December 13, 2019

 

Dear Mercy Parents/Guardians,

 

Welcome to the Advent Season! I hope you find opportunity for peace and reflection during this extraordinarily busy time of the year. As we prepare for closure to the first semester, much has been accomplished at Mercy High School.

 

 

Immersion Experience Day: This November, students in Mrs. Perry’s Entrepreneurship class visited Quicken Loans Headquarters in Detroit to learn more about the Rock Family of Companies which includes Bedrock Detroit and Rock Ventures. Students were hosted by Mercy alumna Mrs. Rebecca (Leddy) McDonald ‘91, Senior Vice President. 

 

This trip exposed students to a large dynamic organization where they could better understand corporate citizenship, learn about opportunities for internships in the future, and have direct interaction with women in leadership. Several of the women who students met through a panel discussion are Mercy alumnae. Additionally, students participated in a guided tour of Detroit’s Central Business District to experience the vibrancy and positive traction of downtown’s business community.

 

Students took personality assessments prior to the visit to better understand how their unique characteristics might align professionally. In a post trip survey, 100% of students indicated this experience provided them a better understanding of how corporate culture impacts job satisfaction. 96% shared they have a better understanding of the benefits of corporate diversity and inclusion programs, and 92% appreciated the panel discussion of situations women in leadership might face and how they might best be managed. After the trip, there was nearly a 20% increase of students who said they had not previously, yet would now consider working within the city of Detroit.

 

We are grateful to Mrs. McDonald and the Quicken Loans team for generously sharing their day with us!

 

MiCareerQuest: Our entire freshman class once again attended MiCareerQuest of Southeast Michigan. This event provides an interactive introduction for in-demand career opportunities. Industries featured were Health Sciences, Construction, Information Technology and Advanced Manufacturing. The field trip was a huge success and received very positive feedback from our students who indicated it opened new doors of thinking about future opportunities. 

 

 

As a HeartSafe certified school, we are required to perform at least 2 cardiac/AED drills per year. During the recent Cardiac/AED Drill Week in November, we ran drills involving students in 5 different classrooms. Students in each of these classes participated in important life saving practices. The goal is to have an AED attached to the victim in under 3 minutes. We exceeded this goal each time, with an average retrieval time of 1 minute, a reduction of 55 seconds from last year’s efforts. New this year, Mrs. Lavely jumped into the pool during swim class to practice this important life saving technique.

 

Inclement Weather Reminder: As we round the corner to winter weather, please know that Mercy follows the direction of Farmington Public Schools in determining school closure. Our student body is drawn from over 70 different communities, making it difficult to define a closure policy that always supports each region. We respect that you best know the limitations and comfort level of your student driver in the event of winter road conditions, specifically in your area.

 

Kevin’s Song Conference: In January, nine Mercy team members will attend Kevin’s Song, a conference to advocate community engagement in suicide prevention. Keynote speakers and breakout sessions will be offered to share strategies based on the best available research and evidence-based practices to help individuals, schools, employers and communities advocate for targeted prevention activities. We are grateful to a generous parent donor who is sponsoring the Mercy team as we engage in this important conversation.

 

Student Mental Health Resource: This fall, health teachers Ms. Lavely and Ms. Jamieson brought the PrepareU program to Mercy for all sophomore students. This 13 module curriculum helps to foster emotional support and resilience, and is designed to guide students to live a healthier life. Students are exposed to tools to develop self-care practices, which includes engaging in conversations focused on mental health. Students completed post-course assessments that indicated significant positive impact in helping them manage stress and anxiety. 

 

Mercy is the first Catholic high school in the country to adopt the PrepareU curriculum, and we are excited to enhance our student well-being program with this outstanding resource.

 

 

Youth Mercy Associates: During our Mercy Foundation Day celebration on December 12th, we held our annual commitment ceremony of the Youth Mercy Association, honoring a group of students who are dedicated to service, prayer, faith and love. We selected to acknowledge our Youth Mercy Associates on this day to correspond with the Foundation Day of the Sisters of Mercy - who celebrate 191 years this year!

 

The following students made their one year commitment as a Youth Mercy Associate:

 

Katie Mueller '20

Lauren Piziali '20

Mary Grace Piotrowski '20

 

Lily Fromm '22

Bianca Marcone '22

Julia Rea '22

Morgan Rood '22

 

Making their re-commitment as Youth Mercy Associates, are:

 

Angela Rea '20

Anna Rimatzki '22

 

Becoming a Youth Mercy Associate is a year long process with a need to fulfill requirements including planning and leading a prayer service, completing a community service project, reading a book about faith, attending a special faith-filled event, and regularly attending group meetings. Please join us in praying for these young ladies as they model the Mercy values and mission.

 

Did you know we also have Adult Mercy Associates on staff? Please keep in your prayers for their commitment to the Mercy charism Judi Dennis, Dr. Cheryl Kreger, Colleen McMaster and Sandy Mals.

 

Focus Hope: Thank you for supporting our annual Thanksgiving Focus Hope Food Drive. Together we collected over 420 boxes to fill almost 8 pallets with food and supplies for low income seniors in need this holiday season. We offer a special shout out to Ms. Robinet’s adviser group who filled 17 boxes!

 

 

Mr. Larry Baker: After more than 44 years of service to Mercy High School, Mr. Larry Baker (Associate Principal of Operations) will be retiring at the end of December. Mr. Baker’s legacy to Mercy is phenomenal. He has served as an exemplary English teacher, technology leader, two time State Championship Mercy Varsity Basketball coach, teacher and coach mentor, and gentle friend to many.

 

The strength of our educational technology program and repeated recognition as an Apple Distinguished School is an outcome of Larry’s expertise and leadership. Mr. Baker has also been instrumental in the development of English curriculum and active based challenge learning. He showcases the success of our dynamic and accomplished Mercy alumnae through the podcast he championed, Accent on Mercy. 

 

We are enormously grateful to Mr. Baker for his outstanding dedication and service to Mercy High School students, parents, faculty, staff and the administrative team. We wish him a retirement filled with love, laughter and pride in knowing he has truly made a difference to our Mercy family!

 

We Love our Mercy Moms: Thank you to our Mercy Mothers Club members who hosted this year’s successful Holiday Market! We are grateful to our Mercy Mothers Club Board and Committee Contacts:

 

President: Stephanie Collins

VP: Tracey Sanom

VP: Mary Wright

Secretary: Suman Desaraju

Treasurer: Sheerin Siddique

School Liaison: Gina Gray

PR/Membership: Jennifer Faraj

 

The next Mothers Club meeting will be a fun-filled activity on January 21 at 6:30pm in the Media Center. Be sure to watch for upcoming details!

 

Thank you for allowing me to share with you the many reasons we have to be proud of our school. We are grateful that you are in partnership with us us to support your daughter as she becomes a woman who makes a difference!

 

May God’s Grace and Blessings be in your path,