1. education
2. school

VOLUME 18, ISSUE 4
MAY 2015
First Holy Communion
May 2, 2015
FROM THE PRINCIPAL...
Dear Parents,
Thank you for another great year here at St. Vincent de Paul. Your support
has contributed to many improvements for the coming school year. We are
strengthening our science, technology, engineering, and math programs
commonly known as STEM. The introduction of a more hands–on science
curriculum will allow all grades PK-8 to create, observe and analyze science experiments they develop. Technology improved with the addition of
brand new computers in the computer lab and a continuation of the one-toone Chrome books in middle school. Our Global Inventors program will
add engineering in the form of student-built robots. Our math program will
include new textbooks in middle school, team teaching in middle shool to
address different learning styles as well as continued use of adaptive technology which has proven to strengthen math performance throughout the
grade levels.
which
has
done
so
much
to
enrich
the
educational
experience of all our students and make this a great place to work for our
teachers. The Dad’s Club has been extremely generous this year.
Our Dad’s Club, under the leadership of Mr. Ralph Sepe and Mr. Carl Iverson improved our computer lab and added to our Adopt A Student fund
which assists our school families in times of need. They generously contributed to our sister school St. Peter the Apostle as well as the Cardinal’s
Circle which supports inner city Catholic schools.
The community of St. Vincent de Paul is one of our greatest strengths. I
am very proud of that. It is often one of the primary reasons families want
to come here and stay 9 or 10 years. It is also why our waiting list continues to grow. This strong community, in one of the largest cities in this
country,
along
with
the
spiritual
development
of
our
students and our school’s strong emphasis on academic excellence is something of which we are all
proud.
In addition, we will be using Writers in the Schools to train our
teachers, provide a new elective in middle school and provide a
summer writing camp for grades 1-8. We are adopting a new music curriculum and expanding the music program to add new instruments for our
younger students. These new improvements will certainly add to the overall quality of our school. The 2015-2016 school year is shaping up to be an I wish all of you a healthy and safe summer.
exciting one for all of us here at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School.
Yours in Christ,
I want to especially thank Mrs. Teresa Bogatto and the amazing PTO for all
Carolyn Sears, M.Ed.
their hard work and dedication to our school. It is truly an amazing group
SVdP is bidding a fond farewell to a few beloved teachers at the end of this school year.
Nina Maxwell
Tammy Ducote
Mrs. Ducote and her family are leaving Houston and moving near her
childhood home in southeast Texas. After earning her undergraduate
degree from Texas A&M and masters degree from the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln, her first career was in the food processing industry as
a quality assurance director. After Mrs. Ducote got married and started
her family, she joined SVdP as a middle school science and math teacher, where she developed her tremendous teaching ability over fifteen
years. She is thankful to Mrs. Sears for giving her this first teaching
position. Her family has grown in the SVdP community, where her
children received their sacraments and are members of SVdP Parish. Mrs. Ducote will miss Msgr. Bill’s passion for Catholic education
and his homilies. She has loved working with her middle school colleagues and will miss the supportive parents and awesome children entrusted to her. She will be missed by all who value her teaching.
ability and high level of professionalism.
Mrs. Maxwell is expecting her second baby this summer. She will be staying home to care for her baby girl and son Austin. Long before joining the
faculty, Mrs. Maxwell attended SVdP as a student in elementary school and
middle school. She earned her undergraduate degree from Texas A&M
University Corpus Christi and graduate degree from Grand Canyon University. Mrs. Maxwell returned to SVdP to teach PK for four years and she
taught kindergarten this past school year. She feels like SVdP is her home
because she received all her sacraments at the church and loved watching
her students do the same. She will miss the caring and supportive staff and
parents. She will also miss watching her students learn. One of her favorite
things about teaching was helping her students become lifelong readers. She
is very excited to transition to being a stay-at-home mom and asks for us to
pray for her while she makes this change.
Joey Mann
Mrs. Mann first came to St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School in 1990, when her daughter began her
academic career as a SVdP Tiger. She has taught
third grade ever since, instilling her infectious
love of reading in many of her students. Her love
for all things “third grade” has made Mrs. Mann
popular with and beloved by the students, parents,
and faculty of SVdP for 25 amazing years. Mrs.
Mann received the “2015 Legacy of Excellence
Award” and was honored at the SVdP PTO Style
Show and Luncheon on May 3rd.
Melissa Pruet-Collins
Mrs. Pruet-Collins is expecting her second baby this summer. She will be staying home to take care of the new baby and daughter Bradley. Before joining the
SVdP family, she earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees from
LSU. She taught second grade in New Orleans and then moved to Houston to
complete an internship at Texas Children’s Hospital and become a Certified
Child Life Specialist. She has been at SVdP for seven years - two in first grade
and five in PK. She loves the familial environment of the school. Mrs. PruetCollins also loves her students and the joy of watching them learn something
new or do things they did not think they could. Although she is very excited to
stay at home with her girls next year, she will miss SVdP and plans to return to
teaching when her girls are a little older.
We wish all of them the best of luck in their future endeavors, and we pray for them as they embark upon their new adventures.
PAGE 2
FROM THE PTO PRESIDENT...
It is hard to believe that summer is here, and that this is my last letter to
you as PTO President.
It has been an outstanding year for
everyone in the St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School community, and for
our PTO.
Springtime has been busy, as always, and I hope everyone has enjoyed the
following PTO-sponsored/organized events. Many thanks to the following
PTO Directors, their committee members, and countless volunteers for
bringing these events and services to life:
Style Show & Luncheon: “No Place I’d Rather Be” celebrated the graduating Class of 2015, and honored Joey Mann with the “2015 Legacy of
Excellence Award.” It was a fabulous event, and Mrs. Mann’s heartfelt
speech
was
superb.
Thank
you
to
Style
Show
Directors Donna McClure, Monica Smith, and Maureen Swanson for this
beautiful send-off for our 8th grade students and their families.
Spring Musical: Per for ming Ar ts Dir ector s Rachel Bush and
Olguita Santiago Rodriguez, and the Spring Musical Steering
Committee supported Preston Smith, Carol Vacca, Devyn Warner, Katrina
Van Maanen, and Angelita Rozier as they organized “The Golden Age of
Musicals.” It was a marvelous show, showcasing the incredible talent of
its student performers. Well done!
Dr. Brian Goonan’s “Raising Authentically Successful Children” and
PTO’s Getting to Know Middle School and Getting to Know Standardized
Testing: Sheila Ber r gr en, in her r ole as PTO Secr etar y, wor ked with
school leadership to organize these events, which provided very helpful
information. We are so fortunate to have a school that provides educational resources for parents, as well as students!
Teacher Appreciation Week: Hospitality dir ector s Kar i Clay & Lor i
Etlinger planned and hosted the many activities to honor and show our
appreciation for our wonderful SVdP faculty. I appreciate all of their efforts.
Tiger Pride Days: Thank you to Enr ichment Dir ector s Lisa Gasper
and Maria Jose Redondo Nieto for the treats they organized to show our
children how special they are & how special it is to be a SVdP Tiger!
Secondly, I would like to take this opportunity to recognize and thank the
following PTO Board Members, their committees, and volunteers for their
diligent work behind the scenes on behalf of our school:
Party Packs: Dir ector s Faith Sepe and Allison Sovany have cr eated and
delivered hundreds of party packs, making our childrens’ birthdays extra
special. Thank you!
Tiger Market: Thank you to Tr icia Hoffman and Car r ie Schwar tzenburg for their creativity and organization in providing apparel and other
items for SVdP families to show their Tiger Pride!
Tiger’s Mouth: Dir ector Lucy Ander son has put in many hour s
collecting details and photographs of the events and news at SVdP. Her
talents and efforts producing our top-notch school newsletter are greatly
appreciated.
Treasurer: Thank you to Clair e Hughes for her ser vice to the PTO
tracking and reconciling the PTO’s financials. This is a 2 year position that
does not culminate with a big event or celebration. Please know I greatly
appreciate your ongoing time and dedication to this crucial job.
VP/Communications: Michelle Bickham has been r esponsible for updating and maintaining PTO information on Edline and the external school
website, coordinating all forms of communications to our school community, and maintaining the on-line SVdP Store. I greatly appreciate her time,
dedication, and determination to ensure SVdP families are kept well informed.
Yearbook: Thank you to Dir ector s Valer ie Cor tez and Melissa Ier o for
the countless hours and meticulous detail put into creating a
treasure for our families to enjoy & reflect on their time at SVdP!
I would also like to thank PTO Executive Board members, for their time and
dedication working to keep things running smoothly within our organization. It has been an honor and a privilege to serve by your side as President.
Thank you to Elisabeth Yoder for her guidance, consistent vision, and advice. Finally, I am deeply grateful to Carolyn Sears for her enduring support, thoughtful guidance, and critical wisdom. We are all very blessed to
have her as our Principal, and I have thoroughly enjoyed working with her
this year.
I wish you all a safe, happy, and restful summer
with your families.
See you in August!
Gratefully,
Teresa Bogatto
PTO President 2014-15
2014-2015 PTO Board
PTO Executive Board
President: Ter esa Bogatto
Vice President: Kelly Hogan
Communications VP: Michelle Bickham
Secretary: Sheila Ber ggr en
Treasurer: Clair e Hughes
Past President: Heather Montoya
PTO Directors
Auction & Gala: Cathy Holler bach & Ana Patr ick
Auction-Elect: Er in Ayer s, Wendy J ohnston & Shannon Ramir ez
Back to School: Kar en Haysley & Clair e Lynch
Book Fair: Mildr ed Bautista & Gentine Meagher
Breakfast with Santa: Patr icia Sayegh & J ennifer Visintine
Cabrini Festival: Car men Fitzpatr ick
Concessions: Laur a Sage
Enrichment: Lisa Gasper & Mar ia J ose Redondo Nieto
Hospitality: Kar i Clay & Lor i Etlinger
Party Packs: Faith Sepe & Allison Sovany
Performing Arts: Rachel Bush & Olguita Santiago-Rodriguez
Public Relations: Kr istina Dr one & Mar ibel Nolla
Room Parent Coordinator: Esmer Vale
Sports Parent Coordinator: Mary Callaghan & Tiffany Leyendecker
Style Show: Donna McClur e, Monica Smith & Maur een Swanson
Tiger Bucks: Lizzy Culotta & Tr acy Rijken
Tiger Market: Car r ie Schwar tzenbur g & Tr icia Hoffman
Tiger’s Mouth Newsletter: Lucy Ander son
Used Uniforms: Monica Cr uces & Maur ia Still
Yearbook: Melissa Ier o & Valer ie Cor tez
PAGE 3
PTO FINANCIAL SNAPSHOT 2014-2015*
PTO Net Inflows - Events and Programs
Auction & Gala
Book Fair
Breakfast with Santa
Concessions
Homecoming
Party Packs
PTO Dues
Tiger Bucks
Tiger Market
Used Uniforms
Total Net Inflows
$ 193,857.69
$
5,681.33
$
6,200.00
$
1,918.86
$
457.47
$
2,726.89
$
8,458.98
$
6,228.54
$
1,156.43
$
4,572.30
$ 231,258.49
PTO Outflows - Services and Supported School Initiatives
Back to School
$
(91.85)
Buddy Family Program
Cabrini Festival
$
$
(104.30)
(1,810.47)
Hospitality
Miscellaneous
Positive Parenting Speaker Series
Tiger's Mouth Newsletter
Tiger's Roar Yearbook
$
$
$
$
$
(2,809.75)
(261.31)
(5,509.01)
(2,758.60)
2,571.00
2014/2015 School Operating Expenses
2014 Faculty Christmas Bonus Paid
2015/2016 Faculty Retention Bonus
$ (43,000.00)
$ (29,189.78)
$ (26,000.00)
2014/2015 Auction Paddles - Up : Adopt - A - Student
$ (26,670.00)
2014/2015 Concessions Sales for Athletics
$
2014/2015 Book Fair
2014/2015 School Office Rugs
Total Outflow:
$ (5,681.33)
$ (4,816.50)
$ (148,508.23)
(2,376.33)
*The financial data shown is through April 30, 2015 and is preliminary, as the school and PTO fiscal year ends June 30, 2015. This information
includes estimations for the end of the year’s debits and credits for yearbook, and other PTO director positions; however, enrichment and style show
financials are excluded since this information is still being determined. The following PTO services do not incur costs: performing arts (volunteer
support), public relations, and room parent coordinator.
Faculty retention bonuses given out in August of the upcoming school year are placed in savings by the prior school year’s PTO Board.
A final report of the 2014-2015 PTO financials and PTO funded school initiatives will be uploaded to the PTO Edline page following the fiscal year
end. Please contact Teresa Bogatto, PTO President, at 713-666-9476 or Claire Hughes, PTO Treasurer, at 713-408-7567 if you have any questions.
PAGE 4
The 2014-2015 school year was very successful for the PTO. Through your generosity and the hard work
of the PTO Board and their committees, the PTO has raised $231,258 to date. The majority of this money
was raised at the PTO’s annual Auction and Gala, which is the PTO’s primary fundraiser. Throughout the
year, the PTO sponsors a variety of activities. Many of these activities are designed to provide a service to
the school, while others are focused on development and community - building efforts. The charts below
illustrate how the $231,258 was raised from various PTO activities and events, and how the PTO has allocated its funds for the benefit of the school.
PTO Net Inflows - Events and Programs
Homecoming 0.2%
Tiger Market 0.5%
Concessions 0.8%
Party Packs 1.2%
Used Uniforms 2.0%
Book Fair 2.5%
Breakfast with Santa 2.7%
Tiger Bucks 2.7%
PTO Dues 3.7%
Auction & Gala 83.8%
PTO Outflows - Services and Supported School Initiatives
2014/2015 School Operating Expenses
29.0%
2014 Faculty Christmas Bonus Paid
19.7%
2014/2015 Auction Paddles-Up:
Adopt-A-Student 18.0%
2015/2016 Faculty Retention Bonus
17.5%
2014/2015 Book Fair 3.8%
Positive Parenting Speaker Series 3.7%
2014/2015 School Office Rugs 3.2%
Hospitality 1.9%
Tiger's Mouth Newsletter 1.9%
2014/2015 Concessions Sales for
Athletics 1.6%
Cabrini Festival 1.2%
Miscellaneous 0.2%
Buddy Family Program 0.1%
Back to School 0.1%
Tiger's Roar Yearbook (1.7%)
PAGE 5
FROM THE INCOMING PTO PRESIDENT...
I am honored to have the opportunity to serve as your PTO President in the upcoming school year. I am especially gr ateful for the
leadership of our soon-to-be PTO Past-President, Teresa Bogatto, and I
am in awe of the time, energy, and dedication she has given to our children’s school. Congratulations to Esmer Vale (VP/President-Elect),
Cecile Deutschen (Secretary), Rachel Parten (VP/Communications),
and Gentine Meagher (Treasurer), who will be joining Teresa and me
on the PTO Executive Board for the 2015-16 school year. I would also
like to extend my appreciation to all of the new PTO Directors for their
willingness to serve. The entire list of the new PTO Board is printed in
this edition of the Tiger’s Mouth.
improvements, playground, classroom Smart Boards, the library expansion, sound and lighting equipment, and the Tiger Patio.
Service: With the assistance of a multitude of volunteer s, we car r y
out many support functions for the school. These include Back to
School, Breakfast with Santa, the Buddy Family program, Cabrini Festival, Career Fair, Concessions, Enrichment/Power of One, the Getting
to Know SVdP speaker series, Hospitality, Party Packs,
Performance Programs, Positive Parenting speaker series, Public Relations, Room Parent Coordinator, Sports Parent Coordinator, Style
Show, Tiger Market, the Tiger’s Mouth newsletter, the Tiger’s Roar
Yearbook, and the Used Uniform program.
The incoming PTO board has already begun planning for the 20152016 school year. Please add the following PTO-sponsored events to We hope that you will become a part of the PTO and support these
volunteer and fundraising efforts. Volunteer oppor tunities and
your calendar:
sign-up sheets will be available at Back to School on August 13th. The
August 13, 2015
Back
to
School,
7:00-10:00am monthly PTO meetings (typically the 4th Tuesday of each month) are
November 8-14, 2015 Book
Fair open to all and I encourage your attendance. If you have questions or
December 5, 2015
Breakfast
with
Santa suggestions,
please contact me at 713.320.1077 or khamFebruary 20, 2016
Auction and Gala
[email protected]
Fundraising: As most of you know, tuition only cover s par t of the
cost of educating our children at SVdP, and the PTO helps bridge that
gap. Money raised through PTO activities helps to finance the operating expenses for our school each year. Our major fundraiser is the
Auction and Gala, while critical funds are also raised via Book Fair and
Tiger Bucks. PTO funds have contributed to many school enhancements, including the field renovation, trees on campus, technology
upgrades, performance program equipment, science lab and art room
Together, we can continue to build a strong school community and
provide an exemplary education for our children.
Yours truly,
Kelly Hogan
Incoming PTO President
(2015-16)
2015-2016 PTO Board
PTO Executive Board
President: Kelly Hogan
Vice President: Esmer Vale
Communications VP: Rachel Parten
Secretary: Cecile Deutschen
Treasurer: Gentine Meagher
Past President: Teresa Bogatto
PTO Directors
Auction & Gala: Erin Ayers, Wendy Johnston &
Shannon Ramirez
Auction Elect: Christina Lynch & Allison Sovany
Back to School: Tiffany Moreno & Jill Pollard
Book Fair: Yolanda O’Malley & Laura Rocha
Breakfast with Santa: Olguita Santiago-Rodriguez &
Patricia Sayegh
Career Fair: Beatriz Ballerini & Jennifer Visintine
Enrichment: Elizabeth Keeler
Hospitality: Graciana Linardi & Janelle Reinoso
Party Packs: Tracy Butz & Megan Leif
Performing Arts: Rachel Bush
Public Relations: Lucy Anderson
Room Parent Coordinator: Jennifer Raymond
Sports Parent Coordinators: Mary Callaghan,
Andrea Vessels & Margaret Vinson
Style Show: Gloria Mattiuzzi-Alvarez, Tina Swartz &
Milu Vera
Tiger Bucks: Phuong Liebl
Tiger Market: Vivian Scott & Faith Sepe
Tiger’s Mouth: Lynn Crow
Used Uniforms: Lori Etlinger & Debbie Fraker
Yearbook: Claire Hughes & Kymberly Venker
PAGE 6
There was “No Place I’d Rather Be than this year’s Eighth Grade Style Show and Luncheon on Sunday, May
3rd at The Houstonian Hotel. Over 430 parents, siblings, faculty, students, and friends came out to support the
graduating eighth grade class and honoree Mrs. Joey Mann.
PAGE 7
ACADEMIC HIGHLIGHTS
DUKE TALENT ID PROGRAM
DI TEAM AT STATE COMPETITION
The following 7th grade students received national and/or
state recognition from Duke University’s Talent Identification
Program: Grand and State Recognition: Robert Condron.
State Recognition: Alisha Collaco, William Dickason, Nathaniel Fernandes Lilia Iero, Dominique Nanquil, Caimen
Schneider, Davis Thames, Roman Vale and Annika Vinson.
These students demonstrated exceptional academic ability and
we applaud them for their efforts and achievement.
VOCABULARY BOWL
The SVdP DestiNation ImagiNation Team known as
"The Seven Leaf Clovers" earned 6th place at the State
Competition held in Dallas on April 10-11.
They competed in the "Feary Tales" category. Fifth grade
teacher Mr. Shaw coached the dynamic team and all
worked diligently throughout the year preparing for the
competition. The team included Amanda Butz, Ryan Hogan, Sofia Iero, Kate Pesek, Bailey Raymond, Peyton Tan,
and Shawn Varkey. The team represented SVdP well at
the State Competition.
St. Vincent De Paul Catholic School was recently recognized
as a Vocabulary Bowl Texas State Top 10 School. Every
month, thousands of schools across the U.S. and Canada compete in the Vocabulary Bowl. Winning this award is quite an
achievement.
CALDECOTT CLUB
St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School 1st, 2nd,
and 3rd grade students that read and passed
quizzes on 75 Caldecott Award books made it
into the Caldecott Club for the school
year. Students that reached this goal were
rewarded with a limo ride and pizza party at
Colonial Park. Pictured are Caldecott Club
members after being recognized by Principal
Sears at Mass.
PAGE 8
SVdP presented the "The Golden Age of Musicals" under the direction of Mr. Preston Smith on May 7-8. The
annual spring musical included song and dance numbers from the golden age of Broadway musicals including
Anything Goes, Oliver!, Sound of Music, Mary Poppins, Oh Kay!, and Swing!
The two hour production included students in 3rd through 8th grades. Musical Numbers: Anything Goes,
Food Glorious Food, Dance Tree Cheer, In the Mood, My Favorite Things, It’s De-Lovely, Bell Choir Spring
Selection, Do-Re-Mi, Supercalifragilistic, Someone to Watch Over Me, Star Wars—Band, Spoonful of Sugar,
Drumline Spring Skit, So Long, Farewell, Step in Time, and Swing!
PAGE 9
Congratulations
Tucker Alch
Peter Bambace
Lindsay Bevers
Blake Bickham
Christopher Bradley
Matthew Castaneda
Carl Chemaly
Allison Clark
Matias Cruces
Brock Culwell
Brianna D'Armata
Kevin (Clay) Didway
Sean Doyle
Everett Ezell
Katherine (Katie) Fitzgibbon
Liam Garrison
Catherine George
Christian Groff
Bryce Guidroz
Michael Hansen, Jr.
Mathias Hisse
Alexander (Alex) Jacobs
Delaney Kelly
Caroline Kherkher
James (Porter) Lee
Kathleen Leyendecker
Jacob Lynch
Nicholas Mattioli
Walker McCairns
William McCairns
Taylor McClure
Grayson McCurry
Connor Parker
Tatyana (Ana) Passmore
Shane Pesek
Claire Thomas Piczak
Luke Read
Anna Rosenfeld
John (Jack) Schell
Harrison Schmidt
Katya Smith
Sofia Speight
Abigail Standish
Hannah Streitmann
Kenneth Swanson
Victor (Scout) Vacek
Luis Valdes
Marcus Whitley
Matthew Whitley
Katherine PAGE
(Kate) 10
Williford
St. Thomas High School
Strake Jesuit College Preparatory
St. Agnes Academy
Strake Jesuit College Preparatory
Strake Jesuit College Preparatory
Strake Jesuit College Preparatory
Strake Jesuit College Preparatory
St. Agnes Academy
Strake Jesuit College Preparatory
St. Thomas High School
St. Pius X High School
Strake Jesuit College Preparatory
Strake Jesuit College Preparatory
Strake Jesuit College Preparatory
St. Agnes Academy
Strake Jesuit College Preparatory
St. Pius X High School
St. Thomas High School
St. Thomas High School
Strake Jesuit College Preparatory
St. Thomas High School
St. Thomas High School
St. Agnes Academy
St. Agnes Academy
Lamar High School
St. Agnes Academy
Strake Jesuit College Preparatory
Strake Jesuit College Preparatory
St. Thomas High School
St. Thomas High School
St. Agnes Academy
St. Thomas High School
Strake Jesuit College Preparatory
Duchesne Academy
Strake Jesuit College Preparatory
St. Agnes Academy
Strake Jesuit College Preparatory
St. Agnes Academy
St. Thomas High School
Bellaire High School
St. Agnes Academy
Lamar High School
St. Agnes Academy
St. Agnes Academy
Strake Jesuit College Preparatory
Strake Jesuit College Preparatory
Lamar High School
Strake Jesuit College Preparatory
Strake Jesuit College Preparatory
St. Agnes Academy
MAY CROWNING
FIRST HOLY COMMUNION
Fifty-four students from St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School and Parish made their First Holy
Communion Saturday, May 2, in a Mass celebrated by Monsignor William Young. The children dedicated
themselves to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in prayer, and led the singing of a song “Blest Are We/Bendecidso,
Somos Santos” in English and in Spanish.
PAGE 11
Tiger Bucks Update
What a great day! We were excited to have 46 players brave the
weather for our annual SVDP Dad’s Club Golf Tournament April
16th. Despite the foreboding forecast, players were able to get
most of the round in before the lightning came. The Dad’s Club
appreciates your support.
Congratulations to the winners:
Thank you to everyone who clipped away all year long.
The grand total is 15,409 BoxTops for the 2014-15
school year, earning over $1,540 for our school. The
winning classes will receive a popsicle party to thank
them for their hard work:
Primary - Mrs. Maxwell (KM)
Intermediate- Mrs. Mann (3M)
Middle School - Mrs. Zimbaldi (7Z)
Low net score - Joe Louis, Joshua Pesikoff, and Kevin Ziegenhorn.
Low gross score: Ricci Susong, Michael McConn, Drew Grams,
and Jason Nybakken.
With the help of our players and sponsors, the Dad’s Club raised
$12,000 which will be used to support a variety of programs at the
school and the parish. We would like to thank again all who came
out for a day of fellowship and fun, while supporting our school.
Carl Iverson & Chuck Bautista
Congratulations winners! Keep saving those BoxTops!
Collections will resume in the new school year.
Save your box tops
over the summer!
Coach Jones Wins National Award
SVdP Athletic Director Marion Jones was selected as
a finalist for the Positive Coaching Alliance’s Double-Goal Coach Award. Coach Marion Jones was
named as one of the top four coaches in the country
out of 2,100 applicants. He was presented this award
at the Positive Coaching Alliance’s (PCA) National
Youth Sports Awards Dinner and Auction in Palo
Alto, CA on April 25, where he also participated in a
panel discussion.
PCA is a national non-profit organization devoted to
developing “Better Athletes, Better People” by working to provide youth and high school athletes a positive, character-building youth sports experience. The
Double-Goal Coach Award honors those who strive
to win while also pursuing the more important goal
of life lessons through sports.
Pictured above are ESPN Sports Analyst Julie Foudy,
SVdP Alumnus Colin Thompson, Coach Marion
Jones, and Major League Baseball Hall of Famer
Dusty Baker.
PAGE 12
Field Day
Teacher Appreciation Week
We love our SVdP faculty and the PTO made every
effort to make them feel special during the recent Teacher Appreciation Week. Jason's Deli was served for lunch
on Monday, followed by kolaches and coffee on Tuesday
morning. La Madeleine was served for lunch on
Wednesday while lemonade, iced tea, and cookies were
enjoyed on Thursday. A wonderful breakfast was served
on Friday morning with afternoon desserts generously
donated by Patrice Bruno from the Compassion Ministry.
KIPP Spirit Middle School Chess Tournament
The SVdP Chess Team won 3rd place in the Elementary Division on April 18th. Individual awards went to Luke T., Mabyn
C., and Andrew B. Pictured: team members Luke T., Anthony
E., Mabyn C., and Andrew B., and Coach Nathan Kinman.
In addition, each day there were numerous drawings for
gift cards from Target, Barnes and Noble, Pappas Restaurants, Amazon, and Edwards Cinema. Each faculty
member also received a home-cooked dinner prepared by
an SVdP parent during the week.
PAGE 13
S ri
S orts
Boys’ Baseball
Girls’ Softball
The St. Vincent de Paul Baseball team ended its season
with many highlights, including beating rival Pin Oak to
break its 27 game winning streak. Despite the numerous
rain delays and the season starting after Spring Break, the
boys managed to land in 1st place for the Southern Division of the GHCAA with a 5-1 record. Their opponents
included St. Thomas More (which also had a 5-1 record),
St. Laurence, St. Cecilia, St. Augustine, and Assumption. They started strong in the playoffs with a win over
St. Ambrose, but fell short in the end. These boys were
gracious with their victories and lost with dignity.
The St. Vincent de Paul Lady Tigers Softball team has
wrapped up a great season. In GHCAA conference play,
the Lady Tigers won their district with victories against
St. Laurence, Holy Family, Our Lady of Fatima, St. Pius
V, St. Francis de Sales, and St. Augustine. The team
played in the West University Softball Association's
Junior division and had some exciting games. In the
play-off run, SVdP clinched wins over St. Anne's Tomball and Holy Family, advancing to the championship
game. SVdP ended its great season 2nd overall in a
tightly scored 5-6 game.
Team: Tucker A., Peter B., Ma hew C., Brock C., Clay D.,
Evere E., Bryce G., Michael H., acob ., ico M., alker
McC., illiam McC., Grayson McC., Connor P., ack S. and
Scout ,. Also on the team were 7th graders illiam D.,
acob F., Hollis G. and Mac S.
S ri
Team: Caroline K., Allison C., Catherine G., Delaney
., Abigail S., ate ., So a S., Mariana S., An ali T.,
Emily C., Alyssa C., Macken ie O. and Mia S.
Coaches: ena Edwards and Charles ackson
ra
SVdP won 3rd place in the Track Championship in the 4x200 race.
Relay Team Pictured: Eve Rosenfeld, Brooke Bickham, Isabella O’Malley, and Katie Berggren
PAGE 14
Kids Triathlon
On Sunday April 19, forty-two students from St. Vincent
de Paul Catholic School set out to compete in an event
some adults would even not try. The Houston Texans’
Triathlon held at the University of Houston brought in
competitors from around the state of Texas. The event
was the largest kids triathlon in Texas boasting 3,000
competitors.
The event was divided into two age categories. Juniors ages 6 to 10 completed a 100 yard swim, 3 mile bike ride
and a half mile run. The Seniors - ages 11 to 15 completed a 200 yard swim, 6 mile bike ride and a one mile
run. The race distances were set and sanctioned by
USATriathlon and were designed to be challenging, yet
achievable. Each participant wore a computerized chip
monitoring his or her progress throughout the swimming,
biking, running, and transition times between events.
Prior to the triathlon, Coach Burns held several training
sessions to prepare the athletes for the competition.
Coach Burns, in coordination with the YMCA, is planning another series of training sessions next year prior to
the competition. Triathletes embrace a healthy, active
lifestyle focused on daily exercise, good nutrition, and
having fun with friends and family. Most importantly,
triathlon is a lifetime sport.
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PAGE 15
Ma
Ka
ir Gra e Bio ra
y
ay
SVdP third grade students celebrated Biography Day by Third graders prepared for several weeks by researching,
dressing up as historical figures and making presentations to writing papers, and preparing display boards and speeches.
parents, teachers, and fellow students in the MJPFC. It was a fun and educational day for everyone.
oir
o
Best i
lass at State i e o
Members of the SVdP Children’s Choir took the “Best of Class”
trophy and received a “Superior Rating” at Spring in the Park
Music Festival in Dallas on Friday, May 1st. The judges were
impressed by the choir’s pure tone and entered the SVdP Choir
as a finalist for “Overall Non-High School Winner” This is the
first time the choir was considered for that honor.
etitio
"Malo Malo" soloist Dominique Nanquil performed beautifully,
as did all the middle school students, who were leaders in behavior and voice. Mrs. O'Neill, Mrs. Nash, and Mr. Nance chaperoned the trip. Lead by the SVdP Children’s Choir Director, Mrs.
Mary Monks, the choir gave a beautiful concerT in the SVdP
Church to thank its “angels” on the evening of May 6.
PAGE 16