News Articles Below:
Hamburger Feed Continues 500 Club Tradition
Cheer Camp Champs
Volunteers Helping Prepare for New School Year
New Prez Not Wasting Any Time
New Principal at the helm
LifeTeen VP Speaks with MH-MA Students
Links to News Articles:
MH-MA Welcomes 4 New Board Members
Hamburger Feed Continues 500 Club Tradition
August 17, 1948 was the beginning of the 500 Club. The September 1988 Maur Hill Today, publication for the League
of St. Maur, gives us insights into the early years. George Diebolt, who attended MHP from 1927-1929 was the first president of the club. In 1948, the group held a fish fry on campus to attract supporters of the athletic program. The goal was to sell 500 season tickets in support of athletics. During the 1960’s, ‘70’s and 80’s families who had sons attend MHP or daughters at MSSA donated the beef for the burgers. Plan to come to campus next Wednesday evening, August 11 at 5 p.m. for some great tasting hamburgers, for fellowship and to help us kick off the 2010-2011 season!
MH-MA ALUMNI
DOUBLEHEADER on
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Calling all former Soccer and Football players
ALUMNI SOCCER GAME: 2:00pm - (Alumni Soccer players VS
MH-MA Soccer team)
LOCATION: MH-MA campus/Mary Amino Soccer Field
PLAYER COSTS: $25.00 (Includes dinner at Jerry’s Again Restaurant in Atchison at 6:00pm)
FOOTBALL SCRIMMAGE: 4:00pm- Guy Galley Field
ALUMNI SOCIAL FOLLOWS:
Come and visit with fellow alumni and friends follwing the games at Jerry’s Again Restaurant
at 6:30pm, and also meet the
2010-11 football and soccer coaches.
Contact Alumni Director Bernadette Urban at 913-367-5482 ext 214 or e-mail burban@mh-ma.com to RSVP. Please do so by Wednesday August 25th
Cheer Camp Champs
The MH-MA cheerleading team recently completed a cheer camp in Maryville, MO, earning several awards along the
way. The ten-member squad learned new dances, cheers and stunt techniques. Team members include: Ce Ce Asher, Miranda Baniewicz, Tina Busch, Abbey Funk, Rebecca Funk, Jordan Hennigh, Jenna Hundley, Shelby Kane, Molly Minnis, and Maddie Wagner. MH-MA earned a first-place trophy for their home dance routine and second-place for camp
champs. They were also awarded eight blue ribbons and two gold ribbons, a leadership award and tradition award. Molly Minnis and Tina Busch earned the All-American award. This qualifies them to go to London and perform in the New Years Day Parade. Participants vying for this status are judged on motion technique, jumps, tumbling, spirit,
enthusiasm, voice projection and overall crowd appeal. Coach Teresa Lanferfermann was very proud of the team, “The girls did really well and we competed against twelve much larger squads.” Caylon Lanfermann, ’07, choreographed the dances and was assisted by Lauren McDermed, ’08, in teaching the routines.
Volunteers Helping Prepare for New School Year
 
 
 
New MH-MA Prez Not Wasting Any Time
By HANK
LAYTON
Sports Editor
New Maur Hill-Mount Academy president Phil Baniewicz made a lot of promises when he took over on April 1.
Less than 100 days later, it’s become pretty obvious that he isn’t much of a procrastinator.
MH-MA and Benedictine College graduate Mallory Hundley was cleared Tuesday afternoon to take over the high school’s volleyball program — one of several new coaches who will be leading the Ravens and Lady Ravens into a new league and, hopefully, a new direction.
“When I was hired, I sat down with the athletic director and had him write the records of every team for the past 10 years,” Baniewicz said. “It wasn’t pretty.”
Baniewicz, an NCAA Div. I baseball player and state-champion baseball coach in Arizona, made it one of his goals to turn around an MH-MA athletic program that has performed well below the expectations of alumni and community members for several years now.
The school will have six new coaches when it enters the Delaware Valley League next school year.
The fall season will feature three new coaches with Hundley, Brandon Wilkes for football and a new cheerleading coach.
BC grad Courtney Edmonds will take over the girls’ basketball program, and the school opted not to renew the contract of baseball coach Scott Henning after a one-win season. The team will also have a new swimming coach.
According to Baniewicz, entering a new league is a perfect time for the school to take a new approach.
“Going to the DVL is a great opportunity. You’ve got more schools that are our size,” he said. “Change can be good. People can sometimes be resistant to it.”
Baniewicz admitted that he understands some people may be upset with all the new hirings.
“I fully realize that there are going to be people who hate what I do,” he said. “But there was a reputation that a lot of alumni built up over the years at Maur Hill. I feel we need to rebuild that.”
Baniewicz is already seeing results.
He commended Edmonds and Wilkes for the work they’ve done over the summer, getting their athletes into the gym to lift weights — something Baniewicz said was lacking with programs in the past. The baseball program is also taking steps forward by having its own summer team for the first time.
Baniewicz had a more direct affect on the athletes when several of them attended an athletic leadership conference on the campus of BC — where he worked full-time for four years.
Speakers like former Kansas City Chiefs lineman Tim Grunhard and the entire coaching staff at BC talked with dozens of area athletes for a week in June. Baniewicz helmed the conference for the third straight year.
After that, he spoke at the University of Notre Dame — which is responsible for the Play Like A Champion Today outreach that led the BC athletic conference.
A week later, Baniewicz spoke to hundreds of local teenagers — including several from MH-MA — for another leadership conference.
For Baniewicz, it’s just part of the job as president of MH-MA.
“It’s a mindset we’re trying to change here,” he said. “There’s definitely a desire by players and parents and alumni to see these teams succeed. It’s just been a difficult time.”
While some may say MH-MA is too small to succeed on the field or in the gym, Baniewicz disagreed.
“I learned as a coach that the most talented teams don’t win state championships,” said Baniewicz, who took over the Seton Catholic High School program after 10 years of not making the playoffs and made it in six of the next seven. “We were not the most talented. We won because we played the best as a team, and we played our best when the best was needed.”
Another factor in Baniewicz’s hiring decisions is faith.
“We’re trying to find coaches who are well-rounded. We want their faith to be alive,” he said. “We’re a Catholic school. Faith needs to be alive.”
Hank Layton can be reached at
hanklayton@npgco.com
Courtesy of The Atchison Globe
New Principal at the helm
Thursday, June 9th
When the 2010-2011 school year opens in August, Maur Hill – Mount Academy will have a new principal at the helm. On June 21, Monika King will take over the post that has been held by Sharon Pruett for the past three years.
Monika King’s passion for the Catholic faith and experiences as a teacher, education administrator and parent distinguished her as the type of leader desired for Maur Hill-Mount Academy. Mrs. King comes to MH-MA from Wichita Public Schools where she served as Secondary Science Coordinator (which is equal to Assistant Superintendent). Mr. Phil Baniewicz, MH-MA President remarked, “Monika’s deep faith, experience of running a diocesan office and teaching experience in Catholic schools, public schools, and home-schooling give her a well-rounded foundation that will be a true blessing for Maur Hill-Mount Academy.” She was also an Adjunct Professor at Southwestern College and was on the faculty at University of Phoenix, teaching online courses. She has taught at Magdalen Elementary, Kapaun-Mount Carmel High School, Blessed Sacrament Elementary School as well as serving as the Director of the Natural Family Planning Office, all in Wichita. From her education background she has expertise in curriculum, with a strong emphasis in the sciences and extensive knowledge of Kansas state standards. Mrs. King is sure to build on MH-MA’s existing strengths and traditions with exceptional leadership. Yet, we also look to her enthusiasm and new ideas to have a positive impact on the school.
Our new principal earned a Masters in Science Education from Wichita State University in December, 1996. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Biology and Education from Benedictine College, Atchison. She and her husband Stephen, have four children and son, Alexander will be in seventh grade at Atchison Catholic Elementary School. As a Benedictine College graduate, Monika is very excited to “come home.”
“I think our parents will be extremely impressed with her experience in the classroom and on the administrative level. My expectation is that she will help all of us excel in our fields,” commented Baniewicz.
Life Teen VP Speaks with MH-MA Students
Tuesday, April 27
He brought energy, humor and a clear message about God. Mark Hart, Executive Vice President for Life Teen International, spoke to the MH-MA assembly on April 27. A graduate of the University of Notre Dame, Mr. Hart is
known as the “Bible Geek” and enjoys helping Catholics explore Scripture in a new way. His 2006 book, Blessed
are the Bored in Spirit was on the Catholic best-seller list. On Tuesday morning, it was easy to see why he is
considered a popular speaker and an award-winning author. At MH-MA, Mark spoke on the need for prayer and conversion in one’s life.
On the topic of prayer Mr. Hart shared these insights: Prayer isn’t about the perfect words. Prayer is best when it is
raw and heartfelt. It is about desiring a relationship with God and trusting he will love us despite our imperfections.
Mr. Hart called the MH-MA students his young brothers and sisters. He genuinely loves the family that the Catholic Church provides.
On conversion of faith, Mr. Hart spoke of a particular incident in his life involving a turbulent airplane flight he was
on. The plane had a malfunctioning engine and experienced a sudden loss of altitude, complete with deployed
oxygen masks. Everyone on the flight suddenly became Catholic, he said, as evidenced by passengers trying to
make the sign of the cross, questioning if it is done going left to right or right to left. Mr. Hart reports that his life
did not flash before him as some have described, but rather, he felt the need to tell God he was sorry for all of his shortcomings.
Mr. Hart is an individual that truly lives his faith. He states that he is so proud to be Catholic and his enthusiasm
about spreading the word of God shows this pride. He hopes that young people experience the love of Christ in the Eucharistic Mass they attend. Life Teen, Inc. strives to assist Catholic parishes by providing resources and support
to parish youth ministries. Based in Mesa, AZ, the organization is celebrating 25 years of leading teens and their
families closer to Christ through a relationship with the Eucharist.
Many MH-MA students stated that Mr. Hart held their attention the entire forty minutes and that is difficult to do.
Senior Erin Hunninghake shared that he made a powerful statement when he discussed the fact that everyone’s
biggest journey is between your head and your heart. “We know right from wrong, but there is tension between
our logic and our emotions when peer pressure is involved.”
We are blessed to have had Mr. Hart as our guest. It is experiences like these that set MH-MA apart from other
schools. Parent Amy Minnis described how fortunate we were to have Mark Hart speak. “He was an inspiration to
the students and myself. I felt he brought with him a love of Jesus that was uplifting and contagious. Mr. Hart's message of love, faithfulness, and commitment is one I hope our students take with them during their years at
Maur Hill-Mount Academy and beyond.”
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