inscape

volume 56 :: issue 1

Mother McAuley High School

New Assistant Principal:

McAuley Girl at Heart
Christine Schmidt Copy Editor Let no one ever come to you without leaving better. This quote, by Mother Teresa, hangs on a plaque on the wall of McAuleys new assistant principal, Ms. Eileen Boyce. It embodies her goal for her new position. One of five sisters and countless other relatives that have attended McAuley, Ms. Boyce returned this year after teaching for five years at Saint John Fisher Elementary School in the Beverly neighborhood of Chicago. Teaching was and still is her passion. I never left the classroom because I was bored, she said. She wanted to make a difference in how girls are educated. After earning a masters degree in school administration and loving the internships she was doing, Ms. Boyce came because she heard about the open position through the McAuley network and because, as she said, I love McAuley. As assistant principal, she wants to help people be the best teachers they can be. Her role focuses on curriculum, instruction and course sequence, as opposed to Sister Lois Bromarks duties as vice principal. Sister Lois deals more with professional development. Ms. Boyce is third in command in the administration, after president/principal Mrs. Claudia Woodruff and Sister Lois. Ms. Boyce concentrates on improving how the courses are taught and taking advantage of the ways that girls learn best. Also, she is in charge of a variety of activities, including the Advanced Placement program, observing classrooms, Saint Marys University of Minnesotas Program for Advanced College Credit (PACC), ACT preparations, the curriculum guide and Mercy Day plans. Although Ms. Boyce definitely shows passion about all areas of her work, she lights up when discussing Mercy Day, the annual celebration by the Sisters of Mercy and all Mercy schools of our foundress, Catherine McAuley. I love Why We Tell the Story and the dance, she said. This year, Mrs. Woodruff asked her to organize the Mercy Day event. Ms. Boyce was involved with picking the traditional Mercy Day gift from the school to the students and faculty and nominating girls for the Catherine McAuley Award. The latter has special meaning for Ms. Boyce, because one of her sisters won the prestigious award when she attended McAuley. Now, that sister teaches and New assistant principal Ms. Boyce spends time in her office with coaches basketball at Marist High School. senior students Gabby Abbott and Megan Bush, both of whom she She enjoys when students visit her office and when she sees former students in the halls. I love previously taught. people saying hello in the halls, she said. Ms. Boyce said it makes the transition into her new role easier, because she is in a familiar environment with familiar faces. Seniors Gabby Abbott, Millie Ryan and Megan Bush were students of Ms. Boyce at St. John Fisher. They all agree that Ms. Boyce was a great English teacher [who] made lessons exciting and made me a better writer. [She] had great relationships with the students. As assistant principal, they say she is always friendly, professional, easy to talk to and has great advice about anything. Being assistant principal is not an easy job. Recently, she, Mrs. Woodruff and two teachers attended the Mercy Secondary Education Conference in Cincinnati to discuss the service component in Mercy schools. Ms. Boyce says Im learning as I go, but she greatly enjoys making a difference at McAuley. The theme for the 2012-2013 school year is Be the change you want to see in the world. It seems like Ms. Boyce is doing just that.

Appalachia Trip Heals Hearts and Homes

Bridget Hynes Editor-in-Chief In true Catherine McAuley spirit, the mission trip participants emulated the Mercy tradition of service. Two groups were sent to a trailer in the area to help repair a failing roof. The other two were sent to repair damaged floors in another trailer and to dig the back of the trailer out of a mudslide. With the help of husband and wife team Debbie and Jeff Mullins and mother-daughter team Lee and Brandi Bailey, the girls learned to use power tools and to take accurate measurements. They learned from their mistakes and pushed through adversity to finish their jobs. In addition to the work for the week, the McAuley group was able to experience the local Appalachian culture through dancing, singing, woodworking and talking with the locals. Sometimes an occasional passerby would stop and talk to the girls as they sat on the big white porch out in front of the house. The individuals that the girls met on the trip were all extremely inspiring. One worker, a French woman named Martine, worked closely with the girls and they formed a close bond with her. Senior Meg Golon who worked with Martine for the whole week saw her as a source of inspiration.One day at the worksite, I asked Martine how she did it and she responded:I just love it, helping those who need it. Its an amazing feeling. Her words stuck with me the

To most of the student body, Saturday, July 28, 2012 was nothing more than another day of summer vacation. But for a select group of McAuley seniors and teachers going on the Appalachia Mission Trip, this day had been much anticipated and planned for since the previous spring. Their destination was Clintwood, Virginia, ten hours from Chicago, but the journey would prove to be so much more. They were traveling into the Appalachian Mountains to repair homes and do other such projects, and they would be staying for a week at the Dorothy Baker House thanks to the hospitality of Sister Jean Korkisch. At 6:30 a.m. on Saturday, this group of twenty-six people departed in the form of four mini-vans, overflowing with bags of snacks, clothes and an abundance of smiles. As the trip proceeded, the girls and their faculty leaders bonded within their small groups and became a makeshift family-unit. The week that followed was one of routine but also of spontaneity. Each day began with morning prayer, usually led by students, and each night concluded with a reflection. Five days out of the week were dubbed work days, in which the four groups were divided up and sent to their assigned worksites.

In this issue of INSCAPE...

Marta Medina Staff Reporter

rest of the week while I worked, Golon recalled. The owners of the homes that the girls worked on were also very inspiring. They did not have much, but they shared with the girls everything they had. One of the homeowners even cooked dinner for her workers on the last day complete with mashed potatoes, chicken and dumplings, pineapple upside-down cake and brownies. The sweet tea in Appalachia was also a big hit for the girls. Many took home a healthy addiction for sweet tea. Senior Mary Claire Moxley can attest to that. I loved the sweet tea, it was amazing! As the week progressed, the girls bonded and grew as people each day. One of the faculty chaperones, theology teacher Mr. Art Sheridan, commented on the sense of community in the group. I liked the fact that there were a lot of different personalities, yet everyone found a way to connect and get along. These McAuley girls cooked dinner for each other, shared cereal, slept in crowded bunkrooms together and even shared overalls. They sang in unison at church and danced at every possible opportunity. They learned how to budget their money when shopping for the house and took full advantage of the dollar store across the street. Most importantly however, these lucky students learned how to live in the moment, making every single memory much more worthwhile.

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