http://www.smanet.org/index.php/news/ News and Current Events from St. Mary's Academy en kchallis@smanet.org Copyright 2012 2012-02-15T15:00:21+00:00 http://www.smanet.org/index.php/news/coming-soon-sma-nuggets-night/ 02.15.12 http://www.smanet.org/index.php/news/sma-wildcat-is-4a-state-diving-champion/   Alexa Beckwith (sophomore) finished on top this weekend at the 4A State Diving Meet.  Her top score of 487.20 earned her 1st place and she defends her title as 4A State Diving Champion!  Congratulations Alexa!! 02.13.12 http://www.smanet.org/index.php/news/high-school-students-receive-scholastic-art-writing-awards/ Our high school students have received numerous honors at the State level for the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards! Gold Key Portfolio winners in Photography: Jade Peterson Rachel Clark Gold Key winners for individual works: Jade Peterson, "She Comes Sailing on the Wind," photography Jade Peterson, "The Slower We Move, the Faster We Die," photography Amber Smith, "The Owl," ceramics Honorable Mention for individual works: Rachel Clark, "Leather Shop, Rome," photography Jin Park, "Still Life #2," watercolor All of the winning entries will be in the statewide exhibition at the Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design, from February 11 - March 2.  All of the Gold Key winners will have their work go on to the National competition.  Congratulations to all of these amazing young artists! To view some of the entires click here. 02.10.12 http://www.smanet.org/index.php/news/-kathryn-mcnamee-sma-high-school-principal-honored-by-the-archdiocese-of-denver/               During Catholic Schools Week, Kathryn MacNamee will be honored for over four decades of service to Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Denver. 02.01.12 http://www.smanet.org/index.php/news/sma-high-school-teacher-andrew-beckham-to-publish-first-book/         Congratulations to High School art teacher, Andrew Beckham, who has just signed a contract with Princeton Architectural Press for his first published book.  The project is an illustrated artist's book, called "The Last Christmas Gift," and will be out this Fall 2012.   For more information on "The Last Christmas Gift", click here. 02.01.12 http://www.smanet.org/index.php/news/4th-and-5th-grade-science-of-digestion-/   The 4th and 5th graders finished up the Digestive Unit with a look at the shark's digestive system.  SMA High School girls from Ms. Watel's AP Biology class and our HS Science teacher (former Marine Biologist), Ms. McKnight, came to assist.  We definitely have some budding scientists in our midst! 01.25.12 http://www.smanet.org/index.php/news/late-start-great-start-brings-in-donations-for-the-ronald-mcdonald-house/       The first grade sponsored the January Service Project by asking the Lower School to bring in cleaning products and old DVD’s throughout the month to donate to The Ronald McDonald House of Denver and Aurora.   The Ronald McDonald Houses host families whose children are sick and need to stay at Children’s Hospital for an extended time in order to receive treatment.  When families come to town with their sick children, The Ronald McDonald Houses open the doors of their homes to provide safe, comfortable places to stay. http://www.ronaldhouse.org/index.html 01.19.12 http://www.smanet.org/index.php/news/high-school-students-support-project-linus/   In honor of the MLK National Service Day members of the High School Outreach Club made blankets for Project Linus. Project Linus provides love, a sense of security, warmth and comfort to children who are seriously ill, traumatized or otherwise in need through the gifts of new, handmade blankets and afghans, lovingly created by volunteer "blanketeers." http://www.projectlinus.org/ 01.17.12 http://www.smanet.org/index.php/news/middle-school-honors-martin-luther-king-jr/ "Before the victory is won.. some will be misunderstood and called bad names and dismissed as rebel-rousers and agitators… But we shall over come. I'll tell you why. We shall over come because the arch of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice. We shall over come because Carlyle is right: "No lie can live forever". We shall over come because William Collin Bryant is right: "Truth crushed to earth will rise again". We shall over come because James Russel Lowell is right: "Truth forever on the scaffold.. Wrong forever on the throne… Yet that scaffold sways the future. And behind the dim unknown standeth God within the shadows, keeping watch above his own". We shall over come because the Bible is right… "You shall reap what you sow". We shall over come… Deep in my heart I do believe! We shall over come." From Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s speech, "We Shall Over Come", March 31, 1968 01.13.12 http://www.smanet.org/index.php/news/tony-ortega-at-sma-this-week/   Tony Ortega is on campus all week to guide our LS and MS art students as they create a mural for St. Mary's Academy.  The theme of the mural is how we come together as a community at SMA.   We gather for prayer and mass, to serve others in our community, to learn, to play sports and to socialize.  The mural will emphasize all of these aspects of our community while incorporating our Loretto Values: Faith, Community, Justice and Respect. Tony Ortega was born in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  He currently lives in Denver and teaches painting at Regis University.  He holds a BA and MFA in art from CU Boulder. Ortega’s work can be found in public and private collections including the Denver Art Museum, Los Angeles County Art Museum, Museo del Barrio in NYC, and the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Click here to link to the MS Art Blog and more information about the SMA Community Mural. 01.11.12