Student Standouts: Hall ’23, Schukar ’24, Freeman ’26, Cervera ’27, Cabbabe ’31, Mackin ’32, Mileusinec ’32, Ice Hockey, Girls Swimming and Diving
Congratulations to this week’s standouts below. Way to go #RamNation! And as always, if you have a story to share, please email weeklynews@micds.org.
Steve Hall Signs to Play Football at Lindenwood
Congratulations to Steve Hall ’23 who recently committed to play football as a Running Back at Lindenwood University! We can’t wait to continue cheering him on here locally at the next level! Congratulations, Steve!
Junior Works on Reef Restoration in the Maldives
Over Winter Break, Davis Schukar ’24 spent two weeks in the Maldives working on some fascinating reef restoration efforts. Check out this incredible video of his experience in December!
Davis has been learning quite a bit about coral. « From my experiences with coral restoration, I’ve seen that no two places tackle this challenge the same way, » he shares. « I’ve done everything from transplanting healthy corals between reefs to taking fragments and tying them onto these metal structures called Nurseries. As for this trip specifically, I mainly used the latter method but it came with one unique twist: the metal that made up the nursery was electrically charged. The Marine Biologist on the island told me that electricity is supposed to stimulate the production of calcium carbonate, the material that makes up the exoskeletons of coral.
« Overall, this experience has been extremely enlightening as it can be hard to grasp the importance of coral when you live several hours away from the nearest reef. This trip wasn’t my first experience with coral restoration, and I can’t imagine it will be my last, so I’m excited to continue to do my part in saving the ocean, one coral at a time. » Amazing work, Davis!
Freshman Selected for Cultural Leadership Program
Rodney Freeman ’26 has recently been selected to be part of the 18th class of the Cultural Leadership High School Program!
Rodney joins 26 other incredible students from across the St. Louis metro region who, like him, care deeply about others and are eager to learn how they can better understand and support their communities as leaders. They began their year-long journey together this past Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend where they learned more about concepts like bias and discrimination, attended Shabbat and Sunday morning church services, and had conversations with each other about their unique identities and experiences. They’ll continue meeting monthly throughout the next year where they’ll engage in such topics as housing segregation, education inequities, and the US mass incarceration system while also developing their leadership skills so they can positively impact their schools and communities.
Congratulations, Rodney!
Eighth Grader Performs in Youth American Grand Prix Ballet Competition
Our very own Ava Cervera ’27 got to perform in Chicago last month in the Youth American Grand Prix, a very prestigious ballet competition. Those selected for this competition have to have tremendous dedication, talent, and passion to be one of the selected dancers. Ava rehearsed and prepared for YAGP for months.
When asked about this special experience, Ava shared, « I had been preparing for YAGP since the summer with classical classes and extra weekly practices. I already knew ahead of time that I was mostly going for the experience, but the first couple of days were so fun. I was able to perform myself and watch my teammates perform. We also got the opportunity to take master classes at the Joffrey Ballet School which is a prestigious ballet company. Having my birthday that weekend also made the trip more fun. It was so cool to see some amazing dancers and to aspire to be like them. To see what we are working so hard to become in classes every week was truly an amazing thing to do. »
Bravo, Ava!
Three Rams Earn Gold Medal at Disney Sunshine Showcase
Blair Cabbabe ’31, JoJo Mackin ’32, and Annie Mileusnic ’32 were part of the U12 Gateway Field Hockey team that participated in the Disney Sunshine Showcase in Orlando. They won all six games and only allowed one point against them! Congratulations to the three Rams for coming home with the gold medal!
Ice Hockey Team Earns Second-Best Record in the Midstates
On January 30, the regular Ice Hockey season came to an end as the Rams defeated Eureka 3-1. The team capped off a tremendous year with the second-best record in Midstates at 16-2-3! The Rams also won the Central Division and are ranked as the 4th seed in the Wickenheiser Cup. Holt Tipton ’23 led the team in points with 29 this year, followed by Ameer Hajji ’24 and George Williamson ’24 with 22. Deren Pellegrini ’23 and Miles Jensen ’25 are ranked first and fourth respectively in the Central Division for save percentage. Way to go, Rams!
Girls Swimming Wins Tri-Meet, Two Divers Qualify for Districts
On Tuesday, the Girls Swimming and Diving team made a big splash at their meet. Thisbe Diamond ’24 and Sarah Mills ’25 had a wonderful diving meet and both qualified for the District Competition! In Swimming, the Rams won the tri-meet with 168 points over Visitation with 100 and Ursuline with 55. Way to go, Rams!
