News & Events

We've had a great year in the St. Cecilia Private Music Lessons Department and many of you have asked about upcoming recitals. You are all invited and welcome to support our St. Cecilia and Overbrook students.

Piano Recital
Thursday, May 8th at 6:00
SCA Theatre

Suzuki Violin Recital
Sunday, May 11th at 2:00
210 Mayfair Rd 37205
Ms. Toni Ferguson's front lawn

Vocal Recital
Tuesday, May 13th at 7:00
SCA Alumnae Hall

SCA parents Denise and Alan Beaty along with members of their extended family were given the royal treatment by St. Cecilia’s sisters Saturday night at the White House.

The Beatys won the bid at this year’s auction for a dinner cooked by the sisters. They invited family members Bubba and Chris Donnelly, Rita Ann and Lex Holiman, Lolo Hobbs, Mary Lynn Donnelly, Karin Whitehead and Lisa Weiland to join them at the White House for a Mardi Gras-themed dinner, in keeping with the auction theme.

“It was fabulous,” Denise Beaty said. “We walked in the front door at the White House and they greeted us with Mardi Gras masks, beads and champagne.”

Sister Mary Andrew, O.P., was the chef for the evening. She cooked boiled shrimp, breaded eggplant and hush puppies for appetizers. For dinner, she started with gumbo, bread and salad. The main course featured crawfish etouffee and shrimp alfredo. Dessert was strawberry pie and coconut cake. Each course was served with a different wine.

“They waited on us hand and foot, and it was the best food I’ve ever had,” Mrs. Beaty said. “And all my family was there so that made it even more fun.”

Sister Mary Brigid played the violin for the group and Sister Cecilia Anne juggled. They along with Sister Mary Thomas, Sister Anna Laura, Sister Mary Albert, Sister Miriam, and Sister Mary Barbara also sang for the dinner party.

Forty-seven St. Cecilia Academy Spanish students were recognized recently for their performance on the National Spanish Exam designed by the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese.

SCA Spanish teachers Teddie Clark and Nora Jimenez announced the results of this year’s National Spanish Exam this week: Sophomore Amelia Simms was awarded the National Champion Gold for Spanish Level 2.

In addition freshmen Monika Weisman and Sarah Overby, and sophomore Sara Hornberger won silver medals for their performance on Level 2 of the exam. Level 2 bronze medals went to sophomore Ellie Vaughn; and honorable mention went to Morgan Gomez, Maemie Donnelly, Alexandra Brink, Vivian Roberson, Yujin Yeon, Natalie Goodrum, Brigid Wahl, Katelyn Miller, Elizabeth Henard and Sarah Grubbs.

In Spanish Level 1 silver medals went Catherine Brown and Claire Horrell while bronze medals went Maria Bonvissuto and Abby Bray; and honorable mention went to Jesse Shofner, Rachel Davis, Sarah Copeland, Lynn Ryan, Diana Barton, Caroline O’Rourke, Sara LaHaie, Bridget Jack, Sadie Varley, Lauren Harness, Sarah Babb and Natasha Thompson.

In Spanish Level 3, Elizabeth Dedman won a state-wide gold medal while Kendhl Witt, earned a bronze. Honorable mention went to: Gabriela Diaz, Emily Edwards, Hadiya Housepian, Abigail Morrison, Eliza Nagle, Mary Rose Smith, Emily Shepherd, Anne Hamilton, and Catharine Baird.

In Level 4, Reed Richardson earned a gold medal while Angela Suico and Elizabeth Leftwich earned silver and Andrea Wheatley earned bronze for their performance on the test. Honorable mention went to Savannah Keef & Leah Moran.

Senior Kate Sumislawski earned honorable mention on the Level 5 exam.

The National Spanish Examination is an online, standardized assessment tool given voluntarily by more 3,000 teachers throughout the United States to measure proficiency and achievement of students who are studying Spanish as a second language.

The mission of the National Spanish Examination is to recognize student achievement and to promote language proficiency in the study of the Spanish. It is designed and distributed by the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese.

Last Wednesday and Thursday students who applied to be on the SCA Ambassador Board were interviewed by seven faculty and staff members during their lunch time. Close to 70 applications were received for the board this year.

Girls were asked to fill out an application with an essay and then had an interview. After the interviews, Dr. Collins said, “What a delightful group of young women!” Mrs. Esteves-Moore said, “I could really use these wonderful essays in our print material. Their words are fantastic and say it all.”

All students went through the same process, even those who have already served as ambassadors in the past. The candidates ability to articulate, extra-curricular activities, attendance and participation in the past, and academic standing all went into the selection of the board.

The current Ambassadors, including seniors, voted on the officers for next year and they are: Gaby Diaz, president; Ragan Todd, vice president; Hadiya Housepian, corresponding secretary; Hannah Swanson, event coordinator; and Kathryn Davis, secretary.

“We are so proud of every girl that applied,” said Mrs. Bader. “The reality is that not everyone can serve this year, and I hope that every girl applies again next year, when there will be another round of interviews. So many girls love this school and their teachers, and we want them to tell their story.”

For the third year Amanda Dillingham of Watkins College of Art and Design adjudicated SCA’s Arts Parts exhibit. The following art students were recognized:
In the category of painting:
•Anna Marchetti, Avery Bond, Francesca Napolitano, Kathryn Davis, and Jessica Volz
In the category of ceramic sculpture:
•Ann Quigley, Johanna Gerbic, and Ann Quigley
In the category of photography:
•Anna Kate Read, Caroline Johnston, Elizabeth Geny, Anna Claire Hoffman, Leah Neely, and Rachel Foley
In the category of mixed media:
•Ann Quigley, Anna Marchetti, Avery Bond, and Susan Beavin
In the category of drawing:
•Anna Marchetti, Fran Levy, Jessica Volz, Paige Herring
In the category of print making:
•Anna Marchetti
The Student Collection Award went to Anna Marchetti for her mixed media drawing, "Alfred."
The Sister Janet Marie Award went to Caroline Johnston, for David Hockney Piece, "Park."

Two SCA students — sophomore Marissa Bulso and freshman Monika Weisman — competed in the Davidson Chapter of the Right to Life Oratory Contest held at Aquinas College on the evening of April 10.

They both spoke about the problem of abortion, although other students presented on stem cell research and infanticide. Marissa Bulso took first place and Monika Weisman took second. Both students received prize money from the chapter as well as a scholarship from Aquinas College.

Senior Emily Fredericksen represented SCA last week at the annual Tennessee Music Educators Conference in Nashville, singing in the All-State Women's Choir at a performance at Schermerhorn Symphony Center.

Emily auditioned for this coveted place in the choir back in September and earned the distinction of placing first in her voice part in the state of Tennessee. Emily then passed a second screening audition in February, testing her knowledge of the demanding music she learned for the All-State Choir.

This culminated in a three-day, intensive rehearsal schedule with the choir last week and a stunning performance by the choir.

St. Cecilia Academy’s school colors remain red and white, but the school is going green.

The freshman class, which will be the school’s 150th graduating class in 2011, has decided to begin a school wide recycling program as its class service project. The class will kick off the project on April 22, Earth Day.

The class wrote a mission statement and submitted it to the school administration along with the plans for the project. “By reducing our waste, we can decrease landfills, therefore beautifying God’s creation and saving our environment. It is time to expand our horizons and make a change,” it stated.

The girls will begin by collecting and recycling paper, plastic, aluminum cans and tabs (which they will donate to Ronald McDonald House) and glass. They also plan to add cardboard soon. Metro Nashville has added SCA to its recycling pick up route and donated free bins to the school.

Appropriately enough on St. Patrick’s Day, green signs began appearing around campus as the class started to spread the news about the program. On Earth Day, it will formally begin with a tree planting ceremony after school. Everyone at the ceremony will receive free flower seed packets donated by the Metro Beautification program.

St. Cecilia’s administrators endorsed the freshman project saying, “We are all called to be good stewards of God’s creation and this project helps make us better stewards.”

St. Cecilia Academy has become an official member of the Metro Davidson County’s Ring Around the School program. It is part of The Great American Cleanup, the nation's largest organized cleanup. Many groups from all over Nashville participate by picking up road-side litter and recyclables in their neighborhoods, around their schools or on their adopted streets.

“This class has such initiative and drive,” said Sister Mary Barbara, O.P., a freshman class sponsor. “They want to get this done and it’s inspiring to watch them work so hard to accomplish their goal.”

Freshman Taylor Hastings came up with the initial idea of starting a recycling program at school. “We’ve been recycling at my house for a long time and I’ve been watching all the coverage about global warming, so I thought about bringing the idea to school,” the 15-year-old Brentwood resident said. “It’s really exciting because I didn’t think it would get this big. I hope eventually, over the years, the school will go entirely green and do things like use only natural resources and get rid of the Styrofoam in the cafeteria.”

The SCA Goes Green kickoff is set for 3:10 p.m. Tuesday, April 22.

The SCA Advanced Choir performed at the ACDA State Choral Festival state festival last week and came home with great results. The choir received an “A” and all-superior ratings from the judges.

“I was so proud of them,” said Choir Director Jeanette MacCallum.

The choir placed second in the women’s choir division in the state of Tennessee. This is the 17th straight year that the choir has received all superior ratings.

Reminder to anyone wanting to compete in athletics next year - each athlete is required to having a physical every year. The physical must take place after May 1, 2008, in order to be eligible for use during the 2008-2009 school year.

Baptist Sports Medicine is providing two opportunities for our athletes to get their sports physicals. On May 2, physicals will be offered at David Lipscomb High School at 6:00 p.m., and on May 8 they will be offered at Hillsboro High School at 6:00 p.m.

The cost for these physicals is $10 and the physical form can be downloaded off of the school Web You can click on the link below to go directly form: http://www.stcecilia.edu/athletics/forms.php

The SCA Youth Legislature team won several awards at this year’s conference. Sophomores Nicki Theobald and Annie Shepherd received best appellant brief in the novice division of the Supreme Court. Freshman Cate Hargrove and sophomore Anna Givens won both best appelee brief in the novice division and most outstanding novice attorneys in the Supreme Court.

This year’s representatives and senators also did a fantastic job. Two bills made their way successfully through both the House and Senate. Sophomores Caliopi Anderson, Marissa Bulso and Claire Horrell were chosen to present their bill before the governor’s cabinet.