About UsEducating the Whole Person ParentsAlumnaeSupport Montrose

What's New at Montrose Archives

    

Montrose Treblemakers perform at the auction		 The 2006 auction was dedicated to Rev. Richard Rieman, in honor of his eightieth birthday. The theme of the evening was Rockin’ and Rollin’ at Montrose. It was truly an evening to remember. The Committee transformed the school into a venue reflecting the era of James Dean, Little Richard, James Darren and Bill Haley. A record breaking two hundred and twenty guests attended. Through the exhaustive efforts of numerous volunteers and friends of Montrose, the auction raised over $60,000 for Montrose School. The Raise the Paddle portion of the evening raised an additional $20,000 for the new Chapel in Medfield. Hats off to all the MOMS and to Eileen Fitz, Stephanie Morgan and Kathy Schickel, this year’s co-chairs, for a fabulous night of fun!

Claudia Lau '08 earned a perfect score on the Level 1 National Latin Exam. Kate Fitzgerald '10 and Ellen Smith '10 earned perfect scores on the Introductory Level National Latin Exam. Twenty-three eighth grade students received highest honors for their performance on the National Latin Exam.

Judith DelVecchio ’08 and Alexandra Ghiz ’08 both scored among the top 100 students nationally on the National Spanish Language Exam. Over 20,000 students took the exam. Ana Buckley ’09 came in first place in Massachusetts among Level 1 bilingual test-takers.

Paola Garza ’09, Renee Hopkins ’08, Ellen Zatkowski ’08, Grace Daher ’08, Claudia Lau ’08, Andrea Weidknecht ’07, Maria Perdomo ’07, Veronica Lau ’07, Helen Keefe ’07, and Danielle Mahaney ’06 had scores that were among the top ten national scores on the National French Exam.

Bridget Burns '11, Yoo-Rim Choi '11, Emily Iannarilli '11, Caitlin Ronan '11 and Deme Venancio '11 won Apple ipods for their essays submitted to the Jeep Commander in History essay contest. Grace Lessard '11 and Sara McPherson '11 won backpacks.

Abby Hammond ’06 and Brigid Grogan ’07 participated in the Mid Atlantic Regional District Championship Regatta, qualifying race for nationals. The regatta took place in Mercer, NJ. Abby came in first in the Second Varsity Eight Race.

Seniors volunteered over 40 hours at service sites around the greater Boston area. Traveling together as a group, they worked at the Boston Rescue Mission, Habitat for Humanity, the Natick Food Pantry, Rosie's Place, the Anna Bisonnette House and the St. Francis House.

Juniors study abroad in Florence, Italy, May 2006.

Sarah Blahnik ‘06 and Elizabeth Parker ‘10 were invited to play in the New England Prep School Women's Lacrosse Association (NEPSLWA) game at Groton School on May 21, 2006. Throughout the season, both were nominated a minimum of 5 times by other coaches in the Independent Girl's Conference League.

Danielle Yuen ‘07 was selected from a competitive nationwide pool to participate in MIT Women’s Technology Program (WTP) this summer. The four-week residential program includes rigorous classes in computer science, electrical engineering, and mathematics sponsored by the MIT Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

Dr. Amy Baltzell, Boston University professor, sports psychologist and co-author of the widely acclaimed book, Whose Game is it Anyway?, served as the morning keynote speaker at Montrose School’s Career Day on April 28, 2006. A member of the US National Rowing Team from 1989-1992 and the Olympic rowing team in 1992, she was also a professional sailor, notably on the 1995 America’s Cup all-women’s sailing team. Our afternoon keynote speaker, Ms. Jennifer Braceras is a lawyer and former Commissioner on the United States Commission on Civil Rights. She is well known for her articles on law, culture, and politics, which have appeared in the Boston Globe, the Boston Herald, Legal Times of Washington, National Review Online, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Times, the Weekly Standard, and the Women’s Quarterly. Ms. Braceras was recognized Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly in 2000 as one of the state’s top ten Lawyers of the Year.

Career Day 2006 brought over 25 outstanding professionals to Montrose School including Chief Justice Lynda Connolly, Chief Justice of the District Court; Mrs. Kathleen Driscoll, Former Senior VP, Brokerage Sales, John Hancock Financial Services & Corporate Communications; Mr. Richard Gotham, Executive VP for Sales, Marketing and Corporate Development, Boston Celtics, Mr. Mark Ockerbloom, Sports Anchor/Reporter, Fox 25; and Mrs. Janet Slayton, VP, Human Resources, Dean Food Corporation.

Kylie Cameron Burr ’08 earned third place in the Martin Luther King Junior Essay Contest sponsored by Greater Framingham Community Church.

Nine of the girls who qualified for the state finals in the speech tournament attended the state tournament at Westford Academy on April 8, 2006, including: Colleen Hughes '07, Mary Childs '07, Chloe Abu-Jaber '07, Andrea Weidknecht '07, Sarah Hills '07, Elizabeth Kelly '09, Maya Kachroo-Levine '09, Emily Morgan '10 and Gina Damiata '10. Andrea Weidknecht '07 placed 4th in Dramatic Interpretation, Sarah Hills '07 placed 2nd in Play Reading and Emily Morgan '10 placed 7th in Novice Reading.

 
Helen Keefe '07		 Sarah Blahnik ’06, Montrose Varsity basketball co-captain, and Helen Keefe ‘07 were selected for the Independent Girls’ League All-Star basketball game.


The Montrose Players recently put on a production of The Wizard of Oz, the Musical, with a cast of 55 students, and 1 dog. Elona Castro ’09 starred as “Dorothy.”

On March 31, 2006, Jason Evert visited Montrose and spoke on dating and marriage.

National Honor Society is holding a book drive to support school libraries that were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. They are asking for literature, non-fiction and reference books. They have collected over 700 books thus far.

 
Ellen Zatkowski '08 at City Lab		 Senior and Sophomore biology classes have benefited from 2 trips each to Boston University’s School of Medicine City Lab, in which they gained hand-on problem solving, investigation and laboratory experience with state-of-the-art lab resources. Teacher, Jennifer Junkins comments on the experience: “The girls benefit from lab work in the topics of cells, genetic engineering, and medicine, and they bring their knowledge back into the classroom.”

The Montrose Speech Team participated in a recent tournament at Needham High School. Maya Kachoo-Levine ’09 placed first in Novice Reading, Jenn Robbins ’08 placed third in Novice Reading and third in special category, Impromptu Sales. Vani Manchanda ’08 placed fifth in Declaration, Sarah Hills ’07 placed fourth in Play Reading, and Chloe Abu-Jaber ’07 placed third in Prose Reading.

Mary Parker ’11, who plays for the Assabet Valley Girls Hockey Team, recently won the 2006 U12 National Championship in Denver, CO.

Lauren Robbins '06, competed in the finals of the the annual Shakespeare Competition for High School Students, held February 5th, 2006.

Andrea Weidknecht '07, Mary Childs '07, Colleen Hughes '07, and Emily Morgan '10 all placed at "The Oscars" Speech Tournament at Newton South High School in January 2006. Andrea placed sixth in Dramatic Interpretation, Mary and Colleen placed sixth in Duo Interpretation and Emily placed sixth in Novice Reading. For more Speech Team accomplishments, please click here.

Liz Kelly '09 placed third in Novice Reading at the Natick High School Holly Festival Speech Tournament in December 2005. Andrea Weidknecht '07 placed fifth in Programmed Poetry. Over 900 students participated in the event. For more Speech Team accomplishments, please click here.

Ms. Pat O’Donovan, faculty emerita, offered the keynote address at the 2005 Mother-Daughter Brunch. To read her remarks, click here.

Montrose Speech Team. On December 3, the Speech Team participated in the Lincoln Sudbury High School Speech Tournament, sponsored by the Massachusetts Forensic League. Montrose placed third place overall in the small school division, with 4 team members participating in the day’s final round.
• Ellen Zatkowski ’08 placed 7th in declamation and was named top novice.
• Elizabeth Kelly ‘09 placed 6th in novice reading
• Mary Childs ‘07 and Colleen Hughes ‘07 placed 6th in duo interpretation.

Kids in Harmony, New England Conservatory Youth Chorale. Helen Keefe ‘07 participated in Kids in Harmony 2005 at Jordan Hall on December 1, 2005. The New England Conservatory sponsors this event to celebrate the impact of music on youth locally, nationally, and globally, and to honor world leaders in music and music education. High school students from the greater Boston area must audition in order to participate.

Pass Christian, Mississippi Mission. Elizabeth Kelly ‘09 and her family traveled to Pass Christian, Mississippi on a mission volunteer trip in November 2005. Her family’s parish in Walpole adopted a church in Pass Christian after the area was devastated by Hurricane Katrina. Liz prepared a presentation on her trip and plans to share it with the school.

Boston City Lab. This fall (2005), Montrose science classes—Advanced Biology 12, Biology 10, and Life Science 7—experienced hands-on problem solving and investigation in state-of-the-art laboratories at Boston’s City Lab in Boston University’s School of Medicine. Montrose students participated in experiments alongside university students and faculty engaged in laboratory work involving genetic engineering, cell study and medical research.

Chimes Acquisition. Music Director and Latin teacher, Karen Demirjian, took an intensive one week course in Handbell ringing at Westminster Choir College, Princeton, NJ this past summer. She joined the American Guild of English Handbell Ringers and applied for their chime loan program. Mrs. Demirjian was awarded the use of a three-octave set of chimes for one academic year. Members of both the high school and middle school chorus’ have been learning the art of Handbell Ringing, and recently performed in the Montrose Christmas Program.

8th Grade Opera Adventure. Karen Demirjian and several parents escorted the eighth grade music students to the Boston Opera House this fall to see the Barber of Seville (Italian title: Il Barbiere di Siviglia) by Gioacchino Antonio Rossini. Fourteen students experienced the opera for the first time. A spring visit is planned to see Mozart’s Magic Flute.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Essay Presentation Last year, Veronica Lau ‘07 earned second place in The Greater Framingham Community Church MLK Essay Contest. This year, her paper was selected to be read publicly on Martin Luther King Day 2006 to an audience of 500 people at a special anniversary celebration hosted by the church.

The Nutcracker. Bakhita Thordarson ‘12 performed in The Boston Ballet’s The Nutcracker this season. Nicole Hofer ‘09 will also in dancing in a local production of The Nutcracker.

Lauren Robbins '06 and Sarah Blahnik '06 have been selected to present academic papers at the University of Notre Dame's 2005 Conference on Ethics and Culture (September 29th to October 1st, 2005 in South Bend). This year's conference theme is Joy in the Truth: The Catholic University in the New Millennium. In the session entitled, Prospective Students Evaluate Catholic Universities, Sarah Blahnik will present "Character in Training: College Sports and the Student-Athlete" and Lauren Robbins will present "In Search of True Education". For more information click here.

Montrose Science Teacher, Ms. Jennifer Junkins, earned a grant from Harvard University to participate in a two week program in neurobiology for science teachers. The program was sponsored by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Harvard University’s Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology. She will be integrating what she learned at the conference into her Advanced Biology course for seniors. For more information on the program click here.

Summer Language Study & Home Stay Initiative. Ms. Elizabeth Mahoney, Spanish teacher, coordinated Montrose’s first summer language home stay opportunity for our students. Ms. Mahoney also traveled to Spain to meet families and secure placements for Montrose students who are interested in studying Spanish and living abroad next summer.

 
Mrs. Michelle Lamarque		 Commencement Speaker, Mrs. Michelle Lamarque, delivers inspiring address on courage, faith, and fortitude. Click here to read her remarks.

Congratulations to the Class of 2005! Montrose graduates will pursue their university studies at Boston College, Brown University, Mary Washington University, Northeastern University, Providence College (Honors Program), Rhodes College, St. Michael’s College (Honors Program), University of Notre Dame Villanova University, and Worcester State College.

Montrose School's Speech Team enjoyed a successful 2004-2005 year.

Montrose School’s a cappella group, the Treblemakers, earned a silver medal at the competitive MICCA (Massachusetts Instrumental and Choral Conductors Association) conference this spring. Congratulations to Mrs. Demirjian and all the students who participated.

In 2004, over 500 girls in grades 7 - 9 auditioned for the Girls Chorus at the Northeast Junior District Music Festival; 148 were accepted, 4 of whom were Montrose students.

 
Sarah Blahnik '06.		 Congratulations to Sarah Blahnik '06 for her selection as a 2nd Team High School Lacrosse All- American. The High School All-American's are selected by US Lacrosse.

We had a successful Career Day on Friday, April 29th. Our keynote speaker for the day was Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey.

Congratulations to Sarah Hills '07 and Veronica Lau '07 for earning 2nd and 3rd place in the Greater Framingham Community Church’s Martin Luther King Jr. Essay Contest. Read "True Liberty" by Veronica Lau and "The Dr. King Inside" by Sarah Hills.

Montrose School has inaugurated a study abroad program. This year’s trip, “In the Footsteps of Dante,” will provide our Juniors and Seniors with an in-depth exploration of Dante’s Inferno. It offers an immersion experience in Italian culture and living, an aesthetically inspiring encounter with the Tuscan countryside, and exposure to some of the greatest cultural artifacts in Western civilization.

On February 7, 2005 Montrose welcomed Mark Love, Civil Engineer, to our 9th and 10th grade Algebra classes. Mr. Love came to offer the students a practical approach to algebra, challenging them to think about problems in terms of real situations.

Mr. Love’s expertise is in traffic management, which was also the topic of the presentation. He gave the girls problems that he, as an engineer, was asked to solve, such as installing a new stop light at a busy intersection. He asked them to solve it using algebraic formulas. Mr. Love told the girls that algebra is “relating what you know to what you need.” It solves problems for hundreds of drivers every 90 seconds! The presentation was an invaluable way to prove that algebra does indeed make life’s challenges easier instead of more difficult. It taught the girls not only how to find the right answer, but also the best answer--the safest and most thorough. The students were challenged and enjoyed themselves at the same time.

 
Susy Antonopoulos '06, Elizabeth George '08, Renee Hopkins '08, and Tatiana Antonopoulos '06 performed traditional Greek dancing for the student body, as part of our International Week Celebration. 		International Week is an opportunity for the students to learn about cultures around the world. In class, the students explored the economics, religion, language, and customs of various regions around the world. Spanish and French classes prepared traditional foods for the students to enjoy during lunch. Elona Castro ‘09, engaged the school with an interactive presentation on Korean Tae Kwon Doe. The Dance Club entertained us with traditional Greek, Indian, and even hip hop. We also enjoyed a slide show and presentation on the “People of Ghana” from Rev Dr. Seth, who is the Pastor of the Fisk Memorial United Methodist Church in Natick and former Professor of Evangelism at Boston University. Rev Dr. Seth talked about his missionary work in Africa. The week came to an end with a photojournalistic slide show highlighting world events from the past year, and reminding Montrosians of their call to live in solidarity with others as citizens of a world.

Congratulations to the Montrose School Speech team for their fantastic performances at the Newton South 2005 Speech Tournament!

Andrea Weidknecht ’07 placed first in Prose Reading, Maria Pluta ’07 placed 2nd in Novice Prose Reading, Vani Manchanda ’08 placed 3rd in Novice Reading, Maggie Kelly ’05 placed 5th in Group Discussion, Sarah Hills ’07 placed 6th in Prose Reading, and Julie Halloran ’06, Maria Pluta ’07, and Emily Rogers ’07 placed 6th in Team Improvisation.

Head of School, Karen E. Bohlin, publishes new book, Teaching Character Education Through Literature: Awakening the Moral Imagination (London: Routledge, 2005). Available soon.

Sarah Blahnik '06 and Molly Keefe '05 were selected as 2004-2005 Conference All Stars in Soccer.

 
Karen Bohlin (left) and Ed Noonan present Maureen Bateman with the DeTore Leadership Award.		 Montrose School celebrates its 25th Anniversary with the DeTore Leadership Award Dinner, November 18th, at the Boston Copley Marriot. We are proud to announce Maureen Bateman, Partner at Holland and Knight, LLP as Montrose School’s 2004 DeTore Leadership Award Recipient. This Award honors women whose exemplary leadership, service, and faith reflect the legacy of Montrose School’s first headmistress, Dr. Elizabeth A. DeTore. Past recipients include Carolyn Lynch of The Lynch Foundation and Mary Ann Glendon, Esq. of Harvard University.

2004 Notre Dame Conference on Ethics and Culture “Epiphanies of Beauty: The Arts in a Post-Christian Culture” Molly Keefe and Alessandra Bouchard, Class of 2005, both presented papers at the annual Ethics and Culture conference at Notre Dame on November 20, 2004. Alessandra spoke on educating teens in the arts to decrease the allure of television, and Molly presented a paper on the nature of music and its impact on teenage culture. For the fourth consecutive year, Montrose students were the only high school presenters at this prestigious academic conference.
For more information about the conference click here.

Dan Kelly, Shakespearean actor, attorney at Boston firm, Gadsby Hannah LLP, and Montrose father, gave a lecture on opening night of Montrose School’s fall drama production, The Tempest. His "Tempest Tutorial” served as a pre-performance guide, which explained, among other things, the play's influences on popular culture and programs such as Gilligan's Island and Survivor.

Mary Jane Rice, Philosophy and English Teacher at Montrose, inaugurated Metaphysics for Moms this fall. Mary Jane was recognized by Professor David Solomon at the closing banquet of University of Notre Dame’s Conference on November 20, 2004. He acknowledged Montrose as one of the finest private schools in the country and asked to post the PowerPoint presentations that accompany Mary Jane Rice’s Metaphysics for Moms classes on Notre Dame’s Center for Ethics and Culture website.

Katie Elrod, Director of Curriculum and Professional Development at Montrose School, was invited to give a lecture at St. Joseph’s College as part of their “Catholics and the Election” series this past October. She presented a paper entitled, “Democratic Soul in Plato’s Republic: Who would Socrates Vote for and why should you care?” to both university students and professors.

Kerri Cronin, Philosophy Professor and Director of the Lonergan Center at Boston College, joined the Montrose Seniors in a discussion about “how to make the most of your freshmen year in College.” Professor Cronin engaged students in thinking more deeply about topics such as freedom, responsibility, and decision making.

Professional Soccer Player Luke Vercellone of the New England Revolution conducted a clinic this past fall for the Montrose Varsity Soccer team. Luke gives clinics for local youth teams, not only to promote this fast growing sport in the US, but also to teach young athletes the importance of discipline and sportsmanship.

Four students published poems in the Western Reading Services Northeast Regional High School Poetry Contest.

Montrose students have been recognized in a wide variety of forums including the John Templeton Foundation’s Laws of Life Essay Contest, the English Speaking Union’s Shakespeare Competition, and the Bread Loaf Young Writers’ Conference.

 
Melissa Carter '82 and former
Montrose advisor Pat O'Donovan 		Melissa Carter '82 was the Visual Effects Editor for Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ. She gave an talk on her work in Hollywood at Montrose on February 13, 2004.

Alessandra Bouchard '05 and Maggie Kelly '05, wrote papers that were selected as among the top three finest pieces of scholarship and research at St. Sebastian's United States History Conference.

Montrose welcomed back Dr. Karen Bohlin as Head of School in August 2003. Dr. Bohlin taught English at Montrose School for several years before serving as executive director of the Center for the Advancement of Ethics and Character at Boston University. An author, consultant, and Boston University professor, Dr. Bohlin's most recent book is for secondary English teachers, Teaching Literature: Awakening the Moral Imagination (London, RoutledgeFalmer, 2004). She is a member of the editorial board for the Journal of Research in Character Education and National Experts Panel on Character Education in High School.