StMarysDominicanStar

This Thanksgiving, 23 students from DHS performance groups traveled to the island of Oahu, Hawaii to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

In a historic moment for DHS, the group traveled to Hawaii to participate in the National Festival of States as the only representative of Louisiana. The members of the band presented music from the time period of World War II accompanied by drama students junior Annalyse Nelson and senior Maggie Duplantier and alumna Brooke Duplantier (’15) and Kathleen Fasold (’13).

The group presented a Bob Hope-style USO Show in front of the U.S.S. Missouri. The musical selection included songs such as “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” and songs from the WWII musical South Pacific.

While honoring the memory and moments of WWII and sharing in the Hawaiian culture, DHS gave the festival attendees a little taste of New Orleans. In addition to the WWII themed music selection, the group performed some New Orleans classics like “When the Saints Go Marching In.”

The band delivered an entertaining show that encouraged participation from the audience. “We wanted people to get involved,” said Ms. Brenda Castillo, band director.

With the help of Mrs. Rosalie Abadie, drama director, the group did just that. Mrs. Abadie choreographed their performance to make the show come alive. Throughout the performance, the group also thanked the veterans for their service.

“At one point a veteran actually stopped and sang along to ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’ with us,” said senior Kathryn Fasold. “We worked really hard to show our appreciation, so it was really satisfying to see them enjoy the show.”

After having the honor of performing at the National Festival of States, the group had the privilege of spending their Thanksgiving on the island. “We went to a luau and we got to share in the Hawaiian culture on top of celebrating our own traditions,” said Nelson. “It was so fun to merge our traditions with theirs.”

Not only was the trip a huge honor and accomplishment for DHS students, but it was “a huge step forward for the arts department,” said Ms. Castillo, “and yet another way that Dominican produces well-rounded young women ready to take the world by storm.”

– Jailyn Heisser

Wrapped presents or pecan pie do not make the holidays memorable. Instead, the gift of service towards others makes the season magical.

This magic found its way into Alumnae Hall on Dec. 9. Brightly wrapped presents under the tree are not from Santa but from the students and faculty participating in the annual Adopt-a-Family program. This program encourages students and faculty to bring in gifts for struggling families during the holiday season.

Senior Madeline Puente, Christian Leadership Council vice-president, treasures working with the Adopt-a-Family program. “Giving to these families brings out the true meaning of giving to others during Christmas,” she said.

This year, the Dominican community donated Christmas gifts to four charities: Metropolitan Women’s Shelter, Bridges to Self- Sufficiency, Rapid Rehousing and St. Augustine Catholic Church in Treme. A majority of these families consist of women and children searching for permanence [JD1] in their lives. According to Mrs. Almon, these are families that have been in transition this past year, and are seeking an alternative solution.

With the generous gifts, Dominican students and faculty helped to bring Christmas to 51 families –  a total of 179 people.

“The purpose of the annual Adopt a Family is to build a sense of community,” said Campus Minister Mrs. Katie Almon. “Dominican strives to follow the pillar of service to care for the needs of others,”

Dominican participates in the Adopt-a-Family program each year. Within their religion classes, students brought in toys, clothes and toiletries for families. Students shopped from the wish lists of the recipient families.

“My favorite part about Adopt a Family is knowing that I am giving to families in need,” said freshman Sara Britsch. “I cannot wait for next year and am glad I was able to help this year!”

In addition to the Adopt a Family program, Dominican also participated in the Thanksgiving Drive. In November, students filled eighty baskets to the brim with non-perishable food items to complete Thanksgiving meals. The food donated consisted of the perfect ingredients to make savory casseroles, macaroni and cheese, and homemade pies. In total, Dominican donated enough food to feed a total of about 800 people during the Thanksgiving holidays.

– Brogan Hausknecht

The screams of frantic teenage girls are drowned out by the sounds of sirens in the distance. A fatal car crash involving five teenagers coming home from a festival has occurred. With police sirens wailing, the golden hour of life begins to tick as the girls struggle to find a phone to call for help.

The severity of the crash makes it obvious that it is far too late for one of the girls. Two of the other girls involved will be taken off to the University Medical Hospital intensive care unit for immediate surgery. Even the girls that were not physically hurt will have emotional scars. The night, however, has just begun.  and the Louisiana State Troopers still have the daunting task of informing the families of what has occurred.

Thankfully, this scenario was only an enactment of the horrors of an actual automobile crash. Staged at Dominican in October, it was a part of the Sudden Impact program to raise awareness to impaired and distracted driving. The Louisiana State Police and University Medical Hospital work closely together to ensure a realistic reenactment of what a car crash looks like. Students from the sophomore, junior and senior classes participated in the mock crash in order to reinforce the very serious message about safe driving.

Students who portrayed those in the mock crash were senior Carlin Dougherty, junior Rebecca Koenig, junior Hailey Mathieu and sophomores Camryn and Sydney Wisniewski

Assistant Principal/Dean of Students Ms. Sheri Salvagio (’84) worked with these students and the Sudden Impact program to make sure the crash communicated the effects of distracted and impaired driving, as well as seat belt importance. “My goal is to give students the tools to make good decisions in order to keep themselves safe,” said Ms. Salvagio.

“Being in the crash really made me realize how many people one bad decision affects,” said Dougherty. She also said that the crash became real the instant she began to shake Mathieu, whose character died in the crash.

“I will never forget the impact it had on everyone, and I would never want to put anyone through that,” Mathieu said.

Koenig portrayed the driver of the car that was hit and was wearing her seatbelt. Because her character was not impaired and wearing a seat belt, Koenig walked away from the crash physically unscathed. Her passengers, sophomores Camryn and Sydney Wisniewski, both played characters that had to be taken into the intensive care unit due to their injuries in the crash.

“I totally forgot I was acting,” said Camryn Wisniewski. “The worry for my sister became real as soon as I started to scream.”

Sudden Impact Continues with Mock Trial

The room was silent as Dougherty entered in an orange jumpsuit in handcuffs knowing that her entire future lied within the jury’s hands. The tension in the room grew as the defense attempted to reach a settlement in order to avoid a full trial. After a failed attempt to settle, it was now the prosecutor’s  job to prove beyond reasonable doubt to the jury that Dougherty deserved the charge of vehicular homicide.

On Nov. 18, the mock trial enactment followed the mock crash and revealed the shocking reality of the legal effects of distracted and impaired driving. The Hon. Rebecca M. Olivier (’82), Division “A” from First Parish Court of Jefferson Parish, presided over the mock trial, where Dougherty’s character faced charges of vehicular homicide, driving under the influence, .

The prosecuting attorney, Ms. Amanda Calogero, Jefferson Parish Assistant District Attorney, represented the Mathieus and Wisniewskis who still were mourning the effects of the crash on their daughters.

The defense attorney, Mr. David Bravo of Bravo Law Firm, raised the argument about how his client, Dougherty, had her whole life to live and should not be shoved in a metal cell. However, Dougherty was found guilty on all five counts, including vehicular homicide.

Dougherty’s sentence included 15 years, with 5 of those years being served concurrently, which was decided by the 12 student jury. “It is hard to imagine my life could be changed so drastically from one avoidable mistake,” said Dougherty. This enactment was an emotional case that ended in justice for the Mathieus and Wisniewskis; however, it will never reverse the lasting effects of Dougherty’s poor decisions.

The mock trial concluded the multistep Sudden Impact program aimed at raising awareness to the severe effects of irresponsible driving. Dominican’s participation in this program includes annual educational seminars for students in the tenth grade. This program educates and encourages students to make intelligent decisions while on the road and throughout their lives.

– Stephanie Mayer

 

All high school students look forward to going to school dances. They get a chance to dress up and dance the night away with their classmates. These exciting dances are the highlight of everyone’s school year and give all students the chance to really bond.

DHS students celebrated the first formal dances of the school year in December.  Eighth and ninth graders attended the Winter Formal on Dec. 2 on campus.  On the following evening, sophomores, juniors and seniors danced the night away at the Neat ‘n Sweet Formal held at the Lakefront Airport.

Formally decked out from head to toe, Dominican girls and their dates poured into the Lakefront Airport ready to dance at Neat ‘n Sweet on Dec. 3..  The dance featured not only great music but also the Neat ‘n Sweet court. The court is a special honor and is picked by nominating the “neatest and sweetest” girls in each attending grade.

The Neat N Sweet court included: Queen, senior Elizabeth Champagne, seniors Adelia Obioha and Sophia Hill; juniors Paige Dawson and Cole Pittman; and sophomores Chloe Whitcomb and Dina Alawamleh.

“I was honored to be voted Neat ‘n Sweet queen,” said Champagne. “The best part was dancing all night with my date and my friends.”

 

 

On the previous night, the Sr. Ambrose Reggio Gym transformed into the Pine Street Palace for the Winter Formal Dance. This special dance, exclusive to eighth and ninth grade students, featured the theme of the Polar Express.

Winter Formal attendees donned their long dresses as they danced the night away with their friends at the Pine Street Palace. “I had such a great time dancing with my friends,” said eighth grader Olivia Olson. “It was a great way to grow closer with my classmates.”

– Stephanie Mayer

 

 

MAϴ inducts 50 members

 On Nov. 9, fifty students were inducted into DHS’s Mu Alpha Theta (MAϴ) with a brief ceremony in Alumnae Hall.  Once inducted, students received an official certificate of admission and celebrated with family and friends at a reception.

At the induction, alumna Dr. Claire Pivach (‘03), shared her experiences as a member of MAϴ.  Dr. Pivach said MAϴ was a major part of her high school career.  She said her love of and skills in mathematics evolved in the club and led her to pursuing a career in the medical field.  Today, Dr. Pivach is a veterinarian at Algiers Animal Clinic in New Orleans.

Inspiring, developing and promoting scholarship in mathematics is the foundation of MAϴ.  MAϴ is a national honor society recognized in over 2,300 schools in the United States and twenty foreign countries.  It is for students who seek an organized place to enjoy and explore their interest in mathematics.

In order to be accepted into MAϴ at DHS, the student must be in at least her sophomore year, have taken or is currently taking Algebra II and hold a 3.5 overall GPA as well as a 3.75 GPA in math.

One of this year’s newest members, senior Katherine Alexander said that she is honored to finally be a part of the society.  “It feels gratifying to know that I worked hard, gained the confidence to apply and accomplished what I wanted: to be in Mu Alpha Theta,” said Alexander.

In order to keep their place in the society, students must complete a minimum of four service hours, three tutoring hours, participate in two bake sales and attend a local tournament.

Members have the option to attend Louisiana’s State MAϴ Convention.  For this three-day, two-night event, attendees travel to Baton Rouge.  The girls meet with other high schools throughout the state and compete in different math games.

For members of this prestigious honor society, MAϴ is a community of friends who can have lots of fun at meetings and events.  MAϴ is a society that allows members to develop their love of math, help their peers in the subject and enjoy themselves all at the same time.

– Lauren Nguyen

 

 

Stars were born one street over from Broadway as Dominican students performed at Drama Club’s annual Instant Theater.

On Nov. 18 and 19, Drama Club presented Instant Theater, where students performed a montage of acts in the Dining Hall. Not only did Instant Theater provide entertainment, but it also was a gateway to donate toys to children. The price of admission was one toy that would be donated to Children’s Hospital.

“Instant Theater gives students an opportunity to showcase their talents in ways never before seen,” said moderator Mrs. Rosalie Abadie.

Veteran and rookie performers alike displayed their talents at this year’s showcase. “It’s a dream come true to be performing on the stage with Drama Club,” said eighth grader Sara Sciortino.

Sciortino sang “Can’t Help Falling in Love With You” with older sister Katie, senior. “It was a great to end my last show with my sister, knowing that she will continue to do Instant Theater after I graduate,” said Katie.

Senior Elizabeth Lorenzo made her debut on Dominican’s Instant Theater stage and said the experience has inspired her to try out for the spring musical. Lorenzo participated in the Senior Follies act, where all the seniors reenacted a day at Dominican from the teachers perspective.

Senior Maggie Duplantier, Drama Club president, has been performing in Instant Theater for the past five years. Duplantier’s favorite part of performing in Instant Theater has been seeing “all the performers gain confidence through the audience’s positive reactions.”

As Instant Theater drew to a close, the anticipation of the Spring Musical reveal rose. The suspense finally ended as Mrs. Abadie announced 42nd Street as the twenty-second musical at DHS. “Since the musical is huge this year, we need everyone’s talent to make it even more spectacular than in years past,” said Mrs. Abadie.

Auditions for the musical will be Jan. 6 and 7. Then, rehearsals begin on Jan. 11 to prepare for the debut at the Fine Arts Festival, Mar. 31 – Apr.8.

– Madeline Puente