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december 2011 on men who listened my dear parents and guardians since i announced my impending resignation for reasons of health i have been overwhelmed by the many cards and emails which i have received from so many members of the mount community i have read every card and every email but i am afraid that i am not at a point where i can respond i m sure you will forgive me michael welch headmaster of saint john s high school in shrewsbury massachusetts and dr perry sangalli president of saint x high school in louisville kentucky sent a copy of my letter on fighting the good fight to the classes i taught in those schools i have received letters and emails and even visits from men that i taught forty years ago in all the cards and emails i have received from old boys the one theme which is quite clear is that when they were fourteen-yearold boys they actually did listen many of the emails had lines like brother do you remember when you said or brother do you remember when you told me i thought they weren t paying the slightest bit of attention yet over the years i have come to realize that the boys are listening particularly at those moments when they are trying to make you think that they are not listening at all perhaps the most interesting story related to me by one of the old boys had gone completely from my memory he wrote i have spent most of my adult life thinking and wondering about how you saved me from potential disaster when i was sixteen-years-old it was a school dance in the middle of winter and you were the brother on patrol scouting out problem behavior you caught me trying to sneak with two fifteen-year-old girls into the cold dark empty school building all hell broke loose and you dragged me to the dean of discipline a sixteen-year-old boy sneaking into an empty building with two fifteen-year-old girls has an incredible potential for disaster of course at sixteen i wasn t thinking of potential disasters but you were my great mentor the late brother ivan would repeatedly tell the young brothers in the community that our job was to be vigilant for the welfare of our students to protect them from harm that they with their adolescent brains could not see looming on the horizon that s why we had brothers on patrol at the school dances and a brother breath sniffer at the front door the kids thought we were just trying to bust their chops when in fact we were just trying to keep them alive and healthy that sixteen-year-old boy and his harem were probably not at all happy with me at that dance so long ago just as your son will not be happy with you when you are in your parent on patrol mode not to worry as we know they do listen and with proper time to think they will understand that we were just trying to be their guardian angels happy advent sincerely brother james m kelly c.f.x president

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dear parents students and friends of the mount fidelis if i were to use one latin word to describe my friend jim kelly brother james kelly cfx our president then fidelis would be the one no matter when i have taught latin students make the connection to the marine motto semper fidelis and i suppose i could throw in the latin adverb to characterize brother as always faithful he does not summarize easily and tonight i have just left his house having a grand old reunion with his sister pat and several of his xaverian brothers and now i m sitting in his office borrowing time on his computer to try to explain to you all why fidelis if you are lucky enough to be among those relationships of his that has endured you know what faithful means to him for the past ten years here he has been giving a special talk on junior retreat under the title love in action we all know it as his cousin honey talk her picture looks back at me from about six feet away tonight and the smile on her face matches his as he would give this talk brother s cousin honey was a nurse and late in her career she began to care for aids patients who were nearing the end of their lives up on cape cod honey would vigilantly care for these mostly young men when no one else would not even their family members and she spent considerable energy trying to re-connect family members especially moms who were embarrassed by their son s illness she would contact the mothers and try to explain to them how much their sons needed them at this time perhaps more than at any other time in their lives when honey died jim spoke at her funeral and several of those same parents came up to him to say how much honey meant to them they told of how her persistence her loyalty to her patients their sons won their hearts allowing them to spend some precious time together with the son they loved so much honey was faithful to her calling as a nurse and supremely faithful to her calling as a christian to minister to all who needed god s loving touch given through her hands fidelity is part of the dna of the kellys alumni too many to count from all the schools where brother has taught and been the head of school can recount chapter and verse of tales of forgiveness and love from this faithful man forgiveness is certainly at the core of the christian message and it is a hallmark of any enduring relationship jim kelly s faithfulness his fidelity is to the xaverian principles on which he has lived out his life no one could ever have taught us more these last years as the ordinary and unspectacular flow of everyday life continued to reveal brother s true self ever the teacher not once cursing god or his fate his focus has never wavered not during treatment not when he was feeling well not these last few days as he readies for god to call him home he has been faithful to the charge brother dominic the first head of the mount gave to his faculty over a hundred years ago take good care of the boys fidelis brother and i have an inscription in our offices his in english mine in latin vocatus atque non vocatus deus aderit roughly translated by this latin teacher called or not called god will be there god s call comes in forms not of our choosing and each one requires our patient silence to listen closely enough to hear it once we do we get about the work of answering it jim kelly fell in love with teaching and with the students he taught a long time ago st john s high school in shrewsbury ma xavier high school in middletown ct st xavier high school in louisville ky and mount saint joseph have all been the beneficiaries of brother s love affair and of brother s answer to god s call may we join in praying him through this stage in his journey home to god knowing that cancer will never take him from us never destroy our memories never take away our friendship that indeed will endure as brother s spirit invades us when we least expect it and we smile to ourselves because he loves us still peace barry j fitzpatrick principal

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inclement weather policy mr dave norton assistant principal director of studies please continue to check your son s grades by accessing them at www.edline.net midterm exams will be given before christmas vacation exams are december 13 14 15 and 16 we will return from vacation on january 3 and the second marking period will continue until january 25 we are looking for continued student improvement on the midterm exams the exam schedule will will be as follows tuesday december 13 tuesday december 13 wednesday december 14 wednesday december 14 thursday december 15 thursday december 15 friday december 16 friday december 16 8:00 a.m 10:00 a.m 8:00 a.m 10:00 a.m 8:00 a.m 10:00 a.m 8:00 a.m 10:00 a.m g period h period a period b period c period d period e period f period if school is going to be cancelled because of weather conditions this fact will be announced over the radio stations the best source is station wbal mount saint joseph will not be mentioned by name whenever baltimore county secondary schools cancel school because of snow conditions mount saint joseph will automatically be closed if baltimore county opens one or two hours late because of snow mount saint joseph will do likewise however if baltimore county opens more than two hours late mount saint joseph will open only two hours late if baltimore county is closed or on vacation we will follow howard county financial aid applications financial aid applications for the 2012-2013 school year are available in the business office if you would like to apply please have your son stop by for an application or apply on line www.psas.org after january 16 2012 applications are not mailed out only one application per family is required remember you must apply for financial aid each year all applications must be postmarked by friday february 3 2012 exams will be given by the classroom teacher in the regularly assigned classroom students need only to report to their assigned exam period however once on campus they are not permitted to leave and return for a later exam homeroom period will not take place during the exam schedule attendance will be taken in the exam room breakfast and a limited lunch menu will be served during exam week students in courses 729 financial literacy 736 introduction to computer applications 734 business law 739 personal business applications and 758 web design html 750 h robotics and 320 depaul language will meet during the exam time for regular class instruction some semester classess will be administering final exams on tuesday january 17 and wednesday january 18 2012 this will allow for more skill development course 736 will be assigned a major project for their final exam the classroom teacher will inform their students of details honor roll our students completed an extremely successful first quarter forty-two percent of the students were on the honor roll congratulations to all of our students parents and teachers for such a great start to the new school year our school average was eighty-nine percent keep up the excellent work psat explore test results should be available by the middle of december juniors sophomores and some freshmen will receive their results and explanation of such during an assembly freshmen will receive results and explanations of the explore test in homeroom please ask your sons for their results before the midterm exams attention juniors the ring ceremony will take place on sunday december 11 2011 at 6:00 p.m at saint joseph s monastery.

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the parents corner mrs mary wiedel director of parent rela ons mr chuck belzner director of guidance during every thanksgiving season i realize how truly blessed my family and i are we have been blessed with a comfortable home employment working cars warm clothing and more than enough food to meet our daily needs my father-in-law always said you have all that you need but maybe not all that you want nowadays any of us who can make this statement should realize we are abundantly blessed now we begin the christmas season of giving this is a great time to look around for ways to share what we have with those less fortunate ask yourself what will be the popular coveted gift this year and do my children or i really need it think about it do you really remember what gifts you received last christmas and if you can did you really need them could we forgo purchasing one pricy item and with the money donate it instead to a worthy cause with a little planning we can find numerous ways to help others who are in need at the mount we have the annual advent toy drive collection which provides new toys shoes and other clothing items to needy parishioners from a local catholic church maybe your family can help with a donation each month several local soup kitchen ministries that msj supports publish wish lists of items they need to sustain their effort both our daily bread and my brother s keeper could use your support http www.catholiccharities-md.org/our-daily-bread odbec-wish-list.html and http www.mybrotherskeeperbaltimore.org most churches have advent activities that serve those in need so help your children seek out other ways for them to help the old adage it is more blessed to give than to receive does hold true for this time of year god bless you for all that you already do and thank you for all that you will do for others this christmas season reminder to senior parents please be sure to visit the guidance section of the msj website as we continue the process of college admissions please note the information provided through the senior bulletin the bulletin contains information regarding college visits sat s/act s scholarships and more your sons are given copies in homeroom information regarding the senior bulletin and available scholarships can be found on our website seniors please be aware of the following due dates regarding college applications applications due on december 15 and january 1 were due to mrs mnkande by november 21 applications due on january 15 must be turned into mrs mnkande no later than january 3rd any applications turned in after these dates are not guaranteed to be processed to meet the deadlines mr clay bonham director of mount ministries we are grateful for the generous donations from so many families to the annual holiday food and toy drive as a reminder to sophomores your retreats to the holocaust museum will begin after the christmas holiday if there are parents interested in helping chaperone they should contact mrs mary abdo in campus ministry mary.abdo@admin.msjnet.edu as a reminder for juniors the christmas holidays are an excellent opportunity to fulfill your required service learning responsibilities juniors who are still looking for service opportunities can visit the website http juniorserviceopportunities.blogspot.com christmas concert the music department will hold its annual christmas concert on thursday december 8 at 7:30 p.m in the fine arts auditorium the symphonic band jazz ensemble and choir will perform a reception will follow the concert we invite you to celebrate mass with us for the feast of the immaculate conception on thursday december 8 at 8:00 a.m in the auditorium we hope that all families will have a blessed advent and christmas season!

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msj school store mr kraig loovis interim athletic director msj store hours for december can be found by going to this link http www.msjnet.edu/uploaded/pdf%27s school_store/bookstoredecember2011.pdf if you are considering shopping on line all orders must be placed no later than december 16 2011 link to msj on-line store http www.zimmerworks.com/msj we now have a mount saint joseph high school store facebook page like our facebook page and you will receive updates on new arrivals and sales thank you for your continued support merry christmas and happy new year fall sports wrap-up the varsity soccer team finished the regular season with an 8 ­ 10 ­ 2 record advancing to the miaa quarter-finals where they fell to loyola the varsity football team finished the season with a 3 ­ 6 record however the team showed tremendous improvement from the previous season varsity cross country had a good season finishing with an 8 ­ 4 record and taking 6th place in the miaa championship the varsity volleyball team finished the regular season 11 ­ 8 and once again advanced to the miaa playoffs the team was defeated in the semi-finals by the eventual champion loyola finally the varsity water polo team finished the year with a 4 ­ 19 record the team made the miaa playoffs for the ninth consecutive year but fell to calvert hall in the semi-finals the team also travelled to the eastern preps where they played very well finishing their season 2 ­ 1 defeating haverford and pingry winter sports ­ december openers december 2 indoor track meet vs loyola blakefield at 4:30 p.m varsity wrestling caruso invitation at st benedict s newark nj varsity basketball vs st frances at msj at 7:00 p.m tier 1 ice hockey vs spalding at the gardens ice house laurel at 6:00 p.m december 3 december 9 december 19 it s bull oyster roast time again think in advance swimming season opener in january 2012 inclement weather policy mount saint joseph high school follows the baltimore county public schools weather policy if msj is closed because of inclement weather home sporting events for the day will be postponed for away games call the sports information line at 410-644-3300 ext 345 or check the website athletic announcements for details buy your bull oyster roast tickets today tickets will not be sold at the door join the mount s alumni association for the finest food in town try your luck at the games of chance and place your bids on silent auction items saturday february 25 2012 6:00 p.m ­ 11:00 p.m tickets are $50 per person for tickets go to www.msjnet.edu/bullroast or call james poisal `03 410-646-4700 ski trip this year s ski trip to seven springs is scheduled for january 20 22 2012 the trip includes a three-day lift-ticket package two nights lodging two allyou-can-eat-breakfasts a chartered bus ride and discounts on skiing and snowboarding rentals and lessons the ski club will continue to organize the trip and schedule meetings this month if you are interested in making the trip a christmas gift e-mail mr greg mcdivitt gmcdivitt@admin.msjnet.edu.

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december meeting msj holiday bazaar christmas service project tuesday december 6 6:00 p.m 9:00 p.m in the cafeteria shop for holiday gifts and eat drink and be merry questions contact shyami murphy at 410-489-2875 or shyami1@verizon.net the holiday service project includes gift bags for mbk christmas card writing to msj grads serving our country in the military if anyone knows of someone who would welcome a christmas greeting from the mothers club or are interested in donating items for the service project contact chris childres at 410465-6059 or cachildres4@verizon.net the alumni moms wine and cheese party will begin at 6 p.m prior to the holiday bazaar please contact pat randall patrandall57@yahoo.com or joanne waeltermann jwaelterma@aol.com to rsvp please bring wine or an appetizer my brother s keeper benefit msj annual pasta dinner is on sunday december 4 from 4:00 p.m to 7:00 p.m in the school cafeteria tickets are $10.00 each children under three are free carry out will also be available all proceeds go directly to my brother s keeper the soup kitchen and outreach center the menu consists of fresh pasta homemade sauce salad bread and homemade dessert volunteers are always welcome make a batch of sauce donate a dessert or volunteer your time during the event tickets are available for purchase at the business office for more information please contact michele rosata msj alumni mom event chair at 410-461-6380 or by email mrosata@comcast.net payments can be sent directly to michelle rosata 3641 cragsmoor road ellicott city md 21042 this event is co-sponsored by msj x-act club january meeting please attend our meeting on tuesday january 3 at 7:30 p.m in the cafeteria we will discuss exciting up-and-coming events and speakers for the new year all moms are encouraged to attend use this time to have fun make new friends laugh and share your experiences with raising boys the outreach committee thanks to all who donated food for the thanksgiving dinner at saint joseph s monastery it could not have been a success without you the outreach committee is selling st joseph medals and mugs to benefit my brother s keeper please see the website for details mbk provides daily meals and assistance to the people of the irvington community that surrounds our school with the cold weather fast approaching mbk could use new adult size tube socks and gently used or new sweaters for men and women in sizes l xl and xxl other items always needed are #10 cans of vegetables large trash bags 33 and 55 gallon paper napkins plastic cups and heavy duty paper plates plastic forks paper towels deodorant toothpaste toothbrushes bar soap lotion shampoo travel size toiletries and forever stamps donations may be brought to the mothers club meetings or may also be dropped off at msj attention mary wiedel/mbk to learn more or to help support mbk please contact chris childres 410-465-6059 sharon campbell 410-418-8821 or jackie pellegrino 410-379-6577 fashion show 2012 usion integrating arts athletics and aesthetics the date sunday april 22 f save 1:00 p.m 5:00 p.m at the bwi airport marriott tickets $50 don t miss this 46th annual fashion show enjoy lunch msj mothers and senior students modeling casual and formal fashions a silent auction gift and gourmet raffle 50/50 raffle and more flyers will be available on the mothers club website soon operation mount if you didn t believe in miracles before you will now after four weeks the operation mount campaign had totaled $18,000 the final week of the campaign brought in over $25,000 the extended week delivered another $14,000 the total for operation mount 2011 is $57,180 congratulations to our top sellers michael auer 12 1,760 chris knudsen 13 1,265 and douglas neary 14 1,150 the top selling homeroom is mr felt s hr 212 with a total of $3,960 thank you to everyone who supported operation mount especially our volunteers we hope you enjoyed the operation mount holiday on monday november 28 for surpassing our goal of $37,500 basket bag bingo sue curley and colette newton would like to thank the committee and all who helped support the event it was a fun night for all who attended more information to come open house a success thanks to your support a special thanks to the hospitality committee susan sekira anne luco and cassie black for their hard work and organization of the event also thanks to the moms who set-up donated food served and cleaned-up.

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december meeting the december general meeting will be held on monday december 12 2011 at 7:30 p.m in the cafeteria father/son communion breakfast mark your calendars now for what promises to be a sellout father/son communion breakfast it will be held on sunday march 4 2012 with mass at 10:00 a.m in the auditorium followed by a hearty breakfast and speaker bull roast report our annual bull and oyster roast was a huge success thanks to the efforts of chairman rich drgos and assistant chairman scott luco proceeds from this event will be used to support projects around campus thank you to all our msj families for supporting this event msj fathers club fall citrus order form sold to address city/state/zip telephone e-mail description navel oranges ruby red grapefruit detach and return this form with your check made payable to msj fathers club c/o mt st joseph high school 4403 frederick avenue baltimore md 21229 size 2/5 bushel 4/5 bushel 2/5 bushel 4/5 bushel unit price qty amount $22.00 $36.00 $22.00 $36.00 total due check no person picking up order if different from above phone fruit pickup date saturday december 17 2011 9:00 a.m ­ 12:00 p.m at the msj lower parking lot fruit not picked up on this date will be donated to charity without a refund orders must be received no later than thursday december 8 2011 for more information contact bernd mcdivitt at 410-644-3300 ext 272.

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please remember in your prayers our deceased brett bj romanoski `98 margaret boverman grandmother of senior matthew cobleigh agnes basco mother of msj board member ceil beck catherine imbach mother-in-law of staff member darlene imbach frieda greenway great-grandmother of junior nick greenway and freshman brandon greenway please remember in your prayers our sick brother james kelly c.f.x tim kabara and joanne morgan faculty members dan peddicord `72 staff member carolyn belzner mother of faculty member chuck belzner vern morgan husband of faculty member joanne morgan marie flynn and christine mitchell former faculty members sue mcclure friend of staff member sarah peightel michelle rucker mother of marion rucker `11 eileen bednar mother of junior jason bednar fr james keegan ruth grondon sr joan keating mother elias and fr edward ward friends of the xaverian brothers brother roger demon c.f.x christopher burdette `87 edward judy `64 lou goode `83 fred napfel `55 edward latchford `65 anthony miller `64 latoya wise and cyril thames grandchildren of staff member pearl thames donna gorman mother of kevin gorman `09 nancy hoffman wife of robert hoffman `47 sharhonda tynes sister of joe tynes `11 lucas mcwilliams brother of sophomore adam mcwilliams ted leach father of colin leach `08 nanci weaver armstrong friend of staff member dale wolters donald herbert `50 andrew tippett `51 madeline smith daughter of pete smith `95 donald fiery father-in-law of faculty member kevin shearer william smuts brother-in-law of faculty member cheryl hall mr schmelzer and msgr o connell friends of freshman joe chambers cathy mead mother of senior kevin mead and brian mead `10 sherrie mattson grandmother of junior cole mattson tina and michael molloy family of faculty member mary abdo joe jamiszewski uncle of freshman luke jamiszewski kitty seifert mother of faculty member sharon morgan rita o connell grandmother of sophomore patrick o connell joanne fieschko sister of faculty member mary wiedel jerry ader father of faculty member jason ader joyce lopez aunt of junior vinny lopez rebecca meise mother of sophomore jacob meise thomas cunningham father of junior michael cunningham frank sapienza grandfather of senior christian sapienza and father of cfo chris sapienza stephen skipper father of junior justin skipper sue bassler mother of matt bassler `04 and michael bassler `06 albert procopio grandfather of senior joseph fisher maxine bryant sister of staff member arlene beach michael ballenger uncle of sophomore andrew brown paul jacob grandfather of sophomore sean curley fr jack collopy friend of faculty member chuck belzner ann chickowicz grandmother of freshman zack jones james wingler father of staff member mike wingler jeremy cugle nephew of staff member cathy steffe terry hergan former staff member.

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