prayer service of the year. Students in Pre-kindergarten through eighth grade gathered with teachers, staff, and family to watch a beautiful video about treating the earth and all things on it with respect. Then it was time for prayer, singing, and even dancing!It was a wonderful day to start not only the day off right but the 2010-2011 school year as well. With such enthusiasm from 4-year-olds to 60-year-olds, it’s bound to be a fruitful time for the St. Gabriel’s community to continue to love, learn, serve, and lead.
Bridget Boushka ('09) Gives Back to the Austin Community
Since the first year St. Gabriel's opened, students have prepared hundreds of meals each month for Caritas of Austin. GivingCity Austin reported that Bridget Boushka ('09), now going into her sophomore year at St. Michael's, has carried this service with her and even made it her own. She began collecting items for Caritas, totalling 542 pounds worth of goods her first year. Two years later, she nearly quadrupled that collection with items weighing in at 2,029 pounds! What an inspiration to the young students of St. Gabriel's and the entire Austin community as a whole.
Click here to read the whole story.
St. Gabriel’s named one of best places to work in Central Texas
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| “I have found the children, parents and teachers an extension of my own family. The community that I feel here is a cornerstone of my life.” Ellen Mika, Language Resources Teacher |
Passion, community and laughter are three of the many ingredients that make St. Gabriel’s Catholic School such a special place. Fostering these facets among families, friends, faculty and staff lead the school to be named one of Central Texas’ Best Places to Work by the Austin Business Journal.
In order to qualify for this honor, a company must first be nominated, and then a 37-question survey is sent out to all employees. The survey focuses on team effectiveness, retention risk, alignment with goals, trust with coworkers, individual contribution, manager effectiveness, trust in senior leaders, feeling valued, satisfaction with current role, and people practices. Scoring high across the board, St. Gabriel’s landed a spot among the top 20 medium-sized companies in the area.
“Becoming a winner in this contest is not easy,” stated Lyn Chasteen, Publisher for the Austin Business Journal. “It’s each company’s employees who decide a nominated company’s fate – and as many us know, our employees and co-workers are often our toughest critics.”
Fortunately for St. Gabriel’s, uplifting comments like that of fourth grade teacher, Jill Hall, are common. She said, “Many of our family and faculty members feel like we were ‘called’ to St. Gabriel’s. I count myself among that group, and I am humbled and grateful for every second I spend in membership with this community."
The best part of this recognition is knowing that because the St. Gabriel’s faculty and staff adore what they do, the love, commitment, and joy is shared with the students every day.
Alumnus Named One of "Five Kids Who Care" Winners
Watch the video below to see how Brody Roush, Class of 2009, makes other kids' baseball dreams realities!
5th Grade Student Wins Golf Tournament
The tournament was on Saturday, May 8th for 7/8th graders and on Monday, May 10 for 5/6 graders. Reese Ramsey shot a 32, and won first place among 53 golfers in the 5/6 grade.
Reese is an 11-year-old, nationally ranked junior golfer from Austin, TX. He plays in junior golf events all over Texas including the Texas Legends, Texas Jr. Golf Tour, and the US Kids Golf Tour. He will be traveling to Pinehurst, North Carolina in August to compete in his 5th US Kids World Championship. He is active in the Austin Country Club junior golf program and his coach is Ann Marie Gildersleeve.
Both the 5/6 and 7/8 grade boys' golf teams placed 4th.
St. Gabriel’s Middle School Students Receive High National Latin Exam Honors
More than 149,000 Latin students from all fifty states participated in the 2010 ACL/NJCL National Latin Exam year, as did students from thirteen foreign countries. Student from St. Gabriel’s Catholic School excelled at the exam, which included categories such as grammar, comprehension, mythology, life, history, derivatives, and questions based on a short passage in Latin.
Seventh grade students took the Introduction to Latin exam, after which Cameron Pepe and Katie Walker received Certificates of Achievement, and Meg Biederman was awarded a Certificate of Outstanding Achievement.
Eighth grade students took the Latin I exam, and Forrest Dunlap, Claire Soules, and Chandler Diedrich received Cum Laude Certificates. Kendra Schafer was awarded a Magna Cum Laude Certificate, and Frankie Chen, Catherine Moore, and Olivia Hindera received Maxima Cum Laude Certificates and silver medals. Patrick Shea earned a Summa Cum Laude Certificate and a gold medal.
Congratulations to all participants for doing such an amazing job!
Standing Room Only as Lower School Students Peform Peter Pan the Musical
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It was said time and time again by members of the audience, “This is the best Spring Musical yet!” Students of St. Gabriel’s Catholic School in grades Pre-kindergarten through fifth wowed friends and family with their beautiful singing voices, convincing acting skills, synchronized choreography, and much more during their performance of Peter Pan the Musical!It was evident that several months of practice paid off as they first performed in front of their parents and then put on a final performance for Grandparents and Special Friends Day. The children seemed so comfortable onstage, even throwing in entertaining elements of improvisation! Fifth grader, Avery Lewis, was spot-on as Peter Pan, and the audience was delighted to see his shadow played by the Head of School, Steve Balak.
The musical pieces ranged from comical, “Never Smile at a Crocodile,” to sentimental, “Your Mother and Mine.” The precious pre-kindergarteners dressed as shiny gold stars and sang, “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,” while the first and third graders sang about not growing mustaches during, “I Won’t Grow Up.” Each song, whether performed as a solo or as a group, had the packed crowd captivated.
It would not have been possible without the tireless efforts of many volunteers. Penny Gabrielsen, Music Director at St. Gabriel’s, said, “The community at this school is such a blessing. Family, friends, faculty and staff all came together to make Peter Pan a success, and it was tremendous! I am so proud of the dedication and spirit of our students.”
Generosity makes technology dreams a reality for teachers at St. Gabriel's
Cheers, applause, and even tears filled the room as 19 teachers at St. Gabriel’s Catholic School learned they would be the recipients of brand new Thinkpad laptops. Even though the holidays have come and gone, the spirit of generosity is still alive in parents Brian and Joanne Senn and in IBM.The Senns decided to make a contribution to St. Gabriel’s through IBM’s K-12 matching grant program that was in place at the time. "It was wonderful to be able to support the St Gabriel's teachers and to be able to increase the value of my gift thanks to IBM and their matching gifts programs targeted to improve local communities,” Brian said.
Technology is incorporated into every aspect of the academic program at St. Gabriel's, from mobile laptop carts and a computer lab at the lower school level to Austin’s only one-to-one tablet program at the middle school level. St. Gabriel's believes in making technology available to all students, so being able to refresh this aspect for those who teach them is a treasure.Brian went on to say, “It reminds me that as IBM helps to create ‘A Smarter Planet,’ they support it at home in my community by helping to develop the leaders of the future."
Julia Bolz shares “Journey with an Afghan School” with St. Gabriel’s students
How would your life be different without running water? What about without electricity? These questions were posed to students at St. Gabriel’s Catholic School, and it was evident after even just a few answers that life would be vastly different.Such cultural differences were highlight even before students entered the room. They were instructed to take off their shoes and to have the boys lead the line as they walked inside. Julia Bolz, founder of “Journey with an Afghan School,” welcomed them as though they were in her Afghan home, and she asked that the boys and girls sit on opposite sides of the classroom. They were not to be seated at their desks but rather on the floor, Afghan style. This meant that they had to either sit with their legs crossed or with their feet behind them, and they were asked why it was inappropriate to sit with their legs straight out in Afghanistan. “Because your feet might be dirty,” one student offered, followed by another, “Because you will take up too much space when there is little room.” Bolz said that the answer is simple: because your feet stink!
While such an explanation caused some giggling, it soon became apparent that this other way of life was no laughing matter. Bolz shared with them a challenge faced by so many children on the other side of the globe: how to transport water over a great distance to one’s family for bathing, cooking, cleaning, and more. She came prepared with two buckets of water and asked that a couple of students pick them up to demonstrate how this is done. After asking the crowd how the delivery might be achieved, she carefully placed the buckets on top of the students’ heads. It was clear that it was difficult to balance them so high, and after requesting that they try to take a few steps, you could tell that it became exponentially harder.
Bolz’ presentation went beyond the difficulties and into other parts of the culture as well. Supported by beautiful photographs and incredible tangible objects, the students learned about the geography of the area, clothing, transportation, education, and much more. Because the hierarchy of a family in Afghanistan is adult male, child male, adult female, and child female, it was the boys of the classroom who first had the unique opportunity to try on some of the clothing she brought back with her. She taught them that each hat they tried on carried a different meaning, including where the wearer might live, his level of wealth, the occasion for which he was wearing the hat, and so on.
The girls were next, and they oohed and aahed at the lovely head scarves and the beautiful golden headpiece they wore. Silence then befell the room when the teachers tried on the burqas, which are garments that cloak the entire woman’s body, including the face. Based on the teachers’ short experience as well as Bolz’ accounts, the students learned that it is both challenging and dangerous for women in Afghanistan to wear these coverings.
It is aspects such as this that are important to Bolz, as she is a social justice advocate. She founded the Journey with an Afghan School program after the events of 9/11 to help bridge the cultural divide between the U.S. and Afghanistan, particularly by increasing educational opportunities. By raising
funds from communities across the country, their efforts have lead to building, supplying, repairing, and equipping schools that serve over 25,000 Afghan students.
Bolz informed the students that she hopes they are able to help with this project, which is in great need for things even as simple as pens. She was delighted to learn that they made cards for her to take back with her, and she said that the Afghan students would be so happy. To learn more about the Journey with an Afghan School program, visit ww.aynieducation.com.
Students Honored at the Diocesan Leadership and Service Mass
Five students were recognized and honored at the Diocesan Leadership and Service Mass. The Diocese of Austin hosts an annual Mass recognizing five students (7th or 8th grade) from each of the Austin Area Catholic School's that exhibit excellence in leadership and service. It is a pleasure and honor to congratulate the following recipients from St. Gabriel's Catholic School; Patrick Shea, Catherine Moore, Chandler Diedrich, Shannon Bass and Caroline Symcox.
St. Gabriel's had eight students that participated this past weekend in the Texas Private School Music Educators Association Elementary Honor Choir Festival. They joined forces with students from five other private schools in the area, including Hyde Park Baptist, Northland Christian (Houston) Regents School of Austin, Round Rock Christian Academy and Saint Paul Lutheran School.
Representing our school singing soprano were Kassandra Doering, Roxana Kappmeyer and Riley Schafer. Students singing alto were Chase Cochrane, Avery Lewis, Jacob Leonard, Ethan Rogers and James Suffoletta.
These students rehearsed in their assigned sections on Friday afternoon for a total of 3 hours and then joined together with the other voice parts on Saturday for more rehearsals and then presented an afternoon concert for their friends and family.
The students performed eight pieces that included works by composers such as Mendelssohn, Stephen Hatfield and an Austin composer, Joseph Martin. Selections learned included Latin, Hebrew and Spanish texts. The literature was challenging and our talented students showed great focus, a strong work ethic and dedication throughout the weekend.
Penny Gabrielsen was the Clinician for the event and the choir was accompanied by organist, David Angerman, and pianist Karen Adams.
Congratulations and thanks to Penny Gabrielsen and all the students for their work!
Beautiful Voices Resound in the Texas Honor Choir
St. Gabriel's had eight students that participated this past weekend in the Texas Private School Music Educators Association Elementary Honor Choir Festival. They joined forces with students from five other private schools in the area, including Hyde Park Baptist, Northland Christian (Houston) Regents School of Austin, Round Rock Christian Academy and Saint Paul Lutheran School.
Representing our school singing soprano were Kassandra Doering, Roxana Kappmeyer and Riley Schafer. Students singing alto were Chase Cochrane, Avery Lewis, Jacob Leonard, Ethan Rogers and James Suffoletta.
These students rehearsed in their assigned sections on Friday afternoon for a total of 3 hours and then joined together with the other voice parts on Saturday for more rehearsals and then presented an afternoon concert for their friends and family.
The students performed eight pieces that included works by composers such as Mendelssohn, Stephen Hatfield and an Austin composer, Joseph Martin. Selections learned included Latin, Hebrew and Spanish texts. The literature was challenging and our talented students showed great focus, a strong work ethic and dedication throughout the weekend.
Penny Gabrielsen was the Clinician for the event and the choir was accompanied by organist, David Angerman, and pianist Karen Adams.
Congratulations and thanks to Penny Gabrielsen and all the students for their work!
St. Gabriel’s students meet Governor Perry and give the gift of water to Haiti
For 37 years, Catholic Schools Week has been celebrated across the country, and this year, it was officially proclaimed by Governor Rick Perry. Five St. Gabriel’s Catholic School Students, ranging from Pre-Kindergarten through eighth grade, were fortunate enough to visit the Capitol to be part of such a momentous event. They joined five other students from local Catholic schools as the Governor signed a document that stated, “In the Lone Star State, parents have options when choosing the most appropriate educational setting for their children, and Catholic Schools have long been an important one of those options. Together with parents, Catholic schools work to instill intellectual, spiritual, moral, physical and social values into our next generation of leaders…With strength, perseverance and deep faith, Catholic schools continue to make a positive difference. Therefore, I, Rick Perry, Governor of Texas, do hereby proclaim January 31-February 6, 2010 Catholic Schools Week in Texas, and urge the appropriate recognition whereof.”
It was an unforgettable experience for all of the students, and it was a motivational start to such a valuable week. One of the ways in which the students of St. Gabriel’s celebrated Catholic Schools Week was by reinforcing the pillar of service. They participated in the Children’s Water for Life Initiative by collecting money for water purification packets for Haiti. Each 10-cent donation purchased one purification packet, and at the end of only one week, they contributed enough money to purify 173,100 liters of clean drinking water!
Beth Balsam, Director of Religious Education at St. Gabriel’s, was so touched by the many uplifting stories she heard and witnessed. “One student donated money she had been saving to buy a doll, while another raised money by selling homemade valentines in her neighborhood. When one young student was concerned about his $1.07 donation because he was afraid the seven cents would not count, another student stepped up to give him three cents to round out the donation.”
Mrs. Balsam was pleasantly surprised to learn that the project was so inspirational to the community that the Student Council decided to contribute the proceeds from their next fundraiser to the Children’s Water for Life Initiative as well. It was such a wonder way to end such a wonderful week.
St. Gabriel’s gala, Cirque de la Lune: an evening of wonderment
If you took the traditional gala ingredients and shook them up, you would have “Cirque de la Lune,” St. Gabriel’s Catholic School’s 11th annual gala. Held at the Four Seasons, it was a night of culinary ingenuity, incredible feats of human beauty and strength, easy conversation, and a keen focus on the importance of the St. Gabriel’s community.
Guests were welcomed with a traditional circus treat that was taken up a notch: truffle popcorn. Giving things a twist was a common theme that evening, including an impressive floor acrobatic performance by Blue Lapis Light during the silent auction. Blue Lapis Light is a multi-media, site-specific dance company, and Nicole Whiteside and Jason Brown had attendees oohing and aahing by their effortless display of balance, agility, and power.
The wonderment continued with a delicious menu, including a red oak leaf and friseé salad, mini fruit sorbet cone intermezzo, and braised boneless shortribs with creamy polenta. In addition to an array of savory desserts, guests enjoyed another after-dinner treat of a different sort. Four performers from Blue Lapis Light took to the ceiling, and performed an aerial dance right in the ballroom. Everyone watched in wonderment as they gracefully danced by supporting themselves mid-air using merely a long piece of fabric.
The act left the audience wanting more, which was an opportunity given by the first live auction item. A fabulous trip to Las Vegas was offered, and it included tickets to see a Cirque du Soleil show of the winner’s choice. At least for that evening, the fun continued at the hotel’s stunning restaurant, TRIO. Guests danced the night away, with praise such as, “It was all so beautiful, fresh, and interesting. The food, service, and show were excellent. I thought it was flawless and wonderful.”
The magic would not have been possible without the selfless group of volunteers who helped to coordinate the event. The committee was chaired by Lesya Milam, and included Cheri Holmberg (Decor and Theme Development), Danette Koebele (Auction Chair), Eileen Beckmann, Nancy Brown, Kimberly Casey, Dawna Cekuta, Kim Christman, Jackie Curtin, Kelly Dehner, Louise deJong, Jill Desilets, Dancy Flores, Ashley Fuller, Christa Highlander, Michelle Kangas, Roxanna Kappmeyer, Cynthia Keas, Laura Keyes, Karen Kish, Elle Lacour, Lisa Nosek, Kara Pepe, Staci Peterson, Annie Pierce, Susan Rampick, Misa Rojo, Melissa Takamatsu, Christine vonRoemer, and Barb Wood.
Proceeds from the event will support St. Gabriel’s Catholic School, which provides tuition assistance, high-quality academic programming, spiritual formation, service learning, award-winning programs in technology, science, and language, as well as enriching art, music, and drama programs.
Sixth Grade Student, James Suffoletta, Wins School-Wide Geography Bee
Do you know which Mediterranean country, located at the southern end of the Balkan Peninsula, is Europe's largest exporter of cotton? James Suffoletta, a sixth grader at St. Gabriel’s Catholic School, knew that the answer was Greece, and it earned him the opportunity to try to advance to the state-level National Geographic Bee.In order to make it to the school finals, students first had to compete at the classroom level. More than 150 students in fifth grade through eighth grade tested their geographical knowledge to earn a place in one of the top ten spots. James Suffoletta, Sara Loughran, Pablo Thiel, Mackenzie Schafer, Kathleen Shea, Evan Gabrielson, Matthew Lawyer, Daniela Alvarez, Clayton Schroeder, and Caroline Symcox were the 10 who advanced to the St. Gabriel’s school-wide competition.
It was a challenging event, which included other questions such as, “After the United States and France, which island country generates the most power from nuclear energy?” and “Which Gulf Coast state that is a leading producer of rice has the Mississippi River running along most of its eastern border?” The answers were Japan and Louisiana, respectively, and after double eliminations for the other contenders, it came down to James and seventh grader Caroline Symcox. James earned first place and took a 70-question test that was sent to the National Geographic Society. He is awaiting the scoring to determine if he will advance to the state competition in April, and the St. Gabriel’s community is so proud of everyone who participated!
The St. Gabriel’s Robotics Team Earns First Place in Robotics Competitions
The St. Gabriel’s Saber Robotics team participated in the Central Texas FLL (First Lego League) Qualifier at the beginning of December at Westwood High School. There were 24 teams competing with the hopes of qualifying for the State FLL Championship. Eighth graders Patrick Shea, Olivia Hindera, Forrest Dunlap, and 7th graders Pete Chronis, Ethan Phillips, and Cameron Pepe collaborated to earn a trip to this year's state championship.
They placed third in Robot Performance and had exemplary ratings in the other three areas of competition: Research, Design/Programming, and Teamwork. This earned them the coveted 1st place Champion's Award and the opportunity to join 59 other teams out of the original 190 Texas teams to compete for the State Championship on December 12th.
They placed third in Robot Performance and had exemplary ratings in the other three areas of competition: Research, Design/Programming, and Teamwork. This earned them the coveted 1st place Champion's Award and the opportunity to join 59 other teams out of the original 190 Texas teams to compete for the State Championship on December 12th.
St. Gabriel’s Students Plant 5,262 Flags to Honor Fallen Veterans
As the sound of Taps resounded, hundreds of those present for the St. Gabriel’s Catholic School Veterans Day ceremony fell silent. What followed was unforgettable.
Twenty-eight flags were planted in front of the school among a sea of 5,234 others. Fourteen of the 28 represented those from Austin who have died during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. Thirteen more stood for those who recently passed in Fort Hood, as well as one for Pfc. Francheska Velez’ unborn child. The other 5,234 were planted for those outside of Austin who have fallen in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
During the days preceding the ceremony, students were educated about the importance of our veterans’ services. In-depth discussions were held about freedoms and sacrifice so that when each member of the community planted their flags, they understood the weight of what each one represented.
Vance Perkins, a seventh grade student, said, “"When I see all the flags, it really just reminds me of the courage people have to give up their lives for others. I put up about 20, and it's sad knowing that each one represents someone who's died for us."
It was a day that Vance and all of those present will remember forever.
| Click on the play button to watch coverage by Fox 7 News | Click on the image above to see a compilation of the planting of the flags, prayer, music, and our Veterans Day ceremony. |
Author of the Fairy Godmother Academy to Visit St. Gabriel’s for Austin Event
St. Gabriel’s Catholic School is pleased to welcome Jan Bozarth, author of the Fairy Godmother AcademyTM, for an exciting community event. Guests will enjoy a presentation and book signing, followed by a hands-on craft activity to create personalized "Dream Book" pages, a chance to sing in the "Million Girl Choir," and a virtual tour of the exciting new Fairy Godmother AcademyTM website.
The Fairy Godmother AcademyTM is a world that begins with a classic adventure story filled with danger and magic, centering on a contemporary girl. From the story, the reader can continue her experience online with a website designed to inspire creativity, imagination, and community. Complete with online and real life challenges, fun games, interactive fashion wardrobes, inspirational Wisdoms, a recording studio, original music by top pop-song writers, a protective social network, and much more, this multiplatform property has all the glitz that will attract preteens, while providing a safe, positive, and inspirational environment, parents and educators will appreciate.
The Fairy Godmother AcademyTM can be described as, “Not just a story, but a way of being. Not just a website, but a dream space. Not just an academy, but a way of knowing. Not just entertainment, but inspiration.”
The event is free and open to the public, and it will take place on Saturday, October 24, 2009 from 10:00 am to 12 noon. St. Gabriel’s Catholic School is located at 2500 Wimberly Lane, Austin, TX 78735. For more information or to RSVP, please visit www.sgs-austin.org, or contact Erika Allen-Walsh (512-600-6460 or erika.allen-walsh@sgs-austin.org).
Homecoming Celebrates 10th Anniversary
The sound of children laughing, the smell of the Saber Dads grilling, and the feel of the first signs of autumn all contributed to a spectacular Homecoming celebration for St. Gabriel’s Catholic School. Hundreds of current students, parents, faculty, staff, and alumni from the past 10 years joined together for the pre-game festivities and the football match-up between the St. Gabriel’s Sabers and the Hyde Park Panthers.
A few highlights from the carnival included giant inflatable slides, a thrilling obstacle course, and face-painting galore. Unlimited access to those fun stations paired with bleachers full of Saber fans made for an atmosphere that was one of both pure excitement and strong community.
One St. Gabriel’s parent exclaimed, “The carnival was the best ever, and everything about it was perfect. I loved that the middle school kids helped - they were so sweet. It was just great, and I could go on and on.”
The celebration would not have been possible without parent volunteers and middle school students all generously giving of their time. It is tremendous support such as this that contributed to St. Gabriel’s achieving 10 years of virtue, excellence and leadership!
