Kickin' off Canstruction

Canstruction kickoff was a great way to introduce why we need to collect cans for Dare to Care. It really put an emphasis on the importance of what Dare to Care does and how much it depends on Assumption for cans. I also loved seeing the girls do the can-can relay. I laughed so hard at everyone!
~Katelyn S.
Last Tuesday was Assumption's annual Canstruction kick-off. As always, the assembly was so much fun - but it also got pretty crazy. Girls doing the can-can with cans? Not exactly something you see everyday! The assembly was great because it got all the families pumped up and ready to bring in those cans. Not only do we want to win, but we also all see the importance of this event. The cans will be donated to Dare to Care and we have a history of bringing some of the biggest donations. It's great to have something like Canstruction to be able to help people and have a blast at the same time!
-Anne D.

Fall Break

Fall Break is a time you can spend with your family or friends. This fall break my family went to Gatlinburg, Tennesse and my Danish exchange student, Michelle Dahl Pedersen, came along with us. We got to know Michelle better throughout the trip. We ate at many different restaurants. We also saw the new Titanic exhibit. At night we would walk along the streets and look at the different shops with our carmel apples in hand. We loved to ride go karts and race each other. It was a very eventful fall break and one that I will always remember.
~ Alex M.

It was so wonderful to have a few days off from school. October is the month when everything gets busy, so it was nice to have a few days to catch my breath. On my days off, I was crazy busy. My sister, an AHS alum, was home for the weekend from college. It was so fun to catch up and visit with her. Next, my youth group went on retreat this weekend. We spent time bonding over bible study/worship, ultimate frisbee, adventure activities like high ropes, star-gazing, and much more. It was awesome to spend time out in nature with a few AHS friends, as well as others. To conclude the weekend, my mom and I attended the Rand Paul & Jack Conway Senatorial debate. It was so cool to be at a live televised event, experiencing history in the making. Even though I can't vote, I learned so much about today's issues. It was a great evening! Fall break was a BLAST, but it's great to be back at school.

-Julia C.

A Visit to St. Vincent de Paul

Editor's Note: This is reprinted from the St. Vincent de Paul blog at http://www.svdplou.org/blog.html. Students in five of teacher Angela Lincoln's social justice classes recently toured the St. Vincent de Paul campus, including the Ozanam Inn men's homeless shelter and St. Jude Women's Recovery Center. A few of the students were invited to blog about their impressions.

St. Vincent de Paul was truly eye-opening for me. It's one of those experiences that doesn't come around everyday, and I'm very grateful to have been able to go there and witness homelessness firsthand.
There were many things that affected me, but perhaps most prominent in my mind is listening to our speaker share her story. In my family, we have a cousin who struggles with heavy addiction and it was refreshing to know that there are services out there that are more than willing to help whoever they can.
I'm grateful to have such a wonderful service center in our city that is fighting to help relieve homelessness, especially in this economic decline. Finally, I'm more than honored that the people there were willing to share their personal stories, which led me to be very impressed by their faculty, staff, and clients.
-- Chloe Zoeller

Fall Pep Rally

The fall sports pep rally was a high energy celebration of the wonderful things Assumption's sports teams are achieving. We were able to learn a little about each team while getting pumped up about there upcoming games/matches/meets. The whole school was taught cheers that we can use when we go support our fellow Rockets. We also got the privilege to see the dance team perform - this was exciting and a lot of fun! Overall, the pep rally was a success and enjoyed by the Assumption community.
-Alex M.

12:30 Dismissals

At Assumption, one of my favorite things is the 12:30 dismissal days that occur on Tuesdays about once a month. They are great because they offer so many opportunities to do other things. You can catch up on homework, hang out with friends, or get some extra sleep. :) This past 12:30 day, I walked down to Buckhead's with some friends and it was awesome having such a relaxing afternoon. Plus, I still had time afterwards to get all of my homework done and have time to watch my Tuesday night shows. 12:30 days add a much needed break to a hectic school week!
-Anne D.

SleepWalk 2010

The 2010 Walk theme was SleepWalk. Girls dressed up in their footy pajamas and hair curlers and they prepared to get their walk on! The Walk was a blast - all the girls were dressed up and so were the teachers. It was fun to just see everyone's spirit. We raised a record-setting amount of more than $57,000 - we did an amazing job and so did our top seller. She raised $1,000 dollars - how wonderful! We came together as a community and helped so many girls. Assumption did a great job this year and the theme was fun, too!
-Alex M.

Green Dot Initiative

On Tuesday, September 28th, the whole school gathered in the gym to listen to a guest speaker from the Center for Women and Families, Amanda Houpt. Students were extremely interested and intrigued as they learned about a new program called Green Dot. The Mary Byron Project introduced the speaker and sponsors the program because they believe it is time for more students to get involved in putting an end to power-based personal violence. The Green Dot Program gives students a chance to do additional training at Assumption with Amanda and learn how to be a bystander that knows how to react in situations where violence is occuring. Students seemed eager to learn more after attending the assembly. The Mary Byron Project closed the assembly by introducing an event they are working on called Walk A Mile in Her Shoes in which they are partnering with St. X and Trinity to have high school boys walking in high heels to advocate against teen dating violence. Together, these two programs provide the education and opportunity to make Assumption a leading school in violence prevention and awareness.
~Jaclyn O.

Family Foundations Week

The competition to see who had the most Family pride and fever was conducted the week of September 21-25. The week began with students decorating their Family suites, or the group of rooms that Family "lives" in. Several students from each grade make up a single Family. There are nine Families at Assumption, representing nine foundations Catherine McAuley founded in Ireland. On Thursday, September 23rd, students sported accessories in their Family color accompanying their uniform. The spirit was prevelant as everyone prepared for Family festivities the next day.

On Friday, September 24th, Mercy Day, students enjoyed spending time with students in their Families and participating in various activities as they celebrated and honored Catherine McAuley's work. The day began with a Mercy Day prayer service in which sophomore Kelsey Kaiser, junior Mary-Kate Smith, and senior Catherine Palmer-Ball, as well as faculty and staff, were honored as Models of Mercy for their outstanding exemplification of our Mercy values. After the prayer service, students returned to homerooms to write letters to Mercy sister schools across the country. My particular family, Kingstown, wrote a letter to a Mercy school in Virginia in which we all signed our names on the Smart Board.

Saving the best for last, the week wrapped up with an all-school Family competition in the gym by putting a twist on the series "The Bachelor." Representative teachers and students from each family competed in a relay race consisting of putting on dresses in their family color, ribbons in their hair, and waltzing with a teacher across the gym floor. Amy Vanover, Logan Higgins, and Tylisha Mitchell were the three finalists who had to explain to Catherine McAuley how their foundation spread her mission. Amy Vanover ended up winning the competition for her Family, of course with her Family supporting her and cheering for her the whole time. She even received a rose from one of our teachers and got her picture taken. It was a great week for students to come together as a community and prove why their family was the one to beat.

-Jaclyn O.

Freshman Parent Mass

The Freshman Parent Mass is a great way to get more connected with your parents. You go to mass with your parents and then there are refreshments afterward. My parents and I had a great time connecting together that night.
~Katelyn S.

Reunion Weekend

Friday was Reunion Weekend for the classes of 1960, 1965, 1970, 1975, 1980, 1985, 1990, 1995, 2000, and 2005. It was so cool to see all of the alums reconnecting with their AHS friends! Some of the current students dressed up in old uniforms. It was so interesting to see how the uniform has changed over the years! There were lots of tables with memorabilia from all the different years. It was so fun looking at all the old programs, handbooks, and yearbooks. We even found pictures of some of our teachers when they went to AHS! It was great to see all of the classes reconnecting and to hear them tell stories about what high school was like for them. Now I'm really excited to go to my reunions!
-Tricia D.

Grandmother Tree

My Feminine Spirituality class has been amazing so far. I love all the activities, but the one that I've liked best so far is when we got to visit Grandmother Tree in Cherokee Park because during the activity I got the chance to sit in plain nature, feeling the nice breeze while thinking about all of the amazing things that God has given us. Plus, that is also doing something out of the ordinary because not everyone gets the chance to relax in a nature atmosphere. Maybe people are working or maybe they are always busy at home, but I definitely got something out of this experience - to go out more and enjoy life. I don't mean enjoy life, as in having fun with friends and going out to restaurants or anything like that, but I mean enjoying everything that we have around us, and absorbing the beauty of our world. Some people don't really realize how beautiful it is and the masterpiece that God has given us to live in. It was an awesome experience, and I cant wait to go another day on my own time to be able to enjoy nature once more.
~Stephanie D.

The Feminine Spirituality classes had the opportunity to go on a little field trip to Cherokee Park. We first enjoyed a picnic lunch in the shade and then hiked a small trail to visit the "Grandmother Tree." Despite the fact that the tree fell in the ice storm two years ago, what was left of it was still very grand. All the carvings and painting on the trunk and branches showed that we were just one of many groups to come into the woods to this very spot. We all climbed onto the large trunk that lay on the ground and just sat there in silence, soaking in the beauty of nature that surrounded us. It was a very peaceful and relaxing experience, and it made me want to go into nature even more.
~Lydia D.

My Femine Spirtuality class went on a field trip to Grandmother Tree. I didn't quite know what that exactly meant. I wasn't sure if it was just a really old tree, or actually had something to do with Mrs. Davis. When we got there I realized how old she really was. She had graffiti all over her and was lying on the ground. When the big ice storm hit, she had fallen over. My friends and I climbed on her limbs and listened to nature. It was such an amazing experience to be so connected to nature. I hope that more people hear about Grandmother Tree and go visit her every once and a while.
-Alex Guidry

The Walk for AHS

The Walk Kick-Off Assembly was so exciting! The whole school got together to find out what this year's walk theme would be. Everyone got to sit with their class and get really pumped up. All the teachers were wearing pajamas! We heard all about the financial aid program and why the Walk is so important. Then, the teachers put on a really funny skit, pretending to be at a sleepover the night before the Walk. We found out that the theme is SleepWalk! I am so excited to start collecting pledges for this year's walk. My goal is to raise $100 for financial aid! I know that this year's walk is going to be a blast!
-Tricia D.

The walk kick-off this year was hilarious. The teacher's skit had all of the students laughing and the incintives and walk theme this year, SleepWalk, are great. I love that we raise money for financial aid and the walk kick-off made raising that money so much more fun and exciting!

-Katelyn S.

Club Fair 2010

The Club Fair Wednesday was really fun! All of the clubs and organizations had a display board and representatives to tell the students what their club is about. The whole gym was full of poster boards with all the info on all the clubs at AHS. Everyone in the school came to check it out at some point during the period. All the students got to see what they might be interested in getting involved with this year. I got to see a lot of clubs that I didn't even know Assumption had, like Asian Culture Club and Future Problem Solving. The Club Fair was a really cool way to see what AHS has to offer! -Tricia D.

Mock Schedule Night

Mock schedule night is a time when our parents can go to each of our classes and meet our teachers. It enables them to see what we've been up to thus far, as well as what we'll be doing in the future. The parents go to our classes for 15 minutes each with 5 minutes passing in between. Numerous parents stopped me and asked, "How in the world do you make it across the building in just 5 minutes?!" I said, "It takes practice and good timing." :) But the most frequently asked question of the night was, "Where is the C building (CAC)? I've walked this hallway 6 times already!" Yes, it can be intimidating, and maybe a bit difficult to navigate a new place at first, but there is always someone here to help you if you're lost.
The school was PACKED! So many enthusiastic parents participated in this year's event. During the study block, parents could go mingle with each other in the cafeteria, while enjoying lemonade and cookies. Also in the cafeteria were organizations to help parents get involved with Assumption (Volunteers In Partnership, Rocket Parent Network, etc). The dance team was also there having a fundraiser to raise money to go to nationals.
Spirits were high, and the energy was contagious. Everyone was so excited about what's happening in our school. I can tell it's going to be a great year!! :)
~Julia C. '12

Retail Sales Field Trip

Last Tuesday, my retail sales class and I took a mini field trip up to the Rite Aid at the Gardiner Lane Shopping Center. Retail Sales is basically a class where you learn all about the retail business and even how run your own retail establishment in the future. We took a trip to Rite Aid to look at all of their different products and analyze the prices. We had to figure out discounts. We also compared products to see whether the bigger version was a better buy than the smaller version. It was funny because so many curious shoppers wanted to know why Rite Aid was the spot we chose for a field trip. I guess it is kind of a unique spot to pick. Anyway, I'm looking forward to some more great field trips in this class. Our teacher promised us that they'd be happening frequently. That was pretty exciting to hear. :)

-Anne D.

(Click on the title above to see more photos from our field trip!)

Apple Tournament

The Apple tournament was so much fun this year. I am on Assumption's varsity field hockey team, and I really enjoyed playing in these games. It was great to have the support of my classmates and teachers at the games. All the teams played hard, and we really enjoyed participating in the tournament. I am really excited about this upcoming season. I love all of my teammates, and I really think that we can come together and play some great rocket hockey this year. Thanks to everyone who came and supported our team! It means so much!
~Mary-Kate S.

Welcome Back!

The opening prayer service today (8-12) was a great way to start off the school year. The entire school got to bond and be together, and I think that this really shows that no matter what, we will all be together. I love how each of the classes was individually addressed by their class representatives. It really got me thinking about what I can do to make this year even better. There are so many new things happening, and the new theme, 'Why not?' shows everyone that it's ok to try something new. I truly believe that after everyone gave their speeches today, every single person was thinking about how they can make not only their year better, but everyone else's as well. I know that this year is going to be amazing, and the prayer service was a great way to start it off!

~Katelyn S.

**Click on the title of this post to see more photos from the first day of school!

Pink & White Game

On Thursday April 29th, the halls of Assumption were filled with school spirit. Friends finalized plans for the evening as the whole school prepared for the third annual Pink and White Flag Football Game that evening. The game was hosted at St. Xavier High School, and although we didn't win in the end, the Assumption Rockets didn't make it easy for the Sacred Heart Valkyries. Assumption showed the community what it means to have school spirit. From cookouts to car paint, classmates came together to cheer, yell, and raise money for a good cause. We truly were the Rocket Nation. Four schools, two rivalries, one cause. Everyone wins.
~Colleen
**Editor's Note - the Pink and White football game is played by seniors from AHS and SHA each spring. Proceeds go to Norton Cancer Institute's Breast Health Program. This year's game raised approximately $31,000.

AHS choirs go to Disney

Every other year, Assumption's Chamber Choir, Advanced Choir, and Bell Choir make their way down to Walt Disney World for the Festival Disney Music Competition. This year, we not only showed up ready to compete, but stood out among the rest. With superior ratings - silver, gold, and best in class Mickeys - Assumption dominated the competition! After countless hours riding rides, eating Mickey-shaped food, and taking pictures with the princesses, we now have memories that will last us a lifetime! What's better than 3 days in Disney World with awesome teachers and 60 girls who love music just as much as you do? Not much else. :)

~Colleen

AHS Families

Family Cramily in the fall was AMAZING! It was so neat to see all the families sporting their colors! Of course Carlow was the best with their signs, foam finger, and each letter of Carlow attached to girls' shirts! It looked amazing. The energy in the gym was exciting and it was funny watching people participate in the events. It was so much fun, and as a family rep it was good to see how well everything turned out. ~Kelsey

At the Family Cramily event in the fall, the theme was AHS's version of a Harry Potter Tournament. We had quick change and over/under activities within our families and then with the whole school. The whole event was really fun, and every family showed spirit and support for their team. Even though my family didn't win, I still had a good time cheering for Tullamore. The teams for my family did pretty well overall, though I am sad we didn't win the Panera breakfast. We earned a pretty good number of points which is awesome! Hopefully we will get more points at other activities and win the overall house cup. :) Jaclyn